Biography of Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe

Biography of Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe has been the president of Zimbabwe since 1987. He attained his job after leading bloody guerrilla warfare against the white colonial rulers of what was then Rhodesia. Birthdate Feb. 21, 1924, near Kutama, northeast of Salisbury (now Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe), in what was then Rhodesia. Mugabe quipped in 2005 that he would remain president until he was a century old. Personal life Mugabe was married to Ghanian national Sally Hayfron, a teacher and political activist, in 1961. They had one son, Nhamodzenyika, who died during childhood. She died of kidney failure in 1992. In 1996, Mugabe married his onetime secretary, Grace Marufu, who is more than four decades younger than Mugabe, and with whom he had two children while his wife Sallys health was failing. Mugabe and Grace have three children: Bona, Robert Peter Jr., and Bellarmine Chatunga. Political affiliation Mugabe leads the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front, a socialist party founded in 1987. Mugabe and his party are also heavily nationalist with left-wing ideology, favoring land seizures from white Zimbabweans while claiming that doing so counters the nations imperialist past. Career Mugabe holds seven degrees from South Africas Fort Hare University. In 1963 he was secretary general of the Maoist Zimbabwe African National Union. In 1964, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for subversive speech against the Rhodesian government. Once released, he fled to Mozambique to launch a guerrilla war for independence. He returned to Rhodesia 1979 and became prime minister in 1980; the next month, the newly independent country was renamed Zimbabwe. Mugabe assumed the presidency in 1987, with the prime minister role being abolished. Under his rule, annual inflation has soared to 100,000%. Future Mugabe has faced probably the strongest, most organized opposition in the Movement for Democratic Change. He accuses the MDC of being Western-backed, using this as an excuse to persecute MDC members and order the arbitrary arrest of and violence against supporters. Instead of striking terror into the citizenry, this could further galvanize opposition against his iron-fisted rule. Action from neighboring South Africa, deluged by Zimbabwean refugees, or world bodies could also pressure Mugabe, who relies on the war veterans militia to help him keep his grip on power. Quote Our party must continue to strike fear in the heart of the white man, our real enemy! - Mugabe in the Irish Times, Dec. 15, 2000

Google Alerts

Google Alerts Google Alerts Google Alerts By Simon Kewin Most writers will have typed their name, or the title of something theyve written, into a search engine at some point. This can be a useful way of finding references to or reviews of your work that you didnt know about. Google Alerts is an invaluable (and free) system for automating this process. Using it, you can set up the search terms youre interested in : your name, say, or the title of your novel, short story, poem or article. Google will then automatically email you if it finds any new references to the terms youve provided. As well as keeping tabs on your own works, you could use the system in numerous other ways: for updates on a favourite writer, for example, or on an agent you are interested in contacting. Or you could use it to find updates on a particular period or location you are researching for a novel. The system gives you some control over which web sites it will check on your behalf. For example, you can tell it just to look at blog posts, or videos, or simply to look everywhere. You can also specify how frequently alerts are to be sent to you: daily, weekly, or as they are discovered. The success with which the system works depends very much on the search terms you use. If you provide a commonly-used term, youll probably get lots of false positives. A more distinctive term the exact title of a novel say will work better. The web site for setting up these alerts is here. The system lets you set up as many as you like (up to a maximum of 1000), although note that you do have to register with Google to use the system. 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:50 Handy Expressions About HandsAt Your DisposalWord Count and Book Length

Reaction of a certain article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reaction of a certain article - Essay Example The median is a measure of central tendency in that it is a statistic that generalizes the typical values of members of a sample or population. The median as a measure of central tendency and location parameter is robust and resistant to the effects of outliers, compared to the mean and mode. A data set can be symmetric or skewed. When a data set is symmetric, the right and left hand sides of the distribution are to a great extent balanced around the mean (Stuart 62). Typically, a symmetric distribution is one in which the mean, mode and median are equal or almost equal. The left and right tails of the distribution, therefore, have more or less the same length. On the other hand, when a data set is skewed, the right and left hand sides of the distribution are not balanced around the mean (Rider 149). The measures of central tendency associated with the distribution also tend to be unequal. Furthermore, the tails of the distribution tend to be unequal; one longer than the other. Generally, the skewness of a distribution may hint to the presence of outliers or measurement errors. In his article, The Median Isnt the Message, Jay Gould rightly defines median as â€Å"the half-way point† (Gould par. 2). Gould also rightly notes that the median is a measure of central tendency which, like the mean, can be exploited to one’s advantage when generalizing situations (Gould par. 2). In his article, Gould seeks to convince his audience that the median is not a perfect measure of a distribution and may be subject to misinterpretation. The author also seeks to clarify that in as much as the median is a measure of central tendency, its interpretation depends on whether or not the distribution is normal or skewed, and, if skewed, the direction of the skew. In his case for example, he would have assumed that he had just about eight months to live owing to his medical

Michel Foucault's Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Michel Foucault's Theories - Essay Example This is usually understood that people are dominate by big social groups and are unable to resist the power of institutions which control day-to-day lives. In the last ten years, the ideas of Foucault has been taken up and use not only by students, but also by professionals in numerous areas. Looking on the three major Foucault's themes in account of prison - power, subjectivity and surveillance - is vital to understanding ideas of Foucault. Foucault's works deal with discipline and instructions. He traces the workings of power at the micro-level and distinguishes his approach from studies of power that focus on the dominating role of the institutions. Foucault writes that it is necessary to cut off the king's head, to understand that power is not the property of the might, but rather the set of forces which establish positions and ways of behaving that influence people in everyday life (Grovier 2005). Foucault has distinguished his understanding of power by noting that there is no right and no wrong way of reasoning, and people are capable of making sense of the world through their own reasoning. However, the human understanding of the self and lives is always filtered though the ideas and institutions that constitute the society (Danaher 2000). Penal system is the s... Foucault devotes a lot of his writings to presenting the genealogy of the prison. IN particular, he writers about the changes in penal procedures in France in late 18th- early 19th centuries. The key change was the abandonment of the torture and public executions, the development of the incarcerating practices and regulating prisoners by practices of surveillance (Eribon 1991). Foucault relates these changes to the Enlightenment - the emerging philosophies based on humanistic virtues of reason and justice. Thus, the changes in prison system were the reflection of the idea that prisoners were aware of their failings. Thus, the old concept of power was replaced by the new physical power which Foucault associates with discipline. He offers two ways of understanding discipline - one tied to punishment, and the other to skills and knowledge. The second concept of discipline is like the set of qualities which humans need to master in order to be recognized and values within the particular field (Danaher 2000). If from the first perspective, discipline is negative, from the second perspective discipline is seen as the positive force tied with self-empowerment and achievement. Disciplinary power gives the person the space within the institution as well as the rank within the system. This ranking enables the institution to regulate the movement of people throughout the space as well as to regulate the progress they can make from one task to another. Foucault further notes that discipline was not simply imposed from above and people submitted themselves to be able to operate effectively in the social con ditions (McNay 1994). It is important to note that Foucault has collected the material

The Effects on GPA Essay Example for Free

The Effects on GPA Essay The academic performance of high school students always constitute a major source of concern for educational practitioners as a result, any factor that could potentially improve this performance is worth considering (Everson and Roger, 2005). The importance of high school education derives from the fact that it provides an essential platform for academic and non academic accomplishments, psychological growths, the foundation for subsequent higher education and future life (Marsh and Kleitman, 2002). Consequent upon this perceived importance, factors that could potentially inhibit or improve high school students performance are worthy of in depth investigation. One such factor that has been shown to considerably influence high school performance is the participation in extra curricular activities. To a large extent, participation in extracurricular activities in high school is generally considered as a vital component of the educational experience (Galiher, 2006). However, the influence of participation in extracurricular activities has not been clearly defined. While some studies have linked positive academic outcomes with extracurricular activities, such as the study carried out by Cairns, Farmer, and Mahoney (2003); others have shown that there exist no significant relationships and even in some cases, some studies have reported negative relationship. As a result, the effect of extracurricular activities on high students performance has become a topic of educational, political, and community debate for more than a century (Marsh and Kleitman, 2002: 465). This paper intends to contribute to this debate by reviewing the several literatures on the topic. Historical Overview Fujita (2005) noted that the early adoption and development of extracurricular activities in high schools was slow. During those early years, most educators saw it as a fad that will fade away with time. For example, Marsh and Kleitman (2002) observed that before the turn of the twentieth century, educators were critical of participation in school extracurricular activities. To these early educators, high schools should be focused on solely on narrowly defined academic outcomes, because, non academic activities were believed to be primarily recreational and of no educational value. Some even contented that such recreational activities could be detrimental to the academic performance of high students. As a result, extracurricular activities participation for high students was discouraged in the early 1900s. Burnett (2000) provides an indepth review of the history and early developments of extracurricular activities in high schools. However, over the course of the last couple of decades, educational practitioners and researchers have adopted a more positive perspective of extracurricular activities; with most of then contending that these activities positively impact psychological developments of students and at the same time help improve academic performance. This change in perception is not unrelated to the large and growing body of research that have continually examined the links and relationships between extracurricular activities and academic performance of students using a wide array of research methods and tools. To a large extent, the bulk of studies conducted on this topic over the course of time point to a positive relationship between extracurricular activities and a host of academic, social and psychological outcomes, while very few of these studies report negative relationship. However, the primary problem with research in this field is that researchers have often adopted different variables in different research methods making generalization of the effects of extracurricular activities on academic and social performance of high students difficult to make. Relevant Theoretical Literature The basic theoretical framework that underlies the various studies carried out in this field involves correlating students’ academic performance with their participation or lack of, in extracurricular activities. For example, in Galiher (2006), the author collated data about the various extracurricular activities present in a particular high school and the list of students that participate in these activities. The grade point averages (GPA) and cumulative grade point averages (CGPA) for these students was also collated and participation in extracurricular activities was then correlated with students’ academic performance. The basic idea, generally, is that if participation in extracurricular activities positively impacts academic performance, then students involved with these activities would perform better academically, when other factors, such as age, IQ, gender, socio economic status etc have been controlled for. Analyzing the commonly used methodological designs in studying the relationship between social and academic performance and participation in extracurricular activities, Marsh and Kleitman (2002) observed that there are three research designs often employed by researchers. The first involve a one-time data collection research design that correlates extracurricular activities with the selected outcome variables. The second also involved a one-time data collection design, but controls for background variables such as socioeconomic status, gender, and age before correlating extracurricular activities participation with the selected outcome variables; while the third framework involve longitudinal studies where the same outcome variable are measured on multiple occasions so that the actual effect of extracurricular activities on the selected outcome variables are estimated after controlling for earlier outcomes (Marsh and Kleitman, 2002). While, according to Marsh and Kleitman, all of these frameworks are not perfect, they have all been used to show positive relationship between extracurricular activities and social and academic variables. Relevant Research In researching the relationships between extracurricular activities and students academic outcomes, researchers have sought to delineate what constitutes extracurricular activity. In this light, extracurricular activities have been broadly divided into in-school and out-of-school activities. The divisions are self descriptive. Furthermore, out-of-school activities can be subdivided into structured and leisure activities. While structured activities have been described as activities that require active effort from the participating parties and provide an environment for expression of ones identity or interest in sports, performing arts, academic, and leadership activities(Eccles and Barber, 1999 quoted in Marsh and Kleitman, 2002), leisure activities are activities that enjoyable but not demanding (Marsh and Kleitman, 2002) e. g. driving around or talking to friends. Extracurricular activities have also been grouped into formal and non-formal activities (Fujita, 2005). Here, formal activities refer to all structured and organized activity, irrespective of whether it is in-school or out-of-school, while non-formal activities refers basically to out-of-school leisure activities. From this classification, the influences of extracurricular activities on academic performance can be streamlined. For example, it is only reasonable that in-school structured activities will better influence academic outcomes and thus increase GPA than out-of-school activities. In this sense, Gerber (1996) investigating the relationship between academic outcomes and the two type of extracurricular activities reported that there is a greater and more significant positive correlation between in-school extracurricular activity participation and GPA than for out-of school structured activities. This distinction between extracurricular activities notwithstanding, there is ample research studies that point to the academic and social utility of extracurricular activities. In one of the early definitive studies carried out in this field, Marsh (1992) using a large longitudinal study that investigated the social and academic performance of students while in school and two years after graduation, reported that students who participated in extracurricular activities were more likely to have higher school satisfaction, higher internal locus of control meaning that students felt more in control of their lives; higher social and academic self-concepts; and higher educational and occupational aspirations in school and two years after completing high school (Marsh, 1999; Marsh and Kleitman, 2002). Several other studies have reported a positive correlation between participation in extracurricular activities and academic performance. For instance, Marsh and Kleitman after reviewing several previous studies observed that extracurricular activities help in building and strengthening academic performance, even if the activities are not obviously related to academic subjects. Darling, Caldwell, and Smith (2005) after an extensive longitudinal study reported that students who participated in school-based extracurricular activities had higher grades compared to those who were not involved in any extracurricular activity. In a more specific study, Galiher (2006) investigated the relationship between students participation in extracurricular activities and their current grade point averages and cumulative grade point averages. The author did not only investigate this relationship, data was also analyzed to see if there existed grade point increments with increasing participation in more than one extracurricular activities. The author concluded that Not only was the analysis consistent with the correlation data but also showed very clearly that students who were participating in one or more activity were getting better grades than students who were not involved in any school activities. The mean grade point average for students who participated in one or more activities was approximately one grade point higher than students who were not involved, which is equivalent to one letter grade (Galiher, 2006: 11-12). This study showed, definitely, that there is a positive relationship between students’ participation in extracurricular activities and their academic performance (indicated by the GPA) and that with increasing participation, students are more likely to get higher grades. Implications for Practice With the decreasing educational achievement recorded in schools nationwide, educational practitioners and researchers are under pressure to find ways to better improve the performance recorded in schools. With this increasing pressure on educators to perform, any factor that shows potential of improving academic performance deserves serious attention. Again, with the decrease in funding available for public schools, coupled with the poor performance of schools, educational decision makers are often under intense pressure to make decisions concerning the continuance or removal of academic and extracurricular programs. From the above, it is apparent that research studies indicating positive correlation between participation in extracurricular activities have two major implications. First, it provides educators with a valid instrument for increasing the academic performance of students. The knowledge that students achieve greater academic and social outcomes with increase participation in extracurricular activities will definitely prompt educational practitioners to promote healthy and effective extracurricular activities tool for enhancing academic achievements. Two, it make the decision process easier for educational decision makers who have to decide concerning the continuation of extracurricular programs. Instead of rationalizing the removal or continuance extracurricular programs, decision makers will be more productively engaged with how to better harness the potentials of these programs. Implications for Inquiry Despite the several positive implications of extracurricular activities that have been reported in several studies, one major that deserves further investigation was raised by Hunt (2005). After studying the relationship between extracurricular activities and academic performance, the author reported no positive outcome, instead, he argued individuals who were academically sound at earlier ages were more likely to participate in extracurricular activities raising the question of whether extracurricular activities indeed influence academic performance or is a result of it. This area still deserves further study. Summary It has been argued that high school experiences provide an essential platform for academic and non academic accomplishments, psychological growths, the foundation for subsequent higher education and future life. Thus, any factor that could possibly influence students ability to perform their best while in high school is worth investigating. Extracurricular activities constitute one of the factors that have been shown to influence students performance in high school. In this paper, several literatures on this topic were reviewed. To a large extent, it was shown that extracurricular activities participation improves students academic performance. Thus, students that participate in one or more extracurricular activities were more likely to have higher GPAs compared to students that did not participate at all. Work Cited Burnett, M. A. (2000). One strike and youre out: An analysis of no pass/no play policies. High School Journal, 84(2): 1-6. Cairns, B. , Farmer, T. , and Mahoney, J. (2003). Promoting interpersonal competence and educational success through extracurricular activity participation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95: 409-419. Eccles, J. S. , and Barber, B. L. (1999). Student council, volunteering, basketball, or marching band: What kind of extracurricular involvement matters? Journal of Adolescent Research, 14: 10-43. Fujita, K (2005). The Effects of Extracurricular Activities on the Academic Performance of Junior High Students. The Masters College. Available at http://www. kon. org/urc/v5/fujita. html [Accessed June 21, 2008]. Everson, T H and Roger E. M (2005). Everyone Gains: Extracurricular Activities in High School and Higher SATÂ ® Scores. College Board Research Report No. 2005-2. Galiher, S (2006). Understanding The Effect Of Extracurricular Involvement. Thesis. School of Education, Indiana University, South Bend. Marsh, H. W. (1992). Extracurricular activities: Beneficial extension of the traditional curriculum or subversion of academic goals? Journal of Educational Psychology, 84: 553-562. Marsh, W. H and Kleitman S (2002). Extracurricular school activities: The good, the bad, and the nonlinear. Harvard Educational Review, 72(4): 464-510. McNeal, B. R (1995). Extracurricular Activities and High School Dropouts. Sociology of Education, 68(1): 62-80.

Voiced Opinion :: essays research papers

Voiced Opinion There are several people in this plain west Texas town that are constantly turning up their noses at people who are contrasting to their high society cradle of humanity. It has gotten to where people can no longer express their individuality without having the proverbial finger shaken at them. If a person is not wearing the most elite of brands, then at best, that person will be ignored; in most cases, they will receive ridiculing looks and hatred filled words. Although these upper echelons are not necessarily of Christian faith, they carry a 'holier than thou'; attitude that portrays that they are better than everyone else. Quite a few people prefer to illustrate their individual personalities, instead of being 'just another sheep in the herd.'; They may choose to wear apparel that is, at the least, distinct from the population around them. The freethinking female may choose to embellish a long, black broomstick skirt, with her favorite Marilyn Manson T-shirt, accessorized by her over worn combat boots. She may also choose to wear darker make up to show her beauty in a gothic fashion. An open-minded male may adorn a pair of well-adapted denim jeans with holes in the knees. He might choose to wear an over-sized shirt that is garnished with the name of some eighties band that is of no importance to anyone other than himself. Unfortunately, individualists are banned from their choice of clothes in several areas of society. They are informed they can not wear their pieces of flair in malls or other public scenes because of the biased fear: if a human being looks unusual, that person is a threat to society. It is a shame that people who are so enormously creative and out going are chastise from showing themselves in genuine manner. If everyone were to share this yearning to be distinct, our terrestrial sphere would be a much more kaleidoscopic place to subside. Distinct individuals should be allowed to break out of their predetermined 'egg shell'; and should finally be able stand up for what they truly believe in.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is one other factor that does not support freedom of expression: there are no stores that allow a person to be one's self. Several stores in the area are said to bestow such freedoms. The Attic is made to sound as if it offers the world in a breadbasket, but instead it is selling clothes that would not have gone over well, even in the 'funked out'; seventies.

Imperialism is a both good and bad idea

This is portrayed in the movie apocalypse now. They portray the event the Vietnam war which had many countries imperialistic Vietnam. The war caused the death of millions of people and was very tragic on the Vietnam people and their homeland. This war also had an effect on the soldiers and the horror they witnessed over seas. This movie perfectly captured the idea of the war and what it did to the landscape and people involved in it. Imperialism was a time where countries mainly those in Europe were going around the world and taking over other smaller countries.The main countries that partook in this event were France, Britain, and Spain in no particular order. These countries did not just one day feel like imperialistic their had to be a need for impersonation. This was normally when the country was in need of money, and or other resources they would go any. Veer and do anything to acquire the resource they needed. For example the French were seeking ports to trade goods so the cove red a lot of west Africa coast ensuring they would have large areas of trade.But many areas did not allow countries to come in and steal their land. Many countries had small UN modern militaries setup and even though they could not defeat the modern weapons and soldiers of the invaders many of hem would fight to keep their land. The natives would often through uprisings though often unsuccessful they would try to fight the much better equipped Europeans who would come in and enslave their people. Many nations not only faced trouble with the natives but with the environment as well.Many Europeans were unfamiliar with which plants were harmful or beneficial and in some cases many caught diseases from foreign bugs that they were not prepared to fight off. Many European nations treated the natives of the countries they imperialism as equals France were one country that saw them as such. They were willing o even let some natives become French citizens if they adopted the French language and culture. Some were even given jobs and treated as citizens with the same rights as those in France. But if the natives did not accept their culture and ideas they would be seen as racially inferior.On the other hand the British gave their natives little support due to the idea that independence means independence from Britain. The British even took the natives out of their armies due to their racist and superior ideology. When nations left the countries they had imperialism they left lasting effects on the people and Netscape. While a nation was imperialistic a country they devastated it. They would kill people in public to show their dominance. They would also euthanize the natives because they felt superior.Many times they would mow down large numbers of people with machine guns just for standing up for their rights. These events left the countries devastated. Many crops were taken by the ruling nations and they left nothing for the natives. Many nations also left many people dead with many dead bodies around this attracted parasites and bacteria, which spread diseases. Many of the natives were to beaten to ark to keep their families alive So many of them starved to death. This was a common thing that came with imperialism it was also very well portrayed in the film apocalypse now.Apocalypse now is a film based on a man in the Vietnam war who is sent to kill a fellow soldier who has gone off the deep end. The movie takes place in Vietnam and is very accurate with what they portray. This event follows a Richard Colby who is the officer sent to kill Kurt, the officer who is running his own army in Vietnam and murdering hundreds of people savagely. Joseph Conrad based this â€Å"crazed captain† on the character Kurt from the vela Heart of Darkness, but many people feel he is a representation of Tony Poe.

Journal on Chapter One of Al Gore’s “The Assault on Reason” Essay

In the first chapter titled Politics of Fear of Al Gore’s Book, â€Å"The Assault on Reason,† the author basically dealt with one of the most prominent human emotions— fear. According to Gore, fear is the prime enemy of reason. When a person experiences fear of something or someone, his or her reasoning ability is shut down. In addition, Gore claims that fear also clouds a person’s judgment as it drives him or her to act recklessly or irrationally without considering all options available. Furthermore, Gore also pointed out in his book that fear does not only affect a single individual, but an entire nation as well. According to him, a nation crippled by fear is unable to act towards development and progress because it does not do anything to overcome that fear. On the other hand, based on Gore’s book, when a person views fear as a form of motivation for him or her, he or she would eventually act to overcome that fear and accomplish his or her goal. Generally, I agree with most of the arguments that Gore pointed out in the first chapter of his book, particularly on the areas where he related fear to politics. I believe that Gore was right in saying that there are times when people fail to distinguish between the illusionary fears and the legitimate or real ones. When this happens, people may find it extremely difficult to think rationally and plan their next move because their judgment is clouded and they are unable to listen to reason.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Furthermore, I also believe that Gore was correct when he claimed that the present administration in the United States as used the people’s fear, which spawned after the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, to manipulate various political processes and made people believe that   all Iraqi’s were the one’s responsible for the attacks. For me, I believe that it is wrong to think all Iraqis or Muslims are terrorists simply because their fellowmen may have committed heinous crimes. I believe this is the best example of the fear that has been plaguing US citizens since the 9/11 attacks. I also believe that the nation should first identify which fear is legitimate and which is not before exercising judgment.

Glory-euro-centric essays

Glory-euro-centric essays Most people believe that movies are created to purely to entertain the audience, which is true in some aspects to make money, but most movies have a moral or important message that it portrays. Glory is a movie that has a huge historical meaning about the first black regiment in the Civil War. The movie Glory tells the history and the story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. The Regiment was made up of black soldiers some were Northern freemen, some were escaped slaves. The leader was General Robert Gould Shaw, the son of Boston abolitionists. The 54th Infantry was comprised of a very diverse group of men. They trained for months and were determined to be the best and fight for their freedom. The men of the 54th Regiment proved themselves worthy of the freedom for which they fighting, and the respect of their fellow white soldiers. The company, and their white leader confront the prejudices of the Confederates and the Union army. The movie climaxes showing the fighting at F ort Wagner, where the regiment proves there was nothing inferior about a black regiment. Throughout the movie the regiment and General Robert struggled through many obstacles but nothing came in their way of their spirit to fight and wage battle against the Union. There are certain times in the movie that has a very euro-centric shine to it that heightens the movies action and excites the audience. Glory clearly reflects a euro-centric point of view in many ways and gives the viewers a conclusion that makes Americans today proud of. ...

Epiphany Meaning and Examples

Epiphany Meaning and Examples An  Epiphany is a term in literary criticism for a sudden realization, a flash of recognition, in which someone or something is seen in a new light. In Stephen Hero (1904), Irish author James Joyce used the term epiphany to describe the moment when the soul of the commonest object . . . seems to us radiant. The object achieves it epiphany. Novelist Joseph Conrad described epiphany as one of those rare moments of awakening in which everything [occurs] in a flash. Epiphanies may be evoked in works of nonfiction as well as in short stories and novels. The word epiphany comes from the Greek for a manifestation or showing forth. In Christian churches, the feast following the twelve days of Christmas (January 6) is called Epiphany because it celebrates the appearance of divinity (the Christ child) to the Wise Men. Examples of Literary Epiphanies Epiphanies are a common storytelling device because part of what makes a good story is a character who grows and changes. A sudden realization can signify a turning point for a character when they finally understand something that the story has been trying to teach them all along. It is often used well at the end of mystery novels when the saluteth finally receives the last clue that makes all the pieces of the puzzle make sense. A good novelist can often lead the readers to such epiphanies along with their characters.   Epiphany in the Short Story "Miss Brill" by Katherine Mansfield In the story of the same name Miss ​B rill discovers such annihilation when her own identity as onlooker and imagined choreographer to the rest of her small world crumbles in the reality of loneliness. The imagined conversations she has with other people become, when overheard in reality, the onset of her destruction. A young couple on her park bench- the hero and the heroine of Miss Brills own fictive drama, just arrived from his fathers yacht . . . - are transformed by reality into two young people who cannot accept the aging woman who sits near them. The boy refers to her as that stupid old thing at the end of the bench and openly expresses the very question that Miss Brill has been trying so desperately to avoid through her Sunday charades in the park: Why does she come here at allwho wants her? Miss Brills epiphany forces her to forgo the usual slice of honeycake at the bakers on her way home, and home, like life, has changed. It is now a little dark room . . . like a cup board. Both life and home have become suffocating. Miss Brills loneliness is forced upon her in one transformative moment of acknowledgment of reality. (Karla Alwes, Katherine Mansfield. Modern British Women Writers: An A-to-Z Guide, ed. by Vicki K. Janik and Del Ivan Janik. Greenwood, 2002) Harry (Rabbit) Angstrom's Epiphany in Rabbit, Run They reach the tee, a platform of turf beside a hunchbacked fruit tree offering fists of taut ivory-colored buds. Let me go first, Rabbit says. Til you calm down. His heart is hushed, held in mid-beat, by anger. He doesnt care about anything except getting out of this tangle. He wants it to rain. In avoiding looking at Eccles he looks at the ball, which sits high on the tee and already seems free of the ground. Very simply he brings the clubhead around his shoulder into it. The sound has a hollowness, a singleness he hasnt heard before. His arms force his head up and his ball is hung way out, lunarly pale against the beautiful black blue of storm clouds, his grandfathers color stretched dense across the north. It recedes along a line straight as a ruler-edge. Stricken; sphere, star, speck. It hesitates, and Rabbit thinks it will die, but hes fooled, for the ball makes its hesitation the ground of a final leap: with a kind of visible sob takes a last bite of space before vanishing in falling. Thats it! he cries and, turning to Eccles with a grin of aggrandizement, repeats, Thats it. (John Updike, Rabbit, Run. Alfred A. Knopf, 1960) The passage quoted from the first of John Updikes Rabbit novels describes an action in a contest, but it is the intensity of the moment, not its consequences, that [is] important (we never discover whether the hero won that particular hole). . . .In epiphanies, prose fiction comes closest to the verbal intensity of lyric poetry (most modern lyrics are in fact nothing but epiphanies); so epiphanic description is likely to be rich in figures of speech and sound. Updike is a writer prodigally gifted with the power of metaphoric speech. . . . When Rabbit turns to Eccles and cries triumphantly, Thats it! he is answering the ministers question about what is lacking in his marriage. . . . Perhaps in Rabbits cry of Thats it! we also hear an echo of the writers justifiable satisfaction at having revealed, through language, the radiant soul of a well-struck tee shot. (David Lodge, The Art of Fiction. Viking, 1993) Critical Observations on Epiphany It is a literary  critics job to analyze and discuss the ways authors use epiphanies in novels.   The critics function is to find ways of recognizing and judging the epiphanies of literature which, like those of life itself (Joyce borrowed his use of the term epiphany directly from theology), are partial disclosures or revelations, or spiritual matches struck unexpectedly in the dark. (Colin Falck, Myth, Truth, and Literature: Towards a True Post-Modernism, 2nd ed. Cambridge Univ. Press, 1994) The definition Joyce gave of epiphany in Stephen Hero depends on a familiar world of objects of use- a clock one passes every day. The epiphany restores the clock to itself in one act of seeing, of experiencing it for the first time. (Monroe Engel, Uses of Literature. Harvard University Press, 1973)

Pros and Cons of Legalizing Marijuana in the U.S Article

Pros and Cons of Legalizing Marijuana in the U.S - Article Example The legalization of marijuana or otherwise known as cannabis could yield positive effects since it can be used to aid in treating some medical diseases. Marijuana is useful to cancer patients to reduce nausea and vomiting resulting from chemotherapy. It is more reasonable than using conventional drugs to treat these side effects for those patients whose health does not improve even after being subjected to them. In some cases, researchers have found some drugs used during the treatment, for example, promethazine cause dizziness, hallucinations or dysphoria (Harman, 2000). Cannabis has been used since the 19th century to relieve pain. Researchers have published numerous articles recommending the use of cannabis as an alternative medicine for curing disorders and other ailments. This narcotic is useful to patients with nerve damage, spasticity, nausea, and even glaucoma since it is an excellent pain and stress reliever. People suffering from HIV/AIDS and Dementia could also benefit from marijuana since it has proven to be an appetite stimulant (Harman, 2000). These are among the many diseases that the patient’s health could be greatly improved by the use of marijuana. The American Research Society and the American Medical Association support the view that clinics used for research should be granted access to more cannabis for better potential medical health improvement. Marijuana has no proven research to show that it is addictive. The anti-legalization of Marijuana group does not give facts that it is bad for one’s health. It is an assump tion based on the bad image people have about it.  Ã‚  

New Technologies and Documentary Storytelling Essay

New Technologies and Documentary Storytelling - Essay Example This paper discusses that the new technologies upcoming in the media industry such as video editing and digital camera software, have made documentary filmmaking a product of storyteller’s persistence and vision, the storyteller is normally the director of such documentary. Many viewers have had a stuffy perception of what constitute documentary storytelling; however, the impact of the new technologies on documentary storytelling has changed the perspective on documentary storytelling, which has become a short form of digital media production due to the presence of digital camera software. This has allowed people to across the world share the elements of their life stories. Video editing software has also enabled documentary storytelling to include film techniques that are digital equivalent, animations, motion video with sound, and other kinds of non-physical media. This report stresses that new technologies are changing documentary storytelling very fast in the way they are produced, experienced, and distributed. Many media scholars have come up with numerous digital camera and video editing software that has seen documentary storytelling hit a higher notch. Production and directing has become more effective and efficient. Because of this, many people share their life stories and the natural situation of the world and real circumstances facing the world. Although media industry previously had difficulty applying media techniques to documentary storytelling, the rising technologies has made it much easier for their production. Effective documentary storytelling by storytellers is a result of personal desire to explore real life situations and share nonfictional motion pictures on televisions. The new technologies has changed documentary storytelling through the availability of photography, audio, video, and digital camera software, which has cre ated a shift from passive media users to active media consumers. Due to these new technologies, media consumers are currently playing main roles as agents of interaction that transform media uses. Through the new technologies that acknowledge the present state of documentary storytelling in terms of production, experience, and distribution, documentary storytellers can now shed new lights when developing experiences of non-fiction media (Rony, 2007). Being a documentary filmmaker, storyteller means more than journalism profession in the media industry. This is basically because documentary storytelling involves a wide sort of motion nonfictional pictures that are intended to document some reality aspects majorly for the purposes of maintaining a record of history. This needs utilization of quite a number of media principles and regulations such as fair use of stories involving people and the world. Documentary filmmakers create an easy, clear statement of reasonable and fair approac hes to fair use through their professional associations. Fair use, in some circumstances, is the right to quote materials that is copyrighted without paying for or asking authority and permission for it. Being a storyteller demands a understanding of the essential feature of copyright law. This is because copyright is very important in the profession and is applicable to the production of any kind of media