How to Write a Compare #038; Contrast Essay in Literature †a Guide That Covers Everything

How to Write a Compare #038; Contrast Essay in Literature – a Guide That Covers Everything A compare and contrast essay (also sometimes called comparative analysis essay or simply a comparison essay) is a relatively short piece of academic writing that tries to identify parallels and contrasts between two or more entities belonging to the same category. In other words, you cannot compare things that have completely nothing in common. In literature, it most commonly will be texts, characters or authors, although more complex comparisons are also possible – for example, that of a certain concept or idea as expressed in the works of two different authors or in the work of one author during two or more different periods. The task of such comparison may look trivial, but this impression usually only lasts until you start writing. After that, it becomes obvious that this type of academic work has a lot of its own peculiarities, and you cannot write a proper essay without knowing them. In this guide you will find everything you need to write a high-quality compare and contrast essay – just read on. How to Select a Topic for a Compare and Contrast Essay in Literature Normally, professors assign you a topic to write about. Although this way you can end up with something unfamiliar and uninteresting, having the direction of your research chosen for you takes a significant load off your shoulders, because selecting a topic of your own without any guidelines can be confusing. If you don’t want to spend too much time trying to think about a suitable topic, follow the steps we suggest. 1. Study Your Assignment Even if your professor did not give a topic per se, the instructions you have received can help you decide in what direction you should move. Read them carefully and make sure you understand if your choice is limited in any way. For example, you may be asked to simply compare two texts of your choice. Alternatively, your professor may want you to focus on differences and similarities between A and B. Or you may need to not just compare the entities, but also make specific observations and draw conclusions. 2. Take a Look at Your Course Your choice of essay topic should be relevant for the topic you are taking and based on what you have learned in it. For example, if you have been studying British Post-Modern writers, it is only natural to choose a topic that has something to do with them. You can compare two writers of this movement, or compare British Post Modernism with its American counterpart, or pick a particular theme characteristic of this movement and see how it is reflected in the works of two different writers who belong to it. 3. Be Original Whatever the course, there are always topics that are immediately obvious for everybody who takes them. For example, comparison between 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell or between the characters of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn from Mark Twain’s books are so painfully obvious that they immediately manifest the lack of effort and creativity on your part. In other words, if something strikes you as a good topic immediately after you are assigned an essay to write, it is probably not the best idea to choose it. If you want to be truly original, run a couple of searches using online academic search engines to see if there are many existing papers with the topics similar to the one you are thinking about. It is wise to maintain a balance: finding a topic that has some representation in academic literature but is not all over the place. 4. Look for Parallels in Unusual Places There are two basic ways to write an interesting compare and contrast essay in literature. Firstly, you can compare two entities from an unusual perspective. Perhaps, take two texts (characters, literary movements, etc.) that are commonly studied side by side and compare them to each other, but instead of taking a tried and true route you can analyze them from a viewpoint that does not occur to the majority of people. For example, take Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, but do not focus on the usual aspects (different views on slavery, more serious tone of the latter book, different narrative structures, etc.). Instead, compare them with an emphasis on the evolution of Mark Twain’s views and perception of the world between the publication of these two novels, his growing cynicism and disillusionment in the world. 5. Make Sure You Can Write on This Topic Sometimes a topic that looks ideal at a glance may turn out to be incredibly difficult to work with. You may suddenly find out there are not enough sources of information, or that there are far fewer parallels between A and B than you initially believed. It is better to make such discoveries before you finalize your topic and start writing in earnest. Therefore, do the following: Check online academic databases to see if there are enough reliable sources to build upon; Write preliminary lists of what A and B have in common and how they are different. See if there are enough points to discuss in an essay of the required size; See if you can make a meaningful conclusion from your comparison. Your goal is not to just list similarities and differences between A and B, but to achieve some kind of result: for example, establish a pattern that is not obvious at a precursory glance. Eventually, you should end up with a topic like one of these: Storytelling Techniques Employed by Edgar Allan Poe and Howard Phillips Lovecraft: Similarities, Differences, Influences; Lord of the Flies by William Golding: Did It Influence Battle Royale by Koushun Takami? The Chronicle of Young Satan, Schoolhouse Hill and No. 44, the Mysterious Stranger: Three Versions of Mark Twain’s Last Story; Odysseus and Achilles from Homer’s The Iliad: Two Viewpoints on Pride and Duty; Euripides’ Medea and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet: Two of the Most Famous Tragedies Ever Written. Writing a Compare and Contrast Essay in Literature: Step by Step 1. Write Down Detailed Lists of Similarities and Differences Analyze the entities under scrutiny and prepare two lists, enumerating everything similar and different about them. You should have them ready when you finally start writing so that you do not have to return to this stage later on. To make this task easier you can first create a list of criteria to use when comparing A and B. For example, if you compare two texts, you can pay attention to the language used in them, setting, main themes, personalities of the main characters, historical periods they were written in, personal situations of their authors at the time of writing, etc. 2. Define the Main Idea and Formulate Your Thesis Statement To write a good compare and contrast essay it is not enough to list what makes A and B similar or different. The comparisons you make should result in an overarching conclusion: for example, you can discover that two texts written in different parts of the world and in vastly different historical periods have much more in common than can be expected (like Ancient Greek tragedies and some Shakespeare’s plays). Express this overarching idea in a thesis statement – a short summary one sentence long. Make sure it is: Concise – if you need more than one sentence to express it, you probably spread yourself too thin; Concentrated – a thesis statement for an essay should not contain more than one point. If you find yourself drifting towards two or more main points, you should spend some time narrowing down your focus; Unambiguous – a thesis statement should leave no room for misunderstandings. Express your idea directly and in a simple language. 3. Decide What It Relevant Any two things can be compared across unlimited numbers of points, but not all of these comparisons are relevant for your research question/main idea. For example, the fact that Shakespeare wrote in Elizabethan English while Euripides wrote in Ancient Greek are notable differences between the two, but they are irrelevant as long as you do not discuss the linguistic aspects of their works. 4. Choose Structure There are some additional variants, but mostly a compare and contrast essay can be structured according to one of two patterns: Block Method With this method, you roughly divide the body of your essay into two parts. In the first you describe all the similarities between A and B (or whatever number of entities you analyze), in the second you go over all the differences. After that, you discuss what is more important and draw conclusions. Alternatively, you can spend one block to discuss and analyze subject A and then move on to subject B. This approach has a number of advantages: It offers complete pictures of the subjects you discuss, allowing for more general conclusions; It does not appear repetitive or mechanical, as you do not jump from one subject to another all the time; It is easier to follow. However, it is not very well suited for longer essays, because as you describe one subject you move the other to the background, and it is easy to forget that you make a comparison and do not just describe two unrelated things. Thus, it is usually used in shorter essays or when you want to do a lens/keyhole comparison – that is, use A as a context or field of reference for analyzing B (and thus give only a short description of A before moving on to B). Point-by-Point Method With this more analytical approach you break up your discussion into multiple parts and dedicate each of them to studying an individual point. For example, if you compare Crome Yellow and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, you define what is important for your argument (main character, his relationships with female characters, setting, etc.), and then spend a paragraph apiece analyzing this point in both novels. This method: Allows for a more detailed analysis; Is better suited for longer essays. However, you should make sure you only cover the most relevant comparison points, because constant back and forth between the two subjects can become repetitive and boring. 5. Prepare an Outline An outline is a short yet detailed plan of your essay. You jot down what parts it will contain, what you will mention in each of them, how you will create logical connections between them, where you will put quotations, etc. 6. Write the Essay Besides the body paragraphs, its structure is typical: Introduction – you introduce the topic and provide basic context; Thesis statement – you state the purpose of your essay; Body – you compare the subjects in question; Conclusion – you summarize what you have written and decide if your initial hypothesis proved true. Proofreading a Compare and Contrast Essay in Literature: Useful Tips 1. Do not Start Proofreading Right Away If you have any time to spare, leave your essay alone for a while. We recommend a period of at least 24 hours. This will help you notice many mistakes that would otherwise escape your attention. 2. Clarify Formatting and Other Requirements If you are not sure about any requirements (from one of the common style guides or official instructions of your college), clarify them. Then check everything about your essay: font type and size, pagination, title page, quotations, etc., and make sure they follow the guidelines. 3. Do not Trust Spellcheckers Microsoft Word’s spellchecker is only useful for finding the most blatant spelling mistakes. It has very peculiar notions of what makes good and bad writing, so do not feel obliged to change your wording if it underlines it. Some online proofreading tools like Grammarly or Hemingway are a little better and can help you with grammar and sentence structure, but still, do not rely on them too much. 4. Cut the Flab You can always safely toss something out from the first draft. If a word, sentence or even a paragraph does nothing to move your point forward, delete it without regret. 5. Watch out for Repetitions We do not just mean the repetition of the same information, although you should avoid it by all costs. Repetitions of any kind can spoil the impression that your essay makes: e.g., try not to begin multiple paragraphs with the same word. Congratulations! Now you are ready to submit your essay for evaluation. We hope this guide proved useful!

Understanding Toxins in Avocado Seeds

Understanding Toxins in Avocado Seeds Avocados are a great part of a healthy diet, but what about their seeds or pits? They contain a small amount of a natural toxin called persin [(R, 12Z,15Z)-2-Hydroxy-4-oxohenicosa-12,15-dienyl acetate]. Persin is an oil-soluble  compound found in the leaves and bark of the avocado plant as well as the pits. It acts as a natural fungicide. While the amount of persin in an avocado pit isnt enough to harm a human, avocado plants and pits can harm pets and livestock. Cats and dogs may become slightly ill from eating avocado flesh or seeds. Because the pits are so fibrous, they also pose a risk of gastric obstruction. The pits are considered toxic to birds, cattle, horses, rabbits, and goats. Avocado pits also cause problems for people who are allergic to latex. If you cant tolerate bananas or peaches, its best to steer clear of avocado seeds. The seeds contain high levels of tannins, trypsin inhibitors, and polyphenols that act as anti-nutrients, which means they reduce your ability to absorb certain vitamins and minerals. In addition to persin and tannin, avocado seeds also contain small quantities of hydrocyanic acid and cyanogenic glycosides, which can produce toxic  hydrogen cyanide. Other types of seeds containing cyanogenic compounds include apple seeds, cherry pits, and citrus fruit seeds. However, the human body can detoxify small amounts of the compounds, so theres no risk of cyanide poisoning to an adult person from eating a single seed. Persin may cause apoptosis of some types of breast cancer cells, plus it enhances the cytotoxic effects of the cancer drug tamoxifen. However, the compound is soluble in oil rather than water, so further research is needed to see whether an extract of the seed can be made into a useful form. The California Avocado Commission recommends people avoid eating the avocado seed (though of course, they encourage you to enjoy the fruit). While its true there are many healthful compounds in the seeds, including soluble fiber, vitamins E and C, and the mineral phosphorus, the consensus is more research is needed to determine whether the benefits of eating them outweigh the risks. How to Make Avocado Seed Powder If you decide to go ahead and try avocado seeds, one of the most popular ways to prepare them is to make a powder. The powder can be mixed into smoothies or other foods to disguise the bitter flavor, which comes from tannins in the seed. To make avocado seed powder, remove the pit from the fruit, place it on a baking sheet, and cook it in a preheated oven at 250 F for 1.5 to 2 hours. At this point, the skin of the seed will be dry. Peel away the skin and then grind the seed in a spice mill or food processor. The seed is strong and heavy, so this is not a task for a blender. You can grate it by hand, too. How to Make Avocado Seed Water Another way to use avocado seeds is for avocado seed water. To make this, mash 1-2 avocado seeds and soak them in water overnight. The softened seeds can be pureed in a blender. Avocado seed water may be added to coffee or tea or to a smoothie, much like avocado seed powder. References Butt AJ, Roberts CG, Seawright AA, Oelrichs PB, MacLeod JK, Liaw TY, Kavallaris M, Somers-Edgar TJ, Lehrbach GM, Watts CK, Sutherland RL (2006). A novel plant toxin, persin, within vivo activity in the mammary gland, induces Bim-dependent apoptosis in human breast cancer cells. Mol Cancer Ther. 5 (9): 2300–9.Roberts CG, Gurisik E, Biden TJ, Sutherland RL, Butt AJ (October 2007). Synergistic cytotoxicity between tamoxifen and the plant toxin persin in human breast cancer cells is dependent on Bim expression and mediated by modulation of ceramide metabolism. Mol. Cancer Ther. 6 (10).

American Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

American Government - Essay Example Personally, the meaning of the statement takes a diverse and a dynamic aspect as time goes by and as U.S leadership takes new directions. However, these diversities and dynamics can be condensed to mean that it is from the people that government comes from. In other words, people constitute the government. However, this concept cannot be taken literally. This is because the government hardly pleases everyone. Even when the government is made up of this people, there are those that still oppose it and think a better one needs to be in place. Considering the context within which the concept We the People was brought forth by our forefathers, the concept can be referred to as symbolic. The U.S is made up of 52 different states. The entire constitution does not contain a single line that reads We the States. In this regard, the unification of all the states in America is symbolized by We the People concept. Therefore, the people may not constitute a perfect government but they can remain united through the government. Preamble to the U. S. Constitution identifies five different functions of government. These are: strive to put in place a perfect unification of all states, promote justice through protecting law abiders from law breakers, enhance safety and security of U.S citizens, promote the general welfare of the society and to safeguard domestic serenity. All these functions are expected to be discharged to the U.S citizens indiscriminately. Two of the five functions have had the greatest impact at a personal level. These are: promoting justice through protecting law abiders from law breakers and the enhancement of safety and security of U.S citizens. Today, many nations around the world face significant security and justice issues. A number of countries have engaged in civil wars, while others have disregarded the ultimate importance of human rights. However, the U.S has significantly addressed such issues

Persuasive speech writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Persuasive speech writing - Essay Example Such laws need noble individuals for their implementation. So the issue of creating noble individuals attains top priority. The gun control measures, and the determination of the law enforcing authorities, may reduce the percentage of gun-ridden crimes and shootouts. I therefore, reiterate my support for it, for the simple reason that there is no other alternative for the time being. One important aspect about the intended gun control measure is the administrators have begun to think about the use-level of military-style assault weapons, to check violence. To an extent this may be the right step to do something about the violence-prone society in the prevailing societal conditions. I emphasize the word prevailing, because sermons from the political platforms by the politicians that believe in various ideologies are not going to produce any tangible results. I take it that using gun for violent acts is a negativity like smoking, drinking, drug addiction etc. Are we able to control the drug mafia? They thrive and score a march over the law-enforcing authorities. So, the issue is not about drafting a good law and getting it passed. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein says the bill is intended "to help end the mass-shootings that have devastated countless families and terrorized communities." He is right. But he has not addressed to the root cause of the problem, and he will not be able to do anything about it. Senators are aware of their limitations, so are we! The issue is, those who are bent upon acquiring the guns, will get them through clandestine channels. Just look around and see how the terrorist organizations are amassing demonic weapons of their choice, including military-type assault rifles. When tempers on the issue get cooled down, the realities related will come to the fore. Those supporting the gun ownership rights have taken a stand to oppose the bill. Americas main gun-rights lobby, the National Rifle

Hades Essay -- essays research papers

The ancient Greeks portrayed the underworld as a place for all the dead and clearly visualized it in their myths and legends. The underworld in Greek mythology was not a lively place, for it was where all the dead souls went. When a person died, the soul would be sent to Hades, a more formal name for the underworld. "The dead would go to Hades because there was no annihilation in the Greek mythology. The dead are dead because they have a flavorless and unhappy existence". The primary ruling god of the underworld is Hades whose brother is Zeus, king of the gods, and whose parents are Cronus and Rhea. Hades is a greedy god with his greatest concern being to increase the number of his subjects. He is very stubborn about letting people out of the underworld. Hades himself, rarely leaves the underworld. In one myth, however, we know of a time when he did leave his soulful domain. Hades became very lonely in the underworld, and went above and kidnapped Demeter’s daughter, Persephone, for his wife.Persephone, nonetheless, was not Hades’ only significant other. Hades had a mistress called Minthe whom Persephone later transformed into a plant. Hades is also known as the god of wealth due to the precious metals mined from the earth. He has been said to possess a helmet that was given to him by the Cyclops. This helmet has been said to make him invisible. Hades lent it to gods and mortal men. Perseus used the helmet on his quest for Medusa’s head and Athena, goddess of battle skills, put to use the helmet so the god of war, Ares, could not notice her. Persephone, Hades’ wife, is the goddess of spring and the Queen of the underworld. She resides in the underworld for only six months of the year due to Hades kidnapping her. She was told not to eat anything for then she would have to remain in the underworld. While in the underworld, Persephone consumed six pomegranate seeds. Her mother Demeter, goddess of agriculture, threw a fit. Demeter complained to her brother Zeus. To be fair, Zeus stated that Persephone would have to remain in the underworld one month per seed each year. So, Persephone now resides in the underworld six months out of every year. When the Olympians overthrew their father Cronus, the Olympians drew straws to see who would rule what part of world. Even though Hades, also known as the Roman God Pluto, drew the straw for the underworld, there... ...h crystal windows; and because there is little or no sunshine thereabouts, the apartments are illuminated with diamond lamps. One tradition involving the underworld occurs above Hades. When a person died someone would place a coin under the tongue of the victim. Charon, the ferryman, would not take any soul across the River Styx who did not have the coin. Those who didn’t would roam the banks of the river for eternity. Achilles once said to Odysseus when he entered the underworld on his journey home to Ithaca "Do not speak soothingly to me of death, glorious Odysseus. I should choose to serve as the hireling of another, rather than to be lord over the dead that have perished". In reference to the River of Forgetfulness, Plato said "They were all required to drink a measure of the water, and those who were not saved by their good sense, drank more than the measure, and each one as he drank forgot all things". Therefore, the Underworld was a place of internity. The Greeks believed strongly of the Underworld and displayed it in their myths and legends. From courageous heroes to punished miscreants their was a place for everyone, living and dead, in the Underworld.

BP Crisis Communication

A crisis was exactly what British Petroleum (referred to as ‘BP throughout the paper) went through in 2010. It was particularly important to communicate the right way taking all considerations into account. We were wondering how the specific crisis went so wrong and if the use of specific communication strategy was beneficial or not. Hence, the communication strategies used to overcome the crisis can be used by many other companies in the future as guidelines of how to do and, maybe more important, how not to.Also, the intervention from the American government, the pressure from the local community and how the media was used, is extremely important in the BP case. This paper intends to show how BP communicated and reacted throughout the crisis. It will discuss the challenges BP had and it will especially focus on how BP actually reacted to the crisis and how they perhaps should have reacted differently, including the use of communication theories. Finally, the paper will outlin e the consequences of the crisis on both organization and communication strategy.On April 20, 2010, the Departed Horizon oil-drilling rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in the deaths of 11 rig workers, but public attention quickly shifted from their deaths to the following environmental and economic damages – the incident was described as the worst maritime oil spill accident in history, as the accident released over 18 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Three months passed before BP substantially stopped the leak, all the while the crisis was evilly covered by all news media in the United States as well as internationally.As a result of this, the BP oil spill case serves an excellent example of analysis of BSP crisis communication. L The total cost of BP to indemnify the clean up of the environment and funds to affected workers has reached almost two billion dollars. 2 2 www. Guardian. Co. UK/business/2012/July/31 /BP-departed-horizon-costs Page 4 of 28 Incorporated in 1909 in England , BP has become one of the world's largest multinational companies operating in more than 80 countries 4, leading in oil and as industry, including exploration and production, refining, distribution, extracting and producing renewable energy.The company provides their customers with energy for heating and lighting, fuel for transportation and energy for retail services and petrochemical products. BP employs approximately 80,000 employees, and sales and other operating revenues add up to $375,517 million in 20116 . Finally BP is also a conglomerate owning several brands such as: ORAL, ARC, Castro, amp and The Wild Bean Cafe ©. Having settled â€Å"BP and the Departed Horizon Crisis† as the case, which this paper ill centre around, the problem statement is as follows: To which extent has BP successfully communicated during the Departed Horizon Crisis?In order to examine the problem statement the paper will attempt to address the followi ng issues: I) Characterize how BP communicated during the crisis. It) Analyses the effects of BSP communicative strategies. Iii) Discuss and evaluate whether or not BP has been successful in dealing with the crisis seen from a communicative perspective. In this paper a broad spectrum of empirical data has been used. However, most of the empirical data has been found through articles in different newspapers – the use f different newspapers and their viewpoints has given us very diversified inputs throughout the paper.But this does not exclude a use of quantitative data which, amongst other things, have been used to illuminate the several attempts of BP to use CARS-strategies, and underline the immense loss of fiscal funds the crisis has caused. The rather specific choices of qualitative data have been used to shed light on the different views of the crisis – and the several statements pointing toward similar conclusions have helped to support the points made and clarify a rather eventful crisis.In addition, the conclusions deducted throughout the paper have been supported by theories worked with in classes and the additional http://www. BP. Com/liveliness/BP_internet/global/Stating/global_assets/ downloads/F/ OFF_2007_2011 _full_book. PDF 4 http://www. BP. Com/liveliness/BP_internet/global/Stating/global_assets/ downloads/l/BP_20-F_2009. PDF 5 http://www. BP. Com/Congregationalists. Do? Category=3&contentld=2006926 6 http://www. BP. Com/Congregationalists. Do? Category=3&contentld=2006926 page 5 of 28 theories which proved to be necessary or helpful.In the beginning of the work with he case study of BSP crisis response, a pretty sufficient understanding of the crisis as a whole was in place, we assumed, but as the paper progressed and different theories were applied our understanding of BP and the relationship to their stakeholders grew. The quantitative data used also comes from BSP own publications as well as articles from different internationa l online newspapers. Of course, the reader must have in mind that BSP own figures, occasionally, might have been used to strengthen their image and not only inform the reader.When examining and analyzing the Deep Water Horizon oil spill crisis, this paper is et out to delimit the case by answering our initial problem statement. To narrow our focus down to the relevant aspects in the case we have decided to delimit our analysis to the main stakeholders, including: (I) the American government; (it) the local society; and (iii) the media. This has been done not only due to the formal constraints of the paper, but also in order to go into depth with these stakeholders, who we reckon to be, of major importance to this crisis within the given delimitation's of this paper.In order to answer this paper we find it necessary to make a common definition of a crisis. Extensive studies have been carried out on crisis communications over the past two decades. A brief review of literature on this subject reveals that there are several definitions of organizational crisis, depending on theorists' different viewpoints on what constitutes a crisis. Herman claimed that to reach the level of a crisis, the event must contain three negative attributes: surprise, threat, and short response time.Surprise means that the organization did not prepare for the magnitude of the crisis. Threat means that the event poses a threat to the organization's financial security, customers, surrounding environment etc. Short response time refers to the urgent need of preventive action in order to stop an intensification of the crisis. 7 For the purpose of this paper the following deduction of a definition off crisis is found useful: Hermann, C. F. , 1963. Some consequences of crisis which limit the viability of organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 8, p. 61-82. Page 6 of 28 W.Timothy Combs utilizes the interconnectivity of these three attributes to make his definition of a crisis: â€Å"A crisis can be defined as an event that is an unpredictable, major threat that can have a negative effect on the organization, industry, or takeovers if handled improperly. â€Å"8 Furthermore, according to the very same book, organizations frequently find themselves in situations that can be identified as crisis. There are no exceptions; â€Å"We must accept that no organization is immune from a crisis anywhere in the world even if that organization is vigilant and actively seeks to prevent crises. † (Combs & Holiday, 2010: p. 7). This reality urges the need for preparation and readiness to respond – what is called crisis management. The major difference between handling an issue and an actual crisis is that an issue turns into crisis when it goes from the company domain into the public domain; a situation, which sometimes is inevitable no matter how competent the management is. 9 10 The term ‘a crisis within a crisis', or a so-called ‘double-crisis', as coined by Danish professors Finn Freedmen and Winning Johannes, refers to a situation where a company experiences a communication crisis that overshadows the initial crisis. 1 A crisis within a crisis naturally has negative implications for a company since it emphasizes weaknesses in the company's internal structure and/or interactions with stakeholders. The term is relevant to apply to this particular case because its give an accurate description of the consequences of BSP communicative strategy. The agenda setting theory distinguishes between two levels of agenda setting in the media. The first level deals with the significance of an organization where an organization receives more media attention then other related organizations.The second level relates to associations or topics that the public associates with a particular organization. 12 One of the important aspects when dealing with the media is the agenda, which stakeholders often associate to organizations. The agenda settin g theory is related to this assumption and therefore is significant to apply when analyzing BSP media relations. Combs, T. W. & Holiday, S. J. 2010. The Handbook of Crisis Communications. Wiley- Blackwell, p. 18. Benches, Claus. Guest Lecturer, Global Media Relations Manager at Damon.Gave a lecture on crisis communication on Tuesday the 20th of November. 10 Benches, Claus. Guest Lecturer, Global Media Relations Manager at Damon. Gave a lecture on crisis communication on Tuesday the 20th of November. From his PDF on Crisis Communication. 11 http://pure. AU. Dc/portal-cab-student/files/10106/ Crisis_communication_-_Not_Just_peanuts. PDF 12 Cornelius, Jeep. 2011. Corporate Communication – A Guide to Theory and Practice. Page 146. 9 page 7 of 28 An important element for an organization, according to protect its own reputation, is the communication with stakeholders.As a company might have many different stakeholders it is important to have a tool to categories them. Once the stak eholders are categorized the organization will be able to decide, how and how much it should communicate with this stakeholder. In general when describing stakeholders this paper is using Edward Freeman's definition of a stakeholder: A stakeholder is any group or individual who can affect or is affected but the achievement of the organization's purpose and objectives†. 3 In order to categories stakeholders this assignment will use the ‘Stakeholder salience model'. The superiority of this model is that while being extremely simple to use it is also extremely precise when in its finding of how much effort the organization should use when communicating with each category of stakeholder, and even more important; how the company should communicate with its various stakeholders.The model is based on â€Å"salience†, defined as the visibility of the stakeholder to the organization using three parameters; (a) the power of the stakeholder group, (b) the legitimacy of the c laim laid upon the organization, and (c) the urgency of how important the claim is according to the need of an immediate action. The purpose of the model is to define how salient a stakeholder group is. The model is based on seven different types of stakeholder groups; (1) Dormant stakeholders are the ones with dominant power and the ability to affect other groups of stakeholders.They are not able to legitimate their claims, and power will only be dormant but have an influence anyway. Mostly, this would be wealthy stakeholders. (2) Discretionary stakeholders are stakeholders with a high degree of legitimacy but without the necessary power to influence the organization. (3) Demand stakeholders are the ones with urgent claims but without power and the necessary legitimacy to enforce them. (4) Dominant stakeholders are the group of stakeholders representing both legitimacy and power.These are stakeholders having great influence on the organization, e. G. Owners and big investors. (5) D angerous stakeholders are people with both urgent and claims on power. In addition, these will often attempt to use unfair† means. (6) Dependent stakeholders are those who rely on others to get their claims carried out – mostly because of the lack of power. Finally, (7) Definitive stakeholders can be identified as the ones having both legitimacy and urgency as well as power. These are the most powerful stakeholders and it is strictly Cornelius, Jeep. 011. Corporate Communication – A Guide to Theory and Practice. Page 42. Page 8 of 28 necessary for the organization to keep close communication with these. Normally, it would be definitive stakeholders who can also be classified as the shareholders. Once the stakeholders are categorized, the firm can now decide on strategy of communication. When researching strategies of communication, this paper has used the basic framework of communicative strategy given to us in â€Å"Corporate Communication – A Guide to T heory and Practice†14 .The framework generally provides three different strategies. This framework is chosen because of its simplicity when it comes to numbers of strategies and complexity when it comes to ways of communicating within each strategy, hence the framework provide an extremely useful tool when analyzing and discussing what mind of communication BP has conducted, how it worked, why the strategy did not work and why it might have worked better: Informal strategy is a strategy of simple informing about something through; newsletters, press releases etc.This strategy is hence based on the idea that objective information about the organization should be passed on to the relevant stakeholders. Persuasive strategy uses tools such as advertising and meetings/discussions with stakeholders. The general aim of this strategy is to change the stakeholders' image into a more favorable one or to create particular understanding with the organization's decisions. The strategy will not create change in the organization, but rather aims to create change in the stakeholders' perception of the organization and its decisions.Dialogue strategy aims to create a mutual understanding and/or mutual decisions between stakeholders and the organization. Timothy Combs divides a crisis into four different types with two different aspects. The four types are; faux pas, terrorism, accidents and transgressions. In addition, a crisis in this matrix can be of either internal or external, and intentional or unintentional characteristics. 1 5

Teaching the Compare and Contrast Essay

The compare/contrast essay is easy and rewarding to teach for several reasons: Its easy to convince students there is a reason for learning it.You can teach it effectively in a few steps.You can see students critical thinking skills improve as they learn to write the essay.Once mastered, students feel proud of their ability to systematically compare and contrast two subjects. Below are the steps you can use to teach the compare/contrast essay. They have been used in regular high school classes where reading levels ranged from fourth to twelfth grade. Step 1 Discuss practical reasons for comparing and contrasting.Discuss reasons for learning to write about similarities and differences. Selecting subjects that matter to students is critical for this step. For example, one might be to compare two models of cars and then write a letter to a benefactor who might buy them one. Another would be a store manager writing to a buyer about two products. Academic topics such as comparing two organisms, two wars, two approaches to solving a math problem may also be useful. Step 2 Show a model compare/contrast essay. Explain that there are two ways to write the essay but dont go into any detail on how to do it just yet. Step 3 Explain compare/contrast cue words. Explain that when comparing, students should mention differences but focus on similarities. Conversely, when contrasting they should mention similarities but focus on differences. Step 4 Teach students how to use  compare/contrast charts. You should plan to spend a few classes on this. Although it seems simple, students doing it for the first time perform better if they arent rushed through this step. Working in teams, with a partner, or in a group is helpful. Step 5 List and model the Writing Dens  cue words  to show similarities and differences. Many tenth graders have difficulty thinking of these words if this step is skipped. Provide model sentences with these words which they can use until they become comfortable with them. Step 6 Explain charts showing how to organize compare/contrast  paragraphs  and  essays. Have students write the block style first since it is easier. Students should be told that the block is better to show similarities and the feature-by-feature is better to show differences. Step 7 Provide guided practice in writing the  first draft. Guide students through their first essay providing help with an introduction and transition sentences. It is helpful to allow students to use a chart they have completed as a class or one that they have done independently and  that you have checked. Do not assume they understand the chart until they have done one correctly. Step 8 Provide in-class writing time. By giving in-class writing time, many more students will work on the assignment. Without it, students with little motivation may not write the essay. Walk around asking who needs a little help to get more participation from reluctant learners. Step 9 Review the steps in the  writing process.Review editing suggestions and give time for  revision. Explain that after writing their essay, students should edit and revise. They should continue the cycle of editing and revising until they are satisfied with the quality of their essay. Explain the advantages of revising on the computer. For  editing  tips, check  these suggestions for revising drafts  from the University of North Carolina Writing Center. Step 10 Review the  SWAPS Proofreading Guide  and give students time to proofread their essays. Step 11 Have students evaluate their peers essays using a  Compare/Contrast Rubric. Staple a rubric to each essay and have students evaluate them. Be sure to check off on a roster the names of students who turn in essays because they could be stolen during the peer evaluation activity. Consider requiring students who have not finished to submit their essay for peer evaluation after writing  Not Finished  at the top of their papers. This helps peers recognize that the essay is incomplete. More importantly, taking their paper forces them to participate in the evaluation activity rather than trying to finish the essay in class. Consider giving 25 points each for evaluating three essays and another 25 points for quiet participation. Step 12 Review the proofreading guide briefly and then devote half a period to proofread one anothers essays. Tell students to read their essay aloud or to have someone else read it to them to catch any errors. Have students proofread several essays and sign their names at the top of the paper: Proofread by ________.