Peter Skyrznecki Essay Example for Free

Peter Skyrznecki Essay Our idea of belonging is a result of the choices that we make. We feel a sense of acceptance wherever we choose to belong. This is explored in Peter Skrzyneckis poem Feliks Skrzynecki and St Patricks showed the ides of alienation and belonging. They are shown through various techniques such as an allusion, direct speech and many more poetic techniques. Feliks Skrzynecki is a poem that shows a tribute to Peter Skrzyneckis father. Through the use of powerful and vivid imagery, the poet successfully conveys Feliks as a man who is comfortable, content and secure in his own identity. In this poem, concepts of belonging and not belonging occur within place, family, community and culture. The first stanza emphasizes the idea of belonging. Feliks sets standards of his own minds making. He is comfortable in belonging to his own world, his garden, family and cultural heritage. This is further emphasized through the use of the simile loved his garden like an only child which demonstrates the love he possessed for his garden. The garden can also be interpreted as Feliks constructed world: a place he escapes to in order to feel a sense of belonging. The garden is also the reward for his hard work. Skrzynecki’s poem ‘St. Patricks College’ displays how a sense of belonging is influenced by external forces. For someone to belong to something they must make their own decisions in life, understand their surroundings and build relationships with those around them. These qualities are lacked by Skrzynecki in ‘St. Patrick’s College’ which resulted in him not belonging. Skrzynecki was sent to this school because his mother was ‘only wanting, â€Å"what was best†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. The direct speech is a cliche as every parent wants what is best for their child. The irony of the situation was that ‘for eight years’ sending Skrzynecki to St. Patrick’s College ‘Wasn’t â€Å"for the best†. He did not understand the ways of the school which led to his lack of belonging. The repetition of the phrase ‘for eight years’ reinforces how long the alienation and detachment lasted for, the feeling of not belonging did not change for eight years. The use of the personal pronoun ‘I’ throughout the poem gives a dreary, detached tone which emphasises his loneliness. No relationships with students, teachers or anyone else at the school were formed over his time there. The time at the school was useless as highlighted by ‘I could say the lord’s prayer in Latin, all in one breath. ’ He claims that as what he received from eight years at the school, a useless skill. Skrzynecki found it so hard to belong to St. Patrick’s College because the decision to go to the school was not his own, he did not understand his surroundings and he did not build any relationships with those around him. In Conclusion the ability to belong can be affected by understanding, choices, culture, relationships and experience. In the poem â€Å"Feliks Skrzynecki† showed the sense of belonging in the respective place, like his garden. In contrast, the poem â€Å"St Patricks College† showed that Skrzynecki lacked in building any relationship with those around him. Peter Skrzynecki used various to show the alienation and belonging in the poems â€Å"Feliks Skrzynecki† and St Patricks College†.

controversial issues :: essays research papers

Controversy is everywhere; people can take the least controversial things and make them controversial just for the sake of arguing about them. There are a lot of issues that are a big concern to people these days; issues that cause debates and become major issues in presidential elections. People take all kinds of views of these very issues and a lot of the time the bible is a big influence on people’s final decisions on how they feel. People believe things are wrong because the bible tells them that it is wrong. No matter what religion you are the bible in a very important piece of history in this society. Things like abortion and homosexuality are frowned upon because of the way the bible is interpreted. People feel that the sixth commandment â€Å"thou shall not kill† also goes for a fetus; or they take that a union is between a man and a woman means that people of the same sex can’t have the same sacred union. People take this out dated piece of history and try to apply it to our society today without taking into account that the human race has changed since the bible has been written.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the topic of abortion comes up people refer to the bible’s sixth commandment â€Å"thou shall not kill† and they feel that having an abortion is killing a baby no matter what stage of the pregnancy it is in. People feel that abortion should not be legal. Professor of law at the University of Colorado, Paul Campos said, â€Å"Whether or not abortion should be legal turns on the answer to the question of whether and at what point a fetus is a person. This is a question that cannot be answered logically or empirically. The concept of parenthood is neither logical nor empirical. It is essentially, or quasi-religious idea, based on one’s fundamental (and therefore unverifiable) assumptions about the nature of the world.† People have different views on abortion, when it’s acceptable, when its not and some just think that no matter what the circumstances it is never okay. There are people that believe that abortion is only acceptab le under certain conditions such as the woman was raped or she got pregnant due to incest. Some people feel that an abortion acceptable when the woman is in danger. People who are more about the choice of the woman feel that abortion is okay when it is done in the first trimester. controversial issues :: essays research papers Controversy is everywhere; people can take the least controversial things and make them controversial just for the sake of arguing about them. There are a lot of issues that are a big concern to people these days; issues that cause debates and become major issues in presidential elections. People take all kinds of views of these very issues and a lot of the time the bible is a big influence on people’s final decisions on how they feel. People believe things are wrong because the bible tells them that it is wrong. No matter what religion you are the bible in a very important piece of history in this society. Things like abortion and homosexuality are frowned upon because of the way the bible is interpreted. People feel that the sixth commandment â€Å"thou shall not kill† also goes for a fetus; or they take that a union is between a man and a woman means that people of the same sex can’t have the same sacred union. People take this out dated piece of history and try to apply it to our society today without taking into account that the human race has changed since the bible has been written.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the topic of abortion comes up people refer to the bible’s sixth commandment â€Å"thou shall not kill† and they feel that having an abortion is killing a baby no matter what stage of the pregnancy it is in. People feel that abortion should not be legal. Professor of law at the University of Colorado, Paul Campos said, â€Å"Whether or not abortion should be legal turns on the answer to the question of whether and at what point a fetus is a person. This is a question that cannot be answered logically or empirically. The concept of parenthood is neither logical nor empirical. It is essentially, or quasi-religious idea, based on one’s fundamental (and therefore unverifiable) assumptions about the nature of the world.† People have different views on abortion, when it’s acceptable, when its not and some just think that no matter what the circumstances it is never okay. There are people that believe that abortion is only acceptab le under certain conditions such as the woman was raped or she got pregnant due to incest. Some people feel that an abortion acceptable when the woman is in danger. People who are more about the choice of the woman feel that abortion is okay when it is done in the first trimester.

Classification of Fish

Whitney East Mr. Beall Speech 1200 October 24, 2012 Outline: Topical Classifying Fish Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the different classifications of fish. Central Idea: Fish are classified by their different characteristics which sorts them into different classes like Agnatha, Chondrichthyes, and Osteichthyes. Introduction I. Classification of living things helps people to understand how living organisms may or may not be related to each other. A. The system of classification we use today was invented 200 years ago by Carl Linnaeus.B. Carl Linnaeus system of classification groups organisms by their characteristics or features they have in common. II. According to the book Vertebrate Biology by ORR Robert; Fish, mammals, reptiles, birds, and amphibians are classified together as vertebrates because they all have an internal backbone. III. In researching this particular topic, I learned that the most important characteristics used in fish classification are the type of bone in their skeleton, the gill structure, the number and shape of fins, and the type of scales. IV.Now I will introduce you to the characteristics and the three different classes of fish. â€Å"Jawless (Agnatha), Cartilaginous (Chondrichthyes), and Bony Fish (Osteichthyes). Body I. The Agnatha class is the oldest group, similar to fish but with some different characteristics. A. As explained in The Evolution of Vertebrate Design, certain characteristics like lacking jaws is what classified fish to this class. 1. The Agnatha class lacks an internal bone skeleton, jaws, and paired fins. 2. Instead of jaws, they have circular toothed mouths called cyclostomic. Which they use to suck blood from the side of their prey. . They have a smooth, scale less skin which is soft to the touch. B. There are two living groups of Agnatha the lampreys and Hagfish 1. Lamprey have a single dorsal nostril, a pineal eye, three fins (anterior, posterior, and caudal fin), and a long row or circular gill pouch openings. They make a living being a parasite that eventually kills the prey they latch onto. 2. Hagfish have long eel-like bodies, no eyes, no true fins, a single nostril, up to eight barbels (like whiskers/tentacles for fish) and have rows of horny teeth used to grasp food and draw it in. II.Chondrichthyes fish today include both fearsome predator characteristics and harmless characteristics. A. As explained in Vertebrate Biology, all Chondrichthyes lack true bone. 1. The Chondrichthyes fish have full cartilage skeletons. 2. They have teeth that are made of calcium which grow in rows throughout the fish’s life. 3. They have a regular pattern of fins and there external skin is entirely cartilaginous. B. Sharks, skates, and rays make up the Chondrichthyes class. 1. Sharks have pointed snouts and crescent shaped mouths with several rows of sharp triangular teeth.They have five gills on each side that have individual gill slits shown externally. 2. Skates are rounded to d iamond shaped. They have large pectoral fins extending from the snout to the base of their tail. The mouth and gills are on the underside of their bodies. Skates are bottom dwellers and trap their prey by dropping down on their prey from above. 3. Rays can be classified into the following groups: electric rays, sawfish, skates, and many families of rays that have slender whip like tails. III. The Osteichthyes (bony fish) is the largest class of vertebrates with over 20,000 species.A. Stephen Savage states in the book Fish that, Osteichthyes have skeletons made of bone, flat scales, and gills. 1. Bony fish have a much stiffer skeleton because it is reinforced by calcium salts. 2. Bony fish also have acute eyesight unlike other classes of fish 3. Bony fish have a special organ called a swim blatter housed under their bony skeleton is a gas filled chamber that allows the fish to remain floating in the water. B. Tuna and Seahorses are examples of bony fish (Osteichthyes) 1. The tuna is stout in the middle and tappers to points at both ends.The tuna had two closely spaced dorsal fins on its back. The tuna is generally metallic dark blue color on its sides and silvery on its underside. 2. The seahorse has a heavy bony armor which makes them poor swimmers. They mostly anchor themselves with their tails to things like seaweed or other kinds of plants. They have a transparent dorsal fin on its back that propels them forward. Conclusion I. An animal is not a fish unless it has all the right characteristics II. No matter how different fish are, most fish share several basic characteristics: fins, gills, scales, and hatch babies from eggs. III.Fish classification is sometimes confusing and difficult, but it is a useful way of learning about different groups of fascinating fish around the world.Bibliography Animal Planet. N. p. , n. d. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. <http://animals. howstuffworks. com/fish/fish-info5. htm>. ORR, ROBERT T. VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY. FOURTH ed. PHILADELP HIA: W. B. SAUNDERS, 1976. Print. Radinsky, Leonard B. The Evolution of Vertebrate Design: Leonard B. Radinsky. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1987. Print. Savage, Stephen. Fish. Austin,Texas: Raintree, 2000. Print. Wallace, Holly. Classification. Chicago: Heinemann Library, 2000. Print.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - 1149 Words

Psychologists usually agree that the teenage years are among the most difficult periods in one’s life. Most teens are trying to figure out who they are, what they believe, and how they fit into the world around them. Beginning in the late 1970s, a whole genre of fiction, referred to as coming-of-age literature, emerged and serves, at least fore many teens, as believable presentations of young people learning to navigate the difficulties of their lives, often fraught with feelings of rejection, seemingly unresolvable personal turmoil, social problems, school and family issues, etc. Indeed one value of reading is to see and better understand some aspect of ourselves through studying others. The reading of SPEAK, a somewhat controversial book because of its subject mater – rape --, is a worthwhile endeavor in any middle school classroom and offers many valuable life lessons to young teens. One of the many lessons, and Melinda’s main focus at school, is art. Art is not only a hobby, but also a way to better express oneself. Melinda says, in the beginning of the novel, â€Å"Art follow lunch, like dream follows nightmare.† (9). For many kids, having a hobby is an escape from the bad events in their life, whether it is social issues, school issues, or problems at home. With art, Melinda finds a way to escape the torture of the rest of her day. Another remark about art, from Melinda’s art teacher, suggests it as a pleasant subject of the day: â€Å"This is where you can find yourShow MoreRelatedSpeak, Laurie Halse Anderson768 Words   |  4 PagesSpeak, Laurie Halse Anderson â€Å"Speak† is book about a young girl who loses her voice after being raped and slowly gains it back over time. Laurie Halse Anderson uses an internal voice throughout the book to show the havoc that is attacking Melinda’s mind. This adds to the theme of being outcast and isolated because the she has no one to really talk to. One reason she is an outcaste is that she called the cops at the part where she was raped. This leads her to lose her group of friends â€Å"the PlainRead MoreSpeak by Laurie Halse Anderson Essay1749 Words   |  7 PagesSpeak by Laurie Halse Anderson Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, is a story written in the first person about a young girl named Melinda Sordino. The title of the book, Speak, is ironically based on the fact that Melinda chooses not to speak. The book is written in the form of a monologue in the mind of Melinda, a teenage introvert. This story depicts the story of a very miserable freshman year of high school. Although there are several people in her high school, Melinda secludes herself fromRead MoreAnalysis Of Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson1848 Words   |  8 PagesThe book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, is about a teenage girl who stops talking after she gets raped. The title of the book is ironically based on the fact that Melinda, the protagonist, chooses not to speak again after the incident. During the end of the summer party, Melinda calls the cops on her friends causing her to avoid interactions with society. Her peers and friends begin to hate her, yet nobody once asks her why she did what she did. Th e reasoning for her action is that she was beingRead MoreSymbolization in Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson1322 Words   |  6 PagesAranpreet Singh Ms. Ceci ENG 1D1-07 Speak In Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, trees symbolize Melinda’s growth throughout her life to stay sane and pass the horrific time of her life. Depression is her first phase, when she starts to paint the trees that were hit by lightning. It is also shown by her not talking to many people. She starts to realize that she cannot be perfect when she imagines a beautiful oak tree but really cannot carve it properly. Her third phase comes when the trees outsideRead MoreAnalysis Of Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson1338 Words   |  6 PagesSpeaking is tough for some people who have had a rough past and do not want to deal with anyone. In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda goes from being caught in a snare to feeling freedom. At the start of the story, she is extremely afraid and anxious because of what happened at the senior party at the end of summer. Melinda is scared because she has no one to be with on her first day of high school. Everyone blames her for what hap pened at the party. Nobody knows that she was rapedRead MoreSpeak Written By Laurie Halse Anderson1569 Words   |  7 Pagesthe ones to cherish and appreciate the most. The novel Speak written by Laurie Halse Anderson is based on a fourteen year-old girl named Melinda, who was sexually assaulted at a summer party. She called the police for help but since none of her friends knew what occurred, they assumed she called to get them all in trouble. This made her an outcast and she spent her ninth-grade year by herself. The theme of friendship is evident in the novel Speak as it impacts the protagonist Melinda. This is seen throughRead MoreSpeak, by Laurie Halse Anderson Essay652 Words   |  3 Pages Speak is a cleaver and an ironic title for a story in which the main character chooses not to speak. The story is written in first-person narration from the point of view of protagonist, Melinda Sordino. Speak is written like an interior monologue in the mind of an introverted teenage girl, like excerpts from her personal diary during her miserable freshman year of high school. Instead of blending in and finding her way through high school. She withdraws and secludes herself from the other studentsRead MoreThe Five Basic Needs In Speak, By Laurie Halse Anderson1103 Words   |  5 PagesTrista Mahika Alexis Paola William Glasser came up with the five basic needs for humans in order to be happy. In Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda, the main character, has and lacks some of these needs. She has two of the four basic needs that we are going be talking about, as she lacks the other two. She has Power and she is a Survivor, meanwhile she is lacking Freedom, and she feels as if she doesn’t have anyone to love, along with not having anyone that Loves her and she doesn’t belongRead MoreIs Censorship Really A Negative Thing? Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson2281 Words   |  10 Pages Each year, someone is guilty of challenging a book while others are guilty of banning novels from the classroom. The question remains, is censorship necessarily a negative thing? Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a novel that has caused havoc and controversy within the education system. While some critics argue Speak should be â€Å"hidden† from students, many believe otherwise. At a glance, th is novel contains scenes involving issues of drugs, parents that are disengaged in their child s life, sexualityRead MoreOne Night Changed a Life in the Book, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson1029 Words   |  5 Pagesto her, and she escapes into the dark forests of her mind. â€Å"I am Outcast† (Anderson 4). But something about that party was not right. Something she tried not to relive but to forget. â€Å"I have worked so hard to forget every second of that stupid party, and here I am in the middle of a hostile crowd that hates me for what I had to do. I can’t tell them what really happened. I can’t even look at that part of myself† (Anderson 28). Depression is a serious mental disorder. The duration and symptoms vary