Book Reviews on Postmodern Fiction

House of Leaves, a breakthrough novel by Mark Z. Danielewski, is one of the prime examples of postmodern ergodic literature; in fact, it is written and organized in such a way as to become a textbook example of the genre for all aspiring postmodern writers to read and learn from for years to come. It has everything: reconstruction and deconstruction of traditional images, myths and storylines; combination of genres normally considered to be both high and low, numerous references to the intertextual nature of the book, fantastic elements and much, much more. House of Leaves begins as a rather commonplace, if ponderous, horror story – an unreliable narrator Johnny Truant stumbles upon a manuscript or, rather, a collection of loosely connected notes constituting an amateurish critical analysis of a documentary movie called The Navidson Record, accompanied by copious footnotes referring to academia written on the subject of the said movie. The only problem being that, as far as Johnny Truant manages to find out, both the movie itself and the vast majority of literature mentioned in the manuscript don’t actually exist. The Navidson Record tells about a photojournalist Will Navidson moving into a new house with his family; only to discover that this house is much more than a living space. Its spatial structure defies the laws of physics, it is larger on the inside than it is on the outside, new rooms appear out of nowhere, the atmosphere of uneasiness permeates everything. The longer they live in this new place, the more threatening the house gets – and this atmosphere of uneasiness, of things not being what they are supposed to be is masterfully reflected in unusual formatting and structure of the novel. It finally becomes clear (as clear as anything gets in this book) that the house is closely connected with the myth of the Labyrinth and the Minotaur; in a sense, the house is the labyrinth. But it is just one of the ways to understand it. The text itself is a labyrinth, with its constant references and cross-references, footnotes occupying pages at a time, weird formatting, text going sideways, diagonally or back to front – all reflecting the more and more confused state of mind of Johnny Truant, Will Navidson and, by extension, the reader. As the things happening in the book get weirder, intertextuality reaches its climax: the boundaries between book and reality begin to blur. Navidson reads a book about Navidson, the book read by the reader, the book in which Navidson is reading a book. It might have been cheesy somewhere else, but Danielewski manages to pull this trick off, making the reader doubt for a moment his or her own reality or, for that matter, the unreality of what happens in the book. In other words, House of Leaves is certainly a masterpiece of postmodern prose, a work that certainly proves that ergodic literature isn’t just pretentious nonsense created for the sake of being different – its principles can be used to a great effect, creating an impression impossible to be rendered in any other way.

The Importance Of Early Childhood Friendships - 1300 Words

Friendships are often diminished, considering the impact it has on everyone’s well being. Early-childhood friendships are frequently overlooked. Preschool friendships are helpful in initiating the process in forming social and emotional skills. It increases a sense of belonging and decreases tension. People who feel as if they are an outcast or unsocial tend to be depressed throughout their lifespan. It is natural to attach to a variety of people and want friendship and support from others, regardless of who they are. People thrive socially in many different ways. There are various ways to help children develop relationship skills that will acquire connections with others. Early childhood friendships benefit and help children become†¦show more content†¦Young children are more likely to form friendships with children who they see on a regular basis. Preschool friends are more likely to maintain close proximity to one another than children who are not friends (Lindsey) . The findings of this study suggest that mutual friendship is an important factor in children s social development as early as the preschool years. Without friends life is lonely and isolated. Friends are important to share enjoyable activities with, companions with whom to share worries, people to rescue you in difficulty and to be comforted at times of stress. Additionally friendships have enormous developmental implications (Murray). It helps the socialising process. Also, it promotes the natural move towards â€Å"greater independence† in adolescence (Murray). It does this because when you depend on someone for so long you start to branch off on your own and stop depending on others like you used to. Adolescent friendships also provide a connection to others who are at the same stage (Murray). Notably, most adolescents face the same obstacles in life and experience similar difficulties. Friends in childhood are primarily found at â€Å"school† (Murray). This is because they see each other everyday and it is easier to become friends with someone that you see on a daily basis than someone you only see every so often. In the article, Murray says, â€Å"Visiting friends’ families exposes theShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Early Childhood Friendship1416 Words   |  6 PagesFriendship is often diminished, considering the tremendous impact it has on our well being. Early-childhood friendship is something that is frequently overlooked as a positive developmental influence. Preschool friendships are helpful in developing social and emotional skills, increasing a sense of belonging and decreasing stress. People who feel lonely or socially isolated tend to be more depressed and have more health issues. Both boys and girls form strong attachments to others need soci al andRead MoreThe Importance Of Early Childhood Friendships1602 Words   |  7 PagesFriendship is often diminished, considering the impact it has on everyone’s well being. Early-childhood friendships are frequently overlooked. Preschool friendships are helpful in initiating the process in forming social and emotional skills. It increases a sense of belonging and decreases tension. People who feel as if they are an outcast or unsocial tend to be depressed throughout their lifespan. It is natural to attach to a variety of people and want friendship and support from others, regardlessRead MoreThe Importance Of Early Childhood Friendship1267 Words   |  6 PagesFriendship is often underrated, considering the tremendous impact it has on our well being. Early-childhood friendship is something that is frequently overlooked as a positive developmental influence. Preschool friendships are helpful in developing social and emotional skills, increasing a sense of belonging and decre asing stress. People who feel lonely or socially isolated tend to be more depressed and have more health issues. Both boys and girls form strong attachments to others need social andRead MoreThe Importance of Friendship and Healthy Relationships in a Childs Development976 Words   |  4 PagesFriendships are so important. They have always been important; but it seems to be the most important in my opinion. We see how friendships play important roles throughout our life span. Friendships are defined and formed in each stage of life from infancy. These include early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood and late adulthood. Friendships grow from one stage to another. During this time friends become closer. Relationships start out as acquaintances andRead MoreThe Social Development Of Children And Adolescents Essay1644 Words   |  7 Pageshttp://psychologydictionary.org/peer-group]. These individuals are likely to consist of friends, siblings and relatives in order to form a peer group. Some developmental psychologists may argue the relative importance of peers in social development; the extent to which these groups are important in childhood and adolescence are to be discussed throughout. Primarily, it is suggested that peer relations at a young age are positive to the infant- children with parents who have an interactive relationshipRead MoreDevelopmental Transitions in a Subject Essay933 Words   |  4 PagesThe impact that developmental transitions have on a child during early and middle childhood can certainly serve as a difficult and uncomfortable time; however, it is truly an essential part of their overall development. Although my subject’s experiences were quite typical, he did experience two developmental transitions, one occurring during his early childhood and the other during his middle childhood. The first transition was the start of preschool at the age of 4. The beginning of preschool wasRead MoreChallenges Of Children Face When They Start School1703 Words   |  7 PagesWhat are the challenges that children face when they start school? Transition from early childhood to middle childhood involves many milestones in a child’s life, but none quite as significant for both parent and child as when it is time to start fulltime school. Even when a child has been attending pre-school nursery, private nursery, a childminder, or nanny, it is still a major event in any parent and child’s relationship, and as such can cause a lot of anxiety for either or both child and parentRead MoreNegative and Positive Effects of Peer Relationships1564 Words   |  7 Pagesdysfunctional family is of much importance to a healthy development, helping children through peer pressure, acceptance, and the anxiety of belonging. Yet how important is the environment that a child is raised on, this being shared or non-shared? How difficult or easy can peer pressure be? Will peer pressure help or deter a child from being functional. How much do these factors affect development from childhood to adolescence? This paper will explain the different stages of childhood to adolescence, and howRead MoreLove : A Common Thread That Transcends Culture Essay1348 Words   |  6 Pagesattachment to others. It is the ability to relate, to show compassion, and to express selflessness. Love takes many forms and wears many hats, through relationships that customarily begin at birth and grow throughout life, with the addition of friendships, companions, and partners. These experiences shape character. A life without love creates tension between the complicated human aspects of life, as well as behavioral tendencies and psychological development. Love serves as the foundation for JRead MorePossible Causes for the Suicide of Kurt Cobain Essay1276 Words   |  6 PagesPossible Causes for the Suicide of Kurt Cobain Within this assignment I wish to look at the major issues and problems Kurt Cobain faced throughout childhood and into early adulthood. I wish to apply three relevant approaches to this article and hopefully show that they bare some resemblance to the problems he faced. Description of Article ====================== Within this article I wish to briefly look at some major factors of Kurt cobain, which influenced

Journal Entry – Delivering Contextual Care

Question: What are some of the complexities in identifying a deteriorating patient? Identify, describe and reference an assessment tool that you could use in on your placement to identify deterioration in a patient under your care? Answer: Complexities in identifying a deteriorating patient Hospital patients can experience unexpected physical deterioration that may result in death in majority of the cases. In several acute cases, the deterioration occurs very fast and hence it becomes difficult for the health professionals to detect the symptoms of deterioration (Levett-Jones and Bellchamber, 2012). In case no observations are made for a long period then the health professionals are no able to detect vital changes in a patients health. In cases of patients suffering from cardiopulmonary arrests, the sign of deterioration that occurs 24 hours before the arrest hence the urgency of these types of diseases makes it difficult for the professionals to identify the symptoms (Kelly, 2010). Around 90% of the deteriorations occur due to absence of formal documentation of the observations like temperature and pulse rates, BP, respirations and oxygen intakes. Moreover, the lack of co-operation on the part of the patients especially in case of aged patients may also pose as a barri er to the effective detection of the deterioration symptoms. The complexities generally arise due to environmental and cultural influences, complex relationship between the nurse and the medical staff, experience of the health care professional about the concerned disease symptoms and the quality of training and education given to the medical professionals ( Hlebec, 2012). Assessment of an effective tool for identification of deterioration symptoms in a patient Majority of the hospitals are seen using Early warning score (MEWS) method in order to determine the degree of illness of the patient. This system is based on the monitoring o four important health aspects of each individual namely the blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate and body temperature (Scully, 2012). The observations recorded are compared to the normal rates to generate a combined result, which indicates the present physical status of the patient. If the combined score exceeds 5 then in medical terms the patient is in a critical condition and is suggested to be admitted to an Intensive care unit for emergency monitoring. However, there is no prevailing standard score in this system and the medical institutes tend to vary the same with the varying disease symptoms (Luxford, 2012). The increasing score helps the medical professionals to detect the deterioration symptom in the patient and adopt emergency strategies accordingly. The system also has a single observation pa rameter where if the score of a single parameter among the four parameters increase the medical professionals attend to the patient immediately taking that for a sign of rapid deterioration. However, the use of the MEWS is also not effective in maintaining the health record of the patients. The major drawback of the system is the lack of co ordination from the patients. Moreover the global implementation of the system had not yet been formulated hence it is difficult for all the hospitals to make effective standard score for judging the situations of the patients. However since the method has helped in reducing the level of complexities involved with identifying of the deterioration rate hence majority of the medical institutions have effectively adopted the system (Agiro, 2011). Reference list Agiro, A. (2011).Determinants of productivity in hospital-based rural health clinics. Orlando, Fla.: University of Central Florida. Hlebec, V. (2012). Contextual factors of home care utilization in Slovenia.Slovenian Journal Of Public Health,51(2). doi:10.2478/v10152-012-0014-z Kelly, C. (2010). An Interdisciplinary Mobility Program in the Acute Care Setting.Journal Of Acute Care Physical Therapy,1(2), 73. doi:10.1097/01592394-201001020-00011 Levett-Jones, T and Bellchamber, H, (2012) Medical-Surgical Nursing in LeMone P, Burke, KM, Dwyer, T, Levett-Jones, T, Moxham, L, Reid-Searl, K, Berry, K, Carville, K, Hales, M, Knox, N, Luxford, Y Raymond, D, Medical-Surgical Nursing:Critical Thinking in Client Care, 1 (2), Pearson Australia, NSW, pp. 3-9 Luxford, Y, (2012) Assessing in Berman, A, Snyder, SJ, Levett-Jones, T, Dwyer, T, Hales, M, Harvey, N, Luxford, Y, Moxham, L, Park, T, Parker, B, Reid-Searl, K and Stanley, D, Kozier and Erbs Fundamentals of Nursing, vol. 1, (2nd edn), Pearson Australia, NSW, pp. 212-230. Scully, N, (2012) Critical Thinking and the Nursing Process in Berman, A, Snyder, SJ, Levett-Jones, T, Dwyer, T, Hales, M, Harvey, N, Luxford, Y, Moxham, L, Park, T, Parker, B, Reid-Searl, K and Stanley, D, Kozier and Erbs Fundamentals of Nursing, vol. 1 (2nd edn), Pearson Australia, NSW, pp. 197-210.

Pierce the Veil - A flair for the dramatics free essay sample

With a sky-scraping voice like Coheed and Cambria and intricate instrumentation like Avenge Sevenfold, Pierce the Veil is bound to be the next Fall Out Boy. Tracks on this album range from slow and melodic to heavy and booming. Vic Fuentes, the main vocalist, varies between screaming and singing. He also captures the listener with thoughtful metaphors for love such as If I could find a place for the holiday, maybe I would call, Youre a payphone away. However the real PTV cannot be experienced unless you see them live. With the amount of energy the band has on stage it is impossible to stand still.

Surprising Benefits of Volunteering

Surprising Benefits of Volunteering With a busy student life, it can be hard to find time to volunteer. However, if you want to boost your educational experience and learn new skills, volunteering can be a rewarding option. Sometimes even more helpful than networking events or internship, it offers plenty of surprising benefits to students. Charity work will help you reduce stress, find friends and even advance your career. Learn more about the benefits of helping others and get started! #1: Learn or Develop a New Skill It is never too late to learn something new and volunteering is a great way to develop a unique skill or discover something you are good at. Unlike internships, that usually involve repetitive tasks, you can adjust your position to meet your personal goals. No matter what type of volunteering work you do, you may be certain to gain the following skills: teamwork self-motivation planning problem-solving time management goal-setting persuasion critical thinking By volunteering, you will invest time into really useful and engaging experience. #2: Stay Physically and Mentally Healthy Volunteering is good both for your mind and body. It has a profound effect on your psychological well-being, reduces stress and anxiety, combats depression and makes you happy. You will feel yourself better in regular contact with others and experience a natural sense of accomplishment. The better you feel about yourself, a more positive view youll have on your life and future goals. Moreover, as a volunteer, youll be more physically active and fit, strengthen your bones and muscles and as a result, reduce the risk of many diseases, including heart attack and diabetes. #3: Make New Friends Volunteering provides a great opportunity to develop your social skills as you are regularly meeting with people who have the similar interests. Even if you are shy and find it difficult to make new contacts, youll have a chance to develop and practice your relationship skills. Youll meet a lot of new people, especially if you are new to the area, and will have an opportunity to strengthen your support network and make long term friends. You may be surprised at how genuine these friends are. #4: Save Money Volunteering can even help you save money. Many organizations need volunteers to help them host different events, including various performances, concerts and festivals. Devote your time and you can receive admission to events that interest you without buying the expensive tickets. Even better, you wont need to stand in the long queues and worry about getting the tickets in time! Just make sure to register in advance because most music events and theater plays usually have a long waiting list of volunteers wishing to participate. #5: Find Love That might be really surprising but volunteering can help you find love. Yes, its true. Studies show that people prefer to go on a date with another volunteer than with someone theyve met through a friend. Volunteering activities will take a lot of your time, so there are more chances to meet that special someone. Its no secret that people usually find romance at workplace, so why wouldnt you? #6: Advance Your Career Volunteering will help you get experience in your area of interest and meet people in this field. It is also an amazing way to try yourself in a new position without making a long-term commitment. You may volunteer in an organization youd like to work after graduation and gain important experience and knowledge youll need later. Most volunteering options offer extensive training, so youll have a chance to develop the skills essential for your future career and raise awareness for self-improvement and professional growth. #7: Live Longer Do you want to live longer? Studies show that volunteers have better overall health and lower mortality rate. They find it easier to manage everyday tasks and have outstanding thinking skills even when they become older. Thats why if you want to live a happy and long life, consider taking volunteer work in addition to your vitamins! #8: Understand Yourself Better Trying yourself as a volunteer is useful for developing your personality. This experience will help you to understand whether you are a people person, whether you like working with other people, whether you would like to dedicate your life to helping others, and other important things about yourself. Also, you’ll find out what skills you already have and would like to develop. #9: Give Up Bad Habits This can be surprising but volunteering help to struggle with bad habits. Thus, according to Make A Difference Day Survey, ICM Research 2004, 30% of smokers aged 18-24 claimed that they begin to smoke less due to volunteering and 22% of the same age group said that they reduced the amount of alcohol they take. How is that possible? The answer is quite simple: each addiction is developed because a person in some period of his or her life starts feeling incomplete. Volunteering helps people to fulfill their lives with meaning so that they don’t feel incomplete like they used to. Volunteering is an enjoyable and simple way to test your passions and interests. It can provide you with refreshed creativity and inspiration that can greatly help in your personal and professional life.

Project Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Project Report - Essay Example There were opportunities in various areas, with the combination of both the companies’ products reaching a wider customer base. However, there were challenges as well because of lack of apt and optimum integration or merger, with Fiorina not able to achieve success. This lead to the initiation of change management process, with the new CEO Mark Hurd taking over the combined entity. So, this paper will review the merger between HP and Compaq in 2001, identifying the strategic management issues that preceded the merger on both sides, along with the changes in the management strategy resulting from the combined operations Organized human activities which are carried out in-group will be most times organized or constituted into an organization. Thus, organizations are physical ‘structures’, in which humans or employees from different backgrounds will converge to accomplish the allocated work under the under the supervision of a leader and managers, for the benefit of the organization as well as their personal benefit. ‘Collage’ of employees in the sense, organizations will be normally constituted with employees coming from different backgrounds, culture, etc, who will also have different education qualifications, skill level and attitude. Employees will be recruited and apportioned into different departments based on their skills and knowledge and for better arrangement in the organization. These departments, which make up an organization, only play an omnipresent and crucial role in the proper and effective functioning of the organizations, by adopting various feasible and e ffective strategies. That is, with every organization wanting to expand their reach and achieve success through one means or other, they have to formulate and implement various strategies. So, when the organization has enough opportunities, it can set targets and

Personal Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal Reflection - Essay Example Team Work and Project The first week, as in case of any other team, involved the formation of teams as well as members of these teams meeting for the first time and getting to know each other (Wech et al 1986, p.472). Those who are part of our team did not get a chance to attend the first session where the teams were selected, and this left all of us out. However, we were put into one group, which turned out to be lucky for us because each of the group members is remarkable in their own right. These group members include Ammarand, Katie, Kate, and me, and we were formed into a group by our teacher, Julie Foreman. We got to know each other in the following week, with each of the group members exchanging email addresses and phone numbers, to ensure that we would be able to effectively coordinate our activities. We also exchanged personal information so that we would know each other even better, especially concerning our backgrounds. In addition, we came to discuss matters which were pe rtinent to the group, and it is during these discussions that we decided on the team charter. Moreover, the priorities of our team were upon. One of the most fascinating parts of our discussions was coming up with a team name, and we eventually settled for The Green Machine. After all these had been decided, we went to meet our client, OPSMC, where we were made familiar with the activities of the organisation as well as what was expected of us. The first task, which we had to handle, was to write a response to the project brief. It was a task which required us to give information about our client, what the client needed from us, as well as all the information as well as the sources of such information  so that we would be able to complete the tasks given (Ahmad and Mahmood, 2011, p.32). All the team members were supposed to complete this first task individually. Once the entire individual work had been completed, we now started concentrating on the team work. Each of the team memb ers had to come up with ideas on how to best complete our tasks as a team. This ensured that all members felt a part of it, despite the fact that not all the ideas given were accepted by the group members. It was exceptionally easy to fit into the team because all four of us worked extremely well together, and we rarely had any disagreements among ourselves. When the team had decided on the ideas which we would work with, the time came for the Norming stage, where all the members of the team were required to complete tasks (Caprar and Neville, 2012, p.231). As we were working towards a common goal, all members of the team made decisions that were for its benefit. The first task that was assigned to the team was to make a podcast, although the podcast was supposed to be a matter of teamwork, we chose to do our own separately, and later put them together as a team. My podcast was quite difficult to make, but after many trials, I managed to come up with one which I think was almost per fect. All the videos, which we had made, were compiled and presented to our tutor. Our next task was External Environment, which the team also did extraordinarily well by sharing the various things to be done among the members. Once the work was done, it was sent to Kate, whose responsibility it was to compile