Memories of Christmas by Dylan Thomas Essay Example

Memories of Christmas by Dylan Thomas Paper Dylan Thomas writes in a poetic style. He was born in Wales and sets a lot of his stories there. He uses an impressionable technique and uses many Christian references in his stories but has never wholly renounced Christianity and does not remain in an organized religion. This story about Dylan Thomas family is clearly set in Wales. This is shown by his references to Wales in the story, particularly when creating metaphors Welsh speaking sea All the cats in Wales standing on a wall This shows that he must have liked living in Wales when he was a child and was probably quite close to his family and friends because he wants to remember them. Something else that shows that they are a welsh family is the use of old Britain expressions and welsh traditions throughout the story e. g. Nuts in May Mother goose. This creates a close family atmosphere and shows how important family is, especially around Christmas time. The language he uses and the way he mentions the family constantly also show this Aunt Bessie had been frightened twice by a clockwork mouse. This also gives you the feeling that they are living in the countryside because of the way he describes the hills and the little houses and a lot of things he talks about We tobogganed down the seaward hill all afternoon. wouldnt happen in the middle of a town or city. We will write a custom essay sample on Memories of Christmas by Dylan Thomas specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Memories of Christmas by Dylan Thomas specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Memories of Christmas by Dylan Thomas specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The aim of this story is for Dylan Thomas to recall his childhood memories of Christmas and share them with the readers because this may help them to recall their own happy memories or, for those who dont have happy memories it provides a kind of pre-packaged memories to make them feel good. He wants other people to be as happy he is about his childhood and feel the child like innocence in them like he has. Another good thing about the way he writes is that he gives an idea of childrens values and what they were like at the time of his childhood by telling the story as if he were a child again Look, Jack said, Im eating snow pie. The language Dylan Thomas uses often creates blurred, dreamlike impressions with its long, descriptive passages . He uses a lot of similes Like a snowball, growing whiter and bigger and rounder He often uses commas instead of full stops to build up an excited atmosphere. He has also included metaphors and alliteration cats calling Fish freezing. These are used to help people picture sights, smells and sounds that add excitement and feeling to the story. This story has much more feeling in it than The First Miracle this is possible because the story is personal to him so he can just write down his own feelings whereas Jeffery Archer had to try to imagine how a made up character would be feeling. The children in the story seem a lot like the boy in the first miracle. They are all mischievous and sometimes get into trouble. They also have the same way of thinking although at the time the first miracle is set, children were given a lot more responsibility (like going to market to shop) `This story is personal to Dylan Thomas -its autobiographical. This is unlike the first miracle which is a fictional story created for the money and so that the masses will like it. Memories of Christmas uses a childlike perspective of time -everything changes very slowly Eternal snow -since Wednesday His family stay almost exactly the same throughout the story even though different parts of it are from many different Christmases often years apart. It is written like this because that is how a child would see things , they wouldnt notice the changes. As in the first miracle the family in memories of Christmas is a loving, protective unit where everyone can feel safe and warm The front room was lovely and bright, Uncles and aunts sat by the fire, everything was good again This is why family is an important part of every story. Although it seems that things are changing really slowly, it also seems that things are happening very quickly, so quickly that in some parts it is like a list, quickly jumping from one memory to the next. This is very different to the first miracle because everything in that moves quite slowly -its one whole story about one whole day. I think that in a way this makes memories of Christmas more exciting than the first miracle . It has been written in this way because Dylan Thomas is remembering things so quickly-and that makes more memories come flooding back and he has to quickly write them all down before he forgets them again, It seems that they pour out onto the page all at once so that things all seem blurred I cant remember if it snowed for six nights when I was twelve or twelve nights when I was six this gives a good exciting effect. The members of his family are not described in much detail but I still get a good idea of the characters and their role in the family . It seems that he has quite a big family but he only mentions a few uncles and aunts Aunts and uncles sat by the fire. He never mentions a mum or a dad, This may be because he was looked after by other members of the family as his parents were dead . This would have made his family especially important to him. There is uncle Arnold who comes over as quite a fat man The mince pies finished uncle Arnold. But he seems a cheerful friendly old man who is quite close to the family. Auntie Bessie playing pop goes the weasel and Nuts in May and Oranges and lemons on the untuned piano. You get the impression that he only sees these aunts and uncles once a year at Christmas and yet they are still very important to him . It is hard to say their individual roles in the family as they are not very well defined . Only a few characteristics of each member are mentioned ,I think this is because he can only remember the main points of each person from certain things that they did. Mrs Griffiths appears to be a grumpy old woman who is not a member of their family and is not well liked by him and his friends We tobogganed down the seaward hill, all the afternoon, on the best tea tray, and Mrs Griffths complained, and we threw a snowball at her niece. Mrs Prothero I think is Dylan Thomas neighbour who he remembers vividly due to an incident with a fire that happened one Christmas Eve. Mrs Prothero was a very loud and fussy woman when the fire broke out Fire, call the fire brigade, cried Mrs Prothero as she beat the gong. Mrs Prothero husband -Mr Prothero is less concerned about the fire and seems not to realize how serious it is Clouds of smoke and Mr Prothero stood in the middle of them, waving his slipper as though he were conducting. He is quite lazy and it seems that his wife does most of the work around the house -They must be living in a patriarchal society as in the first miracle. The final character mentioned in the story is Miss Prothero who is respected and considered very clever by Dylan Thomas and his friends but she is really quite weird and says very inappropriate things e. g. After the fire she says to the fireman would you like something to read? They seem a very close-knit country community.

The Fundamentals of Nouns

The Fundamentals of Nouns The Fundamentals of Nouns The Fundamentals of Nouns By Mark Nichol Parts of speech serve our communication needs with hardly a conscious thought on our part, but they operate according to a complex, interdependent set of rules and procedures. Here are the basic principles of the noun. A noun was traditionally described (at least, in the US public school system I oh so slowly passed through and briefly taught in) as a person, a place, or a thing, though some resources extend the definition to apply to intangible things ideas such as peace and qualities such as fear as separate categories. Nouns are also subdivided into proper nouns and common nouns. Proper nouns refer to a specifically named entity such as, for example, a person named Mark, a place called California, a thing called a Mac, and an idea or quality personified as Perfection. Common nouns, by contrast, are generic: man, state, computer, perfection. Three other classifications to distinguish nouns include countable and uncountable nouns, collective nouns, and concrete and abstract nouns. Countable nouns can be pluralized (word, words), can be accompanied by numbers or quantifiers (â€Å"Did he say, ‘Seven words’ or ‘several words’?), and can appear after an indefinite article (â€Å"In a word, yes†). Uncountable nouns (also called mass nouns and noncount nouns) share none of these qualities; examples include anger, geology, and weather. (Anger cannot be pluralized to angers, one would not say â€Å"seven geologies,† and weather would be preceded by a only if it is used as an adjective, as in â€Å"a weather system†). Collective nouns are those denoting a single entity consisting of multiple components, such as team. Concrete nouns are those that name a physical entity or something experienced by operation of one or more senses (computer, article), while abstract ones refer to concepts or ideas (democracy, liberty). Some nouns have both concrete and abstract senses; for example, dance refers to physical movement usually performed to music as well as a social event at which such activity occurs (and has a figurative meaning of â€Å"a careful interaction,† as in â€Å"The two superpowers exchanged messages in a delicate diplomatic dance†), but the word also denotes an art form involving often rhythmic and patterned physical movement. A noun serves one of three syntactical functions in a sentence, all of which are demonstrated in the first clause of this sentence: the subject of a clause (â€Å"A noun†), the object of a verb (â€Å"serves . . . functions†), or the object of a preposition (â€Å"in a sentence†). Nouns, in English, are marked by their association with an article (a, an, the, and sometimes some), such as in the phrase â€Å"an article† here, or with one or more attributive adjectives. (In the preceding phrase and a few words farther along in this sentence attributive itself is an attributive adjective for adjective.) A noun is also distinguished as the head, or key word, of a noun phrase; in this clause, clause is the head of the noun phrase â€Å"in this clause† and head is the head of the phrase â€Å"the head of the noun phrase†; note that that phrase has two nouns (head and phrase), but the latter is subordinate to the former. Some grammar theories hold that a single word can constitute a noun phrase and it doesn’t have to be a noun; consider the function of it in â€Å"It is true.† A noun consisting of an adjective used in noun form is known as a nominalization; the last word in the phrase â€Å"a word to the wise† is an example. Nouns are not essential to isolated sentences â€Å"Yes,† for example, can constitute a sentence but they are integral to communication. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Handy Expressions About HandsBest Websites to Learn EnglishHonorary vs. Honourary

Explaining Management Decisions (SPORTS MANAGEMENT) Essay

Explaining Management Decisions (SPORTS MANAGEMENT) - Essay Example Using the case of Karsten manufacturing corporation, this paper seeks to explain the management decisions in a business. While the vice president’s feelings are understandable, it is imperative to understand that a decision takes several stages and considerations before being reached. Secondly, decision makers face situations that require information which might not be available. For instance the situation of uncertainty faces a person when there is limitation of facts. Complexity is another situation that tends to demand the consideration of other interrelated factors. Then, high-risk consequences situations require that one be keen on the decision because it will have significant consequences. As noted above, management often makes decisions with considerations being made primarily about the organization not the feelings of individuals. Thus, managements tend to employ a number of theories to reach this decision. This is section will focus on the steps that management take in the culmination of a decision-making. The first thing a management is faced with is a situation before a decision is made. For this reason, the management takes time trying to understand the situation. According to Nienaber (2010), the reason competent management takes time here is that the definition of a problem will shape the next process. Thus, management tends to be careful on understanding the situation once it has been recognized as one that requires more attention. Once a problem has been confirmed to exist, it has to be solved, and this calls for a solution. However, because of the complexities of situations, coming up with the right decision is not always easy. Hence, the management draws alternatives first in a bid to identify the most applicable in the given situation. Evaluation of the most appropriate alternatives follows where the management closely looks into each of the alternatives. The selection of the best

The Latest Advances in Technology in The Recruitment Process Essay

The Latest Advances in Technology in The Recruitment Process - Essay Example The influence of new technologies such as social networking, Web 2.0 and e-methods are growing day by day in human life. For example, the recent Arab revolutions are believed to be the contributions of social networks. According to modern principles of communication, more ideas are communicated nonverbally than verbally in a face to face communication process. New technologies are providing enough options for face to face communication in the virtual world so that people can interact in virtual world as effectively as in real world. (Network Theory And Analysis, n.d.) Social networks need not introduction even among ordinary people because of the huge popularity of these interactive communication channels among them. Generally speaking, social networks are â€Å"web-based services that allow individuals to construct a public profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view and traverse their list of connections within the system† (Boyd, 2007). On the other hand, Web 2.0 is only at its introductory stage now and therefore it is not necessary that all people are aware of it. Web 2.0 is actually the second generation of WWW. It was introduced in 2004 to provide more facilities to the internet users. In short, Web 2.0 is a web platform intended to provide â€Å"much more dynamic and interconnected surfing experience to online communities. Because most Web 2.0 features are offered as free services, sites like Wikipedia and Facebook have grown at amazingly fast rates† (Web 2.0, 2008). The influence of advanced technologies is growing on business as time goes on. The influence of computers and internet on business needs no explanations now. All the aspect of modern day business in controlled by internet related technologies. For example, recruitment is one area in which advanced technologies started to exert more influence. Social networks and other modern day web based technologies are used ex tensively for the recruitment process now. This paper analyses the impacts of new technologies upon recruitment process, benefits and drawbacks of using new technologies in recruitment process etc. Impacts of new technologies upon recruitment process Hunt (2009) has argued that â€Å"people are on social networks to connect and build relationships†(Hunt, 2009, p.2). On the other hand, Shih (2009) has mentioned that â€Å"online social engagements transform the relationships between the companies and customers from one sided to two sided† (Shih, 2009, p.6). Relationship building is the core of every business activity now and recruitment process is also not an exception. Social networks can be used effectively the recruiters to build meaningful relations with job seekers. â€Å"The IES survey of 50 organisations using e-recruitment reported that the primary drivers behind the decisions to pursue e-recruitment were to: improve corporate image and profile, reduce recruitm ent costs, reduce administrative burden, and employ better tools for the recruitment team† (Kerrin & Kettley, 2003). Extensive use of web based technologies in corporate matters will definitely improve the image of an organization.

Alexander the Great Essay Example for Free

Alexander the Great Essay Alexander III the Great was a King and a conqueror of the Persian Empire. He was known as one of the greatest military prodigies of all time. He inspired many, such as Hannibal the Carthaginian, the Romans Pompey, and Napoleon. He was born around July 20, 356 B. C. in Pella, which is the prehistoric capital of Macedonia. Alexander was the son of Phillip II, King of Macedonia, and of his fourth wife Olympias, an Epirote princess. Alexander’s childhood revolved around his father. He spent most of his time watching his father transform Macedonia into a great military power. He also watched them win victory after victory on the battlefields of Balkans. At the age of twelve he showed his father and bystanders his equestrian skills when he tamed Bucephalus, a wild stallion. Thereafter, he would ride him into every major battle. At age sixteen Alexander’s father left him in charge to rule Macedonia while he invaded Thrace. During the invasion, a Thracian tribe bordering North Eastern Macedonia rebelled and became a threat to the country. Alexander created and lead his army against the rebels and defeated the Maedi and renamed it Alexandropolis. Two years later, Alexander’s father gave him a high ranking position among his senior generals as the Macedonia army invaded Greece. Not long after the Macedonian army defeated the Greeks at Chaeronea, Alexander’s parents separated and the family split. King Philip later married Cleopatra, an aristocratic Macedonian girl. Shortly thereafter, Alexander and his mother, Olympias, fled the country to Epirus after Alexander had an altercation with his stepmother’s uncle, General Attalus and his father, King Philip. The General commented at King Philip and Cleopatra’s wedding banquet that the couple would one day give birth to a â€Å"legitimate heir† a child of pure Macedonian blood. Alexander became enraged and threw his cup at the General. In turn, King Philip drew his sword and charged toward Alexander. Years later, Alexander returned to Macedonia, but lived in isolation and remained removed from the Macedonian court. In the spring of 336 BC, while the Persian invasion was going on, King Phillip was assassinated by a Macedonian noble Pausanias. Both ancient and modern historians questioned why he was killed. There are accusations that he was murdered because he denied the Pausanias justice and sought support in punishing Cleopatra’s uncle Attalus for his early mistreatment. There are also claims that Olympias and Alexander were responsible for the assassination. Philip’s dream of conquering the Persian Empire would now rest in the hands of his successor, his 22-year old son, Alexander III. Once Alexander succeeded his father as King of Macedonia, he ordered the execution of all of his native enemies. He also found himself embroiled in a series of rebellions against the conquered nations who saw their opportunity to gain independence due to his father’s death. Alexander had to act quickly to diffuse these uprisings by bringing the Illyrians, Thracians, and the Greeks back under Macedonian rule. Alexander would go on to display his military power by entering into three great battles; the Battle of Granicus, the Battle of Issus, and the Battle of Gaugmela. His total attention was focused on invading Asia and conquering that territory. As Alexander sailed to the Asia Minor’s Coast, he threw a spear while on board that stuck into the ground. When Alexander stepped onto shore he pulled the spear from the ground and pronounced that all of Asia would be defeated by that Macedonian spear. The Macedonians defeated the Persians, but the Greeks held their ground and fought back. Nevertheless, the Macedonians were victorious. Eighteen thousand Greeks perished on the banks of Granicus and 2,000 survivors were captured and sent to Macedonia as forced laborers. The second great battle was the Battle of Issus. The Macedonians came across the Persian armies under the authority of King Darius III in Northwestern Syria. The Macedonians were critically outnumbered, but the battle ended in a great win for Alexander. Tens of thousands of soldiers were killed from the opposing side and King Darius fled in desperation, leaving his family behind. The third Battle was the Battle of Gaugamela. In this battle, Alexander received support from Europe, restructured his forces, and set out for Babylon. Alexander seized lands between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and established the Persian army at the plains of Guagamela. It is estimated that the army consisted of one million men. Once again, Darius and Alexander met on the battlefield and just as he did in the battle of Issus, Darius fled in defeat. This time he fled to Ecbatana in Media. The Macedonians burned the royal palace in Persepolis several months thereafter, finishing the termination of the ancient Persian Empire. Alexander would continue to pursue King Darius to Persepolis, but would discover that he had been assassinated by another enemy. Out of respect for King Darius, Alexander gave him a royal funeral. Years later, Alexander and 80 of his closest friends married Persian noblewomen. He began to promote marriages between non-native soldiers and native women. The Macedonians did not like this idea. One of Alexander’s desires was to unify the Macedonians and Persians and form a mixed breed elite army that would be attached only to him. Sadly, this would never come to be. Shortly before beginning his Arabian campaign, Alexander became ill, with a fever, after attending his friends Medius of Larisa’s party. His illness worsened day by day and got so bad that he couldn’t move or speak. On June 7, 323 BC, Alexander passed away. Alexander the Great died at the age of 33 without naming a successor to the Macedonian Empire. Once again, the Greeks rebelled and started up a war known as the Lamian War. The Macedonians were defeated and were forced to split into four kingdoms, Seleucus (Asia), Ptolemy (Egypt), Lysimachus (Thrace), and Antipater’s son Cassander (Macedonia, including Greece).

Biography of Thomas Jefferson Essay example -- Essays Papers Bio Presi

Biography of Thomas Jefferson Third President of the United States of America. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was the third president of the United States and a creator of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson was a philosopher, politician, scientist, architect, inventor, musician, and writer. Thomas Jefferson was also one of the smartest leaders in history. His father was named Peter Jefferson, a very rich Farmer from Virginia. Thomas's Mother, Jane Randolph Jefferson, was part of the Randolph family. The Randolph Family was a big part of Virginia history, and also very rich also. Peter and Jane Jefferson moved to Goochland county, because Peter had just gotten 400 acres of land there. Thomas Jefferson was born in the log cabin in which the family lived. Thomas Jefferson was the third child out of four brother and six sisters. Two years after Thomas was born, William Randolph, a cousin of Mrs. Jefferson and a close friend of the family, died. His will requested that Peter Jefferson move to his estate, take care of the house and land, and make sure Randolph's four children get educated. The Jefferson?s remained at Randolph's estate for seven years. The estate was called Shadwell. Thomas Jefferson was quite the little intelligent boy. At age nine, Thomas Jefferson Started Latin, Greek, and French Studies at a boarding school. Thomas liked to Horse back ride, Canoe, Hunt, and fish. When Thomas was fourteen years old, his father passed away. Thomas Jefferson was the oldest son, so Thomas had to take care of the family. Jefferson was a tall, slender boy with sandy reddish hair and fair skin that freckled and sunburned easily. A serious student, Thomas also enjoyed the lighter aspects of the education of a Virginia gentleman. Jefferson learned to dance and play the violin. Weekends and holidays Thomas spent either at Shadwell entertaining guests or at his friends' plantations. After two years at William and Mary (A College in Virginia?s capital city), Jefferson left to study law. Thomas still studied French, Italian, and English history and literature. In 1767, Jefferson was chosen to the practice of law in Virginia. Jefferson's main source of income was his land. That?s because most lawyers didn?t make enough money back then. On New Year's Day, 1772, Jefferson married Martha Wayles Skelton, a 24-year-old widow. Patty... ...cts. "I cannot write volumes on a single sheet," Adams wrote plaintively, "but these letters of yours require volumes from me." Jefferson and his friend Adams, both of whom had played such great parts in the winning of independence, died on Independence Day, July 4, 1826. Jefferson left detailed instructions for his burial in the graveyard of his estate. A simple monument was to mark his resting place. Thomas Jefferson specified that the monument was to be made of coarse stone so that "no one might be tempted hereafter to destroy it for the value of the materials." Thomas Jefferson wrote his own epitaph: Here was buried Thomas Jefferson Author of the Declaration of American Independence Of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom And Father of the University of Virginia These achievements were to be inscribed on the monument, and "not a word more ... because by these, as testimonials that I have lived, I wish most to be remembered." Jefferson's wishes were carried out, but vandals later overturned and broke the stone. A careful reproduction now marks Jefferson's grave. Sources: Microsoft Encarta http://encarta.msn.com/ www.whitehouse.gov

Examine how globalisation has resulted in winners

Examine how globalisation has resulted in winners and losers (15) Globalisation is the process by which the world is becoming increasingly interconnected as a result of massively increased trade and cultural exchange. Globalisation over the past hundred years has undoubtedly made the world more interconnected including closer societies, politics, economies, cultures and the environment. Globalisation has increased the production of goods and services.There are those who argue that globalisation creates â€Å"winners† and â€Å"losers,† as some ountries prosper, mainly European countries and America, whilst other countries fail to do well. For example, USA and Europe fund their own agricultural industries heavily so less economically developed countries get ‘priced out' of certain markets, even though they should theoretically have an economic advantage, as their wages are lower. The globalisation of economies has resulted in many winners from the developed nations while also improving improved the standard of living in many developing nations.As well as this numerous winners include most western nations, some third orld labourers and international institutions. The globalisation of nation's economies has definitely improved the lives of millions across the planet, in both developed and developing countries. By far the major winner from this process has been the citizens and corporations of developed countries. This is due to many factors that have come to fruition in the later half of the twentieth century.Specifically, the roles of TNC's, global financial institutions and consumerism all have ties to economic globalisation. Despite the criticisms that surround transnational orporations, they have been directly investing in developing countries and with their expansion into these markets, have actually raised the standard of living in many third world countries. An example of a transnational corporation creating winners with the globalisatio n process is McDonalds.This is a major example of globalization in both the economic and cultural sense, with nearly 50 million people around the world being served daily. The primary economic winner in recent times from McDonald's globalisation process has been East Asia, as in 1975 when McDonald's pened it first restaurant in Hong Kong, it brought with it a high standard of professional service and the first restaurant to continually offer a clean eating environment, which customers came to demand from all restaurants later.Another winner of the globalisation process, are the third world workers employed by transnational corporations. Although the western world sees sweatshops as immoral and unethical, the labourers who work in these places are often being paid a higher wage than most of their fellow citizens. This means through the economic lobalisation process and cross border corporations, workers in developing countries have the opportunities to survive and beat the poverty cy cle.While there nave been many winners trom economic globalisation, there nave also been and will continue to be many losers. There have been many losers including most third world countries, the environment and ironically even most western countries. The primary loser from globalisation has been the developing countries, who have supplied the labour and raw material necessary to fuel globalisation. In any third world countries, globalisation has had the negative effect of creating sweatshops, where workers are paid low wages to do hard manual labour in often poor conditions.These sweatshops are run by transnational corporations, that have the aim of minimising costs by taking advantage of the relaxed labour laws often in developing countries. An example of a transnational corporation that uses sweatshops is Nike, as its shoes are made in many Asian countries at a low cost and then sold in western countries for a profit. After the goods are sold and the wages aid, the transnational corporations take any profit made back to their headquarters or home country.This leaves the developing countries in poverty as the workers are being exploited for a minimal wage while the country sees very little of the profits. However, not only are the developing countries affected by economic globalisation, the developed countries that are often at the center of globalisation also experience problems. A major loser that has resulted from the integration of economies specifically in times of economic downturn has been all economies, including both eveloping and developed.It can be seen that the primary losers from economic development are developing countries; however, developed countries can also be losers. Another significant loser from economic globalisation is the environment; this problem affects all countries on the planet and has been getting worse over time. The environment has been abused and neglected since the beginning of the industrial revolution and today is current ly at a precipice. Developed countries are the worst offender when it comes to the abuse of the environment.There are positive aspects of globalisation as seen in developed countries, also now many developing countries are to some degree enjoying the benefits. However, transnational corporations and the developed world are still generally exploiting developing countries. Likewise, the planet's environment is still being expended at a faster rate than it is being replenished or replaced and will surely cause problems for future generations. Therefore, it can be said that the globalisation process of integrating nation's economies has had both positive and negative effects on the world.