Sonnys Blues by James Baldwin Essay - 1228 Words

Sonnys Blues by James Baldwin A captivating tale of a relationship between two troubling brothers in Harlem, Sonnys Blues is told from the perception of Sonnys brother, whose name is never mentioned. Baldwins choice of Sonnys brother as a narrator is what makes Sonnys Blues significant in terms of illustrating the relationship and emotional complications of Sonny and his brother. The significance of Sonnys Blues lies in the way Sonnys brother describes their relationship based on what he observes, hears, and feels, and how he struggles trying to understand Sonny through the course of the story. This is a story of how two African Americans brothers take their own path through life as they struggle to find meaning in their†¦show more content†¦The author used the title of the story Sonnys Blues, to give the readers the hint about the theme of the story. The noun blues is defined as a mood of unhappiness and depression. This theme is present throughout the story. Blues is a style of music that expresses a sad mood. It is synonymous with low spirits and depressed emotions. The blues, both as a state of being and as music, is basic to the structure of the story, and both the narrator and his brother Sonny have had their share of low spirits. The opposing lives of the two brothers contribute to the theme of being safe and while being risk takers. In this story, Baldwin writes about two brothers who grew up together. As each of the boys grew older, they fell apart from one another and lived two completely different lives. The narrator, who is the older brother, seemed to be more conservative and more determined to develop a good future. Sonny, the younger brother, was more free-willed and adventurous as he lived in the moment. Sonny did not even know what his plans were for the next hour, much less for the rest of his life. The narrators major source of discontent has been his selfish desire to learn and lead a respectable, safe life as a high-school algebra teacher. When he learns ofShow MoreRelatedRacism In Sonnys Blues By James Baldwin993 Words   |  4 Pagesamount of people all over the world. Although racial bias has been around for many years, it only seems to be progressing into something that one simply cannot c omprehend. In the short story â€Å"Sonny’s Blues,† the author, James Baldwin, emphasizes the lasting effect of racism throughout the story. While Baldwin vaguely expresses the impact of racial bias on the character Sonny, the audience infers the idea the author is trying to convey. In the story, racism is a significant factor of symbolism portrayedRead MoreAnalysis Of Sonnys Blues By James Baldwin956 Words   |  4 PagesJames Baldwin was born on August 2, 1924, to a single mother in Harlem. After his mother married his stepfather David Baldwin, who was a Baptist minister, he was adopted by him. Growing up, he didn’t feel as if he was accepted the way his other siblings were, though. In some of Baldwin stories, they often have a similar story line where it seems he is the less favored child over everyone else. In â€Å"Sonny’s Blues,† a similar scenario is presented in some ways. While the unnamed narrator often speaksRead More Sonnys Blues by Ja mes Baldwin Essay517 Words   |  3 PagesSonnys Blues by James Baldwin Sonnys Blues is a story about two brothers, their past, and how their differences came between them. They were apart for several years while Sonny was in jail, but once he got out they had a chance to mend their pasts. Sonnys Blues is a well written story that teaches a lesson that has value in every day life. The tone is melancholy and reminiscent. The brother is remembering the past and reflection on the mistakes he and Sonny made. He is sad over theirRead MoreRacism In Sonnys Blues By James Baldwin935 Words   |  4 Pagesare dealing with all over the world. Racial bias has been around for quite sometime now, and it only seems to be progressing into something that one simply cannot comprehend. In the short story â€Å"Sonny’s Blues,† the author, James Baldwin, emphasizes on the lasting effect of racism throughout the story. Baldwin vaguely expresses the impact of racial bias on the character Sonny. The audience has to infer the reasoning behind what the author is trying to convey. In the story, racism is a significant factorRead MoreAnalysis Of Sonnys Blues By James Baldwin1139 Words   |  5 PagesKelly J. Warner Professor Carol Wittig EN 234 – Introduction to Fiction 31 August 2017 A Second Chance The story â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† by James Baldwin hits home to my own personal life. In the story, a man learns that his brother is in jail and he is hooked on drugs. This story relates to my life because I have experienced something similar. Not only do I think that it can relate to my life, but so many other people who are struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. My father passed away due to a drugRead MoreAdversity In Sonnys Blues By James Baldwin892 Words   |  4 PagesJames Baldwin’s â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† utilizes race, poverty, stereotypes, and adversity to shine a light on the struggle to escape circumstance. Throughout the text, Baldwin describes the hardships leaching the life out of Harlem’s black community from the narrator’s perspective. Sonny, the narrator’s brother, struggles with his identity and ability to feel emotion leading him to the world of music and drugs, â€Å"To be aware of oneself, Baldwin believes , is to feel a sense of loss, to know where we are andRead MoreEssay on Sonnys Blues by James Baldwin1316 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Sonny’s Blues† revolves around the narrator as he learns who his drug-hooked, piano-playing baby brother, Sonny, really is. The author, James Baldwin, paints views on racism, misery and art and suffering in this story. His written canvas portrays a dark and continual scene pertaining to each topic. As the story unfolds, similarities in each generation can be observed. The two African American brothers share a life similar to that of their father and his brother. The father’s brother had a thirstRead MoreSonnys Blues by James Baldwin Essay775 Words   |  4 PagesSonnys Blues If you were not able to talk to anyone, nor did people want to listen to what you have to say, would that affect you? In the short story, Sonnys Blues by James Baldwin, Baldwin writes about two brothers, Sonny and the narrator, who lose communication between one another because Sonny goes to prison. The narrator, having to make a promise to their mother before her death, was to take care and watch over his young brother Sonny no matter what. This turned out not to be theRead MoreAnalysis Of Sonnys Blues By James Baldwin1293 Words   |  6 PagesIn the story â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, written by James Baldwin, the narrator and his younger brother, Sonny, interact with musical elements that serve as a redemption for Sonny. Baldwin believes in the power of music to rescue or minimize the suffering that people go through. Both characters isolate themselves with several instances of music and issue their reactions toward it. Sonny is an uprising musician that wants to portray his life by playing the piano. This story is about Sonny’s Blues. His sadnessRead MoreEssay about Sonnys Blues by James Baldwin1003 Words   |  5 Pages There are many things we learn of Sonny and his nameless brother in Sonnys Blues. We learn their mannerisms, hobbies, occupations, and even their addictions. It seems we learn nearly everything about the pair; minus the narrators name, as previously stated. Hearing of their histories and the pains theyve under gone, we see how they deal with their pain, which often truly tells character. Sonnys Blues isnt a story of two brothers living in a rough city; one of whom is a talented musician

Don Quixote free essay sample

This is a book review of Don Quixote, which focuses on the liberation of the galley slaves. This paper explores the literary work Don Quixote, focusing on the part of the plot which involves the liberation of galley slaves. The paper looks at Don Quixotes motivations for setting the galley slaves free. It looks at the significance of the fact that one of the galley slaves is a writer, and how this fact affects the story. The symbolism found in the story is investigated and reasons are given for the book being one of the best books according to worlds top authors. Don Quixote is full of symbolism that the reader must try to comprehend as he/she reads the story. In the story of the setting the galley slaves free, Don Quixote can not quite understand why the mean are chained and being forced to go to where they do not want to go. We will write a custom essay sample on Don Quixote or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Don Quixote can be compared to fiction and how many people believe everything they read or see on television. Why does Don Quixote set the galley slaves free? Why is it important that one of the Galley slaves is a writer? How does this affect the story? What symbolism can be found in the story? Why is Don Quixote one of the best books according to worlds top authors? Don Quixote free essay sample Ive never watched a ballet performance before. Watching the Performance of Ballet Philippines was my first time, and I felt nervous and excited at the same time. Nervous, because I have no idea what to wear in such a prestigious show, and excited, because finally Id be able to watch a ballet performance. I attended ballet classes when I was in elementary, but I had to stop because my school is located at the next town and its far from home. I really wanted to become a ballet dancer, but I never had the time to do it. Seeing the performance made my 9-year old self happy. Ballet is such a unique art form. You can say things through dance that you could never express in words, and ballet has the ability to touch people on a deep, abstract level. In some ways, ballet is more valuable now than ever. We will write a custom essay sample on Don Quixote or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Everything today is so fast-paced and technologically overloaded people are constantly staring into computers or their phone screens for entertainment. But going to the theater to see a ballet is unique in that its completely live and in the moment unfiltered and unedited. Its a real and tangible meditation. I feel really blessed to be a part of the audience. The dance, the storyline and the dancers were all really great and they had created a powerful and inspiring performance that has touched many souls. Ballet has something for everyone to admire. If you dont like the choreography, you can listen to the music, and if you hate that too, then at least there are beautiful people onstage. The ballet needs to tell its own story in such a way it can be received without having to be translated into language. At first, I really didnt get what the story was about, so I had to read the guide first, but as time goes by, I started to enjoy the show and I started to understand the story even without the help of the book guide. I realized that for a person to understand the performance, one must be able to enjoy and appreciate the art first. I believe that art like ballet is important. The magical world of the ballet has fascinated audiences for hundreds of years. From the complicated steps of the ballerinas to the leaps of the male dancers, ballet requires great strength and stamina. I would like to mention this quote: Art appreciation must start when young. Young children must see ballet as an art education. Education is not just books. Arts feed the soul, Margie Moran-Floreindo president of Ballet Philippines and the Miss Universe crown in 1973 said this quote and it hit me really hard. Art appreciation and admiration to something beautiful and lovely in art form like ballet is an important social skills one cultured person must have. It basically teaches us how to be open-minded, enthusiastic and grateful with the things around us. Also, watching ballet relaxes our minds with the graceful fluid movements that we could see from the performers. I believe that young people dont have access to dance and the arts as part of their education and upbringing, but I think it is vital that the youth have opportunities to watch, be part of and perform dance. We need to make it as inherent in our culture as sport. All throughout their performances, the dancers always smiled, and it seemed like dancing is their happiness. I love this one because they had really brought up a very nice ambiance to all spectators. The preparation for the performance wasnt easy. The dancers had gone through a lot of hardships, dedicated a lot of time and had given a lot of effort. And as they end the performance with such killer moves, I could see the smiles on their faces that said, We have given out best. It was a hard journey for them, but I could feel that they really love what theyre doing. Everything was worth the wait.

Parent Essays (253 words) - Parenting, Feeling, Qualia, Childhood

Parent What does the word parent mean to you? The definition of this word is, one who begets, gives birth to, or nurtures and raises a child; a father or a mother. Yet, one interprets this word difrently depending on what life has had to offer us. Many people agree with the denotation of the word parent. ?To me parents are those who raised me?, states Ela Hernandez. Parents are people who guide you throughout life. It's someone who loves their child no matter what and takes care of them. Watching and nurturing one owns child is what a parent is. ?Because my parents are there since I was an infant I must say that I consider them my teachers on life? confesses AJ Vega. ?Parents are the people that I know are there for me no matter what I do. They are their for me through any situation, be it physically, mentally or spiritually?, says Carlos Hernandez. Despite the fact that the word parent is usually positive to all, part of the population feels extremely different. Some parents are overbearing, demanding, and contradicting. Many parents say that grades truly do not matter; yet, once report cards come along it's a different story. ?Parents are usually never satisfied with anything we do?, said Christina Cruz. In conclusion, different people have gone through different experience making their view the one word parent diversely unique. Some experiences are positive while others are negative making their knowledge and feelings towards the word resemble their experiences. English Essays

Full Review Erica Meltzers Complete Guide to ACT Reading

Full Review Erica Meltzer's Complete Guide to ACT Reading SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Erica Meltzer’s test prep books have burst onto the test prep scene (if that wasn't a thing before, it is now) in the last few years, to great acclaim. She's published 2 books on the ACT: The Complete Guide to ACT English and The Complete Guide to ACT Reading (which is what I will be reviewing in this article). While Meltzer's books are high quality, they are not without their flaws, so read on to figure out whether or not this book is appropriate for you and if you should integrate it into your own ACT test prep. All shall be explained! Why Trust This Review? When you get advice (both in general and specifically on the Internet), it’s very important to know why that advice is trustworthy/believable. I don't want to sound alarmist, but your ACT score is pretty important, and following the wrong advice might lead to a bad score and loss of chance to improve it. So why can you trust this review (over other reviews?). Well, for one thing, I know what I'm talking about. While haven’t taken the ACT (yet), I scored two perfect scores on the reading section of the (2005-present) SAT, and have been doing in-depth analysis of the ACT questions by skill set and writing articles on each skill. Other writers who haven't done that sort of analysis don’t necessarily have the expertise to be able to differentiate between books, so they end up recommending books as kind of an afterthought (and it’s pretty obvious). In contrast to other sites (like about.com and reviews.com), who get money if you click on their links to purchase the books they review, I'm not getting paid for this review, and don’t get anything if you end up buying the book. Disclaimers Disclaimer the first: I work at PrepScholar, an education company that produces online SAT and ACT prep programs. PrepScholar diagnoses your strengths and weaknesses and customizes a test prep program to suit your needs. I myself mostly write and edit articles for the associated blog and grade the essays of students taking practice tests through the program. While I think that PrepScholar provides the best prep platform currently available, you don’t necessarily need a prep program to ace the ACT. Which means that writing this guide might actually lost us some customers, since you might decide you don’t need a program after all. If you decide you don’t want to have to deal with 5 different books and want an integrated program that is customized to your learning, however, PrepScholar might be just the thing for you. But I digress. Disclaimer the second: While I did not attend college at the same time as the author of this book, honesty compels me to admit that we did attend the same undergraduate institution. I don’t think this particularly influenced my review, but I wanted to be transparent about it.  ©2009 Laura Staffaroni You've got to admit that's some campus, though. The Complete Guide to ACT Reading: Book Review When thinking about and evaluating any (test prep) book, I consider the following three points: Who’s the author and what’s her experience/background? How effective is this book overall? What are the pros and what are the cons of this book? About the author: Erica Meltzer Erica Meltzer started out as a tutor, but has been publishing SAT and ACT prep books for the last few years. She graduated from Wellesley College, which is a highly prestigious college ranked #4 of all the liberal arts colleges in the country (as of the time of this article’s publication – there’re always fluctuations). Even though Meltzer's focus has been on writing, rather than tutoring, for the past few years, her books show a good deal of insight into the SAT and ACT. In addition, she and her company also offer tutor-training sessions for test prep tutoring. How effective is this book? From my own experience, I know that ACT Reading is the most difficult score to improve. The skills you need to master it (logical/critical reasoning skills) are not as easily taught as the content on the Writing and Math sections. This means that it’s important to focus in on different question types and the skills required so that you can approach the questions in a systematic way. Fortunately, this is the approach Meltzer takes in The Complete Guide to ACT Reading. This book teaches how to get at the core of what each question is asking and how to squeeze the right answer out of the passage. If you're aiming for a 36, this is great for comprehensive drilling. If you’re aiming for a 25 or below, however, this book is probably too thorough. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not always good to study from the hardest material. Why? In this case, because Meltzer focuses on strategies that are the most useful for high scorers, she does not cover strategies that would be more helpful for low or midrange scorers (compare, for instance, our articles on how to get a 36 on ACT Reading and how to improve a low ACT Reading score). Pros and Cons of The Complete Guide to ACT Reading Pros Good breakdown of most skill types. Meltzer has a clear division of questions by major skill type – big picture, detail, inference, tone questions. This makes it easy to dip in and out of the book – if there’s one particular type of question you have problems with, you can focus on that and ignore the other sections fairly easily. Realistic passages and questions. The questions in the book are of high quality, as are the (licensed) excerpts the passage-based questions ask about. Some acknowledgement of different skill levels. Meltzer discusses the strategy of dropping an entire section if you’re a slow reader and have problems with comprehension, and also describes playing â€Å"positive/negative† with tone questions as a means to narrow down. Suggested reading list (to prepare for ACT passages). These suggestions are useful not just for Reading skill practice but also for sources to use for your Writing essay (if you do the essay). Also, I've read Inside of a Dog and really enjoyed it, so some of the books might be interesting as well as educational! Includes two full-length reading sections at the end to practice with. Provides useful skimming strategies and tips for how to approach the passage. Cons Expensive for the amount of material you’re getting. The book is 120 pages, but the last 32 pages are all practice reading questions, and many pages are full reprints of sample reading passages, which means the actual "teaching" content of the book is on the shorter side. Dry writing style. There are no pictures and there's not much layout variety (there's a whole lot of text), so it might be difficult to get into. Basically, it’s no frills, which works for me (I don’t really need to spend hours of my life reading about ACT†¦Reading), but it might be difficult for some students to get through. No real discussion of which questions might be easier/more difficult to answer. Meltzer describes some question types as the â€Å"most challenging,† which does help somewhat, but she does not provide clear â€Å"this is the question you should try to answer first if you’re worried about points on Reading† guidelines, which I think would be helpful. Does not cover paired passages. It has become standard on every ACT Reading section for there to be at least one topic area (often Humanities) with two passages; the ten questions are divided between the passages, with 3 questions that ask about both passages. To be fair, there are barely any materials out there that cover this, including the ACT’s own website, but that doesn't mean that they should be left out of a prep book. Overall Rating As far as I have been able to determine, this is the best book currently out there for ACT Reading prep. If you’re planning on scoring a 31 or above on ACT Reading and prefer to study via book, then this is the right choice for you. It’s ridiculously expensive for the amount of content it contains, and it may be too thorough for some students, but it’s a great choice that can teach you a lot. Overall rating: 75/100 FACEBOOK LIKE by Owen W Brown, used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. Alternative Options for ACT Reading Prep I would be remiss if I did not point out that we provide some great free options out there for ACT Reading prep on our blog. In addition to general strategy articles, we also break down Reading questions by skill type with focused suggestions for vocab in context, big picture, little picture, function and development, inference, and paired passage questions. What’s Next? Read our detailed guide to the Best ACT prep books of 2015 and our list of the best ACT Prep Websites you can use to put together your very own study program. What’s a good ACT score for you? Figure it out with our step-by-step guide based around the colleges you’re applying to. Aiming for a high score? Read our guide to scoring a perfect 36 on the ACT overall and on the ACT Reading section, written by our resident perfect scorer (and PrepScholar co-founder) Allen Cheng. Also, don’t forget to check out our top-of-the-class ACT prep program! Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Read and answer question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Read and answer question - Essay Example The evidence is from the text where employees are received from high school and are trained. Due to the performance, others get promotions. The organization has succeeded mainly due to its structure. Each section of the organization has to work to the optimum to maximize the production. There is a well-set communication system, where employees are able to air their grievances and get the appropriate feedback. The piece rate system can also contribute to more production. Here, the workers are paid based on their input. Therefore, they work harder in order to get more money, and in the process, the company enjoys increased productivity. 3. What is the problem of transporting of Lincoln’s control system to other cultures? What suggestion could you make to Lincoln’s managers to increase the future international manufacturing plants more successful? There is a problem of transporting Lincoln’s idea to other national cultures, as the people are not used to the piece rate system. Most of the companies pay their employees according to the number of days that they have worked. Others find it difficult to give bonuses because they view it as a way in which the company makes losses. The idea of borrowing money to pay their workers is not a good idea. This is because as you borrow in the end, there is a need to pay back the money. Therefore, what they should employ is the piece rate system in the US, as the workers will struggle to work harder in to get more salary, enabling the organization to grow further hence reducing loss

Discussing strenghts and weaknesses in a research article Paper

Discussing strenghts and weaknesses in a article - Research Paper Example The title of the article is a weakness of the entire research process, and this is because of how the authors stated it. Mccluskey and McCarthy who completed the research could have stated the title in a suggestive manner to draw the attention of readers on such an essential practice in nursing. For instance, they could state title in a way that reflects their stand. Packing a wound is a medical process that involves the application of packing materials such as sterile gauze to deep wound so as to absorb drainage from the wounds to allow for faster healing, initializing the healing process from the internal section of the wound towards the external section or outer skin. The main purpose of setting up this qualitative research on packing wounds is therefore to effectively and conclusively determine the level of knowledge, skills, and competencies of nurses whom we entrust to attend to patients’ wounds (Wounds UK, 2008). The aim of the study is a formidable strength of the research the authors conducted. This is because the purpose of the study pioneered the study trying to determine the correlation between knowledge and competence in wound evaluation and management that had never been done prior to their study. How much knowledge in terms of empirical, aesthetic, personal and tacit knowhow do our nurses have or require to enable them be competent to the level of owning patients’ trust while being attended to? The research question strengthens the article, and this emanates from the way the authors tied the research question to the title, and this makes up for the statement of the title, which seems to be inadequate in the way it appeals to the readers. The need for professionalism in wound care cuts through all ages and specialties as stated by the law, which illustrates that each and every patient with a wound deserves the right to get access to and receive a good minimum standard care irrespective of etiology of their wounds, where care is

confounding factor or lurking variable

confounding factor or lurking variable Confounding variable, also known as confounding factor or lurking variable can be defined as an undesirable variable that has an influence on the relationship between the variables of an experiment. Although they are not the variable of actual interest (i.e. the independent variable), they can influence the outcome of an experiment and they are considered to be undesirable as they could add error to an experiment. A proper designed experiment should aim to decrease or control the influence of such confounding variables in order to avoid type 1 error; an error that raises a false positive conclusion that the independent variables have a casual relationship with the dependent variable. The relationship between the two observed variables is called a spurious relationship, hence a confounding variable is a threat to the validity of inferences made about cause and effect, i.e. the internal validity because the observed effect should be attributed to the independent variable rather than to the confounding variable. An example can be illustrated by the relationship between ice cream sales and drowning deaths. When these variables are entered into a statistical analysis, they may show a positive and potentially statistically significant correlation. However, it is a mistake to infer a causal relationship (i.e., ice cream causes drowning) because an important confounding variable which causes both ice cream sales and an increase in drowning deaths has not been accounted for: i.e. summertime. Although there is a body of literature of criteria for causality, Pearl claimed that confounding variables cannot be defined in terms of statistical notions alone; some causal assumptions are sometimes necessary. For example, when causal assumptions are being defined in the form of causal graphs, a simple criterion called backdoor will identify sets of confounding variables. Types of confounding variables Confounding variables may also be categorized according to their source: the choice of measurement instrument, situational characteristics, or inter-individual differences. Solution There are several ways to combat confounding variables in an experimental design by excluding or controlling it. Here is the following: Case control studies: by assigning the same confounding variables to both the experimental and control group can control for such confounder, for example, if the cause of multiple infarct dementia is being studied, age and sex could be the confounding variables, therefore these factors should be matched paired between the two participant groups. In addition, randomization is also another solution as having all confounding variables (whether known or unknown) will be equally distributed across all groups. Cohort studies: this is done by admitting a specific group of participants into the sampling population, for example a specific age range that may affect multiple infarct dementia, therefore only a certain group is chosen for the study design such as male aged 45-50 years old. This would limit the degree of matching between the groups and also cohorts can be comparable in regard to the possible confounding variable. Stratification: in the example of multiple infarct dementia study, physical activity is hypothesized to be a variable that can prevent this dementia from happening. With age as a possible confounder. The sampling data will then be stratified by age group so that the association between physical activity and dementia can be analyzed per age group. If different age group yields different risk ratios (this can be analyzed by statistical tools called Mantel-Haenszel methods), then age is seen as a confounding variable. Despite solutions for the controlling and limiting confounding variables, these strategies have limitations too. For example if a participant in the case-control study is a 47year old African-American from Alaska, avid tennis player, vegetarian, working as an engineer and suffer from multiple infarct dementia. Proper matching would require a person of the same characteristics but with the sole difference of being healthy. This is extremely difficult to achieve and there is a risk of over- or undermatching of the study population. Additionally, in a cohort study, too many people may be excluded with this criteria, and in stratification, single strata can get too narrow and contain only a small, non-significant number of samples. Randomization One of the most common reasons for the existence of confounding variable is when the experimental design does not randomly assign participants to groups or some types of individual difference such as ability, extroversion, height and weight. For example, studies involving a comparison between men and women are inherently plagued with confounding variables since the social environment for males and females is very different to start with. However, this does not mean that there is no value in gender comparison studies or other studies that does not employ random assignment but it implies that results interpretation should be done cautiously. In sum, random assignment is a useful and powerful tool in experimental design. Although it does not minimize the overall amount of extraneous variable in an experiment, it aims to equalize the error that may occur as a result of extraneous variable, therefore it can greatly decrease systematic error: error that varies within the independent variab le. Multivariate analyses Another method for controlling confounding variable is by the use of covariates in multivariate analyses. However, this only gives little information about the strength of the confounding variable compared to stratification methods. Furthermore, confounding variables are not always known or measurable which means residual confounding (term for incompletely controlled confounding) may appear. In an experimental design, covariate adjustment can help to reduce the noise in an outcome variation whilst enabling the manipulation effect to be performed. In sum, successful randomization can minimize confounding variables by bother measured and unmeasured factors, whereas statistical control addresses only confounding variables that have been measured and can introduce more confounding variables and other biases through inappropriate control. Mismeasurement and mis-specification Although it is important to spot confounding variables in a study there is often a risk of having a statistically controlled but imperfectly measured factor that may confound an association of the variables. This is termed residual confounding which describes the mismeasurement and an example is given to illustrate this. In a study example, it was found that people with higher rate of vacation is correlated with lower risk of mortality. Several explanations can account for this as vacation mitigates stress, diminishes anger and encourage more exercise. On the other hand, healthier people might be more likely to travel so vacation may not be a genuine causal factor but only a marker of initial health status that naturally predicts longevity. Consequently, vacation may remain to be a significant predictor even after adjusting for baseline health status as the covariate. It is therefore easy to construct a series of potential confounders but many would lack plausibility. For example, pe ople with more friends may have more vacations and friend was indeed the predictor variable instead, low-stress working environment and wide range of food (I.e. completeness of diet) may all attribute to prolong life too. However, because plausibility is a highly subjective factor for considering whether enough potential founders are included. To identify confounders Priori knowledge of the likely causal pathways are required. The major drawback of this is that observational studies imply that the strength of any causal inference will depend on the biologic plausibility of the putative factor, and the implausibility of uncontrolled potential confounders. In addition, observations contain some judgmental component which varies from experimenters. For example, vacation may prolong longevity because sick people tend to travel less, to deal with this. Measurements of participants initial health may be used as an adjustment but this however cannot be assessed without error. Moreover, hea lth can be measured in so many different ways and not all can be included and controlled for. This raises more and more questions such as: can the use of initial stress test be used to capture aspects of health confounded by vacation? Is body mass index relevant? Consequently, even if the optimal measure of confounder is used it is measured with error and adjustment for it may not eliminate the effects of vacations. From the statistical analysis perspective, poorly measured confounding variables causes more problems as its effect may not be linear, by assuming linearity on the outcome as specified by the model by entering confounding variables as a covariate in standard regression models may not fully adjust for the confounder effects are not linear on that scale. Mediators and confounders There is a common conflict that different causal explanations can be possible when adjustment is used to reduce or eliminate the predictive power of the independent variable. For example, a confounding variable may sometimes be a marker of some causal factors but it is not directly involved in the causal chain from one variable to another and there is a problem of over-adjustment. Considering an example on the hypothesis that high blood pressure (BP) reaction to stress causes Hypertension. To test this hypothesis, a longitudinal study should be conducted where BP reactivity and resting BP levels of a large group of participants should be measured. Result findings should report that excessive reactivity to be the risk factor for later hypertension but the problem is reactivity may just be a marker for elevated BP resting level and it is not important per se. consistent with this problem, those participants with higher resting BP may correlate with high BP reactivity scores. To control for the current confounding variable, the initial resting BP levels should be adjusted by regression analysis which llustrates whether BP reactivity is attributed to any predictive information beside just the initial resting BP level. This may show that reactivity is no longer a very predictive factor and most of the variation in the follow-up BP levels may be accounted for by the initial resting levels. However, this does not mean that reactivity is not causally related to future BP status, i.e. if increased reactivity preceded initial increase in resting BP level, it could also be responsible in part for the initial increase in resting BP level. This is a situation whereby a single variable may have both confounding and mediating roles simultaneously. The example of vacation and mortality is used to illustrate this: assuming that people who go on more vacations are less likely to die over a 5-year longitudinal study, including a factor: initial health status in the regression mod el could eliminate this association. Alternatively, if people in poor health take fewer vacations then this elimination may reflect the removal of a confounding variable by health status. However, if the participants tendencies to go on vacation are constant over the 5 year period then health status will reflect the cumulative health impact of a lifetimes vacation habits. This shows that health status will contribute partly as a mediator of vacationing effects. This confusion between a mediator and a confounder will be less apparent if the risk factor is not stable over time. For example if the participant has only just started having vacations, then these will not be reflected in the initial health status and may have higher opportunity to predict subsequent health with initial health status as a covariate in the analysis. However, if these changes become out of control, it can create a quasi-experimental design. For example, if people take vacations due to change in their company policy rather than the reason of making friends or have spare time, and other group have less vacation for the same reason. Then in this case, it is possible to assess the effect of vacation independently of initial health status. In sum, indiscriminate adjustment of covariates may result in erroneous conclusions and many socialdemographic variables can be mediated by other factors such as low income, unfulfilling jobs, no friends etc. moreover, there may also be other intermediate variables like self-determinations and release of stress hormones that may affect the results. Considering the wide range of variables listed, any inaccurate measures of them may lead to a reduction or elimination of predictive power. Moreover, by controlling a mediator may produce further confounding variables, which will then increase or decrease the associations of the independent and dependent measures. Furthermore, it may even create a new spurious association when in fact no effect is present. In sum, despite the number of limitations discussed in this critical review, they have an important role in behavioural research as randomized trials are sometimes found to be impractical and unethical. In spite of the hazardous statistical control of confounding variables will gain insight into special cautions in drawing conclusions and writing research in the future.