Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Hospital Sketches by Louisa May Alcott essays

Hospital Sketches by Louisa May Alcott essays The chapter 'A Night', in Louisa May Alcott's Hospital Sketches, is the most inspired chapter in the book. It tells the story of a fatally wounded Virginia blacksmith John, and it fell to Alcott to tell the dying man of his imminent fate and to pen John's final letter home to his family as he dictated it. The man died while squeezing Alcott's hand. She described that none of the deaths that she summoned in her life would make her heart ache as it did with John the blacksmith. Louisa argued that Civil War army nursing was particularly difficult because of the advanced technology of warfare which had created many weapons which were powerful and efficient - but medical science and technology had not advanced accordingly. In the absence of treatments, wounded limbs were amputated, frequently without the benefit of chloroform, using nothing more than a strong shot of whiskey. These treatments were excruciating, and often introduced new infections which were more dangerous than the wounds themselves. In the chapter 'A Day', Alcott provides some clear examples of both the conditions of injured soldiers and the difficult tasks that nurses encountered during the Civil War. For example, she wrote "In they came, some on stretchers, some in men's arms, some feebly staggering along propped on rude crutches, and one lay stark and still with covered face, as a comrade gave his name to be recorded before they carried him away to the dead house." (Page 71) Compared with today, soldiers during the Civil War era did not have much access to medicine or medical equipment to help ease their wounds and pain. Many of them died instantly without being sent to the hospital, while those who survived often lived their lives in great pain and suffering from their injuries. Alcott attempted to inject humanity into the horrific situation that she witnessed in the hospital so at times, she infuses her writing with humor. However, it's evident that she was ...

Sunday, March 1, 2020

5 Nutty Careers for Writers Showing up Their Skills at College

5 Nutty Careers for Writers Showing up Their Skills at College 5 Nutty Careers for Writers Showing up Their Skills at College Writing skills are very important in many different careers. People who are good at it are more likely to find a high-paying job. From resumes to cover letters to interview thank-you notes, good writing impresses potential employers; once you’ve landed a job, it’s even more important when you’re writing memos and emails, preparing reports, writing copy for a website or blog, and so on. If you’ve got major writing skills, here are some of the best careers for writers you should consider taking up after college. 1. Executive Assistant Do you like creating high-quality products that make someone else look really, really good? Consider becoming an executive assistant, where you will work with the big bosses. Whether it’s constructing a brief, writing an end-of-year report, or composing a thank-you note to an important business associate, your superb writing skills will make the entire company shine. 2. Media Relations Specialist When a company needs to communicate with the press, they employ a media relations specialist to write press releases, create press packets, and otherwise work with journalists to create positive news about their organization. This work is especially important when the company hits a rough patch and needs to smooth things over. Someone who can communicate the value of a brand as well as maintain the loyalty of its customers needs superb writing skills, and you might just be the right person for this particular position. 3. Video Game Copywriter If you think that video games are just for nerds, think again. The video game industry is constantly growing, and as virtual reality (VR) becomes more popular, the need for video game copywriters grows as well. Your job will be to design the narratives that make the game so realistic and engaging, so a natural, conversational style and knowledge about your customer vernacular is really important. 4. Legacy Writer Are you fascinated by the past? Do you love learning about history? Are you great at working with people, especially older ones? You might enjoy being a legacy writer. Legacy writers, also known as personal historians. They write down all of the important events of their and their family members’ lives. They need excellent soft skills and the ability to listen and stay well-organized. If history is really your thing, then legacy writing could be a meaningful and lucrative career path for you. 5. Content Writer Content writers need to be able to write to their audience. That means adopting an appropriate style and choosing topics of interest for their particular demographic. Since content writers frequently make a living by working for a number of different clients, blogs, or websites, they need to be able to quickly adapt to whatever style is needed. They also need to be able to generate truly original content. The final skill needed for content writing is a familiarity with SEO, or search engine optimization; this means that certain keywords need to be included in posts in order to get the most traffic to the site. While there is definitely a learning curve, it is a solid career choice for professional paper writers that is not going away anytime soon. Still think that your writing skills are just good for your student papers? Come on! You even do not know what kind of treasure you have. Start thinking about your future career, as you have such a great variety of positions to choose among.