Nissim Ezekiel and A.K. Ramanujan Essay -- essays research papers

Nissim Ezekiel (December 24 1924 - January 9, 2004 ) was a poet, playwright and art critic. He was considered the foremost Indian writer in English English-language> of his time. Contents 1 Early life > 2 Career > 3 Books by Nissim Ezekiel > 4 Some of his well-known poems > Early life Ezekiel was born in Bombay (now Mumbai Mumbai). Ezekiel’s father was a botany professor and his mother, principal of her own school. He belonged to Mumbai's small 'Bene Israel' Jewish community. In 1947, Ezekiel did his Masters in literature from Wilson College, University of Mumbai. In 1947-48, he taught English literature at Khalsa College, Mumbai and published literary articles. After dabbling in radical politics for a while, he sailed to London in November 1948. He studied philosophy at Birkbeck College. After a three and half years stay, Ezekiel worked his way home as a deck-scrubber aboard a cargo ship carrying arms to Indochina. He married Daisy Jacob in 1952. In the same year, Fortune press (London) published his first collection of poetry, A Time to Change. He joined The Illustrated Weekly of India as an assistant editor in 1953 and stayed there for two years. Soon after his return from London, he published his second book of verse Sixty Poems. For the next 10 years, he also worked as a broadcaster on arts and literature for All India Radio. Career He published his book The Unfinished Man in 1960. After working as an advertising copywriter and general manager of a picture frame company (1954-59), he co-founded the literary monthly Imprint, in 1961. He became art critic of The Times of India The-Times-of-India> (1964-66) and edited Poetry India (1966-67). From 1961 to 1972, he headed the English department of Mithibai College, Mumbai. The Exact Name, his fifth book of poetry was puublished in 1965. During this period he had short tenures as visiting professor at University of Leeds (1964) and University of Chicago (1967). In 1967 while in America, he experimented with hallucenogenic drugs, probably as a means to expand his writing skills. He finally stopped using them in 1972. In 1969, Writers Workshop, Calcutta published his The Three Plays. A year later, he presented an art series of ten programs for Mumbai television. On the invitation of the US government, he went on a month long tour to the US in November, 1974. In 1976, he translated poetry ... ...Sight may strike you blind in unexpected places. The traffic light turns orange on 57th and Dorchester, and you stumble, you fall into a vision of forest fires, enter a frothing Himalayan river, rapid, silent. On the 14th floor, Lake Michigan crawls and crawls in the window. Your thumbnail cracks a lobster louse on the windowpane from your daughter's hair and you drown, eyes open, towards the Indies, the antipodes. And you, always so perfectly sane. iii Now you know what you always knew: the country cannot be reached by jet. Nor by boat on jungle river, hashish behind the Monkey-temple, nor moonshot to the cratered Sea of Tranquillity, slim circus girls on a tightrope between tree and tree with white parasols, or the one and only blue guitar. Nor by any other means of transport, migrating with a clean valid passport, no, not even by transmigrating without any passport at all, but only by answering ordinary black telephones, questions walls and small children ask, and answering al l calls of nature. iv Watch your step, watch it, I say, especially at the first high threshold, and the sudden low one near the end of the flight of stairs, and watch for the last step that's never there.

Fool Chapter 12

TWELVE A KING'S ROAD Having set the course of events in motion, I wonder now if my training to be a nun, and my polished skills at telling jokes, juggling, and singing songs fully qualify me to start a war. I have so often been the instrument of the whims of others, not even a pawn at court, merely an accoutrement to the king or his daughters. An amusing ornament. A tiny reminder of conscience and humanity, tempered with enough humor so it can be dismissed, laughed off, ignored. Perhaps there is a reason that there is no fool piece on the chessboard. What action, a fool? What strategy, a fool? What use, a fool? Ah, but a fool resides in a deck of cards, a joker, sometimes two. Of no worth, of course. No real purpose. The appearance of a trump, but none of the power. Simply an instrument of chance. Only a dealer may give value to the joker. Make him wild, make him trump. Is the dealer Fate? God? The king? A ghost? Witches? The anchoress spoke of the cards in the tarot, forbidden and pagan as they were. We had no cards, but she would describe them for me, and I drew their images on the stones of the antechamber in charcoal. â€Å"The fool's number is zero,† she said, â€Å"but that's because he represents the infinite possibility of all things. He may become anything. See, he carries all of his possessions in a bundle on his back. He is ready for anything, to go anywhere, to become whatever he needs to be. Don't count out the fool, Pocket, simply because his number is zero.† Did she know where I was heading, or do her words only have meaning to me now, as I, the zero, the nothing, seek to move nations? War? I couldn't see the appeal. Drunk, and dire of mood one night, Lear mused of war when I suggested that what he needed to cast off his dark aspect was a good wenching. â€Å"Oh, Pocket, I am too old, and the joy of a fuck withers with my limbs. Only a good killing can still boil lust in my blood. And one will not do, either. Kill me a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand on my command – rivers of blood running through the fields – that's what pumps fire into a man's lance.† â€Å"Oh,† said I. â€Å"I was going to fetch Shanker Mary for you from the laundry, but ten thousand dead and rivers of blood might be a bit beyond her talents, majesty.† â€Å"No, thank you, good Pocket, I shall sit and slide slowly and sadly into oblivion.† â€Å"Or,† said I, â€Å"I could put a bucket on Drool's head and beat him with a sack of beets until the floor is splattered crimson while Shanker Mary gives you a proper tug to accentuate the gore.† â€Å"No, fool, there is no pretending to war.† â€Å"What's Wales doing, majesty? We could invade the Welsh, perpetrate enough slaughter to raise your spirits, and have you back for tea and toast.† â€Å"Wales is ours now, lad.† â€Å"Oh bugger. What's your feeling on attacking North Kensington, then?† â€Å"Kensington's not a mile away. Practically in our own bailey.† â€Å"Aye, nuncle, that's the beauty of it, they'd never see it coming. Like a hot blade through butter, we'd be. We could hear the widows and orphans wailing from the castle walls – like a horny lullaby for you.† â€Å"I should think not. I'm not attacking neighborhoods of London to amuse myself, Pocket. What kind of tyrant do you think me?† â€Å"Oh, above average, sire. Well above bloody average.† â€Å"I'll have you speak no more of war, fool. You've too sweet a nature for such dastardly pursuits.† Too sweet? Moi? Methinks the art of war was made for fools, and fools for war. Kensington trembled that night. On the road to Gloucester I let my anger wane and tried to comfort the old king as best I could by lending him a sympathetic ear and a gentle word when he needed it. â€Å"You simple, sniveling old toss-beast! What did you expect to happen when you put the care of your half-rotted carcass in the talons of that carrion bird of a daughter?† (I may have had some residual anger.) â€Å"But I gave her half my kingdom.† â€Å"And she gave you half the truth in return, when she told you she loved you all.† The old man hung his head and his white hair fell in his face. We sat on stones by the fire. A tent was set in the wood nearby for the king's comfort, as there was no manor house in this northern county for him to take refuge. The rest of us would sleep outside in the cold. â€Å"Wait, fool, until we are under the roof of my second daughter,† said Lear. â€Å"Regan was always the sweet one, she will not be so shabby in her gratitude.† I had no heart to chide the old man any more. Expecting kindness from Regan was hope sung in the key of madness. Always the sweet one? Regan? I think not. My second week in the castle I found young Regan and Goneril in one of the king's solars, teasing little Cordelia, passing a kitten the little one had taken a fancy to over her head, taunting her. â€Å"Oh, come get the kitty,† said Regan. â€Å"Be careful, lest it fly out the window.† Regan pretended she might throw the terrified little cat out the window, and as Cordelia ran, arms stretched out to grab the kitten, Regan reeled and tossed the kitten to Goneril, who swung the kitten toward another window. â€Å"Oh, look, Cordy, she'll be drowned in the moat, just like your traitor mother,† said Goneril. â€Å"Nooooooo!† wailed Cordelia. She was nearly breathless from running sister to sister after the kitten. I stood in the doorway, stunned at their cruelty. The chamberlain had told me that Cordelia's mother, Lear's third queen, had been accused of treason and banished three years before. No one knew exactly the circumstances of the crime, but there were rumors that she had been practicing the old religion, others that she had committed adultery. All the chamberlain knew for sure was that the queen had been taken from the tower in the dead of night, and from that time until my arrival at the castle, Cordelia had not uttered a coherent syllable. â€Å"Drowned as a witch, she was,† said Regan, snatching the kitten out of the air. But this time the little kitten's claws found royal flesh. â€Å"Ow! You little shit!† Regan tossed the kitten out the window. Cordelia loosed an ear-shattering scream. Without thinking I dived through the window after the cat and caught the braided cord with my feet as I flew through. I caught the kitten about five feet below the window as the cord burned between my ankles. Not having thought the move completely through, I hadn't counted on how to catch myself, kitten in hand, when the cord slammed me into the tower wall. The cord tightened around my right ankle. I took the impact on that shoulder and bounced while I watched my coxcomb flutter like a wounded bird to the moat below. I tucked the kitten into my doublet, then climbed back up the cord and in through the window. â€Å"Lovely day for a constitutional, don't you think, ladies?† The three of them all stood with their mouths hanging open, the older sisters had backed against the walls of the solar. â€Å"You lot look like you could use some air,† said I. I took the kitten from my doublet and held it out to Cordelia. â€Å"Kitty's had quite an adventure. Perhaps you should take her to her mum for a nap.† Cordelia took the kitten from me and ran out of the room. â€Å"We can have you beheaded, fool,† said Regan, shaking off her shock. â€Å"Anytime we want,† said Goneril, with less conviction than her sister. â€Å"Shall I send in a maid to tie back the tapestry, mum?† I asked, with a grand wave to the tapestry I'd loosed from the wall when I leapt. â€Å"Uh, yes, do that,† commanded Regan. â€Å"This instant!† â€Å"This instant,† barked Goneril. â€Å"Right away, mum.† And with a grin and a bow, I was gone from the room. I made my way down the spiral stairs clinging to the wall, lest my heart give out and send me tumbling. Cordelia stood at the bottom of the stairs, cradling the kitten, looking up at me as if I were Jesus, Zeus, and St. George all back from a smashing day of dragon slaying. Her eyes were unnaturally wide and she appeared to have stopped breathing. Bloody awe, I suppose. â€Å"Stop staring like that, lamb, it's disturbing. People will think you've a chicken bone caught in your throat.† â€Å"Thank you,† she said, with a great, shoulder-shaking sob. I patted her head. â€Å"You're welcome, love. Now run along, Pocket has to fish his hat from the moat and then go to the kitchen and drink until his hands stop shaking or he drowns in his own sick, whichever comes first.† She backed away to let me pass, never taking her eyes from mine. It had been thus since the night I arrived at the tower – when her mind first crept out from whatever dark place it had been living before my arrival – those wide, crystal-blue eyes looking at me with unblinking wonder. The child could be right creepy. â€Å"Do not make yourself a maid to surprise, nuncle,† said I. I held the reins of my and the king's horse as they drank from an ice-laced stream some hundred miles north of Gloucester. â€Å"Regan is a treasure to be sure, but she may have the same mind as her sister. Although they will deny it, it's often been the case.† â€Å"I cannot think it so,† said the king. â€Å"Regan will receive us with open arms.† There was a racket behind us and the king turned. â€Å"Ah, what is this?† A gaily painted wagon was coming out of the wood toward us. Several of the knights reached for swords or lances. Captain Curan waved for them to stand at ease. â€Å"Mummers, sire,† said the Captain. â€Å"Aye,† said Lear, â€Å"I forgot, the Yule is nearly on us. They'll be going to Gloucester as well, I'll wager, to play for the Yule feast. Pocket, go tell them that we grant them safe passage and they may follow our train under our protection.† The wagon creaked to a stop. Happening upon a train of fifty knights and attendants in the countryside would put any performer on guard. The man driving the wagon stood at the reins and waved. He wore a grand purple hat with a white plume in it. I leapt the narrow stream, and made my way up the road. When the driver saw my motley he smiled. I, too, smiled, in relief – this was not the cruel master from my own days as a mummer. â€Å"Hail, fool, what finds you so far from court and castle?† â€Å"I carry my court with me and my castle lies ahead, sirrah.† â€Å"Carry your court? Then that white-haired old man is – â€Å" â€Å"Aye, King Lear himself.† â€Å"Then you are the famous Black Fool.† â€Å"At your bloody service,† said I, with a bow. â€Å"You're smaller than in the stories,† said the big-hatted weasel. â€Å"Aye, and your hat is an ocean in which your wit wanders like a lost plague ship.† The mummer laughed. â€Å"You give me more than my due, sirrah. We trade not in wit like you, wily fool. We are thespians!† With that, three young men and a girl stepped out from behind the wagon and bowed gracefully and with far too much flourish than was called for. â€Å"Thesbians,† said they, in chorus. I tipped my coxcomb. â€Å"Well, I enjoy a lick of the lily from time to time myself,† said I, â€Å"but it's hardly something you want to paint on the side of a wagon.† â€Å"Not lesbians,† said the girl, â€Å"thesbians. We are actors.† â€Å"Oh,† said I. â€Å"That's different.† â€Å"Aye,† said big hat. â€Å"We've no need of wit – the play's the thing, you see. Not a word passes our lips that hasn't been chewed thrice and spat out by a scribe.† â€Å"Unburdened by originality are we,† said an actor in a red waistcoat. The girl said, â€Å"Although we do bear the cross of fabulously shiny hair – â€Å" â€Å"Blank slates, we are,† said another of the actors. â€Å"We are mere appendages of the pen, so to speak,† said big hat. â€Å"Yeah, you're a bloody appendage, all right,† I said under my breath. â€Å"Well, actors then. Smashing. The king has bade me tell you that he grants you safe passage to Gloucester and offers his protection.† â€Å"Oh my,† said big hat. â€Å"We are only going as far as Birmingham, but I suppose we could double back from Gloucester if his majesty wishes us to perform.† â€Å"No,† said I. â€Å"Please, do pass through and on to Birmingham. The king would never impede the progress of artists.† â€Å"You're certain?† said big hat. â€Å"We've been rehearsing a classic from antiquity, Green Eggs and Hamlet, the story of a young prince of Denmark who goes mad, drowns his girlfriend, and in his remorse, forces spoiled breakfast on all whom he meets. It was pieced together from fragments of an ancient Merican manuscript.† â€Å"No,† said I. â€Å"I think it will be too esoteric for the king. He is old and nods off during long performances.† â€Å"Shame,† said big hat. â€Å"A moving piece. Let me do a selection for you. ‘Green eggs, or not green eggs? That is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to eat them in a box, with a fox – ‘† â€Å"Stop!† said I. â€Å"Go now, and quickly. War has come to the land and rumor has it that as soon as they've finished with the lawyers, they're going to kill all the actors.† â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Aye,† I nodded most sincerely. â€Å"Quick, on to Birmingham, before you are slaughtered.† â€Å"Everyone jump on,† said big hat, and the actors did as directed. â€Å"Fare thee well, fool!† Then he snapped the reins and drove off, the wagon's wheels bouncing in the ruts of the road. Lear's train parted and watched as the team pulled the wagon by at a gallop. â€Å"What was that?† asked Lear when I returned. â€Å"Wagonload of knobs,† said I. â€Å"Why do they hurry, so?† â€Å"We commanded it so, nuncle. Half their troupe is ill with fever. We want them nowhere near your men.† â€Å"Oh, good show, then, lad. I thought you might be missing the life and were going to join their troupe.† I shuddered at the thought. It had been a cold December day like this when I'd first come to the White Tower with my mummer troupe. We were decidedly not thespians, but singers, jugglers, and acrobats, and I a special asset because I could do all three. Our master was a crooked Belgian named Belette, who bought me from Mother Basil for ten shillings and the promise to feed me. He spoke Dutch, French, and a very broken English, so I don't know how he managed to secure the White Tower for a performance that Christmas, but I was told later that the troupe that was supposed to have performed had suddenly taken ill with stomach cramps and I suspect that Belette poisoned them. I had been with Belette for months, and except for the beatings and cold nights sleeping under a wagon, I had received little but my daily bread, the occasional cup of wine, and the skills of knife-throwing and sleight of hand as it could be applied to purse cutting. We were led into the great hall at the tower, which was filled with nobles reveling and feasting on platters of food such as I had never seen. King Lear sat at the center of the main table, flanked by two beautiful girls about my age, who I would later find out were Regan and Goneril. Beside Regan sat Gloucester, his wife, and their son Edgar. The intrepid Kent sat on the other side next to Goneril. Under that table, at Lear's feet, a little girl was curled up, watching the celebration – wide-eyed, like a frightened animal, clinging to a rag doll. I must confess, I thought the child might be deaf or even simpleminded. We performed for perhaps two hours, singing songs of the saints during dinner, then moving on to bawdier fare as the wine flowed and the guests loosened their hold on propriety. By late in the evening everyone was laughing, the guests were dancing with the performers, and even the commoners who lived in the castle had joined the party, but the little girl remained under the table, making not a sound. Not a smile, not an eyebrow raised in delight. There was light there behind those crystal-blue eyes – this was not a simpleton – but she seemed to be staring out of them from afar. I crawled under the table and sat next to her. She barely acknowledged my presence. I leaned in close and nodded toward Belette, who stood by a column near the center of the hall, leering lecherously at the young girls who frolicked about him. I could see the little girl spied the scoundrel, too. Ever so softly, I sang a little song the anchoress had taught me, with the lyrics changed a bit to adapt to the situation. â€Å"Belette was a rat, was a rat, was a rat, was a rat, Belette was a rat, was a rat, was a rat, was a rat, Belette was a rat who ate his tail.† And the little girl pulled back and looked at me, as if to see if I had really sung such a thing. And I sang on: â€Å"Belette was a rat, was a rat, was a rat, Belette was a rat, was a rat, was a rat, Belette was a rat, who drowned in a pail.† And the little girl cackled – a broken, little-girl yodel of a laugh that rang of innocence and joy and delight. I sang on, and ever so softly, she sang with me, â€Å"Belette was a rat, was a rat, was a rat, Belette was a rat – â€Å" And we were no longer alone under the table. There was another pair of crystal-blue eyes, and behind them a white-haired king. The old king smiled and squeezed my biceps. And before the other guests noticed that the king was under the table, he sat back up on his throne, but he reached down and lay a hand across the little girl's shoulder and the other upon mine. It was a hand reached across a vast chasm of reality – from the highest position of ruler of the realm, to a lowborn orphan boy who slept in the mud under a wagon. I thought it must have been how a knight felt when the king's sword touched his shoulder, elevating him to nobility. â€Å"Was a rat, was a rat, was a rat,† we sang. When the party died down and noble guests hung drunk over the tables, the servants piled onto the floor before the fire, Belette began to move among the revelers and tap each of his performers, calling them to gather by the door. I had fallen asleep under the table, and the little girl against my arm. He pulled me up by my hair. â€Å"You did nothing all night. I watched.† I knew there was a beating in store for when we got back to the wagon, and I was prepared for it. At least I had eaten some supper at the feast. But as Belette turned to drag me away he stopped, abruptly. I looked up to see the master frozen in space, a sword-point pressed into his cheek just below his eye. He let go of my hair. â€Å"Good thought,† said Kent, the old bull, pulling his sword back, but holding it steadily aimed, a hand's breadth from Belette's eye. There was a sound of coin on the table and Belette couldn't help but look down, even at the peril of his life. A doeskin purse as big as a man's fist lay before him. The chamberlain, a tall, severe chap who looked perpetually down his nose, stood beside Kent. He said, â€Å"Your payment, plus ten pounds, which you shall accept as payment for this boy.† â€Å"But – † said Belette. â€Å"You are a word from your mortality, sirrah,† said Lear. â€Å"Do go on.† He sat straight and regal on his throne, one hand pressed to the cheek of the little girl, who had awakened and was clinging to his leg. Belette took the purse, bowed deeply, and backed across the hall. The other mummers of my troupe bowed and followed him out. â€Å"What is your name, boy?† asked Lear. â€Å"Pocket, your majesty.† â€Å"Well, then, Pocket, do you see this child?† â€Å"Yes, majesty.† â€Å"Her name is Cordelia. She is our youngest daughter, and henceforth shall be your mistress. You have one duty above all, Pocket. That is to make her happy.† â€Å"Yes, majesty.† â€Å"Take him to Bubble,† said the king. â€Å"Have her feed and bathe him, then find him new clothes.† Back on the road to Gloucester, Lear said, â€Å"So, what is your will, Pocket? Would you be a traveling mummer again – trade the comfort of the castle for the adventure of the road?† â€Å"Apparently, I have, nuncle,† said I. We camped at the stream, which froze over during the night. The old man sat shivering by the fire with his rich fur cloak wrapped around him; the garment so full and the man so slight that it appeared he was being consumed by a slow but well-groomed beast. Only his white beard and the hawk nose were visible outside the cloak – two stars of fire shone back in the cape creature, his eyes. Snow fell around us in great wet orgies of flakes, and my own woolen cloak, which I'd pulled over my head, was sodden. â€Å"Have I been so unfit as a father that my daughters would turn on me so?† asked Lear. Why, now, did he choose to stare into the dark barrel of his soul, when he'd been content all these years to simply scoop out his desires and let the consequences wash over whomever they may? Bloody inopportune time for introspection, after you've given away the roof over your head. But I did not say so. â€Å"What would I know of proper fathering, sire? I had no father nor mother. I was reared by the Church, and I'd not give a hot squirt of piss for the lot of them.† â€Å"Poor boy,† said the king. â€Å"As long as I live, you shall have father and family.† I would have pointed out that he had himself declared his crawl to the grave commenced, and that given his performance with his daughters, I might do better to go forth an orphan, but the old man had rescued me from the life of a slave and wanderer, and given me a home in the palace, with friends and, I suppose, family of a sort. So I said, â€Å"Thank you, majesty.† The old man sighed heavily and said, â€Å"None of my three queens ever loved me.† â€Å"Oh, for fuck's sake, Lear, I'm a jester, not a bloody wizard. If you're going to keep diving into the muck of your regrets then I'll just hold your sword for you and you can see if you can get your ancient ass moving enough to fall on the pointy part so we can both get some bloody peace.† Lear laughed then – twisted old oak that he was – and patted my shoulder. â€Å"I could ask nothing more of a son than he give me laughter in my despair. I'm off to bed. Sleep in my tent, tonight, Pocket, out of the cold.† â€Å"Aye, sire.† I was touched by the old man's kindness, I cannot deny it. The old man tottered over to his tent. One of the pages had been carrying hot stones into the tent for an hour and I felt the heat rush out as the king ducked inside. â€Å"I'll be in after I've had a wee,† said I. I walked to the edge of the fire's light and beside a great bare elm was relieving myself when a blue light shimmered in the forest before me. â€Å"Well, that's a woolly tuft of lamb wank,† said a woman's voice, just as the girl ghost stepped out from behind the tree upon which I was weeing. â€Å"God's balls, wisp, I've almost peed on you!† â€Å"Careful, fool,† said the ghost, looking frighteningly solid now – just a tad translucent – snowflakes were passing through her. But I was not frightened. â€Å"Warm thy grateful heart, In the king's family, But for his royal crimes, You'd not an orphan be.† â€Å"That's it?† I asked. â€Å"Rhymes and riddles? Still?† â€Å"All you need for now,† said the ghost. â€Å"I saw the witches,† said I. â€Å"They seemed to know you.† â€Å"Aye,† said the ghost. â€Å"There's dark deeds afoot at Gloucester, fool. Don't lose sight.† â€Å"Sight of what?† But she was gone, and I was standing in the woods, my willie in my hand, talking to a tree. On to Gloucester in the morning, and I'd see what I was not to lose sight of. Or some such nonsense. Cornwall's and Regan's flags flew over the battlements alongside Gloucester's, showing they had already arrived. Castle Gloucester was a bundle of towers surrounded by a lake on three sides and by a wide moat at the front – no outer curtain wall like the White Tower or Albany, no bailey, just a small front courtyard and a gatehouse that protected the entrance. The city wall, on the land side of the castle, provided the outer defenses for stables and barracks. As we approached, a trumpet sounded from the wall announcing us. Drool came running across the drawbridge, his arms held high. â€Å"Pocket, Pocket, where have you been? My friend! My friend!† I was greatly relieved to see him alive, but the great, simple bear pulled me from my horse and hugged me until I could barely breathe, dancing me in a circle, my feet flying in the air as if I was a doll. â€Å"Stop licking, Drool, you lout, you'll wear my hair off.† I clouted the oaf on the back with Jones and he yowled. â€Å"Ouch. Don't hit, Pocket.† He dropped me and crouched, hugging himself as if he were his own comforting mother, which he may have been, for all I know. I saw red-brown stains on his shirt back, and so lifted it to see the cause. â€Å"Oh, lad, what has happened to you?† My voice broke, tears tried to push out of my eyes, and I gasped. The muscular slab of Drool's back was nearly devoid of skin – his hide had been torn and scabbed over and torn again by a vicious lash. â€Å"I've missed you most awful,† said Drool. â€Å"Aye, me too, but how happened these stripes?† â€Å"Lord Edmund says I am an insult to nature and must be punished.† Edmund. Bastard.

Psalm 1, 23, 32

Psalm 1, 23, 32 Psalm 1, 23 and 32 is from the bible and these Psalms praise to the God by people. It is also the worship to God and shows that another way for pursuit of happiness is singing the Psalms or praising the God because people who believe in God think that they can be protect from troubles and forgiven their sins by God. By trusting that the God, they believe that they will be safe and not need to worry about their starvation or survival. They believe that God will provide them with all needs and even protects from their enemies.Psalm 1 describes about the three characteristics of a blessed man, and how he mediated with the law of the lord. The blessed man compared the God with a tree panted by the rivers of water, which yields its fruit I season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prosper. † The blessed man also compared the ungodly in the fourth sentence. He also mentions that the ungodly will not stand in the judgment and the sinners will not stand in the congregation of the righteous.He mentions that only the God know the way of the righteous. Psalm 23 is about the God is our shepherd, and describes about where the God lead us (2,3). It also describes about how the God restore the blessed man’s souls and guides him in the way of righteousness. In the fourth sentence, the blessed man describes about how people do not have fear when they walk through the valley of death and the fifth sentence describes that God has always prepare for us.The last sentence describes about how goodness and love follows us all the days of our life by God. Psalm 32 is about who is blessed (1,2) by God and describes about the result when one does not confess his sins (3,4). It also talks about the psalmist deal with his sins (5) and how the God would guide him (8). Finally, the ninth sentence mentions about what we are not to like as horse or mule (9).

Compare and Contrast Essay

Compare and Contrast Essay Compare and contrast essay tips to use when writing your comparison essay. Here youll find the words to use for comparing and contrasting, the different ways one can write an essay to compare and contrast the subjects etc. What Is a Compare and Contrast Essay? Unlike other types of essays (see top 10 essay types), a compare and contrast essay is used to explore both the similarities and the differences between two subjects by comparing and/or contrasting them against each other. Compare and Contrast Essay Outline To serve their particular purposes in an effective manner, a compare and contrast essay must communicate  in an efficient manner. This means that compare and contrast essays should start with an opening paragraph, which will directly state what the writer is trying to say. Afterward, they can move onto the body, which will support the opening paragraph by providing supporting evidence. Once the supporting evidence has been listed, compare and contrast essays can conclude by reemphasizing their opening paragraphs in order to produce a lasting impression on the mind of the reader. Comparative Analysis With that said, a compare and contrast essay cannot be completed without conducting a comparative analysis, which the writer can use to lay out their thoughts about the subjects before sorting them into a neat and organized form. Fortunately, this process is as simple as creating a Venn diagram (see below) before filling it with the characteristics of the subjects, while making sure to put shared characteristics in the overlapping area. Once the writer is satisfied with their brainstorming, they can sort through the characteristics for the ones with the most relevance to the point that they are trying to make, which is important because weaker arguments can actually drag down their stronger counterparts when placed in the same essay. How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay Pre-Writing Phase How to start a compare and contrast essay? Students are normally assigned a topic to write on, yet sometimes professors give their students the freedom of selecting the topic on their own. In the latter case choosing one out of top compare and contrast essay topics can become a challenge. While working on the topic selection it is important not to choose two totally unrelated subjects, otherwise finding similarities can get problematic. Start out with a subject that has some basic similarities, e.g. two novels, two paintings, speeches etc. Looking for the things to compare and contrast? Here is a list of top 30 compare contrast essay topics: TOP 30 COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY TOPICS Once you have chosen what to write on in your comparison essay, brainstorm ideas and try to write down every single one of them, choosing those that are relevant to the topic. You might want to divide your sheet of paper into two main sections and start jotting down everything that comes to your mind, including similarities and differences. Writing Phase Venn Diagram An effective technique for finding similarities and differences is using a Venn diagram. A Venn diagram is a scheme that represents logical relations between two objects. Graphically it can be depicted as two overlapping circles, each of the circles denoting some entity. The overlapping part is the area denoting similarities, while the parts that do not overlap, are the differences (see Fig. 1). Fig. 1. Venn Diagram: Comparing Apples and Oranges (Compare and Contrast Essay) A very important point in writing an effective compare and contrast essay is a correct selection of the lines of comparison: if you are comparing two objects, you should be comparing them against one and the same parameter. For example, looking at the picture above you will see that oranges and apples are compared in regards to things like origin, place of growth, a thickness of peel etc. All of these features are inherent in both objects. If you say that an apple is different from an orange because an apple is green and the orange is juicy, you will be â€Å"comparing apples and oranges† – this time in the figurative meaning of likening two incomparable things. Organization:  Typical Structure of a Compare and Contrast Essay The opening paragraph should state the essay’s subjects as well as its thesis statement about those same subjects. From that point on, the body of a compare and contrast essay tends to be structured in one of two ways: The first way:  a writer can list the characteristics of one subject and then the characteristics of the other before bringing them together by analyzing their similarities and differences. This means that the body of the essay will begin with a number of paragraphs about one subject, continue with a similar number of paragraphs about the other subject, and then finish with a crucial paragraph that will use the listed characteristics to compare and contrast the two subjects. The second way: a  writer can list the similarities between the subjects and then the differences between the same. This means that the body of the essay will begin with a number of paragraphs about their similarities and finish with a number of paragraphs about their differences. With this structure, there is no need for an analysis at the end because its content is spread throughout the preceding paragraphs. Introduction Origin Apples Oranges Climate Apples Oranges Peel Apples Oranges Conclusion Another mode of organization, although less common, is called block comparison. According to this pattern, you will be required to separate the body of your compare and contrast essay in two parts. The first part of the body will be dedicated to Object A, while the other half will be centered around Object B. Together with the introduction and the conclusion, the overall essay length will be 4 paragraphs. In case of block comparison the overall essay structure will take the following form: Introduction Oranges Origin Climate Peel Apples Origin Climate Peel Conclusion Once the body of the essay is complete, its conclusion should restate the thesis statement but in a more confident manner because it has proven its point. Sometimes, a conclusion will summarize the preceding paragraphs for a bolder and blunter emphasis, while other times, a conclusion will let them provide their support in a more implicit manner. HOW TO WRITE A COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY Additional Tips on Comparison and Contrast Essay Writing Fig. 2. Comparison and Contrast Signifiers Compare and Contrast Words An important thing about writing any essay is using special cue words that will make your essay more coherent and logical. In the  case of a compare and contrast essay you will need to use cue words signifying comparison, for example: Words to compare: like, compared to, similar to, similarly, by analogy, likewise, in the same way, as well as, both, too, at the same time, correspondingly, in addition, same as, etc. The cue words signaling contrast are: Words to contrast:  unlike, conversely, however, nevertheless, still, although, while, but, even though, although, despite, yet, regardless, on the one hand †¦ one the other hand, etc. Post-Writing Phase Once the first draft of an essay is complete, it is time for the writer to put the finishing touches: Proofreading Proofreading is a key factor because errors can break the reader from the flow of the essay, thus robbing it of its power to persuade. Writers should always read through their own work to check for typos, spelling  mistakes, grammar mistakes, as well as lines that should be rephrased for a better result. However, they should also get other people to proofread for them because their closeness to their writing can make it hard for them to pick up on its problems. After all, they already know what they are trying to say, meaning that they are not looking at their work with the same perspective as the reader. References References are a useful way to increase an essay’s power to persuade so long as they are appropriately authoritative. For example, referencing a politician is probably not going to be much use in a philosophy essay unless it is in the context of their philosophical writings. Furthermore, references are needed to use someone else’s arguments without taking credit for them in the process, which is necessary to prevent plagiarism. Not coincidentally, this also makes it easy for the reader to check the sources so that they will know, that somebody really said so if the reader is skeptical. Finally, references should be done in the style that is appropriate for the essay’s subjects for the convenience of different people in different fields. For example, most essays about the sciences should use APA, while most essays about the humanities should use MLA since those are the conventions. We are essay writing experts, meaning that we are ready to help those who are interested in learning more about compare and contrast essays as well as essay-writing in general. All you need to do is visit the order page and fill it out we will start working on it immediately, notifying you on the order progress.

10 Best Note-Taking Strategies to Ease Your Work

10 Best Note-Taking Strategies to Ease Your Work The importance of effective and efficient note taking cant be stressed too highly when it comes to academic success.  Good notes take a large and complex topic and reduce it to digestible nuggets, making it easier to memorize, and also providing the organization thats an essential foundation for a well-structured essay. Electronic or Manual Note-Taking? Taking notes traditionally relies on nothing more advanced than a pen and paper. These days, the convenience and portability of laptops and tablets mean  that they are becoming increasingly popular for notes. They offer several advantages such as easy backup, syncing between devices, a simple way to search through your notes, and so on. There are dedicated note-taking apps available of varying complexity, while for fast typists even a simple text editor might have the edge over paper. Nonetheless, the basic principles of effective note-taking apply whether using electronic or manual note taking methods and considering that electronic means arent suitable for all situations, knowing the best practices is important whatever your choice of tools. Developing Your Own Abbreviations and Symbols No matter how fast your handwriting is, in a classroom, youre unlikely to be able to keep up making an accurate transcription of a lecture. To speed things up, use the following techniques: Use abbreviations in place of common phrases, whether subject-specific or common language. Draw arrows to link concepts and topics together. Highlight important points using stars, capitals, or underlining. Use bullet points when listing facts or other discrete ideas. Many of these last symbols already have recognized meanings, often rooted in mathematics, but dont be afraid to adapt them to your own purposes. So long as you use them in a consistent way and understand them, theyll serve their purpose. When you develop your own system of abbreviations and symbols, make sure you write a reference outlining the shortcuts youve used. What might seem obvious now might not be quite so clear when you come to review your notes in a few months time. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FOOTNOTES AND ENDNOTES 10 Basic Steps to Become a Better Note-Taker 1.  Don’t write down everything heard in a lecture. Focus on the main points, listen and try to focus on the â€Å"meat† of the subject or point of the lecture. Most times, one’s professor will provide points, examples, or anecdotes to help their students better remember key points in a lesson. 2.  Write with brevity. Class notes should be pithy in nature, consisting of keywords and phrases. In fact, notes with loose ends (such as a word without a definition or meaning behind it) allow the student an opportunity to expand on their notes through exploratory research. 3.  Be accurate. If the student is not sure they heard something correctly, they should not write it down. Rather, they should write a question mark near that section of notes to examine after class. In this case, they should also ask their professor for clarification after class. 4.  Do  research before class. Most times a professor will have a syllabus informing students what subjects or topics will be covered at certain times throughout the semester. It is to the student’s benefit to be well informed on the subject beforehand, so they can focus on some of the bigger ideas discussed in the lecture – which means that reading ahead in a textbook or conducting preliminary research never hurts the student’s understanding of a subject. It can only help. 5.  Develop a system that works. Don’t worry about punctuation, picture-perfect spelling; instead use abbreviations, write succinctly, and leave plenty of white space in the notes to expand on after class. 6.  If a point is missed, don’t dwell on it. If it’s a crucial point, ask the professor after class. Simply leave some extra space and go on. It is better than missing yet another point in the lecture. 7.  Keep notes in organized places. For example, refrain from writing downs on random pieces of paper – they could be misplaced too easily, never to be seen again. Instead keep notes in ONE notebook for a certain class. Organizing one’s workspace helps organize their mental clarity when learning. 8.  Use symbols/punctuation to indicate the most important information. Many times a professor will say something is crucial to know or to remember, and so it may benefit the student if the student marks this passage or fact in their notes with a symbol that stands out from the rest of the notes. 9. Immediately after class, reread the notes that have been taken. This will help the student store the information into their long-term memory and clear up any questions they may be looming from the lecture. 10.  For some students, rewriting their notes after class is a helpful exercise. It helps them expand on words or phrases that had to be abbreviated, often causing them to perform a bit more of research to make sure that what they wrote down was indeed accurate and correct. TEST-TAKING TIPS AND STRATEGIES The Cornell System Making the Best Use of Your Notes The Cornell Note Taking System is a method which is equally suitable for taking your course notes, or for summarizing texts for revision or research purposes.  The Cornell method helps you take the notes you make in class or the library, and begin the process of organizing them into a coherent foundation for an essay, an exam answer, or as a way of ordering your thoughts for better learning. Although the following description of the method is for making handwritten notes, if you prefer to take notes electronically there are templates available for use with popular note-taking apps such as Evernote or Microsoft OneNote, as well as dedicated laptop and tablet software from various vendors. This method works by dividing your notes page into three sections. Section off the bottom two inches or so of each page by drawing a horizontal line. The area below the line will be your summary section. Next, section off a leftmost couple of inches of your page: this will be your keyword or recall section. You will then be left with the largest area of the page in which to take notes as normal, dividing them into rough paragraphs by topic or idea. After completing your basic notes, for each paragraph write a question, or a keyword or two, in the recall section to the left. Choose words which will help you remember the contents of the main notes. As well as forcing you to clarify the main concept of that section of notes, it will serve as a quick reference study guide in the future. Some people prefer to add these reminders as they go along, but if youre struggling to keep up the pace its more important to concentrate on the main body of your notes. Its better to add accurate keywords later on than to rush them during the main note-taking, to the detriment to both. Finally, use the summary area at the bottom of each page to write a high-level overview of the contents of the page, limiting yourself to only a couple of sentences or a few bullet points. Here is a picture that will help you better understand what Cornell system is: Successful academic notes dont concentrate on the exact wording, but on capturing concepts and ideas, and important specific facts if appropriate. Youre not taking legal minutes, and your notes only need make sense to you. Developing a system that suits your preferences, and that balances speed with accuracy will stand you in excellent stead in your educational efforts. Writing is a time and effort consuming thing. In case you experience any difficulties with writing contact us and get our professional assistance.

Migration of human beings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Migration of human beings - Essay Example International trade is another factor that is seen to be supporting globalization in the world today. When people from different parts of the world are involved in trade, they tend to have a relationship that will go beyond trade. With international trade, specialization of products is realized a country produces what it can best and then distribute it to the rest of the world. This kind of trade really facilitates globalization. Integration of financial market and rapid movement of capital on the other hand supports the concept of globalization. For the case of an international company, it brings about movement of capital and integration of financial market thereby facilitating globalization. In cost globalization divers it entails the factors of production differences in different areas, high product development in some areas, rapidly changing technology, global scale economies and sourcing efficiencies. In government globalization drivers, it entails common market regulations, unrestrictive trade and investment policies and compatible technical standard. When these factors are harmonized in the world, they facilitate globalization. Globalization effects are felt in different perspective depending with the impact it will have as a whole. Inflation effects are felt due to the globalization meaning the monetary policy is greatly affected.

On what basis should the presence of mental disorder influence Essay

On what basis should the presence of mental disorder influence decisions in the criminal justice system - Essay Example It should be noted that the latter law was abolished during the nineteen sixties; however some individuals may still be liable to such conditions. (UK government, 2008) In the guilty bust insane verdict provided for in the 1883 Lunatics Act, the law states that when a certain individual was accused of a crime and that sufficient evidence is given in order to support those accusations as to make that respective individual guilty, then that person may be found guilty but insane of it was also proven that that respective individual was insane. The special verdict can be passed even when the person under consideration seems to be in good mental health at the time of the trial but it was affirmed that during the process of committing the criminal Act, this was not the case. (The BBC, 1999) Back in the year 1907, The House of Lords held that there should be no appeal against such cases that an accused had in fact committed the act owing to the fact that the suspect does not posses a guilty mind to carry out that Act. The latter decision was validated during Felstead [1914] AC 534. It should be noted that this law was applicable throughout much of this century until the nineteen sixties. At that time, Northern Ireland passed a law of not guilty on the basis of insanity. This was known as the Mental Health Act. Additionally at that time, the Insanity Act of 1964 was passed in England and Wales where a guilty but inane verdict was changed to one known as the guilty by reason of insanity. In the Criminal Appeal Act of England and Wales (1968) it was put forward that there sections 12 and 14 allowed for appeals. On the other hand, there were of appeals against the guilty but insane verdict within Northern Ireland. (Giddens, 1998) In the Criminal Cases Review Commission, there was a need to look into some of the issues to be