Samuel Clemens As Mark Twain Essays - Fiction, Literature

Samuel Clemens As Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), American writer and humorist, whose best work is characterized by broad, often irreverent humor or biting social satire. Twain's writing is also known for realism of place and language, memorable characters, and hatred of hypocrisy and oppression. Born in Florida, Missouri, Clemens moved with his family to Hannibal, Missouri, a port on the Mississippi River, when he was four years old. There he received a public school education. After the death of his father in 1847, Clemens was apprenticed to two Hannibal printers, and in 1851 he began setting type for and contributing sketches to his brother Orion's Hannibal Journal. Subsequently he worked as a printer in Keokuk, Iowa; New York City; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and other cities. Later Clemens was a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River until the American Civil War (1861-1865) brought an end to travel on the river. In 1861 Clemens served briefly as a volunteer soldier in the Confederate cavalry. Later that year he accompanied his brother to the newly created Nevada Territory, where he tried his hand at silver mining. In 1862 he became a reporter on the Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City, Nevada, and in 1863 he began signing his articles with the pseudonym Mark Twain, a Mississippi River phrase meaning "two fathoms deep." After moving to San Francisco, California, in 1864, Twain met American writers Artemus Ward and Bret Harte, who encouraged him in his work. In 1865 Twain reworked a tale he had heard in the California gold fields, and within months the author and the story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," had become national sensations. In 1867 Twain lectured in New York City, and in the same year he visited Europe and Palestine. He wrote of these travels in The Innocents Abroad (1869), a book exaggerating those aspects of European culture that impress American tourists. In 1870 he married Olivia Langdon. After living briefly in Buffalo, New York, the couple moved to Hartford, Connecticut. Much of Twain's best work was written in the 1870s and 1880s in Hartford or during the summers at Quarry Farm, near Elmira, New York. Roughing It (1872) recounts his early adventures as a miner and journalist; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) celebrates boyhood in a town on the Mississippi River; A Tramp Abroad (1880) describes a walking trip through the Black Forest of Germany and the Swiss Alps; The Prince and the Pauper (1882), a children's book, focuses on switched identities in Tudor England; Life on the Mississippi (1883) combines an autobiographical account of his experiences as a river pilot with a visit to the Mississippi nearly two decades after he left it; A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) satirizes oppression in feudal England (see Feudalism). The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), the sequel to Tom Sawyer, is considered Twain's masterpiece. The book is the story of the title character, known as Huck, a boy who flees his father by rafting down the Mississippi River with a runaway slave, Jim. The pair's adventures show Huck (and the reader) the cruelty of which men and women are capable. Another theme of the novel is the conflict between Huck's feelings of friendship with Jim, who is one of the few people he can trust, and his knowledge that he is breaking the laws of the time by helping Jim escape. Huckleberry Finn, which is almost entirely narrated from Huck's point of view, is noted for its authentic language and for its deep commitment to freedom. Huck's adventures also provide the reader with a panorama of American life along the Mississippi before the Civil War. Twain's skill in capturing the rhythms of that life help make the book one of the masterpieces of American literature. In 1884 Twain formed the firm Charles L. Webster and Company to publish his and other writers' works, notably Personal Memoirs (two volumes, 1885-1886) by American general and president Ulysses S. Grant. A disastrous investment in an automatic typesetting machine led to the firm's bankruptcy in 1894. A successful worldwide lecture tour and the book based on those travels, Following the Equator (1897), paid off Twain's debts. Twain's work during the 1890s and the 1900s is marked by growing pessimism and bitterness-the result of his business reverses and, later, the deaths of his wife and two daughters. Significant works of this period are Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894), a novel set in the South before the Civil War that criticizes racism by focusing on mistaken racial identities, and Personal Recollections of Joan of

Free sample - Dreaming. translation missing

Dreaming. DreamingIn Kelly Bulkley’s mystical dreaming, analysis on the patterns in form, content and meaning has been carried out based on a non-experimental research study based on religion. Interviews were carried on 100 Americans whereby four major hypothesis were put forward on: mystical experiences are derived from abnormal and pathological brain functioning; they are characterized by the Jamesian marks ineffability, anoetic or knowledge-gaining, quality, transience, and passivity; mystical experiences are cultural constructions enhanced by an individual’s history, religion, language and the social environment one is exposed to; and leading towards consciousness or absolute unitary being. This presents a basis for contrasting on the appropriate level of analysis of mystism be it physical or phenomenological and whether mystical dreams are real or apparent presenting an argument on pluralism versus universalism. This, unlike previous studies, has been based on findings of dr eam research. Findings provide further support for these hypotheses and also show that mystical dreams are more prevalent in women in comparison to men.   The study was carried out through personal interviews on family life, political afflictions and religious convictions.   The variables investigated were the respondent’ details, settings, color and emotions experienced in the dream. 65 women and 35 men ranging from 19-86, with an average age of 46, were interviewed for one to five hours. There were however several limitations on scope, the age range, religious composition, breadth of an individual’s experience and occupational diversity. Findings tabulated showed that 94% of the participants were able to describe their most memorable dream. At least 89% experienced sexually arousing dreams which were positive and enjoyable with the number of women being slightly higher at 91% in comparison to 87% in men. Dreams on visitation were quite prevalent at 69% with women experiencing 50% in contrast to the men’s high of 79%. Dreams on self-awareness and lucidity were more prevalent in men.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dreams on evil presence were evenly common at 53%. However, mystical dreams were considerably more experienced by women rather than men who had the lowest frequency at 40% in comparison to any other type of dream experienced. Mystical dreams experienced involved unusual and non-human characters, friendly interactions, positive emotions, and good fortunes. This is in contrast to non-religious dreams which involve negative content and emotions coupled with aggressive social interactions and misfortunes. The individual’s interpretation and understanding as to the motif of the dream have been observed in the study of 42 core dreams which have been either on single or multiple occurrences. These motifs were death, Christianity, light, precognition, reassurance, nightmare, epistemological uncertainty, and impact–no memory. Psychologists view dreams to be filled with strange, bizarre and supernatural phenomena. However, they are neither disjointed, nor fragmented and vague but are coherent, vivid and consistent with real-life emotional, social and religious experiences. These further serves to illustrate that dreams are not random and irrelevant but are an expression of human experiences through imagination. The abnormal/pathological brain function theory was supported by three people who experienced their dreams when ill. However, most of the people sampled were perfectly healthy at the time the survey was conducted hence the dreams could not have been caused by brain defe cts. A Jamesian mark on ineffability is contravened by the fact that most people can precisely describe the details of their dreams. Most of the dreams were found to be coherent, memorable and enduring. However, the dreams were anoetic since the persons regularly described them as sources of true insight and knowledge. Therefore, James’ claim as a whole is contravened. The culturalist approach is widely supported by the study. Christian motifs serve a basis for religion whereby they represent a symbolic world. The dreams were strongly felt although they were spiritually mystical. It seems that most dreams are influenced by multiple factors of culture, religion, history, and language.   The â€Å"pure consciousness† view by which mystical experiences are regarded as varying approximations of a unitary mode of being have not been widely supported in the light motif.   (Bulkeley) In an experimental procedure provided by Brigitte Holzinger, Stephen Laberge and Lynne Levitan on the Psychophysiological Correlates of Lucid Dreaming, the study sought to electrophysiological differences between lucid and non-lucid dreams in REM sleep have been explored. This has been classified as an experimental study since the causal effect of REM periods has been investigated against theta power, alpha power, beta-1 power, beta-2 power, total power, heart rate, eye movements and muscular activity. Lucid dreaming was found to be vital in therapeutic settings such as solving recurrent nightmares. The hypothesis is that lucid dreams are associated with higher frequencies in the EEG spectrum. This study involved a sample of seven men and four women experienced lucid dreamer volunteers ranging from 21 to 37 years who underwent polysomnographic recordings for two consecutive nights in a sleep laboratory. The subjects were full aware of the dream state, the possibility of making free decisions under clear consciousness, perception by all senses, full memory of waking life, full memory of all lucid dream experiences in the waking state and in the lucid dream state and awareness of the meaning of symbols. Eye movements, heart rate, blood pressure, and skin potential in lucid and non-lucid dreams were compared. There were a number of physiological variables such as lucid REM periods recorded through EEG data onto an Ampex analog tape recorder while others on polygraph paper.   Later, the EEG data were digitized, using a BECKMAN polygraph and a CODAS computer interface, with a sampling rate of either 100 or 125 points per second. A computer program read in the digitized EEG da ta as well as the averaged calibration, applying FFT. The program then summed the spectral analyses into the appropriate frequency bands such as DELTA, THETA, ALPHA, BETA-1 and BETA-2. In this study methodology, light stimuli were used for lucid dream induction whereby a sleep mask was equipped with two extra-bright red light-emitting diodes. The stimulus was triggered through pressing a button 7 minutes after each REM onset of eight flashes in 2 seconds (4 Hz) determined by polysomnography. Response was initiated through eye movements such as LR2 ( left-right left-right) in order to indicate lucidity and LR4 (left, right, left, right, left, right, left, right) to indicate a waking state. The subjects were all aware as to what constituted a lucid dream and its volitional control. This was further enhanced by eye signals initiated once a dream state was achieved.   If a response was not initiated, the light stimulus was then re-triggered after each REM onset. If there still was no response, the subjects were then awakened after 30 seconds and asked to record their experience and rate the dream either as lucid or non-lucid. Else, if a subject signaled, the light st imulus was not re-triggered. A false awakening was detected when an LR4 signal was made when the subject was still asleep.  Ã‚   Lucid dreams were hence identified by an LR2 signal visible in polysomnography and an actual account reported by the subject.   Differences between lucid and non-lucid epochs consisting of 7.5-second time units, a discriminant function analysis and MANOVA were carried out. The ANOVA approach was then used to contrast between the onset of lucidity and the non-lucid state.   Findings showed that lucid dreams occurred during periods of increased physiological activation. The essence of the experimental study was to find out on the existence of psychological differences between lucid and non-lucid REM epochs which consisted of various variables: theta power, alpha power, beta-1 power, beta-2 power, total power, heart rate, eye movements and muscular activity (EMG).A discriminant function analysis yielded six variables, splitting the data set with a Canonical Correlation of 0.494 and Chisquare of 10.419. Criteria of non-lucid epochs were the means of the eye movements, total power of the right parietal hemisphere and beta-1 of the right frontal lobe, whereas criteria of lucid epochs were beta-2 and beta-1 of the right parietal lobe and beta-1 of the left frontal lobe. Discriminant function analysis produced a predicted group membership of 69% for non-lucid epochs and 77.8% for lucid ones. (Levitan et al) References Levitan, B. H. Psychophysiological Correlates of Lucid Dreaming. Psychology of Dreams. (2009, October 4). Retrieved November 9, 2010, from Buzzle.com

Word Choice Half vs. Halve

Word Choice Half vs. Halve Word Choice: Half vs. Halve Sometimes, seemingly simple words can cause problems. Take â€Å"half,† for example. It is a common term than any native English speaker should know. But wait! Are you sure you know the difference between the words â€Å"half† and â€Å"halve†? If not, read on to find out more. Half (50% of Something) We’ll start out with the more common word. â€Å"Half† is typically a noun that means â€Å"fifty percent† (or a similar amount). For instance: 750 is half of 1,500. Do you want the other half of this pizza? The plural of this noun form of â€Å"half† is â€Å"halves† with a â€Å"v.† This is because some words like  Ã¢â‚¬Å"half† that end in an â€Å"f† or â€Å"-fe† change their spelling in plural form (e.g., knife → knives or calf → calves). We can also use the word â€Å"half† to modify other words in a sentence. For example, we could use it in either of the following: The cake was only half baked. It should have been in the oven for another half hour. In the first sentence above, â€Å"half† is an adverb that modifies the verb â€Å"baked† (i.e., the cake was only partially cooked). In the second sentence, â€Å"half† is an adjective that modifies the noun â€Å"hour† (i.e., we’re discussing 50% of an hour). But regardless of how it is used, the word â€Å"half† is always related to the idea of being divided, incomplete, or half of something whole. Halve (Divide Something in Two) â€Å"Halve,† meanwhile, is a verb. It means â€Å"divide into two (roughly) equal parts†: I will halve the cake and give one part to my sister. A similar use is to mean â€Å"reduce by 50%,† such as in the following: The new road halves the time it takes to get home. All verb forms of this term are spelled with a â€Å"v† (i.e., halve, halves, halved, halving). As such, no verb form will be spelled with an â€Å"f.† Should I Use Half or Halve? â€Å"Half† and â€Å"halve† are related terms, but these words also have different uses: Half can be a noun, adjective, or adverb. As a noun, it means â€Å"fifty percent of something† (or a similar amount). As an adjective or adverb, it shows that something is divided, half of a whole, or half complete. Halve is a verb and means â€Å"divide into two equal or roughly equal parts.† One point of confusion is that the plural of â€Å"half† is â€Å"halves,† which is also how we spell the third-person present tense form of the verb â€Å"halve.† But as long as you remember that the singular noun â€Å"half† is always spelled with an â€Å"f,† it should be easy to avoid errors in your writing.

Explain the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics Essay

Explain the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics using examples of both to help illustrate your explanation - Essay Example Some of these functions include the standard deviation, median, means, kurtosis, and skew among others. This follows that for the cases of descriptive statistics the population parameters of intrinsic interest are estimated. For instance, calculation of the sample mean and standard deviation act as fundamental instruments or indicators, which are used in estimating the population mean and standard deviation respectively (SELKIRK, 2008). In most cases, these parameters have been cited to be biased in comparison with the ideal estimators; however, an element of utility in estimating the population parameters is attributed to them. Similarly, the descriptive statistics in most cases intends to describe a big chunk of data by providing a summary charts and tables; however, it does not attempt to make any relevant conclusion about the population attributed to the samples. This forms the distinctive feature of descriptive statistics (BLANK, 2008). For instance, a sample of 30 is selected randomly from a population of 300 and the parameters such as means and standard deviation calculated (CONWAY, 2003). These parameters will be used in approximating the population estimators and consequently used in graphs and charts to provide a summary of the data. This is uninformative. On the other hand, from the meaning of the word inference, inferential statistics is the process of reaching a conclusion regarding a parameter. In essence, inferential statistics is characterized by use of functions of the sample data, which help in drawing an inference that concerns a hypothesis regarding a certain population parameter. Some of the classic inferential statistics include z, t, and F-ratio among others. For the case of the hypothesis, we have both the null and alternative hypothesis. In this case, the expected value is immensely influenced by the sample size

The Legal Structure of the Business Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Legal Structure of the Business - Term Paper Example Don can set aside the contract under the following defenses against the formation of contracts: Duress and undue influence. In jurisprudence, duress is referred to as a condition where an individual performs an act due to violence, a threat or any other pressure against the person in question. Duress is the pressure that is exerted on a person to induce him to perform an act that he could not otherwise perform under the ordinary situation. Similarly, coercion used lures a one to act or not in a manner that he would not or act. Duress constitutes going against a person’s will, the possibility of legal defense and justification of the commission of an unlawful act          Undue influence in jurisprudence is an equitable doctrine where one party takes advantage of its positional power over the other, making free will bargaining impossible. Don can seek presumed undue influence since their relationship with Evan may fall in the class of relationships, which as a matter of law may facilitate the presumption of undue influence.   Failure of this is not the end.   The actual undue influence allows an innocent party to set aside the contract, in the absence of presumed undue influence provided there is evidence that the power was imbalanced when signing the contract.          Don can seek rescission as a remedy. Rescission is an unbiased remedy that unwinds the contract between the parties. Rescission ensures that the parties to a contract restore their positions as was before they entered the contract. A person seeking rescission must, therefore, agree to return all the benefits that he or she has received from the contract. The furniture, in this case, is not treated as part of the sales. This is pursuant to the exclusion clause. An exclusion clause is an expression in a contract that seeks to restrict the rights of the parties involved in the contract. The exclusion clause can only operate if the terms are incorporated in the contract by signature, as in this case, either by notice or by previous course of dealings.

Advantages and disadvantages of fertiliser Essay Example for Free

Advantages and disadvantages of fertiliser Essay If this is true then there could be that a farmer comes along and that he lives in an area were there is a lot of rain. The thing is your fertilizer doesnt work in rain at all because it is only designed for the light. So you have to do the half the product again so it works at its best for both products. There could also be a problem with miss calculations with the amounts of nutrients needed. You could also have the problem with people trying to copy your product so what you do is that you put a patent on it making you perfectly sure that your idea wont be stolen. When planted in the ground, the roots of a plant will take up water and in the water you will also find dissolved molecules of fertilizer. These molecules are used as building blocks to create plant tissue, flowers, fruits, and even foodstuffs for the plants themselves. A potato for example is a storage of plant energy (carbohydrates) which the plant has created from air, water, and fertilizer (molecules) using the sun as an energy source. The fertilizer can end up in the ground in one of two ways: 1) Either animals have left their waste (manure) which rots, or plant materials have died (cut grass, fallen leaves, etc). As these plant materials, or the manures, decompose fertilizer molecules are released. For example, manure, orange peel, corn trash, dead flowers all contain fertilizer molecules which can become available to other plants (recycled) by the microbes in the soil. 2) A garden may manually add synthetic fertilizer (e. g. man-made fertilizer) to the plants. When the fertilizer comes in contact with water, the materials dissolve and the fertilizer molecules are released. This process does not require microbes to break down the waste material like in the example above, so it often acts faster. So what is the advantages and disadvantages of fertilizers ? Most plants, especially modern varieties, will pull more fertilizer molecules out of the ground than what is naturally re supplied. In a forest, the decomposing leaves and bark will feed the soil and give ferns (growing below the trees) enough fertilizer to live on. However, in a garden where you grow vegetables or flowers, these plants typically consume large quantities of fertilizer.. higher amounts than nature can naturally re supply. in order for the plants to grow properly, they need the right amount of fertilizer available in the soil. If there is too little, growth may be stunted and flowers and fruits may not develop properly. The plants become susceptible to attack by insects and disease. A plant which is fed well is often able to survive better. This is the same with humans: people who are starving is often plagued by disease compared to people who get all the nutrients they need. Therefore the gardener must manually fertilize the plants to ensure they have enough food to grow on. Plants which are fertilized often are bigger, stronger and produce more fruits and flowers than plants which are not fertilized. Fertilized plants are generally often also more disease resistant than unfed plants. There really is no disadvantages to fertilizing, and most home owners should fertilize plants such as vegetables, fruits and flowers because these presumably modern hybrids tend to consume much more fertilizer than nature can provide.. This also goes for lawns, for example, which has individual grass plants growing very close together much closer than grass plants would in nature and therefore have to compete with each other for nutrients. However, if you give TOO MUCH fertilizer the plants can suffer just as they would if they get too little. For example, both magnesium and calcium molecules are needed by the plants, but given too much calcium, for example, can interfere with the plants ability to take up magnesium and the other way around, too. If you add fertilizer to certain plants when the soil is dry or the temperature is very hot, you also risk damaging the plants. While there are no specific disadvantages to fertilizing if doing it correctly, you do need to know approximately which type of fertilizer (which nutrients) the plant require, how much to add, and when to add it. It also needs to be watered in to avoid that the plant dies from thirst (plants which grow in fertilizer rich soil without water will cause water to exit the plants and kill them) There could again say why use fertilizer when you already have dung.

Human Resource Management :: Business Management

One could suggest that common sense tells us Human Resource Management matters. So many challenges and successes in business are due to the actions of firms' human resources, especially since service is becoming a distinguishing competitive advantage; naturally the management of such resources would be vital. Productivity, efficiency and supremacy can be attributed to human resources. In the same respect, human resources can also be to blame for idleness, incompetence and other hindrances. When prompted about the importance of HR, Kevin Wheeler, founder of Global Learning Resources, Inc. and The Future of Talent Institute, argues, â€Å"If we believe, as I do, that innovative and engaged people will be the most important raw material of future organizational and national prosperity, the answer is obviously 'yes.' No corporate function represents people, advocates for people, or develops strategies to improve people other than HR† (Wheeler). Susan Heathfield goes on to say â€Å"No matter what other work I am doing with a company, employee performance – or the need to change or improve employee performance – is always part of the discussion.† As a member of the Society for Human Resources Management and an HR consultant, Ms. Heathfield has facilitated over 2,000 training sessions, thus demonstrating the importance of investment in human capital (Heathfield). More precisely, Human Resources Management serves to guide, benefit and protect several parties. Corporations, managers, employees, the market and the end consumer can experience an elevation in welfare due to HR Management. Corporations benefit and are inherently protected by many of the guidelines and literature in Human Resource Management. This includes workplace issues regarding organizational relationships, retention, risk management, safety and health in regards to the work environment, disaster preparedness, and union dealings. Understanding these guidelines allows for corporate policies to be created and understood prior to their need or development. For example, Human Resource Management actively trains employees on disaster preparedness and respective corporate policies if such an occasion should arise. A disaster policy would do little justice if created after such an event, despite the fact that it would aid in recurrences of disasters. Similarly, managers benefit and are guided by many HR practices, such as understanding their employee advocate and strategic roles, recognizing the value of the planning process, cultivating and predicting employee effectiveness, fostering a high-quality recruitment method, developing and integrating continuous training, and accurately and appropriately conducting performance appraisals.