Peter singer and john arthur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Peter singer and john arthur - Essay Example This may result in getting muddy and the clothes wet, but the fact that it has saved a life is justification enough.. Singer uses the argument that mass starvation and deaths due to hunger and suffering is preventable only if the affluent governments and the well off citizens donated more. Currently, rich governments and rich citizens are not under any moral obligation to help starving people and this is not ethically justified. Singer says that our morality needs to change along with our lifestyle and only then can we become more ethical people. People tend to look after their family and dear ones since they are bound by blood ties an they help someone nearby since the victims are within reach. According to Singer, one must be rid of this fallacy and be ready to help other, irrespective of the distances. Singer (1972) believes that the affluent and people should contribute to help the poor and the starving. According to Singer, the rich and affluent do not respond to famine situations in countries such as Bangladesh where over nine million people were starving because of a failing government, cyclone and failing harvests. According to the author, people do not donate liberally to such causes nor do they take any extra efforts to increase the awareness in their government to take any action. As per the argument that Singer uses, countries continue to fritter away their money on useless expenses such as the Concorde project that would cost 440 million GBP. Even individuals do not care to donate any sizeable amount to help the starving for whom the donation is a difference between life and death. Singer points out that every day, hundreds of people die of starvation in the world and people and governments of affluent nations do not care to help the people and stop people from being kil led. He relates this apathy to a type of murder and that people have come to take human life for granted. Singer

Meaning of life Human Essay Example for Free

Meaning of life Human Essay Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life. Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of 60 more than a boy of 20. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust. Whether 60 or 16, there is in every human being’s heart the lure of wonders, the unfailing appetite for what’s next and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart, there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, courage and power from man and from the infinite, so long as you are young. When your aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you’ve grown old, even at 20; but as long as your aerials are up, to catch waves of optimism, there’s hope you may die young at 80.  · : Three Days to See(Excerpts) ( ) Three Days to See All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified time to live. Sometimes it was as long as a year, sometimes as short as 24 hours. But always we were interested in discovering just how the doomed hero chose to spend his last days or his last hours. I speak, of course, of free men who have a choice, not condemned criminals whose sphere of activities is strictly delimited. Such stories set us thinking, wondering what we should do under similar circumstances. What events, what experiences, what associations should we crowd into those last hours as mortal beings, what regrets? Sometimes I have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each day as if we should die tomorrow. Such an attitude would emphasize sharply the values of life. We should live each day with gentleness, vigor and a keenness of appreciation which are often lost when time stretches before us in the constant panorama of more days and months and years to come. There are those, of course, who would adopt the Epicurean motto of â€Å"Eat, drink, and be merry†. But most people would be chastened by the certainty of impending death. In stories the doomed hero is usually saved at the last minute by some stroke of fortune, but almost always his sense of values is changed. He becomes more appreciative of the meaning of life and its permanent spiritual values. It has often been noted that those who live, or have lived, in the shadow of death bring a mellow sweetness to everything they do. Most of us, however, take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far in the future. When we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty tasks, hardly aware of our listless attitude toward life. The same lethargy, I am afraid, characterizes the use of all our faculties and senses. Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the manifold blessings that lie in sight. Particularly does this observation apply to those who have lost sight and hearing in adult life. But those who have never suffered impairment of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sounds hazily, without concentration and with little appreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful for what we have until we lose it, of not being conscious of health until we are ill. I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.  · :Companionship of Books ( ) Companionship of Books A man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by the company he keeps; for there is a companionship of books as well as of men; and one should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men. A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the same today that it always was, and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness; amusing and instructing us in youth, and comforting and consoling us in age. Men often discover their affinity to each other by the mutual love they have for a book just as two persons sometimes discover a friend by the admiration which both entertain for a third. There is an old proverb, ‘Love me, love my dog. † But there is more wisdom in this:† Love me, love my book. † The book is a truer and higher bond of union. Men can think, feel, and sympathize with each other through their favorite author. They live in him together, and he in them. A good book is often the best urn of a life enshrining the best that life could think out; for the world of a man’s life is, for the most part, but the world of his thoughts. Thus the best books are treasuries of good words, the golden thoughts, which, remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and comforters. Books possess an essence of immortality. They are by far the most lasting products of human effort. Temples and statues decay, but books survive. Time is of no account with great thoughts, which are as fresh today as when they first passed through their author’s minds, ages ago. What was then said and thought still speaks to us as vividly as ever from the printed page. The only effect of time have been to sift out the bad products; for nothing in literature can long survive e but what is really good. Books introduce us into the best society; they bring us into the presence of the greatest minds that have ever lived. We hear what they said and did; we see the as if they were really alive; we sympathize with them, enjoy with them, grieve with them; their experience becomes ours, and we feel as if we were in a measure actors with them in the scenes which they describe. The great and good do not die, even in this world. Embalmed in books, their spirits walk abroad. The book is a living voice. It is an intellect to which on still listens.  · :If I Rest,I Rust , If I Rest, I Rust The significant inscription found on an old keyâ€Å"If I rest, I rust†would be an excellent motto for those who are afflicted with the slightest bit of idleness. Even the most industrious person might adopt it with advantage to serve as a reminder that, if one allows his faculties to rest, like the iron in the unused key, they will soon show signs of rust and, ultimately, cannot do the work required of them. Those who would attain the heights reached and kept by great men must keep their faculties polished by constant use, so that they may unlock the doors of knowledge, the gate that guard the entrances to the professions, to science, art, literature, agricultureevery department of human endeavor. Industry keeps bright the key that opens the treasury of achievement. If Hugh Miller, after toiling all day in a quarry, had devoted his evenings to rest and recreation, he would never have become a famous geologist. The celebrated mathematician, Edmund Stone, would never have published a mathematical dictionary, never have found the key to science of mathematics, if he had given his spare moments to idleness, had the little Scotch lad, Ferguson, allowed the busy brain to go to sleep while he tended sheep on the hillside instead of calculating the position of the stars by a string of beads, he would never have become a famous astronomer. Labor vanquishes allnot inconstant, spasmodic, or ill-directed labor; but faithful, unremitting, daily effort toward a well-directed purpose. Just as truly as eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, so is eternal industry the price of noble and enduring success.  · :Ambition Ambition It is not difficult to imagine a world short of ambition. It would probably be a kinder world: with out demands, without abrasions, without disappointments. People would have time for reflection. Such work as they did would not be for themselves but for the collectivity. Competition would never enter in. conflict would be eliminated, tension become a thing of the past. The stress of creation would be at an end. Art would no longer be troubling, but purely celebratory in its functions. Longevity would be increased, for fewer people would die of heart attack or stroke caused by tumultuous endeavor. Anxiety would be extinct. Time would stretch on and on, with ambition long departed from the human heart. Ah, how unrelieved boring life would be! There is a strong view that holds that success is a myth, and ambition therefore a sham. Does this mean that success does not really exist? That achievement is at bottom empty? That the efforts of men and women are of no significance alongside the force of movements and events now not all success, obviously, is worth esteeming, nor all ambition worth cultivating. Which are and which are not is something one soon enough learns on one’s own. But even the most cynical secretly admit that success exists; that achievement counts for a great deal; and that the true myth is that the actions of men and women are useless. To believe otherwise is to take on a point of view that is likely to be deranging. It is, in its implications, to remove all motives for competence, interest in attainment, and regard for posterity. We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents. We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time or conditions of our death. But within all this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we shall live: courageously or in cowardice, honorably or dishonorably, with purpose or in drift. We decide what is important and what is trivial in life. We decide that what makes us significant is either what we do or what we refuse to do. But no matter how indifferent the universe may be to our choices and decisions, these choices and decisions are ours to make. We decide. We choose. And as we decide and choose, so are our lives formed. In the end, forming our own destiny is what ambition is about.  · :What I have Lived for What I Have Lived For Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair. I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasyecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of my life for a few hours for this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves lonelinessthat terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is whatat lastI have found. With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine. And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux. A little of this, but not much, I have achieved. Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens. But always it brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a hated burden to their sons, and the whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer. This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly live it again if the chance were offered me.  · :When Love Beckons You When Love Beckons You When love beckons to you, follow him, though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you, yield to him, though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. And when he speaks to you, believe in him, though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden. For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning. Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun, so shall he descend to our roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth. But if, in your fear, you would seek only love’s peace and love’s pleasure, then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love’s threshing-floor, into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears. Love gives naught but it self and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not, nor would it be possessed, for love is sufficient unto love. Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself. But if you love and must have desires, let these be your desires: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving; To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy; To return home at eventide with gratitude; And then to sleep with a payer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.  · :The Road to Success The Road to Success It is well that young men should begin at the beginning and occupy the most subordinate positions. Many of the leading businessmen of Pittsburgh had a serious responsibility thrust upon them at the very threshold of their career. They were introduced to the broom, and spent the first hours of their business lives sweeping out the office. I notice we have janitors and janitresses now in offices, and our young men unfortunately miss that salutary branch of business education. But if by chance the professional sweeper is absent any morning, the boy who has the genius of the future partner in him will not hesitate to try his hand at the broom. It does not hurt the newest comer to sweep out the office if necessary. I was one of those sweepers myself. Assuming that you have all obtained employment and are fairly started, my advice to you is â€Å"aim high†. I would not give a fig for the young man who does not already see himself the partner or the head of an important firm. Do not rest content for a moment in your thoughts as head clerk, or foreman, or general manager in any concern, no matter how extensive. Say to yourself, â€Å"My place is at the top. † Be king in your dreams. And here is the prime condition of success, the great secret: concentrate your energy, thought, and capital exclusively upon the business in which you are engaged. Having begun in one line, resolve to fight it out on that line, to lead in it, adopt every improvement, have the best machinery, and know the most about it. The concerns which fail are those which have scattered their capital, which means that they have scattered their brains also. They have investments in this, or that, or the other, here there, and everywhere. â€Å"Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. † is all wrong. I tell you to â€Å"put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket. † Look round you and take notice, men who do that not often fail. It is easy to watch and carry the one basket. It is trying to carry too many baskets that breaks most eggs in this country. He who carries three baskets must put one on his head, which is apt to tumble and trip him up. One fault of the American businessman is lack of concentration. To summarize what I have said: aim for the highest; never enter a bar room; do not touch liquor, or if at all only at meals; never speculate; never indorse beyond your surplus cash fund; make the firm’s interest yours; break orders always to save owners; concentrate; put all your eggs in one basket, and watch that basket; expenditure always within revenue; lastly, be not impatient, for as Emerson says, â€Å"no one can cheat you out of ultimate success but yourselves. †  · :On Meeting the Celebrated On Meeting the Celebrated I have always wondered at the passion many people have to meet the celebrated. The prestige you acquire by being able to tell your friends that you know famous men proves only that you are yourself of small account. The celebrated develop a technique to deal with the persons they come across. They show the world a mask, often an impressive on, but take care to conceal their real selves. They play the part that is expected from them, and with practice learn to play it very well, but you are stupid if you think that this public performance of theirs corresponds with the man within. I have been attached, deeply attached, to a few people; but I have been interested in men in general not for their own sakes, but for the sake of my work. I have not, as Kant enjoined, regarded each man as an end in himself, but as material that might be useful to me as a writer. I have been more concerned with the obscure than with the famous. They are more often themselves. They have had no need to create a figure to protect themselves from the world or to impress it. Their idiosyncrasies have had more chance to develop in the limited circle of their activity, and since they have never been in the public eye it has never occurred to them that they have anything to conceal. They display their oddities because it has never struck them that they are odd. And after all it is with the common run of men that we writers have to deal; kings, dictators, commercial magnates are from our point of view very unsatisfactory. To write about them is a venture that has often tempted writers, but the failure that has attended their efforts shows that such beings are too exceptional to form a proper ground for a work of art. They cannot be made real. The ordinary is the writer’s richer field. Its unexpectedness, its singularity, its infinite variety afford unending material. The great man is too often all of a piece; it is the little man that is a bundle of contradictory elements. He is inexhaustible. You never come to the end of the surprises he has in store for you. For my part I would much sooner spend a month on a desert island with a veterinary surgeon than with a prime minister.  · :The 50-Percent Theory of Life The 50-Percent Theory of Life I believe in the 50-percent theory. Half the time things are better than normal; the other half, they re worse. I believe life is a pendulum swing. It takes time and experience to understand what normal is, and that gives me the perspective to deal with the surprises of the future. Let’s benchmark the parameters: yes, I will die. I’ve dealt with the deaths of both parents, a best friend, a beloved boss and cherished pets. Some of these deaths have been violent, before my eyes, or slow and agonizing. Bad stuff, and it belongs at the bottom of the scale. Then there are those high points: romance and marriage to the right person; having a child and doing those Dad things like coaching my son’s baseball team, paddling around the creek in the boat while he’s swimming with the dogs, discovering his compassion so deep it manifests even in his kindness to snails, his imagination so vivid he builds a spaceship from a scattered pile of Legos. But there is a vast meadow of life in the middle, where the bad and the good flip-flop acrobatically. This is what convinces me to believe in the 50-percent theory. One spring I planted corn too early in a bottomland so flood-prone that neighbors laughed. I felt chagrined at the wasted effort. Summer turned brutalthe worst heat wave and drought in my lifetime. The air-conditioned died; the well went dry; the marriage ended; the job lost; the money gone. I was living lyrics from a country tunemusic I loathed. Only a surging Kansas City Royals team buoyed my spirits. Looking back on that horrible summer, I soon understood that all succeeding good things merely offset the bad. Worse than normal wouldn’t last long. I am owed and savor the halcyon times. The reinvigorate me for the next nasty surprise and offer assurance that can thrive. The 50-percent theory even helps me see hope beyond my Royals’ recent slump, a field of struggling rookies sown so that some year soon we can reap an October harvest. For that on blistering summer, the ground moisture was just right, planting early allowed pollination before heat withered the tops, and the lack of rain spared the standing corn from floods. That winter my crib overflowed with cornfat, healthy three-to-a-stalk ears filled with kernels from heel to tipwhile my neighbors’ fields yielded only brown, empty husks. Although plantings past may have fallen below the 50-percent expectation, and they probably will again in the future, I am still sustained by the crop that flourishes during the drought.  · :What is Your Recovery Rate? What is Your Recovery Rate? What is your recovery rate? How long does it take you to recover from actions and behaviors that upset you? Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? The longer it takes you to recover, the more influence that incident has on your actions, and the less able you are to perform to your personal best. In a nutshell, the longer it takes you to recover, the weaker you are and the poorer your performance. You are well aware that you need to exercise to keep the body fit and, no doubt, accept that a reasonable measure of health is the speed in which your heart and respiratory system recovers after exercise. Likewise the faster you let go of an issue that upsets you, the faster you return to an equilibrium, the healthier you will be. The best example of this behavior is found with professional sportspeople. They know that the faster they can forget an incident or missd opportunity and get on with the game, the better their performance. In fact, most measure the time it takes them to overcome and forget an incident in a game and most reckon a recovery rate of 30 seconds is too long! Imagine yourself to be an actor in a play on the stage. Your aim is to play your part to the best of your ability. You have been given a script and at the end of each sentence is a ful stop. Each time you get to the end of the sentence you start a new one and although the next sentence is related to the last it is not affected by it. Your job is to deliver each sentence to the best of your ability. Don’t live your life in the past! Learn to live in the present, to overcome the past. Stop the past from influencing your daily life. Don’t allow thoughts of the past to reduce your personal best. Stop the past from interfering with your life. Learn to recover quickly. Remember: Rome wasn’t built in a day. Reflect on your recovery rate each day. Every day before you go to bed, look at your progress. Don’t lie in bed saying to you, â€Å"I did that wrong. † â€Å"I should have done better there. † No. look at your day and note when you made an effort to place a full stop after an incident. This is a success. You are taking control of your life. Remember this is a step by step process. This is not a make-over. You are undertaking real change here. Your aim: reduce the time spent in recovery. The way forward? Live in the present. Not in the precedent.  · :Clear Your Mental Space Clear Your Mental Space Think about the last time you felt a negative emotionlike stress, anger, or frustration. What was going through your mind as you were going through that negativity? Was your mind cluttered with thoughts? Or was it paralyzed, unable to think? The next time you find yourself in the middle of a very stressful time, or you feel angry or frustrated, stop. Yes, that’s right, stop. Whatever you’re doing, stop and sit for one minute. While you’re sitting there, completely immerse yourself in the negative emotion. Allow that emotion to consume you. Allow yourself one minute to truly feel that emotion. Don’t cheat yourself here. Take the entire minutebut only one minuteto do nothing else but feel that emotion. When the minute is over, ask yourself, â€Å"Am I wiling to keep holding on to this negative emotion as I go through the rest of the day? † Once you’ve allowed yourself to be totally immersed in the emotion and really fell it, you will be surprised to find that the emotion clears rather quickly. If you feel you need to hold on to the emotion for a little longer, that is OK. Allow yourself another minute to feel the emotion. When you feel you’ve had enough of the emotion, ask yourself if you’re willing to carry that negativity with you for the rest of the day. If not, take a deep breath. As you exhale, release all that negativity with your breath. This exercise seems simplealmost too simple. But, it is very effective. By allowing that negative emotion the space to be truly felt, you are dealing with the emotion rather than stuffing it down and trying not to feel it. You are actually taking away the power of the emotion by giving it the space and attention it needs. When you immerse yourself in the emotion, and realize that it is only emotion, it loses its control. You can clear your head and proceed with your task. Try it. Next time you’re in the middle of a negative emotion, give yourself the space to feel the emotion and see what happens. Keep a piece of paper with you that says the following: Stop. Immerse for one minute. Do I want to keep this negativity? Breath deep, exhale, release. Move on! This will remind you of the steps to the process. Remember; take the time you need to really immerse yourself in the emotion. Then, when you feel you’ve felt it enough, release itreally let go of it. You will be surprised at how quickly you can move on from a negative situation and get to what you really want to do!  · :Be Happy Be Happy! â€Å"The days that make us happy make us wise. †-John Masefield when I first read this line by England’s Poet Laureate, it startled me. What did Masefield mean? Without thinking about it much, I had always assumed that the opposite was true. But his sober assurance was arresting. I could not forget it. Finally, I seemed to grasp his meaning and realized that here was a profound observation. The wisdom that happiness makes possible lies in clear perception, not fogged by anxiety nor dimmed by despair and boredom, and without the blind spots caused by fear. Active happinessnot mere satisfaction or contentment often comes suddenly, like an April shower or the unfolding of a bud. Then you discover what kind of wisdom has accompanied it. The grass is greener; bird songs are sweeter; the shortcomings of your friends are more understandable and more forgivable. Happiness is like a pair of eyeglasses correcting your spiritual vision. Nor are the insights of happiness limited to what is near around you. Unhappy, with your thoughts turned in upon your emotional woes, your vision is cut short as though by a wall. Happy, the wall crumbles. The long vista is there for the seeing. The ground at your feet, the world about you-people, thoughts, emotions, pressuresare now fitted into the larger scene. Everything assumes a fairer proportion. And here is the beginning of wisdom.  · :The Goodness of life The Goodness of Life Though there is much to be concerned about, there is far, far more for which to be thankful. Though life’s goodness can at times be overshadowed, it is never outweighed. For every single act that is senselessly destructive, there are thousands more small, quiet acts of love, kindness and compassion. For every person who seeks to hurt, there are many, many more who devote their lives to helping and to healing. There is goodness to life that cannot be denied. In the most magnificent vistas and in the smallest details, look closely, for that goodness always comes shining through. There si no limit to the goodness of life. It grows more abundant with each new encounter. The more you experience and appreciate the goodness of life, the more there is to be lived. Even when the cold winds blow and the world seems to be cov ered in foggy shadows, the goodness of life lives on. Open your eyes, open your heart, and you will see that goodness is everywhere. Though the goodness of life seems at times to suffer setbacks, it always endures. For in the darkest moment it becomes vividly clear that life is a priceless treasure. And so the goodness of life is made even stronger by the very things that would oppose it. Time and time again when you feared it was gone forever you found that the goodness of life was really only a moment away. Around the next corner, inside every moment, the goodness of life is there to surprise and delight you. Take a moment to let the goodness of life touch your spirit and calm your thoughts. Then, share your good fortune with another. For the goodness of life grows more and more magnificent each time it is given away. Though the problems constantly scream for attention and the conflicts appear to rage ever stronger, the goodness of life grows stronger still, quietly, peacefully, with more purpose and meaning than ever before.  · :Facing the Enemies Within Facing the Enemies Within We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Maybe some of our fears are brought on by your own experiences, by what someone has told you, by what you’ve read in the papers. Some fears are valid, like walking alone in a bad part of town at two o’clock in the morning. But once you learn to avoid that situation, you won’t need to live in fear of it. Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy our ambitions. Fear can destroy fortunes. Fear can destroy relationships. Fear, if left unchecked, can destroy our lives. Fear is one of the many enemies lurking inside us. Let me tell you about five of the other enemies we face from within. The first enemy that you’ve got to destroy before it destroys you is indifference. What a tragic disease this is! â€Å"Ho-hum, let it slide. I’ll just drift along. † Here’s one problem with drifting: you can’t drift your way to the to of the mountain. The second enemy we face is indecision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity and enterprise. It will steal your chances for a better future. Take a sword to this enemy. The third enemy inside is doubt. Sure, there’s room for healthy skepticism. You can’t believe everything. But you also can’t let doubt take over. Many people doubt the past, doubt the future, doubt each other, doubt the government, doubt the possibilities nad doubt the opportunities. Worse of all, they doubt themselves. I’m telling you, doubt will destroy your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart. Doubt is an enemy. Go after it. Get rid of it. The fourth enemy within is worry. We’ve all got to worry some. Just don’t let conquer you. Instead, let it alarm you. Worry can be useful. If you step off the curb in New York City and a taxi is coming, you’ve.

Use of Foreshadowing in Anne Radcliffes The Italian Essays -- Anne Ra

Use of Foreshadowing in The Italian Anne Radcliffe incorporates many aspects of the Gothic into her novel, The Italian. In this book, one can find an exciting exploration of an exotic culture, a history of family secrets, subtle hints at supernatural forces at work, and Gothic architecture in both ruins and in the Inquisition prison. However, perhaps the most prominent feature of the Gothic used in this novel is the element of suspense. Radcliffe creates suspense in The Italian through a chain of foreshadowed events that lure the reader further and further into the story. Several of the most noticeable means of foreshadowing are found at the beginning of each chapter. From reading the quotes that Radcliffe uses to launch each chapter, the reader can tell more or less what the next few pages will have in store. An example of such a quote can be found at the beginning of the first chapter, "What is this secret sin; this untold tale, That art cannot extract, nor penance cleanse?" - Mysterious Mother (5). From reading this quote, one can already foresee that the story involves a great family secret, and this secret could very well pertain to a mother or a mother figure. It is also safe to assume that this secret has been revealed in confession. This assumption can also be supported by the information revealed in the preceding pages, in which the reader learns that the story he is reading is a written account of a confession made at a convent of the order of the Black Penitents. However, the secret is so great that even penance cannot cleanse the guilty. I t is amazing how much this short introductory quote reveals, especially since it is found so early in the novel. Radcliffe also reveals certain aspects of a ... ...s a mother's would. A few pages later, Olivia discovers the identity of Ellena (92-93). It is apparent that she is deeply affected when she learns Ellena's full name. These instances support the notion that Olivia and Ellena are connected, but the reader must wait until the end of the book to discover their relationship. In The Italian, Anne Radcliffe uses the technique of foreshadowing in such a way that the reader can make accurate assumptions about major points in the novel. However, Radcliffe is careful not to reveal too much information and merely makes suggestions as to what might occur later in the novel. This clever approach entices the reader and keeps him/her interested in the story. When the reader finally finishes the novel, the suspenseful mystery that Radcliffe has created all comes together and leaves the reader satisfied.

The Bluest Eye Essay -- essays research papers

Beauty is something that a lot of people in life strive for , because everyone has fitted in their mind what exactly beauty is. People know that it can help you out in life. But what most people don’t know is that, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Meaning that beauty should not be characterized by what people are told it is, beauty is different for everyone, what is beautiful for you may be ugly to someone else. The characters in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye are confronted with the ideal of beauty and strive for it whether they know it or not. The two characters that I think were followed the ideal of beauty in Toni Morrison’s story are Pauline and Pecola. In Toni Morrison’s story and in real life, beauty is described by people as having blond hair, blue eyes , perfect figure, etc. It’s been said that if you have good looks, you can make it in life with just looks alone. People only strive for becoming beautiful because they want attention. As is the case in Toni Morrison’s story. The characters in her story think that they are ugly , by others opinions of them , and want to become beautiful so they will be recognized and be the center of attention. But the harder both characters try, the worse things get. Pauline strived for beauty because she wanted to attention and wanted to be beautiful. Pauline seemed to have just worse case of bad luck, when she was a child she stepped on a nail and she was left with a limp forever. "The wound lef...

The Odyssey

The Odyssey In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus does not deserve his reputation as a brave and clever leader because he is very arrogant, conceited, and he only cares about his glories which causes him the life of all his loyal companions. Odysseus makes the mistake of bragging out to the Cyclops about how he conquered stabbing his eye and escaping his cave â€Å"Cyclops if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca! (Book 9, lines 416-420). Odysseus does not think about the consequences he will have now after yelling out his real name, his father’s name, and his home land. His journey home will be much more difficult due to a non-clever decision. The Cyclops tries to trick Odysseus into going back and possibly eat or kill him ‘’Come back Odysseus, and ill treat you well, praying the god of earthquake to befriend you, his son I am †¦ if he will, he may heal me of this black wound †¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Book 9, lines 431-435).Odysseus does not return which does show some cleverness but then again he yells out to the Cyclops â€Å"if I could take your life I would and take your time away, and hurl you down to hell! The god of earthquake could not heal you there! †(Book 9, 437-440). This aggravates the Cyclops and he puts a curse on Odysseus â€Å"†¦grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never see his home †¦let him lose all companions, and return under strange sail to bitter days at home†(Book 9. Lines 445-452). Due to all of his actions, bragging about his glories, Odysseus will face many difficult challenges and may not return home. The Odyssey In the tenth book of the Odyssey Odysseus and his companions find themselves trapped in the cave if the Cyclops Polyphemos. After their monstrous host has munched his way through several of his guests, the remainder take action. Odysseus makes a sharp, wooden stake, cutting it from the massive cudgel discovered in the cave; then together with four of his men he plunges the stake into the eye of the drunken, sleeping Polyphemos. Snodgrass, however, would dissent. His whole book is devoted to proving that not only did early Greek art rarely illustrate Homer, it was rarely even inspired by it. This theory is not a new one. Many other scholar have thought and pondered the same ideas. Snodgrass meticulously studies examples of scene often thought to be illustrations of Homer. Geometric art, he argues, offers nothing that can be identified as Homeric; indeed, there is only one Trojan war scene and that is Ajax's rescue of the body of Achilles, a scene which occurs in neither the Odyssey nor the Iliad. One of the more bizarre apparitions of geometric art takes the form of a pair of Siamese twins, warriors with two heads, four legs, four arms and one torso and the subject of some fascinating pages in Snodgrass's book. They were especially popular in early Greek art, but there is no clear Homeric influence here. Twice does the Iliad does refer to the twins, yet significantly he does not mention their rather striking deformity. It is preferable to understand both the artist and Homer as drawing on the same body of legendary material. By the mid seventh century figures on vases are beginning to be identified by captions. This at least makes it easier to determine whether the scene is from the Trojan war. Instead of two warriors fighting over a body we can be sure that we are looking at Menealos and Hektor fighting over the body of Euphorbos, as found on a famous Rhodian plate of the late seventh century, a picture that makes an impressive and appropriate cover for the book. This could very well be an illustration of the Iliad book where Menealos abandons his attempt to strip the corpse. Evidence for this tradition can be found in the shield of Euphorbos by Menealos himself. This is certainly plausible and helps to show that common subject matter is insufficient to prove influence. On the other hand, where a minor character is names, such as ‘Odios' in the embassy to Achilles, then we can be more confident that the artist had Homer in mind. This is a book of enormous leaning and subtlety, and it conclusion is surely right, yet at the same time it seems something of a missed opportunity. It is devoted to a negative and tightly-argued thesis, that Homer's epic poems had only minimal influence on early Greek at. Snodgrass is re-thinking early Greek art as he goes, but he is re-thinking it within the restrictions imposed by the very narrow focus of the book as a whole. Thus, the positive, for instance the illuminating chapter on synoptic narrative and on composition, can be rather swapped in the relentless negative arguments. Other will now need to work through the implications of his thesis, for example the role that must be assigned to oral tradition and all its local variations. Perhaps it is no conscience that his book should appear at a time when the literary culture of the recent past is being eroded by an increasing emphasis on the visual. The Odyssey The Odyssey In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus does not deserve his reputation as a brave and clever leader because he is very arrogant, conceited, and he only cares about his glories which causes him the life of all his loyal companions. Odysseus makes the mistake of bragging out to the Cyclops about how he conquered stabbing his eye and escaping his cave â€Å"Cyclops if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca! (Book 9, lines 416-420). Odysseus does not think about the consequences he will have now after yelling out his real name, his father’s name, and his home land. His journey home will be much more difficult due to a non-clever decision. The Cyclops tries to trick Odysseus into going back and possibly eat or kill him ‘’Come back Odysseus, and ill treat you well, praying the god of earthquake to befriend you, his son I am †¦ if he will, he may heal me of this black wound †¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Book 9, lines 431-435).Odysseus does not return which does show some cleverness but then again he yells out to the Cyclops â€Å"if I could take your life I would and take your time away, and hurl you down to hell! The god of earthquake could not heal you there! †(Book 9, 437-440). This aggravates the Cyclops and he puts a curse on Odysseus â€Å"†¦grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never see his home †¦let him lose all companions, and return under strange sail to bitter days at home†(Book 9. Lines 445-452). Due to all of his actions, bragging about his glories, Odysseus will face many difficult challenges and may not return home.

Types Of Love In Romeo And Juliet Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers

Types Of Love In Romeo And Juliet Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers Types of love in Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a play about two lovers separated by their feuding families. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life.(Pro.I.6) The two foes Shakespeare speaks of are the Montagues and the Capulets. Their hate for each other is great and violent. The hate of the two families is shown early with a street brawl. The hate causes the lovers to hide their love from their families until the very end. after Romeo and Juliet died in the Caplulet tomb the two families see their hate and reconcile for the love of their beloved children. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet reviled love as a war as a religion as a malady and as a cult. The theme of love, which he explains in other keys in plays before and after remain central, though now it is to idealized in all seriousness(Sauffer 29). All through the play Shakespeare constantly held love as the basis of the play. The actual ethical energy of the drama resides in its Wise,2 realization of the purity and intensity of ideal love. Here there is no swerving(Stauffer 32). Stauffer believes that Romeo and Juliet's love was pure and intense also it is constant ever since the they lay eyes on each other. Romeo and Juliet's love is a perfect blending of body and soul. The obstacle which is a feature of the amour-passion legend is partly external, the family feud; but is partly a sword of the lovers' won tempering since, unlike earlier tellers of the story, Shakespeare leaves us with no explanation of why Romeo did not put Juliet on his horse and make for Manturia(Mahood 392). If Romeo would leave Verona with his love Juliet both will live with each other and could be in love till they are old and gray, but instead Romeo leaves with out his love and die young with each other. The love of Romeo and Juliet is immediate violent and final. In the voyage of the play they abandon themselves to a rudderless course that must end in ship wreck(Mahood 392). "Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on the dashing rocks, thy sea sick weary burke: He eres my Louve."(V.iiii 117-119) The theme of Romeo and Juliet is love and violence and their interactions. In it these two mightiest of mighty opposites meet each other squarely - and one wins(Goddard 118). The whole secrete of the play is that the deaths of Wise,3 the lovers are not the result of the hatred of the houses, nor of any other cause except love itself, which seeks death in its own restoring cordial. Love conquers death even more surly than it defeats hate. It sweeps aside all accidents so that fate itself seems powerless. Time is defeated, in that first stirring of a belief that Shakespeare came later to trust completely: that the intensity of an emotion towers above its temporal duration or success(Stauffer 32). What Stauffer is trying to say is that love is very powerful and even in death the love continues. Romeo finds Juliet's sleeping body after she had drank the potion, and he believes her to be dead. Romeo is slain when Juliet wakes up from here sleep. Out of fear and love she inserts a dagger into her heart with the famous line "Oh happy dagger". Even though the two lovers are dead their love continues. The love between Romeo and Juliet was forbidden by the two families because of their hatred for each other. Most religions say to honor your parents and if their parents new of the love it could have been disaterious. After Juliet marries Romeo the Nurse tries to convince Juliet to commit bigamy. She wants here to marry Paris so that all will be right with here father and the rest of the Capulet family, Juliet refuses. Wise,4 At the time Romeo meets Juliet, he is infatuated with a woman named Roseline. Romeo's moon struck calf-love for Rosaline must be laughed out of him by his friends Benvolio and Mercutio, by his guide Friar Lawrence and by his own true love. For Romeo doting upon Rosalin, love was malady and religion; for Mercutio it is sheer lunacy or a brutal conquest(Mahood 398). Mercutio's realm of love was lust, also very false by nature. For all the bad things the be said about lust, it is where all the jokes are and Mercutio being a joker used it to his full advantage. In trying to call Romeo over the wall, he tried a certain amount of discussion about Rosline's body

Götz and Meyer, written by David Albahari

Gà ¶tz and Meyer, written by David Albahari Fictions on holocaust are often shocking because they depict murders by the Nazi prosecutions and cold-blooded massacre of Jews. Such stories are full of unsparing depiction of human sufferings and genocide to such an effect that, one fails to see perpetrators as humans, who used to be viewed as faceless entities that were programmed to commit murders.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Gà ¶tz and Meyer, written by David Albahari specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The book Gà ¶tz and Meyer, written by David Albahari, tries to prove the fact that the perpetrators have a human face. It is emphasized that the protagonists in the novel, who are two Nazi drivers of the gas trucks, are not mere murder machines. The author humanizes the characters in order to present a different way of perceiving the nature of evil. Through the humor and empathy implemented in the novel, the characters that embody two Nazi soldiers ar e given human faces instead of the sole image of a murderer. A nameless teacher from Belgrade narrates the story about the destruction of the Serbian Jews during the war. He was obsessed with reconstructing his family tree, therefore, he toiled endlessly in the archives to gather information, but failed miserably for he could find only a few members of his family while there were sixty of them killed. The narrator says, â€Å"For me to truly understand real people like my relatives, I had first to understand real people like Gà ¶tz and Meyer.† . The novel is about these two characters, who were Nazi soldiers, being unknown to the narrator though. When the narrator begins his narration, he knows nothing about William Gà ¶tz and Erwin Meyer except for their names: â€Å"Gà ¶tz and Meyer. Having never seen them, I can only imagine them.† Initially he describes them as unknown people or characters as described in a tale. They were German soldiers, they were SS commissio ned, who were assigned the duty of driving a large truck for a â€Å"special purpose†. Their duty was to drive the truck every day to and from the fairground in Belgrade. The narrator constantly repeats the following line, â€Å"Having never seen them, I can only imagine them† (1) in order to imprint their images in the mind of the listeners, as well as in his own mind. One might say the narrator plays a dangerous game by trying to understand the characters at the risk of becoming them. At this point, one must note the importance of memory in the novel. Robert Eaglestone in the book The Holocaust and the Postmodern highlights the fact that â€Å"memory† helps to â€Å"evoke nearly everything there is to a person and to a society.† (74) Eaglestone also believes that the way â€Å"we remember the past† helps in framing our identity. Like most of the Holocaust fictions, the narrator too is nostalgic of his destroyed past and tells the story from memor y. However, unlike most Holocaust fictions, Albahari does not depict an ugly picture of the time. His stories deal with death, killing, mass murders in gas chamber, but they do not describe all the sufferings in detail to haunt the reader’s imagination of the Nazi carnage. Rather, the â€Å"memory narration† of the novel builds a humane figure for the two people who were Nazis.Advertising Looking for research paper on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Albahari describes the two protagonists, playing with children on the ground before they go back to work. He further underlines that both of them are married and worry about the children at home. One of them, maybe Meyer (again the narrator is unsure which one of them) is fond of children and like presenting them chocolates. Now these children could easily be Jewish youngsters at Belgrade Fairground whom he had to transport in his truc k. Such a scene shows that these two men were the victims. They were there to perform their duty, in reality, they were not monsters with evil eyes and poisonous fangs. The narrator talks of the ambitions and desires of the protagonists. One of them, (again the narrator is unsure which one), wanted to be a pilot, and the other one has other dreams in his mind. The narrator is often unsure how to differentiate between them, and often forgets to stress out who was doing some particular things in this or that scene, but these characters are not presented to the readers as caricature of evil villains. Rather, they are presented as individuals committed towards one task. The narrator describes the truck that the protagonists drive: The truck was a Saurer, a five-tonner with a boxlike body, 1.7 meters high and 5.8 meters long †¦ A full hundred people could stand in the back †¦ During these trips, the souls became real souls, no longer human in form. Gà ¶tz and Meyer most certai nly knew what was happening in the back of the truckAfter all, the people they were driving had no souls, that, at least, was a commonly known fact! Jews were nothing more than milder on the face of the world! And so, day in and day out, they would repeat their practiced routine. This paragraph shows two protagonists in a bad light to the readers, showing that they were carriers of death to men, women, and children they carried in their truck and believed that they were soulless and faceless creatures. The routine involved the protagonists in the destruction of the Serbian Jews. The novel shows a host of killings that were conducted by SS squads; they shot hundreds of people face to face. However, such mass killings made the German soldiers weary and took a toll on their morale. Therefore, a less personal means of massacre was employed through these mobile gas vans. For the first time, the readers view Gà ¶tz and Meyer as murderers who helped in asphyxiation of many women and child ren in their truck.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Gà ¶tz and Meyer, written by David Albahari specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The narration of the killings makes the narrator more involved, he describes how the protagonists would drive the truck into the distance, and one of them would put the exhaust pipe into the truck. After that, they were never involved in killing. Then, the dead bodies were driven to the Serbian prison where the bodies were dumped. While this gruesome process is being put into effect, the narrator imagines Gotz and Meyer â€Å"chatting with their commander†, again enabling the readers to look at these two bearers of death as humans. The memory of the narrator plays a major role in the description of the biographical or historical fiction, especially that of the Holocaust . This piece of fiction is also drawn from the memory, but the narrator is truthful enough to say that h e has not met the characters Goth and Meyer, and therefore, he is obliged to draw from his imagination, which of course has been discoursed with stereotypes. Individual memory exists in a collective form, adhering to the social norms and framework . For example, in the story, the memory of the narrator was reconstructed by events and incidents that had been externally infused in his mind by those groups that influenced his memory. Consequently, it is obvious that he will embitter feelings towards the two German soldiers he describes. His imagination is bound to have the stereotypes, and Jewish constructs influence his description of the story as well as the characters. This has helped in humanizing the characters as well. The novel can be called humorous due to the deadpan tone of the narrator, presenting the story to the readers in a satirical tone. This gives the novel an uncanny comical feature. Once the readers pick a book on holocaust, the prevalent stereotypes play in their mi nd and eventually they expect a horror story of human atrocities and sufferings. The element of empathy and humor present in the story is evident in the way the narrator describes the two Nazi protagonists. In a non-committal voice, as if he was narrating the story of any other man, he described how Gà ¶tz and Meyer were performing their work and duties. He tried to imagine these men, having with their personal lives, full of concerns and problems. The implementation of humor in describing an act of atrocity makes it more tragic . Humor in holocaust fiction does not imply that the whole story becomes a â€Å"carnival†; what is strives to portray is a different perspective of life at the time when it seems it can only be filled with death . Presence of puns and double meaning in dialogues is the essence of Holocaust fiction that is reiterated in Gà ¶tz and Meyer.Advertising Looking for research paper on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The episode when the narrator describes his untimely desire to itch in the classroom and the episode where he subsequently visits a dermatologist is full of dark humor. After school, the narrator visits a doctor to get the problem of his itching examined. The doctor inquires of any past complaint of skin disease in the narrator’s family. To this query, the narrator sarcastically answers, â€Å"Most of them died of poisoning† . Another instance where the narrator presents a case of dark, double edged humor was when he asked his students to imagine a journey to the camp and when he tells one of his students that she will not be allowed take her pet to the camp. She then contemptuously says â€Å"Why, this is inhuman† . Even the protagonists Gà ¶tz and Meyer are subjected to dark humor as the narrator, making them human as well as inhuman at the same time. The story uses various tropes to show Gà ¶tz and Meyer as humans. One of them is when the narrator directly questions the readers: What kind of man would †¦ consent to do a job that meant putting five or six thousand souls to death? I find it hard to give a student a bad grade at the end of the semester, let alone at the end of the year, but that is nothing compared to the way Gà ¶tz and Meyer must have felt. The narrator at once makes the protagonists human and the very next moment brings out the ugly side of their work. By comparing his work as a teacher and their job as killers, the narrator puts two juxtaposing professions to bring out the satire in it. Thus, through interplay of human and inhuman characters to demonstrate the protagonists, Albahari has actually made Gà ¶tz and Meyer two ordinary men rather than Nazi soldiers. Bibliography Albahari, David. Gotz Meyer. London: Random House, 2005. Print. Eaglestone, Robert. The Holocaust and the Postmodern . London: Oxford University Press, 2004. Print. Pres, Terrence Des. Holocaust Laughter. Pres, Terrence Des. Writings into th e World. London: Viking, 1991. 279-286. Print.

Character Names 19 Methods Tips for Naming Characters Step-by-Step

Character Names 19 Methods Tips for Naming Characters Step-by-Step Character Names: 19 Methods Tips for Naming Characters Step-by-Step Your character names have the ability to transform the perception readers have of your book and story.If you think about itcharacter names are actually a specific literary device you can use most sneakily.And if you want readers to love, adore, and care for your main character, giving them the best and most memorable name can make all the difference.Use these methods for naming characters in your book:Using baby name websitesThe Root-Meaning methodMash-up character naming methodThe Add-on methodDevelop-First naming methodMaking character names up from scratchNaming-by-era methodUsing similar-to-real-life names11 tips for getting character names rightNOTE:Are you ready to give your characters a real home? Check out our VIP Fundamentals of Fiction and Storytelling Self-Publishing Program to learn how. Learn more about it hereNaming Characters Intentionally: Why Character Names MatterCharacter names have the power to transform your readers perception of your character entirely.Lets use the example of names from How to Train Your Dragon, the animated film.Character name example: HiccupWhy this character name matters: This name is extremely fitting to the type of character Hiccup is. The reason for a silly, weak name like this is because that is what the creators want you to think of when you hear the name. They want you to have low expectations so that when this character rises above, the emotional impact is far greater than if he had a typical hero name.You can use this same ideology for villains. One in particular with a famous name is from Harry Potter.Character name example: Lord VoldemortWhy this character name matters: From the beginning, Rowling crafted this name to be foreboding. In fact, this character himself chose the name because of that. As the author, you can craft your villains name based on your intentions. If you want readers to underestimate them, choose a silly name like Bob. But if you want readers to fear the wrath of your villain, choose a mor e fitting name like Lord Voldemort.Character Name GeneratorsIf youre looking for the easy way out and would rather someone else do the work in naming your characters, there are tools online for that.Here are some of the top character name generators:Character Name Generator This one allows you to fill in several different defining factors in order to produce a character name that fits your character best.Fantasy Name Generator Are you writing a fantasy novel and need some character name ideas? This generator offers several different options for theme-based character names for your fantasy book.Name Generator for Fun With this one, you can choose from several categories, like villain names, rap names, superhero names, and more.Name Generator This character name generator also gives you options to narrow in on details about your character for a more fitting name. However, this one has more real-life names than uniquely created, so it may serve better if youre writing in the conte mporary book genre.Writers Character Name Generator While very random, this one may just allow you to stumble upon your next main characters name.Character Name GeneratorHow to Come Up With Character NamesNaming your characters is one of the best and scariest parts of writing a novel.Using one of these methods will help ease the process while providing higher quality final results.#1 Baby Name WebsitesOne of the most popular methods of coming up with new character names is to pretend theyre your babyliterally!Baby naming websites have been serving up characer names for writers for years.Oftentimes, these websites even offer name meanings, trending names, and even names that were popular doing different years.Here are some great baby name websites to discover your characters names:NameberryBaby Name WizardBaby Name CenterNymblerBaby NamesBabble Baby Names#2 Root-Meaning MethodWelcome to the most common, tried-and-true method to name characters in books.People use this method in re al-life to name their children, too!The root-meaning method simply refers to using a core meaning or belief or even origin of a name for symbolism in your book.Here are some examples of this:Tobias Kaya in The Saviors Champion: His name means goodness and is very much meant to align with who his character is and his role in the series.Frodo Baggins in Lord of the Rings: Little do most people know, the name Frodo originated from the old English word frà ³d, which translates to wise by experience.Katniss Everdeen in Hunger Games: This books author really took the name meaning seriously when crafting her main character. Katniss is a plant in the genus Sagittaria, which roughly translates from Latin as archer.You can easily find the meanings of names by venturing to baby naming websites. You can also type in a name you like to Google and it will usually pop up.#3 The Mash-UpOne of my personal favorite ways of creating new names is to simply mash real-life names together until I find s omething thats real-sounding but also unique to my world and characters.This method of coming up with character names is better learned through seeing than a simple explanation:Josh and Riley = Joley, Jile, Rosh, RisheCasey and Michael = Cachel, Cachael, Casel, Misey, Miche, Michey, MaseyEmily and Rochelle = Emelle, Echelle, Romil, Romily, Rochil, RocilyObviously, some combinations will be better than others, but this is a quick way to generate new but realistic character names.Heres the step-by-step breakdown for how to create simple character names with this method:Choose or find 2 real-life namesMatch them side by sideTake the first half of the first name and mix and mach it with the last half of the second nameRepeat step 3 but vice versaYou should have a list of several different sounding namesChoose a few to keep that you likeRepeat this process with several pairs until you have a roster of character names to choose from#4 The Add-OnThis method is super similar to the previou s method but with more freedom.This is another personal favorite and how I manage to come up with cool and interesting names that are also unique to my story.Instead of taking two names and matching the beginning of one with the end of the other, simply choose real names and swap out the endings or add on to them completely.Heres what this looks likeRebecca = Rebera, Rebilla, Rebyr, Rebine, ReborraTaylor = Tayr, Tayora, Tayrin, Taysila, TayserraCory = Corrin, Corel, Coreesa, Coryn, Corros, Cortsa, CortaJohn = Johva, Johrrin, Johk, JohreyThe steps for this one are pretty obvious. Choose a random real-life name and simply swap out the endings for a combination you create on your own.I always try to do varying combinations, remembering that double consonants work well, as does changing the length of the vowel sounds by adding or changing those letters.I do this often and keep a spreadsheet with names I like, as in the image below.#5 Develop-First NamingSometimes choosing a characters name too early will make you subconsciously develop that character into someone who fits that name.This can be bad if you need that specific character to act and behave in a certain way.With this character naming method, you will develop your character in full first and then choose their name. The reason for this is to ensure youll write that character with intention.For example: in the Harry Potter series, the mood tends to be more serious. Rowling created Ron Weasley as comedic relief. While Ron is much more than that, the intention is still for him to be a goofy, funny character.The name Ron Weasley supports this development.Had she named him a more serious name like Reginald, Theodore, or Christopher, crafting those scenes may have been very different.The same can be said for another character called Draco Malfoy. This name is far more dark than it is funny, which is fitting for his character.The steps for this character naming method are simple:Download and fill out this charac ter development worksheet.Understand your characters role in the story. Do you want them to be serious, funny, silly, foreboding?List names that make you feel the way of your intentions.Ask friend and family to tell you what each name makes them think of personality-wise.Narrow down your choices to 3 and ask another group.Decide on the best-fitting name.#6 Make Them UpIf you want to have 100% unique character names (like Lhonniadreah, a character in the book Im writing, Lhonni for short), youve got to get creative.But youre a writer, so you know how to get creative.This particular method doesnt have many rules.Essentially, you can simply think up a random name. Perhaps you have a base or a beginning that you like.For example, my full original name for the character mentioned above was Lhonni. But I felt her character needed a longer name to fit with the traditional style of the names in her culture.Secondly, I decided to pull from the common letter match-ups this culture sees often . In this case, the combinations of the dr sound with long vowels is popular.I went on to create several combinations of potential full names:LhonnidrayLhonniyadraLhonniodrinLhonnidraUltimately, the name I chose best fit her as a character, and I decided afterward that her mothers name would be Dreah, so that her name is a namesake thats in common format for the culture I created.Heres how you can replicate this process:Write down a sound or start or end of a name you like (this can be a -ly ending, an ash- beginning, or even an -eer- middle of a name.Decide if you want the name to hold any significant meaning the way mine does. This does not have to be the same meaning. You can even find base words in English or Latin to use.Take into account any world-specific cultural influences on the name. Your world building expands to even your characters name. Dont forget this! (If your book takes place in this world, think about family spellings and such as a substitute)Create a list with s everal different versions and variations. Remember your characters name can take on very different meanings and intentions based on the sound (and look!) of it.Choose the name that feels right and embodies your intentions for the character. And let it stew for a few days! Now, even if your character is brave and strong, like in the Hiccup example, using a less-than-obvious name can provide a unique perception that fosters a better reaction later.#7 Name-by-eraOne of the biggest mistakes you can make is unintentionally destroying your readers suspension of disbelief by naming a character something wildly out of the ordinary for a time period.If youre writing historical fiction or just a story from 10-15 years ago, you want to make sure your names are realistic for the time period.This trick is also helpful if you want to give your out-of-the-real-world novel a specific time era vibe.Here are some resources for baby names by era:Popular Baby Names by EraBusiness Insiders Baby Name Li st from the 1880s onVictorian baby namesBaby Center Baby Names Through the Centuries#8 Using similar but different real namesThe most famous author who uses this method is George R.R. Martin in his infamous series Game of Thrones.What Martin did in order to give this epic fantasy series realistic but medieval sounding names is simply alter just a few letters in a name.Here are some examples of names from Game of Thrones with more common real names:Gregor GregoryJoffrey JefferyBrienne BrianneTheon Theo / TheodorePetyr PeterJorah JonahGilly LillyPodrick RodrickMartin has a way of completely transforming these very similar-to-real-life names into something with both a. fantastical and medieval twist in order to further transport us to his world. Of course Game of Thrones also features completely unique names like Daenerys and Tyrion along with real-life names like Robert and Jon. Martin uses this combination to his advantage- and you can too!Top Tips for Naming Characters in Y our BookNo matter which method you choose for naming your characters, youll need a few tips to make it more effective.Here are the best tips for naming book characters with intention.#1 Remember, length mattersThis is particularly true if you have several characters who will interact with one another regularly.If you have all very long names, your reader will be exhausted.You dont want thatWhat you do want is a reader who doesnt have to focus on the pronunciation or longevity of several character names.Using a combination of long, short, and medium length names will allow your readers to read easier so they can focus more on visualizing whats happening.Heres an example of this with names from my work in progress:EssadraVhieDailanLhonniadreahRiddickKetThis combination allows several of these characters to be in the same scene without exhausting or confusing the reader.#2 Keep nicknames in mindYou can use your characters name as a plot device if you really wanted to.Maybe the reveal of your main characters full name is important to the story and your character has only been called by a nickname their whole life.Nicknames can also serve as a way to show and not tell within your writing as well. Those close to your character are more likely to use a nickname and therefore, you dont have to dumb as much exposition in order for them to learn.Just make sure the nickname is also fitting and not too similar to other characters names.#3 Make sure the name fits the characterWeve already mentioned this tip a number of times but its worth mentioning again.If your characters name is very, very ill-fitting, it will stand out in a bad way to readers.This is why getting feedback and understanding your character fully is so vital for the naming process.#4 Make sure the name fits the settingWhere your story takes place can change the names you use for your characters.Whats the location?Does your story take place in a cold, harsh climate or in a dry, warmer environment?The lo cation matters because the names used can help enhance or take away from the mood youre trying to create within that environment.For example, harsher climates tend to pair well with curt, quipped names to mirror this. But if you want your character in this specific place to stand out, you can give them a name thats ill-fitting in order to focus on this contrast.A great example of this is Ygritte from Game of Thrones. Yet again, George R.R. Martin has named someone who lives in a tough, gritty environment with a suitable name that gives off this vibe.What are the cultural influences?As mentioned in a few of these tips, culture plays a large role in your characters names.Does your culture, whether you make it up or its real, influence your characters name in any way?For example, in a certain culture in my work in progress, names can often be namesakes. However, instead of simply naming a baby the full name of whomever theyd like to honor, they add the name to the start of another.Lhon nidra is a common name in a certain place of my book. However, her mother Dreah died. Her father then named her after her mother, but in this world, that would translate to Lhonniadreah instead of just Dreah.Ask yourself if there are any cultural influences and if there isnt (and youre completely making up this world), feel free to add some!What is the intended time period?Even if your book takes places in a completely different world, you can still allow readers to get a sense of the intended time period youre going for with the names you use.For this method, use old victorian names or names from medieval times as a base when also using another method for coming up with a unique name.Victorian name example: EmalineCreated for a unique world while maintaining the same vibe: EmariseYou can tweak the names until you find something that feels right.#5 Consider how each name soundsThere are several literary elements that touch on the way similar or contrastingly different sounds can pl ay into the attractiveness of writing.Although most people dont read novels out loud, unless theyre reading to their kids, we all still have a voice in our head that is out loud.And that voice is drawn to names that sound appealing.This can often be a subjective element when coming up with character names, but you can probably recognize names that sound good versus names that sound bad.But you can also use this to your advantage for further character development as well.Ugly sounding names are a great fit for characters youd like your audience to interpret as just that. Its all about what intention you have for that character.An example of this is the name James Bond. I think we can all agree this is a great sounding, tough name that fits the character well.#6 Get feedback on the namesOther people are a better judge of the first impression of a character name simply because its fresh for them.Enlist 7-10 people you can get feedback from when it comes to these names.Send the name al ong with 2 sentences describing the character (physically and personality) and ask them if they sound like they fit.Oftentimes, we might really like names that are hard to read or pronounce for new readers. In that case, youll want to problem solve for a solution.#7 Dont be afraid to go crazy with itThis is your book! This is your world and if you have names that are a little out there, thats okay!The only reason youd want to reel in the craziness is if the names are too complex for readers to easily comprehend and remember.Nobody wants a character whose name people forget when talking about the book. After all, characters are one of the first things raving fans gush about with a new book they love.That being said, dont be afraid of creating your own names in your own world. Real-life parents make up names for their children every day. You can do the same for your characters.#8 Create cultural similarities in your worldThis is mainly for authors writing in a unique world they make up on their own.Different cultures and languages have very different names and common ways to spell and pronounce those names.Heres a quick example of several names from opposite sites of the world in my story: If your characters are from very different areas, the names should reflect that, just like in life.#9 Avoid using already-popular book character namesUsing the name Harry or Katniss isnt the best idea. At leastnot if you want your characters to be remembered as your characters.With infamous names, itll be very hard to set your character (and therefore, your book) apart.If you want to use a name and arent sure if its in another super popular book, just do a Google search for Name in book and if it doesnt populate a very specific result, youre in the clear.#10 Avoid similar names if your character is based on someone you knowAll writers draw inspiration from the real world. Theyre lying if they say otherwise.BUT, if you do base a character on someone you know in real life (which we recommend you change enough that they wouldnt know anyway), dont use a name thats similar for the character.This can make people feel very uncomfortable, not to mention itll be that much more obvious to ou tsiders who know you.#11 Bring your characters to lifeDont just name your characters and leave them to exist only in your imagination and future conversations of friends or family asking you if youve finished your book yet.Give them a world by finishing and even publishing your book.Weve got some tips to help you with that in this free video training.Save your spot by signing up below!

Art Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Art Media - Essay Example Mexican born in 1981, is digitizing archive images while at the same time creating a form of the extensive index of the associated words that eventually â€Å"mirrors† the image into the database (Inaki, 2003). The experience of interacting with this form of artwork is marvelous and very interesting. It is very interesting and enticing to learn that archive images can be subject to integrate with some words that mirror this archive images into the database. In my opinion, the purpose of this piece of art of work is to convert the past or traditional art into modern forms that would be able to attract the attention of the modern generations while at the same time be able to preserve the same archives in digital forms that would last for many years to come. Additionally, this form of digital interactive art purposes at accommodating numerous images in small space those viewers will be able to view conveniently without necessarily moving from one viewing room to the next viewing room. There is a lot that connects this form of digital artwork to the contemporary life. At first, the aspect of which archive images that could be viewed in the form of the traditional display were subject to integrate into the modern forms of digital storage connects to the contemporary life. It makes the entire process of viewing much simpler and easier through the aid of graphic designs and programming. An example of which this digital artwork compares directly to other activities one might perform on the internet in that there is a possibility of matching text and images. Additionally, it is possible to locate many images through the internet source, which compares similarly to this form of digital art whereby a set of core images are subject to locate existing in a single source of database. One thing that differentiates this site from other sources of the internet is that the images and wording contained in such databases tell of the historic activities or historic archives. Other

Global Marketing Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global Marketing - Coursework Example Firstly, a company has a better brand presence all over the world, since parts of the world are familiarized with its products; bring rich long term dividends (Chung, 1996, p.2). Secondly, the need to reach out to better markets is fulfilled, allowing the company to recover from losses incurred in lower markets. The main disadvantages of global expansion and e-commerce are not many. The most difficult part of the expansion is the high degree of market risk that comes into the reports and the reduced ROI that hits the investments during the initial years. The most important challenges that any company faces while global expansion includes developing a daunting localization strategy that does not fail in spite of local competitors in new markets, and the challenge of overcoming product launches which fail in rich markets, only because of lack of customization or local features. When Apollo Inc decided to expand its products into the toy markets in Asia and Europe, it had to decide on a great deal of customization to be able to create a same degree of appeal amongst buyers in the new markets. Established in 1912, Apollo Inc had to work it up the US markets the hard way. Their offerings initially failed to match up with the predominance of Disneyland and the Barbie franchisees. In order to get over these existing competitions, Apollo had to concentrate on toy items that were bought by boys. These included cycles, helicopters, and sports gear that helped school going kids and teenagers make the most of their boyish adventures. In order to succeed in global expansion, Apollo Inc has to measure up all the toy offerings that the new markets have. Barbie already has a worldwide presence wile Disneyland products and mimics are not to be found outside US. So, in countries of Canada and Europe, Apollo can hope to succeed in its expansion strategy. With a multi-national strategy going

John McCain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

John McCain - Essay Example Citizens traditionally invest their trust in leaders whom they perceive representing society's ethical principles. Without ethos, leaders have little chance of uniting society for the advancement of their causes. The ideal leader is able to persuade his constituents with both logically and emotionally appealing arguments. For this reason, logos and pathos are critical components of a successful leader's character. While good leaders might excel in either ethos, pathos or logos, truly great leaders incorporate all of these aspects into their characters. Both Pericles and John McCain are able to do this by continuously seeking to mitigate their shortcomings while developing their attributes. Both are known for having lived their lives according to the principles they espouse, giving them much credibility. McCain displays superior ethos when referring to the war in Iraq because he has the military experience to back up his words. While other candidates may pay lip service to the same matters, McCain has an educated opinion derived from twenty-two years in the military. McCain, like Pericles, displays his superior ethics through both his convictions and his actions. Pericles firmly believed that rights and privileges entail responsibilities and obligations. McCain draws similar conclusions, championing individual responsibility at all levels. "For all the grandiose promises made in this campaign, has any candidate spoken honestly to the American people about the government's role and failings about individual responsibilities" he said. (McCain on CNN, 2007) McCain believes that the government has a responsibility to the people, but in turn the people have a duty to participate in the politics and defense of their country. As McCain said during a 1958 speech at the U.S. Naval Academy, "If you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you are disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them." Indeed, political participation and service to state and society are the responsibility and obligation of every American citizen (Dinan, 2008). Pericles was known throughout the ancient Greek city-states for the emotional strength of his arguments. Pericles motivated the Athenians during the Peloponnesian War in a similar way to how McCain inspires Americans during the troubled times of today. McCain realizes that logical arguments based upon facts, figures and reasons are not enough to move society. Thus, he makes extensive use of emotionally appealing arguments, demonstrating his impeccable pathos. While advocating the benefits of national service programs, McCain keeps data out of the picture. Rather, he utilizes sentimental yet strong verbiage to illustrate his points, such as "those who claim their liberty but not their duty to the civilization that ensures it live a half-life, indulging their self-interest at the cost of their self-respect. Sacrifice for a cause greater than self-interest, however, and you invest your life with the eminence of that cause (McCain, 2001)." I look to a great leader for inspiration and motivation. This great leader must necessarily match Pericles' embodiment of ethos, logos and pathos. McCain's ethical convictions and credibility; logical and reasoning ability; and emotionally appealing arguments, make him a modern day Pericles and I admire him for

Discussion unit 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion unit 2 - Assignment Example Therefore, giving them a new pair of shoes will be like a miracle to them. When a person receives a present that he was not expecting, it is magical and unique. In the case of children walking bare footed in Africa, they are facilitated by the company and made to experience the beauty of putting on shoes when they know they cannot even afford the shoes. Such approaches show the power of miracle or fate as explained in the society. The support of the underprivileged in the society is vital because it makes the world a better place for everyone. The support of such programs as one for one shoe program of the company should be the ultimate goal for the members of the society. In addition, several privileges are not enjoyed by the less fortunate in the society. In fact, the main goal of the society is to offer support for the less fortunate. There are several people who will assist me in the writing process, and the most integral person is my close friend. He has been of immense help when handling the issues of writing. In addition, I intend to address look at Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic as an inspirational

A World Without Books Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A World Without Books - Essay Example Books have been among the greatest inventions of the human race and it has been through them that human civilization has been able to advance. Books have become so essential that it is difficult to envisage humanity without them. Books have been the way through which the history of the human race has been transmitted from one age group to another. In addition, they have been the through which official records have been kept, and without them, all the great civilizations of the past would not have been able to blossom and flourish as they did. Throughout history, scholars and those people who could read have been greatly revered by their fellow men because they were believed to be the carriers of and transmitters of knowledge. Before the modern times, books were extremely rare and were intensely sought after by those who could read them. In the Western world, books were so rare that the only book that many of those who could read had read was the bible, a book that certain priests cou ld not even read. The ownership of and the ability to read books were therefore a source of great prestige for those who had the privilege of having them. This privilege eventually came to be spread all over the world as more people became literate and books became commonplace. However, there has recently developed a trend where people have come to prefer other forms of entertainment at the expense of books, which are slowly, but surely, being viewed as relics of the past. A world without books is a concept that many people are yet to comprehend because a majority of the literate people in the world today at some point enjoys reading. While this is a fact, one has to consider that there have developed newer and seemingly more interesting forms of entertainment, which many of the younger generation is adapting to instead of books. This is creating a situation similar to that in the novel Fahrenheit 451 where books are of no value and any that are found are destroyed. In the world of this novel, books are considered by society to be useless and due to popular demand, it has become the duty of the firemen to destroy every available copy that is found. The influence of other media such as soap operas has become so great that the population prefers it to books, which are looked upon as being too strenuous to read. Books, mainly because of the conflicting information that is found within them, have disillusioned many of the characters in the novel. Beatty, the boss of the main character, is said to have once been an avid reader, but his disillusionment with books soon led him to get involved in their destruction as a firefighter (Bradbury 61-62). His disillusionment with them seems to be so great that he makes Montag, the main character, destroy the book that he realizes that the latter has in his possession. One would say that a world without books would be a dreary place within which to live because books have traditionally been the means of transmitting knowledge from one generation to another. Through books, issues are discussed more deeply and in the process, the reader gets to have a better understanding of the issues being discussed. This is not true of other sources of information, because these sources are scarce in content and this creates a situation where individuals get only a shallow understanding of the subject matter. In Fahrenheit 451, it is seen that because of the destruction of books, knowledge has become static, not being able to grow as it should (Bradbury 87). Those people who possess books are completely ostracized from society and are put in mental asylums because of their intellect. This makes it extremely difficult for knowledge to be transmitted and the lack of this knowledge has made the people in this society disillusioned with life. Because of their hatred for books, the society in Fahrenheit 451 is not equipped to deal with the issues of day-to-day life and they have instead become artificial. The world would fa ce this

Discussion unit 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion unit 2 - Assignment Example Therefore, giving them a new pair of shoes will be like a miracle to them. When a person receives a present that he was not expecting, it is magical and unique. In the case of children walking bare footed in Africa, they are facilitated by the company and made to experience the beauty of putting on shoes when they know they cannot even afford the shoes. Such approaches show the power of miracle or fate as explained in the society. The support of the underprivileged in the society is vital because it makes the world a better place for everyone. The support of such programs as one for one shoe program of the company should be the ultimate goal for the members of the society. In addition, several privileges are not enjoyed by the less fortunate in the society. In fact, the main goal of the society is to offer support for the less fortunate. There are several people who will assist me in the writing process, and the most integral person is my close friend. He has been of immense help when handling the issues of writing. In addition, I intend to address look at Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic as an inspirational

Medicalization as social control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Medicalization as social control - Essay Example The main question being pondered is to what extent this influence goes? Three variations of the process of social control being affected by the medical field have been offered; the changing face of medicalization, the relatively new phenomenon of biomedicalization and the contradictory view of demedicalization. It appears that these processes vary across cultures (Conrad, 1992) and some examples have been documented though most research to date has focused on the Western world. This essay will discuss medicalization, biomedicalization and demedicalization and their relationship to social control in Western societies along with a brief overview of that changes that have occurred over the years. Finally, an attempt will be made to justify which of the processes is most relevant today. Medicalization is seen to be a sociocultural process that consists of finding a way to use medical language to describe an issue (Conrad, 2005). A very clear-cut way to define medicalization has been that it is a ‘process whereby more and more of everyday life has come under medical dominion, influence and supervision’ (Zola, 1983). A common-day example of this is while in the past a patient was only required to disclose to their doctor the symptoms of the ailment, nowadays people also tend to articulate information about their lifestyle and habits and even worries (reference). For the doctor to improve the patient’s condition, it is often lifestyle changes that are recommended (reference). For conditions such as heart problems, numerous doctors recommend dietary changes even before there is any sign of heart trouble. The doctor is essentially trying to prevent a disease or ailment before it starts and in the process is inadvertently extending the web of medicali zation and hence social control. Another fine example of this is in the case of testing for human immunodeficiency virus

Poverty in India Essay Example for Free

Poverty in India Essay Poverty is the deprivation of food, shelter, money and clothing that occurs when people cannot satisfy their basic needs. Poverty can be understood simply as a lack of money, or more broadly in terms of barriers to everyday life. It refers to a situation where a person is unable meet the basic necessities of life. Absolute poverty or destitution refers to the state of severe deprivation of basic human needs, which commonly includes food, water, sanitation, clothing, shelter, health care, education and information. The amount of income a person or family needs to purchase an absolute amount of the basic necessities of life. These basic necessities are identified in terms of calories of food, BTUs of energy, square feet of living space, etc. The problem with the absolute poverty level is that there really are no absolutes when in comes to consuming goods. Relative poverty views poverty as socially defined and dependent on social context, hence relative poverty is a measure of income inequality. Usually, relative poverty is measured as the percentage of population with income less than some fixed proportion of median income. There are several other different income inequality metrics, for example the Gini coefficient or the Theil Index. Relative poverty measures are used as official poverty rates in several developed countries. As such these poverty statistics measure inequality rather than material deprivation or hardship. The measurements are usually based on a persons yearly income and frequently take no account of total wealth. Definitions United Nations: Fundamentally, poverty is a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. It means not having enough to food and clothing a family, not having a school or clinic to go to, not having the land on which to grow one’s food or a job to earn one’s living, not having access to credit. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities. It means susceptibility to violence, and it often implies living in marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation. World Bank: Poverty is pronounced deprivation in well-being, and comprises many dimensions. It includes low incomes and the inability to acquire the basic goods and services necessary for survival with dignity. Poverty also encompasses low  levels of health and education, poor access to clean water and sanitation, inadequate physical security, lack of voice, and insufficient capacity and opportunity to better one’s life. Copenhagen Declaration: Absolute poverty is a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to social services. The term absolute poverty is sometimes synonymously referred to as extreme poverty. World Health Organisation: Poverty is associated with the undermining of a range of key human attributes, including health. The poor are exposed to greater personal and environmental health risks, are less well nourished, have less information and are less able to access health care; they thus have a higher risk of illness and disability. Conversely, illness can reduce household savings, lower learning ability, reduce productivity, and lead to a diminished quality of life, thereby perpetuating or even increasing poverty. Poverty line is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a given country. In practice, like the definition of poverty, the official or common understanding of the poverty line is significantly higher in developed countries than in developing countries. The common international poverty line has in the past been roughly $1 a day. In 2008, the World Bank came out with a revised figure of $1.25 at 2005 purchasing-power parity (PPP). Determining the poverty line is usually done by finding the total cost of all the essential resources that an average human adult consumes in one year. Individual factors are often used to account for various circumstances, such as whether one is a parent, elderly, a child, married, etc. The poverty threshold may be adjusted annually. Below Poverty Line is an economic benchmark and poverty threshold used by the government of India to indicate economic disadvantage and to identify individuals and households in need of government assistance and aid. It is determined using various parameters which vary from state to state and within states. The present criteria are based on a survey conducted in 2002. Going into a survey due for a decade, Indias central government is undecided on criteria to identify families below poverty line. Poverty in India The problem of poverty and unemployment is considered as the biggest  challenge to development planning in India. High poverty levels are synonymous with poor quality of life, deprivation, malnutrition, illiteracy and low human resource development. The slogan of poverty eradication has been adopted by all political parties in one form or another and there is a national agreement for the goal of poverty alleviation. The national consensus on poverty alleviation provided the necessary condition for launching various schemes and programmes aimed at achieving this objective. But the persistence of poverty during all these years suggests that the national consensus on objectives did not and could not provide sufficient conditions for poverty alleviation. The starting point for estimating the number of households below the poverty line is a nutritional requirement per person per day at some base point. There is a debate on the minimum calorie requirement, and whether it should be the same for all parts of the country. Most acceptable figures are 2,400 calories per person per day in rural areas, and 2,200 calories per person per day in urban areas. The next step is to translate the nutrient requirement into monetary terms. The expenditure level of households which are able to spend the requisite amount to obtain the desired calories serves as the cut-off point, or the poverty line. To adjust the poverty line over a period of time, price variations have to be considered and an appropriate price deflator has to be selected. The problem arises in deciding upon such a deflator. Thus, the following elements mainly affect the magnitude of the poverty ratio: (i) the nutrition norm (translated into monetary terms); (ii) price deflator used to update the poverty line; and (iii) pro rata adjustment in the number of households in different expenditure classes to determine the number of households below and above the poverty line. Different assumptions and methods are used for these three purposes, which accounts for the different estimates provided by scholars. The Planning Commission has been estimating the incidence of poverty at the national and state level using the methodology contained in the report of the Expert Group on Estimation of Proportion and Number of Poor (Lakdawala Committee) and applying it to consumption expenditure data from the large sample surveys on consumer expenditure conducted by the NSSO (National Sample Survey Organisation) at an interval of approximately five years. Estimates of Poverty (Per cent) Year All India Rural Urban All India Poverty Ratio Rural Poverty Ratio Urban Poverty Ratio Number (per cent) Number (per cent) Number (per cent) (Million) (Million) (Million) 1973-74 321 54.9 261 56.4 60 49.0 1977-78 329 51.3 264 53.1 65 45.2 1983 323 44.5 252 45.7 71 40.8 1987-88 307 38.9 232 39.1 75 38.2 1993-94 320 36.0 244 37.3 76 32.4 1999-2000 260 26.1 193 27.1 67 23.6 2004-05 239 21.8 170 21.8 68 21.7 Problems caused due to poverty Human poverty measures suggest even worse outcomes than for income poverty in India. India has never been a good performer in human development terms, despite the much better indicators in some states, particularly Kerala. Overall, both health and education indicators have lagged well below those in other countries at similar levels of development and with similar per capita income. But food poverty has been of particular concern. Recent studies have shown alarming levels of hunger, especially in certain states of India. Studies by IFPRI and ISHI quoted in Banerjee (2008) suggest that most states in India rank somewhere among the poor Sub-Saharan countries:  Punjab, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Assam have a „serious‟ level of hunger; Madhya Pradesh fares worst in the „extremely alarming‟ cohort of hunger. All the other states record an „alarming‟ level of hunger, which is also the general ranking for the whole country. More appallingly, the situation appears to have worsened in the recent period of rapid economic growth. National Sample Surveys shows declining per capita calorie consumption, not only among the entire population, but also among the bottom quartiles, for which consumption was already very inadequate by international standards. Other indicators of both nutrition and health are also extreme. The latest National Family Health Survey for 2005–06 shows that the proportion of underweight children below the age of five years was 45.6 per cent in rural India and 32.7 per cent in urban India, indicating hardly any change from the previous survey undertaken eight years previously. More than one-third of the rural population was also underweight. Anaemia often a good indicator of nutritional deprivation was also widespread: 79.2 per cent of children aged 12–23 months and 56.2 per cent of ever-married women between 15 and 59 years were found to be anaemic. Conclusion Poverty Alleviation Programmes The poverty alleviation programme have been broadly classified into self-employment programmes, wage employment programmes, food safety programme and social security programmes. The focus is on the central government schemes only. It is not possible to map the special programmes of all the states. It must be noted here that some of the progressive states have added additional components or given further subsidy to enhance the benefits of the central schemes. For example, in the highly subsidized public distribution system of Andhra Pradesh, the BPL card holders were provided rice at Rs. 2 per kg. Self-employment programmes: This programme was started in 1970s in rural areas of the country in the name of Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) to increase the source of income of small farmers and landless labourers. The beneficiaries were given subsidized credit, training, and infrastructure, so that they could find new sources of  earning. In this scheme, agricultural labourers and small farmers received new skills to involve in vocations other than cultivating land. They included fishery, animal husbandry, and forestry. In the 1980s, this scheme was extended to schedule castes and tribes, women and rural artisans. Wage employment programmes: The main purpose of the wage employment programmes is to provide a livelihood during the lean agricultural season as well as during drought and floods. Under these programmes, villagers worked to improve the village infrastructure such as deepening the village ponds, constructing village schools and improving the rural roads. Thus the programmes not only provided employment to the villagers but also improved village infrastructure and created village public assets. A positive fall out of this programme is that it created higher demand for village labour, thereby pushing up the wage of the labourer in the villages. Food security programmes: Meeting the very basic need of access to food is a major challenge to the government in the post-economic reform era. Those who are below poverty line are faced with the problem of meeting this very basic need. Starvation and hunger have been reported in different parts of the country, even in economically advanced states like Maharashtra. There is malnutrition in all age groups, especially among children. Problem of low birth weight due to under nutrition of mother during pregnancy and underweight of children are rampant in the country. The purchasing power of certain section of the society is so low that they cannot access food at the market price. They need the safety net of food subsidy. In this context, public distribution system or PDS assumes importance. Social security programmes: Social security programmes are meant for those who are at the bottom of the BPL facing destitution and desertion. The central government has launched the National Social Assistance Programme or NSAP in August 1995. Under NSAP, there are three schemes. The first one is the National Old Age Pension Scheme or NOAPS. A pension amount of Rs. 75 per month is given to those who are above the age of 65 years and are destitute without any regular source of income or support from any family members or relatives. Though it is a very useful scheme for the elderly destitute, the coverage of the programme was not satisfactory. In the year 1999-2000, 8.71 million eligible elderly were identified, but the scheme could reach out to only 5 million beneficiaries. It was found that the benefits really reached the  poor and the leakage rate was found to be low.