Exactly How Hard Are AP Tests and Classes

Exactly How Hard Are AP Tests and Classes SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Sure, they can help you get college credit and make your transcript more impressive. But are AP tests hard? The answer isn’t an easy yes or no. You need to consider many factors, including your own academic strengths, your school, and national score statistics. We'll guide you through these different factors and help you decide for yourself how hard AP tests will be! The AP Test Versus the AP Class There are two factors to consider when deciding how hard an AP subject is: the difficulty of the AP exam itself, and how the AP class is taught at your high school. Your score on the exam will affect whether you can get college credit for the class. Your grade in the class will affect your GPA and overall transcript impressiveness. For example, if you’re wondering, "Is AP Biology hard?" the answer depends on a few factors. AP Biology could be a very tough course at one high school but an easy A at another, depending on the teacher and curriculum. The exams, however, are pretty similar year to year. Some are harder than others, though your experience will depend on your personal strengths. In general, all AP classes are challenging and the exams are difficult, since they’re meant to be at the same level of an introductory college class. That said, we'll explore some factors that could make an AP class and test harder or easier. How Hard Is It to Pass an AP Exam? Earning a passing score (3+) on the AP test proves that you mastered the material and are able to study for a college-style cumulative exam. Doing well on the AP exam can help you get college credit and give your college applications a boost. It’s important to think about how hard an AP exam might be for you before signing up for the class. The average passing rate is around 60-70%, so your odds of passing an AP exam are generally good. However, just because the odds are in your favor, that doesn't mean you can slack off- far from it, in fact! The odds of passing with a 5- the highest score- are quite low on any exam: between 10% and 20% for most tests. They are even lower for popular tests, such as both AP English tests and AP US History, which have 5 rates below %. This is likely because a wider pool of exam takers results in more less-prepared students taking the test. Check out the table below to see the 2019 passing rates for all AP exams: Exam Name Passing Rate (3+) 5 Rate Studio Art: Drawing 91.1% 20.8% Spanish Language and Culture 89.0% 24.9% Chinese Language and Culture 88.3% 57.2% Studio Art: 2-D Design 86.4% 21.0% Calculus BC 81.5% 43.2% Physics C: Electricity Magnetism 81.1% 35.9% Seminar 80.7% 6.8% French Language and Culture 76.7% 15.5% Research 76.2% 10.8% Japanese Language and Culture 75.0% 38.2% Computer Science Principles 72.7% 13.6% Spanish Literature 71.9% 9.1% Physics C: Mechanics 71.1% 34.6% German Language and Culture 70.5% 18.4% Studio Art: 3-D Design 70.1% 10.1% Computer Science A 69.9% 27.0% Microeconomics 68.4% 22.2% Gov. and Politics - Comparative 66.2% 22.2% Biology 64.6% 7.1% Italian Language and Culture 64.6% .8% Psychology 64.4% 20.2% Art History 63.9% 12.0% Physics 2 63.5% 12.6% Music Theory 63.4% 20.9% Latin 63.1% 13.1% Statistics 59.2% 14.5% European History 58.4% .7% Calculus AB 58.3% 18.9% Macroeconomics 57.9% 17.6% World History 56.0% 8.7% Gov. and Politics - United States 55.2% 12.9% English Language and Composition 55.1% 10.1% Chemistry 54.6% 10.7% United States History 54.3% 12.1% English Literature and Composition 50.1% 6.2% Environmental Science 49.6% 9.5% Human Geography 49.1% 10.7% Physics 1 44.6% 6.2% Source: College Board. Note that a lot of AP classes self-select for motivated students or students with experience in a subject- especially the ones with ridiculously high pass rates, such as Calculus BC, Chinese, and Physics. Even though these exams have high pass rates, they're are often viewed as some of the hardest AP classes to pass. Also, notice that exams with some of the lowest passing rates, such as Environmental Science and Human Geography, are ones many students say are the easiest. These exams have lower passing rates because younger high school students who are less prepared for AP tests often take these classes. In addition, many students simply underestimate them and don’t study enough. As a result, these exams can be easier to pass, but you have to be prepared to study and not expect to pass without some hard work. If you are studying for a test with a particularly low pass or 5 rate, be sure to do plenty of multiple-choice and free-response practice so you can get that top score. Also, consult our scoring guide to learn how to come up with a target raw score while practicing. Furthermore, instead of just going off the pass rate table only, think about the subjects you’ve traditionally been strong at- these will likely be easier APs for you to pass. On the other hand, if there is a subject you've always struggled with, the AP exam in it will likely be hard for you, even if it seems as though a lot of students are able to pass it every year. How Hard Are AP Classes? So what about the classes themselves? Is AP Chemistry hard? Is AP Psychology hard? How about Statistics or English? How hard an AP class itself will be for you is important to consider. In general, a B in an AP class is more impressive than an A in a regular course. However, if your GPA is getting dragged down by a bunch of AP classes, that’s not the best outcome either. After all, your GPA is very important in college admissions and is used to calculate your chance at getting scholarships, too. Therefore, you want to make sure that you challenge yourself but don’t spread yourself too thin. Of course, getting an A in an AP class is ideal. The difficulty of an AP class will depend on your school and its grading policy (some schools weigh AP classes so getting lower than an A won’t necessarily drop your GPA below a 4.0). AP class difficulty also varies a lot from teacher to teacher. Some teachers won’t assign a lot of work but will expect you to study on your own. Others will keep you busy with nightly assignments, practice tests, and projects. As an example, I took both World History and US History AP courses in high school. Both AP tests are considered difficult: you have to learn a ton of material and also be able to write quality free-response answers in a short amount of time. However, even though the tests were similarly hard, these two AP history classes were taught very differently at my school. For AP World History, we were given reading assignments out of the textbook and unit tests, but there were not many daily assignments or projects. Basically, we were expected to keep up with the material on our own, and, as a result, I had to independently handle much of my own studying for the test. For US History, we had textbook readings, outlines, vocabulary lists, and research projects. Our teacher also held many after-school and Saturday study sessions. The class itself kept me very busy, but the assignments were important practice for the AP test, and so there was less I had to do on my own. World History was fairly easy to get an A in but a tough test to pass. By contrast, US History was tough to get an A in and a tough test to pass. There is no right way to teach an AP class. But as a student, you should be aware of your strengths and limitations. Do you do better directing your own studying, or is it helpful for you to have daily assignments to force you to stay on top of things? Being able to answer this question will help you choose AP classes that play to your strengths, and also let you get good grades and pass the exam. In general, there is a lot of material to cover in AP classes, so they tend to be more challenging than regular classes- especially courses like AP Calculus, AP Biology, AP Physics, US and World History, and English. These are all much harder than their regular or honors equivalents. Some exceptions are AP US Government, which some schools cover in a semester because there is less material, and AP Environmental Science, which has less memorization than AP Biology and AP Chemistry do. Still, how hard any one AP class will be ultimately depends on your school and the teacher. Find out about the teacher and curriculum of an AP class before signing up to make sure it’s a good fit for you and your study style. (See our post on which AP class you should take to learn more about scoping out classes.) How to Decide Whether an AP Class Is Too Hard for You It's often difficult to determine whether an AP class will be too difficult for you. Here are some tips to lend you a hand for both before and after you sign up for an AP class. Before You Sign Up for an AP Class ... #1: Think About the Classes You've Already Taken For example, in order to take AP Biology, most schools require students to take regular or honors biology first. The more background knowledge you have of a certain subject, the more likely you'll do well in its corresponding AP class. If you don't have a ton of prerequisites for an AP class, think carefully about whether the class will be out of your reach. It'd be very tough to take on, say, AP Physics, if you've never taken a physics course before! #2: Can You Find a Copy of the AP Syllabus? Looking at the AP class's current syllabus can help you find out what the workload is like and how the teacher integrates practice AP exams into the course. You can also talk to current students and ask about their experiences in the class. #3: Find Out the Passing Rate for the AP Test at Your School If the passing rate for the AP test is low, recognize that you might have to put in a lot of work on your own in order to pass it. If it’s a high pass rate, though, that’s a good sign that the teacher has a strong AP-prep curriculum in place. #4: See Whether There's a Summer Assignment Many AP classes kick off with work over the summer. If you already have summer plans that will make it hard to complete the work, think carefully about whether you can fit that class into your schedule. After You Sign Up for an AP Class ... #1: Evaluate How Things Are Going at Your First Midterm What’s your grade so far in the class? How are you doing with the teacher’s style? How well are you getting the material? Consider dropping to the regular class if you are seriously struggling, but try to push through the first marking period. Just make sure that you don’t pass your school’s class- change deadline! #2: Reevaluate at the End of the First Term If, by the end of the first quarter/trimester, your grade hasn’t improved or you don’t think you are understanding the material, seriously consider dropping to the regular version of the course. It’s not worth taking the AP exam if you’re certain you won’t pass- and it’s definitely not worth damaging your GPA over an AP test you won’t pass! #3: Before Dropping, Explore Extra Resources Don't just drop an AP class right away; rather, try to explore other resources available to you, such as in-school tutoring, private tutoring, online resources, and study groups. If meeting with a study group once a week or doing your own online practice problems helps you keep up with an AP class, then consider pushing through. However, if you try adding an outside resource and are still seriously struggling to understand the material and make it through the class, it's better to just drop to regular and focus your efforts on other advanced classes. What’s Next? Read our guides to learn more about AP tests, such as how long they are and how can you deal with exhaustion. Also, learn about how AP tests are scored. The first step to getting a 5 is finding out the minimum raw score you need to earn one! Have you taken the ACT or SAT yet? Not sure which one you’ll do best on? Read our guide to choose the test that’s right for you. If you've taken the SAT and want to improve your score, check out our guides to improving your Reading, Writing, and Math scores. Taking the ACT instead? Learn the vocabulary you need to know, all the most important grammar rules, and how to write an ACT essay. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Emission Spectrum Definition in Science

Emission Spectrum Definition in Science In general, an emission spectrum describes the wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum emitted by an energetic object. What this object is depends on the scientific discipline. In chemistry, an emission spectrum refers to the range of wavelengths emitted by an atom or compound stimulated by either heat or electric current. An emission spectrum is unique to each element. The emission spectrum of burning fuel or other molecules may also be used to example its composition. In astronomy, the emission spectrum generally refers to the spectrum of a star, nebula, or another body. How an Emission Spectrum Is Produced When an atom or molecule absorbs energy, electrons are bumped into a higher energy state. When the electron drops to a lower energy state, a photon is released equal to the energy between the two states. There are multiple energy states available to an electron, so there are many possible transitions, leading to the numerous wavelengths that comprise the emission spectrum. Because each element has a unique emission spectrum, the spectrum obtained from any hot or energetic body may be used to analyze its composition.

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Philosophy - Essay Example With this emerged various schools of thoughts which promoted specific theories of brain functioning and psyche. One of them is functionalism. Functionalism Functionalism in philosophy of mind is a school of thought that states: â€Å"†¦a physical or abstract entity is identified by its causal or operational role† (Floridi). It is a doctrine that negates the idea of internal causes and constitutions of various mental states. It rejects the idea of unseen and abstract, even structural causes for these states and believes that every mental state has a separate and distinctive function or role in its respective system. As far as the origin of this doctrine is concerned, its roots lie back to Greek civilization. The concept of soul projected by Aristotle seems to offer the elementary base for functionalism whose antecedent goes back to Hobbes’s idea of human mind as a mere ‘calculating machine’. However, this particular school had got fame in the last quart er of twentieth century. Moreover, functionalism is not merely restricted to the philosophy only; it is rather involved in almost every natural and physical field of science including psychology, sociology, even education. Functionalism in Psychology Psychology emerged as a science in the late 19th century and functionalism proved to be an important mile stone in its wider acceptance and visionary exposure. It rose as a protest against structuralism and added various functional aspects of human brain along with the structural ones that shapes the humanistic behavior. According to Coon, it is â€Å"†¦concerned with how behaviour and mental abilities help people adapt to their environments†, and in this way it defines the function of various psychological and mental states Invalid source specified.. Functionalism offers an alternative to behaviourism and identity theory of mind: one regards every mental activity as a particular behaviour formed as a habit through continuou s practice; the other divides them into types that are further correlated to the physical events occurring within the brain. Functionalism projects that every mental activity that takes place in the mind performs a particular function in the physical systems. These mental states are realized on multiple levels each of which offers a complete separate system. Thus, human mind behaves like a computational machine which directs external behaviours of the man (Jaworski). Putnam’s Philosophy of Mind Hilary Putnam was an American computer expert, mathematician and philosopher who had caught special attention in philosophy of mind in around 1960’s when he had put forward his hypothesis of ‘multiple realizability’ (Figure 1). He argues that all living beings can feel pain, yet their reasons of pain are not the same. With the help of the example of animals, he further elaborates that every creature cannot have the same brain structure, and therefore same mental eve nts (like pain, emotions, desires, sensations, etc.) cannot happen in everyone. Thus, he tries to imply that mental realizability differs from creature to creature as a result of which feelings and sensations differ, and this is so because each sensation is due to a physical property that differs. Figure 1 Putnam’s Philosophy of Multiple Realizability Moreover, he has also put forward the first formulation of this functionalist theory in the form of ‘machine-state functionalism’. It was based on the analogy between human mind and the Turing machine that can calculate any

Emerging Technologies in Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Emerging Technologies in Accounting - Essay Example For the order to be recorded for the delivery date requested, the valid product ids and quantities will need to be entered after the event. If the delivery date requested also needs to be checked for feasibility, the database must have information on the 1) Stocks available for the products ordered; 2) List of all orders scheduled between now and the requested date for the products; 3) Balance capacity available for fulfilling this order. No obligations would be recorded in the Accounting books at this stage. However, the Company accepts the obligation to supply the products by the delivery date; and the customer accepts the obligation to receive and pay for the goods as per the order’s terms. Event b: When the system schedules the production of goods the information needed from the database are 1) Free stocks available for each product ordered; 2) Bill of materials required for the products ordered; 3) Stocks of raw materials available; 4) Production operations to be performed and the time required for each operation; 5) Machinery, Equipment, and Labor required for the operations and their availability Event c: For the system to schedule raw material orders from the vendors, the information needed in the database are 1) Raw material requirements for the goods, based on Bill of Materials; 2) Preferred vendors for the raw materials; 3) Vendor rates; 4) Lead time for supply of the raw materials. Event d: For the raw materials to be received and stored, the database should have information relating to 1) The order placed with the vendors, i.e., Vendor Id, Order No, Order date, Desires Delivery date, Raw material id, quantity, price, Delivery terms, and Payment terms; 2) Goods acceptance details based on inspection of the raw materials supplied.

Furman v. georgia Essay Example for Free

Furman v. georgia Essay The death penalty or capital punishment has been part of our humanity for years and years. Existed since ancient times, according to people a person who has committed an atrocious act, was sentence to death penalty or capital punishment. The death penalty begins back in the 18th century B.C. in the code of king Hammaurabi of Baylon; who was accused of committing 25 crimes. In years past, the punishments where more crucial then today, the execution procedures had no boundaries, forms of killing where endless. Drowning, whacking, â€Å"damnatio ad Bestia† which was death cause by a wild animal, dismemberment: dividing the body into quarter-usually with an ax, throwing then off a high place, impalement: one of the most crucial consisting in beating them with a stick, buried alive, the guillotine: decapitation, wretch they refer as the â€Å"quick, clean and humane† way of doing the killing, death by torture, stoning crucifying was also consider a death penalty act. Jesus Christ was crucified in Jerusalem part of his punishment for being the son of God. Within times pass the process change a little to decapitation, execution, hanging, electrocution, execution by gas and the one use to date lethal injection. (1. History of death penalty) One of the cases that reach the Supreme Court and change the laws in the United States about the death penalty was the case of Furman v. Georgia in 1971. William Henry Furman claimed that his sentencing violated his rights guaranteed by the 14th amendment. (The 14th Amendment was passed after the American Civil War, and was designed to prevent states from denying due process and equal protection under the law to their citizens. And was dividing into sections: the first section of the amendment was to revolutionize federalism, stated that no state could â€Å"deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction. The equal protection of the laws, gradually the Supreme Court interpreted the amendment to mean the guarantees of the bill of rights apply to the states as well as the national government.) (2. Our documents) Furman’s v. Georgia: Furman was a 26year old man with very little education. A man that struggle his whole life about making a living, was very depressed and moody all the time there were days when he didn’t have anything to eat, and that’s when he started breaking into homes to be able to survive. He was caught a couple of times but was giving a light or suspended sentence. A psychiatrist had already diagnosed him with emotionally disturbed and mentally impaired. But was still entering homes in order to live. On August 11, 1967 Furman enter a home and was going through some things when he heard a noise and try to escape the home, some said he drop the gun and when it hit the ground it shot and others said he felt and the gun discharge killing Mr. William Joseph Micke Jr. a husband and father of 5 children. The death was truly a tragic, it was an accident that resulted in murder, and his carrying a gun was to protect himself in case or to even scare a person and be able to run without any incidents. Furman despite of his conditions was convicted of murder and sentence to death in a one day trial. Although Furman did not intend to kill the resident he regales committed murder during the commission of a felony, and was an aggravating factor, and the one in particular which made him eligible for the death penalty (3. Murderpedia) When the trial approached he pleaded not guilty by means of insanity, which was the advice of his appointed attorney. The court at that time order another psychiatric test and the physicians who examined agreed that he was mentally deficient and in the report they concluded that Furman experienced mild to moderate psychotic episodes associate with convulsive disorder. After a few weeks in a hospital assigned by the court, the Dr. said he knows what’s right from wrong and that he was competent to stand trial for murder. Although killing was an accident, the state of Georgia at the time authorized that the death penalty be giving weather a murder took place during the commission of a felony. Furman had one thing going against him at all times; he was a black man in the 60s and 70s and most blacks guilty of committing murder in that state was a reason enough to sentence to death penalty. In 1972 the case reach the Supreme Court which they rule 5-4 that the death penalty as then administered violated the 8th amendment proscription against cruel and unusual punishment and the 14th amendment equal protection clause. The courts typically issue the decision with a majority opinion written and sign by one of the justices. On occasion the court will issue a per curiam decision which takes the form of a brief, unassigned opinion. All 9 judges had different opinions, although 5 justices voted to reverse the death sentences, there concurring opinions revealed that it was shaky coalition. Each majority justice, Mr. Douglas, Mr. Stewart, Mr. White, Mr. Marshall, and Mr. Brennan, wrote a separate concurring opinion supporting the majority decision. Each believed that Furman had indeed been deprived of his constitutional rights. The justices could not agree on an argument striking down the death penalty across the board, however. This unusual procedure reflected not only the intense differences of opinion within the majority, but also the difficulty of deciding the constitutionality—or presumed lack thereof—of the death sentence. The four dissenters, Chief Justice Burger and Justices Blackmun, Powell, and Rehnquist, also wrote extensive opinions expressing their views against the majority opinion. Several argued taking the position of judicial restraint that the death penalty was a matter for the people to decide, through their legislatures. Others argued that emotional appeals were not appropriate in Supreme Court opinions. Finally, the dissenters were disturbed by the erosion of federalism and the unnecessarily invasive judicial activism practiced by the justices of the Warren Court. They said that it was disproportionally applied to the â€Å"poor and despised† that it was applied in an arbitrary and capricious fashion.† Justice Douglas was the man that came up with the idea to review the historic of the death sentence penalty for both America and England. This justice noticed that the laws was extremely unfair because it was applied only to the minorities, the outcast and the smaller population in the country. He decide that the death penalty was unusual and against Gods Plan. Furman centered on the convictions and death sentences of 3 African American men. His case ended changing the way they see each individual case. (4. Law Cornell My opinion on this case is that everyone should be treaty equally, his intent was to commit a crime of robbery not a murder. Unfortunaly we are all aware that the criminal justice system in the United States is imperfect and that we are aware of the flaws that exist within our system. I would of punished him with many years in prison but not the death penalty due to it wasn’t his intentions. Furman did not outlaw the death penalty. It just required states to prevent random, racial, unfair results by giving juries management to apply the death penalty fairly. After Furman, most states modified their death penalty laws. The new laws created a two-phase system for death penalty cases. In the first phase, the jury decides if the defendant is guilty of murder. In the second phase, the jury hears new evidence to decide if the defendant deserves the death penalty. The new laws gave juries guidance for making this decision. (1,2,3,4) Following the case of Furman v. Georgia in 1972, the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty systems were unconstitutional violations of the Eighth Amendment’s prevention on â€Å"cruel and unusual† punishments. After this case many states changed their death penalty laws. Four years later in Gregg v. Georgia (1976), the Court reaffirmed the death penalty as constitutional. Troy Gregg had been found guilty of murder and armed robbery and sentenced to death. He asked the Court to go further than it had in the Furman case, and rule the death penalty itself unconstitutional. The Court refused to do so. The Court found that Georgia’s system for applying the death penalty was â€Å"judicious† and â€Å"careful.† Gregg had gone through two trials – one to determine guilt and one for sentencing. Further, specific jury findings of â€Å"aggravating circumstances† were necessary to impose the death penalty. There was therefore no Eighth Amendment violation, and the death penalty was constitutional. (5. Georgia encyclopedia/ 6. Lectlaw) Gregg v. Georgia took place on March, 1976. The case dealt with administrative law; this legal field controls the â€Å"due process† clause of the United States Constitution. The due process clause is defined as the government’s obligation to respect and uphold the legal rights of American people during and after they are arrested. Both the Federal and state governments are required to protect and preserve a person’s human rights and liberties. All governments of the United States are required to treat citizens in a fair and respectful manner during the arrest process. When he appealed his sentence as cruel and unusual and a violation of the Eighth Amendment, the US Supreme Court in a 7-2 decision upheld the sentence. The court ruled that the death penalty was an appropriate punishment in extreme criminal cases and that Georgia had settled appropriate values and other precautions to guide a jurys considerations in capital cases. He was sentence to death penalty do to the fact that he entered the house armed so he meant danger to the community and that his purpose was to commit the crime. The United States Supreme Court stated that the execution of Troy Leon Gregg was Constitutional due to the fact that Mr. Gregg was tried, head and sentenced through a formal judicial system. The night before he was supposed to be killed, Gregg escaped from prison and was killed in North Carolina following a fight. (7 law cornell) In this case the court upheld the constitutionality of the death penalty, defending statutes that guide judges and juries in the decision to issue the death sentence. The Court did, however, state that the madatory use of the death penalty would be prohibited under the Eighth Amendment as cruel and unusual punishment. The defendent in this case, Gregg, had been convicted on two counts of armed robbery and two counts of murder. The jury was instructed by the trial judge, who was following Georgia state law, to return with either a decision of life imprisonment or the death penalty. Justice Byron stated in his opinion that Gregg had failed in his burden of showing that the Georgia Supreme Court had not done all it could to prevent discriminatory practices in the forming of his sentence. This decision became the first time the Court stated that punishment of death does not invariably violate the Constitution. (8. Death penalty)

Expanding the Literary Canon Essay -- Literature English Essays

Expanding the Literary Canon While this essay can in no way claim to contain a fully representative sampling of what various scholars have contributed relative to the ongoing debate over the literary canon, I will attempt to highlight three distinct positions which are all informed by John Guillory's critical contributions to the canonical debate. First, I will discuss the concept of ideology and canon formation as Guillory first articulated it in his 1983 essay, "The Ideology of Canon Formation: T. S. Eliot and Cleanth Brooks," and which he subsequently thoroughly revised and included in his 1993 book on canon formation, Cultural Capital: The Problem of literary Canon Formation This essay on the ways ideology and cultural politics complicates and informs canon formation, also discusses Guillory's theory concerning the death Joe Weixlmann who offers his own commentary concerning how ideology and politics of literary orthodoxy in favor of a more democratically situated heterodoxy, and how this concept of a hetero doxy might inform the university's literary curriculum. Next, Christopher Ricks' essay, 'What is at stake in the "battle of the books"?" will be analyzed to determine if his attack on Guillory's assertions relative to his critique of the current status of the canonical debate contributes in any meaningful way to opinions about whether or not the literary canon should be revised. Finally, the several critics who have now offered commentary on Guillory's latest theories on canon formation as articulated in Cultural Capital will be discussed relative to how influential they perceive Guillory's latest work to be as it pertains to the ongoing debate over the nature of the extant literary canon. Guillory begins "The Ideol... ...479. Guillory, John. "The Ideology of Canon-Formation: T.S. Eliot and Cleanth Brooks." Critical Inquiry. 10 (1('3~) 144-176. Guillory, John. Cultural Capital: The Problem of Literary Canon Formation. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1993 Readings, Bill. Rev. of Cultural Capital: The Problem of Literary Canon Formation: by John Guillory. Modern Language Quarterly. 55:3 (1994) 321-326 Ricks, Christopher. "What is at stake in the "battle of the books"?," The New Criterion. (1989) 40-44 Robbins, Bruce. "'Real Politics' and the Canon Debate." Rev. of Cultural Capital: The Problem of Literary Canon Formation by John Guillory. Contemporary Literature 35 (1994) 365-375 Roberts, Lynn. Personal interview conducted 13 March 1996 Weixlmann, Joe. "Dealing with the Demands of an Expanding Literary Canon." College English 50 (1988) 273-283

Fashion, Gender and Identity

‘Gender is a meaning that a culture assigns to sexual differences' and within gender, ‘masculinity and femininity are the divisions that a culture creates between behavior and ‘characteristics considered to be appropriate to men and women' (Bernard, 2007, 185- 186). Fashion aids in the social construction of gender through separating male and female fashion and promoting the stereotypical feminine figure. From the days of stays and petticoats to corsets and crinolines and now with padded bras and ‘Spans', fashion has seen centuries of shrinking and augmentation of the body to achieve the sexualities, feminine' shape.The communicative function' of the body and they way in which it is McCollum is like a ‘language' – a ‘cultural communication' (Descanters, 1997, 11). Being ‘feminine' is Just one of many ‘performances' that people can choose to present and a person's choice to follow more typically feminine or masculine styles can pr ovide an insight into who they are (Gauntlet, 2008, 11). Although certain guidelines may be socially expected, in the western world, we are largely in control of what we wear and thus are perpetually communicating some element of personal identity every time we get dressed, whether it is intentional or subconscious.Using the visual examples of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France and a fashion icon in the late 18th century and Lady Gaga, a current fashion and pop icon, this essay demonstrates how, even though centuries have passed, the practice of augmenting and shrinking the figure through fashion garments to achieve a feminine' shape has continued to perpetuate social constructions of femininity. Then, the example of Andre] Pelvic is used to demonstrate how appearance can communicate identity, in particular gender identity.Beginning in the 16th century in Europe, Women's bodies were universally forced onto bizarre, unnatural shapes' (Smith, 1998, 5). Stays, petticoats, corsets and cr inolines with stiff fabric, boning and wire were used to force the body into the desirable feminine' silhouette of the time. Constant dissatisfaction and change with the idealized shape of the body reinforced the idea that the natural body needed to be ‘improved and restricted' to be considered attractive (Smith, 1998, 5).We see this trend continue into modern day clothing and undergarments. This constant restriction and augmentation, which occurs almost solely to the female body, aids in the social construction and communication of gender. Illustration of Marie Antoinette by Panderer-Login, from Encyclopedia Figure 1 Britannica Image Quest A royal exemplar existed in the form of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France from 1774 until 1792 – a time when all of Europe was ‘culturally and stylistically influenced' by France, during the Rococo era (Coving, 2006, 56.Descanters, 1997, 35-36). The desired feminine physical ideal at this time was the ‘hourglass female fi gure: a tiny waist, ample bosom and large hips which enhanced femininity (Tallahatchie-Villas, 2007, 36-37). Marie Antoinette had to ‘learn to be a woman (or at least how to perform indemnity)' through the molding of her body with fashion garments (Goodman, 2003, 6). In Figure 1 (above) the Queen is depicted with her hand resting on her commodious and voluminous skirt, serenely gazing into the palace.It can be seen that her body is distinctly shaped to the ‘hourglass' figure that Tallahatchie-Villas (2007) refers to as an image of ‘enhanced femininity – the tightly laced corset has shrunk her waist and her bosom is being flattened and pushed upwards to have an overflowing effect. At the same time her hips have been augmented by a large pannier shaped undergarment and gathers and ruffles of fabric add to the luminous result. Corsets had been present since the beginning of the 17th century, initially made with an iron structure, which was replaced by whalebone in the 18th century.At the beginning of the 18th century, the farthing' – a framework of hoops' that aristocratic women had previously worn to provide volume under their skirts – was replaced by the crinoline (Charles & Carl, 2010, 30). The crinoline augmented the size of the hips and changed shape to follow changing fashions in the desired feminine physique. In the early 18th century the shape of the crinoline was round, it then came oval and then ‘conical' (Charles & Carl, 2010, 30).By the mid 18th century they had become a ‘pannier' shape meaning ‘side hoops' or false hips' – a shape that was flat on front and back and extended on the wearer's left and right, giving her exceedingly wide hips (Cumming, Conjunction & Conjunction, 2010, 148). This is the shape we see in Panderer-Aligns illustration of Marie Antoinette in Figure 1 . In this illustration there are a number of elements of composition and execution that support the conclusion that the molding the Queen underwent were both expected and desirable at this time.There is the artist's decision to place her in a standing position in which the full scale of her skirt can be realized, the addition of shading to emphasize her bust, and dark shadowing around the waist that functions to reduce its size. The enormity of the Queen's gown in relation to her head and the background of the portrait ensure that her curvaceous feminine shape instantly draws the viewer's eye. The artist's decision to contrast the rich, dark objects in the background with pale colors to illustrate her in the foreground again draws attention to this almost ethereal feminine form.One wonders how widely this image as distributed, given our knowledge of Marie Antoinette influence on fashion. Queen Marie Antoinette was known as the ‘Queen of Fashion' and her choices in clothing were closely documented, publicized and duplicated by women throughout the whole of Europe (Weber, 2007, 1). Her wardr obe has even provided inspiration for current designers such as Much Dulcet for her millinery collection at the Autumn/ Winter 2012/13 London Fashion Week and John Gilligan for his Spring 2010 Couture collection for Dior in Paris (Clearing, 2012. Maida, 2010).The consequence of her choice to conform to the notion of molding her body, restricting and augmenting – wrought undergarments and fashion garments – to achieve the hourglass shape ensured this practice remained in fashion and in turn contributed to the social constructions of the feminine physical ideal. After the fall of the monarchy at the turn of the century this fashion of restricting and augmenting the body, molding it to achieve the ideal feminine' physique, persisted. The use of the waist- shrinking, bust- raising corset was continued into the nineteenth century, although steel boning began to be used instead of whalebone.By the mid sass, ‘cheap, mass-produced' corsets were developed and became a tab le of nearly every woman's wardrobe (Gag & Steele, 2005, 291). At this time, flexible sprung-steel rings suspended from cloth tapes' known as ‘Hopkins' were in fashion and augmented the size of the wearer's hips (Gag & Steele, 2005, 317). The corset remained in fashion into the early twentieth century, when it had become a ‘straight front' corset that ‘pushed the pelvis back and the bosom forward,' forming the desired feminine physique at the time – the ‘S' silhouette (Gag & Steele, 2005, 293).The fashionable body in this period was augmented towards the back with use of a bustle skirt. In the sass, the fashionable female figure was ‘boyish and flat- cheesed,' so the waist shrinking corset and wired underskirts became largely obsolete, but the practice of restriction remained in fashion as the breasts still had to be tightly bound, this time to conceal rather than enhance' (Smith, 1998, 5).In 1939, and then after World War II, Tallahatchie-Villas ' image of ‘enhanced femininity with a tiny waist, ample bosom and large hips' returned to fashion again and brought with it the return of the corset and fuller skirts (Tallahatchie-Villas, 2007, 36-37. Gag & Steele, 2005, 293). From the sass onwards the process of restriction and augmentation to achieve the desired feminine physique dictated by fashion at the time has continued. A review of more recent trends and products and fashion exemplars appears below.Currently there is no singular feminine' silhouette that is being dictated by fashion. In some areas of fashion media we are seeing the same boyish thinness as in the twenties and in others there is a push for the ‘real', curvaceous shape (Abraham, 2012). There are still some ‘corset enthusiasts' and elements of these undergarments such as boning and full skirts are still being used in many women's garments as well as in haute couture fashion. There is a myriad of other new garments encouraged by fashion for wo men to restrict, augment and mold their bodies into any desired shape.A few products currently on the market include the Wastepaper' – a tubular piece of Lacy worn to slim the waist and flatten the stomach; the ‘High-waist Long Leg Brief which is designed to provide ‘under-bust and tummy support, hip and thigh contouring, and a nice boost for your butt'; as well as ‘Padded Shaper Panties' which have two round foam pads to give you a ‘perfectly rounded derriere' and padded bras to increase bust size (Morgan, 2012). Compared to the days of corsets and crinolines, he variety of ways in which fashion encourages women to squeeze, expand and mold their bodies have grown.Figure 2 – Photograph of Lady Gaga at the 2009 MET Music awards. Photo courtesy of Getty Images, 2009 Lady Gaga, is Without question, the world's biggest pop star' and a current fashion icon (Robinson, 2010, 280). She famously morphs her body into the sexualities feminine hourglass sha pe with boning, padding and structured garments – often designed specifically for her by current avian garden fashion designers such as Giorgio Airman and Nicola Fortieth for Thither Mugger (Fleming 2012.Nick, 2011). In the above photograph (Figure 2) Lady Gaga is wearing a Jean Paul Guiltier padded and boned body suit, which drastically shapes her figure into the curvaceous, hourglass silhouette of ‘enhanced femininity that Tallahatchie-Villas refers to (2007). The boning restricts the size of her waist while the undermine and padding on the cups over her breasts raise and shape the bust and the padding on her hips augment their size.Although this is an exaggerated example and would not be considered a ready- to- wear garment that women would be seen in on the street, Lady Saga's style choices are influential on how women choose to dress in mainstream culture. More than four hundred years after the first corsets and petticoats came into fashion, we see that the process of restricting and augmenting the female body to achieve a look considered to be feminine is still widespread.Through encouraging this practice and promoting a desired feminine physique that is difficult to attain naturally, fashion aids in the social construction of gender. An individual's choices about the clothes, make-up, accessories and styling that they adorn before venturing into public can communicate a lot about who they are. At the name time, the changeable and impermanent nature of these external applications meaner that no definite assumptions of a person's identity can be made and these variables can easily be manipulated by the individual, allowing them to become who they would like to be.An individual's unique interpretations of, and resistances to conventional fashions is known as ‘appearance style' and is a medium through which individuals can ‘announce' who they are or who they want to become (Gag & Steele, 2005, 34). There are some elements of appeara nce that we are accustomed to observing and processing almost immediately when we look at a person. For example when you see a stranger, it is highly likely that you will be able to tell if their gender is male or female almost instantly and their appearance style aids in this immediate recognition.When you observe the combination of their choice of hair cut, cosmetics, clothing, accessories, shoes and mannerisms; you can draw a conclusion about what gender that person is ‘announcing that they are. This shows that the individual has the power to manipulate these components of their appearance to communicate their understanding of their personal gender identity. An example of how successfully appearance can provide an insight into gender identity and also how easily it can be manipulated can be seen through examining performances of Andre] Epic.Pelvic is biologically a man but models as both a male and a female. At his first fashion week – New York Fashion week Fall/Wint er 2011/12 – he walked in five menswear shows and four homeowners shows and this number has since grown (Morris, 2011). Pelvic explains how he began to mold himself into the typically feminine aesthetic, creating an appearance style that would be read as female – he grew and dyed his hair, ‘started wearing skinny Sears†¦ Hopping in the women's aisle and putting on make-up' (Morris, 2011). Pelvic was voted the ninety- eighth sexiest woman in the world in Fem. ‘One Hundred Sexiest Women' list last year (Peck, 2011, 24). Figure 3 – Andre] Pelvic in ‘Hem' ad campaign. Photo courtesy of Hem from Hollywood Planet, 2011 In the above ad for the Dutch department store ‘Hem', Andre] Pelvic is pictured wearing their ‘mega push up bra' underneath a close-fitted top and a figure hugging dress (Freeman- Greene, 2011).The bra is claimed to ‘add two cup sizes' to its wearer's bust, which it has achieved successfully with Epic's originall y flat chest (Quicker, 2011). His body has been manipulated so that his appearance style masticates his gender as female. His hair is long and blow-dried in a typically feminine style, he is wearing make-up and a necklace, his arms are void of hair and his body has been manipulated to augment the bust with padding. He attempts to channel the poses that female models often make by moving and looking at the camera in a fluid and dramatic' manner (Morris, 2011).The close up angle of the photos and the choice of shots where Pelvic is making direct eye contact with the camera enforces the believability of Epic's feminine appearance. The success of the communication of Epic's gender identity as female in this advertisement monstrance the extent to which an individual can communicate who they are or would like to be through their appearance. As an audience we almost automatically assume Pelvic to be a ‘beautiful, Victorians Secret queue bombshell' (Abraham, 2011).This mutual communic ation and interpretation that can be achieved through manipulating the variables of appearance style allows for an individual's look to say much about who they are. Fashion aids in the social construction of gender through separating male and female fashion and promoting the stereotypical feminine figure. In numerous entities past and continuing into the present, the practice of women using wire, steel, elastic and padding to McCollum their bodies to the fashionable shape of the time has been common, even expected.We have examined how Queen Marie Antoinette encouraged this practice in the 18th Century by wearing a corset to nip her waist and enhance her bust as well as hoop pannier skirts to widen her hips. In the 21st Century it has been demonstrated that this body distortion is still common with pop icon Lady Gaga wearing a boned and padded body suit that provides her with that feminine, hourglass shape. We then saw how this practice is so typically expected to be feminine that th e biologically male model Andre] Pelvic can display his female gender identity by donning a padded bra. Fashion, Gender and Identity gender is a meaning that a culture assigns to sexual differences' and within gender, ‘masculinity and ‘femininity are the divisions that a culture creates between behavior and ‘characteristics considered to be appropriate to men and women' (Bernard, 2007, 185- 186). Fashion aids In the social construction of gender through separating male and female fashion and promoting the stereotypical feminine figure. From the days of stays and petticoats to corsets and crinolines and now with padded bras and Spans, fashion has seen centuries of shrinking and augmentation of the body to achieve the sexualities, feminine' shape.The communicative function' of the body and they way in which it is molded is like a ‘language' – a ‘cultural communication' (Descanters, 1997, 11). Being ‘feminine' is Just one of many ‘performances' that people can choose to present and a person's choice to follow more typically feminine or masculine styles can provide an i nsight into who they are (Gauntlet, 2008, 11). Although certain guidelines may be socially expected, in the western world, we are largely in control of what we wear and thus are perpetually communicating some element of personal Identity every time we get dressed, whether It Is Intentional or subconscious.Using the visual examples of Merle Antoinette, Queen of France and a fashion Icon In the late 1 8th century and Lady Gaga, a current fashion and pop Icon, this essay demonstrates how, even though centuries have passed, the practice of augmenting and shrinking the figure through fashion garments to achieve a ‘feminine' shape has continued to perpetuate social constructions of femininity. Then, the example of Andrea Pelvic is used to demonstrate how appearance can communicate identity, In particular gender identity.Beginning in the 16th century in Europe, Women's bodies were universally forced onto bizarre, unnatural shapes' (Smith, 1998, 5). Stays, petticoats, corsets and crin olines with staff fabric, boning and wire were used to force the body Into the desirable friendly' silhouette of the time. Constant dissatisfaction and change with the Idealized shape of the body reinforced the Idea that the natural body needed to be ‘improved and restricted' to be considered attractive (Smith, 1 998, 5). We see this trend continue into modern day clothing and undergarments.This constant restriction and augmentation, which occurs almost solely to the female body, aids in he social construction and communication of gender. Britannica Image Quest A royal exemplar existed in the form of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France from 1774 until 1792 – a time when all of Europe was ‘culturally and stylistically influenced' by France, during the Rococo era (Coving, 2006, 56. Descanters, 1997, 35-36). The desired feminine physical ideal at this time was the ‘hourglass female figure: a tiny waist, ample bosom and large hips which enhanced femininity (Tallah atchie-Villas, 2007, 36-37).Marie Antoinette had to ‘learn to be a woman (or at least how to perform indemnity)' through the molding of her body with fashion garments (Goodman, 2003, 6). In Figure 1 (above) the Queen is depicted with her hand resting on her commodious and voluminous skirt, serenely gazing into the palace. It can be seen that her body is distinctly shaped to the ‘hourglass' figure that Tallahatchie-Villas (2007) refers to as an image of ‘enhanced femininity – the tightly laced corset has shrunk her waist and her bosom is being flattened and pushed upwards to have an overflowing effect.At the same time her hips have been augmented by a large pannier shaped undergarment and gathers and ruffles of fabric add to the luminous result. Corsets had been present since the beginning of the 17th century, initially made with an iron structure, which was replaced by whalebone in the 18th century. At the beginning of the 18th century, the farthing'  œ a framework of hoops' that aristocratic women had previously worn to provide volume under their skirts – was replaced by the crinoline (Charles & Carl, 2010, 30).The crinoline augmented the size of the hips and changed shape to follow changing fashions in the desired feminine physique. In the early 18th century the shape of the crinoline was round, it then came oval and then ‘conical' (Charles & Carl, 2010, 30). By the mid 18th century they had become a ‘pannier' shape meaning ‘side hoops' or false hips' – a shape that was flat on front and back and extended on the wearer's left and right, giving her exceedingly wide hips (Cumming, Cunning & Cunning, 2010, 148). This is the shape we see in Pannier-Aligns illustration of Marie Antoinette in Figure 1 .In this illustration there are a number of elements of composition and execution that support the conclusion that the molding the Queen underwent were both expected and desirable at this time. There is t he artist's decision to place her in a standing position in which the full scale of her skirt can be realized, the addition of shading to its size. The enormity of the Queen's gown in relation to her head and the background of the portrait ensure that her curvaceous feminine shape instantly draws the viewer's eye.The artist's decision to contrast the rich, dark objects in the background with pale colors to illustrate her in the foreground again draws attention to this almost ethereal feminine form. One wonders how widely this image was distributed, given our knowledge of Marie Antoinette influence on fashion. Queen Marie Antoinette was known as the ‘Queen of Fashion' and her choices in clothing were closely documented, publicized and duplicated by women throughout the whole of Europe (Weber, 2007, 1).Her wardrobe has even provided inspiration for current designers such as Much Dulcet for her millennia collection at the Autumn/ Winter 2012/13 London Fashion Week and John Gillig an for his Spring 2010 Couture collection for Dior in Paris (Clarinda, 2012. Maida, 2010). The consequence of her choice to conform to the notion of molding her body, restricting and augmenting – wrought undergarments and fashion garments – to achieve the hourglass shape ensured this practice remained in fashion and in turn contributed to the social constructions of the feminine physical ideal.After the fall of the monarchy at the turn of the century this fashion of restricting and augmenting the body, molding it to achieve the ideal feminine' physique, persisted. The use of the waist- shrinking, bust- raising corset was continued into the nineteenth century, although steel boning began to be used instead of whalebone. By the mid sass, ‘cheap, mass-produced' corsets were developed and became a table of nearly every woman's wardrobe (Gag & Steele, 2005, 291).At this time, flexible sprung-steel rings suspended from cloth tapes' known as ‘Hopkins' were in fash ion and augmented the size of the wearer's hips (Gag & Steele, 2005, 317). The corset remained in fashion into the early twentieth century, when it had become a ‘straight front' corset that ‘pushed the pelvis back and the bosom forward,' forming the desired feminine physique at the time – the ‘S' silhouette (Gag & Steele, 2005, 293). The fashionable body in this period was augmented towards the back with use of a bustle skirt.In the sass, the fashionable female figure was ‘boyish and flat- cheated,' so the waist shrinking corset and wired underskirts became largely obsolete, but the practice of restriction remained in fashion as the breasts still had to be tightly bound, this time to conceal rather than enhance' (Smith, 1998, 5). In 1939, and then after World War II, Tallahatchie-Villas' image of ‘enhanced femininity with a tiny waist, ample bosom and large hips' returned to fashion again and brought with it the return of the corset and fuller sk irts (Tallahatchie-Villas, 2007, 36-37. Gag & Steele, 2005, 293).From the sass onwards the process of restriction and augmentation to achieve the desired feminine physique dictated by fashion at the time has continued. A review of more recent trends and products and fashion exemplars appears below. Currently there is no singular feminine' silhouette that is being dictated by fashion. In some areas of fashion media we are seeing the same boyish thinness as in the 2012). There are still some ‘corset enthusiasts' and elements of these undergarments such as boning and full skirts are still being used in many women's garments as well as in haute couture fashion.There is a myriad of other new garments encouraged by fashion for women to restrict, augment and mold their bodies into any desired shape. A few products currently on the market include the Wastepaper' – a tubular piece of Lascar worn to slim the waist and flatten the stomach; the ‘High-waist Long Leg Brief whic h is designed to provide ‘under-bust and tummy support, hip and thigh contouring, and a nice boost for your butt'; as well as ‘Padded Shaper Panties' which have two round foam pads to give you a ‘perfectly rounded derriere' and padded bras to increase bust size (Morgan, 2012).Compared to the days of corsets and crinolines, the variety of ways in which fashion encourages women to squeeze, expand and mold their bodies have grown. Figure 2 – Photograph of Lady Gaga at the 2009 MET Music awards. Photo courtesy of Getty Images, 2009 Lady Gaga, is Without question, the world's biggest pop star' and a current fashion icon (Robinson, 2010, 280). She famously morphs her body into the sexualities feminine hourglass shape with boning, padding and structured garments – often designed specifically for her by current avian garden fashion designers such asIn the above photograph (Figure 2) Lady Gaga is wearing a Jean Paul Guiltier padded and boned body suit, which d rastically shapes her figure into the curvaceous, hourglass silhouette of ‘enhanced femininity that Tallahatchie-Villas refers to (2007). The boning restricts the size of her waist while the underwear and padding on the cups over her breasts raise and shape the bust and the padding on her hips augment their size.Although this is an exaggerated example and would not be considered a ready- to- wear garment that women would be seen in on the street, Lady Saga's style choices are influential on how women choose to dress in mainstream culture. More than four hundred years after the first corsets and petticoats came into fashion, we see that the process of restricting and augmenting the female body to achieve a look considered to be feminine is still widespread.Through encouraging this practice and promoting a desired feminine physique that is difficult to attain naturally, fashion aids in the social construction of gender. An individual's choices about the clothes, make-up, accesso ries and styling that they adorn before venturing into public can communicate a lot about who they are. At the same time, the changeable and impermanent nature of these external applications means that no definite assumptions of a person's identity can be made and these variables can easily be manipulated by the individual, allowing them to become who they would like to be.An individual's unique interpretations of, and resistances to conventional fashions is known as ‘appearance style' and is a medium through which individuals can ‘announce' who they are or who they want to become (Gag & Steele, 2005, 34). There are some elements of appearance that we are accustomed to observing and processing almost immediately when we look at a person. For example when you see a stranger, it is highly likely that you will be able to tell if their gender is male or female almost instantly and their appearance style aids in this immediate recognition.When you observe the combination of t heir choice of hair cut, cosmetics, clothing, accessories, shoes and mannerisms; you can draw a conclusion about what gender that person is ‘announcing that they are. This shows that the individual has the power to manipulate these components of their appearance to communicate heir understanding of their personal gender identity. An example of how successfully appearance can provide an insight into gender identity and also how easily it can be manipulated can be seen through examining performances of Andre] Epic. Pelvic is biologically a man but models as both a male and a female.At his first fashion week – New York Fashion week Fall/Winter 2011/12 – he walked in five menswear shows and four womanlier shows and this number has since grown (Morris, 2011). Pelvic explains how he began to mold himself into the typically feminine aesthetic, creating an appearance style that would be read as male – he grew and dyed his hair, ‘started wearing skinny Jeansà ¢â‚¬ ¦ Shopping in the women's aisle and putting on make-up' (Morris, 2011). Pelvic was voted the ninety- eighth sexiest woman in the world in Fem.. ‘One Hundred Sexiest Women' list last year (Peck, 2011, 24). Figure 3 – Andre] Pelvic in ‘Hem' ad campaign.Photo courtesy of Hem from Hollywood Planet, 2011 wearing their ‘mega push up bra' underneath a close-fitted top and a figure hugging dress (Freeman- Greene, 2011). The bra is claimed to ‘add two cup sizes' to its wearer's bust, which it has achieved successfully with Epic's originally flat chest Quicker, 2011). His body has been manipulated so that his appearance style communicates his gender as female. His hair is long and blow-dried in a typically feminine style, he is wearing make-up and a necklace, his arms are void of hair and his body has been manipulated to augment the bust with padding.He attempts to channel the poses that female models often make by moving and looking at the camera in a flui d and dramatic' manner (Morris, 2011). The close up angle of the photos and the choice of shots where Pelvic is making direct eye contact with the camera enforces the believability of Epic's feminine appearance. The success of the communication of Epic's gender identity as female in this advertisement demonstrates the extent to which an individual can communicate who they are or would like to be through their appearance.As an audience we almost automatically assume Pelvic to be a ‘beautiful, Victorians Secret issue bombshell' (Abraham, 2011). This mutual communication and interpretation that can be achieved through manipulating the variables of appearance style allows for an individual's look to say much about who they are. Fashion aids in the social construction of gender through separating male and male fashion and promoting the stereotypical feminine figure.In numerous centuries past and continuing into the present, the practice of women using wire, steel, elastic and paddi ng to mould their bodies to the fashionable shape of the time has been common, even expected. We have examined how Queen Marie Antoinette encouraged this practice in the 18th Century by wearing a corset to nip her waist and enhance her bust as well as hoop pannier skirts to widen her hips. In the 21st Century it has been demonstrated that this body distortion is still common with pop con Lady Gaga wearing a boned and padded body suit that provides her with that feminine, hourglass shape.We then saw how this practice is so typically expected to be feminine that the biologically male model Andre] Pelvic can display his female gender identity by donning a padded bra. When examining these three examples, it becomes clear that the molding of the body into the feminine physical ideal through restriction and augmentation is communicative of the wearer's gender, whether intentional or projected by society, and provides an insight into who they are.

In my day by Russell Baker Essay

Russell Baker, talks about his old and ailing mother in â€Å"In My Day†. With her growing age grew her senility, and she behaved like a young child on some days, while she invited her son to her funeral some other days. The author’s main purpose is to unravel the human emotions and highlighting some of the shortcomings we have as humans. He speaks both in subjective and objective terms as he tells of how we all have a habit of bringing to the forefront our past lives, but not realizing that the person who is addressed has no connection with it and is totally indifferent towards it. The stream of thought becomes more subjective when he presents his realizations after meeting his mother and wished to respect his past when he says, â€Å"These hopeless end-of-the-line visits with my mother made me wish I had not thrown off my own past so carelessly.† The dominant impression is formed with care as he presents the details of the mental state her mother is in and the reader is glum upon identifying that. The description of his mother’s character is again done in a beautiful manner and we get a clear idea of the power she exudes as a woman, he calls her a â€Å"formidable woman†. The sensory descriptions are especially notable in â€Å"In My Day†, when Russell has given descriptions such as â€Å"view of hazy blue Virginia Mountains behind the apple orchard†, â€Å"a doll with huge, fierce eyes† and more such descriptions of the past incidents. These techniques combined together make this piece interesting and captivating for the readers.

How to Set Up an Amazon Author Central Page in 3 Simple Steps

How to Set Up an Amazon Author Central Page in 3 Simple Steps How to Set Up Your Amazon Author Central Page Indie authors know the pressure of having to set up profiles on every new platform that pops up, promising to help you market and sell your books: Goodreads, Facebook, BookBub, oh my! It definitely adds up. But there’s one major tool that - if you haven’t already signed up for - you absolutely shouldn’t overlook: Amazon Author Central.What is Amazon Author Central?Amazon Author Central is a free tool that authors who have published a book through Amazon can sign up for   - whether they’ve published in print or ebook through Kindle Direct Publishing, or an audiobook through ACX. You can think of an Author Central account as your own private headquarters at today’s largest book retailer.Two of the significant updates that have been announced so far include:The ability for authors to manage their books and profile on all the different Amazon marketplaces from their one account - so they won’t need to log in and out to all of the internatio nal sites.It will also give users access to Amazon Author Insights: a hub of articles with tips on writing, publishing, and marketing.Have you tested out the beta program? Have you already used Author Central to optimize your Author Page? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Who Is the Admission Committee What Do They Look For

Who Is the Admission Committee What Do They Look For SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The admissions committee that decides whether or not you get into your dream school can often seem shrouded in mystery. Who, exactly, are these people? A group of soulless office workers who delight in stamping â€Å"Rejected† across applications? A team of well-trained robots who data-mine your application and input it into an algorithm? While it may seem like the admissions committee process is secretive, that’s actually not the case. Admissions committees are made up of real, live humans whose sole job is to put together the best incoming class possible for their college or university. Let’s learn a little more about college admissions committees. What Is an Admission Committee? A college admissions committee is a group of people who work together to make decisions about who is accepted as part of the next matriculating class. Admissions committees are made up of admissions staffers - university employees whose job it is to assess each applicant and decide whether or not he or she is a good fit for acceptance. Most highly selective schools are fairly secretive or nebulous about their admissions process, but many public schools have guaranteed admission for students who meet certain criteria, as well as offer specific information about expected scores and GPAs for applicants. The vast majority have multiple people read your application to decide whether or not you’ll be accepted. Who Reads My Admission Application? Your college application will likely be read by at least two groups of people - regional staffers and the wider admissions committee, which may be made up of deans, faculty members, and even current students. Regional staffers are college admissions employees who focus on your specific geographical region. They are typically the people who travel to college fairs in your region and may conduct interviews. You might have met them before, if you attended a college fair at your school or in your area. The rest of the admissions committee can be structured differently, depending on the college or university. Often, there are deans or other high-ranking members of the admissions office who participate in the second read-through of your application. If you’re applying to a specific school or program, faculty members who know their coursework may be part of the decision, as they have a good sense of who can handle their classes. Some schools include students on the admissions committee, who speak to whether or not applicants would be a good addition to the larger school community and student body. Over the past few months, the lawsuit against Harvard’s discrimination towards Asian students offered insight into the previously highly secretive process. The admissions committee at Harvard assesses the grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, intended majors, ethnicities, and regional background of every student. From this information, we can assume that other highly competitive and secretive schools use similar criteria. While you obviously can’t control your ethnicity or where you live, you can control the rest of your application, so it’s important to put as much effort in your grades, essays, and extracurriculars as possible. What Is a Typical Admissions Committee Process? Very few schools divulge what happens during their admissions process or give specific, data-driven criteria. That being said, schools like Harvard have released the questions that admissions committee members ask themselves as they’re reviewing your application. Here’s a sample of some of the questions Harvard admission committee members consider: Have you been stretching yourself academically and personally? How have you used your time? Do you have initiative? Are you a self-starter? Do you care deeply about anything - intellectual? Extracurricular? Personal? How open are you to new ideas and people? Will you contribute something to Harvard and to your classmates? Will you benefit from your Harvard experience? While the specific questions may vary from school to school, the basic gist is the same. Schools want to know whether or not you’ve been challenging yourself and how you’ll contribute to their campus and classrooms. Most college admissions committees have at least a two-step process for applicants. First, applications are read by regional staffers. These admissions committee members look over your application for basic qualifications like grades, test scores, and extracurriculars to make sure you match up to the standards of the typical matriculating student. If those qualifications match up, your application will be brought to the wider admission committee, made up of senior admissions faculty, deans, professors, and maybe even students. Together, that committee discusses your application and makes a decision on whether or not to admit you. Recap: Understanding the Admission Committee A college admissions committee is a group of people who read your application and decide whether or not you’ll be a good fit to attend their school. Considering that most colleges and universities have at least two read through of each student they consider a good fit, you want to make sure that your qualifications are obvious enough to pass through the first read and move on to the second. That means that your grades and test scores should be close to the middle range of scores for accepted applicants at your school so that you’ll be considered. You also want to make sure that the qualitative parts of your application are up to snuff as well. Consider what the admissions committee will be asking themselves about you. What does your academic, extracurricular, and personal record demonstrate? What story have you told about who you are and how you might contribute to the college or university of your dreams? What’s Next? Looking for application tips for some of the most selective schools? Read our complete guides to the University of California system and to the Georgetown application. Should you apply early or regular decision to college? Find out the pros and cons of early decision in this article. Not sure what to major in? Get expert advice in our guide to choosing a college major, and learn the five main factors to consider before you declare a major. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. 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Health care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Health care - Essay Example The Affordable Health Care Act of 2010 (ACA) was a historic piece of legislation and addresses many important health issues but stops short of universal coverage which should still be the goal. The ACA, more commonly known as â€Å"Obamacare,† was unpopular at first but since its passage two years ago the facts about the law along with the lies perpetuated to destroy it have become more generally understood causing it to gradually gain wider acceptance. Those opposed liked the individual parts of the law including the ending of health insurance company abuses such as not accepting patients due to preexisting medial conditions, ceilings on payouts and dropping people just because they got sick. However, they did not like the overall ideological implications. They thought, due to being misinformed, that the ACA was leading the country down a path toward socialism, not that this faction understood what the term meant. Still, they were frightened that their beloved country was being turned into something resembling the old Soviet Russian type regime or a European style of governance. Obama had already taken the automobile industry over, so they were told, along with the financial system. They did not want America to be radically changed to a system that was unrecognizable to them. Now that the realities of the ACA are slowly surfacing the minds of at least some former opponents have been eased. Though the ACA will cover millions of Americans and end insurance company abuse it does not go far enough. The U.S. is still the only industrialized nation that does not guarantee cradle to grave coverage for its citizens. In fact, it works in opposition to socialist philosophy. The individual mandate insures everyone who can afford insurance must pay on a sliding scale according to income. Forcing people to buy a service from private companies is institutionalized capitalism. Had the public option been part of the law almost