Your 3 Step Cheat Sheet on How to Get a Job

Your 3 Step Cheat Sheet on How to Get a Job If you’ve been on the job hunt before, you know that a stellar resume and solid-gold experience are really only part of the process. Everything else hinges on how you present yourself in writing and in person. Hiring managers aren’t shy about sharing tips for job-seekers- after all, they have a huge interest in finding the best person available, and they want you to be that person. It’s a win all around when you get hired, so it’s in your best interest to take their recommendations to heart. So what do you need to know? Let’s walk through some of the most important strategies on how to get a job. . 1. Before You Apply2. The Interview3.  After the InterviewBefore You ApplyDon’t just dive in without a plan–disorganization will make both you and your job search process scattered and messy.Be focused (and realistic) in your search.If you’re looking to move up in your field, don’t apply for jobs that are a total reach for yo u, experience-wise. Make sure you’re applying for jobs that you can plausibly do with your experience level and skills. (The Muse recommends having 80% of the job requirements if you’re reaching.) If you’ve only had one three-year job out of school, applying for a CEO position because it came up in a keyword search is not going to be a productive use of anyone’s time. If a job calls for five years of experience when you have four years plus the requisite skills, that’s more reasonable. Just prepare to emphasize the skills and qualities that qualify you to do the job. Don’t apply indiscriminately for jobs in your industry and wait for something to stick.Know the job and the company.If you get stumped by a basic question like, â€Å"So what attracts you to this company?† in the interview, things are not going to go great from there. Doing some super-basic research ahead of time is the bare minimum of the prep you need to do when you app ly for a job opening. Not only can it help you form your interview talking points, but it could also set off any red flags early in the process. If you’re really interested in a marketing position at GiantCorp, but find out that you’d be marketing baby seal poison, that might not jive very well with your longtime ASPCA volunteering. It’s a waste of your time (and the hiring manager’s) if you go far down the path for a position or a company you’re really not interested in.Also know the company’s culture.If you’re looking for a company where you can wear jeans a few times a week and have a strong work-life balance, then you’re not going to be very happy if you accept a job at a place where you’re expected to wear formal business attire for your 75-hour work week. This can be tough to scope out ahead of an interview, but if you poke around the company website and check sites like Glassdoor, it can give you a glimpse into wh at it’s like to work for the company.Tailor your resume.This goes back to the first point, about not taking a one-size-fits-all approach. The recruiter or hiring manager is looking for The One, the Candidate to Rule Them All- not a vague outline of a person. Your job is to make them see how well you fit into this role, not every possible job opening. Before you apply, make sure your resume is massaged to match the job description, and you’ve played up your skills and experience accordingly.List job-specific skills on your resume, especially software.This is kind of an extension of the tailoring, but it also works even if the job description doesn’t ask for specific software proficiency. This is a quick, easy way to convey very specific information to the hiring manager. If you decide to hold out until the interview to talk about your Excel ninja skills for a job that lives and dies on spreadsheet analysis, it might already be too late, with your resume in the â €Å"nope† pile. It’s also an easy way to get past automated resume readers and keyword searches.The InterviewCongrats! You’ve made it to the next step. The prep work is done, right? Not so much. This just opens up a whole new set of expectations.Be confident- and show it.There’s always a chance that the interviewer will see past any nerves and decide that you’re supremely qualified, despite your nervous rambling or lack of eye contact. (I say this with love and respect, as a fellow introvert who has always struggled with interview confidence.) But you can’t really bet on that- you need to be as confident and clear as you can be in the interview. Practice your talking points (skills, experience) ahead of time, so that pauses can’t be misconstrued as â€Å"stalling for time† or its insidious cousin, â€Å"making stuff up.† Practice your interview handshake and eye contact, as well as your body language. And try to relax. T he stakes may feel high, but you want the interviewer to see as much of the real you (awesome professional edition) as possible.Be early(ish).The interview arrival sweet spot is 10-15 minutes ahead of your scheduled time. That gives you time to check in with someone (a receptionist, building security, etc.) and sit quietly for a minute to collect your thoughts. Being late is a no-no, but so is being too early. It’s awkward to sit around, and it’s awkward for your interviewer if he or she knows you’re just sitting around for 20 minutes while they wrap up another interview or try to get something done before your meeting. If you find you’re about to arrive at the place really early, kill time outside. If there’s a coffee place nearby, grab a small cup of your preferred beverage (maybe even a lucky scone). Catch up on headlines. Review your interview prep notes. Then, when you’re down to ten minutes ahead of game time, head into the building.Dr ess the part.Even if your pre-interview research tells you that everyone wears fashionably ripped jeans and concert tees to work at this place, dress up for your interview. Going too casual telegraphs that you don’t take this very seriously. You will never go wrong wearing with a clean, ironed, well-fitting suit for your interview.Don’t be snarky or inappropriate.Tone is super-important in your interview. You want to be approachable, and light jokes are fine- especially in the small talk phase at the beginning, or later in the congeniality competition. However, keep it light, and never make jokes at the expense of the interviewer, or the company.Don’t lie.Just don’t. Don’t exaggerate your Spanish skills on your resume, because you might walk into an interview with someone who spent three years living in Barcelona. Don’t suggest that you practically ran the place at your old job, because a quick call to someone at your old company could contr adict that right quick. It’s okay to play up skills and experiences, but always be sure you can back them up with specifics and references. If you get caught lying, that’s pretty much an automatic dealbreaker. Even if it’s a little fib, it throws your whole resume in doubt.Ask questions.If you don’t have any questions about the job, the day-to-day, or the people you’d be working with, the interviewer may get suspicious that you don’t care, or that you don’t really see yourself in the role. Up to now, it’s likely that you’ve only seen the posted job description- and those are usually bare bones at best. This is your chance to learn more about what the job is actually like, and figure out how you see yourself fitting in.RELATED:  The Best Questions to Ask During A Job InterviewAfter the InterviewYour job isn’t done when you walk out of your interview. For better or worse, you’re being judged on your post-in terview behavior–stay on your best and classiest behavior all the while.Send a thank you note.Even if the interview went terribly. Even if you said a lovely and poignant â€Å"thank you† to the interviewer as you left the room. Send the thank you note. It’s a nice touch, and lets the interviewer know that you’re still engaged and vested in this process. If you can drop a quick handwritten note in the mail, great- people appreciate that personal touch. At a bare minimum, send an email that same day.RELATED:  6 Steps to Writing a Great Thank You NoteDon’t pester anyone for a response.Whether you’re a kid or you’re a grown professional anxious to get word about your future, â€Å"Are we there yet? How about now? Okay, how about†¦now?† is not a good look. After the interview, give the company room to breathe. They might be meeting with other candidates, or going through an internal review/approval process. You won’t w in any bonus â€Å"hire me† points by checking in with HR (or the interviewer) every single day. Before you leave the interview, ask the interviewer if there’s a time frame for next steps. If that time passes and you’re anxious, you can send a brief email asking if there’s anything further they need from you. If you don’t hear back after a month, especially if your check-in email went unanswered, it’s safe to assume this just wasn’t to be.Remember: even when this job hunt feels like an impersonal process, there are always humans behind it reading your resume, and trying to get a sense of who you are. They see the good, the bad, and the ugly come across their desks when it’s time to hire someone new, and have a vested interest in making sure you fall into the â€Å"good† category and become an asset to their team. It may feel like a bit of a chore to have a checklist of actions to make yourself more appealing, but it†™s totally worth it in the long run.

Grammar Tips Adjectives and Adverbs

Grammar Tips Adjectives and Adverbs Grammar Tips: Adjectives and Adverbs When we want to add extra descriptive detail to a sentence, we use adjectives and adverbs. These are words that modify other words or clauses in a statement. But there’s an important distinction between adjectives and adverbs, which is crucial to understand if you want to make sure your writing is grammatically correct. In the following, we explain how each of these word types should be used. Adjectives (Modifying Nouns) Adjectives are mostly used to modify nouns and pronouns, usually to tell us something about the properties or character of an object, concept or person. This can be useful for identifying a specific individual. For instance, the adjective â€Å"sad† can be combined with the noun â€Å"clown† to make the noun phrase â€Å"sad clown.† This would make the clown in question distinct from a â€Å"happy clown.† Life is hard when your emotions depend on your makeup. Different adjectives are used to describe different qualities, including: Size and shape (e.g., â€Å"shark’s teeth are small and triangular†) Color (e.g., â€Å"the red sky†) Texture (e.g., â€Å"a fuzzy kitten†) Taste (e.g., â€Å"a minty flavor†) Sound (e.g., â€Å"a deafening explosion†) Age and time (e.g., â€Å"the old man gave a lengthy speech†) Emotions and character (e.g., â€Å"she was pleased with the result†) Quantity (e.g., â€Å"many people†) The key thing is that adjectives name an attribute of a noun. Adverbs (Modifying Action) A verb is an action word. To show how an action was performed, we use adverbs. For example, to describe the speed that something happened, we could use an adverb like â€Å"quickly† or â€Å"slowly†: Put the gun down slowly and raise your hands! Should I raise them quickly or slowly? Some adverbs can also be used to modify an adjective and add extra detail. In the following sentence, for instance, the adverb â€Å"truly† is used to emphasize to the adjective â€Å"terrible†: I feel truly terrible about the incident with the gun. In addition, adverbs can modify other adverbs. The adverb â€Å"more,† for example, can be used to show the degree to which another adverb (e.g., â€Å"sincerely†) applies: You need to apologize more sincerely than that! It’s often easy to spot an adverb because many end in â€Å"-ly.† But this isn’t always the case, such as with â€Å"more† or â€Å"very,† and not every word that ends â€Å"-ly† is an adverb, so you should be careful when using this guideline. Forming Adverbs from Adjectives Many adverbs are formed by adding â€Å"-ly† to the end of an existing adjective (or replacing the â€Å"-y† with â€Å"-ily† if the adjective already ends in a â€Å"y†). However, if you’re not sure whether you’ve formed or used an adverb correctly, having your work proofread can help.

Management Information Systems IP Four Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Management Information Systems IP Four - Essay Example The third is the Piloting the Valero with real-time management case study in which the Valero, a Texas-based oil refinery needed a system that could be able to display real-time data about issues concerning the plant. Virtual reality is a three-dimensional space, which is a computer generated interactive space. Virtual reality immerses its users in the virtual world while the augmented reality keeps in touch with the real world. Augmented reality uses any of the three major display techniques to be able to achieve the blend of reality mixed with real-life images and graphic effects. The display techniques are hand held displays, head mounted displays that provide the virtual environment and shut out the real world, and spatial displays that mount graphical information on physical surfaces. It has been used to improve marketing in the sense that it helps involve the customers and is able to communicate to the customers in an interesting and interactive way with relevance to them. In 2009, Esquire magazine was able to use this in their advertising where they added several stickers, which had designs that had this ability. When held up to a web camera, it started interactive video segments featuring the issue’s cover, Robert Downey Jr. (Ovide, 2009). In image guided surgery, a CT scan and MRI provides the necessary data that is superimposed on the patient in the operating room. In real estate, this has been employed to help the user find information they need on the go, since smart phones have GPS, cameras and internet. Therefore, one can just point their phone on a building and the value of the building per square meter and a small photo accompanied by a live image project from the phone’s camera, hence provide real estate information on the go (Macintosh, 2010). The U.S stock markets on May 6, 2010 experienced a sudden and quick plunge at 2:42 PM, which

CRS-y Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

CRS-y - Assignment Example 58)Managers in every success-oriented organization are faced with three key decisions to make; First, the decision on the company’s value proposition. Second, the decision on company’s value-driven operational model, and thirdly, the decision on the company’s value disciplines. The company’s value proposition entails the implicit promise to the customers outlining all values combination (Iacobucci 2011, p. 89). The company’s value-driven operational model involves integration of operation processes with the systems of management and culture, required to deliver effective value proposition (Cooper 1999, p. 56). The company’s value disciplines entail the integration of operational models and value proposition to achieve leadership in the market through competitive advantage. The Treacy and Wiersema value disciplines have impacted greatly on CRM as reviewed in the following discussion of the value disciplines. The first value discipline is opera tional excellence which involves provision of reliable products to the customers and pricing services competitively, with less or no difficulties and inconveniences to the customers. A good example of a company that has embraced this discipline is Dell (Egan 2008, p. 83). Operational excellence stresses on a specified strategic approach on production and delivery of products and services. The companies following this discipline strive for leadership in the industry through price and convenience. The companies seek ways on; overhead minimization, elimination of unnecessary production cost and business processes optimization across all organization frontiers (Mukerjee 2011, p. 167). The companies in pursuance of Operational Excellence concentrate on direct sale to customers, sale based on order rather than inventory and low-cost. Dell, General Electricals, Wal-Mart, America Airlines and Federal Express are some of the companies that have had a significant adoption of the operational e xcellence. This has helped them to be leaders in their industries by undercutting their competitors through the discipline. The companies witnessed an increase in their customer base and their sales (Kincaid 2003, p. 48). However, Operational excellence possess key challenges in maintaining a consistency customer loyalty. This is because the discipline does not focus on product innovation and a long-lasting customer relationship. Instead it concentrates largely on price and convenience in products and services. This results to high switching in buyers as they seek more innovative products, hence leading to a low customer loyalty (Kincaid 2003, p. 43). The other discipline indicated by Treacy and Wiersema is product leadership. This discipline entails product excellence through differentiation. The companies that choose to embrace the discipline shift their focus on making the product different from those of the competitors (Rafinejad 2007, p. 58). Customers may be required to pay a price premium on the products which are differentiated from the competitors’ products. Companies on this discipline strive for the ‘’state-of-art products† characterized by high creativity. Product leadership requires increased product innovation, commercialization of ideas, and pursuance of new solutions and risk taking management structure (Rafinejad 2007,

Theology of Community Essay Example for Free

Theology of Community Essay In this paper, I am going to share my ideas of theology. I believe that one of the biggest mistakes I made in the past was that I was afraid of being rejected, so I wrote a theology paper and tried to give the previous COM what I thought they wanted to hear instead of what was truly inside of me. Fortunately for me, even though I was not given a green light in order to see the Eccleastical Council, I was licensed to preach and this gave me time to wrestle with my theology and helped me to see where I stood on these very important areas of Christian faith. I want to briefly mention that although I have a lot of respect for liberation theologians, I disagree with them in one key area. Many liberation theologians start off with their experiences, and then look to the bible and interpret it. I believe that theology must start off with the Bible because it is the best source of information about who God is, who Jesus is, and what the early church was like. I do believe that the Church should speak out when there is injustice. However, it comes from a belief that we should treat others as if we see Jesus in them (see Matt 25:31-46). I refer to my personal theology as the â€Å"Theology of Community†. I reject this modern notion that Jesus is my â€Å"personal savior† because it highlights the rampant individualism in America. We are so consumer driven in the United States that if we have to wait more than two minutes in a drive-thru in order to get our food, we get upset. I believe that Jesus saves us from our selfishness, and self-destructive behavior; but that He draws us in to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Overview I see the entire Bible, both the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Testament, as a story about how God is constantly reaching out to human beings with the intent of having a relationship with us. Many years ago, in my early twenties, a minister introduced a concept that I still draw upon. He used a diagram of a triangle. At the top of the triangle is God, and at the bottom two points were supposed to be the husband and wife. The idea being that as you draw closer to God, then the married couple would actually be closer to each other. If you are less selfish and willing to serve your spouse in love, then your relationship will (in theory) grow and become stronger. What I have done is to apply this to all relationships within the church. There is a tendency within churches for people to think that their way of doing things is right, and if you don’t agree then you are somehow bad; or at least you are a nuisance that should be shunned or ignored. We as human beings tend to want to be around people that are like us, who think like us, talk like us, and have the same opinion on virtually everything. Yet, if you look at the makeup of the group of disciples that followed Jesus, this is not the case at all. For the sake of brevity I will point out only two: Judas the Zealot and Matthew the tax collector. The zealots hated the Romans so badly that they were willing to take up arms against the Romans, yet the tax collectors were willing to collect money from their fellow Jews and give it to the Romans. Both groups were represented at the table during the Last Supper. It would be a refreshing thing if that kind of diversity was truly experienced today in our modern churches. I am heavily influenced by the theology of Karl Barth and somewhat by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I would also credit people like Hans Frei and George Lindbeck and the â€Å"post-liberal† movement; which some also know as â€Å"narrative theology†. In the writings of Frei and Lindbeck they talk about how liberal theology tends to focus on the experience of a believer more than on the scriptures. They also point out that conservatives responded to modernity by holding fast to the Bible and forming a more literal view of the scriptures. The view that they promote is what Lindbeck calls the â€Å"cultural/linguistic† approach. I felt very comfortable with this way of looking at the scriptures because if you rely too much on your own personal experience, then what kind of standard do you have? If you take the Bible literally, then how can you deal with issues like a person being swallowed by a whale, or saying that the earth is only six to seven thousand years old, when science says it is billions of years old? I have found that by avoiding the extremes of either side that the truth is usually in-between the two. I. God I don’t believe that we know everything about God. There are many things that we don’t know about the Divine. What we do know is what God has chosen to reveal. This self-revelation is done freely by God, without any coercion by anyone. Karl Barth put it this way: â€Å"God’s being, or truth, is the event of his self-disclosure, his radiance as the Lord of all lords, the hallowing of his name, the coming of his kingdom, the fulfillment of his will in all his work.† [1] Professor Barth often in his speeches refers to God as the â€Å"God of the Gospel†, and our best source of knowledge about God is Jesus Christ. We know that God is loving, kind, and compassionate because we have the written testimony of the Apostles that say that is how Jesus was. As Barth’s theology is very Christocentric, mine is as well. I would also point out that throughout the Hebrew Bible God used many prophets, judges, and teachers to reach out to humanity; and ultimately sent Jesus to reach out to people. So it is ultimately God who initiates the relationship between God and people. II. Imago Dei and our gifts In Genesis 1:26-27 the Bible talks about how we are made in the image of God, or have what is known as the Imago Dei. Some people would say that this means that human beings have a conscious, and live at a level that is more complex than just living on mere instinct. I believe that there is more to it than that. Romans 12:6 says that â€Å"We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.† In other words, as you read the rest of the chapter you can see how each of the different gifts given to people can be used to edify and strengthen other people. We were created to be a blessing to other people, and those other people were created to live in harmony with you. III. Sin When we focus on our own needs, and we ignore the plight of the people around us; then we are living in a way that is contrary to the will of God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer referred to sin as selfishness, and Karl Barth said that the root of sin is pride. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus talked about how the Pharisees and tax collectors did some things that on the surface appeared to be good, but if you looked at their heart you realize the ulterior motive. Matthew 5:46-47 says, â€Å"If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?† In other words, if you are helping someone because you are getting something back, in reality it was more of an investment than truly being helpful. It is not as malicious as stealing or killing someone, but it is not what you could call â€Å"unconditional love† either. IV. Christology Where liberals tend to focus on how we should follow the example of Jesus’ life and ministry, and conservatives tend to focus on the blood atonement, and how you can’t have a relationship with God without the shed blood of Christ; my response is Yes! I agree with both sides on this, and do not think that they contradict one another. Jesus is our example of how we should live. He was willing to engage with people that disagreed with him (John chapter 3). He treated women with dignity and respect (John chapter 4). Jesus brought healing and wholeness to a crippled man (John 5:1-15). Jesus cared for the crowds of people and wanted to feed them and meet their needs (John 6:1-15). Jesus also was a servant leader, who was willing to wash the feet of his disciples in order to make a point (John 13:1-17), that we should serve one another. However, Jesus was also known as the â€Å"Lamb of God† (John 1:29). He fulfilled the prophecies about the Messiah, notably what was in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 dealing with the suffering servant. There has to be a balance between the two points of view because if you go too far to the left, you can forget what makes Jesus different from other religious teachers; and if you go too far to the right and focus too much on the hereafter, then you ignore the needs of the people around you and are no good to anyone in the here and now. Or as some would say, â€Å"They are so heavenly minded that they are not any earthly good.† I would say that this is not an either/or situation but a â€Å"both/and†, which is a phrase that our Lutheran friends use often. If we are to be the United Church of Christ, then in my mind our theology should be Christ centered. Karl Barth stated it in this way, â€Å"The object of theology is, in fact, Jesus Christ. This means, however, that it is the history of the fulfillment of the covenant between God and man.†

C.S. Lewis on Misunderstanding Fantasy Essay -- Biography Biographies

C.S. Lewis on Misunderstanding Fantasy â€Å"Good stories often introduce the marvelous or supernatural and nothing about Story has been so often misunderstood as this.† On Stories—C.S. Lewis The early decades of the last century saw the loss of credibility of fantasy literature among the academic elite who ruled it a popular genre with little to no scholarly merit. Little that had had the misfortune of being dubbed fantasy had escaped the blacklist cast upon the field. Many critics had also labeled the fantasy genre as largely clichà ©, full of shallow characters, and as having no value beyond being purely escapist entertainment. These generic labels, applied wholesale to fantastic literature, had pushed it off the radar until readers of Fantasy had become literary lepers, lurking in the corners of accepted literary societies. Recent big screen blockbusters such as The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and its sequel, The Two Towers, as well as the two Harry Potter films have restored much attention to the oft-ignored genre. Despite the commercial success of the two fantastical franchises, however, Fantasy has not regained much standing within the academia, as scholars continue to neglect contemporary fantasy literature when choosing curricula and fail to give the genre its due while unwittingly including much that is fantastic in classical literature courses. Although these classics have been accepted, they have often been held either as the exception to the rule or have not been labeled as Fantasy at all. Further, the lack of Fantasy in the curricula of colleges across the country has become so egregious as to ignore modern literary giants such as George R.R. Martin who competes e... ...ery dissimilarities than any other story could because of its similarities. Lewis said, â€Å"The value of the myth is that it takes all the things we know and restores to them the rich significance which has been hidden by the veil of familiarity† (On Stories 90). â€Å"By putting bread, gold, horse, apple, or the very roads into a myth, we do not retreat from reality; we rediscover it. As long as the story lingers in our mind, the real things are more themselves.† Bibliography Lewis, C.S. An Experiment in Criticism. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press, 1961. Lewis, C.S. On Stories and Other Essays on Literature. Ed. Walter Hooper. New York. Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich Publishers, 1966. Tolkien, J.R.R. â€Å"On Fairy-Stories.† Tree and Leaf. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1965. Tolkien’s label â€Å"fairy-story† can be taken synonymously with fantasy literature.

Indirect vs. Direct Presentation Essay

â€Å"The Destructors,† by Graham Greene, both indirect and direct presentation is implemented to provide a multidimensional portrayal of the characters in the story. This device is effective because each type of presentation provides the reader with a different perspective into each character. The author presents the characters directly by telling the reader details about the characters and presents the characters indirectly by showing the reader. Direct presentation allows for more of a complete understanding of the characters while indirect presentation forces the reader to make inferences based on dialogue and occurrences throughout the story. Direct presentation is effective especially in the beginning of a short story because the reader gets a primary and absolute insight into each character’s emotions, which will in turn allow them to interpret actions and developments later on in the story. Mike’s young age, and childish naà ¯vetà © is immediately exposed when Greene directly presents him as â€Å"nine [and] surprised by everything† (111). Mike’s character is clearly defined with little left for the reader to interpret. The author can best express his purpose through this type of presentation. Greene uses direct presentation when he introduces major members of the gang such as Blackie, Trevor, and Mike. Greene reveals Blackie’s acceptance of his class standing as he describes Blackie’s reservations with Trevor’s plan. â€Å"He was just, he had no jealousy, he was anxious to retain T. in the gang if he could. It was the word ‘beautiful’ that worried him – that belonged to a class world that you could still see parodied at the Wormsley Common Empire by a man wearing a top hat and a monocle, with a haw-haw accent† (114). In this instance, direct presentation is quite effective because Greene reveals that Blackie is not a resentful character; this is a truth that would be very difficult for a reader to infer. Old Misery is also presented directly. Greene provides direct insight into Old Misery as he describes his background early in the story. â€Å"Old Misery-whose real name was Thomas-had once been a builder and decorator. He lived alone in the crippled house, doing for himself† (112). This saves the  author from having to digress from the plot in order to indirectly characterize Old Misery, which would in essence detract from the true purpose of the story. Indirect presentation is used throughout the story to reveal subtleties and more importantly, to accentuate the story’s many paradoxes. Greene’s usage of indirect presentation in exposing these truths adds to the profundity of the story. Greene cleverly shows Blackie’s insecurity when Blackie attempts to avoid Trevor’s plan of destroying Old Misery’s house as he feebly states, â€Å"there wouldn’t be time, I’ve seen housebreakers at work. None of us know how† (115). When Trevor taunts him and his leadership position seems compromised Blackie â€Å"uneasily [says], it’s proposed that tomorrow and Monday we destroy Old Misery’s house† (115). Greene uses the word â€Å"uneasily† to indirectly present Blackie’s insecurity and to distinguish him from his malevolent foil, Trevor. Blackie’s foil, Trevor, also known by the gang as â€Å"T.,† is a very bitter character. Greene uses direct presentation to illustrate the many paradoxes surrounding him. T.’s attitude towards Old Misery is quite paradoxical. On the one hand, he sets about destroying his house, treating him disrespectfully, and regarding him with suspicion. At the same time, however, T. expresses that he does not hate Old Misery when he says, â€Å"of course I don’t hate him. There’d be no fun if I hated him† (118). Although his destructive behavior is not personal, the consequences are tremendous for Old Misery, but T. is unable to consider such consequences. Another instance of indirect presentation is when T. takes Mr. Thomas’s seventy one-pound notes, but not for personal gain. Instead, he and Blackie take each pound note and â€Å"[light] the top corner, so that the flame burn[s] slowly towards their fingers† (118). Essentially, T. takes items that are inherently valuable, but he has no interest in making use of that value. T.’s attitude toward Old Misery’s house is paradoxical as well. T. said, â€Å"It’s a beautiful house,† as he â€Å"still [watched] the ground meeting no one’s eyes† (114). Green shows T.’s distaste for wealth and for the upper class  when he notes T’s lack of eye contact with the gang. He knows the house is beautiful, but his feelings about beauty, especially as they relate to social classes makes it easy for him to destroy it anyway. The Wormsley Common Gang is presented indirectly as a whole. Greene presents the gang indirectly rather than directly for the sole reason that the gang often thinks as a whole but is ultimately made up of many different members. This is shown when Mr. Thomas attempts to reach out to the boys and give them chocolates. Many members chime in their opinions on Mr. Thomas’ motives however, Blackie, their leader at the time, picks the reasoning that most suits him. â€Å"We’ll show him we don’t take bribes† (113). â€Å"They sacrificed the whole morning to the game of bouncing that only Mike was young enough to enjoy† (113). Even though none of the gang enjoyed the activity except for Mike they participated anyways. This instance indirectly reveals the insecurity of each individual gang member. Though the gang stands by the decision, none of its members even get enjoyment out of it. The gang’s judgmental tendencies and fickly characteristics are shown through the power struggle for leadership between Blackie and T. â€Å"For the first time since T. had strolled into the carpark on the first day of the holidays his position was in dancer. It only need a single use of his real name and the gang would be at his heels† (114). The fact that Trevor feels the need to go by T. when he is with the gang reveals his own insecurity as well as the judgmental qualities of the gang. Just a few days prior Blackie had been the leader of the gang however now they â€Å"[paid] no more attention to him than to a stranger† (115). â€Å"Blackie was dimly aware of the fickleness of favor† (115). Especially in short stories, presentation is essential. Greene does an excellent job as he masterfully uses both direct and indirect presentation to convey his message in â€Å"The Destructors.† He immediately develops the main characters through direct presentation. This way, the readers have a predisposition about each character therefore making the eventual character shift more dramatic. He uses indirect presentation to describe the gang and to reveal the subtleties and paradoxes within the story. â€Å"The Destructors†Ã‚  is an effective literary work because of its multidimensional qualities enabled by Green’s brilliant control of presentation. Work Cited: â€Å"The Destructors† by Graham Greene

Five Characters in a Comic Scene Essay

Analyzing works of arts does not depend solely on the formalistic approach—the style, the aesthetics, or the form. Most of the time, to give a better analysis, one resorts to the use of context and culture. Here, the work is seen through the eyes of the culture from which the work emerged. Thus, in visual art, the use of cultural narratives is considered as important as the formalist way of critiquing any visual material. â€Å"The Judgement of Paris† by Marcantonio Raimondi and the â€Å"Five Characters in a Comic Scene† by Leonardo da Vinci would be now subjected under analysis through the use of cultural narratives. These cultural narratives are the stories in each culture that suggest possible interpretations for paintings. Being ignorant with these narratives may provide the wrong or altered meanings the visual material wants to convey. It is significant that one holds a background on the culture and context of the artist, including the time frame and the visual symbols in the material. â€Å"The Judgement of Paris† and â€Å"Five Characters in a Comic Scene† both depict the same, certain culture—the Greek. While Raimondi’s work was clearly showing a scene from the rich and vast Greek mythology, Da Vinci was portraying his own interpretations regarding comic characters that were part of early Greek theatre. From this point, an analysis could already be drawn regarding the works. It should be noted that the two works are telling about the Greeks, its tradition and culture particularly. Thus, it could be concluded that the artists are aware of how rich their culture was. In fact, the materials are portraying the two of the leading and influential contribution of the Greeks in the world: their mythology and their theatre. â€Å"The Judgement of Paris† shows the high regards of the Greeks for their gods. The work also suggests that Greeks believe in the close interactions of gods with humans to so as to resolve a conflict or to further complicate it. Most of all, the work shows that Greek gods—Hera, Athena, Aphrodite—can perform offerings to a human. This may be opposite to other culture’s religion since gods never steps down from his position to ask a favour from a human. On the other hand, the â€Å"Five Characters in a Comic Scene† suggests a perception on Greek comical characters. The actors in a comedy were using masks to hide and to make their faces funny. However, with the work of Da Vinci, it could be concluded that the painter was trying to interpret Greek comical characters different from the way they look when wearing masks. The use of Da Vinci;s distorted faces of the five characters tell that Greek comedy is not as beautiful as it is perceived. The two works of art certainly show their similarities by sharing under the same culture. However, it should be noted that the two also have their differences. While â€Å"The Judgement of Paris† lies behind a cultural narrative that seems to be a celebratory of the Greek mythology and early religion, the â€Å"Five Characters I a Comic Scene† seems to be connected with a cultural narrative that criticizes the Greek comedy per se. Using cultural narratives of the Greeks, it was able to analyze â€Å"The Judgement of Paris† and â€Å"Five Characters in a Comical Scene†. By having a background in the Greek culture, it was possible to give the two materials a more focused interpretation. Clearly, the analysis shows that cultural narratives are important to get a more in-depth look and meanings from any work of art. References Greek and Roman Comedy. Retrieved on 9 June 2008. http://www. theatrehistory. com/ancient/comedy001. html Paris (mythology) – Paris’ childhood, The Judgment of Paris, Paris and the Trojan War, Paris in the arts. Retrieved on 9 June 2008. http://encyclopedia. stateuniversity. com/pages/16736/Paris-mythology. html

The multi-format games magazine Essay Example

The multi The multi-format games magazine Essay The multi-format games magazine Essay The multi-format games magazine Edge has clearly been designed for the older gaming generation, by which I mean those over twenty years of age. This fact is distinguished as a result of the magazines subject content, but more importantly the relative complexity of its lexical usage. The magazine portrays a professional image through its neat graphological factors, in conjunction with a consistent sense of formality. Lexis Throughout the review Edge uses complex lexical items, such as alleviates, proficiency among some very subject specific specialised language.The impact of this technique reflects the comparative formality of the magazine. However, an understanding of these words provides an explanatory view on the magazines ideology in relation to the subject, which is this case, the game Super Mario Sunshine. An example of this is the sentence that youre only seriously aware of that ability when you lose it is testament to how well integrated into the mechanic it is, and gaining proficiency with it and the horizontal spraying is a joy.This sentence additionally reinforces the point of Edges lexical complexity and intended audience. The language is very considerable to the requirements of an older audience and suggests the need for a degree of education, narrowing the potential audience range. The use of aforementioned specialist lexis confirms this. The range of these words used in Edge supersedes those of the other three articles, both in complexity and number. Death throes, skybox, clipping and dual analogue are examples of computer jargon highlighted in the review.The magazines lexical superiority is confirmed with the very effective use of lexical cohesion. In the opening paragraphs of the review, Edge repeats the phrase six years five times. This phrase is also repeated twice during the conclusive paragraph of the review. The impact of this is to link the beginning and ending of the review in the readers mind in order to provide a relevant conclusion relating to the initial points made within the introduction. The reason for repetition will be handled appropriately in the Grammar section. GrammarEdge contains some very complex sentences, perfectly exemplified by There was always somewhere to go, always something to do; levels thrilled and baffled in equal measure; there were tiny polished touches that you might not discover for days, months, years. The example also shows the continuous use of punctuation marks used in order to break up the often-long sentences the magazine contains. However, the magazine also combines very short sentences, particularly clear in the use of repetition in the reviews opening Six years to marvel at the ingenuity of Tiny-Huge island.Six years in which to dive for coins in Jolly Roger Bay. Six years in which to fly. The short sentences tighten the gaps between the repetitions of six years increasing the emphasis upon the word itself, which is later to have implications for the magazines opinion on the game. The often short and precise sentences contained in the magazine, such as So lucid and solid too, No obvious invisible walls, So much negativity and Small flaws, sometimes present the direct nature of the magazine, contributing to a generally narrative style which involves the reader.The magazine again uses this method of shortened sentences for another case of repetition when giving its views upon the games flaws Or the level tasks loop just that fraction more than youd like. Or the clipping isnt quite there. Or the game crashes, dead, stop. By using Or to start every progressive sentence, the aim of this function is reinforced. The magazine then links this repetition to the following paragraph (beginning Or bigger issues) demonstrating the usefulness of cohesion in this case.My opinion that the review is in a style more spoken than written is influenced by a few extracts from the text. Only once, mind, in so much play time is a good example. The word mind, in this serious context, is quite inappropriate in a text which contains much elevated language and complex grammatical and lexical methods such as cohesion. Further examples of this, which also serve the purpose of involving the audience, are The fault is nearly always yours and if you will .The use of the personal pronoun you is particularly crucial in maintaining the audiences interest through personal address. The use of a rhetorical question at the beginning of the third paragraph Perfection? carries this role too, by answering questions the magazine arises itself. Conclusively, Edges use of grammar is irregular due its varying sentence length used for grammatical effect. This results in much comma use. However, every usage seems to serve a purpose which contributes to an overall appealing review.

Spanish Abounds With Words for Love

Spanish Abounds With Words for Love I love you. I love strawberries. The score is love all. They made love. I would love to see you. Does love mean the same thing in all of the above sentences? Obviously not. So it shouldnt come as a surprise that there are many words in Spanish that can be translated as love. Use the verb amar or the noun amor to translate all the above sentences, and youll sound foolish at best. The idea that almost any word in one language can be translated into just one or two words in another language can lead to serious mistakes in vocabulary. Similarly, the fact that literally dozens of words can be used to translate even a simple word such as love is one thing that makes computerized translation so maddeningly undependable. Understanding context is one key to effective translation. Before you go further, see how many words you can come up with that can accurately translate love as a noun, verb, or part of a phrase. Then compare your list with the list below. ‘Love’ as a Noun aficià ³n (enthusiasm): Tiene aficià ³n por las cosas de su tierra. (She has a love for the things of her land.)amado/a (sweetheart): Mi amada y yo estamos tan felices. (My love and I are so happy.)amante (sweetheart, lover): No quiero que seas mi amante. (I dont want you to be my love.)amistad (friendship)amor (pure love, romantic love): Y ahora permanecen la fe, la esperanza y el amor, estos tres; pero el mayor de ellos es el amor. (And now remain these three: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of them is love.)caridad (charity): Si yo hablase lenguas humanas y angà ©licas, y no tengo caridad †¦ . (If I speak in tongues of humans and angels, and have not love †¦ .)carià ±o/a (sweetheart):cero (score in tennis): Cero a cero. (Love all.)pasià ³n (passion, not necessarily romantic): Tiene una pasià ³n por vivir, una pasià ³n por saber. (He has a love of living, a love of knowledge.)querido (sweetheart)recuerdos (regards): Mndale recuerdos mà ­os. (Send him my lo ve.) ‘Love’ as a Verb amar (to love, to love romantically): Te amo. (I love you.)encantar (indicating strong like): Me encanta escribir. (I love to write.)gustar mucho (indicating strong like): Me gusta mucho este sof. (I love this sofa.)querer (to love romantically, to want): Te quiero con todo el corazà ³n. (I love you with all my heart.) ‘Love’ as an Adjective amatorio (pertaining to love): Me escribià ³ muchas carta amatorias. (He wrote me many love letters.)amorosa (pertaining to affection): Las aventuras amorosas pueden ser estimulantes y excitantes, pero tambià ©n pueden ser perjudiciales y dolorosas. (Love affairs can be stimulating and exciting, but they also can be harmful and painful.)romntico (pertaining to romance): El King compuso numerosas canciones romnticas a lo largo de sus 20 aà ±os de carrera. (The King wrote numerous love songs throughout his 20-year career.)sexual (pertaining to sexuality): Los juegos sexuales son una buena forma de mantener la pasià ³n. (Love games are one good way of maintaining passion.) Phrases Using ‘Love’ amarà ­o (love affair)amor a primera vista (love at first sight)amor mà ­o (my love)carta de amor (love letter)enamorarse (to fall in love with): Me enamorà © de una bruja. I fell in love with a witch.estar enamorado (to be in love): Estoy enamorada de à ©l. (I am in love with him.)flechazo (love at first sight): Fue flechazo. (It was love at first sight.)hacer el amor (to make love)historia de amor (love story)lance de amor (love affair)me quiere, no me quiere (she loves me, she loves me not)mi amor (my love)no se llevan bien (there is no love lost between them)no se tienen ningà ºn aprecio (there is no love lost between them)periquito (love bird or parakeet)por el amor de (for the love of): Por el amor de una rosa, el jardinero es servidor de mil espinas. (For the love of a rose, the gardener is the servant of a thousand thorns.)por nada del mundo (not for love nor money)por pura aficià ³n (for the pure love of it, just for the love of it): Toca el piano por pura aficià ³n. (She plays the piano just for the love of it.) prenda de amor (love token): Hoy te doy este anillo como prenda de mi amor. (Today I give you this ring as a token of my love.)relaciones sexuales (love making)vida sexual (love life)

Arab Israeli Relations and the Middle East Conflict Essay

Arab Israeli Relations and the Middle East Conflict - Essay Example However, the Muslims are the majority while Christians are the minority in Palestine (Smith, 2006). The war has been fought since then with no signs of it ending any time soon despite efforts being put by the two warring factions to strike a cease-fire to end the war. In fact, the war has led to the death of many people in the region something, which is so alarming. As such, the United Nations and the U.S. have been at the forefront in trying to bring the two warring factions to the negotiating table so as to end the war. Nevertheless, it is surprising that even after making an agreement, it seldom take too long before the wear regenerates again. This war has led to much research being conducted to establish its real cause as regards the views held by the two warring factions. In this regard, historians have established that the conflict has mainly been attributed to the struggle over land. This is because the war of 1948 was fought purely on the land question that later led to the d ivision of Palestine into three parts namely the West Bank, the Israel State and the Gaza Strip. Palestine, as it is known internationally is a small area of about 10,000 square miles. The war over this land degenerated over the fight for its political control (Smith, 2006). The Jews claim that the land was given to them in according to the torah where God promised Abraham and his descendants the land. In fact, they argue that the land has been a historical site for the Jews people of Israel, which had been illegally occupied by the Roman Empire. Therefore, the Jewish are of the opinion that the land rightfully belongs to them and nothing whatsoever can deter them from occupying this land. Palestine Arab’s, on the other hand, claims that the land rightfully belongs to them based on the fact that they have lived on this land for several years. They also claim that, demographically, they represent the majority on this land, which signifies their legitimate ownership of the land . Therefore, they refute the argument put forwards by the Biblical-era kingdom that claims that the land belong to the minority Jewish. In fact, Palestine Arabs argue that based on the fact that Ishmael, the son of Abraham is an Arab’s ancestor, then the promise of God to the Abraham’s descendants also include the Arabs as well. Therefore, they object any attempt aimed at snatching them the land, which they believe rightfully belongs to them (Lesch and Tschirgi, 1998). It is noted in the 19th century, preceded by the trend that began in Europe, many people across the globe began to identify themselves as sovereign nations that culminated to the demand for independence. As a result, the Palestine and Jews started developing national consciousness aimed at achieving their national agenda. However, since the Jews were spread all over the world, there came a need to identify a place where the Jews could call home thereby leading to the formation of the Zionist movement. Th e Jews later found Palestine to the right place since it represented the place of Jews origin. As a result, in 1882, the Zionist movement initiated mass immigration of the Europeans into Palestine. However, what is noted is that, at this time, Palestine formed part of the Ottoman Empire. The Jewish settled mainly in four major cities in Palestine particularly those with religious significance such as Jerusalem, Safad, Hebron, and Tiberas (Mahler and Mahler, 2010). As the Jews continued to

Postmodern Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Postmodern Culture - Essay Example The recent commercialisation of culture is observed to be aligning the culture with the practical life. The postmodern era is a complex culture that inflicts social change and leads to political transformation. Postmodernism is identified as the mythical heads of the hydra, which has successfully changed the culture of a society (Horn, 2000). With this regard, the essay elaborates on postmodernism and its analysis, detailing the different effects the postmodern culture on the life of the people and society. Postmodern culture can be identified to be conjoint in nature owing to the lack of unity among the postmodern society. With the openness of the postmodern society, there has been a lot of subjectivity that has been inflicted among the people. Furthermore, postmodern society is majorly observed to be controlled by the mass media and powerful institutions. The reality of the world in this postmodern era is highly controlled by the different images and pictures of the mass media. In this respect, commercialisation is observed to be having a huge effect in the virtualisation of a society at large (Strinity, 2004). In the postmodern society, people are often viewed to be having a virtualised belief of the culture. The effect of commercialisation in the modern world positively triggered that people draw the inferences of their real life from the commercialisation and modern life. The postmodern era even evidence the use of comic stories as well as the different virtual imagery, which is r eplacing novels and books. The different novels and epics are being replicated through virtual images that are observed to be providing a virtual lifestyle to the real world. This post-modern era of culture is observed to be developing boundaries between imagery and real life. The postmodern culture has been internationally ambiguous and severely complex for people to understand the actual effect of culture (Grossberg, 2014; Foster,