Understanding Vs. Knowing in Atwood’s Oryx and Crake Essay

It is often simpler to settle for an understanding of the world and people around us instead of trying to know the truth. Truth has consequences; by knowing too much, one can lose a friend, learn a deadly secret, or become someone they do not want to be. To express his understanding of himself and the world around him, Crake in Oryx and Crake uses quote-bearing fridge magnets. One very important quote is â€Å"We understand more than we know†. It is important to recognize the difference between the terms understand and know; the Oxford English Dictionary defines to understand as to perceive the significance, explanation, or cause of, whereas to know is to be absolutely certain or sure about something. There is certainly a difference,†¦show more content†¦However, there are many characteristics that remain uncontrolled in the Crakers, and these people eventually begin to create art and place both Oryx and Crake in God-like positions in their society: two things agains t which Crake had warned. Crake’s understanding of biology and psychology leads the Crakers to initially have none of humanity’s flaws. This shows Crake’s grand understanding of biology, but not any knowledge of how these people will soon acquire notions of art, gods, or symbolism. He has done few trials, and consequently has little evidence to prove that the Children of Crake will be successful. Furthermore, Crake is able to understand Jimmy’s incredible attraction to Oryx from the first time they glimpse her on the HottTotts website. He saves her image, possibly with the intentions of one day finding this girl to use against Jimmy. What Crake understands is Jimmy’s love for Oryx, but what he doesn’t know is that Jimmy will choose in the end to not let him and Oryx re-enter the Paradice Dome. Jimmy accepts that for complete renewal of the human race, not only Crake, but Oryx as well, must die, â€Å"for both have sinned against the potential goodness of humanity† and â€Å"she is a hinge in Crake’s attempt to re-enter Paradice† (DiMarco 191). Whereas Jimmy had been known to Crake to be one to be fearful and easily controlled, this time he takes a powerful stance against Crake’s plan and proves that Crake

The Return Midnight Chapter 32 Free Essays

â€Å"Damon doesn’t mean to be such a – a bastard,†Bonnie said explosively. â€Å"He’s just – so often he feels like it’s the three of us against him – and – and – â€Å" â€Å"Well, who started that? Even back riding the thurgs,†Stefan said. â€Å"I know, but there’s something else,†Bonnie said humbly. We will write a custom essay sample on The Return: Midnight Chapter 32 or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"Since it’s only snow and rock and ice – he’s – I don’t know. He’s al tight. Something’s wrong.† â€Å"He’s hungry,†Elena said, stricken by a sudden realization. Since the thurgs there had been nothing for the two vampires to hunt. They couldn’t exist, like foxes, on insects and mice. Of course Lady Ulma had provided plenty of Black Magic for them, the only thing that even resembled a substitute for blood. But their supply was dwindling, and of course, they had to think of the trip back, as well . Suddenly Elena knew what would do her good. â€Å"Stefan,†she murmured, pul ing him into a nook in the craggy stone of the cave entrance. She pushed off her hood and unrol ed her scarf enough to expose one side of her neck. â€Å"Don’t make me say ‘please’too many times,†she whispered to him. â€Å"I can’t wait that long.† Stefan looked into her eyes, saw that she was serious – and determined – and kissed one of her mittened hands. â€Å"It’s been long enough now, I think – no, I’m sure, or I would never even attempt this,†he whispered. Elena tipped her head back. Stefan stood between her and the wind and she was almost warm. She felt the little initial pain and then Stefan was drinking and their minds slid together like two raindrops on a glass window. He took very little blood. Just enough to make the difference in his eyes between Stillgreen pools and sparkling, effervescent streams. But then his gaze went Stillagain. â€Å"Damon†¦Ã¢â‚¬ he said, and paused awkwardly. What could Elena say? I just severed al ties with him? They were supposed to help one another along these trials; to show their wit and courage. If she refused, would she fail again? â€Å"Send him quick then,†she said. â€Å"Before I change my mind.† Five minutes later Elena was again tucked into the little nook, while Damon turned her head back and forth with dispassionate precision, then suddenly darted forward and sank his fangs into a prominent vein. Elena felt her eyes go wide. A bite that hurt this much – Well, she hadn’t experienced it since the days when she had been stupid and unprepared and had fought with al her strength to get free. As for Damon’s mind – there was a steel wal . Since she had to do this, she had been hoping to see the little boy who lived in Damon’s inmost soul, the one who was the unwil ing Watch-Keeper over al of his secrets, but she couldn’t even thaw the steel a little. After a minute or two, Stefan pul ed Damon off of her – not gently. Damon came away sul enly, wiping his mouth. â€Å"Are you okay?†Bonnie asked in a worried whisper, as Elena rummaged through Lady Ulma’s medicine box for a piece of gauze to staunch the unhealed wounds in her neck. â€Å"I’ve been better,†Elena said briefly, as she wrapped up her scarf again. Bonnie sighed. â€Å"Meredith is the one who real y belongs here,†she said. â€Å"Yes, but Meredith real y belongs in Fel ‘s Church, too. I only hope they can hold on long enough for us to come back.† â€Å"I only hope that we can come back with something that wil help them,†Bonnie whispered. Meredith and Matt spent the time from 2:00 A.M. to dawn pouring infinitesimal drops from Misao’s star bal onto the streets of the town, and asking the Power to – somehow – help them in the fight against Shinichi. This brisk movement from place to place had also netted a surprising bonus: kids. Not crazy kids. Normal ones, terrified of their brothers and sisters or of their parents, not daring to go home because of the awful things they had seen there. Meredith and Matt had crammed them into Matt’s mother’s second-hand SUV and brought them to Matt’s house. In the end, they had more than thirty kids, from ages five to sixteen, al too frightened to play, or talk, or even to ask for anything. But they’d eaten everything Mrs. Flowers could find that wasn’t spoiled in Matt’s refrigerator and pantry, and from the pantries of the deserted houses on either side of the Honeycutts’. Matt, watching a ten-year-old girl cramming plain white bread into her mouth with wolfish hunger, tears running down her grimy face as she chewed and swal owed, said quietly to Meredith, â€Å"Think we’ve got any ringers in here?† â€Å"I’d bet my life on it,†she replied just as quietly. â€Å"But what are we going to do? Cole doesn’t know anything helpful. We’l just have to pray that the un-possessed kids wil be able to help us when Shinichi’s ringers attack.† â€Å"I think the best option when confronted by possessed kids who may have weapons is to run.† Meredith nodded absently, but Matt noticed she took the stave everywhere with her now. â€Å"I’ve devised a little test for them. I’m going to smack every one with a Post-It, and see what happens. Kids who’ve done things they regret may get hysterical, kids who’re already just terrified may get some comfort, and the ringers wil either attack or run.† â€Å"This I have to see.† Meredith’s test lured out only two ringers in the whole mob, a thirteen-year-old boy and a fifteen-year-old girl. Each of them screamed and darted through the house, shrieking wildly. Matt couldn’t stop them. When it was al over and the older kids were comforting the younger ones, Matt and Meredith finished boarding up the windows and pasting amulets between the boards. They spent the evening scouting for food, questioning the kids about Shinichi and the Last Midnight, and helping Mrs. Flowers treat injuries. They tried to keep one person on guard at alltimes, but since they had been up and moving since 1:30 A.M., they were al very tired. At a quarter to eleven Meredith came to Matt, who was cleaning the scratches of a yel ow-haired eight-year-old. â€Å"Okay,†she said quietly, â€Å"I’m going to take my car and get the new amulets Mrs. Saitou said she’d have done by now. Do you mind if I take Saber?† Matt shook his head. â€Å"No, I’l do it. I know the Saitous better, anyway.† Meredith gave what, in a less refined person, might have been cal ed a snort. â€Å"I know them well enough to say, excuse me, Inari-Obaasan; excuse me, Orime-san; we’re the troublemakers who keep asking for huge amounts of anti-evil amulets, but you don’t mind that, do you?† Matt smiled faintly, let the eight-year-old go, and said, â€Å"Well, they might mind it less if you got their names straight. ‘Obaasan’means ‘grandma,’right?† â€Å"Yes, of course.† â€Å"And ‘san’is just a thingy you put at the end of a name to be polite.† Meredith nodded, adding, â€Å"And ‘a thingy at the end’is cal ed an ‘honorific suffix.'† â€Å"Yeah, yeah, but for al your big words you’ve got their names wrong. It’s Orime-grandma and Orime-Isobel’s-mother. So Orime-Obaasan and Orime-san, too.† Meredith sighed. â€Å"Look, Matt, Bonnie and I met them first. Grandma introduced herself as Inari. Now I know she’s a little wacky, but she would certainly know her own name, right?† â€Å"And she introduced herself to me and said not just that she was named Orime, but that her daughter was named after her. Talk your way out of that one.† â€Å"Matt, shal I get my notebook? It’s in the boardinghouse den – â€Å" Matt gave a short sharp laugh – almost a sob. He looked to make sure Mrs. Flowers wasn’t around and then hissed, â€Å"It’s somewhere down at the center of the earth, maybe. There is no den anymore.† For a moment Meredith looked simply shocked, but then she frowned. Matt glared darkly. It didn’t help to think that they were the two most unlikely of their group to quarrel. Here they were, and Matt could practical y see the sparks flying. â€Å"All right,†Meredith said final y, â€Å"I’l just go over there and ask for Orime-Obaasan, and then tel them it was al your fault when they laugh.† Matt shook his head. â€Å"Nobody’s going to laugh, because you’re going to get it right that way.† â€Å"Look, Matt,†Meredith said, â€Å"I’ve been reading so much on the Internet that I even know the name Inari. I’ve come across it somewhere. And I’m sure I would have made†¦made the connection†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Her voice trailed off. When Matt turned his eyes down from the ceiling, he started. Meredith’s face was white and she was breathing quickly. â€Å"Inari†¦Ã¢â‚¬ she whispered. â€Å"I do know that name, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Suddenly she grabbed Matt’s wrist so hard that it hurt. â€Å"Matt, is your computer absolutely dead?† â€Å"It went when the electricity went. By now even the generator is gone.† â€Å"But you have a mobile that connects to the Internet, right?† The urgency in her voice made Matt, in turn, take her seriously. â€Å"Sure,†he said. â€Å"But the battery’s been kaput for at least a day. Without electricity I can’t recharge it. And my mom took hers. She can’t live without it. Stefan and Elena must’ve left their stuff at the boardinghouse – â€Å"He shook his head at Meredith’s hopeful expression and whispered, â€Å"Or, should I say, where the boardinghouse used to be.† â€Å"But we have to find a mobile or computer that works! We have to! I need it to work for just a minute!†Meredith said frantical y, breaking away from him and beginning to pace as if trying to beat some world record. Matt was staring at her in bewilderment. â€Å"But why?† â€Å"Because we have to. I need it, even just for a minute!† Matt could only gaze at her, perplexed. Final y he said, â€Å"I guess we can ask the kids.† â€Å"The kids! One of them has got to have a live mobile! Come on, Matt, we have to talk to them right now.†She stopped and said, rather huskily, â€Å"I pray that you’re right and I’m wrong.† â€Å"Huh?†Matt had no idea what was going on. â€Å"I said I pray that I’m wrong! You pray, too, Matt – please!† How to cite The Return: Midnight Chapter 32, Essay examples

Underground Railroad Essay Research Paper Underground Railroad free essay sample

Underground Railroad Essay, Research Paper Underground Railroad I know you? re wondering, what railway? Well the simple fact is that everybody has heard of the Underground Railroad, but non everyone knows merely what it was. First, it wasn? T resistance, and it wasn? t even a railway. The term # 8220 ; Underground Railroad # 8221 ; really comes from a runaway slave, who while being chased swam across a brook and was out of the proprietor? s sight. The proprietor said # 8220 ; # 8230 ; must hold gone off on an belowground railroad. # 8221 ; That adult male was Tice Davids, a Kentucky slave who decided to populate in freedom in 1831. The primary importance of the Underground Railroad was the on traveling battle to get rid of bondage, the start of the civil war, and it was being one of our state? s foremost major anti-slavery motions. The history of the railway is rather varied harmonizing to whom you are speaking. Bondage in America thrived and continued to turn because there was a scarceness of labour. Cultivation of harvests on plantations could be supervised while slaves used simple modus operandis to reap them, the low monetary value at which slaves could be bought, and gaining net incomes as a fillip for non holding to pay hired work. Slaves turned to freedom for more than one ground. Some were obsessed with being free and populating a life where they were non told how to populate. Others ran due to fear of being separted or sold from friends and household. Then there were some who were treated so cruely, that it forced them to run merely to remain alive. Since coming to America as slaves even back as far back as when the first settlements began, slaves wanted to get away. They wanted to acquire off from the state of affairs they were forced into. Those who were free were the # 8220 ; whites # 8221 ; who were slightly separated in values. The North, was a more industrialised country where occupations were filled by freshly imported immigrants, doing them less dependent on slave labour. The South, nevertheless had rich fertile land largely used for farming. Huge plantations were cleared and needed to be worked. The people of the country tended to be more genteal, and seemed non rather adjusted to difficult work, but more of giving orders. The thought of stating people how to make their work merely seemed to suit all excessively good into this scenario. The railway didn? Ts have a certain location. Slaves had been running since the 1500? s on their ain. When the thought caught on amoung brave slaves, was when it started. Slave proprietors in the South surely weren? t happy about the loss of # 8220 ; belongings # 8221 ; . It seemed like excessively much money was being lost.This caused the South to go through the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793. This coroneted slaves as belongings of their proprietors and gave permission to the proprietors to recover blowouts any where in the provinces, even those provinces that were free. The North was angry about the intervention of the slaves and was non happy about proprietors being allowed to come into their provinces to take the slaves back. Finally, the North decided to make something about it. To return the fire thrown at them by the South, they would take away something that the North idea was morally incorrect, and the South? s wealths. They would assist the slaves escape to freedom. The slave s were now angry, frightened, and confused. Hearing of this Underground Railroad, they easy began to run, more and more. By 1807 a jurisprudence was passed to do it illegal to import any longer slaves. Agricultural betterments came along, and with the limited figure of slaves left in the provinces, the value of the slaves went up really rapidly. Abolition Societies began to organize, and along with spiritual groups became active in helpin gslaves to freedom. The # 8220 ; Railroad # 8221 ; beggan to take form. A form that is to this twenty-four hours really hard to depict. Traks were laid to aide the slaves to freedom. Peoples talked in secretiveness to do safe waies for the slaves to run on. These were the paths. Letterss were sent that had nomenclature or codification for the balcks. A batch of the footings come from things found along railwaies. This is because existent railwaies at this clip were the newest thing and happened to be the subject of pick for conversation. This made it all the easier for the assistants of the railway to pass on traveling unoticed.Along the T racks, there were terminals, safe houses to remain. These were houses of free Whites or inkinesss where they could conceal when they weren? T running. The people who owned the houses were frequently called music directors. The music directors frequently left a figure of marks for the slaves to follow so they didn? T go to houses that belonged to Alliess of the slave proprietors. A comforter on the apparels line picturing a house with fume coming out of the chimney was a mark of a safe station. A white ring of bricks around the the top of a house? s chimney was another mark of a good concealment topographic point. Shoppes that were safe frequently had a silohette of a fleeing adult male or adult female on in mark. Other siggns were used to steer the slaves. There were knocks that slaves used when nearing a house, carnal calls, and visible radiations hung in Windowss. When a slave was traveling to the following house along the railway, this was called â€Å"catching the following trai n.† There were besides songgs that ave waies to slaves that were taught to everyone so that they might memorise the manner. One such, was â€Å"Follow the Drinking Gourd† The imbibing calabash was the slaves? nomenclature for the large dipper. The Big Dipper? s â€Å"handle† points to the north star, which they could utilize to happen their manner north. The vocal gave landmarks along the manner to follow and a poetry from it says † the dead trees will demo you the way.† This was put in the vocal for a ground. The author of this vocal, refered to as Peg-leg Joe, drew a image of a nog legg on the dead trees along the path with wood coal. The undermentioned poetry is â€Å"Left pes, peg pes going on, † consequently. The paths for the railway weren? T precisely laid. A slave had many possible waies to run in, but the chief thought here was safty over adeptness. The slaves frequently zigzaged in their waies to avoid being caught. There were differe nt signifiers of flying every bit good as different waies. Slaves could go by H2O on boats. Often in one of the many clever camouflages fabricated by the people of the North willing to impart a manus. Work force were dressed as adult females, adult females were dressed as work forces, break ones back? s apparels were exchanged for those of a rich free individual of colour? s to confound the true individuality of the slave when seen by funny eyes. There were besides some slaves that traveled the route, by pes, in a caridge, or in a waggon frequently incorporating a bogus underside doing a bantam infinite where slaves could safely travel to freedom.Some traveled on â€Å"surface linesthe existent railwaies of this clip. Lightly colored slaves were dressed as Whites, and others were put in with the baggage and frieght. And yet make bolding others traveled as luggage. Such a individual was Henry â€Å"Box† Brown who recieved his moniker by doing the long trip in a box marked â⠂¬Å"this side up, † and â€Å"fragile.† There are, nevertheless, studies from Henry, after he â€Å"reached the terminal of the line† , where he testified being turned upside down and was thrown about, which makes us all wonder what goes on with our mail service. In the terminal, slaves had to happen a manner to intermix with the people of the North so that they might populate their lives free. Some of the at large fugitves met up with previuosly escaped friends and household and formed communities. Others found a oasis in the Native Americans with whom they intermarried and reproduced. The civil war began and others found shelter with the Union Army. The slaves shortly found out that freedom did non intend freedom from work, but they were happier because they now made their ain determinations. Some died from exposure, after non happening shelter from the North? s frozen winter. Most slaves were non allowed to larn to read and stay nonreader. Their non being able to read or understand the fact that they had money of their ain frequently lead barbarous salesmen and employers to take advantage of the inkinesss. Those who learned to make specific occupations in the South frequently took up similar occupations in the North. The demand for the rai lway easy began to diminish as the battle for abolition grew stronger. It was no longer nesscary for the raliroad to be, since about all the slaves who were traveling to run already had. The concluding gesture that brought the railraod to it? s concluding halt was the sign language of the Emancipation Proclamation by Lincoln, stoping all bondage in our now free state, everlastingly.

The Strength of Mary Rowlandson Essay Example For Students

The Strength of Mary Rowlandson Essay Lit 2311 October 2004The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, is a personal account, written by Mary Rowlandson in 1682, of what her life in captivity was like. Native Americans, in February of 1676, in Massachusetts captured her and held her captive for almost three months while they traveled to safety. Her story of survival is documented and her spirituality keeps her alive. The reoccurring idea of the word remove relates to her bond with God, early and late in her captivity. Throughout the narrative the word remove is used frequently to describe many actions the Rowlandson must induce. Every time Rowlandson and the Indians move to a new destination from their original place, she titles it a remove. I shall particularly speak of the severall Removes we had up and down the Wilderness (127 Rowlandson). There are twenty removes in her narrative, which literally means that her and the Indians traveled to twenty different places. The irony of the word remove is that she is actually moving closer to home and freedom instead of being removed from it. She has also actually been removed from what she use to be, fitting into another world with a different culture. Rowlandson felt that her capture was meant to be and she was fortunate enough to survive. But now I see the Lord had his time to scourge and chasten me (149). She has to remove her self from the ideas and values she use to believe in, sometimes. She had to learn to accept the Native Americans way or suffe r. She also has to get over the things that were a great value to her, such as her dead daughter and other deceased relatives. I went to take up my dead child in my arms to carry it with me, but the bid me to let it be alone: there was no resisting, but goe I must and leave it (130). But, Rowlandson removed herself from such desperate feelings through the words of god. Another meaning of the word remove can be though the move of Rowlandsons spiritual life towards God. Her ability to cite scripture was benefited by the bible the Natives gave her. She is shot in the side during the first attack, the same bullet eventually killed her daughter Sarah, and she has no medication to help the pain and infection. Another man, who was captured by another tribe, tells her that the oaken leaves will help her injury like they helped his. My wounds stink and are corrupt, I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly, I am mourning all day long Psal.38, 6. (129). All day, she relates the scripture to something occurring in her captivity. While she is captured she is uncertain of the destiny of her additional children and remaining family members. Every night she prays to god asking the fate of her dear family:Quickly the Lord answered, in some measure, my poor prayers: for as I was going up and down mourning and lamenting my condition, my Son came to me, and asked how I did; with tears in his eyes, he asked if his Sister Sarah was dead; and told me he had seen his Sister Mary; and prayed me, that I would not be troubled in reference to himself (130-131). Mary Rowlandson never lost hope and continued to try to return to her family. Additionally, in each remove Rowlandson faith perseveres due to her powerful Christian ways. She felt that God provides her with more than others, especially the Indians. The Indians were as thick as the trees: it seemed as if there had been a thousand hatchets going at once:I myself in the midst, and no Christian soul near me, and how hath the Lord preserved me in safety (132). Rowlandson never stopped believing that god would reunite her with her remaining family members. Her refusal to give up allowed her to save her own life. Mary Rowlandson learns something new in each remove by gathering proof that supports gods words. Therefore, each remove could mean her own self moving one step closer to god, and being removed fr om her original state of innocence and not truly understanding the scripture. For whom the Lord chasteneth and scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth Heb.12. 6. (149). All this can come down to the theory that the last and only way Rowlandson could have the will to go on and survive was through repression of her feelings using the words of god as an excuse. In conclusion, Mary Rowlandsons, A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson shows the emotional story of survival. The use of the word remove can assist is telling her story and created a unique approach to her writing. Rowlandsons strong dedication to god helps her deal with the ideals and identities that had changed from before the captivity. Her ability and understanding of the scripture allowed her to stay strong during her captivity. The legend of Mary Rowlandsons captivity describes the story of a determined, spiritual mother who is determined to see her family again and be free from the Native Amer icans.

A Brief Review of Ap Literature Essay

A Brief Review of Ap Literature EssayWhen you are done reading an Ap Literature Essay, you may be wondering what it means. The entire essay will be in the form of a short story or even a play. What the Ap Literature Essay is mostly about being how individuals take a literary style and turn it into something that is more modern. I have read other Ap Literature Essay that is far less detailed, but at least it was different from other writings.One of the most unique elements of the Ap Literature Essay is the concept of the book cover. Many writers feel the need to do a cover, but you don't always have to make a fashion statement. You can just make a strong statement about the topic. This is not necessarily the best way to use a literature essay, but you will get a lot of readers who will appreciate that. If you can afford to produce an expensive look for your book, why not?In addition to this, the better writers create a series of words and sentences that will help connect the reader wi th the story. To illustrate, when you hear of a young man who has a beautiful but shady career, the best writers will tell the story from his perspective.The Ap Literature Essay can also be used in short stories. Do you love to write short stories? These can be rehashed by creating a dialogue that includes all the characters, as well as the narrator. The important thing is to make your audience like the protagonist and dislike the antagonist.In fiction writing, some writers become obsessed with including every detail, even if they aren't actually required in the story. They forget that in order to really sell a story, you must have a solid and concise plot. It is easy to lose sight of that point, so make sure that you keep to your theme, while showing your characters in a way that makes them come alive.Finally, I can't tell you enough about the importance of utilizing Ap Literature Essay samples in your own work. You might find yourself wishing that you had an Ap Literature Essay th at can be your own.There are so many writers out there who are just being bored by their day job and do not enjoy writing as much as they used to. The Ap Literature Essay can help you break free from your comfort zone and give you a brand new sense of purpose.

100 Beautiful and Ugly Words

100 Beautiful and Ugly Words 100 Beautiful and Ugly Words 100 Beautiful and Ugly Words By Mark Nichol One of the many fascinating features of our language is how often words with pleasant associations are also quite pleasing on the tongue and even to the eye, and how many words, by contrast, acoustically and visually corroborate their disagreeable nature look no further than the heading for this post. Enrich the poetry of your prose by applying words that provide precise connotation while also evoking emotional responses. (Note the proportion of beautiful words to ugly ones in the compilation below; it’s easier to conjure the former than the latter, though I omitted words associated with bodily functions, as well as onomatopoeic terms.) Notice how often attractive words present themselves to define other beautiful ones, and note also how many of them are interrelated, and what kind of sensations, impressions, and emotions they have in common. Also, try enunciating beautiful words as if they were ugly, or vice versa. Are their sounds suggestive of their quality, or does their meaning wholly determine their effect on us? Beautiful Words Amorphous: indefinite, shapeless Beguile: deceive Caprice: impulse Cascade: steep waterfall Cashmere: fine, delicate wool Chrysalis: protective covering Cinnamon: an aromatic spice; its soft brown color Coalesce: unite, or fuse Crepuscular: dim, or twilit Crystalline: clear, or sparkling Desultory: half-hearted, meandering Diaphanous: gauzy Dulcet: sweet Ebullient: enthusiastic Effervescent: bubbly Elision: omission Enchanted: charmed Encompass: surround Enrapture: delighted Ephemeral: fleeting Epiphany: revelation Epitome: embodiment of the ideal Ethereal: celestial, unworldly, immaterial Etiquette: proper conduct Evanescent: fleeting Evocative: suggestive Exuberant: abundant, unrestrained, outsize Felicity: happiness, pleasantness Filament: thread, strand Halcyon: care-free Idyllic: contentedly pleasing Incorporeal: without form Incandescent: glowing, radiant, brilliant, zealous Ineffable: indescribable, unspeakable Inexorable: relentless Insouciance: nonchalance Iridescent: luster Languid: slow, listless Lassitude: fatigue Lilt: cheerful or buoyant song or movement Lithe: flexible, graceful Lullaby: soothing song Luminescence: dim chemical or organic light Mellifluous: smooth, sweet Mist: cloudy moisture, or similar literal or virtual obstacle Murmur: soothing sound Myriad: great number Nebulous: indistinct Opulent: ostentatious Penumbra: shade, shroud, fringe Plethora: abundance Quiescent: peaceful Quintessential: most purely representative or typical Radiant: glowing Redolent: aromatic, evocative Resonant: echoing, evocative Resplendent: shining Rhapsodic: intensely emotional Sapphire: rich, deep bluish purple Scintilla: trace Serendipitous: chance Serene: peaceful Somnolent: drowsy, sleep inducing Sonorous: loud, impressive, imposing Spherical: ball-like, globular Sublime: exalted, transcendent Succulent: juicy, tasty, rich Suffuse: flushed, full Susurration: whispering Symphony: harmonious assemblage Talisman: charm, magical device Tessellated: checkered in pattern Tranquility: peacefulness Vestige: trace Zenith: highest point Ugly Words Cacophony: confused noise Cataclysm: flood, catastrophe, upheaval Chafe: irritate, abrade Coarse: common, crude, rough, harsh Cynical: distrustful, self-interested Decrepit: worn-out, run-down Disgust: aversion, distaste Grimace: expression of disgust or pain Grotesque: distorted, bizarre Harangue: rant Hirsute: hairy Hoarse: harsh, grating Leech: parasite, Maladroit: clumsy Mediocre: ordinary, of low quality Obstreperous: noisy, unruly Rancid: offensive, smelly Repugnant: distasteful Repulsive: disgusting Shriek: sharp, screeching sound Shrill: high-pitched sound Shun: avoid, ostracize Slaughter: butcher, carnage Unctuous: smug, ingratiating Visceral: crude, anatomically graphic What did I miss? Add to these lists in a comment below. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Masters Degree or Master's Degree?Best Websites to Learn EnglishInspiring vs. Inspirational

Guide to Al Qaedas Network Structure

Guide to Al Qaeda's Network Structure Also see: Al Qaeda leaders The Al Qaeda Network Some organizations may have operational ties to Osama bin Ladens core group. Increasingly, however, groups pledging allegiance to Al Qaeda have no formal association whatever. While many analysts use the metaphor of marketing to describe Al Qaeda as a brand, and its offshoots as franchises, others describe the decentralization phenomenon in terms of a core group of professionals, surrounded by new membership in grassroots affiliates. This decentralization is a consequence of strategy, not accident, according to analyst Adam Elkus. In 2007, he wrote that: Al Qaeda has been moving towards decentralization ever since the invasion of Afghanistan, with isolated cells and loosely affiliated groups that have only a tenuous connection to the greater Al Qaeda hierarchy tapping into Some of these knock-off groups spring from pre-existing militant groups committed to some version of Islamist transformation of their society. In Algeria, for example, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is a new incarnation of another group, the Salafist Group for Call and Combat, which has had a long, and violent, commitment to overthrowing the Algerian government. The groups sudden commitment to Al Qaeda- style global jihad should be taken with a grain of salt or, at the least, examined in light of its local history. Al Qaeda- core organization: The original group headed by Osama bin Laden and Ayman al ZawahiriAl Qaeda in Iraq: An organization founded after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, AQI has morphed several times since.The Egyptian Islamic Jihad (Tanzim Al-Jihad): Egyptian Islamic Jihad was founded in the 1970s, and well known for its assassination of Egyptian President Sadat in 1981. It is a good example of an organization that has historically had a far greater interest in violent transformation of the Egyptian government than it has in a global jihad.Ansar Al Islam: This Iraqi Kurdish organization was founded in 2001, and operates in the northern areas of Iraq and Iran. Its membership includes a number of members who trained or fought in Afghanistan, with bin Laden, and it is presumed to have close operational ties with Al Qaeda in the region.Al Jemaah Al Islamiyya: Al Jemaah Al Islamiyyah (The Islamic Group) is a southeast Asian group dedicated to bringing Islamist rule to the area. The Unite d States suspects it of ties to Al Qaeda, but these seem tenuous on a large scale. Lashkar-i-Tayyiba: This Kashmir-based Sunni Pakistani group has historically directed its attacks at India. Leaders and members have demonstrated ties to some Al Qaeda members.Al Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb: This Algerian group grew out of one dedicated to the overthrow of the Algerian government. Its name change was accompanied by a pledge to put Western targets in its sights.Abu Sayyaf: This Philippine group has been called an Al Qaeda affiliate, but there is little evidence of a meaningful operational tie. Indeed, the organization is more like a criminal network than one committed to an ideological goal.