“Simplicity” by William Zinsser

William Zinsser in his essay, â€Å"Simplicity,† describes the tendency people have to inflate their own words. A majority of us think that something is missing if a word or sentence is too simple causing us to add unnecessary information only to confuse our readers. Zinsser shows us examples of this in everyday life such as a simple letter, or a brochure by an insurance company, where the corporation uses a statement that overuses vocabulary to express something so simple. Zinsser observes that, â€Å"Clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can’t exist without another†,(Zinsser 175) His opinion on the key towards becoming an excellent writer is to take every sentence and to shorten it so that each word has its set function. As a writer, he believes the more clearheaded one is while constructing a piece of work, the better result they will receive. Writing is not as easy as it may seem. It can take several trials of perfecting one’s work and more importantly revisions of one’s thoughts like Zinsser’s writing. The more conscious you become to your writing allows the writer to easily express their words and in society, good writing seems to be what lacks the most. Zinsser believes that a clear mind can positively impact your writing like a clear mind can affect your performance in everyday life. Sometimes, the more homework I have and the more hours I work, seem to build to my stress and negatively affect me in school. My weekly schedule is one that at times is pretty hectic. With school, work and friends, sometimes the juggling of the three seem to reach a boiling point. I currently work at a waitressing job in which the night shifts are usually the ones that benefit me the most. I attend school at Hunter College 4 days a week. Mondays and Thursdays from 8 am to 4 pm, while Tuesdays and Fridays are from 11 am to 1 pm. My work schedule is for the most part from Tuesday, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays (mid day to late nights). Going to school four days a week and working 5 days a week is such a hassle in my life. I try to fit my social life in as well yet, sometimes it seems impossible. That’s when I realize by not going out I might be jeopardizing my friendships. Working almost five days a week doesn’t give me enough time for myself or the ability to focus more on school. I come home so late that I usually stay up studying till 2 or 3 in the morning but have to wake up by 6 am. I run on 3 or 4 hours of sleep which doesn’t give me enough energy to function at my highest capability. About two weeks ago I reached a point in my life in which I was beginning to feel like a robot. On a Friday night, I came home from a long day at school, immediately headed to work knowing that I had two tests to study for Monday. Now I was scheduled to work the whole weekend on night shifts that I was struggling to figure out how I could possibly fit in time to study. I tried my hardest to study in between work breaks, but the environment around me was pretty hectic, that I accomplished nothing. On Saturday and Sunday, I woke up a little earlier to study, but time was passing by so fast that on both days I only accomplished an hour or two to memorize some material. I would rush each day to start getting ready for work and to call my cab to get there on time. That Sunday from work I got home at 2 am and studied an hour for history, until I fell asleep on my books. I instantly woke up, almost late for school, just in time to make it to my English class. I was so tired that I was straining to make my eyes remain open. I had a few school breaks in between my classes, but I knew that I couldn’t memorize all these material for two different subjects the day of the test. Taking both of those tests, made me realize that not only did I fail, but I needed to make some changes in my life. My first priority is attending and excelling at school and juggling too many days at work with school is almost impossible to do. I knew I had to change my work schedule so that I have enough days to study and nights to rest in the future. In the end I knew it would work out even if I cut back on days to earn money, because my body and mind need to properly rest. We don’t seem to realize but sometimes there are many unnecessary things we do that can easily be adjusted. Either working too much or spending time doing other activities can take up a lot of our energy. As Zinsser illustrates simplifying one’s life or one’s writing is possible and necessary at times, and if we all learned to do so life would be much easier.

Can feminism be thought of as a theory of law Essay

As a concept, feminism is very much a modern notion within legal circles, which aims to eradicate any prejudice against women’s rights. This in a society strongly founded upon a male-orientated legal system, which historically fails to recognise the social and legal rights of women, and instead focuses upon â€Å"male-orientated theories and ideologies.†1 It is this patriarchy that feminists thrive to eliminate. The essence of patriarchy is emphasised by the Marxist legal theory, developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the 19th Century, which places no emphasis upon gender, and consequently belittles the feminists fight for gender equality. Juxtaposed with the rigid Marxist approach to legal rule is the postmodernist dialect that offers a â€Å"positive method of forcing individuals to confront and change the rigid contexts and structures (including laws) within which they have arbitrarily confined themselves.†2 The ideology of feminism is split into three distinct categories, all of which work towards one common goal of removing gender prejudices: 1) Liberal feminism is grounded in â€Å"classical liberal thinking that individuals should be free to develop their own talents and pursue their own interests. Liberal feminists accept the basic organisation of our society but seek to expand the rights and opportunities of women. Liberal feminists support equal rights and oppose prejudice and discrimination that block the aspirations of women.†3 2) Socialist feminism is an evolution from Marxist conflict theory, essentially made in reaction to the little attention Marx paid to gender. Socialist feminists argue that the â€Å"bourgeois family must be restructured to end ‘domestic slavery’ in favour of some collective means of carrying out housework and child care. The key to this goal, in turn, is a socialist revolution that creates a state-centred economy operating to meet the needs of all. Such a basic transformation of society requires that women and men pursue their personal liberation together, rather than individually, as liberal feminists maintain.†4 3) The third form of feminism is radical feminism. This, as the name suggests is the most extreme version of feminism, it disregards the liberal theory as â€Å"superficial and inadequate,†5 and they claim that even a socialist revolution would not end patriarchy. Radical feminists strive to create a society free from any gender inequality by completely abolishing the cultural notion of gender. To look at these three forms of feminism an observer would be ignorant to discard feminism as having no legal influence, as it is clear to see from these that support for such movements is vast and comes in various forms, all of which attack the same enemy, patriarchy, albeit in differing manners. These differing methods are accentuated by recent developments and movements in society, particularly in the 20th Century these can be clearly highlighted by looking at the actions of the suffragettes in 1910, which illustrate a more active approach to campaigning. As previously mentioned feminist legal theories are a contemporary concept, for this reason a â€Å"radical new methodology in legal theory† is required in order to encompass the new issues raised by feminism as a legal theory. Such a new methodology could be found in the ‘critical legal theory’ method, as it would be able to incorporate feminist views such as the theory that a â€Å"male-orientated appreciation of law emphasises individualism and ‘rights’ at the expense of ‘female’ emphases upon interaction and cooperation.† 6 This approach is however, solely a theoretical one, and as such it does not entirely cover the needs of feminism, insofar as â€Å"feminism is only partially and peripherally concerned with academic theorising,†7 the major part of the work of feminism is to promote the â€Å"dissatisfactions of a wide spectrum of women,† which highlight the general inequality felt by women in regards to legal and social equality. Therefore critical legal studies, instead of acting as a definition, are rather a useful means of indicating the â€Å"explicit and implicit male orientation of law and legal administration and the resulting disadvantage and marginalisation often suffered by women.†8 This has led to the recognition of three fundamental elements which personify a feminist legal theory. â€Å"These are: a) asking the ‘woman question’, i.e. the extent of the presence and recognition of women’s experience in law; b) feminist practical reasoning, meaning a reasoning which proceeds from context and values difference and the experience of the unempowered; and c) consciousness raising, meaning an exploration of the collective experience of women through a sharing of individual experiences.†9 These three elements, outlined above by Katherine T. Bartlett, are designed to act as the source for future feminist legal theory development, particularly in respect of women’s outlook upon law with the intention of improving women’s legal position in the future â€Å"development or redevelopment of law.†10 The legal evolution, or, redevelopment, mentioned above is one in which women strive to see a revolution from an â€Å"inherently ‘male’ legal mindset implicitly discriminating against women because it is framed in terms of male experience which does not necessarily relate to that of women.†11 That is to say, that in numerous situations women are expected to mirror full-time, long-term and unionised male workers, when in reality women digress from this norm insofar as their working patterns tend to be far more interrupted and part-time. From this a clear paradox is produced, as feminists while thriving to be treated as the males equal simultaneously require a variant from this norm in order to account for their differing responsibilities. This attitude is stressed distinctly by the remarks of Joanne Conaghan and Louise Chudleigh, when they say, â€Å"labour law both embodies and conceals the gender division of labour and, by focusing exclusively on the world of paid work, ignores the differing responsibilities [of] †¦ men and women.†12 Such inadequacies within the legal system are numerous and ironically even legal structures that aim to eradicate gender discrimination can be seen to be based upon analogies created from â€Å"irrelevant, and sometimes outdated, male experience.† An unmistakable example of this is the treatment of maternity leave as analogous to the sick leave of their male counterpart. This is coupled by the notion that parenting is predominantly the female’s role, which is highlighted by the â€Å"very limited provisions for paternity leave.† 13 The underlying problem here is that, in order to be treated fairly and without any prejudice women are required to meet a norm set by existing male experiences which by there very nature do not create a balanced equality, and thus â€Å"existing legal standards and concepts disadvantage women†14 as they merely incorporate women into existing male-orientated legal structures, rather than recreating the legal structures so as to be established upon male and female requirements. The above mentioned relationship between female legal theory and critical legal studies creates a clear enhancement, in regards to political knowledge and understanding of feminists legal argument, and consequently for the female legal theory. The noticeable thing to emphasise from this is the â€Å"disadvantaging effect of concealed and frequently unrealised bias in a legal order which has for the most part developed from male rather than female experience,†15 and has therefore produced a rather lopsided legal system in favour of men. This prejudice has now been identified, thanks to the relationship between critical legal studies and feminist legal theory, this identification can be perceived as a significant legal stepping stone towards a legal system that not only incorporates females, but is instead founded upon female and male experiences resulting in an equality which is not merely all encompassing in terms of a male perspective, but rather an equality that is derived f rom the experiences of both genders. Strongly contrasting the accommodating nature of critical legal studies in relation to female legal theories, are those theories of law and society created by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Their creation, Marxism, a derivative of a much older proposition by Immanuel Kant that stated that, â€Å"every thesis has a contrary antithesis†16 and that eventual resolution of these two contradictory perspectives, through revolution, would end up creating an ‘absolute understanding’. This led to Marx placing specific importance upon an economic foundation from which all things within society, both social and political, are merely ‘superstructure.’ It is for this reason that Marxism has been described as being a distinctly materialistic theory. A strong contrast can be seen between the feminist legal theory, which bases its social beliefs at the apex of its legal structure, and the Marxist theory which states that â€Å"social understanding is seen as an ideological perception of the economic relations existing at a given time which will change as the underlying economic relationships alter.†17 Here it is clear that a Marxist approach would place very little emphasis upon the social question of gender inequality, but would instead focus upon an economic foundation with the speculation that if a high enough proportion of society feel a need to increase gender equality then a revolution would take place. For Marxism social revolution appears to be the basis for the theory to develop. It would therefore appear to be a theory that shows little appreciation for social needs, such as those displayed by the female legal theory. For feminists to advance their legal theory through a Marxist approach, the attitude of socialist feminists, as discussed above, would have to be adopted. That is to say that the â€Å"bourgeois family must be restructured to end ‘domestic slavery’ in favour of some collective means of carrying out housework and childcare. The key to this goal, in turn, is a socialist revolution that creates a state-centred economy operating to meet the needs of all. Such a basic transformation of society requires that women and men pursue their personal liberation together, rather than individually, as liberal feminists maintain.†18 This once again highlights the idea of a union between both genders, encompassing experiences from both so as to enable females not only to be incorporated into an existing legal structure but instead to recreate a legal structure based upon the needs and experiences of both genders. A legal theory that promotes the liberating philosophy required in order to create a society able to accept the alterations needed to adequately unify both genders in a legal sense is the ‘postmodern’ legal theory. This theory, commonly portrayed as a â€Å"recipe for relativism,†19 also displays the characteristics needed in order to force â€Å"individuals to confront and change the rigid contexts and structures (including laws) within which they have arbitrarily confined themselves.†20 In this sense it is the ideal method for women to promote and execute the installation of their female legal theory. As it would not only tolerate an amendment in the law to integrate women into existing law, but more than this it would allow them to â€Å"change the rigid contexts and structures† mentioned above, which have prevented the advancement of gender equality within the legal structure. However, postmodernism also raises some problems in relation to feminist jurisprudence. Hilaire Barnett states that â€Å"there must be developed critiques †¦ which reject the universalist, foundationalist, philosophical and political understanding offered by modernism†¦and in its place there exists diversity, plurality, competing rationalities, competing perspectives and uncertainty as to the potentiality of theory.†21 In general, here she is saying that women must resist generalising their condition within society, and instead focus upon the â€Å"multiplicity of subjectivities, identities, which inhere in the individual.†22 Overall, I believe feminism to be undoubtedly ‘fundamental in some way.’ The critical legal theory discussed above shows how society has failed to display mutuality, not only towards women as members of society but towards men and women, through an â€Å"improper discriminatory selectivity, generate alienation and, ultimately, disfunctionality in the working of a legal order.†23 This inequality has led to the recognition of three fundamental elements which personify a feminist legal theory. Resistance is however, met by a Marxist legal theory, which displays very little appreciation of gender issues. However, a feminist theory could be adopted through the Marxist ‘bourgeois’ revolutionary approach, which would see both genders uniting in a revolution to change the pre-adopted norms of society. This idea of changing preconceived rules and laws within society would allow a feminist legal theory to develop, an idea given weight to by the postmodern legal theory, which also places special emphasis upon withdrawing from a united generalisation of women and instead focusing upon them as individuals. Therefore, I would argue that ‘feminism’ can be thought of as a theory of law, albeit not on the same scale as other theories previously mentioned, such as Marxism. But it’s rapid evolution and recent political and legal enhancement within society makes it a theory with considerable weight, and certainly a theory ‘fundamental in some way.’ 1 Textbook on Jurisprudence – Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 2 Textbook on Jurisprudence – Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 3 Sociology A Global Introduction – John J. Macionis and Ken Plummer 4 Sociology A Global Introduction – John J. Macionis and Ken Plummer 5 Resisting Patriarchy: The Women’s Movement and Feminism 6 Textbook on Jurisprudence – Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 7 ‘Dworkin, Which Dworkin? Taking Feminism Seriously’ in P. Fitzpatrick and A. Hunt, eds., Critical Legal Studies (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1987), p.47.) 8 Textbook on Jurisprudence – Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 9 Katherine T. Bartlett, ‘Feminist Legal Method’ (1970) 103 Harv L Rev, 829 10 Katherine T. Bartlett, ‘Feminist Legal Method’ (1970) 103 Harv L Rev, 829 11 Textbook on Jurisprudence – Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 12 ‘Women in Confinement: Can Labour Law Deliver the Goods?’ In Critical Legal Studies, p. 133 at p. 137. 13 Textbook on Jurisprudence – Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 14 ‘Feminist Legal Methods’ (1970) 103 Harv L Rev , p.829 at p.837. 15 Textbook on Jurisprudence – Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 16 Textbook on Jurisprudence – Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 17 Textbook on Jurisprudence – Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 18 Sociology A Global Introduction – John J. Macionis and Ken Plummer 19 Textbook on Jurisprudence – Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 20 Textbook on Jurisprudence – Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White 21 H. Barnett, Introduction to Feminist Theory (London: Cavendish Publishers, 1998, p. 180. 22 H. Barnett Introduction to Feminist Jurisprudence, pp. 1179-80 23 Textbook on Jurisprudence – Hilaire McCoubrey and Nigel D. White

Science Boon and Bane

There are no extents to define science. Science is every where around us. Some people say it is a boon and some say that it is a bane. According to me it is a boon as every thing have both cons and pros, but the decision is made by observing which side is better. Some who would disagree with me and would believe that science is a bane. Everyone have his/her different opinion. But, friend! science is the discovery, it is the mixture of creativity of human's mind with his/her intelligence. You would say that earlier when all the comforts were not available, everything was just perfect as science was not there. But the stone weapons, invention of fire, cave, animal clothing, everything was discovery, creation, creativity, intelligence in short science. There was no human era in which science was not present as without science the human would be even worse than the new born baby who is totally confused and does not know where he is, and what to do, but he at least know that he have to cry, but without science, humans would not be even in that state. So friends, no to science and technology does not only means that there will no electricity, TV , ac, fridge, taps, computers, internet, transport, etc but it means even more, it means that human would be nothing less than being a living corpse. I agree that it can be harmful if in evil hands, but is it the fault of creativity, intelligence, no it is the fault evil mind. They can use anything to facilitate their plans and if this is the case, then according to it, if someone is stabbed, then the knife through which the murderer had killed the victim should be punished and is to be blamed and not the murderer.

Claus Von Stauffenberg Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Claus Von Stauffenberg - Research Paper Example Claus von Stauffenberg was born in Jettingen, Germany on November 15, 1907. (Claus von Stauffenberg) His father was a religious man with a philosophic bent, an accomplished horseman, and a lover of poetry. (Jones) He was the third of the four sons his parent had. He was a bright student and was brought up under better living conditions because of his aristocratic family background. He and his brothers were brave peoples and they joined the German scout agency during their youthhood. At the age of nineteen, he became an officer cadet because of his smartness and abilities. His intelligence and smartness have made him a commissioned officer in 1930. He has trained specifically in using modern weapons and war equipment during this period. Although he has supported some of the policies of the Nazi regime and Hitler, many other policies of Nazis were indigestible to him. His strong moral backgrounds forced him to disagree with many of the Nazi policies. He has participated in most of the wars Germany conducted during this period. Conquest of Poland, 1939, Battle of France, 1940, Operation Barbarossa, 1941, the campaign against Russia in 1941, Tunisian operations, and 1942 were some of the major wars he has participated. Initially, Stauffenberg thought that some of these wars were justifiable for the interest of Germany as a country, the mass murder of Jews in 1942 by Nazi-led Germany forced him to think against Hitler and his regime more strongly. He has realized the hidden agenda Hitler had in killing Jews and expanding his power. He has realized that Hitler is becoming a strong threat not only to the Jews but even for the rest of the world as well. In the Tunisian operation, he has suffered severe injuries and lost one of his eyes and hands and almost met with death. He was forced to spend 3 months in hospital where the thought about dethroning Hitler and the Nazi regime first came into  his mind.

The motivations of Chinese EFLs Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

The motivations of Chinese EFLs - Term Paper Example People who are fluent in English are given almost celebrity-like honor and value in countries where English is not the official language. The wide ranged usage of English throughout the world be it, mass media, education, Internet, business, tourism, technology and such other fields is what gives the language an authoritative appeal and command over the whole world. Acknowledging the importance of the English language, the government of every country needs to be capable of providing facilities for the children to learn this language. Thus, this is the reason why English is being taught in almost all countries. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the parents to get their children enrolled into schools that teach English. It also becomes the responsibility of these children to learn well and excel in their academics to make their parents feel proud and in turn, serve their nation by staying committed to their jobs, which obviously, would require English as the main language. Therefo re, for students to learn languages, other than their mother tongue, they need motivation. The paper at hand focuses on Chinese EFL students. These refer to the students who come from China and settle in America or other such countries where the official language is English, and study English as a foreign language. It also includes EFL students who reside in China itself. Studies show that China accounts for the â€Å"largest number of English language learners in the world† (Influence of Instrumental Motivation on EFL Learners in China and its Implication On TEFL Instructional Design 1). According to JUDY F. CHEN in his article called, Motivators That Do Not Motivate: the Case of Chinese EFL Learners and the Influence of Culture on Motivation, the Language learning theory has widely accepted the saying that language learners with superior levels of motivation will be superior achievers. Finding what composes motivation for those who learn the language in a variety of cultura l settings remains a significant and difficult task. Motivation study frequently centers on cultural circumstances that are not very different from European values and North American. Language learning motivation study outcomes have tended to support the supreme importance of integrative motivation, which was primarily described by Gardner and Lambert (1972) and the newer version by Shaaban and Ghaith. Integrative motivation is successful because language abilities are perceived as essential to participation in various social groups that employ the target language. Noels, Clement, Pelletier, and Vallerand (2000) make out the preeminent significance formerly granted to the orientation of integrative motivation, but also state that this can be the case only in particular socio-cultural circumstances. Integrative motivation is frequently contrasted by way of the more outwardly affected instrumental motivation (JUDY F. CHEN 2005). The students face a lot of problems in their everyday li fe in the educational institutions they attend. This is due to the fact that English is totally foreign to them until they go abroad. Thus, there arises a great need for these students to be motivated. This paper therefore addresses various problems that the Chinese EFL students face in learning English, the

Evaluate the role played by Britain in shaping modern Australian Essay

Evaluate the role played by Britain in shaping modern Australian society and political culture. Does the term 'Austral Briton' still hold any relevance - Essay Example A good and profound example is the Head of State who is the current Queen of England. The other is the Union Jack symbol in the Australian flag. Many Australians as at the WWII either descended from Britain or were actually having direct ancestral links to Britain2. This paper will therefore discuss the role played by Britain in shaping modern Australian society and political culture while shedding light on whether the term ‘Austral Briton’ still holds any relevance. Before the 1st World War Australian inhabitants especially the ones born there or had their ancestry trailing from Britain or Ireland were being termed as ‘Aussie’ colloquially. This was rather a term that denoted ability to survive through hard times and later was more defining as it distinguished those born in Australia and immigrants3. This latter distinction was coined during and after the 2nd World War. The nation was originally a British penal colony from 18th century and more precisely from 17884. The continent had been seen to be one that is full of hardships by Joseph Banks who went further to suggest that convicts should be taken there from Britain. It is in 1788 that the first batch of convicts docked at Botany Bay5. This first fleet comprised of marines, men and women convicts. The following years saw an increased movement to Australia as more convicts were being shipped and being taken further inland. The women population among the convicts was just 20 perc ent. This disparity between men and women convicts went a long way to shape the current mateship ideology. This transportation of convicts to Australia however came to an end officially in 1850. More and more people started to stream in from various nationalities but the biggest number was from Britain making them dominate the demographics of Australia6. Australia was a region of the earth where democracy did not exist as a formal system of ruling masses up until the colonisation by the British. Most

Read and answer question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Read and answer question - Essay Example Both the organization and its shareholders need returns for their investments and when such is not achieved then change is inevitable. 2. What is the primary type of change needed- Changing things or changing the people and culture. Can the Wisconsin plant be saved by changing things alone, by changing people and culture, or must both be changed? The primary type of change needed for Wisconsin plant is for people and culture. With some current Wisconsin employees telling of how their fathers worked for the same plant, calls for a change in the people. Once people get used to a place, they reduce the quality of production, which could be the contributing factor towards the competitors almost producing better quality than Wisconsin plant. It is also clear that Wisconsin employees are the most paid compared to the others. The culture of the union determining their pay should, therefore be changed too in an urge to reduce the plant’s high production costs. 3. What do you think is the major underlying cause of the Union’s resistance to change? If you were Jim Malesckowski, what implementation tactics would you use to try to convince union members to change to save the Wisconsin plant? It is evidently clear that if no change is made, then the Wisconsin plant will have to close down due to the high operational costs. If I was Jim, I would dialogue with the union be telling them that if change was not achieved then the plant would close down. In the event that happens then all the employees would be jobless. In changing to a save culture, the union members would benefit in that despite the reduction in their salaries, they would still retain their jobs, other than letting the plant close down leaving all of them jobless as a result of the high operational