Robert Benchley on How to Avoid Writing

Humorist Robert Benchley describes the sort of commitment that not writing demands. It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for writing, Robert Benchley once said. But I couldnt give it up because by that time I was too famous. In truth, Benchley had a great talent for writing—comic essays, for the most part, and theater criticism. But as Benchley was quick to admit, he had an even greater talent for not writing: The secret of my incredible energy and efficiency in getting work done is a simple one. I have based it very deliberately on a well-known psychological principle and have refined it so that it is now almost too refined. I shall have to begin coarsening it up again pretty soon.The psychological principle is this: anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isnt the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment.(How to Get Things Done in Chips off the Old Benchley, 1949) A master procrastinator, Benchley is remembered for his work at The New Yorker magazine in the 1930s—and even more for his deadline-defying high jinks at the Algonquin Round Table. Like many of us, Benchley maintained a strict writing regimen, which involved postponing work until the last possible minute. In How I Create, he described the sort of commitment that not writing calls for: Very often I must wait weeks and weeks for what you call inspiration. In the meantime I must sit with my quill pen poised in the air over a sheet of foolscap, in case the divine spark should come like a lightning bolt and knock me off my chair on to my head. (This has happened more than once.) . . .Sometimes, while in the throes of creative work, I get out of bed in the morning, look at my writing desk piled high with old bills, old gloves, and empty ginger-ale bottles, and go right back to bed again. The next thing I know it is night once more, and time for the Sand Man to come around. (We have a Sand Man who comes twice a day, which makes it very convenient. We give him five dollars at Christmas.)Even if I do get up and put on part of my clothes—I do all my work in a Hawaiian straw skirt and bow tie of some neutral shade—I can often think of nothing to do but pile the books which are on one end of my desk very neatly on the other end and then kick them one by one off to the floor with my free foot.I find that, while working, a pipe is a great source of inspiration. A pipe can be placed diagonally across the keys of a typewriter so that they will not function, or it can be made to give out such a cloud of smoke that I cannot see the paper. Then, there is the process of lighting it. I can making a pipe a ritual which has not been equaled for elaborateness since the five-day festival to the God of the Harvest. (See my book on Rituals: the Man.)In the first place, owing to 26 years of constant smoking without once calling in a plumber, the space left for tobacco in the bowl of my pipe is now the size of a medium body-pore. Once the match has been applied to the tobacco therein the smoke is over. This necessitates refilling, relighting, and reknocking. The knocking out of a pipe can be made almost as important as the smoking of it, especially if there are nervous people in the room. A good smart knock of a pipe against a tin wastebasket and you will have a neurasthenic out of his chair and into the window sash in no time.The matches, too, have their place in the construction of modern literature. With a pipe like mine, the supply of burnt matches in one day could be floated down the St. Lawrence River with two men jumping them. . . .(from No Poems, or Around the World Backwards and Sideways, 1932) Eventually, of course—after sharpening pencils, making out schedules, composing a few letters, changing typewriter ribbons, relighting his pipe, building a book shelf, and clipping pictures of tropical fish out of magazines—Benchley did get down to work. If youd welcome some advice on how to skip all the preliminaries, see Writers on Writing: Overcoming Writers Block  and Writing Rituals and Routines: Advice on How to Become a More Disciplined Writer. .

Compare and Contrast the Philosophical Contributions...

In order to begin analyzing Aristotle and Descartes contribution to our notion of a person, we need to be able to understand what the term ‘personhood means. Unfortunately there is no clear answer, with philosophers still presenting conflicting ideas. However by asking questions such as; is ‘personhood identical to human being? What is the essence of a person? What relation does a person have with the world? When does personhood begin? At what point if ever does it end? And finally what makes a good person? We move closer to a set of characteristics that make up a person. Therefore we can judge Aristotle and Descartes contribution to a person by evaluating their answers to such questions. Personhood being purely a human phenomenon is†¦show more content†¦Drawing on predessesors and Christian theologians view that the soul is the essence of a person, Descartes adds to the theory of the soul that it is located and connected to the body in the pineal gland. And as the organ is unique to humans, he is able to conclude that animals do not have souls, and therefore do not have the essence of a person. However, Descartes theory of the pineal gland has been almost universally rejected, mainly because his anatomical assumptions were wrong, as the pineal gland is not as Descartes said; suspended in the middle of the ventricles and is not surrounded by arteries but veins. Aristotle uses biology contrastingly to distinguish between animals and humans. A most notible difference is on the issue of animals having souls, in which Aristotle believes animals do have souls whilst maintaining personhood as only a human phenomena. Unlike Descartes rationalist approach, Aristotle being an empiricist believes that the ultimate source of knowledge is perception, and that we arrive at concepts firstly from experience and then we use reason to understand them. Through observation Aristotle is then able to allocate parts of the soul (what he refers to as the psuche) to species, enabling him toShow MoreRelatedExistentialism vs Essentialism23287 Words   |  94 Pagesthings have a set of characteristics that make them what they are, amp; that the task of science and philosophy is their discovery amp; expression; the doctrine that essence is prior to existence While, Existentialism:A philosophical theory or approach, that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free amp; responsible agent, determining their own development through acts of the will. Existentialism * is a philosophical term which posits that individuals createRead MoreHerbert Spencer Essay13142 Words   |  53 Pagespublished in 1859, completed Spencers evolutionary system by providing the mechanism by which organic evolution occurred. Spencer enthusiastically elaborated on Darwins process of natural selection, applying it to human society, and made his own contribution in the notion of survival of the fittest. From the beginning Spencer applied his harsh dictum to human society, races, and the state - judging them in the process: If they are sufficiently complete to live, they do live, and it is well theyRead MoreMetz Film Language a Semiotics of the Cinema PDF100902 Words   |  316 PagesNote on the Translation by Bertrand Augst When Film Language was translated, nearly twenty years ago, very few texts about semiotics and especially film semiotics were available in English. Michael Taylor s translation represents a serious effort to make Metz s complicated prose, filled with specialized vocabularies, accessible to a public unfamiliar with the concepts and terms of semiotics. Excepting the inadequate translation of a few words which either cannot be translated into English or onlyRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pagesattract readers. Stanley Baronett. Jr., University of Nevada Las Vegas Far too many authors of contemporary texts in informal logic – keeping an eye on the sorts of arguments found in books on formal logic – forget, or underplay, how much of our daily reasoning is concerned not with arguments leading to truth-valued conclusions but with making choices, assessing reasons, seeking advice, etc. Dowden gets the balance and the emphasis right. Norman Swartz, Simon Fraser University v Acknowledgments

Financial Analysis and Porter Five Forces †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Financial Analysis and Porter Five Forces. Answer: Introduction Porter five forces enable a company in developing of business strategy. This model helps to determine the market attractiveness of the particular industry. The assignment deals with Technology industry, which is operating in the region of Australia having overseas investment and operation all over the World. The company will determine many industries. It will face and the profits it will incur. The Porter model will help to determine the companys profit. It is a useful tool, which is powerful and helps in determining the profitability of the industry and the ways to maximize profit (Yunna and Yisheng,2014). Porter five forces model was applied to the market in Australia, the exchange rate for this country is AUD, which is a developed country. The IT industry helps to transform their own business models so deal or accommodate when the customers shift their choice. This will make the industry successful and it is a promising for the technology industry. The Australian industry made huge investment in local and overseas market as USA is trying to discover new solutions for strict rules that it can stop from basic doings, such as keeping the technology sector forward, thereby overseas investment helps in making improvements in the sector (Delgado, Porter and Stern, 2014). Information Technology Industry from Porters view The IT industry has gone through many difficulties and thereby achieved success in the future and in coming times. The IT industry have attained a greater success and its success attributed in having the ability to innovate and bringing the product that will make the IT industry in Australia very successful in the coming times. The product development used in the industry helps in dealing with major forces in the market and thereby helps in increase in the profit and market share of the industry (E. Dobbs, 2014).This model helps in the competition and thereby it gives power to negotiate to the suppliers. Suppliers having more power can negotiate there prices, in that case it gives them an upper hand which is a negative point for the customer. (Lai et al, 2014). Competitive rivalry The level of competition in these IT companies competes with other IT companies. These companies invest a lot on their research and development and marketing for improvement. The competitive force for the industry is strong, it is very competitive, and the cost of changing from one industry to the other is low. It actually does not require for the consumers to switch over from one work to the other (Hu and Yang, 2016). The threat in this market is a matter of concern for the companies operating in this industry, one has to continuously develop and research on new products and increase its market strength. The IT industry in the local market of Australia is growing rapidly ad is very effective and the reason behind the growth is the rivalry among the existing persons which have led the new entrants not to enter the market. The large-scale industry and the investors get benefit from economies of scale, which is very valuable. Products are branded in this sector and sometimes they might even face legal and advertising rivals. In case of changes in AUD, rate which will have a great impact on the industry prating in the market. There is local as well as overseas investment and this will helps in the industry improvement. Negotiating limitations of customer In case of IT industry the number of customer is very large so is the number of service provider. Customers are very sensitive to the price of the products and they are willing to buy goods with quality. The interaction between buyers and IT companies because of the need to upgrade on technology and advertising (Rothaermel, 2015).The technology is something which people depend on and therefore there will customers throughout the year even if there is differences in exchange rate. All the people depend on technology to live their lifestyle so phones and computer have to be imported from outside and all countries have IT operation. Problem of entrance of new companies Problem of entrants does affect IT industry. The factors are additional cost establishment cost. The capital and the RD cost required to develop and produce the product and then bring the product in the market and generate revenue (Adi, 2015.).The new entrant faces strong competition within the industry and in some new companies with financial banking from the Government will face challenge and such a challenger arising is remote. The IT industry is trying to improve where it stands at this moment and these changes will help in maintaining the value of the company in the future by making overseas import and export of their product. This industry will be attractive for new comers and will grow at a rapid base. At the same time, the industry faces customer base and the advantage on significant amount of capital invested. The IT industry is not very attractive but it is the routine and profitable sector for people to enter and invest in this industry whether locally or overseas througho ut the World. Even many firms enter the industry but they are not very famous (Kearney et al, 2014). Negotiation capability of supplier In the IT industry the negotiating power of the supplier is very little. The supplier is in no situation to negotiate May that be the rate or other things what so ever. As there are huge number of supplier already present in the market, switching from one company to other is very easy. Suppliers are important to the buyers, thus they will not want to end their relationship at the first instance (Crum et al, 2016). Threat of substitution These are the products which are similar to the products that are offered by the companies and they have very little difference amongst them. They have similar qualities, attributes and performance. So we can conclude that the competition is very high as it gives chance to the customer to change the choice of product very easily. In the digital arena the country rely on IT to run the business and even lives of the people. Nothing can actually replace the big vast industry and the culture (Rosenzweig et al, 2013). While industry analyzing in the region of Australia, the competitive structure of the industry and profit potential of the market. The threat of Substitutes of Porter forces are: Consumers switch cost Substitute products are equally competitive Substitute product is superior to the other products Substitute products are competitive in the market Substitute products are expensive than industry product Sometimes substitutes are not available Whenever there is a decrease in exchange rate, then other companies and the substitute companies which operates within the IT industry will be profitable. This change in exchange rate will bring in investment for the companies which are situated USA. The threat of substitutes for this industry is very low. The switching cost in the IT industry between the services is very less so it gives the consumer a chance to explore other products. For example: A person who is using a website to get some service he can easily shift any other website providing similar services unless there is a cost associated for discontinuance. The IT sector is very large and its growing bigger each and every day. There are enormous numbers of companies who are delivering similar services and the difference in quality is very minimal. This makes the consumer vulnerable to change. If the consumer does not feel satisfied with the service provided and easily shift. Impact of overseas investment in the industry if the AUD exchange rate differs In case of foreign overseas investment when there is a fall in the USA dollar rates then import from USA will be cheaper whereas if there is a increase in the exchange price of USA then the investment by overseas would be profitable. The exchange rate is dependent on the market and the Government controls the rate. The reason is that the exchange rate is strong in USA as compared to Australia. The effective rate in both USA and Australia shows an image over the years. There are many causes of change in exchange rate, the change in the rates causes much bad effect but it would have been worse in case the exchange rate wouldnt have fall. Once there is currency exchange rate lowers then it can be sent for overseas investment and then investment in IT industry helps in the future growth of the industry and as well as the company. The system of transfer of domestic and international money transfer, and this system help in overseas investments of funds in the sector. Conclusion The model that is suggested by Michael Porter is very helpful in nature but it does have some issues. It assumes that the potential to make profit does not change. It suggests that in order to make profit the share needs to be transferred in that case it has to earn profit from supplier or a buyer etc. It tells that the industry remains same and there is no change that is increase or decrease is not calculated. References Yunna, W. and Yisheng, Y., 2014. The competition situation analysis of shale gas industry in China: Applying Porters five forces and scenario model.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,40, pp.798-805. Delgado, M., Porter, M.E. and Stern, S., 2014. Clusters, convergence, and economic performance.Research Policy,43(10), pp.1785-1799. Zhao, Z.Y., Zuo, J., Wu, P.H., Yan, H. and Zillante, G., 2016. Competitiveness assessment of the biomass power generation industry in China: A five forces model study.Renewable Energy,89, pp.144-153. Dobbs, M., 2014. Guidelines for applying Porter's five forces framework: a set of industry analysis templates.Competitiveness Review,24(1), pp.32-45. Lai, Y.L., Hsu, M.S., Lin, F.J., Chen, Y.M. and Lin, Y.H., 2014. The effects of industry cluster knowledge management on innovation performance.Journal of Business Research,67(5), pp.734-739. Hu, Y. and Yang, S., 2016, June. The competition situation analysis of environmental service industry in China: Based on Porter's Five Forces Model. InService Systems and Service Management (ICSSSM), 2016 13th International Conference on(pp. 1-5). IEEE. Rothaermel, F.T., 2015.Strategic management. McGraw-Hill Education. Adi, B., 2015. An Evaluation of the Nigerian Telecommunication Industry Competitiveness: Application of Porters Five Forces Model.World,5(3). Kearney, M.R., Shamakhy, A., Tingley, R., Karoly, D.J., Hoffmann, A.A., Briggs, P.R. and Porter, W.P., 2014. Microclimate modelling at macro scales: a test of a general Microclimate model integrated with gridded continental?scale soil and weather data. Methods in Ecology and Evolution,5(3), pp.273-286. Crum, M.F., Trevaskis, N.L., Williams, H.D., Pouton, C.W. and Porter, C.J., 2016. A new in vitro lipid digestionin vivo absorption model to evaluate the mechanisms of drug absorption from lipid-based formulations.Pharmaceutical research,33(4), pp.970-982. Rosenzweig, C., Jones, J.W., Hatfield, J.L., Ruane, A.C., Boote, K.J., Thorburn, P., Antle, J.M., Nelson, G.C., Porter, C., Janssen, S. and Asseng, S., 2013. The agricultural model intercomparison and improvement project (AgMIP): protocols and pilot studies.Agricultural and Forest Meteorology,170, pp.166-182.

The Weavers Of Woe Essay Research Paper free essay sample

The Weavers Of Woe Essay, Research Paper Hesiod one time said, # 8220 ; He for himself weaves sufferings who weaves for others woe # 8221 ; showing the belief that those who bring sorrow to others are besides conveying sorrow upon themselves. Emily Bronte # 8217 ; s Wuthering Heights seems to formalize Hesiod # 8217 ; s thought of the black effects of hatred and retaliation. Bronte suggests that retaliation brings uhuappiness to all involved, including those who seek it. Surely, the victims of a vindictive onslaught suffer from the hurting and heartache that their enemies have thrust upon them. However, they are non the merely who feel the crisp sting and painful effects of retaliation. Though one who seeks retaliation may believe that it will convey joy, ironically, retribution may cover the most terrible blow on the retaliator. Revenge leaves no psyche untouched, aching wholly, as it destroys every life in its way. Vengeful and malicious Acts of the Apostless doubtless bring wretchedness and enduring into the lives of the victims. We will write a custom essay sample on The Weavers Of Woe Essay Research Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page All of Heathcliff # 8217 ; s actions are done wiht the exclusive intent of makinghis Nemesiss # 8217 ; lives every bit suffering as possible. Catherine Linton, one of Heathcliff # 8217 ; s many antagonists, suffers vastly as a consequence of Heathcliff # 8217 ; s torturing. One of Heahcliff # 8217 ; s malevolent Acts of the Apostless is coercing Linton to subscribe a will giving Heathcliff all ownership of the land once belonging to Heathcliff # 8217 ; s enemies. Heathcliff # 8217 ; s wicked program is successful in robbing Catherine of her joys and go forthing her # 8220 ; destitute of hard currency and friends. # 8221 ; Heathcliff # 8217 ; s cruel intervention amendss Catherine # 8217 ; s spirit. In her wretchedness, she can # 8220 ; fell and see merely decease # 8221 ; and moreover she # 8220 ; experience [ s ] like death. # 8221 ; Heathcliff # 8217 ; s resentment is dispersed far, and besides takes its toll against Hindley Earnshaw. Cunning and scheming, Heathcli ff is easy able to take clasp of Earnshaw # 8217 ; s ownerships, go forthing Earnshaw helpless and hapless. Earnshaw is doomed # 8220 ; to be a mendicant # 8221 ; and is unhappily unable to inquire his enemy to go forth, for fright that hello will # 8220 ; lose all, without a opportunity of retrieval. # 8221 ; Earnshaw, in the deepnesss of desperation, is acrimonious and angry toward Heatcliff, cognizing that, # 8220 ; he # 8217 ; ll be [ Earnshaw s ] ruin. # 8221 ; Edgar Linton is another challenger of Heathcliff, and Isabella Linton, Edgar # 8217 ; s sister, suffers in effect of Heathcliff # 8217 ; s wrath towards him. Heathcliff entices Isabella to run off with him and # 8220 ; marrie [ s Isabella ] on intent to obtain power over [ Edgar } . Heathcliff so treats Isabella as Edgar s placeholder in enduring until Heathcliff can bring down hurting on Edgar. Isabella suffers in changeless cear and a tiger or a deadly snake could non bestir panic in [ her ] equal to that which [ Heathcliff ] wakens† because she knows that â€Å"he’ll be [ her ] death.† Vindictive and vindictive workss beyond doubt hurt the victims of these evil behaviors. Even though one may seek retaliation to derive pleasance and felicity, reprisal may frequently be most damaging to the retaliator. Though Heathcliff is consumed by the thought of retaliation throughout his life, his vengefulness fails to convey him anything but wretchedness. Retaliation can non convey Heathcliff the felicity and love he desires, and though he has wealth and stature # 8220 ; cipher loves [ him ] # 8211 ; cipher will shout for [ him ] whien [ he ] die [ s ] . # 8221 ; Alternatively of being content and satisfied one time hiw life long program for retaliation is complete, Heathcliff is # 8220 ; suffering # 8230 ; lonely like the Satan, and covetous like him. # 8221 ; The satisfaction which Heathcliff had been seeking is losing, and he is # 8220 ; excessively happy ; and yet [ he is ] non happy enough. # 8221 ; He reaches the acme after his long ascent, and discovers that the wages he is anticipating is non at the extremum. His retaliation is complete, yet streng th and contentment are missing since his # 8220 ; soul # 8217 ; s bliss putting to deaths [ his ] organic structure, and does non fulfill itself. # 8221 ; The thought of retaliation consumes Heathcliff and his uninterrupted pursuit for requital finally takes over his life. His individual purpose in life has # 8220 ; dovoured [ his ] being # 8221 ; and hello is # 8220 ; swallowed up in the expectancy of its fulfillment. # 8221 ; Though he longs for retaliation, Heathcliff has become tired in his older age and acknowledges that # 8220 ; it is a long battle # 8221 ; and even admits that he # 8220 ; wish [ Es ] it were over. # 8221 ; Those who seek retaliation frequently do non recognize that the effects of retaliation can non be predicted and many times they are most deleterious to themselves. Heathcliff # 8217 ; s Acts of the Apostless of retaliation spread suffing and anguish throughout the land, impacting all who come in contact with it. This powerful blood feud had flown through their lives as a hurricane and left merely devastation and ruin buttocks. Fiery hatred and retaliation can convey no heat or visible radiation ; it can merely destruct everything that lies in its way. The weavers of woe shall convey merely wretchedness into the universe as they weave the togss of hurting and misery into life # 8217 ; s tapestry.

Tennyson, Carlyle And The Tragic Hero Essays - Odyssey, Ulysses

Tennyson, Carlyle And The Tragic Hero The Tragic Hero: Tennyson's Reinvention of the Hero as Poet I AM! yet what I am none cares or knows, My friends forsake me like a memory lost; I am the self-consumer of my woes, They rise and vanish, an oblivious host, Like shades in love and death's oblivion lost; And yet I am! and live with shadows tos't Into the nothingness of scorn and noise, Into the living sea of waking dreams, Where there is neither sense of life nor joys, But the vast shipwreck of my life's esteems; And e'en the dearest--that I loved the best-- Are strange--nay, rather stranger than the rest. - John Clare1 There is no more enduring theme in the truly Western body of literature, religion, and philosophy than that of the hero. Western thought apotheosizes the hero and the act of heroism. This practice is rooted in the heroic ages, where, as in the Iliad, the heroes of both sides have unique access to the gods and goddesses. The hero is the man who transcends with dirt under his fingernails and the dust of battle in his throat. He transcends through the savage wilds of Nature. In the West, too, the hero is known not only for physical skill or bravery, but also for inculcation of mental qualities, for cultivation of a superior sense of insight, a Higher vision and comprehension. Thomas Carlyle revives and revisits the ancient concepts of the hero and the heroic. Heroes have evolved into two hypothetically universal forms: the Hero as Man of Letters2, and the Hero as Poet 3. The Man of Letters and the Poet are closely linked in form, but exist as separate heroes. The Man of Letters transcends his socially imposed and self-imposed limitations, and the binding force of personal needs and wants. This hero is simply the best of Nature and is not thought to transcend it. The Man of Letters is genuine, and will be found discharging a function for us which is ever honourable, ever the highest;4 . The Man of Letters's purpose is to know and to teach a Divine Idea of the World5 . The Hero as Man of Letters brings its era what it requires: non religious guidance to a public whose social facets wane in spirituality. Carlyle's hero is that of National Socialism, a person of ideals who lives in transcendence, who seeks to learn, to teach, to change, not simply to exist an d know. It far from being the province only of someone in the profession of war. Alternately, The Hero as Poet is recognized as divine or as having a connection with the divine, not entirely unlike the Hero as Man of Letters, who is shaped by Nature and is innately and unconsciously sincere, incapable of being anything but unaffected. The Hero as Poet exists on a higher plane of existence, a person who belongs to all ages6 , capable of discerning the truth of existence, a truth that exists in all ages, rather than transcends with the era. Here we see a distinct split in Carlyle's Hero as Man of Letters and Hero as Poet. The Hero as Poet is demi-divine, fundamentally linked with Nature's secrets, to the gods, to the spiritual and that truth which eternally exists. He is divinely inspired. The Hero as Man of Letters, the layman, explores new truths and changes with time, bringing new ideas to society, changing it, moving it forward. The Hero as Poet exists for all time, whereas there is a Man of Letters for each time. Carlye seeks to invent heroes relevant to his era, for Victorian society. The Victorian Era wanes in ecclesiastical belief and experiences a desire to move forward rather than reflect on the past. This society suffers the death of antiquated heroes and a connection with the spiritual/supernatural. Victorians were concerned with material progress, not spiritual. Carlyle cannot overstate his certainty that each age needs a hero, someone to inspire, to lead a society to change and growth. Heroes emerge in a time of crisis, when they are needed most, and according to Carlyle, the Hero as Poet is the best suited for this age. The Victorians are separating the secular

Response To Prose Penelope Livelys Short Stories

Response To Prose Penelope Livelys Short Stories Free Online Research Papers Response to prose Penelope Lively’s short stories Penelope Lively has a talent for writing short stories. The three I like best are â€Å"Beyond the Blue Mountains†, â€Å"The First Wife† and â€Å"A Christmas fairy tale†. Penelope uses modern issues which can happen to any of us, with real type of people. She obviously observes human nature and this is where her ideas for the stories come from. In her stories she appeals to our sense of humour and compassion for the people in the stories. She is very critical of certain situations and people. She writes her stories in her own style by listing words and using short sentences this is very effective to the reader. The structure of her stories is to leave a lot of them open-ended so there is no closure. With the idea you can imagine a lot of different endings to the stories. She uses narrative perspective where she angles the stories from one character’s point of view into their thoughts, when she writes a story the title suggests a lot to the reader of what it is about. Then the climax is built up and the story always ends with a twist or change of narrative perspective. This is my reason for why I like the three stories I have chosen out of them all. I can relate to these more and I find them very entertaining. The First Wife The story shows us that here is a man called Clive who has been married a few times. Clive could not stand the thought of getting old so when his started to age, he left her so he could be with a younger version thus making himself look younger. He was a very arrogant man had a superior attitude towards people. He was lecherous towards women and a serial adulterer, he felt that the world should revolve around him. â€Å"Women of his own age did not appeal to him, generally speaking† His attitude in the story is that to Mary he looked pathetic a man trying not to age wearing clothes that made him look ridiculous and a young person’s hair style. His manner was still the same as when she was married to him. He was still selfish and could not believe that she did not want him again. â€Å"Must mean that she†¦..wanted to see him again?† He felt that she was waiting for him to return into her life again. The letter is used as a device at the end of the story to show us how Mary turns the story back onto Clive by showing us the type of man he was and how he treats people. It shows us that no way does she want him back after the way he treated her. She was pleased that he fancied her and wanted her back that made her feel good. She also was pleased to point out he himself was not wearing so well as he was ageing. â€Å"Look she said, so what? You’re getting older. So am I, so is everyone.† She had the last laugh in the end of the story. I think that Clive did deserve what Mary did to him he treated her really badly but I also feel sorry for Clive because Mary did not really understand him about his age worries. Maybe he was like this because of his family upbringing. He had no family life, nobody loved him for himself. â€Å"Understand his fits of terror. She had made light of is panic† Beyond The Blue Mountains Lively describes Myra and George together, next it changes to Myra’s point of view. What they are both doing and what is happening. Through the rest of the story we see her point of view of what is happening to her. â€Å"Myra listened with interest to the commentary on the coach.† We find out what she thinks and feels about the situation what is happening to her. We are also shown inside the mind of George the other character. â€Å"The coach trip was for Myra’s benefit a kindly indulgence.† We are also given an insight into the bus driver’s role into the story. He plays quite a vital role in the story for what happens to Myra. â€Å"And for the passenger who interested in the flowers it’s red flower mountain devil, we call it.† George is having an affair in the story he does not think that Myra knows about his mistress. He has taken his wife on this trip because of guilt. He does not really want to be there, he is not interested in the trip at all or the fact that it’s a luxury trip they don’t normally have. Myra does know about his mistress, she thrilled about the trip, it boosts her confidence and she feels great. â€Å"This place is doing something to me, she thought it was as though she had shed a skin, and stepped out new-minted and changed life.† With the bus driver taking an interest in her it boosts her ego a lot. She has so much confidence she challenges George about his affair. The purpose of the story is that this could be an ordinary person with the same problem. The story also entertains us. I particularly liked the conversation she had with George when she told him she knew about his mistress, he was stunned and shocked. She was so cool about the fact even enjoying her dinner. â€Å"I know I don’t really love you anymore. He shook his head `Myra, I’m finding it hard to know what to say†¦Never mind!† She said, quite kindly â€Å"you’re ha a shock† I find the language clear and to the point quite comical in places and very well written. The end of the story leaves the reader to imagine what might happen to the couple when they return to England. Loved Ones a Christmas Fairy Tale Penelope Lively is suggesting by this title that we all love to be with our families at Christmas-the ideal Christmas. But the narrower perspective is that she really means the opposite. â€Å"It is indeed a fine thing to be amid one’s loved ones at the festive season.† We dread being altogether at Christmas all the family trying to get on and feeling put upon by each other. This story is about two people Sylvia Cramp and her neighbour Sydney Tylor both in their 70’s. They both describe what is expected of them from their families at Xmas. Sylvia’s daughters expect her to cook and do everything for them and Sydney goes to his family who use him for their convenience. â€Å"Do a spot of decorating for them or I’d mind the kids for a night† was for Sydney and for Sylvia â€Å"They like a proper Christmas† or â€Å"choosy, they are my girls.† These quotations suggest that the children use the parents for free labour, to get jobs to their advantage done free for them. The daughters phone up their mum Sylvia requesting all sorts of shopping for Xmas- list upon list, no thought about her trying to get her shopping, Sylvia â€Å"toiled like a dray horse up the hill back home† or â€Å"making it all Christmas for them â€Å"smoked salmon, fruit and nuts of course† The daughters all have good jobs but say they have no time to do anything for Christmas. On the phone they try to butte their mum up, though to the reader it sounds sarcastic. â€Å"You’re such super cook, or you love doing Christmas don’t you?† During all the shopping trips Sylvia bumps into Sydney a lot and gets to know him very well. Eventually it gets too much for Sylvia. She prepares the house for her daughters on Christmas Eve. â€Å"She went upstairs and when she came down she was carrying a suitcase in her hand† she came down and left a letter on the kitchen table which said: â€Å"To make soup for many hours.† Then selecting the bott les of drink from the boxes that had been delivered, â€Å"a bottle of Moet et Chandon champagne and another La Tour-Carnet.† In these quotations Sylvia is telling her daughters that what they want her to do is hard work and that they think everything is done so easy. They are not prepared to do anything for themselves, she is telling them that it is hard work and to have a go for themselves for a change. Then she picked up her suit case and met Sydney outside in the taxi that was taking them both to Tenerife. The daughter’s attitude to their mother is patronising, they are sarcastic and do not appreciate their mother at all. Sylvia is very weak to let her daughters use her for their convenience. â€Å"We’re exhausted.† â€Å"And Collapse† Suggest to us that the children are going to come home and leave all the work to their mum. I like it when she turns; she does what she wishes to do at the end of the story. Sydney also wises up to his family and does what he wants to do. We are shown into the thoughts of Sylvia involved in the story and how they change their thoughts from one way to another. I think the daughters got all they deserved in the end, having to cope with their own Christmas for once with no help. In conclusion the stories all deal with down to earth characters in modern day situations. Research Papers on Response To Prose Penelope Lively’s Short StoriesMind TravelThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsThe Fifth HorsemanHip-Hop is ArtThree Concepts of PsychodynamicHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayWhere Wild and West Meet19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite Religion

New Testament 'Queer' interpretations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

New Testament 'Queer' interpretations - Essay Example Christians regard the Bible as a record of God’s connection with mankind, written by persons who were inspired by Him. Imbedded in the Bible are teachings that show which deeds are judged as good or sinful by God. Conservative Christians consider the Bible as infallible in that it is a direct representation of God’s word, which represents their ultimate source for belief and behaviour. Eastern Orthodox Christians consider the Bible as totally originating from Jesus Christ’s apostles (without involvement of divine inspiration by God). The Christian Left considers the Bible as a fallible record that is the result of a little divine inspiration, but which is tainted by defects arising out of being recorded, reproduced, censored and updated by men other than Jesus Christ. Non-believers look upon the Bible as a collection of traditional local stories that contain a moral message; however the morality from which those messages are taken is obsolete and old fashioned.1 Jesus Christ. It contains 4 Gospels (by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), and several Epistles by other apostles, most notably by Paul. There are several passages in the New Testament that refer to homosexuality. In the Epistle to the Romans 1: 26-27 (King James Version of the Bible {KJV}), the apostle Paul wrote: â€Å"Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.† This passage has been singled out as the one and only specific reference to female homosexuality or lesbianism in the New Testament, and it is the only passage where male homosexuality and female homosexuality are both denounced as deviations against the divine order [PENNA]. It is important to analyse the words of