Demonstrating Leadership as a High School Sports Captain

There is no question that leading other people is not easy. Whether it means taking charge in a group project for school, putting together a fundraiser or a volunteer event, or even coordinating social plans on a Friday night, it can be at times difficult and time-consuming to try to get people to listen to you and work together to benefit the group as a whole. This being said, for all the trials and tribulations that one might have to go through in a leadership position, there are usually many benefits as well. This is certainly the case in high school sports. Becoming a team captain for your high school sports team can be a fulfilling experience that offers many professional and personal benefits. Read on to find out more about how you can set a model for leadership as a sports captain. Every sport is different in the amount of teamwork it requires, but even more individual sports teams (like wrestling and tennis) train together and have a certain team dynamic. Whether it is an individualized or a team sport, all sports can benefit from having a student leader, and so high school sports teams usually have a student captain. Many high school sports teams have a captain in addition to a professional coach because student athletes might have a better rapport with their teammates than an adult coach. Although a coach might be able to relate to students more than a teacher or another authority figure, there is no question that student captains will obviously have more common ground with other students. For students who are chosen to be captains, taking on a leadership position can also be helpful for college applications—admissions committees want to see students who are able to take on responsibility and work well with others.

Communication and Language - Mother Tongue Essay

Communication and Language - Mother Tongue - Essay Example Here in the United States when someone does not speak English well or speaks a broken version of the language many tend to think less, enforce stereotypes, and not take them as seriously. The two essays â€Å"Mother Tongue, by Amy Tan, and â€Å"Talk about Editing,† by David Shipley do not have very much in common. They are both relevant and important but approach communication from two completely different sides. Tan’s work is a serious discussion about the way people perceived her as a young Asian American and how her mother is treated for her broken English. She gives multiple examples at how differently her mother’s business would be handled when she pretended to be her mother on the telephone as opposed to how they, generally, treated her mother. She mentions being discouraged by teachers not to pursue writing; it was suggested she enter the math or sciences. She understood that this was a stereotype in action; people of Asian descent are naturally good at math and science, but seldom good at English or writing. (Tan 270-?) However, of course she became a writer despite their views. However, one can appreciate the hardship that her mother went through. Also, she touches on the important subject of how people speak differently within different environments. There is some truth to this. There are actually a number of English dialects, slang, and regional terms being used that mean little outside of that region. That said, the language used and words chosen differ when we talk to friends, teachers, parents, and employers. These language issues should not be allowed to ever overshadow the value of a person or of the information they hope to share. The Amy Tan essay speaks to the perception a woman watching her mother struggle with this issue and the ways that the outside world reacts to it. Her desire to defy the stereotypes that were presented and continue to pursue her goal is inspiring. In her situation she is asking for the poor words her mother uses, as with all immigrants working to learn a new and difficult language, do not mean more the intention, wisdom, or meaning behind each of them, perfectly spoken or not The second essay, â€Å"Talking about Editing† is a much more structured essay explaining the point, purpose, and function of an editor. Apparently people have an impression that editors make harsh and often uncomplimentary choices in a writer’s work and have overall say in the perception or vision of the actual work (Shipley 303-?). In fact, the author of any work has the final say in the final work that they will put their name one. According to experts good editors, should always be able to pick up on the grammatical errors, typos, and spelling mistakes, but never to make an overall judgment of the artistic or scholarly work. Their responses to the writer’s work should always be suggestions and never demands (Rafter). However as we move into the ever-changing and technological f utures the value of writing and reading may be slipping away. In discussing these two essays there is an interesting irony present. If Amy Tan did not speak or write in fine and proper English, would a publisher consider her work, would an editor even bother? If it is the errors in the writing that makes the writing unique then correcting it would eliminate that quality. Editors are trained and bound to make certain that all of the rules of the English language are followed, punctuation, and grammar, as well.     Ã‚  

Compare and Contrast Research Essay on Oedipus Rex

Compare and Contrast Research on Oedipus Rex - Essay Example It is dramatic irony that the residents are seeking the solution to the problem from the one person causing their suffering by killing his predecessor king Laius. Both the residents and king Oedipus are privy of this fact. Dramatic irony is an aspect of style used in literary analysis in which the words as well as the actions of the characters in a given work of literature portray a different meaning for the reader than they do for the characters themselves. The situation arises when the reader seem to have a wider knowledge than the characters in the story. It can further be defined as a dramatic effect in which the audience is lead to develop an understanding of an incongruity that exist between a given situation and the accompanying speeches while the characters in the play are completely not aware of the incongruity. Dramatic irony comes when the old prophet, Tiresias is summoned by the king; Oedipus ridicules him because he is blind. The audience understands that Oedipus is blind to the truth. Tiresias in a fit of anger tells Oedipus that though he can see he is â€Å"blind† to the truth. When Oedipus becomes blind, he finally realizes the truth of what Tiresias had told him. The dramatic irony is that it is actually the blind man who sees in mocking Tiresias, Oedipus calls Tiresias â€Å"shameless and brainless, sightless, senseless sot. It is ironical when Oedipus calls the old man shameless when he is actually the one who is shameless for killing his father, inheriting his throne and marrying his own mother. When he vows not to stop until he finds and punishes Laius’ killer he says: â€Å"Now, since I am ruler and holds this kingdom that he held before- holding also the bed and wife we have both sown; and children of the same mother would have been born to us, had his line no t been ill-fated-since chance (270) has driven me into that one’s powers, therefore I shall