Sunday, May 24, 2020

A Brief Note On Environmental Citizenship And The Environment

ENST476 Olyvia Poelvoorde Environmental Citizenship, in my opinion is the belief that one has a general or possibly even a deep connection and caring for the environment. An environmental citizen should be willing to make certain life decisions to decrease their environmental impact. It is important to be aware of what is happening within the environmental community, in order to be an active citizen. Not being aware of certain issues surrounding the environment can make it hard to participate as effectively as a citizen. Some important skills you should possess are gardening and sustainability skills. While you don t have to possess these skills, or do them one-hundred percent of the time, you should be making an effort to make these†¦show more content†¦Sometimes, you have to take a more complicated route to obtain your goals. An environmental citizen should be willing to take the alternative route. Enthusiasm is another very powerful characteristic to have as an environmentalist. Enthusiasm gets p eoples attention, it shows that you are passionate about what your cause is and gets people who aren t involved curious. Having a negative attitude however, can detract from whatever you happen to be supporting. When your attitude is negative it will be difficult to convince others what your doing is important. Therefore, it is detrimental to keep a positive attitude if you want to make a difference. My personal belief about environmental citizenship duties and responsibilities is that if your decision is to be an environmental citizen, you should make every choice thereafter to benefit the environment in some way. I believe that it is the environmental citizens responsibility to stay connected to the community. These decisions don t have to be big life changing ones, they could be as simple as re-using a plastic bag instead of getting a new one or recycling. However, you are responsible for making these changes to your life. Seeing someone passionate about the idea of recycling or re-purposing items, makes others curious or more willing to participate. For example, if someone is enthusiastic about a certain program or organization more people are willing to attend and

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Nothing Like the Sun (1964) by Anthony Burgess

Anthony Burgess’s Nothing Like the Sun (1964) is a highly fascinating, albeit fictional, re-telling of Shakespeare’s love life. In 234 pages, Burgess manages to introduce his reader to a young Shakespeare developing into manhood and clumsily fumbling his way through his first sexual escapade with a woman, through Shakespeare’s long, famed (and contested) romance with Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton and, ultimately, to Shakespeare’s final days, the establishment of The Globe theater, and Shakespeare’s romance with â€Å"The Dark Lady.†    Burgess has a command for language.  It is difficult not to be impressed and a little awed by his skill as a story-teller and an imagist.  While, in typical fashion, he does tend to break-off at points of leisurely prose into something more Gertrude Steine-like (stream of consciousness, for example), for the most part he keeps this novel in finely tuned form. This will be nothing new for readers of his best known work, A Clockwork Orange (1962). There is an exceptional arc to this story, which carries the reader from Shakespeare’s boyhood, to his death, with common characters interacting regularly and to an end result.  Even the minor characters, such as Wriothesley’s secretary, are well-established and easily identifiable, once they have been described.   Readers might also appreciate the references to other historical figures of the time and how they affected Shakespeare’s life and works. Christopher Marlowe, Lord Burghley, Sir Walter Raleigh, Queen Elizabeth I, and â€Å"The University Wits† (Robert Greene, John Lyly, Thomas Nashe and George Peele) all appear in or are referenced throughout the novel. Their works (as well as works of the Classicists – Ovid, Virgil; and the early dramatists – Seneca, etc) are clearly defined in relation to their impact on Shakespeare’s own designs and interpretations.  This is highly informative and simultaneously entertaining. Many will enjoy being reminded of how these playwrights competed and worked together, of how Shakespeare was inspired, and by whom, and of how politics and the time period played an important role in the successes and failures of the players (Greene, for instance, died sickly and shamed; Marlowe hunted down as an atheist; Ben Jonson’s imprisoned for treasonous writing, and Nashe having escaped from England for the same).   That being said, Burgess takes much creative, though well-researched, license with Shakespeare’s life and the details of his relationship with various people.  For instance, while many scholars believe â€Å"The Rival Poet† of â€Å"The Fair Youth† sonnets to be either Chapman or Marlowe due to circumstances of fame, stature, and wealth (ego, essentially), Burgess breaks from the traditional interpretation of â€Å"The Rival Poet† to explore the possibility that Chapman was, in fact, a rival for Henry Wriothesley’s attention and affection and,  for this reason, Shakespeare became jealous and critical of Chapman.   Similarly, the ultimately under-established relationships between Shakespeare and Wriothesley, Shakespeare and â€Å"The Dark Lady† (or Lucy, in this novel), and Shakespeare and his wife, are all largely fictional.  While the novel’s general details, including historical happenings, political and religious tensions, and rivalries between the poets and the players are all well envisioned, readers must be careful not to mistake these details for fact.   The story is well written and enjoyable. It is also a fascinating glimpse at history of this particularly time period.   Burgess reminds the reader of many of the fears and prejudices of the time, and seems to be more critical of Elizabeth I than Shakespeare himself was.  It is easy to appreciate Burgess’s cleverness and subtlety, but also his openness and candor in terms of sexuality and taboo relationships.   Ultimately, Burgess wants to open the reader’s mind to the possibilities of what could have happened but is not often explored. We might compare Nothing Like the Sun to others in the â€Å"creative nonfiction† genre, such as Irving Stone’s Lust for Life (1934). When we do, we must concede the latter to be more honest to the facts as we know them, whereas the former is a bit more adventurous in scope.  Overall, Nothing Like the Sun is a highly informative, enjoyable read offering an interesting and valid perspective on Shakespeare’s life and times.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Technology Does Technology Help Or Hinder The Student

Throughout this course, a new perspective has provided us with the opportunity to take a look at many of the different ways in which the digital world has become one of the most dominant viewpoints of today’s generation, and how technology has taken over and welcomed itself into many aspects of our lives. This course paper will take a look at one topic of interest in particular, which in hopes will shed some light on a heavily discussed topic in the education world: does technology help or hinder the student. This paper will look to prove the point and discover more about the way in which technology has been incorporated into the classroom, both in an elementary context as well as a post-secondary context, and the effects that it has had on the student, the teacher, and the overall academic development that accompanies it. This paper will examine many of the different issues and successes that have been noted to be associated with the incorporation of technology within the cla ssroom. By taking a sociological perspective and examining these issues using different sociological theories and frameworks, it will become clear that this topic is one that will keep growing and keep having a large impact on the lives of students, especially as technology keeps evolving and moving forward. The goal of this course paper is to examine many of the pros and cons associated with this â€Å"newer† way of doing things within the classroom, and the ways in which students receive this new infoShow MoreRelatedTechnology Involment in Our School Lives895 Words   |  4 PagesTechnology involvement in our school lives Technology is not only impeding lives every day, but altering our learning in schools as well! Whether or not technology hampers with the attention spans of students and the ability to persevere in the face of challenging tasks, and do computers, phone, and video games affect students capability to focus? 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Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Derek Mahon Poetry free essay sample

Places like Kinsale, Rathlin and Donegal are idealised, but there is a subtext of cruelty associated with all three places because of history, climate, nature or commerce. Other places are depicted as void of human activity, lonesome, glum and abandoned by hope. The selection of poems on the course, influenced by Mahon, include two place names that span Ireland from North to South, Rathlin and Kinsale. You should compare the contexts by examining what the last line of both poems has to say about the future. An idealised rural, coastal beauty spot: ‘the nearby hills were a deeper green Than anywhere in the world’ [Donegal] A rural, coastal beauty spot which has become a refuge: ‘a lonely house behind the sea Where the tide leaves broken toys and hat boxes’ [Titanic] A landscape of extreme weather and steep climbs, requiring inhuman endurance, a place where the stoical Protestant can be a hero: ‘The tent recedes beneath its crust of rime And frostbite is replaced by vertigo’ [Antarctica] 3. Theme of people. Mahon evokes diverse human personalities and often empathises with various characters in his poetry: A quirky, on the go, mysterious, cautious and wily grandfather. He is a craftsman who can’t forsake his craft. Some of the grandfather’s attributes mirror an obsessive, impish poet: ‘Wounded but humorous†¦ discreetly up to no good†¦ Never there when you call†¦ as cute as they come†¦ Nothing escapes him; he escapes us all’ [Grandfather] Posh, swanky, guilt-struck, aghast, brooding and solitary Bruce Ismay: ‘I turned to ice to hear my costly Life go thundering down in a pandemonium†¦ my poor soul screams out in the starlight’ [Titanic] A brave, patrician, stoical and self-sacrificing British Explorer: ‘Goading his ghost into the howling snow; He is just going outside and may be some time’ [Antarctica] But sometimes Mahon evokes personalities without empathy: 4. Theme of conflict: Mahon deals with the theme of conflict in various guises: Subtle tensions in family life: ‘Never there when you call†¦he escapes us all’ [Grandfather] Nature’s battle against human civilisation: ‘That night the slow sea washed against my head, Performing its immeasurable erosions†¦ Muttering its threat to villages of landfall’ [Donegal] Self-conflict, self-criticism and regret: ‘Cursing my constant failure to take due forethought’ [Donegal] Conflict between an individual and public opinion, media driven conflict: ‘They said I got away in a boat And humbled me at the inquiry’ [Titanic] Class difference, and conflict: ‘I drown again with all those dim Lost faces I never understood’ [Titanic] Inner conflict due to guilt and victimisation: ‘my poor soul screams out in the starlight’ [Titanic] Brave self-sacrifice of the hero contrasted to cowardice of the group: ‘Need we consider it some sort of crime, This numb self-sacrifice of the weakest’ [Antarctica] 5. Theme of history. Personal History: ‘to reveal the landscape of a childhood Only he can recapture’ [Grandfather] Maritime History: ‘my costly life go thundering down in a pandemonium of Prams, pianos, sideboards, winches, Boilers bursting and shredded ragtime’ [Titanic] History of Scott’s Antarctic Expedition: ‘I am just going outside and may be some time’ [Antarctica] 6. The theme of the Future: Fear of the inevitability of death: ‘His shrewd eyes bolt the door and set the clock Against the future’ [Grandfather] Failure to plan for the future: ‘no promise of rescue— Cursing my constant failure to take due Forethought for this’ [Daytrip to Donegal] Poetic Techniques There are many detailed examples of the poetic techniques used by Mahon illustrated in Grandfather and After The Titanic on the Ordinary Level English web pages. Note how the consonance interlinks the present with the process or remembering that is described in this sentence from ‘Grandfather’. There are eight uses of ‘r’. The consonance is deepened by the internal rhyme of the three ‘row’ sounds in the first line of the quote. ‘Boiler -rooms, row upon row of gantries rolled Away to reveal the landscape of a childhood Only he can recapture. ’ Note how the alliterating ‘g’ and the assonance pattern of the deep ‘a’, ‘ey’, ‘a’ sounds emphasise the sombre description of the sea in ‘Day trip to Donegal’: ‘the grave grey of the sea the grimmer in that enclave’. In the same poem consonance, sibilance, line rhyme and cross-rhyme create a verbal music that matches meaning. ‘That night the slow sea washed against my head, Performing its immeasurable erosions— Spilling into the skull, marbling the stones That spine the very harbour wall, Muttering its threat to villages of landfall’ The first three lines, with their sibilance, are a strong example of onomatopoeia. The consonance, created by the recurring ‘m’, reinforces this effect, as sound matches meaning. Line rhyme is achieved when ‘erosions’ rhymes with ‘stones’, ‘wall’ with ‘landfall’. Note the cross-rhyme achieved with the three ‘ing’ sounds’. All these effects echo both the crashing of the waves and the hushed ‘s’ sound that is permanently associated with the sea. Because the imagery is used to evoke a nightmare, the musical effects here are so dramatic they remind us of opera. Rhyme Read the notes about rhyme in Grandfather and After the Titanic on the Ordinary Level English web pages. In ‘Day Trip to Donegal’ Mahon writes in six line stanzas made up of three rhyming couplets: aa bb cc. ‘Antartica’ has a regular pattern in its three line stanzas: aba aba etc. Rhythm In some poems the rhythm is light while in others it is complex and orchestral. Grandfather the rhythm is partly defined by the strict sonnet form, but Mahon gives it a natural feeling with his run on lines and simple everyday words. The poem feels like an anecdote, a spoken story, naturally addressed to the reader. Day trip to Donegal-the rhythm is musical with a varying beat pattern. After the Titanic- the rhythm has a natural feeling with the run on lines and simple everyday words. The poem feels like a cry from the heart naturally addressed to the reader. There is a dignity to the rhythm provided by the regular line lengths. Each pair of lines is a unit. The uneven lines have four beats while the even lines have six beats—some of which are hard to define. Antarctica- note the regular four beat lines with chorus or refrain. Tones There is immense variety of tone in Mahon’s poetry. Here are some examples to add to your own favourites. Factual: ‘They brought him in on a stretcher’ [Grandfather] Humorous, wry: ‘discretely up to no good’ [Grandfather] Dark, threatening: ‘then his light goes out’ [Grandfather] Matter-of-fact: ‘ things to be done, clothes to be picked up’ [Donegal] Gloomy and ominous: ‘Grave grey of the sea the grimmer’ [Donegal] Disgusted, fascinated: ‘A writhing glimmer of fish’ [Donegal] Bemused: ‘And still the fish come in year after year’ [Donegal] Resigned, mocking: ‘Give me a ring, goodnight, and so to bed’ [Donegal] Scared, pleading, ironic: ‘contriving vain overtures to the vindictive wind and rain’ [Donegal] Ironic and self-pitying: ‘I tell you I sank as far that night as any hero’ [Titanic] There is also a note or edge of despair in the word ‘sank’ here Factual, yet comical: ‘Prams, pianos, sideboards, winches’ [Titanic] Horror: ‘I turned to ice ’, ‘pandemonium’, ‘soul screams out in the starlight’ [Titanic] Guilty, insightful: ‘all those dim lost faces I never understood’ [Titanic] Despair: ‘I drown again’ [Titanic] Brutal and ghostly: ‘A long time since the last scream cut short. Deceptive: ‘I am just going outside and may be some time’ [Antarctica] Disparaging: ‘The others nod, pretending not to know’ [Antarctica] Amazed, wry: ‘Goading his ghost into the howling snow’ [Antarctica] Astute, ironic: ‘At the heart of the ridiculous the sublime’ [Antarctica] Forgiving: ‘Need we consider it some sort of crime, This numb self-sacrifice of the weakest? No’ [Antarctica] Imagery Many of the Themes illustrated above are also lists of images e. g. images of place, images of people etc. Nature imagery is used a lot in Mahon’s poetry. There are some recurring nature images in Mahon’s Poetry. A good example is the recurring sea imagery. References to the sea occur eleven times in the poems on the syllabus: We reached the sea in the early afternoon’ [Donegal] ‘The sea receding down each muddy lane’ [Donegal] ‘and the grave Grey of the sea the grimmer in that enclave’ [Donegal] ‘That night the slow sea washed against my head, Performing its immeasurable erosions’ [Donegal] ‘At dawn I was alone out at seaâ⠂¬â„¢ [Donegal] ‘Now I hide in a lonely house behind the sea Where the tide leaves broken toys and hat boxes’ [Titanic] ‘the old man stays in bed On seaward mornings after nights of wind’ [Titanic] Metaphor ‘Goading his ghost into the howling snow’ [Antarctica] ‘the earthly pantomime’ [Antarctica] Personification: ‘the slow†¦sea muttering its threat to villages of landfall’ [Donegal] ‘Herring and mackerel, flopping about the deck In attitudes of agony and heartbreak’ [Donegal] Symbol: ‘the tide leaves broken toys and hat boxes silently at my door’ [Titanic] Analogy: [An analogy is a simile or metaphor that functions as a parallel image. An analogy may involve an extended comparison] ‘That night the slow sea washed against my head’ [Donegal] ‘At dawn I was alone out at sea’ [Donegal] Simile: ‘banging round the house like a four-year-old’ [Grandfather] heart breaks loose and rolls like a stone’ [Titanic] In addition to various techniques of sound, tone and imagery, there are many examples of different language techniques found in Mahon’s poetry. Paradox [apparent contradiction] ‘At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime’ [Antarctica] Logic (argument). Mahon communicate s by direct statement as well as by imagery and symbol. Some poems depend a lot on our ability to interpret the figurative language. But some lines contain a statement or argument that points to the theme and help us understand the imagery. Many of the quotes for Themes above contain examples of such statements. ‘And frostbite is replaced by vertigo’ [Antarctica] If you study the final line or statement in each of your selected Mahon poems, you will observe that the poems end on a clinching statement that clarifies the intended meaning of the poem. This didactic feature is further illustrated in ‘Antarctica’ with the chorus line, which colours how we receive the narrative implications of the imagery: ‘At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime’.