Lizard by Dennis Covington Essay Example for Free

Lizard by Dennis Covington Essay Dennis Covington is an American writer of fiction whose stories give a realistic version of the world through the lives of the fictitious characters. He did his education in fiction writing and got BA degree from the University of Virginia. He married second time to Vicki Covington in 1977 and also taught at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. (Alabama Center for the Book and Auburn University, 2008) Lizard is his commendable story of a deformed young teenage boy, Lucius Sims, whose deformity gets him a nickname Lizard. The whole story revolves around this boy, his anguish as he is abused and laughed at by other children and even though not mentally retarded yet is admitted in the asylum of mentally retarded children. Lucius Sims has a disfigured face and looks completely different from others and similar to a reptile. This makes him an object of ridicule and insults. He is often insulted and called â€Å"Turd Head† (Covington, 1991, p. 10) by the boys, and nurse refers him as â€Å"that boy with squashed head† (Covington, 1991, p. 28). He is also admitted in Leesville State School for mentally handicapped boys by a woman named Miss Colley with whom he was staying. From this place onwards his troubles and problems actually start. There is no sign or even evidence of his being mentally handicapped still he is forced to stay with these children which prove nothing less than a torture for him. His sending him off to the school of mental retarded children is just a means to get rid of him, so that Miss Colley could marry without having to face burden of taking care of him. Lucius is burdened of having to face not only these children but also adults so he decides to escape. Soon he gets an opportunity when he is helped by a young actress and an actor to flee from school. He takes this chance to escape into the new profound freedom. They take him into the acting company where he plays a role of Caliban in one of the organized Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. In course of his journey, he comes across range of people- orphaned brother and sister whom he finds staying in a dirty swamp, a museum curator, a black artist, and finally again Miss Cooley whom he finds to be his own mother. On this journey he has to face many situations and circumstances which are both tragic as well as comic like interstate chase, acting debut, unreciprocated love, his acting career and many more adventures. â€Å"While performing in the play, Lizard becomes a specifically American Caliban who finds through the culturally-authoritative voice of Shakespeare, language to speak the trauma of self and nation crystallized by the extreme political history of 1963. † (Hateley, 2009, p. 158) Plot moves very slowly in the beginning but becomes more mesmerizing as it moves forward. Whole text appears to be very loosely connected with again plot appearing to be like turning here and there and twisting. In some places, rough language has also been used which has very little or no relevance to the plot. Many people have been described in the book that gives a nice view about the present society as a whole and the difficulties it faces. It is a self narrative with an autobiographical touch as this whole story has been told by Lizard himself and from his perspective. Through this story, we could not stop but admire him for the way he shows courage and strength in dealing with the circumstances and the people around him. All other characters are also very intriguing allowing us to have a good grasp of the society and its ways. Lizard is Covington’s first work of fiction as he produced originality while espousing the social themes and the worldly affairs with great dexterity and as a keen watcher. This novel is more recommended for young aged between 14 to 16 who should adopt the attitude of love and tolerance towards these â€Å"other† unconventional children. It is also a novel of hope and optimism as in this odd world, a body with disfigured face wants to make his place. Through the eyes of this young boy nicknamed Lizard, writer allows us to show great wisdom, and love for all. It is also a way to remove the undaunted fear of adolescence. While reading the novel, it appears writer has achieved what he wanted with no doubt through the confused, tormented and on some occasions violent while other funny escapades of main the protagonist Lizard. Reference List Alabama Center for the Book and Auburn University. (2008). Dennis Covington. Retrieved on May 2, 2010 from W. W. W: http://www. alabamaliterarymap. org/author. cfm? AuthorID=134 Covington, D. (1991). Lizard. New York, N. Y: Bantam Doubleday Dell. Hateley, E. (2009) Shakespeare in childrens literature: gender and cultural capital. New York, NY: Routledge. Perantoni, C. (2003) First One I and Then the Other, in Reimagining Shakespeare for children and young adults edited by Naomi J. Miller. New York, NY: Routledge. Polette, N. Ebbesmeyer, J. (2002). Literature lures: using picture books and novels to motivate middle school readers. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited. Ward, M. (2006). Voices from the Margins: An Annotated Bibliography of Fiction of Disabilities and Differences for Young People. IAP.

Optometric World: Smart People, Smart Phones, Smart Contacts? Essay

Throughout the years movies have implemented technology that has never been seen before to create a futuristic setting. Throughout the Terminator movies, viewers see data overlaid the main character’s world through contact lenses. At the time when Terminator was released, this was not possible through contemporary technology, but now scientists at the University of Washington are on the way to getting the perfect smart contacts. Eyes are truly an extension of the brain and receive the information which the brain sees and integrates. When any form of contact lenses is placed on the eye the brain is capable of receiving information with clarity, while the contact lenses provide benefits to the eyeball. With the smart contacts that are in the process, scientists consider the potential benefits and drawbacks while trying to keep optometry connected to the technology world. In the optometric world, eyes are the receiver of information your brain is what integrates it and chooses what is pertinent to an individual. Each eye sees everything all the time, the brain chooses to ignore information; for example, eyes always see your nose but your brain never chooses to register that information because the nose always remains in the same location. All vision is based on the light and how it is reflected off an object and into the eye. Light enters the cornea which bends or refracts it to enter the pupil (see Figure 1 in Appendix A). The iris is like a camera lens and it determines how much light enters the eye thus making he pupil bigger or smaller (AOA.org). After light goes through the pupil, it passes through the lens, which will bend and refract the light further to â€Å"focus [the rays] on the retina at the back of the eye† (AOA.o... ....p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2014. . "How Contact Lenses Work." CooperVision. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2014. . "How Your Eyes Work." How Your Eyes Work. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2014. . "The Human Eye: A Diagram." - FamilyConnect: For Parents of Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2014. . â€Å"Self-Assembled Single-Crystal Silicon Circuits on Plastic,† by Sean A. Stauth and Babak A. Parviz, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 19 September 2006. Web. 05 April 2014. .

Human Environment Interaction Ccot Essay

-Much land is deforested and disrupted as diamond and silver mining emerges. -New crops from Americas causes India’s population to rise almost double in size. -Columbian Exchange brings new crops to this region, allowing for the farmers of the region to exploit more of their land for extra crops. -American crops such as potatoes and corn increases population of the region. -Traders of the region utilize the monsoon winds in order to navigate across the Indian Ocean. -Silver mining causes deforestation and erosion. -Slaves in the region are used to harvest and plant crops for agriculture. -Coastlines are leveled in order to increase trade over the seas. -Deforestation occurs in large areas in order to make space for sugar crops. -Few ports and small passageways allowed for many pirate raids on trading ships. -Animals brought to the region from Americas bring diseases that affect life expectancy and population growth. -Pollution increases around the ports along the Red Sea. -European explorers utilize ocean currents and trade winds to move between the region and the Americas. -To prepare for the construction of Versailles, deforestation is practiced. -New crops from the New World are grown and harvested. -Large-scale silver mining occurs which causes deforestation. -Cattle and other domesticated animals from other regions cause destruction of pastures by overgrazing. -Horses and other imported animals affect the lifestyles of many indigenous peoples. A. Silver mining occurs on a larger scale. B. New crops are planted and harvested in all regions of the world. C. New animals are introduced to various regions which cause new diseases to appear. Deforestation continues to occur to provide new space for development. Iron is still mined and utilized. Ocean winds and currents are used to move between continents via sea. -Traders of SE Asia used the monsoon winds to explore and trade. -Crops imported from various regions of the world made up a large portion of agricultural production in the region. -Deforestation for large-scale agricultural production was carried out. A. Increased diamond and silver mining led to deforestation, soil poisoning, and erosion. The soil mining was increased because it allowed for the regions at the time to gain wealth easily. B. New crops were introduced to different regions of the world due to the Columbian Exchange. It was important because it allowed for more agricultural production and less starvation around the world. C. New animals that are introduced by the Columbian Exchange alter the lives of people around the world. These new animals are utilized for more efficient manual labor and leads to a more abundant agricultural yield as well as more wealth in certain regions. 1. Deforestation was continued because new land was always required for further development in many regions. The deforestation allowed regions to expand their space for agriculture and mining although it destroyed the home of many plants and animals. 2. The use of iron never diminished because it is a key component for tool making, weapon making and warfare. The mining and use of iron was very popular because it was abundant and very durable. 3. The use of ocean winds and currents continued to be used in overseas travel as it allowed for traders and travelers to move around more efficiently. The use of these winds and currents allowed for more wealth to be accumulated as trade continued.

Colonialism and Post Colonial Ethnic Conflict in East...

From the end of the nineteenth century until the attainment of independence in the early 1960s, the countries of East Africa were under the colonial administration of European empires. After decades of foreign rule which saw unparalleled transformations within society, the post-colonial states that emerged have been blighted by ethnic conflict. It has been argued that the beliefs of British, Belgian and German administrators led them to completely reorganise the societies they governed based on a fictitious ‘tribal’ model, and in the process they invented ethnicity. There is a great deal of debate on this matter, though, and its continued relevance to contemporary politics only makes it more vigorous. Before we go on to analyse to what†¦show more content†¦As Curtis Keim has pointed out, though, for Africans it is most often used in a very similar way to that in which Europeans use ‘ethnic group’. Therefore, when we use ‘ethnicity’ thi s will be, for some people, synonymous with ‘tribe’; however, it is best to avoid the latter and any accompanying connotations of primitivism and backwardness, so that it is clear along what lines we are talking. Carola Lentz may well have described ‘ethnicity’ as the ‘joker card’, a word that can be introduced at any stage in the game, replacing potentially more ‘problematic’ phrases and assuming the characteristics we require of it, but its introduction is made with the best intentions; in order that we may see ethnicity as a broad and evolving concept that can indeed mean many things simultaneously. Sir Donald Cameron began his post as the British governor of Tanganyika in early 1925. Charged with organising the colony’s administration, he made the following statement in July that year: ‘It is our duty to do everything in our power to develop the native on lines which will not westernise him... We must not destroy.. . the African atmosphere, the African mind, the whole foundation of his race, and we shall certainly do this if we sweep away all his tribal organisations.’ Cameron’s views undoubtedly reflected those of much of the British colonial administration in East Africa,Show MoreRelatedColonialism And Its Impact On Africa1206 Words   |  5 PagesColonialism is the establishment of the political and economic control of one state over another state. This establishment had one of the biggest impacts on Africa. This experience of colonialism began to take effect between the 1400s and 1800s. It started when the Europeans arrived to Africa and set up trading posts. In the late 1800s and early 1900s the increase of European power took over most of the continent. 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