Capote Vs. Krakauer Essays - English-language Films, Truman Capote

Capote Vs. Krakauer Capote/Krakauer Comparison Essay The most important thing any writer can do is to give their characters a feel of dimension to make them seem real. Although Capote and Krakauer do that in very different ways in In Cold Blood and Into Thin Air, they both reached the same end result: characters you believe. They give them thoughts, faces and personalities. They don't portray everyone as flawless, they display the faults and the little quirks. They give them life through words, making these stories believable. Despite the fact both incidents happened years before each book was written, the use of detailed facts and personality profiles make each story seem incredibly realistic. But while Capote chooses to write an entirely objective piece, Krakauer relies heavily on personal opinion and experience, creating two very distinct frames of mind and causing the reader too see the characters in each book very differently. In 1959 the Clutter family was murdered in a tiny Kansas town called Holcomb. Six years later Truman Capote wrote a very detailed book about the whole case, from the day of the murder to the court case prosecuting the two murderers, Dick and Perry. Although he wasn't there when the four murders happened, through word choice, description and characterization he creates an accurate portrait of the many intense events surrounding such a tragic story. In comparison, in 1996 esteemed climber Rob Hall led an expedition of moderately experienced climbers attempting to climb Mt. Everest, only to result in disaster and the loss of nine people's lives. Jon Krakauer was a member of that expedition, and wrote a piece about the misadventure for Outside magazine. Feeling there was more to be said, soon after he wrote a book. Krakauer takes a similar approach as Capote, yet inserting more opinions and less of a feeling of objectiveness to his characters. This is most likely since Krakauer was living Everest first hand, as opposed to Capote who put himself into the environment years later, picking up details here and there instead of relying solely on memory and friends. One of Capote's greatest strengths is to create thought for his characters, making it almost appear as if he knows what they are thinking. All summer Perry undulated between half-awake stupors and stickly, sweat-drenched sleep. Voices roared through his head; one voice persistently asked him, ?Where is Jesus? Where And once he woke up shouting, ?The bird is Jesus! The Bird is Jesus!? (381) This selection almost creates a feeling that Capote is talking about himself as opposed to a man he never met. Although this type of detail may seem unimportant to the overall story, it creates an amazing sense of believability. That ability is one of the main reasons Capote's book is so believable. By seeing Perry suffer through his horrible nightmares its easier to believe his character. It makes him very real and lifelike to the readers. Krakauer also gives voice to his characters, yet his interpretation of them seems to be constantly influenced by his own opinions of their personality and actions. Stuart Hutchinson, thirty-four, attired in a Ren and Stimpy tee shirt, was a cerebral, somewhat wonkish Canadian cardiologist on leave from a research fellowship. (37) By implying that he pictured Hutchinson as ?wonkish' (i.e. behavior seen as crazy, humorous, or amusingly perverse) he is putting an idea in the readers head which otherwise might not have been there. It is Krakauer stating his view on the man's behavior that provides a different tone, basing that on the fact that other people on the expedition may not have felt the same way. One area in which both authors excel is description. Both stories have a sense of reality, with all the fabulous description of scenery it is easier to picture what is happening. For Capote, it wasn't hard to get people to relate to a small town in the Midwest. At one end of the town stands a dark old stucco structure, the roof of which supports an electric sign --DANCE-- but the dancing has ceased and the advertisement has been dark for several years. (13) That is a sight which many people have seen in one form or another in their lives, making it even easier to understand the town of Holcomb and its small population. Krakauer has a harder task, trying to relate readers to being on Mt. Everest, something very few people have ever done. To make up for that fact, he uses great detail to help create a picture

Washington Irving

Washington Irving Washington Irving was the first American to make a living as an author and during his prolific career in the early 1800s he created celebrated characters such as Rip Van Winkle and Ichabod Crane. His youthful satirical writings popularized two terms still closely associated with New York City, Gotham and Knickerbocker. Irving also contributed something to holiday traditions, as his conception of a saintly character with a flying sleigh delivering toys to children at Christmas evolved into our modern depictions of Santa Claus. Early Life of Washington Irving Washington Irving was born April 3, 1783 in lower Manhattan, during the week that New York City residents heard of the British ceasefire in Virginia that effectively ended the Revolutionary War. To pay tribute to the great hero of the time, General George Washington, Irvings parents named their eighth child in his honor. When George Washington took the oath of office as the first American president at Federal Hall in New York City, six-year-old Washington Irving stood among the thousands of people celebrating in the streets. A few months later he was introduced to President Washington, who was shopping in lower Manhattan. For the rest of his life Irving told the story of how the president patted him on the head. While attending school, young Washington was believed to be slow-witted, and one teacher labeled him a dunce. He did, however, learn to read and write, and became obsessed with telling stories. Some of his brothers attended Columbia College, yet Washingtons formal education ended at the age of 16. He became apprenticed to a law office, which was a typical route to becoming a lawyer in the era before law schools were common. Yet the aspiring writer was  far more interested in wandering about Manhattan and studying the daily life of New Yorkers than he was in the classroom. Early Political Satires Irvings older brother Peter, a physician who was actually more interested in politics than medicine, was active in the New York political machine headed by Aaron Burr. Peter Irving edited a newspaper aligned with Burr, and in November 1802 Washington Irving published his first article, a political satire signed with the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle. Irving wrote a series of articles as Oldstyle over the next few months. It was common knowledge in New York circles that he was the real author of the articles, and he enjoyed the recognition. He was 19 years old. One of Washingtons older brothers, William Irving, decided that a trip to Europe might give the aspiring writer some direction, so he financed the voyage. Washington Irving left New York, bound for France, in 1804, and didnt return to America for two years. His tour of Europe broadened his mind and gave him material for later writing. Salmagundi, a Satirical Magazine After returning to New York City, Irving resumed studying to become a lawyer, but his real interest was in writing. With a friend and one of his brothers he began collaborating on a magazine that lampooned Manhattan society. The new publication was called Salmagundi, a familiar term at the time as it was a common food similar to present day chefs salad. The little magazine turned out to be shockingly popular and 20 issues appeared from early 1807 to early 1808. The humor in Salmagundi was gentle by todays standards, but 200 years ago it seemed startling and the magazines style became a sensation. One lasting contribution to American culture was that Irving, in a joking item in Salmagundi, referred to New York City as Gotham. The reference was to a British legend about a town whose residents were reputed to be crazy. New Yorkers enjoyed the joke, and Gotham became a perennial nickname for the city. Diedrich Knickerbockers A History of New York Washington Irvings first full-length book appeared in December 1809. The volume was a fanciful and often satirical history of his beloved New York City as told by an eccentric old Dutch historian, Diedrich Knickerbocker. Much of the humor in the book played upon the rift between the old Dutch settlers and the British who had supplanted them in the city. Some descendants of old Dutch families were offended. But most New Yorkers appreciated the satire and the book was successful. And while some of the local political jokes are hopelessly obscure 200 years later, much of the humor in the book is still quite charming. During the writing of A History of New York, a woman Irving intended to marry, Matilda Hoffman, died of pneumonia. Irving, who was with Matilda when she died, was crushed. He never again became seriously involved with a woman and remained unmarried. For years after the publication of A History of New York Irving wrote little. He edited a magazine, but also engaged in the practice of law, a profession which he never found very interesting. In 1815 he left New York for England, ostensibly to help his brothers stabilize their importing business after the War of 1812. He remained in Europe for the next 17 years. The Sketch Book While living in London Irving wrote his most important work, The Sketch Book, which he published under the pseudonym of Geoffrey Crayon. The book first appeared in several small volumes in American in 1819 and 1820. Much of the content in The Sketch Book dealt with British manners and customs, but the American stories are what became immortal. The book contained The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the account of schoolmaster Ichabod Crane and his otherworldly nemesis the Headless Horseman, and Rip Van Winkle, the tale of a man who awakens after sleeping for decades. The Sketch Book also contained a collection of Christmas tales which influenced the celebrations of Christmas in 19th century America. Revered Figure at his Estate on the Hudson While in Europe Irving researched and wrote a biography of Christopher Columbus along with a number of travel books. He also worked at times as a diplomat for the United States. Irving returned to America in 1832, and as a popular writer he was able to buy a picturesque estate along the Hudson near Tarrytown, New York. His early writings had established his reputation, and while he pursued other writing projects, including books on the American West, he never topped his earlier successes. When he died on  November 28, 1859 he was widely mourned. In his honor, flags were lowered in New York City as well as on ships in the harbor. The New York Tribune, the influential newspaper edited by Horace Greeley, referred to Irving as the beloved patriarch of American letters. A report on Irvings funeral in the New York Tribune on December 2, 1859, noted, The humble villagers and farmers, to whom he was so well known, were among the truest mourners who followed him to the grave. Irvings stature as a writer endured, and his influence was widely felt. His works, especially The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle are still widely read and considered classics.

Response Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 21

Response - Assignment Example Through such kind of networks, the fellows can thrive in most if not all of their endeavors. For instance, "20 Under 20 Thiel Fellowship" played a significant role in Ritesh Agarwal success (Velayanikal, 2015). It gives the fellows the opportunity to escape boredom of being in classrooms. That is, it serves as an alternative to college as a way for better life (Constine, 2014). I believe that Thiel Fellowship makes one to face the reality of life instead of the theoretical practice in classes. It gives one an opportunity to face life challenges such as starting a business and become innovative enough to address them. It does not only provide employment ideas, but develops one as a person to be able to make their decisions (Imam, 2014). Another reason that would make me join the fellowship is because there is a proof of success among those who joined first. Eden Full, who left Princeton to start SunSlauter, is a good example (Kim, 2015). Her business now has branches in 15 countries and a factory in India. Even though, some have failed in the program, the success shows that there is hope in it (Hindman, 2012). In conclusion, I would accept Thiel Fellowship opportunity if given a chance since it has more pros than cons. I do believe that failure among some of the individuals is the same way even in education others do fail. The financial support and mentorship is enough for a young person’s success. Constine, J. (2014). Correction: 20 Under 20 Thiel Fellowship Did Not Up Age Limit To 23, But Maybe It Should. Retrieved from http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/10/thiel-fellowship- twenty-under-twenty-three/ Kim, E. (2015). Billionaire Investor Peter Thiel’s Plan to Pay College Students To Drop Out is Showing Mixed Result. Retrieved from

Study of Reflective Practice and Continuous Learning Research Paper

Study of Reflective Practice and Continuous Learning - Research Paper Example On the other hand, half a century later, David Schon (1983; 1987) introduced his concept of reflective practice emphasizing the importance of context and experiential knowledge for continuous improvement. The integration of ideas from these two theorists is evident in current reflective practice literature. â€Å"As is often the case, the answer is not ‘either/or’ of Dewey and Schon but ‘both/and’† (York-Barr et al., 2006, p. 5). Reflective practice is borne out of the basic premise that changes in an organization starts within each individual. It is regarded as a â€Å"meaningful and effective professional development strategy† (Osterman and Kottkamp, 2004, p. 1). Although the goal remains synonymous (the development of individual competencies leading to improved organizational performance), reflective practice offers an alternative approach to traditional professional development approaches. The emergence of reflective practice in the educational setting, as discussed by Osterman and Kottkamp (2004), was a response to the failure of educational reforms to effectively address the need of academically and socially preparing students to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. The independent studies done by Fulla and Hargreaves (1996); and Ingersoll (2003) reveal that â€Å"for many teachers working conditions are still characterized by overload, isolation, exclusion from decisions about thei r work, and a lack of meaningful professional development opportunities† (as cited in Osterman and Kottkamp, 2004, p. 4). Educators on a daily basis â€Å"routinely juggle multiple tasks, process information on many levels, manage a continual stream of interruptions, and make on-the-spot decisions to meet the changing needs and demands in the teaching environment† (York-Barr et al., 2006, p. 2). Though teachers are guided by their knowledge, a significant margin of uncertainty accompanies their

European Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

European Human Rights - Essay Example In this respect, this essay will argue that aside from the HRA's failure to properly incorporate the Convention rights; a more crucial failure is the fact that it leaves courts hesitant to apply the legislation due to the vague guidelines given under section 3 of the Act. As previously mentioned, the HRA is meant to give guarantees to the rights and freedoms embodied in the convention. Among its effects, the Act renders it "unlawful for a public authority to act in a way which is incompatible with a Convention right."4 In addition, it also obliges courts to "[s]o far as possible to do so"5, ensure that "primary legislation and subordinate legislation must be read and given effect in a way which is compatible with Convention rights"6 and in instances where it is not possible, to "make a declaration of that incompatibility"7. Since the Act came into effect, however, the HRA's significance in successfully protecting the rights and freedoms embodied in the Convention has been limited by the two aforementioned provisions. First, with regard to the obligation posed on authorities under section 6, case law has exhibited difficulties in determining whether or not the person in question of violating the Convention under the HRA is a 'public authority', aptly defined or not. Under section 6, public authorities are defined as "a court or tribunal" or "any person certain of whose functions are functions of a public nature." 8 In this respect, the definition of public authority is imperative because in cases where violations of human rights occurred, individuals can only be awarded damages against public authorities. As defined by the act, damages refer to "damages for an unlawful act of a public authority".9 The definition of public authority is therefore a crucial aspect of enforcing the law, and applying it in courts. However, difficulty lies in determining whether a person has functions that are of public nature and whether public authorities are operating under private transactions. In the case of Poplar Housing and Regeneration Community Association Ltd v Donoghue [2002] QB 48, 67, a private body was deemed to be performing public functions, and hence liable under section 6 of the Act.10 In this respect, the case was considered a landmark in case law regarding the definition of public authority, because it called for "a generous interpretation of who is a public authority".11 As a result, the definition of the term achieved what Lord Irvine indicated as a need for an extended and "wide-ranging definition of public authority", in order to extend the liabilities under the HRA "to provide as much protection as possible for the rights of the individual against the misuse of power by the state" preserving parliamentary sovereignty.12 However, the changing nature of government functions, as well as the growing partnership between public and private organizations has rendered this already difficult task more complex. In this respect, Lord Nicholls illustrates this in Aston Cantlow v Wallbank [2004] 1 AC 546, stating that: there is no single test of universal application. There cannot be, given the diverse nature of governmental functions and the variety of means by which these functions are discharged today.

USB flash drives

USB flash drives The USB (Universal Serial Bus) Flash drives are small storage devices which can store large amount of data in the form of flash memory and are portable. They are available in different sizes varying from 256MB to 64GB. The history to when the USB pen drives first came in existence is quite controversial, however, it is said that the first commercially-available USB flash drive was called the ThumbDrive, it was produced by Trek Technology in the year 2000. Soon IBM came out with its own model known as the DiskOnKey. By 2002, there were several companies which entered the market producing a similar product and marketing it. Pen drives comparatively have a much larger size than a usual floppy disk, which has a maximum data capacity of 1.44MB, or a compact disk, which has a maximum capacity of 700MB. This invention was a vast transformation from the era of floppy disks, as people required a device that would have a larger memory and yet be portable. The previous technology could only be used to store small size data for a short period of time that is 3-5 years, while Pen drives can store much larger size data for at least 10 years and no special care is required unlike in the case of CDs. The latest pen drives consist of a built-in MP3 player and finger print scanners. They only concept of data storage seems to be common between both the technologies. This technology highly attracted consumers as it made large amount of data transfer possible, which would otherwise be very expensive to carry out. This invention can be classified to be a discrete change from the traditionally used floppy drives or compact disks. This is because it was completely transformed by size, shape and its features. Alternatively, since it still belongs to the segment of device for storing memory, it may also be considered a gradual change. Its uniqueness and the fact that it has been further developed and integrated with appliances, like music players and cameras; make it a more discrete change. In the recent years many firms have entered the industry and started supplying the product, there have been gradual changes made to the initial design. The intense competition in the industry is mainly based upon the amount of features provided by each competitor at the lowest rate possible. This is a clear contrast to its initial stage where the degree of competition was low with only a few firms supplying. With the degree of competition increasing in the industry the level of uncertainty has always been high as the companies and the businesses are unaware of what is next? However, the recent upgrades made to the design show comparatively a smaller change in the initial design. It can be said that the product has probably reached the highest point in its growth stage or is entering the maturity phase and thus further developments need to be done for it to survive. The level of uncertainty seems to be declining with the progression in the industry. When speaking of Economic contribution, pen drives have not made any contributions to the economy as such. However, they have had a positive impact on the society as mentioned above, they made large data transfer possible at cheaper rates. The invention of USB flash drives has affected many stakeholders (with respect to IBM); Stakeholders are those group of people who are affected either directly or indirectly by an organisations actions (business dictionary). The ones most affected would be competitors, consumers, suppliers, mangers and shareholders. The competitors are stakeholders directly interested in the decisions made by its rival, IBM. Pen drive was a new advanced product which almost replaced the previous technology thus attracting the consumers to it, who later switched from companies supplying floppy disks and compact disks to IBM, thereby reducing the competitors market share. The competitors then had to incur huge research and development costs and produce a product at least equivalent to IBM in order to retain their market share. The invention also affected the suppliers of IBM. As the technology got older, cost reduction was essential for IBM in order to survive the cut-throat competition. Hence, the sup pliers would have to be efficient enough to supply at reasonable rates. Consumers were amongst the highly affected stakeholders, they are the ones who tryout new products and provide feedback to the companies. They are high risk takers as they initially entered an unknown market as this kind of technology was an entire new concept. Pen drives are no doubt smaller and more compact when compared to compact disks and floppy drives. By compact we mean that they are physically smaller than the latter and are capable of storing larger amount of data. When compared to CDs they are also scratch proof, making them more portable. Latest designs have reduced the size further, as small that it can be easily carried in a wallet. Also some are available with cameras and MP3 players built in them. This factor also shows that it is not resistant to innovation, further improvements and modifications are being done to develop the product further. The development will attract consumers who are more technology savvy; it could also be done to overcome the drawbacks it currently suffers. Over the years the invention has innovated a number of time, however there are drawbacks to this kind of technology also. Despite the fact that the storage capacities have improved over the years not a lot has been done to improve the security of storing information. Many businesses supply their employees with pen drives for them to access work from almost anywhere, thus security is a major issue as important data could be misplaced, if pen drive is misplaced. There is no technique available to track the device or to retain or erase the information on it. Also these devices are not compatible with some operating systems thereby not proving to be efficient enough for the consumers. It can alternatively be argued as they are compatible with most of the commonly used operating systems like Microsoft Windows XP, Mac OS X, etc. A lot of information is stored on a drive and it can be used on almost all the computers, the more it is used on different systems the higher are the chances for i t to contain a virus. This means that if a computer contains virus and a pen drive is attached to it, unless it is write-protected it is very easy for a virus to copy itself on a pen drive and attack other computers. This again reduces security of information as some anti viruses often delete the virus affected file, therefore essential information could be lost. The technology may be getting better each day but the new releases and latest pen drives are very expensive. This can also be considered to be a disadvantage as the consumers are unable to buy it and by the time they do a better version of it is available. As far as personal experience says, pen drives have a slower transfer rate when compared to hard disks. However, the size factor nullifies the impact as pen drives are much smaller and portable. It could also be one of the future development possibilities for the businesses to make it even more sleek and stylish. They could enhance its security by probably adding an auto-lock code to it, so if it is in wrong hands it would probably lock itself and be of no use. They could also work on the transfer rate and increase the storage capacity to around 1 tetra byte. References http://www.buzzle.com/articles/usb-flash-drives.html http://www.ehow.co.uk/about_5484089_invented-usb-flash-drive.html?cr=1 http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/stakeholder.html

To Build A Fire: Theme Essay -- essays research papers

In the story "To Build a Fire" by Jack London, there are three principal themes. They are respecting nature, and considering results of actions. The main theme, or universal truth, is heeding warnings. The themes are shown through the character and his actions. The main character in the story had an attitude that prevented him from heeding internal and external warnings. He did not respect nature's power, and therefore he paid with his life.His attitude was arrogant and careless. The man had no imagination and only understood facts. He knew it was very cold and his body was numb, but he failed to realize the danger. A newcomer with no experience, he thought he was invincible. Neither the "absence of sun from the sky," nor "the tremendous cold" made any effect on him. For example, the temperature was less than -50 degrees. He did not care about how much colder it was. To him, it was just a number. He did not think of his "frailty as a creature of temperature." When the "old-timer at Sulphur Creek" warned him not to travel alone in such cold, the man laughed at him. The old-timer had experience and knowledge, yet the man called him "womanish." Even when the man knew he was about to die, he thought, "freezing was not so bad as people thought," and "When he got back to the States he could tell folks what real cold was." These quotes show that the man did not take his situation seriously. Instea...