An Insight to a Northern Light Essay Example

An Insight to a Northern Light Essay Famous novelist and award-winning author, Jennifer Donnelly was born in Port Chester, New York on August 16, 1963. She was a bright student growing up and later went on to attend the University of Rochester, majoring in English, Literature, and European History. After graduating, she attended Birbeck College, University of London. When Donnelly turned twenty-five, she decided to move to Brooklyn, New York and pursue a career in writing. Since then, she has written nine novels, being best known for A Northern Light. Many factors contributed to the making of this book being published. A Northern Light is a historical fiction that was first published in the U.K. and received many awards across the world. In Britain, the book won the Carnegie Medal. In the U.S. it won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and The Charlotte Award (Biography, 1). This novel takes place in 1906 about a young girl named Mattie Gokey. The time period shifts between the present and the past of her life. The present focuses on Mattie’s life at the Glenmore Hotel, where she works. The hotel staff soon discovers the body of Grace Brown in Big Moose Lake. Discovering Grace’s body is nerve-racking for Mattie because earlier that day Grace had given Mattie numerous letters and instructed her to burn them. She is conflicted throughout the entire story on whether to burn the letters or not. Every time she attempts to burn them, she is not able to because she is constantly busy with work or her boss is on the prowl. Thus leading her to read them and discovering crucial information to the case. The past focuses on Mattie’s life at home, where she is in school trying to attain a high school diploma and loves to write stories. She is aspiring to go to college and receives a full scholarship to Barnard College in New York, New York. The main thing that is holding her back from going is her promise she had made to her mother before she died, which was to stay and take care We will write a custom essay sample on An Insight to a Northern Light specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on An Insight to a Northern Light specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on An Insight to a Northern Light specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Articles of Confederation AP essays

Articles of Confederation AP essays In 1777, the states enacted the Articles of Confederation to preserve democracy and prevent tyranny from those who sought to centralize power. But in their efforts to keep their independence, the states created a weak central government that was unable to improve an insolvent economy and poor foreign relations. Although the confederation gained some substantial powers, the crucial powers to tax and regulate commerce remained with the individual states. Each state passed their own currency, and therefore created inflation and made "Continentals" in circulation worthless. Compounded with restrictions on trade to Great Britain and down the Mississippi River, the states became mired in a heavy depression. John Fiske, of the conservative view, realized the precarious situation when he stated "the Nation was under the verge of collapse and near-anarchy and that the five year period after 1783 was the most critical time in American History."Robert Morris, secretary of finance, resorted to desperate measures with the Newburgh conspiracy in an attempt to raise funds for a depleted military; but it took an impassioned plea from General Washington himself to put down the rebellion. Furthermore, the Articles allowed for personal rights abuses such as unsubstantiated foreclosures on farms and ill advised loans to certain " small groups", the antithesis of republicanism. As Arthur Schlesinger Jr. stated "the Articles were to impotent to govern." Lastly, no judicial system was provided for to enforce laws and therefore allowed for insurrections such as Shays Rebe llion. In addition, to pass legislation required a unanimous consent and more than not a single dissenting vote prevented the ratification of strong economic bills. Overall, the Articles were ineffective in improving the economic state of the new nation. Although Thomas Paine (Common Sense) believed that the Articles and decentralization was a logical choice of government after...

From These Beginnings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

From These Beginnings - Essay Example Thomas Jefferson suggested that new nations should have a written constitution. During the war, congress exercised a high level of political, diplomatic, military and economic authority. Among the many things that happened was adoption of trade restrictions, developed and established an army, created a military code among others. The constitution had major omissions especially in the clauses regarding fugitives of the law would be punished. The bill of rights of 1787 empowered the constitution that said that; no excessive bail will be required, no excessive fines or no cruel and unusual punishments to the fugitives. The bill of rights also made sure that all people were treated as the constitution dictated. The powers not given to the state by the constitution was reserved to the people. Alexander Hamilton was the first treasury secretary. He convinced congress to pass an elastic interpretation of the constitution. Thomas Jefferson rejected the motion because what they were about to do was unconstitutional. Hamilton was a federalist while on the other side Jefferson was an anti-federalist who advocated for the poor and the rights of the state. When Jefferson was voted in office, he did not change the federalists programs. The only thing that he changed was revoking the excise tax (Howard 72). Jefferson philosophy in leadership was due to the weak central government of his administration. As most of the power was in the state. The philosophy stated that the power should be limited, to prevent undermining the state and its people. Hamilton philosophy differed greatly from Jefferson, who advocated for the strict interpretation of the constitution. When Jefferson was elected in office, he hardy touched the federalists programs. The major thing that he did was to revoke the excise tax. It led to outraging of the federalists. By cancelling or revoking the excise tax, which meant that no more taxation from alcohol and cigarettes hence little money for the

Is The World Flat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Is The World Flat - Essay Example This essay stresses that in the Information Age, information becomes power. There is a transfer of information in the world, from Western locations, such as the United States of America and the European Union, to Asian ones like China and India. Most notably, China has been a much preferred place to outsource because of the low cost of labour. Because of this, the many countries are gaining power in the global market, but this does not necessarily create a level playing field. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, China is preferred because it has lower cost of labour. Thomas Friedman mentioned that â€Å"entrepreneurs and CEOs were responding to the flattening of the world.† However, by moving to China, it is not necessarily the flattening of the world that they are thinking about but simply practicality in the face of economic crisis. There must be some misunderstanding when people say the world is becoming flatter to mean that everyone has equal opportunity for work or in come. The previous illustration should have dispelled that mistaken notion. Companies will more often than not choose and develop three inexperienced but cheap labourers than pay more for one experienced person to do the same job. This paper makes a conclusion that health care and education should be improved. Health care ensures that employees can continue working and education ensures that people can find creative-type jobs in the future, if ever governments decide to ship grunt-type jobs out of the country.

Pharmacological Approaches Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Pharmacological Approaches - Essay Example Hence the rationale behind the use of non-pharmacological approach to treatment of disorders is that in addressing the cause of the disorder through approaches like behavior modulation, the cause is either removed or reduced to provide respite to the individual from the disorder, instead of addressing just the symptoms. Besides the non-pharmacological treatment approach avoids the side effects of drugs employed in the pharmacological approach (King, Dudley, Melvin, Pallant & Morawetz, 2001). In Holistic medicine the treatment approach takes into consideration all aspects of the health of the patient, which includes physical, psychological, social, economic, and cultural factors. In holistic medicine emphasis is on the self-haling capacity of the individual, and is exemplified by the care giver providing the elements of security, lover, nurture and connection that promote the desire to heal oneself in the individual. Holistic medicine does provide a mix of traditional medical approach to treatment of a disorder, but the emphasis is not on the pharmacological element, but on the aspects of the individual that assist in removing the disorder (Zengerle-Levy, 2006). The advantage in this approach to treatment is that it takes the whole individual and the environment of the individual into consideration, and not just the symptoms and signs of the disorder and the targeting of them. It is quite possible that external factors have implications in the development and presence of the disorder, and a pharmacological approach does not take these factors into consideration. By this expanded approach a wider treatment range is brought into effect. In addition the encouragement of the individual to utilize the resources within the individual to aid in the treatment of the disorder better results is expected. Instilling a zeal for life through the realization of the mission in life and the quality of life brings into effect the inner resources of the

What Are you Really Learning at School?

What Are you Really Learning at School? What Are You Really Learning at School? You sit in math class while the teacher drone on about basic math such as how to add, subtract, divide, and multiply. You think to yourself, Why I am still learning this, I learned this like in elementary school? Youre afraid raised your hand knowing what the other kids will say, Whyd you have run your mouth, we could of being doing the easy stuff instead of this hard math. I actually could have passed math for once in my life since elementary school. You as this unpopular person sure doesnt want to get more unpopular than you were before. Instead, you sit back listen to sounds of kids rustling their notebook paper or homework to form spitballs to shoot at peoples heads or the endless beeps of text messages being sent to each other or the mini screams of girls after they receive a request for prom date. Parents wonder why their childrens report card is so amiss and unacceptable when they receive them but parents really dont know what teachers are teaching their children in school and something needs to be done about it and change for once and for all. Many reasons lead up to what are we really learning in school such as unacceptable scores on MSA and HSA, not enough skills to succeed, and not being able to use their own imagination. When parents receive the childs MSA or HSA report, the results are shocking. Children come to their parents with scores of low average and average but on their regular school tests, they would get above 90% never below 80%. Scores taken from elementary schools since the MSA have plummet, The Baltimore Sun states, The percentage of third-graders at the school who passed the state reading test plummeted from 100 last year to 50 this year. The percentage of fourth-graders reading at proficient or advanced levels dropped nearly 43 points, from 100 percent to 57 percent. Fourth-grade pass rates in math fell from 100 percent to 68 percent, and fifth-graders pass rates in reading dropped from 100 percent to 80 percent at Abbottston Elementary. From Abbottston Elementary School in Baltimore City, MD to Baltimore Liberation Diploma Plus High School, MSA and HSA test scores have dropped leaving other schools ahead of them and putting them behind in the dust. In this particular elementary schoo l, scores were higher last year than this year, their schools scores overall decline more than 50% . Which means what are those teachers teaching that made those children do worse than before. Or maybe teachers had the books altered last year to cheat for the students because they knew their students werent prepared. Now, this year maybe they decided forgot the cheating part because they knew they would eventually get caught and probably prayed that their students would be able to pass with the same high standards. But they didnt happen so, the school is now under speculation. First of all, The Baltimore Sun also states, Baltimore City schools results on this years Maryland School Assessment tests are a terrible disappointment. Although the overall declines in reading (3.3 percentage points) and math (4.9 percentage points) are not catastrophic, the results from individual schools paint a more troubling picture. Of the 50 schools that showed the largest combined drops on math and re ading scores since 2010, 45 were in Baltimore, including 19 of the bottom 20 and all of the bottom 10.† Reading averages and math averages are decreasing steadily unlikely in smarter schools but what are the teachers teaching that’s making test scores drop. Parents, have you checked your child’s regular school tests coming home, aren’t they passing with high B’s and A’s but now, you receive your child’s MSA scores. They unacceptably low actually below average especially in reading and math. You think what are these so called teachers teaching my child. If they are pass in regular grades, why couldn’t they pass this MSA? Are the teachers making test easier for their job or what? Maybe they just do it for the money or is the principal checking up on their students and teachers’ progress making sure no one is slacking? Do you seem to find that your child or now full-grown teenager doesnt have the right skills to help them succeed in life to able them to get a high-paying job? Do they find themselves working a local store as bagger not as a manager? Well, not having the right skills to succeed in life being taught in school is a problem too. teachers don’t understand what a child goes through or doesnt understand. In an article called, Cultural Diversity and Academic Achievement†, The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NEAP) reported that, â€Å"Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and many children of color consistently achieve below the national average in mathematics and language skills, with the gap widening as children continue through their school years.† Teachers aren’t focusing on that one child that needs help, they’re too worried about how they class is going to react to something. Studies show that, â€Å"1 out of 10 children are afraid to raise their hand, ask questions, and seek help because they’re afraid of what they’re classmates will say.† It’s not always the child’s fault either because if a teacher sees a child failing, they need to help by being more encouraging. This one of skills that needs to be successful in life, other skills are leadership, honesty, imaginative, and trust. Secondly, a psychologist, Jean Piaget did research about child development said, â€Å"Over the past half-century, child development research has provided an increasingly comprehensive knowledge base to explain how young children acquire skills and knowledge and define the environmental supports needed to stimulate and sustain development.† Schools have ignored or rejected different cultural expressions of development that are normal and adequate and on which school skills and knowledge can be built. Consequently, children from poor families have been judged to be inadequate because they do not already know nor do they easily learn the school curriculum. . The world needs more and more compassionate creativity to solve difficult problems confronting us. Creative students do not have answers, but they habitually question the status quo and think about alternatives and improvements. They discover and invent possible answers. A Doctor of Education, Marvin Bartel Ed.D.speaks out and says, â€Å"As teachers, we are often partly to blame for the diminished inclination to be creative as children become socialized and aware of their own limitations.† In creative teaching, assignment limitations can provide a way to change the students habits of work. However, the student needs to be given autonomy to make choices about what seems important. Otherwise, the motivation to be creative is lost. Third and most final, Marvin Bartel Ed.D. also says, â€Å"Teachers abandon their imaginative and creative curiosity about life in favor of a more secure, but imposed and programmed kind of thinking habits.† The accept answers from the Interne t as correct (without enough thought). When this happens we miss many good ideas as well as risk injustice by manipulation. You sit in math class while the teacher drone on about basic math such as how to add, subtract, divide, and multiply. You think to yourself, Why I am still learning this, I learned this like in elementary school? Youre afraid raised your hand knowing what the other kids will say, Whyd you have run your mouth, we could of being doing the easy stuff instead of this hard math. I actually could have passed math for once in my life since elementary school. Some child development experts are concerned that schools today are unacceptable scores on MSA and HSA, aren’t teaching kids the skills they need to succeed, not being able to use their own imagination.A culture of testing, they say, is inhibiting the development of â€Å"life skills.† Curricular content aside, what do you think you are really learning at school? Are you developing skills that will carry you through life.

The Struggles Facing LD Students Essay -- Learning Disabilities Educat

The Struggles Facing LD Students Students with learning disabilities are a part of the educational system and they always will be. These students have a single goal in mind, but their disability and social barriers keep them from it. On the other hand, educators have pledged to teach all students, but some fail to teach LD students. This represents an ethical, moral, and legal breakdown of their responsibilities. Educators need to be properly trained and aware of how to meet the needs of these students. The lack of such leads to failure. Students fail because they are afflicted by a disability that forces them to learn in unconventional ways. Teachers fail because they do not embrace the challenge brought about by the diversity of the situation. Students, all over the world, enter into a classroom environment all with a common purpose. The purpose is to learn and excel in all subject areas. This purpose is the same whether the student is in kindergarten or at the university level. The same is true for male and female students, and it is also the case for students who have a learning disability. For these students, the goal is the same, but they can not effectively learn without the help of educators. Learning disabilities alter how these students learn; therefore, the outcome changes. It becomes one of failure and frustration. The student with the disability fails, and educators become frustrated and discouraged. Learning Disabilities (LD) are hidden (obscure) disabilities that affect many people. These people usually have average or above average intelligence, but they are not able to achieve their full potential. The Learning Disability Institute estimates that 5 to 20% of the school-age population has a Specific Le... ... unified purpose. The purpose for the student is to learn while the teacher's purpose is to help that student learn. Learning Disabilities stand in the way of this unified purpose of learning/teaching. Students with a learning disability encounter untrained, unwilling educators who are not prepared to teach them. Students fail because educators fail to live up to their moral and legal obligation to make accommodations to meet their needs. This outcome makes educators also a failure because their goal (to teach all students) is not met. Works Cited "About Learning Disabilities." http://www.ldaca.org/ld.htm (7 Oct. 2001). "Learning Disabilities - Reading Initiatives." http://www.ldinstitute.org/readgrade3.htm/ (7 Oct. 2001). Rose, Mike. "Lives on the Boundary." The Presence of Others. ED> Andrea A. Lunsford. Boston: Bedford / St. Martin's, 2000. 105-118.