Writing Help, Writing Tips, Samples and Examples

“…I am sorry to break off so abruptly. Are there no men present? Do you promise me that behind the red curtain over there the figure of Sir Chartres Biron is not conclead? We are all women you assure me? Then I may tell you that the next words I read were these- ‘Chloe liked Olivia…’ Do not start. Do not blush. Let us admit in the privacy of our own society that these things sometimes happen. Somtimes women do like women.” -Virgina Woolf, A Room of One’s Own

This quote so interests me because it gets at the views on homosexuality not just of Virgina Woolf’s time, but of the views of many centuries before her. Only recently has the issue of homosexuality been publicly discussed and debated, and even now there are still many who are uncomfortable or against the subject. Therefore, with a subject that is still so adamantly argued today, one can only expect that the ideas were even more narrow-minded concerning homosexuality dating back for centuries.

Historically, the subject of homosexuality has been kept very hidden and private from the public. Obviously the idea and practice of homosexuality has existed for centuries, if not since the caveman, but the degree with which one was free to discuss it has changed dramatically. As reference, for example, we know that Sappho was a lesbian based on her letters and poems to women, but she could never come out and express such an idea openly to the public. The paragraph directly following this quote from A Room of One’s Own begins, “it struck me how immense a change was there. Chloe liked Olivia perhaps for the first time in literature. Cleopatra did not like Olivia.” This demonstrates that in Woolf’s time even the idea of discussing homosexuality in a public forum was revolutionary. As she describes, never before had there been a novel where a girl was in love with a girl or even a man was in love with a man. Additionally, in her preface to the actual discussion of homosexuality in literature, she makes the point of glancing around the metaphorical room of readers in order to ensure that there are no men around. This seems indicative of the ideas of the time, as though some of these ideas were finally able to be discussed in literature, the idea of discussing it with men was still considered taboo. Read more…

Greek art was influence primarily by the uniqueness of the human being. The human figure gradually emerged as the dominant symbol in Greek culture. This is seen by the all the various sculptures that were created that specifically showed the beauty and strength of the human body. Greek sculpture evolved from an emphasis on geometry to an emphasis on naturalism. Greek art also attempted to imitate nature and life in vibrant and realistic human terms. The Greeks looked upon nature as possessing some sense of life. The Greeks were extremely attentive to the stars in the cosmos.

Gothic Art was mainly influence by the Greek and Roman traditions, brought together by Christianity. Gothic artist took on the Greek ideas that geometry was an important part of any true picture or image of reality. There was always a strong presence of religion, in particular Christianity in Gothic Art. The art always made reference to Christ, if not by an actually picture, by the symbol or number three to represent the trinity. The Middle Ages accepted the Greek description of the cosmos, but they also felted that Christ was behind it. Medieval ideology felt that all material things, from rocks to animals to human beings, are reflections and images of the presence of God. Read more…

“Blackberry-picking,” by Seamus Heaney, can be seen as a multi layered cake. There is the obvious physical attraction of a beautifully written poem as there is a grandly frosted cake, but once tasted, the poem can tell different stories as a cake can reveal different flavors. There is a literal reading of the poem, but the poem can also be read as a struggle between man and nature and the natural mental progression from childhood through adult hood.

Man possesses a preoccupation with opposing and fighting the world in which he lives. In spite of all the good that nature has done unto him, man possesses an inherent force, perhaps stemming from the Freudian id (the one of the three divisions of the psyche in psychoanalytic theory that is completely unconscious and is the source of psychic energy derived from instinctual needs and drives), which causes him to create conflict with the rest of the universe. (http://www.m-w.com) Throughout literature, humans have tried to oppose nature. Such epics as Beowulf and Gilgamesh contain heroes that fight against nature’s creation but suffer a tragic end and the hands of the universe. In “Blackberry-Picking,” Seamus Heaney grasps this theme of the eternal conflict between nature and man, and impresses this premise into an idea as simple as blackberry-picking. The author reverses the common structure of the words “Picking Blackberries” to “Blackberry-Picking.” This reversal may signify the importance of “Blackberries” from the singular form “Blackberry,” thereby leading the reader to infer that the poem transcends the denotation of picking blackberries. Also, the singular form of the title may serve to emphasize that Heaney focuses the poem on one single theme which pervades the entirety of the poem. Through the physical notion of the action of blackberry-picking, Seamus Heaney employs poetic devices ranging from imagery to metaphor; illuminating his universal theme of the eternal struggle of the force of man versus the force of nature. Read more…

What do we mean when we say “group leadership“? What is it exactly? There is not a dictionary definition that can explain or give meaning to the phrase. In order to really understand the phrase “group leadership”, we must separate it into two parts. We must define leadership. Then we must talk about group communication. What is leadership? Leadership is defined as a process of using communication to influence the behaviors and attitudes of others to meet group goals (Hackman and Johnson, 1991). Group communication is the interaction of a group of people to achieve an interdependent goal (Galanes, Brilhart, & Adams, 2000). So we can say that group leadership is using communication as the main tool to guiding and leading a group of people to accomplish interdependent goals. In order to get a greater comprehension of the subject, we must talk about two categories that relate to group leadership. They are the types of groups and the theoretical approaches to group leadership (Pearson, Nelson, Titsworth, & Harter, 2003). With a knowledge of these two aspects, we will better understand the group leadership concept. Lastly, we will describe how group leadership and the workplace coincide. In the workplace, you can find group leadership issues and problems. We will also discuss any examples and try to formulate possible solutions. The following paragraphs will take us right into types of groups and approaches to group leadership. Read more…

Shakespeare’s Macbeth, is a twisting, turning, very dramatic play. There are characters whom may seem honorable one minute and villainous the next. The play goes through many scene and setting changes, but the overall theme remains the same. The dark envious nature of Macbeth plays out through the play’s entirety. The chief character in the tragedy, Macbeth himself, is progressively isolated, and increasingly cut off from his family, friends, the public, and even with himself. The play begins with Macbeth shown as a strong fighter and a hero. This image, however, is challenged once Macbeth interacts with the witches; which proves him to be weak minded but at the same time ambitious. While being in an inner turmoil of clashing qualities, Macbeth allows himself to put his guard down and thus to be easily manipulated by the witches and his wife. At the end of the play, a cycle seems to form in which Macbeth returns to the battle field and dies in combat. Macbeth is a dynamic character: in the beginning, he is a loyal, trustworthy warrior and Thane to Scotland’s King Duncan, until, that is, he meets the witches, who prophesize of his greatness, and becomes weak minded and frantic about keeping his throne to the point of collapsing. Read more…

Paradise Lost by Milton outlines the fall of mankind beginning with Adam and Eve. Although Paradise Lost is a work filled with religious influence it does not stick to biblical truth. Pride and Lust are prevalent in Milton’s version of the Garden of Eden before and after the fall; it is these two deadly sins that seemingly lead toward the fall of Adam and Eve.

Adam is portrayed as a somewhat weak individual who is uxorious. When Eve mentions working apart from each other instead of insisting they stay together he allows her to do as she wishes. Milton reveals his view that this is a mistake by Adam when he states that “hapless” Eve is walking into an ambush set by Satan.

The pride of Eve can first be seen when she is tempted by Satan. One of the arguments that Satan uses to trick Eve into partaking in eating the fruit is that if he, an animal, can eat it and gain knowledge then why can’t she? He argues that since God has given Adam and Eve dominion over everything then surely they should be permitted to eat the fruit. He also tells her that she will become like God. Eve’s lust of the fruit is apparent in the way she gazes upon it. Milton even states, “An eager appetite, raised by the smell/ So savory of that fruit, which with desire/ Inclinable now grown to touch or taste/ Solicited her longing eye.” This statement vividly and dramatically describes the lust that Eve held for the forbidden fruit. Read more…

The Puritans of Boston make a victim of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter for her sin of adultery by putting her in jail, by publicly condemning her, by forcing her to wear a scarlet on her bosom for the rest of her life, and by out casting her from society.

Hester Prynne’s crime of adultery with Arthur Dimmesdale, the town reverend, depicts a serious crime, worthy of being put in jail, especially in the 1770s, when the people of Massachusetts depicted a very pious group of Puritans. It was a time when you could be punished for committing a minor sin, like not attending church on a Sunday. In Hester’s case, her husband fails to join her in Boston after migrating from Europe and she begins to engage in sexual relations with Reverend Dimmesdale. The author of the book, Nathaniel Hawthorne, commences the book to her first punishment, Hester serving a jail sentence (page 35). If the community wasnТt Puritan, Hester would have been looked down upon; however, she would not have been subjected to punishments worse than her crime. Read more…