World Book Encyclopedia Essays

  • Gabon: An Example For All Of Africa

    1192 Words  | 3 Pages

    narrow coastal plains; a hilly interior; and Savannah in the east and south. Much of the interior is rain forests and is not arable. Only 1% of the land is arable The remaining land is either meadows, permanent crops, or other land forms. (The World Fact Book 1995) Gabon is one of the most thinly populated countries in Africa. It has a population of approximately 1,155,000 (July 1995 est.) There are 11 people per square mile. The majority of the Gabonese are of ages 15-64 years. The average life expectancy

  • All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace by Richard Brautigan

    1241 Words  | 3 Pages

    future realm: a sparkling utopia "where mammals and computers live together in mutually programming harmony" (1). He draws us in by juxtaposing images of nature, man and machine that challenge us to imagine this new world. In essence, Brautigan's poem is a supplication for that dream world, but to the modern reader it can be a land of irony. Imagine a "cybernetic ecology"—a place were silvery electronic wires run along a river, or where mountains are giant mainframes signaling codes to networks stretching

  • Catcher in the Rye Essay: Holden - The Misfit Hero

    2104 Words  | 5 Pages

    the struggle between a superficial world and a conscious morality" (1 Wildermuth). In his attempt to create a new and realistic portrayal of the times, Salinger first, effectively creates Holden Caulfield, the main character. Second, he sends his character on a quest, and third he titles his novel to sum up the whole overview of the story. In creating his character, Holden Caulfield, Salinger uses profanities and obscenities as an attempt to portray the world of most adolescents. He creates a

  • The Struggles Faced In The Color Purple And The Joy Luck Club

    1799 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Struggles Faced in The Color Purple and The Joy Luck Club A common bond of struggle links the novels The Color Purple by Alice Walker and The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. Rape, suicide, death, war, oppression, and racism invade the two novels. In The Color Purple, Celie overcomes racism, violence, and other issues to find dignity and love. In the Joy Luck Club, the daughters struggle for acceptance, love, and happiness. Though the characters endure many hardships they survive not only by not becoming

  • Season by Wole Soyinka

    584 Words  | 2 Pages

    Season by Wole Soyinka There seems to be a strange contrast between his choice of the word “decay”, which suggests things going to ruin and the final sentiment where the word “promise” indicates hope. I get the sense that Soyinka’s poem is contrived. He feels the urge to speak lyrically about this subject but does not seem to have found his authentic voice, or perhaps the theme is too complex for him to address in a sixteen line poem. This is reflected in lines such as “Pollen is mating

  • The Kite Runner: A Journey Towards Atonement

    1939 Words  | 4 Pages

    “It's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out” (Hosseini). In The Kite Runner, Hosseini shares Amir’s journey to atonement. As Amir states, he was unable to bury his past, similar to his father, Baba, who spent the majority of his life haunted by his sins. While both father and son are consumed by guilt, the way in which they atone for their iniquities is dissimilar. While Baba attempts to live his life according to the Afghan

  • English

    759 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel The Secret River written by Kate Grenville and the film One Night the Moon directed by Rachel Perkins, the two authors explore similar ideas and share similar structural features to communicate these concepts. The Secret River is set in the early nineteenth century and is about a young couple William and Sal Thornhill who lived in London and started with nothing. Throughout their adventure William was sentenced to death and was excused from his sentence, being sent to Australia with

  • Reflection Of The Kite Runner

    1049 Words  | 3 Pages

    Analysis The Kite Runner starts in 2001 with a reflection of the narrator’s life in the present time. The story is told through the first person point of view of the protagonist narrator, Amir. Amir was born to a wealthy businessman named Baba in 1963 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Since Amir lives a wealthy and fortunate life, he grows accustomed to getting what he wants, which leads to selfishness and jealousy. He eagerly wants to be accepted by his father, even at the expense of others. Baba is a strict

  • Kite Runner Literary Essay

    641 Words  | 2 Pages

    the socially accepted child, and the other the bastard half-Hazara boy. Baba’s wealth, lack of emotional connection, and inner conflict between his two vastly different sons shaped Amir in the novel “Kite Runner”. Baba, of all the characters in the book, shaped Amir the most, despite other influential relationships. “Man’s main task in life is to give birth to himself, to become what he potentially is. The most important product of his effort is his own personality.” Works Cited Kite Runner, Brainy

  • Why We Should Read Great Literature

    583 Words  | 2 Pages

    termed great literature. What qualifies a work to be great literature, and why should we read it? An excellent source on this topic is Mortimer Adler, one of the premier American philosophers of the twentieth century and founder of the famous Great Books List. According to Adler, all great literature meets three criteria: the work is pertinent to contemporary life, is worth rereading, and contains "great ideas." Six of these "great ideas," defined by Adler, are three great ideas by which we judge--truth

  • "Learning to Read and Write" Should Be on Adler's List of Great Books

    657 Words  | 2 Pages

    the book and read, it is that simple", stated Mortimer J. Adler (...). This can be appliable though, in people who know how to read. Frederick Douglass, a black slave, desired to be educated and literate but he had to face many obstacles to achieve this. His essay "Learning to Read and Write" describes his attempts of getting literate and how he finally achieved his goal. Douglass' essay should not be included in Adler's list of Great Books, but instead it should be considered a good book, because

  • Written Critique on Corduroy and Winn-Dixie

    1542 Words  | 4 Pages

    Introduction This paper focuses on two books, the picture book and realistic novel. I am hopeful while doing a critical analysis of these two books that it would help me to create an effective mini library in my future classroom. I would like to use it as a helpful tool to teach children how to compare the differences and similarities of the two genres and many more. I have chosen Corduroy as my picture book and Because of Winn-Dixie as my realistic novel to write on this written critique because

  • The Importance of a Classical Education

    4431 Words  | 9 Pages

    tossed aside to the dust-bin of history. The same is true of books; some books are more worthy of study than others because of the profundity and clarity with which they express the ideas that they contain. The study of the great books has been the backbone of good education for centuries. If you look at the books read by the intellectual giants of our culture, you find that there are particular books that come up again and again. These books were required of most schoolboys until the rise of Dewey

  • Common Sense, Practicality, and the Literary Canon

    1583 Words  | 4 Pages

    canon selection is not based on aesthetic principles alone, but on values, which also evolve. The so-called "traditional canon" theoretically represented what the oft-quoted Matthew Arnold called the "best that is known and thought in the world" (38). Only relatively recently was Arnold's view questioned as controversial (Searle, 82). With the breakdown of the fo... ... middle of paper ... ...ED * Arnold, Matthew. "The Function of Criticism at the Present Time." Essays in Criticism:

  • Classification Essay - Good Books and Great Books

    525 Words  | 2 Pages

    Between Good Books and Great Books Reading is fundamental, but some books are more so than others. Surely Daniel Steele is a far cry from William Shakespeare, but what exactly is the difference? Even in the realm of quality literature there are still "good" books and "great" books. The difference between the importance of good and great books is also why it is so important to read great literature: Great books have a scope much larger than good ones. Good and great books differ by nature

  • Brazil’s Geography

    1940 Words  | 4 Pages

    led to the transformation of Brazil (Kent 236). Brazil moved from being an unwanted, remote part of the world to a dynamic and productive colony (... ... middle of paper ... ...ajority of Brazilians can trace their ancestry back to European, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Africa, and in fact, Indigenous Brazilians form less than 1 percent of population (The World Book Encyclopedia 567). Today, the three main ethnic groups are there of African descent, European origin, and mixed ancestry

  • The Enchanted Encyclopedia

    535 Words  | 2 Pages

    information? Introducing the Enchanted Encyclopedia that is convenient for every situation you may encounter. The Enchanted Encyclopedia contains every document ever made, including information from both the wizarding world and muggle world. The book can sense emotions as well as read your mind. Also, the Enchanted Encyclopedia is customizable meaning you, the owner, can control the size, thickness etc. of the book. Which is why the Enchanted Encyclopedia is a formidable product, and may appeal

  • How Is Robert Stevenson Sickly Responsible

    952 Words  | 2 Pages

    literature were written by one, well-known man, who was this man? The man was Robert Louis Stevenson, an author of many books, poems, and several other pieces of literature. Despite declining health, Stevenson accomplished many great things in his short life. Robert Louis Stevenson's early years, middle years, and later years had a profound impact on many people around the world. The early years of Robert Louis Stevenson were a large factor in determining the rest of his life. In the town of Edinburg

  • The Impact Of Thomas Edison's Inventions

    1249 Words  | 3 Pages

    electricity, motion picture and chemical engineering revolutionized the world into the modern technology-based society known today. His inventions furthered the Industrial Revolution and set precedents for a successful workplace. Edison created a whirlwind of technology that advanced our society as a whole. His inventions impacted the world scientifically, socially and politically. Without Edison and his inventions, the world would be a very different place. One of Edison’s earliest works was his

  • Colombia Research Paper

    549 Words  | 2 Pages

    weaving patterns in cloth. (Wikipedia.com, Colombia) There were also many valuable resources such as maize (Corn), potato, quinoa, cotton and especially gold. (World Book Encyclopedia, page 783) Throughout 5000 and 1000 BCE, there were fishing, hunting, and farming groups in the tribes to do the different work. (World Book