Did duhem show that scientific theories can be ne

Did duhem show that scientific theories can be ne The question as to whether scientific theories can be shown to be true or false is a complex one. The answer depends on one's interpretation of the meaning of theory. To what does it refer? Is its role to reveal the nature of reality, or is it merely a human construct? In which case what do we mean by truth? Is it an accurate description of reality, or does it simply refer to a successful theory that produces accurate predictions? Duhem attacks this problem from a very strict non-metaphysical standpoint. As a result he shows that we can know nothing about material reality, and indeed very little about the validity of our own theories. In the end it appears that the theoretical framework within which scientists work is more a matter of convention than anything else.In order to determine whether the claim that scientific theory cannot be proven true or otherwise we must first understand what Duhem means by scientific theory.English: Boris Chirikov (1928–2008) was an outst...He i ntroduces two possibilities as to the nature of a physical (which we can equate to 'scientific') theory. The first being that it is an explanation of the reality lying behind a group of experimental laws (those that are empirically determined). The second is that a physical theory is simply an abstract system to classify and summarize a group of laws.Taking the first possibility (a belief still held by many today): this seeks to look beneath the sensible appearances and find the reality beneath, which is causing the sensations we experience. However, this presents us with a problem. We only have access to perceptions so how can we hope to find a physical theory that provides a certain explanation of the reality causing these sensations? A theory can only suggest a reality that would produce all those...

Majority Language - Definition and Examples

Majority Language s A majority language is the language thats usually spoken by a majority of the population in a country or in a region of a country. In a multilingual society, the majority language is generally considered the high-status language. It is also called the dominant language or killer language, in contrast with minority language. As Dr. Lenore Grenoble points out in the Concise Encyclopedia of Languages of the World (2009), The respective terms majority and minority for Languages A and B are not always accurate; speakers of Language B may be numerically greater but in a disadvantaged social or economic position which makes the use of the language of wider communication attractive. Examples and Observations [P]ublic institutions in the most powerful Western nations, the U.K., the United States, France, and Germany, have been monolingual for over a century or more with no significant movement toward challenging the hegemonic position of the majority language. Immigrants have not generally challenged the hegemony of these nations and have usually assimilated rapidly, and none of these countries has faced the linguistic challenges of Belgium, Spain, Canada, or Switzerland. (S. Romaine, Language Policy in Multinational Educational Contexts. Concise Encyclopedia of Pragmatics, ed. by Jacob L. Mey. Elsevier, 2009) From Cornish (Minority Language) to English (Majority Language) Cornish was formerly spoken by thousands of people in Cornwall [England], but the community of Cornish speakers did not succeed in maintaining its language under the pressure of English, the prestigious majority language and national language. To put it differently: the Cornish community shifted from Cornish to English (cf. Pool, 1982). Such a process seems to be going on in many bilingual communities. More and more speakers use the majority language in domains where they formerly spoke the minority tongue. They adopt the majority language as their regular vehicle of communication, often mainly because they expect that speaking the language gives better chances for upward mobility and economic success. (Renà © Appel and Pieter Muysken, Language Contact and Bilingualism. Edward Arnold, 1987) Code-Switching: The We-Code and the They-Code The tendency is for the ethnically specific, minority language to be regarded as the we code and become associated with in-group and informal activities, and for the majority language to serve as the they code associated with more formal, stiffer and less personal out-group relations. (John Gumperz, Discourse Strategies. Cambridge University Press, 1982) Colin Baker on Elective and Circumstantial Bilingualism Elective bilingualism is a characteristic of individuals who choose to learn a language, for example in the classroom (Valdà ©s, 2003). Elective bilinguals typically come from majority language groups (e.g. English-speaking North Americans who learn French or Arabic). They add a second language without losing their first language. Circumstantial bilinguals learn another language to function effectively because of their circumstances (e.g. as immigrants). Their first language is insufficient to meet their educational, political and employment requirements, and the communicative needs of the society in which they are placed. Circumstantial bilinguals are groups of individuals who must become bilingual to operate in the majority language society that surrounds them. Consequently, their first language is in danger of being replaced by the second language- subtractive context. The difference between elective and circumstantial bilingualism is important because it immediately locates diff erences of prestige and status, politics and power among bilinguals. (Colin Baker, Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 5th ed. Multilingual Matters, 2011) [U]ntil recently, bilinguals have often been wrongly portrayed negatively (e.g. as having a split identity, or cognitive deficits). Part of this is political (e.g. prejudice against immigrants; majority language groups asserting their greater power, status and economic ascendancy; those in power wanting social and political cohesion around monolingualism and monoculturism).However, the portrayal of bilinguals varies internationally. In some countries (e.g. India, parts of Africa and Asia), it is normal and expected to be multilingual (e.g. in a national language, an international language and one or more local languages). In other countries, bilinguals are typically immigrants and seen as causing economic, social and cultural challenges to the dominant majority. . . . With both immigrant and indigenous minorities, the term minority is decreasingly defined in terms of smaller numbers in the population and increasingly as a language of low prestige and low in power relative to the majo rity language. (Colin Baker, Bilingualism and Multilingualism. The Linguistics Encyclopedia, 2nd ed., edited by Kirsten Malmkjaer. Routledge, 2004)

Alternating Current and Direct Current Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Alternating Current and Direct Current - Essay Example The paper shed light upon several advantages and disadvantages of both DC and AC, how AC is converted into DC has also been discussed in this paper. It is important to note that DC is easier to analyze and has a plethora of other advantages but DC’s inability to convert different voltages is a big con because of which AC is used more widely then DC. However, the modern day electricity devices require DC so they come with automatic converters that instantly convert AC into DC. For transferring current over a long-distance DC is used because it is cost-effective but otherwise AC is used, another difference is that people in North America use AC and people in European counties use DC. These were some of the advantages, disadvantages and the most important differences between alternative current and direct current. Alternative current won over direct current in the 20th century when it was chosen over DC because people considered it more reliable, it had very few risks and this is why it was chosen as the standard current in North America, DC on the other hand had several major issues which were later sorted out and fixed. After fixing the major issues with DC several European countries chose it as their standard current, these days DC is being used in some of the elite European countries. It is necessary to have a circuit in order to distribute electricity. A circuit is usually made up of two wires which lead up to a device which uses electricity. In the case of alternating current, one of the two wires is positive and the other is either neutral which is also known as ground or negative, the two wires take their turns which enables sending electricity. In direct current the process works a little differently, the polarity in DC is always the same unlike in the case of AC where in polarity differs, in a DC circuit one wire is negative which means the other is sending electricity and is positive, the negative wire does not send electricity in a DC circuit. T here is no cyclic change and hence no hum in a DC, it is a fact that DC scores over AC in long-distances. In high-voltage transmission also DC is preferred because in AC a lot of electricity is lost, in DC less wastage takes place and this is why it scores over AC. AC scores over DC when it comes to converting DC into AC, it takes a lot of money to do that and it is not advisable to do so. DC should ideally be used only for long-distance transmission and AC in all other circumstances. Heating elements and light bulbs hardly care if the electricity supplied to them is DC or AC but it is very important to note that most modern day electrical gadgets require DC to work effectively. These days a transformer is used which consistently converts AC into DC for the devices to work effectively. In countries like Canada and the United States AC outlets have a voltage of 115 V and this is at 60 Hz. In European countries this is much different; most countries use 220 to 240 V which is about 50 Hz. It is also important to understand how peak voltage works, 115 V AC power usually has a peak voltage which is in the region of 163 V. Home and office electrical outlets are delivered electricity when the terminal has one hot and one neutral terminal. AC voltage is preferred by several people because a transformer is used to convert it into DC and it is very easy and a reliable source of getting direct current. A transformer consists of two inductors, the loops and turns present in these inductors are very different from each other. The number of turns usually determines the ratio of primary to secondary voltage. Electric generators have been made to produce alternating current, they can also produce DC but this can only be done by using a rectifier. A rectifier is made up of diodes which are also the most important part of a rectifier; the main use of a diode is that it allows the current to flow only in a single direction. DC power can also be converted into AC power; this can be done by using an inverter. Heating and arcing are two problems which are involved in producing AC and DC, alternating current can be generated at a much higher voltage than DC and the best part is that there will be fewer problems like heating and arcing. It is

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

Drama - Essay Example Amanda decides marriage is the only answer for Laura and forces Tom to find a beau for his sister. Unfortunately, the one he finds, while perfectly acceptable to both Laura and Amanda, is already engaged. This leaves Laura with a broken heart, symbolized by the broken unicorn Laura encourages him to keep as a souvenir. The play is a tragedy because Amanda, having had the opportunity to learn from her past, continues to live in a dream-world of her own creation, effectively crushing her children’s chances to create their own dreams. Amanda reveals her dreams in her expectations for her children. She continues to hold out hopes for a good marriage for her daughter in spite of her extreme shyness and poverty. This starts with her own recitation of the quality of her suitors, â€Å"My callers were gentlemen – all! Among my callers were some of the most prominent young planters of the Mississippi Delta – planters and sons of planters† (I, 148). Her expectations for her son are that he become like one of these old suitors in spite of his own youth and lack of education or social advancement. These expectations reveal that â€Å"Amanda lives in the past and imposes unrealistic rules of conduct upon her children† (Popkin, 1960, p. 46). Immediately upon Tom telling her that he has a friend coming over for dinner, Amanda already considers him her daughter’s future husband. Tom tries to reign her in by stating â€Å"Lots of fellows meet girls whom they don’t marry† (V, 184 ), but Amanda just tells him to â€Å"talk sensibly.† This emphasizes Amanda’s tendency to crush the realities of their situation and the ideas of her children beneath her own dreams and memories. Richard Vowles (1958) describes the play’s dreamlike qualities as another element intended to point out this oppression: â€Å"One scene dissolves into another. There is, indeed, almost a submarine quality about the play, the kind of poetic slow motion that

The independent variable Essay Example for Free

The independent variable Essay Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior or in behavioral potentiality that results from experience and cannot be attributed to temporary body states such as those induced by illness, fatigue, or drugs. (Hergenhahn Olson, 2005, pg 8) Learning can occur from experience, classical conditioning or operant conditioning. (Hergenhahn Olson, 2005) Aristotle theorized through his laws of association that information can be recalled through contiguity, similarity or contrast. (Hergenhahn Olson, 2005) Using the frontal lobes of our brain the information can be manipulated to form ideas or thoughts both directly or abstractly from the knowledge that is stored in longterm memory. Learning is studied by the potential change or observable change in behavior. Studying the change in behavior provides researchers with an observable, measureable subject matter that is necessary in behavioral science. (Hergenhahn Olson, 2005) The behavior is studied by identifying the variables. The relationship between the stimuli and the responses is the theoretical process called the intervening variable. (Hergenhahn Olson, 2005) The dependent variable is the behavior. (Hergenhahn Olson, 2005) The independent variable is what causes the change in behavior. (Hergenhahn Olson, 2005) The complexity of human thought behavior makes it difficult to study learning. Because of this most learning studies are performed on animals. (Hergenhahn Olson, 2005) One exception would be Ebbinghaus who studied the relationship between learning irrelevant information like nonsense syllables and relevant information like Byrons Don Juan. (Hergenhahn Olson, 2005) Ebbinghaus studied himself and methodically recorded the amount of times it took to master nonsense syllables and syllables that were familiar to theorize the associative process in learning. (Hergenhahn Olson, 2005) Psychologists like Skinner and Pavlov used animals to study the learning process. Pavlov studied learning in dogs through classical conditioning. Classical conditioning is where a conditioned response is used to cause a change in behavior. Pavlov documented a dogs unconditioned response to food which is an unconditioned stimulus. Dogs have a predisposition naturally to start salivating when food is introduced. This condition is innate and similar to  a persons reflex of pulling his or her hand away from a hot stove. Pavlov also showed that a condition stimulus like the sound of a bell alone will not cause a dog to salivate. Pavlov added a conditioned stimulus, the sound of a bell, to the unconditioned stimulus of introducing food. After repeating the conditioned stimulus several times the dogs learned that when the bell sounded that food was going to follow so the dogs would start salivating as soon as they heard the sound of the bell even if no food was presented. (Willingham, 2007)Skinner studied learning through operant conditioning. Operant conditioning is different than classical conditioning because a choice is involved. The dogs did not have a choice but to salivate to the sound of the bell, but in operant conditioning a person would make a choice such as not eat fish if it has made them sick on a prior experience. Skinner used a skinner box made of Plexiglas with a grid floor that can be electrified and a lever that can be pressed that will deliver food to the animal, usually a rat, inside the box. (Hergenhahn Olson, 2005) The box was used to test escape conditioning or avoidance conditioning. Escape conditioning occurs when the animal inside the Skinner box is given a negative stimulus, an electoral shock from the floor of the box, and the animal has to perform a behavior such as climbing onto a small shelf to turn off the shock stimulus. (Hergenhahn Olson, 2005) Avoidance conditioning is a signal is activated just before the electric shock to get the animal to jump onto the shelf to avoid being shocked. (Hergenhahn Olson, 2005) In both of these scenarios the animal makes a choice as a result of the conditioned stimulus. Learning is the process in which knowledge is stored in memory. Aristotle first formulated the law of association to show a correlation between retrieval of nonfunctional knowledge. The law of similarity is the recalling of similar experiences or objects. (Hergenhahn Olson, 2005) The law of similarity would be when a person learns something during training and later comes across a similar event or interaction. He or she would reinvent what was learned and apply it to the task or interaction based on his or her similar knowledge. (Fenwick, 2000). The law of contrast is recalling the opposite of something. (Hergenhahn Olson, 2005) The law of contiguity is recalling something that was experienced at the same time as something else.  (Hergenhahn Olson, 2005) These laws of association give a basis of cognition. A person goes to a fine dining restaurant and orders a tray of signature cheese spreads for the fresh baked bread. When the waiter brings the spreads the person hears the waiter express the imported quality, sees the display of the variety of spreads and the texture, smells the aroma, and taste the spread to be all that the waiter described. A year later the same person sees the cheese spread on the menu and recalls the contiguity of memories being stored about the smell, taste, texture and quality of the cheese and uses the knowledge to make a decision if he or she wants to order it again or not. References Fenwick, T. (2000). Expanding Conceptions of Experiential Learning: A Review of the Five Contemporary Perspectives on Cognition. Retrieved from http://aeq.sagepub.com at Apollo Group Inc. Hergenhahn, B., Olson, M. (2005). An Introduction to Theories of Learning (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice HallWillingham, D. T. (2007). Cognition: The thinking animal (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Allyn4 Bacon.

The American Dream: Success, Happiness, And Money :: American Dream Essays

I believe that the American Dream today is based on success, happiness, and money. The reason i think this is because the reason people go through all those years of schooling is to become succufal, in return for being successful you make money, and because of money you can get and do the things you want, which in return makes you happy. Happiness is not all money, it also has to do with love. Lets first start off talking aboutnthe success, and money part. American children start school at the tender age of four. In pre school you are taught to get along with other kids, and to share, and color in the lines. In Kindergarten You first get an intro. to reading and write-in, and in some schools a little simple addition, and subtreacing. Then from there you move on to grade school, first grade through fifth grade. These years you are taught lot of math, reading, writing, and also penmanship in script. You also get a taste of history. When you get to middle school you learn more in depth about everything you learned in earlier years. Finally in High School, everything you have learned is intensified, and you get prepared for collage, and learn more of everything. Then you have to make a decision, If you want to be Successful and make Lot of MONEY you have to go to collage, for a nether four years, at the end of that ordeal you can settle in with Bachelors degree, or a nether one or two for a masters. This will bring a decent income. But if you want the really good jobs you need nether three or four years to get a doctorate degree, or a law degree. What I have just described is what a modern American kid has to go through to be considered suscefull and to have money, I mean we are talking about 22 tears of different types of school. this almost thirty percent of your life spent in school so the rest of your years can be good ones. Lastly I will discuss happiness. Many people think haplessness revolves around money, and many people don't. I personally think it does to a certain degree. I think you don't need to be rich or successful to be loved and have a nice family.

African Americans in the U.S. Essay

African Americans (American Blacks or Black Americans), racial group in the United States whose dominant ancestry is from sub-Saharan West Africa. Many African Americans also claim European, Native American, or Asian ancestors. A variety of names have been used for African Americans at various points in history. African Americans have been referred to as Negroes, colored, blacks, and Afro-Americans, as well as lesser-known terms, such as the 19th-century designation Anglo-African. The terms Negro and colored are now rarely used. African American, black, and to a lesser extent Afro-American, are used interchangeably today. Recent black immigrants from Africa and the islands of the Caribbean are sometimes classified as African Americans. However, these groups, especially first- and second-generation immigrants, often have cultural practices, histories, and languages that are distinct from those of African Americans born in the United States. For example, Caribbean natives may speak French, British English, or Spanish as their first language. Emigrants from Africa may speak a European language other than English or any of a number of African languages as their first language. Caribbean and African immigrants often have little knowledge or experience of the distinctive history of race relations in the United States. Thus, Caribbean and African immigrants may or may not choose to identify with the African American community. According to 2000 U. S. census, some 34. 7 million African Americans live in the United States, making up 12. 3 percent of the total population. 2000 census shows that 54. 8 percent African Americans lived in the South. In that year, 17. 6 percent of African Americans lived in the Northeast and 18. 7 percent in the Midwest, while only 8. 9 percent lived in the Western states. Almost 88 percent of African Americans lived in metropolitan areas in 2000. With over 2 million African American residents, New York City had the largest black urban population in the United States in 2000. Washington, D. C. , had the highest proportion of black residents of any U. S. city in 2000, with African Americans making up almost 60 percent of the population. Microsoft  ® Encarta  ® 2009.  © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Atlantic Slave Trade, Atlantic Slave Trade, the forced transportation of at least 10 million enslaved Africans from their homelands in Africa to destinations in Europe and the Americas during the 15th through 19th centuries. European and North American slave traders transported most of these slaves to areas in tropical and subtropical America, where the vast majority worked as laborers on large agricultural plantations. See Slavery. Between 1440 and 1880 Europeans and North Americans exchanged merchandise for slaves along 5600 km (3500 miles) of Africa’s western and west central Atlantic coasts. These slaves were then transported to other locations around the Atlantic Ocean. The vast majority went to Brazil, the Caribbean, and Spanish-speaking regions of South America and Central America. Smaller numbers were taken to Atlantic islands, continental Europe, and English-speaking areas of the North American mainland. Approximately 12 million slaves left Africa via the Atlantic trade, and more than 10 million arrived. The Atlantic slave trade involved the largest intercontinental migration of people in world history prior to the 20th century. This transfer of so many people, over such a long time, had enormous consequences for every continent bordering the Atlantic. It profoundly changed the racial, social, economic, and cultural makeup in many of the American nations that imported slaves. It also left a legacy of racism that many of those nations are still struggling to overcome. Microsoft  ® Encarta  ® 2009.  © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Civil Rights Movement in the United States, political, legal, and social struggle by black Americans to gain full citizenship rights and to achieve racial equality. The civil rights movement was first and foremost a challenge to segregation, the system of laws and customs separating blacks and whites that whites used to control blacks after slavery was abolished in the 1860s. During the civil rights movement, individuals and civil rights organizations challenged segregation and discrimination with a variety of activities, including protest marches, boycotts, and refusal to abide by segregation laws. Many believe that the movement began with the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 and ended with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, though there is debate about when it began and whether it has ended yet. The civil rights movement has also been called the Black Freedom Movement, the Negro Revolution, and the Second Reconstruction. Microsoft  ® Encarta  ® 2009.  © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. AAVE Distinctive patterns of language use among African Americans arose as creative responses to the hardships imposed on the African American community. Slave-owners often intentionally mixed people who spoke many different African languages to discourage communication in any language other than English on their plantations. Moreover, many whites were unwilling to allow blacks to learn proper English. One response to these conditions was the development of pidgins, simplified mixtures of two or more languages that speakers of different languages could use to communicate with each other. Some of these pidgins eventually became fully developed Creole languages spoken by certain groups as a native language. Significant numbers of people still speak some of these Creole languages, notably Gullah on the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia. African American Vernacular English (AAVE), also called black English or Ebonics, is a dialect of English spoken by many African Americans that shares some features with Creole languages. Microsoft  ® Encarta  ® 2009.  © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

The Significance of Dance in Dancing at Lughnasa

The Significance Of The Use Dance: Focusing On Pages 20 – 23 Brian Freil uses a variety of dance techniques to convey the significance of dance as a projection of universal and primal desires to which everyone is submissive. Each outburst or description of dance involving the characters gives the audience an insight to not only their true personality but also the strain of their current situations. The significance of dance and its effect on the audience is echoed throughout the play through many different circumstances, the positioning of each routine is also very important as it connects with true meaning of the dance, therefore intensifying atmosphere on which it brings. Pages 20 to 23 highlight this greatly as we see all of the sisters dance in unity. Page 20 sees Maggie’s monologue, here the audience become aware of how dance can be beautiful however misunderstood; â€Å"they were just so beautiful together†¦ they should have won† Explained as Maggie is describing the pure splendor of Brian and Bernie’s military two-step at a dance competition from when they were young. Although this directly does not link directly in the significance throughout the play it strengthens the aspect of a spirited connection between two people through the means of dance. This point is also enhanced with the connection between Chris and Gerry as the audience only become apparent of the sentimental emotions these characters share when she submissively begins to ballroom dance with him, at which point and further in the play all characters especially Chris soften to Gerry giving implication of the true and raw feeling they have for each other represented through their dances. This spiritual characteristic which dance beholds amongst the characters also has connotation of a form of communication that predates conversation and emotion, seeping through all cultures. This is a strong feature to Dancing At Lughnasa as the storyline is based around Freil’s use of juxtaposition of native tribal dancing and localized northern Irish dancing with the use of Father Jack. The use of Father jack; â€Å"losing his mind† on returning from Africa and resorting to African rituals and beliefs bridges strong Irish traditions to the frowned upon peaganism of the Irish mid 1930s. Depending on interpretation you could argue that Freil suggests this bridging of cultures throughout the play to enhance the technique of juxtaposition. An example being in the ironic connection between Jack’s description of an African ceremony shortly followed by the unofficial wedding of Chris and Gerry described also, as a ceremony of an elegant and precise ballroom dance. Also on page 21; â€Å"patterns her face with an instant mask† The stage direction describing Maggie’s fanatical dance and how she stripes her cheeks with flour. This gives suggestion of connotation, which could be implying the link between typical tribal face paint used for rituals and dances in native Africa and Maggie’s flour â€Å"mask†. In addition this too gives implication of Maggie being ‘out of character’ and acting peaganistic, again, strengthening the thought of dance being a universal and primal desire bridging cultures due to subconscious human nature. The radical and fanatical dancing of the sisters on page 21 is also important in understanding how Freil communicates the characters personalities and thoughts to the audience in the stage directions of each dance. Freil uses the ‘Marconi‘ as a dramatic device to plunge the scene into dance with the slow introduction of sound; â€Å" until the sound has established itself† this could show how the beat and rhythm of the music is actually the subconscious of the characters. However, another interpretation could be that the slow introduction is the metaphorical gradual dispatch from reality into a fantasy of dance coated by repressed desire and latent passion. This would explain how Maggie’s â€Å"features become animated by a look of defiance† as it is a result of the realization of her repression which has grew from since she was young that manifests itself with defiance. It would too explain how as each character becomes submissive to the rhythm, the beat becomes more frantic and uncomfortably loud because each of the sisters is now projecting suppressed emotions with a feeling of force and urgency. This shows how the stage directions also give implication to the character’s psychological state. Other characters such as Rose, who follows Maggie’s chants and calls and is the second to â€Å"leap† into dance, this could be an indication of Rose’s suggestive character and how she yielding to those offering attention such as Danny Bradley, her supposed lover. Rose is then followed by Agnes who is described to dance the most â€Å"gracefully and sensuously† out of the sisters which could represent her soft, and delicate personality highlighted through her caring actions towards Rose, and the household keeping earlier in the play. However the most significant character’s performance in this dance is Kate, the audience have been subjected to her objection to the festival at Lughnasa and peaganistic dance traditions yet as the final sister to join we see Kate preform a complex dance; â€Å"alone, totally concentrated, totally private† and although the other sisters are chanting and screaming together, Kate is in silence. This outburst is one of the most fundamental moments in the play as a whole, as the audience are taken back by Kate’s obscure and out of character reaction to the rhythm. Being the last to plunge into dance and the first to stop shows how Kate is conceited and is against the force which dance holds, however her ominous actions are clearly full of true of emotion which represents her true personality one of passion and complete feeling. The intensity and isolated feel of her performance is a representation of the distance between her and her sisters caused by the strain of keeping the family together, which is ironically, obviously falling apart. At the end of the stage directions on page 22, the audience are aware of the significance of Freil’s use of dance. The brutality and grotesque atmosphere of the dance is the projection of the unstable state the family is in, as each sister is under independent and personal strains. Which appeals to the audiences’ emotional and psycho-analytic understanding therefore creating two layers within Friel’s production. By using this form of communication frequently throughout the play the audience can therefore connect with the characters and relate to their created personalities to prehaps, feelings of their own. Dance, in the production of Dancing at Lughnasa is consequently not only a connective device between the audience and the characters as it is a projection of primal desires, but also a representation of repressed feeling and emotion of which the characters cannot express verbally.

Free Essays on Jean Luc Godard

JEAN-LUC GODARD Jean-Luc Godard was born in Paris on December 3, 1930. Godard’s father was a physician and his mother was related to a family of bankers (World Film Directors, 392). Godard attended school in Nyon, Switzerland. Godard became a naturalized citizen of Switzerland during World War II (WFD, 392). In the late 1940’s Godard returned to Paris to study at the Lycee Buffon and at Sorbonne. He later received a certificate in ethnology (WFD, 392). While studying in Paris Godard became very interested in cinema, he hung out at local cinema places, such as Cinematheque Francaise(British Film Institute). This is where he met some of the future up and coming New Wave directors like himself. Among these future directors were Bazin, Truffaut, and Rohmer (WFD, 392). Many of these guys were critics of the cinema at this time and that is what Godard began to do also. Rohmer, Rivette and Godard started the Gazette du Cinema around 1950. In 1951 Godard’s family cut off their financial support after funding a couple of his unsuccessful projects (Foreign Films, 1). Godard was forced to stealing food in order to survive (Godard Experience, 1). From 1952 to 1954 Godard wrote Cahiers du Cinema under the name Hans Lucas (WFD, 392). In 1954 his mother passed away and he got a job as a laborer on the Grand Dixence Dam. He did his first film shortly after, which was Operation Beton, which was a documentary of the building of the dam (Foreign films). The company that built the dam went on to buy the film, which marks Godard first real success as a filmmaker. Godard went on to direct numerous movies. His most famous is probably Breathless. In this film Godard set out to break all of the molds that had previously been made for films. This is probably the beginning of the French New-Wave. Godard set out to show that anything goes. Godard did not want to use the cinema as a substitute for the real world like many other dire... Free Essays on Jean Luc Godard Free Essays on Jean Luc Godard JEAN-LUC GODARD Jean-Luc Godard was born in Paris on December 3, 1930. Godard’s father was a physician and his mother was related to a family of bankers (World Film Directors, 392). Godard attended school in Nyon, Switzerland. Godard became a naturalized citizen of Switzerland during World War II (WFD, 392). In the late 1940’s Godard returned to Paris to study at the Lycee Buffon and at Sorbonne. He later received a certificate in ethnology (WFD, 392). While studying in Paris Godard became very interested in cinema, he hung out at local cinema places, such as Cinematheque Francaise(British Film Institute). This is where he met some of the future up and coming New Wave directors like himself. Among these future directors were Bazin, Truffaut, and Rohmer (WFD, 392). Many of these guys were critics of the cinema at this time and that is what Godard began to do also. Rohmer, Rivette and Godard started the Gazette du Cinema around 1950. In 1951 Godard’s family cut off their financial support after funding a couple of his unsuccessful projects (Foreign Films, 1). Godard was forced to stealing food in order to survive (Godard Experience, 1). From 1952 to 1954 Godard wrote Cahiers du Cinema under the name Hans Lucas (WFD, 392). In 1954 his mother passed away and he got a job as a laborer on the Grand Dixence Dam. He did his first film shortly after, which was Operation Beton, which was a documentary of the building of the dam (Foreign films). The company that built the dam went on to buy the film, which marks Godard first real success as a filmmaker. Godard went on to direct numerous movies. His most famous is probably Breathless. In this film Godard set out to break all of the molds that had previously been made for films. This is probably the beginning of the French New-Wave. Godard set out to show that anything goes. Godard did not want to use the cinema as a substitute for the real world like many other dire...

This is so gay!

This is so gay! This is so gay! This is so gay! By Maeve Maddox I recently received a comment on one of my posts that said, This is gay. As the comment made no sense in the context, I was puzzled. For those fogies like me who hadnt realized that the word gay has morphed again, heres a timeline of its changing meanings as illustrated in the OED. gay: adj. c1325 Noble; beautiful; excellent, fine. Example: Heo is†¦ graciouse, stout, ant gay, gentil, iolyf so à ¾e iay Translation: She is precious by day, gracious, splendid and excellent, gentle, jolly as a bird. (stout, meant stately, magnificent, splendid; iay refers to the European jay) c1380 Bright or lively-looking, esp. in colour; brilliant, showy. Example: Oppon à ¾e tour..à ¾ar stondeà ¾ a iuwel gay, An egle of gold à ¾at schynaà ¾ brigt so doà ¾ à ¾e sonne on may. Translation: Upon the towerthere stands a brilliant jewel, An eagle of gold that shines as does the sun in May. c1385 Of persons, their attributes, actions, etc.: light-hearted, carefree; manifesting, characterized by, or disposed to joy and mirth; exuberantly cheerful, merry; sportive. Example: A lay Of love..made hire herte fressh and gay. Translation: A story about lovemade her heart fresh and merry. 1597 Originally of persons and later also more widely: dedicated to social pleasures; dissolute, promiscuous; frivolous, hedonistic. Also (esp. in to go gay): uninhibited; wild, crazy; flamboyant. Example: Sum gay professors (kepinge secret minions) do love there wyues..to avoyde shame Translation: Some homosexual professors (keeping secret catamites) do love their wivesto avoid shame. 1922-2003  orig. U.S. slang. (a) Of a person: homosexual; (b) (of a place, milieu, way of life, etc.) of or relating to homosexuals. Examples: 1941 Gay, an adjective used almost exclusively by homosexuals to denote homosexuality†¦2003 Episcopalians took a big step toward electing their first openly gay bishop. 1978 slang (chiefly U.S.) (sometimes considered offensive). Foolish, stupid, socially inappropriate or disapproved of; ‘lame’. Examples: 1978 ‘It looks terrific on you.’ ‘It looks gay.’ 1987 Your so-stupid-theyre-funny captions are gay. Get into some [real] humor. These six definitions with their examples only scratch the surface of all the meanings that have been attached to the word gay since it entered the language from Anglo-Norman gai/gaye, and provide an excellent case study of the arbitrariness of language. 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:Useful Stock Phrases for Your Business Emails5 Lessons for Mixing Past and Present TenseJanuary 1 Doesn't Need an "st"

Properties of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Properties of Life - Essay Example All organisms and plants are made up of millions of cells. The basic structure of a cell is the same in all organisms. It is the smallest unit of life. It comprises of a nucleus and a membrane surrounding the nucleus. Homeostasis is a mechanism that is present in living organisms. It is the course by which plants and animals maintain their internal environment as the external environment changes. In humans, the production of Insulin and Glucagon hormones is a mechanism that looks to ensure that the sugar levels in the organism are under control. Metabolism refers to the chemical reaction within the body that handles the maintenance of energy. Different animal’s burn, fats and carbohydrates to produce energy for their activities. The metabolic rate of an organism is dependent on the activities that the animal performs. Responsiveness refers to the ability of organisms to react to the external changes. For example, during the cold, birds fluff their feathers. The feathers trap a ir in between them and the layer of air acts as an insulator from the cold. Different animals and plants have means by which they respond to the external environment. By doing this, the plants and animals can protect themselves from harsh conditions. Reproduction is the epitome of life. For this reason, once, mature, animals reproduce and give birth to offsprings that continue their line. Reproduction is one of the most important qualities as no animals can sustain their life forever. When living things, die, they do not fade away into oblivion.