Three Skills I Would Like to Learn Essay Example for Free

Three Skills I Would Like to Learn Essay â€Å"Nothing is work unless you would rather be doing something else.† This is one of my favorite quotes. Several years ago in high school, my teacher put a new quote up every day. That particular quote really spoke to me. For example, if I am working, doing something I want to do, am I really working? I often think how amazing it would be to learn to operate heavy machinery, construct buildings, and fly airplanes. I have always been interested in learning how to operate heavy equipment. Driving along the interstate, I am always distracted when I see a construction site. First, I think it would be intriguing to completely reshape the earth into what I want it to look like. Second, how fun it would be to build nearly anything I want? Third, I am excited by the freedom of working outdoors while I operate a piece of machinery that has the power to move earth. Operating heavy equipment sounds like a very beneficial talent to have. Building construction is a useful skill for many reasons. First, think about how much money a person could save if they knew how to build their own home. Second, the freedom it would give me to choose exactly how my home was to be built. Third, there would never be any waiting for someone else to construct something for me; it would be done on my time. I think it would be very rewarding to look at my home and know that I assembled it myself. Building construction would be a lifelong skill that would pay off for many years to come. For me, learning to fly an airplane would be a huge accomplishment. One reason is I live three hours from my parents. I could save so much time by flying a small plane to visit my loved ones. A second reason is I would also be able to see them a lot more; I’ve heard that flying is significantly faster than driving. Another reason, I would be delighted to know that I was clever enough to fly a plane. For me, learning to fly a plane would give me the freedom to see the things I want anytime I want. I would love to be skilled in operating heavy equipment, building construction, and flying planes. Any of these trades would never feel like work to me, I would feel like I was playing every day. I often think how remarkable it would be to have a skill I love and all the perks that would come with it.

Creating a Living Canon: The Humanist Project of Uniting Ancient and Modern :: Essays Papers

Creating a Living Canon: The Humanist Project of Uniting Ancient and Modern The humanist preoccupation with the glory of the ancients spans the entire length of the Italian Renaissance and surfaces in nearly all the writers from Petrarch to Castiglione. The precise use of classical writers varies depending on the purpose of the Renaissance writer’s particular work—they are held up as examples to be emulated by historians, as works essential to shaping good character in their readers by the educational writers, and as personal guides in the letters and treatises of the correspondents and philosophers. However, their invocations in humanist texts exhibit a common sense of the rediscovered continuity of human nature, a continuity that had been rashly denied by the monastic tradition of the Middle Ages but was now being revived as part of the humanist project. It would not be entirely accurate to say that the humanists longed for â€Å"a return to a better past,† because they largely accepted Christianity as the final truth, and to return to a pre-Christian age would be to return to perhaps a more vigorous secular life, but also to a spiritual darkness. Instead, they aimed to synthesize the learning of the ancients with the modern Christian world and to create a unified literary and philosophical tradition that would link their seemingly disparate civilizations and could be passed on to later generations as a cohesive canon. The sense that such a unification is necessary for the broader culture because it is essential to the development of the individuals within it is propounded by the writers of the educational treatises, who advocate the liberal arts education as a means to obtaining the character worthy of a ruler and an intellectual. The liberal arts, by their very nature, include the classics—arms and letters for Vergerio, the writings of Cicero and the poets for Bruni, and the intense study of classical languages for Guarino. More than simply advocating their study, however, the educational writers incorporate the ancients’ own educational philosophies and practices into shaping their own programs. Vergerio, for example, writes that â€Å"the practice of the Spartans [of putting drunk slaves on display to show the baseness of drunkenness] seems to me by no means objectionable,† and that both Cato and Socrates exemplify the virtue of learning throughout their lives. The found ation of modern education upon tenets of classical educational philosophy exemplifies the idea of a continuous tradition from the Greeks through the moderns. Creating a Living Canon: The Humanist Project of Uniting Ancient and Modern :: Essays Papers Creating a Living Canon: The Humanist Project of Uniting Ancient and Modern The humanist preoccupation with the glory of the ancients spans the entire length of the Italian Renaissance and surfaces in nearly all the writers from Petrarch to Castiglione. The precise use of classical writers varies depending on the purpose of the Renaissance writer’s particular work—they are held up as examples to be emulated by historians, as works essential to shaping good character in their readers by the educational writers, and as personal guides in the letters and treatises of the correspondents and philosophers. However, their invocations in humanist texts exhibit a common sense of the rediscovered continuity of human nature, a continuity that had been rashly denied by the monastic tradition of the Middle Ages but was now being revived as part of the humanist project. It would not be entirely accurate to say that the humanists longed for â€Å"a return to a better past,† because they largely accepted Christianity as the final truth, and to return to a pre-Christian age would be to return to perhaps a more vigorous secular life, but also to a spiritual darkness. Instead, they aimed to synthesize the learning of the ancients with the modern Christian world and to create a unified literary and philosophical tradition that would link their seemingly disparate civilizations and could be passed on to later generations as a cohesive canon. The sense that such a unification is necessary for the broader culture because it is essential to the development of the individuals within it is propounded by the writers of the educational treatises, who advocate the liberal arts education as a means to obtaining the character worthy of a ruler and an intellectual. The liberal arts, by their very nature, include the classics—arms and letters for Vergerio, the writings of Cicero and the poets for Bruni, and the intense study of classical languages for Guarino. More than simply advocating their study, however, the educational writers incorporate the ancients’ own educational philosophies and practices into shaping their own programs. Vergerio, for example, writes that â€Å"the practice of the Spartans [of putting drunk slaves on display to show the baseness of drunkenness] seems to me by no means objectionable,† and that both Cato and Socrates exemplify the virtue of learning throughout their lives. The found ation of modern education upon tenets of classical educational philosophy exemplifies the idea of a continuous tradition from the Greeks through the moderns.

Courage to Change

Courage to Change â€Å"In Balfour, where he landed early in the morning, he almost lost courage when he found out that nobody understood him. But at the hardware store a man- the same who had made him a present of the cap he was wearing-had made signs to him as if pitching sheaves, meanwhile talking to him, tentatively , in short monosyllables, apparently asking questions. / he thought that now he looked exactly like a Canadian. † (Frederick Philip Grove 21-22). Many people immigrate to other countries because they want a better life and future. However, it's often not an easy transition.Immigrants have to deal with problems such as the language barrier, discrimination, and alienation. In the story† The First Day of an Immigrant†, by Frederick Philip Grove, one of the characters named Niels Lindstedt, is an immigrant of Canada and faced similar problems when he moved. However, he was successful in overcoming the challenges of immigration because of his courage. Th is story demonstrates that immigrants cannot be afraid to work hard, make changes to fit in, and to seek help from others in order to be accepted into the society. When an immigrant arrives into a new place, one of the most difficult things is to find work.In order to look for a job, one has to be able to communicate with others. But as an immigrant, without knowledge of the local dialect, finding employers is rendered impossible. When Niels Lindstedt landed in Balfour, Manitoba, he only knew how to speak his native Swedish language. He almost lost courage as he was unable to talk to, or comprehend with others. But that didn't stop him from finding work. Niels Lindstedt began working on his own initiative when he saw the two men frantically lifting some load of bushel. He immediately set out to help them even though it was not his job.This sudden cause of action both confused and impressed Jim, the Scotsman. Jim was so impressed in fact that he relayed the presence of Niels to the b oss which eventually landed him the job. Niels Lindstedt is courageous as he volunteered himself without someone directing where he should work. Immigrants have to be brave in order for them to overcome challenges that could prevent them from achieving a better future. Immigrants make a lot of sacrifices in order to fit into their new home. In order for them to become part of society, they have to leave behind some of their beliefs and values.For instance, changing their appearance; to help adapt to the culture of their new country, immigrants usually have to exchange their traditional garments for those of what the general population wears. When you stand out as a foreigner, it might deter other people from working with you and wanting to talk to you. When Niels Lindstedt was dressed strangely â€Å"in a new suit of overalls, stiff with newness, his flaxen-haired head covered with a blue-denim cap† (Frederick Philip Grove 19), people judged him as â€Å"foreign and absurdâ €  (Frederick Philip Grove 19).His effort in trying to adapt himself to this new country seemed so obvious and unsuccessful because he tried too hard to look Canadian. This represents that he was not afraid to make changes although it did not necessarily work. Immigrants can sometimes feel lonely. When they go to a new country, they leave behind their friends and family and end up all alone. But there are people who can help. It's up to the immigrant to seek out these helpers and ask for their advice and take them into consideration.When Niels Lindstedt arrived in Balfour, Montreal, his plan was to look for work. There he met a hardware dealer and took the advice of changing his clothes because what he wore was unsuitable for working in the harvest field. This reveals that Niels is not afraid to make changes in how he appears and â€Å"he thought that now he looked exactly like a Canadian† (Frederick Philip Grove 22). The importance of acceptance by others is that you woul d not feel lonely and be left out. Soon the people around you become your friends or family that would accept you for who you are as an immigrant.Everyday people migrate into a new country to start a new life. Many immigrants face the same problems that Niels Lindstedt had to deal with when he immigrated into Canada. They encounter the problems of finding work and acceptance by others caused by not knowing the new language and not being able to communicate with people. Works Cited Grove Philip, Frederick. â€Å"The First Day of an Immigrant. † Making a Difference: Canadian Multicultural Literature in English. 2Nd ed. Ed. Smaro Kamboureli. Print.

Creole Hybridity in Literature - 572 Words

Jamaican patois is not an official language, which is the same for most if not all languages are not, although recently, there are some creole dictionaries and Haitian Creole is being taught in schools. People tend to have a negative perception of a creole and thus, the people who speak and chose to write in this creole language are often lumped into a box. There is a stigma attached to it, and people often say that it is the language of the poor lower class of the country. Growing up in St. Lucia, I saw how this is true, people are often embarrassed by their parent who spoke creole, or they as children where forbidden to speak creole as to avoid being stereotyped. The language expresses the history of the Caribbean and the hybridity that emerges through language. In the diaspora, people depend on creating a space of â€Å"home† in the host country and language is an important part of this space. The connection immigrants feel when they come into contact with literature that features a language of their native homeland offers them their own space in the literary world, and a way for their stories to be told. The writers and people who use creole are confirming their identities as a merger of multiple influences. They use the language despite the stigma and fight to maintain the culture by doing so—language is part of one’s identity. â€Å"Wordy, Worldly Women Poets: Louise Bennett, Lorna Goodison and Olive Senior,† by Denise deCaires Narain, discusses the styles of threeShow MoreRelatedThe Muse of History by Derek Walcott1751 Words   |  7 Pageshomeland and heartland. (qtd. in Bobb 9) Walcott too believes that an artist has to arrive a voice that represents the people. 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