The Islamic Culture Mirrors Of The Roman Empire - 1202 Words

It is said that the Islamic culture mirrors that of the Roman Empire in terms of expansion and longevity. The now widely practiced faith began in an area called Arabia, which neither Rome nor Persia dared conquer. From its creation, it contributed several important things to Medieval Europe and the World as a whole. It conquered a large region and gained thousands of followers. Islam began, as stated, in the desert land of Arabia. Due to the Arabs’ tribal nature, they were skilled at navigation and long-distance trading. They became the guides and couriers of the trade routes going to and from Africa and Asia. Thus, towns began to form, including the famous pilgrimage site, Mecca. Arabian tribes often worshipped the Black Stone, kept in the Kaaba, which was located in Mecca. Thus, those that controlled the shrine controlled the entire economic and spiritual life of the region surrounding Mecca. From this group came Muhammad, who founded Islam and changed the course of the Arab s worship. After experiencing a spiritual epiphany in, or around, 610, Muhammad made a decision to worship only the most prominent god in Arab faith, Allah. Following this major change in faith, Muhammad tried to gain a following among the Arab people. This proved unsuccessful at first, so Muhammad and his friends journeyed to the area of Yathrib, which he renamed Medina and established himself as the ruler. The journey of Muhammad is now know as the Hijrah and is used by Muslims to date theirShow MoreRelatedIslamic, Byzantine And Western European Worlds1766 Words   |  8 PagesDuring the 17th to 18th century, The Roman Empire had gone through a cultural and religious metamorphous. Throughout this time, the roles of religion in the Islamic, Byzantine and Western European worlds altered the period of 600-750 with their similarities adhering to monotheism for one, and differences in regards to perspectives. These three cultures were all pretty diverse but they also shared some of th e same roots and became heritors of the Roman Empire, built on different ideologies. The differentRead MoreHow Islamic Architecture in Spain Changed from the Seventh Century to the Mid-sixteenth Century1541 Words   |  7 Pagesarchitects in the eighth century and then a cathedral was added by Christian conquers in the sixteenth century . Islam was born in the seventh century but Islamic architectures’ uniqueness among other architectures appeared in the eighth century after the death of the Prophet Mohammad in 632 . The Roman Empire was the most important empire and it was recognized by its central location, which dominated not only Europe but also the whole Mediterranean basin, including the Near East and northern AfricaRead MoreLA County Museum of Art Essay1221 Words   |  5 PagesMills 174). These collections are classified into several departments within the museums buildings, depending on their region of origin, culture they represent, and time period from which they were found. This paper analyzes the different genres of art found in this museum and explains the main features that make the African and Asian artworks, specifically the Islamic artworks, distinguish themselves as historic masterpieces, by using stylistic and interpretive analysis methods. History and OriginRead MoreThe Conflict Of The Rwandan Genocide1511 Words   |  7 Pagesand would send the militia in to kill the survivors (Kimani, 2010). In a continent as vast as Africa, it is not uncommon to see the struggles of both Christianity and Islam play out. Just a couple years ago, the world heard about the Boko Haram Islamic extremist group kidnapping schoolgirls in Nigeria, forcing them to convert to Islam and marriage with other members of Boko Haram. Lesser known are the Christian terrorists of the African continent who attack and kill the Muslim community among themRead MoreLA County Museum of Art Essay example1258 Words   |  6 Pagescollections, which are mainly from Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin-America and America itself, are grouped into several departments within the museums buildings, depending on the region, culture, media, and time period. This paper analyzes the different genres of art and explains the main features that make the Islamic artworks disti nguish themselves as historic masterpieces, by using stylistic and interpretive analysis methods. History and Origin of LACMA Artworks The museums Asian art collectionRead MoreHistory of the Mosque-Cathedral of Cà ³rdoba1014 Words   |  4 Pagesthe Assumption of Our Lady. The mosque is considered one of the monumental jewels of Islamic civilization. In addition, it is one of the largest mosques in the entire world measuring about 24,000 square meters. The mosque was not all built at once, its construction lasted from 784 AD to 987 AD. First, Emir Abd ar-RahmanI began the construction of the mosque in the year 784, on a site that was originally home to Roman temple of Janus and Visigothic church of St Vincent. In the years 822 AD to 852 ADRead MoreThe And Of The Trinity Essay2138 Words   |  9 Pagesrisen to Heaven by God. Most Christians today believe Jesus was killed on the cross, yet after two days he resurrected. Muslims are the passionate supporters of the lessons of Jesus, Moses, and Mohammad. Muslims respect the genuine Bible (that mirrors God’s real message and the genuine lessons of Jesus and the prophets before him) as a heavenly sacred text. We trust that the Bible has been debased because of many reasons. The present Bible is not the initial version; however, it is not totallyRead MoreHistory Essay3334 Words   |  14 Pagespractices† the question aligns better with the Curriculum Framework by drawing on the extensive discussion of culture in multiple key concepts throughout Periods 4 through 6. Revised Question’s Alignment with the Curriculum Framework Key Concept 4.1.VI, VII; 4.3.I.A and B; 5.1.I; 5.2.III; 5.3.I, II; 5.4.III.B; 6.2.II and V; 6.3.II, III and IV Theme Theme 2: Development and Interaction of Cultures Skills for Basic Core Points Argumentation; Contextualization; Continuity and Change Over Time; Causation;Read MoreOrigin of International Law5357 Words   |  22 Pagescan be traced back to ancient times. However it can’t be denied that the words ‘International Law’ were used for the first time by eminent British Jurist, Jermy Bentham in 1780.7 The foundations of International Law lie in development of Western culture and political organization. The growth of European notions of sovereignty and the independent nation-state required an acceptable method whereby inter-state relations could be conducted in accordance with commonly accepted standards of behavior,Read MoreWorld Religion5936 Words   |  24 Pagesregarding nature that is frequently found in native religions. Group B 1. Describe some of the factors that have contributed to the modern study of indigenous religions? 2. Why are human relationships with nature crucial for tribal and small-scale cultures? 3. Explain key features of the animistic worldview. 4. What is sacred space and what is its relationship to the center? Group C 1. Define sacred time in indigenous religions and give an example. 2. What is sacred space and what is its relationship

Essay on Critical Analysis of Joyces Araby - 1017 Words

Analysis of â€Å"Araby† In many cultures, childhood is considered a carefree time, with none of the worries and constraints of the â€Å"real world.† In â€Å"Araby,† Joyce presents a story in which the central themes are frustration, the longing for adventure and escape, and the awakening and confusing passion experienced by a boy on the brink of adulthood. The author uses a single narrator, a somber setting, and symbolism, in a minimalist style, to remind the reader of the struggles and disappointments we all face, even during a time that is supposed to be carefree. The setting of the story plays a very important role. The story takes place in the winter, traditionally considered to be a time of darkness and nature’s slumber.†¦show more content†¦In my mind, while reading this story, the setting and the characters seemed very gray to me, with the exception of Mangan’s sister. It is Mangan’s sister that provides â€Å"Araby† with its primary source of conflict. It is evident that she has awoken something in our narrator that is foreign, exotic, and frustrating simultaneously. He describes his fascination with her, and the painful confusion that accompanies his feelings for her: â€Å"Her name sprang to my lips at moments in strange prayers and praises which I myself did not understand† (Gardner 102). Our narrator describes his morning ritual of observing her through a nearly closed blind, thus belying his fascination for her, yet there is innocence in the ritual that is clearly non-sexual, or perhaps pre-sexual. It becomes clear, although the ages of the characters are not given, that our narrator is entering the pre-adolescent stage of his life. He has feelings for Mangan’s sister that he does not quite understand, yet they overwhelm him. The plot is further developed with the introduction of our second conflict, the bazaar ref erred to as â€Å"Araby.† Mangan’s sister describes the bazaar to our narrator, and when he learns that she can not attend, he sees an opportunity to show his affection for her by attending the bazaar in her place, and bringing her a gift to impress her. The gift itself symbolizes what he truly longs to give her, his heart and his affection. The very name of the bazaarShow MoreRelated James Joyce Essay1100 Words   |  5 Pages In selecting James Joyces Ulysses as the best novel of the twentieth century, Time magazine affirmed Joyces lasting legacy in the realm of English literature. James Joyce (1882-1941), the twentieth century Irish novelist, short story writer and poet is a major literary figure of the twentieth-century. Regarded as quot;the most international of writers in English ¡K[with] a global reputation (Attridge, pix), Joyces stature in literature stems from his experimentation with English prose. InfluencedRead MoreAnalysis Of James Joyce s Araby 1246 Words   |  5 Pages16 October 2014 Araby – James Joyce – Critical Analysis - Revision The visual and emblematic details established throughout the story are highly concentrated, with Araby culminating, largely, in the epiphany of the young unnamed narrator. To Joyce, an epiphany occurs at the instant when the spirit and essence of a character is revealed, when all the forces that endure and influence his life converge, and when we can, in that moment, comprehend and appreciate him. As follows, Araby is a story of anRead More The Decline of Chivalry Explored in Araby and AP Essay1211 Words   |  5 Pagesmotive to win hearts of women for centuries. However, as society constantly changes, the effectiveness of these chivalrous acts has diminished. In James Joyce’s â€Å"Araby† and John Updike’s â€Å"AP†, this theory is explored, both telling the story of a boy whose efforts to impress the girl of their desires fail. As said by Well’s in his critical analysis of these stories, â€Å"Both the protagonists have come to realize that rom antic gestures—in fact, that the whole chivalric view [sic] --- are, in modern timesRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pagesï » ¿TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS The purpose of Text Interpretation and Analysis is a literary and linguistic commentary in which the reader explains what the text reveals under close examination. Any literary work is unique. It is created by the author in accordance with his vision and is permeated with his idea of the world. The reader’s interpretation is also highly individual and depends to a great extent on his knowledge and personal experience. That’s why one cannot lay down a fixed â€Å"model†

Study Of Behavior Of Organization Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Study Of Behavior Of Organization. Answer: Introduction: The new era of business organizational behavior is very challenging now a days. Organizational behavior is the study of behavior of organization. Also we can say the behavior study of individuals and groups in organization (Cummings and Worley, 2014). The study of organizational behavior are decided into many divisions this include organizational culture, workforce diversity, and communication, learning of organization, efficiency and effectiveness of organization. The main concern of OB is that what people do in organization, how their effect the group and organizational presentation. According to research the organization world is changing, in recent years drastic changes have been occurring (DiGennaro et al., 2016). Todays new progressive workplace is totally different from the past, they have new technologies, new features, the services are given by them to the customers and clients are totally different and unique. Increased globalization requires more interaction among people in organization they come from different culture, nation, religion this is called work force diversity in organization. Diversity has positive and negative both effects on the organization. Systematic approach represent the relationship between groups, people in an organization. Primary purpose of this approach to achieve the individuals, social, and organizational objectives (Garnero and Rycx, 2014). There are three main elements or OB- Morals Visualization Objectives Every organization includes official, casual and social environment. These three elements gives the turn to the organization behavior. Understand the leadership, different ways of communication, individuals and group structure within organization, these elements have been provided by the organizational culture (Luthans et al., 2015). Organizational behavior benefits in organization: The benefits of OB in organization it helps to reduce the decrease stress, actual decision making and involved organizational members, leadership qualities, work environment, coordination in working and improvement in efficiency of employee (Martn et al., 2013). In that case organization has to face many challenges and opportunities as such OB support to improve quality and productivity of work, it also reduces the issues arising due to diversity in workplace, it also fulfill the requirements of globalization of new world, helps in to re-build the organizational structure, increase the confidence of workforce diversity, also encourage the people for perform better, improvement in decision making. Models of the Organizational behavior: Autocratic: In this type of organizational behavior model the decision is taken by the top management level, the operation management involvement in the decision making is very low which leads demotivation in employee (Miner., 2015). Protective: In these model the top management take help from operation management but the last decision taken by the strategic management. Supportive: This organizational model involve the operational employee into decision making. Mutual: According this level of model the whole management work as team .The motivation level of employee in this model is very high because the decision taken by the mutual understanding of employee. Workforce diversity in organization Behavior: As the name suggest workforce diversity is the combination of workforce of workers from different region, different ages and genders of different international and national principles. Organization becomes more heterogeneous after workforce diversity. Also it help to increase the productivity, loyalty of employees, and it also fulfill the needs of customers, also improve the decision making. Workforce diversity can be divide into two parts: Primary type include age, gender, ethnicity, and handicapped people. Secondary type include religion, marital status, education, culture. Scopes or Dimensions of Workforce Diversity: Age Diversity: There are multi-generation people work together in an organization. The advantages of mixed-age workforce diversity in organization exchange the ideas, thoughts, opportunity to teach each other. Young people has the more work efficiency. Gender difference: At any work place the gender difference is vibrant. Gender diversity also helps to improve the financial performance of the company. The result shows that the dramatically effect of gender diversity in company growth and net profit. But after the survey we found that male work with more aggression instead of female work with patiently and always concerned with quality of work (Martn Alczar, et al., 2013). Education Diversity: In an organization we can find many category of people according to their education. Educated people have high thinking and they always talk about the logical things. They do not like discrimination among people. Culture and Psychology: The culture word itself includes religion, languages, festivals, traditions and rituals. In an organization people comes from different culture and they work together. Many people have different psychology towards their work. Some people are very optimistic and some are shy in nature (Pitts et al., 2010). Workforce diversity planning in organization behavior: Workforce diversity planning has cycle which works in various stages. It works in four stages that is scan and understand, develop and implement, monitor and evaluate, analyses and interpret. It is progressive process to check the work planning force we need to return to previous stages (Pinder, 2014). This figure shows that workforce diversity planning is a recycle process. Scan and understand term consider that where is your company right now, where will be your company in future and workforce diversity is applying in right way or not. Monitoring and evaluation stage provide the ability whether the workforce and diversity planning is in continue in a cyclical process or not. Implementation of planning of each strategy are monitor in this process. Implementation of relevant strategy of plan covers in the develop and implement stage (Shin, et al., 2012). In this stage of diversity planning analyses of internal data, evidence-based decision making are done in analyses. Every company need to consider that how they can achieve diversity outcomes to suit and meet the requirements. Engaging with diverse workforce in organization behavior: Engage with diverse workforce related to employee engagement it changes the overall the culture, vision and mission of any company which contributes to raise in assurance and target achievement. Every age group of people in company can learn from each other by this strategy of engaging with diverse workforce. Different generation, culture and socially diverse team can give the best solution of any challenges. It also help to sharing knowledge, skills to each other in every generation of people in a company. The study tell us that there are four engaging element which is: A planned description Betrothed managers Structural integrity Employee voice Recent years organization has the increasing focus on equality and diversity. Organizations are increasingly seeing that potential of employees are developing slowly. This will help them to coordinate and engage with each other. Strategies of Workforce diversity in organizational behavior: Selection process should be effective in reduce to diversity issues, the responsibilities of jb should match to the human resources, the workforce diversity commitment should be ongoing by management, strategic management should provide the effective climate to the employee, management should also introduce about the training and development part for the employee, for equal opportunities management should follow the legal procedure of work, management should give fair treatment among employee, managers should know about the diversity management, in the organization diversity must be well-defined from top to bottom, in the organization the leadership accountability system should introduce by the management and to reduce the negative effect of diversity managers should utilize the diversity scorecard (Wagner and Hollenbeck., 2014). Supporting and encouraging diversity workforce members: The term diversity itself introduce to build a strong and more competitive organization in market. In an organization male and female works together. The diversity in an organization force to people to interact and communicate with each other it helps them to enhance their encourage and exchange the new ideas thoughts as well. It also makes organization more responsible. By the broader group of people talents, cultures, and ideas of people are very helpful in growth of organization (Triana, et al., 2010). We can say in short diversity in workplace: Introduce the perspective of people as well new ideas. Equality in employees. Fairness within an organization. Remove the all type of differences among the employee and force them work for company. All employee work in team with equal contribution. Diversity creates more productive environment (Zhang and Bartol, 2010). Conclusion: In this report we have covered about the many important topics of organizational behavior. The study of organization behavior tells us about the study of individuals and group in an organization. In the brief study of Organization behavior it covered number of concepts as such: leadership and team working, human behavior. Workforce diversity also helps to improve the organization behavior. Employee comes from different region, culture, country, gender in organization it helps to improve the communication among employee, exchange the ideas and thoughts which improves the organization performance. The diversity strategies should match the requirement of human resources management in an organization. Organizational behavior study tells about the study of individual and group both the difference of individuals also benefits the workplace by creating the competitive environment which increase the productivity of work. Creating safe environment benefits the diversity management. The tools of management should be used to educate the people about the diversity in a diverse workforce. References: Cummings, T.G. and Worley, C.G., 2014.Organization development and change. Cengage learning. DiGennaro Reed, F.D., Henley, A.J., Rueb, S., Crabbs, B. and Giacalone, L., 2016. Discussion of Behavioral Principles in Journal of Organizational Behavior Management: An Update.Journal of Organizational Behavior Management,36(2-3), pp.202-209. Garnero, A., Kampelmann, S. and Rycx, F., 2014. The heterogeneous effects of workforce diversity on productivity, wages, and profits. Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, 53(3), pp.430-477. Luthans, F., Luthans, B.C. and Luthans, K.W., 2015.Organizational behavior: An evidence-based approach. IAP. Martn Alczar, F., Miguel Romero Fernandez, P. and Snchez Gardey, G., 2013. Workforce diversity in strategic human resource management models: A critical review of the literature and implications for future research. Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 20(1), pp.39-49. Miner, J.B., 2015.Organizational behavior 1: Essential theories of motivation and leadership. Routledge. Pinder, C.C., 2014.Work motivation in organizational behavior. Psychology Press. Pitts, D.W. and Recascino Wise, L., 2010. Workforce diversity in the new millennium: Prospects for research. Review of public personnel administration, 30(1), pp.44-69. Shin, S.J., Kim, T.Y., Lee, J.Y. and Bian, L., 2012. Cognitive team diversity and individual team member creativity: A cross-level interaction. Academy of Management Journal, 55(1), pp.197-212. Triana, M.D.C., Garca, M.F. and Colella, A., 2010. Managing diversity: How organizational efforts to support diversity moderate the effects of perceived racial discrimination on affective commitment. Personnel Psychology, 63(4), pp.817-843. Wagner III, J.A. and Hollenbeck, J.R., 2014.Organizational behavior: Securing competitive advantage. Routledge. Zhang, X. and Bartol, K.M., 2010. Linking empowering leadership and employee creativity: The influence of psychological empowerment, intrinsic motivation, and creative process engagement. Academy of management journal, 53(1), pp.107-128

Xbox Essay Example For Students

Xbox Essay Usability Testing on Microsoft Xbox Product usability testing has been around for quite a while now for the sole purpose of providing the consumers with the best product a company can. Some companies hire specific testing consultants who specialize in product testing and other companies just release beta versions of their product to a small market and collect feedback. Companies like Sony or Nintendo hire companies that test their products and make sure there are no problems with the product. Software companies, on the other hand, release test versions, also known as beta versions, of their products and improve their final product based on the feedback from the beta users. There are many products that are released to the public that are not thoroughly tested. These products get tested like any other products, but they just dont get tweaked and changed enough to be the best that they can be. This situation can be the result of the testing company not having enough knowledge of the pro duct or poor diversity of the test groups or target audience. An example of a product not tested enough is the Microsoft Xbox. The Xbox, a game console released on November of 2001, marked Microsofts official entry in the gaming industry. Immediately after the release, users stated the Xbox was rushed into production and wasnt properly tested. However, articles titled, CES 2001: Microsoft Discusses the Announcement and Xbox Product Testing Initiated, both written by Shahed Ahmed, state that Microsoft did officially test their product, the Xbox and its peripherals, before making it available to the public. After Microsoft released the Xbox, the public rushed to purchase the video game console. Almost immediately, complaints start to appear about the console. A small percentage of Xbox units were defective as stated in an article titled, Microsoft Addresses Report on Xbox Defects, by Shahed Ahmed. Defects in a small percentage of any products sold happen often. However, another compla int surfaced shortly after the Xbox was released: the controller was over sized and the button configuration was inconvenient for certain games. Microsoft quickly addressed this complaint by releasing a redesigned controller that was smaller and had a more convenient button configuration. The release of the new controller Microsoft is well documented in the article written by Giancarlo Varanini titled, Redesigned Xbox Controller in the Works.The Microsoft Xbox is a great example of how a product is never perfect, no matter how much it is tested prior its release. Product usability testing will never catch all the flaws, in my opinion, because either the test groups are not diverse enough or there is not enough time to efficiently test a given product. However, increasing the variety of test subjects along with the size of the test groups would certainly reduce the problem,References1. Ahmed, S. (2000, December 19). Gamespot News: Xbox Product Testing Initiated. Retrieved from http:/ /www.gamespot.com/news/2000/12/19/news _2666638.html, July 29, 2005. We will write a custom essay on Xbox specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now 2. Ahmed, S. (2001, January 6). Gamespot News: CES 2001: Microsoft Discusses Announcement. Retrieved from http://www.gamespot.com/news/ 2001/01/06/news_2671946.html, July 29, 2005. 3. Ahmed, S. (2001, January 6). Gamespot News: CES 2001: Xbox Controller. Retrieved from http://www.gamespot.com/news/2001/01/06/ news_2671752.html, July 29, 2005. 4. Ahmed, S. (2001, January 7). Gamespot News: Microsoft Addresses Report on Xbox Defects. Retrieved from http://www.gamespot.com/news/ 2002/01/07/news_2836831.html, July 29, 2005. 5. Varanini, G. (2002, March 4). Gamespot News: Redesigned Xbox Controller in the Works. Retrieved from http://www.gamespot.com/news/ 2002/03/04/news_2852514.html, July 29, 2005.

A History of Mengeles Gruesome Experiments on Twins

A History of Mengele's Gruesome Experiments on Twins From May 1943 until January  1945, Nazi doctor Josef Mengele worked at Auschwitz, conducting pseudo-scientific medical experiments. Many of his cruel experiments were conducted on young twins. Notorious Doctor of Auschwitz Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images Mengele, the notorious doctor of Auschwitz, has become an enigma of the 20th century. Mengeles handsome physical appearance, fastidious dress, and calm demeanor seemingly contradicted his attraction to murder and gruesome experiments. Mengeles seeming omnipresence at the railroad unloading platform called the ramp, as well as his fascination with twins,  incited images of a mad, evil monster. His ability to elude capture increased his notoriety and gave him a mystical and devious persona. In May 1943, Mengele entered Auschwitz as an educated, experienced, medical researcher. With funding for his experiments, he worked alongside some of the top medical researchers of the time. Anxious to make a name for himself, Mengele searched for the secrets of heredity. The Nazi ideal of the future would benefit from the help of genetics, according to Nazi doctrine.  If so-called Aryan women could give birth to twins who were sure to be blond and blue-eyed,  the future could be saved. Mengele, who worked for Professor Otmar Freiherr von Vershuer, a biologist who pioneered twin methodology in the study of genetics, believed that twins held these secrets. Auschwitz seemed the best location for such research because of a large number of available twins to use as specimens. The Ramp Mengele took his turn as the selector on the ramp, but unlike most of the other selectors, he arrived sober. With a small flick of his finger or riding crop, a person would either be sent to the left or to the right, to the gas chamber or to hard labor. Mengele would get very excited when he found twins. The other SS officers who helped unload the transports had been given special instructions to find twins, dwarfs, giants, or anyone else with a unique hereditary trait like a club foot or heterochromia (each eye a different color). Mengele was on the ramp not only during his selection duty but also when it was not his turn as a selector, to ensure twins would not be missed.   As the unsuspecting people were herded off the train and ordered into separate lines, SS officers shouted Zwillinge! (Twins!) in German. Parents were forced to make a quick decision. Unsure of their situation, already being separated from family members when forced to form lines, seeing barbed wire, smelling an unfamiliar stench - was it good or bad to be a twin? Sometimes, parents announced they had twins, and in other cases, relatives, friends, or neighbors made the statement. Some mothers tried to hide their twin, but the SS officers and Josef Mengele searched through the surging ranks of people looking for twins and anyone with unusual traits. While many twins were either announced or discovered, some sets of twins were successfully hidden and walked with their mothers into the gas chamber. About 3,000 twins were pulled from the masses on the ramp, most of them children. Only around 200 of these twins survived. When the twins were found, they were taken away from their parents. As the twins were led away to be processed, their parents and family stayed on the ramp and went through selection. Occasionally, if the twins were very young, Mengele would allow the mother to join her children to ensure their health. Processing After the twins had been taken from their parents, they were taken to the showers. Since they were Mengeles children, they were treated differently than other prisoners. Though they suffered through medical experiments, the twins were often allowed to keep their hair and allowed to keep their own clothes. The twins were then tattooed  and given a number from a special sequence. They were then taken to the twins barracks where they were required to fill out a form. The form asked for a brief history and basic measurements, such as age and height. Many of the twins were too young to fill the form out by themselves, so the Zwillingsvater (twins father) helped them. This inmate was assigned to the job of taking care of the male twins. Once the form was filled out, the twins were taken to Mengele. He asked them more questions and looked for any unusual traits. Life for the Twins Each morning, life for the twins began at 6 oclock. The twins were required to report for roll call in front of their barracks, regardless of weather conditions. After roll call, they ate a small breakfast. Then each morning, Mengele would appear for an inspection. Mengeles presence did not necessarily cause fear in the children. He was often known to appear with pockets full of candy and chocolates, to pat them on the head, talk with them, and sometimes even play. Many of the children, especially the younger ones, called him Uncle Mengele. The twins were given brief instruction in makeshift classes and were sometimes even allowed to play soccer. The children were not required to do hard work or labor. Twins were also spared from punishments, as well as from the frequent selections within the camp. The twins had some of the best conditions of anyone at Auschwitz until the trucks came to take them to the experiments. Mengeles Twin Experiments Generally, every twin had to have blood drawn every day. Besides having blood drawn, the twins underwent  various medical experiments. Mengele kept his exact reasoning for his experiments a secret. Many of the twins that he experimented on did not know the purpose of the experiments, or what exactly what was being injected into or otherwise done to them. The experiments included: Measurements:  The twins were forced to undress and lie next to each other. Then, every detail of their anatomy was carefully examined, studied, and measured. What was the same between the two was deemed to be hereditary, and what was different was deemed to be the result of the environment. These tests would last for several hours.Blood:  The frequent blood tests and experiments included mass transfusions of blood from one twin to another.Eyes:  In attempts to fabricate blue eye color, drops or injections of chemicals would be put in the eyes. This often caused severe pain, infections, and temporary or permanent blindness.Shots and Diseases:  Mysterious injections caused severe pain. Injections into the spine and spinal taps were given with no anesthesia. Diseases, including typhus and tuberculosis, would be purposely given to one twin and not the other. When one died, the other was often killed to examine and compare the effects of the disease.Surgeries:  Various surgerie s were performed without anesthesia, including organ removal, castration, and amputation. Death:  Dr. Miklos Nyiszli was Mengeles prisoner pathologist. The autopsies became the final experiment. Nyiszli performed autopsies on twins who had died from the experiments or who had been purposely killed just for after-death measurements and examination. Some of the twins had been stabbed with a needle that pierced their heart and was then injected with chloroform or phenol, which caused near-immediate blood coagulation and death. Some of the organs, eyes, blood samples, and tissues would be sent to Verschuer for further study.

Conflicting Viewpoints in ACT Science Strategies and Tips

Conflicting Viewpoints in ACT Science Strategies and Tips SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Think of the Conflicting Viewpoints Passages as a debate: two or more parties state their conflicting beliefs.Sometimes they agree on one point but disagree on others.Conflicting Viewpoints Passages present this argument and expect you to identify the Scientists’/Students’ beliefs and the similarities and/or differences in beliefs. There will only be 1 Conflicting Viewpoints Passage on the ACT Science section (out of 7 total passages). It can appear at any point throughout ACT Science. To read about the other types of passages, check out our article on the 3 Types of ACT Science Passages. In this article, I will: Break down the format of the Conflicting Viewpoints Passages Address the two types of questions you will be asked in Conflicting Viewpoints Passages and provide ACT Science practice questions for each type: Understanding Viewpoints Questions Comparing Viewpoints Questions Discuss the ACT Science strategies for attacking these passages Format of Conflicting Viewpoints Passages Overview of the format of Conflicting Viewpoints Passages Introduction Visual (if there is one) Scientist 1 / Student 1 Scientist 2 / Student 2 If there are more than 2 Scientists / Students, their paragraphs follow in sequentialorder. 7 Questions I will delve into more information on each part below: Introduction The introduction will vary in length from a short paragraph to a long list. This is what a short introduction might look like: taken from an ACT Science practice test This is what a long introduction might look like: taken from an ACT Science practice test No matter the length, the introduction to the Conflicting Viewpoints Passage is always important. Do not ignore the introduction or forget about it as there is usually one question that you cannot answer without reading it. Visual There may not be a visual in your Conflicting Viewpoints passage; only about half of theConflicting Viewpoints Passages have a visual.The visual will not be a graph or table, but rather just an image/diagram of what is being discussed such as this one: taken from an ACT Science practice test The visual is not usually necessary to answer any questions, but rather it is just there to help you imagine what is being discussed. For example, thevisual above provides no data; it simply shows the location of the nucleus, chromosomes, and cytoplasm in the cell. The majority of the questions will instead ask about: Scientist 1 / 2 / 3 or Student 1 / 2 / 3 This is the meat of the passage.This is where the points of view of each scientist/student are fleshed out.Pay close attention as you read.The bulk of the questions ask you about this part.Also, do not get thrown off if they disguise points of view as different theories such as in this Conflicting Viewpoints Passage: Make sure you identify the similarities and differences of each person or theory. If you are having trouble identifying the point of view, I recommend looking at the first and last sentence of each person's mini-passage. Usually, the main idea is spelled out there. In the example above, the first sentences of Protein Hypothesis and DNA Hypothesis state the point of view. Understanding the points of view fully will serve you best when you start attempting questions: Conflicting Viewpoints Passages Have 7 Questions There are always 7 questions, no more, no less.There are two types of ACT Science questions used with Conflicting Viewpoints Passages that I will delve into next: Understanding Viewpoints Questions Comparing Viewpoints Questions Now that we have an overview of what this type of passage entails, we'll dig into the two types of questions that come along with this passage: Understanding Viewpoints Questions: What They Are and How to Answer Them As I said above, the Scientist 1 / 2 portion will present each Scientist's point of view with the supporting points. These questions check to make sure you really understand each author's/theory’s point of view. Here are some example Understanding Viewpoints questions: What would Student 2 predict to happen? Scientist 1 would most likely agree with: Which statement most agrees with the DNA Hypothesis? A.Genes are mostly proteins B. DNA is found throughout the nucleus and cytoplasm C. Protein is found only in the cell's nucleus D.DNA is found only in the cell's nucleus Let's attempt some ACT Science practicequestions using the Conflicting Viewpoints Passage above, keeping in mind the: Rules for Answering These Questions: ACT Science Tip #1 - Make sure you are considering the right point of view.If it asks about Scientist 1, make sure you are looking at Scientist 1’s paragraph.The ACT will always have an answer choice with Scientist 2’s point of view, hoping that someone will fall for that incorrect answer. In the last question above, you are asked about DNA Hypothesis, so make sure you are looking at DNA Hypothesis, not Protein Hypothesis. If you accidentally looked at Protein Hypothesis instead, you would have incorrectly chosen answer A. ACT Science Tip #2 - Some questions require logic as well as understanding the point of view such as the last question above: Which of the following would support the DNA Hypothesis? A. Genes are mostly proteinsB. DNA is found throughout the nucleus and cytoplasmC. Protein is found only in the cell's nucleusD. DNA is found only in the cell's nucleus You need to understand the DNA Hypothesis so that you are able to figure out which of the answer choices would support it. On these "which of the following..." questions, process of elimination is your best weapon. Eliminate the answer choices that only support Protein Hypothesis and that do not support DNA Hypothesis. Ideally, after all of your eliminating, you will be left with oneanswer choice. Double check that the answer choice does indeed support DNA Hypothesis. For the question above, we can eliminate answer choice A because it supports Protein Hypothesis. We can eliminate answer choices B and C because it directly contradicts what is stated in the DNA Hypothesis. In the DNA Hypothesis, it says that DNA is found exclusively in the cell's nucleus, so D is the correct answer. ACT Science Tip #3 -Some questions are as easy as repeating a fact.Some questions will ask you to just relay facts you read in the passage such as: According to Protein Hypothesis, genes are made only of: This question just requires you to go back and look at the Protein Hypothesis paragraph. The Protein Hypothesis paragraph says that genes are made only of proteins, so that is the answer.Again, make sure you are looking at the right section.These questions are easy, but it is also easy to make a careless mistake on these questions. ACT Science Tip #4 -Ignore the validity of the viewpoint. Sometimes one viewpoint will be factually false, and you will know it from your previous science studies.Ignore it!You still need to understand the viewpoint and be able to answer questions about it. If a viewpoint said that the Earth is the center of the Solar System and you were asked what best supported this viewpoint, you would need to pick an answer choice that supported it such as â€Å"respected philosopher Aristotle taught this model.† Even though you know the viewpoint is false, you need to be able to articulate the point of view and its supporting arguments. ACT Science Tip #5 -Your understanding needs to go beyond talking about each point of view distinct from one another,which leads us to the other type of question: Comparing Viewpoints Questions: What They Are and How to Answer Them These questions ask you to point out the similarities and differences between the authors. Here are some example ComparingViewpoints questions: Student 1 and 2 both agree that: Which of the following would support student 1, but not student 2? DNA Hypothesis and Protein Hypothesis both agree that: A.DNA is less abundant than proteins B. DNA is found throughout the nucleus and cytoplasm C. Protein is found only in the cell's nucleus D.Genes are made up only of DNA Let's attempt some Comparing Viewpoints ACT Science practicequestions from the same passage keeping in mind the same rules as before: ACT Science Tip #1: Make sure you're considering the correct point of view and answering the correct question.This is especially important on the Conflicting Viewpoints questions that ask, "Which of the following would support Student 1, but not Student 2?" You should circle and/or underline the Student you are looking to support, in this case, Student 1. Put an X through the Student you are not looking to support. Such as I have done below: This step helps you concentrate on the correct point of view. For these fact-finding questions, make sure you're reading the correct section for both viewpoints. ACT Science Tip #3: Some questions simply ask you to restate the information stated in both viewpoints.Let's attack this fact-finding Conflicting Viewpoints question from the passage above: DNA Hypothesis and Protein Hypothesis both agree that: A.DNA is less abundant than proteins B. DNA is found throughout the nucleus and cytoplasm C. Protein is found only in the cell's nucleus D.Genes are made up only of DNA Consider first, what is the question asking us? The question asks us to find the statement that both DNA and Protein Hypothesis would agree with. To do this, you need to use process of elimination. Start by looking at A and work your way through the answer choices. Answer choice A is directly stated in DNA Hypothesis and Protein Hypothesis mentions that protein makes up over 50% of the cell, so A seems like a good choice. However, I will check the others just in case. Answer choice B directly conflicts with DNA Hypothesis, which said DNA is only found in the nucleus. Answer choice C conflicts with DNA Hypothesis, which said that proteins are found throughout the nucleus and cytoplasm. Answer choice D conflicts with Protein Hypothesis because Protein Hypothesis argued that genes are made up only of proteins. So, Answer A is the correct answer. ACT Science Tip #2: As with understanding viewpoints questions, some conflicting viewpoints questions require deeper logic. For these questions, understand the points of view, and then use reasoning to find the answer.For example, if you were asked, Which of the following would support ProteinHypothesis, DNA Hypothesis? A. Genes are mostly proteinsB.DNA is less abundant than proteinsC. Protein is found only in the cell's nucleusD. DNA is found only in the cell's nucleus Start by circling and/or underlining and/or crossing out as we did above: Again, use process of elimination.If it supports both Protein Hypothesisand DNA Hypothesis, it is wrong.If it supports DNA Hypothesisand not Protein Hypothesis, it is wrong.Make sure you are looking at the correct section. Start with answer choice A and work your way through the questions, checking each one against what is stated in the viewpoints. Answer choice A is directly stated in Protein Hypothesis and directly conflicts DNA Hypothesis, so it should be the correct answer. However, I will check the others. Answer choice Bis in both Protein Hypothesis and DNA Hypothesis, which states, "DNA is less abundant than proteins," so B is incorrect. Answer choice C is not stated in Protein Hypothesis, and therefore, C does not support it. Answer choice D is directly stated in DNA Hypothesis, so it is incorrect. So, A is the correct answer. Strategy for Conflicting Viewpoints Passages Now that we have a full understanding of what these passages are like, what questions characterize this passage, and how to solve those questions, let's discuss the overall approach to integrating this all together. If you find yourself running out of time, you may find this approach especially helpful. First off, Conflicting Viewpoints Passages will take you the longest because as I discussed above, you need to have a full understanding of the passage to answer the Understanding Viewpoints and Comparing Viewpoints questions.So save it for the very end - finish the other 6 passages before attempting this one or it will slow you down. When attempting Conflicting Viewpoints Passages, read the whole passage first before looking at the questions. I discuss this more in depth in my article on time management. Since you need to read the introduction and all viewpoints to answer the questions, it makes the most sense to read the whole passage at the start. If you find yourself struggling to remember who believed what, write yourself mini-summaries in the margins after reading each viewpoint such as â€Å"pro-comet theory.†Check out this example: It will save you time, so you don’t have to re-read when answering questions. By doing this, you are also ensuring you understand the viewpoint, which is crucial to answering questions. When you start answering the questions, consider which viewpoint(s) you are asked about such as in this ACT Science practice question from the above passage: Which of the following phrases best describes the major point of difference between the 2 scientists’ hypotheses? A.The location of the eventB.The speed the object was travelingC.The density of Earth's atmosphereD.The type of object that entered Earth's atmosphere In this Comparing Viewpoints problem, you are asked to define the major difference between Scientist 1 and 2. Well, according to our awesome notes, Scientist 1 thought the object was a comet, and Scientist 2 thought the object was an asteroid. While there may be other minor differences, this is the major difference in point of view, so the answer is D. You could use process of elimination on this question, but it would have taken longer than simply matching your summary to the best answer choice. Now that we have learned the format, questions, and strategies behind the Conflicting Viewpoints Passage, I will summarizethe steps we tookwhen attacking Conflicting Viewpoints Passage and the common problems to avoid: Steps to take when attempting Conflicting Viewpoints Passages: Read the entire passage firstincluding theintroduction. Write briefnotes in the margins to remember each viewpoint's main argument. When answering questions, start by asking yourself which viewpoint does this question address? Use your notes to help answer questions. Use process of elimination to answer questions by eliminating answer choices that address the wrong viewpoint. Common problems you should avoid when answering the questions: Reading the wrong viewpoint(s). Getting caught up in the validity of the viewpoint. Recap Conflicting Viewpoints Passages always have the same format: Introduction Visual (if there is one) Scientist 1 / Student 1 Scientist 2 / Student 2 If there are more than 2 Scientists / Students, their paragraphs follow in chronological order. 7 Questions There are 2 types of questions: Understanding Viewpoints Questions Comparing Viewpoints Questions For both types, Make sure you're considering the correct point of view and answering the right question. For fact-finding questions, make sure you're reading the right section for both viewpoints. For deeper logic questions, understand the points of view, then use reasoning to find the answer. Ignore the validity of crazy viewpoints. Strategy Save this passage for last. Read the whole passage first. Write yourself short margin notes to remember each viewpoint. Answer the questions using these notes and process of elimination. What’s Next? I hope you feel ready to rock the Conflicting Viewpoints Passage! For further learning on the ACT Science Section, read about the other 2 types of passages in our article, The 3 Types of ACT Science Passages.Learn about Time Management and Section Strategy for ACT Science.Also, learn about Time Management for the ACT Reading section and for the ACT Math section. Like this article? Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Sciencelesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial: Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Dora Seigel About the Author As an SAT/ACT tutor, Dora has guided many students to test prep success. She loves watching students succeed and is committed to helping you get there. Dora received a full-tuition merit based scholarship to University of Southern California. She graduated magna cum laude and scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT. 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Life-cycle saving taxation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Life-cycle saving taxation - Essay Example In addition, an employee is able to claim tax relief through the tax return if the pension contribution is not catered in the deduction of tax by the employer. Similarly, individuals under the personal scheme forfeit income tax before the pension contribution is catered. However, the tax is reclaimed by the pension provider at a basic rate of 20 per cent (HMRC.com, 2014). In addition, an individual is able to claim back the excess tax remitted through the tax return. However, the maximum amount of income saving that enjoys tax relief under the current taxation system is  £50,000. Furthermore, an individual taking early withdrawal from the pension pot before the retirement age is liable for paying tax bill that is equal to 55 per cent of the pension savings withdrawn. However, if an individual withdraws the pension after reaching the set out age, he/she will pay tax depending on the taxable income after the tax-free allowances (HMRC.com, 2014). The tax that individuals pay on their pension is a lump-sum tax that is a fixed tax regardless of the asset owned or income. Consequently, household income savings are not taxed in UK but they are taxed when the savings is withdrawn. This strategy encourages savings in the country from household income earned during their working days to consume it in their retirement at a fair taxation scheme. The proposed taxation system by the author is one that observes the neutrality principle in taxing the income savings. Neutrality principle in taxation is the condition where the individual’s efficacy in the economic well being is not hindered by taxation mechanism employed by the policy makers (Anderson, 2012). This implies that the taxation of the households’ savings should be done in a way that does not distort their choice on the time they should consume income. In addition, the taxation system should avoid distorting the choices households

Futuristic Design in Public Safety and Housing for an Ideal Imaginary Essay

Futuristic Design in Public Safety and Housing for an Ideal Imaginary City - Essay Example People can now live above the earth, and do not need to rely on it for any further for living, beside as a base for recourses. This also leads to a new mode of transportation, the closest thing we have seen so far would be shuttles and crafts seen in Star Wars movies. Using these floating vehicles, we are able to nimbly and swiftly commute from advanced city to advanced city. The new standard of living has also opened up new advancements in the living and safety of all people. All houses are now simple domes in the sky, and can only be entered by strict security clearance. A person must enter a chamber, where the person's retina is scanned, as well as their handprints analyzed. This offers maximum household security and has brought robbery rates down to practically zero. Many other household advancements have helped make life easier and more comfortable for many people. New climate control meters are installed in every home, which allows for complete control of the temperature, and even the weather inside the house dome. If a person wants it to rain for example, they must simply press a button on the weather control mechanism, which will make it rain. The same can be done for all weather and temperatures. This advancement lead to people not having to live in a certain location to benefit from the climate they wanted. New advancements in how policing systems work have led to a huge increase in pub

Intellectual Property Essay Example for Free

Intellectual Property Essay Welcome to the online discussion topic for GSP171. I look forward to this being a participative and collaborative discussion so that we can all share our experiences and learn from each other. This discussion topic will focus on the key ideas and concepts covered in Chapters 1 and 2 of the Study Units/Course Guide. INSTRUCTIONS 1. The discussion starts at noon of 7 August 2013 and will last until 2359 hours of 18 August 2013 (â€Å"Discussion Period†) 2. During the Discussion Period, you should make a minimum of two (02) posts of 70 to 150 words each for the discussion topic. 3. At least one of your posts must be in direct response to the discussion question below, while additional posts should be in response to those from other students. 4. Do not post in batches (for example, all posts in one day); instead, space out your posts regularly. 5. In your posts, you need to demonstrate that: †¢You have read the materials †¢ You understand the legal concepts and how to apply them; and †¢ You are able to bring together all the materials to show new and deep understanding of the discussion at hand. 6. Read what other students have posted and respond to them; you will also be graded for the amount and quality of engagement with the ideas of others. Hence, at least one of your posts should comment on or respond to what other students have posted (have they got their facts and theories right; have they applied them correctly and in what way; and in what way have you learned from what they write?) 7. This assignment will be graded, and relevant criteria will be no. of postings, relevance, reflection and interpretation, generating learning and evidence of practical application. 8. Please note that the rules on academic honesty and plagiarism apply to this Graded Discussion Board assessment. You should use your own words and ideas as much as possible, and cite any external sources that you refer to. You should be able to think of as many points as you can, or for each point as many angles of looking at it as you can. Don’t just get stuck in one thing! Write in full and proper sentences with correct punctuation and spelling, like you would in an essay. Please observe online etiquette. DISCUSSION QUESTION In December 2012, the Media Convergence Review Panel appointed by the Singapore Government released its Final Report on Media Convergence. The report is available online at http://www.mda.gov.sg/Reports/Documents/Media%20Convergence%20Review%20Final%20Report.pdf. Chapter 5 of the report addresses Policy and Regulatory Responses to Copyright and Digital Piracy, and debates the views from different stakeholders, ie, content owners, content users and technology providers. After reading Chapter 5 of the report, consider and discuss the following: a.In your view, would the availability of legitimate content sources affect digital piracy rates in Singapore? Has the opening of new online stores such as iTunes and Spotify in Singapore changed the way by which Singaporeans consume digital content? b.What are the arguments for and against doing more to respond to copyright challenges in the online environment in Singapore? c.Do you agree with the recommendations of the Panel (as summarised in section 5.6), or would you have adopted other responses? Have a fruitful discussion!

Who am I? :: Education Society Essays

Who am I? (1) Throughout the semester in English composition II, the class was asked to explore the question, â€Å"Who am I?† and try to seek an answer. The reading assignments that were given to us this semester permitted you to ask ourselves the question, â€Å"Who am I?. In the plays, poems, short stories, and novella that we read the characters in them faced some type of conflict. In the play A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, in the poem â€Å" To His Coy Mistress†, by Andrew Marvell, in the short story â€Å" A Devoted Friendâ€Å", by Oscar Wilde, and in the novella Metamorphosis , by Franz Kafka, the conflict that they all portrayed was appearance/reality. The short story and novella exposed the conflict slight differently than the other pieces of work. The conflict appearance/reality is vital in determining who you are as a person/individual. Sometimes individuals do not express his/her true self to other individuals. Sometimes society does not see us for our true selves. The self perceived I is the image/way you see yourself. The I is who you truly are as a person. The other perceived me is the image/way others, meaning society, sees you. It is the image you want them to see of you. When the I is unequal to the me then there is conflict. (2) An illustration of appearance/reality where the individual (s) do not show others/society who he/she really is as a person is found in the play and in the poem. In the play, A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen the characters are portrayed as being very secretive and deceitful. All of the characters including Nora, Torvald, Dr. Rank, Krogstad, and Mrs. Linde, were all keeping something isolated from everyone. Sometimes people do not portray who they truly are as a person and others help us show who our true selves really are. Henrik Ibsen in this play shows his readers how lies and deception can revolutionize an individual’s life. This is clearly an example of appearance/reality where an individual does not show others/society who they really are as a person. In the play, Nora does not let known of what kind of person she really is.

Indian Past Is A Land Of Treasure English Literature Essay

Indo-nostalgia can non be defined in a individual sentence. It is more a thing of realisation, of perceptual experience. It does non lie in alien content but in the head behind the organisation of that content. Whether one writes about apples or flowers or Mangifera indicas or mountains. The point ‘life attitudes ‘ , ‘modes of perceptual experience ‘ is of import in this connexion. In other words, ‘It is India in microcosm ‘ . It is the sum sum of all that is reflected in the manner of life of Indian people- their thought procedures and mentality on life and their demands, purposes and aspirations. Furthermore it is an foreign esthesia. Indian consciousness is deep-seated doctrine hence there is no better yardstick than Indo-nostalgia to mensurate the civilization of the state and to value Indian fiction. Furthermore, Indo-nostalgia is a fictional technique to project the image of India, non merely to convey with her ain cultural individuality but besides to make an consciousness of this individuality in the heads of her ain people and the remainder of the universe.Indo-Nostalgic Writing- A Novel Experiment:Indian novels are thoroughly Indian in intervention and esthesia. What characterizes the Indo-nostalgic authorship is really the head, the psyche behind the organisation of the content, the life-attitudes and manners of perceptual experience. Rooted in the native psyche, the Indian author struggles to get by with the spirit of the modern universe and puts Forth its ain curious fruit. Bhabani Bhattacharjee says in an interview that the fruit-bearing- â€Å" has non merely been traditionalaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦a author can non populate without roots. An Indian author deeply concerned with lives of the people can non acquire transplanted from the Earth of centuries-old traditions despite full exposure to alien influences. † Indian English authors are nourished by the foreigner consciousness. They province how they have been in the Indian surroundings and compose about their experiences of today ‘s Indian society without losing the national individuality. Indian English literature is greatly conditioned by Indian geographics, Indian manner of life, and civilization and address wonts in different lingual countries. An Indian author can asseverate he is right in researching himself as an Indian English writer- that his landscape is Indian, his idea is moulded by his political, societal, economic and philosophical scene, so on and so forth. What they see is the Indian scene- the flowers, the fruits the trees, the mountains, the gardens, the temples, the huts, the trough, the motley, multi-lingual people and what they feel the effervescence of the Indian disposition. Professor Srinivasa Iyengar justly points out the true Indian consciousness as: â€Å" To be Indian in idea and feeling, emotion and experience, yet besides to tribunal the graces and submit to the subject of English for look, is a noel experiment in originative mutant. There are successes and failures, and the failures are possibly more legion than the successes. All the same there are the work forces and adult females who have courageously run the race and reached the end, and they deserve due acknowledgment. † I have chosen some representative novels of Shashi Tharoor for scrutiny, analysed and evaluated the selected novels against the background of the societal, political, cultural and literary scene of India to get at the much desired decision. I have tried to do it clear in my survey that the construct of Indo-nostalgia is neither a replacement for subject nor even a deliberate chase to make a sort of self-mystification. It is the self-generated flow of the heritage of Indian civilization and non merely a fast one that develop an inventive endowment. It is an artistic engagement that affects the Indian originative spirit.i.e. ‘Conscious fictions ‘ and ‘wistful symbols ‘ to detect Indo-nostalgia.Myth as a Particular characteristic technique of Indo-nostalgia:The word ‘Myth ‘ has been so invariably used in literature of the universe over the last few decennaries that it has now become something of a cliche of the literary unfavorable judgment. Besides i ts usage in literary unfavorable judgment, the term is besides used in a assortment of significances in sociology, anthropology, psychological science, doctrine and in comparative faith, each field of survey puting it with different intensions. But its usage in literature is more extended now-a-days and involvements the literary critics more widely than anyone else. One basic inquiry mom harvest up as to why are myths of import in the survey of literature? Why do myths run so strongly in the modern literary plants? Why are myths and legends a important factor in the thought form of the authors? The reply to these inquiries is non hard to happen. It is really interesting to theorize why poets and authors have ever been drawn towards myths and fables. The first and first ground may be their quality of eternity and antiquity. Myths are old faraway distant things ; of course they lend enchantment and appeal to the modern people. The appeal of the Indian fabulous narratives, in malice of their distance from modern-day world does hold a sort of cardinal significance. The Indian authors are cognizant of this and recreated the myths with all their literary possibilities. Another ground is that myths along with common people narratives and ancient fables provide abstract narrative forms. Northrop Fry has made a important comment on this: â€Å" Writers are interested in ( them ) for the same ground that painters are interested in still life agreements because they illustrate indispensable rules of story-telling. † There is another ground in favor of the presence of myths in literature. This position may non be accepted by all but its importance can non be ruled out entirely. It is the nature of all myths. Writers and poets are ever attracted to myths-mainly because myth is literature. Myth ethical, philosophical, spiritual and cultural. Indian myths are portion of Indian literature ; we can therefore assert that myth embodies the nature and spirit of full literature. Hence, Shashi Tharoor makes extended usage of myths in his fiction. At first, I make a comprehensive analysis of the differentiation between the witting and unconscious usage of myth. In literature, there are chiefly two ways in which myths are used. Of the two utilizations, the witting usage of myth is a popular literary device and portion of the modern universe. This is the method used by Eliontt in ‘The Waste Land ‘ by James Joyce in ‘Ulysses ‘ , by E. M. Forster in ‘A Passage to India ‘ and by O'neill in ‘Mourning Becomes Electra ‘ etc. All these authors differ widely in their techniques and purposes, but there is one common component in their diverse methods. Each of them uses fabulous or classical state of affairss or characters in a modern context, thereby seeking to light the quandary of modern-day adult male, sing him in a larger position of clip. The naive reader reads the narrative for its ain interest, but when the mythical or classical analogue is recognized, his response to the work is enr iched by an component of acknowledgment. To run into our terminals in this affair, we shall see non merely the literary myths used by them such as narratives from the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and the Puranas- but besides from the local fables, folk-lore every bit good as crude rites like the ritual for rain, for crop or birthrate and similar other beginnings in order to add to the novels a particular feature of Indo-nostalgia.The Scope of Myth in making Indo-nostalgia:The thing may non look to be hard at all because the people of India are closer to their mythology than the modern Irish or British people are to Celtic or Greek fables. The Indian people are profoundly consciousness of their civilization – their rich yesteryear. They still grow up absorbing the myths and fables of the state. Here it is about a usage to declaim the fabulous narratives to the kids and along with their growing they of course develop a strong captivation to this aureate exchequer of the myths. The public recitation of narratives from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas indicating out its modern-day relevancy is even now a life tradition. The influence of the heroic poems in our national life is so ascendant and far-reaching that if a universe position is required to do literature meaningful in footings of shared human experiences so the Indian Epics offer a widely accepted footing of such a common background which permeates the corporate unconscious of the whole state.Thematic Preoccupations of Indo-nostalgia:Indian novel reveals the Indian character and Indian life. The author and his audience portion a similar background and common experiences because the cultural units in India tend to be aliened on thematic lines such as faith, civilization, ethnicity etc. The creative activity of Indo-nostalgia in Indian novels is a fresh experience and the procedure by which it has been done is one of progressive ego find for the state. This creative activity of a clearly Indian consciousness and its appropriate look in art distinguishes Indian fiction from that of another state. In fact, these novels achieve a cosmopolitan vision through the representation of a existent piece of Indian life.

Coeducation in Pakistan

Coeducation is to educate both boys and girls together. in the modern world of today,coeducation is the new order of the day. most of the countries in the world have adopted this form of education. in Pakistan too, there are some schools where there is coeducation whereas, in many institutes there is sex-segregation. coeducation finds its origin in Sparta,Greece. at that time,there was no distinction between boys and girls. they studied and played together. they were given academic education along with physical training.Plato,the great philosopher theorized that coeducation was essential for the development of personality. he believed that coeducation was the only way to make boys and girls beneficial to the society. therefore,west has acknowledged and adopted the benefits of coeducation since long ago. In the subcontinent, during ancient times,coeducation was present at a few places. but,gradually girls education begin to be ignored. the educational system of that time was quite dif ferent from that of today. boys were sent to gurukuls where they spent most of their educational period.They were imparted physical and academic education. the former included warfare training while,the latter comprised of study of scriptures. in medieval india, women and people belonging to lower caste were forbidden from reading the scriptures. However,raja ramohan roy,the great social reformer revolted against this practice. his succesors also played a pivotal role in revolting against the illiterate practices. Islam has stressed upon the importance of education. infact, the first word revealed was â€Å"iqra† translated as† to read†. Islam has ordained both men and women to acquire education.Holy prophet P. B. U. H said â€Å"acquire education from cradle to grave†. similarly,islam also acknowledges that an illiterate and an educated man can never be equal. During the time of Holy Prophet(P. B. U. H),mosques were the only educational institutions. there are no instances recorded where holy prophet P. B. U. H forbade his wives from attending semon(khutba),the primary tool of education. Apart from this ,there are many examples which illustrate that muslim women accompanied there men to mosques and even inquired questions from Holy prophet in the presence of men.Even today,many liberal muslims acknowledge that morality emanates from heart. Quran, time and again, has emphasized muslims to guard themselves against immorality. it says â€Å"say to the believing men to lower their gaze and to guard their private parts†¦. †. many Islamic scholars acknowledge the fact that islam has not barred both the sexes from acquiring education together as long as morality is not infringed. Coeducation, in Pakistan has always remained a controversial issue. some people want this system to be adopted in all the institutions on the other hand, there is a sizeable portion of population that is opposed to it.Both the schools of thought present argument supporting their stance. proponents of coeducation argue that it is the need of hour and that it has the ability to eliminate the problems of the developing country. nonetheless,the opponents dare to disagree. to them,the system does not confirms to the religious, social and cultural values of the society. Coeducation has the ability to cope with the problems of developing countries. for instance,Pakistan is a developing country. it will be difficult for a developing economy to maintain separate instituitions for both sexes.if coeducation system is introduced in all the schools and colleges of the state, then the cost of separate infrastructure, stationary and recruitment personnel can be saved. A country can develop only by increasing the rate of literacy. unfortunately, for developing countries, there is a dearth of well trained teachers. if both girls and boys are taught together in the same class, at the same time then this issue can also be resolved. In coeducation, b oys and girls get the opportunity to intermingle and to understand each other. by studying together, they will develop mutual respect and understanding.Professor simon said â€Å" the only reason to support coeducation is that without it, boys and girls will not be knowing about each other for many years†. In a coeducational instite, boys and girls interact with each other freely. they become broadminded and overcome their shyness. There is no hard and fast rule that if girls will always intereact with girls and boys with boys when they grow up . therefore coeducation will boost their confidence level, which will be beneficial in their future life. such individuals will be more comfortable interacting with opposite sex be it at professional or personal level.Coeducation will provide both sexes an opportunity to learn to cooperate with each other. they will be working together in assignments and projects which will help them to understand the way opposite sex works. this will help them in their respective role taking when they enter practical lives. this cooperation will create a feeling a comradeship in both the sexes. Proponents of coeducation argue that such an educational system will be useful for their personality development. in a coeducation,boys will be free to intereact with girls.Doing so, will help them to understand opposite sexing a better way and allow them to develop a healthy personality.. they will,then not indulge in eve teasing. the students of today will be the citizens of tomorrow. it is the demand of today,to allow individuals to grow in a free atmosphere. In addition, coeducation will allow both the sexes to treat each other on equal terms. girls will become more confident and responsive and the boys will develop more tolerance. the relationship between them will be based on equality,respect and humanity. this will help them to overcome the centuries old system of male dominance.Researchers argue that coeducation has proved to be a better educational system as in such colleges,the results of exams are far better than in sex segregated schools. in coeducation, boys and girls compete with each other and try to remain ahead of the other one. this results in better academic results. A research conducted concluded that presence of girls in class prevents boys from indulging in unruly behavior. it also helps in fostering stronger bondage between teachers and students. generally, in coeducational classes, the number of violent outbursts are fewer. Presence of more than 55% girls in class room has shown better exam results.Particularly, at primary level,coeducation has shown exceptional results. Boys and girls in presence of each other become more conscious of their habits, style and appearance. they abstain from exhibiting immoral behaviour. they try their best to please the opposite sex by showing best behaviour. these habits become a part of the personality. Women of today are entering every profession in large nu mber. they are heading big organizations. They face similar challenges as boys while finding jobs or in professional life. therefore,it is imperative that they should be given education on similar grounds as boys.Although,it is a fact that both boys and girls have different ways of learning,but still it is observed that their joint education has a positive influence overall. Infact, the supporters of coeducation speak of its benefits as if it’s the only road to heaven. Every coin has two sides. An impartial eye should focus on both the silvery sides rather than adopting a biased attitude. The opponents of coeducation believe that in coeducation, boys and girls are exposed to each other. the temptation of flirting appears more attractive than the urge to open books.It also destroys the relationship between teacher and student as temptation cannot differentiate between teacher or student. People against coeducation state that it is not the panacea to the problems of developing countries,in reality it will sprout more problems. Anyone who has attended even a few schools and colleges in Pakistan knows the fact that they are frightfully overcrowded. even girls only institutes present a similar picture. therefore, new institutions are needed and if a few are reserved for girls and boys separately,it will not be an additional burden on the economy.Perhaps, the greatest harm that coeducation can cause is to lead to moral depravity. in coeducation, boys are girls are free to interact with each other. curiousity plays its role well in this regard. the immoral standards promoted by media fill up the gap created from the germs of curiousity implanted by satan. this coupled with the fact, that the students are deprived of sincere supervision, as the teachers themselves do not present an ideal picture of morality and decency. As a result, they fall victim to sexual impurity. Religious conservatives argue that coeducation will wreak havoc to the Islamic values.As boys and girls will be easily accessible to each other, this will promote development of immoral relations between them. they support their view by stating that during the time of Holy Prophet(P. B. U. H) educational instituitions were mosques where, though coeducation was present,but the chances of going astray were limited. they further emphasise that the present coeducational system are not at conformity with the Islamic approach to coeducational system. Supporters of coeducation believe that this system will promote understanding between both sexes.However, the opponents say that if boys and girls cannot understand each other in family and home then they will not be able to do so in coeducation. why is it that a person thinks he can understand the opposite sex only when he meets his neighbour’s daughter? Further, it is believed that coeducation is a western concept. many people want to adopt coeducation because it is prevalent in west. they think that if west has it then they must have it too. They want to be more western than the west. but,they should bear it in mind that a system should be adopted only if it goes along with cultural,social and religious values of a society.Certainly,our society does not accepts the present coeducational system. Antagonists of coeducation assert that it is an urban concept. boys will grow up to earn while girls will maintain their household. they emphasize that as both sexes will play a different role, there is no logic in teaching them similar curricula in a similar manner. Even teachers of some subjects such as biology hold opinion that it is easier to teach certain chapters more thoroughly in presence of only girls or boys in the class room. They find teaching certain topics embarrassing and difficult in coeducation.Nowadays, sex education is becoming a part of the curricular. this further acts as fuel on fire. Certain educationists believe that students do not remain focused in studies in the presence of opposite s ex. they remain more engaged in paying attention to opposite sex, than on lectures. Therefore,it is feared that coeducation will not raise the standard of education,instead will lower it. In coeducation institutions, boys and girls are more consumed by how they appear to the opposite sex. they spent countless hours contemplating what to wear, how to wear and where to wear.This leads to the loss of precious time which should have been dedicated to studies only. The only solution that springs to mind in view of Islamic injunctions and logic of common sense is that there should be sex segregated institutions. however, if a developing country like Pakistan is not able to do so in current situation then it is the responsibility of government to take measures to ensure that coeducation does not attacks the moral values preached by islam. Firstly, the curricula chosen should be such that does not risks morality.Secondly,government should be careful in choosing faculty. the teachers recruit ed should be an embodiment of decency and morality. meanwhile, the religiou conservatives should adopt an attitude of tolerance. Nonetheless,it is also important that some girl doctors should be educated in coeducation otherwise,our mothers and sisters will have compelled to expose their private parts before male doctors under ailment. but still,it is the responsibility of the government to ensure sex segregated educational instituitions whenever,it can bear the expenses.

Stephen King Shares His Writing Advice in This Guest Post

Stephen King Shares His Writing Advice in This Guest Post A Guest Blog from Stephen King- Yes, that Stephen King Okay, let’s get a few things straight right from the top: This is going to be a very long post, but I’m not going to apologize for it because: 1- I need to brag about how I know Mr. King; 2- I promise it’ll be content-rich; 3- You’re going to learn Voice merely by osmosis, beyond what he’s teaching overtly; and 4- You’ll be glad you invested the time. So grab your favorite beverage and settle in Though I work the inspirational side of the fiction writing fence and he the horror, we at one time happened to share the services of the same audio reader, the legendary Frank Muller, who remains, even post mortem, the unquestioned creme de la creme of that field. We first met by phone when Stephen called one day to discuss how we might aid Frank’s family after he suffered a motorcycle accident that would eventually take his life. Then Stephen and I met personally in 2004 when we visited Frank in rehab, where he lingered for several years. Stephen and I share a rabid love of baseball (he the Boston Red Sox, I the Chicago Cubs). I have been accused of trying to scare readers out of Hell. Stephen has been accused of trying to scare the hell out of readers. We read each other’s work and respect each other and still keep in touch via email. Writer’s Digest considered us strange enough bedfellows to feature us in a cover story. I will insert myself into Stephen’s blog only occasionally to adjust for the fact that the piece is nearly 30 years old, yet remains poignantly applicable. I expect it to stimulate spirited conversation, however be advised that my team and I will excise any off-topic comments. This is not the place to discuss Stephen’s use of naughty words, or his political, cultural, or religious views. Let’s stick to the subject of fiction writing. I asked if I could share with you sections of his iconic piece from the 1986 issue of The Writer magazine, wherein he promised to tell budding fiction writers everything they needed to know about writing successfully in ten minutes. Much of it has been floating around the Internet ever since, and you may have seen it. He kindly said, â€Å"Feel free to use as much of it as you’d like.† And so, with thanks for that generous offer, here is all of it with a few notes: Need help writing your novel?Click here to download my ultimate 12-step guide. Everything You Need to Know About Writing Successfully- in Ten Minutes By Stephen King I.The First Introduction THAT’S RIGHT. I know it sounds like an ad for some sleazy writers’ school, but I really am going to tell you everything you need to pursue a successful and financially rewarding career writing fiction, and I really am going to do it in ten minutes, which is exactly how long it took me to learn. It will actually take you twenty minutes or so to read this essay, however, because I have to tell you a story, and then I have to write a second introduction. But these, I argue, should not count in the ten minutes. II. The Story, or, How Stephen King Learned to Write When I was a sophomore in high school, I did a sophomoric thing which got me in a pot of fairly hot water, as sophomoric didoes often do. I wrote and published a small satiric newspaper called The Village Vomit. In this little paper I lampooned a number of teachers at Lisbon (Maine) High School, where I was under instruction. These were not very gentle lampoons; they ranged from the scatological to the downright cruel. Eventually, a copy of this little newspaper found its way into the hands of a faculty member, and since I had been unwise enough to put my name on it (a fault, some critics argue, of which I have still not been entirely cured), I was brought into the office. The sophisticated satirist had by that time reverted to what he really was: a fourteen-year-old kid who was shaking in his boots and wondering if he was going to get a suspension- what we called â€Å"a three-day vacation† in those dim days of 1964. I wasn’t suspended. I was forced to make a number of apologies- they were warranted, but they still tasted like dog-dirt in my mouth- and spent a week in detention hall. And the guidance counselor arranged what he no doubt thought of as a more constructive channel for my talents. This was a job- contingent upon the editor’s approval- writing sports for the Lisbon Enterprise, a twelve-page weekly, the sort with which any small-town resident will be familiar. This editor was the man who taught me everything I know about writing in ten minutes. His name was John Gould- not the famed New England humorist or the novelist who wrote The Greenleaf Fires, but a relative of both, I believe. He told me he needed a sports writer and we could â€Å"try each other out† if I wanted. I told him I knew more about advanced algebra than I did sports. Gould nodded and said, â€Å"You’ll learn.† I said I would at least try to learn. Gould gave me a huge roll of yellow paper and promised me a wage of 1/2 ¢ per word. The first two pieces I wrote had to do with a high school basketball game in which a member of my school team broke the Lisbon High scoring record. One of these pieces was straight reportage. The second was a feature article. I brought them to Gould the day after the game, so he’d have them for the paper, which came out Fridays. He read the straight piece, made two minor corrections, and spiked it. Then he started in on the feature piece with a large black pen and taught me all I ever needed to know about my craft. I wish I still had the piece- it deserves to be framed, editorial corrections and all- but I can remember pretty well how it looked before and after he had finished with it. Here’s an example: [Note: King’s original copy showed Mr. Gould’s edit marks.] Last night, in the well-loved gymnasium of Lisbon High School, partisans and Jay Hills fans alike were stunned by an athletic performance unequaled in school history: Bob Ransom, known as â€Å"Bullet† Bob for both his size and accuracy, scored thirty-seven points. He did it with grace and speed and he did it with an odd courtesy as well, committing only two personal fouls in his knight-like quest for a record which has eluded Lisbon thinclads since 1953. [With Mr. Gould’s edits applied.] Last night, in the Lisbon High School gymnasium, partisans and Jay Hills fans alike were stunned by an athletic performance unequaled in school history: Bob Ransom scored thirty-seven points. He did it with grace and speed and he did it with an odd courtesy as well, committing only two personal fouls in his quest for a record which has eluded Lisbon’s basketball team since 1953. When Gould finished marking up my copy in the manner I have indicated above, he looked up and must have seen something on my face. I think he must have thought it was horror, but it was not: it was revelation. â€Å"I only took out the bad parts, you know,† he said. â€Å"Most of it’s pretty good.† â€Å"I know,† I said, meaning both things: yes, most of it was good, and yes, he had only taken out the bad parts. â€Å"I won’t do it again.† â€Å"If that’s true,† he said, â€Å"you’ll never have to work again. You can do this for a living.† Then he threw back his head and laughed. And he was right; I am doing this for a living, and as long as I can keep on, I don’t expect ever to have to work again. III. The Second Introduction All of what follows has been said before. If you are interested enough in writing to be a purchaser of this magazine, you will have either heard or read all (or almost all) of it before. Thousands of writing courses are taught across the United States each year; seminars are convened; guest lecturers talk, then answer questions, then drink as many gin and tonics as their expense-fees will allow, and it all boils down to what follows. I am going to tell you these things again because often people will only listen- really listen- to someone who makes a lot of money doing the thing he’s talking about. This is sad but true. And I told you the story above not to make myself sound like a character out of a Horatio Alger novel but to make a point: I saw, I listened, and I learned. Until that day in John Gould’s little office, I had been writing first drafts of stories which might run 2,500 words. The second drafts were apt to run 3,300 words. Following that day, my 2,500-word first drafts became 2,200-word second drafts. And two years after that, I sold the first one. So here it is, with all the bark stripped off. It’ll take ten minutes to read, and you can apply it right away- if you listen. IV. Everything You Need to Know About Writing Successfully 1. Be talented This, of course, is the killer. What is talent? I can hear someone shouting, and here we are, ready to get into a discussion right up there with â€Å"what is the meaning of life?† for weighty pronouncements and total uselessness. For the purposes of the beginning writer, talent may as well be defined as eventual success- publication and money. If you wrote something for which someone sent you a check, if you cashed the check and it didn’t bounce, and if you then paid the light bill with the money, I consider you talented. Now some of you are really hollering. Some of you are calling me one crass money-fixated creep. And some of you are calling me bad names. Are you calling Harold Robbins talented? someone in one of the Great English Departments of America is screeching. V.C. Andrews? Theodore Dreiser? Or what about you, you dyslexic moron? Nonsense. Worse than nonsense, off the subject. We’re not talking about good or bad here. I’m interested in telling you how to get your stuff published, not in critical judgments of who’s good or bad. As a rule the critical judgments come after the check’s been spent, anyway. I have my own opinions, but most times I keep them to myself. People who are published steadily and are paid for what they are writing may be either saints or trollops, but they are clearly reaching a great many someones who want what they have. Ergo, they are communicating. Ergo, they are talented. The biggest part of writing successfully is being talented, and in the context of marketing, the only bad writer is one who doesn’t get paid. If you’re not talented, you won’t succeed. And if you’re not succeeding, you should know when to quit. When is that? I don’t know. It’s different for each writer. Not after six rejection slips, certainly, nor after sixty. But after six hundred? Maybe. After six thousand? My friend, after six thousand pinks, it’s time you tried painting or computer programming. Further, almost every aspiring writer knows when he is getting warmer- you start getting little jotted notes on your rejection slips, or personal letters . . . maybe a commiserating phone call. It’s lonely out there in the cold, but there are encouraging voices- unless there is nothing in your words which warrants encouragement. I think you owe it to yourself to skip as much of the self-illusion as possible. If your eyes are open, you’ll know which way to go- or when to turn back. 2. Be neat Type. Double-space. Use a nice heavy white paper, never that erasable onion-skin stuff. If you’ve marked up your manuscript a lot, do another draft. [Of course, today Stephen would say to use a large, serif type and transmit only work with which you’re entirely happy, spell checked and properly formatted.] 3. Be self-critical If you haven’t marked up your manuscript a lot [or, today, carefully edited and rewritten it], you did a lazy job. Only God gets things right the first time. Don’t be a slob. 4. Remove every extraneous word You want to get up on a soapbox and preach? Fine. Get one and try your local park. You want to write for money? Get to the point. And if you remove all the excess garbage and discover you can’t find the point, tear up what you wrote and start all over again- or try something new. 5. Never look at a reference book while doing a first draft You want to write a story? Fine. Put away your dictionary, your encyclopedias, your World Almanac, and your thesaurus. Better yet, throw your thesaurus into the wastebasket. The only things creepier than a thesaurus are those little paperbacks college students too lazy to read the assigned novels buy around exam time. Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word. There are no exceptions to this rule. You think you might have misspelled a word? O.K., so here is your choice: either look it up in the dictionary, thereby making sure you have it right- and breaking your train of thought and the writer’s trance in the bargain- or just spell it phonetically and correct it later. Why not? Did you think it was going to go somewhere? And if you need to know the largest city in Brazil and you find you don’t have it in your head, why not write in Miami, or Cleveland? You can check it- but later. When you sit down to write, write. Don’t do anything else except go to the bathroom, and only do that if it absolutely cannot be put off. 6. Know the markets Only a dimwit would send a story about giant vampire bats surrounding a high school to McCall’s. Only a dimwit would send a tender story about a mother and daughter making up their differences on Christmas Eve to Playboy- but people do it all the time. I’m not exaggerating; I have seen such stories in the slush piles of the actual magazines. If you write a good story, why send it out in an ignorant fashion? Would you send your kid out in a snowstorm dressed in Bermuda shorts and a tank top? If you like science fiction, read the magazines. If you want to write confession stories, read the magazines. And so on. It isn’t just a matter of knowing what’s right for the present story; you can begin to catch on, after awhile, to overall rhythms, editorial likes and dislikes, a magazine’s entire slant. Sometimes your reading can influence the next story, and create a sale. 7. Write to entertain Does this mean you can’t write â€Å"serious fiction†? It does not. Somewhere along the line pernicious critics have infested the American reading and writing public with the idea that entertaining fiction and serious ideas do not overlap. This would have surprised Charles Dickens, not to mention Jane Austen, John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, Bernard Malamud, and hundreds of others. But your serious ideas must always serve your story, not the other way around. I repeat: if you want to preach, get a soapbox. 8. Ask yourself frequently, â€Å"Am I having fun?† The answer needn’t always be yes. But if it’s always no, it’s time for a new project or a new career. 9. How to evaluate criticism Show your piece to a number of people- ten, let us say. Listen carefully to what they tell you. Smile and nod a lot. Then review what was said very carefully. If your critics are all telling you the same thing about some facet of your story- a plot twist that doesn’t work, a character who rings false, stilted narrative, or half a dozen other possibles- change that facet. It doesn’t matter if you really liked that twist of that character; if a lot of people are telling you something is wrong with your piece, it is. If seven or eight of them are hitting on that same thing, I’d still suggest changing it. But if everyone- or even most everyone- is criticizing something different, you can safely disregard what all of them say. 10. Observe all rules for proper submission Return postage, self-addressed envelope, all of that. [Obviously, this is different today, but the sentiment remains: follow editorial guidelines.] 11. An agent? Forget it. For now. Agents get 10% of monies earned by their clients. [Today 15% is standard.] 10% of nothing is nothing. Agents also have to pay the rent. Beginning writers do not contribute to that or any other necessity of life. Flog your stories around yourself. If you’ve done a novel, send around query letters to publishers, one by one, and follow up with sample chapters and/or the manuscript complete. And remember Stephen King’s First Rule of Writers and Agents, learned by bitter personal experience: You don’t need one until you’re making enough for someone to steal- and if you’re making that much, you’ll be able to take your pick of good agents. 12. If it’s bad, kill it When it comes to people, mercy killing is against the law. When it comes to fiction, it is the law. That’s everything you need to know. And if you listened, you can write everything and anything you want. Now I believe I will wish you a pleasant day and sign off. My ten minutes are up. Isn’t it interesting how much of this writing advice holds up after nearly 30 years? What is your favorite of Stephen’s tips? Need help writing your novel?Click here to download my ultimate 12-step guide.