How to Use the French Word Du Tout

How to Use the French Word Du Tout The French word du tout, which is pronounced, du too, means (not) at all. It has a normal register. Usage The French expression du tout emphasizes a negative word, most commonly the negative adverb pas. When used with pas, du tout can be placed either right after it or else at the end of the sentence; the latter is a bit more forceful. Je naime pas du tout courir. / Je naime pas courir du tout. I dont like running at all.Il na pas du tout changà ©. / Il na pas changà © du tout. He hasnt changed at all.Elle na pas du tout didà ©es. / Elle na pas didà ©es du tout. She doesnt have any ideas at all. In response to a question, du tout can be used on its own or with pas to mean not/none at all. Veux-tu aller au cinà ©Ã‚  ? -Du tout. / Pas du tout. Do you want to go to the movies? -Not at all.Tu nas pas dargent  ? -Du tout. / Pas du tout. You dont have any money? -None at all. Du tout can also be used with other negative words: Il na rien fait du tout ce matin. He did nothing at all / He did absolutely nothing this morning.Personne du tout nà ©tait la plage. There was no one at all / There was absolutely no one at the beach.  Il ny a plus du tout de cafà ©. Theres no coffee left at all.Elle est partie sans pleurer du tout. She left without crying at all.

Will Your Healthcare Job Be Done by a Machine in 20 Years

Will Your Healthcare Job Be Done by a Machine in 20 Years Technology has made our life so much easier in recent years. It is becoming an essential part of our life, performing manual and repetitive tasks for us in our daily life. But at the same time, machines can actually do some amazing things that would be impossible for human to achieve 5 years ago. We can all agree that advancement in technology has helped us. But what you really want to know is this: will your job be around in the future? Or will it be replaced by robots. By looking at the pace of our technology advancement and how likely our jobs can be automated, researchers are able to estimate how technology will affect the job market in 20 years. Here are how likely some of the healthcare jobs could be done by machines in the future.1. Massage TherapistsThis job has a 54.1% chance of being replaced by a machine in the future.2. Home Health AidesThis job has 38.5% chance of being automated.3. Physician AssistantsIf you are a physician assistant, you are safe. It only has 14.5% cha nce of being replaced by robots.  4. Occupational TherapistsCongratulation if you are an Occupational Therapist! Your job has only 0.3% chance of being automated and replaced by machine. A good career to go into if you are thinking about getting  a job in the healthcare support field.5. Medical SecretariesAccording to the research, medical secretary jobs have a 81.5% chance of being done by machine in 2o years. Time to learn new skills!6. Medical Bill and Account CollectorsUnfortunately research shows that this job has a 94.7% chance of being automated in the future. If you are doing this job right now, make sure to sign up our job alert and start thinking of switching to a new job!7. Physical TherapistsIf you are a Physical Therapist, you can releax. Your job has only a 2.1% chance of being done by a machine.Check out the future of other jobs at npr.org if you want to learn more:  Will Your Job Be Done By A Machine?

The Rise of the Papacy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Rise of the Papacy - Research Paper Example Conquerors took over Roman Empire territories, which weakened the stronghold of Julius Caesar and Augustus for example, Odoacer took over Italy, German invaders ruled western provinces. Roman Empire fell after splitting into two parts; Western and Eastern empires ruled by separate Emperors1. This gave room for moral decadence, financial troubles, corruption, and weakening of military power. These factors provided a loop way for barbaric hordes to attack and seize the empire. Papacy power rose after the fall of Roman Empire led by the Bishop of Rome. Uprising of church supremacy was started way back in 6th century; Bishops of Rome were among the most acknowledged and idolized popes of the world. Catholic Church created their own institutions of power known as Papacy, which administered that citizens are being given their due rights by the government. Christendom provided a tranquil environment for Papacy to manifest over a long period of time. Roman Catholic Church is strongly identif ied with St. Paul and Peter who were disciples and messengers of God. This pressurized Roman emperor Constantine to legalize Christianity as the national religion. Popes were at first regarded as advisors in matters pertaining to the empire, later on, Bishops gained superiority and became judges on Ecclesiastical disputes within the empire which prompted its attainment of new powers. Creation of churches across the Empire was done by Western missionaries who led to the spread of communion churches throughout the Empire. During Diocletian’s reign, Christianity was not allowed to be practiced in Roman Empire and they were being persecuted .This practice continued for decades until Emperor Constantine tolerated Christianity and gave them freedom of operation in the country.1 Pope accessed large area to establish his rule.Conversely,the church spread out to non-western Empire individuals who got a direct channel to oversee the operations of the Emperor. Furthermore, Pope was best owed the universal powers over the church and no one had a right to limit him from exercising these powers. Apart from caring for souls, Bishops were involved in decision making, advice, and policy analysis within the empire. Papacy supremacy dates back to the holy bible where God gave Peter blessings to rule the earth. During the first three centuries of the reign of Christianity, church was involved in series of activities for instance; they acted as rulers within the Christendom, and resolved conflicts. Powers of Bishops increased to extent they ran the church parallel to the political systems. They could make their own policies and constitution without help from the politicians .Christians in the whole world complained about the powers and privileges Popes in Rome were commanding in the offices. This papal rule was not attained with ease; it was through numerous struggles between the holy and The Empire At Large. Every pope who was appointed must tussle to ensure that their posi tion in the Empire was never tainted by the political leaders for example, Saint Gelasius I who headed the church from 492 until 496 struggled with Anastasius emperor to liberate the church from oppression. To maintain its supremacy, Papacy extended its rule to the West in 6th to 8th Century in order to escape

Digital Forensic Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7000 words

Digital Forensic - Coursework Example Hex editors permit an examination or modification of files at low-level bytes and bits. Usually, it represents the contents of the file in form of hexadecimal. Other editors, for example, help the user to derive meaning from the file examined, extract Unicode and ASCII contents, recognizing common structures, and even searching the patterns. In this case, an investigator located a potentially malicious code embedded in the device such as VBA macros, JavaScript or shellcode. He then extracts the segments of the suspicious code from the file and then checks the codes. An example of this method is to conduct a file carving where there is a recovery of the fragments and files when the directory entries are missing or corrupt. Autopsy refers to an open digital source of forensic tools produced by the Basis Technologies. It has numerous ingest modules that are inbuilt to foster forensic data analysis. When using autopsy, one needs to install a forensic toolkit to the investigative device. After all is done, the investigator starts an autopsy forensic browser. After starting the browser, one opens a new case by clicking on the new case to allow an addition of evidence. The third step involves the addition of the case details, for instance, description, name and the investigator’s names. It is important to note the location of the directory that carries the evidence. Afterward, the investigator adds a host to this particular case and notes the location of the host.

The Effects of Hip Hip on Our Culture Essay Example for Free

The Effects of Hip Hip on Our Culture Essay The Effects of Hip-Hop in Our Culture There are many differing opinions on whether or not Hip-Hop has a detrimental effect on our culture and youth today. The question I ask is whether it is life portraying art, or art portraying life? Anytime there is an increase in crime, and a decrease in the number of high school graduates there must be something left to blame. Although it may seem easy to say that the media has an effect on the way we see things around us, to what extent is that true? I grew up during the rise in Hip-Hop and believe that it does have both a positive and negative effect on my generation. Early Hip-Hop was viewed as a way for young urban New Yorkers to freely express themselves. It was a new art form accessible to anyone. You didn’t need a lot of money or expensive resources to rap. You didn’t have to invest in lessons, it was a verbal skill that with enough practice anyone could perfect (www. daveyd. com/rapphist3). Another reason hip hop became popular is because there were no set rules. Anyone could rap about anything as long as you were original and rhymed to the beat (www. daveyd. com/rapphist4). Those facts still are true today. If you went into an inner city public school you may be surprised at the number of young children who aspire to become rap artist. In the Black community music, dance, and art is at the forefront of our culture. Many of these traditions are due to our African Heritage, and will probably remain embedded in us for generations to come. Hip hop has created a lot opportunities for black businesses, and entrepreneurship. It has created wealth for Artists that were born in and lived much of their lives in financial hardship. They are given a record deal and many become rich almost instantly. This may have an adverse effect on young impressionable adults. Fancy cars, Enormous jewels, expensive clothing, and the most beautiful women from around the world fill music videos and other media outlets that cover Hip-Hops culture. The lyrics in most songs today express the benefits of being rich, being famous, and having anything that you desire with no discretion or consequence. The agony in this is that everyone wants to me a Millionaire. Are we really afforded the opportunities that we hear about, see portrayed, and even sing along to? For a lot of young adults the answer is yes. With little education, not a lot of money and a few good hooks they also can be a millionaire or wealthy. Hip-Hop not only sells records but also dreams. Young adults idolize Hip-Hop artists and believe that they should also have the things that they were able to obtain. Hip-Hop has also caused controversy about the way women are portrayed in videos and also within the lyrical content of its music. I personally believe that if a woman is in a video doing provocative things and dressed in an inappropriate manner that is her choice. These women choose to put themselves in these situations. I also believe that certain language used to described women in many songs are offensive but we all have a right to freedom of speech. Reality is there are women who don’t respect themselves as society expects them to. More women today are open with their sexuality and may view what was once taboo as okay. Some women see it as a profession that they are being paid to do, what you see in a video is simply acting and not who they really are. Hip-Hop is an art and we sometimes loose sight of that. Just as in movies, something’s are fiction, just a figure of imagination. The media overall has an influence in our society. Music, television, magazines, and newspapers, all play apart and how we perceive ourselves, others, and the world around us. The way an individual interprets things are solely based on their own opinions, views, and lifestyles. The Media feeds you information and everyone digests it differently. So, the question remains does life imitate art of does art imitate life? In Hip-Hop the answer is art imitates life. The images that are seen and the lyrics that are heard are simply an artist painting a picture of the world around them. The picture isn’t always pretty or relatable but its life. It’s the issues that go unaddressed by our government, it’s the stories of poverty, it’s the pain that a lot of young adults feel, it’s the dreams of making it, and for some just a good beat to dance to. It is the responsibility of parents to censor what they allow their children to watch, read and listen to. Home is the first influence in our lives. We are a product of our environment and so is Hip-Hop.

Stricter Rules for Hockey Parents :: essays research papers

Stricter Rules for Hockey Parents   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sport of hockey has a long proud history of being one of the best sports in the world. Great excitement for the fans and great fun for the players, but lately there has been too much emphasis on winning in the lower levels. It is very hard for children now days to play hockey for the fun of the game.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is not the children themselves, or even the coaches that put this pressure to win on them. It is the parents of the children who create this pressure. Hockey parents have made winning so important that they sometimes lose sight of the reason that they are there in the first place. Hockey may be a fast paced, high adrenaline sport (you see more fights in hockey than any other team sport), but parents should leave the body contact to the players. Fortunately, physical abuse is still not very common in arenas but every year there are more reports of enraged parents assaulting referees or other players due to mishaps that took place during the game. Winning is not the only reason that some parents become upset. There has also been a growing dilemma with parents becoming outraged with coaches for factors as small as the amount of ice time their child receives during a game. There is a growing ambition among parents for their child to succeed in hockey and become a professional even before the child reaches adolescence. Although very serious, physical abuse is still not a common sight in arenas, but it is a serious problem which needs to be corrected. Verbal abuse however, is very common in arenas all over Ontario. Names and threats can be heard coming from the stands at any caliber of hockey at any age. This is also a significant problem which needs to be stopped.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The best defense against this kind of behaviour would be to create stricter penalties for anyone parents who get out of control. Anyone who is verbally abusive to officials or coaches should be given fines which increase for each infraction. If the abuse continues after three fines then the person should be banned from arenas for a specified amount of time depending on the severity and the frequency of the instances. If not abuse persists even after the ban the parent should be banned from all minor hockey games for life.

Ethical behavior Essay

Hypothesis: Practicing Ethical behavior improves business operations Abstract This paper discusses about how observing ethical behavior in the workplace develops or improves business operations. It delves into the workplace culture and introduces the positive and negative ethical practices that affect its processes. It also points out the research gathered about the codes of conduct and behavioral standards that contribute and further advance the company’s undertaking. Ethical behaviour goes beyond the legal requirements placed on a business; it is also concerned with discretionary decision-making and conduct. Ethical behaviour is an important function in integrating business and society, by promoting the legitimacy of business operations, through critical reflection of employee behavior. In this paper, varied researches can be found with the goal of deepening the reader’s understanding of ethical behavior and its role in promoting and improving operations in businesses. I.Ethical Behavior A.Introduction One of the tough and complex problems that business organizations are facing is managing ethical behavior. Ethical behavior in the workplace is a standard of conduct expected of or adopted by a business. It involves characterizing moral principles including honesty, fairness, interpersonal equality, dignity, diversity, and individual rights. B.Importance Ethical behavior helps maintain quality and productivity in the business. What is ethical is legal and with it, it assists the organization to comply with laws and regulations. It has the ability to attract investor and customers and ensures good and proper relationships with them. Also it  promotes teamwork within the organization whereby employees can work together more effectively and efficiently. Similarly, with people practicing ethical behavior in the workplace encourages making decisions in an ethical way. Conducting the business complying ethical behavior brings more benefits to the company’s improvement and the basis for long-term success in most businesses. II. Ethical Workplace Culture Ethics in work place are cultures that a company imposes to make each professional more productive and cooperative. This makes each professional more responsible and hardworking to their duties. Complying with ethics in the workplace makes the company successful and knowledgeable in their field of business. A.Positive workplace behavior ethics -According to Don Rafner, Demand Media (2014), your employees face ethical dilemmas every day in the workplace. They might be tempted to leave work early, take credit for the work of others or lie to a potential client to get him to sign the insurance policy, order the service or purchase the product that they are selling. The key to fostering strong business ethics at your company is to create an ethics policy that clearly spells out what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior. EXAMPLES Cheating the Company A solid ethics policy should clearly outline the procedure employees should follow if they need to take time off, leave early or start late. If you don’t spell out these procedures, employees might be tempted to handle these matters on their own. They might claim to be meeting a client at the end of the workday when instead they are leaving early to catch a ballgame on TV. They might claim to be at a workshop for the first half of the day when instead they are sneaking in some extra sleep. Make sure your ethics policy contains a provision telling your employees how they can request time off even for personal matters. Open communication is a far better alternative than the sneaking around required when employees try to cloak the reasons for their late starts or absences. Working with Clients Your ethics policy also should make it clear that your workers must treat clients and customers fairly and honestly. This means prohibiting employees from lying to potential clients or providing them with misleading information. Employees shouldn’t hide the true price of a service, policy or product in an effort to trick customers into signing up. They also shouldn’t promise more than their service or product can deliver. Employees should never bully or harass potential clients. Your ethics policy should state how often your workers can contact potential customers, at what times of the day and what exactly they can and cannot say during their conversations. Ethics in our workplace makes professional the best and this benefits both the employer and the employee. B.Possible negative ethics -Not all ethics in workplace is good, sometimes it can harm you. EXAMPLE You have discovered that your workmate is starting up business the same to your company and started to get costumers from your company so you decided to tell your president regarding what your officemate is doing after your officemate was caught he threaten you that he will do something not good to you. You have disregarded what he has said, after one month your daughter was kidnap. Realizing that your office really did what he has said. III. Ethical Principles President Theodore Roosevelt once said that, â€Å"To educate the mind without the morals is to educate a menace to the society.† Ambition, competitiveness, and innovation are essential factors that lead to business success but these must be controlled by core ethical principles. According to Josephson (2013), ethical principles are universal standards of right and wrong prescribing the kind of behavior an ethical company or person should and should not engage. These principles provide a guide to making decisions but they also establish the criteria by which your decisions will be judged by others. A.Code of Conduct Definition As stated by Vitez (2014), codes of conduct usually describe the required behaviors, responsibilities, actions or attitudes employees should have in  an organization. This conduct policy ensures all individuals are on the same page and have a clear understanding of the business’ mission statement and values. Functions and Features Businesses may include basic employee working guidelines in their code of conduct policy. These guidelines can include dress standards, avoidance of drug or alcohol use, arriving promptly to work on time and keeping the employee’s workplace neat and clean. Companies use these policies to develop and promote a safe and courteous work environment. A code of conduct can also be created to govern the owners and managers of large and small businesses. Business owners and managers are often held to a higher standard because they have more power in the organization. Considerations Implementing ethical values into a code of conduct can help companies strengthen these policies. Ethical values include self-discipline, honesty, integrity, fidelity and charity. Companies use ethical values to promote their conduct policies as individuals may have different personal ethical values. Creating a standard ethical system helps companies promote the values they see most important in business. Business ethics commonly fall in line with the business owner’s view of ethical standards. B.Behavioral Standards As described by Abraham Lincoln, character is a tree and reputation is a shadow. Your character is what you really are; your reputation is what people think of you. Hence, reputation is purely a function of perception while character is determined by ones actions. The following are the 12 ethical principles enumerated by Josephson (2013): 1. HONESTY. Be honest in all communications and actions. Ethical executives are, above all, worthy of trust and honesty is the cornerstone of trust. Ethical executives do not deliberately mislead or deceive others. 2. INTEGRITY. Maintain personal integrity. Ethical executives earn the trust of others through personal integrity. Integrity refers to a wholeness of character demonstrated by consistency between thoughts, words and actions. 3. PROMISE-KEEPING. Keep promises and fulfill commitments. Ethical executives can be trusted because they make every reasonable effort to fulfill the letter and spirit of their  promises and commitments. 4. LOYALTY. Be loyal within the framework of other ethical principles. Ethical executives justify trust by being loyal to their organization and the people they work with. Ethical executives place a high value on protecting and advancing the lawful and legitimate interests of their companies and their colleagues. 5. FAIRNESS. Strive to be fair and just in all dealings. Ethical executives are fundamentally committed to fairness. They manifest a commitment to justice, the equal treatment of individuals, tolerance for and acceptance of diversity. 6. CARING. Demonstrate compassion and a genuine concern for the well-being of others. Ethical executives are caring, compassionate, benevolent and kind. They seek to accomplish their business objectives in a manner that causes the least harm and the greatest positive good. 7. RESPECT FOR OTHERS. Treat everyone with respect. Ethical executives demonstrate respect for the human dignity, autonomy, privacy, rights, and interests of all those who have a stake in their decisions; they are courteous and treat all people with equal respect and dignity regardless of sex, race or national origin. 8. LAW ABIDING. Obey the law. Ethical executives abide by laws, rules and regulations relating to their business activities. 9. COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE. Pursue excellence all the time in all things. Ethical executives pursue excellence in performing their duties, are well-informed and prepared, and constantly endeavor to increase their proficiency in all areas of responsibility. 10. LEADERSHIP. Exemplify honor and ethics. Ethical executives are conscious of the responsibilities and opportunities of their position of leadership and seek to be positive ethical role models by their own conduct and by helping to create an environment in which principled reasoning and ethical decision making are highly prized. 11. REPUTATION AND MORALE. Build and protect and build the company’s good reputation and the morale of its employees. Ethical executives understand the importance of their own and their company’s reputation as well as the importance of the pride and good morale of employees. 12. ACCOUNTABILITY. Be accountable. Ethical executives acknowledge and accept personal accountability for the ethical quality of their decisions and omissions to themselves, their colleagues, their companies, and their communities. V. EFFECTS OF PRACTICING ETHICAL BEHAVIOR A. Advantages A.1 Employees †¢Positive Work Environment – Ethical employees are perceived as team players rather than as individuals just out for themselves. They develop positive relationships with co-workers. Their supervisors trust them with confidential information and they are often given more autonomy as a result. Employees who are caught in lies by their supervisors damage their chances of advancement within the organization and may risk being fired. An extreme case of poor ethics is employee theft. In some industries, this can cost the business a significant amount of money, such as restaurants whose employees steal food from the storage locker or freezer.†(Brian Hill) A.2 Business †¢Build customer loyalty – â€Å"Having a loyal customer base is one of the keys to long-range business success because serving an existing customer doesn’t involve marketing cost, as does acquiring a new one. A company’s reputation for ethical behaviour can help it create a more positive image in the marketplace, which can bring in new customers through word-of-mouth referrals.†(Brian Hill) †¢Retain Good Employees – Talented individuals at all levels of an organization want to be compensated fairly for their work and dedication. They want career advancement within the organization to be based on the quality of the work they do and not on favouritism. They want to be part of a company whose management team tells them the truth about what is going on, such as when layoffs or reorganizations are being contemplated. Companies who are fair and open in their dealings with employees have a better chance of retaining the most talented people.†(Brian Hill) †¢Avoid Legal Problems – At times, a company’s management may be tempted to cut corners in pursuit of profit, such as not fully complying with environmental regulations or labour laws, ignoring worker safety hazards or using substandard materials in their products. The penalties for being caught can be severe, including  legal fees and fines or sanctions by governmental agencies. The resulting negative publicity can cause long-range damage to the company’s reputation that is even more costly than the legal fees or fines. Companies that maintain the highest ethical standards take the time to train every member of the organization about the conduct that is expected of them (Brian Hill). †¢High Employee Performance – A lack of ethics has a negative effect on employee performance. In some cases, employees are so concerned with getting ahead and making money that they ignore procedures and protocol. This can lead to additional paperwork and careless errors that result in the task having to be completed again. Additionally, employees who feel acting ethically and following the rules will not get them ahead in the business sometimes feel a lack of motivation, which often leads to a decrease in performance (Stacy Zeiger). †¢Company Credibility – If a lack of ethics in a business becomes public knowledge, that business loses credibility. While some businesses survive public knowledge of a lack of ethics through reimaging and advertising campaigns, many lose a key customer base. Even if a business recovers from news about its lack of ethics, it takes a lot of time and money to restore its image and consumer confidence (Stacy Zeiger). †¢Competitive Advantage – Business ethics offer companies a competitive advantage. Consumers learn to trust ethical brands and remain loyal to them, even during difficult periods. The company followed its credo, a set of ethical organizational values, and the result was a boost in consumer confidence, despite the contamination scare. Society benefits from business ethics because ethical companies recognize their social responsibilities (Lynne MacDonald). †¢Asset Protection – A strong ethical culture within your business is important in safeguarding your assets. Employees who abide by your workplace ethics would be able to protect and respect your business’s assets. For example, they would avoid making personal long distance calls using the business’s lines.  Workers can only respect company property when you treat them with respect and dignity, which makes them feel proud to be working for your business. Ensure that your workers perform in an environment with integrity and strong ethics. It increases employee pride and discourages them from stealing supplies or equipment (Alejandro Russell). †¢Productivity and Teamwork – Workplace ethics is integral in fostering increased productivity and teamwork among your employees. It helps in aligning the values of your business with those of your workers. Achieving this alignment requires that you encourage consistent dialogue regarding the values of your business, which enhances community, integrity and openness among employees. Ethics enable your workers to feel a strong alignment between their values and those of your business. They show such feelings through increased productivity and motivation (Alejandro Russell) . †¢Public Image – You earn a lot of respect and cultivate a strong image in the public domain when you make ethical choices. For instance, you can fulfill your corporate social responsibility by reducing waste discharge from your business. The public would consider your business to be operating with honor and integrity while valuing people over profits. Building a strong public image through ethical conduct also earns you more clients. Customers would develop trust in you and do business with your organization (Alejandro Russell). †¢Decision-Making – Ethical conduct in the workplace encourages a culture of making decisions based on ethics. It also enhances accountability and transparency when undertaking any business decisions. During turbulent times, a strong ethical culture guides you in managing such conflicts by making the right moves. It can help you to introduce change successfully in your organization, which can be a challenge. Ethical conduct within the business sensitizes you and your staff on how to act consistently even in difficult times (Alejandro Russell). B. Disadvantages B.1 Employees †¢Inequality – Codes of conduct are often drafted, in part, to ensure that all members of an organization are treated equally. However, often those in upper-level management and creative positions are given a â€Å"bye† on certain codes, like those restricting how the worker talks about the company or to what degree employees are allowed to have personal relationships outside of work. According to CNN Money contributor Eleanor Bloxham, if companies are going to have codes of conduct they should reconsider any code that cannot be applied equally (Miranda Morley). †¢Unethical Corporate Behavior – In some cases, codes of conduct may facilitate unethical corporate behavior. Codes of conduct that limit employees’ ability to speak out against the corporation can keep them quiet for fear of job loss or legal retribution even if the company is engaging in an unethical practice. Further, codes of conduct can be used to set ethical-looking rules that managers are instructed not to follow so if any misconduct occurs it is the individual employee, not the corporation that will be blamed (Miranda Morley). B.2 Business †¢Lack of Management Support – One of the disadvantages of an ethical compliance program is that it requires the comprehensive support of management to be effective. If members of the management team decide to apply their own version of corporate ethics to the way they manage their departments, then this clash of principles can cause confusion in the workplace. For example, a manager who tends to look the other way when his employees are committing sexual harassment sets a precedent that can start to undermine the entire corporate culture.( George N. Root III) http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-ethical-compliance-organization-20548.html †¢Costly – Developing, implementing and maintaining an ethics compliance program within your organization can be expensive and time-consuming, according to attorney Michael G. Daigneault, writing for the Maryland Association of CPAs. Ethics policies need to be continually updated to reflect changes in  workplace laws and changes in your company culture as the organization grows. Proper administration of an ethics program often requires the hiring of an ethics officer and the commitment of company financial and personnel resources.( George N. Root III) http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-ethical-compliance-organization-20548.html †¢Reduce Company’s Freedom – Business ethics reduce a company’s freedom to maximize its profit. For example, a multinational company may move its manufacturing facility to a developing country to reduce costs. Practices acceptable in that country, such as child labor, poor health and safety, poverty-level wages and coerced employment, will not be tolerated by an ethical company. Improvements in working conditions, such as a living wage and minimum health and safety standards, reduce the level of cost-savings that the company generates. However, it could be argued that the restrictions on company freedom benefit wider society.( Lynne MacDonald) VI. CONCLUSION Within the business world, ethical decisions are made each day that have an impact across all organizations. Conducting yourself ethically as a business owner and encouraging your employees to engage in ethical business conduct brings about several benefits for your company. Business ethics tend to be overlooked by entrepreneurs as they have other priorities such as ideas for the business, marketing strategies, and financial matters. However, business ethics have a more powerful influence on the existence and improvement of business operations than most people think. It can create a positive image of a business, to mention one of the many, which can greatly contribute to the improvement of the business operations that can lead to its growth and boost in sales. Alongside with the advantages of practicing ethical behavior are disadvantages. Essentially, if you don’t practice ethical behavior in your business then you are in a position with more freedom than if you do, thus, reducing a company’s freedom to maximize its profit. Practicing ethical behavior improves business operations despite it having disadvantages as it brings about more benefits to your business than not performing ethical business conduct. Besides the moral, social, personal and cultural imperatives to tell the truth, it’s increasingly evident that ethical practices protect and even boos the bottom line (Johnson, 2008). Customers will patronize your business not because you are on the number one spot among your competitors but because you give value as to how you claimed that spot.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 21

Chapter 21 â€Å"You make a very attractive woman,† Rumi said from the comfort of his pit. â€Å"Did I tell you that my wife has passed on to her next incarnation and that I am alone?† â€Å"Yeah, you mentioned that.† He seemed to have given up on us getting his daughter back. â€Å"What happened to the rest of your family, anyway?† â€Å"They drowned.† â€Å"I'm sorry. In the Ganges?† â€Å"No, at home. It was the monsoon season. Little Vitra and I had gone to the market to buy some swill, and there was a sudden downpour. When we returned†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He shrugged. â€Å"I don't mean to sound insensitive, Rumi, but there is a chance that your loss could have been caused by – oh, I don't know – perhaps the fact that you LIVE IN A FUCKING PIT!† â€Å"That's not helping, Biff,† Joshua said. â€Å"You said you had a plan?† â€Å"Right. Rumi, am I correct in assuming that these pits, when someone is not living in them, are used for tanning hides?† â€Å"Yes, it is work that only Untouchables may do.† â€Å"That would account for the lovely smell. I assume you use urine in the tanning process, right?† â€Å"Yes, urine, mashed brains, and tea are the main ingredients.† â€Å"Show me the pit where the urine is condensed.† â€Å"The Rajneesh family is living there.† â€Å"That's okay, we'll bring them a present. Josh, do you have any lint in the bottom of your satchel?† â€Å"What are you up to?† â€Å"Alchemy,† I said. â€Å"The subtle manipulation of the elements. Watch and learn.† When it was not being used, the urine pit was the home of the Rajneesh family, and they were more than happy to give us loads of the white crystals that covered the floor of their home. There were six in the family, father, mother, an almost grown daughter, and three little ones. Another little son had been taken for sacrifice at the festival of Kali. Like Rumi, and all the other Untouchables, the Rajneesh family looked more like skeletons mummified in brown leather than people. The Untouchable men went about the pits naked or wearing only a loincloth, and even the women were dressed in tatters that barely covered them – nothing as nice as the stylish sari that I had purchased in the marketplace. Mr. Rajneesh commented that I was a very attractive woman and encouraged me to drop by after the next monsoon. Joshua pounded chunks of the crystallized mineral into a fine white powder while Rumi and I collected charcoal from under the heated dying pit (a firebox had been gouged out of the stone under the pit) which the Untouchables used to render the flowers from the indigo shrub into fabric dye. â€Å"I need brimstone, Rumi. Do you know what that is? A yellow stone that burns with a blue flame and gives off a smoke that smells like rotten eggs?† â€Å"Oh yes, they sell it in the market as some sort of medicine.† I handed the Untouchable a silver coin. Go buy as much of it as you can carry.† â€Å"Oh my, this will be more than enough money. May I buy some salt with what is left?† â€Å"Buy what you need with what's left over, just go.† Rumi skulked away and I went to help Joshua process the saltpeter. The concept of abundance was an abstract one to the Untouchables, except as it pertained to two categories, suffering and animal parts. If you wanted decent food, shelter, or clean water, you would be sorely disappointed among the Untouchables, but if you were in the market for beaks, bones, teeth, hides, sinew, hooves, hair, gallstones, fins, feathers, ears, antlers, eyeballs, bladders, lips, nostrils, poop chutes, or any other inedible part of virtually any creature that walked on, swam under, or flew over the subcontinent of India, then the Untouchables were likely to have what you wanted lying around, conveniently stored beneath a thick blanket of black flies. In order to fashion the equipment I needed for my plan, I had to think in terms of animal parts. Fine unless you need, say, a dozen short swords, bows and arrows, and chain mail for thirty soldiers and all you have to work with is a stack of nostrils and three mismatched poop chutes. It was a challenge, but I made do. As Jo shua moved among the Untouchables, surreptitiously healing their maladies, I barked out my orders. â€Å"I need eight sheep bladders – fairly dry – two handfuls of crocodile teeth, two pieces of rawhide as long as my arms and half again as wide. No, I don't care what kind of animal, just not too ripe, if you can manage it. I need hair from an elephant's tail. I need firewood, or dried dung if you must, eight oxtails, a basket of wool, and a bucket of rendered fat.† And a hundred scrawny Untouchables stood there, eyes as big as saucers, just staring at me while Joshua moved among them, healing their wounds, sicknesses, and insanities, without any of them suspecting what was happening. (We'd agreed that this was the wisest tack to take, as we didn't want a bunch of healthy Untouchables athletically bounding through Kalighat proclaiming that they had been cured of all ills by a strange foreigner, thus attracting attention to us and spoiling my plan. On the other hand, neither could we stand there and watch these people suffer, knowing that we – well, Joshua – had the power to help them.) He'd also taken to poking one of them in the arm with his finger anytime anyone said the word â€Å"Untouchable.† Later he told me that he just hated passing up the opportunity for palpable irony. I cringed when I saw Joshua touching the lepers among them, as if after all these years away from Israel a tiny Pharisee stood on my shoulder and sc reamed, â€Å"Unclean!† â€Å"Well?† I said after I'd finished my orders. â€Å"Do you want your children back or not?† â€Å"We don't have a bucket,† said one woman. â€Å"Or a basket,† said another. â€Å"Okay, fill some of the sheep bladders with rendered fat, and bundle the wool in some kind of hide. Now go, we don't have a lot of time.† And they all stood and looked at me. Big eyes. Sores healed. Parasites purged. They just looked at me. â€Å"Look, I know my Sanskrit isn't great, but you do know what I am asking?† A young man stepped forward. â€Å"We do not want to anger Kali by depriving her of her sacrifices.† â€Å"You're kidding, right?† â€Å"Kali is the bringer of destruction, without which there can be no rebirth. She is the remover of the bondage that ties us to the material world. If we anger her, she will deprive us of her divine destruction.† I looked at Joshua across the crowd. â€Å"Do you understand this?† â€Å"Fear?† he said. â€Å"Can you help?† I asked in Aramaic. â€Å"I'm not good at fear,† Joshua said in Hebrew. I thought for a second as two hundred eyes pinned me to the sandstone on which I stood. I remembered the red-stained gashes on the wooden elephant statues at the altar of Kali. Death was their deliverance, was it? â€Å"What is your name?† I asked the man who had stepped out of the crowd. â€Å"Nagesh,† he said. â€Å"Stick out your tongue, Nagesh.† He did, and I threw back the cloth that covered my head and loosened it around my neck. Then I touched his tongue. â€Å"Destruction is a gift you value?† â€Å"Yes,† said Nagesh. â€Å"Then I shall be the instrument of the goddess's gift.† With that I pulled the black glass dagger from the sheath in my sash, held it up before the crowd. While Nagesh stood, passive, wide-eyed, I drove my thumb under his jaw, pushed his head back, and brought the dagger down across his throat. I lowered him to the ground as the red liquid spurted over the sandstone. I stood and faced the crowd again, holding the dripping blade over my head. â€Å"You owe me, you ungrateful fucks! I have brought to your people the gift of Kali, now bring me what I ask for.† They moved really quickly for people who were on the edge of starvation. After the Untouchables scattered to do my bidding, Joshua and I stood over the bloodstained body of Nagesh. â€Å"That was fantastic,† Joshua said. â€Å"Absolutely perfect.† â€Å"Thanks.† â€Å"Had you been practicing all that time we were in the monastery?† â€Å"You didn't see me push the pressure point in his neck then?† â€Å"No, not at all.† â€Å"Gaspar's kung fu training. The rest, of course, was from Joy and Balthasar.† I bent over and opened Nagesh's mouth, then took the ying-yang vial from around my neck and put a drop of the antidote on the Untouchable's tongue. â€Å"So he can hear us now, like when Joy poisoned you?† Joshua asked. I pulled back one of Nagesh's eyelids and watched the pupil contract slowly in the sunlight. â€Å"No, I think he's still unconscious from me holding the pressure point. I didn't think the poison would work quickly enough. I could only get a drop of poison on my finger when I loosened my sari. I knew it would keep him down, I just wasn't sure it would put him down.† â€Å"Well, you are truly a magus, now, Biff. I'm impressed.† â€Å"Joshua, you healed a hundred people today. Half of them were probably dying. I did some sleight of hand.† My friend's enthusiasm was undeterred. â€Å"What's the red stuff, pomegranate juice? I can't figure out where you concealed it.† â€Å"No, actually I was going to ask you about that.† â€Å"What?† I held my arm up and showed Joshua where I had slashed my own wrist (the source of blood for the show). I had been holding it against my leg and as soon as I removed the pressure the blood started spurting again. I sat down hard on the sandstone and my vision began to tunnel down to a pinpoint. â€Å"I was hoping you could help me out with this,† I said before I fainted. â€Å"You need to work on that part of the trick,† Joshua said when I came to. â€Å"I might not always be around to fix your wrist.† He was speaking Hebrew – that meant for my ears only. I saw Joshua kneeling above me, then beyond him the sky was blotted out by curious brown faces. The recently murdered Nagesh was in the front of the crowd. â€Å"Hey, Nagesh, how'd the rebirth go?† I asked in Sanskrit. â€Å"I must have strayed from my dharma in my last life,† Nagesh said. â€Å"I have been reincarnated, once again, as an Untouchable. And I have the same ugly wife.† â€Å"You challenged master Levi who is called Biff,† I said, â€Å"of course you didn't move up. You're lucky you're not a stink bug or something. See, destruction isn't the big favor you all thought it was.† â€Å"We brought the things you asked for.† I hopped to my feet feeling incredibly rested and energized. â€Å"Nice,† I said to Joshua. â€Å"I feel like I just had one of those strong coffees you used to make at Balthasar's.† â€Å"I miss coffee,† said Josh. I looked at Nagesh, â€Å"I don't suppose you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"We have swill.† â€Å"Never mind,† I said. Then I said one of those things that as a boy growing up in Galilee, you never think you'll hear yourself say: â€Å"Okay, Untouchables, bring me the sheep bladders!† Rumi said that the goddess Kali was served by a host of black-skinned female demons, who sometimes during the feast would bring men to corners of the altar and copulate with them as blood rained down from the goddess's saw-tooth maw above. â€Å"Okay, Josh, you're one of them,† I said. â€Å"What are you gonna be?† â€Å"The goddess Kali, of course. You got to be God last time.† â€Å"What last time?† â€Å"All of the last times.† I turned to my intrepid minions. â€Å"Untouchables, paint him up!† â€Å"They're not going to buy that a burr-headed Jewish kid is their goddess of destruction.† â€Å"O ye of little faith,† I said. Three hours later we were again crouched beneath a tree near the temple of Kali. We were both dressed as women, covered from head to toe by our saris, but I was looking much lumpier under mine due to Kali's extra arms and garland of severed heads, played tonight by painted sheep bladders filled with explosives and suspended around my neck by long strands of elephant tail hair. Any observers who might get close enough to notice my protrusions were quickly deterred by the smell coming off of Joshua and me. We had used the goo from the bottom of Rumi's pit to paint our bodies black. I didn't have the courage to ask what the substance had been in life, but if there was a place where they allowed vultures to ripen in the sun before pounding them into a smooth paste and mixing it with just the right amount of buffalo squat, then Rumi called it home. The Untouchables had also painted huge red rings around Joshua's eyes, fitted him with a ropey wig of oxtails, and affixed to his torso six pe rt little breasts fashioned from pitch. â€Å"Stay away from any open flame. Your tits will go up like volcanos.† â€Å"Why did I have to have six and you only had to have two.† â€Å"Because I am the goddess and have to wear the garland of skulls and the extra arms.† We'd made my arms from rawhide, using my primary arms as models, then drying the molded arms in place over the fire. The women made a harness that held the extra arms in place under my own, then we painted the arms black with the same black goo. They were a little wobbly, but they were light and would look realistic enough in the dark. It was still hours from the height of the ceremony at midnight, when the children would be hacked to death, but we wanted to be there in time to stop the revelers from cutting off the children's fingers if we could. Now, the wooden elephants were empty on their turntables, but the altar of Kali was already filling with gruesome tribute. The heads of a thousand goats had been laid on the altar before the goddess, and the blood ran slick over the stones and in the grooves that channeled it into large brass pots at the corners of the altar. Female acolytes carried the pots up a narrow ladder at the back of the great statue of Kali, then dumped them through some sort of reservoir that fed it through the goddess's jaws. Below, by torchlight, worshipers danced in the sticky shower as the blood flowed down upon them. â€Å"Look, those women are dressed like me,† Joshua said. â€Å"Except they only have two breasts each.† â€Å"Technically, they're not dressed, they're painted. You make a very attractive female demon, Josh. Did I tell you that?† â€Å"This isn't going to work.† â€Å"Of course it's going to work.† I guessed that there were already ten thousand worshipers in the temple square, dancing, chanting, and beating drums. A procession of thirty men came down the main boulevard, each carrying a basket under his arm. As they reached the altar, each man dumped the contents of the basket over the rows of bloody goat heads. â€Å"What are those?† Joshua asked. â€Å"Those are exactly what you think they are.† â€Å"They're not the heads of the children?† â€Å"No, I think those are the heads of strangers who happened down the road we were on before Rumi came along to pull us into the grass.† After the severed heads were dispersed across the altar, the female acolytes came out of the crowd dragging the headless corpse of a man, which they laid on the steps leading to the altar. Each one mimed having intercourse with the corpse, then rubbed their genitalia against the bloody stump of its neck before dancing away, blood and ochre dripping down the insides of their thighs. â€Å"There's sort of a theme developing here,† I said. â€Å"I think I'm going to be sick,† Joshua said. â€Å"Mindful breath,† I said, using one of the phrases that Gaspar was always barking at us when we were learning meditation. I knew that if Joshua could stay with the yeti for days at a time without freezing to death, he could certainly conjure up the bodily control to keep from throwing up. The sheer magnitude of the carnage was all that was keeping me from vomiting. It was as if the atrocity of the whole scene couldn't fit in my mind all at once, so I could only see just enough for my sanity and my stomach to remain intact. A shout went up in the crowd now and I could see a torch-lit sedan chair being carried above the heads of the worshipers. On it reclined a half-naked man with a tiger skin wrapped around his hips, his skin painted light gray with ashes. His hair was plaited with grease and he wore the bones of a human hand as a skullcap. Around his neck hung a necklace of human skulls. â€Å"High priest,† I said. â€Å"They aren't even going to notice you, Biff. How can you even get their attention after they've seen all this?† â€Å"They haven't seen what I'm going to show them.† As the sedan chair emerged from the crowd in front of the altar, we could see a procession following it: tied to the back of the sedan chair was a line of naked children, most of them not more than five or six, their hands tied together, a less ornately dressed priest on either side of them to steady them. The priests began to untie the children and take them to the great wooden elephants lining the boulevard. Here and there in the crowd I could see people beginning to brandish edged weapons: short swords, axes, and the long-bladed spears Joshua and I had seen over the elephant grass. The high priest was sitting on the headless corpse, shouting a poem about the divine release of Kali's destruction or something. â€Å"Here we go,† I said, pulling the black glass dagger from under my sari. â€Å"Take this.† Joshua looked at the blade shimmering in the torchlight. â€Å"I won't kill anyone,† he said. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, drawing long red lines through the black and if anything making him look more fierce. â€Å"That's fine, but you'll need to cut them loose.† â€Å"Right.† He took the knife from me. â€Å"Josh, you know what's coming. You've seen it before. Nobody else here has, especially those kids. You can't carry all of them, so they have to have enough of their wits about them to follow you. I know you can keep them from being afraid. Put your teeth in.† Joshua nodded and slipped the row of crocodile teeth attached to a piece of rawhide under his upper lip, leaving the teeth to protrude like fangs. I put in my own false fangs, then ran into the dark to circle the crowd. As I approached the rear of the altar I pulled the special torch I'd made from under my girdle of human hands. (Actually my girdle of human hands was made of dried goat's udders stuffed with straw, but the Untouchable women had done a pretty good job as long as no one bothered to count fingers.) Through Kali's stone legs I could see the priests tying each of the children on the trunk of a wooden elephant. As soon as the bonds were tight, each priest drew a bronze blade and held it aloft, ready to strike off a finger as soon as the high priest gave the signal. I struck the tip of my torch on the edge of the altar, screamed for all I was worth, then threw my sari off and ran up the steps as the torch burst into dazzling blue flame that trailed sparks behind me as I ran. I hopped across the array of goat heads and stood between the legs of the statue of Kali, my torch held aloft in one hand, one of my severed heads swinging by the hair in the other. â€Å"I am Kali,† I screamed. â€Å"Fear me!† It came out sort of mumbled through my fake teeth. Some of the drums stopped and the high priest turned around and looked at me, more because of the bright light of the torch than my fierce proclamation. â€Å"I am Kali,† I shouted again. â€Å"Goddess of destruction and all this disgusting crap you have here!† They weren't getting it. The priest signaled for the other priests to come around me from the sides. Some of the female acolytes were already trying to make their way across the dance floor of decapitations toward me. â€Å"I mean it. Bow down to me!† The priests charged on. I did have the crowd's attention, though unfortunately they weren't cowering in fear at my angry goddessness. I could see Joshua moving around the wooden elephants, the guarding priests having left their posts to come after me. â€Å"Really! I mean it!† Maybe it was the teeth. I spit them out toward the nearest of my attackers. Running across a sea of slick, bloody heads is evidently a pretty difficult task. Not if you've spent the last six years of your life hopping from the top of one post to another, even in ice and snow, but for the run-of-the-mill homicidal priest, it's a tough row to hoe. The priests and acolytes were slipping and sliding among the goat and human heads, falling over each other, smacking into the feet of the statue, one even impaling himself on a goat's horn when he fell. One of the priests was only a few feet away from me now, trying not to fall on his own blade as he crawled over the mess. â€Å"I will bring destruction†¦oh, fuck it,† I said. I lit the fuse on the severed head I held in my hand, then swung it between my legs and tossed it in a steep arch over my head. It trailed sparks on its way into the black goddess's open maw, then disappeared. I kicked the approaching priest in the jaw, then danced across the goat heads, leapt over the head of the high priest, and was halfway to Joshua at the first wooden elephant when Kali, with a deafening report, breathed fire out over the crowd and the top of her head blew off. Finally, I had the crowd's attention. They were trampling each other to get away, but I had their attention. I stood in the middle of the boulevard, swinging my second severed head in a circle, waiting for the fuse to burn down before I let it sail over the heads of the receding crowd. It exploded in the air, sending a circle of flame across the sky and no doubt deafening some of the worshipers who were close. Joshua had seven of the children around him, clinging to his legs as he moved to the next elephant. Several of the priests had recovered and were storming down the steps of the altar toward me, knives in hand. I pulled another head from my garland, lit the fuse, and held it out to them. â€Å"Ah, ah, ah,† I cautioned. â€Å"Kali. Goddess of destruction. Wrath et cetera.† At the sight of the sparking fuse they stopped and began to backpedal. â€Å"Now that's the sort of respect you should have shown before.† I started whirling the head by the hair and the priests lost all semblance of courage and turned and ran. I hurled the head back up the boulevard onto the altar, where it exploded, sending a spray of real severed goat heads in all directions. â€Å"Josh! Duck! Goat heads!† Joshua pushed the children to the ground and fell over them until the pieces settled. He glared at me a second, then went on to free the other children. I hurled three more heads into different directions and now the entire temple square was nearly deserted but for Joshua, the children, a few injured worshipers, and the dead. I had built the bombs without any shrapnel in them, so those who had been injured had been trampled in the panic and the dead were those who had already been sacrificed to Kali. I think we pulled it off without killing anyone. As Joshua led the children down the wide boulevard and out of the temple square, I covered our exit, backing down the boulevard, my last explosive head swinging in one hand, my torch in the other. Once I saw that Joshua and the children were safely away, I lit the fuse, whirled the head around and let it fly toward the black goddess. â€Å"Bitch,† I said. I was out of sight when it exploded. Joshua and I got as far as a limestone cliff overlooking the Ganges before we had to stop to let the children rest. They were tired and hungry, but mostly they were hungry, and we had brought nothing for them to eat. At least, after Joshua's touch, they weren't afraid, and that gave them some peace. Josh and I were too jangled to sleep, so we sat up as the children lay down on the rocks around us and snored like kittens. Joshua held Rumi's little daughter, Vitra, and before long her face was smeared with black paint from nuzzling his shoulder. All through the night, as he rocked the child, all I heard Joshua say was, â€Å"No more blood. No more blood.† At first light we could see thousands, no, tens of thousands of people gathering at the banks of the river, all dressed in white, except for a few old men who were naked. They moved into the water and stood facing east, heads raised in anticipation, dotting the river as far as the eye could see. As the sun became a molten fingernail of light on the horizon, the muddy surface of the river turned golden. The gold light reflected off its surface onto the buildings, the shanties, the trees, the palaces, making everything in sight, including the worshipers, appear to have been gilded. And worshipers they were, for we could hear their songs from where we sat, and although we could not discern the words, we could hear that these were the songs of God. â€Å"Are those the same people from last night?† I said. â€Å"They would have to be, wouldn't they?† â€Å"I don't understand these people. I don't understand their religion. I don't understand how they think.† Joshua stood and watched the Indians bowing and singing to the dawn, looking occasionally to the face of the child that slept on his shoulder. â€Å"This is testament to the glory of God's creation, whether these people know it or not.† â€Å"How can you say that? The sacrifices to Kali, the way the Untouchables are treated. Whatever they might believe, in practice their religion is hideous.† â€Å"You're right. It's not right to condemn this child because she was not born a Brahman?† â€Å"Of course not.† â€Å"Then is it right to condemn her because she is not born a Jew?† â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"A man who is born a gentile may not see the kingdom of God. Are we, as Hebrews, any different from them? The lambs at the temple on Passover? The wealth and power of the Sadducees while others go hungry? At least the Untouchables can reach their reward eventually, through karma and rebirth. We don't allow any gentile to do so.† â€Å"You can't compare what they do to God's law. We don't sacrifice human beings. We feed our poor, we take care of the sick.† â€Å"Unless the sick are unclean,† Joshua said. â€Å"But, Josh, we're the chosen. It's God's will.† â€Å"But is it right? He won't tell me what to do. So I'll say. And I say, no more.† â€Å"You're not just talking about eating bacon, are you?† â€Å"Gautama the Buddha gave the way to people of all births to find the hand of God. With no blood sacrifice. Our doors have been marked with blood for too long, Biff.† â€Å"So that's what you think you're going to do? Bring God to everyone?† â€Å"Yes. After a nap.† â€Å"Of course, I meant after a nap.† Joshua held the little girl so I could see her face as she slept on his shoulder. When the children awoke we led them back to their families at the pits, handing them into the arms of their mothers, who snatched each child away from us as if we were devils incarnate; they glared over their shoulders as they carried the babies back to their pits. â€Å"Grateful bunch,† I said. â€Å"They are afraid that we've angered Kali. And we've brought them another hungry mouth.† â€Å"Still. Why did they help us if they didn't want their children back?† â€Å"Because we told them what to do. That's what they do. What they are told. That's how the Brahmans keep them in line. If they do what they are told, then perhaps they will not be Untouchables next life.† â€Å"That's depressing.† Joshua nodded. We only had little Vitra to return to her father now, and I was sure that Rumi would be happy to see his daughter. His distress over losing her had basically been the reason he had saved our lives. As we came over the sandstone rise we could see that Rumi was not alone in his pit. Rumi stood on his sitting rock, stark naked, sprinkling salt on his erect member as a large humpbacked cow, which nearly filled the rest of the pit, licked at the salt. Joshua held Vitra so she faced away from the pit, then backed away, as if he didn't want to disturb the moment of beefy intimacy. â€Å"A cow, Rumi?† I exclaimed. â€Å"I thought you people had beliefs.† â€Å"That's not a cow, that's a bull,† Joshua said. â€Å"Oh, that's got to be your super-bonus abomination there. Where we come from whole cities get destroyed for that kind of thing, Rumi.† I reached over and put my hand over Vitra's eyes. â€Å"Stay away from Daddy, honey, or you'll turn into a pillar of salt.† â€Å"But this is my wife, reincarnated.† â€Å"Oh, don't try that one on me, Rumi. For six years I lived in a Buddhist monastery where the only female company was a wild yak. I know from desperate.† Joshua grabbed my arm. â€Å"You didn't?† â€Å"Relax, I'm just making a point. You're the Messiah here, Josh. What do you think?† â€Å"I think we need to go to Tamil and find the third magus.† He set Vitra down and Rumi quickly pulled up his loincloth as the child ran to him. â€Å"Go with God, Rumi,† Joshua said. â€Å"May Shiva watch over you, you heretics. Thank you for returning my daughter.† Joshua and I gathered up our clothes and satchels, then bought some rice in the market and set out for Tamil. We followed the Ganges south until we came to the sea, where Joshua and I washed the gore of Kali from our bodies. We sat on the beach, letting the sun dry our skin as we picked pitch out of our chest hairs. â€Å"You know, Josh,† I said, as I fought a particularly stubborn gob of tar that had stuck in my armpit, â€Å"when you were leading those kids out of the temple square, and they were so little and weak, but none of them seemed afraid†¦well, it was sort of heartwarming.† â€Å"Yep, I love all the little children of the world, you know?† â€Å"Really?† He nodded. â€Å"Green and yellow, black and white.† â€Å"Good to know – Wait, green?† â€Å"No, not green. I was just fuckin' with you.†

The Last Royal Family essays

The Last Royal Family essays The story of the Last Royal Family and The Russian Revolution is a fascinating one. The last czar Nicholas II, a.k.a. Bloody Nicholas, was a guy who was a nice man to everyone. He married the daughter of Grand Duke Ludwig of Hessen, Alice Victoria Eleanor Louisa Beatrice (Alexandra). They were the people in charge at the time and were the last royal family members. Nick and Alexandra love each other until death and their kids too. They had four girls and one boy. The girls names were Olga, Tatiana, Marie, and Anastasia. The boys name was Alexis. Alexis was the youngest of them all and Nicholas and Alexandra wanted to have a boy, it was a happy moment, but he had hemophilia. Nick and Alexandra did not tell anyone about this, but that was not smart. Nick was a horrible leader; he did not want to be a czar too. However, he still was. Nick enjoys going to parties and having fun with his family. Alexandra and Nick were faithful to each other for the rest of their lives. Everyone loved ni ck and his wife until Bloody Sunday. Peaceful Protesters of the war were shot by palace guards. Nicholas was blamed for Bloody Sunday. One day Alexis was outside on a boat and he got in a little boat accident. He had a big bruise on his leg and was in a lot of pain because he had hemophilia. He was in so much pain, his family thought he was going to die, and he was in this pain for about two weeks. Until this guy by the name of Grigori Rasputin came and visited Alexis and the next day he was healed. Grigori Rasputin was a semiliterate peasant and debauchee who preached and practiced a doctrine of salvation that mixed religious fervor with sexual indulgence. He was an ugly man; he had a long beard, greasy hair, and never bathed. No one in Russia likes Rasputin because he was always drunk, always with women, etc. People thought it was weird that he was with the Royal family and no one knew that Alexis had this disease. ...

10 Famous Sonnet Examples, Explained

10 Famous Sonnet Examples, Explained SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You've probably heard about sonnets in your English class, so you already know that sonnets are an important poetic form. But it can be tough to understand what they're saying! The good news is that everyone can learn to understand poetry. It just takes practice! That's why we've picked the top 10 famous sonnets of all time and explained them. Reading the sonnet alongside an expert explanation will help you not only understand what the sonnet's about, but it will help you test your own analytical skills, too. To help you master the sonnet, our guide is going to do the following: Define the term â€Å"sonnet† List and analyze the top ten sonnets of all time List our top five resources for learning more about sonnets Now, without further delay, let’s check out some sonnets and sonnet examples! What Is a Sonnet? A sonnet is a type of poem that is comprised of fourteen lines of verse that follow a specific rhyme scheme, depending on the type of sonnet. The word â€Å"sonnet† comes from the Italian word sonetto. And what does it mean? Literally, â€Å"little song.† Since sonnets follow a strict rhyme scheme, they can definitely sound melodic when read aloud. The different origins of the sonnet in Italy and England resulted in the creation of different rhyme schemes, topics, and themes of sonnets. However, any sonnet, no matter the type, is going to have the following: 14 lines A particular rhyme scheme Iambic pentameter For more information, be sure to check out this article that talks about the elements of a sonnet in more detail. (It also explains the different types of sonnets, too!) The 10 Most Famous Sonnets of All Time, Explained To understand sonnets better, it helps to look at examples. And guess what? That’s what we’re going to do! We’ve chosen the top 10 sonnets of all time. For each poem, we’re going to give you background info on each sonnet, identify the type of each sonnet example, and briefly analyze the poem. The first five in our list are Shakespearean sonnet examples, and the last five in our list of sonnet examples touch on the different types of sonnets, including Spencerian, Modern English, Miltonic, and Italian/Petrarchan sonnet examples. And, remember: interpretations of the meaning of literary works are always somewhat subjective, so feel free to add your own analyses or research to our readings of these top 10 sonnet examples too! #1: My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun, by William Shakespeare (Shakespearean Sonnet) My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;Coral is far more red than her lips' red;If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.I have seen roses damasked, red and white,But no such roses see I in her cheeks;And in some perfumes is there more delightThan in the breath that from my mistress reeks.I love to hear her speak, yet well I knowThat music hath a far more pleasing sound;I grant I never saw a goddess go;My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare. Here’s the first Shakespearean sonnet on our list- and it’s one of Shakespeare’s most famous. Like many sonnets, this one praises the appearance of the poet’s lady love..but with a unique twist. Specifically, the poet is comparing his mistress’s appearance to the things we often find beautiful in nature: bright, red coral, white snow, red and white roses. But, the poet isn’t making these comparisons in a complementary way. In fact, he’s claiming that his mistress’s beauty is nothing like the bright sun, the red rose, and the white snow! What’s the deal with that?! But then the volta happens in the couplet. In a sonnet, a volta is the turn, or the moment where the poet shifts his topic. In a sonnet, this is usually the moment where the poet answers the question he poses in the earlier verses! Let's take a look at how the volta works in this poem. In the three quatrains, the poet sticks to that theme: his lady love’s beauty pales in comparison to the natural beauties he observes around him. When we get to the couplet, however, the tone shifts abruptly with the use of the phrase, â€Å"And yet.† Even though his mistress’s eyes don’t shine like the sun and her lips aren’t as red as a rose, the poet still finds her rare and beautiful anyway. So why does the poet describe his mistress like this? It seems kind of rude to bring up all the ways that her beauty doesn’t live up to the vividness of nature. But Shakespeare’s point in this sonnet isn’t really about his mistress at all: it’s a satire about the false, idealized image of feminine beauty often portrayed in sonnets during the Elizabethan Era. Shakespeare is basically making fun of this tendency to use the sonnet to laud an impossible and unattainable image of feminine beauty by painting a realistic picture of his mistress and emphasizing that he loves her the way that she is. (It’s the modern equivalent of loving someone with #nofilter.) #2: "Shall I Compare Thee To A Summers’ Day?"by William Shakespeare (Shakespearean Sonnet) Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?Thou art more lovely and more temperate:Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;And every fair from fair sometime declines,By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;But thy eternal summer shall not fade,Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. Unlike our first example, this sonnet keeps with the traditional theme of comparing the beauty of the poet’s love interest to the beautiful aspects of nature. This sonnet seems to take a more traditional approach to comparing â€Å"thee†- likely the poet’s love interest- to the pleasant aspects of nature than the first sonnet in our list. This time, the poet’s love interest even more lovely than a summer’s day! But the poet is talking about more here than simply his love interest’s looks: he’s talking about her youth. Here’s how we know that: the poet mentions how summer is too short, how nature changes course, and how that which is â€Å"fair† declines as time passes. The poet is talking about how, as time passes, we grow old! If you want to think about youth and age in terms of seasons like the poet does, you could associate youth with summer, and aging with the transition into fall and winter as the earth grows cold and the leaves fall from the trees. And that’s exactly what happens to the poet’s love interest over the course of the poem. But! At the beginning of the third quatrain, the poet makes use of a volta: â€Å"But thy eternal summer shall not fade.† In the second section of the sonnet, the poet associates his love interest’s youthfulness with more than just age and appearance. These things, the poet seems to say, can transcend the passing of time because they are a way of being, rather than a way of looking. Don’t worry: it made us say â€Å"awww,† too. #3: "That Time Of Year Thou Mayest In Me Behold"by William Shakespeare (Shakespearean Sonnet) That time of year thou mayst in me beholdWhen yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hangUpon those boughs which shake against the cold,Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.In me thou see'st the twilight of such dayAs after sunset fadeth in the west,Which by and by black night doth take away,Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.In me thou see'st the glowing of such fireThat on the ashes of his youth doth lie,As the death-bed whereon it must expire,Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by.This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,To love that well which thou must leave ere long. This Shakespearean sonnet is addressed to a particular reader, called â€Å"the Fair Youth,† and also deals with the theme of old age. In this sonnet, the three quatrains each present a different metaphor for the poet’s experience with aging, signaled by the phrase, â€Å"In me thou see’st.† The first quatrain compares the poet’s aging to the death of autumn and nature’s transition into winter. The second quatrain compares the poet’s aging to the death of the daytime as the sun sets and night takes over. The third and final quatrain compares the poet’s aging to a slowly dying fire. As usual, the shift, or volta, comes with the couplet at the end of the sonnet. The poet claims that the Fair Youth can see this aging occurring when he looks upon the poet, but that witnessing the poet’s aging makes him love the poet even more in anticipation of the poet’s eventual death. Shakespeare’s use of the three metaphors build a strong connection between humans’ experience of aging and dying and the natural cycles of the universe. One way to read this is that aging and dying is a natural process- one that connects humans more deeply to the universe. And as a result, it’s important to value people while they’re still with us. The poem "If There Be Nothing New, But That Which Is" plays on the old adage, "There is nothing new under the sun." #4: "If There Be Nothing New, But That Which Is" by William Shakespeare (Shakespearean Sonnet) If there be nothing new, but that which isHath been before, how are our brains beguil'd,Which, labouring for invention, bear amissThe second burthen of a former child!O, that record could with a backward look,Even of five hundred courses of the sun,Show me your image in some antique book,Since mind at first in character was done!That I might see what the old world could sayTo this composed wonder of your frame;Whether we are mended, or whe'r better they,Or whether revolution be the same.O! sure I am, the wits of former daysTo subjects worse have given admiring praise. The fourth Shakespearean sonnet on our list also comes from what is known as the Fair Youth Sequence of 1609- a sequence of 154 sonnets that chronicles the poet’s expressions of love towards a young man. This particular sonnet muses on the age-old idea that there is nothing new under the sun. That notion is adapted from the biblical book of Ecclesiastes, and it essentially claims that things in life happen cyclically. Shakespeare struggles to articulate worthy praise of the youth because the praise he would give to the youth has already been written in the past about others from history. His brain â€Å"labours for invention,† searching for words that would demonstrate how the youth is set apart from all these lesser beauties from the past. In fact, the poet argues that if the youth had lived in â€Å"the old world,† those around him would have failed to adequately describe the youth’s beauty and character. In the final couplet, the poet questions the judgment of all those from the past who lauded the beauty of others who came before (the â€Å"wits of former days†) because Shakespeare is confident that there is something new under the sun: the incomparable beauty of his love interest. #5: "Not Marble Nor the Gilded Monuments" by William Shakespeare (Shakespearean Sonnet) Not marble nor the gilded monumentsOf princes shall outlive this powerful rhyme,But you shall shine more bright in these contentsThan unswept stone besmeared with sluttish time.When wasteful war shall statues overturn,And broils root out the work of masonry,Nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burnThe living record of your memory.’Gainst death and all-oblivious enmityShall you pace forth; your praise shall still find roomEven in the eyes of all posterityThat wear this world out to the ending doom.So, till the Judgement that yourself arise,You live in this, and dwell in lovers’ eyes. This sonnet deals with the theme of the passage of time and the lasting power of words. Writing again to the Fair Youth, Shakespeare describes how written words- like those in this poem!- are far more effective at preserving things as time passes than physical, human-built monuments. And, what, exactly, is the specific â€Å"thing† that his poem is preserving? It’s the image and memory of the youth, which is represented by the â€Å"you† he addresses throughout the poem. Shakespeare exaggerates his memory of the youth by juxtaposing it with descriptions of strong, durable human-made things that will crumble and decay over time. Marble, gilded monuments of princes, stone and statues, and the work of masonry will all fail to outlive the poet’s memory of the youth. In fact, because of the way that a poem can easily be passed down to future generations, Shakespeare’s praise of his beloved will live forever. #6: "How Do I Love Thee?" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (Petrarchan/Italian Sonnet) How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.I love thee to the depth and breadth and heightMy soul can reach, when feeling out of sightFor the ends of being and ideal grace.I love thee to the level of every day'sMost quiet need, by sun and candle-light.I love thee freely, as men strive for right.I love thee purely, as they turn from praise. I love thee with the passion put to useIn my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.I love thee with a love I seemed to loseWith my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,I shall but love thee better after death. The last five sonnets on our list branch out into different poets and different types of sonnets. This sonnet is by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, an English poet of the Victorian Era, and is written in Petrarchan form. Published in 1850, â€Å"How Do I Love Thee?† is easily Barrett Browning’s most famous sonnet. In Barrett Browning’s poem, readers encounter something rare- a woman’s perspective on love. In the octave that comprises the first part of the poem, the speaker poses a question to her lover: â€Å"How do I love thee?†, then proceeds to count the many ways that she loves this person. In making her list of the ways that she loves this person, the speaker explores extremes and limits: she loves him to her soul’s full capacity, freely and purely. The volta occurs as the sestet begins, and the speaker turns to the past to draw upon more comparisons for her present love for her lover. In looking to the past, the speaker continues to rely on extremes to explain her love: the extreme passion one feels in moments of grief, the extreme purity of a child’s faith. The poem concludes with one final extreme: even after death, the speaker will continue loving her lover. She seems to imply that her love will be immortalized, made perfect in its endurance after death. #7: "Sonnet 75" from Edmund Spenser’s Amoretti (Spencerian Sonnet) One day I wrote her name upon the strand,But came the waves and washed it away:Again I write it with a second hand,But came the tide, and made my pains his prey.Vain man, said she, that doest in vain assay,A mortal thing so to immortalize,For I myself shall like to this decay,And eek my name be wiped out likewise.Not so, (quod I) let baser things deviseTo die in dust, but you shall live by fame:My verse, your virtues rare shall eternize,And in the heavens write your glorious name.Where whenas death shall all the world subdue,Our love shall live, and later life renew. Here’s an example of a Spenserian sonnet, which was originally published in 1595. The theme of this poem is similar to that of Shakespeare’s â€Å"Not Marble Nor the Gilded Monuments† because it is concerned with the idea of eternalizing the memory of the poet’s lover. (Are you starting to see ow sonnets often deal with common themes?) In the first quatrain, the poet chronicles his attempts to write his beloved’s name â€Å"upon the strand† (â€Å"strand† is just another word for the seashore), but finds it continually washed away by ocean tides. In the second quatrain, it appears that the beloved speaks to the poet, using both meanings of the word â€Å"vain† to tell the poet that only a vain man would continue making vain attempts to immortalize something that is mortal. She points out that she will eventually succumb to death...just like her name written in the sand. In the third quatrain, the poet speaks back to his beloved, telling her how he will defy death to eternalize her: through the fame his poetic verses will bring her. In fact, his poetry is going to do one better than writing her name in the sand. His poetry is going to be so exquisite that it will write her name in the heavens. This is another sonnet that praises the ability of poetry to transcend the death and decay that mortal bodies experience as time passes. "When I Consider How My Light Is Spent" is a Miltonic Sonnet about both literal blindness and the blindness of the soul. #8: "When I Consider How My Light is Spent" by John Milton (Miltonic Sonnet) When I consider how my light is spent,Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,And that one Talent which is death to hideLodged with me useless, though my Soul more bent To serve therewith my Maker, and presentMy true account, lest he returning chide; â€Å"Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?†I fondly ask. But patience, to prevent That murmur, soon replies, â€Å"God doth not needEither man’s work or his own gifts; who bestBear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speedAnd post o’er Land and Ocean without rest:They also serve who only stand and wait.† This is a Miltonic sonnet- which was originally published in 1673- is sometimes titled â€Å"On His Blindness† in reference to Milton’s experience of going blind. However, Milton’s use of the word â€Å"light† here might just mean his vision or perspective on life. In the octave- the first eight lines of the sonnet- Milton worries that he has â€Å"spent† the â€Å"light,† or vision and wisdom, in his life poorly. Milton’s reference to the â€Å"Talent† that is useless within him reinforces this worry. The mention of the â€Å"Talent† is a reference to a parable in the biblical book of Matthew 25, wherein a young man buries away resources he is given rather than sharing them with the world. Milton is worried that God will see that he has used the light that he was given unwisely and chastise him for it, which is exactly what happened to the young man in the parable. The sestet- the last six lines- answer Milton’s earlier question about whether he’s used his talents well. While Milton feels that maybe he would have better served his Maker through hard â€Å"day-labour,† â€Å"patience† speaks up and reassures him that God needs more than one kind of servant. In addition to those who work themselves to the bone in service to their Maker, God needs those who serve by standing and waiting. In the end, the poem argues that those who wait for God to lead them are true servants as well. #9: "What My Lips Have Kissed, and Where, and Why" by Edna St. Vincent Millay (Petrarchan/Italian Sonnet) What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why,I have forgotten, and what arms have lainUnder my head till morning; but the rainIs full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sighUpon the glass and listen for reply,And in my heart there stirs a quiet painFor unremembered lads that not againWill turn to me at midnight with a cry.Thus in winter stands the lonely tree,Nor knows what birds have vanished one by one,Yet knows its boughs more silent than before:I cannot say what loves have come and gone,I only know that summer sang in meA little while, that in me sings no more. Edna St. Vincent Millay, a prolific poet of the early twentieth century, writes a Petrarchan sonnet here. â€Å"What My Lips Have Kissed† takes up the traditional theme of musing on lost loves. As a Petrarchan sonnet, the octave at the beginning embodies a tone of remembrance of the past loves, and when the turn comes with the final sestet, shifts into a tone of mourning. But unlike many traditional sonnets- like the ones we’ve looked at by Shakespeare and Spenser- Millay’s isn’t about praising the beauty and character of her past loves at all. She even admits that she forgot â€Å"what lips [her] lips have kissed† awhile ago. She can’t even remember where she kissed these men, or why she kissed them! Instead, Millay’s sonnet wistfully praises the memory of the way those past loves made her feel, putting a more modern spin on the sonnet’s traditional theme. Though she â€Å"cannot say what loves have come and gone,† again emphasizing that this sonnet isn’t really about the lovers themselves, she knows that â€Å"summer sang in [her]† for a short while during those loves. That feeling of summer in her heart is what she feels she has lost, and that is what she mourns and pays tribute to in this sonnet. A portrait of the poet Billy Collins.(David Shankbone/Flickr) #10: "Sonnet" by Billy Collins (Modern Sonnet) All we need is fourteen lines, well, thirteen now,and after this next one just a dozento launch a little ship on love's storm-tossed seas,then only ten more left like rows of beans.How easily it goes unless you get Elizabethanand insist the iambic bongos must be playedand rhymes positioned at the ends of lines,one for every station of the cross.But hang on here while we make the turninto the final six where all will be resolved,where longing and heartache will find an end,where Laura will tell Petrarch to put down his pen,take off those crazy medieval tights,blow out the lights, and come at last to bed. For our tenth and final sonnet in our list of sonnet poem examples, we have a more modern English sonnet by the contemporary American poet, Billy Collins. In this poem, which was published in 1999, Collins muses on the traditional form and structure of the sonnet! (It’s very meta.) His â€Å"Sonnet† reflects on what meaning we can derive from looking more closely at these features of the traditional sonnet. If you want a crash course in the traditional sonnet, Collins’ â€Å"Sonnet† could actually help with that. His poem identifies all of the elements of traditional sonnets: 14 lines, themes relating to love, iambic pentameter, strict rhyme schemes, the volta, and a resolution to the subject at the end of the sonnet. He even references the Elizabethan sonnet specifically and Petrarch himself! So what’s the point of writing a sonnet about a sonnet, anyway? It really just seems like Collins is trying to make sonnets accessible to the everyday reader! The traditional form of the sonnet, with all of its strict requirements about stressed and unstressed syllables and rhyme schemes, can feel intimidating...especially if you’re asked to write one yourself. We might even call Collins’ breakdown of the sonnet playful. He’s showing that it’s okay for modern writers to play with the form of the sonnet in their own writing too. Our Top 5 Resources For Learning More About Sonnets Since sonnets are one of the most important literary forms of all time, there are a lot of resources out there that can help you learn more about sonnets! We’ve put together a list of our top five picks for resources that can expand your knowledge of sonnets. Our list includes online resources, a few books, and even a pop culture take on sonnets. And all of these resources include more sonnet poem examples than you could need. What the variety in this list really shows is that sonnets continue to fascinate people, and they remain culturally relevant to this day! The Poetry Foundation If self-directed, exploratory learning is your kind of thing, you might enjoy learning more about sonnets through the Poetry’s Foundation’s website. The Poetry Foundation is an independent literary organization whose primary goal is to give the public free access to all things related to poetry. With that in mind, you can use the Poetry Foundation’s website to read tons of sonnet poem examples, explore poets’ biographical profiles, peruse brief analytic articles, essays, and blog posts on sonnets, and even listen to audio recordings of readings of sonnets. We recommend getting started by using the website’s search bar to search â€Å"sonnet† and seeing where that leads. One thing to note: The Poetry Foundation isn’t just dedicated to sonnets, so there’s a lot going on there. But if you’re down for an adventure, The Poetry Foundation provides a great way to learn more about sonnets! Shakespeare’s Sonnets Anyone who’s looking for a deep-dive into the poets and sonnets of the Elizabethan Era should look no further than Shakespeare’s Sonnets, which is an online resource that provides full-text of all of Shakespeare’s sonnets with descriptive commentary. The site also includes many sonnet examples by other notable Elizabethan poets, particularly Edmund Spenser, Philip Sidney, Michael Drayton, and Sir Thomas Wyatt. We like this resource for its consistency and simplicity: each sonnet has its own page, and each page follows the exact same structure. First is the full text of the sonnet, then a brief overview of the sonnet’s key themes, then a line-by-line explication of the entire sonnet. It’s easy to use, and if you need a kickstart on sonnet analysis, this resource could be your go-to. The Making of A Sonnet: A Norton Anthology If we could describe this resource on sonnets in one word, we’d go with â€Å"comprehensive.† (Norton Anthologies are often used as textbooks for high school and college-level courses for a reason, after all.) This anthology traces the history of sonnets across five hundred years, analyzing the major figures and events that have made the sonnet into what it is today. This anthology is full of valuable material, too, including 300 different sonnets. Another notable feature for any educators out there is the â€Å"Ten Questions for a Sonnet Workshop,† included in the anthology’s appendix, which are designed to spark conversations about reading, writing, and workshopping sonnets. Pop Sonnets: Shakespearean Spins On Your Favorite Songs This book is definitely a fun take on the sonnet. (Yes, books on sonnets can be fun, we promise!) Pop Sonnets features 100 classic pop songs reimagined as Shakespearean sonnets. The book has a great sense of humor, and it builds a bridge between traditional poetry and popular culture. If you’re looking for a non-traditional approach to thinking about famous sonnets, this resource is a winner. Pop Sonnets is a great inspirational resource for both students and educators, too. As a student, this book can help you figure out new, creative approaches to tackling class projects. And if you’re a teacher looking for engaging, innovative ways to teach sonnets to your students, Pop Sonnets is a fantastic companion. Shakespeare’s Sonnets, Retold Our last resource on sonnets gives another contemporary take on the traditional sonnet form. Shakespeare’s Sonnets, Retold rewrites Shakespeare’s entire series of sonnets using modern language, but keeps to the rhythm and rhyme schemes that make them so memorable. If you’re the kind of reader who wants to experience the magic of Shakespeare’s famous sonnets on your own, without having them over-explained but you struggle to understand the Elizabethan language, this book could be your entry point into understanding Shakespeare’s sonnets all on your own. Shakespeare’s Sonnets, Retold is another excellent educational resource for English teachers looking to make sonnets relatable for today’s students. The book is also super current- it was published in August 2018! What’s Next? Did you read the analyses above and...well, wonder how the heck to come up with an analysis yourself? Never fear: all it takes is making sure you have the right tools for the job. Here’s a list of the 31 literary devices you need to know (and a guide to the 9 literary elements that are present in every poem ever). If you’re not quite sure what a literary device is or how to use it, that’s okay! Here are some in-depth posts on imagery, assonance, point of view, and personification that define these important terms and show you how to find them in literature. When it comes to understanding poetry, it’s really helpful to see how others analyze poems. Luckily, we have great resources for you! Check out this post that walks you through a complete analysis of John Donne’s â€Å"Do not go gentle into that good night.† These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links PrepScholar may receive a commission. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Ashley Robinson About the Author Ashley Sufflà © Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams. 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