11 Best Writing Blogs to Master the Craft of Creative Writing

11 Best Writing Blogs to Master the Craft of Creative Writing 11 Best Writing Blogs to Master the Craft of Creative Writing Writing blogs are some of the best resources to become a better writer, which lets be real, is the goal of all writers.You already know this:Writing is hard.It’s so difficult, in fact, that there are countless writing tips and resources online dedicated to helping you better understand and improve the craft.We here at Self-Publishing School are even committed to giving you the best advice out there.But we wanted to offer you more by highlighting blogs about writing that contain solid advice for writing.Weve compiled a list of the best writing blogs on the internet for you to learn and grow from.Here are the best writing blogs we’ll cover for you:The Write LifeWriters DigestWrite to DoneThe Write PracticeCount Blogula by Jenna MoreciThe Creative PennTerribleminds by Chuck WendigDaily Writing TipsBetter Novel ProjectWell-StoriedShayla RaquelIf You’re Ready to Start Writing NOW Watch This FirstDon’t waste any more writing time than you already have.Before we get into the meat of which writing blogs are the best and what unique qualities they have to offer, let’s set you down the path for success.You’re here because you want to learn which blogs about writing are the best.We get it. In fact, we already put together a free training guide for you with all the information you need to know.Join Chandler Bolt at his FREE Webinar Training as he reveals the exact tactics and strategies he used to write and publish 6 bestselling books in a row and how he used them to build a 7-figure business in less than 2 years!Spots are limited!Click Here to Save Your SpotBest Writing Blogs for Tips and AdviceIf you’re not quite serious yet about getting your book published yet, we’ve put together a list of the best writing blogs to learn how to write a book from.Let’s dive into exactly what these writing blogs have to offer and why you should be paying close attention to them if you want to improve your writing, start you r book, and publish it on Amazon (or wherever else you want to publish it through)!#1 The Write LifeIf you’ve been searching through for writing blogs long enough, you’re probably already aware of all The Write Life has to offer.This blog about writing is a fantastic resource for writers of all kind.Whether you’re looking to write a book for the first time or jump into the freelance writing community, The Write Life has you covered.They even have tips for blogging and marketing. All the bases are covered!Make sure to check out their helpful writing blog posts and read the comments for extra help from their dedicated community.Click here to check out this writing blog!#2 Writer’s DigestIf you love writing tips by writers, this is one of the top writing blogs to visit.This writing blog is all about uncovering your potential through real, easy-to-follow blog posts that simplify more complicated issues in the writing community.They even host competitions, f eature blog posts by editors, and give you insights to events they host or even attend.If you’re someone who loves to physically join a writing group, you’ll love this writing blog and all it has to offer.Click here to check out this writing blog!#3 Write to DoneThere are a lot of different avenues writers have to be aware of when it comes to building a successful career from their work.And Write to Done gives you just that!Being both a creative writing blog along with covering nonfiction writing, Write to Done teaches you how to master a number of different techniques and habits geared toward helping you succeed in the literary world.You don’t want to miss out on all the writing advice they have to offer along with motivational material to help you keep it up.Click here to check out Write to Done.#4 The Write PracticeThe Write Practice is a massive source of helpful information for writers everywhere. They cover writing blog posts touching on topics revolving around key writing practices, writing exercises, and even writing prompts to get your mind stirring.You won’t be without help with The Write Practice.Not only do they offer free help through their blog posts, but they also have programs, writing contests, and help involving your author platform in general.Click here to check out The Write Practice.#5 Count Blogula by Jenna MoreciJenna Moreci is an Award-Nominated Self-Published Author with two novels on Amazon, in libraries, and on shelves all over the country.Count Blogula is her writing blog where aspiring authors congregate to ask specific writing, marketing, and publishing questions to be answered by this wildly successful Youtuber and Self-Published Author.Moreci is honest (sometimes brutally in the best way), real, and lets all writers know what it truly takes to make a career out of writing.Head on over to her blog if you want to scroll through pages and pages and pages of free writing advice by someone who has been through it all before.Click here to check out Count Blogula by Jenna Moreci.#6 The Creative PennIf your goal is to make writing a job, it’s worth giving The Creative Penn a read.This website has writing blog posts covering topics from genre-specific writing advice to marketing to publishing tips.Joanna Penn is an Award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and she runs The Creative Penn to teach others how to reach her level of success with their books.She has a number of writing-specific books available for purchase along with podcasts, courses, specific tools, and more. This is one of the best blogs about writing to add to your arsenal.Click here to check out The Creative Penn.#7 Terribleminds by Chuck WendigChuck Wendig has a must-acquire-a-taste-for personality. He’s curt, brutal, and gives humor to his writing tips and advice for aspiring authors.His writing blog covers topics ranging from his own personal work and the work of others to hel p you specifically ask for.You’ll never be bored with Wendig’s unique delivery style and real advice.Click here to check out Terribleminds by Chuck Wendig.#8 Daily Writing TipsDaily Writing Tips is exactly as it sounds; they give writing tips for aspiring authors daily.Their advice ranges from writing-specific to motivation to oddities, like words that Shakespeare invented.If you’re someone who wants to improve the craft of writing with very specific tips and tricks, this is the place to frequent. You’ll never want for more help with Daily Writing Tips.Click here to check out Daily Writing Tips.#9 Better Novel ProjectIf you love doodles along with writing tips, this is the site for you.Better Novel Project has a number of different writing blog posts centered around helping you become a better writer.From NaNoWriMo content to blog posts all about genres, writer life, character development, and even writing scene-specific details.It’s easy to get lost the abundance of content available for you on this writing blog so be careful, but get your fill.Click here to check out Better Novel Project.#10 Well-StoriedKristen Kieffer is the author behind Well-Storied, as well as an author of fantasy and writing resources.Not only does she offer great writing advice, but her dedication to helping writers uncover their true abilities is nearly unmatched.You can check out her free courses, listen to the podcast, and even participate in her community chats.Well-Storied has an abundance of help in the writing-world and you’ll be better off by tuning in regularly!Click here to check out Well-Storied.#11 Shayla RaquelShayla Raquel’s writing blog is filled to the brim will knowledge regarding all aspects of writing. From prepping to writing to marketing, she has you covered.As an editor and seasoned writer herself, Shayla works one-on-one with authors nearly every day. She has edited over 300 books and launched Amazon Bestselle rs making her experienced and competent! Click here to check it out Shayla Raquel!All of these writing blogs have something unique to offer that you won’t find any anywhere else. When it comes to learning any craft especially writing it’s important to broaden your search and learn as much as you can from as many talented minds as you can.ARE YOU READY TO BECOME AN AUTHOR ON YOUR OWN?Your writing blog and expertise could be up here one day with some of the best!But you have to commit to taking action and writing your book first.And we’re here to help you on your journey to write, market, and publish your book. But only if you’re serious about making this a reality.

Hamlet Critical Perspectives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hamlet Critical Perspectives - Essay Example This was almost a requirement, because England was under fire from many nations, including Rome and the Catholic church, due to Henry VIII (her father) breaking with the Vatican during his reign. Yet by the start of the seventeenth century, the queen was in her late sixties and to quote the French ambassador De Maisse â€Å"She kept the front of her dress open, and one could see the whole of her bosom†¦and†¦ Her bosom is somewhat wrinkled†. As such Doctor Lavery draws the comparison of her and the elderly Gertrude, with whom Hamlet cannot hide his disgust when she marries Claudius (Lavery). Another contemporary viewpoint that Lavery believes Shakespeare used as a main theme for the play was revenge, especially when it pertained to corruption in government. True Hamlet sought true blood revenge for his father the king was murdered by his own brother in order to seize the throne. But he also grappled with an even bigger problem in that the government should be toppled, with violence if necessary, if it is deemed to be unworkable. Perhaps the founding fathers of the United States learned well from Hamlet and used his ideas when they decided to secede from England well over a century later. Then again it has been said by others that the inspiration for Hamlet was a Latin work from the thirteenth century called Vita Amlethi, well before Elisabeth’s Tudor monarchy had been established. Hamlet uses many mythological references in the work, along with historical figures interspersed to mythological status. For instance, the Roman emperor Julius Caesar (who was a central figure in many of Shakespeare’s works) was mentioned in three times in the play, mostly as part of Hamlet’s play within a play. Speaking of his uncle Claudius, Hamlet refers to him as a satyr, the drunken buffoon in Roman mythology from which we get the word satire. Of course figures from the Judaic Christian belief system is heavily referenced from the obvious refe rences to Cain and Abel (Claudius slew his brother), the beggar Lazarus, Saints Peter, Patrick and James, to Jesus Christ himself. Even the madness of Hercules from Greek mythology is borrowed from, to reference the entire theme of insanity in the play. In his work Teaching Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Douglas Grudzina argues that the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud and his protege Carl Jung looked heavily at the mythological aspects of Hamlet when Jung said â€Å"some myths are repeated throughout history in cultures and eras that could not possibly have had any contact with one another† as in the Greeks and Chinese having basically the same stories. Jung believed that this concept was especially true in relation to religious beliefs. Every culture basically believes in creation and some sort of life after death. Based upon Shakespeare’s own beliefs, that would therefore explain the ghostly appearance of Hamlet’s father, asking that his son avenge him ( Grudzina). The feminism of Hamlet, or lack of it, has been well documented, especially in the late twentieth century and one of the most famous of those was the tragic Ophelia, whose eventual madness was caused by her maltreatment from most if not all of the males she encountered. For a character so well written about by so many scholars, she appears

Stock Market Assignment Part II--Retirement Plan Requirements Research Paper

Stock Market Assignment Part II--Retirement Plan Requirements - Research Paper Example I will live off 25 years depends on my retirement account. Average age of living of my past family members is 85 years and for this reason I have estimated this time duration of living for my life. Now, I am 25 years old and I have started earning from this year only. I want to cover the basic cost of living of my total family so that the children do not need to concentrate on savings. So, with this post retirement regular annual income I will cover the annual cost of my family. After retirement my cost of living will be minim um in terms of the essentials and regular expenses like the EMI of house loan and car loan will not be needed at that time. Apart from these regular expenses education will also be not needed at that time because children will become established and will be the earning family members when I will be retire from my job. So, I am expecting to get an annual post retirement withdrawal amount of at least 25% of the last annual income. I need this amount to be increased every year because of possibility of the increase of the inflation rate. This will result to increase in cost of living. So as the pre retirement income increases every year, the post retirement annual withdrawal amount will need to be increased. For getting 25% of the last annual of income after the 60 years of my age I need to save 20% of my total annual income. Rate of saving need I will increase at rate of increase in the annual income and for th8is purpose I am also cons idering the average inflation rate and the average percentage increase based on the past five years growth rate. I do not want a fixed amount after my retirement and for this reason I want a regular income from my savings and also this income from needs to be increasing in order each year so that I can withdraw increasing amount each year after my retirement. For this amount of withdrawal I have to save 20% of savings each year with increase rate of savings of 1.5% due to the

Gender and Sexuality, Race and Ethnicity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gender and Sexuality, Race and Ethnicity - Essay Example Discrimination at the place of work has worked against women's rights for so long as men continue to monopolize the opportunities. Women have found their position through the provisions of law, to actively engage in serious studies and assume the positions of power in order to champion for the rights of those underprivileged women. The law provides that, under the Act 23 of the Universal Declaration, without discrimination, women have the equal right to equal work and equal pay. Through the platform of empowering from fellow successful women, those who are disadvantaged have taken this advantage to claim their right. By doing so, women have worked against the traditional perception of the masculine society that sees women as not able to assume some positions and not others in a working environment.Women have risen to command the Human Resource positions and avert that notion like in industrialized countries, where women have to bear with a salary that comes with their positions. Agai n, in these commanding positions, either as managers or human resource managers in a company, the voice of women in providing the same platform as men in promotional terms, bridges the gap of discrimination. As a result, today’s women find it easy to choose the kind of work they would feel like doing contrary to the cultural mentalities or educational discrimination. The current global woman lives in a society that would respond to her needs of learning and earn a job, of whichever position, away from the housekeeping bondage.

Elasticity Of Demand In A Air Travel Context Tourism Essay

Elasticity Of Demand In A Air Travel Context Tourism Essay Price elasticity of demand and income elasticity of demand. (Ryan air British Airways Data) How are low-cost carriers such as Ryan air able to achieve cost savings? Fixed costs and variable costs. Critical analysis of the issues involved in the following article: BAA Airports: Notice of release of interim undertaking Conclusion Bibliography Introduction Ryanair isà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. British Airways isà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. This document reports the findings of a review of the economics and business literature on empirically-estimated own-price elasticity of demand for air travel for Ryan air and British Airways. It refers to the data on page two of the assignment handout to both above airlines to illustrate and explain the concepts of price elasticity of demand and income elasticity of demand. The purpose of this study is to report on all or most of the economics and business literature dealing with empirically approximate demand functions for air travel and to collect a range of fare elasticity measures for air travel provide in the data on the second page of the assignment topic and provide some judgment as to which elasticity values would be more representative of the true values to be found in different airline such as Ryan air and British airways, furthermore will evaluate the accomplishment of cost savings of Ryan air through fixed costs and variable costs as well as writing a critical analysis the article on BAA Airports: Notice of release of interim undertaking'(mmc.gov.uk, 2010). Price Elasticity of Demand and Income elasticity of demand in the context of air travel demand: (Ryan air British Airways) We identified two distinct prices for air travel which are price elasticity of demand and income elasticity of demand from the case study for air travel demand which should distinguish among prices for: Low cost carrier (LCC) example of Ryanair and Full Service Carrier (FSCs) example of British Airways; business and leisure travel. Accordingly, to examine the sensitivity of the demand for air travel to its price, separate analysing of the price elasticity of demand is gathered for each of these two distinct markets. Price Elasticity of Demand Dunnett, A. (1988: 260) define Price Elasticity of Demand as a numerical value which describes the degree of responsiveness of demand to changes in prices. In addition Sloman (2005) believed that the demand for a particular good or service depends on a variety of factors. Key influences include, the levels of consumer income, the price and quality of the services in question and especially services that are close substitutes. As a general rule, once other influences on demand stay unchanged, a higher price for a product leads in a lower quantity demanded. However, the price responsiveness of demand varies from one good to another and from one market to another (FitzRoy et al, 1998). Since the availability of alternative modes of transportation that are reasonably close substitutes for air transport such as low cost airlines like Ryanair diminishes with distance travelled, it is expected that the demand for air transport will be less elastic for longer flights typical example of British airways with is a FSCs than for shorter flights typical example of Ryan air. Just considering an example where Ryanair (a low cost airline) flights to Milan from  £49.99 return and British Airways from  £628 return. The problem though with Ryanair is that you can find this cheap ticket if you book it about it well in advance. But if we try to book it on the same day before your journey the price has gone up at  £179.99 return when British Airways price will be still remaining the same until a week before your journey. Further, international travel tends to be widening over more time than domestic travel, so that the airfare is a smaller proportion of overall trip costs, which makes international travel less sensitive to changes in ticket prices. In addition, leisure travellers are more likely to postpone trips to specific locations in response to higher fares, or to shop around for those locations offering more affordable fares. Consequently, it is expected that the demand for air transport for leisure reasons will be more elastic than business travel who usually travel with FSCs. According to Anthony et al (2000) Ryan air prices management is systematically offering different prices to different customer segments in response to demand whereas (Kimes, 1989) suggests that the team in charge of yield management need to identify how changes in pr ice will affect their customers. Within the airline industries customer demand may be higher on week ends, during summer months, or at particular times of a day, (Belobaba, 1987). Managers must be able to forecast time-related demand so that they can make effective pricing and allocation decision to manage the shoulder periods around high demand period. However the corporate business traveller during the week becomes a leisure traveller when on holiday or at week-ends. Different occasion find the same consumer having different expectation and needs, (Buttle, 1986). Such a concept is termed elasticity of demand. According to the Data from the case study downloaded from Ryan air website, the price of the flight is far more higher than the price of the flight on other following days of the week day. However, when approaching the end of the week-end or school holiday, there is a huge demand and the increased demand drives the price up again as customer are returning from their vacation or family are going on holiday. Closer to the date and time of the scheduled service, the price rises, on the simple justification that consumers demand for a flight becomes more inelastic the nearer to the time of the service. The low cost airlines such as Ryan air follow the pricing strategy outlined above. Customers booking early with carriers such as Ryan air will normally come across lower prices if they are ready to commit themselves to a flight by booking early. This gives the airline the plus of important how full their flights are likely to be and a source of cash-flow in the weeks and months prior to th e service being provided. People who book late often regard travel to their planned destination as a need and they are therefore likely to be prepared and able to pay a much higher price very close to departure. Airlines call this price discrimination yield management but despite the consider name, at the heart of this pricing strategy is the straightforward but important concept price elasticity of demand. Ryanair has a seat pricing policy that causes fares to rise as a flight fills up (Ryanair.com, 2010). Following theory of supply and demand, if customer wants a seat so badly, they will pay more for it than otherwise. Income Elasticity of Demand It is defined as numerical values which describe the responsiveness of demand to a change in consumer incomes. (Sloman, 2005) Because of the recession, demand for low cost flights grew rapidly as family with higher income who were travelling with FSCs before would prefer low cost than traditional airlines and some current low cost customer with low income may prefer domestic flight or would just prefer not to travel by air. In air travel, FSCs are essentially joint products consisting of differentiated service bundles that are identified by fare classes. However the yield management systems employed by FSCs also create a multifaceted form of inter-temporal price discrimination, in which some fares (typically economy class) decline and some increase (typically full-fare business class) as the departure date draws closer. This implies that ideally, empirical studies of air travel demand should separate business and leisure travellers or at least be able to include some information on booking times in order to account for this price discrimination, and that price data should be calibrated for inter-temporal price discrimination: for example, the use of full-fare economy class ticket prices as data will overestimate the absolute value of the price elasticity coefficient. Within the set of differentiated service bundles that comprise each (joint product) flight, the relative prices are important in explainin g the relative ease of substitution between service classes. Given the nature of inter-temporal price discrimination for flights, the relative price could also change significantly in the time period prior to a departure time. In particular changes in real income and the prices of substitutes or complements will affect demand. Alternative transportation modes (road and rail) are important variables for short-haul flights, while income effects should be measured for both short and long-haul. Oum et al. (1992) provide valuable tools that occur when evaluating the demand models. Air travel demand can be affected by changes in the prices and service quality of other modes. For short-haul routes (markets) the relative price and service attributes of auto and train would need to be included in any model; particularly for short-haul markets such as low cost airline. Failure to include the price and service attributes of substitutes will bias the elasticity. For example, if airfares increase and auto costs are also increasing, the airfare elasticity would be overestimated if auto costs were excluded. The entry of low cost carriers leads to lower fares for a subset of traffic and competitors will offer a supply of seats to match these fares. Lower average fares should lead to lower demand elasticity estimates, while increases in the number of competitors in the market will lead to higher demand elasticity estimates. How low cost carriers such as Ryan air able to achieve cost savings? Fixed Costs and Variable Costs. Ryan airs business model is focus around its general low cost philosophy. That is Ryan air attempts to cut all non value adding activities as it strives to drive costs down to the total minimum. Below are typical examples how it drives its downwards which include selling directly to its customer over the internet or over the phone rather than via agents and middlemen, thus saving commission cost and administrative cost. Ryan air is a ticketless as most of it customer buy over the internet, in return for a booking reference that is exchanged at the checking counter at the airport for a boarding pass. The airline has no in flight meals which is a cost saving measure that cannot be much inconvenience to its customer since all Ryan air flights are short haul. Nevertheless has subcontracted catering services on its flights where customer can buy an in flight meal and drink should they wish which is another way of driving price. Cabin crew double up as cleaner and this helps Ryan air to promise a turnaround time at any airport of 30 min rather than 45-60 min that has FSCs been the norm. Another cost cutting device, is the typical example of the UK smaller airports such as London Luton, cheaper to fly to from than bigger airports such as Heathrow which it is use at least as its base as they are less congestion and facilitate turnaround times for aircraft to be a lot shorter. Fixed Costs Fixed Costs are defined as the Total costs that do not vary with the amount of output produced (John, S. 2005:82) Ryan air as a LCC operate in the environment of high fixed cost, fixed capacity in the short term, a perishable product and seasonal demand. Virtually all of airlines costs can be considered fixed. The cost of the capital tied up in the plane, the fuel it take to fly the route, the crew it will take to staff the ground and flight operations insurance, rent, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ All these cost are fixed once the company decides to fly a particular route and the variable costs associated with serving another passenger on the flight are figure lively peanuts. Ryan air generates sufficient revenue through ancillary services such as car rentals, accommodation, currency, travel insurance, transactions, refreshments, to cover variable costs and offset at least some fixed cost. Management believes that providing these services through the internet allows Ryan air to increase sales, while at the same time reducing costs on a per unit basis. Variable Costs Variable Costs are defined as the total costs that do vary with the amount of output produced (Sloman, 2005: 82) The relatively low variable costs associated with many capacity- constrained Ryan air allow for some pricing flexibility and give operators the options of reducing pricing during low demand times. Ryan air always seeks for low variable costs. Below are factors that help Ryanair to maintain a low variable cost: One type of aircraft, management believes that its strategy of limiting its fleet primarily to three variants of a single type of aircraft from a single manufacturer enables it to limit the costs associated with personnel training, maintenance and the purchase and storage of spare parts, as well as affording greater flexibility in the scheduling of crews and equipment. Pricing is based strictly upon revenue maximization process that matches the aims and objectives of prices elasticity of demand Internet booking which cut paper and administrative costs No airport sales offices/ no cancellations Charging a surplus for excessive baggage Maximization of seat capacity per plane Use of less expensive airport as Ryan air been offered incentives is a controversial one Ryan air director of communications. Ryan air further endeavours to reduce its airport charges by opting, when practicable, for less expensive gate locations as well as outdoor boarding stairs rather than more expensive jet ways. Ryan air has entered into in agreements on competitive terms with third party contractors at certain airports for traveller and aircraft handling, ticketing and other services that management believes can be more cost resourcefully provided by third parties. Management attempts to obtain competitive rates for such services by negotiating multi-year contracts at prices that are fixed or subject only to periodic increases related to inflation. One of the typical example is the price of aviation fuel which is directly related to the cost of oil but Ryan air control this through hedging. All these factors listed above contributed to a low variable cost of Ryan air, a key component in any successful yield management system and provide an opportunity for leverage against its major competitors. Critical analysis of the issues involved in the following article: BAA Airports: Notice of release of interim undertaking

The Uncertainty Of Perception :: essays research papers

The Uncertainty of Perception "Seeing conditions what we believe†¦believing conditions what we see." This observation is the core of society and the substratum of human behavior. Psychological studies have reinforced and proven theories involving the conditioning of humans. However, failure lies in the attempt to assign the causes to a single concept. Among the vast influences for human behavior is our tendency to see what our beliefs would have us to, and hence, believe only what we happen to see. Obviously, my previous statement only obfuscates our attempt to comprehend the intended notion. In order to attain total understanding of the profound thought the quotation develops, I will attempt to analyze and apply it to my experience and knowledge of conditioning. Primarily, I need a concise interpretation of the idea. The contextual definition of see is "to perceive by the eye." Unfortunately, sight, is only one of five senses. Even worse, the images we see through our eyes are s tatistically only one-millionth of our actual reality. Therefore, anything we see is not the entire being or actuality of the world around us but instead a finite perception (by means of vision) of the universe. The technical definition of the other key term, belief, is "a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing." In context, I will use the typical philosopher's definition and define belief as "the unthinking acceptance of an idea or system of ideas." Philosophically, belief is "blind" and is described as "the process of making a commitment to an idea in order to make that idea work for you." In a selfish sense, it is the process of making ideas true. Transitionally, the quotation can be interpreted as "Our finite perception of reality determines what we will accept as the truth, and what we view as the truth will alter our already limited perceptions of life." Although wordy, a better co nnotation is produced and the coherence of the concept is increased. "Well, now that we have seen each other," said the Unicorn, "if you believe in me, I'll believe in you. Is that a bargain?" writes Lewis Carroll in his piece, Through the Looking-Glass. The situation of the Unicorn and Man appears to be that neither believed in the other because they had never seen the other species, thus illustrating the age-old slogan "Seeing is believing." In today's modern society that maxim is evident. The Uncertainty Of Perception :: essays research papers The Uncertainty of Perception "Seeing conditions what we believe†¦believing conditions what we see." This observation is the core of society and the substratum of human behavior. Psychological studies have reinforced and proven theories involving the conditioning of humans. However, failure lies in the attempt to assign the causes to a single concept. Among the vast influences for human behavior is our tendency to see what our beliefs would have us to, and hence, believe only what we happen to see. Obviously, my previous statement only obfuscates our attempt to comprehend the intended notion. In order to attain total understanding of the profound thought the quotation develops, I will attempt to analyze and apply it to my experience and knowledge of conditioning. Primarily, I need a concise interpretation of the idea. The contextual definition of see is "to perceive by the eye." Unfortunately, sight, is only one of five senses. Even worse, the images we see through our eyes are s tatistically only one-millionth of our actual reality. Therefore, anything we see is not the entire being or actuality of the world around us but instead a finite perception (by means of vision) of the universe. The technical definition of the other key term, belief, is "a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing." In context, I will use the typical philosopher's definition and define belief as "the unthinking acceptance of an idea or system of ideas." Philosophically, belief is "blind" and is described as "the process of making a commitment to an idea in order to make that idea work for you." In a selfish sense, it is the process of making ideas true. Transitionally, the quotation can be interpreted as "Our finite perception of reality determines what we will accept as the truth, and what we view as the truth will alter our already limited perceptions of life." Although wordy, a better co nnotation is produced and the coherence of the concept is increased. "Well, now that we have seen each other," said the Unicorn, "if you believe in me, I'll believe in you. Is that a bargain?" writes Lewis Carroll in his piece, Through the Looking-Glass. The situation of the Unicorn and Man appears to be that neither believed in the other because they had never seen the other species, thus illustrating the age-old slogan "Seeing is believing." In today's modern society that maxim is evident.

Chitizenship Coursework

On the Monday 19th January we decided to go to Meadow Primary School, which is mine and Katie's old primary school, to talk to a class of year 4 children about why we need trees. The group of children where specially selected by the Headmaster as they had recently been on a trip that had a lot to do with nature and involved many nature based activities. Our presentation included a short PowerPoint presentation on the topic we had chosen which was â€Å"Why we need trees†, and asking the children to answer some questions at the end on the topic, using the information that was provided in the presentation and some booklets that we had also made and provided. These included some information, questions and other activities, as well as a web site where they could get more information. We where originally going to plant a tree with the children as well, but because of unfortunate rainy weather we where not able to as the ground was to muddy and slippery. Describe your Role As my part I introduced who we where, why we where here and what we had come to talk about. I also talked about the contents of slides 1-8, as we decided to talk about the slides that we made, mine being about why trees are important to our and other animals survival. The slides did not only have information on but also some questions that I asked them to see how much they knew already and to get them involved to interests them more as I did not think they would be to interested with us just talking for about half an hour as the children between ages of 8 and 9. As we where early finishing I also took part in quizzing the children on the presentation, which was actually quite a good method to find out what they learnt, which in turn helped see how interesting and helpful our presentation was. Planning Stages We decided to do our presentation when we where looking through a booklet in our PSHCE lesson, that had suggestions in of what we could do for our coursework. We decided this could be fun for both the children and us and be an opportunity to see how well we can interact with children. We discussed a school that would be appropriate for us to go to and then got in contact with the head master by writing a letter. After he replied saying he would like us to go and see him, me and Katie went to see him to tell him in more detail about our intensions. After he said we would be allowed, we started preparing our presentation. We told him about the woodlands trust, and asked them if it would be ok to set up a school planting program. This would mean they would get tree, plants, and shrubs sent to them, which they could plant on the school grounds. This was also, where we got the trees that we would be planting from. After we finished the presentation and booklets, Katie and I went back to Meadow to arrange a date when we could go, and the group of students we would be presenting it to. Many different factors affected this as we where hoping to do it on a Monday afternoon when we had PSHCE as then we would not have to miss any of our other lessons, but it also had to be appropriate for the school, as we could not do it before Christmas as they had school plays and where doing other activities. The Headmaster also had important meetings, and wanted to see us do the presentation as well. My Contribution My contribution to the planning was helping to write the letter to the headmaster of Meadow Primary School telling him of our intensions and asking if we could go and see him to explain in more detail and hopefully get his permission to prepare and give a presentation on our chosen topic. When he replied I went to see him along with Katie to explain in more detail and get permission to give the presentation, and to arrange a group of children who we would be giving our presentation to. Once we knew this I started making slide 1-8 of the presentation. To do this I looked on the tree for all website to get some ideas and information about what I could include, along with various other websites that provided information about our chosen topic. Contribution of Others The rest of my group done very similar work to me as we wanted to make sure the work was split equally between us, and that we where all happy with what we where doing. As I mentioned before we all contributed to helping write the letter as we knew it would be important to get a reply. Katie came with me to see the headmaster to organise dates etc and explain in more detail about what we wanted to do. She also created the next part of the power point which was slides 9-16 which where about what problems where being caused due to there being less trees, and why they where being cut down. She also researched information on the internet a created slides 17-22 which where about what we could do to help and also a slide on the woodlands trust website as they played an important part I our talk. Kelly made the booklets that we gave to the children using the information that we put on the power point, and also finding pictures and activities that would help make the booklet more interesting. As we also wanted to plant a tree we got together to talk about where we could get one from, and decided that we talk to the headmaster of meadow about getting involved with the tree for all program which meant they would be sent boxes of trees, hedges, shrubs etc that would be at a suitable size to plant. He said that they where interested in doing this and was sent the box of plant life, and allowed us to plant one of them each instead of having to buy our own. Activity Log Activity Group/Individual Date Writing a letter to the headmaster Group 3/11/08 Meeting the headmaster to organise details Group 14/11/08 – 9/01/09 Researching information for the topics we where doing Individual 14/11/08 -06/12/08 Creating slides in the PowerPoint or booklets Group/Individual 14/11/08 -06/12/08 Talking about the presentation Group/Individual 19/01/09 Asking questions Group/Individual 19/01/09 We thought educating children about the value of trees would be a good idea because there where lots of things to talk about especially as issues such as global warming are now becoming a problem. We decided to talk to a group of younger children as we felt it would be more interesting for them and they would be more likely to listen and get involved. I also feel it is important to educate the children at an earlier age, so they will interested in helping by recycling, turning of lights etc at an earlier age, and get into a routine of it so it will carry on when they are older. Even though there was quite a bit of work involved I am still glad I decided to do the project because both the group and the children found it fun, although it was a bit disappointing that we did not get to plant the trees. When the headmaster replied to our letter, me and Katie went to see him which although was a bit daunting, it was also very helpful as he gave us some ideas and tips that could help us prepare the presentation and improve our work, which soon made us feel much better about going to see him again. Going to see the headmaster also helped me to see what it would be like in the future going to see an employer as I now know what its like to be questioned about what I want to do. I was so relived when he said yes because it was a school I was familiar with and also one of the easiest to get to, which made everything a lot easier to organise. It took quite a long time to prepare the presentation as we had to fit it all together, and find times when we all could get together at the end to edit the power point and make sure we all thought it was informational, yet not to complicated for the children to understand. We also had to make sure the booklets where informational yet fun so the children will take interest in them. A lot of the information we included we thought of ourselves, but researched facts that we could include to show them more clearly how bad problems like global warming and deforestation where getting, but telling them other things like what we can do to help we came up with ourselves from things we already knew. Team work played an important part in our project as we had to all do equal parts in order to make it fair, but we also had to be happy with the part we where given which we where. On my own it would have taken me much longer to do and also would have been more scary to do the presentation, so I'm glad I was able to work in a team as it made the experience more enjoyable. List of Supporting Evidence We have kept a copy the letter we wrote to the headmaster as proof of our visit, and we have also kept copies of the power point presentation and booklets. We where also given some copies of the letters that the headmaster sent out to the parents of the children to make them aware of our visit and our intentions, which has his signature and contact details of the school. There where also other documents that where created whilst organising dates etc which the headmaster, but we have not included them as they where just notes as a reminder of the date and time and other details like what age the children where. The power point was really just a background that would help us to give our speeches by showing facts and other details, and it also make the talk more interesting for the children, as we used bright colours and pictures. We choose a green theme as we thought that would be the most appropriate colour, and included pictures of animals as we told of how they could be affected if all the trees where cut down, because I think it is important the children know the effects global warming and deforestation has on the animals, as well as ourselves. I think creating the power point was the hardest part, because we had to make informational, but complicated to understand, which meant we had to be careful about what we talked about and our vocabulary, because if we mentioned something or said words that the children did not understand they would become confused, so we asked other people like our parents what they thought before we went back to tell him it was finished. The booklets where something we made as an extra for the for the children and consisted of activities like dot to sots and bullet pointed some information and facts that where mentioned during the presentation. We made them as an encouragement for children to do something more, like convincing their parents to recycle more etc, as they would be able to remember facts and what they can do to help better. We also included the Tree for All website on them, so they will be able to go on there and get more information and ideas. Use of Supporting Evidence I think writing the letter to the headmaster was the most important part of our work, because without it we would not have been able to do our presentation, and may have ended up doing something else, which would have been really disappointing. The power point was also important as it helped keep the children from getting bored, as well as reminding us what to say by showing facts and information, as without we would have had to memorise a speech which would have been hard to remember and probably quite boring for the children, which would have made it quite nerve wrecking and probably not as enjoyable. I also think it was better that we made booklets for them even thought they where not necessary, as it meant the children would be more likely to get involved as they had something that could tell them how, and them doing something like, turning of lights, recycling, etc would still be and achievement as our aim wasn't just to inform, but to try and convince them to get involved. Once we finished the presentation we questioned the children on what they had learnt, and this proved that we where successful in capturing their interest, as we where afraid of none of them getting involved and putting their hands up, but many of them did which was very pleasing as it meant our visit has had some kind of effect. Doing this presentation has also taught me some new things, especially when we where creating the power point, for example I now know that the Amazon Rainforest gives us more than 20% of our oxygen, and that nearly half of it has been cut down. I found this quite shocking, and it made me realise just how bad things are getting environmentally, and made me think more about what could be drastic effects that these damages could have, like more illnesses due to less trees removing the air pollution. I am really disappointed that we did not get to plant the trees as it would have been nice to give them and example, and it would have been a new experience for me, and a lot of the children who have never planted a tree before, although hopefully they will get chances in the future now that the school is getting trees to plant from the woodlands trust. I hope that they will enjoy doing this and that our visit will encourage them to do things outside of school and suggest ideas to any outer school clubs they go to, or get involved with activities and events that go on within the community. Evaluation of my Own Contribution I think I done my role within the group well because I created my faire share of slides for the power point, and helped organise the presentation, which meant going to meadow primary after school, as well as working on the slides. I also helped put the power point together and improve other slides that may have been a bit complicated. I think the amount of work we done was all fair and equal and I think we done it quite well, and I was especially pleased with how the presentation went as I was really nervous in case they found us boring or would not listen and where badly behaved, but luckily we managed t interest them as they where eager to answer the questions, although they could sometimes get a bit chatty when we started discussing things, although I am still really with how well behaved they where. Evaluation of Others Contribution I think everyone in my group worked really well, and I think we functioned well as a group, as we shared the work equally and had now arguments or disagreements about what we where doing , or over who was doing what. I think it was our good teamwork and cooperation that made everything go so well. I think Emma and Katie done a really good job of creating their slides for the power point and explained them in a calm yet interesting way. Kelly also did a really good job with the booklets and finding and creating activities for them. She was also very good with her timing during the presentation as she gave us enough time to do each slide, and also made sure we switched at the right point and stayed within time. I really enjoyed working with my friends and am really happy that everything went so smoothly because of our hard work and motivation. For my PSHCE project, me and my friends Kelly, Katie and Emma, wanted to do something to help the environment. We choose to do a project based around trees, as they are an important part to the survival of living things as they provide us with oxygen. They also provide homes and food for animals and resources for us. Due to the air pollution that is given off from transport vehicles, burning fossil fuels to make electricity, etc, as more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, and traps heat emitted by the sun. This is called the greenhouse effect, and trees reduce the problem as they take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and give off oxygen. Cutting down the trees therefore speeds up the process and can lead to devastating effects like flooding that will be caused by the sea levels rising from the polar ice caps melting from the hotter temperatures. We thought the best way to help, would be to inform younger people as hopefully it would interest them at an early age to recycle, turn off lights and electrical appliances when there not being used, etc, and they would also encourage their parents and brothers and sisters to do the same. We decided the best way to do this would be to go to a primary school and give a small presentation and give out some booklets about trees, why they are important, what is happening and what we can do to help. We also thought that planting a tree with them would be a fun example and reminder of what they can do to help, as they would then see the trees everyday. The school we decided to contact was Meadow Primary School because it was near by and mine and Katie's old primary school, so we already knew the headmaster and the contact details. We decided the best way to contact him would be through a letter so we wrote one together explain what we wanted to do, why and what it involved. I put my phone number on the letter, and a couple of days later, he phoned us saying that he would be happy to let us give our presentation, and that we should go and see him after school to arrange some details. Me and Katie went because it was inconvenient for Emma and Kelly as they lived quite far away. Once there we talked about the details like when we should visit, which was preferably Monday afternoon as that is when we have PSHCE and so we would not be missing any of our other lessons. We also discussed which class we would be talking to and decided that our talk would fit in best with a group of year fours who had recently been on a school trip which had involved them learning about nature. Over the next week we created a power point presentation and some booklets. We decided to split the power point presentation into three sections, and we would each speak about the part that we done. I would be talking about why trees are important and where they are being cut down. Katie was talking about the problems cutting down trees was causing, and why they where being cut down, and Emma talked about what can be done to help. I got information of various websites which helped me to include some facts and figures, like who the Amazon Rainforest gives us 20% of our oxygen. As we where talking to children between the ages of we had to be careful of the language we used and how we phrased things, as they would not know as many words as us, and so may not understand if we said something that we had been taught in our lessons at school. I found this a bit difficult as when I am usually describing something, I like to use a wider vocabulary and try to make it very detailed, but as I had to do the opposite of this, I found I had to keep asking people for their opinion of whether the children would be able to understand, as although we did want to teach them something new, we thought it would be difficult and confusing for them to learn too many new words. When everyone had finished their part, we fitted the power point together and changed everything so it matched. We also read through it editing and adding in bits, like questions each part offered ideas from all of us making it better. When we where finished we gave Kelly the presentation so she would have the information she needed to create the booklets, which I think she done really well, as she found and created lots of activities for the children to enjoy. When we where happy with our final editing, me and Katie went back to Meadow to arrange a date for our visit, but due to the time we had some trouble, as we where doing exams, and they had Christmas plays, so we went back after Christmas and arranged the date for the 9th January. On the day we left our fourth lesson early, to get to Meadow before half two so we could prepare the presentation. While we where talking, the children where very quite and didn't talk at all, which although this was really good as showed they where listening, I did worry that they may be too shy or uninterested to answer the questions, but this was not the case. We found the children answered the questions with a lot of enthusiasm which was really pleasing as it showed they where interested in helping the environment, and capturing their interest was something we wanted to achieve. As it was to wet to plant the trees, instead we decided to spend the last 15 minuets questioning the children about the presentation, which I think went really well as like before, the children where all enthusiastic to answer the questions we asked, and gave us many of the points that where included in the power point. This was great as it showed that they had been listening and showed they where interested in the environment. I think that everything was really well although it was really disappointing that we did not get to plant the trees as it would have been fun and a great experience for us and the children, but we did get the satisfaction of knowing that they would be planting them some other time, and that they had learnt something. They also seemed to be really interested in the booklets that we made which was pleasing as hopefully they will have taken them home and done the activities and even tried some of the activities we recommended. I also hope that they will have tried to influence their parents and their siblings to help by turning of lights and recycling, as this could spread out through out the community and encourage many more people to start helping, which could have an impact on the amount of trees that are being planted and cut down.