Harding, Warren Gamaliel

Harding, Warren Gamaliel Harding, Warren Gamaliel g?ma ´le?l [key], 1865â€"1923, 29th President of the United States (1921â€"23), b. Blooming Grove (now Corsica), Ohio. After study (1879â€"82) at Ohio Central College, he moved with his family to Marion, Ohio, where he devoted himself to journalism. He bought the Marion Star, built up the newspaper, and became a member of the small group that dominated local affairs. He entered Ohio Republican politics and was (1899â€"1903) a member of the state legislature. Harding served as lieutenant governor (1904â€"5), but he was defeated (1910) as Republican candidate for governor. His talent for public speaking and his affable personality won Harding the support of the political leaders as well as of the people and enabled him to rise into national politics; he was picked to nominate William Howard Taft at the convention of 1912, and he was elected (1914) to the U.S. Senate. His six-year stay in the Senate was undistinguished, for he followed the party whips on do mestic legislation and Henry Cabot Lodge on issues concerning the peace. In 1920, Harding was nominated for the presidency, largely through the efforts of a group of senators, after successive balloting for Gen. Leonard Wood and Frank O. Lowden had deadlocked the Republican convention. His vague pronouncements on the League of Nations and his noncommittal utterances in the campaign helped him to win the election, defeating the Democratic candidate, James M. Cox , by an impressive majority. The administration that followed was marked by one achievement, the calling of the Washington Conference (see naval conferences ). Harding, conscious of his own limitations, had promised to rely on a cabinet of best minds, but unfortunately he choseâ€"along with more capable advisersâ€"men who lacked any sense of public responsibility. At the time of the legislative deadlock of 1923 came rumors of scandals in the Veterans' Bureau, in the Office of the Alien Property Custodian, and in the departments of the Interior and Justice. In the midst of these rumors, Harding died suddenly (Aug., 1923) in San Francisco on his return from a journey to Alaska. Thus he was not troubled by the exposure of the Teapot Dome scandal and was spared the humiliation of seeing his appointees Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall and Attorney General Harry M. Daugherty brought to the bar of justice. Lesser political and personal scandals were also exposed, including revelations of romantic affairs and of an illegitimate daughter (revealed in 1927, confirmed in 2015 by genetic testing), and Harding's administration has been stigmatized as one of the most corrupt in American history. See biographies by S. H. Adams (1939, repr. 1964), F. Russell (1968), L. R. Wade (1989), and J. W. Dean (2004); R. C. Downes, The Rise of Warren Gamaliel Harding (1970); E. P. Trani and D. L. Wilson, The Presidency of Warren G. Harding (1977). The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Cop yright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: Biographies

Comparison (Kite Runner and East of Eden) - 1871 Words

William Hall once said, â€Å"People have a lot in common with one another, whether they see that or not.† This fact was made evident through reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseni and East of Eden by John Steinbeck, two novels about the lives of people thousands of miles apart but take on the similar challenges and try to lead decent and fulfilling lives. There were minute differences between the novels, but for the most part the books were very similar. Through analyzing themes, motifs and symbols within these novels, one cannot help but recognize the cords that unite humankind and defy all boundaries. The dynamics of father-son relationships are central to both novels. In The Kite Runner, Amir has a very complex relationship with his†¦show more content†¦In Hassan’s case, Amir sacrifices him for the blue kite and Baba’s love. In Sohrab’s case, his sacrifice is the exploitation of an innocent child and is eventually stopped by Amir. However, both sacrifices have life-changing consequences for the â€Å"lambs† and everyone involved. Physical characteristics are used within both novels as symbols. In The Kite Runner, Hassan’s cleft lip (which he was born with) is his most noticeable features during childhood and is used most to describe him. This deformity is used to symbolize Hassan’s status within society as a Hazara, one of the things that separates him and Amir, simply because he cannot afford to have cosmetic surgery. I believe he was born with this defect to show that the prejudice started against Hazaras at birth and could never be stopped despite all efforts (in this case Hassan’s cosmetic surgery). Social status, ethnicity and religion played a major part in the novel, which Amir admits himself, â€Å"In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi’a, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing (Hosseni 32).† These dividing factors eventually begin to distance Amir and Hassan and the community’s views about Hazaras began to aff ect Amir’s thinking. He is unable to fully view Hassan as a friend (or brother) because of his race and superior social status. greatly contributed to his ability to allow Hassan to be taken advantage of – something he’d forever regret. In East of Eden,Show MoreRelatedLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 PagesFarm, by Olive Schreiner (1883) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain (1884) Pharaoh, by BolesÅ‚aw Prus (1895) What Maisie Knew, by Henry James (1897)[23] 20th century[edit] The Confusions of Young Tà ¶rless, by Robert Musil (1906) Martin Eden, by Jack London (1909)[24] The Book of Khalid, by Ameen Rihani (1911)[25] Le Grand Meaulnes, by Alain-Fournier (1913) Sons and Lovers, by D. H. Lawrence (1913)[26] Of Human Bondage, by W. Somerset Maugham (1915) A Portrait of the Artist as a YoungRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesSUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL 24 Diagnostic Survey and Exercises 24 Personal Assessment of Management Skills (PAMS) 24 What Does It Take to Be an Effective Manager? 28 SSS Software In-Basket Exercise 30 SCORING KEY AND COMPARISON DATA 42 Personal Assessment of Management Skills 42 Scoring Key 42 Comparison Data 42 What Does It Take to Be an Effective Manager? 43 SSS Software In-Basket Exercise 43 PART I 1 PERSONAL SKILLS 44 45 DEVELOPING SELF-AWARENESS SKILL ASSESSMENT 46 Diagnostic Surveys for

The French Revolution And The Radical Stage Of The Revolution

France was under extreme turmoil because of its structure and King Louis XVI, there were many growing tensions throughout France that needed to be dealt with before the revolution was to take over. The three estates in France were under a very unequal system where the majority vote and majority of wealth came from less than 10 percent of the country; many privileges were the given to them like minimal taxes and all authority. The other 90 percent of the country was living in extremely poor conditions and were spending 90 percent of their wages on bread. King Louis XVI continued to charge the third-estate excessive amounts of taxes to pay for his contribution to the American war. Moderates believed they could change these issues through minor reforms, but when that failed the radicals realized it would take a revolution to change the problems that persisted in France. Because strict government control during the Radical stage of the revolution (1792-1794) was placed in society, a dict ator of the Radical stage, Maximilien Robespierre was able to achieve more than the moderate stage (1789-1792). There were many great ideas in the moderate stage but they were pursued with the dedication of the leaders in the radical stage, while they were already achieving many of their own goals. The beginning of the liberal revolution in France strongly anticipated the idea that people should have the power, citizen’s should be equal, and a revolution was most definitely needed. TheShow MoreRelatedComplications Of The French Revolution1364 Words   |  6 PagesThe French Revolution (1789-1799) had significant, far reaching implications. In Britain it permeated every level of society. Not only did politicians change their allegiances, but moderate reformers were radicalised, and British society was completely divided into supporters and detractors of the Revolution. It also resulted in a drastic politicisation of Ireland, changing the nature of politics completely. The British government was threatened by the French Revolution because they saw what wasRead MoreEdmund Burke and Thomas Paine: A Comparative Analysis of Their Views on the French Revolution913 Words   |  4 PagesBurke and Thomas Paine differed strongly on their views of the French revolution and the wis dom of the proceedings of the French National Assembly in 1789-90. In his book Reflections on the Revolution in France the conservative Edmund Burke argued that the concept of universal human rights that applied internationally across all societies was a meaningless abstraction that was subversive of social order, while in The Rights of Man the radical democrat Thomas Paine insisted that all human beings had equalRead MoreAnalysis Of Crane Brinton s Anatomy Of A Revolution Essay1528 Words   |  7 Pagesin history. To fight for what we believe in is natural, but history has proven that while seeking an improved quality of life, a reform stage is implemented. Once it is found that the current system cannot help the cause, radical measures are taken to overthrow one structure in favor of a more effectively organized mode of leadership. Finally, the reactionary stage addresses any unexpected consequences by stepping back and evaluating what may have gotten out of hand and prioritizin g, because consequentialRead MoreCauses Of The French Revolution911 Words   |  4 PagesThe French Revolution was a major turning point in all of European history. The old regime was destroyed and a new order came to be. We will talk about the causes of the revolution, when it ended, and if it was violent, Napoleon, what happened after his defeat, and some other leaders, and movies I have seen about the Revolution and how they were correct, plus other things I want to learn. The immediate cause of the French Revolution in 1789 was the near collapse of the French budget. On theRead More The Radical Period of The French Revolution Essay1094 Words   |  5 PagesThe Radical Period of The French Revolution By the end of 1971, Europe was preparing to witness the end of a seemingly triumphant revolution in France. The country was restructuring its government in a forceful and bloodless manner, while the tyrant King Louis the XVI agreed to the demands of the masses (albeit without much choice). However, due to the fanatical aspirations of men such as Danton, Marat and Robespierre,it would be only a matter of months before the moderate stage ofRead MoreHonorà ©-Gabriel Riqueti, Comte de Mirabeau Knew the Monarchy had to Change1168 Words   |  5 Pageschance of surviving the Revolution. He was an influential man in the Revolution without who, the Revolution may not have been the same, he had many ideas and aims, he performed many powerful actions and political inputs that no one else would. Although he was influential he was not trusted enough or alive long enough to see his plans carried out causing most of them to fail. Mirabeau was a significant man in the French Revolution but only significant in the very early stages being forgotten later causedRead MoreDifferences Between the French and American Revolutions1362 Words   |  6 Pagesthe American and French Revolutions Sometimes a revolution can take place within a country against its own current state of government, other times a revolution can take place externally to rid a country of another countrys influence. There are many components that are involved in a revolution taking place. 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In this essay, I would discuss in-depth the banning of women’s clubs and political associationsRead MoreHow Did The French Revolution Undermine Democracy?1278 Words   |  6 PagesQianying Sui Global 10D 1.23.16 PBA Essay: How did the French Revolution Undermine Democracy Since 1789, increasing discontent for food shortage and dire living conditions in France triggered massive protests against the Old Regime. By overthrowing Louis XVI and absolute monarchy, French citizens began to march toward democracy. However, the desire for participating in political decisions became so radical that fueled by internal and external conflicts, people shifted away from the principles theyRead More French Revolution Essay1141 Words   |  5 Pages Why was there a French Revolution? Between, 1789  ¡V 1799, many events occurred in France that caused an outbreak within the people thus leading to a revolution. This culminated in the France becoming a democratic government. This essay will argue that the resentment of absolute government, financial difficulties, the famine, rise of philosophes and the ongoing feud between the estates are all the major causes of why there was a revolution in France. Firstly before going into the topic, the word

Commentary †Staring At The Sun by The Offspring Free Essays

Maybe life is like a ride on a freeway Dodging bullets while you’re trying to find your way Everyone’s around, but no one does a damn thing It brings me down, but I won’t let them If I seem bleak Well you’d be correct And if I don’t speak It’s cause I can’t disconnect But I won’t be burned by the reflection Of the fire in your eyes As you’re staring at the sun When I ran I didn’t feel like I ran away When I escaped I didn’t feel like I got away There’s more to living than only surviving Maybe I’m not there, but I’m still trying Though you hear me I don’t think that you relate. My will is something That you can’t confiscate So forgive me, but I won’t be frustrated By destruction in your eyes As you’re staring at the sun Commentary (Staring At The Sun) The Offspring are commonly known to be a punk-rock band but they have taken up so many different styles in their albums that many would agree that they sing something unique which cannot be fitted fully in a specific genre of music. But the core of almost every album has been fast songs with really meaningful lyrics (and not just something that rhymes which can be often heard in punk-rock). We will write a custom essay sample on Commentary – Staring At The Sun by The Offspring or any similar topic only for you Order Now Their album, Americana not only sold over 10,000,000 copies worldwide but also presented the band in a new light and served as a development of Californian punk-rock. In Americana, the band sings about different events that happen in the life of ordinary American families and teenagers. Staring At The Sun is one of my favorite songs not only because of the music but also because of powerful lyrics which combines well with the rhythm. Generally, the song is about trying to figure out your identity and how you fit in the world. It is especially evident for teenagers that are growing up and trying to fit in everything they do. The song also tells us of people who want to fit in so desperately that they compromise their interests and transform their character in order to fit in. The lyrics remind me of a narrative poem. The first line sets the mood of the song and suggests that the persona is in deep thoughts about life. Simile â€Å"life is like a ride on a freeway† reflects the subject of persona’s thoughts. Freeway† suggests freedom in choosing your way of living or your place in the society. â€Å"Ride† links to the idea of searching for something in this society. The second line completes the idea raised in the first line that life is searching for your place, trying to fit in the world. â€Å"Dodging bullets† suggests rage which could mean difficulties that can be encountered when trying to â€Å"find yourself† and that irrespective of anger or grudge that you ma y have you should continue to seek for your place in society. The next two lines link to the idea that it is important for anybody to be who he/she is and do not care what anyone else thinks. This is suggested by the third line that although â€Å"everyone’s around†, there is really no help from them in selecting the path of your life (â€Å"no one does a damn thing†). The next line extends the idea slightly suggesting that being yourself while all the rest turn against you is very hard but you should not quit the path you have selected. The end of the third line and the beginning of the fourth are loaded with â€Å"heavy† words. This becomes even more evident as the singer stresses these words when singing the song. Repetition of â€Å"d† and â€Å"g† in the words â€Å"damn†, â€Å"thing†, â€Å"brings†, â€Å"down† emphasizes the fact that there is no help from the people surrounding you and that they essentially try to stop you from selecting your path (â€Å"bring†, â€Å"down†). But this is then contradicted by â€Å"I won’t let them†. The second stanza emphasizes persona’s unwillingness to conform to everyone else. This is suggested by the first four lines. The last three lines of the stanza are very significant. In these lines persona is trying to say that if someone is going to destroy himself, he is not going to drag the persona down with him. This is suggested by â€Å"I won’t be burned by the reflection of the fire in your eyes†. The words â€Å"burned† and â€Å"fire† are significant here as they emphasize burning, dying out, destruction of character and identity of somebody who is trying to fit in something unnatural for himself. â€Å"Staring at the sun† is a metaphor or analogy for people that are being self-destructive or compromising themselves. The persona says that he is not a part of this and appeals to people to stick to their own paths that they have selected and not compromise themselves. The â€Å"burning† of these lines suggests persona’s fury about this situation. The third stanza is about persona in the actual search for his path of life. The first two lines of the stanza suggest that you may be uncertain or doubt the path you have selected when all the people around you are trying to stop you. Echoing of running away (â€Å"ran† and â€Å"ran away†) and escaping (â€Å"escaped† and â€Å"got away†) in the same lines emphasizes your tireless search for the true path, that you may not know what to do or where to go but you should keep seeking for it. This idea is also confirmed by the last two lines of the stanza that you should live in the way you want and not to conform to somebody else’s style of living (â€Å"there’s more to living than only surviving†) just because you have to, if it is unnatural for you. The last line of the stanza confirms the idea that although you realize you have not found your path yet you should continue seeking for it. It is also significant that the idea of searching, emphasized by the first two lines (â€Å"ran†, â€Å"ran away†, â€Å"escaped† and â€Å"got away†) also links it to the idea that your mind could be confused by other people’s opinions. The last stanza again emphasizes the fact that the persona is not going to be dragged down by self-destructive people who compromise themselves. In the first two lines persona is suggesting that although these self-destructive people may understand him they cannot take any action towards changing it as their identity and character are already tied in with the thought that they have to compromise themselves. The third and fourth lines of the stanza signify the fact that persona will not be a part of that by admitting that â€Å"my will† will be guiding him in search for his path and that it cannot be manipulated or â€Å"confiscated† unlike the minds of people who compromise themselves. This is also confirmed by stressing â€Å"my will† which emphasizes strength and endurance. The last three lines of the stanza repeat the end of the second one and thus emphasize the persona’s thoughts that it is important for anybody to be who they really want to and not to try conforming to or to fitting in somebody else’s style. How to cite Commentary – Staring At The Sun by The Offspring, Papers

Write an Essay of Approximately 1000 Words free essay sample

Write an essay of approximately 1000 words, plus appropriate illustrations and references that explores the relationships between lithology, topography, soils and vegetation. Vegetation is the sum of plant life covering the ground in an area. Vegetation is a more generalised term than flora. Lithology, topography and soils all have a relationship and impact on vegetation. Lithology is the macroscopic physical characteristics of a rock, (Thomas and Goudie, 2004). Such as the porosity, grain size and chemical composition. The lithology that lies beneath the soil has an impact on the soil in an area, both the type and amount of coverage. It also has an impact upon the saturation point of the soil and rate at which any water filtrates through the soil and the bedrock. The hardness of the lithology has an impact on the type of soil and the amount of regolith. For example if the rock type is a particularly hard rock type, such as granite and the regolith is removed, as the rock is so resistant, the material cannot be as readily replenished, visa versa for a softer rock type such as a lime stone, which is weathered much more readily. We will write a custom essay sample on Write an Essay of Approximately 1000 Words or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The permeability of the underlying lithology has an impact on the vegetation and the soil. In certain areas, especially across the UK, in areas around Scotland, impermeable rock can result in the water logging of the ground. These moist growing conditions encourage the growth of certain communities of vegetation which are resistant to frequent flooding of the land, such as Salix and Cornos. The lithology beneath the soils has an impact on the main component of the soil itself. The weathered material can have an impact on the Salinity, Alkalinity and Acidity of the soil. The type of weathered material which composes the majority of the soil (not including any biota or mixing agents) has a profound relationship with the composition with the soil. If the soil is particularly saline then only certain types of vegetation can survive the harsh environment. These types of plants are commonly known as halophytic plants, vegetation which grows in these particular conditions are communities such as Salicornia and Spartina. It is a similar case for alkaline soils and acidic soils. Plants such as Baby’s Breath and Yarrow like to grow in alkaline (or chalky) environments, and plants such as Heather, Holly and many woodland plants are more suited to acidic soils. If the soil is high in minerals and nutrients it is perfect fertile ground for many different plant communities. Densely vegetated areas such as woodlands tend to have a large percentage of biota, which again encourages an even further growth of plats, and a wider variety of species. There is also a great relationship between topography and vegetation. As topography changes, it not only changes the altitudinal height and the shape of the land, it usually indicates a change in geology, and/or a change in soil. As height increases the air temperature usually falls, due to the adiabatic lapse rate. This would naturally have a relationship with the type of vegetation which occurs. Vegetation varies with altitude in response to local atmospheric and environmental changes. The higher you climb up a mountain for example, not only does the temperature decrease, but there are other weather changes, such as wind speed gains strength and precipitation levels increase (this is usually as a result of relief rainfall etc). General changes that occur in vegetation with height increase a reduction in plant size, lesser species of plants / plant communities, and also a slower rate of growth occurs over all. Vegetation and slopes do have a relationship, however it tend to be the slope being dependent on the vegetation as opposed to the vegetation being dependant on the slope. The density of vegetation coverage on a slope has a major impact on the slopes stability. A dense network of roots; provide a binding surface, keeping the top layer of soil intact. The local lithology, soil type and density, and the topography all have a relationship with vegetation, the species, variety, growth rates and density. There are other more obvious factors which have certain controls on vegetation, such as temperature, rainfall and sun exposure. Overall everything that has been mentioned and more has a relationship with vegetation, either directly or indirectly. Each factor is interlinked in a very sensitive and dynamic system. Word Count 781 References Websites Unknown. (2009). vegetation and soil. Available: http://www. yourclimateyourlife. org. uk/a_soil_types. html. Last accessed 12 Aug 2010. Unknown. (2010). Top Ten Herbaceous Perennials For Chalky / Alkaline Soils. Available: http://www. findmeplants. co. uk/plants-alkaline-soils. aspx. Last accessed 12 Aug 2010. Books David S. G. Thomas and Andrew Goudie (2004). The Dictionary of Physical Geography. 3rd ed. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

Social Standing in To Kill A Mockingbird †English Essay

Social Standing in To Kill A Mockingbird – English Essay Free Online Research Papers Social Standing in To Kill A Mockingbird English Essay Social hierarchy is a very important part of any community, fictional or no. In Maycomb County, who the characters are, what they own, the color of their skin, and how they act on the public streets all contribute to their standing in Maycomb, among other things. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the people of Maycomb’s ability to see people as more than just their social standing is tainted due to patronizing attitudes towards people who are inferior to them on the social ladder, and thusly interfering with their ability to judge other people fairly and unbiasedly. In Maycomb, there is a definite separation between those who are higher and those who are lower on the social ladder. The populations of the poor and the blacks are normally lower on the ladder than the rich and the whites. As you go from the center of the town to the country, the neighborhoods slowly shift from a rich and white population to a poor and white population, finally stopping at the communities of the black population of Maycomb in the very country. First Purchase African M.E. Church was in the Quarters outside the southern town limits, across the old sawmill tracks. (99) Along with this physical separation, the townspeople’s attitudes towards the people living on the outer section of town are less than positive. The white rich folks look down upon those such as the Robinson family because they are black or the Ewell family because they are poor. These prejudices are a perfect example of why Mayella Ewell is â€Å"the loneliest person in the world†¦lonelier than Boo Radley, who hadn’t been out of the house in twenty-five years† (162). She is lonely because she is white and she is poor. When Atticus asked had she any friends, she seemed not to know what he meant, then she thought he was making fun of her. She was as sad, I thought, as what Jem called a mixed child: white people wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she lived among pigs; Negroes wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she was white†¦Maycomb gave [the Ewells] Christmas baskets, welfare money, and the back of its hand. (162) By that same token, not all of the lower-class families have a positive attitude towards the rich, as is demonstrated by Lulu’s actions at the church, asking Calpurnia why she was â€Å"bringin’ white chillun to [a] nigger church† then stating that Calpurnia â€Å"ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here† (100). With this sort of behavior going both ways in Maycomb, it is hard to break the stereotypes the social classes have for each other and, essentially, the barriers between classes. These stereotypes come to surface when Tom Robinson, a black man, is brought to court on charges of raping Mayella Ewell, a white girl. During the trial, Mayella Ewell gives evidence of the way other people treat her due to her social standing in the town by telling Atticus that she â€Å"won’t answer a word [he says] long as [he] keep[s] mocking me† (153). Although Atticus is not mocking her, but trying to be polite, Mayella is not used to being talked to politely unless the politeness in question is sarcastic. Mayella looked from under lowered eyelids at Atticus, but she said to the judge: â€Å"Long’s he keeps callin’ me ma’am and sayin’ Miss Mayella. I don’t hafta take his sass, I ain’t called upon to take it.† (153) Because Mayella is unused to polite treatment from others, she believes that the only reason Atticus is treating her nicely is because he’s making fun of her. This isn’t true, but it’s a stereotype that Mayella has towards all of the people who are in higher social classes than she is, even though not all of the people are like that. Also during the trial, substantial evidence is presented in favor of Tom Robinson’s innocence. However, while the deliberation is taking place, Reverend Sykes warns Jem not to â€Å"be so confident†¦I ain’t never seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man† (177). Sure enough, when the jury comes out of deliberation after three hours, they pronounce Tom Robinson guilty. By their logic, he is a black man, and black men can’t be trusted. Why? Because the stereotypes that the jurors have against Tom Robinson’s social class cloud their judgment. Black men are liars, they are crude, and they can’t be trusted; wouldn’t it be best to lock one up in case he actually does something? With these stereotypes in the way, characters and their attitudes are obviously biased in lieu of these opinions. â€Å"Well, coming out of that courthouse that night Miss Gates was†¦talking with Miss Stephanie Crawford. I heard her say that it’s time somebody taught ’em a lesson, they were gettin’ way above themselves†¦Jem, how can you hate Hitler so bad an’ then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home[?]† (210) The people living in the town of Maycomb aren’t naà ¯ve or stupid; they’re simply prejudiced. Prejudice in Maycomb is what one does in order to â€Å"fit it†; it isn’t so different than wearing the right brand of clothing or playing the right sport to gain leverage with the â€Å"in-crowd† in high school. If someone isn’t prejudiced, it’s considered â€Å"weird† or â€Å"not right†, unless you have a very high standing in the town. Then it’s â€Å"just their way† (162) of life. Nearly everyone in this book wants to â€Å"fit in†, and they’ll do whatever they need to do in order to reach that high status, even if it means giving an innocent black man a death sentence. Because of a primal urge to be one of the crowd, it is hard to judge someone without bias about who they are, what they own, the way they act on the public streets, and, maybe most importantly, the color of their skin. Research Papers on Social Standing in To Kill A Mockingbird - English EssayWhere Wild and West Meet19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraThe Hockey GameCapital PunishmentQuebec and CanadaThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresStandardized Testing

The Best Prep Books for SAT Writing

The Best Prep Books for SAT Writing SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you planning on buying a book to help you prep for SAT Writing? In this article I will discuss the top prep books for SAT Writing on the market today, and why you should or should not buy them. These books can be found at bookstores, the library, or online. If you make use of all these books and practice effectively, you'll be sure t o improve your SAT writing score. Who should use these books? Books are a great way to study for students who are serious about their prep and who are able to motivate themselves. Keep in mind that studying from books is not the most effective method for all students. It’s important that you know how you study best. Buying a book is not going to track your progress or motivate you to study – so you need to be able to do that for yourself, and you also need to be able to understand and evaluate your own mistakes and progress. If that sounds like you, these books will be great for you. In order to take full advantage of these books, you also need to be willing to make a time investment. Just buying a book is not going to make a difference to your score – you have to be willing to commit and spend time – we’re talking at least 10 hours, or much more depending on where you’re starting from - going through it in order to get the benefits. So if you’re looking to invest a good deal of time and want to make a significant improvement in your SAT Writing score, read on to see which books can help you! Foundational Books There are two books that all students should have before taking the SAT. The Official SAT Study Guide from the CollegeBoard Sold on Amazon from $11.81. It’s critically important that when you study, you are using real questions that actually appeared on the SAT. Why? Many test prep companies have people who don’t really understand the test writing their practice questions. There is a good chance that if you only study questions written by prep companies, you will not be seeing the kinds of questions that actually appear on the SAT. The Official SAT Study Guide provides you will 10 full-length practice tests. For the Writing section, that’s 490 multiple choice questions to practice with. When you buy the book, you also get online access to explanations to all of the answers. Additionally, many of the books I will mention below make references to the questions in this book as examples. Where it could be improved: Unfortunately, this book does not work as a complete study tool. It gives little to no explanation for the different concepts that are tested on the test, and only gives the most basic strategy tips – some of which are quite debatable (such as when to guess). Similarly, the online explanations for right and wrong answers aren’t the best. They tend to expect a high level of comprehension of the basic concepts, so you’ll need to understand your own mistakes to make the most of this book. Because of this, it’s best to pair this book with another one or two from the list below, depending on what your score goals are. SAT Prep Black Book by Mike Barrett Available on Amazon from $17.97. This book is critically important because it teaches you how to think about the SAT. It aims to teach students that anyone can succeed on the SAT, as long as they approach the test the right way. For example, the test is predictable in that the material tested is always the same, but has to be difficult enough to stump some students. Therefore, the fairly straightforward grammar rules on the Writing portion of the test will be presented in unexpected ways. If you are ready to view the test this way, it will be easier to see where the College Board is trying to trick you. It contains a lot of practical strategies for how to approach each type of question, and then also explains the answers to several of the questions in The Official SAT Study Guide in depth. In particular, this book gives great advice for how to tackle the essay section of the test. Where it could be improved: This book does not give a clear set of guidelines for how to approach each question, which might make it confusing for some students. I would recommend reading this book for general strategy and learning how to think about the test, and pairing it with other books if you want a more straight-forward list of rules. The end of the book gives a â€Å"Grammar Toolbox† that outlines all of the major grammar concepts you will need to know for SAT Writing. However, these are not paired with example SAT-style questions, so it won’t be the best resource for many students. Best SAT Writing books for high scorers (650 – 800) Blackstone Review’s Maximize Your Writing Score on the SAT Available new at Amazon from $21.95. This excellent prep book focuses in on only the grammar rules covered on SAT Writing. There are several features that make this book stand out. The grammar skills are ranked by the frequency they appear. Each grammar point is ranked between one and three stars, depending on how frequently the concept is tested on the SAT. This is helpful because it helps you focus your studying. You can just cover the most important (3 star) concepts if you're in a rush, or you can focus on the 1 star concepts if you already know the basics andare aiming for a high score. While other test prep books do tell the frequency of grammar rules, this book does it in a very visually-friendly way, which a lot of students may find helpful. The realistic diagnostic test will help you make an effective study plan. The book starts with a diagnostic test. Now, students can always make their own diagnostic tests. I’ll talk about this more below. But I particularly like this diagnostic test because it gives example sentences that test grammar concepts in a very similar way to the SAT. Even better, it gives detailed explanations for each answer and pinpoints which grammar concept is being tested in each question (along with where to find that concept in the book), before showing how the sentence could be revised to be grammatically correct. Though, again, you can do the same process on your own with the practice tests in The Official SAT Study Guide, this could save you a lot of time and help you to quickly see which concepts you are struggling with. This also means you can save all ten practice tests in The Official SAT Study Guide for later practice. Every concept is explained very clearly. The grammar points in this book are laid out in a way that is very easy to read and understand. The grammar rules are explained clearly, briefly, and directly. After each rule, the book gives at least one SAT-style question with an error of the grammar concept just introduced, an explanation of why the error is incorrect, and then gives a revised version of the sentence with the error corrected. I like the immediate reinforcement of each idea, and the revised sentences can help students get used to what correctly-used grammar looks like. Similarly, the end of each chapter gives you additional well-written practice questions with clear explanations. Students who don’t want to get bogged down with a lot of extra words should really like this direct and simple approach. It gets to the point quickly and makes it easy to stay on task. Additionally, the instruction in this book focuses on grammar concepts instead of technical grammar terms. It won’t bog you down with things that you don’t need to know to do well on SAT Writing. The study guides and appendixes at the end of the book provide added depth. The end of the book has two useful review sections. The â€Å"Study Outline† briefly goes over all the grammar concepts covered, and the â€Å"Super Quick Study Guide† gives an overview of just the most important and most frequently-tested grammar concepts. Though this is an unnecessary feature, these sections are nice bonus tools with example sentences that you canuse to get your mind in the correct mode right before the test. The book has several very helpful appendices on topics including â€Å"Common Irregular Verbs†, â€Å"Confusing Word Pairs†, â€Å"Common Prepositional Idioms†, â€Å"Common Diction Errors†, and â€Å"Wordiness and Redundancy†. These are very thorough and go into much greater detail than most SAT Writing test prep books. A lot of these topics, such as prepositional idioms, are things you will need to study if you are aiming for a high score. There is an excellent guide to the essay section. Finally, this book has a guide for the essay section of the test. This is especially valuable because some other Writing SAT prep books completely ignore the essay portion. The essay guide gives some good tips about how to approach the essay, which is something a lot of students struggle with. You’ll get tips for how to start the essay with a strong statement, how to effectively use notes, and what kind of examples you will need. It’s especially good for talking about the mindset you need when you approach the essay, and I think that this combined with the tips given in the Black Book would well prepare stronger writers for the test. However, if you are a weaker or very not confident writer and need a lot of hand-holding and instruction for the essay section of the test, you should probably get an additional guide. Of course, this book is not for everyone. Here’s where it could be improved: The end of the book has example test questions with detailed explanations for each answer. Though these are quite well-written and test grammar in the same way the real SAT does, the questions are pretty limited. There are only 40 Identifying Error questions, 25 Improving Sentences questions, and 7 Improving Paragraphs questions. Many students will not find this to be enough practice. As noted above, this book addresses each grammar topic in a concise and to-the-point fashion. I think these explanations are more than enough for students who have at least a decent understanding of grammar basics. While this will appeal to some students, it will be a turn-off for others who prefer to have things explained in more detail. Finally, the essay tips will not be thorough enough for students who need a lot of help with their writing. The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar and the accompanying workbook by Erica Meltzer Available new at Amazon from $27.86. The workbook sells from $28.45 here. Meltzer has a great understanding of the grammar that appears on the SAT and does a good job of explaining the concepts in detail. She goes through everything that you will need to know in order to aim for a perfect score. There are a lot of things that make this book a great pick. Itexplains concepts from the first principle. Metzerdoesn’t assume any prior grammar knowledge, and gives enough information (starting with an overview of the different parts of speech) to help out those who are not confident in their grammar skills or need a refresher of what they learned in grade school and high school. It's comprehensive but focused. The book covers all of the grammar concepts that you will need to know for SAT Writing. Unlike some prep books which leave out the more complex and less-tested material, Meltzer gives a great amount of detail on even the rarest types of question, such as diction questions, for which she also includes a list of commonly confused words that have recently appeared on the SAT. All of the concepts have this level of thoroughness, which means this is a great resource for students who are looking for a book that will help them drill the most difficult types of questions. Going along with the previous point, Meltzer only covers minimal additional material that does not appear on the test. Most of this is foundational knowledge-type material, and she clearly notes that it won’t directly be tested. After introducing each grammar concept, Meltzer gives several example sentences of the concept being used both incorrectly and correctly. This is a great feature because it allows students both to see some common mistakes, and to see how they can be fixed. The practice questions are excellent. At the end of each concept-based chapter, Meltzer gives several practice questions. For the most part, these questions ask you to find a grammar mistake in the sentence and fix it. She also has very good cumulative tests after every few sections. Though these tests don’t follow the SAT format, I think they are very helpful because they gives students the chance to first make sure they really understand an individual grammar concept (with no help or guessing from multiple choice options!) in the chapter tests, and then follows that with good practice of finding different types of grammar mistakes, which is the skill you have to develop for the SAT. Additionally, she gives some of the best-written SAT Writing-style practice questions that you will be able to find outside of The Official SAT Study Guide. Her SAT-style questions test grammar concepts in the same way that the SAT does, and her writing style is extremely similar to the style used by the writers of the actual test. This means that you will have a valuable extra resource of practice questions, in addition to those in The Official SAT Study Guide. She explains every grammar question inThe Official SAT Study Guide. Some of my favorite resources in this book are Meltzer’s very detailed appendices. She goes through all of the practice tests in The Official SAT Study Guide and breaks them down by grammar concept tested. This is immensely valuable for students because when taking those practice tests, they can use these appendices as a guide for understanding what kinds of questions they are missing. Also, if you have a certain grammar concept you want to have more practice with, you can look up the specific questions in the Study Guide that cover that concept. Of course, this book could also be improved. Here’s how: This is a very dense book. While some students will love this writing style, others will find it very difficult to get through. While treating less important topics with a lot of thoroughness is what the highest-achieving students will be looking for, for most others it will simply be too much information. Going along with that, unlike Blackstone Review’s book mentioned above, Meltzer’s book is not very visually-friendly. For example, while she does tell which question types most frequently appear on each part of the test, you will need to read closely to get that information, which makes it more difficult to skim and skip around to cover the most important concepts. The example sentences she uses to explain and test grammar concepts do not look like the questions on the SAT. While this won’t be a negative for many students (and I personally think they are very effective at testing the grammar concepts), some students may want to stick to SAT-style questions. While Meltzer does give answer keys to all of her questions in the main text, she does not give detailed explanations for why the answers are right or wrong. This will not work very well for students who need more hand-holding to understand grammar mistakes. The workbook that accompanies the text gives additional practice that really should be included in the main book. As it is, it's expensive to have to buy two books to get what should be included in one. Finally, this book does not cover how to approach the essay, and the main text does not include practice questions for the Improving Paragraphs questions. So if you want to focus in on either of those sections of the test, this will not be the best book for you. Best SAT Writing Books For Mid-range Scorers (400 – 650) Barron’s SAT Writing Workbook by George Ehrenhaft Available on Amazon from $10.99 (Kindle) This book is great if you are a middle-range writer because it holds your hand like no other for the essay portion of the test. More advanced writers, however, will probably find some of the advice to be simplistic. There are a lot of things that make it great for a student at this level. It starts with a good, lengthy overview of each question type on SAT Writing. If you are less familiar with what you are going to see on SAT Writing or are particularly intimidated by the structure of the test, this will give you a good grounding to work with. It includes a full diagnostic test with SAT-style questions. After the explanations, this book gives a full diagnostic test of the Writing section of the SAT, including a practice essay question. The questions are very reminiscent of questions that have appeared on past SATs, so they should be helpful for students to understand their strengths and weaknesses. The best part of this is the detailed answer section, which not only gives several sample essay responses, but also goes through each multiple choice question in detail, telling why each correct answer is correct, and what grammar rule is violated by each incorrect answer. It gives in-depth instruction for the essay. This book dedicates a whopping 82 pages to how to write the essay. It takes you through everything you could possibly want to know, in detail. If you pair this with the basic strategy found in the Black Book listed above, you should have no further questions about how to improve your essay score. The grammar explanations are straightforward. All of the main grammar concepts that you will need to know for the test are briefly explained. This book does not go into as much detail as Meltzer’s book or the Blackstone Review book, but it is more than enough for what you will need for a mid-range score. After each grammar explanation, the book gives an SAT-style multiple choice question. It’s helpful for students to be able to immediately see the concept put to use in the way it will appear on the test. All of these multiple choice questions are followed with detailed answer explanations. There are also several practice questions that are not in the style of SAT questions, which are good for nailing down grammar concepts without the prop of having answer choices. The grammar concepts are divided by what you are most likely to find on each section of the test (Improving Sentences, Identifying Errors, and Improving Paragraphs). While there is a lot of overlap in the grammar concepts, this could be helpful for students to pinpoint where they are struggling if they tend to do worse on one section. This book also goes into greater detail on the Improving Paragraphs questions than many other test prep books do. There are a lot of opportunities for practice. Finally, the end of the book has four well-written practice tests, which will be good additional practice if you need more than the ones in The Official SAT Study Guide. All of the questions have detailed answer explanations. Where it could be improved: Many of the practice questions are not in the style of SAT questions, and some students will prefer to have more SAT-style questions to work with. The grammar explanations do not go into a lot of detail and can be vague. This lack of detail means that you may not get everything you need to master the trickiest concepts. Also, some of the grammar is repetitive because it is found in multiple sections (ie., both in Identifying Errors and in Improving Sentences). For SAT Writing Books for Low Scorers (400 and below) If you are getting a very low score on SAT Writing, it may be because you are a non-native speaker of English or are otherwise missing a fundamental understanding of how English grammar works. Since you can’t run before you walk, I would recommend starting with books that are not specifically aimed at the SAT, but are going to give you a strong grammar foundation that you can build upon with further study. English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy Available on Amazon from $16.78 English Grammar in Use is great for helping struggling students get to terms with grammar basics, especiallyverb tenses, their uses and special constructions. It also includes lessons on trickier subjects such as â€Å"may† vs. â€Å"might†, idiomatic preposition use, relative clauses, and participles. The pages are all written in simple, easily understood English. Every lesson is illustrated to further aid comprehension, and they're followed by a full page of practice exercises. This text has been popular for a long time for students learning English as a foreign language, but it is a helpful resource for anyone who needs a refresher of important grammar foundations. Easy Grammar Plus by Wanda C. Phillips Available on Amazon from $28.52. Phillips effectively teaches the basics of grammar and sentence construction by breaking them down into the different parts of speech. Every new topic has several pages of exercises for extensive drilling. It's this repetition that really helps the new concepts stick with students. This book is especially good for students who find the wording of other grammar books to be too complex. It is written with a 4th grade vocabulary, so you can focus your attention where it matters - on the grammar. How to use these books If you are a mid-range or high-range scorer, start out with reading through the Introduction and Writing sections in the Black Book (apart from the explanations to questions in the Official SAT Study Guide). This will help you get in the correct mindset to approach the test and is good to build general strategy. Take a practice Writing test from The Official SAT Study Guideand score it. Make a note of each question you got wrong or had to guess for. Mark down which section it was in (Improving Sentences, Identifying Errors, or Improving Paragraphs) and also what grammar concept it was testing. To do this, you can either use the appendix in Meltzer’s book, or you can use the explanations for The Official SAT Study Guide that can be found online. (Note that if you have chosen to use a book that includes a diagnostic test, you can use that instead and the answer explanations may make understanding your mistakes a lot easier!) In whatever book you choose, skim through the grammar concepts you are most comfortable with to make sure there is nothing that surprises you, but really focus your studying around the concepts that you missed in the practice test. Keep taking the practice tests in The Official SAT Study Guide to check how you are improving. If you are a low-range scorer, start studying a long time in advance (at least 6 months). Ideally, you should cover the material in the foundational books and then move on to one of the other books that focuses specifically on the SAT. Once you have given yourself time to get the basics down, follow the steps above. What’s Next? If you're not sure that book studying is for you, check out our test prep program. PrepScholar starts with a diagnostic test and then helps you focus your studying on what you need the most work on. Also check out our free resources to start prepping for the test. Our blog covers every grammar concept you will find on SAT Writing, as well as general strategies for each section. Aiming high? Look at these key strategies to score an 800 on SAT Writing, written by a perfect scorer. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Writing and grammar lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial: