Kite Runner, Seeking Redemption Essay Example

Kite Runner, Seeking Redemption Essay Example Kite Runner, Seeking Redemption Essay Kite Runner, Seeking Redemption Essay Essay Topic: The Kite Runner In Khaled Hosseinis The Kite Runner, several major themes arise. One of the most dominant themes is betrayal. The protagonist, an Afghani-American named Amir, retells the story of his childhood; from growing up in Afghanistan and ending up in America. During his life Amir have been forced to make many difficult choices, several of which he is not proud of. In his early years he watched his best friend Hassan get raped without interfering, and later due to his own actions he forced Hassan and his father to leave their house. Most people would call this betrayal, and they would be right. But it is important to remember; would you have done anything differently? In the Kite Runner there is many betrayals, but the most significant one is when Amir does not stand up for Hassan. Hassan is by nature a very loyal person, and Khaled Hosseini shows early in the book the extent of his loyalty. Hassan and I fed from the same breasts. We took our first steps on the same lawn in the same yard. And, under the same roof, we spoke our first words. Mine was Baba. His was Amir. My name. (Hosseini 1 1) In this passage, Hosseini hows how innocent and loyal Hassan is, even from the very beginning of his life. It is remarkable that the first word Hassan say is the name of his master, but it is also important to take note of Amirs first word; Baba. This also is very important because it illustrates how important Baba is to Amir, how important it is for Amir to impress him. Bearing Hassans loyalty in mind, we can look more clos ely at Amir. The following exchange between Amir and Hassan is important, because it prepares us for future events and shows a more cruel side of Amir. He turned to me. A few sweat beads rolled from his bald scalp. Would I ever lie to you, Amir agha? Suddenly I decided to toy with him a little. l dont know. Would you? Id sooner eat dirt, he said with a look of indignation. Really? Youd do that? He threw me a puzzled look. Do what? Eat dirt if I told you to, I said. Kind of like when we used to play insect torture. Except now, he was the ant and I was holding the magnifying glass. If you asked I would (Hosseini 54) Again, we see Hassans undying loyalty to Amir. However, this is one of many small exchanges where Amir is ruel to Hassan, or as he says himself, toying with him. This is Hosseini preparing us for Amir to betray Hassan. While this is not directly a betrayal, it clearly shows that Hassan stands up for him while he does not stand up for his friend. We see other similar situations, for example when Assef is bullying Amir and Hassan, Amir is not willing to acknowledge him as a friend. Most people will agree that Amirs biggest betrayal is not helping his friend when Assef is raping him. Yet, it is so important to remember that it is a very difficult situation. Most eople go through their lives without ever facing such a difficult situation. While this being said, Amir did take the cowards way out. Furthermore, after the incident he made sure Ali and Hassan departed the house, by planting his new watch and some money under Hassans pillow. After looking at Hassan, it is important to look at Amir. We must ask ourselves; why did Amir betray his best friend? The following passage is helpful in explaining the matter. l actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Saba. (Hosseini 77) Baba, while not doing too much himself in the book is so incredibly important. This is because during his first years, he was the person Amir wanted to impress the most in the entire world. And for a little child that only wanted to impress his father, and the father does everything but reject him, it only enhances his need to impress him. As Hosseini describes, we see the extent of Amirs needs when he says he can sacrifice his best friend in order to impress his father.

The eNotes Blog Reading Comprehension as anAsset

Reading Comprehension as anAsset A couple years ago, The New York Times published a piece titled How to Get Your Mind to Read. Since we’re all about reading here at , we eagerly devoured the post and have revisited it many times. Since improving reading comprehension is an active part of our work, I’ve shared several of the key points in the article below. Let us know if you have any other recommendations! 1. Comprehension Requires Broad Vocabulary and Factual Knowledge This first point is straightforward. Of course we need vocabulary and factual knowledge to comprehend what we read. However, the article points out that classrooms that focus almost exclusively on literacy skills- to the detriment of other subject areas- are not benefiting students; they’re hindering students’ opportunities to succeed. The article suggests that spending more time on other subject areas- such as current events, history, science, music, etc.- will aid reading comprehension because students will not only expand their vocabulary, but also they’ll gain a broader field of factual knowledge. This is one of the reasons why we focus so much on developing quality analysis and historical context sections within our study guides and on our annotations. Much of the historical context in Jane Eyre or the philosophy of Crime and Punishment are difficult to understand without having the vocabulary or factual knowledge to follow Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s and Dostoevsky’s ideas. 2. All Texts Have Information Gaps Readers Must Fill Less experienced readers often expect the writer to provide them with all the knowledge they need in a given passage. This expectation isn’t necessarily wrong: many tests expect students to answer questions from a text without considering the knowledge gap between writer and reader. However, the writer can’t include everything for us, and so when she writes for her audience, she is counting on readers to meet her halfway by decoding meaning. This shows up in allusions and references, which rely on a common, shared knowledge. At , we strive to help readers gain access to these information gaps to bolster their understanding of allusions and references. As enjoyable as â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† is, without an understanding of Eliot’s allusions, students will find themselves reading the poem but failing to fully comprehend it. 3. Reading Comprehension Is More Than Just a General Skill This final point really got me thinking about our teaching approaches. The article relates a misunderstanding with current education practices, which claim that reading comprehension should be treated â€Å"like a general skill that can be applied with equal success to all texts.† The article illustrates the impact of this misunderstanding, sharing evidence that test scores haven’t improved in 30 years. However, as discussed above, with the information gaps and broad knowledge required, reading comprehension is much more than just a simple one-size-fits-all skill. We need to shift our attitudes from reading as a skill to reading as an asset, particularly as more companies, even those in tech industries, are hiring strong readers and writers. When we can fully accept the complexity of developing reading comprehension, our goals forward for curriculum development and lesson planning are to focus on the relationships among texts. Reading is a skill that is in constant development, with no ceiling. We as educators need to look to present reading comprehension to students as an asset that will grow over time with thoughtful practice. Proposed Changes in Teaching Reading Comprehension The article concludes by proposing three significant changes in our school systems: â€Å"First, [significant changes point] to decreasing the time spent on literacy instruction in early grades.† â€Å"Second, understanding the importance of knowledge to reading ought to make us think differently about year-end standardized tests.† â€Å"Third, the systematic building of knowledge must be a priority in curriculum design. The Common Core Standards for reading specify nearly nothing by way of content that children are supposed to know- the document valorizes reading skills.† supports these proposed changes. We hope that our annotations and analysis help students expand their vocabularies, build their knowledge bases, and draw connections among texts- all practices integral to becoming better, more conscientious readers. So while we could cast blame on the influences of social media and technology, this simply ignores the main issue. The NYT article says that we should blame ignorance in failing to appropriately teach reading comprehension. I’d like to go a step further and offer that we should make changes by re-evaluating how we approach the teaching of reading comprehension. Let’s not only focus on institutional changes in curriculum but also model this behavior ourselves. Doing so will help us all better understand how our minds comprehend what we read, and this knowledge will allow us to develop more appropriate approaches, methods, and tests for our students. Only this will help give our students the necessary tools to change their reading for the better.

Population Figures for the Dynasties of Ancient China

Population Figures for the Dynasties of Ancient China As of 2016, the population of China was 1.38 billion people. That phenomenal number is matched by enormous early population figures. Censuses were taken as a rule by ancient rulers beginning in the Zhou Dynasty, but what the rulers were counting is somewhat in doubt. Some censuses refer to the number of persons as mouths and the number of households as doors. But, conflicting figures are given for the same dates and its possible that the numbers refer not to the total population, but taxpayers, or people who were available for either military or corvee labor duties. By the Qing Dynasty, the government was using a ting or tax unit to count in the census, which is based on a head count of population and more on the ability of the population to support the elites. Xia Dynasty 2070–1600 BCE The Xia dynasty is the first known dynasty in China, but even its existence is doubted by some scholars in China and elsewhere. The first census was said by Han dynasty historians to have been taken by Yu the Great in about 2000 BCE, with a total of 13,553,923 people or possibly households. Further, the figures are likely Han Dynasty propaganda Shang Dynasty 1600–1100 BCE No surviving censuses. Zhou Dynasty 1027–221 BCE Censuses became normal instruments of public administration, and several rulers ordered them at regular intervals, but the statistics are somewhat in doubt 1000 BCE: 13,714,923 persons680 BCE: 11,841,923 persons Qin Dynasty 221–206 BCE The Qin Dynasty was the first time China was unified under a centralized government. With the ending of wars, iron implements, farming techniques, and irrigation were developed. No surviving censuses. Han Dynasty 206 BCE–220 CE About the turn of the Common Era, population censuses in China became statistically useful for the entire united mainland. By 2 CE, censuses were taken and recorded on occasion. Western Han 2 CE: persons per household: 4.9Eastern Han 57–156 CE, persons per household: 4.9–5.82 CE: 59,594,978 persons, 12,233,062 households156 CE: 56,486,856 persons, 10,677,960 households Six Dynasties (Period of Disunity) 220–589 CE Liu Sung State, 464 CE, 5.3 million persons, 900,000 households Sui Dynasty 581–618 CE 606 CE: persons per household 5.2, 46,019,956 persons, 8,907,536 households Tang Dynasty 618–907 CE 634–643 CE: 12,000,000 persons, 2,992,779 households707–755 CE: persons per household 5.7-6.0754 CE: 52,880,488 persons, 7,662,800 tax payers755 CE: 52,919,309 persons, 8,208,321 tax payers845 CE: 4,955,151 households Five Dynasties 907–960 CE After the fall of the Tang dynasty, China was split into several states and consistent population data for the entire county is not available. Song Dynasty 960–1279 CE 1006–1223 CE: persons per household 1.4-2.61006 CE: 15,280,254 persons, 7,417,507 households1063 CE: 26,421,651 persons, 12,462,310 households1103 CE: 45,981,845 persons, 20,524,065 households1160 CE: 19,229,008 persons, 11,575,753 households1223 CE: 28,320,085 persons, 12,670,801 households Yuan Dynasty 1271–1368 CE 1290-1292 CE: persons per household 4.5-4.61290 CE: 58,834,711 persons, 13,196,206 households1330 CE: 13,400,699 households Ming Dynasty 1368–1644 CE 1381–1626 CE: persons per household 4.8-7.11381 CE: 59,873305 persons, 10,654,362 households1450 CE: 53,403,954 persons, 9,588,234 households1520 CE: 60,606,220 persons, 9,399,979 households1620–1626 CE: 51,655,459 persons, 9,835,416 households Qing Dynasty 1655–1911 CE In 1740, the Qing dynasty emperor ordered that population statistics be compiled annually, a system known as pao-chia, which required each household to keep a tablet by their door with a list of all the members of the household. Later those tablets were kept in regional offices. 1751 CE: 207 million persons1781 CE: 270 million persons1791 CE: 294 million persons1811 CE: 347 million persons1821 CE: 344 million persons1831 CE: 383 million persons1841 CE: 400 million persons1851 CE: 417 million persons Sources Duan C-Q, Gan X-C, Jeanny W, and Chien PK. 1998. Relocation of Civilization Centers in Ancient China: Environmental Factors. Ambio 27(7):572-575.Durand JD. 1960. The Population Statistics of China, A.D. 2-1953. Population Studies 13(3):209-256.

Equity and trusts Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Equity and trusts - Case Study Example In the scenario, Tom was appointed by Vito as "trustee" over a "general legacy" worth 100,000. As defined, a trustee is someone who has nominal title over a property that he/she holds for the benefit of one or more beneficiaries. He/she must show a high standard of care towards her/his beneficiaries and must never permit his/her own interests to conflict with those of the beneficiaries; this person must not profit from whatever that was entrusted to him/her (Martin, 2002). Based on the definition of the word, Tom can't keep the money for himself. It must be noted that there was no overt manifestation (verbal acceptance or rejection) from Tom at the time Vito conveyed his intentions which might be construed as non-acceptance of the responsibility, however, the law only requires the presence of three "certainties" for a trust to exist - certainty of intention (Vito worries about his mistress and illegitimate son so he's leaving some money for them), certainty of subject matter (100,000) and certainty of objects (mistress Lucy and son Santino). In the scenario, these three were explicitly present, therefore, Tom must shoulder this obligation.(2) Fredo wants to know what he should do with the shares in Transit Ltd, as he finds clause of the will very confusing There is nothing confusing in the provision of the will as far as the shares in Transit Ltd are concerned or who should benefit from the company's income. It was evidently declared that Fredo, aside from being one of Vito's estate executors, was also to act as trustee of Transit Ltd for the benefit of any of the family members within the period of ten (10) years. Likewise, he is to distribute income from the shares among residents of West Midlands whomever he sees is fit to get... There were facts that have been established before Vito’s death. First, there was an expressed declaration that 5,000 shares of Lucrative Plc will go to Connie, Vito’s daughter. Although Vito was no longer able to execute an actual share transfer in favour of Connie, such intention was manifested in a card wherein it was explicitly written that such number of stock shares be given to his daughter. In addition to the written note, was the fact that he occasionally emailed statistics to her in order to keep her informed as to the performance of the shares on the stock market, another manifestation that indeed he was bent on letting his daughter be aware of stock market circumstances in preparation for her coming into possession of a substantial amount of stock shares. Second, Michael has been held as the sole beneficiary of the London penthouse, it was expressedly given to him as a gift during his 16th birthday. Since according to the law, those under 18 could not yet enj oy the fruits or income of whatever trusts that have been left to them, Fredo is there, the brother and executor to see to it that Michael gets the penthouse when he gets to the age of maturity.

New Tourism Industry- Wine Tourism Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 13

New Tourism Industry- Wine Tourism - Case Study Example It has been often referred to as India’s Napa Valley. On the outskirts of Nashik is situated the main vineyard of this region, the Sula winery, which has a 35-acre vineyard with a marvelous tasting center, wine bar and a holiday villa set within the estate’s wineries. A guided tour of the Sula winery is a must as it gives a fabulous opportunity to hear the explanation of the complete process of winemaking, from ‘grapes to bottles’ and taste some of Sula’s wines in the tasting room which overlooks the balcony and provides an expansive view of the vineyard (Ross, n.d). They are produced from grapes harvested from Nashik and Dindori estate wineries and also from local contract farmers operating under the expert guidance of the Sula team (The Vineyard, n.d). The varieties of grapes include Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Zinfandel and Merlot along with Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and Riesling. They also have a portfolio of imported wines from Au stralia, South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, and even the wines of the old land, France, and Italy. Besides wines, they also offer Japan’s best beer, Asahi (Sula wines, n.d). The Nashik climate is not only perfect for wine grapes, but was also on par with winegrowing regions in Spain, California, and Australia. The region has a pleasant climate with three different seasons: summers, monsoons, and winters; summers being generally hot with maximum temperatures ranging from 35 to 42 degree Celsius and winters, dry with temperatures hovering around 24-28 degrees Celsius. The best time to visit this region is the harvesting season from January to March when one can participate in wine stomping as well. The Sula wineries are the primary reasons to visit Nashik although there are many other vineyards in this region – Sankalp winery, N. D. winery, and the Vintage Winery estate.

Health informatics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Health informatics - Research Paper Example It requires valid techniques and caution in order for success to b realized. The definition of health is refers to the state of an individual having no illness or any injury affecting them. The definition of informatics is refers to the science found in the computer information systems. These two words come together to bring benefit in the healthcare sector. However, health informatics has its own importance, advantages and disadvantages. Health informatics is an important part of the health sector in various ways. For one, through health informatics, important research can be undertaken on serious diseases that trouble many patients. For instance, research on diabetes which affects both adults and children is taken to another level as they try to find ways of making this condition treatable using less harmful treatments. For his reason, having health informatics personnel is important in any clinical institution as it aids in the research department. These personnel will be able to guide the researches using their information technology expertise on how to go deeper in their research on various subjects (Hersh 2009). They will be able to enable the institution identify what might have been missed in the past. This is because they will be using much advanced technology in their research. Health informatics personnel are also important in the clinical sector due to the involvement of several important areas. Some of these areas include reminder systems, electronic health records, data repositories, coding, ontologies and vocabularies as well as data sharing. When such advanced factors are put in the clinical sector of any healthcare environment, then the quality of their health provision is advanced. Communication is made much easier. When the individual in charge needs to confirm a certain concept then they can easily access the materials due t easier

Admission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Admission - Essay Example Furthermore, it will help me to serve my country and community with the utmost of commitment and thorough knowledge acquired through my education. Every person learns a second language. The practical aspects of this area of study have been clearly expressed in the book, Understanding Second Language Acquisition (Ortega, 2009). This book has proved to be of immense benefit for those who undertake research in teaching English as a second language. To my great fortune, I read this monumental work on the foundations of second language acquisition. This had a deep impact upon me and strengthened my resolve to work hard with focus towards the acquisition of a Doctorate in Teaching English as a Second Language. I have always been spellbound by original work in the area of linguistics and would be highly satisfied if I could take up research work. I have considerable experience in teaching English and this has always provided me with complete satisfaction. One of the highlights of this pleasurable activity has been the numerous occasions wherein I participated in lectures and had discussions with my peers and professors. Ortega’s scholarly work inspired me immensely and it is now my heartfelt desire to master this subject. Her knowledge and capacity to express complex and abstruse ideas in a lucid manner have inspired me tremendously. As such, I studied the theories of the major scholars in this area and realized that these studies had created a tremendous desire in me for conducting research in this area. Remaining a mere spectator and repeating the wise sayings of these outstanding thinkers failed to provide me with the feeling of undiluted bliss. Consequently, I came to the firm decision to undertake original research in this area. In the early years of my schooling, I fell deeply in love with the English language. Subsequently, in high school, I was extremely fortunate to