Critical Reading What Does It Really Mean

You are often told to give a book a good critical reading. But do you know what that really means? Critical reading means reading with the goal of finding a deep understanding of a material, whether it is fiction or nonfiction. It is the act of analyzing and evaluating what you are reading as you make your way through the text  or as you reflect back upon your reading. Using Your Head When you read a piece of fiction critically, you use your common sense to determine what the writer means, as opposed to what the written words actually say. The following passage appears in The Red Badge of Courage, the classic Civil War-era work by Stephen Crane. In this passage, the main character, Henry Fleming, has just returned from battle and is now receiving treatment for a nasty head wound. Yeh dont holler ner say nothin... an yeh never squeaked. Yer a good un, Henry. Most a men would a been in th hospital long ago. A shot in th head aint foolin business... The point seems clear enough. Henry is receiving praise for his apparent fortitude and bravery. But what is really happening in this scene? During the confusion and terror of the battle, Henry Fleming had actually panicked and run away, abandoning his fellow soldiers in the process. He had received the blow in the chaos of retreat; not the frenzy of battle. In this scene, he was feeling ashamed of himself. When you read this passage critically, you actually read between the lines. By doing so, you determine the message that the author is really conveying. The words speak of bravery, but the real message of this scene is concerned feelings of  cowardice that tormented Henry. Shortly after the scene above, Fleming realizes that nobody in the entire regiment knows the truth about his wound. They all believe that the wound was the result of fighting in the battle: His self-pride was now entirely restored....He had performed his mistakes in the dark, so he was still a man. Despite the claim that Henry feels relieved, we know by reflecting and thinking critically that Henry isnt really comforted. By reading between the lines, we know he is deeply bothered by the sham. What's the Lesson? One way to read a novel critically is to be aware of the lessons or messages that a writer is sending in a subtle way. After reading The Red Badge of Courage, a critical reader would reflect back on the many scenes and look for a lesson or a message. What is the writer trying to say about courage and war? The good news is, there isnt a right or wrong answer. Its the act of forming a question and offering your own opinion that counts. Nonfiction Nonfiction writing can be just as tricky to evaluate as fiction, although there are differences. Nonfiction writing normally involves a series of statements that are backed by evidence. As a critical reader, you will need to be mindful of this process. The goal of critical thinking is to evaluate information in an unbiased way. This includes being open to changing your mind about a subject if the good evidence exists. However, you should also try not to be influenced by unsound evidence. The trick to critical reading in nonfiction is to know how to separate the good evidence from the bad. There are signs to look out for when it comes to misleading or bad evidence. Assumptions Watch for broad, unsupported statements like most people in the pre-war South approved of slavery. Every time you see a statement, ask yourself if the author provides any evidence to back up his point. Implications Be mindful of subtle statements such as Statistics support those who argue that boys are better at math than girls, so why should this be such a controversial issue? Dont become distracted by the fact that some people do believe that males are naturally better at math, and address that issue. When you do this, you are accepting the implication and, therefore, falling for bad evidence. The point is, in critical reading, that the author has not provided statistics; he merely implied that statistics exist.

Duddy vs Macbeth Essay examples - 1656 Words

The Corruption of Macbeth and Duddy Everyone should follow their dreams, but sometimes when you get too caught up in your dreams; you begin to forget about reality. Throughout the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare and the novel The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, written by Mordecai Richler, protagonists Macbeth and Duddy become corrupted as they on the pursuit of their dream. Throughout the novel The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz and the play Macbeth, both protagonists have characters in their life that influence them into becoming corrupt. Both characters, Duddy and Macbeth have such a strong ambition that it leads to the corruption of themselves. Duddy and Macbeth’s pursuit of their dreams leads them to be greedy which†¦show more content†¦In both stories external forces have told Macbeth and Duddy what they have to do in order become successful. In Macbeth, the witches inform on how to become king which corrupts him. A quote from the play showing thi s is â€Å"All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!† (Shakespeare, 10) Another quote showing his reaction to this is â€Å"Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more!† (Shakespeare, 11) This shows us how the witches told Macbeth that he could become king and then he gets too caught up in it which finally leads to his corruption. In Duddy we see Simcha tell Duddy that â€Å"A man without land is nothing.†(Richler, ) After Simcha tells Duddy this, Duddy does whatever he can to be a man with Page 3 land without truly thinking about what he is doing. This helps leads to the corruption of Duddy. The external forces around Macbeth and Duddy influence their decisions which lead to the corruption of both characters. Macbeth and Duddy are so focused on the pursuit of their dream that their ambition to obtain their dream leads to their corruption. In both stories Macbeth and Duddy’s ambition to pursuit their dream becomes so large that both protagonists are willing to do anything in order to achieve that dream. Throughout Macbeth we see many times where he is willing to do anything

Lifestyle in the Past and Now free essay sample

Past and now are a linked chain of events include many of developments in lifestyle. Past and now are complementary times to each other. Past lifestyle was completely different from nowadays in many things such as the residence, the transportations and the education. The residences style in the past varied according to the places such as In the deserts, the Bedouin used tents, because they always changed their place, so tents were easy to reinstall them when they reached another place. Bedouins tents protected them in the rainy weather In terms of rain leaking, because they were made of woven goat hair. Other residences were made of clay and wood or Palm trunk. Old residences were not big and had not a lot of rooms. They were simple and characterized by beautiful geometric design. On the other hand the residences nowadays are totally  different from old residences style. Nowadays, there are a lot of big villas. We will write a custom essay sample on Lifestyle in the Past and Now or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They are made of Cement and it have a strange designing but they are nice. Villas also characterized by large windows that overlooking to the backyard. Residences these days have many rooms such as Living Room, bed rooms, Dining Room, kitchen , Laundry room and the toilets. As well residences in this time allow things that were not allow in past like Air conditioning, heating and electric lighting. The modern transportations are the best inventions in history in my opinion, because they ended the difficulties that the people faced them in the past. Transportations were very hard in the past. People used the animals for traveling to the far places. The most common animal that they were used are the camels because they can bear the hot weather in the deserts. People in the past spent months and sometimes year to reached where they wanted. Also there was another way to travel which was travelling by Ships. Modern transportations in these days are much more better than before. They are so comfortable and fast. The inventions of cars, trains and planes help us to reach farther than what the people reached before in easy ways. Nowadays we spend just hours to travel. These inventions allowed us to see the other side of huge world. The most important difference between the past and now is the education. Education is an important factor in our lives, because through it we can change, develop and improve our lifestyles. In the past, education was plain and simple. There were not many subjects only two important subject which were Islamic and mathematic. Before the mosque was the same place to educate the student. They used simple tools that could help to teach. It is sure that education in the past differed from now. The education nowadays became more open and the number of schools and universities are increasing. In addition there are a lot of subjects were not discovered before. Student in this time can learn in many ways not only in school also the can learn from the books ,movies and the internet. At the end, lifestyle become much more better and easier than before. The lifestyle in the past was a simple but hard. Every things are changed and will be change till the other generations with new, different and easy lifestyle.

Network Recommendation for Fictional Company an Example of the Topic Business Essays by

Network Recommendation for Fictional Company by Expert Jayjay1 | 15 Dec 2016 Introduction. The Bead Bar is an arts and design oriented company that enables its customers to design and make their own clothing and accessories with appliqus, beads, strings, and fabrics. There currently exist three pisions in the company spread throughout the United States: seven studios, six franchises, and the Bead Bar on Board which is a portable Bead Bar designed for cruise ships. The Bead Bar has outgrown its paper-based system and is in need of an upgrade in todays technology; the poor efficiency of the Bead Bars present system limits potential growth opportunities in todays global business market. (Malaga, 2005). Need essay sample on "Network Recommendation for Fictional Company" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Systems in information technology all for globalization and solve most of the problems prevalent with paper-based systems including lost orders, invoicing errors, and order fulfillment delays. The Bead Bar's information technology needs include the initialization of business website, information sharing between locations, and data confidentiality and security; this means the Bead Bar is in need of a strong networking system which is vital for internal and external communications. : I'm not in the mood to write my paper online. I don't have the time Professional writers advise: Get Your Essay Before The Deadline Background. Computers are essential to the daily operations of a growing company such as the Bead Bar with the continuous processing of orders and the various benefits offered to the accounting professionals. While the Bead Bar seems capable of meeting its current expectations, the paper-based system has posed problems for the company; as management now believes that the Bead Bar brand no longer generates customer assurance. Problems are most evident are; the loss of orders, vague inventory status, shipment delays, and inaccurate customer information. Along with the problem of running the company with a paper-based system, employee concerns support further reasons for a new system. The limited amount of computers caused the added expense of outsourcing work. There is currently no direct communication link from Bead Bars headquarters to its branch locations, or its employees at-sea. These problems are clear reasons why the employees of the Bead Bar require up-to-date client information, and accuracy in shipping schedules for their stores and customers. Recommendations were made by consultants to purchase computer hardware, software, and database management systems. Currently, there are 2 notebook computers, 14 printers and 14 personal computers. The personal computers are equipped with standard keyboards. 17 CRT monitors, printers 2.8 MHz processor, 512.8 MB of RAM, CD-RW drives, and 80 GB hard drives. Each of the computers uses the Microsoft Windows XP Professional operating system. The Microsoft Office Productivity Suite was acquired for employees to do word processing, organize presentations, and spreadsheets. Some employees insist upon one having access to Adobe PageMaker, QuickBooks, Interact Commerce Corporations Act! The Bead Bar operates on Oracle 9i database, which is a project database management system, intended to deal with the growing needs of the Bead Bar. As time moves forward, they are looking to arrange their records accurately through a network so their database can operate to its full capability. Recommendation overview. In order to operate a well-organized business, it is essential for the Bead Bar to have a mesh topology. The mesh topology would work well for the Bead Bar since this type of networking system is extremely consistent, and communicates information quick and efficiently. This particular layout would focus on the trepidations of the executives, and since the Bead Bar is spread throughout the United States, its going to be cost-effective. Network Topology. The mesh topology would be the best fit for the Bead Bar. The Bead Bar has several offices throughout the United States and the mesh topology would afford a way for the franchise locations to communicate back and forth. The mesh network is perfect for a business that will have several system links. This network is highly dependable because there is no hub needed. The Bead Bar articulated clear apprehension about how fast data would travel between locations, so a mesh network would without doubt attend to this interest. This network runs well because each node connects directly to the other. Architecture. The Bar must have a client-server architecture set up to facilitate their network. The client-server allocates computers, grant services, process requests, and act as a client. The server is an extremely powerful computer that is set up to handle multiple demands at the same time. The server is an indispensable source of memory, because it can function as a main foundation of all information storage that is pertinent to the operation of the Bead Bar. The server should be set up to share consumer data, and act as an effective storage unit. The client-server network architecture would prove to be more beneficial to the executives of the Bead Bar, thus proving useful for the Bead Bar. Some executives would want to transmit communication to the various branches of the company. There are some materials that the executives would like to keep them secret and maintain full control of the main source of data. All computers do not have to act as clients and servers based on the fact that there is no need for every employee to have access to company data. The significance of the company data would be sealed with the client-server network. Network Advantages and drawbacks. In order to meet the needs of Bead Bar and its various locations, a strong and consistent networking system is needed. The mesh topology is perfect for businesses with various locations because of the speed and competence of the network. The company would always want to see that all computers associates with each other and the mesh network do fit that criterion. The server that is set up in this topology does not act as a hub, which in turn helps with the speed and success of transmissions. The mesh topology is the most cost-efficient topology that would meet the needs of the Bead Bar. The mesh topology is a good fit for the Bead Bar. Nevertheless, the topology has its own drawbacks in that, it is requires more cables than any other LAN topologies, and it also has complications when it comes to implementation. The client-server design can be clarified as a pisive networking decision because it would regulate ease of access to company data. This proposal is based on compelling points made by the companys stakeholders in respect to some possible security concerns that could affect the confidentiality of the company data. Some employees feel they should have access to all company data but that is not necessary. If a Bead Bar studio or franchise requires documents they do not have access to, they can send a request through the proper channels. The client-server database is suggested to protect the company overall. Conclusion. Based on all networking recommendations that have been made, the Bead Bar will be able to run their business more proficiently. With suitable networking, now the database can function accurately. This will help the business to grow as a direct result of an increased exchange of ideas because of the networking topology and architecture. References Bead Bar Network Paper. Anti Essays. Retrieved September 30, 2008, from the World Wide Web: http://www.antiessays.com/free-essays/14861.html Bead Bar Systems Development. Freeonlineresearchpapers. Retrieved from World Wide Web: http://www.freeonlineresearchpapers.com/bead-bar-technology-requirements Chocolate Grey. Journal of a chocolate, a grey haired student. Retrieved from August 24, 2008, from World Wide Web: http://deanguelo.blogs.com/chocolateblog/2008/08/bead-bar-networ.html Rose A. Malaga. Information systems technology. New Jersey: Pearson Education.

uncletomscabin essays

uncletomscabin essays Analysis of Uncle Toms Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe The book, Uncle Tom's Cabin, is thought of as a fantastic, even fanatic, representation of Southern life, most memorable for its emotional oversimplification of the complexities of the slave system, says Gossett (4). Harriet Beecher Stowe describes her own experiences or ones that she has witnessed in the past through the text in her novel. She grew up in Cincinnati where she had a very close look at slavery. Located on the Ohio River across from the slave state of Kentucky, the city was filled with former slaves and slaveholders. In conversation with black women who worked as servants in her home, Stowe heard many stories of slave life that found their way into the book. Some of the novel was based on her reading of abolitionist books and pamphlets, the rest came straight from her own observations of black Cincinnatians with personal experience of slavery. She uses the characters to represent popular ideas of her time, a time when slavery was the biggest issue that people were dealing with. Uncle Tom's Cabin was an unexpected factor in the dispute between the North and South. The book sold more than 300,000 copies during the first year of publication, taking thousands of people by surprise. Mr. Shelby is a Kentucky plantation owner who is forced by debt to sell two of his slaves to a trader named Haley. Uncle Tom, the manager of the plantation, understands why he must be sold. The other slave marked for sale is Harry, a four-year-old. His mother, Mrs. Shelby's servant, Eliza, overhears the news and runs away with the little boy. She makes her way up to the Ohio River, the boundary with the free state of Ohio. In Ohio, Eliza is sheltered by a series of kind people. At a Quaker settlement, she is reunited with her husband, George Harris. George's master abused him even though George was intelligent and hard-working, and he had decided to escape. T...

Analysis of a work of art with a contemporary advertisement Essay

Analysis of a work of art with a contemporary advertisement - Essay Example Initially, these pieces had been applied to communicate on the ethical values or offer a reflection required within the society. Art has been evolved to represent ideology based on selling an idea to a market. This provision has been included in advertising with the created pieces holding powerful visual messages to the consumer. Art styles are applied in advertising, in the contemporary society, to highlight the message under consideration to give a piece meaning. With advertising, the key method applied to sell brand identity, and product description, art has emerged as a powerful communication tool within the contemporary society. An added provision within the art has been the application of advanced mediums to strengthen the image quality and buffer message reliance. The modern technology has produced advanced paints and mediums to be included in advertising that relate to the artistic style that had been developed. Pop art has been adversely used in advertising since the inventi on in Britain in the year 1955. Pop art was a movement of art that found the origin in Britain in the 1950s and the trend spread to the US who modifies the definition of style, to fit the pieces that had been established (Gibbons 53). Pop artists challenged the principal conception of the known artistic movements to present ideologies that would popularize a piece. The style incorporated existing forms and to those created in the artist’s mind to give the shape of the layout. The style developed on the movement known as abstract expressionism to explore the provision issued by the artist. The style is characterized with the provision that is accorded in utilizing a combination of shapes and images with found material incorporated within a piece. This provision has linked the movement to Dadaism utilizing highly expressive images. The style behind the creation of a pop artwork involves the application of famous images

Jesus, according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul Term Paper

Jesus, according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul - Term Paper Example Matthew writes about Jesus in a king that had been spoke n about even by prophets of the Old Testament. He would rule all over Israel and Jesus was a divine king sent to oversee the people of God. Matthew 2: 5, 6 confirms that it was prophesied that a governor shall come to rule all over Israel. This verse serves to strengthen the assertion that above all, Jesus is King. Matthew also introduces Jesus like the new Moses. According to Him, They had almost similar reasons for coming (Matthew 1: 1 -4:11). Just like the case of Moses where the Kind attempted to kill him as a child, Jesus also went through the same. They both had a stint in Egypt and had to flee their lands and return after the demise of the tyrants they left behind. Just like Moses led the people of Israel, Matthew wants to create a portrait that assumes the same trend. The gospel of Mark talks about Jesus’ ministry in more details than the others before it. It is said to be written in times when there was persecution all around Jerusalem. It goes to be an issue of focus with regard to the plight of Jesus. According to mark, Jesus was a teacher whose ministry emphasized on the closeness of the kingdom of God and the need to repent and live by faith (Mark 1:14-15). The gospel of mark puts priority on the role of Jesus and how he is headed to the cross for the sake of humankind. It was the ultimate calling for Jesus. Therefore, Mark’s portrait of Jesus initially portrays him as a teacher with a purpose. Mark talks of Jesus selecting 12 disciples to help him spread the word of God in galilee and across other lands. In the process of spreading the word of God, Jesus is a miracle worker (Matthew 9:27. He makes the blind see and heals the sick.it was a demonstration of the power of God and the role of faith in life. He clarifies the role of disciples and teaches them to be ideal teacher. The