Article Review of “Fat and Happy” Essay Example for Free

Article Review of â€Å"Fat and Happy† Essay In â€Å"Fat and Happy: In Defense of Fat Acceptance,† Mary Ray Worley offers a poignant account of her participation in a conference held by the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. She compares attending this conference with visiting another planet. Until she had the opportunity to visit this other planet, she had not realized just how ostracized she felt. (Worley, element 1). Her participation in this conference made her realize that â€Å"20th century American society† (Worley, element 4) is very much responsible for the shame that she and other overweight individuals have been made to feel. While there are several aspects of society that contribute to the alienation of individuals who are overweight, Worley suggests that the medical field bears a great deal of the responsibility: â€Å"Although the data gathered for most current studies indicate that body size is primarily determined by one’s genetic makeup, most researchers conclude–in spite of their own findings–that fat individuals should try to lose weight anyway† (Worley, element 3). She than goes on to argue that oftentimes attempts to diet only result in more weight gain. Worley marvels that â€Å"apparently [scientists] cannot bring themselves to say that since body size is largely a result of one’s genetic makeup it’s best to get on with the business of learning to live in the body you have, whatever its size† (Worley, element 5). She also claims that doctors often make the situation worse: â€Å"Regardless of the ailment†¦your doctor may put you on a diet before she treats your cough† (Worley, element 6). I believe that Worley makes a good point regarding the medical profession, but there is indeed a great deal of research that links obesity with increased heart problems among other things, which Worley ignores in this essay. In her uplifting conclusion, Worley encourages overweight individuals to love their bodies despite what society may say about them. You’re entitled to the space you take up. You can find clothes that show off the gorgeous person you are, you can play and dance without self-consciousness, you can be proud of yourself and never dread unwanted attention, you can be a brave pioneer and a friend to those who have suffered on planets less kind and less joyous than this one (Worley, element 2). In light of the many forces that are stacked against overweight individuals in our society, Worley’s words of encouragement are astute and empowering.

Shakespeare :: essays research papers

William Shakespeare   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeare was a great English playwright, dramatist and poet who lived during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Shakespeare is considered to be the greatest playwright of all time. No other writer's plays have been produced so many times or read so widely in so many countries as his. Shakespeare was born to middle class parents. His father, John, was a Stratford businessman. He was a glove maker who owned a leather shop. John Shakespeare was a well-known and respected man in the town. He held several important local governmental positions. William Shakespeare's mother was Mary Arden. Though she was the daughter of a local farmer, she was related to a wealthy family. Mary Arden and John Shakespeare were married in 1557. William Shakespeare was born in Stratford in 1564. He was one of eight children. The Shakespeare's were well-respected prominent people. When William Shakespeare was about seven years old, he probably began attending the Stratford Grammar School with other boys of his social class. Students went to school year round attending school for nine hours a day. The teachers were strict disciplinarians. Though Shakespeare spent long hours at school, his boyhood was probably fascinating. Stratford was a lively town and during holidays, it was known to put on pageants and many popular shows. It also held several large fairs during the year. Stratford was an exciting place to live. Stratford also had fields and woods surrounding it giving William the opportunity to hunt and trap small game. The River Avon, which ran through the town, allowed him to fish also. Shakespeare's' poems and plays show his love of nature and rural life which reflects his childhood. On November 28, 1582, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway of the neighboring village of Shottery. She was twenty-six, and he was only eighteen at the time. They had three children. Susana was their first and then they had twins, Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet, Shakespeare's son, died in 1596. In 1607, his daughter Susana got married. Shakespeare's other daughter, Judith, got married in 1616. In London, Shakespeare's career took off. It is believed that he may have become well known in London theatrical life by 1592. By that time, he had joined one of the city's repertory theater companies. These companies were made up of a permanent cast of actors who presented different plays week after week. The companies were commercial organizations that depended on admission from their audience.

Satirical Mouthpiece in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Typically when you hear â€Å"19th century literature,† you think of the formal and monotonous, yet gramatically and contextually correct writing of authors such as Charles Dickens and Harriet Beecher Stowe; but one author stood out among them and his name was Mark Twain. Twain started a new trend of including new aspects of writing into his pieces such as voice, dialect, and satire. The one particular book written by Mark Twain that is known to be the beginning of American literature called The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, contains all three of these aspects. In the book, Twain uses the main character and narrator, Huck, to utilize his voice, dialect, and satire. Huck serves as a satirical mouthpiece for the author’s attitude by fulfilling his role as the naive narrator. There is a specific passage in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that accurately portrays the satire that Twain is trying to bestow upon the reader involving a character by the name of Emmeline Grangerford, a sentimental artist. Huck is inspecting the art of Emmeline and expressing his feelings about them in the text. If you read Huck’s explanations without examining the underlying meanings you will find that Huck is completely clueless as to the artists’ sentimental intentions. He evaluates one picture called â€Å"Shall I Never See Thee More Alas† by describing a woman â€Å"under a weeping willow† (Twain 119) in a graveyard, another picture with a woman â€Å"crying into a handkerchief† (Twain 119), and yet another with a crying woman about to jump off a bridge. All three of these illustrations are obvious cliches of sentimental art of the 19th century. Huck looks at the images and simply sees â€Å"nice pictures† (Twain 119), not realizing the intent of the artist, Emmeline. This is an excellent example of Huck’s role as the naive narrator. His lack of understanding provides a completely different take on the art than Mark Twain actually feels. Twain’s main intention of the passage is to poke fun at the sentimentalists’ artwork. He includes Huck’s explanations such as bulges on a dress â€Å"like a cabbage† (Twain 119), and â€Å"black slippers, like a chisel† (Twain 119) to mock the sentimental art which was poplular at the time that he wrote the book. Writing the passage in Huck’s point of view allowed Twain to add satire to the story by making Huck’s comments so cliche and ridiculous that it is obvious that this is not actually the way that Twain feels about the sentimental artwork. This is why the character of Huck, being as clueless as he is in the book, is necessary for him to serve as the author’s satirical mouthpiece. Huckleberry Finn is certainly not the typical narrator of a book. To understand the context of the writing, one must decipher what is actually occuring in the story and what Huck thinks is occuring because of his role as the naive narrator. Although this makes the book more difficult to comprehend, it also makes it more interesting to read and allows the author, Mark Twain, to include such factors of voice, dialect, and satire. The narrator’s conception of the storyline is extremely important to the book. Huck serves as a satirical mouthpiece for the author’s attitude by fulfilling his role as the naive narrator.

Standardized Testing Essay - 836 Words

Standardized Testing Scholar Bill Ayers believes standardized testing in schools does not accurately measure what is necessary to be successful in life. Ayers insists that Standardized tests such as the American College Test (ACT) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) measure specific facts and function which are among the least interesting and slightest important information that children should know. In an article titled â€Å"Testing the Right Way for Talent†, written by Hugh Price, argues the fact that standardized tests fail to capture the qualities that are necessary to be successful in the business world. Another article labeled â€Å"Implementing NCLB Assessment and Accountability Requirements in an Imperfect World† composed by†¦show more content†¦Although he is very much aware of the Act, Kahl believes that there are many problems that are a result of the highly stressed Standardized testing. He believes that some reasons for concern of using tests include; the possible decrease of childrens self-esteem, the changing of curriculums, teaching and learning. Kahl argues the fact that due to the lowering of expectations, there are many other concerns that relate to the tests. For example, Kahl states: With such a system [that tests once in each elementary school, middle school and high school], results at the school level fluctuate considerably from one year to the next. This is because the impact of year-to-year variation capabilities of the students is greater than that due to any general improvement that might be expected in an instructional program† (Kahl). He points out the fact that earlier tests rely on cinema and vocabulary, while later tests place greater stress on substance, and consequently, high scores in early testing do not carry over to the scores of the later testing. Due to the fact that tests include diverse subject areas, the author maintains the argument that the tests may or may not relate directly to what children have been taught or evoke childrens interest. In addition, Kahl states that the multiple-choice format of standardized tests confuses many children who are not accustomed to it. For example, the fact that children who have been taught to work problemsShow MoreRelatedStandardized Testing1272 Words   |  6 PagesSynthesis Essay on Standardized Testing Standardized testing in the United States started in the mid- 1800’s (Standardized Tests - ProCon.org). This kind of testing was originally created to measure students’ performance and progress in school (Standardized Tests - ProCon.org). In recent years, the public school system has relied heavily on the information this test provides, in doing so creating controversy. Other than being a student myself, and participating in multiple standardized exams such asRead MoreStandardized Testing : Standardized Tests1186 Words   |  5 Pages Standardized Testing Impact Standardized testing is known to improve students’ education, but is it really needed in school? Standardized testing determines whether a student is prepared for the next grade based on their test scores. While some students do great on their test others struggle a lot. Not all students are good test takers; majority of the students do good in school but struggle when it comes down to testing. While many agree that standardized testing helps improve studentsRead MoreStandardized Testing And Standardized Tests1204 Words   |  5 Pagessomething we have all nearly fallen asleep to over our years of standardized tests. I myself can be included with you in that experience and I hope to give you a little more information on these all too familiar tests this afternoon. Today we are going to look at the origins of standardized testing, the purpose of standardized testing, and standardized tests around the world. But first, I want to ask you another question: what is standardized t esting? Is it A) something that has been used for some time inRead MoreStandardized Tests : Standardized Testing963 Words   |  4 PagesOct 2015 Standardized Testing in Florida In recent years Florida’s standardized testing program has taken a turn for the worst. After doing away with the FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) the debate has only grown due to flood of new tests being created such as the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) or End of Course Exam (EOC). These tests are administered to test students’ abilities at the end of the school year. In spring of 2015, with only two months of testing between the EOC’sRead MoreStandardized Testing Should Be Standardized Tests1329 Words   |  6 PagesPretty much everybody in this generation has taken a standardized test in some level of schooling. A standardized test is defined as a â€Å"test that requires all test takers to answer the same questions, or a selection of questions from a common bank of questions, in the same way, and that is scored in a standard or consistent manner, which makes it possible to compare the relative performance of individual students or groups o f students† (â€Å"Standardized Test Definition†). There is lots of debate aroundRead MoreThe Use of Standardized Testing1088 Words   |  4 Pagesthe use of standardized testing has spanned centuries, some of the earlier studies include data from the early 1900’s. According to Frazier (2009), â€Å"there is a significant difference in scores on standardized tests when students have completed a technology education program†. This study shows a correlation between the use of technology within the school system and achievement on standardized tests. Students that are exposed to technology education are more likely to do well on standardized tests. Read MoreEssay on Standardized Testing1458 Words   |  6 PagesThe No Child Left Behind Act and Standardized Testing: State, National, and International American Education has been a work in progress for the past century and a half. To measure its progress, successes, and failings, there are standardized tests. These tests have been used to compare schools, states, and nations. The key subjects being tested as a universal measure are mathematics, reading, and science. To help improve the scores on these tests, the United States put into law the No ChildRead MoreEssay On Standardized Testing1137 Words   |  5 PagesStandardized testing in public schools has become a norm across the United States. But, in Texas it has been found that students spend more time taking standardized tests than any other state (â€Å"Too Much Testing†). Standardized testing may be an asset to measure education, or more measure testing skills across the nation, but at what cost does it come? What are its effects on moral within the public education system, and how does the state government of Texas interact within it. Why does the TexasRead MoreThe Shortcomings of Standardized Testing1636 Words   |  7 PagesSince the U.S. Congress passed the No Child Left Behind program, standardized testing has become the norm for American schools. Under this system, each child attending a school is required to take a standardized test at specific grade points to assess their level of comprehension. Parents, scholars and all stakeholders involved take part in constant discussions over its effectiveness in evaluating students’ comprehension, teachers’ competency and the effects of the test on the education system. ThoughRead MoreThe Limitations Of Standardized Testing Essay705 Words   |  3 PagesThe limitations of â€Å"standardized testing† as a rigid and narrow criterion for gauging the educational capabilities of students in public education. The criterion for standardized testing relies on narrow areas of knowledge that define a hierarchical imposition of â€Å"intelligence† testing that forces the student to perform ion a constrained academic environment. This type of testing has become a mechanized tool to reject the individual needs of the student in a linear testing methodology. The importance