JeTaR

American Idols React To The Death Of Pop's Biggest Idol

2009-06-27T14:31:00.000-07:00

follow many American Idols on Twitter as part of my job, to keep up with what's going on in their careers. Usually I find out good stuff. But of course, sometimes Twitter brings me news that I never, ever want to read. For instance, it is bizarrely because of a tweet from Carly Smithson that I first learned of Farrah Fawcett's passing this morning.
And then, just when the day couldn't get any sadder, I started reading the Michael Jackson death rumors on my Twitter feed as well.

And then, just when the day couldn't get any sadder, I started reading the Michael Jackson death rumors on my Twitter feed as well.

And unfortunately, they turned out NOT to be rumors.

And so my day has since devolved into an obsessive-compulsive checking and rechecking of my Twitter, and in an odd way I feel like I am sharing my grief with Idols of all seasons. Some of them I've met, many of them I have not. Some of them are contestants I have voted and rooted for, others are not. But we are all united in our mourning over the loss of the greatest pop idol of all time.

Below are some of Idols' reactions (some in shock, to the point of disbelief), via Twitter, that I have seen so far. They are still pouring in and I will try to keep updating this list, which includes some Idols who in fact sang the King Of Pop's songs on Michael Jackson Night this past season, and were actually in the middle of doing their Idol Tour press day when the Jackson death news broke.
It is obvious that Michael Jackson has touched the lives of everyone who's ever appeared on--or even WATCHED--American Idol.
In fact, Idol season 8's top 13 Michael Jackson Night episode will re-air on Fox next week, as a tribute to the greatest music idol ever. In the meantime, here's how some AmIdol alums reacted to the news on Twitter:

Kris Allen - This is one of those moments in time you will never forget
Adam Lambert - RIP MJ
Jordin Sparks - Omg I'm bawling right now. Michael.... My heart hurts. :(
Chris Daughtry - Holy crap!!! Michael Jackson is dead...2 icons in one day. Very sad for his family
David Archuleta - Ah, I can't get over MJ. I know everyone's talking about it but he deserves the respect. I hope people will appreciate what he's done.
Blake Lewis - I don't think I have ever cried this much. I just played P.Y.T on repeat for about 30mins. I can't believe this. So sad. MJ's music will live on through all of us! We are all blessed to have been and be apart of it.
Danny Noriega - RIP KING OF POP MUSIC<3 jackson ="(">

http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/realityrocks/246273/american-idols-react-to-the-death-of-pops-biggest-idol/

10 Things Worth Remembering About Michael Jackson

2009-06-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

Like anyone whos sold 750 million albums, Michael Jackson inspired both positive and negative press. Many people claimed to love him. Many others claimed to hate him. And there were even some who claimed to have no opinion on the matter. In the end, it is best to remember a person for the positive things they inspired and let the entertainment industry take care of all the nasty, exploitative stuff.
Surely, someone will write the ultimate expose and make a ton of money doing it. But not us here ! Were going to remain proudly poor. And generally play nice and take the high road. Because I honestly don't know the truth. I was never invited to Neverland Ranch (too ugly, I guess). I never met the man (too busy, I suppose). If he had wanted to meet at the Olive Garden for the never-ending pasta bowl or whatever they sell, I might've taken him up on it (let me check my book, Mr. Jackson, sir). If he agreed to take up the bill, surely I would've ordered dessert. (And Id to take something home for the missus.) Someone asked me in a moment of deep, reflective thought, if I had to sum up the man's life in, say, ten moments, what would they be? I wrote down what came immediately to mind and decided to share it with the world. It seemed the most honest way to do this. Michael Jackson had more showbiz talent when he was 11 years old than most of us will ever acquire. But he never found peace. His life felt sad. And just as he was about to launch a comeback of sorts, he doesn't make it. There's a Lifetime Movie of the Week here for sure. And I want to guess that this story doesn't fade into the night. True to the end, this story has legs.

10) "I Want You Back": His work with the Jackson 5 was undeniable. So don't even try. How often do you find an 11-year old who can sing like an old pro?

9) "Ben": It didn't take him--or more likely his managers--long to figure out he could have a solo career apart from the family. This song was drilled into my head when I was a kid, thanks to some school play that wanted to be with the times. Now, of course, like everything else, it's just old. But still better than 99% of what passes for entertainment these days. And that's not just some old guy complaining, there's mathematical proof if you need it.

8) Off The Wall: Jackson teams up with Quincy Jones and the future of popular music begins to formulate in their collective hands. In secret partnership with Pink Floyd, Jackson and Co. turn 1979 into the year of Wall rock.

7) Thriller: Not content with selling a million records, Jackson writes and records more hits for his 1982 follow-up where he goes on to sell a billion records. Which is so many records that no one can even count them. Needless to say (but,wel,l say it anyway), everyone owns this album whether they want to or not. It is bought for you by your aunt, your grandmother, your uncle who's still incarcerated. They all rally around and make sure you have it because they know you like music and collect records. This album practically came with the Xmas tree.

6) He Married Lisa Marie Presley For A Week Or Two: Who cares if their love didn't last? It was a great stunt. And, really, when you're that rich, that famous and that bored, what else are you going to do? Bake bread for the rest of your life? Ride your own personal rollercoaster all day? I would've proposed to Lisa Marie Presley if I thought it would've meant getting to spend a few minutes with her. Beats watching reruns of MASH.

5) He Dangled A Child Out A Window Without Killing It: People got all up in arms because he dangled a child out a hotel window. People pretend to get upset over everything. Right now someone's pretending to be mad at this very blog (even though it LOVES you) because they're feeling emotional. But the point is, he didn't DROP the child. He knew what he was doing. He was showing off. He was being weird. Which is what people want. If they wanted normal everyday behavior, then Ron Sexsmith would be hugely popular. Who, you say? My point exactly! (I love ya, Ron, but songwriting alone ain't gonna do it).

4) Survived Bad Plastic Surgery: Everyone makes fun of his freaky appearance, but from what I've read, the poor guy did receive a bad nose job early on that caused breathing problems and affected his voice and it looks like he didn't always get the best advice. Either that or he was used as a guinea pig and experimented on and not everything went as planned. But he survived and he lived on and he didn't let it stop him from pursuing his dreams. I get a hangnail and I don't rebound for weeks.

3) Beloved Brother Of Famous Family: No matter how strange he seemed to the rest of us, WE DIDN'T KNOW HIM. I know more about my mailman than I know about Michael Jackson. What I do know is that in the end, strange as it may seem considering how larger than life he appeared, he was a beloved brother to a troubled family and despite their differences, they still lost a piece of their own.

2) The Moonwalk: You watch Michael move like that and you can't help but be a little impressed. He's pretty flawless with that stuff and I watched plenty of kids do a pretty barf-a-rific version of that Moonwalk many times over, proving that maybe Michael was a little more gifted than some people wish to concede.

1) He Owned The Beatles Catalog: OK, so Paul McCartney probably wasn't amused when his buddy went and outbid him for the Beatles song catalog. But you know if I had that kind of money sitting around, I would've done the same thing. How many Denny's Super Slam breakfasts can you buy after awhile? You need something more. And once I got a hold of the catalog, I would've sold every last song to every advertiser imaginable. Carnival Cruise would've had "Magical Mystery Tour." Any airline could've had "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds." A prosthetic hand company could've had "I Want To Hold Your Hand." The Bronx Zoo could have "Rocky Raccoon," "I Am The Walrus" and any other pet-themed tune. I would've sold everything out many times over. Does that make me a bad guy? Only in theory.

Jackson's physician hires Houston law firm

2009-06-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

A Bahraini royal mourned him publicly, young Lebanese held a candlelight tribute, Egyptian musicians hailed him as an inspiration.
Beyond his global reach, Michael Jackson held a special place in the Muslim world, as one of the first major Western entertainers to break through cultural barriers in the 1980s.
Some made a connection with the pop icon because of rumors, never substantiated, that he had converted to Islam. Others embraced him as one of their own after he sought refuge in the Gulf emirate of Bahrain in 2005, following a bruising trial on child molestation charges in the U.S.
"God have mercy on him. He was a Bahraini. He lived with us," said Jassim Ali, 35, shopping for Jackson CDs on Saturday in a music store in the capital, Manama.
Jackson only spent a year in the emirate, as a guest of Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Isa Al Khalifa, a son of Bahrain's king and an aspiring songwriter who had befriended the entertainer. Jackson kept a low profile there, largely staying close to his host.
After Jackson's departure, the sheik sued Jackson for $7 million, saying he had failed to fulfill a joint music venture, but the two settled in November, with terms not disclosed.
The sheik said Saturday, in a statement in the Gulf Daily News, that "the world has lost a giant in the music industry."
"We are all very saddened by that," Al Khalifa said in comments confirmed by his spokesman.
Across the Arab world, the tributes to Jackson, who died Thursday, mirrored those elsewhere around the globe, though some argued the singer had a special appeal in the region.
"Religion is a big part of identity in this part of the world, and the idea he became Muslim boosted his popularity," said Egyptian cultural critic Tarek el-Shinnawi.
The conversion rumors were fueled, in parts, by comments by Jackson's brother, Jermaine, a convert to Islam, who has said his brother showed interest in the faith. In November, a British tabloid claimed Michael Jackson converted at a friend's home in Los Angeles.
The Jackson brothers were raised as Jehovah's Witnesses.
Others simply loved Michael Jackson for his music. At his peak, in the 1980s, a time without Internet and satellite TV, the Arab world was more shielded from Western pop culture. Jackson was one of the few successful crossover artists.
In Egypt, keyboarder and music distributor Fady Badr traveled to Alexandria to take a few days off work to come to terms with the pop star's death.
"He's the reason I got into this business," said 28-year old Badr. "Everything he did was new, he had such a power of voice and style; this industry would wait for his new ideas to get us inspired."
A manager of the Cairo Jazz Club, Shady Hamza, said that he was flooded by calls from local bands and musicians to help arrange a tribute night to the singer.
"I feel like I lost a brother," said Hamza, 30. "He turned so many of us into the whole music thing — for a lot of musicians, Michael Jackson was their first encounter."
In Lebanon, about 100 young fans lit candles and sang along to his songs in a downtown street lined with bars and restaurants. A few tried to moon walk while others cheered.
Qays al Zu'bi, a Bahraini lawyer who said he helped Jackson with his finances when he lived in the emirate, said the singer had qualities about him that endeared him to people in the region, including his close relationship with his children and his vision.
"He had an aura about him," said the lawyer. "Despite the scandal in the United States, I saw mothers at the lobby of his hotel who brought their children to introduce them to Michael Jackson."

Michael Jackson Biography

2009-06-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson was unquestionably the biggest pop star of the '80s, and certainly one of the most popular recording artists of all time. In his prime, Jackson was an unstoppable juggernaut, possessed of all the tools to dominate the charts seemingly at will: an instantly identifiable voice, eye-popping dance moves, stunning musical versatility, and loads of sheer star power. His 1982 blockbuster Thriller became the biggest-selling album of all time (probably his best-known accomplishment), and he was the first black artist to find stardom on MTV, breaking down innumerable boundaries both for his race and for music video as an art form. Yet as Jackson's career began, very gradually, to descend from the dizzying heights of his peak years, most of the media's attention focused on his increasingly bizarre eccentricities; he was often depicted as an arrested man-child, completely sheltered from adult reality by a life spent in show business. The snickering turned to scandal in 1993, when Jackson was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy; although he categorically denied the charges, his out-of-court settlement failed to restore his tarnished image. He never quite escaped the stigma of those allegations, and while he continued to sell records at superstar-like levels, he didn't release them with enough frequency (or, many critics thought, inspiration) to once again become better known for his music than his private life. Whether as a pop icon or a tabloid caricature, Jackson always remained bigger than life.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born August 29, 1958, in Gary, IN. The fifth son of steelworker Joe Jackson, Michael displayed a talent for music and dance from an extremely young age. His childhood was strictly regimented; from the start, he was to an extent sheltered from the outside world by his mother's Jehovah's Witness faith, and his father was by all accounts an often ill-tempered disciplinarian. Joe began to organize a family musical group around his three eldest sons in 1962, and Michael joined them the following year, quickly establishing himself as a dynamic stage performer. His dead-on mastery of James Brown's dance moves and soulful, mature-beyond-his-years vocals made him a natural focal point, especially given his incredibly young age. Dubbed the Jackson 5, the group signed to Motown in 1968 and issued their debut single in October 1969, when Michael was just 11 years old. "I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save," and "I'll Be There" all hit number one in 1970, making the Jackson 5 the first group in pop history to have their first four singles top the charts. Motown began priming Michael for a solo career in 1971, and his first single, "Got to Be There," was issued toward the end of the year; it hit the Top Five, as did the follow-up, a cover of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin." Later in 1972, Jackson had his first number one solo single, "Ben," the title song from a children's thriller about a young boy who befriends Ben, the highly intelligent leader of a gang of homicidal rats. Given the subject matter, the song was surprisingly sincere and sentimental, and even earned an Oscar nomination. However, the momentum of Jackson's solo career (much like that of the Jackson 5) soon stalled. He released his fourth and final album on Motown in 1975, and the following year, he and his brothers (save Jermaine) signed to Epic and became the Jacksons.
In 1977, Jackson landed a starring role alongside Diana Ross in the all-black film musical The Wiz, a retelling of The Wizard of Oz; here he met producer/composer Quincy Jones for the first time. Encouraged by the success of the Jacksons' self-produced, mostly self-written 1978 album Destiny, Jackson elected to resume his solo career when his management contract with his father expired shortly thereafter. With Jones producing, Jackson recorded his first solo album as an adult, Off the Wall. An immaculately crafted set of funky disco-pop, smooth soul, and lush, sentimental pop ballads, Off the Wall made Jackson a star all over again. It produced four Top Ten singles, including the number one hits "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" and "Rock With You," and went platinum (it went on to sell over seven million copies); even so, Jackson remained loyal to his brothers and stayed with the group.
No group could have contained Jackson's rapidly rising star for long; however, there was still no sign (if there ever could be) that his next album would become the biggest in history. Released in 1982, the Quincy Jones-produced Thriller refined the strengths of Off the Wall; the dance and rock tracks were more driving, the pop tunes and ballads softer and more soulful, and all of it was recognizably Michael. Jackson brought in Paul McCartney for a duet, guitarist Eddie Van Halen for a jaw-dropping solo, and Vincent Price for a creepy recitation. It was no surprise that Thriller was a hit; what was a surprise was its staying power. Jackson's duet with McCartney, "The Girl Is Mine," was a natural single choice, and it peaked at number two; then "Billie Jean" and the Van Halen track "Beat It" both hit number one, for seven and three weeks respectively. Those latter two songs, as well as the future Top Five title track, had one important feature in common: Jackson supported them with elaborately conceived video clips that revolutionized the way music videos were made. Jackson treated them as song-length movies with structured narratives: "Billie Jean" set the song's tale of a paternity suit in a nightmarish dream world where Jackson was a solitary, sometimes invisible presence; the anti-gang-violence "Beat It" became an homage to West Side Story; and the ten-minute-plus clip for "Thriller" (routinely selected as the best video of all time) featured Jackson leading a dance troupe of rotting zombies, with loads of horror-film makeup and effects. Having never really accepted black artists in the past, MTV played the clips to death, garnering massive publicity for Jackson and droves of viewers for the fledgling cable network. Jackson sealed his own phenomenon by debuting his signature "moonwalk" dance step on May 16, 1983, on Motown's televised 25th anniversary special; though he didn't invent the moonwalk (as he himself was quick to point out), it became as much of a Jackson signature as his vocal hiccups or single white-sequined glove.
Showing no signs of slowing down, Thriller just kept spinning off singles, including "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," the airy ballad "Human Nature," and "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)"; in all, seven of its nine tracks wound up in the Top Ten, obliterating conventional ideas of how many singles could be released from an album before it ran its course. Thriller stayed on the charts for over two years, spent 37 nonconsecutive weeks at number one, and became the best-selling album of all time; it went on to sell 25 million copies in the U.S. alone, and around another 20 million overseas. Naturally, Jackson won a slew of awards, including a record eight Grammys in one night, and snagged the largest endorsement deal ever when he became a spokesman for Pepsi (he would later be burned in an accident while filming a commercial). At the end of 1983, Jackson was again on top of the singles charts, this time as part of a second duet with McCartney, "Say Say Say." In 1984, Jackson rejoined his brothers one last time for the album Victory, whose supporting tour was one of the biggest (and priciest) of the year. The following year, he and Lionel Richie co-wrote the anthemic "We Are the World" for the all-star famine-relief effort USA for Africa; it became one of the fastest-selling singles ever.
Even at this early stage, wild rumors about Jackson's private life were swirling. His shyness and reluctance to grant interviews (ironically, due in part to his concerns about being misrepresented) only encouraged more speculation. Some pointed to his soft-spoken, still girlish voice as evidence that he'd undergone hormone treatments to preserve the high, flexible range of his youth; stories were told about Jackson sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber to slow the aging process, and purchasing the skeleton of John Merrick, the Elephant Man (Jackson did view the bones in the London Hospital, but did not buy them). Jackson bought a large ranch in California which he dubbed Neverland, and filled it with amusement park rides and animals (including the notorious pet chimpanzee Bubbles), which only fueled the public's perception of him as a somewhat bizarre eccentric obsessed with recapturing his childhood. He also underwent cosmetic surgery several times, which led to accusations from the black community that his gradually lightening skin tone was the result of an intentional effort to become whiter; a few years later, Jackson revealed that he had a disorder called vitiligo, in which pigment disappears from the skin, leaving large white blotches and making direct sunlight dangerous. One of the rumors that was definitely true was that Jackson owned the rights to the Beatles' catalog; in 1985, he acquired ATV Publishing, the firm that controlled all the Lennon-McCartney copyrights (among others), which wound up costing him his friendship with McCartney.
During his long layoff between records, Jackson indulged his interest in film and video by working with George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola on the 3-D short film Captain Eo. The special-effects extravaganza was shown at the enormous widescreen IMAX theaters in Disney's amusement parks for 12 years, beginning in 1986. Finally, Jackson re-entered the studio with Quincy Jones to begin the near-impossible task of crafting a follow-up to Thriller. Bad was released to enormous public anticipation in 1987, and was accompanied by equally enormous publicity. It debuted at number one, and the first single, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," with vocal accompaniment by Siedah Garrett, also shot up the charts to number one. Like Thriller, Bad continued to spin off singles for well over a year after its release, and became the first album ever to produce five number one hits; the others were "Bad," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Man in the Mirror," and "Dirty Diana." Jackson supported the album with a lengthy world tour that featured a typically spectacular, elaborate stage show; it became the highest-grossing tour of all time. Although Jackson's success was still staggering, there were faint undercurrents of disappointment, partly because of the unparalleled phenomenon of Thriller (Bad "only" sold eight million copies), and partly because the album itself didn't seem quite as exuberant or uniformly consistent when compared to its predecessors.
Jackson took another long hiatus between albums, giving the media little to focus on besides his numerous eccentricities; by this time, the British tabloids delighted in calling him "Wacko Jacko," a name he detested. When Jackson returned in with a new album in late 1991, he'd come up with a different moniker: "the King of Pop." Dangerous found Jackson ending his collaboration with Quincy Jones in an effort to update his sound; accordingly, many of the tracks were helmed by the groundbreaking new jack swing producer Teddy Riley. As expected, the album debuted at number one, and its lead single, "Black or White," shot to the top as well. Jackson courted controversy with the song's video, however; after the song itself ended, there was a long dance sequence in which Jackson shouted, grabbed his crotch, and smashed car windows in a bizarre display that seemed at odds with the song's harmonious message. With the video given a high-profile, prime-time network premiere, Jackson was criticized for the inappropriate violence and the message it might send to his younger fans. However, Jackson would not be the biggest story in popular music for long. In early 1992, Nirvana's Nevermind symbolically knocked Dangerous out of the number one spot; after the alternative rock revolution, the pop charts would never be quite the same. Jackson scored several more hits off the album, including the Top Tens "Remember the Time" and "In the Closet," but the aggressive "Jam" and the saccharine "Heal the World" both performed disappointingly.
Jackson had long preferred the company of children over other adults, and befriended quite a few, inviting them to stay at his Neverland Ranch and enjoy the massive playground he'd assembled over the years. In 1993, Jackson was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy who'd become a frequent guest at Neverland. Predictably, there was a tabloid feeding frenzy, and a mainstream media circus as well. In the court of public opinion, the charges seemed all too plausible: Jackson was near-universally perceived as a weirdo, and here was a handy explanation for his heretofore asexual persona and distaste for adult companions. Additionally, Jackson entered rehab for a short time, seeking treatment for an addiction to pain killers. Investigations were unsuccessful in turning up any other boys who echoed the allegations, and Jackson countersued his accusers for attempting extortion; however, in spite of the fact that no criminal charges were ever filed against Jackson, he settled the boy's family's suit out of court in early 1995, paying an estimated 18 to 20 million dollars. Many felt the settlement was tantamount to an admission of guilt, and when Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley in 1994, the move was perceived as a desperate ploy to rehabilitate his image; the marriage broke up just 19 months later, seemingly lending credence to the charge.
In 1995, Jackson attempted to put the focus back on his music by preparing HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book 1, a two-CD set featuring one disc of new material and one of his greatest hits. The album debuted at number one, but the format backfired on Jackson: his fans already owned the hits, and the new album simply wasn't strong enough to offset the added cost of the extra disc for many more casual listeners. There were some encouraging signs -- the lead single "Scream," a duet with sister Janet, debuted at number five, setting a new American chart record that was broken when the follow-up, "You Are Not Alone," became the first single ever to enter the Billboard Hot 100 at number one. But on the whole, HIStory was something of a disappointment. Additionally, Jackson collapsed during rehearsals for an awards show later that year, and had to be rushed to the hospital; what was more, the Eagles' Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) was threatening to catch Thriller's American sales record (it eventually did, and the two continued to run neck and neck). There were signs that Jackson was grasping at his self-proclaimed King of Pop status; the cover of HIStory depicted an enormous statue of Jackson, and he performed at the 1996 BRIT Awards dressed as a Messiah, with children and a rabbi surrounding him worshipfully (Pulp lead singer Jarvis Cocker stormed the stage to protest Jackson's hubris during the middle of the song). The 1997 remix album Blood on the Dance Floor failed to even go platinum, although remix albums historically don't perform nearly as well as new material.
In late 1996, Jackson remarried, to nurse Debbie Rowe; over the next two years, the couple had two children, son Prince Michael Jackson, Jr. and daughter Paris Michael Katherine Jackson. However, Jackson and Rowe divorced in late 1999. In 2001, Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and later held a massive concert at Madison Square Garden celebrating the 30th anniversary of his first solo record. Among many other celebrity guests, the show featured the first on-stage reunion of the Jacksons since the Victory tour. In the wake of September 11, Jackson put together an all-star charity benefit single, "What More Can I Give." His new album, Invincible, was released late in the year, marking the first time he'd issued a collection of entirely new material since Dangerous; it found him working heavily with urban soul production wizard Rodney Jerkins. Invincible debuted at number one and quickly went double platinum; however, its initial singles, "You Rock My World" and "Butterflies," had rather disappointing showings on the charts, with the latter not even reaching the Top Ten. To compound matters, the expensive "What More Can I Give" single and video were canceled by Sony when executive producer Marc Schaffel was revealed to work in pornography. Jackson's camp tried to distance the singer from Schaffel, and the various corporations that were attached to it (McDonalds, Sony) claimed they had minimal involvement if any with the song. Sony and Jackson began a press war in the summer of 2002, starting with Jackson's claims that the label asked for 200 million dollars to pay them back for marketing costs. Although they had spent 55 million on his disappointing comeback, Sony released a statement saying that no such request had ever been made. Jackson stewed for a few weeks before launching a press attack on Sony Music chairman Tommy Mottola, calling him "devilish" and making claims that he used racist language and held down black artists. Many Sony artists, including Mariah Carey and Ricky Martin, defended Mottola, but Jackson and his family maintained that racism ended their professional relationship.
From that point, Jackson's career took an extreme turn toward the bizarre, starting with MTV's annual Video Awards. When Britney Spears presented him with a birthday cake, an offhand remark about being the artist of the millennium inspired a rambling Jackson to accept a meaningless trophy (which everyone presenting on-stage received) as an actual Artist of the Millennium award. Next came accusations from a promotional company over his promises of a tour and several appearances that he then canceled. Jackson arrived in court late, gave a drowsy testimony, and inspired gasps when he removed a surgical mask to reveal his nose had caved in from a botched cosmetic surgery. Only days later, German fans were horrified when Jackson came to the balcony of his hotel suite and briefly dangled his 11-month old baby Prince Michael II (nicknamed "Blanket" by Jackson) over the edge with one arm. Although he apologized the next day, claiming he had gotten caught up in the moment, this only did more to cement the King of Pop's public image as an out-of-control millionaire. 2003 turned out to not be Jackson's year as in November his Neverland Ranch was extensively searched by police, whereby he was subsequently arrested on charges of child molestation. That same month the single disc retrospective Number Ones hit the stands with one new song, "One More Chance". A year later - nearly to the day - the four CD and one DVD box set The Ultimate Collection appeared with numerous rarities including the original demo for "We Are the World". In January 2005 his child molestation trial began and by May he was acquitted on all counts. Jackson soon relocated to the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain and began working on new music including a charity single that would benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina. The single never appeared but the two disc The Essential Michael Jackson did and in 2006 the strange box set Visionary was released featuring 20 DualDiscs replicating 20 big hit singles with their videos included on the DVD side. In early 2007 it was announced that a comeback album was planned for late in the year. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

New:Michael Jackson Photos

2009-06-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

Britney Spears and Michael JacksonMTV Video Music AwardsNew York City - 8/29/2002

Michael Jackson and Britney SpearsMTV Video Music AwardsNew York City, NY - 8/29/2002

Michael JacksonHeal The KidsCarnegie HallNew York City, New York February 14, 2001

Michael JacksonMichael Jackson 1st ever record signing for his new album "Invincible"Virgin Mega Store in Time SquareNew York City, New York November 7, 2001

Michael JacksonMichael Jackson's 30th Anniversary Celebration - ShowMadison Square GardenNew York City, New York October 9, 2001

Michael JacksonMichael Jackson In Concert At The La Sports ArenaLA Sports ArenaLos Angeles, California January 1, 1988

Michael JacksonThe 16th Annual Rock-n-roll Hall of Fame Induction CeremonyWaldorf Astoria HotelNew York City, New York March 19, 2001

Michael JacksonMichael Jackson 1st ever record signing for his new album "Invincible"Virgin Mega Store in Time SquareNew York City, New York November 7, 2001

Networks continue Michael Jackson tributes

2009-06-27T13:20:00.000-07:00

Television networks scheduled tributes to Michael Jackson over the weekend and beyond for viewers who wanted to remember the singer's life and music.
Here are some of the highlights, all times EDT:
_MTV airs "A Celebration of Michael Jackson on MTV" at 10 p.m. Saturday, followed by "King of Videos: Michael Jackson" at 11 p.m. The latter is also scheduled for MTV2 at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Jackson was one of MTV's seminal artists from the days it was music-focused.
_TV One will show the five-hour miniseries "The Jacksons: An American Dream" at 7 p.m. Saturday. A one-hour documentary "The Life & Times of Michael Jackson" will air Sunday at 7 p.m.
_Fuse will air a continuous Michael Jackson tribute Saturday during daytime hours until 5 p.m.
_CNN's Don Lemon anchors a documentary "Michael Jackson: Man in the Mirror" that will air both Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m., 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.
_The Biography Channel will show its Jackson biography at 10 p.m. Saturday.
_Fox will repeat its "American Idol" show that featured Jackson's music at 8 p.m. Monday.
_E! Entertainment is preparing a one-hour Jackson documentary that will air Wednesday at 10 p.m.
_On radio, Sirius XM Satellite Radio is devoting two channels that will air Jackson music continuously over the weekend through Monday night. They will be located on Sirius channel 51 and XM channel 62.

Jesse Jackson says family wants 2nd autopsy

2009-06-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

The Rev. Jesse Jackson says Michael Jackson's family wants an independent autopsy following the pop star's sudden death at age 50.
Jesse Jackson said after a Chicago press conference Saturday that there are unanswered questions surrounding the King of Pop's death, including about the role of the personal cardiologist who was with him.
The Los Angeles County coroner's office performed an autopsy on the singer's body on Friday but deferred a finding on the cause of death pending further tests that could take more than a month.
Jesse Jackson says the family's wound from the pop star's death is being kept open by the mystery of the cause of death.
Spiritual teacher Deepak Chopra, a friend of the pop star, says he had been concerned since 2005 that Michael Jackson was abusing prescription painkillers.

Jackson also left legacy as cultural phenomenon

2009-06-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

From the wow to the weird, Michael Jackson leaves a fashion legacy to rival his musical one.
His black fedora, silver glove and red leather jacket were worn by millions around the world who channeled Jackson's spirit and sartorial flair. Later, he made fashion choices that weren't as popular, but were no less memorable: the pajama pants during his child molestation trial, the black robes and veils while living in Bahrain, the germ masks that were a regular accessory.
All combined to cement Jackson's legacy as a pop and fashion icon.
"There are a few people who are the innovators, who set the trends that other people follow," said Stephane Dunn, a frequent writer of popular culture who teaches English at Morehouse College. "Here was Michael, who understood the power of style and was able to translate it in a way that everybody wanted to copy it."
His costumes weren't just for the stage. At a White House appearance, Jackson stood alongside first lady Nancy Reagan, looking the part of a glamorous general in a sequined military-style coat, aviator sunglasses and single, studded glove.
Few could imitate Jackson's talent, but for decades, millions around the world stole his style, and not just on Halloween. Jackson was constantly mimicked among the miniature and the mature, in classrooms, at costume parties, or at his concerts.
"He basically was the cool of the moment," Dunn said. "He was creating this whole persona, and people ate it up. By themselves, these things probably would've been corny."
But on Jackson, they were instant vintage. Growing up, 25-year-old Cinco Montoya cherished his "Thriller" jacket and black loafers that were Jackson's trademark.
"I tried to do my hair like him," Montoya said, recalling how he used to wet his black tresses, trying to coif his curls like those of his hero's. "I watched all of his videos. I used to think he was like Superman."
Jackson's ability as a performer electrified audiences, inspired amateurs of all ages and launched the careers of entertainers from Chris Brown to Chris Tucker, said Mark Anthony Neal, who teaches black popular culture at Duke University.
"His success was a template for them," Neal said of performers like Brown, Ginuwine and Justin Timberlake. "Usher doesn't have a move that he didn't initially think about because he saw Michael Jackson do it."
Usher and Jackson once shared the stage for a performance of "You Rock My World," and Brown did a "Thriller" tribute performance at the World Music Awards in 2006.
Neal described Jackson's music as "black pop," and credits the megastar with bringing the sound into the mainstream, which was later invoked by Madonna, 'N Sync, the Backstreet Boys and others.
But it was perhaps his unique fashions that connected him most to his fans — and Jackson never even had his own clothing line.
"By wearing the clothing, he became accessible to people, especially as his celebrity got to a point where he became inaccessible," Neal said.
Jackson will be remembered as a style pioneer, said Keith Brown, a stylist based in Atlanta.
"He was and is still, to this day, an original," Brown said. "You knew he had it. As he grew older, he proved to not be afraid to show his uniqueness, not only through his music, but through his evolution. He was ... a barrier breaker."

Michael Jackson's body released to his family

2009-06-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

The body of Michael Jackson has been released to his family, a Los Angeles County coroner's spokesman said on Saturday after an autopsy failed to immediately determine what killed the troubled pop star.
Members of Jackson's family were said to be gathering at his parents home in suburban Los Angeles to make final arrangements for the "King of Pop," whose sudden death on Thursday dominated worldwide headlines and touched off two days of tributes from fans.
No funeral or public memorial plans have been disclosed and ABC News reported that the family might seek a second, independent autopsy on the remains.
Coroner's officials have said that with no outward signs of trauma to Jackson's body or evidence of foul play, they would have to wait for the results of toxicology tests and other studies to establish a cause of death.
Speculation has centered on Jackson's use of prescription drugs and reports that he was injected with the narcotic painkiller Demerol shortly before collapsing at his rented mansion in a Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The 50-year-old entertainer was in full cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived, with his personal physician, identified as Dr. Conrad Murray, trying desperately to revive him.
Police towed Murray's silver Mercedes from the driveway of the home where Jackson died, saying they wanted to search it for evidence and medication, and have sought to further interview the 51-year-old, Houston-based cardiologist.
QUESTIONS FOR THE DOCTOR
The Los Angeles Times reported that Murray, who had been living in the Holmby Hills mansion with Jackson, had agreed to meet with detectives with his attorney present during the weekend, although he has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who has been acting as a spokesman for the singer's family, told ABC News that they also had questions for Murray.
"When did the doctor come? What did he do? Did he inject him? If so, with what?" he said in an interview with the network.
"Was he on the scene twice? Before and then reaction to? Did he use Demerol? It's a very powerful drug. Was he injected once? Was he injected twice?"
The celebrity website TMZ.com reported that police were also interested in speaking with another Jackson adviser, Tohme Tohme, about the superstar's use of prescription medication.
Jackson's body was held under tight security at the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, a spokesman said, and transferred to an area mortuary shortly after 9 p.m. local time on Friday night (12:00 a.m. EDT on Saturday).
Few details were released about the autopsy's findings, but Fox News reported on its website that investigators found his body to be healthier and stronger than they had expected with some scarring on the face.
TMZ, citing an interview with an unidentified "close member" of the Jackson family, has reported that the entertainer was injected with Demerol about half an hour before he went into cardiac arrest.
TMZ said Jackson received a daily shot of Demerol, a narcotic painkiller, and that the family believed his death was caused by an overdose of the drug.
A senior law enforcement official told ABC that Jackson was "heavily addicted" to the painkiller Oxycontin and was injected daily with that medication, along with Demerol.
Facing a battered reputation and a mountain of debt that The Wall Street Journal reported ran to $500 million, Jackson spent the last two months of his life rehearsing for a series of London concerts that were seen as a make-or-break comeback for the man who dominated the pop charts in the 1980s.

Janet Jackson arrives at Michael Jackson's LA home

2009-06-27T13:07:00.000-07:00

Janet Jackson arrived at her brother Michael Jackson's Holmby Hills estate Saturday, where moving vans arrived earlier in the day.
Janet Jackson, wearing dark glasses, drove up in a Bentley and went directly to the estate. About eight movers had taken dollies and packing equipment through the gates. It wasn't immediately known what was being taken out.
Most of Michael Jackson's family members had gathered in their Encino compound, where they are contemplating funeral arrangements and caring for his three children. They are feeling confused, upset and angry by the lack of information about those who were around the pop superstar in his final days, a person close to the family told The Associated Press.
Jackson's family wants to know more specifics about what role AEG, the concert promoter that was staging his 50-date concert series at London's 02 Arena, was playing in his life, said the person, who requested anonymity because of the delicate nature of the situation. They also want to know more about the role of his advisers and representatives, who they believe were put in place by the promoter.
AEG spokeswoman Natalie Whorms in London had no comment Saturday.
Jackson never communicated to his family who he had in place to handle his business affairs, the person said, adding that they were told by the singer's phalanx of advisers that he likely had a will, but it may be many years old. The family is distrustful of what they are being told — but they are determined to find out more, the person said.
"There are decisions going down without the family being in the loop; it's becoming an issue," the person said.
Randy Phillips, AEG Live president and chief executive, said earlier Friday that it was Jackson who insisted that Dr. Conrad Murray, a financially troubled cardiologist who was with the entertainer when he collapsed Thursday, be put on the tour payroll.
"As a company, we would have preferred not having a physician on staff full-time because it would have been cheaper without the hotels and travel, but Michael was insistent that he be hired," Phillips said. "Michael said he had a rapport with him."
Jackson collapsed Thursday at his rented home in Los Angeles. Police seized Murray's car in search of evidence, but have insisted that the doctor has been cooperative and do not consider him a criminal suspect.
Records reveal years of financial troubles for Murray, who practices medicine in California, Nevada and Texas; his Nevada medical practice, Global Cardiovascular Associates, was slapped with more than $400,000 in court judgments, and he faces at least two other pending cases and several tax liens.
The person close to the family said that while there were reports that the singer was distant from his family, Jackson spoke with his mother, Katherine, quite regularly and his father, Joe, had seen his son shortly before his death. His other eight siblings, including fellow superstar Janet, may not have talked to him recently but were not estranged.
Much of the family was holed up Friday inside the Jackson family's Encino compound, including his three children, according to the person, who described them as doing "pretty good."
"I don't think it's fully set in yet," the person said.
In a statement, Lionel Richie said Jackson was "a world phenomenon. He was very misunderstood, but yet tried to desperately to be a part of this world. We all watched him as he struggled with that balance."
Bette Midler described Jackson as "a showman without equal."
"I personally intend to only remember the best of him, his kindness, his charm, his superb musicianship, his magical dancing and his beautiful voice," she said in a statement.
The pop star left behind three children: Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., known as Prince Michael, 12; Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11; and Prince Michael II, 7. The elder children were born to ex-wife Deborah Rowe, while the youngest is his biological son, born to a surrogate mother.
Rowe and Jackson married in 1996 and divorced in 1999.
No family members were present in the mansion when Jackson died Thursday, the person close to the family said. In the 911 call released by fire officials Friday, an unidentified caller tells a dispatcher that Jackson's doctor is performing CPR.
Asked by the dispatcher whether anyone saw what happened, the caller answers: "No, just the doctor, sir. The doctor has been the only one there."
Coroner's officials said they released Jackson's body to his family late Friday night. The family is still trying to determine what kind of memorial to have for Jackson and when, and are debating between the idea of having a private ceremony or a grand celebration open to the public, the person close to the family said.
Jackson appeared to have suffered a heart attack, another person with knowledge of the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity told the AP on Friday. A heart attack is a blocking of the arteries that deprives the heart of adequate blood and can cause cardiac arrest.
Jackson's brother Jermaine said Thursday that it was believed the pop singer went into cardiac arrest, an interruption of the normal heartbeat that can be caused by factors other than heart attack.
The Los Angeles County coroner's office, which completed its autopsy Friday, said there were no signs of foul play or trauma, but determining the cause of death will require further tests that will take six to eight weeks.
Phillips said AEG Live held multiple insurance policies covering cancellation of the shows, and that some time in February Jackson submitted to several hours of physicals that the insurance underwriter insisted upon, and that Jackson passed them all.
"We had pretty good coverage, but a lot of it is going to depend on the toxicology results," he said. "We need to know what the cause of death was."

Informal Essay

2009-06-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

The informal essay is written mainly for enjoyment. This is not to say that it cannot be informative or persuasive; however, it is less a formal statement than a relaxed expression of opinion, observation, humor or pleasure. A good informal essay has a relaxed style but retains a strong structure, though that structure may be less rigid than in a formal paper.

The informal essay tends to be more personal than the formal, even though both may express subjective opinions. In a formal essay the writer is a silent presence behind the words, while in an informal essay the writer is speaking directly to the reader in a conversational style. If you are writing informally, try to maintain a sense of your own personality. Do not worry about sounding academic, but avoid sloppiness.

The essay, which follows is an opinion piece that was written for The Globe and Mail. The style is therefore journalistic but aimed at a fairly sophisticated readership. Paragraphs are short, as is normal in a newspaper with its narrow columns, and the tone is more conversational than would be appropriate for a formal essay. Notice the clear statement of the thesis, the concrete illustrations in the body of the essay, and the way the conclusion leads to a more general statement of what is perhaps to come in the future. It is included here both because it is a good example of the essay form and because it explores the kind of problem you will come up against as you try to punctuate your essays correctly.

http://essayinfo.com/essays/informal_essay.php

Expository Essay

2009-06-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

The purpose of an expository essay is to present, completely and fairly, other people's views or to report about an event or a situation. Expository writing, or exposition, presents a subject in detail, apart from criticism, argument, or development; i.e., the writer elucidates a subject by analyzing it. Such writing is discourse designed to convey information or explain what is difficult to understand. Exposition usually proceeds by the orderly analysis of parts and the use of familiar illustrations or analogies.

Such an analysis requires

reading with understanding the ideas developed in an article by clearly stating another's thesis, outlining the facts used by the author to support that thesis, and the "values" underlying the ideas
putting what is read into a larger context by relating another's article or book to other work in the field
clearly and effectively communicating this information to a defined audience. In other words, you must write clearly and fully enough for your readers to know how you have arrived at your analyses and conclusions. They should never have to guess what you mean; give your readers everything they need to know to follow your reasoning

This practice is not "just for students." Accurate analysis is a fundamental professional activity in almost all careers. Like any other fundamental skill, it must be constantly practiced in order to maintain and improve it. Other goals, such as learning "time management" and note-taking, are also developed by this activity.

Do not be afraid to revise your essay! In fact, you will probably want to change it at least once; this is called "thinking through a 'problem'" or "learning."

The revisions will consist of the following

finding the precise words to express your thoughts
correcting typographical, spelling, and grammatical errors
making sure that your paragraphs are "tight" and sequenced properly
making sure that the transition ("segue") from one major topic to another makes sense

Expository essays also have a distinct format.

The thesis statement must be defined and narrow enough to be supported within the essay.

Each supporting paragraph must have a distinct controlling topic and all other sentences must factually relate directly to it. The transition words or phrases are important as they help the reader follow along and reinforce the logic.
Finally, the conclusion paragraph should originally restate the thesis and the main supporting ideas. Finish with the statement that reinforces your position in a meaningful and memorable way.
Never introduce new material in the conclusion.

http://essayinfo.com/essays/expository_essay.php

Exploratory Essay

2009-06-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

The concept of an exploratory essay is that you start without an end in mind. You don't necessarily know how you feel about a subject or what you want to say about the subject, you allow the research and your own direction to determine the outcome. This is writing to learn rather than writing to prove what you know.

Purpose: The exploratory essay builds on the inquiry essay by having you look at and contribute to a range of arguments rather than just one at a time. Whereas the inquiry essay introduced you to a debate by looking at one argument a time, the exploratory essay asks you to widen your vision to the whole conversation.

The focus of an exploratory essay is a question, rather than a thesis.
The two main ways to compose an exploratory essay yield different effects: The "in-process" strategy produces immediacy, while a "retrospective" strategy produces more artistically designed essays.
Exploratory essays chronicle your research actions and the thinking that results from those actions; they address both content-oriented questions and rhetorical questions about possible responses to the problem under consideration.
Exploratory essays regularly consider the strengths and weaknesses of various different solutions to a perplexing problem.
Exploratory essays are often dialectical in either the Platonic or Hegelian sense of that term because they recreate the engagement of antithetical positions, sometimes resulting in a productive synthesis of contraries.

http://essayinfo.com/essays/exploratory_essay.php

Definition Essay

2009-06-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

What is a Definition Essay?

.
A definition essay is writing that explains what a term means. Some terms have definite, concrete meanings, such as glass, book, or tree. Terms such as honesty, honor, or love are abstract and depend more on a person's point of view.
.

Three Steps to Effective Definition

Tell readers what term is being defined.
Present clear and basic information.
Use facts, examples, or anecdotes that readers will understand.

Choosing a Definition

Choosing a definition is a key step in writing a definition essay. You need to understand the term before you can define it for others. Read the dictionary, but don't just copy the definition. Explain the term briefly in your own words. Also, it's important to limit your term before you start defining it. For example, you could write forever on the term "love." To limit it, you would write about either "romantic love," "platonic love," or "first love."

Thesis Statement of a Definition Essay

.
The thesis statement usually identifies the term being defined and provides a brief, basic definition.
(term) (basic definition)

.
Ex: Assertiveness is standing up for your rights.

How To Write an Effective Definition

1- Create a definition. There are several ways to define a term. Here are a few options.

Define by function. Explain what something does or how something works.
Define by structure. Tell how something is organized or put together.
Define by analysis. Compare the term to other members of its class and then illustrate the differences. These differences are special characteristics that make the term stand out. For example, compare a Siberian husky to other dogs, such as lap dogs, mutts, or sporting dogs.

(term) (precise definition)

.
Ex: A Siberian husky is a dog reputed for its ability to tolerate cold, its distinctive features, and its keen strength and stamina

Define by what the term does not mean. This distinction can sometimes clarify a definition and help a reader to better understand it.

2- Use undDefine by structure. Tell how something is organized or put together. erstandable facts, examples, or anecdotes. Select facts, examples, or anecdotes to fully explain your definition. Ask yourself, "Which examples will best help readers understand the term? What examples would most appeal to my readers? Will a brief story reveal the term's meaning?" Do not use any examples that will not support the definition.

Remember: A definition essay is writing that explains what a term means. When writing a definition essay, remember to tell readers what term is being defined, to present a clear and basic definition, and to use facts, examples, or anecdotes that readers will understand

http://essayinfo.com/essays/definition_essay.php

Deductive Essay

2009-06-05T07:14:00.000-07:00

Deductive essays are an important factor in evaluating the knowledge level of students in many courses.

.
Deductive reasoning is based on the concept that given as set of circumstances or clues (premises), one can draw a reasonable assumption as to the state of the situation. More simply, a person can solve a puzzle or identify a person if given enough information.
.

Specifically, deductive reasoning takes individual factors, weighs them against the current knowledge about such things, and adds them up to come to a conclusion. There are three parts to deductive reasoning. The first is the PREMISE. A premise is a basic fact or belief that is used as the basis for drawing conclusions. There may be several PREMISES in an argument. The second part is called EVIDENCE. The evidence is the information you have before you, whether it is a story you are analyzing or something you have observed. The last part is the CONCLUSION. The conclusion is your final analysis of the situation, based on balancing PREMISES with EVIDENCE. A simplified example might be as follows:

premise: all dogs are animals
evidence: Fido is a dog
conclusion: Fido is an animal.

This is not a complex deductive exercise, but it is accurate.

We use deductive reasoning quite commonly in day-to-day life. For example, say you look out your window some morning and see the street is wet. There are several ways you could interpret this information. You might assume a large water truck has just driven by, inundating the area with spray. Possibly, you may decide that water has soaked up from the ground. Most likely, however, you will likely decide that it has rained. Why? Based on your life experience and likely factors, the most logical deduction is that a wet street is the result of rainfall. There are other possibilities, but the most logical deduction is rain. If, however, you were SURE that there had been no rain, or you were aware of a street cleaning program, your deduction would change appropriately. Deductive reasoning takes the MOST REASONABLE, LIKELY path, but is not necessarily fool-proof. Deductive reasoning is commonly used in police work, investigative reporting, the sciences (including medicine), law, and, oddly enough, literary analysis.

.
A good deductive essay is clear and focused. Each paragraph focuses on a particular aspect or a particular point, using detail and examples to lead to a specific conclusion. The support for one's conclusion is the most important factor. In other words, without supporting one's point, the conclusion is weak.

http://essayinfo.com/essays/deductive_essay.php

Critical Essay

2009-06-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

The word "critical" has positive as well as negative meanings. You can write a critical essay that agrees entirely with the reading. The word "critical" describes your attitude when you read the article. This attitude is best described as "detached evaluation," meaning that you weigh the coherence of the reading, the completeness of its data, and so on, before you accept or reject it.

A critical essay or review begins with an analysis or exposition of the reading, article-by-article, book by book. Each analysis should include the following points:

1-A summary of the author's point of view, including

a brief statement of the author's main idea (i.e., thesis or theme)
an outline of the important "facts" and lines of reasoning the author used to support the main idea
a summary of the author's explicit or implied values
a presentation of the author's conclusion or suggestions for action

2- An evaluation of the author's work, including
an assessment of the "facts" presented on the basis of correctness, relevance, and whether or not pertinent facts were omitted
an evaluation or judgment of the logical consistency of the author's argument
an appraisal of the author's values in terms of how you feel or by an accepted standard

Once the analysis is completed, check your work! Ask yourself, "Have I read all the relevant (or assigned) material?" "Do I have complete citations?" If not, complete the work! The following steps are how this is done.

Now you can start to write the first draft of your expository essay/literature review. Outline the conflicting arguments, if any; this will be part of the body of your expository essay/literature review.

Ask yourself, "Are there other possible positions on this matter?" If so, briefly outline them. Decide on your own position (it may agree with one of the competing arguments) and state explicitly the reason(s) why you hold that position by outlining the consistent facts and showing the relative insignificance of contrary facts. Coherently state your position by integrating your evaluations of the works you read. This becomes your conclusions section.

Briefly state your position, state why the problem you are working on is important, and indicate the important questions that need to be answered; this is your "Introduction." Push quickly through this draft--don't worry about spelling, don't search for exactly the right word, don't hassle yourself with grammar, don't worry overmuch about sequence--that's why this is called a "rough draft." Deal with these during your revisions. The point of a rough draft is to get your ideas on paper. Once they are there, you can deal with the superficial (though very important) problems.

Consider this while writing:

The critical essay is informative; it emphasizes the literary work being studied rather than the feelings and opinions of the person writing about the literary work; in this kind of writing, all claims made about the work need to be backed up with evidence.
The difference between feelings and facts is simple--it does not matter what you believe about a book or play or poem; what matters is what you can prove about it, drawing upon evidence found in the text itself, in biographies of the author, in critical discussions of the literary work, etc.
Criticism does not mean you have to attack the work or the author; it simply means you are thinking critically about it, exploring it and discussing your findings.
In many cases, you are teaching your audience something new about the text.
The literary essay usually employs a serious and objective tone. (Sometimes, depending on your audience, it is all right to use a lighter or even humorous tone, but this is not usually the case).
Use a "claims and evidence" approach. Be specific about the points you are making about the novel, play, poem, or essay you are discussing and back up those points with evidence that your audience will find credible and appropriate. If you want to say, "The War of the Worlds is a novel about how men and women react in the face of annihilation, and most of them do not behave in a particularly courageous or noble manner," say it, and then find evidence that supports your claim.
Using evidence from the text itself is often your best option. If you want to argue, "isolation drives Frankenstein's creature to become evil," back it up with events and speeches from the novel itself.
Another form of evidence you can rely on is criticism, what other writers have claimed about the work of literature you are examining. You may treat these critics as "expert witnesses," whose ideas provide support for claims you are making about the book. In most cases, you should not simply provide a summary of what critics have said about the literary work.
In fact, one starting point might be to look at what a critic has said about one book or poem or story and then a) ask if the same thing is true of another book or poem or story and 2) ask what it means that it is or is not true.
Do not try to do everything. Try to do one thing well. And beware of subjects that are too broad; focus your discussion on a particular aspect of a work rather than trying to say everything that could possibly be said about it.
Be sure your discussion is well organized. Each section should support the main idea. Each section should logically follow and lead into the sections that come before it and after it. Within each paragraph, sentences should be logically connected to one another.
Remember that in most cases you want to keep your tone serious and objective.
Be sure your essay is free of mechanical and stylistic errors.
If you quote or summarize (and you will probably have to do this) be sure you follow an appropriate format (MLA format is the most common one when examining literature) and be sure you provide a properly formatted list of works cited at the end of your essay.

http://essayinfo.com/essays/critical_essay.php

Comparison Essay

2009-06-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

To write a comparison or contrast essay that is easy to follow, first decide what the similarities or differences are by writing lists on scrap paper. Which are more significant, the similarities or the differences? Plan to discuss the less significant first, followed by the more significant. It is much easier to discuss ONLY the similarities or ONLY the differences, but you can also do both.
.

Then for organizing your essay, choose one of the plans described below whichever best fits your list. Finally, and this is important, what main point (thesis) might you make in the essay about the two people/things being compared? Do not begin writing until you have a point that the similarities or differences you want to use help to prove. Your point should help shape the rest of what you say: For example, if you see that one of your similarities or differences is unrelated to the point, throw it out and think of one that is related. Or revise your point. Be sure this main point is clearly and prominently expressed somewhere in the essay.

Plan A: Use Plan A if you have many small similarities and/or differences. After your introduction, say everything you want to say about the first work or character, and then go on in the second half of the essay to say everything about the second work or character, comparing or contrasting each item in the second with the same item in the first. In this format, all the comparing or contrasting, except for the statement of your main point, which you may want to put in the beginning, goes on in the SECOND HALF of the piece.

Plan B: Use Plan B if you have only a few, larger similarities or differences. After your introduction, in the next paragraph discuss one similarity or difference in BOTH works or characters, and then move on in the next paragraph to the second similarity or difference in both, then the third, and so forth, until you're done. If you are doing both similarities and differences, juggle them on scrap paper so that in each part you put the less important first ("X and Y are both alike in their social positions . . ."), followed by the more important ("but X is much more aware of the dangers of his position than is Y"). In this format, the comparing or contrasting goes on in EACH of the middle parts.

The following outline may be helpful; however, do not be limited by it.

I.Intro. with thesis

II. 1st similarity

1st work
2nd work

III.2nd similarity

1st work
2nd work

IV.1st difference

1st work
2nd work

V.2nd difference

1st work
2nd work

http://essayinfo.com/essays/comparison_essay.php

Classification Essay

2009-06-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

What is a Classification Essay?

In a classification essay, a writer organizes, or sorts, things into categories.

Three Steps to Effective Classification:

Sort things into useful categories.
Make sure all the categories follow a single organizing principle.
Give examples that fit into each category.

Finding Categories

This is a key step in writing a classification essay. To classify, or sort, things in a logical way, find the categories to put them into. For example, say you need to sort the stack of papers on your desk. Before you would put them in random piles, you would decide what useful categories might be: papers that can be thrown away; papers that need immediate action; papers to read; papers to pass on to other coworkers; or papers to file.

Thesis Statement of a Classification Essay

The thesis statement usually includes the topic and how it is classified. Sometimes the categories are named.

(topic)...(how classified)...(category) (category) (category)

Ex: Tourists in Hawaii can enjoy three water sports: snorkeling, surfing, and sailing.

How to Write an Effective Classification Essay

Determine the categories. Be thorough; don't leave out a critical category. For example, if you say water sports of Hawaii include snorkeling and sailing, but leave out surfing, your essay would be incomplete because surfing is Hawaii's most famous water sport. On the other hand, don't include too many categories, which will blur your classification. For example, if your topic is sports shoes, and your organizing principle is activity, you wouldn't include high heels with running and bowling shoes.
Classify by a single principle. Once you have categories, make sure that they fit into the same organizing principle. The organizing principle is how you sort the groups. Do not allow a different principle to pop up unexpectedly. For example, if your unifying principle is "tourist-oriented" water sports, don't use another unifying principle, such as "native water sports," which would have different categories: pearl diving, outrigger, or canoe racing.
Support equally each category with examples. In general, you should write the same quantity, i.e., give the same number of examples, for each category. The most important category, usually reserved for last, might require more elaboration.

Common Classification Transitions

The first kind, the second kind, the third kind
The first type, the second type, the third type
The first group, the second group, the third group

Remember: In a classification essay, the writer organizes, or sorts, things into categories. There are three steps to remember when writing an effective classification essay: organize things into useful categories, use a single organizing principle, and give examples of things that fit into each category.

http://essayinfo.com/essays/classification_essay.php

Cause and Effect Essay

2009-06-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

What is a cause and effect essay?
Cause and effect essays are concerned with why things happen (causes) and what happens as a result (effects). Cause and effect is a common method of organizing and discussing ideas.

Follow these steps when writing a cause and effect essay

1-Distinguish between cause and effect. To determine causes, ask, "Why did this happen?" To identify effects, ask, "What happened because of this?" The following is an example of one cause producing one effect:

Cause
You are out of gas.
Effect
Your car won't start.

Sometimes, many causes contribute to a single effect or many effects may result from asingle cause. (Your instructor will specify which cause/effect method to use.) The following are examples:

Causes
liked business in high school
salaries in the field are high
have an aunt who is an accountant
am good with numbers

Effect
choose to major in accounting
Cause
reduce work hours
Effects
less income
employer is irritated
more time to study
more time for family and friends

However, most situations are more complicated. The following is an example of a chain reaction:

Thinking about friend…forgot to buy gas…car wouldn't start…

missed math exam…failed math course.

2-Develop your thesis statement. State clearly whether you are discussing causes, effects, or both. Introduce your main idea, using the terms "cause" and/or "effect."

3-Find and organize supporting details. Back up your thesis with relevant and sufficient details that are organized. You can organize details in the following ways:

Chronological. Details are arranged in the order in which the events occurred.
Order of importance. Details are arranged from least to most important or vice versa.
Categorical. Details are arranged by dividing the topic into parts or categories.

4-Use appropriate transitions. To blend details smoothly in cause and effect essays, use the transitional words and phrases listed below.

For causes
because, due to, on cause is, another is, since, for, first, second

For Effects
consequently, as a result, thus, resulted in, one result is, another is, therefore

When writing your essay, keep the following suggestions in mind:

Remember your purpose. Decide if your are writing to inform or persuade.
Focus on immediate and direct causes (or effects.) Limit yourself to causes that are close in time and related, as opposed to remote and indirect causes, which occur later and are related indirectly.
Strengthen your essay by using supporting evidence. Define terms, offer facts and statistics, or provide examples, anecdotes, or personal observations that support your ideas.
Qualify or limit your statements about cause and effect. Unless there is clear evidence that one event is related to another, qualify your statements with phrases such as "It appears that the cause was" or "It seems likely" or "The evidence may indicate" or "Available evidence suggests."

To evaluate the effectiveness of a cause and effect essay, ask the following questions:

What are the causes? What are the effects? Which should be emphasized? Are there single or multiple causes? Single or multiple effects? Is a chain reaction involved?

http://essayinfo.com/essays/cause_and_effect_essay.php

Argumentative Essay

2009-05-31T10:08:00.000-07:00

The function of an argumentative essay is to show that your assertion (opinion, theory, hypothesis) about some phenomenon or phenomena is correct or more truthful than others'. The art of argumentation is not an easy skill to acquire. Many people might think that if one simply has an opinion, one can argue it successfully, and these folks are always surprised when others don't agree with them because their logic seems so correct. Argumentative writing is the act of forming reasons, making inductions, drawing conclusions, and applying them to the case in discussion; the operation of inferring propositions, not known or admitted as true, from facts or principles known, admitted, or proved to be true. It clearly explains the process of your reasoning from the known or assumed to the unknown. Without doing this you do not have an argument, you have only an assertion, an essay that is just your unsubstantiated opinion.

Notice that you do not have to completely prove your point; you only have to convince reasonable readers that your argument or position has merit; i.e., that it is somehow more accurate and complete than competing arguments.

Argumentative essays are often organized in the following manner:

1- They begin with a statement of your assertion, its timeliness, significance, and relevance in relation to some phenomenon.

2- They review critically the literature about that phenomenon.

3- They illustrate how your assertion is "better" (simpler or more explanatory) than others, including improved (i.e., more reliable or valid) methods that you used to accumulate the data (case) to be explained.

Finally revise and edit, and be sure to apply the critical process to your argument to be certain you have not committed any errors in reasoning or integrated any fallacies for which you would criticize some other writer.

Additionally, you will want to find out how your readers will object to your argument. Will they say that you have used imprecise concepts? Have you erred in collecting data? Your argument is only as strong as the objections to it. If you cannot refute or discount an objection, then you need to rethink and revise your position.

http://essayinfo.com/essays/argumentative_essay.php

Admission Essay

2009-05-31T09:48:00.000-07:00

Essays are used to learn more about your reasons for applying to the course, university or company and your ability to benefit from and contribute to it. Your answers will let you state your case more fully than other sections of the application, and provide the evaluator with better insight about you and how you differ from the other applicants. In marginal cases, the essays are used to decide whether an applicant will be selected. The purpose of the admissions essay is to convey a sense of your unique character to the admissions committee. The essay also demonstrates your writing skills as well as your ability to organize your thoughts coherently.

Sample essay topics

There are hundreds of possible topics that you can be asked to write an essay on. Given below are some of the more common ones.

1- What events, activities or achievements have contributed to your own self-development?

2- Describe a situation in which you had significant responsibility and what you learned from it.

3- Describe your strengths and weaknesses in two areas: setting and achieving goals, and working with other people.

4- Your career aspirations and factors leading you to apply to this course at this time. Describe a challenge to which you have successfully responded. What did you learn about yourself as you responded to this challenge? Describe a challenge you anticipate facing in any aspect of college life. On the basis of what you learned from your earlier response, how do you expect to deal with this challenge?

5- Describe and evaluate one experience that significantly influenced your academic interests. The experience might be a high school course, a job, a relationship, or an extracurricular activity. Be sure to explain how this experience led to your setting the goals you now have for yourself, and why you think the academic program for which you are applying will help you to reach those goals.

6- Describe your educational, personal or career goals.

7- Role Model - If you could meet/be/have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and why?

8- Past Experience - Describe an event that has had a great impact on you and why?

9- What was your most important activity/course in high school and why?

10- Forecast important issues in the next decade, century - nationally, globally.

11- Why do you want to study at this university?

12- Tell us something about yourself, your most important activities?

13- How would your room, computer or car describe you?

List all your activities for the past four years. Include school activities; awards, honors, and offices held; community services; jobs; and travel. Record major travel experiences. Note your strongest impressions and how they affected you. If you loved the Grand Canyon, for example, write down three specific reasons why, aside from the grandeur and beauty that everyone loves. Describe an accomplishment that you had to struggle to achieve. Include what it was, how you tackled it, and how it changed you.

Think of one or two sayings that you've heard again and again around your house since childhood. How have they shaped your life? What personality traits do you value most in yourself? Choose a few and jot down examples of how each has helped you. Think of things that other people often say about you. Write about whether or not you agree with their assessments and how they make you feel.

Brainstorm "top ten" lists in a few selected categories: favorite books, plays, movies, sports, eras in history, famous people, etc. Review your list to see which items stand out and describe what they've added to your life. Describe "regular people" who have motivated you in different ways throughout your life. It could be someone you only met once, a third-grade teacher, or a family member or friend.

Starting your essay

The most common topic--particularly if only one essay is required--is the first, "tell us about yourself." Since this kind of essay has no specific focus, applicants sometimes have trouble deciding which part of their lives to write about. Beware of the chronological list of events that produces dull reading. Remember, also, to accent the positive rather than the negative side of an experience. If you write about the effect of a death, divorce, or illness on your life, tell about but don't dwell on your bad luck and disappointments.

Instead, emphasize what you have learned from the experience, and how coping with adversity has strengthened you as an individual.

1- Tie yourself to the college: Why are you interested in attending, and what can the institution do for you? Be specific. Go beyond "XYZ College will best allow me to realize my academic potential.

2- Read the directions carefully and follow them to the letter. In other words, if the essay is supposed to be 500 words or less, don't submit 1000 words.

3- Consider the unique features of the institution, e.g., a liberal arts college will be impressed with the variety of academic and personal interests you might have, while an art institute would be most interested in your creative abilities.

4- Be positive, upbeat and avoid the negatives, e.g. I am applying to your school because I won't be required to take physical education or a foreign language.

5- Emphasize what you have learned, e.g. provide more than a narration when recounting an experience.

6- Write about something you know, something only you could write.

7- Make certain you understand the question or the topic. Your essay should answer the question or speak directly to the given topic.

8- List all ideas. Be creative. Brainstorm without censoring.

9- Sort through ideas and prioritize. You cannot tell them everything, Be selective.

10- Choose information and ideas which are not reflected in other parts of your application. This is your chance to supplement your application with information you want them to know.

11- Be persuasive in showing the reader you are deserving of admission. Remember your audience.

http://essayinfo.com/essays/admission_essay.php

paragraph Essay

2009-05-30T14:20:00.000-07:00

Introductory paragraph

The introductory paragraph should also include the thesis statement, a kind of mini-outline for the essay. This is where the writer grabs the reader's attention. It tells the reader what the paper is about. The last sentence of this paragraph must also include a transitional "hook" which moves the reader to the first paragraph of the body of the essay.

Body - First paragraph

The first paragraph of the body should include the strongest argument, most significant example, cleverest illustration, or an obvious beginning point. The first sentence should contain the "reverse hook" which ties in with the transitional hook at the end of the introductory paragraph. The subject for this paragraph should be in the first or second sentence. This subject should relate to the thesis statement in the introductory paragraph. The last sentence in this paragraph should include a transitional hook to tie into the second paragraph of the body.

Body - Second paragraph

The second paragraph of the body should include the second strongest argument, second most significant example, second cleverest illustration, or an obvious follow up the first paragraph in the body. The first sentence of this paragraph should contain the reverse hook, which ties in with the transitional hook at the end of the first paragraph of the body. The topic for this paragraph should be in the first or second sentence. This topic should relate to the thesis statement in the introductory paragraph. The last sentence in this paragraph should include a transitional hook to tie into the third paragraph of the body.

Body - Third paragraph

The third paragraph of the body should include the weakest argument, weakest example, weakest illustration, or an obvious follow up to the second paragraph in the body. The first sentence of this paragraph should contain the reverse hook, which ties in with the transitional hook at the end of the second paragraph. The topic for this paragraph should be in the first or second sentence. This topic should relate to the thesis statement in the introductory paragraph. The last sentence in this paragraph should include a transitional concluding hook that signals the reader that this is the final major point being made in this essay. This hook also leads into the concluding paragraph.

Concluding paragraph

The fifth paragraph is the summary paragraph. It is important to restate the thesis and three supporting ideas in an original and powerful way as this is the last chance the writer has to convince the reader of the validity of the information presented.

This paragraph should include the following:

an allusion to the pattern used in the introductory paragraph,
a restatement of the thesis statement, using some of the original language or language that "echoes" the original language. (The restatement, however, must not be a duplicate thesis statement.)
a summary of the three main points from the body of the essay.
a final statement that gives the reader signals that the discussion has come to an end. (This final statement may be a "call to action" in a persuasive essay.)

Example

1Stephen King, creator of such stories as Carrie and Pet Sematary, stated that the Edgar Allan Poe stories he read as a child gave him the inspiration and instruction he needed to become the writer that he is. 2Poe, as does Stephen King, fills the reader's imagination with the images that he wishes the reader to see, hear, and feel. 3His use of vivid, concrete visual imagery to present both static and dynamic settings and to describe people is part of his technique. 4Poe's short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" is a story about a young man who kills an old man who cares for him, dismembers the corpse, then goes mad when he thinks he hears the old man's heart beating beneath the floor boards under his feet as he sits and discusses the old man's absence with the police. 5In "The Tell-Tale Heart," a careful reader can observe Poe's skillful manipulation of the senses.

The introductory paragraph includes a paraphrase of something said by a famous person in order to get the reader's attention. The second sentence leads up to the thesis statement which is the third sentence. The thesis statement (sentence 3) presents topic of the paper to the reader and provides a mini- outline. The topic is Poe's use of visual imagery. The mini- outline tells the reader that this paper will present Poe's use of imagery in three places in his writing: (1) description of static setting; (2) description of dynamic setting; and (3) description of a person. The last sentence of the paragraph uses the words "manipulation" and "senses" as transitional hooks.

1The sense of sight, the primary sense, is particularly susceptible to manipulation. 2In "The Tell-Tale Heart," Poe uses the following image to describe a static scene: "His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness . . ." Poe used the words "black," "pitch," and "thick darkness" not only to show the reader the condition of the old man's room, but also to make the reader feel the darkness." 3"Thick" is a word that is not usually associated with color (darkness), yet in using it, Poe stimulates the reader's sense of feeling as well as his sense of sight.

In the first sentence of the second paragraph (first paragraph of the body) the words "sense" and "manipulation" are used to hook into the end of the introductory paragraph. The first part of the second sentence provides the topic for this paragraph--imagery in a static scene. Then a quotation from "The Tell-Tale Heart" is presented and briefly discussed. The last sentence of this paragraph uses the expressions "sense of feeling" and "sense of sight" as hooks for leading into the third paragraph

1Further on in the story, Poe uses a couple of words that cross not only the sense of sight but also the sense of feeling to describe a dynamic scene. 2The youth in the story has been standing in the open doorway of the old man's room for a long time, waiting for just the right moment to reveal himself to the old man in order to frighten him. 3Poe writes: "So I opened it [the lantern opening]--you cannot imagine how stealthily, stealthily--until, at length, a single dim ray, like the thread of the spider, shot from out the crevice and fell full upon the vulture eye." 4By using the metaphor of the thread of the spider (which we all know is a creepy creature) and the word "shot," Poe almost makes the reader gasp, as surely did the old man whose one blind eye the young man describes as "the vulture eye."

The first sentence of the third paragraph (second paragraph of the body) uses the words "sense of sight" and "sense of feeling" to hook back into the previous paragraph. Note that in the second paragraph "feeling" came first, and in this paragraph "sight" comes first. The first sentence also includes the topic for this paragraph--imagery in a dynamic scene. Again, a quotation is taken from the story, and it is briefly discussed. The last sentence uses the words "one blind eye" which was in the quotation. This expression provides the transitional hook for the last paragraph in the body of the paper.

1The reader does not know much about what the old man in this story looks like except that he has one blind eye. 2In the second paragraph of "The Tell-Tale Heart," Poe establishes the young man's obsession with that blind eye when he writes: "He had the eye of the vulture--a pale blue eye, with a film over it." 3This "vulture eye" is evoked over and over again in the story until the reader becomes as obsessed with it as does the young man. 4His use of the vivid, concrete word "vulture" establishes a specific image in the mind of the reader that is inescapable.

In the first sentence of the fourth paragraph (third paragraph in the body), "one blind eye" is used that hooks into the previous paragraph. This first sentence also lets the reader know that this paragraph will deal with descriptions of people: ". . . what the old man looks like . . .." Once again Poe is quoted and discussed. The last sentence uses the word "image" which hooks into the last paragraph. (It is less important that this paragraph has a hook since the last paragraph is going to include a summary of the body of the paper.)

1"Thick darkness," "thread of the spider," and "vulture eye" are three images that Poe used in "The Tell-Tale Heart" to stimulate a reader's senses. 2Poe wanted the reader to see and feel real life. 3He used concrete imagery rather than vague abstract words to describe settings and people. If Edgar Allan Poe was one of Stephen King's teachers, then readers of King owe a debt of gratitude to that nineteenth-century creator of horror stories.

The first sentence of the concluding paragraph uses the principal words from the quotations from each paragraph of the body of the paper. This summarizes those three paragraphs. The second and third sentences provide observations which can also be considered a summary, not only of the content of the paper, but also offers personal opinion which was logically drawn as the result of this study. The last sentence returns to the Edgar Allan Poe-Stephen King relationship that began this paper. This sentence also provides a "wrap-up" and gives the paper a sense of finality.

http://essayinfo.com/essays/5-paragraph_essay.php

Essay Types

2009-05-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

An essay is a short piece of writing that discusses, describes or analyzes one topic. It can discuss a subject directly or indirectly, seriously or humorously. It can describe personal opinion, or just report information. Essays are written for different purposes and for different occasions. Whether your purpose is to win a scholarship, get enrolled in university, analyze the latest events or write for college, here you will be able to find the detailed information on any essay type you need.

...

paragraph Essay

Admission Essay

Argumentative Essay

Cause And Effect Essay

Classification Essay

Comparison Essay
Critical Essay

Deductive Essay

Definition Essay

Exploratory Essay

Expository Essay

Informal Essay

Literature Essay

Narrative Essay

Personal Essay

Persuasive Essay

Research Essay

Response Essay

Scholarship Essay

Literature Essay

2009-05-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

Introduction: Be Brief; give some suggestion of the direction you intend to take in your essay. Indicate the aspects of the book you intend to deal with

Paragraphing: In your plan you should identify very clearly around six distinct points you intend to make and the specific parts of the text that you intend to examine in some detail. When writing your essay you should devote one or two paragraphs to each point. Try to make smooth links between paragraphs

Evidence: When you make a point - you must prove it. Just as a lawyer in court must produce evidence to support his case, so you must produce evidence to prove the comments you make about characters, relationships, themes, style etc. When you make a point, refer to the text. give an example to support what you say. Better still, use a quote.

Quotes: Remember to lay out quotes correctly. Start a new line and indent like this

writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing

"quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote quote"

writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing writing:

Remember to introduce the quote with a colon and use quotation marks. It is important to lay out quotes correctly because it shows you are professional about what you are doing. Keep them short - no more than three or four lines each.

Selection: Avoid the trap of just re-telling the story. The important thing is to be selective in the way you use the text. Only refer to those parts of the book that help you to answer the question.

Answer the question: it sounds obvious, but it's so easy to forget the question and go off at a tangent. When you have finished a paragraph read it through and ask yourself. "How does this contribute to answering the question?" If it doesn't, change it so that it does address the question directly

Conclusion: At the end, try to draw all the strands of your various points together. This should be the part of your essay, which answers the question most directly and forcefully.

Style: Keep it formal. Try to avoid making it chatty. If you imagine you are a lawyer in court trying to prove your point of view about a book, that might help to set the right tone.

Be creative: Remember you do not have to agree with other people's points of view about literature. If your ideas are original or different, so long as you develop them clearly, use evidence intelligently and argue persuasively, your point of view will be respected. We want literature to touch you personally and it will often affect different people in different ways. Be creative.

Checklist after writing your essay

Have you

Put the full title of the question and the date at the top?
Written in cleat paragraphs?
Produced evidence to prove all your points?
Used at least five quotes?
Answered the question?

Novel essay
Theme, plot, setting, characters, style; fair divisions for any essay. Order and emphasis will depend on bias of question.
If the question is about theme, talk about it in the introduction, then discuss, one per paragraph, how the other aspects contribute to it, and conclude by talking about the success or otherwise of the author in communicating his/her theme.

Drama essay
Theme, plot, setting, characters, technique.
If the question is about technique, talk about how it affects the others-one per paragraph

Poetry essay
Theme, style, technique (include such aspects as alliteration, assonance, versification, rhyme, rhythm, where appropriate).

THE TITLES OF PLAYS, NOVELS, MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS, JOURNALS (things that can stand by themselves) are underlined or italicized. Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie and Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye don't seem to have much in common at first. If you're using a word processor or you have a fancy typewriter, use italics, but do not use both underlines and italics. (Some instructors have adopted rules about using italics that go back to a time when italics on a word processor could be hard to read, so you should ask your instructor if you can use italics. Underlines are always correct.) The titles of poems, short stories, and articles (things that do not generally stand by themselves) require quotation marks.

Tools of the Trade: Subjects and Verbs

Whenever possible, use strong subjects and active constructions, rather than weak verbal nouns or abstractions and weak passive or linking verbs: instead of "Petruchio's denial of Kate of her basic necessities would seem cruel and harsh...," try "By denying Kate the basic necessities of life, Petruchio appears cruel and harsh--but he says that he is just putting on an act." Don't forget that words and even phrases can serve as strong sentence subjects: "Petruchio's 'I'll buckler thee against a million' injects an unexpectedly chivalric note, especially since it follows hard on the heels of his seemingly un-gentlemanly behavior." And remember--use regular quotation marks unless you're quoting material that contains a quotation itself.

In General, Avoid the Swamp of Published Criticism
Do not try to sift through the many hundreds of pounds of critical inquiry about the scene or the play. I am most interested in what you bring to the plays, not the ways in which you try to spew back your versions of what "experts" have written to get tenure or score points with other tweed-jacketed types. Honest confusion and honest mistaking are part of the learning process, so don't try to seek out some other "authority" for your proof.

.!.

Macbeth's Overwhelming Ambition

2009-05-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

Ambition is usually the driving force which leads many people towards success; however, the results of ambition may sometimes be detrimental. In William Shakespeare'sMacbeth, ambition causes Macbeth to murder many people and become a weak person. Macbeth's ambition leads to his downfall.Macbeth's ambition causes him to murder many people, which in turn leads to his ruin. Firstly, Macbeth kills Duncan. Macbeth:wants to fulfill his ambition to be king. Killing Duncan is vital in this case. Initially, he is hesitant, but by the help of his wife and his vaulting ambition , he kills Duncan. It is noted that Having succumbed to his ambition to gain the crown by whatever means, Macbeth murders Duncan, a guest in his own castle, and this deed inexorably commits him to a career of evil which leads to ruin. (Lamar 8).Macbeth murders for his own selfish reasons. Macbeth murders the king, a sure sign of treason. This leads to his downfall as treason in an Elizabethan society means capital punishment. Furthermore, Macbeth orders his men to kill Banquo, one of his closest friends. While talking to his men, Macbeth states, “our fears in Banquo/ stick deep, and in his royalty of nature/ reigns that which would be feared” (III, I, 48-50). Macbeth becomes more ambitious and his moral sense continues to degenerate. Macbeth will not stop at anything in order to keep the thrown. He wants Banquo, and Fleance, his son, killed. Macbeth thinks that they pose a threat to him and they cause him to feel insecure. This insecurity leads to Macbeth's downfall as it undermines his self-confidence. Finally, Macbeth arranges for the murder of Macduff's entire family. Ross tells Macduff that “Your castle is surprised, your wife and babes/ Savagely slaughtered. To relate the manner/ Were on the quarry of these murdered deer/ To add the death of you” (IV, iii, 240-244). This shows that Macbeth will not stop at anything for power. This directly leads to his downfall as it causes Macduff, one not naturally born of a woman, to despise him. By letting his ambition corrupt his morals, and murdering the family of Macduff, Macbeth sets the stage for his own downfall. Macbeth makes too many enemies, which leads to him being overthrown. As a result of losing his moral sense, Macbeth causes the irrational murders of many people and makes many enemies, which eventually leads to his downfall.In addition to becoming a murderer, Macbeth's ambition causes him to degenerate from a respectable general to a weakling. Firstly, Macbeth imagines a floating dagger before assassinating Duncan. He states, “Is this a dagger which I see before me./ The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee/ I have thee not, and yet I still see thee still” (II, i, 44-47). Macbeth feels guilty about wanting to kill Duncan. As a result of this, Macbeth becomes weak. Secondly, Macbeth imagines the ghost of Banquo and states, “The [time] has been/ That when the brains were out, the man would die,/ and there an end. But now, they rise again/ with twenty mortal murders on their crowns. And push us from out stools. This is more strange/ Than such a murder is.” (III, iv, 94-99) Macbeth is succumbing to guilt. He shows this by talking to Banquo's ghost. Macbeth displays his insanity to many lords and thanes. This leads to many people thinking less of the tyrant. Lastly, Macbeth feels guilty about the murders that have been committed on his behalf.. It can be seen that “Macbeth's guilt (and worry) manifests in the form of Banquo.” (Alpeche, 2) Macbeth's ambition has lead him to fear that one day, Banquo's sons may take the throne away from him. The ghost of Banquo warns Macbeth that his ambition has corrupted his moral sense. This leads to his downfall as many people see that Macbeth is insane. Macbeth sees the ghost as an aftereffect of killing his greatest friend. Macbeth's ambition eventually became his weakness. Though he suppressed this weakness for a long time, Macbeth was eventually over come by it; this led to insanity. All of these points show great weakness in Macbeth. Macbeth feels guilty about killing people; therefore, he is weak.In conclusion, Macbeth's downfall was caused by his ambition. Macbeth degenerates from a powerful and respectable general to a desperate and insecure tyrant. Though ambition drives many people to accomplish great things, being overly ambitious may lead to ones downfall.

The tragedy of Macbeth by william shakespear

The world is too much with us

2009-05-30T11:16:00.000-07:00

The world is too much with us; late and soon

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers

Little we see in Nature that is ours

We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon

This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon

The winds that will be howling at all hours

And are upgathered now like sleeping flowers

For this, for everything, we are out of tune

It moves us not.--Great God! I'd rather be

A pagan suckled in a creed outworn

So might I, standing on this pleasant lea

Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn

Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea

Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn

William Wordsworth (1770 – 1850)

O never say that I was false of heart

2009-05-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

.
O, never say that I was false of heart,

Though absence seemed my flame to qualify.

As easy might I from my self depart

As from my soul which in thy breast doth lie.

That is my home of love; if I have ranged,

Like him that travels I return again,

Just to the time, not with the time exchanged,

So that myself bring water for my stain.

Never believe though in my nature reigned

All frailties that besiege all kinds of blood,

That it could so preposterously be stained

To leave for nothing all thy sum of good;

For nothing this wide universe I callSave thou,

my rose, in it thou art my all

O never say that I was false of heart

Sonnet 109

by William Shakespeare

Hope

2009-05-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

Hope is a candle in the night

hope is a long respite

Hope is a feather

Once lifted, it'll only get higher

Hope is an oasis in a desert

Hope is a diamond in the dirt

Hope is everywhereYet

hope is scarcely there

Hope is the dream of better days

Hope is the passion ablaze

Hope is beautiful

And hope is tranquil

Hope is there for everyone

Hope is an asset that all has in abundance

My sun

2009-05-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

{

All day

There is new dawn generate

The Sun rises again

Perfume roses volatilise

Bird's singing simulates the sky

In This World we have

heart

mind

and

pen

so you must thank God for all thing