My School Essay Example for Free

My School Essay Today if there is any institution which exerts the greatest influence on us after the family, it is the school. The years that we spend in school are not merely time spent in learning and filling our minds with knowledge, but also time spent in moulding our character, acquiring various attitudes and imbibing basic principles of life. The basic traits of our personality are formed during our school days. The name of my school is Don Bosco Secondary School. It is situated in a town called Tura, W. Garo hills, Meghalaya. It is considered to be one of the finest schools in the state, highly acclaimed for its excellent HSLC results. The school building is an impressive structure. It consists of four floors and has about 25 classrooms. Classrooms are spacious and airy. see more:speech on my school Two staircases at both ends lead to the floors. The school has a well equipped library, a well- established science laboratory and an excellent computer room, all of which are situated on the third floor. The schools auditorium situated on the top-most floor is said to be the finest hall in the region. The Principal’s office, clerk’s room and the Staff Room are on the ground floor, close to the entrance. The school canteen is another important part of the school complex. It is situated on a separate wing close to the ground floor. Two cemented basketball courts stand in front of the Principal’s office, while the school’s football field lies at the far end of the compound. A small garden full of flower plants surrounds the school building adding to the charm and beauty of the entire complex. My school has over 1500 children studying from nursery to class X and a staff of over 45. Our headmaster is an experienced and a very efficient person, who has been at his job for the last 15 years and more. Under his able direction, the school has been obtaining cent percent HSLC results over the last 10 years. The teachers are well experienced and well versed in their subjects. My school has also made a name for itself in the field of cultural pursuits and  sports activities. The school band is considered to be one of the best bands in the whole region. The principal celebrations in my school are School Annual Sports Day, Parents’ Day, Teacher’s Day, Children’s Day, Anniversary Day, Founder’s Day, etc., which are celebrated in a grand manner. Co-curricular activities, such as, scouting, N.C.C., Eco- Club, School band, etc. have contributed in making my school an excellent educational institution of the region. What I like most in my school, is the discipline that exists there. The headmaster as well as the teachers are disciplined and men and women of character. They do not allow any untruly behaviour or any undisciplined activities by students. A lot of emphasis is given to character formation, moral education and acquiring good values of life. Although the school ambient is rather strict and time-table based, yet there is lot of fun and joy in the school. Matches, tournaments, cultural shows, competitions, outings, etc. make my school life lively, interesting and enjoyable. I am proud to be a student of Don Bosco Secondary School, Tura. As I glance back at the bygone school years, my heart swells up with gratitude and thanks giving for the twelve wonderful years that I spent in the school. My school has profoundly shaped and moulded me more than any other factors in my life. School is a temple of learning and a training ground for future citizens. The name of my school is JB High School. It was set up in 1943 by a land-lord in our area. He donated land and money for the school. The atmosphere in which our school is situated is very pleasant. It is surrounded by a play ground on one side and a garden with a small pond on the other. The school has two rows of big buildings. The name of the school is written on the front building. There are ten class rooms in the front building. Other ten rooms in the back building are used for different purposes such as the Head Masters Office, Library, the Clerks Office, the Science Laboratory, the Teachers Common-room, the N.C.C. and Scout Room, etc. There is also a hostel in our school campus. There are twenty teachers, a PET, a librarian, a clerk and two peons in our school. All the teachers are qualified and experienced. The Head Master is a learned man. He teaches Science and Geography. He also teaches English. The total number of students of our school is about five hundred. We go to school in uniform. The uniform for boys consists of blue half-pant and white half shirt. For girls it consists of blue skirt and white blouse. The school functions from 10.30 A.M. to 4 P.M. classes begin after a mass prayer. During the recess hour we go to play ground. Some students also go to library and read newspaper there. In games period we play football, volley ball, etc. Girl students play ring ball too. The library of our school is a big one. There are about two thousand books on different subjects; we have a library period in our weekly routine. We borrow books from our library and refund them after a week. We observe the Republic Day, the Independence Day, the Teachers Day in our school. We also celebrate the Ganesh Puja and the Saraswati Puja in our school. We also hold debate competitions and games and sports every year. The school magazine named the Shree is published every year. In annual examinations the students from our school show brilliant performance. Many students from this school have occupied glorious position in our state. The District Science Exhibition is also held in our school. Two years ago a classical teacher from our school won the Governors Award. The discipline, the study atmosphere and the brilliant academic result of our school attract many meritorious students from distant parts of our state. It is an ideal school in all respects.

Suicide Bombing Essay Example for Free

Suicide Bombing Essay Suicide terrorism is not mainly the product of Islamic fundamentalism or any other evil ideology independent of circumstance. The world leader in suicide terrorism is the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka theyre a Marxist group, a secular group, a Hindu group. The Tamil Tigers have committed more suicide terrorist attacks than Hamas or Islamic Jihad. Instead, what more than 95 percent of all suicide terrorist attacks since 1980 have in common are not religion, but a specific secular goal: to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from the territory the terrorists view as their homeland. From Lebanon to Chechnya to Kashmir to Sri Lanka to the West Bank, every suicide terrorist campaign since 1980 has had as its main objective to compel a democratic state to withdraw combat forces from territory that the terrorists prize. Mostly are organizational motivated and fanaticism and religiously motivation are two different angles of same picture. Religious rhetoric may help persuade attackers that their cause is either necessary or noble, and that glorifies or renames suicide as martyrdom, but it does not explain why suicide attackers choose that particular tactic. These can be explained by considering some other factors like individual, organizational, environmental and trauma-based motivations. Suicide Bombing is an act of violence that kills the attacker himself in addition to bystanders, but that also represents a tactic of terrorist organizations. The bomber perceives in his mind that by dehumanizing others he will be getting extra rewards like the extremists and fanatics of religious segments think; by giving their life they would be free to enter the heaven. Some other reasons which psychologically influence the mind of a terrorists are personal motivation, organizational, environmental, trauma- based motivations. Organizations provide the means, methods and group self-motivated fundamental suicide terrorism operations and often the ideology as well. They arise from a complex mix of social and political circumstances, psychological and religious context and interplay between the actions, sentiments and rhetoric of terror groups, their constituency and the perceived oppressor/enemy. When looking at the motivations on the organizational level we must acknowledge that terror-sponsoring organizations are largely political in their motivations and resort to terrorism when other political solutions have failed and to suicide terrorism when a specific set of circumstances exist. When one considers the suicide terror groups uses of religion to motivate individuals to sign up to die, it makes strategic sense. Any believer of any faith who is persuaded of the will act in extraordinary ways. Its history depicts that in south India, in the late 11th century, the local Kulasekhara kingdom had special suicidal squads to fight against their mighty neighbors, the Cholas. These Nair warriors were specially trained in so called Kalaris. These Nair race later transformed as the rulers of the region, and in war festivlas like Mamankam, they were still in use aganist the Zamorin rulers of Calicut. In the late 17th century, Qing official Yu Yonghe recorded that injured Dutch soldiers fighting against Koxingas forces for control of Taiwan in 1661 would use gunpowder to blow up both themselves and their opponents rather than be taken prisoner. However, the Chinese observer may have confused such suicidal tactics with the standard Dutch military practice of undermining and blowing up positions recently overrun by the enemy which almost cost Koxinga his life during the siege. During the Belgian Revolution, Dutch Lieutenant Jan van Speijk detonated his own ship in the harbour of Antwerp to prevent its capture by the Belgians. Another example was the Prussian soldier Karl Klinke on 18 April 1864 at the Battle of Dybbol, who died blowing a hole in a Danish fortification. In the 18th century John Paul Jones wrote about Ottoman sailors setting their own ships on fire and ramming the ships of their enemies, although they knew this meant certain death for them. Modern suicide bombing as a political tool can be traced back to the assassination of Tsar Alexander II of Russia in 1881. Alexander fell victim to a Nihilist plot. While driving on one of the central streets ofSaint Petersburg, near the Winter Palace, he was mortally wounded by the explosion of hand-made grenades and died a few hours afterwards. The Tsar was killed by a member of Narodnaya Volya,Ignacy Hryniewiecki, who died while intentionally exploding the bomb during the attack. Rudolf Christoph Freiherr von Gersdorff intended to assassinate Adolf Hitler by suicide bomb in 1943, but was unable to complete the attack. During the Battle for Berlin the Luftwaffe flew Selbstopfereinsatz against Soviet bridges over the Oderriver. These missions were flown by pilots of the Leonidas Squadron under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Heiner Lange. From 17 April until 20 April 1945, using any aircraft that were available, the Luftwaffe claimed that the squadron destroyed 17 bridges; however the military historian Antony Beevor when writing about the incident thinks that this was exaggerated and that only the railway bridge at Kustrin was definitely destroyed. He comments that thirty-five pilots and aircraft was a high price to pay for such a limited and temporary success. The missions were called off when the Soviet ground forces reached the vicinity of the squadrons airbase at Juterbog. Following World War II, Viet Minh death volunteers fought against the French Colonial Forces by using a long stick-like explosive to destroy French tanks. It has suddenly taken off like a wildfire spreading from Lebanon to Palestine, Sri Lanka, Chechnya, Morocco, Indonesia, Turkey, Afghanistan, and Iraq and now sadly even originating in Europe and European bred bombers now even targeting Europe itself. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) carries out its first suicide bombing at the Nelliady army camp killing 40 security force (SF) personnel. May 21st 1911 Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and 18 persons are killed by a female suicide bomber in the town of Sriperumbudur, approximately 30 miles from Chennai, capital of the southern State of Tamil Nadu. This was the history of suicide bombing which shows that none of them were moved cause of Islam. The terrorist assumes he is in a extraterrestrial battle, involving apocalyptic forces which will wipe out either his side or the other, hence challenging a war of defense; He should dehumanize and his enemies by seeing them as the enemies of God; In joining the group and taking on its values and teachings, he has learned the mind of God is authorized to act in the battle by the will of God; The battle in which he is fighting is for sacred values and he must go to extraordinary means to eradicate and spot out those he sees as evildoers even innocent civilians who he believes are standing in the way of and offending God’s will. It may be noteworthy that suicide bombers mostly are rather young males between the ages of 18 and 27. This fact is momentous for a number of reasons. First, it is the age when testosterone soars. Studies significantly linked testosterone production to dominance orientation in males. When the desire to dominate is satisfied, high testosterone is not related to a rise in aggressiveness, however when such desire is frustrated it results in increased probability of aggressive response against oneself or others. The first motivational set is a trauma based and occurs within zones of active conflict. It is often: nationalistic; viewed in terms of self and community defense; expressive regarding meting out justice to the perceived enemy occupier; and includes acts of revenge. The individuals motivated within this set have witnessed firsthand and over the television their neighbors, family members and loved ones killed by what they view as an occupying force. Many have grown up witnessing countless acts of violence and as a result have not developed normally and often suffer from posttraumatic stress and dissociative disorders. Many have lost jobs, educational opportunities, been humiliated, and often struggle for basic daily needs and security. While the majority of traumatized individuals in conflict zones will not become suicide bombers even if invited to do so, an extremely small group will become vulnerable to terrorist ideologies that promote this tactic. Whereas suicide terrorism is planned and executed by individuals who are members of organizations, groups, or cells, these two levels are in turn influenced by broader environmental conditions that include the political, social, historical, cultural, economic, and religious context. Clearly, some of these sub-elements of the broader environment are more relevant in some cases than in others. Robert Pape, a political science professor at the University of Chicago and a renowned expert on suicide terrorism, argues in his new book Dying To Win that although Islamic fundamentalism seems to be the obvious central cause for suicide terrorism, at least half of the suicide terrorist attacks during the period 1980-2003 were not associated with Muslim fundamentalists. The belief for the strong link between Islamic fundamentalism and suicide terrorism, Pape says, has fueled the belief that to avoid future attacks like those of 11 September 2001, there is an urgent need for a radical transformation of Muslim societies. However, this presumed connection between suicide terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism is misleading and maybe encouraging domestic and foreign policies that are likely to worsen Americas situation. Between 1980 and the end of 2003 there were 315 suicide terrorist acts. The overall leader is the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, a secular group fighting to establish an independent state. According to some accounts, the Tamil Tigers have carried out at least five times more suicide attacks than other similar organizations put together. Tamil Tigers are said to be behind a very notorious suicide terrorist attack , the assassination of former Indian Prime Minster Rajiv Gandhi by a female bomber during an election rally in 1991. Cultural or religious worldviews enable people to feel that they are part of something larger, more meaningful, and, ultimately, longer lasting than themselves. Suicide bombing offers not only an identity, but also a place in community history life is exchanged for identity. Self-sacrificial behavior is present in many cultures, and is not exclusively linked with Islam. It is an assertion that you will survive as an identity even if you cannot survive in physical form. Individuals can attain symbolic immortality deciding to die for their country. But if offered other ways of achieving symbolic life, they may be encouraged to leave a legacy in a pro-social way, rather than through violence. Pro-social methods of extending identity beyond death include raising children, starting a company and the preservation of peaceful cultural or religious practices. Apart from one demographic attribute – that the majority of suicide bombers tend to be young males – the evidence has failed to find a stable set of demographic, psychological, socioeconomic and religious variables that can be causally linked to suicide bombers’ personality or socioeconomic origins. With the exception of a few cases, their life stories show no apparent connection between violent militant activity and personality disorders. Typically, most suicide bombers are psychologically normal and are deeply integrated into social networks and emotionally attached to their national communities. Randomly attached labels such as â€Å"mad† denote one’s inability to fathom the deeper reasons but don’t advance our understanding of the causes of the phenomenon of suicide bombing. Rather, they impede us from discovering its real nature, purpose and causes. The meaning and nature of suicide in a suicide bombing are strikingly different from ordinary suicide. Suicide bombing falls into the category of altruistic suicidal actions that involve valuing one’s life as less worthy than that of the group’s honor, religion, or some other collective interest. Religiously and nationalistically coded attitudes owards acceptance of death, stemming from long periods of collective suffering, humiliation and powerlessness enable political organizations to offer suicide bombings as an outlet for their people’s feelings of desperation, deprivation, hostility and injustice. Suicide is a major sin in Islam The Quran does tell Muslims, Do not kill yourselves and warns that those who disobey will be cast into the fire. The Prophet Mohammed is reported to have said that a suicide cannot go to paradise. If people do good to you, do good to them; and if they mistreat you, still refrain from being unjust. Another story tells of Mohammed ordering his soldiers not to mistreat women and children, even during a battle. Both the Quran and hadiths offer examples of respect given to Christians and Jews – both considered along with Muslims as people of the Book. But bin Laden and some other terrorists say the less militant parts of Muslim teachings simply dont apply to their war with the West. This belief can be traced to a few well-known figures of relatively recent Muslim history. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab was a contemporary of George Washington. His supporters say he was a religious reformer who cleaned up a corrupted version of Islam practiced in his part of Arabia. Opponents call him a political opportunist who used religion as a weapon. In either case, he declared that Islam had been corrupted a generation or so after the death of Mohammed, and he condemned any theology, customs or practices developed after that. Islamic laws oppose the practice. This religious prohibition has had the intended effect. According to Franz Rosenthal a scholar of the subject suicide was of comparatively rare occurrence in traditional Muslim society. The most extreme ways that people can invest in their world view is to sacrifice their own life for it. Physical risks help to secure their own immortality this is self sacrifice as self-defense. Harming innocent bystanders, even in times of war, was forbidden by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This includes women, children, noncombatant bystanders, and even trees and crops. Nothing is to be harmed unless the person or thing is actively engaged in an assault against Muslims. The predominant theme in the Quran is forgiveness and peace. Allah (God) is Merciful and Forgiving, and seeks that in His followers. Indeed, most people who spend time on a personal level with ordinary Muslims have found them to be peaceful, honest, hard-working, civic-minded people. In the fight against terrorism of all forms, it is important to understand who or what is our enemy. We can only fight against this horror if we understand its causes and motivations. The entire Quran, taken as a complete text, gives a message of hope, faith, and peace to a faith community of one billion people. The overwhelming message is that peace is to be found through faith in God, and justice among fellow human beings. At the time the Quran was revealed, there was no United Nations or Amnesty International to keep the peace or expose injustice. Inter-tribal violence and vengeance was commonplace. As a matter of survival, one must have been willing to defend against aggression from all sides. Nevertheless, the Quran repeatedly urges forgiveness and restraint, and warns believers not to transgress or become oppressors. If anyone slays a person- unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land it would be as if he slew all people. And if anyone saves a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all people. Quran 5:32Invite all to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching. And argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious And if you punish,let your punishment be proportional to the wrong that has been done to you. But if you show patience, that is indeed the best course. Be patient, for your patience is from God. And do not grieve over them, or distress yourself because of their plots. For God is with those who restrain themselves, and those who do good. Quran 16:125-128 The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree) but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from God, for God loves not those who do wrong. But indeed, if any do help and defend themselves after a wrong done to them, against such there is no cause of blame. The blame is only against those who oppress men with wrongdoing and insolently transgress beyond bounds through the land, defying right and justice. For such there will be a penalty grievous (in the Hereafter). But indeed, if any show patience and forgive, that would truly be an affair of great resolution. Quran 42:40-43. Goodness and evil are not equal. Repel evil with what is better. Then that person, with whom there was hatred, may become your intimate friend! And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint, none but people of the greatest good fortune. Quran 41:34-35 The key motivator for a violent actor who seeks to die like a martyr is a strong attachment to a community, usually a religious community. There are dozens of reasons for killing, but violent martyrdom is first and foremost about belonging. Strong emotional ties and strong feelings of mutual obligation often hold religious societies together. They act out of personal despair, rage, hatred, belief in paradise or having been brainwashed. We also assume that their actions are completely irrational and destructive. What we need to look at, in order to correct these misconceptions, is the martyrs discourse and the rituals that surround religiously sanctioned suicide terror. References http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_attack http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1066254.html http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1934101,00.html

Development of a Child up to 2 Years

Development of a Child up to 2 Years 0-8 Months How does your babys eating, sleeping and motor development compare to the typical developmental patterns? At first, she wasnt very hungry and lost a bit of weight, but rebounded pretty quick. Her eating is similar to the patterns of a newborn. Seven was occasionally fussy but we just kept our regular routine and she was fine. She spent most of her time sleeping, similar to other babies at this age. Her sleep pattern is similar to babies at this age, down a couple of hours and then waking up. She goes back to sleep after a little relaxing music or gentle rocking. By 8 months, her motor skills include crawling, sitting up and playing like most other babies at this age. Her gross and fine motor skills are a little behind and the doctor wants more one on one motor skills play. At 8 months of age was your child an easy, slow-to-warm-up, or difficult baby in terms of Thomas and Chesss classic temperamental categories? On what do you base this judgement? She is a slow-to-warm-up child. She is a bit clingy and doesnt really accept new situations. She is content with us but hesitant with others. Seven has typical emotional reactions for her age, such as fear of strangers, separation anxiety and crying when upset. How is your childs attachment to you and your partner developing? What is happening at the 3-month and 8-month periods that might affect attachment security according to Bowlby and Ainsworth, and various research studies? Seven is comfortable with her father but seems to want to be with me primarily (especially when shes upset.) Because we popped up every time Seven seemed slightly uncomfortable, we feel that we are to blame for the sheltered attachment. During the attachment-in-the-making phase, Seven developed a preference for me over others. She does not care for it when I leave her with her grandmother, this is separation anxiety and normal for this age. Describe and give examples of changes in your childs exploratory or problem solving behavior from 8 through 18 months and categorize them according to Piagetian and information processing theories. Note that 8 months is included, so youll need to use the time-line to look back at 8 months for examples. Seven was a very active crawler at 8 months, at home, not so much at the doctors office. I encouraged more crawling by allowing her free roam of our home. Seven is able to find a hidden object,(object permanence) as long as we dont distract her while shes looking for it. If we change up the hiding place she will still want to look in the previous hiding place. This curious error was first discover by Piaget. She wasnt able to walk, but she could almost stand on her own. She was able to imitate new words at 12 months. Seven now clearly understands a couple of dozen words. In fact, Seven pronounced her first clear word and pointed at the object in question. At 18 months, Seven was a little above for her age. She built a block tower to model one made by the examiner. At the 19-month assessment, she was again behind in gross motor skills. That just meant more gym time. Seven was able to concentrate very well during all of the informal testing, and if this continues, she will be more than ready for preschool-type activities, which require children to stay on task or remain in group time for 10-15 minutes. Analyze your babys temperament in more detail at 18 months than you did at 8 months. How would you describe your baby in terms of the five aspects of temperament utilized by the Virtual Child program (activity, sociability, emotionality, aggressiveness vs. cooperativeness, and self-control)? Has your babys temperament been stable over the first 18 months? A blurb defining and providing examples of the five aspects of temperament is provided at 12 months, but you should seek out further explanations of temperament from your textbook. Explain how the concept of goodness of fit (also discussed in the blurb on infant temperament) applies to your interactions with your child. Activity- Sevens activity level was normal. She had an incredible drive to use her motor skills. She often took on problems too difficult for her age. This was consistent with her disposition when she was younger. She was shy during her assessments, but at home was very active, and grew up to be very active and quite talkative. Sociability- Seven was a bit of an introvert. She was talkative at home, but there were few adults that she was comfortable with, and would become upset by new situations. She was very shy in new situations and around new people. Emotionality- Sevens range of emotions seemed to decrease from 9 months to 18. She seemed to be emotionally solid. She played well with others until one of the other children wanted to take her toys. Aggressiveness v. Cooperativeness- Seven was not aggressive at the assessment, unless another child tried to take a toy from her. She was cooperative with the examiner. Self-Control- There are no issues with self-control. Were you surprised by anything in the developmental assessment at 19 months? That is, does your perception of your childs physical, cognitive, language and social development differ from that of the developmental examiner? Give specific examples. If you were not surprised, write instead about some aspects of your childs development that need the most work. We were told at the assessment that while she was advanced in fine motor skills and problem solving abilities she was behind (again) in gross motor skills. Seven scored above average in all aspects of language development, and is ready to be read aloud to more frequently, as she can follow typical story lines. We are going to continue to introduce Seven to new situations and new people and try to work on the shyness just a bit. If she is introverted, so be ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 2 years: Have there been any environmental events in your childs first 2  ½ years that you think might have influenced his or her behavior? On what do you base your hypotheses? Nothing out of the ordinary has influenced our child. We have a normal home life and introduce her to situations with us by her side. We have gotten her around to new people and children around her own age. We allow her to have a bit more freedom. We show her that there are limits and consequences. I understand her reactions and allow her to feel comfortable but at times push her to step out of her comfort zone while being supervised. I base this hypotheses on watching her around other children. It is a fine line to walk as a parent having to supervise but not hover. Help without completing the task and allow freedom to find out consequences. How is your child progressing on the typical toddler issues, such as learning household rules, learning to follow routines, listening to you, developing self-control and learning to get along with other children? While playing with a group of children, Seven was timid at first, but she spent a few minutes watching other kids play before she joined in. She was not aggressive, but sometimes would say Mine! when other kids wanted to play with her toy. Seven learned to get along with other children by smiling and giving up the toy. (Not sure if that is going along to get along) Seven is toilet-trained now. We have rules and make her use her words when wanting something. We still have to work with Seven on the gross motor skills (more gym time.) Analyze your own parenting philosophy and practices. What principles from social learning theory, Bowlby, Ainsworth, Piaget, Vygotsky, information processing theory, developmental neuroscience and other theories do you appear to have relied on in making your parenting choices or interpreting your childs behavior? Include three principles/theorists from the above list in your answer. Different situations call for different theories. We used Skinners example of operant conditioning, providing positive reinforcement when she used the toilet. For the fine motor skills, we used Banduras modeling giving on problem solving. We also implemented Ainsworths Attachment Theory. Seven is clingy and feels uncomfortable in some situations that she is placed in. We will continue to work on this.

Imperfect Conscience in Dostoevskys Crime and Punishment Essay

Crime and Punishment:   Imperfect Conscience  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A highly educated individual, avoiding the hardships of society while pondering the possibility of great wealth, Raskolnikov, in Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment," frustrated with his immoral actions, suffers from an abrupt physical and mental breakdown after brutally mutilating a wicked pawnbroker. After this soul-scarring incident, the initial feelings of success in completing his mission quickly changes once he realizes possible flaws in his, otherwise considered, perfect murder. Raskolnikov's imperfect conscience finally comes to an emotional awakening once his saint, Sonya, an unintelligent prostitute, brings him the love, sensitivity, and inner serenity to help him confess to the murder he so coldly commits. After ruminating on the pessimistic consequences of this crude and selfish murder, a change in conscience comes over Raskolnikov. Once he understands the reality of the matter does he actually suffer a breakdown. Though he commits a very serious crime, Raskolnikov still refuses to believe its contin...

The Cast of Amontillado Essay -- Essays Papers

The Cast of Amontillado Edgar Allen Poe, born on January 19, 1809, is one of the greatest American writers of all time. â€Å"The story of Edgar Allen Poe’s life remains one of the most disputed and slandered in the pages of American biography, despite conscious attempts to revise the story and rehabilitate the life. Decadence and immorality, in the form of alcoholism, opium addiction, and his relationships with women, and prolific production, as a journalist, editor, poet, reviewer, critic, and fiction writer, have been emphasized as characterizing his brief life† (Lent 3). Poe’s many writings were greatly affected by his problems in life and his experiences. One such short story is â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado.† The main character, Montresor, who is vengeful, intelligent, and fakes sincerity, causes the death of Fortunato. â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† starts out with Montresor, the narrator, saying, â€Å"The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.† Simply by reading the first sentence of the story, it is easy to see that Montresor is vengeful and plans to get â€Å"revenge† on Fortunato. Montresor also has a coat of arms which is, â€Å"A huge human foot d’or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel,† with a motto of, â€Å"Nemo me impune lacessit,† which stands for no one attacks me with impunity. The coat of arms and the family motto both suggest retribution. The ar...

Covingtons Conviction of Serpent Handling Essay -- Biography

In Salvation on Sand Mountain, the emotional frustrations, cultural hypotheses, and literary images provide insight into the ethics of the author, Dennis Covington. During his dangerous undertakings while submerged in the religious practices of Appalachia, Covington incites anxiety within the reader when discussing worship services involving snakes, and inquisitorial thought when revealing the number of casualties involved, in turn showcasing his own passions and morality. Covington’s rectitude, goodwill, and intelligence all play important roles in revealing his ethos. Subsequently, they also exemplify his argument: No obstacle can conquer one’s religious devotion. Covington’s intellect boasts a curious ambition to solve the secrets of the Appalachia through factual data and personal inquiries. â€Å"Their first church in town burned to the ground† Covington explains, â€Å"They suspected arson, but charges were never brought†¦they moved to other locations†¦neighbors complained of the noise. Wherever the handlers relocated, tires got slashed and windows broken† (25). By presenting facts about the trouble the snake-handlers dealt with, Covington reveals how steadfast they are in their religious faith. The serpent-handlers’ strong devotion has turned into a tainted reputation for some, such as Glenn Summerford. Curious to hear Glenn’s version of why he was put in jail for ninety-nine years, Covington interviews him. When asked about his wife, Darlene, Summerford simply states that when she was â€Å"living right, she drank [poison]† (50). Faced with a lifetime sentence in a jail cell, Summerford shows no remorse, and instead criticizes his wife, whom he attempted to murder, for not living by the word of God. Glenn Summerford’s testimonial is a ... ... person, yet theirs remain unconquered. As we analyze Covington’s rhetoric, we can see the manifestation of an ethos that follows a strong ethic code, a powerful intellectual prowess, and a devoted righteousness towards the confusing, yet strong-willed worshipers of serpent handling. As Covington explains it, â€Å"There are moments when you stand on the brink of a new experience and understand that you have no choice about it. Either you walk into the experience or you turn away from it, but you know that no matter what you choose†¦there will be consequences† (2). For the followers of serpent handling, these experiences are always pursued. These consequences, such as broken windows, burning churches, murder allegations, or desperate pursuits of the Holy Ghost, all have laid the foundation for Covington’s argument, that no obstacle can conquer one’s religious devotion.

My Best Public Speaking Experience Essay

My Best Public Speaking Experience was at the fourth course of university at meterology class . Everyone from our group need to prepare the presentation and abstract paper, which would be dealt with in this course. I choose the topic :  « Aerozol and physical mechanisms of its formation ». I presented it to the public very efficiency. Even though , my opponent was a student at six course of the university, I have managed to defend the topic in the best way. While analyzing the success of my public speaking experience I selected to myself several reasons of it . Firstly , I was really interested in aerosols and that motivated me to understand deeply the subject of my report. Secondary, my teacher suggest me some resources of literature and were to look for it. I was looking for literature very meticulously and I have managed to found out a lot of interesting and fresh material . The third reason was that I was well prepared for the presentation. The day before I looked through my speech carefully , identify and understand the main points. The forth reason – I was prepared in advance . I started my preparation three weeks before the presentation. Although, I usually begin my preparation approximately two weeks before the presentation. The fifth reason was my classmates and opponent. My classmates were listening to me very attentively and my opponent talked to me with ease. Moreover , he asked me some questions I was really interested in and that’s betrayed me the confidence. So, based on my own experience I can identify five basic points that have helped me to prepare successfully for my oral presentation and they are : motivation, teacher , identifying and understanding the main points of the speech , preparation in advance and audience. I hold this five points may help other students to prepare well its oral presentation or reports . I think the experience of public speaking and preparation of presentations wi ll be very useful to me in the future.