April Fools Essays - Belinda, , Term Papers

April Fools Introduction There was a group of friends that was very united. They were always together. They had a great friendship, and were recognized for it. This group of friends consists of: ? Belinda: a responsible girl that cares for others. ? Hildy: a nice girl who is very friendly. ? Frank: the oldest of the 3 and also the most irresponsible; usually gets in trouble. The story is about this group that, as I said, was very unite, until April Fools, the day that changed their lives. All began where there was going to be a party out of town, and Frank who was the only one with an I.D. was the one to drive. The problem was that in the party he exceeded in beers, and because his state of unconsciousness he didn't know what he did. The topic of this story is nonfiction and the setting is New York. April Fools by Richie T. Cusick. Chapter 1 Belinda was starting her day at school as normal. She arrived to school without knowing that she will suddenly be very scared. She got to Hildy and they started chatting. Then, Frank came with a good new: " There's gonna be a party this Saturday at my friends house, you are invited." That was his words. This party was of some college buddies of Frank?s older brother. That Saturday will always be present in Belinda?s mind. That Saturday no one wondered of what was going to happen. Everyone thought it will be a great party and that everything will go wonderful. This party was out of town and on...on April Fool's Day. Yes, it was going to be on April 1st. That week no one talked of anything that was not about the party. Around the school the only thing that was heard was: "This party will be great." Of course, that there was going to be beers, as in any college party. Belinda at first had her doubts. She was a minor and she knew her mother wouldn't let her go. All that week Belinda was the only one that didn't know if she was going. Frank, that was a very good friend, but he sometimes was very irresponsible, (he was like the worst in the group) convinced her of going, and the excuse was that she will stay at Hildy?s house as any other weekend to rent some movies. Chapter 2 With this excuse, her mother let her go, trusting her. Belinda was happy and quickly went to Hildy?s. There she dressed up and was ready for the party. Since Frank was the only one with an I.D. he was the one to drive. He arrived to Hildy?s and picked both of them and went to the party. At the party, everyone danced and drank and smoked and had a lot of fun. The party was going well and Belinda was having a lot of fun. She and Frank danced almost all night, the same as Hildy. Hildy noticed that Frank was drinking too much, and this was when the problem started. Hildy wanted to leave the party, because if no, everything might turn worse. She tried to convince Frank of leaving, but Frank, with his state of unconsciousness didn't know what was happening, and since he had the facility to drink more, he wanted to stay. Finally, Belinda and Hildy forced Frank to leave. The problem will now be worse... Chapter 3 While driving back home, Belinda and Hildy were scared about Frank?s situation and wanted to get back home the sooner they can. Frank started joking, but these jokes were for bad. He took a shortcut that his brother recommended, where there wasn't likely to be any highway patrol near the airport. Of course that Belinda and Hildy rejected, but they couldn't do anything against Frank. Frank had started feeling sick, but there was nowhere to pull off on the narrow downhill stretch, and it was so curvy dangerous, and Belinda was so frightened. That's when another car pulled up behind them, honking, trying to pass. By this time, a terrible storm was present. Belinda had peered out through the rain on the back window, but hadn't been able to see any faces and the car kept

Porphyrias Lover by Robert Browning and Mariana by Alfred Tennyso Essay Example

Porphyrias Lover by Robert Browning and Mariana by Alfred Tennyso Essay Example Porphyrias Lover by Robert Browning and Mariana by Alfred Tennyso Paper Porphyrias Lover by Robert Browning and Mariana by Alfred Tennyso Paper Essay Topic: Poetry In Porphyrias Lover by Robert Browning and Mariana by Alfred Tennyson, the poets use many different literary techniques to create a sense of mood and atmosphere. They choose their language and vocabulary carefully to make the reader use all of their senses, using techniques such as imagery, rhyme and rhythm. Porphyrias Lover begins with a description of the rain and the sullen wind which makes the mood seem dark and gloomy, though unlike in Mariana, this changes later in the poem. This is shown when he appears to be sulking when Porphyria calls and he does not respond. However, Porphyrias entrance into the cottage causes the atmosphere to become warmer by lighting the cheerless grate, which again could mirror her lovers feelings for her in the same way as the setting in Mariana reflects the main characters emotions. This change in atmosphere in Porphyrias Lover suggests that she is the most important thing in his world and his source of happiness. In Mariana, the building has fallen into disrepair, as the flowerpots were thickly crusted with moss and the shed was falling apart, which s similar to the feelings in her heart. In the same way that there is no one there to look after the garden, there is no one to love Mariana. The writers use rhythm, rhyme and repetition to give the poems movement and structure. For example, in Mariana, Tennyson returns to a similar pattern of five lines at the end of each verse, which gives the poem phrasing. In Porphyrias Lover, repetition is not used as much, but, as in Mariana there are patterns in the rhyme at the end of each line, which keeps the poem flowing and makes each line moves wiftly on to the next. The only repetition used in Porphyrias Lover is that of the word and at the start of lines 14-21 which makes the pace appear to speed up, as if the thoughts and events are moving faster until the break after he says, murmuring how she loved me-, which brings the poem to an abrupt stop. This causes the reader to stop and think about the events that took place before the pause, and makes the reader want to read on to find out what happens next. Throughout the poem the disjointed rhythms make the poem feel tense but still fairly fast moving. In Mariana, there are few surprises in the rhythm as the structure is quite rigid and rarely changes. However, Browning puts surprises both in the rhythm and the story in Porphyrias Lover by ending sentences in the middle of lines, such as Three times her little throat around, and strangled her. This break in the rhythm is designed to have an impact on the reader. While the monologue in Porphyrias Lover concentrates on the thoughts of the lover, the mood becomes increasingly more mysterious; particularly at the words while I debated what to do as Browning has lready told us that the love of Porphyria is all in vain though we do not know why. Those words suggest to us already that something may happen, as the lover knows that he can never keep Porphyria forever. However, this is followed by That moment she was mine, mine, fair, and this could be what causes him to kill Porphyria as he wants to keep her in this way forever. A similar mysterious atmosphere is used throughout Mariana, and the reader feels throughout the poem that something bad is going to happen. The story of the poem is simply Mariana plunging deeper and eeper into depression, so the mysterious atmosphere progresses into one of sadness as the poem goes on. As Porphyria is murdered, very little punctuation is used so the reader can almost imagine Porphyrias hair being wound three times her little throat around gently and softly. The flowing rhythm makes the mood eerily calm, and this feeling continues right to the end of the poem. The opposite effect is created in Mariana, as Tennyson uses punctuation such as commas and semi-colons to create breaks, which gives the poem a slow pulse and almost shows the passage of time hat Mariana has to put up with. The last three to four lines of each poem have many similarities. Both refer to God, showing the religious thoughts of the time, and, more importantly, the both leave the reader wondering what happens next, and leave many questions unanswered. Porphyrias Lover and Mariana are both examples of how poets can create depressing and eerie moods and atmosphere using clever vocabulary, imagery, rhyme and rhythm. I think that the poems are both quite romantic, but are both examples of how too much love can be a bad thing.

Week2 BUSFIN Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week2 BUSFIN - Assignment Example This profitability ratio also shows the declining performance of Las Vegas Sands Corporation. However, the performance on the company is dependent on economy’s performance therefore we cannot conclude that this lackluster performance will continue in the future. As for the solvency is concerned, the company has experienced a declining debt to equity ratio which implies that shareholder’s still place trust on the company and they hold great expectation from the company in the future. Although a D/E ratio greater than 1 is not desirable but Las Vegas Sands Corporation should consider on reducing this ratio to increase its credit worthiness. The financial leverage ratio is similar to Debt to Equity ratio except the fact that it takes equity into the account. These ratios are implying that the company is solvent and can sustain the business in the future through its financing capabilities. The interest coverage ratio shows that the number of times a company’s EBIT can cover its interest expense. In year 2008, the company had a positive EBIT but they were not sufficient to cover the interest expense which implies that they were facing a liquidity crisis. Furthermore, in year 2009 the interest coverage ratio further reduced to -0.089 due to its operating expenses being greater than its gross profit. The company needs to concentrate on controlling its operating expenses in order to be

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Research - Essay Example He also feels this especially towards Biff who he thinks was doing particularly well until he went on to campus and failed his mathematics and thus never finished it. The psychological context is also brought out by the fact that Willy’s family and friends feel that he is losing his sanity (Miller 15). Happy and Biff discuss the mental degradation of their father but do not bring this out to him since they feel that he would not accept what they are telling him, his wife Linda is also aware of his mental problems but won’t tell him either because she is trying to unite the family which already appears on the verge of splitting up. Willy’s problems do however show themselves when he gets into an argument with his boss Howard over the rejection of his application for a town job. Willy loses his temper over a trivial matter showing his volatility and the dangers of depression. Willy’s spiral into depression is also shown by his constant hallucinations. He con stantly hallucinates of his past years of success such as 1928 when he was driving a red Chevrolet (Miller 13) of having conversations with his older brother as well point to his dementia. The constant hallucinations are thought to be a defense mechanism for the harsh realities that he is facing and were to prevent the onset of full scale depression, this however is not avoided as at the end of the play he still succumbs to it and commits suicide. Several factors are responsible for this depression the most important being his denial of the reality that he is not as successful as he imagines himself to be, and that Biff was never the successful football player that he imagines himself to be The success that Biff had was instead a touchdown that he scored while in high school. Willy’s imagination of success is shown when he goes to confront Howard’s father about his sacking citing the time in 1928 when he earned an extremely large bonus, he defends himself towards his b oss by citing the time twenty years ago when he found financial success and this is what he uses as his defense to have himself reinstatedâ€Å". The play is set in 1949 showing that Willy’s peak are twenty years past and yet he still clings on to them to prevent his acknowledgement that he is not as successful as he dreams(Miller 82). The theme of unrealistic parental expectations is constantly shown in Willy who believes that his son Biff is a failure, he wants his son to take up a job as a salesman and constantly berates him for not, he keeps reminding him about his high school successes and clings on them as proof that Biff has potential. He also keeps pressuring Bill to marry as he says that he was popular with everybody both boys and girls but as Linda points out Biff is rough with women and so it is difficult for him to settle down (Miller 31). The relationship between Linda and Happy also show how her expectations of him are more than what he can be even when trying, she complains that Happy should be doing more with his life and yet Happy is constantly providing money for her and Willy to use to supplement his income. Happy also has motivation to succeed and wants to become the manager of his store however

Gorbachev's Reforms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Gorbachev's Reforms - Essay Example Through these structural reforms which were meant to broaden the opportunities for the popular movements and the political parties so as to gain influence, Gorbachev made it easy for the orthodox communists, populist forces and nationalist to go against his wishes and oppose his efforts to revitalize and liberalize the soviet communist. This led to different opinions with some advocating for the liberalizing of the Soviet Union, others wanted the republics to be independent while the rest demanded for the restoration of old ways of the soviet union. These forces from below, top and sideways could not be compromised by Gorbachev leading to the consequent fall the Soviet Union.1 Between the year 1969 and 82 is when the reforms for Soviet Union stalled but generational shift introduced these demand s for the reform. There was change on the relations with the US after Reagan was elected and was against the Soviet Union and further termed it as the evil empire and his initiative to build a strong defense system (star wars) which the Soviet Union could not compete with. The public was not satisfied with the Moscow government because of the war in Afghanistan and the Chernobyl catastrophe gave the Glasnost and Perestroika which were introduced by Gorbachev gain momentum but eventually led to fall of the Soviet Union.2 After many years of stagnation new thinking younger communists emerged and after the death of Chernekno Konstantin made is ease the elected general secretary rise to leadership. Though he was relatively young he introduced a new momentum that advocated for economic and political liberation with better trade relation with the west. By 1866 when Gorbachev was introducing the Glasnost and Perestroika programs, the union was already suffering from supply shortages and inflation due to black market practiced by official economy. The state subsidies and cost of superpower were not proportional to the economy of the soviet and the union was craving for the unmatched western technology.3 One of the radical economic reforms was put in place in May 1988, the cooperative law that allowed the private ownership of manufacturing, retailing and al l other business including the foreign business and this became the soviet scene. A conference convened in 1987 by an economist who was as adviser to Gorbachev concluded that political openness was essential to pressure those who were opposing his economic reforms, the conservatives, to support his initiatives. This resulted to increased freedom of press and speech, many political prisoners were released, and public opinion polls could be conducted without restriction. The government records became accessible and gender studies were introduced. Gorbachev introduced democratization which came had in had with multi party elections in January 1988 in the Soviet Union. This was followed by the CPSU's 19th party conference that reduced the ruling party's control of the government. A legislative body (congress of people's deputies) was approved in December 1988 and the elections to that congress were held the following year in March-April. The first president of the Soviet Union was Gorbachev who was elected on 15th of March 1990. Flow of uncontrollable events made it inevitable to dissolve the Soviet Union despite efforts to by Gorbachev to meet his promises as

Dichotomy of Good and Evil in Beowulf

Dichotomy of Good and Evil in Beowulf Beowulf: Good versus Evil The heroic poem, Beowulf, is a combination of society’s views and religious ideals and concepts of the Anglo-Saxon period, although some of the poem today may appear different compared to the original text prior to translation. The central conflict of good versus evil in Beowulf may have been altered to fit the Christian beliefs of the time. â€Å"Beowulf is considered the oldest of the great long poems written in English, may have been composed more than twelve hundreds years ago, in the first half of the eighth century, although some scholars would place it as late as the tenth century† (Greenblatt, 2012, p. 36). Being one of the oldest verbal and written poems has caused the original meaning and writing to change over the years. Yet, the central themes of good versus evil and the religious undertones could have been an adaptation to the world that was dominated by the Christian believers. The central focus between good versus evil is represented within the combination of pagan and Christian allegories that provides readers with an insight not only what society found acceptable, but the religious convictions of the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages, the church was a major power house and influencing many scholars to adapt pagan heroes into a more acceptable Christian faith hero. It would have been unacceptable for a pagan hero to triumphant over the forces of evil, while proclaiming only one religious belief to be correct. According to Stevick (1963), in order to honor God and the Christian beliefs of the time, the transcriber may have chosen to adapt the pagan references to Christianity in order to make the poem relatable to the Christian believers (p. 80). As readers enter the world of Beowulf, they are giving a glimpse of the social conflict during the Middle Ages. This conflict in expressed through the religious views of a pagan society adapting to a new religion with the mention of One God versus the several Deities normally followed in pre-Anglo-Saxon culture. When Beowulf is considered a Christian story, the strong allegories may be found within the characters of Beowulf and Grendel. Beowulf, the Geat warrior, could be a reference to Jesus in the Christian faith. Jesus had traveled to Israel to save them from their sinful ways, Beowulf comes to the Danes â€Å"to perform to the uttermost what your people wanted or perish in the attempt, in the fiend’s clutches† (Greenblatt, 2012, p. 54, line 634-636). Although the image of Jesus is widely known as a humble man, Beowulf appears to be boastful about his feats. The commonality between the two individuals is clear when referencing the Christian faith. Jesus and Beowulf both fight an evil that is determined too great for the likes of normal humanity. Each are willing to sacrifice their lives in order to being salvation to people whom they feel are worthy of the action. Each are faced with a trail of the battle without seeking guidance from God, but rather put their faith in the protection and safety that God has shown them. The most interesting is the lack of reference to Jesus within the tale. According to Blackburn (1897), Beowulf is seen as a representation to the Christian Savior within the poem, even though Beowulf contains no references to him, â€Å"to the cross, to the virgin or the saints, to any doctrine of the church in regard to the trinity, the atonement, etc., or to the scriptures, to prophecy, or to the miracles† (p. 216). Readers are presented with a plot that focuses on Scandinavian culture, however much of the poet’s narrative interference reveals that the poet’s culture is silently different from that of his ancestors and that of his character’s as well. For example, Beowulf lives by the heroic code of honor that is often defined as a relic of pre-Anglo-Saxon culture. Some principles seen within the text, â€Å"Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow, spoke: Wise sir, do no grieve. It is always better to avenger dear ones than to indulge in mourning. For every one of us, living in this world means waiting for our end. Let whoever can win glory before death. When a warrior is gone, that will be his best and only bulwark† (Greenblatt, 2012, p.72, line 1383-1389). The concept of eye for an eye, death for death was met with same justification during this time period. Yet, in some ways it remembers the First Testament of the Bible when eye for eye was the manner of payment injustices. Grendel represents the evils of the world as a whole, although some may see it as the Satan confronting Jesus in his three trails of faith. According to Greenblatt (2012), â€Å"the poem turns on Beowulf’s three great fights against preternatural evil, which inhabits the dangerous and demonic space surrounding human society,† which would be another reference to the Christian allegory reference. (p. 38-39). Grendel is one of three manifestations of evil and the first for Beowulf to face. Grendel’s first attack of evil is on the order of the Danes and wreaking havoc on the people. His evil appears to seek the destruction of the Danish society from the top down, leaving the community without leadership and protection against the evils that may surround them. In this approach, Grendel would be an allegory for the minion demons that cause destruction to order and civil society with wholesome values. While good versus evil is a common theme seen in multiple of folklores prior to Christianity can be seen, the Christianization of the Anglo-Saxon society has influenced the transcriber to relate the story to a boarder Christian audience. According to Stevick (1963), when passages use references to pagan traditions and then mention a Christian reference or lack Christian elements, â€Å"into which at one point a Christian explanation is added in anticipation of a subsequent Christianized account of the fight and explanation of its outcome, and because the poet was attempting to produce a major, written poem about Beowulf that avoided inconsistency in Christianized and non-Christian matter with which he was working† (p. 84). The information and facts that point to a transcriber who found in somewhat necessary to conform the Germanic hero tale into something about the Christian society in which the poem may have originated, and something about the society in which the Christian w riter lives within. The original tale informs readers that the society that the poem may have been written in valued great acts of courage and strength. It would be a society that relished in the tales of great conquests and hardships as a pastime entertainment. However, this would have been different from the time of the poem was transcribed; the rewrite would have been influenced by the power of the Church. All the honor and prestige would have been given to God for blessing them with extraordinary men granting who were favored by God. Success with battles was no longer considered the achievement of the individual’s strength, but by the will of God. It was no longer acceptable to praise or boast about the achievements over a good meal, but rather to be thankful and put one’s faith into God for providing victory over evil. According to Stevick (1963), Beowulf belongs to a more Christianized Anglo-Saxon society and the oral materials existed prior to the conversion of the British kingdom. While oral tradition may have continued with the pagan beliefs still attached, the written version was adapted to include the Christian beliefs. While there is no actual reference to Jesus within the tale, the references to God and contributin g the success to him allowed the stale to be acceptable in a Christian society during the Middle Ages. While the central conflict of Beowulf is good and evil, the rewritten tale removes many elements referencing the pagan beliefs and converting them into the Christian concept of God winning over horrors of evil. This coincides with the conversion of Druid and pagan beliefs into the new belief of Christianity. The church would find ways to convert pagans and druids into accepting the new faith by combining pagan traditions, folklore and references with Christian beliefs. Beowulf appears to be just another victim of Christianity overtaking an existing culture and finding ways to find it acceptable for their beliefs. References Blackburn, F. A. (1897). The Christian Coloring in the Beowulf. PMLA, (2). 205. Retrieved on June 7, 2015 from http://www.jstor.org.proxy- library.ashford.edu/stable/456133?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents Greenblatt, S., et al. (Eds.) (2012). The Norton anthology of English literature (9th ed., Vol.1). New York, NY: W. W. Norton Company, Inc. Stevick, R. D. (1963). Christian Elements and the Genesis of Beowulf. Modern Philology, (2). 79. Retrieved on June 7, 2015 from http://www.jstor.org.proxy- library.ashford.edu/stable/435497?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

The Fenian Movement :: Essays Papers

The Fenian Movement One has seen numerous times throughout history the dissatisfaction of the people with their government towards their laws, economy, and politics. These people want to make a change in their society, consequently leading them to take action against their government. These actions not necessarily involve the use of force, but the leaders of the Fenian Movement that started in 1848 believed that they needed to apply force to unite themselves to take action against the British government regarding the struggle of the Irish people, separate from them, and become a republic. These groups of leaders were known as the Young Ireland. The leaders of the Young Ireland Uprising in 1848 were led by John O’Mahony and James Stephens. Both of these men were seen to the British authorities as criminals and they had to escape from punishment and fled to Paris. In 1853, John O’Mahony came to America were he tried to gain the support of the people who had left Ireland during the Grea t Famine for another uprising. However, James Stephens returned to Ireland in 1856, moving from place to place to see the reactions of the people of the situations that were occurring at the moment. As a result, in Dublin in March of 1858, he formed a secret society that became known as the Irish Republican Brotherhood. But at the same time, John O’Mahony became the leader of a similar group in America called the Fenian Brotherhood. The name of this group comes from the warriors who followed the legendary Irish hero, Finn Mc Cumhail (Fin Mc Cool). The main goal of both of these groups was to achieve Irish independence from British rule by force, meaning, they wanted Ireland as a republic. The Fenian Movement quickly attracted thousands of young supporters, both from Ireland and America. This movement particularly attracted artisans and shop assistants, rather than to the agrarian population. The Fenian Movement was not a success, but their leaders restored the morale i n the people at a time when the situation in their country was deplorable. However, the most important characteristic that this movement generated among Irish people was the sense of nationalism that united them all in one. There were several reasons related to the struggle of the Irish people that led the Fenian Movement leaders take action against the British government. The Fenian Movement :: Essays Papers The Fenian Movement One has seen numerous times throughout history the dissatisfaction of the people with their government towards their laws, economy, and politics. These people want to make a change in their society, consequently leading them to take action against their government. These actions not necessarily involve the use of force, but the leaders of the Fenian Movement that started in 1848 believed that they needed to apply force to unite themselves to take action against the British government regarding the struggle of the Irish people, separate from them, and become a republic. These groups of leaders were known as the Young Ireland. The leaders of the Young Ireland Uprising in 1848 were led by John O’Mahony and James Stephens. Both of these men were seen to the British authorities as criminals and they had to escape from punishment and fled to Paris. In 1853, John O’Mahony came to America were he tried to gain the support of the people who had left Ireland during the Grea t Famine for another uprising. However, James Stephens returned to Ireland in 1856, moving from place to place to see the reactions of the people of the situations that were occurring at the moment. As a result, in Dublin in March of 1858, he formed a secret society that became known as the Irish Republican Brotherhood. But at the same time, John O’Mahony became the leader of a similar group in America called the Fenian Brotherhood. The name of this group comes from the warriors who followed the legendary Irish hero, Finn Mc Cumhail (Fin Mc Cool). The main goal of both of these groups was to achieve Irish independence from British rule by force, meaning, they wanted Ireland as a republic. The Fenian Movement quickly attracted thousands of young supporters, both from Ireland and America. This movement particularly attracted artisans and shop assistants, rather than to the agrarian population. The Fenian Movement was not a success, but their leaders restored the morale i n the people at a time when the situation in their country was deplorable. However, the most important characteristic that this movement generated among Irish people was the sense of nationalism that united them all in one. There were several reasons related to the struggle of the Irish people that led the Fenian Movement leaders take action against the British government.