John Gatto Essay Example for Free

John Gatto Essay John Gatto uses many persuasive techniques to try and convince the reader that the reform of schools is necessary. He begins by including the audience that he is talking to in his ‘speech like’ manner â€Å"I accept this award on behalf of all of the fine teachers I’ve known over the years† this establishes personal contact with the audience and develops an appropriate register, therefore persuading them to agree with any further comments that he makes. To further support this, the writer goes on to suggest that teachers are not the problem, as he sees it, but school as an institution â€Å"although teachers do care and do work very hard, the institution they work in is psychopathic†. The writer uses the present tense throughout the entire article to highlight the immediacy of the situation and convince the reader that reform is needed. Gatto’s use of repetition of words like â€Å"useless† and â€Å"absurd† are used part way through the text in order to not only make a more forceful point, but also to emphasise the way that he feels. By repeating these negatively charged words he is attempting to influence the way reader would feel about education, therefore persuading them that reform is a necessity. He establishes the idea that reform is necessary with use of a rhetorical question â€Å"What can be done?† to not only guide the reader towards a solution but also to indicate that he will be offering a solution that the reader will agree with. Gatto uses the structure of short sentences in order to develop his argument and focus on key points, almost like a list – a way of simplifying his ideas. A single short sentence is further used â€Å" Schools are intended to produce formulaic human beings whose behaviour can be predicted and controlled.† to enhance the writer’s view about schools, therefore strengthening his argument and persuading his readership to agree that reform is wholly necessary. The use of the word ‘intended’ coupled with ‘formulaic, predicted and controlled’ to describe how children are taught further gains support from the audience about the immediacy for educational reform. To conclude, the writer has used this conversational tone throughout the text in order to make the reader feel as if he is speaking directly to them and thus forming a strong connection. He closes the article in an abrupt manner in order to focus the attention of the listener on the solution and uses a respectful close to make the listener feel that they have been a part of this discussion, further persuading them to feel as though they should act upon the cause that the writer is so passionate and emotional about. â€Å"The curriculum of family is at the heart of any good life†¦. Time to return to it. Enough. I’ve said my piece. Thank you.†

The University of Michigan Fab Five Essay -- College Basketball Sports

There seems to be a fine line, a three-point line, between pushing the envelope and pushing a revolution. In 1991, five freshmen from the University of Michigan brashly stepped over that line redefining the world of college basketball as we knew it and in the process, revolutionized the relationship between style and sport. These men were "fresh" in more ways than one, causing an entire nation to dub them fabulous. They brought a hip and a hop to a game that was previously flat. Anyone following college basketball loved or hated to love the "Fab Five," evincing that either way five things were on people's minds or television screens. Whether you were a kid begging your mom to take you to a sporting goods store, like I was, to "get those black Nike socks" for your next game, or an adult watching through squinting eyes as five pairs of extra large shorts and swagger loomed over your favorite team's home court, you were full of awe. Chris Webber, Jimmy King, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, and Ray Johnson manifested a transformation of style through oversized attitude and clothing. Since then, it seems to me that whoever got a chance to know these guys from the stands or sofa has been aching for a taste of that envelope that they pushed back in the early nineties. Every kid whose favorite show was Saved by the Bell and whoever seriously competed in basketball wants to be the one who pulls his shorts down past his hips when his mom told him to pull up before his game and play so well that he receives no verbal assault on the way back to the car. I'm left wondering what these five guys were really about, and why they decided to revolutionize the attitude of the game they played. After all, they seemed to plan the revolution on a whimÂâ€"or... ...r's infamous timeout. Like a Shakespearean tragedy the Fab Five's climax came at the end and same forces that caused them to rise caused them to fall. Once upon a line, these five freshmen were just thatÂâ€"five players that displayed their unique unified attitudes through alley oops and baggy shorts. These five were the first to acknowledge the worth of transferring another aspect of that street game onto the polished college court. Arguably, this transplant of dress and style was only possible because of their superior play, and like some transplants, was susceptible to the normal disease of media attention and hype characteristic of any organized sport. Ultimately, only their cleverly alliterated nickname remains on the line they crossed all those years ago. Freshman-status, long shorts, black socks, cocky attitude. What did it matter? They were the "Fab Five."

Analyse the dramatic importance of the end of Act Essay

Analyse the dramatic importance of the end of Act One of â€Å"A View from the Bridge† (from the bottom of page 35: As the lights go out on Alfieri, they rise in the apartment†¦, to the end of Act One.)  The play ‘A View from the Bridge’, is set in the late 1940’s in New York. The play is about longshoreman on the docks in Brooklyn and -immigrants- Italian Americans; who wanted the American dream. The American dream was to be wealthy, to live in luxury and to have better lives. At that time in Europe a war had started in 1945. The main characters in the play are the Carbone family; they are catholic and have an ‘Italian family code’-trust, honour, love, belief, protection, respect. This play was written by the playwright Arthur Miller; he wrote it in 1955. Miller wrote the play because he was a longshoreman for a while. What inspired him to write the play was a story he heard while working on the docks. In this essay I will be analysing Act One of the play ‘A View from the Bridge’ by Arthur Miller. Miller’s use of stage directions and characterisation; are important techniques in the development of tension, suspense and curiosity in Act One.  The end of Act One is so dramatically important; for the characters’ feelings and relationships between each other have changed. Feelings have changed: Eddie dislikes Rodolfo. Catherine and Rodolfo are in a relationship and are getting really close. Marco threatens Eddie through actions not words. Catherine rebels against Eddie’s wishes. Beatrice is concerned about Catherine’s relationship with Eddie (her â€Å"uncle†). Towards the end of Act One tension is building and the climax happens; Eddie is no longer in control of the situation. The audience can sense that tension; and when the climax happens the audience are filled with suspense and are curious about what will happen next, to Eddie and/or the other characters. One of the other characters in the play is Alfieri and he is a lawyer. Although Alfieri is a character in the play you find out he is narrating it. From Alfieri’s speech, we can tell something tragic is about to happen. The language used in his speech suggests something terrible, awful, unpleasant and shocking, â€Å"I could have finished the story there and then.† You can tell that Alfieri knows what is going to happen, â€Å"I could see every step coming, step after step, like a dark figure walking down a hall towards a certain door.† The use of ‘Dark Figure’ suggests something ‘ungodly’. Alfieri’s speech gradually builds tension; the audience are curious to find out what is going to happen in the rest of the play. Marco and Rodolfo left Italy to earn money for their family, because at that time there was famine in Italy. So they decided to immigrate to America where they now work on the docks. Soon after Alfieri’s speech; in the apartment, Marco tells everyone about how he and Rodolfo sailed to Africa, on a fishing boat. Eddie feels jealous of Marco and Rodolfo and this causes his anger. With sarcasm Eddie says, â€Å"They pay all right on them boats?† This suggests that Eddie is trying to remain calm. Catherine complains about travelling to other places, â€Å"They went to Africa once. On fishing boat†¦ and I was never even in Staten island.† From this you can tell that Catherine envies Marco and Rodolfo, because they have travelled to many countries. When Rodolfo tries to join in the conversation, Eddie ignores him deliberately. Rodolfo says, â€Å"Once we went to Yugoslavia.† Eddie says (to Marco), â€Å"They pay alright on them boats?† This shows Eddie’s jealousy, from him trying to change the subject. Eddie also says, â€Å"They pay alright on them boats†, because he wants to embarrass them- he thinks he earns a lot more than them and is trying to compare the amount of money that he makes with the amount of money they make. When Eddie talks about oranges and lemons he seems annoyed that Rodolfo said something to him. Eddie says (to Marco), â€Å"I heard that they paint the oranges to make them look orange†¦ yeah I heard they grow like green.† Rodolfo says, â€Å"Lemons are green.† Eddie says, â€Å"I know lemons are green, for Christ’s sake†¦Ã¢â‚¬  from this you can tell he is irritated when Rodolfo comments on something he is talking about. At this point in the play; Eddie dislikes Rodolfo. The audience feel the tension in the atmosphere as Eddie has a slight outburst. Beatrice is Eddie’s wife and with Eddie they raised Catherine. After Eddie’s outburst Beatrice tries to diffuse the tension in the atmosphere. Beatrice talks to Marco, about his family back home in Italy. Beatrice says (sitting; diverting their attention), â€Å"your wife is gettin’ the money all right, Marco?† From this you can see how tension is released, by Beatrice starting a conversation about Marco’s family. As they are talking you can tell Marco feels lonely and misses his family in Italy. Beatrice says, â€Å"That’s wonderful. You feel better, heh?† Marco says, â€Å"Oh yes! But I’m lonesome.† The stage directions show us he doesn’t always talk about his family; Marco says, â€Å"Oh, no, she saves. I send everything. My wife is very lonesome.† (He smiles shyly) From the way he is shy you can tell he doesn’t often talk about his family. While the conversation is still going on, Eddie shows no respect towards Marco and is being insensitive towards him. Saying, â€Å"I betcha there’s plenty of surprises sometimes when those guys get back, heh?† From this you can see how disrespectful Eddie is being; and how Marco must be feeling towards his comment. At this point in the play, the audience are on the edge of their seats as the atmosphere is filled with suspense; because the audience don’t know how Marco will react to Eddie.

Skate Characteristics and Information

Skates are a type of cartilaginous fish—fishes with skeletons made of cartilage, rather than bone—that are characterized by flat bodies and wing-like pectoral fins attached to their heads. (If you can picture a stingray, you know basically what a skate looks like.) There are dozens of species of skates. Skates live throughout the world, spending most of their time on the ocean bottom. They have strong teeth and jaws, allowing them to easily crush shells and feed on shellfish, worms, and crabs. According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, the common skate—which can reach over eight feet in length—is the largest skate species, while at only about 30 inches, the starry skate is the smallest skate species. How to Tell a Skate From a Ray Like stingrays, skates have a long, whip-like tail and breathe through spiracles, which allows the skate to rest on the ocean bottom and receive oxygenated water through openings in their heads, rather than breathing in water and sand from the ocean bottom. While many fish propel themselves by flexing their bodies and using their tails, skates move by flapping their wing-like pectoral fins. Skates may also have a prominent dorsal fin (or two fins) near the end of their tails; rays usually do not, and unlike stingrays, skates lack venomous spines in their tails. Fast Facts: Skate Classification & Species Skates are classified in the order Rajiformes, which contains a dozen families, including the families Anacanthobatidae and Rajidae, which include skates and smooth skates.ClassificationKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: ElasmobranchiiOrder: RajiformesU.S. Skate SpeciesBarndoor Skate (Dipturus laevis)Big Skate (Raja binoculata)Longnose Skate (Raja rhina)Thorny Skate (Amblyraja radiata)Winter Skate (Leucoraja ocellata)Little Skate (Leucoraja erinacea) Skate Reproduction Reproduction is another way that skates differ from rays. Skates are oviparous, bearing their offspring in eggs, while rays are ovoviviparous, meaning their offspring, while beginning as eggs, remain in the mothers body after hatching and continue to mature until theyre eventually born live. Skates mate at the same nursery grounds each year. Male skates have claspers that they use to transmit sperm to the female, and eggs are fertilized internally. The eggs develop into a capsule called an egg case—or more commonly, a mermaids purse—which are deposited on the ocean floor. The egg cases either remain where theyre deposited or attach to seaweed, although they sometimes wash up on beaches and are easily recognized by their distinctive appearance (a small, flat, near-rectangular headless animal with its arms and legs outstretched). Inside the egg case, a yolk nourishes the embryos. The young may remain in the egg case for up to 15 months, and then hatch looking like miniature adult skates. Conservation and Human Uses Skates are harmless to humans. They are commercially harvested  for their wings, which are considered a delicacy, said to be similar in taste and texture to scallops. Skate wings can also be used for lobster bait, and to make fish meal and pet food. Skates are usually harvested  using  otter trawls. In addition to commercial fisheries, they may also be caught as bycatch. Some U.S. skate species, such as the thorny skate, are considered overfished, and management plans are in place to protect their populations through methods such as fishing trip limits, and possession prohibitions. Sources Bester, Cathleen. Ray and Skate Basics. Florida Museum of Natural History: Ichthyology.  Skates and Rays of Atlantic Canada: Reproduction. Canadian Shark Research Lab. 2007Coulombe, Deborah A. The Seaside Naturalist. Simon Schuster. 1984 Sosebee, Kathy. Skates—Status of Fishery Resources off the Northeastern US. NOAA NEFSC—Resource Evaluation and Assessment Division.World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). WoRMS Taxon List.