Sunday, April 19, 2020

Translation Method free essay sample

As â€Å"modern† languages began to enter the curriculum of European schools in the eighteenth century, they were taught using the same basic procedures that were used for teaching Latin. Textbooks consisted of statements of abstract grammar rules, lists of vocabulary, and sentences for translation. Speaking the foreign language was not the goal, and oral practice was limited to students reading aloud the sentences they had translated. These sentences were constructed to illustrate the grammatical system of the language and consequently bore no relation to the language of real communication. By the nineteenth century, this approach based on the study of Latin had become the standard way of studying foreign language in schools. A typical textbook in the mid-nineteenth century thus consisted of chapters or lessons organized around grammar points. Each grammar point was listed, rules on its use were explained, and it was illustrated by sample sentences. This approach to foreign language teaching became known as the Grammar-Translation Method. We will write a custom essay sample on Translation Method or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Principle of The Grammar-Translation Method 1. The goal of foreign language study is to learn a language in order to read its literature or in order to benefit from the mental discipline and intellectual development that results from foreign language study. 2. Reading and writing are the major focus; little or no systematic attention is paid to speaking or listening. 3. Vocabulary selection is based on solely on the reading texts used, and words are taught through bilingual words lists, dictionary study, and memorization. 4. The sentence is the basic unit of teaching and language practice. 5. Grammar is taught deductively. . Translation interprets the words and phrases of the foreign languages in the best possible manner. 7. The phraseology and the idiom of the target language can best be assimilated in the process of interpretation. 8. The structures of the foreign languages are best learnt when compared and contrast with those of mother tongue. 9. The teacher is the authority in the classroom. It is very important that students get the correct answer. 10. Learning is facilitated through attention to similarities between the target language and the native language. Advantages 1. An effective way for application of grammar and sentence structure I think the exercises that are given after translation is very beneficial and accurate for grammar learning. 1. Few demands on teachers. Also, It is practical and easy to implement. In this method, teacher only deals with organization and implementation of exercises. So this means teacher has not a lot to do. In other word; this method does not require lots of thing but a passage of literature text and a few exercises, it is pretty easy to carry out. 2. Least stressful for students Students prepare themselves for exercises and memorization of vocabulary and grammar rules. Disadvantages 1. The Grammar Translation Method can make the language learning experience uninspiring and boring. All the classes can be taught in the same way so after some time students may get bored. Also I think that language teaching should be done very different ways in order to inspire students. 2. The Grammar Translation Method can leave the students with a sense of disappointment when they travel to countries where the studied language is used  because they can’t understand what people say and have difficulty in expressing themselves at the most basic level. . This method neither approaches nor encourages the students’ communicative (speaking amp; listening skills) competence. Reading and writing are the major focus of this method so speaking and listening skill remain in the shadow of writing and reading. 4. Language is learned by conscious memorization of grammar rules and vocabulary. Nowadays memorization isnt highly regarded; internalization through exposure, experience and use are preferred. Language learning needs to be beyond memorization because I think language should be learnt with experiences. . Lack of communication between students. The teacher explains, translates, conducts practice, and corrects mistakes, and learners interact with the teacher, not with each other. That’s because, students can easily make what they learnt permanent with interactions between them.

Sunday, March 15, 2020

The Definition and Usage of Optimality Theory

The Definition and Usage of Optimality Theory In linguistics, the theory that surface forms of language reflect resolutions of conflicts between competing constraints (i.e., specific restrictions on the form[s] of a structure). Optimality Theory was introduced in the 1990s by linguists Alan Prince and Paul Smolensky (Optimality Theory: Constraint Interaction in Generative Grammar, 1993/2004). Though originally developed from generative phonology, the principles of Optimality Theory have also been applied in studies of syntax, morphology, pragmatics, language change, and other areas. In Doing Optimality Theory (2008), John J. McCarthy points out that some of the most significant work on OT is available for free on the Rutgers Optimality Archive. ROA, which was created by Alan Prince in 1993, is an electronic depository of work in, on, or about OT. Its a fabulous resource for the student as well as the veteran scholar. Observations At the heart of Optimality Theory lies the idea that language, and in fact every grammar, is a system of conflicting forces. These forces are embodied by constraints, each of which makes a requirement about some aspect of grammatical output forms. Constraints are typically conflicting, in the sense that to satisfy one constraint implies the violation of another. Given the fact that no form can satisfy all constraints simultaneously, there must be some mechanism selecting forms that incur lesser constraint violations from others that incur more serious ones. This selectional mechanism involves hierarchical ranking of constraints, such that higher-ranked constraints have priority over lower-ranked ones. While constraints are universal, the rankings are not: differences in ranking are the source of cross-linguistic variation. (Renà © Kager, Optimality Theory. Cambridge University Press, 1999) Faithfulness and Markedness Constraints [Optimality Theory] holds that all languages have a set of constraints which produce the basic phonological and grammatical patterns of that particular language. In many cases, an actual utterance violates one or more of these constraints, so a sense of well-formedness applies to that utterance which violates the least number or least important constraints. Constraints can be classified in two types: faithfulness and markedness. The faithfulness principle constrains a word to match the underlying morphological form (such as plural tram -s in trams). But words like buses or dogs do not follow this constraint (the first falls foul of the constraint that prevents the pronunciation of two consecutive /s/ sounds and the second places a /z/ instead of an /s/). These two examples, though, follow markedness constraints, and in these cases the particular markedness scores higher than the faithfulness constraint, so the alternate forms are allowed. Differences between languages, then, are a ma tter of the relative importance given to particular constraints, and a description of these constitutes a description of the language. (R.L. Trask, Language and Linguistics: The Key Concepts, 2nd ed., ed. by Peter Stockwell. Routledge, 2007) Constraint Interaction and the Domination Hierarchy [W]e assert that the constraints operating in a particular language are highly conflicting and make sharply contrary claims about the well-formedness of most representations. The grammar consists of the constraints together with a general means of resolving their conflicts. We argue further that this conception is an essential prerequisite for a substantive theory of UG. How does a grammar determine which analysis of a given input best satisfies a set of consistent well-formedness conditions? Optimality Theory relies on a conceptually simple but surprisingly rich notion of constraint interaction whereby the satisfaction of one constraint can be designated to take absolute priority over the satisfaction of another. The means that a grammar uses to resolve conflicts is to rank constraints in a strict domination hierarchy. Each constraint has absolute priority over all the constraints lower in the hierarchy. [O]nce the notion of constraint-precedence is brought in from the periphery and foregrounded, it reveals itself to be of remarkably wide generality, the formal engine driving many grammatical interactions. It will follow that much that has been attributed to narrowly specific constructional rules or to highly particularized conditions is actually the responsibility of very general well-formedness constraints. In addition, a diversity of effects, previously understood in terms of the triggering or blocking of rules by constraints (or merely by special conditions), will be seen to emerge from constraint interaction. (Alan Prince and Paul Smolensky, Optimality Theory: Constraint Interaction in Generative Grammar. Blackwell, 2004) The Richness of the Base Hypothesis Optimality Theory (OT) does not allow for constraints on the inputs of phonological evaluation. Output constraints are the only mechanisms for expressing phonotactic patterns. This idea of OT is referred to as the Richness of the Base hypothesis. For instance, there is no input constraint that forbids the morpheme *bnik as a morpheme of English. The output constraints will penalize such a form, and evaluate this form in such a way that the optimal output form is not faithful to this form, but different, e.g. blik. Since forms such as bnik will never surface in English, it does not make sense to store an underlying form bnik for blik. This is the effect of lexicon optimization. Thus, the phonological output constraints of a language will be reflected by the input forms. (Geert Booij, Morpheme Structure Constraints. The Blackwell Companion to Phonology: General Issues and Subsegmental Phonology, ed. by Marc van Oostendorp, Colin J. Ewen, Elizabeth Hume, Keren Rice. Blackwell, 2011) Optimality-Theoretic Syntax [T]he emergence of OT syntax seems to fit into the general tendency in syntax to blame the ungrammaticality of a sentence on the existence of a better alternative. This view on grammaticality is also found in [Noam] Chomskys Minimalist Program (Chomsky 1995), although Chomsky takes optimization to play a much more modest role than OT syntacticians do. Whereas Chomskys only criterion for evaluation is derivational cost, the inventory of violable constraints assumed in OT syntax is richer. As a result, the OT constraints interact and conflict with each other. This interaction is exploited by the assumption that constraints are ranked, and that parametrization can be reduced to differences in ranking between languages. Chomskys economic conditions, on the other hand, have no such direct parametrizing effect. In the Minimalist Program, the locus of the parametrization is the lexicon. (Introduction to Optimality Theory: Phonology, Syntax, and Acquisition, ed. by Joost Dekkers, Frank van d er Leeuw, and Jeroen van de Weijer. Oxford University Press, 2000)

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Article review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 17

Article review - Essay Example The second recommendation that the article makes contends that math programs for children must shift from focusing on numeracy and begin to explore concepts and ideas, which will develop a more powerful foundation in math (Burghes, 2012). Thirdly, the article recommends that math teachers need to focus more on designing better lesson plans. By studying the Japanese structure of lesson study, in which the math teachers undergo professional development by using their ‘research lessons’ to share their practice (Burghes, 2012). The article contends that this type of professional development successfully changes approaches to teaching since it gets all teachers engaged and on board. In the lesson study, the article proposes that teachers should first come up with an overarching lesson study aim. In addition, they should agree on the objectives for each lesson among themselves, plan a research lesson that satisfies two or more of the objectives, carry out an in-depth review after teaching the lessons, and note action plans that will be disseminated to be used for the next lesson cycle. Finally, the author claims that learning mathematical concepts will only be improved with leadership. The math coordinator mus t be a leader in the initiative to improve teaching and learning of math concepts. The coordinator will take responsibility for supporting and encouraging the rest, discussion and monitoring their progress, and intervening in the presence of uncertainties and problems (Burghes, 2012). The article studies an innovative math program for children that have achieved impressive results in Hungary, which is called the Mathematics Enhancement Program (Burghes, 2012). Most of the lessons learnt from the article are relevant in the US math curriculum. It is non-confrontational and friendly, encouraging teachers to engage pupils in discussion to find solutions to problems in math. The innovative structure enables the lesson plans to support class

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Interpersonal Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Interpersonal Conflict - Essay Example This could be because of a person’s outstanding services, contacts with influential people, cultural beliefs, and practices or welfare activities for the society in which he leaves. When a person reaches such a status, he feels he is above those around him and seeks to implement protocols and securities. The fourth reason is the personality. It is the inherited or God gifted abilities, physique or outstanding achievements in the field of art or science. You are recognized and known for achievements not only locally but also nationally as well as internationally. You become renowned and with that comes wealth, authority, prestige, and fan following. The fifth reason is the intimacy. It is the love and affection and the feeling of nearness that continues to expand until it reaches oneness. When intimacy reaches oneness, it creates immense fulfillment and accomplishment. You feel you have conquered the world. Let us discuss three separate conflict situations and see how it has be en handled by the interacting personalities. The first conflict situation is the most unforgettable incident of 9/11. This is the example of â€Å"abundant resources of one country and ultra scarce resources of the other country†. On one side it was The United States of America, who had a tremendous amount of resources in the form of military equipment, army, air and sea forces, strategic power and democratically elected effective government and on the other side, it was Pakistan a small, poor, under developed and militarily ruled country.... When a person reaches such a status, he feels he is above those around him and seeks to implement protocols and securities. Fourth reason is the personality. It is the inherited or God gifted abilities, physique or outstanding achievements in the field of art or science. You are recognized and known for your achievements not only locally but also nationally as well as internationally. You become renowned and with that comes wealth, authority, prestige and fan following. Fifth reason is the intimacy. It is the love and affection and the feeling of nearness that continues to expand until it reaches oneness. When intimacy reaches oneness, it creates immense fulfillment and accomplishment. You feel you have conquered the world. Let us discuss three separate conflict situations and see how it has been handled by the interacting personalities. The first conflict situation is the most unforgettable incident of 9/11. This is the example of â€Å"abundant resources of one country and ultra s carce resources of the other country†. On one side it was The United States of America, who had tremendous amount of resources in the form of military equipments, army, air and sea forces, strategic power and democratically elected effective government and on the other side it was Pakistan a small, ultra poor, under developed and militarily ruled country. USA raged a global war against the terror and blamed that the attack of 9/11 in New York, was planned by Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Pakistan was asked by USA to support the war on terror or face the consequences. Pakistan government had no choice due to military supremacy of US. Pakistan managed this conflict by â€Å"accommodation† and â€Å"collaboration†. The consequences of this

Friday, January 31, 2020

Abundance of drama Essay Example for Free

Abundance of drama Essay She and the other girls give the names of innocent people who had nothing to do with witchcraft leaving the act with a dramatic hysterical close as all the girls try to cleanse themselves of the confrontation with Beelzebub hinting at the future prospects of the play. The act steadily builds up to when Tituba is accused at the end of the act of witchcraft. Each ingredient of the, story, which we know is hearsay, is added until it comes together and there is sufficient evidence for her to be accused by Hale. The story, which has been building, takes a turn and instead of the inquisitive nature of which it started, it becomes more action orientated and becomes a name and shame game where people are incorrectly blamed and gives a dramatic effect to the audience. This final dramatic scene of the act is placed there to end the act with a mini peak of the story and to keep the audience interested and wanting more. Act two begins with a long conversation between Proctor and his wife. They talk about the every day things but the stage directions and language Miller uses, like the scene with Proctor and Abigail, strongly projects the dramatic effect on the audience and emotions of the relationship. Proctor is not at ease with his wife, the atmosphere appears tense and uncomfortable. He attempts to make conversation, are you well today? which is not the sort of thing a husband would say to his wife. He tries to make her happy by complimenting her: its well seasoned and grinning. It is obvious that the atmosphere could be cut with a knife as gently as he can depicts that he is carefully choosing his words and trying to be a good husband but desperately trying not to bring up the affair. But it is not in vain as Goody Proctor reacts warmly to him, blushing with pleasure; giving an inkling that she still loves him. Though the feeling is that of betrayal and guilt there is a warm, gentle fragment of loyalty and love emancipated out of their conversation, which proves they still both feel love towards one another. Mary Warren comes in to the house-hold to discuss the events which took place in Salem earlier on and that, Aye a proper court they have now. Theyve sent four judges out of Boston, and that 39 women have been accused of witchcraft. She then proceeds to talk about the accused and that Mrs Proctor has been accused. This shocks them and that Rebecca nurse has also been accused, as she is a well-respected person in the Salem community and adds to the drama. Both of the women have enemies who wish to destroy them (Abigail and Mrs Putnam) and two rival factions are now clearly taking form, Goody Proctor is arrested. The home scene between Proctor and his wife is placed before she is arrested to dramatically show how innocent and plain Goody Proctor was and the contrast of her seeing John in the wrong by her being arrested, this dramatically portraits injustice. Proctors actions towards the arrest of his wife are dramatic as he runs out adding to the action and pace of the scene, I will not have her chained! The fact he will not have her chained when they are authorised to do so indicates conflict and gives drama, the use of an apostrophe shows his anger again adds gives a dramatic effect to the audiences Towards the end of the act pressure is placed on a character this time it is Mary who is being pressurised by the now fiery Proctor due his wifes imprisonment. Proctor tries to force Mary to tell the court about the poppet which Mrs Proctor was arrested for, You will tell the court how the poppet come here. Mary claims she cannot, which she repeats and she begins to cry. Proctors language creates his mentality with the omnipotence of his language and the harsh anger which has built up inside to terrify Mary to get her to divulge her information to the court, Aye naked! And the wind will, gods icy wind will blow! His use of the word icy creates the chilling ominous threat to all the people who are dishonest and shows that he himself would not do it or he would be severely hypocritical. This, from what he said, is the first indication of his stern and ethical character and that Marys character is frail and easily manipulated both by Abigail and Proctor. Not only does the dramatic structure give the end of the act a dramatic finish but also the end of the act uses language to get across the seriousness and religious terror being brewed in Salem. Act three is set in the courtroom, the cases are being investigated and the questions and debating ensues. Mary now forced by Proctor to support Goody Proctor tells the court that she lied the day before. However she shows her weakness when she herself is blamed by Abigail, and cracks when Abigail condemns her by pretending that there is a spirit conjured by Mary, Let me go Mr Proctor, I cannot, I cannot. This leads to Proctor to loose his cool and condemn Abigail for doing all of this to spite him and to rid the world of his wife. He now has to admit to committing the sin of adultery: I have known her sir! This leads us to the turning point in the play. Proctor reveals to the court that his wife never tells a lie and that she would tell the court about his affair. By stating the truth it would obviously mean that she was telling the truth about the witchcraft and proving her innocence but would she be able to disgrace Proctors, name, which means so much to the people of the time period that the play was set. Millers dramatic structure brings the play to a mini climax if not the most important one by great structuring of the play; the play reaches a cross-roads. If Goody Proctor tells the truth it undermines everything that Abigail has said and shows her as a liar and everyone wrongly accused is released and brings about the end of court. But if she lies it means that all the people who have kept their morality and not lied will be charged. It defines the future of the factions and the play, having been built up throughout the opening acts. This is well dramatically structured to create complete unpredictability and a sense of curiosity as to how it will end. She is brought in and interrogated. Goody Proctors body language portraits the tension: liking her lips to stall for time now created in the court, as they all know this is the defining moment. She thinks about what she should say and glances at Proctor looks for help. In, agony, she answers the questions. Hard thought and constant silent pauses build the pressure within the room, Is your husband a lecher? Danforth the judge asks her. No. The pressure is lifted and the stomach churning feeling of the characters and audience takes over, this is summed up by the comment, oh god! when Goody Proctor realises what shes done. But by lying, going against everything she stands for. She obviously forgives Proctor as she took one for him when he had committed adultery this shows the romantic drama that she loves him so much she would give up her morals for his name. Abigail then starts off again pretending to draw attention on to herself, that Mary is conjuring spirits and uses her power to create mass hysteria. Miller liberally uses exclamation marks to emphasise the shouting and adding to the general madness of the courtroom. Abigails actions are dramatised and create a lot of fear, Abigail pointing with fear and which is added to by having all the girls at once shouting. It gives a fearful representation that the girls are possessed by some sought of satanic spirit. Mary shifts the blame onto Proctor who is then accused by the court. This is dramatically used as the story declines after the climax in act three and the story needs to be built up quickly to reach the final climax. In Act four this is done by the hysteria and the fact that Proctor is now being blamed by Abigail and ironically the reason the trouble started was because she wanted him, now she is getting rid of him and achieving nothing. In Act four Proctor has an emotional talk with his wife as she tries to persuade him to confess and be released. Miller goes to work on giving the audiences heart strings a pull using again language and stage actions to show the emotions of love and despair and create a great sense of drama using dramatic devices. Goody Proctor has forgiven him and believes; whatever, he does it is good man that does it, and thinks she drove him to have an affair. She states that, John, I counted myself so plain, so poorly made no honest love could come to me! Suspicion kissed you when I did. She thinks that there was nothing to love about her and before it was not her who kissed him but personified. This also implies that now when they talk and hold each other it is pure love for the first time in their relationship bringing a sense of romanticism to the ordeal that theyve been through. Millers dramatically structure places the conversation before the final and ultimate climax to act as the calm before the storm and to increase the pressure on John and ultimately be decisive to the final sequence of events. Proctor is to be hung but because he was persuaded he confesses but all the official figures want his confession in writing. By doing this he is giving up his, name. He realises that he will die before he will give up his name and rips up his life which he had signed. This then brings us to the most powerful and dramatic action within the whole play in my opinion as, His breast heaving, his eyes staring, Proctor tears up the paper and crumples it, and he is weeping in fury, but still erect. This shows that he will not sign away his, name, showing his courage. He has thrown away his life but still stands erect, theyve pushed him all the way physically and mentally but he has not fallen keeping his dignity, ethics and pride, which we know mean so much to him as does his life which is why it is so dramatic. Miller has created a twist luring the audience in with Goody Proctors persuasion, hooking them in with signing the confession but masking the fact he was to rip up his life, and die for what he believes and becoming a type of martyr or tragic hero. Millers, The Crucible, is structured to gain dramatic effect. Each act takes on the same structure and has very similar properties. The first two scenes to begin with build up information about different events, which take place off stage. All acts build up to a climax, giving away hints about the next act and each act ends with pressure being placed on a certain character. Act one it is Tituba; act two it is Mary; act three Mary and Mrs Proctor and act four John Proctor. The Crucible is a fitting name for the play as a crucible is a melting pot, which eventually displaces the pure from the waste. Which also happens in the play each act is a small melting pot as in act one, the different things are added by way of the story being built up and then heated. The heat in act one is Hale and overall the whole play is a melting pot. The story built up, the heat added by the way of the court and the pure displaced from the waste. The pure, being the characters that wouldnt pass on the blame because they were too strong and would not give up their morals. The irony is that the people who deserved to be killed i. e. Abigail and Paris compared to the remorseful Proctor and the innocent Rebecca nurse. Miller created a dramatic play by incorporating dramatic language, stage directions and the play is structured in such a way that it gives the audience an abundance of drama.

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Claudio Monteverdi Essay -- Biography

Claudio Monteverdi was a late Renaissance composer who was born in Cremona on May 15th 1567 and died in Venice on November 29th 1643. His emergent writing style had significant influence on the musical transitions from the Renaissance to the Baroque era. He was an employed musician most of his life who spent much of his work challenging the popular artists of his time to venture out into new variations of the traditional styles. Alongside many of his contemporaries such as Giaches de Wert and Prince Gesualdo di Venosa, he was a part of subtle change throughout the culture he lived in which made a large impact for the future. In his early years Monteverdi was taught to play the piano and also taught about musical composition by Marc’Antonio Ingegneri, who was the Cathedral choir director in his town. It was not long before Monteverdi began to catch on to what was being taught. In fact, his first piece was written at the young age of 15, foreshadowing his passion that would be a life lived in dedication and enjoyment of writing music. Although he was not recorded to have been involved in the public worship choir, Monteverdi was surrounded by musical performance and worship on a regular basis. His lessons, taught by Ingegneri, were stepping-stones to what he would be learning throughout his time. In Cremona, he was taught to be controlled and traditional, as was noted by George J. Beulow in Chapter three of his book, A History of Baroque Music. He said, â€Å"Monteverdi’s art was nurtured in a musical environment that was more conservative than experimental.†(P.57) While Monteverdi was learning the basic principles of composition and music theory, one such concept was particularly important and that was counterpoint. Throughout the ... ...stic portrayal of the characters, and warmer melodies than had previously been heard. It requires a smaller orchestra, and has a less prominent role for the choir. Monteverdi’s work will be remembered as revolutionary as well as somewhat radical for his time. He continued to stay true to many of the previous methods such as counterpoint, but changed many things and searched for ways to express the lyrical content better than before. His attraction to the Madrigal is a good example of his ability to do this, displayed in his nine books. Word phrases and expressive moods were also shown in his Operas where he told longer stories of love and ancient tales. In every style that Monteverdi wrote it, he will be remembered as a composer who was true to foundational principles of the old styles, but took daring steps to form new sounds that would influence future artwork.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Freedom VS Security Essay

Many theories and assumptions have been fabricated upon the basis of man’s desires and beliefs. H. L. Mencken wrote, â€Å"The average man does not want to be free, only to be safe. † However, this observation does not correlate with what has been witnessed over the course of contemporary society. Since the 18th century, man has sacrificed safety for a reward that is much more paramount, freedom. Patrick Henry, an orator for freedom in the middle to late 1700’s, knew that liberty was a vital necessity in every man’s life, and that one must do whatever it takes, including sacrificing their security, in order to achieve it. In his speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses, he is most memorably quoted for his concluding antithesis, â€Å"Give me liberty, or give me death! † Henry conveyed to his audience, as well as the entire nation, that freedom is a virtue worth dying for. Mencken’s allegation fails to attribute this instance, even though Patrick Henry was able to convince a whole nation that their liberty was worth dying for. In the past we have had many examples of security vs. freedom. During the civil war we had soldiers and people fighting to be free. They risked their own life everyday stepping out on the battle field just so they could have their own rights. This also happens in the American Revolution; people fight and risk their lives for freedom. Many events in history show how much people truly care about their freedom. Our Founding Fathers created this nation so we wouldn’t have to be living in a society full of regulation. Freedom vs. Security is a non-stop debate in our country. However, freedom is unalienable. Freedom is what keeps the common man happy. Freedom allows us to treat every day as a new day, knowing that we can do and accomplish anything because we are free. On the other hand, while safety is what keeps man calm and secure, it is not what our nation thrives off of. Security is a blanket, while freedom is a threshold. Therefore it is desired, while security is expected. No man cries out for safety, but the same cannot be said about freedom. Freedom gives us hope and excitement, while security gives assurance. Both are essential, yet only one is craved. Mencken’s presumption of what man wants, and what man deserves are in disarray. Freedom is everything, and not even safety can over shadow it.