Understanding the Roles Characters Play in Literature

Every great story has great characters. But what makes a great character? The main character is central to a story and needs to be â€Å"round† or complex, with depth and distinctive qualities. A cast of supporting characters can be of various types—even â€Å"flat† or uncomplicated ones, who nonetheless help move the story along. Definition A character is an individual (usually a person) in a narrative  in a work of fiction or creative nonfiction.  The act or method of creating a character in writing is known as characterization. In British author E.M. Forsters 1927 â€Å"Aspects of the Novel,† Forster made a broad yet worthwhile distinction between flat and round characters. A flat (or two-dimensional) character embodies â€Å"a single idea or quality.† This character type, Forster wrote, â€Å"can be expressed in one sentence.† In contrast, a round character responds to change: he or she â€Å"is capable of surprising [readers] in a convincing way,† Forster wrote. In certain forms of nonfiction, particularly biographies and autobiographies, a single character may serve as the primary focus of the text. Etymology The word character comes from the Latin word meaning mark, distinctive quality† and ultimately from the Greek word that means scratch, engrave. Observations on Character In â€Å"Essentials of the Theory of Fiction,† Michael J. Hoffman and Patrick D. Murphy wrote: â€Å"If, in a sense, the  flat character  embodies an idea or quality, then the round character encompasses many ideas and qualities, undergoing change and development, as well as entertaining different ideas and characteristics.†(Michael J. Hoffman and Patrick D. Murphy, Essentials of the Theory of Fiction, 2nd ed. Duke University Press, 1999) Mr. Spock as a Round Character â€Å"Mr. Spock, my favorite character in ‘Star Trek,’ was James T. Kirk’s best friend and one of the most interesting characters ever written for television. Spock was a Vulcan-human hybrid who struggled for many years with his dual heritage before he finally found peace through acceptance of both parts of his heritage.†(Mary P.  Taylor, Star Trek: Adventures in Time and Space, Pocket Books, 1999) Thackeray’s Description of Lord Steyne â€Å"The candles lighted up Lord Steyne’s shining bald head, which was fringed with red hair. He had thick bushy eyebrows, with little twinkling bloodshot eyes, surrounded by a thousand wrinkles. His jaw was underhung, and when he laughed, two white buck-teeth protruded themselves and glistened savagely in the midst of the grin. He had been dining with royal personages, and wore his garter and ribbon. A short man was his lordship, broad-chested, and bow-legged, but proud of the fineness of his foot and ankle, and always caressing his garter-knee.†(William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, 1847–48) Narrator as a Character in the Personal Essay â€Å"[In a personal essay], the writer needs to build herself into a character. And I use the word character much the same way the fiction writer does. E.M. Forster, in ‘Aspects of a Novel,’ drew a famous distinction between ‘flat’ and ‘round’  characters—between those fictional personages seen from the outside who acted with the predictable consistency of caricatures, and those whose complexities or teeming inner lives we come to know. ... The art of characterization comes down to establishing a pattern of habits and actions for the person you are writing about and introducing variations into the system. ...The point is to begin to take inventory of yourself so that you can present that self to the reader as a specific, legible character. ...The  need thus exists to make oneself into a character, whether the essay uses a first- or third-person narrative voice. I would further maintain that this process of turning oneself into a cha racter is not self-absorbed navel-gazing. But rather a potential release from narcissism. It means you have achieved sufficient distance to begin to see yourself in the round: a necessary precondition to transcending the ego—or at least writing personal essays that can touch other people.†(Phillip Lopate, â€Å"Writing Personal Essays: On the Necessity of Turning Oneself Into a Character.† Writing Creative Nonfiction, edited by Carolyn Forchà © and Philip Gerard, Story Press, 2001) Details of Character â€Å"To achieve a fully dimensional character, fictional or real, a writer must watch people closely, much more closely than the average person would. He or she looks especially for anything unusual or distinct about the person or persons involved but does not ignore what is ordinary and typical. The writer then reports, in as interesting a way as possible, these poses, posturings, habitual gestures, mannerisms, appearances, glances. Not that the writer limits observations to these, but these frequently appear in creative nonfiction writing.†(Theodore A. Rees Cheney, Writing Creative Nonfiction: Fiction Techniques for Crafting Great Nonfiction, Ten Speed Press, 2001) Composite Characters in Nonfiction ï » ¿Ã¢â‚¬Å"The use of a composite character is a dubious device for the writer of nonfiction because it hovers in a gray region between reality and invention, but if it is employed the reader should be made aware of the fact early.†(William Ruehlmann, Stalking the Feature Story, Vintage Books, 1978)

The Book of Songs - 1621 Words

The Warring States period was a time of inner turmoil and widespread chaos in China, in which independent rebel warlords seized land and power in the absence of a centralized authority. There existed a desperate need for a solution to effectively stop the interregional conflicts and establish order in China, and in pursuit of that goal arose the Hundred Schools of Thought. The three primary schools that were conceived during this ideological flourishing were Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism. The principal tenets of Confucianism were illustrated in the Four Books (Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean, Analects, and Mencius), classic texts that were selected by the scholar Zhuxi in the Song dynasty to provide a summary of Confucianism.†¦show more content†¦They are separated into three sections based on their geographic origin (all of the poems are either from the feudal states of Zhou, Lu, or Shang). Although these were most likely â€Å"commissioned by the kings†¦t o glorify the glory of the Chinese state†, they might have been included in the Book of Songs because of their emphasis on proper ritual and the respect for one’s ancestors, which is basically one of the core values of Confucianism. The Book of Songs was not only extensively studied by nobles who wanted to succeed in the civil service examinations and be assigned an government position, but was also revered by the common people for its manifestation of Confucian values. One of the principal reasons that it amassed such a high level of popularity was because it included a diverse range of works, from folk to court to religious songs, that each related in some way to the teachings of Confucius, therefore it also appealed to a broad spectrum of individuals, including the most noble of the royalty and the poorest of the farmers. Perhaps the best exemplification of the admiration the Chinese felt towards the Book of Songs is the writing of the numerous scholarly commentari es, including Confucius himself, â€Å"describing what could be known orShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of John Cage s Song Books 1567 Words   |  7 PagesLuiza Arefyeva Music History - Icons October 12, 2015 Prospectus John Cage - â€Å"Song Books† John Cage was born in 1912 in Los Angeles. His father was an inventor, and his mother worked as a journalist for the LA Times. Cage was first introduced to the piano music of the 19th century by his aunt; he began taking piano lessons in fourth grade. By the time he graduated from high school, he was convinced that he wanted to be a writer, and in 1928 Cage became a theology major in college. However, twoRead MoreThe Reoccurring Blues Music And The Blindness Of The Book The Song 1453 Words   |  6 PagesThe reoccurring blues music plays a significant role in the blindness of the book. In the song â€Å"Nobody Knows the Trouble I ve Seen† by Louis Armstrong, Louis sings â€Å"Sometimes I m up, sometimes I m down, ohh, yes Lord Sometimes I m almost to the ground, oh yes, Lord Nobody knows the trouble I ve seen†. The narrator claims â€Å"Perhaps I like Louis Armstrong because he s made poetry out of being invisible† (Ellison, 10). This statement by the narrator is ironic because the narrator is literally beingRead MoreThere are many similarities between Bob Marley’s songs and the Biblical book of Exodus. Bob1200 Words   |  5 PagesThere are many similarities between Bob Marley’s songs and the Biblical book of Exodus. Bob Marley’s songs â€Å"Exodus† and â€Å"Africa Unite† connect his tribulations and dissatisfaction with his life with the Biblical book of Exodus while his seemingly aloneness and his tribulations throughout his life seem to connect with Moses. The Biblical book of Exodus begins more than 400 years after Joseph; his brothers and the pharaoh he once served have all died. Egypt is under a new leadership that is threatenedRead MoreSong of a Hummingbird by Graciela Limon. Chicano Studies novel. Summary and ideas of the book and its relation to the Day of the Dead1512 Words   |  7 PagesSong of a Hummingbird: A Battle of Consciousness Tomorrow we celebrate the Day of the Dead--a ceremony where a society pays homage to those who have passed, and planted their seeds in the lives of others. Our ancestors influence us and the lessons they have passed down throughout generations; however, not all lessons were the same. All were influenced by their time period and personal sense of morality. That influence was then conveyed to their child--or whoever was willing to listen. These storiesRead MoreThe Pearl Song Essay736 Words   |  3 PagesThroughout The Pearl, we see several different songs that the protagonist, Kino, hears. The four main songs are the Song of Family, the Song of Evil, the Song of the Enemy, and the Song of the Pearl. Each of these songs is imperative in its own way. They each tell an important part of the book that otherwise would not have been portrayed. In chapter one of The Pearl, Kino awakes to the Song of Family. He hears the small waves before the ocean crashing to the shore. He hears his wife, Juana, makingRead MoreThe Romantic Era Of Felix Mendelssohn1697 Words   |  7 PagesItalian symphonies, repeated yield new vistas, and the Songs Without Words retain their graceful beauty. Mendelssohn was one of the first of the great 19th-century Romantic composers, and in this sense he remains even today a figure to be rediscovered.{site} Songs Without Words (Lieder ohne Worte) is a series of short lyrical piano pieces by Mendelssohn written between 1829 and 1845. The eight volumes of Songs Without Words, each consisting of six â€Å"songs†, were written at various points throughout Mendelssohn’sRead More Fantasy and Reality in D.H. Hwang’s, M. Butterfly Essay1062 Words   |  5 Pageswoman by the name of Song, who turns out to be not what he expected. Song is actuality a Chinese spy disguised as a woman. Hwang illustrates in the play M. Butterfly, people are not always who they perceive to be. Through Gallimards love for song, his portrayal for the East and West, and Gallimards obsession with power, M. Butterfly, demonstrates the different views of power and weakness that symbolized masculinity and femininity. Gallimard does not find out that Song is indeed a man untilRead MoreThe Giving Tree a Son Written by Tim Lopez: Giving and Receiving Love988 Words   |  4 Pagesof Tim Lopez of Plain White Ts song, The Giving Tree, hits home for many who have been in a relationship and gave them there all without receiving it back. The song relates to many people in relationships or even friendships. The relation to the song can range from a variety of ages and sexes. Someone can only put so much into a relationship with receiving little to nothing back, until they finally break down and walk away. Tim Lopez was inspired by a childrens book by Shel Silverstein, The GivingRead MoreThe Great Gatsby : The Glory Days889 Words   |  4 Pagesfavorite classic rock songs has always been â€Å"Glory Days† by Bruce Springsteen. I grew up listening to my dad’s music and this is one song that has always stuck with me. When I first found out that it was inspired by the Novel â€Å"The Gr eat Gatsby† by F Scott. Fitzgerald I was shocked, I had never really listened to the lyrics before. After Reading the book and listening to the song a few more times, I realized that every verse is loosely based on different main characters. This gave the song new meaning forRead MoreAnalysis Of Jan Johnsons The Soul Wound 1604 Words   |  7 Pagescharacters in the book, utilize music as a form of therapy to heal the soul. The characters in Wabanaki Blues utilize music to heal in ways that parallels Bob Marley’s Redemption Song and the Rastafarian religion. Wabanaki blues is a book that concentrates on a recent graduate of high school named Mona LaPierre and her path in finding herself. She is a Native American of the Abanaki tribe through the lineage of her mother and a white French through her father’s lineage. In the book, she shares the

Visual Communication Free Essays

Long before, for us to be able to communicate with our relatives from afar, we still need to write a letter and Walt a couple of days for It to be received ND a couple more of days to wait for the reply but with the emergence of these sites, communication was made easier and was taken to a different level. One of the most Influential and popular social networking site of today Is Faceable. From its birth back In Harvard university on February 4, 2004, Faceable has expanded and became the world’s largest social networking site with a whopping total of 1,000,000,000 ( 1 Billion ) users as of today. We will write a custom essay sample on Visual Communication or any similar topic only for you Order Now What made the masses like the said site Is because of It’s all in one feature. You can chat, play games, upload photos or videos and even send files, all at the same mime. It frees the users from the hassle of opening up multiple tabs and typing in websites that have one of the many features that Faceable has. But Like any other sites around the cyber world, the question for privacy arises and It had caused a great deal of problem over the time. It may look sophisticated yet it is still vulnerable to infiltration of hackers, which causes ruckus whenever the domain is hacked or temporarily closed down. Those type of issues caused Faceable to be also viewed as unsafe and more advertisements are made for the people to be aware how e should not place in private information and such in our profiles. Since Faceable had been around for ten years already and it had helped bridge long gaps between families and friends, at some point It also helped others to find the right person for them, the one they would want to spend their lifetime with. Faceable being used as well for dating online, it is essential not only for a Mass Communication major to study it but also for every individual that are still baffled as to how people are able to establish a close or intimate relationship with someone they barely knew other than hat Is stated on his/her Faceable profile. But then again, why is It that those people who are members of groups that were specially made for those who are willing to try online dating, all of the stuff written on their profile will impress you so much and the pictures are just too good to be true. It’s as if people whom are currently dating through Faceable only seem to post good things on their walls, which again, makes me have this doubt over the reliability of the people we talk with online, moreover those who are a total stranger to us. 1 OFF How to cite Visual Communication, Papers Visual Communication Free Essays In maintaining effective communication, utilizing visual communication is an important part of advertising and/or expressing ideas without actually saying them. Visual Communication can be best utilized in a classroom. Shapes and colors, charts and graphs, and cartoons and illustrations are examples of the approaches to visual communication. We will write a custom essay sample on Visual Communication or any similar topic only for you Order Now Visuals of business progress or digress should be clearly communicated through any visual communication that relates to the operation of the business. Visual communication can be learned and is used at an early age. For example, in a seventh grade math class, the students are taught the concept of order of operations. There is a message (acronym) that the students learn for each letter of the main math operations (parentheses, exponents, multiply, divide, add, and subtract). The message is Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally is given along with a visual (picture) of an aunt. When the students see the picture of the aunt, the students automatically remember the steps to order of operations to solve the math problem. Including colors in this message also helps the students to remember the first letters of the math words. Shapes and Colors Shapes and colors are used to accent and show contrasts in the message. According to Armar and JoAnna Almasude, web design, â€Å"Color considerations may also include the meanings of the colors and the moods that they could evoke. Viewers may have emotional, esthetic, biological responses to the colors of design. † (Web Design, 2002). Using colors effectively will convey a clear and concise message that is meaningful. In Appendix A, the acronym Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally uses shapes and colors to convey the message and show the process in using order of operations. Charts and Graphs Charts and graphs are examples of approaches to visual communication. Using charts and graphs in visual communication will convey the idea without having to include a lot of numbers. Including color in the charts and graphs will show the differences and result in the understanding of what the message the chart or graph is trying to convey. Appendix A also falls in the category of charts and graphs. The figure shows the process of order of operations by using shapes, colors, and, arrows to give the reader the direction on how to solve the problem using order of operations. Cartoons and Illustrations Cartoons and Illustrations are examples of approaches to visual communication. Using cartoons and illustrations will give the reader a picture of the idea that is being expressed. In using Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally, Appendix B uses a cartoon illustration of an aunt to help the students remember the process of order of operations. According to Professor Paul Lester, he stated, â€Å"Images are remembered by thinking about them in words. Whether pictures are not a language because there is no easily definable and reproducible alphabet or because the elements that make up a picture do not follow a discursive, linear flow, most experts agree that images are a collection of signs and as such, become a language when read in the mind† (Syntactic Theory, 2006). In other words, cartoons and illustrations are best used when related to words. This is reason why the students should be able to remember the process through vision and memory. In conclusion, visual communication plays an important role in visual and cognitive understanding. It can be used for almost every aspect of representation especially in the classroom. Shapes and colors, charts and graphs, and cartoons and illustrations are examples of the approaches to visual communication. I feel that cartoons and illustrations are the most effective for of visual communication. In using cartoons and illustrations to express ideas or thoughts, they can be conveyed without the use of words. However, including words will help show the correlation that what is seen is believed. How to cite Visual Communication, Essay examples

Impact on the Organizational Performance to Change Driver

Question: Discuss in detail about the relevance of identifying change driver that has a greater impact on the organizational performance. Answer: Introduction: This particular module has aimed at to discuss in detail about the relevance of identifying change driver that has a greater impact on the organizational performance. My responsibility in this specific project is to identify the change driver that would help to reach the organizational goal more smoothly. Rainbow is one of the most popular retail companies occupying a predominant place throughout the World. Headquartered in Australia, this particular company had starter its journey in the year 1944. Dealing with numerous products such as foods, groceries, cloths and so many, Rainbow has appointed almost 315.8 thousand employees throughout the world (DeYoung Peng and Yan 2013). In past few years, the company has faced some major problems due to which the entire business has faced difficulties to reach the business goal. Value proportion model has been used in this organization. As per value proportion model the business organization likes to make the customers belief that value would be provided in their product and services both. However, currently it has been observed that this organization has faced immense challenges to gain the consumers trust like earlier (Gal 2015). With the changing process of technology, this particular model has not been considered as one of the most effective models due to which customers are not benefited and facilitated. In this situation, I have identified one particular change driver based on which the business organization can gain the trust of people again (Heutel 2012). The leadership policy that Rainbow used to follow so far was autocratic. As per autocratic leadership style, employees get minimum opportunity to share their own point of view regarding the business goal. Leaders of the organization like Rainbow liked to impose their own decision on the employees. As a result, the communication gap had been created in between the managers and the existing staff. It hampered the entire process of business. Employees lost their interest to provide their best effort towards customer services. They failed to maintain a balance between supply and demand of the product. As a result, the customers intended to show their interest to use the service of this organization. After identifying the driver, I have realized that by using participative leadership at the workplace, the organization would be able to regain the employee relation. With the help of this leadership policy, employees would be able to share their own decision regarding the business target. Leaders on the other hand allow the employees to express their own point of view (Priestley 2012). With the help of participative decision making process, both the employers and the employees would be able to achieve the success of business. Employees would show their interest to provide a good service to the customers. Ultimately, the organization would regain the trust of people. In order to implement this particular change driver I would like to recommend the managers of Rainbow to re-organize their management policies again so that they can implement participative leadership style inside the management policy. Conclusion: As per my recommendation, this particular change driver should be implemented for both the internal stakeholder as well as the external stakeholder. Among the internal stakeholders, the importance of employees has been considered as most prominent. Reference List: DeYoung, R., Peng, E.Y. and Yan, M., 2013. Executive compensation and business policy choices at US commercial banks.Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis,48(01), pp.165-196. Gal, J., 2015.Monetary Policy, Inflation, and the Business Cycle: An Introduction to the New Keynesian Framework and Its Applications. Princeton University Press. Heutel, G., 2012. How should environmental policy respond to business cycles? Optimal policy under persistent productivity shocks.Review of Economic Dynamics,15(2), pp.244-264. Priestley, M., 2012. Curriculum for Excellence: transformational change or business as usual?.Interaces,8(22).

Impact on the Organizational Performance to Change Driver

Question: Discuss in detail about the relevance of identifying change driver that has a greater impact on the organizational performance. Answer: Introduction: This particular module has aimed at to discuss in detail about the relevance of identifying change driver that has a greater impact on the organizational performance. My responsibility in this specific project is to identify the change driver that would help to reach the organizational goal more smoothly. Rainbow is one of the most popular retail companies occupying a predominant place throughout the World. Headquartered in Australia, this particular company had starter its journey in the year 1944. Dealing with numerous products such as foods, groceries, cloths and so many, Rainbow has appointed almost 315.8 thousand employees throughout the world (DeYoung Peng and Yan 2013). In past few years, the company has faced some major problems due to which the entire business has faced difficulties to reach the business goal. Value proportion model has been used in this organization. As per value proportion model the business organization likes to make the customers belief that value would be provided in their product and services both. However, currently it has been observed that this organization has faced immense challenges to gain the consumers trust like earlier (Gal 2015). With the changing process of technology, this particular model has not been considered as one of the most effective models due to which customers are not benefited and facilitated. In this situation, I have identified one particular change driver based on which the business organization can gain the trust of people again (Heutel 2012). The leadership policy that Rainbow used to follow so far was autocratic. As per autocratic leadership style, employees get minimum opportunity to share their own point of view regarding the business goal. Leaders of the organization like Rainbow liked to impose their own decision on the employees. As a result, the communication gap had been created in between the managers and the existing staff. It hampered the entire process of business. Employees lost their interest to provide their best effort towards customer services. They failed to maintain a balance between supply and demand of the product. As a result, the customers intended to show their interest to use the service of this organization. After identifying the driver, I have realized that by using participative leadership at the workplace, the organization would be able to regain the employee relation. With the help of this leadership policy, employees would be able to share their own decision regarding the business target. Leaders on the other hand allow the employees to express their own point of view (Priestley 2012). With the help of participative decision making process, both the employers and the employees would be able to achieve the success of business. Employees would show their interest to provide a good service to the customers. Ultimately, the organization would regain the trust of people. In order to implement this particular change driver I would like to recommend the managers of Rainbow to re-organize their management policies again so that they can implement participative leadership style inside the management policy. Conclusion: As per my recommendation, this particular change driver should be implemented for both the internal stakeholder as well as the external stakeholder. Among the internal stakeholders, the importance of employees has been considered as most prominent. Reference List: DeYoung, R., Peng, E.Y. and Yan, M., 2013. Executive compensation and business policy choices at US commercial banks.Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis,48(01), pp.165-196. Gal, J., 2015.Monetary Policy, Inflation, and the Business Cycle: An Introduction to the New Keynesian Framework and Its Applications. Princeton University Press. Heutel, G., 2012. How should environmental policy respond to business cycles? Optimal policy under persistent productivity shocks.Review of Economic Dynamics,15(2), pp.244-264. Priestley, M., 2012. Curriculum for Excellence: transformational change or business as usual?.Interaces,8(22).