How to Start a Book Discussion Club

A book club is a great way to meet new friends and read good books. This step-by-step  guide will help you start a book club that can last for years. How to Start a Book Discussion Group Get together a core group - It is much easier to start a book club with two or three people who already have some connection. Ask around the office, playgroups, your church, or civic organizations. Sometimes you might find enough people to start a book club right away. Often youll at least recruit some help in completing the rest of the steps.  Set a regular meeting time - An ideal size for a book club is eight to 11 people. As you can imagine, it is often difficult to coordinate that many peoples  schedules. Go ahead and set a regular meeting time and date for your book club with your core group. For instance, meet the second Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. By setting the time before advertising the book club, you avoid playing favorites when working around schedules and you are upfront about what commitment is required.Advertise your book club - The best advertising is often word of mouth. If your core group doesnt know of other people to ask, then advertise in your circles of interest (school, work, church) with fliers or announcements.  Establish ground rules - Get together with your potential book club members and set the groups ground rules. You might want everyones input. However, if you have set ideas of what you want, then set the rules with your core group and announce them at this first meeting. The ground rules should include how books are chosen, who hosts, who leads discussions and what kind of commitment is expected.Meet - Set a schedule for the first few months and start meeting. If the book club is small at first, dont worry about it. Invite people as you go. Some people will be more likely to join an already established book club because they feel less pressure than they would as a founding member.Keep meeting and inviting people - Even if your book club is an ideal size, from time to time youll have the chance to invite new people as other members move away or drop out. Hopefully, youll always have a core group, and together you can reload. Example Ground Rules for Book Clubs Hosting Duties: You may decide to rotate hosting duties. The host may select the book, lead the discussion, and provide the meal or select the restaurant or coffee shop where you meet and perhaps provide appetizers and drinks.Food and Drink: Food is not required, but it helps the discussion roll and makes the book club meetings more fun. Some book clubs meet at a different restaurant each month. Sometimes meetings are held in peoples homes. (Check out this sample book club schedule  for some suggestions). How to Choose Books Some groups vote on what books they are going to read at the beginning of the year. Others let the host for the month choose. You can also use the bestsellers lists or a national book club such as Oprahs Book Club  as a guide. No matter how your book club chooses books, you also need to decide if there will be any restrictions on the choices (ie, just fiction, paperbacks, etc.).   You may want to base choices on whether they are available at the library or have a long waiting list, and whether they are available in electronic format or audiobook format. Leading the Discussion Be prepared with discussion questions. You can search for these online for most bestsellers. Even if youre shy about leading, a few creative pointers can get the ball rolling.

Analysis Of The Novel Young Goodman Brown By Nathaniel...

In the world we have witnessed crimes from the beginning of time up until present time and such crimes have often been the cause of fear overtaking those who are easily fearful. The fear that can overwrite a person’s mind can be found in the short story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In this particular story, the author uses a relatively fair amount of allegory, imagery, and symbolism to bring the story to life and make us imagine the disturbed mentality of those who lived during the Salem Witchcraft Trials. To the stories like â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† are still being reviewed and criticized by those who study his work, including those that differ from the original view I had perceived from his piece of literature. Through evidence obtained throughout the course of the story, it will provide evidence that will give support to my original analysis as well as those who oppose my view and strike their argument on what their meaning of the story is. Nathaniel Hawthorne begins the story with the departure of a newly wedded couple, a young man named Brown and his wife, Faith. From the beginning it is easy to infer that Brown’s wife, Faith was something full of innocence for Mr. Brown since he states that â€Å"She’s a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night, I’ll cling to her skirts and follow her to Heaven† (Hawthorne 387). She was the one Brown can depend on and express his feelings towards Faith was what kept Young Goodman Brown going throughout theShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Novel Young Goodman Brown By Nathaniel Hawthorne1091 Words   |  5 Pagesparticularly applies to musicians, artists and writers, since they are also humans, but better at expressing themselves. The short story my group and I did was â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† by Nathaniel Hawthorne. A vast majority of Hawthorne’s work is based during the Puritan era. In the short story, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† the protagonist quests into the forest for a higher truth. While in the forest, he encounters many bizarre acquaintances. At last he is faced with a group of devil worshippersRead MoreAnalysis Of The Novel Young Goodman Brown By Nathaniel Hawthorne879 Words   |  4 PagesIn the story † Young Goodman Brown† by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author demonstrates the ideas of the dual nature of man, which represented by the character Goodman Brown. He is a religious man who left his wife; Faith, behind to travel into the wood where a devil ceremony is takes place. The allegory of the story is that the innocence of a man can easily be corrupted if that person is not truly believes in his religion. Although, Goodman Brown is innocent, he also a devil himself by following devilRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1230 Words   |  5 Pages Nathaniel Hawthorne is an American novelist, who writes and focuses on sin, punishment, and atonement. However, he mainly focuses on the Puritan legacy. Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. From 1825-1837, Hawthorne perfected his writing and spent this time to help generate ideas for his novels and poems. One of the most well known novels by Nathaniel Hawthorne is â€Å"The Scarlet Letter.† The Scarlet Letter helped Hawthorne’s career to become one of the most successful of hisRead MoreThe Heart Is A Lonely Hunter And Nathaniel Hawthorne s `` Young Goodman Brown ``3100 Words   |  13 Pages How does the use of worship in both Carson McCullers’s The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† shows that ultimately the void of loneliness can only be filled through connection with one’s self? Candidate number: IB Extended essay Word count: 2,768 Table of Contents: I. Abstract†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..3 II. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 III. Loneliness through incompletion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 IV. IncompletionRead MoreScarlet Letter Symbolism Essay982 Words   |  4 PagesScarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a gothic satire of the puritan beliefs and value. Nathaniel Hawthorn of a puritan based background wrote various harsh satires such as Young Goodman Brown, and The Scarlet Letter, all based on his ancestral history. Furthermore, in his satires, they all shared a common point in structure and his use of symbolism to develop meaning for his works. With the use of symbolism, Hawthorne is efficiently able to introduce the conflict withRead MoreSymbolism Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s Scarlet Letter And The Minister s Black Veil 1083 Words   |  5 Pagesof his writing counterparts, Nathaniel Hawthorne extensively uses symbolism in several of his major works to explore sin and human nature. The Scarlett Letter, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† and â€Å"The Minister s Black Veil† are all vivid examples of this exploration and are the focus of this analysis. Before discussing his works, it is important to explore Hawthorne’s background to better understand how they connect to his writing and to his use of dark romanticism. Hawthorne came from Puritan ancestry. HisRead MoreAnalysis of Three of Hawthornes Works: Solitude and Isolation2063 Words   |  9 PagesAnalysis of Three of Hawthornes Works: Solitude and Isolation Julia Pesaresi Burns 3rd Period Pre-Ap English 20 February 96 Solitude and isolation are immense, powerful, and overcoming feelings. They possess the ability to destroy a persons life by overwhelming it with gloom and darkness. Isolate is defined: to place or keep by itself, separate from others (Webster 381). Solitude is the state of being alone (Webster 655). Nathaniel Hawthorne uses these themes of solitude and isolation forRead MoreTragic flaw in Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Birthmark† Essay1201 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ An expository essay: Tragic flaw in Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Birthmark† In literature a tragic flaw refers in plain words when the main character ends up dead or defeated a characteristic feature of the heroes of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short stories, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil†, and â€Å"The Birthmark†. However this concept is even more extensive and best explained in terms of â€Å"Hamartia†. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica that word can be understood as an inherent defectRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Mind1900 Words   |  8 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne-The Mind Nathaniel Hawthorne was born July 4, 1804 he was known as an American novelist, who writes dark romantic short stories. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts to his parents to Nathaniel Hathorne and Elizabeth Clarke Manning. Nathaniel Hawthorne was originally named Nathaniel Hathorne but he later added a w to make his name Hawthorne in order to hide the relation to his ancestor John Hathorne, who was the only judge involved in the Salem witch trials who never feltRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pagesï » ¿TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS The purpose of Text Interpretation and Analysis is a literary and linguistic commentary in which the reader explains what the text reveals under close examination. Any literary work is unique. It is created by the author in accordance with his vision and is permeated with his idea of the world. The reader’s interpretation is also highly individual and depends to a great extent on his knowledge and personal experience. That’s why one cannot lay down a fixed â€Å"model†

Pram Lady and Forbidden Clothes Free Essays

An important idea in both â€Å"The Pram Lady† by Vivien Alcock and â€Å"Forbidden Clothes† by Jamila Gavin is how people are unaccepting of differences. This is important to me because people should be able to be themselves without being hassled or excluded, also because people my age are not very accepting of others’ differences. In the â€Å"Pram Lady† Helena does not accept the way her mother dresses and behaves. We will write a custom essay sample on Pram Lady and Forbidden Clothes or any similar topic only for you Order Now She want her mum to be like other mums with â€Å"dyed hair and a perm† because it reflects badly on her. When William, Helena’s new boyfriend, sees Helena’s mother and doesn’t realize who she is he makes a rude comment about her appearance: â€Å"God, what a fright! What a ridiculous creature! † Helena reacts to this by running away from him and telling him she never wants to see or speak to him again. Even though Helena’s mother is â€Å"enormously fat† and wears stained clothes, Helena still will not associate with people who disrespect her mother. This shows us that Helena herself has not accepted her mother for the way she is. From this, I learnt that I should not be so quick to judge others before getting to know them because personality shines through and is the most important thing. Oddly, though Helena doesn’t want people saying rude things about her mother, she says those things herself. Helena’s mother doesn’t mind what people think about her and tells Helena that she should just laugh with her friends when they see her. Helena just wants her mother to be normal, when Helen tells her mum this she responds by saying â€Å"But that’s what you want, isn’t it, Helena? An ordinary mother like your friends have. † Over time Helena gets stressed by the fact her mother forgets to do regular things like wearing unstained clothes. This doesn’t work for either of them because Helena is always worried about her mother and her mother is forced to change into something she isn’t to please Helena. I relate to this because girls my age sometimes don’t except people for their flaws. Reading this short story made me feel that I should wait until I know someone before judging them. As is in â€Å"The Pram Lady†, â€Å"Forbidden Clothes† also shows the way people are made to feel like outsiders because they have differences from their peers. Nasreen, a girl who is living in the UK never felt different in Pakistan, How to cite Pram Lady and Forbidden Clothes, Papers

Art Strike In Nyc Essay Example For Students

Art Strike In Nyc Essay Haril PatelStrike In Modern Art Museum Of New YorkThe Professional and Administrative Staff Association (PASTA) of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) represting 250 administrative assistants, archivists, curatorial staff, conservators, educators, graphic artists, librarians, salespeople, secretaries, visitor assistants and writers. Their union started the strike on April 28, 2000. The central issues involve salaries, healthcare, the threat of layoffs and union rights. The old contract expired October 31 1999. This is the first major strike at the museum since 1973. The Professional and Administrative Staff Association (PASTA), which is Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers, represent the strikers. They comprise a varied workforce of administrative assistants, archivists, curators, conservators, graphic artists, librarians, salespeople, secretaries, visitors assistants and writers. PASTA is one of six unions in the museum. The members of the other five bargaining units are continuing to work. The workers have rejected the museums offer of a three percent raise a year for three years, and is demanding five percent for the first year and four percent for the subsequent years in a five-year contract. The strikers believe that this demand is more than justified considering the very low wages they receive, which they say are even lower than what is paid in other museums for comparable work. The median wage for the employees is $28,000 a year, and the starting salary for 40 of the workers is $17,000 a year which is nothing. Furthermore, the union says that the museum is refusing to maintain the employees health insurance and other benefits. PASTA maintains that MoMA has been very successful in its investments, and could easily afford a decent salary hike while maintaining benefits. The workers feel that their wages are being held down while the managers are more than amply compensated. Another issue provoking the strike is job security. The museum is undergoing a $650 million expansion project for at least two years, and is planning relocate to Queens from its present location in Manhattan during that period of time. The union fears that the jobs of many of its members will be lost, and wants a guarantee that the workers will be able to return to their positions when the project is completed. The union is seeking a five-year contract in order to ensure that any job security clause will not expire before the project has been completed. This way everyone will know they have a job when they come back and not be in fear that they will be jobless. This is one of the major issues. PASTA wants the museum to agree that all new workers be required to either join the union or, if they dont join, be required to pay an equivalent monetary amount of the dues as an agency fee that goes to the union. At the same time, PASTA has filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board charging the museum with not bargaining in good faith by attempting to bypass the union and negotiate with individual employees. The strike has forced the museum to cancel a fundraising event starring the singer Sheryl Crow. MoMA officials said that they did not want Ms. Crow or the ticket holders to have to cross a picket line, and refunded 450 tickets with prices ranging from $500 to $1,000 each!Other than this event, some workers on the picket line have stated that it is difficult for them to judge how many people they have managed to discourage from going into the museum. MoMA officials are maintaining that the museum is running normally, and that ninety of the two hundred and sixty workers that are represented by the bargaining unit are working. Union officials dispute the claim that the strike is having no effect on the institution and say that only thirty workers are crossing the picket line. .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7 , .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7 .postImageUrl , .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7 , .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7:hover , .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7:visited , .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7:active { border:0!important; } .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7:active , .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7 .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc273e5637c0bd1f7dc874093f104abb7:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Construction Quality Assessment System Construction EssayOne striker, Ela Respina, a photographer with one year at the museum, said, Our salaries are quite low. MoMA is penny pitching on our wages. The museum has made a lot of money in the last couple of years, and this is on public record. One problem is that all the other unions have contracts that expire at different times, and so they are working. The guards have a no-strike clause in their

How does Shakespeare use dramatic devices in Act 3 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet Essay Example

How does Shakespeare use dramatic devices in Act 3 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet Paper Romeo and Juliet is the classic love story written by the infamous William Shakespeare, the Elizabethan playwright. It is set in Verona in the early 16th century and tells the story of two households- the Montagues and Capulets, who are equally alike in power, wealth, social status and dignity, as said in the prologue ‘two households, both alike in dignity’. The youngest generation of the two households break into mutiny because of the hatred of the previous generations (‘from ancient grudge break to mutiny’). These endless feuds cause destruction and death to the streets of Verona (‘civil blood makes civil hands unclean’). However, two young and naive members of the opposing households; Romeo, son of Lord and Lady Montague, and Juliet, daughter of Lord and Lady Capulet become entwined in a dangerous love rollercoaster, which was to be obstructed by their parents as the cold war of rivalry between the two households continued. This play however does not fit into the genre of romance, but tragedy as although Romeo and Juliet are ‘a pair of star-crossed lovers’, fate had planned events far from the fairy-tale happy ending for the both of them, a fact the audience have known since the prologue of the play- ‘star-crossed lovers take their life. We will write a custom essay sample on How does Shakespeare use dramatic devices in Act 3 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on How does Shakespeare use dramatic devices in Act 3 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on How does Shakespeare use dramatic devices in Act 3 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Not only do the two main protagonists die an untimely death, but there are also many other deaths throughout the play, including that of Tybalt’s and Mercutio’s. Other tragic elements of the play include the fact that the two lovers cannot be united because of the brawls of the two families and that the only way to restore peace to Verona is for Romeo and Juliet to die, ‘who with their death bury their parent’s strife†¦which but their children’s end nought could remove’. There are also many other themes that run throughout the play such as; enmity, marriage, death and mainly- love. Like all pieces of literature, the play has been influenced by the era it was written in. This scene of the play serves as a reminder for us, a reminder that this play, with all its emphasis on love and romance is based in a patriarchal society, a masculine world where honour, pride, and status are prone to erupt in a fury of conflict. Other influences include the age that marriage was considered acceptable as Juliet was only 13 when her marriage proposal arrived and it was also normal for the groom to be considerably older than the bride, as Paris was 18 when he was engaged to Juliet. Marriage was fixed by the choice of the bride’s father, disobeying her father’s wishes would result in a suitable punishment- nunnery or death, which is what her fate would have probably been if she confessed her love for Romeo. The overall viciousness of the play’s social environment is a main tool that Shakespeare employs to make the pair’s love seem ever more fragile and delicate and their relationship is the only respite of the audience’s from the dangerous and brutal world pressing against their love. Act 3 Scene 1 is the scene directly after the marriage of Romeo and Juliet, and is seen as the pivotal point of the play as it is the point where the play transforms from a comedy/romance to a tragedy as the violence results in the banishment of Romeo. It is also the point where the audience see Romeo transform before their very eyes; they see him change from a loving, caring, tender-hearted and gentle person to a violent, destructive and reckless character, all because of the death of his best friend Mercutio. The scene takes place in Verona ‘a public place’. The sort of environment we would be expecting a laugh, maybe a joke and the development of characters in terms of their feelings towards others, but remembering that it is Shakespeare who is the playwright, the audience can expect anything to happen. The characters of Mercutio and Benvolio (who are characters of great friendship) are introduced to us at the beginning of the scene and Shakespeare immediately starts to build tension through his choice of language with the opening line of the scene (spoken by Benvolio) being: ‘the day is hot, the capels abroad, and if we meet we shall not escape a brawl’. Shakespeare again portrays Benvolio as the peacekeeper, a slightly more worried/concerned character than Mercutio. Here Benvolio is trying to explain to Mercutio that a hot day can get a lot of people bothered and is attempting to explain to Mercutio that it would be wise to leave early before any start of trouble begins, tension builds as we- the audience know that they are in a public place, which is the perfect area for someone to be in if they are looking for trouble. Benvolio carries on by saying that he can feel tension building in the atmosphere and senses something bad is going to happen ‘For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring’, through this line Benvolio is saying in the heat of this atmosphere it is quite common for young men to lose control, as it can make someone’s blood boil-which hints to the audience that trouble is just around the corner, especially with Mercutio present. Mercutio replies to Benvolio’s words of wisdom by aptly refusing to leave, his exact words being: â€Å"Come, come, thou art as hot a Jack in thy mood as any in Italy: and as soon mov’d to be moody and as soon moody to be mov’d. † Mercutio here is implying that Benvolio is involved with many of the fights between the Montagues and Capulets, trying to make Benvolio retaliate with him. This is an antithesis because Benvolio is always trying to keep the peace as much as possible without being involved, a playful mood and atmosphere is built up with this banter. These opening verses highlight the contrasting personalities of Mercutio and Benvolio. Benvolio’s name originates from the word ‘benevolent’ which means ‘peaceful’ which is reflected in his personality, whereas Mercutio’s name originates from ‘mercury’ or, ‘mercurial’. Mercury being the chemical used in thermometers. Shakespeare chose this name for Mercutio as it reflects his character- volatile, dangerous, changeable in temperament and reacts quickly to provocation and heat in arguments. The structure of Mercutio’s dialogue in the opening verses of the scene also reflects his personality as he uses pros and a strong rhythm in his speech, (with Shakespeare using minimal punctuation in the text) emphasising his loss of control and bringing out the anger and recklessness in his personality. The audience are immediately reminded of the warnings of the Friar, of ‘fire’ and ‘powder’ meeting and the explosion and disaster which follow. Contrasting with the previous scene changing the atmosphere from happy and romantic to tense and dramatic; leaving the audience themselves tense and apprehensive about as to what the rest of the scene will reveal to them- keeping Shakespeare’s audience eager, engaged and very much involved in the plot of the play. Mercutio continues to be fearless and reckless as the scene progresses, seeming unconcerned about confrontation and of the consequences which may follow. Even when Benvolio announces the arrival of the Capulets (‘by my head! Here come the Capulets! ) Mercutio does not seem to care- ‘by my heel†¦I care not! ’ his comic and fiery character coming across again here with him appearing to look forward to confrontation. When approached by the Capulet’s Mercutio does not hesitate to provoke Tybalt, whose personality is no less volatile than that off Mercutio. It is at this point, under the blazing sun, in a public place, with these two persona lity’s clashing that the audience know that a fight is unavoidable. Tybalt then insults Mercutio by saying- ‘thou art consortest with Romeo? ’ implying that he is homosexual and referring to his sexuality with Romeo. Mercutio reacts infuriated and weapons are then drawn and it seems that a fourth public brawl will be inescapable. Benvolio then steps in, urging them to go to ‘some private place’, reminding both parties about the Prince’s warnings in Act 1 Scene 1- ‘If ever you disturb our streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace’. However, his words of wisdom seemingly fell into deaf ears as Mercutio and Tybalt continued with their contention. Soon after this Romeo arrives at the fray, and is approached by Tybalt, whom he refuses to fight when challenged. Romeo attempts to explain that he could not fight Tybalt, as he had reasons to love him that greatly outweighed the reasons to hate him- reasons that he could not yet reveal to the play’s other protagonists (‘but love thee better than thou canst devise, till thou shalt know the reason of my love; and so good Capulet†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢). Shakespeare creates dramatic irony (the audience having greater knowledge of the events of the play than the characters), with these few lines, as the audience of the play know the reason for Romeo’s love is his marriage to Juliet- Tybalt’s cousin. Dramatic irony is an effective technique to be used by Shakespeare in this scene as it makes the audience anxious to know if their interpretation of Romeo’s dialogue matches that of the characters on stage. Romeo would be a fool to get into a fight with his cousin-in-law, so backs down, a gesture which is seen as mature and noble by the audience but perceived as cowardly and weak by the characters in the scene- especially Mercutio. All that Mercutio understood from Romeo’s dialogue was that he was lacking confidence, bravery and was too scared to take on someone as fierce as Tybalt. Mercutio calls Romeo a coward ‘O calm, dishonourable vile submission’, he then tried to coax Tybalt into duelling him in Romeo’s place (‘you rat catcher, will you walk? ’), and he decided. Romeo tries to stop them, he stands in the middle of Mercutio and Tybalt, his attempt to be a saviour however failed and resulted in the death of his best friend- Mercutio was stabbed by Tybalt under Romeo’s arm, mortally wounding him. Mercutio- about to die still cracks jokes ‘Ay a scratch a scratch! however the mood changes completely when it is understood that Mercutio’s wounds were fatal. Before his death Mercutio is seen repeatedly saying the words ‘A plague upon both your houses’, expressing his extreme displeasure with both parties, saying how he views them as the cause of his death. Mercutio is a bystander in the feud and although he is the friend of Romeo he sees both families as being in the wrong and does not intend to tak e sides. Mercutio’s loyalty to Romeo seems to have gone with this line, which would have heavily impacted the audience. The conflict between the characters would have further engaged the Elizabethan audience, and ensured that their attention was on the plays plot (as the audience needed scenes such as these to keep their minds focused as in the Elizabethan Era plays were quite lengthy and people had to stand for hours on end, which would be frustrating). These conflicts would also serve as a way of informing the audience that more drama and exhilarating scenes awaited for them. This scene also reminds the audience of just how brutal this family feud actually is- Mercutio, neither Montague or Capulet was slain because of the conflict of the two families. It makes the audience fully understand how truly violent this feud is and makes them think about all the innocents who have been severely injured or even lost their lives at the hands of these two foes. It makes us understand how brutal the family’s hatred for each other is. The play pivots on the line ‘O Romeo, Romeo, brave Mercutio is dead! ’, it is at this very line where the play turns from comedy/romance to tragedy. Mercutio’s exit from the play was an extremely significant one, as he was the jester, the character who has overshadowed Romeo with his bawdy humour. It seemed that when Mercutio died all the humour of the play died with it. Characters began to change from this point onwards; the most significant change seen was that of Romeo who changed from Romeo the romantic†¦ to Romeo the violent. Up to this point in this play Romeo had been portrayed as a depressing, dull and negative character, and he had been seen as this since the beginning of the play where we first encountered him as a heartbroken young man. The audience had no reason to be particularly drawn to this rather boring character, and almost instantly fell in love with Mercutio- with his vibrant, interesting and fiery personality. It seemed that only in Mercutio’s death could the spotlight truly be focused on Romeo, and shows us that Romeo was not as dull as we first perceived him to be, he actually has a unique personality with it changing from happy calm and collected to merciless, ruthless and angry almost instantaneously. The spotlight finally arrived to Romeo at this point in the play†¦in time for a dramatic climax, which no doubt captivated the audience. Romeo, in a quick rage decided that either he or Tybalt must die and barely hesitated to challenge him to a duel. Romeo killed Tybalt him in his stride. He became so blind with fury he murdered his cousin-in-law without a second thought, not taking any of the consequences into account. It is this point in the play where the audience begins to wonder about Romeo’s personality, had he really changed, just like that? Or had this been a part of Romeo’s personality that Shakespeare had been hiding for us, waiting to bring out at the right moment to ensure that all members of his audience were shocked, intrigued and eager to see how the plot unfolded? Another clever technique used by Shakespeare is used here. The scene ends with Romeo fleeing the scene (as advised by Benvolio), and with the arrival of the prince and Lady Capulet. The Prince turns to Benvolio and asks for his account of the events, seeing as he is a peaceful, noble and a trusted source who would give an unbiased recount- which he did. Benvolio throughout the play has cleverly been used by Shakespeare as a narrator, as he provides information for the person who he is directly speaking to on stage (in this case, the Prince) and the audience, ensuring that the events are kept fresh in their mind and are not forgotten. After hearing what had happen Lady Capulet was out for revenge, and was desperate to have Romeo killed. The Prince told Lady Capulet that it was fair that Romeo killed Tybalt, as he had slain Mercutio. But, still views Romeo as a villain and exiles him from Verona and states that if he returns he shall be killed, and no excuses or prayers would influence this decision- ‘I will be deaf to pleading and excuses†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ This captivates the audiences interest as they already know that Romeo and Juliet are now man and wife, and his actions have now cause him to be exiled from Verona- from Juliet. Seeming to have ruined all possible chances of them being together, and poses numerous questions in the minds of the audience, the most common and obvious probably being- ‘How on earth will they get back together? ’ They will also be extremely curious as to how the plot would unfold, would this twist cause their love to end? Dramatic irony again is used by Shakespeare here, a clever dramatic device that he has used multiple times in this scene and has proved extremely successful and effective. I think that this scene is very important in the context of Romeo and Juliet as it is the pivotal point in the play. It helps the audience to understand how important Mercutio was to Romeo, if it wasn’t for their friendship being as strong as it proved to be then Romeo would not have acted in the way he did and slain Tybalt. It also shows us a completely new side to Romeo, a character whom prior to this scene had been perceived as a plain and dull character, but now he seems like an emotionally complex character that is governed by his feelings and is prone to acting impulsively. Which explains why he killed Tybalt, his newly bonded in law, Romeo was blinded by the fury and murdered him in revenge for his best friend, without even considering the impact it would have on his relationship with his newly wed Juliet. Two main protagonists are killed off by Shakespeare in this scene; and it seems that these characters were destined to die for the plot to unravel. Shakespeare contrasts this scene to the mood of the previous scene (Act 2 Scene 6), which had a romantic, relaxed and generally atmosphere. Act 3 Scene 1 was written by Shakespeare and put directly in front of this scene in order to shock the audience and have their attention for the remainder of the play. Shakespeare successfully used a range of dramatic techniques in this scene and had the audience in his grasp throughout the entire scene. In my opinion I think that Act 3 Scene 1 is by far the best scene in Romeo and Juliet because it was unexpected and managed to shock the audience, it leaves everyone asking the same question- what does all this mean for Romeo and Juliet?

The Mysterious Moon of Makemake

The Mysterious Moon of Makemake As weve explored in other stories, the outer solar system is really the new frontier of space exploration. This region, also called​  the Kuiper Belt, is populated with many icy, distant and small worlds that were once completely unknown to us. Pluto is the largest among them known (so far), and was visited in 2015 by the New Horizons mission.   The Hubble Space Telescope has the visual acuity to make out tiny worlds in the Kuiper Belt. For example, it resolved the moons of Pluto, which are very small. In its exploration of the Kuiper Belt, HST spotted a moon orbiting a world smaller than Pluto called Makemake. Makemake was discovered in 2005 via ground-based observations and is one of five known dwarf planets in the solar system. Its name comes from the natives of Easter Island, who saw Makemake as the creator of humanity and a god of fertility. Makemake was discovered shortly after Easter, and so the discoverers wanted to use a name in keeping with the word. The moon of Makemake is called MK 2, and it covers a pretty wide orbit around its parent body. Hubble spotted this little moon as it was about 13,000 miles away from Makemake. The world Makemake itself is only about 1434 kilometers (870 miles) wide and was discovered in 2005 via ground-based observations, and then further observed with HST. MK2 is perhaps only 161 kilometers (100 miles) across, so finding this tiny little world around a small dwarf planet was quite an accomplishment. What Does Makemakes Moon Tell us? When Hubble and other telescopes discover worlds in the distant solar system, they deliver a treasure trove of data to planetary scientists. At Makemake, for example, they can measure the length of the moons orbit. That allows researchers to calculate MK 2s orbit. As they find more moons around Kuiper Belt objects, planetary scientists can make some assumptions about the likelihood of other worlds having satellites of their own. In addition, as scientists study MK 2 in greater detail, they can figure out more about its density. That is, they can determine whether its made of rock or a rock-ice mix, or is an all-ice body. In addition, the shape of MK 2s orbit will tell them something about where this moon came from, that is, was it captured by Makemake, or did it form in place? Its history is likely very ancient, dating back to the origin of the solar system. Whatever we learn about this moon will also tell us something about conditions in the early epochs of solar system history, whe n worlds were forming and migrating.    Whats It Like on This Distant Moon? We dont really know all the details of this very distant moon, yet. It will take years of observations to nail down its atmospheric and surface compositions. Although planetary scientists dont have an actual picture of the surface of MK 2, they know enough to present us with an artists concept of what it might look like. It appears to have a very dark surface, likely due to discoloration by ultraviolet from the Sun and loss of bright, icy material to space. That little factoid comes NOT from a direct observation, but from an interesting side-effect of observing Makemake itself. Planetary scientists studied Makemake in infrared light and kept seeing a few areas that seemed warmer than they should be. It turns out what they may have been seeing as dark warmer patches were likely the dark-colored moon itself.   The realm of the outer solar system and the worlds it contains have a lot of hidden information about what conditions were like when the planets and moons were forming. Thats because this region of space is a veritable deep-freeze. It preserves ancient ices in much the same state they were when they formed during the birth of the Sun and planets.   Yet, that doesnt mean things dont change out there. On the contrary; there is plenty of change in the Kuiper Belt. On some worlds, such as Pluto, there ARE processes that heat and change the surface. That means that worlds DO change in ways that scientists are just beginning to understand. No longer does the term frozen wasteland mean that the region is dead. It simply means that temperatures and pressures out in the Kuiper Belt result in very different-looking and behaving worlds. Studying the Kuiper Belt is an ongoing process. There are many, many worlds out there to find- and eventually explore. Hubble Space Telescope, as well as several ground-based observatories are the front line of Kuiper Belt studies. Eventually, the James Webb Space Telescope will be set to work observing this region too, helping astronomers locate and chart the many bodies that still live out in the solar systems deep freeze.

Leadership Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 14

Leadership - Assignment Example He travelled the world spreading his teachings, which were to bring equality in the world. Similarly, Prophet Muhammad was also one of the leaders that displayed utter diligence in leadership during his tenure. Prophet Muhammad, as a leader, traveled across the world spreading Islamic teachings. His deeds, actions and manner of expression made it possible to relate to a large number of people across the world. In fact, Malcolm X was considered the most influential leader after Prophet Muhammad. Leadership is essentially a social interaction tool where one person is in control while the others extend support in achieving a common objective. Leaders have to provide direction in ensuring the common objective is achieved. Leadership entails a person that is straight forward and has the influence to effectively control the other people (Lussier and Achua, 2009). Such leaders are able to control organizations, manage resources despite concentrating on their personal issues. Leaders should, therefore, initiate projects, have positive influence on others, protect the rights of the people they lead and encourage peaceful living. Leaders that display such characteristics often leave adorable

All The Pretty Horses by Cormac Mc Carthy Research Paper

All The Pretty Horses by Cormac Mc Carthy - Research Paper Example The setting is in 1949 when the story starts with a funeral. It was the funeral of Grady’s grandfather, the owner of the ranch that their family was living on. With his grandfather dead, Grady’s mother who is an actress, will have to sell the ranch. Realizing that there was nothing for him in Texas anymore since he loves the ranch and the lifestyle it provides, he leaves Texas for Mexico. He brought along his friend Rawlins with him. Together, they ride to Mexico as idealized cowboys on horseback. On the road, another character by the name of Blevins joins them. Blevins is thirteen years old and he rides a beautiful horse. Rawlins immediately dislikes him but they still continue the journey on together. They reach the Rio Grande and upon crossing the river reaches Mexico. In Mexico, they encounter a terrible storm. Blevins, being very fearful, strips all his clothes (as a precaution against lightning strikes), and runs off, leaving his horse and all of his belongings. The next day, they find him almost naked. Blevins convinces Grady and Rawlins to find a town and look for his horse and his gun, which were stolen during the height of his panic attack. Soon enough, on the village of Encantada, they find Blevins’ horse but then it was already claimed by someone else. Blevins takes it back and the locals pursue them. In the pursuit, they got separated. Grady and Rawlins eventually moves South where they were able to find jobs as cowboys in a ranch owned by a certain Don Hector. Because of his own experience in their own ranch, Grady soon became famous in Don Hector’s ranch as the new cowboy. He proves himself to be a very good one, as he deeply understands horses. Because of his expertise, he was put in charge of the breeding of the horses. Then, he meets Alejandra, Don Hector’s daughter and he falls for her. Although he was warned by Alejandra’s cynical aunt, Alfonsa, Grady pursues Alejandra and then they began an affair. When Don Hector found out about it, he had the Americans arrested by the corrupt Encantada police. There in Encantada jail cell, they reunite with Blevins again. They soon find that Blevins killed someone when he returned to Encantada to retrieve his stolen gun. Grady and Rawlins were now labeled as co-conspirators in Blevins’ case. Then, because he was tortured, Rawlins owns up to the accusations, and this leads to Blevins’ assassination. Grady and Rawlins remains imprisoned in the town called Saltillo. In prison they experience constant bullying by the prison mafia. It happens that a cuchillero attacks Grady as he refuses the invitation of Perez. Perez is a powerful prisoner who wants Grady to be his ally. John Grady eventually kills his assailant. He and Rawlins get ba dly wounded in the process. Alfonsa, Alejandra’s aunt, bribes the prison commander to release Grady and Rawlins and they were eventually released. Alfonsa made Grady swear that he should never see Alejandra again. With his newfound liberty, Rawlins goes back to America. Grady, however, was so intent to see and go back to Alejandra. Alfonsa again warns Grady not to pursue Alejandra and sets out a long discussion about the pitfalls of romance and its foolishness. In spite of all the discouragement, he meets Alejandra and they spend the whole day together. Grady proposes marriage to Alejandra but Alejandra declines because she already decided that she couldn’t leave her family, thus leaving Grady with a broken heart. Grady decides to go back to America but not without his horses. So he goes back to the village of Encantada and reclaims the horses, all the while claiming the captain of the town as hostage. The people pursue him but eventually crosses the border heavily wou nded. He finds himself back in

LEADERSHIP STYLES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

LEADERSHIP STYLES - Essay Example Over the period of time, the nature and orientation of the leadership therefore has changed and increasing body of research is suggesting interesting aspects about leadership. The leadership styles can vary and depend upon the ability of the leader to lead the organization and followers in a particular manner. From the perspective of nursing leadership can be important as it outlines the way as to how one will lead as the career progress takes place over the period of time. It is therefore important for nurses to clearly understand the difference between management and leadership besides understanding different leadership styles. This understanding is critical because it directly have an impact on the performance. This paper will discuss and explore two different leadership styles and how that leadership style or leader fits in my philosophy of leader. A comparison and contrast will also be made between leadership and management. Transformational leadership is considered as the leadership which can bring in positive change within individuals to achieve certain objectives. This type of leadership style is often considered as one the most important ways to actually convert followers into leaders by systematically transforming the way they approach different aspects of the organizational environment or their career. By redesigning the values and belief systems, this approach towards leadership creates strong changes within the followers and therefore makes some important changes in the way they approach different aspects of their life and organization. It is also important to note that a transformational leader is also a moral example for the followers. As such leaders become like role models for improving the moral standing of the followers too. (Roesner, 1990) Another style of leadership is based upon the notion of servant leadership which is based upon the idea of giving preference to

Dimensions of Word Meaning

Dimensions of Word Meaning NGUYEN QUANG NGOAN Introduction The issue of defining and clearing the meaning of the words is by no means an easy talk. In other words, words are names or lables for things. Besides, linguists also realize the need to distinguish what a word or expression denotes from what they can be used to refer to, we will identify the difference between denotation and reference. There are many different ideas that the meaning of a word reflects reality or express human conceptualization of reality, as it were. However, we will discuss about various attempts designed to define probably one of the most difficult issues of semantics -meaning. Problems Depending on what it is understood by meaning, we can distinguish two main semantic theories: the referential / denotational approach-meaning is the action of putting words into relationship with the world; the representational /conceptual approach-meaning is the notion, the concept or the mental image of the object or situation in reality as reflected in mans mind. The two basic types of meaning were first mentioned by S. Stati in 1971- referential definitions which analyse meaning in terms of the relation symbol- object /referent; conceptual definitions which regard the relation symbol- thought/reference. 2.1 .Denotational /Referential Theories of Meaning. Before describing the characteristics of these theories, a clarification of the terms used is necessary. All languages allow speakers to describe or model aspects of what they perceive. In semantics the action of picking out or identifying individuals/ locations with words is called referring/denoting. To some linguists the two terms, denote and refer are synonymous. J. Saeed (1997: 23) gives two examples of proper names whose corresponding referents are easily recognizable e. g. I saw Michael Jackson on TV last night. We have just flown back from Paris. The underlined words refer to/denote the famous singer, respectively the capital of France, even if in some contexts they may be used to designate a person different from the singer, or a locality other than the capital of France. To John Lyons the terms denote and refer are not synonymous. The former is used to express the relationship linguistic expression- world, whereas the latter is used for the action of a speaker in picking out entities in the world. In the example A sparrow flew into the room. A sparrow and the room are NPs that refer to things in the world.; room, sparrow denote classes of items. In conclusion, referring is what speakers do and denoting is a propertyof words. Denotation is a stable relationship in a language, it doesnt depend on anyones use of the word unlike the action of referring. Returning to the problem of theories of meaning, they are called referential/ denotational when their basic premise is that we can give the meaning of words and sentences by showing how they relate to situations- proper names denote individuals, nouns denote entities or sets of individuals, verbs denote actions, adverbs denote properties of actions, adjectives denote properties of individuals-.In case of sentences, they denote situations and events. The difference in meaning between a sentence and its negative counterpart arises from the fact that they describe two situations e. g. There is a book on the shelf. There isnt a book on the shelf. Referential theories consider meaning to be something outside the world itself, an extra-linguistic entity. This means reducing the linguistic sign, i. e. the word to its material aspect, be it phonic or graphic. The impossibility of equating meaning with the object denoted by a given word can be explained considering three major reasons the identity meaning-object would leave meaning to a large extent undefined because not all the characteristic traits of an object as an extra- linguistic reality are identical with the distinctive features of lexical meaning; not all words have a referent in the outside world; there are: non- referring expressions so, very, maybe, if, not, etc. referring expressions used generically: e. g. A murder is a serious felony. words like nouns, pronouns with variable reference depending on the context: e. g. The president decides on the foreign policy. She didnt know what to say. words which have no corresponding object in the real world in general or at a certain moment: e. g. The unicorn is a mythical animal. She wants to make a cake this evening. different expressions/words that can be used for the same referent, the meaning reflecting the perspective from which the referent is viewed e. g. The morning star is the same thing as the evening star. The president of the USA/ George Bush/ Barbara Bushs husband was to deliver a speech. Besides the referential differences between expressions, we can make useful distinctions among the things referred to by expressions-referent thing picked out by uttering the expression in a particular context; extension of an expression = set of things which could possibly be the referent of that expression. In Lyons terminology the relationship between an expression and its extension is called denotation.(Saeed 1997: 27) A distinction currently made by modern linguists is that between the denotation of a word and the connotations associated with it. For most linguists, denotation represents the cognitive or communicative aspect of meaning (Schaff 1965), while connotation stands for the emotional overtones a speaker usually associates with each individual use of a word. Denotative meaning accounts for the relationship between the linguistic sign and its denotatum. But one shouldnt equate denotation with the denotatum.What is the denotation of a word which has no denotatum. As far as the attitude of the speaker is concerned, denotation is regarded as neutral, since its function is simply to convey the informational load carried by a word. The connotative aspects of meaning are highly subjective, springing from personal experiences, which a speaker has had of a given word and also from his/her attitude towards his/ her utterance and/ or towards the interlocutors (Leech, 1990: 14). For example dwelling, house, home, abode, residence have the same denotation but different connotations. Given their highly individual nature, connotations seem to be unrepeatable but, on the other hand, in many instances, the social nature of individual experience makes some connotative shades of meaning shared by practically all the speakers of a language. It is very difficult to draw a hard line between denotation and connotation in meaning analysis, due to the fact that elements of connotation are drawn into what is referred to as basic, denotative meaning. By taking into account connotative overtones of meaning, its analysis has been introduced a new dimension, the pragmatic one. Talking about reference involves talking about nominals- names and noun phrases. They are labels for people, places, etc. Context is important in the use of names; names are definite in that they carry the speakers assumption that his/ her audience can identify the referent (Saeed, 1997: 28). 2.2.The Relationship Between Sense And Reference The referent of an expression is often a thing or person in the world. The sense of an expression is not a thing at all it is an abstraction that can be entertained in the mind of a language users. Its difficult to say what sort of entity the sense of an expression it isà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it is useful to think of sense as that is a part of meaning of an expression that is left over when reference is factored out. Its much easier to say whether or not expressions have the same sense. Connotation and denotation revisited We have discussed the meaning of a word, it helps to know the difference between denotation and connotation. These two terms are easy to confuse because they describe related concepts. Moreover, both denotation and connotation stem from the Latin word. The connotation of a word is the additional meaning that the word has beyond its denotative meaning. It shows peoples emotion and/or attitudes towards what the word refers to. The Denotation of a word is the core, central or referential meaning of the world found in a dictionary. In English, a content word may have its denotation described in term of a set of semantic features that serve to identify the particular concept associated with the word For example, the words home and house have similar denotations or primary meanings: a home is a shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, or household, and a house is a building in which people live. However, these terms carry different associations or secondary meanings, also known as connotations. Many people would agree that home connotes a sense of belonging and comfort, whereas house conveys little more than a structure. The connotation of a word depends on cultural context and personal associations, but the denotation of a word is its standardized meaning within the English language. The change and development of meaning 3.1 .Change of meaning The development of vocabulary is the first of all reflected in the development of semantic structure of the words: new meaning of the words appear, some old meanings drop out of the language of coexist with the new ones. The first is extending the meanings of existing words or acquisition of new meaning by existing words based on the occurrence of a relationship between the old and new meaning. For example: 1. She turned a cold face to me 2. My brother is a pig => Semantic extensions Occurrence of a relationship between the old and new meaning 3.2. Causes of semantic change The factors accounting for semantic changes may be subdivided into three main groups: a. Extra-linguistic causes : various changes in the life of the speech community changes in economic and social structures changes in culture, knowledge, technology, arts changes of ideas, scientific concepts, way of life b. Linguistic factors : Ellipsis a change of meaning when the meaning of a word-combination is given to only one word of this combination For example: daily daily happening every day a daily newspaper daily a daily newspaper Discrimination of synonyms conflict of synonyms when a perfect synonym of a native word is borrowed from other language. For example: tide OE tide 1)time 2)season 3)hour from French time, season, hour Modern English tide regular rise and fall of the sea caused by the moon c. One more linguistic cause of semantic change is called fixed context. E.g. the word token brought into competition with the word sign and became restricted in use to a number of set expressions, such as love token, token of respect etc. and also became specialized in meaning. 3.3. Nature of semantic change: a. Restriction of meaning (narrowing) restriction of the types or referents denoted by the word. It can be illustrated by the semantic development of the word hound which used to denote dog of any breed but now denotes only a dog used in the chase. If the word with a new restricted meaning comes to be used in the specialized vocabulary of some limited group within the speech community it is usual to speak of the specialization of meaning. b. Extension of meaning (widening ) application of the word to wider variety of referents It may be illustrated by the word target which originally meant a small round shield but now means anything that is fired at. If the word with extended meaning passed from the specialized vocabulary into common use, the result of the semantic change is described as generalization of meaning. The connotational meaning may be changed in two ways as follows: Amelioration (elevation) of meaning implies the improvement of the connotational component of meaning, e.g. the word minister originally denoted a servant but now a civil servant of higher rank, a person administrating a department of state. Deterioration (degradation) of the meaning implies the acquisition by the word of some derogatory emotive charge, e.g. the word boor was originally to denote a peasant and then acquired a derogatory connotational meaning and came to denote a clumsy or ill-bred fellow. Transference of meaning 4.1. Definition of metaphor: The other perspective from which we can approach semantic change is the nature of the change or the connection between the new and the old meaning. We also call this feature a transfer. The meaning can be transferred from the original to the new position via three main types of association: Metaphor is the semantic change based on the association of similarity between referents the meaning is transferred on the basic of the fact that the two referents resemble on onother. The basic structure of the metaphor is very simple. There is a thing we are talking about and that to which we are comparing it. The transference may be based on similarity of Shape. E.g: head of a cabbage, crane bulb, the teeth of a saw Position. E.g: the foot of mountain Movement. E.g: caterpillar of a tank. Function. E.g: the key to the mystery Colour. E.g: orange, rose. Size. E.g: midget, elephantine The names of the parts of human body are transferred to others objects ( the nose of a plane, the leg of the table) The names of animals are also often transferred to the human beings ( A cunning person is a fox, a spiteful person is a snake, a rude person is a bear, a hard-working person is a bee or a beaver, birds view, crocodile tears) Proper names transferred to common ones( a jealous person is called an Othello, an eloquent speaker is a Cicero.) 4.1.2. The differences between similes and metaphors Both compare things that are essentially unlike. Metaphor implies the comparison hidden comparison ( no formal element of comparison) Simile expresses the comparison by the use of some word or phrase like, as, than, similar to, resembles, seems. For example My love is a rose -> metaphor My love is like a rose -> comparison 4.1.3.The classifications of metaphor Living ( poetic, individual) when a word is used in unusual meaning and metaphor is felt E.g: Peace is our fortress. Faded (trite) metaphor is one which lost its freshness because of long use and became habitual E.g: Fruitful effort, golden youth, to fall in love Dead metaphor where metaphoric sense is not felt. Dead metaphor are words which lost their direct meaning and are used only figuratively E.g: To ponder originally meant to weigh, but it is used now only in the meaning to mediate, to consider thoughtfully 4.2. Definition of metonymy Metonymy (contiguity of meaning) the name of an attribute of a thing is used instead of the thing itself. In other words, metonymy can be defined as the substitution of one word for another with which it is associated. For example Hollywood is used as a metonym (an instance of metonymy) for American cinema, because of the fame and cultural identity of Hollywood, as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars. Proper names as metonymy can be illustrated by : read Shakspeare, listen to Mozart, it was a Waterlooà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Major cases of metonymy: Use the name of container instead of the thing contained: E.g: to drink a glass, 2. Names of parts of human body may be used as symbols E.g: clever head, kind heart, 3. The concrete is used instead of abstract E.g: Let me give you a hand; to go to bed 4. The materials are used for the things is made of the materials E.g: glass 5. The name of the author is used for his works. E.g: Picasso, Ampere, Watts 6. Part is used for the whole and vice versa E.g: We all live under the same roof. She is wearing a fox. 7. The instrument which the doer uses in performing E.g. she is a good piano, 8. Other types: E.g: He always running after the skirt. ( a woman or girl) Other types of meaning tranfer are: Eponymy (functional change) common words are derived from proper nouns, e.g.: sandwich, china, rugby, White House (American government). Personification assigning human qualities to things, e.g.: the paper saysà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Euphemisms the need for a less expressive word, substitution of words which can be harmful for words with milder connotations, e.g.: restroom (toilet), pass away (die), sleep with à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (have a sexual intercourse withà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) Hyperbole exaggeration of meaning, statement not to be taken literally, e.g.: wait for ages, weight a ton, Ill kill him when I see himà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Litotes the opposite of hyperbole, the understatement which can be often ironical or moderating, e.g.: It wasnt bad (in the sense of It was good), Shes not stupid (Shes rather smart)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ REFERENCES Hoa Nguyen, (2004). Understanding English Semantics. Hanoi: Nxb.Ä HQG Hà   Nà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢i. Lyons, J (1968). Introdution to Theoretical Linguistics. London and New York: CPU Lyons, J (1995). Linguistic Semantics: An introduction. London : CUP

Michael Ondaatjes The Collected Works of Billy the Kid Essay -- Colle

The Perception of Violence in Michael Ondaatje's The Collected Works of Billy the Kid A question that arises in almost any medium of art, be it music, film or literature, is whether or not the depiction of violence is merely gratuitous or whether it is a legitimate artistic expression. There can be no doubt that Michael Ondaatje's long poem The Collected Works of Billy the Kid is a violent work, but certain factors should be kept in mind before passing it off as an attempt to shock and titillate; certainly, the poem does both of these, but they are not the primary purpose of the work. For one thing, social context needs to be considered; Billy lived in the "Wild West", a time associated with range wars, shoot-outs and great train robberies. The entire legend of Billy the Kid has been built around his criminal activities and notorious reputation; indeed, the more popular this myth becomes, the more people he is accused of having murdered. If anything, it was a cultural fascination with violence that "created" the legend, perhaps even more so than anything the "real" Bi lly ever did. Michael Ondaatje comments on this phenomenon and actually offers an alternative vision of who Billy the Kid was; perhaps he was not just a blood-thirsty killer but a man who, due to circumstance and human nature, was continually being pushed over the edge. Ondaatje is more concerned with the motivations behind the acts of violence than the acts of violence themselves: "A motive? some reasoning we can give to explain all this violence. Was there a source for all this? yup -" (54). If they shock, it is to shock the readers out of complicity and encourage them to think about the nature of violence and their own capacity for it. Though it is more ... ...nstitutes a "fit" subject for poetry. If love is deemed suitable, should the expression of violence be any less so? Both are part of the human experience; indeed, it is hard to imagine one existing without the other. As Billy says, "I am here with the range for everything" (72), a range which includes "hands that need the rub of metal/ those senses that/ that want to crash things with an axe" (72). Michael Ondaatje gives us this range and then leaves it up to us to define our own "edge"; what are we capable of?.... What is our potential? Works Cited and Consulted Mundwiler, Leslie. Michael Ondaatje: Word, Image, Imagination. Vancouver: Talonbooks, 1984. Ondaatje, Michael. The Collected Works of Billy the Kid. Toronto: Anansi, 1970. Solecki, Sam. "Introduction." Spider Blues: Essays on Michael Ondaatje. Ed. Sam Solecki. Montrà ©al: Và ©hicule, 1985. 7-11.