The red convertible Essay Example

The red convertible Paper Louise Erdrich was born in 1954 in Little Falls, Minnesota. Her father was German American and her mother was a Chippewa Indian. Her early schooling was in a Bureau of Indian Affairs which was a boarding school. She wrote throughout her childhood and majored in creative writing in college. She earned a masters degree in creative writing at Johns Hopkins University in 1979 and then she went to Dartmouth as a writer-in-residence. She met her future husband at Dartmouth, Michael Dorris, who was the anthropology professor and of Native American descent. She married him in 1981. In 1982, she won the Nelson Algren fiction competition with the story The Worlds Greatest Fisherman. This story became the first chapter in her book Love Medicine, which is the first novel in a tetralogy that includes The Beet Queen (1986), Tracks (1988), and Bingo Palace (1994). Edrichs fiction has been noted for its lyrical prose and humor. Love Medicine won the National Book Critics Circle Award along with other awards. The book is a collection of interconnected stories focused on the lives of two Chippewa families. She is best known for her novels about the Chippewa. She also published two respected volumes of poetry, Jacklight (1984) and Baptism of Desire (1989). She had several stories in periodicals like the New Yorker, Harpers Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, and Paris Review. Her nonfiction book, The Blue Jays Dance: A Birth Year (1995), consists mainly of autobiographical recollections and meditations on nature and motherhood. The writing of Erdrich is based on reality situations but she doesnt write a biased opinion about the way the characters are living their lives. We will write a custom essay sample on The red convertible specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The red convertible specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The red convertible specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer She doesnt judge them or make their lives out to be more than what they are. Critics have said that her writings reach out to others in very personal ways and throughout all cultures. Change is a major component in all of her writing. One critic, John Purdy, stated that her writings about change are synonymous with death and how it (change) can destroy a life and a person or people. Her writings tell how important our past is and what it can tell about our future. After her tetralogy came the addition of Tales of Burning Love. John Purdy, along with other critics, feel that by understanding her stories of how loss came about and what individuals did to deal with it, it is easier to understand current events, which may be as threatening of past events. It is also learned from the novels that loss doesnt always mean the end it may be the beginning. Another critic, William J. Scheick, had a different perspective than most critics on the four novels. He stated, Louise Erdrichs four novels are collections of loosely connected stories associated more by the generational interaction of the people they concern than by any substantial development of plot. These works lack a conventional structure comprised of a beginning, middle, and end. And instead of decidedly central protagonists, these works present many characters whose memories and identities are as loosely connected as are the stories in which they appear. Later in his critique it is learned that he does respect and appreciate her writing, he just doesnt care for the structure. As you read in her short story The Red Convertible you can clearly see that she wrote about the way that the Chippewa lived in a truthful manner. She includes nature, family and non-family relations in this story as she does in other writings. She uses symbolism in The Red Convertible that relates directly to the Chippewa culture. The title of the story uses the color red and it related to several parts of the story like the river, the car, Red Tomahawk and the Red Sticks. Henry wanted to give the car to Lymon but he didnt want it because he knew that it was a gift and gifts were given by the Chippewa in the event of a death. The represented a curative charm for the brothers. It was something that was supposed to represent Henry and his well being. Lymon thought that if he made sure that Henry did something with the car that he would get better even though he didnt. Henrys dance that is written about is another part of the Chippewa culture that Erdrich often writes about. Dancing is an important part of Native American culture. There seems to be a dance for everything. I think that Henrys dance had to do with the war and how he couldnt deal with being sent to it and now he wanted to die. It is hard to fight an American war when you dont consider yourself to be an American. It is not hard to understand why all cultures enjoy Erdrichs writing. She touches mothers with writings about pregnancy, childbirth, and early infancy. She gets parents to remember raising their own children and the experiences that they had. She focuses on life cycles, which is virtually everything around us because everything has a life cycle. In 1996 she published her first childrens book, Grandmothers Pigeon, a story a stubborn grandmother who leaves her family in the middle of the families vacation and she rides a porpoise back to Greenland. The book has received considerable recognition. Since 1984 she has written or co-authored ten major books, edited Best American Stories of 1993, won numerous literary prizes, and gained a substantial amount of scholarly attention. She did this while raising three adopted children learning disabilities, bearing three daughters, and dealing with the deaths of her oldest, adopted son and two grandparents. In 1996 she was separated from Dorris and on April 10th of 1997 he committed suicide. Today it is said that she and her children are doing well.

Comparison of numbers of organisms In Coniferous And Deciduous Woodlands Essay Example

Comparison of numbers of organisms In Coniferous And Deciduous Woodlands Essay Example Comparison of numbers of organisms In Coniferous And Deciduous Woodlands Paper Comparison of numbers of organisms In Coniferous And Deciduous Woodlands Paper An experiment was done to find out whether there was a difference in the number of organisms in the coniferous and deciduous woodlands. A quadrat of 10m by 10m was used and co-ordinates 5,1 5,2 5,3 5,4 5,5 5,6 5,7 5,8 5,9 5,10 were used because these were exactly in the middle of the quadrat area. Ten samples of leaf litter and ten samples of humus was obtained from each woodland. In the laboratory tullgren funnels were set up, the samples were tested and the organisms were collected. A results table was made to record the numbers of organisms in. The results were displayed in graphs and tables. The graphs show the average number of each organism and the actual number of each organism in each of the woodlands. In the third graph five significant organisms have been picked out. This is because they have significant values and reasons for these values. The tullgren funnel was set up using a certain amount of the leaf litter that acted as a sieve that the organisms could fall through from the humus that was placed on top of the leaf litter. 20g of humus and 10g of leaf litter was used in the tullgren funnel because only a small amount was needed. A 100w bulb was used in both experiments (for each woodland). The organisms were driven, by the drying effect of the bulb, down the tullgren funnel and eventually they fell into the 30cm3 of ethanol. The organisms died but their bodies were preserved so that at the end of five days the different organisms in the ethanol and the larger organisms in the dried up leaf litter could be identified and recorded using a microscope and a dichotomous key. This method was used because it was the most reliable, and ensured that all organisms present were removed from the sample in the tullgren funnel. Some very small organisms that were not affected by the drying effect of the bulb were not counted. During the experiment predation between organisms were occurring, this was not accounted for. The average test and the t-test were used, because two averages were being compared and there were less than 25 unmatched organisms in each sample. The value of t = 5.524 was greater than the value given for 22 points of freedom so that the Ho (null hypothesis) was rejected and the alternative hypothesis was accepted. Therefore the assumption, that the number of organisms are greater in the deciduous woodland, can be made. So the number of organisms did differ in the deciduous and coniferous woodland. The decomposition rate in the deciduous woodland is faster because organisms such as the earthworm can survive in this environment, because this environment is more alkaline than the coniferous woodland, which is more acidic. If conditions are less acidic then organisms such as the earthworm can survive and continue the fast decomposition, keeping the surrounding environment more alkaline. This is a negative feedback effect. So the number of species was greater deciduous woodland, with the exception of Springtails and small spiders. This is because these organisms have adapted to the acidic conditions of the coniferous woodland. Hypotheses Null Hypothesis (Ho) there was no difference in the number of organisms in the two soils. Alternative Hypothesis (H1) there was a difference in the number of organisms in the two soils. The Aim The aim of this investigation is to compare the difference in numbers of invertebrates in the coniferous and deciduous woodlands when samples are taken from each. The samples taken will be tested, recorded and evaluations will be made. Prediction The data collected will show that a coniferous woodland will contain fewer of the organisms that have been selected for study than in the deciduous woodland, and also that the depth of leaf litter will be considerably more in the coniferous woodland than in the deciduous woodland. Evidence In the deciduous woodland where the experiment was done, many different species of trees were growing. These trees have large, thin green leaves, to absorb the maximum amount of sunlight available. When these leaves fall off the trees to the ground, detritivores such as the worm, start the chain of decomposition. Without the detritivores the saprophytes (bacteria) cannot continue the process, after the detritivores, of breaking down the complicated organic matter. These leaves have a large surface area for detritivores to start the process of decomposition. Decomposition occurs relatively quickly therefore the layer of leaf litter will be thinner. However, in the coniferous woodland where the experiment took place there was only one species of tree and that was the pine. The pine needles are long and thin which are thought to increase the surface area for the absorption of sunlight. This surface area is also where, when the pine needles fall to the ground, the detritivores start the process of decomposition. Because of the conditions in the coniferous woodland the detritivores take longer to decompose the leaf litter. Therefore if the rate of decomposition is slow, and the rate of the pine needles falling are fast, then there will be more leaf litter on the ground of the coniferous woodland than on the floor of the deciduous woodland. The exotic conifer grows at a faster rate than the native broardleaves. Because the conifer is exotic, there are few insects and birds associated with it and so the exotic conifer is useless for use by native organisms. Because conifers are planted as a monoculture they are easy to manage (i.e. planting, weeding, fertilising, etc). But each tree needs exactly the same amount of nutrients and water because they are of the same species. This causes a deficiency of nutrients in the soil and so fertilisers have to be used. This could eventually lead to pest epidemics and so pesticides may also be needed. When a monoculture is planted, all the trees are of the same age and so are easily managed because there is little variation in height. The conifer woodlands and forests are planted in straight lines and are therefore easier to manage. However, this arrangement looks odd and unnatural because trees in a deciduous woodland are not planted in this way. If the conifers are planted densely then this ensures reduced side branch growth and increased height (therefore increasing the value of the timber). If all the trees are removed at the same time there will be a drastic change of the landscape which may result in a large amount of soil erosion. Variables * Light intensity in the coniferous woodland = 3.5 * Light intensity in the deciduous woodland = 3.5 * Temperature in the coniferous woodland = 28oC * Temperature in the deciduous woodland = 27oC Syllabus Areas Climate (i.e. local and micro climates, vegetation, landuse, topography). The Lithosphere (i.e. soils, nutrients, acidity). Ecological Relationships (i.e. ecosystems). Soil (i.e. conservation, cultivation techniques). Mathematical Skills (i.e. plotting graphs, understanding graphs, etc).