Video games Essay -- Government, Censoring Video Games

Do videogames really need to be censored by the United States’ Government? Over the past several years there has been a controversial court case under discussion to censor videogames. This case is trying to get the United States’ Government to prohibit the selling of all videogames that may include graphic violence, virtual sex, violent and gory scenes, partial or full nudity, portrayal of criminal behavior or other provocative and objectionable material (Mears, Para 1). There are numerous arguments why videogames should or should not be censored. Videogames should not be censored because parents should show responsibility in raising their children, it is unconstitutional, videogame companies take enough steps to already censor their products already, and censorship would impact the videogame industry tremendously. During the past years there has been the first ever videogame court case called Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Association, trying to pass a law against selling or renting violent games to minors (Scholssman, Para 1). This case has been going on for several years and has recently escalated all the way to the Supreme Court. The morning of November 2, 2010, the United States Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments for this case. During the oral arguments; both sides gave their reasons of why they thought the bill should be approved or thrown out. During the oral arguments of the Californian Representative; Justice Scalia brought up the point that even Grimm’s Fairy Tales, a series of German household and children fairy tales, are violent and could these be excluded by the law. This brought up instant argument weather or not could this be broadened to just video games or all sources of entertainme... ...ame Votes Network say â€Å"government regulation based on games’ content will stifle creativity, and will have a chilling effect on game publishers who may feel the need to dilute content due to the threat of government action and fines† (2010, Para 2). These regulations will put vast limitations on videogame producers that producers of other forms of media don’t face. This case is still going on and under dispute in the Supreme Court. The fact that Entertainment Merchants Association has won all of the cases in the lower courts gives them a huge advantage in the Supreme Court ruling. They are expecting to hear a ruling in late February or early March of 2011, but in June at the latest because that is when this term of the Supreme Court ends. When a ruling is made there will be no warnings and once the ruling is dropped everyone will have to go from there.

Explore and evaluate Shakespeare’s use of the supernatural in Macbeth Essay

Explore and evaluate Shakespeare’s use of the supernatural in Macbeth, supporting your answer with a detailed discussion of two scenes of your choice. In the play Macbeth, the supernatural is a major theme, and is important on a number of levels: firstly, it held many attractions for its original audience, both general and specific; secondly, the supernatural is an intriguing dramatic device, used to drive the play along and to keep it exciting; finally, the supernatural also has a great thematic significance to the play. This essay will look at each of these points in turn, and supplement them with a detailed analysis of exactly how Shakespeare uses the supernatural in relation to two scenes; Act One Scene One, and Act Five Scene One. It is important, however, to begin with a definition of the supernatural and what it encompasses. The supernatural is defined as forces, occurrences, and beings that cannot be explained by science. When people think of the supernatural they automatically think of dark and mysterious beings such as ghosts and witches, but phenomena such as hallucinations, prophecies, vision and apparitions can also be grouped under the supernatural. The supernatural comes from the two words â€Å"super† and â€Å"nature†. In this case the word â€Å"super† means â€Å"beyond†, so the supernatural can encompass all things beyond nature, or perversions of nature, such as unusual weather and weather and sleep disorders. Finally, the supernatural can also mean disrupting the natural order, such as regicide. When Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, he wrote it for a specific as well as a general audience: The specific audience was James I, and the general audience were the theatregoers of Elizabethan and Jacobean England. It was very important that when Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, he wrote in a way that would appeal to James I. James I had been the Patron of Shakespeare’s band of actors, The King’s Men, since 1603, and it is thought that Macbeth was first performed in August 1606 to celebrate the visit of James’ brother-in-law, King Christian of Denmark, so James I would have been the Patron of The King’s Men for three years. It was important that the Patron enjoyed the plays because he or she was one of the main sources of money for the actors. In Macbeth, witches were the main supernatural phenomenon in the play, and for the audience of the time, witches were believed to be very real, and a subject of great conversation, not only with the regular working-class, but also with the great thinkers of that time. This notion was also memorably and hilariously in the famous debate scene from â€Å"Monty Python and the Holy Grail.† Most importantly, though, the use of witchcraft in Macbeth would have appealed greatly to King James I. James I always had a fascination with witches. In 1950, while he was still King of Scotland, he had over 300 â€Å"witches† tortured in order to extract confessions that they were conspiring against him. King James took an active part in these trials, believing that, since the Kings was believed to be God’s representative on Earth, he would obviously be the main target of these â€Å"agents of the devil†. Also, James himself wrote and published a book about witchcraft around 1597, the Demonology, in which he detailed their supposed powers of predicting the future, affecting the weather, defying all laws of physics and taking demonic possession of innocent people. In 1592, King James had a meeting with a lady called Agnes Simpson, someone who for a long time had been suspected of being a practising witch. James met with her to interrogate her about her witchcraft, but was highly disturbed when Simpson began quoting the exact same words James’s wife said to him on their wedding night. This made James far more engrossed with witchcraft, and made him even more determined to rid the world of these â€Å"agents of the devil†. Finally, in 1604, new laws were enacted by James I stating that practising witches would be punished by execution. Shakespeare not only used the witches to grab the attention of James I; he also used them as a way to flatter James, his friends and his relatives. The witches are used to prophesise the succession of Banquo’s progeny as King, and help to show Banquo favourably: In the original story of Macbeth, found in Holinshed’s Chronicles of Scotland, Banquo is complicit to Duncan’s murder, but Shakespeare changes this to show that Banquo is a honest, pure-of-heart person, which will please James I as Banquo is a old ancestor of his. He also shows Banquo to be a wise person in Act One Scene Three, where Banquo and Macbeth meet the witches for the first time. Macbeth’s reaction is one of ambition, and is captivated by what the witches say, whereas Banquo has a far more cautious response, and is aware that the witches could well be up to no good. I, iii 123 – 126 And oftentimes to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s In deepest consequence.- This will please James I, to know that his relatives were also aware of witches’ evil. James I is also mentioned in Macbeth, when Macbeth has a vision of eight King’s, on with â€Å"two-fold balls and treble sceptres†. These were James’ regalia, and symbolised James’s power over Macbeth. James I is also seen to have power of Macbeth when Banquo’s ghost is seen sitting in Macbeth’s chair. This use of the supernatural suggests that Banquo’s ancestors will one day take over the throne from Macbeth. Macbeth’s fear of Banquo’s ghost also suggests again that Banquo is superior to Macbeth. Finally, Shakespeare uses the supernatural to interest James I when Macbeth seems powerless in the face of Lady Macbeth’s illness. Malcolm and Macduff talk about how the true king has the power to cure the King’s Evil, as disease called scrofula. James I was believed to have this power and it would have pleased James to know that Shakespeare has shown him to be more powerful than Macbeth. Shakespeare also realised how important it is for plays to appeal to their general audience, and uses a number of different methods to carry this out. The regular people of Elizabethan and Jacobean England also had a fascination with witches, and every town in England would have suspected witches, so it was a common subject of conversation. From these conversations sprouted rumours about the ways and lifestyles of witches, and Shakespeare put hints of these stories into Macbeth. In Act 1 Scene 3, Witch 2 says she has been â€Å"Killing swine†, whilst witch 1 says that â€Å"in a sieve I’ll hither sail†. The people of that time did actually believe that witches killed pigs and sailed over the ocean in a sieve, and hearing these things in a play would have lit up their enthusiastic fascination and would have grabbed their attention. In Macbeth the witches are not only used to fascinate the audience but also to amuse them. The audience would have enjoyed the reference to the witches â€Å"beards† in Act 1 Scene 3, as the witches would have been played by men, and the self-aware joking from the actors would have gone down well with the whole audience. Shakespeare also uses recent events to attract the audience. Macbeth becomes very concerned about the fact that he has no heir to his throne, and the audience will be able to relate this to their recent experience of Queen Elizabeth, who died with no natural heir. The supernatural also adds to Macbeth on a dramatic level, and is used to create suspense, embellish themes of the play and to accentuate the characters personalities, amongst other things. As previously mentioned, the supernatural encompasses hallucinations, and Macbeth’s hallucination of a dagger is a great dramatic device to give the audience the full, haunting extent of Macbeth’s inner turmoil. In some performances of Macbeth, the dagger actually appears hovering onstage, and whilst that maybe an interesting use of special effects, I think it is far more effective when the dagger is invisible, as we can see that he is in fact seeing things, and that what is going on is just in his mind. Similarly, when Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost sitting in his chair, having no one sitting in the chair shows how disturbed Macbeth is. Also, this would the audience in the same position as his friends at the table, perplexed and worried about what is happening. On the other hand, if someone was to play Banquo’s ghost, it would allow for the actor to make use of the stage trapdoor, which would have gone down very well with the audience. Another use of Banquo’s ghost is to mark a turning point in the play; before the ghost’s arrival, Macbeth is authoritative and respected, but his reaction to the ghost shows him in a completely different light, nervous and vulnerable, and this would change his friends’ opinions. This signifies a big change in the play, and from this point onward things become progressively words for Macbeth. Another example of how the supernatural is used as a dramatic device is when Macbeth and Banquo first meet with the witches. The audience know that Macbeth is to be soon hailed Thane of Cawdor, but Macbeth is unaware. This use of dramatic irony gives the audience a sense of superiority, and draws them into the play. Finally, in Act 2 and Scene 4 Ross and the Old Man are commenting on how the events of Macbeth’s regicide have affected the wider world. Here they act almost like a Greek chorus, providing a running commentary on events. The events they describe, such as Duncan’s horses eating each other and a Falcon being eaten by a Mousing Owl effectively tell the audience that Macbeth’s actions have far-reaching consequences. Macbeth is a tragedy, and Shakespeare uses the supernatural to reinforce this. Macbeth is tragic because at the beginning of the play Macbeth is a brave, honourable man, but by the end he is a weak, self centred man, who is eventually killed through fault of his own. This fits Aristotle’s notion of what a tragedy is. In his Poetics he says that a good tragedy has to be about the downfall of a man from a position of greatness to one of lowliness and death. However, Aristotle then goes on to say that it is only a true tragedy if the downfall was brought about by an aspect of the man’s personality, what Aristotle called his â€Å"fatal flaw†. Macbeth’s fatal flaw is his ambition, and the supernatural is used to back this up in a number of ways: The witches in Macbeth are used to show how Macbeth’s ambition takes over everything in his life, and is responsible for Macbeth’s killing of Duncan. In Act 1 Scene 3, the witches don’t say anything about killing Duncan, but Macbeth is so captivated by the fact that he has been told he could be King, his ambition takes over and he would do anything to get to the crown. Shakespeare also uses Banquo’s reaction to the witches’ prophecies to bring out Macbeth’s burning ambition further still. Banquo hears the same things from the witches, but responds in a far more level-headed way, which shows how great an effect Macbeth’s ambition has on his thoughts. Ambition is one of the main themes in Macbeth, but perhaps the most important theme is that of Kingship, and the lengths Macbeth will go to to become King, which includes Regicide. In Shakespearean times people were far more aware of The Divine Right of Kings, and therefore killing a King was the next crime down from killing God. An assault on the King is an assault on God, and it was shown by Ross and the Old Man in Act 2 Scene 4 that the killing of Duncan had supernatural consequences. These consequences are an example of how nature is disordered and unnatural, and the supernatural also conveys this in a number of ways: In the opening scene, the witches talk about paradoxes such as â€Å"fair is foul and foul is fair†, and they say Banquo is â€Å"lesser that Macbeth, and greater.† This is Shakespeare’s way of showing that things in the play are the opposite of what they seem, and that there are many double meanings to what the witches say. Even the appearance of the witches show that things are reversed and upside down, as displayed by the witches beards. Also, Shakespeare uses the interruption of natural rhythms such as sleep to show how the natural order has been interrupted. Lady Macbeth’s somnambulance is a clear example of how disturbed she is over the death of Duncan, and because Lady Macbeth is always putting a front on in public laced with smiles, sleepwalking is a highly effective way of bringing out her inner turmoil. Finally, Shakespeare uses pathetic fallacy to show what effect Macbeth’s actions have on the rest of the world. The stormy weather and earthquakes described once again by Ross and Old Man demonstrate that there not just a few people suffering from Macbeth’s actions, it encompasses a whole nation. This essay has shown how Shakespeare uses the supernatural in a dramatic, thematic and audience-specific ways, but in order to see just how effectively he integrates into the text, it is important to look at two scenes where it is most memorably used. This essay will be looking at Act 1 Scene 1 and Act 5 Scene 1. ACT 1 SCENE 1 The opening scene is an excellent platform to see the supernatural in its most common manifestation in Macbeth: the three witches. The first scene introduces the audience to the witches, and Shakespeare uses the witches to set the scene for the rest of the play. Before the witches even speak, we know this is going to be a dark, intense play from the stage directions. Firstly, thunder and lightning is Shakespeare’s way of using pathetic fallacy to tell us what sort of mood the play has. Thunder and lightning creates a very tense mood, as you never know when the lightning will strike. It will also create a dark sky, making it every scarier. Thunder and lightning also symbolises that everything is not in order, and things aren’t running smoothly. The second part of the stage directions simply says â€Å"Enter THREE WITCHES.† I have already said how fascinated people were with witches in Shakespearean times, and seeing on stage as soon as the play begins would have lit their enthusiasm and grabbed their attention instantaneously. Witches are of course encompassed by the supernatural. These agents of the devil are there to show that the natural order of things and the natural order of God has been disrupted, and all is not well. When the Witches begin talking, it becomes apparent that they want to meet with Macbeth, and that things in the play aren’t all well. When they say â€Å"when the battle’s lost and won†, these oxymoronic statements show that everything is upside down, and that one thing can quite easily mean the other. It emerges that they will meet again with Macbeth upon the heath before the set of the sun, meaning today. They also talk about their â€Å"demons†, Paddock and Greymalkin, a toad and a cat. People at the time believed witches kept pets to spy on people so they could posses them. James I wrote about it in his book. The language that witches use and the way they talk is quite unusual, and shows why the three have been branded â€Å"The Wyrd Sisters†. When the witches are talking, they never talk in iambic pentameter, the usual pattern of Shakespeare’s writing. The iambic pentameter symbolises a natural rhythm, and the disruption of this rhythm demonstrates the natural order of things has been disrupted. This is very similar to Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking in Act 5 Scene 1. Also, the witches’ phrases seem to carry on from one another. An example of this is when Witch 2 says â€Å"When the battle’s lost and won†, and Witch 3 immediately replies â€Å"That will be the ere the set of sun.† This sort of language could mean that they are all part of one body, and controlled by one greater power, namely the Devil. It also could be seen to show that the witches are using telepathic powers to communicate with one another. The people of Shakespearean times were firm believers that witches could communicate with each other through the power of their minds, and James I also wrote about it in his book The Demonology. The penultimate line in this scene, â€Å"Fair is foul, and foul is fair† once again shows how one thing can mean the other, and that the witches are turning over God’s natural order. The first scene in this play isn’t very long at all, but in it Shakespeare manages to tell us an awful lot about the nature of the play, and sets the scene well for the rest of the play. This haunting scene shows the final degeneration of Lady Macbeth, in which the supernatural plays an important part in conveying the full extent of Lady Macbeth’s troubles. Prior to this scene, Lady Macbeth has never let her cover slip. She has remained â€Å"th’innocent flower† in public, and only alone or with Macbeth has she been â€Å"the serpent under’t†. This is the first point where she subconsciously lets her facade slip. Only when she says she would have murdered Duncan â€Å"had he not resembles / [her] father as he slept† does the audience see she has the tiny piece of humanity, and the audience also sees a glimpse of her guilt when she says that â€Å"Naught’s had, all’s spent, / Where our desire is got without consent.† Apart from these two comments, Lady Macbeth has appeared strong and not let her front slip, so it is a great shock to see her so vulnerable and weak in such a verbal and visual way. The stage directions of this scene are â€Å"Enter a DOCTOR OF PHYSIC and a WAITING-GENTLEWOMAN.† The fact that there is a Doctor is a concern to the audience, because a doctor is only ever present when someone is ill (nature being disordered), or there is a need to stave off death. Also, a waiting-gentlewoman suggests that Lady Macbeth that has to depend on someone else, which is a huge contrast to her ever-independent personality, especially since the waiting-gentlewoman is of a lower status to herself. So just by the stage directions, we know that Lady Macbeth is in need of help. We are also aware of that Lady Macbeth is troubled from the conversation between the Doctor and waiting-gentlewoman. For a start, it turns out that that the pair have been watching Lady Macbeth for two nights now. The fact that Lady Macbeth has let people watch her without her realising shows how vulnerable she is because she doesn’t know what information she is giving to the audience. The gentlewoman then goes on to tell the Doctor (and the audience) a list of what Lady Macbeth has done â€Å"Since his majesty went into the field†. The fact that she automatically throws â€Å"her night-gown upon her† suggests that she is subconsciously ashamed of herself and has a desire to conceal her true self. This is a very effective insight to Lady Macbeth’s inner thoughts, although this is lost in the Polanski version of Macbeth, where she appears naked. This essay has already discussed how Macbeth is full of oxymorons and contradictions, and this scene is no exception. When the waiting-gentlewoman talks about how Lady Macbeth has managed to complete all these actions that usually occur when people are awake (she manages to â€Å"unlock he closet, take forth paper† etc.), it is highly strange for anyone to do them â€Å"in a most fast sleep†. This is another way of Shakespeare showing that nature has been disrupted. The Doctor explains it well that there has to be â€Å"A great perturbation in nature, to receive at once the benefit of sleep, and do the effects of watching!† He then follows this with the oxymoronic â€Å"slumbery agitation†, another sign of a natural rhythm being overturned. Lady Macbeth’s actions are also full of contradictions, as noted by the comments: â€Å"her eyes are open† †¦ â€Å"but their senses are still shut†; and also â€Å"she has spoke what she should not†, displaying once again the fact that she has no control over what people hear her say. Finally, the fact that the servant won’t tell the Doctor what she has seen her do previously heightens the suspense. When Lady Macbeth finally arrives onstage, the stage directions say â€Å"with a taper.† The taper could resemble her isolation, a small candle in a dark room, or it could emphasise her desire for light, in contrast too her â€Å"dark desires†. It would also give extra meaning to Macbeth’s famous â€Å"out, out brief candle† speech, which he gave just after the news of his wife’s death. Sleepwalking is unnatural, as a natural bodily cycle is being interrupted. The audience may have seen this as supernatural possession, possibly by the witches, which would have made the scene even more intense. When Lady Macbeth is in her â€Å"slumbery agitation† it seems as if she is in another world. The fact that she is being commented on by the Doctor and waiting-woman emphasises her isolation from the rest of the world. Also, the fact that the audience can see hear Lady Macbeth without her knowing will give them a feeling of superiority over her, and make her feel less powerful. When Lady Macbeth comes onstage the audience is drawn to â€Å"how she rubs her hands.† The audience are told that she has been known to do this for a quarter of an hour makes clear the extent of her deterioration. When Lady Macbeth first speaks, she talks of the imaginary, supernatural â€Å"spot† of blood on her hand. This mirrors Macbeth’s hallucination of the â€Å"air-drawn dagger†. Lady Macbeth is experiencing what Macbeth has already encountered, but she has suppressed all humanity and compassion in her to such an extent that it has to find a way out, and the only way is when she is unconscious. When Macbeth sees the dagger he appears to have gone mad to the audience, but his cathartic projection of his fears is far healthier. In this scene, Lady Macbeth’s language has changed dramatically. Her first speech is only four syllables long, but it is in prose, as opposed to the formal iambic pentameter verse. Her speech is disjointed, which represents her isolation from the world. Also, there is so little rhythm to it, although it could be argued that the phrase takes a spondaic form, which would suggest a very disordered state and lack of control. Also, her speech is purposefully bland, reserved for those of a lower status, and most certainly not royalty like herself. This is very similar to Macbeth’s linguistic degeneration, when he addresses the Murderers in prose. Lady Macbeth’s language is a highly telling manifestation of her degeneration. The contrast between her poetic, calculated persuasion of Act One to the child-like drivel of â€Å"The Thane of Fife had a wife†. Lady Macbeth’s final speech is of a woman who is no longer exists in the present: she is in the past reliving her memories, almost in some horrifying reverie. The fact she is reliving the past is backed up with â€Å"there’s knocking at the gate†, reflects a reliving of the last few moments before their act of murder was discovered. The speech is also crammed with repetition, with â€Å"come† repeated four times and â€Å"to bed† five. Finally, the phrase â€Å"give me your hand† is a perfect expression of her feelings towards her husband – she still loves him but she still feels the desire to command and control. The doctor’s final speech widens the scope of Lady Macbeth’s experiences to take in the whole world: â€Å"Foul whisperings are abroad† can be used to apply to the death of Lady Macbeth herself, but can also relate to the supernatural side-effects of Macbeth’s regicide. After the degeneration of Lady Macbeth, one of the most powerful and vivid character in all of drama, it is the lowly doctor who talks in poetry, not his usual prose. â€Å"Unnatural deeds/ Do breed unnatural troubles† sums up the play brilliantly, but a terrifying reminder of the consequences the Macbeths have to live with. SECTION SEVEN: conclusion This essay has looked at Shakespeare’s use of the supernatural in great detail, commenting on it in a thematic, dramatic and audience-specific sense and focusing in extra detail on Act 1 Scene 1 and Act 5 Scene 1. Shakespeare makes excellent use of the supernatural through witches, hallucinations, prophecies, somnambulance and freak weather. Whether they dominate the scene or not, the many manifestations of the supernatural are used precisely and effectively to add an extra dimension to Macbeth.

Virginia Woolf’s Feminism

Wollstonecraft wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women In 1797. Her tract was based on the enlightenment that she used in many of her arguments. She believed that reason, rationality and virtue lead to a better society. She also believed that reason and education would improve the status of women, and that the improvement of women leads to the improvement of society.Some of the most important principles of feminism are relying on rationality, voicing your pinion, developing the right terminology and that gender definitions are based on social norms. Another feminist who influenced Woolf was John Stewart Mill who discussed another Important principle of feminism, understanding what â€Å"nature† Is. He argued that what goes by the name â€Å"unnatural† generally means â€Å"uncustomary. Feminism debates what society thinks Is unnatural. He believes that the subjection of women is a universal custom making feminism a universal issue.Mill also argues that women have al ways been subjected to men so one cannot claim that It Is it natural. He asserts that to decide what is natural is highly debatable. What Is now called the nature of women is an artificial result of forced repression and unnatural stimulation where women are treated as a commodity. Being influenced by other feminists and her own personal experiences, Virginia Woolf developed her own feminist tract A Room of One's Own in 1929. It has been called the â€Å"founding book of feminist literary criticism†.The book covered the following principles. The book opens with Woolf announcing her maln argument. women need to be free to have their own economical independence and have their own identity. Only when they have their own sanctuary of ones self, can they have artistic freedom which means being economically independent and not having to write Just in order to make money. Woolf Insists that poverty Is key and women were not allowed to own anything, Just as John Stewart Mill and Mary Wollstonecraft claimed that women were repressed.Women have been Impoverished and undereducated that is the reason they were few female writers, not because women were useless and did not know how to write. Women were made Inferior, Woolf continues by speaking about the British Library, hich was under patriarchal rule. Woolf could only go to specific places in the library and eat In certain places as well. That shows that men governed the society and they were considered to be the more superior and capable gender.The narrator then moved on to another point, stating that the superiority of men is constantly being reinforced In literature. The weakness of women was structured by men. Woolf insists that the weakness of women is not innate; it is because women were repressed into being the way they were. Men continuously reinforced the stereotype nternalizing that form of reception and values. Woolf then proposes a question: † If women are so Inferior then why are there so many I nteresting heroines in literature? showing us that the role of exceptional female characters was highlighted. However, 1 OF2 traditional roles were considered far less important than men's. Woolf believed that we should change the status of women's â€Å"work† which is domestic and not belittle the role of women, instead reconceptualize the role of women. Woolf also believed that if you confine women into a limited environment how do you expect them to write bout something else? Women are confined to the domestic sphere, which limits their writing abilities.Great art is produced by those who are free in mind and spirit. If women write knowing that they will be disapproved of or laughed at this will affect the quality of their work. Freedom and creativity go hand in hand. Woolf believes the first great writer is Jane Austen. She also believes that writing is not about gender, it is about something much deeper. Finally Woolf argues that the truly great minds are androgynous whi ch means belonging to neither sex. A writer should be neither asculine nor feminine but a combination of both.Virginia Woolf's themes in her feminist tract are equal opportunity for both sexes, which does not mean erasing differences, but to â€Å"invalidate the gender class system†. One must differentiate and realize that equal opportunity does not mean melting away the differences between male and female. Another theme that was covered was truth versus opinion. One must distinguish between theory and opinion from truth. The third and final theme is changing men's attitudes towards women, and more crucially women's attitudes towards themselves.

Ethan Frome - Character Analysis

Ethan Frome - Character Analysis A disabled man, his wife and his mistress, living alone at the top of a hill in a small New England town; these elements seem to belong in the beginning of a cryptic murder mystery. Instead, it is the outcome of Edith Wharton's novel, Ethan Frome. Ethan, the protagonist, is affected by many circumstances surrounding him. Events spanning from the death of his mother to a tragic tobogganing accident have taken a toll on Ethan's mental and physical condition. The protagonist of Edith Wharton's novel, Ethan Frome, is highly influenced by the situations and circumstances he encounters.The most obvious circumstance affecting Ethan's life is the women that live with him. His wife, Zeena, is really a distant cousin that came to live with Ethan to care for his sick mother. Once his mother died, Zeena planned on moving back with her family. Suddenly she got 'sick' and needed Ethan to take care of her, so they married and Zeena stayed in Ethan's house.EthanWith all of Zeena's sudden ailments, t hey needed a girl to help around the house. Zeena's second cousin's daughter, Mattie, then came to live with the Fromes. Zeena continues to fake illness in order to get Ethan to pay attention to her. For instance, when Zeena and Ethan would fight and he said something to offend her, she would launch into a coughing fit, distracting Ethan from the argument and forcing him to pity her. On the other hand, there was the young girl Mattie. She was Zeena's absolute opposite. Where Zeena was quick-witted and smart, Mattie was absentminded, but she was the obvious beauty when compared to Zeena. To Ethan, Mattie was everything Zeena couldn't give him. Ethan was overcome with lust for this young girl. She used her positive qualities...

Relection Piece of trip to DC essays

Relection Piece of trip to DC essays The trip to Washington DC was the greatest trip in my life; there was a lot of history there. I think the tour of the capital building was the greatest part. Actual seeing the capital building from inside was so cool. Also, first getting to DC when I saw all the buildings it was amazing. In addition, walking on the steps of the Lincoln memorial was exciting. It really seeing the statue was very awesome and seeing the quotes of what he said was cool. When we preformed at the elderly center I think we really influenced those people because music is everything and I think we played well for them and I think they enjoyed it and I think our younger audience liked it too. I hope we could do that again some day. However, I know it was a once in a lifetime experience Later that night we went to a cruise on the Potomac River. I had a blast, when I started dancing with Carol and Kay it was fun. Moreover, seeing Jerry our tour guide swing dance was awesome, he was a good dancer, I could not swing dance worth anything. However, I did try to learn it but I just was tired and could not learn. When we finally hit a slow dance, I danced with Molly, which was awesome. Dancing with a beautiful girl was awesome, but the highlight of that night was when we were doing group dancing. That was kind of fun. But anyway, it was a very cool cruise. Now that night can never be repeated, it was so awesome I could not believe that we had a chance to do that. However, one down side of it, it was not a real dinner. We had pizza, what type of dinner is that? I thought we were going have a real dinner like steak and potatoes. But oh well, I loved the cruise, and loved dancing with all those people. Nevertheless, there was some down sides like our sleeping arrangements. I did not sleep in a bed until the last night we stayed at the hotel. My back was cramped and my ankle started to hurt the day of the parade. I was so tired all of the time. However, I did...

How Long Does it Take to Write a Book Do it Well

How Long Does it Take to Write a Book Do it Well How Long Does it Take to Write a Book? The most valuable thing a writer can learn is how long does it take to write a book. And while most sources say it depends, we break it down for you.According to this article that interviewed famous authors, when asked how long it took to produce their debut novels, the answers ranged from four years to a decade. In other words, a very long time.While it’s nice to be able to take your time honing and polishing your new book, a rough draft sitting on your hard drive isn’t doing anything for you. It’s not building your author name, spreading your message, or growing your audience.Moreover, it’s not earning you a single cent.But there is amazing news:Writing your book can take far less time than you think. You just need to have the right mindset and stay motivated.Heres what youll learn about how long it takes to write a book:How to create a deadlinePrioritizing to take less time to write a bookCreate word count goalsFind accountability to write a book faster Set challenges to finish writing your bookHere at Self-Publishing School, our goal is to improve this arduous writing process. Right now, we coach our students to routinely complete a new book in just 90 days, finishing their first draft in as little as 30 days!They are able to accomplish this by following a simple step-by-step guide that were going to share with you today.NOTE: We cover everything in this blog post and much more about the writing, marketing, and publishing process in our VIP Self-Publishing Program. Learn more about it hereHow long does it take to write a book?Many authors report that it takes up to a year to write a book, but more recently, authors are finishing their books in as little as a month to 90 days. How long it takes to write a book largely depends on how much time the writer puts in to actually writing it, though.The truth about how long it takes to write a book depends on how many words are in it.Heres a guideline for how long it takes to write a book: 30,000 50,000 words: 500 words/day = 60 100 days50,000 80,000 words: 500 words/day = 100 160 days80,000 100,000 words: 500 words/day = 160 200 daysEssentially, the length of time it takes can be anywhere from two months to 7 months depending on how often you write and how many words you write per session.Following the guidelines below, you can learn to supercharge your own book writing process, and you’ll become a published author much faster.How to Write a Book Faster so it Doesnt Take as LongIf you want to know how to write a book faster so it doesnt take as long, here are our best tips.#1 Establishing a Strategic DeadlineDeadlines are designed to help you inch closer to completing your book. It also encourages you to work every day hitting both short-term and long-term goals. However, you wont find success by setting arbitrary due dates. They must be set up for your books success.Here are3 ways to establish strategic deadlines:Define realistic deadlines.Set short te rm and long term deadlines for each portion of your draft that breaks down your entire book.Set honest expectations.If youre only able to write 500 words a day, so be it. Dont push yourself into thinking that you can complete an unrealistic task. Be honest with your abilities and align it with your deadline.Implement rewards. Dont make writing a book feel like a tedious job. Reward yourself for achieving your goals! Attaching rewards to each accomplishment will make finishing your book much more aspiring to complete.Action Step:Before writing, set your first draft time frame between 30-90 days and set target dates that tackle both short term and long term goals for your first draft.#2 Prioritizing Your Writing Into TasksWhat separates those who can write multiple books to those who can barely write a page isthe ability to prioritize. Because there are so many competing factors that pull away our time and energy,prioritizing is actually a very hard concept to implement.But in order to write your book, you need to establish clear priorities to get anything done.Here are some ways to prioritize your work:List out every detail of your book and turn them into tasksAssess each task to identify what carries the biggest value to completing your bookOrder tasks by its immediate priority and length of time to completeAnticipate unexpected changes to your schedule, and plan an alternative schedule to stay on trackAction Step:Make the effort and spend a few hours prioritizing your writing process. You will be surprised with how much writing you can accomplish with a well thought out task plan.#3 Creating Word Count GoalsOne of the best ways to accelerate the writing process is to set word count goals. Like training intervals, setting up word count goals will pace how many words to write a day.First you have to understand how many words in a novel for your genre. Once you know this, you can work backward to figure out how much you have to write each day in order to reach your deadline.By establishing these parameters for your own success, not only will you be more likely to accomplish these goals, but you will also notice improvements to your writing.Heres an example of a tracking sheet you can set up in order to accomplish your word count goals:We recommend writing down your daily, weekly, and monthly word count goals to not only show your current progress, but to keep you motivated until you reach the end. It also helps to include rewards for every new milestone!Action Step:Start your daily word count goal to 500-1,000 words per day. By completing 1,000 words per day, you’ll be looking at your completed 30,000 word first draft in one month!#4 Finding Your Accountability PartnerA supportive partner can be a great soundboard, a first pair of eyes, and a protector of your sanity. They can also be the extrinsic motivation you need to meet your own deadlines and word counts.When you have an accountability partner backing you up, it makes it ha rder to procrastinate because they expect great results from you!At Self-Publishing School, we believe in the accountability system and encourage our students to pair up with other like-minded students to encourage one another and hold each other accountable for reaching goals and deadlines.This is done through our Mastermind Community, so everyone has the same goal in mind: start writing a book and finish by self-publishing a book.It’s a great motivating tactic and helps our students complete their books on time.Action Step:Find an accountability partner who is willing to encourage and hold you accountable to meet your deadlines!#5 Setting Challenges for YourselfFollowing the same routine can get old quickly especially for something lengthy like writing the first draft of your book.To combat the fear of boredom and add more spark to your writing project, we encourage you to set challenges for yourself!Here are some simple challenges to set to write your book faster:Double t he word count youve originally set daily, monthly, yearlyPurposely tighten deadlines to increase pressureBan the use of your phone or all forms of distractions until youve completed your taskRead your unfinished draft out loud to someone new for feedbackAction Step:Include a few of these challenges every so often to increase the intensity of your writing. You may tack on even better rewards for each successful challenge youve completed.If you ever dream of becoming a self-published author, now is the time to finally make it a reality.By following these guidelines on how to develop a robust writing process, you will have your first book ready to publish in no time.Ready to become a successful author?You already know you want to write a book. Your problem is howtogetitdonetimely. Because lets be honest, we all dont have years to get a book done.But thats where we come in.

Scientific Method Exercise Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Scientific Method Exercise - Assignment Example The damage caused them to produce sperms for reproduction and hence their population eventually ended (Gould, 1984). Drugs. There was an evolution of flowering plants known as angiosperms which were toxic to the liver. The livers of the dinosaurs were unable to detoxify the substance and their tongues unable to taste the bitterness that would have prevented them from eating them. Disasters. Sunlight was blocked by dust raised by a large asteroid which landed on earth. Temperatures were lowered and photosynthesis could not take place leading to massive loss of the animals (Gould, 1984). It is not a possible hypothesis. There is no way to test the dinosaur to verify about their body temperature being lower or higher than that of the earth and also no way of testing about whether or not they became sterile. This is possible as there is evidence of the dinosaurs being found in contorted positions from liver failure and also being the only mammals to die due to the flowers as the other mammals avoided eating them. It is possible based on research on asteroids falling on the earth during that period. It would also explain the reason the extinction of the dinosaurs happened during the same timeline and not over an extended period of