Notesale: Turn your study into money

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ARRANGED MARRIAGE – LOWER DIVORCE RATE???
Hello, my name is xxx and today I will talk about divorce rate in arranged marriage compared
to divorce rate in love marriage
...
We have already talked about how despite
the downsides of the arranged marriage, divorce rates seem to be lower than in love
marriage
...

Firstly, let's look at some facts regarding the issue: in India where 90 % of marriages are
arranged the divorce rate is only 1 %, which is among lowest in the world
...

However a study of relationship outcomes among Indian-American couples provides a
counterevidence, showing that people in arranged marriages reported the same levels of
satisfaction with their marriage compared to those in free-choice marriages
...
But in modern arranged marriage children usually
have the right to reject their potential partner, so the role of parents is not to choose a mate
for their children entirely on their own but to rather guide their children and provide them a
limited choice set
...
They do not put so much emphasis on the outward appearances, which are
not crucial in the long run
...

Another reason for satisfaction in arranged marriage is that people spend less time and
effort when looking for the right one
...
Same seems to apply in choosing your mate
...
Furthemore expectations in
arranged marriage are lower than in free-choice marriage
...
It is logically
then that these lower expectations can be more easily met or even exceeded resulting in
more satisfaction
...
First of all the number of people separated is almost thrice
the number of people divorced and one of the biggest reasons for low divorce rate is the
stigma attached to the institution of divorce
...
Furthermore the legal system in India is very slow and all the
process of getting divorced takes up a lot of time and a lot of money
...

I personally think that divorce rates are not really the best indicators of success of marriage
because in order for a divorce to occur many factors besides dissatisfaction in marriage such
as financial and social security, norms and parents’ expectations must be considered
...
I think that this is only one example why statistics can often be
deceiving – they can show us the results but not the real causes
...


https://www
...
com/us/blog/the-science-behind-behavior/201511/why-are-so-manyindian-arranged-marriages-successful

https://www
...
com/india-lowest-divorce-rate-is-not-a-good-thing/

http://factsanddetails
...
html

https://www
...
in/variety/india-has-the-lowest-divorce-rate-in-the-world-5-reasons-why-its-nota-good-thing/story/1/29213
...
We believe that torture is not
justified in any of these situations, besides each act of torture makes it easier to accept the use of
torture in the future, leading to its routine use
...
In a survey conducted by Amnesty International, 44 % of people said, that they fear
torture if taken into custody
...
No one
is safe when governments allow its use
...
In January 2014, Mahmoud
Hussein, then 18 years old, was arrested for wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “Nation Without
Torture”
...

First we must understand that torture causes severe pain and suffering to victims which continues
long after the acts of torture stop
...
In this case all the human rights and morals become meaningless, for
example using torture as an interrogation tool violates the legal right to remain silent when
questioned
...
Those who carry out torture are likely to become brutalised by their acts and the more acts
of torture they carry out, the more likely they are to become violent
...

Now I will focus on the use of torture as an interrogation method in the hope we don’t need to
discuss how unjustified torture for persuasion and sadistic gratification is
...
There is no scientific evidence supporting its effectiveness and it
produces false information because under torture a prisoner will eventually say anything to stop the
pain - regardless of whether it is true
...
Information supporting the ineffectiveness of
torture goes back centuries
...
It was found that subjects would
make up stories if it meant the torture would stop
...

Nowadays with all the technology more effective methods of interrogation that don't involve torture
are available
...


Gives false info:
•
In August 2012, Mexican marines broke into Claudia Medina’s home and took her to the local
navy base where she was given electric shocks, wrapped in plastic and beaten, and forced to inhale
chilli
...
“If they had not tortured me, I
would not have signed the statement,” Claudia said
...
)

The lack of scientific basis for the effectiveness of torture as an interrogation techniques is
summarized in a 2006 Intelligence Science Board report titled "EDUCING INFORMATION,
Interrogation: Science and Art, Foundations for the Future"
...
‘Can’t you talk about crops or something?’ I meant nothing in particular by this remark but it
was taken up in an unexpected way
...
‘I’ve
gotten to be a terrible pessimist about things
...
‘Well, it’s a fine book, and
everybody ought to read it
...
It’s all scientific stuff; it’s been proved
...
‘He reads deep books with long words in them
...
‘This
fellow has worked out the whole thing
...
’ ‘We’ve got to beat them down,’ whispered Daisy, winking
ferociously toward the fervent sun
...
‘This idea is that we’re Nordics
...
‘—and we’ve produced all the things that go to make civilization—oh, science
and art and all that
...

Extract from The Great Gatsby

In this oral I will discuss the race, and other factors that gave people unequal chances in life, as
presented in the Great Gatsby by F
...
In the chosen extract, Tom Buchanan, one of the main characters of the
book expresses his radical view on the race issue
...
Jordan Baker, their wealthy friend, was also there
...

It all reached the top with Tom’s statement: “ It’s up to us who are the dominant race to watch out
or these other races will have control of things
...
It describes Tom very
straightforwardly just at the beginning of the book as an arrogant selfish snob, who believes that a
few people in the world deserve wealth and power and feels threatened by the idea that everyone
can rise in his life and become just as successful and wealthy as someone who was born rich
...
Furthermore, this statement has a broader meaning as it
does not only describe Tom’s opinion but the reality in America in 1920s when the idea of the
American dream started threatening old-money who were reluctant to lose their privileges
...
Old-money feel
threatened by the rise of new-money because the want to preserve their dominant position
...
So in one sentence she showed the role of race and
gender in this work and proved that America in fact is divided based on money, class, race and
gender and the American dream is only an unattainable illusion
...
Money represents a border
between them and the rest of the people and to me they seem completely separated from the
reality
...
This extract also clearly shows us that Nick is a
stranger at East Egg and that he does not belong to this aristocracy
...

In conclusion we can see that this extract clearly separates certain people from the others and makes
a background for the future events
...
Though it is far from being a plot twist, it is important as foreshadowing of the
future events and understanding the main message of the book
...
What is the point of view in this novel? How would you characterize the
narrative voice?
The point of view in this novel is a first person one and Nick Carraway is the
narrator
...

2
...
What do we know about his attitude toward
Gatsby in the very first chapter?
We know that Gatsby represents everything that Nick hates
...
In the end he decides that Gatsby is all right
...
Describe Nick's past
...
He was raised on the Midwestern values: hard
work, perseverance, justice etc
...
He has been in the war
and he went to college in the past
...
What are the major differences between East Egg and West Egg?
People from “old money” mainly live in East Egg and people with “new money” in
West Egg
...
Those from West Egg are eager to show off their money, but those from
East Egg are more private about their wealth
...

5
...

Tom is an arrogant, selfish old-money snob
...
He is racist and believes that a few people in the
world deserve wealth and power and he even feels threatened by the idea that

everyone can rise in his life and become just as successful and wealthy as
someone who was born rich
...
She is rich and loves money and all the luxury it brings (is
very materialistic)
...
She is also selfish and childish
...
This is one of the reasons she also
appeared a bit mysterious
...
She doesn’t live the
“traditional” life of a woman (with marriage, kids etc
...


6
...
Gatsby is also in conflict with
society (because he was too poor he began with illegal actions, which put him in
conflict with society)
...
Nick’s internal
conflict regarding Gatsby (he hates everything that Gatsby represents, but can’t
help himself from still loving him in a way)
...

7
...
Nick somehow excused him all the crime (though he said at the beginning
that Gatsby represents everything that he hates), just because he has never seen
such a dreamer and lover
...
Conversely, how does Fitzgerald illustrate the opposite of innocence:
experience?
I think that it is best illustrated, when it becomes clear that Daisy and Gatsby will
never be able to repeat the past
...
In the past, when he was just a young boy in a love relationship with
Daisy he was still innocent but then he gained experience of the real world in
which he is no longer innocent
...
What is the significance of the "valley of ashes"?
The valley of ashes is an industrial zone on the way to the city
...
There is a big contrast between the wealthy neighborhood, where
Nick and Gatsby lived, and the valley of ashes
...
What is the significance of "the eyes of Doctor T
...
Eckleburg"?
They can mean anything a character (or reader) wants them to
...
For George Wilson they represent the eyes of God
...

11
...

Myrtle was Tom’s mistress and George’s wife
...
Therefore she wanted to
improve her position with her love relationship with Tom
...

12
...

What do you think he means?

With I was enchanted, he means that the unlimited possibilities, unlimited money,
the carelessness that those people could afford in a way attracted him
...
But at the same time he saw how immoral they were, how
superficial everything in this type of life is etc
...
What is odd about Gatsby's parties?
That most of the people aren’t even invited, everything (best food, pools, boats,
car etc
...
It is odd that most guests didn’t even
know the host and Gatsby was not dancing, talking to others etc
...

14
...
He exemplifies the "American Dream", because he was able to move to a
much higher level of society with hard work
...

15
...
He had lots of money and possessions (which he
earned by himself), but not Daisy
...
Is there anything tragic about any of the other characters?
Myrtle’s life is kind of tragic, because she is imprisoned by her husband (at first
only at figurative sense, but then even literally, when George locks her in their
room)
...

17
...
" What
is significant about this statement? Beyond the bright gaudiness that the statement
implies, what else might Nick mean?
It can have more meanings
...
The other is that
his house resembles a fair, because it is open to everybody (too many people have

access) and when you look closely you see that there’s a lot of trash and waste
also
...
On page 101 Nick writes: "There must have been moments even that afternoon
when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams--not through her own fault but because of
the colossal vitality of his illusion
...
In his dreams she was perfect and he forgot
that this is only his illusion, not the reality
...
The real Daisy can’t fulfill the illusion Gatsby has
created
...
Compare the homes of Gatsby, Nick, the Buchanans, and the Wilsons
...
Nick’s personality reflects the middle class just like his house
...
It shows the
Buchanan’s hollowness and how influenced they are by society
...

Gatsby’s mansion also shows his wealth and is very luxurious, but (in contrast to
the Buchanan’s place) has an authentic style
...
This mansion also served as a tool in achieving his goal: it was built
for parties, built to attract Daisy etc
...

Wilsons live above a small garage placed in the Valley of Ashes
...
It shows their poverty and Wilson’s inability to succeed
...
What is significant about Gatsby's reply to the "ambitious young reporter" on
p
...

Instead he asked him politely what he wants to know and showed his refinement
...

21
...
By doing so it
gives the character a chance to create different impressions on the reader
...
It also makes Gatsby more mysterious and therefore the story
is more interesting
...

22
...
" Is Gatsby a monomaniac? Why or why not?
Monomaniac is a person who is extremely interested in one thing, usually to the
point that they are mentally ill
...
She was the
only meaning of his life and all his actions had the common aim: to get her
...
What does Dan Cody represent to Gatsby? In what way is Cody important to
Gatsby's future?
Dan Cody was a self-made man who made a fortune in mining and was kind of a
role model for Gatsby
...

24
...
113-114) Go beyond the
obvious in responding to this question
She is appalled, because the West Egg has become wealthy (just like the East Egg,
where she comes from) and it makes her less privileged
...
I think she doesn’t like it, because she feels threatened
by them and can’t accept the idea of the American dream (she thinks that only
certain people, who were born reach, deserve to have money)
...
Talk about the significance of Gatsby's remark to Nick: "Can't repeat the past?
Why of course you can!"

I think that at this point it was clear that Daisy is out of Gatsby’s reach, but Gatsby,
a dreamer, still couldn’t accept that his love relationship with Daisy belongs to the
past and is impossible to be replicated
...
He
was still hoping that somehow things would change and with his respond he was
trying to convince not only Nick, but himself as well
...
Nick guesses that in pursuing Daisy, Gatsby is trying to recover something
from his past (116-117)
...
He wants to
return to where he started, before his life became full of lies, underhand dealings
etc
...
Reread page 118
...
He too once had a dream and believed in
the idea of the American dream
...
An elusive rhythm is a feeling he can’t really
describe or exactly remember, but knows he had it before and fragment of lost
words is also something connected to the past that he can’t clearly recall to his
mind (probably they both refer to his own youth: he also once had the American
dream, but now he is not such an idealist as Gatsby, now he is very realistic and he
has lost his hope in the American dream a long time ago)
...
Why does Gatsby fire his servants and quit throwing parties?
Because he was too obsessed with Daisy (though these parties were organized to
attract her at the beginning)
...

29
...
Because Tom was so aggressive she
was probably also afraid to leave him for Gatsby
...
), while Gatsby got stuck in the past
...
He idealized her to much and got trapped into
his own illusions, which couldn’t be fulfilled in reality
...
Explain the significance of Nick's remembering, when offered a drink, "'that
today's my birthday
...
Before me stretched the portentous menacing
road of a new decade" (142-143)
...
But here nobody really cares about his
birthday and Nick knows that
...
Why does Nick despise Gatsby? On the other hand, why does Nick admire
Gatsby?
He despises him, because he became successful through illegal actions (such as
bootlegging)
...
He is also in a way jealous, because they both like Daisy
...
He
also admires his brilliant smile
...

32
...

Cold food is a symbol of conflict and foreshadowing of the future disaster
...
, but here it shows that there already is some tension
between the characters and that something is not as usual, leading to a future
catastrophe
...
"'Jay Gatsby' had broken up like glass against Tom's hard malice" (155)
...
It was the first time they had such a
serious and direct argument and Tom was very harsh and showed that he is
superior to Gatsby and that Gatsby has nothing to do in their love relationship,

that Daisy is not a possibility for Gatsby
...

34
...
" (157)
It means that money separates people from the passage of time and the sufferings
of the real world
...
Their wealth creates a kind of a shield for them, so they are
separated from the rest of the world
...

35
...
Nick recognized him as a much better person than Tom and Daisy
were, because he was more caring, honest and reliable
...
and I think that Nick admired these
actions
...

36
...

37
...
He says that they might all have something in
common, which made it impossible for them to adapt to the Eastern life (and this
could probably be the reason for all the conflicts – the basis of the story)
...
In what ways is The Great Gatsby a story about America?

Because its themes, motifs etc
...
Through the life of the characters (Gatsby) this novel
shows the decline of the American dream in the 1920s
...


For your next assignment find elements in the text that show the downfall of the
American dream
...
50 words
...

Decayed social and moral values
These are portrayed in many different ways: Gatsby’s parties (with lots of alcohol,
loud music etc
...
Aristocracy was also in a
way excused for their actions: Daisy killed Myrtle when she was driving, but she
didn’t have to pay for it: in the end Gatsby was shot, but Daisy continued to live
her life without consequences
...
People wanted
to become successful which was often possible through illegal businesses only
...

People are not equal
While it was believed that America is a land where all the people are equal, we
can see that it was not true
...
He showed fear that black people would become equal to him and
he believed that it shouldn’t happen
...

Also roles of men and women are quite distinguished: again we can use the
Buchanans as an example: Daisy is very dependent on her husband, her only role
is to look beautiful, while Tom’s role is to provide the money and appropriate
status
...
He is also not able to become an equal “member of the aristocracy” – to
become part of the upper class that Tom and Daisy belonged to
...

George Wilson
If the basic idea of the American dream is that with hard work anybody could
succeed, Wilson shows that it is not true
...
He ended tragically
...
The difference between them will
always exist, which is contradictory to the American dream that promises that
each individual has the same possibilities to succeed
...
The Buchanans for example still believe that some people
deserve the money and the others deserve to be poor
...


Daisy Buchanan
-

-

-

-

She was careless, selfish, shallow, amoral and often had no sympathy for
others, which was seen on her general behavior and through conversations
with others
...

She was flirting with men (Gatsby), giving them some false hope, but in
reality it was just for her own fun and enjoyment, because she knew she
would not leave Tom, who was providing her with money and status
...
She let Gatsby pay for her fault
...

She didn’t attend Gatsby’s funeral, though he loved her so much, though
she was responsible for his death to a great extent and though she loved
him (at least in the past)
...


-

A day after Myrtle’s death she called Nick blaming him for not being nice
with her, which shows, how little she cared about the tragic death (it is
quite inappropriate arguing about such little things after somebody dies)
...
She wasn’t too nice and encouraging to him and she believed that she
deserves more without working for it
...


Another theme in The Great Gatsby is about money and class and it is closely related to that of the
American dream
...
And there is also a clear difference between the lifestyles of the wealthy, who live on
Long Island and commute freely to Manhattan, and the working class people stuck in between, mired
in Queens
...
What does this say about class in
Gatsby? Why is their society so rigidly classist? Learn more about the various social classes in
Gatsby and how they affect the novel's outcome
...
Can class be acquired or is it inherited? Why is it
important to be 'classy'? Does Slovenian society place importance on class issues?

There are three main social classes shown in the Great Gatsby: “old money” (Tom, Daisy and Jordan),
“new money” (Gatsby) and people without money (George and Myrtle)
...
As Nick described it: “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed
up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or
whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made
...
What applied for everyone
else, didn’t have impact on them
...
They were superior and to preserve their superior
status, they were also so rigidly classist
...


Gatsby shows us that the possibility of upward social mobility is limited
...
Even his manners, speech and behavior revealed that he is from lower class, as “old
money” people kept their social code a secret
...
However one of the things that “old money” and “new money” have in
common is their insensitivity to the world around them
...

Their lifestyle is portrayed through Gatsby’s parties: people attend his parties, drink his liquor, and
eat his food, not even knowing their host or waiting for an invitation
...
Gatsby for example lacked good education and he couldn’t affect his family background,
which is also important for class
...
In
the novel it was the feature which determined the social class (social class wasn’t dependent just on
the amount of wealth one had), the feature which also separated Gatsby from the “old money”
...
but can rather occupy themselves with (artificial) problems that are not of life
importance
...
I don’t really think we have “old money” and
“new money” as we don’t even have an area specifically known for millionaires living there (Slovenia
is also too small for that, doesn’t have enough super-wealthy people etc
...
Though differences within this class can be quite big, they don’t
put social barriers between people (don’t insulate people from each other)
...
However there are of course also poor people and we hear about them
much more often
...
But the problem is that these people are often also different
nationalities, immigrants or have any other “handicap” and when we see them in real life we usually
avoid them and don’t accept them to our social circle
...
But I think that Slovenian society tries to reduce them (quite successfully I would
say) in many ways and one that I find very important is free education
...
But Nick’s attitude towards Gatsby is quite complex and controversial: Gatsby
represents everything that Nick hates, yet he can not help himself thinking highly about Gatsby
...
He admits that just at the beginning of the book
...

Though they had been living next to each other for quite some time, they never talked to each other
and Nick was almost afraid of him and his power and wealth
...
As a result, Nick did not
recognize him on the party when he was talking to him
...
At the same time Nick became one of the few people Gatsby really cared about
and payed special attention to
...
This can be seen when Gatsby shows up at Nick’s house one day, inviting him on
a lunch
...
Furthermore this lunch had a very specific purpose for Gatsby: he wanted Nick
to help him get in contact with Daisy
...
The tragic events just before Gatsby’s death connected
them even more
...
Also Nick showed big
concern for his friend, advising him to run away before they could trace down his car and blame him
for Myrtle’s death
...

In addition we could say that their friendship does not end with Gatsby’s death, because Nick is
expressing his loyalty even after the tragic events
...
He also showed a lot of
interest about Gatsby’s mysterious past in the conversation with Gatsby’s father
...

Though at first glance the two characters seem completely different, almost the opposites of each
other: wealthy, dreamy criminal Jay Gatsby and modest, realistic, honest Nick Carraway; I would
argue that they have something very important in common: a similar past
...
This enabled Nick to be more
understanding and to sympathise with Gatsby
...
The biggest difference between them, Nick being a realist and Gatsby a dreamer, actually
strengthens their bond, because they admired the quality of their friend that they lacked
...
As a consequence the bond he has with
Nick is even more important to him
...

All in all Nick and Gatsby’s friendship is important for both of them and for the story itself
...
At the same time they have much more in common than can be seen at the
first glance and those qualities make them able to truly understand and show concern for each other
...


Nick's letter to Daisy
I have decided to write a letter in which Nick, who was not as careless as Tom and Daisy, wants to
properly say goodbye to his cousin Daisy and at the same time also to the East
...

However he has decided not to speak to Tom and Daisy ever again so letter was his only choice
...
It summarizes Nick’s thoughts and opinions and serves as a final overview of the relationships in
the story
...

Even the end of the letter is very short and non-personal because he could not sympathize with
Daisy
...
So the aim of warning Daisy about all the consequences of her acts was not
to make her more conscious, but to explain Nick’s decision to move away (though it did not actually
need an explanation, Nick felt that way)
...
From this letter we
can see how even just the thought that he will start a “new life” brings Nick lots of self-confidence
and optimism (he does not show even a little doubt in his decision, is sure that this is the only right
thing to do)
...


John Keating
1 Eaststreet
Daventry
NN11 2JU

25th February, 1959

Mr
...
Nolan,

I am pleased to be able to work with such a talented hard-working boy, your son, Neil Perry
...


Soon after I started encouraging the students to think with their own heads and follow their passions in life, I
noticed Neils talent for poetry and his big desire to act
...

But today he came to me and told me that he is not allowed to act in tomorrow’s play
...
Since you do not spend as much time with him
as I do, you might not have realized how much it means to him and how fervent he is about it
...


I completely understand all your worries and know that you are only trying to provide your son the best
opportunities for his life and prevent him from missing those chances he has
...
But your fear is unneeded
...
In addition to the development of
his talent, theatre would also give him a great opportunity to express himself and learn many life lessons
...
In my opinion this
could only motivate him to do his best at school and definitely not distract him from work as you think
...
However he is not a child anymore and he should make some decisions on his
own, it is his life after all
...
Instead of determining his future I would advise you to guide and support him on his
journey through life
...
With that said I must emphasize that Neil is a very good student and it seems unimaginable
that he could ever become a hell-raiser
...
I see this as a much better way than unsuccessfully trying to convince him into

something he hates
...


All I am asking you is to give your son one chance and I am sure that he will not let you down and you will not
regret it
...


Kind regards,

John Keating
English teacher

Tuesday, 23rd October 1951

Just another terrible day: our basketball team lost the game by one point and I was so
disappointed
...
But at
the moment winning the school cup seems just an impossible dream
...
Instead you
stood under the basket like a complete retard
...
” “I’m really
sorry
...
After that all the
boys started humiliating him, calling him names etc
...
Traumas from the past were
stronger than me again
...

The picture of young Simon from the island came in front of my eyes, a vivid memory of
the crowd of boys beating him to his death
...
Then came the other memories of the cruel
island
...
Back on the island I thought
I was better than Jack, I believed even that he was the only evil one, leading the others on
the wrong path
...
Jack had
probably no intention of killing poor Simon, as I today didn’t mean to hurt Ted’s feelings
and dehumanize him
...
I had to admit to myself that I was just as
responsible for Simon’s death as anybody else on the island
...
Besides that, even on the island
I wasn’t always just the follower of evil, sometimes I was the one who triggered it
...
I
thought it was funny, I couldn’t see what consequences it would bring
...
I know that more than one innocent life was taken away by the beast that lives
inside each one of us
...

What is worse, I realized it is happening all the time: it didn’t end on the island
...
I am aware of the beast inside myself, yet I
am too weak to control or even defeat it
...
Oh God, I can’t bear these feelings anymore, somebody help me …

(a page from Ralph’s diary)

2
...
Food served in our school canteen is often greasy and lacks fresh fruits and vegetables
...
In order
to improve the situation, I have decided to write you a letter with a proposal of how to create better,
versatile yet tasty school meals
...
We are also aware of the
consequences of a poor diet, such as obesity and diabetes, that have become a real threat to our
society in the last decades
...
The quality of their meals also impacts their academic
achievements but unfortunately, they often live a busy life, therefore price and availability of meals is
often more important to them than their quality
...

To improve the quality of options that are available to us in school, I would ask you to read the
following suggestions and introduce some of these changes:
1
...
There
could even be a self-service salad bar with various vegetables
...
Some of the desserts should be replaced with fresh fruit which contain more vitamins and
fibre
...
Some new healthy dishes should be introduced
...
Menu should be versatile in order for students
to like it
...
When there is an “unhealthy” meal on the menu, it should at least be prepared in a way that
is best for our organisms
...

I hope you found some of these suggestions helpful and can not wait to see changes
...

A fresh healthy menu might therefore even attract more students to eat in your canteen

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