The Jewish View of Death free essay sample

An examination of Jewish beliefs about death and the afterlife. This paper examines the Jewish view on death and the afterlife, beginning with a discussion of religion and theology as a whole. It then explores how the different sects of Judaism deal with the concept of death, and how it affects their behavior in life. What is it that Jews will face after death? How do Jewish ideas about the afterlife affect their attitudes toward death itself? This is a relatively more complicated question to answer than how the attitudes held by Christians about the afterlife affect their views toward death because in the case of Judaism there is no small amount of ambiguity. Jewish beliefs about death cannot be understood independent of Jewish theology as a whole, and so it may be helpful to begin here with a definition of what we mean by religion as a whole. Religion is both an intensely personal area of life as well as one that is practiced publicly. We will write a custom essay sample on The Jewish View of Death or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

Free sample - Application Essay for the University of Connecticut.. translation missing

Application Essay for the University of Connecticut.. Application Essay for the University of Connecticut.Many students find it rather difficult to fit into new environments especially those different from the ones they were brought up in. For one to be an asset to any new society that he/she is introduced to, adapting to it comes in handy. Given my ability to blend well with strangers and new environments, I will settle down without any problems so that I can start making valuable contributions to the University of Connecticut community. I consider my communication skills a wonderful personality trump card because it enables me speak a common language with people from diverse backgrounds. The medical career will combine well with these personality traits because it basically entails interacting with people. My strong science background will go a long way in enabling me succeed in the profession. I derive pleasure from carrying out charity work. I intend to use this talent in helping members of the university community in any arena of l ife. I intend to use my ability to mobilize others around a particular course to rally my college mates around activities such as helping the less fortunate in the society with the few resources which will be at our disposal. Finally, am self motivated, an attribute that sees me undertake an activity for the enjoyment it provides, the learning it allows as well as the feelings of accomplishment it evokes. This will definitely ensure that I live up to what is expected of me in the new society without any supervision as well as any external rewards or reinforcements. Seldom do I get the driving force to pursue any activity from verbal praises or any other rewards and this is the reason why my motivation in every task hardly fades. This attribute is bound to see me undertake tasks which are time-limited, routine and unexciting, which other people may not enjoy in the new community. Intrinsic motivation enables people to make sustained progress toward significant goals, learn to take risks as well as explore and develop their potential to the fullest. In my view, this would be very good for the University of Connecticut community.

Prescribed Forest Fires and Controlled Burns

Prescribed Forest Fires and Controlled Burns The very foundation of fire ecology is based on the premise that wildland fire is neither innately destructive nor in the best interest of every forest. Fire in a forest has existed since the evolutionary beginning of forests. Fire causes change and change will have its own value with direct consequences that can be both bad or good. It is a certainty that some fire-dependent  forest biomes benefit more from wildland fire than others. So, change by fire is biologically necessary to maintain many healthy ecosystems in fire-loving plant communities and resource managers have learned to use fire to cause changes in plant and animal communities to meet their objectives. Varying fire timing, frequency, and intensity produce  differing resource responses that create the correct changes for habitat manipulation. A History of Fire Native Americans used fire in virgin pine stands to provide better access, improve hunting, and ridding the land of undesirable plants so they could farm. Early North American settlers observed this and continued the practice of using fire as a beneficial agent. Early 20th Century environmental awareness introduced the notion that the Nations forests not only were a valuable resource but also a place of personal revitalization - a place to visit and live. Forests were again satisfying a human desire long pent-up to return to the forest in peace and in the beginning so wildfire was not a desirable component and prevented. An encroaching modern wildland-urban interface developed on the edges of North American wildlands and millions of acres of new trees being planting to replace harvested timber called attention to the wildfire problem and led foresters to advocate the exclusion of all fire from the woods. This, in part, was due to the wood boom after WWII and the planting of millions of acres of susceptible trees that were vulnerable to fire in the first few years of establishment. But all that changed. The no burn practices of a few park and forestry agencies and some forest owners proved to be, in itself, destructive. Prescribed fire and understory fuel pile burning are now deemed necessary tools for controlling the damaging unbridled wildfire. Foresters found that destructive wildfires were prevented by burning under safer conditions with the necessary tools for control. A controlled burn that you understood and manage would reduce fuels that could feed potentially dangerous fires. Prescribed fire assured that the next fire season would not bring destructive, property-damaging fire. So, This exclusion of fire has not always been an acceptable option. This was dramatically learned in Yellowstone National Park after decades of excluding fire resulted in catastrophic property loss. As our fire knowledge has accumulated, the use of prescribed fire has grown and foresters now include fire as an appropriate tool in managing the forest for many reasons. Using Prescribed Fire Prescribed burning as a practice is well explained in a well-illustrated written report entitled A Guide for Prescribed Fire in Southern Forests. It is a guide to using fire applied in a knowledgeable manner to forest fuels on a specific land area under selected weather conditions to accomplish predetermined, well-defined management objectives. Although written for Southern forests, the concepts are universal to all of North Americas fire driven ecosystems. Few alternative treatments can compete with fire from the standpoint of effectiveness and cost. Chemicals are expensive and have associated environmental risks. Mechanical treatments have the same problems. Prescribed fire is much more affordable with much less risk to the habitat and destruction of site and soil quality - when done properly. Prescribed fire is a complex tool. Only a   state  certified fire prescriptionist  should be allowed to burn larger tracts of forest. Proper diagnosis and detailed written planning should be mandatory before every burn. Experts with hours of experience will have the right tools, have an understanding of fire weather, have communications with fire protection units and know when conditions are not just right. An incomplete assessment of any factor in a plan can lead to serious loss of property and life with serious liability questions to both the landowner and the one responsible for the burn.​

The chassis of a typical motorcycle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The chassis of a typical motorcycle - Essay Example dy components are made from cast-able aluminum, we will discuss here, the characteristics for aluminum casting with reference to its various grades, as this is the best non-ferrous casting alloy and Accordingly, the proper aluminum grade is to be selected, depending on the type of casting. In most of the cases, â€Å"Twin Spar† type aluminum is used for the manufacture of a motorbike frame. The further techniques and processes for the manufacture of this chassis involve welding, tube manipulation and profiling, sheet metal work and Jigging, tooling. These are described here in brief This process is involved when the product turnover is huge .As indicated above, the sand casting or die-casting techniques are used for the manufacture of a motorbike chassis. However die-casting is the technique mostly used for the aluminum chassis manufacture. The process can be either hot chamber or cold chamber die casting methods. The molds involved are required to be quality tested frequently due to their high ware and tear. Various casting processes have their respective advantages and limitations. Some of them are detailed below Apart from the nonferrous metals like aluminum, which are used for die-casting to manufacture the motorbike chassis, other non-metal materials are used currently. These include high resistance and strong polymer based compounds that may need a different casting procedure. The road-going version of Norton featherbed frame was manufactured using electric arc welding process only. However, the technology has advance a lot since then and it is now found that electric arc welding may not be suitable for the chassis building as the requirement of the tubing wall thickness here is more than 2mm, which makes the material expensive. This is also called CO2 gas welding. The weld material is in the form aof a wire or electrode and the gas fed as a shroud is the mixture of carbon dioxide and argon. While, the process is used mostly for steel tubing and other

Health disparities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health disparities - Essay Example bservations that I made an as FNP student is that health center patients are more ethnically and racially diverse compared to national patients (Kronenfeld, 2013). In addition, health center patients are highly likely to be publicly insured or uninsured. Disparities in primary care setting are based on appropriateness, access and use of care. These disparities are caused by factors such as sex, income, health condition, race or ethnicity and geography. Patients with care sensitive conditions in low-income groups from rural areas are highly likely to indicate that their visit to the emergency department was because of a medical condition that was treatable by a primary care provider. Women with care sensitive conditions have a low probability of receiving information regarding medication side effects. In addition, they did not receive the four recommended tests required for chronic condition monitoring. They were also denied the right tools required for the self-management of their condition. People in low-income groups also did not receive support from their primary care provider. These people reported that their provider did not involve them during clinical decision-making (Kronenfeld, 2009). They were also not involved in the crea tion of a treatment plan that would help in the management of their medical conditions. I am preparing myself to address these disparities by conducting studies on disparities in primary care setting. In addition to the studies, I have interviewed healthcare professionals with an aim of gaining insights into the causes of the disparities and likelihood of avoiding them (Buttaro, 2013). I have performed a literature review of relevant literature on disparities in primary care setting. Most importantly, I have identified the most vulnerable demography and scheduled a survey with them in order to collect their views on the disparities experienced. If awarded the scholarship, I will use the funds to finance my studies on how the

Single-Sex School and Co-Ed School Essay Example for Free

Single-Sex School and Co-Ed School Essay The education systems nowadays are made up of organizations ranging from kindergartens, general education schools, single-sex schools and co-ed schools to universities. This structure is designed to formulate people’s knowledge one step at a time according to their levels. School is one of the most important stages of educational system in our lives where we are trained to absorb basic knowledge and prepare for our future. Often times, schools are divided into single-sex schools, where only boys or girls study, and co-ed schools, where boys and girls study together. This choice demands that parents choose between co-ed school and single-sex school and decide what would be better for their children. This essay will compare and contrast these two forms of educational approaches to determine that co-educational school is better than single-sex school and is the most practical form of schooling. Co-education schools have a diversity of students from different economic and gender backgrounds. It is an efficient way of schooling for poorer countries that do not have the capital to build single-sex schools. Therefore, the biggest advantage of co-ed school is that there will be no need to open separate schools exclusively for boys or girls, because both boys and girls can study in same schools and they can be taught by the same staff. From childhood we know that kids like to play with each other and it is not depend on gender that is why friendships develop in natural way. From sociological point of view same thing happens in co-ed school. Pupils meet each other and have to be together in the society and if they will be studying together from the very beginning, they can understand well each other. As girls and boys become teenagers they participate in many activities, develop new societies and clubs in school where they are taking part in pleasant and friendly environment. This friendly atmosphere continues in the classroom, which allows them to share and express their point of view easily. In co-ed school boys and girls will be trained to take place in the community and how to behave with not just people of the same gender by also the other gender. For instance, if they will start working for international company where both genders are working together it would be easier for them to communicate with others, because they will know how to behave themselves. This experience will break their insufficient perceptions of each gender and will provide great social and personal development of relationships in later life. Another important point of co-education is that this type of school is very successful in challenging of sexist attitudes. In order to prove this we should answer on question â€Å"what do we know about sexism and how the single-sex or co-educational gender grouping of schools affects the occurrence, form, and severity of sexism in the classroom? † Sexism is an analogue to racism means a fundamental and pervasive institutionalized bias on the basis of sex, with discrimination usually directed against women. The rationale for sexism is the biological difference between males and females that dictates differential social roles, status, and norms (Lee, Marks, Byrd, 1994, pp. 2). In the past it meant that female had weak role in the society and males were powerful gender, which is always on the top. And this was the main purpose of development of single-sex schools. But nowadays women achieved equality in the society. As men they can work, build, manage, lead, guide or in other words do all things that men can do in the society. Sexism almost eradicated from our society and it is important point, and that is why co-ed school is very successful in challenging of sexist attitudes. For instance, there are many subjects that provide many discussions and debates in class and it is very important and useful for boys and girls. Because they learn that equality does not require similarity, and they know that they have equal rights and freedom of speech. It means that collaboration between boys and girls in the classroom helps them to develop confidence; they feel comfortable to share their ideas and opinions in any situation in the presence of opposite sex. Co-education improves pupils’ confidence to interact with opposite gender. Moreover, co-education creates a sense of healthy competition between both genders, because they need to work hard and pay serious attention to their studies. Also, co-educated pupils have strong friendship and respect to each other. For example, boys are trying to behave themselves very polite in company of girls. Moreover, they are trying not use rough and abusive language in presence of girls. Similarly, the girls are trying to dress properly and talk in a good manner, because they need good relationship with the boys if they are studying together. On the other hand if boys and girls are studying in separate schools, boys misbehave with the girls, because they are always having a curiosity to know about them. But when they study together, their curiosity is satisfied more easily and they do not consider girls as strange creatures or taboo. Despite the fact that co-ed schools are more modern and are similar with the current environment of the workplace, where boys and girls study together, some conservative people criticize co-education system. According to them, this system is against their tradition, because from ancient times they fear that co-education will help develop immoral relationships between boys and girls. They believe that in this system both the boys and girls will be spoilt. This was represented as the main possible disadvantage of co-education schools. Moreover, there was an experiment where boys and girls were studying in separate classes. And more of co-educational schools showed interest in segregating lessons. Academics and teachers have found that both genders have better concentration on core subjects and they are less distracted by opposite sex. The main idea is that separating boys and girls is not a cure for disruptive classrooms, but under the right conditions it can help to raise academic standards in schools. Despite of the fact that girls have better achievements than boys, they can also benefit from single-sex classes because they sometimes allowed them to perform without worrying about their image in front of girls. On the other hand there can be some problems in separating classes, because there is a need to avoid an intimidating atmosphere for other boys, who can be generated among all-boys’ classes, and to be alert to the dangers of generating a homophobic environment. In addition, there is also a need to beware of girls becoming aggressive towards each other. So, there are some risks of single-sex classrooms and schools. On the other hand, single-sex education is an old education system where boys and girls study in separate classrooms or schools. Some educational researchers have identified single-sex education as a way of facilitating a special educational experience for all students. Single-sex education refers to the education of students in an environment that consists of a single gender, either all-male or all-female environments (NASSPE, 2008). Not so long ago single-sex classes in co-educational schools were considered to be an appropriate educative aspect of K–12 learning environments (Pollard, 1999). In late 60s and early 70s in United States girls and boys were separated from each other on a single-sex basis. For example, in many schools in country classes were separated by gender where girls attended economics classes while boys attended agriculture classes and it was required for all pupils or students. The main purpose of creating single-sex classes was physical education and sex education of boys and girls. In other words, boys and girls was separated because of assumptions about their physical abilities and characteristics, their social and personal functioning, or beliefs held by adults regarding appropriate interaction among or between the sexes (Pollard, 1999). Moreover, some single-sex classes were created in order to exclude girls from some activities that were based on gender stereotypes that were not appropriate for them. According to Smith and Wilhelm, in general boys achieve lower grades than girls while girls are demonstrating higher performance. In general, girls are in particular benefiting from a single-sex education, but the authors just suggesting this idea. From my point of view, girls just do not shy or worry how will they perform in presence of boys and vise versa. Interestingly, many researches show that they participate in class more than boys, develop much higher confidence, have higher grades, and are more likely to choose ‘male’ disciplines such as science, math, etc. Moreover, they are more successful in their careers. That is why the majority of single-sex schools nowadays are for girls. The gender equality development around the world seems to pose a mixed attitude toward the single-sex schools. On one hand, single-sex schools appear to be against this wave in that they treat the two genders differently and cultivate the sexist view in people’s minds from when they are young. In this respect, single-sex system seems to be something attached to the obsolete past in human history and does not fit the modern world in every way. But on the other hand, compared with single-sex system, the co-ed system is possibly contributing to sexist views, too. Some people argue that in a co-ed system, boys and girls are exposed much more to the differences in their own characteristics and because girls mature earlier than boys, boys might find the learning environment inappropriately challenging and even depressing during this stage. Another advantage of single-sex schools is that teachers know better about their students’ characteristics and thus can modify their teaching methods to meet the needs required by the differences in the two genders, whereas in co-ed schools, girls and boys are forced to learn and be appraised in exactly same ways which might not be proper. This should sound a legitimate argument to people who accept that there are differences between the two genders. Although the two systems have sharp differences, they also share similarities. When we compare single-sex school and co-ed school, we can identify some similarities. In spite of the fact that these two types of schools separate student by gender, they both have the same educational program. Both types of schools use same books, literature and syllabus. Also, the goals of both schools are the same. They prepare students for future life; give them appropriate knowledge that will help to survive and thrive in our world, but in single-sex school it difficult to be prepared for real life because they do not have natural training of behavior with opposite gender. Moreover, both schools do not give them just knowledge, but also pay attention to the physical activities. For example, pupils attend different competitions, like football, basketball, volleyball etc. In addition, students participate in public affairs, like movements against drugs, participation in aid for children’s home or helping to greybeards. There are many differences between single-sex school and co-ed school. For instance, differences in behavior of girls and boys have been observed and commented for generations, but history records that until social expectations of girls were very different of boys, especially regarding education (Zanders, 1993, p. 16). The learning style and interests of girls and boys have been consistently different, because girls acquire a learning method involving personal relationships and imitation, but boys are learning through defining goal, restructuring the field, and applying abstract principles. Alternatively, girls’ learning styles require more open-ended learning tasks, they are both more reflective and empathetic and engage with tasks that are related to real situations, whereas boys show a preference for memorizing rules and abstract facts and express their comprehension factually (Zanders, 1993, p. 17). Single-sex schools are relying on more ancient perspectives on education, which are oriented to separate boys and girls. Co-ed schools are more modern and represent the current environment of the workplace, where boys and girls study together. According to many articles and researches single-sex school students say that they are studying better than in co-ed and this is because they are in the class of their gender. For example, in Kazakhstan, students from Kazakh-Turkish lyceum won a lot of awards in exact sciences like mathematics, chemistry and physics and all foreign language and they gave the highest results in their knowledge. Co-ed education schools trains students for their future lives, how to communicate and behave in real world. This education breaks all the boarders between genders and helps them to build a good, strong relationships. Moreover, students in single-sex school may lose some social skills that students in a co-ed school may gain. It happens because students in single-sex school are limited from communication with opposite sex. Another important thing that influences education is relationships with opposite sex. In co-ed schools, students sometimes cannot realize their abilities in subjects like mathematics, chemistry and physics. In co-ed school, there exist teenagers’ sex and unwanted pregnancy at a very young age. This is because they always focus some or all their attention on opposite sex. However, in single-sex schools it is not a problem, because nothing of this sort exists. Finally, I want to conclude that both of schools have advantages and disadvantages. In co-ed school, it will be easy to gain your social skills, but student can lose some points in education. In single-sex school student can focus attention only on education, but will not properly prepared for social life. There is a trade off between academic knowledge acquisition and social functional ability development. The knowledge student gain does not depend on the type of school. The factors that influence their education are student character, environment and his or her abilities. Parents should decide themselves where their child will learn, but it should guarantee that the choice represents the children’s own feelings. They should like the type of school they are going to. But some parents sex for their children prefer to choose single-sex schools in order to minimize their contact with the opposite, but it is important to understand that choosing for child all-female or all-male school will not stop them from searching for the opposite sex. If parents minimize contact when child is in school, but they cannot stop children meeting others through tuitions, extra classes, the neighborhood, or through friends. If their child meets someone with whom she or he shares home assignment or some exercises, and if she or he makes the decision to get physical with such person, theres little a parent can do. But on the other hand, when parents choose for their child a co-educational school, their child will have contact with opposite sex from the beginning. As a result, child will not only feel more comfortable in the company of the opposite sex, but will also be able to handle advances better. When parents making the decision of sending their child to a single-sex or a co-educational school, their decision should not be based on whether they want to minimize or increase childs contact with the opposite sex. Instead, they must consider the reputation of the school, the activities it offers and the quality of education and educators. For example, some schools offer sending students abroad for further studies. So, parents may consider this point if they want their child to go abroad. Because there is other less traditional schools that focus more on activities and less on academics. If this is something that appeals to them, then give this fact more priority than the student mix. In fact, when deciding what school to choose for child, parent’s choice should fall on the co-educational school because it will give huge experience and will train their child for future life.

Effects of School and Class Size on the Quality of Students Education

Introduction Education is fundamental in today’s modern society and is the subject of endless debates across the United States. Recently, it has risen to the top of both state and national agendas (Finn, 2002). One reform movement currently being debated is the effects of school and class size on the quality of student education. Advocates of smaller classes argue students learn more when there are fewer students in the classroom. Many studies are conducted to try to prove this theory. Although some studies show positive results, the many failed experiments led opposers of class size reduction to believe that there is no link among class size and student learning. (Bell, Crandall, & Parnell, 2009). Many studies have been inconclusive, however, and widespread initiatives to reduce class sizes are being undertaken by schools across the nation. Because class size reduction projects are so expensive, some schools have been forced to look at other alternatives to meet the same goals (Kennedy, 2003). Examples of these alternatives are adding more teachers to a single classroom or extending the school day or year. Analyzing the negatives, positives, and alternatives of class size reduction has been a topic of constant debate by researchers, educators, and leaders across the United States. Benefits of Small Class Sizes Many researchers have discovered that smaller is better. Teachers from around the United States find that they can teach with more variety and depth in a small class rather than a large one. Teachers also feel they have more time to cover material and have better organization in class. Teachers with small classes spend less time on grading and paperwork which gives them more time to spend on instruction. A studen... ... classes, and are more enthusiastic about teaching. Overall, educators believe that these methods to create smaller classes will allow teachers to help their students (Dixon-Krauss & Januszka, 2008). Other studies have been criticized, such as the Glass & Smith study because the final report was seriously flawed and was not reliable information (Mitchell & Beach, 1990). The cost of reducing class size is enormous, which leads some schools to look for other alternatives. This included hiring more teachers, asking for volunteers, and extending the school day or year. Clearly, students overall benefit in a small classroom environment and small classes encourage a sense of family and community between students and their teachers. Although, this debate is nowhere near over, research clearly shows that smaller classes are the most advantageous for students to learn in.

Building successful parent-teacher partnerships Essay

The problems in the school life can be solved if teachers and parents work together as a team. â€Å"The traditional concept of involving parents in the process of educating their children has typically been restricted to one-way communication approaches. Either the parent is talking at the teacher or the teacher is talking to the parent. Yet the real purpose of parental involvement in the educational process is to foster an improved learning climate and support system for the child. Parent-teacher confrontation models do little to foster the development of their environments conducive to effective interaction and learning for the child† (Swick, 7). â€Å"parents and teachers must come to realize that their behaviors are much more important than their words in affecting the child’s self-concept. When parents and teachers work in complementary, supportive type roles as partners in the development of learning climates and support systems for young children, not only are they learning, but they are a vital part of the educational process† (Swick, 7). â€Å"†¦ the parent is the first and most important influence in the child’s development. It holds that the parent, like all other teachers,must first be a growing, compassionate person in order to be an effective parent† (Swick, 7). â€Å"Parents and teachers become stronger, more insightful individuals when they participate in joint determination of the educational program in which their children have optimal conditions necessary for growth toward becoming functional and developing persons† (Swick, 8). Parents provide personal information about children’s behaviors, characteristics, talents, interests, etc. Teachers give another view about the social development of the children for example with friends and other people, progresses in school, skills, achievements, etc. Involved parents: The hidden resource in their children’s education by Anita Gurian, Ph.D. Gurian, Anita. â€Å"Involved Parents: The Hidden Resource in Their Children’s Education† NYU Child Study Center. Available: 01 May 2012. Web Page. â€Å"In adolescence, children become more independent and usually don’t want their parents in school. In middle and high school, students have to deal with more courses and more teachers in a more impersonal way, so parent involvement, although less direct, is still critical. Parents can participate in events at school, monitor homework, provide experiences and materials that supplement course work, and help children with organizational strategies. Parents can influence their children’s academic progress by encouragement, reinforcement, and modeling. Children learn from their parents’ own learning styles and activities, such as discussions, newspapers and other reading materials, television habits and quests for information and knowledge.† When parents want to be in charge and spent their time for their children, they can have the opportunity to know their child’s life better. The parents can know the social life of their children at school and all the other activities that their children have. United States. Office of Educational Research and Improvement. National Center for Education Statistics. Parent Involvement in Children’s Education: Efforts by Public Elementary Schools. Washington, DC, 1998. Internet. â€Å"Parent attendance at school-sponsored events was related to the concentration of poverty in the school, as defined by the percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. In general, as the concentration of poverty in the school increased, reports of high parent attendance decreased. For example, while 72 percent of schools with a low concentration of poverty reported that most or all parents attended the school open house, 48 percent of schools with a moderate poverty concentration, and 28 percent of schools with a high poverty concentration reported that most or all parents attended the open house† (Carey, 14). Davis, Jonathan. â€Å"Facilitator Helps Parents Get Involved in Their Children’s Education.† NBC 26 News. (25 April 2012). Available: 1 May 2012. Web Page. â€Å"In order for a school to run efficiently you need to have the parents involved. I try my best to communicate that to the community and let them know that we have things that they can do, Like being a room mom and are able to give back to the school. In order to do that you have to have the parents to get involved because we want lifelong learners,† said Inga Coleman.

Angels Demons Chapter 80-81

80 When Langdon had left the Vatican Secret Archives only two hours ago, he had never imagined he would see them again. Now, winded from having jogged the entire way with his Swiss Guard escort, Langdon found himself back at the archives once again. His escort, the guard with the scar, now led Langdon through the rows of translucent cubicles. The silence of the archives felt somehow more forbidding now, and Langdon was thankful when the guard broke it. â€Å"Over here, I think,† he said, escorting Langdon to the back of the chamber where a series of smaller vaults lined the wall. The guard scanned the titles on the vaults and motioned to one of them. â€Å"Yes, here it is. Right where the commander said it would be.† Langdon read the title. Attivi Vaticani. Vatican assets? He scanned the list of contents. Real estate†¦ currency†¦ Vatican Bank†¦ antiquities†¦ The list went on. â€Å"Paperwork of all Vatican assets,† the guard said. Langdon looked at the cubicle. Jesus. Even in the dark, he could tell it was packed. â€Å"My commander said that whatever Bernini created while under Vatican patronage would be listed here as an asset.† Langdon nodded, realizing the commander's instincts just might pay off. In Bernini's day, everything an artist created while under the patronage of the Pope became, by law, property of the Vatican. It was more like feudalism than patronage, but top artists lived well and seldom complained. â€Å"Including works placed in churches outside Vatican City?† The soldier gave him an odd look. â€Å"Of course. All Catholic churches in Rome are property of the Vatican.† Langdon looked at the list in his hand. It contained the names of the twenty or so churches that were located on a direct line with West Ponente's breath. The third altar of science was one of them, and Langdon hoped he had time to figure out which it was. Under other circumstances, he would gladly have explored each church in person. Today, however, he had about twenty minutes to find what he was looking for – the one church containing a Bernini tribute to fire. Langdon walked to the vault's electronic revolving door. The guard did not follow. Langdon sensed an uncertain hesitation. He smiled. â€Å"The air's fine. Thin, but breathable.† â€Å"My orders are to escort you here and then return immediately to the security center.† â€Å"You're leaving?† â€Å"Yes. The Swiss Guard are not allowed inside the archives. I am breaching protocol by escorting you this far. The commander reminded me of that.† â€Å"Breaching protocol?† Do you have any idea what is going on here tonight? â€Å"Whose side is your damn commander on!† All friendliness disappeared from the guard's face. The scar under his eye twitched. The guard stared, looking suddenly a lot like Olivetti himself. â€Å"I apologize,† Langdon said, regretting the comment. â€Å"It's just†¦ I could use some help.† The guard did not blink. â€Å"I am trained to follow orders. Not debate them. When you find what you are looking for, contact the commander immediately.† Langdon was flustered. â€Å"But where will he be?† The guard removed his walkie-talkie and set it on a nearby table. â€Å"Channel one.† Then he disappeared into the dark. 81 The television in the Office of the Pope was an oversized Hitachi hidden in a recessed cabinet opposite his desk. The doors to the cabinet were now open, and everyone gathered around. Vittoria moved in close. As the screen warmed up, a young female reporter came into view. She was a doe-eyed brunette. â€Å"For MSNBC news,† she announced, â€Å"this is Kelly Horan-Jones, live from Vatican City.† The image behind her was a night shot of St. Peter's Basilica with all its lights blazing. â€Å"You're not live,† Rocher snapped. â€Å"That's stock footage! The lights in the basilica are out.† Olivetti silenced him with a hiss. The reporter continued, sounding tense. â€Å"Shocking developments in the Vatican elections this evening. We have reports that two members of the College of Cardinals have been brutally murdered in Rome.† Olivetti swore under his breath. As the reporter continued, a guard appeared at the door, breathless. â€Å"Commander, the central switchboard reports every line lit. They're requesting our official position on – â€Å" â€Å"Disconnect it,† Olivetti said, never taking his eyes from the TV. The guard looked uncertain. â€Å"But, commander – â€Å" â€Å"Go!† The guard ran off. Vittoria sensed the camerlegno had wanted to say something but had stopped himself. Instead, the man stared long and hard at Olivetti before turning back to the television. MSNBC was now running tape. The Swiss Guards carried the body of Cardinal Ebner down the stairs outside Santa Maria del Popolo and lifted him into an Alpha Romeo. The tape froze and zoomed in as the cardinal's naked body became visible just before they deposited him in the trunk of the car. â€Å"Who the hell shot this footage?† Olivetti demanded. The MSNBC reporter kept talking. â€Å"This is believed to be the body of Cardinal Ebner of Frankfurt, Germany. The men removing his body from the church are believed to be Vatican Swiss Guard.† The reporter looked like she was making every effort to appear appropriately moved. They closed in on her face, and she became even more somber. â€Å"At this time, MSNBC would like to issue our viewers a discretionary warning. The images we are about to show are exceptionally vivid and may not be suitable for all audiences.† Vittoria grunted at the station's feigned concern for viewer sensibility, recognizing the warning as exactly what it was – the ultimate media â€Å"teaser line.† Nobody ever changed channels after a promise like that. The reporter drove it home. â€Å"Again, this footage may be shocking to some viewers.† â€Å"What footage?† Olivetti demanded. â€Å"You just showed – â€Å" The shot that filled the screen was of a couple in St. Peter's Square, moving through the crowd. Vittoria instantly recognized the two people as Robert and herself. In the corner of the screen was a text overlay: Courtesy of the BBC. A bell was tolling. â€Å"Oh, no,† Vittoria said aloud. â€Å"Oh†¦ no.† The camerlegno looked confused. He turned to Olivetti. â€Å"I thought you said you confiscated this tape!† Suddenly, on television, a child was screaming. The image panned to find a little girl pointing at what appeared to be a bloody homeless man. Robert Langdon entered abruptly into the frame, trying to help the little girl. The shot tightened. Everyone in the Pope's office stared in horrified silence as the drama unfolded before them. The cardinal's body fell face first onto the pavement. Vittoria appeared and called orders. There was blood. A brand. A ghastly, failed attempt to administer CPR. â€Å"This astonishing footage,† the reporter was saying, â€Å"was shot only minutes ago outside the Vatican. Our sources tell us this is the body of Cardinal Lamasse from France. How he came to be dressed this way and why he was not in conclave remain a mystery. So far, the Vatican has refused to comment.† The tape began to roll again. â€Å"Refused comment?† Rocher said. â€Å"Give us a damn minute!† The reporter was still talking, her eyebrows furrowing with intensity. â€Å"Although MSNBC has yet to confirm a motive for the attack, our sources tell us that responsibility for the murders has been claimed by a group calling themselves the Illuminati.† Olivetti exploded. â€Å"What!† â€Å"†¦ find out more about the Illuminati by visiting our website at – â€Å" â€Å"Non e posibile!† Olivetti declared. He switched channels. This station had a Hispanic male reporter. † – a satanic cult known as the Illuminati, who some historians believe – â€Å" Olivetti began pressing the remote wildly. Every channel was in the middle of a live update. Most were in English. † – Swiss Guards removing a body from a church earlier this evening. The body is believed to be that of Cardinal – â€Å" † – lights in the basilica and museums are extinguished leaving speculation – â€Å" † – will be speaking with conspiracy theorist Tyler Tingley, about this shocking resurgence – â€Å" † – rumors of two more assassinations planned for later this evening – â€Å" † – questioning now whether papal hopeful Cardinal Baggia is among the missing – â€Å" Vittoria turned away. Everything was happening so fast. Outside the window, in the settling dark, the raw magnetism of human tragedy seemed to be sucking people toward Vatican City. The crowd in the square thickened almost by the instant. Pedestrians streamed toward them while a new batch of media personnel unloaded vans and staked their claim in St. Peter's Square. Olivetti set down the remote control and turned to the camerlegno. â€Å"Signore, I cannot imagine how this could happen. We took the tape that was in that camera!† The camerlegno looked momentarily too stunned to speak. Nobody said a word. The Swiss Guards stood rigid at attention. â€Å"It appears,† the camerlegno said finally, sounding too devastated to be angry, â€Å"that we have not contained this crisis as well as I was led to believe.† He looked out the window at the gathering masses. â€Å"I need to make an address.† Olivetti shook his head. â€Å"No, signore. That is exactly what the Illuminati want you to do – confirm them, empower them. We must remain silent.† â€Å"And these people?† The camerlegno pointed out the window. â€Å"There will be tens of thousands shortly. Then hundreds of thousands. Continuing this charade only puts them in danger. I need to warn them. Then we need to evacuate our College of Cardinals.† â€Å"There is still time. Let Captain Rocher find the antimatter.† The camerlegno turned. â€Å"Are you attempting to give me an order?† â€Å"No, I am giving you advice. If you are concerned about the people outside, we can announce a gas leak and clear the area, but admitting we are hostage is dangerous.† â€Å"Commander, I will only say this once. I will not use this office as a pulpit to lie to the world. If I announce anything at all, it will be the truth.† â€Å"The truth? That Vatican City is threatened to be destroyed by satanic terrorists? It only weakens our position.† The camerlegno glared. â€Å"How much weaker could our position be?† Rocher shouted suddenly, grabbing the remote and increasing the volume on the television. Everyone turned. On air, the woman from MSNBC now looked genuinely unnerved. Superimposed beside her was a photo of the late Pope. â€Å"†¦ breaking information. This just in from the BBC†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She glanced off camera as if to confirm she was really supposed to make this announcement. Apparently getting confirmation, she turned and grimly faced the viewers. â€Å"The Illuminati have just claimed responsibility for†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She hesitated. â€Å"They have claimed responsibility for the death of the Pope fifteen days ago.† The camerlegno's jaw fell. Rocher dropped the remote control. Vittoria could barely process the information. â€Å"By Vatican law,† the woman continued, â€Å"no formal autopsy is ever performed on a Pope, so the Illuminati claim of murder cannot be confirmed. Nonetheless, the Illuminati hold that the cause of the late Pope's death was not a stroke as the Vatican reported, but poisoning.† The room went totally silent again. Olivetti erupted. â€Å"Madness! A bold-faced lie!† Rocher began flipping channels again. The bulletin seemed to spread like a plague from station to station. Everyone had the same story. Headlines competed for optimal sensationalism. Murder at the Vatican Pope Poisoned Satan Touches House of God The camerlegno looked away. â€Å"God help us.† As Rocher flipped, he passed a BBC station. † – tipped me off about the killing at Santa Maria de Popolo – â€Å" â€Å"Wait!† the camerlegno said. â€Å"Back.† Rocher went back. On screen, a prim-looking man sat at a BBC news desk. Superimposed over his shoulder was a still snapshot of an odd-looking man with a red beard. Underneath his photo, it said: Gunther Glick – Live in Vatican City Reporter Glick was apparently reporting by phone, the connection scratchy. â€Å"†¦ my videographer got the footage of the cardinal being removed from the Chigi Chapel.† â€Å"Let me reiterate for our viewers,† the anchorman in London was saying, â€Å"BBC reporter Gunther Glick is the man who first broke this story. He has been in phone contact twice now with the alleged Illuminati assassin. Gunther, you say the assassin phoned only moments ago to pass along a message from the Illuminati?† â€Å"He did.† â€Å"And their message was that the Illuminati were somehow responsible for the Pope's death?† The anchorman sounded incredulous. â€Å"Correct. The caller told me that the Pope's death was not a stroke, as the Vatican had thought, but rather that the Pope had been poisoned by the Illuminati.† Everyone in the Pope's office froze. â€Å"Poisoned?† the anchorman demanded. â€Å"But†¦ but how!† â€Å"They gave no specifics,† Glick replied, â€Å"except to say that they killed him with a drug known as†¦Ã¢â‚¬  – there was a rustling of papers on the line – â€Å"something known as Heparin.† The camerlegno, Olivetti, and Rocher all exchanged confused looks. â€Å"Heparin?† Rocher demanded, looking unnerved. â€Å"But isn't that†¦?† The camerlegno blanched. â€Å"The Pope's medication.† Vittoria was stunned. â€Å"The Pope was on Heparin?† â€Å"He had thrombophlebitis,† the camerlegno said. â€Å"He took an injection once a day.† Rocher looked flabbergasted. â€Å"But Heparin isn't a poison. Why would the Illuminati claim – â€Å" â€Å"Heparin is lethal in the wrong dosages,† Vittoria offered. â€Å"It's a powerful anticoagulant. An overdose would cause massive internal bleeding and brain hemorrhages.† Olivetti eyed her suspiciously. â€Å"How would you know that?† â€Å"Marine biologists use it on sea mammals in captivity to prevent blood clotting from decreased activity. Animals have died from improper administration of the drug.† She paused. â€Å"A Heparin overdose in a human would cause symptoms easily mistaken for a stroke†¦ especially in the absence of a proper autopsy.† The camerlegno now looked deeply troubled. â€Å"Signore,† Olivetti said, â€Å"this is obviously an Illuminati ploy for publicity. Someone overdosing the Pope would be impossible. Nobody had access. And even if we take the bait and try to refute their claim, how could we? Papal law prohibits autopsy. Even with an autopsy, we would learn nothing. We would find traces of Heparin in his body from his daily injections.† â€Å"True.† The camerlegno's voice sharpened. â€Å"And yet something else troubles me. No one on the outside knew His Holiness was taking this medication.† There was a silence. â€Å"If he overdosed with Heparin,† Vittoria said, â€Å"his body would show signs.† Olivetti spun toward her. â€Å"Ms. Vetra, in case you didn't hear me, papal autopsies are prohibited by Vatican Law. We are not about to defile His Holiness's body by cutting him open just because an enemy makes a taunting claim!† Vittoria felt shamed. â€Å"I was not implying†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She had not meant to seem disrespectful. â€Å"I certainly was not suggesting you exhume the Pope†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She hesitated, though. Something Robert told her in the Chigi passed like a ghost through her mind. He had mentioned that papal sarcophagi were above ground and never cemented shut, a throwback to the days of the pharaohs when sealing and burying a casket was believed to trap the deceased's soul inside. Gravity had become the mortar of choice, with coffin lids often weighing hundreds of pounds. Technically, she realized, it would be possible to – â€Å"What sort of signs?† the camerlegno said suddenly. Vittoria felt her heart flutter with fear. â€Å"Overdoses can cause bleeding of the oral mucosa.† â€Å"Oral what?† â€Å"The victim's gums would bleed. Post mortem, the blood congeals and turns the inside of the mouth black.† Vittoria had once seen a photo taken at an aquarium in London where a pair of killer whales had been mistakenly overdosed by their trainer. The whales floated lifeless in the tank, their mouths hanging open and their tongues black as soot. The camerlegno made no reply. He turned and stared out the window. Rocher's voice had lost its optimism. â€Å"Signore, if this claim about poisoning is true†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's not true,† Olivetti declared. â€Å"Access to the Pope by an outsider is utterly impossible.† â€Å"If this claim is true,† Rocher repeated, â€Å"and our Holy Father was poisoned, then that has profound implications for our antimatter search. The alleged assassination implies a much deeper infiltration of Vatican City than we had imagined. Searching the white zones may be inadequate. If we are compromised to such a deep extent, we may not find the canister in time.† Olivetti leveled his captain with a cold stare. â€Å"Captain, I will tell you what is going to happen.† â€Å"No,† the camerlegno said, turning suddenly. â€Å"I will tell you what is going to happen.† He looked directly at Olivetti. â€Å"This has gone far enough. In twenty minutes I will be making a decision whether or not to cancel conclave and evacuate Vatican City. My decision will be final. Is that clear?† Olivetti did not blink. Nor did he respond. The camerlegno spoke forcefully now, as though tapping a hidden reserve of power. â€Å"Captain Rocher, you will complete your search of the white zones and report directly to me when you are finished.† Rocher nodded, throwing Olivetti an uneasy glance. The camerlegno then singled out two guards. â€Å"I want the BBC reporter, Mr. Glick, in this office immediately. If the Illuminati have been communicating with him, he may be able to help us. Go.† The two soldiers disappeared. Now the camerlegno turned and addressed the remaining guards. â€Å"Gentlemen, I will not permit any more loss of life this evening. By ten o'clock you will locate the remaining two cardinals and capture the monster responsible for these murders. Do I make myself understood?† â€Å"But, signore,† Olivetti argued, â€Å"we have no idea where – â€Å" â€Å"Mr. Langdon is working on that. He seems capable. I have faith.† With that, the camerlegno strode for the door, a new determination in his step. On his way out, he pointed to three guards. â€Å"You three, come with me. Now.† The guards followed. In the doorway, the camerlegno stopped. He turned to Vittoria. â€Å"Ms. Vetra. You too. Please come with me.† Vittoria hesitated. â€Å"Where are we going?† He headed out the door. â€Å"To see an old friend.†

Free Essays on Music Influences In Sexual Imagrey

The notion of â€Å"going too far† when it comes to the producer including sexual imagery in music videos has become more and more apparent as the years go by. Sex and its glamorized portrayal have become a major component in the creation and production of music videos everyday. The role taken by the government in the amount of sexual imagery and vulgar lyrics that is permitted to be included is one that is not taken seriously, or to great lengths. Today’s typical music video is one that uses shocking sexual imagery and vulgar lyrics to break through the clutter and grab the full attention of the viewer since the notions of sex and anti-establishment are so appealing to the target audience. According to the Record Industry Association of America, studies have been conducted by professors to reveal whether sexual images were randomly placed in videos on MTV, or if the pattern of their appearance was consistent. Results showed that â€Å"sexual images alone appeared in more than one in four videos†. Among these videos images of dating, provocative clothing, kissing, suggestive movements, pursuit, physical contact, sexual bondage and sadomasochism appeared. Since almost all music videos are directed by men, the music videos today depict their so-called â€Å"sexual dreamland†. Some common themes that tend to appear within these typical videos are those that include older men with younger women, strippers, schoolgirls, and mainly nude and available women in great numbers. Since it is made to show that the man controls the female’s sexuality and makes it into what they want, the women and their actual feelings on sexuality have no voice in these music videos. This similar theme holds true on television, in magazines, movies, commercials, and in virtually all other types of media. The role of the woman in music videos is not one that holds much importance. The main purpose they hold is always to be looked at. Only those women... Free Essays on Music Influences In Sexual Imagrey Free Essays on Music Influences In Sexual Imagrey The notion of â€Å"going too far† when it comes to the producer including sexual imagery in music videos has become more and more apparent as the years go by. Sex and its glamorized portrayal have become a major component in the creation and production of music videos everyday. The role taken by the government in the amount of sexual imagery and vulgar lyrics that is permitted to be included is one that is not taken seriously, or to great lengths. Today’s typical music video is one that uses shocking sexual imagery and vulgar lyrics to break through the clutter and grab the full attention of the viewer since the notions of sex and anti-establishment are so appealing to the target audience. According to the Record Industry Association of America, studies have been conducted by professors to reveal whether sexual images were randomly placed in videos on MTV, or if the pattern of their appearance was consistent. Results showed that â€Å"sexual images alone appeared in more than one in four videos†. Among these videos images of dating, provocative clothing, kissing, suggestive movements, pursuit, physical contact, sexual bondage and sadomasochism appeared. Since almost all music videos are directed by men, the music videos today depict their so-called â€Å"sexual dreamland†. Some common themes that tend to appear within these typical videos are those that include older men with younger women, strippers, schoolgirls, and mainly nude and available women in great numbers. Since it is made to show that the man controls the female’s sexuality and makes it into what they want, the women and their actual feelings on sexuality have no voice in these music videos. This similar theme holds true on television, in magazines, movies, commercials, and in virtually all other types of media. The role of the woman in music videos is not one that holds much importance. The main purpose they hold is always to be looked at. Only those women...

10 Personification Examples in Poetry, Literature, and More

10 Personification Examples in Poetry, Literature, and More SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Personification is an important literary device- as a form of metaphor, personification compares two things quickly and efficiently, often in a poetic fashion. But what is it? In this guide, we’ll discuss what personification is, what it does, and why so many writers use it, as well as a whole bunch of examples to help you get accustomed to identifying personification when you see it. This isn't quite personification, but it is cute. What Is Personification? Personification is pretty simple, but before we can get into what it is, we need to discuss metaphors. Personification is a form of metaphor, a literary device comparing two things by applying the qualities of one thing to another. One famous example is the Walt Whitman line, â€Å"And your very flesh shall be a great poem.† Whitman isn’t suggesting that your flesh is literally a poem- that would be both impossible and uncomfortable- but rather that your entire self is a work of art. Within the context of the Leaves of Grass preface, where this quote comes from, the quote means that, through love and patience and living with meaning and purpose, your entire self will have meaning and purpose, just as a poem does. Though Whitman’s quote is a metaphor, it’s not personification. Personification is a more specific type of metaphor in which something that is not human is given human traits. Whitman’s quote compares flesh, something human, to a poem, something inhuman, meaning it’s not personification. Instead, personification will look something like this quote from John Keats’ â€Å"To Autumn†: â€Å"Conspiring with him how to load and bless With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run.† Here, the thing doing the conspiring is autumn, and ‘him’ is the maturing sun. Neither of these things can conspire- autumn is a season, and the sun is a star- but for the purpose of illustrating how perfect the season is, Keats suggests that they can. In this example, Keats gives both autumn and the sun the human ability to conspire. That doesn’t mean that Keats wants you to picture the sun and autumn literally whispering in one another’s ears; he’s suggesting harmony and a natural order of things. As the sun matures (another thing it isn’t technically doing, at least not in this poem) into the later stages of the year, the fruit on the vines begins to ripen just in time for the harvest. As the sun moves further from the earth and the weather grows colder, the season switches to autumn, as if the two were consciously working together. Hence, the idea of conspiring. As you can see, personification can add a dramatic and more evocative flair to writing. If Keats’ poem had simply read, â€Å"The sun gets further away from the earth as the season changes to autumn, just in time for the fruit to ripen,† itwouldn't feel particularly inspiring or interesting. But when he suggests that the sun and autumn are conspiring, we get a much more vivid, memorable picture of what the seasons are like. This isn't personification either. Examples of Personification Keats is just one writer using personification- there are lots of different ways to use this literary device to great effect. You don’t even need to be world-renowned Romantic poet to use it! Basic Examples of Personification Since personification is just giving something that isn’t human the characteristics of a human, it’s very simple to do! Check out these examples: The stars winked in the night sky. Stars, having no eyes, cannot wink. But when you see this phrase, you know that they’re twinkling. The bridge stretched over the interstate. A bridge can’t stretch, but from this phrase, we get the mental image of it being long and gracefully curved. The cave mouth yawned. A mouth can yawn, but a cave mouth cannot. Still, we get the mental image of the cave mouth stretched wide. The smell of baking muffins welcomed us inside. A smell can’t welcome, but we can still understand that the narrator of this sentence feels welcomed by the homey smell. Poetry Examples of Personification We often encounter figurative language like personification in poetry, where a few words have to carry a lot of meaning. Some of the most famous examples in poetry are: â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death –He kindly stopped for me – The Carriage held but just Ourselves – And Immortality.† - â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death† by Emily Dickinson In this poem, Death is personified as a person driving a carriage. Within the confines of this poem, Death may in fact be a person; but Dickinson isn’t writing about a literal event that happened to her. She’s using her relationship with Death figuratively, illustrating how Death goes about its business with little regard for humanity’s work and leisure. â€Å"BlackberriesBig as the ball of my thumb, and dumb as eyesEbon in the hedges, fatWith blue-red juices. These they squander on my fingers.I had not asked for such a blood sisterhood; they must love me.They accommodate themselves to my milkbottle, flattening their sides.†- â€Å"Blackberrying† by Sylvia Plath Plathmakes a direct comparison between blackberries and humans- she says blackberries, like eyes, are 'dumb,' in that they cannot speak. But we also know that they can’t squander, they can’t be a sisterhood, and they can’t love or accommodate themselves. Plath isn’t trying to tell us that these are magic blackberries with all those traits. She’s using personification to illustrate her relationship with these blackberries, demonstrating a unique bond with them. Even without the context of the whole poem, Plath’s use of personification shows us that these blackberries aren’t just fruit to her. Literary Examples of Personification Poets aren’t the only writers using personification- it’s also valuable for prose writers! Check out these famous examples from literature: â€Å"[The eyes of TJ Eckleburg] look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose. Evidently some wild wag of an oculist set them there to fatten his practice in the borough of Queens, and then sank down himself into eternal blindness or forgot them and moved away. But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground†¦." - The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald If these eyes were attached to a human being, they might brood as an extension of the human. But the eyes of TJ Eckleburg are painted on a billboard, not attached to a human face. It’s impossible for them to brood, as they don’t have emotions. However, this quote demonstrates the mood that the eyes cast over the valley; it’s dark and dreary, and the way that Fitzgerald characterizes these painted eyes reflects that. "There is something subversive about this garden of Serena’s, a sense of buried things bursting upwards, wordlessly, into the light, as if to point, to say: Whatever is silenced will clamour to be heard, though silently. [†¦] Light pours down upon it from the sun, true, but also heat rises, from the flowers themselves, you can feel it: like holding your hand an inch above an arm, a shoulder. It breathes, in the warmth, breathing itself in." - The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood This paragraph has a couple of instances of personification. Buried things don’t really burst upward- they grow, but to ‘burst’ is to move suddenly, which is something that these plants don’t do. Likewise, Atwood says that the heat breathes. Because heat doesn’t have lungs, it can’t breathe, but it’s clear that Atwood is giving everything in Serena’s garden a sense of life so that even the heat has vitality. Pop Culture Examples of Personification You don’t have to look to books you’ve read in school to find personification, either! Everything from TV shows to music to video games can contain personification, such as these examples: Inside Out Though everything that happens in the movie Inside Out can be read to be happening literally- it’s a fantasy movie!- it’s also a form of metaphor. We know that in real life our emotions aren’t little humanoid figures running around pulling levers, but giving emotions like joy and sadness human characteristics encourages viewers to appreciate their complexity. Sadness isn’t bad, and joy isn’t always good- when we give them human traits, we see that any emotion can mean multiple things! "You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make itYou start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyesYou're paralyzed'Cause this is thriller, thriller nightAnd no one's gonna save you from the beast about to strike."- "Thriller" by Michael Jackson There are a few examples of personification in this song- in just this verse, terror "takes the sound" and horror "looks you right between the eyes." Logically, we know that emotions can't take or look at anything. But using that kind of language to describe fear gives it an agency that infuses this song with energy. It's not difficult to understand why this works so well; if you've ever been afraid, you know how it can affect the way your body feels, sometimes paralyzing you. That's what Jackson is tapping into in this song: the sense that fear can trap you and make you feel like you're out of control. What’s Next? Personification is just one of many literary devices at your disposal. Check out this list of literary devices and how they're used for a whole bunch more! Want to know more about how the Valley of Ashes is constructed inThe Great Gatsby? Learn more from this post all about how the Valley of Ashes works as a symbol! Understanding how personification works can help you in AP literature- just like this reading list for AP lit students! What kind of man so likes being described by his mother as the personification of "the beast" that he adopts it as his own nickname? Learn more about the strange life and times of Aleister Crowley with this article.

Matrix Analysis Linear Algebra SVD Speech or Presentation

Matrix Analysis Linear Algebra SVD - Speech or Presentation Example It can be easily checked that A, z-A, (z-A)-1 commute and thus are diagonalizable simultaneously. Furthermore, it can be easily be checked directly that if ÃŽ » is an eigenvalue of A with eigenvector V, and (z-ÃŽ »)-1 is an eigenvalue corresponding also to v. Therefore, A, z-A and (z-A)-1 have the same spectral projector PÃŽ » of A= the spectral projector P(z-ÃŽ »)-1of (z-A)-1, and, therefore, the spectral decomposition of (z-A)-1 is thus; 1c.) Given a square matrix M its resolvent is the matrix-valued function of a square matrix A its resolvent is the matrix-valued function RA(z)=(zI-A)-1, defined for all z ∈ C and I is a n*n identity matrix. In infinite dimensions the resolvent is also called the Green’s function. Since the resolvent RA(z)is nothing else but f(A) for f(t)=(z-t)-1=1/z-t its spectral decomposition is exactly what is expected. The diagonals entries ∑i,j of ∑ are the singular values of A. The m columns of U and the N columns of V are the left-singular and right-singular vectors of A. One application that uses SVD is the pseudoinverse. A+=V∑+U*, where ∑+ is the pseudoinverse of ∑, which is formed by replacing every non-zero diagonal entry by its reciprocal and getting the transpose of the resulting matrix. It is also possible to use SVD of A to determine the orthogonal matrix R closest to the range of A. The closeness of fit is measured by the Frobenius norm of R-A. The solution is the product UV*; the orthogonal matrix would have the decomposition UIV* where I is the identity matrix, so that if