Parallel Path by Kevin Clark Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Parallel Path by Kevin Clark - Essay Example The constant comparison between the two couples becomes a source of repetition in this poem. This serves the purpose of persuading the readers to think about the ever-changing reality of human relationships. The poet repeatedly refers to the woman’s stepping away from her guy in an attempt to emphasize upon such a difficult decision of her life. She pretends to be confident and her pretension shows that she might be shaky in her decision. As she slowly steps away from him, she might be weighing the pros and cons of making such a decision. So the metaphor is hardly an amusing embellishment or diversion, an ‘escape’ from the harsh realities of life or of language. It is made out of, and it makes those realities. Their ‘opposite and discordant’ qualities are given, by metaphor’s interactive function, a form and an integrity, a role and an order. In this sense, man’s reality is formed by the metaphorical processes that inform his language. (Noppen, 61-62) The main metaphor of this poem is ‘parallel path’. It evokes images of people walking on parallel paths and this term is ironic in the sense because even though the sad couple is walking on a parallel path of the happy couple, yet their destinies are poles apart. Parallel path carries different meanings for both couples. One is destined to be together; while the other couple is splitting up. But the poet admits that even for the happy couple, there are no guarantees, which means that anything can happen. This is rather a realistic and practical approach to life and relationships. By believing in the uncertainty of life and staying prepared for the unexpected helps a person in the long run. It saves one from the shock of a sudden break-up and enables a person to enjoy life to its fullest. Time is also a significant metaphor that records the happy, sad or tough phases of people. It  seems that the sustainability of relationships between the two couples has been gauged over a long time period of time.  

The Debate Over Standard English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Debate Over Standard English - Essay Example This paper illustrates that students have to be taught something, and so Standard English has become a way of attempting to overcome the differences which are, in reality, an inevitable part of language use. This standardization presents two linguistic problems. The first is that there is no one form of English which has officially been taken as standard. The second is that even were such an agreement to exist, any form of English is constantly subject to changes in usage by the people who use it. Â  It is first necessary to explore and challenge current issues present in the definition of Standard English. Trask puts forward some useful key points which he considers fundamental in the definition of Standard English. The first is that ‘Standard English itself is not quite uniform: for example,e there are detectable differences between standard American and standard British English’. These differences, although they do not inhibit understanding between speakers, are clea r evidence of the fallacy of a standard English. Indeed, it is necessary to speak not of ‘English’ but rather of Englishes. The use of this plural in a number of critical works on the subject is already clear evidence that standard English is an unsuitable term. Gilsdorf is more emphatic in underlining the differences in standard English than Trask. Trask plays down this difference, while Gilsdorf states that ‘English, of course, is multiple Englishes. We are familiar with the U.S.’s regional dialects and to some degree with British English, Australian English, and Irish English, and perhaps a few others. Differences can be considerable’. To say that standard English is ‘not quite uniform’, therefore, is somewhat of an understatement.