Accessorize with a Meaning Essay Example for Free

Accessorize with a Meaning Essay It takes up about two inches on my thick, and short middle finger. It is relatively small, yet has been proven to have great importance and meaning. This dented, imperfect circle fits loosely, and comfortably which allows for the constant usage and handling. It has a unique, and undefined shape that compliments the small circles within the accessory. There is a band of a perfect line of small circles that runs infinite in the exact middle of the accessory. The thirteen small circles sit in the small seats of metal all in unison and order. Sharp, pointed tips that look like the top of a vintage castle, pull the pendants on the outsides of the line, up and back down. If you cut the jewel in half, the sides are symmetrical with equal amount of points and dots. A tight grasp of the pointed edges are painful from the sharp and definite tips. Running your fingers over the piece, feels of rough sand paper rubbing on a wall. It shines bright and sparkly, which catches the attention from many eyes’ including my very own. However, on the inside, the real, steel metal has grown rugged, and dirty from over use, and age. It’s smooth outer covering has worn off, and the whole inside has thinned. It leaves a mark, and patch of dry skin where it lays on my finger every day and night. It smells of the sandwich I had today for lunch, since it is always there when my fingers are supporting my food. Also, smells of the decaying metal after it has been washed under the soapy, warm water. It’s small size and lightweight does not determine it’s meaning to me. In fact, despite the petite appearance it has a large, underlying sentimental theme to my life. I have never owned such a delicate, and special piece in my long 16 years of living. According to my mother, this was due to lack of responsibility and maturity. She could never trust me to guard such a remarkable diamond and actually understand the significance until the night that marked my transformation from a young girl, to a mature woman. This night, my sweet sixteen is with out a doubt was one of the best experiences of my life. This ring, purchased by my mother and grandmother from a small, expensive boutique was to not only be cherished because of it’s beauty, but also as a memory of this night which marked my new found maturity. Without this ring, I think it would change my outlook of a sweet sixteen completely. To most, a sweet sixteen is just a extravagant birthday party with an abundance of family, and friends that give larger gifts. Although, it symbolizes something much greater for a girl, it marks a necessary change in one’s life. My sweet sixteen is a night I want to smell, hear, touch, taste, and feel forever. The ring helps me hold on tight to this special time in my life. The ring’s unique shape also has a symbolical meaning. The line in the middle represents the stability and exactness in my life. Unfortunately, like everyone else, my life consists of many ups and downs. This ring has inflicted an important realization about my life. When I look down at my finger, I look back at the happiness, and joyous memories in my life especially my sixteenth birthday. This reminds me to preserve the happiness within my life, like my family and friends in order to fight off the barriers holding me back from success. I acquire laughter, and smiles through one glimpse of my ring. This is important to hold onto because a life is not worth living without the safety of warm smiles, and special memories. Hardships have become especially evident within my teenage years, so the ring has grown more and more important. I have endured many family and friend issues that inflict drama and undesirable emotions. The ring brings me back to a night filled with strictly fun and togetherness. People question, â€Å"how can a small piece of jewelery hold so much meaning? † Everyone must seek something for comfort and assurance for their own mental health and happiness. For me the ring provides me with the idea of my new found maturity, and happy memory where my family and friends were all able to come together, and share a memorable moment with me. Time has proven to cause separation and change amongst people, with this beautiful ring I will be able to forever remember loved ones and how grateful I am to have shared my sweet sixteen with them.

Educational Philosophy :: Education Teaching Teacher Essays

Educational Philosophy I have wanted to be a teacher since the 2nd grade. My teacher was wonderful. No problem seemed too small or insignificant to her. She was always there for my every need. Her love for children, like my own, is one of the reasons I want to be a teacher. It is my belief that every child is a precious gift from God. The biggest reason I am pursuing my education degree is to make a difference. Through the path of life there are many people who influence us, and help us to make the right decisions. It is my dreams to touch the children of America through this path, as did my 2nd grade teacher touch me. I myself want to be an elementary teacher; my own philosophy of education is a mix between Idealism and Pragmatism. Idealism fits me because I want to be a master teacher and know my content area very well. I will encourage my students to take on new challenges and learn new things. I think that every student learns differently and shouldn’t be labeled by a test score. I fit as a Pragmatist because I think the classroom should be a community of learns. Not only will I teach my students; they too will teach me things not found in textbooks. I also believe that the three R’s should be taught, but in conjunction with other important subjects such as health, art, and history. My classroom will have group seating. I will group the children in a way that will help them learn. For example, if Bobby is having trouble with his math problems I will group him with Kelly who is doing well. Kelly is on Bobby’s mentality level so she may be helpful in his learning. Every so often I will change the groups around to cut down on the cliques. I want each student to have the opportunity of sitting with every other student. The bulletin boards in my classroom will be full of my students’ work. When we complete an art assignment I will place all of my students’ pieces up, not just the best ones.

All the Kings Men – 2

The Great Spider Web In the book, â€Å"All The King’s Men† by Robert Penn Warren, the character of Jack Burden gradually evolves into a person with a deeper comprehension of the world around him. Jack grapples with many new concepts, including the concept of whether or not knowledge is power. Jack’s profession involves digging into the past to discover information about others, which often, he will later use to blackmail them. So naturally Jack believes knowledge holds great power.However, as the book carries on, Jack struggles with the idea that his knowledge may have a much deeper effect on society than the original purpose of the information. Throughout this novel Jack demonstrates that knowledge is power, but he eventually realizes that his knowledge can lead to sorrow in the lives of others, which leaves him with the idea that some things may be better left unsaid. During this book Jack exhibits that knowledge is power. One would expect this from Jack Burde n because his job, first and foremost, consists of digging up dirt on other politicians for his boss Willie Stark (the governor of Louisiana).Jack, who narrates this book, comes right out and says, â€Å"The end of man is knowledge†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (p. 9), which infuses with his idea that knowledge is power, and can essentially break down a man. Near the end of the book this quote is very significant to Jack in that events occur that prove his opinion is correct, but that he should exercise his wealth of knowledge in a different way. The entire plot of this book is drawn from the moment Willie finds out that a certain Judge Irwin supports a candidate running against his own.Willie pays a little visit to Judge Irwin in an effort to persuade him to retract his statement, but his attempt fails. â€Å"The Boss said, ‘Well Jackie, it looks like you got a job cut out for you. ’ And I said, ‘Callahan? ’ And he said, ‘Nope, Irwin. ’ And I said, â€Å"I don’t reckon you’ll find anything on Irwin. ’ And he said, ‘You find it’†(p. 49). This again suggests the theme that knowledge is power. Willie wants Jack to find dirt on Judge Irwin so he can dangle that threat over Irwin’s head, and have the ability to manipulate him.Having knowledge of Judge Irwin’s wrongdoings gives Willie the power to scare him into doing what he pleases. As the book progresses we meet the friends (and loves) of Jack’s youth. One of his friends, Adam Stanton, practices medicine and is asked by Willie to take the job at the new hospital he will open. Adam at first does not want to take a job, and Jack plans to use information he dug up about Judge Irwin (which connects to Adam’s father) to make force him to take the job. â€Å"‘I can change that picture of the world he carries around in his head’†(p. 48). Even though the information Jack wants to share with Adam could potenti ally shatter Adam’s view of the world, Jack feels he should use the power of his knowledge to make Adam take the job that Adam’s sister, Anne, so desperately wants him to take. All through this book knowledge is portrayed as the root of power, often with Jack as the man who has the knowledge. As the book progresses, Jack comes to realize that knowledge can sometimes create unimaginable sorrow in peoples lives. When Jack was young this was not a concept Jack was able to grasp.Jack’s first journey into the past proves that fact very clearly. Jack researches a scandal that occurred in one of his relatives past as a project when he was in college, but walks away from that piece of work because he simply cannot understand the reasoning behind his great-uncle’s (Cass Mastern) actions. Essentially, in the story of Cass Mastern, Cass has an affair with his friend’s wife, and when his friend learns of this affair he shoots himself. Cass feels largely respon sible for his friend’s death and realizes that the effect of his affair not only killed a man, but also ripped a family apart. Cass Mastern lived for a few years and in that time he learned that the world is all of one piece. He learned that the world is like an enormous spider web and if you touch it, however lightly, at any point, the vibration ripples to the remotest perimeter†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬ (p. 188). This is a powerful theme and when Jack finally realizes the significance of this theory, he comes to terms with the fact that sometimes knowledge can bring great sorrow to peoples lives, and not only effect one person, but also many of those connected to them.The spider web theory correlates significantly to Adam and Anne after they learn that the man they have always looked up to was in fact corrupt like most other politicians. Jack experiences this negative ripple effect as well when he reveals to Judge Irwin that he knows his secret. Judge Irwin then kills himself pr ompting a series of ripples. â€Å"A bright, beautiful, silvery soprano scream†¦I went toward her. She dropped the telephone to the floor with a clatter, and pointed her finger at me and cried out, ‘You did it, you did, you killed him†¦Ã¢â‚¬ËœYour father, your father and oh! ou, killed him’†(p. 348-49). Because Jack found dirt on Judge Irwin, Irwin killed himself, which caused sorrow for Jack and Jack’s mother because we discover that Judge Irwin was the true love of Jack’s mother, and surprisingly Jack’s real father. Another essential example of when knowledge creating sorrow is when Adam finds out that his sister is having an affair with Willie Stark. When Adam finds out this piece of information, he is driven with anger and decides to eliminate the man defiling his sister. ‘I rushed toward Adam as he fell†¦he was already dead†¦I didn’t see the Boss. And I thought: He didn’t hit him. But I was wrongâ €™â€ (p. 396). Prompted by this one piece of information, two people are dead. After this point there is a notable difference in Jack’s attitude towards revealing information to people. At this point in the book, after two of his dear friends and his own father have died, Jack realizes that some things are better left unsaid. Without his revealing selected information to people, lives could have been spared.Jack still continues to dig up information simply because he has to know. Jacks new target is who was it that called Adam and informed him of his sister’s affair. It did not take long for Jack to find out that the Boss’s punching bag, Tiny Duffy, was the culprit, and he informs Duffy of his knowledge. â€Å"I felt like a million. I had sure-God brought off that scene. I had hit him where he lived†¦I was a hero’†(p. 415). This feeling Jack has after he spoke to Duffy does not last long though, â€Å"†¦when I kicked Duffy around I felt like a million because I thought it let me out†(p. 417).Here is when Jack finally takes responsibility for the consequences of spilling his knowledge onto others, and from this time begins to comprehend when information should be held back. After the Boss dies, Jack and the Boss’s driver/friend, Sugar Boy, are out of a job. Sugar Boy greatly admired Willie and was the one who shot the bullet that found Adam Stanton. Jack and Sugar Boy run into each other at the library, and this is the point when Jack uses restraint and withholds information from Sugar Boy to eliminate further sorrow that would surely occur if he revealed his information about Tiny Duffy. ‘Listen,’ I said, ‘do you know who killed the Boss? ’†¦ ‘Yeah,’ he said, ‘yeah—the son-of-a-bi-bi-bitch and I-I-I shot him. ’†¦ ‘But suppose you don’t know, I said, leaning, ‘suppose there was someday behind Stanton, somebod y who framed him to do it. ’†¦ ‘I’d kill the son-of-a-bitch,’ he said†¦ ‘I was kidding,’ I said†(p. 419-21). Jack finally grasps the fact that sometimes information should be withheld if it will most certainly have a negative consequence. Even a bit earlier Jack starts to realize this fact but will not put it into action until the moment with Sugar Boy at the library.Another instance when Jack’s compassion shines through is when he holds back information from his mother in hopes that she will be happier with the lie. â€Å"‘—did he—was there–’†¦ ‘No’, I said, ‘he wasn’t in any jam. We had a little argument about politics. Nothing serious†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ ‘Is that the truth? ’ She demanded. ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I swear to God it is. ’†¦I had lied to her. Well, I had given that lie to her as a going-away present†(p. 431-32). Jack grasped the concept that sometimes things should be kept to yourself. â€Å"All change costs something†(p. 93). Revealing information that causes a change will cost someone, somewhere. Jack Burden finally comprehends this concept and becomes more cautious in spilling his knowledge about others. Overall, Jack understands that knowledge affords great power, but that it certainly can induce great sorrow. This eventually convinces him that some things are better left unsaid. Jack watches endless people suffer because of knowledge that was dumped on them and it helps him to realize that you must have some thought and restraint in what you say to people.In life, there are instances when knowledge is thrust upon a person and that person will be able to speculate the impact that knowledge will have on other people. Even though some may feel entitled and obligated to share information with others, one must assess the overall situation and practice restraint if the negat ive effects greatly outweigh the positive. Knowledge is a tricky thing, and one must learn its power because otherwise the spider web will constantly be moving with negative ripples leaving a web of grief.

The Coalescent Theory and Evolution

One part of the modern synthesis of evolutionary theory involves population biology and, on an even smaller level, population genetics. Since evolution is measured in units within populations and only populations can evolve and not individuals, then population biology and population genetics are intricate parts of the Theory of Evolution through Natural Selection. How the Coalescent Theory Affects the Theory of Evolution When Charles Darwin first published his ideas of evolution and natural selection, the field of Genetics had yet to be discovered. Since tracing alleles and genetics is a very important part of population biology and population genetics, Darwin did not fully cover those ideas in his books. Now, with more technology and knowledge under our belts, we can incorporate more population biology and population genetics into the Theory of Evolution. One way this is done is through the coalescence of alleles. Population biologists look at the gene pool and all available alleles within the population. They then try to trace the origin of these alleles back through time to see where they started. The alleles can be traced back through various lineages on a phylogenetic tree to see where they coalesce or come back together (an alternate way of looking at it is when the alleles branched off from one another). Traits always coalesce at a point called the most recent common ancestor. After the most recent common ancestor, the alleles separated and evolved into new traits and most likely the populations gave rise to new species. The Coalescent Theory, much like Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium, has a few assumptions that eliminate changes in alleles through chance events. The Coalescent Theory assumes there is no random genetic flow or genetic drift of alleles into or out of the populations, natural selection is not working on the selected population over the given time period, and there is no recombination of alleles to form new or more complex alleles. If this holds true, then the most recent common ancestor can be found for two different lineages of similar species. If any of the above are in play, then there are several obstacles that have to be overcome before the most recent common ancestor can be pinpointed for those species. As technology and understanding of the Coalescent Theory become more readily available, the mathematical model that accompanies it has been tweaked. These changes to the mathematical model allow some of the previously inhibitive and complex issues with population biology and population genetics have been taken care of and all types of populations may then be used and examined using the theory.