Banish bad writing to Room 101 - Emphasis

Banish bad writing to Room 101 Banish bad writing to Room 101 Good writing is powerful. Bad writing belongs in Room 101. George Orwell, creator of that fictional torture chamber where peoples worst nightmares reside, determined to rid the world of the terrible writing habits he believed threatened our mother tongue. The six rules he laid out have been guiding writers in all fields since he wrote them in 1946. Because, after all these years, Orwells advice is as relevant today as it was 65 years ago. 1. Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print Metaphors and similes have the potential to evoke powerful mental images. But overused phrases such as axe to grind, selling like hot cakes or strike while the irons hot no longer have the power to conjure up anything other than a slight glazing over of the eyes. A fresh, unfamiliar juxtaposition of ideas can be just the late-afternoon espresso your reader needs to awaken your ideas in their head. Having said that, imagery is difficult to get right. And beware of overdoing it. If youre writing a business report, coming up with 12 never-before-seen metaphors per page may not be the best use of your time. Save them for your creative writing class. 2. Never use a long word where a short one will do On the grounds of rule one, Orwell probably wouldnt approve of the phrase less is more. However, its often true. Short words are powerful, direct and punchy. They are more likely to be instantly understood, which means your writing will have an immediate impact on your reader. Note that this rule doesnt put a complete ban on the use of long words it discourages using them for their own sake, as this can lead to opaque, pompous writing. But, for variety, the occasional Scrabble high-scorer is acceptable. 3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out Remove all padding from your writing. This means cutting every word that doesnt add to your meaning: this isnt school and youre no longer graded by the word. And get rid of waffle-magnets such as nominalisations. This hefty word means a noun thats created from a verb for example consideration (from the verb consider) or implementation (from implement, or even just do). Not only are these noun versions heavier than their lithe verb counterparts, they need extra words (eg, of and the) to make the sentence work. Little surprise that Nike didnt go with the slogan, Just complete the implementation of it. 4. Never use the passive where you can use the active The active voice is where you put the who of the sentence before their action just as you would if you were speaking. For example: The novel Nineteen Eighty-Four was written in 1949 by George Orwell is passive, but George Orwell wrote the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four in 1949 is active. The active voice is more direct, interesting and logical and it forces you to be specific about who does what (whereas with the passive, the who can be removed from the sentence). But do keep the passive in reserve for moments of necessary tact (ie, to a customer, The form was filled in incorrectly rather than You filled in the form incorrectly); and perhaps the odd shady cover-up (Yes, boss, the coffee machine has been broken). 5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent Not so straightforward, this one, as it really depends on context. For corporate teams or expert readers, jargon is not only acceptable, it can also act like shorthand, helping to clarify your meaning. But knowing your audience is key. When you need to get technical information over to a more general readership, consider how youd explain your subject matter to a friend in a different industry, and youll find the right words to use. 6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything barbarous A lazier writer than I am might say theres an exception to every rule. A straight-talker may just say, use your brain. Even Orwell admitted he was probably guilty of violating these rules again and again in the very essay he declared them. Still, the more you write with these sensible ground rules in mind, the better youll become at spotting the odd moments when you might do well to break one.

Are you stuck in a rut Choose your adventure!

Are you stuck in a rut Choose your adventure! Do you ever feel like life is an incredible adventure and absolutely anything is possible? I had a week like that. I noticed it particularly on Friday when I went for my normal swim and had so much energy I swam an extra quarter mile past my regular routine, then chased the swim with 30 push-ups. The entire time I felt energized and capable of accomplishing anything I set my mind to. Mental attitude is the biggest factor in producing results. I was reminded of this truth last Thursday night, when, at the Wild Scenic Film Festival, I watched a video about three climbers who scaled Yosemite’s iconic El Capitan. What made this climb particularly impressive is that all of the climbers were disabled. One had been born with just one arm (a â€Å"minor inconvenience† according to him); the two others had lost a leg each, one due to a climbing fall and the third from bone cancer. Said one of the men: â€Å"The right attitude and one arm will beat the wrong attitude and two arms, every time.† If you have any doubts, watch this inspiring film: Mind you, I am not planning on scaling any peaks even with all my limbs- not in this lifetime. But the sense of excitement that spurs these climbers is accessible to all of us at every moment. For me, it started with an assignment I was given during a workshop with the Wright Institute in Chicago. Prior to the workshop, I was in a rut. Daily tasks were feeling like a grind and I thought that maybe I needed to travel out of the country for a while to break my routine. Then came the homework for the first night of the workshop: to create an adventure! The adventure begins†¦ It was already midnight and class was starting up again at 8am the next morning. What adventure exactly was possible in that short a time frame? I found out the next morning. I woke up before my alarm sounded with cramps, in an empty house that belongs to my cousin Zack. I thought to myself, â€Å"I could lie here trying to sleep or I could get up and have an adventure!† I decided to get out of bed. As soon as I entered the shower I remembered that Zack had mentioned a big bathtub with whirlpool jets somewhere in his house. I don’t normally take baths, but this time I decided to interrupt my regular pattern. I got out of the shower and began searching for the whirlpool, towel wrapped around me, leaving a trail of wet footprints. In the basement, I found a bathtub †¦ full of cleaning supplies. The search continued, and I finally found the whirlpool, which I filled up †¦ but I couldnt figure out how to turn on these fabled jets. I got into the tub anyway, but thought, â€Å"Hey Im on an adventure! This won’t do!† So I got out of the tub, looked at all the switches on the walls, and finally figured it out. Back in the tub, I noticed a line of tea light candles along the side of the bath. But no matches. My refrain: â€Å"Im on an adventure!† So I got out of the tub, looking everywhere until I found matches. I was going to do this thing the right way! After a few minutes the jets turned off and suddenly I was relaxed and floating in a self-made paradise, being held gently by warm water, surrounded by glowing candlelight. I was so glad I had chosen this adventure, rather than sleeping another hour or going to my default of â€Å"I don’t take baths.† Unexpected treasures, unprecedented energy†¦ When I went to hang up my towel, for some reason I decided to look behind the door rather than hang the towel where I had put it before. I found two beautiful dragonfly hooks which I hadn’t noticed before. Who knows what can show up out of a sense of adventure? Who knows what else I had been missing? My adventures continued in the days following the workshop. Out of a conversation with a friend that felt a bit scary at first, I unexpectedly drove to Minneapolis and stayed two days, all because I decided to take some risks and not let anything stop me. Today, a week after the conclusion of that workshop, my energy is still high and I can’t wait to discover what’s next. So how about you? Are you living an adventure at every moment or are you stuck in a rut? Are you letting anything stop you from creating an exciting and energized life? Whether your challenge is staying upbeat while facing unemployment, creating joy within your current circumstances, or scaling a rock face- it’s all in your frame of mind. The right attitude, moment by moment, means you can have the adventure of a lifetime right in your own backyard.

North American Agriculture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

North American Agriculture - Essay Example All three originated from the southern Mexico or MesoAmerican area. Squash is named after the Massachuset Indian word askutasquash, meaning "not cooked". Anthropologists think squash may be a major factor in the transition of native people from hunter/gatherers to growers. "The fruits of wild squash were easy to find and offered flesh, nutritious seed, edible flowers and even containersmade from a hard-shell squash known as gourd" (Gilmer, 1). Summer squash is known as Curcurbita pepo, winter squash and pumpkins are C. maxima or C. moschata. All three species are native to the Western Hemisphere. Beans are another of the oldest foods grown in North America and one of the oldest known to man. They have played a significant part in the diet of people for thousands of years. Beans were domesticated about 7000 years ago in both Peru and southern Mexico. Peru developed beans with bright colors and large seeds, while Mexico developed white and black beans with variations of patterns that were small seeded. The tribes in Mexico and Peru traveled across the continent spreading the beans and their techniques for growing these plants. As the New World was being discovered, many varieties of beans were already being successfully grown by the native people. Corn dates back to it's origin as a grass on the Mexican plateau 80,000 years ago. The grass was called teosinte and is believed to have been developed by the native population. The teosinte looked very different from today's corn with small kernels not fused into a husk on an ear like early maize and modern corn. Over time, Native Americans created maize through specialized cultivation. Grass grows in segments and the ears of maize were produced at the joints of the segments. Encouraging the growth of ears on the lower joints and only replanting kernels from those successful plants eventually adapted the crop to a shorter growing season and increased the yield. As the genetics of the plant were changed, its value as a food source increased. Native Americans discovered that maize could be grown, harvested, and dried, then ground into flour. "Surplus maize would be stored in underground storage pits, ingeniously constructed and lined with grasses" (Prindle 2), and used over the winter. Eventually the growing of maize along with beans and squash was adopted into the southwestern and southeastern regions of North America. Native people planted household gardens and larger fields next to their villages. The fields were made of small mounds of tilled earth about one foot high and 20 across, spaced about 4 feet apart and placed in rows or at random. Their method is to plant five to six kernels of corn in a small circle in the middle of the mound. As the corn grew, they would plant seven or eight pole beans in a circle about six inches away from the corn kernels. Several days later they planted seven or eight squash or pumpkin seeds. When the plants began to grow, they would thin out the weak and leave the strongest plants. Author, Tara Prindle wrote, "The corn stalk serves as a pole for the beans, the beans help to add the nitrogen to the soil that the corn needs, and the squash provides a ground cover of shade that helps the soil retain moisture" (2). This is how the Three Sisters work together

The legal restrictions of race and whiteness Essay

The legal restrictions of race and whiteness - Essay Example It happened in 1985 when the United States administration under President Ronald Reagan, supplied weapons to Iran in exchange for hostages that were being held by Hezbollah a terrorist outfit loyal to Ayatollah Khomeini the Iran leader. Proceeds from this sale were given to the Contra guerrillas in Nicaragua. The Contras were armed opposition to Nicaragua’s Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction, which formed after Anastasio Somoza Dabayle was overthrown from government. The Gorbachev policy of Perestroika and Glasnost were the two policies that were put into practice in the USSR. Perestroika was the democratization of the communist party allowing civilians to have a modest ay, in government, and economic reform by allowing some industries to operate semi-privately and ending price control through a semi-free market system. Glasnost meant openness, which increased the freedom of expression in the media and people. The birth control pill has defined the 20th Century by giving women an upper hand in dictating when to fall pregnant unlike before it was discovered where they relied on luck or fate. The birth control pill has made it easier to control unwanted pregnancies and control population. The Bay of Pigs was a military incursion into Cuba by exiles that were trained and supported, by the United States government, to try and overthrow the dictatorship regime of President Fidel Castro. Their action was unsuccessful because they did not receive the expected from the

The Three Tales of Cymbeline Essay -- Shakespeare Cymbeline Essays

The Three Tales of Cymbeline Cymbeline has always been a difficult play to categorize. The original collection of Shakespeare's plays, "The First Folio" (published in 1623), classifies it as a tragedy; modern editors have revised that to comedy, and to distinguish it further from other comedies, it is also referred to, along with The Tempest, The Winter's Tale, and Pericles, as a romance. Of course, like so many other plays of Shakespeare, these classifications are only guidelines rather than definitions, for an attempt to analyze a work of art according to somewhat arbitrary classifications is to diminish the very essence - its originality - that makes it a work of art. Undoubtedly, there are many aspects, patterns, and rhythms in this play that echo through several of Shakespeare's other tragedies, comedies, and even histories, for he used all his plays to view and explore a multi-faceted human condition from a variety of angles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There appear to be three main narratives to Cymbeline - the tale of Imogen and Posthumus, with the villainous Iachimo lurking beside them, poised to destroy their happiness; the story of two sons, Guiderius and Arviragus, who have been separated from their father and are eventually restored to him; and the successful defense of Britain by King Cymbeline against foreign invasion, the one character most involved with all three stories, hence the name of the play. The understructure supporting these three plots is a virtual labyrinth of sub-plots and strands that shift in and out of each tale until the final scenes at the end, when Shakespeare, in a masterful denouement, perhaps unparalleled even in his own plays, weaves each skein (some two dozen or so), into a... ...end, King Cymbeline calls for a lasting peace between Rome and England, a peace that is a fitting resolution not only to the war but also to the internal conflicts, as wives and husbands, fathers and children return in harmony to one another. But Cymbeline, for all its tragicomic patterns, romantic devices, and historical pretensions, is at heart, as Northrop Frye put it, "a pure told tale, featuring a cruel stepmother with her loutish son, a calumniated maiden, lost princes brought up in a cave by a foster father, a ring of recognition that works in reverse, villains displaying false trophies of adultery and faithful servants displaying equally false trophies of murder, along with a great firework display of dreams, prophecies, signs, portents, and wonders." It is a complex journey of love, forgiveness, jealousy, murder, war, and peace.

Review of Schechner’s Performance Theory: Approach Essay

Schechner’s theory has been one of the most prominent bases of knowing performance theory (). From my acknowledgement, based on Schechner’s theory, in knowing to approach/perform, Cambridge Theory seems to be the main explanation of this chapter. This theory consists of shamanism and/or Greek rites that (in Schechner’s opinion) clearly relates to theater, in addition games, music, sports and theater are quite similar in terms of rules, time, space, objects and non-productivity. In assumption, the origin theater comes from the Greek. According to the Greek, they are the ones who establish theater. They make theater as a ‘primal ritual’ for their God, Dionysus. However, this statement has not been proven exactly. But in the other hand, Murray states vividly about how Greek states their rites as one of the primal ritual. It is called Sacer Ludus. In this ritual, it consists of the dithyramb, where the story develops into a tragedy. The other one is called phallic dances. It refers to comedy approach. As a result, this ritual connects with theater as well. â€Å"It is hardly an exaggeration to say that when we look back to the beginnings of European literature we find everywhere drama, and always drama derived from a religious ritual designed to ensure the rebirth of a dead world† (Murray 1961:9). As it is been told before, Schechner gathers several groups of performance. Firstly it is play, and then it comes to games, sports, theater and ritual. Each of them has several elements: time, object, non-productivity, rules and space. Each performance has its specific time. For instance, when a guy tells a girl that he likes her, normally the girl responds normally. But if the girl responds him longer, then it make the guy assume that the girl is in doubt. In addition, object is also an important element. Because it defines the setting and character visually, therefore the audience can tell what the play represents. For example, in a basketball game, the basketball is the important object in the game. If the basketball is located inside the apartment, the context would be different; therefore the ball isn’t valuable anymore. Non-productivity is also important because every play must be set in a budget. If not, there would be no performance. Also, theater applies rules, so does games, sports and ritual. For example, each team in soccer player must have 11 people, while in theater it must contain player/actor and audience. While space, it takes different structures of place to perform, whether it is a game, ritual, sports and theater. Each space is different. For example, when you want to make a blocking during play, we must know when to come and when to go, and we must know the distance between the other actors. Above the information, in this case, I personally agree on Murray’s statement, yet I as well disagree on the thought that theater comes from Greek. Because in my opinion ritual is a part of peoples’ daily lives. People seem to make ritual as a symbolization of human being. Therefore, in order to approach people, they make a primal ritual for Dionysus and each individual.

The Russian Revolution Of 1917 - 848 Words

The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a product of growing agitation within Russia as a result of various factors, both internally and externally of Russia. The detachment of the Tsar to the wants and needs of the people, in concurrence with their involvement in World War One, led to an uprising and revolution. Many historians describe the outcomes of this revolution using Marxist theory, explaining the key ideologies that come in to play as the revolution comes to an end and the newly established Bolshevik government, led by Vladimir Lenin, decides how the nation will be run. Marxism is a socialist ideology that is derived from the workings of Karl Marx and Fredrick Engles. Marxism discusses how society functions in a political and economical way, as well as looking in to the structure of class and class struggle within a society. Marxists also believe that history follows a distinct order, suggesting that primitive societies will develop a system using slavery, adopt the feudal system, industrialise and become a capitalist society, and ultimately becoming a socialist nation . To truly follow Marxism correctly, a nation must become capitalist before they can move on to the next stage of history. Andrew Heywood makes a point of highlighting the importance of following historical progress by stating that â€Å"the core of classical Marxism- the Marxism of Marx- is a philosophy of history that outlines why capitalism is doomed and why socialism is bound to replace it† . This quoteShow MoreRelatedThe Russian Revolution Of 19171109 Words   |  5 Page ssole cause of the Russian Revolution of 1917. Even before the outbreak of war, the Russian population were largely dissatisfied with the government under the Tsarist regime. Though the Great War played a role in sparking the Russian Revolution, with much of the unstable faith in the Tsar collapsing in Military Russia, it would be naà ¯ve to discredit the mounting economic and social pressures that contributed to the fall of the Tsarist Regime, and the beginning of the Revolution. Leading up to theRead MoreThe Russian Revolution Of 19171619 Words   |  7 PagesThe Russian Revolution of 1917 involved the collapse of an empire under Tsar Nicholas II and the rise of Marxian socialism under Lenin and his Bolsheviks. It sparked the beginning of a new era in Russia that had effects on countries around the world. In the years leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917, the country had a succession of wars. These were, The Crimean War (1854-56), The Russo-Turkish War (1877-78), The Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), and World War I (1914-18). All of these requiredRead MoreThe Russian Revolution Of 19171294 Words   |  6 Pages Russia 1917, harsh working conditions, famine, and all power to one leader. Russia was living in discord presumably through political oppression, furthermore, political oppression inspires violence and terrorism. It affects daily residents because they’re under control of whoever is in charge. Terrorism tears people apart. The Russian Revolution in 1917 started because of the political oppression and ended in a dictatorship because humans are power hungry. It also continues to leave citizens withRead MoreThe Russian Revolution Of 1917943 Words   |  4 PagesThe Russian Revolution of 1917 was an event that many historians have offered different perspectives on, as it was the start of a regime that greatly impacted the history of totalitarianism. Though much went on during 1917, the February Revolution and the fall of Tsarist regime was an event that created dialogue and prompted historians to pose perspectives as to what factors contributed to the Russian Monarchy ending in catastrophe. Many of these perspectives are focused on personalities. Some historiansRead MoreThe Russian Revolution Of 19171594 Words   |  7 PagesThe Russian Revolution of 1917 did not just suddenly happen overnight, just as there was no main reason why it happened. The Revolution was more like a virus or bad bacteria. At first you barely notice it, even though you know it is there, but soon it starts to multiply and take over your body and before you know it you have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. There are about 4 or 5 significant reasons why there was the revolution of 1917, with the Russian Tsar Nicolas II to be the blame forRead MoreThe Russian Revolu tion Of 19171646 Words   |  7 PagesThe Russian Revolution of 1917 brought with it the fall of 300 years of Romanov rule and marked the beginning of the transition of Tsarism to Communism, from which Lenin established the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, succeeded by Stalin. The Revolution is worthy of investigation as it is arguably the most significant event of the 20th century, considering that it helped shape many other subsequent events such as the Second World War and the Cold War. The Bolsheviks’ triumph can be accountedRead MoreThe Russian Revolution Of 19171946 Words   |  8 Pages The Russian Revolution of 1917 set the country on a course that few other countries took in the 20th century. The shift from the direction of a democratic, parliamentary-style government to a one party communist rule was a drastic change that many did not and could not predict. Looking back on this key moment in Russian history, many historians ask the question ‘why did the political power in Russia shift to the Bolsheviks’? Since the revolution in 1905 Russia was becoming progressively more democraticRead MoreThe Russian Revolution Of 19171563 Words   |  7 PagesThe Russian Revolution of 1917 swept the country into an entirely new epoch, changing a monarch-led country into the Soviet Union and spreading the red of communism in waves through generations. A powerful team of Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky organized the Bolsheviks, or Red Army, in political and military strategy against the Menshevik White Army. Part of their success came from the lack of unification of the Mensheviks. While the White Army banded together under a simply ‘anti-Bolshevik’ policyRead MoreThe Russian Revolutions of 1917 Essay1326 Words   |  6 PagesThe Russian Revolutions of 1917 There were two revolutions that occurred in Russia in 1917. The first one, in February, overthrew the Russian monarchy. The second one, in October, created the world’s first Communist state. The Russian revolutions of 1917 involved a series of uprisings by workers and peasants throughout the country and by soldiers, who were predominantly of peasant origin, in the Russian army. Many of the uprisings were organized and led byRead More1917 Russian Revolution Essay1114 Words   |  5 PagesRussian Revolution Essay. Throughout history there have been many revolutions between the population of a country and its government. People always want change, usually in the directions of freedom, peace and equality and in the lead up to the 1917 Russian revolution; there were a variety of social, political and economic situations that all played their part. In the years leading up to the revolution, Russia had been involved in a series of wars. The Crimean war, The Russo-Turkish war, The Russo-Japanese