Free Essays on Definition Essay

â€Å"Another Close Call at the Mall† An urban legend can be defined as a questionable story involving incidents of the recent past, often including elements of humor and horror, that spreads quickly and is popularly believed to be true. An urban legend, â€Å"Another Close Call at the Mall†, that circulated in 1998 was about a woman who goes into a parking lot and someone tries to abduct her. This urban legend fits Jan Harold Brunvand’s, the renowned folklorist who made "urban legends" a household word with his delightful series of books beginning with The Vanishing Hitchhiker in 1981, definition of a true urban legend. Brunvands criteria for an urban legend is that it must be set in recent past, involve real human beings, disseminated orally or on internet, believed to be true, and gain credibility from specific details. The urban legend â€Å"Another Close Call at the Mall† tells the reader to be careful who you trust and that we as Americans are afraid of the dangers in America today. In America today news travels fast. The urban legend â€Å"Another Close Call at the Mall† is an urban legend that was sent by e-mail in 1998 as a warning to woman that there are creepy people in the world that might do them harm. The urban legend starts by saying, â€Å"I received this email from a friend and since I care about all of you I wanted to share it. It is just a reminder to be aware when you are out and about. There are a lot of creepy people in this world, I am sad to say.† Also ending with, â€Å"Pass this along to every woman you have access too. Never let your guard down. Good story for women to know about although with the NUTS in today's world, everyone needs to be careful (not just women).† This urban legend’s beginning and ending give the reader the sense of a sincere warning and notice. The fact that it sounds sincere makes it believable which compels people to send it to others. After reading the body of the urban legend a... Free Essays on Definition Essay Free Essays on Definition Essay â€Å"Another Close Call at the Mall† An urban legend can be defined as a questionable story involving incidents of the recent past, often including elements of humor and horror, that spreads quickly and is popularly believed to be true. An urban legend, â€Å"Another Close Call at the Mall†, that circulated in 1998 was about a woman who goes into a parking lot and someone tries to abduct her. This urban legend fits Jan Harold Brunvand’s, the renowned folklorist who made "urban legends" a household word with his delightful series of books beginning with The Vanishing Hitchhiker in 1981, definition of a true urban legend. Brunvands criteria for an urban legend is that it must be set in recent past, involve real human beings, disseminated orally or on internet, believed to be true, and gain credibility from specific details. The urban legend â€Å"Another Close Call at the Mall† tells the reader to be careful who you trust and that we as Americans are afraid of the dangers in America today. In America today news travels fast. The urban legend â€Å"Another Close Call at the Mall† is an urban legend that was sent by e-mail in 1998 as a warning to woman that there are creepy people in the world that might do them harm. The urban legend starts by saying, â€Å"I received this email from a friend and since I care about all of you I wanted to share it. It is just a reminder to be aware when you are out and about. There are a lot of creepy people in this world, I am sad to say.† Also ending with, â€Å"Pass this along to every woman you have access too. Never let your guard down. Good story for women to know about although with the NUTS in today's world, everyone needs to be careful (not just women).† This urban legend’s beginning and ending give the reader the sense of a sincere warning and notice. The fact that it sounds sincere makes it believable which compels people to send it to others. After reading the body of the urban legend a... Free Essays on Definition Essay It’s a beautiful fall afternoon, and the cool wind has made the Illinois air fresh and crisp. A man takes his dog’s leash of the hook on the back of the laundry room door, and with a little jingle the dog comes running out of the living room right to the man’s feet. He clips the leash, and the dog is all over him until they get outside. They make for the path that starts in his backyard, but knows no end. As they get deep into the tunnel of reds, oranges, and yellows, the path they are walking on turns around the corner of a big rock, and into to a huge black bear. The man in his red flannel shirt and North Face vest freezes and the bear bats him to the ground with his paw. At this, the seventy-pound dog charges at the massive bear and again the bear raises his mighty paw to knock the dog up against a tree, and unconscious. After about an hour, the dog comes around to find his owner is laying dead in a pile of dried up leaves. The dog stands up with a bit of a limp, and makes his way over to his owner. He nudges him behind the elbow as if he wants the dead man to pet him. When there’s no reaction from the man, he circles around once, lies up against the man’s cold side, and closes his eyes. There are three parts to the definition of loyalty, and this dog displays all of them. The first part of the definition is unconditional love. As soon as the dog knew what the man wanted to do, he was at his feet. The second part of the definition is giving up rational thought and representing whoever or whatever you’re loyal to. Not only was it obvious that the dog had no chance against the bear, but he also could have easily ran to safety. The last part of the definition, is the willingness to lay down and die for someone or something. The dog could have found his way back home, but he didn’t want the home without his life long companion. The first part ...