Gothic conventions Essay Example

Gothic conventions Essay Example Gothic conventions Essay Gothic conventions Essay Gothic conventions consist of writing that would scare and excite the reader. Gothic writing was popular during the late 18th, early 19th century. Gothic features include supernatural forces, medieval castles, dungeons and darkness. The type of language is very melodramatic in its style of stereotyped characters. Gothic characters typically include spectres, monsters, demons, corpses, skeletons, evil aristocrats, vampires and Dracula. A Goth is one of a German tribe who invaded Eastern and Western Europe. They are normally barbarous, foul and uncouth. Gothic conventions usually involve journeys, quests, strange creatures and sinister buildings. Gothic novels are created to frighten their readers. In Gothic productions imagination and emotional effects exceed reason. Dracula was first published in 1897, other versions have adapted from the original. The main characters in Dracula include Jonathan Harker, Mina and Van Helsing. Throughout the story, Bram Stoker uses Draculas abilities, actions and appearance to create suspense for the reader. The novel opens with an extract from Jonathan Harkers journal relating to his journey. In the journal Jonathan Harker expresses his feelings; these include his worries and fears as he travels to Castle Dracula. Bram Stoker uses strange customs and sights to generate anxiety in Jonathan Harkers journal to the reader. : I did not sleep well, though my bed was comfortable enough, for I had all sorts of queer dreams, this creates fear to the reader because it explains there was weird existence during the sleep because it caused discomfort that was not visible. Sometimes we saw little tows or castles on the top of steep hills such as we see in old missals; sometimes we ran by rivers and streams which seemed from the wide stony margin on each side of them to be subject to great floods Jonathan Harker describes the strange sights and interpretations of his journey which can create suspense for the reader. The strangest figures we saw were the Slovaks, who were more barbarian than the rest, with their big cowboy hats, great baggy dirty-white trousers, white linen shirts, and enormous heavy leather belts, nearly a foot wide, all studded over with brass nails. A very descriptive view of the Slovaks, gives the reader a clear understanding of what Harker saw during the journey. When Jonathan Harker arrives at his destination he is greeted curiously by the innkeeper, He and his wife, the old lady who received me, looked at each other in a frightened sort of way. Harker discovers the innkeeper has an odd relationship with Dracula, When I asked him if he knew Count Dracula, and could tell me anything of his castle, both he and his wife crossed themselves, and, saying that they knew nothing at all, simply refused to speak further. This creates suspense for the reader by implying the innkeeper knew Dracula but was frightened to admit it as he may not be allowed to or may know something secreted. Later in the novel, Bram Stoker describes Draculas abilities to create suspense as they are beyond nature. This vampire which is amongst us is of himself so strong in person as twenty men, this specifies how strong and threatening Dracula can be. He is of cunning more than mortal, for his cunning be the growth of ages, Bram Stoker uses a comparison with mortals to be more accurate for the readers understanding, Stoker also uses a particular type of language that is complex to an extent to create tension. He is brute, and more than brute, he is devil in callous, and the heart of him is not; he can, within limitations, appear at will when, and where Bram Stoker explains Draculas abilities in great detail using comparisons and metaphors to excite the reader regarding Draculas abilities. Strange creatures defy logic, therefore are most likely to be scary or beyond nature. In the novel, Bram Stoker uses Draculas abilities to create disturbance towards the reader. He uses language to make a vivid picture. Gothic conventions usually include sinister buildings to produce suspense in the atmosphere. An example of this can be found of Draculas crypt. A crypt is an obvious location to set action related to death and suspense. The crypt is not a place the living normally spend time in, it is a place where the dead are at home. Bram Stoker sets the scene for Draculas crypt by using dark language to explain the atmosphere, the whole place was thick with dust gives the sense that the place is old and has been isolated for a long time. The floor seemed inches deep explains the extent of how long the place has been remote. The walls were fluffy and heavy dust, and in the corners were masses of spiders webs, whereon the dust had gathered till they looked like old tattered rags as the weight had torn them partly down, Bram Stoker uses very descriptive language to illustrate the atmosphere, Stoker uses similes to make the image more clear to the reader consequently creating a more mysterious understanding. Bram Stoker creates tense situations which cause the reader to feel to feel insecure. He creates tense situations by using descriptive language to express the atmosphere. The language he uses involves elements of mysterious and creepy surroundings, through these frowning walls and dark window openings it was not likely that my voice could penetrate. The reader shares a sense of fear with Jonathan because Stoker uses the first person narration to make the reader feel involved.

LinkedIn says the 2011 most overused professional buzzwords in the United States are “creative,” “organizational” and “effective”

LinkedIn says the 2011 most overused professional buzzwords in the United States are â€Å"creative,† â€Å"organizational† and â€Å"effective† On December 13, 2011, LinkedIn released its â€Å"most overused† buzzwords list for 2011.   Here is the list of the top 10, with â€Å"creative† reigning at the top.   When a particular country or countries stood out for overuse of a term, the country name(s) are listed in parentheses: Creative (Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States) Organizational Effective (India) Extensive experience Track record (Singapore) Motivated (Ireland) Innovative Problem solving (Italy) Communication skills Dynamic (France) The good news?   Some people heeded last year’s list and stopped overusing at least some of the following 2010 Overused Buzzwords: Extensive experience Innovative Motivated Results-oriented Dynamic Proven track record Team player Fast-paced Problem solver Entrepreneurial The four exact matches between 2010 and 2011 years are â€Å"motivated,† dynamic, innovative and extensive experience. There are also some near matches with â€Å"problem solving† vs. â€Å"problem solver† and proven track record vs. track record (I personally have tired of all of these terms). I believe job seekers and career professionals have done some good work changing the landscape four of the terms on the list have changed, and all of them have changed rank.    Lets face it:   There will be overused words every year.   I’m just glad to see we’re learning lessons along the way. How Creative are You? This year’s primary lesson:   Don’t say you are â€Å"creative† – demonstrate your creativity!   Design and upload a PowerPoint presentation to SlideShare and post it to your LinkedIn profile.   Give examples of marketing strategies you devised.   Include your artistic portfolio in your profile.   And don’t use the same words everyone else is using!   We now know that asserting you are â€Å"creative† is a sure way to prove that you are not. Met or Exceeded Organizational Goals? â€Å"Organizational† is a bit tougher.   How do you say you met organizational goals without saying you met organizational goals?   One thing to keep in mind is that of course you are going to strive for and meet organizational goals!   What other goals would you possibly want to report?   I admit I will be a little sad to let this term go, but I see the point of finding alternatives.   â€Å"Meet targeted goals† would be just as effective (oh did I say â€Å"effective†?   Send me to India where I’ll be in good company!)   Or perhaps a chart of goals vs. accomplishments would obviate the need for the term organizational.   I predict that next year â€Å"goal(s)† and â€Å"target(s)† will top this list. Devise an Effective Strategy Lately? Thankfully there are a multitude of ways to convey the concept of â€Å"effective.†   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Successful† is the clearest alternative, followed by â€Å"winning,† â€Å"profitable,† â€Å"lucrative,† â€Å"productive,† â€Å"fruitful,† â€Å"targeted† and even â€Å"efficacious† (I don’t love that last one as a resume/profile adjective).   Take your pick or find another way to say what you mean!   (Sometimes you can just leave out the adjective completely, as I did by avoiding â€Å"find another effective way† in that last sentence.) As for extensive experience and track record, these terms are like nails on a blackboard to me.   I see them a lot and make short work of them on my resumes. How many of these top 10 overused words show up in your profile?   Please share below. And   if you want expert assistance to craft a LinkedIn profile that stands out in a sea of 135 million LinkedIn users, contact The Essay Expert through our Web Form or at 608-467-0067. Like this article?   You might also enjoy Ten Buzzwords to Take Off Your LinkedIn Profile Now published by Time Newsfeed. Category:Archived ArticlesBy Brenda BernsteinDecember 19, 2011 2 Comments Kent V says: December 20, 2011 at 12:02 pm How did they miss sustainable? A particularly awful one since it has so many connotations: 1) environmentally friendly 2) doing something positive that sticks 3) keeping the business alive 4) not hogging or wasting resources (or not getting caught doing it) 5) from the old green revolution, when green meant crop based, not clean: using local, renewable stuff, rather than paying a big company for a remedy 6) an admirable word to put in the annual report or PR release to mean you operate responsibly, whatever that is. and on and on Some years back I would have added leverage as a verb. Too late, it stuck. Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: December 20, 2011 at 12:31 pm Thanks for the suggested addition! Im sure this one is overused in certain sectors, though not universally enough to make it onto the list. Maybe this world would be a better place if sustainable were on the top of the list! Log in to Reply