Book Report on the Blind Side Essay

The Blind side The Blind Side directed by John Lee Hancock was a visual text about a teenage boy named Michael. Based on a true story Michael, nicknamed Big Mike has grown up in a poor and broken family and goes to a public school where no one really cares about him. Growing up this way has left Big Mike emotionally deprived and lonely. Thanks to his Friend’s dad Michael gets the opportunity to go to a private school on a scholarship. Suddenly he has teachers that care about him and while his life seems to be slowly improving, Big Mike still uses other people’s washing machines in the Laundromat, does not sleep at home and stays at the gym at school because it was warm. The biggest turning point in this movie was when Leigh Anne Touhy sees Big Mike on the side of the road and lets Big Mike have a place to stay. Leigh is a woman that gets what she wants and it is clear from the moment she meets Mike that she would care for him. From this point Big Mike and Leigh build a strong relation ship, he ends up moving in with them and becomes a part of the family. Michael is a big man and one of the reasons he was accepted into the school was because he had the perfect build to play American football and by the end of the movie Big Mike was one of the top players and went on to have a career in it. My favorite character throughout the book was definitely Big Mike, I love how complex of a character the director made him. Appearance wise, Big Mike looked big and tough, he was the type of boy that you would walk the opposite direction when you see him on the street, but when you see him in the movie you discover how kind hearted he is. A classic example of this is when Big Mike is first playing football and he doesn’t tackle anyone because he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. He reminds me of a giant teddy bear that wouldn’t hurt anyone. But then as well as his kind heart if you dig deeper you can see the inner strength he possesses. From a very young age Michael is forced to look after himself and to get through it the way he did could only be done with utter strength. When most people are left with no one they give up but I admire Big Mike so much for turning to himself and doing all he could to make his life work. Not only is this but his loyalty unbreakable. To get Big Mike to tackle at the practice Leigh said to him to pretend that these guys were going to hurt her and his family and that’s when he finally tackled with aggression. You could see then and there that Big Mike would take on anyone that tried to hurt his family and those he cared about. To me it Big Mike is, for lack of a better expression, a total cutie. My favorite part of the movie is when Leigh asks Big Mike if he would like to be part of their family and Big Mike looks at her dead seriously and replies ‘I thought I already was.’ Throughout the whole movie it was this character that constantly impressed and engaged me and the fact that it was based on a true story just adds to this. One of the main ideas in the visual text The Blind Side is courage. Leigh Touhy shows courage when she takes Mike Oher from off the streets and gives him a roof over his head and someone to lean on. This showed courage in the best of ways and it couldn’t off been done to anyone else. Although Leigh’s family did not agree with having Mike there in the first place, then soon got to like the guy and really enjoyed having him there as another brother or son. It also took real courage for Leigh and Michael to legally adopt Big Mike as a child, get his driver license and help him get into the best school available for Mike to go to on a football scholarship. Leigh also had courage for going to her own friends and telling them about Mike. A conversation held with her friends is. Friend: â€Å"You’re changing that boy’s life† Leigh: â€Å"No He’s changing mine†. I thought that Leigh had courage to say this to her friends as Mike is not her own son yet she is taking care of him as he is the only child in the family. A quote from the film The Blind Side to represent Courage is â€Å"that’s why courage is tricky. Should you always do what others tell you to do? Sometimes you might not even know why you’re doing something. I mean, any fool can have courage†. This is saying that courage is important but it’s hard. You should do what you want to do and not what others tell you to do,  but the main point is that anyone can have courage; weather their big, small, tall or short. The text that I immediately thought of was The Dead Poets society and in particular Neil. The reason for this is in my mind I started to immediately compare the difference between Neil and Michael. As I previously stated Big Mike had to deal with the loneliness in his life and the way he did this was by turning to himself for support. I think the reason that Neil committed suicide was loneliness, by this I don’t mean that he had no friends, as it was obvious from the start he did, but that he felt like he had no support from those that mattered. If his dad had shown a slight interest in his acting career then Neil would have been satisfied but because his dad seemed not to care Neil felt like he had no one to turn to and no options. This is the difference that I see between Neil and Michael, inner strength. While Michael appeared soft throughout the visual text, to carry on living especially in certain points in his life took incredible inner strength and as much as I liked Ne il’s character I don’t think he possessed the same strength. Neil is kind of the polar opposite, on the outside he appeared to be strong and content with life but on the inside the way his father was acting slowly killed him inside. Both of these characters had parents that weren’t at all good at their job but it was the difference between the two personalities that ended with one dead and the other a professional football player.

Critical Description of J.S. Bachs Prelude no. 12 essays

Critical Description of J.S. Bach's Prelude no. 12 essays This piece is taken from Book 2 of J.S. Bachs Forty-Eight Preludes and Fugues (also known as The Well-Tempered Clavier). A prelude could take almost any form, the only conditions being that it should be in the same key as the fugue and form a suitable preparation of the listeners ear and mind for what is to follow, although Bachs preludes were usually a clearly defined musical personality, of which the fugues were logical developments and projections. Prelude no XII is in F minor. Pieces in a minor key are often less cheerful and perhaps darker than those in a major key, and while this prelude is not at all gloomy or dismal, it is somehow quite reflective. The listener does not simply a receive a happy four-minute ditty that is forgotten the moment after the recording finishes (as could be said for some classical pieces that I have heard); it is much more thought-provoking than that. The prelude, and indeed the entire work from which it originates, was designed for a keyboard soloist and from the recording I can well imagine the soloist, even Bach himself playing with great feeling and emotion. This is typically what the audience likes to hear from solo performances, unlike huge orchestras where an individuals efforts can be drowned out by a mass of horns and strings. That is probably why the piece is best suited to the piano rather than any other instrument, such as a violin. Often when I hear violins I expect them to be part of a larger string section, or at least supported by a section. I imagine, perhaps somewhat ignorantly that violins are great for playing fast and furiously, or slowly and serenely, but not for the mid-tempo, middle ground. The piano, however, can achieve this. The performer is instructed to play this piece allegretto espressivo. The listener wants to be able to envisage the pianist playing from the heart, and I think that this performer achieves that. ...

Writing for Your Audience

Writing for Your Audience Writing for Your Audience Writing for Your Audience By Erin Im an editor and moderator at Toasted Cheese, a literary magazine and writing community. Recently, one of our members posted a question that I thought was worth addressing here. Hed turned in a college paper, and his professor told him he needed to create more distance from the reader. It all comes down, I think, to keeping your intended audience in mind. In my college writing class, I teach my students to adjust their style according to the assignment. In a personal narrative, for example, an informal tone is welcome. In a research paper, however, that same informal tone can work against the writer. Here are a few general tips: Reserve first person for informal writing like personal narratives, blogs, editorials and columns, and of course, fiction. Avoid addressing the reader (you) and speaking for the reader (we/us), except in informal writing. Both practices run the risk of alienating the reader. Avoid contractions and slang. Ive actually had students who have used curse words and colloquial expressions (bros before hos) in papers theyve turned in to me! Unless it serves a clear purpose, its not going to impress anyone. Be specific, and dont include unsubstantiated claims in formal papers. Research papers need evidence and quotations to back up the authors thesis. Before you begin any piece of writing, ask yourself three questions: What is my purpose? (What do I hope to accomplish with this piece?) Who is my audience? (Who am I writing this for?) And finally, what is the appropriate tone for the writing Im doing? (Formal? Informal? Humorous? Serious?) If you can answer those questions, youll be well on your way to writing appropriately for your audience. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Slang Terms for Money75 Synonyms for â€Å"Talk†Types of Plots

Marketing Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing Research - Essay Example With all of the important steps the research is designed and done accordingly to fetch the ultimate outcome. Introduction: Market forecasting is an important factor to be analyzed by the marketing team of the organization. For any decision the marketing research is very important. Starting from the customer satisfaction to the new product development and new branding strategies; the marketing research is important in all the aspects of marketing. This paper has different chapters dedicated to the thorough study of the marketing research. The importance of the marketing research in the decision making process, the different methodologies and data collection techniques are discussed thoroughly in this particular paper. The aim of this study is to understand the importance of the marketing research in the field of marketing decision making processes and forecasting. The Importance of the marketing research: The marketing research is the specific marketing function which is conducted to get the ultimate support for taking the marketing decisions (Wrenn, Stevens and Loudon, 2006). According to the American Marketing Association the marketing is defined as â€Å"the function which links the consumers, customer, and public to the marketer through information† (Wrenn, Stevens and Loudon, 2006). The marketing research is possible with the specified data, and it is done for some specific reason. It is a very expensive marketing affair. However, the best marketing research does not promise to produce the best marketing decision always. The marketing research specifies the important information to be needed to analyze the situation within and outside the organization. Without the marketing research no product development is possible. The proper marketing research tells the organization what are required to meet the expectations from the market. This is an essential function within the marketing department to simplify the future decision towards the development. Mark eting research is the ultimate option to understand the internal strength of the organizations and also the expected performance from the external environment. This is the quantitative analysis which would fetch the ultimate solutions to the specified problems. The mathematical and the statistical approaches help the marketing research to have the measurable characteristics. Role of marketing research in decision making: One of the main role of the marketing research is to simplify the decision making process in an efficient way. However, the complete marketing research plays two major role in the whole marketing system, and they are; 1. They are the part of the marketing intelligence feedback function, and 2. It provides the ultimate quantitative data to the decision makers to take decision accordingly towards future advancement. The segmentation research and the new product research are the most lucrative field in the marketing for the opportunist marketing managers (McDaniel and Gates, 1998). From customer satisfaction to the brand extension, every step is taken carefully with the suitable marketing research programs by most of the organizations. Satisfying customers is the main motive of most of the organizations in the recent business environment. And, to work according to

The Mexican War and Manifest destiny Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Mexican War and Manifest destiny - Essay Example This encouraged western expansion, with the ultimate aim of controlling the entire North America. The federal government policy also served as an incentive to the expansion of the west. This can be related to the Homestead Act of 1862 that encouraged the development of the agricultural west. Another incentive for the expansion of the west was the development of transportation. The economy of the west was based on cultivation of cotton. As a result, the canal system developed because of steam boats. Development of railroads also played a significant role in the development of the west. For example, the transcontinental rail road played an essential role in the growth of the population and trade (Mountjoy, 2009). Despite the expansion of the west, several factors can be associated with the opposition to the expansion. The expansion of the west faced massive opposition from anti-slave Northerners, who believed that additional territories would encourage the legalization of slavery. They purported that western expansion would ensure that slave states outnumbered slave free states. As a result, this would lead to legislation that would favor slavery (Meed, 2002). Although some Native Americans, such as Indians, opposed the expansion of the west, American settlers defeated them. They could not withstand the movement of thousands of settlers because the army defeated them in a number of battles. They were also confined into reservations; the US president, Andrew Jackson, passed the Indian removal act, which encouraged coercive removal of

Essense of Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Essense of Music - Essay Example As the research declares by demanding for an urgent negotiating agreement, the prologue asserts that the trade unions misdirected workers by highlighting an impression that the employees have common interests with the employers. The prologue urges the employees to craft an organization of all "members in any one industry, or in all industries". In addition, the prologue expounds, "Instead of the conservative motto, 'A fair day's wage for a fair day's work,' we must inscribe on our banner the revolutionary watchword, 'Abolition of the wage system.'" According to the study findings the song â€Å"Down in the Coal Mine Underneath the Ground† is melodious and perfectly done. Anyone admires a nicely done song. The first core reason why this song is worth a listen many years into its future is the ingeniously crafted lyrics. The composer was careful enough to include the various stylistic elements that add to the aesthetic beauty of the song. For instance, the script writer adds alliteration, rhyme and repetition to enhance the emphasis and the message of the song. The script writer uses rhyme in these lyrics by using rhythmical words such as â€Å"ground†¦found†¦round†. â€Å"Down in the coalmine, underneath the ground†¦Where a gleam of sunshine never can be found†¦Digging up the dusky diamonds all the season round.† The overall aesthetic beauty of the song is added by the message which promotes the ethical stand of work.

Dentistry in Developing Countries

Dentistry in Developing Countries DENTURE CAMP-AN EXPERIENCE BEYOND IMAGINATION Short Title-Gundlupete Denture Camp Abstract Aim: Main aim of dental camp is awareness, education, and motivation of the common man regarding his/her dental health. This report presents the efficient way of conducting a denture camp and tackling the short comings faced during the course. Methods :When treating a vast population in camps, it calls for more number of instruments, equipments and lot of manpower in terms of doctors, dental mechanics and supporting staff. 110 patients were selected for the denture camp. They were informed to come early morning at 8a.m on the scheduled date and make necessary arrangements for their stay for one night during the camp as the most of the patients were from surrounding villages. Discussion: Dentures are no more a luxury; it has become a necessity for the edentulous patients for the basic health maintenance. Many problems were encountered during this camp. Though there were so many hurdles doctors became successful in treating the patients. Conclusion: The team had taken a brave step with all the problems and they ended successfully. In spite of all the problems faced, the dedicated team work proved fruitful in rehabilitating 132 patients in short spans 24 hrs. The efforts of team were highly appreciated by the people. Keywords: Dental Camp, Dentures, Public health. INTRODUCTION Dental Camps in India are being routinely conducted. The main objective being awareness, education, and motivation of the common man regarding his/her dental health. Dental camps usually are conducted for a large population who do not have accessibility for a sophisticated dental treatment and for the people with financial constraint. Camps can be conducted for screening or for treating the patients like extractions, restorations and/or fabrication of dentures. Screening and treatment camps held for extractions, restorations does not require a lot of equipments and man power on the other hand; fabricating a denture for the patients require a lot of equipments and instruments. When treating a vast population in camps, it calls for more number of instruments, equipments and lot of manpower in terms of doctors, dental mechanics and supporting staff. Public health work exhibits a certain number of characteristics that are different from individual practice in the same field. Most important is the fact that the public health work must be done in areas where the group responsibility is recognized. Another characteristic of public health method is its reliance upon the team work. This is due to the necessity of efficient handling of large group of people. This report presents the efficient way of conducting a denture camp and tackling the short comings faced during the course. Materials and Methods A denture camp was conducted by the Department of Prosthodontics, Government Dental College and Research Institute Bangalore, at Gundlupete, Chamarajanagar distric on 9 and 10th of Feb. 2013 Gundlupete, is a small town with a population of 28157 situated 200 kms from Bangalore. The villagers are hailing mostly from poor families, with a very limited knowledge and accessibility to their basic health maintenance needs, especially dental health. For this reason this particular village was chosen by the Department of Prosthodontics, Government Dental College and Research Institute, Bangalore to render denture services to the poor and needy patients. Indian Medical Association Gundelpet took the responsibility to provide the services, like accommodation and food for the team. An announcement of the denture camp was made in the village by a local body one month prior to the scheduled date of the camp. Audio aids like public addressing systems/microphones and visual aids like pamphlets were used for the public awareness regarding the camp [1]. Enlightening the people about the Dental health is a must in such a town, so awareness was made. People were instructed through these aids to attend the preliminary screening which was held on held on 9th Jan 2013 for which a team of doctors with required diagnostic aids were deputed from the college. It is an achievement in the history of Government Dental College and Research Institute for having screened 300 patients. Out of 300 patients, 110patients were selected for the denture camp. They were informed to come early morning at 8a.m on the scheduled date and make necessary arrangements for their stay for one night during the camp as the most of the patients were from surrounding villages. The doctors had so much o f keen interest to render the services for selected 110 patients who had come from different parts of the village. A list of all the necessary equipments, materials and instruments with their quantity was made for the fabrications for 125 dentures. Required materials and equipments were collected from the college stores. Chair-side instruments, diagnostic instruments, lab equipments were collected from the staff and students of the Government dental college and research institute. A total of 100 clamps and flasks and 115 articulators were procured. Ten micromotors were collected, of which 5 were from the department and the rest were borrowed from the other departments. Local organization was so kind enough to take the responsibility of providing two gas cylinders for the lab-work. 4 â€Å"T† attachments containing 10 burner gas connection points each were taken from the Department. The collected materials were sorted out in an orderly manner and were packed in the cartons. There were 20 cartons containing equipments and materials. These cartons were numbered and a list containing all mater ials in a particular carton was made and pasted on each of them. A copy of the same was made and kept with a particular volunteer for easy access and to avoid confusion. 3 mini buses containing a team of 55 dentists, 55 dental mechanics and five supporting staff left to Gundlupete on 8 th morning . The dentist’s team consisted of staff including the Dean cum Director, Post Graduate students of the department and the house surgeons from various other departments who volunteered to be a part of this denture camp. The dental mechanics team consisted of dental mechanics from our institution and also from various other dental colleges. After reaching the camp venue ( primary school in gundlupete) rooms were selected for the clinical work, one for the lab work and plaster work was carried out in the open ground in front of the class rooms. Plastic chairs for seating the patients, tables for the dental technicians, gas assembly, huge containers for dewaxing and acrylization were arranged on the same evening. On the 9th morning the camp started at around 8 a.m. All the patients were registered and were given a token to come in queue to avoid confusion. On the token the patients register number and all the clinical steps involved in the denture fabrication with the assigned Doctor’s and technician’s name were mentioned. Along with each mentioned clinical step, space was provided to indicate the step which has been completed for the patient. Dentist and technicians were divided into 11 groups comprising of 5 dentists and 5 technicians in each group. Primary impressions for all the patient’s were made with high fusing impression compound and subsequent wash impression with irreversible hydrocolloid were made. For the patients with poor alveolar ridges special tray were fabricated, border molding was done using putty and subsequently secondary impressions were made with Zinc oxide eugenol. All the primary impressions were numbered according to the number given to the patient. The same numbers were transferred on the casts. Record bases were fabricated using shellac base plates. Occlusal rims were fabricated on the record bases using modeling wax. Lost Occlusal vertical dimension and centric relation were recorded using a static method and shade selection was done. Teeth arrangements were done by the technicians. The try-in was done and the trial dentures were returned to the technicians for the acrylization. Then the patients were asked to come next day morning for denture insertion. Once the patients were dispersed the dentists also joined the technicians for the lab work like sealing of the trial dentures, flasking, dewaxing, acrylization, finishing and polishing procedures. The register numbers were incorporated in the dentures during the trial closure. The whole team worked till all the dentures were processed which went on day and night without taking rest, the team of doctors did not sleep at all, on such herculean line worked till rising of the sun. Deflasking, trimming, finishing and polishing of the dentures were done the following day. All the required chair side trimming was done and denture insertion was carried out. Post insertion instructions were given to the patients in groups and the written format was distributed to each of them. Most of the dentures had satisfactory retention and stability. Patients were comfortable and satisfied. One or two patients who had compromised retention in their dentures due to poor alveolar ridge were instructed to use the denture adhesives. The patients were advised to come after a week for the follow up for which a team of three dentists was deputed from the college. Some of the patients had developed soreness which was relieved and some minor occlusal corrections were carried out. Discussion In developing countries like India , majority of the population lives in villages were providing basic health facilities is a Herculean task. The worldwide prevalence of dental disease is a constant reminder of the almost universal need for effective dental health programmes. These programmes should be routinely conducted for the betterment of the patients. Conducting a successful camp, especially denture camps include assembling the manpower, finance, materials, equipments, instruments, coordination and generous mind of the team. Denture camps unlike the routine camps, require a lot of time, effort, equipments and co-ordination. Treating the edentulous poor patients in camps provides them with dentures which they cannot afford due to financial constraint. Through these camps it is possible to rehabilitate more number of poor patients in short span of time. Rehabilitating the poor edentulous patients improves their appearance, confidence, health and overall well-being. Further, the quality of treatment provided may not be of high standards as all the clinical steps cannot be done due to time constraint, but the treatment given was the stepping stone to make them know the importance of teeth hygiene and to avoid further complications. Active participation of the local organization is very important for the success of the camp. They play a key role in informing and throughing light on their souls how important the camp was to save them from further decay in life. Arranging the venue for the camp, accommodation and food for the team, should also be taken care by the local bodies for a camp to be successful. Success of the camp depends upon the support and co-ordination of the local bodies. Problems were faced as we had only 100 clamp and flasks, the denture processing steps had to be repeated. The number of patients exceeded our estimate, because of which we informed the unregistered patients to undergo the treatment next time. Conclusion Dentures are no more a luxury; it has become a necessity for the edentulous patients for the basic health maintenance. Denture fabrication in a camp requires lot of efforts, manpower, equipments, coordination and support of the local body. Many problems were encountered during this camp. Though there were many hurdles but the doctors became successful in treating the patients. The mountains may look high, but when we begin to climb and reach the top we say it is not so high. The team had taken a brave step with all the problems and they ended with a happy note. In spite of all the problems faced, the dedicated team work proved fruitful in rehabilitating 132 patients in short spans 24 hrs. The efforts of team were highly appreciated by the people.