Bag Of Bones Essays - Bag Of Bones, Films, Bones, Devore

Bag Of Bones Bag of Bones is the best book Stephen King has written in years. As shocking as Carrie, as mysterious and menacing as The Shining, as funny and honest about writers as Misery, as evocative of place as his record-setting bestseller The Green Mile, this is a horror novel steeped in all the finest qualities of our favorite Stephen King stories. And yet it is also a bold step beyond, toward a more mature vision of marriage, sex, loss, family?and, especially, evil. Narrator Mike Noonan is a best-selling writer of romantic thrillers?"V.C. Andrews with a prick," as he ruefully puts it. Plagued by nightmares and writer's block following the sudden death of his wife, Mike escapes to their lakeside summer house, known as Sara Laughs. But this is King territory, and Mike's beloved Yankee town has its dark side. A century ago, a group of local men murdered a black blues singer and her family. The killers' heirs have paid the price ever since. But this is only one of the buried secrets Mike unearths. The community is held in the grip of Max Devore, a powerful millionaire with a wicked past. Devore is obsessed with taking away his granddaughter, Kyra, from her young widowed mother, Mattie. As Mike falls in love with Mattie and comes to adore Kyra, he has to decode the warnings that only he and the child are receiving?from ghosts. He must do all these things, or the killing won't stop. It would be unfair to reveal any more of King's story, a complex web of relationships, rivalries, and revenge. Refrigerator magnets that spell out warnings and a spooky trip back in time to a country fair are just the beginning of a long and scary ride. By the end, King has given you a larger sense of the interrelatedness of past and present?and of the wages of sin. Bag of Bones, then, is the author at his best, and something more.

Code Switching Definition and Examples in Language

Code Switching Definition and Examples in Language Code switching (also code-switching, CS) is the practice of moving back and forth between two languages  or between two dialects or registers of the same language at one time. Code switching  occurs far more often in  conversation  than in  writing. It is also called code-mixing and style-shifting.  It is studied by linguists to examine when people do it, such as under what circumstances do bilingual speakers switch from one to another, and it is studied by sociologists to determine why people do it, such as how it relates to their belonging to a group or the surrounding context of the conversation (casual, professional, etc.) Examples and Observations Code-switching performs several functions (Zentella, 1985). First, people may use code-switching to hide fluency or memory problems in the second language (but this accounts for about only 10 percent of code switches). Second, code-switching is used to mark switching from informal situations (using native languages) to formal situations (using the second language). Third, code-switching is used to exert control, especially between parents and children. Fourth, code-switching is used to align speakers with others in specific situations (e.g., defining oneself as a member of an ethnic group). Code-switching also functions to announce specific identities, create certain meanings, and facilitate particular interpersonal relationships (Johnson, 2000, p. 184). (William B. Gudykunst, Bridging Differences: Effective Intergroup Communication, 4th ed. Sage, 2004)In a relatively small Puerto Rican neighborhood in New Jersey, some members freely used code-switching styles and extreme forms of bo rrowing both in everyday casual talk and in more formal gatherings. Other local residents were careful to speak only Spanish with a minimum of loans on formal occasions, reserving code-switching styles for informal talk. Others again spoke mainly English, using Spanish or code-switching styles only with small children or with neighbors. (John J. Gumperz and Jenny Cook-Gumperz, Introduction: Language and the Communication of Social Identity. Language and Social Identity. Cambridge University Press, 1982) African-American Vernacular English and Standard American English It is common to find references to black speakers who code switch between AAVE [African-American Vernacular English] and SAE [Standard American English] in the presence of whites or others speaking SAE. In employment interviews (Hopper WIlliams, 1973; Akinnaso Ajirotutu, 1982), formal education in a range of settings (Smitherman, 2000), legal discourse (Garner Rubin, 1986), and various other contexts, it is advantageous for blacks to have code-switching competence. For a black person who can switch from AAVE to SAE in the presence of others who are speaking SAE, code switching is a skill that holds benefits in relation to the way success is often measured in institutional and professional settings. However, there are more dimensions to code switching than the black/white patterns in institutional settings. (George B. Ray, Language and Interracial Communication in the United States: Speaking in Black and White. Peter Lang, 2009) A Fuzzy-Edged Concept The tendency to reify code switching as a unitary and clearly identifiable phenomenon has been questioned by [Penelope] Gardner-Chloros (1995: 70), who prefers to view code switching as a fuzzy-edged concept. For her, the conventional view of code switching implies that speakers make binary choices, operating in one code or the other at any given time, when in fact code switching overlaps with other kinds of bilingual mixture, and the boundaries between them are difficult to establish. Moreover, it is often impossible to categorize the two codes involved in code switching as discrete and isolatable. (Donald Winford, An Introduction to Contact Linguistics. Wiley-Blackwell, 2003) Code Switching and Language Change The role of CS, along with other symptoms of contact, in language change is still a matter of discussion. ... On the one hand, the relationship between contact and language change is now generally acknowledged: few espouse the traditional view that change follows universal, language-internal principles such as simplification, and takes place in the absence of contact with other varieties (James Milroy 1998). On the other hand, ... some researchers still downplay the role of CS in change, and contrast it with borrowing, which is seen as a form of convergence. (Penelope Gardner-Chloros, Contact and Code-Switching. The Handbook of Language Contact, ed. by Raymond Hickey. Blackwell, 2010)

Can Humans and Animals Live in Harmony Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Can Humans and Animals Live in Harmony - Essay Example Man’s desire to advance his living standards has had devastating effects on the survival of diverse animals through clearing their natural habitats, thus exposing them to adverse weather conditions. As such, this manuscript will mull over the issue of speciesism, thereby providing mitigation measures on this predicament. Man has continually affected the animals’ natural territory in various ways since time immemorial. Additionally, man has incessantly discriminated against animals through various exploitative activities. Experts refer to this as speciesism, and this remains to be a key challenge to him (Beirne 7). For instance, his activities in deforestation, owing to his desire in increasing his settlement has left various animal species homeless, thus leaving them vulnerable to extinction. In the earlier days before the onset of civilization, animals and man lived harmoniously, with the animals dwelling in their apt natural environments. However, as he progressed with civilization, man opted to enlarge his habitat by clearing extensive tracts of forests. Moreover, as humans increased in population, they continued to deforest the planet, thereby exposing diverse animals to the adverse weather conditions. Besides, man exploits various animals in his endeavor to satisfy his needs. For instance, man’s unfulfilled desire for food compels him to kill various animals. Additionally, he utilizes various animal products for other purposes that comprise clothing and other adornments, and medicine manufacture. This has occurred uncontrolled, until he realized of the looming danger of the extinction of various animal species (Beirne 8). This compelled humans into attempt to conserve animals, particularly the endangered ones. In addition, the industrialization era led to the emission of numerous hazardous materials. As a result, many animals, including the aquatic ones died and drastically reduced in population. Furthermore, emission of various gaseous wastes has torn down a significant part of the ozone layer, thereby leaving the animals susceptible to global warming. Moreover, various improvements in technology have significant impacts on the survival of animals. Man has created sophisti cated weapons, in his endeavor to boost his supremacy and military capability. Furthermore, man tests these weapons in vast lands, which are the dwellings of various animals. This happens in many nations, leading to deforestation and death of numerous animal species. Besides, man tests nearly all of his scientific inventions on animals (Beirne 7). Moreover, man’s attempt to control some annoying animals has proved fatal to other animals. For example, the application of insecticides to manage pests often leads to the death of other animals, including the aquatic life. Besides, man has domesticated many animals in his endeavor to satisfy his unrelenting needs, thereby leading to the animals’ alteration in biological structure. Humans also involve themselves in the transportation of various animals from their natural habitats to other habitats. This has most often led to the death of several animals, since they are not adapted to these new environments. Moreover, human de velopment in biotechnology has devastating effects on animals. This results from the fact that man alters the animals’ genetic order, leading to mutations. Moreover, man has crossed various animals, leading to the formation of many sterile breeds of