Three Roads To One Hero Essays - Beowulf, Grendel, Epic Of Gilgamesh

Three Roads To One Hero Throughout the two epics, Beowulf, and Gilgamesh, and the novel Grendel, we see certain heroic characteristics of the main characters. Although Beowulf, Grendel, and Gilgamesh all come to a heroic end, they differ in way in which they came to that end. In Beowulf we read of a great warrior who cares about nothing but honor and his people. In Gilgamesh, we see a man who comes to a realization of his mortality, and then does all he can to overcome that "weakness." Finally, in Grendel, we see a "monster" that was born in a cruel world, and comes to a cruel ending. Throughout the epic poem of Beowulf, we not only read of the heroism of Beowulf himself, but the guile of the antagonist, Grendel. By the fifth chapter, Beowulf is showing a characteristic that was vital to a Greek hero. He is boasting of his accomplishments. He tells of how he once fought a serpent in the open ocean. This might not seem to heroic, but you must attempt to become an archeological reader to begin fully understanding why this is so heroic. During the fist century of this millenium, one of the many things that scared people, and continues to do so today, is the unknown. Beowulf braved the unknown on not only land, but also where man has never belonged. He braved the unknown in the ocean. Grendel throughout the poem is, however, shown in a different light. He is a monster. He is a descendant of the first murderer, Cain. He kills simply for sport. He relishes in the blood of mankind. He is a monster who knows no bounds. In Grendel however, the point of view of the reader has changed. We now read from the point of view of the "monster." We see how he has been born into a world where he understands next to nothing, and does not even have the comfort of a true mother. He can talk to no one, save for a dragon that sees everything, past, present and future, and he is alone in a world of humans. There is no place of refuge where he can escape the world of hate that he lives in. He is something that is unknown to humans, and is therefore unwanted, frightful, and must be either eliminated or banished form view. Although in both of the epics, one an English and the other a Mesopotamian, we read of heroic qualities of one main character, and through that main character the ideals of that culture as a whole, in Grendel, we read of an outcast, who is killed simply because he is an enigma to the people. This is where these three stories break down, in the way, not only in which they become "heroes," but the way in which the author accomplishes this feat. In both Beowulf and Gilgamesh, we read of people who are highly esteemed, and emulate everything that those respective cultures hold dear. In Grendel, we see the cynicism of the twentieth century, and we read of all the ways in which our society and culture has become incongruent with that which we say we hold dear. In Gilgamesh, we read of a man who is stronger than all that are in the land, and his adventures to prove that to the world. He is a symbol of everything that his country and culture regards as praiseworthy. Not only, though, is he a physically strong person, but he is also given the gift or blessing of being able to reason. He is a man of not only sound body, but also of a sound mind. In addition to knowing how great and powerful he himself is, Gilgamesh also knows when to stop (sometimes). When he is fighting Enkidu, he discovers that his foe is his equal. Therefore, he does not become over-prideful, and deny that someone could be as great as he himself is, but he makes one of the best decisions that can be made by man. He makes his enemy his friend. The greatest interpretation of these three stories comes not only in seeing how well they are congruent, but also how they begin to differ when you begin to dig deeper. Although both Beowulf and Gilgamesh agree upon the abstract things, such as honor, hope, pride, success, where they begin to differ is in the concrete details. Both Beowulf and Gilgamesh are prideful, and form today's perspective they may even seem over-prideful. Both

The Regina Knight Case Essays

The Regina Knight Case Essays The Regina Knight Case Paper The Regina Knight Case Paper The legal citation of the case. Regina v [2001] NSWSC 1011 (8 november 2001) The elements of the offence. In order for a trial to be brought, the police and prosecutors might be able to prove that the elements of the particular offence are present. In this criminal case both Actus reus, Mens rea as well causation was clearly shown through the behavior of Katherine Knight. Actus reus is the term referring to ‘guilty act’ meaning any voluntary actions of omissions that constitutes to a crime, it is the physical element of an offence Her Actus reus is shown through her act of stabbing him 37 times and killing him. She also chopped off his head and cooked it with vegetables and skinned majority of his body. It is certain to say her act was intentional, malicious and evil. Mens rea refers to ‘guilty mind’ and is defined as the state of mind requiring constituting a particular crime which is the mental element of an offence. It is clear that the murder was pre-meditated. Her mens rea is shown more clearly by the comments made by the prisoner to other persons indicating intention, comments made by Mr. rice to others which indicated his fears for his life, comments of a similar kind made by the prisoner to Mr Price in the presence of others and the conduct of the prisoner in the days leading up to the murder. She threatened Mr. Price and said â€Å"You’ll never get me out of this house. I am going to kill pricey and I am going to get away with it, I’ll get away with it cause I’ll make out, I’m mad. The causation of the incidence was clear. She wanted to kil l him and she performed actus reus and his life ended on her hands. Factors that might have led to the criminal behavior. There are a few factors that may account to the behavior of Knight. It includes psychological factors, social factors, and self interest. Knight is said to have been diagnosed with the borderline personality disorder and to have suffered from a post traumatic stress disorder. Her borderline personality disorder may have contributed to the crime but is said by doctor Delaforce and lambeth that the murder was pre-meditated and her behavior highlights the malign nature of the prisoner. Dr. Delaforce also took into account that the prisoner enjoyed watching gruesome and disturbing videos entitled such as â€Å"Resurrection†. His Honour reflects â€Å"That video gave to the actions by the prisoner in relation to Mr. Price’s body a sense of â€Å"copy cat. Knight had almost performed the exact same task and scene of murder to Mr Price compared to the murder in â€Å"Resurrection†. Although nothing is 100% proven, she has said that she had been physically abused by two of her brothers when she was young and that on one occasion her father engaged in activity suggestive of some sexual connection with her. She has been in two de facto relationships and she claims that she has been sexually abused by David Kellet who was also unfaithful to her, which she results to have had a nervous breakdown. Knight says Mr. Saunders has also treated her very badly and was violent to her. Both of them explain that what she said about the sexually or physically abusing is not true and indeed that â€Å"they were the ones being assaulted by her†. Her self interest of revenge is the most major role affecting her to commit criminal behavior, her strong idea of revenge which leads to satisfaction. It is her nature to maliciously revenge anyone who crosses her and she believes that, that is what they deserve. The problem is not that she did not know it was wrong to do such thing, but that she did not care about doing them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The interview by Dr. Lambeth came to a similar conclusion of the prisoner’s interest and enjoyment in violence. Reporting and investigation of the crime. Citizens must play a major role in the criminal justice system by reporting crime. In the morning of Mr. prices death, around the 1st of March 2001, Police were called by next door neighbor Mr who was suspicious of Mr. Price as Mr. Price mentioned earlier to him Knight may kill him anytime soon. By reporting the police, action was able to be taken much faster by professional police and there was less time to get rid of evidence of killing for Knight. Police had found Mr. Price’s body to have been stabbed at least 37 times in various parts of his body back and front. His blood was found splattered and smeared throughout various parts of the house and in a pool. The police found the blood not fully congealed and had only dried at edges, of the 1st of March in 2000. An examination of the blood stains, their differing characteristics and pattern of occurrence in various parts of the house, establish that Mr. Price was first attacked by the prisoner in the principal bedroom of the premises at a time when he was in a recumbent posture. His body was found perfectly skinned his body and his head chopped off and boiled with vegetables. The way he was skinned was done professional and neatly and is required by a very skilled person with knife to be able to do so. Mary who has been working as a meat slicer in abattoirs for years is obviously a huge suspect. However Knight claims that she has no idea or recollection of Mr. Price’s death. She claims that she cannot recall anything and do not know about anything. The prisoner claims not to remember anything of the aftermath of killing. However so much evidence reveals that the murderer is Knight. The fact that the slicing of his body required a professional experienced person with the knife and the tremendous threats about the fact she was going to kill Mr. Price to Mr. Price and many others. The Plea Knight was arraigned on 2 February, 2001 on a charge of having murdered John Charles Thomas. She pleaded not guilty. The trial was initially fixed for 23 July, 2001 but was adjourned due to the illness of her counsel. She maintained her plea of not guilty and the trial was re-fixed for 15 October, 2001. After a medical assessment the prisoner was officially charged with the murder on 18 October 2001 and pleaded guilty to the charge. The court accepted her plea of guilty her conviction of murder was recorded. Factors affecting the sentence decision. The three factors that affect sentencing decision in this criminal case include aggravating, mitigating and subjective factors. Katherine Mary Knight has committed a murder which falls into the most serious category of murder and it is proven beyond reasonable doubt that the murder was premeditated. She used a sharp butcher knife to murder and stabbed him at least 37 times as well as perfectly skinning his whole body. Sometime before she murdered him she made numerous threats to him about his death. After she had murdered him, she stated that she had no recollection of the murder what so ever to the police. She tried to escape her position of crime by trying to blame everything on her mental personality disorder. She not only planned the murder but actually enjoyed the horrific acts which led to death and defilement. After the death of Mr. Price, she indicated cognition, volition, calm and skill and showed no remorse or guilt at all. There were four matters going on the mitigation of the penalty was the fact that the prisoner pleaded guilty to the charge of murder, the borderline personality disorder diagnosed in the prisoner, the absence of any prior relevant criminal record on the part of the prisoner and that the quality of mercy would not be strained were a finite sentence to be imposed on the prisoner. Although the prisoner claims to have no recollection of many events to the death of Mr Price, the horrific murder was premeditated. Even though she claims to have no recollection, her attempts to prove mitigation is regarded as nothing more than trying to block out the gruesome events caused by her. It is said by Dr. Delaforce that â€Å"she knew the nature and quality of the acts†¦was aware at that time that those acts were wrong. † Her actions were a sense of ‘pay back’ and she tried to make herself look mad. However Dr. Delaforce explained that the way she committed the murder showed the immorality of her actions which does not necessarily mean madness. The extent to which the law balances the right of victim and offender. The extent to the law which balances the rights of Knight and Mr Price seems to reasonably just. Knight committed a crime that is Knight’s life imprisonment seems pretty reasonable as she will be a significant threat to the community if she is set free and for her gruesome act of murder towards Mr Price. Knight had the right to put in an appeal, have strong qualified lawyers and to have a say. Although Knight is punished to life imprisonment, the tragedy of Mr Price and his family is not just. Mr. Price attended a chamber Magistrate at Scone Court House on 29, February 2000 and seeked an apprehended violence order and informed the chamber magistrate that he wanted to end his relationship with her to prevent her entering his life. The only problem is that he did not report it earlier and shortly after this visit, he died. Knight had the right to apply for an appeal, and although her appeal was through it was not seem reasonable and was rejected. The law succeeded in balancing the rights as it took under consideration the impact the situation had on the victim’s family. In order to be just it referred to previous cases such as (Regina v Previtera (1997) A Crime R 76; Bollen v Regina (1998) 99 A Crim R 510) and judging by precedent the penalty Judge O’Keefe J sentenced Knight was suitable. Despite the prisoner’s attempt of appeal later on, the dismissal of her appeal was also appropriate. The penalty given. The final penalty given to Katherine Mary knight is life imprisonment. Her murder fits in the most serious category of crime. The culpability of her truly requires a life sentence. A court is to impose a sentence of imprisonment for life on a person who is convicted of murder, if the court is satisfied that the level of culpability in the commission of the offence is so extreme that the community interest in retribution, punishment, community protection and deterrence can only be met through the imposition of that sentence. She also will be harmful if let out in the community, considering there is no possible alternative, no other penalty than imprisonment is appropriate. Katherine Mary Knight is sentenced for life imprisonment. Bibliography trutv. com/library/crime/notorious_murders/women/katherine_knight/4. html By Paul B. Kidd Copyright 2003, Paul B. Kidd Publications. All Rights Reserved philosophyblog. com. au/about-skinning-your-husband-and-cooking-his-head-katherine-knight-and-john-price/ November 19th 2006 03:52 ttp://www. australian-news. com. au/female_killers/Katherine_Knight. htm Copyright (c) 1998-2007 Australian News Commentary all rights reserved Anna Marshall 3 July 2006 Case: Regina v ? Knight ? [2001] NSWCS 1011 (8 November 2001) Last updated: 29 January Judgment date: 08/11/2001 Judgment of: OKeefe J Decision: Imprisonment for life. Case: ? Knight? V R [2006] NSWCCA 292 (11 September 2006) Last updated: 13/09/2006 Judgment date: 11/09/2006 Judgment of: McClellan CJ at CL Adams J La tham J Decision: Appeal Dismissed

Managing Change in an organisation Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing Change in an organisation - Coursework Example The case indicates the existence of a large internet provision company that has employed a large number of employees. In addition, it also possesses small sales stores in two other cities. With this, it is expected that the business activities should make it possible for the organization to attain its goals and objectives in an easier manner. However, it is not possible since the culture within the organization does not provide the appropriate environment for the staff members to work together as a team and achieve the organizational goal.The cultured within the organization is so relaxed to the extent that it does not allow the organization to provide satisfactory services to its customers. This is what creates the need to change and manage the different aspects so as to ensure that the quality of services provided by the organization make it possible to meet the organizational goals and objectives. In this case, the principle problem to be addressed is the culture of the organizati on in terms of management of people and the tasks within in order to maximize the services that are provided to the customers and therefore, the returns that are produced by the organization.One of the major issues being faced by this organization is the fact that the culture within it was very relaxed. This is in the sense that the employees do not have a specific dress code, they are merely employed as friends and not in an official way that is based on the merits and demerits of the job at hand.

Social Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Social Responsibility - Essay Example A company builds its brand and reputation through practice of social responsibility. A responsible company knows that a good company name is a quick way to build trust and reputation for its brands. These traits nurtures a company for growth, opening up new opportunities for the company to choose from. This art will eventually become a good culture in the company, making the staff remain genuine and trusted by the community. In addition, customers would want to relate with companies that care for them and the environment (Sims 59). Workers would seek occupation in businesses that care for the environment. That is, social responsibility would increase workers performances. In companies where the management does not recognize social responsibility, the workers seem to have a low job esteem. Workers feel better when they know that their efforts would make the world a better place for all. It makes all the daily struggles worth it. The company would not have to spend too much in motivational programs as the workers would have something to work for. In addition, it would be a positive way for attracting and retaining a good staff, thereby, reducing company cost for recruitment exercises each year (Taylor). Respect for social responsibility would boost a companys economic growth and maintain professionalism. A socially responsible company appears mature and trains the staff to be better managers, who not only care for their own growth, but the environment too. Unlike on the companies that are socially irresponsible, employees would form a relationship that could improve the services and living conditions for others. A responsible work force does not only benefit the company, but also the community. The workers learn to be better citizens and parents at home. It becomes greater than building a company, since the effect extends

Regeneration and Keseys Essay Example for Free

Regeneration and Keseys Essay However, McMurphy was only able to defeat the nurse from what he learned when she defeated him in his bid to change the television schedule. Cheswick shows his hand higher and glares around. Scanlon shakes his head, and then raises his hand, keeping his elbow on the arm of the chair. And nobody else. McMurphy cant say a word. In this defeat, McMurphy learns that he must convince the patients of an idea before being faced with the nurse; otherwise, the patients become frightened of her and lose their nerve. Once again, McMurphy attempted to change the TV schedule, but failed again due to technicalities such as the vote of the chronic patients, and the fact that the meeting had ended before McMurphy was able to get the majority vote so the motion was not carried. This incident formed a bond between the patients against the hospital staff, and they had gained an important ally in Dr Spivey, an unwary double agent. However, In Regeneration the patients of Craiglockhart do not treat staff as if they were afraid of them. The doctors and nurses of Craiglockhart are less authoritative and are lenient with the rules of conduct. One of the VADs tugged at it. Theres room for two in there, she said, smiling, coaxing. Have I to get in with you? . The patients treat doctors with respect and are friendly towards other patients, however at times the patients appear to fear treatment. Theres no area of analgesia, Rivers said to Sister Rogers. Prior snatched up the pad. IF THAT MEANS IT HURT YES IT DID. On the other hand, in One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest the patients treat nurse Ratched with minimal respect and some of the patients are very unprofessional in what they say and do to her and the other student nurses. It can be said that Craiglockhart is more civilised as a hospital, and nurse Ratcheds ward can be compared to a high school classroom where the patients are conspiring as to how they can defeat the nurse, similar to the way students may act together to outwit a teacher. Nurse Ratched constantly undermines her patients in front of one another to make them feel inadequate; almost emasculating them. Right at your balls. No, that nurse aint some kinda monster chicken, buddy, what she is, is a ball-cutter. On the other hand, Rivers sees his patients as his equals and treats them with high regard, even though Rivers himself is more intelligent and qualified than almost all of the patients that he treats. Patients in Ratcheds ward also resent the ward itself and its confines, and wish they could escape the dreariness of it all. The irony of this is that most of the patients who complain are not committed and are only in the hospital voluntarily, so they could walk out of the door at a moments notice; however, the patients are unable to do this due to nurse Ratched making them feel inadequate and therefore unfit for society. When McMurphy discovers that it is the Nurse who decides how long a patient spends on the ward, he is beside himself with anger, directed mainly at the other acute patients for egging him along against the nurse, when all the while they knew that it would only get him committed for a longer period. Conversely, we are given the impression that all the patients at Craiglockhart are committed, however they all have the freedom to roam most of the institution and the outdoor facilities such as the golf course Prior watched the amber lights winking in his beer. He was sitting in the shadowy corner of a pub in some sleazy district of Edinburgh. The patients are allowed to leave the hospital premises and are trusted to be responsible enough to return. In One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, patients are not even allowed to leave the premises without an accompanied pass. This is needed in order for McMurphy to take a group of the patients and Dr Spivey, one of the resident doctors of the hospital, on a fishing trip later in the novel. The fishing trip was organised by McMurphy for a number of reasons that could only possibly be contrived by a person of sound mind. The first of these reasons is to deliver a blow to the nurses control over the patients and to show them that they are in fact free to do what they wish. His other incentives were money, which he acquired from the remainder of the funds from patients used hire the boat, and also the chance to spend some time alone with a woman who would be accompanying the men on the boat, something that we can presume McMurphy has not been able to do for a while now. During the fishing trip, we are able to see the effect of nurse Ratcheds enfeeblement of the patients when they enter the garage to buy fuel. The mechanics at the garage are taken aback by the sight of patients from a psychiatric institution, and the awkward exchanges between the doctor and the mechanics only make things worse. It is at this moment when McMurphy comes to the rescue of the patients and confronts the workers at the garage. were every bloody one of us hot of the criminal-insane ward, on our way to San Quentin where they got better facilities to handle us. McMurphy lies and uses bravado to frighten the mechanics and empower the patients, who no longer feel as if they are the laughing stock of town and begin to order the workers around. This is an example of how mental illness is perceived in society at the time the book was set, and how the patients were able to overcome its stigma, if only for a short period. Their personal triumph was over once the patients had reached the fishing port and were confronted by sailors who took the opportunity to make suggestive jokes about the patients female companion, as they stood there helplessly, unable to defend her without the presence of McMurphy. In Regeneration, the reader encounters a similar stigma attached to mental illness. One particular case involves the character Prior, who is questioned about why he was not wearing his blue hospital badge. Prior retorts to Rivers question, stating that I wasnt wearing the badge because I was looking for a girl. Which as you may or may not know is not made easier by going around with a badge stuck on your chest saying I AM A LOONY. Prior assumes, perhaps from experience, that wearing his hospital badge would be a deterrent for women as nobody seems to jump at the opportunity to be involved with a mentally ill person. Another incident in involving the badge occurred with Sassoon when he went to the Conservative Club to meet Rivers. looking at the young man in uniform evoked, and then or perhaps he was being oversensitive? with a slight ambivalence, a growing doubt, as they worked out what the blue badge on his tunic meant. Once again, the reader is presented with a situation in which people change their opinions when faced with an outcast from society, someone who is irrational and is therefore supposed to be unacceptable to the general public. Near the end of Regeneration Barker introduces another psychiatrist called Dr Lewis Yealland. He is similar to Rivers in that Yealland is also highly respected and acclaimed on his work; however, the underlying difference between the two characters is in the way they treat their patients. Where Rivers would tend towards having a conversation with the patient to solve the problem, Yealland prefers to cast a dominating presence to the patient, neglecting their views and suggestions. No, Yealland said. The time for more electrical treatment has not yet come; if it had I should give it to you. Suggestions are not wanted from you, they are not needed. Yealland does not allow patients to express themselves as he feels that any self-diagnosis by a patient is a threat to his judgement, and this is intolerable in his treatment. Yealland can be compared to nurse Ratched, in that both the characters require dominance in a situation and superiority over those under their jurisdiction. Another difference between Rivers and Yealland would be that Rivers, as mentioned before, endeavours to resolve the problem that the patient is suffering from, thus curing the patient of his illness, whereas Yealland merely addresses the symptom arising from the illness and treats the patient to rid them of this. He eradicates the symptom, while this is only the tip of the figurative iceberg, and neglects the patients psychological problem, which caused the symptom in the first place. In the novel, Yealland serves a larger purpose as a metaphor for the control that the government exerts over citizens, indifferent towards the voices of individuals, for example, the voice of Siegfried Sassoon, which was ignored and discredited by the government in the same way Yealland ignores and discredits his patients views. Yealland provides the reader with a clear, yet cleverly concealed allegorical view of the novel where the same concept is repeated for a greater effect on the readers opinion of both the presentation of mental illness and the way it is treated, and also the governments approach to dealing with soldiers who cry out against the unjustness of war. Nearer the end of One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, McMurphy throws a party one night for his farewell as he plans to break out of the ward and make his escape that night. The party is not sanctioned by the nurse who has no idea of its taking place, so McMurphy knows that he must leave otherwise he will be punished severely for his actions. On the night of the party McMurphy organises for a girl to come onto the ward and make love to Billy Bibbit, making him lose his virginity. McMurphys plan of escape fails and the nurse returns in the morning to find the atrocities that have taken place on her ward. She confronts Billy Bibbit about his actions, and he seems confident, however once the nurse threatens to informs Billys mother of his wrong doing Billy breaks down and pleads with her not to do so. Nuh! Nuh! His mouth was working. He shook his head, begging her. You d-dont n-n-need! Billy is so disturbed by the prospect of his mother finding out about his actions, that he takes his own life shortly after the nurse confirms that she will inform his mother. After this event, the ward changes dramatically. Patients who were not committed begin to leave; Sefelt, Frederickson, even Harding. McMurphy was taken away for a lobotomy, which succeeded in calming him down, but it did so to the point where he would not fit the description of a mentally ill patient, but more of a breathing corpse. The Chief cannot stand to look at this change in McMurphy so he resorts to suffocating him in order to put out his suffering once and for all. On doing so, the Chief escapes the ward by picking up the control panel in the tub room and throwing it through the window. This mirrors the event where McMurphy attempted to lift the control panel, the difference being that the Chief succeeded where McMurphy failed by learning from him. This event is a representation of the book as a whole, where one mans titanic struggle and failure managed to stimulate another mans will to live, and as one circle of life draws to a close, a new one begins. Emile Khan 1 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Ken Kesey section.

Riley King :: essays research papers

Riley King A.K.A. : B. B. King 	Life span: 1925-???? 	Style Synopsis: Style is the word that describes the way that B.B. He uses signature tremolo and "T-Bone Walker" influenced jazzy sounding blues riffs. Also, in words of B.B., "I don't do no chords". He can also tell when muted notes are more necessary than full notes. Biography 	For as long as anyone can remember, B.B. King has reigned as the "King Of Blues." With his Gibson guitar named Lucille, along with his unique vocals, king has put out some of the most down-home sounds in African-American music. B.B. King, the world's greatest blues singer had- like a lot of people- had some hard times. Born in 1925 in Itta Bena, Mississippi., King lived with his mother until he was nine. When his mother died he lived alone, taking care of himself by working in cotton fields that were owned by the people who had employed his mother, this was the time of the Depression , and the period when he started learning the guitar. He worked as a disc jockey at the Memphis radio station WDIA in 1949, where he picked up the stage name "The Beale Street Blues Boy," He was influenced by jazz guitarist Charlie Christian, as well as countless other blues musicians including T-Bone Walker. Among the many songs he eternalized, "The Thrill Is Gone" is perhaps his most enduring, he aslo won several Grammy's for that song and the albums "There Must Be a Better World Somewhere", "My Guitar Sings The Blues", "Live at San Quentin", "Live at the Apollo", an d "Blues Summit". He received along with other numerous awards the Grammy Lifetime Achievments Award in 1987. Still on the road and recording for MCA, with Lucille , B.B. King is still showing the world the blues is here to stay. 	King started his career as a teenage professional musician on the streets of Memphis during the 1940s. He played gospel and blues on street corners for tips. Concerned in whether or not to play gospel or Blues, he decided to integrate both styles. In 1951, B. B. King had his first hit song ,"3 O'clock Blues.'' The song was so successful, record producers signed the young man from his Memphis, Tenn. home and send him to New York City, where he shortened his stage name from Beale Street Blues Boy to "B.B.'' 	Over the past forty years, King has been called the master of blue using his many styles of gospel, jazz, and blues, which has influenced all blues and rock guitarists.

Collins or Longman Dictionary – a Difficult Choice

The choice of a dictionary – Collins or Longman? Nowadays many learners of English face a problem – which dictionary to choose as their main aid in learning the language. There is a variety of dictionaries from different publishers available at the market now, but we can focus here on two – Collins and Longman which are quite good reference books for everybody. Although they are both equally preferred by English learners, they posses a number of features which leave the buyer with not an easy choice. Collins, for instance, with its layout which makes looking up easier, clear definitions and specific vocabulary is by far better than Longman.The two dictionaries have their differences and perhaps that’s why they aim for the different group of users. Definition is the first thing the user confronts. That is – the place it occupies on the page of the dictionary. If it is clearly presented, there should be no difficulty with getting the idea of the word. Therefore Collins, unlike Longman, usually includes grammar information in the margin, which makes it easier for the user to find quickly either the desired meaning or the grammar references. In contrast, Longman’s grammar notes are inserted between the definitions.Consequently, it results in making the way to the needed meaning much longer. If the user managed to find the right definitions, he or she may now encounter problems with understanding them. In this respect Longman prevails. Why is it so? First of all, both dictionaries draw upon some kind of bank of words. Collins definitions are based on a wider range of vocabulary. That’s why they are more complicated and difficult to understand. However, Longman defining vocabulary comprises less words but nevertheless it may be good for less advanced learners. Collins definitions are undoubtedly more specific.Learners of second or foreign language have a better opportunity of matching difficult English words (e. g. pro per nouns) to the equivalents in their mother tongue. As far as the variety of English is concerned it appears as if Collins tends towards British rather than American English. It is definitely better for students who want to focus their attention on British English only (they want to emigrate to Britain for business purposes, for example) On the other side of this confrontation we have Longman which deals with both varieties of English more thoroughly. Collins does show the nuances between British and American English but it erhaps isn’t so much concerned with colloquial American English and slang. In this field Longman is more universal. Thus, it is more suitable for younger learners or just for those at lower level of proficiency. Moreover, what goes for register, Longman may be more useful for people who want to explore the informal language (those young people who look for the sense of their favourite songs, for example). The two dictionaries aim to provide excellent hel p in studying a language. In this process, Collins is for those who have already tasted what English really is whereas Longman is for the novices who want to become familiar with that taste.