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October 30

English Help

For english I have to write an essay about the use of light and dark to convey the deeper message in William Golding's "Lord of The Flies". I have no idea where to start. I f you could help me out that would be great! Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.132.54.19 (talk) 01:12, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I think your first step would be to read the book. Good luck. -- 206.105.184.22 01:17, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

And then try the Humanities desk. 196.13.225.150 09:41, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Well, that response could have used a lot less BITE, although the general message is correct. When doing these kind of descriptive assignments, it's often a good idea to highlight the key words in the question as it is asked. For example, let's say the question is written "Discuss the use of light and dark to convey the deeper message in 'Lord of the Flies'." In this case, note how I've bolded "Discuss", "light and dark", and "deeper message". For "light and dark", look through the book to identify examples of this - in other words, look for contrasts that use light and dark metaphors. For "deeper message", you need to work out what the book is really about - is it a story about some kids on an island, or is it a story about some fundamental property of human nature? (Hint: The answer is yes.) Finally, for "discuss", you need to write about how the two things relate - so pick some of the key examples of "light and dark", and explain how they are used to convey the "deeper message". You may even be able to make some commentary on how effective they are now compared to when Golding wrote the book, but I probably wouldn't make that the focus of the essay.

As for this belonging on the Humanities desk, that's probably correct, although literature does straddle the border between "Humanities" and "Entertainment". Confusing Manifestation 22:06, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I wouldn't necessarily take the above statement of the book's "deeper message" too far. To say that the novel - any novel - has a "deeper message" is to assume that the author intended to convey something beyond the basic narrative of the text. But if you stop and think, you realise that this entire approach is a fallacy. The reader has no privileged access to the state of the author's mind while he was writing the book. Even if Golding made public statements about what he intended to convey in the novel, these should not be taken too seriously. What matters above all else is the reader's own response to the text. There is no mileage to be gained from blindly trying to second-guess the author's "intention". The question in the essay is therefore fundamentally flawed, relying on a deeply problematic assumption of how meaning is created for the reader.

Secondly, your "hint" is not particularly helpful, since it relies on the assumption that there is such a thing as a "fundamental property of human nature". In fact many would dispute this, arguing that every human being is a socially constructed animal whose character is formed in direct response to the social conditioning of his/her upbringing. --Richardrj ^talk ^email 23:08, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

No, it assumes there is a deeper meaning to the narrative. It is generally accepted this is the case. The questioner should Google "Lord of the Flies". There are multiple sites that discuss the symbolism of the book and once you get an idea on how it works, it's easier to find new examples. - Mgm|^(talk) 11:51, 31 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

And when you're writing an essay for English class, where the question itself uses the phrase "deeper meaning", you have to come up with something. Confusing Manifestation 23:17, 31 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

WWE Question

Hello, I would just like to ask. Has any article related to WWE or Pro Wrestling been the "Today's featured Article"? Just curious. Thank you in advance for answering. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.87.183.146 (talk) 02:18, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

If you look at WP:TFA it has links to archived lists of previous "Today's Featured Articles". A quick look going back in time shows that Montreal Screwjob was TFA on November 9 this year. Feel free to look back further. Confusing Manifestation 03:00, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Unless you're in a time machine, I think you mean will be the featured article. :) Corvus cornix 18:03, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Chrissie Amphlett's high school

Did Christina Amphlett from the Divinyls attend Belmont High School in her teenage years? --Candy-Panda 12:37, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

yes Foxhill 15:43, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Nip/Tuck repeats

does anyone know if/when they are on? I thought they were on on saturday nights/sunday mornings from about 11pm to 330am, but they were not on this past weekend. Anyone? --MKnight 9989 13:50, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I see you live in the United States so would imagine you're after info on the showtimes there? If so, I would imagine it may be because the new series in the US starts tonight, FX is showing S05EP1 tonight and seems to be repeating it three times in the following five days (info from tvguide). Foxhill 15:40, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Television news

Hi, I'm learning English and I would like to know if you know a website where I can watch TV news online. Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.201.163.223 (talk) 16:13, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The BBC website offers this. And the English spoken on there is the best in the world :-) --Richardrj ^talk ^email 16:15, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Concur with Richard; and another possibility would be listening to online news bulletins, such as those provided by Independent Radio News. They supply British radio stations with hourly 90-second or 3-minute news bulletins, in a slightly less formal style than the BBC, and the latest bulletin can be heard on the website (second link from the left at the top). Hassocks5489 20:25, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

BBC World Service also. Lanfear's Bane | t 21:22, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

This section of the BBC website may be particularly helpful. Learn English with the BBC. DuncanHill 21:31, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Note that all the previous answers will provide you with speakers of British English. Is that what you want to learn, or do you prefer to learn American English ? StuRat 12:25, 1 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

http://edition.cnn.com/ This website will also be helpful for the above enquiry (user:radhika_in) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.14.7.34 (talk) 14:39, 1 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

music& songs

hi, i have just made a recording of 8 tracks on to a cd useing backing tracks i bought on line all above board it turned out quite good i think so a friend of mine put me on to a web site called cdbaby who put cd,s in stores & on line to millions of people it sounds quite good there is one problem how do i make it legal with the royalties on thr backing tracks i have used can anyone help me. roger —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.145.240.131 (talk) 16:28, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The Reference Desk cannot provide legal advice. You should consult a lawyer. — Lomn 20:26, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

When you acquired the backing tracks, you should probably have received some indication of the license and acceptable uses (and what you bought was more than likely a license to use them). You should check through any documentation you received or that is on the site where you got the tracks to see what they say. If you have any doubts at all about the licensing, you should definitely contact a lawyer. --LarryMac | Talk 14:04, 31 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

1990 VSH "Sandino"

Could anyone tell me where I might purchase the 1990 VHS film entitled "Sandino" directed by Miguel J. Littin, starring Kris Kristofferson?

This drama takes place in Central America and is based on the life of one of Nicaragua's guerillas, Augusto C. Sandino.

Thank you very much.

Becky Jorgeson (email removed, see intructions at top of page) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Beckyrjorgeson (talk • contribs) 18:58, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You don't provide a location request. But all I can find online is a Chilean rental site [1] and a retailer from Salvador, Brazil who lists it on their site [2] You can ask them if they have it using the email link on the site. Rockpocket 23:01, 30 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]