Can active reading actually improve your grades

Can active reading actually improve your grades Can active reading actually improve your grades? If we told you that during your time at university, changing how you're reading material could make a difference to the grade with which you graduate, would you believe us? Just like anything that requires practise to be better â€" like piano playing, baking, tennis â€" reading is a skill. You can work on it to improve your ability, and in turn increase your chances of success at university. Now, what type of reader are you? When you first read the title of this article, did you think about what its contents might entail? Did you make an assessment of how useful this article might be and consciously decide to read it based on that? Or, are you just browsing? The point we’re trying to make here is that there is a difference between reading say, a fictional book or an article in a glossy magazine, and the reading you need to do at university. Sounds obvious, but you may be surprised by just how many students don’t take an active role in their academic reading. Being active when reading can make a tremendous difference to how much you learn. And being able to learn a lot in a short space of time is particularly important for two reasons. First, at university there is a lot of reading to do. If you are taking multiple classes in multiple different subjects, then this becomes even more significant. Second, not everything you’ll read will be interesting (in the same way that a novel you have chosen to read might be). So it pays to have great reading skills. This blog post is designed to offer you some strategies for active reading, along with some tips and tricks about what to do when you are short on time and need to get through the basics of the material. Active reading â€" what is it? The Cambridge English Dictionary describes being passive as “not acting to influence or change a situation.” This is true of passive reading â€" when you are reading passively, you’re not analysing, critiquing or assessing the material being read. Conversely, active reading requires far more involvement from the reader; it works like a discussion between the reader and the material. The active reader does not just sit there and flip through the assigned pages, but engages with the reading and critiques the development of ideas. There are three parts to the reading process: before reading, during reading, and after reading. All three parts have a function, but the way they are approached is different for active and passive readers. Before reading, an active reader will seek out the title, think about the topic and look at the learning outcomes/subheadings for the reading. During reading, the active reader will break the material into manageable chunks and maintain focus. He or she might ask questions that they hope will be answered later in the chapter. After reading, an active reader will recall what has been read and summarise what they have learned. How can you become an active reader, or improve further on your active reading skills? It takes practice and perseverance to master this skill, but it’s certainly not impossible. The following techniques will help you hone your reading abilities. Common techniques for active reading Skim-reading Skimming is a process of absorbing the main point without going into too much detail. If you are absolutely pressed for time, this is the minimum amount of work you should do. For an active reader this is only the first step. But if an exam is looming, reviewing the headings, topic sentences of each section, chapter introduction and summary offers at least some insight into what the chapter will contain. For an active reader, skimming becomes the ‘before reading’ component as described above. It gives you the main topics you are going to review in the reading. Critical reading Critical reading is the questioning part of the reading process. Critical reading and active reading are almost synonymous. When you are reading critically, you are assuming that the author has made choices about what they are including in their own writing. It is your job as the reader to navigate what they are saying, to understand it, and to determine how the writing fits in to the larger picture. Being critical does not necessarily mean being negative, though that certainly can be one component that occurs in the critical reading process. Scanning Scanning differs than skimming because with scanning you are looking for the response to a particular question. Scanning might be helpful if you are trying to answer a specific question (e.g. from the end of the chapter review or learning outcomes). Scanning is a useful tool for the ‘after reading’ process if you are having difficulty clarifying a particular point from the reading. The SQ3R method One of the main reading strategies that students can find useful is the SQ3R method, which asks students to survey (S), question (Q), read, recall, and review (3R). It is important to note that the SQ3R method is a higher-level study skill, and something that you are going to use to read academic material like journal articles, textbooks, or research studies. You’ll likely have a far greater level of comprehension at the end of this process than if you employ a reading technique discussed above, but it takes time to complete. This is key with academic reading: while you will get faster at the overall process, it still is going to take you much longer to read than your favourite novel. The outcome, however, is likely going to be a better score on the essay or exam linked to the reading, so taking the time to complete this strategy might be well worth it in the end. So what’s involved with the SQ3R method of reading? Survey You begin with a skim of the title of the chapter, the introduction, the table of contents, any illustrations, photos, charts or graphs, and the summary paragraph at the end of the chapter. At this point you are looking for any strange vocabulary that you are unfamiliar with (and if you find some, you are going to want to look up the definitions before you get to the next stages). You are also trying to figure out what the main point of the chapter will be and what arguments you think will be developed. Surveying should not take you long â€" maybe just a few minutes or so. What you are trying to do is get the main point and orient yourself with the ideas that are still to come. Question Here, as the title suggests, you are looking to answer four main questions: What is the main point? What evidence supports this main point? What examples are being used as evidence? How is this related to the rest of the chapter/article or to other parts of the book, or to you as a student/human? One way that you might want to get started with this is to turn the first heading or the first sentence of each paragraph into a question. By doing this, you are effectively telling yourself what you need to look for in order to find that main point. A point to remember with this stage is that not only are you creating a question with that first heading, but you are also looking to answer it. If you only create the question, you are not really meeting the criteria here and putting yourself at a disadvantage. Read A fairly self-explanatory step, you next need to sit down and read the entire material. Do your best to stay focused on the material. It can be difficult to focus for long periods of time, so try and break your readings up into 25-minute chunks with a five-to-ten-minute break after each session. This will help your brain stay active and involved in the task. Read our article on The Pomodoro Technique â€" how to break your task load down into chunks for better productivity > In addition, we know that taking notes while reading increases the level of retention, so it is important that you note-take while doing bulk reading. These notes do not have to be particularly detailed, but they should probably be handwritten (because this leads to even better retention rates). You can write notes in a notebook or just add them to the margins of whatever you are reading. If you are using a highlighter, do so sparingly. Your goal is not to become really good at highlighting; your goal is to understand and retain the information in the chapter. Recall Sometimes referred to as ‘recite’ rather than ‘recall’ (though the purpose remains much the same), this step requires you try and verbalise what you have read in a section or chapter. Here, you want to close the book and explain to yourself (out loud preferably) what you understood and how the questions you initially posed were answered in their entirety. This step is great for wheedling out what you don’t really know. If you can’t verbalise what you have read, you probably didn’t fully understand it in the first place. So, open the book and skim the section again, they try to recall once more. While some people only like to recall after they have read an entire chapter, others like to do it after every section. This choice is up to you, but trying to recall a long chapter might be particularly challenging and your retention may end up being limited. Review The final step in the active reading process is the review; it may be last, but it is certainly not least in importance. This process seeks to combat our human tendency to forget what we read after time has passed. It involves going over your notes repeatedly, or re-thinking about the larger perspective on the topics within the material. In the lead up to an exam, reviewing your notes and the material daily is advised. If you are not necessarily preparing for a test, a weekly review should suffice. In summary... To recap, we kicked off above with discussing the difference between active and passive reading. Try wherever you can in your university studies to be an active reader â€" save the passiveness for your recreational reading. Then we covered some of the more common types of active reading, as well as the SQ3R method, which requires time and effort to master but will be very worth it, if you choose to use it. Don’t be afraid to try and use these reading strategies as you work to become a stronger reader of academic texts. By regularly practising active reading, you will increase your ability to retain information, become better at understanding texts more quickly, and improve your critiquing skill â€" a wholly fundamental part of essay writing and answering exam questions. Remember too, that changing old habits take time, and active reading may take you a while to master; persevere and you are likely to become a much better overall reader, and student. You may also like... How to write a first-class essay and ace your degree Everything you need to know about exam resits Great essay writing in 8 steps critical readingessay preparationexam preparationreadingstudy tipstaking notes

Understand and Prevent Memory Leaks in Delphi

Delphis support for object-oriented programming is rich and powerful. Classes and objects allow for modular code programming. Along with more modular and more complex components come more sophisticated and more complex bugs. While developing applications in Delphi is (almost) always fun, there are situations when you feel like the whole world is against you. Whenever you need to use (create) an object in Delphi, you need to free the memory it consumed (once no longer needed). Surely, the try/finally memory guarding blocks can help you prevent memory leaks; its still up to you to safeguard your code. A memory (or resource) leak occurs when the program loses the ability to free the memory it consumes. Repeated memory leaks cause the memory usage of a process to grow without bounds. Memory leaks are a serious problem -- if you have a code causing memory leak, in an application running 24/7, the application will eat up all the memory available and finally make the machine stop responding. Memory Leaks in Delphi The first step to avoiding memory leaks is to understand how they occur. What follows is a discussion on some common pitfalls and best practices for writing non-leaking Delphi code. In most (simple) Delphi applications, where you use the components (Buttons, Memos, Edits, etc.) you drop on a form (at design time), you do not need to care too much about memory management. Once the component is placed on a form, the form becomes its owner and will free the memory taken by the component once the form is closed (destroyed). Form, as the owner, is responsible for memory deallocation of the components it hosted. In short: components on a form are created and destroyed automatically Examples of Memory Leaks In any non-trivial Delphi application, you will want to instantiate Delphi components at run time. You will, also, have some of your own custom classes. Lets say you have a class TDeveloper that has a method DoProgram. Now, when you need to use the TDeveloper class, you create an instance of the class by calling the Create method (constructor). The Create method allocates memory for a new object and returns a reference to the object. varzarko : TDeveloperbeginzarko : TMyObject.Create;zarko.DoProgram;end; And heres a simple memory leak! Whenever you create an object, you must dispose of the memory it occupied. To free the memory an object allocated, you must call the Free method. To be perfectly sure, you should also use the try / finally block: varzarko : TDeveloperbeginzarko : TMyObject.Create;tryzarko.DoProgram;finallyzarko.Free;end;end; This is an example of safe memory allocation and deallocation code. Some words of warning: If you want to dynamically instantiate a Delphi component and explicitly free it sometime later, always pass nil as the owner. Failure to do so can introduce unnecessary risk, as well as performance and code maintenance problems. Besides creating and destroying objects using the Create and Free methods, you must also be very careful when using external (files, databases, etc) resources.Lets say you need to operate on some text file. In a very simple scenario, where the AssignFile method is used to associate a file on a disk with a file variable when you are finished with the file, you must call CloseFile to free the file handle to begin used. This is where you do not have an explicit call to Free. varF: TextFile;S: string;beginAssignFile(F, c:\somefile.txt) ;tryReadln(F, S) ;finallyCloseFile(F) ;end;end; Another example includes loading external DLLs from your code. Whenever you use LoadLibrary, you must call FreeLibrary: vardllHandle : THandle;begindllHandle : Loadlibrary(MyLibrary.DLL) ;//do something with this DLLif dllHandle 0 then FreeLibrary(dllHandle) ;end; Memory Leaks in .NET? Although with Delphi for .NET the garbage collector (GC) manages most memory tasks, it is possible to have memory leaks in .NET applications. Heres an article discussion GC in Delphi for .NET. How to Fight Against Memory Leaks Besides writing modular memory-safe code, preventing memory leaks can be done by using some of the third-party tools available. Delphi Memory Leak Fix Tools help you catch Delphi application errors such as memory corruption, memory leaks, memory allocation errors, variable initialization errors, variable definition conflicts, pointer errors, and more.

Analysis Of Oedipus The King - 1571 Words

â€Å"The only thing worse than being blind, is having sight with no vision†. This quote by American author Helen Keller perfectly captures the main characters journey in the play Oedipus the king by Sophocles. In this play the reader finds out that to see the truth one does not have to have eyes but have an open mind. The reader learns this through the quest the main character takes to solve a mystery in his kingdom. The main character, Oedipus is the king of a Greek city called Thebes who was from Corinth. He came to Thebes because there was prophecy stating that he would kill his father and marry is mother, so he left for Thebes where he solved the riddle and took the crown. While Oedipus was the kings, the city of Thebes fell into bad times†¦show more content†¦As the play continues Oedipus once again calls for a seer but this time he called for the oracle of Delphi, Teiresias. During this encounter many things go wrong that reveal how little knowledge Oedipus has of his past and the situation the city is in. The oracle Delphi is blind only being able to see what he prophesizes or has the knowledge about. In this situation the oracle knows that the corruption of the land is Oedipus while he doesn’t or doesn’t want to believe it. Oedipus asks the oracle for the answer but Teiresias doesn’t want to say anything because what he knows is worse for Oedipus than not knowing the truth. This is another case where not having knowledge makes you blind like Oedipus but having knowledge can make you see like the oracle even though he is physically blind. Tiresias says â€Å", how terrible-to see the truth is only pain to him who sees (line, 359)!† in this quote he tries to explain that because Oedipus can’t see the truth he can’t feel the pain that comes with it be if he could he would understand why it’s painful. The seer believes this so much that he says â€Å"just send me home. You bear your burdens, ill bear mine. It’s better that way, please believe me (line 363).† After the oracle says this to Oedipus, he becomes even more blind but instead of being blind because he has no knowledge it’s because he’s blind with anger. Oedipus adds beingShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Oedipus The King 1127 Words   |  5 Pages For A Life Of Regrets Oedipus the King is a play written by Sophocles. Oedipus is the main figure and legend of Sophocles play. After Oedipus birth into the world, his father King Laius of Thebes heard from a prophet that his own child was destined to kill him. Sophocles play begins from past to present and starts to unravel the journeys Oedipus goes through. Oedipus isn t an evil character as one would think while reading the story. He neverRead MoreAnalysis Of Oedipus Oedipus The King 1152 Words   |  5 Pagesreading Oedipus the King. The number of times the words â€Å"see† or â€Å"blind† are in the play make it make it undeniably obvious that they are significant. The theme is developed throughout the dialogue, through characters such as Tiresias and Oedipus, and also directly in the irony of the play. It is important in a play about the truth because almost every character was â€Å"blind† to the truth. All of the characters, except one, can physically see, bu t mentally cannot see the truth. Oedipus seems toRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Oedipus The King1025 Words   |  5 PagesCritical Analysis: Oedipus the King Oedipus the King is a tragic play showing a shift from the belief of fate to freedom of choice. Therefore, Oedipus the king is a great example of those who run from fate ends up fulfilling their fate After reading this type of tragic play â€Å"Oedipus the King† written by Sophocles you can see that the author did a very outstanding form of presenting a tragedy that has the characteristics of mimesis and a tragic hero. Specifically, the writer written the playRead MoreOedipus the King Character Analysis1321 Words   |  6 PagesLancaster ENG230 11/25/2010 Oedipus the King Character Analysis Oedipus the King had accomplished many great things during his reign of Thebes and in his life time. Oedipus found out during his reign in Thebes that the Gods who loved him also knew his devastating fate. As a young man when Oedipus answered the riddle the Sphinx he soon found his self having everything want and need. He earned his spot as the new King of Thebes, he had a great wife and lovely set of childrenRead MoreAnalysis Essay: Oedipus the King1017 Words   |  4 Pages Casual Analysis Essay: Oedipus the King Sophocles play Oedipus the King has endured for over two thousand years. The plays lasting appeal may be attributed to the fact it encompasses all the classical elements of tragedy as put forth by Aristotle in Poetics nearly a century before it was written. According to Aristotle, tragedy needs to be an imitation of life according to the law of probability or necessity. Tragedy is serious, complete, and has magnitude. It must have a beginning, middleRead MoreOedipus The King Character Analysis1429 Words   |  6 Pages Mrs. Long-Goldberg Honors World Lit/Comp 26 September, 2017 Ignorance Can Lead to Great Agony Plays were of great importance in early Greek culture. Plays were the main source of entertainment, and one of the most prominent examples is Oedipus the King written by Sophocles. The drama is uplifted by the character development and excellent structure Sophocles has put forward. Interactions between characters and each character’s motivations generate brilliant themes throughout the play. SophoclesRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Oedipus The King1419 Words   |  6 PagesAdhikari Mrs. Long-Goldberg Honors World Lit/Comp 26 September, 2017 Ignorance Can Lead to Great Agony Plays were of great importance in early Greek culture. Plays were the main source of entertainment, and one of the most prominent examples is Oedipus the King written by Sophocles. The drama is uplifted by the character development and excellent structure Sophocles has put forward. Interactions between characters and each character’s motivations generate brilliant themes throughout the play. SophoclesRead MoreOedipus The King Analysis1357 Words   |  6 PagesThe Greek play, Oedipus the King, shows how easy it is for a man to fall apart, while trying to make things right. Sophocles’ tragedy tells the story of Oedipus, a regular man turned king of Thebes. Throughout the tragedy, Oedipus searches for the cause of the chaos and havoc encompassing his land; however, he discovers that he is the one responsible for the hardships plaguing Thebes. As the tragedy continues, Sophocles’ exposes a dark side to power, fame, and ambition. Further, Sophocles’ expose sRead MoreAnalysis Of Oedipus The King 1696 Words   |  7 PagesDaKan Wei Professor Annjeanette Wiese HUMN 1110 1 October 2014 Fatalism in Oedipus the King Tragedy has always been considered the highest form of literature; Oedipus the King is written by Sophocles who is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians, it fully represents the enduring charm of the ancient Greek tragedy, leaving the reader endless thinking. Through Oedipus’ misfortune, Sophocles tries to reveal the cause of their tragedy is ubiquitous and ever-present fate,Read MoreAnalysis Of Oedipus The King1145 Words   |  5 PagesOedipus goes against the Chorus as he strongly defends himself as the people intensify his incrimination of killing the old king. Oedipus could not believe in his wildest dreams that he murdered his own father and was the husband of his mother. As an adopted runaway boy and a newfound king, he had to dig deep in his past to ease his burden. The Chorus’ incrimination of the King has brought the town into a downward spiral due to finding the real truth of the blind prophet. The relevance of Oedipus’

A Belief Essay Free Essays

â€Å"I believe in God, the Father Almighty†¦Ã¢â‚¬  starts the famous Catholic prayer, the Apostle’s Creed. And this is how I will also start this paper. I am not a very religious person but I do believe in a Supreme Being, in God, in an invisible an invincible hand that has created everything there is in on earth. We will write a custom essay sample on A Belief Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now This belief of mine is probably one of the most difficult things to prove since no one has ever actually seen this God I am pertaining to. However, a lot of people share my belief and a proof of this is the many religions and religious sects all over the world. The world kneels down and prays. Most of us pray for ourselves, our families, our relatives, our neighbors, even for people we do not know, and even for our enemies. We say our graces before and after meals; we close our eyes and talk to God before we rest for the night; and we blurt out God’s name when we are caught up in extremely tough situations. Why do we do these things? It’s as if prayers are our e-mails, text messages, or phone calls to the God we cannot see but can only feel. We believe that somebody out or up there actually will read through our messages and reply or someone will answer our calls to listen to our pleas and eventually grant our wishes and fulfill our dreams. Even for not-so-religious or not-so-spiritual people, a simple â€Å"Thank God! † or â€Å"Oh my God! † is already an indirect or subtle acknowledgment that indeed there is a God. But where is God? Is he a male? Is she a female? Who knows? What I know is that when I was a kid, my Mom would always warn me to be good because someone up there in heaven is watching over my actions. So I came to believe that God lives in the heavens, smiling every time I am obedient but frowning in times I am naughty. As I grew older, I knew about the church, the sacred place for worship. It is here where people honor and praise God. A united community gathers and celebrates God’s goodness. Prayers and songs of praise fill the air in glorifying God’s name. But still, no physical being comes down from heaven to join in the holy celebration. Now that I am much wiser, I am told that I can find God in my fellowmen – in my so-called brothers and sisters. God can actually be anyone from my Dad, to the cab driver, to my teacher, to a beggar, to a waiter, to whomever who does good deeds. God can be in disguise, in nameless faces, in unfamiliar places, in unexpected circumstances. Wherever happiness and goodness exist, God definitely exists. The Bible, which has existed since time immemorial, is a living proof of God’s divine existence. Just like us today, the earliest people have felt God’s presence in their lives. However, just like us as well, they only knew God as the creator, the Supreme Being, the higher one. Nobody knew God’s ways – how he/she looks, how he/she speaks, his/her mannerisms or hobbies, what have you. Except probably for films and TV shows that portray God either as an old man in a white shining robe or just plain white light, speaking in a mellow commanding voice, we know nothing of his/her true nature. What we know are the marvelous wondrous things God has done for us. I believe God knows what is best for each one of us that’s why we call him/her the great provider who gives us only the things – material or non-material, which we truly need. God is the hand that showers us with blessings. God is the light that guides every step or endeavor we take. God is the teacher who teaches us valuable lessons to learn in life. God is the kind heart that forgives all our shortcomings. God is the perfect epitome of how we should all live our lives. In my life, I always adhere to â€Å"To see is to believe. † But in the case of believing in God, not everything I do not see is unbelievable. I believe in God and will continue to do so. Why? Just simply call it faith. How to cite A Belief Essay, Essays

Othello Vs Much Ado About Nothing Essays - Othello, Emilia, Iago

Othello Vs Much Ado About Nothing The two villains in ?Much Ado About Nothing? and ?Othello? share much in common, despite their numerous differences. It is evident that Shakespeare framed the second piece of literature to be similar to the first. Although shorter, the plot of ?Othello? is definitely more complex. The villains play a major part in the novels, and are very much alike in their line of thinking. The comedy, ?Much Ado About Nothing? depicts the story of a group of high-ranking soldiers who travel through a town called Messina. They had been to the town before, and this time Claudio confesses his love for the governor's daughter, Hero. Because Leonato is so fond of Claudio, the wedding is set to be a few days away. This gives Don John, Claudio's bastard brother, a chance to show his true hatred for Claudio. He comes up with a scheme to make Claudio think that Hero is cheating by dressing Margaret in her clothing and perching her near the window with another man. When Claudio sees this, he says that he will humiliate Hero instead of marrying her. The next day Claudio does exactly as he had said, degrading Hero in front of all her family and friends. Because she did not cheat on him, she did not expect that kind of reaction. She is so dejected that she faints, and everyone assumes she is dead. Eventually Borrachio is overheard talking about Don John's plan, and Don John is arrested. Later Claudio learns that Hero is not actually dead, and they are finally married. ?Othello?'s Iago is very much similar to Don John. He wants to get revenge on Othello for not being chosen as lieutenant and also suspects that Othello has slept with Emilia. Somehow Iago manages to manipulate Othello into thinking that Desdemona cheated on him. When he demands that she show him the handkerchief he had given her, and she does not, he is convinced that she is being unfaithful. This is when he decides that he must kill her. Later in the novel Othello suffocates Desdemona out of jealousy. The villains of both novels contain an unusually large number of similarities. Both Don John and Iago are determined to break up the key relationships of the two novels. Iago tricks Othello for revenge, Don John out of sheer hatred for Claudio. The bastard brother goes through a period where he acts very pleasant toward Claudio, and Iago seems to be the ally of Othello throughout the entire piece. Both Don John and Othello used unsuspecting women to break up the main characters. Don John used Margaret and Iago used Emilia. Finally, both villains are strong egotists. Don John shows it in the way that he does not interact with the other characters. Iago believes that Othello is much too trusting, and respects no one but himself. Although Shakespeare meant to create these two evil characters alike, there are a few differences between them. Don John set up Claudio using other people to convince him. I go used his manipulative speaking and wits, along with Othello's gullible nature to convince him. Don John and Iago caused the two main characters to take different methods of revenge on their women. Othello killed Desdemona in a jealous rage, whereas Claudio merely humiliated Hero. Iago seeks revenge on Othello for two reasons: he suspects Othello slept with Emilia, and he also despises Othello for choosing Cassio as lieutenant instead of him. One final and resounding difference between Don John and Iago has to do with the past of each character. Shakespeare portrays Iago as an intelligent and sometimes caring character until Othello supposedly wrongs him. On the other hand, Don John has more of an evil aura about him, and shows his hatred for Claudio right from the start. Overall, the characters of Don John and Iago are very similar, although the latter is much more intelligent and complex. These two men are what draw the reader's attention to the novel, and share so much in common that the two seemingly unrelated works are read in tandem constantly. Shakespeare

How to Complete a Culture Research Paper

How to Complete a Culture Research Paper The work on a culture research paper is not that simple as it can seem for a student. This is a special type of writing work that demands some serious practice and original approach as culture itself is the result of the creative process among humanity. In major aspects, the investigation project on culture has got significant similarities with papers on philosophy and sociology, but the culture does not deal with some abstract notions, it deals with the products that were generated by the society. The thing that is the most attractive for the students is the level of freedom that is granted during the writing process. The student is allowed to select any topic that is equally actual and meaningful from the cultural point of view. The theme can be based on the analysis of past historical heritage, or the writer can concentrate on pop culture essay topics or any other modern cultural phenomena which have not been presented to the vast public. The Points to Consider While Completing Culture Essay Every person who is working on the text cherishes all the performed work and wants it to be estimated at the top level by all readers. To complete the research paper on culture, there are some points which should be attended to in order to acquire the maximal result from the conducted investigation. Stick to the selected aspect of the paper While writing a paper on culture, you should clearly understand that the topic is multi-aspectual, and you can shift between different points of the same topic unnoticing it. When scrolling the top topics for a culture research paper, choose the one you like the most, define the core point, and stay in tune exclusively with it. In this way, your work will be attached to some single idea, and the result of such investigation will be productive for sure. Select the method of the research The applied method of investigation is extremely crucial for a research on culture. It can be either a descriptive analysis, historical discourse, statistical data analysis or problem-solving investigation. Each method is applicable to some peculiar type. Remember that culture is a super-individual entity While writing, the author should forget about personal preferences and explore the culture as a sort of social treasure. Such approach can add some fundamentalism to the paper, besides independent position is always a sign of decent scientist. The term ‘super-individual entity’ means that culture cannot be positive or negative – it just exists regardless of the position of people. Do NOT forget about the interdisciplinary approach Today, more and more students get involved into social studies as it is one of the most interdisciplinary subjects that encompasses anthropology, history, sociology, arts, psychology and other sciences to study the greatest achievements of the world. The study through the prism of various fields of science can result in a more fascinating and informative paper. To finalize everything, the creator of the essay should bring the information to the reader and disturb the minds for further reading. Mind to also support the ideas with strong facts that will hook the audience. That is the main goal of culture writing. As a matter of fact, our service can provide you with research paper writing help on culture topics.

Battle of Eniwetok in World War II

Battle of Eniwetok in World War II Following the US victory at Tarawa in November 1943, Allied forces pressed forward with their island-hopping campaign by advancing against Japanese positions in the Marshall Islands. Part of the Eastern Mandates, the Marshalls had been a German possession and were given to Japan after World War I. Though held as part of the outer ring of Japanese territory, planners in Tokyo decided after the loss of the Solomons and New Guinea that the chain was expendable. With this in mind, what forces were available were moved to the area to make the islands capture as costly as possible. Commanded by Rear Admiral Monzo Akiyama, Japanese troops in the Marshalls consisted of the 6th Base Force which originally numbered around 8,100 men and 110 aircraft. While a relatively large force, Akiyamas strength was diluted by the requirement to spread his command over all of the Marshalls. Also, much of Akiyamas command consisted labor/construction details or naval troops with little infantry training. As a result, Akiyama could only muster around 4,000 effective. Anticipating that the assault would strike one of the outlying islands first, he positioned the majority of his men on Jaluit, Millie, Maloelap, and Wotje. Armies Commanders United States Vice Admiral Harry W. HillBrigadier General Thomas E. Watson2 regiments Japan Major General  Yoshimi Nishida3,500 men American Plans In November 1943, American airstrikes commenced eliminating Akiyamas air power, destroying 71 aircraft. These were partially replaced by reinforcements brought in from Truk during the following weeks. On the Allied side, Admiral Chester Nimitz initially planned a series of attacks on the outer islands of the Marshalls, but upon receiving word of Japanese troop dispositions through ULTRA radio intercepts elected to change his approach. Rather than assault where Akiyamas defenses were strongest, Nimitz ordered his forces to move against Kwajalein Atoll in the central Marshalls.   Attacking on January 31, Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turners 5th Amphibious Force landed elements of Major General Holland M. Smiths V Amphibious Corps on the islands that formed the atoll.   With support from Rear Admiral Marc A. Mitschers carriers, American forces secured Kwajalein in four days.   Capture of Engebi With the rapid capture of Kwajalein, Nimitz flew out from Pearl Harbor to meet with his commanders.   The resulting discussions led to the decision to immediately move against Eniwetok Atoll, 330 miles to the northwest.   Initially scheduled for May, the invasion of Eniwetok was assigned to Brigadier General Thomas E. Watsons command which was centered on the 22nd Marines and 106th Infantry Regiment.   Advanced to mid-February, plans for capturing the atoll called for landings on three of its islands: Engebi, Eniwetok, and Parry.   Arriving off Engebi on February 17, Allied warships commenced bombarding the island while elements of the  2nd Separate Pack Howitzer Battalion and the 104th Field Artillery Battalion landed on adjacent islets (Map). The next morning, the 1st and 2nd Battalions from Colonel John T. Walkers 22nd Marines began landing and moved ashore.   Encountering the enemy, they found that the Japanese had centered their defense in a palm grove in the islands center.   Fighting from spider holes (concealed foxholes) and the underbrush, the Japanese proved difficult to locate.   Supported by the artillery landed the previous day, the Marines succeeded in overwhelming the defenders and secured the island by that afternoon.   The next day was spent eliminating the remaining pockets of resistance. Focus on Eniwetok and Parry With Engebi taken, Watson shifted his focus to Eniwetok.   Following a brief naval bombardment on February 19, the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 106th Infantry moved towards the beach.   Encountering fierce resistance, the 106th was also hampered by a steep bluff which blocked their advance inland.   This also caused traffic issues on the beach as AmTracs were unable to move forward.   Concerned about the delays, Watson instructed the 106ths commander, Colonel Russell G. Ayers, to press his attack.   Fighting from spider holes and from behind log barriers, the Japanese continued to slow Ayers men.   In an effort to quickly secure the island, Watson directed the 3rd Battalion of the 22nd Marines to land early that afternoon. Hitting the beach, the Marines were quickly engaged and soon bore the brunt of the fight to secure the southern part of Eniwetok.   After pausing for the night, they renewed their attack in the morning and eliminated enemy resistance later in the day.   In the northern part of the island, the Japanese continued to hold out and were not overcome until late on February 21.   The extended fight for Eniwetok compelled Watson to alter his plans for the attack on Parry.   For this part of the operation, the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 22nd Marines were withdrawn from Engebi while the 3rd Battalion was pulled from Eniwetok.    In an effort to expedite Parrys capture, the island was subjected to an intense naval bombardment on February 22.   Led by the battleships USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) and USS Tennessee (BB-43), Allied warships hit Parry with over 900 tons of shells.   At 9:00 AM, the 1st and 2nd Battalions moved ashore behind a creeping bombardment.   Encountering similar defenses to Engebi and Eniwetok, the Marines steadily advanced and secured the island around 7:30 PM.   Sporadic fighting lasted through the following day as the last Japanese holdouts were eliminated. Aftermath The fighting for Eniwetok Atoll saw Allied forces sustain 348 killed and 866 wounded while the Japanese garrison incurred losses of 3,380 killed and 105 captured.   With key objectives in the Marshalls secured, Nimitzs forces briefly shifted south to aid General Douglas MacArthurs campaign in New Guinea.   This done, plans moved forward for continuing the campaign in the Central Pacific with landings in the Marianas.   Advancing in June, Allied forces won victories at Saipan, Guam, and Tinian as well as a decisive naval triumph at the Philippine Sea.