Prufrock Essays - Literature, Chapbooks, Free Essays, Term Papers

Prufrock Essays - Literature, Chapbooks, Free Essays, Term Papers Prufrock The Deeper Side of Prufrock: A Personal Analysis Thomas Sterns Eliot wrote the poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock over a period of six years and published it circa 1917 at the ripe old age of twenty-nine. As his first published poem, Prufrock revealed Eliots original and highly developed style. Its startling jumps from rhetorical language to clich, its indirect literary references, and its simultaneous humor and pessimism were quite new in English literature. (World Book, 236) Prufrocks quest for a life he cannot live and a question he has difficulty confronting is intriguingly played out in various aspects of his humanity. He is doing battle in all aspects of his personality, which establishes him as a neurotic character. Neurosis, as defined by the Thorndike/Barnhart World Book Dictionary, is: any one of various mental or emotional disorders characterized by depression, (I should have been a pair of ragged claws / Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.) anxiety, (So how should I presume? / And how should I presume? / And how should I begin? / And should I then presume?) and abnormal fears, (Do I dare disturb the universe?). The personality of Prufrock embodies these characteristics. The physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of his life are governed by this ailment. Its fingers entwine about his very soul, affecting every area of his consciousness. Physically aging, this thin, balding male is aware of his decaying image, thus more self-conscious and less confident. This cannot be more clearly stated than in lines 40-45: With a bald spot in the middle of my hair (They will say: How his hair is growing thin!) My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin, My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin (They will say: But how his arms and legs are thin!) These physical insecurities prevent him from living the life he longs for by distracting him from the things that have real meaning, i.e., Shall I part my hair behind and Do I dare to eat a peach? These are petty questions that he asks to avoid the Overwhelming question. Prufrock is consumed with these insignificant details of his life. Prufrock avoids life not only through trite physical worries, but through numerous mental labors as well. These mental labors range from imagining himself as being completely vulnerable Like a patient etherized upon a table to Prufrock looking at the superficiality of his life. The lines I have measured out my life with coffee spoons, setting a pillow or throwing off a shawl, and I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled show the shallowness of thought he uses to avoid coming to terms with his old age. Prufrock is a lonely man. In the poem, there is no evidence of any relationship outside of the one he has with himself. He makes references to restless nights in one-night cheap hotels and women [that] come and go. He desires intimate relationships, yet lacks the courage and self-confidence to even begin to pursue love. His humanity and dignity cannot fully be realized without it. Prufrock fancies himself to be someone who has known it all the evenings, the mornings, the afternoons, the eyes, the arms. His pride leads him to believe that he someone that he is not. Prufrock believes that life is superficial, but he alone is deep. He may not be Prince Hamlet, yet he is still advisor to the Prince. This is not a lowly job. He speaks highly of himself when he states Deferential, glad to be of use, / Politic, cautious, and meticulous. Proud as he is, however, Prufrock eventually states the inevitable. He admits to being Almost, at times, the Fool. With this confession, his pride crumbles and he surrenders to the realization of his mortality. The very next lines emphasize the gravity of this new awareness, I grow old I grow old Here lies the turning point of his worldview. Prufrock once had Time to turn back and descend the stair, but now time is running out. Throughout the poem, Prufrocks concept of time changes. Initially, he takes time for granted: There will be time, there will be time To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet; There will

The byzantine in 1000 AD essays

The byzantine in 1000 AD essays For many years a taboo subject for all but a small number of specialists primarily in the fields of history and political science, and treated as an aberration in discussions of 'Western Culture', fascism has returned with a vengeance. The resurgence of extreme right wing and neo-fascist movements in Europe and throughout the world in the last fifteen years have, of course, played a major and indeed chilling role in this 'return'. So too, have revelations concerning fascist involvements on the part of major intellectual figures and artists whose work has had a profound inßuence in shaping modern and postmodern culture. Fascism, in short, can no longer be considered a short-lived aberration but must be dealt with as an ongoing presence in our cultural and political heritage. Richard GolsanÕs talk will pursue these observations and attempt to assess why fascism remains a scandal, which we are still not able to cope with culturally or politically. The Spectacular State: Fascism and the Modern Imagination is a public forum happening in which brings together artists, activists, and scholars to generate critical discussion about the various characteristics and consequences of fascism in its historical and contemporary contexts. The forum will include film and video screenings, art exhibitions, lectures, panels and roundtable discussions at a number of different venues. There are many reasons why a public forum dedicated to the critical examination of fascism is especially urgent. The most immediate and obvious is the resurgence of neo-nazism and the extreme right, and the subsequent need to understand how these movements operate so that they can be more effectively resisted. Nineteen ninety-five marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the European Holocaust and the beginning of international recognition of its crimes and atrocities. Although this part of hist ...

Top Intermediate French Mistakes

Top Intermediate French Mistakes After learning French for a while, whether in a class or on your own, youve probably found that there are some things you just cant figure out how to say, or that people are always correcting you on. These may be issues that you havent been taught yet  or concepts that youve studied but just dont get. As an intermediate French speaker, there is still plenty of time to fix these mistakes before they fossilize in your mind. Here are ten of the most common intermediate-level French mistakes with links to lessons. French Mistake 1: Y and En Y and en are known as adverbial pronouns - they replace the preposition or de plus a noun, respectively. They consistently cause problems for intermediate French speakers, though Im not sure whether this is because they are not adequately taught in French classes, or simply because they are difficult to master. Regardless of the reason for the difficulties, the fact is that both y and en are extremely important in French, so be sure to study this lesson. French Mistake 2: Manquer The French verb manquer (to miss) is a tough one because the word order is the opposite of what you probably expect. For example, I miss you translates not as je te manque but rather tu me manques (literally, you are missing to me.) Once you understand the proper French word order, youll never miss this one again. French Mistake 3: Le Passà © French past tenses are definitely tricky. The passà © composà © vs imparfait issue is a constant struggle until students truly understand each of these tenses and the differences between them. Theres also the matter of the passà © simple, which needs to be understood but not used. Get past this confusion with these lessons. French Mistake 4: Agreement Agreement of adjectives and à ªtre verbs may seem pointless and aggravating, but its part of the French language and needs to be learned. There are several kinds of agreement; the ones intermediate students really need to watch out for are agreement of adjectives with the nouns they modify, and agreement of the past participle of à ªtre verbs with their subjects in the passà © composà © and other compound tenses. French Mistake 5: Faux Amis There are thousands of French words that look a lot like English words, and while many of them are true cognates (i.e., mean the same thing in both languages), a lot of them are false cognates. If you look at the word actuellement and think Aha! Thats the French translation of actually, youre going to make a mistake because it actually means currently. Actuellement and hundreds of other faux amis are explained on my site, so take the time to learn the most common ones and thus avoid common pitfalls. French Mistake 6: Relative Pronouns The French relative pronouns are  qui,  que,  lequel,  dont, and  oà ¹, and depending on context can mean  who,  whom,  that,  which,  whose,  where, or  when. They are difficult for various reasons, including not having standard English equivalents and being required in French but often optional in English. The  pronoun  dont  in particular  causes major problems for French students, so be sure to learn about French relative pronouns. French Mistake 7: Temporal Prepositions Temporal prepositions introduce an amount of time, and the French ones are often confused. There is a correct time to use each of the prepositions  ,  en,  dans,  depuis,  pendant  and  pour, so take the time to learn the difference. French Mistake 8: Depuis and Il y a Depuis  and  il y a  are both used to describe  time  in the past, but  depuis  means since or for while  il y a  means ago. If you had studied this lesson one year ago (il y a un an), you would have already known how to use these expressions correctly for a year (depuis  un an). Its not too late -   allez-y! French Mistake 9: Ce  Homme French adjectives usually have to agree with the nouns they modify in gender and number, but there are several that have a special form used when they precede a word that begins with a vowel or mute H. For example, to say this man, you might be tempted to say  ce  homme  because  ce  is the masculine demonstrative article. But because French likes to maintain euphony,  ce  changes to  cet  in front of a vowel or mute H:  cet  homme. French Mistake 10: Pronominal Verbs and Reflexive Pronouns Pronominal verbs (including reflexive verbs) cause lots of problems, especially when they are used in the infinitive. You probably know that Im getting up is  je  me là ¨ve, but what about I have to get up or Im going to get up? Should you say  je  dois/vais  me  lever  or  je  dois/vais  se  lever? Look at this lesson for the answer to that question as well as all kinds of other good info about pronominal verbs. High-Intermediate Mistakes High-intermediate means your French is pretty good - you excel in everyday situations, and can even hold your own in long discussions, but there are still some issues that you cant seem to get the hang of, or that you simply dont remember five minutes after looking them up. Reading several explanations of the same issue can help cement understanding of these sticky issues, so here are ten of the most common high-intermediate French mistakes with links to my lessons - maybe this time it will finally make sense. High Intermediate Mistake 1: Se and Soi Se  and  soi  are two of the most commonly misused French pronouns.  Se  is a reflexive pronoun while  soi  is a stressed pronoun, but they are very often mixed up with  le  and  lui, respectively. These lessons will help you understand the difference in order to avoid any confusion.High Intermediate Mistake 2: Encore vs Toujours Because  encore  and  toujours  can both mean yet and still (though they both have several other meanings as well), they are very often confused with one another. Learn how and when to use each of them. High Intermediate Mistake 3: What Trying to figure out how to say what in French can be tricky - should it be  que  or  quoi, or what about  quel? All of these terms have specific uses in French, so the only way to know which one to use when is to understand exactly what each one means. High Intermediate Mistake 4: Ce que, ce qui, ce dont, ce quoi Indefinite relative pronouns link relative clauses to  a main  clause when there is no specific antecedent... huh? In other words, when you have a sentence like this is what I want or thats what he told me, the what that links the two clauses has an unknown (indefinite) meaning. French indefinite relative pronouns often - though not always translate as what, so take a look at this lesson for detailed explanations and examples. High Intermediate Mistake 5: Si Clauses Si clauses, also known as conditionals or conditional sentences, have an if clause and a then (result) clause, such as If I have time, (then) I will help you. There are three types of si clauses, and each requires a certain sequence of verb tenses in French, which can cause confusion. The rules, however, are quite simple once you take the time to learn them. High Intermediate Mistake 6: Final Letters French pronunciation is tricky when it comes to final letters. Many words end in silent consonants, but some of those normally silent consonants are pronounced when followed by a word that begins with a vowel or mute H. This is often difficult for French learners, but with study and practice you really can master it, and these lessons are the place to start. High Intermediate Mistake 7: Subjunctive A high-intermediate French speaker is certainly aware of the subjunctive and knows to use it after things like  il  faut  que  and  je  veux  que, but there are probably still some expressions or verbs that youre not sure about. Do you use the subjunctive after  espà ©rer, and what about  il est possible/probable? Take a look at these pages for help with all of your subjunctive questions. High Intermediate Mistake 8: Negation   Obviously, a high-intermediate speaker knows how to use  ne...  pas  and many other negative forms, but there might be a few issues you still find tricky, like  ne  pas  in front of an infinitive,  ne  without  pas, and  pas  without  ne. Whatever your question about negation, youll find answers in these lessons. High Intermediate Mistake 9: Two or More Verbs There are several different types of French verb constructions with two or more verbs: compound moods/tenses (e.g.,  jai  mangà ©), dual verbs (je  veux  manger),  modals  (je  dois  manger), passive voice (il est mangà ©), and the causative construction (je  fais  manger). Many of these do not translate literally from English and thus can be difficult for French students. Your best bet is to review the lesson on each structure to make sure you understand, and then practice whenever you can to remember it. High Intermediate Mistake 10: Word Order Last but not least, word order can be a problem, especially when dealing with negation, various pronouns, and more than one verb all in the same sentence. This is another area where practice makes perfect - review the lessons and then put them to work. Position of object pronouns  Position of adverbs

Business Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 4

Business Environment - Essay Example (i) Political factors: These factors include but not limited to political and legal structures, political alliances, foreign trade legislation, trade union power, pressure groups, taxation policies, legislature structures, employment legislation and monopoly restrictions. (ii) Economic factors: These involve inflation rates, money supply, business cycles, trading blocks, the nature and bases of competition domestically and internationally, investment level and unemployment. (iv) Technological factors: These factors include but not limited to the level and focuses of government and industrial R&D expenditure, speed of technology transfer, technological shifts, the direction of technological transfer, the costs of technology and product lifecycles. Tesco is Britain’s largest retailer of grocery, clothing, consumer electronics, and operates general merchandising chain. It commands a greater share of UK market in both food and non-food categories (Humby, Hunt & Phillips 2007, p.1). Even though Tesco enjoys great patronage because of its high customer loyalty, the current financial crisis is indirectly affecting Tesco’s business activities in the following ways: (i) Economic effects: The economy in UK has resulted in many workers being laid off. As the level of unemployment rises, those in that population automatically lost their purchasing ability; because they have no money to order from Tesco stores. It has been reported that UK is currently in economic recession, like every other Western European economy; what this circumstance signifies is that people tend to cut back on their expenses. This attitude could rob Tesco of continuous in-flow of capital that is needed to keep the company operating. As banks face a crisis that see their customers’ deposits dwindled over the past months, Tesco will increasingly find it difficult to secure loans as operating capital to sustain its business activities. Worse still, the

Course assignment, question 3-5-8, need assisance Coursework

Course assignment, question 3-5-8, need assisance - Coursework Example By use of sentence structures, they should be able to explain their hobbies that include: Comment: Target language refers only to the new things you are going to teach in the lesson (individual names of hobbies). Your students already know adverbs of frequency, question formation, tenses and sentence structure, so it is assumed knowledge. Here you need to list vocabulary of hobbies, e.g. swimming, horseriding, collecting coins, playing chess or whatever else you are going to teach in your lesson. You need between 10-12 hobbies. Comment: Yes. The present simple, present continuous and the adverbs of frequency are assumed knowledge. Without prior knowledge of these structures this lesson would be too difficult for elementary students. However, a quick review of the adverbs of frequency is a good idea near the beginning of the lesson just to refresh students memories. 5. Thou at this level sentence and question structure may not be perfect; there could be chances where some students might struggle with making meaningful structures while incorporating the vocabularies of hobbies. Comment: Ok but here you need to think more about language problems when teaching the target language of hobbies. . The students may revert to L1 collocations, e.g. â€Å"I make photos/ I bike ride† as in the French and Spanish. Please think of other problems. Comment: Yes and as there is such a possible range of hobbies in this topic, I would restrict the number of words taught to between 10 - 12 using visuals to help students understand meaning. If you try to teach more vocabulary than this you are likely to overwhelm your students with too much information that they cannot assimilate. Now write a lesson plan for a 45-minute-long lesson on the chosen topic in the space provided below. Click here to remind yourself of the model structure for a lesson plan. To pass this task, make sure each stage of your plan includes an activity

The cause and effect of driving without a valid registration Essay

The cause and effect of driving without a valid registration - Essay Example I once had the unfortunate experience of being pulled over by a policeman when driving a motor vehicle whose papers had expired. The reason I committed this infraction was a very innocent mistake. My friends and I had been waiting on my brother to drive us to classes that morning. He however could not do it and so I had to drive my friends to school. I was not sure whether the motor vehicle was registered or there was just no proof that it was registered because I did not really ask. It was later during the day, after the encounter with the police officer that I realized my brother had not renewed his papers for over three months. Moreover, the vehicle did not fall in the category of vehicles that need not be registered for a person to be able to use the on the roads. Generally the effect of this situation depends on the length of time the registration is not valid or has expired. The penalties increase with the increase in time. The offense is normally considered to be a moving viol ation if the motor vehicle has not been registered for a period a period that is longer than six months in most jurisdictions. Most insurance companies see this as a risk and in most cases would also increase their rates on that particular motor vehicle.

Historical events that have shaped America Essay

Historical events that have shaped America - Essay Example When breaking down the essence of America in this way, it becomes possible for a few key events to float to the top of each category as being critical in the evolution of the United States. Of course, this determination is largely a matter of opinion. Nevertheless, a concrete case can be made for three major historical developments as the most essential factors shaping America. In the political realm, the Enlightenment is the first factor. In the economic realm, the Industrial Revolution is the second factor. And in the military realm, World War II is the third factor. Taken together, these three factors comprise a triad of events in whose absence the America we know today could never have possibly come into being. The Enlightenment was arguably the most important historical event influencing the United States governmental and political system. Not only did it spawn a philosophy of good government and a view of human rights that directly impacted the thinking of the Founding Fathers as they crafted the American system of government, but it also indirectly informed modern views of social justice that precipitated such developments as the Civil Rights movement, universal suffrage, and social security. The Enlightenment, while more of a European phenomenon than an American one, took place at just the right time, directly preceding the American Revolution and heavily influencing the thinking of the great men who would be instrumental in setting the initial course of America (http://www.wsu.edu/dee/AMERICA/ENLIGHT.HTM). The Enlightenment was the point in history when some of the most influential political philosophers of history wrote their seminal works. These include the writings of John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Hobbes, and John Stuart Mill. Together, these great thinkers laid out the philosophical underpinnings of what would become the American government. Such concepts as separation of powers, the right to life, liberty and property, the importance of a strong central government, and the common good, all came into play as the Framers developed their formula of "good government" that is laid out within the U.S. Constitution. These "enlightened" thinkers, among others, brought about a fundamental shift in the way humans viewed their world and their natural place in it. The Enlightenment essentially set the philosophical parameters surrounding the way humans interact with one another and agree to govern one another. The Founding Fathers, most notably James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, injected a heavy dose of Enlightenment philosophy into the American governmental system, with its protection against the tyranny of the majority, its preservation of individual liberty and property rights, and its perpetuation of the sovereignty of the states in the face of a strong central government. As such, the Enlightenment provided the cornerstone of American government, and was perhaps the most critical world historical event shaping America. The Industrial Revolution Just as the Enlightenment was key to America's political development, the Industrial Revo