The Crucible Quiz Check Your Knowledge

The School Of Public And Environmental Affairs - 1568 Words

Change is to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc. of something different from what it is or from what it would be left alone (notes). Change is a continuous occurrence throughout the growth of organizations and their success can be correlated with how adaptable the organization is to these changes. SPEA’s current organizational structure is not working effectively, so in order to remedy this problem, we must change the organizational structure within SPEA. I have created a plan that will solve the communication problems within SPEA while simultaneously enhancing the structure and culture of the organization. The School of Public and Environmental Affairs currently operates as a mechanistic, or bureaucratic, organization.†¦show more content†¦Patt will then approve the task and then Patt will inform student workers of their new duties. This means the flow of communication goes from the middle to the top level and then directly to the bottom level. The vertical communication that is evident in a mechanistic organizational structure is currently functioning in the form of an upside down checkmark. In addition to this disruption of the organizational structure, there is also the exclusion of the top level in its entirety. The advisors will disregard Patt and communicate their needs with the student workers directly, which in turn makes the organization operate on a disconnected basis. SPEA is attempting to run a centralized, formalized, and mechanistic organization; however, their actual organization is extremely informal. The first step to creating an organization that functions properly is to fix the structure of the organization itself. After analyzing the current formalized organizational structure within SPEA, I decided that it did not need to be changed; however, it needed to be adjusted in order to make it operational. SPEA should maintain their mechanistic structure with distinct levels of authority for the sake of the student workers, so that they are aware of who they are answering to. In order to make this structure more effective for the student workers, we need to further centralize the organization. For instance, we should

Observation Of A Child At The Children s House - 998 Words

This paper details my observation of a child at The Children’s house. When I called to schedule an observation time, I decided to go when the children would be outside engaging in activities of their choosing. When I arrived my plan was to observe first (without interfering), then once I had the notes that I needed to write about friendships and play, I intended to ask a child the questions that were provided in the rubric. Initially, most of the children were scattered around playing by themselves, in pairs or groups of 3. After observing for about 10 minutes without anything interesting happening, I was about to go to a child and start interviewing him or her. Then a little girl who I later found out to be named Alex gathered a group of about 5 other children to play â€Å"house†. Alex was taller than all of the other children, her hair was blonde and her eyes were blue. Based off the fact that she took the leadership role, was organizing a rule based game, and seemed to prefer being near other children rather than adults, I estimated that she was 5 or 6 years old. Now that I knew what game they were going to play I hypothesized that I would observe her ability to differentiate between genders and their roles in the game of house that the children were playing as well as assign roles to other children. I expected to see Alex cooperate with the other children and take their perspectives and feelings into account because according to the first social development lecture,Show MoreRelatedA Pleasurable And Educational Preschool Observation1271 Words   |  4 PagesEducational Preschool Observation: Option E I observed a 4 year old preschool class during playtime in Staten Island, New York. The class consisted of eight children, and one certified preschool teacher. There were 4 boys and 4 girls in the class. During my sixty minute observation I noticed several instances of dramatic play, peer relationships, relationships with adults, and self-control. Dramatic Play During my observation, I witnessed a group of two- one boy and one girl-playing house. According toRead MoreChildrens Relationship with Classmates: a Comprehensive Analysis of Friendship Nominations and Liking1732 Words   |  7 PagesChildren s Relationship with Classmates: A Comprehensive Analysis of Friendship Nominations and Liking Psychological Profile: Subject is young male 7 years old (my nephew), will be 8 years old January 1st, 2006. Height is approximately 4ft 1 inches and weight is roughly 58lbs. Olive toned skin complexion, brown short hair, and big brown eyes, with a devilish smile. The subject has a personality that constantly changes based on the people in his surroundings. More playful and rough withRead MorePiaget s Theory On Child Development920 Words   |  4 PagesChildren are not simply small adults who are still growing; they learn differently and experience the world in a variation of ways that opposes adult reasoning. Piaget’s theory on child development asserts that there are four stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. Piaget also suggested that human thinking is arranged into schemes, â€Å"organized mental patterns that represent behaviors and actions† (Feldman, 2015, p. 17). These schemesRead MoreEssay on Child And Parent Behavior Observation536 Words   |  3 PagesChild And Parent Behavior Observation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I am almost always surrounded by the interactions between children and their parents. I hear it at my work, I hear it in restaurants, but most of all I hear it at my house. My mother owns a daycare and every night I hear parents being hit by a barrage of questions. When children are being picked up they always have a couple of questions for their parents. Children are always asking about the meal for the night or whether they can go over to a friendRead MoreMy First Observation Of The Middle Childhood1182 Words   |  5 Pagesbefore coming home with them. I observed Isabella in her house, she live there with her mom, dad, a fish and a dog. The observation was realized when I was visiting my friend’s house; I observed the girl in her environment for approximately two and half hours. My first observation was she spend time making craft from her own inspiration and enjoy to gifting them to her parents. She was very talkative, independent and active girl. Observation. Physical Development: Observing Isabella physically sheRead MoreMaria Montessori ( 1870-1952 )1081 Words   |  5 Pagesrecognised throughout the world to this day. She began educational work at the children’s house with underprivileged children which brought her international acclaim. She then actively interpreted and indorsed her own work for close to a decade. Montessori’s teachings are centred around the child, with an understanding that the child has an absorbent mind and opportunities should be made available to the child and they will take responsibility for their individual learning. These teachings remain relevantRead MoreMy Observation Of My Preschool Observation1108 Words   |  5 PagesThe purpose of my â€Å"Preschool Observation† is to observe the behavior of a three year old toddler in a head start school setting. The child’s name is Adam Johnson, he is three years old, I do not know the child. I knew that if I did not know the child it would be a better observ ation. My purpose is to objectively observe the two year old toddler without bias responses of my observation in full descriptive details. My observation of the three year old preschool is to explain the domains of developmentRead MoreReggio Emili Curriculum Methods Techniques1363 Words   |  6 Pagesparents and educators in the city developed an educational system for young children. By the 1980s, many educators across the globe were choosing to use the Reggio Emilia method in the classroom. The Reggio Emilia approach is considered an â€Å"in-depth project that emerges from the children s intellectual curiosity, social interactions, and interests† (p. 60). Teachers view themselves as â€Å"partners in learning† and encourage children to express their knowledge through language or modes of expression. SomeRead MoreThe Educational Work Of Maria Montessori1349 Words   |  6 Pagesmentally retarded children it was here that her observations would become fundamental to her future educational work. Montessori began to develop her philosophy and methods in 1897. She caught everyone s attention when most of her uneducable students passed the state test in reading and math, some scoring above average. Curious how such principles would work with the mainstream population of children, Montessori then opened her first school; Casa dei Bambini (Children s House) in 1907. MontessoriRead MoreChild Observation Paper1294 Words   |  6 PagesChild Observation Paper Jason Betts Pacific Oaks College November 12, 2012 The purpose of this paper is to discuss and review my observation of a 7 year old African American male who is being raised by his grandmother (45 year old Bi-racial female who has 9 children of her own; 7 of the children are still in the house). During my observation of â€Å"Jackson†, I focused on the following domains of child development: * Physical * Cognitive * Social * Emotional I applied Attachment

Holdens Depression and Self-Doubt in Salingers Catcher...

As Eugene McNamara stated in his essay â€Å"Holden Caulfield as Novelist†, Holden, of J.D. Salinger’s novel Catcher in the Rye, had met with long strand of betrayals since he left Pencey Prep. These disappointments led him through the adult world with increasing feelings of depression and self-doubt, leading, finally to his mental breakdown. Holden’s first betrayal was that of his memory and innocence by an egotistical peer. At Pencey Prep, he roomed with a student named Stradlater; the epitome of a teenage jock. Stradlater was openly very vain; as Holden stated as he watched Stradlater gaze at himself in the mirror, â€Å"he was madly in love with himself. He thought he was the handsomest guy in the Western Hemisphere† (27). Because of his†¦show more content†¦Now here was Stradlater who could not even remember her proper name! It was a great show of disrespect for Holden’s memory of this bubbly, kind girl; it was a betrayal of his innoce nt heart and childhood memories. Holden’s disappointingly cold experience with sex and prostitution after he leaves Stradlater and Pencey Prep is a betrayal of his childish dreams of greatness and celebrity. As he enters the elevator of a New York City hotel, the elevator boy asks him if he wants a good time. Holden agrees, as he is â€Å"starting to feel pretty sexy and all† (92), being his first official chance to live up to his dreams of sexiness and manliness. His mind even starts to wander to his grand fantasy of â€Å"Caulfield and His Magic Violin† (93) in which he is the most adored man in all the world. He never, however, lives up to any of these egotistical illusions. His disappointment comes knocking at the door in the form of a young girl named Sunny. The minute she undresses, Holden feels odd and uncomfortable. He â€Å"know[s] that you’re supposed to feel pretty sexy when somebody gets up and pulls their dress over their head† (95), b ut he just felt embarrassed for her. His ego and dreams come crashing down, as his night is not of good times and achievement, but of a too young girl who is as nervous as he. It was quite depressing for him to realize that the adult world was made up not of the movie-like dreams he had entertained for so long, but of timid, depressing reality.Show MoreRelatedCatcher In The Rye Character Analysis940 Words   |  4 PagesIn chapter ten of J.D. Salinger’s, Catcher in the Rye, there are three important concepts: loneliness, depression, and idealism. Holden evinces these concepts when he talks about his younger sister, goes to the Lavender room, and mentions Radio City Music Hall. Each of these concepts builds upon each other, especially the idea that Holden is lonely. Holden is alone once he arrives in New York after leaving Pencey Prep. Holden’s loneliness makes him think of his younger sister, Phoebe, who has a lotRead MoreThe Theory Of Self Orientation1957 Words   |  8 PagesSelf-Orientation in a Confusing World The conscious essence is what defines each person as an individual. In the adolescent years one establishes their true self and begins to feel out their adult personality as they mature and grow as a person. For some this is a daunting task filled with confusion and self-doubt. The existentialist movement focuses on the independence of an individual to shape their lives through choices which help create their own values and give meaning to their own lives. TheRead MoreThe Theory Of Self Orientation1958 Words   |  8 PagesSelf-Orientation in a Confusing World The conscious essence is what defines each person as an individual. In the adolescent years one establishes their true self and begins to feel out their adult personality as they mature and grow as a person. For some this is a daunting task filled with confusion and self-doubt. The existentialist movement focuses on the independence of an individual to shape their lives through choices which help create their own values and give meaning to their own

Ecommerce Business Free Essays

Introduction Developing an e-commerce business is a difficult process, that will test the determination and commitment of any person that has created a business in the past. I this paper will examine four different scenarios that one might be confronted with in owning an e-commerce business. The scenarios are as follow: * Imagine that someone has offered you $1,000 to buy your online domain name shortly after you started your business online. We will write a custom essay sample on Ecommerce Business or any similar topic only for you Order Now Explain why or why you would not sell and cite the ethical dilemmas involved. The e-commerce software you will be using must provide a catalog display, shopping cart capabilities, and transaction processing. The convenience and usability for the customer are benefits of these functions. State how each of these functions could be beneficial to your business. * Your business will have created a presence in the physical world by having a store along the boardwalk. Creating effective presence on the Web. Including how to improve Web presence by increasing website usability. Develop a web marketing strategy for your company including the following: identify the market segments you will target, how you will reach that segment, and explain how you will reach that segment, and explain how you will advertise on the Web. Being able to properly answer and respond to these scenarios, will assist people who wish to start an e-commerce business. Understanding these scenarios will assist in determ ining the market segments, as well has helping to understanding the worth of your business. Selling Your Domain Name Several things must be considered when a business is thinking of selling their domain name to someone else. In business, one is continuously working to convince others to do your bidding. The goal of a business is to convince customers to purchase your product or service, and then convince those same customers to pay their accounts on time. As it pertains to the employees that work at your business, they must treat the customers well and contribute to the company. They must abide by all ethical and moral standards that the business has put in place. By setting forth a great deal of effort to create and develop my business, it is not likely that I will sell my business for $1,000. By selling the domain name of my business, all the work that I have done to make my company relevant and credible would be in jeopardy. Most successful companies are known by their domain name or their brand, and it takes hard work and determination to accomplish the task of making your domain name credible. Customer Convenience The e-commerce business that I create will attempt to make the shopping and visit to my business website as convenient as possible for my potential customers. This will be accomplished by providing three services that all e-commerce businesses must have in order to be successful: shopping catalog display, shopping car capabilities, and a simple transaction process. The shopping catalog display must be able to store information about items in a database. My e-commerce business will also provide a search engine that allows customers to enter descriptions to quickly find the items they wish to purchase or find information about. The shopping cart capabilities will use online forms to document online shopping in the past, and it will be able to distinguish from one customer to another. I would also create a database that will store information about the clients preferred choices. I will use software that will calculate price, volume discounts, sales tax, and shopping cost. Electronic commerce software will be used to provide connections to accounting software so the sales of the web can be entered simultaneously. All of these different service that I will incorporate will allow the customers a simple and convenient way to purchase our goods and services, as well as find out as much information as possible about our goods and services. Boardwalk Store When creating a physical store on the boardwalk I will attempt to maintain my presence of the Web. In order to accomplish this I will have to implement two things to achieve this success. First of all, I would use an e-mail address to identify users. This is because e-mail addresses are easier to remember and are more standard, as well as being unique. Second, I will attempt to create a system to make ordering easy. This process could be quite complex, so I would make this process easier at each step. This can be accomplished by having the customer enter the least amount of information at each step. This can make the experience of purchasing our product and visiting our website simple on every level. Marketing Strategies When marketing on the Web, a business must completely understand the different segments that they must market their products and services. The different segmentations are as follow: behavioral, demographic, geographic, and psychographic. The behavioral segmentation consist of dividing people into groups according to how they behave and act toward products. I would create a website that gives examples on encouraging consumers to use my products for multiple purposes. The demographic segmentation obtains demographic information from the U. S. Census Bureau’s website. The site would discuss some prominent demographic characteristics used to segment buyers. This includes age, income, gender, and family life cycles. Geographic segmentation is when a market strategy that allows businesses to market by the geographic in which a customer’s live. Psychographic segmentation gathers extensive information of the customers activities, interests, opinions, values, and lifestyles. I would use the VAL survey( values, attitudes, and lifestyles) to find out what category each individual is apart . This will allow me to market according to their psychological makeup, which will give me the ability to better market my product. Marketing is an essential part of the success or failure of any business, owners should not take this aspect of the business lightly. Conclusion In my opinion, understanding all of these aspects of business will allow a person who is attempting to start an online business successful. The marketing and convenience aspect of business is key is maintain and sustaining a successful business. Having a full understanding of the Web as it pertains to business, as well as knowing the importance of what goes in to making your domain name credible is also an essential part of business. References Keys to Improving your Web Presence (2011) Retrieved from http://www. ocularconcepts. us/blc/blog/keys-to-improving-your-web-presence/ Lars, Perner (n. d. ) Introduction to Marketing. Retrieved from http://www. consumerpsychologist. com/marketing_introduction. html Schneider, G. (2011). Electronic commerce: 2011 custom edition (9th ed. ). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. How to cite Ecommerce Business, Papers

African Literature In The Cutting Of A Drink And Essay Example For Students

African Literature: In The Cutting Of A Drink And Essay The ReturnAfrican Literature: In The Cutting of A Drink and The ReturnTrent Hughes Eng 109 Paper #2The two short stories In the Cutting of a Drink and The Return bringdifferent responses from me. In the Cutting of a Drink makes me think aboutwhat it would be like to go into a new culture. It also makes me think aboutthe decline in moral values now days. The Return reminds me to be morethankful for the many things I take for granted. It also makes me think abouthow hard it can be to cope with change. In the poem Those Rainy Mornings I amreminded of my grandma and what a kind, loving, wonderful person she is. In Frank Chipasulas poem Those Rainy Mornings the speaker is talkingabout his aunt Gwalanthi. The speaker tells us what a wonderful loving personhis aunt is. In the first section the speaker tells us how his aunt would wakeup at the crack of dawn and build a fire. Then she would begin cooking porridge. In the second section of the poem the speaker talks about waking up out of thenagging nightmare. Then the speaker describes his aunt a little bit more, hersoft but husky call. In the last section the speaker talks about how kind hisaunt is to take care of his brothers and sisters while his parents strayed tothe copper mines.This poem makes me think about my grandma and all the wonderful things shehas done for me. The speakers aunt is an old fragile woman, hoe-broken palmsand scrawny ribs. But she is also a very hard worker and loving person. Boththese things remind me of my grandma. My grandma may be old and fragile but sheis still a very hard working and loving person. My grandma is always up atfirst light doing household chores or working in her garden. Many times we haveto force her to go inside, so she wont be exposed to the hot sun for to long. I cant count the number of times my grandma has made my bed, folded our clothes,washed our dishes, or done various other household chores for me and my family. I could never fully repay my grandma for all the wonderful things she has done. My grandma, like aunt Gwalanthi, is a very kind, hard working person. Ama Ata Aidoos In the Cutting of a Drink is about a person relating hisstory of looking for his lost sister in a big city called Mamprobi. Thenarrator, Mansas brother, is talking to his uncles in the story. He is tellingthem about the things he experienced in the city while looking for Mansa. Thenarrator is from the country, so a lot of the city life is new or shocking tohim. The narrator and Duayaw, the person helping him find his sister, go to anightclub while looking for Mansa. This is a very new experience for thenarrator. Some new things he experiences are dancing and watching women buybeer. But the most shocking thing is when he finds out his sister Mansa worksthere. Young woman, is this the work you do? he asked her. In the endMansas reply was, any kind of work is work.This story made me think of a couple of things, differences in cultures orplaces and a decline in moral values. When the narrator goes to the city he isin a totally new culture. Many of the things he sees done a re shocking to him. .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233 , .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233 .postImageUrl , .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233 , .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233:hover , .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233:visited , .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233:active { border:0!important; } .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233:active , .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233 .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u17611035d8f9ad93288de44479fde233:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Dissertation on Pain EssayI sat with my mouth open and watched the daughter of a woman cut beer like aman. I cannot describe how they danced. Going into a new culture would haveto be a shocking experience for anyone. The comment any for of work is workmade by Mansa makes me think about the decline in moral values. Now days manypeople seem to go by this saying. People seem to not care about what form ofwork they are doing as long as they make money. Some factors to consider whendoing a job are, is what you are doing morally right or ethical, and is what youare doing legal or illegal. Would you want your husband or wife to go to workas a prostitute? Or would you want them to go to work as a female or malestripper? I would hope not in both cases, the first simply because it isillegal. The second because it is pornography and I think you should haveenough respect for your spouse to not want them to do that kind of work. So thecomment any form of work is work is not a way to go about finding a job. The Return by Ngugi wa Thiongo is about a man named Kamau who returnshome after being in a detention camp for five years. He hopes to see his oldvillage exactly the same. Instead he finds it now ruled by the British. TheBritish have changed the village and its culture. Worst of all, Kamaus wifeMuthoni left with another man named Karanja. Muthoni did this because Karanjalied and told the village that Kamau had died. At the end of the story Kamaulets a small bundle, filled with things that reminded him of Muthoni, roll downa bank and float down the river. Then he talks about the relief he felt afterthis happened. Why should she have waited for me? Why should all the changeshave waited for my return?These comments make me think about change and how hard it can be to copewith change. It also made me be more thankful for some of the things I take forgranted. When Kamau returned home he basically returned home to a completelynew village. His family had aged, many people didnt recognize him , and hiswife was gone. This was very hard for Kamau to cope with, the old village hadnot even waited for him. Kamau felt resentful and angry. I know I would havethe same resentful feelings as Kamau if I were put in the same situation. Iwould feel cheated if I came home one day only to find it completely changed. Many time I find myself taking my friends, family, home, or security for granted. Sometimes I dont realize how important these things are in my life. I know ifthey were taken away or completely changed, I would be devastated. I would notbe able to get over it as fast as Kamau. After reading this story I am morethankful for the many things I take for granted. All three of these readings bring out different responses from me. Mygrandma is the person I think about in the poem Those Rainy Mornings. I amreminded of all the wonderful things she does for me and my family. In thestory In the Cutting of a Drink I think about the decline in moral valuesthese days. I also think about the what it would be like to go into a whole newculture. After reading the story The Return I am more thankful for the thingsthat I take for granted. The story also makes me think about change and howhard it can be to cope with change.

Sam Shepard Essay Example For Students

Sam Shepard Essay Two recent monographs in important authors series from Twayne and Continuum are scholastically useful surveys of Sam Shepards career the sort of books you like to have handy on the shelf for brushing up on half-forgotten plots, tracking down errant quotations or noshing on a biographical snack. These books are headed for college libraries, where theyll bail out many an ill-prepared student from 11th-hour pre-seminar emergencies by diligently documenting a crucial American playwright and his work. And, with Shepard Neglect all the rage these days, its encouraging to find that at least these two publishers acknowledge his worth. David J. DeRose characterizes Shepards life and writing as a constant adventure in re-inventing the self and assigns chapters according to perceived phases in this persistent metamorphosis. He wisely avoids any attempt to enclose such a maverick and many-faced writers career in a single all-containing thesis, but offers instead the potentially liberating thought that Shepards plays demonstrate a preoccupation with heightened or critical states of consciousness. Unfortunately, DeRose strays from his non-pedagogical road. He succumbs to the temptation of assigning meaning to plays, as if they were a clever code hes managed to crack. He sometimes becomes disturbingly judgmental and dismissive of certain pop pastiche plays whose social-commentary messages seem disappointingly clear to him. Too bad, because an uncompromising exploration of states of consciousness those dramatized and those induced by the dramatization could be exciting if it werent required to bear the burden of finding equivalencies between stage and reality. Such connections actually distance the two realms by setting one apart as merely representative or emblematic of the other, rather than considering their common ground, the experience of the play, for what it is. DeRose is clearly aware of the hazard as he issues strong warnings against meaning-mining the early plays but he fails to apply this caveat consistently to his own discussion, and so distracts from a compelling approach. He speaks alluringly of the emotional landscape of the plays, then all too often retreats to the relatively safe terrain of telling us what a given play is about. The impression he can give is that Shepard, seeking to make a certain point or convey a specific effect, goes to his workbench, selects the appropriate tool and applies it or that style itself is a kind of clothing, an external thing. Hunting for clues Martin Tucker also offers a promising premise for his study: While looking for a one-to-one correspondence between events in the playwrights life and events in his work is nonsense, theres a case to be made, he says, that Shepards plays create a world view, which Tucker tantalizingly calls humanistic irony. His book treats the plays as happenings in the chronological-narrative progress of Shepards life. Along this relentlessly linear path, chapters divide the career by groups of years, except for one thematicanalytical section on Illusion and a collection of chiefly biographical tidbits called Notes on Shepard and His Friends. Tucker moves from play to play in sequence, somewhat ruthlessly discarding the explained pieces as yesterdays news once theyve yielded up their secrets to his scalpel. We get a hybrid biographical-critical story that, despite its protest to the contrary, hunts for clues, seeks methodically to solve the Problem of Shepard and His Plays, of what it all really mea ns, of who, in the end, Shepard is. Theres something a little ungainly about the method; it reminds me of the awkward and incongruous tags and collars attached to unwitting wildlife by conservationists tracking their behavior. Both books suffer from their own comprehensiveness, proving their points by attrition, exhausting every last special case rather than using the occasional inductive strategy that suggestively savors a few special cases so that we might then do some exploring on our own and assess for ourselves the wider truth of a specifically valid insight. .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26 , .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26 .postImageUrl , .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26 , .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26:hover , .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26:visited , .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26:active { border:0!important; } .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26:active , .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26 .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u88253f510f920173ca634d7a4552be26:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: From Sendak's kitchen: the author and illustrator has cooked up a hearty menu for children EssayPassions unspent Both critics make their often reasonable arguments in cool, distanced language, a voice of authoritative remove: DeRose writes with grim determination as he completes his task, while Tucker speaks like an academic bus-tour guide. Its obvious just from the physical size of these projects that both these dedicated critics feel passion for the playwright, yet they pretend to be emotionally disengaged. Consequently, the stories of these love affairs feel more like property contracts conceived in cool calculation by the light of boardroom lamps than the complex and breathing offspring of joined imaginations, born in some secret chamber of the heart. But the two series to which these volumes belong arent so much about feelings as theyre about data, encouraging these books to cover the subject (though covering can suffocate). A lot of educators must be held accountable, too, for placing a premium on answers, on explanation rather than evocation. Poetry in criticism is so rare. And these two books on Sam Shepard do offer considerable resources: Both provide excellent bibliographies, especially DeRoses, which is annotated. DeRose also makes use of previously unstudied archival materials, such as a number of lost plays and a fascinating interview with musical collaborator Catherine Stone. Both supply ample biographical information and make a number of intelligent points about plausible authorial intent and recurrent dramaturgical methods. Theyre especially good at cataloguing images. The books are thoroughly indexed, so that selective, need-specific reading is easy. And thats probably the best way to use them as readily-accessible reference works.