A Fable by Mark Twain

One of the basic exercises (or progymnasmata) practiced by students of classical rhetoric was the fable—a fictional story meant to teach a moral lesson. What lesson about the nature of perception is contained in A Fable, by American humorist Mark Twain? A Fable by Mark Twain Once upon a time, an artist who had painted a small and very beautiful picture placed it so that he could see it in the mirror. He said, This doubles the distance and softens it, and it is twice as lovely as it was before. The animals out in the woods heard of this through the housecat, who was greatly admired by them because he was so learned, and so refined and civilized, and so polite and high-bred, and could tell them so much which they didnt know before, and were not certain about afterward. They were much excited about this new piece of gossip, and they asked questions, so as to get at a full understanding of it. They asked what a picture was, and the cat explained. It is a flat thing, he said; wonderfully flat, marvelously flat, enchantingly flat and elegant. And, oh, so beautiful! That excited them almost to a frenzy, and they said they would give the world to see it. Then the bear asked: What is it that makes it so beautiful? It is the looks of it, said the cat. This filled them with admiration and uncertainty, and they were more excited than ever. Then the cow asked: What is a mirror? It is a hole in the wall, said the cat. You look in it, and there you see the picture, and it is so dainty and charming and ethereal and inspiring in its unimaginable beauty that your head turns round and round, and you almost swoon with ecstasy. The ass had not said anything as yet; he now began to throw doubts. He said there had never been anything as beautiful as this before, and probably wasnt now. He said that when it took a whole basketful of sesquipedalian adjectives to whoop up a thing of beauty, it was time for suspicion. It was easy to see that these doubts were having an effect upon the animals, so the cat went off offended. The subject was dropped for a couple of days, but in the meantime, curiosity was taking a fresh start, and there was a revival of interest perceptible. Then the animals assailed the ass for spoiling what could possibly have been a pleasure to them, on a mere suspicion that the picture was not beautiful, without any evidence that such was the case. The ass was not troubled; he was calm, and said there was one way to find out who was in the right, himself or the cat: he would go and look in that hole, and come back and tell what he found there. The animals felt relieved and grateful and asked him to go at once--which he did. But he did not know where he ought to stand; and so, through error, he stood between the picture and the mirror. The result was that the picture had no chance, and didnt show up. He returned home and said: The cat lied. There was nothing in that hole but an ass. There wasnt a sign of a flat thing visible. It was a handsome ass, and friendly, but just an ass, and nothing more. The elephant asked: Did you see it good and clear? Were you close to it? I saw it good and clear, O Hathi, King of Beasts. I was so close that I touched noses with it. This is very strange, said the elephant; the cat was always truthful before--as far as we could make out. Let another witness try. Go, Baloo, look in the hole, and come and report. So the bear went. When he came back, he said: Both the cat and the ass have lied; there was nothing in the hole but a bear. Great was the surprise and puzzlement of the animals. Each was now anxious to make the test himself and get at the straight truth. The elephant sent them one at a time. First, the cow. She found nothing in the hole but a cow. The tiger found nothing in it but a tiger. The lion found nothing in it but a lion. The leopard found nothing in it but a leopard. The camel found a camel, and nothing more. Then Hathi was wroth, and said he would have the truth, if he had to go and fetch it himself. When he returned, he abused his whole subjectry for liars, and was in an unappeasable fury with the moral and mental blindness of the cat. He said that anybody but a near-sighted fool could see that there was nothing in the hole but an elephant. MORAL, BY THE CAT You can find in a text whatever you bring, if you will stand between it and the mirror of your imagination. You may not see your ears, but they will be there.

What You Dont Know About Teenage Pregnancy Essay Topics

What You Don't Know About Teenage Pregnancy Essay Topics Becoming pregnant as a teenager contributes to numerous health problems (like preeclampsia, higher blood pressure, STDs, depression, etc), and to social consequences, such as divorce, a very low quality of life, child abuse, etc. In the majority of cases, teenagers don't have the wisdom of using and accessing contraceptives, something which contributes to teenage pregnancies. Many teenagers aren't taught about methods of birth control and the way to handle peers who pressure them into having sex before they are prepared. Pregnant teenagers face a number of the exact same pregnancy related issues as other ladies. Teen pregnancy has a lot of adverse results and thus measures ought to be taken to lessen its prevalence. Teenage pregnancy puts young woman in danger for health difficulties, economic, social and financial problems. Teenage pregnancy leads to greater poverty in the society hence it ought to be abolished. Pregn ancy during young age is extremely risky for the youngster's health. Teenage pregnancy is a severe issue that may seriously affect the future of a youthful woman. Teenage mothers don't have any time for different things, because they're busy taking care of their baby. Alongside health difficulties, they are usually less likely to finish high school, which decreases their chances to get adequate higher education, and then find a job to sustain themselves, and their child. On the same note, they should be counseled and left to stay in school besides encouraging proper nutrition. The absolute most effective persuasive essay on teenage pregnancy is one which is written utilizing the direct strategy. If our health isn't proper, we won't be in a position to do anything. A great means of making up topics on the topic of teenage pregnancy is to read what has been written and discussed on the news. One of many reasons that teen pregnancy is not a great idea is the problems that ari se, for instance, above-mentioned absence of prenatal care. What Teenage Pregnancy Essay Topics Is - and What it Is Not Deficiency of Knowledge Teenagers that are uneducated about sex are more inclined to have an unintended pregnancy. Trouble with Finances Financial difficulty may emerge during a teen pregnancy or following the infant is born. Teenage Drinking Teen drinking can result in an unexpected pregnancy, as stated by the site Love to Know. Top Teenage Pregnancy Essay Topics Choices If one has any confusion on topics such as this, they ought to always speak with the people with whom they are comfortable to speak about such topics. Topics is an essential bit of athletic training. Topics such as these shouldn't be ignored. The topic that I'm studying is Teenage Pregnancy. Top Teenage Pregnancy Essay Topics Secrets The country's agenda to reduce teenage pregnancy ought to be a public strategy, the objective of which is to develop a public health program to help in d ecreasing the range of teenage pregnancy and all associated adverse results. The quantities of teenage pregnancy are extremely high but when you think of the numbers most could have been prevented with using protection. A holistic approach is needed in order to deal with teenage pregnancy. Secondly, teenage pregnancy needs to be eradicated as a result of its effect on the increase of social responsibility. Neither the mother is going to have appropriate life nor the baby. Another possible reason behind teenage pregnancy is financial difficulties. Facts like a woman needs to go to her perfect weight for her height before she makes an effort to acquire pregnant will be helpful in your pregnancy essay. Your physician could be in a position to refer you to a nutritionist or give you advice on healthy eating when pregnant. Today's house pregnancy tests are usually considered accurate. There are rather many indications of pregnancy. You shouldn't smoke while pregnant. If your pregnancy is high-risk or you don't feel that you're able to handle schoolwork, you might want to check into classes towards earning your GED on your own moment. Life, Death, and Teenage Pregnancy Essay Topics Less than 1 third of teenage mothers receive any kind of child support, vastly increasing the probability of turning to the government for help. Thus, teenage pregnancy is a larger deal than what people think that it may be. In nations like India, the bulk of teenage births occur within marriage. In other nations, including the U.S. and the Ireland, most teenage mothers aren't married to the father of their children. Yes, a baby is very cute and all, but teenagers really will need to consider what they're getting themselves into. There are a couple teenage girls who don't inform their parents they're pregnant and w ish to get an abortion. When teenagers plan to have intercourse, they need to think about whether they could deal with a young child in their life. Most teenagers are extremely outgoing.

American Indian Studies Free Essays

The policies of the Federal Government toward Native Americans experienced numerous pendulum swings in the past years, influenced by changing political agendas. These swings left the Native American communities adapt to the changes imposed from outside. The Dawes Act of 1887 marked the beginning of the â€Å"Allotment Era†, during which it was possible to force or talk Native Americans into giving up their traditional way of life in order to integrate into the mainstream society. We will write a custom essay sample on American Indian Studies or any similar topic only for you Order Now The importance of the Native American tribal rites came to the fore with the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, touted as â€Å"Indian New Deal.† The Act laid the foundation for tribal businesses and the repurchase of the land that once belonged to the tribes. These policies were replaced by termination policy in 1945, in the wake of the Second World War. The new agenda implied the termination of the federal trust responsibility to Native American tribes and aimed at elimination of their reservations and settlements. In 1953 Congress voted for the removal of whatever federal support there existed for Native Americans. The next two decades were the time of termination when approximately 11,500 Native Americans stopped receiving services from the government, and 1.5 million acres of their land lost federal support. As a result, many were living depending on welfare payments. Many public demonstrations of protest such as occupation of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay from 1969 to 1971 forced President Nixon to stop the termination policies. There was a return to a great degree to the policies of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 and push for self-determination. Sites were returned to Native Americans, and the Alaska Native Land Claims Settlement Act of 1971 offered settlements in return for land to Native Alaskans. The 1980s saw a series of reductions in the budgets for social services on the reservations. Thus, policies often swung from support to acts aimed at elimination of Native American settlements and their assimilation. How to cite American Indian Studies, Papers