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The speaker in John Donne's "The Funeral" appears to have reasoned through the problem of death. He writes that "Whoever comes to shroud" him after he passes should not disturb "That subtle wreath of hair" which adorns his arm; he attests that the mystical bracelet, a prize given to him by a beloved mistress, will "keep [his] limbs... from dissolution" (lines 1, 3, 8). He bolsters the Romantic powers of his lover's keepsake with Christian imagery, consecrating the wreath with religious might and importance. Yet, the idealized comparison inspires obvious skepticism in any candid reading of the poem. After all, does the speaker really think a tangle of hair can function as an "outward soul" and keep him alive after death (5)? In the second stanza, this doubt even creeps into the narrator's logic as he tries to explain how the band works. Yet, the uncertain meaning and power of the bracelet only moves him to more religious bravado. The speaker's use of classic, religious diction to describe his faith in the wreath, intimates his extreme faith in Love, while also contradicting its supposed power.

In the first stanza, the speaker relies on the subtle use of religious terms with Christian significance to ascribe power to his bracelet. The band is described as "The mystery, the sign you must not touch" (4). The use of a definite article highlights the fact that "mystery" is being attributed a specific importance beyond its general meaning. "The mystery" does not imply that the wreath is simply an enigma; it also suggests that it embodies a religious truth that is beyond humanity's capacity to understand, and is even associated with the sacred rites and sacraments of the Christian church. A greater allusion to Christian theology occurs when the speaker says that the wreath "crowns [his] arm" (3). Though, perhaps the choice in diction is a pun in the context of the greater scene- an obsolete definition of to crown means to hold a coroner's inquest on- more likely refers to Jesus' crown of thorns, a symbol of his martyrdom and faith. To the speaker, his wreath validates his position as "Love's martyr" (19). But in this case, the odd misplacement of the object confers a misplaced importance: the wreath of hair is not a crown of thorns; the speaker's martyrdom is certainly not equal to that of Jesus.

In fact, though the narrator's spiritual rhetoric imbues the bracelet with power, it also tarnishes his faith in love with flaws and contradictions. The speaker writes that the wreath is his "outward soul, / Viceroy to that, which then to heaven being gone, / Will leave this to control, / And keep these limbs, her provinces, from dissolution" (5-8). The concept of an "outward soul" is paradoxical in itself. "Outward" harnesses not only the obvious meaning of lying outside the speaker's body but also that it is inherently physical or external- not spiritual or profound. This contradicts the very idea of a soul, that which is the spiritual, immaterial, everlasting essence of man. The incongruity indicates a flaw in the speaker's idolatry: a physical, superficial soul cannot protect him from his own physical fate. The metaphor of the soul to a "viceroy" also presents a contrast to Christianity. A viceroy is literally a vice-king, but more generally, one who rules by the authority and in the name of a supreme figure. The obvious implication is that the bracelet will command the "provinces" of the speaker in the stead of the inward soul that will rise to heaven. But the peculiar choice of "viceroy" draws the immediate comparison to the Christian concept of God as a king. If the "outward soul" of the bracelet is merely viceroy, then the faith it represents is inherently lesser than that to the speaker's true soul, the figurative king: God. Ironically the speaker's religious terminology is a self-contained critique of his faith in the wreath.

In the second stanza of the poem, the speaker attempts to account for the sovereignty of the wreath, but ends up questioning the meaning and power he so confidently bestowed upon it. He writes, "if the sinewy thread my brain lets fall / Through every part" is also the thing which "Can tie those parts and make me one of all" then hairs from his lover's head, "from a better brain / Can better do it" (9-14). The anadiplosis of "parts" and "better" indicates the extent to which the speaker attempts to proceed rationally, creating syllogisms to justify the relationships between the several phrases. Yet, the logic in his thoughts is fanciful at best and just after the speaker utters his explication, he stutters: "except she meant that I / By this should know my pain, / As prisoners then are manacled, when they're condemned to die" (14-16). The verse loses its fairly regular iambic meter just before "except," requiring the observance of a virtual beat to uphold it. This formal stumble represents a greater faltering in the speaker's speech; it is a gasp, a moment of realization. His reasoning, though beautifully passionate and Romantic, is hardly something on which to stake one's life. The meaning of his wreath may have been completely misconstrued; it may be the thing that confers his tragic mortality- not his everlasting life. His fate, like the wreath, is ambiguous at best.

Though the speaker's subtle religious diction in the first stanza only hinted at the differences between his faith in the bracelet and actual Christianity, the final strophe exposes even greater evidence of their disparity. He writes, "bury [the wreath] with me, / For since I am Love's martyr, it might breed idolatry, / If into others' hands these relics came" (17-20). On one level, the speaker portrays himself as a martyr, someone valiantly dying for a greater purpose, for Love. Indeed, he even implies that he is a saint of Love by saying his possessions and body parts are relics. But in a skewed manner the narrator is also acting for the Christian faith he is lampooning; when he requests the wreath be buried along with him, he negates the possibility for his relics to "breed idolatry"- the immoderate attachment to a semblance of a deity, which is a sin in Christianity. He even criticizes himself for attaching such importance to the bracelet, saying "'twas humility"- meekness and low condition- "To afford to [the wreath] all that a soul can do" (21-22).

But the narrator's rhetoric of religious sacrifice belies the sexual implications of the speaker's relationship with his mistress. The conversion of new worshippers is described as "breeding," implying that worshippers' faith is a sort of sexual offspring. A pun also degrades the nature of the contact between worshipper and idol, the verb form of "to come" suggesting that their relationship will be more bawdy than spiritual. Finally, there is the ambiguity between editions of the last line; "That since you would save none of me, I bury some of you" is sometimes printed with "have" in place of "save," implying that it is the mistress' decision to not copulate with the speaker- rather than her inability to act as a soul- which makes him question her power (24). Considering this new sexual aspect to the speaker's faith, his martyrdom could be interpreted as decidedly selfish. Perhaps, he is not dying to save others from the peril of idolatry at all, but rather to preserve his loved one from gaining any new admirers. After all, "I bury some of you" cannot be uttered without a tinge of bitterness- especially when it is accompanied by a shift in the manner of address; no longer is the narrator's speech attributed indirectly to "her" or "she," now he is speaking to her directly- and forcefully- as "you."

The speaker's use of religious terms and images creates an interesting dichotomy between his faith in Love and the traditional Christianity to which it is compared; however, the overall effect is not as grave as the subject matter or title might suggest. The paradoxes, puns, contradictions, and romanticized arguments presented within the verse are playful illustrations of what can happen when a person attempts to rationalize their most passionate emotions. And the religious references, though essential metaphors to understanding the poem, are not meant to confer any serious dogmatism, but rather to help express the depth of the speaker's emotions. For as the narrator might agree, Love- no matter how misguided or bittersweet- is in many ways the reigning religion.

Works Cited

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"The Funeral," John Donne in The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Eighth edition, Vol. B, ed. David, Simpson. New York: W. W. Norton and Co. 2006, 1278-1279.

Camus wrote that “the world is ugly and cruel, but it is only by adding to that ugliness and cruelty that we sin most gravely”.

Dystopian novels can be both a mirror and a magnifying glass, reflecting our world and exaggerating aspects of it to create their nightmarish realities. However, much dystopian fiction does not intend to simply add to the ugliness and cruelty present in the world. In fact its aim is entirely opposite- to warn against the grave “sin” Camus describes. By observing a fictional universe, we are shown what could become of our own existence if these warnings are not heeded. The barren desolation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and the totalitarian oppression of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale are merely extensions of modern humanity. In spite of the dystopian nature of both novels, also present are the key themes of love and humanity. It is this degree of hope that allows both works to be taken as warnings, rather than nothing more than nihilistic prophecies of doom. Both written in the West in the modern era, the novels, and their readers, concentrate on the key issues of the day, such as the environmental problems facing the world and humanity’s increasingly questioned relationship with God. Contextualised by both novelists’ nationalities and the right wing, global policing of American politics in the decades surrounding both texts’ creation, there is a viable political reading of the novels as critiques of the dominating political structures under which they were written: in the case of The Road, a critique on the consumerism and environmental abuse inherent within these systems, while The Handmaid’s Tale concentrates on the abuse of power and reduction in human rights.

The exploration of God, religion and their places in the 21st century is present in both novels. The Handmaid’s Tale seems to be a warning against the authoritarian societies spawned from extremist monotheism, as seen in modern Iran for example. Atwood’s Gilead, and its perversion of religion to control, points out the dangers that can be created when religion is abused. Atwood herself says “such dictatorships gain initial acceptance by justifying their actions in the name of their subjects' most cherished beliefs”. However, it is not religion itself that seems to be criticised by Atwood, but humanity’s practice of twisting ideologies for its own means. There is much conflict within the novel between the use of religion to exploit and control and the humanitarian aspects that underpin religion: for example the intentional misinterpretation of Biblical passages to vindicate the Gileadean regime’s more arcane practices, such as surrogate motherhood and public executions, is in direct conflict with the hope and love shown by Offred that help her to survive her oppression.

The exploration of religion in The Road is altogether more complex and unclear. The book is full of religious imagery and references to God, but could be viably interpreted by atheist and believer alike. Echoing the Waiting for Godot, a strong existentialist thread runs throughout the novel, presented within the Beckettian, minimalist speech, the frequent use of ellipsis and the seemingly forsaken world, but this is countered by the Messianic figure of The Boy and traditionally Christian themes of pilgrimage, love and hope. The devastated world in which the novel is set could also be a comment on God; either in support of his existence or against it. The “barren, silent godless” land seems to refute the concept of Natural Revelation, the idea that God’s majesty is manifested and proven through the beauty of his creation, the natural world. The harsh and unrelenting landscape does not fit into the image created by the Christian scriptures, saying as they do that “the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalms 19.1) and that “since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities- His eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (Romans 1.20). However, a believer may point to Nature’s eternal power that is shown in the book both through the final section and the fact that the world has outlasted the human race, as evidence for Natural Revelation. Certainly, the allusions to God are deliberately cryptic (e.g. “If he is not the word of God God never spoke”) - McCarthy does not seem to reveal a moral stance on religion, only an exploration of humanity’s need for divinity. Perhaps the closest we come to his own ideas is when reading “there is no God and we are his prophets”. God is a human necessity, whether He exists or not.

Dystopian fiction is often set in a world that has suffered some sort of disaster, a physical manifestation of the moral corruption that has taken hold. Both novels take place after environmental disasters of human creation, but the details remain largely unspecified. This refusal to delve deeper by both authors may be a comment that there are in fact too many possible causes to warn against, be they nuclear, related to climate change or otherwise. It may be that this lack of explanation is also a comment that such a disaster is inevitable and cannot be prevented or warned against. Through her description of the hellish “Colonies” and the crucial drop in humanity’s fertility that underpins the Gileadean coup, Atwood is making an environmentalist point. Her comments paint a clear “portrait of what life will be like in the future if people continue to ignore the increasingly permanent damage being done to our ecological systems.” However, it is in The Road that mankind’s relationship with nature is more deeply explored. Throughout the book, natural phenomena are described as hostile towards the characters, with pathetic fallacy employed frequently- “the cold, autistic dark”. Yet this animosity is of humanity’s own creation: it is due to mankind’s own actions that the environmental issues have arisen. The ending of the novel seems to be entirely incongruous: the poetic language and beautiful natural imagery are in stark contrast to the novel’s bleak outlook. It is here that we are shown nature’s true significance: it is “older than man” and humming with “mystery”, giving it a status far higher than humanity. An environmentalist could interpret this as an instruction to mankind to treat our environment with respect even greater than that which we hold for ourselves.

This is linked to the idea of Consumerism and mankind’s tendency to take without thought of giving back. The Road takes place in a world devastated by this consumerism: the capitalist societies have collapsed having exhausted their supplies of natural resources, but even then, The Man and The Boy are forced to live by scavenging from the land, taking what they can. Men have even taken consumerism to its most violent extreme, turning to cannibalism to survive. One of the strongest representations of consumerism is manifest in the shopping cart: dilapidated, with its wheels falling off, it represents the failings of consumerism and the impossibility of its sustainability. However, it is equally strongly symbolised in the can of “Coca-Cola” that The Boy drinks. By referencing one of the corporations synonymous with consumerism, and then describing it in such positive terms, McCarthy is admitting the lure of the consumerist way of life. “Really good” and “bubbly” are two of the most positive descriptions in the entire novel, but the fact this experience is so transient and superficial is a further comment upon the limited nature of consumerism. That strands of consumerism still persist, even in a world that has been devastated by that very lifestyle, could be seen as both a warning and a pessimistic lamentation: we, the readers, are warned to change our consumerist ways, but are also exposed to the inevitability of our destructive flaws, leaving two equally viable but diametrically opposed responses to Camus’ quotation and the given response.

One theme which both novels deal with very openly is the relationship between parent and child. The bond between father and son is the very essence of The Road, and Offred’s relationship to her daughter is key to the survival of her personal identity. The beauty and intimacy of the link shared by The Man and The Boy is almost inexplicably powerful. The child is entirely dependent on his father for protection and survival and it is only through him that The Boy has any contact to the world of the past, however tenuous that contact is. However, The Man is equally reliant on his son- his entire purpose is to care for this child. He even tells his son, “if you died, I would want to die too”. The purity and simplicity of this dynamic, in the face of such a brutal and loveless world, is not only a powerful exploration of love but also a message to the reader: appreciate this love and treasure it above all else, for when all else has gone, it will still endure.

The same value is emphasised in The Handmaid’s Tale. Offred uses her memories of and love for her child to preserve her individuality amid the oppression of Gilead. She has a reason to survive and rebel against the regime: to find her daughter. Even when she doubts whether the child is still alive, the love for her daughter and Offred’s need for her reason to continue proves stronger than her doubts. This is another message of hope conquering the seemingly insurmountable adversity. However, the contrasting ways that the two novels deal with this theme reveal a lot about their author’s intentions. While this Parent/Child relationship is the central subject of The Road, with any moral and social discussion that is uncovered playing a secondary role, it is the opposite in Atwood’s novel, in which the questions posed relating to the morality of mankind seem more important than the human issues that are included. With parental relationships so central to both novels, it could be said that only a parent’s reading will fully experience both works and that those without children are unable to access the novels on certain levels.

The Handmaid’s Tale is dystopian literature in its truest sense. Echoing as it does Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World, it follows in the tradition of using its creation as a means to open a moral discussion; we are forced to look at our own ethics and practises and reassess them. Atwood’s strict adherence to her factual bases (“I couldn’t put anything into the novel that human beings hadn’t actually done”) show that her intention is for us to inspect modern life and our own behaviour. The fact that Offred seems to escape the regime offers hope for the good in humankind, although the flippancy and gender of the lecturer in the Historical Notes seems to point out society’s tendency not to learn from mistakes. All these aspects mark the novel out as a warning. While there can be no doubt that the world described in The Road has dystopian traits, there is less of the traditional critique of society that is common in dystopian novels. McCarthy himself admits that, more than anything, the novel is a “love story”to his son: an exploration of the Father-Son relationship and a very personal journey encompassing God, consumerism and the possible futures of humanity. While this may not be an explicit warning in the same way that The Handmaid’s Tale is, in that specific practises and customs are not pointed out as dangerous in quite the same way, The Road can still tell us how much we have to lose. The character of The Boy, with his compassion and innocence, show us as readers the good that we must champion, especially when juxtaposed with the almost infinite desolation and corruption that fills McCarthy’s novel.

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Both novels, in different ways, are markers to their readership, asking questions and suggesting answers as to how disasters, both physical and moral, can be avoided and humanity’s inherent goodness preserved.

Ancient German Philosopher, Georg Christoph once said, “Equality which we demand is the most tolerant degree of inequality.” For centuries, humankind has diligently worked towards an equal society, but what happens when such concept becomes wicked and dangerous? In the short story, “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. all citizens have been granted equality in an exaggerated literal sense. People were equal not only before god and the law but “in every which way”. As a result, no one was authorized to be smarter, better looking, faster, or even stronger. To guarantee ultimate equality, General Handicapper of the United States enforces handicaps upon citizens who possessed unacceptable above-average traits. Such forms of handicaps include ugly masks for the beautiful, weights to slow the strong, and mental devices for the exceptionally smart. The story’s protagonist, Harrison Bergeron, who is an overly gifted and defiant 14- year old boy, holds an importance over keeping his oneness, thus resulting in his imprisonment and death by antagonist Handicapper General Diana Moore. Filled with dystopian themes, Vonnegut argues that total equality is an ideal that has detrimental effects on humankind.

The setting of the story is set to be America in the year 2081, which helps build a futuristic society where certain measures of control are placed upon citizens. The setting also brings importance to Harrison Bergeron’s character development as he goes from being a trapped individual in an equal society to a free one. Throughout the story, the excessive use of handicaps is used to make all citizens ordinary and average. By implementing handicaps on people’s body, they become acceptable and equal. This is demonstrated in Harrison’s parents, George and Hazel, who share different characteristics, but with the use of handicaps become uniformed. Both characters are described as different to portray the two types of individuals in this society, the tamed to be average and the born ordinary. George represented the tamed, as he was forced by law to wear a mental handicap radio that would disrupt his thought process every 20 seconds because he was highly intelligent and strong. Whereas, Hazel who was like any ordinary American, didn’t have to wear handicaps but was so naturally intellectually deficient that “she couldn’t think of anything except in short bursts”. For George to be equal to Hazel, he had to be dumb downed intensely, thus resulting in him not being able to produce profound thoughts and overthink absolutely anything. For instance, when George was watching the ballet broadcasted on television, he had a brief thought that “maybe dancers shouldn’t be handicapped. But didn’t get very far with it before another noise in his ear scattered his thoughts”. Subconsciously, George questioned the purpose of handicaps but when his conscious mind started to think of abstract concepts, intense sounds which George emphasizes as sounding like “somebody hitting a milk bottle with a ball been hammer” emitted threw his handicap radio and disrupted him from thinking anything that could potentially harm the balance of the equal society As a means to make society equal, people were involuntarily and unknowingly giving up their freedom of expression, thus losing their identity and individuality , “ no one is actually a ONE, they are all forced into apparent equality and have no unique personally.”

Moreover, a dystopian theme exercised throughout the short story is the power of technology. In this new era, television worked as another mechanism to brainwash and desensitize people, as it kept them deeply enthralled almost in a hypnotized state. For instance, when Hazel and George were viewing television, Hazel had tears on her cheeks, but she wasn’t but because her focus deeply invested on what was being broadcasted on the television, she didn’t comprehend the reason behind her sadness and tears. Similar reaction occurred when she witnessed her son Harrison, die on live television but the only reasoning she could explain for her crying was that she “had seen something real sad on television”. Hazel was incapable both emotionally and mentally of realizing that the “real sad” thing she had seen on television was her own child being killed, “ these people cant have a word in any part of their lives or the social issues; they can even recognize their son and Hazel can’t tell why she’s crying.”

Table of contents

1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Eagle Scout 
4. Conclusion

Abstract

As part of my scouting experiences, I had the opportunity to lead a group of volunteers for my Eagle Scout project, which required good communication skills and visual and verbal explanations to make the project come together. This experience helped me strengthen my leadership skills and reinforced the importance of communication in successfully getting a project done. These skills are valuable as I pursue my future plans, which involve attending a two-year community college to complete my basic core classes before transferring. In this essay, I would like to share my Eagle Scout experience as an example of how scouting can provide opportunities for personal growth and the development of important life skills. 

Introduction

Starting early in my childhood, I was interested in what my dad did. He is an I.T. manager, so he works with computers and sometimes he brings some home. I remember the first time that I saw a computer I was amazed. He was able to reformat them and make the computers work just like new ones. The first time that he opened up a computer, it was so cool, there were all these parts and wires and it seemed like opening a spaceship. It took a little while, but my dad was able to teach me what each of the parts was and how to put the computer back together. Fast forward to middle school where I entered the computer tech class and the robotics club. Through this, I began learning the software aspect of computers along with the physical aspect that I already knew a little bit about. From this, I found out that I liked the physical aspect of computers rather than the software aspect, which I learned a lot about in the robotics club. Being apart of it helped me look at the physical aspect of computers and engineering that I really enjoyed. Ever since then I’ve been really interested in technology and design.

I have grown in my problem-solving abilities as a student. From freshman year until now I have been doing problem-solving if were for projects, homework, or presentations. Throughout my high school career, I have seen the challenges that I have had to face and I would try different methods that I have learned to solve the challenges that I had come across.

One of the first things that show my problem-solving skills is the granny flat project of freshman year. We were given a project, but we only had a certain time frame to do it. I was still trying to figure out how to do things with the AutoCAD program that we were using, but once I was able to get past that problem I was able to finish the project and have enough time to review it to make sure it was correct. Another example of this was in a junior year where we were assigned an EPICS project, and the idea behind it was to find a company or group and to find something that they needed. Then, we would design that product for them, and make sure that it was what they wanted, then we would build it for them. The reason this is a good example of my strength is that we were given a base prompt for the project and then we had to go from there. We had to find a beneficiary, design a project, and then put that plan into action. Even though there was a little bit of a struggle to get it done, I believe that it was one of my strengths.

Eagle Scout 

Communication is one thing that I continue to work to grow. I have gotten better at communicating through my years of school and I continue to try and improve my ability to do that. My ability to communicate has gotten better so that I have been able to help get points across to work on a project that required me to only communicate to the workers.

In my Eagle Scout project, I was required to communicate, which helped me build up my ability to do it better than I have been able to before. I used good communication as well as visual and verbal explanations of what they needed to do to make the project come together. I think that no matter what I am trying to get done communication is a key point to successfully get a point across or getting a project done.

I have really good leadership skills, mostly because of my scouting experiences. Thanks to Boy Scouts I was able to attend leadership training and strengthen my leadership skills into what they are today I was able to use those, to communicate in group projects or during building things I am able to take control of the situation and delegate jobs to others.

A good example of this was my Eagle Scout project. For my project, I came up with the idea for the project and the design, but I was not able to do any physical work. I had to lead a group of people that were volunteering to help me. I used good communication as well as visual and verbal explanations of what they needed to do to make the project come together. Successfully we were able to finish the project and I think that a big part of that was due to the good leadership that I have because without that no one would have known what to do or what was going on.

No matter what it is I am constantly growing my skills. One major one that I have seen a lot of growth with is my ability to build and execute things. Starting from my sophomore year it was hard to put things together because I was just getting used to the process of building and creating things. As I went through school, I have been able to try and perfect my ability to do this and turn it into one of my strengths.

In sophomore year I made an oven pulled out of wood as one of my projects. When I started this I wasn’t very confident because I was going to be using tools I had never seen or used before. I was kind of scared to use the machines which showed in the product of my work. As I used the machines and got used to them, I was able to put out better projects and products. In junior year, we had a project to make a toolbox. I was much more comfortable with the tools and using them without hesitation. I used the saw, nail gun, and laser engraver and with the information that I had learned throughout the last year, I was able to use and make the outcome of the project so much better.

After high school, I plan on going to a two-year community college to get my basic core classes out of the way. After I finish community college, I plan on transferring to a four-year college to work toward my master's in computer engineering (Transfer). While I attend college I will be applying for internships and jobs to learn a little more about the job that I want to go into (Google).

I decided to go to community college first because I have found out that students going straight into a four year were not able to get the core classes that they needed, so they were going to the community college (Boyington). Also, by going to community college first I will be able to transfer to a four-year college that will best suit the career path that I want to go into.

Conclusion

Overall I have found out that I have great leadership and problem-solving skills, and that my communication and building/execution skills need some more work. My future plans are to go to college, while attending an internship, working towards my major in aerospace engineering and a minor in business. After graduating, I plan to obtain a job with an engineering company that I can show my strengths and build upon my skills of engineering.

Table of contents

1. What is EAP
2. EGAP and ESAP Controversy
3. General ELT and EAP Comparison

What is EAP

EAP, a sub-discipline of ESP, is differentiated from ESP by its focus on the development of academic skills that prepare the students to succeed in their studies and professional life (Hyland & Shaw, 2016). Whether in a specific discipline or interdisciplinary studies context and students needs influence the specificity of an EAP course (Hyland & Shaw, 2016). This brings diversity in the purpose of EAP courses. For instance, in an English speaking country pre-sessional courses aim to prepare students for higher studies by providing them the core academic skills that are applicable to all disciplines, such as, note-taking, paraphrasing, questioning, summary and report writing etc. (Hyland, 2006; R.R. Jordan, 2012). In-sessional courses are more of remedial in nature that can also be credited in a Degree programs (Gillett, 1996) or they can target specific or integrated needs of the parallel program (Evans & John, 1998).

EAP in ESL environment globally is where students study in English medium education and have high GE proficiency. The role of an instructor here is to develop also common-core study skills (Hyland & Shaw, 2016). Lastly, countries where certain subjects are taught in English medium instructions yet the rest of the education is in the native language such as Arabic. These students have lower English proficiency (A2) and literacy compared to ESL learners and course planners need to plan accordingly keeping this stance in mind (Evans & John, 1998; de Chazel, 2014). All the above scenarios determine the key aspects of EAP course design (Evans & John, 1998). Contrastive rhetoric and intercultural rhetoric, a recent development, has helped EAP teachers to understand how students use certain structures, language and patterns owing to their cultural background. However, this is a limitation of EAP because further research on transfer and influence of cultural and demographic aspects of learners is still at its infant stages and requires in depth study to support students, understand needs and design courses. This approach would discourage what Ramies (1991) defined as “Butlers’ stance” of EAP in institutes (Hyland & Shaw, 2016).

EGAP and ESAP Controversy

EAP sub-categories, EGAP, ESAP and EOP, depend on the context and discipline they are taught in. EGAP encompases skills and language that are common across all disciplines (Hyland, 2006; R.R. Jordan, 2012). ESAP differs from EGAP in the aspect of specificity which could be special discoursal demands of a particular discipline and encompasses a variety of English for Specific and Occupational purposes (EOP), such as English for Law, Nursing and Engineering (Evans & St John, 1998; de Chazel, 2014; Hyland, 2006). The argument that there is little difference between generic skills across disciplines and are transferable is valid to a certain degree. However, the differences across various disciplines are greater than the similarities (Hyland, 2006). For instance, general report writing rules are transferred when writing a medical report. Nonetheless, it still requires teaching discoursal features that the learners need specifically to write a medical report. Additionally, this aspect is also an implication that EAP teachers face i.e whether to focus on skills that can be transferred between disciplines or to focus on the specific “texts, skills and forms needed by learners in distinct disciplines” (Hyland, 2006, pg. 9). As Hyland (2006) quoted Bhatia (2002), ‘who observes interdisciplinary learners require communication skills that are not merely an extension of general literacy but a multitude of literacies to cope with disciplinary variation in academic discourse’. Consequently, ESAP, is suitable for in-sessional courses and EGAP for pre-sessional programs (de Chazel, 2014).

EOP refers to situations that require training learner for a specific job requirement (Hutchinson & Waters, 1991). EOP learners are people who are non professionals starting a job and majority of ESAP course have learners studying an academic degree program (Evans & St John, 1998). However there is no rigidity applied as students can be working and studying simultaneously (Hutchinson & Waters, 1991). Therefore, considering a multimodal approach and curriculum is required.

General ELT and EAP Comparison

GE syllabus is mostly language driven and EAP syllabus is skill based. GE course progresses gradually using series of course books to reach a required proficiency level. Conversely, time is of constraints in EAP and students have specific targets to reach for instance a specific IELTS score (de Chazel, 2014).

There exist differences in topics, vocabulary and text type in GE and EAP. Topics and text types in EAP include scientific topics and genre such as journals and abstracts etc. making the use of authentic material more feasible. Therefore, EAP assessment is based on skills and meaning and not on discrete language items or knowledge of discipline in a course (de Chazel, 2014).

Teacher student relationship in an EAP course is not where the teacher is the source of information. In EAP teacher and students may have the same proficiency level and understanding of the subject. EAP students are self motivated, goal oriented and autonomous learners. (de Chazel, 2014).

Critical thinking is another key element that distinguishes general ELT from EAP. Edward de Chazal cited BALEAP competency framework for EAP professionals (2008) that emphasis the importance of critical thinking in EAP. GE course lack this due to their appeal to social communication (de Chazel, 2014).

Academic writing is based on the culture of the specific discipline. It follows ridgid discoursal norms of structure, genre, forms and tasks (Hyland & Shaw, 2016). Though these specific discoursal features are absolute, they to some extent diminish creativity and makes writing formulaic (Hyland & Shaw, 2016). Students come from various discoursal backgrounds and literacies are assimilated to accustom themselves to a dominant discourse. Uniformity or individualism of disciplines versus conventions students writers use are different but who decides if they are wrong and why. With English as the lingua franca of EAP and its globalisation and numerous demographic societies, why are old set conventions and discoursal features so rigidly applied. Why do teachers have to follow rigid modals when teaching EAP and encourage the global and not the local dialects of the authors even if the former is for international appeal. Why students writing should converge and not diverge bringing variety and new discoursal features to the discipline. I would like to explore more in this area of EAP as well.

Like all EAP teachers I too started my career teaching GE. It gave me the benefit to use the common approaches when teaching EAP courses. However, I find teaching EAP more challenging because of the difference between students’ individual needs versus syllabus provided, students’ literacy and language proficiency level, and motivations. For this reason I chose EAP as my specialism to enable myself to design a course that would suit learners needs, facilitate learner autonomy, cover the institutional syllabus, and develop learners writing, note taking and reading skill, which Saudi learners struggle with.

The fear of rejection and serious negative reactions from the family and community are some of the main factors that in the past decades kept many LGBTQ adults and teenagers from openly sharing their sexual orientation. Even today, the LGBTQ community faces discrimination and stigmatization but this is not as it was some decades ago where the community was totally rejected by the society. There is a concern if early involvement in the LGBTQ community is more likely to increase feelings of acceptance later in life that is analysed in the essay about LGBT. Today, Lesbian, gay, bisexual, as well as transgender people usually come out at younger ages due to acceptance in the society and the public support for LGBTQ issues. In any society, individual acceptance helps a person to cope and feel accepted in society either due to his or her disability, social status, and even sexual orientation. 

According to Ryan, children and adolescents who do not behave as per their gender are usually ridiculed by others. Their behavior which is termed as gender non-conforming or gender variant usually makes parents ashamed or embarrassed and usually fear the safety of the children. In today society, adolescents who are transgender or relate to the LGBT community have more access to information about their identity and gender information through LGBT community groups and other community and government resources a situation that helps them to understand their gender identity at younger ages and thus increasing their feeling of acceptance later in life. Nevertheless, this is a different situation form older adults who reveal their sexual orientation when they are old an issue that usually results in rejection in society. Through early involvement in the LGBTQ community, a youth is able to establish his or her peers. According to Higa et al, peers of LGBTQ youth are the most important source of information as well as help. For instance, Higa et al 2014 study showed that many of the LGBTQ youth, as well as their allies, said that their friends are their major source of social support to whom they turn to every time in need. Furthermore, the study showed that LGBTQ youth organizations assist with formal and informal programs for youth where they are able to meet other LGBTQ youth and in a place where they feel they are themselves and accepted. The youth LGBTQ peers, as well as the LGBTQ youth organizations, help the youths to accept themselves which increases their feeling of acceptance even later in life.

In some instances, families are conflicted about their children's LGBT identity and they usually believe that they can help the child by assisting him or her to fit in with his or her heterosexual peers. The family blocks their child’s gay friends or even LGBT resources with believing that by doing so they are helping the child to be straight. Nevertheless, this makes the child feel that his or her parents do not love him or her; an issue that increases family conflict. To some extent, the conflict can result to the LGBT child been removed or forced out of the home, end up in juvenile detention, placed in foster care, or end up in the streets which increases his or her risk for abuse, mental health problem, and serious health issues. Family rejection poses a serious impact on young LGBT people since they develop lower self-esteem and have fewer people that they can turn to for help. Nevertheless, in case they are valued by their parents and the society the way they are, they learn to have greater self-esteem and are ready to care for themselves not only as teenagers but also in later life for they feel accepted.

According to Ryan, LGBT youth who are accepted by the family, as well as the community, are more likely to believe that they will succeed in life and will be happy, productive adults. Ryan stated that for LGBT youths who face rejection in their families only about 1 in 3 young people believe they will have a good life as a gay while nearly all the LGBT youths who are supported by their families believe they can have a happy productive life as LGBT adults. In this case, the support does not only entail moral support but also resources and been involved in the LGBT community affairs. This shows that early involvement in the LGBT community increases the feeling of acceptance later in life. According to Russell and Fish, parental and peer support for LGBT youth promotes positive mental health, wellbeing, and self-acceptance. The youth who maintain their friends and family members after disclosing their sexual orientation usually have higher levels of self-esteem, fewer suicidal thoughts, and lower levels of depressive symptoms and this continues to their adulthood. Bouris et al, holds that through family support especially the support from parents a child is able to accept him or herself and identify him or herself as a member of the LGBTQ community. This helps the child to develop with a sense of acceptance and not rejection thus helping him or her in accepting life.

According to Russell and Fish, the school environment is important in protecting LGBT youths. The protective school environment helps in mental health for LGBT youth. Youth who leave in states that have enumerated anti-bullying laws which include gender identity and sexual orientation report less homophobic harassment and victimization than those students who attend schools in states that do not have such laws. In schools where there are GSA clubs which are school clubs that unite LGBTQ and allied youth to build the society and deal with issues impacting them, there is prejudice reduction and harassment within the school environment. Students in those schools that have GSAs and SOGI resources usually report feeling safer and are less likely to have depressive symptoms, suicidal thoughts, and substance use as compared to LGBT students who are in schools without these resources. These benefits are also seen in later developmental stages since they show better psychological health during their adulthood. In addition, the experience with GSAs usually promotes acceptance of who a person is and a fact that results in increasing a feeling of acceptance not only as a youth but also later in life. According to Russell and Fish, LGBT focused policy, as well as inclusive curriculums, are associated with better psychological adjustments for LGBT students an issue that helps them with coping skills and consequently enhancing their lives in the future.

Early involvement in the LGBTQ community helps youth to develop a sense of identity. According to Higa et al, gaining an identity is a more positive thing than negative light. According to the study while flexible identity can suggest confusion or instability it helps since it is a way of exercising control in not only how they self-identify themselves but also how they represented their gender/sexual identities to others. Having an identity helps in a greater sense of control in own individual life and helps in expressing the sense of pride and not conforming to stereotypical gender roles. Due to the sense of identity at an early age, LGBTQ youth is able to accept him or herself which consequently leads to acceptance later in life. Furthermore, early involvement helps youth to deal with a stigmatized identity like being isolated in school and in the community. Being involved in LGBTQ focus groups helps youth with various methods and support for dealing with stigmatized identity, for instance, some of the ways of coping with stigma is fighting back as well as advocating for LGBTQ rights. This helps a young LGBTQ member to know how to stand and defend him or herself in case of discrimination and helps him or her to develop a sense of acceptance as a community member with his or her rights and thus promoting his or her acceptance even later in life.

Early involvement in the LGBT community helps to deal with clinical implications. By seeking pediatric care an LGBT youth is able to know the effects of family and community non-acceptance and rejection. Furthermore, he or she is able to understand the threats to family acceptance like parental stigma against LGBT sexual orientation, gender-variant identities, and gender non-conformity behavior. This will assist in early intervention especially in case of family non-acceptance risks like substance abuse, depressive symptoms, unprotected sex, and suicidal thoughts among others. With early clinical interventions, some outcomes like mental health problems can be dealt with at early stages and the youth can be assisted on how to accept him or herself an issue that will increase his or her feelings of acceptance in later life.

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Even in today’s society, the LGBTQ community faces stigmatization and discrimination based on their sexual orientation. Nevertheless, by a young LGBTQ person involving him or herself in matters regarding the LGBTQ community, he or she is able to increase his or her feeling of acceptance later in life. Involvement in this community helps youth to build a sense of acceptance, identity, know how to cope with stigmatization, discrimination, as well as rejection by the community and family members. Furthermore, involvement helps youth to seek early medical interventions which will help him or her to deal with mental problems that can result in suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, sexually transmitted disease, as well as depressive symptoms among others. It is advisable for LGBTQ youths to involve themselves in the LGBTQ community in order to have a better and productive life in the future.  

Table of contents

1. Early Settlement
2. Human Disappearance
Outsiders on Easter IslandWhat Happened to the TreesEaster Island Today

Easter Island stretches over an area of 64 square miles in the South Pacific Ocean, and is located about 2,300 miles from Chile’s west coast and 2,500 miles east of Tahiti. Known as Rapa Nui to its earliest inhabitants, the island was christened Paaseiland, or Easter Island, by Dutch explorers in honor of the day of their arrival in 1722. It was annexed by Chile in the late 19th century and now maintains an economy based largely on tourism. Easter Island’s most dramatic claim to fame is an array of almost 900 giant stone figures that date back many centuries. The statues reveal their creators to be master craftsmen and engineers, and are distinctive among other stone sculptures found in Polynesian cultures. There has been much speculation about the exact purpose of the statues, the role they played in the ancient civilization of Easter Island and the way they may have been constructed and transported.

Early Settlement

The first human inhabitants of this mysterious Island are believed to have arrived in an organized party of emigrants. Archaeology dates their arrival at between 700-800 A.D., while linguists estimate it was around the year 400. Tradition holds that the first king of Rapa Nui was Hoto-Matua, a ruler from a Polynesian subgroup (possibly from the Marquesa Islands) whose ship traveled thousands of miles before landing at Anakena, one of the few sandy beaches on Rapa Nui's rocky coast. Now, it is speculated that after the decline of the moai culture, a new cult of bird worship developed on Easter Island. It was centered on a ceremonial village called Orongo, built on the rim of the crater of the Rano Kao volcano. The greatest evidence for the rich culture developed by the original settlers of Rapa Nui and their descendants is the existence of nearly 900 unimaginable giant stone statues that have been found in diverse locations around the island. Averaging 13 feet (4 meters) high, with a weight of 13 tons, these enormous stone busts–known as moai–were carved out of tuff (the light, porous rock formed by consolidated volcanic ash) and placed atop ceremonial stone platforms called ahus. It is still unknown precisely why these statues were constructed in such numbers and on such a scale, or how they were moved around the island.

Human Disappearance

Earlier research showed that the late period of the island’s civilization was characterized by civil wars and general destruction which even led to toppling of more statues. Island tradition indicates that around 1680, after peacefully coexisting for many years, one of the island’s two main groups, known as the Short-Ears, rebelled against the Long-Ears, burning many of them to death on a pyre constructed along an ancient ditch at Poike, on the island’s far northeastern coast. Another mystery behind the decline of human population Easter Islands was an ecocide;The natives cut out large forests and palm trees making spare room for moving the statues around as well as agriculture. They thought the trees were going to grow back fast enough. It was a misleading concept. The deterioration of the environment resulted in hunger. And this, in turn, led to wars and cannibalism. Nowadays, however, such a theory has been proven wrong. First of all, Rapa Nui inhabitants seemed to be very talented agricultural engineers, Imagine they put to existence those Moai statues. They deliberately fertilized the fields with the volcanic rock. In fact, another research has shown that people had been living on the island for many centuries. And the population only started to decrease when Europeans began intruding.

Outsiders on Easter Island

The first known European intruder to Easter Island was the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who arrived in 1722. If you didn't know, the Dutch named the island (Easter Island) to commemorate the day they arrived. In 1770, the Spanish viceroy of Peru sent an expedition to the island; the explorers spent four days ashore and estimated a native population of some 3,000 people. Just four years later, the British navigator Sir James Cook arrived to find Easter Island’s population decimated by what seemed to have been a civil war, with only 600 to 700 men and fewer than 30 women remaining. In 1786,the population somehow gained momentum and hit 2,000,this is according to a French navigator Jean François. A major slave raid from Peru in 1862, followed by epidemics of smallpox, reduced the population to only 111 people by 1877. By that time, Catholic missionaries had settled on Easter Island and begun to convert the population to Christianity, a process that was completed by the late 19th century. In 1888, Chile annexed Easter Island, leasing much of the land for sheep raising. The Chilean government appointed a civilian governor for Easter Island in 1965, and the island’s residents became full Chilean citizens.

What Happened to the Trees

Recently, a picture emerged of a prehistoric population that was both successful and lived sustainably on the island up until European contact. It is generally beyond doubt that Rapa Nui, once covered in large palm trees, was rapidly deforested soon after its initial colonization around 1200 AD. Although micro-botanical evidence, such as pollen analysis, suggests the palm forest disappeared quickly, the human population may only have been partially to blame. The earliest Polynesian colonizers brought with them another culprit, namely the Polynesian rat. It is likely that these rats ate both palm nuts and sapling trees, preventing the forests from growing back. But despite this deforestation, our own analysis on the diet of the prehistoric Rapanui found they consumed more seafood and were more sophisticated and adaptable farmers than previously thought.

Easter Island Today

An isolated triangle measuring 14 miles long by seven miles wide, Easter Island was formed by a series of volcanic eruptions. In addition to its hilly terrain, the island contains many subterranean caves with corridors that extend deep into mountains of volcanic rock. The island’s largest volcano is known as Rano Kao, and its highest point is Mount Terevaka, which reaches 1,665 feet (507.5 m) above sea level. It has a subtropical climate (sunny and dry) and temperate weather. Easter Island boasts no natural harbor, but ships can anchor off Hanga Roa on the west coast; it is the island’s largest village, with a population of roughly 3,300. In 1995, UNESCO named Easter Island a World Heritage site. It is now home to a mixed population, mostly of Polynesian ancestry and made up of the descendants of the Long-Ears and Short-Ears. Spanish is generally spoken, and the island has developed an economy largely based on tourism.

Earthquake-proof Buildings

After the massive earthquake near Japan one wonders if it’s possible to build an earthquake-proof building? The answer is yes and no. There are of course, engineering techniques that can be used to create a very sound structure that will endure a modest or even strong quake. However, during a very strong earthquake, even the best engineered building may suffer severe damage. Engineers design buildings to withstand as much sideways motion as possible in order to minimize damage to the structure and give the occupants time to get out safely. Buildings are basically designed to support a vertical load in order to support the walls, roof and all the stuff inside to keep them standing.

Earthquakes present a lateral, or sideways, load to the building structure that is a bit more complicated to account for. One way to to make a simple structure more resistant to these lateral forces is to tie the walls, floor, roof, and foundations into a rigid box that holds together when shaken by a quake.The most dangerous building construction, from an earthquake point of view, is unreinforced brick or concrete block. Generally, this type of construction has walls that are made of bricks stacked on top of each other and held together with mortar. The roof is laid across the top. The weight of the roof is carried straight down through the wall to the foundation. When this type of construction is subject to a lateral force from an earthquake the walls tip over or crumble and the roof falls in like a house of cards.

Construction techniques can have a huge impact on the death toll from earthquakes. An 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile in 2010 killed more than 700 people. On January 12, 2010, a less powerful earthquake, measuring 7.0, killed more than 200,000 in Haiti.The difference in those death tolls comes from building construction and technology. In Haiti, the buildings were constructed quickly and cheaply. Chile, a richer and more industrialized nation, adheres to more stringent building codes.SkyscrapersAs the buildings get bigger and taller other techniques are employed such as “base isolation.” During the past 30 years, engineers have constructed skyscrapers that float on systems of ball bearings, springs and padded cylinders. Acting like shock absorbers in a car, these systems allow the building to be decoupled from the shaking of the ground.Watch the video below to see these system in action. These buildings don’t sit directly on the ground, so they’re protected from some earthquake shocks. In the event of a major earthquake, they can sway up to a few feet. The buildings are surrounded by “moats,” or buffer zones, so they don’t swing into other structures.

Another technique to dampen the swaying of a tall building is to build in a large (several tons) mass that can sway at the top of the building in opposition to the building sway. Known as “tuned mass dampers”, these devices can reduce the sway of a building up to 30 to 40 percent. The Taipei 101, formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center, has just such a giant pendulum mounted between the 88th and 92nd floors. Weighing in at 730 tons and capable of moving 5ft in any direction, it takes the prize as the worlds largest and heaviest building damper. In fact, it is so heavy that it had to be constructed on site since it is to heavy to be lifted by a crane.

The Earth is like a giant layer cake made up of many different layers and different fillings. Except the Earth fillings are not made up of good tasting frosting and cake but more rocks and metal. There are four different layers of the Earth discussed in this essay. These layers include the crust, the mantle, the inner core and the outer core.

At the very surface of the Earth is the crust, the topmost layer, made mostly out of solid rocks. It also is made up of iron, oxygen, silicon, magnesium and aluminium. It is the thinnest layer out of all the layers. The crust is the deepest in areas where there are mountains. It can be 43 miles thick in those areas.

The Mantle is made up of rock, silicon, iron, magnesium, aluminum and oxygen. The mantle is 500 to 900 degrees. It is divided into the upper and lower mantle. They make up most of the Earth’s layers like to the other layers. Although made up of solid rock, the mantle is not completely hard. It is extremely hot. The movement of the mantle is what causes volcanoes to erupt and earthquakes to occur.

The inner core is mostly made up of nickel and iron. The temperature in the inner core is about 9,806 degrees, which is about the temperature of the sun. Scientists have never been able to go to the inner core due to the high temperature. In 1997, scientists did experiments that showed the inner core was spinning faster than the rest of the Earth.

The outer core is made of liquid and other metals. The outer core is the only liquid core. The layer is responsible for the Earth’s magnetic field. The magnetic field protects the Earth from things that can be harmful from the sun.

Even though we only see the Earth’s crust, the thinnest layer, the Earth is not one solid rock. It is made up of different layers that each has a different purpose. The crust is the top layer that we see, the mantle causes volcanoes and earthquakes, the inner core spins and the outer core protects us from things that can harm us from the sun.

Works Cited

1. Aldridge, M. (2015). Inside planet Earth. National Geographic Kids.
2. Anderson, D. L. (2015). The interior of the Earth: an interdisciplinary perspective. Cambridge University Press.
3. Bowring, S. A., Williams, I. S., & Compston, W. (1989). 238U–235U systematics in terrestrial uranium-bearing minerals. Science, 246(4934), 962-970.
4. Christensen, U. R. (1996). The Earth's mantle: composition, structure, and evolution. Cambridge University Press.
5. Duffy, T. S., Anderson, O. L., & Goncharov, A. F. (2001). Thermodynamics of mantle minerals—II. Phase equilibria. Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, 43(1), 65-124.
6. Foulger, G. R. (2010). Plates vs. plumes: A geological controversy. Wiley-Blackwell.
7. Jacobsen, S. B., & Garnero, E. J. (2010). A layered mantle transition zone in the northwest Pacific. Nature, 466(7307), 1062-1065.
8. Riffenburgh, B. (2013). Encyclopedia of the Antarctic. Routledge.
9. Rolf, T., & Snieder, R. (2013). The Earth's mantle: from seismic tomography to mineral physics. Cambridge University Press.
10. Tanimoto, T., & Lay, T. (2000). The Earth's mantle. Nature, 405(6782), 633-634.

Earth’s magnetic field, albeit generated approximately 2,000 miles below the surface, protects the planet’s atmosphere from space radiation and solar wind. It is essential, then, for life. The strength of the magnetic field, though, is rapidly decreasing; in the past 300 years alone, its strength has diminished by 10%. By first exploring what the magnetic field is and where it comes from, this film is able to postulate reasons for this rapid decline as well as the potential effects of it. The proposed ideas rely heavily on expert opinions, computer simulations, and physical models.

The magnetic field operates as a feedback loop; the combination of magnetism, heat and motion in the Earth’s core creates an electrical current. This current leads to more magnetism, which then leads to stronger electrical currents, and so on. Ultimately, this complex process creates the overall magnetic field. Due to its magnetism, the field deflects charged particles away from the Earth, thus acting as a shield from solar radiation. Without it, the atmosphere would be slowly stripped away and all life-forms would be exposed to deadly radiation. The magnetic field, then, is part of what makes life on Earth sustainable. Having a magnetic field, though, does not make Earth unique.

Magnetic volcanic rock found on the surface of Mars demonstrates that, until about 4 billion years ago, Mars also had a magnetic field. Its core, however, cooled and solidified, therefore halting the motion that enabled its magnetic field to exist. Because there was no longer a “shield” protecting it, Mars’s atmosphere was stripped away by solar winds. This process suggests that if Earth’s magnetic field were to dissipate, for similar or different reasons as Mars’, the planet would also lose its atmosphere and, consequently, the life that it sustains. Today, scientists can tell that the strength of Earth’s magnetic field is decreasing by analyzing substances such as volcanic rock and clay pottery. When cooled, magnetic particles in such substances align with the magnetic field. These particles, then, denote the strength of the field at the time of cooling as well as the direction of it: that is, where the geomagnetic poles were located at the time of cooling. These analyses depict that it is relatively common for the strength and direction of the magnetic field to fluctuate; current estimates suggest that, on average, the direction of the magnetic field switches every 200,000 years.

The strength of the magnetic field can indicate when there will be a reversal of the geomagnetic North and South poles. The field is often weak when patches of anomalies are prominent. (Anomalies are local variations in the magnetic field where the polarity of it are opposite to what it is assumed to be based on location). These variations cancel out the polarity of the magnetic field, therefore decreasing its strength. The anomalies will eventually begin to connect, creating larger and larger anomalies until the polarity of the entire magnetic field flips. It is possible, then, that the current rapid decline in magnetic field strength the Earth is experiencing is because the Earth’s magnetic field will reverse (relatively) soon. Because of this weakening, more radiation is reaching Earth’s inhabitants, therefore increasing occurrences of skin cancer . Similarly, the anomalies are currently affecting navigation, as will the reversal.

On the bright side, though, the Aurora will potentially appear in nontraditional places, causing a nice change of scenery. It is interesting that no anthropogenic causes were discussed in this film. Typically, when rapid changes are occurring on the Earth, it is the direct result of human action. The film, then, serves as a reminder that Earth is truly dynamic.