Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Buddhasravaka Bhiksu University-Anuradhapura/Preliminary Course in English

Activity-1
1. Read the following daily routine. It is incomplete. Complete it.
My Daily Routine
I am a student. So I spend the day in a simple way. I get up from bed early in the morning. First, I do my morning duties. I wash my face and brush my teeth. I take great care of my teeth, because bad teeth are a sign of bad health. Then, I take a little physical exercise. After taking exercise, I go out for a walk in the open field. There, I breathe pure morning air. My mind and body are both refreshed. Then, I return home.
After breakfast, I sit down to prepare my school tasks. I have no tutor. My father teaches me now and then. My elder brother also helps me if he finds time. I finish my studies at about 6.00 a.m. Then, I get ready for bath. I rub my body well with oil. This is good for health. I bathe in a pond near our house. I can swim well. But, my time is short. So, I swim only for a short time. I rub my body with a towel. I enjoy the bath very much. Finishing my bath, I dress myself and sit down to my meal. When the meal is over, I take a little rest and then start for school with my books. On the way, I often meet some of my classmates and together we go to school.
The classes begin at7.30a.m. I am never late in attending school. We have got eight periods. Different subjects are taught during these periods. I always try to listen to my teachers in the class. After the fourth period, we get half an hour for recreation and tea. I take some tea and play with my friends. The school closes at 1.30 p.m. I do not wait a minute after school hours. I come back home quickly without stopping on the way.
Returning home, I put my books in the proper place. After that, I put off my school dress. After washing my hands and feet, I take my lunch. I do not read in the afternoon. So after taking my meals, I go out to play. I am very fond of playing football. I also play cricket. Usually, I return home before it is dark. Sometimes, I am late and my father blames me for that. On returning------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Activity-2
Write about your daily routine and speak about it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sources
www.oppapers.com/subjects/students-da...22.11.210

D.N. Aloysius
Rajarata University of Sri Lanka
23.11.2010

Buddhasravaka Bhiksu University-Anuradhapura/Certificate Course in English

Giving simple instructions
There are two parts in giving instructions. They are sequencers and actions.
Sequencers are the words that help order your instructions
It is like the 1, 2, 3, and 4 of your actions.
The most common are
First(ly)... Then... Next... After that... Finally...Thereafter
How to make a cup of coffee
First, you need to buy some coffee and a coffee maker.
Then, you have to put the water into the bottom of the coffee maker.
You needn't boil water. Cold water is fine.
Next, you have to put the coffee in the coffee compartment and screw the top of coffee maker on.
After that, you need to put the coffee pot onto the stove.
Then, turn the stove high and wait. You don't have to move the coffee pot.
When the water boils and goes into the upper part of the pot, you then have to remove the pot from the heat.
Finally, you pour some coffee into a cup, add sugar and milk and enjoy.

Giving directions
(First,) go down this street (for ____100 meters).
(Then,) turn left/right at the traffic light.
(After that,) go straight on _____ Street until you get to the ______.
(When you get to the _____,) turn left/right again.
(Then,) stay on_______Avenue for about _______ yards/meters.
It's on your left, next to the __________. You can't miss it!

1. Excuse me. Is there a grocery store around here?
2. Can you tell me how to go there?
3. Where's William Leather Shop?
4. How do you get to the bank? Yes, there’s one right across the street./
I am Sorry. I don't live around here.
It's on the corner of Bank Town, next to the library.
Go straight down this street for 100 meters. Turn left when you get to Main Street. It's on the left hand side.
Activity-1
Give instructions for preparing milk rice.

Activity-2
Give directions to a person, who wants to go to the post office from the old bus stand, Anuradhapura.

D.N. Aloysius
Rajarata University of Sri Lanka
23.11.2010

Monday, November 22, 2010

Buddhasravaka Bhiksu University-Anuradhapura/Diploma Course in English/Diploma

What is a short story?
A short story is a fictional work of prose that is shorter in length than a novel. Edgar Allan Poe, in his essay The Philosophy of Composition, said that a short story should be read in one sitting, anywhere from a half hour to two hours. In contemporary fiction, a short story can range from 1,000 to 20,000 words.
Because of the shorter length, a short story usually focuses on one plot, one main character (with a few additional minor characters), and one central theme, whereas a novel can tackle multiple plots and themes, with a variety of prominent characters. Short stories also lend themselves more to experimentation — that is, using uncommon prose styles or literary devices to tell the story. Such uncommon styles or devices might get tedious and downright annoying, in a novel, but they may work well in a short story.
Definition of the short story
Definition-1
A short story is a “short piece of fiction aiming at unity of characterization, theme and effect.
Definition-2
The authors of the modern English short story, no longer attempt to make daily life more entertaining by inventing exotic plots. Instead, modern short story writers have tended to base their narratives on their own experience; here the focus is much more on the less spectacular aspects of life, on the significance underlying what is apparently trivial. The result of such perceptive writing is perfection of form, harmony of theme and structure, and precision of style to reveal the subtleties of the human mind and of human behaviour.
Definition-3
Many attempts have been made to define the short story. But, on a few points at least, the opinion of most critics is unanimous. This does not imply that the literary form of the American short story can be set up in a rigid way. It has undergone and will probably still undergo many changes as the literary taste and demands of the reading public also change in the course of time with new outlooks on life.
What are some of the elements that make up a good story?
• A short story is a piece of prose fiction which can be read at a single sitting.
• It ought to combine matter-of-fact description with poetic atmosphere.
• It ought to present a unified impression of temper, tone, colour, and effect.
• It mostly shows a decisive moment of life (which can entail a fatal blow).
• There is often little action, hardly any character development, but we get a snapshot of life.
• Its plot is not very complex (in contrast to the novel), but it creates a unified impression and leaves us with a vivid sensation rather than a number of remembered facts.
• There is a close connection between the short story and the poem as there is both a unique union of idea and structure.
• The short story is a piece of art that tries to give us a specified impression of the world we live in. It aims to produce a single narrative effect with the greatest economy of means and utmost emphasis.
• Anton Chekhov
Short story is a slice of life.
• Invented prose narrative shorter than a novel usually dealing with a few characters and aiming at unity of effect and often concentrating on the creation of mood rather than plot.


Activity-1
• Write your own short story.
• Find more information about the short story.
• Develop the following sentence into a short story.
I never expected her arrival, but …
• Read the short story, The Stench of Kerosene by Amrita Pritam and comment on it.
• Collection of Short Stories (Group Activity) (Written by the students of the Diploma Course-2010)- Assignment for the students

D.N. Aloysius
Rajarata University of Sri Lanka

Do this activities and email them to aloysiusrjt@mail.com

Buddhasravaka Bhiksu University Anuradhapura-Certificate Course in English-2010

Read the following daily routine and write your one. Before writing, you should speak about it with your friend.

It seems my life is always full of activities and obligations. So, I never have much time for myself. During the week, it is the worst. I usually have to get up at half past six even though I would really prefer to sleep much later. After I get up, I perform my morning routine of washing my face, brushing my teeth, and then deciding what to wear. After I get dressed, I brush my hair. I usually don’t have time for breakfast in the morning because I have to catch a bus at seven o’clock to go to school. The bus is usually completely packed and it really makes me uncomfortable. Classes at school start at a quarter to eight except on Tuesdays when they start at seven. Each class has its own timetable. Classes are forty-five minutes long with ten minute breaks, except for one long break between the third and the fourth classes, which is twenty minutes long.
My classes take place either in our classroom or in various labs or a gym. After our classes, the students usually go for lunch to the canteen. Some students in their third and fourth year have afternoon classes, seminars, optional after-school activities or driving lessons.
After school, I sometimes go shopping or just walk around the town for a while. When I get home, I like to relax for some time; I listen to the radio and watch television. Then, I start my homework or help with some housework.
In my family, we usually eat dinner at about eight o’clock. At dinner, we discuss what happened during the day. After that, I help clean up the dinner dishes and have a shower or have a bath myself. Then, I have some time to watch the TV news. Sometimes, I watch an interesting film or music program on TV. Sometimes, I like to go downtown to see a movie or to go to a concert with my friends. About every other day, I have a date with my boyfriend. Sometimes, he comes to watch TV at my home or we might go out for a walk. I usually manage to go to bed around eleven p.m.
So this is my daily routine during the week. During the weekend, it is a different story. I like to sleep late and do whatever I wish with my free time. I am still expected to help my parents out around the house, but I still have most of the time for myself and my interests. I can go for a trip with my friends, I can visit my relatives or I can devote more time to my hobbies. I think everyone will agree that weekends are much better than weekdays.

Activity-2

Write a dialogue about your daily routine. Before writing, you should speak.
A Hello! Good morning. I would like to know about your daily routine.
B Good morning! I usually get up at 5.00 a.m.
A After that, what do you do?
B -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

B -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

B -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

B -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buddhasravaka Bhiksu University- External English Courses-2010/Preliminary /Writing

Buddhasravaka Bhiksu University
Anuradhapura
Preliminary Course in English
2010

28.11.2010
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬-________________________________________________________________________________
Activity-1

Read the following daily routine. It is incomplete. Complete it.

My Daily Routine

I am a student. So I spend the day in a simple way. I get up from bed early in the morning. First, I do my morning duties. I wash my face and brush my teeth. I take great care of my teeth, because bad teeth are a sign of bad health. Then, I take a little physical exercise. After taking exercise, I go out for a walk in the open field. There, I breathe pure morning air. My mind and body are both refreshed. Then, I return home. I say my short prayer.
After breakfast, I sit down to prepare my school tasks. I have no tutor. My father teaches me now and then. My elder brother also helps me if he finds time. I finish my studies at about 6.00 a.m. Then, I get ready for bath. I rub my body well with oil. This is good for health. I bathe in a pond near our house. I can swim well. But, my time is short. So, I swim only for a short time. I rub my body with a towel. I enjoy the bath very much. Finishing my bath, I dress myself and sit down to my meal. When the meal is over, I take a little rest and then start for school with my books. On the way, I often meet some of my classmates and together we go to school.
The classes begin at eleven. I am never late in attending school. We have got eight periods. Different subjects are taught during these periods. I always try to listen to my teachers in the class. After the fourth period, we get half an hour for recreation and tea. I take some tea and play with my friends. The school closes at 1.30 p.m. I do not wait a minute after school hours. I come back home quickly without stopping on the way.
Returning home, I put my books in the proper place. After that, I put off my school dress. After washing my hands and feet, I take my lunch. I do not read in the afternoon. So after taking my meals, I go out to play. I am very fond of playing football. I also play cricket. Usually, I return home before it is dark. Sometimes, I am late and my father blames me for that. On returning------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Activity-2
Write about your daily routine. Then speak about it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sources
www.oppapers.com/subjects/students-da...22.11.210
D.N. Aloysius
Rajarata University of Sri Lanka

Do the above activities and email to aloysiusrjt@gmail.com

General English- Jimmy and Joni

Jimmy please say you wait for me
I grow up someday you see
Saving all my kisses just for you
Signed with love forever true.

Joni was the girl who lived next door
I've known her I guess ten years or more.
Joni wrote me a note one day.
And this is what she had to say.

Jimmy please say you wait for me
I grow up someday you see
Saving all my kisses just for you
Signed with love forever true.

Slowly I read her note once more
I went over to the house next door
Her tear-drops fell like rain that day
When I told Joni what I had to say.

Joni, Joni please don't cry
You forget me by and by
You're just fifteen and I'm twenty two,
and Joni I just can’t wait for you.

Soon I left our little home town,
Got me a job and tried to settle down
But these words kept haunting my memory,
the words that Joni said to me.

Jimmy please say you wait for me
I grow up some day you see
Saving all my kisses just for you
Signed with love forever true.

I packed my clothes and I caught a plane
and I had to see Joni. I had to explain,
how my heart was filled with her memory
and ask my Joni if she'd marry me

I ran all the way to the house next door
but things weren't like they were before
My tear-drops fell like rain that day
When I heard what Joni had to say.

Jimmy, Jimmy please don't cry
You forget me by and by.
It's been five years since you've been gone
Jimmy, I - (married) - your best friend John.


D.N. Aloysius
Rajarata University of Sri Lanka
22.11.2010

Activity

Read the above song and speak and write about it.

General English -Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, the son of John and Elizabeth Dickens. John Dickens was a clerk in the Naval Pay Office. He had a poor head for finances, and in 1824 found himself imprisoned for debt. His wife and children, with the exception of Charles, who was put to work at Warren's Blacking Factory, joined him in the Marshal Sea Prison. When the family finances were put at least partly to rights and his father was released, the twelve-year-old Dickens, already scarred psychologically by the experience, was further wounded by his mother's insistence that he continue to work at the factory. His father, however, rescued him from that fate, and between 1824 and 1827 Dickens was a day pupil at a school in London. At fifteen, he found employment as an office boy at an attorney's, while he studied shorthand at night. His brief stint at the Blacking Factory haunted him all of his life — he spoke of it only to his wife and to his closest friend, John Forster — but the dark secret became a source both of creative energy and of the preoccupation with the themes of alienation and betrayal which would emerge, most notably, in David Copperfield and in Great Expectations.
In 1829 he became a free-lance reporter at Doctor's Commons Courts, and in 1830 he met and fell in love with Maria Beadnell, the daughter of a banker. By 1832 he had become a very successful shorthand reporter of Parliamentary debates in the House of Commons, and began work as a reporter for a newspaper.
In 1833 his relationship with Maria Beadnell ended, probably because her parents did not think him a good match (a not very flattering version of her would appear years later in Little Dorrit). In the same year his first published story appeared, and was followed, very shortly thereafter, by a number of other stories and sketches. In 1834, still a newspaper reporter; he adopted the soon to be famous pseudonym "Boz." His impecunious father (who was the original of Mr. Micawber in David Copperfield, as Dickens's mother was the original for the querulous Mrs. Nickleby) was once again arrested for debt, and Charles, much to his chagrin, was forced to come to his aid. Later in his life both of his parents (and his brothers) were frequently after him for money. In 1835 he met and became engaged to Catherine Hogarth.
The first series of Sketches by Boz was published in 1836, and that same year Dickens was hired to write short texts to accompany a series of humorous sporting illustrations by Robert Seymour, a popular artist. Seymour committed suicide after the second number, however, and under these peculiar circumstances Dickens altered the initial conception of The Pickwick Papers , which became a novel (illustrated by Hablot K. Browne, "Phiz," whose association with Dickens would continue for many years). The Pickwick Papers continued in monthly parts through November 1837, and, to everyone's surprise, it became an enormous popular success. Dickens proceeded to marry Catherine Hogarth on April 2, 1836, and during the same year he became editor of Bentley's Miscellany, published (in December) the second series of Sketches by Boz, and met John Forster, who would become his closest friend and confidant as well as his first biographer.
After the success of Pickwick, Dickens embarked on a full-time career as a novelist, producing work of increasing complexity at an incredible rate, although he continued, as well, his journalistic and editorial activities. Oliver Twist was begun in 1837, and continued in monthly parts until April 1839. It was in 1837, too, that Catherine's younger sister Mary, whom Dickens idolized, died. She too would appear, in various guises, in Dickens's later fiction. A son, Charles, the first of ten children, was born in the same year.
Nicholas Nickleby got underway in 1838, and continued through October 1839, in which year Dickens resigned as editor of Bentley's Miscellany. The first number of Master Humphrey's Clock appeared in 1840, and The Old Curiosity Shop, begun in Master Humphrey, continued through February 1841, when Dickens commenced Barnaby Rudge, which continued through November of that year. In 1842 he embarked on a visit to Canada and the United States in which he advocated international copyright (unscrupulous American publishers, in particular, were pirating his works) and the abolition of slavery. His American Notes, which created a furor in America (he commented unfavorably, for one thing, on the apparently universal — and, so far as Dickens was concerned, highly distasteful — American predilection for chewing tobacco and spitting the juice), appeared in October of that year. Martin Chuzzlewit, part of which was set in a not very flatteringly portrayed America, was begun in 1843, and ran through July 1844. A Christmas Carol, the first of Dickens's enormously successful Christmas books — each, though they grew progressively darker, intended as "a whimsical sort of masque intended to awaken loving and forbearing thoughts" — appeared in December 1844.
In that same year, Dickens and his family toured Italy, and were much abroad, in Italy, Switzerland, and France, until 1847. Dickens returned to London in December 1844, when The Chimes was published, and then went back to Italy, not to return to England until July of 1845. 1845 also brought the debut of Dickens's amateur theatrical company, which would occupy a great deal of his time from then on. The Cricket and the Hearth, a third Christmas book, was published in December, and his Pictures From Italy appeared in 1846 in the "Daily News," a paper which Dickens founded and of which, for a short time, he was the editor.
In 1847, in Switzerland, Dickens began Dombey and Son, which ran until April 1848. The Battle of Life appeared in December of that year. In 1848 Dickens also wrote an autobiographical fragment, directed and acted in a number of amateur theatricals, and published what would be his last Christmas book, The Haunted Man, in December. 1849 saw the birth of David Copperfield, which would run through November 1850. In that year, too, Dickens founded and installed himself as editor of the weekly Household Words, which would be succeeded, in 1859, by All the Year Round, which he edited until his death. 1851 found him at work on Bleak House, which appeared monthly from 1852 until September 1853.
In 1853 he toured Italy with Augustus Egg and Wilkie Collins, and gave, upon his return to England, the first of many public readings from his own works. Hard Times began to appear weekly in Household Words in 1854, and continued until August. Dickens's family spent the summer and the fall in Boulogne. In 1855 they arrived in Paris in October, and Dickens began Little Dorrit, which continued in monthly parts until June 1857. In 1856 Dickens and Wilkie Collins collaborated on a play, The Frozen Deep, and Dickens purchased Gad's Hill, an estate he had admired since childhood.
The Dickens family spent the summer of 1857 at a renovated Gad's Hill. Hans Christian Anderson, whose fairy tales Dickens admired greatly, visited them there and quickly wore out his welcome. Dickens's theatrical company performed The Frozen Deep for the Queen, and when a young actress named Ellen Ternan joined the cast in August, Dickens fell in love with her. In 1858, in London, Dickens undertook his first public readings for pay, and quarreled with his old friend and rival, the great novelist Thackeray. More importantly, it was in that year that, after a long period of difficulties, he separated from his wife. They had been for many years "temperamentally unsuited" to each other. Dickens, charming and brilliant though he was, was also fundamentally insecure emotionally, and must have been extraordinarily difficult to live with.
In 1859 his London readings continued, and he began a new weekly, All the Year Round. The first installment of A Tale of Two Cities appeared in the opening number, and the novel continued through November. By 1860, the Dickens family had taken up residence at Gad's Hill. Dickens, during a period of retrospection, burned many personal letters, and re-read his own David Copperfield, the most autobiographical of his novels, before beginning Great Expectations, which appeared weekly until August 1861.
1861 found Dickens embarking upon another series of public readings in London, readings which would continue through the next year. In 1863, he did public readings both in Paris and London, and reconciled with Thackeray just before the latter's death. Our Mutual Friend was begun in 1864, and appeared monthly until November 1865. Dickens was in poor health, due largely to consistent overwork.
In 1865, an incident which occurred disturbed Dickens greatly, both psychologically and physically: Dickens and Ellen Ternan, returning from a Paris holiday, were badly shaken up in a railway accident in which a number of people were injured.
1866 brought another series of public readings, this time in various locations in England and Scotland, and still more public readings, in England and Ireland, were undertaken in 1867. Dickens was now really unwell but carried on, compulsively, against his doctor's advice. Late in the year he embarked on an American reading tour, which continued into 1868. Dickens's health was worsening, but he took over still another physically and mentally exhausting task, editorial duties at All the Year Round.
During 1869, his readings continued, in England, Scotland, and Ireland, until at last he collapsed, showing symptoms of mild stroke. Further provincial readings were cancelled, but he began upon The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
Dickens's final public readings took place in London in 1870. He suffered another stroke on June 8 at Gad's Hill, after a full day's work on Edwin Drood, and died the next day. He was buried at Westminster Abbey on June 14, and the last episode of the unfinished Mystery of Edwin Drood appeared in September.
Sources
www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens

D.N. Aloysius
Rajarata University of Sri Lanka
22.11.2010

Activity
Read the above article on Charles Dickens and speak and write about him.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Road Accidents-External Degree (English) University of Sri Jayawardenepura

You are required to conduct a research to find out the reasons for the increase in road accidents. Write a report based on your findings including your recommendations on how to reduce the number of road accidents.

Many road accidents are reported to have occurred in the island during the past few months. According to the recent police reports, the number of road accidents has increased in comparison to the previous year. It is found that many reasons contribute to this situation. We should, therefore, initiate effective measures to reduce the number of road accidents.
As pointed out earlier, there are many reasons for road accidents. Some of them are recklessness, drunkenness, lack of knowledge of the Highway Code and violating it, using mobile phones, poor condition of the roads and vehicles, ignorance of safety methods such as wearing helmets and using seat belts, unprotected railway gates and inexperienced driving.
In accordance with the research, it is apparent that immediate measures should be taken to minimize the number of road accidents. Hence, it is recommended that the prevalent traffic law should be properly implemented. Penalty and punishment should also be increased. It is the duty of the relevant authorities to check the conditions of the vehicles and recommend them for running. It is also recommended that the Highway Code should be revised.
In conclusion, it is now obvious that there are many reasons for the increasing number of road accidents in the country. It is, therefore, necessary for the authorities concerned to implement the above recommendations immediately in order to prevent the road accidents.

D.N. Aloysius

Avarice By George Herbert-GCE-A/L

MONEY, thou bane of bliss, and source of woe,
Whence com'st thou, that thou art so fresh and fine?
I know thy parentage is base and low:
Man found thee poor and dirty in a mine.

Surely thou didst so little contribute
To this great kingdom, which thou now hast got,
That he was fain, when thou wert destitute,
To dig thee out of thy dark cave and grot.

Then forcing thee, by fire he made thee bright :
Nay, thou hast got the face of man; for we
Have with our stamp and seal transferr'd our right :
Thou art the man, and man but dross to thee.

Man calleth thee his wealth, who made thee rich ;
And while he digs out thee, falls in the ditch.

Avarice is a poem composed by George Herbert, who is a metaphysical poet. It is about money. Here, money means gold.The process whereby metal is transferred from its 'cave or grot' and hammered into coins and then there is a process by which money is hammered with man's face. According to George Herbert money is given a face, a stamp, a right to command the labor of men and the produce of the earth. We make money both physically and through our consent- we turn it into something that has value. When we possess money, we think that we are wealthy, but as Herbert points out in his ironic last line, the value of money is perpetual and our possession of it is ephemeral.
Herbert draws our attention to it because he wants us to see that the consent and contract upheld by the state can become a competitor to his own view that humanity is a God driven and purposed entity. If our priorities are only heavenly- and if you strictly believe the words of the Bible how else can they be- then money and the whole apparatus that protects earthly happiness (the state itself) is a disguise- a disguise that may lead to doom. Christ of course turned down the kingdoms of the world and Herbert is suggesting that we too should turn down money that cannot accompany us when we drop into our ditch and that is a 'bane of bliss and source of woe'. Money and government are the insignia of sin: not merely in the sense for Herbert that they perpetuate sin (the Rousseauian and Marxist point) but that merely by existing they are the definition of sin, they create a goal, a God to worship over God.
Money in Herbert's vision is only valued as an expression of man's intentions- his earthly desires. Herbert of course believes that fallen man can never achieve any happiness- money is thus a source of woe and bane of bliss because it is created by man and not by God. Herbert's title is crucial to interpreting the poem- by calling this Avarice he wants us to analyze the poem in the Augustinian way that I have done. What Herbert offers us as a definition of Avarice is a poetic definition of money and that poetic definition of money ties money right into the political acts of consent that create it. You don't have to endorse Herbert's view of the world- Augustinian and profoundly Christian- to understand the power of his point. His argument is that Caesar and Christ can never be followed together: render unto Caesar what is Caesar's- the coin of the empire (and remember at this point England is an 'empire entire to itself') and render unto God what is God's (the soul). Too much preoccupation with the former leads to a neglect of the latter and consequently what Herbert argues for here is both quietist and revolutionary: he does not argue for a new kind of politics or economics, he argues against politics and economics as ways of thinking about human kind.
It is worth considering this, even if you disagree with Herbert's line of thinking, because what it reminds us is how secular modern politics actually is. Everyone today is a secularist in Herbert's view. Herbert did not see a political system as evil- he saw political systems in themselves as a perversion of the higher aims that we all should have. Money for him is a part of the political world- it is created by consent after all- raised to become a King. But his argument is that as soon as we care about money, we lose the ability to care about God. I do not agree with this position- but it is worth understanding that it exists. Herbert's world view is more foreign from that of Newt Gingrich than Karl Marx's world view is, because it denies the very legitimacy of any argument about political systems or political entities save as a pathway to heaven. This radical Christian impulse- and it is shared in other religions- is an important strand in the theology of politics: in a sense it goes back to Augustine for whom the civitate mundi was filled with conflict and destruction, the civitate dei was the only refuge. Herbert would have endorsed that.
Sources
gracchii.blogspot.com/2009/03/avarice-21.11.2010

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Diploma in Business Economics-Business Communication

Hi, Students of Diploma in Business Economics,
You will be able to visit my web site and get information regarding my subject, Business Communication after each lecture. Once you complete 30 hours with me, you will get all information. Please note that you won’t be able to get all notes at once. You have to wait till the lessons are completed. At the end of the lecture series, you will be able to purchase my book on Business Communication.

Wish you all the best!
D.N. Aloysius

Diploma in Business Economics-Business Communication

Business Communication
Presented
by
D.N. Aloysius
Introduction to Business communication
Oral communication
Written communication
Oral communication
Interviews
Telephone conversations
Speaking to customers
Welcome address
Vote of thanks
Introducing people
Introducing your products
Discussions
Meetings/Staff meetings
Business Economics Association Meeting
Presentation skills
Power point presentation
Panel discussions
Giving directions to find a place
Giving directions to do an official activity
Written communication
Curriculum vitae/bio data/resume/CV
Covering letter
Letter of application
Calling letter for an interview
Letter of appointment
Letter of assuming duties
Letter of informing of meetings or programs
Letter of postponing or cancelling meetings
Letters asking for leave
Letters seeking permission to leave the office
Invitations/accepting and refusing invitations
Letter of thanks
Letter of congratulations
Letter of apology
Letter of request/Letter of reply to a request
Letter of inquiry/ Letter of reply to an inquiry
Letter of complaint/Letter of reply to a complaint
Letter of appeal
Letter asking for a transfer
Letter of recommendation
Service certificates
Testimonials/character certificates
Reminders
Agendas
Minutes
Notices/memos
Reports
Newsletters
Acknowledgements
Articles to newspapers and magazines
Publishing a magazine

Business Communication-Diploma in Business Economics

Introduction to Business communication
Business communication means the communication between the people in the organization for the purpose of carrying out the business activities. It may be oral or written etc.
A business can flourish when all the targets of the organization are achieved effectively. For efficiency in an organization all the people within and outside of the organization must be able to convey their message properly. The exchange of ideas, understanding, within and outside the organization to achieve the business goals is known as business communication.

Building the business communication infrastructure
In business communication the use of emails, memos and letters should be written in a way that produces the best results. You should use the tone and level of formality that fits the objectives and the reader, and convey you thoughts in a concise and intelligent way.

Holding Regular Meetings
In addition to emails and letters, meetings also play a vital role in business communication. In any organization, meetings are vital part of the organization of work and the flow of information. They act as a mechanism for gathering together resources from many sources and pooling then towards a common objective. Employees generally dislike this type of get-together because they are usually futile, boring, time wasting, dull, and inconvenient.
Your challenge is to break this attitude and to make your meetings effective. As with every other managed activity, meetings should be planned beforehand, monitored during for effectiveness, and reviewed afterwards for improvement. A meeting is the ultimate form of business communication. One can organize the information and structure of the meeting to support the effective communication of the participants.
No manager can be effective in his job unless he is able to communicate. It is the most essential single skill.
Business communication is a tool that allows you to improve the performance of your employees, it allows you to improve the performance of the teams within your company, and it allows you to improve the performance of your entire organization, all with the common purpose to execute the organization’s strategy, reach its vision, and fulfill its mission.
Business communication is used to promote a product, service, or organization; relay information within the business; or deal with legal and similar issues. It is also a means of relaying between a supply chain, for example the consumer and manufacturer.
Business Communication encompasses a variety of topics, including Marketing, Branding, Customer relations, Consumer behavior, Advertising, Public relations, Corporate communication, Community engagement, Research & Measurement, Reputation management, Interpersonal communication, Employee engagement, Online communication, and Event management. It is closely related to the fields of professional communication and technical communication.
In business, the term communication encompasses various channels of communication, including the Internet, Print (Publications), Radio, Television, Outdoor, and Word of mouth.
Business Communication can also refer to internal communication. A communications director will typically manage internal communication and craft messages sent to employees. It is vital that internal communications are managed properly because a poorly crafted or managed message could foster distrust or hostility from employees.
There are several methods of business communication, including:
• Web-based communication - for better and improved communication, anytime anywhere ...
• Video conferencing which allow people in different locations to hold interactive meetings;
• e-mails, which provide an instantaneous medium of written communication worldwide;
• Reports - important in documenting the activities of any department;
• Presentations - very popular method of communication in all types of organizations, usually involving audiovisual material, like copies of reports, or material prepared in Microsoft PowerPoint or Adobe Flash;
• T meetings, which allow for long distance speech;
• Forum boards, which allow people to instantly post information at a centralized location; and
• Face-to-face meetings, which are personal and should be succeeded by a written follow-up.
Business communication is somewhat different and unique rather from other type of communication since the purpose of business is to get profit. Thus, to make good way for profit the communicator should develop good communication skills. Everyone knows that in the present day trends the knowledge alone won’t be a fruitful one to have sustainable development. By knowing the importance of communication many organizations started training their employees in betterment of communication techniques.
Essentially due to globalization the world has become a global village. Thus, here the importance of cross cultural communication plays a vital role. Since each and every nation has their own meaning for each and every non verbal actions.
The way we appear speaks a lot about us in business communication. A neat appearance is half done verbal communication. But, developing communication is not a day’s work, it needs constant yearly practice. There are several ways to get trained in excelling business communication.
• by our own
• by practicing from trainers
• by internet contents
• by books

References:
1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_communication-18.11.2010
2. www.hodu.com/business-communication-menu.html-18.11.2010


D.N. Aloysius
aloysiusrjt@gmail.com
dnaloysius.blogspot.com


• Business Ethics
• Business and Workplace Etiquette
• Business Writing Skills
• Communication in the Workplace
• Conflict Resolution
• Creative Thinking
• Crisis Management
• Cross Cultural Communication
• Customer Relations
• Effective Meetings
• Job-hunting Skills
• Management Strategies
• Marketing Communication
• Negotiating Skills
• Networking in Business
• Presentation Skills
• Team Building
• Technology and Human Communication: The Interface
• Telephone Marketing and Skills