The Thrill of the Grass Essay Example

The Thrill of the Grass Essay The way people react and feel to an event can depend on the environment or wherever this event occurs. This event can be anything from a life changing to a simple event such as grass. The Thrill of the Grass shows how passionate people can be for the simple pleasures in life and what they will do to protect it, where an event takes place can also effect how one would react to the simple pleasures in life. The narrator in this story is so passionate about the new artificial turf and how it is not the right way to play the game of baseball. He (the narrator) actually gets into the abandoned stadium with relative ease because of the baseball strike that was going on in the summer of 1981 and the fact that he has been a locksmith for over forty years. He sees the artificially grass as a malevolent entity that would scorch players that slide on it in the orange glowing sun of the evening. He knows that the right thing to do would have to be replacing the artificial turf with natural grass. Always in the night does the narrator work to get rid of all the artificial grass and replace it with natural grass. He always tries to work at night or at any other time of the day when not many people are up. When he is in the baseball field at these secretive times he only wants those who also believe in his cause of having real, fresh grass for playing baseball. We will write a custom essay sample on The Thrill of the Grass specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Thrill of the Grass specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Thrill of the Grass specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer His cohorts and himself would enjoy working at night lying down row-by-row of sod and slowly returning the field back into what it once was. The simple pleasures in life in the right environment can drive one to the extreme and even make one stand up and try to defend what they think is right even it is as simple as grass. The place where an event happens can also change how one would normally react to that event. T

The Most Unkindest Cut of All

The Most Unkindest Cut of All The Most Unkindest Cut of All The Most Unkindest Cut of All By Maeve Maddox Some of my readers and I experienced an episode of mutual astonishment the other day. In a post about the abbreviation e.g., I wrote the following sentence: The most unkindest cut of all regarding the use of  e.g.  and its ilk came to my attention in 2008 when I read an article in the  London Telegraph  about a movement in Britain to purge English of such long-established Latin shortcuts. The emails began to fly: Were you serious in the use of the following sentence?   I am making reference to the use of most unkindest. The most unkindest cut   Hmm.   This one threw me, Maeve. most unkindest assuming thats an editing error and not a grammatical error! Most unkindest. Did you really mean that? Isnt it, most unkind?   Would you please comment? â€Å"The most unkindest cut of all†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I think one should use either â€Å"The unkindest†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"The most unkind†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Can you believe he/she wrote the most unkindest. It should be the most unkind  or the unkindest. At the time I wrote the sentence, I had the feeling that someone might twit me for the use of a word like ilk, but it never occurred to me that anyone would turn a hair at the quotation from Julius Caesar. Many years have passed since I studied Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in the ninth grade, but I still remember the speech in which Antony refers to the dagger thrust made by Brutus as â€Å"the most unkindest cut of all.† Antony’s funeral oration over the corpse of Caesar is very long. My classmates and I memorized the first section, beginning with these lines: Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. We memorized up to where Antony pauses the first time to let his words sink in: My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, And I must pause till it come back to me. The speech continues. It’s an excellent example of the way a clever speaker can manipulate the sentiment of a hostile, ignorant crowd. Antony pulls out all the rhetorical stops. At the very end, he wins the mob with a sentimental â€Å"show and tell,† making Caesar’s death personal and tangible. He holds up Caesar’s bloody mantle and spreads the holes with his fingers, putting names to them: Look, in this place ran Cassius dagger through. See what a rent the envious Casca made. Through this the well-belovà ¨d Brutus stabbed. And as he plucked his cursà ¨d steel away, Mark how the blood of Caesar followed it, As rushing out of doors, to be resolved If Brutus so unkindly knocked, or no. For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar’s angel. Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him! This was the most unkindest cut of all. NOTE: According to the historical record, Caesar’s assassins stabbed him twenty-three times. â€Å"Most unkindest cut of all† is nonstandard English. The rule for comparison, as my dismayed readers point out, does not permit a most to attend an adjective ending in -est. But Shakespeare was writing iambic pentameter. He needed a line with ten syllables. And besides, his intention was to have Antony wring out as much emotion as he could from the mob. The cut made by Brutus wasn’t simply unkind or most unkind, or the unkindest, it was absolutely the pinnacle of unkindness, hence the most, the -est, and the â€Å"of all.† When I quoted Shakespeare’s line, I was emphasizing the dismay I felt at the thought that branches of officialdom- in Britain of all places- could believe that it could be in the public interest to purge words from the English vocabulary. The very idea calls to mind a quotation from another of my favorite authors: Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. Every concept that can ever be needed, will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten.- Orwell, 1984 I don’t have a conclusion to this post. We’re living along a seam in time. Some of us have had one kind of education, others a different kind. The practice of quoting from the English literary canon in articles intended for a general audience belongs to a passing generation. Is this is a bad thing? According to Hamlet, â€Å"there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.† As King Arthur says at the end of Tennyson’s Idylls of the King, The old order changeth, yielding place to new. Related posts: When Most Is Enough Slipping into Newspeak Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:16 Substitutes for â€Å"Because† or â€Å"Because Of†Empathy "With" or Empathy "For"?While vs. Whilst

3 Dangers of ACT Practice Tests

3 Dangers of ACT Practice Tests SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Practice tests are key to good ACT prep, but just taking full-length practice tests isn’t enough to guarantee a good score. In this article, we'll go over the three major pitfalls that many students stumble into when attempting to use ACT practice tests. feature image credit: Danger Danger Danger Danger/used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped and resized from original. Danger #1: Inaccurate Practice Tests Many non-official practice tests are lower quality than the real test. The quality problems can range from materials that don't test the right things or ask about them in the right way to tests that are rife with errors. Some might argue that doing any sort of practice test is better than nothing, no matter if it's not as good as the real ACT. But using low-quality ACT practice tests is like practicing to become a ping pong champ by playing squash: it will not only waste your time but will also make your score worse because it's teaching you the wrong skills. Danger #2: Overdosing on Practice Tests Practice tests don’t help you if you mindlessly do one after another without taking the time to study in-between. It's okay to take the first few practice tests without too much reflection, just to get used to the format and the experience of taking the test. Once you get to the 4th or more practice test, though, you need to thoroughly review your mistakes if you want to see any improvement in your score. Danger #3: Underdoing Practice Tests You cannot have a good ACT study program without at least four real practice tests. If you're spending less than 10% of your ACT prep time on practice tests, things are going wrong. Preferably, you'll spend up to 30% of your total ACT prep time taking practice tests. Making room in your busy schedule for the chunk of time a realistic practice takes can be tricky, however. A good rule of thumb to follow is that out of every 40 hours you spend doing ACT prep, you should spend (at a minimum) at least 3-4 of those hours taking a realistic, full-length practice test (with breaks). Thousands compete for military university admission/used under CC BY-SA/Cropped from original. What’s Next? Running short on prep time? Follow our 20-hour prep guide to using ACT practice tests to get the most out of the time you have left. Now you know what to avoid on a high-level with planning out your ACT prep, but what about while you're taking practice tests? We've collected the top eleven mistakes students make during ACT practice tests in this article. Ready to take some practice tests, but not sure where to get them? Not to worry - we've got a collection of free official and unofficial ACT practice tests for you to use. 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 your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also have expert instructors who can grade every one of your practice ACT essays, giving feedback on how to improve your score. Check out our 5-day free trial:

SEXUAL OFFENCES AND OFFENDING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

SEXUAL OFFENCES AND OFFENDING - Essay Example According to Lees (2000), law reform initiatives have expanded the definitions of rape, advocacy groups have become more widespread and established, and police officers have been exposed to better training and education programmes. However, it remains less clear how these changes have been accompanied by a significant shift in police officers’ attitudes towards rape complainants. This paper seeks to examine the response of police officers to rape allegations, the manner in which police investigate these allegations, and the challenges faced by the police when dealing with these allegations. According to Epstein and Langebahn (1994), offences if sexual violation and rape have notoriously low reporting rates. Few victims are willing to approach the police on their own accord. At the same time, of the cases that are reported, few of them proceed to the point of prosecution. While several studies have been conducted on rape cases which resulted in prosecution, little research has been conducted on complainant’s experiences of reporting rape to the police. This is despite the significant reforms to law and procedures taking effect in the mid 1980s. One of the first countries to attempt key reforms in its rape laws was New Zealand. It introduced an expanded and gender-neutral definition of rape in 1986. It also abolished married men’s right to spousal immunity from prosecution for rape. Similar reforms have been undertaken in England, the United States, and Australia. Jordan (2001) draws from a research conducted in the 1990s to determine the level to which women’s experiences of reporting rape to the police had improved since the reforms in New Zealand were initiated. In the study, 48 women were interviewed, with extensive information obtained regarding reporting and statement-taking, the medical examination, and support agency contacts. Throughout the study, there was a recurring issue. This is whether or not a woman

Explain how the U.S. attitude towards European integration has evolved Essay

Explain how the U.S. attitude towards European integration has evolved between 1945 and the enlargement of the EU to 25 members in 2004 - Essay Example The growth of European unity from a six nation trading block in the 1940s to the 25 nation political, military and economic confederation that exists today has been accompanied by a similar evolution in America’s attitude toward the integration of Europe. There are as many reasons for the US to view the European Union as a threat as there are to view it as a beneficial force. Economically, the EU exceeds the US in population and therefore has the potential to become an economic rival, if it has not done so already. The extent to which the EU has come to coordinate common defense policies and structures also poses a potential challenge to NATO, the primary vehicle by which the US has been able to project military influence throughout the world. Further, a key factor precipitating European integration has been an anti-Americanism born of Europe’s desire to become independent from US influence and to stand on the same stage in exerting its own geo-political influence. Ultimately, the official position of the United States has generally been positive toward the European integration project that has taken place over the past several decades. Official American foreign policy has commonly encouraged and praised European efforts to form cooperative economic, political and military institutions to which its constituent nations subscribe. Nevertheless, the challenge that a unified Europe poses for the United States has made unofficial attitudes somewhat less enthusiastic. In the end, whether American attitudes toward European integration are positive or negative will depend largely on whether Europe rises to become a true global challenge to the U.S. World War II devastated Europe and provided an impetus for the concept of integration as a pragmatic approach to avoiding similar destructive conflicts in the future. Making the countries of Europe economically interdependent, starting with the traditionally fiercest antagonists, France and

Henery Ford Essay -- essays research papers

Henry Ford was a genius in many aspects of our everyday life. He changed industry, production, and everybody's lifestyle. Many people know about him inventing some of the first automobiles, but what came out of it for America was a new encouragement for technology and an easier lifestyle for the average American replacing the popular railroad system. Also Henry Ford has changed the perspective of industries around the world. His invention of the assembly line and his five-dollar a day wage for the average worker brought about a total new change in factories. Ford's style and ingenuity helped America to be more prosperous and created a large amount of opulence for America in the early 1900's, all because of one man's creativity and determination to achieve a dream that would help out the common man and the entire world. Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863, on a farm a few miles from Detroit. As a boy Henry was very creative and liked to work with tools. However, he hated doing chores and he always wanted to make things easier to do in life. This would be Henry's motto in life, always wanted to make things easier to do in life, at home or work. Ford was so creative that in 1893, he built his first engine and in 1896, he completed what he called the quadricycle, which ran for several years and sold it for $200. Ford had his second car finished in 1898 which was lighter and stronger than most cars around then. Soon enough many automobile companies were looking for somebody like Ford to help get their company going. However, Ford would go into automobile racing and then build his own car company. Ford's years in automobile racing was his way to improve the car and a chance to test it under competition. Soon though, he would get out of racing by a tough minded and ambitious James Couzens, who developed plans for a car company. Couzens was able to start out the company with $28,000 in cash, and $21,000 in notes. The Ford Motor Company came out with the model A, the model B, and the model K in their beginning years. However, most of these cars were too expensive for the common man. So Ford decided that he would make a car that was affordable to the ordinary worker. For a few years, Ford and his technicians began building their next and most important car in history. In 1908, Ford brought out for the first time the Model T. It was an ugly car, seven feet high w... ... narrowly defeated. In 1936 he and his son Edsel established the Ford Foundation, to which they bequeathed much of the company's stock. Henry Ford became a victim of his own success in that he clung to the Model T too long, refusing to recognize that its popularity was fading, and consequently lost first place in the automobile industry to General Motors in 1926. He had turned the presidency of the Ford Motor Company over to Edsel in 1919 but never gave Edsel effective authority. Edsel struggled vainly against this situation, and the frustrations of his position undoubtedly contributed to his death at the age of 50. Edsel's oldest son was released from the navy and made an executive vice-president. Unlike his father, who had not been allowed to go to college, Henry II attended Yale University. Henry Ford II recruited talent from outside the company and effected a sweeping reorganization. The company secured firm control of second place in the American automobile industry. In the 1960s it expanded into electronics and astronautics by purchasing the Philco Corporation, and Henry Ford II was regarded as an industrial statesman. He retired from his top company posts in 1979 and 1980.

How I became a Nurse Essay

Have you ever thought about becoming a nurse? Growing up, becoming a nurse had never crossed my mind. I didn’t grow up around anyone who worked in the nursing field nor was I used to being in and out of hospitals; whether it be for me or because of family. Although I wasn’t around many nurses or had much experience, I knew at one time or another I would be a huge part in changing the lives of others. Even though I haven’t always wanted to be a nurse, helping others has definitely been a huge priority in my life. It never occurred to me that being a nurse would give me the opportunity to help others until the end of my sophomore year in high school. That is when I decided a career in nursing would be perfect for me. Throughout my first two years of high school, I took class after class about where I was going to attend college and what my major would be. In the beginning I thought my decision was made and I knew exactly what my plan was going to be. I was going to be a Cosmetologist. From the time I was little I was always playing with hair and I just knew that was what I would do as a career one day. However, it seemed that God had a different plan for me. At my high school students were given the choice to take 2 electives. Whether it was choir, art, parenting, band, or a foreign language the decision was ultimately up to the student. My sophomore year I decided to take the parenting class as one of my electives. This class was the type that students assumed would be an easy grade and would not be a top priority. Little did I know this course would be the one to finalize my decision about life after high school and have a massive impact on my life. Throughout the class I watched many videos and had to complete projects on what it is like to be pregnant and all the things that come with having a child. I will never forget the final project that was assigned to the class. Each student in the class was assigned a computerized baby to care for over the course of a weekend. We had to watch this baby and care for it as if it were our very own. There were a variety of keys that came with the baby and each one had a reason as to why the baby might be crying. So, as  the â€Å"parent† of this baby, when he or she started to cry we had to determine whether it was hungry, needed a diaper change, burped etcetera. This was an extremely difficult weekend for me, but even after all of the crying and staying up all night, I enjoyed the project. In addition to caring for the computerized baby, we had to wear a pregnant belly suit for a day. This belly suit was designed to help students experience the feeling of a full term pregnancy. While wearing this suit I experienced a few things that an actual pregnant woman would feel. There was a 30 pound weight gain, fetal movements, shortness of breath, bladder pressure and frequency of urination. Even though I only had to wear the belly suit for a day, I felt that it was a very good experience and I was able to get an understanding of what it is like to be pregnant. Both of these p rojects taught me a lot about caring for an infant and the importance of good parenting skills. I was also intrigued by the medical aspects of labor and delivery and I began to think of the possibility of becoming a nurse. Throughout the many weeks of this class I had numerous talks with my friends and family and by the end of the course I knew my career path had changed. I wanted to be a nurse. During my remaining time in high school I began to focus more on classes that would be an asset to furthering my education in the healthcare field. My guidance counselor also worked closely with me to explore all my options in the nursing field. After much thought, I made my final decision to become a labor and delivery nurse. At the end of my senior year I started my prerequisite classes at Butler Tech to prepare for the LPN program that I would ultimately begin in January 2011. LPN school was extremely intense from the very beginning and at times I was ready to give up. Although it was very difficult, I learned that through hard work, diligence and sometimes tears, I can accomplish mo re than I ever thought possible of myself. Even though becoming an LPN was just a stepping stone to achieving my ultimate goal, I knew it was what I needed to do. I have enjoyed working as an LPN and I will continue to use my skills and knowledge to work towards becoming a labor and delivery nurse one day. Overall, there have been many events in my life that are very special to me and will forever be a part of who I am today. I believe making the choice to take part in a parenting class back in high school is one of the major events in my life and is the reason I am where I am today. Looking back, I realized how  important this class really was to me and the significance it had on my life. Taking this class was a main factor of why I became a nurse and I may not be where I am today if I had not taken part in it. I am very grateful I took the class, and I will never forget the impact it had on my life.