The Role Of the Teacher by Irving Layton critique Essay Example for Free

The Role Of the Teacher by Irving Layton critique Essay The essay The Role of the Teacher written by Irving Layton reviews the current state of our ever criticized school system. The author shows us how we view the problems of the school system and explains how and why we place blame on teachers. He shows how penny-pinching school boards'(p145) are the real ones to blame and not the teaches whom are the easiest to confront. A feeling has grown that schools and universities are not achieving that which they were intended: namely , the enrichment of the individuals life by giving him the tools of self improvement and the cultivated mind to use them'(p145) is how most people view the school board and what the author is trying to discuss. The author uses a logical pattern and an expository purpose. The author uses opinion based format for this essay. Irving Layton uses metaphor in his essay. books have become objects of curiosity; like an atomic pile, something heard about but never seen'(p145) This sentence lets people relate with the point that author is trying to get across to the reader. The reader now has a mental reference or link to what is being described so he can now better understand what he is reading. This stylistic device is used effectively in this essay. Knowledge spills over like a water from a seemingly inexhaustible fountain.'(p146) This is a good use of imagery. By applying this description of endless knowledge to a fountain or waterfall the reader can make a mental picture better allowing him to comprehend exactly what the author is trying to discribe. It is very hard to understand what endless knowledge would be like, so the author puts a picture of a fountain spewing knowledge forever, making the idea more plausible to the reader. The author did not use too many stylistic devices to prove his point. The few that were used only made the facts easier to grasp. The essay was based on opinion and the writer, used very relevant topics to get his point across and make the reader sympathetic to his views. Personal opinion is the main structural device used throughout the essay. If education means anything, it should mean the creation of individuals with a strong sense of social responsibility'(p146) Since this essay is in the Writing To Pursued section of the book the essays must have facts and opinions to move the reader to the writers opinion. The essay is describing the faults of the school system, this is the authors opinion. Since it is opinion based it can be argued that the school system is in a good condition. (I wouldnt) The essay was very effective because it used many relevant topics and ideas. It properly adjusted the blame from the innocent teachers to the greedy school boards, where the blame should be. Parents and alike see the faults of the schools and automatically place the teachers in the spotlight because they are the more tangible then a school board which has no shape to it.

Free Will Vs. Fate In The Open :: essays research papers

The Open Boat, by Steven Crane, demonstrates fate vs. free will. In this story the characters are subject to contemplating how their fate is being determined, however free will cannot be dismissed as a contributor to their situation. The fine line between fate and free will, if it exists, is hard to define.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many philosophical and religious debates between the concepts of free will and fate. Free will is based on a belief that our future is based on the decisions that we make today. Looking back over our life at where we are is a product of our past.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another view that is commonly suggested is fate. Fate can be considered your destiny, what you are going to become. It is a predetermined future. The world can be looked at like it is a giant play and everyone is here to just act out their part and then die.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many arguments that can be used to ratify both of these ideologies. A person being born into poverty in the middle city, in most cases, has certain limitations placed on his future. They will not have the same opportunities that many of have such as a good education, strong ethics and family upbringing. That a person is not able to decide his future, but it has already been chosen for him. The idea of free will can argue that “ in most cases';, in the above statement, is a key. There are people who have developed very successfully out of these urban areas to (1) accomplish great things and proving that a persons free will decides there future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In The Open Boat naturalism comes into play as, once again, humans are shown insignificant to the forces of their world. As their first attempt at getting to shore fails they begin to feel they are not going to make it. They are asking why fate has allowed them to come so close before their lives are taken, “If i am going to be drowned - if I am going to be drowned - if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea was I allowed to come this far and contemplate the sand and the trees?'; (pg.131)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Was it their fate to be given the glimmer of freedom only to have it yanked away from them by the ultimate punishment of death?

Brazil Geography and Culture

Brazil: Geography and Culture Geography Brazil with a background of Portuguese colonialism back in 1500 is the largest nation in Latin America, nearly half (47%) of the South American continent, comprises slightly under half of the land mass in South America continent and share border with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador. Brazil size is almost the size of United States excluding Alaska. Brazil has 13 cities with over one million residents.The main capital is Brasilia, Brazil has 13 cities with over one million residents. Three important cities in Brazil including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Salvador. Brazil is a diverse country with ethnic groups including: 54% European, 39% mixed European-African, 6% Africa, 1% other. The physical environment in each region determined the types of crops grown or the resources extracted and this, in turn, influenced the populations that settled there and the social and economic systems that developed.Brazil's economic history , in fact, has been marked by a succession of cycles, each one based on the exploitation of a single export commodity: timber (brazilwood) in the first years of colonization; sugarcane in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; precious metals (gold) and gems (diamonds) in the eighteenth century; and finally, coffee in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Northeast Region has about 53. 6 million people, which represents 28% of the total number in the whole country.Most of the population lives in the urban area, althourgh, about 15 million people lives in the sertao. Its famous in Brazil by its hot wheather, beautiful beaches, rich culture, the sertao and to be the birthplace of the country. The biggest cities are Salvador, Fortaleza and Recife, which are the regional metropolitan areas of the Nordeste, all with a population above a million inhabitants. The Central-West Region is composed of the states of Goias, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul; along with Distrito Fe deral (Federal District), whereBrazil's national capital, Brasilia, is situated. This Region is right in the heart of Brazil, representing 18. 86% of the national territory. The Southeast Region of Brazil is composed by the states of Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. It is the richest region of the country, responsible for approximately 60% of the Brazilian GDP. The Southern Region of Brazil is one of the five administrative regions of Brazil. It includes the states of Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul and covers 576,300. km ? , being the smallest portion of the country. It is a great tourist, economic and cultural pole. It borders Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay as well as the Center-West Region, the Southeast Region and the Atlantic Ocean. The region received large numbers of people European immigrants during the 19th century, who have had a large influence on its demography and culture. The main ethnic groups of Southern Brazil are Brazilians of Italian, Portuguese and German descent.Today Brazil is justifiably famous for the Amazon River; Carnival in Rio; the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema; its many champion soccer teams, and of course, for the amazing collection of organized diversity that makes it one of the most significant and important countries on the face of the planet. Brazil Culture The population of Brazil was about 194 million, the sixth largest in the world after China, India, the United States, Indonesia, and the Russian Federation. Despite its large population, Brazil's demographic density is relatively low.Although there has been significant population movement into the interior in recent decades, about 80 percent of all Brazilians still live within two hundred miles of the Atlantic coast. Unlike many other Latin American countries where there is a distinct Indian population, Brazilians have intermarried to the point that it sometimes seems that almost everyone has a combination of o European, African and indigenous ancestry. Many original Portuguese settlers married native women, which created a new race, called ‘mestizos'.Mulattoes' are descendants of the Portuguese and African slaves. Despite the mixing of ethnicities, there is a class system in Brazil. Class is determined by economic status and skin colour. Few Brazilians could be described as racist, although social discrimination based on skin colour is a daily occurrence. People with darker brown skin are economically and socially disadvantaged. Many senior and middle ranking Brazilian business executives speak excellent English and in fact, many of them may have studied abroad in the USA or Europe.However, English is not spoken when dealing with people outside the major commercial centres, an ability to speak Brazilian Portuguese is extremely useful. The official language of Brazil is Portuguese; however, there are more than 180 native languages spoken in the country. It is also important to note that Brazil is the only country in South America whose dominant language and culture comes from Portugal. Aside from a small number of recently contacted indigenous peoples, all Brazilians speak Portuguese. Brazilian Portuguese differs somewhat in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation from the language of Portugal.Brazilian Portuguese contains a large number of indigenous terms, particularly words for native plants, animals, and place-names are not found in continental Portuguese. While regional accents exist in Brazil, they are not very pronounced and native Portuguese speakers from one region have no difficulty understanding those from other regions. The vast majority of Brazilians are monolingual in Portuguese, although many middle-class and elite Brazilians study English and to a lesser extent Spanish, French, and German.Brazilians are very proud of their linguistic heritage and resent that many foreigners, particularly North Americans, think Brazilians speak Spanish. However, anybody wishing to do business with Brazil and the Brazilians should be aware of the various cultural and structural barriers, which might confront them. Probably the most pervasive barrier encountered by the unwary traveller would be the ‘Custo Basil' or the ‘Brazil Cost'. This term refers to the very real extra costs of doing business in Brazil — corruption, governmental inefficiency, legal and bureaucratic complications, excessive taxation, poor infrastructure, inflation etc.Although this ‘costa' is difficult to define and has lessened in recent years, it  remains real and the cause of great frustration for international business people. Due to this ‘Custo Brasil', it is important to work closely with local lawyers and accountants. Many people have found the services of local intermediaries (despachante) extremely useful in overcoming many of the unfathomable local complexities. The official religion in Brazil is Roman Catholic; there are more Catholics in Brazil t han in any other country in the world. As with any other country in the world, Brazil is a melting pot of different religions.In fact, due to the diversity of its cultures and its heritage, this country boasts an array of religious ideals and affiliations. Interestingly, recent censuses have revealed that around 90% of the Brazilian population subscribe to some religious ideal, making it more religiously inclined than any other South American country. Only around 1% of its population do not believe in a God, or a supreme being in some form or another. Catholicism was introduced to Brazil when the European settlers arrived with the aim of ‘civilising’ the local native people.They built churches and brought religious leaders into the country to teach young and old alike the doctrines of Catholicism. During the 19th century, Catholicism was made the official religion of Brazil. This meant that Catholic priests were paid a salary by the government, including them in the pol itical affairs of the country. As such, Catholicism became an integral part of the management and administration of Brazil and its people. Many of the Brazilian festivals are based on the Catholic religion.Other religions (non-Christian origin) includes Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Jehovah’s Witnessm Shinto, Rastafarian, Candomble, Umbanda and 1% of its population do not believe in God or supreme being in some form or another. Why Brazil? With a population of 194 million, Brazil represents the fifth largest market opportunity in the world after China, India, Indonesia and United States of America. It is also the fifth largest country in the world by geographic size. Not only that, Brazil is a land of rich in natural resources such as iron ore, bauxite, manganese, nickel, uranium, gold, gemstones, oil and timber.Combine these facts with the stabilising economic and political landscape, this is why Brazil attracts a higher percentage of total global foreign direct investment every year. So, as with many countries, the opportunities are there and they are real but, it is essential to understand the local business landscape if want to do business in Brazil. Regardless in what sector banking, computing or pharmaceuticals, local knowledge is important. Today, Brazil has one of the largest economies in the Americas and is the largest in South America. References: 1. http://geography. bout. com/od/specificplacesofinterest/a/geographyofbraz. htm 2. http://www. justbrazil. com/site/index. php? option=com_content&view=article&id=94&Itemid=119 3. http://geography. about. com/od/brazilmaps/a/brazilfacts. htm 4. http://www. brazil. org. za/brazil-culture. html 5. http://www. everyculture. com/Bo-Co/Brazil. html#b 6. http://www. mapsofworld. com/south-america/culture/brazil. html 7. http://www. worldbusinessculture. com/Brazilian-Business-Communication-Style. html 8. http://www. brazil. org. za/religion. html

Journey Symbolism in Literature - 1672 Words

Wk 3 Assignment ENG125 Assignment week3 ENG125 AU 2011 Holly Wilcox English 125 4/10/2011 Ashford University This analysis will critically analyze the symbolism of journey-and its literary importance- between â€Å"The Road Not Taken† and â€Å"I Used to Live Here†. This critical paper chose to write itself upon symbolism’s journeys within literature. The tales chose are from â€Å"I used to Live Here† (Rhys) as well as â€Å"The Road Not Taken† (Frost). The choice in comparative analysis is due to how they both swim in a sea of metaphorical symbolism. The similarity is that both authors use the symbolisms in their literature. That’s where main similarities end. This researcher will write about how both authors use of symbolism is in different ways.†¦show more content†¦The journey is the entire premise or symbol of the short story by Rhys in â€Å"I used to Live Here Once†. The symbol of one woman’s journey in her progressive acceptance of life’s major transition. This journey is given subtle imagery hints thro ughout; from simple things like she finds herself on one side of a river then realizes she is on the opposite side of the river , along with how rocks which were once slippery and treacherous now she finds, cause her no more difficulty than a walk in a garden. Some speculate that the journey into death is the premise of journey symbolized in this short story. Taken then at face value the author also is using it also as simple journey from where the story physically begins to the journey back to the protagonist’s home. The speculation of death is in her destination to the children playing where either of the children does not notice her, then the sudden chill, felt by the children when she reaches out to touch them. The story transitions back and forth from the narrator and the lady which shows some flaws within the author’s Point of View for narration. To start with, a journey one has to make the first step. â€Å"She† the main character begins the journey at the brink of a river. Recalling the intricacies, we hear her thought process on memories of countless times crossing the river and lessons learned about the stepping stones with in this river likeShow MoreRelatedHow Theme Shapes a Story632 Words   |  3 Pag es How Theme Shapes a Story By Trina Carr English 125 Instructor: Clifton Edwards Running Head: Theme page 1 Like many people who haven’t studied literature, if someone asked me what the theme of a story was, I would have given a synopsis of the story detailing the actions and characters in it. As I have come to learn, theme is much more than a distilled retelling of a story. Theme gives a story a deeperRead MoreThe Symbolism of Water1381 Words   |  6 PagesThe Symbolism of Water Many works of literature use symbols to represent abstract ideas. One symbol that is commonly used is water. 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Venture in to the forest – Journey of life iii. Traveler’s staff – Satan in the Garden of Eden F. Ending: Was it real or was it a dream? V. CONCLUSION A thorough analysis of Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery†Read MoreAnalysis Of Dante s The Of Hell 1573 Words   |  7 PagesJacob Barnett Essay#2 Reid Title I think Dante’s description of Hell is a wonderful work of literature. Dante uses numerous literary techniques to describe his envisionment of Hell to the reader. In my opinion, one of the most affective techniques used by Dante is symbolism. It would be a very difficult task to compile a brief list of significant symbols from the Cantos that we read in class. Dante utilized many symbols throughout each canto. Some of the symbols that Dante used in Inferno are wellRead MoreThe Alchemist By John Coelho1285 Words   |  6 Pagesindividual dreams. Coelhio uses a multitude of literary elements such as symbolism and setting as described by Thomas C. Foster in How to Read Literature Like a Professor. In The Alchemist, Coelho uses his characters as symbols to manifest his overall theme to engage in following your personal legend. The way Coelho’s illustrates his theme throughout his work can be interpreted as both realistic and problematic. Throughout Santiago’s journe y along with personal experience, the reader can validate Coelho’s