Life of Pi by Yann Martel - Discussion Questions

'Life of Pi' by Yann Martel - Discussion Questions Life of Pi by Yann Martel is one of those books that becomes richer when you can discuss it with friends. These book club discussion questions on Life of Pi will allow your book club to delve into the questions Martel raises.Spoiler Warning: These book club discussion questions reveal important details about Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Finish the book before reading on. Pi believes that animals in a zoo are no worse off than animals in the wild. Do you agree with him?Pi considers himself a convert to Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism? Is it possible to practice all three faiths faithfully? What is Pis reasoning in not choosing one?Pis story of surviving on a lifeboat with zoo animals is rather incredible. Did the far-fetched nature of the story ever bother you? Was Pi a convincing storyteller?What is the significance of the floating islands with the meerkats?Discuss Richard Parker. What does he symbolize?What is the connection between zoology and religion in Pis life? Do you see connections between these fields? What does each of the fields teach us about life, survival, and meaning?Pi is forced to tell the shipping official a more credible story. Does his story without animals change your view of the story with animals?Neither story can be proved one way or the other, so Pi asks the official which story he prefers. Which do you prefer? Which do you believe? Throughout Life of Pi, we hear about interactions between the author and adult Pi. How do these interactions color the story? How does knowing Pi survives and has a happy ending with a family affect your reading of his survival account?What is the significance of the name Pi?Rate Life of Pi on a scale of 1 to 5.

Boogie Nights essays

Boogie Nights essays The film, Boogie Nights, is film about the pornography business in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Through this industry we meet many different characters going through varying problems. This paper will show that although most of the film follows the career of a young man embarking on a career as a porn actor, this serves as a vehicle for a story about the importance and complications of family. While blood is of no importance in this family setting, the bonds that these characters make with each other rivals any family. This combined with the identity crisis of the time period is the basis for this very well made film. The setting is of particular importance at the beginning of the film. Dirk Diggler, or Eddie, as he was referred to at the beginning of the film, lived at home with his two parents in a suburb south of Los Angeles, Torrance, California. Living in the suburbs would be of no importance if one did not know the referential meaning of typical suburban life. Suburban families are usually thought of as being ideal, loving, nuclear families where the mom stays home to take care of the house and family while the father goes to work to make money. This concept is played upon in the first scene that the family is shown together. Just as the stereotype permits, his family is first shown together at breakfast. It looks at first like this is a typical suburban family with the mom cooking at the stove, son eating at the table, and the dad coming into the kitchen in his suit for work and kissing his wife on the cheek. For this film, however, this image is created only to immediately destro y these preconceived notions of suburban life. It was the perfect suburban family down to the kiss, on the surface. While kissing your wife on the cheek in the morning while she cooks breakfast for her family would fit the perfect picture, instead, she snaps at him and scolds him saying that he should not do that if he hasn...

Journals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Journals - Essay Example It is presently one of the strongest in the union and he was proud to discuss that France’s GDP, which is just under 3 trillion USD is rather impressive. After all, with America’s recent economic crisis I think it is important to listen to what other people think in other countries whose economies are improving. I, also, asked him about the exchange rate for monies. I will spend a week in France it might be important to understand better the value of currency. Apparently 1 American dollar is equal to 1 Euro, however, its value in relation to the dollar is about 0.75. Otherwise our in-flight discussion was about every day things, museums, sight-seeing, and the like. I am very exciting about this opportunity and I look forward to everything I may learn and experience along the way. During the duration of this week prior to the classes starting I hope to spend time sigh-seeing, of course, after all, I will be in Paris, France. I am very excited to visit the Louvre, see the Eifel Tower, and the Notre dame Cathedral; at least I hope I have time to take in as much as the place has to offer. Interesting fun fact that I learned about Paris on my trip. Paris was not the original name for the famous city. It was original called, in Latin, â€Å"Lutentia Parisiorium.† Lutentia is, essentially he word for mud and the Celtic peoples who resided there were call Parsii; therefore the original name of one of the world’s most beautiful and romantic city was â€Å"the mud city of the Parisii;† this, I thought, was rather interesting and a little amusing. I hope to, also spend some time understanding a little bit about the Czech Republic, before I arrive there. I will be spending a lot of time there and I want to be prepared and educated before I arrive there. One thing that I already took the time to investigate is that, when I told people that I was going to the Czech Republic, how many people still believe that the area is still called Czecho slovakia. The region formerly known as Czechoslovakia split into the two independent countries of Slovakia and the Czech Republic 20 years ago in 1993. Entry 2-May 27 2013 It was time to leave France, which was a wonderful experience overall, behind and head to Prague in the Czech Republic. Prague has the feel of being aged and still has architecture that still stands. In fact, it is often used as an ideal location for period, or historical, films because it still has areas that still have that â€Å"old world feel.† Unlike many other countries during WWII, Prague did not resist Hitler and he did little damage, so many of the buildings have withstood the test of time, I have had the opportunity to speak to several people on the trip over. There was one man who was very friendly and was eager to fill me in on the history of his land. It is definitely a city that has survived a great deal of war, upheaval, along with the transition between communism and capitalism. There was an other, a woman, who was actually quite knowledgeable about the kinds of questions that I thought were important to ask. She explained that the population of the Czech Republic is around 10.5 million people and 1/10 of that is located in the capitol, Prague. There economy is quite diversified and is based in metal works, machine parts, automobiles, beer, foods, and electronics. They have low unemployment rates and promising balancing of inflation. They did suffer a minor recession back in the late 90s because of

The strategies to maintain the competitive position in the market Term Paper

The strategies to maintain the competitive position in the market place for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company - Term Paper Example Strengths And Weaknesses Of Organization 10 C.Human Resource 10 1.Personel Policies 10 2.Skills Required To Accomplish The Mission 11 3.Attitude Towards Employees 11 4. Training Programs 12 5. Incentives And Job Enrichment 12 D. Financing 13 1. Types Of Securities Sold To Public And Its Listing 13 2. Current Performance 13 3. Profit And Loss Of The Company 14 4. Rating by Moody’s and Standard and Poor 14 5. Financial New Generated In Past Years 14 E.Corporate Social Responsibility 15 F. Management 15 1. Strength And Weaknesses Of Management 15 2. Business Policies 16 3. Strategies Used 17 4. Statement About Social Responsibility 17 5. Plans For The Future 17 IV.Conclusion 18 A.Evaluation Of The Firm 18 B. Personal Attainment 19 Work Cited 20 I. Introduction A.Name and Location of the Corporation The name of the company in consideration is Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) which is situated in Springfield. The marketing name that has been offered for Mass achusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) is MassMutual Financial Group (MassMutual Financial Group, â€Å"2010 Annual Report†). B.Reason for Choosing the Firm The main reason behind the choice of MassMutual is that it is one of the biggest life insurance companies in the world and has been successful at attaining 93rd rank in the Fortune 500 list. It has been noted that the company operates for the benefits and the advantages of the members along with its participating policyholders (MassMutual Financial Group, â€Å"2010 Annual Report†). II.Framework of the Business A.A Condensed History of the Firm It was in the year 1851 when the company commenced its operation in a single room and had a single objective of assisting the people to protect their families as well as their future. After 160 years of operation, the company is still focusing upon its core objective of assisting the people to safeguard their families. The company operates for the advantage of its beneficiaries and is therefore proud of its long history. In the course of time, the company has offered its millions of customers with financial as well as retirement related securities. The company has also been successful at paying its policy holders with dividends since the year of 1860s. By earning financial strength ratings, the company has achieved remarkable position in the particular sector. The company’s trained professionals comprise of thousands of agents situated all over the United States. The main task of the agents is to understand the customers’ financial goals and therefore serve them to formulate their financial strategies accordingly. Although since inception the company’s core product has been life insurance, it has also been offering its customers with numerous other insurance schemes as well as investment products designed for the individuals, businesses and the families. The institutional investors as well as the nonprofit, corporate, governmental and union employees can as well avail the company’s retirement services (Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, â€Å"Our Company†). B.Incorporation of the firm The company was incorporated in Springfield at Massachusetts in the United States. C. Creators and organizers of the firm The company was incorporated by George W. Rice who had been young insurance representative, selling policies for the company named as Connecticut Mutual Life in Connecticut. His objective was to

Types of Essays Essay Example for Free

Types of Essays Essay Narration is telling a story from a certain viewpoint, and there is usually a reason for the telling. All narrative essays will have characters, setting, climax, and most importantly, a plot. The plot is the focus of the story and is usually revealed chronologically, but there are sometimes flash forwards and flash backs. In writing a narrative essay, remember to: †¢Include sensory and emotional details, so the reader will experience the story, not just read about it †¢Have the story support the point you are making, and make reference to that point in the first sentence. †¢Write in the first or third person Descriptive Descriptive essays have text which describes traits and characteristics of people, objects, events, feelings, etc in intricate detail. Whatever is being described will be thoroughly examined. For example, if you were describing roses, you would explain: †¢Where they come from †¢What they look like †¢What colors they are †¢How they grow and smell When you write a descriptive essay, you want to involve the reader’s senses and emotions. For example, you could say, â€Å"I got sleepy† or describe it like this, As I was waiting for Santa, my eyelids began to get heavy, the lights on the tree began to blur with the green branches, and my head started to drop. The second sentence gives vivid details to make the reader feel like he is there. Exposition Expository essays can compare, explore and discuss problems, or tell a story. An exposition essay gives information about various topics to the reader. It: †¢Informs †¢Describes †¢Explains In writing an exposition, the text needs to: †¢Be concise and easy to understand †¢Give different views on a subject or report on a situation or event †¢Explain something that may be difficult to understand as you write your essay. Remember that your purpose is to explain. Argumentative In an argumentative essay the writer is trying to convince the reader by demonstrating the truth or falsity of a topic. The writer’s position will be backed up with certain kinds of evidence, like statistics or opinions of experts. The writer is not just giving an opinion, but making an argument for or against something and supporting that argument with data. To know how to write an essay in an argumentative way, you have to research and backup what you say in the text.

Albert Einstein :: biographies biography bio

Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879 in Ulm, Germany as the son of Pauline and Hermann Einstein. Albert was slow to talk. Family members remember that he didn't really start talking until he could speak in entire sentences. He would pause for long periods to gather his thoughts before speaking. His sister told stories of his hours of perseverance constructing houses from playing cards. One of his favorite childhood stories was about the wonder he felt the first time he saw a compass. The compass convinced him that there had to be "something behind things, something deeply hidden." At the age of 12, he was given a book on Euclidean plane geometry, which sparked his great wonder in mathematics and physics. His uncle was also a great influence in young Albert's life. He was an engineer and loved to talk about his work, which gave Albert great inspiration as a child. Einstein loved to learn, but hated the high school he was sent to in Munich. He generally got good grades and was one of the top students in mathematics, but could not stand the idea that success depended on memorization and the obedience of authority. Einstein taught himself most material at home where he had quite a collection of books on mathematics and physics. He was even told to leave school by one of his teachers because his presence caused a loss of respect for the teachers by his fellow students. In 1905 Einstein received his doctorate from the University of Zurich for a theoretical dissertation on the dimensions of molecules, and went on to become one the greatest scientists of the 20th century as well as winning the Nobel Prize. In 1933, he accepted a position at the new Institution for Advanced Study at Princeton, New Jersey where he stayed until his death in 1955. Was his brain different? This question plagued people for many years. Just before his death, Einstein gave permission to researchers to dissect his brain and look for abnormalities, but none were found. Later, in 1999, Sandra F. Witelson discovered he lacked a small wrinkle called the parietal operculum. She theorized that because of the absence of this wrinkle, other regions of his brain were able to develop more fully, possibly contributing to his incredible intelligence. "The human mind is not capable of grasping the Universe. We are like a little child entering a huge library. The walls are covered to the ceilings with books in many different tongues.

Goals Paper Essay

My second long-term goal is an academic goal. My academic goal is to graduate from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. This academic goal of mine is very important to me because I want to be a teacher. I have always wanted to become a teacher since I was a young girl but I foolishly did not pursue my dream. I am now at a point in my life where I recognize that tomorrow is not promised. Therefore, I have decided to pursue my dream of becoming a teacher and will not allow myself to steer off that path. My third long-term goal is career orientated. This long-term career goal is to simply become an effective elementary teacher. By becoming an effective elementary teacher, I will be able to make a positive difference in the lives of my students. I know firsthand the importance of an effective teacher because I experienced what one was like. That person was my fifth grade teacher and she made such a positive difference in my life at that time. I want to be able to do the same and so that is why becoming an effective elementary teacher is my long-term career goal. Now that I have identified my three long-term goals I will now discuss how I will accomplish these goals. In order for me to achieve my personal long-term goal of becoming a homeowner, I have set a short-term and an intermediate goal. My short-term goal which will help lead me to becoming a homeowner is finding a job, because I am currently unemployed. The only income I have at this time is from my husband’s full-time job. His income alone cannot qualify us for a mortgage loan. Therefore, I intend to consistently look for employment on a weekly basis. Although this short-term goal may seem to be an easy one, it is not. The reason it is not is due to the fact that there are a lot of people currently unemployed whom are looking for work themselves. This has a negative effect on me because it makes my chances of finding a job much harder. However, I am determined to find a job no matter how many applications it may take. I will make sure that I attach a resume and will make follow-up calls to each of the employers that I have submitted an employment application to. I will also keep a positive attitude on my pursuit for employment so that nothing sabotages my short-term goal. With that said, having a job is not the only thing that is necessary for me to achieve my long-term personal goal. I will also need to have some money saved to put down towards the purchase price of a home. Therefore, I have set an intermediate goal to have saved at least two percent of $195,000 dollars within the next two and a half years by putting $130 dollars per month into a savings account. I am confident that I can achieve my personal long-term goal as long as I adhere to the short-term and intermediate goals that I have indicated above. As for my long-term academic goal to achieve a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, I have set a short-term and an intermediate goal that will assist me in obtaining it. My short-term goal consists of two parts. The first part is to take a minimum of four courses, per semester, that are required for the type of degree I am seeking. The second part is to maintain a grade point average of 3. 0 or higher. In order for me to meet these short-term goals I will make sure that I follow the education catalog which outlines all the courses I need to complete and I will make sure that I consistently keep up with all assignments. I will also keep myself organized and maintain a positive attitude in every course that I take. My intermediate goal is to earn my associates degree at Valencia by the year 2012. I know that I can accomplish this intermediate goal as long as I adhere to my short-term goal stated above. Now this may sound like an easy thing to do but in reality there are always challenges that can arise and put a damper on things. One of the challenges that I face in meeting my short-term goal is procrastination. I tend to procrastinate when it comes to studying and completing assignments that I find to be challenging. This course has already taught me the importance to stop procrastinating and to study. I plan to utilize the information from our course to stop the cycle of procrastination and to study in an effective manner. I also intend to consistently reaffirm my long-term academic goal so that it will motivate me to keep in line with my short-term and intermediate goals. Lastly for my long-term career goal, which is to be an effective elementary teacher, I have set a short-term and an intermediate goal. My short-term goal is to get hired as an elementary teacher shortly after obtaining my bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. In order for that to happen, I will submit employment applications at several elementary schools for a teacher position. I will also make sure that I provide a resume along with my portfolio to all of the schools that I have submitted an employment application to. My intermediate goal that I have set which will assist me in becoming an effective elementary teacher consists of developing professionally on a personal level and on a career level. Once I am employed as an elementary teacher, I plan to attend workshops that will improve my skills as a teacher so that I can apply such skills in the classroom. In time I know that I can be an effective elementary teacher because I have a passion to teach and love being around children. In summary, I have a long-term personal goal to own a home, a long-term academic goal to earn a bachelor’s degree, and a long-term career goal to become an effective elementary teacher. All three of my long-term goals are very important to me and in essence builds and/or relies on the other. In order for me to accomplish my three long-term goals, I have set S-M-A-R-T short-term and intermediate goals for each. I also believe that I will be able to achieve all three long-term goals because of Valencia. One of the reasons why Valencia will assist me in reaching my goals is simply due to the fact that this community college is very affordable. Also, this community college has many wonderful professors that are dedicated in guiding students successfully on their career paths. Valencia Community College also has many resources available to me that will assist me in obtaining my associate’s degree and will prepare me with the skills needed to be a successful student at UCF.

Alarming Literacy Concerns in US

Learning to read is like learning to drive a car. You take lessons and learn the mechanics of driving and rules of driving. Why do people put a major emphasis on learning to drive and such a minute one on learning to read? Illiteracy is growing at an alarming rate not only in the USA, but all over the globe. Illiteracy continues to be a critical problem, demanding enormous resources from local, state, and federal taxes. These resources should be spent more wisely so that we can cut back on some of our National Debt. Why does America have a reading problem? We are the most affluent and technologically advanced of all the industrial nations on earth. We have free public education for everyone to use, more money and resources dedicated to educating our children than any other nation on earth. According to the National Adult Literacy Survey, 42 million adult Americans cannot read; 50 million can recognize so few printed words they are limited to a 4th or 5th grade reading level; one out of every four teenagers drops out of high school, and those who graduate, one out of every four has the equivalent or less of an eighth grade education. The number of functional illiterate adults increases by an alarming two million people a year. If a child is not taught proper reading and meaning techniques before they pass the fourth grade they will be suppressed and forced to take some remedial course to help them cope with not being at the same level as the other children. There is an answer why children cannot read but it is a hard fact for many people in the education field to swallow. It requires these professionals, who have been engaged in a form of education malpractice for many years, to admit that the methods of teaching reading they have been teaching since the beginning have been all wrong. The method that most teachers teach is that children should memorize or guess at words by looking at pictures or have clues given to them. Learning this way is supposed to be more fun and meaningful, but apparently with the high rate of illiterate children is due impart to this method of teaching. Teaching children to read should be the most important objective educators have. Learning to read is a prerequisite for everything else in life that one will encounter. The English language contains about a half million words, but on average only 300 words make up people s everyday vocabulary. Where do the other 499,700 or more words go? Whether you know it or not, you are carrying the weight of all the illiterate people in the USA on your back. It has been approximated that the yearly cost in welfare unemployment compensation due to illiteracy is six billion dollars. Literacy Volunteers of America state, an additional 237 billion dollars a year in unrealized earnings is forfeited by persons who lack basic reading skills. Family involvement is a major key in unlocking a child's learning ability. If a child is read to on a regular basis, they will be ahead of the game before they start their long journey to read. With how technological our world is becoming, it is important that families place an extreme value on knowing their children can read fluently and understand what they have read. After parents do as much as they can to help their children get ahead start, the teachers can teach the rules of reading to our children. If we as a nation let this illiteracy problem keep going at the rate that its going now, there will not be anything left for future generations. Everyone will not be able to read or talk fluently. All of the manufacturing would halt because no one could read directions to build anything and the nation would be in total chaos. So do your part and help a child learn to read.

Shakespere essays

Shakespere essays In Much Ado About Nothing, most of the characters had interesting relationships with each other. For example, Hero and Claudio, were deeply in love. Also, Don Juan, and Don John were fighting with each other. Another example was the close friendship between Benedick, Claudio, and Don Juan. But the relationship between Benedick and Beatrice was different than the others. In their relationship, they hated each other, that brought them together. Their personalities were so similar, that it made them sick of each other, but the similarities in their personalities is Benedick was a smart, good-looking, and funny guy. He was very witty, and always had a response to anyone's comments. For example, when he was talking to Beatrice, he always had a comment to finish of the conversation. He also didn't like the idea of marriage. Benedick thought that marriage led to the trapping of men. When he heard about Claudio getting married, Benedick thought that Claudio was crazy, because Benedick felt that marriage was going to change the way Claudio lived. Benedick was also very stubborn. He never wanted to give into other people's ideas, and that was why he didn't want to give into the idea that marriage could be a good thing in a person's life. Beatrice was a character very similar to Benedick. She was a very independent person, and didn't want to rely on anyone for support. She also was very smart. She enjoyed reading poetry, and thought about things a lot. She also was against marriage. During one conversation, she even said that she would rather die than get married. Another characteristic of Beatrice was that she was very emotional. She often changed her mood all of a sudden for no apparent reason. Also, Beatrice kept many of her feelings inside her. Sometimes she would be angry but ...

The Secret Universe of Bret Easton Ellis Novels

The Secret Universe of Bret Easton Ellis Novels The term â€Å"shared universe† is usually found in speculative stories, like the epic connections Stephen King has been quietly building by linking all of his novels and many of his shorter works together, or the way H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos continues to be the setting for new stories by various authors. Shared universes are exciting because they add a dimension of epicness that can’t be achieved in a single story and open up opportunities for the author to play around with their own creation by cross-referencing events and characters outside a single narrative.   It’s much rarer to find that sort of meta-textual cross-referencing in non-speculative literature, though. Complicating matters is the fact that the most successful shared universes are built slowly, often without the author’s conscious plan. There’s little doubt, for example, that Stephen King had no idea he was creating a shared universe for the first two or three decades of his career. This led to some fairly incredible retcons in later books as he tried to make everything fit. But this slow revelation is also one of the chief pleasures of a literary canon - that moment in novel three when you start to see the connections is electric. You suddenly realize the author has been putting clues and puzzle pieces in front of you all along. Bret Easton Ellis Novels One of the most unexpected and complex shared literary universes can be found in a very unlikely place: the works of author Bret Easton Ellis. He is a divisive writer. For some people, his name is associated only with his most notorious novel American Psycho and the film adaptation it inspired. Christian Bale played the title role in the film. When American Psycho was published in 1991, the critical reaction was mixed. To put it lightly, the distasteful violence combined with the litany of name-checked designer labels led some to pronounce the novel grotesque. Chances are if you’ve read only one Ellis novel, it’s American Psycho. You may be unaware of the incredibly complex and detailed shared universe Ellis has spun over the course of seven books and 30 years. Camden College The seven books that comprise the Ellisverse are: Less Than ZeroThe Rules of AttractionAmerican PsychoThe InformersGlamoramaLunar ParkImperial Bedrooms These six novels and one short story collection can be considered in some ways as one huge story, sharing many settings, characters, and a general sense that life is a banal nightmare populated by demons who prey on each other. If you read Ellis’ books in order, the realization that everything is connected creeps up on you because Ellis often refers to characters in oblique ways without using their names. The eye of the Ellisverse is fictional Camden College, based on Bennington College, which Ellis attended. Many of the characters in Ellis’ books went to Camden, a college that seems to specialize in drug abuse, sexual shenanigans, and emotional breakdowns rather than any sort of useful major. The Camden connection is often the key to figuring out who characters are referencing when using nicknames like â€Å"the guy from L.A.† or â€Å"Rest in Peace.† The Batemans The other key to the Ellisverse is the Batemans, Patrick and Sean. Patrick, of course, is the probably delusional, possibly murderous serial killer from American Psycho, and Sean is his younger brother. Patrick makes his first appearance in The Rules of Attraction, Ellis’ second novel, which is also Sean’s first reference. While Patrick is depicted in that novel as a pretty distasteful person, there’s no indication that he is (or imagines himself to be) a violent serial killer. What isn’t in any doubt is his mutual hatred for his brother Sean. Patrick then appears, or is referred to, in Glamorama and Lunar Park, becoming increasingly ghost-like and seemingly imaginary. Sean is the main character of Rules of Attraction and also appears in American Psycho, The Informers, and Glamorama. Sean isn’t as violently disturbed as his older brother (whom he hates right back) but he’s also not exactly a nice guy. He lives with a healthy dose of self-loat hing, and attempts suicide several times. Both Bateman boys attend Camden College. Connections in the First Five Books Each novel in the Ellisverse connects to every other one. In Less Than Zero, Ellis’ first novel, we’re introduced to Clay, who has come home from Camden College to Los Angeles. Also featured in the book are his girlfriend Blair, childhood friend Julian, and drug dealer acquaintance Rip. Clay is in The Rules of Attraction, Ellis’ second novel, narrating a chapter anonymously as â€Å"the guy from L.A.† Several verbal tics make him easy to identify. Rip, the drug dealer, is also referred to in The Rules of Attraction in a note placed on Clay’s door saying â€Å"Rest in Peace† called. Rip is Clay’s drug dealer. In The Rules of Attraction, Sean and Patrick Bateman both make appearances. Sean is in love with a girl named Lauren and spends time with a bisexual man named Paul who once dated Lauren and is now obsessed with Sean. According to Paul, he and Sean have a passionate affair, but Sean never once mentions having sex with Paul. Lauren is heartbroken over her ex-boyfriend Victor. American Psycho is dominated by Patrick Bateman, of course, who is either engaged in an epic spree of horrifying violence or suffering a complete mental breakdown, depending on your interpretation of the events. His brother Sean appears, as do Victor and Paul. We also meet Tim, a ​co-worker of Patrick’s, and Donald Kimball, the police detective investigating Patrick’s â€Å"crimes.† The Informers is a series of connected short stories. Sean Bateman returns, as do Tim, Julian, and Blair, and a few other minor characters from the prior three novels. In Glamorama, Patrick Bateman shows up for about three lines, with â€Å"weird stains† on the lapel of his suit in what might be a hint that he really is a psycho killer. The main character is Victor from The Rules of Attraction, and several other characters appear, including Lauren and Sean Bateman. So far, so good. Ellis clearly imagines a world in which all of these terrible people exist. Its a world where time passes and people graduate from school, embark on careers, join terrorist groups, and deal with strange vampires (seriously, read The Informers). With the next two books in the Ellisverse, things get really strange. Lunar Park and Imperial Bedrooms Before we go further, let’s jump back to American Psycho and Glamorama, and a minor character who appears in both: Allison Poole. She actually appears as a character in Jay McInerney’s novel Story of My Life, two years before American Psycho. Allison Poole is based on the real-life Rielle Hunter (who you might recall as the woman who brought down John Edwards’ political career). Patrick Bateman murders (?) Poole in American Psycho, linking Ellis’ fictional universe to McInerney’s in what might be the most audacious bit of shared universing in literary history. Poole then shows up again in Glamorama, perfectly alive, giving credence to the theory that Patrick Bateman doesn’t actually kill anyone and is just, you know, crazy. Ellis’ next book was Lunar Park, and this is where the Ellisverse either goes completely nuts or edges into genius, depending on who you ask. Taking a cue from Stephen King, the man character of Lunar Park is Bret Easton Ellis - or at least, a fictional version of himself. The book is styled as a memoir, and the early chapters describing Ellis’ rise to fame and the first five books are reasonably accurate and realistic. Then the character of Ellis meets an actress and gets married and the story takes a sharp turn into the fictional. What makes this fascinating is that characters from Ellis’ novels turn up in Lunar Park as supposedly real people - including Patrick Bateman and the detective who investigates him in American Psycho, Donald Kimball, and possibly Clay (as there is a character named Clayton who resembles Clay in many ways). Jay McInerney also turns up as a character, making this a delirious land-grab when it comes to shared universes, as Ellis now mo re or less claims most of reality as part of his fictional universe. Even more strange, the possibility that some of these people only exist in the fictional Ellis’ fevered imagination is given a lot of traction. So who’s actually there? It might not be possible to know for sure. And then Ellis gets subtler and yet crazier with Imperial Bedrooms. This book is billed as a sequel to Less Than Zero, and features the returning cast of that novel: Clay, Blair, Julian, and Rip, et al. However, Ellis strongly implies in Imperial Bedrooms that the Clay telling the story isn’t the same person as the Clay who narrated Less Than Zero. The implication is that the original Clay was a fictional version of the real Clay. It’s kind of head-spinning and again demonstrates how Ellis is basically erasing the distinction between a fictional universe and the one we all actually live in. Combined with the question of who actually exists in-universe, and the uncertainty in some of the books as to what actually occurs as opposed to what’s imagined, the Ellisverse starts to become extremely trippy and hallucinatory - on purpose. What Ellis is doing is kind of spectacular. Essentially, the events of his novels and stories are presented as real, or as real as anything in the â€Å"real† world. If Stephen King has his hands full linking all of his fictional works together into a shared universe, Ellis is trying to link everything to his fictional universe of sociopaths, drug addicts, and haunted celebrities. It just might be the most ambitious literary experiment ever undertaken. Sources Birch, Helen. Book Review / American psycho-drama: The informers - Bret Easton Ellis: Picador, pounds 9.99. Independent, October 30, 1994. Elder, Richard. Flopsy, Mopsy, Paul, Sean and Lauren: The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis. Los Angeles Times, September 13, 1987. Jordison, Sam. Guardian book club: Bret Easton Elliss American Psycho. The Guardian, July 14, 2010. Kakutani, Michiko. Books of the Times; The Young and Ugly. The New York Times, June 8, 1985. Mendelsohn, Daniel. Lesser Than Zero. The New York Times, January 24, 1999. Scott, A. O. Lunar Park: Hero and Heroin. The New York Times, August 14, 2005. Wynn, Gary. Rielle Hunter on Her Relationship With John Edwards Today, Their Life With Their Daughter Quinn. Suzan Clarke, ABC News, July 22, 2016.

Humanities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Humanities - Essay Example This paper approves that The settlement was started in mid-1830s when Yankee whaling ships who had gone from the Pacific areas began arriving in cove at the west side of San Francisco Bay. This cove became popular to ships to replenish their supplies before returning home around Cape Horn. By 1849, after the gold rush, San Francisco became inhabited by around 40,000 people to take advantage of the economic boom, and buildings soon started to rise. They were short lived because fires ate them up damaging millions of dollars worth of property and displacing many families. Business and commerce became alive again, with warehouses, shops, hotels, and saloons mushrooming in the waterfront streets doing brisk business. People who came from around the world came to settle in San Francisco. The cornerstone for the cathedral was laid on July 17, 1853, and the design resembled a â€Å"Gothic church in Alemany’s hometown in Spain.† Our church’s website describes the first constructed cathedral as having â€Å"parapets on either flank, surmounted with embrasures, and buttresses finished cut-stone pinnacles. Inside a vaulted ceiling with groin arches rose above a Carrara marble altar imported from Rome.† This essay makes a conclusion that all these years saw the emergence of a new Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral with many new plans and projects for its reconstruction, and with the start of Old Saint Mary’s Living Landmark Campaign initiated by Rev. Charles Kullman, CSP, Pastor.

Differentiate between Ordained Local Ministry and Licensed Lay Essay

Differentiate between Ordained Local Ministry and Licensed Lay Ministry in the Church of England today. What theology underpins the distinctions - Essay Example In addition, the underlying theological perspectives shall be discussed. Despite the differences that are available among these ministries the purpose that they pursue in based on the doctrines of the Bible. Therefore, the difference that exists between these two ministries is geared towards complementing each other. The ordained local ministry (OLM) is a national movement that comprises of clergy that have been ordained but have opted to serve church at a local level. The individual intending to join should firstly inform the Bishop in that diocese that further informs the Director of Ordinands at Parish. The parish gets the mandate to review the individual’s request and make a decision whether to allow or disallow. There are diverse criteria that are considered before one can pass this stage. In particular, patterns of worship, problem solving, teamwork, leadership among other values are considered before one can be considered for the position. To prevent any conspiracy, whenever the Bishop wants to leave or retire, it is unacceptable for them to propose an individual into the ministry (Dewar 2000). On the other hand, the licensed lay ministry (LLM) is a ministry in the church that allows individuals that are not ordained to take part in church work. They are from any background, most of them having responded to a call from God to serve the church in various capacities. Once the individuals have heeded to the call of service, they are trained in theology and given the opportunity to serve the church. Their main assignments in the church range from pastoral assistance, evangelical work, leading in worship, teaching, preaching as well as liturgy work. However, they can engage in other activities according to their talents and the needs of the church. These individuals are not ordained hence; the scope of services is limited to some extent (Etchells 1995). The ordained local ministry puts much emphasis on the local situations in