Mean Spirit :: Essays Papers

Mean Spirit Our story takes place on an oil-rich Native American town, called Watona, on a reservation in Oklahoma. The course of the story extends from 1918 to the mid-twenties. There is a multitude of characters that accompany this story. One of the most important characters is Nola Blanket, a young teenager who is a full-blooded Osage Indian. She is a very delicate girl but still very strong. Her mother, Grace Blanket, is a very beautiful, well-liked young woman who is very outgoing and fun-loving. Belle Graycloud is a feisty, strong-willed Indian woman. She is well respected and is the commanding grandmother of her household. Her family is very close to the Blankets, who are distant cousins. Belle’s daughter, Lettie, is a close friend of Grace. Lettie’s lover, Benoit, is an Osage man that is married to Grace’s crippled sister, Sara Blanket; but he is more like a brother and caretaker to her than he is a husband. Michael Horse is the fire keeper of the Osage tribe, but he also writes in his spare time. He is an old man who observes everything around him and writes it down in his journals. Stace Red Hawk is a Sioux Indian that works for the FBI. He became a federal agent in hopes of helping the Native Americans and protecting them from being taken advantage of. John Hale is a tall, lanky white rancher and oilman. He is trusted by the Indians, and seems to be a generous and helpful person. Watona was a small Indian town that prospered due to the rich rivers of oil flowing beneath it. As part of the Dawes Act, each Indian was allowed to choose an allotment of land not already claimed by white Americans. Although the 160 acres of land per Indian seemed generous, the land was barren and dry. The government did not know, however, that black oil seeped up out of the earth, and many Indians became very wealthy because of their â€Å"worthless† pieces of land. As a result of the Indians’ wealth, hundreds of white businessmen, fortune-hunters, traders, thieves, and swindlers swarmed to the reservation to make cash. When Grace Blanket is murdered by John Hale on a warm summer morning, it is made to look like a suicide and the local law enforcement passes it off as such.

A Filmic Analysis of Hamlet Essay

Shakespeare’s Hamlet inspired many film directors to adapt the play onto the big screen. In Kenneth Branagh’s version, he takes on the challenge of both directing the film and portraying Hamlet. In Marco Zeferelli’s edition, celebrated actor Mel Gibson stars as Hamlet. The directors use different aspects of cinematography and mise-en-scene to depict distinctive interpretations of the famous â€Å"To be or not to be† soliloquy. Branagh interprets the scene as a contemplation of Hamlet’s decision whether to kill himself or Claudius, whereas Zeferelli construes the scene as a deliberation of life, death, and the afterlife. Branagh uses props, varied camera angles, and thoughtful acting to describe the â€Å"To be or not to be† soliloquy as a brooding decision haunting Hamlet of action versus inaction. Branagh begins the soliloquy facing a two-way mirror, with Polonius and Claudius hidden behind it. The audience sees Hamlet staring directly at himself, while also facing the concealed men behind the mirror. This personifies the idea that Hamlet is hesitant about taking action against his own life or taking the life of Claudius: â€Å"Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles / And, by opposing end them† (3. 1. 65-68). The camera angle consists of a medium close-up on the intense concentration of Branagh’s face, expressing the critical contemplation of his life and Claudius’s. Later in the soliloquy, Hamlet uncovers a bodkin, pointing the weapon towards the two-way mirror in a manifestation of action versus inaction. The lighting of the scene highlights Branagh’s face and disposition with explicit detail, leaving no question to the viewer about his intent on either killing himself or Claudius. However, Branagh neglects to analyze Hamlet’s actual contemplation of death itself. Zeferelli focuses on Hamlet’s reflection of death as an experience and also the ambiguity of the afterlife. Mel Gibson recites the â€Å"To be or not to be† soliloquy in a royal tomb where his father is buried. The morbid setting suggests a theme of death. The low-key lighting emphasizes an ominous quality associated with Hamlet’s musing of the afterlife. Gibson meticulously edges through the graves, using composed speech to reflect upon his life and the life of his father: â€Å"For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, / When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, / Must give us pause. There’s the respect / That makes calamity of so long life† (3. 1. 74-77). Hamlet believes that the hardships of life become resolute through death. The turmoil of human affairs perishes along with an individual’s life. Gibson’s acting and disposition suggest that he thinks death is more appealing than life. His ponderings are not a question of action and revenge but a question of the actual prospects of death and what comes after death. The setting in a tomb highlights this as well as Gibson keenly looking up towards heaven during the soliloquy. Although the two directors interpret the â€Å"To be or not to be† soliloquy differently, similarities exist between the two scenes. The acting of Branagh and Gibson both reflect deep contemplation; Branagh being more concerted and Gibson being more reflective. Both actors use Shakespeare’s words very thoughtfully and precisely, and keep their voices in a soft but convincing monotone. The camera angles of the scenes are also similar with the shot situated intently on the actors’ faces, either focused in a fixed position on Branagh to represent great credence or zooming in slowly on Gibson’s face to represent a more reflective quality. Both directors do an exceptional job conveying the message that their cinematographic and acting choices suggest. The â€Å"To be or not to be† soliloquy is interpreted in many different ways, but Branagh and Zeferelli artfully choose one aspect of the scene to focus on.

Deaf Articles Essay

3. â€Å"Why Can’t Deaf Experts Hear Us?† a. What are the present Deaf issues? Some of the Deaf issues mentioned in the article are that that â€Å"Deaf experts† don’t like the thought of Deaf children learning to sign without voicing. They think that each Deaf child should be learning Total Communication, but there is no evidence showing that Total Communication is the best way to educate Deaf kids. Another issue is that the people at Gallaudet feel as if they are having to educate the educators about the need of American Sign Language in Deaf schools. Deaf people feel as if their culture is being attacked and is being weakened. The last main problem is that the so called â€Å"Deaf experts† study special education but none of them have any personal experience with Deaf people. These experts endorsing the programs don’t listen to the opinions of Deaf people, they only demand research and quote hearing people with Ph.D.’s. b. From the article, list three important facts you learned from the writer. I learned that the writer of this article is Deaf. I know this because at the beginning of the article he states, â€Å"Some days I wonder if my Deafness is contagious. I keep writing and signing the same things over and over again.† Another fact is that he has personal experience of trying to explain to educators the need for American Sign Language in the schools. When he talks about educating the educators, he explains that the powers just keep looking the other way. The last fact is that Jack Levesque feels as if the Deaf culture is being sort of taken away from them and is dying out. Why did you pick these facts? I picked the first fact because by knowing that the writer is Deaf it helps you better understand the emotion and personal feeling behind each word. I picked the fact that he has tried to explain that they need ASL in schools because that is what he is writing about, the use of ASL not English to educate the Deaf. He has personal frustrations with no ASL in schools; he is not simply relaying the message for other Deaf people. I chose the last fact because in reality, if you are forcing a different language than a native language on someone, you are stripping their culture away from them by not allowing them to just be themselves. This is a good point that he brings up and it saddens me that someone would even want to do that to another human. c. What are some observations or comments you have about the article? I wish that all of the Ph.D. experts in special education could just meet or talk to a few Deaf people and really get to know them. I think by doing this, they would realize how important Deaf culture and Sign Language really are to a Deaf person. I think this would change all the hearing people’s minds about forcing English onto Deaf people. It just isn’t natural for them. d. What do you think of Bonnies Bass’s article? I think that the point that she brings up makes a lot of sense. Americans just assume that Sign Language is just like English, but it is not. The grammar is completely different and the syntax is completely different. It is sad that Deaf children are not pushed to learn American Sign Language right away when they find out they are Deaf. It doesn’t make sense for kids to be tested on English when their native language should be Sign Language. That is like taking an English speaking student and putting a Spanish test in front of them and expecting them to get high scores. This article makes a lot of sense and I wish that more hearing people would read it so they could better understand that the two languages are different.

Can you read my mind Essay

How do you know what you know? Can you figure out how you acquire language when you were still a child? How do you concentrate on reading this paper despite all the stimuli surrounding you? What do you think goes on your mind right now? These are just a few of the questions that cognitive psychology can answer with accuracy. Cognitive psychology is a branch of psychology that deals with how people think, perceive, remember and learn (â€Å"How people learn,† 2007). In the past, behavioral scientists explained certain phenomena by simply observing, then measuring and manipulating variables (â€Å"Albert Bandura,† 2006). Contrary to behaviorism, cognitive psychology explains the mental processes that take place when a person reacts mentally to various stimuli. These mental processes vary from person to person because each has his own schema of events. Schema, which is a term first used by Jean Piaget in 1926, refers to the set of well-defined concepts which a person already has in mind. These concepts may be â€Å"processed† through assimilation (â€Å"John Piaget,† 2006). For instance, a young child who is exposed only to `fork and spoon’ when eating will not recognize chopsticks as tools for eating as well. If you hand that child a pair of chopsticks, he or she won’t use it in picking up food to put on his or her mouth. It’s because that child doesn’t have a concept of chopsticks yet. However, after being exposed to his or her mom using chopsticks, the child will learn that those items can also be used in picking up food to bring to the mouth. That kind of learning is called assimilation which gives way to a new set of schema for the child. Cognitive development among children is just one aspect of cognitive psychology. This branch of learning may also be applied in more recent concerns. For example, teachers and learners are interested in finding out how people process two or more information at the same time. Interestingly, Piolat, Olive, & Kellogg (2005) conducted a study to know how multi-tasked people record notes while they try to comprehend new information from speakers. They found out through their research that â€Å"note taking demands more effort than reading or learning. However, â€Å"it requires less effort than the creative written composition of an original text† (p. 291). A working knowledge on how people think, perceive and learn is important in making predictions, making adjustments, and formulating policies that could aid the people in their day-to-day mental discourses. In one article, Jaroff (1993) told a story of a girl whose life became troubled after meeting with a psychiatrist who made her believe through â€Å"recovery† therapy that she was abused by her own father when she was a young child. Using her knowledge on cognitive psychology, particularly pertaining to how people retrieve memory, she discovered that what she ended up confessing to the psychiatrist was false (â€Å"Lies of the Mind†). This means that an understanding of this branch of knowledge allows people to be more conscious of how they deal with the world. Cognitive psychology is more than just a branch of knowledge. It is a portal leading to your most used but most strange place in this world – that is your mind. You think every day, you learn new things every minute but you forget to understand how all these thoughts are accommodated in your brains, in your minds. In conclusion, cognitive psychology offers explanation to the mental events that take place in a person. These mental activities can explain the past, and the present, to give way to a better future. After all your life depends not exactly on your environment but on how thoughts are processed in your head.

Pnu Application Form

Philippine Normal University The National Center for Teacher Education OFFICE OF ADMISSION Manila 1† x 1† ID Picture APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION TEST PHILIPPINE NORMAL UNIVERSITY ADMISSION TEST (PNUAT) Name: _________________________________________________________________________________ Gender: ____________ Print: Last Name Given Name Middle NameAddress: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Contact No: _______________________________________________ E-mail Address: ____________________________________ Date of Birth: ______________________________________________ Place of Birth: _____________________________________ Age: _________ Citizenship: ____________________________ Religion: ______________________________________________ Name of Present School: _______________________________________________________________________________________ School Address: _________________________________________________________ _____________________________________ EDUCATION: School Attended Elementary: ____________________________________ High School: Other Courses: ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Inclusive Dates ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Degree/Course Completed ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ Honors/Awards Received: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Extra-Curricular Activities, Hobbies, Talents: _______________________________________________________________________ I hereby apply for permit to take the PNU Admission Test (PNUAT) on: __________________________________________ I certify that the information given on this form is true and correct.It is understood that my final acceptance to the University will depend on the results of the University’s screening procedure. I understand that I have to pay a non-refundabl e examination fee of P350. 00, the receipt of which is to be attached to the application form. I attach a photocopy of my High School Card / Transcript of Records. ____________________________________ Signature over Printed Name of Applicant OR # _______________________________ Date of Application: ___________________ Name: _________________________________________________________________________________ Gender: ____________ Last Name Given Name Middle Name Preferred Academic Program: (Please indicate three choices by placing 1 to 3 on the blank, no. as the most preferred) __________ __________ __________ Bachelor of Early Childhood in Education (BECED) Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEED) Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSE) with specialization in – __________ Biology __________ __________ Chemistry __________ __________ English __________ __________ Filipino __________ __________ General Science __________ __________ History __________ __________ Home Economics ________ __ __________ Information Technology for Teachers __________ Mathematics Others (Allied Fields – with limited enrollment) __________ Bachelor of Library and Information Science __________ Bachelor of Science in Psychology __________ Bachelor of Science in Home Economics Technology __________ AB/BSE Literature Music Education Nutrition and Dietetics for Teachers Physical Education Physics Social Science Speech and Theater Arts Values Education

Investigation of Beethoven's Symphony #9 Forth Movement - Ode of Article

Investigation of Beethoven's Symphony #9 Forth Movement - Ode of Joy - Article Example Further, the context of the fast paced increasing and increasing (Smalin 1). The music technique using several orchestra instruments, solo singers, and choir singing lively happy joy -generating song will better enhancement adherence to joyful living than listening to a guitar player playing in a lone street corner. The Ode_of Joy’s A major melody delivers vivid music meaning. The music affirms my belief that music helps alleviate the issues and problems of this world. Listening to the music of the Ode_of Joy music, people like me will accept the music’s concept that joyful living should be the priority of everyone. The Ode song Beethoven can become an emotional experience for the Ode listener. Beethoven’s Ode is grounded on the popular joy- emphasizing poem of German poet Friedirch_Schiller (Walton 314). Furthermore, the Ode Song’s happy and lively increasing and decreasing musical notes inspire the listeners to resolve all issues in a joyful manner. The Beethoven orchestra’s use of different wind instruments (including harmonica, trombone, and flute instruments) inspires the audience to enthusiastically leave the musical hall in a happy mood. Entering the theatre in a sad mood, the lively rise and fall of constantly changing rhythm and melody will transform the sad theatre listener to leave the theatre in a happy mood, eager to effectively resolve current issues and problems joyfully. The Beethoven orchestra’s Ode_of Joy’s use of string & wind instruments, and choir singers promotes happiness among the sad theatre listeners (Walton 314). Moreover, the Ode music form is orchestra based. The orchestra has several musical instruments. Notable instruments include the violin, piano, flute, and string –based instruments. In the case of the Ode of Joy, a choir and a solo singer contribute to the musical instruments’ playing the Ode song. As the song is played, the Ode orchestra musicians’ sounds are consonance, some

Nicotinic Acetylcholine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nicotinic Acetylcholine - Essay Example Synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum, a fraction of the subunits of this receptor assemble into homo and hetero-pentameric complexes. The only complexes that reach the cell surface, after exiting from endoplasmic reticulum are the pentameric complexes. nAChRs have been identified as crucial elements in central nervous system functions such as consciousness, attention, and memory; and participate in numerous cerebral circuits. (Bocquet, Carvalho, Cartaud, Neyton Poupon, Taly, Grutter, Changeux, Corringer 2007) The opening of the channels of these receptors is triggered by the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Nicotine also has the same effect. A diagram of the chemical structure of acetylcholine is given below. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are located mainly in the postsynaptic membrane under the motor nerve terminal at the neuromuscular junction. Nicotinic receptors can also be found in different synaptic locations; e.g. the muscle nicotinic receptor always functions post-synaptically. The nerve cell forms of the receptor can be found both post-synaptically (performing classical neurotransmission) and pre-synaptically (causing the release of other neurotransmitters). In contrast to the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, Nicotinic Acetylcholine receptors do not operate with the help of a second messenger. Instead they open themselves forming an ion channel. Curare causes inhibition of these receptors. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors have a very wide distribution in the various body tissues. Nerve cell receptors are found in the central nervous system and also in the peripheral nervous system. The neuromuscular receptors, on the other hand are found in the neuromuscular junctions of somatic muscles. ... The neuromuscular receptors, on the other hand are found in the neuromuscular junctions of somatic muscles. The stimulation of these receptors causes muscular contraction.(Barrantes 1998) Structure and function of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor protein includes one or many sites which can bind the neurotransmitter ACh and also a specific channel for cat ions which is also known as the intrinsic cationic channel. These ions can be Na+, Ca2+ or K+ and the channel is specific in nature. The process of the opening of ion channel is linked to the binding of ACh. (Maelicke 1986) Protein chemistry and sequence analysis of polypeptide has revealed a general scheme for each subunit which consists of : 1. A globular extra cellular N-terminal domain (ECD); 2. A trans-membrane domain (TMD) 3. A cytoplasmic domain There are 2 to 5 Acetylcholine binding sites on the ECD. Nicotinic receptors have many subunits and these subunits belong There are 2 to 5 Acetylcholine binding sites on the ECD. Nicotinic receptors have many subunits and these subunits fit in a multigene family (seventeen members in the human being) When many of the subunits combine they form a great numbers of receptors. Every subunit gives three parts or "loops" to the site of binding. The sites which bind ACh are located on the outer side of the subunits. And as the agonist binds, the subunits happen to be more alike to the other subunits. And the channel gets more proportioned and a hole of about 0.65nm in diameter opens up. This channel helps the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor to adhere to its role by many ways. Firstly it encloses a mechanism of gating which is closed in the inactive states of the channel but it is open in the active