Thursday, October 31, 2019

Your pick of this week's news week 11 (responses) Assignment

Your pick of this week's news week 11 (responses) - Assignment Example China, according to US intelligence, appears ready to launch a ‘short, sharp’ war with Japan,an allegation the Chinese vehemently deny. The US on its part vows to honor the defense treaties it has with Japan. While on the surface and in public the two nations appear to have a friendly relationship, what lies below all that seems more grotesque, and the two nations seem to be edging ever closer to a full scale conflict. The writer has also done a good job in showing the prelude to this conflict,which is one of mistrust between two of today’s superpower nations. She has written about the events leading to this conflict. She has also, without bias, presented the cases that the two nations have in laying claim to the islands in question. In my opinion this is a top class news article, and the writer deserves a pat on the back. The article is titled "Rhode Island Settles Case on Jobs for the Disabled." It was written by Dan Barry and was published on April 8,2014 in The New York Time newspaper. The story looks at a landmark announcement by the department of Justice regarding employment for 3000-odd disabled people in Rhode Island. Prior to this agreement, it is estimated that â€Å"450,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities while away their days in essentially cloistered environments† across the entire country. One of the disabled people interviewed expressed his discontentment with his job saying he â€Å"did not like( the job) very much†. The new agreement has lead to praise for Rhode Island for â€Å"embracing the need for change†. Under the new agreement, people with disabilities are allowed to â€Å"obtain typical jobs within the community that pay at least the minimum wage†. In my opinion the article is true because one cannot doctor information about changes in the law. The writer also deserves commendation for highlighting such an important piece of legislation

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Industrialization and the Gilded Age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Industrialization and the Gilded Age - Essay Example This idea is expressed in the life of Jurgis, and the lives of his family as characterized with constant work, not to live but only to survive. They signify the ones in the working class who are confronted with issues concerning unequal opportunities and labor exploitation. As mentioned by Wasowski, The Jungle serves as Sinclair’s commentary against Industrialization and Capitalism (n.pag.). In the story, the growth of public and private owned businesses creates a gap between employers and employees. The Gilded Age, the period after the Civil War and before the start of World War 1, drives economic and political change. For instance, as the Civil War had made the government more concerned about the people, the American government implemented the tenets of democracy more firmly during the previous years. Additionally, as America had already settled its internal political and civil conflicts, it took concern on economic expansion. The economic expansion in America during the Gilded Age created the working class, widened the gap between workers and employers, and spurred the development of American industrialization. In The Jungle, Sinclair establishes that the Gilded Age is the cause of the unfavorable working condition and unequal opportunities of the working class. Additionally, Sinclair implies that Industrialization and Capitalism can potentially deteriorate the basic American values (equality, independence, democracy). The Gilded Age contributes to the shift in ideals from cooperative alliance to competition among workers. Thus, Sinclair describes the working class in Packington as â€Å"low class and mostly foreign, hanging always on the verge of starvation, and dependent for its opportunities of life upon the whim of men every bit as brutal and unscrupulous as the old-time slave drivers† (116-117). Although slavery is

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Good Country People Stereotypes And Narcissism English Literature Essay

Good Country People Stereotypes And Narcissism English Literature Essay People must be comfortable with every aspect of themselves, because certain people, who in this story are represented by Manley Pointers character, can easily exploit their weaknesses. Hes good country people and the salt of the earth as Mrs. Hopewell refers to Manley Pointer who really is a demon that they must face. A demon to remind them of their weaknesses. Beginning with Mrs. Hopewell, the title of the story comes from what she likes to call the poorer and less fortunate people that live off the land and work their whole lives just to hang on to some scrap of a life. This is how she views these people. She believes that they are good country people not a bad seed among them, that they are all eager to help out and bow in humility to the upper class. The gullible nature of Mrs. Hopewell betrays her true vision of a situation. She is one of those people who are all goody-goody to people who they view as less fortunate. Shes a person that commends or speaks for the people she knows nothing about. Altogether this is her true weakness that is taken advantage of by Manley Pointer. One of Mrs. Hopewells favorite sayings, Nothing is perfect, is seen in the very beginning of the story. Her saying was just that; a saying. The quote acts as foreshadowing for what her attitude towards life will be. We later find out that she is right, but that she does not live by her credo. Manley Pointer exploits this weakness as soon as she opened her door. Showing up as a pathetic bible salesman with an ailing heart (which is coincidentally exactly what Joy-Hulga had) laying the old guilt trip on Mrs. Hopewell on how no one wants to deal with a simple country boy like himself, he attacks her weakness right at the heart of it. Not more than two minutes after he knocked on the door, he ends up eating dinner with them and at the conclusion is even invited to return any time hed like. His persona blinds Mrs. Hopewell and prevents her from being somewhat suspicious of Manley. At the en d of the story, we see that Mrs. Hopewell is still clouded by her weakness and refers to Manly as simple as he passes through a field by Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman. Unlike Mrs. Hopewell, Joy-Hulga faces and comes to a realization of her weakness. Joy-Hulga, who had grown cynical and cold as she grew up with only one leg and heart ailment, creates an image that she is smarter and better than the rest of the characters in the story. Her education and self-absorption seemed to instill this attitude in her to greater extent than if she hadnt studied and read so much. Her weakness is the feeling of power she believed she gained from her studies. She refers to herself as a person who sees through nothing. Little does she know that she is stating her greatest weakness by saying this. Her hidden desires cause her several problems later on. After years of education and self-absorption, Joy-Hulga felt that she had no weaknesses. Science wishes to know nothing of nothing and this is the cr edo followed by Joy-Hulga. Her line of thinking turned out to be a weakness in itself. Her weaknesses are so prominent and hurtful from her childhood that she doesnt want to be reminded of them. Manley Pointer puts Joy-Hulga into a position where she feels in control. She took all his shame away and turned it into something useful. She believes that she is manipulating Manley, but it is he who is doing the manipulating. She lets her guard down because she feels in such great control and becomes comfortable with Manley. She is being manipulated from the start, and no amount of education can stop the fact that she doesnt see it coming. As soon as she admits to loving Manley Pointer, he sees the opening to completely destroy the facade she worked so hard to create her whole life. Before Joy-Hulga even knows it, her glasses are off and Manley has removed her leg. Physically she is broken down, but the real damage is done mentally. She knows that all control of the situation is out of he r hands, and she once again feels the discomfort felt during her childhood days. Manley Pointer exploits joy-Hulgas weakness to the fullest extent, because she never sees it coming. Joy-Hulga believed she was superior because she learned to see through nothing, but she doesnt realize that Manley has known this much longer than she which is even more prominent coupled with his seemingly lack of conscience. Manley is the only character in the story that has no apparent weakness. Taking into consideration the religious theme within the story, he takes on a persona of a devil-like character. He seems to be an almost omniscient character, which would fall in line with a powerful type of being. Being the protagonist in the story he acts not on an individual level, but more of a level revolving around mankind. His use of religion as a tool to carry out his acts of degradation and deception support this persona. He even says to Joy-Hulga, I hope you dont think I believe in that crap. Other things that represent this devil-like character is the hollow bible in which he kept instruments of a sort of sin. A definite clue to this is also when he also states to Joy-Hulga that He uses a different name every place he goes. The fact that the devil is referred to by many different names in all different regions of the world and different time throughout history shows another similarity between Manley Pointer and the devil. Manipulation and degradation seem to be his only objectives in life. At the conclusion of the story when Manley is passing by Mrs. Freemen and Mrs. Hopewell, the onion shoots that they are picking are even referred to as evil smelling the moment he passes. Mrs. Freemen is more of a minor character in the story but she is referred to as having two emotions, forward and reverse. This is important because then a person is forced to go in reverse they must face something or learn something they dont want to know about themselves. This seems to be what happens during the course of the story for Joy-Hulga. Although all the characters in the story are stuck in reverse, the only character that is forced to realize her weakness, which destroys the facade that she created is Joy-Hulga. It seems that in this story as in life the most high and mighty suffers the greatest fall. Joy-Hulga was the one who perceived herself to be the high and mighty of the characters. This attitude is displayed with many of her comment to Mrs. Hopewell. Perhaps when Joy-Hulga remarks to Mrs. Hopewell, Woman, do you ever look inside? she shouldve taken her own advice.

Friday, October 25, 2019

15% Tax Across The Board Essay -- essays research papers

15% Tax Across the Board Money, I bet I have your attention now? Hard working Americans are consistently held down due to taxes. There are many unnecessary taxes that are taken from each individual every single year. The 15% sales tax concept eliminates the frustration and confusion of the different kinds of taxes, and creates more money for the federal government. This concept has been overlooked year after year since its conception. This is a 15% sales tax; a tax that takes 15% of all goods sold and gives it to our government. Be aware of the fact that it is now 7.75%; a lot of you may say, "7.75% is way too much already". The answer to that question is no, no it is not. That 15% sales tax goes directly to the federal government eliminating all income tax in ones paycheck. Imagine seeing your paycheck without taxes taken out of it. It seems almost unimaginable to me; now we can imagine it. What does every employee constantly complain about every single paid day? What is one of the main topics that the presidential candidates stressed while campaigning? How come people like drug dealers get a big advantage in this world when it comes to pay taxes? And again, what consistently holds down the hard working American? I have found a way to answer all those questions? This concept has actually found a way to tax everybody, not just the working ones. This concept also makes it fair and economical to our federal government, not just the individual taxpayer. Under the implementation of this concept an individual could receive a paycheck and have virtually no taxes taken from it. This 15% sales tax eliminates confusion, taxes everybody, and organizes the government in a way that has never been done. Eliminating the confusion of distributing all of the taxes throughout the country would be in our government's vital interest. Every two weeks I will go through the exact same ritual, I will receive my paycheck and furiously tare it open to see how much money I will be able to lose in the next two weeks. I'm always blessed with a beautiful number at the top that is very fair and deserving for the hard work that I do on the weekly basis. Then I always see a whole bunch of abbreviations, different dollar amounts, then the number at the bottom that always seems to depr... ...s many government jobs. These jobs will be eliminated because there won't be so many different branches to our government. We will now only need a select few to watch over the money, rather than having the whole chain of command for each and every department. Organization and efficiency in our government is key, and the less there is to worry about the better. While this concept is a good one, it's not absolutely flawless. There are many wrinkles that indeed need to be ironed out. However, is a good starting block and something that could potentially change the country and how it operates? Whether this plan should actually be utilized or not, is not the question. The question is, what is involved with it, and how does a benefit our country? While I have talked about social security, it is not quite know exactly how that would be funded. Big businesses are another concern in this concept. How will big businesses be taxed under the implementation of this plan? The main objective to this plan still stands tall; it eliminates confusion, taxes everybody, and creates an organized government that we could all be proud of.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

‘Araby’ by James Joyce Essay

What impression of Dublin and its people does James Joyce give in his story ‘Araby’? James Augustine Alrysius Joyce, an Irish writer, was born in Dublin 2nd February 1882 and died in Zurich, Switzerland 13th January 1941. He was born into a well-off Catholic family and was the eldest surviving child; two of his siblings died of typhoid. Joyce was originally educated at Clongowes Wood College, a boarding school in County Kildare, which he left at the age of 6 because his father could no longer pay the fees. James Joyce studied at home for a brief period of time before being offered a place in the Jesuits’ Dublin School. At the age of 16 he rejected Catholicism which changed his life completely. At the age of 20, after graduating from the UDC (University College Dublin) he left for Paris and tried studying different occupations like teaching, journalism and even a doctor. At the age of 21 he returned to Ireland after receiving news that his mother was diagnosed with cancer. After she had died James Joyce became a heavy drinker but gradually stopped as he got over her death. He then stayed in Dublin for a period of time from 1904-1907 writing the â€Å"Dubliners† and also started many other books. The book â€Å"Dubliners† is a collection of short stories and â€Å"Araby†, like all of them, have â€Å"paralysis† meaning that they can’t leave Dublin. For example in the short story â€Å"Clay† Maria has the chance to make a new life and leave Dublin but turns it down because she is too scared. This also occurs in â€Å"A Painful Case† and â€Å"Eveline†, as they don’t have to courage to leave Dublin. In the short story â€Å"The Boarding House†, Bob Doran wishes to leave Dublin but can’t because he is trapped inside marriage. Most of the short stories, unlike â€Å"Araby†, go in circles, for instance, â€Å"Two Gallants† when Lenehan just wanders around Dublin. This also occurs in â€Å"The Dead† because a horse just goes around and around in circles, and also in â€Å"An Encounter† when a pervert tries to stop but end back in the same perverted world. At the end of the short stories James Joyce always write an epiphany, which is a revelation, but in all but one story the revelation is only noticed by the reader but in â€Å"Araby† both the reader and the protagonist – the protagonist is the main character – have an epiphany – an epiphany is a moment of revelation, usually at the end of the story. In the streets of Dublin James Joyce writes them as being â€Å"blind†, meaning that it’s a dead end and there is nothingness, it also means that you can’t escape and there is nowhere to go (there is no way of getting out of Dublin). The main reason is that there is no vision, meaning that you can’t see how terrible and run down Ireland really is. He describes all things by the colours â€Å"brown† and â€Å"yellow† that symbolises human excrements. He writes â€Å"the lamps of the street lifted their feeble lanterns†, the word â€Å"feeble† shows that the light is not even strong enough to even penetrate the darkness. â€Å"Jostled by drunken men and bargaining women†, the word bargaining in this case can mean two things. The first meaning of it is that they are just selling items and changing the prices of them, and the second meaning is that the women are bargaining for their bodies, they are prostitutes. There are â⠂¬Å"street singers† who sing about the problems in Ireland. Also that weather is always extremely violent, and this is shown by the words â€Å"cold air stung us†, â€Å"rain impinge upon the earth† and â€Å"the air was pitilessly raw†. Religion in Dublin is exceedingly poor. In the second paragraph it says â€Å"a priest, had died† showing that the faith in Dublin has disappeared off the face of the earth. Inside the house of the dead priest there were books that were â€Å"curled and damp† meaning that the interest in them was lost. The books were â€Å"The Abbot† which is a religious story, â€Å"The Devout Communicant† which is a book on how to receive Holy Communion well and the last one â€Å"The Memoirs of Vidocq† which is about a thief. The books are muddled up indicating that religion in Ireland is a sham. When it talks about the priest again it first says â€Å"very charitable priest† making you think that the priest was a good man, and suddenly says â€Å"in his will he had left all his money to institutions and the furniture of his house to his sister† presenting the complete opposite. This means that the priest was only charitable went he knew he was dieing and he wasn’t a nice man. In the dead priest’s â€Å"wild garden† there is an apple tree in the centre signifying the Garden of Eden which is a source of evil. In a bush in the garden, there is a â€Å"rusty bicycle-pump†, this can denote three things. The first description of the bicycle-pump is that there is no escape because, if you can’t pump up your tires, then you can’t go anywhere. The second explanation represents the snake, or Satan, in the Garden of Eden because the pump is approximately the same size a snake. The last reason, symbolizes a heart, meaning that, because the heart is not pumping, there is no love or life in Dublin, symbolizing that everything is hopeless. A good part in the story when you know that religion is just a phoney in Dublin is when the boy’s Aunt says â€Å"I’m afraid you may have to put off your bazaar for this night of Our Lord† actually saying that he should just forget about it in a nasty way. Although she I using religious word she is using them without kindness, meaning that she is not caring about him. The family life in Dublin isn’t very pleasant either. In the beginning of the book, the boy says â€Å"if my Uncle was seen turning the corner, we hid in the shadow† indicating that he doesn’t live with his parents, and also that he’s scared of him. On the night of the bazaar his Uncle came home late, â€Å"I heard him talking to himself† meaning he was obviously drunk and had forgotten all about Araby. The love in Dublin is bland. For the boy he loves and stalks â€Å"Mangan’s sister†. She is called thins because he doesn’t actually know her name so he names her â€Å"Mangan’s sister†. He defines her as â€Å"light† because he thinks of Dublin as the dark and Mangan’s sister as a light to brighten up Dublin. When he looks at her â€Å"her dress swung as she moved her body, and the soft rope of her hair tossed from side to side†, she is describes as lively and everyone else is not. â€Å"Followed her†, or stalking her is the meaning, â€Å"I kept her ‘brown’ figure always in my eye†, â€Å"brown† indicating that she is actually just an ordinary person with nothing special about her. Within one paragraph there are five words â€Å"chalice†, â€Å"prayers†, â€Å"praises†, â€Å"tears† and â€Å"adoration†, he describes her with religious word, and because he left Catholicism she is now his secular religion (one without God). She is also like music to his ears because it says â€Å"my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires†. Also showing that he uses her in a secular religion is a sentence saying â€Å"I pressed the palms of my hands together until they trembled, murmuring: ‘O love! O love! many times† showing that he worships her a lot. â€Å"At last she spoke to me†, this is the moment he was waiting for the whole time. She then talks about â€Å"Araby† and says she can’t go. While she was talking to him â€Å"she turned a sliver bracelet†, silver indicating bright. In two sentences he uses six words to describe how radiant and bright she is and how drawn he is to her, they are â€Å"light†, â€Å"lamp†, â€Å"white†, â€Å"lit†, â€Å"lit† and â€Å"†white†, repeating â€Å"white† and â€Å"lit†. â€Å"Waking and sleep thoughts† and â€Å"chafed against the work of school† imply that he can’t do anything besides thinking about Araby and Mangan’s sister, and it also says â€Å"I strove to read† hinting the same thing. â€Å"Lie at the window† signals that he stalks and spies on Mangan’s sister, and he is â€Å"singing† because he is happy about getting Mangan’s sister a present. Lastly he has a sexual desire for Mangan’s sister because it says â€Å"border below the dress† suggesting that he is growing quite fast and is into the puberty stage of life. â€Å"Araby† is a fair or, a â€Å"bazaar† – which is a foreign word from the east. In the boy’s eyes, â€Å"Araby† is an exotic place that gets away from all the darkness of Dublin. Also Araby is close to the word Arabia which is in the east signifying that it’s exotic, rich. And because it is in the east it signifies that the sunrise comes from the east, representing a new day, a new hope, a new light. Also Jesus resurrected in the east, epitomizing a new beginning or day. When he eventually arrives to Araby, he goes around the stalls and finds that most of them are closed. There is one that is open but when he sees the people at the stall he discovers they all speak in English accents indicating that the bazaar is not exotic at all. A â€Å"young lady†, who is probably a prostitute, because she is seen flirting with two men at the same time, asks the boy if he wants to buy anything but he says â€Å"no, thank you†. And from this, all of his dreams end because, the items are too expensive and mundane. At the end of the story there is an epiphany, which is the moment of revelation, to both the reader and the protagonist, because usually the epiphany is only recognisable to the reader. On the second from last paragraph at the end it says â€Å"complete darkness† signifying that all hope is gone. The whole of the last paragraph says â€Å"gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger†, this is the exact moment when he realises that all Dublin was in vain and all he did was in vain. He figures out from this that there actually is no love, no romance and no chivalry.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Guyana-Land of Many Waters Essay

Guyana (guy-anna),[6] officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana,[1] is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America. Culturally Guyana is part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana is one of the few Caribbean countries that is not an island. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), of which Guyana is a member, has its secretariat’s headquarters in Guyana’s capital, Georgetown. Guyana was originally colonized by the Netherlands. Later, it became a British colony and remained so for over 200 years until it achieved independence on 26 May 1966 from the United Kingdom. On 23 February 1970, Guyana officially became a republic. In 2008, the country joined the Union of South American Nations as a founding member. Guyana, a member state of the Commonwealth of Nations, is the only South American nation whose official language is English. Historically, the region known as â€Å"Guiana† or â€Å"Guyana† comprised the large shield landmass north of the Amazon River and east of the Orinoco River known as the â€Å"Land of many waters†. Historical Guyana consists of three Dutch colonies: Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice. Modern Guyana is bordered by Suriname to the east; by Brazil to the south and southwest; by Venezuela to the west; and by the Atlantic Ocean to the north. At 215,000 square kilometres (83,000 sq mi), Guyana is the third-smallest independent state on the mainland of South America after Uruguay and Suriname. Its population is approximately 770,000. The name â€Å"Guyana† is derived from Guiana, the original name for the region that now includes Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and parts of Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the name comes from an Amerindian word meaning â€Å"land of many waters†. here are nine Native American tribes residing in Guyana: the Wai Wai, Machushi, Patamona, Arawak, Carib, Wapishana, Arecuna, Akawaio, and Warrau. Historically the Arawak and Carib tribes dominated Guyana. Although Christopher Columbus sighted Guyana during his third voyage (in 1498), the Dutch were the first to establish colonies: Essequibo (1616), Berbice (1627), and Demerara (1752). After the British assumed control in the late 18th century, the Dutch formally ceded the area in 1814. In 1831 the three separate colonies became a single British colony known as British Guiana. A map of Dutch Guiana 1667–1814. Since Independence in 1824, Venezuela has claimed the area of land to the west of the Essequibo River. Simon Bolivar wrote to the British government warning against the Berbice and Demerara settlers settling on land which the Venezuelans claimed was theirs. In 1899 an international tribunal ruled the land belonged to Great Britain. Map of British Guiana. Guyana achieved independence from the United Kingdom on 26 May 1966 and became a republic on 23 February 1970, remaining a member of the Commonwealth. The US State Department and the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), along with the British government, played a strong role in influencing political control in Guyana during this time. The American government supported Forbes Burnham during the early years of independence because Cheddi Jagan was identified as a Marxist. They provided secret financial support and political campaign advice to Burnham’s People’s National Congress, to the detriment of the Jagan-led People’s Progressive Party, which was mostly supported by Native American Guyanese. In 1978, Guyana received international notice when 918 members of the American cult, Peoples Temple, died in a mass murder/suicide. Most of the suicides were American and more than 300 children were killed; the people were members of a group led by Jim Jones in Jonestown, the settlement which they had created. Jim Jones’ bodyguards had earlier attacked people landing at a small remote airstrip close to Jonestown, killing five people, including Leo Ryan, the only congressman ever murdered in the line of duty in US history. In May 2008, President Bharrat Jagdeo was a signatory to the UNASUR Constitutive Treaty of the Union of South American Nations. Guyana has ratified the treaty.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Spelling Tips I Before E Except After C

Spelling Tips I Before E Except After C Spelling Tips: I Before E Except After C Vowel order can be tricky in English, since there isn’t always an obvious connection between how a word is spelled and the way it sounds. The â€Å"ee† sound in â€Å"believe,† for instance, is the same as in â€Å"deceive.† But the vowels in the middle of these words are reversed. The key difference is that â€Å"deceive† is spelled with a â€Å"c,† which is why we use the rhyme â€Å"i before e except after c† to remind us how to spell certain words. â€Å"I Before E Except After C† The phrase â€Å"i before e except after c† is a mnemonic: i.e., something that helps us remember something. In this case, it reminds us that â€Å"i† comes before â€Å"e† in many words, except when they are preceded by a â€Å"c.† We’ve seen how this works with â€Å"believe† and â€Å"deceive,† but there are plenty of extra examples to help make it clearer: â€Å"ie† (No â€Å"c†) â€Å"ei† (After â€Å"c†) Achieve Perceive Diesel Ceiling Belief Conceivable Acquiesce Receipt Piece Receive The Exceptions†¦ As with most rules in English, â€Å"i before e except after c† is only a guideline and there are plenty of words that don’t follow this pattern. In fact, there are 923 English words spelled with â€Å"-cie-,† which means there are more exceptions to this rule than words that follow it! Many words that end â€Å"-cy,† for example, are spelled with â€Å"-cies† when pluralized (e.g., when â€Å"democracy† becomes â€Å"democracies†). Comparatives and superlatives may also require using â€Å"-ie-† after â€Å"c† (e.g., when â€Å"bouncy† becomes â€Å"bouncier† or â€Å"bounciest†). The correct spelling of bouncier and bounciest is vital for grading inflatable castles. [Photo: Oast House Archive]Furthermore, some words spelled with â€Å"-ei-† or â€Å"-ie-,† but that don’t contain an â€Å"ee† sound, such as â€Å"beige† or â€Å"science,† don’t follow the â€Å"i before e† rule either (e.g., â€Å"foreign,† â€Å"neighbor† and â€Å"weight†). To make matters more confusing, we also have words that contain an â€Å"ee† sound but don’t have a â€Å"c,† yet which are spelled with an â€Å"-ei-† (e.g., â€Å"weird† or â€Å"caffeine†). The point is that â€Å"i before e except after c† is sometimes helpful if you’re not sure how to spell a word. However, there are many cases in which this does not apply. This makes it particularly important to proofread your work, checking the spelling of any words about which you’re uncertain.