Dora the Explorer

Dora the Explorer Zaira, an 11th grade student from Brownsville, Texas (the tip of Texas, by the border), designed this banner. She is considering studying Course 16: Aerospace Engineering in college. Her hobbies and interests include Harry Potter (yes, shes still mourning), graphic design, space, science, reading, and, yes, singing in the shower. Currently, she is trying to give her addiction to papas adobadas, a kind of mexican hot Lays, but she says it is not easy. Thanks for the great banner design, Zaira!! (I totally felt like Pat Sajak as I wrote that.) Thanks for all of the comments on my previous entry about PE classes! Another factor Ill have to consider when selecting a class is whether they allow me to take photographs. I should ask my classmates sign photo releases, huh? In other news, I have found my long-lost twin, Dora. You have to admit, the resemblance is uncanny. Huge thanks to Phil 07 for the invite to the Synopsys BBQ! We were the wrong age for this event by about +/- 10 years. If you were to graph the BBQs population by age, youd see a bimodal distribution, and wed be smack in the middle of the central valley. (This central valley, not this central valley.) Phils sister and I got matching flamingoes/flamingos painted on our faces. We couldnt get a photo with SpongeBob; I think he is an ageist. Yes, these picture are brought to you courtesy of the science fair people. Shocking observation: Sir Mix-A-Lots song Baby Got Back is featured in Targets back-to-school ad campaign oh, the horror!

Presentation Skills - Free Essay Example

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION ASSESSMENT FILE TOPIC: PRESENTATION SKILLS Submitted to: SUBMITTED BY: Ms Eeshani saraswat Priyanka tewari A0101909377 Section a-02 PRESENTATION SKILLS Good presentation skills are essential in todays workplace. Being MBA students delivering presentations on a regular basis would be an important part of our job. Public speaking, even in a business setting among coworkers one see every day, can be stressful for many of us. It is important to understand certain things about presentation if we want to deliver effectively in public. COMMUNICATING WITH THE AUDIENCE: The first step in your business presentation should be to form your message to meet the needs and expectations of your audience. Ask yourself what the purpose of your presentation is and what your audience is supposed to gain from it. Write this into a timed script and ask yourself if its something that you would find appropriate if you were an audience member hearing it from someone else. Check to make sure the information you need to convey is logical and complete, yet also interesting to hear. Tone is one of the most important presentation skills. Make sure your prepared script is natural-sounding and isnt pompous or insulting to anyone in any way. Practice your script a few times a day and then make simple bullet points of key words from the script on an index card. You can then begin practicing your presentation using the bullet points to prompt you if you get stuck. Having the card beside you on the actual presentation day can be a real confidence booster. USING PRESENTATION TOOLS EFFECTIVELY: Whether youll be using something like PowerPoint or just large charts, these visual tools can enhance your presentation skills in several ways. They can help take some of the visual focus off of you and this can make you feel more relaxed. Visual tools can also make the contents of your presentation easier for your audience to understand. Even a handout with bullets outlining y our main points can help your audience gain clarity on what youre saying. Taking cues from respected higher ups at your company about which types of presentation tools to use can also enhance your corporate professionalism. ANTICIPATING AUDIENCE QUESTIONS: Thinking like your audience can really improve your presentation skills. Anticipate the questions the audience could ask at the end of your presentation and have good answers ready. Its also very important to prepare yourself for how youll answer any unexpected questions by practicing how youll respond to questions you may feel are irrelevant or impossible to answer. Again, when you attend presentations by respected higher ups in your company, take cues from them. Notice how they deal with difficult questions and apply their techniques to suit your own position and style. The Seven Laws of Presentation Skills Audiences sleep! There is one thing one really needs to know about audiences, audience interaction, handling questions o r anything else involving them: That they sleep! That is their function and your is to keep them awake and invole them during the process * Repetition is death! A gesture used over and over again becomes at first irritating and then all consuming; your audience wont be able pay attention to anything else. * Feelings are a poor indicator of how you are doing! It is really important how we feel about ourselves when we are presenting. This is the area of self-image and confidence. Here, there is also a hard route and an easy one. The hard route is to do everything yourself. To be your own critic and to monitor your own performance. This means that you have to learn to be objective about yourself. For any type of performer this takes years of dedicated work. The problem is that we are always the worst person to give ourselves advice about how we are doing. * The job is to get them to want more of what youve got! Presentation works if you impact your audience in some way. They can eve n be impacted in a way you dont want and didnt choose and the act of presentation is still working. Not as youd like, but it is still working. The point of a presentation is to get the audience to want what youve got. * When youre on, youre in charge! This means it is on you to give the direction you want to give to your delivery while presentation. * There is always a message! Everything we do communicates. The experts who study the way communication works will tell you that in your typical face to face presentation situation, the words you say are actually a very small part of the communication. How you say them will often convey more meaning than the words themselves. Passion is mandatory! If you have to present something you have no real feeling for, then you need to find something you do have some feeling for and relate it to the subject you are presenting. The reason I say passion is mandatory is simple. You can get everything else perfect, but if it doesnt have as sense of your commitment behind it, it will be dead. If its dead, I can ignore it Informative Mind Map on Presentation skills STEPS TO PREPARE AN EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION * Presentation: 1. Determine the Purpose of the objective/purpose of the presentation. a. General purpose Informative Transfer of information from speaker to audience * Persuasive Attempt to change attitude, belief, or action b. Realistically define the results expected: * Realistic in scope * Realistic in view of receivers knowledge, culture, status, etc. * Realistic in view of possible actions by receiver * Realistic in terms of what you can reasonably expect to accomplish c. Specific outcomes you desire from the communication. Very specifically complete the following: When the presentation is finished, the audience will: d. Hidden objectives of the presentation that the presenter is aware of but does not share with the audience. Sometimes the presenter has objectives that the presenter chooses not to share with the aud ience. It is important that the presenter is aware of them and prepares the speech accordingly. For example, if you were training on a safety procedure. You might have as your obvious purpose to inform the audience about the safety procedure. Your hidden objective might be to persuade the audience to follow the new safety procedure. 2. Determine and analyze the audience, occasion, and credibility  Before beginning the writing of the presentation, there are some things that need to be considered. Advanced analysis by the presenter can make a huge difference in the outcome of the presentation. e. Audience Analysis * In analyzing the audience ask some of the following questions: * Who are the  key people  in the audience? (Decision makers, etc. ) * What  knowledge  does the audience already have concerning the subject of the presentation? * What do you know about the  language level  of the audience? In general? * In relationship to the subject? * What are the cultural similarities between the audience and presenter? * What are the  cultural dissimilarities  between the audience and presenter? * What can the presenter do to minimize these? * How does the  status of the audience  compare to the presenter? * What are the  status relationships  within the audience that might affect understanding? * What attitudes do the  audience members  hold toward: * The subject? * The speaker? * What  positive attitudes  does the  presenter  have toward the audience? What can the presenter do to highlight those attitudes? * What  negative attitudes  does the  presenter  have toward the audience? What can the presenter do to de-emphasize those attitudes? * What is the  age  of the audience and what effect will it have on the presentation? * What is the predominant  gender  of the audience and what effect will it have on the presentation? f. Occasion Analysis * Do I have a choice on the  time of day? * If so, what would be the best choice? * If not, what can be done to turn the time of day into an advantage? * What is the  location? * Advantages of that location? Disadvantages of that location? * Will there be  interruptions? * What can be done to eliminate the interruptions? * What can be done to reduce the effect of the interruptions? * What is the  physical layout  of the front of the room? * What effect will the layout of the room have on the presenters notes? * What effect will the layout of the room have on the presenters visual aids? * Can the room be rearranged to improve the presentation? If so, how? * Is the speaking occasion a  special occasion? If so, should it be emphasized or de-emphasized? * What can be done by the presenter to emphasize the occasion? What can be done by the presenter to de-emphasize the occasion? g. Speaker Credibility * What does the  audience know  about the presenters  credibility  in the subject area of the presentation? * What does the audien ce know about the presenters credibility in  other  subject areas, other than that of the presentation? * What can the presenter do to enhance his or her credibility  before the day of the presentation? * What can the presenter do to enhance his or her credibility  right before the beginning  of the presentation? * What can the presenter do to enhance his or her credibility  early on in the presentation? What  clothing  would enhance the credibility of the presenter? Organization of the Presentation: 3. State main ideas or concepts the audience must get if objectives are to be met  Review the objectives of the presentation. In order to attain those objectives, what aspects of the subject must be covered by the presenter? What must the audience know in order to attain those objectives? 4. Develop the main points of the presentation  Organize the material that must be covered into a limited number of main points. Remember that in a presentation you can seldom cover an entire subject. Therefore, you must determine what aspects of the subject must be covered in order to reach your objectives. 5. Clear preview of what you want to accomplish in the presentation  A sentence that clearly previews for the listener what you are going to cover in the presentation helps the listener focus during the presentation. This sentence should be stated early in the presentation, at the end of the introduction. It helps the speaker stay focused on the aspects of the subject that are going to be covered in the presentation and does the same for the listener. This is the single most important sentence of the entire presentation. 6. Determine, gather and group together the main points you want to communicate  Group your ideas into 3, 4, or 5 main points. Dont have a long list of main points. It is more difficult for you and for the audience to remember 10 main points! 7. Determine the presentation theme or tie your presentation to the theme of the program   If you are a part of a program that has a theme, tie your presentation theme into that of the program. 8. Arrange main points in a logical order  Think through the best way to arrange your 2 5 main points. Some possibilities are: chronological (time ordered), topical (by topic), spacial (by place in space, e. g. top to bottom), difficulty (from the simplest concept to the most difficult),etc. 9. Prepare introduction and conclusion  Beginning the preparation of the speech with the introduction is difficult at best. The introduction and conclusion of the presentation should be prepared only after the main part of the presentation (the body) has been somewhat developed. There is frequently unnecessary frustration caused by beginning the presentation preparation with the introduction. 10. Selection of supporting material  Back when we were in school, we went to the library to gather supporting material for a presentation. In the business world, the support you need is f requently at your finger tips or right within your organization. Dont overlook the use of trade journals. h. Find appropriate arguments to support your main points. For each of your main points you must develop the reasons that substantiate that point. Just saying something does not make it so. You need to back up your ideas with arguments that support them. i. Select appropriate language choice. * Use proper grammar Avoid technical language that the audience may not be familiar with * Avoid jargon (language specific to a profession or field, including acronyms) * Avoid fillers (e. g. ah, um, you know) j. Evidence as support. Whether the presentation is informative or persuasive, you need to support your main points with evidence. k. Sources of evidence. * Fact * Example, real life or hypothetical * Authority, experts * Statistics l. Visual Aids as resource material. * Think through the various kinds of visuals that are available * Size of visuals. If the visual is too small, do not pass it around during your presentation. It will serve as much more of a distraction than an aid. * Handling of visuals. Plan in advance how you are going to handle your visual, when you will pick it up, how you will display it, etc. * If using presentation software, be careful to fight the tendency to put too many words on the screen at a time. The audience will tend to read the screen instead of listen to you. * Determining factor in decision to use visuals: Is presentation better with the visual? If not, do not use visual. A. Delivery of the Presentation: 11. Influence of non verbal on overall communication. More than half of what you communicate is communicated non verbally. You must make sure that your non verbal messages do not conflict with the words you say, otherwise your words will loose most of their effect. In preparing for your presentation, think about your non verbal as much as you think about the words you are to say. 12. Dealing with nervousness m. Accept tha t nervousness is very natural. Even the most trained and experienced speakers and entertainers have some level of nervousness. n. The key to nervousness is to have it work for you not against you. . Use nervousness to your advantage. Nervousness causes our body to produce extra adrenalin and therefore pumps us up for the presentation. Without nervousness you would not do as well as you can  with  nervousness. p. The difficult part is to make that nervousness work for you. Become aware of how your body responds to the nervousness and learn to control any negative effects of the nervousness. If, for example, you get extra energy that causes you to walk all over the place during your presentation, become aware of that nervous movement, control it and turn it into meaningful movement. Use it to help display enthusiasm about your subject. 13. Speaking notes  . It is strongly advised that you do not write out your speech word for word. It is usually most effective for you to work from an outline of what you want to cover. When you write your presentation out word for word, you have a tendency to read it, believing that what you wrote is the very best way to say it. You may very likely find yourself reading from your notes when you know the subject very well. 14. Eye contact  . One of the most important aspects of delivery is direct eye contact with the listeners. You should be looking at your audience at least 3/4 of the time. Keep your focus on your audience and glance at your notes instead of the reverse of that. q. Eye contact is a wonderful tool for getting feedback from your audience. An audience will communicate much to you if you are looking at them and reading their non verbal messages. r. Another advantage of eye contact is that it communicates to the audience your desire for them to pay attention to your presentation. It also makes paying attention to you much easier for them. Attention is much easier to pay to a speaker who is maintaining good eye contact than to a speaker who is looking away from the audience. s. If you were ever taught to look at the back wall, above the heads of the audience, forget that! Look right at the audience. 15. Handling of notes. t. Plan in advance where you are going to place your notes, how you are going to handle them. u. DO NOT staple your notes together. In doing so, you make it almost impossible to discretely get from one page of your notes to another. v. If you have more than one page of notes, number them. It is easy to get pages mixed up before the presentation. Numbering them gives you a quick way to check that they are in the right order right before you go to give your presentation. w. If you have more than one page of notes and are using a lectern, have two pages of notes side by side on the lectern. Then you don? t have to turn the page at one specific point in the presentation. When you are finished with the page on the left and speaking from the page on the right, you can simply slide the page on the right over on top of the page on the left. This technique gives you more flexibility. 6. Gestures  . You should not plan your gestures, or they will look planned. Instead, keep your hands about waist height so that they are free to gesture and then relax and see what happens. You might be surprised to see that you naturally gesture. And if you dont, then as long as you keep your hands relaxed and dont do something distracting with them, they will not take away from the presentation. 17. Posture  . Good postures are important but avoid stiff posture. Stand straight on both feet (which make nervous shifting back and forth from one foot to the other impossible to do). 8. Movement. Movement is good but only if it is natural for you. Be careful to watch for nervous movement that is very distracting to the audience. Continuous pacing back and forth makes it difficult for the audience to listen to you. 19. Vocal quality. If you have ever listened to a m onotone speaker, you do not question the need for vocal variety! Without vocal variety, it is difficult for the audience to listen and more difficult for them to believe that you are excited about, or even interested in, the subject. 20. Practice, practice, ractice! Practice may not make perfect, but it does increase the chance of success. When you do practice, try to create a similar physical environment to what you will have on the day of your presentation. For example, if you are going to do your presentation standing up behind a lectern, dont practice sitting in a chair. Be creative! For example, when practicing your speech in a hotel room where you surely don’t have a lectern, use the ironing board as a lectern. The closer to the physical environment of your speech, the better! Think through the possible reactions of the receiver and then practice your reaction to the various receiver reactions. Compile a list of the possible reactions of your listeners. Then, plan how y ou are going to react to them. If you do practice, you may still be surprised by a reaction or question from the audience but you will be more prepared to respond to it. Just planning your reaction to certain situations will help you react to those you did not even think of. * Handling of question and answer period 21. Restate question: Restating buys you a few seconds to think about your answer to the question. 2. Clarify vague questions 23. Answer questions directly but keep in line with your presentation objectives 24. Choose wisely questions to be answered privately, after the presentation * Time speaking is only one part of the presentation 25. Pay close attention to the way you are approaching and leaving the front of the room. Carry yourself with confidence even if you dont feel confident. 26. Think about your verbal and non verbal cues when not speaking. Be aware of the tremendous impact on your presentation that your non verbal cues can have on the audience

The Roar Of The Engine Reverberated - 2452 Words

The roar of the engine reverberated through the house as Rebecca acknowledged the presence of her grandparents. Her melancholy grandparents strode through the rusty door of one of the most exhausted houses in the neighborhood. She couldn’t bear to look at her grandfather because he reminded her of her late father so much. The slow and steady steps of her grandparents were coming towards her. Rebecca meekly put a fraudulent smile on her face so that her grandparents wouldn’t know how much grief she was in. â€Å"Becky? How are you doing? We have missed you so much,† crooned her grandma, hugging her tightly, â€Å"and we appreciate how you’re holding up even after your father’s death.† â€Å"Nice to see you again Grandma and Grandpa. I’m doing alright. Mom’s in the kitchen. You can go visit her there while I am just going up to find a picture of Dad for the funeral,† Becky answered timidly, head hanging down weakly. Whenever she went up there, she felt more connected to her father. She looks at all his stuff and she feels as if he is there himself. â€Å"Ok honey, make sure to come back in time for some cookies,† responded her grandpa with a brisk hug. Becky left quickly without even stopping to look at her grandparents’ reactions to her very formal greeting. Becky pulled down the stairs to the grubby attic with all the strength she could muster after many days filled of misery and crying. She climbed up the worn out stairs. As she slowly entered the pitch-black attic, Becky struggled to getShow MoreRelatedBelonging Essay2272 Words   |  10 Pages   came   in   waves,   their   engines   shrieking   out   hatred   towards   the   people   down    below.   Distressing   screams   reflected   the   helpless   agony   as   we   anticipated   the   booming    concussions   that   would   shortly   follow.   A   blanket   of   dead   silence   emerged,   giving   us   a    minute   of   respite†¦   Within   seconds   came   the   roar   of   approaching   engines   and   echoes   of    airborne

Barbara Walters Honors 100 Women of the Century

On Friday, April 30, 1999, ABC presented a Barbara Walters special honoring 100 Women of the Century.  Part of a trend of many other top 100 of the century or even top 100 of the millennium lists, the special was organized around the list of 100 women found in the book of the same title by Walters, published by  Ladies Home Journal, though the special didnt stick strictly to that list. The book was rich in photographs. Walters, a prominent journalist and herself a breaker of glass ceilings as a woman in that field, was famous for her specials on various topics, often interviews with celebrities.  This special highlighted those women she thought made an impact on the century. Entertainers were prominent in the special. But many women who contributed to this century in other ways were also featured.  Ã‚   Walters asked the key question: Who in the world is Alice Paul, and why should I care? Using Alice Paul to stand in for all women who contributed to history, Walters stressed the importance of getting acquainted with these women. All of them. Who did Jane Fonda say popped into her mind as the most influential woman of the century? Coco Chanel! Fonda explains: And heres why: She freed us from the corset. Some of the women featured in the book included infamous women like Madame Mao (Jiang Qing) who oversaw Chinas bloody Cultural Revolution, and Leni Riefenstahl, known as Hitlers moviemaker. Through talking about these women, Walters and her guests manage to cover the first and second waves of feminism, women who were activists for womens rights and other causes, women in film and television, women in fashion and fashions effect on womens lives and health, women singers, and more. Here is a list of women who appear or are named in the special.  I include the long list as a reminder of the many women whove had an impact on our world, in many different fields: Actresses, comediennes, and singers included: Janis Joplin, Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Katharine Hepburn, Oprah Winfrey, Jane Fonda, Madonna, Bette Midler, Rosie ODonnell, Vivien Leigh, Hattie McDaniel, Jessye Norman, Maria Callas, Marilyn Monroe, Celine Dion, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Marian Anderson, Greta Garbo, Lauren Bacall ... Included also were artists Georgia OKeeffe and Frida Kahlo, photographers Margaret Bourke-White and Dorothea Lange, dancers Martha Graham and Isadora Duncan, poet Maya Angelou, and writer Ann Landers. Sports figures included  Babe Didrickson, Gertrude Ederle, Sonja Henie, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Wilma Rudolph, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, and Nadia Comenici. Aviator Amelia Earhart and astronaut Lt. Eileen Collins were listed, as was scientist Marie Curie,  fashion designer Coco Chanel,  executive Katharine Graham, and the created figure of Rosie the Riveter. Women known for their activism or political involvements also appear.  These included  Gloria Steinem, editor of Ms. Magazine, Rosa Parks, Margaret Sanger, Jane Addams, Ann Richards, Alice Paul, Helen Keller, Annie Sullivan, Carrie Chapman Catt,  Rachel Carson, Betty Friedan, Phyllis Schlafly, Marian Wright Edelman, Anita Hill (the transcript calls her Anita Thomas at one point!), Mother Teresa, Margaret Mead, Madeleine Albright. First Ladies Eleanor Roosevelt, Jacqueline Kennedy, Betty Ford, and Hillary Rodham Clinton  were highlighted, along with Princess Diana and  Hjeads of state Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir, and Margaret Thatcher. And, though she professes embarrassment to be included: Barbara Walters  herself. Has the world changed with the impact of these women? Yes. Does it need to change more? Gloria Steinem says, in the special: But the problem is that when I go around and speak on campuses, I still donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get young men standing up and saying, How can I combine career and family? Added: Jane Fonda Though Jane Fonda is not a major theme in the book or special, a long-term after-effect of the special is the email chain which has evolved over the years,  accusing Jane Fonda of betraying American POWs in Vietnam.  The emails continue to be circulated, often demanding that the 1999 Barbara Walters book or special be stopped.  Some of them have mentioned this review and its author as a supposed co-writer of Walters book.  (This author was not involved in the book, just this review.) In about 2009, the emails evolved to allege that President Barack Obama was a co-writer of the book. Information on the Book 100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century by Kevin Markey, Ladies Home Journal Books, Lorraine Glennon, Myrna Blyth (Introduction), Barbara Walters. Featured in the April 1999 Barbara Walters special, this book is heavy on the entertainers but is itself an entertaining look at the women of the century.

What is a Tree Diameter Tape

The diameter and height of a tree must be known before you can manage a forest full of trees or determine their value for forest products. A tree diameter measurement, also called dbh measurement, is always done on the upside of standing trees and demands exact measurements at a specific point on the tree. Two instruments are often used to measure tree diameter - a steel diameter tape (d-tape) or a tree caliper, a popular steel tape widely used by foresters is the Lufkin Artisan which will accurately measure the most trees in North America to one-tenth of an inch. It is a 3/8 wide steel tape with a length of twenty feet housed in a tough vinyl-covered steel case. Why Determine a Trees Diameter Foresters use tree diameter measurements (along with heights of trees using hypsometers) when determining usable wood volume in standing trees. The trees diameter is important to determine volume when trees are sold for pulp, lumber or hundreds of other volume determinations. A steel d-tape carried in a foresters vest makes for fast, efficient and accurate dbh measurements. A trees diameter can be taken in several ways depending on the required degree of accuracy necessary. The most accurate tool used in making a diameter measurement is a tree caliper and is used most often in exacting tree studies. They are too cumbersome for fast field estimations of tree volume. A third method in measuring dbh is using a Biltmore stick. This cruisers stick is a scaled ruler that is held at arms length (25 inches from the eye) and horizontal to the trees dbh. The left end of the stick is aligned with the outer tree edge and the reading is taken where the opposite edge intersects the stick. This is the least accurate method of the three and should be used only for rough estimates. The Diameter Tape and Volume Tables Tree volume tables are developed to provide an estimated volume of wood in a standing tree for a certain product by simply measuring the diameter and height. Tables are typically developed with diameters listed along the right side of the matrix and heights along the top. Running the diameter row to the correct height column will give you the estimated wood volume. Tools used to measure the heights of trees are called hypsometers. Clinometers are the height tool of choice for foresters and Suunto makes one of the best. The traditional measurement is taken at diameter breast height (dbh) or 4.5 feet above level ground. Using a Tree Diameter Tape A diameter tape has an inch scale and a diameter scale printed on a steel tape. The diameter scale side is determined by the formula, circumference divided by pi or 3.1416. You wrap the tape level around a trees trunk at 4.5 feet dbh and read the diameter side of the tape for the tree diameter determination.

Great Gatsby Vs. The American Dream Essay - 2136 Words

Great Gatsby vs. The American Dream/Materialism How do we define this ideology of the American Dream? Society has formulated this idea over time. We as people have chosen to base our lives around it and make it our goal to try and achieve something that in all honesty is just this abstract idea that we as have chosen to believe and chase over time. Due to society following this ideology, people have grown to believe that happiness can only be achieved after they have reached the American Dream. You see these advertisements for products that make you think if you don’t own that specific product than you are not going to achieve the American Dream. Media has managed to turn people into these materialistic beings that are just sitting there waiting to be told what to buy next. For my paper I will be analyzing the film The Great and focus primarily on this idea of materialism and more specifically how this American Dream myth and ideology plays into it. Why does the media want us to believe that happiness is derived from the â€Å"stuff† we buy and not the things we already have? Page twenty-four in the textbook says, â€Å"Book, films, and television shows do not just spontaneously occur: all are created as products to be bought and sold in a greater system of commodity exchange.† (Ott. 24) The film The Great Gatsby is pretty much the epitome of what the American Dream myth really is and expresses this notion of materialism throughout it. Surprisingly the film’s main protagonist is notShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1465 Words   |  6 PagesThe World of Imagination Dreams are an escape from reality to a world of imagination that is ideal for someone. However, we get overwhelmed with our fantasies, we lose touch with reality. In the text, â€Å"Is The Great Gatsby the Most Overrated Literary Novel of All Time,† Daniel Honan argues that the classic American novel, The Great Gatsby is an overrated novel in his opinion. Honan challenges his claim on the novel by questioning, should his book be considered an American classic? Author, F.ScottRead MoreThe American Dream : F. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby739 Words   |  3 PagesMcGarry English III 3 February 2017 The American Dream The American Dream is a recurring theme in Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. The American Dream is all about starting with nothing and making your way to achieve millions of dollars and â€Å"happiness.† In The Great Gatsby, by showing Gatsby’s tragic flaw, his belief that money will buy Daisy’s love, Fitzgerald in a way criticizes the American dream. Fitzgerald exudes this image of corruption in the American Dream through aspects of wealth, relationshipsRead MoreThe Life Of Frederick Douglass And F. Scott Fitzgerald959 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is the American dream? The American Dream to me would be a family, loyal husband, good paying job and most of all my health. But my perspective of the American Dream and other people/authors perspective could be viewed very differently. Frederick Douglass and F. Scott Fitzgerald both have very different views of their American Dream. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass was published in 1995 by Frederick Douglass himself, his book walks through his life as a slave. Douglass was bornRead MoreIt Was Only Just a Dream in F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby950 Words   |  4 PagesThe great American dream influenced the lives and literature of American history. The dream that everyone has the equal opportunity to reach their highest potential, no matter their living situation or social position at birth, is something that Americans wished to fulfill. Americans created a materialistic ideal for American life that for some was not possible to attain, and not possible to maintain. While trying to reach or uphold this ideal based on money and the social ladder, Americans becameRead MoreThe American Dream In The Great Gatsby Analysis1428 Words   |  6 PagesThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald contains many themes; however, the most noteworthy one identifies the American dream. This Dream likewise speaks t o that people, regardless of who he or she is, can emerge to rich in life through their own works. The dream is spoken to with the aid of the mind of an unbiased man or woman, who strives to perform an objective to become tremendously effective. The Great Gatsby is a novel that indicates what happened to the American Dream in the 1920s, which wasRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1566 Words   |  7 PagesMartin Andres (A major theme in The Great Gatsby is the pursuit of what you make of the American dream.) This represents the idea of the American Dream, where qualities of hard work and ambition are shown. The novel The Fitzgerald embodies many themes; however the most significant one relates to the corruption of the American dream. The American Dream is defined as someone starting low on the economic or social level, and working hard towards prosperity and or wealth and fame. By having money, aRead MoreExamples Of Naturalism In The Great Gatsby1559 Words   |  7 Pagesthe money in the world could not make Jay Gatsby happy because he lived in West Egg and never grew up having money, so having it wouldn’t mean anything to him. Daisy on the other hand, lived in East egg so they grew up with completely different childhoods. The Great Gatsby, by Scott F. Fitzgerald, is about what life used to be like in the 1920’s, especially for social climbers. Jay Gatsby is a great example of someone trying to live out the American Dream. In America, we’ve believed that by wor kingRead MoreEffects Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby1306 Words   |  6 Pagesliving the American dream of success, freedom, and happiness if they work hard enough. However, the way to obtain such dream is different for every person. Each individuals social class, beliefs, and views in life determine the way they will achieve the American dream. Sometimes the way a person goes about obtaining their dream does more harm than good. The Great Gatsby is a novel that shows what happened to the American Dream in the 1920’s, which is a day and age when the dream wound up corruptedRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1546 Words   |  7 Pagesidea of the American Dream is where individuality of hard work and enthusiasm are shown. The novel The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald demonstrates many themes; however the most noteworthy one relates to the breach of the American dream. The American Dream is defined as someone who is preliminary on the economic rank, and sticking it out until they achieve full prosperity. By having money, cars, houses, nice clothes and a happy family this illustrates the American dream. This dream also stands forRead MoreThe American Dream In The Great Gatsby Analysis1367 Words   |  6 Pagesidea of the American Dream, where qualities of hard work and ambition are shown. The novel The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald embodies many themes; however the most significant o ne relates to the corruption of the American dream. The American Dream is defined as someone starting low on the economic or social level, and working hard towards prosperity and or wealth and fame. By having money, a car, a big house, nice clothes and a happy family symbolizes the American dream. This dream also represents

To Kill a Mockingbird Analysis Free Essays

Themes play an important role in the novel for it presents the main dead or the underlying meaning of the literary work. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the themes are made to surface through the shared feelings and attitudes of the main characters like Scout, Gem and Tactics Finch. The characters’ thoughts and conversations, especially the ideas which are repeated in several dialogue exchanges and their actions in significant events also develop the novel’s themes. We will write a custom essay sample on To Kill a Mockingbird Analysis or any similar topic only for you Order Now The novel presents the oldest yet timeless conflict between good versus evil. This is evident in most situations and conversations which explored human morality and the innateness of oddness and evilness of people in the society. Tactics Finch represents the moral voice of the novel because he believes that people have aspects of both good and evil, but good will always prevail. He has never lost his faith on the goodness of man amidst the fact that man has also the tendency to do bad things. In the novel, he struggles to defend a black man of false accusation in a racist society but he never gives up and firmly holds on unto the idea that someday the truth and the good will overpower racism in their community. The same theme is manifested through the experiences of Scout and Gem. Tactics, their father, teaches them to believe in the goodness of all people and values and morals guide everyone in their actions but as the story progresses, both children are exposed to the reality that the world isn’t really that perfect. Their innocence is stripped away from them through several incidents that made them think twice of their father’s belief. Scout, in the beginning, is an innocent and good -hearted little girl who has no experience with the evils of the world but as she encounters racial discrimination in their town, she starts to get confused and questions everything around her. Gem, n the other hand, is older and in the midst Of entering puberty but the effect of the societal prejudice to a convicted black man is much graver compared to Scout’s. Gem gets frustrated and disappointed to the harsh reality that sometimes justices will not prevail. This leaves him vulnerable and traumatized in an important facet of his life. Harper Lee manages to exhibit children’s transition from innocence to maturity. She intelligently portrayed the fact that at some point in time in a significant event, children will be bound to graduate from their innocence and learn the facts about life and its imperfections. With children as the main characters in the novel, education is but obvious for a theme. In the initial chapters, the novel discusses the difference between institutionalized education and education at home. A conflict emerges as Miss Caroline scolds her for being too advance for their class. Scout gets disappointed for being punished because she is taught well in home by her father and their black servant. Miss Caroline even reminds Scout to tell her father that he shouldn’t teach his child because he doesn’t really know how to. He is in no position to teach for he is not a teacher. This conflict shows criticism to institutionalized education. This presents the conceitedness of teachers and the curriculum in providing education to learners. The system is too strict and traditional in their pedagogies thus resulting to ineffectiveness in developing and molding a child’s intelligence and ability. Clearly, Lee expresses a lack of belief in the Institutionalized educational system. Furthermore, this makes one realize that true education is not experienced in school but outside it. Education shouldn’t be limited in the four walls of the classroom; instead it should be brought out to the outside world where reality and life lessons are best learned through experience. The novel also presents moral education in question. Scout believes that she learns moral lessons best in home rather in school. Her teachers appear to be hypocritical as they teach things that are not even true in reality. Scout notices this most obviously when learning about the Holocaust. Miss Gates explains that such oppression of one group of people could never happen in the United States however racial discrimination to black people is very evident in their town. Scout sees conflict with the lesson aught by Miss Gates when she heard her talk about black people and say : â€Å"time somebody taught them a lesson, they thought they was getting’ way above themselves, an’ the next thing they think they can do is marry us. This makes Scout doubt her education and rather listen to her father than to attend school. Hypocrisy is apparent in the system. The teachers breach what they teach thus emphasizing the incompetence and ineffectiveness of instruction provided by the educational institutions. This further implies that moral education and good values are not necessary best taught in school. Sometimes, it is best learned from other places like ones home. In a town of Macomb, Alabama, Lee i llustrates the complexities of social hierarchy. The well-off Finches are near the top of the pyramid, the Cunningham family are mere farmers thus Stay in the higher bottom above the white-trash Lowell family. These social statuses greatly confuse the children especially the rules that come along with them. Because of the structure, the children are prop bibbed to mingle with other families who are lesser in standing. This frustrates them most especially Scout because she ants to choose her own friends based on her definition of what makes a good person and not because of family income. The novel presents the dilemma of social inequality. The story takes place during the Great Depression thus social standing is as important as survival. People battle with society rules and structure. Lee exhibits how injustice and partiality divides a community and hinders human interaction thus contributing nothing but negativity to the people and the society as a whole. Racism, which is closely related to social inequality, is another focus of the novel. Harper Lee creates Macomb as a town separated by race. Harper Lee shows the bitterness that remains in the whites five decades after the end of slavery. This bitterness is best illustrated by the way that the way blacks are still oppressed, not by force but by fear and suppression. California, the Finch’s servant is to be exceptionally bright, she even teaches Scout to write in script, but because she is black and a woman she cannot land a better job. The whites belittle and harass the blacks because they firmly believe that they are greater and more superior. This racial tension foreshadows Tom Robinsons case. Right in the beginning, everybody knows that Tom is innocent but because he is a black man, the prejudice jury still convicted him guilty of harassing and raping a white woman. The conclusion of the Tom Robinsons case ends with Tom being shot repeatedly while trying to escape despite his injury. Racism is considered as a social disease. It brings out the evil nature of man as prejudice and discrimination overpowers conscience and moral code. It is through this novel that people are made to understand how nobody can ever benefit from racism. It only causes the creation of walls teen people thus hindering relationships and interactions to blossom. Lee shows the significance of human perspective in the processing of events and solving of problems. The character’s outlook in life is deemed important in the development of the story and how each managed to understand the situation. In the novel, Tactics encourages Scout and Gem to be more considerate of other people and understand their situations. The children shouldn’t immediately judge as it is not fair to the others. Tactics urges his children to try to step into other people’s shoes to understand how they see he world: â€Å"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. † This lesson helps Scout gain insight into how other people view life and the world. Moreover, this broadens her moral education and social understanding. This theme was evident when Tactics requires Gem to go to Mrs.. Double’s house to read to her as punishment for cutting all the flowers in her front yard. Gem didn’t like Mrs.. Dubos and claims that she is an awful woman. Tactics tells Gem and Scout to try to understand Mrs.. Double’s point of view. She is an old woman, very set her in ways, and she is entirely alone in the world. Gem and Scout agree to visit her and from that experience, they understood how she felt because they were able to see the world from her perspective. Scout applies her father’s lesson when she meets Boo Raddled, a black man who kept himself hidden from the public because of the unjust and prejudice treatment. After she walks him home, Scout stands on Boob’s porch and imagines many of the events of the story (Tactics shooting the mad dog the children finding Boob’s presents in the oak tree) as they must have looked to Boo. She then last realizes the love and protection that he has silently offered her and Gem all along. Scout’s ability to assume another person’s perspective sympathetically is the culmination of the novel. The final theme and probably the most significant is the mockingbird which represents the idea of innocence. Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. † That was the only time I ever heard Tactics say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maude about it. â€Å"Your father’s right,† she said. â€Å"Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy .. .But sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. † When Scout and Gem receive arraigns fo r Christmas, Tactics tells them that although he would prefer that they practice their shooting with tin cans, if they must shoot at living things, they must never shoot at mockingbirds. Tactics explains that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. Clearly, this is the title scene, but the theme continues throughout the book. Miss Maude explains why Tactics is correct – mockingbirds never do anyone any harm, and are not pests in any way. All they do is sing beautifully and live peacefully. Therefore, it is a sin to kill them. The mockingbird represents true goodness and purity. Tom Robinson is one example of a human â€Å"mockingbird†. He is accused of raping and beating Malay Lowell, but is innocent of the charges. How to cite To Kill a Mockingbird Analysis, Papers