Derek Essays - Derek, , Term Papers, Research Papers

Derek Derek lifted the large plastic tub, which he had just filled with ice, level with the counter, dumped the ice into the stainless steel container, and sighed. He looked at his watch: 10:25, it said; almost mid-morning, and five eternal minutes left until his fifteen minute coffee break. Fuck it, he thought, I'll take it now. He bent down low with a much-practiced 'bowling' motion and sent the plastic tub whizzing down the tiled corridor into the dish room where it hit the surly dishwasher on the ankles. "'Bowling For Busboys'!" he yelled (out of habit, mostly, since it had been a while since he had found the consequences of that action really amusing), and paced off to the staff room. "I'll bowl ya!" he heard the irate dishwasher yell, but the dishwasher always yelled that, and Derek had long since ceased to notice: he was already reaching for his cigarette pack. With quick, practiced movements he withdrew one of the long tubes from the cardboard package. With one hand he placed it in a precise position in his lips while the other hand was occupied with first replacing the package to his shirt pocket, then digging out a half used pack of matches from his too tight jeans. He was extremely conscious of the fluidity of his movements; lighting the cigarette with the match was the hard part, and he wanted to look as cool as possible, smooth and flowing, for all the eyes he perceived to be on him. He managed to execute the task to his satisfaction as he entered the staff room above the restaurant, but only Karen was there, finishing a butt of her own. He didn't give a shit about Karen and there was no one else around. He felt a frustration welling up inside that seemed incomprehensible. He thrust himself into one of the tattered chairs which his employers had so graciously donated to facilitate his comfort, and blew out a long stream of smoke from his lips, like a visible sigh. Karen eyed him with wary curiousity, but Derek was busy inspecting the floor. He could hear the clank and clatter of dishes from the dishroom, and the slamming of doors and calling of orders as the waiters and waitresses bounced off of and around each other like atoms in a solution. He realized he had to go back out there and face that frantic pace again in only fifteen minutes. Unconsciously he looked at his watch and saw that five of those minutes had already passed. "Fuck," he said, without thinking about it. "Whatsa matter?" asked Karen as she cracked her gum. She could stand the silence no longer; it made her uncomfortable. "Nuthin'," Derek lied, but it wasn't anything he could have spoken to her about. It was a subject which seemed to be most on his mind but least on his lips, and when he tried to articulate these things he simply stopped talking: there were too many things he wanted to say, all of them at once, and he couldn't decide where to start. That seemed important: deciding where to start. He feared that if he started in the wrong place his listener might get the wrong idea, or make the wrong conclusions about himself. It seemed like everything he wanted to say needed to be qualified. So he said nothing, or very little. "I dunno, just restless, I quess. Don't really want to be here either." He chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "Yeah, I know what ya mean. There's a good movie on T.V. I'm missing," said Karen, cracking her gum again, and chewing enthusiastically. That's not what I meant, bitch, he thought. Derek hated the tube. To him the T.V. was an insidious invention: it was far too powerful a tool in the wrong hands, and too easy an excuse for not doing anything yourself. Derek thought that "The Glass Teat" was a perfect name for it. Still, there was a good side to it: it helped tie together the world in a network of communication, which was valuable, provided the communicators were trustworthy. But Derek felt that most of them weren't. Most of T.V. was blatant propaganda, and people like Karen just lapped it all up, like kittens to milk, or junkies to junk. But he didn't feel like explaining all that to Karen just now. Most of those thoughts were coded as symbols in his brain, and drumming up sentences to clothe those symbols with meaningful dress was too much like work. So he

Short Personal Essay Thesis Sentence

Short Personal Essay Thesis Sentence The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.- Aristotle Why do famous quotes become famous? What is special about them? If you think about it, famous quotes are succinct statements that make a bold claim. A thesis statement should do the same thing. It should state a big idea in just a few words. Example #1 Consider this quote: He who opens a school door, closes a prison. - Victor Hugo This statement manages to encapsulate an enormous argument in one terse comment, and that is your goal when writing a thesis statement. If Victor Hugo had wanted to use simpler words, he could have said: Education is important for personal growth and awareness.Social awareness develops from education.Education can reform. Notice that each of these statements, like the quote, makes a claim that can be backed up with evidence? Example #2 Heres another quote:Â  Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. - Winston Churchill Once again, the statement sets up an argument in interesting but terse language. Churchill might have said: Everybody fails, but successful people fail many times.You can learn from failure if you dont give up. A Word of Advice When creating a thesis, you dont have to use colorful words like the ones that appear in famous quotes. But you should try to sum up a big idea or make a big claim in one sentence. Activity Just for fun, look over the following quotes and come up with your own versions that could work as a thesis statement. By studying these quotes and practicing in this way, you can develop your own ability to sum up your thesis in a brief but engaging sentence. Bette Davis: Attempt the impossible in order to improve your work.Henry Ford: Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.Carl Sagan: In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. The most successful students know that practice always pays. You can read more famous quotes to get the hang of creating concise, engaging statements.

Why Do Muslims Consider Prophet Muhammad a Religious and Political Essay

Why Do Muslims Consider Prophet Muhammad a Religious and Political Role Model - Essay Example His doctrines have influenced both religious and political lives of the Muslim community through teachings of Allah as stated in the Quran. As a religious leader, Prophet Muhammad taught his followers the doctrines of his master Allah. He imparted the knowledge of what his master like and the way he expects his followers to behave (Petras & Eastman-Abaya, the Caricature of Middle East). Therefore, he taught people to forgive each other and live as united family of one father. Prophet Muhammad told his followers to revere no other master beside Allah. Therefore, his teachings about Allah have transformed his followers to trust in their god and put his teachings into practice (Legacy of a Prophet). This is one of the reasons why Muslims respect their fellow Muslims and have greater concern for their needy in the society. It is through the teachings of Prophet Muhammad that the Muslim faith was established to form a different community based on faith and principles of Allah. Muhammad introduced Quran for guiding his followers on various issues. Muslims believe that Quran was confessions of Prophet Muhammad who was reflecting the principles of Allah (Legacy of a Prophet). Since then, Quran has remained vital in learning of Islamic and teaching the Muslim followers on the will of Allah. This holy book is also essential in guiding Muslims who wish to pursue political leadership in the state. For example, Muhammad was a humble servant who never sought to enrich himself by grabbing public property (Petras & Eastman-Abaya, the Caricature of Middle East). He condemned oppression of the poor and emphasized on helping the needy in the society. The life of Muhammad has significantly influenced the lives of his followers in a number of ways (Legacy of a Prophet). Quran gives guidance on how people should relate with each other. It also directs Muslims on how remain trustworthy in marriages and businesses as stated