Figures of Speech Essay Example for Free

Figures of Speech Essay Poets use different figures of speech to convey the message of their works. Some poets use metaphors or similes to baffle the mind and force the body to feel and see the images created while others use paradox, hyperboles, or puns to create the same effect. A good poem should involve all the senses and make the mind work to find meaning. William Blake uses metaphors to make the mind work overtime to find multiple meanings in his work To See a World in a Grain of Sand, while Chidiock Tichborne uses paradox to baffle the mind and reiterate the single meaning in his work Elegy, Written With His Own Hand Before His Execution. To See a World in a Grain of Sand by William Blake is a short poem that is filled with deep meaning. Through the use of metaphors and word choice the work seems lengthy to the mind but short to the eye. A metaphor is a statement that one thing is something else, but in a literal sense it is not (Kennedy 817). A metaphor is filled with suggestion giving a simple line of poetry almost infinite meanings. To See the World in a Grain of Sand (1) is a statement that is loaded with suggestion. There are many similarities between a grain of sand and the world such as: the world is made up of many grains of sand, both are round, and both are the same material to name a few. The two objects are also so different that that the line of poetry leaves the mind scrambling to figure out the meaning of this word combination. To figure out the meaning one must look at the literal meanings of the words and the figurative meaning of the word combinations to unscramble the riddle. On the literal level one must look at the key words in the line such as world, grain, and sand and find their definitions and how they relate to the other words in the line. By definition world is the Earth or Universe grain is a relatively small particle and sand is loose grains of worn or disintegrated rock (On Line Dictionary). The connotations of these words in the context of this line help the brain to understand that an object of huge size or quantity is being compared to something very small. One of the many meanings that could come from this statement is its hard to see the big picture of something while only looking at one small detail. This is only one meaning suggested through this powerful line. Every line in Blakes poem is a metaphor that is filled with suggestion and deep meaning. Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour (3) is another metaphor Blake uses to baffle the mind. Infinity is An unbound space, time, or quantity while eternity is time without beginning or end (On Line Dictionary). It is difficult for the mind to fathom these words when looked at alone, but in the context of the poem it is even more difficult to understand how one could fit such a mass into a hand or an hour. On the literal level the mind says it is impossible to comprehend so one must look to the figurative meaning to comprehend what is being said. One of the many meanings of this line is the same as the first; it is hard to see the big picture while only looking at one small detail. Blakes word choice also helps the meaning of the poem. If Blake were to use similes rather than metaphors the work would take on different meaning. If the line and eternity into an hour (4) were changed to eternity is like an hour the work would take on a more limited meaning. When like is put into the line, eternity and hour become directly related where as in the first line eternity is trying to be fit into an hour. A similar effect would occur if the line heaven in a wild flower (2) were changed to heaven is like a wild flower. Heaven would be compared directly to a flower which would change the meaning of this line and therefore the poem. Blake used metaphors and word choice to write a poem that is short, but contains depth. Every word and metaphor in To See the World in a Grain of Sand was carefully arranged to give the poem a broad meaning that could be interpreted in many different ways. In contrast Chidiock Tichborne uses word choice and paradox to convey his limited meaning in the work Elegy, Written With His Own Hand in the Tower Before His Execution. A paradox is a statement that at first strikes us as self-contradictory but on reflection makes some sense (Kennedy 826). Tichbornes work is filled with paradoxes, and is summed up by the paradox at the end of each stanza And now I live, and now my life is done (6). When looking at the main lines in the poem as they reoccur at the end of each stanza one wonders how it is possible to be alive now and also dead at the same time. Upon closer examination of the work the other lines help the brain figure out the paradox. To make sense of the central idea it must be looked at in the context of the other lines in the work. Each line in the work is a paradox that is key to understanding the central idea of the poem. My youth is spent, yet I am not old (9) is one of the lines that mirrors the main point. Youth is defined as the condition of being young while old is defined as having lived for a relatively long time (On Line Dictionary). When looking at these definitions one understands that the narrator has used up their youth, but has not grown old. This could be restated as And now I live, and now my life is done. I sought my death, and found it in my womb (13) is another restatement of the central idea of the poem. Sought means to look for or seek out, so the narrator is looking for his end (On Line Dictionary). Found is to come upon something by searching, and womb is a place where something is generated, so the found his death was where he began (On Line Dictionary). After looking at these definitions we realize that the narrator has not fully lived youth let alone life and is about to die. The two poets demonstrated different figures of speech o convey their message. Blake used metaphors to give his work multiple meanings while Tichborne used paradox to restate his central idea. The two poems are very different from each other but both challenge the mind and body to find meaning making both great works of literature.

Britney Spears Essay -- Biography

Modern society has made a sub-culture that lives in a reality that is not real. It is so far from the truth that the inhabitants of this sub-culture so often cannot live in both realities and have become a spectacle for others to marvel at. This sub-culture is made up of entertainers, millionaires, and athletes. The people in this group can range from newborns to death and some live on well after. The specimens that I find an interest in are the young ones that enter into this society not knowing well that their lives will never be the same. Britney Spears was just another victim of the society that brings into their prison. Britney Spears was born on December 2, 1981. She lived in Kentwood, Louisiana and was constantly performing in front of people and always wanted to be on 'Star Search'. Britney tried out for the New Mickey Mouse Club at age 8 and then again at 11 and made it. Then she went solo because her talent was evident and she wanted more (A & E Television Networks, 2011). Britney was very successful from 1998 to 2000. During these years, things were changing for her. Britney was telling people about her â€Å"remaining a virgin until marriage† yet she was posing in pictures that convinced people to think otherwise. Her albums still continued to sell in the United States as well as in Europe. She embarked on many successful roads through 2003 (Wikipedia, 2011). Her public finally saw her as a woman not a girl. In 2002, Britney and her boyfriend Justin Timberlake broke up. The following year during the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, Britney and former fellow Mouseketeer Christina Alguilera kissed Madonna sensually (A&E Television Networks, 2011). Madonna has been a major influence in Britney's life. Ever since she was a... ...ality disorder is not extreme as it could be from the information that could be found. Because of this, there may be hope that she could live without medication and only therapy. This would be determined as she progresses. Having a stable support system may enable Britney to go back into the singing again but I would recommend that she only does this for small blocks of time. So many young people go into the entertainment business. Most of them do not know that without a support system to keep them grounded and stable their mental development can be compromised. The society that we place so high in our culture and deem worthy of such high praise, eat our children alive. They grow too fast, have to defend themselves constantly, and are watched around the clock. As a society, we must take a look at what we are doing to the people in the entertainment industry.

End of Life Ethical Issues Essay

In this workshop activity, you are required to investigate and report on ONE ethical principle as it is demonstrated in a case study situation, then review and assess the reports prepared by your fellow students.Read the case studies below and decide which ethical principles are involved in each situation: (a) describe the principle  Principle of Respect for Autonomy The Webster dictionary (2002) defines Autonomy as â€Å"personal rule of the self that is free from both controlling interferences by others and from personal limitations that prevent meaningful choice.† And in keeping with this definition we, as registered nurses, must respect the right for individuals to act intentionally, with understanding, and without controlling influences to their free will. (b) explain how it applies in the case study situation  The difficulties, and moral dilemma’s, that are encountered in making â€Å"end of life† verves â€Å"quality of life† decisions involved in situations like Edward Biltons should always be related to the principal of respect for autonomy, when the patient has competently made their own choices. The ICU nursing staff and Mr Bilton’s parents need to accept and acknowledge that Edward has made his own choices based on his own values and belief systems. As health care professionals that will experience similar situations to this, it is important to not have own morals and beliefs influence our patients’ decisions about their care. In the health care environment, an individuals’ autonomy is applied through obtaining informed consent. It could be argued that he has not formally withdrawn consent for treatment as he is unable to communicate at this stage, but his living will sets out that in the event of an accident he does not wish to be artificially kept alive should he be fully dependent and disabled . Clearly this dependence and disability is evident in the fact that despite he should regain consciousness, he will be severely neurologically impaired. (c) offer your perspective on or resolution of the dilemma. You need to rationalise your perspective using the ethical principles and practices you have researched  With this scenario, other people must afford Edward the respect he deserves, give him the means to exercise his will, and not contradict his previously made decisions pertaining to his autonomy. The principle of respect for autonomy indicates that individuals’ should be allowed to freely make their own decisions in relation to the health care they receive. We grant this freedom of autonomy to our patients when they can give their consent to, or refusal from, treatment whilst in our health care facility and this same respect for their autonomy should be afforded in situations like Edward Biltons. In this situation Edward Bilton has previously and in sound mind made a decision of his future in certain circumstances.

Book Summary of the Use and Abuse of Biology - 2361 Words

Part 1 Marshall Sahlins is one of the most prominent American anthropologists of our time. He holds the title of Charles F. Grey Distinguished Service Professor of Anthropology at the University of Chicago where he presently teaches. Marshall Sahlins, The Use and Abuse of Biology, is an excellent text, which attacks both the logical errors of sociobiology and its ideological distortions. His work focuses on demonstrating the power that culture has to shape peoples perceptions and actions and that culture has a unique power to motivate people, which is not derived from biology or for that matter any other of the natural sciences. In the text, The Use And Abuse of Biology, Sahlins reveals his true worries that culture can be†¦show more content†¦30). Sahlins gives mathematical formulas for kin loss contingent on the total number of descent groups and the actual rule of intermarriage between them. The author argues that biological inheritance is not an individual function, as a child does not receive his or her genetic makeup from either his or her parents. Furthermore, the matrilineal descent group is a single entity in an organic heritage: these members of that particular group according to mathematical formulation have a co-efficient relationship of 1. Sahlins also argues that the structure of social interest is not constituted by genetic factors of an individual nature. Yet, the theory of kinship dominates a large portion of the text and he explores kin selection. This theory of kin selection has been tested in Polynesia. The advantages of testing for kin selection in Polynesia are best put forward for these following reasons. First, Polynesian societies can afford structural conditions favorable for the operation of kin selection. Second, descent is bilaterally reckoned and Polynesians are renowned for the value the race as a whole attaches to genealogies. 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