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Help proofreading "A Doll's House"

Anonymous — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 03:40:25 GMT

I have finished writing an essay, which is due tomorrow. As an ESL student, I have the feeling that I have a lot of grammatical mistakes. Is there any sentence where you wonder what the heck I am trying to say? Hope anyone can help!

The Woman Within the Doll

The Baltimore Sun wrote that back in 1879, âA Doll's Houseâ by Henrik Ibsen âshocked and offended people wherever [it] was played,â and that the dramatist assured it was not about a woman, but about âanyone who had to live according to the rules created by othersâ (Hyder). Society thought to be outrageous that a woman would get involved in manly things, for her role in society was exclusively to care for the family and please her husband. Women did not enjoy the rights women do now. They were not taken seriously, and decisions were made by the man who was and still is considered the head of the family. Nora's choice to become free, independent and leave her husband, along with some of the characters' actions made this play to be scandalous for its time.

Ibsen wrote in a letter that the story in âA Doll's Houseâ was about a woman who feels:

ppressed and bewildered by belief in authority, she loses her faith in her own moral right and ability to bring up her children... [She is bittered because,] like certain insects, (ought to) go away and die when she has done her duty towards the continuance of the species... [she shakes] off of cares, [but then she feels] a sudden return of apprehension and dread. She must bear it all aloneâ (Doll).

Nora had a beautiful life, she had a husband, beautiful children, and everything she wanted. Earlier in her marriage, his husband suffered of an illness of which he needed to recover somewhere in the south, but this was concealed from him by the doctor and Nora. Not having the means to afford a trip so costly and out of love and desperation, Nora decides to ask for a loan without letting Tolvard know. She forges her father's signature to obtain the loan because she does not want to trouble her father either, who is very ill himself too. However, she is responsible and works secretly from home in order to make the payments. Eventually, Tolvard finds out about her secret and feels that his life, happiness and reputation will be lost once Krogstad, who lent the money, publishes the then scandalous situation out of revenged for having fired him from the bank he now manages. He quickly turns against her. That is the moment when Nora starts to understand things she did not understand before; she realizes she does not love Tolvard anymore just as he does not really love her as she thought, and decides to leave for good to discover herself.

The scenery consists of the Helmer's apartment and nowhere else. The description of the apartment depicts the decision that Nora will have to make. There is a door to the right which leads to the entryway and another to the left which leads to Helmer's study. Nora will have to decide which door to take: freedom or Helmer. The place is not âexpensively furnishedâ, but it is comfortable, just like Nora's marriage, she lives a comfortable life, but there are certain things she lacks that are more important than riches. No woman could even consider back in the 1800s doing such a scandalous things as to leave not only the husband, but her children too.

The main character in the story is Nora, a seemingly selfish, materialistic woman who cares a lot about money and in living a good life. This is to be expected since her father liked to spend money himself and live a life he could only could afford with credit. He used to called her his âdoll-child, and he played with [her] the way [she] played with [her] dollsâ (Ibsen 1041). She was obviously very protected and spoiled by both, her father and her husband, who provided anything she needed or wanted. Her father raised her not think for herself and just play her role in society. âWhile [she] was at home with [her] father, he used to tell [her] all his opinions, and [she] held the same opinions. If [she] had others [she] said nothing about them, because he wouldn't have liked itâ (1041). This repeated again as a married woman; she would not express her opinion to Tolvard, for they never talked seriously, but seemed to have trusted Dr. Rank better. Norah was greatly misunderstood. She was a loving person, she loved her husband so much that she was willing to forge her father's signature to obtain a loan to take her husband south in order for him to recover from a deadly illness. She is willing to do anything for him. Eventually she realized she does not have to play the doll anymore. One can only imagine people's reaction throughout the play's events.

Tolvard Helmer seemed to be an ideal husband. He is loving, admirable, honest, ethical, hard-working and successful, but there seems to be a dark side of him. He is a prideful man, he won't ask for money to anyone, to do so would be humiliating. To him, honor and appearances are more important than family. He does not believe people can change and become good, as he did not believe Krogstad was a good person although he had been honest for a long time already. Also, he is so affectionate that makes one wonder of his sincerity; he calls Nora diminutive names such as featherbrained, spendthrift, a squirrel, a song-bird, lark, strange little being all the time (994). One cannot think of a woman who would like being called like that and who would not be affected emotionally. Tolvard's reaction after finding out Nora's secret is amusing. He had told Nora that sometimes he wished â[she] was in some terrible danger, just so [he] could take [his] life and soul and everything, for [her] sakeâ (1038), yet he quickly turns against her calling her a wretched woman, a criminal, unprincipled, untrustworthy of raising her children, incapable, etc. His hypocrisy is clearly revealed when as soon as he realizes that Nora's mistake won't affect his reputation he forgives her (1039-1949). There's a saying that goes something like a good friend is hard to find, specially during difficult times; Tolvard was nor a good friend neither that perfect husband he seemed to be. He loved to have control of his wife's life, and his conversations usually tend to imply that Nora would be lost without him; that she needed his guidance and teaching. Tolvard did not love Nora, â[he] thought it fun to be in love with [her]â (1041).

Dr. Rank is in love with Nora, and that seems to have been the main reason he visited the Helmer's house. This character is not essential in the play, but it causes outrage when he dares to reveal Nora his secret. This is almost vulgar for him to do, and very dishonorable, specially during those times in which people were very conservative. It is as if he had taken advantage of the trust the family had in it and ended up tarnishing his reputation.

Mrs. Linde is one of Nora's old friends from school. She gave up her true love for money, but in the end things did not turn out the way she had expected. Her husband died leaving her in a terrible financial situation making it necessary for her to work in order to sustain her mother and brothers. After her mother passed away and her brothers did not need her help she left town. Not to have someone to take care of made her feel âcompletely alone in the worldâ, and it frightened her âto be so empty and lostâ (1032). She needed âsomeone to take care ofâ, she wanted to be a mother and wanted the companionship of a husband. In the end, she was supposed to have helped Nora hide her secret. She could have convinced Mr. Krogstad to get the letter back, but she did not intercede (1033). She might have been envious of Nora, after all, Nora had all she was longing for; a husband, beautiful children, and a good life.

Lastly, Krogstad is the one who lent Nora money to save her husband, and threatens her to tell her husband if she does not convince Tolvard to let him keep his job at the bank, but just as Nora did, he once made a mistake, which caused him to loose his reputation. He was a man who seems to have been harden by life's difficulties. When he was left by the woman he dearly loved âit was as if all the solid ground dissolved from under [his] feetâ (1031). This might have caused him to become the âhalf-drownedâ kind of man, as he refers to himself. After finding love in his life he turns from the revengeful person into a forgiving one.

In conclusion, Nora realized of her true value as a human being and as a woman. She decides to leave everything and everyone, husband, children, luxuries to a journey to liberate herself. To do such thing was unthinkable at that time and caused turmoil, but it was the best choice she could ever make. To leave one's children is a terrible things to do and was not necessary, but looking beyond that, without prejudices, it is not hard to understands she is trying to figure out who she really is and what she believes in. This is essential to one's happiness; therefore she is determined to make necessary changes in her life even if people think bad of her. It seems that daring to do so back in the 1800s was just as bad as selling drugs or prostituting oneself.

Works Cited

"A Doll's House." Triton College. 21 Feb. 2008 <http://academics.triton.edu/uc/files/dollshse.html>.

Hyder, Willian. "A Doll's House is No Toy Effort." Baltimore Sun. 15 Feb. 2008. 21 Feb. 2008 <http:// www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-ho.chesapeake15feb15,0,4775242.story>.

Ibsen, Henrik. "A Doll House." The Norton Introduction to Literature. New York: Norton & Co., 2006. 993-1045.

10 Universities Offering Free Writing Courses Online

Paultx — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 22:26:37 GMT

Universities Offering Free Writing Courses Online

Whether you are currently writing professionally or are looking to break into the field, formal writing courses can help you to hone your skills. If you don't have the money or the time for campus-based courses, there are plenty of universities offering free writing courses online.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mit.edu)

MIT offers dozens of free writing courses online through its MIT OpenCourseWare initiative. Course topics include everything from writing fiction, poems and essays to analyzing all forms of literature. Lecture notes, videos, suggested reading lists and more will help you to become the writer you've always wanted to be. No registration is required.

2. Utah State University (usu.edu)

Utah State University's Department of English publishes three free courses devoted to the art of writing through the school's OpenCourseWare program. The courses are extensive and may take up to 16 weeks to complete if you study at the average pace. No registration is required.

3. Open University (open.ac.uk)

The UK's largest academic institution, Open University, offers a number of different writing courses through their OpenLearn website. The free curriculum includes both undergraduate and graduate level courses that are available to everyone regardless of country of origin. No registration is required.

4. University of Utah (utah.edu)

The University of Utah's English Department offers free courses to self-learners around the world. Currently, there are only two free writing courses. Both offer strong preparation in their topic and are built for beginners. No registration is required.

5. Western Governors University (wgu.edu)

Western Governors University has made free course materials available through an open content license. There are several free writing courses courtesy of the university's Liberal Arts Department. All courses are split into convenient self-study modules. No registration is required.

6. Purdue University (owl.english.purdue.edu)

Purdue University brought their writing lab to life online in 1994 to offer a writing resource to students no matter where they were located. Online Writing Lab (OWL) materials are now free to everyone regardless of location or student status. The OWL site offers writing instruction, grammar and usage information, individualized help from tutors and much more. No registration is required.

7. Steven Barnes' UCLA Writing Course (lifewrite.com)

9-Week Introduction to Screenwriting Course

Best selling author and screenwriter Steven Barnes offers a free version on his website of the writing class he has been teaching for many years at UCLA. The course offers in-depth instruction on writing, which is why Barnes suggests completing each part of the nine-week course one week at a time. Nevertheless, the course can be downloaded all at once. No registration is required.

8. News University (newsu.org)

News University has a solid e-learning program designed to providing training to journalists. Most of the courses offered at News U are free, especially those that are self-directed. Courses cover everything from writing and editing to reporting and ethics. News U also offers a newsletter, a blog and other great resources. Registration is required, but the course is free for everyone.

9. E-Zine University (ezineuniversity.com)

E-Zine University offers quite a few courses written by Internet publisher Kate Schultz and visiting professors. Although the courses offered at E-Zine University are designed mainly for web writers and e-zine writers, they would be helpful to almost any scribe. Courses are very short and don't take much time to complete. No registration is required.

10. Wikiversity (wikiversity.org)

Wikiversity is an active learning project that encourages people to create and benefit from online courses and tutorials. There are currently several different writing courses that can be found at Wikiversity. Although these courses vary in length and content, there's something for everyone. No registration is required.

Please improve the following C.V. thanks and to make it look more professionel.

luxtine — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 08:02:34 GMT

Curriculum Vitae

OBJECTIVES:
Settling definitively in Luxembourg. I want to actively join the Luxembourg professional life. I am interested in an assignment as PA, handling responsibilities and working autonomously in an international environment. Having worked for prominent and active personalities, I am able to effectively release my superior from the daily contingencies.

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS:
Â· French mother tongue and fluent English and Dutch.
Â· Bases of German + currently following evening courses.
Â· Daily use of computer Words, Outlook, Internet, Excel etc.
Â· Strong administrative, organisational and communication skills.
Â· Sense of priority.
Â· Practice of high level contacts and correspondence.
Â· Organisation of events.
Â· Team player and initiative taker.
Â· Patient, mature, flexible, discreet, able to work under pressure.
Â· Respect of deadlines, goals and objectives.
Â· Ability to handle confidential and sometime sensitive information with tact and discretion.
Â· Courteous manners, well presented and interpersonal skills
Â· Several years proven in international and official environment.
Â· Open-minded and respectful of different cultures and their particular needs.

PROFESSIONNEL EXPERIENCE:
1999-2002
Adjointe, Cellule Emploi-Formation du
Ministre de lâEmploi la RÃ©gion de Bruxelles-Capitale â Eric TOMAS
(Minister of Employment assistant)
Follow-up of decrees relating to employment in Brussels and the financing of French community associations. Arranging of meetings on behalf of senior staff, maintaining individual diaries and a master diary of the diary of the department. Contacts with the press and associations. Proofreading, speech translation of and mail. Reply to prioritizing mail and e-mail.

1994-1999
Collaboratrice parlementaire (Parliamentary assistant)
du DÃ©putÃ© bruxellois et Conseiller Communal M. ROMDHANI
In charge of the electoral campaign. Ensuring correspondence, holding the agenda, arranging meetings, preparing speechâs, answers to parliamentary questions, preparing communal governmental meetings, contacts with the governmental entities, research of material related to the parliamentary commissions and meetings. Also running the social service and social assistance. Creation of integration programme for associations. Translation of interviews.

1991-1993
GÃ©rante
de PROMETHE SPRL
Management of a company in charge of relocating European deputies at the time of the enlargement of the UE to Greece. Home hunting (buying and leasing), assistance in the relationships to the local authorities, search for architects, builders, contractors, subcontractors, decorators, follow-up and coordination of building sites, applying for permits to build, hiring domestic staff.

1988-1991
Office manager pour un Â« Business centre Â»
STEPHANIE SQUARE BUSINESS CENTRE S.A. (Regus)
et DIXON PROPERTIES SERVICES S.A.
Office manager for a "Business centre". Installation of foreign investors (English and Swedish) in Belgium, search for offices, public relations with banks, notaries, administrations etc. Management of the business centre: conclusion of short-term lease, administration expenses, investments, invoicing. Personnel management (4 secretaries, a receptionist and a accountant). For Dixon Properties Services S.A.: administration and management of a real estate portfolio including of about fifteen small buildings (sale, purchase, letting, refurbishing, repair, etc).

1986-1989
MTSE OPERATION CENTRE S.A.â Citicorp
A subsidiary of CITIBANK
P.A. of the Financial Director for Europe and Middle East.
Providing professional administrative support. Maintenance of agenda + fixing appointments, travel accommodation, supply purchase, filling of confidential files, personnel files and contacts for the local staff, contacts with the United States and the United Kingdom.

1985-1981
Various temporary assignments including a one-year as bilingual secretary at the European Commission. Long stays abroad: Thailand, Singapore, India, Nepal and Congo.

1978-1982
Programme Administrator
FRAKLIN MINT (A Warner Company)
P.A. to the Marketing Director.
P.A. work + Proofreading and correction of French, Dutch, English documentation and advertisement. In chare of publication and direct sale literature. Translation and adaptation of English programs to the local market. Also creation of specific programs for the Belgian market

1976-1982
METROPOLITAN TOURS â Filiale CMB-AMI
Tour Operator,
Booking, travel organization, writing of brochures, responsible during one year for Palma destination, in charge of various mini-trips to Guernsey, Jersey and Malta.

EDUCATION:
Primary school + Secondary Studies commercial-languages in Brussels
One year of Marketing/Distribution to the EPHEC
SELOR, examination French/Dutch
Many stays in England and in the Netherlands for language-training

PERSONAL INFORMATION:

Thanking you in advance.