Critique on Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read Essay Example

Critique on Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read Essay Example Critique on Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read Paper Critique on Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read Paper Francine Prose, â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read† â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read† Essay Introduction In Francine Prose’s â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read: How American High School Students Learn to Loathe Literature†, the author is trying to explain why high school students are not asked to read more quality pieces of literature now a days. In my opinion I agree with Prose because I think the texts we read in high school are not challenging and not a lot of students enjoy the readings because they cannot relate. Prose uses the rhetorical strategy of degrading the books high school students are reading and she uses her own personal experiences to support her argument. Literature in high schools Throughout the essay, Prose argues that literature in high schools are dumbing down the English curriculum. She says books that are â€Å"chosen for students to read are for ‘obvious lessons. ’† However, Prose does not mention â€Å"great† books that students should read and that will help them to understand what the characters are feeling. â€Å"†¦The weaker novels of John Steinbeck, the fantasies of Ray Bradbury,† (424). Prose explains how her sons never read the better of Steinbeck’s novels in high school and she makes the assumption that all high school students read the so-called weaker Steinbeck novels. English curriculum issue She also makes an argument that the English curriculum is an important issue both culturally and politically. If both the teachers and books are not challenging the young students minds, then how can we expect them to understand challenging books. â€Å"We hear the more books are being bought and sold than ever before, yet no one, as far as I know, is arguing that we are producing and becoming a nation of avid readers of serious literature† (423). Again, Prose brings up her own personal experience and what she has heard. From what she has heard, people today are not reading â€Å"serious† literature. She does not even go to defend her argument and further explain what she means by â€Å"serious literature† and â€Å"avid readers. † The first point that Prose makes in her essay is that she is not satisfied with her two sons’ educations. Prose is the kind of person who has a huge passion for good books and she finds herself â€Å"appalled each year by the dismal lists of texts that my sons are doomed to waste a school year reading,† (422). She does not understand why the older and well-known authors are not being read in high school. Prose uses a personal experience from her son’s sophomore English class. He had to read a â€Å"weeper and former bestseller by Judith Guest† (424), about a dysfunctional family dealing with a teenage son’s suicide attempt. â€Å"No instructor has ever asked my sons to read Alice Munro, who writes so lucidly and beautifully about the hypersensitivity that makes adolescence a hell,†(424). She again mentions books she approves of that should be read in English classes. Another big point in Prose’s essay is the assignments associated with high school literature. Role of the teacher She argues that teachers make students write around the books and not about the books they read. â€Å"No wonder students are rarely asked to consider what was actually written by these hopeless racists and sociopaths. Instead, they’re told to write around the book, or, better yet, write their own books,† (430). The assignments that teachers give these days are nto about the book or the story itself. They usually ask the student to rewrite the ending, or ask what the student would do if they were in the same situation as the character. Prose argues that high school students are seen as having the same experience as some of the characters they read about, such as Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. â€Å"And is it any wonder that teenagers should complete these exercise with little but contempt for the writer who so pointlessly complicated and obfuscated a personal true story that sixteen year olds could have told so much more interestingly themselves? † (431). However, in this part of her essay, Prose can get a little bias because she only talks about the negative assignments. Books should only be discussed for their language We all know that not all high school assignments are like the ones she mentions and she knows that too. The last point in Prose’s argument is that she only talks about that books should only be discussed for their language. This is one point where I disagree with her because I think that books can be discussed for their value as well as their language. Prose thinks that, â€Å"The present vogue for teaching â€Å"values† through literature uses the novel as a springboard for the sort of discussion formerly conducted in civics or ethics classes,†(427). I do not agree with this statement because not all high schools are able to offer civics classes. My high school, for example, did have a civics class but it was more driven towards the History end than English literature classes. So the only place for values in literature be discussed was during English class. Also, English class should not only be about the language. Students should learn the value of the story also through discussion and assignments. â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read† Essay Conclusion In conclusion, Francine Prose does have a couple of good arguments in her paper, â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read: How American High School Students Learn to Loathe Literature†. She argues her opinion that students in high school English classes are not getting good education because of the weak pieces of literature they are reading. Prose however, can be a little bias and bases to much of her essay on her personal experiences. Prose, Francine. â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read: How American High School students Learn to Loathe Literature. † Harper’s Magazine. 1999: 422-435. Print

Race to the Finish essays

Race to the Finish essays When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.... This quote, said by Charles Austin Beard, can be taken in may ways. In this case the quote is being used to show how it can relate to the dark and light times of the 1930s. In this era, when blacks were thought to be weak and useless, Jesse Owens showed his strengths in the 1936 Olympics in Germany when he out ran the master race. Since Jesse Owens was black, and the master race was white, German, and wealthy; when Jesse Owens ran one of the fastest times people had ever seen everyone all around the world had to take a min. to think about if there really was a superior race (Jesse Owens Track and field Star). Jesse Owens was just one of many stars to shine in the dark. He brought the bright inspiration the world needed. Sometimes people dont realize the impression the positive influences in our lives can alter the things we achieve. For Jesse Owens there were numerous fans that influenced him as they cheered for him when he finished the race winning the gold for his country, fans, and most importantly himself (McRa 7). Although this would certainly make a huge impression on someone hearing all the applause from all the watching fans, this was just a minor influence to Jesse. The real inspiration was from the people he had known long before the 1936 Olympics. Jesse Owens found the most valuable encouragement from Joe Louis who was also a black athlete struggling against the segregation of these times. Joe Louis was the defending heavy weight boxing champion and Owens was the defending four gold medal winner so the friendship was only expected some would say, but friendship was formed as solid as a rock (Adler 15). The inspiration of one on another became the roots for the achievements. Charles Ril ey was also a great influence on Jesse Owens. Riley was an inspiration because he was not only Jesses first track coach, he was also the first whi...

Marketing planning and Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing planning and Control - Essay Example They have won the Liveable City Award of London in 2006 and was the first supermarket to ever sign a partnership contract with local beef farmers pertaining organic beef supply. The company's unending efforts to source out viable products and suppliers made them extend their internal training and orientation of this array of shelf food products on noted chemically established effects of pesticides to their raw materials resources and producers and on to the first level farmers. Stressing that all of their farm products comply with the UK or its equivalent animal welfare standards, I proudly commend Sainsbury's effort to provide the freshest product with the most accurate product info labels to the least product pricing offer as possible. Sainsbury has been performing strongly with total sales up to 8.3% to 9,549 million and sales growth of 6.2%, pre tax profit of 123.0%, delivery of 1.3 billion of additional sales after 18 months.2 The company is said to have employed a total number of 153,000 employees and have established 728 supermarkets UK based and a duly represented website for online shoppers worldwide. Sainsbury is said to be UK's third largest food retailer.3 Established in 1869 by John James and May Ann Sainsbury, Sainsbury's internet based home delivery shopping service currently operates from ninety seven (97) stores. In addition to its high quality food and fresh grocery produ... Marketing Audit of Products, Goods and Services: In addition to its high quality food and fresh grocery products, Sainsbury has been retailing books, CDs, DVDs, MP3s, videos and computer games. Also on display are flowers, wine, gifts, and electrical parts or accessories. On board with the online shopping directory is a provision for the banking and insurance needs of the customers or consumers with affiliate Sainsbury's Bank. The bank offers wide array of services on credit cards and personal loans of lower interest rates, simple savings and investments (child trust funds to internet savings), car financing all present via online banking. This study aims to make a Proposal on the Marketing Plan of Sainsbury's Supermarket Stores only. SWOT Analysis: A. History of Mergers and Acquisitions Sainsbury PLC is the parent company of Sainsbury's Supermarkets nationally known as plain Sainsbury at present. Its chains of supermarkets were acquired thru constant effort of branch-outs and thru merger and acquisitions. Bell Stores of North East England was acquired in February 2004. It was composed of fifty four (54) high quality convenience stores. Jackson's Stores across Yorkshire and North Midland was acquired in August 2004. It was composed of one hundred fourteen (114) stores and was UK's leading independent, regional convenience store. JB Beaumont of East Midlands was acquired in November 2004. It was composed of six (6) convenience stores and has been regarded as a long established neighborhood convenience store operator. We can give due credit to Sainsburys financial cost saving analyst on his fatigue causing search for branch outs and extensions by buying other known retail stores apart from managing its liabilities on hand. Inventories

The Role of Consumer Behavior in Marketing Decisions Research Paper - 2

The Role of Consumer Behavior in Marketing Decisions - Research Paper Example From this study it is clear that  nearly every respondent attested to the fact that McDonalds is a big market player in food products. This is because with regard to the food products that do well in the summer across the various market segments, every respondent gave an indication of having bought them in less than a week. The young market has a higher preference for McDonalds’ products than in the older market segments. It is clear that the older age segment still has a significant attraction to the McDonalds’ range of products. The most elaborate choice for McDonalds’ ice cream products in the summer has however been among the children, youths and young adults. All the respondents had a recent purchase experience with a McDonald’s product.  This paper outlines that  in order to find out the actual brand preferences that the respondents had for the various products offered at McDonalds, personal opinion was from each of the respondents. A question was asked regarding the specific brand choices and the decision making process behind them from each of the respondents. The three children and one adult bought vanilla ice cream cones from McDonalds while one young adult and two adults had chocolate dipped ice cream products.  Two of the remaining young adults bought strawberry yoghurt from McDonalds. Some of the reasons behind the decision to purchase the preferred product from McDonalds included identity with the company for all the children while one of the adults was having fun with his young son.

The Great Academic Reputation of the Undergraduate University Personal Statement

The Great Academic Reputation of the Undergraduate University - Personal Statement Example I graduated from Waseda University with a degree in Bachelor of Arts. Being one of the five toughest universities in Japan, the curriculum was already quite advanced and complicated as can be expected of any prestigious university. However, as a foreign student in Japan, the social surroundings and the language barrier proved even tougher than the academic challenges I had expected. I had no competence in the language. So before entering Waseda, it took me two years in a Japanese language school to improve my Japanese to a proficiency level. In the first two years during my time at Waseda University, my interests were focused on different principles in social sciences. I found these subjects interesting and rather ‘safe’ in terms of lack of planning about the future. However, in the last two years, I identified my subjects of interest and thus, started to take more interest in subjects like popular culture and media. For the same reason, I went for a seminar in business and economics on the principles of the creative industries. Combining my knowledge of social science and my passion for fashion, my senior graduation thesis was mainly about how creative artists can launch themselves into the market without seeking help from the gatekeepers. In my thesis, I emphasized the power of social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. to influence the businesses, especially in the creative sector. After graduating from Waseda University, I always found myself deeply passionate in the creative sector.

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll Essay Example for Free

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll Essay Just as The Italian includes a stone chamber, secured by doors of iron, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde too contains a peculiar locked cabinet in which Poole, Dr Jekylls butler, believes his master has been murdered and that the person who has locked himself away is Hyde. The fact that these secret rooms are included in the novels, allows the reader to speculate the strange things that might be going on behind the sealed doors of the rooms. All in all, Gothic literature is extremely evident in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde but at the same time it is heavily influenced by Victorian psychology, which I will now be commenting on. Victorian society was heavily based on power, wealth and culture. Victorians believed they were ethical, moral people and their society was that of an ideal one; however with the amount of crimes taking place i. e. Jack the Ripper this was not the case especially since Victorians were sexist and racist. Even though Stevenson sets his story in the heart of London using such respectable professional people as lawyers, doctors and men of science, what he shows us is a city fraught with divisions. Such divisions included those between the rich and poor, men and women, country and city, science and art, and also good and evil shown to us by Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, who not only does he represent a form of rebellion against the arrogant domination of the upper classes and government, but also the beast in man. Stevenson greatly investigates the duality of human nature in his novel. This theme does not emerge fully up until the last chapter, when the complete story of the Jekyll-Hyde affiliation is exposed by Henry Jekylls Full Statement of the Case. Therefore, we confront the theory of a dual human nature unambiguously only after having witnessed all of the events of the novel, including Hydes crimes and his eventual eclipsing of Jekyll. Dr Jekyll describes his dual personality as the animal within me licking the chops of memory. The text not only posits the duality of human nature as its central theme, but forces us to consider the properties of this duality and to contemplate each of the novels episodes as we weigh various theories. Such a theory includes that of Freuds theory of the id, ego and superego. The id is entirely unconscious and represents the primitive self of us. It is the self indulgent and selfish side of us. The ego, however unlike the id, spans the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious. The ego is the only component of personality that can interact with the environment. Lastly, the superego is the part of personality that establishes standards of right and wrong. The superego is the ethics and morality behind our personality. In the 19th Century, it was believed that the id was represented by a troll like figure, and Hyde is described as being pale and dwarfish. As Stevenson probes the depths of human psychology and challenges our perceptions of good and evil in society, we are struck by the disturbing face of evil. Dr. Jekyll tries to repress and kill off the Mr. Hyde in himself, but that alter ego is a part of who he is. He cannot renounce or destroy that part of himself. In The Picture of Dorian Gray Dorian, represented by his ego and superego, is in conflict with his id represented by the picture painted of him as a young, handsome man. In Henry Jekylls Full Statement of the Case the story of Jekylls downfall is revealed to Mr Utterson. Jekyll suggests to us that mankind has a split personality when saying severed in me those provinces of good and ill which divide and compound mans dual nature. Stevenson provides us with the message that man has two sides to him not just Jekyll. There are many quotations to suggest this too. Such examples in this chapter include: primitive duality of man, the agonised womb of consciousness, these polar twins should be continuously struggling- this is in fact a metaphor describing our consciousness being like a womb, man is not truly one, but truly two and lastly I stood already committed to a profound duplicity of life. From what Stevenson has produced, I can conclude that Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde cannot easily be seen as having more to do with Gothic tradition than late 19th Century psychology. We must take into account that psychology is a subject matter and Gothic is a style, however I consider the novel has been written carefully and equally in terms of Gothic tradition and late 19th century psychology as I believe the style of Gothic literature has been heavily influenced by Victorian psychology. Some might argue against Gothic tradition being the more dominant argument, simply for the reason that Stevenson has not included involvement of haunted castles and dungeons, two of the most obvious Gothic traits. As a closing statement to this essay, I can admit Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was published truly as a chilling shocker in 1886 and still today remains as an original classic. Simran Kooner 10HA English Coursework 1 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.

Epic of Beowulf :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

As an epic tale of heroes and monsters, Beowulf gives its readers much excitement and adventure, but Beowulf's importance is more than just literary. It offers many insights into the beliefs and customs of seventh-century Anglo-Saxon culture. Among these insights is the Anglo-Saxon view of women and their role in society. In addition, a prominent theme in this epic is the love of a mother for her child. Good Anglo-Saxon women are peaceful and unassertive, greeting guests and serving drinks to the warriors and other men in the mead hall. It shows the role of a mother, and their love for their offspring. Grendel's mother is a strong and combative monster whom Beowulf must kill. However, her heart is filled with anger at the loss of her son at the hands of this same man. A mother who loves their child very much would do everything in their power to make sure their killer got their justice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beowulf is one of the oldest existing poems in the English language. Originally written in Anglo-Saxon, it has been translated to give readers the opportunity to enjoy this colorful, heroic poem of England’s epic age. It has been declared as a heroic-elegiac poem because of the various characteristics it clearly possesses. An epic consists of a hero who is larger than life. Epic characters also give numerous speeches that revel something about the past or the speaker’s characteristics. Beowulf does not give many, but from those he gives, the reader leans about his character traits. The language of the epic style is an elevated, rather formal language. Similes, kennings, and many other literary techniques are used throughout the poem. Beowulf clearly contains many epic characteristics and the following essay will present the evidence needed to support this allegation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The love a mother has for her child shows when Grendel’s mother comes to avenge the death of her son at the hands of Beowulf. He was the only human being who had the skills to defeat Grendel's mother was again Beowulf, and he would not say no to another battle. However, this battle with the mother was to take place under water. He got ready and armed for the underwater fight, and accepted the sword, which Unferth handed him. Beowulf took his leave to achieve another victory, but not as confident of himself this time as he was at his first battle.