Robert Frost`s Poems Essays - Robert Frost, , Term Papers

Robert Frost`s Poems Robert Frost takes our imagination to a journey through wintertime with his two poems "Desert Places" and "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." Frost comes from a New England background and these two poems reflect the beautiful scenery that is present in our part of the country. Even though these poems both have winter settings, they contain very different tones. One has a feeling of depressing loneliness, and the other a feeling of welcome solitude. They show how the same setting can have totally different impacts on a person depending on their mindset at the time. These poems are both made up of simple stanzas and diction, but they are not simple poems. In the poem "Desert Places" the speaker is a man who is traveling through the countryside on a beautiful winter evening. He is completely surrounded with feelings of loneliness. The speaker views a snow-covered field as a desert place. "A blanker whiteness of benighted snow/ With no expression, nothing to express." Whiteness and blankness are two key ideas in this poem. The white symbolizes open and empty spaces. The snow is a white blanket that covers up everything living. The blankness symbolizes the emptiness that the speaker feels. To him there is nothing else around except for the unfeeling snow and his lonely thoughts. The speaker in this poem is jealous of the woods. "The woods around it have it ? it is theirs." The woods symbolize people and society. They have something that belongs to them, something to feel a part of. The woods have its place in nature and it is also a part of a bigger picture. The speaker is so alone inside that he feels that he is not a part of anything. Nature has a way of bringing all of her parts together to act as one. Even the animals are a part of this wintry scene. "All animals are smothered in their lairs, / I am too absent spirited to count." The snow throws its blanket of whiteness over everything, and to him it is a feeling of numbness. "The loneliness includes me unawares." The speaker has lost his enthusiasm for life. He cannot express his feelings easily because of this feeling of numbness. The speaker is also in denial about feeling alone. He is at a stage where he just does not care about too much and he feels a bit paranoid. "They cannot scare me with their empty space." He is saying who cares how I feel; I do not need anyone else. "I have in me so much nearer home/ To scare myself with my own desert places." The speaker was starting to realize that he had shut himself off to the world. He recognized that this winter place was like his life. He had let depression and loneliness creep into his life and totally take over like the snow had crept up on the plain and silently covered it. If he continues to let these feelings run his life, eventually everything would be snuffed out much like the snow does to nature. "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is a much happier and more upbeat poem than "Desert Places." This poem is about stopping to enjoy life or as the clich? goes, stopping to smell the roses. "But I have promises to keep, / and miles to go before I sleep." The speaker in this poem was a very busy man who always had obligations to fulfill and places to go. A feeling of regret is present. The man would like to stay and enjoy welcome solitude. "The woods are lovely, dark and deep." This poem expresses the joy of nature. The speaker seems concerned about what the rest of society would think about him just stopping in the middle of nowhere for no apparent reason. His horse represents society. "My little horse must think it queer/ To stop without a farmhouse near." He admits that just stopping does seen odd. He is also somewhat concerned about the man who owns the woods. The man almost feels guilty for looking so lovingly at this other man's woods. "He will not see me stopping here/ To watch his woods fill up with snow." I think that the speaker's life may be a little better off since he stopped to take a deep breath and enjoy all that really matters, the simple things. "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is the opposite of "Desert Places." The settings where exactly

In what ways is The Signalman a typical ghost story Essays

In what ways is The Signalman a typical ghost story Essays In what ways is The Signalman a typical ghost story Paper In what ways is The Signalman a typical ghost story Paper The Signalman describes the steam from the train as vapour The driver of the train which runs down the signalman describes his actions just before the train he was driving killed the signalman:- Ah it was a dreadful time, sir. I never left of calling to him. I put this arm before my eyes not to see, and I waved this arm to the last; but it was no use. And finally after hearing the signalmans state of anguish the narrator tries to decide what to do next:- Though in a subordinate position, still he held a most important trust, and would I (for instance) like to stake my own life on the chances of his continuing to execute it with precision? As you can see, the style of writing is quite complicated and written in the familiar old fashioned Victorian style (who says halloa nowadays? but this is standard in ghost stories, even modern day ghost stories use some old fashioned words because it seems to work better. Dickens use of adjectives to create a brooding and supernatural atmosphere is typical of ghost stories, the cutting which is overshadowed by trees leaving little light to shine through is described as a dungeon suggesting a claustrophobic and imprisoned atmosphere which is typical of a ghost story. Rarely are ghost stories set in wide sprawling open spaces and this is no exception. Dickens describes the tunnel (using quite simple adjectives) as having a gloomy entrance and the actual tunnel itself being black and the signal box as dismal. But he then goes onto describe the mouth of the tunnel as described as having a barbarous, depressing and forbidding air and then the narrator feels as though he had left the natural world like he had entered hell, then he goes on to describe the sounds the wind blowing through the telegraph wires make:- But do listen for a moment to the wind. and the wild harp it makes of the telegraph wires Language like this adds plenty of atmosphere to this already evil location and gives it a supernatural air. Ghost stories always have plenty of atmosphere (so this is a typical feature) by using language like this the story makes you feel as though you are actually there in this evil setting with all the disturbing features present. Dickens describes the feeling of the train coming as a violent pulsation like it was an evil force, you get a real feeling of how noisy and powerful this thundering beast is. Dickens also uses descriptive writing when the narrators what its like walking down the steep sides of the cutting:- It was made through a clammy stone, that became oozier and wetter as I went down Which suggests to me that the closer he gets to the railway line, the more evil and forbidding the location becomes as though youve stepping from one world to the next just by going down this steep cutting. The two characters are described very well as the narrator has an all-knowing, conf ident air. When thinking of what to do next after listening to the signalmans stories, the narrator thinks to himself:- I had proved the man to be intelligent, vigilant, painstaking and exact; but how long might it remain so, in his state of mind? The confident narrator uses quite long, complex, fluent sentences as if he knows what he was talking about and is not at all fazed by the ghost stories he had been told and does not even consider the signalmans stories to be true. He stands by the idea that he is right and what he knows what to do next. The narrator says when commenting on his past education says to himself:- He had run wild, misused his opportunities, gone down and never risen again Suggesting that he would never rise to the same level as he (the narrator) was on and that it was a shame the signalman had missed his chance. The narrator seemed to have summed the signalman up before hed got to know him personally or heard any of his past, like he was judging a book by its cover. The reticent, jumpy, nervous air of the signalmans conversations puts a message across to me that this man is scared of something. He is described as having an attitude of expectation and watchfulness, suggesting that something is going to happen. He speaks in much shorter bursts of sentences, no long passive ones here At the danger light, It WAS there, No it was silent. The signalman also shouts to get a point across like he is agitated and on the edge. It is typical for ghost stories for the confident character to use long and fluent sentences and the nervous victim, to use short sentences because he has a lot on his mind, is distracted and does not have time to think. In the first half of a ghost story words such as calm and confident are used to describe the thoughts and feelings of the sceptical character. But the end of the story uses words such as terror and horror used to describe his feelings and thoughts. This is because the sceptical character is not sceptical anymore or confident because he as experienced something terrifying. This is typical of a ghost story for the words to describe his/her state of mind to change completely by the end of the story. The signalman himself is described as dark, sombre and with heavy eyebrows which reminds me of Scrooges appearance in A Christmas Carol. One other typical aspect of ghost stories is there is never any detailed description of the ghost itself at all (if there is one in the story, it may just be a ghostly presence), the story uses suggestion. This is how the signalman describes the ghost:- and I saw this someone else standing by the red light Was the figure dark? Was it a woman or man? All we know from the text was that it was intangible, you have to use your imagination for the rest. This is also typical of ghost stories where you have to use youre imagination. Conclusion Is The Signalman a typical ghost story? I think most of you already knew the answer to this one-of course it is. It has so many of the patented features of ghost stories, the dark, bleak and isolated setting (away from civilisation and help), the spirit appearing one moonlit night, which also means strange shadows. Then there is the two main characters-one nervous and subdued, one confident and rational. The ghost only appears when the victims alone. There is nothing the signalman can do to get rid of the spirit and the ending of the story is typically enigmatic leaving an air of mystery. The list goes on, but the typical elements are what makes it such a good read, without these features it would not be a proper ghost story in my opinion, it would be very hard to write a ghost story without any of these features. Personally I thought The Signalman was a brilliant ghost story which really made me shiver. Its the little details such as the gloomy red warning light, the way the telegraph wires made a noise when its windy and the dark, gloomy tunnel were the factors which were particularly disturbing for me. The fact that it was set in such a lonely place made it all the more scarier, but the surprising twist at the end was probably the best part of the story (where we find out the strange coincidence between the driver, the narrator and the ghost). I prefer stories (such as this) which have a surprising ending, which leaves an air of mystery and makes you think and question the issues in the story, long after you have turned the last page. Although they are quite different in terms of the actual story, Id say that The Signalman is probably not as accomplished and well-rounded as Dickenss other story A Christmas Carol(A Christmas Carol has more of a feel good ending than The Signalman which I preferred to this quite sad one). None the less, The Signalman is more disturbing and scarier and creates a better atmosphere than A Christmas Carol which is an essential part in any ghost story. A brilliant typical ghost story.

The Definition Civil Liberties and Some Examples

The Definition Civil Liberties and Some Examples Civil liberties are rights that are guaranteed to the citizens or residents of a country or territory. Theyre  a matter of fundamental law. Civil Liberties vs. Human Rights Civil liberties generally differ from human rights, which are universal rights to which all human beings are entitled regardless of where they live. Think of civil liberties as rights that a government is contractually obligated to protect, usually by a constitutional bill of rights. Human rights are rights implied by ones status as a person  whether the government has agreed to protect them or not. Most governments have adopted constitutional bills of rights that make some pretense of protecting basic human rights, so human rights and civil liberties overlap more often than they dont. When the word liberty is used in philosophy, it generally refers to what we would now call human rights rather than civil liberties because theyre regarded as universal principles and not subject to a specific national standard. The term civil rights is a near-synonym, but it often specifically refers to rights sought by African Americans during  the American civil rights movement. Some History The English phrase civil liberty was coined in a 1788 speech by James Wilson, a Pennsylvania state politician who was advocating the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Wilson said:   We have remarked, that civil government is necessary to the perfection of society. We now remark that civil liberty is necessary to the perfection of civil government. Civil liberty is natural liberty itself, divested only of that part, which, placed in the government, produces more good and happiness to the community than if it had remained in the individual. Hence it follows, that civil liberty, while it resigns a part of natural liberty, retains the free and generous exercise of all the human faculties, so far as it is compatible with the public welfare. But the concept of civil liberties dates back much further and most likely predates that of universal human rights. The 13th century English Magna Carta refers to itself as the great charter of the liberties of England, and of the liberties of the forest (magna carta libertatum), but we can trace the origin of civil liberties back much further to the Sumerian praise poem of Urukagina at around the 24th century BCE. The poem which establishes the civil liberties of orphans and widows and creates checks and balances to prevent government abuses of power. Contemporary Meaning In a contemporary U.S. context, the phrase civil liberties generally brings to mind the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a progressive advocacy and litigation organization that has promoted the phrase as part of its efforts to protect the authority of the U.S. Bill of Rights. The American Libertarian Party also claims to protect civil liberties but it has deemphasized civil liberties advocacy over the past several decades in favor of a more traditional form of paleoconservatism. It now prioritizes states rights rather than personal civil liberties. Neither major U.S. political party has a particularly impressive record on civil liberties, although the Democrats have historically been stronger on most issues due to their demographic diversity and relative independence from the Religious Right. Although the American conservative movement has had a more consistent record with respect to the Second Amendment and eminent domain, conservative politicians do not generally use the phrase civil liberties when referring to these issues. They tend to avoid talking about the Bill of Rights for fear of being labeled moderate or progressive. As has been largely true since the 18th century, civil liberties are not generally associated with conservative or traditionalist movements. When we consider that liberal or progressive movements have also historically failed to prioritize civil liberties, the necessity of aggressive civil liberties advocacy, independent of other political objectives, becomes clear.   Some Examples If the fires of freedom and civil liberties burn low in other lands, they must be made brighter in our own.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt  in a 1938 address to the National Education Association. Yet four years later, Roosevelt authorized the forcible internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans on the basis of ethnicity.   You dont have any civil liberties if youre dead. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) in a 2006 interview regarding post-9/11 legislation.Manifestly, there is no civil liberties crisis in this country. People who claim there is must have a different goal in mind. Ann Coulter in a 2003 column

The Flourishing Villain Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Flourishing Villain - Coursework Example (Brown, 2001) For example, braver person can be considered virtuous, however, an excess of bravery bounds with the tendency to make thoughtless and purposeless actions, such as jumping from the roof. In contrast, lack of bravery makes a person coward. Subsequently, flourishing is about living a life of excellent functioning. Due to the fact that evil actions are not virtues, they cannot be constituents of happiness in Aristotles interpretation and cannot make a person flourish. Moreover, it is not possible to say that a person, who enjoys pleasure is flourishing as far as only the highest good, which is good intrinsically, is a component of flourishing. (Kraut, 2007) At the same time, the highest good requires from persons to act rationally. In contrast, a pleasure can be of different nature, it can be both good and bad, and without goal. Therefore, pleasure is not the same as happiness. Happiness and flourishing are final, they are the goal, and remain self sufficient. To my mind, the discussed ideas reflect the generally accepted rules of living as the essentials of living in a society persuade that a person who lives the righteous and moral life can achieve the highest happiness while those who mistreat others end in misery. Apart from that, it often happens that those, who conduct evil deeds are, in fact, unhappy and have issues that prevent them from living a life as all the rest. Numerous studies of psychologists serve as a good proof of this fact. If a someone who is deceitful, selfish, or self-indulge could be named flourishing than it would be justified to call murders flourishing as well. Obviously, this is not the case as such people simply does not suit the definition, they do not show sympathy and pity where it is appropriate. Kraut, R. (2007). Blackwell guide to aristotle\. (pp. 342-343). Oxford: John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved from

Essay Questions For My Midterm Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Questions For My Midterm - Essay Example the staff should keep in mind include integrating current structures while working on new structures to improve service delivery (project management and program management slide 10). The growth and effective service delivery will depend majorly on the effectiveness of the IRM staff. The team should practically lay strategies that reflect the plan’s objective. The applicability of their knowledge towards the political science plan will depend on existing structure and will focus on logistics. The two rules in the CPIC process will include information security, which will entail delivery and evaluation of the system without experiencing external forces interference. The second rule will be on system performance; the system will undergo scrutiny and evaluate its viability in an aim of ensuring quick and effective service delivery. The system should ensure compliance with the OMB requirement. The plan will contain three phases; the first phase will involve selection criteria to choose. The CIO will do the system selection where a cost benefit analysis will be done. The security and reliability of the system will be done prior to its applicability to the political science class. The design will be adjusted top meet the proposed standards. After a reliable system is chosen, the system undergoes the second phrase, which is control, the IRM team will ensure that there exist limits in which the system will operate, the period placed for the CPIC will be adhered to and the team w ill enable the IT initiatives are executed. The final phase will be the evaluation phase, the system will be evaluated according to its outcome and the invest performance will be compared to the amount of resources pumped into the system. The period given will determine if the system is below par of is working according to plan. Departments requesting for ongoing projects or new projects will have to forward their request to the financial manager who is under the CIO and attach the proposal

Terry J. Allen, “Reach Out and Track Someone ” Summary Essay Example for Free

Terry J. Allen, â€Å"Reach Out and Track Someone † Summary Essay Allen discusses ethical and legal implications of cell phone tracking technology. He begins by noting how this technology benefits emergency responders tracing the source of 911 calls then moves to showing how cell phone â€Å"pings† have been used to solve murder cases. Allen discusses how telecom companies and the government do not divulge the extent of their monitoring activities and capabilities. The legality of wiretapping, collecting cell phone records, and tracing cell phones is already being debated. On one side of the debate are those that worry about protecting individual’s privacy. On the other side are those that find that taking the time to process a search warrant can delay bringing criminals to justice. The author notes that the invasion of privacy is not just on the part of the government, but also in the hands of entrepreneurs searching to create profitable businesses. Article 2: Kate MacAulay, â€Å"Technology’s Peril and Potential,† summary MacAulay compares and contrasts viewpoints of two authors, George Ritzer and Sherry Turkle, in order to examine how values and morals are shaped my technology. Both authors make note of the negative effects of technology. For Ritzer these problems trickle down to the individual from a larger societal movement (termed McDonaldization) whereas for Turkle technology poses a threat to an individual’s self-identity and relationships with others. In examining the authors’ overall views on technological advancement, MacAulay finds that Ritzer is almost entirely pessimistic while Turkle has a more positive, balanced view. As Ritzer and Turkle both warn of the dangers technology poses, MacAulay advocates that we become aware of these dangers in order to use this technology in a safe manner, ultimately finding a way to use technology to become better people. Main Themes The main theme that these writings share is the recognition of the power of technology to impact our lives, both for the positive and the negative. Allen and MacAulay are similar in that neither takes a one-sided view of the issue; they examine the issue from both sides. Allen, however, seems to be more cautionary in warning of the potential of the technology to infringe on people’s privacy. The writings differ with regard to the types of examples the authors use to illustrate their points. Allen uses information from diverse sources: popular advertisements, murder trials, government edicts, etc. His examples speak more directly to the reader. MacAulay, on the other hand, is comparing the views of two published authors, with whom the reader is most likely not familiar. How would Author A respond to Author B? Allen would largely agree with MacAulay but would likely argue that it is perhaps a bit to optimistic to grant individuals that much control over how they use technology. As he states, businesses and the government have the capabilities to monitor how we use technology. We cannot use technology entirely in a personal manner. My Own Views After reading these two texts, I agree with the authors that technological advances come with some strings attached (including loss of privacy). I also agree with MacAulay’s discussion of the implications of creating alternate virtual identities (with regards to Turkle’s writing). These writings have not so much changed my view on the subject as much as they have provided evidence supporting my pre-existent views. However, I was not aware of some of the legal implications of cell phone tracking discussed by Allen. This discussion raises the question of how laws must be changed or re-interpreted to deal with issues that result from technological advances. I had also never thought of these issues from a top-down approach (as MacAulay discusses with regards to the phenomenon of McDonaldization). Now, I see the main controversy as being who holds the responsibility for ensuring that technology is used responsibly. Is it the consumer? Is it the government? Is it the businesses that create the technology? Views I Wish to Share After much thought, I have come to realize that the regulation of technology cannot be left to any one individual or group. These writings have given me greater understanding of the complexities of the issue, and as a user of technology, I am very much interested in ensuring that I use technology safely. The new perspective that I wish to share with my readers is that using technology is not necessarily an individual’s right. It is a privilege, and as a privilege, there are some conditions attached. If one is to use technology to create virtual identities different from one’s own, one has to take responsibility for how that identity impacts one’s relationship with the self and with others in real life. Similarly, if one chooses to use a cell phone, one has to understand that the possibility exists for the usage to be tracked.

Unrequited Love In Porphyrias Lover :: Porphyrias Lover Essays

Unrequited Love in "Porphyria's Lover" In Robert Browning's dramatic monologue "Porphyria's Lover," he introduces the persona, a twisted and abnormally possessive lover whose dealings are influenced by the perceived deliberation of others actions. As the monologue begins, a terrible, almost intentional storm sets upon the persona, who awaits his love, Porphyria. His lover "glide[s] in" (l 6) from a "gay feast" (l 27) and attempts to calm her angry love. This leads to a disastrous end, either for spite or fulfillment of a figurative wish that "would [now] be heard" (l 57). Browning suggests one must be cautious of what one wishes for, especially in dealings with love, where one focuses on the heart rather than material consequences. Romantic poems, plays and stories from the Victorian period in England dealt primarily with forbidden love. A class system set strongly in Browning's "Porphyria's Lover," or an aged bitterness between two families in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," both prevented lovers from living "happily ever after." In literature it can be argued that there are two ways to come together with a lover. The first is death, as seen in Shakespeare's dramatic plays and poetry, and the second is sexual. "Porphyria's Lover" is a reflection of both. 2 Shakespeare's story of "star-cross'd lovers" begins with a prologue summarizing what events lead to the death "From forth the fatal loins of these two foes" (Hylton). Here the "ancient grudge [that] break[s] to new mutiny, / Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean" leads to the foes' "children's end" (Hylton). In "Porphyria's Lover," the parallel of nature's tremendous storm, and the persona's own thoughts elude to his plans: "The rain set early in tonight, / The sullen wind was soon awake" (l 1-2), his thoughts began to mold into a scheme, while his rage corresponds with the storm as "It tore the elm-tops down for spite, / And it did its worst to vex the lake"(l 3-4). The aforementioned sentence foreshadows the events to come. Porphyria enters from the storm into her lover's home, "When glided in Porphyria; straight / She shut the cold out and the storm, / And kneeled and made the cheerless grate / Blaze up, and all the cottage warm" (l 6-9), permitting the persona to feel safe in within himself and his surroundings. She sat by his side "And called [him]. When no voice replied, / She put [his] arm about her waist, / And made her smooth white shoulder bare, / And all her yellow hair displaced" (l 15-18).