The Great Gatsby Essay Example for Free

The Great Gatsby Essay Literature by definition may consist of texts based on factual information (journalistic or non-fiction), as well as on original imagination, such as polemical works as well as autobiography, and reflective essays as well as belles-lettres. The Great Gatsby has the following particular characteristics of a literary texts: The first literary element of the novel is the plot, the protagonist is Jay Gatsby, a young, wealthy man in love with a society girl from his past. He tries to build a life with her but fate and bad luck turn tragic. The next key element is the theme, Fitzgerald demonstrates many themes including the decline of the American dream. The American dream was originally about discovery, individualism, and the pursuit of happiness. In the 1920s depicted in the novel, however, easy money and relaxed social values have corrupted this dream, especially on the East Coast. A second important theme of the novel would be the hollowness of the upper class, the sociology of wealth, specifically, how the newly minted millionaires of the 1920s differ from and relate to the old aristocracy of the country’s richest families. What the old aristocracy possesses in taste, however, it seems to lack in heart, as the East Eggers prove themselves careless, inconsiderate bullies who are so used to money’s ability to ease their minds that they never worry about hurting others. The presence of characters is also a characteristic of the literary texts. In The Great Gatsby we have Jay Gatsby the main character an ambitious dreamer searching desperately to repeat the past in a different context. Nick Carraway a young graduate from Yale which aspires to be a writer who is irresistibly attracted by the lifestyle of richness, opulence and extravagance but ends up being a supporter and admirer of Gatsby’s morals and values. Daisy Buchanan, Nick’s cousin and the object of the main character’s affection a careless, beautiful society girl with warm, fascinating gestures. Tom Buchanan is Daisy’s husband and the son of and immensely wealthy and socially solid family, a man without morals who can and will do anything to get what he wants. Among the other characters of he book we can find Jordan Baker, Myrtle and George Wilson and Meyer Wolfsheim. The setting of the novel takes place right after The Great War in the 1920s mostly in East and West Egg but also in New York. The major conflict is the fact that Daisy’s refuses Gatsby despite the vast fortune he has collected for her because of his unclear past. The climax of the book the confrontation between Tom and Jay is in chapter 7 and takes place at the Plaza Hotel in New York. The narrative voice of the novel is Nick which tells the story in the first person because he is part of it too. The mood is largely dark, pessimistic, and vapid as set by the purposelessness and carelessness of the wealthy, the ongoing string of meaningless parties, the ugliness of the Valley of Ashes, and the tragic deaths of Gatsby and Myrtle. Only Nick Carraways honest and moral view of life breaks the sense of tragedy. Among the literary techniques use in the novel we can recognize the following: The presence of the direct and indirect characterization made by the narrator and deducted from the characters’ gestures and attitudes, the dialogue, the foreshadowing technique is also present through the mysterious calls Gatsby receives. Most important all types of irony are present in the text, verbal irony is present in the conflicts between Tom and Gatsby, situational irony, when Daisy ends up killing Tom’s mistress by accidentally running over her with Jay’s car and dramatic irony, when George Wilson murders Gatsby because he assumes Gatsby was the wealthy man his wife, Myrle, was having an affair with. Considering all the above, The Great Gatsby by Scott F. Fitzgerald is a modernist novel based on the reality of the post war 1920s, inspired from the authors’ life which satisfies all the requirements in order to be called a literary work.

beethoven :: essays research papers

Beethoven Study Guide v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ludwig Van Beethoven was born in 1770 in the town of Bonn, Germany v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His was given the same name as his grandfather who was a court musician in Bonn v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His father, Johann, was not a talented musician and was a cruel first tutor for Ludwig v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beethoven had 2 brothers v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beethoven wrote his first music composition when he was just 12 years old. v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Christian Neefe was Beethoven’s first legitimate tutor and quickly recognized his talents. Neefe took Beethoven to Vienna when he was just 16 years old. Vienna was the music capital of Europe at the time. In 1787, Beethoven played for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart recognized Beethoven’s talents and knew he would be a great musician, and many in Vienna considered Beethoven to be the next â€Å"Mozart†. Beethoven and Mozart met only one time. Beethoven had to return to Bonn just a few weeks later after his mother, Maria, died. v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beethoven remained in Bonn to care for his brothers. He took a job in the Bonn court orchestra. The only instrument position available was the viola. He taught himself to play it and got the job. The income allowed Beethoven to compose music in his spare time. v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beethoven met his next tutor, Joseph Haydn who would help Beethoven to return to Vienna in 1792. Beethoven quickly became a celebrity. v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beethoven had a terrible temper and mood swings. He considered himself a true celebrity and tried to convince everyone he was of noble birth because he had the word â€Å"Van† in his name. v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Beethoven was in his late 20’s he began to lose his hearing. He wrote most of his most famous works while he was going deaf. Symphony number 9 was written when he was completely deaf. v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beethoven admired Napoleon Bonaparte very much and dedicated his 3rd Symphony to him. When Napoleon declared himself Emperor of France, Beethoven was very angry and scratched up the original score to remove Napoleon’s name from it. Beethoven, however, did not destroy the music itself, he just renamed it. v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beethoven fell in love many times, but never married. He fought his sister-in-law for custody of his nephew and won, although his nephew, Karl, hated him. v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As Beethoven lost more of his hearing he became more and more angry as well as reclusive. He would wander the streets of Vienna like a homeless man and then return to his apartment to compose music. v  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Later in his life, Beethoven returned to the church and had a spiritual awakening.

Significant Health Care Event

There have been several events that have helped to change and mold health care throughout history in the United States. Some influences that have are significant to benefit Americans and stay on track with the needs of Americans include society, culture, finance, religion, politics, technology, health trends, environment, and population (Shi & Singh, 2012) Significant Event’s Relation to Health Care In the year 2011 there were many reports in the media regarding bisphenol A (BPA).BPA is a hormone-disrupting chemical linked to adverse health effects like cancer, infertility, diabetes, obesity and ADHD (Newbold, 2009) A large amount of BPA has been removed from water bottles as well as baby bottles. However, the epoxy resin lining food cans was still a grave concern and widespread problem throughout the United States. A new study done during this time found BPA in several canned fruits, vegetables, and pasta treats consumed by many children.A Harvard study found that volunteers who consumed canned soup daily for five days had a 1,000 percent increase in urinary BPA (Datz, 2011). BPA is found in many foods and drinks ingested by Americans every day. It has also been proven to be found in sealants and dentistry composites used by dentists. Many countries have banned BPA use in baby bottles, sippy cups, along with other products primarily used by children. BPA has been used in the United States since the 1950s, and was approved as a food additive by the FDA at that time (Rust & Kissinger, 2009).Personal Accountability for a healthier lifestyle Another event that has become more common in the United States is personal responsibility of each American to lead a healthier life that leads to a decrease in health care costs in the long run. Access to effective health care is an important component to many people as well as an important social responsibility. Americans as a society can find many ways to promote healthy environments and lifestyles. These ways include pollution control, occupational health, sanitation, preventative medical care and education, along with food and drug safety.Greater attention should be paid to strategies for health promotion other than access to healthcare, such as environmental and public health and health research (Resnick, 2007). The lifestyle of many Americans is the primary cause of the majority of illnesses in the United States. The leading causes of disease have been proven to be contributing factors to disease and death in the United States. Chronic diseases are the leading cause of disability as well as death in the United States and are on the rise. 7 out of 10 deaths among Americans each year are from chronic diseases.Heart disease, cancer and stroke account for more than 50% of all deaths each year (Kung, Hoyert, Xu, & Murphy, 2005). More than one-third of all adults do not meet recommendations for aerobic physical activity based on the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, and 23% report n o leisure-time physical activity at all in the preceding month, cigarette smoking is more prevalent in high school students as of 2007 with a reported percentage of 20%, and more than 43 million adults are cigarette smokers in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008).Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, and cigarette smoking causes almost all cases. Compared to nonsmokers, men who smoke are about 23 times more likely to develop lung cancer and women who smoke are about 13 times more likely. Smoking causes about 90% of lung cancer deaths in men and almost 80% in women. Smoking also causes cancer of the voice box (larynx), mouth and throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, pancreas, cervix, and stomach, and causes acute myeloid leukemia (U. S.Department of Health and Human Services, 2004). Chronic conditions that are caused by poor lifestyle choices ultimately create a huge burden on health care spending in the United States. The cost of health care spending for chronic conditions has increased the United States from $75 billion in 1970, $2. 6 trillion in 2010, and is expected to reach $4. 8 trillion in 2021. 75% of these costs is because of unhealthy lifestyles that lead to chronic conditions (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2011).General practitioners and insurance companies must focus more on educational resources related to preventative medicine and care to ensure citizens lead healthier lifestyles that will lead to longevity of life. This can be a difficult task as physicians are taught to uphold a creed to take care of all people who are ill, and Americans as a society are obligated to care for vulnerable citizens. There are no quick fix solutions. However, I believe that education can assist many Americans to strive more to live a better and healthier lifestyle in order to avoid disease and death from one of the many preventable chronic conditions.

Why Do Kids Like Dinosaurs

Pretty much every kid in the world goes through a â€Å"dinosaur phase,† when he or she eats, sleeps, and breathes dinosaurs. Sometimes this happens as young as two or three when a precocious tot manages to pronounce the word â€Å"tyrannosaurus† before he can wrap his mouth around â€Å"please† or â€Å"thank you.† Usually, it occurs around the age of six or seven, when kids are just starting to come to grips with scientific concepts and can extrapolate the appearance and behavior of dinosaurs from the wildlife they see at the zoo. Occasionally, a particularly bright child will carry his love of dinosaurs all the way through adolescence and adulthood; some of these lucky individuals go on to become biologists and paleontologists. But why, exactly, do kids love dinosaurs so much? Reason No. 1: Dinosaurs Are Big, Scary – and Extinct The most likely explanation for why kids love dinosaurs is that these huge, dangerous reptiles went extinct over 65 million years ago (though that might as well be 65 years, or even 65 days, from the perspective of your average pre-schooler). The fact is, most kids dont worship at the altar of lions, tigers, or timber wolves, probably because these fierce carnivores can easily be seen (either at the zoo or on TV) stalking their prey and ripping into freshly killed antelopes. Children have vivid imaginations, meaning its a short step from witnessing a hyena demolishing a wildebeest to picturing themselves on the lunch menu. Thats why dinosaurs have such enormous appeal: the average grade-schooler may have only a vague idea when dinosaurs went extinct, but she knows, for a fact, that theyre no longer around. A full-grown​  Tyrannosaurus Rex, no matter how huge and hungry, is thus rendered completely harmless, since theres no chance of accidentally running into one during a nature excursion or at summer camp. This is likely the same reason that many kids are obsessed by zombies, vampires,  and mummies; they know, deep down, that these mythical monsters dont really exist, despite the protestations of some misguided adults. Reason No. 2: Dinosaurs Get to Do What They Want Remember those old Calvin Hobbes comic strips in which Calvin pretends to be a big, lurching Tyrannosaurus Rex? That, in a Jurassic nutshell, is the second reason kids love dinosaurs: no one tells a full-grown Apatosaurus that he has to go to bed at 7 oclock, finish his peas before he can have dessert, or take care of his baby sister. Dinosaurs represent, in kids minds, the ultimate id principle: when they want something, they go out and get it, and nothing had better stand in their way. This, no surprise, is the side of dinosaurs most often portrayed in childrens books. The reason parents dont mind when their kid pretends to be a fierce Allosaurus is that this kind of â€Å"disobedience† allows the toddler to harmlessly blow off steam; its better to deal with a pesky, hyperactive dinosaur than an entirely human kid having an ugly tantrum. Books like Dinosaur vs. Bedtime exploit this dynamic perfectly; by the last page, the dress-up dinosaur has finally settled down for a nights sleep, after winning a series of dramatic battles against a playground slide, a bowl of spaghetti, and talking grown-ups. Reason No. 3: Dinosaurs Leave Really Cool Skeletons Believe it or not, until 20 years ago, most kids learned about dinosaurs from mounted skeletons in museums, and not computer-animated documentaries on The Discovery Channel or the BBC. Because theyre so big and so unfamiliar, dinosaur skeletons are somehow less creepy than the skeletons left by modern wolves or big cats (or human beings, for that matter). In fact, many kids prefer their dinosaurs in skeleton form—especially when theyre putting together scale-sized models of a Stegosaurus or Brachiosaurus! Finally, and most important, dinosaurs are really, really cool. If you dont grasp that simple idea, then you probably shouldnt be reading this article in the first place. Perhaps youd be more comfortable learning about birding or potted plants!