Analysis of Tenth of December by George Saunders

George Saunders deeply moving story Tenth of December originally appeared in the October 31, 2011 issue of The New Yorker. It was later included in his well-received 2013 collection, Tenth of December, which was a best seller and National Book Award finalist. Tenth of December is one of the freshest and most compelling contemporary short stories, but it is almost impossible to talk about the story and its meaning without making it sound trite: something along the lines of, A boy helps a suicidal man find the will to live, or, A suicidal man learns to appreciate the beauty of life. Its not that the themes are wildly unique—yes, the little things in life are beautiful, and no, life isnt always neat and clean. Whats impressive is Saunders ability to present familiar themes as if were seeing them for the first time. Below are some of the features of Tenth of December that particularly stand out; perhaps theyll resonate for you, too. Dreamlike Narrative The story constantly shifts from the real to the ideal, to the imagined, to the remembered. For example, the boy in Saunders story, Robin, walks through the woods imagining himself a hero. He trudges through the woods tracking imaginary creatures called Nethers, who have kidnapped his alluring classmate, Suzanne Bledsoe. Reality merges seamlessly with Robins pretend world as he glances at a thermometer reading 10 degrees (That made it real), as well as when he begins to follow actual human footprints while still pretending that hes tracking a Nether. When he finds a winter coat and decides to follow the footsteps so he can return it to its owner, he recognizes that [i]t was a rescue. A real rescue, at last, sort of. Don Eber, the terminally ill 53-year-old man in the story, holds conversations in his head. He is pursuing his own imagined heroics—in this case, going into the wilderness to freeze to death in order to spare his wife and children the suffering of caring for him as his illness progresses. His own conflicted feelings about his plan come out in the form of imagined exchanges with adult figures from his childhood and, finally, in the grateful dialogue he fabricates between his surviving children when they realize how selfless hes been. He considers all the dreams hell never achieve (such as delivering his major national speech on compassion), which seems not so different from fighting Nethers and saving Suzanne—these fantasies seem unlikely to happen even if Eber lives another 100 years. The effect of the movement between real and imagined is dreamlike and surreal—an effect that is only heightened in the frozen landscape, especially when Eber enters the hallucinations of hypothermia. Reality Wins Even from the beginning, Robins fantasies cant make a clean break from reality. He imagines the Nethers will torture him but only in ways he could actually take. He imagines that Suzanne will invite him to her pool, telling him, Its cool if you swim with your shirt on. By the time he has survived a near-drowning and near-freezing, Robin is solidly grounded in reality.  He starts to imagine what Suzanne might say, then stops himself, thinking, Ugh. That was done, that was stupid, talking in your head to some girl who in real life called you Roger. Eber, too, is pursuing an unrealistic fantasy that he will eventually have to give up. Terminal illness transformed his own kind stepfather into a brutal creature he thinks of only as THAT. Eber—already tangled in his own deteriorating ability to find accurate words—is determined to avoid a similar fate. He thinks that he would have preempted all future debasement and that his fears about the coming months would be mute. Moot.   But this incredible opportunity to end things with dignity is interrupted when he sees Robin moving dangerously across the ice carrying his—Ebers—coat. Eber greets this revelation with a perfectly prosaic, Oh, for sh*tsake. His fantasy of an ideal, poetic passing wont come to be, a fact readers may have guessed when he landed on mute rather than moot. Interdependence and Integration The rescues in this story are beautifully intertwined. Eber rescues Robin from the cold (if not from the actual pond), but Robin would never have fallen into the pond in the first place if he hadnt tried to rescue Eber by taking his coat to him. Robin, in turn, saves Eber from the cold by sending his mother to go get him. But Robin has also already saved Eber from suicide by falling into the pond. The immediate need to save Robin forces Eber into the present, and being in the present seems to help integrate Ebers various selves—past and present. Saunders writes: Suddenly he was not purely the dying guy who woke nights in the med-bed thinking, Make this not true make this not true, but again, partly, the guy who used to put bananas in the freezer, then crack them on the counter and pour chocolate over the broken chunks, the guy who’d once stood outside a classroom window in a rainstorm to see how Jodi was faring. Eventually, Eber begins to see the illness (and its inevitable indignities) not as negating his previous self but simply as being one part of who he is. Likewise, he rejects the impulse to hide his suicide attempt from his children because it, too, is part of who he is. As he synthesizes the pieces of himself, he is also able to integrate his gentle, loving stepfather with the vitriolic brute he became in the end. Remembering the generous way his desperately ill stepfather listened attentively to Ebers presentation on manatees, Eber sees that there are drops of goodness to be had even in the worst situations. Though he and his wife are in unfamiliar territory, stumbling a bit on a swell in the floor of this stranger’s house, they are together.

Basel III Is A Global Standard Of Banking Regulation. Do You Think Essay

Essays on Basel III as a Global Standard of Banking Regulation Essay The paper "Basel III as a Global Standard of Banking Regulation" is an excellent example of an essay on finance and accounting. Basel III is the result of the global financial crisis happened in 2008, where it gives a chance to a basic reformation of the risk and regulation perspective within the international financial market. In this regard, the BCBS (Basel Committee on Banking Supervision) has cooperatively developed a new framework in order to reinforce the liquidity and capital regulations internationally for endorsing a robust baking industry, named as Basel III (Greenley, Kelly, Forgarty, Dutta, 2011). It initiated a conceptual alteration in the liquidity and capital principles. It has become the requirement of firms that are competing on a global basis, and are exposed to the financial and regulatory risks seen in the financial crisis of 2008. However, this framework provides a solution to many issues existing in the contemporary banking industry, but still, it raises some i mplementation concerns that are significant for its application.   Among these concerns, the most important issue is its regulatory effect, where many economies face issues in obtaining the adequate level of liquid assets in the money market for complying with the new conditions, such as in South Africa. Another problem is regarding the calibration of the news agenda, as the banks have obtained assistance from the government during the financial crisis, so it would be insufficient for depending only on the bank’s information (Willink, 2011). In addition, the central bank’s role should also be taken into the account, as this bank can generate liquidity conditions any time, so the requirement of securing extra liquidity would be an injustice for banks. It would result in inadvertent outcomes. This implementation would also affect the central bank’s role in applying the monetary policy. Moreover, such new liquidity regulations would be difficult to apply because of spending short time finance for liquidity in banks (Bech Keister, 2012 ). Thus, it is of high significance to manage and apply the Basel III wisely for circumventing supervisory arbitrage and other issues.

Bend it like Beckham Essay Example For Students

Bend it like Beckham Essay In the family Film Bend it like Beckham Gurinder Chadha (the director of the film) shows the conflict/contrast of two dissimilar cultures Indian and British by using many different techniques to make this effective : different types of shots (camera techniques) , juxtapositioning, humour, symbolism and stereotypes. The film is about a young British-Indian girl named Jessminder who has a great ability/passion to play football but as her parents are strong believers of the Sikh religion they are not happy with her playing a sport which isnt practised in there culture/religion and would rather her to do the traditional Indian girl things which is practised in there culture like learning how to make traditional Indian meals, further/higher academic education (university) and getting married to a young man who believes in Sikhism. Jessminder enjoys playing football to the extent that she does it behind her parents back and she begins to meet friends from the typical British culture as football is a sport played by many British people. Jessminder makes close friends with one in particular British person named Juliet this is where the conflict of the two cultures is shown effectively, on the diversity of Jessminder and Juliets family/associates. At the end of my essay I hope to have a looked at all the techniques used in immense detail and the purpose and effect these techniques have on the film. The types of shots in this film is used quite effectively by Gurinder Chadha to show the emotions and feeling of the characters in the film. For example the close up shot of Jessminders David Beckham poster immediately suggests that David Beckham has a great importance in Jessminders life. Gurinder Chadha uses different types of shots to show the conflict of the two cultures at the beginning of the film when Jessminder has finished playing football in her dream an interview takes place with Gary Liniker and the rest of football commentators Jessminders mum is also present, Gurinder Chadha makes it clear using the interview shot that Jessminders mum is from a different culture by the different clothing. All the commentators are dressed in suits and Jessminders mum is wearing traditional Indian clothing which makes jessminders mum stand out. Gurinder Chadha then follows showing the difference of the two cultures by the difference of opinions, all the commentators are shocked that a young Indian girl could play football as good as she could and thought that it was excellent that she had this ability to play football as good as she could. However Jessminders mum had a total different view to what the commentators did. Her opinion of Jessminder playing football was that it was terrible how a young Indian girl can go round playing football showing her bare legs and had a negative view on Jessminder playing football as showing her bare legs is against the Sikhism religion. This shows how the typical English cultured opinion is diverse to the typical Indian cultured opinion. Gurinder Chadha makes the mothers in both familys (Jessminders and Juliets) quite similar in the terms of there thoughts of there daughters playing football they both disagree with the idea of them playing the sport. The mothers have also been made quite similar in the stipulations of there stereotypical views of each others cultures for example Juliets mum kept on stating things like I bet your mums getting you married to a nice rich doctor, I cooked curry last night and also questioned her name when she said it was jess, she stated Jess! Is that and Indian name? Jessminders mum reaction was the exact same when she thought Jess (Jessminder) was kissing Jules (Juliet) at the bus stop she said: These young British girls you cant tell these days what sex they are. .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6 , .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6 .postImageUrl , .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6 , .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6:hover , .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6:visited , .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6:active { border:0!important; } .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6:active , .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6 .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u7a3a0548a3edecb05990d7aafaccf8b6:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Film Summary - He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not EssayBut although they maybe quite similar Jules tends to have more freedom/control over her mum. Although her mum does not agree with her playing football she still does and she doesnt need to lie about it because her mum doesnt have as much control over her as Jessminders mum does also Jules dad is supporting her where as Jessminders dad does not because of hes previous experiences of playing sport in England. He had been racially abused and hes wife (Jessminders mum) seems to have quite a lot of control other him also. Gurinder Chadha shows the conflict of cultures from this because this shows that the typical Indian cultured family seems to be more austere and controlled than the typical British westernised culture by the amount of control the parents have other their daughters in the two dissimilar familys. Juxtapositioning is one of the techniques used by Gurinder Chadha to show the conflict of the two cultures. Juxtapositioning is when two ideas are placed straight after one other for example at Pinkies wedding (Jessminders sister) she is very happy because she is getting married to a young man who practises Sikhism because she is influenced by the Indian culture she has been brought up with. The camera then flicks onto Jessminder during a football match and she is happy for different purposes. Jessminder is happy because she scored a goal which is generally influenced by the British culture. The use of juxtapositioning becomes effective because the audience becomes aware of the happiness both girls are showing for opposite reasons. Humour is used in the film by Gurinder Chadha greatly and is I believe one of the key factors to the film. I feel humour is used frequently throughout the film by Gurinder Chadha to keep the audience hooked right through the film. Humour is formed by the diversity of the two cultures and the stereotypical views each family haves. An example of when Gurinder Chadha uses the conflict of the two cultures to form humour to keep the audience devoted to the film is when the Indian ladys was jogging round the park in traditional Indian clothes with a head scarves, this created humour because the audience are not expecting Indian women dressed is traditional Indian clothes to behaving in this manor. As usually religious Indian women are perceived as housewives who dont care much for sports based leisure activities and also because of the physical state they was in, they could barley breathe and there faces looked like they have just been run over by a lorry. This had nothing to do with the plot but was still inputted in the film to keep the audience ardent. An alternative example of where juxtapositioning is used is when Jules mum is trying to make Jules buy a padded bra rather than a sports bra. This creates humour because of Jules embarrassment and Juless mum openness and enthusiasm towards the bras this scene also shows conflict between the cultures because of the mums prioritys for there daughters although both parents (Jesss mum and Juless mum) do have similaritys of there expectations for there daughters like not playing football and more academic based education , Juless mum wants her to buy a padded bra because she wants her to be more attractive to the opposite sex and hopes for her daughter to get a boyfriend this is one of Jessminders mums fears and tells Jessminder to cover her body fully as the Sikhism religion has very strict outlooks on girls showing such parts of their bodies. Symbolism is also a technique used often by Gurinder Chadha to show the conflict of the two cultures, for example when the aeroplane went passed Jessminders house. This symbolises that Jessminder wants to escape and go and play football and escape from her culture because her interests c onflict with her culture. .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46 , .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46 .postImageUrl , .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46 , .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46:hover , .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46:visited , .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46:active { border:0!important; } .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46:active , .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46 .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u75e1049a823bf321e50db9080199cc46:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The film progresses EssayAnother example of when Gurinder Chadha used symbolism to show conflict of the two cultures is when Jessminder was aiming to shoot a goal and she then pictured her five aunties dressed in traditional Indian clothing standing in front of the goal as if they was physically stopping her from scoring this symbolises how her culture is stopping her from doing what she wants to do, there in the way of what shes aiming for the goal and continuing playing football (her goal in life), This shows Jessminders culture is stopping her from achieving her goal in life which is playing football, the goal on the pitch resembled Jessminders future of playing footbal l and her aunts resembled her culture stopping her from achieving this goal because they was in the way. In conclusion I have found Gurinder Chadha uses a variety of techniques such as: juxtapositioning, symbolism, humour and types of shots to explore cultural conflict which is the theme of the film. I believe the way Gurinder Chadha used all her techniques was very effective. I enjoyed this film because it showed in great depth the diversity of the two cultures which I found interesting to watch and was hooked all the way through.

Common core standards free essay sample

The common core state standards were established to recognize the most necessary skills and knowledge students need. It was the initial step in providing high-quality education to young people. The standard of success were made clear to students, parents, and teachers. The Common Core State Standards insist on core theoretical knowledge and method starting in elementary schools, which made teachers able to consume the time needed to teach core concepts and procedures well by giving students the chance to learn them. If student, parent, and teacher work on the common goal, they can make definitely success each year. States and Federal government have made a big contribution in common core state standards. States supply almost half of the district’s education budget, which influence teacher salaries, class size, supply, and equipment. State offices of education are also responsible for administrating statewide testing program based on standards. The state office of education in each state is responsible for setting up rules and regulations. We will write a custom essay sample on Common core standards or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page State put most of the responsibility over the state board of education. States set up state standards to know what skills a student should have upon completing an area of study. Similarly, states began to recognize the importance of education in attracting high-tech industries and high paying jobs. This insight, plus efforts to equalize funds within the state, has led to an increasing state role in educational funding. States are largest source of educational funding. Federal government’s role is also increased, as the quality of schools and a well-educated workforce become national concern. It has been providing educational funds. Educational funds were necessary for country’s continued progress in 21st century. Also local funding makes school efficient and responsive to local needs and wishes. Although the federal government contributed a small percentage of education but it’s influence was large because of the use of ‘categorical grants’ used for specific groups and assigned purposes. Categorical grants effected the local educational practice. In 1980, categorical funds were replaced by ‘block grants’. Federal government imposed a few restrictions on state and school districts for the use of money provided. Started in the conservative Reagan administration, block grants intentionally reduced the role of federal government in policymaking basically giving states and districts control how money is spent. The common core state standards are related to the basic foundation of education as states and federal government has played an important role in the basic foundation of education. The state and local government both were responsible for funding and governing education. States have the Control of education and have made state education departments and appointed state superintendents of instructions. Teacher preparation was also improved by states. States and local governments imposed tax on citizens to support public schools. Federal government influenced education by encouraging states to set standards to provide common goal for educational efforts. Federal government had created test program and encouraged states to create test to address standards. Federal government provided material and support for schools and education. It has separated church and schools and assigned the educational responsibility to the states. Government had offered financial incentives also. It has built the idea that schools were necessary for improving the quality of life and helping the nation grow. Thus, States and Federal government has made a connection in common core state standards and the basic foundation of education by playing important role in both of these.