20 Controversial Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students on Non-College Education

20 Controversial Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students on Non-College Education Non-college education is a relatively obscure path that is not widely discussed. If you are tasked with writing a persuasive speech on non-college education, and don’t know where to take it, consider the 20 topics below: The Difference in Views between College Graduates and People without Higher Education The Cost of College: Is it Worth It? How Long It Takes to Earn Back the Debt from College The Things Learned in College: Do They Help in Real Life? Street Smart: Things That Cannot Be Learned in School Why Millionaires Avoided College The Need to Restructure Science Education Why Google Has Started Hiring More People Without College Degrees Higher Earning Discrepancies between College Graduates and Non-College Graduates The Importance of Liberal Education The Use of Free Tertiary Education to Improve the Economy The Cost of Education: What Burden Taxpayers Are Paying The Political Thoughts between College Students and Non-College Students: Should Something Be Done? Arrogance Among Classes: How College Grads Look Down Upon Non-College College Education: Does it Make a more Responsible Adult? How College Can Prepare One for Life Why College Education is Worth the Cost Why Non-College Earning Potentials Are High in Creative Industries The Need for More STEM Colleges The Need for Higher College Graduation Rates Aren’t those topics great? If still feeling unsure regarding how to approach your assignment, it’s okay because we also have an awesome 11 facts list and a guide for a controversial persuasive speech for students. Also, below is a sample article on one of them to help you better understand the speech writing process. Remember that this is meant to guide you in your speech writing. Sample Persuasive Speech: The Difference in Views between College Graduates and People without Higher Education Today there are serious divides which exists between white Republicans who have received a college education and those who have not. This divide obviously extends into other political Arenas and different political parties. It has been analyzed among white republicans specifically. The results are shocking and indicate stark differences with regard to issues such as immigration, racism, and political compromise. A new study produced by the Pew Research Center shows that there are striking differences between white Republicans who have a college education and those who do not have a college education, particularly with regard to views on voting, racism, immigration, and government. These differing views are important because they can determine who gets elected into government offices. Donald Trump, a leading Republican for the 2016 presidential election is more appealing to white Republicans who have not graduated college. Those who have not received a college education are under the idea that immigrants are the root cause of what is wrong with the country. It is thought that America is burdened by immigrants who take the jobs, houses, and healthcare deserved or earned by legal citizens. It is also believed by the uneducated white Republicans that all undocumented immigrants should be deported and a fence should be constructed along the border with Mexico. Nearly half of white non college educated Republicans claimed they would be more likely to support republican nominees if they wanted to deport all immigrants who were living illegally in the United States. Among those who have received a college education, only 38% would favor such a candidate. By a much wider margin Republicans favored the construction of the fence along the border with Mexico. Among those Republicans who have not completed college education, 75% supported the fence and among those who did complete a college education 64% were for it. White Republicans without college education or with limited education have negative views about the increasing ethnic and racial diversity in America in roughly half of the cases with 48% viewing the increasing diversity as a positive thing which makes the United States a better place in which to live. Among those college-educated Republicans 65% saw the growing diversity in a positive light. With regard to racism, 59% of Americans believe that changes need to continue with regard to equality particularly between blacks and whites. But only 32% said that the nation has actually made the changes necessary to achieve equal rights. Among the Republican Party, 52% said that the nation had already made the changes it needed to make in order to provide equal rights to blacks but 39% maintained that this change is not yet finished. Between those white Republicans who graduated college and those who did not there were only modest differences on this particular issue. Similarly 32% of college educated individuals compared to 40% of non-college educated individuals all racism as a serious problem. The sharper divide exists over the decision to remove the Confederate flag in South Carolina from the State House grounds where 56% of college-educated Republicans agree it was the right decision while 37% of non-college educated individuals believed it was the right decision. Previous research has found that there are sizable socioeconomic divides among the GOP with regard to the social programs offered by the government, with individuals who are less educated and with lower income are more in favor of government benefits. Those white Republicans with a college education were less likely than those without an education to believe that the federal government fails to do enough for older people and poor people. But those white Republicans without a college education believed that the government does too much for the wealthy as well. Nearly half of white Republicans with a college education and those without said that the federal government does not do enough for the middle class. Today the serious issues on the political agenda have been thwarted by stark differences between white Republicans who have received a college education and those who have not. The statistics speak for themselves and indicate that those who have received higher education think much differently than those who have little or no education and as such the continued pursuit of education for all is really the only way to offer better knowledge about political subjects and to encourage overall voting from all citizens. Only by way of increased education can we encourage voting across the board from children and adults of all ages in an informed fashion. References: Duschl, Richard A.  Restructuring Science Education. New York: Teachers College Press, 1990. Print. Farnham, Nicholas H and Adam Yarmolinsky.  Rethinking Liberal Education. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Print. How Much More Do College Graduates Earn Than Non-College Graduates?.  Study.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 12 May 2016. Is College Worth It?.  The Economist. N.p., 2014. Web. 12 May 2016. New Study: The Scary Difference Between Non-College Educated White Republicans- And The Educated.  Daily Kos. N.p., 2016. Web. 12 May 2016. Nisen, Max. Google Has Started Hiring More People Who Didnt Go To College.  Business Insider. N.p., 2016. Web. 12 May 2016. Pollard, Diane and Olga M Welch.  From Center To Margins. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2006. Print. Sims, Ronald R and Serbrenia J Sims.  The Importance Of Learning Styles. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1995. Print.

Report On Child Protection Welfare As A Community Based Social Worker

Report On Child Protection Welfare As A Community Based Social Worker Running Head: TRENDS, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN SOCIAL WORK 1 TRENDS, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN SOCIAL WORK PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 12Report On Child Protection Welfare As A Community Based Social WorkerIntroductionThis report explores child protection and welfare as one of the many subsectors of social work practice, and understand the manner in which the trend have defined it. The programs for child protection and welfare have varied widely dependent on the kind of community one has come from, and the most recent trends are to be examined by taking into consideration a certain section of the community (Parton, 2007). This report considered a wide range of views from scholars to examine all the different aspects of the issue. Though in each context of practise, there are different kinds of challenges, these also become the sources for opportunities. To have an all rounded discussion, I also looked at the kind of opportunities that exist that could be exploited.English: Chu rch Notice Board in porch at St George...TrendThe recent major trend in this subsector has been that a number of changes were implemented across child protection and welfare systems. These have been supported largely by the enactments of the new child protection legislations. One is informed mainly by the research programs implemented in states such as the UK and their Department of Health as well as coordinated by the Dartington Social Research Unit at the University of Bristol (Forrester Hughes, 2008). In such case, child protection and welfare has seen the shift in the manner and practice going away from the restrictive and narrowly defined investigations approach to include the assessments of the broader contexts of the child as well as family that looks into wider needs, the strengths or resources, as well as the kind of relationships had with both the...

Case Studies in Environmental Hazards. Journal Search, Article

Case Studies in Environmental Hazards. Journal Search, Summaries and Annotated Bibliography - Article Example They talk about the dangerous effects of wildfires on a broad range of natural habitats. They indicate that wildfires have been found to be the main cause of flash floods and the flow of debris. They indicate that one of the main causes of the hydrological driven hazards that occur after the wildfires is the decreased rates of infiltration. Besides this reduction in the infiltration rate, it is also caused by the mounting evidence of the fundamental physics of infiltration. This concept is used for further explanation and to provide evidence on the presence of infiltration which enhances the hydraulic effects of wildfires. In this sense, the authors attempt to provide a solution for this in their article. In particular they provide solutions that help to solve the issue of hydrolic effects of wild fires. In this case, the article will be of great insight in this study as it will provide an in depth understanding on the handling and management of post wildfire hydrology caused by the increased rate of wildfires. Notably, the authors have also written on the differences that exist in fire affected soils. For instance, they have indicated that soil surface sealing by either ash or fine sediments contain measurable effects on post wild-fire runoff. They give an explanation by use of diagrams to explain four types of infiltration causing environmental hazard. From the above diagram, Type 1 is the â€Å"standard type† that has exponential decreasing infiltration rate with time. Type 2 is a linear decrease in infiltration rate with time. Type 3 contains an initial high soil-water repellency that at first results in a low infiltration rate but as soil wets, the rate of infiltration raises to maximum and afterwards declines exponentially with time. Type 4 is similar to type 3 only that the infiltration rate levels off eventually to a constant level due to macrospore flow. Karavitisa, A. Christos, Tsesmelis, E. Demetrios, Skondrasa, A. Nikolaos, Stamatakos,

Assignment 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Assignment 5 - Essay Example It is one of the causes for discrimination prevailing in the minds of individuals that lead them to make bias decisions for people belonging to different racial and ethnic background. Barrack Obama is symbolized because of the skin color. It has been evident in the history that Americans were perceived as corrupt and impure. As the commander in chief is a black American, due to this he has been symbolized with inferiority, the commander in chief can face great threats. In order to provide evidence to this perception Ridley in the video shows the past historical evidences in the ancient civilization and their perceptions and experiences with a particular race or caste (Griffin 132). In a similar manner, as one of the symbolic expressions of the nation towards the other nation can create a major difference due to which Barrack Obama can face severe threats on racial and ethnic grounds. Symbolic expression of religion is one the major cause of the discrimination at workplaces. Some of the employees at the workplace develop preference in the workplace because of their religious backgrounds. Religious icons at workplaces can create strains and discrimination among the other employees (especially minorities) on the bases of skin, racial and ethnic backgrounds. (Griffin 129). Al-Qaeda can be identified as a greatest example for religious symbolizing and oppression due to which most of the security and other organization have symbolized Muslims as terrorist. It has globally impacted Muslim individuals throughout the world. The symbolic expression of the Al-Qaeda has created an image of oppression in the mind of people for all Muslims in the world. In order to overcome the fragmentation in the retailing system, the firm should sell products either to the import agents or wholesalers. It shall allow the organization to enter in too fragmented retailing system in India with better

A Winning Political Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A Winning Political Strategy - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that the Progressive Socialists (PS) Party’s ideology is on reformed communism whereas the ideology for the Conservatives of Urbania (CU) is conservative. These two ideologies when brought together and blended well will automatically win the elections with a landslide. Information states that the votes swing to the left meaning that the Progressive Socialists Party is in a better position to form a coalition with the Conservatives of Urbania Party. The Progressive Socialists have an exceptionally strong winning point on the ideal tax rate, which is to keep the tax rates as low as possible as compared to the other parties. This is a strong campaign point since the majority of the Urbanians will be able to enjoy extra savings after taxation. This is ideal for the economy since it will spur growth and individual investments will increase. Naturally, people are attracted to parties that will ensure that they will tax them minimal tax, which is an advantage to the Progressive Socialists Party.As the discussion outlines the ideological type of the Progressive Socialists Party also is particularly strong considering the concept that they have in regard to being reformed communist. Currently in the world, there is a humungous concept that capitalism is not working. This is evident from the recent recession that happened just recently and currently what is happening in Europe. Europe is experiencing the Euro Crisis due to the capitalis t’s ideology and therefore the reformed communist ideology is decidedly much ideal. The Conservatives of Urbania (CU) Party ideology is on conservative. This means that a combination of both ideologies, which are, reformed communist and conservative will be a strong alliance when both parties merge for a coalition.

Learning Through Play: School Development

Learning Through Play: School Development Introduction Children in a pre school are aged around five to six years old. How can they learn something through play in Pre School? How effective is learning through play and its value to their development? With this kind of notion, it gives me the courage to explore on what play is all about to children especially for those who are in Pre School. Most teachers and parents believe that young children learn best through play. This is supported by the Early Childhood Education Reform (ECEF) (1998:52) that children in the Foundation Stage learn best through play, experience and conversation. In this essay, I will explore on different types of play, which are usually used in a pre school classroom. Most importantly, I will explore on how play relates to the childrens development in terms of their physical, cognitive, language, social and emotional development with the supports from acknowledged theorists. I will also point out the importance and benefits of play and how it can be effective with the help of teachers. Moreover, I will also give out examples from Brunei context based from my experience throughout my teaching in Brunei Pre School which relates their learning through play in their school curriculum. Definition of play According to Isaacs (1954:23), he states that play is the childs means of living and understanding life. It proves that learning through play is essential for young childrens development in which they can they can gain experience, and knowledge in this life as it enables them to make sense of their world as they learn through exploration and experimentation. Moreover, play can also make a significant contribution to the childs mental health and social well-being (Miller et al., 2005). Conversely, Dodds (2009) argues that many authors and researchers would agree that it is nearly impossible to try and explain the difference between work and play as well as to try and define the notion of play or even categorise different forms of play. Play is a non threatening thing. Bennett et al (1997:51) state that there is a contrast between play and work where play is seen as being fun and enjoyable, whereas work is serious and even onerous. Meanwhile, Hughes (1999:3) states that play differs in a number of ways from what is usually regarded as work. Both play and work is enjoyable. However, play is intrinsically motivated while work is extrinsically motivated (Hughes, 1999). The Plowden report (DES, 1967) also states that adults who criticize teachers for allowing children to play are unaware that play is the principal means of learning. Types of play It is possible to classify different types of play which represent, and contribute to progress in different areas of development (Sheridan, 1999). As revealed by Miller et al. (2005), they argue that children can be seen playing in all types of different situations. Consequently, what they do when they play has many common features in spite of the context, materials and equipment available. Therefore, in light of the above, they also believe that practitioners use a number of different terms to describe types of play. Although some may appear self-explanatory, but it is necessary to understand what each involves in terms of the relationships between them and the value of their contribution to the childs growth and development both as an individual and a learner (Miller et al., 2005). In a Pre school, teachers use different types of play which relevance to the school curriculum and have an effect to the childrens development. Basically, with these types of play, it can help teachers to observe and understand better what is happening to the children when they play. Play is often categorised in a number of ways but is normally grouped into four different categories. There are creative play, physical play, manipulative play and imaginative play (Tassoni et al., 2007). Most of these plays are practiced in Pre schools. Firstly, creative play encourages children to experiment and explore the world around them. If the children are given a wide range of activities, they can develop in all areas as well as gaining an immense deal of satisfaction from the play itself as it can actually increase their confidence and self-esteem. Although it also supports the childrens creativity, it is important not to make the children worry about the end product and there should not be any competition. This is due to the childs sense of self-worth which can easily be destroyed if their creation is not praised or is questioned in some ways. They also supported that in that way, it will enable children to enjoy the process rather than the end of product (Tassoni et al., 2007). As supported by Duncan and Lockwood (2008), they state that creative play is all about creative arts play such as painting, drawing, music, dance and model making in which are the ways of expressing ideas and feelings. They are also a form of communication. Basically, they also argue that children discover the medium in which they learn how it works and what they can do with it. Secondly, Tassoni et al., (2007) believe that physical play encourages children to use their large muscles and exercises their body in which they learn to control their muscles and develop coordination. This is also supported by Miller et al., (2005:87), they define that physical play is rough and tumble which is a fun, free flowing and physical and children can develop their physical abilities and refine their motor control. Meanwhile, Lindon (2001:42) who defines that rough and tumble is such a close encounter play that is playful and obviously enjoyed by children. It is actually a type of play that is not genuine fighting where children can use the involvement of touching, tickling and chasing in activities given. Moreover, Duncan and Lockwood (2008:99) argue that physical play is a kind of play that often predominates in outdoor provision. Thirdly, a manipulative play is a type of play which concentrates upon how a child uses his or her hands. Sight and touch are the essential part of this play with hand-eye coordination. It is primarily divided into gross and fine manipulative play whereas in the gross manipulative play such as throwing a ball, climbing or kicking a ball and in the fine manipulative play is where children discover to use their fingers independently such as unscrewing a lid and using a pencil (Tassoni et al, 2007). Fourthly, an imaginative play is vital for the development of cognitive competence (Duncan and Lockwood, 2008: 98). They also believed that children can go beyond the here and now; they can pretend to be someone else, to act out adult roles. This is also argued by Bergen (2002) that there may be negative consequences for intellectual development in the long term if children do not have the opportunity of imaginative play. Moreover, Tassoni et al., (2007) support that children can act out situations spontaneously by taking on the role of other people or situations. By providing provide a number of imaginative play activities and support by adults can allow children to safely explore their own feelings and the world around them. They also argue that there are four terms that connect with imaginative play, and there is pretend play, fantasy play, socio-dramatic play and symbolic play. As for symbolic play, Miller et al. (2005:86) states that it provides children with opportunities to explore and extend their world as well as materials and objects are used to represent all kinds of things and people. This shows that in this kind of play, objects, actions and functions take on responsibilities. Meanwhile, Lindon (2001:42) states that symbolic play allows children to exercise control and explore without the risk of being out of their depth. For instance, a piece of wood may symbolize a person. A socio-dramatic play involves interaction and communication with others as children can act out stories on their own and with others. This can actually allow them to explore the nature of the role, adapting and modifying it as a result of interacting with others (Miller, et al., 2005:87). As for a pretend play, Tassoni et al, (2007:277) argues that it is a play that considers how children act out in a range of ways such as going shopping or cooking a meal. On the other hand, according to Miller et al., (2005:87), they define that a fantasy play is a form of role play where children produce their own stories and challenge accepted norms and expectations which involves make-believe, where objects and people take on new, innovative functions and roles. This is supported by Lindon (2001:43) by giving an example of children may fantasise about flying an aeroplane or being incredibly rich. The effect of play in childrens development Learning through play can be influenced by all aspects of childrens development. This is supported by Tassoni et al. (2007) as they state about how children develop through play in terms of their physical, social, emotional and behavioural, intellectual and communication and language development. However, according to Duncan and Lockwood (2008:61), they state that progression and regression in one area will impact on the others. As for the Physical development, children actually develop both physically and intellectually through movement that they make. As stated below, they argue that: Through repetition of action, connections are made in the brain. The more complex the movement or pattern created, the greater the cognitive process. Children explore their environment, manipulate tools and learn new skills, with greater control and dexterity. Their ability to plan and organize their movements influences their ability to write, draw and manipulate fine objects as well as develop their gross motor skills. This gives them the opportunity to represent language in symbols for themselves. By repetition and practice children also master control over their bodies, thus developing physical competence and spatial awareness. (Duncan and Lockwood, 2008:61) On the other hand, in terms of the language and cognitive development, children express their ideas and feelings as well as describing their experiences through language. This is because that the role of language in the development of thinking in which they can use it to control the world around them, recognize meaning and represent their understanding. Moreover, positive relationships encourage communication and are the important factor in language development and thinking. Language accompanied by action helps children to understand what is being said (Duncan and Lockwood, 2008). Lastly, the social and emotional development which also gives effect to the childrens learning. As stated by Duncan and Lockwood (2008), they argue that sociable children can interact properly in order to learn from their peer group, parents and other adults. This means they have the essential skills to cooperate in a group situation where they are able to stick to decisions made and take both a lead and subsidiary role in decision-making. They are sensitive of the needs of others and can understand different viewpoints and perspectives and how one event may affect another. They can also learn to develop socially acceptable behaviour in different circumstances. Conversely, Goleman (1996) argue that there are five abilities associated with emotional intelligence and there are self-awareness, managing emotions, motivating oneself, recognizing emotions in others and handling relationships. Duncan and Lockwood (2008:63) also believed that emotional upheaval at sometime in childrens lives may impact negatively upon learning, which in turn may affect their self-esteem. The influence of theorists about childrens play Basically, no one theory has ever been able to explain completely the significance of play in childrens development. Hughes (1999:16) argues that theories must be seen as only tentative models, helpful frameworks within which child development and behaviour can be better understood. I will focus on three theorists in whom they think that play as part of childrens thinking and there are Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, and Jerome Bruner. It proves how effective play is in the childrens cognitive development where they can actually understand ideas and learn to think. Lindon (2001) states that the theory developed by Jean Piaget has been hugely influential for early years practice in United Kingdom. However, other theorist such as Lev Vygotsky has shown contrasting perspectives that can support adults in an effort to understand childrens thinking and how it relates to play. Jean Piaget believed that child as an active learner and proposed that children were active participants in their own learning. He also proposed that through a series of stages that unfolded in a definite sequence, the childrens cognitive development progressed. He also interested in childrens play activities in order to support his theory about their language and thinking. He did not focus on other aspects of childrens development such as communication, social interaction or emotional development. Piagets theory that children constructed their own understanding led him to emphasise that adults should create environments in which children could discover for themselves. Self discovery by children has sometimes been interpreted to mean that adults should scarcely intervene at all in childrens play (Lindon, 2001). Moreover, according to Maynard and Thomas (2004), they state that Vygotsky was interested in a mastery play where children can take up information from the world around them and shape it to fit in with their own understanding and experience as well as changing their actions to meet the demands of their personal world. These processes are called assimilation accommodation. Similar to Vygotsky, he believed that by observing a child at play, the adult gained much knowledge of the childs stage of development. He categorised three stages of the development of intelligence and there is sensory motor which corresponds to mastery play, pre-operational which corresponds to symbolic or pretend play, and lastly operational which corresponds to games with rules. Since I am exploring about children in Pre schools, I would use the information from Piagets developmental model which argues on the stage of symbolic play which takes place between the ages of two and seven years which relevant with the pre-operational stage. This is where the children transform themselves or objects into something else. For instance, a child engaged in pretend play about pirates and may pick up a cardboard cylinder and use it as a telescope. For the child, it has become a telescope and the transformation is a very real one (Maynard and Thomas, 2004). Basically, it shows that using the view from Piaget; pretend play emerged spontaneously at a stage well into the pre school period. However, according to Maynard and Thomas (2004), it is only relatively recently since the translation of Vygotskys work and through the writing of more recent researchers, that this view has been challenged and argued that pretend play is considered to be the product of social collaboration rather than a developmental process. Meanwhile, in the contribution of Vygotsky to the childrens learning through, Lindon (2001:31) states that he placed greater emphasis than Piaget on the social context in which children explored and learned. He also focused on language as a vital social tool and described learning within social interaction. Lindon (2001:31) also states that Vygotsky felt that early language, during the years when children speak out loud to themselves in play, was an important instrument of their thinking. Moreover, Vygotsky believes that in terms of the role of play, he emphasized: The ingenuity of children as active participants in their own learning and creative users of play from whatever was available. He felt that play led childrens development. In their play activity, children could step outside the restrictions of their real lives and explore meaning free from the constraints of what was possible as a child. Vygotsky also believed that all forms of play had some imaginary component and that play was rule bound within those imaginary elements. (Lindon, 2001:31). It shows that play is important for childrens learning, but of course there are barriers such as risk, safety and both the childrens social and emotional are needed to be focused on. As supported by Vygotsky, he did not see play as the only way that children learned and warned against the risks if adults focused too much on the possible intellectual content of play and ignored the emotional content (Lindon, 2001). Hughes (1999) also states that Vygotsky believed about the importance of the social context. He believes about his zones of proximal development. If a child is asked to work independently on a problem, such as sorting objects according to shape or function, he will display a particular level of performance for the childs performance may not reflect his or her true potential. However, if the same child is allowed to work with other children on the problem or is given even a small amount of direction by an adult, he or she might perform at a higher level than when working alone and potential ability in a different social context is the zone of proximal development. Obviously, the social context can do more than provide information about development as it can also facilitate the development by allowing children to achieve their true potential (Hughes,1999). In terms of play, Maynard and Thomas (2004) state that Vygotsky stresses that in childrens development in the earliest years of life, the role of pretend play is important. He placed play in the socio-cultural context where the context in which childrens play can and should be extended and nurtured by both adults and peers. This is also further supported that pretend play provides an inimitable context within which children can reach for and attain increasingly higher levels of cognitive development (Maynard and Thomas, 2004). Vygotsky believed that pretend play is a major means by which young children can extend their cognitive skills, and they can also learn about the social constructs of their own culture at the same time by the encouragement given by adults for them to become active participants in the social world around them. He also believed that by identifying the main features of play, the observer is able to understand how it influences childrens development (Maynard and Thomas, 2004). Lastly, about Jerome Bruner who was actually influenced by Vygotskys ideas and developed the idea for the concept of the spiral curriculum. According to Lindon (2001), he states that Bruner described how children learn through discovery with the direct help of adults and by repeating to the same materials or ideas. He also proposed that children were able to broaden their understanding over a period of years, and they could build on what they had learned previously and through sensitive help from adults in the later learning. In terms of play, whereas Piagets developmental theory minimalists the role of the adult in childrens development, Bruner similar to Vygotsky who considers the role of the adult in nurturing childrens development through play to be critical. He also argues that children learn from modelled adult behaviour rather than over-directed intervention (Maynard and Thomas, 2004). Moreover, according to Maynard and Thomas (2004), Bruner identifies two major functions of play. First, play situations allow children to test out and modify the consequences of their actions which provide them with a meaningful situation in which they can learn about things without risk of fear and failure and second, it gives children an opportunity for them not to engage in behaviours if under adult pressure. Like Vygotsky, Bruner also subscribes to a socio-constructivist theory of play in which he emphasizes the important of symbolic or pretend play. This is a type of play which enables children to work through difficulties, and fulfil secret desires at a make-believe level as well as helping children to learn how to cope with rules and social conventions at the same time (Maynard and Thomas, 2004). Overall, according to Maynard and Thomas (2004), they state that Vygotsky and Bruner subscribe to the socio-constructivist theory of play that it needs to be scaffolded by sensitive and intelligent adult intervention. In order for children to progress to higher levels of cognitive functioning, there must be social interaction with peers. However, Piaget argues that that play was developmental and that it took place at a particular stage regardless of adult intervention. It shows that Piagets theory is in contrast to the socio-constructivist view of the play. Despite their differences, the classical theorists emphasise the vital importance of pretend play to childrens development. Since pretend play presents a much greater cognitive challenge than non-pretend activities such as puzzles and jigsaws, young children who have ample time to engage in it do enjoy enhanced intellectual development. The importance and benefit of play It is believed that play can help children to understand life and their surrounding. This is supported by Duncan and Lockwood (2008), they state that through play, children have a natural instinct to learn about the world. Moreover, Hughes (1999:20) states cognitive theorists regard play a stool for facilitating intellectual growth. In addition, play is spontaneous as children can engage in it from choice (Moyles, 1994). This is further supported by Jerome Bruner (1972) and Brian Sutton-Smith (1967) cited in Hughes (1999:20), they state that play provides a comfortable, and relaxed atmosphere in which children can learn to solve a variety of problems. They also believe that later, when children are confronted with the more complex problems of the real world, the learning that took place during play is of great benefit to them. Play affords the opportunity for intellectual and social development as well as for emotional release (Hughes, 1999). In the studies of Bruner (1960) cited in Maynard and Thomas (2004), he states that similar to Piaget and Vygotsky; he examines the way in which children are able to explore hopes and anxieties and trying things out safely in pretend play as well as attributing to it a cathartic function. According to Maynard and Thomas (2004: 192), they state that when one observes children at play, certain common characteristics emerge. First, play is fun, children enjoy engaging in it. It maybe accompanied by laughter, talk, propose indeed, none of these things. It may be solitary or involve groups of children; it may also involve adult participation. Although an episode of play may lead to significant learning outcomes, these are not planned at its outset. True play is an impromptu experience and other than the intention of having fun, its outcomes do not exist in childrens minds when they initiate it. However, parents often misunderstood about play and early childhood educators notice it as a natural part of childhood but one that has little developmental value (Hartley, 1971). Moreover, David (1996) cited in Nutbrown also highlights the way in which increasing fears for childrens safety is understandably causing parents to confine and restrict their children more. According to Hughes (1999), he argues that it is understood that children should play as it affords the opportunity for intellectual and social development as well as for emotional release. Meanwhile, as stated by Gammage (2006) argue that childrens learning has led to some misunderstanding in which children are not just investments for the future, but they have a right to freely chosen opportunities for play and self-directed exploration as well as structured play activities rather than being made to follow a restricted or narrow curriculum. Other feature of learning through play is that it helps the children to develop their language by expressing their ideas and feeling and describe their experiences (Duncan and Lockwood, 2008). Moreover, Moyles (2005:235) states that children are in control of the way in which they want their play to develop and give themselves tasks in their play, not really for an outcome, but to shape the play-process itself. Hughes (1999) states that Vygotsky argued that there is a number of acquired and shared tools that aid in human thinking and behaviour-skills that allow us to think more clearly than if we did not have them and to better understand our own thinking processes. He also stated about the importance of the social context. This is his belief in zones of proximal development. If asked to work independently on a problem, such as sorting objects according to shape or function, a child will display a particular level of performance. However, Vygotsky believed that the childs performance may not reflect his or her true potential. If the same child is allowed to work with other children on the problem on the problem, or is given even a small amount of direction by an adult, he or she might perform at a higher level than when working alone and potential ability in a different social context is the zone of proximal development. Role of adults and their intervention to make a play to work effectively Teachers need to be supportive as children should enjoy it. Lindon (2001) identifies some possible roles for Pre school teachers in play such as the teacher as companion, learner and observer, facilitator, provider, a model, mediator as well as safety officer. Miller et al., (2005:92) state that play is vulnerable that it is important to provide appropriate experiences, activities and resources that will help children to develop their ability to play and learn. Moyles (1994) argues that it is practitioners who are best placed to observe and channel the value of childrens play into powerful contexts for learning. Moreover, by observation it is important for childrens learning through play. This is supported by Duncan and Lockwood (2008:21) who believe that observation will give you information about childrens learning through play and about the learning environment. Johnston et al., (2010) state that through play, children can develop intellectually, creatively, physically, socially and emotionally. By providing well planned experiences in both indoor and outdoor which are based on childrens spontaneous play are an important way which practitioners support young children to learn with enjoyment and challenge. Furthermore, observation also gives feedback on management issues, the effectiveness of resources and the play environment and information about diversity, inequalities, prejudices and stereotyping (Duncan and Lockwood, 2008:20). There are many ways in supporting and reflecting childrens play in extending specific areas such as language and communication. As stated by Bruce (2001) in supporting play are to establish a conducive environment, an adult must have interest and be part of the play in a background way as well as to be alert on how to manage things during the play without intervene it. However, those with learning difficulties and disabilities may need more specific and specialised help in playing and communicating with others. There is a place for scaffolding childrens understanding of and ability to play, just as there is for scaffolding their learning, to take account of their diverse life experiences (Bruner, 1972). Moreover, Vygotsky stated on how adults could best help children to learn and on the other hand, he also believed that children could and did help each other through play. He used his concept of the zone of proximal development to explain how childrens learning could be supported. The zone of proximal development is the area of possibilities that lie between what individual children can manage on their own and what they could achieve or understand with some appropriate help. He also argues that focused help could come from wither an alert adult or from another child whose understanding or skills were slightly more mature (Lindon, 2001). The impact of learning through play in Brunei context on Pre School children Based from where I came from, Pre schools in Brunei also practice learning through play in part of the school curriculum. As stated by the Curriculum Development Department (CDD) of the Brunei Ministry of Education (2009), the Pre school syllabus emphasises on the implementation of the instructional activities which are provided following the educational field and skill levels as well as abilities in accordance with the development of their learning. The educational field is divided into five developments. There is personal and social development, cognitive development, the development of aesthetics and creativity, physical development and ICT development. On the other hand, some teachers tend not to focus on the childrens learning through play as they believed that it is just a waste of time and rather follow in meeting the curriculum demands and syllabus given. This is argued by the Plowden report (DES, 1967) that although the play is the central activity in all schools but it often leads to accusations that children are wasting their time in school in which they should be working. Principals in Brunei Pre Schools encourage Pre class teachers to modify and decorate their classrooms where they accommodate the class with varieties of learning corners areas such as a book corner, kitchen corner, block corner and drawing corner. This is suitable for dramatic play, books and literacy, block and construction play and manipulative play.ÂÂ   These areas can help the pupils to develop their skills needed. The class teachers make sure that the play activities are relevant to the development of the pre school pupils. Most importantly, the teachers provide plenty of open space area for them to play independently. This can lead the pupils to be engaged in learning through play effectively. Basically, class teachers in Brunei use primitive materials for some of the play activities such as sand, water and clay where it can attract the pupils and evoke their interest and concentration. This is supported by Hughes (1999:198) who highlights that a number of play materials and activities have been identified as being highly likely to stimulate intellectual growth. Hughes (1999:211) states that certain types of play materials and activities have been found to be helpful in encouraging social integration. Moreover, the use of materials in play can develop pupils confidence in learning with others. Moyles (2005) states that the activity which develop their confidence and actually demonstrate their understanding to groups of children even if they are unfamiliar with as they can start their conversation and friendship. Most importantly, the toys and play materials are kept on low sized shelves so that they can reach them easily. Most teachers do use the outdoor play but this is only when they are having a Physical Education. Basically, children must also have opportunities to play out door since outdoor has a large space with nature. The pupils can play freely which can sometimes pose a threat for risk and accidents. As stated by Gill (2007:16), he summarizes that by undertaking risky activities carries beneficial side effects for childrens health and development. Based from my teaching experience, the pupils in my class love to play during their Break time. It could be observed that it was the time when they are having fun especially at the playground. Although children play, they actually learn something. For instance, th

Lack of Closure in Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot Essay -- Theater

Closure is a very important aspect of a narrative. Closure or the lack of it accomplishes the goal of a creating a text which readers would want to continue reading to find out the ending, it helps to lead the reader on. The term â€Å"closure† according to Abbott is â€Å"best understood as something we look for in narrative, as desire that authors understand and often expend art to satisfy or frustrate† (Abbott, 57).In the play Waiting for Godot, the lack of closure is very evident throughout it. This play significantly follows the hermeneutic code, the level of questions or answers. This code has allowed for the author to grasp the attention of the readers, due to the reason people like to find and understand closures, but also allowing the author to not give a closure. Moreover, the type of play, which is an absurdist, is an important part of the reason behind this play lacking a closure. The definition of absurdist is: â€Å"A writer, performer, etc., whose work presents an audience or readership with absurdities, typically in portraying the futility of human struggle in a senseless and inexplicable world; esp. a writer or proponent of absurdist drama† (OED). The absurdist genre allows for the play to not directly answer the questions, but to leave it open so that the reader can interpret the actions to their liking, just as they would interpret situations in real life, where no events are written in stone. The dialogues and the whole picture of the play allows for easy examination as to how the above claims work out. Using the hermeneutic code, and the absurdist genre, along with a lack of closure, the author has written Waiting For Godot a play written to make the audience think. In the book The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative, H... ...ith the lack of closure the author has paved many paths, making one unable to give a proper retelling of the play due to various interpretations. The play has also slyly inserted a philosophy on human life, the uncertainty and how it is a major part of human life is portrayed through this play. All these characteristic together make this play a very good play, it makes one want to live forever as to see what future generations would interpret the play as. In conclusion, this text is written to make the readers think and participate as active members in the reading of the play. Works Cited Abbott, H. Porter. The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative, "Waiting for Godot" Cambridge University Press; 2 edition, April 7, 2008 Beckett, Samuel. Waiting For Godot. 3rd ed. N.p.: CPI Group, 2006. Print. Vol. 1 of Samuel Beckett: The Complete Dramatic Works. 4 vols

Rethinking Calculus

Mathematics can sometimes seem scary for me, and I am sure that a lot of other high school students feel the same way. Maybe, it’s because we often see math as merely a series of problems to be solved and rules to master and apply. Calculus is one of the branches of math that some students like me find intimidating to learn.This paper aims to establish an appreciation and better understanding of calculus by reviewing its historical groundings and giving the practical application of the subject.The foundation of calculus did not just appear in history, in fact, mathematicians had encountered numerous difficulties and problems that had led to their desire to find ways in which to offer solutions. It is the case that although Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz were the ones to formulate the theorems of Calculus we know today, a fair share of mathematicians began utilizing concepts of calculus as early as the greek period. Calculus was developed from ancient Greek geometry.It was mainly use to Democritus calculated the volumes of pyramids and cones, probably by regarding them as consisting of infinitely many cross-sections of infinitesimal (infinitely small) thickness, and Eudoxus and Archimedes used the â€Å"method of exhaustion†, finding the area of a circle by approximating it arbitrarily closely with inscribed polygons. In fact it was Archimedes who was the first person to find an approximation of the area of the circle using the â€Å"method of exhaustion†; it was the first samples of integration and led to the approximated values of ?(pi). In line with the developments in the field of theoretical mathematics, it can be said that mathematicians encountered their own difficulties with math problems before they were able to actually find the answers through calculus. It was not until the 16th century when mathematicians found the need to further develop the methods that could be used to calculate areas bounded by curves and spheres.Johannes Kepler for example had to find the area of the sectors of the ellipse in order for him to proceed with his work in planetary motion. He was lucky enough to find the answer in two tries despite the then crude methods of calculus. Imagine if he was unable to compute the area of ellipses during that time, chances are there would have been a delay in the development of astronomical science. It was through Kepler’s exploration of integration that laid groundwork for the further study of Cavalieri, Roberval, and Fermat.The latter especially contributed a great deal to calculus by generalizing the parabola and hyperbola as y/a = (x/b)2 to (y/a)n = (x/b)m and y/a = b/x to (y/a)n = (b/x)m respectively. It is the case that some mathematicians (like Joseph Louis Langrange) consider Fermat to be the father of calculus, especially with his formulation of the method used in acquiring the maxima and minima by calculating when the derivative of the function was 0; this method is not far fro m that which we use today in solving such equations.The formulas we use today to determine motion at variable speeds use calculus. Toricelli and Barrow were the first mathematicians to explore the problem of motion by implicitly applying the inverse of differentiation, integral and derivative as inverses of each other in asserting that the derivative of distance is velocity and vice versa. Newton and Leibniz are considered to be the inventors of calculus because of their discovery of the fundamental theorems of calculus.However though both shares credit for the latter, Newton was able to apply it further showing its use both in his works in physics and planetary motion which are considered the most significant of all his contributions. The three laws of motion echoed if not are born out of the notion that since the world changes and derivatives are the rates of changes, and then the latter becomes pivotal to any scientific endeavor that attempts to understand the world. Newton was a ble to use calculus in determine a lot of things during his time.We must remember though, that in voicing Newton it is good to reminisce his advice that abstractions and concepts don’t stand alone, they’re pieced together with other ideas to find a solution, an answer. This goes with his Newtonian laws, which if we are to really understand we must see how it relates with his law of gravitational force. Calculus bridges the gaps between theoretical math and the applied sciences/mathematics; if we are to look at it exclusively then we would miss the entire point of why we use it as such fail to realize its true value.Calculus plays a role in the natural, physical as well as the social sciences; it is being employed in solving numerous problems that wishes to determine the maximum and minimum rates of change. It is capable of describing the physical processes that occur around us. It has even been used to solve paradoxes created during the time of Zeno in ancient Greece. It is impossible to imagine how we can be able to understand the world today without the calculus as one of our tools in acquiring knowledge. We may perhaps still be slaves to mystical forces that were claimed to be the cause of change in this world.Mathematics would remain to us mere abstractions if calculus was not introduced to become the mediator of thought and practice. The development of other disciplines would have not followed without first establishing the existence of the fundamental concepts of calculus. Things which in history were thought to be inconceivable were able to have a figure that man can understand and therefore have the capacity to manipulate though not complete control. Students like me get frustrated when trying to solve a mathematical problem and failing once or twice.Reading on the history of calculus made me realize that mathematicians would not have come up with the theorems and methods we use today if they too decided to simply get frustrated. In as mu ch as Calculus teaches you at what rate things change and how the infinite can be understood, one could also learn the value of knowing something even if exclusively it seems unimportant. In order for us to appreciate the subject we must look at it as part of the greater system of knowledge, without it all things would not be coherent.

Workplace Violence Essays - Workplace Bullying, Workplace

Workplace Violence Essays - Workplace Bullying, Workplace Workplace Violence Workplace Violence Statistics Workplace and Violence two words that until recently were never associated with one another. Yet when these words come together they strike terror in the lives of the people that are affected by them. Workplace, when we think of this word we think of a safe environment where we go to make to our lives better, a place to make careers for ourselves. The workplace is supposed to provide security for our families and to help to one day achieve the goal of financial freedom. Violence, when we hear this word images pop up in our head like the Jerry Springer Show, the Oklahoma City Bombing, or the latest act of violence to shock our nation the massacre of the high school in Colorado. These images are stuck in our minds forever; the shear horror of these acts puts us back into perspective of reality. Violence is a very real almost unpredictable event that can strike anywhere at anytime. It is the driving force that plagues our workplace as we speak. Oct. 15KIMBERLY, Wis.In November 1992, Thomas Monfils was killed by several co-workers and his mutilated body was found in a pulp vat with a 40-pound weight tied to his neck at the James River Corp. mill in Green Bay (Mulholland). Workplace violence is turning into a number one priority for todays businesses. On an average working day, three people will be murdered on the job in the U.S. One million workers are assaulted and more than 1,000 are murdered every year, according to the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Homicide is the second highest cause of death on the job, after motor vehicle accidents. That translates into three cases for every 10,000 workers, confirms the U.S. Department of Labor. In 1992, 111,000 incidents of work-place violence cost employers and others an estimated $6.2 -2- million (ODonovan). The statistics are shocking for the amount of workplace violence that is out there everyday in our workforce. Even more shocking then these statistics is the fact that more than half of these cases go unreported. That means an estimated two million workers are assaulted every year and more than 2,000 people are murdered. Workplace Violence Behavior and Characteristics If the statistics got the heart pumping then the characteristics will produce a heart attack. Many people in the workforce think it will never happen to them. I dont need to worry about workplace violence because it will never happen to me. The fact of the matter is that the people that commit these acts are more common then some people think. Author Joseph Kinney contends that perpetrators of work-place violence do not fit a standard profile. He advises to focus behavior, not characteristics. However based on previous acts of violence, some experts have identified warning symptoms. These include: middle-aged male, loner, usually quiet, with defiant outbursts, emotionally unstable; erratic behavior, pathological blamer or complainer, always frustrated strained work relationships, reduced productivity, ignores tardiness or absences, undergoes a dramatic personality swing, changes in health of hygiene, feels victimized, makes threats, fascination with weapons, exhibits paranoia, seems depressed, is a Hate Group member, dependence on alcohol or drugs, is involved in a troubled, work-related romantic situation. -3- The violence-prone may view these situations as events to justify a violent response: performance counseling sessions, disciplinary actions, termination, passed over for a promotion, criticism from coworkers, failed or spurned romance, personal crisis, e.g., divorce(ODonovan). Its a scary thought to think that the person you go on break with, the person you carpool with is capable of this violence at any moment. One minute they are your next door neighbor the next minute they are on Americas Most Wanted for the massacre of several people at their place of work. One steamy August day in 1986, postal employee Patrick Sheryl, 44, walked into the U.S. Post Office in Edmund, Okla. Inside his mail pouch were three guns and 100 rounds of ammunition. Sheryl killed 17 coworkers and himself in 10 minutes(ODonovan). Workplace Violence Prevention Through all the darkness and evil that workplace violence brings to the table there is light at the end of the tunnel. Companies now have the ammunition they need to help in the fight against workplace violence.

Building Tension Skills For Crafting Suspense In Your Story - Freewrite Store

Building Tension Skills For Crafting Suspense In Your Story - Freewrite Store Mastering your craft as a writer - especially as a fiction writer - can take years. That’s the bad news. The good news is that you can be proactive in getting to grips with the skills and techniques you need to take your writing from mediocre to masterful. One of the most foundational skills you need to comprehend is that of creating tension (or suspense) in your stories. Why Suspense Matters Suspense is an essential ingredient in fiction. It’s what keeps your readers turning the page long after they’ve declared that they’ll ‘read just one more page before I put the light out’. Without tension and suspense, your story is flat and lifeless. When I first started out as a self-proclaimed fiction writer, I didn’t understand suspense at all. I thought that suspense fiction was a genre all of its own, and so I didn’t realize how important it was to my stories. Suspense matters. You can’t write a great story without it. Unfortunately, writing scenes full of suspense and tension can be tricky. You have to learn about the right balance (otherwise known as pacing) and understand the different techniques you can use to create tension. Authors who rely too much on just one or two tension-building techniques suffer from the unfortunate problem of creating ‘predictable tension’. You might get away with that in one book, but if you build a following of fans, you’ll soon find that they get wise to your predictable tension techniques, so your writing loses much of its suspense. You want to keep your readers gripped, which means you need a whole arsenal of tension techniques that you can mix up in your writing to avoid the death-knell of predictability. I’m going to teach you three essential suspense skills you need to write unputdownable fiction. #1. Create Crucial Conflict Conflict is one of the key ingredients of suspenseful writing. Conflict automatically creates tension in scenes, so naturally, it’s an author’s best friend. What makes conflict even more important is its versatility. There are different types of conflict too. For example: Character versus nature (e.g. when a character faces some kind of natural disaster) Character versus self (e.g. a character who has some kind of internal struggle to deal with) Character versus society (e.g. characters pitted against an oppressive government regime, or a character that’s part of a minority group who struggles with marginalization) Character versus character - relational type (e.g. unrequited love or some kind of drama within a family) Character versus character - hero/villain type (e.g. the traditional good-guy versus bad-guy situation) Character versus technology (e.g. science fiction scenarios where technology is the antagonist) Character versus the supernatural (e.g. scenarios where characters are faced with battles against prophecies about their own fate) As you can see from this list of conflict types, conflict in fiction is always rooted in characters - the conflict is between the character and something else. If you try to create conflict by any other means, your story will fall flat, unfortunately. At its heart, conflict is about something keeping your character(s) from their goals. That means that you need to know - and make clear to your readers - what your characters’ goals are. Without this fundamental first step, you can’t create the tension you need to create a gripping story. Spend some time brainstorming your character’s goals and the types of conflict that might keep them from achieving those goals. Pick two or three scenarios out of your brainstorming session and write a scene for each where your character is pitted against the literal or figurative nemesis to their goal. Creating conflict is a skill you need to practice until it becomes an automatic part of writing. Don’t just practice when you’re writing your novel, either. Honing your craft as a writer means spending time developing your skills before you sit down to write your masterpiece. Here’s some prompts you might want to try: Davy is about to leave the house and embark on a trip when an unexpected guest arrives†¦ Allison has planned the speech she’s going to make to break up with Drew, but then, just as she’s about to open her mouth, Drew gets down on one knee and proposes†¦ Craig has just accepted a place at CalTec when a news story breaks that threatens his entire future†¦ Becca is hiking in the mountains alone, trying to come to terms with something that’s happened, when a fierce storm unexpectedly hits. #2. Raise the Stakes You know your characters, you know their goals - but your goal as a writer is to keep your characters from achieving their goals (at least until you’re ready for the climax of your story). One thing that startled me when I started writing full time was how much I came to sympathize with my protagonists, so much so that I felt bad for pitting them against so many obstacles to keep them from their goals. You can’t afford to let sentimentality get in the way of your tension-creating skills. I learned that the hard way. One of the most effective ways of creating tension in your writing is to keep raising the stakes. This means that the more your characters fight against the things opposing their goals, the further away they seem from achieving their goals. There’s a range of ways you can raise the stakes in your novel - but before you get to writing your story for real, try practicing these different stake-raising techniques: The Ticking Clock Nothing raises the stakes more than a time limit. In practice, that means that you give your character a goal that has to be achieved in a certain time frame. The reason why the limit is there is up to you. When you use this technique, every time your character makes a failed attempt to overcome the obstacle in their way, the more aware the reader becomes of how little time is left. It keeps your readers gripped. The Fun-House Floor If you’ve never been in a fun-house, this won’t mean anything to you, so I’ll explain. In a fun-house there is often a section made up of platforms that move up and down and side to side, making it really difficult to cross to the other side. In fiction, the fun-house floor technique introduces change and uncertainty for your character, unbalancing them and making them (and your reader) wonder how to move forward. There’s plenty of things you can introduce to create uncertainty - the death of a loved one, the revelation of a secret, the loss of a job. The Shock Revelation To use this technique effectively, you need to understand foreshadowing (you can check out my guide to using foreshadowing if you want to brush up on those skills). Making a shock revelation is a great way of raising the stakes - as long as you ensure that it’s a revelation that in some way keeps your character from their goals. You can’t just dump a shock revelation into your story, however. It needs to be set up (using foreshadowing - but carefully) so that your readers get the ‘ah-ha’ moment. Chucking in a revelation that you haven’t hinted subtly at using foreshadowing isn’t going to make your readers happy. It can be a shock to your character, but your readers might already have their suspicions. Practicing Raising the Stakes Use these prompts to practice your stake-raising skills: Amelia’s nephew has gone missing while she was taking care of him, and his parents are due home in 36 hours†¦ The deadline is in three days... Juan has just 24 hours to gather evidence to prove that his partner is innocent of the murder†¦ Carrie receives an anonymous letter with the words â€Å"I know what you did† on it... Ethan’s secret is out†¦ Michael’s uncle dies suddenly†¦ Stefan has just paid the deposit on his condo when his boss fires him... #3. Partner Tension With Pacing When I realized that my fiction was missing tension, I kinda went to the extreme with it, and tried to throw tension into every scene, every conversation, every moment my characters took to think†¦ It wasn’t pretty. It was the precise opposite of pretty. When you’re working with tension and suspense, you need to have a balance. That’s where pacing comes in. Pacing gives your characters (and your readers) time to breathe between intense scenes filled with tension. You can’t have your character going from tension-filled-scene to tension-filled-scene without having some kind of ‘normality’ in-between. That’s not how real life works, and it doesn’t work in fiction, either. Understanding pacing creates a more realistic flow to your fiction, which is why it’s important you learn to pace your writing in parallel with tension. There are two types of pacing - fast pacing and slow pacing. Let’s take a look at them and see how you can partner pacing with tension for fabulous fiction. Fast Pacing Essentially, fast pacing is where most of your tension lives. These scenes carry urgency and spend less time on unnecessary details. When you’re writing these kinds of scenes, you want your writing to be punchy to reflect the pace. This is not the place for long descriptions or explanations. Fast pacing works by building tension to a crescendo. These are the scenes that will keep your reader urgently turning the pages to find out what happens. Slow Pacing To give your character a breather, slow pacing after a particularly tense scene works really well. Here’s where you can focus on the details, explore your character’s psyche and begin to build up towards the next tense scene. Slow pacing can be filled with emotion or packed with emotive and atmospheric details. You can still add tension in these slower scenes, but you’ll do it differently. In slow-paced scenes, you’re not using action to create tension, but rather focusing on building tension with atmospheric details. This works particularly well in thrillers or horror fiction, where things like the rustling of leaves or footsteps on the pavement can create suspense. Some slow-paced scenes are pretty identical to ordinary, non-tension-filled scenes, so if you can write an ordinary scene, then you can write one of these. Writing slow-paced atmospheric scenes with undercurrents of more gentle tension, however, take a bit more practice. Here are some prompts you can try out: Describe the shadows in the room The light flickers†¦ Phoenix is sitting in the basement. Describe the atmosphere†¦ Sam is taking a walk to clear his head. He heads into the forest, his favorite place in the world. Describe the sounds, smells, sights. Then, there’s the crack of a twig†¦ Making Tension Come Naturally You can’t write fiction without tension, so if writing is your passion, then you have to master the art of creating both fast-paced and slow-paced tension. For most people, this takes time and patience before you get it right - but once you do, you’ll find that it soon starts to come naturally, and you’ll find yourself putting just the right amount of tension into your scenes without having to consciously think about how you’re going to do it. The more you practice, the easier it becomes!

Humans Speak to Humans through Literature Research Paper

Humans Speak to Humans through Literature - Research Paper Example Throughout our studies in literature, it is evident that literature is divided into different fields such as short stories, poems, narratives, and novels. If literature has to remain relevant to the society, then the different subgroups of literature require having a common basis. A critical observation on the different subclasses of literature proves that there is a universal asset or literature. This aspect enhances relevance of literature and hence its continuity and development throughout different generations. This essay will therefore analyse factors that enhance the relevance of literature and its interconnectivity across different generations. Literature has been accused of being biased towards the past generations. In this context, the present generation feels that literature dwells a lot on past occurrences and events with little or no concern about the future and the present generation. This aspect of classic literature has provided basis for the criticism of modern litera ture. However, different criticism on modern literature lack validity since this aspect is critical in the development of modern literature and its significance. However, this model does not nullify the significance or relevance of modern literature. ... The overdependence of experiences in modern literature is therefore, a basis for the creation of modern work. Focusing on experiences also enable artists to compare the past and present life experiences. This comparison strengthens or provides classical literature with a foundation and, it is not a source of irrelevance. The bias of literature towards written literature results from the need to preserve the work of an artist. Although there are numerous ways of storing literature materials, writing remains as the most preferred method. This preference is in relation to the artists and the audience. Different forms of literature including oral narrations are being transformed into written literature. Despite its significance in literature, writing did not exist in the entire history of humanity. This indicates that most works of literature have not been put down in form of writing. It is also obvious that most of the past human experiences have not been written down (Rokeach 167). The re is fear that we might lose our heritage that has been opposed down from one generation to the next in the form of oral narration. Over emphasizing on past life, experiences by classic literature results from the obligation of literature on preserve such works and not a source of irrelevance. Incorporating literature in modern technology minded generation has been an uphill task for artists. This aspect has contributed to the claim that modern literature is irrelevant. In this case, literature is irrelevance because it does not capture the significant issue or features of modern generation. This notion however depends on the perspective of an observer since a rational minded person will be able to visualize

Obama's Full 2013 State of the Union Address Essay

Obama's Full 2013 State of the Union Address - Essay Example Minimum wages were raised to $ 9 as a social security measure. Gun control laws will be strengthened. War on terror will be ended in soon and America will take only a supporting role in future in Afghanistan. Obama seems to be particular about the development of manufacturing sector as a measure to boost America’s economic progress. In his opinion, manufacturing sector is the key in reducing unemployment and directing the country towards prosperity. Obama seems to believe in the economic principle of produce more and develop rapidly. In my opinion, Obama has used this opportunity to give more emphasize to the actions taken in the past to boost America’s progress. He had not said much about his future plans. Some of his claims in the speech were slightly exaggerated. For example, he proudly announced that minimum wages were raised to $ 9 per hour. However, he had forgotten that this slight increase in minimum wages is nothing considering huge expenditure an average family faces daily. Moreover, he announced that the oil production has increased a lot in the recent past. However, still America is the second largest importer of oil resources from external countries. China like countries has already implemented big efforts to exploit renewable energy sources such as solar energy. However, Obama is still reluctant in spending much on developing renewable energy sources. It should be noted that China is the number one exploiter of solar energy at present and their progress is causing big concerns to America. Ho wever, Obama has not said anything about the challenges from China and India like Asian countries. Even though Obama talked about war on terror and withdrawal of American forces from Iraq and Afghanistan, he said not much about America’s foreign policies on Middle East issues. Even though plenty of people expected a