For Entertainment, Escape, and Education Why We Read

For Entertainment, Escape, and Education Why We Read As a child, I loved to read. I was known by my teachers, peers, and the school librarian as the weird kid who always had her nose in a book. This love for books and reading continued throughout high school and my teen years. When I entered university, picked my subjects and majors, and discovered that all of the units I was studying involved weekly readings, I thought I was set. I loved reading, didn’t I? Then I realised I didn’t love all kinds of reading. Certain novels, yes. Non-fiction books on topics that interested me, yes. Article and essays that were well-written, engaging and about subjects that I was curious about, yes. But academic papers that are long, dense, written about heavy ideas and sometimes (often) in a difficult-to-understand language? Not so much. Turns I didn’t unconditionally love reading after all. In fact, earlier this year as I was packing up my PhD stuff to move from Australia to the US, I found an old paper where I had written, I started reading this and then gave up. So why do we read? Some of us read because we have to, as part of our studies or our jobs, and sometimes that is reading just because it is necessary. But what about the kind of reading people do when they don’t have to? What do people mean when they say they love reading? I explored these questions in my PhD research, with mostly unsurprising results. People read for a number of reasons: to be entertained, to learn, to escape, to bond with their kids. One person I interviewed said that she would read books she normally wouldn’t enjoy if she were trying to impress a guy. Another reader told me she asked her mother why she read Mills and Boon novels: She said, ‘Because I don’t like soap operas, I like reading, but I was raising three kids and working and running a house and doing all those other things, and you don’t always have time. But I needed to be reading, and it made me feel good, nothing bad was going to happen that was insurmountable, you’re always going to be left with a happy feeling’. It was the whole predictable, formulaic experience, but you knew what you were getting. This experience of using reading as time out is echoed by another library user who was interviewed, who said that her house was noisy and frantic, and reading was her escape. She shared: I leave a book in the bathroom [laughs]… And I go in there and hide from the kids. So we’ve got a little rack on the side of the vanity, and I just put my book in there.  [laughs] And so I might duck in there and you know, what would normally take a minute or two, I’ll sit for five minutes and read. Another main reason for reading is learning and education, something that many of the men I interviewed said were their main reasons for reading. This is consistent with previous research on cultural consumption patterns that suggests men have greater interest in factual and documentary reading while women express a greater preference for literary or aesthetic types of reading. One male library user interviewed went as far as to say non-fiction was the only kind of reading that was worthwhile, and the only kind of reading that you can learn from. There was one reason for reading that all these library users had in common that I imagine we can all relate to: for enjoyment. They read because they enjoyed escaping into a great novel, or because they enjoyed learning about a new hobby, or because they enjoyed engaging with complex ideas and beautiful language. One library user who was a self-described language junkie even said, if I don’t read literary fiction each day, then I feel like it’s a waste of a day. So why do we read? Because we want to. Because we enjoy it. And because there is pleasure to be derived from learning new things, exploring new worlds, and savouring beautiful language.

The Causes of the American Revolution Essay - 903 Words

The American Revolution was sparked by a myriad of causes. These causes in themselves could not have sparked such a massive rebellion in the nation, but as the problems of the colonies cumulated, their collective impact spilt over and the American Revolution ensued. Many say that this war could have been easily avoided and was poorly handled by both sides, British and American; but as one will see, the frame of thought of the colonists was poorly suited to accept British measures which sought to â€Å"overstep† it’s power in the Americas. Because of this mindset, colonists developed a deep resentment of British rule and policies; and as events culminated, there was no means to avoid revolution and no way to turn back. There are†¦show more content†¦The British military also played a role in starting the revolution. As Britain began to call more and more troops into the colonies, especially after the seven years war, many of the citizens began to doubt their purpose. The British justified stationing troops by saying that it was to cut expenditures. Yes it did cut expenditures, but to the dismay of the colonists, the burden of housing soldiers, due to the Quartering act of 1765, was laid upon them. This caused great dissent, for as the population of Boston was only approximately 18,000, the troops made up more than one fifth of the population. But cutting spending wasn’t the only objective in bring in troops. Parliament also wanted to use the troops in order to enforce the British legislature’s rules and ordinances. The troops served as intimidation to keep the colonists in check. But as Americans became more rebellious, England funneled in more troops. In 1774, the Briti sh responded to the Boston tea party by establishing the Coercive Acts. These acts in addition to closing Boston harbor and subjecting everyone to admiralty courts also shipped in 3000 soldiers and put the state of Massachusetts under martial law. Thus, in towns, there developed great tension between the people and the British troops, an uneasiness that would reside and alienate the colonists from the empire. More importantly, the colonist resentedShow MoreRelatedThe Revolution : The Cause Of The American Revolution1898 Words   |  8 Pages The American Revolution was the turning point for the colonies that made up the United States today. It was the war that freed the colonists from British control. But what actually caused the American Revolution? Well, there’s no simple answer to that question. In fact, most of the causes acted as if they were dominoes. These events can be categorized in four periods of time or setting. These groups are, Salutary neglect, Mercantilism, Boston, and Unity of protests. Salutary neglect was the ideaRead MoreCauses Of The American Revolution1202 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout history many revolutions took place, ranging from the unremarkable to a truly memorable, as the French revolution, the American Revolution, and the Bolshevik Revolution, but American revolution took place in 1775-1783. The revolution was different from other revolution because of growing tensions between residents of Great Britain’s 13 North American colonies and the colonial government because American revolution was not like the others. This revolution was not like the others becauseRead MoreCauses Of The American Revolution738 Words   |  3 Pagesas the American Revolution, or the Revolutionary War. The American Revolution was a war between the colonists of America and Great Britain and they were fighting over the independence of America from Britain. This war lasted until 1781, when the British surrendered to the Americans, As a result, America is a fully independent country and it has stayed that way since that day. There were many causes of the war, The Stamp Act, the Boston Tea Party, and Lexington and Concord. The first cause of theRead MoreCauses Of The American Revolution913 Words   |  4 Pages While the american revolution was caused from taxes, it was also formed from the effects of a corrupt system of government. The effects of britains rule was a much bigger flame for the revolution then the taxes placed upon citizens. The american revolution was an event that will forever shape us as a country. It was a tough war filled with blood and brutal acts of violence, but it was also an awakening for the colonies that will later become the United States, it showed that while under a governmentRead MoreCauses Of The American Revolution880 Words   |  4 Pages The American Revolution is the most important time in all of American history. This brought the birth of a new country and the treasured constitution. In the beginning, colonists were proud to be British. In the years to come, there were small occurrences that bothered the colonists and led to the Revolution. Other countries contributed to the start of a crueller British control. The French and Indian War caused King George III to introduce expensive taxes (Pavao). These taxes came about becauseRead MoreCauses Of The American Revolution1335 Words   |  6 Pageswere multiple causes for the American Revolution, but the most important was the violation and deprivation of rights from the American People. The American people were faced with multiple acts and taxes that violated and took away their rights. Americans were continuously being taxed after the French and Indian War by acts like the sugar act, the stamp act, the Townshend acts,the tea act, and many more(Hedtke, et al., The Ame rican Saga). Despite all the taxes being placed on the Americans and the thingsRead MoreCauses of the American Revolution953 Words   |  4 PagesEmily Thou Mr. G./ Period 1 September 14, 2012 Causes of the American Revolution The American Revolution began in 1755 as an open conflict between the thirteen colonies and Great Britain. The Treaty of Paris had ended that war in 1783, giving the colonies their own independence. There are many factors contributing to the start of the Revolution, but the war began as the way The Great Britain treated the colonies versus the way the colonies felt they should be treated. For example, the FrenchRead MoreCauses Of The American Revolution886 Words   |  4 PagesThe American Revolution began on April 19, 1775. It was the war between Great Britain and its colonies located in the New World. The colonists, as many historians put it, were like children rebelling against the motherland; however, they had many valid reasons for this revolt, including their desire for freedom and independence. My World History textbook says freedom was falsely promised when the colonists had settled (Krull 868). The more direct causes of this widely known rebellion include taxesRead MoreCaus es Of The American Revolution1344 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican Revolution The causes of the American Revolution go back to the beginning of salutary neglect and the French and Indian War, as well as changes in the thinking of society. The effects of these events and other factors led to pressure within the colonies, ultimately resulting in rebellion. There were five factors to the nature of the American Revolution: The Environment, The Enlightenment, Self-Government, Economic Independence and Colonial Unity. The first factor that led to the AmericanRead MoreCauses Of The American Revolution813 Words   |  4 PagesCauses Before the American Revolution, any imports from England from us had to come in ships owned by the British. Also, we could only sell tobacco and sugar to England. The British took French territory in Canada, east of the Mississippi River, and Spanish Florida which led to the American Revolution. Due to the war, Britain went in debt so, the British government placed taxes on goods so they could make more money. But that’s not all that led to the American Revolution, both the us and the French

Social Psychology Attraction Of Friends And Romantic...

In social psychology, attraction is defined as the natural feeling of being drawn to other individuals and desiring their company. This is usually due to having high interest in them. There are many forms to attraction such as love, liking, lust, friendship, and admiration. There are many factors that influence who we are attracted to as friends and romantic partners. One common influence is through similarity. We tend to be attracted to people due to similar personalities, political views, sex role, orientations, values, desires, etc. Even if the person is a complete polar opposite, there is a common interest(s) that bonds them together. Another factor that influences attraction is proximity. This means that people are more likely to become friends if their are geographically close. This can be due to the mere-exposure effect, which states that people are more likely to see a familiar stimulus the more they encounter with it. There is also self-disclosure which is when we share personal information to others. This can increase rapport and trust between one another. In a romantic relationship there are three components to love: passion, commitment, and intimacy. Passion is defined as a state of intense longing for union with another. It involves intense feelings of infatuation and arousal. Intimacy is a feeling of closeness, and commitment is the decision that you love and want to stay together, forming a compassionate love. 5 Centimeters per second is a Japanese animatedShow MoreRelatedRelationship and Attraction: The Attraction-Similarity Model1476 Words   |  6 Pagessomeone (Dating/Relationship Statistics). Psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania studied data from over 10,000 speed daters and found that most people make a decision regarding a person’s attraction within three seconds of meeting (Penn New ). Whether it is the friends we choose or our romantic partners there is something that attracts us to the other person in these relationships. Maybe something that unknowingly leads us to develop a relationship with them. What is it that attracts a personRead MoreRelationships and Attraction1035 Words   |  5 PagesRelationships and Attraction PSY: 301 October 8, 2012 From the beginning on time, being around others makes us feel affiliated. It is human nature to form relationships with people who attract us. As human beings, there has always been a desire to form relationships. The lack of relationships and bonds with other individuals can lead to negative feelings, such as loneliness. In order to figure out the need to form bonds we must analyze the benefitsRead MoreRelationship Between Relationships And Relationships1236 Words   |  5 Pagesthis paper I will be discussing romantic relationship, but first I feel we need to go over what a relationship is in the first place to see the difference between the two. Then I will define what I think a romantic relationship is. There are many different ways that someone could define relationship, but according to the Bella DePaulo from psychology today the definition for relationship is something that â€Å"covers all sorts of human connections, including ties to friends, parents, children, siblingsRea d MoreAttraction: Love and Physical Attractiveness Essay1169 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ Attraction J A S PSY301: Social Psychology Robin Friedman 10/21/13 When it comes to attraction, a variety of simple factors play a significant role in whom we as people come to like. Things as basic as proximity, looks, similarity, and even the difficulty of the pursuit all affect a person’s overall attractiveness. This paper will discuss how these factors are attributed to attraction and why human nature demands bonding and relationships. People are drawnRead MoreThe Psychological Origins Of Attraction1559 Words   |  7 Pagescognitive process, biological process, psychological origins of attraction, social perspective attributions, etc. Cognitive origins of attraction is the acquiring and understanding of thoughts and senses and the perceptions of the individual’s own experiences. Biological process is the idea in which sexual attraction (for the purpose of gene survival) is the driving force behind choosing a partner (Charles Darwin). Psychological origins of attraction assumes that people are more likely to be attracted titRead MoreArticle Summary : Love And Blood Glucose Levels1149 Words   |  5 Pagesprevious studies reviewed, Stanton, Campbell and Loving (2014) hypothesized that participants who were told to think about their partner would display higher blood glucose levels than those who were asked to reflect on their morning routine or a friend of the opposite sex. They also predicted that this inc rease in blood glucose levels would give those thinking about their partner positive emotions. Stanton, Campbell and Loving assessed 183 individuals (133 women and 50 men). They ranged in age from 18Read MoreAttraction in Social Psychology2034 Words   |  9 PagesAttraction in Social Psychology PSY 326 Introduction: Attraction in Social Psychology is one of the key areas where there is still research going on to understand what are the various elements in a human that makes him/her to behave in a specific manner how these variations are processed by the brain. The importance of this research paper is mainly to explain the basic psychological functions that are mainly concerned with the element of ‘attraction’ in Psychology to analyze the statisticalRead MoreRelationship Between Relationships And Relationships805 Words   |  4 Pagesrelationships with people at work, but personal relationships are people that you grow up with, such as family, neighbors, and school friends. Whereas, professional friendship, are individuals that you meet at various facilities who know a few facts about your career or even a small part about your life. In most of our lives it is a natural occurrence to have friends, and they mean a lot to some of us. When you have a good friendship with someone it makes an everlasting impact. An attachment patternRead MoreEssay about Is Jealousy Different For Men Than For Women?1719 Words   |  7 PagesIs Jealousy Different For Men Than For Women? Research is growing to find if there is a difference among men and women when perceiving jealousy. Specifically emotional reactions to a romantic partners infidelity, with men showing higher levels jealousy by a partners sexual infidelity and women showing higher levels by a partners emotional infidelity (Bailey, Gaulin, Agyei, and Gladue, 1994; Buss, Larsen, Weston, and Semmekoth, 1992; Buunk, Angleitner, Oubaid, and Buss, 1996). However, there isRead MoreThe Theory Of Love By Robert J. Sternberg1458 Words   |  6 Pagesrelationship. The class has intertwined the theme of relationship throughout the weeks, which with the rise of positive psychology, social psychology and related studies has become an increasingly popular area of research. Christopher Peterson, a positive psychologist, coined the phrase â€Å"other people matter† – a phrase which now is associated with various disciplines of psychology. This phrase, â€Å"other people matter†, undertakes multip le meanings dependent on the context. It can be applied to early

Outcasts Free Essays

Huston Outcasts in Society Outcasts are often alienated due to the fact that they do not follow the social norm. They are often judged without the consideration of their circumstances. We as a society view outcasts as damaged goods and don’t give them a chance. We will write a custom essay sample on Outcasts or any similar topic only for you Order Now We as a society should give everyone the courtesy of an open mind. Outcast are often those who don’t conduct themselves in the manner society thinks they should. As shown: Hester committed adultery, a crime that is a serious sin to her community. (The Scarlett Letter) Outcasts sometimes have done nothing wrong. They are segregated because of the stereotypes that hang over their heads like a storm cloud. As we saw the black man was often avoided and even feared just because society back then view African Americans as dangerous. (Black Men in Public Spaces) In some cases people are made outcasts because of personality. A lamb is born innocent while a tiger is considered dangerous from birth. (the tiger and the lamb) Outcasts in our society are treated differently from others. they are often the subject of your ridicule. They also are commonly left out. No one in your science class talks to that weirdo who talks to himself because he has been deemed unfit and you do not want to be in the same boat for talking to him. Hester was forced to ware a red A on her chest as a reminder not only to her community but to herself that she will never become an accepted member of her society. (the scarlet letter) . In some cases out casts are avoided like when the white people would do every thing they could to avoid the black man. (black men in public spaces). Some out casts have no control over what makes them an out side. A person does not get to choose the color of his skin, yet some people judge u based off of that fact alone. Our society needs to become more tolerant of every one because we all aren’t given the same opportunities in life . me must judge people with their circumstances in mind not just what we see when we look at them. Hester did cheat on her husband but she thought that he was dead and she never loved him in the first place, but all that her community cared about was what she did not why she did it (the scarlet letter). e as a society must look at the good in every one rather than the bad. we choose the level of your worth based on the bad things that you have done in the past. every one has made a mistake before but not every one is a good person. In the end we are no different from those we avoid. We all have a beating heart and a will to be accepted by others. our society needs to be more tolerant because everyone is the same on the inside. .our society will always have o ut casts but in order for us to grow we need to give every one a fair trial before we sentence them to a life alone. How to cite Outcasts, Papers

Pre AND Post 1900 Comparative Essay Example Essay Example

Pre AND Post 1900 Comparative Essay Example Paper Pre AND Post 1900 Comparative Essay Introduction In this essay, I have chosen to compare and contrast the following two poems – ‘Even Tho’ by Grace Nichols and ‘To his Coy Mistress’ by Andrew Marvell. These two poems were roughly written three centuries apart, and so the social factors and religious beliefs as well as other things were different. Therefore different ideas would be portrayed in the poems.In the 17th century when ‘To his Cot Mistress’ was written, women were not known for writing poems about love let alone sex, as women’s opinions weren’t respected. If a woman was sent a poem like the one that Andrew Marvell wrote, then she would probably go weak at the knees and do whatever was asked of her. However, in the late 20th century, when ‘Even Tho’ was written, women’s opinions and rights were respected in society and more and more female poets emerged with some ideas that were once thought unacceptable for women.One other main factor that affe cted the ideas portrayed in these poems is partly to do with religion and partly to do with what used to be thought of as socially acceptable and what is thought as socially acceptable now. At the time ‘To his Coy Mistress’ was written, women were expected to keep their virginity until they were married. This is why the poem is set out as an argument, trying to persuade his lover to have sex with him. This is different to the time when ‘Even Tho’ was written because women were not expected to stay a virgin.I will now discuss the similarities and differences between the content of the first poem, ‘To his Coy Mistress’ and the second poem ‘Even Tho.’ The first poem ‘To his Coy Mistress’ is unusual for the time as it has an untraditional structure. It has no verses but it has three sections each with a different number of lines. The fact that it has no verses suggests that the subject of the poem never really changes, onl y the perspective of the poet. This is so, that the poet can present an effective argument. In the poem, some of the sentences carry on to the next line – this is to increase the pace and build up a good argument. Another reason for why it is unusual for its time is because of the purpose. At the time that the poem was written, women were expected to keep their virginity until they were married, but the poet is asking his lover to lose her virginity, although they aren’t married.The three different sections separate the different parts of the argument that he is putting across. In the first section, we see the poet describing what he would do if he could spend eternity with his lover, A hundred years should go to praise thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze.’ In the second section, he is saying that although it would be nice to do the things which he said in paragraph one, he can’t because he wont live forever and she will eventually die with her ‘qu aint honour.’ A quote to show this would be, ‘Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound my echoing song: then worms shall try that long preserved virginity.’ The final section concludes the argument by saying what they should do in order that his mistress does not die having never ‘expressed her love’ towards her lover.I think, that from the perspective of the poet’s mistress, the poem is quite successful. This is because the poet uses some very effective methods to persuade his lover. In the first section, he sweet-talks his lover before scaring her into bed with thoughts of death in the second section. This is why the structure is very good as in my opinion, it allows the poet to separate the poem into three separate parts, creating an effective argument.The second poem, ‘Even Tho’ by Grace Nichols is in many ways very different. Her ideas would have been seen as very controversial if they were expressed at the same time as ‘T o his Coy Mistress’ was written. We can see this from the purpose of the poem, the intention being to inform her lover that she wants sex without the commitment. This is unlike the woman in ‘To his Coty Mistress’ as she has to be heavily persuaded to do such a thing. At the time ‘Even Tho’ was written, women were far more in control of their own lives and didn’t succumb to obsequiousness as easily.A way that these two poems are similar is that they both have an untraditional structure. ‘Even Tho,’ is very much a free verse poem, in that it doesn’t have a set number of lines per verse or a set number of words per line. It also has very little punctuation. This enables it to highlight the untraditional ideas it contains. This is similar to the reasoning behind an unconventional structure in ‘To his Coy Mistress.’ Both of these poems are written in the first person, this means that both of the poets can reinforce their emotions by making the poem more personal. Again, ‘Even Tho’ and ‘To his Coy Mistress’ are partly similar in purpose; they both express emotion and give the poets view on their relationship.The manner in which the poets express their emotions are quite different. In ‘Even Tho,’ the poet uses a positive and light-hearted tone to put across her feelings, whereas in ‘To his Coy Mistress,’ Grace Nichols uses more traditional ideas of love as well as his unorthodox views on his relationship with his lover.In my opinion, both poems may well be seen as relatively offensive because they are very biased as they only take into account their own opinions. What about the other person in the relationship? They may desire something different! ‘To his Coy Mistress’ is especially offensive because the poet’s requirements are just sexual pleasure.As is to be expected, the language of these two poems is very different in ma ny ways. The vocabulary in ‘To his Coy Mistress’ is very dated as the poem was written in the mid 17th century. Unfamiliar words like ‘thou’ and ‘thine’ are used, which could be difficult to comprehend for the majority of people in this day and age.There is a lot of imagery used in this poem to create a picture in our minds of the poet’s lover and the relationship that they share. The poet uses metaphors such as ‘Times winged chariot’ and ‘Iron gates of life.’ He also uses similes, for example, ‘the youthful hue, sits on thy skin like morning dew.’ In addition to this simile, this sentence shows us another technique, which is called personification. All of these techniques, plus some very elaborate descriptions build up some very apparent images.The poem rhymes all the way through in couplets and this is one of the only regularities in this poem. This means that when you read the poem, as well as pi cking up the untraditional ideas, you also sense the regularity, which makes the poem easier to identify with. It also has the same alliteration in it, for example: ‘long love’ and ‘love at lower rate.’ These are both to be found in the first section, along with some assonance that gives similar sounds, for example: ‘should’st rubies find.’ These are all soft, sumptuous and loving sounds which comply with the messages in the first section. As you would think, the second section contains more hard sounds, for example: ‘turn to dust’ and the third section contains dramatic and indicative ideas and so uses sounds to back these up, for example: ‘instant fires’ and ‘rough strife.’The poem appeals to a couple of the senses, mainly sight because of all the imagery used and sound because of the descriptions used associated to sound. The beat of the poem is also regular, as it has approximately 8 – 10 syllables per line; this suggests that it flows when read.The vocabulary of ‘Even Tho’ is very different to that of ‘To his Coy Mistress,’ mainly because it was written much later, round about the 1970’s or 1980’s. This meant that the language was much more up to date. The time that it was written also means that it was possible for the poem to be written with a Caribbean dialect. An example of this is, ‘Keep to de motion,’ and ‘leh we go.’It was very unusual to see a poem written in a Caribbean dialect from the period in which ‘To his Coy Mistress’ was composed, so this highlights a difference between the two poems. The dialect allows the poet to bring in some of her ethnicity and culture to her work.A connection between the two poems is that they both use ample amounts of imagery. In ‘Even Tho’ metaphors are used, for example: ‘I’m all watermelon and star apple and plum when y ou touch me.’ This metaphor shows us what the poet is feeling. Grace Nichols uses juicy, soft fruits to describe it because that’s how she feels. The poem is very short, and due to this, we don’t find any similes or personification, but the poem does have some very interesting descriptions to create images, such as, ‘you be banana, I be avocado,’ which describes the male and female sex organs – the banana symbolizes the penis as it is very hard and long, whereas the avocado denotes a vagina as it is very warm, soft and in particularly red! This type of imagery is somewhat different to that used in ‘To his Coy Mistress’ as it is more intimate, light-hearted and humorous, unlike the romantic and sometimes frightening imagery of ‘To his Coy Mistress.’ The sounds to the poem are one of the keys to its success. Assonance such as ‘watermelon, strar apple and plum’ gives juicy and sumptuous sounds that appeal v ery much to the reader’s sense of taste and touch. The imagery used when talking about the male and female sex organs, ‘banana and avocado’ is quite amusing, and so appeals to the reader’s sense of sight.Besides the poem being outwardly funny, it has a relatively fundamental underlying message about the poet’s relationship, which is shown in the poet’s choice of repetition. The reiteration of ‘Even Tho’ and ‘leh we break free,’ is what tells the poet’s lover exactly what she wants from their relationship. She wants to be an individual ‘even tho’ she enjoys having fun and spending time with her lover.In my opinion, the poem is similar to ‘To his Coy Mistress’ when it comes to pace and rhythm as they are both irregular and so stressing their equally unorthodox messages.In conclusion, I would say that these poems aren’t completely unrelated, and the main thing that influences thei r differences is the time in which they were written. They both have similar purposes, only the perspective changes. It is largely male in ‘To his Coy Mistress,’ but incredibly female in ‘Even Tho. Another way that time has made the poems more different is the way that they are presented. ‘To his Coy Mistress’ is presented as an argument that is trying to persuade the poet’s lover to give in to her passion for the poet and lose her virginity.However, ‘Even Tho’ is more of a story than an argument. This is because she doesn’t feel that she needs to persuade men to do what she wants them to do, only tell them how she feels. Andrew Marvell felt that he needed to persuade his lover, as simply making a suggestion would not be enough. These are just a few examples of the ways that they are different, and of course, there are many more, but we must remember the simple similarities. Both poems are about sexual relationships, they ar e both written in the first person and to conclude, they both express emotions!My particular favourite out of the two poems has to be ‘Even Tho.’ The reason being, it is so simple, but yet has so many layers of meaning and tone. It is also comical as the imagery is fairly explicit as it talks about ‘bananas’ and ‘avocados’ representing the sexual organs on a human’s body. The poem ‘Even Tho’ also has a far more informal style of writing than ‘To his Coy Mistress’ and communicates to more than just the poet’s lover. All of this is why ‘Even Tho’ is my favourite poem out of the two. Pre AND Post 1900 Comparative Essay Thank you for reading this Sample!

Charlie Chaplin Essays (1379 words) - American Comedy Films

Charlie Chaplin Essays (1379 words) - American Comedy Films Charlie Chaplin Charlie Chaplin stars in the movie City Lights, a silent, black and white film, made in the 1930's. Chaplin, who portrays the character of a tramp, is the comic hero throughout the movie. It is odd that the film casts a tramp as the comic hero. Usually, no one laughs at a poor tramp; people tend to have pity and sympathy for a tramp or not even associate with one. Many of Chaplin's actions are common everyday routines for him, but his actions and gestures provide humor and comic relief in the film making him the comic hero. Henri Bergson discusses the comic in "Laughter". Bergson writes about the comic by breaking it down into different parts such as the comic in general, the comic in character and the expansive force of the comic. The Webster's Dictionary only goes as far as defining the comic as "an amusing person." Bergson, however, chooses to stay away from giving the comic a distinct, dictionary-like definition; instead he describes it, gives examples and dives deeper into the comic's meaning and purpose (62). Through diverse roles and Charlie Chaplin's simpleness, many aspects of humor grow out of accidental happenings and coincidence. Bergson provides reason and understanding to back up what people think is funny. The first part of the comic, which is the comic in general, kind of describes itself; this information is general to all comics. Comedy can be expressed in many ways, but laughter always accompanies it (71). Laughter always happens in a group or originates in a group because it is easier to laugh in a group (62). Since laughter is a social event, it acts as a form of social correction (71). While comedy can be demonstrated on purpose, comedy can also occur at unexpected times or during normal times. Bergson suggests that comedy is accidental (67). As in Chaplin's case, his normal actions are funny to onlookers but not for himself. For example, when he is in the restaurant with the rich man, he is walking across the dance floor and he can't manage to keep his feet under him. Laughter comes from people watching the film, but Chaplin is not laughing he is just trying to cross the dance floor to get to his table. The more normal the action, the more comic the action is to others (68). Comedy "aims at the general" because it will be more humorous if people can understand it with little or no thought involved (157). The comic in character is another part of the comic that takes in a wide range of elements. Mostly, the comic is always in character. Charlie Chaplin is the comic in the film and the character is himself, which isn't supposed to be funny. Only his actions are funny. Bergson says, comedy "begins, in fact with what might be called a growing callousness to social life" (147). This is true in Chaplin's role because he is a tramp. He does not have to worry about what people think of him. He can pretend to be blind to the ways of the world. For example, Charlie Chaplin wakes up on a new city statue on the day of its unveiling. He never thought to himself, "what effects will this have on my social status?" Chaplin was not concerned with the impressions he would make. Chaplin could be a gentleman though, even though he couldn't afford it. He certainly was kind to people he met, the rich man and the blind woman. Charles Spencer Chaplin was born into a poor London family of music hall entertainers called Hannah Chaplin and Charles Chaplin SR. Even as a child he found success as a performer, making his stage debut in 1894. Biographer David Robinson has gone so far as to say that Chaplin's life was the ultimate rags to riches tale. His early years were spent with his mother, who had no means of income, and brother in Kennington. Their father provided no support for his children causing Chaplin to be sent to the workhouse at the age of seven. Chaplin spent his childhood going in and out of the workhouse as well as being educated by a range of charitable schools. In 1898, his mother was committed to a mental asylum due to a psychosis caused by syphilis and malnutrition. She remained in care until her death in 1928, leaving the young Charles and his brother Sydney to look

Gerrymandering - Congressional Districts on Census Data

Gerrymandering - Congressional Districts on Census Data Every decade, following the decennial census, the state legislatures of the United States are told how many representatives their state will send to the United States House of Representatives. Representation in the House is based on state population and there are a total of 435 representatives, so some states may gain representatives while others lose them. It is the responsibility of each state legislature to redistrict their state into the appropriate numbers of congressional districts. Since a single party usually controls each state legislature, it is in the best interest of the party in power to redistrict their state so that their party will have more seats in the House than the opposition party. This manipulation of electoral districts is known as gerrymandering. Although illegal, gerrymandering is the process of modifying congressional districts to benefit the party in power. A Little History The term gerrymandering is derived from Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814), the governor of Massachusetts from 1810 to 1812. In 1812, Governor Gerry signed a bill into law that redistricted his state to overwhelmingly benefit his party, the Democratic-Republican Party. The opposition party, the Federalists, were quite upset. One of the congressional districts was shaped very strangely and, as the story goes, one Federalist remarked that the district looked like a salamander. No, said another Federalist, its a gerrymander. The Boston Weekly Messenger brought the term gerrymander into common usage, when it subsequently printed an editorial cartoon that showed the district in question with a monsters head, arms, and tail, and named the creature a gerrymander. Governor Gerry went on to become vice president under James Madison from 1813 until his death a year later. Gerry was the second vice president to die in office. Gerrymandering, which had taken place prior to the coinage of the name and continued for many decades thereafter, has been challenged many times in federal courts and has been legislated against. In 1842, the Reapportionment Act required that congressional districts be contiguous and compact. In 1962, the Supreme Court ruled that districts must follow the principle of one man, one vote and have fair borders and an appropriate population mixture. Most recently, the Supreme Court ruled in 1985 that manipulating district borders to give an advantage to one political party was unconstitutional. Three Methods There are three techniques used to gerrymander districts. All involve creating districts that have a goal of encompassing a certain percentage of voters from one political party. The first method is called the excess vote. It is an attempt to concentrate the voting power of the opposition into just a few districts, to dilute the power of the opposition party outside of those districts that contain an overwhelming majority of the oppositions voters.The second method is known as the wasted vote. This method of gerrymandering involves diluting the voting power of the opposition across many districts, preventing the opposition from having a majority vote in as many districts as possible.Finally, the stacked method involves drawing bizarre boundaries to concentrate the power of the majority party by linking distant areas into specific, party-in-power districts. When Its Done The process of reapportionment (to divide the 435 seats in the House of Representatives into the fifty states) takes place soon after every decennial census (the next will be 2020). Since the primary purpose of the census is to count the number of residents of the United States for purposes of representation, the Census Bureaus highest priority is to provide data for redistricting. Basic data must be provided to the states within one year of the Census - April 1, 2021. Computers and GIS were utilized in the 1990, 2000, and 2010 Census by the states to make redistricting as fair as possible. Despite the use of computers, politics does get in the way and many redistricting plans are challenged in the courts, with accusations of racial gerrymandering tossed about. We certainly wont expect accusations of gerrymandering to vanish anytime soon. The U.S. Census Bureaus Redistricting site provides additional information about their program.