6 Top College Interview Tips How to Prepare Effectively

6 Top College Interview Tips How to Prepare Effectively SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Many of the top colleges either recommend or require interviews. To give yourself the best opportunity to make a good impression in your interviews, and to improve your chances of getting accepted to these schools, you should absolutely prepare for your interviews. In this article, I'll explain exactly how prepare for a collegeinterview, and I'll give you detailed college interview tipsthat should make you more comfortable and confident during the interview process. Introduction toCollege Interviews An interview provides the college with an opportunity to give you more information about the school and answer any of your questions about the school and the application process. Additionally, the interview gives the school an opportunity to learn more about you, your interests, and how you’ll be able to contribute to the school. Only a small percentage of colleges recommend or require an interview. Most large public universities don’t offer interviews because theysimply havetoo many applicants. Typically, the colleges that offer interviews are very selective private colleges. Check a college's website or contact the admission office to determine if interviews are offered and how to schedule one. Interviews can be on-campus, usually with an admissions representative, or off-campus near where you live, usually with a graduate of the college. Also, they can be evaluative, meaning that your interview impacts admission decisions, or they can be informational, meaning that they’re just designed to provide you with more information about the school or one of its programs. Two schools thatoffer evaluative interviews are Harvard and Princeton while Cornell and Vassar have informational interviews. Which Colleges Require Interviews? Check outthe complete list of colleges that require interviews to learn about all of the schools that recommend or require interviews. All of the Ivy League schools outside of Cornell either recommend or require interviews. Other colleges that recommend or require interviews include Duke, Emory, Bowdoin, University of Chicago, MIT, and Georgetown. Some colleges that offer optional interviews include Stanford, Tufts, Vanderbilt, and Vassar. Duke recommends interviews, and it has updated the look of its mascot. (Duke University Archives/Flickr) How to Set Up a College Interview Once you decide which schools you’re applying to, find out if they offer interviews. Also, you need to make a note of how and when to set up interviews. For schools that give interviews, you’ll often be contacted after you submit your application with information about setting up an interview. Generally, interviews are conducted in the fall if you're applying early, and they're conducted in the winter if you apply under regular decision.If you're given the option of having an interview, you should interview. Interviewing shows the school that you're genuinely interested in attending, and demonstrating interest can help your chances of gaining admission. Also, the interview gives the school an opportunity to learn more about you outside of what's in your application, and you get to learn more about the school. Why Do You Need to Prepare For an Interview? Most colleges stress that interviews are opportunities for the school to get to know more about you and for you to get to know more about the school. You may assume that because you know about yourself, there’s no real need to prepare. You may think that all you have to do is honestly answer the questions you’re asked. While it's true that you primarily just have to candidly answer questions about yourself, preparation can help youappear more confident and givemore thoughtful answers. Also, if you prepare, you'll be able to ask questions that demonstrate your interest in the school and show that you've done substantial research. Some additional preparation can help separate you from the thousands of students who are interviewing for these selective schools. If you prepare, you can be as confident as this guy. How to Prepare for a CollegeInterview Your preparation for your interviews consists ofthree major components: research, practicing answers to questions, and preparing questions to ask the interviewer. I’ll explain how to do all three and how they’ll benefit you during your interview. Step 1: Research the School Well before your interview, you should research as much about the school as possible. Focus your research on why the school would be a good fit for you and your needs. Because you should have done extensive research before you decided to apply, this should be mostly review and shouldn’t be too time-consuming. Consider how the school will be able to meet your needs and what you're looking for in a college. You can research anything of interest to you, whether it's related to academics, campus life, extracurriculars, study abroad programs, or athletics. If you want to pursue a specific major, you can learn about its course requirements, professors, and any special programs for students in that major. Use the school's website, college finders, search websites, and guidebooks to help you learn about the school. Your research will help you prepare for questions you may be asked, and it will help you come up with questions for your interviewer. Step 2: Prepare for Your InterviewAnswer Check out this article for a specific guide on the questions you should prepare for. Some common ones include: Why are you interested in this college? What are your academic strengths? What do you plan to be doing ten years from now? The questions you'll be asked pertain to your personality, character, goals, and why you think the school would be a good fit for you. To prepare, you should jot down some notes and practice your responses to the most common interview questions. Remember that the school wants to learn about what makes you unique. So, if you're asked about your greatest strength, don't just say that you're hardworking. That's a response that could be given by thousands of students. If you think you're especially diligent, you can reveal an anecdote that demonstrates your exceptional work ethic. Being able to give specific examples will make your answers much stronger and more believable. While it's not a bad idea to practice answering common questions, you don't want to try to memorize your answers or write them out word for word. You should appear conversational in the interview, and you don't want to have to stress about remembering the exact words of your prepared answers. Incorporate information from your research into your answer about why the school would be a good fit for you. Try to include information that's not too superficial or obvious. Don't just say you want to be a doctor and the school has a good pre-med program. Go into more depth. What about the pre-med program makes it a good program for you? What resources or classes that the school offers appeal to you? You can do a mock interview with a teacher, counselor, parent, or friend. Have somebody ask you common interview questions and practice responding as if you were in the interview. Step 3: Prepare Questions for Your Interviewer Remember that the interview is not only an opportunity for the interviewer to learn about you; it’s also an opportunity for you to learn more about the school. Asking questions shows you’re engaged and that you’re taking the college selection process seriously. Refer to this post for good questions to ask in an interview. I recommend preparing at least 2-3 questions. Here are a couple of examples of good questions: What advice would you have for me as an incoming freshman? I heard about (insert name of on-campus event). Have you participated? What's it like? Your questions should either be related to your research about the school, personal questions for the interviewer (but not inappropriately personal), or related to something the interviewer said or revealed during the interview. When you prepare questions, don't come up with questions that can be easily answered through basic research. Don't ask where the school is located or if it has a certain major. You should know the answers to those questions before the interview. Just like your answers to interview questions, your questions for the interviewer should be deeper and demonstrate thought. 3 College Interview Tips for the Day Of By the day of your collegeinterview, you should be extremely knowledgeable about the school, prepared to answer common interview questions, and have a few questions prepared for your interviewer. Here are some college interview tips to follow the day you interview. By this point, your hard work is mostly done, and now you get a chance to learn more about the school and show what a superstar you are. Tip 1: Dress Well When it comes to college interview attire, it’s better to err on the side of looking too formal than too casual. You want to appear like you’re taking the interview seriously, and you want to present yourself in a professional manner. Tip 2: Be Punctual I assume this goes without saying, but make sure you’re on time. Nothing gives a worse first impression than showing up late to a meeting. If something out of your control happens and you’re running late, contact the interviewer to let him/her know. Tip 3: Relax If you’ve made basic preparations and you’re polite to your interviewer, most likely, your interview will only be able to help your chances of admission. Also, so you don't stress too much, remember that the interview is only a minor factor in determining whether or not you're accepted to a school. Try your best to just be yourself. These colleges want to learn about you, so don't be overly worried about giving the "right" answers to questions. Give genuine answers and feel free to show your personality. What's Next? As you continue to research colleges and the college application process, make sure you know the complete application timeline and how many colleges to apply to. If you're striving to get into the most prestigious colleges, learn helpful tips from a Harvard graduate. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Pixar and Walt Disney Merger Essays

Pixar and Walt Disney Merger Essays Pixar and Walt Disney Merger Paper Pixar and Walt Disney Merger Paper NEW YORK Mickey Mouse and Nemo are now corporate cousins. Walt Disney has announced that it is buying Pixar, the animated studio led by Apple head Steve Jobs, in a deal worth $7. 4 billion. Speculation about a deal being imminent raged on Wall Street for the past few weeks. Disney has released all of Pixars films so far, but the companies current distribution deal was set to expire following the release of this summers Cars. The merger brings together Disneys historic franchise of animated characters, such as Mickey, Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck, with Pixars stable of cartoon hits, including the two Toy Story films, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. Disney and Pixar can now collaborate without the barriers that come from two different companies with two different sets of shareholders, said Jobs in a statement. Now, everyone can focus on what is most important, creating innovative stories, characters and films that delight millions of people around the world. As part of the deal, Jobs will become a board member of Disney, the companies said. And John Lasseter, the highly respected creative director at Pixar who had previously worked for Disney, will rejoin the House of Mouse as chief creative officer for the companys combined animated studios and will also help oversee the design for new attractions at Disney theme parks. The addition of Pixar significantly enhances Disney animation, which is a critical creative engine for driving growth across our businesses, said Disney CEO Robert Iger in a written statement. During a conference call with analysts Tuesday, Iger said that acquisition discussions had been going on for the past several months. Jobs added that after a lot of soul searching, he came to the conclusion that it made the most sense for Pixar to align itself with Disney permanently instead of trying to distribute films on its own or sign with another movie studio partner. According to the terms of the deal, Disney (Research) will issue 2. 3 shares for each Pixar share. Based on Tuesdays closing prices, that values Pixar at $59. 78 a share, about a 4 percent premium to Pixars current stock price. Shares of Pixar (Research) fell slightly in regular trading on the Nasdaq Tuesday but gained nearly 3 percent in after-hours trading. The stock has surged more than 10 percent so far this year on takeover speculation. Disneys stock gained 1. 8 percent in regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange and was flat after-hours. Prior to the deals announcement, some Wall Street observers had speculated that Disney may be paying too much for Pixar. A source tells FORTUNE that some Disney board members also thought the price was too high. To that end, Disney chief financial officer Thomas Staggs said during the conference call that the deal would reduce Disneys earnings slightly in fiscal 2006, which ends this September, as well as fiscal 2007. He added though that Pixar should add to earnings by fiscal 2008 and that Disney was still on track to post annual double-digit percentage gains in earnings through 2008. But one hedge fund manager said that the risk of Disney losing Pixar was too great. The question isnt did Disney pay too much but how expensive would it have been for Disney if Pixar fell into someone elses hands, said Barry Ritholtz, chief investment officer with Ritholtz Capital Partners, a hedge fund that focuses on media and technology stocks. Jeffrey Logsdon, an analyst with Harris Nesbitt, agreed with that assessment. He said that Pixars success quotient justified the price of the deal. Pixar has yet to have a flop with its six animated movies. They have grossed more than $3. 2 billion worldwide, according to movie tracking research firm Box Office Mojo. Disney, however, has struggled in the computer-generated animated movie arena. Even though its most recent CG-animated film, Chicken Little performed better than many had expected at the box office, it was not as big a hit as any of the Pixar films. Robert Iger has made no secret of the fact that he wanted to get the animated business back to where it was. Its what Disney has known for but the movies they did in-house did not do as well as the ones they did with Pixar, said Michael Cuggino, a fund manager who owns about 100,000 shares of Disney in the Permanent Portfolio and Permanent Portfolio Aggressive Growth funds. Pixar has yet to announce what movies it is working on after Cars, however. It is believed that Pixars next film about a rat living in a fancy Parisian restaurant, tentatively titled Ratatouille may be released on 2007 and that a Toy Story 3 may be in the works as well. Jobs said during the conference call that nothing has been decided about future Pixar releases yet, but added that the company feels strongly about making sequels to some of its previous hits. And Iger said that announced plans for Disney-produced animated films, including the release of American Dog in 2008 and Rapunzel Unbraided in 2009, are still on track. It would have been unthinkable to imagine Disney and Pixar teaming up just a few years ago. The two companies broke off talks to extend their current distribution agreement in 2004 due to a strained relationship between Jobs and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. But since Iger succeeded Eisner last year, he has extended an olive branch to Jobs. Disney and Apple have already announced several online programming deals during the past few months. Disney now has agreements in place to sell hit ABC prime time shows, such as Desperate Housewives and Lost, as well as content from ABC Sports and ESPN on Apples popular iTunes music and video store. Cuggino said the addition of Jobs, who will also become Disneys largest individual shareholder, to Disneys board could mean that more innovative digital deals could be in the works. Jobs is a dynamic personality who knows consumer electronics. Its an opportunity to bring some youthful energetic thinking to Disneys board. Disney, like many other large media companies, has seen its stock price stagnate during the past year as investors have flocked to more rapidly growing digital media firms such as Apple as well as search engines Google (Research) and Yahoo! Research) But Logsdon said the acquisition of Pixar could help Disney increase revenue throughout all of its business lines. So even though some may be quibbling in the short-term about how much Disney had to spend, he thinks Disney made the right move. Its a smart strategic deal, Logsdon said. The benefit in theme parks, consumer products and cable will probably make this deal look a lot smarter a year or two from now.

Observations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Observations - Essay Example The child has to be observed severally at different settings and the pieces of evidences put together to form one informed conclusion (Wortham, 2008). The different types of observation entail using different media to capture the actions of children for analysis. For example, the person conducting the assessment can use cameras to monitor and capture all the activities of children so that they can be analyzed later. The children can also be observed directly on different occasions and the evidence gathered can be used to assess them. Whichever method of observation used, the abilities, attitudes, interests, characteristics, personality, values and interest of the children can be known. The assessors can be able to know a child better and understand them as unique individuals and not merely as members of a group (Arnold & Doctoroff, 2003). In conclusion, the process of observation does not only entail single sessions. The children have to be observed on many different occasions and in different setting so as to find out the true picture of their abilities, characteristics, personalities, interests, values or any other characteristic that may be under assessment. There are different types of observations that depend on the type of characteristic that is under assessment (Barratt-Pugh & Rohl,

Business decision making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Business decision making - Essay Example The study will also put into consideration the sales value of the organization and factors affecting sales by use of graphs. In addition, measure of performance of the organization will be of much concern and various methods will be used. Some of those methods include; mean mode, median, standard deviation, Variance, correlation coefficient, rage and Net present value methods. 1.1) Primary data usually gives firsthand information about the target market hen coming up with a plan for the following should be considered; research method, contact methods, sampling plan and research techniques and instruments. These methods of collecting data differ from those of secondary methods. In primary research a clear plan of contacting people who will participate will be decided on. This may include the use of phone interviews online surveys and other mediums to find out customer preferences from prospect customers. The sampling plan will involve taking into consideration the size of the sample to be used. The research instruments will involve the use of questionnaires (Boswell, Boswell, and Cannon, 2014) The use of secondary data will involve using data that has been already documented these data may be useful because a comparison of similar organization in the industry may be used in forecasting sales (Kothari, 2005) Collecting primary data has advantages over secondary data because they are fresh, precise and are related to the issue of concern. Secondary data may be outdated thus may give wrong projections, may contain errors, may not be easily accessible and might be of low quality (Mooi, and Sarstedt, 2011). We are going to collect primary data as well as secondary data as indicated below. 1.2) The sampling frame refers to the target group which researchers can use to make selections. It contains a comprehensive and updated list of the members of the population involved in the research. There are various methods, which can be used for

Child Labor In India Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Child Labor In India - Research Proposal Example It drops the children on the way, while the nearest village is 1 km. from the factory, the farthest one is about 20 km. The bus†¦ reaches the last village by 8 to 9 p.m. The bus starts from that village between 3 to 4 a.m. with the last child and proceeds towards the factory. It reaches the factory premise around 6 a.m. The sleeping children are thereafter dumped into a hall to sleep up to 7 a.m. After that†¦ they have their breakfast and start work† (Browne et al. 2005: 1). After almost six decades of Independence and more than a decade after India joined the United Nations Convention on Child Rights, children in the country persist to be the most abandoned segment. Statistics show that India has 17 million child laborers, which is the highest in the world. Illiteracy regarding the fundamental rights of a child has resulted in to trouble free violation of laws intended to safeguard and motivate children (Fan 2004). In homes, outside the safety of their houses, and in sweatshops, children are being oppressed and abused by many. More than half of the laboring children, or 54%, are in the agricultural sector and mainly others are employed either in construction work, which is 15.5%, or in domestic occupation which is 18%. Approximately 5% are in manufacturing occupations, and the remaining, which is about 8%, are dispersed across other types of occupation. The table presents a gender-based division of working children, and their educational circumstances. Please keep in mind that the data are for children in the age bracket of 5-14 years (Narayanan 2006, para 2). Child labor in India is a serious and depressing problem. Children below the age of 14 are compelled to work in glass-blowing, pyrotechnics and most generally, carpet-manufacturing companies. While the Government of India discloses about 20 million children laborers, other NGO’s approximate the population to be near to 50 million. Most widespread in

Importance Of Soviet Silent Films Film Studies Essay

Importance Of Soviet Silent Films Film Studies Essay Soviet silent films were designed to persuade their audiences of the importance of the process of revolution. Discuss with reference to the distinctive use of form and style in one or more directors. A propaganda film is a film, either a documentary-style production or a fictional screenplay that is produced to convince the viewer of a certain political point or influence the opinions or behaviour of people, often by providing deliberately misleading, propagandistic content. Lenin declared in 1922 that of all the arts, for us the cinema is the most important The development of Russian cinema in the 1920s by such filmmakers as Dziga Vertov and Sergei Eisenstein saw considerable progress in the use of the motion picture as a propaganda tool, yet is also served to develop the art of the filmmaking. Eisensteins films, in particular The Battleship Potemkin, are seen as masterwork of the cinema even as they glorify Eisensteins communist ideals. Dziga Vertov was interested in the idea that the film camera had the potential to capture truth; the camera could be seen simply as a mechanical device that was capable of recording the world without human intervention. A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organisational structure that takes place in a relatively short period of time. The October Revolution on the 25th October 1917 overthrew the Russian Provisional Government and gave the power to the Soviets dominated by Bolsheviks. This revolution and the civil war that followed had a devastating effect on the Russian film industry, which was almost completely destroyed. Very few of the Russian directors and stars remained in Russia after 1919, the majority having fled to Paris where they continued production. Soviet cinema differed from Western cinema in that it had clear political aims to use film as a propaganda weapon and also for it to espouse and reflect the new revolutionary regime. This aim was particularly expressed through narrative and editing. The montage cinema which demanded that the audiences continually searched for the meaning created by the juxtaposition of two shots can thus be seen as alternative to the continuity editing-based Hollywood cinema. One of the Soviet film-makers who developed this idea into both a theory and a practice of film-making was Sergei Eisenstein. Eisenstein believed that maximum impact could be achieved if shots in a scene were in conflict. This belief was based on the general philosophical idea that existence can only continue by constant change. This method of creating meaning from such conflicts of opposites is termed dialectical. For example, shot A combined with shot B does not produce AB but the new meaning C. The formulation can also be presented as: thesis + anti-thesis= synthesis. In formal terms, this style of editing offers discontinuity in graphic qualities, violations of the  180 degree rule, and the creation of impossible spatial matches. It is not concerned with the depiction of a comprehensible spatial or temporal continuity as is found in the  classical Hollywood  continuity system. It draws attention to temporal ellipses because changes between shots are obvious, less fluid, and non-seamless. One of the more prominent films to fully utilize Soviet montage was Dziga Vertovs Man with a Movie Camera (1929). Man with a Movie Camera is an assembly of seemingly random shots of city life. From the cars on the street to people in motion to Vertov himself carrying his camera, the film represents Russia alive with enthusiasm following the revolution, a country with a genuine desire to better itself and its population. Aside from editing, these films have other features which separate them from the dominant Hollywood cinema. In keeping with a Marxist analysis of society, plots frequently do not centre on the individual, for example, in Eisensteins Strike, October and Battleship Potemkin, individual heroes are replaced by a mass of people. The only characters that are individualised are those who have wealth. Eisenstein used non actors to play key parts, believing that the external appearance was vital to the performance. This idea is termed typage. The audience sees a character and immediately recognises him as a sailor or an officer just by his appearance. Like others before him Eisenstein sought to make the stage a vehicle of omniscient, ever present narration. He challenged Aristotles assumption that theatre minimised the authors shaping hand. Eisensteins theory expressionist in that it regards narration as the process of making manifests some essential emotional quality of the story. In Strike Eisenstein uses his principle of montage of attractions to the editing. He believes that by creating visual jolys between each cut, the viewer would be shocked into new awarenesss. At various points in Strike Eisenstein juxtaposes shots taken from different viewpoints. Those shots needed to be interpreted by the audience. One of the best examples of this type of intellectual montage is in the Slaughter of the bull. Here Eisenstein juxtaposes a non-diegetic image of a bull being slaughtered and shots of the factory workers being killed by government forces. It can be formulated like this: shot A (the workers being killed) + shot B (the bull being slaughtered) = new understanding C (the workers are being killed like animals). In these cases the audience become active political interpreters. In Battleship Potemkin (1925) which is based on a true story of a massacre that took place on board the Potemkin in 1905, Eisenstein uses montage techniques with a vivid effectiveness, especially in the central part of the film in which the soldiers are marching down the steps leading to the harbour systematically shooting the onlookers. By using montage to repeat scenes, Eisenstein expanded time. The effect is to intensify the nature of the slaughter as well as to hold the audience in suspense. The climax of the scene demonstrates the effectiveness of montage in order to shock the audience. The same can be said about the rest of the film; Eisenstein increases the number of cuts to build up tension in particular in the last part of the film, with the Russian squadron. It gives the scene a sense of urgency which would be impossible to achieve with ought these techniques. The concept of typage is seen throughout, the actors were not chosen for their acting ability, but instead they were chosen for how well they looked the part. It is another form of attraction. Eisenstein also rejected the traditional narrative pattern in which a hero embarks on a quest or responds to a challenge. Vakulinchuk and Matyushenko are the only sailors identified by name but they quest or challenge is not theirs alone. We do not follow their journey and we do not observe events through their eyes. Almost all the characters were introduced to contribute to the action, but they do not drive the action. Critics declared that Battleship Potemkin was pitched far above the intellectual level of most peasants but, like Strike before it, marked a major step in the progress of revolutionary cinema. Eisensteins forth feature length film was October (1927), made for the Tenth Anniversary celebrations of the Russian Revolution, depicts the build-up of the October Revolution, ending with the storming of the Winter Palace by the Bolsheviks. The movie demanded the audience to think in a critical and constructive manner about the important political issues by using intellectual montage. This can be seen in scene when Kerensky and general Kornilov, in which Eisenstein uses intercuts between these two men and the plaster cast figures of Napoleon. This exposes the vanity and the lack of power to form a separate identity. The film suffered for its unpopularity and bad distribution, but film historians consider it to be an immensely rich experience-a sweeping historical epic of vast scale, and a powerful testament to Eisensteins genius and artistry. The editing of motion pictures has been a focus for various theories of cinematic realism, where editing is usually rejected as manipulative and propagandistic. In place of editing, critics such as  Andrà © Bazin  have argued in favour of the  long take  where the action plays out without  continuity editing  or the manipulations of Soviet montage.

The Paradox of Heroism in Homer’s Iliad Essay -- Iliad essays

The Paradox of Heroism in Homer’s Iliad The Iliad presents a full range of valorous warriors: the Achaians Diomedes, Odysseus, and the Aiantes; the Trojans Sarpedon, Aeneas, and Glaukos. These and many others are Homer’s models of virtue in arms. Excelling all of them, however, are the epic’s two central characters, Achilleus, the son of Peleus and, Hector, the son of Priam. In these two, one finds the physical strength, intense determination, and strenuous drive that give them first place within their respective armies. Further, in their inner struggles they together present a complete archetype of the hero. The Homeric vision of the hero presents Achilleus and Hektor resolving the paradox of embodying the ideals of their communities and at the same time standing utterly apart from their fellow humans. This conflict between alienation from and integration with all of humankind first arises in the question of the heroes’ motives; this implies different choices of Other or Self, in which one finds i mplications for leadership and response to human fate, respectively. It is the struggle of interests and destinies—their own against their communities’—that takes them beyond the frame of ordinary human life. The basis for the heroes’ actions arises from the conflict between concern for self and concern for others—their egoistic and altruistic impulses. The former draws them to seek eternal glory for themselves, establishing a corpus of deeds that men will recount in song and story for generations. The latter places the safety and wholeness of the community as the highest cause, fulfilling the role of protector and preserver. While one first encounters Achilleus and Hektor formally fighting for someone else’s honor—Achill... ...or perfects this balance; that they experience both aspects of each self-combat brings them to the very limits of humanity. Moreover, each is made complete by the other, since each spurs the other to supreme glory and tests his resolve to attain greatness. The image of the final confrontation between Achilleus and Hektor crystallizes the heroes’ place in the natural order: even as they stand just beyond the walls of the city, so they stand just outside the gates to endless life. Though they cannot ultimately escape their deaths, they nevertheless journey farther than any man on the path to immortality in the present—experiencing humanity in its fullest degree, yet also touching the divine. NOTES 1. The author wishes to dedicate this essay to Mrs. Martin Luther King 2. Homer, Iliad, trans. Richard Lattimore (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1951). The Paradox of Heroism in Homer’s Iliad Essay -- Iliad essays The Paradox of Heroism in Homer’s Iliad The Iliad presents a full range of valorous warriors: the Achaians Diomedes, Odysseus, and the Aiantes; the Trojans Sarpedon, Aeneas, and Glaukos. These and many others are Homer’s models of virtue in arms. Excelling all of them, however, are the epic’s two central characters, Achilleus, the son of Peleus and, Hector, the son of Priam. In these two, one finds the physical strength, intense determination, and strenuous drive that give them first place within their respective armies. Further, in their inner struggles they together present a complete archetype of the hero. The Homeric vision of the hero presents Achilleus and Hektor resolving the paradox of embodying the ideals of their communities and at the same time standing utterly apart from their fellow humans. This conflict between alienation from and integration with all of humankind first arises in the question of the heroes’ motives; this implies different choices of Other or Self, in which one finds i mplications for leadership and response to human fate, respectively. It is the struggle of interests and destinies—their own against their communities’—that takes them beyond the frame of ordinary human life. The basis for the heroes’ actions arises from the conflict between concern for self and concern for others—their egoistic and altruistic impulses. The former draws them to seek eternal glory for themselves, establishing a corpus of deeds that men will recount in song and story for generations. The latter places the safety and wholeness of the community as the highest cause, fulfilling the role of protector and preserver. While one first encounters Achilleus and Hektor formally fighting for someone else’s honor—Achill... ...or perfects this balance; that they experience both aspects of each self-combat brings them to the very limits of humanity. Moreover, each is made complete by the other, since each spurs the other to supreme glory and tests his resolve to attain greatness. The image of the final confrontation between Achilleus and Hektor crystallizes the heroes’ place in the natural order: even as they stand just beyond the walls of the city, so they stand just outside the gates to endless life. Though they cannot ultimately escape their deaths, they nevertheless journey farther than any man on the path to immortality in the present—experiencing humanity in its fullest degree, yet also touching the divine. NOTES 1. The author wishes to dedicate this essay to Mrs. Martin Luther King 2. Homer, Iliad, trans. Richard Lattimore (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1951).

The novel, Fahrenheit 451 reflects Ray Bradbury’s concern for decline of individual thought among his society

The novel, Fahrenheit 451 reflects Ray Bradbury's concern for decline of individual thought among his society. According to Captain Beatty, the head of the fire station â€Å"technology, mass exploitation, and minority pressure carried the trick† of replacing independent thought with conformity and finally leading to censorship (Bradbury, 58). Bradbury wants readers to notice these potential hazards in his fictional world and to beware of them in their own society. Technology in Fahrenheit 451 and today is seen as a great threat to individual thought. Even though the society that Bradbury depicts in the novel is very extreme, it warns the reader of the dangers of technology. Mildred, Montag's wife is taken over by the media and escapes form her life through the modern technologies. According to Clarisse, people no longer think or talk about anything important, â€Å"No, not anything. They name a lot of cars or swimming pools mostly and say how swell. But they all say the same things and nobody says anything different from anyone else† (Bradbury, 31). Similarly today many have turned into mindless human beings by sitting in front of the television or computer. The fast cars, loud music, advertisements and other forms of technological advances have created a lifestyle with too much stimulation in which no one has the time to think. (http://www. sparknotes. com/lit/451/themes. html) For example, Beatty explains that when zippers replace buttons â€Å"a man lacks just that much time to think while dressing at dawn† (Bradbury, 57) In Fahrenheit 451 minority pressure plays an important role in the decline of individual thought. This issue is still relevant today. For instance various pressure groups' campaigns against sex and violence on television or hard rock music have great influence on the types of programs and music people watch and listen to. Beatty explains to Montag that in the past pressure groups were influential in ending free expression, which eventually allowed the government to begin censoring its citizen. â€Å"Bigger the population, the more minorities. Don't step on the toes of the dog lovers, cat lovers, doctors, lawyers, merchants, chiefs, Mormons, Baptists, Unitarians, second-generation Chinese, Swedes, Italians, Germans, Texans†¦ (Bradbury, 57). Despite the obvious role of minority pressure in the decline of thought, the novel suggests mass exploitation to be the more serious problem. While minority pressure comes from a few members of the public, exploitation comes from the majority of the population. â€Å"Publishers, exploiters, broadcasters† sense the public's desire for relaxation and pleasure and exploit mindless types of entertainment for profit (http://ipl. ulis. ac. jp:8001/cgi-bin/ref/litcrit/litcrit. out. pl? ti=fah-198. This suggests that even more dangerous than the pressure groups is the public's desire for comfort and pleasure. Beatty's discussion of minority pressure is very explicit and clear however, his discussion of mass exploitation is more implicit and is scattered through ten pages. Mass exploitation speeds up the decline of thought even more directly than minority pressure. While pressure groups may manipulate people to avoid gaining knowledge, entertainment provides an alternative to any difficult thought (http://www. pinkmonkey. om/booknotes/monkeynotes. com) The types of entertainment exploited in Fahrenheit 451 are only produced for the public's relaxation and pleasure. The simplification of intellectual challenges and use of drugs are the most basic kinds of exploitation in the novel, which are still common in today's society. Beatty explains that intellectually challenging works were made easier so that they would appeal to a larger audience. This is similar to the way Hollywood producers have produced many simplified motion pictures of famous pieces of literature. Films like Romeo and Juliet and Gone with the Wind are more appealing to the new generation than reading the work itself. Another type of thought destroying mass exploitation in Fahrenheit 451 as well as the real world is the common drug use. When Mildred, overdoses by taking too much sleeping peels the medics, who replace her blood tell Montag, â€Å"We get these cases nine or ten a night. Got so many, starting a few years ago, we had the special machines built† (Bradbury, 15), which suggests that use of drugs is common. It is obvious to see that Bradbury recognizes drugs as a threat to individual thought. Montag smokes early on in the novel (Bradbury, 24), but as he becomes wiser his habit disappears, which shows that smoking was partially responsible for his ignorance in the beginning. Fahrenheit 451 demonstrates the author's extreme sensitivity to any attempts of restricting freedom of expression. He uses a dystopian setting to warn people of the dangers of technology, mass exploitation, and minority pressure and considers them as threats to individual thought. Moreover, Fahrenheit 451 is an excellent social critique novel, which contributes to positive changes in society.

Macbeth Essays (733 words) - Characters In Macbeth, Free Essays

Macbeth Essays (733 words) - Characters In Macbeth, Free Essays Macbeth The story Macbeth took place in Scotland. Macbeth was a well respected warrior, also highly respected by Duncan the king. He later meets 3 witches and they give him 3 prophecies and both of them come true right away except for the one that he is to be king. So Macbeth makes this happen for him by killing Duncan in his sleep while he was staying at his castle for the night. Macbeth does a good job of hiding this from the others. No one would have ever suspected him. Macbeth is then crowned king Banquo starts to suspect him of Duncan?s murder. But doesn?t tell anyone. In return Macbeth was more of the contributor to his own downfall, rather than Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth contributed to Macbeth?s downfall when she first convinces him to kill Duncan. She tells him If you do not do this for me u are not man enough and I will no longer love you. She basically cohersed him into doing it, he wasn?t going to do it at first but she convinced him to. After he has killed duncan he is in total shock and comes back to her with the bloody daggers still in his hands and covered in blood himself. She tells him " a little water will wash us of this deed." In actuality water won?t wash this deed away. In the end Lady Macbeth ends up going nuts over the whole killing Duncan incident and ends up dyeing. In the scene where it shows her gong crazy, she starts talking of the murder unknowingly. The doctor and her nurse are listening. This could have been harmful to Macbeth if they had said anything to anyone else about it. All of this contributed to Macbeth?s downfall because she just forced him into doing something he wasn?t to sure of. Lady Macbeth was a bi g factor in the downfall. Macbeth contributed to his own downfall because first of he went ahead and killed Duncan, even though Lady Macbeth told him to still he had a choice not to or to. He decided to chose the path of evil and destruction. After he found out he could get away with killing Duncan and not even being suspected, he thought he could get away with anything. So sooner or later Banquo is "friend" shows signs of suspicion, so while him and his son are on a horse ride, Macbeth hires 3 murderers to kill Fleance and Banquo. They succeed in only killing Banquo and Fleance escapes. Macbeth gets very upset by this. Later that night during his feast in his new castle, Banquo?s ghost makes an appearance just for Macbeth only. He gets so scared he almost starts confessing to the murders of Duncan and Banquo, he lets to many suspicions arise in peoples minds. He also notices that Macduff is not present at the dinner and becomes very suspicious and finds out that he has flee to England to meet with one of Dun can?s sons to get an army together to defeat Macbeth. So Macbeth?s reaction to this is to kill of Macduffs hole family, and everyone in his home at the time servants everything. People then start to realize that Macbeth has become somewhat savage. He starts to show no remorse and emotions. Macbeth was the main factor to his downfall due to all of these factors. He just started to say hey I can do what I want and no one will ever know but in the end this just causes his downfall and ultimately his death. Over all it is felt that Macbeth has caused his own downfall not Lady Macbeth. Macbeth is his own person and makes his own decisions, no one else can decide things for you. So if u make a decision to commit murder and treason against your king u are bound to be killed when it is found out that you have committed it. Macbeth payees the ultimate price, with his life, for his stupidity. Lady Macbeth didn?t really have much to do with his choices or views much after Duncan?s murder. He was thinking evil on his own, and action upon impulse?s. Macbeth was the only one responsible, there

Most Popular World Religions

Most Popular World Religions While there are and have been hundreds of religions and spiritual beliefs across the globe the major faiths practiced by the majority of people on Earth can be broken down into a few major groups. Even within these groups different sects and types of religious  practices exist. Southern Baptists  and Roman Catholics are both considered Christian even though their  religious practices differ greatly.   Abrahamic  Religions Three of the worlds most dominant religions are considered to be the Abrahamic religions. They are named such because of each claiming descent from the ancient Israelites  and follow the God of Abraham. In order of founding the Abrahamic religions are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.   Most Popular Religious   Christianity:  with 2,116,909,552  members (which includes 1,117,759,185 Roman Catholics, 372,586,395 Protestants, 221,746,920 Orthodox, and 81,865,869 Anglicans). Christians make up almost thirty percent of the global population. The religion arose from Judaism in the first century. Its followers believe Jesus Christ was the son of God and the Messhia for told of in the Old Testament. There are three major sects of Christianity: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism.  Islam:  with 1,282,780,149 members worldwide believers of Islam are referred to as Muslims. While Islam is very popular in the Middle East one does not need to be Arabic to be Muslim. The largest Muslim nation is actually Indonesia. Followers of Islam believe that there is only one God (Allah) and Mohamed is his last messenger. Contrary to media portrayals Islam is not a violent religion. There are two primary sects of Islam, Sunni, and Shia.  Ã‚  Hinduism: There are 856,690,863 Hindus in th e world. It is one of the oldest religions and is practiced mostly in India and South East Asia. Some consider Hinduism to be a religion while others view it as a spiritual practice or way of life. A prominent belief in Hinduism is the belief in Purusartha  or the object of human pursuit. The four  Purusarthas  are dharma (righteousness), Artha (prosperity), kama (love) and moksa (liberation).   Buddism: Has 381,610,979 followers worldwide. Like Hinduism, Buddhism is another religion that can also be a spiritual practice. It also originates from India. Buddism shares the Hindu believe in dharma. There are three branches of Buddism: Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. Many Buddist seeks enlightenment or liberation from suffering.  Sikh: this Indian religion has 25,139,912 which is impressive because it doesnt generally seek converts. A seek is defined as one who any human being who faithfully believes in One Immortal Being; ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh; Guru Granth Sahib; the teachings of the ten Gurus and the baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru. Because this religion has strong ethnic ties, some see it as more of an ethnicity than simply a religion.  Judaism:  is the smallest of the Abrahamic religions with  14,826,102 members. Like Sikhs, they are also an ethnoreligious group. Followers of Judaism are known as Jews. There are many different branc hes of Judaism, but the most popular ones are currently: Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative.   Other Beliefs:  While most of the world follows one of the several religions 814,146,396 people believe in smaller religions. 801,898,746 consider themselves to be non-religious and 152,128,701 are an atheist who does not believe in any form of Higher being.

Quality Improvement Project Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Quality Improvement Project - Coursework Example There is the need to have clear aims of improvement, ways of monitoring the progress, as well as the willingness among all the clinicians to implement changes whenever evidence is presented. For this to be achieved Clinicians should lead in the health care reforms and avoid being destructed or driven by the existing regulations, payments or otherwise fear of the unknown. There are tools and methods that can help the clinicians to work together in studying the practice issues to help them arrive at agreed upon method. One of the nurse-sensitive indicator that clinicians should consider as a means to implementing changes in health care services is the Dengue Fever infections, which is one of the break bone fever. The dengue fever is among the known infectious tropical diseases brought about by the dengue virus (WHO, 1997). Dengue disease is among the emerging infectious diseases that has been posing threats to the human population commonly in blood transfusion recipients. It is current ly an expanding problem in both the tropical, as well as subtropical regions (Knoop, 2010). On the global scale, it is the most frequent arbiviral infectious disease, estimated at 100 million cases for dengue fever yearly, 300,000 cases for dengue hermorrhagic, and about 30,000 deaths annually (Gubler, 2010). The infections for Dengue virus are reported in more than one hundred countries, with estimated 2.5 billion people living in dengue endemic areas. It has been reported that Dengue cases commonly occur among the international travelers (Chen, 2010). It has, therefore, emerged to be a major concern for the international public health. Dengue disease is transmitted by some mosquito species in the genus Aedes. Some of the symptoms of dengue fever include pains of the muscles and joints, fever, and headaches. It is characterized by the skin rash resembling measles rushes (Chen, 2010). The disease might develop into dengue hemorrhage fever, which is life-threatening and this might le ad to bleeding, low blood pressures and plasma leakages (Suharyono, 2007). So far, there is no known developed vaccine for the disease. Prevention of the disease is, therefore, sought through the reduction of the habitat and the mosquitoes, as well as limiting exposures to the mosquito bites. The environment that aggravates the occurrence of dengue infections include the mosquito prone environments such as tropical warm regions, bushy areas that favor mosquito breeding, and other conducive mosquito favoring conditions (Wolff, & Johnson, 2009). For the past ten years, incidences of dengue fever have dramatically increased in Villas de Trujillo. Reported cases range from five thousands to ten thousands per year in Villas de Trujillo area alone. This paper explores the planning of a Dengue Community Action Program, which is meant to reduce the rising cases of Dengue infections in Villas de Trujillo. The paper involves examining of the authentic workplace quality improvement need for th e residents of Villas de Trujillo using data to support Dengue community Action Program, applying the quality improvement model in the identified need, determining members of the quality improvement team, and identifying a leader who would champion the quality improvement initiative. To address the issues listed above, the paper is segmented into five parts. Part one involves clearly

Choose a topic from your personal knowledge and experience Essay

Choose a topic from your personal knowledge and experience - Essay Example The most important thing when learning English as a second language is to learn to be a good listener. Effective listening is very important since it helps you to understand some of the words and concepts that may appear challenging. I have realised that when you carefully listen to others, you may be in a position to quickly understand what they are trying to say. When you listen carefully, you are also able to ask questions to the speaker so that he or she may explain the points that you may require clarification. I have also observed that if you are a good listener, mutual understanding is likely to be created with the person you are communicating with. If there is mutual understanding between the two parties involved, it is quite easy to exchange information. From my own experience, I have observed my level of understanding of different terms has significantly improved following the adoption of this strategy. I can now easily understand the main subject of discussion without aski ng the speaker to repeat what he or she has said. The other important point I must emphasize in this particular case is that you should not shun the way of behaviour of the people in the host country if you are an international student. This can only create hostility and it is counterproductive. Therefore, I have noted that you must be as cooperative as much as possible in order to avoid conflicts of interest. If you treat other people as important, there are likely chances of learning quickly their culture as well as language. From my own perspective, I have rapidly developed cordial relationships with other students than I ever anticipated. When you are learning English as a second language, I have realised that learning by observing other people is very effective in as far as acquiring new knowledge is concerned. One important thing I