How do the writers Sylvia Plath and Ken Kesey portray the struggle of the individual in The Bell Jar and One flew over the Cuckoos Nest Essay Example

How do the writers Sylvia Plath and Ken Kesey portray the struggle of the individual in The Bell Jar and One flew over the Cuckoos Nest? Essay In The Bell Jar and Cuckoos Nest, both the protagonists struggle not only with a deteriorating mental stability and oppression from those surrounding them but also with a lack of a sense of individuality. Kesey and Plath explore these personal struggles through the experiences of alienation and identity paranoia through evocative literary techniques; being overwhelmed and powerless to break free of their inner world of isolation. Esther, in The Bell Jar, is a young, sensitive and intelligent woman who feels oppressed by the apparent social restrictions placed upon women in a pre-feminist, repressive 1950s America, and the pressure she feels regarding her future. She struggles with individuality and is faced with many choices complying with her future, and consequently, the path for the rest of her life. Esthers insecurity and struggle to discover her identity causes her to look to the personalities of the woman that surround her in life, but her inability to adapt to these personalities or the traditional concept of the feminine ideal ultimately leads her to a psychological breakdown in life. We will write a custom essay sample on How do the writers Sylvia Plath and Ken Kesey portray the struggle of the individual in The Bell Jar and One flew over the Cuckoos Nest? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on How do the writers Sylvia Plath and Ken Kesey portray the struggle of the individual in The Bell Jar and One flew over the Cuckoos Nest? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on How do the writers Sylvia Plath and Ken Kesey portray the struggle of the individual in The Bell Jar and One flew over the Cuckoos Nest? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer It is not just the nature of that struggle we are presented with, but Plaths literary techniques which help to portray this struggle to the reader, with the use of sibilance and repetition; The silence depressed me. It wasnt the silence of silence. It was my own silence. Plaths repetition of the word silence reinforces the idea that Esthers feelings and emotions are trapped inside her, and suggests that she is unable to break free of her own silence; these emotional burdens result not only in Esthers social and intellectual isolation, but also aid the reader in believing that her mental breakdown is imminent from the beginning. The short, simple, fragmented sentences also show us that Esther has an ability to reflect properly, and it also serves to highlight her own isolation. While Esther feels her segregation is with society, Bromden, the narrator of Cuckoos Nest, and the other patients of the asylum, continuously struggle against the restrictions placed upon the ward by the tyrannical Nurse Ratched. Bromden states that the other patients in the ward think he is mute and deaf, but in reality, he chooses not to speak, primarily due to being ignored and later combined with fear for Nurse Ratched. Although Bromden is the narrator, his descriptions cannot be fully trusted. Chapter 7 serves to portray him as an unreliable narrator, Bromden has a nightmare and imagines the workers slicing open Blastic, one of the vegetables and states that he fears the workers will do the same to him through some ghastly experiment. There is no uncertainty as to whether there is truth in his vision; Kesey assures the reader that it is simply his imagination by having Bromden woken up by the night watchman. The exact diagnosis of his disorder is never revealed, but is possibly schizophrenia or paranoia or as he is said to have served in the army, he may be suffering from shell shock. I feel that the reason Kesey withholds the true disorder Bromden suffers from, is to successfully sustain our interest throughout the novel. Most modern day readers of Cuckoos Nest will have prior knowledge of the effects of war upon the individual, as will they understand the social standing of women in Esthers situation in Bell Jar, and it is this previous awareness that enables us to further understand his, and Esthers, behaviour and struggles, and the derivation of it. Kesey has the protagonist Bromden, tell us initially in the novel; and you think the guy telling this is ranting and raving my God; you think this is too horrible to have really happened, this is too awful to be the truth! At this point the reader is directly addressed and it is as of he is sharing his private thoughts and informing us that he has an important and shocking story to reveal and thus structures the subsequent direction of the novel. Plath uses this technique of informing the reader early with I felt very still and very empty, the way the eye of a tornado must feel, this suggests to us that there is, as in Cuckoos Nest, a sense of psychological conflict rising about in Esthers mind, similar to a tornado and compels us to determine what this suggestion will lead to. Bromdens silence is similar to Esthers in Bell Jar; both of these characters are unable to communicate their ideas through speech due to the fears of those around them. Kesey, with the use of words such as ho rrible and awful, and a demonstrative this, suggests that in addition to the violent and menacing images we have seen so far, that there are still darker things to come; this encourages us to read on and discover the terrible impacting past and future events Bromden will share with us. Kesey suggests to the reader that Bromden feels dehumanised with the use of anthropomorphism; I been silent so long now its gonna roar out of me. The animalistic action roar, and this powerful verb further implies to us that Bromden has a story that is bursting to get out of him, thus creating narrative tension which impels us to discover this story. Kesey uses colloquial language to suggest that due to Bromdens inability to express his feelings, his thoughts are often unstructured and questionable, which can be seen when he states; But, please. Its still hard for me to have a clear mind thinking on it. But its the truth even if it didnt happen. However, here he asks that the reader to keep an open mi nd towards his hallucinations, because even though they may not have actually happened, they provide a metaphorical view of the hidden events in the hospital, as he witnesses them, despite being in a hallucinatory state. Kesey also uses recurring motifs and strong pathetic fallacy, such as the fog he calls The Combine, to emphasise the struggle of the individual, for example, he describes the fog as; snowing cold and white all over me like skim milk. The use of the words cold, white and like skim milk could be Kesey suggesting that Bromden feels trapped in not only the asylum, but also ruled by a mechanical society, of which he does not conform to. By suggesting he might hide in the snow could indicate that Bromden might feel less oppressed if he were white, or simply that the idea of a bitter snow reflects his inner thoughts, reinforcing his insecurities within himself to the reader. His hallucinations of the fog represent Bromdens own lack of mental clarity; it recurs whenever Chief Bromden becomes less stable and recedes whenever he becomes more coherent and in addition to this, he imagines that there are hidden fog machines controlled by the nurses, displaying his intense distrust towards those a round him. The fog can be also interpreted as a powerful metaphor for an escape from truth and Chief believes it to be a shelter from reality, however frightening it might be which can be seen when Kesey writes They start the fog machine againso thick I might even be able to hide in it if they didnt have a hold on me. In addition to this, two of the chapters in Cuckoos Nest contain little more than a paragraph, describing his relapse into paranoia with another experience of fog, and also a disorganised game of monopoly. Kesey uses these brief chapters to show the disjointed nature of Chief Bromdens observations and to show that the structure of the novel also reflects the content, and combined with precise, concrete language and compelling literary techniques, enables the reader to understand and believe these abstract feelings. Like Keseys use of the fog, Plath also uses metaphorical ideas to symbolise the anxieties in Esther, and her struggle to fit into a society she fears. The bell jar hung, suspended, a few feet above my head. I was open to the circulating air. The title and idea of a Bell Jar in itself gives an image of being trapped repressed and restricted. It is obvious that she is being limited in some way or another, destroyed due to her inability to express herself. The analogy of the Bell Jar is crucial; I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air. Plath uses sibilant words stewing and sour to evoke strong sensual reactions in the reader as if they were hit by a pungent sickly smell. This gives us the idea that Esther is slowly driving herself crazy as she cannot break free of the forces around her, and in Plath presenting this idea; she is deriving and understanding from the reader. In addition to the concrete language used, the bell jar represents the entrapmen t Esther feels at the hands of men, children and society and its expectations of women, and the reappearance of this symbol informs the reader of Esthers particularly traumatic and suffocating mood slips. She is gradually driven insane by the gender stereotypical restrictions of her social world and these burdens cause not only her social and intellectual deterioration, but also her mental destruction. Although a modern day female reader of the novel may not be able to fully empathise with this idea of the submissive female, certain sexist aspects remain nowadays which help the women readers understand the extent of Esthers struggle, whilst the universal theme of repression ensures the male audience are not excluded. To extend the theme of repression, Plath uses the idea of presenting the central character as a pariah and disconnection from oneself, to show the struggle of isolation from society; (Her hand) retreated and fell limpas if it had collided with a pane of glass. This reemphasises Esthers feelings of not belonging to society and her struggle to fit in. It once again refers to the image of being trapped in a bell jar away from the world and feeling, and it is this recurrence of the bell jar that gives the novel unity of structure. It was the sleeve of my own bathroom and my left hand lay pale as a cod at the end of it. She detaches herself from her body and does not associate it with herself, as if she is watching herself as another person and this shows the reader the extremity of her disconnection to herself and enables us to gain a greater understanding of her troubled emotions. Kesey also uses the idea of disconnection from oneself as another technique to reinforce the theme of struggle within the individual, an example of this is when Bromden is hiding in the latrine from the black boys; Id take a look at my own self in the mirror and wonder how it was possible that anybody could manage such an enormous thing as being what he was. Bromden is six feet seven inches tall, but confesses that he in fact feels much smaller and weaker than this. He tells McMurphy, I used to be big, but not no more. Bromden describes his mother as twice the size of he and his father put together, due to her belittling them both so much. By referring to himself in third person when he sees himself in the mirror, suggests to us that he is not comfortable in his body and feels abnormal, and insinuates to the reader that his self-esteem and individuality is lost when he implies that his body is not his, but perhaps part of a machine. Kesey continues and extends this technical imagery with the idea of a mechanical society, weaving in childhood recollections, to show the reader that Bromdens struggle leads back to adolescence; on these three strangers I can see the . . . seams where theyre put together. Andthe apparatus inside them take the words I just said and try to fit the words in here and there the machinery disposes of the words like they werent even spoken. Here he recounts the experience that scarred him as child, and which subsequently lead to him regarding himself as a part of mechanism; three government officials came to speak to his father about buying the tribes land to build a hydroelectric dam and when Bromden tried to speak to them, he noticed that not a one of the three acts like they heard a thing I said. He begins to see the world differently, believing that he can see the seams on people, as though they were inhuman or machine-like and begins to get used to being ignored, I believe this has the effect of creating a sinister tone in the novel and shows the root of Bromdens distrust towards society. Along with his silence at the beginning of the novel, Kesey is showing Bromden to represent the more passive elements of society that submit to authority, such as the government and Nurse Ratched, thus reaching out to the reader and appealing to their sympathetic nature, as most people have, at some point in their lives felt dominated by, or struggled against seemingly authoritative figures. Similar to Keseys techniques, in Bell Jar, Plath mirrors the idea of the protagonist struggling to conform to societys mechanical-like expectations. Esther is constantly pressure by her environment to marry and have children; like a robotic housewife; What a man wants is, is an arrow into the future and what a woman is, is the place the arrow shoots off from This is one of the many remarks Esther often receives from her medical student boyfriend, Buddy Willard, along with a suggestion that one day Esther will stop rocking the boat and start rocking a cradle, these sexist comments serve to enlighten the reader of the ideas that young women were steered towards an illustrious ideal of purity, subservience and modest deportment, whilst simultaneously struggling against a condemnation of sexuality, power and confidence. He also says that once she has children she will feel differently, and not want to write poems anymore, that she will be brainwashed and numb as a slave in some private, totalitarian state. Esther rejects Buddy Willard and his ideals as she discovers that all Buddy wants is a typical family life and wife and she does not want to suffer the loss of freedom. Buddy does not appreciate the creative process that is highly valued by Esther who wants to be a poet. Instead of telling him what she actually felt she just says, I guess so and leaves it at that. However, what she wanted to say was -Theyre dust as dust as dust. I reckon a good poem lasts a whole lot longer than a hundred of those people put together. The fact that she does not speak her true feelings to Buddy depicts two sides to Esther, one that doesnt reveal her true self and the other that accepts what she is told I took everything Buddy Willard told me as the honest-to-God truth. Due to the many years she complies with this faà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ade of pretending to be the woman everyone wants her to be, trying to please her family and peers, her mental break down and eventual suicide attempts are inevitable. The major ity of the readers of Bell Jar will have felt pressured by peers, or their family at some point in their lives, and this universal theme combined with precise and elaborate language helps relate us to the character of Esther on a strong personal level. Esther does not have the courage to speak her mind and relieve her troubled thoughts until she is finally hospitalised. However Bromden finds a release from the struggles within himself with the arrival of McMurphy. Before his arrival to the hospital, Nurse Ratcheds routine is successful in maintaining a mechanized sense of order, as Bromden includes in his notes: Its for fixing up mistakesWhen a completed product goes back out into society, all fixed up good as new, better than new sometimes. With this observation, Bromden reflects that as long as one conforms to societys rules, life runs smoothly; although unless they are very strong, if one refuses to conform they will pay the price. Bromdens father was a non-conformist, but was not strong enough; as a result, he was destroyed. McMurphy was strong enough to oppose the repression, but in the end, he still loses. Despite the needless death of McMurphy, there is still a sense of hope in the end of the novel that breaks the sadness, a nd that is Chief Bromden who, mimicking McMurphys earlier unsuccessful attempts to escape, finally manages to break free of his inner struggle towards a new life. As the reader I felt satisfied by the distinctly promising ending, and after sharing and experiencing the struggles of Bromden through the text, believe that Kesey ended the novel on a positive note to enable the reader to gain closure on his shocking story, unlike the uncertain ending to Bell Jar. Plath also has her central character imitate the ideas of others to push aside her hidden struggles. Throughout the novel she is unsure about her future and about her self, and it may seem that Esther herself is unable to define her identity. Due to her confusion Esther adopts various parts of the personalities of the women in her life, which evidently neither fit nor reflect her true self. Firstly she feels like she wants to be like Doreen, the next she describes her disgust by her and reveals her desire to be like Betsy; It was Betsy I resembled at heart. The simple fragmented sentence almost seems to the reader that she has confidence in the assertion of her character traits. However, this is contradicted with the desire to be like Jay Cee, as her balance of marriage and career impresses her. Even though Kesey in Cuckoos Nest has Bromden successfully be influenced by McMurphy, Esther evidently does not alleviate her struggles by longing to be someone else. By stating that she resembles Betsy, it appears to the reader that she is trying to fit in but also enables us to further observe a sense of self-destruction due to her identity confusion. After it appears that Esther is on the road to improving her mental health, it is surprising to see that in the last chapter of the novel, we see that the bell jar parallel resurfaces, and provides the final word on Esthers supposed recovery. How did I know that someday . . . the bell jar, with its stifling distortions, wouldnt descend again? The bell jar has lifted enough that Esther can behave relatively normally, and although it seems that she hasnt actually freed herself, we get a sense that she obviously knows what she is doing as she has plans. Her suicidal desires have been abandoned, for the time being, and she begins to connect with other people and the outside world. The use of ellipsis after someday, suggest to the reader that Esther still feels the bell jar hovering above her, and worries that it will trap her again. The novel lapses into a linear, traditional narrative towards the end, representing sanity as a complete and significant concept, however, whilst she is reli eved to be free from her madness, she does not wholly believe that this is a permanent solution from her struggles. It is this sense of ambiguity that leaves the reader to decide their own interpretation of Esthers fate. Both Plath and Kesey portray intense psychological struggle of Esther and Bromden effectively in similar ways; both novels create a sense of catharsis at the end of the novel due to the heavy, complex emotions and the distinct, visual imagery and language. I see this catharsis as alleviated in Cuckoos Nest with Bromdens successful escape; conversely in Bell Jar I feel that this is not quite relieved and that I am almost sharing Esthers constant burdens in the concluding paragraphs. The novel was described by one critic as having a special force, a humbling power, because it shows the vulnerability of people of hope and good will, I see this overwhelming vulnerability we are able to share with Esther that helps The Bell Jar stand out as the most effective in conveying the struggle. I feel that Plaths precise literary techniques, along with the obscure symbolism of the bell jar persisting to plague Esthers mind, to the point where she is still no clearer on her uncertain fate, delineat es Bell Jar as unforgettable with a lingering ambiguity that has asserted the novel as a literary classic.

How Hard Is the SAT Spanish Subject Test

How Hard Is the SAT Spanish Subject Test SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips  ¿Estudias espaà ±ol? ¿Hablas espaà ±ol en casa?Are you wondering if you should take the SAT Subject Test in Spanish? Let's review what it covers and how students usually score so you can decide if the SAT Subject Test in Spanish is right for you. First, you have to know what's on the test. Step 1: Familiarize Yourself With the Spanish Subject Test Before you can decide if your language skills are up to the challenge, you should know all about the SAT Subject Test in Spanish- when it's offered, how it's structured, and what's on it. When Is the Spanish Subject Test Offered? There are two options for taking the SAT Subject Test in Spanish: the Listening test and the non-Listening, or Reading-only, test. Spanish with Listening is offered only on one test date in November, while the Reading version is offered on all the other test dates- in May, June, August, October, and December. To see the exact dates and figure out when you should take the tests, check out this article.Besides when they're offered, what are the differences between the Listening and Reading options? How Is the Spanish Subject Test Structured? Both tests ask 85 multiple choice questions in 60 minutes. Here's the breakdown of the Reading Subject Test: 33% vocabulary and structure 33% paragraph completion 33% reading comprehension The Listening test, on the other hand, has this structure: 40% listening (e.g. describing a picture, continuing a short conversation, or answering comprehension questions) 60% reading (vocabulary and structure, paragraph completion, and reading comprehension). As you can see, if you choose the Spanish with Listening Subject Test, your listening skills are a significant portion of the test. However, your Listening subscore will count half as much as your reading subscore, which I'll explain more below in the section about how the test is scored. Both subscores will be reported on your score report, but the reading will count more towards your overall scaled score. The Listening portion is 20 minutes long. You are required to bring a CD player to listening to the Subject Test. Read more about the CD player guidelines here. While the skills being tested differ, between the two tests, both cover similar content. What Does the Spanish Subject Test Cover? The tests cover the following areas of understanding. Different parts of speech Basic idioms Ability to fill in words or expressions within the context of a sentence Understanding of vocabulary and structure questions within paragraphs Understanding of main points, supporting ideas, themes, style, tone, and setting of passages, which may be drawn from fiction, news articles, historical works, letters, and advertisements This practice question, for example, tests your ability to fill in a word in the correct part of speech in the context of a sentence. Difficulty level: easy. Here's a similar sample question that tests your understanding of the subjunctive form. Difficulty level: hard. Try some more sample questions from the Spanish Subject Test here, and determine whether they feel easy or hard to you. This is one important action you can take to determine your language level. Mike knows enough Spanish to ask where the bathroom is, but not enough to express all the love that's in his heart. BreakPresents/YouTube. Step 2: Know Your Spanish Language Level College Board suggests that you should have three to four years of studying Spanish or two or more years of intensive study to take the SAT Subject Test in Spanish. If you're nearing the end of AP Spanish and are getting an A, then you are likely in a strong position to score highly on the Subject Test. If you're in Spanish 3, and have not studied Spanish intensively, like in AP classes, then you might not be ready yet. Again, trying practice questions will help give you a sense of the test and whether you feel your language skills are ready. Your Spanish teachers might also have advice on whether your high school curriculum has sufficiently prepared you for the Subject Test. If you're a native speaker, you should still study for the test to make sure you know grammar and other rules of the language. Don't worry about expressions unique to one country- the test is not supposed to have any region-specific sayings. Research your college to learn their Subject Test requirements and expectations. Some might be impressed with your high score on a language test. Others might prefer you opt for another test, if they already know that you're a native speaker of Spanish. For more on this, check out our expert guide: Which SAT Subject Test Should You Take? It's also important to consider how strong your reading vs. listening comprehension in Spanish is. The Spanish with Listening gives that extra dimension of understanding and may help with placement into a more advanced language level in college. The grading curve is often more competitive for the Listening test, as students who opt for that one are typically fluent or have particularly strong Spanish skills. So if you're really not confident in your listening comprehension, you probably want to steer clear of the Listening test. Let's take a closer look at what I mean when I talk about a competitive grading curve. Step 3: Consider the Grading Curve Along with your Subject Test score out of 800, you'll also get a percentile. This percentile compares you to other students who took the test. If you score in the 75th percentile, for example, then you scored higher than 75% of other students and lower than 25%. This table shows how the Spanish Subject Test scores converted to percentiles last year. You can see that the Spanish Subject Test with Listening is slightly more competitive. The same score is a slightly lower percentile on the Listening test than the Reading test. Check out this table, based on data from the College Board, and then scroll down for a discussion of what this data means for how difficult the SAT Subject Test in Spanish is. Score Spanish with Listening Percentile Spanish with Reading Percentile 800 94 92 790 91 90 780 86 87 770 82 84 760 78 80 750 74 77 740 69 74 730 66 70 720 62 67 710 58 64 700 55 60 690 51 57 680 46 54 670 43 50 660 40 47 650 38 44 640 35 41 Average (50th percentile) scores on the tests are in the upper 600s. Let's take a look at what you need to score in the 70th, 80th, and 90th percentile. Good Scores for Spanish Listening 70th percentile:750+ 80th percentile:770+ 90th percentile:790+ Good Scores for Spanish Reading 70th percentile: 730+ 80th percentile: 760+ 90th percentile: 790+ To score in a high percentile compared to other test-takers, you have to score quite high, between 750 and 800, on the tests. While this might sound like a tall order, it's actually well within your reach if you have the requisite Spanish language skills and take time to prepare for the Subject Test. Read this article for more on the average scores of the SAT Subject Tests and what constitutes a good score on each test (it's different for each one). This data can help you set target scores and design your study plan. Let's take a look at how the scoring works, so you can keep this in mind as you study for the test. Step 4: Know How the Spanish Subject Test Is Scored Unlike the general SAT, for the Spanish Subject test (and all other Subject Tests), you lose points for incorrect answers.Spanish Subject Test gives you 1 point for every correct answer, 0 points for skipped answers, and -1/3 point for wrong answers. These points add up to your raw score, which is then converted to a scaled score between 200 and 800 through a process called equating. Equating takes everyone's scores into account. As you saw above, the grading curve on language tests like Spanish is competitive. Some years, you might be able to get away with one or two wrong answers and still score an 800. Otherwise, you will likely lose about 10 points for every two questions you get wrong. As I mentioned above, the reading subscore counts twice as much as the listening subscore toward your composite scaled score. However, both subscores will be reported and viewable on your score report. If you are adequately prepared with AP Spanish, years of study, or out of the classroom fluency, then you are in a great position to score highly on the Spanish Subject Test and demonstrate your multilingual abilities to admissions committees. Even if you're confident in your fluency, it's always important to do some serious test prep and back up your understanding with the necessary grammatical knowledge and reading comprehension. Step 5: KnowWhen to Guess and When to Leave Answers Blank Too many random guesses could bring down your score, so you have to be smart on when to guess on a question(and risk a point deduction) and when to leave a question blank (with no change of getting it right). Here are some strategies to follow: If You Can't Eliminate Any Answer Choices If you're really stumped on a question and can't eliminate any of the options, don’t guess yet.Skip the question and for now and go back to it afteryou've finished the rest of the exam.What if you stillcan’t eliminate anyof the options?It may make sense to guess, but it also may not gain you any points. Here's an example: If you guess on four questions without eliminating any answer choices, odds are you'll get one question right and three wrong. This leaves you with a net of zero points on those questions (1 - (.3333 x 3)=0). However, total randomness is rare, and the test makers often design the wrong answer choices to seem correct so that you're more likely to choose them. This means the choices you decide on may not be random, and you may end up guessing incorrectly on more than three-quarters of the questions, leaving you with a net negative of points. This leaves you with a choice. You can either leave questions you can't eliminate any answer choices on blank, or you can do you best to make your answer choices completely random. One way to do this is to pick a letter (say "A") and select that answer choice for all the questions you're guessing on to make your choices as random as possible. If You Can EliminateOne or MoreAnswer Choices Once you can eliminate at least one answer choice, the math is much more in your favor to guess.Say you have six questions where you've been able to eliminate one answer choice for each. That leaves you with three answer choices per question. Odds are you'll guess correctly on two of the questions, and answer four incorrectly. That leaves you with a net positive of 2/3 a point (2 - (.333 x 4). It's not huge, but it's definitely better than nothing. Just remember to keep your guesses on the remaining answer choices as random as possible. Additional Note:If you take a practice test, I highly recommendmarking all the questions you guessedon so that you can later evaluate the success of your guessing strategies. This will also prevent you from just ignoring questions you got right by chance, whichyou should always revisitanyway. To Sum Up... The Spanish Subject Test has a competitive grading curve. You'll have to score in the high 700s to make it into a high percentile, so set high target scores and prep to achieve them. Make sure you're confident in your comprehension of Spanish, have studied it for at least the recommended amount of time, and have a strong grasp of grammar and vocabulary. If you have all these language skills, then the test should not be overly difficult for you. Instead, it will be a great opportunity to showcase your language skills to admissions committees and add a strong Subject Test score to your college applications.  ¡Buena suerte!  ¿Quà © ms? Need to brush up on your ser conjugations? We've got you covered with our chart of ser conjugations for every tense. Looking for a good SAT Spanish study notes? We've put together the best SAT Spanish Subject Test guide here. What are the easiest SAT Subject Tests to take? This article answers that question from a few different angles, including the content of the test and how competitive the grading curves for each one are. Are you applying to Ivy League schoolsor wondering if your test scores are good enough to get in? Check out this post on Subject Test Scores for the Ivy League and other selective colleges. When are you taking the SAT or ACT? Check out this study plan that helps you schedule your prep a year or more in advance of the tests. Need a little extra help prepping for your Subject Tests? We have the industry's leading SAT Subject Test prep programs (for all non-language Subject Tests). Built by Harvard grads and SAT Subject Test full or 99th %ile scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Learn more about our Subject Test products below:

Months of the Year in Spanish

Months of the Year in Spanish Words for the months are very similar in English and Spanish thanks to their  common heritage: enero - Januaryfebrero - Februarymarzo - Marchabril - Aprilmayo - Mayjunio - Junejulio - Julyagosto - Augustseptiembre, setiembre - Septemberoctubre - Octobernoviembre - Novemberdiciembre - December Key Takeaways: The Months in Spanish The names of the months of year in English and Spanish are similar because they come from the age of the Roman Empire.Names of the months in Spanish are masculine and not normally capitalized.The most common pattern for writing dates in Spanish is number de month de year. Grammar of the Months in Spanish All of the names for months are masculine, although it usually isnt necessary to use the article el except when giving specific dates, and then the el comes before the number rather than the month. Note that unlike in English, the names of the months are not capitalized in Spanish (except at the beginning of a sentence or composition title). Three months have adjective forms: abrileà ±o (pertaining to April), marzal (pertaining to March), and agosteà ±o (pertaining to August). Example: Las lluvias abrileà ±as de nuestro paà ­s son persistentes. (The April rains in our country are persistent.) How to Write Dates in Spanish The most common way of giving dates is following this pattern: el 1 de enero de 2000. For example: La Declaracià ³n de Independencia de los EE.UU. fue ratificada por el Congreso Continental el 4 de julio de 1776 en Filadelfia. (The U.S. Declaration of Independence was ratified by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia.) As in that example, the word on in an on date phrase does not have to be translated to Spanish. Otherwise, the names of months are used similarly to the structure in English: Abril es el cuarto mes del aà ±o. (April is the fourth month of the year.)Asturias registrà ³ el febrero ms seco y clido desde 1990. (Asturias recorded the driest, warmest February since 1990.)Un aà ±o bisiesto es uno con 366 dà ­as en vez de 365. Cada cuatro aà ±os, febrero tiene un dà ­a ms. (A leap year is one with 366 days instead of 356. Every four years, February has an extra day.)Fue publicado el 28 de febrero de 2008. (It was published on February 28, 2008.)Era un diciembre mgico. (It was a magic December.)Se celebra el 24 de octubre como Dà ­a de las Naciones Unidas. (October 24 is celebrated as United Nations Day.)Segà ºn las creencias de la astrologà ­a, las personas que nacieron el 20 de octubre son en cierto modo una paradoja. (According to astrological beliefs, people born on Oct. 20 are paradoxical in some way.)El 25 de octubre es el 298o dà ­a del aà ±o en el calendario gregoriano. (October 25 is the 298th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar.)Cada feb rero, una marmota llamada Phil sale de su cueva. (Each February, a groundhog named Phil comes out of his burrow.) El 6 de enero es un dà ­a importante para la nià ±ez mexicana, porque es el dà ­a que llegan los Reyes Magos a dejar regalos. (January 6 is an important date for Mexican children, because it is the day that the Wise Men arrive to leave gifts.) Abbreviating Dates When writing dates using just numbers, Spanish typically uses Roman numerals using a date-month-year sequence. For example, September 16, 1810 (Mexicos independence date), would be written as 16-IX-1810. Note that the sequence is similar to that used in English in Great Britain (as well as in most other European languages) but not the United States. Origins of the Months Names The names of the months all come from Latin, the language of the Roman Empire: enero - from the Roman god Janus, the guardian or doors and gates.febrero - from a word meaning purify. A feast of purification was once held at this time of year.marzo - from Martius, the word for the planet Mars.abril - meaning uncertain. It may be a variation of the name of the Greek god Aphrodite.mayo - possibly from Maia, a Roman earth goddess.junio - possibly from Junio, a goddess married to Jupiter.julio - in honor of Julius Caesar.agosto - in honor of August Caesar.septiembre - from a Latin word for seven. September was the seventh month of the old Roman calendar.octubre - from a Latin word for eight.noviembre - from a Latin word for nine.diciembre - from a Latin word for ten.

The Normal Distribution and Probability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Normal Distribution and Probability - Essay Example Given that the median helps to do away with influences associated with too much of one or two scores on the extremes of any given distribution, it thus emerges as the measure of choice in variability. Assignment 2 Sales 500 salespeople of a company are mostly normally distributed forming a bell symmetrical shape. Whereby sales from those who record high sales appear on the right side while those with low sales coming on the left side and with a majority of sales appearing on the middle part of the distribution, translating to an average of sales on either side of the curve accounting for the mean sales. This would make it resourceful to come up with a working model to be used to work out a budget as well as predicting performance of the company. A company would predict the effect-increase in sales revenue- of increasing the number stores and salespeople. This distribution also helps to not only identify those sales people who need extra training but also it helps to identify those wh o need to be replaced. It is worth to consider the size of the sample in question, with a large sample like that of the 500 sales people proving to be more representative compared to a sample of about 100 people. It is therefore relevant statistically to estimate that adding one more sales person is worth for instance $25,000 increase in revenue. Clearly from the study sales people and their respective sales are the main variables which are measured in ratio scale since there are those sales people who have nil sales. On using a continuous scale, sales are normally distributed with most of sales in middle range and the entire sales data being within the range 40% of the average sale. A probability value of 0.05 implies 5% of the sales people will sell an amount different from expected sales value and while the remaining 95 % are expected to sell at an amount within the expected amount. This concept is therefore used to represent monthly countable sales. Assignment 3 Organizations re sort to using means such as incentives and bonuses so as to increase the productivity of their employees. In order prove that financial incentives have always boosted the productivity of employees, I will evaluate the hypothesis that a $ 1,000 incentive offered to employees is sufficient to make them finish a project before the expected time. In this study size of incentive and level of productivity are the independent and dependent variables respectively. Assuming the population sample n=30 would be chosen randomly from the employees allocated to new projects. Hypothesis testing is an analysis of a given research, with a null hypothesis indicating a zero change as a result of the $ 1000 incentive represented by  µ. On the other hand a change as a result of the $ 1000 incentive indicates the alternative hypothesis. In order to determine critical boundaries and identify chances of Type 1error, it's important to select an alpha level. Selecting a .01 alpha level provides a low risk error and avoids overstretching the critical area since this level enhances a balance between the functions which offers a base to reject or accept the proposed effect of the incentive. A one-tailed test is utilized when hypothesis about a particular directional rather than general. Results obtained from one -tailed test are of significance

Critically Evaluate Two or Three Approaches to Ideology and Their Essay

Critically Evaluate Two or Three Approaches to Ideology and Their Relevance to the Student of Media - Essay Example 234). One of the reasons for this malaise over the impact of the media is because it is a more formidable source of cultural acquisition and socialisation than books and other cultural institutions, especially for young people, because, as Gross has pointed out, even at the university level, young people are largely influenced by audio-visual media, their primary cultural reference (cited in Hall 1992, p. 88). Yet theorists and critics have argued that the media isn’t ideologically-neutral, rather, contrary to appearances, it is a purveyor of dominant ideology. According to Murfin & Ray (2003) ideology is â€Å"a set of beliefs underlying the customs, habits, and practices common to a given social group. To members of that group, the beliefs seem obviously true, natural, and even universally applicable† (p. 208), regardless of whether they are held or acquired consciously or unconsciously. The term first came into critical use in Marxist thought, when Karl Marx, along with Frederich Engels, offered his critique of capitalist societies in The German Ideology (1844) and other writings. For Marx, society is structured and divided along lines of economics and class along two major axes: those who control the means of production (the ruling class or elite) and those who do not (the masses or proletariat). The wealthy elite, in order to maintain their position of privilege and the economic machinery from which their position and power emanated, had to put structures in place that would reinforce their authority and undermine that of the w orking class (Rivkin & Ryan 1998, p. 253). Marx calls these structures or institutions the ‘superstructure’: law, politics, culture, religion, education, and they emerge from and in accordance with the economic base, with the aim of exploiting the working class (Murfin & Ray 2003, p. 244). Marx criticises capitalists societies which he sees as â€Å"riven from within by †¦ ‘class struggle’† (Rivkin & Ryan 1998, p.

Science and Technologies Essay Example for Free

Science and Technologies Essay With the advent of future developments in science and technology, we will assign more and more decision making to machines. At present this is evident in military systems in which electronic sensors maintain the ideal flight characteristics in advanced aircraft. The capacities of computers today exceed five hundred trillion bits of information per second. The complexity of todays civilization is far too complex for human systems to manage without the assistance of electronic computers. Computers of today are relatively primitive compared to those that will evolve in the future. Eventually the management of social systems will call for require electronic sensors interconnected with all phases of the social sequences thus eliminating the need for politics. Today modern industrial plants have built in automatic inventory systems, which order materials such as bearings and other mechanical replacements well in advance People became accustomed to live surrounded by the things that make their lives easier and more comfortable. When we look back at previous centuries and especially at the 20th century we focus on wonderful events: trains, cars, planes making distance shorter; rockets taking people out into space; our homes and offices taken over by successive waves of electronic equipment, including telephones, TVs, faxes, computers, cell phones, Internet facilities, and electronic liberties. Scientific and technological achievements follow so called folklore â€Å"science† which lays foundation for genuine science. For example, common people predicted planes or television in the fairy tales flying carpets or mirrors that show other lands and people. Many fairy tale dreams came true, and the emergence of television proves this. Television has grown up all over the world, enabling nearly every country to share aspects of its culture and society with others. Practically every country in the world now has at least one broadcast television station. It came into being based on the inventions and discoveries of many scientists, engineers, managers. The idea of television implied in its early stages of development of a combination of optical, mechanical and electronic technologies of capture transmit and display a visual image. All modern television system relies on the electronic technologies, and it is not compatible with the old mechanical type of television. But the knowledge gained from the work on mechanical – dependent systems was crucial in the development of fully electronic television. In early television era televisions were made to be sold from in the United Kingdom, United States, and Russia. The first person who demonstrated a working television was a famous Scottish engineer John Baird. John Baird, the son of a clergyman, was known for being of poor health for most of his life, but he nonetheless showed early signs of ingenuity. When he was twelve years old, he and some friends built a private telephone system which connected his bedroom to those of his friends across the street. The system worked well, but it had to be closed as one night a storm pulled down the wires that were stretched across by the boys and a man was hurt by the falling wires. Baird had always been interested in science. He studied at Glasgow University, but the tuition was interrupted by the outbreak of World War One. When the war ended he set himself up in business, but his real dream was creating the television – a dream of many scientist for decades. By 1924 he managed to transmit a flickering image of a Maltese cross across a few feet. On October 2, 1925, Baird transmitted a picture of a human face – the face of a fifteen year old boy. He also gave the first demonstration of both colour and stereoscopic television. In September 1929, the BBC started experimental transmission with Baird’s equipment. In the 30s his mechanical system was rapidly becoming obsolete as innovative electronic devises came into existence. When BBC committee of inquiry launched in 1935 a side by side trial between the existing television systems, American’s all-electronic system devised by Marconi was found to be the best. The Baird’s system was not chosen, and two years later the Baird’s system was dropped out the use. The history of television is remarkable, and it is tightly connected with the history of human civilization. All these precious ideas and things are used by people in their everyday life; they are carefully kept in scientific museums such as the National media Museum in England or the Early Television Museum and the Museum of broadcast Communication in the USA. The mission of such museums is to collect, preserve and present technological content of human civilisation as well is to inform, entertain, and educate people. There is no doubt that television made our lives richer, more informative and colourful. Somehow it made people of the world closer to each other. The society is aware of television and radio as having cultural, creative, and social significance. Both television and radio create communication platforms for common people, media-interested public and the professional community. But there is some anxiety in the society about such topic as violence, tabloid television and the quiz show scandals. The development of technologies moves on: we witness the emergence of such broadcasting technologies as the internet, mobile video and podcasting.

The Character of Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams A Streetcar Name

  Ã‚  Ã‚   Blanche, the main character in William’s play "A Streetcar Named Desire" invokes many contrasting emotions. To analyze one’s emotions concerning Blanche is no easy task, to do so effectively one must break the play into different parts and analyze them separately. The problem with Blanche is that she presents a character so mixed up in her own motives and opinions that one never knows if it is really her or an act she’s putting on. The audience will find itself constantly readjusting its position towards Blanche and the other characters as the play unfolds and we learn more about her story and the reasons behind her inadequacies. Williams makes sure nothing is white or black but grey so that at some moments in the play we struggle to find a reason for her cool manipulation and hunger for power while at others we pity her pathetic life founded on lies and misconceptions. Even when she tries to break up Stanley and Stella’s relationship we donâ €™t immediately brand her as a villain, we remember that if Stella hadn’t left than maybe Blanche would have become what she had wanted to become rather than what society dictated her to become. When we see Blanche for the very first time we know right away that she does not belong in Stella’s neighborhood, she is "daintily dressed" and her "delicate beauty must avoid a strong light", she seems in a fairly hysterical state but we can assume that’s just normal since she is "incongruous to this setting". She seems to be having trouble speaking normally to a black person so that we can already place the origin of her upbringing in the South, probably in one of those enormous mansions that housed rich slave owning white families. As the scene unfolds, the image of the rich, somewhat shelte... ...e thinking about her and the play they will feel sympathy or at least pity for Blanche. What Williams demonstrates with this play is the power of memories and the ruthlessness of society. Works Cited and Consulted Brownmiller, Susan. Against Our Will. New York: Bantam Books, 1975. Dworkin, Andrea. Intercourse. New York: The Free Press, 1087 Lant, Kathleen Margaret. "A Streetcar Named Misogyny." pp. 225-238 in REDMOND. Redmond, James (Editor). Violence in Drama. Cambridge University Press; 1991.   Spoto, Donald. The Kindness of Strangers. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1985. Williams, Edwina Dakin. Remember Me to Tom. St. Louis: Sunrise Publishing Company, 1963. Williams, Tennessee. Memoirs. New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc: 1975. Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. New York: Signet. Original copyright 1947.