English A Language And Literature Essay Example for Free

English A Language And Literature Essay These notes to examiners are intended only as guidelines to assist marking. They are not offered as an exhaustive and fixed set of responses or approaches to which all answers must rigidly adhere. Good ideas or angles not offered here should be acknowledged and rewarded as appropriate.  Similarly, answers which do not include all the ideas or approaches suggested here should be rewarded appropriately. SECTION A Candidates are required to compare a letter from John Steinbeck to his eldest son Thom with an â€Å"advice† comic strip by Ken Cursoe, both of which explore the virtues (or not) of being in love. An adequate to good analysis will: †¢ note the commonalities of the two texts, such as Thom and Luke both seeking advice about love, the â€Å"expert’s† opinion about love, male/female distinctions, etc †¢ note some of the differences between the two texts, such as father / Tiny Sepuku, sincerity / humor, letter / advice column/cartoon, etc †¢ comment on the different text types, noting some characteristics of each. (For example, the letter observes the conventions of the form and responds to a letter on a personal level and addresses the issues it raises in a clear and logical fashion. The cartoon, posing as an advice column, opens with a brief letter of two questions answered by Tiny in a â€Å"tongue-in-cheek† fashion through seven vignettes of the â€Å"super powers† that love gives to either the male or female in the relationship) †¢ comment on the differences of context as deduced from the times and situations in which the texts were generated and from issues and references made within the texts themselves, such as the vignettes of the cartoon, the implications of the gestures and language of the cartoon characters, as well as the relationships revealed in the letter and the attitudes expressed by Steinbeck †¢ comment on the differences of audience and purpose as deduced from the two text types. A good to excellent analysis may also: †¢ consider further the differences in the attitudes to â€Å"love† †¢ consider more closely the purposes of the writers as viewed through their choice of text types, considering closely the differences between seriousness and humour †¢ offer a more in-depth analysis of both the letter and the cartoon, looking  closely at the stylistic features and showing some familiarity with terms appropriate to each †¢ offer a more careful consideration of audience and purpose, for example, the original recipient of the letter and, now, the wider audience interested in the life and writings of John Steinbeck, and, for the cartoon, those who follow the comic strip (and write in) or the general public who are amused by the cartoonist’s treatment of the subject. –4– N13/1/AYENG/HP1/ENG/TZ0/XX/M SECTION B Candidates are required to compare the poem Eyepiece by Judith Beveridge with a message from the Yahoo forum Microscope – Microscopy as a hobby or profession, which present, respectively, figurative and literal views of the world seen through a microscope. An adequate to good analysis will: †¢ note the commonalities of the two texts: the viewing of the world through a microscope, the identification of what is being looked at in each case †¢ comment on the two text types exploring some characteristics of each (the blend of personal and scientific comments in the message, as well as the nature of observation, both general and specific, the use of scientific language, the global nature of the â€Å"group,† etc as opposed to the more refined qualities of the poem: stanzas, lines, enjambment, simile, extended metaphor, alliteration, etc) †¢ comment on the â€Å"view of the world† that is offered by these writers and how distinctions between their purposes, contexts and audience shape their use of language, style and technique †¢ offer a recognition of the distinction between literal and figurative. A good to excellent analysis may also: †¢ offer a more in-depth analysis of both text types, showing how choice of text type influences both the structure and style of the content †¢ offer a careful consideration of the world view that is presented in each text: looking at the distinctions between describing an evening as though it  were a vision seen through a microscope compared with the reality of looking at water through a microscope and the impact (such as â€Å"fascinating†, â€Å"shocked and horrified†) on the observer †¢ consider more closely the two speaking voices (the scientist and the persona of the poem), how they are characterized and to what effect †¢ offer a cogent comparison of the two text types that offers a clear understanding of purpose, context, content and audience.

Free College Essays - The Role Model in Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Huckleberry Finn: His Role Model Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is written from the view point of the boy Huckleberry Finn. He tells about the adventures he is having on the Mississippi River with a runaway slave, whose name is Jim. It becomes apparent early in the book that there are a couple of people who play major roles in Huck's life. One is Jim and the other is Tom Sawyer, the person Huck wishes he could be like. Tom Sawyer is a leader to Huck from the very beginning of the book, when Huck is living with the Widow Douglas. She is raising Huck because his father is a drunk and is not in the area. Huck is doing fine living with the Widow Douglas for awhile, but he soon tires of her way of life. Huck does not like having to stay clean all the time and having to wear neat clothes. He also doesn't appreciate her attempting to civilize him, so he puts on his old rags and leaves. Tom Sawyer is the one who is able to convince Huck to come back to the widow and "be respectable" (p. 1). Huck wants to be a part of Tom's gang, so he agrees to go back. It takes a certain type of person to make Huck willing to go home because it is a lifestyle he really doesn't like. Tom has that kind of control over Huck's decisions. Another reason that Huck looks up to Tom as a role model is that Huck feels Tom is more intelligent than himself. Huck is amazed by how brilliant Tom is. "What a head for just a boy to have! If I had Tom Sawyer's head I wouldn't trade it off to be a duke, nor mate of a steamboat, nor clown in a circus, nor nothing I can think of" (p. 236). It isn't simply that Tom is smarter. It is that Tom often makes Huck feel he isn't as smart. One example is when the two boys are trying to free Jim. Huck doesn't understand why they have to do things the hard way. That is when Tom says, "Oh, shucks, Huck Finn, if I was as ignorant as you I'd keep still" (p. 243). Tom also says, "Why, hain't you ever read any books at all?" (p. 242). It is true that Tom has more schooling than Huck, and this also plays a role into Huck's belief that Tom is smarter.

History of the Funeral Industry

Funerals and burial rituals have been practiced for centuries. From mummification in the ancient Egyptian times to the extremely regimented practices of Muslims across the world, burial rituals differ greatly across the world’s societal bounds. The American funeral industry was never really established until after the civil war. Before the civil war, families would bury the bodies of relatives themselves. Messing with the natural course of decomposition by embalming the body was frowned upon during colonial times, but eventually began to gain popularity (Laderman). Although the practice of embalming corpses of the dead has been practiced for centuries, the U.S. began embalming the bodies of dead soldiers to prevent them from decomposing on the trip home. The person in charge of arranging and performing the embalming process was then known as an â€Å"undertaker† (funeralwise.com). After the war, the popularity of undertakers began to skyrocket; thus, forming an industry. The rapid spread of embalming practices and urbanization in the early twentieth century led to undertakers starting up funeral homes. Instead of the undertaker traveling to the home of the deceased, bodies were transported to the funeral home to be embalmed – relieving the families of having to deal with the logistics of death (Laderman). Although funeral directors, originally called â€Å"undertakers,† are well regarded professionals, the funeral industry has continually been tarnished by bad press, economic factors, and ugly controversies (Laderman). The most prevalent attack has been economic. Society has always considered the profession as a â€Å"swindlers paradise† because funeral homes often take advantage of grieving families by outrageously pricing their services. This is a constant uphill battle facing funeral directors of our day. The funeral industry has increasingly adapted to consumer demands, developing ways to cohere to the traditions of various societal groups. Although many ethnic/societal groups have specific funeral directors to take car of their dead, the rapidly emerging industry has become more ethnicity friendly and can adapt to any burial practice desired (funeralwise.com). This industry is looking at facing an economic boom as we reach the end of our â€Å"baby-boomer† generation, and they have come up with a plethora of creative ideas in order to cater their future.

The Role Of Alcohol And Drinking In Beo - 1765 Words

Brian Geisler Dr. Justice English 506 14 December 2014 The Role of Alcohol and Drinking In Beowulf The drink and the feast were dynamic to the life of the warriors of Beowulf’s realm. The have-at-it of food and drink as they were prescribed surely played key roles in that of social relationships throughout the story. Beverages of the adult persuasion played key roles in both establishing and maintaining social adequacies. Alcohol worked as the social lubricant, so to speak, but also served as a barrier. Alcohol in medieval literature was both the catalyst for mass discourse, as well as the poison for the poignant hero or the annoying antagonist. In yonder day poetry, the feast was the call-to-all community beckon; and in Beowulf, it was†¦show more content†¦Direct references to Beowulf drinking alcohol can first be found on line 628 of Beowulf when Beowulf â€Å"accepts the cup† from Wealhtheow during the first feast after the monster’s death. Again we find references to Beowulf’s drinking in lines 1019 to 1023: â€Å"Then Halfdane’s son presented Beowulf / with a gold standard as a victory gift, / So Beowulf drank his drink, at ease; / it was hardly a shame to be showered with such gifts / in front of the hall-troops.† However, even before the first feast after the monster’s death, drinking is negatively written about when Unferth taunts Beowulf at the first feast. Beowulf translator, Seamus Heaney, translates line 530 of the epic as Beowulf saying to Unferth: â€Å"Well, Unferth, you have had your say about Breca and me, but it was mostly drink that was talking.† It seems that references to being â€Å"drunk† have stronger negative connotations than that of just â€Å"drinking† or enjoying drinks. Similar to today, it is alright to enjoy one’s self, but not to be a â€Å"drunkard.† There are several parts of the story where drinking is expounded upon. In addition to Beowulf’s and Unferth’s back-and-forth and Wealhtheow’s offering of the guest cup that we have detailed above, we are given to the details and the importance of drink. Heorot is directly referred to as a â€Å"wine hall† in line 994. This is important