Right Before My Very Eyes :: Vision Brain Seeing essays

Right Before My Very Eyes "I'll believe it when I see it:" is one of many common catch phrases included in our every day vernacular. A person who declares this is asserting that they will not be fooled by another's assumptions or perceptions of the world. This understanding raises a great sense of security within us, concerning the things that we do see, and inversely, an unavoidable sense of insecurity in those beliefs that are not supported by vision. Do you believe in Ghosts? Angels? Out of body experiences? Would you believe if you could see them? Maybe not. But it is possible to offer those who are withholding there stamp of approval on things that exist but cannot be seen, a better summary of evidence, which could make the inability to see something an invalid criteria for belief. Could a summary of evidence be compiled that would support this: Our vision is incomplete, incorrect, and can even be as misleading as to create something within the brain that does not exist at all, shedding light on a b rain that is more of a visionary, and less of a reporter. Human beings rarely contemplate the significance of their own blind spot, a place where processes of neurons join together and form the optic nerve; it is here that the brain receives no input from the eye about this particular part of the world. What I discovered while entertaining myself with a simple eye exam aimed at divulging the capabilities of the brain in the face of the eyes blind spots was fundamental in my exploration of the trust we place in vision, and so I will explain it briefly. Our brain can ignore a dot that exists on the page and "fill" the spot with the color of its surroundings, no matter what the color. However, it is not that our brain cannot conceive of an image or of a shape to fill this place. Continuing with the experiment leads you to find that the brain will continue the line that is obstructed with the black dot, covering the sides of the dot in the surrounding color, and transforming the image before you into a line within your brain. A line that i s absolutely not there. This reveals more than just a weakness in the eye, but an ability of the brain! (1)

Education Philosophy Essay

The impact of religious studies on the education system is a subject that is increasingly making many education researchers and experts invest their time on, as the world goes global and multicultural education becomes popular. This subject is especially established in the higher education context, due to the interest multicultural education is increasingly raising to educationists. This paper examines the impact Islamic philosophy and Christian philosophy, the two major religious studies, have on higher education. In spite of the fact that higher education has been increasingly becoming secularized since the late nineteenth century (Roberts and Turner, 2000), the impact the Islamic and the Christian philosophy has on higher education, globally, is immense. The Islamic philosophy, a division of Islamic studies whose main aim is synchronizing the Islamic faith and reason, draws its impact on the global higher education from Islamic religious principles and teachings. This is the fundamental reason why the subject is a major tropic of interest in the education context, given the influence that Islamic teachings and practices have to the learning processes and strategies of a student. In his book, Philosophy of education: an encyclopedia, Joseph James Chambliss writes that one of the leading issues in the Islamic philosophy of education regards how religious teachings relate with secular knowledge, or other knowledge emanating from outside the Islamic religion. Religious knowledge, for instance, is recognized by Islam as the most important source of knowledge, a fact that has a dominant influence on the education system in countries such as in the Middle East, where Islam is the religion practiced by the majority. Chambliss notes that although it is common belief that religious instructions and secular instructions are distinct, imitation of religious methods and practices is often seen in secular settings (Hoosain & Salili, 2006). One way this happens is, for instance, the recitation by heart of chapters and quotations, a practice that is common in secular schools. This practice is also common in Christianity sectors, where many students imitate practices learnt in their However, certain practices and modes of culture may have adverse impacts to higher education. One feature of Islamic philosophy involves the modes of teaching religious knowledge, whereby the religious teacher is supposed to teach unchallenged by the students, who are not encouraged to raise difficult questions requiring clarification of more than technical ideas. This is because the teacher is viewed as a transmitter of knowledge that is not supposed to be challenged, and any attempts to challenge it are taken as Islamic criticism. Under such an environment, it would seem unusual for a student to have information that would be of value. This greatly discourages student participation in the class. Moreover, the student imaginative capabilities are discouraged since by the teacher being the custodian of the truth, any imaginative attempts of the students would be viewed as a distortion of the truth . the students are not supposed to another negative impact to the higher education is on (Chambliss, 1996). These ideas have a major impact on the higher education, since many students; in the global context make use of concepts and practices learnt in their formative years in their studies. The current trend in education, where more and more students are increasingly getting their higher education from overseas institutions, ensures that students are in touch with other students with such practices as aforementioned. References Chambliss J, (1996 ). Philosophy of education: an encyclopedia Taylor & Francis, Retrieved April 1, 2009 from

Research Methods in Health and Social Care

Research Methods in Health and Social Care Critical review of quantitative research Majid,S. Foo,S. Luyt,B. Ahang,X. Theng,YL. Chang,YK. Mokhtar,IA. (2011) Adopting and evidence-based practice in clinical decision making: nurses’ perceptions, knowledge , and barriers. Journal of the Medical Library Association 99(3) PP229-236. This essay will be a critical review on the study conducted by Majid et al (2011). The article which is titled ‘Adopting evidence-based practice in clinical decision making: Nurses’ perceptions, knowledge, and barriers’.Investigates the attitudes of Singaporean nurses regarding; evidence based practise. The researchers wanted to identify how the nurses informed were about evidence base practice. They also wanted to identify how the nurses researched literature. Evidence based practise is about good practice and improving the quality of care, this is achieved through a combination of evidence and professional expertise, integrated into clinical practice (Baker, 2012). The study reveals that the majority of nurses working in public hospitals in Singapore have positive attitudes towards evidence based practice.Literature review A literature review is a complete study and understanding of research literature that researchers examine prior or during their research study (Aveyard, 2010). Majid, et al. (2011) looked at a wide range of literature within their research, it is imperative for researchers to look at numerous research related to their research topic to gain an insight on how they conducted their study and the conclusion that was identified from the study (Aveyard, 2010). Literature reviews should have a sufficient amount of studies considered.Majid, et al. (2011) looked at a total of twenty two studies, by reading a sufficient amount of studies this ensures that the researcher does not get a misleading picture of the topic (Aveyard,2012). The sources used within the literature were relatively old; these old sources may not be relevant to current times. Literature reviewed should not be more than five years old as attitudes and beliefs change frequently meaning the studies could not be relevant to current attitudes and beliefs (Godshall, 2010). Majid, et al. 2011) found from their literature search that the general view on evidence based practice was positive. This could question whether Majid, et al. (2011) conducted a systematic review of the literature as there was no mention of any research which found that nurses found a negative view on evidence based practice (Houser,2008). The studies mentioned in the literature at were not conducted within the southeast of Asia therefore Majid, et al. (2011) wanted to investigate attitudes towards evidence based practice from the southeast of Asia.This gives justification for the study as there have only been studies conducted in North America, Europe and other developed western countries. Majid, et al. (2011) wanted to compare the result from their study with the previous studies. Majid, et al. (2011) also discovered that most of the literature that was reviewed shared the same findings on barriers to evidence based practice. The healthcare professionals claimed that lack of time was the barrier to acception, adoption and implementation of evidence based practice. Majid, et al. 2011) in addition recognised that only a few studies that they researched had explored the literature searching skills of nurses Literature reviews should be systematically y reviewed to ensure that the research reviews are reliable (Graziano and Raulin, 2007). Majid, et al. (2011) did not state whether the studies that were looked at were systematically or peer reviewed. Approach and Methodology The study was a primary study however did look at survey instrument used by other previous evidence based practise studies. Majid, et al. (2011) used a quantitative method of research.Quantitative research methods require finding a variable for concepts, operationalising them in the study and measuring them (Grix, 2010). Majid, et al. (2011) study did this by using a survey questionnaire as a means of collecting data. The questions were compiled by a team comprising information studies faculty at the Nanyang Technological University and nursing representatives from the National University hospital. Making the questionnaire unbiased towards the researchers. Marczyk, et al. (2005) states that it is important for all research to not be biased towards the researchers.Quantitative research methods are objective as it uses measurements and analysis of statistical data to answer the study question. The researchers’ opinions do not affect the outcome of the study, ensuring that the study is unbiased. Another advantage is quantitative research uses numbers and statistics which is understood universally (Houser,2008). The researchers have clearly described how they implemented their research in the methods section; the study is easily replicable as it uses a survey questionnaire to collect data.However the research study would have been better if they used qualitative methods to find out the nurse’s perceptions, knowledge and barriers towards evidence based practice in clinical decision making. Majid, et al. (2011) could have interviewed some of the participants to get detailed descriptions of how they feel about evidence based practice in clinical decision making. This would allow the researches to get an in-depth understanding making the study more valid (Saris and Gallhofer, 2007).Quantitative research is best used for quantifying relationships between variables (Hopkins, 2008). The objective of the study was not to identify relationships between variables instead was to explore the attitudes, awareness and knowledge towards evidence based practice. Some could argue that making this study more suitable for a qualitative study. Quantitative research study should have a hypothesis (Maryann, 2010). Majid, et al. (2011), did not state a hypothesis for their study neither did they define a prediction of what they think was going to be the outcome of the research.Sample The samples used for the research conducted by Majid, et al. (2011) were registered nurses in 2 public hospitals in Singapore. The researchers made 2,100 copies of the questionnaires to be completed, however 1,486 were completed. The response rate was 70% ,for quantitative research a large sample size is essential to ensure that the study is statistically accurate (Houser, 2008). The fact that not all of the questionnaires were completed means that the study cannot be fully generalised as some people did not respond.Also some staff was on annual, medical or maternity leave therefore could not participate again making the study not generalised and potentially biased. Majid, et al. (2011) used two different hospital sites to collect data from; this is a good approach as the views on Evidence based practice may be different in the two hospitals, therefore allowing for a comparison of the hospital views. However this could be a negative as only two public hospitals in Singapore were used, therefore making the study hard to generalise to other hospitals in Southeast Asia.All research must follow ethical guidelines. Researchers must ensure that their research ensures confidentiality, anonymity, legality and professionalism (Grix, 2011). Majid, et al. (2011) had ethical approval from the Domain Specific Review Board, appointed by the National Healthcare Group. The researchers did not have consent forms for the participants; however the participants were made aware that by completing the questionnaire they were giving their consent. The nursing managers were briefed and asked to hand the questionnaires out.There is no evidence that the participants were given a briefing from the nursing managers maybe it could have been more ethical if Majid, et al. (2011) briefed the nurses themselves before asking them t o complete the questionnaire. As the questionnaire was self administered the respondents may not have got the reassurance or debriefing needed ( Nosek, et al. 2002). Data collection Data collection must be appropriate, reliable and valid (Houser, 2008). Majit, et al. (2011) used a survey questionnaire. A 5-point liket scale was used in the questionnaires for collecting the nurse’s perceptions on evidence based practice.The advantages of using a likert scale are that the questions are easy to construct, furthermore the likert scale allows for easy comparison of the participants responses. The disadvantage of using a likert scale is the total score of an individual’s response does not have a clear meaning as a total score can be fixed by a variety of answer patterns (Kothari, 2004). Survey questionnaires require the participants to answer questions presented to them. The questionnaire was self administered, which allows for anonymity and less control from the researcher (Mitchell and Jolley, 2012).The first set of questions were demographic questions which as education, job title and length of experience. Majid, et al. (2011) used the results from the demographic information collected to identify a relationship between the demographic information and the ability to undertake evidence based practice activities and other related activities. Another advantage of the survey questionnaires are that a large sample group was targeted within a small space of time. The surveys were collected within a2-week period. Maybe if they waited 3-weeks they might have had a greater response rate.Lastly survey questionnaires are easily replicable as the questions are standardised therefore making them a good method of research (Mitchell and Jolley, 2012). The disadvantages of using survey questionnaires for data collection includes respondents of are usually unreliable as the participants may not have time to complete the survey. Majid, et al. (2011) had a response ra te of 70%. In addition research is also prone to the Hawthorne effect as the participants know that they are being tested, they may not answer the questions on the questionnaire truthfully (Waltz et al, 2010).This may mean the study To assess the nurses’ ability to search databases a hypothetical top was presented to the nurses, with 5 possible search statements and were asked to choose the most appropriate search statement. The validity of this method of measuring their ability to search a database could be questioned. Results The results are presented in table form making the data easy to analyse Majid, et al. (2011) seemed to make assumptions about the beliefs and attitudes towards evidence based practice. The result percentages are too close together.The results from the questions asked about beliefs and attitudes towards evidence based practice showed that 64. 3% of the nurses either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement that they preferred using traditional methods than new patient care approaches. Majid, et al. (2011) failed to account for the 35. 7% of respondents who didn’t disagree or strongly disagree. Majid, et al. (2011) found that 52. 8% of the nurses disagreed with the statement that they do not like people questioning their clinical practices that are based on established methods.From this Majid et al concluded that the nurses were open to adopt new health care approaches. Majid, et al. (2011) again did not take into account the 47. 9% of respondents who did not disagree. Majid, et al. (2011) used a statistical test to investigate possible relationships between the ability to undertake evidence based practice activities and other related variables. Their findings were a weak relationship was found between the ability of nurses to implement evidence based practice and their length of experience.Nurses who had higher qualifications were likely to have better abilities to undertake different evidence based practice tasks . Lastly nurses who attended evidence based practice training were likely to feel more competent in their abilities to implement evidence based practice. Majid, et al. (2011) was able to determine these results using data collected from the questionnaires. . This supports the finding s of the other literature which was mentioned in the literature reviews. Reliability and validity All research studies should have a high reliability and validity.Reliability is the ability to consistently measure what is being measured. Godshall (2010, p. 36) writes that ‘Validity is the ability to measure what is supposed to or is intended to be measured’. To ensure that the content of the questionnaire was valid Majid, et al. (2011) had the questionnaire reviewed by a team of experts. Majid, et al. (2011) used a large sample size of 1,486 making the study reliable as a large number size is important in ensuring that the research is reliable. However the responses from the questionnaire c ould not be truthful therefore making the study results unreliable.The results showed that 64% of the nurses expressed a positive attitude towards evidence based practice. 64% is not a large enough percentage to conclude the study.. Majid, et al. (2011) assessed the reliability and content validity of their questions using Cronbach alpha. Questionnaires in general have a low validity as the questions do not explore the topic in depth or detail. Majid et al, 2011 conducted a pilot study to test the survey questions. The feedback received showed that the participants wanted the language and the format of the questions changed.By conducting a pilot study this ensures that the study is reliable and valid. Conclusion and clinical implications The conclusions made from Majid et al, (2011) study were that nurses had a positive attitude towards evidence based practice. However they found adopting evidence based practice difficult due to barriers which effect adaptation of evidence based pra ctice. Majid, et al . (2011) suggest that hospital management arrange evidence based practice training and providing time off from work to learn and put into practice new techniques.To summarise the study was a conducted well, the study is easily replicable, although to further the study Majid, et al. (2011) should have considered using a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods. Majid,et al. (2011) could have interviewed the nurses to get a further insight into the nurses attitudes and beliefs. Reference List Aveyard. H, 2010, Doing a Literature review in health and social care. A practical guide. 2nd ed, New York: Open university press. Baker. J, 2012, Evidence-Based practice for nurses, London: Sage Publications. Bowling. A and Ebrahim.S, 2005, Handbook of health research methods, Berkshire: Open University Press. Godshall. M. 2012, Fast facts for Evidence Based Practice, Newyork: Springer publishing company. Graziano. M. A and Raulin. L. M, 2007, Research methods a proces s of inquiry, 6th ed, Boston: Pearson Education. Grix. J, 2010, The Foundations of Research, 2nd Ed, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan Hopkins. G. W, 2008, Quantitative Research Design, Sports Science, [online] Available at http://libweb. anglia. ac. uk/referencing/harvard. htm [accessed 16th May 2012]. Houser. J, 2008, Nursing Research: Reading, Using, and Creating Evidence, London:Jones and Bartlett.Kothari. R. C, 2004, Research Methodology: Methods and Technique, 2nd ed, New Delhi: New age international. Marczyk. R. G, DeMatteo. D and Festinger. D, 2005, Essentials of Research Design and Methodology, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Mitchell. L. M and Jolley. M. J, 2012, Research design explained,8th ed, Wandsworth: Cengage Learning. Saris. E. W and Gallhofer. N. I, 2007, Design,Evaluation and analysis of questionnaires for survey research,Wiley-Interscience Waltz. F. C, Strickland. L. O and Lenz. R. E, 2010, Measurement in Nursing and Health Research, New York:Springer Publishing Compa ny.

Stroke Warning Signs Seen Hours or Days Before Attack

Stroke Warning Signs Seen Hours or Days Before Attack Warning signs of a stroke may appear as early as seven days before an attack and require urgent treatment to prevent serious damage to the brain, according to a study of stroke patients published in the March 8, 2005 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. A total of 80 percent of strokes are ischemic, caused by the narrowing of the large or small arteries of the brain, or by clots that block blood flow to the brain. They are often preceded by a transient ischemic attack (TIA), a â€Å"warning stroke† or â€Å"mini-stroke† that shows symptoms similar to a stroke, typically lasts less than five minutes and does not injure the brain. The study examined 2,416 people who had experienced an ischemic stroke. In 549 patients, TIAs were experienced prior to the ischemic stroke and in most cases occurred within the preceding seven days: 17 percent occurring on the day of the stroke, 9 percent on the previous day, and 43 percent at some point during the seven days prior to the stroke. â€Å"We have known for some time that TIAs are often a precursor to a major stroke,† said study author Peter M. Rothwell, MD, Ph.D., FRCP, of the Department of Clinical Neurology at Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford, England. â€Å"What we haven’t been able to determine is how urgently patients must be assessed following a TIA in order to receive the most effective preventive treatment. This study indicates that the timing of a TIA is critical, and the most effective treatments should be initiated within hours of a TIA in order to prevent a major attack.† The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 18,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous systems such as stroke, Alzheimers disease, epilepsy, Parkinsons disease, autism, and multiple sclerosis. Common Symptoms of a TIA While similar to those of a stroke, the symptoms of a TIA are temporary, and include: Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.Sudden confusion or problems understanding.Sudden difficulty speaking.Sudden vision difficulty in one or both eyes.Sudden dizziness, loss of balance or coordination, or difficulty walking.Sudden, severe headache with no apparent cause.

Differences Between France and Finland †Humanities Essay

Differences Between France and Finland – Humanities Essay Free Online Research Papers Differences Between France and Finland Humanities Essay Before coming to Finland, I thought that I would be head over heels facing a strange world with no sun, long nights, and icy cold snow all around. I thought I would be disorientated by meals made of fish days after days, especially salmon. My imagination seemed quite limited about all the other aspects of a Finnish â€Å"way of life†. I didn’t know so much about Finland and I couldn’t manage to picture it as a real country: it was like a â€Å"white mystery† which attracted me a lot. The first thing I noticed when I travelled from Helsinki to Savonlinna was this flat landscape. I come from Grenoble in the south east of France, a town situated in the Alps, where, anyway you look, huge mountains prevent you from seeing on the horizon and make you feel in a safe fortress. Here, when you cross a frozen lake, you can’t see anything on the horizon but snow plains It’s an amazing landscape and I love it ! I have learnt that the highest top in Finland is Halti (1328 m) ; in France it’s the Mont Blanc (4808 m) which shows a huge difference ! The second thing I noticed, still in this journey, was the endless view of snowed trees all around for miles with an empty sky surounding the horizon and without any city. It’s something really different from Francebut easy to understand when you know the Finland’s area is 338 142 km ² for 5 183 542 inhabitants that is 15,33 inhabitants/km ² whereas France’s area is about 551 500 km ² for 59 765 983 inhabitants that is 108,37 inhabitants/km ² ! Finland has some place left for nature which can not be found easily in France The last thing I noticed during this trip was the silence on the bus! We were the only people talking, which made me feel uncomfortable at first, but after few days in Finland, I could see that Finnish people are quite shy and silent people and then I understood that nobody was dead in the bus and that there was no reason to keep quiet? !! The second thing about Finnish people which seemed quite strange for me at the beginning is the big space between people. I am under the impression that people keep a kind of distance with the others. For example, Finnish people I have met don’t kiss to say hello or goodbye, which is a highly usual thing in France. Maybe these characteristics about Finnish could be explained by the geography of the countryThere is many space here for everybody so people may be used to keep their distance and may need that to feel good. Something really typical from Finland which does not exist at all in France is sauna. It’s amazing to see how people like it and how many saunas you can find in a km ² !! But, here in Savonlinna, I got used to go at the swimming pool everyday however I was a bit stunned by the nakedness. Indeed, in sauna, you have to get naked, and people have no problem with that, girls go there with their mothers and sometimes with their grandmothers, then everybody take shower and go back, still naked, without any towel, in the changing room in which there is no cabin to change one’s clothes. For me, it’s not so much shocking, I know that everygirls is the same and so on, but I really can’t even imagine myself going naked in a sauna or in any other place with my friends, mother or grandmother! Food is a matter of state importance in France and I was surprised to see that the Finnish population does not deal with it the same way as I do. I have an insight of Finnish food habits during my training as I work in a place where elderly people come several times a week. They spend the day, have some fun and eat breakfast and lunch there. The main thing is the unbelievable number of coffees drunken everyday by almost all the Finnish!! The difference with France is not only the consumption, but also the way to drink it: loads of Finnish drink â€Å"white coffee†, with milk, which are quite long ones whereas in France, you drink only a little cup but quite a strong, and if you need milk, you have to ask as it is not an usual thing in France. When I observed people drinking coffee, I had the feeling that there is kind of a â€Å"coffee culture†: people drink coffee to start off the day, after lunch, in the afternoon and so on. However they really appreciate it as they t ake time to dress the table, to help oneself, to relish it Coffee is also always served with food: slices of bread at breakfast, biscuits, cakes or karjalan piirakka in the afternoon snack. In France, at breakfast, people usually eat some slices of bread (the most popular one is called â€Å"baguette†, it’s a long white bread) with butter and jam. Here, bread is quite always a wholegrain one on which the Finnish put some slices of cheese, ham, margarine and some vegetables (cucumber, tomatoes, salad). I have also seen many old people at work eating some porridge in the morning but not with oasts, I’m not sure of that but I think it’s wheat, that they cook in water or sometimes milk. At lunch, my first observation is that the Finnish have lunch quite early (11 am, in France it’s not usual to have lunch before 12 am). Lunch is quite the same as in France for entrà ©e and main dish which is meat or fish with vegetables, but people drink milk, and put some margarine on the slices of bread. The last thing about food I have noticed is that many people, during the day, drink sirop and no pure water. Some others differencesabout sports, I have noticed that here when you talk about ski, people think about cross country skiing whereas in France and especially in my region, ski means for everybody alpine skiing. I have noticed that the most popular sports in Finland are especially healthy ones, like cross country skiing, ice skating, running, biking, swimming, Nordic walk and so on. In a general way, I think Finnish people have a healthy life, and take a better care of themselves than French people. According to what I saw still at work, the Finnish appear less stress than the French and it even seems to be connected to the general way of life : jacouzis and saunas everywhere, healthy food, few smockers places, regularly practice of sport, and of course this peaceful environment! Last observation, life in Finland is really expensive, some people say that it is the same in all the Nordic countries? To conclude, Finland is quite a different country compared to France, in many ways. I think most of the differences can be explained by the simple fact of geography, weather and temperatures, density of people in a km ² I am pleased to live in Finland for now. I think it’s a nice and beautiful country. Moreover, it’s really interesting to live for few months in such a different cultural way of life. I am crazy about nature and sport, and here I have so many opportunities to take advantage of it ! Sometimes I’m thinking that I could live herebut the Finnish tongue seems to me so difficult that I have to think deeper about this possibility! Anyway, my stay in Finland will remain for an happy and cherish time! Research Papers on Differences Between France and Finland - Humanities EssayThe Spring and AutumnMind TravelAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 219 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraWhere Wild and West MeetQuebec and CanadaUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresCapital PunishmentAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeThe Masque of the Red Death Room meanings

5 Alternate Writing Techniques in English You Havent Heard of

5 Alternate Writing Techniques in English You Havent Heard of 5 Alternate Writing Techniques in English You Havent Heard of Your professor reads through a dozen of papers each time he/she assigns an essay. If you want to get a high grade, you have to ensure that your paper stands out from the rest. How can you do that? If you have mastered the basic writing techniques, here are five more advanced ones that you can use to set yourself apart from the rest. 1. Be Original As often as possible, try to take a unique approach on the topic, offer an original perspective, or use your words in a fresh and interesting way. As your professor sifts through a dozen of papers, he/she does not want to see the same topic many times. Take a creative approach to the assignment that will help you stand out, and you will get a higher grade as a result. Depending on the assignment, you should also write in your own unique voice. For some assignments, you may need to be extremely formal and academic. However, if you have a more creative assignment, use an informative conversational tone. Write the way you would speak to someone you respect and feel comfortable with. Allow your writing to reflect your own personality and your style as well. Writing in such a manner allows you to interact with the audience. 2. Tell a Story If you have a practical, real-life anecdote that is related to the topic you are writing about, it is usually appropriate to tell briefly a story that illustrates your point. Not only this makes your point easier to understand, but it can also be entertaining for the reader. Many writers do not use this technique, so it is one of the ways to set your writing apart. However, make sure that your story is directly related to your paper and is not off topic or unnecessary. Also, get to the point quickly without spending an excessive amount of time on the story. A few sentences are usually enough to entertain the reader and to express your point. 3. Show, Do Not Tell This technique especially applies to creative writing, but it can be used in other types of writings as well. When you are writing, simple telling the reader some information, it is not really effective. It is better to show the reader through details, examples, and evidence. Paint a picture of the information you are trying to explain. In creative writing, this can include using the five senses to make your writing vital. Describe how something looks like, smells, feels, tastes, and sounds to create a vivid image in the reader’s mind. In informational or persuasive writing, such a technique can mean including examples and evidence to support the claims. Instead of saying that Abraham Lincoln is the greatest United States president, show that he is the greatest United States president by providing evidence and giving examples. Instead of saying that you were nervous, talk about your sweaty palms and racing heart. This is one of the best writing techniques in English, and it will surely impress anyone who reads your paper. 4. Use a Call to Action A call to action is better to use in persuasive writing. Such a technique invites your reader to take some sort of action, and it is an excellent item because it engages your audience and involves it in reading your paper. A call to action can be anything that is relevant to your topic. For example, if you just have spent an entire paper convincing readers that every individual is responsible for the health of the planet, you could conclude your essay by encouraging your readers to recycle or conserve water. If you write a persuasive paper about a law that everyone should think about, you can include a call to action advising your readers to call legislators or sign a petition. The call to action should invite the reader to act and make them involved in reading your paper. 5. Use of Figurative Language You have probably heard of figurative language before- this is the language that is used creatively and is not meant to be taken literally. Figurative language includes simile, metaphor, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, and symbolism. You should definitely use figurative language in creative writing, but it can also be an effective technique in informational or persuasive writing. A well-placed metaphor can impress your reader and make your point more beautiful and understandable. Next time you are assigned to write a paper, try using these techniques. Your professor will be surely impressed!

Legal Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Legal Ethics - Essay Example A Morgan poll conducted in Australia showed that the public has a poor opinion of lawyers1 which has been deteriorating over the years, findings which replicated those of the American Harris Poll conducted in 1997, showing a deterioration in the perception of lawyer prestige from 36% in 1977 to 18% in 1997.2 The movies portray lawyers in an adversarial, litigating role at trial courts, especially in the case of women lawyers.3 This highlights the aggressive and confrontational role of lawyers and enhances this image in the public mind. Graham and Maschio have pointed out how the conventions of movies interact with the conventions of law4. Through a particular depiction of various categories of lawyers in films, such as female or gay lawyers, the general image of such lawyers may be distorted among members of the public. Rapoport has pointed out how the public images of lawyers as revealed on the silver screen could also affect the manner in which lawyers view ethical dilemmas and make ethical choices, with law students being particularly susceptible to such images.5 The notion of professional and ethical responsibility of lawyers is being increasingly undermined by the screen images and Ross and MacFarlane have highlighted evidence which suggests that students â€Å"do not take the courses in professional responsibility seriously.†6 In general, students take up courses in law for the purpose of better earnings, rather than being motivated by the desire to practice law in an ethical manner7. Moreover, films tend to portray lawyers as bad characters who conduct themselves in an unprofessional manner, which undermines the confidence of the public and also affects the perceptions of new emerging lawyers. Asimov provides several examples of such negative portrayals of lawyers in films– for example, the character of arrogant and rude lawyer Martin Vale in the film â€Å"Primal fear†, or the drug abusing character of