Book Analysis on Undercover Essay Example for Free

Book Analysis on Undercover Essay As the days grow shorter, Elisa worries that the increasingly urgent letters she sends her father wont bring him home. Like the undercover agent she feels she has become, Elisa retreats to a pond in the woods, where her talent for ice-skating gives her the confidence to come out from under cover and take centre stage. But when Lila becomes jealous of Theos friendship with Elisa, her revenge nearly destroys Elisas ice-skating dreams and her plan to reunite her family. A. Book 1. Author Beth Kephart was nominated for the National Book Award for her book A SLANT OF SUN. In 2000, she received a National Endowment for the Arts grant, and she also won Pew Fellowships in Arts grant in 2005. At the age of nine, Beth Kephart began to skate on a pond in Boston, where she taught herself the every moves Elisa teaches herself in this story. Beth won her first competitive freestyle competition at a Wilmington, Delaware, rink. Today she ballroom dances and is an avid gardener. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family. 2. Title The main character in the story fits the title under cover, the fact that the main character hides her skill of skiing to her friends and family. B. Characters Protagonist: Elisa Cantor- she is a father’s daughter and doesn’t really relate well with her mother and sister. Antagonist: Lisa- Theo’s girlfriend; known for her beauty and popularity. Supporting Characters: Tina Cantor- Elisa and Jilly’s Mother. Jilly- Elisa’s Sister, she is a very fashionable teenager like her mother. Mr. Cantor- Elisa’s Father, he understands Elisa. Theo- Elisa’s classmate in Honors English, a special friend and one of the boys who ask love notes from Elisa. Margie- Elisa’s past best friend in eighth grade and classmate in Honors English. Dr. Charmin- an Honors English teacher and believed and supports Elisa’s talent in writing. Mr. Marcoroon- a strict Math teacher. Mrs. Garland- a friend of Tina. Stuart little- a client of Mr. Cantor in San Francisco. Sarah- an Honour English student. II. Plot A. Exposition 1. Setting The story takes place in a pond in the woods where she always find herself at ease and thinking she could be herself there alone while skating. B. Complication When her father has to go away for work it makes their life complicated. To make it even more complicated, Elisa starts to fall on a boy who she is providing with poetry to woo another girl. C. Climax Lila tore the dress of Elisa before the start of the skating competition. D. Denouement Elisa never let herself be defeated by wearing the torn dress made by the antagonist, Lila, while skating gracefully. E. Resolution Yes it’s a happy ending because finally her family was once again reunited and everyone accepted the real her. III. Analysis 1. Did you admire the author for writing this book? Why? Yes. A teenager who reads this book would really understand the feelings and thinking’s of the main character of the story. Many teenagers can relate of how it feels to be a loner or to be bullied. 2. Tell something about the cover, did it spark your interest? Does it fit the story? It did spark my interest because it makes me wonder what story it will give me. Yes it does fit in the story because the covers do tell the story. 3. Who is your most favourite character? Why? My favourite character in the story is Elisa Cantor. For being brave enough to uncover her great skill to everybody even when she herself has no confidence that everyone would accept her and gain their respect. 4. Who is your least favourite character? Why? My least favourite character in the story is Lisa, because of her jealousy of Theo’s friendship with Elisa; her revenge nearly destroys Elisa’s ice-skating dreams and her plan to reunite her family. . What is your favourite part of the story? Why? My favourite part of the story is when Elisa got sick during the last days of Christmas season, which was the time that her sister and mother took care of her and after her sickness they finally become close to each other. 6. What is your least favourite part of the story? Why? My lea st favourite part of the story is when Lisa and her friends destroyed Elisa’s dress that was made by her mother and sister for the ice-skating competition. 7. Discuss your favourite quote from the story. â€Å"You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain Are moving across the landscape, Over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, Are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, The world offers itself to your imagination, Calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting Over and over announcing your place in the family of things. † It tells about a person who doesn’t have to be perfect just to meet their expectations. Being yourself is a lot more happy and easy than pretending or trying to be someone you are not. 8. What is your realization about life after reading the novel? After reading the story I realize in life that you shouldn’t hide yourself from others, don’t be scared of letting them know your true self and don’t give up on something that you haven’t tried yet.

Dali :: Essays Papers

Dali Spanish painter. Born into a middle-class family, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid, where he mastered academic techniques. Dalà ­ also pursued his personal interest in Cubism and Futurism and was expelled from the academy for indiscipline in 1923. He formed friendships with Lorca and Buà ±uel, read Freud with enthusiasm and held his first one-man show in Barcelona (1925), where he exhibited a number of seascapes. He wrote the screenplay for Buà ±uel's Un Chien Andalou (produced in 1928), largely thanks to which he was adopted by the Surrealists. In Paris he met Picasso and Breton, and his involvement from 1929 onwards, his effervescent activity, his flair for getting publicity through scandal and his vivacity which counterbalanced the political difficulties encountered by the group, made him a particularly welcome addition. "Over the next few years Dalà ­ devoted himself with passionate intensity to developing his method, which he described as 'paranoiac-critical', a 'spontaneous method of irrational knowledge based on the critical and systematic objectivation of delirious associations and interpretations'. It enabled him to demonstrate his personal obsessions and fantasies by uncovering and meticulously fashioning hidden forms within pre-existing ones, either randomly selected (postcards, beach scenes, photographic enlargements) or of an accepted artistic canon (canvases by Millet, for example). It was at this period that he was producing works like The Lugubrious Game (1929), The Persistence of Memory (1931) and Surrealist Objects, Gauges of Instantaneous Memory (1932). Flaccid shapes, anamorphoses and double-sided figures producing a trompe-l'Å“il effect combine in these works to create an extraordinary universe where the erotic and the scatological jostle with a fascination for decay - a univers e that is reflected in his other works of this period, including his symbolic objects and poems (La Femme visible, 1930; L'Amour et la mà ©moire, 1931) as well as the screenplay for L'Age d'Or (1930). "It soon became apparent, however, that there was an inherent contradiction in Dalà ­'s approach between what he himself described as 'critical paranoia' - which lent itself to systematic interpretation - and the element of automatism upon which his method depended. Breton soon had misgivings about Dalà ­'s monsters which only lend themselves to a limited, univocal reading. Dalà ­'s extreme statements on political matters, in particular his fascination for Hitler, struck a false note in the context of the Surrealist ethic and his relations with the rest of the group became increasingly strained after 1934. The break finally came when the painter declared his support for Franco in 1939.

Unit 1-7 Test

Question 1 0 out of 2 points | | | Most people can think at _______ times the rate at which most people talk. Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| 3 to 4| | | | | Question 2 0 out of 2 points | | | Defining a computer as â€Å"a programmable electronic device that stores, retrieves, and processes data† represents what type of meaning? Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| denotation| | | | | Question 3 2 out of 2 points | | | The answer to all of the following questions can help you avoid self-fulfilling prophecies except:Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| Why can't I compete with others who do the predicted behavior? | | | | Question 4 0 out of 2 points | | | Which of the following questions can help you find ways to become more other-oriented? Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| all of the above| | | | | Question 5 0 out of 2 points | | | Self-awareness, an understanding of your core identity, isAnswer| | | | | Correct Answer:| all of the above. | | | | | Question 6 2 out of 2 points | | | Howard Giles' Communication Accommodation TheoryAnswer| | | | | Correct Answer:| claims that when another group is attractive and powerful, we adapt our communication style to their speech behaviors and norms| | | | |Question 7 2 out of 2 points | | | Immediately after listening to a short talk, most of us cannot accurately report _____ percent of what was said. Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| 50| | | | | Question 8 2 out of 2 points | | | Researchers suggest that _____________ percent of the meaning we generate when interacting with others may be conveyed through nonverbal behaviors. Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| 60 to 70| | | | | Question 9 2 out of 2 points | | | Your textbook presents seven key elements of effective communication. The first element on that list isAnswer| | | | | Correct Answer:| Self| | | | Question 10 2 out of 2 points | | | ______________ is the ability to restate what people say in a way that indicates you have understood what they mean. Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| Paraphrasing| | | | | Question 11 2 out of 2 points | | | On average, we spend approximately ____________ of our communicating time listeningAnswer| | | | | Correct Answer:| 40-70 percent| | | | | Question 12 0 out of 2 points | | | Why are many people confident when asked to sing in a choir, but nervous when asked to sing solo? Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| fear of the spotlight| | | | Question 13 0 out of 2 points | | | Which of the following is not a characteristic of paraphrasing? Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| the ability to repeat exactly what a person has said| | | | | Question 14 0 out of 2 points | | | If you are willing to stand up for yourself in appropriate ways to fulfill your needs, you are practicingAnswer| | | | | Correct Answer:| self-assertiveness| | | | | Question 15 0 out of 2 points | | | Immediacy strategies refer toAnswer| | | | | Correct Answer:| the extent to which you seem approchable or likable. | | | | Question 16 2 out of 2 points | | | Members of most work groups interact with one another at Hall'sAnswer| | | | | Correct Answer:| social distance| | | | | Question 17 0 out of 2 points | | | Which media was used extensively to report events and opinions during citizen uprisings and protests in Iran in 2009? Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| Twitter| | | | | Question 18 2 out of 2 points | | | A study by the Business-Higher Education Forum listed _________________ as the most important skill area for career preparation in college.Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| oral communication skills| | | | | Question 19 0 out of 2 points | | | What type of listening enables you to identify and understand a person's feelings or motives? Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| empathic listening| | | | | Question 20 0 out of 2 points | | | Good listeners use their extra thought speed toAnswer| | | | | Correct Answer:| summarize main ideas| | | | | Question 21 2 out of 2 points | | | In Latin, the word credo meansAnswer| | | | | Corr ect Answer:| â€Å"I believe. â€Å"| | | | | Question 22 2 out of 2 points | | If the word â€Å"computer† evokes a negative image of an increasingly complex software nightmare that frustrates and infuriates you, what type of meaning is influencing your response to the word? Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| connotation| | | | | Question 23 0 out of 2 points | | | Identify the function of nonverbal cues in relation to verbal messages in the following example: When David asks Elaine whether she was able to buy any more of the on-sale Saran Wraps, she nods as she says â€Å"yes† while holding up three fingers and says â€Å"three. â€Å"Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| repeats the verbal message| | | | | Question 24 out of 2 points | | | Mindfulness requiresAnswer| | | | | Correct Answer:| all of the above| | | | | Question 25 2 out of 2 points | | | Anthropologist Edward T. Hall identifies four zones of interaction used by most North Americans. Which of the followin g answers is NOT one of Hall's zones? Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| business distance| | | | | Question 26 0 out of 2 points | | | Which of the following statements about the nature of nonverbal communication is described in the following sentence: â€Å"Depending on the circumstances and occasion, a laugh can be interpreted as amusement, approval, contempt, scorn, or embarrassment. Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| Nonverbal communication is highly contextual. | | | | | Question 27 0 out of 2 points | | | What percent of women in the United States feel unhappy about their weight and want to be thinner? Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| 75-80%| | | | | Question 28 2 out of 2 points | | | The Communication in Action feature in Chapter 6 explains that tattoos and body piercings can affect a person's credibility in all of the follwoing ways exceptAnswer| | | | | Correct Answer:| tattoos and body piercings have permanent and serious effects on a person's health| | | | | Question 29 ou t of 2 points | | | While preparing for a corporate job interview Richard pays careful attention to selecting appropriate clothing (including a long-sleeved blue shirt to hide his tattoo), reminding himself to smile and establish eye contact with the person who will be interviewing him, and answering questions in a strong, confident voice. What aspect of nonverbal communication has Richard failed to consider? Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| none of the above| | | | | Question 30 2 out of 2 points | | | According to Hofstede's dimensions of culture, which country is ranked #1 in terms of masculine values?Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| Japan| | | | | Question 31 0 out of 2 points | | | According to the 2000 Census, 75% of the people living in the United States were white. By 2006, _______________ of people living in the United States were white. Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| 56. 6%| | | | | Question 32 0 out of 2 points | | | According to your textbook, people who believe that t heir culture is better than other cultures or that their culture should be the role model for other cultures would be classified asAnswer| | | | | Correct Answer:| ethnocentric| | | | Question 33 0 out of 2 points | | | Identify the function of nonverbal cues in relation to verbal messages in the following example: You say the words â€Å"I'm angry† with a loud volume, forceful gestures, and piercing eye contact. Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| accents the verbal message| | | | | Question 34 0 out of 2 points | | | The two most common fears among North Americans areAnswer| | | | | Correct Answer:| fear of snakes and fear of public speaking| | | | | Question 35 2 out of 2 points | | | Which of the following religions is the oldest?Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| Hinduism| | | | | Question 36 0 out of 2 points | | | In order to maintain a positive self-concept we often try to make ourselves look good byAnswer| | | | | Correct Answer:| doing all of the above. | | | | | Questio n 37 0 out of 2 points | | | Research suggests that leakage cues (unintentional nonverbal behaviors) may reveal deceptive communication. Which of the following answers describes a leakage cue? Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| higher pitch, vocal tension, and longer pauses| | | | |Question 38 0 out of 2 points | | | In which interactional context does a limited number of people, usually two, interact for the purpose of sharing information, accomplishing a specific goal or maintaining a relationship? Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| interpersonal communication| | | | | Question 39 0 out of 2 points | | | The fear or anxiety associated with either real or anticipated communication with another person or persons is referred to asAnswer| | | | | Correct Answer:| communication apprehension| | | | | Question 40 out of 2 points | | | Marguerite is a conscientious member of her work team. her listening style, however, annoys some of the other members. She tends to be an impulsive decision ma ker who rarely weighs the pros and cons of her decisions. What is Marguerite's listening style? Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| time-oriented| | | | | Question 41 2 out of 2 points | | | People who exhibit effective nonverbal communication skills tend to haveAnswer| | | | | Correct Answer:| all of the above| | | | | Question 42 0 out of 2 points | | If you are thinking about your upcoming vacation plans rather than llistening carefully to your friend's problem, you are preoccupied byAnswer| | | | | Correct Answer:| internal noise| | | | | Question 43 2 out of 2 points | | | Which of the following is the best example of an abstract word? Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| fairness| | | | | Question 44 2 out of 2 points | | | A corporate CEO relates that when he fumbled his way through a speech and started to ramble, he noticed that he was losing listeners and then became even more unnerved.The CEO was reacting toAnswer| | | | | Correct Answer:| feedback| | | | | Question 45 0 out of 2 points | | | Which of the following statements is an inference? Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| Rodney does not care about the group's project. | | | | | Question 46 0 out of 2 points | | | Your textbook defines communication as the process of using verbal and nonverbal messages to generate meaning within and across variouscontexts, cultures, and channels. Which term in this definition refers towhere, when, and under what circumstances you communicate?Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| 3. context| | | | | Question 47 2 out of 2 points | | | According to your textbook, ________________ communication refers to the interaction of three or more interdependent people who interact for the purpose of achieving a common goal. Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| group| | | | | Question 48 2 out of 2 points | | | According to your texbook's definition of culture, which of the following groups of people meet this definition? Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| All of the above| | | | |Question 49 0 out of 2 points | | | Anthropologist Edward T. Hall studies spatial relationships and how the distance between people communicates information about their relationship. He refers to this tendency asAnswer| | | | | Correct Answer:| proxemics| | | | | Question 50 0 out of 2 points | | | What are the distance parameters most North Americans use when interacting with close personal friends and family members? Answer| | | | | Correct Answer:| 18 inches to 4 feet| | | | | Sunday, October 7, 2012 8:04:08 PM CDT OK

Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep - 1829 Words

The ability to feel and express empathy is a characteristic that has always distinguished robots from humans. No matter how similar a robot appears to a human, they can not produce genuine human emotions in any given social setting. Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? as well as the movie inspired by the book, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, explores the human-like nature of rogue Nexus-6 androids and the way they attempt to assimilate into society as well as their abilities that distinguish them from humans. Although the prime method of distinguishing androids from humans is detecting their lack of empathy, both the novel and film demonstrate that androids possess an equal, sometimes greater, ability to feel than†¦show more content†¦Later on in the novel, as well as in the film, Rachael and Rick share an intimate moment where they disclose their feelings for each other. This moment alone is a solid example of Rachael’s ability to f eel, especially since in the film, this scene carries an intense tone that hints at strong, passionate feelings between the two, most likely that of love. In the film, Rachael and Deckard share a kiss, initiated by Deckard, yet his eyes remain open while hers remain closed (01:11:35 - 01:11:37). This small yet important detail shows that Rachael has fallen in love with Deckard, while his feelings for her are still uncertain. Love is one of the emotions androids are not expected to be able to have during their four-year lifespan according to Harry Bryant (00:15:01 - 00:15:19) but Rachael proves that expectation wrong by demonstrating her love for Deckard in this scene. In the novel, Rachael further exhibits human emotions when she reveals that her current actions of seduction are simply her executing her programming to stop bounty hunters from retiring androids: â€Å"‘No bounty hunter has ever gone on,’ Rachael said. ‘After being with me. Except one.’... à ¢â‚¬ËœI see,’ Rick said. He felt numb. Completely. Throughout his entire body (575).† This is a pivotal moment in the novel as it raises questions about Rachael’s ability to feel. The obvious intent behind Rachael s actions is that she is simply carrying out her programming, and no emotions are involved inShow MoreRelatedDo Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep1211 Words   |  5 PagesDick’s 1968 novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, examines the idea of empathy—forcing characters and readers alike to question just how much empathy one must have to be considered human. The main hero, Rick Deckard, feels as if androids and electric animals are incapable of feeling empathy toward humans or other machines—a characteristic that determines androids to be nonhuman. Since Deckard classifies androids as being nonliving, he believes it is acceptable to â€Å"retire† androids. While Rick DeckardRead MoreDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep14 72 Words   |  6 Pagesto mars, technology has advanced very much and they have androids that serve as their personal slaves. †¢ The main character is Rick Deckard, he is a bounty hunter that works for the police and hunts down escaped androids to retire them (what basically means kill them). †¢ In this book Rick Deckard has to hunt down 5 escaped nexus-6 androids, these are a new kind of androids that are much more advanced then any other type of androids. They look exactly the same as humans and are equally smartRead MoreDo Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?1116 Words   |  5 Pages Sherryl Vint’s essay â€Å"Speciesism and Species Being in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?† discusses the relationship between androids in Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and animals in reality. In the novel, humanity has had to flee to Mars in order to escape the dust that is plaguing the Earth. On Mars, androids are used as a readily available labor source. Vint compares the relationship of humans and androids in the novel to that of humans and animals in the real worldRead More`` Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep 1515 Words   |  7 PagesPhillip Dick’s â€Å"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep’’ is a science fiction novel describing humanity’s struggle for survival in a post-apocalyptic world after a nuclear war has irradiated the Earth, the world is pretty much a wasteland, forcing humans to create a separate colony on Mars. The novel explores the importance of empathy in an increasingly technological world where humans struggle for relevance. In the spirit of Phillip K. Dick’s questioning of reality and identity, it only makes senseRead MoreDo Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?1798 Words   |  8 Pagescannot be determined The novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was published in 1968 by Philip K. Dick. Set in post-apocalyptic Earth, the novel follows the story of Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter who is faced with the task of ‘retiring’ six renegade androids. Similarly, Inception by Christopher Nolan follows a man named Cobb and his ability to access one’s dreams to steal or plant ideas in their subconscious. Philip K. Dick’s Do And roids Dream of Electric Sheep? and Christopher Nolan’s InceptionRead MoreDo Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?978 Words   |  4 PagesDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? *insert bomb-ass intro* Philip K. Dick’s revolutionary perception of the progression of artificial intelligence can be explored through the vocabulary introduced in Masahiro Mori’s The Uncanny Valley. Dick begins his novel by introducing readers to Rick Deckard- a bounty hunter in post- apocalyptic San Francisco following World War Terminus. Employed by the San Francisco Police Department, Deckard’s occupation as a bounty hunter requires him to hunt escaped androidsRead More Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Essay1664 Words   |  7 PagesDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and Brave New World take place in dystopian futures. Technological advancements have been beneficial to society, but at the cost of the citizens’ humanity. In Do Androids Dream of electric Sheep?, Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter who kills Androids who have escaped from other world colonies. The Rosen Corporation creates the androids to mimic humans to a point where it is hard to distinguish between the two. In Brave New World, the World State is responsible forRead MoreReview Of Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep 1985 Words   |  8 Pagescase, the android. The androids presented in the bo ok serve as a means of redefining what it means to be human. Humans have now entered this new age of technology and with it, have attained the ability to push pre-existing mental and physical boundaries. Abstract: The boundaries of what it means to be human is constantly shifting. As we enter the Posthuman age, the altered posthuman is becoming the new human. In Phillip K Dick’s novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? androids serve andRead MoreDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Essay1093 Words   |  5 PagesIn Philip K. Dicks world of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, life has become a precious commodity. But, the definition of what life entails has become very vague. A new hierarchal order has been set up to rank a particular lifes value. Humans still reign supreme, at least in theory, but the exaltation and protection they place on an animals existence in this futuristic society closely shadows, and even trumps, that of another human being. Far beneath animals, is a close race between chickenheadsÂâ€"humansRead More Comparison of The Matrix and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?1959 Words   |  8 PagesComparison of The Matrix and Do Androids Dream of Elect ric Sheep? Andy and Larry Wachowskis movie, The Matrix parallels many of the characters and themes that are explored in Philip K. Dicks novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. There are five main characters or groups of people that are explored in Dicks novel. First, Morpheus, the leader of the unplugged individuals, emulates the role that the Rosen Association plays. Next, Cypher, an underhanded man, who is comparable to Rachel