Reading When The World Is Ominous Eight Quotes From MFK Fisher

Reading When The World Is Ominous Eight Quotes From MFK Fisher When it feels like the world is too big, too cold, too heavy, too impossible, do you have an author you turn to for reassurance? For me it’s the food writer MFK Fisher who never fails to help me in finding solid footing. (Incidentally, I’m not the first Rioter to write about the impact that Fisher has had on our lives.) Over the last seven years, in eight different bedrooms, the same paperback 50th anniversary edition of her Art of Eating has lived within arm’s reach of my bed, a permanently on-call soothant for my reoccurring bouts of depression, anxiety, and general existential panic. The Art of Eating is a hefty book (between its covers are Fisher’s five books of gastronomical essays) held up with by a backbone of sensibility that approaches the grand mysteries of life with the same wry, quiet determination that she applies to following a new recipe. Personally, I believe that it’s this kind of backbone that enables Fisher to tackle, experience, and understand just about any topic she turns her clear-eyed gaze upon (her essays range from sketches from her unusual life to several thorough examinations of an oyster’s life) while maintaining a perspective that can comfortably hold both the miraculous and the mundane. Reading Fisher is a reorientation for my brain that moves me from a massive, unknowable, indifferent universe to one where even the greatest mysteries are tangible, no longer mysteries that I experience but can also engage in. It’s not just a grounding moment but a reminder that there is in fact a solid ground for me to stand upon. As a stand-in for those still searching for their MFK Fisher, or as a supplement for those who have found theirs, I’d like to offer a few quotes from The Art of Eating that exemplify the kind of sensible backbone that I find in her. To prevent me from just posting the entire text as one big quote I had to give myself arbitrary limitations and flipped through the book at random, looking only in the sections that I opened to for something that seemed appropriate. The quotes are varied, drawing from her autobiographical writings, meditations, and straight forward advice, while speaking (I hope) to her humor, her straightforward fake-it-till-you-make-it approach to life, her rooted sensibility, and her appreciation for the grand emotions that exist in everyday life. I remember when I was a college freshman my nearest approach to la gourmandize was a midnight visit to Henry’s (…) There I would call for the head waiter, which probably awed my escort almost as much as I hoped it would. The waiter, a kindly soul except on Saturday nights, played up to me beautifully, and together we ordered a large pot of coffee and a German pancake with hot apple-sauce and sweet butter. (“Salted butter ruins the flavor,” I would add in a nonchalant aside to my Tommy or Jimmy.) (p. 8) [On baking bread] It is pleasant: one of those almost hypnotic businesses, like a dance from some ancient ceremony. It leaves you filled with peace, and the house filled with one of the world’s sweetest smells. But it takes a lot of time. If you can find that, the rest is easy. And if you cannot rightly find it, make it, for probably there is no chiropractic treatment, no Yoga exercise, no hour of meditation in a music-throbbing chapel, that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts than this homely ceremony of making bread. (p. 247) I had four [bread pans] of my maternal grandmother’s: a good friend quietly liberated two, and an enemy the rest. I still have Grandmother’s black cast-iron “gem-tins,” and I plan to keep them. (p. 247) There are many ways to love a vegetable. The most sensible way is to love it well-treated. Then you can eat it with the comfortable knowledge that you will be a better man for it, in your spirit and your body too, and will never have to worry about your own love being vegetable. (p. 297) If you are used to drinking, and can, it is pleasant to have whiskey or a good stable wine in your cupboard. A glass in your hand makes the ominous sky seem very high above you. (p. 341) If by chance you want to be out in the streets, benefit by many a Londoner’s experience [during wartime blackouts] and carry a little flask, since welcoming pubs are few and far between, and none too eager to open their doors even to old friends when unidentified planes are reported within sound of the listening posts. (p. 341) For me there is too little of life to spend most of it forcing myself into detachment from it. (p. 457) More often than not people who see me on trains and in ships, or in restaurants, feel a kind of resentment of me since I taught myself to enjoy being alone (…) If I am to be alone, I refuse to be alone as if it were something weak and distasteful, like convalescence. (p. 518) Sign up for True Story to receive nonfiction news, new releases, and must-read forthcoming titles. Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox.

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The Great Gatsby and the American Dream - 1442 Words

In the United States Declaration of Independence, our founding fathers Â…held certain truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. This sentiment can be considered the foundation of the American Dream, the dream that everyone has the ability to become what he or she desires to be. While many people work to attain their American dream, others believe that the dream is seemingly impossible to reach, like F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby examines the Jazz-Age generations search for the elusive American Dream of wealth and happiness and scrutinizes the consequences of that†¦show more content†¦They show no remorse for destruction of Gatsbys property and they take advantage of his optimistic view of human nature. Pressured by the image of an ideal American, Gatsby looks the other way when his guests take advanta ge of him. His own individual happiness is not important in a society of individuals (Bloom 17). Another aspect of Fitzgeralds criticism of the American dream is Gatsbys desire to gain the love of Daisy Buchanan, Gatsbys object of affection and his holy grail (Fitzgerald 160). Daisy on the outside is beautiful, pure, and seemingly perfect. Nick Carraway describes her as wearing white clothes and driving a white car. Her name itself is a white flower. But in actuality, she is as false and shallow as the rest of the society (Lathbury 20). The narrator Nick comments about the foul nature of Daisy and Tom Buchanan who were Americans living in the superficial world of the 1920s: They were careless people, Tom and Daisy -- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made (Fitzgerald 18). Essentially, Daisy is a person who hides in her money and has affection for someone solely based upon their outer image and wealth, aspects important to the dreams of Gatsby and Daisy. In the scene where Daisy observes the movie star and the director at oneShow MoreRelatedThe American Dream : The Great Gatsby Essay1568 Words   |  7 PagesThe American Dream: The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby is a tragic love story on the surface, but its most commonly understood as a suspicious critic of the American Dream. In the novel Jay Gatsby overcomes his poor past to gain an incredible amount of money and a limited amount of social cache of in the 1920s NYC, only to be rejected by the â€Å"old money† crowd. The focus of my paper would be the pathway towards the American Dream and how it affects the person and others around. The American dreamRead MoreThe Great Gatsby and the American Dream1401 Words   |  6 PagesThe Real American Dream Since its institution, the United States has been revered as the ultimate land of ceaseless opportunity. People all around the world immigrated to America to seek quick wealth, which was predominately seen in the new Modern era. Beginning in the late 1800s to the early 1900s, the period introduced progressive ideas into society and the arts. Accompanying these ideas was a loss of faith in the American Dream and the promise America once guaranteed, especially after WorldRead MoreThe American Dream ( The Great Gatsby )1173 Words   |  5 PagesSLIDE. *POINTS TO PICTURE LIVING IN THE AMERICAN DREAM (THE GREAT GATSBY). Did anyone notice anything that caused a change in society between these two pictures? *POINTS TO SOMEONE WITH ONE OF THE ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ/QUESTION. READS OUT THE RAPID ECONOMIC BOOMING AND GREED. *NEXT SLIDE. That’s correct! During the 1920s of the Jazz Age in concurrence with the â€Å"Roaring Twenties†, America had experienced a rapid economic booming after World War I. The American society experienced an economic and politicalRead MoreThe Great Gatsby American Dream1414 Words   |  6 Pagesfilm is based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It follows Jay Gatsby, a man who molds his life around one desire: to be reunited with Daisy Buchanan, the love he lost five years earlier. Gatsby s quest leads him from poverty to wealth, into the arms of his beloved, and eventually to death. Nick Caraway is the narrator, or storyteller, of The Great Gatsby, as well as Daisy s cousin who happens to live next door to Great Gatsby. Daisy represents the paragon of perfection. She has the aura of charmRead MoreThe Great Gatsby and the American Dream773 Words   |  3 Pagesimportant items. The American Dream is a huge achievement that everyone wants to reach. Whether people want to admi t it or not, it is a symbol all it’s self. It can be anything really, a great job, a family, white picket fence, even music or attending concerts of your favorite band. The American Dream is something that makes you so happy and what you can achieve or want achieve in your lifetime. The main AMerican Dream is money, a family, and happiness. In The Great Gatsby the american dream is a green lightRead MoreAmerican Dream In The Great Gatsby1366 Words   |  6 PagesThe American Dream has various implications for diverse individuals. For some people, the concept implies that one can accomplish his or her objectives and goals through living this dream. To others, it provides a beacon of hope, as an open door that individuals desperately desire to enter in pursuit of opportunities. The Americans after World War I, boosted by the emotions of the war, had an uncontrollable vigor about accomplishing and displaying an extravagant way of life and achieving a high socialRead MoreThe Ame rican Dream In The Great Gatsby1097 Words   |  5 PagesThe Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was one that was highly centralized around the American Dream. The American Dream is the belief that anyone can become successful in America if they worked hard enough. The dream did not discriminate anyone and that is why many people worked towards it. In the novel, it shows that not everyone was living the American Dream but were separated by the social classes of wealth, race, and intelligence. The 1920s in America was a roaringRead MoreThe Great Gatsby : The American Dream927 Words   |  4 Pages2017 The Poor Man’s Dream Many believe that America is the land of riches, where anyone can become rich and wealthy. This idea is known as the American Dream, a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for a successful living. However, this ethos is completely false, and is nothing more than exactly that - a dream. Throughout the award-winning work of F. Scott Fitzgerald, â€Å"The Great Gatsby†, he gathers criticism about the American Dream. He denounces the dream by shedding the lightRead MoreThe Great Gatsby And The American Dream1771 Words   |  8 Pages 5/30/17 Of Gatsby and His Unattainable Dream The American dream is a concept that has been wielded into American literature throughout history. Projecting the contrast between the American dream and reality, F. Scott Fitzgerald incorporates his opinions, primarily based off of his experiences and tribulations in World War I, throughout his literary works.Many people believe that deplorable moral and social values have evolved from the materialistic pursuit of the American dream especially throughoutRead MoreThe Great Gatsby and the American Dream592 Words   |  2 PagesRed, white , and blue are iconic to the American culture we know of. They can show our passion, desire, and pride for our country, but you will always have you might have to give in, against what your morals tell you.In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald uses the colors red, blue, and white to symbolize the American dream. To accomplish the American dream you need passion and desire but you will face situations where your morals will compromised. Passion is a necessity

Original Writing Murder Story Free Essays

string(66) " relinquishing to the floor where I sunk into a bath of my tears\." You couldn’t imagine the feeling, hearing that your wife and children have been found slain. After hearing these words eight words, everything became a blur, I didn’t even hear what PC Maguire was saying I just stared, frozen to the to the carpet beneath me feet. Dead. We will write a custom essay sample on Original Writing Murder Story or any similar topic only for you Order Now My family, my girls, my beautiful girls gone. A feeling of sickness came over me, I was sick, over and over for about 20 minutes, I headed downstairs, avoiding the family photos which hung above the stairs hoping they would just disappear. Downstairs PC Maguire was sat waiting for me, he’d already told me how it happened but I couldn’t hear. On hearing the events again I ran back to the bathroom and was vomiting until there it felt like there was nothing left apart from my cold soul, then went back to staring just sat on my bathroom floor looking at nothing for hours by the time I finally went downstairs PC Maguire and his colleague had of course gone. They’d gone to my wife Maggie’s mothers for the weekend in Leeds, the last time I saw them I was rushing to get ready for work on Friday morning. Katie, my eldest was trying to get my attention she wanted me to read her a story before I left, I always read her stories before she went to bed and as I wouldn’t be with her at the weekend she insisted on one now, but I didn’t I was too busy flapping about trying find the paperwork for my meeting that afternoon, I kissed her on the forehead and my baby Abigail’s; gave my wife a hug and ran out the door. I regret so much not reading that story, not stopping and feeding Abigail, not telling Maggie I love her, I love her more than anything in this world. A teenager found them early Monday morning behind the newsagent on his paper-round route, huddled together battered and bloodied, they’d been there all night. The police think that Maggie had stopped to go into the shop for a pack of cigarettes, leaving the girls in the car not even for a minute, but someone had taken the girls and somehow they all ended up behind the shop where they were beaten to a pulp before being strangled to death. The police have no idea to who did it and neither do I. We can’t have a funeral yet due to the investigation but I’ve had to tell people, Maggie’s parents and siblings, my parents other people have found out through the local papers and hundreds of flowers have been left by the public against the shop, but it doesn’t stop the pain not even for a second. Not a minute goes by without me trying to work out who would have wante to cause such pain, and the awful feeling that it could be someone close, someone they knew and felt safe with, I’m racked with guilt, I wasn’t there to protect my own family. My family was and still is an odd one, maybe that’s why I wanted to have a ‘normal’ family. I never knew my Dad he left before I was born and my mother never got over it, apparently he left to be with another woman who he’d also pregnant with his rotten seed. I have one brother, always a bit of a bad boy it was no surprise when he landed himself in prison for G.B.H, I hadn’t seen him for over a year before he got sent down and haven’t seen him since, 4 years it’s a dam’ shame. although my mother has tried with letters I would rather not have him in my life, I didn’t want him in my family’s life to be more specific. We’ve tried to help him in the past; he even lived with us for a few months months, but 3 months down the line he just left, no note, no â€Å"good bye† just my wife’s peruse and children’s piggy banks and haven’t seen him since. As my family’s trauma was being splashed over local news the police investigation continued, the news-agents had only had CCTV inside the store, although England has turned to a camera heaven no CCTV had been installed behind the shop where my babies were found. I was then shown the tape in which Maggie was buying her cigarettes, the tape wasn’t very good quality, you couldn’t even make out my wife’s beautiful face.I could see the car vaguely through to open shop door. A man walked up to our family car with the girls inside opening the door picking up Abigail and taking her out of her car seat then walking away with Abby in his arms and Katie holding on to his hand. This made the police believe that the girls knew him and went willingly with him, he was wearing a hood and never looked toward to shop door so even with the bad quality we had no chance of identifying his face. Finally Maggie leaves the shop and stands motionless outside staring at the car then looking left and right; the tape came too much for me, I turned my head toward the wall, I clenched my fists, gripping onto the sweat running from each palm, equivocal emotions where in-caged within me; the instinct of anger couldn’t help but be fused with the pain of guilt as the Images of what happened that day begun toying with my imagination. The girls obviously knew this man to go off with him, which surely means I know him, the worst had come to reality; memories of a not so long ago time began whispering into my ear reminding me of what once used to be the family room, the anger started possessing me as my heart started beating against my chest faster and faster before relinquishing to the floor where I sunk into a bath of my tears. You read "Original Writing Murder Story" in category "Papers" The police could sense the animosity in the air and politely left. The pain slowly faded as I slowly drifted asleep on the living room floor. When I woke up I paced though my brain hacking into old memories to conclude who it could be, I start accusing my closest and dearest friends in my head, how could it be one of them†¦ how has this happened?! At that moment the doorbell rang. People had tried ringing all week but I haven’t felt the will to answer, I guess now I have to face the world once again and answer; there is a pile of notes scattered across the hall that people have posted through the letterbox. I open the door, and I’m shocked to the core, it’s him. I can’t speak or move, He tells me he has good news, I hope he’s telling me he’s finally gone clean; I politely invite him in, as he passes me the stench of memorable cigarette smoke drifts across my face, I look up and down his figure as he walks into the living room, a blood stained handle was peaking from his trouser back pocket, I briskly contemplated on what it could of been the object could of pressed against, I became cognizant of what was going on, anger which once was transfixed in guilt now seemed contradictory, once again evocative visions paced though my mind. I run at him swinging in every direction with all my might, it throws him but not much he was always the tougher one. Then I feel it, the sharp pain in my hip, I step back and see the blood flowing, but I can no longer feel it I’m numb. Before I can retaliate he has me gripped round the neck, knife to my throat and before I know it I’m strapped in a chair duck tape over my mouth, around my hands and feet and also around my stomach keeping me in the chair. My brother takes down his hood and gives a wicked grin, ‘Hello Daniel’ he whispers in my ear. I struggle in my chair and he just laughs, ‘Poor Danny, you were always the superior one weren’t you, well look at you now! You have nothing; no one’s coming to your rescue are they Danny? You’re Alone.’ He takes great pleasure in me what I know to be true, all the time waving his blood soaked knife around. ‘It’s a shame what happened to those little kiddies isn’t it Danny? Such beautiful girls just like Maggie.’ He says licking his lips menacingly. I want to scream, I wanted to shout words which I’ve never used since my youth, but I can’t so I just continue to struggle in my chair hoping to loosen the tape. ‘What about Katie? Looks an awful lot like Maggie doesn’t she? Not so much like you though Daniel, that’s odd isn’t it?’ My wrists are starting to bleed from the firmly fastened tape but I can’t feel it, my clothes have turned crimson. What is he saying? ‘Remember that lovely few months I spent here with you Danny? You were trying to get me on the straight and narrow weren’t you? You were so stupid, while you were busying yourself getting me on this course and that course you had no idea what was going on right here did you? In this house, in your bed, with your wife.’ My hands were freed and I ripped the tape off my mouth ‘Maggie would never go anywhere near you, your scum!’ I screeched. ‘Well of course she resisted, but she loved it really†¦every time.’ He said slowly right in my face. I punched him. He stumbled backwards holding his jaw before chuckling to himself. ‘You idiot Danny, Katie, she’s mine, or should I say she was ha’ he laughed. ‘No no no no no NO!’ I said it over and over trying to grab at him but the rest of me was still fastened tightly to the chair. He then explains in detail every encounter he had with my wife, my precious wife raped by a monster in my home and I knew nothing all the time I’m screaming no over and over my face soaked with tears. But I knew it was true, Maggie kept asking me to make him leave and I wouldn’t because I wanted to help him, she was on edge the whole time and I just thought it was because she didn’t like him. She wanted a new bed but I said no and I remember that when he’d fled with our rent money she seemed so relieved. How could I have not known? ‘I thought about her every day in prison, I loved her I wanted to be with her and my daughter. So of course when I got out she was my first stop, but she wouldn’t talk to me when I came to the house. It was a different story when I had your beloved children. But she didn’t want me, not nice is it Danny? When the woman you love doesn’t want you so I decided if I couldn’t have her, and Katie, you couldn’t either so I killed them.’ What about Abby? If you didn’t want Abby why did you kill her too?!’ I yelled. ‘It was unfortunate for her, she was just there’ he shrugged. This is when my anger took hold of my and I forced my way out of my restraints, I picked up the chair and struck him once, twice, three times. He fell to the ground and I stood over him, my foot to his neck ‘You sick bastard’ I cried then stood on his neck until he was gasping for air and clutching his throat, then he was gone. I fell to the ground beside him, I knew now that it was over for me too but I couldn’t move, my eyes closed blood still pumping from my hip, my time is here. How to cite Original Writing Murder Story, Papers

The Metamorphosis The Potrait Of KafkaS Life Essays

The Metamorphosis: The Potrait Of KafkaS Life Vishal S Shah ENG 102-058 04-18-01 The Metamorphosis: The Potrait Of Kafkas Life The Metamorphosis written by Franz Kafka is considered one of the few great, poetic works of the twentieth century. Addressing The Metamorphosis, Elias Canetti, a Nobel Prize-winning author, has commented, In The Metamorphosis Kafka has reached the height of his mastery: he has written something which he could never surpass, because there is nothing which The Metamorphosis could be surpassed by one of the few great, perfect poetic works of this century (Corngold ix). There are many symbolisms and parallelisms used in the story. [Kafkas] disturbing, symbolic fiction, especially The Metamorphosis, written in German, [not] only prefigures the oppression and despair of the late 20th century but also is an account of the dramatic transformations that had occurred during his own life (Kafka Franz, Funk, 2000). This beautifully written masterpiece of Kafkas is clearly symbolic of his own life and nightmare-like life experiences he had with his father. Suppose all that you have always valued in your life was shown to be an illusion. What if your precious beliefs, maxims, platitudes, and traditions were inverted and distorted beyond recognition? You suddenly realize that what is good is bad; what is beauty is foul; what is virtue, vice. What if all your points of reference were to shift: North becomes South; black becomes white; deviant becomes saint; saint becomes deviant. Suppose that this transformation a metamorphosis of perception -- were to come to you and you alone. Suddenly you awake, and in utter solitude you discover that SHAH 2 your values have reversed along with you: you are a roach! (http://www.vr.net/~her). Your world is abruptly and totally changed! This is Gregor portrayed in Kafkas The Metamorphosis. With the opening of the story, Kafka right away jumps into the woken yet uneasy dreamy state of Gregor, a young commercial traveler. With the rise of Gregor, Kafka describes the dull, gloomy and humid environment that foreshadows the decay and deterioration of Gregors life. As soon as Gregor opens his eyes, he finds himself positioned in an uncomfortable manner and transformed into a monstrous vermin or a gigantic insect, a worthless creature, with his hard armor-plated back lying on the bed: He was lying on his hard, as it were armor-plated, back and when he lifted his head a little he could see his dome-like belly divided into stiff arched segments (Kafka 296). With this arresting opening, Kafka has set his mysterious psychological fantasy in motion. He plainly describes Gregors uneasiness of keeping himself balanced in his bed. His numerous pitifully thin legs waved helplessly in the air before his eyes (296). Just so the readers are not left in confusion, Gregor asserts that It w as not a dream, and sees for himself, in disbelief, that he is still in his own regular human bedroom, with a collection of cloth samples widespread on the top of the table (296). Slowly and gradually, we notice Gregors difficulty in getting up from his bed and his effort to get up safely without hurting hims5elf. This is clearly seen when the narrator says, If he tried to bend a leg, it first straightened out; and if he finally succeeded in taking charge of it, the other legs meanwhile all kept carrying on, as if emancipated, in extreme and painful agitation SHAH 3 (297). Through this description of his difficulties one can clearly see his miserable suffering and his slowly deteriorating health. The use of lengthy descriptions of the difficulties that Gregor faces probably signifies Kafkas actual feelings and pains that he suffered within his life, mainly during his childhood. Gregors difficulties in getting up from his bed actually relate to the difficulties that Kafka faced the very morning of the initial composing of The Metamorphosis. In regard to this he wrote Felice Bauer, his German fianc?e: I was simply too miserable to get out of bed. It also seemed to me that last night my novel got much worse, and I lay in the lowest depths. Ill write you again today, even though I still have to run around a lot and shall write down a short story that occurred to me during my misery in bed

buy custom My Consumption and Me essay

buy custom My Consumption and Me essay Introduction Every day we consume or us things that have impacts either to us or to the environment that we live in. All that we care about is the utility that we get from the things that we consume but there are no a single time that we have asked ourselves how the things we consume are processed? How they reach us? Whether they are sustainable or not? Do they have any economic, environmental and cultural effects to us and other people? These questions are based on our lifestyles and how it affects our surroundings and other people (Cororaton 46). Every person is supposed to conduct a research in his or her consumption in order to determine whether they lifestyles are sustainable and environmental friendly or not Research topic The research My consumption and me gives a clear indication that the study is about my own consumption and or my lifestyle in general. From the study it is clear that my lifestyle, just like some of you, is not sustainable and changes are necessary in order to promote ecological balance (Woolman, 280). As the topic states, my fact sheet is about my consumption and how it affect the environment. The research involves a factual study of my wardrobe and even clothes that I no longer wear. It involves the analysis of the type of the clothes that I wear, how they are manufactured, who manufacture them, how they are shipped to my destination and the availability of the resources that make them. On the other hand, clothes that I no longer wear are also evaluated in order to determine their impacts to the environment after disposal. The intention is to determine whether they decompose or remain for long time to the environment. What are their impacts to the environment? Are they friendly or not? The fact that I smoke cigarettes and take alcohol on weekends also has some impacts in my lifestyle that I cant ignore in my fact sheet. Generally, as the research topic states, the fact sheet is about my personal consumption with more attention given to the clothes that I wear and their impacts to ecological balance. Methodology The research involves qualitative research methods whereby I have to analyze all the clothes that I wear by through observation in order to determine my lifestyle. I have also included pictures of my clothes in order to make the fact sheet more illustrative and easy to understand. I have also conducted a literature review concerning the type of the clothes that I wear in order to determine their sustainability in terms of production, and disposal after use. This includes accessing the information available in the manufacturers website, fashion magazines and other articles and books about cloths, lifestyle and environment. After the study, there is a critical analysis on the findings in order to determine the impact of my lifestyle to myself and the environment in general (Woolman, 280). What I normally buy It should be noted that I am a 22 years old man and I normally work in an office during week days. Therefore most of my clothes are official ones which include suits, slacks, ties, and nice shirts. On the weekends I normally wear casual clothes especially when at parties or in the local bar taking some beer. These include fitting jeans, t-shirts and sweaters if the weather is chilly. Due to my lifestyle, especially my drinking and smoking habits, most of my clothes are not bright to avoid stains and dark spots in case a spark from the cigarette accidentally falls on my clothes. On the weekends, I normally drink little unless in times when there is an occasion with my friends. On the other hand smoking is like an addiction to me because on average I smoke a packet of 24 sticks every day. Generally most of my clothing is cotton and buy them from Bank clothiers and HM stores in New York US. This means that I have to drive to these stores any time I need to change my wardrobe. However I do not do shopping frequently and I replace my clothing once they are worn out. Since most of the stores that I go shopping are situated in New York and I do not live in town, I have to drive there which means that my lifestyle involves consumption of petroleum to run my cars engine too. Consequently, there is smoke, though little that is emitted which causes pollution to the environment and irritation to other people. However the impact is minimal since most of my clothes are long lasting and I am not a frequent shopper. However, I mus admit that the amount of clothes that I buy anytime visit the stores have increased tremendously due to changes in my lifestyle such going to work which has increased my need for more and pretty clothes. This has also shortened the duration that I take in order to replace my clothes. My shopping routine Generally my shopping routine revolves from smart official clothes to casual clothes that I wear on the weekends and other days that I am not at work. My shopping list includes fine material trousers and shirts that are mostly made cotton or a mixture of cotton and some polyester. I also buy plenty of fine long sleeved shirts together with their matching ties. I also have few suits that I wear on special occasions. I have buy jeans trousers and t- shirts to substitute my official clothing whenever I am not at work or during parties and weekends. When it comes to shopping, I normally buy what I necessarily require but, like any other young person, sometimes I find myself buying other things that are new in market as long as I they are pleasing to me and I have money. Generally I normally shop for new clothes twice in a year unless there are few replacements making it at most three times in a year. I normally shop for my official clothes from Bank clothiers stores since they are known for making excellent office attire for men (Jos A. Bank Company). When it comes to casual clothes, I prefer HM stores since their jeans and t-shirts are long lasting and affordable (HM clothes company). Most of my clothing last for one to two years since I wear them frequently and any time they are worn out I normally throw them away together with garbage or burn them. This is due to the fact that there are no places to donate or recycle clothes in the place where I live and keeping them is not only unnecessary but also makes my wardrobe to look congested and untidy. Fabrics that constitute my wardrobe Most of my clothes are cotton expect few nylon shirts, polyester shirts and woolen sweaters. For instance, almost all of my official shirts are cotton made or a mixture of cotton and polyester threads. All these clothes I normally buy then from the manufacturers outlets across the city which are Bank Clothiers and HM. These companies normally manufacture they clothes from the raw materials and then distribute the readymade clothes to their stores for sale. Manufacture and effects to the environment Generally, cotton clothes are made from cotton which is harvested from cotton plants that grown in many parts of the world where temperatures are moderately high. When cotton is harvested, it is normally taken to the ginneries where it is prepared into threads that are used to make fabrics that then are sewed together into various clothings. Most of the jeans that I wear are 100% cotton although there are few blends of polyester. The synthetic indigo dye is used in dyeing in order to achieve the favorite color. The belt loops, waistband, back panel, pockets, and leggings of a pair of blue jeans are all made of indigo-dyed denim. Other features include the zipper, buttons, rivets, and label. Rivets are made of copper, but the zippers, snaps and buttons are usually steel. Some have designers' labels that are made out of cloth, leather, or plastic, while others are embroidered on with cotton thread. On the other hand, most of my t- shirts, shirts and materials trousers are made of cotto n too unless few which are made of polyester and or the mixer. I also have jersey T-shirts which are made from knit fabrics. Woolen sweater are made from wool that come from animals such merino sheep and other hairy animals (Woolman, 280). During the manufacturing process, the fabric is normally treated with several chemicals in order to achieve the required color, durability and comfort. However, in every process of finishing cotton fabric, by products which are mostly biodegradable are released. For instance, by products of Denim manufacture includes pollutants such as starch and dye which are harmful to the environment. However, these by products are normally treated through biological methods other than dumping them into streams or lakes where they end up polluting the environment and taking life from these waters due to their high requirement of oxygen for decomposing. The manufactures use biological process to break these by products into compounds that are less or not harmful to the environment. Polyester comes from petroleum which is a non renewaable resource that mining and processing cause immense pollution to the environment. Countries of origin that show in my wardrobe Though most of the clothes that I wear are made here in the US, the raw materials come from different parts of the world. There is high probability that most of the cotton that is used in manufacturing most of my clothes comes from either US, Australia or Egypt. This is due to the fact that the amount of cotton produced in the US and Europe is not adequate to meet all the local requirements. Although Bank Clothier is situated in America, there is high likelihood that most of the cotton that it uses to manufacture cloths comes from other parts of the world thousands of kilometers away. On the other hand, HM Company is a Sweden based cloth making company that has several factories all over Europe and Asia. Since HM is not situated in America, a lot of cost is also incurred during importation of cotton for making clothes and in shipping of clothes to the companys stores in the US where I buy them. Petroleum that is used in the manufacturing of polyester comes from Asian countries whereb y it is shipped to the countries where clothes I wear are made or these companies import read made polyester fabrics for making clothes (Roberts, 65). Effects of shipping and manufacturing to human populations All these processes involved in making of clothes that I wear have both positive and negative impacts to the human population at large. First of all, manufacturing and shipping processes create income earning opportunities to many people resulting to economic growth. Manufacturers and ship owners get income out of their businesses while those who work in these industries are paid some money too. Local governments in the countries where these activities take place get revenue too in for of tax and other levies such a trading license fees. In other words, growth in transport systems and manufacturing industries result to growth in global markets which in term enable individual to access goods and services that are not produced or locally available in the countries (Roberts, 211- 212). Considering my personal scenario, shipping and manufacturing of cloths and clothing making raw materials have enabled me to have clothes that match with my taste any time I want them. However according to environmental theory, we only change one thing and then it leads to other things. Consequently, manufacturing and shipping activities involved have contributed to negative effects to human population too. The processes have resulted to pollution that arises from the byproducts of these industries and shipping trucks, trains and ships. Pollution on the other hand has ruined peoples healthy due to increase of diseases that are caused by exposure to contaminated environments. Alternatives and their differences Considering the effect that use of non biodegradable and other non sustainable raw materials have to the environment, it is the high time that companies involved in manufacturing of clothes should go green. This means that these companies should reduce use of raw materials or manufacturing processes that are harmful the environment. Manufacturing companies should consider making cotton and woolen cloths which are friendlier to the environment. Though cotton is not completely green, it is more environment friendly than other fabrics used to make clothes (Woolman, 280). Bearing in mind sustainable means not affect the ecological balance, it is evident that my clothing and lifestyle are not completely sustainable. For my clothing to be more sustainable, I need to completely change my wardrobe to cotton made clothes that are locally available. I also need to strictly buy clothes that I am in need and not because I have money or certain clothes are pleasing to my eyes. When it comes to disposing of my old clothes, I need to stop disposing them through burning since this is a loss because these clothes can be recycled or donated to those in need. On the other hand, smoke produced when burning these clothes is toxic to human beings and results to environmental pollution (Gow, 112). My life style too especially smoking and drinking of alcohol are no necessities and its the high time to d away with them since they are harmful to my health and expensive to maintain. Smoking causes irritation to other people and results to environment pollution too. By doing so, I will able to have a sustainable lifestyle. Buy custom My Consumption and Me essay

The Simple Guide to Effectively Describing The Setting of Your Story

The Simple Guide to Effectively Describing The Setting of Your Story How to Describe the Setting of a Story Need help writing your novel?Click here to download my ultimate 12-step guide. One of the toughest nuts for any novelist to crack is where to start. How do I know? Well, two-thirds of my 192 published books are novels, so I’ve faced this dilemma nearly 130 times. Trust me, it doesn’t get easier. But there are common errors to avoid. I know because I’ve made them. And because I love asking agents and editors what mistakes they see in beginners’ manuscripts. Ready for the most common error? The apparent feeling that you must start by describing the setting of your story. Setting is important; don’t get me wrong. But we’ve all been sent napping by novels whose covers and titles promise to transport us, and yet begin with some variation of: The house sat in a deep wood surrounded by†¦ Gag. Pro tip: Readers have little patience for description. In fact, they often skip it to get to the action. If your main question is how to describe the setting, I have a simple answer: Don’t. But, you say, I have to establish where we are and set the scene, don’t I? Yes. Like any other reader, I like to get an immediate feel for where and when things take place. But we writers make a mistake when we make that- describing the setting- a separate element. If you do it at the beginning, you should do it for every scene in a different setting, right? Sorry, but that will quickly transport your reader from slumber to death. Well, you say, how do I set the scene without describing it? You don’t. But you make description part of the narrative, part of the story. It will become almost invisible, because mentions of what things look and feel and sound like will register in the theater of the readers’ minds, but they will be concentrating on the action, the dialogue, the tension and drama and conflict that keep them turning the pages. In the end they won’t remember how you worked in everything they needed to fully enjoy the experience. Consider these setting examples: Describing the setting of a story before starting the action: London in the 1860s was a cold, damp, foggy city crisscrossed with cobblestone streets and pedestrians carefully dodging the droppings of steeds that pulled all manner of public conveyance. One such pedestrian was Lucy Knight, a beautiful, young, unattached woman in a hurry to get to Piccadilly Circus. An eligible bachelor had asked her to meet him there†¦ I shouldn’t have to inform you that such an opening is all telling, no showing, and that the question of how to describe the setting has been answered, but not correctly. Describing the setting by layering it in tothe story: London’s West End, 1862 Lucy Knight mince-stepped around clumps of horse dung as she hurried toward Regent Street. Must not be late, she told herself. What would he think? She carefully navigated the cobblestones as she crossed to hail a Hansom Cab- which she preferred for its low center of gravity and smooth turning. Lucy did not want to appear as if she’s been tossed about in a carriage, especially tonight. â€Å"Not wearin’ a ring, I see,† the driver said as she boarded. â€Å"I beg your pardon?† â€Å"Nice lookin’ lady like yourself out alone after dark in the cold fog†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You needn’t worry about me, sir. I’m only going to the circus.† â€Å"Piccadilly it is, Ma’am.† First, the location tag, flush left before the first paragraph, saves us a lot of narration which can be used to let the story emerge. And yes, the second sample is longer, but that’s because we’re not telling, we’re showing. The reader learns everything about the character from the action and dialogue, rather than from just being told through description. So try the technique you’ve likely heard about since the day you decided to study writing: Show, Don’t Tell You’ll have to remind yourself of this daily for the rest of your life, but once you add it to your writing toolbelt, you’ll find it adds power to your prose and keeps your reader’s interest. The key, as you can see from the examples above, is to layer in your description. Maybe when Lucy meets her new gentleman friend, he grabs her and pulls her into an alley, saying, â€Å"Come here where no one will see us.† There she might scrape her knuckles against a brick wall and wish both hands were free so she could tighten her coat against the wind. Incorporating description that way- showing rather than telling- can alone revolutionize your novel. Apply This Setting Technique Immediately and see how it picks up the pace and adds power. It will force you to highlight only the most important details, triggering the theater of your reader’s mind. If it’s not important enough to become part of the action, your reader won’t miss it anyway. But you’ve read classic novelists who use description exactly the way I’m advising against. What gives? Two things: 1- If those novels were written before TV and movies (let alone smart phones), they were aimed at audiences who loved to take the time to settle in with a book for days at a time. 2- If those novels were written in our generation and still succeeded with that kind of writing, it’s because the author is a master. If you can write at that level, you can break all the rules you want. I can’t, so I’ll stick with what works for today’s readers. How about you? Need help writing your novel?Click here to download my ultimate 12-step guide. Still confused about how to describe the setting of a story? Give me examples from your own work in the comments below.