Teenage Driving and Accidents - 1461 Words

â€Å"Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time,† said by Steven Wright. Teenagers look forward to their sixteenth birthday so they are able to drive. Everyone has felt that feeling where they can hardly wait to get behind the wheel and start driving. Little do people know teen drivers are more likely to die from a car accident than from a homicide, suicide, or cancer combined (Littlefield). They are mostly inexperienced with the road and how to handle distractions. If the age were moved to eighteen teenagers would have more driving experience (Sostarecz). Teenage drivers are extremely eager to drive because of freedom, but they are not aware of the distractions and peer pressure on the road; their experience of driving is not as well†¦show more content†¦The main distraction in a car is the cell phone; 11% of teenage drivers in fatal crashes were distracted and 21% were distracted by the cell phone (Rocky). Teenagers will mainly use cell phones to keep in c ontact with friends when they drive (Sostarecz). Other near crashed victims say it was the cause of texting, eating, or not paying attention to the road (Littlefield). Some teenagers are not aware of the road signs and are not able to identify things that more experienced drivers can. Teenagers do not look around to see their surroundings causing car accidents (Emmer). If the driver is not aware of his or her surroundings all people in the vicinity are at risk of getting injured. Another example of distractions and peer-pressure is intoxication. An example of this is when a teenage girl did not look around her and hit someone on their motorcycle causing them to go into a coma (Emmer). They were able to blood test the girl and saw that she had been intoxicated by marijuana. This may not have been peer-pressure, but it was a foolish decision made by an inexperienced teenager. Alcohol is a main problem with teenage driving. 32% of teenagers who were killed in 2011 consumed alcohol and 26% were alcohol impaired (Rocky). Alcohol will impair the mind causing people to not make good decisions and they lack reaction timing. In 2003 a study showed 30% of teenagers said that they had recently driven in a car with a driver who was alcohol-impaired (Cefrey). Not only isShow MoreRelated Empty Shoes: The Realization of Teenage Driving Accidents Essay2196 Words   |  9 Pages On the other end, a voice tells him of an accident involving his daughter, Hailey. He and his wife jump out of bed and rush to the scene. Once they arrive, the officer tells them the news. A week later a funeral is held in remembrance of a precocious 16-year-old who was taken too soon. Months pass but the pain still lingers in Kevin’s heart. He decides to speak out at Hailey’s high school and inform the students of the dangers of teenage driving. When he is done speaking, a teacher comesRead MoreEssay about Causes of Car Accidents683 Words   |  3 PagesCauses of car accidents Car accidents can happen to drivers anytime, anywhere. According to the National Safety Council, which stated that more than 2.5 million collisions back every year, making it the most common type of car accidents, it is also known that the accident rear end as incidents of injury, because the nature of the collision leads often in whiplash injury the driver in the car in front and about 20% of people who participated in a rear collision injury symptoms of this kind. Read MoreShould Driving Restrictions And Guidelines Be Stricter?1388 Words   |  6 Pagesshould driving restrictions and guidelines be stricter? Supporters argue that stricter driving laws should be put in place because teens tend to not only be inexperienced, but also irresponsible and prone to distractions. However, critics argue that making stricter guidelines would only make matters worse. They argue that teens gain freedom and responsibility when they obtain a driver’s license. With evidence providing proof that teen drivers have the highest rate of automobile accidents comparedRead MoreMandatory Driving Laws And Legislation For Teenagers1740 Words   |  7 Pagesday from motor vehicle related injuries† (Teenage 1). Teenage driving has become an increasingly controversial topic over the past ten years. Many adults and politicians are fighting for tougher driving laws and legislation for teenagers. While soon-to-be teenage drivers, along with current teenage drivers and busy parents argue that things are fine just the way they are. But, when the leading cause of death among teenagers in the nation is traffic accidents, things cannot be considered â€Å"fine†. ItRead MoreEssay on Teenage Drivers are an Accident Waiting to Happen578 Words   |  3 Pages Teenage drivers are an accident waiting to happen. They display only characteristics of being immature, having carelessness, and displaying irresponsibility. Teenage car accidents are the leading cause of death among all te ens. This fact is surprising since you always hear about teen drug overdoses and teen suicides, but never teenage driving fatalities. A proposal to raise the use legal age of driving to 21 will save many lives, save money, and benefit the community as a whole. Many people don’tRead MoreAllstate Ad Essay1035 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"mayhem.† Allstate is notorious for their commercials showing accidents involving multiple vehicles, but with this new series of commercials they choose a fresh approach. Although he’s dressed like a man, and sports a bandage over his black eye, Dean Winters portrays a â€Å"typical teenage girl† as he drives through a mall parking lot and receives a text from his â€Å"best friend forever† that leaves him â€Å"emotionally compromised.† Winters, driving a pink car, hits another parked car in the parking lot and thenRead MoreEssay on Increasing the Minimum Driving Age877 Words   |  4 Pageshe ran off the road, over-corrected, and lost control of his vehicle. The accident claimed both their lives. Numerous car accidents involve young teenage drivers. Raising the minimum driving age to 16 would greatly reduce the number of automobile accidents involving teen drivers because they lack experience on the road, they lack maturity, and they would have less accidents resulting in safer roads. Just like the teenage boy that died in the wreck, most young teen drivers think they are invincibleRead MoreResearch Paper Drinking Age1565 Words   |  7 Pagesmuch debate on whether the drinking age in the United States should be lowered from twenty-one to eighteen. People in favor of keeping the drinking age at twenty-one believe that there will be less alcohol related injuries and deaths from vehicle accidents, as well less alcohol abuse among teens due to binge drinking. On the other side, people in favor of lowering the drinking age believe that since turning eighteen is considered an adult one should entail the rights and responsibilities. The debateRead MorePersuasive Essay On Careless Driving981 Words   |  4 PagesCareless Driving As I was on my way to work I didn’t think of the consequences or what would happen when I looked down to grab cologne driving 35 mph. As reacted to put the clutch in neutral and slam on the break’s it was already too late for I had already hit the back of the truck in front of me. The next thing I saw was the air bag hitting me in the face not knowing it had already deployed because of how fast it came out. As I was sitting there, in my car thinking of what I had done the firstRead MoreTexting and Driving Accidents1401 Words   |  6 Pages Texting and Driving (Taylor) just loved everybody and was an amazing friend, said Shauna Sauer, mother of a teen killed in a texting and driving accident. She wanted to take on the world, and she would have. Taylor was killed going 80 plus miles an hour on I-84 when she hit a tank truck that was rounding the corner at 15 mph in the opposite lane. I think she was probably (texting) to stay awake, she was probably tired, said Clay Sauer, Taylor’s father. Texting and driving ruined this young

My Best Friend At The Time - 890 Words

I entered an empty classroom at the beginning of my seventh hour chemistry class to find a plain white binder sitting on the front desk. Given that no one had yet entered the class I knew that it had to belong to the teacher, and at that moment I heard a faint whisper â€Å"closer closer† from its direction. So I walk toward it seeing the bland fluorescent light beaming on that binder; as I tower over it I realize the opportunity I was presented with. This binder was the key, my key to and A in that god-awful impossibly difficult chemistry class, however, if I squandered the opportunity I wouldn’t get another chance. Being the logical, well-adjusted teenager I am I grabbed my phone and proceeded to take pictures of every page I could before the teacher returned. As she walked in I sat triumphantly at my desk relieved that finally I would be able to obtain that highly coveted A that was always just a percentage or two out of reach. My best friend at the time, Trevor Fr anco, was also in the same chemistry class, so i did what any good friend would, and informed him of our newfound fortune. Later, in that class period the teacher dismissed us to work in small groups on a worksheet packet she assigned. It didn’t take long for me to get some ROI from those pictures of the answer keys, however, while I copied answers on to my worksheet some of my peers felt compelled to inform the teacher of my actions during her absence. Evidently a few of the other kids in the class had seenShow MoreRelatedMy Best Friend At The Time Worked At Mcdonalds1047 Words   |  5 Pagesgot my first job when I was seventeen years old. Living in a small town, there were only three job options for teenagers. We had a McDonalds, a Waffle House, and an Ingles supermarket. My best friend at the time worked at McDonalds, so my choice was obvious. I thought it was going to be great. I got to work with my friend every day, I got weekends off, and I did not have any bills to pay, so the extra money was a plus. Once I actually started working, my opinion changed very quickly. My friend gotRead MoreThe Harmful Nature of Drugs Essay1047 Words   |  5 Pagesreasoning for my stern opinion that unhealthy drug use is overall problematic, is due to the experience of losing my best friend from drug abuse. During high school I had a best friend who I have been inseparable with since kindergarten. We were inseparable until my best friend began the use of Marijuana. Myself having no knowledge of this new drug, my friend informed and convinced me it was harmless and a non-toxin herb. At first his use for marijuana was only occasional, but as time passed his useRead MoreDescription Of The And Yahooing We Race Home For Summer Vacation754 Words   |  4 Pagesthe sandbox from early morning till dark. Yet, the time with Christine is the best; we are inseparable. Living at the other end of our block, across the street in a little white house, she is part of the neighborhood antics but our favorite pastime is cutting out paper dolls. Feeling like grown up six-year-olds, we walk the three blocks to my Great Uncle Lyle’s stationary store where we drool over the variety of paper doll sets. From time to time he awards me a set, but I remember one day when heRead MoreLosing A Friend : M y Best Friend In My Life1284 Words   |  6 PagesAccording to Dictionary.com a friend is defined as, â€Å"a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.† Losing a friend is one of the hardest things to live through. Losing a best friend is even worse. When I was 10 years old I watched my best friend slip away like leaves in the wind. Trying to prevent it was like grabbing blindly at the leaves when the wind keeps getting faster and faster around you. Although that experience was heartbreaking, I gained very valuableRead MoreMy Best Friend Is My Friend847 Words   |  4 Pages Everyone has a best friend. Most people have been through multiple best friends within their lifetime. A best friend is your closest friend, someone to talk to, the first person you think about when you want to do something, someone to help you with things and they are so much more than just those qualities. In my case my best friend has helped me become a better perso n, helped me to understand certain situations from a different point of view rather than just my own. She has taught me how to beRead MoreMy Epithany: The Realization that Honesty Is Most Important in a Friendship811 Words   |  4 PagesEveryone has an epiphany at least once in their lifetime, and most of the time those epiphanies bring a lot of change to follow. As someone who has experienced an epiphany before, my most known epiphany was when I realized that friends can be fantastic or down-right awful role models. Obviously, most people automatically assume that a new friend will be perfect and fun to be around. However, one must remember to always figure out a person’s true colors before sharing personal life details with themRead MoreBeing My Own Best Friend894 Words   |  4 PagesBeing my own best friend would help me reflect on my decisions and thought processes as an objective observer. As any best friend would do, I would try to give myself advice, try and help myself be a better individual. If I were my own best friend, I would advise myself to stop being such a perfectionist in everything. I overthink things way too often: If I hang out with my friend after school today, would I have enough time to finish my homework? Which is more fun: going out with my friends, orRead MoreChapter Notes On This Boy 839 Words   |  4 Pagesone can control who that person will be or when it will happen. I had my first crush in 7th grade. He was a boy in my grade, but he only had one class with me. There was this one time though we’re he got to come into my class and then it happened†¦. Liking him It was just a normal day and I was in my last class of the day, P.E. This boy, this boy he had a smile that couldRead MoreI Am Very Thankful For My Pets Essay929 Words   |  4 Pagesthankful for my pets. I have 6 pets altogether. I have two dogs and four fish, my dogs name s are Shelby and Missy and my fish s names are Flipper, Ariel, Pearl, and Pinkie. My dogs stay at my house and my fish stay at my grandparents house. This is the first Christmas and Halloween for my fish. My dog Shelby is nine years old and Missy is six years old. My fish will be four months on the 20th of November. My pets birthdays are, Shelby s is October 8th, Missy s is July 1st, and my fish s areRead MoreThe Importance of Friendship765 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"A good friend is a connection to life, a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world.† (Wyse, 2007) We all need friends. Friendships are very essential in our daily lives. If we did not have friends we would not be happy. We would be very lonely. They keep our heads on our shoulders. They help us to be strong in the hard times and have fun and relax through the tough times. I believe that everyone needs a really close best friend. Best friends can guide

Creating an Addiction free essay sample

The scorching August sun beat down on the sidewalk as I held my fathers hand tightly, afraid to let it go. We had just gotten off the T and the sweat was already pouring down our foreheads. Everyone around us was in a mad rush, all going to their own destinations and not acknowledging anyone else’s presence. People moved in every direction, faceless in a sea of gray and black suits. My father and I were sore thumbs in the mix; my brand new bright red jersey that had my favorite players name on the back, Nomar Garciapara, and his red hat made us the typical tourists to the area. I was overwhelmed with curiosity; the city was a place we did not venture often. My father weaved us through the crowd until I slowly noticed more of an abundance of people also sporting the color red. We had been walking for an innumerable amount of time to a child my age. We will write a custom essay sample on Creating an Addiction or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page My hand was so wet that it was almost impossible to hold onto his any longer. Between the sunscreen that had recently been lathered all over me by my dad at the T station and the sweat from the summer heat, his hand kept slipping from mine. I tried to look ahead up the street, but all I saw were people. People were everywhere. I jumped into the air to see over their heads, but my nine-year-old frame would not take me up that high. Finally I saw it for the first time in person. My father had talked about it many times before, the Green Monster was up ahead, looking like an oasis in the middle of a desert, the green walls stuck out next to the glass skyscrapers and brick buildings. It was just like my father and I were a few blocks before, a sore thumb in the bland city. My dad pointed up ahead and yelled in my ear that we had finally made it. I felt uncomfortable and hurried in the city; we were packed into lines and shoved through metal detectors. My father had to remove his belt and the money clip in his pocket before we were allowed to advance towards the Green Monster. The sun was getting close to setting and I could feel a late summer breeze blowing my braids off of my sticky back when my dad finally made it past security. I looked up ahead and saw a huge banner over the street called Yawkey Way. The Green Monster was on our left, and on our right were brick buildings with red and blue awning. People walked down the middle of the street and no cars could drive through. Vendors were cooking sausage and selling beer, the smells filled the air as the smoke from the grills went up into the sky. I had to keep holding onto my dad’s hand because now everyone looked exactly like we did. A band played music outside a storefront and a man in stilts in a baseball uniform was playing catch with another kid in a red jerse y. My father and I entered a souvenir store and I stood overwhelmed at the thousands of tee shirts I had to choose from. I only knew Nomar Garciapara, and I chose shirt with his name on the back, to match the jersey I was wearing. The moment I decided what I wanted as a token to remember this trip, my father whipped it out of my hands and paid for it in a hurry. I had taken too much time deciding. He grabbed my arm and we hurried to Gate D, our entrance to the ballpark, inside the walls of the Green Monster. He did not want to miss the Red Sox take batting practice before the game. As we walked down into Gate D, we passed more food vendors and my father began to ramble about previous times he had been here. He asked me if I wanted a â€Å"Fenway Frank†, and out of fear, I politely declined the option of a boiled hotdog and instead got a candy apple. As my dad rushed down the walkway under the grandstand like he owned the entire ballpark, I saw signs that had the same numbers that were on my ticket I held firmly in my free hand, with my candy apple and my tee shirt, everything sticky as the caramel melted all over my hand and arm. My dad held my other hand tightly and we were practically running at this point, and as we rounded a corner with a large sign over it saying â€Å"Field Box 14-21† in large red letters. My dad then paused and looked down at me. He bent over so we were at the same height, in the middle of path. He looked at me and told me this was his favorite part of Fenway Park, and even at the age of nine, I could see the importance of this moment in his eyes, and I could hear it in his voice. He was about to share his passion with his only child. It was then that he grabbed my hand again and we walked up the ramp and soon I could see light flooding the exit of the walkway. I squinted as my dad pulled me up over his head and I sat on his shoulders. He was smiling ear to ear, and before I knew it I was staring at the Green Monster from the other side. We had made it into Fenway Park. My dad stopped for a moment and stared out at the crisp green field and the thousands of red and blue seats. Even I was dumbfounded at what I was looking at. The Green Monster towered above us and the stadium lights blinded us even though it was still sunny out. Baseball players were stretching and passing the ball to one another. I looked frantically for Nomar, but I could not find him. In person they all look the same. As people were walking around us to get to their seats, my dad then began to walk again to get to ours. He kept me up on his shoulders until we reached Field Box 21, and then he lowered me to the ground and lead me down stairs until we were headed into a crowd of people standing in front of the Red Sox Dugout. He then politely asked people to move and told them they were our seats. I never thought we would be sitting this close! I followed my dad into the third row and picked my favorite number, 2, over 3, which were our two seats in the row. I unfolded the red wooden chair and stood on top of it and watched the many other fans that were not supposed to be there yell to players for autographs. I could not find Nomar, but suddenly my dad picked me up and threw me on top of the dugout. Standing in front of me was a huge man in a red sox uniform. My dad yelled in my ear to hand him my ticket and a pen, so I did. The man was very nice, he asked me my name and he signed his name on my ticket, handed it back, and continued to batting practice. My dad was elated as he took the ticket out of my hand and looked at the signature. I had no idea who the man was, but I thought he must have been important if he was so excited about it. He told me that he was the catcher, Jason Varitek. I didn’t really care then however, I was still scanning the field for Nomar. People were slowly retreating away from the dugout to their real seats, and my dad and I sat down. We were at eye level with the field. The sun was behind us and was slowly dipping lower and lower behind the park. My dad took out a wipe that my mother had packed for us and he scrubbed my caramel apple hands with it. It was then that I saw him. All of the players ran out onto the field right in front of my eyes. I was captivated. There was Nomar Garciapara directly in front of me. They all had their backs to us as the National Anthem was sung. I could not believe I was actually seeing him in person. That was the first time I cried at Fenway Park. My eyes swelled and tears ran down my face, however my father did not notice. He was too busy watching the players take the field, watching the sea of red and navy blue people cheer and listening to the announcers welcome us to Fenway Park. My dad did not know that day he created a monster. He had just poisoned his only daughter with an addi ction to the Boston Red Sox.

Every Click You Take They’ll Be Watching You †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Every Click You Take Theyll Be Watching You. Answer: This article talks about an advanced technological tool that is inbuilt in iPhones so that it can help out the law to find out any type of criminal activities (The Sydney Morning Herald, 2017). The inbuilt technology of iPhones has the ability to retain the information even after it has been removed by the user. According to the forensic research team, most of the iPhone users have no idea about completely removing all the information. Jonathan Zdziarski is a well known former hacker. He had written a book named iPhone Forensics. The law agencies had asked him to train and teach them about the information storage as well as the retrieval of information from iPhone. This phone has an automatic capability of capturing images when the user switches from one application to another. The Urbanspoon application helps to find out restaurants in the city. The iPhone has the ability to store everything that is typed and stored for autocorrect purpose. A person with great expertise knowledge will be able to find out what the user has messaged to several months ago even if the original message and email has been deleted. The in-built mapping or tracking application will keep track of every move of the iPhone users by taking screenshots of the activity and storing in the device (The Sydney Morning Herald, 2017). The photos that are present in the phone are tagged that identify specific information regarding the place and time. Other information stored in the system is the browser history and the other details. This essay analyses the article in terms of the four main classical theories of ethics. The theories that are used in this essay in order to find out whether this act is ethical or not are the Utilitarianism theory, Virtue Ethics, Deontology theory as well as the Contract theory. The Utilitarianism theory focuses on the utility of huge number of people. Utility here refers to the pleasure of the people is not related to the usage (Arntzenius, 2014). This theory is based on consequences of an act or policy. If any act or policy produces happiness among maximum number of people then it is said that the act that is performed or the policy that is implemented is ethical in nature (Broad, 2014). In this article it is seen that iPhone has the ability to store data even after the users delete it. It is used for detecting any crime and identifying criminal activities. The users who are not involved in any criminal activities can feel that they do not have enough privacy. Privacy is a human right. A hacker can track any targeted user at any time. From the perspective of the users this act does not spread happiness and therefore it cannot be considered to be ethical. From the perspective of the police this act is ethical because it helps to keep the society happy by id entifying criminals and reducing the rate of criminal activities. Utilitarianism theory will support the tracking ability of iPhone as it will reduce crime and keep the society happy. Deontological ethics is based on obeying rules and carrying out duties in an ethical manner (Lazar, 2017). It focuses on justice. This justification will pay attention to the entity that is being surveyed. The inbuilt technology of the iPhone is said to store details of the activities of the users. In the given article it is said that the police can use this technology to arrest criminals ((Ross, 2013). Here the entity is the criminal and he or she deserves to be monitored. Therefore this activity will protect the society and will punish the criminals. Deontological theory will accept the concept of tracking individual record for the purpose of identifying criminals and arresting them for the welfare of the society. Virtue ethics focuses on the character and the moral values of an individual person (At hanassoulis, 2013). Every person has a certain character based on development and training that has been provided to them in their entire life. This inbuilt technology in iPhone will make the users conscious before committing any kind of criminal activity (Van Hooft, 2014). If a person is being constantly monitored then he or she tends to behave in a proper and ethical way. This will develop the ethical sense and the moral values of a person. Therefore from the perspective of Virtue Ethics, this act is ethically correct. Contract theory states that the presence of a contract will promote ethical acts. The contract acts as a promise (Fried, 2015). The person will feel obligated to perform activities in an ethical manner. In this case if an iPhone user wants to commit a crime then he or she will hesitate (K?szegi, 2014). The users will feel obligated to perform morally correct activities. Therefore, the contract theory suggests that this technology of tracking the records act as a con tract and it is ethically permissible. This essay concludes that the inbuilt technology of iPhone will promote ethical activities because the criminals will become aware of the technology and hesitate to commit any crime. This essay has taken four theories of ethics into account and judges the article. The Utilitarianism theory supported this technology because it promotes the happiness of the society by indentifying the criminals and punishing them. The Virtue Ethics and Social Contract theory also said that it is an ethical act because it promotes ethical behavior among the users. The Deontology theory said that the inbuilt application that records the data of the users helps to monitor the criminal activities and therefore it is ethical. The inbuilt application that records the data can be only retrieved by the forensic department and police in order to find out whether the user has committed any crime or not. Therefore, it is ethically permissible. References Arntzenius, F. (2014). Utilitarianism, decision theory and eternity.Philosophical Perspectives,28(1), 31-58. Athanassoulis, N. (2013).Virtue ethics. AC Black. Broad, C. D. (2014).Five types of ethical theory(Vol. 2). Routledge. Fried, C. (2015).Contract as promise: A theory of contractual obligation. Oxford University Press, USA. K?szegi, B. (2014). Behavioral contract theory.Journal of Economic Literature,52(4), 1075-1118. Lazar, S. (2017). Deontological Decision Theory and Agent-Centered Options.Ethics,127(3), 579-609. Ross, D. (2013).Foundations of ethics. Read Books Ltd. The Sydney Morning Herald. (2017).Every click you take, they'll be watching you. Retrieved 19 September 2017, from https://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/iphone/every-click-you-take-theyll-be-watching-you-20100917-15gbx.html Van Hooft, S. (2014).Understanding virtue ethics. Routledge. Vaughn, L. (2015).Doing ethics: Moral reasoning and contemporary issues. WW Norton Company. ed of any crime then the police along with the Apple Inc will be able to retrieve the data.

Music History Essays - Musical Texture, Harmony, Classical Music

Music History Music has been a great influence in the lives of many people through lyrics and rhythm. There are many different styles that can be performed by either a male or female. Music has been around for many years and is constantly changing. Music has been divided into six periods: Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Twentieth Century. Music is written in symbols that represent musical sounds. The system of written symbols is called Musical Notation. "The primary requirement of any notation is that it be suited to the music it represents (Gerboth)." The simplest texture of music is monophonic or single voiced texture. Gregorian chant is an example of monophonic texture. ?All music up to about a thousand years ago, of which we have any knowledge, was monophonic (Machlis 295).? Its melody is heard with out a harmonic accompaniment or other vocal lines and attention is focused on the single line (Machlis 295). ?To this day the music of the Oriental world - of China, Japan, India, Ja va, Bali, and the Arab nations -is largely monophonic (Machlis 295).? Polyphonic or many-voiced texture is when two or more melodic lines are combined. Most Medieval polyphonic music is anonymous, though some composers were so important that their name was preserved along with their music ("Historical"). The polyphonic texture is based on counterpoint: the art and science of combining in a single texture two or more simultaneous melodic lines, each with a rhythmic life of its own (Machlis 295-96). The development of counterpoint took place at a time when composers were mainly occupied with religious choral music, which was by its nature, many-voiced (Machlis 296). Polyphony had to be written in a way that would indicate the rhythm and pitch precisely. It brought the emergence of regular meters that enabled different voices to stay together. Polychoral music is music for several chiors singing in answer to each other across the huge resesses of the church (Frowler 122). Homophonic te xture is a single-melody with chords (Machlis 296). Homophonic means "same" or similar sounding. Its texture is based mainly on harmony. This texture dominated the Classical style. The Medieval period was the longest and most distant period of musical history and consists of almost a millennium's worth of music (?Historical?). One of the difficulties in studying Medieval music is that a system for notating music developed only gradually ("Historical"). A musical notation system was started in the 12th or 13th century. Notation in music, for several centuries, only indicated what pitch (or note) to sing. The Renaissance (1400-1600) began in 14th century Italy (Kirshner) and its name means rebirth. A cultural break with Medieval tradition was the Renaissance idea of humanism. ?The Renaissance was a time of brilliant accomplishments in literature, science, and the arts (Frowler 445).? During the Renaissance there is an increase in individualism that is reflected by the changing role of the composer (?Historical?). In late Renaissance instrumental music went toward an independence from vocal music (Ulrich). Most of the popular songs were played on the lute. The Renaissance, in the arts, was on of the most innovative and active periods in the history of Western man, based partly on the philosophic movement called humanism (Ulrich). The Baroque period (or Middle Ages) (1600-1750) is divided into three fifty-year periods, early, middle, and late Baroque. Music of the Baroque era was characterized by the vastness of proportion, rich counterpoint, great splender and a highly ornamented melodic line (Mautz). Baroque music is often highly ornate, colorful and richly textured when compared with its predecessors ("Historical"). The term Baroque came from a French word for an imperfect or irregular pearl (Frowler 448-49). ?The early baroque was a time of intense experimentation, led in large part by Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi (?Historical?)." Many aspects of the Ba roque art were determined by religion (Sullavin). "The intensity and immediacy of Baroque art and its individualism and detail - observed in such things as the convincing rendering of cloth and skin textures - make it one of the most compelling periods of Western Art (Sullavin)." Major events of the early 17th century were related to the invention of a new method of composition called monodic style. Monodic style music was

Analysing 4 Short Horror Story Openings Essays

Analysing 4 Short Horror Story Openings Essays Analysing 4 Short Horror Story Openings Essay Analysing 4 Short Horror Story Openings Essay Essay Topic: Literature In this piece of coursework, I am going to analyse 4 Horror Story openings. The first is The Signalman by Charles Dickens. It tells the story of a man who comes across a seemingly normal railway cutting with a mysterious story to tell. The second is The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe. The main character, who is seemingly mad, has a grudge against an old man because of his vulture eye and this drives him to take drastic action. For the third story, there is The Landlady by Roald Dahl in which the main character is taken victim by a seemingly harmless Landlady of a small guesthouse. Lastly, there is All But Empty by Graham Greene. In this story the writer finds a man in a cinema with a puzzling and inexplicable tale. The settings for all of the stories openings have something in common to link them together. The Signalman uses very atmospheric words to describe the cutting, its surroundings and the time of day. The actual cutting is described as extremely deep and unusually precipitate. These words give the reader the feeling that the cutting is forbidding and uninviting to the narrator/writer. The time of day that the opening is set is mid-evening, just as the sun is setting. This also has its part to play in the mood of the opening. The writer describes the cutting steeped in the glow of an angry sunset. The word angry brings up the colour red which is associated with danger. When the writer is making his way down to the cutting he gives vivid descriptions like clammy stone, zigzag path and oozier and wetter. These words as well as adding to the feeling of unwelcomeness, paint a picture of wetness and cold. Upon reaching the cutting, he describes the tunnel. He uses word like gloomier and massive architecture. Its greatness is made to make the writer feel small and insignificant. He also describes the tunnel by saying, there was a barbarous, depressing and forbidding air. So little sunlight ever found its way to this spot, that it had an earthy deadly smell; so much cold wind rushed through it, that it struck chill to me, as if I had left the natural world. Again the word forbidding shows the unwelcome feeling. The cutting is described as a Great Dungeon with a dripping wet wall of jagged stone excluding all view but a strip of sky. This shows that the cutting is secluded from all view. This adds to the effect that the cutting is a dark place, which has secrets to hide from the outside world. The first setting that is portrayed in The Tell-Tale Heart is when the writer is planning the murder of the old man and his vulture eye. The beginning is set at midnight, which is thought of as dark and quiet which makes it mysterious and secretive. The old mans room is described as being black as pitch with the thick darkness. It also says that the shutters were shut through fear of robbers. This shows that the old man is afraid. The darkness gives a feeling of seclusion. The Tell-Tale Heart links with The Signalman in this respect. After the old man hears the writer sneaking around the door of his room, he lets out a groan of mortal terror. The description of this moan adds to the scary atmosphere of the opening, which is building up to the murder. When he opens the lantern to look at the old mans eye, he does it ever so cautiously so a single dim ray, like the thread of a spider shot from out the crevice and fell upon the vulture eye. This shows with how much care he carried out all the deeds leading up to the murder. Then the writer says, Their came a low dull quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. This shows that the writers senses are more alert than usual and he is on edge about the whole venture. Roald Dahl first sets the scene in The landlady by describing the time and the weather. He says that it was about nine oclock in the evening and the moon was coming out of a clear starry sky. This indicates that it was dark and we associate darkness with eeriness and it gives the reader and unwelcome feeling. It also says that the air was deadly cold and it was like a flat blade of ice on his cheeks. The word blade suggests sharp and hurtful. Cold gives a feeling of isolation to the reader and adds to the feeling of mysteriousness. The street is described as wide with only a tall line of houses on each side, all of them identical. The Landlady here links with The Signalman and the massive architecture of the tunnel. The tallness of the houses is included to make the character look and feel small. The houses are described as being once upon a time, very swanky residences. The houses are obviously now old and neglected. This is hinted at when it says but now, even in the darkness, he could see that the paint was peeling from the woodwork on their doors and windows, and that the handsome white facades were cracked and blotchy from neglect. It also says that all houses are identical. This means that nothing stands out or is appealing in anyway. This tells the reader that the area is dull and drab and makes it seem it has been neglected. When he first catches a glimpse of the bed and breakfast it says, Suddenly, in a downstairs window brilliantly illuminated by a street light not 6 yards away This means that the house appealed to him and stood out in one way or another and this add to the mystery of the opening. The inside of the house is described as being warm and welcoming. This contrasts with the other stories in which the place was unwelcoming and unfriendly. The writer of All But Empty portrays the cinema as an empty place. He says it had almost invariable, total emptiness. This links with The Signalman and The Landlady in this respect because it makes the reader think of the isolation the main character must be feeling. The music that is playing in the film he describes as blurred metallic music. This makes the film seem as if it is of no consequence and he is not really watching it. This shows that the mans mind is somewhere else. He also describes the air as being stale which adds to the old feeling that we get right from the beginning. We tend to think of old things as being mysterious and this adds to the opening. In The Signalman, a lot of questions are raised as to the secretive nature of the main character. One of the questions raised is why doesnt the signalman answer when the writer, stood on top of the cliff, talks to him? It is obvious for the reader that he is confused in some way but it still leaves the question as to why and what is confused or worried about? This is shown when the writer writes instead of looking up to where I stood on top of the steep cutting nearly over his head, he turned himself about and looked down the line. This makes the reader question what the signalman is unsure about. When the writer finally gets down into the cutting and he starts to talk to the signalman, the signalman just looks straight past him and looks at the mouth of the tunnel instead. It is clear that there is something about the man that is puzzling him in someway although it is unclear until further on in the story when he says I am troubled. This makes the reader want to read on to find out what he is troubled about. Throughout the time that the signalman and writer are talking, the signalman keeps looking at the warning bell as though expecting it to ring: -he twice broke off with a fallen colour, turned his face towards the little bell when it did not ring, opened the door of the hut, and looked out towards the red light near the mouth of the tunnel. This shows that he appears to be waiting for something to happen, but what? As the writer is about to leave, the signalman tells him that he is troubled but feels unable to talk about those troubles to him at that moment. He tells him to come back tomorrow night and he will tell him then. It is plain that he is feeling slightly pressured then and this gives the reader an insight into his thoughts at that time. In the story of The Tell-Tale Heart questions are asked about a lot of the aspects of the opening. Firstly, why does the writer deny being mad? This story depicts a man who is obviously mad because of the way he acts. What is so annoying about the old mans eye that drives him to kill him? He describes the eye as resembling that of a vulture-a pale blue eye, with a film over it. He then goes on to say that whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold. The eye obviously made him uneasy in some way because the phrase my blood ran cold we usually associate with terror or horror. When he is preparing for the murder, why does it take him so long to enter the bedroom and open the lamp to see inside? Why does he carry out all the procedures with such care and for such a long time? He says he did this for eight nights before killing the old man. He also says it took me an hour to place my head within the opening. This makes the reader feel that he obviously feels very strongly about his cause otherwise he would not be so patient towards it and encourages them to wonder why the old mans eye could be driving him to eventually kill him. The landlady raises many questions in the opening. One of the first is why does the Bed and Breakfast sign appear three times to Billy as he looks in the window of the boarding house? Dahl includes this to show how attractive the bed and breakfast is against the coldness of the outside and the other apparently derelict houses. When Billy Weaver rings the bell on the front door of the house, it is said by Dahl that, This dame was like a jack-in-a-box. He pressed the bell and out she popped! This makes the reader wonder why she was so eager and make them immediately aware that there is something strange about the house. In the fourth story, All but empty, the writer, Graham Greene, raises lots of questions concerned with the old man and the cinema. The writer says he very often visits an old cinema but why? He describes the cinema as having almost invariable, almost total emptiness but why would someone want to visit a desolate old cinema? When the Old Man enters the cinema he chooses to sit next to the man but why as there were plenty of other seats available? The writer says, He tried to get past me, though he had the whole cinema to choose from. This encourages the reader to think that the old man has a secret that he would like to share with someone. Each of the stories shares some common aspect that makes a successful horror story opening. Every story uses night or darkness to show that they have a dark meaning. The Signalman is set around sunset that has an angry glow. This acts, as a warning as to what is about to happen to the unfortunate Signalman. The bedroom in The Tell-Tale Heart, while the writer is looking in on the old man as he sleeps, is described as being black as pitch with the thick darkness, and this shows the reader that the old man is completely innocent and unable to see what is about to happen to him. Another similarity between all of the stories is the way in which the writers have described the victims. They are portrayed as someone who is innocent and unaware of their fate. Billy Weaver in The Landlady is described as 17 and that it is his first time in Bath. This makes him sound innocent and vulnerable. Sounds also play a large part in the stories. The Signalman has a part where the train comes from out of the tunnel: Just then there came a vague vibration in the earth and air, quickly changing into a violent pulsation. This perhaps is a forewarning to the sudden death that the signalman is about to meet. The way in which the stories are written is perhaps the biggest impact on how the stories make the reader feel. Charles Dickens has written the story so that there is not much dialogue in the beginning maybe showing that the two characters find it hard to communicate with each other. Edgar Allen-Poe uses a dramatic amount of punctuation in The Tell-Tale Heart to make the reader realise how the killer is talking. The sentences are disjointed with lots of exclamation marks e. g. True! -nervous-very, very dreadfully nervous. This is added to make the reader know how he is feeling.

Poverty and Inequality in the United States

Poverty and Inequality in the United States Americans are proud of their economic system, believing it provides opportunities for all citizens to have good lives. Their faith is clouded, however, by the fact that poverty persists in many parts of the country. Government anti-poverty efforts have made some progress but have not eradicated the problem. Similarly, periods of strong economic growth, which bring more jobs and higher wages, have helped reduce poverty but have not eliminated it entirely. The federal government defines a minimum amount of income necessary for the basic maintenance of a family of four. This amount may fluctuate depending on the cost of living and the location of the family. In 1998, a family of four with an annual income below $16,530 was classified as living in poverty. The percentage of people living below the poverty level dropped from 22.4 percent in 1959 to 11.4 percent in 1978. But since then, it has fluctuated in a fairly narrow range. In 1998, it stood at 12.7 percent. What is more, the overall figures mask much more severe pockets of poverty. In 1998, more than one-quarter of all African-Americans (26.1 percent) lived in poverty; though distressingly high, that figure did represent an improvement from 1979, when 31 percent of blacks were officially classified as poor, and it was the lowest poverty rate for this group since 1959. Families headed by single mothers are particularly susceptible to poverty. Partly as a result of this phenomenon, almost one in five children (18.9 percent) was poor in 1997. The poverty rate was 36.7 percent among African-American children and 34.4 percent of Hispanic children. Some analysts have suggested that the official poverty figures overstate the real extent of poverty because they measure only cash income and exclude certain government assistance programs such as Food Stamps, health care, and public housing. Others point out, however, that these programs rarely cover all of a familys food or health care needs and that there is a shortage of public housing. Some argue that even families whose incomes are above the official poverty level sometimes go hungry, skimping on food to pay for such things as housing, medical care, and clothing. Still, others point out that people at the poverty level sometimes receive cash income from casual work and in the underground sector of the economy, which is never recorded in official statistics. In any event, it is clear that the American economic system does not apportion its rewards equally. In 1997, the wealthiest one-fifth of American families accounted for 47.2 percent of the nations income, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington-based research organization. In contrast, the poorest one-fifth earned just 4.2 percent of the nations income, and the poorest 40 percent accounted for only 14 percent of income. Despite the generally prosperous American economy as a whole, concerns about inequality continued during the 1980s and 1990s. Increasing global competition threatened workers in many traditional manufacturing industries, and their wages stagnated. At the same time, the federal government edged away from tax policies that sought to favor lower-income families at the expense of wealthier ones, and it also cut spending on a number of domestic social programs intended to help the disadvantaged. Meanwhile, wealthier families reaped most of the gains from the booming stock market. In the late 1990s, there were some signs these patterns were reversing, as wage gains accelerated especially among poorer workers. But at the end of the decade, it was still too early to determine whether this trend would continue. - Next Article: The Growth of Government in the United States This article is adapted from the book Outline of the U.S. Economy by Conte and Carr and has been adapted with permission from the U.S. Department of State.