Christmas carol Essay Example for Free

Christmas carol Essay In a Christmas carol by Charles Dickens, scrooge becomes a reformed character by the end of the story. Explain how effectively Dickens shows the extent of these character changes. The story tells of scrooge who is transported through time to the Christmas of his childhood, the present and the future. The following essay will take you through these time periods. At the beginning of the story scrooge is portrayed as a dull, bleak character. On the front cover for example we can see scrooge in a dark room on his own. The only light is from the small candle on his mantle piece. He has grey hair and a long pointy nose. Scrooges personality was very negative and dull. We know that his attitude is bad as when his nephew wishes him a merry Christmas he replies bah, humbug. scrooges nephew then again wishes scrooge a merry Christmas but again only gets a response of what reason have you to be merry, youre poor enough when scrooges nephew replies youre rich enough what reason have you to be dismissal scrooge has no answer to that question. As well as showing us scrooges negative personality it also shows us his attitude towards Christmas. Scrooge also has a negative attitude towards the poor. We learn about this as when the charity collectors come, one says at this time of year it is usually more than desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor. Are there no prisons replied scrooge At hearing this, the inspector says yes plenty, but many cant go there and many would rather die. A cold hearted scrooge then replies well then they had better do it quick and decrease the surplus population. The collectors were astonished and after this they realised there would be no point in pursuing there point. The gentlemen left. After this incident a couple of carol singers called at scrooges house. As soon as scrooge opened the door he raised a large stick and the small boys fled. At the end of the story scrooge became a completely reformed character. He walked the streets with a smile on his face; he then also went to church and watched the people hurrying to and fro. He looked into kitchens of houses and found that anything could yield him pleasure. Earlier on in the story scrooge was invited to his nephews Christmas dinner. He rejected the invite. Later that afternoon he turned his steps towards the party. He walked in and said where is my love Hes in the dining room said the servant. Scrooge made his way to the dining room and when he walked in everyone looked at him bemused. Why bless my soul cried Fred whos that Its I, your uncle scrooge, I have come to dinner. Will you let me in Fred? Of course replied Fred. After the party instead of scrooges usual party pooper image he cried wonderful party, wonderful games, wonderful unanimity, wonderful happiness. Scrooge was completely reformed. Another thing that proved scrooges reformation was when Bob Cratchit turned up late for work. He was pleading with scrooge not to fire him. Instead scrooge said a very merry Christmas and offered him a pay rise. The reader is kept interested by the ghosts that challenge scrooge each time. Once scrooge has past the first challenge the reader wants to stay and see if he passes the next one. Once he passes the second challenge the level of tension rises. After passing the third challenge scrooge remembers what he was like at the start of the story. Some of the words he used come back to haunt him. The overall message is that you dont have to be a scrooge if you consider others misfortunes and try to help out as much as possible. You will lead a much happier life if you are thoughtful and considerate. The story makes you wonder which side of scrooge you are most similar to. It leaves a clear question in your head. how could I change?

Confidence in the Federal Government and Voter Turnout Essay -- Resear

Confidence in the Federal Government and Voter Turnout Introduction Since the presidency of John F. Kennedy, there has been a decline in American confidence in the federal government (Walker, 2000). The importance of confidence in the American federal government is immense. Political participation can be defined as â€Å"Any activity that attempts to influence public policy or the selection of government officials† (Austin Community College). One hopes that Americans do not lack confidence in the federal government because they dislike this style of government. Democracy for many years has been trumpeted and hailed by many as the best way a government can truly reflect, respect and represent her citizens. Having a great deal of confidence and participating in governance can create a more patriotic spirit in citizens, which in turn might lead to more citizens participating politically, thereby making the country more democratic. It can be a propelling force behind a nation’s success, affecting all aspects of her citizens’ lives: education, business, government, families, and community organizations (McLagan & Nel, 1997). Since the 1970’s, the level of confidence in the federal government of America has drastically decreased. To illustrate the decline in confidence, the Cable News Network (CNN) Broadcasting Company recently conducted polls on confidence of the American public. Among their results were that â€Å"4 out of 5 [American adults] lack confidence in government† (Kyoko, 1997). This is approximately 153,600,000 million Americans! According to the CNN polls, â€Å"when asked to name two or three government successes of the past 30 years, 42 percent of the respondents could not even name one† (Kyoko, 1997).... ...1985, August). Religion and political change: The impacts of institutional connectedness and religious imagery. (Bib01414). Paper presented to the American Political Science Association. New Orleans, LA. Keystone Research Center. http://keystoneresearch.org/ 90 Ihuegbu Honors College Review 2001 press.releases/pademocracy.html Kyoko, A. (1997, March 21). Four of 5 Americans lack confi dence in government. Cable News Network [On-line]. Available: http://www.cnn.com/us/9703/21/govt.poll/ McLagan, P., & Nel, C. (1997). San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. ReadersNdex Archive [On-line]. Available: http://www.readersndex.com/imprint/000001n/00001cj/ 0000†¦/title.htm Walker, D. (2000, April 25). Improving government perfor mance and building trust. John C. Whitehead Forum [On-line]. Available: http://www.excelgov.org/whitehead/ walker_speech.htm

Something Precious

I have earned recently that sometimes we lose something to gain something. I have experienced a hurt that was so deep that it was my belief that it would never end. I recently was blessed to have a brand new grandchild a girl. This little girl could not have come at a better time in my life. Brianna Scott was born on November 30. 2010 at 8:14 pm. This could not have been better timing. Three years ago one of my grandsons’s hung himself and now lives in a vegetative state. I lost all joy around the holidays, because this little boy always wanted to be with me during the holidays. I lost the holiday spirit after this tragedy happened I found myself in a deep depression state. There was days when I did not want to do anything but cry. I prayed to no end for a miracle to happen. I finally had to accept that here would be no miracle this time. I experienced so many different emotions on a daily basis and for the life of me I could not get a grip on any of my emotions. I begin to question whether or not I could have done something to prevent this tragedy. It took intense therapy to find my way out of this hole. There was nothing I could have done to prevent this tragedy. I was simply co-existing prior to Brianna being born. This little girl has no idea what her birth has brought into my life. I feel as if God has given me a new joy and a fresh breath into my life. I look at this little girl and my heart smiles again. When I talk to Brianna and tell her I love her she looks at me and smiles. I know that Brianna is only six weeks old but I truly believe she understands me when I tell her that I love her. I sometimes catch myself wondering if my grandson would be jealous of her. I believe that I knew this little boy better than his own parents. He would not have been jealous but instead embraced her. Chances are I would have had to ask him to move over and let me have some time with Brianna. I do indeed believe that Brianna is something precious sent to me by God to ease the pain that I have been forced to live with. If you could see this little girl you too would believe that she understands when you tell her that you love her. I always tell her how precious she is and that she has brought unspeakable joy to my life. I wish that I could put into words how much this little girl has done for me emotionally. I have joy once again and believe it or not I actually celebrated the holidays. I did not have a sad moment for a change and took the time to thank God for such a precious gift. This is the gift that keeps on giving. If someone had told me that when this little girl was born the pain I was enduring would ease up I would have called them a lie. I now can live with the pain and my heart doesn’t ache as much as it did prior to Brianna’s birth. I can get threw the day now without crying and feeling so empty. I look forward to keeping this bundle of joy now. Even though she has her day’s mixed up with her nights I would not change a thing about her. After all Brianna truly is something precious to my whole family.

Biography of John Dalton, the Father of Chemistry

John Dalton (September 6, 1766–July 27, 1844) was a renowned English chemist, physicist, and meteorologist. His most famous contributions were his atomic theory and color blindness research. Fast Facts: John Dalton Known For: Atomic theory and color blindness researchBorn: September 6, 1766 in Eaglesfield, Cumberland, EnglandParents: Joseph Dalton, Deborah Greenups.Died: July 27, 1844 in Manchester, EnglandEducation: Grammar schoolPublished Works:  New System of Chemical Philosophy, Memoirs of the Literary and Philosophical Society of ManchesterAwards and Honors:  The Royal Medal (1826), the fellowship of the  Royal Society of London  and the Royal Society of Edinburgh, honorary degree from the  University of Oxford, associate of the French  Academy of Sciences,Notable Quote: Matter, though divisible in an extreme degree, is nevertheless not infinitely divisible. That is, there must be some point beyond which we cannot go in the division of matter....I have chosen the word â€Å"atom† to signify these ultimate particles. Early Life Dalton was born into a Quaker family on September 6, 1766. He learned from his father, a weaver, and from Quaker John Fletcher, who taught at a private school. John Dalton started working when he was 10 years old and began teaching at a local school at age 12. Within just a few years, despite their lack of higher education, John and his brother started up their own Quaker school. He could not attend an English university because he was a Dissenter (opposed to being required to join the Church of England), so he learned about science informally from John Gough, a mathematician and experimental physicist. Dalton became a teacher of mathematics and natural philosophy (the study of nature and physics) at age 27 at a dissenting academy in Manchester. He resigned at age 34 and became a private tutor. Scientific Discoveries and Contributions John Dalton actually published in a variety of fields, including mathematics and English grammar, but he is best known for his science. Dalton kept meticulous daily weather records. He rediscovered the Hadley cell theory of atmospheric circulation. He believed air consisted of about 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen, unlike most of his peers, who thought air was its own compound.Dalton and his brother were both colorblind, but this condition had not been officially discussed or studied. He thought the color perception might be due to a discoloration inside the liquid of the eye and believed there was a hereditary component to red-green color blindness. Although his theory about discolored liquid did not pan out, color blindness became known as Daltonism.John Dalton wrote a series of papers describing gas laws. His law on partial pressure became known as Daltons Law.Dalton published the first table of relative atomic weights of atoms of the elements. The table contained six elements, with weights relative to that of hydrogen. Atomic Theory Daltons atomic theory was by far his most famous work; many of his ideas have proven to be either completely correct or largely correct. In fact, Daltons contributions have earned him the nickname, the father of chemistry. According to the Science History Institute, Daltons atomic theories developed during his explorations of meteorology. He discovered, through experiments, that the air is not a vast chemical solvent as  Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier  and his followers had thought, but a mechanical system, where the pressure exerted by each gas in a mixture is independent of the pressure exerted by the other gases, and where the total pressure is the sum of the pressures of each gas. This discovery led him to the idea that the atoms in a mixture were indeed different in weight and â€Å"complexity.† The idea that there are multiple elements, each made up of its own, unique atoms, was absolutely new and quite controversial at the time. It led to experimentation with the concept of atomic weight, which became the basis for later discoveries in physics and chemistry. Daltons theories can be summarized as follows: Elements are made of tiny particles (atoms).Atoms of one  element are exactly the same size and  mass as other atoms  of that element.Atoms of different elements  are different sizes and masses from each other.Atoms cant be further subdivided, nor may they be created or destroyed.Atoms rearrange  during chemical reactions. They may be separated from each other or combined with other atoms.Atoms form chemical compounds by combining with each other in simple, whole number ratios.Atoms combine according to the rule of greatest simplicity, which says if atoms only combine in one ratio, it must be a binary one. Death From 1837 until his death, Dalton suffered a series of strokes. He continued to work until the day he died, supposedly recording a meteorological measurement on July 26, 1844. The following day, an attendant found him dead beside his bed. Legacy Some points of Daltons atomic theory have been shown to be false. For example, atoms may be created and split  using fusion  and fission (although these are  nuclear processes  and Daltons theory does hold for chemical reactions). Another deviation from the theory is that isotopes  of atoms of a single element  may be different from each other (isotopes were unknown in Daltons time). Overall, the theory was immensely powerful. The concept of atoms of elements endures to the present day. Sources: â€Å"John Dalton.†Ã‚  Science History Institute, 31 Jan. 2018.Ross, Sydney. â€Å"John Dalton.†Ã‚  Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2018.