Definition and Examples of the Plain Style in English

In rhetoric, the term plain style refers to speech or writing that is simple, direct, and straightforward. Also known as the  low style, the scientific style, the simple style, and the Senecan style. In contrast to the grand style, the plain style does not rely heavily on figurative language. The plain style is commonly associated with the matter-of-fact delivery of information, as in most  technical writing. According to Richard Lanham, the three central values of the plain style are Clarity, Brevity, and Sincerity, the C-B-S theory of prose (Analyzing Prose, 2003). That said, literary critic Hugh Kenner has characterized plain prose, the plain style as the most disorienting form of discourse yet invented (The Politics of the Plain, 1985). Observations and Examples I am glad you think my style plain . I never, in any one page or paragraph, aimed at making it anything else, or giving it any other merit—and I wish people would leave off talking about its beauty. If it has any, it is only pardonable at being unintentional. The greatest possible merit of style is, of course, to make the words absolutely disappear into the thought.(Nathaniel Hawthorne, letter to an editor, 1851) The only way to write plainly, as a worker should, would be to write like [George] Orwell. But the plain style is a middle-class accomplishment, got by arduous and educated rhetorical effects.(Frank Kermode, History and Value. Oxford University Press, 1988)The plain style . . . is completely unadorned. It is straightforward and void of any figures of speech. It is the style of much contemporary newspaper prose. Cicero thought it was best suited for teaching, and indeed, the plain style is the idiom of the best schoolbooks of our age.(Kenneth Cmiel, Democratic Eloquence: The Fight Over Popular Speech in Nineteenth-Century America. University of California Press, 1990) The Power of the Plain Style In political language, plainness is powerful. Of the people, by the people, for the people. Ask not what your country can do for you. I have a dream. This is especially so for language designed to be heard, like speeches and debate exchanges, rather than read from a page. People absorb and retain information in smaller increments through the ear than through the eye. Thus the classic intonations of every major religion have the simple, repetitive cadence also found in the best political speeches. In the beginning. And it was good. Let us pray.†(James Fallows, Who Will Win? The Atlantic, October, 2016) Cicero on the Plain Style Just as some women are said to be handsomer when unadorned—this very lack of ornament becomes them—so the plain style gives pleasure when unembellished. . . . All noticeable ornament, pearls as it were, will be excluded; not even curling irons will be used. All cosmetics, artificial white and red, will be rejected. Only elegance and neatness will remain. The language will be pure Latin, plain and clear; propriety will always be the chief aim.(Cicero, De Oratore) The Rise of the Plain Style in English At the beginning of the 17th century, the Senecan plain style enjoyed a significant and widespread boost in prestige: this came from playwrights like [Ben] Jonson, low-church divines (who equated ornate persuasion with deceit), and, above all, scientists. Francis Bacon was particularly effective in associating Senecan plainness with the aims of empiricism and inductive method: the new science demanded a prose in which as few words as possible interfered with the presentation of object reality.(David Rosen, Power, Plain English, and the Rise of Modern Poetry, Yale University Press, 2006)The Royal Societys Prescription for a Plain StyleIt will suffice my present purpose to point out what has been done by the Royal Society towards the correcting of its excesses in Natural Philosophy . . ..They have, therefore, been most rigorous in putting in execution the only Remedy that can be found for this extravagance, and that has been a constant Resolution to reject all the amplifications, digre ssions, and swellings of style: to return back to the primitive purity, and shortness, when men delivered so many things almost in an equal number of words. They have exacted from all their members, a close, naked, natural way of speaking; positive expressions, clear senses, a native easiness; bringing all things as near the Mathematical plainness as they can: and preferring the language of Artizans, Countrymen, and Merchants, before that, of Wits, or Scholars.(Thomas Sprat, The History of the Royal Society, 1667) Example of the Plain Style: Jonathan Swift [B]ecause it is idle to propose remedies before we are assured of the disease, or to be in fear till we are convinced of the danger, I shall first show in general that the nation is extremely corrupted in religion and morals; and then I will offer a short scheme for the reformation of both.As to the first, I know it is reckoned but a form of speech when divines complain of the wickedness of the age; however, I believe, upon a fair comparison with other times and countries, it would be found an undoubted truth.For, first, to deliver nothing but plain matter of fact, without exaggeration or satire, I suppose it will be granted that hardly one in a hundred among our people of quality or gentry appears to act by any principle of religion; that great numbers of them do entirely discard it, and are ready to own their disbelief of all revelation in ordinary discourse. Nor is the case much better among the vulgar, especially in great towns, where the profaneness and ignorance of handicraftsm en, small traders, servants, and the like, are to a degree very hard to be imagined greater. Then it is observed abroad that no race of mortals have so little sense of religion as the English soldiers; to confirm which, I have been often told by great officers of the army that in the whole compass of their acquaintance they could not recollect three of their profession who seemed to regard or believe one syllable of the gospel: and the same at least may be affirmed of the fleet. The consequences of all which upon the actions of men are equally manifest. They never go about as in former times to hide or palliate their vices, but expose them freely to view like any other common occurrences of life, without the least reproach from the world or themselves. . . .(Jonathan Swift, A Project for the Advancement of Religion and the Reformation of Manners, 1709) Example of the Plain Style: George Orwell Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be avoided if one is willing to take the necessary trouble. If one gets rid of these habits one can think more clearly, and to think clearly is a necessary first step towards political regeneration: so that the fight against bad English is not frivolous and is not the exclusive concern of professional writers. I will come back to this presently, and I hope that by that time the meaning of what I have said here will have become clearer.(George Orwell, Politics and the English Language, 1946) Hugh Kenner on the Disorienting Plain Style of Swift and Orwell Plain prose, the plain style, is the most disorienting form of discourse yet invented by man. Swift in the 18th century, George Orwell in the 20th are two of its very few masters. And both were political writers—theres a connection. . . .Plain style is a populist style and one that suited writers like Swift, Mencken, and Orwell. Homely diction is its hallmark, also one-two-three syntax, the show of candor and the artifice of seeming to be grounded outside language in what is called fact—the domain where a condemned man can be observed as he silently avoids a puddle [in Orwells A Hanging] and your prose will report the observation and no one will doubt it. Such prose simulates the words anyone who was there and awake might later have spoken spontaneously. On a written page, . . . the spontaneous can only be a contrivance. . . .The plain style feigns a candid observer. Such is its great advantage for persuading. From behind its mask of calm candor, the writer with politic al intentions can appeal, in seeming disinterest, to people whose pride is their no-nonsense connoisseurship of fact. And such is the trickiness of language that he may find he must deceive them to enlighten them. . . .What the masters of the plain style demonstrate is how futile is anyones hope of subduing humanity to an austere ideal. Straightness will prove crooked, the gain will be short-term, vision will be fabrication and simplicity an intricate contrivance. Likewise, no probity, no sincerity, can ever subdue the inner contradictions of speaking plainly.(Hugh Kenner, The Politics of the Plain. The New York Times, September 15, 1985)

Power Struggle In Wuthering Heights - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1200 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/05/13 Category Literature Essay Level High school Topics: Wuthering Heights Essay Did you like this example? Wuthering Heights was first published in 1847, in the 19th century, in England when class was the primary determiner of an individuals power. People in the upper class possessed all the power while those in the lower class, the poor, worked for them as servants. People remained in the classes they were born. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Power Struggle In Wuthering Heights" essay for you Create order If your parents were wealthy, you would also be rich, and if your parents were poor, you would most probably be poor. It was a different time back then, It was challenging for one to change their social classes. In Wuthering Heights, Bronte shows that that the will to improve ones status can result in unhappiness and failure. Characters in the story yearn to elevate their social status, but in most instances, they fail, or they result in loneliness and depression. The characters in the novel have an undying desire for power that hinders or motivates them from changing their social status. As a result of the want to move up in the social class, We take a closer look at just how greedy and depressed certain characters get. Owing to his low social status, Emily Bronte shows how Heathcliff is in some way related to Animals. It is evident through Nellys description of Heathcliffs background and how he became acquitted with Cathy, Mrs. Earnshaw, Mr. Earnshaw and Hindley. In the description, Nelly narrates how Mr. Earnshaw travelled to Liverpool and was almost killed. According to Nelly, at the end of the journey, Mr. Earnshaw could be to death. This means that Mr. Earnshaw fought with someone else, which is something a person of his social status would not do. After highlighting the incident, Nelly reveals the dirty, ragged, black-haired child. From the words used, it is clear that Heathcliff is not of a high social class. Mr. Earnshaw says that Mrs. Earnshaw should not take it as a gift from God, because due to its darkness, it came from the devil. (31). Mrs. Earnshaw is disappointed and she asks her husband, why he brought the gipsy brat in the house. From the language, it is clear the Heathcliff and Mrs . Earnshaw are of different social status. Even though Bronte does not reveal where Heathcliff comes from, the reader can assess that he is from a poor background. Bronte describes him as big enough to walk and talk and its face looked older than Catherine. This shows how ill he is treated due to his looks. Furthermore, the language used to describe Heathcliff is the one used to describe animals. For instance, after arriving, Nelly describes where Heathcliff stayed. She says, I put it on the landing stair, hoping it might be gone on the morrow (Bronte, 32). Nelly uses ?it to describe him, and this dehumanizes Heathcliff, equating him to animals. The language also shows that he is different from the Earnshaws since they wished that he would eve in the morning like a dog in a strange home. Nevertheless, once he is christened, the Earnshaws reference Heathcliff differently. They see him as a person and not as a thing or an animal, and from then on, Heathcliff gained confidence. Heathcliff switches social classes the most, and he is willing to manipulate anyone to get power. In the beginning, he is a nameless orphan in the streets of Liverpool, but Mr. Earnshaw takes him and nurtures him as his own. The adoption elevates Heathcliffs social class to the aristocratic class since he becomes a country gentleman. Heathcliff struggles to fit in the new status and world, but he tries his best, not to disappoint Mr. Earnshaw. Those living in Wuthering Heights disregard him, but since he desires acceptance, he engages himself regardless of the physical and emotional abuse he receives. Due to these abuses, he yearns to elevate his social status. This realization is also quickly noticed when Catharine rejects him because he is unable to advance her socially, she says It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now.(Bronte, 92). Heathcliff feels upset and does everything he can to prove the society wrong and to prove that he is more than what people think. Heathcliff leaves Wuthering Heights to transform himself into a wealthy man, and he returns to show Catherine that he can be a powerful man in the society. He is eating himself alive by his love for Catherine, and he is overcome by the urge to prove himself to her. Heathcliffs obsession for Catherine is a result of his alcoholic lifestyle his for status and power since she represents everything he has always wanted, power, wealth and recognition in society. He does anything to get more power even abusing and using those who are close to him. He uses Linton and Isabella to get more land and money since he knows that after he marries Isabella, he will get Lintons inheritance after Edgar dies. Bronte states, Her brother, who loved her tenderly, was appalled at this fantastic preference. Leaving aside the degradation of an alliance with a nameless man, and the possible fact that his property, in default of heirs male, might pass into such a ones power(Bronte, 82) He also manipulates Lint on, forcing him to marry Catherine Linton after his plans with Isabella abort. Marriage between Linton and Catherine gives him the Thrush cross Grange and Catherins inheritance boosting his power in the community. He says, My son is prospective owner of your place, and I should not wish him to die till I was certain of being his successor. (Bronte, 43) Heathcliff continually raises his power by manipulating other people. According to Eagletons, literature exhibits the relationship between history and literature. From the analysis, Heathcliff is a literary vampire because he sucks the life out of those close to him by manipulating them, just like a vampire. He shows readers what the upper class in the 19th century was all about. The upper class were known for being manipulative and controlling to the other social classes. This is obvious through Isabella and his son. He manipulates them to acquire wealth form the Lintons. Also, Heathcliff is not a Marxist hero, he is capitalist villain because he does not want to demolish social classes, he wants to control them. He only thinks of revenge and proving the other characters wrong and this turns himself into a monster or a Vampire. Bronte uses Wuthering Heights to educate the reader on power struggle and social structures in the society. In the nineteenth century, people remained in their social settings, and social mobility was challenging. However as Bronte has shown, anyone who desired a higher status, had to sacrifice a lot, in this case Heathcliffs sanity. Heathcliff begins from the lowest social status as an orphan and even has no name, but he ends up a wealthy man. Nonetheless, to achieve this, he had to compromise his relationships with those close to him such as Linton and Isabella. His yearn for power turned him into a monster destroying everyone provided he got what he wanted. In the grand scheme of things, Heathcliff reached the social class he was working towards. But in the end, He definitely did not get the last laugh as a result of him dying unhappy.

Primary, Seconday and Tertiary Interventions Haiti 2010...

Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Prevention Interventions: Haiti 2010 *Primary prevention nursing interventions: Primary prevention and nursing interventions include: the workers and volunteers receiving available, necessary and appropriate shots prior to entering Haiti. For the Haitians, immunization would also be given. This is very important against, Hepatitis, and other rare, yet deadly diseases, such as measles, mumps, rubella, and pertussis. Education regarding: safe and proper sanitation practices; hand washing and personal hygiene; maintaining trash in designated areas; staying active by volunteering/assisting and caring for other fellow Haitian children and neighbors; clearing and cleaning out clutter and using available†¦show more content†¦It would help to screen everyone for the proper use of sanitation, hand washing, and trash disposal, as this is the easiest way to spread disease. These prevention interventions would be started as early as the 2nd phase, and throughout the 5th phase. I would enroll the collaboration of the CDC, FEMA, Red Cross, National Guards, other military personnel, medical staff, volunteers and myself. The more man power there is available to screen the people, the more that can get done and more effectively. *Tertiary Prevention Nursing Interventions: Tertiary prevention nursing interventions include: planning follow-up with the people treated for diseases to assure they are following treatment and to offer rehabilitation like activities in order to maintain the best quality of daily life and decrease chances of disease progression; repeat demonstration of washing hands, verbalize proper use of sanitation facilities, and disposing of trash; offering adequate physical and occupational therapy instructions; evaluation of proper medication treatment, dressing changes and wound care; assessing living/sleeping quarters for safety and cleanliness in order to promote healthy/safe practices. These prevention interventions would start at 3rd phase and throughout 5th phase. I would enroll the collaboration of

Understand Real Defence Regarding The Same â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Understand Real Defence Regarding The Same? Answer: Introduction: The two phrases directing mind and will and piercing corporate veil are related to each other as both the terms are using for identifying the separate legal entity of the company. Sometimes it has been observed that the directors of the company are misusing their power and made an excuse regarding the companys structure. This report will discuss about the two topics to understand the real defence regarding the same. Directing mind and will: It is a no doubt to state that a company is a separate legal entity that is proved in the case of Salomon v. Salomon. It has been held that a company should not be held liable for the acts of any of its employee. However, this is also true that the company cannot perform its work by itself or without the help of the others. The case related to directing mind and the conception was developed in the year 1944 in the case of DPP v Kent and Sussex Contractors Ltd, where the court was pleased to observe that the company can be held liable for any illegal act as all the acts of the company is regulated by the directors who have the knowledge regarding the outcome of it (Lipsitt 2013). It was held in Lennards Carrying Co. Ltd v Asiatic Petroleum Co. Ltd, it was held that the Board of Directors of the company are the persons who are involving in the action relating to the directing mind and will (De Wet 2017). There are certain acts that are not written under the constitution of the company but are related integrally to the functioning of the company. These actions are regulated by the board of directors and if there is any breach occurred regarding the same, the company will be held liable under the version of directing mind and will as held in Tesco Supermarket v Nattrass (1971) UKHL 1. Piercing the corporate veil: It is a well known principle of law that a company is a separate legal entity and therefore, for any kind of liability, the company cannot be held liable. It standardise the rights and liabilities of a corporation. In case of the common law country, there is leaning mentality regarding the corporate veil observed. However, in certain circumstances, these rules are pierced (Yadav 2017). Suppose a company was held liable for certain fraud cases. When the affected party sue the company as a whole, they will held the company liable for the same. It is a fact that the company cannot perform their job alone and the directors and other shareholders of the company regulating the company. When the company is getting registered, a veil regarding the separate liability cropped up. When certain allegation made against the company, it will be the duty of the court to analyse the matter and replace the main culprit of the case by lifting the corporate veil (Flint 2016). In Gilford Motor Co. Ltd v Horne, it has been observed that the corporate veil of the corporation can be uplifted where it is required regarding the appropriate cases. Conclusion: Therefore, from the case, it has been held that the principle regarding the separate entity of the company can be upheld in certain situation. The main objective of this report is to find out the grounds where the director of the company shall be held liable for any illegal acts. Reference: De Wet, M., 2017. Directing'The Absolute': towards destabilising the victim/perpetrator binary in Sam Shepard's A lie of the mind (1985) (Doctoral dissertation, University of Pretoria). Flint, D., 2016. Incentives, Employers, and the Corporate Veil: Should Domestic Corporations Be More Accountable for the Actions of Their Overseas Subsidiaries?. Ariz. St. LJ, 48, p.833. Lipsitt, L.P., 2013. impression of outside objects, whether agreeable or offensive; but the mind, possessed of a self-directing power, may turn its attention to whatever it thinks proper. It should, therefore, be employed in the most useful pursuits, not barely in contemplation but in such contemplation as may. Early Influences Shaping The Individual, 161, p.207. Yadav, P.K., 2017. Lifting of Corporate Veil.