4th Grade Writing Prompts

Students in fourth grade need a variety of practice developing their writing skills. According to Common Core State Standards Initiative, fourth-grade writing should include opinion pieces, informative texts, and narratives about real or imagined experiences. Additionally, a fourth-grade  writing curriculum should include short research projects.   These writing prompts offer diverse forms of inspiration for every student. Opinion Essay Writing Prompts In an opinion essay, students must  state their opinion, then back it up with facts and reasons. Ideas should be organized logically and supported by details. Best Friends Forever. Write an essay explaining what makes your best friend the best best friend.  Awesomeness.  Describe the most awesome  thing about being in fourth grade.New Worlds. Would you rather help start a colony on a new planet or a city under the ocean? Why?School Food. Name one thing you would like to change about your school’s menu and explain why.Someday. If you could be a race car driver, an astronaut, or president of a country, which would you choose and why?Cityscapes. If you had a friend visit from another state, what is the one place in your city you would insist he or she had to see? What makes this place so special?Shipwrecked. You find yourself stranded on a deserted island with only 3 items in your backpack. What would you want those items to be and why?Flat Earth. Some people still believe that the Earth is flat. Do you agree or disagree? Include supporting  facts.Extra! Extra! Name one class, sport, or club you wish your school offered and exp lain why it should be available.Seasons. Which season is your favorite and why?One-star. What is the worst book you ever read and what made it so terrible?Fandom. Who is your favorite TV, movie, or music star? What makes him or her the best.Progress.  Identify  something at which you would like to improve about yourself as a student this school year. Explain why you would like to get better and list some steps you can take to make it happen. Informative  Essay Writing Prompts When writing an informative or explanatory essay, students should introduce the topic clearly, then develop the topic with facts and details. When explaining a process, students should outline the steps in a logical order. Bullied. Explain how you would handle  being bullied and the steps you would take to stop a bully.Mad Skills. Describe an unusual talent, hobby, or skill that you possess.Cuisine. Describe a food that is unique to your family or area of the world to someone who has never tasted it.Role Model. Think of a person who has made an impact on your life and describe the role they’ve played.Pay It Forward. What is one thing you would like to do — either now or in the future —  to make the world a better place?Packing. Explain the most effective way to pack for a trip to ensure that you have everything you need.Wild Kingdom. Of all animals, wild or domesticated, which is your favorite? Include interesting  facts about this animal in your essay.Gaming. Explain how to play your favorite video or board game to someone who has never played it before.Problematic. Describe a problem  you’re facing and three ways you could possibly solve it.Extreme Weather. Choose an extreme weather condition or natural disaster, such as a tornado or a volcanic eruption. Explain  its causes and effects.Sweet Treats. Explain the process of making your favorite dessert.Learning Styles. Think of the way you prefer to learn, such as by reading, listening, or doing. Explain why you think you learn best that way.Edison. Thomas Edison said that he didn’t make mistakes; he just learned 10,000 ways not to make a light bulb. Describe a mistake you made and the lesson you learned from it. Narrative  Essay Writing Prompts When writing narrative essays about real or imagined experiences, students should use descriptive details and logical sequence. They can use dialogue and sensory details to develop their essay. Microscopic Details. Imagine being microscopic. Describe an adventurous  trip through your body.Alone. You find yourself locked in your favorite store alone overnight. Where are you and what do you do?Homeless. A friendly stray dog follows you home from school. What happens next?Time Travel. Imagine you could travel back in time to when your mom or dad was your age. Write an essay about your relationship with your fourth-grade parent.Mismatched. Write a story about someone your age. The story must include a giraffe, a mouse, a flying carpet, and a large birdcage.Pet Peeve.  Recount a moment when  something really got on your nerves. Describe the experience and why it irritated you so much.Surprise! Think of a time your teacher surprised your class. Describe what happened and how the class reacted.Special Moments. Think of a specific day or event that you will always remember. What made it so special?Travel Through History. Imagine you could travel back in time to live through o ne event from history. Describe the event and write about your experience.The Most Terrible Day. Write an essay about a day when everything went wrong. How did the day start and end, describe the experience.Road Trip. Write about a favorite family vacation or road trip. Where did you go? What made it special?Funny Pet Tricks.  Can  your pet do a funny or unusual trick? Describe it.President. If you could be president for a day (or the principal of your school), what would you do? Research Project  Essay Writing Prompts Fourth-grade students should also complete short research projects using books, magazines, and online sources. Students should take notes and provide a list of the sources they used in their research. New Puppy. You want a new puppy. Do some research to determine the best breed for your family and write about it.Battles.  Research and write about what you  consider the most significant or famous battle in history.Famous People. Choose a famous person from history or science and write about their lives and contributions.Animal Kingdom. Select an animal to research. Include facts about its behavior, habitat, and diet.Countries. Choose a country. Investigate its culture and holidays, and find out what life there  is like for kids your age.States. Pick a state you’ve never visited. Learn three to  five unique facts about the state to include in your essay.Inventions. What do you think is the greatest or most useful invention of all time? Find out who invented it and how and why it was invented.Native Americans. Choose a Native American tribe. Learn about where they lived, their culture, and their use of natural resources in their area.Endangered Species. Research and wr ite about an animal that is endangered. Include facts about why it is endangered and any changes that people can make to help increase its population.Fine Arts. Learn more about an artist or composer. Include facts about their life and death and most well-known works.Authors. Research  an author whose books you enjoy. Include facts about what inspired him or her to start writing.Dig Deeper.  Research something you’ve studied in  history, science, or  literature  but would like to know more about.State Standouts. Choose a famous person from your state. Learn about his or her life and contributions.

Over 50% of the world lives in poverty, isn’t this devastating Free Essays

There are many meanings to the word â€Å"poverty.† Many of us relate it to the thought of homeless people living on streets or to people living in harsh conditions without money of food. We all have our own opinions, but what really is poverty? Is it what the majority of us think of? Or is it just simply the state of being poor? The word â€Å"poverty† has many meanings and definitions. We will write a custom essay sample on Over 50% of the world lives in poverty, isn’t this devastating? or any similar topic only for you Order Now Many believe that this word can mean â€Å"not having an education† or â€Å"living in the state of hunger† or â€Å"abuse† or living without shelter, or even just being â€Å"lonely.† Some of the reasons for someone to be living in the state of poverty could link to â€Å"war† â€Å"famine† or even because â€Å"parents or members of family have passed away.† Statistics clearly prove that â€Å"one out of 120 people have had to leave their homes due to war† Isn’t this appalling? Poverty can be seen, and also not seen. For example, in some parts of the world you can clearly see people suffering in poverty, some people may be homeless; some might even be suffering from illness that can not be cured due to lack of money. However, some types of poverty can not be seen. For example, pensioners like Mrs Pankania have to make a decisions between buying enough to eat to being warm in the winter. This is because some pensioners have a low pension and can’t enjoy luxuries like us. How would you feel if you had to make a decision between warmth and food? What can you do to Help? As you are probably aware, living in the state of poverty would probably be very harsh. Here are some tips for you to try and help these unfortunate people and make their lives a better place. Uzairs Top Tips 1.) If you are walking down the street, with a handful of unwanted change, and you know the your not really going to take care of it keep it until you come across a charity box. 2.) Make your own charity box. Find an old jar that’s NOT being used and write in bold words- CHARITY! Tell your friends and family to put old change into to it and you shall slowly notice that the amount in the jar show slowly increase. 3.) As said in tip 2, make a charity box, but this time give one to a brother or sister and have a race to see who can fill their charity box the quickest. â€Å"Hopefully these tips will help those in poverty- and make their lives a better place† How to cite Over 50% of the world lives in poverty, isn’t this devastating?, Papers

Ramses II Essay Example For Students

Ramses II Essay While visiting the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, I found numerous works of art that interested me. I was able to appreciate these works more than before because of the knowledge I now possess after having taken this class thus far. Understanding the background, time periods, and history of the works that I was practically analyzing at the museum, made the pieces even more interesting and valuable to behold. The piece of work that captured my eyes the most was the statue of Ramesses II ?. This statue was found at the Heracleopolis, Temple of Harsaphes, in Egypt. This sculpture was made somewhere between 1897 and 1834, during Egypts Middle Kingdom. The artist was probably an ancient Egyptian who was patroned by the Pharaoh Ramesses II himself. According to the museums description of the work, Ramesses II seized this sculpture from a former ruler and the head was replaced to fit Ramesses satisfaction. This is a historical piece to preserve his power and immortality. This statue is an example of freestanding sculpture or sculpture in the round. It has been carved and chiseled out of Quartzite stone. This particular stone is composed mainly or entirely of quartz. The stone is compact and is a form of metamorphosed sandstone in which silica, or quartz, has been deposited between the grains of quartz of which the sandstone is essentially composed. ? Quartzite has a smooth fracture and is found primarily among ancient rocks. ? The subject and iconography of the work is to emphasize the success, reign and power of Ramesses II. According to the museums description, the sculpture also functioned as a place for the non-priests of the community to place votive offerings for the gods of the temple. The non-priests were not allowed in the temples hence the sculpture must have been near the entrance of the temple. There is a slab in front of the pharaohs feet where offerings would have been placed. The statue is rather large and stands approximately 10 feet high and 5 feet wide. The mass of the sculpture is almost overpowering to the observer. Egyptian art is known to be very compact, and this characteristic is evident in the statue of Ramesses II. The sculpture stays within the frame of the stone, nothing in this piece protrudes outside of its frame. The pose of the Pharaoh is consistent with Ancient Egyptian art as well. The Pharaoh is seated with his hands placed on his upper legs. His arms are close to his body at both sides, and his legs are close together and connected to the throne he sits upon. He sits upright in a tranquil manner reflecting power and kingship as well. ? His body is bilaterally symmetrical while his pose is frontal and his movement is suppressed. ? Ramesses II wears a headdress and a fake detachable beard which is missing to denote his rank. This visual evidence, hairstyles, clothes, objects, is common in Ancient Egyptian art to symbolize the status of the figure. When the pharaoh is portrayed, he usually has an elaborate headdress, is larger in scale than other figures around him, wears an elaborate patterned kilt, and is in perfectly fit form. The Ancient Egyptians idealized the body of the pharaoh and were not realistic when it came to portraying the actual facial characteristics of the pharaoh. Although the statue is not being compared to other figures in the work, one can tell by its stance, dress, and mass that the figure is important. Another characteristic of this sculpture is the bulls tail on the back of his kilt, which is visible hanging between his legs. The bull, in Ancient Egypt, was accepted as a sign of power and was associated with the status of the pharaoh. The bull can be seen in many other Ancient Egyptian works of art involving the pharaoh. The sculptures space and form takes up a three dimensional quality and is meant to be viewed from all sides. It is composed into a block of stone. This three-dimensional sculpture occupies both mass and volume. .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a , .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a .postImageUrl , .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a , .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a:hover , .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a:visited , .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a:active { border:0!important; } .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a:active , .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u4bfa8e03fcf614431ec7ecfe3106b79a:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Mastaba - archaelogy EssayThe carving technique used in the sculpture is known as subtractive, taking away from the original form of the stone. The slab of stone the Pharaoh sits upon is utilized as a throne. The back is flat although it ends at the lower back. The works composition is not realistic. The space and atmospheric perspective that the statue encompasses is again compact. Almost all Ancient Egyptian pharaohs are portrayed in this form. The lines and linear perspective of this sculpture follow a simple geometric shape. They are merely to define the simple shape of the body. The lines are somewhat more defining for the headdress but not to the extreme. The body is not as realistic as modern day works but is most similar to the kouros of Ancient Greece. The body is idealized as youthful and physically fit as this was common in Ancient Egyptian art. All royalty and pharaohs were shown in this idealistic state to symbolize their power, reign, and godliness. There is no color visible except for the hue of the stone but it was most likely painted at one point in history. This is because the Ancient Egyptians were known for decorating their sculptures with pigment of some sort. The sculpture being three-dimensional somewhat provides its own light. The grooves of the muscles and face cast some shadow and leave room for depth. The statue of Ramesses II is not proportional. The head, since it was replaced, is small for the works massive body. The feet are awkwardly long for his body along with the hands. This statue represents the historical period of the time. Ramesses II name appears in deeply cut inscription in hieroglyphics on the throne and bases of the statue. According to the museum, there is an inscription on the left side of the throne where an error was made by the sculptor. The duck and sun disc in the title Son of the Sun were reversed and as a result needed to be recarved. The lines involved in the Hieroglyphics are deeply imbedded in the base and all around the sculpture. The hieroglyphics give insight to the historical occurrences of the time. I find that all of the art from Ancient Egypt is very important in providing historical accounts of the time. The Egyptians were a very advanced culture for their time period. This sculpture of Ramesses II is just one example of the numerous artifacts found from the time period. The Egyptians knew what materials to use to preserve their works of art. Their technology and tactics amaze me given their prehistoric classification. Ramesses II is a clear and definite example of the characteristic one would find in many other works of Ancient Egypt. The sculpture of Ramesses II provides us with the knowledge of his status as a pharaoh and the power he held. This was the function that it was intended to give and this is understood by the observer. This is all clear by his composition, size and visual evidence. Ramesses II youth, power and immortality lives on in our knowledge.

Sound Versus Space Essays - Acoustics, Sound, Hearing, Qualia, Waves

Sound Versus Space Very simply, sound is the vibration of any substance. The substance can be air, water, wood, or any other material, and in fact the only place in which sound cannot travel is a vacuum. When these substances vibrate, or rapidly move back and forth, they produce sound. As described in the How We Perceive Sound: The Ear section, our ears gather these vibrations and allow us to interpret them. To be a little more accurate in our definition of sound, however, we must realize that the vibrations that produce sound are not the result of an entire volume moving back and forth at once. If that were the case, the entire atmosphere would need to shift for any sound to be made at all! Instead, the vibrations occur among the individual molecules of the substance, and the vibrations move through the substance in sound waves. As sound waves travel through the material, each molecule hits another and returns to its original position. The result is that regions of the medium become alternately more dense, when they are called condensations, and less dense, when they are called rarefactions. Bibliography Very simply, sound is the vibration of any substance. The substance can be air, water, wood, or any other material, and in fact the only place in which sound cannot travel is a vacuum. When these substances vibrate, or rapidly move back and forth, they produce sound. As described in the How We Perceive Sound: The Ear section, our ears gather these vibrations and allow us to interpret them. To be a little more accurate in our definition of sound, however, we must realize that the vibrations that produce sound are not the result of an entire volume moving back and forth at once. If that were the case, the entire atmosphere would need to shift for any sound to be made at all! Instead, the vibrations occur among the individual molecules of the substance, and the vibrations move through the substance in sound waves. As sound waves travel through the material, each molecule hits another and returns to its original position. The result is that regions of the medium become alternately more dense, when they are called condensations, and less dense, when they are called rarefactions. Very simply, sound is the vibration of any substance. The substance can be air, water, wood, or any other material, and in fact the only place in which sound cannot travel is a vacuum. When these substances vibrate, or rapidly move back and forth, they produce sound. As described in the How We Perceive Sound: The Ear section, our ears gather these vibrations and allow us to interpret them. To be a little more accurate in our definition of sound, however, we must realize that the vibrations that produce sound are not the result of an entire volume moving back and forth at once. If that were the case, the entire atmosphere would need to shift for any sound to be made at all! Instead, the vibrations occur among the individual molecules of the substance, and the vibrations move through the substance in sound waves. As sound waves travel through the material, each molecule hits another and returns to its original position. The result is that regions of the medium become alternately more dense, when they are called condensations, and less dense, when they are called rarefactions. hhhhhhhhi iedidi di diid diiid34 Physics

Best Summary and Analysis The Great Gatsby, Chapter 9

Best Summary and Analysis The Great Gatsby, Chapter 9 SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Just as The Great Gatsbybegan with Nick’s father reminding him about his upbringing, so it ends with Gatsby’s father reminding us about the childhood of James Gatz (Gatsby's real birth name). As one of the few mourners at Gatsby’s very sparsely attended funeral, Mr. Gatz worships his son’s achievements in the way that no one whom Gatsby wanted to impress ever did. The Great GatsbyChapter 9ends with one of the most famous last lines in all Western literature. Read on to see how Fitzgerald connects Gatsby’s story with theuniversal human hope for a better future. Quick Note on Our Citations Our citation format in this guide is (chapter.paragraph). We're using this system since there are many editions of Gatsby, so using page numbers would only work for students with our copy of the book. To find a quotation we cite via chapter and paragraph in your book, you can either eyeball it (Paragraph 1-50: beginning of chapter; 50-100: middle of chapter; 100-on: end of chapter), or use the search function if you're using an online or eReader version of the text. The Great Gatsby: Chapter 9 Summary The police investigation reduces what happened to the simplest possible terms: that Wilson was deranged by grief and killed Gatsby at random. Myrtle’s sister doesn’t tell the police about Myrtle having an affair. Rumors again swirl around Gatsby, and uninvited people again come to his mansion to gawk at where the murder-suicide happened (just like when they came to gawk at his parties).Nick is the only person who is still interested in Gatsby as a human being, and becomes a kind of representative for him - both about the rumors, and also about the logistics of dealing with his body and effects. Daisy and Tom have already left with no forwarding address by the time Nick tries to call them about Gatsby’s death. Nick tries to find Wolfshiem, but can’t get in touch with him. Wolfshiem sends a perfunctory-sounding letter, but at least agrees to come to Gatsby’s funeral. Nick answers the phone at Gatsby’s house, expecting it to be Daisy, but instead it is someone associated with Gatsby’s criminal enterprise. We get a quick idea that Gatsby was indeed doing something bigger than bootlegging - something to do with stolen or counterfeit bonds. The man hangs up without another word when Nick tells him that Gatsby is dead. Three days later, Nick gets a telegram from Henry C. Gatz - Gatsby’s father. He read about Gatsby’s death in a Chicago newspaper and is coming to the funeral from Minnesota. When Mr. Gatz shows up, it’s clear that he is still pretty poor. He is in awe of what his son has been able to accomplish, and clearly loves him very much. Gatz is clearly all in on the idea of the American Dream, comparing Gatsby to a famous rags-to-riches railroad magnate. When Gatz asks Nick to identify himself, Nick calls himself Gatsby’s close friend. That night, Ewing Klipspringer, the guy who crashed at Gatsby’s for most of the summer, calls. Nick assumes that he’ll be coming to the funeral, but Klipspringer is only calling to get back a pair of shoes he left behind. The day of the funeral, Nick goes to see Meyer Wolfshiem in person. Wolfshiem’s secretary lies and says that Wolfshiem is Chicago, but when Nick mentions Gatsby’s name, he’s shown into Wolfshiem’s office. Wolfshiem fills in some more details about Gatsby’s past. After Gatsby got out of the army, he met Wolfshiem at a pool hall and asked for a job. Wolfshiem saw the potential in Gatsby’s good looks and his â€Å"Oxford man† aspirations. Gatsby used these qualities to make connections in places where Wolfshiem himself couldn’t get in. Wolfshiem explains that he can’t come to Gatsby’s funeral - he doesn’t want to be anywhere near a crime scene. Back at the mansion, Mr. Gatz shows Nick a picture of the Gatsby’s mansion that Gatsby had sent back home. He also shows him a western that Gatsby had loved to read. The back page has a schedule Gatsby had written for himself to follow, and a list of self-improvement initiatives he had undertaken. No one seems to be coming to the funeral, and it starts to rain, so Nick, Mr. Gatz, and the minister drive to the cemetery.The man with the owl-eyed glasses (the one who had been marveling at Gatsby’s library of unread books in Chapter 3) suddenly shows up to mourn with them. Nick doesn’t know either his name or how he knew to be there. Nick flashes back to a childhood memory of coming home from boarding school. He compares the Midwest that he (and Gatsby, Tom, and Daisy) come from to the East coast where they each made so many mistakes. Nick decides that he is fundamentally a Midwesterner and needs to go back. Nick goes to hash things out with Jordan. When she tells him that she’s engaged (which seems unlikely, since it’s only been one week since they broke up), he suddenly wants to get back together, but thinks better of it. She does tell Nick that she felt very hurt when he broke up with her, but she seems completely over it. Jordan calls Nick out on his self-satisfaction with being scrupulously honest - was he dishonest with her about his feelings? Several months later, Nick sees Tom in Manhattan and refuses to shake hands with him. Nick asks Tom what Tom told Wilson in the garage the night Myrtle was killed. Tom fesses up that he told Wilson whose car ran over Myrtle (which answers the mystery of how Wilson was able to find Gatsby). Tom argues that telling Wilson the truth would have put Tom in danger, since Wilson had a gun. Nick is horrified - after all, it wasn’t Gatsby who ran over Myrtle. It was Daisy. But he realizes that Tom is a spoiled child and tries to let his anger go. Gatsby’s mansion goes to seed. Before he leaves New York for good, Nick scrapes an obscene word off itsstairs, and then goes to the dock to think about the green light on Daisy’s dock and Gatsby’s hopes and dreams. Nick thinks about what this island looked like to Dutch sailors who crossed the Atlantic, and thinks about how we live in the perpetual hope of a better future with a total disregard for the past. Despite his lavish parties, despite all the outlandish rumors about him, Gatsby never really earned the respect of anyone except Nick. Key Chapter 9 Quotes I found myself on Gatsby's side, and alone. From the moment I telephoned news of the catastrophe to West Egg village, every surmise about him, and every practical question, was referred to me. At first I was surprised and confused; then, as he lay in his house and didn't move or breathe or speak hour upon hour it grew upon me that I was responsible, because no one else was interestedinterested, I mean, with that intense personal interest to which every one has some vague right at the end. (9.3) Just like during his life, after his death, rumors swirl around Gatsby. Usually, death makes people treat even the most ambiguous figures with therespect that’s supposedly owed to the dead. But Gatsby’sdeathonly invites more speculation, gawking, and a circus-like atmosphere. Note that even here, Nick still does not acknowledge his feelings of friendship and admiration for Gatsby. Instead, he claims to be the point person for Gatsby is funeral because of a general sense that â€Å"everyone† deserves someone to take a personal interest. But of course, there is no such right, as evidenced by the fact that Nick is the only person who cares about Gatsby as a human being rather than a sideshow. After a little while Mr. Gatz opened the door and came out, his mouth ajar, his face flushed slightly, his eyes leaking isolated and unpunctual tears. He had reached an age where death no longer has the quality of ghastly surprise, and when he looked around him now for the first time and saw the height and splendor of the hall and the great rooms opening out from it into other rooms his grief began to be mixed with an awed pride. (9.43) Gatsby’s father is the only person who has the kind of response to this mansion that Gatsby could have hoped for. Everyone else has found it either gaudy, vulgar, or fake. Perhaps this shows that for all his attempts to cultivate himself, Gatsby could never escape the tastes and ambitions of a Midwestern farm boy. After that I felt a certain shame for Gatsbyone gentleman to whom I telephoned implied that he had got what he deserved. However, that was my fault, for he was one of those who used to sneer most bitterly at Gatsby on the courage of Gatsby's liquor and I should have known better than to call him. (9.69) Gatsby was unable to parlay his hospitality into any genuine connection with anyone besides Nick, who seems to have liked him despite the parties rather than because of them. This highlights a clash of values between the new, anything-goes East and the older, more traditionally correct West. The East is a place where someone could come to a party and then insult the host - and then imply that a murdered man had it coming! Compare this to the moment when Gatsby feels uneasy making a scene when having lunch with Tom and Daisy because "I can't say anything in his house, old sport." (7.102). "When a man gets killed I never like to get mixed up in it in any way. I keep out. When I was a young man it was differentif a friend of mine died, no matter how, I stuck with them to the end. You may think that's sentimental but I mean itto the bitter end†¦.Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead," he suggested. "After that my own rule is to let everything alone." (9.95-99) Wolfshiem’s refusal to come to Gatsby’s funeral is extremely self-serving. He is using this quasi-philosophical excuse in order to protect himself from being anywhere near a crime scene. However, in a novel which is at least partly concerned with how morality can be generated in a place devoid of religion, Wolfshiem’s explanation of his behavior confirms that the culmination of this kind of thinking is treating people as disposable. It also plays into the novel’s overriding idea that the American Dream is based on a willful desire to forget and ignore the past, instead straining for a potentially more exciting or more lucrative future. Part of forgetting the past is forgetting the people that are no longer here, so for Wolfshiem, even a close relationship like the one he had with Gatsby has to immediately be pushed to the side once Gatsby is no longer alive. I tried to think about Gatsby then for a moment but he was already too far away and I could only remember, without resentment, that Daisy hadn't sent a message or a flower. Dimly I heard someone murmur "Blessed are the dead that the rain falls on," and then the owl-eyed man said "Amen to that," in a brave voice. (9.6) The theme of forgetting continues here. For Nick, Gatsby the man is already â€Å"too far away† to remember distinctly. Perhaps it is this kind of forgetting that allows Nick to think about Daisy without anger. On the one hand, in order to continue through life, you need to be able to separate yourself from the tragedies that have befallen. But on the other hand, this easy letting go of painful memories in the past leads to the kind of abandonment that follows Gatsby’s death. When we pulled out into the winter night and the real snow, our snow, began to stretch out beside us and twinkle against the windows, and the dim lights of small Wisconsin stations moved by, a sharp wild brace came suddenly into the air. We drew in deep breaths of it as we walked back from dinner through the cold vestibules, unutterably aware of our identity with this country for one strange hour before we melted indistinguishably into it again. That's my middle westnot the wheat or the prairies or the lost Swede towns but the thrilling, returning trains of my youth and the street lamps and sleigh bells in the frosty dark and the shadows of holly wreaths thrown by lighted windows on the snow. I am part of that, a little solemn with the feel of those long winters, a little complacent from growing up in the Carraway house in a city where dwellings are still called through decades by a family's name. I see now that this has been a story of the West, after allTom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners, and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern life. (9.124-125) All along, the novel has juxtaposed the values and attitudes of the rich to those of the lower classes. However here, in this chapter, as Nick is starting to pull away from New York, the contrast shifts to comparing the values of the Midwest to those of the East. Here, the dim lights, the realness, and the snow are natural foils for the bright lights and extremely hot weather associated in the novel with Long Island and the party scene. They were careless people, Tom and Daisythey smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made. . . . (9.146) Nick’s summary judgment of Tom and Daisy seems harsh but fair. They are people who do not have to answer for their actions and are free to ignore the consequences of what they do. This is one of the ways in which their marriage, dysfunctional as it is, works well. They both understand that they just don’t need to worry about anything that happens in the same way that everyone else does. It is interesting to consider how this cycle will perpetuate itself with Pammy, their daughter. On the last night, with my trunk packed and my car sold to the grocer, I went over and looked at that huge incoherent failure of a house once more. On the white steps an obscene word, scrawled by some boy with a piece of brick, stood out clearly in the moonlight and I erased it, drawing my shoe raspingly along the stone. Then I wandered down to the beach and sprawled out on the sand. (9.150) It’s fitting that Nick feels responsible for erasing the bad word. His whole project in this book has been to protect Gatsby's reputation and to establish his legacy. Otherwise, without someone to notice and remark on Gatsby’s achievement, nothing would remain to indicate that this man had managed to elevate himself from a Midwesternfarm to glittering luxury. Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no mattertomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And one fine morning So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. (9.153-154) Check out our very in-depth analysis of this extremely famous last sentence, last paragraphs, and last section of the book. Think about the amount of effort involved in this process of constantly sailing against the current. Maybe this is the fundamental mismatch between Gatsby and Daisy. She is a creature of passivity, and he is a swan - gliding gracefully above the water, while paddling furiously just below it to stay afloat. The Great Gatsby Chapter 9 Analysis Let's now consider how the novel's key themes are addressed in this chapter. Themes and Symbols The American Dream. Gatsby’s dreams might be over, and Nick might be so disillusioned that he goes back home, but the American Dream persists unabated. On the one hand, the boys who cluster around Gatsby’s mansion are a new generation who are starting to buy into the cult of celebrity and the greedy ambition that propels many of the novel’s characters. On the other hand, Jordan’s ability to wave off the past without a second thought seems to be spreading - Wolfshiem and even Nick himself talk about quickly forgetting Gatsby. Mutability of Identity. Conversely, the inability to escape the past also plays a part in this chapter, as we learn that for Nick, this has been a story of Midwesterners trying to go east and failing. Most importantly, the last line of the novelsays that despite the fact that we struggle to move upstream, the current of our past is always working against our forward progress. Plot-wise, too, the last chapter is full of callbacks to the past. We meet up with characters who we thought were gone for good (Tom and Jordan), we get yet one more digressive explanation of Gatsby’s youth from Wolfshiem, and of course Gatsby’s actual past shows up in the figure of his father, Henry Gatz. Mr. Gatz is floored by what his son has made of himself. Very importantly, he is the only person who has the reaction that Gatsby would have wanted to his mansion, and he is the one who comes with a relic of Gatsby’s youthful dreams (the schedule and list of self-improvement resolutions). Symbols: The Eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. The return of the man with owl eye glasses links this chapter to the novel’s obsession with eyes and seeing. Like Tom, Owl-Eyes immediately saw through Gatsby at the party - but crucially, Owl-Eyes perceived Gatsby’s false front as an example of a genius bit of theater rather than a lie. Like the giant billboard of disembodied eyes that haunts the ashheaps, Owl-Eyes seems to be able to see more than the average - but, importantly, he is actually able to render a judgment since he is sentient. At Gatsby’s funeral, this clear vision is clouded, as Owl-Eyes is constantly wiping fog off his glasses. And the fact that the man comes to mourn Gatsby seems to indicate that his judgment is a merciful, excusing one. Do the glasses make him wise like an owl? Predatory? All-seeing? Or does the fact that they are glasses mean that he doesn’t actually have any wisdom or clear sight? Crucial Character Beats Nick tries to find anyone at all to come to Gatsby’s funeral, but fails. Not even Wolfshiem will come. Daisy and Tom have left town for good, with no forwarding address. Henry Gatz, Gatsby’s father, hears about Gatsby’s death and come to the funeral from Minnesota. He is in awe of his son’s accomplishments. No one except the owl-eyed glasses man that Nick had met at one of Gatsby’s parties comes to the funeral. Nick reconnects briefly with Jordan, who tell him that she is engaged. Nick runs into Tom, who admits telling Wilson that it was Gatsby’s car that hit Myrtle. Nick decides to go back to the Midwest. What’s Next? Solvethe final pieces of the puzzle of Gatsby’s pastwiththe novel’s timeline. Consider the way this last chapter discusses the existence of the American Dream. Is the kind of hope and optimism that this ideal promotes worthwhile, or does it result in self-delusions and disappointment? Imagine the rest of Nick’s life by analyzing his character, motivations, and attitudes. Has this whole novel in reality been a coming-of-age story about him? Revisit the summary of Chapter 8or wrap back around to see how the novel began. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Stanford-Binet Fifth Edition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Stanford-Binet Fifth Edition - Essay Example The Fifth Edition of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales (SB5) is a relatively new revised method, but has a unique history (figure 1). In 1905, Binet and Simon developed the first formal intelligence test, and Louis Terman created the Stanford-Binet Scale in 1916; this final scale was revised in 1937, 1960, 1986, and 2003. The first versions used items to address functional abilities, and were arranged by levels. The Fifth Edition is a standardized intelligence battery that can be administered to people from ages 2 to 85 years. According to Strauss (2006) the main purpose of the revision was â€Å"to expand the range of the test, to allow assessment of very low and very high levels of cognitive ability†, and to increase its clinical applications (see table 1).The SB5 is based on the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of cognitive functioning, which is considered â€Å"one of the well-validated, comprehensive models of cognitive functioning† (Fiorello and Primerano, 2 005). Johnson (2007) describes the Stanford-Binet as â€Å"a comprehensive, norm-referenced individually administered test of intelligence and cognitive abilities†. The test is consists of five factors, which include Fluid Reasoning, Knowledge, Quantitative Reasoning, Visual-Spatial Processing, and Working Memory; each factor is further divided in verbal and non-verbal subtests (table 2). The Abbreviated Battery IQ scale consists of two routing subtests: one nonverbal (Object Series/Matrices) and one verbal (Vocabulary) (Coolican, J. et al, 2008).... Johnson (2007) describes the Stanford-Binet as "a comprehensive, norm-referenced individually administered test of intelligence and cognitive abilities". The test is consists of five factors, which include Fluid Reasoning, Knowledge, Quantitative Reasoning, Visual-Spatial Processing, and Working Memory; each factor is further divided in verbal and non-verbal subtests (table 2). The Abbreviated Battery IQ scale consists of two routing subtests: one nonverbal (Object Series/Matrices) and one verbal (Vocabulary) (Coolican, J. et al, 2008). The fifth revision retains the routing subtest technique, and routing subsets and functional levels were redesigned. Johnson (2007) further states that a Working Memory factor was added "because it has been shown to be related to both reading and math achievement". Table 1. Main goals of the Fifth Revision. Restoring the original toys and manipulatives for assessing preschoolers that had been removed in recent versions Increasing clinical utility. Updating materials Increasing non verbal items Increasing the range of domains measured by the test Source: Strauss, E. et al. 2006. Table 2. The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, 5th ed. Factor Measures Fluid Reasoning The ability to solve nonverbal and verbal problems using reasoning skills Knowledge Fund of general information Quantitative Reasoning Ability to work with numbers and solve numerical problems Visual Spatial Processing Ability to see patterns, relationships, and spatial orientations Working Memory Ability to store, sort and transform information in short-term memory. Source: Coolican, J. et al, 2008. How well a test is standardized provides information

Union Grievance Process Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Union Grievance Process - Research Paper Example Union Grievance Process â€Å"A grievance is defined within a collective bargaining agreement (CBA). In general, a CBA may establish that a grievance arises when an employer violates a provision of the CBA, state or federal law, or "past practice"†(Johnson). More precisely, grievance is a written complaint registered by the employee about his employment right violations. This paper analyses various dimensions of union grievance process. Even though the term collective bargaining is quiet familiar to us, it was first used by the renowned economist Sidney Webb in 1891. However, the term collective bargaining gained prominence in the nineteenth century when trade unions were started to evolve in organizational world. Since grievance is accommodated within the CBA’s, the case of grievance or Union Grievance Process was also evolved along with the CBA’s. In fact, by 1944 the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that 73% of all labor contracts in America contained arbitration clauses and by the early 1980’s that figure had grown to 95%. The purposes of grievance procedures are; â€Å"To resolve disputes arising in the workplace, To provide contract interpretations, To protect the employees' and union's negotiated contract rights, To establish precedent, To ensure uniform treatment of employees, To maintain relative peace in the workplace†(Processing Grievances, p.502). It is difficult for an employee to work positively if he feels that some of his employment rights were disallowed by the employer. Same way it is impossible for the employer to ensure better productivity from the employees if the employer fails to keep positive relationships with the employees. Grievances help both the employer and the employee to settle their issues and strengthen their cooperation for mutual benefits. In other words, grievances are not only beneficial to the employees, but also to the employer. In most of the cases, employee will try to settle the issues with his employer directly or individually. However, in some cases, it c ould be difficult for the employee to argue present his arguments successfully in front of the employer. For example, if an employer dismisses or suspends an employee without genuine reasons, it is difficult for the employee to convince the employer with his arguments. If the employee is a trade union member, he will try to solve his problems with the help of the union, in such circumstances. When a trade union, negotiates with the employer to solve the problems of an employee or group of employees, the process will be referred as union grievance process. â€Å"The grievance process enforces the collective bargaining agreement, which establishes the memberships' terms and conditions of employment† (Johnson). Grievances are taking place in all the departments of an organization even though the details of some of them could be kept confidential. Union grievance process consists of certain procedures. The case of union grievance process begins when an employee approaches his imm ediate supervisor with a problem, dispute or employment right violation complaint. â€Å"If an employee brings forward an alleged violation of the collective agreement, the