Taking Up Arms Against Slavery by John Brown Essay

Taking Up Arms Against Slavery by John Brown - Essay Example ality and exclusion from the political system there may sometimes be no other way to change things. I believe that modern observers would agree with John Brown’s message if he meant the blood of soldiers, but disagree if the blood of civilians was involved. One of the major influences that would affect a modern observer’s view on whether blood should or should not be spent in a political cause is terrorism. The world changed on September 11, 2001, when a group of terrorists who saw themselves as freedom fighters trying to strike a blow against a country that was, in their views, making the world a less holy place, crashed two planes into the Twin Towers and killed thousands of people who were civilians that were, as much as one could be, completely disassociated with Western-Arab conflict. Since then suicide tactics have risen to prominence as a tool for radical Islamists everywhere, much to the distaste of observers everywhere else, who now find knowing killing oneâ₠¬â„¢s self to kill others despicable. This Event also brought into the American mind how truly awful it is when civilians are killed in conflict, which is an inevitable consequence of most wars, which has led to massive discontent in America and around the rest of the world when Western governments take actions that could and do cause civilian casualties. This has led those countries to develop new technologies and completely change the way they conduct warfare to reduce civilian casualties. This, coupled with a largely negative view of the decade long war in Iraq, means that people today tend to have a more negative view of warfare generally – they recognize better that in any war civilians will suffer and die, which usually just escalates a conflict, causing things to get worse. In this light, a modern observer would probably disagree with Brown’s words – they would say that people should find a way other than killing and being killed to achieve their ends. On the other hand, modern people do recognize that sometimes there may be no other way to change an unjust political system than through violence, and sometimes people who are unwilling to use violence will simply continue to be the victims of it, like what probably would have occurred in Libya had the population not armed themselves. The Arab Spring, as it is called, has been hailed as an amazing demonstration of a people’s willingness to fight for their freedom, even when the fight turns bloody, and indicates that modern people still can understand fighting and dying for a cause. There are several factors that help these uprisings overcome the reservations that people have about warfare that were outlined above. The first, and probably most important, is that the people were acting largely in self defense. They were an unarmed populace being brutalized by an armed body, and had to take up arms to defend themselves. The second is

German course Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

German course - Essay Example P. 133). However, through his speech, people got to understand that they can do better. Luther believed in salvation as a gift out of God’s grace. However, he made people understand that salvation cannot be received without faith. His way of translating the bible as well as criticizing the Hebrews was outstanding. His work that is manifested in his life changes Christian theology. This formed the basis of Christian movements in Europe which later spread to all parts of the world (Carson, 2007. P. 72). In addition, his speech opened up people’s minds and their view on Roman Catholic Church. However, his main achievement could be said to be the German Peasant Rebellion. This enabled people to think critically but positively about their economic status. This has changed people minds from achieving the minimum to excellent achievers (Carson, 2007. P. 54). Martin Luther was, is and will always remain a prominent figure in the

When it comes to building relationships Essay Example for Free

When it comes to building relationships Essay When it comes to building relationships, it could sometimes be more of a task than a way of life for many and as a result many individuals miss great opportunities by not being able to connect with the people around them. While it’s almost natural for some to connect with others within a short space of time, it takes others much longer time to establish such and same connections. So is it then a talent or gift? I won’t exactly disagree but whichever the case might be, becoming a people person can be learned and mastered when certain principles are practised over time. So, I am going to share some important points with you right now. Things you can do to connect and relate with people more than ever. If you become consistent with these practices, you will find out that you will become a sort of person others want to be around. Here are the points: 1. Remember People’s Name One of the first things you need to master is to be able to remember the names of people you have met before. I know this can be sometimes overlooked but very important. Imagine this, how would you feel if someone you’ve met few times on different occasions tries to introduce you to a friend of hers without remembering your name? Immediately, the message sent to the third person is the idea that either you both don’t have an established relationship or that she knows little or nothing about you for her not to have remembered your name. Again, it is somehow embarrassing when this happens. It also shows that you haven’t placed any value on such relationships. So to avoid such instances, start remembering people’s name. Here are some of the ways you can remember people’s name: Identify or match people’s name to things, events, places, TV programs or other people’s name you can not forget. For example, I met a lady and she introduced herself to me as Hannah; knowing fully well I am going to forget the name, I immediately link the name to Hannah Montana, which is a name from the TV show. Make sure you don’t leave the person without immediately linking their name to something or someone you can not forget. If you leave it till later, you might find out that you can’t remember the name anymore and it will be a shame if you have to ask her name the next time you see her. It means one thing – you’ve assumed her to be just one of the crowd (people around you with no significance). 2. Touch Lives This is another key element of being a people person. I have often spoken at various engagements and attended many others as a guest and as a result established new relationships every now and then but I tend to forget how and where I established those relationships. I eventually found out that many people really want to be part of you especially when you add value to their lives and as a result tend to never forget the first time they met with you i. e. the first seminar they heard you speak, the conference you both attended or even the holiday they first saw you. All these are the reasons you need to touch people individually and not treat them as members of a big crowd. Try if possible to create time to mingle with people wherever you go and leave a bit of you and I mean in a positive way. Leave an indelible landmark by which you can be remembered. Put smiles on people’s faces. Help when and if possible. A simple handshake makes a lot of difference to people and makes them want to be around you the next time. You are basically sowing seed which many will remember you for. All these things can be learned without even going to school. Just keep at these points and eventually becomes a second nature. 3. Be Compassionate You must at all time show that you care when dealing with people. I don’t mean putting on a face that you care when you really don’t but with all sincerity offer the best help you can knowing fully well within you that couldn’t have done any better than that. The people around you needs you and waiting for the best you’ve got to offer. Although it is almost certain that you cannot please everyone and by no means am I suggesting that. All you need to do is to show that you care in whatever measure you can. Be careful at this point not to be taken advantage of by anyone during the course of showing how much you care. Just play your own role by contributing the little you can. To be compassionate is not to act without discretion or wisdom. Always be compassionate with your senses intact! I have fallen victim of this many times thinking I must burn myself out for someone which have often times been abused. So, be warned. Always try to find the balance between being compassionate and being taken for granted. When people see you as someone who acts on compassionate grounds, you will by no doubt have attracted hundreds or thousands if not millions of people to yourself without actually asking. It has always worked; it’s still working and will forever continue to work. It’s the law of attraction which can never be changed. 4. Be a Good Listener I cannot over-emphasize this particular point. This is true for everyone regardless of who you are, your occupation, age, sex, and race. Many people are the exact opposite of this attribute – a good talker! I have seen many people occupy the seat of a counsellor but doing most of the talking. So, â€Å"what happens to the person being counselled? † is always my next question. For people to see you as someone they can relate with, you must show to them that you are ready to listen to their issues, opinions and challenges. How are you supposed to know how to be of help if you do not give room for talking at the first instance? I get many calls from a lot of friends and teenagers wanting to pour out their minds to me. This happens almost all the time; but guess what, I sometimes don’t even have answers to their issues but I patiently listen attentively to their challenges. I give them the listening ears. The same approach you must take to make people flock or better still be your follower. You need to understand that they have only come to you because they think or believe that you might or will be of help. So, if all you do is do all the talking for them, then you have shattered their hopes and that will probably be the last time you hear from them. Whether you have solution(s) to their problems or not, always try to listen carefully. This character must always be exhibited if you are a leader or want to be a good leader in any sphere of life. How can you achieve this quality, just listen! No other way. The only time you’ve got to contribute on the matter is when the individual has finished talking and you have actually confirmed with the person by asking before you make your contributions. The only exception to this rule is when you do not understand or feel the person’s story is not coherent or you need clarity on a specific issue or statement, then you can pause the individual quickly and politely ask for clarity before the story continues. Always work hard on this quality as it is a great virtue to possess. 5. Increase Your Knowledge Base What sets people apart from others is what they know. So, in same fashion, you are only going to be distinguished based on what you know and by what you are able to offer. Until your knowledge vessel becomes full, people won’t see so much need to be around you. What makes an individual a specialist is the level of knowledge he possess. You must be able to increase your level of knowledge about certain subjects within your field. What is going to make you indispensable and a highly sought after person is the level of knowledge you have acquired. Until you are seen as a solution carrier, you cannot lead people. One of the best ways to increase knowledge is through learning and this can be achieved by personally working on you. Subscribe to various magazines, blogs, and newsletters and buy books in your field of interest. Keep on reading, keep on accumulating knowledge. A lot of people have acquired a wealth of knowledge on the subjects you want to know. Read different books and keep asking questions. Answers are only given to those who want to know by asking questions. It doesn’t matter how foolish they might seem, you will be better informed at the end than not asking. Don’t let ignorance deny you of being the kind of person you intend to be. Also, attend seminars, lectures and conferences whenever the opportunity arises. Strive to be the best and aim to have first hand information about topics in your world of interest. 6. Always See the Best in People Until you start to see and address people as the most important person you’ve ever met, you might not be getting the opportunity to establishing a relationship with them. Try at all times to relate with others not based on their negative personality or character but always find out what makes them stand above the rest and relate with them from such perspective. What you get is that they immediately buy into your kind of person. For example, I know it will be so difficult for someone to relate with me by looking for my faults, telling me why someone else is better than me. That won’t be possible. The right approach to relate with people is to raise them up to the top, highlighting what makes them a great person to be with. It is from this perspective you put across your message; and you can even at this juncture show them their shortcomings and possible solutions without any conflict. All these can be achieved by appreciating people over the tiniest little things they do, be a source of encouragement or by even making them feel greater than who they really are. By this approach, they will begin to rise to new challenges by taking bold steps. They will in turn sacrifice their time and resources for you. It’s all about putting on your spectacles to see what others aren’t seeing in people. 7. Decide To Understand People If you don’t take it upon yourself as a responsibility to understand who people are and what makes them, you might find yourselves having the wrong impression of people. You should be able to find out why a person acts in a certain way or the reason behind their reaction over a particular issue. Until you start to dive into others’ shoes, you might not be able to explain the ramifications behind their decisions. It takes a lot to actually understand people. To achieve this, here are some of the qualities you need to possess love, patience and perseverance. Love people unconditionally, learn to live at peace with all men and always give room for their mistakes. There are tendencies that people will learn from their mistakes when they realize them, so patience is a key quality when it comes to understanding people. The moment you master these principles and begin to live by them, you are set to experience change in your relationships with people whether in your marriage, school, home, place of work, church and society etc.

Risk Taking Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In our lives, it is important to exercise self-command. However, we should not be so concerned with the future that we stifle the present. The question becomes what balance should we strike between self-command and risks? What kinds of risks are acceptable or unacceptable? In this essay, we will use two examples of risks to show the distinction between the two and arrive at a conclusion as to the balance one should have between risk and self command. The first example we will use is of a person who spends his life savings on a lottery ticket and does not win the lottery. The second is of a person who spends his life savings on a hunch regarding a cure for AIDS, a hunch that is false. Before we make this distinction, however, it is necessary to define the terms acceptable and unacceptable risks. Acceptable and Unacceptable Risks   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are several ways in which one could define which risks are acceptable. One could say, for example, that the only acceptable risk is one for which the odds of success are greater than the odds of failure. Another definition of acceptable risk might be a risk that does not harm one's future. We might also say that the only acceptable risk is one where the aggregate happiness is increased, thus increasing the moral good of the risk, an idea which is based on John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism. Finally, we might define a morally good ris... Risk Taking Essay -- essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In our lives, it is important to exercise self-command. However, we should not be so concerned with the future that we stifle the present. The question becomes what balance should we strike between self-command and risks? What kinds of risks are acceptable or unacceptable? In this essay, we will use two examples of risks to show the distinction between the two and arrive at a conclusion as to the balance one should have between risk and self command. The first example we will use is of a person who spends his life savings on a lottery ticket and does not win the lottery. The second is of a person who spends his life savings on a hunch regarding a cure for AIDS, a hunch that is false. Before we make this distinction, however, it is necessary to define the terms acceptable and unacceptable risks. Acceptable and Unacceptable Risks   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are several ways in which one could define which risks are acceptable. One could say, for example, that the only acceptable risk is one for which the odds of success are greater than the odds of failure. Another definition of acceptable risk might be a risk that does not harm one's future. We might also say that the only acceptable risk is one where the aggregate happiness is increased, thus increasing the moral good of the risk, an idea which is based on John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism. Finally, we might define a morally good ris...

Dr.Seuss Research Paper

Theodor Seuss Geisel Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, was born March 2, 1904, in Springfield, Massachusetts. His father and grandfather managed the family brewery in town, while his mother told him and his sister, Marnie, rhymes she had remembered being told from childhood. Geisel attended Dartmouth College after graduating from Springfield’s Classical High School. When attending Dartmouth, he joined a fraternity and the college’s humor magazine, the Jack-O-Lantern. He worked hard writing for the magazine, and became the editor-in-chief. Theodor Geisel and some of his friends were caught drinking, which was against the school policy, forcing him to resign from all extracurricular activities. Since he did not want to resign from the magazine, Theodor started to sign his work with the pen name of â€Å"Seuss†. It was not until after college that the â€Å"Dr. † was added to the front of â€Å"Seuss†. Geisel’s father wanted him to be a college professor, so to please him he went to Oxford University in England following his graduation from Dartmouth College. While at Oxford, he became bored with academic studies and made the decision to tour Europe instead of studying. Even though he found Oxford boring, he met his first wife, Helen Palmer, while attending. When Geisel was done with his tour of Europe and returned to the United States, he started his career as a cartoonist. Some of his cartoons were published in The Saturday Evening Post, and he also had more published in other publications. Theodor Geisel also spent more than fifteen years creating advertising campaigns. He started doing weekly political cartoons at the beginning of World War II. To help with the war, he made training movies for the U. S. Army. This was when Geisel was introduced to animation. He began illustrating children’s books when an editor of the Viking Press proposed a contract to him. Theodor Geisel’s first wife committed suicide on October 23, 1967, after struggling with sickness and emotional pain caused by his affair with his female friend, Aubrey Stone. Then on June 21, 1968, Geisel married Aubrey Stone who was his wife up until the day he died. Geisel died of throat cancer on September 24, 1991. When he died, Theodor Geisel had illustrated 44 children’s books, which had been translated into more than 15 languages. He had sold more than 200 million copies of his books that had impacted the lives of people all around the world. Theodore Geisel was an author who had a successful career. Some people called him â€Å"the man who taught me to read† (qtd in Nel), while some called him â€Å"the man who helped me appreciate humor and art†(qtd in Nel). His career consisted of writing cartoons and children’s books, which eventually were turned into movies. Before Geisel started writing children’s books, he wrote cartoons for the PM magazine. The PM magazine was a left leaning daily paper, especially during WWII when Seuss was working for them. PM was labeled by people as â€Å"one newspaper that can and dares to tell the truth† (qtd in Nel). The paper â€Å"did not pause to spare anyone’s feelings, and neither did Seuss† (Nel). Geisel drew many cartoons about the war for PM magazine. Most of his cartoons, people found offensive because of the way he drew the people. One of the most offensive cartoons that Geisel wrote consisted of a cartoon of Senator Nye. The cartoon called the senator â€Å"a horse’s ass†. Before it was published Ralph Ingeroll warned Geisel not to publish it because it could cause the paper a â€Å"million-dollar lawsuit† (qtd in Nel). Instead of the lawsuit, Seuss received a letter politely asking for the original cartoon. Geisel ignored the letter that the senator sent him. Cohen defends Seuss and his cartoons by saying, â€Å"It is hard to look beyond these cartoon depictions to realize that Ted made people of every race and culture look equally ugly. It was just part of the humor. †¦] But others are indefensible, clearly evidencing that Ted sometimes fell prey to the prejudices of the day. †(qtd in Nel) When Geisel looked back on his cartoon career, he remarked, â€Å"I was intemperate, un-humorous in my attacks†¦ and I’d do it again† (qtd. in Nel). Even though Geisel wrote cartoons, his biggest sellers and successes were his children’s books. He enjoyed writing the children’s books; he explains, â€Å"I’d rather write for kids. They are more appreciative. Adults are obsolete children and the hell with them† (qtd in Kibler). It was because of his children books that Seuss was labeled the â€Å"American Icon†. He is best known for his way of writing, and how he can make any child get hooked on his books. â€Å"New generation[sic] of criticism have revealed that Dr. Seuss indeed is a figure of awesome cultural designation within childhood in the American middle class’s ideology†(Nel). Geisel was referred to by Robert Wilson of the New York Times Book Reviews as â€Å"possibly the best-loved and certainly the best-selling children’s book writer of all time†. Geisel has been accused of being sexist towards women in his earlier writing career. Critics have said that his work has a â€Å"conspicuous absence of women† (Zawacki). â€Å"Of the 42 children’s books Theodore Seuss Geisel published before his death, not one had a title who was female† (Zawacki). It was not until 1995 that Geisel published a book titled Daisy-Head Mayzie; it was based on an animated television special. Daisy-Head Mayzie had a strong female character named Mayzie. The story was a big seller and it proved to the critics that he was not sexist. Even though Geisel cartoons during WWII were offensive others agreed with the cartoons and did not find them offensive. He wrote and illustrated children’s books that are still being sold and were made into movies today. Geisel proved those people who accused him of being sexist wrong by writing a book that had a strong female character. Everyone has a different opinion on Dr. Seuss, but most people agree and label him as â€Å"the modern Mother Goose†(Zawacki). Seuss’s writings made a great impact on people in both good and bad ways; yet he still had a very successful career with no regrets Between 1937 and 1991, Theodore Geisel published 42 children’s books which were often characterized by his imaginative characters and rhyme. He has sold over half a billion copies of his books. Some of his books have been made into audiocassettes, videos, animated television specials, and even a major motion picture for children of all ages. Some of his books have even been translated into different languages as well. Geisel proved to the world that it was possible to write children’s books with a limited vocabulary and make the books best sellers. The plots of the Dr. Seuss books are entertaining and often teach a lesson, from the importance of taking responsibility for the earth and one another to learning what is really important. Dr. Seuss’s books are such great sellers, that his books are being taught and read to children all over the world, while his movies are being view around the world as well. Theodore Geisel had won dozens of awards for his work. Some of those awards include the following: the Pulitzer Prize, three Academy Awards, an Emmy Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, three Caldecott Honor Awards, and the Regina Medal. Not only did he earn awards, Geisel also received honors for his work, including a Doctorate of Humane Letters from his alma mater, Dartmouth and six other honorary doctorates. His stories had such an impact that The Universal Studio's Theme Park Islands of Adventure has a part of its park designated for Seuss lovers of all ages called Seuss Landing. Works Cited Flynn, Richard. â€Å"The Cat in the Hat for President. † Literature Online. 2005. Children's Literature. 11 Sept. 2011 . May, Jill P. â€Å"The Seuss, the Whole Seuss and Nothing but the Seuss: A Visual Biography of Theodor Seuss Geisel/Dr. Seuss: American Icon. † Literature Online. 2005. Lion and the Unicorn. 11 Sept. 2011 . Nel, Philip. â€Å"Children's Literature Goes to War: Dr. Seuss. † Wiley Online Library. 14 May 2007. The Journal of Popular Culture, 2007, 40, 3, 468-487, Blackwell Publishing Inc. 11 Sept. 2011 . Nel, Philip. â€Å"Dada Knows Best: Growing Up ‘Surreal' with Dr. Seuss. † Literature Online. 1999. Children's Literature. 11 Aug. 2011 . Nel, Philip. â€Å"Said a bird in the midst of a blitz†¦ â€Å": How World War II created Dr. Seuss. † Literature Online. 2001. Mosaic. 11 Sept. 2011 .

Americas Reaction to the Eighteenth Ammendment - 779 Words

In 1917 was the point in history where Congress passed the Eighteenth Amendment to amend the Constitution which stated that it prohibited the export, import, manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the United States. This law sparked rebellion in American citizens across the nation; many people thought this law violated their right to live by their own standards. The implementation of the 18th amendment created a large number of bootleggers who were able to supply the public with illegal alcohol. Many of these bootleggers became very rich and influential through selling alcohol, gambling and using other methods. The prohibition era allowed for organized crime to flourish and these practices are still used today.†¦show more content†¦Even though the 18th amendment was implemented there was very little enforcement of the law. The government employed few prohibition agents; the majority of them could be easily bribed by the bootlegger and policemen were as well . Gangsters have many organized methods to sell their liquor. One of the methods was speakeasies, they were used by creating a password, and anyone that wanted to be granted access inside had to mutter it at the entrance. Even with prohibition in effect, the government believed America was going to go through a progressive, social change however, with alcohol in such demand it sent the U.S into darkness. One of the most notorious gangsters/bootlegger in American history was Al Capone. Iorizzo explains how Al Capone got his infamous name â€Å"Scarface.† The incident occurred one night when he insulted a patron’s sister at the bar he worked at. A customer unhappy with Al Capone’s remark used a bottle opener to leave Al Capone with three scars on his face. As Al Capone grew older, he was accused of many crimes including murder. No evidence was ever found or any witnesses that could ever tie them to accuse Al Capone of murder. One case was the death of Bill McSwiggin however, Al Capone stated that he nothing to do with the crime. Another piece of history from Al Capone was The St. Valentine’s Day massacre in which Al Capone ordered multiple hits on gang members, providing a serious threat to civilian safety in Chicago. By 1930 Al Capone had

Definition and Examples of Zeugma

A distant cousin of a transferred epithet, zeugma is a  rhetorical term for the use of a word to modify or govern two or more words although its use may be grammatically or logically correct with only one. Adjective: zeugmatic. Rhetorician Edward P.J. Corbett offers this distinction between zeugma and syllepsis: in zeugma, unlike syllepsis, the single word does not fit grammatically or idiomatically with one member of the pair. Thus, in Corbetts view, the first example below would be syllepsis, the second zeugma: You are free to execute your laws, and your citizens, as you see fit.(Star Trek: The Next Generation)Kill the boys and the luggage!​(Fluellen in William Shakespeares Henry V) However, as Bernard Dupriez points out in A Dictionary of Literary Devices (1991), There is little agreement among rhetoricians on the difference between syllepsis and zeugma, and Brian Vickers notes that even the Oxford English Dictionary confuses syllepsis and zeugma (Classical Rhetoric in English Poetry, 1989). In contemporary rhetoric, the two terms are commonly used interchangeably to refer to a figure of speech in which the same word is applied to two others in different senses. Etymology From the Greek, a yoking, a bond Examples and Observations Zeugma is when a word applies to two others in different ways; or to two words when it only semantically suits one. An example of the former quotes Alanis Morissette: You held your breath and the door for me. How chivalrous and zeugmatic. An example of the latter is with wailing mouths and hearts—but dont blame Morissette for this doggerel.(Gary Nunn, Move Over, George Orwell—This Is How to Sound Really Clever. The Guardian, October 11, 2013)He carried a strobe light and the responsibility for the lives of his men.(Tim OBrien, The Things They Carried. McClelland Stewart, 1990)She arrived in a taxi and a flaming rage.(John Lyons, Semantics. Cambridge University  Press, 1977)We were partners, not soul mates, two separate people who happened to be sharing a menu and a life.(Amy Tan, The Hundred Secret Senses. Ivy Books, 1995)[H]e was alternately cudgelling his brains and his donkey when, passing the workhouse, his eyes encountered the bill on the gate.(Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist, 1839)I just blew my nose, a fuse, and three circuit breakers.(The Jim Henson Hour, 1989)I was in no sort of nick for this encounter, I admit, full of fear and afternoon scotch and the homeward tug.(Marin Amis, Money. Jonathan Cape, 1984)Whether the nymph shall break Dianas law,Or some frail China-jar receive a flaw,Or stain her honour, or her new brocade.(Alexander Pope, The Rape of the Lock, 1717)She lowered her standards by raising her glass,Her courage, her eyes and his hopes.(Flanders and Swann, Have Some Madeira, MDear)The theme of the Egg Hunt is learning is delightful and delicious—as, by the way, am I.(Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg in The West Wing) Zeugma as a Writing Fault Like syllepsis, the figure known as zeugma uses a single word to link two thoughts, but in syllepsis the relationship of the linking word to both ideas is correct, whereas in zeugma the relationship is correct for one idea but not for the other. A fabricated example of zeugma might be, He sat munching his sandwich and his beer. An actual example from fiction is, Something odd in the behavior of the pair held his attention and his curiosity. The term zeugma is often used to refer to syllepsis, but as here distinguished it obviously is a writing fault, which syllepsis is not. (Theodore Bernstein, The Careful Writer: A Modern Guide to English Usage. Simon Schuster, 1965)Zeugma is often accidental, as in She wore a rusty black dress, a feather boa, and an alligator handbag; since wore has no legitimate application to handbag, this zeugma is an error. (Edward D. Johnson, The Handbook of Good English. Washington Square, 1991)Confusing and Contradictory Distinctions Between Zeugma and Syll epsisAlthough commentators have historically tried to distinguish between zeugma and syllepsis, the distinctions have been confusing and contradictory: even today agreement on definitions in the rhetorical handbooks is virtually nil (The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, 1993).  Were better off using zeugma in its broadest sense and not confusing matters by introducing syllepsis, a little-known term the meaning of which even the experts cant agree on.  (Bryan A. Garner, The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style, 4th ed. Oxford University Press, 2016) Pronunciation: ZOOG-muh