who made a difference?

In the list - People who changed the world I listed 100 people who influenced and changed the world. Often they are important public figures who made a big difference to changing the world.
In this list I wanted to choose people who have made a difference to the world in a positive way. Their contributions may be less powerful and influential but I wanted a list which selected people who have really made a difference to improving the world. I have not tried to place people in 'order'.
World of Change
Earth is constantly changing. Some changes are a natural part of the climate system, such as the seasonal expansion and contraction of the Arctic sea ice pack. The responsibility for other changes, such as the Antarctic ozone hole, falls squarely on humanity’s shoulders. Our World of Change series documents how our planet’s land, oceans, atmosphere, and Sun are changing over time.
“The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.” Charles Kettering. This quote should get people thinking, you might not have thought about it before, but it is very true.

In the text Not on Facebook we read about leaving electronic footprints on the internet, Facebook and other types of social media. In 1949 people were shocked about George Orwell’s novel “1984”.
1. Discuss the above statement and what it means.
2. What do you think will happen in South Africa now that Mandela is gone?
3. Will the legacy of Mandela stand the test of time or not? Why/why not?
4. It is said that everyone who met with Mandela felt his charisma and moral authority. How much difference can one person make?
5. Does history create its characters or do characters create history?
6. Where in the world today would you like to see a new Mandela spring into action?
7. What does it mean that Mandela never played the race card? What is dangerous about playing the race card?
8. Mandela felt that there had to be a reconciliation between black and white S. Africans in order for the country to move forwards. Why is this so important in building a future?
Watch the video and answer the questions: Mandela Quiz
Oral Presentation
Make a short oral presentation (about 5min.) of Nelson Mandela showing how and why he has been such an important influence in South Africa and the world.
There are numerous sources of information on the Internet. Make sure you choose reliable sources. The link above and are two examples.
John F. Kennedy, President of the United States, was shot in 1963 in Dallas Texas. He has become an icon in contemporary American history. Why is this? What is so special about him? Was he so special after all or is the idea of the great Kennedy a result of media coverage and the Americans' love of heroes and great sacrifice.
Can you complete this quote? "Ask not what.... "
Who said it? When? What does it say about John F. Kennedy?
Now make a presentation of John F. Kennedy where you share your opinion of him and the times he lived in. The presentation should be between 3 - 5 minutes.
1. Use a search engine to find information about the Kennedys, the assassination and his charisma. Use reliable sites only, and state your sources.Here is one of many: CNN: The Assassination of John F Kennedy
2. Also look at this animation on how to make an oral presentation.

The USA has always been regarded as the land of promise - as a beacon for the persecuted, oppressed and poor. Americans thus proudly present themselves as a nation of immigrants.
Below you will find resources about American Immigration from 1825 to present as well as explanations of concepts such as melting pot and multiculturalism.
Coming to America
In the 1790 census, the American population counted close to 4 million. The census of 2000 counted almost 300 million. How many Americans will there be in the future?
Immigration and Population
Norwegian emigration to North America began on July 4, 1825, with the sailing of the sloop Restauration from Stavanger bound for New York City.
Norwegian Immigration
From 1892-1954, Ellis Island was the port of entry for millions of European immigrants.
Ellis Island
The majority of immigrants to the USA today come from Latin America.
Latin American Immigration
Each year millions of new immigrants arrive, legally and illegally. What brings all these people to the USA?
Immigrants and Refugees
Immigrant Stories
Immigrant Stories: Belle Gunness
Why is the USA referred to as the "melting pot" and more recently the "salad bowl"? What is the immigrant experience?
Melting Pot and Salad Bowl
Easy Texts
In 1790, the American population was about 4 million. In the year 2010, the population was over 300 million. How many Americans will there be in the future, do you think?
Immigration and Population (Easy)
Why was the United States often described as a "melting pot"?
The Melting Pot (Easy) Extra
Immigration to the United States was influenced by both push and pull factors. The push factors were what drove the immigrants from their country such as religious persecution, political oppression and poverty. The pull factors were those which attracted immigrants to America such as civil rights, freedom of expression, religion and speech and economic opportunity. America was seen as the promised land by the oppressed and exploited masses.
Waves of Immigration
Native Americans - Ancestral Voices
NRK, CLAES NORDENSKIOLD, ELI M. HUSEBY
Pre-reading: What could we learn from our ancestors? How can we get access to their stories? Maybe the Native Americans could teach us a lesson or two about this?
Native American Chief When European colonists first arrived on the North American continent, it was already occupied by about 2.5 million Indians or Native Americans. About 300 years later, in the mid 19th century, the number of Indians had dwindled to a mere 50.000. The meeting with European civilization proved too much for the Indians. The white man’s diseases, his greed and his guns robbed an entire continent of its way of life.
The following text (recording) takes a closer look at the differences between the Native American attitudes and life-ways and those of the European intruders. The Native American tradition was basically oral – stories were told and retold, poems were recited, songs were sung, legends and myths were handed over from one generation to the next on an oral basis. Fables, heroic tales and prophecies about what was to come were all parts of this oral heritage. These were their ancestral voices.
Native Americans - Forced Removal
ENGELSK FOR VIDEREGÅENDE (VEGA), CATHARINE RUUD
A riveting mural on a block upper story wall, Miami, Arizona.
How would you feel if things you once took for granted were no longer yours? How would you feel if things you considered sacred were suddenly a commodity in another person’s eyes? And how would you feel if customs unknown to you suddenly became the norm?
Originally, relations between the Natives and the first settlers of America were friendly. Unfortunately, this changed as more and more of the immigrants arriving needed more space. The settlers brought many things from their mother-countries such as language, customs and traditions, but they also are responsible for introducing diseases to the native population, some of which proved fatal. In 1781 for example, two-thirds of the Blackfeet Tribe were wiped out by smallpox.

The reason it became so easy for the settlers to take the land from Indians was that the tribes never thought of the land as belonging to them. Just as we do not think of owning things such as air, the Natives simply did not understand the concept of owning parcels of land. To them, it was the Great Spirit that had created the land for them to use. They would take what they needed, and the land and its resources would remain for future generations. Yes, the Natives were far ahead of the White Man when it came to environmental issues. Already, many hundreds of years ago, they understood the importance of sustainability when it came to natural resources.

Although both President Jefferson (1800) and Supreme Court Justice John Marshall made it clear through laws and rulings that the Indians had a right to their lands, other Whites did not respect these laws. In 1824 the federal government set up the Bureau of Indian Affairs. This agency was supposed to protect the rights of the Native Americans, supply them with food and other necessities, and keep Whites off their lands. Unfortunately, a lot of the officials of the BIA were rotten apples, and the relationship between the bureau and the Native Americans deteriorated. The Indian Removal Act
In 1830, the Indian Removal Act was passed. During the years from 1830–1840, five tribes, 100,000 Indians in all, were moved by force from some of the most fertile land and hunting grounds in America. They were relocated to Oklahoma, west of the Mississippi River. In other areas, the process became a tragedy. The Seminoles of Florida for example, resisted the move and several thousand lives were lost. The situation was even worse for the Cherokee Indians, who suffered a horrible fate on the Trail of Tears. Vocabulary
Find the words or phrases in the text that mean the same as:
• caused death
• broke down
• founded
• making things last
• was approved
• corrupt
• never thought twice about
• were killed by
Native Americans - The Trail of Tears
ENGELSK FOR VIDEREGÅENDE (VEGA), CATHARINE RUUD
Pre-reading: Do one of the tasks below
Search the internet using phrases such as “Indian art”, Trail of Tears” and “Cherokee history” and witness what this tragic historical event meant for America’s Native Indians
Search www.worldofquotes.com for quotes on Indians and natives. What attitudes towards Native Americans do they reveal?
Trail of Tears MuralThe "Trail of Tears" was a forced removal of approximately twenty thousand Cherokee Indians. In 1838, the US government moved the tribe from their homelands in the mountain valleys of Appalachian Georgia and the Carolinas to western Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. The Cherokee call this trail Nunna dual tsun yi, meaning "The Place Where They Cried” and Tlo va sal, “Our Removal”.
Naturally, the forced removal of tribes created conflicts between the Indians and the white Americans. Promises were made and treaties signed, but they were not adhered to nor respected. Despite having land titles, the Cherokees were forced to move from their sacred hunting grounds. They bravely resisted on the way from their homeland to the undesirable and barren reservations that were intended as their final destination. About 4,000 Cherokee women, children and men perished during the winter of 1838–39, hence the name, The Trail of Tears.
The Georgia Gold Rush
It all started when tensions between the state of Georgia and the Cherokee Nation were brought to a crisis by the discovery of gold near Dahlonega in 1829. This discovery resulted in the Georgia Gold Rush, the first gold rush in US history. Hopeful gold speculators began trespassing on Cherokee lands, and pressure began to mount to clear the path for those hoping to strike it rich.
On an October morning in 1839, a brigade of four thousand soldiers led by General Winfield Scott entered the Cherokee Camp. Armed with bayonets and guns, they forced the Cherokees onto 645 wagons and drove them away from their territory. Many of the Indians were barefoot, and had nothing to protect them against the cold. Many children were separated from their parents. In the bitter cold, they slept in the wagons or on the ground. The young and the elderly were hit hardest, but a lot of strong adults died too. During the following months, many froze to death in sleet and snowstorms, or died of illnesses and exhaustion.
Vocabulary
Use the following verbs to make sentences about the Native American Indians: to remove to promise to resist to perish to discover to trespass to force to drive (away)

Extra: write a paragraph telling about the Native American Indian’s forced removal by using the above verbs.
Writing
Write a Trail of Tears poem. Do a search on the internet on native poetry before you start writing.
Web Search
Search for Paul Revere and the Raiders and their song Indian Reservation. There are many good versions of this song on the web accompanied by slideshows illustrating the Cherokees’ history.
Discussion
Study the mural in the picture. What can you tell from that mural?
Native Americans - Current Situation
ENGELSK FOR VIDEREGÅENDE (VEGA), CATHARINE RUUD
Currently, there are approximately 2.8 million Native Americans in the US, which is probably more than there were at the time of the first European settlers. They represent 562 federally-recognized tribes, the best known being the Navajo, the Apache, the Cherokee, the Cheyenne and the Sioux (the Lakota).
You can find an easy version of the text here: Native Americans - Text in Brief
Native Americans play mute

00:00 / 04:36Opphavsmann: London Language Experience
Native Americans
Almost half of the Native Americans live in large cities and rural areas, whereas the other half live on federal reservations. Most of the tribes have their own tribal laws and are not subject to state laws.
Local Native Americans selling their arts and crafts The majority of the reservations are situated west of the Mississippi River, and the Indians continue to live there to maintain their traditions. There is a growing self-awareness in the American Indian population today. Native Americans are becoming increasingly conscious and proud of their values, traditions and culture.
Social Challenges
Nevertheless, there are severe social problems on many of the reservations, such as unemployment, poverty, alcoholism and drug abuse. High rates of diabetes and heart disease are also a concern. Agencies working with Native American communities are trying better to respect their traditions and integrate benefits of Western medicine within their own cultural practices. Government efforts to alleviate the problems have sometimes done more harm than good. National policy on this matter wavers somewhere between integration of Native Americans and isolation on reservations. It is important to note that Indians were not made full US citizens until 1924.
Today, the 562 federally-recognized tribes possess the right to form their own government, to enforce laws (both civil and criminal), to tax, to establish requirements for membership, to license and regulate activities, to zone and to exclude persons from tribal territories. Limitations on tribal powers of self-government include the same limitations applicable to states; for example, neither tribes nor states have the power to make war, engage in foreign relations, or coin money (this includes paper currency).
Sovereignty “held in trust”
Many Native Americans and advocates of Native American rights point out that the US Federal Government's claim to recognize the "sovereignty" of Native American peoples falls short. The US still wishes to govern Native American peoples and treat them as subject to US law. True respect for Native American sovereignty, according to such advocates, would require the US Federal Government to deal with Native American peoples in the same manner as with any other sovereign nation. This would include handling matters concerning relations with Native Americans through the Secretary of State rather than the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The BIA states that its responsibility is the “administration and management of 55,700,000 acres (225,000 km2) of land held in trust by the United States for American Indians, Indian tribes, and Alaskan Natives." Many Native Americans and advocates of Native American rights believe that it is condescending for such lands to be considered "held in trust" and regulated in any fashion by a foreign power, whether the US Federal Government, Canada, or any other non-Native American authority.
Tasks and Activities
Comprehension
1. About what percentage of the Native Indian population lives on reservations? Where are the majority of these reservations located?
2. What are some of the social challenges faced by Native Americans? List what you believe can be the possible causes of these challenges.
3. Over which matters do tribal governments have power?
4. How does the sovereignty of Native Americans fall short?
5. What does the BIA claim to be its responsibility when it comes to Indian lands?
Further Reading
1. Native Americans - Forced Removal
2. Native Americans - The Trail of Tears
3. Tony's Story (Short story)
4. Interview with Sherman Alexie
5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Novel, excerpt)
6. Native Americans - Ancestral Voices
How to Write an Essay
CAROL DWANKOWSKI, KNUT INGE SKIFJELD
Working
Choose Your Topic
If your topic is not already assigned to you, choose one that really interests you.
Develop Your Approach to the Topic
Once you have chosen a topic, think of an approach to the topic or thesis statement (Am. Eng.) This is your main idea that you will further develop throughout your essay. It states what the essay will be about and your position on the issue. Think of what angle you want to argue from. Your approach to the topic may, for example, be formulated as a question or a statement in one or two sentences. If your topic is to analyze Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, you might pose this rhetorical question: Does love conquer all? A statement might be: Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare's most famous play.
The statement outlining your approach to the topic should be included both in the introduction to your essay and in its conclusion. Be clear, specific and concise.
Research Your Topic
Use the library or online academic data bases when researching your topic for central ideas. Jot down information and quotes, and always write down your sources and URLS.

Analyze
Search for and evaluate the evidence for and against your basic claims. Are there any alternatives to your reasoning? Be critical.
Brainstorming
Write down all your ideas on a sheet of paper. Try to be original. Ask yourself the following questions:
What is the root of the problem?
Am I being biased?
Does my evidence support my claims?

The Writing Process
Outline Your Essay
Outline your essay by using your ideas from your brainstorming sheet. Make a mind map to visualize what you want to say. Use numbers 1,2,3, etc for headings (main ideas or topics) and a, b, c, for sub-topics. Remember that each heading will make up the main paragraphs in your essay. A good idea is to state your headings in sentence form. (See Example Essay - How to Write an Essay) We need to visualize this.
Introduction
The introduction to your essay introduces the main topic and your approach to it (thesis statement). It is a description of what you want to say. Start with some interesting information, fact, definition or quote that captures the attention of the reader. Don't be afraid to challenge the reader. Finish your introduction with a short summary of what your goal is for the essay.
Body of the Essay
Each paragraph should focus on one central idea, claim or argument. Use examples, facts, evidence or data to support each idea, claim or argument. You may want to begin each paragraph with the main topic or topic sentence from your outline that describes the point of the paragraph.

Use connecting phrases such as: firstly, secondly, thirdly... by comparison... likewise on the one hand.....on the other hand in addition however nevertheless therefore Conclusion
A conlusion is a summary paragraph which summarizes the main points in your essay. It should recapitulate your introduction in an orignal way and restate the main idea of your essay. Final sentences might include the consequences or the implications of some action not being dealt with, a question, a future prediction or a call to act etc. Use phrases such as:
In conclusion... to summarize as a result consequently Essay Example - advanced
CAROL DWANKOWSKI
Animal Testing in the Cosmetic Industry– Still Necessary in 2009? (Title) (Introduction)
One of the most controversial issues still making the news regarding the cosmetic industry is the use of animal testing. Within the past 40 years, painful and crude test have been carried out on millions of animals each year in the name of science. The main question today is whether or not this is still necessary?(Main Idea) Most animal rights activists will say absolutely not. Nevertheless, scientists who are constantly searching for ways of avoiding toxins which cause cancers in humans still say yes. My main questions are what alternatives are there and what can be done?

Biomedical research still needs to determine whether a compound is both safe and efficient for humans. Is it safe and does is really work? Humans are the ultimate mammal and no matter how we look at it, rats, mice, dogs, pigs and even in some cases horses are closest to human physiological makeup. Toxic chemicals that might cause health risks to humans are therefore tested on the eyes and skin or injected into animals. To many these methods seem inhuman and cause unnecessary suffering.
Body
(Paragraph 1)
Firstly, while some scientists say that deodorants or talcum powder cause breast or ovarian cancer, others say that the evidence is still inconclusive. (Topic sentence) (See National Cancer Institute – Fact Sheet, “Antiperspirants/Deodorants and Breast Cancer”) (See Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, 2004) Secondly, no matter how you look at it, men, women and children will at one time or other use some type of cosmetic and need to be protected from dangerous toxins. If evidence is inconclusive, the product/s will need further testing. What we must focus on, then are the alternatives to animal testing.
(Paragraph 2)
What are the alternatives? (Topic sentence) The first alternative would be to follow the “Three Rs” with regards to animal testing: “replacing animals in specific tests, reducing animal numbers in specific tests, or refining tests to lessen animal suffering”. (See The Human Society of the United States, “Animal Testing: The Beginning of the End”). Testing on stem cells from human tissue instead of on animal tissue is another alternative. This of course, has been debated on ethical reasons, since some stem cells come from human embryos. An alternative to this is using stem cells raised from human skin cells instead of human embryos. (See CNN.com Health, “Scientist: Stem cells could end animal testing”, December 23, 2008). Yet another alternative is using human tissue already tested and entered into computer models where the information on toxicity is already stored in a databank. All of these alternatives mark a new trend in the decline of animal testing in the future.
(Paragraph 3)
What can be done? (Topic sentence) Personally, I feel that violent methods used by extreme animal rights groups is not the answer. Burning down laboratories where caged animals are tested on or where humans lose their lives are only short term methods. Setting animals free that have known only caged life and releasing them into an unknown habitat may cause even more pain and suffering. Also the money spent on prosecuting, arresting and court cases against these people could have been much better spent on governments finding alternative methods to animal testing. The UK compared to the USA and other parts of the world, for example, has led the fight against animal testing in cosmetics. Although not all cosmetics sold in the UK, for instance, are considered “cruelty free” yet, the number of animals used has gone down over the last 15 years. (See The Human Society of the United States, “Animal Testing: The Beginning of the End”). Another long term plan has been made by such large cosmetic companies as L’Oréal that has bought up companies that do not use animals in testing for their products. (See The New York Times, “Saving the Animals: New Ways to Test Products”). And on a much larger scale still the EU Cosmetic Directive which on March 11th, 2009 banned both animal testing and the marketing of animal tested products. .(See Europa: Activities of the European Union – Summaries of Legislation, “Cosmetic Products: Composition, Labelling, Animal Testing”).
(Conclusion)
Consequently, based on the new scientific methods used to test for toxins, as well as European government initiatives to ban animal testing in cosmetics, soon it will no longer be necessary to use animals in testing at all. Hopefully, the USA and other countries will follow the European model. As for us consumers, not only will we feel safe, but we will no longer have to feel guilty when we buy cosmetic products.
How to Write an Article
ELI M. HUSEBY
You are asked to write an article. Exactly what is meant by that? An essay? A newspaper article? A project paper? Here is some general advice.
How to Write an ArticleIn your English course you may be asked to write articles about various issues. Furthermore, you might be expected to write an article for an exam. If you follow the link below to the exam paper for 2010, you will see that two of the tasks ask you to write articles.
Engelsk eksamen høsten 2010 In these tasks you are specifically asked to provide an introduction. give a presentation of the issue. discuss the issue. give a conclusion. make a suitable title.
Even if there is a great variety of article genres, they have in common that they should be fact-oriented, stick to the point and have a certain degree of formality and objectivity. They usually contain all the elements listed in the frame above. Utdanningsdirektoratet has provided examples of formats for articles on their web pages.
An article is a piece of writing on a particular subject which is written for publication in a magazine or newspaper. However, when asked to write an article at school or in an exam you are expected to write an essay or paper (in Norwegian, “a stil”) unless a particular type of article is specified e.g. a newspaper article . You might find this link useful if you are asked to write this type of article (i.e.paper or essay) How to Write an Essay.
If you are specifically asked to write a newspaper article, we suggest that you use this link
News Article
If you are asked to write a Letter to the Editor (leserbrev/lesarbrev), we suggest that you use this link:
Letter to the Editor
This site describes very simply and step-by-step how to go about writing all kinds of articles. It even allows you to submit your article and get feedback. How to write articles.
When writing articles and papers, you often have to do some research by consulting sources. Remember that your sources should be reliable. Furthermore, you must not forget that you should be as independent as possible of the wording in your source. In order to avoid being a "copycat", you should watch this video on Plagiarism.
If you want to know more about citing of sources, check this site (explanation in Norwegian)Kildebruk.
How to Write a Newspaper Article
KNUT INGE SKIFJELD
Writing a newspaper article is different from writing an essay or a report.
A news article is fresh – dealing with an event that has recently occurred.
It describes the events objectively, using photos, verbal descriptions, eyewitness accounts and statements from those involved.
The writer/journalist refers to what others say, but does not share his own opinion.
The writer/journalist starts with the important or sensational news first and then adds elements of decreasing importance.
Handball
When you read a novel or a poem, you take your time and enjoy the language used. Maybe the text is beautifully written or thought-provoking. There is a process of exploration and sensing going on between the text and the reader. The reader may even read the text over and over again. Not so with a news article. A news article must be precise and clear. There is no room for irony, subtleness or elaborated language. It brings the news to the reader unbiased, broadly covered and fast. Journalists are often faced with tough choices as to what to focus on in an article and who to interview. There is not room for every angle of an issue in one text. You have to be selective, and to select means to give someone or something attention. You have to decide what to leave out. This is always a tough challenge for a journalist.

However, it is easy to write a news article if you cover a simple chain of events that no-one disputes. You just refer to what, when, where, who, how andwhy. Can you spot these various pieces of information below?
A 17 year-old girl broke her arm playing handball Monday evening at 8 P.M. The incident occurred as she collided with a fellow player heading back to defend her goal. This was the final match of the Billham handball cup.
Key

Having said that it is easy to write a news article, we have to add that it will all depend on what you cover. Drawing a line is not difficult, painting a horse is. The complexity of various pieces of news to cover may vary just as much - from a small injury to an international conference about a disputed topic - like how to fight terrorism.
The challenge is to use words that precisely describe what took place, and to let various involved governments and organizations come with a statement to air their views and concerns. As a journalist, you are obliged to get an unbiased and nuanced coverage of the events. However, in some cases we don’t agree about what has actually happened, and there is a limit as to how many statements we can add to an article. Therefore, journalists are sometimes criticized for not covering an issue in a fair manner.

We will stick with simple news scenarios in the following, but nevertheless, keep in mind always to use a precise, objective language when you write news articles. *******************************************************
Writing
1 Write a newspaper article about the following incident: A car has slid off the road, leaving a boy in the backseat slightly injured. Make up the rest of the details and get a statement from a police officer at the scene.

2 Arrange a press conference where the headmaster of your school announces that the school will introduce school uniforms from next year on. (A teacher or a student has to play this part and prepare some facts on the matter - like type of uniform, pricing, disciplinary actions etc. The rest of the class are journalists and may ask questions.)

Following the press conference, all the students write a news article on the topic. Add pictures from the Internet, and format the text like in a real newspaper by using columns, bold text, large heading etc.

Before you arrange this press conference, you may want to watch this video as well as discuss the topic of school uniforms in class.
How to Analyze a Film
CAROL DWANKOWSKI, CATHARINE RUUD, CELIA SUZANNA SANDOR
Characteristics
Film ShootFilms are similar to novels or short stories in that they tell a story. They include the same genres: romantic, historical, detective, thriller, adventure, horror, and science fiction. However, films may also include sub-groups such as: action, comedy, tragedy, westerns and war. The methods you use to analyze a film are closely related to those used to analyze literature; nevertheless, films are multimedial. They are visual media made for viewers. Films take command of more of our senses to create special atmospheres, feelings or to bring out emotions.

Along with the literary elements such as plot, setting, characterization, structure, and theme, which make up the text or screenplay, there are many different film techniques used to tell the story or narrative. Attention is paid to sound, music, lighting, camera angles, and editing. What is important is to focus on how all the elements are used together in making a good film.
Below is a list of elements and questions to help you when analyzing films.
Special Effects

Film Contents
Film Facts: List
Genre: List
Setting: List
Plot and structure: List
Conflict: List
Characterization: List
Narrator and point of view: List
Imagery: List
Theme: List Cinematic Effects
Soundtrack: List
Use of the camera: List
Lighting: List
Editing: List
Poster

Conclusion
When analyzing films for school work or projects, you may be asked to use some or all of the characteristics above. Link those elements together that seem most logical. Try to think of the film as a whole and how the elements mentioned above work together to bring out the main message of the film.
Go to: Literature, Film and Music in our top menu to find our suggested films for further study.
How to Analyze Poetry
CAROL DWANKOWSKI, CATHARINE RUUD, CELIA SUZANNA SANDOR
Poetry Poetry is a form of expression. The poet uses his/her own personal and private language which leaves poetry open to different interpretations. Although the poet may have had one specific idea or purpose in mind, the reader’s response may be completely different. Nevertheless, this does not mean that you may interpret poetry any way you wish. All interpretations must be supported by direct reference to the text. As with any type of literary analysis, you need a basic knowledge of the elements of poetry. The following guide and questions will help you.
Read the poem in its entirety to get a general impression.
What is the poem about?
What is the title of the poem?
Who is speaker or narrative voice of the poem
To whom is the speaker speaking?
What is the purpose of the poem: to describe, amuse, entertain, narrate, inform, express grief, celebrate or commemorate?
What is the tone of the poem? Sad, happy, melancholy, bitter?
The Republic of South Africa lies at the southern tip of the African continent, with Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe to the north and Mozambique and Swaziland to the east. Its spectacular 2,798 kilometre coastline borders both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. An independent enclave, the Kingdom of Lesotho, is surrounded by South African territory on all sides.
The South, which was more dependent on import than the North, wanted free trade with Britain. The North, on the other hand, stressed financial independence and wanted to impose taxes on imported goods. These disagreements caused the South to decide to break out of the Union and form their own confederation. The strong desire to keep the Union together made the Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, who took office in 1861, choose civil war.
The northern side eventually proved superior in the war that followed, because of a larger population and better financial resources. The Yankees were also superior at sea and in the arms industry. General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate (southern) Army surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant in a Virginian village, April 1865.
Halfway through the war, in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed that the slaves were freed (the Emancipation Proclamation Act). However, it would take more than a century before all African Americans could enjoy the same civil liberties as their fellow white Americans.
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was born in the state of Alabama on February 4, 1913. She was born into a society where segregation of colored people was common in many everyday activites. It could be separate sections in buses, separate schools, rest rooms and drinking fountains. During the 1950s more and more people realized how unreasonable this system was, and civil disobedience proved an effective method to achieve a change. At the age of 42, on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white person, even though the bus driver commanded her to do so. This took place in Montgomery, Alabama. Rosa Parks was arrested, an event that ignited the sparks of discontent, and resulted in a massive bus boycott in Montgomery. This boycott lasted until December 20, 1956, when the US Supreme Court decided that laws allowing segregated buses were unconstitutional. Numerous other activists protested in the same way as Rosa Parks did, but she became one of the front figures in the Civil Rights Movement. She collaborated with leaders in the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), among them Martin Luther King Jr. Later in life Rosa Parks moved to Detroit, and died there in 2005. She received several honorary rewards for her efforts and influence.
Two Ways to a Common Goal

Political change can take a long time. Sometimes it is so slow in coming that those who stand to gain from such change decide to help expedite the process of political decision-making. One hundred years after the Emancipation Act of 1863, African Americans in the US, especially in the South, were still at the receiving-end of gross racial injustice. A “separate but equal” doctrine was enforced in 1896-97, when the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was not discrimination. Some Southern states followed up by passing legislation that prohibited most African Americans from voting. African Americans were not only economically and politically oppressed, but were also often subject to race-induced violence.
In 1954, the “separate but equal” doctrine received its death blow in the Brown v. Board of Education case of 1954: “…We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal…” This legislation was, however, very vague as to when it should be enforced. And by now, Black Americans were tired of waiting. The next decade would see the emergence of two different approaches to gaining civil rights for all: a non-violent and a violent approach.

The Civil Rights Movement: the Non-Violent Approach

Civil Rights Leader Rosa Parks
Fotograf: BettmannIn the 1950s and 1960s, most of the African American population was concentrated in the South; thus it was in these states that racial inequality was most blatant. Since Brown v. Board of Education of 1954 did not stipulate any time limit, educational segregation existed well into the 1960s. This represented an almost insurmountable obstacle to economic opportunity for African Americans – and young African Americans were impatient for change.

Læreplan i engelsk - programfag i studiespesialiserende utdanningsprogram drøfte hvordan sentrale historiske hendelser og prosesser har påvirket utviklingen av det amerikanske og det britiske samfunnet drøfte lange og språklig krevende tekster med samfunnsfaglig perspektiv

The African trade started in the early 18th century. worked on the plantations in the South. Slavery was by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. However, African Americans still suffered segregation and in the South. Today, many African Americans have problems with and drug , but others have a better and good work . topic:
No great man lives in vain. The history of the world is but the biography of great men.- adapted Thomas Carlyle, "The Hero as Divinity"

In historic events, the so-called great men are labels giving names to events, adn like labels they have but the smallest connection with the event itself. -leo tolstoy, war and peace

topic: Can the saily actions of average people have a significant impact on the course of history?

response:

Secondly, the writers of the D of I just wanted to follow their ideals and beliefs. They wanted to separate from British rule and sent a declaration of their separation and independence to King George III of Britain. Although the king dismissed their proposition, this was the foundation based on what the US earned its independence on. If not for the bravery adn patience of those men to stand up to the British king and fight for what they believe in, the Us would most likely still be under British rule.
Lastly, changing history does not necessarily mean actually changing our country's histroy. It can also refer to changing the way something was done in the past. For example, local community leaders in a neighborhood fight for what they think should be altered in the community. For example, in one commun, a dog owner spoke up in a town meeting, addressing her request for a local dog park to be created, so she could safely walk her dog in an environ away from the busy dtreets and traffic. The mayor accepted her proprosition and months later, a new dog park was opened to the public. The dog owner's small action changed the history of the community and met her personal needs.
In conclusion, civil rights leaders, writers of the D of I, and community leaders have goals in their minds, which they want to be met. These goals can change the course of history as portrayed. These "average people" did not beleive their actions would have impacted history as much as they did, but that is exactly what happened. In my opinion, history is shaped most by individuals who do not seek fame or popularity, but just a change in how things are perceived or take place in a society.
Update 1: THINGS TO CONSIDER:
-this is a practice essay and i did it in the 25 min time limit
-no outside help, this is for the sats
-i abbreviated some words/spelled some wrong when i typed, please don't include these in my score
-please be as critical as possible! :)
-suggestions would be amazing..
I would give it a 4. My suggestion would be don't state in the beginning what the three particular cases are then say "first of all", "secondly" and "lastly" then in the conclusion write "in conclusion". That is how we are told to write essays in middle school not what they would expect of someone taking the SATs. The last paragraph as a reader we know that it is the conclusion so you really don't need to state it.

I do not think you need to say In "The Hero as Divinity," Thomas Carlyle wrote "..the quote...". They know what the topic you are addressing is. I would suggest maybe using part of the quote in your essay then talk about it. Make sure you respond effectively to all aspects of the task clearly and in depth. You don't want errors in your essay. You want variety and a clear command of language.

Use different vocabulary. Don't write "for example" in one sentence and then again in the next, like you did when talking about the community.

I feel that you did not quite address the topic. You could have included the quotes that were given, in your essay. I think you should have discussed the topic in the beginning before going on to your examples. You also could have elaborated on each example rather than saying what happened. We know what happened, you need to tell us how it relates to the given topic and quotes. It's all very general. You did not seem to put a whole lot of thought and depth into it. But that's just my opinion. Over all it was not too bad but you were just discussing the historical events you mentioned in the start of your essay

Most people become famous for what they accomplish. I don't think that is what they were asking. I could be wrong though. What is saily? Did you mean daily? If that is what it's supposed to say the examples you gave are not really daily actions of average people. Read over the topic several times to make sure you understand it.
“No great man lives in vain. The history of the world is but the biology of great men.
Adapted from Thomas Carlyle, “The Hero as Divinity”
In historic events, the so-called great men are labels giving names to events, and like labels they have but the smallest connection with the event itself. Adapted from Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
Assignment: Can the daily actions of average people have a significant impact on the course of history? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on the issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.”
Recipe for Success on the Essay
Paragraph 1:
*Line 1: Answer the question directly, yes or no. Basically, repeat back the prompt as a brief, declarative response.
*Line 2: Why do you believe line 1.
*Line 3: Why do you believe line 1 (give second reason).
*Line 4: End paragraph with general examples that you will elaborate on in the body of the essay, e.g., “Compelling examples of this proposition can be found in Renaissance Art and European literature.”
Paragraph 2:
*Line 1: Specific example that exemplifies your thesis.
*Lines 2-5: Describe example in detail. Be specific; don’t generalize; circle back to the thesis (Line 1/Paragraph 1)
Paragraph 3:
*Line 1: Similarly, (2nd example) illustrates (Line 1/Paragraph 1).
*Lines 2-5: Same formula as paragraph 2.
Paragraph 4:
*Conclusion: “While some might argue (counter argument), this argument loses force when one considers (examples from your essay).”
*Recap Line 1
*Expand Line 1 (if possible)
Can you explain this quote " every great dream begins..." by harriet tubman?
It means that every great thing was accomplished started with one person believing that it could happen. It means that you have the power to change the world.
Let's take this bit-by-bit, shall we?

1. Every great dream begins with a dreamer.
Well this line simply quotes that if a person has a will power and creativity to pursue for something that will do something good, all it needs for a plan or a dream to start is to think about it.

2. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion...
A good dream, for it to be realised, requires willpower and passion. Willpower means that you are patient and you are willing to find ways to pursue this dream. The strength may not necessarily mean brute strength, but it may mean emotional strength, or even talents - such as how resourceful you are, how you are able to consolidate all resources or information you need to pursue a dream. Of course, this takes a long time, which requires patience. Patience will help to keep the wheel moving - as in without it, you will lose the force to pursue the dream. Passion, on the other hand, is a plus factor. With passion, you just simply love doing it, and you can't stop yourself from pursuing your dream... because it is simply irresistable - if you have passion that is.

3. ... to reach for the stars to change the world.
Stars is tantamount to something that is unreacheable. By "reaching for the stars," you overcome challenges that is unthought of. You are able to do something that people has never done. Usually when these challenges have never been done by others, you are the first person to do it. With that, you simply open the path for it to be reached easier. Hence, changing the world.

A perfect example would be the Wright Brothers. If not for them, who would have thought of making airplanes?

I hope this helps.
Success. What does that mean to you? Are you a successful? So many of my private counseling clients doubt that they are really successful--whether at parenting, keeping a marriage alive, at work, or at life in general. I find that these people doubting their worth are defining success in a narrow, perhaps even negative, way. Some people define their success by money or power or prestige or perfection. Not my way of defining success--nor that of Ralph Waldo Emerson who wrote a poem I often quote:
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
Ralph was saying that the feeling of success doesnt come with large sums of money, but the satisfaction that you accomplished some good in the world. Life should not be wasted on the shallow and meaningless aspects of society, but should be embraced with laughter and love. Success is not in the dynamic enterprises, but in your own concience and soul. Who can feel successful when they never brought a smile to a child's face, or made someone's life brighter?
Apparently, Emerson had some pretty low standards when it came to defining success. I have taken the liberty of analyzing Emerson’s words, line by line: To laugh often and much According to Emerson, anyone who pays a ten dollar cover charge and buys two drinks at the Comedy Cellar is a success. Better yet, if terrorists unleash laughing gas in a major city, every resident of that city could become a motivational speaker. To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children I’ve won the respect of many intelligent people. But I also make about $5,000 a year, and I’ve failed at just about everything that I’ve ever set out to do. As for winning the affection of a child, that’s easy. I have a goddaughter who is eighteen months old, and she loves me. That’s because, whenever I’m holding her and she starts to cry or get fidgety, I let her play with my keys. And since she’s eighteen months old, she puts the keys in her mouth. This is unsanitary and probably dangerous, but I let her do it anyway. As a result, she displays a great deal of affection towards me. That does not, however, mean that I’m successful. It means that I’m irresponsible. To earn the appreciation of honest critics. Gigli was the most unsuccessful film in box office history. Either way, it’s a safe bet to say that there was at least one critic in this country who honestly liked it. The same can be said for any other movie, album, painting, etc. To quote the novelist Christopher Morley, “A critic is a gong at a railroad crossing clanging loudly and vainly as the train goes by.” and endure the betrayal of false friends People are assholes. Get used to it. The fact that Emerson had to endure them does not mean that he or anyone else, was or is successful. People from all over the world must endure things that are far more painful than the betrayal of false friends; things such as war, terrorism, poverty, disease, famine, and Ann Coulter. To appreciate beauty Who doesn’t appreciate at least some form of beauty? More importantly, appreciating beauty (or anything else) is involuntary. Based on Emerson’s definition of success, someone could walk into a museum, decide that he enjoys a certain painting, and be labeled a success. Call me old fashioned, but I tend to believe that the artist is the one who is successful, not the audience member. And keep in mind that appreciating beauty isn’t limited to art. I would fuck Jessica Alba so hard that it would create a massive earthquake, the likes of which mankind has never even come close to seeing. This earthquake would be of such scale that it would set off a tsunami in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean that would take out all of western Europe. My point is that my appreciation of Jessica Alba’s beauty does not make me a success. In fact, after the earthquake and the tsunami, my appreciation of her beauty will make me go down as one of history’s greatest villains. to find the best in others This reminds me of an article that I read in the Sunday New York Times after Ronald Reagan died. Someone who served in his administration said that Reagan never had a bad word to say about anyone. Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you have Alzheimer’s disease. In order to say something bad about someone, you would have to remember who they are. Also, Reagan had no need to say anything bad about someone–he simply bombed them. For example, there was no way that he could have possibly found anything wrong with the tiny, harmless island of Grenada. Even if he could have, there was no need to waste time insulting Grenadines when he could just order US forces to invade the island and kill 212 civilians, which is precisely what he did on October 25, 1983. Based on Emerson’s quotation, it would have been okay for Reagan to have killed those people just as long as he also acknowledged that Grenada produces some delicious mangoes. To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child Talk about self-important, narcissistic bullshit! I don’t know why I keep bringing politics into this, but unless you’re Sarah Palin, almost everyone has a healthy child. Having unprotected sex doesn’t make you special. Besides, it is an incredibly rare thing to have a child grow up to make some sort of positive contribution to the human race. If anything, all that people do is deplete. All of us (myself included) each deplete the world of air, oil, and seven or eight trees. What do we contribute? Pollution and noise. Fuck your healthy child! All that they’re doing is adding to the problem. a garden patch Once she reaches the age of three or four, Sarah Palin’s retarded daughter will be able to grow a garden patch. Here is what it takes:
1) Dig a hole
2) Drop some seeds into that hole
3) Cover the hole with dirt That’s it. In fact, it could even be done by accident. or a redeemed social condition Sarah Palin’s retarded daughter might have a bit of trouble with this one. Either way, it’s important to note that most unjust social conditions are only redeemed out of self-interest. Susan B. Anthony played a key role in securing women’s suffrage. Susan B. Anthony was a woman. Martin Luther King was the father of the civil rights movement. You might have noticed that Martin Luther King was black. To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. Here’s some more self-important, narcissistic bullshit! Has someone ever dropped something, and you picked it up for them? I’m not talking about a three-hundred pound barbell that they dropped on their chest. Has someone ever dropped a penny, and you picked it up off of the floor for them? If you did, then congratulations are in order! Because of you, they have breathed easier! That does not, however, qualify you for the Nobel Peace Prize. Besides, everyone who has ever been born will eventually die anyway, so what difference does it make?
Don Ritchie's window-watching had a far greater purpose. Since l964 he has saved at least 160 lives, though some say the true figure is much higher. Mr Ritchie, who died this week at the age of 86, was known as the Angel of the Gap, a title earned for persuading people not to throw themselves off the notorious Australian suicide spot.
Like Beachy Head on the Sussex coast, the sheer cliffs at the mouth of Sydney harbour have long acted as a magnet to those who have lost all hope. But thanks to his calm voice and sympathetic manner, Mr Ritchie offered a helping hand to the desperate by engaging them in conversation on the cliff-top in their hour of need.
A modest man who did not court celebrity or praise, Mr Ritchie would spot would-be suicides from his home and slowly walk across the road to them. At the cliff-edge he would simply smile and ask them, "Can I help you in some way?" More often than not the quiet approach worked, though on some occasions he risked his own life by physically restraining the more determined from making their final leap.
Afterwards he would invite them back to his home for a cup of tea and a chat and occasionally they would return years later to thank him for saving their life. One survivor gave him a painting of an angel with the rays of the sun and the simple message: "An angel who walks amongst us."
"My ambition has always been to just get them away from the edge, to buy them time, to give them the opportunity to reflect and give them the chance to realise that things might look better the next morning," he once confided.
"You just can't sit there and watch them," he added. "You've got to try and save them."
Mr Ritchie's daughter, Sue, said her father enjoyed his ocean view, but was equally determined to watch out for troubled souls. He once said an offer of help "was all that was needed to turn people around and he would say not to underestimate the power of a kind word and a smile," she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
He was "a great mixture of strength and compassion... an everyday person who did an extraordinary thing for many people that saved their lives, without any want of recognition," she added.
Mr Ritchie was a seaman in the Royal Australian Navy during the Second World War and witnessed the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay in l945.
Back in Sydney he worked in the insurance industry. He would later tell friends of the people he had saved: "I was a salesman for most of my life and I sold them life."
THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES BY SUE MONK KIDD
THEMES - THEME ANALYSIS
Secret Lives
The major theme of this novel is expressed in its title, which comes from a statement made by August: “Most people don’t have any idea about all the complicated life going on inside a hive. Bees have a secret life we don’t know anything about” (148). Throughout the novel, the reader learns how most characters are not what they seem on the surface. People’s lives are usually much more complex and complicated than they appear.
Throughout the novel, Kidd builds on the hive and bees as a metaphor of life. Bees represent people working together in a society, which is represented by the hive. The beehive has been known in history to represent the soul, death, and rebirth. The hive is presided over by the queen, or mother-figure. In explaining that bees have secret lives that are not immediately perceptible, August speaks metaphorically of people. As the plot progresses, we learn that almost every character has an explanation for his or her actions that cannot be seen immediately.
We know that Lily is pretending to be someone that she is not in order to find out about her mother. We learn that May is so emotional because of her twin’s suicide. August tells Lily that T. Ray was not always the cruel man he is now. He was once tender and sweet and become embittered when Deborah died. Lily also finds out that her mother was not the perfect women she imagined. Throughout this story, Lily learns people, like the bees, are often motivated by forces that cannot be understood immediately.
Fortunate Coincidences and Signs
Throughout the novel, Lily seeks and finds signs and is propelled by a series of fortunate coincidences. Lily frequently asks for signs and often believes things that come to her are signs. Lily believes it was a sign that her room was infested with bees and now she is at the home of a beekeeper. Lily believes it was a fortunate coincidence that August’s mother met her father because she had a toothache. Lily believes it is a fortunate coincidence that she went to a store that sells August’s honey, which leads her to August, the person with whom her mother stayed when she left. Lily believes the picture August gives her of Deborah feeding Lily as a child is an answer to her request for a sign that she was loved.
Each of these “signs” and “fortunate coincidences” suggest that perhaps there is some order to what seems to be a chaotic existence. This notion is affirmed by the bee hive metaphor which weaves its way throughout the story. Although the activity in bee hives--which symbolize society--appears nonsensical and disorganized, we learn the bees lead a highly organized and orderly existence.

Mothers
Lily is driven by her need to know about her mother so that she may learn more about herself. In seeking her mother, Lily finds mother substitutes. Rosaleen, August, and the other women step into Lily’s life and provide the mothering that she needs so desperately.
The Black Madonna/ Virgin Mary demonstrate each woman’s need to be mothered. The women’s devotion to the Blessed Mother shows the power and importance of a mother in the life of a woman.
Race
This novel treats the contentious issue of race in the 1960’s south as well as in the everyday relations between individuals. The plot demonstrates two encounters between whites and blacks in which the black person is treated unjustly. Rosaleen is sent to jail for defending herself and Zach goes to jail for not admitting which of his friends broke a bottle on a white man’s nose.
On another level, Lily must personally navigate the delicacy of the racial difference between herself and the African-Americans she comes to love in Tiburon. White people criticize Lily for living with the black women, who treat her better than anyone else ever has. Lily develops romantic feelings for Zach, who tells her that he could get killed for even looking at a white girl. Finally, for the first time Lily experiences what it is like to be judged based solely on her skin color when June complains to August that she does not want Lily in the house because she is white.
Death Gives Way to Life
Throughout the novel there is the theme of death giving way to life. The resultant life is sometimes good, but it is also sometimes bad. In the very beginning of the novel Lily tells us “People who think dying is the worst thing don’t know a thing about life.” Here, we see how Lily’s life has been profoundly affected by her mother’s death. This statement suggests that living with someone else’s death can be more painful than dying. In this case, Deborah’s death has given way to Lily’s miserable life.
However, death also can be a positive force in the lives of the living that remain. Following May’s death August tells Lily: “Putting black cloths on the hives is for us. I do it to remind us that life gives way into death, and then death turns around and gives way into life.”
Death as giving way to life is seen twice in this novel as a positive force. The first instance is the way that May’s death propels June to marry Neil, thus establishing their new life together. The second time is when Lily finally reconciles with her mother’s death and is set free to truly begin her own life.
Life also gives way to death. Literally--everyone who is born must die. But on a symbolic level, life can kill too. May kills herself because life is too much for her to bear. When Deborah learns she is pregnant with Lily she decides to marry
T.Ray. Lily’s life leads to Deborah’s symbolic death on the peach farm, where she has a nervous break down because she cannot bear to live there. This new life (Lily) also leads to Deborah’s literal death when Lily accidentally drops the gun and Deborah is hit with a bullet.
POINT OF VIEW
First-person, limited. The narrator of this story is Lily. We have access to her thoughts, but not to the thoughts of the other characters.