what do children really learn at school

Children don't just go to school to learn "Michael... Michael get up your going to be late for school" mom yelled. "Not again" I said, as I rolled out of my warm and comfortable bed into the floor. I dragged myself to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face. And then it hit me "Sarah!" Sarah was my girlfriend. We had grown up together, only living a few houses apart. Her hair was as black as night, which set off her deep, blue hypnotic eyes. She had two storybook dimples, and a smile to match. Her southern accent and country manner could charm the boots right off your feet. And her mature nature was far beyond that of most fourteen-year-old girls. Sarah was the down to earth type that would give you the shirt right off her back if it would help. And I loved her for that. I jumped in the shower, threw on some clothes and darted out the door. This was the second time this week I had been late to meet her. When I got to the bus stop I could tell by her frown that she wasn't happy with me. I kissed her hello, she blushed a little and her look softened a bit. "Problems this morning?" she asked. "The usual," I replied. She didn't force the issue any farther than that. That was golden about Sarah; she never pushed buttons that didn't need to be pushed. She got her point across with out saying much of anything. The bus arrived, and everyone got on. We headed to

  • Word count: 1711
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Ghost Story.

Ghost Story It was 11.35pm on Christmas Eve and Stephen was returning home from his brother's celebratory party. As he drove down the road, the crunch of the thick snow under his tires was audible and smiling dreamily, he looked at the shining, sparkling, foot-deep snow, visible in his headlights. He buried his chin further down into his Burberry scarf and replaced his woollen hat that was hiding his unruly mop of curly auburn locks. His newly bought Ford Focus ran smoothly, as he began anticipating Christmas Day, feeling youthful again. He would be getting up early the following day, and taking the short trip to his Father's house, meeting up with his parents, twin sister's Helena and Sharon, brother Mark and Mark's fiancée Kate, as well as being introduced to Sharon's current boyfriend, his name Stephen could not recall. The party he'd just been to was a reminder of what was to come the next day; extraneous amounts of food, beaming faces, roasting fires and gallons of alcoholic drinks. Stephen, however, seldom drank and was extremely careful, especially since recently passing his driving test. 'In fact,' he thought to himself, impressed, ' I haven't drank since my 20th birthday which was over three months ago!' The good-looking accountant became involved in a nostalgic daydream as he thought about the Christmas's he had many years ago with his siblings. He detested

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mark Twain exposes many truths through this novel by satirising the adults and showing their pretentiousness. However when I relate this truth to the modern world I realise Twain wrote the novel ahead of his time. This second half of this novel would be better applied to the modern day. Mark Twain uses satire to expose the truth about the adults; he tells us that they are pretentious, false and dishonest. He attacks the whole pretentiousness and artificial situation that they had created. We see that during a Sunday service in the local chapel the people are all sitting in their Sunday best and are pretending to pay the best attention to the minister. But Tom who is somewhat disinterested in the whole thing and yearns for freedom as he hates being locked up, takes out a pinch bug. He starts messing with this bug but then drops it. The minister's poodle which was in the church suddenly catches an eye of the bug. He walks up and tries to somehow attack it. But he is unsuccessful in the most dramatic way with the pinch bug biting the dog and forcing it to run around in quite a wild fashion due to the extreme pain. The congregation have been watching since the dog first went to the bug, but now they are laughing and have drowned out the minister's sermon. "By this time the whole church was red-faced and suffocating with suppressed

  • Word count: 1147
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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The analyzation of The Great Gatsby.

AN ANALYZATION OF THE GREAT GATSBY BY PRISCILLA A. MEADOWS NOVEMBER 17, 2000 The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald takes place among the contrast of the neighboring rich and poor. After reuniting with his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, Nick Calloway is thrust into a world in which both rich and poor are miserable and extra marital affairs are common. Not long after meeting Daisy's husband, Tom Buchanan, Nick is soon exposed to the affair Tom is having with Myrtle Wilson. Myrtle Wilson is the wife of auto-mechanic, George Wilson. About this time Jay Gatsby enters the lives of many of the locals as the elusive host to many elaborate parties. Gatsby's interest in Nick eludes him until Jordan Baker enlightens him to the love Gatsby has long felt for Daisy. Jordan is Nicks love interest and a well-known golf champion. As a good friend to Daisy, Jordan has an insight to the feelings that are felt between Gatsby and Daisy. All affairs of the heart come to light one tragic evening and as Gatsby and Daisy leave the others behind Myrtle is killed as she runs across the street. Witnesses do not see the driver and Gatsby is soon telling Nick that Daisy had been driving the car on that fateful night. A mournful George out for vengeance eventually finds his way to Tom. Tom has no intentions of admitting adultery with Myrtle, so he instead turns George's attention to Gatsby

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Consider George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-four from a Marxist perspective.

Jon Kinsella Theoretical & Critical Perspectives 15/2/2012 Consider George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-four from a Marxist perspective. In Nineteen Eighty-four, Orwell purposely challenges the set of pre-established notions about class consciousness held in Marxism to accentuate his own socio-political values. Marx and Engels assert in their Communist Manifesto1 that, “Its [the upper class/bourgeoisie’s] fall and the victory of the proletariat are equally inevitable” and that “[The] organisation of the proletarians into a class, and consequently into a political party, is continually being upset again by the competition between the workers themselves. But it ever rises up again, stronger, firmer, mightier.”2 Marx and Engels’ clearly believe, in any oppressive and despotic society, the working class will ultimately become conscious of how it is being exploited and spark a revolution. However, in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell presents us with a unique situation, which purposefully and distinctively contrasts to that perspective by representing the working class ‘Proles’ as no threat whatsoever to the upper class “Inner Party” and “Big Brother’s” continuous totalitarian regime. “It is an abiding characteristic of the low that they are too much crushed by drudgery to be more than intermittently conscious of anything outside their daily

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Du Bois theory of propaganda and African American media portrayal is supported by events in Richard Wrights novel "Native Son".

Arogundade Aima Arogundade Juliana Rausch English 802 November 19 2012 Bigger: A Product of Popular Culture and Racism W.E.B Du Bois is an American Sociologist and civil rights activist whose essay “The and “The Criteria of Negro Art” support the notion that art is an effective way for underrepresented individuals to represent themselves, get their voice heard and in the process resist oppression. He states that all “art is propaganda” (Du Bois 160). Furthermore, he argues that even though all art is propaganda but all propaganda is not art. For art to be considered propaganda, it has to be two-sided and not just one-sided. He states how African Americans are displayed in the media is really biased because the people who put the image of African Americans out are mostly White and for the outside world to better understand Blacks, the Blacks have to take action and start using their creativity to express themselves. Du Bois’ theory of propaganda and African American media portrayal is supported by events in Richard Wright’s novel Native Son. Native Son is a novel about a poor 20 year old African American young man, Bigger Thomas and his struggles in Chicago’s South Side ghetto in the 1930’s. The novel focuses on Bigger and how he struggles with his poverty stricken condition, his family, friends, racial and economic oppression. Bigger is portrayed as a

  • Word count: 1431
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Is 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' a book for children or adults?

Is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland a book for children or for adults? You may discuss one or both of the Alice books. ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ is a novel written by the English author Lewis Carroll in 1865, the story tells of a young girl named Alice following a talking white rabbit down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world full of amazing creatures and sights. This premise is very much one which seems typical of a piece of literature aimed at children, with it’s over the top characters and surreal atmosphere it is just as appealing to modern children as it was to the children of 1865. However if one were to look at the sub text, wordplay, philosophical ideas, character allusions or the huge amount of meaning within his story it is clear that Carroll did not just have a child audience in mind. Alice in Wonderland is a book very much about the anxiety of Alice, she is often lost or bewildered trying to get in or out of some place or another. “There were doors all round the hall, but they were all locked; and when Alice had been all the way down one side and up the other, trying every door, she walked sadly down the middle, wondering how she was ever going to get out again.” (Page 40, Wordsworth Classics Edition, 1992) This sense of anxiety is exciting for both audiences, young and old. Unlike some of the later literal themes and concepts which would

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Man Against Nature - Jack London's To Build a Fire.

Silva Danielle Garcia Silva Christina Riley-Brown American Classics 25 March 2014 The Man against Nature By the end of nineteenth century, a new literature movement called “Naturalism” developed. Naturalist writers usually created characters that followed their own instincts and passions. However, most Naturalist characters had to face forces beyond their control, such as nature and environment. The most common themes during Naturalism are man against himself, man against nature and man against the universe. Therefore, the stories often represent the idea of people struggling and fighting against something that they do not have control over. One of the most famous writers from this period is Jack London. London became a great writer after he experienced living in Alaska, and taking part in the Klondike Gold Rush at the age of twenty one. Nina Baym, the author of The Norton Anthology American Literature, states that London “[…] was the best-selling author in America and was on his way to becoming the most popular American writer in the world” (1812). Some of London’s most known works are “An Odyssey of the North” (1900), “To Build a Fire” (1902), The Call of the Wild (1903), and The Sea-Wolf (1904) (Baym 1812). London’s short story “To Build a Fire” became well-known because of its moral ending with the main character’s death and the tension

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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The Friendship.

THE FRIENDSHIP One afternoon, a couple went into the forest with their little baby boy called Lennie, to have a sort of picnic and also enjoy the picturesque view which can only be appreciated from the slopping hill, as they usually do every evening. They were going to their favourite spot today, unusually in the afternoon. The couple went in hand in hand laughing, baby on his father's shoulder. It was mid-June; the sun was out and shone brightly enhancing the colours of the variety of plants in the forest. Wild flowers blossom in the sun and colours varied from green -mostly dominant, yellow, to pink and indigo. At some places the shrub was thick and dense under the tall, huge trees, and other places were just empty with no plants but just dead leaves. Animals of different kind made their habitat under and on top of most huge trees such as oaks. And it boosted many communities. A lot of chattering and hovering could be heard and a lot more, animals running and jumping, in groups and alone, could be seen, it was a blissful sight to behold. Small and Jane sat in their favourite spot, under a very large oak tree, animal noises above and around them, were surrounded by thick brush and bushes. Jane laid down a cloth; it was pleasantly multicoloured, boasting of yellowish pink circles, and flowers of different petal colours ranging from blue, green to light red, itself coloured

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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The Assassin

The Assassin The sky was scorched crimson as the obscurity of night overpowered the light of day. In the distance the picturesque profile of London was perceptible under the blanket of radiant silver stars. Beneath this unique declaration of splendour a solitary silhouette was projected against the wall of a dimly lit back alley. He had an unnaturally intense glare, his vision passionately focused on an excruciatingly striking cerise TVR Tuscan. It was almost time. Despite the evident risk he was undertaking his eyes portrayed obsession, infatuation and desire to realize his acutely elusive vocation. The moon shone through the bare branches of an old oak tree casting ghostly shadows on the transparent sheet of astonishingly delicate ice. As the unique complicity of crystallised snowflakes descended delicately from the sky, the searchlight of a police helicopter briefly illuminated the car park. He remained unruffled by this passing scare. As the faint sound of stiletto heels approached his patiently awaiting ears, he knew it was time. He obscured himself from view as she cautiously approached her car aware of the potential threat. The delicate roar of her car was an indication to follow. The vicious velocity boost gave her an obvious advantage but he continued to follow her with cunning initiative. She indicated in the direction of the next slip road and continued to

  • Word count: 653
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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