lyrical ballads and Preface to Lyrical Ballads

On this day in 1798, the English Romantic era was launched with the publication of Lyrical Ballads – the seminal collection of poems, mainly by William Wordsworth but with four (key) contributions from Samuel Taylor Coleridge. In Wordsworth’s “Preface” to the second edition (1800), he would famously declare that poetry should be “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling”. This was nothing less than a manifesto – reversing the ancient tradition of art as imitation of life, and locating the wellspring of inspiration within the poet. Lyrical Ballads would prove to be the harbinger of a revolutionary movement that forever changed the landscape of poetry and the role of the poet. This then is a day to celebrate, so let us briefly recall the events and aspirations that led to it.

It was on a memorable day in June 1797, only the second meeting between the two poets, that Wordsworth recited “The Ruined Cottage” to Coleridge – which Coleridge promptly declared “the finest poem in the English language” and inspired him to write that Wordsworth was “the greatest man I ever knew.” Wordsworth was just as drawn to Coleridge who, though slightly younger, possessed an unrivalled intellect and became Wordsworth’s mentor. In spite of whatever respective strengths or weaknesses that might have existed, there was no power struggle, jealousy or rivalry; each recognised in the other a spirit that was uncannily kindred to his own. The meeting was so life-changing that, within a month, Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy moved to Somerset from the Lake District to be closer to Coleridge, and the two men became inseparable companions – catapulting each other to groundbreaking heights. It was in this milieu of intellectual discussions, critiques of one another’s poetry and utopian dreams of making the world a better place through art that the idea of collaborating on a volume of poetry was born.

This first edition of Lyrical Ballads was published anonymously; the secret of authorship was so well kept that neither the authors’ names nor even the fact of dual authorship became generally known until announced in the “Preface” to the second edition in 1800. In the October 1798 “Advertisement”, the anonymous authors declared that the poems in the collection were a deliberate experiment in style and subject matter; Wordsworth would elaborate on this new theory of poetry in greater detail in the “Preface” to both the 1800 and 1802 editions.

Reviews were unfavourable (Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” was especially singled out for critical vitriol), proving yet again that only time is the true measure of artistic value and worth. But nevertheless the first edition of 500 copies sold out within two years, necessitating a second edition in 1800 and, with it, the “Preface” – a critical manifesto which did as much as the poems contained within to change our ideas about and expectations of poetry.

Still as potent today, here then for your edification are the words of Wordsworth:

“The principal object, then, which I proposed to myself in these Poems was to chuse incidents and situations from common life, and to relate or describe them, throughout, as far as was possible, in a selection of language really used by men; and, at the same time, to throw over them a certain colouring of imagination, whereby ordinary things should be presented to the mind in an unusual way; and, further, and above all, to make these incidents and situations interesting by tracing in them, truly though not ostentatiously, the primary laws of our nature: chiefly, as far as regards the manner in which we associate ideas in a state of excitement. Low and rustic life was generally chosen, because in that condition, the essential passions of the heart find a better soil in which they can attain their maturity, are less under restraint, and speak a plainer and more emphatic language; because in that condition of life our elementary feelings co-exist in a state of greater simplicity, and, consequently, may be more accurately contemplated, and more forcibly communicated; because the manners of rural life germinate from those elementary feelings; and, from the necessary character of rural occupations, are more easily comprehended, and are more durable; and lastly, because in that condition the passions of men are incorporated with the beautiful and permanent forms of nature.” 

differences between theory and study

Theory is something that is believed to be true because experiments and/or Maths have proved it to be true or because no better explanation currently exists. Chaos Theory, for instance, is the idea that seemingly unrelated events actually work in tandem to an inevitable end. This has been proven true in many cases but remains unproven in far more cases. The theory of evolution, similarly, is simply the best available theory. It contains too many scientific loopholes to ever be conclusively proved to be true, in any specific case.

Study is a very general term. It means disciplined observation. Study includes research, theory, and principle, but is not limited to these things. Research, theory, and principle, are the results of study. However, study also results in the dismissal of certain types of research, theory, and principle. For instance, even rudimentary study of eugenics dismisses the value of research, theory, and principle underlying eugenics and/or associated with eugenics.

Main Features of Romantic Poetry

Main Features of Romantic Poetry

·         Back From Set Rules

The poetry of the Romantic Revival is in direct contrast to that of Neoclassical. In the 18^th century, poetry was governed by set rules and regulations. There were well-prepared lines of poetic composition. And any deviation from the rules was disliked by the teachers of poetic thought. The first thing that we notice in the poetry Romantic age is the break from the slavery of rules and regulations. The poets of Romantic Age wrote poetry in freestyle without following any rules and regulations.

·         Interest in Rural Life

The poetry of the 18^th century was concerned with clubs and coffee houses, drawing rooms and social and political life of London. It was essentially the poetry of town life. Nature had practically no place in Neo-classical Poetry. In the poetry of Romantic Revival, the interest of poets was transferred from town to rural life and from artificial decorations of drawing rooms to the natural beauty and loveliness of nature.

Nature began to have its own importance in the poetry of this age. Wordsworth was the greatest poet who revealed the physical and spiritual beauty of nature to those who could not see any charm in the wildflowers, green fields and the chirping birds.

·         Presentation of Common Life

Romantic Poets started taking interest in the lives of the common people, the shepherds and the cottages and left the gallant lords and gay butterflies of fashion to the care of novelists. A renewed interest in the simple life marked the poetry of the poets of Romantic Age. A feeling of humanitarianism coloured the poetry of Wordsworth, Shelley and Byron. Thus Romantic Poetry was marked by intense human sympathy and a consequent understanding of the human heart.

·         Love of Liberty and Freedom

In Romantic Poetry, the emphasis was laid on liberty and freedom of the individual. Romantic poets were rebels against tyranny and brutality exercised by tyrants and despots over humans crushed by poverty and smashed by inhuman laws.

·         Escape to the Middle Ages

Some Romantic poets felt irritated with the tyranny and ugliness of materialistic life of their age and to avoid the life of uneasy restlessness, they escaped from the problems of the world to a world of beauty and joy which their poetic definitions had pictured.

In many ways, Romantic Poetry proved to be the poetry of escape from the sorrows and sufferings of worldly life and their times to the Middle Ages, where they found the eternal bliss. The enthusiasm for the Middle Ages satisfied the emotional sense of wonder on the one hand and the intellectual sense of curiosity on the other hand.

·         The predominance of Imaginations and Emotions

In Romantic Poetry, reason and intellect were subdued and their place was taken by imaginations, emotions and passion. In the poetry of all the Romantic Poets, we find heightened emotional sensibilities and imaginative flights of genius bordering on heavenly heights uncrossed by the poets of the previous age.

·         Supernaturalism

Supernaturalism is another outstanding quality of Romantic Poetry. Poets like Coleridge and Scott gave a sense of wonder and mystery to poetry. It was this supernaturalism that gave the atmosphere of wonder and mystery to the Romantic Poetry.

·         Endless Variety

In Romantic Poetry, we come across an endless variety. The poetry of this age is as varied as the character and moods of different writers.

·         Subjectivity

Subjectivity began to have its full play in the poetry of this age. The poets of this period were in favour of giving a subjective interpretation to the objective realities of the life. “The Romantic Movement”, says William J. Long “was the expression of individual genius rather than of the established rules.”

·         Lyricism

In Romantic Poetry, lyricism predominates and the poets of this school have, to their credit, a number of fine lyrics excelling the heroic couplet of the Neoclassical Age in melody and sweetness of tone.

·         Simplicity in Style

The style of the Romantic Poets is varied but the stress was laid on simplicity. Instead of an artificial mode of expression of classical poets, we have a natural diction and spontaneous way of expressing thoughts in Romantic Poetry.

conceptual and theoretical frameworks

Definition. Theories are formulated to explain, predict, and understand phenomena and, in many cases, to challenge and extend existing knowledge within the limits of critical bounding assumptions. The theoretical framework is the structure that can hold or support a theory of a research study.

A conceptual framework is an analytical tool with several variations and contexts. It is used to make conceptual distinctions and organize ideas. Strong conceptual frameworks capture something real and do this in a way that is easy to remember and apply.

A theoretical framework is a collection of interrelated concepts, like a theory but not necessarily so well worked-out. A theoretical framework guides your research, determining what things you will measure, and what statistical relationships you will look for.

For this reason, the conceptual framework of your study—the system of concepts, assumptions, expectations, beliefs, and theories that supports and informs yourresearch—is a key part of your design (Miles & Huberman, 1994; Robson, 2011).

Framework can be derived from related concepts (conceptual) or existing theories (theoretical). • The terms conceptual framework and theoretical framework are sometimes used interchangeably, but they have different meanings. Understanding Conceptualand Theoretical Framework.

A conceptual framework is a bit like a recipe or a blueprint. It provides an outline of how you plan to conduct the research for your thesis, but it goes further than that by also positioning your work within the larger field of research.

The Use of a Theoretical Framework as a Guide in a Research Study Thetheoretical framework plays an important role in guiding the entire process of theresearch  Theories are constructed in order to explain, predict and master phenomena (e.g. relationships, events, or the behavior).—study

Qualitative • Is designed for use with broad explanations for attitudes. ... Qualitative •Researchers increasingly use a theoretical lens or perspective in qualitativeresearch. • This provides an overall orienting lens for the study of things such as race, class, gender and other issues of marginalized groups.

Difference between methods and methodology

Difference between methods and methodology 

Understanding the difference between methods and methodology is of paramount importance. Method is simply a research tool, a component of research– say for example, a qualitative method such asinterviews. Methodology is the justification for using a particular research method.

What is a research problem?

Definition

A research problem is a definite orclear expression [statement] about an area of concern,a condition to be improved upon, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a troubling question that exists in scholarly literature, in theory, or within existing practicethat points to a need for meaningful understanding and deliberate investigation. A research problem does not state how to do something, offer a vague or broad proposition, or present a value question.

The purpose of a problem statement is to:

1.  Introduce the reader to the importance of the topic being studied. The reader is oriented to the significance of the study and the research questions, hypotheses, or assumptions to follow.

2.  Place the topic into a particular context that defines the parameters of what is to be investigated.

3.  Provide the framework for reporting the results and indicates what is probably necessary to conduct the study and explain how the findings will present this information.

Quantitative data. posts of research begin blog of Sir Prof Shoail Ansari from 25 sept 2017

Descriptive statistics are numbers that are used to summarize and describe data. The word "data" refers to the information that has been collected from an experiment, a survey, a historical record, etc. (By the way, "data" is plural.

Quantitative data are measures of values or counts and are expressed as numbers. Quantitative data are data about numeric variables (e.g. how many; how much; or how often). Qualitative data are measures of 'types' and may be represented by a name, symbol, or a number code.J

Descriptive Research Used to obtain information concerning the current status of a phenomena. Purpose of these methods is to describe “what exists” with respect to situational variables.

Analytical research means carrying out analysis on a phenomenon – Mostly involves secondary data – ex-ante research- before contemplated change Accessing both primary (e.g. witnesses) or secondary (e.g. literature) sources to document past events

Philosophical Research Organising existing evidence into a comprehensive theoretical modelØ

creative prompts taught by Sir prof Shoail Ansari

Need an idea to help you get started writing? You’ll find hundreds of fun writing prompts here – perfect for beginning a new novel or short story, or simply giving your writing muscle a workout.

A Not-So-Christmas Story

Write a story or scene that is NOT related to the holidays using at least 6 of the following words (bonus imaginary internet points if you can include all 12).

Conspiracy!

Take an event from history and write a fictional account describing a conspiracy theory about what "REALLY" happened. Or, if you prefer, write a scene about a character who believes in one or more conspiracy theories.

Table for Two

Write a story or scene about two people—or other nonhuman characters, if you prefer—from very different backgrounds sharing a meal together. What do they learn about each other that they weren't expecting?

Symbolic Animals

Write a story or a scene involving an animal that symbolizes something else. It can represent a concept, an experience, an emotion, a historical moment, or anything else you can think of.

The End of the Road

Think back to a moment where you've come to the end of the road with something important in your life—a relationship with a lover; moving out of your childhood home; graduation from school; etc. Write a scene wrapped around that moment, describing how you felt (good and bad) and how you...

Favorite Piece of Clothing Eulogy

You favorite article of clothing has finally out-lived its life (and then some). It's time to say goodbye, but you love it so much you feel a need to send it off properly. Write a eulogy dedicated to that piece of clothing and all the times you shared together.

Watch Out For Famous Friends

You've been given the opportunity to go on an adventure with two famous people (dead or alive). As the adventure unfolds, it becomes clear that those two famous people plan to kill you. Write a scene about that adventure, who the famous people are and what you do to escape death.

Last Day of Summer Break

You're a teenager and it's the last day of summer break. This is especially painful for you because, over the course of those summer months, you fell in love for the first time and that person is moving away (and breaking up with you). Write the scene where you say goodbye....

A Broken-Hearted Song

You're the lead singer/songwriter of a band that's working on its debut album. You're one song short, until you're longtime significant other unexpectedly breaks your heart. Filled with sadness, you compose a song that expresses how you feel—and that song completes the album. Write the lyrics to that song.

Harry Potter Comes To Your House

What if Harry Potter came to your house for dinner? Write this scene as if you were a teenager, he's new to your school and you're introducing him to your parents. Also, after dinner, he makes a request of you. What is it?

The End of The Bucket List

Write a story about a character who finds out that he or she is dying and has been knocking things off his/her bucket list and has finally reached the last item.

Mother’s Day Fiasco

To celebrate Mother's Day, you've invited the entire family over to celebrate. But instead of bringing your mom to the celebration, your father brings someone else—and tells you that this woman is actually your mother. How do you react? Is it someone you know? Write this scene.

Hiring a New Villain

Your old villain quit over creative differences, so you've put yourself in charge of hiring a new villain for your novel. What questions do you ask? What does the new villain's resume say? Write this scene as if it were a job interview.

The Letter All Writers Should Write

Write a letter to a person who supported your writing career, whether that be a friend, a family member, a teacher (even one that supported you at a very young age before you knew that it would blossom into a writing career), an author you've never met but have been inspired...

office. Instinctively, you rush to that office to see smoke and fire all around the...

At The End of The Rainbow

You and a friend have decided to try and follow a rainbow to see if the end holds a pot of gold. But when you finally reach the end, you find something much more valuable than a pot of gold—and it changes your life. Write this scene.

Stuck in the 80s

Write a story about a millennial teenager who, through a high school experiment gone wrong, time travels back to his/her same high school in the 80s and has to spend a day in that era before finding a way to time-travel back.

I Can’t Believe I Didn’t See That Coming

Write a story that starts with the line "You'll never get me to tell you where the jewels are," and ends with the line, "I can't believe I didn't see that coming." Be as creative as you can.

Truth or Lie About You

Write 4 things about yourself that are true and one that's a lie. Then, go on to at least one other person's post and guess which one is the lie.

The Hitchhiker

Write a story about three people who are on a road trip together, only to stop off at a gas station and pick up a fourth person whom they don't know. Why did they pick this person up? Where are they taking him/her? What happens?

First Day of School

Write about a first day of school—it can be your very first day, it can be the first day of a particular year or at a particular school, it can be a fictional first day. Dive into the emotions you felt as well as what you thought that year may hold.

Books and Characters

Write a story that begins with the title of the book you’ve most recently read and ends with the name of your favorite character that you’ve written.

Letter to the Author

Have the main character in your novel (or short story) write a letter to you. What would they say? Have them write whatever you want.

Killing Clichés

Write 10 sentences using a different cliché in each. Now, rewrite the sentence to eliminate the cliché and find a more clever and creative way to convey its meaning.

Thanksgiving Burgers

Write about the only time you hosted Thanksgiving. Start with the line, "For my first Thanksgiving as host, I bought the biggest turkey they had in the store," and end your story with "And that's why we all ate hamburgers."

Hey Diddle Diddle

Write a love story about the dish and the spoon from the classic nursery rhyme “Hey Diddle Diddle.” How did they meet and why did they decide to run away together? Will their relationship last?

Difference between semi structured, unstructured and techniques in research

Structured interviews are such that the interviewer comes prepared with a list of questions he wants to ask and the respondent simply answers what he/she is asked. They are useful for researches that can easily be coded and in most cases, the codes are already on ground. You basically just fit the responses in. They are close-ended

For semi-structured, the questions are open ended and the respondent is allowed to talk/respond in details. You come into the interview with an interview guide which may change as you proceed. For instance, the respondent may say something you have not considered but you now find useful. You can include this new ideas in your next interview. They are particularly helpful with inductive methodologies such as grounded theories.

The way I view unstructured interviews is 'listening to a gist'. You simply listen to the respondent talk about his/her experience. It is more story telling and you pick what you want from the story, hence the name 'unstructured'. You are however allowed to seek clarifications. The best way to this form of interview is to build some trust and 'closeness' with your respondent. Apparently, such approach will be useful in phenomenological studies.

Finally, the unstructured and semi-structured interviews allow respondents to express themselves freely and can be rewarding, even though time consuming.

I hope this helps.

Qualitative and Quantitative research methods by Sir DR Sohail Ansari

Qualitative Research

 Qualitative Research is primarily exploratory research.It is used to gain an understanding of underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations. It provides insights into the problem or helps to develop ideas or hypotheses for potential quantitative research. Qualitative Research is also used to uncover trends in thought and opinions, and dive deeper into the problem. Qualitative data collection methods vary using unstructured or semi-structured techniques. Some common methods include focus groups (group discussions), individual interviews, and participation/observations. The sample size is typically small, and respondents are selected to fulfil a given quota.

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research presents non-quantitative type of analysis. Qualitative research is collecting, analyzing and interpreting data by observing what people do and say. Qualitative research refers to the meanings, definitions, characteristics, symbols, metaphors, and description of things. Qualitative research is much more subjective and uses very different methods of collecting information,mainly individual, in-depth interviews and focus groups.

The nature of this type of research is exploratory and open ended. Small number of people are interviewedin depth and or a relatively small number of focus groups are conducted. Qualitative research can be further classified in the following type.

I. Phenomenology:-a form of research in which the researcher attempts to understand how one or more individuals experience a phenomenon. Eg:-we might interview 20 victims of bhopal tragedy.

II. Ethnography:- this type of research focuses on describing the culture of a group of people. A culture is the shared attributes, values, norms, practices, language, and material things of a group of people. Eg:-the researcher might decide to go and live with thetribal in Andaman island and study the culture and the educational practices.

III. Case study:-is a form of qualitative research that is focused on providing a detailed account of one or more cases. Eg:-we may study a classroom that was given a new curriculum for technology use.

IV. Grounded theory:- it is an inductive type of research,based or grounded in the observations of data from which it was developed; it uses a variety of data sources, including quantitative data, review of records, interviews, observation and surveys

V. Historical research:-it allows one to discuss past and present events in the context of the present condition, and allows one to reflect and provide possible answers to current issues and problems. Eg:-the lending pattern of business in the 19th century.

In addition to the above, we also have the descriptive research. Fundamental research, of which this is based on establishing various theories

Also the research is classified into:

1. Descriptive research

2. Analytical research

3. Fundamental research

4. Conceptual research

5. Empirical research

6. One time research or longitudinal research

7. Field-setting research or laboratory research or simulation research

8. Clinical or diagnostic research

9. Exploratory research

10.            Historical research

11.            Conclusion oriented research

12.            Case study research

13.            Short term research

Qualitative Research[edit]

·         Many times those that undertake a research project often find they are not aware of the differences between Qualitative Research and Quantitative Research methods.  Many mistakenly think the two terms can be used interchangeably.

·         So what is the difference between Qualitative Research and Quantitative Research?

Quantitative Research

·         Quantitative Research is used to quantify the problem by way of generating numerical data or data that can be transformed into usable statistics. It is used to quantify attitudes, opinions, behaviors, and other defined variables – and generalize results from a larger sample population. Quantitative Research uses measurable data to formulate facts and uncover patterns in research. Quantitative data collection methods are much more structured than Qualitative data collection methods. Quantitative data collection methods include various forms of surveys – online surveys, paper surveys, mobile surveys and kiosk surveys, face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews, longitudinal studies, website interceptors, online polls, and systematic observations.

·         Snap Survey Software is the ideal survey platform and online research software where structured techniques such as large numbers of respondents and descriptive findings are required. Snap Survey Software has many robust features that will help your organization effectively gather and analyze quantitative data.

Quantitative Research

This research is based on numeric figures or numbers. Quantitative research aim to measure the quantity or amount and compares it with past records and tries to project for future period. In social sciences, “quantitative research refers to the systematic empirical investigation of quantitative properties and phenomena and their relationships”. The objective of quantitative research is to develop and employ mathematical models, theories or hypothesis pertaining to phenomena.

The process of measurement is central to quantitative research because it provides fundamental connection between empirical observation and mathematical expression of quantitative relationships. Statistics is the most widely used branch of mathematics in quantitative research. Statistical methods are used extensively with in fields such as economics and commerce.

Get Better Data and Simplify Analysis: Qualitative vs. Quantitative Questions

Lisa works in Human Resources at Widgets, Inc. Lately, she’s heard rumblings that employees are unhappy with their supervisors, but she’s not sure why. Determined to find out what’s going wrong, she sets up one-on-one meetings with every single employee. Unfortunately, none of the meetings are helpful, because no one is willing to say anything negative about their supervisor out loud.

Frustrated, Lisa decides to send a survey instead—hoping that the anonymity of a survey will make employees feel more comfortable about sharing what they really think. She sits down to create her survey, however, and feels a little stuck and overwhelmed.

Okay, thinks Lisa, let’s start with the basics…

This type of question is known as an “open-ended” or “qualitative” question. It is called “open-ended” because the person responding to it is free to answer in any manner he or she chooses.

There are no response options specified. It is known as “qualitative” because responses are judged and measured by feel rather than by mathematics.

Lisa, anxious for her survey to be a success, thinks about how she’d answer this question about her own supervisor…

The great thing about this data is that if Lisa has no idea why people are upset with their supervisors, it gives them free reign to answer. For example, Lisa might not have thought to ask specifically aboutwhether a supervisor fosters work-life balance—but this might emerge as a theme among responses.

There are, however, some problems with open-ended, qualitative questions…

1. Whaddya mean by that? Qualitative questions can be vague. What do I think about my supervisor? Are you referring to his management style? His fashion sense? His punctuality? His credentials? Re-writing open-ended questions to be more specific can help with that. For example: Please describe your supervisor’s management style.

However, questions may still linger when specific responses are not provided. It’d be much easier to answer the following question about supervisor management style:

This type of question is known as a “closed-ended” or “quantitative” question. It is called “closed-ended” because the person responding to it is constricted in the range of options he or she has to choose from as answers. It is known as “quantitative” because the response options can be converted to numbers. Why does that matter?

2. What on earth should I do with all this data? Figuring out what questions to ask is tough but figuring out what to do with the answers you get can be even tougher. With qualitative questions, you need to read all of the responses carefully in order to extract common themes. However, this process can be riddled with bias, as you often see only what you want to see in open-ended response answers. That’s why quantitative questions can be so great!

All you have to do is compute an average of the responses you get, a simple calculation in a spreadsheet with no hours of reading required. This also makes more complex analyses–like group comparisons–lightning fast. Simply compute an average for each group, compare, and you’re done!

3. What else is in it for me? The other thing to know about qualitative questions is that they take a really long time to answer. As a survey respondent, it’s much faster to choose one of five pre-formulated options than to have to take the time to write your own response. And, as we’ve mentioned before, keeping surveys short keeps respondents focused and interested. So not only will you get to ask more questions when you use quantitative questions, but it will also get you better data! Getting the most accurate data possible means that you’ll make the right decision every time.

So what’s the bottom line? Qualitative questions are a fantastic first step at exploring the minds of the people you want to survey, but they shouldn’t be your last. Using quantitative questions makes questions clearer, analysis simpler, and data quality better.

Take the time to think of specific quantitative questions to ask now—trust us, you’ll be glad that you did. As for Lisa, here’s hoping she figured out the right quantitative questions to ask to get the answers she needed.