Let There Be Light free essay sample

Consider the light for a long moment. Most people would say that they feel safer in the light. you can see everything, youre more aware of your surroundings. While most people grew up being scared of the dark, having to rush from the light-switch to the bed to escape the monsters that would come out of their closets, it would be far-fetched to think of someone being afraid of the light. The light is open, happy, warming. The first thing that people do in the morning—other than turn off that annoying buzzing thing that most people call an alarm-clock—is flick on the light. There’s nothing like a sunny day to brighten up a mood or save your electricity bill. There’s no secrecy; nothing waiting to pounce. A dose of good sunshine can bring light to any situation—unless you have a sun-burn. Darkness feels scary, untouchable without light. We will write a custom essay sample on Let There Be Light or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page No one wants to venture out alone in the black abyss, especially in an unfamiliar place. You don’t know what could be lurking around the next corner that you turn; you don’t know where your foot might fall. It’s not recommended or preferable to travel by night when there’s a luminous path to take by day. However, the same things that make light so attractive are the same reasons that most people voluntarily wander into the darkness. The often asked, slightly humorous question that has been asked summarized it all. â€Å"Does a light bulb emit light, or does it suck darkness.† Light seems to do just about that: remove the darkness. In the light, there’s no place to hide, no place to shield your imperfections. The fact that those around us seem blind to our vices provides us with a cloak of comfort. No one wants to venture to the darkness, remember? No one’s willing to brave the unknown for long enough to discover what we’re hidi ng. Most people, when they’re being truly honest with themselves, are afraid to expose their flaws, safely hidden in the shadows of their darkness. There’s more that you can get away with unseen in the blackness. With no illumination, there’s no truth, no way to prove that what you think exists really does. Humankind seeks out the light while living in the darkness. We are an imperfect race. As the saying goes â€Å"I’m only human.† We search out the flaws in others while constantly trying to cover up our own. But only when we step out into the light can we see each other clearly—virtues and vices. We must expose ourselves for the sake of truly knowing others.

Spelling and Pronunciation

Spelling and Pronunciation Spelling and Pronunciation Spelling and Pronunciation By Maeve Maddox Posts on the topic of pronunciation usually provoke a lot of attention, often drawing heated defenses of one pronunciation over another and suggesting that only one can ever be â€Å"correct.† In fact, â€Å"correct† pronunciation differs from century to century and from region to region. Words are affected by pronunciation changes of two kinds: 1. Changes that have taken centuries to develop, the kind that have transformed Old English into the English spoken today. 2. Changes that began as a deliberate alteration of the established pronunciation for some purpose or other. According to Ida A. Ward (The Phonetics of English), the latter type of change arises through some person who deliberately adopts a new pronunciation because he thinks it better; it is an affectation on his part. At first it is probably regarded as a false refinement by those who do not use it, but gradually by frequent repetition, the new pronunciation spreads, and a succeeding generation acquires it as its natural pronunciation. This type of deliberate change probably dates from the 16th- 18th centuries when scholars busied themselves with the â€Å"refinement† of English spelling to make it reflect Latin or Greek origins. One change was to introduce an extra consonant sound into words that did not have them. For example, our word perfect entered English from Norman French as parfet or parfit, as in Chaucer’s â€Å"He was a veray parfit gentil knight.† The modern form perfect acquired its c to show the derivation from Latin perfectio. The English pronunciation eventually changed to reflect the /k/ sound represented by the c. The same thing happened to Norman French verdit when the spelling was changed to verdict. On the other hand, Norman French endite, spelled indict in modern English, is still pronounced without a k sound in spite of the c: /in-DITE/. The word victual, pronounced vittle by many speakers, is another holdout against spelling pronunciation. The consonant d was added to the word aventure to produce modern adventure. In 1701, an observer listed several words that were spelled with d’s and t’s that were not pronounced in speech at that time: of(t)en Chris(t)mas cos(t)ly ghos(t)ly mos(t)ly roas(t) beef husban(d) pagean(t) We(d) nesday wris(t)band Wil(t)shire frien(d) ly han(d)maid fon(d)le can(d)le han(d)le chil(d)ren Modern speakers pronounce the d or t in most of these words, but not in all. The pronunciation of at least two of the words- often and Wednesday- is hotly contested in comment columns on sites such as this one. So far, native speakers don’t try to pronounce the t in castle or listen, but some preachers have been heard to insert it into apostle and epistle. Speakers who become really put out with people who pronounce the l in palm, calm, and almond, probably think nothing of pronouncing the l in fault, falter, vault, Walter, falcon, almanac and cauldron- all words that had the l inserted after they’d been adopted into English without it. Spelling pronunciations that are well established in the language, regardless of their â€Å"original† form, are no longer contested. More recent innovations, like restoring the t in often or pronouncing the l in almond, remain the stuff of blogging controversy. Related posts: How Do You Pronounce â€Å"Often†? L Words in English Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:60 Synonyms for â€Å"Walk†50 Idioms About Arms, Hands, and FingersWoof or Weft?