How to Perform a Shakespeare Soliloquy

If you want to perform a  Shakespeare Soliloquy, then you need to prepare. Our teaching columnist is here with advice to help you perform a  Shakespeare Soliloquy. Shakespeare Soliloquy Most of Shakespeare’s longer speeches for one character are soliloquies, a moment when a character shares their inner feelings with the audience alone. Often, the character discusses what is happening to them and their current options. They use this time cut out of the play to assess their situation, make sense of it and devise a plan. Most characters use the audience during the soliloquy as if they are a friend, so the audience needs to feel part of the discussion and complicit in the character’s plans. Developing a Soliloquy This is my five-step guide to help you prepare a soliloquy for either a full performance of a Shakespeare play or an audition speech. Think about the context. Even if you are auditioning, you need to understand where the soliloquy is in relation to the whole play and the character’s journey through it. Reading and knowing the entire play is crucial. In particular, think about what has happened immediately before the speech. Usually, a soliloquy is triggered by a key event; this is why Shakespeare gives his characters time to make sense of their situation. Your first job is to demonstrate the character’s feelings at the beginning of the speech.Analyze the structure of the text. A soliloquy is a mini-play in itself. It has a beginning, middle, and end. Divide the text up into beats or subsections, each with a separate function. For example: â€Å"beat one: initial anger.† Once you have divided the speech up, you can begin to think about how to play each section in terms of physicality and voice.Think about where your character is. This is crucial to the way in which they behave in the scene. Depe nding on their situation, move as naturally as you can as if you were there. Your movement and speech will vary greatly depending on if you are outside in a storm  or in your enemy’s private home.Sequence the information. Having established the basics (context, structure, and situation), begin to sequence the information together and develop the work. Your audience should not be able to see the joins between your sections. The gaps between your beats or sub-sections need to be filled with gestures that demonstrate your character’s thought process.Emotional engagement is essential. Having worked on a good basic structure with natural movement and vocal quality, you must now engage with the character’s emotions. Without it, your work will feel false and contrived. Try to translate your own feelings from personal experiences into the role, either by thinking about your past emotions or simply by acting out how you would behave in particular emotional states. Performance Tips Don’t move unless you have to! Sometimes actors feel like they must move just because they are static. Many soliloquies require little movement and some speeches require no movement at all. Move only when the character should.Always make sure you know how to say unfamiliar words. Mispronunciation is embarrassing! YouTube, audio, and videotapes are always useful in this respect, or perhaps you could ask a teacher or practitioner.For auditions, always chose a speech that is close to you in age (unless you’ve been given a speech to learn). It is very difficult for any actor to play a character who is a lot older or younger than them.Finally, be yourself! The worst soliloquy performances occur when the actor tries to conform to a Shakespearean style of acting. This is always false and difficult to watch. Remember, a soliloquy is a personal reaction to events, so you need to engage with real feelings and thoughts. These can only come from you.

Analysis Of Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown - 946 Words

In Hawthorne’s ‘Young Goodman Brown’ the main character, Goodman Brown leaves his wife alone for a night to go to a secret meeting in the forest. As it turns out the religious Goodman Brown is actually sneaking off to meet with the Devil. While in the forest with the devil he sees many influential people from town there as well, including his wife. They seem to be about to be taken into the cult when Goodman Brown looks at his wife and begs her to remain with her Faith. Next thing he knows he wakes up like nothing ever happened. Whether this whole experience was a dream or not, it caused young Goodman brown to lose his faith and innocence. Hawthorne expresses this loss of innocence by using setting, symbolism and motifs to build up the story’s theme around Young Goodman Brown’s loss of faith. Hawthorne uses setting to convey the evilness that Brown willingly walks into. He describes the setting as being in the witch hunt era in Salem â€Å"as I suspect, by that unhanged witch†. This gives us insight into the time this story is taking place. During times like these the Puritans had very strong religious values, knowing this lets the reader understand just how badly young Goodman Brown is deviating from his religious path. He is in a deep, dark forest with the devil and many sinners from the village as well as a few influential village members. This shows us that instead of following his religion, he is going off into some place that he knows he should not belong.Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of `` Hawthorne s `` Young Goodman Brown ``927 Words   |  4 Pagesdaily living, relationships, and how one sees the world. Goodman Brown in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† is a symbol for our soldiers and their loss of innocence during their journey from war. Goodman Brown is a good and confident man, much like our soldiers are, but are they are also naà ¯ve. Goodman has only been married but three months, and yet he must leave his newlywed to embark on a quest. The soldiers, like Goodman Brown do not know what is ahead for them, or what they are gettingRead MoreAnalysis Of Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown 2018 Words   |  9 Pagesconsidered allegorical, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† that critics have come to a deadlock. While it’s agreed that the focal point circulates around the story’s protagonist, for which it is appropriately named, the unanswered question remains: had Goodman Brown, in fact, met with the devil in the forest or had he dreamt the entire episode? â€Å"Be it so, if you will† Hawthorne teases, never letting up any real perspective, except that â€Å"it was a dream of evil omen for Young Goodman Brown†, one that changed himRead MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown 1474 Words   |  6 Pages The works of Nathaniel Hawthorne deal with dark themes and are considered to be the first works of gothic romanticism. While these stories do deal with strong dark elements, these works are also heavily inspired by Puritanism and the Puritan colony at Plymouth. To begin with, the short story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† has strong themes of faith. The story is about a man by the name of Brown and his wife Faith. Brown walks into the forest against Faith’s wishes and meets an old man and the two walk deeperRead MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown 1102 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is a story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1835. This was the period around the crazy incidents of the Salem Witch Trials. This piece is covered with topics that can be described as having alternative meanings. Through the symbolism in the story, the audience is able to make ties between the old relationships Goodman Brown had with the other townspeople. The series of event in the story bring him to believe that his entire life was a lie and no one was worthy of his trustRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown 1175 Words   |  5 Pages1101 7 July 2017 Symbolism in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and was set during the 17th Century Puritan Era. The story was published in 1835 during the Romantic Era. Nathaniel Hawthorne was known for being the master of symbolism. His novels and short stories have been embedded with suggestion and imagination. The dense symbolism that Hawthorne writes could imply multiple interpretations. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† has quite a few themes andRead MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown 1471 Words   |  6 Pages29 September 2015 Testing Faith In the allegorical short story Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses suspense and mystery to keep the reader interested. Throughout the story, Hawthorne makes the reader wonder what all the witchcraft, mysticism, and the double-sided lifestyles of the characters really means. Young Goodman Brown may be suspenseful, but the reader also has to look at it from a symbolic point of view. Hawthorne shows that a strong faith can basically make or break a man orRead MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown 1144 Words   |  5 PagesHawthorne s Ideal Woman In Nathaniel Hawthorne s short stories, Young Goodman Brown, The Minister s Black Veil, and The Birthmark, he provides us with female characters with very similar attributes, and they all have the same inhuman acceptance for the men they love. No matter what is thrown at these three unprecedented women they still show a extreme tolerance for their companions. While Goodman Brown, Mr. Hooper, and Aylmer struggle with their own appalling desires, their partners continueRead MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown Essay1248 Words   |  5 Pagessituations and is able to advise others what to do if one ever encounters something similar. Consequently, Nathaniel Hawthorne was the primary author who influenced me the most because I was able to connect and sympathize with the author. Also, when I attended the academic conference that I was so greatly invited to take a part in, I was able to understand and see the short story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† in a new persp ective. Besides understanding that the short story is about society wearing different facesRead MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown 1136 Words   |  5 PagesMajok Lem Tim McNeil English 95s May 24 2016 Faith versus Evil Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of the short story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, he was an American writer in the 19th century. He was born in Salem village, and he died at the age of 60. His short story about a man named Young Goodman Brown, who lived in Salem village with his wife Faith. They have been married three months. Mr. Goodman Brown has left his wife for one travel night although his wife does not want him to go. He insists on leavingRead MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s `` Young Goodman Brown `` And `` The Yellow Wallpaper ``2005 Words   |  9 Pageschange in their respective eras and cultures. In three particular short stories, namely Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, â€Å"A New England Nun† by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, and lastly Charlotte Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, each individual author speaks out against the established norms of their time in search for moral change. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, he addresses the value of the intense religious culture of that early American time period and the hypocrisy

Concept of Hablumminannas and Hablumminallah free essay sample

Labor is one of the important aspects of the production factors. In Islamic Labor involved not only the relationship between labors but also the interpersonal relationships among employers. This relationship is known as Hablumminannas, which refers to human relations. Other than human relations, labor should also be emphasizing the relationship with the creator, which is Hablumminallah. Before the labor think about the relationships with the human, they should strengthen their relationship with the creator. People need to keep their relationship with the creator, Allah SWT. This is because when a man is getting close to Allah SWT, their life more organized and disciplined. We are the human are the servants (Abdillah) to Allah SWT. So, we as Abdillah, must do all the command from Allah and omit all Allah’s forbid. There are many ways to get closer to Allah as do the obligatory and supererogatory worship. Labor must strengthen their relationship with God so that they do not do illegal things to the religion. We will write a custom essay sample on Concept of Hablumminannas and Hablumminallah or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Guided by the Rukun Islam and Rukun Iman, people will be more cautious in doing daily worship and able to perform their job activities without any difficulties. So, we should fulfill the obligation in order to get benefit in our daily live with the guideline from al-Quran and as-Sunnah. In al-Quran, there are stated about the economic activities. There also mentioned about business (tijarah), sell and buy (al-bai) and others. Islam is encouraging the people to do the business activities as long as the people follow the Islamic principle. When doing the economic activities, we need to pay alms according to the profit that we get from our economic activities. In Islamic principle, we are also need to take care of the citizen welfare and not to cheat people around us. Doing economic activities is just not to get any profit, but also be Allah’s servant and khalifah. In economic activities, all of the production goods must be in good condition such as clean, not damage, useful, and no harm to the people. In Islamic Labor also need the Hablumminannas, the relationship between human and human. After we have good relationship with Allah, we also need a good relationship with humankind. With these two relationships, Hablumminnallah and Hablumminannas, we will get peaceful and prosperous in our life. We are also need to balance between these two relationships in order to get our life equilibrium. So, as a labor, we need to live in a healthy life such as doing something in honest, sincere, and generous. In Islamic labor, in order to have the balance in economic activities, we need to know some factor, for examples people must have a positive thinking and they are free from doing unethical things. That’s mean, their spirit are full with honesty and sincere while their physical are free from any harmful and dangerous things. Employers must take care about the employee’s welfare, for examples employers must provide a good working condition, proper salaries, fringe benefits and others. At the same time, the employees also need to make good relationship with the employers, for examples by increasing their productivity. This will make the production in economic activities tend to rise and of course the relationship with employees and employers become better. Rasulullah SAW is the honest and trusted person. Its can be proven when Siti Khadijah entrust him to take care of her business. Rasulullah SAW also shows his good altitude during that time. Rasulullah SAW is honest and sincere when doing business activities. So, his business become more successful and gets more profit. Rasulullah SAW forbids his people to cheat in business activities. So, labor should balance their Hablumminallah and Hablumminannas in order to have a better spiritual and material wealth.

Ch 4 Insurance Effects Of Tree Diversity In Tropical Forest Restoration Essay Example

Ch 4: Insurance Effects Of Tree Diversity In Tropical Forest Restoration Paper Insurance Effects Of Tree Diversity In Tropical Forest Restoration: Survival And Growth During The First Decade Of The Sabah Biodiversity Experiment Context In chapters 2 and 3, I dealt with the biological mechanisms that may explain the effects of plant diversity on ecosystem functioning observed thus far. But the experiments and modelling in the previous chapters are still at a level of abstraction that makes them difficult to relate directly to real-world ecosystems. Field-scale experiments will help to elucidate which mechanisms may operate at the landscape level. Efforts to capture greater realism in biodiversity-function research should aim to capture the biological and environmental complexity that characterises most ecosystems in nature. Such complexity makes study more challenging, but it may also provide the conditions necessary to describe the functional role of biodiversity in realworld ecosystems. Here, I present results from a field-scale experiment that studies the mechanisms and applications of biodiversity-functioning in selectively logged tropical forests. I propose a mechanism by which plant diversity might enhance ecosystem functioning throughout this complex landscape. I also show how this mechanism can inform the management and restoration of these human-altered forest ecosystems. Chapter Summary Swathes of tropical forest were degraded by selective logging before we could understand how they would be affected and whether they can recover. In SE Asia, enrichment planting with dipterocarp tree seedlings may help restore the forest’s structure and functioning if enough survive to aid canopy closure. We will write a custom essay sample on Ch 4: Insurance Effects Of Tree Diversity In Tropical Forest Restoration specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Ch 4: Insurance Effects Of Tree Diversity In Tropical Forest Restoration specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Ch 4: Insurance Effects Of Tree Diversity In Tropical Forest Restoration specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The role of tree diversity in tropical forest restoration is poorly known but planting more species-rich mixtures of dipterocarps into the forest may help ensure the seedlings avoid recruitment failure on one hand and potentially wasteful self-thinning on the other. We 4.80 analyse seedling mortality and growth over the first decade of the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment, to understand whether planting more diverse mixtures may provide such an insurance effect. Mortality was high overall but varied widely among species; their differences in survival were consistent over time. Those with high survival had slow growth and vice versa. Slow-growing species with high survival had more dense wood. Mortality and growth varied spatially across our 500 ha experiment but species responded to changing conditions in independent ways, a key ingredient for an insurance effect. As expected, given the wide spacing between seedlings, species performance did not differ between monocultures and mixtures. But their independent preferences for site conditions may provide an insurance effect of diversity: sites planted as monocultures of poorly surviving species may fail to restore stem basal area and canopy closure—planting mixtures may ensure there is always a species that can perform. Long-term monitoring is needed to determine whether mixing species with different vital rates can insure against this recruitment failure while avoiding potentially wasteful self-thinning in the best performing monocultures. Introduction After twenty years of debate there is now broad consensus that biodiversity has a positive effect on the functioning and stability of ecosystems (Cardinale et al. 2012; Tilman et al. 2014). However, this consensus is founded on a first generation of research from grasslands and other easily manipulated systems, which are often shortterm, small-scale and highly controlled experiments. We need a next generation of experiments to quantify how biodiversity affects ecosystem functioning in more natural and applied situations, including habitat restoration (e.g. Bruelheide et al. 2014). Study of the relationship between biodiversity and the functioning of tropical systems has begun (Ewel Bigelow 1996; Haggar Ewel 1997; Lovelock Ewel 2005; Potvin Gotelli 2008), but the rich diversity of these systems plus their provision of important ecosystem services means further study is required. To help fill this knowledge gap for SE Asian forests we established the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment in Malaysian Borneo (Hector et al. 2011b). The project—a collaboration between ecologists, tropical foresters and a carbon offsetting scheme—tests the effects of tree diversity on the restoration of selectively logged forests which were enrichment planted with once-harvested species to return fully functioning ecosystems. There are over 400 million hectares of logging estates in the tropics, and at least 20% of existing tropical forests were selectively logged between 2000 and 2005 (Edwards et al. 2014). These recently logged forests now cover larger areas of land than primary forest in most regions (Edwards et al. 2014; Laurance et al. 2014). In SE Asia primary forest exists in inaccessible uplands but little remains in lowlands due to unprecedented rates of deforestation (Sodhi et al. 2010; Gaveau et al. 2014). In Sabah Malaysia, conversion to oil palm agriculture has driven forest extent from 86% in 1953 to below 50% (McMorrow Talip 2001). Premature harvesting of previously logged areas has also been common (Reynolds et al. 2011). This forest loss and degradation is threatening many SE Asian plants (Sodhi et al. 2010), including members of the Dipterocarpaceae who dominate these forests and are a valuable timber source (Maycock et al. 2012). But a growing body of evidence is showing that selectively logged forest harbours greater ecosystem value than agricultural land, and even fragmented primary forest within an agricultural landscape, so long as they are not too degraded (Berry et al. 2010; Putz et al. 2012; Edwards et al. 2014). Some are calling to protect these vast areas from further land conversion, and maximise their conservation value by replanting with dipterocarps (Kettle 2010). Enrichment planting is the practice of replanting seedlings into residual stands of selectively logged forest that are poorly stocked with the harvested species. The primary aims are to restock target species, either permanently or for future harvests, while rehabilitating the degraded ecosystem. Tropical tree species are often naturally found at low density so replanting logged species may help to supplement natural regeneration and overcome recruitment limitation. This might be particularly necessary for dipterocarps whose reproductive biology (irregular masting reproduction, low dispersal, no seedbank, and vulnerable seedling banks) may jeopardise regeneration. Enrichment planting aims to overcome dispersal and recruitment limitation, speeding the return to tall, complex canopies. However, evidence for the effectiveness of enrichment planting is incomplete despite its widespread implementation since the 1960s (Chan et al. 2008). Success will depend on how many natural seedlings remain and whether enough planted seedlings survive to recreate the pre-logging canopy structure. Improvements in enrichment planting techniques have helped to boost success, but progress is far from complete (Chan et al. 2008). The effectiveness of enrichment planting can only be assessed once key evidence gaps have been filled. One key issue is whether effectiveness is hampered by planting at low diversity; single species, or mixtures of a few species, are typically enrichment planted over large areas. The vital rates (survival and growth) of commonly planted species and their environmental preferences are not well known, limiting the ability to match species with favourable planting sites. Whether speciessite matching is at all feasible is unclear since survival may vary over such fine spatial scales that its implementation is unrealistic. The role of tree diversity and how species combine in mixed-species plantings has received even less study. The dipterocarp forests of SE Asia therefore provide a unique situation where enrichment planting schemes can be used to investigate the role of tree diversity for forest functioning and restoration. The Sabah Biodiversity Experiment, part of a network of tree diversity experiments (Verheyen et al. 2015), addresses these questions by manipulating the identity, composition and diversity of enrichment-planted dipterocarps to assess how effectively this practice can restore the functioning and stability of these selectively logged lowland rainforests (Hector et al. 2011b). Because of the wide spacing of planted seedlings (3 seedlings per 10 m of planting line) and the background vegetation left after logging, we did not expect to see biodiversity effects based on complementary species interactions this early in the experiment. Even so, enrichment planting does provide the potential for an insurance effect based on intrinsic differences in seedling mortality and growth. The usual practice in enrichment planting schemes is to stock large areas with low-diversity mixtures, often monocultures of seedlings available from nurseries. Monocultures run the risk of recruitment failure if the planted species turns out to be a poor survivor under the given circumstances; tree density may become so depleted that the planting does nothing to supplement natural regeneration (Hector et al. 2011b; Saner et al. 2012). Planting more diverse mixtures might provide a simple insurance against such recruitment failure. Diverse mixtures might also provide a more efficient use of seedlings by avoiding wasteful levels of selfthinning of species with high survival rates. Here, we present the mortality and growth of the first cohort of seedlings during the first decade of the project. We propose and test a potential insurance effect of tree diversity in replanting schemes, in which mixtures avoid the potential two-fold cost of monoculture planting: recruitment failure of the worst surviving species and wasteful self-thinning of the best. Methods Data collection The Sabah Biodiversity Experiment (Hector et al. 2011b) covers 500 ha in the Malua Forest Reserve, a region of selectively logged forest bordering primary forest at Danum Valley Conservation Area located in the Malaysian state of Sabah, Borneo. Malua Forest Reserve, part of the Yayasan Sabah Forest Management Area forest concession, was logged in the late 1980s. Malua was first logged between 1984 and 1986 and, except our experiment site, again in 2007. The anticipated harvest cycle is 50–60 years, the estimated time needed to achieve a species composition similar to unlogged forest (Yamada et al. 2013). The Yayasan Sabah (Sabah Foundation) concession also includes the 30,000 ha Innoprise-FACE Foundation Rainforest Rehabilitation Project (INFAPRO). The Sabah Biodiversity Experiment replicates INFAPRO’s enrichment-planting techniques where possible to maximise the potential for practical recommendations. The experiment contains 124 four-hectare (200 x 200 m) plots, split between two blocks that are north and south of a logging road (see figure 1 in Hector et al. 2011b or Supplementary Material SA1). There are 60 plots in the north block and 64 in the south block. Seedlings were planted 3 m apart along parallel planting lines in a stratified randomised design. Each plot contains 20 planting lines spaced 10 m apart. Ninety-six of these plots comprise a diversity gradient treatment. The remainder are comprised of 12 unplanted controls, and another 16 sixteen-species mixtures that were given enhanced climber cutting (explained below). Only the 96 diversity gradient plots are analysed here. The diversity gradient manipulates species richness using a factorial design, including replicated species compositions within species richness levels (1, 4 and 16 species). Species compositions within the four-species mixtures provide a gradient of generic richness and are designed to produce a range of canopy structures once the planted seedlings mature. Each species richness level has 32 plots. In the enhanced climber-cutting treatment, climbers are cut throughout the whole plot, not just along the lines as in standard enrichment line planting—this is said to improve recovery time during restoration. As with standard enrichment-planting practice, following early mortality, the initial planting cohort of seedlings (cohort 1 planted 2002–2003) were supplemented with a second replanting cohort (cohort 2 planted 2009–2011). Across both cohorts, a total of 96,369 seedlings have been surveyed. Due to the scale of the experiment each full survey took two years to conduct (see Supplementary Material for histograms of seedling age). Although, to complement this large-scale but time-consuming monitoring, a subset of plots have been more intensively sampled—six extra surveys to date (Philipson et al. 2014). Therefore in 12 years there have been two full surveys of all seedlings. The first survey (Nov 2003–May 2005) included only the first cohort of seedlings whilst the second survey included both cohorts (Nov 2011–Sep 2013). Here we analyse survival and growth of the first cohort using both full surveys (survival of the second cohort can only be assessed after the next survey). We recorded survival and size for every seedling each time they were visited. We measured basal diameter (2 cm) and, when they were tall enough, diameter at breast height (1.3 m). During early surveys we took ancillary measurements, such as descriptions of each seedling’s local environment. Study species The 267 species of dipterocarp known to occur in Malaysian Borneo belong to nine diverse genera—and roughly half of these species belong to one genus, Shorea (Ashton 2004). The sixteen species we planted are Dipterocarpus conformis Slooten, Dryobalanops lanceolata Burck, Hopea ferruginea Parij, Hopea sangal Korth., Parashorea malaanonan (Blanco) Merr., Parashorea tomentella (Blanco) Merr., Shorea argentifolia Sym., Shorea beccariana Bruck, Shorea faguetiana Heim., Shorea gibbosa Brandis., Shorea johorensis Foxw., Shorea leprosula Miq., Shorea macrophylla Ashton, Shorea macroptera King, Shorea ovalis Korth., and Shorea parvifolia Dyer (Supplementary Material ST1). All species except D. conformis are members of the Shoreae tribe—though Dipterocarpus is sister to Shoreae and there is mixed support for the monophyly of Shoreae within this clade (Kajita et al. 1998). Shorea, Parashorea and Hopea form a polyphyletic group. Several sections within Shorea, covering multiple commercial timber types, are represented within our species (Ashton 1982). Our species were selected because they (i) represented those found in the surrounding forest, (ii) cover a range of traits and ecological strategies, and (iii) were sufficiently available as seedlings when we planted. The seedlings initially planted were sourced from INFAPRO; a dedicated project nursery was later set up to cultivate newly collected seedlings for the second cohort. Other species that were too scarce for the main experiment have been studied in smaller associated experiments manipulating light and water (Saner et al. 2010; Paine et al. 2012; Philipson et al. 2012; O’Brien et al. 2013, 2014, 2015), producing data on a total of 28 species. SE Asian dipterocarps are emergent, shade-tolerant trees concentrated in aseasonally wet evergreen lowland forest on well-drained soils. They are mostly found below 800 m altitude, and their abundance and diversity declines above 400 m. They produce seeds during mast fruiting events. If these seeds do not germinate quickly they die due to heavy browsing (Hautier et al. 2010) or recalcitrance (O’Brien et al. 2013). Surviving seeds produce a seedling bank. Although dipterocarps are one latesuccessional functional group there is evidence for a trade-off, particularly at the juvenile stage, between growth and survival (Philipson et al. 2014). Dipterocarps reach peak biomass, density and species richness on yellow or red lowland soils, where they comprise >50% aboveground tree biomass and >70% of emergent individuals (Ashton 2004). It is the dipterocarps that give these forests their exceptionally high biomass (Banin et al. 2014). In the 1980s, dipterocarps provided 25% of tropical hardwood supply worldwide, and 80% of this share came just from Shorea (Ashton 1982). Juveniles are easily disturbed during logging, undermining their regeneration; they may not return for centuries in heavily degraded soils (Ashton 2004). Palaeoecological work has shown that SE Asian tropical forests often take centuries to fully recover from disturbance—longer than any other tropical region (Cole et al. 2014). Data analysis Every seedling had its survival and size recorded in each survey (1 = alive, 0 = dead). For cohort 1 there are two surveys of all seedlings, with median age of 752 days at survey 1 and 3691 days at survey 2. Growth and survival of seedling cohort 2 cannot be analysed here as they require a second measurement, which we will have once we conduct a third full census (one of the programme’s next priorities). We could not analyse growth and survival at the seedling level because there was spatial correlation within 200 m that would undermine our inference. We aggregated data to the specieswithin-plot level to remove within-plot spatial correlation (see Supplementary Material SA2). On average, these species-within-plot aggregations were based on 80 survival observations. This left us with 1336 plot-level observations and a minimum of three replicates for any species within a species composition. Survival and growth were modelled by fitting two linear mixed-effects models. Survival was assessed as the proportion of planted seedlings remaining in a plot in a given survey. Growth was assessed as change in average log-transformed basal diameter of those surviving seedlings. We kept explanatory variables as consistent as possible to help compare survival and growth: species-within-plot was fitted as a random effect (one variance for a factor with 672 levels), and the fixed effects were a three-way interaction between species identity (16 levels), species composition (33 levels), plus a representation of survey time that differed between models (as species do not occur in every composition, there are 96 species-within-composition levels). For survival, survey time was a factor with two levels, giving the average proportional survival since planting for each survey (survey 1: 0–2 years since planting; survey 2: 0–10 years since planting). For growth, instead of treating surveys as a factor, survey time was continuous (number of days since planting). The slopes of change in log size between the two surveys gave our estimated growth. Growth was therefore analysed using a subset of the survival data, using only seedlings alive at both surveys (1122 plot-level observations). Both models estimated 193 parameters: one additional variance component and 192 fixed effects. For each of the 96 species-withincomposition levels, the survival model estimated two intercepts, whereas the growth estimated one intercept and one slope. These models were fitted using lme4 v1.1-7 (Bates et al. 2014) in R v3.2.1 (R Core Team 2014). Their model formulas were, meanSurvival ~ species*spComposition*surveyNumber + (1|plot:species) meanLogBasalDiameter ~ species*spComposition*meanSeedlingAge + (1|plot:species) To quantify the overall performance of each species, among species compositions, we took the average of their population-level predicted values. These species-level estimates of growth and survival in each survey were used to assess how strongly species differ, whether their ranking in survival remains consistent over time, and whether they trade off survival against growth. We correlated survival and growth with wood density and specific leaf area, which were estimated from previous experiments within our site using the same seedling cohort (Philipson 2009; Philipson et al. 2012; O’Brien et al. 2013, 2014). Spatial variation in species survival was quantified using predictions from the random effect—plot-level deviations from the overall survival for each species. By tracking the relative effect of every 16-species mixture plot upon each species we could show whether species were responding differently to the same conditions. We tested whether species were truly responding differently to plot conditions by fitting two non-nested models: one allowing species-specific responses to plot conditions and another assuming species respond equally (species-specific responses, (1|plot:species), were compared with (1|plot)). We compared these models by seeing how much AIC improved when species-specific responses were allowed (Pinheiro Bates 2000). Finally, we summarised overall plot-level performance, averaging across species, as the density of surviving seedlings; this was plotted against species richness, and then broken down into specific compositions, to assess whether a spatial insurance effect might confer an advantage to planting more diverse tree mixtures. Results Seedling survival and growth varied widely among species, after two and ten 4.91 years since they were planted (Figure 4.1 top panel; for estimates see Supplementary Material SA2). The proportion of first-cohort seedlings that survived overall was low (0.36 after two years and 0.12 after ten years). Species ranking in survival was consistent over the two surveys (Figure 4.1 bottom panel; Pearson’s r = 0.79). After ten years the seedlings had grown to an average apex height of 1.25 m (max. = 12 m) and average basal diameter of 1.6 cm (max. = 28 cm). There was a trade-off between survival and growth among species—though this fades over time as mortality mounts and proportional survival shrinks (0–2 years, r = -0.63; 2–10 years, r = -0.43). Figure 4.1. Growth trades off with survival. Growth and survival during the two survey intervals (2002–3; 2008–11). Above: Proportional survival (at 2 and 10 years since planting) versus growth rate (change in log basal diameter between survey 1 and 2) for the 16 species, showing a negative trade-off. Below: The proportion of seedlings that survived 0–2 years versus 2–10 years since planting are positively correlated, showing consistent ranking in survival over time. Species codes are shown in Supplementary Material ST1. Grey regression lines show overall trends. Figure 4.2. Survival spatially varies and species respond to environmental variation in different ways. The species identity by environment interaction for seedling survival in the 16-species mixtures. Points represent the average survival of a species in a plot relative to the average of that species over the whole experiment (taken from the plot:species random factor)—so positive values show plots with better-than-average survival. Grey lines join particular plots, illustrating the varying performance of different species in the same conditions. The red line gives one example: while this plot shows above-average survival for some species (e.g. D. conformis shows its highest survival) other species experience below-average survival. We correlated survival and growth after ten years with traits that may link to ecological strategies or insights for planting practice. Wood densities for all species (excluding H. ferruginea whose high mortality prevented trait estimation) positively correlated with survival after ten years (r = 0.78) and negatively correlated with growth (r = -0.50). Specific leaf area weakly correlated with survival (r = 0.06) and growth (r = -0.14). A buffering effect of increased tree diversity may occur if species show varied responses to spatial variation and respond independently or asynchronously to one another. All species showed substantial spatial variation in survival and growth across the 500 ha experiment, though some more than others (Figure 4.2). The species that showed the most variable survival across the experiment were not necessarily those that showed the most variable growth (see Supplementary Material SA2 to compare growth with the survival in Figure 4.2). Species survival also responded to plot-level conditions in different ways, so the most favourable location for one species could be one of the least favourable for another (follow the red line in Figure 4.2). When speciesspecific responses to plot conditions were allowed, AIC and BIC both reduced by ~19, suggesting species truly respond differently to plot conditions. Figure 4.3. Seedling density is less variable in more diverse mixtures. Density of surviving firstcohort seedlings as a function of plot species richness. The data, showing the number of seedlings per ha within each plot, are summarised with box and whiskers: boxes show the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile density, and whiskers extend to the most extreme density values within 1.5 times the inter-quartile range. While the median density remains constant, variation among plots decreases as species richness increases, particularly after two years (survey 1). Figure 4.4. Mixtures avoid detrimentally low and wastefully high densities. Density of surviving first-cohort seedlings after ten years, in 16-species mixtures and monocultures. Small points show densities in each plot and large points are the means. The grey band shows the 95% confidence interval of the 16-species mixture mean. The confidence interval for the probability of survival, p, was obtained using the Wilson method (Held Sabanà ©s Bovà © 2014), then expressed as the number of surviving trees per ha, (p∙n)/4. Many monocultures show extreme densities compared to mixture mean. We cannot assess this insurance effect conclusively due to the early stage of the experiment and the lack of data for the second seedling cohort. However, at the first survey the highest and lowest densities of surviving seedlings were seen in monocultures (Figure 4.3 and Figure 4.4). The species mixtures are no different from the monocultures on average, just as we expected, because interactions between 4.95 seedlings are not yet strong. The variability in density, however, does decrease as species richness increases, particularly after two years (Figure 4.3). And the replicated monocultures of a given species were often more variable than what we saw among the 16-species mixtures (Figure 4.4). Planting more diverse mixtures did initially buffer the density of surviving seedlings after two years, but mortality continued over the following eight years and average density decreased within all species richness treatments. Whether there is a long-term insurance effect of diversity on forest restoration will depend on the immediate and long-term survival of both seedling cohorts. Discussion Despite the early stage of the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment, several clear results emerge from our analysis of survival and growth during its initial decade. Firstly, we found a clear life-history trade-off between survival versus growth and consistent differences amongst our sixteen dipterocarps in their positions along this trade-off (Figure 4.1). Secondly, not only did species differ on average but they also responded differently to spatial variation, suggesting they specialise on different conditions (Figure 4.2). Thirdly, as expected given the wide spacing of the planted seedlings, there is no evidence of complementary species interactions in mixtures yet (Figure 4.3). Finally, the most extreme high and low seedling densities are found in particular monocultures (Figure 4.4). We discuss each of these points in turn before considering their relevance for enrichment planting schemes and the potential insurance effect of tree diversity in forest restoration. The trade-off between survival and growth The results of our more general analysis here support the conclusions of an earlier, more detailed analysis that identified a trade-off between growth and survival (Philipson et al. 2014). Our earlier work showed that these dipterocarps trade off survival against growth generally, irrespective of the light conditions they are exposed to: all species were affected by light, but their ability to grow or survive relative to others remained unchanged. This follows work in other tree communities showing that the growth-survival trade-off is a major axis of life-history variation (e.g. Grubb 1977; Pacala et al. 1996; Wright et al. 2010). While species differences in survival rates were consistent over time in our study, species estimates of survival are not completely consistent with other studies. When comparing our survival estimates with those at the nearby INFAPRO enrichment-planting sites, the same species observed over a similar timescale experienced unrelated levels of mortality (Godoong et al., unpublished data). Among the species found in both our experiment and the INFAPRO site, those that have shown the best survival so far in our experiment have not been the best survivors at INFAPRO. For example, D. lanceolata was clearly the best survivor at INFAPRO after 13 years, with approximately 30% survival—twice the survival rate shown by any other species at the time. However in our experiment, S. ovalis, also planted at INFAPRO, attained higher survival than D. lanceolata. These differences between our experiment and INFAPRO could be due to numerous factors, including age of seedlings and site-spe cific conditions (see below). Trait-mediated trade-offs Various authors have hypothesized links between demographic rates and plant traits, in particular wood density and specific leaf area (King et al. 2006; Sterck et al. 2006; Kraft et al. 2010), although some are more cautious (Anten Schieving 2010; Larjavaara Muller-Landau 2010; Paine et al. 2015). Both the results of this analysis and of our earlier work support the link of the survival versus growth trade-off with wood density, such that species with denser wood have higher survival but lower growth rates. On the other hand, both our current analysis and earlier work found no association with specific leaf area. We did find that average survival of species were positively correlated with both total biomass and root mass ratio of the initial sample of harvested seedlings, as is often found (Chan et al. 2008). Related experiments at the same site (with 8 dipterocarps including 7 of the species used here) have shown that indivi duals and species with higher levels of non-structural (soluble) carbohydrates survive longer under extreme drought—a major cause of tropical tree mortality that may be exacerbated by climate change (O’Brien et al. 2014, 2015). Extending this work on non-structural carbohydrates and drought survival to the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment is a next priority for the project. Spatial heterogeneity and species-by-environment interactions One strategy to improve enrichment planting survival rates may be to plant species in sites that will optimise their growth and survival based on their known ecology (Kettle 2010). If species respond to large-scale differences amongst sites in differing ways then there may be potential. However, if site conditions are fine-grained they may be at too small a scale to make species-site matching practical. Spatial variation in mortality over the 500 ha Sabah Biodiversity Experiment site was 4.98 substantial. Elevation is generally highest in th e most northerly and southerly areas, decreasing towards the road separating the north and south blocks. There were no discernible effects of the road, nor the river (Supplementary Material SA2). Within distances of 200 m or less (within plots), percentage survival commonly varied  ±10% from average and more extreme fluctuations were twice this in magnitude. Within plots, seedlings were planted with 3-m spacing along parallel lines 10 m apart. Survival tends to be more similar within lines than among them as would be expected given the shared conditions along lines (e.g. conditions when the line was planted; damage by elephants that use lines to move through the forest; canopy openness and light levels). So, while our results do show that species respond to site conditions differently, the most relevant conditions may vary at too fine a scale for species-site matching to be practical. This is supported by studies relating seedling survival to micro-topography and associated differ ences in soil moisture (Born et al. 2015). Lack of interactions between species in mixtures As we expected, we found no evidence for an effect of plot species richness (or composition) on growth or survival. This is because there is limited scope for interactions between trees during the early stages of the experiment given their size relative to the planting density (pre-mortality) of 3 x 10 m. However, while the average seedling height to apical meristem in 2013 was only about 1 m (including the younger second seedling cohort, see Supplementary Material SA2) some of the larger survivors from the first cohort were already approaching sizes (12 m) where they may interact with neighbours, especially along planting lines. Regular measurement of survival and growth will allow us to detect when enrichment-planted seedlings start to strongly interact. Enrichment planting We found high mortality for the first seedling cohort, with only 35% remaining after two years and 12% after a decade. Rapid mortality is typical for enrichment planting—hence the replanting—but levels in our experiment are higher than some rates reported elsewhere (Chan et al. 2008) and for the nearby INFAPRO (~50% at 3 years; MS and SWY) and INIKEA projects (~30-60% at 10 years). Intensive maintenance after planting improves survival rates (Ã…djers et al. 1995) so it is possible that some enrichment planting schemes may achieve better survival through this route. The state of the planted seedling stock also impacts survival and growth, so it will be interesting to compare the mortality reported here with the second cohort, which came from different stock. A new survey that includes measurement of the second cohort is therefore a priority for the project. One caveat when comparing our results with the wider literature is that our seedling densities are based strictly on the enrichment-planted seedlings, whereas other projects may inadvertently or deliberately also include naturall y-occurring seedlings. Potential insurance effect of tree diversity in forest restoration Due to the small seedling size relative to the planting density we knew there would be limited scope for interactions between species in mixtures during the initial stage of the experiment. However, we did anticipate that species differences in survival rates could provide the basis for an insurance effect of tree diversity, in which species mixtures avoid the potential recruitment failure of monocultures with low survival and the potentially wasteful self-thinning in stands of species with the highest survival. Our results show how the survival rates of these species are variable and susceptible to spatial variation, which could generate such an insurance effect. However, it is too early to predict the eventual densities of different monocultures and mixtures, or what levels of self-thinning and recruitment failure will result. In comparison, the INFAPRO project’s original goal was to r each a density of 15–30 mature harvestable (>60 cm dbh) dipterocarps per ha to replace the trees that logging operations removed (the INFAPRO area has since been protected from commercial logging). The trade-off between survival and growth means that these two contributions to stem area tend to cancel out, producing some plots with a higher density of smaller trees and others with a lower density of larger trees. However, in the long term we expect fast-growing species (lower survival and wood density) to be replaced by slow-growing species (higher survival and denser wood). Regular long-term monitoring will be essential to identify the role of tree diversity in the functioning of these ecosystems and its underlying biological mechanisms. Next Page – Ch 5: The Effects Of Organic Farming On Biodiversity Previous Page – Ch 3: How Do More Diverse Plant Communities Increase Ecosystem Functions

Adolescent Obesity in Canada

Adolescent Obesity in Canada Free Online Research Papers When is it too much? Since when has a simple act of eating become one of the world’s biggest issues? Since when has adolescent obesity caused so much mental damage to adolescents? Recent studies have shown that approximately 16 percent of adolescents are obese in the United States when in the 1960’s it was only four percent(FDA). What is being obese? MedicineNet defines being obese as being over twenty percent over their ideal weight. This varies from gender, age and height and adolescents being defined as students from ages 13-17.(MedicineNet) Obesity became a problem for adolescents when fast food restaurants became the most viable nutritional option. Luckily for Quebec schools, however, the Premier Jean-Charest passed a bill banning schools from serving or selling fast food. â€Å"Kids who eat better, who are well-fed, with a balanced diet, have more chances of having a healthy lifestyle, of being able to concentrate and to function to the maximum of their capacity, said Jean-Charest, the Premier of Quebec (CBC). Most of these teenagers become obese because it is a genetic trait from their parents. It is known that adolescents have a bigger appetite during adolescence generating a real passion for food. Many schools have decide to sell out to fast food companies and let their students have easy access to unhealthy food; making obesity in adolescents a common problem. Taking fast food out of schools and replacing them with more nutritional foods would promote healthy eating to adolescents. Schools should take a bigger part in the health of adolescents by banning fast food in schools because of stress, physical health and the fast food industry influence. Adolescent obesity causes major amounts of mental stress that can affect their behaviour in school which is why schools should make sure their students keep a positive and healthy lifestyle. Studies have also shown that when adolescents become obese and rely on food as a comfort zone, they do not do as well as other students academically and physically. They become lazy and stressed which leads to more eating. This routine causes emotional stress and can even lead to mental illness. This depression makes it even harder for obese teenagers to work out. â€Å"Fast food is also inexpensive; most menu items offer a full meal for under ten dollars. It is easy to see why fast food is so popular these days- it is convenient and reduces our stress† (Hyde 1). Though fast food is convenient, it is addictive and its satisfaction is only temporary. The stress it relieves is also temporary because, just like cigarettes, it is easily accessible but in the long term it increases stress. Fast food may be inexpensive, but adolescents cannot afford to become lazy and inactive over the long-term. It is the school’s responsibility to ensure that health of its students is a top priority. Over the years fast food has been served throughout many schools causing very unhealthy lifestyles but it reached a new level on December 8th, 2007 when ABC news reported that McDonald’s coupons are being printed on student’s report cards. Certain schools in Florida and many other places have decided to let McDonald’s promote their fatty foods to students who get good grades. The deal between these schools and McDonald’s is that every student that gets A’s or B’s will have a McDonald’s coupon for a free Big Mac. The schools are rewarding good students by giving them fatty foods. The schools commented saying that McDonald’s is contributing to the school by adding to the school’s budget. This was helpful to schools that wanted to increase their budget. This situation is not only in the United States, in Fredericton, Canada, a crowd of students at a local high school were interviewed. CTV news interviewed certain studen ts asking them why they had left school to eat at the nearest McDonald’s. They said that the school food was not good. The B.C. government said that by 2009, all junk food would be banned in schools (CTV). The McDonald’s representatives say that they never approached the schools, the schools came to them. One example of these schools is a certain school in Florida that was paid $1,600 to put a free burger or fries coupon on every single report card containing all A’s or B’s. â€Å"Teaching healthy eating in the classroom and providing fast-food vouchers for fundraising efforts is not sending a consistent message (Neville). Putting fast food vouchers on report cards only leads to confusion. â€Å"To have significant use of fast-food vouchers very much flies in the face of all the efforts to remove these poor food choices† (Haikerwal). Schools should not confuse their students by teaching them to not eat fast food while giving them McDonald’s coupons; they should find other ways to avoid advertising fast food as it is the school’s responsibility. The physical health of adolescents is in danger when unhealthy food is easily accessible. Most schools have one to two physical education classes each week. A simple adjustment made by the school could give students proper exercise and would help them live a healthy lifestyle. In many schools there are laws about recess but in some schools children are not allowed to play tag or even run. This does not promote an active lifestyle. Some people debate that it is the parent’s responsibility to make sure that their children are healthy, physically and mentally. They say that parents should talk to their child about exercise and educate them about it. It is a dangerous to assume that parents are always capable to take care of their children. It is the school’s responsibility to educate. It is their responsibility because, unless homeschooled, children spend most of their day at school. If school prepares you for life, then shouldn’t it tell you how to eat right therefore simply showing students how to eat healthy in small easy steps might encourage them to try and live a healthy lifestyle. â€Å"From 25-40 percent of children inherit the tendency towards overweight† (HelpGuide). For the reason of parents not having enough time with their children, schools should teach their students how to maintain a healthy lifestyle to avoid adolescent obesity. Fast food is becoming easily accessible and it is the responsibility of the schools to make sure that students are not exposed or encouraged to eat it in schools. Fast food companies around the world used different tactics to advertise to adolescents and have put fast food in some schools. This made many schools ban fast food in vending machines. A recent survey was taken at 345 high schools all around the United States asking them what they sell, how much they make and how much each product takes in. The results showed that all schools said fast food makes up 70 percent of all food sales. The schools should not encourage eating fast food on a regular basis. They should be helping all students by not serving fast food and making sure no students bring fast food with them to school which might encourage other students to do the same. One might argue that the fast food companies benefit the schools by helping the funding. What many don’t realize is that staying healthy is as important if not more important than education. Making sure that children know how to eat right is extremely important and they must know what is healthy and what isn’t therefore schools can use advertising of fast food but not in any blatant form that would send the wrong message to students. Schools should focus more on the students’ health and exercise rather than advertising fast food because it will lead to obesity at an even younger age. Schools should take a bigger part in the health of adolescents by banning fast food in schools because of stress, physical health and the fast food industry influence. The schools should remove vending machines and fast food as an option for lunch as it is extremely unhealthy and can lead to an obese lifestyle. Schools should set their priorities straight because if schools will advertise fast food and not show students how to live a healthy lifestyle then there will be very few who will be able to eat right. By keeping all these fast foods from schools and out of the students’ reach, the students will not have easy access to it in schools and this will promote eating healthy. Children who have one obese parents have a 50 percent chance of being obese. To prevent obesity from being passed down through parents, we should teach adolescents about the healthy lifestyle and what it can do. Obesity can lead to diabetes and heart diseases therefore the school should take full respons ibilities of the students. Research Papers on Adolescent Obesity in CanadaStandardized TestingQuebec and CanadaGenetic EngineeringEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenThe Effects of Illegal Immigration19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductHip-Hop is ArtNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 Europe

The Core Characteristics of Social Psychology

The Core Characteristics of Social Psychology Introduction: What is social psychology? Social psychology is a scientific discipline in which social scientists attempt to look at the influence of other people on an individual’s feelings, behavior, and thoughts. In most cases, the presence of other people in an individual’s surrounding is taken to be actual, implied, or imagined (Fiske, 2010, p. 4; Sanderson, 2010, p. 4).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Core Characteristics of Social Psychology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In essence, social psychology revolves around the study of social influence, which is the impact of other human beings on others, and thus people tend to do what others (in their immediate environment) are doing at a given period in time. As a result, the human being(s) that influence one or more persons in the social set-up constitute a social situation. Therefore, social situations can be anything from one person (bystander) to a group of people (students in a classroom). This paper seeks to analyze the core characteristics of social psychology before looking at the concept of situationism and its relevance to social psychology. Finally, the paper will look at the core social motives and their significance to the field of social psychology. The core characteristics of social psychology There are four core features of social psychology including broad scope, cultural mandate, scientific methods, and search for wisdom (Fiske, 2010, pp. 29-34). As noted in the foregoing discussions, the fact that social psychology entails the study of the social influence makes it have a broad scope in many aspects. Here, it is important to note that social influence exists because people are always motivated to exist and/or comply with different social situations. For instance, social influence is the driving force behind fashion dynamics, career choices, politics, and sports among other human activities or b ehaviors. Therefore, since social psychology aims at looking into each of these social activities relative to the conduct of the human beings involved, its scope is not limited to only a few items. As a result, for one to adequately cover the topic of social influence there is the need to break it down into manageable subcategories, which will then form the basis of scientific experiments and other investigations. On the other hand, social psychology is culturally mandated in that its evolution/development is pegged on cultural changes, which in turn implies that people will devise different social motives in order to survive in the ever-changing/diverse cultures in the contemporary societies.Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, in the recent past, if one wanted to predict the behavior of another person, and in turn explain why the latter acted in whichev er way, the explanation will be based on religion or tradition. However, with emergence of social sciences, human behavior can be examined and elaborated on the basis of scientific methods, theories, and hypotheses. Simply put, social psychology and other social sciences provide various scientific explanations, which underpin social behavior and cultures in the contemporary society (Fiske, 2010, p. 33). Further, scientific methods form the integral part of social psychology in that they aid the development of theories and their validation in order to provide the scientific understanding of human behavior. Moreover, the knowledge base informing social psychology is based on various aspects of the scientific methods including techniques, methodologies, analyses, and standards. Finally, scientific methods supply the research strategies needed in social psychology. For instance, it is common practice for social psychologists to carry out experimental and observational research studies w hile observing some stipulated procedures and standards before making final statements about the influence of people on others (Fiske, 2010). Accordingly, the goals and objectives of any research survey under the field of social psychology are based on the need to search for wisdom. Here, since social psychology intends to tackle practical social issues, it is obvious that the scientific knowledge put forth is meant to build on existing knowledge and making the whole society knowledgeable. Most importantly, the practical implications of the knowledge gathered from scientific investigations form the key goal of almost all social psychology experiments. Hence, it is widely believed that if people are made to understand how and why people influence others, perhaps the negative implications of social influence will be ameliorated at some point. Overall, the scientific knowledge obtained in social psychology fits into the much needed wisdom in the world today (Fiske, 2010).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Core Characteristics of Social Psychology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Situationism The concept of situationism underlies the scientific relevance of the social context in investigating social influence. Unlike the belief that social behavior is occasioned by individual personality, Fiske (2010, p. 7) posits that social behavior is a product of people’s immediate surroundings (social context). Therefore, experiments conducted by Lewin and his students have shown that the impact of situations on social behaviors surpasses individual personalities. In most cases, situations tend to be democratic in that social situations will always influence all the people involved irrespective of their personalities. Therefore, social situations can be used to predict social behaviors. Unlike ordinary people, social psychologists find situations to be more important than personalities in in vestigating people’s behavior because of various reasons. First, ordinary people tend to over-rely on personalities more than situations in explaining human behaviors. Secondly, it is widely accepted that the study of personality is a complex topic that should be studied as a single entity. Moreover, personality theorists tend to disagree on the methods of measuring personality. Thirdly, the personality-based explanation of human behavior is deficient in terms of measuring/predicting specific behaviors in a random situation. Sometimes, situations and personalities taken together have been found to be more accurate in predicting specific behaviors. Therefore, as scientists, social psychologists find it more appropriate to engage the concept of situationism in explaining and predicting behavior because it is a concept that is usually underestimated in most studies (Fiske, 2010, p. 10). Core social motives As noted earlier, for people to survive in a given group, there is the ne ed to devise ways (social motives) that fit into the existing social situation. Therefore, social motives are the fundamental psychological processes, which inform people’s behaviors, feelings, and thoughts in the presence of other people. According to Fiske (2010), the major social motives are trusting, understanding, belonging, controlling, and self-enhancing. These motives are the product of the interaction between personality and situations unlike other personality predispositions, which predict consistent behaviors irrespective of the underlying situations. Therefore, each of these core motives is important to social psychology because they inform different psychological analyses.Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Here, studies have shown that a motive is the driving force behind the behavioral characteristics of a person existing in a given situation (life space). Furthermore, certain defining characteristics of a situation serve to facilitate or hinder the behavioral changes in a person (Fiske, 2010, p. 15). Accordingly, the situational characteristics acquire either negative or positive values (Valence) depending on an individual’s perception of the situation. Therefore, there is evidence to suggest that the social motives underlie situationism, which as earlier stated, is an important concept in social psychology. Moreover, social psychologists agree that a person’s motives characterize a psychological situation relative to that individual’s interpretations, and thus form the basis of situationism. Accordingly, social motives are important in explaining, describing, and unifying various seemingly independent lines of psychological research in that they inform specific theories and research methodologies in social psychology (Fiske, 2010). However, despite that the motives have not been adopted into research as a framework, there seems to be widespread acceptance of the five motives by both social and personality psychologists. As a result, there is the need to devise ways of incorporating these motives as a framework in future studies involving human behavior and social influence. References Fiske, S.T. (2010). Social beings: Core motives in social psychology (2nd ed.). River Street, Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons, Inc. Web. Sanderson, C.A. (2010). Social psychology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons, Inc. Web.

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

Autobiographical Narrative - Essay Example ces, although I did not want to be a high school teacher, listening to my mum and her students arguing about various issues in literature sparked my curiosity. I enjoyed hearing them criticize each other and I wished someday I could have the courage and knowledge to debate issues as competently as my mum could. As I grew up, I became an active debater from grade school through to high school, I studied widely more so in literature and politics, which were my favorite subjects. In high school, I ran for the position of class representative and I won. As a class representative, I had the chance to discuss issues that affected students with teachers and with fellow students. I discovered a completely new world of intrigues and vested interest albeit limited to a high school level. Afterwards when I joined college, I continued with my interest in student politics, however it is possible that the gusto with which I immersed myself may have negatively impacted on my performance as since after the first year, my mother insisted that until I stopped scoring anything below B minus, I would have to give politics a wide berth. Frankly, I thought she was being paranoid and overprotective but after giving the matter considerable thought, I decided to conform, not so much because I agreed with her opinion but out of respect and the fact that she had brought me up to respect my elders. It was during my hiatus from active politics that I discovered my other talent which came to dominate my next three years and which took the place of my interest in politics. One of the subjects in that I was failing was contemporary literature and my professor suggested that I might want to try writing something for myself and see how it compares to the work of some of the writers I was s tudying. I started reporting about the student politics and in one particularly sensational case, I investigated; I discovered two candidates for campus leadership had been involved in smear campaigns against

Process of exploring acomplex situation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Process of exploring acomplex situation - Essay Example Technology is one particular element in the current human culture that connects every nationality together in the present system of things. The material culture that it opens up to the current human generation actually increases the capability of the people to relate to each other even beyond understanding the cultures and values of each nationality through the existence of language. Likely, the idea is that technology becomes an undeniably fine link between people around the world today especially because of the advancement that it implies on every group of people regardless of their culture and values as members of the human society. Certainly, although different, people are made one with the help of the recognition and understanding of different norms and regularities in the human society. Meanwhile, perspective naturally refers to individual belief. It may or may not be accordingly related to the worldviews accepted by the society, but it certainly is based upon one's own understanding and beliefs. For instance, such matter could be identified through the understanding of one's culture. Elements of culture are significant in explaining the differences of people in the different areas of the world. Understandably, such elements make a certain implication on how and who a certain group of people is depending on their perceptions of life, their language and their historical background as well. Likely, such elements of culture are used to identify people regarding their lifestyle and how they are actually able to contribute to the development of the society at present. Value conflict usually occurs when a person's ideas of something or someone does not connect with that of the others. Likely, in terms of language, such situation occurs when one does not understand a language based on the perception of others. If one foreigner does not understand the way English should be understood, comprehension of the conversation becomes impossible. Perspective is then based upon the belief of a person and the basic understanding that he has upon himself and the society that he lives in. 3. (a) Read through the article of The Environmental Crisis (at the end of TMA 01).As you read through the article create one summary spray diagram to illustrate the main ideas you obtained from the article material. (15% marks) (b) Then create a rich picture for the article. The rich picture should capture both what you have read about and what you personally think and feel about this issue. (15% marks) The environment exists in connection with the kind of society that lives in it, everyone living in it then should recognize the responsibility they have towards protecting the resources provided by the environment to them. (c) Determine if this issue is a mess or a difficulty. Give justification for your choice (not more than 200 words). Your justification should indicate that you have understood the concept of these situations. (20% marks) At the present, the society is critically involved and focused with the rapid industrialization and the technological advancement in every field that is connected

A comparison of black no more by george schuyler and the souls of black folk by w e b du bois Essay Example for Free

A comparison of black no more by george schuyler and the souls of black folk by w e b du bois Essay As African Americans who lived around the turn of the 20th century, both George S. Schuyler and W.E.B. Du Bois encountered the issue of race in the United States in the intimate fashion. The identity of the African American was an unresolved question during this period, and as prolific writers and social commentators, these two men constructed solutions to this matter through their respective literary approach. Schuyler composed a provocative narrative entitled Black No More, which offered an answer to the issue of race through satire. Du Bois alternatively held a more practical approach to dissolving racial barriers in the United States, which took into account the identity of the modern African American within a series of essays entitled The Souls of Black Folk. To the same extent that their literary styles differed, so too did their perspectives on race. Through fictional example, Schuyler regarded race as a quality among human beings which served to mislead, allowing it to be wielded as a tool for separation and disparity among the groups which is defined, while Du Bois’ insight into the Afro-American condition, both past, and present, uplifted race as being a stronghold of community and therefore a source of individual empowerment. In Black No More, Schuyler presented the quality of race as an obstacle that stood between African Americans and realizing their true identity. Schuyler understood, as did all African Americans in the 1930s, that the problem with race is the social pressure that being of a certain race can impose. Being of an inferior race, it can barricade an individual and a group’s collective aspirations. Race can be reminiscent of a smokescreen that hangs before one’s actual identity. If this is the case, race becomes something that we want to escape and to transcend. Given this confinement, Black No More presents the idea that if we were able to change our race, we should. As compared to finding a way for the black community to assimilate into the white community through social reform, Schuyler proposed an end to the color line by assimilating African Americans visually. Through Dr. Junius Crookman’s technological creation, known as Black No More, Inc., the skin of blacks ca n miraculously be turned white. In the book, the process is tremendously effective because the black people who undergo the Black No More process are not only white in color but become virtually indistinguishable from whites in physical appearance as well. This provided an avenue for many people to live a life of increased privilege without the anxiety of racial discrimination. In spite of all of the promise that this business scheme presented, by erasing the black population in the United States, Crookman effectively erodes the significance of race along with it. The dynamic of race changes from an inherent, inborn quality that all human beings possess to something that is constructed and we, therefore, have a choice in deciding. As the birth of black babies from seemingly white couples within the novel indicates, the race is still defined to be a genetic characteristic. In such a world where the color of one’s skin is mutable, however, the race has meaning only as something socially constructed. In alignment with the selfish views that many of Schuyler’s characters possess, we would all choose to be white because it is the race that is in the majority and provides the greatest personal advantage. In this context, the race is a fiction. Given this notion that race resembles a smokescreen that clouds our true identity, Black No More shows how race can be very misleading. African Americans living during the early 20th century felt their culture to be inferior to that of whites and the attitudes of black characters within the book are a reflection of that sentiment. Instead of promoting an inferior culture, the normative choice for them was to look for ways to become white. This ability to fully enter into white culture is what made Black No More such a lucrative business. Schuyler, however, was convinced that black culture was equal to that of white culture, and articulated this lack of difference through the intelligence that many of his black, or previously black characters possess in contrast to the white characters. Dr. Crookman, for example, is clearly very intelligent to have created such a powerful force behind the Black No More operation. Additionally, Max, the guinea pig of the operation, lives in a world tha t has convinced him that he is inferior by his skin color alone, yet he becomes a white man, who goes out to exploit droves of white men for his own personal gain. The setbacks which Max faced as a black man were not innate, but were imposed by society. Max is a smart individual, and the only factor that played into his social disparity before and after his transformation was the color of his skin. Yet, undergoing such a seemingly simple transition from black to white indicates the lack of a black culture. This lack of a black culture was seen through Max’s lack of self-evaluation when undergoing the Black No More process. There is no regret that Max encounters by turning his back on his kind, and neither do the individuals that follow him in the process. The only thing Max realizes is the lie that white culture perpetuates. For as much freedom and as many liberties as being white provides, the superiority of white culture in comparison to a black culture within the United States has misled him into thinking that white people are more interesting than they truly are, while that is simply not the case. Even though Max finds the black culture more interesting, he still does not think twice about turning his back on his kind in exchange for greater prosperity and happiness. Considering that race can be manipulated to change one’s appearance and consequently, their liberties, race exists as a tool. One would imagine that the abolition of blackness in Black No More would result in an end to racism, the solution to the race problem in the United States yet, in a paradoxical twist, a color line must be fabricated. It becomes known that the extremely pale people are the black people who turned white. Pale individuals become the target of discrimination, which influences all people to collectively desire a darker skin color. Instead of being a bastion of values that has the ability to unite groups of people, the race is acknowledged as something divisive. This is signified by the droves of African Americans who turn their back on their kind with little thought and pay for the Black No More process day after day. In a capitalist society, the race ultimately matters more than class. As compared to a world where race is indicative of something beneath the surface, Black No More creates a reality in which race is controllable, and at the fee of $50, it is a tool accessible for all black people, even in a post-Depression society. To use race as a means of providing an underclass is a problem that is deeply rooted in our economic system, and cannot be purged without great social change. Schuyler conveyed the absurdity of this system through the public lynching of the book’s political figures. This event shows that even at a time when there is great social change, humans still possess a fundamental desire to discriminate against others based on the color of their skin. As a former socialist, Schuyler may have been making a point about the flaw of the capitalist system, but the oppression of others is an ethical matter that undoubtedly falls upon the shoulders of the American people. Instead of intending to fabricate a panacea to the tune of Black No More, Inc., Du Bois’ intent within The Souls of Black Folk was to flesh out the impediment that being black provided for the African American individual. Du Bois’ main concern in his essays rested in what he called the â€Å"veil.† This veil is a symbol of the ignorance of America towards the problems of blacks. It blocks insight into the problems of African Americans and serves to prevent blacks from taking their place in society as full American citizens. Until the veil is removed, argued Du Bois, the continuing schism between the two races will grow wider and wider. Closely tied to the concept of the veil is that of double consciousness, or the process by which blacks have two identities within one body. Du Bois historically charts the development of the ‘World Spirit’ through its many peoples: Chinese, Egyptians, Indians, Greeks, Romans and Germans. Of this 7th type, the African American, Du Bois conceives sort of the seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world—a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world†1 It is this seventh son, who possesses a distinct â€Å"twoness.† For Du Bois, the African American possessed no direct vision but was measured only by the tape of the white world that oppressed him. This seventh son lives as both an American and an African American. The trouble with this was not the possession of two identities, but the possession of two contradictory identities. To survive i n America, the black man must assimilate, yet he has bound to a unifying sense of community that his color provides. This duality of serving as a kind of self-alienation for the black individual. Although the African American alone shares this crisis of identity, Du Bois expressed that this uniqueness of boring a united community that was empowered by their shared experience. Du Bois noted that the black community was signified by a number of defining cultural developments. In particular, he gave credit to the African American church as an institution that served to bind the souls of black folk. He described the church as â€Å"a real conserver of morals, a strengthener of family life, and the final authority on what is Good and Right.2 While some churches had simply become places of business that aimed to avoid unpleasant questions both within and without the black world,†3 they still remained a place where social, political, and economic inequity could be addressed in a public forum. The development of African American spirituals, or â€Å"sorrow songs,† also spoke to a development in which hope and community had been forged from despair. Sorrow songs had a gr eat depth of meaning to them and were written at the intersection of history, poetry, celebration, sadness, and soul. They had been refined through years of repetition and were songs that brought together a group through the collective spirit that is embodied within the song. The ability for spirituals to reinforce the value of preserving a distinctly black culture may have been the reason for why Du Bois called this music â€Å"the greatest gift of the Negro people.†4 Both the church and sorrow songs provided an avenue for African Americans to turn angst and frustration regarding their racial barriers into strength through numbers. Only other African Americans could truly empathize with their struggle and this public recognition of their shared plight served to channel negative emotions into an atmosphere of hope. According to Du Bois, the mutual understanding of the black community did not only serve uplift the African American; it defined him. The solution to many of the problems that afflicted African Americans emerged for Du Bois in the form of education. Du Bois was an impassioned advocate for higher education. While Booker T. Washington focused on educating blacks for the trades and manual labor, Du Bois insisted that blacks should have access to intellectual education rivaling that available to whites. It was through enlightened public schooling that education would not only reach blacks but whites as well. Only through this mutual knowledge could this veil and consequently the affliction of the black individual be lifted. Although Du Bois received a classical education, as the numerous Greek and Roman allusions within his essays display, he did not believe every black should receive a classical education. He recognized that many are not up to the task, but a â€Å"talented tenth† could receive this type of education. These blacks would then go out and spread education and culture within the black community. Du Bois himself is an exemplum of his own ideas, by showing how a black can benefit from education and provide a common ground between black and white. During a speech which addressed the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., Robert F. Kennedy advised that we â€Å"tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.† This quotation serves to characterize the relationship that these two works share. Schuyler’s Black No More provides as a normative view for how people and the idea of race functions in a society, while Du Bois’ The Souls of Black Folk offers a prescriptive view for how all groups in the United States should behave with respect to the presence of race. By virtue of a sweeping and seemingly brilliant solution to the African American identity, Black No More serves to show that there is no immediate solution to problems of race. The most common trait among the characters within Schuyler’s novel, regardless of their race, is the materialist sentiment that they possess. The reality is that individual interests and aspirations of dominance over others will always motivate people. Even in a society with one race, there will always be an effort for individuals to stratify themselves through class. In light of these constants within society, we must uphold the ideals that Du Bois espoused. Whether race is a social construction or it is indicative of something more essential about who we are, its effects on society are very real. Du Bois provides us with a manner of dealing with the ubiquity of the color line, whether black or white. While African Americans may struggle to live with this twoness of identity, race can be an important quality to embrace because it provides the support of a specific community. Guided by the collective good of both races, Du Bois’ proposition for the availability of higher education would ease the social afflictions of black folk by allowing them to achieve greater prosperity and to provide white individuals the ability to better understand and appreciate their position within society. Works Cited 1Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. Oxford Univ Pr, 2009, p. 3. Print. 2Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. Oxford Univ Pr, 2009, p. 128. Print. 3Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. Oxford Univ Pr, 2009, p. 149. Print. 4Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. Oxford Univ Pr, 2009, p. 181. Print.

Violence in the American Workplace Essay -- Business Management Essays

Violence in the American Workplace The American workplace has become a battle ground. Each year thousands of worker’s fall victim to workplace violence, or are at least threatened with acts of violence. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): Workplace violence has emerged as an important safety and health issue in today's workplace. It's most extreme form, homicide, is the second leading cause of fatal occupational injury in the United States. Nearly 1,000 workers are murdered, and 1.5 million are assaulted in the workplace each year. The threat of violence in the workplace is a growing phenomena that affects all levels of the work force from taxi drivers to stock traders. According to information provided by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH): Crime, harassment, and internal violence has created a strikingly visible safety and health problem for the workplace. Recent figures from NIOSH and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that people at work are increasingly exposed to lethal violence. Homicide accounts for 17% of all deaths in the workplace. It was the leading cause of death for women in the workplace in ..... These figures, now well publicized, create a perception that the workplace is not safe. The picture of the angry worker bent on revenge has become the symbol for the sense of betrayal and loss felt by the American worker in the face of the sweeping changes affecting all levels of the workforce. We must now add to this the frightening picture of gas station attendants, store clerks, and taxi drivers who are dying at work in unacceptably high numbers. Although crime statistics are dropping nationally across the board, violence in the workplace... ...o. 8, Pg. 54 - 57, August 1998, American Hospital Publishing, Inc. Fesseden, Ford, et al. "Rampage Killer’s: A Statistical Portrait". New York Times 9 April 20000, pg. 1, col. 1 National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Web Page; http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/violcont.htm; Current Intelligence Bulletin 57: Violence in the Workplace. Risk Factors and Prevention Strategies. July1996, n.p. National Crime Center for Victims of Crime Infolink Web Page; http://207.222.132.10/infolink/info54.htm. Infolink: Workplace Violence - Employer Information. March 8, 2000, n.p. Occupational Safety and Health Administration Web Page; http://www.osha.gov/oshinfo/priorities/violence.html. n.d., n.p. Robinson, Janet L. "10 Facts Every Employer Should Know About Workplace Violence", Smart Business Supersite. Internet Search Engine: Google.com, n.d., n.p.

Huck Finn: an American Masterpiece Essay

For more than two centuries, American authors have consistently produced outstanding works that have achieved national acclaim and international recognition. Many of these works have achieved have come to be celebrated as masterpieces in American literature and influential in the shaping of our nation. Since its publication in 1884, Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has risen to such a status and has been added to the curriculum of most schools. Unlike any other novel of its time, Mark Twain wrote an organic, realistic story drawn from his own personal struggles with being â€Å"sivilized† into the proper manners of society. He employed several literary techniques and methods to insure that his novel would be considered a classic. Three significant aspects of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn include the use of the vernacular, the use of satire, and the depiction of pastoral life in the South. One significant aspect of Huck Finn is the use of the vernacular. One can’t open the novel without noticing distinctly Southern terms like â€Å"bullyragged† and â€Å"corn-dodgers. † This use of the everyday language of the common folk adds a great deal of authenticity and believability to Huck’s adventures. Each character has his or her own bit of a Southern twang. For example, the Dauphin has a traditional, simple accent when he announces to the Wilks family, â€Å"Friends all, my poor brother that lays yonder has done generous by them that’s left behind in the vale of sorrers† (214). Nonetheless, the vernacular is most prominent when Jim speaks. For example, when he explains to Huck why Solomon wasn’t wise, he says, â€Å"I doan’ k’yer what de widder say, he warn’t no wise man nuther. He had some er der dad-fetchedes’ I ever see† (100). In fact, Twain’s novel was far ahead of its times. Something new happened with Huck Finn that had never happened before in American literature. It’s a book that deviated from the well-mannered English tradition of the times. Twain’s novel allows a different kind of writing to happen? a natural, realistic kind of writing that jumps off the page with energy and enthusiasm. Indeed, Huck Finn isn’t a book that can be read. It’s a book that talks. Another well-known aspect of Huck Finn is the use of satire. Twain uses this to explore and poke fun at many aspects of society, and uses Huck’s actions and thoughts to make things like education and the Wisdom of Solomon seem impractical. Religion is frequently satirized in the novel. When Widow Douglas tells Huck about Moses, Huck thinks to himself why she won’t let him smoke, â€Å"Here she was a-bothering about Moses, which was no kin to her, and no use to anybody being gone, you see, yet finding a power of fault with me for doing a thing that had some good in it† (Twain 3). He doesn’t see the point in worrying about people who died three-thousand years ago. Twain satirizes religion again when he describes the Shepherdsons and Grangerfords listening to a sermon about brotherly love at church with guns in between their knees. He also satirizes the Victorian culture of the time period. When Huck arrives at the Grangerford mansion, he is in awe at the intricate and ornate artwork in the parlor. He comments, â€Å"? there was beautiful curtains on the windows; white with pictures painted on them of castles with vines all down the walls, and cattle coming down to drink† (Twain 134). Twain uses Huck to show his own views of the period. Scenes like the one describing the clock on the mantelpiece clearly get the message across that the Grangerfords’ furniture and decorations are both tacky and absurd. Indeed, Twain has much to say about society and uses his characters to get his point across. The last noteworthy aspect of Huck Finn is its depiction of pastoral Southern life. Twain mentions several instances where Huck and Jim are free from the social constraints and problems of â€Å"sivilized† society, describing vivid scenes that call to mind watching the sunset across a pond as the crickets chirp among the cattails. Huck and Jim are truly free to do as they wish on the lazy Mississippi. Here, Huck treats Jim as an equal without a care as to what others may think. Before the two run into the Duke and the Dauphin, Twain describes the wind along the water, â€Å"Then the nice breeze springs up, and comes fanning you from over there, so cool and fresh and sweet to smell on account of the woods and the flowers† (Twain 151). This tranquil moment demonstrates that the South isn’t all about slavery and racism. It’s about enjoying life without all the worries and duties. Thanks to Twain, the American ideal of freedom is Huck and Jim rafting down the Mississippi. Twain also depicts the pastoral ideal when he describes the Phelps’ farm as â€Å"Sunday-like† and â€Å"hot and sunshiny† (Twain 278). He goes on to depict a picturesque farmhouse and lazy gardens. The pastoral ideal has been used to define the meaning of America since its discovery, and it has not yet lost its hold upon the imagination. Quaint scenes like these resonate in America’s heart, hitting strings that evoke a desperate longing for a laidback, carefree lifestyle. This truly is the closest thing there is to perfection, and Twain himself felt an affinity with this pastoral Southern life. Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn will forever be revered as a classic in American literature thanks to his artful style and clever technique. Three significant aspects include the use of the vernacular, the use of satire, and the depiction of pastoral life in the South. These characteristics have made this masterpiece what it is today and have captured the hearts of countless Americans and foreigners alike. Most importantly, Twain’s work set a precedent for future novelists for years to come through its witty language and unique personality. As author Ernest Hemingway commented, â€Å"All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since† (348). Works Cited Hemingway, Ernest. â€Å"All modern American. . . † The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations. Ed. Joseph R. Strayer. 1 vol. New York: Columbia University Press, 1995. Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Pocket, 1994.