Essay --

â€Å"You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you† (C.S Lewis).The novel A Farewell To Arms by Ernest Hemingway engages numerous themes associated with love and death. Taking place during World War 1, Hemingway displays the horrors of war, yet he contains Henry and Catherine’s love story in the midst of it all. Hemingway demonstrates themes such as religion and reality of war associated with love, and uses weather and loss related to death. The novel revolves around the love story between Henry and Catherine, taking place in the World War. Therefore, Henry emerges himself into love in order to escape and overcome the grim reality of war. Similarly, Catherine mourns the death of her late husband but uses love to to fill the void. Religion is a major theme highlighted with love in the novel. Literary critic Arnold A. Markley states, â€Å"A religion or any organized system of beliefs has to be tried and tested before frederic will be able to accept it, and as yet, he has found no system of beliefs or value to commit himself entirely. Early in the novel when his companions bait and tease the priest, Frederic nevertheless respects the humble man.† (173). For example The priest informs Henry of the nature of love. â€Å"When you love, you wish to sacrifice, you wish to serve† (63). From the very beginning of the novel, Henry has had a special bond with the priest and his messages, unlike the other soldiers. Als o during their summer in Milan, Henry and Catherine talk about their marriage. and having a formal marriage with religious rituals, but Catherine goes on saying, â€Å"You are my religion (237). So Henry’s religion lives only in the form of his love for Catherine. After... ...her in Milan, Catherine tells Henry that she’s scared of the rain. Though they both enjoy walking in it, she says †I feel dead in it†. Often the rain suggests imminent destruction; there is a storm the night that Frederic must leave Italy to avoid being arrested, Catherine dreams that she is dead in the rain† (173) Finally at the end of the novel after Catherines gruesome death, it is raining outside. Hemingway uses rain to imply that it is a force of nature which cannot be controlled, just as fate is something no one can control, Hemingway highlights love and death in the lives of Catherine and Henry as they experience the war in the background. He conveys this through religion and weather etc. Hemingway emphasizes that â€Å"Life never goes as planned...it's in those moments where you define yourself adapt and overcome. You'll become a better person because of it.†

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 42

By now Matt and Mrs. Flowers couldn't ignore the blinding lights anymore. They had to go outside. But just as Matt opened the door there was – well, Matt didn't know what it was. Something blasted straight out of the ground and into the sky, where it got smaller and smaller, became a star, and disappeared. A meteor that had gone through the Earth? But wouldn't that mean tsunamis and earthquakes and shockwaves and forest fires and maybe even the Earth ripping apart? If one meteor that hit the surface could kill off all the dinosaurs†¦ The light that had been shining upward had faded slightly. â€Å"Well, bless my soul,† said Mrs. Flowers in a small, shaken voice. â€Å"Matt, dear, are you all right?† â€Å"Yes, ma'am. But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Matt's vocabulary couldn't stand the strain. â€Å"What the hell was it?† And to his slight surprise, Mrs. Flowers said, â€Å"My sentiments exactly!† â€Å"Wait – there's something moving. Get back!† â€Å"Dear Matt, be careful with that gun†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's people! Oh, my God! It's Elena.† Matt abruptly sat down on the ground. He could only whisper now. † Elena. She's alive. She's alive!† From what Matt could see, there were a group of people climbing and helping others climb out of a perfectly rectangular hole, perhaps five feet deep, in Mrs. Flowers's angelica patch. They could hear voices. â€Å"All right,† Elena was saying, as she bent down. â€Å"Now grab my hands.† But the way she was dressed! A scrap of scarlet that showed all sorts of scratches and cuts on her legs. On top – well, the remains of the gown covered about what a bikini would. And she was wearing the largest, most sparkly costume jewelry that Matt had ever seen. More voices, going on through Matt's shock. â€Å"Be careful, yes? I will lift him to you – â€Å" â€Å"I can climb out my own.† – surely that was Stefan! â€Å"You see?† Elena rejoiced. â€Å"He says he can climb out his own!† â€Å"Oui, but perhaps one small lift – â€Å" â€Å"This is hardly the time for machismo, little brother.† And that, Matt thought, fingering the revolver, was Damon. Blessed bullets†¦ â€Å"No, I want – to do it myself – okay – got it. There.† â€Å"There! You see! He's better every second!† Elena caroled. â€Å"Where's the diamond? Damon?† Stefan sounded anxious. â€Å"I have it safe. Relax.† â€Å"I want to hold it. Please.† â€Å"More than you want to hold me?† Elena asked. There was a blur and then Stefan was lying back in her arms, while she said, â€Å"Easy, easy.† Matt stared. Damon was right behind them, almost as if he belonged there. â€Å"I'll watch the diamond,† he said flatly. â€Å"You watch your girl.† â€Å"Excuse me – I'm sorry, but†¦could somebody please lift me out?† And that was Bonnie! Bonnie, sounding plaintive but not afraid or unhappy. Bonnie giggling! â€Å"Have we got all the sacks of star balls?† â€Å"We've got all the ones from that house we found.† And that was Meredith. Thank God. They'd all made it out. But despite his thoughts, his eyes were drawn again to one figure – the one who seemed to be supervising things – the one with golden hair. â€Å"We need the star balls because any one of them might be – † she was beginning, when Bonnie cried out â€Å"Oh, look! Look! It's Mrs. Flowers and Matt!† â€Å"Now, Bonnie, they'd hardly be waiting for us,† Meredith put in. â€Å"Where? Bonnie, where?† Elena demanded. â€Å"If it's Shinichi and Misao in disguise I'm going to – hey, Matt!† â€Å"Will someone please tell me where?† â€Å"Right there, Meredith!† â€Å"Oh! Mrs. Flowers! Um†¦I hope we didn't wake you.† â€Å"I have never had a happier awakening,† Mrs. Flowers said solemnly. â€Å"I can see what you have been through in the Dark Place. Your – er – lack of sufficient clothing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A sudden silence. Meredith glanced at Bonnie. Bonnie glanced at Meredith. â€Å"I know these clothes and gems may seem a little too much†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Matt found his voice. â€Å"Those jewels? They're real?† â€Å"Oh, they're nothing. And we're all dirty†¦.† â€Å"Forgive me. We stink – which is my fault – † Stefan began, only to have Elena cut in. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers, Matt: Stefan's been a prisoner! All this time! Starved and tortured – oh, God!† â€Å"Elena. Shhh. You got me back.† â€Å"We got you back. Now, I'll never let you go. Ever, ever.† â€Å"Easy, love. I really need a bath and – † Stefan stopped suddenly. â€Å"There're no iron bars! Nothing to shut off my Powers! I can†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He stepped away from Elena, who clung with one hand. There was a soft, silvery flash of light, like a full moon appearing and disappearing in their midst. â€Å"Over here!† he said. â€Å"Anyone who doesn't want little beastly parasites, I can take care of you.† â€Å"I'm your girl,† said Meredith. â€Å"I have a phobia about fleas, and Damon never even got me any flea powder. What a master!† There was laughter at this, laughter Matt didn't understand. Meredith was wearing – well, it had to be costume jewelry – but still it looked like about a few million dollars' worth of sapphires. Stefan took Meredith's hand. There was the same soft flash of light. And then Meredith stepped back saying, â€Å"Thanks.† Stefan's low response was, â€Å"Thank you, Meredith.† Meredith's blue dress was at least in one piece, Matt observed. Bonnie – whose dress had been slashed into starlight-colored ribbons – was raising a hand. â€Å"Me, too, please!† Stefan took her hand, and it happened all over again. â€Å"Thank you, Stefan! Oooh! I feel so much better! I hated itching!† â€Å"Thank you, Bonnie. I hated to think I was dying alone.† â€Å"Other vampires, take care of yourselves!† Elena said, as if she had a clipboard and were checking items off. â€Å"And, Stefan, please – † She held out her hands to him. He knelt in front of her, kissed both her hands, then enshrouded them in the soft white light. â€Å"But I'd still like a bath†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Bonnie pleadingly, as the new vampire – the tall fit one – and Damon had each sparked a moonlight glow around themselves. Mrs. Flowers spoke up. â€Å"There are four working bathtubs in that house: in Stefan's room, in my room, in the rooms on either side of Stefan's. Be my guest. I'll put some bath salts in each right now.† And then she added, holding her arms out to the whole ragged, bleeding, dirty bunch of them: â€Å"My house is yours, my dears.† There was a chorus of passionate â€Å"thank yous.† â€Å"I'll arrange a rota. For feeding Stefan, I mean. If you girls are willing,† Elena added quickly, looking at Bonnie and Meredith. â€Å"He doesn't need much, just a little every hour until morning.† Elena still seemed very shy of Matt. Matt was very shy of her. But he stepped forward, empty hands held up to show that he was harmless. â€Å"Is it a rule that it's only girls? Because I've got blood, too, and I'm healthy as a horse.† Stefan quickly looked at him. â€Å"No rule about only girls. But you don't have to – â€Å" â€Å"I want to help you.† â€Å"Okay, then. Thank you, Matt.† The proper response seemed to be â€Å"Thank you, Stefan,† but Matt couldn't think of anything until, â€Å"Thanks for taking care of Elena.† Stefan smiled. â€Å"Thank Damon for that. He and the others all helped me – and each other.† â€Å"We Also Walk Dogs – at least Sage does,† Damon said slyly. â€Å"Oh – that reminds me. I should use that de-parasiting trick on my two friends. Saber! Talon! Heel!† He added a whistle that Matt could never have imitated. In any case, Matt was operating in a dream. A huge dog, almost as big as a pony, seemingly, and a falcon came out of the darkness. â€Å"Now,† the fit vampire said, and once again the soft light shone. And then: â€Å"There. If you don't mind; I prefer to sleep out-of-doors with my friends. I am grateful for all your kindnesses, Madame, and my name is Sage. The hawk is Talon; the dog, Saber.† Elena said, â€Å"Dibs on Stefan's bath for Stefan and me, and Mrs. Flowers's bath for the girls. You boys can work things out on your own.† â€Å"I,† Mrs. Flowers said gravely, â€Å"will be in the kitchen, making sandwiches.† She turned to go. That was when Shinichi arose from the earth above them. Or rather when his face arose. It was clearly an illusion, but a terrifying and marvelous one. Shinichi actually seemed to be there, a giant, perhaps supporting the world on his shoulders. The black part of his hair blended in with the night, but the scarlet tips made a flaming halo around his face. Having come from a land that was dominated by a giant red sun, night and day, it was an odd sight. Shinichi's eyes were red as well, like two small moons in the sky, and they focused on the group by Mrs. Flowers's house. â€Å"Hello,† he said. â€Å"What, you look so surprised? You shouldn't be. I really couldn't let you come back without popping up to say ‘hello.' After all, it's been a long time – for some of you,† the giant face said, grinning. â€Å"Also, of course, to share in the festivities – we've saved little Stefan, and, my, we even fought an oversized chicken to do it.† â€Å"I'd like to see you take Bloddeuwedd on, one on one, and get a secret key out of her nest, at the same time,† Bonnie began indignantly, but stopped when Meredith squeezed her arm. Sage, meanwhile was murmuring something about what his own â€Å"oversized chicken,† Talon, would do if Shinichi were brave enough to show up in person. Shinichi ignored all this. â€Å"Oh, yes, and the mental calisthenics you had to go through. Truly formidable. Well, never again will we mistake you for blunder-headed idiots who never really asked why my sister would give you any clues in the first place, much less clues that Outsiders could understand. I mean† – he leered – â€Å"why not just go and swallow the key in the first place, hmm?† â€Å"You're bluffing,† Meredith said flatly. â€Å"You underestimated us, plain and simple.† â€Å"Maybe,† said Shinichi. â€Å"Or maybe it was something else entirely.† â€Å"You lost,† said Damon. â€Å"I realize that may be an entirely new concept for you, but it's true. Elena has gained much more control over her Powers.† â€Å"But will they work here?† Shinichi smiled eerily. â€Å"Or will they suddenly disappear in the light of a pale yellow sun? Or in the depths of true darkness?† â€Å"Don't let him bait you, Madame,† Sage shouted. â€Å"Your Powers come from a place he cannot enter!† â€Å"Oh, yes, and the renegade. The Rebel's rebel son. I wonder†¦what are you calling yourself this time? Cage? Rage? I wonder what these children will think when they learn who you really are?† â€Å"It won't matter who he is,† Bonnie cried. â€Å"We know that. We know that he's a vampire, but that he can be gentle and kind and he's saved us over and over again.† She shut her eyes, but held her ground against the gale of Shinichi's laughter. â€Å"So ‘Madame,'† Shinichi mocked, â€Å"you think you have gained ‘Sage.' But I wonder if you know what in chess we call a ‘gambit' is? No? Well, I'm sure your intellectual friend will be glad to inform you.† There was a pause. Then Meredith said, with no expression at all, â€Å"A gambit is when a chess player sacrifices something – for instance, a pawn – deliberately – just to get something else. A position on the chessboard that they want, for instance.† â€Å"I knew you'd be able to tell them. What do you think of our first gambit?† Another silence, then Meredith said: â€Å"I presume you mean you've given us back Stefan to achieve something better.† â€Å"Oh, if you only had golden hair – as your friend Elena has so generously displayed.† There were various exclamations on the theme of â€Å"Huh?† – most of them directed at Shinichi, but some at Elena. Who promptly exploded. â€Å"You took Stefan's memories – ?† â€Å"Now, now, nothing so drastic, my dear. But a thirty-meld-a-session beautician – now, she was most cooperative.† Elena turned her gaze up at the giant face with a look of utter contempt. â€Å"You†¦cad.† â€Å"Oh, I'm stricken to the heart.† But the thing was, Shinichi's giant face did look stricken – angry and dangerous. â€Å"Between you, all such close friends: do you know how many secrets there are? Of course, Meredith is a mistress of secrecy, keeping her secrets from her friends all these years. You think you've already pumped her dry, but the best is yet to come. And then, of course, there is Damon's secret.† â€Å"Which if spoken of here and now will mean instant war,† Damon said. â€Å"And you know, it's strange, but I got the feeling that you came here tonight to negotiate.† This time Shinichi's laughter really was a gale, and Damon had to leap behind Meredith to prevent her being knocked into the hole the elevator had made. â€Å"Very gallant,† Shinichi boomed again, shattering glass somewhere on Mrs. Flowers's house. â€Å"But I really must be going. Shall I leave a synopsis of the prizes you still have to search for before your little company can look each other in the eye?† â€Å"I think we already have them. And you are no longer welcome around this home,† Mrs. Flowers said coolly. But Elena's mind was still working. Even standing here, knowing that Stefan needed her, she was searching for the reasons behind this: Shinichi's second gambit. Because she was sure that this was one. â€Å"Where are the pillowcases?† she said in a sharp voice that frightened and bewildered half the group, and simply frightened the rest. â€Å"I was holding one, but then I decided to hold on to Saber instead.† – Sage. â€Å"I had one, at the bottom of the hole, but I dropped it when somebody lifted me out.† – Bonnie. â€Å"I've still got one, although I don't understand what good – † Damon began. â€Å"Damon!† Elena whirled to him. â€Å"Trust me! We've got yours and Sage's safe – what's happening to Bonnie's in the hole?† The moment she had said â€Å"trust me† Damon had dumped his pillowcase on top of Sage's, and by the time she was finished, he had leaped into the hole, which was still so bright with leylight as to hurt any vampire's eyes. But Damon made no complaint. He said, â€Å"I have it safe now – no, wait! A root! A damned root is curled around one of the star balls! Someone toss me a knife, quick!† While everyone else was slapping their pockets for knives, Matt did something that Elena couldn't believe. First he glanced down into the six-foot-deep hole while pointing – a revolver, was it? Yes – she recognized it as the twin of Meredith's. Then without trying to let himself down easily, he simply jumped as Damon had, into the hole. â€Å"DON'T YOU WANT TO KNOW – † roared Shinichi, but no one was paying any attention to him. Matt's jump didn't end lightly as Damon's had. It ended with a gasp and a stifled curse. But Matt didn't waste time; still on his knees, he handed the gun up to Damon. â€Å"Blessed bullets – shoot it!† Damon moved very fast. He didn't even seem to aim. But he must have clicked the safety off and aimed immediately, for the root was now streaking for the soft wall of the hole, its end wrapped tightly around something round. Elena heard two shattering revolver shots; three. Then Damon stooped and picked up a vine-wrapped ball, medium-sized and crystal clear where its true surface could be seen. â€Å"PUT THAT DOWN!† Shinichi's rage was beyond all measure. The two burning red spots of his eyes were like flames – like moons of fire. He seemed to be trying to get them to comply by sheer volume. â€Å"I SAID, DON'T TOUCH THAT WITH YOUR FILTHY HUMAN HANDS!† â€Å"Oh, my God!† gasped Bonnie. Meredith said simply, â€Å"It's Misao's – it has to be. He'd gamble with his own; but not with hers. Damon, hand it up to me, along with the revolver. I bet it's not bulletproof.† She knelt, reaching into the hole. Damon, with a raised eyebrow, did as she said. â€Å"Oh, God,† Bonnie cried, from the edge of the hole. â€Å"Matt's sprained his ankle – at least.† â€Å"I TOLD YOU,† roared Shinichi. â€Å"YOU'LL BE SORRY – â€Å" â€Å"Here,† Damon said to Bonnie, taking not the slightest notice of Shinichi. Without any more ado, he picked up Matt and floated up out of the hole. He deposited the fair-haired boy beside Bonnie, who looked at him with the wide brown eyes of utter confusion. Matt, though, was a Virginian through and through. After swallowing only once, he got out a â€Å"Thank you, Damon.† â€Å"No problem, Matt,† Damon said, and then â€Å"What?† as someone gasped. â€Å"You remembered,† Bonnie cried, â€Å"You remembered his – Meredith!† she broke off, looking at the tall girl. â€Å"The grass!† Meredith, who had been examining the star ball with a strange expression, now tossed the revolver to Damon and tried with her free hand to tear away the grass that had twined around her feet and up her ankles already. But even as she did so, the grass seemed to leap upward and grab her hand, binding it to her feet. And now it was sprouting, growing, racing up her body toward the ball which she held high in the air. At the same time, it was tightening around her chest, forcing air out of her lungs. It all happened so fast that it was only when she gasped, â€Å"Somebody take th' ball,† that the others leaped to her aid. Bonnie was the first to get there, tearing with her fingernails at the greenery that was squeezing Meredith's chest. But each blade was like steel, and she couldn't rip away even one of them. Neither could Matt or Elena. Meanwhile, Sage was trying to lift Meredith bodily – to pluck her from the earth – and having no more success than the rest. Meredith's face, clearly visible in the light still shining from the hole, was going white. Damon snatched the star ball from her fingers just before the tangled greenery running up her arm could reach it. He then began moving literally faster than the human eye could track, never stopping in any one place long enough for any plant to grasp him. But still, the grass around Meredith was tightening. Now her face was turning blue. Her eyes were wide, her mouth open for a breath that would not come. â€Å"Stop it!† Elena screamed at Shinichi. â€Å"We'll give you the star ball! Just let go of her!† â€Å"LET GO OF HER?† Shinichi bellowed laughter. â€Å"MAYBE YOU'D BETTER LOOK TO YOUR OWN INTERESTS FIRST BEFORE ASKING ME A FAVOR.† Wildly, Elena looked around – and saw that grass had almost completely enveloped a kneeling Stefan, who had been too weak to move as quickly as the others had. And he had never made a sound to call attention to himself. â€Å"No!† Elena's desperate scream almost drowned out Shinichi's laughter. â€Å"Stefan! No!† Even knowing it was futile, she threw herself at him and tried to rip the grass away from his thin chest. Stefan simply gave her the faintest of smiles and shook his head sadly. That was when Damon came to a stop. He held the star ball up toward Shinichi's lowering visage. â€Å"Take it!† he shouted. â€Å"Take the ball, damn you, but let the two of them go!† This time the gale of Shinichi's laughter went on and on. A spiral of grass grew from a point beside Damon and an instant later had formed a hideous, shaggy green fist, which almost reached the star ball. But – â€Å"Not yet, my dears,† gasped Mrs. Flowers. She and Matt had come breathlessly from the boardinghouse storage room – Matt limping badly – and they both held what looked like Post-it notes in their hands. The next thing Elena knew, Damon was moving at ferocious speed again, away from the fist, and Matt was slapping a bit of paper on the grass covering Stefan, while Mrs. Flowers did the same to the greenery on Meredith. As Elena watched in disbelief, the grass seemed to melt, dying away into hay-colored blades that fell to the ground. The next moment she was holding Stefan. â€Å"Let's get inside, my dears,† Mrs. Flowers said. â€Å"It's safe in the storage room – the able help the wounded, of course.† Meredith and Stefan were taking great gasping breaths. But Shinichi had the last word. â€Å"Don't you worry,† he said, strangely calm as if he realized he'd lost – for now. â€Å"I'll get that sphere back soon enough. You don't know how to use that kind of Power anyway! And besides all that, I'm going to tell you what you've been hiding from your so-called friends. Just a few secrets, yes?† â€Å"The hell with your secrets,† shouted Bonnie. â€Å"Language, language! How about this: One of you has kept a secret all their life, and is doing so even now. One of you is a murderer – and I am not speaking of a vampire, or a mercy killing, or anything like that. And then there is the question of the true identity of Sage – good luck on your research there! One of you has already had their memory erased – and I don't mean Damon or Stefan. And what about the secret, stolen kiss? And then there is the question of what happened the night of the motel, that it seems that nobody but Elena can recall. You might ask her sometime about her theories about Camelot. And then – â€Å" That was when the sound as loud as Shinichi's giant-sized gales of laughter interrupted him. It tore through the face in the sky, leaving it drooping ridiculously. Then the face disappeared. â€Å"What was that – â€Å" â€Å"Who has the gun – ?† â€Å"What kind of gun could do that to him?† â€Å"One with blessed bullets,† Damon said coolly, showing them the revolver, pointed down. â€Å"You mean you did that?† â€Å"Good for Damon!† â€Å"Forget Shinichi!† â€Å"He is a liar when it suits him, that I can tell you.† â€Å"I think,† Mrs. Flowers said, â€Å"that we can retire to the boardinghouse now.† â€Å"Yeah, and let's go get our baths.† â€Å"Just one last thing.† Shinichi's voice, giant-sized seemed to come from everywhere around them; from the sky, from the earth. â€Å"You're really going to love what I have in mind next for you. If I were you, I'd start negotiating for that star ball right NOW.† But his laughter was off and the muffled feminine sound behind him was almost like crying, as if Misao couldn't help herself. â€Å"YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE IT!† Shinichi insisted in a roar.

Kubla Khan Essay

Born in 1772 in Ottery. St., T.S.Coleridge lead a very disquiet life in his early childhood. After his father’s death he was sent to the Christ’s hospital school. There he had felt a great emotional vacuum, which was the beginning of his continuos ill health. Charles Lamb, his schoolmate, gave us an account of this period affirming that Coleridge was highly imaginative, who sought refuge in reading old romantic tales as well as Homer, Virgil, and Shakespeare. Perhaps the most influential period in Coleridge’s life was the period when he met Wordsworth in 1795, after he had left Cambridge. It seemed that in the company of Wordsworth, Coleridge found the mental peace, security, and environmental harmony. This had resulted in the sudden flowering of his genius, a sudden release of his creative impulses, and he wrote â€Å"The Ancient Mariner†, â€Å"The Christable†, and â€Å"Kubla Khan†. Much about the composition and subject matter of â€Å"Kubla Khan† can be detected from Coleridge’s Preface to that poem: † This fragment with a good deal more, not recoverable, composed, in a sort of reverie brought on by two grains of opium taken to check a dysentery†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This fact raises the issue of the drug’s effect on the poet’s creative imagination. Early critics assumed that there was a direct and immediate correlation between opium and imagination. In 1934 M.H. Abrams declared that the â€Å"great gift of opium† to men like Coleridge â€Å"was to access to a new world as different from this one; and one which is ordinary mortal†. According to Elizabeth Schneider, opium can only work â€Å"on what is already there in a man’s mind and memory† and † if he already has a creative imagination and a tendency to† recall dreams and visions. Then opium may intensify and focus his perceptions. This last interpretation seems to be the most acceptable one, because this is what really happens to Coleridge. Before he began to dream he had been reading the following words of the same substance, in Purchas’s â€Å"Pilgrimage†: â€Å"Here the Khan Kubla commanded a palace to be built, and a stately garden thereunto. And thus ten miles of fertile ground were inclosed within a wall†. These words, it is quite apparent, formed the background upon which opium worked, encouraging Coleridge’s mind for imagination. The effect opium had on Coleridge’s mind manifests itself while examining the structure of the poem itself. It quite obvious that the third stanza is entirely different from the first two ones, as if was written by a human being whereas the other earlier stanzas seem to had been written by a demon or some divine hand. Coleridge himself confesses that he couldn’t revive the interrupted composition of the first two stanzas that were written under the influence of opium, and that when he returned to his writing â€Å"all the rest had passed away like images on the surface of a stream†. Perhaps that’s why we find it a fragmentary work, filled with strange, unusual imagery, and lacking a rational structure; its rhythms suggest a mind vacillating between conscious and unconscious modes of being. Matter of fact â€Å"Kubla Khan† is reliable to different levels of interpretation. First, the poem could be approached as a descriptive poem that shares the common beautiful characteristics and techniques of most romantic poets, especially when describing natural elements. Still Coleridge described the world of â€Å"Kubla Khan† in terms of the ancient Platonic idea of â€Å"Dualism†; where the world of material existence is described as the world of shadows, and the world of Ideals as the elevated one. Accordingly, â€Å"Kubla Khan† could be regarded as a beautiful expression of the poet’s longing for some ultimate beauty combining the work of man with those of nature and those of pure imagination; to resurrect lost archetypal worlds within the imagination. In this way the â€Å"pleasure dome† that has been established in fulfillment of the orders of the Tartar Prince can be regarded as an attempt to reach such an ideal world. That’s why the first stanza opens with a carefully constructed image of a walled garden containing â€Å"incense bearing trees† and forests enclosing â€Å"sunny spots of greenery†; a description that adds a paradisal spirit into the place Kubla has created. The ideal spirit and holiness of this world has been emphasized in a variety of expressions: in affirming that in this â€Å"stately pleasure dome did† †¦ Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea†¦ The sacredness of this world has been further affirmed by the fact that it is â€Å"girdled round† and protected from undesirable or unharmonious influences. This scene that has been described in the first stanza stands in contrast to the opening lines of the second stanza; where the poet’s â€Å"But† contrasts the planned classical artifact of Kubla with the romantic chasm; the birthplace of poetic genius and true creativity: But oh! That deep romantic chasm which slanted Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover! Now the atmosphere is different: the rational order of the garden has been replaced by a scene outside the walls, which is â€Å"savage†, â€Å"wholly†, and â€Å"enchanted†. This natural scene is, indeed, a more perfect symbol of the reconciliation of oppositions in the world of imagination, thereby more eternal. In this stanza we are, also, introduced to the source of that sacred river- Alph- which is seen as symbolizing Plato’s theory of â€Å"Dualism† in terms of Man’s journey through life in search for the Ideal world: it flows from a mysterious source- (Man’s birth)- through â€Å"a mazy† course- (the complexities of life; poetically symbolized by the â€Å"mighty fountain† that â€Å"burst† small stones as if breathing)- to sink tumultuously into â€Å"a lifeless ocean†-(the sea of death). Between birth and death Man is overwhelmed by a dream of permanence- (the shadow cast by the dome of pleasure). This very last symbol has been developed in representing the dome in dream-like terms inaccessible to Man: It was miracle of rare devise, A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice! That’s to say the dome itself- by possessing sunny weather and caves of ice- represent a reconciliation of opposites which is impossible to human life. With the beginning of the third stanza the poem seems to take a new tern of thought. Now it gives us a vivid picture of a poet caught in a spell of poetic inspiration, who, once in a vision, saw an abyssinian maid playing on her dulcimer and singing of the wild splendor of mount Abora. At this point the poem becomes reliable to another level of interpretation. It is a poem about poetic creation. With this consideration in mind Kubla Khan, who caused a pleasure-dome and elaborated gardens to be constructed in Xanadu, is a type of the artist whose glorious creation becomes a balanced reconciliation of the natural and artificial. Similarly the poet enters the poem- using first person pronoun- in an attempt to establish his own dome. If only, Coleridge laments, he could â€Å"revive within† him the maid’s lost â€Å"symphony and song†, if only he could recapture the whole original vision instead of just a portion of it, then he would be able to establish â€Å"that dome in air† so that his witnesses would declare him to be divinely inspired and form a circle of worship around him. Being filled with â€Å"holy dread† they would cry:

The Link between Assertiveness and the Effective Leader

The Link between Assertiveness and the Effective Leader Free Online Research Papers Assertiveness training has been growing in popularity over the last few decades. Assertiveness training began primarily as a program used by counselors and psychologist, and has transition into a very popular management training course. Many employers are starting assertiveness training programs for their managers as they feel these skills make them more effective leaders. Assertive individuals are self confident, have strong communication and problem solving skills, and not afraid of confrontation. Effective Leaders are assertive individuals. To learn why effective leaders are assertive individuals we need to understand what assertiveness means. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary (2006) defines assertiveness is as, â€Å"The quality or state of being assertive† (p.62). Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary goes on to define assertive as, â€Å"disposed or characterized by strong or confident assertion† (p.62). To clarify the meaning Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines assertion as, â€Å"A positive statement† (p.62). In other words assertive individuals have the ability to state clearly what they want or how they feel in any situation without coming across as aggressive or hostile. Assertiveness is a widely recognized leadership trait. Assertive individuals are self-confident and clear about what they want. Leaders with these traits communicate openly and honestly with those around them. Assertive leaders project confidence and encourage feedback when expressing their thoughts. Assertiveness is built on the understanding that each individual has the right to be open and express themselves honestly; even if they chose not too. Assertiveness helps leaders perform many tasks and achieve goals. Assertive leaders are able to comfortably confront subordinates about poor performance, set high goals, and even make demands on higher management when necessary for the group to meet its objectives. Assertive leaders recognize their own level of knowledge, ability, and authority in any situation. They are able to send this message of confidence and competence through their personal demeanor while showing respect for their group. Without this ability the communication would breakdown and the relationship between the leader and his team would quickly begin to deteriorate. Shaw and Rutledge (1976) wrote an article in the September 1976 Training and Development Journal citing an exciting new approach to train effective managers. Shaw and Rutledge went on to show the correlation between the traits of an assertive individual and an effective manager: The effective manager is clear about goals and purposes. He or she is willing and able to confront conflict, and to make tough decisions, to say â€Å"no† without guilt, embarrassment or shilly-shally. The effective manager is also capable of responding to and utilizing the resources of others. He or she is sufficiently confident and self-possessed so that defensive and abrasive behavior which inhibits the enthusiasm, creativity and motivation of others is minimized. (p.9) According to Shaw and Rutledge (1976) assertive training would gain in popularity among the business world since it would help produce the type of leadership they needed for productive organizations. One of the key characteristics of assertiveness training Shaw and Rutledge pointed out was the fact that leaders where not forced to learn new behaviors just build and strengthen the skills they already possessed. Shaw and Rutledge (1976) stated that, â€Å"Assertive training focuses on practicing goal-oriented and self-actualization behavior, and on learning how to identify and protect oneself against aggressive or manipulative behavior from others.† (p.8) This is a very important skill for a leader. Leaders must be able to clearly and effective communicate their needs without being manipulated by those around them. For the organization to thrive all resources must be used both efficiently and effectively. This means that leadership must be able to determine the best possible use for its resources at all times. Shaw and Rutledge (1976) stated Assertive leaders believe in themselves and in their own ability to succeed; in other words they trust them selves. Assertive leaders will take the time to determine what they want and how they will do it. Next Shaw and Rutledge explained the assertive leader must utilize the resources of others. To be effective a leader they must possess the ability to not only listen to one self but also those around them and then utilize that information in an effective manner. The third step Shaw and Rutledge (1976) explained the assertive leader must follow was to express your feelings. The assertive leader must express their feelings and at the same time provide a safe environment for others to express their feelings openly and honestly without fear of retaliation. Effective leaders teach these skills by example. Shaw and Rutledge described the forth step as be clear and goal oriented. Assertive leaders are open and direct; they are clear about their goals and intents. The final step according to Shaw and Rutledge (1976) in assertiveness training is to confront issues. Assertive leadership will also take care of issues immediately when they happen and keeps communication flowing. Learning how to be assertive will not prevent confrontations it simply provides managers with the skills to deal with the confrontations. Effective leaders realize that assertiveness is a skill that needs to be practiced and continually evaluated for each individual situation. There is no behavior that is a one size fits all perfect solution and a truly effective leader remembers this above all. An assertive individual has strong listening skills which are important for an effective leader. It is as important for leaders to listen as it is for them to be heard. An assertive individual will take the time to clue into the verbal cues as well as the non verbal cues of the conversations. This can often help the listener determine the central issue. The assertive individual will work on all areas of communication so that effective leadership can be maintained. The assertive leader has built a relationship with the team that encourages open and honest communication and fosters creativity. This is where synergy comes into play. Utilizing all the skills in the workplace they are able to get their team to perform at levels higher than the competition. The assertive leader will promote this productive environment. An effective Leader is an assertive individual. Research Papers on The Link between Assertiveness and the Effective LeaderThe Project Managment Office SystemBringing Democracy to AfricaAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Open Architechture a white paperThree Concepts of PsychodynamicEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesQuebec and Canada

Careful Writers Make Good Bedfellows (or at Least Good Housemates)

Careful Writers Make Good Bedfellows (or at Least Good Housemates) Careful Writers Make Good Bedfellows (or at Least Good Housemates) Careful Writers Make Good Bedfellows (or at Least Good Housemates) By Mark Nichol I was interested to read about a recent University of Michigan study that concluded that people who are highly judgmental about writing errors tend to be more introverted and have less pleasant personalities than those who are more forgiving about people’s flawed writing skills. The tools of the study were a questionnaire that, when answered by research subjects, enabled researchers to identify the people as introverted or extroverted and to rate them as having easygoing or difficult personalities, along with a set of fake responses to housemate ads. The study concluded that introverts and difficult people were less likely to respond to people who had sent error-ridden replies than extroverts and people with more appealing personalities. Overall, both introverts and difficult people were more likely than extroverts and people who rated higher on healthy personality qualities to be judgmental about errors. However, the study made a distinction between two types of writing errors: typos, or typographical errors (such as typing mkae instead of make), and grammos, or grammatical errors (such as confusing your and you’re). The study did not pertain to more substantial errors of grammar and syntax such as dangling or misplaced modifiers (or to usage or style errors), but it found that typos were more likely to irk those whose questionnaire responses identified them as introverts, while people determined to have negative personality traits tended to be bothered more by grammos. Would you be less likely to respond to an email by a prospective housemate whose message was full of errors? I certainly would, which apparently identifies me as an introverted jerk- or as an editor, which is perhaps the same thing. Why? Because typographical errors indicate carelessness (I make them, too, but I generally identify and correct them before I publish), and I don’t want a careless housemate. I am more forgiving of grammatical errors, because I know that writing skill does not necessarily correlate with intelligence, though I would be concerned about a lack of compatibility with someone who does not know the difference between your and you’re. Careful writing is important in business communication, and a response to a housemate ad is, in one respect, a business communication, because it involves financial transactions (sharing the costs of rent, utilities, and at least some household supplies). A potential housemate who does not bother to run spell-check before sending me an email is failing to demonstrate diligence. And though I strive not to let grammatical errors annoy me (otherwise, I would have to forgo reading for leisure), I can’t help judging those who do not exercise care in writing. If you bother to write a job application carefully or to proofread an email before you send it to a colleague, you are likely careful about your correspondence when you seek to be chosen as a housemate (which is, in a sense, like being hired). Whether you choose to be diligent when sending a text message or an email to a friend or posting to social media is up to you (though I assume subscribers to these posts are more likely than the general population to do so). My role as an editor is to help a writer communicate. Communication is, of course, also the writer’s key objective, whether one is writing a book or an email message. The same degree of diligence is not required for one as for another, but demonstrating some level of effort to clearly convey one’s message, regardless of the message, is one’s primary duty as a writer. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:60 Synonyms for â€Å"Walk†7 Patterns of Sentence Structure

Journal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Journal - Research Paper Example Upon knowing this, the teacher would now know the customized approach he or she should take on such as the transitional bilingual education which is one that is most effective. This means that the teacher uses the child’s native language to introduce them to the context of a secondary language. Primary language of the student is now used as a bridge to develop literary comprehension with another language (Coonan, C. M., n.d.). Another way to develop linguistic competency through bilingual education would be the Dual Language Immersion. This means that teachers would practice a clear separation of two languages being used in each curriculum. What they do is that instead of translating each principle to another language which could sometimes not encompass the whole meaning or idea and cause confusion, they strengthen one’s understanding of a specific concept delivered in one language and when students already have a strong hold on it, they will then alter the language to further explicate a topic (Cook, Vivian, n.d.) Cook, Vivian (n.d.). Bilingual Cognition and Language Teaching. Virgin Media - Cable broadband, TV & phone plus mobile broadband & phone. Retrieved May 21, 2012, from http://homepage.ntlworld.com/vivian.c/Writings/Papers/BilCog&Teaching.htm Masters Degree Program - Bilingual Education - NYU Steinhardt. (n.d.). NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Retrieved May 21, 2012, from

What is Economics Issues Affecting The Economy As A Whole Essay

What is Economics Issues Affecting The Economy As A Whole - Essay Example The second part of economics deals with the problems rising in the global arena. Humans have unlimited wants but there are limited resources to produce it and when we say resources this is basically referred as the four factors of productions that are used in producing wants. Human race is like an ever hungry beast whose wants are unlimited but there are limited resources to produce it. This issue is referred as scarcity because these resources like oil, mineral, gases take millions of years to form and human beings consume it with a century. (McConnell, 2011) We all know that every human possess some basic needs and beyond these needs there are wants that is only demanded to gain pleasure or to derive satisfaction. Humans have no end to their wants but due to limited income we are forced to make choices as we cannot have whatever we want so we have to select the things we can afford and make sure that the thing we have selected gives us most benefit. When a choice is made one thing is given up in order to obtain what we have selected. The next best alternative that we gave up in order to obtain what we have selected is called opportunity cost. For example between a bike and an I-Phone 5 an individual chooses a bike in this case the I-Phone 5 is the opportunity cost. The concepts in economics can be factual or value based. Objective and fact based information is referred as Positive Economics while value based and subjective information is related to the Normative Economics. Positive economics could be tested and proved or disapproved while the Normative Economics are opinion based. (McConnell, 2011) Macroeconomics and Microeconomics Before we go into further analysis it is very important to dis cuss about the two major branches of economics and that is differentiating between Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. These two branches have many basic common ideas and methods in common, the difference lies in the level to which they are studied and the way they are perceived. Microeconomics focuses on individual consumers, workers and firms each of which is too small to have an impact on the national economy. Macroeconomics avoids this distinction among many different kinds of goods, firms and markets that exist in the economy and instead focus on aggregate. For example, in their analysis macroeconomists do not care whether consumers are buying VCRs or DVD players, beef or chicken, Pepsi or Coke. It focuses on summing up individual variables to obtain economic wide totals called aggregation. (McConnell, 2011) Issues affecting the economy as a whole Studying about the structure of the economy is a part of Macroeconomics that studies the performance of the national economy and help s in designing policies that government use to influence the economy. (McConnell, 2011) There are certain issues that affect the economy and the main ones are: Business Cycle Growth in an economy is never smooth, it