King vs. Walker essays

King vs. Walker essays Fear is the essence of the unknown. In an article by Stephan King called Why We Crave Horror Movies, he claims that we all crave an inner fear. He claims that we all crave for the worst, and at times this seems to be a scary truth. However, in an article by Alice Walker, Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self, her fear is of not being accepted by people as an externally beautiful person. Although they may at first seem different, both authors are actually talking in contrast about the same thing. Fear is present in us in two forms: fear of the unknown, which King indulges in his writings, and the fear, which always lives within you whether good or bad as Walker writes about. As King writes, We also go to re-establish our feelings of essential normality; the horror movie is initially conservative, even reactionary. Freda Jackson as the horrible melting woman in Die, Monster, Die! Confirms for us that no matter how far we may be removed from the beauty of a Robert Redford or a Diana Ross, we are still light-years from true ugliness. (456) When we are afraid, it gives us a feeling we experience as false sense of helplessness. We are never helpless. Fear is the decision to relinquish our powers. The relinquishment is always a conscious act. If we subject ourselves to see a horror movie purposefully our reaction is to fear the worst, then afterwards we feel more comfortable because the worst is over. When we prefer to be afraid, it is always because we wish not to be responsible for our actions. I imagine anyone who's enjoyed a Stephen King movie has experienced a similar moment where, if only briefly, horror and reality blur. The unsettling force of King's powers of persuasionmaybe there really are monsters outside the windowmay have sent some readers scurrying back to the more secure, safe place in there lives. Others, like myself, get hooked on the intensity of bei ...

The Line is for the Toe

The Line is for the Toe The Line is for the Toe The Line is for the Toe By Simon Kewin The Washington Times recently printed an editorial about H1N1 flu calling the disease tow-the-line flu. The use of the phrase tow the line is a common mistake; what the paper should have written was toe the line. To toe the line means to conform to some rule or standard, to fall into line. Politicians, for example, often have to toe their party lines. People may imagine that the spelling tow the line is correct as it perhaps derives from some nautical activity. Ropes are often called lines aboard ship and a tow-line is just a line used to tow something on the water. But the phrase is probably nothing to do with ropes. In fact, the exact source is unclear but the phrase is generally taken to derive from the idea of lining up for a sporting activity, i.e. to place your toe on the line for the start of a race. By doing so you are following the rules set out for the activity. There are other theories as to the origins of the phrase. It may derive from boxing, with early prize-fighters having to stand with one foot on a scratched line on the ground to fight. Others have claimed that it derives from the British House of Commons, where lines are marked on the ground to prevent more adversarial debates from getting out of hand. Whatever the true origin of the phrase, the spelling should be toe and not tow. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Fly, Flew, (has) FlownFlied?15 Words for Household Rooms, and Their SynonymsHow to Address Your Elders, Your Doctor, Young Children... and Your CEO