Thursday, November 28, 2019

One Week free essay sample

I knew him for only seven days. Before meeting Ravi Shankar, I had prepared myself for disappointment. He was not the â€Å"real† Ravi, the famous sitar-playing, Beatle-teaching, musician Ravi. Apart from reading the bland facts on his webpage, I went to the Stonecoast Writers’ Conference without having the faintest idea who he was. As much as I was looking forward to a week of writing, I did not plan on being inspired by him. In those seven days, Ravi would change my perception of writing forever. He showed me that being an author means much more than fiddling with words. Writers, even those of the wildest fantasy, state the truth in one way or another. Analyzing my work with Ravi allowed me to be more aware of these choices. As the week progressed, I grew to admire him as both a poet and a person. It is not easy to get to know someone in such a short amount of time. We will write a custom essay sample on One Week or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page But looking back, I realize that it is not just what I learned about Ravi that impressed me. It is also what he taught me about myself. Ravi did much more than just give examples of great poetry or critique my work. He guided me so that I might teach myself. By moving beyond my perceived limits, I discovered that they had never existed. Most importantly, Ravi reminded me that writing is not just about telling stories. It is about showing people that all stories are really the same. No matter how different people may try to be, our goals and desires are one. Through my writing, I have always found things about myself that I know subconsciously, but do not have the courage to admit to myself. Ravi showed me that I knew even more than I had realized. Writing is not about getting it right the first time; it is about spewing yourself all over the page and then finding the beauty in that. Those who never take chances will never have a chance at creating something extraordinary. Before I met Ravi I wrote almost solely for myself. I have since realized that this is never enough. The thought of being the change in someone else’s life is what propels me to continue long after I have become frustrated with my efforts. If I accomplish nothing else, I hope to reach one person. To achieve this, I have been challenging myself more than ever before. Through Ravi, I learned that writing consists of more than just diction and style. It is more even than understanding yourself. It is about being part of the world, not just capturing it. Writers are often portrayed as dreamers, but that is only one spice in the salsa. They have the opportunity to free their emotions, but they can also let others know that they are not alone. Ravi, with his patient attitude and quiet reflections, did that for me.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

The eNotes Blog 5 Tips to Keep Up Your SummerReading

5 Tips to Keep Up Your SummerReading With all the fabulous plans you’ve made, it can be hard to keep up with your reading goals over the summer. I certainly struggle with picking up a book when I want to sleep in and enjoy the sun. However, over the course of my college experience, I picked up some handy tips to integrate reading into my summer plans. The following five tips can help you combine a love for summer with a love of reading. 1. Find a Beautiful Spot Perhaps you don’t live in a place where the sun hides for nine months, but I certainly get excited when it comes back for the summer. I love to hike, I love to go to the beach, I love to go running in parks. So I’ve started bringing my paperback or e-reader with me. You’d be surprised how much fun it is to sit down when you reach the top of the mountain you just climbed and take 15-30 minutes to read part of your book. You get to relax, look up from the book to a beautiful view, and exercise your mind after you’ve worked out your body. 2. Read in Transit If you live in a city, you know it can take some time to get out to your favorite hikes or campsites- longer if you have to fight hordes of weekend warriors as everyone rushes out of the city. Fear traffic no more! You can start thinking of these treks as valuable reading time. I started checking out books on tape from the library and listening to the CDs as I drive. It makes long drives seem short and gives me a reason to look forward to sitting in traffic. Seriously! I get to finish just one more chapter because of this traffic jam. Pro tip:Â  The more books on tape you listen to, the more you’ll fall in love with certain readers. I’ll often pick up a book on tape just because of who is reading it regardless of the plot. I’ve branched out into some fun genres I never would have picked out for myself this way. 3. Give up on Books You Don’t Love This is controversial advice, but I stick by it. If you find that a book is taking you a really, really long time to read, or that you are not excited to get right back into it, it’s OK to let it go. This is NOT TO SAY you shouldn’t read books that challenge you or expand your worldview. Choosing to read a challenging book is a great objective that you can set before you pick up a book. But if you are reading for fun and it feels like a slog, there’s no shame in tossing the book aside and finding something captivating. I know I’ve have lost whole months of reading time trying to get into a book that someone recommended. If I don’t love the book and won’t move on, it will just sit on my nightstand while I do other things- like watch TV or play video games. When I get to this place (hopefully before), it’s time to chuck the book and read something better. 4. Find a Reading Buddy I am extremely externally motivated. Exercise, eating healthy, cleaning the house, you name it - I am so much more likely to get it done if someone holds me accountable. If you have a friend, family member, or neighbor who likes the same kinds of books that you do, make a two-person book club. Pick books to read together or simply suggest books back and forth. It can also be a great excuse to eat brunch on a sunny patio; you do have to pick an ideal location to discuss your book after all. 5. Set an Artsy Reading Goal Think about how many books you want to read this summer. Then, come up with a working list of titles. This list can come from friends, library favorites, a subscription box, etc. Now think of an artistic way to celebrate each book you finish. Perhaps you take staged pictures of the book to post to your social media. Perhaps you print, draw, or paint the cover of the book to hang on a blank wall in your house. Perhaps you knit the characters’ names into a scarf or write cartoons parodying the story. Whatever creative outlet you enjoy, incorporate it into your reading. If you are thinking about how you can create a magazine collage out of the story, you might pay more attention to the plot and get more engaged in each character’s development.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Case against Illegal Music Downloading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Case against Illegal Music Downloading - Essay Example   According to the utilitarian rule of ethics, benefits of a decision should be experienced by the entire society and decisions that benefit a few while negatively impacting the overall society should be avoided as they are illegal. In the case of illegal downloading of music, those benefiting include those who download music for free and those who supply this form of illegal music, on the other hand, those who have invested heavily including the music recording companies and those who have purchased copyrights and the musicians themselves are being negatively impacted. There are even those who believe that musicians make a lot of money through concerts and brand endorsements and if the music is provided for free, it would not impact them. Although musicians make a lot of money, there is no reason why they should not benefit from the sale of their own benefit. Another reason due to which illegal music downloading should be completely banned is that it is destroying the entire music industry. It is negatively impacting those who make music as well as those who sell it. The music industry comprises of music recording companies who are privately owned organization and are operating with the primary aim of increasing their profits and the profits of their shareholders. If music continues to be distributed and downloaded in an illegal manner, the music producing companies will be ripped off their profits and there will be no motive of producing music and thus this will lead to complete destruction of music. According to statistics provided by RIAA, during the period of 2004 to 2009, around 30 billion music tracks were downloaded in an illegal manner (RIAA, 1999). Assuming that the selling price of 1 song is $1, this means that music companies lost $30 billion due to music being downloaded in an illegal manner. The main reason due to which illegal music downloading should be illegalized and should be controlled is that it will ultimately discourage musicians from m aking music and this would include those who have been making music for quite some time and even those who are yet to enter the market.   Â