Learning Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Learning Letter - Essay Example I also believe that personal development is the key to improve self-knowledge, identity, talents as well as enhancing the quality of life. Without personal development realizing one’s dreams and aspirations are not possible. I continually thrive to achieve personal development through inspirations and small things in life. Accepting the things we cannot change and appreciating the things that we are have are critical for personal growth in my experience. I also believe that one has to do the things that he/she love in order to succeed in anything. Without the passion for doing things, it cannot be a success. I always try my best to believe in myself and to give my all when I am engaged to a particular work. I believe that I have grown so much through this class, both personally and academically. It was not an easy process for me, but I managed to stay my course through my hard work and dedication to my course.    I took IB English during high school, and I thought things would be so much easier in university. However, I was wrong. Other than the heavy workload, English is my third language after Indonesian and Chinese. Often times I used to feel like I will get the lowest grade in this class, as most of the students here are primarily English speaker. This thought often makes me feel like I am not capable of doing it, but then my desire to succeed drives me to work even harder. Looking at the syllabus given, I knew from the start that out of the four pillars of the course objectives, â€Å"Process† would be the most difficult part for me as I am not a big fan of writing margin notes for people. Writing margin notes is basically correcting grammar, sentence structure, and flow of sentences. At first, it took me hours to write margin notes for my first peer review draft.  Ã‚  However, after a few workshop sessions and practice I finally got the gist of it. After some practice it becam e easier for me to see what was missing and what

Black Lives Matter Movement and Afrofuturism Comparison

Black Lives Matter Movement and Afrofuturism Comparison A comparison of the Black Lives Matter movement and Afrofuturism is the undertaking herein and follows. It is extremely relevant in terms of one of the constant ethno struggles persisting in society, nay, the world today.  Looking at it in those terms, the subject matter would be relevant any day, and, as Afrofuturism claims, it will remain relevant well into the future. Afrofuturism While the term Afrofuturism is credited to Mark Dery, a cyberculture theorist, attempting to explain the Black culture with internet culture (McNally 2).  Afrofuturism is the mechanism that creates and then portrays endless possibilities to the traditionally oppressed to rise above lifes challenges.  It is a mode through which imbalances are balances and unfairness turned fair, wrong transformed to right, etc.  Remember, the current mindset is that Blacks are not equal; schools are still segregated; whites are especially favored; and the future for Blacks is bleak.  Afrofuturism takes that situation and inserts into a futuristic setting the underlying theme is science fiction.  While the setting is similar to the strife and downtrodden status of Blacks, it reconstructs the expected ending from a continued life of suppression to superhero status and overcoming the odds (McNally 3).  Derys mindset is evident given the question proposed that Afrofuturism attempts to answer:   Can a community whose past has been deliberately rubbed out, and whose energies have subsequently been consumed by the search for legible traces of its history, imagine possible futures? (3). Dery further posits that in order to overcome the obliterated past, a hopeful future must be presented.  The challenge here is how to present a past that does not exist, for all practical purposes.  Thus, when history is depicted in Afrofuturistic conveyances, they are mythical in nature.  Afrofuturism is a dynamic rather than static definition which, at its bare bones, marries technology with storytelling with black.  Although, one definition includes a footnote to the effect that Afrofuturism is blind to color, race, gender, etc.  It is more a tool with which to reconcile the past with an anticipated future (Priforce). Another definition of Afrofuturism is proposed in the spirit of sociology.  That is, Afrofuturism is literary style which puts Black experiences in the central premise which is demonstrated through fantasy and science fiction (Huddleston 2). Still another definition suggests that, while the foundation of Afrofuturism is science fiction, it is science fiction written by Africans or Afrodiasporic which may be in the form of art, literature, music and scholarship (Yaszek 1).  Ã‚  The diasporic nature of the thing promises diversity within a diverse group.  The art is premised on a varied conglomeration of Blacks sprinkled around the world through no choice of theirs, but such that there is a spattering of absorbed cultures, but, unfortunately, providing the same results. Backpedaling for just a moment, another definition is in order that of diaspora.  Diaspora is Greek for to scatter.  Used in this context it means a similarly-region-specific population that has been disbursed across different areas but still have active ties based on the similar origins (What Is A Diaspora? | Idea).  So, African diaspora is that of people from Africa living in other parts of the world.  During the transatlantic slave trades, millions of Blacks were relocated throughout the U.S.  and the Caribbean (African Diaspora Cultures | Oldways) Yaszek considers Afrofuturism from the perspective of the author, artist or professor.  To that end, the main purpose of the telling of the story is, well, to tell a good story science fiction, or not.  The two next best reasons are somewhat political.  First, and as mentioned above, Afrofuturism is a vehicle with which lost history may be recovered, and, then, hopefully, understood.  Next, it also provides a forum within which hope is inspired for the future (2).  This, in a way, is an attempt to circumvent what may be described as foreshadowing or self-fulfilled prophecy in that the Black story is one of doom and gloom past and present.  And, since the future will be the present and the present will be the past, transforming the future (since there really is not anything that can be done in the present) in a positive light (or a powerful one) suggests that not only can history be changed but it challenges the norm. So, it is not surprising that the roots (no pun intended) of Afrofuturism commenced in the 1880s, alongside science fiction as a genre, with the writings of Charles Chestnutt, Susan Griggs and Edward Johnson.  All of whom authored books illustrating the Black plight, issues of slavery, creating a better world, and a society promulgated on Black knowledge and industry (Yaszek 4).  As the genre progressed to and through the 20th century, the separate-but-equal-paradigm wove its threads through the world of science fiction.  Black authors published in Black magazines and white in white.  It is worth mentioning because the distinction was not as the result of the actions of white people but due to the preferences of Black authors.  The reasoning should be unimportant, but for the sake of accuracy the claim is that the white magazines were almost too far-fetched and the Black stories were meant to be taken more seriously as story-telling rather than just science fiction entertai nment.  The afterthought is the perception that the white magazines included racially-motivated storylines. Returning to the underlying premise, that of a promising future and the potential of Blacks to use science to conquer battles and survive disasters, it is during the 1960s the white-washed science fiction intersected with Afrofuturism (Yaszek 7).  Obviously, the timing coincides with the crest of the civil rights movement.  In addition, it was a time when science fiction authors wanted to premise their work on societal relevant issues as well as scientifically modeled. The themes during this time period portrayed hope and a successful integration of two different societies which was reflected in films such as Bloodchild.  Other films were cautious and warned about history repeating itself with films such as The Spacetraders and Zulu Heart, both speculating that either Blacks will be deported from earth, chained together on a ship, or a role reversal such that while it is a replay historically it is the Blacks enslaving the whites.  Neither of which provides a positive takeaway. From 1980 to and through today, global Afrofuturism takes the definition a bit farther, technologically speaking.  This is a society of Afrofuturistics connected via internet from around the world.  The stories are still founded in the future based on the past lost; however, there is a worldwide collaboration such that the resulting stories mix histories, settings, and other region-specific attributes (Yaszek 9). This is probably the most appropriate place to introduce the Black Lives Matter campaign.  It is within this movement where the image of superhero takes on a less science fiction form and demonstrates how technology and black can make things happen, and, yes, possibly change the future. It has been only since 2013 that Alicia Garza posted the note to Facebook after the dismissal of charges against a white man for shooting a black 17 year old assuring others that our (black) lives matter.  It was the tipping point at which time Garza and others decided to change the world (not to sound too dramatic) (Day). This may sound like the atypical rally, protest or bandwagon.  Certainly, and unfortunately, the issue is the same as it has been repeated historically year after year after year.  However, the approach in this century is very different.  There is no single leader.  In movements past, male, black men such as Martin Luther King or Malcolm X played a major role in gaining interest and participation.  This time, they are all leaders.  Further, this movement is not racist it includes lesbians, women, gay, transgenders and bisexuals.  Rather than depending on media or word of mouth on the street to spread the word or organize rallies, Twitter offers a forum upon which news of black injustice may be circulated and Facebook supports the assimilation of rallies.  Photos, the ultimate purveyor of effective messaging, are shared via Tumblr and distributed on Instagram.  Events that had previously gone unnoticed or unknown were now on home pages and cell phones all over the w orld, potentially.  The audio associated with the gasping of the victim of a chokehold inflicted by law enforcement went viral (Day).  YouTube footage of a 14-year-old girl victimized by excessive force by police officers got over 500,000 views.  This is pretty strong, effective campaigning.  But, more importantly, it is real-time awareness.  It is what might change the future.  And, its technologically based.  Science fiction or This is where Black Lives Matter and Afrofuturism intersect.  The common thread is technology and the common goal is to change the future.  Black Lives Matter offers the here-and-now aspect of how Black Lives Matter which has always been missing from the story.  Instead, those stories unfold in history books or in movies long after the fact for obvious reasons.  Certainly, these types of things are not new.  What is new is realizing how broken society is and that the culture has to change. The next common thread is the skill with which these groups utilize technology, social networks and artistic media to work together towards a common goal.  The potential to complement each other is tremendous. If Black lives do not count or matter, it is very much like slavery.  People who were believed to be valueless and therefore mistreated in that vein.  The most important common thread between Black Lives Matter and Afrofuturism is the goal to dissuade racism and white supremacy.  And, to further, contradict those that, while not admitting it out loud, believe that Black people have no soul so it is okay to rape them, hang them, murder them, emasculate them, and torture them.  It was okay to do all of those things because they were thought of as being soulless and of no essential or true value beyond what monetary price they could bring. Another myth that in the past has been difficult to dispel and may have a better chance to dissipating is that of the belier that racism is no longer a factor, especially in the United States because a black President was elected.  People may think that this signals a quasi-release from any further responsibility for injustice in our society based on racism.  The fact is that while we have a black, there are many ways Obama and his family were disrespected further making the case for racism.  Even a perfunctory review of history demonstrates that no other President has been disrespected or disregarded like President Obama. The coalition of Black Lives Matter broadens the conversation around state violence to include all of the ways in which Black people are intentionally left powerless at the hands of the state, society and other individuals. To an extent, Black lives are deprived of basic human rights and dignity. Black poverty should be considered as violence or an assault. So, too, are 2.8 million Black people that are incarcerated the victims of a violent, oppressive condition.  Black Lives Matter brings those circumstances to the forefront and makes them relevant. Forgetting for the moment contributions made by Black people that are sometimes overlooked.  Society would have been deprived of a president.  Daniel Louis Armstrongs jazz and scat would never have been heard.  George Washington Carver would have never improved agriculture or invented adhesives and dyes.  Charles R. Drew would never have come up with the idea of blood banks and a system for preserving plasma long term.  W.E.B. Dubois would not have written Charlottes Web. Chicago may not have been founded if not for Jean-Baptiste-Point Du Sable.  William Henry Johnsons art would be nonexistent.  Martin Luther King, Jr., would be silent.  Contributions to the law and Supreme Court cases by Thurgood Marshall would be mute.  Elijah McCoy could not have improved the rail system or coined the phrase, The real Mccoy, meaning the best of the best.  Traffic signals and gas masks would go uninvented without Garrett Morgan.  If Rosa Parks did not get on the bus, this conv ersation may not be heard.  Mind blowing! Society can only make an educated guess on the number of contributions it missed because racism held back a talented black person or the contributions that the Black person killed by law enforcement may have contributed in his life.  Based on the black people that managed to break the bonds of racism to exhibit their talents, assumedly, society has missed out on millions of inventions, novels, songs, professionals, politicals, etc.  It is something that will never be known as there is no way to know which one of the black men sitting in prison may have invented the cure for leukemia.  This, for all intents and purposes, is part of the movement of Black Lives Matter and Afrofuturism.  A posit to realize the potential from within and without of the Black community.  A reminder that Black Lives Matter does not exist solely on the Black but on other oppressed groups such that it is the true belief that the most profound worth of the black man is that of every man that walks the earth.  Every single human being has potential.  The potential to contribute to the community, whether that community is diasporic or not; the potential to contribute to their own wellbeing and promotion whether in the name of culture, gender, ethnicity or sexual preference; and, the potential to matter. Just think for a moment of the results of forces joined between Afrofuturistics and Black Lives Matter members!  One would have the opportunity to exposure to Black history outside the white wash.  The other could contribute to changing the future by interacting with the real-time, present.  Or, science fiction creations could promulgate the future stories with real facts assimilated without any white washing.  Afrofuturism recovers the histories of counter futures created by hostile societies disapproving the diaspora that is Black.  Regardless Afrofuturistic individuals strive to redefine, translate, rework, restructure and then relate the future without the white-washed lens and based on what should have happened historically such that it could be repeated in the future (Eshun 301). The possibilities are limitless and that returns to the current definition of global Afrofuturism which contends that in this reframing (Science Fiction) of history and policy, those who are systematically oppressed are capable of transcending their less-than-desirable situation.  Nothing not even the sky is limiting.  (McNally 2). Works Cited African Diaspora Cultures | Oldways. Oldways. N.p., 2017. Web. 24 Mar. 2017. Day, Elizabeth. #Blacklivesmatter: The Birth Of A New Civil Rights Movement. the Guardian. N.p., 2017. Web. 24 Mar. 2017. Eshun, Kodwo. Further Considerations Of Afrofuturism. CR: The New Centennial Review 3.2 (2003): 287-302. Web. Huddleston, Kayla. Afrofuturism As Applied To Self-Perception: An Experimental Vignette. University of Washington (2016): n. pag. Print. McNally, Cayla. Fighting For The Freedom Of A Future Age: Afrofuturism And The Posthuman Body. Lehigh Preserve (2017): n. pag. Print. Priforce, Kalimah. Is Technologyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  -à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…  A #Blacklivesmatter Superpower? Recognizing #Afrofuturism. Medium. N.p., 2017. Web. 24 Mar. 2017. What Is A Diaspora? | Idea. Diasporaalliance.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 24 Mar. 2017. Yaszek, Lisa. Race In Science Fiction: The Case Of Afrofuturism. A virtual introduction to science fiction 1 (2013): 1-11. Print.

Tony Kytes the Arch Deceiver and Spiv in Love :: Arch deceiver Spiv Essays Kytes

Tony Kytes' the Arch Deceiver and Spiv in Love The Arch Deceiver is set in the 1980's as well as Spiv in love. During the 1980's men had all power, control and respect. Men controlled the world and women. In these times women relied on men for survival. But later on in the century women became more independent and worked and could live for themselves without having to lean on the shoulder of a man, due to this they also earned more respect from men. It was also harder for men to win women's hearts, as women didn't feel it was a must to be committed to someone. Women also began to have almost an equal amount of power. This led to women's expectations rising. Tony Kytes seems to fall in love with three different women and cannot help himself. He is looking for commitment and marriage but cannot decide what he is going to do about it. He cannot decide what woman to go for. He has no morals or logic. He is a very sly and cunning young man and a very good liar and knows that he has all the power but is not quite in control of everything. He constantly lies throughout the story; for example, 'You didn't really mean what you said to them'. 'Not a word of'. This is when he asked Milly to marry his last and lied about his meaning what he said. His confrontations with each woman results in putting him in a worse situation than what he was in before as he lies to them all the time. Although he has bad attributes he is also a loving man and does actually want commitment and marriage but just deals with the situation in the wrong way. The women in Tony Kytes know that the men are in control and they get what they want. This is usual for them as their fathers own them and will give them away if he wishes. It is also recognisable that the women in Arch Deceiver want commitment so badly that hey are prepared to go to any lengths for commitment from a man. The women in Tony Kytes really love men. They treat men very well and would do anything for commitment. They are very truthful to the men and upfront about their feelings. They all want courtship and would compete between themselves to achieve commitment from the men. On the other hand, they are not as good as it seems. The women are hard to please, as they are always demanding for things such as commitment and favours so on.

Title E-books or print books: which do you prefer?

The purpose of this paper Is to present the some basic aspects of e-book and print book. The methodology of this paper Is using the bibliography and the statistics attempts to give some specific analysis about e-book and print book as a whole. The study found a much higher use of e-book over print book, and the trend of personal preference is not only restricted to the group of students but the whole younger generation. The result of this paper offers the individuals a new idea to insider for eBooks purchase.Keywords User preference, Surveys, E-Books, Print books Paper In the contemporary society, it is generally believed that books play an indispensable role in the development of human society. Apart from the print books, there is another kind of books—electronic books, which poses a challenge to the position of paper quality books. However, there is no unanimous consensus on whether the print books should be substituted for the digital books yet. On the one hand, some people think the golden age of print books In gone, and we should pay ore attention to the modern technological products.On the another hand, the view that print books will not be supplanted by electronic books was held by some individuals. As far as I am concerned, I am in favor of the latter's side. Some people have a tendency to choose the print books rather than the eBooks. Here are a few possible reasons for that. For one thing, the tangibility, which gave by the print books, cannot be showed in any aspects of eBooks. Therefore, people usually purchased print books instead of eBooks because they can get a tangible item for their memory y buying a paper printed book.For another thing, print books offer a sense of accomplishment to people. Specifically, consumers believe that they will feel more accomplished when the mass of the book moves from the right side to the left and they know they are almost done. Furthermore, print books afford the people opportunities to use them for other p urposes. In fact, It Is Impossible that one person could use a stack of eBooks to maintain his couch If the leg fell off. In all, some people lust choose the print books as their prefer because that Is what reading Is about to hem.Reading is something like going to a bookstore and browsing through hundreds, maybe thousands, of books to find the right one. Admittedly, the profitable problem is the crucial factor which the E-book producer should mainly concern about. A questionnaire survey was distributed among 27 students at a library and information science school in the USA to find out what users and potential users think about e-books in this transition period, when the US economy has experienced downtime, and the e-book world cannot see profitability In Its business as predicted.Among the 27 survey participants, a third of them has used e-books in the past, mostly reading computer-based e-books without special readers. â€Å"Available around the clock † and â€Å"searchab le † are both chosen and ranked as the most Important reasons. Those who have never used e-books mainly think that eBooks are â€Å"hard to read and browse † or â€Å"need special equipment However. About half of the non- would agree that e-book have its peculiar advantages as a whole. Firstly, one of the most significant aspects is portability. The reason for that is e-book has a smaller illume and less weight than the majority of the printed book.In fact, the worst thing of reading might be that you finishing a book and not having another book to carry on reading due to the lack of your bag's volume. Secondly, another advantage of e-book is a host of books can be made available for your electronic books without worrying about the number of your saved books. Thus, people can bring a digital device with hundreds or even thousands of books stored in your digital books. In conclusion, eBooks are available for purchase and reading at any time and any place with battery re mitting.These aspects of s-book indicate that the individuals tend to purchase e- books when the print and electronic version all are available for them. What's more, the Association of American Publishers reported that the annual growth rate for e- book sales fell abruptly during 2012, to about 34%. (2) That's still a healthy clip, but it is a sharp decline from the triple-digit growth rates of the preceding four years. Another survey conducted by Neurosurgeons. Org suggests that Of the respondents who took the survey, 25. 2 percent indicated that they would â€Å"very likely † arches an reader in the next six months; 36. Percent said that they â€Å"may † purchase an reader; while almost 40 percent indicated that they were â€Å"very unlikely. (3) Of the 7,880 titles that were available in print and e-book, 58 e-book titles were accessed and 2,799 print titles were circulated during the study period. In print and e-book format, 1,688 titles were used. In e-book form at, but not in print, 1,484 titles were used. In print, but not e-book format, 1,125 titles were used. In either format, 3,597 titles were unused. (4) The above three surveys show a trend of the increasing rate of e-book purchase. Personally, I consider the position of paper books is irreplaceable.Not only because it contains a vast number of historic values, but it represents the civilization evolution of human society. From the view of human civilization, print books play a pivotal role in human society. Books have been books have been the cornerstone of our society for centuries, especially after the invention of the printing press – perhaps the most important invention in human history. Len other words, the development of electronic books is advancing at a staggering tempo, ay turn out to be Just another format-an even lighter-weight, more disposable paperback.That would fit with the discovery that once people start buying digital books, they don't necessarily stop purcha sing printed ones. In fact, according to Pew, nearly 90% of e-book readers still read physical volumes. The two forms seem to serve different purposes. However, the transformation from print books to E-books is inevitably popular. Dominique Reach, Publisher and CEO of Successors, said that â€Å"the digital transformation is bringing with it an onslaught of content. In fact, more intent was published last year than ever before.Booker (the ISBN agency) reported that 2009 self-publishing or what they call the non-traditional book publishers drove total book production over 1,000,000 units for the first time-that's over a million books produced last year. Think about that as a reader, an author or a publisher. † (5) In sum, paper books have its unparalleled superiority and so eBooks does. No one knows what the future book market will be. Time will tell whether eBooks are a viable alternative. At the moment, the whole thing is still in its infancy, and a decent

What Makes Us Human

Anthropologists say that we are humans because of evolution. The portion of DNA that is responsible for the structure of proteins is 99. 4% common in humans and chimpanzees. Anthropologists say that we are humans because of evolution. The portion of DNA that is responsible for the structure of proteins is 99. 4% common in humans and chimpanzees. The dictionary says that human beings are individuals of the genus Homo, or more specifically, Homo sapiens. That only answers the anthropological aspect of what makes us human.Paul Bae also takes the anthropological stance on humankind saying that â€Å"Changes caused by evolution and time make us human. † When asked what separates humans from animals, he replied saying â€Å"human minds are more developed than animals, allowing humans to be at the top of the food chain. † Psychologists say a distinctive quality in humans is the cognitive process. The cognitive process is a demonstration of the central ability humans possess th at define us. More simply, it is our ability to think and make decisions. The brain plays the most crucial part in the cognitive process.The part of the brain that differentiates the human brain from brains of other species’ is the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex controls senses, thoughts, language and memory. The brain plays the most crucial part in the cognitive process. The part of the brain that differentiates the human brain from brains of other species’ is the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex controls senses, thoughts, language and memory. Aaron Marentette agrees with psychologists and says â€Å"The thing that makes us humans is our ability to make smart choices and just choices in general. When he was asked the question of what difference there is between humans and animals, he responded, saying â€Å"The difference is that we have undergone evolution and therefore, have become more civil. † Finally, sociologists say that the factor that makes humans human is culture. Culture is simply the ideas, abilities, and behaviours people have acquired to become members of society. Culture is always evolving in society and the world and it mainly unique to the human species. Above: Culture plays a huge part in shaping humans.Culture affects how we treat each other and interact. Above: Culture plays a huge part in shaping humans. Culture affects how we treat each other and interact. Below: Culture is specific to humans. Animals indicate SOME aspects of culture but it is ingrained by genetic programming. Humans can change their environment and pass the changes onto their children. Below: Culture is specific to humans. Animals indicate SOME aspects of culture but it is ingrained by genetic programming. Humans can change their environment and pass the changes onto their children.Max Nascimento believes that we are human because â€Å"humans have free will and have the ability to conquer anything we envision. † His thoughts on th e variation between humans and animals are that â€Å"animals walk on four legs, act on instinct, and don’t have a conscience. † All three answers to what makes us human are correct. Evolution made us human through changes in DNA. The cognitive process made us human through our ability to problem solve and think. And finally culture shaped us into the social beings we are. They are all factors that affect humans and differentiate us from any other living species on this planet.