egyptian pyramids essays

egyptian pyramids essays When most people mention Ancient Egypt the first thing that comes to mind is the Pyramids. To construct such monuments required a mastery of art, architecture and social organization that few cultures would ever rival. The pyramids are said to have built Egypt by being the force that knit together the kingdom's economy. Their creations were so substantial, that the sight of these vast pyramids would take your breath away. Today, the valley of the Nile has an open air museum so people can witness these grand monuments. Obsessed with the afterlife, Egypt's rulers of 4,500 years ago glorified themselves in stone, thereby laying the foundation of the first great nation-state. A Pyramid is an enormous machine that helps the king go through the wall of the dead, achieve resurrection and live forever in the happiness of the gods. The start of the Old Kingdom is said to be the building of the Djoser's monument. The construction of Step Pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser began around 2630 B.C. and was designed to awe the ancient Egyptians, to impress them with their rule's godlike strength. It was the world's first great construction project; indeed, it was the world's largest building. Djoser, the second king of the 3rd dynasty, hired an architect called Imhoptep who for the first time constructed a tomb completely of stone. Imhoptep is considered the preeminent genius of the Old Kingdom. He assembled one workforce to quarry limestone at the cliff of Tura, across the Nile, another to haul the stone to the site where master carvers shaped each block and put it in place. The Step Pyramid is a terraced structure rising in six unequal stages to a height of 60 meters, its base measuring 120 meters by 108 meters. The substructure has a system of underground corridors and rooms. Its main feature being a central sha...

the federalist numbers 1051 essays

the federalist numbers 1051 essays The Federalist, No. 10, by James Madison is a clear expression of views and policies for a new government. Madison was a strong supporter and member of the Federalists whose main beliefs favored the Constitution. They also believed that the Articles of Confederation needed to be rewritten so that a new central government would control the power of the states. Madison differentiates between a Democracy and a Republic and later on decides on a Republic as his choice of government. A Republic is a type of government run by representatives who are elected by its citizens. Madison states that however small the Republic may be, the Representatives must be raised to a certain number in order to guard against the cabals of a few; and that however large it may be, they must be limited to a certain number, in order to guard against the confusion of a multitude. This means that the Republic should have a certain number of representatives large enough to overpower any outsiders, but not too many where-as nothing could be accomplished due to disagreement. Madison speaks of the problems of the present attempts at a new government saying our governments are too unstable, that the public good is disregarded in the conflicts of rival parties, and that measures are too often decided, not according to the rules of justice, and the rights of the minor party, but by the superior force of an interested and over-bearing majority. The crucial issue of Madisons time was the right of the people. The people should be involved in their government, and know about how their government can work with them. Madisons, The Federalist, No. 51 discusses separation of powers in the government and more of the Republican system of government. Madison says outright that we see it particularly displayed in all the subordinate distributions of power, where the constant aim is to ...

Examining the literary devices used in the novels Homage to Catalonia, Essay

Examining the literary devices used in the novels Homage to Catalonia, For Whom The Bell Tolls, and As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning to portray the Spanish Civil War - Essay Example One of the most important elements about these accounts of the civil war period in Spain is the fact that every author has approached and treated the civil war experience in his particular style. Thus, one gets three beautiful accounts of the same background in the subtlest manner, and a reflective analysis of the works proves the individual narrative techniques of every writer as most distinct. The authors of these literary pieces employ different literary devices in their works such as adjectives, hyperbolic language, use of allusion, etc and each of these devices has immense significance as the authors depend greatly on these in narrating their experiences of the civil war. The contrasting methods of the writers find most valuable in an understanding the different accounts of the experiences in the Spanish Civil War, and the authors have been effective in portraying the picture of the civil war. This paper makes a comparative analysis of the accounts of the civil war experiences b y the three authors Orwell, Hemingway, and Lee, focusing on their use of different literary devices to portray the Spanish Civil War. Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls narrates the story of Robert Jordan, a young American in one of the anti-fascist guerilla groups during the Spanish Civil War. Jordan is proficient in the use of explosives and he undertakes the task of demolishing a bridge in an attack on the city of Segovia. The narrative techniques used by Hemingway have resulted in wide readership. In the narrative, Robert Jordan reflects the author’s own experiences in the Spanish Civil War and the novel develops chiefly through the thoughts and experiences of this character. The narrator is an American who passes through distinctive experience in Spain and he combats the fascist forces in his own specific ways. The novel attracts many readers as the specific narrative

Case Study 10.1 - Project Scheduling at Blanque Cheque Construction - 1

10.1 - Project Scheduling at Blanque Cheque Construction - Case Study Example A project manager may make use of the below approaches to estimate how long a project will last, rather than basing it on how long he is pressured to make it last. The expert opinion uses the consensus method to arrive at an estimate. The project manager will engage the services of at least three experts who have an understanding of the type of project to be undertaken or have managed similar projects before (Kerzner 6). After a briefing by the project manager on the project requirements, the experts discuss it among themselves and each submits their own separate estimates according to their understanding. Each produces a task list containing effort estimates for each task. The project manager then hands back a list of the estimates to the experts without revealing to which one of them each belongs. He asks the experts to consider the risks and estimates of the others’ results and recalculate their work. The experts then discuss the project to determine if any assumptions or issues have changed after the last discussion. After studying the combined estimates, the experts revise their estimates and submit the results independently again. If the discrepancies are still not practical, the project manager hands the results back again, or invites more experts. The aim is to make the difference between the lowest and the highest estimates as low as possible. The cycle may be repeated severally until most of the results are in or close to agreement. Once in agreement, an average of the experts’ estimates is used as the project duration. However, rather than spending much time on the estimation procedure, the project manager may use the results of several experts in the early stages. For example, if three experts determined the estimate as 2000 hours and one estimated at 4000 hours, he may need to ignore the overestimated duration but with the knowledge that he bears the risk of the duration accepted actually doubling. Past history is one of

Contribution of Digital Projections for Approaching Mise En Scene in Contemporary Theatre Performance Essay Example for Free

Contribution of Digital Projections for Approaching Mise En Scene in Contemporary Theatre Performance Essay In this research paper I’m going to describe about theater production technology which it is using digital production and how it is saturate to the mise en scene. Cinematic theater is term of using digital projection in contemporary theatre. That can be briefly described as a fusion of live performance and the magic of the big screen. By utilizing the best dramatic devices that each art form has to covey a story and entertain an audience; the possibilities to create interesting narratives and stage dynamics through the synergy of stage and cinematic design is exciting. Cinematic theatre is a contemporary style of drama that revolves around using pre-edited and live vision sequences to be projected onto screens and surfaces. These sequences are then integrated with the live performance to create dramatic meaning that interacts with the dramatic action on stage. The integrated use of projection during scenes and scene changes allows the stage action to become continuous, therefore creating a suspension of disbelief that engages the audience. In the ever increasing technological environment, more and more information and storytelling is being brought to us through visual images and screens; contemporary audiences are able to read layered visual texts. In developing a creative rationale for the utilization of cinematic sequences in live performance you have to consider various factors; how to use the projected vision without overwhelming the stage performance, creating a theatrical and visual design that enhances the dramatic meaning and the narrative choice between screen and stage action. To guide the creation and production of new work we have developed a description of the elements of cinematic integration for live performance. To accompany the Cinematic Theatre style they have devised a comprehensive creative rationale that we teach to educators and students using the conventions and elements that we utilize to produce visual performance work. Primary Conventions: The basic principle of Cinematic Theatre is to create a continual experience by using visual sequences projected onto screens or surfaces, in conjunction with set design and lives performance to create different dramatic spaces. The cinematic design should be active throughout the performance, to achieve this there are two primary conventions that are used to integrate the stage with the Visual design: Cinematic Backdrop is the live visual environment that works together with live scenes on stage to create a dynamic visual design to enhance the dramatic action. There number of ways to utilize the live backdrop: Cinematic Transitions are the visual sequences between the live stage scenes that allow the performance to continue during scene changes keeping the audience engaged. These transitions work very well with music and the use of popular songs to accompany these cinematic sequences to add meaning and action, especially if the music chosen is representative of the narrative. Visual Conventions: In producing a Cinematic Theatre production there are number visual conventions that can be utilized to create a genuinely integrated performance. Style Elements: When conceptualizing the visual component of a cinematic theatre performance it is important to address the overall style with reference to the script/ narrative/ context. In below describe technologies, which is using for the cinematic theatre. Screens and Surfaces: Traditionally projection has been used on one screen directly behind the stage action, much like a movie screen. With more mobile projectors and screens it is possible to think of new ways to place and project images. A number of screens can be used to create different effects, in What Simon Said? there rear projected screens were used to create the walls of the character’s room as the cinematic background. We envisage being able to create large-scale immersive environments to create distant horizons, urban architecture or multiple images. Stage design allowing the utilization of projected images on surfaces can create a dynamic canvas on which to apply vision. The applications are only limited by your imagination and ability to position the projector. Some examples include: a window space to see outside, a mirror to show symbolic representations of character, floor space to create a pool of water, smoke, curtains etc. Lighting design: It is important when incorporating video into live performance that you consider the effect of lights on the screen surface. One difficulty in setting lights is that they can significantly degrade the brightness and colour of the screen images if there is light either directly hitting or bouncing from the floor onto the screen. One solution is to set the screen up from the floor and placing some blocks/staging in front to block some of the bouncing light. When considering colour gels it is imperative to consider colours used in the screen images and try to match them as well as possible to give a blended effect. Mise-en-scà ¨ne Mise-en-scà ¨ne is a French term and originates in the theater. It means, literally, put in the scene. For film, it has a broader meaning, and refers to almost everything that goes into the composition of the shot, including the composition itself: framing, movement of the camera and characters, lighting, set design and gen earl visual environment, even sound as it helps elaborate the composition. Mise-en-scà ¨ne can be defined as the articulation of cinematic space, and it is precisely space that it is about. Cutting is about time; the shot is about what occurs in a defined area of space, bordered by the frame of the movie screen and determined by what the camera has been made to record. That space, the mise-en-scà ¨ne, can be unique, closed off by the frame, or open, providing the illusion of more space around it. Four aspects of mise-en-scene, which overlap the physical art of the theatre, are setting, costume, lighting and movement of figures. Control of these elements provides the director an opportunity to stage events. Using these elements, the film director stages the event for the camera to provide his audience with vivid, sharp memories. Directors and film scholars alike recognize mise-en-scene as an essential part of the director’s creative art. Conclusion In this research I’m trying to explain ‘contribution of digital projections for approaching mise en scene in contemporary theatre performance.’ In the first part I briefly explain what is ‘Digital projections’, ‘mise en scene’ and ‘contemporary theatre performance’. Mise en scene is French term and it generally use for film appreciation or film criticism. But previously this term use for critic theatre productions. Actual meaning of mise en sence is ‘put in the Frame’. Frame is basically explained in both film and theatre. So I think using term of mise en sence is possible in theatre productions. For creating theatre sets, props and space generally using hard materials. But in this art form those things create by digital projections. This is major development of the contemporary theatre productions. Further more I’m explaining advantages and disadvantages of usage digital projection in this art form. Finally I’m talking about choreographers who use this art form successfully and showing few videos. Basically this is new art form. It is impossible to compare with other theatre performance, which is not using digital projections. Choreographers day by day create new art pieces using projections. So I think this is major occasion of digital media use in society.

Cross-Dressing in Shakespeares Twelfth Night and As You Like It Essay

Cross-Dressing in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and As You Like It In Shakespeare's plays Twelfth Night and As You Like It both of the lead female characters dress as men. Both plays are comedies and the change in gender is used as a joke, but I think it goes much deeper. A woman can become a man, but only if it is not permanent. The affect of the change cannot be too great because she must change back to female once everything is settled. They are strong female characters, but must become men to protect themselves and ultimately solve the problem of the play. In the book Desire and Anxiety: The Circulation of Sexuality in Shakespearian Drama Valerie Traub calls the characters, "the crossed-dressed heroine who elicits and enjoys multiple erotic investments" (Traub 17). They can only acts this way when they are dressed as men. They return to their passive and nonsexual ways when they change back to women's clothing. In both plays the women are not in their own lands, Viola being shipwrecked on a strange land and Rosalind being banished from the cour t and wandering in the forest. Both women disguise themselves as men for protection. On the way to the forest Celia says to Rosalind, â€Å"Now go we in content/ To liberty and not to banishment† (1.3.137-138). Liberty in this line is the freedom they get overcoming the restrictions of a female role (Erikson 22). Dressing as a man is the way the women protect themselves, but as the plays progress the roles they play as men begin to influencing their actions and attitudes. The definition of a man by what he wears is so strong that in Twelfth Night Orsino still refers to Viola as her male name Cersario even after he learns she is a woman and decides to marry her. "Cersario, come/ F... ...e roles are right. Men are manly taking care of their women by marrying them and women are in their correct roles under their husbands. Works Cited Erickson, Peter. Patriarchal Structures in Shakespeare’s Drama. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1985. Greenblatt, Stephen general ed. Walter Cohen, Jean E. Howard, and Katharine Eiasman Maus eds. The Norton Shakespeare. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1997. Orgel, Stephen. Impersonations: The Performance of Gender In Shakespeare’s England. Cambridge: University Press, 1996. Traub, Valerie. Desire and Anxiety: Circulation of Sexuality in Shakespearean Drama. London: Routledge, 1992. Notes: More of the definition of a female’s role in Shakespearean England can be found at http://drama.pepperdine.edu/shakespeare/romeoandjuliette in the essay Female Sovereignty in Renaissance England.

Discuss the importance of dreams in Of Mice and Men Essay

Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men is set in America in the 1930s. This was a time and a place where some people were discriminated against because of their lifestyle. The fundamental cause of this was a hierarchy that existed within American civilisation. The rich and the powerful were given a place in society whereas the working class were outcasts. Of Mice and Men is a novella of outcasts. Steinbeck explores how discrimination dominates the lives of these outcasts: racial discrimination against Crooks, age discrimination against Candy, gender discrimination against Curley’s wife and discrimination against Lennie because of his mental disability. The similarity between all the outcasts is that they all dream of an existence where they are not the victims of discrimination, and this dream is their sole motivation in life. Their dream is the American Dream. Through these outcasts, Steinbeck details everything that was morally wrong with 1930s America. The reason for this was the instability of the 1930s American economy; the Wall Street crash in 1929 being one example. The result of this was a high level of unemployment, and it was these people who were the outcasts. 1930s America rejects Lennie because of his mental ineptitude. George protects Lennie from the victimisation he would have to endure, if he were to face 1930s America on his own. George also helps Lennie find a job as he is hopeless on his own, â€Å"If he finds out what a crazy bastard you are, we won’t get no job.† There are two aspects George’s speech that would suggest he is trying to protect Lennie. Firstly the normality of his tone; he is not shouting and therefore Lennie would not feel that there is anything wrong with him. Secondly what George is actually saying; he is giving Lennie advice on how to avoid being victimised. Both Lennie and George have the same dream, but for different reasons. Lennie dreams of having his own bit of land so he can tend rabbits; he is not trying to escape discrimination because he does not understand the concept of it. George, on the other hand, wants to escape discrimination. He wants to live without worrying about Lennie’s every move. He wants Lennie to be safe. It is plainly apparent that Lennie and George’s dream is their only incentive in life; all their efforts are aimed at earning enough money to buy their own bit of land. It is made even more apparent to the reader at the end of the book that their dream is their only incentive in life, â€Å"Come on George. Me an’ you’ll go in an’ get a drink.† Lennie is dead and suddenly the dream is no longer achievable. The reader immediately sees how George’s incentive to save money goes; he is going to go for a drink with Slim where he will likely squander every cent he has. There is evidence to suggest that George never really thought they would ever achieve their dream, â€Å"I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would† He had talked about the dream so many times to Lennie, he started to believe it could come true even though he knew, inside, that it would not. Crooks is rejected because he is a Negro. Racism was rife in 1930s America and Negros were the unwanted surplus of American society. Steinbeck shows the reader how Crooks has adapted to protect himself from hurt. Unlike other characters, Crooks considers what can go wrong first before he starts to believe a dream can come true, â€Å"I see hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches with their bindles in their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads† Crooks has been hurt in the past. He knows the realities of life in 1930s America. The result of not having a dream reflects in the way in which he lives his life. Unlike Lennie, George, Candy and Curley’s wife, Crooks has no incentive in life. Crooks is content to stay in his lodging away from the rest of the world. Although he is not progressing in life; he is not digressing. But given the opportunity he also clings on to Lennie, George and Candy’s dream. This shows that although he does not dream, he has longings and desires. Steinbeck reveals this through use of nostalgic language, in Crooks’ desire to re-experience the feeling of equality he felt when he was a child, â€Å"The white kids came to play at our place, an’ sometimes I went to play with them.† Crooks dreams of equality, this is evident in the books he reads; in particular the Californian Civil Code. He longs for a civilisation where he can be treated equally. For Crooks, his desire for equality dominates his life as dreams dominate the lives of the other outcasts. Candy is discriminated against because he is old and useless. In an environment where respect is earned through physical competence, Candy has no respect from his fellow ranch workers. However, the most painful thing for Candy is the feeling of not belonging and lack of purpose. He has these feelings because he is old and has lived most of his life; he has left no mark on the world. Other workers, younger workers, like Whit, have dreams of making a mark on the world as Candy probably had when he was younger. Whit displays admiration for a former ranch worker he reads about in a magazine who has had a letter published in that magazine. Whit dreams of making a mark on the world and has not even considered the misery that will overcome him if he does not. Steinbeck uses juxtaposition to illustrate to the reader how little respect Candy receives from his fellow workers. Candy could not kill his dog; he is his only companion and he has owned and loved him for years, â€Å"No, I couldn’t do that. I had ‘im for too long.† Candy desperately wants to save his dog here, but the other workers at the ranch do not respect him enough to comply with his wishes. The contrast between Candy’s desperation and the other worker’s casual dismissal of this desperation highlights how little respect Candy receives from his fellow workers. For this reason Candy quickly catches on to Lennie and George’s dream. He has money in the bank, as a result of his compensation for his lost hand, and feels that the dream can come true with their money combined. His dream is his incentive in life; he carries on with his insignificant swamping at the ranch because it is the only thing he can do. If George, Lennie and Candy can somehow make this dream maintainable he can live the rest of his life happily. As a woman Curley’s wife is isolated as women were not equal to men in 1930s America. She is deprived of many things men have: companionship, power and acknowledgement. She dreams of having all these things. But she differs from the other outcasts because she has no hope of achieving her dream. What she believed to be her only shot at achieving her dream has gone. Furthermore she is trapped in a marriage with a callous man who she despises. In fact if it were up to her husband she would remain indoors all day. The men do not like her because they see her as a ‘tart’ and a threat. She could get them ‘canned’, â€Å"I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her.† George discriminates against her because she is a woman. He makes the assumption that any woman in a male lodging is trouble. Through George’s damning reaction to Curley’s wife Steinbeck shows the reader how she will never achieve her dream. She has no power because she is a woman. She only has power over Crooks because he is a Negro, â€Å"You know what I can do if you open your trap?† Steinbeck’s presentation of the situation would suggest she is using Crooks as a scapegoat to disburse her frustrations. And she is indeed because Crooks is trying to defend his room from what he sees as an invasion of his territory, â€Å"You got no rights comin’ in a colored man’s room.† Curley’s wife may have been scornful, but Crooks was equally insensitive to her. She is never acknowledged, her true name is not mentioned, and therefore Crooks’ comment made her turn on him like a whiplash because he is the only one on the ranch over whom she has any power or authority. It is ironic how the death of the forgotten outcast brings about the end of all the other outcasts’ dreams. To conclude, dreams are important in the novella because they are the only thing the outcasts can cling on to. They are discriminated against to the extent that they cannot achieve success; they are doomed to failure. Even their dreams, the only means by which they can escape the monotony of 1930s America, are destroyed by their compromised circumstances. Steinbeck shows the reader how important dreams are for the poor. Only the poor that have a dream can live their lives with their dream as an incentive. Steinbeck sums up the injustice of 1930s America at the end of the novella. Curley’s dream of killing Lennie comes true, it is an evil dream and it is the only one in the novella that comes true; the dream of one man with a little power and authority over the dreams of all the poor. (Although Crooks’ dream of equality does become true it is a long time after the novella is written, and he does not experience this so it can be said that his dream did not come true) Through the dreams of the poor Steinbeck conveys many things that were wrong with 1930s America.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Early Retirement

Constant pursuit of money, making the big time, flux, accomplishing social status but where is the time to enjoy those attainments? When are we to say ‘enough’? Current pace of life disables us to do so. Just work work and again. Is there any key? Maybe worth of consideration would be early retirement ; what are the advantages and disadvantages of previously mentioned action? Firstly, when we are talking about advantages. It is a new start, some kind of a new beginning. People can afford on more what they used to. There is much more time for themselves (when describing a couple) friends or family. On the other hand nimiety of free time makes human being feel redundant. It is the main cause of depression, slough, generalised anxiety disorder, loss of poise and many others. As the old dictum says ‘prevention is better than cure’. Secondly when one retires his post is within range of someone younger. It is a benefit for all the society- because early retirement is a mechanism for reducing unemployment which is widespread among young generation. Sad but true. Despite that fact it is said that ‘the older- the more experienced’ which factor is crucial for the employer. Some features of characteristics cannot be superceded, f. e. conscientiousness, diligence, reasonableness. As previously mentioned, filling someone's shoes it is not obvious as it may seem. As presented above; early retirement has both assets and drawbacks. It cannot be judged that one are more important than others, because it is simply individual point of view including encumbrances, personal assurances and many other aspects. ‘When you are young, you think that your path is longer than old colleague of yours. Is it so? ’ In my modest opinion that quotation is universal and definitely hits the point.

Proof That Publishing More Content Wont Grow Blog Traffic

Proof That Publishing More Content Wont Grow Blog Traffic Its a little bold to say that publishing more content wont grow your blog traffic. I mean, more content + more social shares = more blog traffic Right? But this comes  from experience of what happened to us at when we published more content recently. Our social shares dropped  and our blog traffic wasnt too impressive either. And thats happened to us twice after we increased our publishing frequency. So I had to ask myself, Hey Nathan, could there really be a sweet spot for how many posts we should  publish a week to get the most social shares and blog traffic? After all, the answer may not be a lot of blog posts a week, but only a couple. And thats exactly what I found out. How To Publish More Content (And Get Less Blog Traffic) #blogging #contentmarketingWhy Publishing More Content Wont (Necessarily) Grow Your Blog Traffic Well- to be clear- it might but it also might not be worth your effort. Four weeks ago, we switched from publishing two posts a week to three. Thats a lot more content to create (especially considering our posts average 2,000 words and have about 8 graphics in them). So we really wanted to make sure the payoff was worth our time. This is what publishing 2 posts a week looked like. Before we made the switch to publish more content, 4 blog posts (2 a week)  averaged these stats within 2 weeks of being published: Social shares averaged 561 per post. Pageviews averaged 6,074 per post. Comments from readers averaged 6.5 per post. Not bad. So we should have been  able to get a  lot more results with 3  posts a week, right? This is what publishing 3 posts a week looked like. This is what our stats looks like for 6 blog posts (3 a week) within 2 weeks of being published: Social shares averaged 325  per post. Pageviews averaged 4,367  per post. Comments from readers averaged 3 per post. Not so good. This is what it looks like when you compare the  data. So whatever, right? I mean, thats not so bad. In fact, didnt blog traffic increase because we published more content? When you compare the data, switching from publishing 2  blog posts a week to 3: Decreased social shares an average of 236 per post. Thats a grand total of 1,950  which was 294  less than the previous average of 2,244. Yikes. Increased pageviews by 317.5 per post. Yes, that is an increase. It makes a total of 26,204 pageviews compared to 24,299. Thats an increase of only 1,905 pageviews to publish 2 more blog posts in a 2-week period. Decreased comments by 4 per post. So thats 17 compared to the previous 26. So Im kind of full of crap, right? I mean, we did increase our blog traffic. But to me, its not worth publishing two more posts to get fewer than a thousand pageviews per post. But was it really the publishing frequency? Now, there are a ton of outliers to consider into this: Who were the authors and did they have lots of followers? Were the topics we chose to cover not quite right for our audience? Should  we have experimented more with different publish days and times? Should we have shared our content differently with social media? Did we mess up when we emailed our subscribers (aka, you guys)? Did we give this study enough time for our audience to get used to the change? Not to mention: All of these posts target specific keywords that should help us grow our blog traffic in the long term. The posts published in the 3-a-week periods have been gaining a lot of  social shares just this week. Blog traffic has increased for all 10 posts in this study. And Im sure there were a billion other things on my mind once I realized our posts werent performing as well as they used to. Proof That Publishing More Content Wont Grow Your #Blog Traffic (And How To Do That)So I became Sherlock Holmes. The thing was our samples from each data set (2 posts a week,  3 posts a week) were very average for our content (no outliers to throw off the data I analyzed). I even looked at our email open rates: They were nearly the same as always. And during the testing time when we published 3 blog posts a week, we grew our  number of email subscribers. But the moment  our social media shares dropped, so did our blog traffic. My biggest conjecture on this: We gave our audience (you guys) so much content to share that you had to pick and choose what was worthy enough for you to share.  Even if we published 3  awesome posts a week, you needed a little diversity in your social shares- not all from one source. So when social shares drop, so does blog traffic. And that, my dear  Watson, is a complete guess. What do you think? Id love to hear your thoughts about this in the comments. 10 Things You Should Learn From Publishing More Content Honestly, it could have been a dozen things that led to a bit less blog traffic than I was hoping for. So here are my lessons learned from this experiment that will help you choose the right publishing frequency for your blog: 1. Dont be afraid to try new things. While this analysis is a bit young (it happened with content we published in February), I learned a lot by publishing more content. The entire team here at worked hard to mature our processes to create content super efficiently. That is a huge win well keep with us as we continue to create content our readers should really love. And we would have never known that publishing more might not be what our audience wants until we did it. And you can bet that Ill continue to look at the results of those posts to see if my thoughts about this change in a couple months. The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it. - Warren Bennis Should the drop in blog traffic prevent us from publishing more content? This experiment- though ultimately not resulting in  the blog traffic I wanted- didnt impact our email subscribers, let alone product signups. Both of those figures were the highest theyve ever been at this time. So that is definitely something to consider for this: Should we really publish less content if stats like new signups are so high? Never be satisfied with status quo. Youll never know if you could be doing something that ends with much higher results. 2. Base your publishing decisions on data. I mentioned that weve bounced around with our publishing frequency a lot at . Thats a little funny coming from the guys who preach how to publish more consistent content, right? This is what our publishing frequency looked like for a couple months in 2014: The point is, we were testing to figure out what would work best for us. We were publishing the content we had. And we werent afraid to get scrappy to get things done. But in the end, we started focusing on publishing the right amount of times to get the most out of our content. By the time November rolled around last year, that right amount for us was twice a week. And hey, at the time, we saw blog traffic increase as we published less content. We published that way to create our own data. But, whats really ironic about this, is that theres already some data that basically says companies  that increase their publishing frequency from 3–5 times a month to 6–8 nearly double their leads.  So while this data is about leads and not blog traffic, publishing 2 posts a week should be a sweet spot. If there isnt any data, make your own. #contentmarketingIt would have been cool to know that information before we started just to measure that even better! 3. Plan  your publishing frequency to  achieve your marketing goals. I would have never cared about these slight changes- or added up the totals for this study- if I wasnt counting on every single blog post to contribute to a much larger goal. For every post we publish at , I measure initial success by the number of social shares and pageviews. For the special posts when we create free blog giveaways, I also monitor how many times you guys download those resources (infographics, checklists, templates, e-books, and more). Every post must contribute to our overall marketing goals to increase: Social media shares. Traffic in general. Email subscribers. signups. Doing the math, its easy to see how publishing more content may help us achieve our goals: Just divide your metrics goal by what an average blog post contributes to that goal. Thats a really rough estimate of how many posts you need to write to hit that goal. 4. Build momentum as you establish your publishing frequency. You shouldnt just rush in to publishing  more content. When we went from publishing 2 posts a week to publishing 3, we just switched to 3 and kept going. In hindsight, I wish I had given the team a bit of breathing room to build up our momentum by staggering several weeks  of publishing 2 posts then 3 posts. That would have helped us work through our processes with a bit less runaround.  But we  got it done because the entire team  had the ambition  to do it (and thanks for helping me out, Ashton and Krista!). Even for the pros, we still need to understand that running a marathon without training ends in fatigue. 5. Test the best days and times for publishing and sharing. A year ago,  we would literally publish new posts every single day of the work week. Then wed publish 3  posts the next week, and 4  the following. Were no strangers to testing what will work for us to achieve our marketing goals. But we needed to do that to know what would work for us. So when we decided to bump our frequency up to 3 posts a week, we used data from the best times to publish and  chose Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday since blog posts published later in the week tend to perform a bit lower. We also bounced this idea off a few of our friends in a content marketing community to get their opinions on the best times to publish. Sometimes its worth it to publish on different days and times to understand how that impacts your blogs performance. 6. Analyze your data to actually know if youre reaching your goals. There is no way Id be writing this post if I didnt plan time to analyze our data. You write every post for a reason. Measure its success against that metric. Here is an easy way to do it: Divide your overarching goal by the number of posts you want to publish. That will give you a rough estimate for your goal per post. Tip: This is  similar to what you did in lesson #3. But its not the same. If you want to hit a marketing goal by maintaining the amount your  current posts contribute to that goal, go with lesson #3. The algorithm shared here actually gives you something to shoot for to  improve every post to hit your goal. From here, you can determine new ways to promote your content to get the blog traffic (among other goals) your content deserves. You write every post for a reason. Measure every posts  success. #blogging7. Dont believe what they say about vanity metrics. unless they say that vanity metrics like social shares matter. There is so much to learn by understanding how people share your content. For example: People read what they know is popular. People share what they know is popular. People subscribe to what they know is popular. And beyond that- social shares provide a solid gauge on how your content is performing. I noticed something was strange with our content when we started publishing 3 posts a week because our social shares count was lower than it had been in a long time. From there, I completely analyzed our blog traffic patterns to gather the data in this post. And that ultimately helped me make the decision to publish only 2 posts a week. 8. Understand the trade-off for quality versus quantity (and go for quality). Yeah, yeah. You already know this. But here is what we did to be able to publish more content: Free blog giveaways dropped from being in 3 of 4 posts to 2 of 6 posts. Thats a bit of a hit for additional resources that we know you guys find super helpful. And thats how we also get a lot of new email subscribers for our content. Graphics per post on average fell from an average of 7.5 to 6. Content length also dropped slightly  (with a couple outliers). While we made sure the topics were awesome- and the content was  great stuff you should have really liked- we did sacrifice a few bonuses we usually had in our content to be able to publish more. So, once again, someone just told  you that sacrificing content quality for quantity takes a hit on your social shares and blog traffic. But this time you  can actually see the data that backs up that claim.

Relative Pronouns on SAT Writing Which vs. That and More

Relative Pronouns on SAT Writing Which vs. That and More SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You may not have heard of relative pronouns, but we use them everyday. â€Å"Who,† â€Å"which,† â€Å"that,† where,† and â€Å"when† are all examples of relative pronouns. Though the name may make it seem like these words have something to do with your great uncle Cecil, they actually introduce related information that describes a noun. Relative pronouns aren’t the most common grammar concept tested on the SAT Writing section (or even the most common type of pronoun!), but you will see them on the test. Confusingly, they're mostly tested in conjunction with other topics like pronoun agreement and fragments and run-ons. To make sure you’re prepared for any kind of relative pronoun question the SAT writers throw at you, I’ll go over the following key ideas: Definitions of Relative Pronouns Common Usage Errors on Identifying Sentence Errors Unclear Antecedents on Improving Sentences Fragments and Run-ons on Improving Sentences Key SAT Strategies for Relative Pronouns Relative Pronoun Definitions Like all pronouns, relative pronouns must agree with the noun they're replacing. Each relative pronoun can only be used to refer to a specific type of thing: you wouldn't talk about "the pencilwho" or "the teacherwhen." We often use relative pronouns imprecisely, however, so these errors may not always be so obvious. First, let's review what each relativepronoun can correctly be used to refer to: Who and whom - people only When- specific times or time periods only Where- places only Which - any noun otherthan a person That - any noun Whose - possessive, can be used for people or things Note that for many situations, more than one relative pronoun can work.For example, "the studentwho" and "the studentthat" are equally correct. Because of this flexibility, it can be hard to reliably pick out exactly which pronoun is correct, so you should focus on usingprocess of elimination to narrow down the choices on SAT Writingquestions. Identifying Sentence Errors: Common Usage Errors On Identifying Sentence Errors questions, relative pronoun issuesgenerally involve misused words. These errors aren't especially common, but when you see a relative pronoun underlined you should check to make sure it agrees withthe noun it's replacing. Incorrect:The golden retriever, when was a puppy, loved to play fetch. Correct:The golden retriever, whichwas a puppy, loved to play fetch. This example is pretty simple- a golden retriever isn't a time, so it can't be referred to as "when." Some relative pronoun errors will be equally obvious, but there are a few trickier cases that appear on the SAT Writing section. Let's go through them one at a time. Who/Whom vs. Which First of all, it's important to note that, on the SAT, you won't ever be tested on the difference between "who" and "whom." (If you're curious about what it is, you can take a look at our breakdown of the topic in the ACT relative pronouns post.) You may, however, be tested on who/whom vs. which. The key here is that while "who," "whom," and "that" can allbe used to refer to people, "which" can't. Incorrect: The acclaimed author, which has written 13 novels, will be speaking at the university tonight. Correct: The acclaimed author, whohas written 13 novels, will be speaking at the university tonight. Which vs. That The difference between which and that is asource of great confusion for many students, but it doesn't need tobe. The grammatical explanation is that "which" introduces a non-essential clause, meaning that it doesn't define the noun it's describing, while "that" introduces an essential clause, meaning that it clarifies exactly which noun the sentence is about. For example, the following two sentences are both correct: My house, which I bought recently, is next to a lake. Thehouse that I bought recently is next to a lake. In the first sentence the relative clause "which I bought recently" is further describing "my house." In the second, the clause "that I bought recently" is specifying which house the sentence is about. On the SAT, you really only need to remember that "which" is always paired with a comma and "that" never is.You generally won't be asked to choose between "which" and "that" unless one of them is incorrectly punctuated. Where vs. In Which "Where"is probably the most commonly misusedrelative pronoun. In spoken English, we routinely use it to describe the time or point at which something occurred, but "where"can only be used to refer to a place. To describe media like books, movies, or music, use "in which" instead. Incorrect: Didn't you love the part of The Avengerswhere the Hulk punches Loki? Correct:Didn't you love the part of The Avengersin whichthe Hulk punches Loki? The "part of theAvengers"isn't an actual place, so "in which," rather than "where," is the correct construction. Though it may sound weird, "in which" is usually correct when it appears. Real SAT Example Let's walk through an example from an official SAT Writing section. Let's start by reading the sentence and seeing if anything jumps out as wrong. It sounds a bit weird, but there are no obvious errors. Next, we'll go through each underlined portion to check it for errors. Since verb and pronoun errors are the most common, let's start by checking C, "turned to," for errors. The three possible issues here are subject-verb agreement, verb form, and idiomatic usage (of "to"), but the verb is appropriately conjugated and the preposition is correct. C has no error and can be ruled out. Since pronoun errors are also common, let's move on to B, which includes the relative pronoun "when." This usage seems wrong- "significance" isn't a time period- but let's think about what it's actually describing. The point is that artists became interestedin Greek mythology during the nineteenth century. "When" is in fact correct, and its antecedent is the "nineteenth century." We can rule out B. A and D are both prepositions, so the primary issue to check for is idiomatic usage. Both are used correctly, so both answers can be eliminated. We are left with only E, no error, which is the correct choice. Make sure you know the proper use for each relative pronoun- the fact thatone seems weird doesn't make it wrong. Make sure that your relative pronouns are clear, unlike this photograph. (Image credit: Bruce Aldridge, via Flickr, under CC BY-NC 2.0) Improving Sentences: Unclear Antecedents When speaking, you probablyuse the relative pronouns "which" and "that" without making it explicitwhat they're referring to. My little brother is always poking me with sticks, which I find annoying. This construction makes sense and is perfectly acceptablein spoken English, but it'sabsolutely incorrect on the SAT. What is "which" referring to? I don't find the sticks annoying, I find the fact my brother is poking me with them annoying. But there's no noun antecedent that makes that ideaexplicit. We have to rewrite this sentence to eliminate the unclear antecedent: My little brother is always poking me with sticks;I find this habit annoying. By addinga noun, we make it clear what I'm annoyed by. Remember that this, that, and which must have clear noun antecedents, just like any other pronoun. One of the most common examples of this type of error is the construction "do that": My best friend Selena always turns the lights off when she leaves a room. She does that in order to help the environment. "That" is referring to Selena's practice of turning off the lights, but there's no noun in the sentence that can serve as an antecedent. To fix this sentence, simply replace "that" with "so": My best friend Selena always turns the lights off when she leaves a room. She does soin order to help the environment. On the SAT, you must make sure that any underlined relative pronoun has a clear noun antecedent.Let's take a look at a question from an official SAT. Since there's a relative pronoun, "which," in the underlined portionof the sentence, we need to check whether it is appropriately located next toan explicit noun antecedent. The structure implies that the antecedent is "ocean," but that doesn't make much sense, given that it's described as lasting for several days. What the sentence is actually trying to say is that thecontamination lasted for several days, but that's not a noun in the sentence. As such, we can rule out A and B (which repeats the same error with "that" instead of "which"). Choice C creates a comma splice and D misuses "while" (since there's no contrast), so we can eliminate both of them as well. This leaves only E, which replaces the unclear relative pronoun with the noun "contamination." E is the correct answer. Improving Sentences: Fragments and Run-ons The other type of error you must check for when an Improving Sentences question has a relative pronoun in the underlined section is a sentence structure issue. Relative pronouns are often used to hide fragments (incomplete ideas masquerading as sentences) and run-ons (multiple complete ideas smushed togetherwithoutproper punctuation). Let's go through these one at a time, starting with fragments (and if you want to go more in depth on this topic, check out our complete guide to run-ons and fragments on SAT Writing, coming soon). Fragments Fragments involving relative pronouns generally lack a main verb and instead only have a verbin the relative clause. Leaving work early to start her vacation, Lauren, who was travelingto Guatemala. These constructions can be confusing because they seem to have both a subject and a verb. However, "was traveling" isn't part of the main clause- it isn't describing what "Lauren" is doing, but rather what "who" is doing. Although those words are referring to the same person (Lauren), they're grammatically dstinct. The correct version of the sentence cuts out the relative pronoun: Leaving work early to start her vacation, Lauren was travelingto Guatemala. This type of error is fairly common, so whenever you seea relative pronoun in the underlined section, make sure to check whether the sentence is actually a fragment. Run-ons Although less common, you may also see relative pronouns used to disguise a run-on, either by adding a relative clause to two complete thoughtsor by starting an independent clause with "that" + a noun to make it look like a relative clause. Shawnwent to the library, which is downtown,itdidn't have the book he wanted. Shawn went to the library, that branch didn't have the book he wanted. To spot these errors, watch for long sentences that include a relative clause and "that" or "this" immediately after a comma. Also keep in mind that in some cases you will need to fix arun-ons by adding a relative pronoun. Incorrect: The flock of seagulls made loud cawing noises, they wereannoying. Correct: The flock of seagulls made loud cawing noises, whichwereannoying. Real SAT Writing Practice Question Let's take a look at an example of this type of question from an official SAT. The underlined portion of the sentence includes arelative pronoun, "that," so we need to start by checking whether the pronoun has a clear antecedent and whether the sentence is a fragment. "That" refers to "medical insurance coverage," so there's no unclear antecedent issue. However, the sentence is a fragment, since it consists only of a noun "medical insurance coverage," and two relative clauses connected by a connected by a conjunction, "that requires high monthly premiums" and "that is beyond the financial means of many people." As such, we can rule out choice A. B is also a fragment. "It is beyond the financial means of many people" is an independent clause, but "medical insurance coverage that requires high monthly premiums" isn't. Since they're connected by the coordinating conjunction "and" both halves of the sentence would need to be independent clauses for it to be correct. C and D both include subject-verb agreement errors: the subject "medical insurance coverage" is a singular noun whilethe main verb "are" is plural. This process leaves only E, if we plug this choice into the sentence we can see that it corrects the run-on without creating any other issues: Medical insurance coverage that requires high monthly premiums is beyond the financial means of many people. There's now both a subject, "medical insurance coverage," and a correctly conjugated main verb, "is." The relative clause "that requires high monthly premiums" appropriately modifies the subject. E is the correct answer. Image credit: Alan Levine, via Flickr, under CC BY 2.0 SAT Writing Strategies for Relative Pronouns Now that we've covered the main ways that relative pronouns will appear on the SAT Writing section, let's review the key strategies for both Identifying Sentence Errors and Improving Sentences. What to watch for: On Identifying Sentence Errors, underlined relative pronouns On Improving Sentences, a relative clause that's underlined and "that" or "which" underlined Key concepts: Relative pronouns introduce dependent clauses. "Which" can’t refer to people. Preposition + "which" is a perfectly acceptable construction. "Where" can only be used to refer to places. "That" and "which" require nounantecedents. A noun with only a relative clause is a fragment. Helpful SAT Writing strategies: You won’t be tested on "who" vs. "whom," so focus on determining whether the pronoun is correctly referring to a person. "Do that" is generally wrong and should be replaced with "do so." Remember that even ifa sentence isn't phrased the way you would say it, it can still be correct. When dealing with run-ons, you can often fix them by replacing a subject pronoun (like "he" or "they") with a relative pronoun. Test Your Knowledge! I've created some realistic SAT Writing practice questions for you to practice your new knowledge of relative pronouns. Post any questions in the comments! 1. Though (A) the doctor was hopeful she (B) could help her patient, which (C) was gravely wounded, there was a chance the man’s leg would have to be amputated. No error. (E) 2.I wanted to(A) visit my grandmother last month, but because of(B) the hurricane, it was(C) impossible to do that (D).No error. (E) 3. Because the city is running low on funds, which means the mayor will be forced to take a pay cut. A.funds, which means B.funds, thatmeans C.funds, D.funds,and E.funds; this means 4. My lab partner is chronically late, which is very annoyingfor me. A. late,which is very annoyingfor me. B.late;this habit annoysme. C.late,whichannoys me. D. late,thatis very annoyingfor me. E. late,which I am annoyed by. Answers: 1. C, 2. D, 3. C, 4. B What's Next? Make sure to check out our posts on the other key pronoun topics: pronoun agreement and pronoun case. It's vital to understand overall test strategies as well as specific grammar rules, so consider taking a look at our posts on the secret to SAT writingand the 11 strategies you must use to get a perfect scoreon the SAT Writing. If you're not taking the SAT until next year, make sure you know what to expect from the new version of the test. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Writing and grammar lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Never Give Up - Difficulties Raise Will Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Never Give Up - Difficulties Raise Will - Essay Example My father is a role model in my village. His story is legendary and has inspired the people of my village to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles. I am fortunate to have him as my father and friend and to receive his love and guidance that I am sure will continue to help me in times of distress throughout my life. My father was born into a poor family. His father died when he was just 8 years old leaving him to take care of his mother and sister. Circumstances forced him to work at a tender age to make both ends meet. He told me how he had to beg to feed his family in a severe famine that lasted months. He worked as a laborer and farmer while attending evening school. With little education to speak of, he joined the air force and from the lowest level, he rose through the ranks to become a captain.   After serving the force for 23 years, when he retired at Forty, he had completed not one but two bachelor degrees, one in law and the other in management. Then he joined the local court where he became a successful lawyer and eventually was appointed the president of the court. I was an average student in junior school and, perhaps in the hope of improving my studies, my father enrolled me in the best high school in town. Then something happened that would change my life forever. I had just given my first exam and was waiting for the results. Then, my teacher called me to her chamber and announced that I had failed because of cheating in the exam. I understood that somebody had wrongly reported my name to her. Within minutes the news spread through the whole school like wildfire. Everyone was looking at me, some laughing and pointing, some sympathetic and sad. I felt humiliated and was afraid of facing my father. I was sure that he would beat me to death for bringing disrepute to him and the family name.      By the time I reached home, father had got the news. But, completely different from what I expected, he asked me calmly â€Å"Did you cheat in the test?† I shook my head and he just came over and hugged me. â€Å"Then there is nothing to worry about†, he said adding â€Å"this is the opportunity that God has given you, you got to show them all your true mettle, you have to surprise them with your determination. Go for it, my boy†.   I instantly got the message and was transformed.

Response Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Response - Case Study Example The same applies to meaning of literal in which an oversimplified meaning as well as one that considers conditions exist. For the oversimplified meaning, literal implies direct, factual, or reasoned meaning while non-literal implies that which is metaphorical, exaggerated, or inferred. Understanding literal from the non-oversimplified approach however identifies four different meanings whose application cause confusion. The meanings can be conventional, based on subject matter, based on metaphor implications, or based on truthfulness. An assumption however exist that the four meanings converge but this is the source of the problem. Only one of the meanings, for example, third meaning, associates with metaphor and use of literal in this relation should either be specified or avoided. The problem in using the word literal is common, even among professionals, but distinguishing the conditional definitions can help (Lakoff 291- 296). The article is significant to understanding of the creation story, based on Genesis 1. According to the article, the story can be understood from the oversimplified perspective of absolute truth or from conditional perspectives that could depend on a person’s condition such as religious affiliation or scientific knowledge. Alignment of the oversimplified understanding of meaning with one of the available conditional meanings also relates to the Genesis story that is consistent with some religions such as Christianity. This means that according to Lakoff’s perspective, unless a person subscribes to such faiths that hold Genesis’ creation belief, the belief should be either qualified or disregarded. The article also offers a base for resolving conflicts between people who hold different meanings on a subject matter because it crates awareness of sources of differences. This facilitates development of