science fiction and fantasy :: essays research papers

The question is whether it is possible to distinguish between fantasy and true science fiction. I am reminded of the analogy, attributable I believe, to Theodore Sturgeon, of the elf ascending vertically the side of a brick wall. In a science fiction story the knees of the elf would be bent, his center of gravity thrown forward, his stocking cap hanging down his neck, with his feet quite possibly equipped with some form of suction cups. In a fantasy, on the other hand, the elf would simply stride up the wall in a normal walking posture, with his stocking cap standing straight out from his brow. What is the difference between these scenarios? The typical answer is that the science fiction story must play by the implicit rules of the universe; in this instance, gravitation. Fantasy, however, need not "tip its hat" to the Law of Universal Gravitation the story can bend the rules in which gives it the fantasy genre. But what if, for some specified reason, in the local vicinity of the elf on the wall, the vector of gravitational force just happens to be perpendicular to the side of the wall rather than parallel to it? In this case the behavior of the elf in the fantasy would be in perfect accord with physical law. One might then say that the fantasy is actually science fiction since we have posited a "scientific" explanation for the behavior of the elf. Both science fiction and mainstream fiction explore the political and social implications of religion. The chief difference is one of setting. Science fiction considers what religion may become under vastly altered circumstances. Leigh Brackett The Long Tomorrow (1955) suggests the possibility that one religion might better prepare its followers for post-holocaust existence than others do. Kate Wilhelm Let the Fire Fall (1969) takes place in a future United States swept by millennial fanaticism. Frank Herbert Dune stories examine in some depth the effects of political rule by characters that are regarded as divine (Martin 1981). Certainly this is not a complete list of the ways science fiction writers treat the theme of religion. But it is suggestive of a much deeper and wider interest in the theme than many has been willing to recognize. So far, literary criticism has not adequately dealt with this fact. In light of the cultural influences already mentioned, these essays, by and large, take a generally Christian and theological approach to the topic.

How effective is the first chapter of Lord Of The Flies? Essay

The first chapter of the L.O.T.F was very effective. It’s written after the Second World War but it talks about the first world, when the children from the city are flown to a hiding place, so they don’t get killed in the war. But the plane crashes in an island and the adults are all dead. This part makes the story effective because there’s suspense in it and excitement. There are no adults and no one knows where they are. They are stranded in an unknown island which makes this part of the story effective. The story starts with the â€Å"fair boy† getting out the crashed plane and stepping into the â€Å"scar†. The scar is made when the plane crashed into the island. This attracts attention to reader so this makes the story effective. Then as we go into the story we get introduced to â€Å"piggy† and we find out that the â€Å"fair boys† name is â€Å"Ralph†. They find something called a conch and â€Å"piggy† explains to â€Å"Ralph† what it does and this, what’s used to call the other children who were in the aeroplane. As we get introduced to each character the story starts to unfold and becomes more effective. The story is very effective when â€Å"Ralph† betrays piggy’s trust. Ralph – Ralph is a dependable and reliable person. He’s basically kind and he is sensitive. He demonstrates physical courage. He believes the good within people and represents the value of civilisations as well as democracy. He’s a posh person. â€Å"Piggy† is the intelligent person out of the group. â€Å"Jack† is a stubborn character and wants to be a leader because he wants to hunt and kill pigs. He says the best way to kill a pig is â€Å"you cut a pigs throat to let the blood out† so this shows his dark side. Ten there’s the twins â€Å"Sam† and â€Å"Eric†, they act the same, do the same and you can’t tell them apart. Then there’s â€Å"Maurice† who’s always smiling and is always a happy character. Then threes other boys where we don’t know much about except their names â€Å"Roger†, â€Å"Bill†, â€Å"Robert†, â€Å"Harold† and â€Å"Simon†, â€Å"Henry† and a boy with the birthmark. The symbolisms that are used in this novel are â€Å"piggy† he’s using this word to get the meaning across of the fact that he’s fat and ugly, which interests readers and makes the chapter effective. Then there’s piggy wearing glasses which shows symbol of intelligence. The conch with Ralph shows the symbolism of the world of democracy and how they are using the conch to show symbolism of democracy. There’s the beast which is the evil inside everyone. Jacks actions are symbolism of savagery. So all the symbolism attracts the readers attention and makes the chapter one effective. There are lots of themes in the novel betrayal, evil, order savagery power and leadership. In the novel there is a descent into savagery and is seen in the choir who became the hunters which makes the story effective because they change dramatically from little weak choir boys into hunters which makes the chapter effective. Jack releases his savage instincts by creating his mask. Then they become savages following his lead which makes the story effective. The conch becomes the symbol for the world of order and civilization. Where the boys come from they live in a democracy which is one of the themes here and they try to establish this on the island, however a democracy won’t work with few people trying. The uses of language in lord of the flies have a meaning behind each sentence. It’s structured well and you have to analyse each words to find out what the significance is behind the sentences. â€Å"them fruit† showing the bad english of piggy. â€Å"We can use this to call the others† and this is saying this is the first attempt at order. There is lots of imagery in the novel. It describes the person’s character and looks. Jack is an obstinate character and we can imagine him being blood lust as he wants to kill a pig. Then there’s piggy who we can imagine being intelligent fat and detested person. To my judgment chapter one is very effective because as a reade4r I loved how the sentence started and how it gradually built up interestingly and it was so effective it made you want to read more and more. As the chapters go I am sure the novel will be interesting.

The Difference Between an Element Group and Period

Groups and periods are two ways of categorizing elements in the periodic table. Periods are horizontal rows (across) the periodic table, while groups are vertical columns (down) the table. Atomic number increases as you move down a group or across a period. Element Groups Elements in a group share a common number of valence electrons. For example, all of the elements in the alkaline earth group have a valence of two. Elements belonging to a group typically share several common properties. The groups in the periodic table go by a variety of different names: IUPAC Name Common Name Family Old IUPAC CAS notes Group 1 alkali metals lithium family IA IA excluding hydrogen Group 2 alkaline earth metals beryllium family IIA IIA Group 3 scandium family IIIA IIIB Group 4 titanium family IVA IVB Group 5 vanadium family VA VB Group 6 chromium family VIA VIB Group 7 manganese family VIIA VIIB Group 8 iron family VIII VIIIB Group 9 cobalt family VIII VIIIB Group 10 nickel family VIII VIIIB Group 11 coinage metals copper family IB IB Group 12 volatile metals zinc family IIB IIB Group 13 icoasagens boron family IIIB IIIA Group 14 tetrels, crystallogens carbon family IVB IVA tetrels from the Greek tetra for four Group 15 pentels, pnictogens nitrogen family VB VA pentels from the Greek penta for five Group 16 chalcogens oxygen family VIB VIA Group 17 halogens fluorine family VIIB VIIA Group 18 noble gases, aerogens helium family or neon family Group 0 VIIIA Another way to group elements is based on their shared properties (in some cases, these groupings do not correspond to the columns in the periodic table). Such groups include  alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals (including  rare earth elements or lanthanides and also actinides), basic metals, metalloids or semimetals, nonmetals, halogens, and noble gases. Within  this classification system, hydrogen is a nonmetal. The nonmetals, halogens, and noble gases are all types of nonmetallic elements. The metalloids have intermediate properties. All of the other elements are metallic. Element Periods Elements in a period share the highest unexcited electron energy level. There are more elements in some periods than others because the number of elements is determined by the number of electrons allowed in each energy sub-level. There are seven  periods for naturally occurring elements: Period 1: H, He (does not follow the octet rule)Period 2: Li, Be, B, C, N, O, F, Ne (involves s and p orbitals)Period 3: Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, Ar (all have at least 1 stable isotope)Period 4: K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Se, Br, Kr (first period with d-block elements)Period 5: Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sn, Te, I, Xe (same number of elements as period 4, same general structure, and includes first exclusively radioactive element, Tc)Period 6: Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, Hg, Tl, Pb, Bi, Po, At, Rn (first period with f-block elements)Period 7: Fr, Ra, Ac, Th, Pa, U, Np, Pu, Am, Cm, Bk, Cf, Es, Fm, Md, No, Lr, Rd, Db, Sg, Bh, Hs, Mt, Ds, Rg, Cn, Uut, Fl, Uup, Lv, Uus, Uuo (all elements are radioactive; contains heaviest natural elements)