Method For EAP Essay

Method For EAP Essay Method For EAP Essay Methodology This survey was conducted by means of a written questionnaire. The goal was to find out the view of suicide in Sheffield’s citizens and the attitude which people think can prevent or reduce the suicide. This questionnaire included 11 questions of different styles from which the most of these questions was sat as a multiple choice answer basis. Numbers of respondents come from different countries were 40, some of their age from 18 to 21. The questionnaire focused on individual attitude question, such as â€Å"what do you think is the main cause of suicide† and how to prevent or reduce the suicide. The survey did not limit the target group to a particular group, for example age, gender; this option can help the questionnaire’s data more reality. The survey was beginning in Sheffield Hallam University. In total 40 people were interviewed. Answers from people of all age groups were received. The sample of 40 people’s data was very clear, but this cannot be see n a reliable and general opinion data. Also the survey concluded two open questions; this means that some of results are not impersonal. The reason is different people had different kinds of feeling on one thing. Nevertheless, the data achieved through the survey provides an interesting insight into the view of why people wants to suicide and how prevent or reduce the suicide happened. (227 words) Results and discussion At first, the survey was beginning to find out the main reason which can reflect people to think suicide. The questions 1 to 3 were aimed to discover the basic information from the respondents; the answers were included according to 3 areas – age, gender and nationality. These three basic questions would help other analyze other questions’ result more accurately and effectively. According to these data and combine to question 4 and 5’s data (Fig.1), among the younger respondents, most of them (35%) indicated psychologist problems were the main cause of suicide; in this data there were 7 females and 7 males chose this answer. (20%) of respondents also showed family breakdown or conflicts were the second cause of suicide. And 6 females and 2 males chose that answer. Family breakdown can lead people become chaotic then think some horrible things. The third cause of suicide which respondents considered was drugs (18%). In term of ages, most res pondents believed young person (21-40) are the most numerous suicide. Among these data, it can be concluded that main reason for people thinking of suicide is psychologist problems thank by most of people. According to the gender, both male and female were sensitive on psychologist problems. Secondly, the Fig.2, Fig.3 and Fig.4 display that two genders’ different ideas about the suicide. From Fig.2, we found that majority (63%) considered life is important both female and male, they had never thought to a suicide. But the other group (37%) showed that they ever think to kill themselves. These data results can be seem nowadays people began to attaches great importance to suicide and they have positive and clear values on suicide. (BBC NEWS, 2013) Different gender has different kinds of thinking on suicide’s reason; on females’ side in Fig.3, they through females would consider the suicide easier than males (9 respondents). Among these data results, the most reasons showed from the answer were female can be become weakness on psychology in a breeze; sometimes pressure in life would let females feel low confidence in society or in home. On the hand Fig.4 (males’ side), the result was another story which was different from Fig.3, they thank males would think suicide easy. For example, the social stress and family pressure were the main cause influence males’ mode of through. But reasons of suicide had the higher similarity if compared Fig.4 and Fig.3. This showed reasons which were similar and difference. Similarity differences Females AND Males Social and family

Definition and Examples of Linguists

Definition and Examples of Linguists A linguist is a specialist in linguisticsthat is, the study of language. Also known as a  linguistic scientist or a linguistician. Linguists examine the structures of languages and the principles that underlie those structures. They study human speech as well as written documents. Linguists are not necessarily polyglots (i.e., people who speak many different languages). Examples and Observations Some believe that a linguist is a person who speaks several languages fluently. Others believe that linguists are language experts who can help you decide whether it is better to say It is I or It is me. Yet it is quite possible to be a professional linguist (and an excellent one at that) without having taught a single language class, without having interpreted at the UN, and without speaking any more than one language.What is linguistics, then? Fundamentally, the field is concerned with the nature of language and (linguistic) communication.(Adrian Akmajian, Richard Demerts, Ann Farmer, and Robert Harnish, Linguistics: An Introduction to Language and Communication. MIT Press, 2001)Subfields of Linguistics- Linguists spend their time studying what language is and what it does. Different linguists study language in different ways. Some study the design features that the grammars of all the worlds languages share. Some study the differences among languages. Some linguists focus on struc ture, others on meaning. Some study language in the head, some study language in society.(James Paul Gee, Literacy and Education. Routledge, 2015)- Linguists study many facets of language: how sounds are produced and heard in physical acts of speech, conversational interaction, the different uses of language by men and women and different social classes, the relation of language to the functions of the brain and memory, how languages develop and change, and the uses of language by machines to store and reproduce language.(William Whitla, The English Handbook. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010) Linguists as Scientists- Like a biologist studying the structure of cells, a linguist studies the structure of language: how speakers create meaning through combinations of sounds, words, and sentences that ultimately result in textsextended stretches of language (e.g. a conversation between friends, a speech, an article in a newspaper). Like other scientists, linguists examine their subject matterlanguageobjectively. They are not interested in evaluating good versus bad uses of language, in much the same manner that a biologist does not examine cells with the goal of determining which are pretty and which are ugly.(Charles F. Meyer, Introducing English Linguistics. Cambridge University Press, 2010)- The  important point to remember about the complex sets of relationships and rules known as phonology, syntax, and semantics is that they are all involved in the modern linguists approach to describing the grammar of a language.(Marian R. Whitehead, Language Literacy in the Early Year s 0-7. Sage, 2010) Ferdinand de Saussure on the System of a LanguageThe pioneer linguist Ferdinand de Saussure criticized scholars who studied the history of a part of a language, dissociated from the whole to which it belongs. He insisted that linguists should study the complete system of a language at some point in time, and then examine how the entire system changes over time. Saussures pupil Antoine Meillet (1926: 16) is responsible for the aphorism: une langue constitue un systà ¨me complexe de moyens dexpression, systà ¨me oà ¹ tout se tient (a language makes up a complex system of means of expression, a system in which everything holds together). Scientific linguistics who produce comprehensive grammars of languages naturally follow this tenet. (Proponents of formal theories, who look at isolated bits of language for some particular issue, naturally contravene this fundamental principle.)(R. M. W. Dixon, Basic Linguistic Theory Volume 1: Methodology. Oxford University Press, 2009) Pronunciation: LING-gwist

Unit 2 Bus Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 2 Bus - Assignment Example This is useful in enhancing a student’s problem solving skills and allows them to engage in relevant and related discussions with classmates and professors (Ronstadt, 2004). For the purpose of paper I will write on the additional insight gained in relation to Hill and Jones book, specifically analyzing a case study. According to Hill & Jones, a case study offers a suitable way to examine how a companys past policy and configuration influence it in the present and to chart the critical incidents in its history that is, the events that were the most unusual or the most vital for its development into the company it is at present (2013). Some of the events have to do with its naissance, how it makes new product market decisions, and its initial products. It could also revolve around how it developed and chose functional strong points to pursue. Its shifts in its main lines of business and entrance into new businesses are also important milestones to consider. Identifying the companys internal strengths and weaknesses is also important because once the historical outline is completed; one can commence to the SWOT analysis. It is necessary to use all the incidents that have been charted to come up with an report of the companys strengths and weaknesses as they have unfolded historically (Ronstadt, 2004). An important aspect of case analysis is to examine each of the value creation functions of the company, and identify the functions in which the company is currently strong and currently weak. Some companies might be weak in promotion; some might be strong in research and development. A case analysis makes lists of these strengths and weaknesses (Hill & Jones, 2013). A case analysis also makes use of financial ratios for the purpose of financial analysis. According to Hill and Jones, a quality case analysis is that which offers a well thought analysis of the

Building Lasting Customer Loyalty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Building Lasting Customer Loyalty - Essay Example The variable that drives customer loyalty the most is price. A company that has been able to build tremendous customer loyalty because they offer better price than the competition is Wal-Mart. A lot of customer supports private label brands because they offer greater value than national brands. The quality of the product is another important variable when a company is trying to build customer loyalty. Customers are willing to pay more for products of higher quality. Three additional variables that drive customer loyalty are location, selection, and service. Companies that are able to achieve customer loyalty obtain lower customer switching, increased profitability, and great word of mouth advertising. Six key elements of customer loyalty are: a) build on the foundation of a brand; b) use price to communicate a fair value; c) engage customers with great customer experience; d) recognize good customers; e) reciprocate customer loyalty; f) build intimate relationship with best customers (Bradner, 2007). If your customer has a business that offers items that your company uses it is a good idea to purchase from them to support the business of a client that is providing you with revenues. Marketers must pay close attention to their top customers to ensure customer retention of these key clients. Four types of loyalty tactics are price, experience, programmatic, and relationship loyalty. In the airline industry a company that has had success by offering low fares is RyanAir. s. Programmatic loyalty provides companies with discount and tcalled BK rewards that offers its customers a 5% credit towards the purchase of future food items. In the service industry having a good brand experience is very important to achieve a higher level of customer retention. Chapter 21 Summary The business world has become more interconnected than ever due to faster communication, transportation, and financial flows. The story of Red Bull is a great example of a company that was able to suc ceed in the foreign markets. Today Red Bull has penetrated over 100 countries worldwide. Corporations hold most of the wealth of the world. There are 200 companies that have more money than a quarter of the world’s countries. In 2003 international trade accounted for one-quarter of the U.S. GDP. A global industry is an industry in which the strategic positions of competitors of major geographic or national markets are affected by the overall global position. An example of a global industry is petroleum due to the fact that the majority of the automobile worldwide are powered by gasoline. A global firm is a firm that operates in more than one country. Five major decisions in international marketing are: 1) deciding whether to go abroad; 2) deciding which markets to enter; 3) deciding how to enter the market; 4) deciding on the marketing program; 5) deciding on the marketing organization. Many international markets offer opportunities to achieve higher profitability than the do mestic market in which the companies operate. Expanding into international market allow companies to achieve economies of scale. It also helps companies reduce their dependency on one market. When a company gets attack by international competition a good strategic option is to counterattack by penetrating the domestic market of the international competition. Prior to penetrating a foreign location companies must identify the risk involved with the decision. The company might not understand the foreign nation business culture. The regulation of the country must be understood prior to establishing a presence in a location. For example the environmental laws of the country might impose additional cost the company was not incurring in its domestic marketplace. The four

Why And When To Use Shell Scripts Essay Example for Free

Why And When To Use Shell Scripts Essay Use the Internet and the ITT Tech Virtual Library to research shell scripts and answer the following question: What is a shell script? What are the advantages of using shell scripts? What are the common usages of Windows PowerShell? A shell script is a computer program designed to be run by the shell of an operating system such as Unix. The various dialects of shell scripts are considered to be scripting languages. The advantages of shell scripts are: Shortcuts – provides a convenient variation of a system command where special environment settings, command options, or post-processing apply automatically, but in a way that allows the new script to still act as a fully normal shell command. Batch Jobs – allow several commands that would be entered manually at a command-line interface to be executed automatically, and without having to wait for a user to trigger each stage of the sequence. Generalization – Instead of each item being listed within the script, the item is provided on a command line and the shell uses loops, tests and variables to take those items and perform a simple task. PowerShell is a Microsoft Windows tool used to create scripts used in place of the command-line tool. PowerShell uses cmdlets which are specialized commands that implement specific functions which in turn perform a single or multiple tasks.

Foreshadowing in Wuthering Heights :: essays research papers

Foreshadowing in Wuthering Heights Foreshadowing is a very common literary device used in classic literature. It gives a yearning of what may come ahead and an intriguing tie from the present to the past and vice versa. To foreshadow is â€Å"to shadow or characterize beforehand† (Webster’s Dictionary). Wuthering Heights as a whole serves as a large-scale example of this foreshadowing effect and it contains many other examples within it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first half of the book, Emily Bronte gives the account of the foundational characters, the first generation. The account is given in a diverse way, it is stated as from the eyes of an outside observer with an inside scoop named Nelly Dean. Nelly had lived in both Thrushcross range and Wuthering Heights and had a first hand account of all that had happened in their inhabitants’ life. The actions and decisions of the first generation were also very eminent in their descendants; they both had their share in heartache and disaster. Though the same mistakes were not made they suffered just the same. The fact that Heathcliff never rectified his relationship with Catherine and all the others he hurt the hurt carried on down the family line.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The repetition of events was revealed in everything that occurred. The way that the first generation was treated was how they treated the next. For example Heathcliff’s deprivation of Hareton repeats Hindley’s deprivation of Healthcliff. Even the first Catherine shows this, she mocked Joseph’s earnest evangelical zeal and soon so did her offspring. It is even said that Heathcliff trying to â€Å"open† Catherine’s grave was repeated. All things were â€Å"predicted† and eminent of reoccurring in the future. The foreshadowing device was also used yet another time, to explain the basis of the whole story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the time of Heathcliff and Catherine’s journey through turmoil many things were said. Often when you are in a fit of rage or a time of passion you say things and some are meant and others are not. Emily Bronte to advantage of that fact. Through the many pieces of dialogue found in the story between Catherine and Heathcliff there was one thing said amidst it all that was meant and prevailed through the story. Heathcliff in a fight cursed Catherine’s soul to haunt him until he died and Mr. Lockwood saw that ghost and the ghost ended up haunting Heathcliff to insanity and eventually death. Bronte gave us that foretelling to intrigue us to see the depth of the relationship that Catherine and Heathcliff had shared, Heathcliff cursed her and Catherine carried it out until revenge was achieved.

The Role of Input and Interaction in Sla

The role of input and interaction in SLA Terminology input –any language directed at the learner intake –the portion of input that learners notice and therefore take into temporary memory. Intake may subsequently be accommodated in the learner’s interlanguage system (become part of long-term memory). However, not all intake is so accommodated. output –what the learner produces (spoken & written language) and how much he understands from the input input > intake > output views on the role of input: ? behaviourist There is a direct relationship between input and output. Acquisition is believed to be controlled by external factors, and the learner is viewed as a passive medium. They ignore the internal processing that takes place in learner’s mind. Input consists of: ? stimuli – with stimuli, the person speaking to the learner  models specific linguistic forms  which the learner internalizes by  imitating  them   ? feedback – it takes the form of positive reinforcement or correction. The possibility of shaping L2 acquisition by manipulating input to provide appropriate stimuli and adequate feedback mentalist They emphasize the importance of the learner’s ‘black box’. Input is still seen as essential for L2 acquisition, but it is only a ‘trigger’ that starts internal language processing. Learners have innate knowledge of the possible forms that any single language can take and use the information supplied by the input to arrive at the forms that apply in the case of the L2 they are trying to learn. Input is insufficient to enable learners to arrive at the rules of the target language. ? interactionist ognitive interactionist Acquisition is a product of the interaction of the linguistic environment and the learners’ internal mechanisms, with neither viewed as primary. Input has a determining function in language acquisition, but only within constraints imposed by the learner’s internal mechanisms. social interactionist Verbal interaction is crucial for language learning as it helps to make the ‘facts’ of the L2 salient to the learner. comprehensible input (Krashen 1981) – Input is a major causative factor in L2 acquisition Learners progress along the natural order by understanding input that contains structures a little bit beyond their current level of competence (i+1) – Comprehensible input is necessary to acquisition to take place, but it is not sufficient – learners need encouragement to ‘let in’ the in put they comprehend – Input becomes comprehensible as a result of simplification and with the help of contextual and extralinguistic clues – Fine-tuning (= provision of the linguistic features which the learners is ready to acquire next and using them, opposite: rough-tuning) is not necessary – Speaking is the result of acquisition, not its cause, learner production does not contribute directly to acquisition input and intake. Input refers to what is available to the learner, whereas intake refers to what is actually internalized (or, in Corder’s terms, â€Å"taken in†) by the learner. Anyone who has been in a situation of learning a second/foreign language is familiar with the situation in which the language one hears is totally incomprehensible, to the extent that it may not even be possible to separate the stream of speech into words. Whereas this is input, because it is available to the learner, it is not intake, because it â€Å"goes in one ear and out the other†; it is not integrated into the current learner-language system. This sort of input appears to serve no greater purpose for the learner than does that language that is never heard. Conceptually, one can think of the input as that language (in both spoken and written forms) to which the learner is exposed If there is a natural order of acquisition, how is it that learners move from one point to another? The Input Hypothesis provides the answer. Second languages are acquired â€Å"by understanding messages, or by receiving ‘comprehensible input’ † (Krashen, 1985, p. 2). Krashen defined â€Å"comprehensible input† in a particular way. Essentially, comprehensible input is that bit of language that is heard/read and that is slightly ahead of a learner’s current state of grammatical knowledge. Language containing structures a learner already knows essentially serves no purpose in acquisition. Similarly, language containing structures way ahead of a learner’s current knowledge is not useful. A learner does not have the ability to â€Å"do† anything with those structures. Krashen defined a learner’s current state of knowledge as i and the next stage as i + 1. Thus the input a learner is exposed to must be at the i + 1 level in order for it to be of use in terms of acquisition. â€Å"We move from i, our current level to i + 1, the next level along the natural order, by understanding input containing i + 1† In Krashen’s view, the Input Hypothesis is central to all of acquisition and also has implications for the classroom. a Speaking is a result of acquisition and not its cause. Speech cannot be taught directly but â€Å"emerges† on its own as a result of building competence via comprehensible input. b If input is understood, and there is enough of it, the necessary grammar is automatically provided. The language teacher need not attempt deliberately to teach the next structure along the natural order—it will be provided in just the right quantities and automatically reviewed if the student receives a sufficient amount of comprehensible input. there are numerous difficulties with the concept. First, the hypothesis itself is not specific as to how to define levels of knowledge. Thus, if we are to validate this hypothesis, we must know how to define a particular level (say, level 1904) so that we can know whether the input contains linguistic level 1905 and, if so, whether the learner, as a result, moves to level 1905. Krashen only stated that â€Å"We acquire by understanding language that contains structure a bit beyond our current level of competence (i + 1). This is done with the help of context or extralinguistic information† (1982, p. 21). Second is the issue of quantity. Krashen states that there has to be sufficient quantity of the appropriate input. But what is sufficient quantity? How do we know whether the quantity is sufficient or not? One token, two tokens, 777 tokens? And, perhaps the quantity necessary for change depends on developmental level, or how ready the learner is to acquire a new form. Third, how does extralinguistic information aid in actual acquisition, or internalization of a linguistic rule, if by â€Å"understanding† Krashen meant understanding at the level of meaning (see below and chapter 14 for a different interpretation of understanding)? We may be able to understand something that is beyond our grammatical knowledge, but how does that translate into grammatical acquisition?

Personnel Policies Essay

Implementing high standard personnel policies are highly important in setting out rules and regulations that will dictate how employees will go about conducting organizational practices and operations. Aside from this purpose, personnel policies serve as guides to monitor the compliance of personnel to set rules and regulations. The content of personnel policies being implemented for compliance is broad. Its scope covers accepted organizational practices and operations that are framed within the context of the organization’s mission, goals, and objectives, ethical standards and guidelines including corporate social responsibilities, the job description, rules and regulations in carrying out the job description, necessary information that falls to an individual’s role in the company (Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, 2008) (i. e. alary, rules of termination, rules in asking for resignation, dress code, good manners and conduct in dealing with clients and leaders of the organization, the work schedule, rules and requirements in filing for a leave of absence, acceptable reasons for leaves of absence, etc. ) (NMML, 2007) With this in mind, personnel policies then become a regulating factor ensuring that employees uphold organizational goals and objectives. Aside from this, personnel policies identify the rights and duties of employees. (Minnesota Council for Nonprofits, 2008) For instance, if an employee sees the reason for the organization to raise his wages for sensible and accepted reasons, then he will be given a chance to make a plea to the leaders of the organization if the personnel policy allows this action. Another example of a right that the personnel policy can grant employees is the right to fight discrimination in the workplace. Whether it is discrimination motivated by gender bias (when a male superior harasses a female employee), cultural bias (being deprived of employee benefits because of one’s race), or any other biases not accepted by societal norms and mores, employees will be given the right under the personnel policy to take action in order to counter discrimination in the work environment. Other aspects of personnel policies that are critical to the success of the organization include how tasks and responsibilities will be delegated to personnel or staff members according to their capacity to accomplish them, the planning and implementation phases of employee training, and securing the interest of the organization as well as the employees by setting rules that are agreeable to both of them. Moreover, personnel policies seem to set a consistent and trustworthy organization because it enables them to have a guide where all business practices, operations, rewards system, policy-making steps, etc. are based on without having to argue about other aspects of these processes because personnel policies clearly provide a firm and long-existing ground. (Khungar, 2005) In the case of human resources management, the training of newly-hired employees will be based on personnel policies. With the aforementioned purpose of personnel policies to the hiring process, the human resources department ensures that all applicants that will be hired meet the standards of the organization and are willing to contribute to the accomplishment of organizational goals and objectives. This highly influences the cost of training newly-hired employees because it cuts down the required funds for conducting training-related programs. This is so because hiring is based on high standard personnel policies that ensure employees will not need to undergo strict and highly demanding training for their respective jobs. (McNamara, 2008) The pre-employment phase is the most critical factor of hiring and recruiting. It is a decisive factor that will dictate whether the organization will be well on its way to accomplish its goals and objectives because the kind of employees that the organization will be hiring will determine whether business practices and operations will be carried out by them successfully. Therefore human resources departments make sure that the pre-employment phase is thoroughly monitored and evaluated. Choosing from a diverse population of applicants is difficult because the HR department needs to make sure that the people they will be hiring meets the requirements of the organization as well as the position being called for as it is related to its great contribution to the success of the organization. During the pre-employment process, personnel policies exist to guide the hiring process. Personnel policies are laid out for applicants who will be potentially hired by the organizations. These personnel policies will determine whether applicants are able to meet the requirements set by it. For instance, part of the personnel policy is the salary for a particular position in the organization. Laying out the salary will help the applicant decide whether to take the job or not, and the organization to decide whether to hire the applicant or not in terms of his agreeable behavior towards the set salary. Aside from this reason, personnel policies also ensure that only the best of the applicants will be hired for their engagement and contribution to the success of the organization. Primarily, the records of the applicant will be screened, with regards to financial records, employment records, employment behavior in previous work, academic achievements, related experiences, criminal records, etc. This is to ensure that the applicant the organization will hire will not jeopardize the future of the organization. For instance, an applicant with drug addiction problems might hamper the growth and development of the organization because of his inability to be productive in the work place. Upholding personnel policies as directed by the goals and objectives of the organization will tell the human resources department that is responsible for hiring and recruiting to not employ the applicant to the organization because of his personal aspects that are proven to be a hindrance to organizational success. Overall, personnel policies are not only implemented within the organization for the compliance of its employees or staff members. It is also a critical determinant in the hiring and recruitment process. In conclusion, personnel policies should be framed within the context of highest standards to ensure that members of the organization and potential recruits will meet organizational standards and guidelines for its efficient accomplishment of its mission, goals and objectives.

Writing a Literature Essay A Complete Guide

Writing a Literature Essay A Complete Guide Although upon entering college, most students are already familiar with essay writing in general and literature essay writing in particular, many of them don’t realize that what is understood under this term on this academic level is quite different from those informal, fairly freeform texts they wrote in high school. The requirements and practices commonly used here are quite different from what you might have been used to. First of all, there isn’t such a thing as a clearly defined literary essay – it is subdivided into many different subtypes, the most important of them being: Analysis essay, where you provide deep insights into a particular literary text, studying its structure, writer’s agenda, imagery, stylistic devices and so on. Its goal it to examine and sometimes evaluate the work in question; Research essay, usually dealing with a broader scope than just a single work of literature; Reaction essay, where you tell about your impressions from reading a text; Persuasive essay, where you try to convince the reader of your point of view; Narrative essay, where you try your hand at storytelling yourself. However, all of them are similar enough for you to be able to learn how to write one of them and get a fairly good idea of how to deal with all the rest. In this literature essay writing guide, we will cover tactics and practices that will help you write literary essays of any types. Selecting a Topic Students are given varying degrees of freedom when writing literature essays. Sometimes you may be assigned a literary work to write about, but are otherwise free to do anything you like with it. Sometimes you are given a rigid topic you cannot alter at all. Sometimes you are given a completely free rein, and can choose whatever you want to write about. However, no matter what your situation is, you should remember two points: Limitations aren’t always a bad thing – when some variants are cut off you don’t have to worry about choosing that much; Even if the topic is assigned, you can often negotiate it with your tutor or instructor. If the changes you want to make aren’t drastic, he can usually be persuaded to meet you halfway. So how does one approach the choice of a topic? Choose a text that interests you or an underlying theme present in more than one text. Why is it important? In what ways understanding this theme in a particular text helps one understand other texts of the same author (or other authors) better? Select a text you know well. Perhaps there is a book you’ve read many times already and always keep finding something new and fascinating about it? If you don’t have to study the text to start writing about it, you have a huge advantage over those who are unfamiliar with it; Don’t be in a hurry to read other analytical works on the text. This will prevent your thinking from being contaminated by other people’s ideas too early on and give you a better opportunity of forming your own opinions and ideas on the text. Try to formulate your topic on your own, without trying to fashion it after typical topics used by other researchers; After you’ve formed your working hypothesis, you may start looking through the literature on the topic to see what other researchers say about the subject. At that point, you may need to change your original intentions because it may turn out that the topic you’ve decided on has already been researched through and through. If the topic turns out to be unoriginal, try to change it for something more unusual – the less-trodden path you take, the better will be the attitude of your instructor. However, make sure to check if the topic you choose has enough information sources to work with, or you risk ending up with a topic you cannot properly work with because you don’t have a body of research to rely on. In the end, you should get a topic that you are comfortable with, that is at least somewhat different from the majority of papers dealing with the text in question and that has enough information sources to build your thesis on. Here are some examples you may use: The Theme of Duality in The Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens; The Role of Fate in Romeo and Juliet; Lord of the Flies by William Golding and Tunnel in the Sky by Robert Heinlein: Two Takes on a Single Issue; Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse as a Modern Quest Narrative; Fight Club as an Epitome of Disillusionment Genre. Working with Sources: Important Tips from Our Writers When writing a literature essay of any type you are going to work with two general types of sources: The primary source is the text you research. It is the primary literary work your research is based on. Even if you study entire creative work done by a particular author, one of his texts usually plays a more important role than the others – that would be your primary text for such a paper; Secondary sources are all the other sources of information you use: critical articles, analytical works, blog posts, reviews, author’s comments and any other writings concerning the primary text; If nobody has written about the exact combination of the topic and the text, what about books about the same topic in other works by the author or other authors connected to the one you write about (e.g., from the same time period or literary school)? Your best bet at finding what you need is using specialized search engines and academic databases like JSTOR, Google Scholar or a discipline-specific one like ProQuest Literature Online. These contain not just academic articles and other kinds of publications, but information about how many times they have been referred to in other sources and other useful data. Preparing an Outline An outline is basically just a plan of your essay. It may be more or less detailed depending on your preferences and writing style, but the idea remains the same. You write down: the main points and probably entire sentences from introduction and conclusion (because they are short and the success of your essay depends very much on how well you manage to present them); the entirety of your thesis statement (again, because it is a short and very important part of your essay); the main points of each supporting paragraph, along with sources to refer to in each of them. Usually after writing an introduction and thesis statement, you use one reference to the primary text that supports your main point and then support it with a few references to the secondary sources. Formulating a Thesis Statement Your thesis statement is the gist of your paper reduced to one, possibly two sentences. In short, it is the main thought behind your essay – quite often, it is your interpretation of the text you work on. A thesis statement is usually located at the end of the introduction: after you’ve already grasped the attention of your reader but before you started discussing the text in earnest. It is important to understand that a thesis statement and a topic are two different things. The topic is the general subject area you are discussing in your essay, e.g., â€Å"The Theme of Poverty in the Creative Work of Charles Dickens†. The thesis statement is exactly what it says on the tin – a statement you make concerning the topic, it is the result of your research or just your opinion. For example, â€Å"Charles Dickens’ descriptions of poverty in his creative work stem from his personal experiences as a young man† would be a thesis statement. Writing the Body of the Essay The body of your essay is reserved for the development of your central idea. A good rule of a thumb to follow is to have no less than three body paragraph for a 500-700 word essay, each covering a single point supporting your primary argument. Each paragraph of the essay’s body should contain a topic sentence followed by explanations and textual evidence. A topic sentence (normally the first sentence of a paragraph) states one of the topics connected with your thesis and how exactly this topic supports the central idea of your essay. Evidence should come either from the primary text or secondary sources, with the former being the more important one. It comes in four types: Summary – short retelling of the text; Paraphrase – retelling of the text’s fragments in your own words; Specific details – here you don’t retell a part of the text but rather draw the reader’s attention to a small part of it; Direct quotations – fragments of the text repeated word for word in accordance with your formatting style. Writing Introduction and Conclusion Write a thesis statement first and leave the rest of the introduction for later. The most often advised approach is to write it last of all, even after the conclusion – this way you will already know what is present in your essay and won’t have to remake anything to meet the requirements that changed along with the contents of your paper. Start with a hook to catch the attention of the reader. It may be: a quotation from the primary text or a secondary source; a highly unusual or controversial idea about the primary text; a fact from the life of the author relevant to your thesis statement; or anything at all as long as you can make it work. After that, provide some background information and smoothly go on to your thesis statement. Complying with the Format Traditionally, literature essays are written in MLA format; you may find the most important instructions for writing in it here. If you want a more in-depth guide, look for a paper copy of a style guide in a library. Unless stated otherwise, most literature essays are written in 12pt, Times New Roman font. Proofreading If you can afford it, there should be an interval between when you finish writing per se and start proofreading your essay. Trying to make corrections immediately after finishing writing is ineffective the impression is still too fresh, and you are too much inclined to jump over the familiar sentences, missing mistakes and stylistic flaws. When proofreading a literature essay you should pay attention not just to actual errors in grammar, spelling and syntax, but to style as well. Stylistic requirements here are less rigid than in, let’s say, psychology essays, but they are still present: Don’t use personal pronouns. Words like â€Å"I†, â€Å"we†, â€Å"you† etc. make your writing too personal, while you have to maintain objective academic tone; Use transitional words and expressions like â€Å"therefore†, â€Å"so†, â€Å"thus†, â€Å"so far† etc. to connect paragraphs with each other and make the flow of your essay smoother; Make sure you stick to one idea throughout your essay. The main goal of any essay it to drive home a point made in thesis statement, and you should pursue this goal with every sentence and every word. If on rereading the essay you see that certain elements are superfluous for that purpose, eliminate them without remorse; Get somebody else to read your essay, preferably somebody whom you can trust to do it attentively. Ask them if they find the flow of ideas logical, if there are any loose ends you have to deal with, if there is enough evidence backing up each point; Use some tricks to change the way you perceive your essay and find more potential flaws. For example, read it out loud – if you stumble upon a fragment, there is a high chance of it needing revision. Or change the font and its size and print it out – when the words and sentences look differently from the way you are used to, you pay more attention to them. We hope that these literature essay tips will turn writing your next literature essay into an enjoyable and easy experience – when you know what you are doing, no task ever appears to be too hard!

Picking Your Perfect Title

Picking Your Perfect Title Picking Your Perfect Title Picking Your Perfect Title By Daniel Scocco Picking a title can often be the hardest part of a writing project. Sometimes the title just comes to you, but more often than not, you have to put quite a bit of work into finding just the right one. You may even have to sift through several titles before you find one that sits well with you. Here are a few suggestions to try: 1. Mad Libs Think of a couple adjectives, nouns and verbs that describe your story. Write them all down on a sheet of paper and combine them into different phrases. Sometimes you can pick up on a title that works. 2. Pick a Part Look for an important turning point in your novel or just focus on the climax. Describe this event on paper. Pick out the words or phrases that stand out to you in your description. Mix and match these words to see what works for you. 3. Live by Example Pick out novels or short stories that run in the same genre as your project. Study the titles and how they relate to the story as a whole. Then, look at your project as a whole. Think of the theme or overall message of your book. Write down some words that go along with your theme and work them to see if you can find a fitting title. 4. Go for the Obscure Avoid the obvious â€Å"The† titles like â€Å"The Pink Slipper† or â€Å"The Brown Dog.† Look for slight recurring themes or undercurrents in your novel and try naming your novel after those subtle nuances. JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, is a genius with titles. The titles, especially the Half-Blood Prince, all highlight under-riding themes that later play a large role in the series as a whole. 5. Appeal to the Higher Poets usually have a way of weaving words in a beautiful tapestry of art that put prose writers to shame. Read some famous poetry and write down words and phrases that stick out to you. Song lyrics often have the same effect. You can find some powerful titles by mixing, matching and combining words from powerful lyrics. 6. A Writer’s Best Friend Consult your thesaurus and look up synonyms for commonly occurring words in your novel. Write down as many synonyms as you can to try and get a fresh point of view on an event in your novel. Look up these synonyms in the dictionary to get a better understanding of their meaning. Use different words in context to find a combination that you like. 7. Super Easy Way Type â€Å"title generator† into Google and see what pops up. There are several websites that will either have you type in a couple descriptive words and scramble them for you or they’ll just generate some random titles for a variety of genres. Some, like guywiththecoat.com, just generate extremely random and funny titles. Mostly, these titles are just good for a laugh, like â€Å"Pants ride the Bus,† but you may actually be able to find something that works with your project. I hope these suggestions make the arduous process of title-finding a little easier. Good luck! Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Program vs. Programme"Wracking" or "Racking" Your Brain?Captain vs. Master

Analysis of Robert Hass's Meditation at Lagunitas Essay

Analysis of Robert Hass's Meditation at Lagunitas - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that Robert Hass is known to have spent much of his life residing in the ‘Lagunitas’, a rural town in Northern California, where beautiful forests, lakes, and green grass thrive and most   importantly, it reserves the spot for the wildly growing blackberries which Hass makes reference to in the poem. Hence, the poet can be imagined to be taking a stride along paths surrounded by the scenic wonders in Lagunitas at which he might have found delight in meditating and composing poems altogether. As Hass speaks of the ‘clown-faced woodpecker’ and the ‘black birch’ in the 5th and 6th lines, the curious reader may readily suppose that these details appear specific as they are in association to the place, in the same way, the author may have held a special regard for Lagunitas being a particular setting. Since the poet is claimed to have sought inclinations with an Oriental school of thinking, the meditation carried out through his poem may be thought to derive influence in part from Hass’s religious endeavor with Buddhism and Hinduism. By the first and second lines, the poet necessitates introducing the piece by alluding that there exists loss as language fails with proper expression in â€Å"the new thinking†. A â€Å"clown- / faced woodpecker probing the dead sculpted trunk / of that black birch† is a metaphor for his quest for a more suitable expression and eloquence. The act of â€Å"probing the dead sculpted trunk† provides an imagery for such theme, justifying the fact that the struggle to find an exact identity with words is as painstaking as it gets in the process. At a point, saying â€Å"a word is an elegy to what it signifies† blends of tragedy with occasional beauty especially as the writer testifies to the truth about his friend’s voice in the 13th line where it possesses â€Å"a thin wire of grief†. This tonal conflict ind icates how at times, poetic potentials may be limited by the approach and narrow scope of language the complexity of which is normally understood on a gradual basis. The General vs. The Particular Hass appears to be utilizing irony in the rather Platonic concept which distinguishes the unique worldly elements and the words that represent a uniform ideal. Such application of Platonic thought supports the first two lines as it vividly depicts the proof that general philosophical ideas can be clear but are practically useless while personal experience counts in developing conveyable philosophical thought. Despite this, the narrator sounds appreciative with â€Å"the luminous clarity of a general idea† even though the intricacy in specifics removes its original essence. Close It is seemingly through the lamenting about â€Å"loss† that words along with the human experiences bound to which as well as the ability to recount them, lose their intended significance. The signifi cance of the Blackberry On the second half of ‘Meditation at Lagunitas’, the poet diverts his path of discourse from the notion of the general to the certain ensuing splendor which bears another subject of particular value. Brought by the transition stating that â€Å"everything dissolves: justice, pine, hair, woman, you and I†, the term ‘woman’ which gets mentioned twice in the 16th line constitutes softness in thought as if Hass chooses to mellow from the former mode of heavy meditation.