Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Sustainable Development Goals Continued

We stated that there are 17 sustainable development goals and today we are continuing with the rest of the goals from goal 12. Goal 12 states that it is combating climate change .Here we talk of global warming. This the idea of climate change. if the forests are are not preserved the effect of global warming is going to be devastating which is not goof for any country's progress. If the streams dry up as a result of the change it is going to affect the country' fresh water supply which in turn affects the well being of the people. So each country will endeavour to preserve their trees to protect their fresh water streams. This takes us to goal 13 which is good use of water resources. Water id very important for the production of electricity. For instance the use of dynamos to generate electricity becomes very important here. The country will harness its water resources to generate power . The economic effect of such power generation cannot be overstressed since the nation will be able to power her industries. And when the industries are empowered jobs are created and thus reducing the country's unemployment rate. Such reduction is of course an index of development. A country with many of her youths unemployed cannot be said to be highly developed. Goal 14 is good use of land and forests. Here the country has to create Forest Reserves and maintain them for effctive development of their forests. The resources we get from forests include both wood and timber. More important is the timber which the country can harness for both wood and export. When the timber is exported the country gains foreign exchange to boost their foreign earnings. Another one is goal 15 which is promoting peace, justice and strong institutions. And finally strengthening partnerships for the achievement of the goals.

Friday, July 1, 2016

The Foot of Traditional Prosody

Poetry is the expression of deepest emotion. A poetic performance is a combination of what si said and how it is said. There are different types of foot that make up different types of metre. A group of stressed and unstressed syllable forms a foot and a combination of foot forms a metre. The foot of traditional prosody begins with stressed or unstressed syllable. Types of foot in English in English verse. There are different types of foot in English verse which also makes up the different types of metre in English verse. The first one is iambic foot. In iambic foot an unstressed syllable is followed by one stressed. The next one is anapaest foot. In anapaest foot two unstressed syllables are followed by one stressd. For example, /xx-/. The third foot is trochee . Here one stressed syllable is followed by one unstressed syllable.The fourth foot is dactyl. Here one stressed syllable is followed by two stressed syllables A foot is a unit of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.A combination of feet makes a metre. From this analysis we can explain the rising rhythm and falling rhythm. The rising rhythm is made up of both iambs and anapaests while the falling rhythm is made up of trochee and dactyl metres. This takes to another level of this discussion- metre. What is metre. Metre is a combination of the diferent types of feet. There are therefore four different types of metre.First is iambic pentamtre which is made up five iambic feet. Then there is the anapaest metre made up of anapaest feet in a line of poetry. The third type of metre is trochee metre. This is where a line of poetry or part thereof is made up of trochee feet. And finally there is the dactyl metre. this is made up dactyl feet. This takes to another angle of our discussion which is rhythm. What is rhythm in poetry. Rhythm in poetry means the constant beat of sounds. These beats may be rising or falling. You can have falling tune or rising tunes.When the beat is rising it is either iambic or anapaest. But when the beat is falling it is either trochee or dactyl. The subject of poetry is interesting because it is incorporated in everyday life. Poetry it is said is the expression of deepest emotion. In the famous Preface to the Lyrical Ballads William Wordsworth describes poetry as emotion recoollected in tranquility. This is supported by the fact that if you read Tintern Abbey, you will see that the lines composed by the banks of the Wye river that the author is quiet there by the banks of the river. He hears the sound of the river and composes his poem. Again in 'Tradition and individual Talent' T S Eliot talks excellency in poetry as depending on the intensity of the fusion. To achieve such intensity ,cohesion and fusion of thought and feeling one mustn be in a serene atmosphere. Let explain a bit here. What makes a good poetry is the fusion of thought and feeling which must appeal the reading audience. And it also depends on the intensity of the fusion to make the impact. And also I say that the reader must also apply poetic faith. What is poetic faith? It is the willing suspension of disbelief. You have to agree to makeshift situations created in the poem to be able to enjoy it. So we conclude by saying that in reality poetry is emotion recollected in tranquility. Also poetry at another advanced level is defined as a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings. For instance if a snake suddenly enters your house you are bound to shout "Oh!' to attract attention. Such shouting you have is a kind of spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling and that is poetry. In summary poetry should be studied for its enjoyment and knowledge and in my next blog I shall give you other literary points useful for students of literature around the world. You can write for more points as you need them in the field of Education.