15 Classic Poems for the New Year

15 Classic Poems for the New Year The turning of the calendar from one year to the next has always been a time of reflection and hope. We spend the days  summing up past experiences, bidding farewell to those we have lost, renewing old friendships, making plans and resolutions, and expressing our hopes for the future. All of these are fit subjects for poems, like these classics on New Year’s themes. Robert Burns,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Song- Auld Lang Syne† (1788) It is a song that millions choose to sing every year as the clock strikes midnight and it is a timeless classic. Auld Lang Syne is both a song and a poem, after all, songs are poetry set to music, right? And yet, the tune we know today isnt quite the same thing that Robert Burns had in mind when he wrote it over two centuries ago. The melody has changed and a few of the words have been updated (and others have not) to meet modern tongues. For instance, in the last verse, Burns wrote: And there’s a hand, my trusty fere!And gie’s a hand o’ thine!And we’ll tak a right gude-willie waught, The modern version prefers: And thers a hand, my trusty friend,And gies a hand o thine;Well tak a cup o kindness yet, It is the phrase gude-willie waught that catches most people by surprise and its easy to see why many people choose to repeat cup o kindness yet. They do mean the same thing though, as gude-willie is Scottish adjective meaning  good-will  and  waught  means  hearty drink. Tip:  Ã‚  A common misconception is that  Sin is pronounced  zine  when really it is more like  sign. It means  since  and  auld lang syne  refers to something like old long since. Ella Wheeler Wilcox,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Year† (1910) If there is a New Years Eve poem worth putting to memory, it is Ella Wheeler Wilcoxs The Year. This short and rhythmical poem sums up everything we experience with the passing of each year and it rolls off the tongue when recited. What can be said in New Year rhymes,That’s not been said a thousand times?The new years come, the old years go,We know we dream, we dream we know.We rise up laughing with the light,We lie down weeping with the night.We hug the world until it stings,We curse it then and sigh for wings.We live, we love, we woo, we wed,We wreathe our brides, we sheet our dead.We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear,And that’s the burden of the year. If you get the opportunity, read Wilcoxs  Ã¢â‚¬Å"New Year: A Dialogue.† Written in  1909, it is a fantastic dialogue between Mortal and The New Year in which the latter knocks on the door with offers of good cheer, hope, success, health, and love. The reluctant and downcast mortal is finally lured in. It is a brilliant commentary on how the new year often revives us even though it is just another day on the calendar. Helen Hunt Jackson,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"New Year’s Morning† (1892) Along those same lines, Hellen Hunt Jacksons poem, New Years Morning discusses how its only one night and that each morning can be New Years. This is a fantastic piece of inspirational prose that ends with: Only a night from old to new;Only a sleep from night to morn.The new is but the old come true;Each sunrise sees a new year born. Alfred, Lord Tennyson,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Death of the Old Year† (1842) Poets often relate the old year with drudgery and sorrow and the new year with hope and lifted spirits. Alfred, Lord Tennyson did not shy away from these thoughts and the title of his poem, The Death of the Old Year captures the sentiment of the verses perfectly. In this classic poem, Tennyson spends the first four verses lamenting the years passing as if it were an old and dear friend on his death bed. The first stanza ends with four poignant lines: Old year you must not die;You came to us so readily,You lived with us so steadily,Old year you shall not die. As the verses move on, he counts down the hours: ’ Tis nearly twelve o’clock. Shake hands, before you die. Eventually, a new face is at his door and the narrator must Step from the corpse, and let him in. Tennyson addresses the new year in  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Ring Out, Wild Bells† (from In Memoriam A.H.H., 1849) as well. In this poem, he pleads with the wild bells to Ring out the grief, dying, pride, spite, and many more distasteful traits. As he does this, he asks the bells to ring in the good, the peace, the noble, and the true. More New Years Poetry Death, life, sadness, and hope; poets in the 19th and 20th centuries took these New Years themes to great extremes as they wrote. Some took an optimistic view while, for others, it seems to have only led to despair. As you explore this theme, be sure to read these classic poems and study some of the context of the poets lives as the influence is often very profound in understanding. William Cullen Bryant,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"A Song for New Year’s Eve† (1859) - Bryant reminds us that the old year is not yet gone and that we should enjoy it to the last second. Many people take this as a great reminder for life in general. Emily Dickinson,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"One Year ago - jots what?† (#296) - The new year makes many people look back and reflect. While not specifically about New Years Day, this brilliant poem is wildly introspective. The poet wrote it on the anniversary of her fathers death and her writing seems so jumbled, so distraught that it moves the reader. No matter your anniversary - death, loss... whatever - you have likely felt the same as Dickinson at one time. Christina Rossetti,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Old and New Year Ditties† (1862) - The Victorian poet could be quite morbid and, surprisingly, this poem from the collection Goblin Market and Other Poems is one of her brighter works. It is very Biblical and offers hope and fulfillment. Also Recommended Francis Thompson,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"New Year’s Chimes† (1897)Thomas Hardy,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Darkling Thrush† (composed December 31, 1900, published 1902)Thomas Hardy,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"New Year’s Eve† (1906)D.H. Lawrence,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"New Year’s Eve† (1917) and  Ã¢â‚¬Å"New Year’s Night† (1917)John Clare,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Old Year† (1920)

Sociologists Take Historic Stand on Racism and Police Brutality

Sociologists Take Historic Stand on Racism and Police Brutality The 2014 annual meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA) took place in San Francisco on the heels of the killing of unarmed black teen, Michael Brown, at the hands of a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. It also happened during a community uprising shrouded in police brutality, so many sociologists in attendance had the national crises of police brutality and racism on their minds. The ASA, however, created no official space for discussion of these issues, nor had the 109-year-old organization made any kind of public statement on them, despite the fact that the amount of published sociological research on these issues could fill a library. Frustrated by this lack of action and dialog, some attendees created a grassroots discussion group and task force to address these crises. Neda Maghbouleh, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto-Scarborough, was one of those who took the lead. Explaining why, she said, â€Å"We had a critical mass of thousands of trained sociologists within two blocks of each other at ASA- equipped to marshal history, theory, data, and hard facts toward a social crisis like Ferguson. So ten of us, complete strangers, met for thirty minutes in a hotel lobby to hash out a plan to get as many concerned sociologists as possible to contribute to, edit, and sign a document. I was committed to helping in any way possible because it’s moments like these that affirm the value of social science for society.† The document† Dr. Maghbouleh refers to is an open letter to U.S. society at-large, that was signed by over 1,800 sociologists, this author among them. The letter began by pointing out that what transpired in Ferguson was born of â€Å"deeply ingrained racial, political, social and economic inequities,† and then specifically named the conduct of policing, especially in black communities and in the context of protest, as a serious social problem. The authors and signatories  implored â€Å"law enforcement, policymakers, media, and the nation to consider decades of sociological analysis and research that can inform the necessary conversations and solutions required to address the systemic issues that the events in Ferguson have raised.† The authors pointed out that much sociological research has already established the existence of society-wide problems present in the case of Ferguson, like â€Å"a pattern of racialized policing,† historically rooted â€Å"institutionalized racism within police departments and the criminal justice system more broadly,†Ã‚  the â€Å"hyper-surveillance of black and brown youth,† and the disproportionate targeting and disrespectful treatment of black men and women by police.  These troubling phenomena foster  suspicion about people of color, create an environment in which it is impossible for people of color to trust police, which in turn undermines the ability of police to do their job: serve and protect. The authors wrote, â€Å"Instead of feeling protected by police, many African Americans are intimidated and live in daily fear that their children will face abuse, arrest, and death at the hands of police officers who may be acting on implicit biases or institutional policies based on stereotypes and assumptions of black criminality.† They then  explained that brutal police treatment of protestors is â€Å"rooted in the history of repression of African American protest movements and attitudes about blacks that often drive contemporary police practices.† In response, sociologists called for â€Å"greater attention to the conditions (e.g., joblessness and political disenfranchisement) that have contributed to the marginalization of residents† of Ferguson and other communities, and explained that â€Å"focused and sustained government and community attention on these issues is required to bring about healing and a change in the economic and political structures that have thus far ignored and left many in such areas vulnerable to police abuse.† The letter concluded with a list of demands required for â€Å"an appropriate response to the death of Michael Brown,† and to address the larger, nation-wide issue of racist police policies and practices: Immediate assurance from law enforcement authorities in Missouri and the federal government that constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of the press will be protected.A civil rights investigation into the incidents related to the death of Michael Brown and general police practices in Ferguson.The establishment of an independent committee to study and analyze the failures of the policing efforts during the week following Michael Brown’s death. Ferguson residents, including leaders of grassroots organizations, should be included on the committee throughout this process. The committee must provide a clear roadmap for resetting community-police relations in a way that grants oversight power to residents.An independent comprehensive national study of the role of implicit bias and systemic racism in policing. Federal funding should be allocated to support police departments in implementing the recommendations from the study and ongoing monitoring and public reporting of key benchmarks (e.g., use of force, arrests by race) and improvements in police practices. Legislation requiring the use of dash and body-worn cameras to record all police interactions. Data from these devices should be immediately stored in tamper-proof databases, and there should be clear procedures for public access to any such recordings.Increased transparency of public law enforcement, including independent oversight agencies with guaranteed full access to law enforcement policies and on-the-ground operations; and more streamlined, transparent and efficient procedures for the processing of complaints and FOIA requests.Federal legislation, currently being developed by Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), to halt the transfer of military equipment to local police departments, and additional legislation to curtail the use of such equipment against domestic civilian populations.Establishment of a ‘Ferguson Fund’ that will support long term strategies grounded in the principles of social justice, systems reform and racial equity to bring about substantial and sustained c hange in Ferguson and other communities facing similar challenges. To learn more about the underlying issues of systemic racism and police brutality, check out The Ferguson Syllabus compiled by  Sociologists for Justice. Many of the readings included are available online.

Leisure and Pleasure Source Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leisure and Pleasure Source Analysis - Essay Example The main difference may be in the level of advancement of the medium; newspaper. In this discourse, an analysis of a sample newspaper excerpt published in 1971 is performed to illustrate some of the differences and similarities. Newspaper adverts in London in 1741 must have been a very important medium for channelling particularly commercial information to the customers. There was a strict control that the authorities in London used to prevent spread of dangerous information. One of the control measures, as seen on the left top corner, is the demand that legal endorsement of a circulating newspaper in form of an official stamp must have authenticated its publication and circulation (Hundt 2000, p332). According to the author, illegal newspapers production had to cleverly look for alternative distribution channels. A major way that assisted their penetration of the market was through backstreet sales through the help of hawkers. One characteristic of these illegal newspapers was an attractive and catchy design and presentation that included graphics and illustrations. Advancements to these market penetration wars attracted use of more catchy images and pictures on advertisements in order to keep in touch wit h the competition. It follows that there was an important group of people whose leisure activities must have been met thereby opening an opportunity for newspaper publishing to thrive. The first advert on Hay Market is particularly short and to the point, which illustrates the observation of strict regulation. In the advert, the title and emphasis words are on different font that creates the stress impact which catches the eye of the reader. The second advert on Drury-lane and Le Genereux Corsaire likewise avoid the use of bulk wording but captures the intended emphasis through case variation on various words. Short forms such as call’d, arriv’d, ‘tis and bop’d are applied in the adverts to

Pediatric Nurse Population for ADHD Education Essay

Pediatric Nurse Population for ADHD Education - Essay Example Medications used in children should be of even greater interest due to the inability to monitor the effects of adverse reactions by objective methods. Nurses play a key role in the management of children with ADHD. This disorder may persist even to adult stages. The diagnosis of ADHD requires careful history taking ,use of standardized rating scales ,and close attention to patients behavior and informants reports. Statistics show that in order to fit in the field of nursing and favorably attend the ADHD patients especially the 6-18 age group, a nurse should be compassionate, and committed to help people. Skills, knowledge and competence are a major factor of requirement in the nursing career. Different ADHD patients will react differently to the particular drug regime .This is due to their different individual genetic system which stimulates enzymatic reactions. Nurses ought to understand this aspect in order to attend the affected effectively. Primary care should be an opportune location for close monitoring of individual reactions to drugs. Systematic follow-up is essential to monitor side effects, target outcomes and gather information from parents, teachers and the child. Yearwood, E. (2012). Child and adolescent behavioral health: a resource for advanced practice psychiatric and primary care practitioners in nursing. Wiley- Blackwell. ï‚ · Ryan-Krause, P. (2011, January - February). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Part III; Journal of Pediatric Health Care. V 25, pp

Term paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Term Paper Example Next, the paper briefly discusses Rome’s founding and the Emperor Octavian’s accomplishments. The Romans were threatened by the Celts led by Charlemagne the great, whose reign coincided with the Carolingian renaissance. From the Celts, we jump to the Americans who have gone through the declaration of independence, a civil war, end of slavery, women suffrage, and the civil rights movement. Finally, there is a comparison of three major religions in Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Mesopotamia is considered to be the birthplace of many things because it is the civilization’s birthplace. It was in Mesopotamia that the first cities were built. The first utilization of writing was also in Mesopotamia, as well as the first use of state control with state-funded projects, such as infrastructure and irrigation systems. It was also the first civilization to divide the state into provinces helmed by governors, as well as the first civilization to introduce laws and government (Braudel, 2009). Sargon was a conqueror and the emperor who came to power in Kish around 2270 BC, reigning for fifty-five years. During his reign, he fought a series of major battles that saw him conquer surrounding city-states. Eventually, he ruled over all of Mesopotamia in the region of the Fertile Crescent. Sargon is considered to be the stylistic and political forbear of the Babylonian and Assyrian kings that ruled over the succeeding 2000 years. Both characters in the epic of Gilgamesh and the Christian mythos were depicted as semi-divine and had reputable wisdom. Both characters are also endowed with superhuman power, with both stories leading to dramatic conclusions where the heroes have their hopes dashed. The Akkad was the city that the Akkadian empire centered on, including the surrounding Mesopotamian region. It was important because it was the first city to be fed by

Compare and Contrast an Agency Protest to a General Accounting Office Research Paper - 1

Compare and Contrast an Agency Protest to a General Accounting Office (GAO) protest - Research Paper Example This include establishment of mechanisms through which offerors can question the officials in charge of the procurement procedures in the government departments. In case the procuring agencies are not compliant with the law and regulations governing the procurement process, the aggrieved parties undertake the bid protest. The major forms of federal bid protest include an agency-level protest, protest through the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the jurisdiction through United States Court of Federal Claims (COFC) (GAO-03-673G Government Auditing Standards, 2012). This paper seeks to compare and contrast an Agency Protest to a General Accounting Office (GAO) Protest. Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) 33.103 gives the guidelines that must be followed by the agencies during addressing of the protests generated by the offerors. Having being established by the Executive Order 12979, agency protest stipulates that all the concerned parties must take all the necessary steps to ensure that the conflict is solved in an amicable way. Even though the government has clearly outlined the regulations that control the agency protests, most of the agencies complement the FAR provisions by initiating their own regulations that are not favorable to the offerors. A protest is initiated by an interested party. An interested party is the individual whose economic interest would be adversely affected by the failure to win a contract or through the award of the contact (Robert, 2012). This is one of the major aspects that are common both to agency and GAO protests. There is no jurisdiction on the protests that an agency can handle, since it has the authority to d eal with all the protests that are related to its contracts. However, according to Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act, a protest that is related to delivery order contracts or issuance of task that can be given to various

The Sale of Human Organs Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Sale of Human Organs - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that Legalisation of the sale of human organs may seem absurd and weird to some people based on their own different ideologies. However, to some people, it seems very find and they find no problem with it. This is what has therefore brought a huge controversy on the issue of selling human organs. Satz states that arguments have been raised so far to justify the two sides but it is not clear what stand should prevail. What can be traced from history is that all people find the donation of human organs to be something divine but on the contrary, find the sale of human organs to be a sinful act. In regards to this controversy, there are, however, plenty of arguments to justify the sale of human organs. These arguments, by all means, try to reveal the need and advantage of permitting people to make the sale of their organs in open markets without any questioning or any restriction of any kind at all. As much as most countries may hold their law s on the illegality of selling human organs, the laws have no power at all given the fact that people have the free will to make a sale on their sperms and reproductive eggs. Sperms and reproductive female eggs are parts of a human body too and people are allowed to sell them. Hughes argues that there must be no reason to forbid people from selling other organs of their body like liver and kidney. After all, for any human being to decide to sell their organs, it must be out of their own free will and consent.