Saving Grace by Lee Smith

Lucid and devoid of any ornate sentimentality, Saving Grace is the ninth novel of Lee Smith, followed by what many considers to be her masterpiece, Oral History. The Appalachian setting of the novel reflects the author’s unceasing obsession with nature, folklore and traditional humane values. Like Oral History, Saving Grace too deals with the thematic constructs of troubled family relations and wistful remembrances. The first person narrative technique brings out the feel of the novel perfectly. Florida Grace Shepherd, the protagonist of the story, vividly recounts her younger days in a melancholy tone which reverberates with lack of self-pity. Such a tone reflects Grace's complete alienation not just from established family or social orders, but also from her own internal world. Her subsequent coming of age in an adulterous world is amply recorded in the prose style which is â€Å"breathtaking in scope and heart-rending in effect–a redemptive work of art†¦ † (Saving Grace 2006). This essay is going to critically discuss how Grace’s life is shaped by her encounter with various men. What makes Saving Grace a standout among Lee Smith’s other novels is its portrayal of a compelling journey to self-exploration. The title itself serves as an interactive vehicle for bringing out the thematic aspects of the plot. Right from the fictional beginning, the heroine of the story Florida Grace Shepherd feels the need to be saved: â€Å"I am and always have been contentious and ornery, full of fear and doubt in a family of believers. Mama used to call me her â€Å"worrywart child. † (Smith 3) However, the fact that she never liked to be saved by some kind of divine intervention goes to show the matriarchal-patriarchal dichotomy in the Shepherds household. The first Man whom Grace is commanded to put her trust is Jesus Christ, and she hates doing that. She openly avows her hatred for Jesus. It is her mother in whom she finds solace and healing touch in moments of extreme pain and emotional anguish: â€Å"†¦smoothing my long yellow hair and pressing me against her bosom where I could smell the familiar smell of cotton dried out on the line. (Smith 3) Despite her mother’s firm faith in the Holy Lord, much like her father’s, Jesus to her is the perpetrator behind broken family relationships. Deep in her mind she knows that her father finds the forgiving nature of God as an alibi to lead a life of a compulsive womanizer on the pretext of fundamentalist preaching of Evangelism. The main line of business for the Reverend Virgil Shepherd is the unassuming womenfolk of the mountain community of Scrabble Creek, North Carolina. Her father’s escapades and itinerant schedule have spelled doom for the entire family. The serpent-healing of Grace’s father haunts her at night when she and her sister Billie Jean â€Å"fall asleep to the sound of serpents rattling in boxes under their bed. † (Eckard 174) In this context, the all-important theme of spiritual salvation comes into contention. Grace refuses to embrace the ways of salvation by being obedient to the Holy Lord. She scorns the prospect of becoming a â€Å"special servant of the Lord† (Smith 30). Her reluctance is extended to such a degree that she cannot even gather up enough courage to rely on the Lord fearing it would lead to misunderstandings within the family and she may be cast out of the known bondage. Moreover, her restricted and brainwashed childhood is manifested through the religious customs imposed upon the children by their father: â€Å"he would not let us read anything except the Bible, he said that was all we needed to read. We were not even allowed to read the newspaper, as the only news we needed to know was the good news of the Gospel, and anything else would distract us from it. † (Smith 11) So we have seen the affect of two men on Grace’s upbringing – firstly, her father and secondly and perhaps more ominously, Jesus Christ Himself. As the story sets in motion, the readers are introduced to a 38-year old Grace making a homecoming to Scrabble Creek. The course of her life appears to be bleak after two failed marriages, childhood seduction by half brother Lamer, her mother’s suicide, and the forsaking of her own children. Here we can get a feel of the plot which is to be unfolded as we go along. It is primarily a plot based on begin-at-end formation with the main character revealing her past life at a time when everything in her present seems to have come to a cul-de-sac. However, as The Washington Post Book World reviewed, Lee Smith gives an almost impersonalized voice to her heroine as she states the truth with an â€Å"honesty so severe we are brought to our knees†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Saving Grace 2006). â€Å"I mean to tell the truth†¦even the terrible things†, and she does unhurriedly and forthrightly (Eckard 174). Her recollection touches down the lives of everyone she happened to come across right throughout her childhood and adolescent days. What she can relate to fondly was the maternal love and care she got. But nowhere in her narration do we find traces of accusation or bitter repudiation against those men who directly or indirectly exploited her. Her matter-of-fact presentation renders a dramatic appeal to the narrative, making her a storytelling model. It conforms to the viewpoints held by Sheila Collins who in her essay Theology in the Politics of Appalachian Women argues that â€Å"women must resist the silent, feminized roles traditionally expected of them in religious and political spheres†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Eckard 175). Indeed, Grace’s account shakes the stereotyped role of womanhood hailing from rough and repressive highland living. All along the novel, the readers can find several sets of juxtaposition in terms of feminine ways of perceiving life. Time and again, Grace embarks on self-evaluation to find meaning behind her existence in a world which is ruthless and full of contradicting elements. Her internal world is perpetually at flux for the simultaneous presence of sin and salvation, silence and voice, power and powerlessness and so on. All these elements are typically associated with the male connections Grace has during her eventful journey. It won’t be an overstatement to claim that Saving Grace is about the tragic life of a woman who, after coming in touch with lumps of dirt, remains unblemished in the end. Her single life may not be seen ideal to follow, but one cannot deny the unyielding spirit of humanity in the face of male dominance that Lee Smith documents through the portrayal of Florida Grace Shepherd.

What We Dont Say

What We Dont Say We have opinions about so many things in our lives, but there are so many we dare not express aloud. For instance, these are sure to spark a conversation at a party: 1) Not liking Christmas.2) Not liking to read self-published books.3) Not liking Duck Dynasty.4) Not liking babies.5) Not liking marriage.6) Not liking gay marriage.7) Not liking Republicans (or Democrats).8) Not liking cats. Any one of those will have people verbally at each others throats in 2.3 seconds. So we keep our opinions to ourselves in a society thats supposed to be grounded in free speech. This is fertile ground for writing material. Magazine markets love having the common, acceptable way of thought turned on its ear somehow to make for a more intriguing feature piece. Novels become trendsetters when they take the etiquettely unspoken and elaborate keenly and obnoxiously on the subject. The common way of thought does not make for a bestseller. Yet we fear taking stands on controversial topics. However, you can take a subject, catch attention with it, and still come out on the other end not terribly unscathed. For instance: 1) You hate Christmas. However, what about a story that involves a bunch of Christmas-haters coming together? Makes for a good freelance piece, short story, or chapter in a book. 2) You hate reading self-published books. However, you can create a fabulous blog post or magazine piece on the specifics of what you disliked in, say, five self-pubbed books so that people realize that there are reasons so many self-pubbed books fall 3) You dont like Duck Dynasty. However, you can do an article talking about how your dislike for Duck Dynasty made you study why so many people from all levels of society still enjoy it? Whats the reason for such an anomaly? 4) You dont like babies. What a great piece about how society pushes people to live the standard family structure, and you show some very successful, happy, non-ba You get the picture. When a subject sparks debate, take notice. These are the subjects that command attention, and ultimately contracts and sales.

Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With the Letter M

Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With the Letter M Chemistry abbreviations and acronyms are common in all fields of science. This collection offers common abbreviations and acronyms beginning with the letter M used in chemistry and chemical engineering. Abbreviations Starting With M M - concentration (Molarity)m - massM - Megam - meterM - Methylm - milliM - MolarM - MoleculeM3/H - Cubic Meters per HourmA - milliampereMAC - Mobile Analytical ChemicalMADG - Moisture Activated Dry GranulationMAM - Methyl Azoxy MethanolMASER - Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of RadiationMAX - MAXimummbar - millibarMBBA - N-(4-MethoxyBenzylidene)-4-ButylAnilineMC - MethylCelluloseMCA - Multi Channel AnalyzerMCL - Maximum Contaminant LevelMCR - MultiComponent ReactionMCT - Medium Chain TriglycerideMCT - MonoCarboxylate TransporterMd - MendeleviumMDA - MethyleneDiAnilineMDCM - Mechanistically Defined Chemical MixturesMDI - Methylene Diphenyl diIsocyanateMDMA - MethyleneDioxy-MethylAmphetamineMDQ - Minimum Daily Quantityme - mass of an electronME - Materials EngineeringME - MEthyl groupMEE - Minimum Explosive EnergyMEG - MonoEthylene GlycolMEL - MethylEthylLeadMES - MethylEthylSulfateMeV - Million electronVolt or MegaelectronVoltMF - Methyl FormateMF - Micro FiberMFG - Mo lecular Frequency GeneratorMFP - Maximum Freezing PointMFP - Molecular Free PathMFP - MonoFluoroPhosphateMg - Magnesiummg - milligramMGA - Modular Gas AnalyserMH - Metal HalideMH - Methyl HydroxideMHz - MegaHertzMIBK - MethylIsoButylKetoneMIDAS - Molecular Interactions Dynamics And SimulationsMIG - Metal Inert GasMIN - MINimummin - minutesMIT - MethylIsoThiazolinoneMKS - Meter-Kilogram-SecondMKSA - Meter-Kilogram-Second-AmperemL or ml - milliliterML - Mono Layermm - millimeterMM - Molar massmmHg - millimeters of mercuryMn - ManganeseMNT - Molecular NanoTechnologyMO - Molecular OrbitalMo - MolybdenumMOAH - Mineral Oil Aromatic HydrocarbonMOH - Measurement of Hardnessmol - moleMOL - moleculeMP - Melting pointMP - Metal ParticulateMPD - 2-Methyl-2,4-PentaneDiolMPD - m-PhenyleneDiamineMPH - Miles Per HourMPS - Meters Per SecondMr - Relative Molecular massMRT - Mean Radiant TemperatureMS - Mass Spectrometryms - millisecondMSDS - Material Safety Data SheetMSG - MonoSodium GlutamateMt - Me itneriumMTBE - Methyl Tert-butyl EtherMW - MegaWattmW - MilliWattMW - Molecular WeightMWCNT - Multi-Walled Carbon NanoTubeMWCO - Molecular Weight CutOffMWM - Molecular Weight Marker

Actuar Conjugation in Spanish, Translation and Examples

Actuar Conjugation in Spanish, Translation and Examples Actuar is a common Spanish verb that means to act in most senses of the English verb, such as to take an action, to behave, and to perform a role. It can be used in a wide variety of contexts. Actuar Conjugation Actuar is conjugated the same way as other -ar verbs,  but with a twist: When a regular conjugation of actuar would end up putting the accent on the first syllable, the u gets an accent mark to shift the accent to the second syllable. Under the rules of strong and weak vowels, placing the accent on the à º makes the vowel into a separate syllable. So, I act becomes actà ºo,  and is pronounced ahk-TOO-oh. The accent is required on some of the indicative present, subjunctive present, and imperative forms. The other forms- indicative preterite, indicative, and future; the imperfect subjunctive; the gerund; and the past participle- are unaffected. About two dozen verbs ending in -uar are conjugated the same way. Among the most common are continuar (to continue), evaluar (to evaluate), fluctuar (to fluctuate), situar (to situate), and valuar (to value). Present Indicative Tense of Actuar Yo acto I act Yo acto con impunidad. T actas You act T actas en la pelcula de terror. Usted/l/ella acta You/he/she acts Ella acta como una dictadora. Nosotros actuamos We act Nosotros actuamos para prevenir una emergencia. Vosotros actuis You act Vosotros actuis con violencia innecesaria. Ustedes/ellos/ellas actan You/they act Ellos actan con entusiasmo. Actuar Preterite The preterite is a past tense that is used for actions that concluded at a definite time. It contrasts with the imperfect tense, which is used for background actions or actions that didnt have a definite ending. Yo actu I acted Yo actu con impunidad. T actuaste You acted T actuaste en la pelcula de terror. Usted/l/ella actu You/he/she acted Ella actu como una dictadora. Nosotros actuamos We acted Nosotros actuamos para prevenir una emergencia. Vosotros actuasteis You acted Vosotros actuasteis con violencia innecesaria. Ustedes/ellos/ellas actuaron You/they acted Ellos actuaron con entusiasmo. Imperfect Indicative Form of Actuar The imperfect indicative in Spanish is equivalent to  the used to verb or was/were verb -ing forms in English. Yo actuaba I was acting Yo actuaba con impunidad. T actuabas You were acting T actuabas en la pelcula de terror. Usted/l/ella actuaba You/he/she was acting Ella actuaba como una dictadora. Nosotros actubamos We were acting Nosotros actubamos para prevenir una emergencia. Vosotros actuabais You were acting Vosotros actuabais con violencia innecesaria. Ustedes/ellos/ellas actuaban You/they were acting Ellos actuaban con entusiasmo. Actuar Future Tense Yo actuar I will act Yo actuar con impunidad. T actuars You will act T actuars en la pelcula de terror. Usted/l/ella actuar You/he/she will act Ella actuar como una dictadora. Nosotros actuaremos We will act Nosotros actuaremos para prevenir una emergencia. Vosotros actuaris You will act Vosotros actuaris con violencia innecesaria. Ustedes/ellos/ellas actuarn You/they will act Ellos actuarn con entusiasmo. Periphrastic Future of Actuar Although it is colloquial, the periphrastic future has become so common that it  has come close to replacing the simple future tense in everyday speech in some regions. It is formed by using the indicative present of ir followed by a and an infinitive. Yo voy a actuar I am going to act Yo voy a actuar con impunidad. T vas a actuar You are going to act T vas a actuar en la pelcula de terror. Usted/l/ella va a actuar You/he/she are/is going to act Ella va a actuar como una dictadora. Nosotros vamos a actuar We are going to act Nosotros vamos a actuar pronto para prevenir una emergencia. Vosotros vais a actuar You are going to act Vosotros vais a actuar con violencia innecesaria. Ustedes/ellos/ellas van a actuar You/they are going to act Ellos van a actuar con entusiasmo. Present Progressive/Gerund Form of Actuar The gerund is used in the progressive or continuous tenses to emphasize  the ongoing nature of an action. Gerund:  actuando  (acting) Ella est actuando como una dictadora.   Past Participle of Actuar The past participle is used with haber to form the perfect tenses. Participle:  actuado  (acted) Ella ha actuado como una dictadura.   Conditional Form of Actuar The  conditional tense, sometimes known as the hypothetical future, is used for actions that would take place if some other condition is met. Yo actuara I would act Yo actuara con impunidad si no tuviera conciencia. T actuaras You would act T actuaras en la pelcula de terror si no tuvieras miedo a las serpientes. Usted/l/ella actuara You/he/she would act Ella actuara como una dictadora, pero es demasiado agradable. Nosotros actuaramos We would act Nosotros actuaramos si hubiera una emergencia. Vosotros actuarais You would act Vosotros actuarais con violencia innecesaria si no fuera peligroso. Ustedes/ellos/ellas actuaran You/they would act Ellos actuaran con entusiasmo si tuvieran buenos papeles. Present Subjunctive of Actuar Que yo acte That I act La corte no permite que yo acte con impunidad. Que t actes That you act El director quiere que t actes en la pelcula de terror. Que usted/l/ella acte That you/he/she act Es lamentable que ella acte como una dictadora. Que nosotros actuemos That we act La alcaldesa quiere que nosotros actuemos para prevenir una emergencia. Que vosotros actuis That you act Es triste que vosotros actuis con violencia innecesaria. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas acten That you/they act Samantha quiere que ellos acten con entusiasmo. Imperfect Subjunctive Forms of Actuar Either of these forms of the imperfect subjunctive can be used without a difference in meaning. The first option is used more often. Option 1 Que yo actuara That I acted La corte no permita que yo actuara con impunidad. Que t actuaras That you acted El director quera que t actuaras en la pelcula de terror. Que usted/l/ella actuara That you/he/she acted Era lamentable que ella actuara como una dictadora. Que nosotros acturamos That we acted La alcaldesa quera que nosotros acturamos para prevenir una emergencia. Que vosotros actuarais That you acted Es triste que vosotros actuarais con violencia innecesaria. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas actuaran That you/they acted Samantha quera que ellos actuaran con entusiasmo. Option 2 Que yo actuase That I acted La corte no permita que yo actuase con impunidad. Que t actuases That you acted El director quera que t actuases en la pelcula de terror. Que usted/l/ella actuase That you/he/she acted Era lamentable que ella actuase como una dictadora. Que nosotros actusemos That we acted La alcaldesa quera que nosotros actusemos para prevenir una emergencia. Que vosotros actuaseis That you acted Era triste que vosotros actuaseis con violencia innecesaria. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas actuasen That you/they acted Samantha quera que ellos actuasen con entusiasmo. Imperative Forms of Actuar Imperative (Positive Command) T acta Act! Acta en la pelcula de terror! Usted acte Act! Acte como una dictadora! Nosotros actuemos Lets act! Actuemos para prevenir una emergencia! Vosotros actuad Act! Actuad con violencia innecesaria! Ustedes acten Act! Acten con entusiasmo! Imperative (Negative Command) T no actes Dont act! No actes en la pelcula de terror! Usted no acte Dont act! No acte como una dictadora! Nosotros no actuemos Lets not act! No actuemos para prevenir una emergencia! Vosotros no actuis Dont act! No actuis con violencia innecesaria! Ustedes no acten Dont act! No acten con entusiasmo!

The EMR Use by MS's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The EMR Use by MS's - Essay Example One can expect HIPAA to require this in the future, which also means that records need to be both accessible and private (Mandi, 2001). Although EMR’s have grown to become easier to adopt into a practice, and more flexible, there is nevertheless a significant learning curve for the medical staff and physicians, and a series of other issues which must be considered in (1) deciding to adopt an EMR system for an up-to-now written/paper-based practice, and (2) to adapt to the requirements of HIPAA and the competitive environment in order to make the changeover (Miller, 2004). The primary benefit of EMR’s is the ability to provide records quickly for a patient, which can speed up both a physician’s access to records (both in terms of time and completeness), and to communicate those records to stakeholders, such as patients and hospitals. (McDonald, 1997). A second key benefit is the ability, once on a digitized record, to enhance the speed and accuracy of billing. Billing carries two key considerations: is the billing accurate (i.e. does it capture the actual procedures performed), is it complete (i.e. are all billable procedures included—a big source of potential additional revenue for many practices), is it timely (i.e. how quickly does it get communicated from the physician’s practice to the third-party payer) and how much additional work will be required in order to complete the claim? The last of these four points can sometimes be the most difficult for a paper-based physician’s office practice, as all healthcare professionals know that they can get tied up on the phone and with back-and-forth traffic with the third party insurer on specific claims. In short, the more information available, the more likely that the claim will be accepted. Third-party coding has now become a big business. Those practices that are able to send digital files to onshore or offshore coding facilities generally find a better record of billing (i.e. more

INTRO INTO LAW ENFORCEMENT UNIT 3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

INTRO INTO LAW ENFORCEMENT UNIT 3 - Assignment Example Finally it aims at preparing some senior officers for greater roles in their service to the nation (Kratcoski, P. C., & Das, D. K. 2007). The program has a total of four progressive phases which should take a total of seventy days as well as the Daily Observation Reports (D.O.R) which requires a total of fifty five days. The base model for the program was modeled after San Jose FTEP and it is important to establish the fact that the program may vary from one department to another depending on the nature of work and geographical location. Phase I is made which is regarded as the limbo time, takes a total of five working days and is meant to allow the trainer to familiarize him/herself with the trainer. Phase II is for the trainee to be evaluated by the senior Field Training Officer, it takes a total of five working days. Phase III is known as shadow time and also makes a total of five days. Phase IV which is further subdivided into three smaller segment, is made up of seven working days of which five days need one to have completed DOR. Phase V which forms the final phase forms the balance of the 365 day of the entire probation period. Field training program is a basic requirement by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies for all organizations that are considering to be accredited. The program is of great advantage in the sense that it offers a means through non-performing officers can be identified and relieved off their duties. It further minimizes civil litigation which relates to non-criminal offences. Analyzing the jobs of the policing officers is not an easy task in the sense that it is difficult to understand the relationship between the officers and the community hence feedback from the community cannot be used as an accurate measure of the effectiveness of the program. The program may affect affirmative actions efforts since it considers the performance of the Field Training

The Shallows Agreement and Partial Disagreement with Nicholas Carrs Essay

The Shallows Agreement and Partial Disagreement with Nicholas Carrs Approach to Internet Privacy - Essay Example For purposes of this particular analysis, the author will analyze Nicholas Carr’s â€Å"The Shallows†. Rather than delving into it point by point agreement for rebuttal of Carr’s piece, this author will attempt to integrate the analysis based upon Carr’s of the means by which more and more websites such as Google and Facebook seek to track their online users and glean potentially harmful levels of personal preferences and surfing history. As a means of such an analysis, it is the hope of this author that the reader will be able to integrate with one of the most important issues that exists within the realm of technology during the current era; the right an expectation to privacy. Although it is always been a policy of firms seeking to maximize their profits to endeavor to gain valuable information with regards to their client base, the extent to which websites such as Facebook and Google have gone to extract this information from their users is unprecedented. One of the trade-offs to the readily available information and use of social networking that both of these sites, as well is a host of others, display is the facts that they provide lengthy, nuanced, and ultimately confusing privacy policies that are written in what can only be described as many pages of legalese (O’Brien & Torres 69). Naturally, such privacy policies are intended not towards protecting the privacy of the individual Web server; rather, they are designed to protect against any liabilities that the firm may incur based upon their otherwise unscrupulous gathering of information of their users. It is the belief of this particular researcher that such practices are highly unethical and represent breaches of consumer confidence that in any other industry would be taken as an affront to consumer privacy and respect. Unfortunately, the level to which government is willing to safeguard the users of these monolithic and highly lucrative firms are extraordinarily limited (Carr 105). Although it is beyond the scope of this analysis to offer an in-depth discussion of why this might be, it is the belief of this particular researcher that the line between industry and government is particularly blurred both with respect to Facebook and to Google. This blurring has not helped the consumer/web surfer whatsoever; rather, it has only helped these firms to further market their products and seek to gain valuable information with regards to the habits and preferences of the millions of individuals that use their services on a daily basis. In the past, cooperation between the government and private firms has rarely turned out to the overall benefits of the end consumer. Although s uch a situation is possible, the level and extent to which government is currently reliant and highly cooperative with the likes of Google, Facebook and others does not bode well for the right to privacy from the end user/consumer (Gilbert 8). Naturally, the key concern is not center necessarily upon the fact that Google and others are seeking to track and retain this information; rather, the key issue becomes what did they intend on doing with such information/how will they use it/for how long will they keep it and who ultimately has access to it? Recently, I was so troubled by the level to which so many websites sought to place tracking cookies on the computer that I downloaded an ad on to Mozilla Firefox which is called â€Å"Ghostery†