Video game console Essay Example for Free

Video game console Essay Abstract The video games industry has been through a total transformation in recent years. We can easily find in the market a wide range of video games, such as computer games (PC), console games or even interactive games with various contents. Video games industry had its annual revenue growth rate of 9. 1% ranking itself as the 3rd fastest growing segment of the Entertainment and Media market (Pricewaterhouse Coopers, 2007). Especially, within the industry home video game consoles played an important part in contributing to the national economy. Besides talking about the benefits of playing video games, some critics also criticized the bad effects which video games had caused to each of individual person and to the entire society. Do video games take responsibility of all the problems involved in interacting with the computers? The intention of this report is to represent, analyze, and critically evaluate this dynamic global industry based on its benefits and drawbacks from a scientific perspective. Video Games The history of video games development is a long and intricate story. Up to now, games industry has been climbing to its peak and becoming one of the biggest commercial field. Besides, video games are becoming common entertainment. Therefore, video games importance in economy and lives is undeniable. Nonetheless, the answers for the controversies whether video games impose consummate or dreadful impact on people, especially children, have not shown up yet for a long time. However, playing video games is a two-sided affair. No one can tell if it is good or bad. If played at an appropriate time and in an acceptable period, video games are such beneficial tools. Otherwise, they can become the sharpest knife shorting your time and limiting many abilities. History of video games Video games were developed long time ago by an engineer worked in the US military. The first game had it function with a simple game engine, the CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) technology. In 1950s, video games were created some were created, giving people a way to entertain. Tennis for Two was the pioneer in the sport game segment. The game contained a tennis ball† bounces off a horizontal line at the bottom of a oscilloscope screen, with a vertical line in the center of the screen representing a tennis net (BMI Gaming, 2002). Players controlled the game with a small handheld metal box equipped with a dial and a push button. It was important in the history of video games as being one of the first electronic games to use a graphical display. In the second generation 1970s, game industry was then strongly developed with the exist of famous games such as Odyssey, the world’s first home video game system and Pong – a huge success of Atari which was the best-selling during winter season. Pong quickly became a huge hit and its success led to the start of the modern video game industry as we know of today (Michael, 2005). The Golden Era of Video Games was a time of great technical breakthroughs and game design creativities in arcade games. Video arcade games were designed in a wide variety of genres. This era also saw the rapid spread of video arcades and game rooms across North America, Europe and Japan. Today’s video games transform to be complex and graphically realistic. They are not just the childish stuffs anymore, with more game-playing adults among their intended audience. With strong configuration, nice graphics and interesting gameplay, the evolution of gameplay devices including Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii will lead the game industry to a new generation of video games. Overview of game industry Every year, the game industry brings lots of profit to the national economy. Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) predicted that the game industry would continuously grow in the coming years; focusing on revenues to increase from $31. 6 billion to $48. 9 billion USD between 2007 and 2011 (Scanlon, 2007). In the line with the â€Å"Product Life Cycle Curve† the game industry is currently at its mature stage in developed country and growth phase in developing country, as a result, many companies have to establish marketing plans to adapt to the developed but competitive international market (Daniels, Radebaugh, Sullivan, 2009). Moreover, the income does not only come from the game selling, it also comes from the technology advancement such as sound cards, graphic cards, some software like applications, update features and websites. Writing software is such a great way to make money, a good writer can sell hundreds of thousands copy for each of their popular games. In general, the development of game industry is totally dominating the market, successful in leading other involved segments to prosperity. Throughout history, many game companies were born and made a huge influence in the industry. Nowadays, there are three well-known game companies dominating the game industry: Sony with the PS3, Nintendo with the Wii console and Microsoft with a variety of range in computer devices and Xbox 360. Each year they all establish popular games and bring back billion dollars for game selling and game devices (ESA, 2008). They have different methods in creating their own games and applications, which enables them to hold separated market share in different segments. However, there is a change in relationship between game companies. Instead of competing in every field and genre of games, they are moving to cooperate with each other in order to fully dominate the market from other small game companies. Benefits of playing video games Establishing connections. Nowadays, video games players around the world, especially coupled gamers, may feel more reasonable to enjoy their hobbies because the playing activities can build up their relationship effectively. This benefit is more believable when a research conducted by Stony Brook University proves that there are two crucial key factors which affect the success of a relationship: the promotion of the other partner’s success and nurture an interesting life together (Daniel, 2010). During the playing process, they have many opportunities to share exciting experiences and increase trust. Therefore, after an exciting activity, the connection between two people is formed. The feeling of sharing achievement at the end is really valuable for building or maintaining a relationship. Additionally, video games also help people to support relationship in some other cases. For instance, in marriage, men sometimes get bored with their wives very quickly. Thus, women have to find some way to prevent external effects from their husbands. One recommendation is bought him a Xbox 360 or PS3 to at least keep him at home with her (Smith, 2009). IQ Increase The cognitive effects of playing video games are not only surprising but also last some years. However, there are some people who cast doubt on these benefits of that activity. In spite of that, they may change their mind after reading a research which was conducted by Ray Perez, program officer for the Office of Naval Research’s warfighter performance department (Stephen, 2010). â€Å"We have discovered that video game players perform 10 to 20 percent higher in terms of perceptual and cognitive ability than normal people that are non-game players†, he said. Perez also stated â€Å"we know that video games can increase perceptual abilities and short-term memory†. For examples, Minesweeper is one of the most favorite intelligent games for many people. We usually play it in our spare time for two purposes: spend time to relax and practice our brains. While playing that game, the ability to concentrate and memorize will be strengthened. In addition, psychologists have found out that after eight weeks playing some kinds of games which are especially designed for gamers to totally use their thinking to play, there will be a dramatic increase in IQ. To be more specific, scientists studied 600 children who played an online game called â€Å"Junglememory†. As a result, their abilities to solve mathematical and verbal problems are amazingly improved and their IQ scores also rise by 10 after the research (Skeptics, 2012). Education Some games could bring to gamers a lot of educational skills. For example, most detective games and puzzle games require an ability to remember and think critically. The Federation of American Scientist reveal that student absorb up to 90% info when taught using simulations compare with 10% via reading (Forbes, 2012). Moreover, teamwork and leader skill maybe built and improved through some kind of games according to Ian Bogost, associate professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and founder of software maker Persuasive Games. â€Å"Look at ‘World of Warcraft’: You’ve got 11-year-olds who are learning to delegate responsibility, promote teamwork and steer groups of people toward a common goal. † he said (ABC News, 2011). Not only remember and teamwork skill, the most apparent benefit that this type of entertainment could bring to student is faster response. Famous game brand names in World Cyber Game tournament (WCB) Counter Strike, Dota, Call of Duty and FIFA provide an environment to improve and practice response seed and timing ability. Building relationship In some way, games play an essential point in supporting society and building multi-level relationship. Instantly, people from far distance place will know and get access thanks to many games on Facebook. If someone does not want to communicate with strange people, he can set up a team with someone he knows in teamwork games such as League of Legend, Tactic games. By that way, children, team, and even adults have opportunities to share understanding and feeling with each other in such a convenient and relax environment. Parents and their children also get a lot of benefits from game industry. According to the ESA, 45 percent of parents played computer video games with their children at least once a week. This number had increased from 36 percent in 2007 (ESA, 2008). Following the world mainstream, parents pay many time in enjoying comedy or educational games like Neighbour From Hell or Worm Book. An another research show that 97 per cent of teens aged 12-17 play video games, and that their gaming activity had become an essential part of their social experience (Kate, 2008). Moreover, the study which was released last in 2008 also found out that 52 per cent of teenagers played games in which they considered moral and ethical issues; 43 per cent played games in which they made decisions about the way a community, city or nation should be drive; and 40 per cent played games in which they learned about a social issue. As the result, the significant high rate of social game may bring us optimistic consideration in the benefit of video game in our world. Drawbacks of Playing Video Games Violence exposure Another effect of video game is that it makes people commit violent behavior. Although there is not enough statistical evidence to find out if violent video game is the reason for major crimes such as murder or robbery, many researches have stated that playing too much brutal games with an enormous amount of time can affect our psychological state, thus influencing our actions. This could be true for people with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). ASPD is a mental health condition in which a person has a pervasive pattern of disregard for, exploiting or violating the rights of others. This disorder begins in early time of ones life and may continue when a human is grown up. Individual high in hostility tends to be more offensive after playing violent video games while another one low in hostility is less likely to be (Gentile, Lynch, Linder, Walsh, 2004). In the book Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games by Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl K. Olson (2008), they concluded that people who played mature-rated games had a higher chance of aggressive actions, such as getting into a fight, bullying, damaging school’s properties, than those didn’t play any games of that kind . Nowadays, there is not a completely reliable research that defines the link between violent video games and major crimes. However, many criminal incidents connected to video games happen every year. In May 2010, French gamer Julien Barreaux hunted and stabbed a fellow player to death who had slashed Barreaux on the game Counter-Strike with a virtual knife. Alexiane Potel, the judge at his trial called him a menace to society† (Lilian Juliet, 2001). Addiction In addition, another possible downside of video games is that they may make people become addicted to them. Extreme overuse of video games can manipulate our lives and we would care about nothing but spending a lot of hours playing them. Professor Mark Griffiths, of Nottingham Trent University, revealed the results of a survey of 7,000 online gamers in a British Science Museum lecture with 12% of the majority have sign of addiction (BBC News, 2006). A person who spends an excessive amount on gaming environment may lack their skill of communication. They neglect to go outside and take part in social activities. However, if a meeting among fellow gamers is going to take place, they definitely do not want to miss that party. This maybe because they just want to talk with people with the same interests, especially the ones who share the mutual kind of games they play. Video games addiction also causes health problems. If a person is totally addicted to video games, he/she would not consider sleeping or even eating. On a long run, this causes the muscles to work less and may lead to obesity (Mayo Clinic staff, 2011). There have been many deaths because of game addiction. On July 15, Chuang, a Taiwanese teenager was dead because of playing Diablo III 40 hours straight. The report said that Chuang could stand only a few minutes when he woke up and then collapsed . The reason of his death is cardiovascular, which involves a heart or blood vessels (The Australian, 2012). Physiological Effect. Some researchers believe that playing electronic game can lead to the increase in heart rates of inexperienced gamers (Zain A Sobani, Ali Pervaiz, Mohsin Yakub, Ali Khawaja, Rehmatullah Khan, 2011). The reason is that they have no experience in playing video games; when they play, they feel like they are the characters in that game and their heart rates will increase when those characters face the problem, for example. Moreover, a person who really addicts to the video games will play it without having meals and sleeping, so the consequence is that he will lose consciousness and his health will become worse. Furthermore, some doctors believe that there are harmful rays leaving out of the screen. They are extremely harmful because they directly damage the gamers eyes. This is the reason why there is an increase in the number of people from younger generation who become short-sighted. Another bad effect causing by playing video games is arthritis. Gamers spend a long time sitting on chair, so they will be inactive. Because they only use their brain, eyes and hands, other parts of their body do not operated. In long term, it will cause the inflammation of the joints. Unreal World Syndrome Playing video games can create the gender bias (Flew Humphreysl, 2005). As people know, in lots of games, the main characters always look like heroes; the male is very tall, handsome, has big muscle and the female has the soft white skin, a beautiful outlook. Gamers, especially the younger, they think that those characters are the standard of them, so they try to live in an imaginary world. In that world, girls are objectives for boys and men to rescue. Therefore, boys usually try to prove themselves for the girls such as the heroes. This case cause extremely serious violence in school environment (Hazler Carney, 2000). All of those will lead to the stereotypes in the perception of gamers. They only see the world in video games is their ideal world. Some reports showed that they often apply the way to solve problems or troubles to the reality. As a result, changing manners happens silently and automatically. They may no longer respect their parents and teachers and may even think that those people are their enemies. Conclusion. On the bright aspect, videos games are able to help players improve dexterity, build relationships and acquire high concentration, multitasking and quick response and numerate abilities. Moreover, educators effectively use video games for educational orientation, military or medical treatment in relieving pain or stress. In addition, game industry has been proliferating stronger than ever. This young and auspicious field has contributed prodigiously to the development of the many economies. On the downside, video games can somehow cause addiction, violent behavior or even lacking social and communicational skills. Modern video games with 3D graphic, intricacy, online playing and continuously updated objectives are sources of appeals that grasp players’ attention and they cannot get their eyes off the screen. Nevertheless, the games themselves do not account for the addiction and bad effects caused to the players. People should play responsibly to get benefits from video games. Time spent on video games should be learning time besides entertaining, not a waste. There should be a balance between playing games and attending outdoor activities. Nonetheless, not all children are able to be aware that playing too much video games is a threat. They incline to keeping playing because they find games fascinating. In such situations, in lieu of thwarting their kids from playing games, parents should control and give them directions. Besides, using video games in education should be encouraged more. Educators, especially teachers, should have an open-minded attitude towards this concept. Family and school should collaborate to help children yield the most out of video games. Games producers are too involved in making educational products. References ABC News. (2011, December 26). The benefits of video games. Retrieved from http://abcnews. go. com/blogs/technology/2011/12/the-benefits-of-video-games/ BBC News. (2006, November 26). Online gamers addicted say study. Retrieved from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/nottinghamshire/6193462. stm BMI Gaming. (2002). Computer games timeline and milestones. Retrieved from http://www. bmigaming. com/videogamehistory. htm Daniel, D. (2010, May 5). Video games may improve relationships. Retrieved from http://www. examiner.com/article/video-games-may-improve-relationships Daniels, J. , Radebaugh, L. , Sullivan, D. (2009). International Business: Environments nd Operations (12th ed. ). N. J. : Pearson/Prentice Hall. ESA. (2008). Essential Facts About The Computer and Video Game Industry 2008. Retrieved November 21, 2008, from Entertainment Software Association: http://www. theesa. com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2008. pdf Flew, T. , Humphreys, S. (2005), Games: Technology, Industry and Culture. Oxford University Press Forbes. (2012, March 22). The Social benefits of video games. Retrieved from http://www.forbes. com/sites/insertcoin/2012/03/22/the-social-benefits-of-video-games/ Gentile, D. A. , Lynch, P, J. , Linder, J. R. , Walsh, D. A. (2004). The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance. Journal of Adolescence, 27(5-22) Hazler, R. J. , Carney, J. V. (2000). When victims turn aggressor: Factor in the development of deadly school violence. Professional School Counseling, 4(2), 105-112 Kate, S. (2008, September 25). Video games social, not violent, study finds. Retrieved from http://www. news. com.au/technology/video-games-social-not-violent-study-finds/story-e6frfro0-1111117579541 Kutner, L. , Olson, C. K. (2009). Grand theft childhood: the surprising truth about violent video games and what parents can do. New York: Simon and Schuster. Lilian, B. , Juliet, V. E. (2001). Video games and real life aggression. Journal of Adolescent Health, 29 Mayo Clinic staff. (2011, April 2). Children and TV: Limiting your childs screen time. Retrieved from http://www. mayoclinic. com/health/children-and-tv/MY00522 Michael, M. (2005, April 1). A history of home video game consoles.

How Are Dreams Proved to Be Futile in of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

How Are Dreams Proved to Be Futile in of Mice and Men Essay Dreams in â€Å"Of Mice and Men† is influenced under the poem â€Å"To A Mouse† by Robert Burns and the relationship between the poem and the novel is seen through the build-up to the characters hopes and dreams at the time of the great inflation and how they struggled to keep up with their ambitions. The context in both texts clearly portrays the death of the future plans the working class keep to at that time and the writers do this to illustrate the chances of normal people succeeding and how being born into a hierarchy means that you’re destined to a class in society. In Of Mice and Men, Lennie is introduced with a â€Å"shapeless face† and animal imagery is used to signify his strength, â€Å"bear drags his paws†, this portrayal of Lennie sets him apart from George in the hierarchy. As the story develops the readers understanding of George’s and Lennie’s relationship does to, the reader realises that the theme that keeps both the key protagonists motivated is the dream. This is further developed when Steinbeck introduces the dream for the first time, â€Å"I remember about the rabbits, George†, it is clear to the readers that Lennie is academically weak and in order for him to remember about the dream indicated how much it means to him and it’s possibly the thing that matters to him most. However early in the novel Steinbeck uses animal imagery to foreshadow the death of Lennie and the death of the dream, â€Å"shoot you for a coyote†, the author highlights his vulnerability and his death in the future to suggest that his weakness academically is what possibly lead him to his death. In the beginning of the novel George gets into a quarrel with Lennie about ketchup, â€Å"we ain’t got any†, during George’s rant he clearly emphasizes on what he sees as the American dream in comparison to what they both see. George leads on to imply that Lenny is a road block to his dream and this is partially true as it is what Lennie did towards the end of the novel that killed the chances of the dream. George’s dream can be considered as a typical working class dream as it isn’t very promising and has no future outlook. The death of the dream in Of Mice and Men seems to be blames on a certain individual, the death of George and Lennie’s dream is blamed on Lennie and later in the novel we learn that the death of Curley’s wife’s is because of her â€Å"ol lady†. In the novel Curley’s wife is portrayed as a social outcast alongside the â€Å"nigga† but this time because of her gender as they lived in a sexist society. However beneath her make up her interior reveals her dreams and how they were crushed as well, the reader also finds out that her sexual weapon is to grab the attention of the ranch workers as no one gave her the recognition she wanted. Curley’s wife’s dream is fully revealed towards the end of the novel with her explain it to Lennie, she clearly illustrates her very independent dream however it is also clear that she is very dependent on men when it comes to making the dream a reality. This maybe the reason why her dream was locked away and only brought out when she needed it to emotionally look back at it; considering that she lived in a men’s society it means that women are held back from what they wanted to do and were expected become a housewife. This is the main road block that Curley’s wife comes across making her dream futile. Throughout the novel the reader realises that the characters that we’re too eager for their dream (Lennie and Curley’s wife) reaches their destiny, quite dramatically, with their death. It seems that both characters had something in common – lack of power, the protagonists had a lack of power meaning that they were vulnerable to society however Curley’s wife attempted to cover it by putting on a lot of makeup but it is clear that your weakness will eventually go against you. Furthermore both characters dream was clearly futile from the beginning of the novel as both characters seemed to depend on another person in order for their dreams to succeed. In Lennie’s case it was George and Curley’s wife needed a man. Steinbeck reinforces the themes of Power and powerlessness with links to the dream to suggest that there is some sort of bond with making the dream and having the power to make it. This portrayal in Of Mice and Men illustrated not only the fact that succeeding during the Great Depression was very limited but the fact that without power or status, which both characters lacked in, the chances of making the dream was nil.

Impact of Curriculum Definitions and Theories

Impact of Curriculum Definitions and Theories This essay will examine several definitions of curriculum, relating one to Education and Childhood studies and the impact it has on learners. In addition, the essay sets out to explore curriculum in relation to delivery and Curriculum is often seen as the main concern in the educational field however, the type of curricula to offer to learners is crucial. The concept of curriculum is sometimes characterized as fragmentary, elusive and confusing. Teachers are concerned about the choices to make about the teaching content and methods of delivery. While, caregivers and parents are interested in knowing what is going to be taught to their children. Learners are equally concerned about the content they are going to receive in class. The concept of curriculum is as dynamic as the changes that occur in society. In its narrow sense, curriculum is viewed merely as a listing of subject to be taught in school. In a broader sense, it refers to the total learning experiences of individuals not only in schools but in society as well. Su, (2012) views Curriculum as what teachers will teach and how well learners will learn, it also involves other issues like:ÂÂ   teaching the curriculum, testing the curriculum, ad ministrative curriculum and the hidden curriculum. However, Kelly (1999, p.83), suggest that curriculum is negatively viewed as a syllabus which may limit the planning of teachers to a consideration of the content or the body of knowledge they wish to transmit or a list of the subjects to be taught or both. However, (Braslavsky, 2003) considers the curriculum as educational foundations and contents, their sequencing in relation to the amount of time available for the learning experiences, the characteristics of the teaching institutions, the characteristics of the learning experiences, from the point of view of methods to be used, the resources for learning and teaching (e.g. textbooks and new technologies), evaluation and teachers profiles. A curriculum is an intended programme of learning and has three elements: a set of curriculum standards which set out the expected student achievements (what they know, what they can do and what dispositions they have acquired) at set points of time, the student having taken part in a programme of learning; a set of pedagogical standards; and a set of summative assessment or evaluation standards (Scott,2016 p.4). Having explored some definitions of curriculum, Scotts definition best fits the curriculum delivered on the Education and Childhood Studies programme. The curriculum covers several courses that ensures learners have an informed knowledge of the course to prepare them for the next step in their career. The curriculum covers a range of courses indicate; The curriculum has an intended programme of learning which learners are expected to complete at the end of the course. For each of the modules, the learning outcome is clearly outline which guides teachers to effectively plan and deliver contents to ensure learners makes progress, paying attention to teaching and learning strategies which will facilitate learners engagement and participation. Progress is usually monitored throughout lessons in form of formative assessment ensuring learners know what they do and what dispositions they have acquired. Furthermore, at the end of each module a set of summative assessment are used to evaluate learners achievement and progress. The curriculum delivered in the Skills Company on the Access for Higher Education, is a tailored towards the learner gaining a qualification towards a place to study in a university of the learners choice provided learners achieve the required grades. Ornstein and Hunkins (2009, p.15) contend that curriculum development encompasses how a curriculum is planned, implemented and evaluated, as well as what people, processes and procedures are involved When the phase in life is reached where education begins in earnest, it is vital that the curriculum is integrated, that there is no separation of theory and practice. By this Plato seems to mean that learning the theory of something is by itself of little value unless the student knows how to make it work.

Essay --

People from all over come to experience the Grand Canyon National Park, located exclusively in North Arizona. Covered with unexplored caves and valleys, and immense canyons, the Grand Canyon is very well liked for hikers, whether that hiker is experience of a beginner. This park offers recreational events for everyone. Today, the Grand Canyon stretches out to be eighteen miles long in some places. The Grand Canyon has much to offer from hiking along a rough, yet narrow landscape, bringing the family out to camp for a few days, gazing at the amazing scenery, or visiting the Indian reservations. This area contains several ecosystems and also hundreds to thousands of unique plants and animals. â€Å"It contains fossils of corals, crinoids, and brachiopods that indicate warm tropical conditions in a sea that once stretched across the continent. The stone looks different from the red wall, because 500 million years ago the ocean was closer to the ancient continent, and any mud and sand t hat washed off the land mixed in with the lime, making it crumbly and yellow† (Weintraub 24). The rock layers in the canyon make a magnificent color of stripes in the canyon walls that could be seen miles and miles away. Not only is this canyon enormous, but also this vast canyon can be seen from space. Although the canyon is not the deepest canyon in the world, it is known for its tremendous dimension and its vibrant landscape. This terrain reserves more than two thousand archeological sites of Native Americans, who have also resided there for four thousand years. The park itself became a National Park in the year 1919. The Grand Canyon is a stunning place to visit for all ages, and for the family to see the remarkable canyon formed not only by the erosi... ... patches along the river† (Halvorsen 5). Separate from the eroding motion of the Colorado River, the flow of the debris played a major, yet foremost role in the broadening and expanding of the Grand Canyon. All these elements contributed to the creation of the Grand Canyon, which still till this day remains a fascinating story and feature for every one of us, especially geologists, who still have many thoughts as to how the Grand Canyon was even formed. Rock layers that have formed the Grand Canyon, as everyone has seen, are created due to the sedimentations of the seas and the oceans. All of this is precisely evident of the fact that the rocks that are found on the sides of the canyon are made of sedimentary rocks. Scientists have said that the erosion is how the Grand Canyon was form, but there can always be something new to every evaluation of the Grand Canyon.

The Attempts to Present English Art :: English Art Artists England History Essays

The Attempts to Present English Art â€Å"Britain had one century of painting.† Elie Faure’s statement summarizes best what critics, art researchers and collectors haven’t had the space, the heart or the inspiration to say in their restless attempts to present English Art. WHY? To answer this question we must take into account more than history and documents, we must evaluate the essence, the soul of the creator, of the English man. Andrew Crawley describes in his book (â€Å"England†), the English people as being profoundly conservative.The English men feel, instinctively, that the present is not only the creation of the contemporaries, but also the result of the work of many past generations. For them, everything is related to the past, which, thus, becomes the origin of the present. The English man’s being conservative is only a habit, derived from his deep understanding of reality. His practical sense, which has been widely acknowledged, must be attributed to this perception he has on reality. This leads to his native ability of adapting and assimilating the â€Å"new†. The English man is closely related to history and he permanently gains practical advice from it. This kind of peaceful bonding between a people and its history, during these stormy centuries of fight and rebellion (the XVIIIth and the XIXth centuries), which singles out the British people from the other European nations, creates an equilibrium which is incompatible with such artistic manifestations as painting. The practical Puritan spirit refuse painting and, when it finally emerges this mentality makes it lose her way. The English soul subordinates the highest aspirations to material necessities. It extends over the Universe the power of reason; Bacon gives an immediate and practical purpose to knowledge; the merchants organize their own materialistic Republic; â€Å"the Round Heads impose on the Republic their own strict rules. In this world there is no place for painting; the imaginary world of Shakespeare is enough to satisfy and relax its entire soul.

I Thought Youd Never Ask! :: Creative Writing Essays

The first day back to school for the new year, Bob noticed a new girl in the class. He stared at her for 15 minutes straight, and quickly fell deep in love with her. The teacher introduced the new student as Jennifer. Now Bob knew her name. He deceded to introduce himself to her the next day. The next morning, as Bob was walking down the hall, he noticed Jennifer struggling to open her locker. In the struggle she dropped all her books. Bob took this oppertunity and hurried over to pick up her books for her. "Hi", said Bob after he had finished picking up the books. "My name is Bob," he said with a smile. "Hi," Jennifer said shyly. "Thanks for helping me with my books." "No Problem," Bob replied. "Well, I'm gonna be late for class, so, I'll see you around!" Bob walked down the hall towards his class. "Why didn't I say something else!?" he asked himself. "Well, theres always a second chance, I'll have to do it then." The next day, Bob got his second chance. At lunch, he saw Jennifer sitting alone at table looking lonely. He decided to go over and sit down beside her. "Hi Jennifer," he said, trying to be freindly. "Whats up?" "Well nothing much really. I'm having trouble making friends here." "I know, its tough isn't it," he replied, trying to comfort her. "I just moved here 3 years ago myself. After a few weeks you'll have lots of freinds though." "Thats good," she replied as she looked up at Bob into his eyes.

Compare the Presentation of War in ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ by Wilfred Owen and ‘for the Fallen’ by Laurence Binyon

‘For the Fallen’ and ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ are two very different poems indirectly expressing Wilfred Owen and Laurence Binyon’s views on war. The contrast of the poems is mainly down to when they were written as Binyon wrote his poem at the very beginning of the war, meaning the poem has a very propagandist and optimistic outlook on the war. He also wrote it before he visited the front in 1916. However Owen wrote his poem near to the end of the war, in hospital, after fighting on the western front.Many of his close friends had died during the war, which probably influenced a lot of the anger in his poems. It is clear in Owen’s poem that he feels there is absolutely no honour in dying for one’s country. He describes a fellow soldier killed in a gas attack, ‘flound’ring like a man in fire or lime’ followed by, ‘behind the wagon that we flung him in. ’ The second quote gives the impression that this soldie r is just one of many thousands of unnamed individuals who were killed and carted off without any funeral.It gives a message to propagandists and people who think war is glorious, that it is nothing of the sort. Also Owen’s title ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’, means: ‘It is sweet and fitting’. However the poem completely undermines the title saying the opposite and ending with ‘The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori. ‘ Owen uses heavy irony in the title and could also be directing this quote at officers who originally led many soldiers to their death. By contrast, Binyon describes the death of the soldiers at war very differently: ‘Death august and royal’.Binyon personifies death and makes it honourable, dignifying the death of the soldiers. Binyon also describes the dead soldiers ‘As the stars are known to the Night,’ which implies that they are always there, even if they are not seen in the day, but remembe red in their family’s dreams every night. Furthermore the title: ‘For the Fallen’ is a euphemism, which like the poem avoids the fact that the soldiers actually died in many gruesome ways during battle. The images that Binyon and Owen create through their language in their poems are very different.Owen’s descriptions are extremely graphic and create very strong images: ‘You could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth corrupted lungs. ’ One can almost see and hear the reality of war through all these descriptions. Owen also manages to create a few quite unnatural and sometimes impossible images: ‘Dim, through misty panes and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. ’ The word ‘drowning’ gives us an image of someone drowning in air, which is impossible.By doing this, Owen shows the extreme horror of having to watch someone die in a gas attack. Binyon’s imagery, by contras t, is much more idealised and glorifies the soldiers. There are many references to stars and the heavens: ‘immortal spheres’, ‘As the stars are known to the night’, ‘the heavenly plain’. In the penultimate line the word ‘stars’ is even repeated: ‘As the stars that are starry in the time of our time of darkness’. By comparing the soldiers to stars, Binyon is erasing any negative references to the horrors of war and creating an image of heaven instead.The use of tone in the two poems is very contrasting as while Binyon adopts a very dignified, patriotic and mournful tone, Owen, on the contrary uses quite a pessimistic and sometimes aggressive tone. Owen does this by using spondees at the beginning of lines: ‘Bent Double’, ‘Knock-kneed’, and ‘Gas! Gas! ’ By putting two stressed syllables at the start of lines, Owen is avoiding a gentle iambic rhythm, and instead creating more of a ch aotic effect which is helped by the sudden change to present tense. Owen also uses many words like: ‘sludge’, ‘blood’ and ‘zest’.This sort of vocabulary adds to the poem’s slightly aggressive tone, with the use of quite hard-hitting and monosyllabic words. However, Binyon, on the contrary is much more formal and uses a mixture of latinate and anglo-saxon vocabulary creating both a warm but at the same time, respectful tone. Binyon also plays with word order, using inverted syntax: ‘They mingle not’, and ‘At the going down of the sun’. This gives the poem a greater sense of authority and importance, and even sometimes sounds slightly biblical: ‘Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit’.In ‘For the Fallen’, the form is relatively simple with short four-line verses with the last line always slightly shorter. This could relate to the soldiers lives being cut short but interestingl y, these last lines can also be of significance by themselves, describing the soldiers who died: ‘Fallen in the cause of the free’, ‘They fell with their faces to the foe’, ‘To the end, to the end, they remain. ’ The poem is also made up of antonymic lines, the structure being A, B, C, B. The rhyming 2nd and 4th lines represent the harmony of the poem, while the non-rhyming 1st and 3rd represent the disharmony.There are also antonyms within certain lines: ‘music’ and ‘desolation’, ‘glory’ and ‘tears’. The rhythm of the poem is quite irregular, possibly to emphasise the fact that the subject of the poem is too important to give a ‘rum-ti-tum’ rhythm. Unlike ‘For the Fallen’, which is an elegy, ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ is a narrative. The verses are longer in Owen’s poem, the first two stanzas 8 lines, and the last 12 lines. The four extra lines in the last stanza almost come across as a personal message from Owen himself: ‘My friend, you would not tell with such high zest†¦ Also, the last line of the poem, a bit like the ends of Binyon’s verses, is cut short representing the soldier’s lives being cut short: ‘Pro patria mori. ’ Not only this, but the fact that the poem ends with the word ‘mori’-death- again refers to the soldiers’ lives. The poem is also set out like a story as it starts by setting the scene, which is followed by the climax in the 2nd stanza, and then the ending. Owen uses alternate rhyme which knits all the lines together, making them flow.The rhyme scheme also draws attention to the specific rhyming words at the end of each line which, if read alone, describe the events taking place e. g. ‘trudge’, blind’, ‘stumbling’, ‘drowning’, ‘blood’. Owen uses repetition to emphasise certain words: ‘G as! Gas! ’, ‘All went lame; all blind’. The repetition of ‘gas’ creates much more urgency than if it was just written once. Also, the repetition of ‘all’ really makes the reader realise that Owen is trying to not just say it was one or two people who were hurt, but everyone.Owen also uses caesura: ‘Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots But limped on, blood-shod. All†¦ ’ The full-stops in the middle of the lines disrupt the rhythm and maybe draw attention to the fact that the marching is not orderly. Binyon, like Owen, uses some repetition: ‘Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit’, ‘To the end, to the end they remain’. The repetition, in this case, with its lulling rhythm, adds to the overall proud and majestic feel of the poem. Another word that Binyon repeats almost constantly through the poem is ‘they’.This, in contrast to Owen who specifically describes one p erson dying in gory detail, unifies all the soldiers into one. Both ‘For the Fallen’ and ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’, in their own ways, describe soldiers who went to war. However, the two poems are opposite to each other in almost every way, as the points above show. Binyon shows us the glory of patriotism and self sacrifice while Owen shows the brutal reality of what it was truly like in the battlefield. These two poems show us how differently war can be described and interpreted.