Battlefield of the Scripture Professor Ramos Blog

Battlefield of the Scripture Catarino Zepeda English 261 February 25, 2019 In the book â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn†, slavery is a relevant part of society because during this time slavery was deemed a God given right. However, the cause of nearsightedness of scripture has led a conflict in the society during the time this book was written. People often take the Word of God out of context, and they use whatever â€Å"scripture† for their cause to justify their actions. However, one is to suspend judgement and look into the context of why the testimony was written, so the precept can influence the person rather than the person influencing God’s Word. At the time this book was written, I doubt anyone had ever read the book of Philemon. In a nutshell, the book of Philemon is about a runaway slave, Onesimus, encountering the apostle Paul and becoming born again. Paul would send Onesimus back to his owner Philemon; however, Philemon would receive Onesimus not as a slave but as a dear brother in Christ per Paul’s request. F or the majority of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the main protagonist Huck is in company with a runaway slave named Jim.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1885, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first published. Unfortunately, at the time this book was written slavery was a prevalent part of American society. According to Judith Weisenfeld in her book review of Hell without Fires: Slavery, Christianity, and the Antebellum Spiritual Narrative, â€Å"Yolanda Pierce uses antebellum African American spiritual narratives to explore how conversion to Christianity functioned for many African Americans as a means of refuting religious justifications of slavery, resisting the institutions various means of dehumanizing black people, and extending beyond the individual experience of conversion to evangelize others.† Somehow these â€Å"Christians† at the time this book was written, believed that they were saving black people by putting them into slavery. No one can make a person become a Christian. The decision is up to the person whether or not they want to give their lives to Ch rist, and it is up to them to receive Him as Lord and Savior. One has to respect the decision the person makes. Jesus said â€Å"if anyone desires to come after me, let him first deny himself and pick up his cross daily and follow me.†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Then the group of people who practiced Christianity would be more educated and well-off people like that of Miss Watson. On the other hand, characters like Huck and Jim who were deemed less â€Å"sivilized†, and would disregard Christianity because they believed Christianity took more precedence in the expired than the living. Throughout the book, Huck would dismiss the necessity of Christianity because of constantly failed prayer request. Conversely, at the end of the book, Huck would pray to God to condemn his soul to hell if anything happened to Jim. As he tried to pray, Huck was wavering because he felt his heart was not right.   In the 31st chapter of the book, Huck would state, â€Å"So I was full of trouble, full as I could be; and I says, I’ll go and write a letter- and then see if I can pray†¦All right, then, I’ll go to hell†.   Huck tried to send a letter to Miss Watson concerning Jim whereabouts, but he could not follow through. Also, the binaries of good and evil are prevalent in this book; however, good and evil differ in the eyes of different characters. The white colored â€Å"Christians† were deemed â€Å"good† people. On the other hand, the colored people were deemed â€Å"evil† people. For example, when heaven and hell were being discussed, Huck would imagine â€Å"good† people like Miss Watson to end up there. Huck believed that well-off, important and stringent people went to heaven. In contrast, Huck believed that hell was where all the cool people went. This too has also made Huck less interested in Christianity. In chapter 1 of the book Huck would state, â€Å"All I wanted was to go somewheres; she was going to live so as to so to the good place. Well, I couldn’t see no advantage in going where she was going, so I made up my mind I wouldn’t try for it.† In addition, when the opportunity presented itself to turn Jim back into slavery, Huck would be torn within himself. For instance, when Huck was pretending to be contaminated with tuberculosis while being interrogated by two slave owners. Huck decided to hide Jim rather than turn Jim back into slavery. At this moment, Huck had an inward conflict because he believes he did the wrong thing. Huck considered the slave owners to be â€Å"good† people, and slaves as being evil people. The influence of slavery helped form Huck’s perspective on colored people. At the end, Huck would say that he knew Jim was a white person inside after staying with a wounded Tom. This is implying that white people are good and colored people are bad. According to Cassander L. Smith in her â€Å"Niggers† or â€Å"Slaves†, Literary Criticism states, â€Å"Even though Jim has done the right thing, illustrating that he can think rationally and compassionately, it does not do much to c hange his social status. The other characters still refer to him as nigger, unable- or unwilling- to read his selfless act in terms of his humanity.†    In conclusion, we discussed some of the causes of why slavery was a prominent part in society at the time this book was written. Also, we discussed some of the groups of characters whom Christianity influenced in this book. The shortsightedness of scripture has led to slavery in society during this time. Does The Bible condone slavery? One would state that slavery is allowed in the Law. However, the entirety of the Law is actually pointing to Jesus. Yes, the Law allows one to have a slave for seven years; however, on the seventh year he is to be released. The slave is taken to the doorpost of the gate of the city. He has the choice to be free or remain a slave. If he chooses to remain a slave then his ear would be pierced signifying him becoming a bondservant. On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus would choose to become that bondservant, and later He would be pierced on a cross. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve others, and to give His life as a ransom for many. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a product of wrong use of scripture, for these â€Å"Christians† served God with their mouths, but their hearts were far from Him. Work Cited Weisenfeld, Judith. â€Å"African American Review†. HELL Without Fires: Slavery, Christianity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the Antebellum Spiritual Narrative (Book). Summer 2008. P360-363. Book Review Smith, Cassander L. â€Å"Nigger† or â€Å"Slave†: Why Labels Matter for Jim (and Twain) in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Literary Criticism. Spring 2014, Vol.50 Issue 2, p182-206 Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York, Barnes and Noble Books, 1885 The Holy Bible. New King James. Tyndale House Publishers, 1993

The New SAT Writing Whats Changing

The New SAT Writing What's Changing SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips March 5, 2016 shall be a monumental day in SAT history. The format of the SAT will officially change for the first time since 2005. Each section of the test, including SAT Writing, will undergo significant changes. In this article, I'll explain the content and format changes to SAT Writing and provide guidance for how to prepare for the SAT Writing and Language section. If you follow the advice in this guide, you'll be prepared to get an amazing score on the SAT Writing in2016 and beyond. Big Overall Changes SAT Writing will now be known as SAT Writing and Language. Furthermore,SAT Writing and Language and SAT Reading will be combined to give you one section score out of 800, and the maximum score on the new SAT is 1600. You’ll receive an SAT Reading and Writing score out of 800 and an SAT Math score out of 800. On the new SAT Writing, you'll have 35 minutes to complete 44 questions, and Writing and Language will always be the second section of the test. Also, the essay is no longer part of SAT Writing. The essay is separate, and it’s optional for test-takers. However, keep in mind that some of the colleges you apply to may require you to do the essay. Sorry. milena mihaylova/Flickr 4 KeyChanges to Format and Content In addition to the significant overall changes to SAT Writing, the content and look of the SAT Writing section will be dramatically different. #1: All Questions Will Be Passage-Based On the new SAT Writing, none of the questions will be based on individual sentences in isolation. There won't be anysentence improvement or identify the errorquestions. All of the questions will come from 4 passages, and the presentation of the questions will look almost identical to that on the ACT English section.This is what the SAT Writing questions will look like: The questions will ask you to edit an underlined portion of the passage, direct you to a specific location in the passage, or have you think about the passage as a whole. You'll be tested on your knowledge of grammar, writing style, and the content of the passages. #2: There Are Fewer Grammar Questions and More Style Questions The old SAT Writing emphasized specific grammatical rules like subject-verb agreement, parallel structure, and equivalent comparisons. The questions testing your knowledge of these grammar rules could be tricky because these rules are often violated, and the grammatical errors were presented in ways that made them difficult to spot. The old SAT was notorious for using tricks to disguise common grammar errors. On the new SAT, there are far fewer questions testing your knowledge of these rules, and there are more writing style questions. The new SAT emphasizes writing style topics like wordiness and redundancy, word choice, and macro logic. Instead of focusing on specific grammar rules, the new SAT focuses on testing your knowledge of clear, concise, and logical writing. #3: It TestsPunctuation On the old SAT, punctuation was only really tested on questions having to do with run-on sentences. However, on the new SAT, you’ll have to know when and how to use commas, semicolons, and colons. Don't be too scared, though; the punctuation rules for the new SAT aren't that complicated if you take the time to learn them. Here’s an example punctuation question from one of the College Board’s practice tests. Check out #4: This type of question didn’t appear on the old SAT. For this question, you need to know that commas separate items in a list. The comma after â€Å"yogurt manufacturers† indicates that you shouldn’t use a semicolon or colon after â€Å"food scientists.† In answer choice D, the comma after â€Å"and† is unnecessary. The correct answer is C. #4: You'll See Graphs and Charts Additionally, on the redesignedSAT Writing, there will be data interpretation questions on which you'll have to determine how and if the data from a graph or chart fits in the passage. On the old SAT Writing, there were no graphs or charts, so this is a significant change. Take a look at this example question: We’re looking for the lowest temperature; therefore, we need to find the lowest average daily low in the winter, which is 12 degrees. The correct answer is B. How to Prepare for the New SAT Writing Now that we know the major changes to the redesignedWriting section, let's discuss how to study for SAT Writing and Language. #1: Focus on Writing Style On the old SAT Writing, memorizing and understanding a handful of grammatical rules would enable you to get a good score.Now, because writing style is emphasized, you should pay more attention to word choice, sentence construction, and paragraph construction. There is more reading comprehension incorporated into the redesignedSAT Writing. You need to understand why certain words or sentences are used in a given passage, or if they should be replaced with other words or sentences. On the old SAT Writing, improving paragraphs was the smallest subsection. On the new version, those types of questions have become more important. I recommend reviewing the content-based style questions on the improving paragraphs subsection because there are more content-based style questions on the new SAT. What are content-based style questions? Basically, they're the questions that require reading comprehension. On the old SAT Writing, on the improving paragraphs subsection, there were grammar questions asking how to revise or combine sentences. Additionally, there were style questions that asked whether to add or delete sentences from the passage and where to place certain sentences within a passage. These questions testyour reading comprehension and understanding of the passage, and you'll see a lot of themon the new Writing section. Here's an example of a content-based style question from the old SAT Writing improving paragraphs subsection: The correct answer has to logically follow sentence 7 and connect to sentence 8. It's essential that you understand the content and purpose of these sentences to determine the right answer. These types of questions rely on your reading comprehension, and they play a larger role on the new SAT Writing. You can use these types of questions from the old SAT Writing to help prepare for the new test. There are more reading comprehension questions on the new SAT Writing. (cheerfulmonk/Flickr) #2: Study ACT English The new SAT Writing is strikingly similar to ACT English, and even though there is limited information about the new SAT, there is a wealth of information about the ACT. Undoubtedly, studying for ACT English will help you get ready for the new SAT Writing. Many of our previous articles on ACT English will help you prepare for the new SAT Writing. You should review these articles: The Best Way to Approach ACT English Passages Everything You Need to Know About Commas for the ACT Punctuation on ACT English Wordiness and Redundancy in ACT English Macro Logic in ACT English Transition Questions on ACT English Add and Delete Questions on ACT English Relevance Questions on ACT English Formality on ACT English Furthermore, even though there are no graphs or charts on ACT English, there are on the ACT Science section.If you need more practice interpreting data from graphs or charts, you can practice with questions from ACT Science. Keep in mind that most of the ACT Science questions aremore complexthan the data interpretation questions on the new SAT Writing. #3: Don’t Completely Neglect Studying Grammar There are still grammar questions on the redesignedSAT Writing, even though knowing grammar rules isn’t as important on the new SAT. Check out this grammar question from one of the new SAT practice tests: This question tests two grammar rules that were often tested on the old SAT: subject-verb agreement and pronoun agreement. The subject of the sentence is Harvey Houses, which is plural; therefore, you must use a plural verb. Furthermore, because the pronoun â€Å"its† refers to the Harvey Houses, you must use the plural pronoun "their." The correct answer is B. Here are some of our grammar articles that are relevant for the new SAT. The links are for ourACT English grammar articles because the presentation of the questions is basically the same as that of the new SAT: Verb Tenses and Forms Pronoun Agreement Subject-Verb Agreement Run-on Sentences and Fragments Idioms Make sure that you know and understand each of the grammar rules that is tested on the new SAT Writing. Also, you should be able to correctly answer practice questions related to each rule. Grammar nerds like me can still have fun on the SAT!(George Williams/Flickr) #4: Review the New SAT Practice Tests The College Board released four SAT practice tests.You should practice the SAT Writing questions and review the answers and explanations.From my experience with the old SAT and the ACT, the best way to prepare is by practicing with real or realistic questions. Khan Academyalso has practice questions and videos explaining examples from the new SAT. Use these free resources available to you to get ready to get a wonderful SAT Writing score. #5: Get Your Read On As I've mentioned, on the new SAT Writing, reading comprehension is more important than on the old SAT Writing. Additionally, theredesignedWriting section more strongly emphasizes knowledge of vocabulary and an intuitive grasp of English. The more you read, the more you’ll strengthen these skills that are necessary to do well on the redesignedSAT Writing.High-level reading willbe especially helpful. If you can do college-level academic reading or read articles from The New Yorker or The Atlantic, you’ll be preparing yourself to excel on the new version of the test. Do You Even Have to Take the New SAT? If you’ve already taken the old SAT and you’re in the class of 2017 or 2018, you may not not need to take the new SAT.However, if you’re not happy with your score on the old SAT, you should take the new SAT or the ACT. Find out if you got a good score on the old SAT. Also, read our guide on the new SAT vs. the ACT to help decide which test is best for you.For current high school juniors, we generally recommend taking the ACT because there is much more available material to prepare for the ACT vs. the new SAT. However, you should still take a look at the new SAT practice tests to determine if the new SAT may be a better fit for you and your skill set. What's Next? Because the maximum score will be different on the new SAT, find out what a good score is for your target school on the new SAT. There are only 4 new SAT practice tests, solearn more about smart alternatives for SAT practice tests to be able to better prepare yourself. Finally, if you plan to do the essay, make sure you familiarize yourself with the new essay prompts. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Writing and grammar lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. 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