Gun Control Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Gun Control - Research Paper Example Crime rates have gone up drastically due to easy access to all manner of handguns, rifles, and automatic weapons. California has recorded a drastic increase in drug-related crimes, robberies, and rape in the past years due to gun possession. Moreover, gun owners feel they have the right to threaten, control, and mishandle other citizens using their weapons. Thus, is it necessary to illegalize possession of guns in California because they cause unnecessary deaths, more crimes and lawlessness, and increased violence in the society. Misuse of weapons leads to 50% of gun related incidences in the form of crimes and gun related lawlessness. In 2009, robbers, burglars, rapists, and drug criminals had easy access to weapons, leading to gang violence, intimidation, breaking of laws, and controlling the other people (Editorial 3). Citizens lived in fear due to rowdy criminals who can access handguns easily and threaten people’s lives. Massive access to different types of handguns, automatic rifles, and machine guns, has made it hard for police to keep up with combating crime in the state of California. Crimes happening in homes, schools, places, of work and on the streets due to guns increased by the day before enforcement of gun laws. Moreover, some gun owners take advantage of the situation and believe they have the right to end someone’s life, cause harm, and intimidate the person on the slightest provocation. Additionally, once guns are in circulation, they end up in the possession of wrong people w ho do not hesitate to use them on innocent citizens. Furthermore, once in possession of guns, criminals gain power over their victims and can inflict all sorts of harm including rape, and death. This power also has resulted in increased organized crimes as the criminals take advantage that they have guns to protect themselves and kill anyone against them. Nevertheless, misuse of weapons has decreased rapidly

Separation of Mixtures of Solids Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Separation of Mixtures of Solids - Lab Report Example As can be seen, the total weight of the mixture’s components after separation was less than the initial weight of the mixture. Specifically, a total of 39% of the weights were lost during the experiment. The calculation of which is elaborated below. CALCULATIONS The calculation of the percent loss was as follows: CONCLUSION/DISCUSSION As demonstrated, separation of a mixture of solids into its components can be done by taking advantage of the innate differences of the characteristics of each of the components. Iron is the only metal component of the four, and this was taken advantage of in the use of magnet. By exposing the mixture to the magnet, it was ensured that only iron fillings would be able to attach to the magnet. On the other hand, unlike sand, benzoic acid and salt are both water soluble, and their solubility was increased by heating the solvent, ensuring that benzoic acid and salt can be dissolved. Next, since benzoic acid is less soluble than salt, it crystallized at cooler temperatures of the aqueous solution. The salt was then transformed back to its solid form by allowing water to evaporate (Masterton and Hurley, 2004). QUESTIONS A. How did your proposed procedures or flow charts at the beginning of this experiment compare to the actual procedures of this lab exercise? In my proposed procedure, I planned to separate the salt and benzoic acid instead by adding water and boiling the mixture. The resulting solution will then be cooled to precipitate out the benzoic acid, and the remaining liquid will be allowed to evaporate until only the salt remains. To the remaining mixture of supposedly iron and sand, it will be exposed to a magnet to attract the iron and leave the sand behind. B. Discuss potential advantages or disadvantages of your proposed procedure compared to the one actually used. Although the principle is the same, I feel that my proposed flowchart poses some disadvantages as that compared to the instructions. First, boiling water may have corrosive effects on the iron, making them weak enough to break into pieces that may contaminate the sand that will remain after all the separation techniques. Second, the weight of the iron may be overestimated, as it may get wet because of the exposure to liquid that might not be totally dried out during the procedure. C. How would you explain a sand recovery percentage that is higher than the original sand percentage? Sand, especially when it is composed mostly of clay, tends to sip in water that may add onto the weight of the sand. D. What were potential sources of error in this experiment? What I think mostly contributed to the relatively large percentage loss was the weighing. Probably, a few particles remained on the weighing dish every time weighing was done during the experiment. Thus, all of the components were most likely underestimated in this experiment. Other sources of error include not completely drying out the water before weighing the solids; not complete ly magnetizing out the iron, overestimating the weight of sand; not completely precipitating out benzoic acid when the benzoic acid + salt solution is exposed to cooler temperatures, thus underestimating the weight of benzoic acid and overestimating the weight of salt; and not completely evaporating the fluid, thus overestimating the weight of salt. References Masteron, W. L. and Hurley, C. N. (2004). Chemistry: Principles and Reactions. 4th ed.

Biography of Kate Chopin Essay Example for Free

Biography of Kate Chopin Essay Kate Chopin was an American author of short stories and novels. Considered as one of the earliest feminist authors of the 20th century, she was one of the most-celebrated female writers of her time. She wrote several short stories including The Story of an Hour (1894), Euphrase (1850), Mrs. Mobrys Reason (1891), A Shameful Affair (1893), and many others. Her literature usually described her own life, reflecting the time she lived in and the life she led. When readers look into her literature, they do not only read what is on the text but also try to understand the context. When you look through her fiction, you might notice that the contexts include the life of the author, the time it was written and the social condition during the time it was set, among others. One of her short stories, The Story of an Hour, depicts a woman’s reactions to the news of her husband’s death, upon reading which I found connections between her life and the life of the main character of the short story. Background and early life After Kate Chopin’s father was killed in a train accident, she moved into a household of women in St. Louis. As a girl she was mentored mainly by women her mother, her grandmother, and her great grandmother. She also had deep bonds with her family members, the sisters who taught her at school, and with her life-long friend Kitty Garasche. A lot of the fiction Kate wrote was hugely influenced by the women she grew up with, especially regarding her views about feminism, and women. In 1870, at the age of 20, she settled in New Orleans. Oscar, her husband, bought a general store in Cloutierville, but in 1882 he died of malaria and left Kate with $12,000 in debt (approximately $229,360 in 2005 dollars). Kate Chopin was widowed at 32. She attempted to run the plantation and store alone but with no success. Two years later, she sold her Louisiana business. Her mother wanted her to move back to St. Louis. The following year, her mother died. After the loss of both her husband and the mother, Kate Chopin found herself drifting into the realms of depression. Her doctor felt that writing would be a good way for her to heal this developing depression. Her doctor understood that writing could serve as a focus for her energy as well as a source of income. She thus indulged herself and became successful, and found many of her work getting published. However, some of her writings were far too ahead of their times and she faced lack of acceptance for almost 12 years. Literary works with examples Kate Chopin commented on the importance of describing human existence in its subtle, complex, true meaning, stripped of the veil with which ethical and conventional standards have draped it† (1894). An interview on the PBS website for Kate Chopin says, I think she was much more interested in the excitement, the civilization that came in her circle of intellectual friends. That was freedom, the freedom to explore ideas† (PBS, 1999). Kate was neither a feminist nor a suffragist, she said so. She was nonetheless a woman who took women extremely seriously. She never doubted the womans ability to be strong. She came from a long line of strong women whom she loved and respected, owing to the affiliation with her great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother. She had strong intellectual women friends. Her lack of interest in feminism and suffrage did not have anything to do with a lack of confidence in women, nor did it have a lot to do with a lack of desire for freedom. She simply had a different understanding of freedom. She saw freedom as much more a matter of spirit, soul, and character than anything else, of living your life within the constraints that the world makes [or] your God offers you, because all of us do live within constraints. There is no indication that â€Å"she regretted her marriage, or regretted being a mother† (PBS, 1999). Early 1970s was the period thriving with womens rights movements, and Kate Chopin was one leading contributor to the said phenomenon. She contributed a lot through her writings about women, daytime dramas, the feminine mystique, women’s liberation, Mars vs. Venus, self-help and commentary on open marriages. You can see how Kate Chopin’s life event (train accident, A Widow, and Freedom for Women) influenced her fictions through The Story of an Hour. One of the main events in the story is a man’s loss, namely Mrs. Mallard’s husband. Josephine, Mrs. Mallard’s sister, brought the sad message that there was a railroad disaster and of those listed as killed included Brently Mallard, who was Mrs. Mallard’s husband. In Kate’s life, there had been a similar loss. That someone was her father who passed away in a railroad accident in 1855. Furthermore, Mrs. Mallard is in due course assumed to be a widow, but readers will soon find out that Mr. Mallard is alive. In Kate’s life, her father had widowed her mother. Both had experienced what it’s like to be a widow but of course, the response to the loss may entirely be different. In the end, before she learnt of Brently’s return from the accident, Louise died of heart disease of joy that kills. This could suggest that she had a moment of monstrous joy, which consumed her and overwhelmed her to death. Perhaps Chopin would just let Louise die instead of seeing Brently again, causing her to remain imprisoned and be confined to her husband’s hands. Lastly, in The Story of An Hour, Chopin made no suggestion to the readers that Mrs. Mallard was sorry for her husband’s loss. Instead, she uttered under her breath, â€Å"free, free, and free! † which suggests how happy Mrs. Mallard was to have lost her husband, because she now has freedom of herself. The joy she feels after regaining her freedom is something which consumes her. In Kate’s life, a lot of her work mentioned the rise in the rights of women. She experienced a period where there was a decline in those rights and women were deprived of public needs like education, the right to vote, the right to property and their children. Those events drove her to write the kind of feminist text she did instead of dedicating herself to other themes. As observed, literature can bring us to the world of the author. Literary works reflect the time, state of mind, and the life of the author. By understanding the connection between Kate Chopin and Mrs. Mallard in the short story, The Story of an Hour, it can be confirmed that the novel portrayed a reference to Kate Chopin’s life since most of the events (train accident, A Widow, and Freedom for Women) in Louise’s life are similar to, or at least greatly influenced by her own. References Chopin, K. (1894). One Story. PBS (Director). (1999). Kate Chopin: A Re-Awakening [Motion Picture].

Importance of Internal Communication within an Organisation

Importance of Internal Communication within an Organisation Introduction What is internal communication? Internal communication in simple words is communicating with all the possible way and channels of communication within the organisation, there may be many departments, offices all over the country or globe, which includes ample of mass working, but the focus of this internal communication system should be that every person eligible for any new updates/upgrades or any other kind of change in the organisation which keeps on happening from time to time basis should be well communicated with all these mentioned above. Internal communication does not only mean communicating in some of the official ways such as meetings or conferences or updating through news letters or with putting just a white paper with some prints on a notice board where there are chances of it being neglected/oversight. As mentioned, it is not one way communication, hence here it is not only the top level management who communicates with the other but its the other way where there are constant interactions between all the levels of management with a valid meaning related to the working of the organisation. With all the communication ways such as meetings, memos, telecommunications, etc body language, pleasantries and gossip also play a very important role. How significant is internal communication? Internal communication is significant for building a strong block of the organisational culture. Internal communication system is designed in such a way that it should reach all the possible candidates in the organisation. These days the most priority in the organisation is effective internal communication. The more effective the internal communication within the organisation the more quick it is to communicate any changes happening in the company. Hence it then becomes easy for all the interactions between all the levels of management. Personal interaction is also an important key in the internal communication system. The best thing about this is again that communication flows in all directions rather then up to down or vice versa. Change within the organisation. Change being the only constant in every part of life, has to occur every place and any time in all the sections. Big firms it may be manufacturing based or service industry, all have multiple processes which functions and goes through thousands of transactions and activities every day. Greater the functioning of any organisation the more it tends to change policies and practices of particular process depending on the invention of technology and its implementation in the process from time to time. Development, expansion and diversification of the organisation also have a great impact of change in it. Government laws, change in the method of production, servicing methods, outside environment etc changes the overall functioning of the company. Change is also necessary for the organisations to grow in future. Old Hence the organisation in this perspective should make it a point that all the possible changes happening in the company are conveyed to all the candidates working for that particular part where the change has taken place. Steps involved in change and how communication should be handled at each level Clarity is the message to be delivered: The change is first communicated/known to the top level management or the immediate supervisor who is responsible for that part of work where implementation of the change happened is a necessity and should be conveyed to all related to it. These people who are responsible for sending message across should be clear about the message which is to be transmitted among others. Method: The method chosen for delivering the message should be proper i.e. should be accessible to all the people and by proper channel where all of them can understand its operation. In all it should suit the circumstances. It should be kept in mind that when the message is sent by the sender, after receiving it, the receiver should be open to communicate back in case of any doubts or questions to be raised regarding the same matter. Communication technology systems or other communication materials are available to use throughout the department/process where the message of change has to be conveyed. Complicated way or using hi-fi modern technology for communications may be a problem for some people, hence should be avoided in considering the steps for communication. Communication should be in a simplified, concise and precise form so that all the people can understand and actively take part. ( Ref. http://humanresources.about.com/od/changemanagement/a/change_lessons2.htm ) Effective internal communication Effective internal communication is where all the candidates, they may be the managers, employees or the volunteers who actively participates and are focused on the goals of the organisation and all involved has the same object to be established. Effective internal communications builds a strong bridge to efficient working and growing of the organisation. It also helps the working staff to identify the change properly and accomplish goals and missions, thus making a difference in the overall effort and efficiency of the company. Everyday effective communications reduces conflicts and contradicting ideas which and gives emphasis to what is important for the organisation. All the companies may not get all the benefits of the effective internal communication but its still helps the organisation build a strong culture where people involved are working towards a common goal. Different Communication Supports There are many types of communication supports that can be used within the organisation. They can be classified into many categories. Communication can be verbal, non-verbal, visual, audio and many others. CD-ROM/Pen Drives/Hard Drives/Flash Sticks :- Important or confidential communication are communicated by these devices personally. It can be used to transfer graphics, video, audio, codes, final statements, etc. Letters/memos/reports: this is based fto convey short meaningful message where some feedback is expected and this category can be classified as a interactive one. Meetings: Three or more people meeting personally, for growth of organisation and many other perspective. Manuals: Large volumes of information is reffered by manuals which are paper based documents. Audio tape/CD: Playback used for the training or any other stuff which uses cassette/CDs. Video: Playback of videos for explanation of the product or for a training purpose as well where VCR/DVD and other video players are used. Printed materials: Prints are taken on paper to distribute certain information. Fax: Copying the paper through telephonic systems from one place to another has been one of the important means of communication all over the world. This is one of the fastest means to send and receive documents. Intranet: The use of internet and web technology used within an organisation assumptions are made that audio and video cannot be transferred but is majorly used for business transactions and to send and receive files which convey a business meaning. Radio: Advertising of the organisation can be done through the broadcast of radio voice transmissions. E-mail: One of the best n modern means of communications to receive and send messages instantly all over the world within less than minute. This way of communication is used to also send documents, audio and videos. Video conferencing: Meeting of people with video and audio from a long distance for a business purpose. TV: Television can be used for many purposes of communications. Marketing and Advertising is done on a large scale all over. It is also used for visuals all over the organisation. Video conferencing is also uses TV as a means to see and communicate all over the world. One-to-ones: Face to face, meeting of two people, interviews, group discussions, debates, etc. Phone: Conversations between two or more people within the organisation or outside. ( Ref :- http://www.fastrak-consulting.co.uk/tactix/Tools/commtool/frameset.htm ) Impact of change in the communication process Any changes in the organisation has to be conveyed to all the people who are responsible for the implementation of the change happening. How to communicate this change is a point where the management has to have a proper plan/strategy. Change in this context can be confidential or general. Proper means of communication should be selected to communicate the change. There can be possibilities where the change cannot be communicated with the present communication means/tools in the organisation. Purchases of new communicative products may b necessary. Different means are supposed to be used communicating at each level of management, it is not necessary that all the change taking place is to be conveyed to all the employees. Hence it should be filtered and proper channels should be used accordingly. Example: Bank of America, where in the voice process there happens a lot of changes within short interval of time. It is based on the counselling/customer service/collection to/from the customers who has mortgage with the band. Different rules/programs/fluctuations in the interest rates/refinancing of loans etc used to take place very often. Communication in this context of change is not that easy for the managers as the schedule fixed for the working employees are logged in on the system and are on calls all the time of their shift. In between that they cannot be communicated with any urgent change. Hence the very next day/after the shift there is a briefing arranged for all the teams working under this process. This may lead to irrelevant/old information being conveyed to the customers as of that date and hence for some time being. Therefore, there is a big impact of change on the communication process which leads to passing of wrong information throughout the chain. Impact of change in the organisation makes communication a necessity calling a meeting to discuss as how to communicate this change. Hence this change to be communicated also starts with a communication process as meeting in this case. It starts when one feels uneasy or concerned about the situation of change within the organization or outside the organisation. Then one realises that some action needs to be taken to CHANGE the present situation. Studying the situation in depth and make a plan to convey the CHANGE for betterment . Implementing the plan by suitable action. Reviewing the situation and continuing the process after communicating it with all the employees responsible and give the training if required for the implementation of this change. ( Fenil Shah :- Senior Manager ATLASCOPCO ) Obstacles or challenges that can be met through the different communication supports used in an internal communication system in a context of change. Sender :- When the sender is not able to properly understand the change and still communicates. Either the message communicated is not proper or it has not been put down properly. Medium/channel :- Wrong selection of medium to send the message. Interruption or signal failure or server problems leads to improper internal communication. This regards in delay of message or inaccuracy of message to be communicated. Oversight :- Notices put up on the board may be overlooked by certain employees which gives a negative impact on the work where that particular change is to be implemented. Improper regard :- Management takes lightly to communicate this change on time resulting in delay or sometimes does not communicate due to overload of work and hence forgetting to convey the change. Language :- Language should be easy and in proper context so that everyone understands it. Audio :- Disturbance/Unclear audio may not convey message clearly which leaves a doubt of the listener. Fear :- Small employees who did not understand the change message may have the fear to go to the immediate supervisor and clear the doubts may be because of the fear of being insulted or improper relationship. Poor Listening Poor listening can sabotage any attempt at communication. We all do it: we hear a little and then fill in what we think the rest will be, without really listening to whats actually being said. Information source :- The source of information is the human mind. It is possible that if this source does not want to communicate the message as it has to be. There are chances he may make some alterations in the change which has to be made within the process. There are many other stages where loads of obstacles interrupt the communication process when there is a change. The statges may be lined as follows :- Outgoing message Transmitter Outgoing signal Channel Incoming signal Receiver Incoming message Destination ( Ref :- http://facta.junis.ni.ac.rs/lal/lal99/lal99-05.pdf ) The challenges that can be met when dealing with an international team Language :- Language can be a big challenge when dealing with the international team. Even if the language is the same, accent of speaking may have a huge difference which at once may be difficult to understand. Incase of language being different, it is very difficult then to communicate directly but should rather have a common team who deals with the translation of language and then forwards it to the people concerned. Example :- Bank of America, where in the voice process there is a special Spanish team to deal with the customers who does not know the language English. Culture :- time and space, personal responsibility and fate, face and face-saving, and nonverbal communication are much more complex than it is possible to convey. Each of them influences the course of communications, and can be responsible for conflict or the escalation of conflict when it leads to miscommunication or misinterpretation. A culturally-fluent approach to conflict means working over time to understand these and other ways communication varies across cultures, and applying these understandings in order to enhance relationships across differences. ( Ref:- http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/cross-cultural_communication/ ) Time Difference :- Communication may not be possible at all time when dealing with the team abroad. This is because of the time difference between the countries all over the world. Hence communication then becomes a problem for communicating or discussing some urgent business matter. Also in this case, getting a response for a certain message would take time and wont be quicker in cases urgent. These may bring limitations to the communication process as a whole. Recommendations Communicate consistently, frequently, and through multiple channels, including speaking, writing, video, training, focus groups, bulletin boards, Intranets, and more about the change. Communicate all that is known about the changes, as quickly as the information is available. Make clear that your bias is toward instant communication, so some of the details may change at a later date. Tell people that your other choice is to hold all communication until you are positive about the decisions. Provide significant amounts of time for people to ask questions, request clarification, and provide input. If you have been part of a scenario in which a leader presented changes, on overhead transparencies, to a large group, and then fled, you know what bad news this is for change integration. Clearly communicate the vision, the mission, and the objectives of the change management effort. Help people to understand how these changes will affect them personally. (If you dont help with this process, people will make up their own stories, usually more negative than the truth.) Recognize that true communication is a conversation. It is two-way and real discussion must result. It cannot be just a presentation. The change leaders or sponsors need to spend time conversing one-on-one or in small groups with the people who are expected to make the changes. Communicate the reasons for the changes in such a way that people understand the context, the purpose, and the need. Practitioners have called this: building a memorable, conceptual framework, and creating a theoretical framework to underpin the change. Provide answers to questions only if you know the answer. Leaders destroy their credibility when they provide incorrect information or appear to stumble or back-peddle, when providing an answer. It is much better to say you dont know, and that you will try to find out. Leaders need to listen. Avoid defensiveness, excuse-making, and answers that are given too quickly. Act with thoughtfulness. Make leaders and change sponsors available, daily when possible, to mingle with others in the workplace. . Communication should be proactive. If the rumor mill is already in action, the organization has waited too long to communicate. Provide opportunities for people to network with each other, both formally and informally, to share ideas about change and change management. Publicly review the measurements that are in place to chart progress in the change management and change efforts. Publicize rewards and recognition for positive approaches and accomplishments in the changes and change management. Celebrate each small win publicly. (Ref :- http://humanresources.about.com/od/changemanagement/a/change_lessons2.htm ) References (http://humanresources.about.com/od/changemanagement/a/change_lessons2.htm) (http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/cross-cultural_communication/) (http://facta.junis.ni.ac.rs/lal/lal99/lal99-05.pdf) (http://www.fastrak-consulting.co.uk/tactix/Tools/commtool/frameset.htm )

A lEsson Befor dying Essay -- essays research papers

A Lesson Before Dying For my final book review I read the novel A Lesson Before Dying By Ernest J. Gains. The book took place in the 1940 right after the great depression. A society stricken by poverty is depicted early in the book. The atmosphere in the first chapter is leading us into the idea of: how can justice prevail in a society dominated by a single group of people? If this story took place in modern day I believe that question would not be as relevant as it is in the forty’s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Grant Wiggins, one of the main characters is a teacher at an elementary school, Grant is a very bitter man for being so young, maybe it is because he has known nothing but segregation and racisms his whole life, growing up in Louisiana. Over the course of the novel, he learns to accept responsibility for his own life, for his relations with other people, and for the condition of Southern society. Jefferson is another one of the main characters; Jefferson is a black man who is described as being sensitive and kind of stupid. Jefferson is accused for a murder and faces the death penalty, he becomes very depressed waiting on death row because he feel so worthless in a white dominate world, but Grant befriends him and helps him out before he dies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jefferson is convicted of murder, while in his cell the hears his own lawyer call him a hog, this upsets him very much and he realizes how the white dominate the world and that justice can no...

Christianity in Crime and Punishment :: Crime Punishment Essays

Christianity in   Crime and Punishment      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote, " If someone succeded in proving to me that Christ was outside the truth, and if, indeed, the truth was outside Christ, then I would sooner remain with Christ than with the truth" (Frank 68). It was by no means easy for Dostoyevsky to reach this conclusion. In Dostoyevsky's life, one sees that of an intellectual Prodigal Son, returning to the Father In Heaven only after all other available systems of belief have been exhausted. Reared in a devout Russian Orthodox home, Dostoyevsky as a young man rebelled against his upbringing and embraced the anarchist (and atheistic) philosophies of the intelligentsia, radical students and middle class intellectuals violently opposed to the status quo in Nineteenth-Century Russia (Morsm 50). Dostoyevsky revolutionary stirrings were not unnoticed by the Tsar's secret police, and, in 1849, Dostoyevsky was sentenced to a mock execution followed by ten years' hard labor in a Siberian prison (Morsm 50).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One critic said "It has been customary to say that Dostoyevsky re-learnt Christianity in prison." (A Boyce Gibson 19.) There, out of his element and surrounded by hardened criminals, he had plenty of time to contemplate life and read The New Testament (the only book he was allowed). However, it was not until his compulsory army service that Dostoyevsky's faith began to blossom. In the army, Dostoyevsky met a fellow officer and devout Christian named Baron von Vrangel, who befriended the still young Dostoevesky and helped him re-discover the Christian faith (Frank 4).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although a professing Christian for the rest of his life, Dostoyevsky was not a "plaster saint." (Until he died, he was plagued by doubts and a passion for gambling.) Instead, Dostoyevsky understood, perhaps better than any other great Christian author, that his faith was created and sustained by one thing only: the grace of God.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is of such grace that Dostoyevsky writes in Crime and Punishment. Although most critics agree that Crime and Punishment's theme is not as deliberately Christian as Dostoyevsky's latter works, the novel's voice is still authentically Christian. Written in 1864, shortly after Dostoyevsky lost his first wife, his brother, and a close friend (Gibson 32); Crime and Punishment

How does Ray Bradbury use language to create tension? Essay

Ray Bradbury uses a lot of different techniques to create tension in his short story, â€Å"A Sound of Thunder†. The techniques used are adjectives, adverbs, verbs, metaphors, similes, short sentences and he varies the sentence structures to create tension. The first technique Ray Bradbury uses is Adjectives. He uses them in lists of three, â€Å"†¦ great oiled, resilient, striding legs.† This emphasizes that part of the description and it has more effect on the reader because it creates a strong image. Secondly, Ray Bradbury uses interesting verbs to great effect. He uses verbs like, â€Å"flushed†, â€Å"murmured†, and â€Å"pronounced†. This contrasts from the boring â€Å"he said†, and it also describes how the character reading the speech says it so there is a more detailed description of how the speech is read. Thirdly, the writer uses adverbs in the text to allow a better description of verbs. This also helps to clarify the verbs. An example of this is, â€Å"†¦ jerked angrily.† Ray Bradbury uses metaphors to enhance descriptions. â€Å"Its mouth gaped, exposing a fence of teeth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This helps create a better image in the reader’s mind because he describes the Tyrannosaurus Rex’s teeth as something else that is easier to express. The writer uses similes to create tension. â€Å"†¦ Sheathed over in a gleam of pebbled skin like the mail of a terrible warrior.† This technique is good because it also, like the metaphor, helps the reader to create a mind-image of what is happening in the text. Bradbury uses short sentences and short paragraphs to a great effect so create tension. A good example of this is: â€Å"Suddenly it all ceased, as if someone had shut a door. Silence. A sound of thunder.† This creates tension because it makes the reader, read the sentences faster. This makes the reader think that something is going to happen but they don’t know what it is. Another technique used well is having â€Å"Silence† on its own paragraph. This emphasizes it a lot. Another technique used by Ray Bradbury is varying sentence structure. Some of the sentences have then main clause first but then others have the subordinate clause first and this happens with complex and compound sentences too. An example of a complex sentence with the main clause first is: â€Å"It ran, its pelvic bones crushing aside trees and bushes, its taloned feed clawing damp earth, leaving prints six inches deep wherever it settled its weight.† An example of a sentence with the subordinate clause first is: â€Å"Out of the mist, one hundred yards away, came Tyrannosaurus Rex.† Overall Ray Bradbury uses language to create tension well by using many different techniques like adjectives, adverbs, verbs, metaphors, similes, short sentences and sentence varying. These together can make a story much more interesting.