Ardet Roma Essays - Julio-Claudian Dynasty, Nero, Claudius

Ardet Roma Essays - Julio-Claudian Dynasty, Nero, Claudius Ardet Roma. 2.3 Internal. 12LSO The Great fire of Rome was a devastating fire that began on the night, between the 18th and 19th of July in 64 AD. The fire lasted for 6 days and died down but reignited again for 3 days. This event is significant to the classical world, as 3 districts were entirely destroyed, 7 suffered serious damage and only 4 districts survived, only after 10 years since Nero became Emperor of Rome. At least two thirds of the city was ruined. Following the fire, a rebuilding programme was led by Nero, such as the building of the Domus Aurea. This was completed but did not get much attention from the Romans. This allows us to have a better understanding of Roman life and the society. It is still unknown today, of what truly caused the fire and who caused it. Many various ideas from classical and modern historians are suggested. However, many questions about this event vary and do not have a certain answer. Nero was the great grandson of Caesar Augustus. When he was a child, he and his mother, Agrippina, were exiled by Emperor Gaius Caligula, to the Pontian Islands. However, Agrippinas uncle, Claudius, became emperor on January 24th, 41 AD. Then Nero and his mother, Agrippina's banishment was lifted. Agrippina then convinced Claudius to marry her and make Nero his next successor. In 54 A.D., Claudius was murdered; he was reported that he was murdered by Agrippina, who secretly gave him poisonous mushrooms. As a result, Nero became the next emperor of Rome at a young of age 16 years. However, in 59 AD, Agrippina was murdered. How she died is not clear. However, Tacitus claimed that Nero had murdered her by sending 3 men to assassinate her. Suetonius claimed that Nero had her executed after she survived the shipwreck and disguised her death as "suicide". However, Cassius Dio said that Agrippina had swum to shore after the bottom of the ship opened up. Nero sent an assassin to her and when the assassin was about to strike at her, she uttered last words "smite my womb!" Agrippina wanted to be stabbed in the womb, where she gave birth to Nero. At her funeral, Nero was claimed to be feeling "scared and witted". Over here many Roman senators and various people congratulated Nero, saying that he has been freed from his mother's plots of killing him. Nero is notoriously known for his strange acts. Rumors said that he used to roam the streets after dark, visit taverns, mugging people, attacking women and stealing from stalls and shops. Nero was accused for abusing married women and freeborn boys. Nero, when he first became Emperor, turned his attention to focus on diplomacy, trade and elevating the cultural life of the empire. Nero ordered theaters to be built and encouraged athletic games. During Neros reign, the formidable general Corbulo directed a successful war and negotiated peace with the Parthian Empire. His general Suetonius Paulinus crushed a revolution in Britain . Nero took possession of the Bosporan Kingdom to the Empire and began the First RomanJewish War. On 19TH July, 64 AD, a huge fire was lit in Rome. There are many various views from both historical and modern historians towards the cause of the Great Fire of Rome. Some believe that it was arson, ordered by Nero to clear room for his palace, as he took much of the burnt city to build a Domus Aurea (Golden palace) for himself. Tacitus, an ancient Roman historian, claims in the Tacitus Annals that Nero purposely set the city alight, to clear space for his Domus Aurea. Tacitus believed Nero blamed and persecuted the Christians for the beginning of the fire, in order to avoid of his arson being revealed. In Tacitus book, Annals, Tacitus stated "Therefore, to stop the rumor [that he had set Rome on fire], he [Emperor Nero] falsely charged with guilt, and punished with the most fearful tortures, the persons commonly called Christians, who were [generally] hated for their enormities In the Tacitus Annals, as a punishment, Tacitus states that the Christians were covered with the skins of beasts...torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses,

The 25 Best Engineering Schools in the US (and How to Get In)

The 25 Best Engineering Schools in the US (and How to Get In) SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Do you dream of building driverless cars or a space elevator? You should check out the best engineering schools in the US! But with so many different engineering schools out there and intense competition for the top programs, how can you figure out where should you apply? To help you decide, we’ve compiled a list of the best engineering schools in the US. We’ll explain a little bit about each school on the list as well as provide rankings within specific subfields of engineering. What Is an Engineering School? Engineering schools are colleges with a majority of majors and courses in applied sciences and mathematics. Rather than providing students with a broad liberal arts experience (of which science and math are just a small part), engineering programs center around taking the scientific and mathematical knowledge we have and applying it to real-world problems. There’s also a difference between schools of engineering (which exclusively focus on engineering fields like mechanical and computer engineering) and larger universities that have strong engineering programs within them (like Cornell University’s College of Engineering). We’ve considered both types of schools in our rankings. How We Ranked the Best Engineering Schools In deciding which schools to include in our rankings, we focused only on the quality of undergraduate engineering programs. We did this by aggregating and comparing rankings from several different sources, including the US News World Reports (weighted 2x the others because of their dominance), Niche (a student satisfaction-heavy ranking), and College Factual. These rankings take into account factors like students’ salaries (both immediately after graduating and projected gains in the future), how popular that degree is at that school, student satisfaction, and how peers in the field view the program (mainly professors from other schools). The Top 25 Engineering Schools in the US And now (drumroll please), our list of the best engineering schools in the US. Note: All acceptance rates listed are for the school as a whole and are meant to give you a general idea of the schools’ selectivity. For more details on admissions for a specific program, you should contact the school directly. Rank School Name (Nickname) Location Admissions Rate 1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Cambridge, MA 7% 2 Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) Atlanta, GA 23% 3 California Institute of Technology (Caltech) Pasadena, CA 8% 4 Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering (Olin) Needham, MA 13% 5 University of Michigan- Ann Arbor (UMich) Ann Arbor, MI 27% 6 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Terre Haute, IN 61% 7 Cornell University Ithaca, NY 13% 8 University of California- Berkeley (UC Berkeley) Berkeley, CA 17% 9 Stanford University Stanford, CA 5% 10 Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA 15% 11 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA 22% 12 University of Illinois- Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL 62% 13 Purdue UniversityWest Lafayette West Lafayette, IN 57% 14 Princeton University Princeton, NJ 6% 15 Harvard University Cambridge, MA 5% 16 US Naval Academy Annapolis, MD 8% 17 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Blacksburg, VA 70% 18 The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) New York, NY 13% 19 Texas AM University- College Station College Station, Texas 70% 20 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD 12% 21 Northwestern University Evanston, IL 9% 22 Columbia University New York, NY 6% 23 Rice University Houston, TX 16% 24 University of TexasAustin Austin, TX 36% 25 California Polytechnic State InstituteSan Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) San Luis Obispo, CA 34% Best Specialized Engineering Programs While all of the schools on our list are highly ranked overall, certain specialties are stronger at certain schools. We’ve chosen the gold, silver, and bronze medalists for five different subfields: Aerospace engineering Chemical engineering Civil engineering Computer engineering Mechanical engineering The rankings here are based on specialty rankings from US News World Report and College Factual, again for undergraduate programs only (not including the quality of masters or doctorate programs at the school). You’ll notice some overlap over different fields (for instance, MIT, Georgia Tech, and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology rank for most of them), but there are still clear differences in which schools are best for which specialty. Best Aerospace Engineering Schools in the US Aerospace engineering is the field you go into if you’re interested in studying flight of any kind (whether that’s aircraft or spacecraft). The best aerospace engineering programs can be found in the following four schools: Gold medal: MIT and Georgia Tech (tie) Silver medal: UMich Bronze medal: Cal Poly Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the US Chemical engineering is at the intersection of chemistry, biology, math, and even some physics. The following three programs all do an outstanding job at turning out graduates skilled in chemical engineering. Gold medal: MIT Silver medal: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Bronze medal: Georgia Tech Best Civil Engineering Schools in the US Students in civil engineering programs learn about designing, building, and maintaining physical structures like bridges, buildings, and roads. The following three schools have leading programs in civil engineering for undergraduates. Gold medal: Georgia Tech Silver medal: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Bronze medal: MIT Best Computer Engineering Schools in the US Computer engineering programs focus on teaching students computer science and electrical engineering. The three schools we’ve listed below have the best undergraduate computer engineering programs in the US (if you're looking for top information technology programs, check out this article instead). Gold medal: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Silver medal: UMich Bronze medal: Princeton Bonus: Want a preview of what sorts of tools you'll be using as a computer engineer? Read our article on the JavaScript TypeOf function here. Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the US Mechanical engineering programs teach students the theory and practicalities behind machine design, construction, and use. Of all the top engineering schools, the following four are known for their strong mechanical engineering programs. Gold medal: MIT Silver medal: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Georgia Tech (tie) Bronze medal: Caltech 3 Top Tips for Applying to Engineering Schools Now that you know what the best engineering schools in the US are, the next step is to make sure your high school transcript and application show that you’re a strong engineering candidate. We’ll go over three useful tips for planning your standardized testing, coursework, and extracurriculars to have the best chance of getting into top engineering schools. #1: Ace SAT/ACT Math If you want to get into a top engineering school, you need to get a perfect or near-perfect score on SAT or ACT Math. Getting an 800 or a 36 is best, especially for schools like MIT where only 25% of students got below a 780 or a 34 on the SAT or ACT Math sections. For engineering schools in general, it’s way better to get 800 on SAT Math and 550 on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (for a total SAT score of 1350) than it would be to get a 700 on Math and 700 on EBRW (total of 1400). Extremely high math scores (and mediocre reading/writing scores) are always, always preferred over medium-high math scores and medium-high reading/writing scores. At a minimum, you’ll need to get at least a 700 on SAT Math or a 30 on ACT Math to have a chance of getting into a good engineering school. If you take any SAT Subject Tests, it’s important to take and get a perfect 800 on a SAT Math Subject Test (preferably Math 2) to show you’re strong in Math beyond what’s covered on the SAT or ACT. Getting a perfect or high score on SAT II Physics or any other science Subject Test as well isn’t required, but it also will help your application. #2: Take Lots of Science and Math If you want to get into top engineering schools, it's less important to be well rounded than to show that you have a solid foundation in math. Showing that you’re strong in science, too, is a nice bonus, particularly if your strength is in a field closely related to the type of engineering you’re interested in (e.g. bio or chem for chemical engineering). Demonstrate your strengths to colleges by taking (and excelling) in advanced math and science classes. This means taking honors-level, AP, or IB courses and putting as much effort as you can into getting top grades in them, even if it means you end up with relatively lower grades in other subjects. #3: Excel in Math and Science Extracurriculars As PrepScholar co-founder Allen Cheng discusses in his guide to getting into Harvard and the Ivy League, the key to getting accepted to the most selective institutions is to build up a â€Å"spike† in a certain area. For engineering schools, this area is (you guessed it) math and/or science. Taking part and scoring highly on Math or Science Olympiads and participating in competitions like Intel or Siemens Westinghouse are crucial to building your engineering extracurricular creds. PrepScholar co-founder Fred Zhang particularly recommends going to the RSI science and math camp and scoring highly on the AIME to boost your chances of acceptance to top engineering schools in the US. What’s Next? Where can you get the most money to study engineering? Find out with our compilation of the best engineering scholarships. Not sure if engineering is the right subject for you? We go into what some of the other highest-paying college majors are in this article. Liked this list of schools? Check out some of our other best-of-specialty-school lists, including the best film schools, best video game design schools, best journalism schools, and best creative writing schools. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Strategic problems facing HRM operating in multi-national companies Essay

Strategic problems facing HRM operating in multi-national companies - Essay Example This paper will talk about the possible strategic problems faced HR managers while working in multinational organizations. The three key problems discussed here are ‘Compensation and Reward Systems’, ‘Training and Development’, and ‘Job Expectations and Motivation Policies’. The symptoms are that HR departments are getting ready to take full advantage of their capital as well as staff when businesses need to progress. One of the most frequently talked about criticisms regarding HR is that several experts do not have the progressive thinking and strategic counseling focus considered necessary to be an successful business partner (Ulrich, 2013, p. 22). They do not use the time to know the business they sustain as well as concentrate additional on transactional HR activities that do not have the influence the business needs. HR managers have to be trusted consultants to the organizations as well as to the leaders they work with. They have to be effectual coaches and are responsive to their vital part as to successfully review workforce abilities and facilitate scheduling for potential requirements (Becker & Huselid, 2006, p. 899). HR should concentrate on turning into a trusted mentor to their business with the aim of give power to managers to drive better organizational performance. Human resources departments are in front of major problems as their responsibilities turn out to be broader as well as more strategic in the recent times. HR is â€Å"more than a basic function† (Dowling et al, 2008, p. 32) that includes appointment, development and retention of workforce. It is a main factor in developing a workforce that focuses on the objectives of the business. With bigger significance comes bigger hindrances - according to a study by Shipton et al (2006), the major problems faced by HRM are compensation and reward systems; training and

Retention of Heritage Language as a Means of Encouraging Bilingual Essay

Retention of Heritage Language as a Means of Encouraging Bilingual Education Among Immigrants - Essay Example In this study, we examine the place of heritage language among immigrants and how this can form an important aspect of â€Å"America’s push to becoming a fully integrative and bilingual nation† (Chiswick and Miller 119). It should not be taken to mean that all in the American society share in the view that bilingual is a positive thing. In any case, the debate appears to be a divisive matter among scholars, policymakers and politicians. This study seeks to delve into the overall debate and demonstrate why heritage language is an opportune way of achieving this goal. Close reference will be given to the Hispanics; Hispanics are the fastest growing group of immigrants in United States. Bilingualism is a reality in modern day world. Firstly, the world’s projected 5000 languages are used in the globe’s 200 countries, representing an average of 25 languages for every state; â€Å"this means that interactions between citizens of numerous world countries clearly require extensive bilingualism† (Bhatia and Ritchie 1). At the moment, the processes of globalization are now in progress these developments heighten the extent and character of multilingualism, as citizens across the globe build awareness on the merits of adding a world language to their verbal repertoires (Bhatia and Ritchie 1). One must consider that, far from being exceptional, as most people believe, bilingualism and in extension multilingualism is at present the tenet all over the world and will turn out to be progressively more so in the future. Bilingualism is the ability to communicate in two languages. There is a difference between individuals and social bilingualism as well... This paper approves that parents and siblings are typically important in a student’s multi-literacy development. They often provide a literacy ‘eco-system’ where there is mutual support, adaptability, and linguistic survival and spread. Different languages may mean differing roles. This report makes a conclusion that heritage language degeneration is widespread in modern society, especially in U.S. where policies, social, economic as well as political activities are conducted in English. Most immigrants feel alienated mainly due to their insufficiency in the English language. Thus their first step is to learn English and sideline their heritage language albeit to gain acceptance from their native counterparts. This translates to a slow but sure death of the heritage language. This loss is not only a blow to efforts aimed at developing bilingualism but it also affects the culture and identity of the immigrants. Sooner or later, they feel misplaced and isolated as they lack a particular community, or society they can completely associate with. As gathered from this text, these are misplaced fears, as proved, retaining the heritage language does not in any way affect one’s capacity to understand a second language in any case it enhances one’s linguis tic capacity. In this case, there is no need to do away with the heritage language as a prerequisite in understanding English. This fact underlines the main point of this study that immigrants need to foster their heritage language even as they cultivate their understanding of the second language.

Working Capital Simulation Essay Example for Free

Working Capital Simulation Essay SELECTION CRITERIA: In selecting what option to select the team came up with the following criteria: 1.) Selected option should lead to a reduction in working capital requirement and reduce short term debt in the process. 2.) Selected option should reduce the Cash Conversion Cycle. 3.) Selected option should free up locked capital in receivables and inventories. 4.) Selected option should lead to a zero working capital policy in the long run. SELECTED OPTIONS: We decided to tighten accounts receivable and drop poorly selling products because they yielded a percentage decrease in working capital requirement larger than their percentage drop in sales. Also these 2 options fit all the selection criteria we stated above. FINANCIAL RESULTS AND LEARNINGS: The options we chose led to a 44% drop in working capital requirement, drop from 159 days to 128 days in the cash conversion cycle and a 87% drop in debt. Overall we met our expectations of reducing working capital requirement and freeing up additional capital. EBIT has dropped immediately but by 2015 net income was higher by $8,000 despite the drop in $255,000 drop in EBIT in 2013. This surprised the team as we did not expect that in the long run by improving the working capital requirements of the company we reduced costs and increase net income resulting to a total created value of $691,000 for the firm. Despite the immediate decrease in sales in 2013, the overall financial position of the company is better in the long run, and moreover we have a remaining credit limit of approximately $2.8 million which is almost equal to the initial amount of credit borrowed in 2012. PHASE 2: SELECTION CRITERIA: From the learning’s and outcome of phase 1 the following selection criteria was used: 1.) Selected option should yield a percentage increase in sales  with a small percentage increase in working capital requirement. 2.) Selected option should not contribute to a significant degree in debt. SELECTED OPTIONS: Based on our analysis we felt that options 1 and 2 fit the criteria we set for selection best. Combined they show a significant increase in EBIT with a lower increase in WCR. Although we foresee a significant increase in WCR we feel that the credit line we have and the amount of capital we freed from phase would be sufficient to reduce the impact of the additional WCR. FINANCIAL RESULTS AND LEARNINGS: Our choices led to a constant increase in net income over the three years. Short term debt increase by approximately 100% percent but steadily reduced over the next three years. We were happy with the positive growth of the company and the fact that we were able to pay off most of the initial short term funding required by the increase in working capital requirement. Overall the current situation of the company in 2018 is good, although the total value created is less than 20% of that created in phase 1. From this we learned that the value of the firm can be significantly increased more through a reduction in working capital requirement than through increasing the firm’s sales and net income. PHASE 3: SELECTION CRITERIA: For this phase we decided to continue with the selection criteria from phase 1, and continue to try to increase sales with the minimum working capital requirement. We also decided to minimize risk and not go with options that have, however small, a chance of creating net losses for the company. SELECTION OPTIONS: Based on our analysis we felt that renegotiation of supplier credit terms would have a significant reduction to costs, given that most of the other suppliers would also agree to the new terms. Even though the company would need additional working capital we felt that the benefits outweigh the additional funding needed. And given the current credit line utilization and  increased profitability of the company we thought that this was a sound option to take. We also took the global expansion strategy because from a strategic management point of view it seemed like the next step to take in order to increase the company’s profitability in the long run. We again felt that we have sufficient credit and capital to venture into this expansion. FINANCIAL RESULTS AND LEARNINGS: There was a significant increase in net income but marginal increases in the succeeding 3 years. The most significant impact was in the short term debt wherein projected short term debt in 2021 would be zero, which made us very happy. This means that the company is nearing our goal of having a zero working capital requirement. This zero short term debt would also mean increased profits, and would improve our outstanding relation with the bank. Our final firm value is $4,259,000 which is significantly higher than it was in 2012. Overall we felt that we made the right decisions and our selection criteria were spot on. Value is not only generated in sales, but also in working capital requirement. And through this exercise we also confirmed that firms with efficient working capital requirement would be the most competitive in the market.

Literature :: essays research papers

ilton, John (1608-1674), English poet, whose rich, dense verse was a powerful influence on succeeding English poets, and whose prose was devoted to the defense of civil and religious liberty. Milton is often considered the greatest English poet after Shakespeare. Milton was born in London on December 9, 1608, and educated at Saint Paul's School and Christ's College, University of Cambridge. He intended to become a clergyman in the Church of England, but growing dissatisfaction with the state of the Anglican clergy together with his own developing poetic interests led him to abandon this purpose. From 1632 to 1638 he lived in his father's country home in Horton, Buckinghamshire, preparing himself for his poetic career by entering upon an ambitious program of reading the Latin and Greek classics and ecclesiastical and political history. From 1638 to 1639 he toured France and Italy, where he met the leading literary figures of the day. On his return to England, he settled in London and began writing a series of social, religious, and political tracts. In 1642 he married Mary Powell, who left him after a few weeks because of the incompatibility of their temperaments, but was reconciled to him in 1645; she gave birth to three daughters and a son before her death in 1652. In his writings, Milton supported the parliamentary cause in the civil war between Parliamentarians and Royalists, and in 1649 he was appointed foreign secretary by the government of the Commonwealth. He became totally blind about 1652 and thereafter carried on his literary work helped by an assistant; with the aid also of the poet Andrew Marvell, he fulfilled his government duties until the restoration of

Diabetes Mellitus (DM)

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic disorder of impaired carbohydrate, protein, and lipid metabolism that is caused by a deficiency of insulin. A deficiency of insulin results in hyperglycemia. Type 1 DM is nearly absolute deficiency of insulin; if insulin is not given, fats are metabolized, resulting in ketoanemia. Type 2 DM is a relative lack of insulin or resistance to the action of insulin; usually insulin is insufficient to stabilize fat and protein metabolism but not deal with carbohydrate metabolism. (Silvestri, 2006, p. 638)There are a lot of people who are diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus. Contributing factors to the development of diabetes are hereditary, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, high fat low fiber diets, hypertension and aging. There is no cure for this disease but continuous studies and research have offered effective medical management therefore giving patients options as to which treatment are they willing and capable to maintain. Physicians may advise patients to follow changes in their diet. Incorporate diet into individual client needs, lifestyle, and cultural and socioeconomic patterns.Exercise will also be included in the dietary adjustments. Physicians may prescribe oral medications and insulin according to patients needs. Clients should always monitor their blood glucose levels before meals, and before, during, and after exercise. This will give client awareness as to how they will deal with their insulin requirements. Insulin therapy should be carefully followed up and referred to a Diabetician. Clients, who can religiously follow administration of medications, maintain proper diet and exercise may lessen the complications of the disease or the treatment itself.Health is a priority so it is important to set appointments for annual physical exam. In this way we are aware of our medical status and we can prevent illnesses, if there is, from being grave. If in case diagnosed with DM or any disease, regular checkups must be done. And most importantly, one should be well educated regarding the disease and its treatment to avoid any risks that would threaten life. Silvestri L. A. (2006). Saunders Comprehensive Review for the NCLEX-RN Examination. Philippines: Elsevier, Inc.

George Stubbs

George Stubbs was born in Liverpool on August 25, 1724. He worked for his dad until 16 when his dad passed away. Then he was briefly apprenticed to a painter and a engraver, which is where he began learning about art. Since then, as an artist he was self-taught. In the 1740s he worked as a portrait painter in the North of England. Ever since he was a child he also had an interest in anatomy. He studied human anatomy for six years at York County Hospital. All of these things mentioned helped George Stubbs build up to his highest potential. Later in the 1750s he rented a farmhouse and stayed there for 18 months. There he spent time dissecting horses to learn all about their bodies. In 1766 he published, The anatomy of the Horse. The original drawings are now in the collection of the Royal Academy. Even before the printing of his book, patrons recognized that his work was better than earlier horse painters. In 1759 the 3rd Duke of Richmond commissioned three large pictures from him, and his career was now secure. He had soon produced art for many more dukes and lords and was able to buy a house in Marylebone, a fancy part of London. His most famous work is the Whistlejacket, a painting of a prancing horse. In the 760s he made a large range of single and group portraits of horses, sometimes with hounds. He often painted horses with their grooms. He also continued to accept commissions for portraits and group portraits of people. George Stubbs also painted more exotic animals, including lions, tigers, giraffes, monkeys, and rhinoceroses. The last painting George Stubbs was working on was a comp arative piece of art. It had the structure of the human body with a tiger, and a common bird. George Stubbs never finished this project. He died on July 10th 1806 in London. Overall, George Stubbs was a great artist and he set the basis for painting animals.

Finding Your Writer’s Voice Expert Advice for Developing Your Style - Freewrite Store

Finding Your Writer’s Voice Expert Advice for Developing Your Style - Freewrite Store Whether you write blogs and articles or your focus is on fiction, you need to find your voice. Every writer has a unique voice or style - but sometimes it can take a while for you to actually find your own voice. Especially when you’re first starting out as a writer, you may find that you’re trying to imitate another writer’s voice, and that means your unique voice is hidden. Here’s the thing: you don’t need your writing to sound like another writer’s. In fact, imitating other writers’ style will not help your writing to get noticed. Your readers want something different, not another clone of a popular writer or author. They want to hear your voice - your unique, authentic voice. What Is a Writer’s Voice, and is it the Same as Your Style? Before we dive into the meat of this article, I want to take a moment to define what exactly I mean when I talk about your voice as a writer and how that relates to your overall style of writing. Some people argue that voice and style are two completely different things, but there are so many overlaps it’s impossible to separate them. Your voice as a writer comprises: Your personality Your tone Your choice of words Your use of punctuation Your attitude Your personal preferences or personal style Your approach to sentence structure Your attitude towards strictly following grammatical ‘rules’ Your use of formal or informal language Your use of language when you speak You can see from this list how your true writer’s voice will be unique to you because it’s affected by your personality and your unique way of using language. When it comes to style, there may be some variations in your voice, depending on the audience that you’re writing for. Ultimately, whether you’re writing for an academic publication, a magazine or publishing a blog, your voice should still shine through in your adaptation of a particular style. Your voice will also mean you favor particular styles of writing, too, so there’s no way of completely separating the topics of voice and style. But why do so many writers struggle to use their own writer’s voice? There’s actually a superb explanation. Beating Imposter Syndrome Those self-doubts that you experience every time you sit down to write, and that feeling that your writing can’t compete with all the ‘great’ writers out there, is often referred to as ‘imposter syndrome’. Although you love to write, you’re never satisfied with the results, and you’re constantly waiting for your readers to discover that you’re ‘not really a writer’. Imposter syndrome is a huge barrier to using your own unique voice. While there’s no magic way of getting rid of imposter syndrome, when you focus on developing your own voice instead of copying someone else’s style, you will gradually see the value of using your unique style. Techniques for Unleashing Your Writer’s Voice So, how can you explore your own writer’s voice when you’re so used to imitating your favorite writers? I’ve spent a lot of time researching this topic (since I really struggled with imposter syndrome when I first got started) and have pulled together some of the best advice and exercises that will help you discover your unique writing style. 1. Set Your Voice Free When I first started writing fiction, blogs and articles, I found that I was focusing far too much on ‘doing it right’. I could spend days writing and rewriting an opening sentence or paragraph because I was worried about breaking the ‘rules’. I blame the education system for enslaving me to a long list of grammatical rules that must not ever be broken. I was also too focused on finding stylistic guidelines to religiously follow, even though I hated those self-imposed regulations. The ridiculous part was that I knew that a lot of writers regularly broke both grammatical and stylistic rules, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that in my writing. I was trapped and I didn’t know how to get free. Then I discovered freewriting when I took a creative writing course as part of my college degree. We were instructed to spend at least 15 minutes every day freewriting, and I found it so liberating. So, what exactly is freewriting? Freewriting sets your voice free because you’re deliberately breaking the rules that hold your voice back. It gives you the opportunity to explore your creativity, to express yourself without restriction and stop worrying about ‘what people will think’. Because you’re freewriting just for yourself, there’s some psychological stuff going on that breaks the chains that have prevented your unique voice from truly emerging. 2. Write Even When You Don’t Have to Write If writing is your career, it’s easy to get into the trap of only writing when you have a project to complete (i.e. you only write when you’re getting paid to write). That’s not good for your writer’s voice, because you’re losing that sense of writing for pleasure and your writing can become more formulaic. Malcolm Gladwell, who wrote Outliers: The Story of Success,reckons that it takes 10,000 hours to perfect your craft - and while that figure may be an exaggeration (and has been disputed), I think it’s important to bear it in mind. You will not find your unique voice if you don’t get lots of practice - and that means you need to write for pleasure as well as for profit. Setting yourself (achievable) writing practice goals - for example, to write (for pleasure) for at least 30 minutes every day - can give you the space you need to explore your writer’s voice. When you have a regular writing habit that’s not hampered by guidelines set by other people, it’s easier to get into the flow that will reveal your own unique voice. At the end of each week, set aside some time to read back what you’ve been writing and you should be able to see patterns in your language and how your personality shines through your writing. That’s your writer’s voice, and the more you practice using it, the more comfortable you’ll become with sharing it with the world. 3. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone If you’re the kind of writer that sticks to one kind of writing (for example, you only write blogs, or you only write poetry, or you only write fantasy fiction), then getting out of your writing comfort zone can really help you discover more about your writer’s voice. When you write in a genre or format you’re not used to or don’t read a lot of, you don’t have the same preconceptions about what your writing ‘should’ sound like. That means that when you start writing, your voice is more likely to emerge easier since you’re not trying to make your writing ‘conform’ in some way. Here are some examples of types of writing that may be out of your writing comfort zone and can help you explore the way your writer’s voice emerges when it’s totally free: Creative nonfiction Journalistic-style writing A completely different genre of fiction to what you’re used to reading or writing. Genres include: Historical fiction Romantic fiction Children’s fiction Young adult fiction Science fiction Fantasy Crime Thriller Literary fiction A piece of persuasive writing A political speech Poetry A short play/film script Biographical writing 4. Take A Journey of Self-Discovery A crucial part of exploring your writer’s voice is knowing yourself and understanding how you view and relate to the world around you. If you’re struggling with your writer’s voice, maybe you need to spend some time on a journey of self-discovery. It’s really easy to be swayed by other people’s opinions and views - to the point that you can easily internalize someone else’s way of thinking and being. Because those views and thinking patterns can actually be at odds with your natural (unique) ways of thinking and being, there can be internal conflicts that may affect your writer’s voice. To reconnect with your way of thinking and being, you need to do some deep work in getting to grips with your own opinions, way of seeing the world, and your passions. At the root of self-discovery is paying attention to what makes you happy, what inspires you, what brightens your day, what makes you angry, what causes you’re passionate about. All of these things will impact on your unique writing voice, and so the more you explore them, the more you’ll be able to unleash your writer’s voice. Getting comfortable with you empowers you to take more risks in your writing and your writing voice will thank you for the investment you put into self-discovery. Journaling is an excellent means of self-discovery, and it’s good practice to get into a habit of regular self-discovery journaling sessions. There are guided journals available to buy from places like Amazon if you feel you need help in getting started with journaling. Or you could use these questions as prompts for your self-discovery sessions: My greatest strength is†¦ I can’t stand it when other people†¦ If I had a theme song it would be†¦ When I think about the future, the thing I fear the most is†¦ When faced with a challenge, I†¦ If I encountered a road that had three forks and one path led to a mountain, one led to a forest and the third led to an ocean, I would choose†¦ (explain why) The things I am most passionate about are†¦ The charitable cause I’m most passionate about is†¦ Injustice in the world makes me†¦ If I had an unlimited budget I would... Discover Your Writer’s Voice and Set Yourself Free Discovering and developing your writer’s voice is an adventure that can have a massive impact on the power of your writing. When you’re embarking on the adventure, though, remember that your voice continues to develop as you write. As you mature, for example, you may notice subtle changes to your writer’s voice and even the types of writing you enjoy the most. The goal in discovering and developing your writer’s voice is to get out of the imitation trap and learn to love your own unique voice instead of feeling you need to copy another writer you admire. When you invest in developing your writer’s voice, you’ll gain confidence and your writing will become much more impactful. Every writer has, at some time or other, struggled with their writer’s voice, even bestselling authors like Stephen King. Persevere with your journey of discovery and you’ll get to the point that Stephen King has reached - where your readers can recognize your voice without seeing your name.

General Omar Bradley in World War II

General Omar Bradley in World War II General of the Army Omar N. Bradley was a key American commander during World War II and later served as the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Graduating from West Point in 1915, he served stateside during World War I before advancing through the ranks during the interwar years. With the beginning of World War II, Bradley trained two divisions before serving under Lieutenant General George S. Patton in North Africa and Sicily. Known for his understated nature, he earned the nickname the G.I. General and later commanded the First U.S. Army and 12th Army Group in Northwest Europe. Bradley played a central role during the Battle of the Bulge and directed American forces as they drove into Germany. Early Life Born at Clark, MO on February 12, 1893, Omar Nelson Bradley was the son of schoolteacher John Smith Bradley and his wife Sarah Elizabeth Bradley. Though from a poor family, Bradley received a quality education at Higbee Elementary School and Moberly High School. After graduation, he began working for the Wabash Railroad to earn money to attend the University of Missouri. During this time, he was advised by his Sunday school teacher to apply to West Point. Sitting the entry exams at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, Bradley placed second but secured the appointment when the first place finisher was unable to accept it. West Point Entering the academy in 1911, he quickly took to the academys disciplined lifestyle and soon proved gifted at athletics, baseball in particular. This love of sports interfered with his academics, however he still managed to graduate 44th in a class of 164. A member of the Class of 1915, Bradley was classmates with Dwight D. Eisenhower. Dubbed the class the stars fell on, 59 of the class members ultimately became generals. World War I Commissioned as a second lieutenant, he was posted to the 14th Infantry and saw service along the US-Mexico border. Here his unit supported Brigadier General John J. Pershings Punitive Expedition which entered Mexico to subdue Pancho Villa. Promoted to first lieutenant in October 1916, he married Mary Elizabeth Quayle two months later. With the US entry into World War I in April 1917, the 14th Infantry, then at Yuma, AZ, was moved to the Pacific Northwest. Now a captain, Bradley was tasked with policing copper mines in Montana. Desperate to be assigned to a combat unit heading to France, Bradley requested a transfer several times but to no avail. Made a major in August 1918, Bradley was excited to learn that the 14th Infantry was being deployed to Europe. Organizing at Des Moines, IA, as part of the 19th Infantry Division, the regiment remained in the United States as a result of the armistice and influenza epidemic. With the U.S. Armys postwar demobilization, the 19th Infantry Division was stood down at Camp Dodge, IA in February 1919. Following this, Bradley was detailed to South Dakota State University to teach military science and reverted to the peacetime rank of captain. Fast Facts: General Omar N. Bradley Rank: General of the ArmyService: U.S. ArmyBorn: February, 12, 1893 in Clark, MODied: April 8, 1981 in New York, NYParents: John Smith Bradley and Sarah Elizabeth BradleySpouse: Mary Elizabeth Quayle, Esther BuhlerConflicts: World War II, Korean WarKnown For: D-Day (Operation Overlord), Operation Cobra, Battle of the Bulge Interwar Years In 1920, Bradley was posted to West Point for a four-year tour as a mathematics instructor. Serving under then-Superintendent Douglas MacArthur, Bradley devoted his free time to studying military history, with a special interest in the campaigns of William T. Sherman. Impressed with Shermans campaigns of movement, Bradley concluded that many of the officers who had fought in France had been misled by the experience of static warfare. As a result, Bradley believed that Shermans Civil War campaigns were more relevant to future warfare than those of World War I. Promoted to major while at West Point, Bradley was sent to the Infantry School at Fort Benning in 1924. As the curriculum stressed open warfare, he was able to apply his theories and developed a mastery of tactics, terrain, and fire and movement. Utilizing his prior research, he graduated second in his class and in front of many officers who had served in France. After a brief tour with the 27th Infantry in Hawaii, where he befriended George S. Patton, Bradley was selected to attend the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, KS in 1928. Graduating the following year, he believed the course to be dated and uninspired. Departing Leavenworth, Bradley was assigned to the Infantry School as an instructor and served under future-General George C. Marshall. While there, Bradley was impressed by Marshall who favored giving his men an assignment and letting them accomplish it with minimal interference. In describing Bradley, Marshall commented that he was quiet, unassuming, capable, with sound common sense. Absolute dependability. Give him a job and forget it. Deeply influenced by Marshalls methods, Bradley adopted them for his own use in the field. After attending the Army War College, Bradley returned to West Point as an instructor in the Tactical Department. Among his pupils were the future leaders of the US Army such as William C. Westmoreland and Creighton W. Abrams World War II Begins Promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1936, Bradley was brought to Washington two years later for duty with the War Department. Working for Marshall, who was made Army Chief of Staff in 1939, Bradley served as  assistant secretary of the General Staff. In this role, he worked to identify problems and developed solutions for Marshalls approval. In February 1941, he was promoted directly to the temporary rank of brigadier general.  This was done to allow him to assume command of the Infantry School. While there he promoted the formation of armored and airborne forces as well as developed the prototype Officer Candidate School. With the US entry into World War II on December 7, 1941, Marshall asked Bradley to prepare for other duty. Given command of the reactivated 82nd Division, he oversaw its training before fulfilling a similar role for the 28th Division. In both cases, he utilized Marshalls approach of simplifying military doctrine to make it easier for newly recruited citizen-soldiers. In addition, Bradley utilized a variety of techniques to ease draftees transition to military life and boost morale while also implementing a rigorous program of physical training. As a result, Bradleys efforts in 1942, produced two fully trained and prepared combat divisions. In February 1943, Bradley was assigned command of X Corps, but before taking the position was ordered to North Africa by Eisenhower to troubleshoot problems with American troops in the wake of the defeat at Kasserine Pass. Lieutenant General Omar Bradley on the navigation bridge of USS Ancon (AGC-4), en route to the invasion of Sicily, 7 July 1943. With him is Captain Timothy Wellings, USN. US Naval History and Heritage Command North Africa Sicily Arriving, Bradley recommended that Patton be given command of the U.S. II Corps. This was done and the authoritarian commander soon restored the units discipline. Becoming Pattons deputy, Bradley worked to improve the fighting qualities of the corps as the campaign progressed.  As a result of his efforts, he ascended to command of II Corps in April 1943, when Patton departed to aid in planning the invasion of Sicily. For the remainder of the North African Campaign, Bradley ably led the corps and restored its confidence. Serving as part of Pattons Seventh Army, II Corps spearheaded the attack on Sicily in July 1943. During the campaign in Sicily, Bradley was discovered by journalist Ernie Pyle and promoted as the G.I. General for his unprepossessing nature and affinity for wearing a common soldiers uniform in the field. D-Day In the wake of the success in the Mediterranean, Bradley was selected by Eisenhower to lead the first American army to land in France and to be prepared to subsequently take over a full army group. Returning to the United States, he established his headquarters at Governors Island, NY and began assembling staff to assist him in his new role as commander of the First U.S. Army.  Returning to Britain in October 1943, Bradley took part in the planning for D-Day (Operation Overlord). Senior U.S. officers watching operations from the bridge of USS Augusta (CA-31), off Normandy, 8 June 1944. They are (from left to right): Rear Admiral Alan G. Kirk, USN, Commander Western Naval Task Force; Lieutenant General Omar N. Bradley, U.S. Army, Commanding General, U.S. First Army; Rear Admiral Arthur D. Struble, USN, (with binoculars) Chief of Staff for RAdm. Kirk; and Major General Ralph Royce, U.S. Army. National Archives and Records Administration A believer in employing airborne forces to limit German access to the coast, he lobbied for the use of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions in the operation. As commander of the U.S. First Army, Bradley oversaw the American landings on Omaha and Utah Beaches from the cruiser USS Augusta on June 6, 1944. Troubled by the stiff resistance at Omaha, he briefly considered evacuating troops from the beach and sending the follow-on waves to Utah. This proved unnecessary and three days later he shifted his headquarters ashore. Northwest Europe As Allied forces built up in Normandy, Bradley was elevated to lead the 12th Army Group. As early attempts to push deeper inland failed, he planned Operation Cobra with the goal of breaking out of the beachhead near St. Lo. Commencing in late July, the operation saw a liberal use of air power before ground forces smashed through the German lines and began a dash across France. As his two armies, the Third under Patton and the First under Lieutenant General Courtney Hodges, advanced towards the German border, Bradley advocated for a thrust into the Saarland. Lieutenant General Sir Miles C. Dempsey (right) with the 21st Army Group commander, General Sir Bernard Montgomery (center), and U.S. First Army commander, Lieutenant General Omar Bradley (left), 10 June 1944. Public Domain This was denied in favor of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomerys Operation Market-Garden. While Market-Garden bogged down in September 1944, Bradleys troops, spread thin and short on supplies, fought brutal battles in the Hà ¼rtgen Forest, Aachen, and Metz. In December, Bradleys front absorbed the brunt of the German offensive during the Battle of the Bulge. After stopping the German assault, his men played a key role in pushing the enemy back, with Pattons Third Army making an unprecedented turn north to relieve the 101st Airborne at Bastogne. During the fighting, he was angered when Eisenhower temporarily assigned First Army to Montgomery for logistical reasons. Promoted to general in March 1945, Bradley led 12th Army Group, now four armies strong, through the final offensives of the war and successfully captured a bridge over the Rhine at Remagen. In a final push, his troops formed the southern arm of a massive pincer movement which captured 300,000 German troops in the Ruhr, before meeting up with Soviet forces at the Elbe River. Postwar With the surrender of Germany in May 1945, Bradley was eager for a command in the Pacific. This was not forthcoming as General Douglas MacArthur was not in need of another army group commander. On August 15, President Harry S. Truman appointed Bradley to the head of the Veterans Administration. While not thrilled with the assignment, Bradley worked diligently to modernize the organization to meet the challenges it would face in the postwar years. Basing his decisions on the needs of veterans rather than political considerations, he built a nationwide system of offices and hospitals as well as revised and updated the G.I. Bill and arranged for job training. In February 1948, Bradley was appointed Army Chief of Staff to replace the departing Eisenhower. He remained in this post only eighteen months as he was named the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on August 11, 1949. With this came a promotion to General of the Army (5-star) the following September. Remaining in this position for four years, he oversaw U.S. operations during the Korean War and was forced to rebuke General Douglas MacArthur for wishing to expand the conflict into Communist China. Later Life Retiring from the military in 1953, Bradley moved into the private sector and served as chairman of the board of the Bulova Watch Company from 1958 until 1973. Following the death of his wife Mary of leukemia in 1965, Bradley married Esther Buhler on September 12, 1966. During the 1960s, he served as a member of President Lyndon Johnsons Wise Men think tank and later acted as a technical advisor on the film Patton. Bradley died on April 8, 1981, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Analyze a short story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyze a short story - Essay Example Lovers of a time, the two enthusiasts are coincidently united on a stormy day and in the absence of either’s family. The isolation gives way to long hidden desires and paves the way of exploration for the two. Through this paper we will explore the depth of characters, reflecting on the subject of sexuality and the way sexuality affects one’s life, and will relate sexuality to the theme of the story. Kate Chopin reveals the main character – that of Calixta – as nervous, weak and family-oriented. She is represented as a devoted wife staying home and doing the usual chores a woman is supposed to do. Unaware of the impeding storm she is sewing by the window - ‘She sat at a side window sewing furiously on a sewing machine’ – which we can conclude with the idea that she makes her effort to keep her home in a good state. We can also deduce that the woman was sexually constrained, since she was doing all the house chores an oppressed woman is stereotyped with; ‘She hastened out to gather them (the clothes) before the rain fell’. Chopin further affixes the idea of sexuality which had not been explored to a considerable extent in contemporary times. Women were taken to be as beings with no sexual desires and mere fulfillers of their partner’s yearnings. ... Despite all odds, Calixta made love out of the isolation she was pushed into and out of the love she possessed for a man, in the backdrop of the furious storm; ‘He looked down into her eyes and there was nothing for him to do but gather her lips in a kiss’. Chopin highlights the not-to-talk-of issue of female sexuality and very cleverly unties its knots from that of erotica. What may seem as an illicit lovemaking between two sensual creatures, actually veils the underlying meaning and feelings behind the act. At a time when her family was out in the furious storm, Calixta had taken refuge from the worry in the arms of an old-time lover. The concern had been such great that she went down with the flow of the presiding situation, disheveling her heart through her hidden desires. This clearly moves the reader to believe that women have desires too – and that was what actually Chopin had tried to convey. The sentence that ‘Calixta nervously began to gather up fr om the floor the lengths of a cotton sheet’ asserts that the air was tense and that Calixta’s nervousness had something to do with Alcee’s presence. Earlier everything was just ‘fine’ but after Alcee’s presence it became nervous. This, we may assume as Calixta’s effort to suppress feelings for Alcee, making her nervous. The character of Alcee is a representation of a decent man with natural desires. He had been forced to move inside the house of Calixta which he had not really desired, while the rain fell in sheets. ‘May I come over and wait on your gallery till the storm is over, Calixta?’ he had asked. The circumstances led the way for his desires resurfacing and what followed eventually was an array of mixed feelings. He had not only loved