How to Find Critical Values with a Chi-Square Table

The use of statistical tables is a common topic in many statistics courses. Although software does calculations, the skill of reading tables is still an important one to have. We will see how to use a table of values for a chi-square distribution to determine a critical value. The table that we will use is located here, however other chi-square tables are laid out in ways that are very similar to this one. Critical Value The use of a chi-square table that we will examine is to determine a critical value. Critical values are important in both hypothesis tests and confidence intervals. For hypothesis tests, a critical value tells us the boundary of how extreme a test statistic we need to reject the null hypothesis. For confidence intervals, a critical value is one of the ingredients that goes into the calculation of a margin of error. To determine a critical value, we need to know three things: The number of degrees of freedomThe number and type of tailsThe level of significance. Degrees of Freedom The first item of importance is the number of degrees of freedom. This number tells us which of the countably infinitely many chi-square distributions we are to use in our problem. The way that we determine this number depends upon the precise problem that we are using our chi-square distribution with. Three common examples follow. If we are doing a goodness of fit test, then the number of degrees of freedom is one less than the number of outcomes for our model.If we are constructing a confidence interval for a population variance, then the number of degrees of freedom is one less than the number of values in our sample.For a chi-square test of the independence of two categorical variables, we have a two-way contingency table with r rows and c columns. The number of degrees of freedom is (r - 1)(c - 1). In this table, the number of degrees of freedom corresponds to the row that we will use. If the table that we are working with does not display the exact number of degrees of freedom our problem calls for, then there is a rule of thumb that we use. We round the number of degrees of freedom down to the highest tabled value. For example, suppose that we have 59 degrees of freedom. If our table only has lines for 50 and 60 degrees of freedom, then we use the line with 50 degrees of freedom. Tails The next thing that we need to consider is the number and type of tails being used. A chi-square distribution is skewed to the right, and so one-sided tests involving the right tail are commonly used. However, if we are calculating a two-sided confidence interval, then we would need to consider a two-tailed test with both a right and left tail in our chi-square distribution. Level of Confidence The final piece of information that we need to know is the level of confidence or significance. This is a probability that is typically denoted by alpha. We then must translate this probability (along with the information regarding our tails) into the correct column to use with our table. Many times this step depends upon how our table is constructed. Example For example, we will consider a goodness of fit test for a twelve-sided die. Our null hypothesis is that all sides are equally likely to be rolled, and so each side has a probability of 1/12 of being rolled. Since there are 12 outcomes, there are 12 -1 11 degrees of freedom. This means that we will use the row marked 11 for our calculations. A goodness of fit test is a one-tailed test. The tail that we use for this is the right tail. Suppose that the level of significance is 0.05 5%. This is the probability in the right tail of the distribution. Our table is set up for probability in the left tail. So the left of our critical value should be 1 – 0.05 0.95. This means that we use the column corresponding to 0.95 and row 11 to give a critical value of 19.675. If the chi-square statistic that we calculate from our data is greater than or equal to19.675, then we reject the null hypothesis at 5% significance. If our chi-square statistic is less than 19.675, then we fail to reject the null hypothesis.

Animal Farm/ Pov Essay - 1549 Words

English Essay 3. Of all of the characters in Animal Farm, are there any who seem to represent the point of view of the author? Which of the animals or people do you think come(s) closest to achieving Orwells perspective on Animal Farm? George Orwell brings to life many characters in the novel Animal Farm. He introduces very interesting characters like Boxer, Benjamin, and Napoleon. All of which are very interesting, however, none of them fully represent Orwell’s point of view. In Animal Farm, Orwell shows the reader the revolution as a glorious thing in the beginning then he turns Napoleon into a dictator, which causes the revolution to take a turn for the worse and in the end it is considered to have failed completely. It is†¦show more content†¦This is obvious in some cases like with Napoleon as he was described in the story as someone who is â€Å"not much of a talker but with a reputation of getting his own way†(9), this is very similar to the actual Napoleon who actually took his crown away from the pope at his coronation to show his power and get his way. Squealer description in the novel said, â€Å"He was a brilliant talker†(9). That was practically his job throughout the whole novel he was as his name suggests a squealer also known as a person who â€Å"give short cry†(the Mac dictionary). Then there was Snowball, he was described as â€Å"a more vivacious pig than Napoleon, quicker in speech and more inventive, but was not considered to have the same depth of character†(9). His name and his description suggest that he is a cheerful pig and that he was more spirited and fun than other pigs. Another interesting thing is that when a person throws a snowball to a wall it crumbles and the same goes for Snowball when he’s confronted with true power he crumbles. This shows that the author’s view is more inclined towards Snowball since the author described him in a more positive way than other animals. He also pointed out quite clearly how Snowball is better than Napoleon with three positive qualities that Napoleon didn’t have while he only mentioned one quality that Napoleon had over Snowball and he did it in a subtle way, as if he was trying not to point out the badShow MoreRelatedUndernutrition10134 Words   |  41 Pagesforever?  Ã‚   We must continue to work with diverse sectors and forge innovative multi-sectoral collaborations to turn the tide on hunger.   The idea of multi-sectoral collaborations is nothing new – they are the hallmark of how we have gotten food from the farm to our fork.   Take a moment and think about the journey of a banana. How many players are involved in getting that banana to your table? * Farmers:  Farmers in countries such as Ecuador, Costa Rica, and India grow bananas and export them to markets

Iron Crowned Chapter 19 Free Essays

It took awhile before Kiyo, Jasmine, and I could return to Tucson. We had to go to the Thorn Land, of course, where Shaya and the others asked me all sorts of questions about what had happened and what I wanted to do. Kiyo and even Jasmine provided most of the answers for me because honestly, I wasn’t sure what I wanted now. We will write a custom essay sample on Iron Crowned Chapter 19 or any similar topic only for you Order Now The only thing I had the real sense to do was demand Jasmine’s key and unlock her chains. She stared at her freed hands wonderingly, stroking her wrists. I nearly left the chains and key in the castle but soon reconsidered and took them with me to the human world. She’d never seen my house before and regarded it with approval as we entered. All was quiet, and the empty driveway made me confident I wouldn’t find Tim and Lara holed up in his bedroom again. Evidence of their â€Å"love,† however, was still obvious. â€Å"Damn them,† I said, gingerly picking a red lace bra off of the couch and tossing it down the hall toward Tim’s room. â€Å"I’m going to have to sanitize this thing. Probably every other piece of furniture too.† â€Å"You have Pop-Tarts!† Jasmine hadn’t made it to the living room. She’d stopped in the kitchen, opening every drawer and cupboard she could find. â€Å"And Apple Jacks! Peanut butter, ranch dressing, saltines †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I was surprised that last one excited her so much, but after a couple years eating gentry food, even the most mundane human cuisine was probably exciting. â€Å"Oh!† she exclaimed. â€Å"Can I have one of your Milky Ways?† â€Å"Sure. Have whatever you want.† Her eyes were wide as she tore into the package, and both Kiyo and I watched her with smiles on our faces, like proud parents on Christmas morning. Although they didn’t sound good to me right now, Milky Ways were normally my candy bar of choice. From the way she was consuming hers, Jasmine appeared to share that family trait. She completed her sugar rush with a can of Coke and then made herself at home on the couch. Watching her reach eagerly for the remote control, I decided it was best not to mention the amorous activities that had likely occurred where she sat. She flipped through the channels in continued amazement. It was evening – prime time entertainment – and the emotions on her face were transparent as she stumbled across old and new shows alike. â€Å"You want me to see if I can find anything that fits you?† I asked. She might have slipped back easily to human behaviors, but she still wore a long, flowing gentry-style gown. â€Å"Sure,† she said, not looking up from the screen. Kiyo followed me into my bedroom. â€Å"You think she’s safe out there?† he asked. â€Å"Alone?† â€Å"Yeah, I do actually.† Jasmine and I weren’t the same size, but I found some drawstring shorts that would likely fit. â€Å"I don’t know why †¦ but I feel like I can trust her.† â€Å"Be careful,† he warned, sitting on the bed’s edge. â€Å"For all we know, she was happy to be captured and have Cassius throw himself at her.† â€Å"He didn’t do anything.† I found the smallest T-shirt I could; her frame was more slender than mine. â€Å"So she says.† I sighed and faced him. â€Å"Kiyo, you’ve got to trust me. I can’t explain it, but she’s telling the truth. Is she going to turn into a normal teen and forget about her plans to have Storm King’s heir? Unlikely. But for now, she’s in shock and not dangerous.† â€Å"If you think so. Just be careful, Eug. You’ve been tricked by people you’ve trusted before.† â€Å"Surprise, surprise. A slam on Dorian.† I crossed my arms, holding the clothes to my chest. â€Å"Soon to be followed by a lecture on seizing the Rowan Land.† I’d been bracing myself since it all happened, but during the ensuing damage control, he’d held back. I appreciated that but still dreaded the inevitable. â€Å"Actually,† he said, â€Å"no.† â€Å"No?† I’d started to take a step toward the doorway and froze. He laughed, though there wasn’t much humor in it. â€Å"No.† â€Å"But I just thought †¦ well, after last time †¦ You weren’t very happy about the Thorn Land †¦Ã¢â‚¬  That small smile faded. â€Å"No. And it’s not like I’m happy about this. But the truth is, you did find a – relatively – bloodless way to end all of this. When we were out there, you asked me what other solution could fix things. I didn’t have an answer. You did. It’s not great †¦ but it didn’t kill Katrice or those other people. It didn’t get you captured.† He shrugged. â€Å"Not ideal, no, but better than the alternatives.† I leaned back against the wall, still shocked at his reaction. â€Å"If it makes you feel better, it’s not like I wanted this either. I wanted to sneak in and out and get Jasmine.† He nodded, but there was a sharp look in his eyes. â€Å"And yet, you brought the crown.† I hadn’t mentioned that to him when we first set out to the Rowan Land. â€Å"Her note said she didn’t believe I had it! I was hoping waving it around might do something to help us.† He stayed quiet. â€Å"Don’t look at me like that! You can’t believe I planned to use it.† â€Å"I do believe you.† He approached me and rested his hands on my shoulders. â€Å"And I’ll help you in any way you need.† Something inside my chest released, and I leaned into him, taking comfort in his warmth and the security he offered. â€Å"Thank you. I’m definitely going to need you.† Kiyo pressed a kiss to my forehead. â€Å"I’m here.† I felt a small smile pull at my lips, though as with his earlier laughter, I didn’t really find the situation funny. â€Å"I suppose if there is a silver lining here, maybe I can do a better job ruling the Rowan Land than she did. Some sort of greater good.† To my surprise, his hold on me stiffened, and he stepped back. The smile he offered me looked tight. â€Å"Maybe.† We went back out to Jasmine, who was still riveted to the TV. The only acknowledgment we got was when I handed her the clothes, and she examined them. â€Å"What’s ‘The Clash’ mean?† I ignored the blasphemy – and Kiyo’s obvious amusement at my pain. â€Å"If you want to shower, everything you’ll need is in the bathroom. Towels, shampoo.† That too got her attention. â€Å"A shower †¦ oh, man. I’ve missed showers.† â€Å"Will you two be okay?† asked Kiyo, all signs of his earlier discomfort gone. â€Å"I need to take care of a few things.† I nodded. â€Å"We’re fine. Will you be back soon?† â€Å"As soon as I can.† He kissed me again, this time on my lips. I must have worn another pained expression because he cupped my chin, his brown eyes full of love and compassion. â€Å"It’s going to be okay, Eugenie. Everything will be okay.† I nodded once more and watched wistfully as he left. I wanted his arms around me again, to hold me and let me escape this mess. A small part of me wouldn’t have minded Dorian’s arms either. I sat beside Jasmine, whose attention was back on some reality show. â€Å"He’s running off to Maiwenn, you know.† Her gaze didn’t move. â€Å"Off to report on what happened.† My ire started to rise at her accusation, except †¦ I had a feeling she was right. Even if there was no more romance between them, he was still devoted to her. The recent developments were going to rock the Otherworld, and she’d want the story straight from him. I wondered how she’d take it; she’d always feared my becoming like my father. â€Å"Probably,† I admitted. I rubbed my eyes. â€Å"God, I’m so exhausted. I feel like I could fall over.† This time Jasmine turned to me. There wasn’t exactly sympathy in her face, but something surprisingly close. â€Å"No shit. You just stole a kingdom and took it over.† â€Å"It sounds so ugly when you phrase it that way.† She shrugged and looked back at the TV. â€Å"You’ll probably do a better job.† Her words echoed my earlier comment to Kiyo. â€Å"You know,† she added conversationally, â€Å"everyone acts like our dad was such a bastard, like he just wanted more power. I mean, he did, but you know what Aeson told me? He said that Storm King was always talking about how he could do a better job too, that the other monarchs weren’t as good. He said he was doing the people a favor.† I froze, unable to respond. That was why Kiyo had reacted the way he did earlier. He’d heard that about Storm King’s â€Å"good intentions,† I realized. I’d expressed exactly the same sentiment as my father. Jasmine didn’t notice the effect of her words and instead jumped subjects in that easy, short-attention-span way of hers. â€Å"Hey, do you think you could get Wil to come over? I want to see him.† â€Å"Sure,† I murmured automatically. My mind was still lost in her earlier words. â€Å"Sure.† Wil was surprised to hear from me the next morning, more surprised still when I told him the reason I was calling. He said he’d be over in five minutes. Jasmine had asked that he come alone after I’d mentioned he now had a girlfriend. Still, she’d been curious. â€Å"Seriously? What’s she like?† I thought back to my one meeting with Wil’s ladylove. Once I’d banished the monsters living in their house, she hadn’t shut up about conspiracy theories and assorted coverups. â€Å"Exactly like him,† I’d replied to Jasmine. The reunion between brother and sister was strange. They stood there awkwardly, both staring at each other and assessing all the ways they’d changed. Then, with no communication, they hugged each other. Jasmine’s face was filled with legitimate emotion, and for once, Wil didn’t seem like the crazy, paranoid guy he usually was. â€Å"Are you okay?† he asked her, voice trembling. â€Å"I’ve missed you so much.† Jasmine swallowed, and I was pretty sure there were tears in her eyes. â€Å"I †¦ I missed you too.† And it was the truth. She’d told me once she didn’t care about this world – or about the half brother who’d raised her. But she did. This whole time, despite her Otherworldly plans for domination, she’d always loved him. Things grew increasingly bizarre when it became obvious the two weren’t quite sure what to do with each other. Wil didn’t chastise her for her absence, and at last, she simply asked if he wanted to hang out and watch TV. I think that was partly because it provided a concrete activity and partly because she’d become obsessed with making up for lost TV time. I kept my distance but couldn’t help a small, envious feeling as they sat on the couch. Jasmine leaned her head against her big brother’s shoulder, and I became acutely aware of the emptiness in my own family life. I hadn’t heard from my mom or Roland since getting the referral to Enrique. The closest I had to any familial connection was those goddamn kingdoms I ruled. Just as the Thorn Land had always called to me, the Rowan Land now did too, leaving such an ache within me that I practically felt nauseous. Rurik had been right. I wouldn’t be able to stay away. But first things first. Thinking of Enrique reminded me I was due for an update. Retreating to my bedroom, I dialed his number and hoped he was up this early. â€Å"Miss Markham,† he said after just one ring. Caller ID left no surprises anymore. â€Å"Always a delight.† â€Å"I’m sure. What are you doing with the case right now?† â€Å"Nothing.† â€Å"Nothing?† I exclaimed. Irritation rose within me. I wasn’t paying him to sit around, especially after he’d gotten so close. â€Å"Nope,† he said cheerfully. â€Å"It’s out of my hands. I found what I needed, proved that Deanna Jones didn’t buy the gun. From what I hear, the police are searching Cal Jones’s house right now and questioning him. Far be it from me to get in the way of the fine men in blue.† Finally, some good news †¦ well, at least as the case’s progress went. It wouldn’t be easy on Deanna to learn the truth about her husband. â€Å"And women,† I said. â€Å"There are probably women in blue there too.† â€Å"If you say so.† â€Å"Thanks, Enrique. I really appreciate it. I honestly didn’t think it could be done.† â€Å"Don’t get all emotional,† he said in that brisk way of his. â€Å"At least not until you see the bill.† We disconnected. Attitude or no, Enrique had been a good call on Roland’s part †¦ which once again brought about the sadness over the turn in my parental relationship. Well. Nothing to do for it at the moment, not with all my other problems. And anyway, I had a loose end that could now be wrapped up. Taking out my wand, I closed my eyes and cast a minor summoning spell, calling to Deanna. I had no control over her but she’d responded to my call before – particularly since she was always on edge listening for it. After several minutes and no results, I gave up and sadly suspected she wasn’t coming because she already knew the truth. As eager as she’d been to get answers, it wouldn’t have surprised me if she’d been following Enrique around while he worked. She might have discovered for herself what her husband had done. If so, I hoped she’d now move on to the Underworld and seek peace, rather than staying restless and sad in this world. There was enough suffering here already. I tried as hard as I could the next couple days to stay away from the Otherworld. Wil visited off and on, and Jasmine and I began doing mundane yet enjoyable activities, like seeing movies and shopping for clothes for her. Tim and Lara often appeared, still in the throes of their love, and Kiyo returned with reports about the Otherworld, reassuring me that my kingdom’s control of the Rowan Land was progressing smoothly. And at night, he came to my bed, and I found the return of our fierce sex life went a long way toward taking my mind off my laundry list of problems. But finally, I had to give in. The call to my lands was too strong, and even Kiyo admitted that with my new and fragile hold on the Rowan Land, I needed to visit and connect with it to reinforce our bond. By that point, I needed no urging. My own body was telling me as much. I still felt weak and drained, my dreams haunted by cacti and cherry trees. I took Jasmine with me. Our relationship wasn’t quite sound enough yet for me to leave her alone. She drew the line at going to the Rowan Land, however, insisting she would stay in the Thorn Land until my return. I had no problem with that, knowing she was secure there. Kiyo was still going with me, and Shaya caught us before we could leave. â€Å"There’s a few things you should probably know,† she said uneasily. Her nervousness was likely due to the fact that I hated being troubled with the day-to-day running of a kingdom – in this case, kingdoms. Something about the fear in her eyes told me she also knew I wouldn’t like what she had to say. I sighed. â€Å"Go ahead.† â€Å"I †¦ I’ve heard from King Dorian a number of times.† Kiyo shifted uncomfortably beside me, and I felt that familiar prickle of anger run down my spine. All the memories of Dorian’s lying and betrayal came back to me. It stung all the worse because in the end, he’d gotten exactly what he wanted: the Iron Crown had done its job. He probably wanted me to take still more lands. â€Å"What’s he want?† I demanded. â€Å"The war’s over. We’re no longer in a partnership.† â€Å"Well, that’s just it. Since you are – were – allies in the war, he says he deserves some of the spoils of your victory.† â€Å"He †¦ what?† My fury increased. â€Å"He doesn’t deserve anything. I was the one who won and used the crown.† She nodded, still looking like she wished she could be anywhere else. â€Å"Yes †¦ but he argues that he was the one who sent you to get the crown. And that his armies lost as many lives as yours.† That last point silenced me. His soldiers had fought with mine. His people’s families mourned those casualties as much as mine †¦ and for what? To fight against a slight that had nothing to do with them, not really. I didn’t owe Dorian anything, of that I was certain, but I was indebted to his subjects. When I didn’t respond, Shaya continued. â€Å"Some of his people are also helping hold the Rowan Land.† â€Å"Oh, are they?† Of course Dorian would have swooped in. â€Å"I never asked for that.† She shook her head. â€Å"Nonetheless, you need it. Many are still having trouble accepting your rule. There’s a lot of seething resentment. No violence has broken out yet – but that’s largely because of the sizable presence Rurik sent to keep control. Dorian’s helping with that.† I’d meditated with the Thorn Land as soon as I’d arrived, making me feel a little better, but the pressure and continued political complications were already draining me. I wasn’t meant for this. â€Å"What’s he want? Half the kingdom?† â€Å"No. Trade. Tribute. The Rowan Land is a huge food producer, and he wants part of that.† â€Å"That doesn’t sound so bad,† I said tentatively. â€Å"I’m guessing he wants it at low, low prices,† said Kiyo, speaking up for the first time. Shaya nodded. â€Å"He does. And he’s entitled to it to a certain extent. But his current demands are extreme enough that it could endanger the Rowan Land’s economy. Maybe that’s not an issue. It all depends on what you want for them.† I thought about the refugees at the gates. What did I want for those people? I wanted them to prosper. I wanted things to return to normal. â€Å"Can you negotiate with him to something in the middle?† I asked Shaya. â€Å"Most likely.† â€Å"Then do it.† She bowed her head in acknowledgment, and I knew that’s what she’d already known had to be done. She was simply giving me my dues as queen, going through the motions and reminding everyone that ultimately, I still held the authority around here. When Kiyo and I finally made it to the Rowan Land, I felt the land’s relief and welcome. Its energy burned into mine, strengthening me. At the castle, we saw little sign of the Rowan military but plenty of mine and Dorian’s. They were stationed everywhere, keeping the order Shaya had told me about. They bowed low when they saw me, their actions mirrored by the kingdom’s citizens. Only, Katrice’s subjects didn’t bow out of respect and deference. There was fear in their eyes, confusion in some, and an obvious show among a few that their actions were forced. Rurik was still in residence, personally overseeing the occupation. I felt secure in his control and listened as he explained what needed to be done next. I understood it only a little better than the economics Shaya had pushed on me, the main point being I’d need a governing body here soon. Picking that staff would be a problem. Shaya was one in a million, but even she couldn’t be in two places at once. Seeing my dismay, Rurik hesitantly added that Dorian had offered to provide people for the job. My expression at those words gave Rurik all the answer he needed. The Rowan Land’s energy continued to flow into me when I set out to have my meditation session with it. The nature of the connection was similar to what I had with the Thorn Land, but the kingdom’s feel was totally different. The Thorn Land was harsh – filled with life, yes, but life that fought fiercely against the elements for survival. The Rowan Land was softer, its life bursting forth easily and radiating through its many trees and plants. â€Å"Eugenie,† said Kiyo, following me out to a small garden behind the castle. â€Å"Look.† I paused and glanced behind me. Where I’d walked, flowers had blossomed, small red ones scattered throughout the grassy path. I knelt down, inhaling their heady scent. â€Å"Why’s it happening?† â€Å"You’re its ruler. You’re giving the land life and energy.† I thought about how being here had made me feel marginally better. â€Å"It’s strengthening me too †¦ but this doesn’t happen in the Thorn Land. I don’t have that kind of effect.† â€Å"Don’t you?† he teased, a mischievous smile on his face. â€Å"You make it rain†¦.† A memory came to me of when the Thorn Land had floundered in drought. While connecting with the land, I’d had sex with Kiyo, and the energy from that union had empowered the kingdom, breaking the dry spell and sending much-needed rain that made the people and plants flourish. I smiled back at him. â€Å"Looks like we don’t have to worry about that today. This land doesn’t need as much help.† He slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me to him, voice husky. â€Å"But imagine the results if we did. Extra credit.† Leaning down, he brought his lips to mine, his tongue pushing into my mouth with a rough passion. I felt my body answer, and for a moment, the offer was tempting. I pictured what it would be like to make love among all this greenery, here in the sunshine. Would a bed of red flowers fill the ground below us? Again †¦ I kind of wanted to find out, but I also wasn’t comfortable in this kingdom yet. I didn’t want to risk discovery of my sex life, even if it wouldn’t be a big deal to the gentry. Reluctantly, I pulled away from him. â€Å"Another time.† After a few more protests, he let me be. I sat on the ground while he waited, closing my eyes and opening myself to the world around me. We are one, I assured the land. I am here. I felt its answer, felt warmth spread through me and lost track of time. When I finished, I was startled at how far the sun had moved across the sky. Kiyo sat on the ground cross-legged, looking at ease as he watched me. â€Å"Crap,† I said, jumping up. â€Å"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you wait so long.† He stood as well. â€Å"It’s no problem. You needed it. You both needed it.† I knew he was right. I was more energized, and the land felt strong and content. After another check with Rurik, Kiyo and I headed back to the Thorn Land. Here, he parted from me, again to â€Å"take care of a few things.† He assured me he’d be back in Tucson as soon as he could, but I saw the look Jasmine gave me when she overheard. I could guess her thoughts: more reports to Maiwenn. Jasmine was impatient to go to Tucson, but before leaving, I impulsively set out alone to where I’d communed earlier with the Thorn Land. It had been on a distant part of the grounds, one of my favorite places, in the shade of a mesquite tree. Its perfume rivaled that of the Rowan flowers, and around it stood cacti in all shapes and sizes, some of them small and squat and some tall and foreboding like sentries. Almost all of them were blooming. A chill ran down my spine as I stared at the flowers on the cacti. They formed a brilliantly colored perimeter, right around where I’d been meditating, the petals in all shapes and sizes. The flowers were beautiful. Exquisite. And none of them had been there earlier. How to cite Iron Crowned Chapter 19, Essay examples

Movie Summary Run Lola Run Essay Example For Students

Movie Summary Run Lola Run Essay The ways which we understand key life issues as individuals can be affected by the techniques in which we imagine a mental image or concept. Run Lola Run, Tom Tykner is a distinctly visual film which portrays a substantial amount of dialogue, as well as the story being told through images, symbols and motifs, this affects our views of the events which occur throughout the film and as a viewer have become aware of the multiple perceptions which have impacted on us. Tom Tykwer captured this notion, though Run Lola Run as he absorbed the most significant aspects of life including, chance, love, deaths and decision making. Tykner does this to help understand key life issues and adapt to what our purpose is in life and the adventures we will undertake throughout. Alice in wonderland, illustrated by Lewis Carroll, shows signs of distinctly visual though its portrayal that we are most moved to contemplate the significance of our lives in different dimensions. We will write a custom essay on Movie Summary Run Lola Run specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Carroll’s use of, symbolism and techniques such as the use of colours enables us to broaden our understanding of the divstincltvly visual occurring though the text. Tom Tykwer portrays a varitey of distinctively visual themes in the film, Run Lola Run, which demonstrate the conflict between the notions of fate and chance, this is clarifying a serious of unpredictable situations throughout the three runs which occur during the film. In the opening of the film fate and chance are firstly stimulated though a serious of retrace questions: â€Å"who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? Why do we believe anything at all? ’. The last question, â€Å"Why do we believe anything at all? ’ Is giving viewers the impression of not being abele to rely on themselves or the feeling of pointless in believing that individuals are in full control of their own destiny and actions. After the particular questions are asked in the opening, the low angle shot appears to reveal that the questions being asked were spoken by the policeman. The policeman is seemed to be a individual figure of fate who attributes characteristics of the theme â€Å"fate and chance†. So therefore, the protagonist in the film, Lola, has constant enclosures with the policeman with all three runs, each run explaining the meaning of the policeman having different behaviours which affect Lola’s attitude or self determination towards getting the money needed for mania, which is supplies by her â€Å"so called Father†, this is lola taking her chances not considering the consequences ahead, just taking that chance. Tykwer demonstrates how Lola is knows the she is subsequently â€Å"policed† by fate. Tykwer then reliably goes on to explain the next a quote expressed in a forceful manner, â€Å"The ball is round, the game last 90 minutes. Thats a fact. † In the time following, he kicks the soccer ball vertically up which is a distinctive example of human life as a game, and the outcome depends on the actions and decisions made by the individual. Other characters thought the film such as the tramp or the lady pushing the pram are recurring events during the film. these events are symbolic to change which straighten our understanding of that postmodern perception that an individuals life is interconnected with a multiple sequence of parole lives. By distinctively sterilising these images Tykwer portrays â€Å"fate† as a highly purposeful and easily evaporated explanation that situation. Lola is portrayed throughout the film as a memorable character, this is though the use of colour on Lola. Lola has intense red hair which is mad to stand out in every scene, the idea of the colour red refers to the passionate love lola has for Mannie. For example when Lola was in bed with Mannie during the **second run**, the only colour you could see was red as it stood out, and as the red went away you could feel the heart fade away. .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59 , .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59 .postImageUrl , .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59 , .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59:hover , .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59:visited , .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59:active { border:0!important; } .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59:active , .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59 .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u469dc52e367b771e522805dda9f1ea59:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Film Overview - Sugar Cane Alley EssayTherefore Tykwer uses this colour red to significantly emphasise the love story between Lola and Mannie. The red images gives a clear image to the audience that the film is directed to the feelings in which Lola and Mannie relationship reflects each other, this making Lola that memorable character she is bought out to be. as well as Lola’s hair being red, there are other objects within the film which also symbolise the significance of the red colour. For example, the red telephone which Lola uses to all Mannie in the first scene of the film*** WHY? Other than Lola, Mannie also shows a stand out colour towards him, this colour is yellow. The yellow symbolising** What does the colour yellow symbolise?. The colour of Mannie’s hair is yellow, Mannie speaks to Lola on in a yellow telephone box and Mannie wears yellow clothes. By having the main character placed with a particular colour, symbolises to the audience what type of person they are or how they show their character throughout the film. Other then the symbols of the main charters, Lola and Mannie, In the first scene of the film Tyknewr plays back a visual scene in Lola’s memory and produces the colours seen in black and white. The black and white images symbolise the sense of emergency which Lola was thinking, makes the viewers go into deep thought with Lola only at that very time, then when the colours return back to normal, the views step back with Lola to reality, feeling the force of emotions. Symbols throughout the film play a vital role within portrays specific aspects of the audience interpreting the distinctly visual images. One of the many visual symbols Tykwer uses throughout the film is the Clock. The clock is shown all thought the film Bibliography: http://csfilmanalysis.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/run-lola-run.html

Your favorite movie character an Example of the Topic Film Essays by

Your favorite movie character The females in the movies "Psycho" (director Alfred Hitchcock) and "The Graduate" (director Micke Nichols) are drawn as being very immoral. They could be easily charged with stealing money, adultery, incest, and even murder. Need essay sample on "Your favorite movie character" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Marion Crane (actress Janet Leigh) is young and pretty, she works as an estate secretary. During her lunch breaks she meets her lover, Sam in cheep hotel rooms. He comes all the way from Fairvale only to spend a little time with her. She is obviously very much in love with him, but very unsatisfied with her current life. She considers the lack of money the reason why she cannot marry Sam. She lives with her sister, and seems to wish very much to have her own house. She is not pleased any more with their short escapades and she obviously wants more. After a brief afternoon with her lover she returns to the office. It is in the office where temptation occurs. A very arrogant, very pleased with himself, customer, Mr. Cassidy, enters the office. After a conversation, in which Mr. Cassidy, brags about how he kept her daughter happy all her life, Marion is entrusted to put 40.000 dollars in a safe deposit box at a bank. Observing the customer who talks to her so highly and praises himself, thinking that he can buy anything with his money, even his daughter happiness who is supposed to get married the fallowing day, she starts to think that maybe she is far more entitled to the forty thousand dollars than his spoilt daughter. Thus the idea of stealing the money is triggered by the loyal wealthy customer, Mr. Cassidy, who also flirts with her. When Marion's office colleague offers her a pill for her headache, her answer is: "you can't buy happiness with pills", but she is convinced that happiness can be bought with money. At home she packs a luggage. While she packs she thinks about the money, about how they will be a great help to her future wit her beloved. It seems she is analyzing whether to run away with the 40.000 $ or not. From this moment on, the character's actions are driven by the heart. Marion's love for Sam is a final point in her determination to steal the money and leave for Fairvale. It is a moment of madness, she seems very determined to start a new life with her lover. So, she grabs her luggage and starts her trip to Fairvale. On her way, she is spotted by her boss, while driving the car. He knew her in bed suffering from a severe headache. The movie is slightly filled with tension. Her mind slowly slips away. She imagines what Sam will say when she will reach him; she has doubts about her action. She knows it is wrong and immoral to steal, but she is desperate to gain her well deserved happiness. She is depicted as a "knight" on his way to save his love; she is out of control, not a ble to handle her apparently mentally ill behavior. The next morning she wakes up in her car and a policeman is bothering her with uneasy questions. Her soul is haunted by guilt and this fact seems to reflect into the policeman's dark glasses. Continuing her trip she imagines her being captured. Her face is illuminated by the oncoming cars resembling interrogation spotlights. The rain is pouring; her deteriorating mental state and self-destructive conscience lead her, unwillingly, to Norman Bates' (actor Anthony Perkins) hotel and eventually to her death. Mr. Bates (or Mrs. Bates as the viewer later on finds out) apparently is a likeable, peculiar and rather childish character. He delightfully welcomes his new client offering her a comfortable room on a rainy night. Marion is vulnerable, physically tired and she is not capable of reading the sings of a mentally ill person any longer. She turns into an easy pray for the young "hawk", Mr. Bates, whose conception is that "we all go a little mad sometimes". She overhears what was supposed to be a fight between Norman and his ill, old mother. It appears that Norman's mother, Mrs. Bates is not too thrilled about her sun taking dinner with a strange woman, or any woman. Yet, after a strange dinner with Norman Bates, Marion retreats into her room, alone with her thoughts, thinking about her next step. After carefully meditating and calculating her situation she decides to take a shower. It is not clear if she decides to give back the money, and repent for her crazy act, or continue on the road to Sam and maybe to gain her happiness. The shower was supposed to wash away her guilt. She feels reborn and full of energy as the water is coming down her body. Marion finds her death in the shower, stabbed several times by a figure that looked like an old fashioned woman. At the end of the movie the viewer finds out that the murderer is in fact Norman, influenced by the woman from his mind, his dead mother. The character of this female is depicted through her son, Norman. She probably was a very wicked, possessive woman, who loved to use the power she had over her son. Maybe not being capable of fully understanding him, she was the one who implied to Norman the fact that he was weird, instead of offering the love he urged for, from his own mother. He feels abandoned and unimportant when his mother decides to remarry. Her lack of love for him, her constant lack of satisfaction when it came to him triggers the matricide. Norman kills both her and her lover. The murder is unbearable to him, thus he resurrects his mother in his unstable mind. She continues to dominate his life long after her death. This might mean that she was a very cruel, cold, maybe even selfish person. Her voice seams to be brought back from hell. Anyway, the only hint of incest is in the words of Norman: "A son is a pour substitute for a lover". At this point the viewer is uncertain whether the mother was so immoral as to force her own son to fulfill the duties of a lover, or Norman was so mentally ill as to rape his own mother. Her possessive, bitter nature might be the reason of Norman's criminal actions. "The graduate" presents another type of immoral woman, the common type, this time; the one who commits adultery. Mrs. Robinson (actress Anne Bancroft) is married, and the Robinsons are very old friends with the Benjamins, a wealthy family. Benjamin (actor Dustin Hoffman) is fresh out of college and extremely confused about his future. Under these circumstances, back home he is faced with a brand new experience. The married Mrs. Robinson, not so young any more, but still attractive, tries to seduce him, and eventually succeeds. Mrs. Robinson is depicted as a very "sad" female character. First of all the viewer finds out that she has a drinking problem, and on top of it, she also smokes a lot. She is thus giving tributes to several vices. She doesn't have a happy marriage. She confessed that she got married after she found out she was pregnant with her daughter Elaine. She married the wealthy Mr. Robinson, but maybe she didn't wish for it at all. She plays the role of a victim very well, she makes Benjamin drive her home, where she lures him into the house under the pretext she is scared of the dark. She has the attitude of a very confident person, resembling a business woman. Very persuasive, she is very cool and firm in her tone unlike Marion, who is not very cool and determined in her actions. Benjamin is left inert and confused faced with Mrs. Robinson's sexual seduction. She is sexualy aggressive, obviously neurotic and cynical. She is very good in twisting Benjamin's words, and making him feel as if he is the one who flirts with her and not the other way around. This makes Ben feel very uneasy because clearly, not one moment did he intended to seduce a woman old enough to be his mother. Benjamin accepts his affaire with Mrs. Robinson as a symbol of his struggle to save himself from sinking in a materialistic society. Mrs. Robinson is interested only in the physical relationship; she is not willing to give away anything more than her body. She is miserable, and she can't bear to see the ones around her being happy. She is aware that, if Benjamin will meet her young daughter Elaine, they would fall in love. She is selfish; she doesn't want to see her daughter happy, marrying from love and not having an arranged marriage, like she did. Thus, when Benjamin in joking that he will invite Elaine out, Mrs. Robinson grabs his hair, becomes rather violent, and demands to be promised that he will never take Elaine out. She feels useless, the only thing she feels secure about is her beauty, and that is slowly fading away. Her fling with Benjamin supposes to compensate for her meaningless life. She admits that the only thing she is looking forward to is her hotel encounters with Benjamin. Mrs. Robinson obviously has a very low esteem herself, she considers herself to be a "sick and disgusting person". She feels pity for herself, but admits that her affair with Benjamin is pleasant. She is confused about her life; the only thing she feels confident about is her beauty. She is afraid of getting old and ugly and she doesn't want her daughter to be thought as more beautiful than her. She threatens to divulge her affair if Benjamin will date Elaine. Very scared of losing Benjamin, who is her "toy", and who obviously means very much to her, she is prepared to risk her marriage, and get Ben into a great deal of trouble. In contrast with her mother, Elaine is depicted as a very sensible creature. Very innocent, she has no clue of how mean her mother could be. She is nice and friendly although at the beginning she is humiliated by Ben who is very confused about how he should act during their arranged date. Elaine is a good listener; her inner purity sparks Benjamin's confession. Ben is capable of speaking to Elaine, about his worries and confusions regarding his future. In the end he realizes that Elaine is the only one he could talk to, that she is different from all the others, who are stuck in their materialistic, meaningless life. So he confesses his love for her. The women described in the two movies are winding through a bourgeois, rather sick world. The perfect word describing this society is provided by Mr. McGuire when he gives a piece of advice to Ben: "plastics", meaning an artificial society. These women might find an excuse for all their immoral actions. Marion steals the money because she wishes a better life with her lover; Mrs. Robinson seduces a twenty one year old graduate, old enough to be her sun, because she is unhappy and disappointed about herself and her marriage. In conclusion, the main theme of both movies could be resumed to the female inner struggle to regain a psychical balance and their strong influence on the ones that surround them. BIBLIOGRAPHY International Movie Database, "Psycho"; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054215/plotsummary Filmsite, Review by Tim Dirks, 1996-2007 ; http://www.filmsite.org/grad.html Filmsite, Review by Tim Dirks, 1996-2007; http://www.filmsite.org/psyc.html The International Movie Database, "The Graduate".

Free Essays on What Is The American Dream

What is the American Dream? It is my opinion that the American Dream can be slightly different for each person but that there are many commonalities between people’s dreams within the American culture. I feel that though our schooling and upbringings, we are influenced as to what the ideal of life is within this culture should be. I feel that television, magazines, and the many other forms of media condition us to believe in a similar structure of how life should be lived. The first thing that comes to my mind is that each family should live in a cookie cutter track home surrounded by neighbor’s houses that are nearly identical to their own. Ideally, there would be a white picket fence surrounding the house and a dog in the back yard. There are two to three children, at least one boy and one girl, who go to school every day and do there home work. The husband leaves for work early in the mourning and does not return until late at night because he must be the breadwinner and take care of his family. He would typically work in some kind of office and would be wearing a suit and tie. He would be the disciplinarian while the wife is the sensitive and more loving figure of the family. The next part of the dream that I have in my head is now a little confusing. In the past, wives were supposed to stay home and cook breakfast, clean house, take care of the kids, and cook dinner. Now in days, with so many women in the job market, it is hard for me to generalize what the American dream is in regards to the responsibilities of the wife. I would still say that the ideal is still to have the stay at home mom and the breadwinning dad. My conclusion is largely based on the fact that if the man makes enough money at his job, the wife usually still stays home to fill the traditional roles of the stay home wife and mother. Another aspect of the American Dream is that an individual family should be nuclear, that is, living sep... Free Essays on What Is The American Dream Free Essays on What Is The American Dream What is the American Dream? It is my opinion that the American Dream can be slightly different for each person but that there are many commonalities between people’s dreams within the American culture. I feel that though our schooling and upbringings, we are influenced as to what the ideal of life is within this culture should be. I feel that television, magazines, and the many other forms of media condition us to believe in a similar structure of how life should be lived. The first thing that comes to my mind is that each family should live in a cookie cutter track home surrounded by neighbor’s houses that are nearly identical to their own. Ideally, there would be a white picket fence surrounding the house and a dog in the back yard. There are two to three children, at least one boy and one girl, who go to school every day and do there home work. The husband leaves for work early in the mourning and does not return until late at night because he must be the breadwinner and take care of his family. He would typically work in some kind of office and would be wearing a suit and tie. He would be the disciplinarian while the wife is the sensitive and more loving figure of the family. The next part of the dream that I have in my head is now a little confusing. In the past, wives were supposed to stay home and cook breakfast, clean house, take care of the kids, and cook dinner. Now in days, with so many women in the job market, it is hard for me to generalize what the American dream is in regards to the responsibilities of the wife. I would still say that the ideal is still to have the stay at home mom and the breadwinning dad. My conclusion is largely based on the fact that if the man makes enough money at his job, the wife usually still stays home to fill the traditional roles of the stay home wife and mother. Another aspect of the American Dream is that an individual family should be nuclear, that is, living sep...

Role of dividend signalling in corporate finance Dissertation

Role of dividend signalling in corporate finance - Dissertation Example as a major role in corporate finance. The study also provides a detailed research on the impact of dividend announcement on shareholder. Dividend is an important parameter to evaluate investment decision by the investors. So, there is a substantial role of dividend signalling on corporate finance as companies share value of organization through dividend payment.Thus, annual dividend announcement by a company always remains the most awaited news for its shareholders. This paper provides a clear understanding ofthe impact of dividend signalling on corporate finance in theoretical aspect and its impact on shareholders in practical aspect. Chapter 1: Introduction Motivation Firms communicate value and financial well-beings through payment of dividend to its shareholders. Investors generally practice a common activity i.e. â€Å"dividend check in mail† at each quarter when their invested firms declare their quarterly financial results. Dividend is a way of sharing or distribution o f companies’ earnings to the shareholders at a regular basis. Companies distribute dividend quarterly, half yearly or on yearly basis. Regular payment of dividend by a firm shows its sustainable financial growth and it also determines a firm’s future performance and prospect. Dividend payment record of a firm is one of the most important factors for investment decision making for the shareholders and shareholders always expect regular payment of dividend from the companies where they invest. So, a company’s ability and willingness to pay regular dividend payout determines the strong financial condition of the company. Concept of dividend payment was not there in business practice before Securities and Exchange Act was introduced in the year 1934. Companies required a law for mandatory disclosure of financial information. Since the initial time of dividend payment by the limited companies, it has become one of the most important parameter of financial health and also remains one worthwhile yardstick to evaluate a company’s current and future prospect. Mature profitable companies generally pay dividend to its shareholders. However, if a company do not pay dividend that does not mean that the company is not able to generate substantial earnings. Growth companies generally pay dividend. If management of a company thinks that growth opportunity of the company is much better than its investment opportunity available to the new investors or the existing shareholders then the company pays dividend to enhance the investment opportunity of the company (Lonkani & ratchusanti, 2007, p.4). So, dividend is one of the mos

Barclays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Barclays - Essay Example Any partner can go out through a defined process and even a new partner can be admitted to an existing partnership. Partners are fully liable for any debt due in the name of the firm. A company is a legal entity having the status of an individual. This means that a company can sue and can be sued on its own name. A â€Å"private limited company† is for small business setup but the entrepreneur may offer some of the shares to the investors in return for capital, while retaining the major shareholding. Only a â€Å"public limited company† can offer its shares to general public through stock exchange. A well-designed business plan focuses on various factors including budgets. It figures out all the expected costs and revenues that are expected to be incurred and generated respectively. All the planning about how the business is to be carried out, how the sales are to be made and how the funds are to be raised to meet up the expected costs, all are laid down in that plan sheet. While making budget, Tim ONeill must have kept in mind that how much money is needed and for what purposes. Assumptions should also be considered for some variable factors like interest rates, volume of sales and cost of goods. Cash flow is another important factor to be considered so that one can foresee if the business’ income will cover its expenditure. It is very rare that a business starts earning profit from its maiden year only. Difficulties do arise to establish a business and goodwill. Any business that needs to be set up requires a large amount of finance to arrange premises, equipments, stock and other essential items. After bringing in the capital by the owners, partners or shareholders, the owners of the business seek different sources to obtain finance to meet their day-to-day expenses and payment of bills. Some sources are given below: This service enables the account holder to go beyond its available funds up to a certain

The Actual Meaning of Being Educated Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Actual Meaning of Being Educated - Essay Example The essay evaluates the question regarding the actual meaning of being educated. There has always been a debate on the topic regarding classification of people as educated and otherwise but such debates have not yielded a consensus yet. The most common perception regarding being educated is having knowledge of different subjects that are taught in schools, however in accordance with different philosophers, being educated is just not having knowledge of certain subjects but it has a greater meaning. Theories regarding education have been presented by a number of philosophers and the theories presented stretch over a vast lapse of time. The ultimate goal of the educational philosophy is to get students interested in the subject and cause them be on familiar terms with it as well. To achieve it a teacher is to set several goals such as: to be persuasive, to make students respect the teacher, to know the subject well, to have friendly relations with students, to create a perfect learning environment, and to create a proper curriculum. â€Å"Education - like democracy, free markets, freedom of the press, and "universal human rights" - is one of those subjects whose virtue is considered self-evident†.   â€Å"A successful education process embraces the notion of a proper curriculum.† Reece & Walker considers a Scheme of Work to be â€Å"a series of learning experiences, sequenced to achieve the course aims in the most effective way†. Thus it is vital to set the course goals, the length and the system of total evaluation.   

Tristram Shandy: Postmodern texts

Tristram Shandy: Postmodern texts Does Tristram Shandy demonstrate that there can be postmodern texts before Postmodernism? Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy dominated the London literary marketplace during its serial publication from 1759-1767.   Like his contemporary writers, Sterne engages in debates concerning what we would now regard as the disciplinary boundary between literature and philosophy which has established its canonical status as a work of postmodern fiction.   It is difficult to ascribe, as many scholars have, to Tristram Shandy the title of ‘postmodern’.   To characterize this novel through a future literary movement which defines itself through the rejection of the principles of the previous movement is incongruous.   How can a novel which precedes postmodernism by over a century and a half reflect the cultural and political formations which sparked the movement itself?   However, Tristram Shandy does contain fictional and narrative elements which clearly invite comparison with the fiction of the postmodern movement. Born into the Augustan Age, Sterne’s discordant writing makes him seem out of place in his own era   Differing drastically from the contemporary imaginative literature of Defoe, Richardson and Fielding and the philosophical writing of Johnson, Tristram Shandy has been explained by critics as an example of ‘process writing’, a text presented in the very act of creation and change.   This analysis can be applied to Sterne himself; moving away from the Augustan poets and the sentimental writers, Sterne’s writing is termed postmodern because it is a rejection of realism, turning from the objectivity of external truth to examine inner states of consciousness.   Sterne’s novel clearly exhibits the postmodernist theory of metafiction, in which the writing self-consciously points to itself as an object in order to question the relationship between reality and fiction.   Sterne was certainly not alone in critiquing methods of narrative construction an d exploring the fictionality of the external world, but what sets Tristram Shandy apart from its contemporary fiction is the use of language as an arbitrary system.   The elements of Tristram Shandy which inspire comparisons with the postmodernist movement are clear: questioning the relationship between text and the self, and an argument for the constitutive power of language.   Postmodern scholars question the fundamental representation of identity and history itself, that is, history as what ‘really’ happened as opposed to history as an objective ‘narrative’ of what happened.   Sterne has a clear understanding of how some element of self-definition and identification is involved in the fictional writing process, and freely admits the element of autobiography in his writing.   ‘Tis †¦ a picture of myself’ he tells David Garrick in regards to Tristram Shandy (Letters 87).   The autobiographical element in Sterne’s writing suggests multiple definitions of the same reality, which depend upon perspectives rather than objective truth.   This comes across as a convoluted and fragmented narrat ive that confuses fiction and reality, narrative and truth. Tristram himself says of his father’s masterpiece, the Trista-paedia, ‘My father spun his, every thread of it, out of his own brain, or reeled and cross-twisted what all other spinners and spinster had spun before him’ (Sterne 93).   Sterne, like his character Tristram, spins his own narrative in an intricate and complex web, so convoluted and transparent that it is difficult to tell where it ends and he begins. Tristram Shandy clearly embodies this ambiguity between reality and representation through language.   James Swearingen writes that in Tristram Shandy ‘language does not just facilitate communication: it establishes the phenomenal horizon in which speakers and things spoken about are constituted’(Swearingten 117).   Tristram constructs his biography through textual language, which reveals itself to be an ambiguous rather than a concrete medium.   He admits that he is better associated with the text itself than the subject to which it refers.   Tristram’s escape from his inevitable death is described as a journey in which ‘life follows the pen’ (Sterne 754).   Once again returning to the autobiographical element of Sterne’s writing, if Tristram’s journey follows the pen, then he, like Sterne, is creating and documenting his own existence, shaping his narrative according to his liking rather than according to objective truth. At the same time that Sterne celebrates the constructive power of language, he reveals its ultimate failure.   Sterne was ‘concerned almost exclusively with the problem of communication among men’ wrote John Traugott, illuminating both the genius and failure of Sterne’s text.   When words fail, as they sooner or later do, communication becomes the business of sensibility.   ‘My uncle Toby looked brisk at the sound of the word siege, but could make neither head nor tail of it’ (Sterne 312).   Traugott concludes that Tristram Shandy seeks to re-establish a community where reason, in the form of language, threatens to destroy it (Traugott 15).   Rather than basing a notion of community upon concrete notions of order and hierarchy, the Shandy world is built on the unstable base of subjectivity.   ‘In Sterne’s world, each individual consciousness establishes itself at the centre of a universe of feeling and ignores any such thing a s objective reality, until the subject of Tristram Shandy finally seems to be the nature of fiction itself’ (Byrd 59).   Virginia Woolf has noted Sterne’s unexpected prose as a means of exploring a materialist critique of the conventions of the novel itself.   The jerky, disconnected sentences are as rapid and it would seem as little under control as the phases that fall from the lips of a brilliant talker †¦ The order of the ideas, their suddenness and irrelevancy, is more true to life than to literature †¦ Under the influence of this extraordinary style the book becomes semi-transparent.   The usual ceremonies and conventions which keep the reader and writer at arm’s length disappear (Woolf 79) Stylistically, Sterne’s novel deconstructs the narrative and linguistic form of the novel in favour of multiplicity and ambiguity. Indeed, the author’s preface is found in volume three, chapters are disordered, and symbols and blank pages are found throughout the book.   Playing with novelistic conventions, Sterne draws attention to the instability of the written form itself, paralleling the ambiguity of the text with the ambiguity of the self. Sterne uses reflection to expose the constructedness of his narrative, encouraging the reading to approach it not as subjective truth but as an aesthetic.   This is clearly apparent in the treatment of various forms of madness within the novel.   Madness figures prominently in Tristram Shandy.   The metaphor of madness appears in many critical discussion of the novel because helps to underscore the link between Sterne and his contemporary Augustan satirists, for whom the classical idea of madness as supernatural inspiration is missing.   Indeed, Sterne seems to anticipate the Romantic poets who, by contrast, represent madness as a sign of alienation, in which the faculty of imagination is the source of anxiety rather than creative freedom. In Tristram Shandy many kinds of madness are manifest.   Characters such as Toby and Walter serve simply as the necessary comic eccentricity, similar to the figure of Yorick to whom Tristram refers throughout his story.   Tristram, howe ver, cites John Locke as an explanation of why ‘my poor mother could never hear the †¦ clock wound up, but the thoughts of some other things unavoidably popped into her head’ (Sterne 39).   The ‘sort of unreasonableness’ which Locke describes is, ironically, the driving force behind Tristram’s unorderly pattern of narration.   Tristram clearly expresses Sterne’s own narrative technique: ‘By this contrivance the machinery of my work is of a species by itself; two contrary motions are introduced into it, and reconciled, which were thought to be at variance with each other.   In a word, my work is digressive, and it is progressive too, -and at the same time’ (Sterne 95).   Sterne questions what it means to live in a world in which the boundaries of the self and the body politic are redefined.   Challenging the conventions of body narrative form and philosophical notions of the self, Sterne questions, ‘is a man t o follow rules or rules to follow him?’ (Sterne, 583) One bibliographer described Tristram Shandy as ‘postmodernist in every sense except the moment in which it was written,’ and most critics have agreed.   However, despite the similarities between Sterne’s own engagement with philosophical and literary critique in his novel, it is impossible to call Tristram Shandy a postmodernist text, if purely for semantic reasons.   It is tempting to explain instances of extraordinary forms of artistic and critical reflection with the tools of the present, but this is a fallacy.   Sterne’s novel engages with the epistemological, philosophical and literary crises of his time, and cannot possibly be explained with a theory born out of the crises of the twentieth century.   As Tristram’s mother exclaimed, ‘L—d! †¦ what is all this story about? –‘ It is, and will remain, ‘A COCK and a BULL, †¦ And one of the best of its kind, I ever heard’ (Sterne 615). Works Cited Byrd, M. (1985) Tristram Shandy London: George Allen Unwin. Swearingen, J. (1977) Reflexivity in Tristram Shandy: An Essay in Phenomenological Criticism New Haven: Yale University Press. Sterne, L. (1967) The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, London: Penguin Classics. -(1775) Letters to his Friends on Various Occasions, London. Traugott, J. (1954) Tristram Shandys World: Sternes Philosophical Rhetoric. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press. Woolf, V. (1932) The Common Reader: Second Series. London: Hogarth Press.

A Handful of Optimism Essay -- Eliot Maddy Waste Land Essays

A Handful of Optimism Despite race, religion, sex, or age the world can be divided into two different groups. Those who see the glass as being half full and those who see the glass as being half empty. In other words, being either that of an optimist or a pessimist. Though a simple question, often times people find it difficult to answer. Just when one thinks they have decided that they are one or the other, they come across a song, poem, or an experience that makes them reevaluate the mind frame from that which they have normally embraced. T. S. Eliot’s famous quote from The Waste Land, "I can show you fear in a handful of dust," is one that has been the trigger, for many, in this self-evaluation process (1.30) Quite often, people do not participate or embrace this process of self-evaluation. Yet, it is these people who throw around phrases like ‘carpe diem’ and ‘don’t put off tomorrow, what you can do today’ when they are doing just the opposite. In the mind frame of a pessimist, one gets so wrapped up in the fact that they might die, that they miss out on living. The bottom line is that death is inevitable. A topic that Eliot discusses when referring to Phlebas’s death by water: "Gentile or Jew O you who turn the wheel and look to windward, Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you" (4.319-321). In short Eliot was trying to say that one needs to learn from those who have gone on before them, and know they too will take a similar journey in life and death. It is this knowledge that is probably the driving force of the optimist. They know that they are going to die and choose to make the most out of their life. Though most people have at one point or another have had a fear of dying and been p... ...if one spends their whole life being jealous of others, then they will have lost the opportunity to live their own life. So, as the Beatles once said "Let it be." Maddy provides an example of this when Ade turns out to be the successful one while Santigie fails his exams and is envious of Ade. Whether it be in school, with friends, or in sports, it matters not what exams one passes in life. The truth is that one does not linger in the past or anticipate the future, but rather one lives in the present and accepts life as it comes for the good and the bad with a handful of optimism. Works Consulted Eliot, T. S. The Waste Land, Prufock, and Other Poems. New York: Dover, 1998. Life Application Study Bible. Trans. New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Maddy, Yulisa Amadu. No Past, No Present, No Future. 1973. , Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann-Reed, 1996.