Essay on Graffiti Art

Essay on Graffiti Art Essay on Graffiti Art Los Angeles is the most densely inhabited city in the state of California, and stands in second place after New York City, as the most populous in America. Most people in the city socialize mostly through cultural traditions and arts that are mainly practiced in the area. These arts form the basis of communication and expressions whether political or social. That being a few of the forms of expression graffiti is being widely used in the city. This form of art is employed as a means of social and political expression. The reason as to why young people use this form of avenue is that it is quite public and will relay the message. The fact that they are not provided with platforms to express themselves is another key issue to be addressed. In this paper, discussion on ways through which this work of art expresses the social and political issues in relation to Los Angeles will follow suit. The city holds a history rich of arts and culture that has attracted millions of tourists from all over the world many years ago. In fact, the city’s greater area represents the most important site for television and movie production in the whole of the U.S. Other works of art related to Los Angeles include literature, music, museums, architecture, paintings, and street art, just to mention a few. Wordings; Graffiti artists use certain terms like crews, bombing, taggers these form a characteristic of graffiti traditions, although significantly, this type of dialect is to the idea that the whole culture is associated to the wider American customs that we are a components. Culture and language cannot be separated; culture creates language and the language creates culture. This distinct language is a preserve for graffiti tradition members and can be learnt through participation or continuous exposure to tag culture. This tag language is one form that graffiti is used to express social issues. The present graffiti words are obtained from the daily social life, the comments, phallic symbols, the jokes. Such graffiti is written in a common language so that individuals can comprehend, in addition to, partake in its humor or react in kind (Phillips, 47). The second category is images; in the context of community-based graffiti; these graffiti look like vivacious characters and vibrant texts. They have an origin in hip-hop culture and were selected because of its ability to both isolate, and form an interconnected faction that replicate current social issues in Los Angeles. It reflects a culture that is emerging in the society; it is ingrained in clothes, music, and dialect. The style was a preferred method, and individuals who create these images were part of the society that is influenced by the occurrence of these descriptions. Graffiti carried out by Gang is the type that is emphasizes a lot of the communal identification that this expressive means may value . However, the power that this illustrations yield, is usually disregarded. Graffiti expressing political notions is founded in interior representation by which negative political thoughts are channeled. These types of graffiti are mostly employed through activism movements in times of political protests; they have the ability to induce an emotional response, whether good or bad from their targeted audience. Objects, images and social conducts that contain a common implication among communities stand to unite the people. Under graffiti, the art has stood as a representation of opposition and a common dissatisfaction with current social certainty. Ancient graffiti expressed love affirmations, social opinions and simple terminology of the notion in comparison to current popular information of societal and political standards as seen in the streets of Los Angeles (Phillips, 46). This is the same as in today’s world. Graffiti has been commercialized and is gaining popularity while others are seeking its legitimization. In 2001, IBM a large computer firm instigated a movement in Chicago, and San Francisco, which was advertising peace the campaign primarily, involved the community spray work of art on pavements the given symbols to illustrate Peace, Love, and Linux. However, because of the law which states that graffiti art is illegal the act saw the artists detained and prosecuted with damage charges, in addition to the repair costs, and penalty measures, IBM Company was fined more than US$120,000. In Los Angeles, Sony instigated same advertising campaign in 2005 and other cities, but this time taking into consideration the legal challenges of the IBM campaign. Sony compensated proprietors for the privileges to paint on their properties; portraits of dizzy-eyed city kids gathering, who were imitating a skateboard, a paddle or a rocking horse using PSP gadget. The two campaigns are an expression of an application of graffiti as a means in passing information, which the society does not approve to some extent. The war is clearly illustrated in Los Angeles, where two people were shot dead by the graffiti artist when they tried to stop them from doing what they love best. . Another social aspect is the growth of computer gaming depicting the art largely. These is to the positive aspect of the art, for example, the jet set radio program (2000–2003) shows the story of an assembly of youths fighting the subjugation of an authoritarian police that seeks to hinder the graffiti artists’ liberty of expression. Frequently, graffiti is reputed as an element of a culture that seeks to rebel against au thority and laws in general as seen in the state where a certain group brands themselves and seek to warn visitors of their presence. What in my perspective makes the art wrong is the fact that most vandals are young people, ranging from young school going to youths, who vandalize public spaces for invalid reasons such as boredom, anger or revenge. For successful artists, ideas that perform this art often diverge and can illustrate a wide array of approaches and perceptions. Most artist use materials such as paints and sprays, these sprays have a negative effect on the surroundings because of the fact that it contains. Harmful chemical elements like chlorofluorocarbons or volatile hydrocarbon gases are contained in the paints used for graffiti in painting a surface. These are harmful to the environment, and will continue to worsen the global warming situation in the world. Alternatively, moss graffiti can be adopted which will use moss, which is more environmental friendly to create the images or the wordings. The mixture is prepared through gluing moss unto a plane by mixing beer milk or yoghurt to serve as an adhesive for the art. These efforts of making the situation more environment friendly does not justify the fact that each year, in the clean up exercise of graffiti, large amounts are accounted for. The society can approve a policy less lenient for destruction and instead provide an avenue or a place designed specifically for these artists to express themselves. Arresting them will only make the condition worse and they will continue to spend cleaning up the streets. On the other hand, with the already tarnished streets, what the locals need to do is first; to identify objects and locations prone to graffiti, and educate property owners effective and efficient of cleaning the places. Participants in these forums will mostly include property owners affected by graffiti, recreational facilities public works, shopping malls, schools, government, businesses, and other institutions. This will resolve the crisis in the short period; in the end, they can construct their buildings with hard to write on bricks or plant shrubs and hedges. Improved lighting and cooperation of the community and the authority will solve their so-called problem. Looking at an artist’s perspective bring us to understand why they are so passionate about the art. Certain anthropologists explain that the art is an expression of one’s ideas and ideals. It goes beyond just the images and is mostly a representation of political ideas, race and art. This passion goes beyond fear of being caught, which has made a blog that highlights these paintings as being top five most viewed sights. I must say that these pieces of art is quite eye-catching and has its own beauty. The artists also are said to have a distinction between street art and graffiti basing the difference in that the artist signs graffiti while the street art is simply a form of expression, which is often done randomly. These facts also lead us to asking the question is the form of art an unnecessary struggle. I believe when one wants to pursue something he should go for it. Being a true believer means one is not swayed by the changing world, but one should also consider doi ng it peacefully. Overall, the art can signify liberation, love or territory. What the artist need is to make the community understand from their point of view. Successful artists in this field have received awards to prove that the entire art is not a negative vice and can be displayed in museums. In other words, it can be a visual method of communication with these it would play as both an art and a mode of communication to the users. Being an old form of art goes to show it has its form of justification and is not all negative (Ganz, and Tristan, 98). A closer insight to the teenagers responsible for this form of art these explain that graffiti delineates the effect neighborhood, politics, and culture that is the society in general have on the day today activities of these teenagers. Most outstanding thing of this insight being the spirit, pride and allegiance that are expressed through in the voices of the said teenagers. This is not a glorification or the justification of gang behavior, but we rather perceive it as an objective that focuses on a specific social group that is not readily featured in the mainstream media and is trying to reach out. Gangs are not prevalent in many communities; my hope is that concerned parties would be enlightened, through various channels to be able to communicate with this group of a generation that is in need of help.

How to properly read a job posting so you dont apply to a terrible job

How to properly read a job posting so you dont apply to a terrible job When you’re on the job hunt, it’s almost like you need to become fluent in a new language. You need to look at a job description and figure out if it fits your experience and then whether applying for the job is even worth your time. You need to know what common phrases like â€Å"competitive salary,† â€Å"flexible,† and â€Å"growth opportunity† are really telling you about this company and this job, and how to adapt your resume to fit what it requires. But while you’ll certainly face a lot of jargon when searching for a new position, once you understand how to decipher any job posting you come across you’ll save a lot of time and energy.Anatomy of a job postingJob postings are often written like news articles: the most important information is presented right up front, with the extra supporting information down toward the bottom. First, let’s look at the straightforward parts of a standard job ad.The job title: This is basica lly the headline. It’s what you see in an email subject line or on the search results screen. It’s what grabs your attention first and sets the expectations for the rest of the post. Some job title lines will offer the company name or other (succinct) details like the experience level, but many will just be the job itself.Executive Assistant at Fortune 500 CompanyData Management ClerkLevel II Auror at the Ministry of MagicResponsibilities/description: This is where the narrative kicks in. This is usually a brief paragraph or series of bullet points outlining the highlights of the job. It’s not typically comprehensive, but provides a high-level summary of what the job is.Meet aggressive sales goalsProduce 5–10 newsletters per yearGenerate monthly sales reportsQualifications: This is where you kick in. The company has outlined what job they’re filling and what that role does, but now it shifts the focus to you: do you have what they’re seeking ? This is typically a section of bullet points outlining what the company’s ideal candidate for this position would already have.Associate’s Degree in Business or related field5-7 years experienceEnglish and Spanish language fluencyBenefits and pay: This is usually a short section outlining any specific salary and benefits associated with the job. This section may or may not be included in a job description. Benefits are listed far more often in job descriptions than a specific salary, because the benefits can be used as a lure, while a salary number may be either a dealbreaker for potential candidates or might limit the company’s ability to negotiate after a job offer has been made.401(k) matchingSalary commensurate with experienceDental and vision insuranceAbout the company: Company information is especially common when a job is posted in a database or another public forum like a website because the readers may not be familiar with what the company is or does. This is usually a brief statement about the company itself, or its general mission.Giving Hands is a nonprofit company that sends balloon animals to people in need.Cutting Edge Media, LLC is a digital media powerhouse that publishes immersive social media content.Since its founding in 1846, Big Books has shaped public debate by publishing award-winning content about dolphin life and philosophy. How to read between the linesFirst of all, know that a job description isn’t necessarily meant to be taken literally. It’s an ad sent out based on the best estimate of what a job will be and what kind of candidate the company wants to see applying for it. So while it’s absolutely a guideline, nothing is 100% etched in stone. Positions evolve over time, and a stellar candidate with slightly different skills might lead a company to tweak the initial description into something a little different.Job title:  While it seems pretty straightforward, this can sometimes have cl ues about the company and the qualifications you’ll need. For example, in the earlier example of â€Å"Executive Assistant at Fortune 500 Company,† the job title is used to establish the importance of the position (working with executives, so probably not entry-level) and that the company is large and/or prominent.Responsibilities: Again, this is a high-level summary of what the company anticipates for this open job. There may be significantly more (and more specific) duties awaiting the future holder of this job. If you see six rather vague responsibilities and want to know more about what the day-to-day life is like for this role, you can do a little digging online to see if there’s more information available about this particular job at this particular company.If you see a phrase like â€Å"other duties as assigned† or a similar phrase that leaves the job responsibilities open-ended, then that should tell you that the company values flexibility and lik ely has an all-hands-on-deck mentality. That’s a cue for your resume and cover letter package- definitely emphasize your flexibility as an employee and your commitment to getting the job done whatever it takes.Qualifications: If you don’t hit every single bullet point, don’t automatically give up and move on. (Though if you meet, say, 1 qualification bullet point out of 10, this job might be a bit of a stretch.) If you meet most of the job’s requirements, you should still consider applying. You can provide context in your cover letter and resume and emphasize the requirements that you do meet. It may be that the qualifications you’re missing are â€Å"nice to have† instead of â€Å"must have† from the company’s perspective or that your other qualities make up for that one deficit. So don’t let one or two misses discourage you from applying if you’re a good fit otherwise.Benefits and pay: There’s lots of rea ding between the lines here because job descriptions rarely pin down an exact salary or benefits. With phrases like â€Å"commensurate with experience† or â€Å"competitive salary,† the company is basically saying, â€Å"we’ll deal with this later, and be ready to negotiate if we offer you a job.†If you see a request to send your â€Å"salary requirements† along with your resume, that means you’ll have to do some finessing in your application. You can include a salary range in your cover letter. It’s probably wise not to ignore the request altogether- if it was included in the job posting, it’s possible that leaving out the salary requirement would screen your application right out of the running. But you also don’t want to get too specific, because that number could eliminate you as well if it’s too high or too low.About the company: There’s not usually a lot of mystery in this part of a job description. B ut just remember that the company is describing themselves in a very official, public-facing way. If you’re expecting a candid description of what it’s really like to work for this place, or their flaws, well†¦your expectations will not be met.You might also come up against a case where the company isn’t named at all. That can either mean that A) the company is shady; or B) the company is trying to be discreet. If it’s option A and you’re finding a vague, unnamed company advertising jobs on, say, Craigslist, all I can say is†¦think twice. If it’s option B and there’s other information given about the company (it’s a major media company or a top-tier financial company), then it’s possible they just want to avoid either getting a million applications for a single position or don’t want it made public that they’re advertising for someone’s job because he hasn’t been, uh, relieved of his duties yet. Look for context clues about the company if there isn’t a straightforward presentation of X job at Y company.Decoding the buzzwordsEvery field is subject to jargon or clichà ©d phrases, and the art of the job description is no different. Let’s look at some common words and phrases, and what they really tell you.Self-starter/independent worker: This means they’re looking for a person who is ready for a leadership role who doesn’t need a lot of hand-holding. In your application, emphasize your leadership skills or instances where you’ve taken the lead on something.Fast-paced: This job is going to be chaotic and likely subject to deadlines. In your application, demonstrate what you’ve achieved under pressure, or your unwavering commitment to deadlines.Flexible: The company may be looking for someone who’s not afraid to do a bit of scut work as part of their job, or who will be willing to go outside the normal 9-to-5 routine to get the work done. It could signal work-life balance boundary issues, so if you have concerns about this, a little extra research about the job or the company is in order. In your application, emphasize your ability to perform under pressure, or your ability to multitask.Detail-oriented: This company has received one too many applications with blatant typos, and/or the person currently holding this job has made a lot of messy mistakes. In your application, emphasize your organizational skills and your commitment to getting something done efficiently but accurately. And do not skimp on proofreading your resume and cover letter.Communication skills: This shows that the company wants someone publicly presentable, either with customers, clients, or other parts of the company. This is a delicate way of making sure that you can write and speak well and confidently.Growth opportunity: This is likely a low-level or entry-level job and the company might not expect you to commit long-term . That could be a good thing (the last assistant was promoted after six months in the job) or a bad thing (the last assistant got fed up and quit after three months on the job). Definitely mark this as a follow-up item if you get an interview- ask who had previously held the role (generally), and what they’re doing now.Team player: This is not a job for a lone wolf type, who would rather hole up and do the job himself rather than deal with others. In your application, emphasize how you’ve worked with others to achieve goals and, ideally, how you’ve led or inspired others to meet goals as well.So as you can see, there’s no great Rosetta Stone needed to work with the job descriptions that you’ll come across in your job search. And in fact, these postings are more similar than not, so once you learn the basics about what companies are trying to achieve with their limited space in a job ad, you’re ready to go forth and start tailoring your resum e to be the best possible candidate.

Ethical issues in Financial Companies Lending practices Research Paper

Ethical issues in Financial Companies Lending practices - Research Paper Example The overall wheel of development of humanity is almost entirely hinged on the decisions, policies, strategies, and plans of financial institutions. However, as these institutions continue to grow in relevance so does the problems of mankind. The almost direct relationship between the growth of financial institutions and the level of humanitarian crises and predicaments in different times and places underlie some fundamental truths of their complicity in these situations. The dual potential of the lending institutions to create both good and evil in same measure has placed these institutions under scrutiny by analysis’s and rights watchdogs for suspected complicity in the geopolitical, and environmental dilemma that have been witnessed in modern times (Weiss, 2005). Some of the crises that have dominated the global stage since the second half of the twentieth century include the spread of HIV/AIDS pandemic, global warming resulting from the green gas emissions, mechanization of the labor market which has led to job losses, wars and violent conflicts, several forms of environmental degradation, among other many situations. The process of creation of these situations has been made possible by the willful involvement of human beings working within structural organizations that spend millions of dollars to create these situations. The source of these money has been chiefly through lending from financial institutions. These institutions have knowingly given loans to questionable organizations even amid protests from activists regarding the ethical ends of the borrower’s missions. Moreover, these same lending institutions have sought every opportunity to merge, link up, or buy stakes in some of the organizations with disastrous missions around the globe. The bottom line of profits has often blinded the lending institutions from the horrible missions

Internet is beneficial (argumentative) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Internet is beneficial (argumentative) - Essay Example Evidently, many people in the society have a measure of knowledge concerning the internet, especially concerning the potential to connect the globe irrespective of the distance. Moreover, different groups of people are familiar with other realms of possibilities brought about by the internet. For example, students recognize the provision of online schooling and jobs made possible by the internet. Without doubt, there are multiple controversies surrounding the positive and negative impacts of the internet in the society. In my research, I will seek to prove that the internet has served to transform the society positively through its numerous benefits. Readers will benefit from the research, as they will become familiar with the benefits of the internet despite the negative popularity associated with it. The media has been committed in developing different stories concerning the internet. Through the television, newspapers and online articles, I am bombarded with multiple articles discussing the potential impacts of the media, as well as other sources describing the origin of the internet and its effects in the recent past. One of the intriguing articles that I read touched on the development of the internet in the 1990s. The article revealed that the initial commercial browser that people relied on was the mosaic, and yahoo emerged a few years later. The 1990s saw an increasing popularity of the internet, with an increasing number of people owning computers, and seeking to have access to the internet. Reports reveal that 40 % of the American population owned computers by 1998, and 33 % of the computer owners accessed the internet. The increasing use of the internet sparked a debate concerning the nature of its influence. Notably, people ha realized that the internet was transforming societies, explaining why they sought to analyze the type of influence registered. The media have relied on the models of influence

Sheppard v. Maxwell (384 U.S. 333) Supreme Court Case Essay

Sheppard v. Maxwell (384 U.S. 333) Supreme Court Case - Essay Example 333), the trial court did not conduct a fair trial because of media interference that may have caused excitement and prejudice in the ruling of the case (Sheppard 1966). The public distraction in the courtroom can influence the autonomy of court discussions thus distorting the conclusion arrived at by the jury either in favor of the accused or the wronged person (Sheppard 1966). Therefore, there should be a maximum order in the court so as to ensure fair ruling by the judges. The public has a right to know the truth by following the court proceedings in any case of interest to them. In that regard, media are a public watchdog and have the right to attend to the courts proceedings in order to make a follow up the of the court process and inform the public about the process (Siegel 183). The presence of media in the court proceedings influences the fairness of the court’s ruling. Therefore, it is essential to have controlled media presence in the court in order to avoid unnecessary interruptions that may result to â€Å"prejudicial publicity† (Sheppard

Using comics to increase writing achievement Essay Example for Free

Using comics to increase writing achievement Essay Abstract This paper will focus on a Classroom Action Research Project performed at an elementary school with a group of seven 5th grade English as a Second Language students. The project involved using cartoon comic strips to both motivate ESL students to write and also to see if a non-traditional approach to teaching writing will increase the student’s writing achievement. Popular newspaper comic strips were used to motivate students and they were required to read it and then answer a set of open-ended questions. Statement of Intent Many students have the ability to be successful writers. The ESL students struggle to write, but when they get motivated they seem to write better. Many ESL students are unmotivated about writing because of language, lack of background knowledge, or the topic is not authentic or interesting. The more the students write the better they will become at it. If ESL students can get motivated to write, they will write more and thus become better writers. Popular newspaper comic strips were used to motivate the 5th grade ESL students to write. Students read popular newspaper comic strips and then answered open-ended questions. Here are the questions that will be answered at the end of this Classroom Action Research Project: 1)Can ESL students get motivated to write? 2)Will a non-traditional approach to writing motivate 5th grade students to write? 3)Could the use of comic strips in writing help increase writing achievement in 5th grade ESL students? Rationale for Research Research into the process of writing has shown it to be a very complicated problem solving process requiring the writer to constantly monitor their progress towards a specific goal. Students that become good writers experience intrinsic as well as extrinsic rewards, but face problems with motivation along the way. Writing requires the individual to pay attention to motivational conditions. The following is a list of the four clusters of conditions that are keys to developing writing motivation: 1)Nurturing functional beliefs about writing. 2)Fostering engagement using authentic writing tasks. 3)Providing a supportive context for writing. 4)Creating a positive emotional environment. The teacher’s views, beliefs, conceptions, and misconceptions are very important in determining the right conditions in most writing contexts. Research is needed to better understand the process of motivation as it relates to writing. Children start writing at an early age by scribbling. The writing process continues from there and proceeds at different paces depending on the child. As writing develops children start forming letters, words and soon sentences. â€Å"They begin to shift away from list-like writing and localized control (e.g., linking to vocabulary used in  the previous sentence, repeating familiar syntactic frames) toward a more goal-directed, strategic approach ( Berninger, Fuller, Whitaker, 1996). Their writing has more topical and the- matic coherence (e.g., Flower et al., 1990), as purpose, planning, and revising play an increasing role. A growing metacognitive capability gives them the potential to shift from a knowledge-telling to a knowledge-transforming approach ( Bereiter Scardamalia, 1987) and to use information about audience, genre, and rhetorical stance to accomplish a variety of writing purposes ( Berninger et al., 1996). â€Å" Highly motivated capable writers that can adapt their writing to changes in audience and topic can only achieve the developmental writing process described above. They can use writing as a means of communication with others. They write the same way they would talk with another people, stress free and with control. In a 1997 National Center for Education Statistics writing assessment shows that 80% of eleventh grade students can write clear and focused responses and less that one third can write clearly enough to show sufficient information to support their claims. 2 % of students can write proficiently enough to show effective responses that have enough information to support details and discussion. Teachers are failing to develop positive beliefs and motivation about writing. Comic strips can be used to motivate and inspire students. For one thing, comics can take away the number one worry that students have about writing today: finding something to write about. Most of the times when you leave it up to the students to write about something, they never know what to write. Every teacher has heard the same thing. â€Å"I don’t know what to write about.† Introducing and discussing comic strips is a great way to motivate and stimulate students about writing. Many students already know the characters from comic strips and this makes the experience less stressful and fun. It also provides the students with kid friendly language and the relationship between the pictures and text makes it perfect for  lower level readers. All these facts put together makes it possible for comic strips to provide the level of motivation and interest that will help students stay focused a bout writing and this will in the long run improve their writing skills. Methodology The study was completed with a group of seven 5th grade ESL students for a period of three months one half hour a week. Starting in the beginning of September and ending at the end of November. This group of ESL students is composed of fluent English speakers that are limited English readers and writers. At the beginning of the study, the students read a short story about ants and then answered an open-ended question. The students were then told to draw a happy, straight,   or sad face depending on their level of frustration and/or stress. This was used as the pretest. At the beginning of the study students were introduced and exposed to newspaper comic strips. They read, discussed, and drew them. Students were exposed to a variety of lessons on the writing process and were required to do one comic strip writing prompt a week. Included in every writing prompt is smiling, straight, or sad face that is drawn by the student in the upper right hand corner of the paper to show their motivation level. A record of the student’s motivational level was kept to measure fluctuation patterns according to the cartoon character used that week. Research Analysis At the beginning of the study the students were told that they would be taking part in a study that would require them to write. Many of them immediately showed signs of stress and much complaining followed. We met once a week for half an hour and they were introduced to a comic strip and  discussions followed. The students then had two days to complete the prompt on their own, including a drawing of a face on the upper right hand corner to show how they felt about it before it was collected. The prompts that were used are from the Comic-Strip Writing Prompts book by Karen Kellaher (2001). During the initial pretest three students drew smiling faces, three drew straight faces and one drew a sad face. Although it seems that the percentage of students that felt good versus the percentage of students that had no emotion at all is the same their reactions during the writing would tell a different story. The students all seemed stressed and bothered with the writing. Most of the students answered the question during the pretest, but all are lacking creativity and emotion to their writing. All the answers came straight from the story. No opinions, personal connections, or point of views were part of anybody’s writing. There were only five students remaining in the group during the last week of the study. One moved and the other one tested out of the ESL program and was no longer available to meet. In the final writing prompt all students drew happy faces. They did seem to be more excited about the writing than in the beginning. This may be due to the social rewards as well as the stress free environment due to the fact that no grades went along with their writing assignments. The following chart shows the before and after motivation and writing results for each student in the group: Motivation BeforeMotivation AfterWriting BeforeWriting After Dayannara V. Below BasicBelow basic Jose V. Below BasicBelow Basic Jeffrey R. ProficientProficient Maria C. BasicBelow Basic Jacqueline A. ProficientBelow Basic * The Chart above shows the beginning and end results of the study. Comprehensive Conclusions and Reflections The study increased the overall motivation of the group, but it did not increase writing achievement and in-fact lowered the writing achievement of two students. The contributing factors associated with the lack of success of this study are as follows: 1)Time frame The group met for half an hour once a week. This was not enough time to effectively influence the writing achievement of these students. Using Comics to Increase 10 2)Reading level – The reading level of these students was not significantly high enough for them to be able to read the comic strip and understand it. Even if they could have understood the comic strip, the prompt questions were too hard to for them to understand. 3)Background knowledge – A student who is asked to write about ice hockey or fishing that has experience it first hand or has been exposed to it will definitely be able to write about it better. Many of the urban kids are asked to write about things that they know absolutely nothing about.  A good example is the time the Reading School District had a district wide writing assessment about snow. The students had to write about a snowy day. Many ESL students had never seen snow. 4)Can’t get the joke – This one is the most important when it comes to comic strips. Most of the students could eventually read what the comic said, but they could not understand the jokes. A good example of this was the comic strip where Garfield says â€Å"Cats have just surpassed dogs as the country’s favorite pets!† Odie the Dog comes hopping by and then Garfield says â€Å"Somehow the victory would have been more satisfying had the competition been stiffer.† The students had no idea what this meant and could not understand it without some explanation. 5) Vocabulary – The students don’t have a sufficient vocabulary to understand comic strips. Although comic strips are written at a lower reading level, some of the vocabulary words that are used are hard for ESL students to understand and some extensive explanations had to be done before they could start writing. Example: â€Å"Had the competition been stiffer.† In closing, the ESL students need a lot of help. They of course need to write as much as possible, but if we work on increasing their reading level and expose them to as many cultural experiences as possible then we can really begin on making them great writers. If the study was to be done again it is suggested that the group meet daily and that there be vocabulary development lessons done to supplement the comic strip writing activities. References Yale University. Retrieved December 11, 2006, from www.yale.edu Web site: http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1980/80.04.02.x.xhtml Tom Janz, T (2006). Newspapers in Education Middle School Writing. Litsite Alaska, Retrieved December 11. 2006, from http://litsite.alaska.edu/workbooks/midnewswrite.html North Carolina State Board of Education, (2006). Making the Grade: Writing Through The Grades. ncpublicschools.org, Retrieved 2006, from http://www.ncpublicschools.org/student_promotion/mtg/fall01.html Brunin, R (2000). Developing Motivation to Write . The Questia online library, 35, Retrieved December 11, 2006, from http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=ose=gglscd=94798356 Kellaher, K (2001). Comic-Strip Writing-Prompts. New York, N.Y.: Scholastic. Parsons, J (1993). Using Comic Books To Teach.. ERIC, Retrieved December 11, 2006, fromhttp://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true_pageLabel=RecordDe tailsERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED363892ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accnoobjectId=0900000b8012cb2a Cohn , N (June 2006). Comixpedia. Retrieved December 11, 2006, from www.comixpedia.com Web site: http://www.comixpedia.com/comic_theory_101_seeing_rhymes

Sula: Character Analysis Of Nel Essay example -- essays research paper

The novel Sula, is a work which contrasts the lives of its two main characters Nel and Sula. They appear, on the surface, to be the epidemy of binary opposites but this is in actuality their underlying bond. The differences in their personalities complement one another in a way that forges an almost unbreakable alliance. Sula is compulsive and uncontrollable while her counterpart, Nel, is sensible and principled. To prove Nel human by subscribing to the theory that a human is one who possess both good and bad traits, one must only look at how she interacts with Sula, here both negative and positive traits are evident.Nel’s "good" traits obviously come to the forefront when looking at her character. One might say this is a result of how she was raised and that she was simply a pr...