A Gaze into Astronomy #4

 

Advantages of Large Telescopes

Two of the major advantages of large telescopes are their resolving power and prowess in light gathering. Since large telescopes are wider than casual telescopes (and hence the name), the can resolve object much farther away with much greater quality. For instance, large telescopes resolve lunar cratelets on moon’s surface with higher precision than do smaller telescopes. Large telescopes are especially competent in collecting light. Due to their large aperture, they are able to garner more light which leads into the production of brighter images, helping astronomers inspecting the images.

Space Telescopes’ Advantages over Ground-Based Telescopes

Space telescopes have many advantages over their ground-based counterparts. First of all, they are above the blurring effect caused by the atmosphere, so the images are resolved at higher qualities than they would if they were taken from the ground. Satellite-borne telescopes are also free from light pollution, further improving the quality of the images taken. However, putting telescopes in space is laborious and expensive. It costs hundreds of millions of dollars to send telescopes to space not because of the manufacturing costs of the telescopes, but instead of fuel and spacecraft expenses. After sending the telescopes to space, space companies also need to ensure that they are operating healthily there and this costs even more. For example, instalment and maintenance costs of the Hubble Space Telescope approximate 5 billion dollars, a tremendous amount.

A Gaze into Astronomy #3

Where did the elements we see in the periodic table originate from?

The Sun’s light comes from a nuclear fusion reaction at the inner core of the Sun. All the elements in the periodic table are derived from hydrogen and helium, the two most essential ingredients of everything we see in the universe. Stars amass hydrogen and helium in their cores and squeeze them with such a force that hydrogen and helium turn into new elements through fusion. Then, the newly created elements fuse into other elements with higher atomic numbers, leading to the creation of every single element up until iron.

How do planets form?

Gas clouds accumulate. They start spinning in tremendous speeds; thus, their temperature increases. Then, they collapse under themselves and begin forming a dense region of cosmic material. This material accumulates, binding to itself all the matter available nearby. As the mass pile grows larger and larger, its gravitational force gets more powerful. Then, the mass begins sucking even more material.

How do neutron stars form?

Stars much more massive than the Sun can die and form neutron stars or black holes.

A neutron star is the collapsed core of a giant star and consists of a massive cluster of particles with extreme densities. Neutron stars are the second densest objects, right after black holes. Neutron stars have incredible pulsars that can be detected from Earth.

Black holes are points in space-time where gravity is so strong that virtually nothing can escape from it, including light. It is estimated that every galaxy has a black hole in its centre. Since black holes absorb light, they cannot be seen directly. Black holes consist of three layers: the outward and inner event horizon, and singularity. Singularity is the point in space-time where most of the black hole’s mass can be located at.

A Gaze into Astronomy #2

How do we “time travel” while observing the universe?

Light is fast; however, its speed is not unlimited. Therefore, lights from other objects take some time to reach us. Hence, the events that happened a long time ago become visible to us only after the light rays from those events have reached us. Consider a supernova explosion. If the explosion happened about 6 trillion miles away (about the distance of a light year), then we would see the explosion happening only a year after it has actually happened (lookback time). Thus, distant light is equivalent to old light for they present us events that happened mostly a long while ago after we first see them.

The Evidence for Big Bang

There is copious evidence for that the universe began in a hot, dense state 13.8 billion years ago. Here are two of them:

1.      Scientists know that the universe is expanding. If we trace back time, then there must have been a time when all the universe was squeezed into a single point.

2.      Microwave background is present wherever we look distant at the observable universe. As the universe expanded from its dense state, it left a glow that corresponded to its hot, early state as a dense point of squeezed mass and energy.

A Gaze into Astronomy #1

Astronomy's Difference from Other Scientific Disciplines

Astronomy differs from other sciences in many prominent ways. Firstly, in terms of age, astronomy is the oldest of all sciences. Its past is rooted in ancient civilizations’ desire to understand the night sky and the cosmos around them. Secondly, in contrast to the so called “lab sciences,” it is nearly impossible to perform physically monitored experiments in astronomy. In astronomy, the universe is itself an experiment. The whole cosmos – and all that is included in it – is an astronomer’s experiment. However, conversely to other sciences such as biology or chemistry, in astronomy we do not get to control this experiment due mainly to its scale and the time it needs to be carried out (for many stellar objects that concern astronomy are virtually thousands of billions of or more miles away from the Earth). Even before humans came into existence, the ingredients of this experiment and its setup were predetermined by the four forces and perhaps forces that we do not understand yet. Therefore, astronomy is and has been predominantly contingent on observation, rather than experiment.

Alleged Alien Visits and the Great Ancient Monuments e.g. the Great Pyramid of Giza

        Although the idea of alien visits to the world seems alluring, no evidence has been found yet to confirm that these visits actually happened. However, it is well-known by scientist that the ancients utilized astronomy for many purposes. Firstly, ancient sailors used the stars to help them guide their way while they were at sea – day or night. Secondly, ancient civilizations have used astronomy to shape their calendars and predict harvest times. Thirdly, astronomy had religious significance for those who studied it. For instance, it was believed by many ancient civilizations that constellations were there for mystical purposes and had strong connections with gods.

        The Stonehenge, Chichen Itza, and the Great Pyramid are major artifacts built by humans for astronomical purposes besides religious ones. For instance, it is now trivial that the Stonehenge had an astronomical use in addition to being a burial site. The stones in Stonehenge were carefully aligned so that they would point out to specific directions that have a great importance in keeping track of time and the night sky. And scientists have long believed that Chichen Itza was used as an observatory due to its altitude. Finally, about the pyramids, the pharaohs in Ancient Egypt ordered the ancient Egyptians to build the pyramids as tombs for the royals. However, this was not their sole purpose; today, it is known that pyramids had an astronomical end as well. In fact, it is known that the three largest pyramids in Giza stand for three stars in the belt of Orion.

-Bora

A Very Superficial Look on the Conflict Over Abortion

                                       A Very Superficial Look on the Conflict Over Abortion

-These are just my opinions. Fellow people who will (not) read this, please don’t take any decision based on what I say.-

 

            “Nor take life - which Allah has made sacred - except for justified cause.”. This statement is mentioned in Quran, the Holy Book of Muslims, and the core argument of many pro-life Muslim people, and similarly most Christian people have arguments based on their holy book, Bible. However, the statements on the Holy Books create two open ended questions. “What is life?”, and “What could be a justified cause to take it?”. From my perspective, we cannot identify the level of existence of foetuses as “life”; and lack of socioeconomic opportunities and preventing potential physical or phycological harms on maternal health are justified causes on why abortion should be legal.

             Initially, taking a life is considered as murder, and it is either prohibited by laws or religions in almost all societies, with the exception of capital punishment or self-defence. So, is aborting a foetus can be considered as taking a life? What is life? Living creatures are humans, animals, plants and microorganisms, however in most countries killing a plant or especially a microorganism is not considered as illegal or murder. The ethical background of this comes from the main difference between humans-animals and other living organisms, which is the ability to feel. Humans and animals are sentient beings, and are capable of feeling almost all emotions including pain. However, this cannot be said for foetuses. They are incapable of feeling before a specific week of gestation, which is about 20 weeks. Thus, it would not be morally or religiously incorrect to abort foetuses before they become sentient.

                Besides the definition of life, what could be justified causes for aborting a foetus? First of all, the lack of socioeconomic opportunities would be a justified reason for abortion. In a scenario where the baby is born in a destitute family, it would be inevitable for the child to become a citizen that affects the society in a negative way except for few situations, after having a terrible childhood full of poverty. As family would not be able to take care of the child, they would have to give the child to an orphanage or raise it among the unhealthy condition of theirs. Hence, for both the family and the child, abortion would be the best choice.

            Furthermore, another justified reason could be a potential harm on physical or phycological harm on the maternal life, or disorder in baby. If its certain that the baby or the maternal life will die after birth, or one of them will have serious disorder, It would be for the greater good to abort it. Also, in cases of incest relationships or rape, it would be better not to bring the child to world. The victims of rape would have to raise the children on their own, which would be considered as a socioeconomical issue, and they would have to remember the tragedy they had every time they look at their child, which would be an intolerable torture for them.

            On the other side of this issue, most pro-life people base their idea on religious and ethical arguments, like foetuses are still considered as living creatures or its not for us to decide who dies and who lives. However, as mentioned in the first body paragraph, it could be argued if they are considered as living beings, and most arguments support that they should not be considered as living beings. Secondly, the ethical argument could be opposed by stating that, if the child has come to life in a family that did not want a child, wouldn’t it be like a real-life hell simulator for the child? Also, nobody can ensure that he will be a beneficial member of society that is willing to contribute to neither himself or others positively. This does not mean that the government should cease the existence of foetuses that belong to a poor family, but the government should not oppose to the ones willing to do so.

            To sum up, many religious or ethical dilemmas discourage people from supporting people’s right to abort their foetuses, however there are neither religious nor ethical concerns in abortion, as long as it is not abused. The fact that abortion is not taking a life, or the potential socioeconomical, physical or psychological harms of the baby are the main reasons why it should be legalised all over the world.

 -Emre

           

An Analysis of an Extract from the Play The Burial at Thebes

(pg. 29-31)

“I disobeyed (…) The man in charge?”

An Analysis of an Extract from the Play The Crucible

(pg. 112-113)

“Tonight, when I open (…) with them all, Mr Hale?”

This extract is significant to the play The Crucible because it provides a valuable insight into the court’s precarious situation and resolution to this situation.

We see that Parris, a religious authority, is claiming that he was threatened due to his support for the trials. It is evident that Parris has lost his determination and wants to end the trials as peacefully as possible for his own good: “You cannot hang this sort! There is danger for me” (3-4). Next, Hale enters the scene. He seems to be in bad condition, “steeped in sorrow” and “exhausted” (6). Hale’s poor shape symbolizes the shaky circumstances the court has found itself in: As indicated on page 111, the townsfolk have overthrown the court in Andover, a town close to Salem, and Parris suggests that the same may happen in Salem as well. Little hope seems to be left for the court: even Hale admits that the perpetrators will not confess (11). Danforth, however, is firmly resolved. He states that he “cannot pardon” (13) nor postpone because that would speak a “floundering on [his] part” (24). Danforth strongly believes that pardoning or delaying will make the guilt of those he hanged dubious. Thus, the court resolves to stick with the original procedure as Danforth’s verdicts are foremost in the court.

From this extract, the readers can infer that Parris’s and Danforth’s opinions differ on how the court’s authority should be maintained. Parris thinks that the hanging should be postponed until one of the perpetrators confess. If this happens, argues Parris, the confession will “surely damn the others in the public eye” (pg. 112), therefore reinstalling trust upon the court and hampering any upheaval. On the other hand, Danforth reasons that a pardon or postponement will “cast doubt upon the guilt of them that died till now” (25) diminishing the court’s reputation.

-Bora

An Analysis of an Extract from the Novel The Great Gatsby

An Analysis of a Chupa Chups Visual Advert (It's Sugar Free!)

An Analysis of a Chupa Chups Visual Advert

In the second advertisement, we see a lollipop that has fallen to the ground and ants passing nearby the lollipop. However, as we start examining the advert, we realize counterintuitively that the ants seem, in addition to not being allured by it (due to the sugar it contains), somewhat repelled by the lollipop. Conversely, we would normally expect virtually every ant in the scene to have piled up on the candy. Although this situation may seem bizarre and startling at first, after we begin pondering on the advert, it becomes evident that this is Chupa Chups’s way of telling their (potential) customers that their products are completely natural. The indifference of nature’s agents’, ants’, to the lollipop, implies that even nature itself has accepted Chupa Chups’s lollipops as part of its own and, therefore, has habituated itself to them. Moreover, aware of the infeasible event presented in the advert, and how it may create question marks and hence discomfort in its audience, Chupa Chups manages to turn the confusion it has established into a lucrative position. Chupa Chups does this by inserting the text “It’s sugar free” on the bottom right, under its brand logo, giving the intended message, that Chupa Chups’s lollipops are “sugar free." This strategy helps the company grow its brand awareness and minimize the confusion created by this, at first glance, implausible event displayed in the advert. Besides, by primarily two means, Chupa Chups further manages to promote its brand name and products and make its logo and the text inserted look substantially more noticeable than they usually would have been. Firstly, the company inserts a pale grey background to let the company logo create a stark contrast with the background, drawing more attention to the logo and significantly increasing brand awareness for new customers. Secondly, Chupa Chups designs it so that the road covered by the ants in the advert is very imminent to the two primary marketing elements located on the bottom right. And, notably, since this advert’s intended customer base (people who know English) read from left to right, while the audience is glancing at the advert, their focus will automatically drift away from the ant’s trail to the shiny company logo and then, naturally, to the text located right below the logo. Again, this aids Chupa Chups in emphasizing their chief point, that their lollipops do not comprise any sugar.

-Bora

A Question Based Analysis of the Poem The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

A Question Based Analysis on The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Guiding Question: How is the extended metaphor and imagery used in the poem crucial to help create a certain tone and mood?

Perhaps the most prominent emotion we acquire after realizing that we no longer possess the chance to do something we once could is regret. In his poem, The Road Not Taken, poet Robert Frost establishes a regretful tone and a contemplative mood through his use of imagery and an extended metaphor and through his deliberate wording.

A remorseful tone is prevalent in the overall course of the poem. This can be inferred from the poet’s use of certain words, imagery and an extended metaphor. Initially, his word choice comprises phrases that connote with severe contrition. For instance, the word “sorry” (line 2) reflects the repentance the poet was feeling at the moment of decision after realizing that he could only choose one of the two roads. Furthermore, he emphasizes this regret he felt with “as far as I could” (line 4) implying that he had an intense yen to see what both of the roads had for him, despite the fact that he was only able to choose one. Moreover, the imagery he adopts serves to illustrate that this moment of verdict was a turning point for his life. Notably, the portrayal of a “crossroad” in the readers’ minds performs this task brilliantly. A crossroad is an implicit delineation of a momentous instant in the poet’s life since, in any crossroad, the road one will prefer over the other will probably lead her to a surprisingly disparate place than would the other. Bearing in mind that the poet was initially tentative of his resolution, him grasping that this particular moment was a crossroad for his life could be presumed to have augmented his anguish tremendously. On top of that, the imagery utilized go hand-in-hand with the extended metaphor. The poet’s detailed descriptions of the crossroad and the two roads that instinctively come with it make it much more straightforward for the audience to visualize the sorrow he is experiencing. As an example, the words “grasses” (line 8) “trodden black” (line 12) and “diverged in a wood” (line 18) all help the readers conceptualize the situation in a broader sense and the poet’s pain in a deeper manner.

The poet inspires his audience to ponder about their past decisions through his captivating illustrations and the significance of the ideas he conveys, with both of them being greatly reinforced by his exploitation of imagery and an extended metaphor. To begin with, as stated in the first paragraph, the imagery the poet wields makes the readers conceive his state of mind more thoroughly. And due to this, inevitably, after some while, the readers start sympathizing with the poet and putting themselves in his shoes, feeling as if it were themselves who were to make a vital decision about life and their future. Ergo, this internalization also results in the readers questioning their own past decisions, indicating to a pensive mood. In addition, looking holistically, the poet proposes tough questions about “the road one has chosen not to take” to his readers in this poem. However, the poet cuts down, with his extended metaphor, all the process of coming to a pivotal decision in life into an uncomplicated scenario wherein the audience is presented with two roads and they simply have to select which one to go with. It is a well-known fact that our brains find it easier showing compassion for subjects that are relatively effortless for our brains to comprehend with; therefore, the poet’s digestible rendering of an obscure theme his poem is essentially trying to communicate invokes even more cogitation, hinting, again, at the meditative mood.

To sum up, in his poem The Road Not Taken, poet Robert Frost consults to specific words, imagery and an extended metaphor to create a contrite tone and a reflective mood. He excels at this, profoundly gripping his audience’s interest in the meanwhile and allowing them to feel sympathy towards him while imparting his message.

-Bora

Question Based Analysis about the Novel The Great Gatsby

    

 Essay Question: To what extent are characters disillusioned and/or satisfied with their lives (e.g., their relationships, employment, social status, wealth, families, etc.)?

Gatsby’s Dissatisfaction in The Great Gatsby

Dissatisfaction is the condition observed in those who feel that their desires are not yet fulfilled. In The Great Gatsby by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby and James Gatz could be regarded as two distinct personalities who are in a constant state of discontent. While Gatz is mainly unhappy because of monetary issues, Gatsby’s displeasure comes from him being haunted by his past and disillusioned; however, it is both who despise their family and strive for Daisy, their shared source of dismay, in delusion.

James Gatz’s dissatisfaction could be examined through his disregard for his social stratum and improsperity. Throughout the novel and in primely chapter 6, there are exemplifications of Gatz’s inclination to abandon his old-life and venture into a new one, proving that his former life standards had not satisfied him enough. First of all, in chapter 6, the readers are provided an insight on who James Gatz is and how he evolved into Jay Gatsby. It is implied that Gatz was in a ceaseless look for new opportunities that may grant him better life standards, hinting that his erstwhile life was not satisfactory. For instance, after realizing that Dan Cody’s yacht “represented all the beauty and glamour in the world” (pg. 82) for him, Gatz tries to act graciously and “smiles” (pg. 82) in order to gain Cody’s awareness, which he knows would later lead him to the life of the affluent. Gatz’s willingness to orient to his new life as Jay Gatsby is also another significant point. After setting his target, to become Jay Gatsby, Gatz relinquishes his family and his hometown; that is, retrospectively, a challenging choice and step to take for many as the bonds you have with the past may be the hardest to break. However, Gatz’s enthusiasm, and his underlying discontent, is so great, Gatz almost does not even falter on his way and is “to this conception (…) faithful to the end” (pg. 80). Furthermore, monetary affairs are one of the problems Gatz has to face in the road of becoming Gatsby. It is stated that Gatz had to do every job he found such as “clam-digging” or “salmon-fishing” that “brought him food and bed” (pg. 80). The reference to the basic requirements of humankind, “food and bed”, illustrates that Gatz strived for even the plainest living conditions. Notably, this conceptualizes Gatz’s dismay for his former life further.

Throughout the novel, Jay Gatsby’s unhappiness is underlined with allusions to him being haunted by his perplexing past and his disillusionment with Daisy. Despite having fulfilled his goal of jumping to a much higher socio-economical stratum and “becoming a new man”, Gatsby is haunted by his past. These words from Nick qualify this notion: “He talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something” (pg. 90). Gatsby’s “talking a lot about the past” implies that some part of him is still stuck in the past and, thusly, has not been able to align with his new lifestyle. Moreover, Gatsby’s disillusionment is another prime factor contributing to his overall dismay. He thought, and kept thinking almost until he was decimated, that he could reach Daisy through his newly acquired money. And after all that striving, when Gatsby tried to “bribe” Daisy—by throwing off luxurious parties, flaunting all his richness by making a house tour, etc.— he realized that it did work at first; however, it can be inferred from Daisy not telephoning Gatsby at the end of chapter 8 that Gatsby’s efforts were haphazard and Tom Buchanan was the triumphant side, maintaining Daisy’s love. Therefore, it is evident enough that Gatsby should have felt himself disillusioned after recognizing that he had struggled all his life for money he expected to convince Daisy, while in fact it did not. Most significantly, when Gatsby ceased to “believe it [the telephone from Daisy] would come” (pg. 132) his perseverance, his ever-lasting contingency on his money to allure Daisy, should have multiplied his disillusionment.

Apart from the slight variations in their causes, Gatz and Gatsby share common grounds for their dissatisfactions. First of all, both of the characters despise their family’s socio-economical level and their former lifestyles. This relentless denial of identity leads them into being perplexed and vigilant for any remarks to their real past; therefore, augmenting their angst as reinforced by this instance from Gatsby and Tom’s confrontation: after Tom reveals Gatsby’s past and his illicit doings, Gatsby loses control and starts fickly “defending his name against accusations that had not been made” (pg. 110). The second positive is, both Gatz and Gatsby strive capriciously in order to acquire Daisy. Ergo, it can be concluded that they are in a vital need for a partner, signalling to their loneliness and its ensuing displeasure. Parallel with this concept, Gatz and Gatsby act deluded, speculating that they can revoke their past and recapture it at the same time. Initially, Gatz, to his delusion, believes that it is possible for him to put aside his whole past and move on with his intentions. Conversely, this is impossible as these words from Tom highlight: “I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife” (pg. 106). And for Gatsby, he unrealistically presumes that past memories can be reinitiated at any time. Regardless, him thinking that way is an example of mere delusion as underlined by his unsuccessful reunion with Daisy.

To sum up, meanwhile Gatz is unhappy with his life predominantly for monetary issues and their related consequences, Gatsby’s dissatisfaction comes from more spiritual affairs. Regardless, both of these characters have some shared grounds for their discontent in the end. Above all, as seen with Gatz’s gradual evolvement into Gatsby, sometimes the conditions that cause one to be uneasy may change with respect to time; however, in similar cases, the overall state of dissatisfaction may be bound to preserve.

-Bora

An Analysis of an Extract from Ballad in Plain Be Flat by Bob Dylan

The Chaotic Tone in Ballad in Plain Be Flat by Bob Dylan

In Ballad in Plain Be Flat, Bob Dylan portrays the youth’s attitude towards the societal norms of the 1960s, creating a hectic tone through his word choice, vivid depictions and grammatically and structurally disoriented sentences. Also, the author fortifies his expressions by utilizing the stream of consciousness technique, giving the readers the ability to observe the narrator’s thoughts first-hand. It is evident, throughout the abstract, that the narrator exhibits an unconventional behaviour, adding to the chaotic tone that is already prevalent. Initially, the narrator disregards long-established religious trends, as illustrated with the words “bloody crucifix” (lines 9 and 10). Secondly, the narrator criticizes the old society’s appreciation of proper education as the sole indicator of adequate personality using the phrase “see you when I get my degree” (line 42), suggesting that without a degree the narrator is not even allowed to be with his lover. Thirdly, the narrator makes assorted references to widespread violence, as underlined by words like “screamed” (line 3), “dying” (line 18), and “fighting” (line 18). Moreover, the narrator hints that this act of violence is not specific to certain people, however, has become commonplace, as subtly implied by “tom dick & harry” (line 2), a phrase that has become synonymous with “everybody” in casual dialect. Moreover, the fact that there is a shortage of capital letters in this excerpt and that some words that have been capitalized before are not capitalized afterwards, as with “Cincinnati” (19 and 25), bolstering the overall untidiness. Equally, the same disorder goes for punctuation; some sentences are inappropriately punctuated, meanwhile others, just as “no wonder you want to start a revolution” (lines 26 and 27), do not contain any punctuation marks at all. In conclusion, in Ballad in Plain Be Flat, the author exerts prominent illustrations, a unique word choice, and a perplexing structure in order to form a tumultuous tone that represents the youngsters’ approach to many of the 1960’s customary conventions. 

-Bora

An Analysis of an Extract from Under Pressure by Carl Honore

Hyper-Parenting

Hyper-parenting can be most commonly defined as parenting in an over-involved manner. In the extract provided, author Carl Honoré criticizes this newly-formed convention. In doing so, he employs certain words, literary techniques and rhetorical appeals in order to reinforce his argument and maintain the critical tone exerted throughout.

The author’s selection of specific words leads him into adopting a censorious tone and emphasizing the unexceptionally little extent to which hyper-parenting will yield any lucrative results. The critical attitude can be most directly observed at the beginning of the passage where he refers to “prodigies” (line 1) with the word “a taste” (line 1) while describing an eighteenth century Europe trend. The author, here, is implying that children were no longer seen as human beings, at that time, but rather as areas of endeavour wherein parents could inordinately invest their time and resources. Despite this conceptualization in Europe, however, the author accentuates the impossibility of creating a superchild with the phrase “uber-child” (line 16); the term “uber” contributes to the detracting approach the author has taken. Notably, the author hints that raising a superchild will hardly ever be attainable with the expression “– in any century” (line 19) further supporting his point. Also the use of a dash, “–“, before this phrase helps the author make his remark slightly more conspicuous. Finally, to make his arguments more warranted by relating them to real life, the author mentions well-known institutions such as “Harvard” (line 21) and “Oxford” (line 22) during his reasoning.

Throughout the excerpt, the author applies literary techniques to fortify his ideas. Initially, the author communicates several anecdotes from Hester Lynch Thrale; these illustrate explicitly for the readers that intensive parenting makes both the child’s and the parent’s lives “miserable” (line 15). Secondly, the author utilizes a collective language, as pronouns like “we” (line 20) or “us” (line 17) signify, while conveying his ideas, making it much simpler for the readers to show understanding for his cause. The collective language aligns tidily with the author’s overall use of an inclusive language; his collective language complements the accessible, straightforward one. Thirdly, since the author’s purpose in writing this excerpt is to inform his readers, mostly parents, about the shortcomings of superfluous parenting, he exercises a hypophora in the last paragraph (20) to create a rhetorical effect and increase awareness before beginning his instructions on better parenting.

In this abstract, the author exerts three rhetorical appeals to articulate his notions in the most compelling manner: ethos, pathos and logos. He inaugurates the excerpt by exemplifying some anecdotes from an eighteenth century writer, Hester Lynch Thrale. This, along with his specific knowledge about Thrale’s personal life, proves the readers that the author is considerably knowledgeable in what he is saying, accounting for the ethos part of the excerpt’s structure. Next, the author milks an emotive language with the quotations he recites from Thrale, such as “I have no heart to battle with Sophy” (line 14), in persuading his readers, designating the rhetorical appeal of pathos, which literally means evoking emotions of pity or sorrow. Ultimately, the author completes the triangle in the last paragraph when he suggests reasonable solutions to the aforementioned problem of “long-suffering” (line 7) caused by redundant parenting, marking logos.

In conclusion, author Carl Honore, in this excerpt, wields three strategies in enunciating his notions with a critical tone: word choice, literary techniques and rhetorical appeals. Through these three, the readers get to examine precisely why hyper-parenting is an issue and that a “slower way of living” would prove more beneficial both for the children and their parents.

-Bora

Important Quotations About Jay Gatsby (and James Gatz) in the Novel The Great Gatsby

Important Quotations About Jay Gatsby (and James Gatz)

Jay Gatsby:

Ø  This quotation serves as a delineation of Nick’s stances regarding Gatsby’s lifestyle and also that of the so called “polite society”: “Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn” (pg. 4).

 

Ø  Gatsby’s pretentious and plastic manners reflect themselves back on Nick’s conceptualization of him: “If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away” (pg. 4).

·         The word “gestures” implies some sense of artificiality.

 

Ø  This quotation displays the charming nature of Gatsby, which makes him a great cover in Wolfsheim’s bootlegging business and also aids him in climbing the ladder of higher socio-economical levels: “It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced, or seemed to face, the whole external world for an instant and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself” (pg. 40).

 

Ø  Nick realizes that Gatsby had some relation to the working-class of the society and implies this through his word choice: “I was looking at an elegant young roughneck, a year or two over thirty, whose elaborate formality of speech just missed being absurd” (pg. 41).

·         Roughneck: an oil rig worker—a person belonging to the lower social stratum. Therefore, “elegant” and “roughneck” signal to a contradiction in terms.

 

Ø  A great foreshadowing and simple illustration of a major theme in the novel; that is, “trying to recreate the past”:

“’I wouldn’t ask too much of her,’ I ventured. ‘You can’t repeat the past.’

‘Can’t repeat the past?’ he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!’” (pg. 90).

 

Ø  Tom Buchanan gives a short recapitulation of Gatsby’s true past and the following events: “I suppose the last thing is to sit back and let Mr. Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife” (pg. 106).

 

Ø  After finally noticing that his long-pursued dreams were a lost call, Gatsby realizes that, contrary to his fantasies, the world is not as “warm” or welcoming as he thought it was. Moreover, this quotation advocates to the collapse of the American Dream: “[Gatsby] must have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream. He must have looked up at an unfamiliar sky through frightening leaves and shivered as he found what a grotesque thing a rose is and how raw the sunlight was upon the scarcely created grass” (pg. 132).

 

James Gatz:

Ø  James Gatz’s denial of his identity is presented: “I suppose he’d had the name ready for a long time, even then. His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people—his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all. The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself” (pg. 80).

 

Ø  Gatz’s leaning towards becoming Gatsby is illustrated: “It was James Gatz who had been loafing along the beach that afternoon in a torn green jersey and a pair of canvas pants, but it was already Jay Gatsby who borrowed a row-boat, pulled out to the Tuolomee and informed Cody that a wind might catch him and break him up in half an hour” (pg. 80).

 

Ø  Despite the overt, Gatz cannot, at first, adapt to his new conception of himself: “But his heart was in a constant, turbulent riot” (pg. 81)

 

The Man Behind the Hysteria - Who Triggered the Mass Hysteria in the play The Crucible?

The term “hysteria” could be most prosaically defined as the greatest degree of panic incited, by any individual, in a specific place and time. In the allegorical tragedy The Csrucible by Arthur Miller, mass hysteria in Salem has been unleashed as a result of some characters’ delusional nature and intolerance. Above all, however, a single character has had the most malignant influence: Reverend Parris. Instead of maintaining calm behaviour when most necessary, Parris chose to go about capriciously regarding his position and unintendedly led himself and his family into an ever-ending loop of panic –and presumably, danger.

Parris’s overall attitude has helped him act as a torch, kindling up the stick of delirium in Salem. He, first of all, grasped radical awareness to the predicament, the so called “dance”, by not keeping it to himself, and as agitation spreads much quicker between those who are confused, this, in turn, caused the villagers to become even more agonized than they were before, planting the very first seeds of an upcoming frenzy as revealed by this quotation “The town’s mumbling witchcraft.” (Miller, 28). Alternatively, if Parris had behaved more tentatively since he was the only one who had “discovered” the girls “dancing like heathen in the forest.” (Miller, 19), his “discovery” could have been kept as a secret between the two sides. Moreover, as described by Abigail Williams, the girls’ dance and the “abomination” (Miller, 19) could have all been nothing other than “sport” (Miller, 19); precisely, one done as a result of common superstition or maybe even complete boredom merged with teenage fantasies, bias and ignorance. Though, thanks to Parris, it is never unveiled. The second factor is, it is evident enough that Parris could not evaluate what the outcomes of his newscast would be. And even after some extent, he lost the grip of the events too, putting his own place under peril; this quotation from him gives an idea about his precarious situation: “They will howl me out of Salem…” (Miller, 22). Despite the aforementioned remarks, it should not go without being mentioned that Parris still tried to take action so as to throw himself out of his quagmire. Most importantly, he sent for a religious authority, other than himself (Miller, 18) –Reverend Hale, a religious minister about whom there is a general agreement to be “sensible” (Miller 41). Regardless, this pre/postcaution he initiated caused nothing but to make things worse as the presence of a well-known and looked-upon person like Hale drew more recognition to the case, resulting in the upper class and the likes of Putnam to intensify their interference.

The hysteria Parris has inadvertently brewed showed its effects not only on the “random folk” of Salem but also on himself and his family. Accordingly, Parris’s uneasy and manic behaviour can be mostly examined through his dialogues with his daughter, Abigail Williams, where he repeatedly refers to a fraction of people, namely “my enemies” (Miller, 20). Notably, he does not point out to this once, but many times which bolsters the possibility that this expression contains no hyperbole, but solidity. Another point is, Parris’s emotions differ in a volatile and an unstable way, referring, again, to Parris’s angst. For instance, he goes from “through sobs” (pg. 18) to “pressed” (pg.18) and “with anger” (pg. 20) in only two pages in which little contribution to the plot development is made. The second positive is, in his dialogues with Abigail, his distraught state of anticipation can be further identified through his everlasting tempered manner. “[with anger]: I saw it!” (Miller, 20), and as the words “[with anger]” qualify for, this quotation mainly accentuates that Parris’s vexation reflects itself not only on strangers but also on his relatives, like Abigail, advocating to the far-reaching extent of his anxiety. However, in contrast with the overt, the prime cause of this delirious conflict between him and Abigail is not the “dance”, but the final member of the family’s, Betty’s, blackout. “at the stake… perhaps your cousin’s life” (Miller, 20), equally, this vivid and open remark from Parris alludes that Betty’s blackout could be the most plausible explanation for his nervousness. In other words, Betty’s blackout constitutes one of the main aspect of Parris’s derailed and unstable pack of emotions.

On the whole, Reverend Parris plays the superior role in arousing hysteria in Salem. Parris could have ignored the dance, or overcame it in a much more covert way for the sake of maintaining tranquillity in town. However, he instead chose not to ponder about what the consequences could be and tolled the bells of hysteria in Salem. Not only that, but he also created dilemmas in his own household and his own mind, which have multiplied the overall anxiety. For the above given deductions, it will be the most appropriate, labelling Reverend Parris as the prime founder of the mass hysteria in Salem.

     -Bora

The Great Gatsby, Notes on Chapter 8

The Great Gatsby

Notes on Chapter 8

Ø  “I couldn’t sleep all night” (pg., 120). Nick finds himself to be morally deprived, in contrast with characters like Jordan Baker, who are not the slightest interested with the ongoing conflicts between Gatsby and Tom, nor with Gatsby’s death as revealed in chapter 9.

·         Also, Nick’s inability to sleep foretells that a predicament will occur.

 

Ø  “’Nothing happened,’ he said wanly” (pg. 120). Advocates to how little Gatsby actually knows about Daisy.

 

Ø  “ghostly piano” (pg., 120). “Piano” is a reminiscent of the times when Daisy and Gatsby sat together and listened to the piano. But those days are long lost now in this chapter; therefore, the piano is delineated as “ghostly” (pg., 120).

 

Ø  “’You ought to go away,’” (pg., 120). From the beginning of the novel, Nick gradually starts caring about Gatsby and this remark here could be one of the highest extents of Nick’s concern for him.

·         Throughout the chapter, Gatsby feels weak and glum; he tries to convince himself that his dream that consists of him and Daisy could still come true.

 

v  Meanwhile Daisy thinks that she is in love with an affluent man of high social standards, Gatsby is married with the idea of proving himself apt to the luxurious lifestyle Daisy offers and becoming wealthier. He, as a result, does not urge back to Daisy after the war is over, for if his lies are caught then he would have no chance of being with her again. After Daisy breaks up with Gatsby while he was still at Oxford by sending him a letter, Gatsby no longer feels constrained to her real self as he has already created a dream of her –a projection that would even marry to a penniless man like he is– in his mind. In short, neither of them love the other for who he or she really is; they are in love with the other’s projection instead. Notably, this is why their love turns out to be hallucinatory at the end of the novel when Daisy chooses to be with Tom.

 

v  Daisy chooses herself a more predictable lifestyle in which she and Tom are together.

·         Daisy marries Tom mainly for his money. “and the decision must be made by some force – of love, of money, of unquestionable practicality – that was close at hand” (pg., 123).

 

Ø  After hearing Gatsby’s story and his real past, Nick becomes highly moved and his attitude towards the polite society complete changes.  He even abhors Jordan, as a result.

 

Ø  “Standing behind him, Michealis saw with a shock that he was looking at the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg, which had just emerged, pale and enormous, from the dissolving night” (pg., 130). Doctor Eckleburg’s eyes represent the God’s eyes for Wilson.

 

Ø  By the end of the chapter Nick states that Gatsby has finally grasped that his dream had long died, and that he had lost “the old warm world” (pg., 132). After this realization, says Nick, Gatsby must have “shivered as he found what a grotesque thing a rose is” (pg., 132), advocating to the fact that a rose is gorgeous only for those who give a meaning to it –those like Gatsby.  Gatsby’s death portrays the end of a dreamer, and this accentuates the collapse of the “American Dream”.

 

Questions

1.      How does Wilson come to the conclusion on pages 130 and 131 that God demands revenge?

2.      When the car hit her, was Myrtle running away from her husband or was she trying to bring Tom’s car to a halt, assuming that Tom was in it?

3.      In spite of the fact that he rarely goes to church, why does Wilson make a vivid connotation by likening the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg’s to those of God?

    -Bora

An Analysis of the Essay “What is Poverty?” by Jo Goodwin Parker

An Analysis of the Essay “What is Poverty?” by Jo Goodwin Parker

Impoverishment is the condition in which one struggles to satisfy even the most intrinsic essentialities of human life. In the essay “What is poverty?” by Jo Goodwin Parker, the narrator highlights her living as a destitute and clarifies the impacts of poverty on her own life, her children’s life and how the poor are perceived by the others. The author fortifies the burden of the narrator’s conceptualization on the audience principally through her word choice, the utilization of emotive language, striking imagery and other literary techniques.

In the first two paragraphs of the essay, the narrator characterizes the effects of poverty on her own life through the use of rhetorical questions, imagery and repetition. The narrator begins by asking the question, “You ask me what is poverty?”, implying that the audience is not yet aware of what poverty really is other than its word definition. Then, the narrator initiates to solve the problem, illustrating poverty's first-hand effects on her personal life. While doing so, the narrator identifies herself as “poverty” to show that abjection is right in front of the readers’ eyes, giving them a speech, as absolute as a human being can be. Furthermore, the narrator fortifies her emphasis by utilizing terse and momentary sentences as in the case of “Listen to me.” In the second paragraph, the narrator describes her routine life embodied in destituteness. Notably, she adopts certain words, sometimes using them recurrently, so as to grasp the readers’ heed for specific ideas. The reiterative use of “money,” for instance, advocates that prosperity is an unattainable luxury for the narrator. In addition, the words “sour milk and spoiling food” suggest that the narrator is living on the verge of starvation, having a want of even foodstuff—the most fundamental necessity of all humankind. Moreover, the “smell,” the narrator portrays as is a result of poverty, reminds the audience that the narrator is so indigent that the smell normally intertwined with impoverishment has adhered itself to her as well.

In the second and third paragraphs, the narrator chiefly accentuates how bankruptcy is influencing her children’s growth. Firstly, the narrator raises a counterargument from her audience, “Anybody can be clean”; then, she refutes it, proving that it is not that simple, by milking vivid imagery and explaining how troubled her children’s life has become as a repercussion of poverty. The narrator suggests that destituteness has dire outcomes on her children’s diet and well-being. The children cannot consume decent food, in the name of as unorthodox and plain a purpose as “not using up many dishes,” the narrator contends. In addition, her “saving money to buy a jar of Vaseline” for a time as long as “two months” indicates to the economic hardships the narrator faces. Likewise, after stating that she could not afford the Vaseline, she highlights that even “two cents,” an infinitesimal amount of money for many, posed and continue to pose a peril to her and her baby’s welfare. In the fourth paragraph, the narrator creates a startling effect through her word choice and illustrations. The narrator connotes scarcity with “death,” claiming that the lack of suitable housing—a condition related with destituteness—may threaten one’s child to “die in flames,” a thespian clarification that is sure to devastate her audience. Moreover, to bolster her argument, the narrator practices adverbs of frequency such as “never,” implicitly suggesting that her children’s circumstances are at no time going to change.

In the last two paragraphs the narrator grips awareness to how the destitute, and herself, are perceived through others’ eyes. In this part of the essay the narrator clearly emphasizes the discernment between the “poor” and “everyone.” Similarly, in the fifth paragraph, the narrator explains that being destitute also leads to feeling alienated. She delineates this notion through an example. The narrator having “circled the block” for as much as “four or five times,” looking for the place she ought to visit, until “Finally” someone came out to help demonstrates the audience that as long as one is indigent, he or she will not be regarded with equal veneration as the others are. On top of that, the narrator reinforces this notion by the sentence “Everyone is busy”; by excluding herself from this “everyone,” the narrator proves that her impoverishment results in her being diverted from the common society.

Overall, in “What is poverty?”, the author employs assorted literary techniques and a prominent emotive language in the direction of efficaciously conveying how destituteness influences the narrator’s life, her children’s life and how the society perceives her family. Indeed, by attracting considerable recognition to the narrator’s situation, the author seeks to diminish poverty by exhibiting her audience the extremeness of conditions one faces when he or she is impoverished.

-Bora