Project II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project II - Essay Example alize that there is actually a net surplus that is left after accounting for all the fixed expenses, which represented about 40.48% of net income; and the variable expenses amounting to 47.62%. It simply gives the family more leeway in terms of adjusting the variable expenses when time comes that we need to minimize some expenses to give way to more important priorities. The projected income is easy to determine as no other sources were currently eminent. The income from salaries of both my husband and me as teachers comprises the basic cash in which is easy to establish on a monthly or yearly basis. On the other hand, cash expenses are composed of several different items, and the expenses are clearly classified into fixed and variable expenses. Some could be established as regular fixed expenses which do not differ on a monthly basis. On the other hand, other expenses such as food, savings for emergency purposes and miscellaneous expenses differ depending on diversity of needs and requirements of family members across time. I therefore learned that a substantial portion of our family income is spent on different needs but somehow, by managing to allot a small amount for emergency purposes and still be able to maintain some surplus, we could be able to meet unforeseen and unanticipated expenses and could plan for future financial goals. From the income and expense developed in September, the same income and expenses are expected in October, except for the additional savings needed as outlined in the financial goals worksheet in Part I, where the long term goal of a vacation in Hawaii, life insurance of children, and funds to be earmarked for the coming Christmas vacation need to be allotted as additional savings. These amounts were taken from the net surplus of $750. When the additional savings are taken out, only $54.17 will remain. One intends to use a computer spreadsheet (Excel) to record and continue monitoring the income and expenses, as well as managing

Understanding the Short Story Brownies Essay Example for Free

Understanding the Short Story Brownies Essay Amongst the legion of newly talented American playwrights is Z. Z Parker, an African American author who is popularly known to be the master behind a number of recently published and highly praised short fiction stories across the United States. Included in one of his compilations â€Å"Drinking Coffee Elsewhere† is the short story entitled â€Å"Brownies† which depicts the story about a troop of young Black African-American girls and their encounters and personal experiences with regard to adversities of social discrimination in the entire American Country. Thus, the book depicts and illustrates both of the different faces of the society which is that of the good and dreadful side, more especially in the entire society of the United States wherein there is an evident divergence between the white and black people. In a sense, it is seen obvious that the story is fundamentally set to highlight and enlighten one of the major social problems in the entire American society in both ancient and modern days, which is that of the racial biases and/or discrimination among the Black African-American people. Thus, the story also aims to give a picture of the pessimistic consequences of such social differences between the American group of white and the black. For instance is the adverse incident wherein the troop of black African-American girls and the opposite color have collide and involved their selves into an awful brawl in response to the act of racial discrimination coming from the group of white girls. Hence, such illustration is an example as to how the writer has utilized the specific situations to depict the atrocities and cynicism that social discrimination incorporates in the society. On the other hand, it is also well represented that the society is made of both negative and positive notions wherein the people living in this world are all situated to experience both of the good and bad sides of the society. Through the narrative of one of the black African-American girls in the story, whose name is Laurel, she shares the story of her father’s encounter with a white family and recalls the moment her father said that, It was the only time hed have a white man on his knees doing something for a black man for free† (30). It is indeed an evident way of the writer to balance her depiction of the two faces of society which is that of the good and bad. In the end, it is evident that such book of Z. Z. Parker entitled â€Å"Brownies† is socially prearranged to depict and discuss the problems of society, more specifically in the United States, where Americans are seen to be alienated by this social difference and discrimination. Thus, the short story â€Å"Brownies† is indeed a paradigm of an outstanding socially significant story that presents valuable lessons for the readers and for the entire society. Work Cited Packer, ZZ. â€Å"Brownies. † In Drinking Coffee Elsewhere. New York, NY: The Berkley Publishing Group, 2003.

Aspects of Life in Hamlet, Prince of Denmark and Trifles Essay

Aspects of Life in Hamlet, Prince of Denmark and Trifles In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, the protagonist, Hamlet, has arrived â€Å"from his university studies to find Claudius, his uncle, ruling Denmark and married to his mother, Gertrude. Her remarriage within two months of his father’s death has left Hamlet disillusioned, confused, and suspicious about Claudius† (DiYanni 1394). These types of crimes do not only happen in a person’s imagination, or in a made-up play, but also in our society today. Our society is just as immoral as Claudius and Gertrude. On the other hand, in Susan Gaspell’s contemporary play, Trifles, women are strong in character, protective of one another, and in charge of the situation, unlike Gertrude. Therefore, both Shakespeare and Gaspell have similar aspects of portrayal of the role of women, murder, and loyalty; and different aspects such as incest, suicide, and revenge. First, in the play, Hamlet, the males are depicted as dominant, strong, and rational; and the females are portrayed by opposing traits such as passive, accepting, hesitant, frail, and emotional. For instance, Hamlet referring to his mother as â€Å"Frailty, thy name is woman!† (I.ii.146) means that women are images of weakness, that women are weak-minded, easily led, and have no strength of character. To Hamlet, his mother's action of remarrying so quickly after her husband’s death to her brother-in-law, is a proof of her frailty. In today’s society, people also marry within the family thinking that there is nothing wrong with this scenario. However, this aspect discussed in the play cause great controversy because many people think that as long as there is love it does not matter who a person marries... ...h ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002. 1394. Driver, Tom. The sense of history in Greek and Shakespearean drama.2nd ed. New York: Columbia University Press. 1961. Glaspell, Susan. Trifles. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 5th ed. Ed. Robert DiYanni. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2002. 1616-26. O'Dell, Nick. â€Å"Same-sex marriages open door to consensual incest, polygamy.† 8 Oct. 2003. . Shakespeare, William. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 5th ed. Ed. Robert DiYanni. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2002. 1394-1496. Suicide Prevention Website. Texans for Gun Safety. 2003. 06 Apr. 2004. . The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments. King James. Barbour Books. Uhrichsville: Ohio, 2002.

Donne’s use of conceit: Essay

The word conceit as a literary term can be defined is a â€Å"fairly elaborate figurative device†. The pleasure drawn form conceit is intellectual rather than sensual. John Donne has made abundant use of conceits in his love and religious poems to convey his message in a beautiful and intellectual way to his readers. He has made abundant use of metaphors, imagery and similes in his poems in order to pregnant them with aesthetic pleasure of first water. His poem ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’ presents a glorious example of the use of metaphorical conceits in the love poems. In this poem he discusses and compares the intricate web of relationship between love, soul and body with the drawing compasses. The basic them of the poem is that love is a strong and powerful passion and it has the power of keeping the lovers linked together no matter how vast the physical differences are between them they will eventually meet and live together just like when one arm of compass started its journey and get separated from its other half. At the completion of the circle the separated half comes back and becomes joined together with its partner. That is the case which John Donne wanted to make with respect to the pair of the lovers in his poem ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’ in which the lover says to his beloved, â€Å"Yet, when the other far doth roam,/ It leans, and hearkens after it, / And grows erect, as that comes home. † This basically implies that she must not fear the separation as the power of her love will guard him and bring him back to her at last. John Donne also makes a very good and meaningful use of conceit in his spiritual poems. For instance in his holy poem ‘A Nocturnal Upon Saint Lucy’s Day’ the use of summer solastics is made to convey in a marvelous way the hopes of the poet. He says in the poem that â€Å"TIS the year’s midnight, and it is the day’s,/Lucy’s, who scarce seven hours herself unmasks ;/ The sun is spent, and now his flasks/ Send forth light squibs, no constant rays ;† the real meaning of the poet is to present himself as an empty self which will be rejuvenated by love. â€Å"Rape of the Lock† and the satirical portrait of Belinda. The mock-heroic is defined as a style of writing in which a heroic manner is adopted to make a trivial subject seem grand in such a way as to satirize the style, and it is therefore commonly used in burlesque and parody. Alexander pope use this style in his long poem entitled â€Å"Rape of the Lock† to satirize the manners and life style of the fashionable society of eighteenth century England. The most important incident in the poem is the cutting of a lock of hair that resulted in the development of fight between two families, as he says â€Å"What dire Offence from am’rous Causes springs,/What mighty Contests rise from trivial Things, [I. 1-2]† . Belinda is the heroine of the poem and she is also served as the butt of satire by Pope. She is discussed as the vain and empty minded women of that fashionable society. Who cares more for her beauty and less for her religion and morality, he says that â€Å"And now, unveil’d, the Toilet stands display’d,/Each Silver Vase in mystic Order laid. /First, rob’d in White, the Nymph intent adores/With Head uncover’d, the Cosmetic Pow’rs. /A heav’nly Image in the Glass appears,/To that she bends, to that her Eyes she rears; [l. 121-6]. † Belinda is also criticized by Pope in the way she has placed bible among the other trivialities of her cosmetics, â€Å" Here Files of Pins extend their shining Rows,/ Puffs, Powders, Patches, Bibles, Billet-doux. [l. 137-8]† Belinda is discussed as the type of women of eighteenth century fashionable society who lived there lives just for the sake of gilded chariots, pearls and rubies, beautiful dresses, cosmetics, lovers and raising hue and cry over immensely trivial matters. They have no heart or mind for religion, morality, or any other serious discipline of life. Philip Sidney and Shakespeare’s sonnets: Sir Philip Sidney set the vogue of writing sonnet-sequences, In fact, after Wyatt and Surrey; the sonnet was neglected for a number of years. It was for Sidney to revitalize this form by composing one hundred and eight sonnets, all put in Astrophel and Stella, commemorating his fruitless love for Penelope Deveneux, the daughter of his patron, the Earl of Essex. Sidney wrote the sonnet, not to satisfy the call of the age, but to express his heart-felt love-experience. Sidney’s sonnets reveal a true lyric emotion. On the one hand, there is in these sonnets much of the conventional material of the Italian sonneteers; but on the other hand there are touches so apt to the situation of a man who loves too late that one hesitates to ascribe them to mere dramatic skill. In Astrophel and Stella, Sidney writes not because it is a pleasant add accomplished thing to do but because he must. His sonnets let out blood. As a sonneteer Sidney is placed next only to Shakespeare and Spenser. His best written sonnets are : Loving in truth, and fain in verse my love to show’ ; With how sad steps, 0 Moon, thou climb’st the skies’; ‘Come Sleep, O Sleep, the certain knot of peace’, ‘having this day, my horse, my hand, my lance’ and ‘No, more my dear, no more these counsels try’. Sidney’s sonnets are mostly written in mixed Italian and English forms. Shakespeare has followed the pattern of Surrey in his sonnets. Since he has made a splendid use of this form, it is known after him and not surrey, its real originator.

Methods of Learning: Advantages and Disadvantages

To design a learning activity or a learning program, there is a variety of learning methods which can be implemented to facilitate the learning process. These methods are divided into two main categories , trainer centered and learner centered. In the below table, I have listed different learning methods with the advantages and disadvantages of each one.Method Advantage Disadvantage Presentations 1. Save the time of transferring knowledge. 2. Gives the learners to compare their knowledge with the presented one . 3. Gives the Learner a chance to ask and discuss with the trainer directly. 2. Does not give the learners enough chance to control their own learning because it is trainer centered methodDemonstration1. Expose the learners to the best practice . 2. Considered as the first step to build the skills. 3. Save the time of sharing knowledge . 1. Unprofessional demonstrators can be a result of poor performance. 2. Does not show the reality on the work site .Group Discussions, meetings and briefings1. A quick way of sharing knowledge and skills. 2. Minimize the resistance of change 3. Learners can lead the meetings providing their agendas which meet their needs. 1. Does not involve practical part. 2. Discussions might miss the main topics and waste more time. 3. A few learners might control the discussions while the others are only listenersRole Play1. Learners can practice w hat they learn and share knowledge. 2. Build the sense of team work within learners . 3. Provide a safe environment for doing mistakes . 1. Might be over simplified , so does not reflect the real work. 2. It  requires a feedback from the facilitator. 3. It improves skills only .E-learning1. Provide time flexibility for learners . 2. The learner lead the pace of the learning. 3. Can be accessed in different ways and from different places. 1. Minimize the sense of team work and sharing knowledge with others. 2. Requires anIT access and good network3. Boring for some learners styles such as the activists . On the job training 1. Expose the learners to the real work . 2. Gives the learners a chance to practice. 3. Give the learners to share knowledge with experienced employees. 1. Requires an experienced mentor . 2. Cannot be applied in organization where there is a shortage of manpowe . 3. Learners might feel demotivated with a busy mentor or staff.Blended Learning1. Variety of metho ds combined together. 2. It addresses all learning styles. 3. Improves the competencies through learning and practice. 1. Very costly in terms of money and time. 2. Requires availability of several learning resources and facilities .Coaching1. Addresses the exact needs of a learner 2. Maximize the learners satisfaction and self-esteem . 1. Very costly because it is one to one approach. 2. Requires an expert coach because it is applied for the management levels in most of the organization.Criteria of Choosing between learning Methods: 1. Learning Objectives : after analyzing the gaps between the current capabilities and the required capabilities, learning objectives will be generated to fulfill the learning needs.2. The learning budget: It plays a main role in selecting the methods which are most effective and efficient . Organizations with very limited budget usually use the internal resources and not interested on the methods which are costly.3. Timing : the work hours and the avai lability of manpower are very important criteria in selecting the suitable methods. Sometimes, e-learning is selected due to time restrictions within the organization or the function.4. Learning resources and materials: facilities, number of learners , learning aids and IT issues are put into consideration to select the suitable learning method.Learning Resources ,Facilities and Equipments and their Advantages and Disadvantages:Item Advantage Disadvantage Power Point 1. Easy to use. 2. Support the structure of learning activity 3. Display photos, charts and statistics. 1. Requires other equipment such as data projector and a computer. 2. Might be boring for some learners styles.Internet1. Easy to access anywhere any time. 2. Include lots of learning references and materials. 1. Requires good network otherwise the learners will not be able to learn properly. 2. Learners might not be focused to the main topic when using the internet.Videos1. Interesting for most of the learners . 2. I t is not costly and does not need more spaces. 1. Contain some cultural issues. 2. It is not applicable for special needs learners such as deaf or blind learners .A flipchart1. Very cheap. 2. Useful for learning activities and preparation. 3. Utilized to get the learners involved in the learning process. 1. Requires a space in the room to be stocked up. 2. Needs clear colors. 3. Not applicable for some learning methods such as e-learning.Books and  Handouts1. Authentic references for learners. 1. New technology interference . 2. Need space or room for storing.Smart Boards1. Integrated technology 2. Interested for learner 1. Needs special training for users. 2. Very costlyClassroom or training halls1. Traditional and useful for group learning . 1. Requires a suitable preparation. 2. Not applicable for e-learning or mobile learning.Criteria for selecting suitable resources , facilities and equipment for learning activities: 1. Learners factors and learners styles : This selection is a result of analyzing the learners factors and needs such as deaf, blind, activists, theorists..etc. 2. Budget: After considering the assigned budget the suitable resources and facilities will be easy to identified . 3. Legislation : There are some learning legislations and policies which should be into consideration such as safety and health . 4. Nature of the learning activities or the learning methods : For example, e-learning requires the availability of computers or smart phone or devices. 5. Number of learners : This is very important criteria to identify the size of the class or the training hall . In addition, it enable the learning and development practitioner to identify the learning method .