Building a Supportive Vocabulary Learning Environment

To every learning curriculum, it is a fundamental requirement to provide a sustainably befitting environment at the background to ease the flow of assimilation and aid the mission accomplishment of a prolific study. Without an enabling environment, the efficiency of the learning result is significantly reduced. Though avoidable, many unrefined teachers still take with levity, the necessity of creating an environmental aura that permeates the mind of learners involved towards creating a smooth psychological linkage to understanding the vocabulary lesson (Diller & Karl, 1978).Supportive Tools  Firstly, we design a befitting structural arrangement that reflects some basic expectations concerning the vocabulary to be studied, the choice of which ranks common in preference of usage (Foss & Lenzini, 1999). The pictorial representation (e. g. on the wall) enables learners to access unrestricted support; demonstrating how tongue or the entire â€Å"buccal† cavity (mouth) is expected to be positioned while a particular sound is being pronounced. The pictorial representation should equally demonstrate practical situations where each word is most appropriately in day-to-day events.In buttressing the importance of this structural or pictorial design as a supportive learning tool, researches have shown that new vocabularies are best understood by exerting a subconscious effort sequel to the first pronunciation exposure in class (Holden, et al. , 1998). The sub-consciousness is characterized with the absence of stress, sensual tension or urgency demand to study within a restricted period. The presence of pressure brings a sense of active competition among other colleagues in class.The slow learners, the average and the fast learners are the three classes of learners that must have their interest managed on the overall while determining the contextual modalities of supportive environments to be considered (Foss & Lenzini, 1999). Moreover, it is of importance to recog nize the use of student-to-student interactive class session in learning foreign vocabulary. This creates an enabling environment where learners can share and gain views from one another. This in a great sense, is a complementary learning tool to teachers own method.The teacher here, logically listen and gain from diverse ways of interaction that exist in this session of students’ group discussion. The specific style of teaching to adopt will be gotten from preponderances of events as they unfold (James L. B. , 2001) One-to-many Learning Support Scheme In this scheme, each learner on rotation is given an assignment to present a topic to other co-learners in class. Preferentially, suggestion of a multi-media projection could aid teaching. Here comes a research among students in science class, a class of 50 students was given an assignment to treat 10 topics within a course.The modality involved allotment of a topic to a group of 5 students within which they are equally expecte d to further divide the topic into sub-headings. Other remaining 45 students follow suit in their respective groupings. The examination result for this method of teaching was taken for over a period of 5 years, with the mean and mode recorded. The result showed a wide grade-gap between the first three best students and other members of the class. The mean was high but students within this range were found scanty (James L. Barker lecture, 2001).One-to-many learning scheme shows that the method could only help the confident students to perform even better at the expense of other colleagues. The other group members does belong to the same class but perhaps, limiting study to what they actually present and not bordering to probe other students’ presentation to perfect understanding from the first exposure in class. Participative/Interactive Class Session Another proposed scheme suggests a modality where members of the class have no formal presentation for others to listen.But rat her, everyone prepares for the task ahead of the class and involve in a general discuss. All opinions are accommodated by the supervision of a tutor in charge. In furtherance to the earlier research for another five years, findings were taken from another set of 50 students with different learning environmental supportive modality. In this scheme, no student is expected to teach the other colleague but rather each student contributes one after the other to the pending discussion on the vocabulary lesson.In this way, the teacher set the ball rolling by introducing the topic and secondly in guiding against shifting of focus to irrelevancies. The reciprocal interactions give a supportive environment that deposit in each student a personal sense of meeting the huge challenge to perform up to expectations among peers (Kinsella, K. , 1995). The result of the later five years shows students having a higher mean gradient. The mode was slightly reduced, an indication pointing that only minor ity members of the class understand on the average with one-to-many learning support.Conclusion When discussing vocabulary skills, some basic essentialities are necessary; a listening, speaking, reading and writing acts. Other recently identified skills include description, narrating and summarizing skills among others. All supportive environments must focus on ensuring these necessities. Having an enabling environment in assisting the students reading culture is most important especially when learning an unfamiliar vocabulary, hence, the derivative of interactive study guide is just a perfect one to make learners actively involved.Findings had also shown that students usually get frustrated over time if encouragement and assistance are not near. Conclusively, teacher could equally assist in instilling the culture of reading; this is the strongest individual tool. References Diller, Karl Conrad (1978). The Language Teaching Controversy. Rowley, Massachusetts: Newbury House. Foss, C. R. , P. , & Lenzini, J. J. (1999). Textual and pictorial glosses: Effectiveness on incidental vocabulary growth when reading in a foreign language. Foreign Language Annals, 32 (1), 89-113.Holden, Susan; Mickey Rodgers (1998). English language teaching. Mexico City: DELTI. James L. Barker lecture on November 8th 2001 at Brigham Young University. Kinsella, K. (1995). Understanding and empowering diverse learners in ESL classroom. In M. J. Reid (Ed. ), Learning styles in the ESL/EFL classroom (pp. 70-86). Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle Publishers. Koda, K. (1997). Orthographic knowledge in L2 lexical processing: A cross-linguistic perspective. In J. Coady & T. Huckins (Eds. ), Second language vocabulary acquisition (pp. 35-52). New York: Cambridge Universit

NLP

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a way of organizing and understanding the structure of subjective experience and is concerned with the ways in which people process information but not necessarily with the specific content of that information. Information is processed primarily in three modes: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. The sensory modalities used in a given task and their sequence are critical to the performance of that task. Persons who are extremely skilled at a task will have radically different processing sequences than those who perform poorly on that same task. Understanding the structure by which the skilled person processes information, through the observation of eye scanning patterns and linguistic patterns, allows programs (similar to computer programs) to be codified, which can be taught to other persons (Andreas, 1996). Developed in 1975 by Richard Bandler, a mathematician, and John Grinder, a linguist, NLP has been clinically demonstrated as a powerful technology for engendering change. From their studies Bandler and Grinder developed skills of modeling that allow one person to identify in a specific fashion the structural elements of another's behavior and to teach that structure to yet a third person (Andreas, 1996). Gregory Bateson postulated four logical levels of learning. The first level is the level of content, and this is the level at which most people spend their lives. Here one learns how to tie one's shoes, cook a meal, drive a car, and so on. Some people become acquainted with second-level learning: the learning of context, or learning how to learn. People who operate at the second logical level of learning may rapidly learn any new content-specific area, because they are capable of moving through the learning process in an efficient, effective manner. In rare cases, persons may rise to the third logical level of learning, the learning of how to learn context. In this case one is operating at a level of contextual pattern recognition; one is able to easily identify and operate on the structure of any experience. It is at this level that Bandler and Grinder operate when they are modeling (or teaching modeling to) some one. Bateson reserved his fourth class of learning for those accomplished persons like yogis and Zen masters. One NLP technique is anchoring which is used to describe a process by which memory and its responses become associated with some stimulus. This happens when the anchor leads by reflex to the anchored response occurring. The stimulus can be neutral or out of conscious awareness. The response may be either negative or positive. Anchors are similar to classical conditioning (Ready, 2004). The process of disrupting a pattern of thought from one that leads to an unwanted behavior to one that leads to a desired behavior is known as swishing. Another process is reframing in which an element of communication is presented so as to shift an individual’s perception of the meanings associated with words. Reframing is defined as a process where an element of communication is presented to shift the individual’s perception of meanings or frames. A six-step reframe distinguishes between an underlying intention and consequent behavior to achieve intentions by different and successful behavior. Ecology is concerned with the relationship between a client and their environments. It also is concerned how a proposed goal or change might relate to their relationships and their environment (Ready, 2004). NLP offers many methods for getting rid of addictions. An effective technique is called the â€Å"swish† pattern. Using this method, a person’s unconscious will automatically use negative, addiction producing mental pictures, to create relaxing mental pictures. Addictions can be cured in NLP because it is a form of ‘near waking state' hypnosis. In NLP we can ‘adjust' our internal sensory representations making them more powerful. NLP also helps us to model good behavior. Anchoring is a powerful method of fighting addictions. In this especially one takes the long, deep breath and to touch the tongue to the roof of the mouth at the same time. This sets up a connection between the sensorised mental icon and the physical act of touching the roof of your mouth with the tongue as well as taking that deep breath (Lankton, 2004). In NLP it is recognized that human beings all code time in different ways. Each person has his own mental timelines. The past is represented in some right-handers represent at some point way towards their left. It is possible to use NLP techniques to manipulate internal sensory representations. Negative internal sensory representations like addictions. Addictions can also be removed by being moved further back into the past along the timeline. This helps change the present and future mindset of the client in relation to the original internal sensory representation. This results in past traumas being reduced. Addictions can be treated by providing the customer with a response option that is more powerful, accessible and immediate than the drug itself. Another method is the compulsion blow-out which solves cravings. Another method is the guilt resolution process which is used for clean up of motivations and secondary gain (Lankton, 2004). One of the most successful methods is the six step reframe which works by using assistance from the unconscious mind. The process has been criticized for fragmenting the personality (Sterman, 2004). This approach reaches down to access a level of experience that is helpful to redirect conscious and unconscious energies in a central direction. If a positive experience is structured it will compete successfully against a problem state. The competing experiences must have value and indicate towards a better positive future. The brain consists of a maze of circuits. Positive and negative affect are mutually dependant on each other. In order for a positive affect to have maximum effect, it must be developed for dealing with a problem. A crucial program is the process of anchoring. Participants are taught to anchor states that are without content. During the process of creating and anchoring the state all types of contextual information is reduced. In recent years science has given us insight on the problems of addiction and substance abuse. These researches have discovered a close relationship between drug addictions, behavioral addictions, compulsions and more normal patterns of reward and motivation. Drug and behavioral addictions are problems related to craving. The mechanism of craving is mediated by neurons in the midbrain that produce dopamine on to be placed on a trance. NLP is a great technique to fight addictions and behavior. There are many examples of NLP helping out people suffering from substance abuse and addictions. References: Andreas, Steve (1996). NLP: The New Technology of Achievement. US: Harper Paperbacks. Ready, Romilla (2004). Neuro-Linguistic Programming for Dummies. US: For Dummies . Lankton, Stephen R. (2004). Practical Magic:: A Translation of Basic Neuro-Linguistic Programming Into Clinical Psychotherapy . US: Crown House Publishing. Sterman, Chelly M., Ed. (2004). Neuro-Linguistic Programming in Alcoholism Treatment. US: Haworth Press.                                                                           

Gatsby Daisy Portrait

Alexis Romano Mr. Emra Honors American Literature (5) 23 January 2012 Portrait of Daisy Buchanan Wife of Tom Buchanan, cousin (once removed) of Nick Carraway, and love interest of Jay Gatsby are all titles once held by Daisy Buchanan, an intriguing character in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic â€Å"The Great Gatsby. † Throughout the novel, Daisy oozes thoughtlessness; she has an unspoken essence of charm, but once she gets the attention she craves she acts on another personality trait of hers, her frivolous disregard for other people’s emotions.While these characteristics are part of what define Daisy, a more fitting description of Daisy’s essence would be her practicality. In the first chapter, Daisy hopes that her daughter will be less commonsensical than she is, in chapter eight the reader finds out that Daisy was under the impression that Gatsby came from a wealthy background, and again in the eighth chapter, the issue of Daisy’s undying astutenes s rears it’s head. Within the first seventeen pages of the novel, Fitzgerald has already addressed Daisy’s need to remain grounded and realistic.After giving birth to her daughter, Pammy, Daisy remarks: â€Å"I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool. † Daisy is hoping that her daughter never develops the everlasting practicality that she was cursed with. At this point in the story, Daisy has already sent her â€Å"Dear John† letter to Gatsby, and begun a relationship, then marriage with the well off Tom Buchanan.Daisy is wishing that she had been less pragmatic and more foolish by taking a chance and staying with Gatsby rather than being safe and marrying Tom. Daisy hates that she cannot allow herself to be happy with Gatsby without the security of Tom’s money. By hoping for a foolish daughter Daisy is hoping for Pammy to make deci sions based on love and whatever makes her happy rather than the seemingly fundamental things that Daisy was concerned with. Even Gatsby knew that Daisy was a very ground minded individual who always ad the future in mind; he loved her regardless. â€Å"He had deliberately given Daisy a sense of security; he let her believe that he was a person from much the same stratum as herself—that he was fully able to take care of her. â€Å" Gatsby understood Daisy enough to know that without a promise of wealth, Daisy wouldn’t allow herself to associate with him, so as to avoid any impractical romance beginning with a man who couldn’t support her style of living later in life.She began her romance with Gatsby under the false pretense that he had the amount of money necessary for Daisy to live comfortably, which was the number one priority on her list. Daisy did not realize that she was living unrealistically, so her obsession with remaining grounded and practical was n ot a problem. Also in chapter eight, Nick (the narrator) tells how â€Å"there was a quality of nervous despair in Daisy’s letters. † While Gatsby was in the war, Daisy was left to examine every possible blemish in their relationship.At any moment while he was abroad Gatsby could have changed his mind about loving Daisy, which brought out Daisy’s most circumspect mindset. This point in the novel shows how despite being in love with Jay Gatsby, Daisy will not allow herself to fully be with a man who cannot take care of her. Another point in chapter eight where her levelheadedness is evident is when Nick brings up what Daisy wanted: â€Å"She wanted her life shaped now, immediately—and the decision must be made by some force—of love, of money, of unquestionable practicality—that was close at hand. It is clear that while Daisy really did believe in love and wished to find it, she was much too practical, allowing money to be just as crucial to the relationship as the chemistry between herself and either Tom or Gatsby. Daisy eventually chooses between real unadulterated love and her perpetual practicality by dating, and later marrying Tom Buchanan. â€Å"Doubtless there was a certain struggle and a certain relief. Although Daisy doesn’t have feelings as strong for Tom as she does for Gatsby she allows the aspect of money to sway her opinions on which man to be with, once again showing how painfully prudent she is. While reading â€Å"The Great Gatsby† it was easy to fall into Fitzgerald’s trap of becoming emotionally invested in the story. I became a close friend of Gatsby (my favorite character), rooting for him in his relationship with Daisy, his friendship with Nick and any and all of his shady business endeavors. Being so biased in Gatsby’s favor makes it hard for me to determine whether or not I liked or disliked Daisy.On one hand, she didn’t have the strength to take a chance and f ollow her heart, by waiting for Gatsby while he fought in the war; but on the other hand she was able to make unromantic, unidealistic decisions to ensure that in the future she would be taken care of and protected, which I can respect. Ultimately, I think that my loyalty to my dear friend, Gatsby, overpowers my respect for Daisy’s businesslike way of decision making, leaving me to decide that there were more moments in the novel when I disliked Daisy than moments when I had respect for her ability to make difficult decisions.

Post-Compulsory Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Post-Compulsory Education - Essay Example It was the emphasis upon further education providing a preparation for jobs which underpinned the new vocationalism of the 1980s. However, in more recent years, the provision of a 'vocational education' has come to be recognised as a more complex matter than that of simply training students in job-specific skills. While it is true to say that General, Liberal and Social Studies appendages to post -war vocational courses were an attempt to provide students with a wider educational base to their studies, it was the BTEC curriculum introduced from the early 1980s which took the first significant steps towards a preparation for work within a broader concept of vocational education. The development of TVEI as an enhancement curriculum, of generic and core skills, and of modular course structures such as GNVQ can be seen as further evidence of some general shift towards a broader, re-focused vocationalism. The reasons behind these shifts are themselves interesting and result from analyses of the changing needs of the economy, the labour market and, in particular, the nature of work. Post -Fordist and other analyses of current and prospective transformations in Western societies have stressed a requirement for some form of 'flexible' knowledge worker within collaborative, hightrust, high-skill, work relations (Brown and Lauder, 1991) and it is with some, albeit hasty and superficial, appreciation of these requirements that curriculum development has been stimulated. I say hasty and superficial because, a high degree of uncertainty still surrounds the extent of, the directions of, and the full implications of the developments anticipated in the post -Fordist analysis. Indeed, evidence of the anticipated flatter, leaner, hierarchies is not in great abundance, at least in Britain. Moreover, the surface features of post -Fordism are largely indistinguishable from those of the 'enterprise c ulture' and, where curriculum developments do not address fundamental differences between the two, their unresolved contradictions are carried forward into course planning. 'Student-centred learning', 'autonomy', 'entitlement', 'empowerment', 'democracy' and 'citizenship', which figure prominently in recent curriculum developments, are examples of concepts in popular use in post-compulsory education whose rhetorical value is their power to legitimise and compel common assent to curriculum innovations but whose more sinister function is to obscure the need for critical examination of those innovations (Avis, 1993:13-14). Nonetheless, many of the reforms to have taken place in post-compulsory education since the early 1990s, despite the problematic nature of their underlying evidence and logic, reflect a clear and visible attempt to shift from a narrowly focused 'preparation for work' towards some notion of preparation 'for life', 'for citizenship', 'for multi-skilled work' and 'for collaborative work relationships'. While the effects of such shifts are most evident in full-time vocational courses, and to some extent in A-level programmes, they have received little or no recognition in NVQ levels 1, 2 and 3. Consequently, the once clear purpose of vocational education has become bifurcated into 'vocational education' based in some broader concepts of vocation and preparation and 'occupational training' whose primary concern is to equip learners with skills for jobs. We can say that

Modern Astronomy Frontier Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Modern Astronomy Frontier - Research Paper Example What exactly makes black holes so captivating is the effects they seem to have on their surroundings, and yet their ability to remain in obscurity, literally. Before embarking on the actual topic of black holes, this paper will discuss the background research completed on black holes, the observations on them, the results of those observations, and the mysteries that still exist about them. First of all, black holes possess an amazing heritage. The first record of the black hole theory begins back in the early 1780s (DeBenedictis 4). However, during the nineteenth century, the idea that light could be affected by gravity was thought to be false, and therefore black holes, which result from gravitational pulls that suck away light, would not be possible. During the early twentieth century, with the discovery of the theory of relativity by Albert Einstein and discoveries by astrophysicist Karl Schwarzschild, belief in the theory of black holes returned (DeBenedictis 4). Further research took place once the technology advanced enough to produce models and test the various theories and equations that were used. Several types of research were employed to test the theory of black holes. One type of research, labeled as classical black hole research, begins with the theory of general relativity (DeBenedictis 14). Classical theory believes that â€Å"black holes can only absorb and not emit particles† (Hawking 199). Therefore, whatever information â€Å"falls into a black hole is forever lost† (Carr 22). Within classical black hole research, several different equations determine the spin, velocity and gravitational field surrounding the black hole and the particles that compose the black hole (DeBenedictis 22). Classical research deals with the geometry of black holes, specifically at the â€Å"event horizon† (Anderson 1). The event horizon constitutes â€Å"the boundary around a black  hole on and within which no matter or

Chapter 13 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chapter 13 - Essay Example Bich is torn between the Buddhist and Christianity religions, her grandmother is a Buddhist, and her new mother is a reformed catholic who is now an atheist, all her classmates at school are Christians, she struggles to fit in one of the religions. Her other dilemma is about the foods that they eat, as a kid she likes junk American food, but later in life she seems to mature up and takes the food that she is given at home. In the chapter thirteen of the book, the author narrates about her mature life in the 1980s, she replaces some of her childhood preferences with new ones. For example, the writer has a new liking to music, something that she did not even think about as a kid, It just she just appears to like it as she grows up, she is also attracted to some television shows, this indicates that she is influenced by the pop culture of the Americans. This Indicates that she is somehow adapting to the America life at last after a battle with the culture for a long time. The fact that she is no longer interested in American junk food and opts for Buddha’s dinner offered at home. This is an indication of conservation of native culture in the past a kid the author treasured American junk food, like spaghettis, apple pies, and jiffy muffins. This was because she wanted to feel like other American children and not necessarily, because she wanted it, this showed how much she wanted to fit in the American society. Later in life, she gains a liking for the Vietnamese food that is offered at home she takes this as a reminder of her culture back in Vietnam. This is an indication that she is now matured up, and is not willing to do things just to please others and to fit in the society, she is already comfortable with her life as an American and practicing her own culture does not bother her. The author quotes that she came of age in the 1980s; this indicates that she now accepted the fact that that she was an Asian American and not all-American as she heard with so me of her friends, she still treasured some of the Vietnamese culture, like the food and the religion. The author also narrates that no matter how many people she interacted with who practiced Christianity, she still felt drawn to Buddhism and thought of it as the legitimate religion for her. This chapter mainly emphasizes on the mature life of the author in the 1980s, how she had changed in some of the aspects of life. She now understands some of the things that she could not understand as a kid, like the all-American slogan on the billboard, as a child, the author could not understand the meaning of the phrase, she thought of fit mainly as a threat. That is why she tried so much to impress and fit into the American society, she seems to act out of desperation. As grown up she knows the meaning of the phrase and is not ready to leave aside some of her native culture, she accepts who she is and is not very determined to impress the American natives. She has her own values within whi ch she abides by. At this point, we see how much she treasures her culture; it indicates how culture is an important aspect in one’s life, Bich defends her religion at all costs, and is not swayed, by others even if she is the only one practicing the culture in the neighborhood. Her classmates openly show their disapproval for her culture, they even refer to their

Direct Digital Synthesis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Direct Digital Synthesis - Research Paper Example Direct digital synthesis is about storing waveform data points in digital format, and then recreating them with the use of digital to analog converters from the stored data. Essentially, the speed with which the synthesizer is able to regenerate the waveform is correlated with the waveform frequency. Digital techniques for mapping waveform data point into digital formats for storage and retrieval and are at the heart of DDS systems. In essence the basic components of a DDS system are the phase accumulator, the waveform map, the digital to analog converter or DAC, and the low pass filter, which sums up the DDS process from the mapping of the waveform signal into digital data, to the recreation of the analog waveform via the use of a DAC and a low pass filter to perfect the waveform. The illustration below details this simplified DDS system [1]: An even more simplified version of the DDS architecture shrinks it into two essential components, the phase generator/accumulator, which is time discrete, and the phase-to-waveform converter, for recreating the appropriate output signal of the DDS [2]: In the image above, the low pass filters and the waveform map that is part of the previous diagram are assumed to be present in the background, as peripheral components [1] [2]. On the other extreme is a more detailed diagram representing the basic functions of a DDS system, that expands on the first diagram above, and includes the waveform map and low pass filter [3]: The idea behind DDS is that waveforms of various kinds are easily implementable and can be easily recreated from digitally stored waveform data, and the freedom that this gives to designers includes that whereas in the past, more and more complex analog components were needed to recreate more and more complex waveforms, in the case of DDS systems all that is needed is stored digital data.  

Measuring Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Measuring Globalization - Essay Example The spread of globalization, according to many, allows for free trade and free markets in most of the developing countries. This is with the aim of alleviating poverty. Many corporations, from developed countries, are responsible for running the lives of many individuals. Globalization, today, is seen as a means to try and calculate the gap that exists between the poor and the rich. Economists try to address globalization, and the effect it may have on different individuals and countries. If there is a constant or an even growth in a country, there is likely to be more satisfaction. This is unlike when there is an uneven growth (Guinness 194). This is because the latter indicates that some areas will be better off than other areas. The most common method of measuring the globalization level in a country is the use of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in a region. It might be; import or export or the total consumption on import/export GDP in the region. This represents the final market value of goods in a country produced or consumed or a sum of both these factors within a year. In measuring globalization through the GDP, an increase in exports increases the country’s GDP, thus; symbolising growth in the country’s economic stature (Maher 109). The higher the annual growth rates, the higher the economic growth, through time. It is through such a constant method that allows for a country to trade freely along international lines. This may be because; their products are capturing a wider, global market. This indicates that

Literary analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Literary analysis - Essay Example The novel depicts his experiences in the War and serves as a good way to express his ideas about the Vietnam War. Other characters include Jimmy Cross, Martha, Mark Fossie, Mary Ann Bell and a lot more. Mary Ann Bell is the girlfriend of Mark Fossie and is known to be a sweet and naive lady when she first came to Vietnam. However, she has been influenced drastically by her environment. People see her to have a monstrous persona neglecting her heroic deeds. Thus, this has come to argument and needs to be defined through analyzing her character in the story. The author imposes many argumentative points in the story and needs further analyzing in order to comprehend with his objectives. It is unexpected for a lady to turn into a monstrous persona because her image depicts a sweet girlfriend and very innocent to what is happening in her environment. However, everything seems to change when her eyes are opened to the facts of what the soldiers are fighting for. While Mary Anne Bell is seen to be a monster to everyone, they kind of miss the positive side of what she did. The chapter â€Å"Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong† contests the thought that women are just meant to serve a man. As the girlfriend of Mark Fossie, it is expected on the character of Mary Anne Bell to portray a wife-material lady and be able to respond to what the role heeds. However, it had been posted that Mary Anne is a monster because of being into the war. She has learned to adopt the culture of the Vietnam (O’ Brien 107) and seems to be incompatible with what Mark Fossie used to. It is a matter of acceptance between them and hence the other one could not accept it, he regards her as a monster. However, there is a point that Fossie is trying to understand Mary Anne through influencing her back of what their real culture is but still the foreign one prevails. Indeed, Mary Ann Bell has changed from a sweet to an independent lady and that is why she is seen as a monster.

Health Risks of being Obese and Dangers of Anorexia, Bulimia, and Research Paper

Health Risks of being Obese and Dangers of Anorexia, Bulimia, and Gastric By-Pass - Research Paper Example Adults as well as children have been observed to frequently suffer from obesity in modern day context. Obesity is one of the major origins of preventable death. There are various health risks which are attached with obesity or overweight. The health risks associated with obesity are Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, gallbladder disease, pregnancy complications, liver disease as well as sleep apnea among others. Obesity is considered as a psychological as well as a physical problem. Moreover, psychological problems relating to depression, eating disorder and anxiety are among the factors which are responsible for disrupting healthy diet. Body mass index (BMI) is a technique utilized with the intention of determining health risks of a person associated with an individual weight. BMI is normally a proportion of weight to height (NIDDK, 2007). Obesity is determined to be a major problem related to health for both children and adult. It is one of the main public health related problems. Moreover, obesity is considered to be a complex problem. In this regard, there are many factors including nutrition, genetic, energy consumption as well as environment factors which are responsible for contributing to obesity etiology. Overweight children possess many chronic conditions which may lead to obesity in their adult life. Obesity raises the risk of non-insulin dependent diabetes in adults as well as in children. Moreover, obesity in childhood can also lead to high blood pleasure related medical condition in adulthood. Hypertension is related to obesity which may cause cerebral hemorrhage and heart disease (Raman, 2002). Eating disorder is a major reason for obesity. Food is considered as a coping material for individuals suffering from weight gain problem. In this concern, individuals possessing these problems tend to intake food in order to cope up with anxious or stressed situations as well as circumstances. Intake of high

How to Govern Effectively In a Corrupt Society Essay Example for Free

How to Govern Effectively In a Corrupt Society Essay Corruption can be simply defined as an act of dishonesty for the sole purpose of personal gain or selfish interest. It invariably means dishonest exploitations and manipulation of power for personal gains. Again, it means an immoral act of manipulation or depravity of material, power etc for ones selfish interest. To divorce the third world countries from corruption is literally a Herculean task. In as much as corruption, a great social vice, is not only found in third world countries, it is quite peculiar and most profound in these nations. It afflicts all nations with bad leaders, which eventually spreads to other citizens. In any government, be it democratically elected or otherwise, it is almost impossible not to have at least a single corrupt individual in the ruling government. Corruption is a vicious circle, it inhibits development in nations, and thus bestowing such nation a third world country features. There are several types of corruption, which include; Bribery; illegal collection of money or material before doing one’s official duty Graft; illicit and illegal request of things by public office holders. Patronage; misuse of public position. Embezzlement; misappropriation and mismanagement of fund Kickbacks nvolvement in organized crime etc. Other type of corruption apart from and political corruption include; â€Å"Corporate corruption, as the abuse of power by corporate managers against the shareholders or consumers†. Causes of Corruption include; i. Lack of transparency in the government; when the governments’ activities are not easily accessible by the general public, the government tend to mismanage the public’s fund and also indulge in all sort of corrupt practices. ii. Bad leaders; Corruption leaders do not only embezzle, them also do all sort immoral acts while in government. iii. Masses lack of interest in the government; when the general public is not charismatic and is not particular in electing good leaders in to government, it results in corruption. iv. Irresponsive government; when government do not have programs that take care of the welfare and economic affairs of it citizen, citizen tend to take care of themselves in all sort of ways both fraudulent and corrupt ways. v. Weak accountability, lack of timely financial management. vi. Poverty; in a society where poverty is vast, the masses tend to indulge in corruption to improve their finances. However, Political corruption is the most severe type of corruption for it affects not only the political system, it affects the entire economy of the nation. The Economic effects include; In the government, corruption undermines both economic and social development by creating distortions, extortion of the masses and inefficiency in the public office. It also brings about nepotism, which kills creativity and a value of self achievement. In the private sector, corruption simply increases the cost of production through the price of â€Å"illegal payments and the management cost of negotiating with officials†. It also leads to breached agreements, distrust and inflation. In several cases, the masses are the victims of corruption, it results into economic distortions in the public sector by diverting public investment into capital projects where bribes and kickbacks are more plentiful. Again, tax payers money are diverted into private use by corrupt leaders. Social amenities are either not provided or the few available are not maintained. Public â€Å"Officials may increase the technical complexity of public sector projects to conceal or pave way for such dealings, thus further distorting investment. Corruption also lowers compliance with construction, environmental, or other regulations, reduces the quality of government services and infrastructure, and increases budgetary pressures on government†. Types of leaders that could handle Corruptions; The leaders that should be elected to tackle corruption are leaders which are well vast in democratic process. They should be well educated both in the history of their people and the development of democracy in the western world. To take a tip from the philosophers, a true ruler must highly intelligent, learned and well expose to democratic precedents. Again such leaders should be contentious, level headed, god fearing, incorrigible and most especially must be ready pursue democratic due process in all cases. A patriotic leader would not want his/her nation to be backward, hence would fight all corrupts advances proffered towards the development of the nation. Reference Dipo Irele, Corruption the evil against development. University press,Oyo state,Nigeria. 2002

Power Balance Bands Conclusion Essay Example for Free

Power Balance Bands Conclusion Essay The purpose of this experiment was to once and for all answer the question, â€Å"do the Power Balance Bands truly have an effect on a person’s balance strength and flexibility or is the whole thing a scam? † The company claims that the these bracelets have a hologram in it and when the hologram comes in contact with your body’s energy field, it allows your body to interact with the natural, beneficial frequency stored within the hologram, resulting in improved energy flow throughout your body. But is this true? The original claim for this experiment was that if people are wearing the power balance band while participating in various balance, strength, and flexibility tests then the band will in fact not have any effect on the persons balance, strength, or flexibility. The data showed a very small difference between the performance of the â€Å"fake† and â€Å"real† Power Balance Bands. All three tests showed no more than a . 3% difference between the means for both bands. This experiment was essentially an experiment testing the placebo effect on the use of the Power Balance Bracelet. The placebo effect is the measurable, observable, or felt improvement in health or behavior not attributable to a medication or invasive treatment that has been administered. The goal was to convince people the â€Å"original† Power Balance band actually worked, and that the â€Å"fake† one didn’t. My results showed little to no change in performance regardless of which band the student was wearing. This observation confirmed my hypothesis that neither band would have any affect on a person’s performance. The systematic error in this experiment was that I was not able to test 50 tests subject, I was only able to test 36 which luckily still allowed me to get accurate results. The Random error in this experiment was that it was difficult to measure the improvement, or digression of the participants, for both the Balance Test and the Strength Test. The only recorded limitation for this experiment was the fact that while performing the Balance and Strength Test if each participant made to 10 seconds while balancing they were stopped and had their abilities observed and recorded. The generalizability of the results can apply to all humans however; this experiment is exclusive in that it cannot be generalized for all other objects, insects, or animals. For future directions I would increase the sample size, and also change the tests so that they can be measured by something other than time.

Palliative Care Clinical Experience

Palliative Care Clinical Experience Introduction The purpose of this assignment is to reflect on a clinical experience in palliative care and demonstrate the knowledge and skills associated with this. The symptoms, symptom management and government guidelines and standards will also be discussed in relation to how this will impact the care of the patients who are experiencing life threatening illnesses. This will be achieved through using Gibbs (1988) model of reflection. I chose this model of reflection because it is clear and cyclical model which allows the reflector to revisit the same problem and also to examine my practice which will help me to develop and improve in the future. Description As an adult nursing student, I will be reflecting on an experience with a patient who was receiving palliative care that I encountered during my community placement. The patient received palliative care and required management of symptoms to help maintain their quality of life for the patient and their family. This involved a patient, who will be named Mr. Jones for confidentiality reasons. Mr. Jones was an elderly patient who had been diagnosed with bowel cancer along with liver metastases, the cancer was in the advanced stages. Mr. Jones was being cared for at home by his wife and carers who visited him at home twice a day to help with getting him up, washing and dressing and helping him back to bed. The district nursing team also visited him on a regular basis. When meeting with the patient his main concern was his pain control and available options which he would be able to receive to manage this. Feelings Initially when I heard about the diagnosis I was intrigued and wanted to find out more about the patient and their condition. When I met the patient I felt sympathetic towards him and the family and upon discussion he revealed that he felt like giving up and ending it all. A mixture of thoughts entered my mind, although I could understand why he would want to give up, the only reason was because he was worried about the pain he was starting to experience. When the nurse and I discussed the pain control options he appeared to be more positive about the situation and apologized for what he had said. On reflection it was a positive experience as it allowed me to see how people cope differently with terminal conditions, and the impact it has on the family and carers Evaluation During this experience I thought that the nursing team had built a good professional relationship with the patient and their family. The patient had plenty of time to discuss any concerns or issues that he had .The issues discussed such as symptom management were all assessed and prioritized well; how the patient is feeling is important and needs to be taken into consideration. This would also need to be discussed with his wife alone, to find out how she is feeling and to offer her support. When discussed further, the feelings of giving up related to his pain management. This is why the Visual Analogue Scale was used for a couple of weeks to monitor the progression of his pain (Crichton 2001). I found the tool to be beneficial for effective management of pain because it was a good indicator as to when we would need to adjust his analgesia using the World Health Organization (WHO) analgesic ladder (WHO, 2004). This aims to give the correct drug, correct dose, given at the correct time and proves to be inexpensive and 80-90% effective (WHO, 2004). This ensured the patient was in the least amount of pain which enabled them to carry on with activities of daily living. Analysis The World Health Organization (2009) has defined palliative care as: an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems such as physical, psychosocial and spiritual.Caring for those receiving palliative care in the community during the end stages of life requires an extraordinary commitment from the nursing team, not only human resource but also competence, compassion and focus in anticipating the needs of the patient and family. It is a complex activity involving a holistic approach, building relationships together with expert professional skills and decision making processes (Melvin 2003). As well as pain, other common symptoms during advanced cancer are nausea and vomiting, with rates ranging from 50-60% (Kearney and Richardson, 2006). It is important to treat the reversible causes of nausea and vomiting before resorting to antiemetics. This can be achieved by appropriate assessment and documentation of symptoms which evaluate the effect of treatment given and can be completed and reviewed quickly to utilize less patient energy and nursing time (Kearney and Richardson, 2006). Cancer patients also experience psychological or affective symptoms of fatigue which include lack of energy and motivation, depression, sadness and anxiety, the sense of willpower and fighting spirit is often lacking and personal resources that have usually kept a person going in the past are ineffective (Juenger, 2002). Fatigue can take away the ability to do things that the patient and family want to do or need to do. The control over life events reduces, further affecting the persons quality of life. An essential part of nursing care for fatigue includes returning some of that control (Porock 2003). Giving information can be a positive way to do this. Nu rses can explain that the person is not alone in the experience as fatigue is an expected occurrence in advanced cancer and discuss the causes of fatigue, effects and side effects of treatment and the impact of stress and depression, this will help the patient to manage the fatigue more effectively (Porock 2003).Mr. Jones was prescribed oral slow-release Morphine Sulphate for his pain, however he was beginning to experience break through pain, nausea and vomiting which was making it difficult for him to take his morphine. We suggested he kept a record of his pain over a couple of weeks using a visual analogue scale (VAS). When we visited him again we were able to use the VAS to assess his pain and make changes to analgesia as appropriate using the analgesic ladder (see appendix). From the assessment it was appropriate to increase his analgesia to step 3 of the analgesic ladder (WHO, 2004). A syringe driver was prescribed to administer morphine and an antiemetic over a 24 hour period which could be increased or decreased as required. Providing drug compatibilities have been checked, a combination of three drugs can usually be administered safely with the advantage that vomiting will not affect absorption, as it is given subcutaneously and the gut is not involved (Thompson, 2004). Although using a syringe driver improves symptom management with minimal inconvenience, complications can arise and nurses should be able to recognize these quickly and solve the problems efficiently (Lugton, 2002). The disadvantages of using this equipment is the painful injection site, infection risks and infusion rate problems (Thompson, 2004). Mr. Jones commented on giving up and after further discussion, we found this related to his pain. Evidence shows that there is a link between chronic pain and depression as they share similar physiological pathways, whilst social and psychological factors appear to affect the severity of it and when they co-exist the severity of both conditions appears to worsen (Gray, 2001). Ineffective management of psychiatric disorders can be caused by failure to recognize, diagnose and treat appropriately in palliative care settings with 50% of psychiatric disorders being undetected (Payne et al, 2007). Patients with cancer should have access to appropriate psychological support and should be assessed regularly by trained professionals as recommended by National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE, 2004).Many people may wish to try complementary and alternative medicines to improve symptoms of their cancer, the reason being many feel dissatisfied with conventional medicine and feel the desir e to experience holistic health care for symptomatic relief with a sense of well being (Nayak et al 2003). Auricular acupuncture (acupuncture to the ear), therapeutic touch, and hypnosis may help to manage cancer pain, whilst music therapy, massage, and hypnosis may have an effect on anxiety, and both acupuncture and massage may have a therapeutic role in cancer fatigue (Mansky and Wallerstedt 2006). However there is a lack of evidence to support that complementary and alternative medicine treatments are effective, the risks associated with them are unknown and can potentially be harmful. There has been increasing concern with the use of botanicals and dietary supplements by cancer patients because of the potential interaction between them and prescription drugs (Mansky and Wallerstedt 2006). During this experience, I realised just how important communication is, not only in this situation, but any situation that includes the patient, relatives, carers and multi-disciplinary team. C ommunication is an essential part of good nursing practice and forms the basis for building a trusting relationship that will greatly improve care and help to reduce anxiety and stress for patients, their relatives and carers (NMC 2008). Groogan (1999) acknowledges that communication is not something that people to do one another, but it is a process in which they can create a relationship by interacting with each other. From Mr. Jones perspective, patient-focused communication can be the most important aspect of treatment, due to its capacity to exacerbate or relieve the fear that often accompanies cancer, with evidence of effective communication resulting in decreased anxiety, greater coping ability and adherence to treatment (Dickson 1999). Communication can be divided into three types; cognitive, emotional and spiritual. Cognitive communication involves the giving and receiving of information, emotional communication involves the feeling and expression of psychological responses and spiritual communication involves the expression and feeling of thoughts relating to existing issues beyond the person (Fallowfield Jenkins 1999). When speaking with Mr. Jones and his family the language used was clear and easy to understand. Stress, emotions and fatigue that accompany a terminal illness make it necessary for the information to be repeated to ensure the patient and family have absorbed it and feel reassured (Latimer 2000).Mr. Jones was given enough time to discuss his concerns and issues without feeling like he had a limited period or that the nurses had many other patients to see, however, what often matters is the quality of interaction rather than the length of time. Giving a few moments of time which are totally focused on the patients communication needs can often limit the amount of time spent communicating later when further explanation or clarification is needed (Faull et al, 2005). Mallet and Dougherty (2000) suggested that patients tend to be more dis satisfied with poor communication than with any other aspect of their care and concluded ineffective communication continues to be a major issue in health care.The Department of Health has produced the End of Life Care Strategy (DoH 2008) which promotes high quality care for all adults at the end of life which is the first for the United Kingdom and covers adults in England. Its aim is to provide people approaching the end of life with more choice about where they would like to live and die. In addition, the Macmillan Gold Standards Framework (2003) is another way of combining many different practices. The framework includes 7 Gold Standards which relate to key aspects of care, and guidelines for best practice on teamwork and continuity of care, advanced planning, symptom control and support for patients and their carers. Primary Health Care Teams who join the programme are guided and supported through a combination of workshops, resource materials and networking (Macmillan Cancer R elief 2003). In place is also the NICE clinical guidance on supportive and palliative care (NICE 2004) which advises those who develop and deliver cancer services for adults with cancer about what is needed to make sure that patients, their families and carers, are well informed, cared for and supported. These initiatives had a positive impact on Mr. Jones as the nurses were able to use these guidelines to offer Mr. Jones the best care suited for him and he was then able to make informed decisions regarding the care he would like to receive. These initiatives also have a positive impact on health care professionals as they are supported and encouraged to improve their knowledge through workshops and resource materials. Action Plan/Conclusion My reflection of this experience has taught me how complex it is caring for someone receiving palliative care. It requires a holistic approach to ensure the patient and the family receive the best possible care in accordance with the guidelines and standards, in which they must remain empowered and make informed choices regarding their care and treatment with the help of health care professionals. I now understand how complicated symptom management can be; cancer patients experience many symptoms from their condition and also side effects from their medication. Assessments are vital to ensure the appropriate treatment and management of symptoms. The importance of communication has been brought to my attention once again, in my future nursing practice I will focus on my communication skills as this is an essential part of good nursing practice and plays a vital role in palliative care. Although this was an upsetting experience it has also been a positive one as this will affect my fut ure nursing practice a great deal as I have gained vital skills to look after those receiving palliative care and I am now aware of the various strategies and frameworks in place to ensure patients and families receive a high standard of care.

Quasi-experimental Design :: Research methods and statistics

I. Jackson (2012), even-numbered chapter exercises, p 360. 2. The recommended design for this type of study is a non-equivalent control group post-test only design. 4. If a study is confounded, the researcher is not absolutely certain that changes in the dependent variable were caused by the manipulation of the independent variable, or some other uncontrolled variable. In a non-equivalent control group post-test only design, any differences observed between the two classes may be due to the non-equivalence of the groups and not to the injection of quizzes. No pre-test measures were given to establish equivalence. Another confound that may impact the results of this study could be the testing effect. Repeated testing may lead to better or worse performance. Changes in performance on the test may be due to prior experience with the test and not to the independent variable. In addition, repeated testing fatigues the subjects, and their performance declines as a result (Jackson, 2012). Because the professor is interested in determining if the implementation of weekly quizzes would improve test scores, an experimenter and/or an instrumentation effect may also affect results. In a single group post-test only design, possible confounds include the lack of a comparison group and the absence of an equivalent control group. Once again, a testing and an experimenter effect could also contribute to changes in test performance. 6. A single-case design is used when: 1. Only one person is measured. 2. The researcher does not want or need to generalize the results to a population. 3. The researcher believes it is unethical to withhold treatment to one group. 8. A multiple-baseline design differs from a reversal design by attempting to control for confounds through the introduction of treatment at differing time intervals to a few different people, to the same person in different situations, or to the same person across different behaviors. Reversal designs attempt to control for confounds by reversing the baseline and treatment conditions one or more times to assess the impact on behavior (Jackson, 2012). 2. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of quasi-experiments? What is the fundamental weakness of a quasi-experimental design? Why is it a weakness? Does its weakness always matter? Quasi-experimental designs are experimental designs that do not provide for the full control of extraneous variables. Primarily, the absence of control in this design is due to the lack of random assignment to groups. Quasi-experimental research designs are used in the study of cause and effect by manipulating the independent variable.

Modern Criticism of Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin Essay -- Uncle Toms Cabi

Modern Criticism of Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin It is extremely difficult for the modern reader to understand and appreciate Uncle Tom’s Cabin because Harriet Beecher Stowe was writing for an audience very different from us. We don’t share the cultural values and myths of Stowe’s time, so her novel doesn’t affect us the way it affected its original readers. For this reason, Uncle Tom’s Cabin has been heavily scrutinized by the modern critic. However, the aspects of the novel that are criticized now are the same aspects that held so much appeal for its original audience. Many people condemn Uncle Tom’s Cabin simply because it is a sentimental novel. This genre appeals to the reader’s emotions in order to enact social change. While popular during Stowe’s time, the sentimental novel is now scorned by many members of the academy, such as Baldwin: â€Å"Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a very bad novel, having, in its self-righteous, virtuous sentimentality, much in common with Little Women† (496). Some modern readers are repulsed by Stowe’s desire to reform society, but that is because in our times the purpose of literature is to represent the world, not change it. Because the modern critic finds it hard to identify with Stowe’s genuine desire to improve society, he sees it as an example of her self-righteousness. Because the sentimental novel appeals to the reader’s emotions, many of its scenes may strike the modern reader as overly dramatic. Baldwin claims "the ostentatious parading of excessive and spurious emotion, is the mark of dishonesty, the inability to feel; the wet eyes of the sentimentalist betray his aversion to experience, his fear of life, his arid heart; and it is always, therefore, the signal of secret and violent inhumani... ...lture. Most twenty-first century readers are annoyed by the novel’s sentimentality, the religious undertones, and the martyr figures, among other things, but these same qualities that we dislike are what appealed to the novel’s original audience. Being outsiders, it is hard for us to accept Stowe’s message that love must conquer social injustices. However, one must wonder if her own contemporaries accepted this message, since Stowe would have seen the Civil War as forcing change within society without eliminating the prejudices that produced it. Bibliography Baldwin, James. â€Å"Everybody’s Protest Novel.† Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Ed. Elizabeth Ammons. New York: W.W. Norton & Company; 1994. 495-501. Tompkins, Jane. â€Å"Sentimental Power: Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the Politics of Literary History.† Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Ed. Elizabeth Ammons. New York: Norton; 1994. 501-522. Modern Criticism of Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin Essay -- Uncle Toms Cabi Modern Criticism of Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin It is extremely difficult for the modern reader to understand and appreciate Uncle Tom’s Cabin because Harriet Beecher Stowe was writing for an audience very different from us. We don’t share the cultural values and myths of Stowe’s time, so her novel doesn’t affect us the way it affected its original readers. For this reason, Uncle Tom’s Cabin has been heavily scrutinized by the modern critic. However, the aspects of the novel that are criticized now are the same aspects that held so much appeal for its original audience. Many people condemn Uncle Tom’s Cabin simply because it is a sentimental novel. This genre appeals to the reader’s emotions in order to enact social change. While popular during Stowe’s time, the sentimental novel is now scorned by many members of the academy, such as Baldwin: â€Å"Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a very bad novel, having, in its self-righteous, virtuous sentimentality, much in common with Little Women† (496). Some modern readers are repulsed by Stowe’s desire to reform society, but that is because in our times the purpose of literature is to represent the world, not change it. Because the modern critic finds it hard to identify with Stowe’s genuine desire to improve society, he sees it as an example of her self-righteousness. Because the sentimental novel appeals to the reader’s emotions, many of its scenes may strike the modern reader as overly dramatic. Baldwin claims "the ostentatious parading of excessive and spurious emotion, is the mark of dishonesty, the inability to feel; the wet eyes of the sentimentalist betray his aversion to experience, his fear of life, his arid heart; and it is always, therefore, the signal of secret and violent inhumani... ...lture. Most twenty-first century readers are annoyed by the novel’s sentimentality, the religious undertones, and the martyr figures, among other things, but these same qualities that we dislike are what appealed to the novel’s original audience. Being outsiders, it is hard for us to accept Stowe’s message that love must conquer social injustices. However, one must wonder if her own contemporaries accepted this message, since Stowe would have seen the Civil War as forcing change within society without eliminating the prejudices that produced it. Bibliography Baldwin, James. â€Å"Everybody’s Protest Novel.† Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Ed. Elizabeth Ammons. New York: W.W. Norton & Company; 1994. 495-501. Tompkins, Jane. â€Å"Sentimental Power: Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the Politics of Literary History.† Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Ed. Elizabeth Ammons. New York: Norton; 1994. 501-522.

Old And New Imperialism :: Imperialism History Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There were two different time periods where Imperialism occurred. The first wave of imperialism, called the 'Old' Imperialism, lasted from around 1500 - 1800. The 'New' Imperialism lasted from around 1870 - 1914. The three main differences that we will discuss today are the differences in economics, politics, and the motive behind all of this.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The new and the old waves of imperialism were very much different through economics. The old economics was pretty much all about trading, they imply bought the wares brought to them by the native merchants. They didn?t have much of a money system; it was sort of a trade system. Also in old imperialism they had trade commerce on much of the coast in South America as well as Islands near Asia and England. So the wave of old imperialism was all about trading. However, the new imperialism had a different economic idea. They didn?t just want the goods of native merchants; they wanted special types of predicts. They would move into countries to get their products. Instead of having trade centers along coasts, they would set up plantations, docks, and factories in other countries. They also got as much money as they could out of people; it was all about getting money in the new imperialism unlike that of the old imperialism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The new and old waves of imperialism also differed politically. In new imperialism, they wanted to dominate politically, they wanted their politics to dominate and rule everything. They wanted to dominate in order to secure their investments. Although in old imperialism the people didn?t care so much to have political power everywhere, they just wanted someone to rule them and keep trade going in the countries that they are living in.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The motive in the new wave of imperialism and in the old wave of imperialism had a great difference. Old imperialism?s motives was mainly about bringing civilization to other countries, and teach them how to live. They just wanted glory, gold, and they wanted the satisfaction of thinking they did something good in Gods eyes. But the new motive is completely different. In the new wave of imperialism they wanted to take over already largely populated areas.

Education in Allegory of the Cave

It is usually said that education is the key to success. This saying amplifies the focus on success and hinders the complexity of education. In The Allegory of the Cave, Plato exploits Darkness, intermediacy and Enlightenment to demonstrate education as a complex journey of achieving knowledge. Through exploring Allegory of the cave, the first stage of education is darkness. Darkness is figuratively where one is obstructed from gaining knowledge.Plato high lights this point and writes, â€Å"—human beings living in an underground den, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along den; here they have been from childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by chains from turning around their heads. † ( ¶ 1) When the prisoners are in the darkness, this symbolizes their ignorance and lack knowledge. Although there is always a way that leads to gaining knowledge, there are obstacle s that prevent the prisoners from pursuing knowledge.The exit that leads to the â€Å"light† shows that there is a way that leads to gaining knowledge. The â€Å"legs and necks† being bound demonstrates the obstacles that are preventing the prisoners from pursuing knowledge which limits them to be short sighted and only see what is â€Å"before them†. Darkness is the initial stage in education that is hindering the prisoners from gaining knowledge. Darkness led to a stage of intermediacy that involves challenges and adjusting from ignorance to knowledgeable.Plato continues, â€Å"—if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled to suddenly stand up and turn his neck around and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him and he will be unable to see the realities—â€Å" ( ¶ 15) When Darkness is figuratively gone and there are no obstacl e, the prisoner has a weak excuse not to pursue knowledge. When the prisoner is breaking from inertia by standing up, the prisoner experiences â€Å"sharp pains. This reveals the resistance to change that the prisoner has from being ignorant to being knowledgeable. The â€Å"glare† afflicting the prisoner announces that the prisoner was figuratively in darkness before and the â€Å"distress† the prisoner experiences is the process of learning. The intermediate stage in education is a learning stage of adjusting from ignorance. Through intermediacy was the rise of enlightenment. Enlightenment symbolizes a phase where knowledge is gained and one is completely informed.Towards the end of â€Å"The Allegory of the Cave† Plato writes, â€Å"Last of all he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will see him in his own proper place, and not in another; and he will contemplate him as he is. † ( ¶ 23) In â€Å"The All egory of the Cave†, the hierarchy of light shows the â€Å"sun† to be at metaphorically the highest level. The prisoner having the ability to catch sight of the â€Å"sun† reveals that he is enlightened, thus he has gained knowledge to comprehend.The prisoner also experiences a completely new perspective due to the knowledge he gained. Enlightenment is the final complex stage in education where one obtains knowledge. Throughout â€Å"The Allegory of the Cave†, The process of achieving knowledge is through darkness, intermediacy and enlightenment. Darkness consists of barriers that interfere with one pursuit of knowledge. Intermediacy is a learning stage that leads to enlightenment of gaining knowledge. Plato affirmed education as a derange journey.

Owen’s perception on religion based on Anthem for Doomed Youth and Futility Essay

How would you describe Owen’s perception on religion based on Anthem for Doomed Youth and Futility? Owen questioned the existence of religion through different ways in both poem. In Anthem for Doomed Youth, he used war related images to replace what a ‘normal’ funeral would have which in contrast shows the absence of religion. For Futility, he questioned the existence of God when it is needed. Both expression suggests he was not a follower of religion instead he has a strong point of view on it. His view on religion could be impacted by the despair that was caused by war. The tone of the first stanza in Futility was very gentle. The image of the sun suggests light, warmth, hope and even god himself. Owen personified the sun as â€Å"old† and â€Å"kind† adding warmth to the tone. The warm tone of the first four lines of the poem suggests he once had faith in religion even in â€Å"France† which could be a reference to war. â€Å"Until† the soldier was killed on this â€Å"morning† and this â€Å"snow†. The word â€Å"morning† sounds like â€Å"mourning† creating a sad imagery and â€Å"snow† which suggests the cold, the opposite of warmth, the devil. Although the soldier’s life was already taken he still had faith in god, he believed there â€Å"might† be a possibility that the sun, the god could bring life from dead again. Moving on the second stanza, the change of tone is very obvious. This is suggested through the demanding word â€Å"think†. The harsh â€Å"k† sound conveys the frustration and desperation the poet has for god. â€Å"Seeds† suggests growth and â€Å"clays of the cold star† is a biblical imagery because man are made from clay, both suggests the beginning of life. If the sun is the mother of creation why can’t he resurrect this soldier yet God himself rose from the dead? Yet the many stories of God healing man from all sort of diseases are given life again but not this fallen soldier whose body is â€Å"still warm†? Owen described the body as â€Å"so dear-achieved†, this is a praise to god’s creation. Why could god create such majestic mankind yet he could not bring life back to the solider? Here Owen repetitively questioned and mocked the existence of god, where is he when he is needed? â€Å"Was it for this the clay grew tall† this line is very important because it links to the title of the poem, Futility, what is the point of life when it ends in death, again a heavy tone of mockery is hinted through this line. Owen described the sunbeams as â€Å"fatuous† again the pointlessness of the sending warm to mankind when all they do is brutally destroy each other, indirectly calling god foolish and questioning his existence. Rhetorical questions are repetitively used to express the poet’s frustration, the pointlessness of life and to make the reader’s think. ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ the title is a juxtaposition as a opening to a poem full of irony. Throughout the entire poem Owen compared religious rituals to striking war imagery suggesting religion are not the saints they claim to be,instead just like war they are also covered in blood and sins. Owen opened the poem with a rhetorical question emphasizing on the worthlessness of the lives of the soldiers. The intention of â€Å"Passing-bells† was to bring attention that the soul is now passing to the other world and scare the devil away from obtaining this soul yet Owen compared the bells to â€Å"monstrous anger of the guns† and â€Å"stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle†. The word â€Å"monstrous† suggests destruction,death and evilness. Alliteration was used to mimic the sound of gun fires. Using these evil death related imagery as a substitute for â€Å"passing bells† suggests the devil have already obtained these souls,the evil won. The soldiers died as a â€Å"cattle†,could be linked to religious rituals such as sacrifice. But not sacrificing for the kind but the evil. â€Å"Hasty† was used to describe the eulogy for the soldiers,there’s no time for respectful eulogy,the war would not stop for one fallen soldier or even hundreds it will still go on. These soldiers are just sacrifices to the bigger image since the churches at the time supported war,they believed it was rein-acting the bible,they believed these deaths were worth it because they thought it will bring them to a better place. Again the irony,churches were suppose to spread peace yet they were the one who supported violence,they supported the evil acts. â€Å"No mockeries† for the soldiers because their deaths have no dignity nor honour. It also suggests the attitude Owen has for religion, â€Å"mockeries† as these religion rituals are just for the surface. These rituals does not make their deaths more honourable, does not take away sorrow from their family ,does not bring their lives back. The confusing comparisons Owen listed throughout the poem by substituting evil images for religious rituals makes the reader question if there is a difference between light and dark,could it be the same thing? Could the church be the devil in disguise? All these religion rituals at a funeral could be a mask for the dirty works of the devil,as a comfort for the family believing that their loved ones died honourably when their bodies was simply lined up and thrown into the underground which links to hell,going back to who they served in the war the devil. These two poems both expressed Owen’s perception on religion very clearly. He questioned the existence and purpose of religion.

Sociology and Modernity

Modernity is one phrase that is complex to define. This is because no precise definition of modernity that is globally accepted has been decided upon. This is inclusive of the sociology field that has seen so many theories brought about to define modernity. However, we can have a general definition defining modernity as a post-middle age era that is discernible with a drastic change from the pre-modern concept of agrarianism to a world of industrialization, capitalism, urbanization, rationalization and general social change that was tremendously adopted by the entire world, though having its root origins in Europe in the times around 1700. Renaissance was the immediate time that preceded modernity; renaissance in this case referring to the last moments of the middle-aged era. This era was all about scientific and industrial revolution that saw the rise of many inventions that have come to define the modernity of modernization. The social change can be attributed to the enlightenment of human kind as Immanuel Kant stated in one of his famous books. Many definitions have been thus brought up in the field of sociology and by different philosophers. Karl Marx defines modernity as a capitalist revolution. Capitalism is a state of economic status that is based on individualism in that an individual invests in different ownerships or businesses for the sole purpose of personal benefits or for profit motive. He therefore sees modernity as an evil phenomenon and seriously criticizes it. On the other hand, Max Weber defines modernity on the basis of personal beliefs that eventually lead to the social changes that occur in modernization. He sees modernity as a trend that leads to the reduction in traditional values and beefs up rationalization that he so much fears would eventually corrode off humanity. He is so pessimistic on the effects of modernity given the mean definition that he gives to the phenomenon. The last of the philosophers to provide a definition in our essay will be Emile Durkheim. Durkheim at least had an optimistic definition of modernity, though not entirely optimistic. He defined modernity on the basis of labor division. He believed that modernity would bring in the world the concept of diversification of economic activities in the human society. He saw modernization as a shift of change in the way the community operated; the solidarity change from mechanical to organic. On the pessimistic side, he however dreads anomie, a state that describes minimal moral guidance provided to individuals in the society (Calhoun, Gerteis, and Moody 46). As defined in the introductory part, modernity carries along different social changes and cultural values that define a clear-cut difference from the same elements that were experienced in the pre-modern age. Modernity has greatly affected the basis of the family in the world today. The family as an institution, coupled with many other things like marriage, morality and religion have all been compromised. In the pre-modern age, the morality of the society stemmed from the family institution. Thus, the cautiousness that was always involved in the upbringing of a moral family was the number one priority by the family heads at that time (Macionis 4). Politics has undergone dynamic transformation due to the effect modernity. In the pre-modern days, politics was not as dominative as it is in the modern world. Modernity has caused governments to have a very dominative hand by heavily regulating its citizens by very intricate and uncongenial bureaucratic formation. The economy is another entity that has defined modernity. In the pre-modern era, economy was defined by agrarian productivity. This can even be demonstrated by the Feudalist system of government that existed in Europe. This system of a political system involved land being exchanged in turn for services. It was a system where the lords, who were the land owners, gave out land to vassals, who were the tenants. The land in this kind of political system was referred to as fief. However, the economy in the modern society has completely taken a twist, with capitalism being the system. Capitalism centered on the personal interests and profits motive of either an individual or a country. This means no rational prioritization will be taken if at all a country or an individual has the aim of making profit. This is a system that was widely condemned by philosophers such as Karl Marx (Calhoun, Gerteis, Moody, Pfaff, and Virk 122). The different philosophers who came up with the various definitions of modernity had varied expectations and predictions that would come along modernity. Karl Marx had a very pessimistic view of modernity. He highly criticized capitalism, an economy system that he claimed set in with modernity. He sees capitalism as a profit motivated system and therefore a selfish system. He also feared the rise of classes in the society, something that he describes as the baby of capitalism. He abhorrently condemns capitalism as greed and self interest and had very pessimistic expectations of the modern world. He foresees challenges such as extreme poverty while other countries swam in a lot of wealth, all with the advent of a capitalist economy. Max Weber, with his definition of modernity being based on human rationality, had his fears on the degradation of humanity. Weber was also pessimistic on the way modernity would transform the world. He foresaw the alienation of social justice that would set in as a result of the change in individuals beliefs brought about by modernity (Calhoun et al 122). Among these three philosophers, Emile Durkheim at least had an optimistic view of the setting in of modernity. With his definition of modernity being based on the division of labor, he saw modernity bringing in drastic growth of the economy. This would occur due to labor diversification and specialization that would equally distribute human resource to every economic activity. His expectations for the advent of modernity were therefore high. Despite him having these positive expectations, he had a fear of anomie. This is a state where there is slow degradation of morals in the society due to disregard of moral guidance by human who would have all their minds set towards the development of the economy. The subject of modernity has always raised a lot of arguments. Many philosophers have brought up theories trying to define modernity but no articular theory has been globally accepted to define modernity. With this essay though, we have had an overview of the various definitions of modernity by the three philosophers: Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. We have also seen their premonitions, feelings and expectations of modernity. Different aspects of modernity and the change of these aspects that affect modernity have been discussed and compared to with the pre-modern age. However, even with all these, it should still be clear that there still exists no precise definition of modernity and the term is open to any belief that any person could come up with.

A History of African Music Essay

Music Essay African music roots start in every aspect of society. Their culture is formed from there environment hunting but mostly on their tradition. Their music reflects this not only is it entertaining it serves as a way to pass knowledge and stories to the next generation. African music has a variety of different instruments that they use throughout their songs. Music in African culture also has very strong spiritual and religious meanings. The recent history of African musical influence has played a large part in encouraging the current trend toward African musical appreciation. During the 1950s, when the Africans experienced rapid urbanization and a relatively booming economy, the two French-speaking colonies of the Congo area witnessed the birth of an African version of the Cuban rumba played by small American-style orchestras. Some artists that are African are Afro-National, Khaled Agag, Eric Agyeman, and Mahmoud Ahmed. Other than using their voices, which has been developed to use various techniques, they use a wide array of musical instruments are used. African musical instruments include a wide range of drums, slit gongs, rattles, double bells, and melodic instruments including string instruments. Other percussion instruments include many rattles and shakers, such as the kosika, rain stick, bells and wood sticks. Also, Africa has lots of other types of drums, and lots of flutes, and lots of stringed and wind instruments. The traditional tribal African music has deep meaning in its lyrics along with its rhythm and beat, its lyrics often tell of struggles, religion, and day to day life. The Africans would perform rituals to try to please the gods, these rituals would include music made by the high priest the instruments used would be tribal drums and a rain stick. The lyrics would be similar to Christian hymns in our modern culture

The Twilight Saga 2: New Moon Chapter 16 PARIS

AT THAT MOMENT, MY HEAD BROKE THE SURFACE. How disorienting. I'd been sure I was sinking. The current wouldn't let up. It was slamming me against more rocks; they beat against the center of my back sharply, rhythmically, pushing the water from my lungs. It gushed out in amazing volume, absolute torrents pouring from my mouth and nose. The salt burned and my lungs burned and my throat was too full of water to catch a breath and the rocks were hurting my back. Somehow I stayed in one place, though the waves still heaved around me. I couldn't see anything but water everywhere, reaching for my face. â€Å"Breathe!† a voice, wild with anxiety, ordered, and I felt a cruel stab of pain wher I recognized the voicebecause it wasn't Edward's. I could not obey. The waterfall pouring from my mouth didn't stop long enough for me to catch a breath. The black, icy water filled my chest, burning. The rock smacked into my back again, right between my shoulder blades, and another volley of water choked its way out of my lungs. â€Å"Breathe, Bella! C'mon!† Jacob begged. Black spots bloomed across my vision, getting wider and wider, blocking out the light. The rock struck me again. The rock wasn't cold like the water; it was hot on my skin. I realized it was Jacob's hand, trying to beat the water from my lungs. The iron bar that had dragged me from the sea was also warm My head whirled, the black spots covered everything Was I dying again, then? I didn't like itthis wasn't as good as the last time. It was only dark now, nothing worth looking at here. The sound of the crashing waves faded into the black and became a quiet, even whoosh that sounded like it was coming from the inside of my ears â€Å"Bella?† Jacob asked, his voice still tense, but not as wild as before. â€Å"Bells, honey, can you hear me?† The contents of my head swished and rolled sickeningly, like they'd joined the rough water â€Å"How long has she been unconscious?† someone else asked. The voice that was not Jacob's shocked me, jarred me into a more focused awareness. I realized that I was still. There was no tug of the current on methe heaving was inside my head. The surface under me was flat and motionless. It felt grainy against my bare arms. â€Å"I don't know,† Jacob reported, still frantic. His voice was very close. Handsso warm they had to be hisbrushed wet hair from my cheeks. â€Å"A few minutes? It didn't take long to tow her to the beach.† The quiet whooshing inside my ears was not the wavesit was the air moving in and out of my lungs again. Each breath burnedthe passageways were as raw as if I'd scrubbed them out with steel wool. But I was breathing. And I was freezing. A thousand sharp, icy beads were striking my face and arms, making the cold worse. â€Å"She's breathing. She'll come around. We should get her out of the cold, though. I don't like the color she's turning† I recognized Sam's voice this time. â€Å"You think it's okay to move her?† â€Å"She didn't hurt her back or anything when she fell?† â€Å"I don't know.† They hesitated. I tried to open my eyes. It took me a minute, but then I could see the dark, purple clouds, flinging the freezing rain down at me. â€Å"Jake?† I croaked. Jacob's face blocked out the sky. â€Å"Oh!† he gasped, relief washing over his features. His eyes were wet from the rain. â€Å"Oh, Bella! Are you okay? Can you hear me? Do you hurt anywhere?† â€Å"J-Just m-my throat,† I stuttered, my lips quivering from the cold. â€Å"Let's get you out of here, then,† Jacob said. He slid his arms under me and lifted me without effortlike picking up an empty box. His chest was bare and warm; he hunched his shoulders to keep the rain off of me. My head lolled over his arm. I stared vacantly back toward the furious water, beating the sand behindhim. â€Å"You got her?† I heard Sam ask. â€Å"Yeah, I'll take it from here. Get back to the hospital. I'll join you later. Thanks, Sam.† My head was still rolling. None of his words sunk in at first. Sam didn't answer. There was no sound, and I wondered if he were already gone. The water licked and writhed up the sand after us as Jacob carried me away, like it was angry that I'd escaped. As I stared wearily, a spark of color caught my unfocused eyesa small flash of fire was dancing on the black water, far out in the bay. The image made no sense, and I wondered how conscious I really was. My head swirled with the memory of the black, churning waterof being so lost that I couldn't find up or down. So lost but somehow Jacob â€Å"How did you find me?† I rasped. â€Å"I was searching for you,† he told me. He was half-jogging through the rain, up the beach toward the road. â€Å"I followed the tire tracks to your truck, and then I heard you scream† He shuddered. â€Å"Why would you jump, Bella? Didn't you notice that it's turning into a hurricane out here? Couldn't you have waited for me?† Anger filled his tone as the relief faded. â€Å"Sorry,† I muttered. â€Å"It was stupid.† â€Å"Yeah, it was really stupid,† he agreed, drops of rain shaking free of his hair as he nodded. â€Å"Look, do you mind saving the stupid stuff for when I'm around? I won't be able to concentrate if I think you're jumping off cliffs behind my back.† â€Å"Sure,† I agreed. â€Å"No problem.† I sounded like a chain-smoker. I tried to clear my throatand then winced; the throat-clearing felt like stabbing a knife down there. â€Å"What happened today? Did you find her?† It was my turn to shudder, though I wasn't so cold here, right next to his ridiculous body heat. Jacob shook his head. He was still more running than walking as he headed up the road to his house. â€Å"No. She took off into the waterthe bloodsuckers have the advantage there. That's why I raced homeI was afraid she was going to double back swimming. You spend so much time on the beach† He trailed off, a catch in his throat. â€Å"Sam came back with you is everyone else home, too?† I hoped they weren't still out searching for her. â€Å"Yeah. Sort of.† I tried to read his expression, squinting into the hammering rain. His eyes were tight with worry or pain. The words that hadn't made sense before suddenly did. â€Å"You said hospital. Before, to Sam. Is someone hurt? Did she fight you?† My voice jumped up an octave, sounding strange with the hoarseness. â€Å"No, no. When we got back, Em was waiting with the news. It's Harry Clearwater. Harry had a heart attack this morning.† â€Å"Harry?† I shook my head, trying to absorb what he was staying. â€Å"Oh, no! Does Charlie know?† â€Å"Yeah. He's over there, too, with my dad.† â€Å"Is Harry going to be okay?† Jacob's eyes tightened again. â€Å"It doesn't look so great right now.† Abruptly, I felt really sick with guiltfelt truly horrible about the brainless cliff dive. Nobody needed to be worrying about me right now. What a stupid time to be reckless. â€Å"What can I do?† I asked. At that moment the rain stopped. I hadn't realized we were already back to Jacob's house until he walked through the door. The storm pounded against the roof. â€Å"You can stay here,† Jacob said as he dumped me on the short couch. â€Å"I mean itright here I'll get you some dry clothes.† I let my eyes adjust to the dark room while Jacob banged around in his bedroom. The cramped front room seemed so empty without Billy, almost desolate. It was strangely ominousprobably just because I knew where he was. Jacob was back in seconds. He threw a pile of gray cotton at me. â€Å"These will be huge on you, but it's the best I've got. I'll, er, step outside so you can change.† â€Å"Don't go anywhere. I'm too tired to move yet. Just stay with me.† Jacob sat on the floor next to me, his back against the couch. I wondered when he'd slept last. He looked as exhausted as I felt. He leaned his head on the cushion next to mine and yawned. â€Å"Guess I could rest for a minute† His eyes closed. I let mine slide shut, too. Poor Harry. Poor Sue. I knew Charlie was going to be beside himself. Harry was one of his best friends. Despite Jake's negative take on things, I hoped fervently that Harry would pull through. For Charlie's sake. For Sue's and Leah's and Seth's Billy's sofa was right next to the radiator, and I was warm now, despite my soaked clothes. My lungs ached in a way that pushed me toward unconsciousness rather than keeping me awake. I wondered vaguely if it was wrong to sleep or was I getting drowning mixed up with concussions ? Jacob began softly snoring, and the sound of it soothed like a lullaby. I fell asleep quickly. For the first time in a very long time, my dream was just a normal dream. Just a blurred wandering through old memoriesblinding bright visions of the Phoenix sun, my mother's face, a ramshackle tree house, a faded quilt, a wall of mirrors, a flame on the black water I forgot each of them as soon as the picture changed. The last picture was the only one that stuck in my head. It was meaninglessjust a set on a stage. A balcony at night, a painted moon hanging in the sky. I watched the girl in her nightdress lean on the railing and talk to herself. Meaningless but when I slowly struggled back to consciousness, Juliet was on my mind. Jacob was still asleep; he'd slumped down to the floor and his breathing was deep and even. The house was darker now than before, it was black outside the window. I was stiff, but warm and almost dry. The inside of my throat burned with every breath I took. I was going to have to get upat least to get a drink. But my body just wanted tc he here limp, to never move again. Instead of moving, I thought about Juliet some more. I wondered what she would have done if Romeo had left her, not because he was banished, but because he lost interests What if Rosalind had given him the time of day, and he'd changed his mind? What if, instead of marrying Juliet, he'd just disappeared? I thought I knew how Juliet would feel. She wouldn't go back to her old life, not really. She wouldn't ever have moved on, I was sure of that. Even if she'd lived until she was old and gray, every time she closed her eyes, it would have been Romeo's face she saw behind her lids. She would have accepted that, eventually. I wondered if she would have married Paris in the end, just to please her parents, to keep the peace. No, probably not, I decided. But then, the story didn't say much about Paris. He was just a stick figurea placeholder, a threat, a deadline to force her hand. What if there were more to Paris? What if Paris had been Juliet's friend? Her very best friend? What if he was the only one she could confide in about the whole devastating thing with Romeo? The one person who really understood her and made her feel halfway human again? What if he was patient and kind? What if he took care of her? What if Juliet knew she couldn't survive without him? What if he really loved her, and wanted her to be happy? And what if she loved Paris? Not like Romeo. Nothing like that, of course. But enough that she wanted him to be happy, too? Jacob's slow, deep breathing was the only sound in the roomlike a lullaby hummed to a child, like the whisper of a rocking chair, like the ticking of an old clock when you had nowhere you needed to goIt was the sound of comfort. If Romeo was really gone, never coming back, would it have mattered whether or not Juliet had taken Paris up on his offer? Maybe she should have tried to settle into the leftover scraps of life that were left behind. Maybe that would have been as close to happiness as she could get. I sighed, and then groaned when the sigh scraped my throat. I was reading too much into the story. Romeo wouldn't change his mind. That's why people still remembered his name, always twined with hers: Romeo and Juliet. That's why it was a good story. â€Å"Juliet gets dumped and ends up with Paris† would have never been a hit. I closed my eyes and drifted again, letting my mind wander away from the stupid play I didn't want to think about anymore. I thought about reality insteadabout jumping off the cliff and what a brainless mistake that had been. And not just the cliff, but the motorcycles and the whole irresponsible Evel Knievel bit. What if something bad happened to me? What would that do to Charlie? Harry's heart attack had pushed everything suddenly into perspective for me. Perspective that I didn't want to see, becauseif I admitted to the truth of itit would mean that I would have to change my ways. Could I live like that? Maybe. It wouldn't be easy; in fact, it would be downright miserable to give up my hallucinations and try to be a grown-up. But maybe I should do it. And maybe I could. If I had Jacob. I couldn't make that decision right now. It hurt too much. I'd think about something else. Images from my ill-considered afternoon stunt rolled through my head while I tried to come up with something pleasant to think about the feel of the air as I fell, the blackness of the water, the thrashing of the current Edward's face I lingered there for a long time. Jacob's warm hands, trying to beat life back into me the stinging rain flung down by the purple clouds the strange fire on the waves There was something familiar about that flash of color on top of the water. Of course it couldn't really be fire My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a car squelching through the mud on the road outside. I heard it stop in front of the house, and doors started opening and closing. I thought about sitting up, and then decided against that idea. Billy's voice was easily identifiable, but he kept it uncharacteristically low, so that it was only a gravelly grumble. The door opened, and the light flicked on. I blinked, momentarily blind. Jake startled awake, gasping and jumping to his feet. â€Å"Sorry,† Billy grunted. â€Å"Did we wake you?† My eyes slowly focused on his face, and then, as I could read his expression, they filled with tears. â€Å"Oh, no, Billy!† I moaned. He nodded slowly, his expression hard with grief. Jake hurried to his father and took one of his hands. The pain made his face suddenly childlikeit looked odd on top of the man's body. Sam was right behind Billy, pushing his chair through the door. His normal composure was absent from his agonized face. â€Å"I'm so sorry,† I whispered. Billy nodded. â€Å"It's gonna be hard all around.† â€Å"Where's Charlie?† â€Å"Your dad is still at the hospital with Sue. There are a lot of arrangements to be made.† I swallowed hard. â€Å"I'd better get back there,† Sam mumbled, and he ducked hastily out the door. Billy pulled his hand away from Jacob, and then he rolled himself through the kitchen toward his room. Jake stared after him for a minute, then came to sit on the floor beside me again. He put his face in his hands. I rubbed his shoulder, wishing I could think of anything to say. After a long moment, Jacob caught my hand and held it to his face. â€Å"How are you feeling? Are you okay? I probably should have taken you to a doctor or something.† He sighed. â€Å"Don't worry about me,† I croaked. He twisted his head to look at me. His eyes were rimmed in red. â€Å"You don't look so good.† â€Å"I don't feel so good, either, I guess.† â€Å"I'll go get your truck and then take you homeyou probably ought to be there when Charlie gets back.† â€Å"Right.† I lay listlessly on the sofa while I waited for him. Billy was silent in the other room. I felt like a peeping torn, peering through the cracks at a private sorrow that wasn't mine. It didn't take Jake long. The roar of my truck's engine broke the silence before I expected it. He helped me up from the couch without speaking, keeping his arm around my shoulder when the cold air outside made me shiver. He took the driver's seat without asking, and then pulled me next to his side to keep his arm tight around me. I leaned my head against his chest. â€Å"How will you get home?† I asked. â€Å"I'm not going home. We still haven't caught the bloodsucker, remember?† My next shudder had nothing to do with cold. It was a quiet ride after that. The cold air had woken me up. My mind was alert, and it was working very hard and very fast. What if? What was the right thing to do? I couldn't imagine my life without Jacob nowI cringed away from the idea of even trying to imagine that. Somehow, he'd become essential to my survival. But to leave things the way they were was that cruel, as Mike had accused? I remembered wishing that Jacob were my brother. I realized now that all I really wanted was a claim on him. It didn't feel brotherly when he held me like this. It just felt nicewarm and comforting and familiar. Safe. Jacob was a safe harbor. I could stake a claim. I had that much within my power. I'd have to tell him everything, I knew that. It was the only way to be fair. I'd have to explain it right, so that he'd know I wasn't settling, that he was much too good for me. He already knew I was broken, that part wouldn't surprise him, but he'd need to know the extent of it. I'd even have to admit that I was crazyexplain about the voices I heard. He'd need to know everything before he made a decision. But, even as I recognized that necessity, I knew he would take me in spite of it all. He wouldn't even pause to think it through. I would have to commit to thiscommit as much of me as there was left, every one of the broken pieces. It was the only way to be fair to him. Would I? Could I? Would it be so wrong to try to make Jacob happy? Even if the love I felt for him was no more than a weak echo of what I was capable of, even if my heart was far away, wandering and grieving after my fickle Romeo, would it be so very wrong? Jacob stopped the truck in front of my dark house, cutting the engine so it was suddenly silent. Like so many other times, he seemed to be in tune with my thoughts now. He threw his other arm around me, crushing me against his cheat, binding me to him. Again, this felt nice. Almost like being a whole person again. I thought he would be thinking of Harry, but then he spoke, and his tone was apologetic. â€Å"Sorry. I know you don't feel exactly the way I do, Bella. I swear I don't mind. I'm just so glad you're okay that I could singand that's something no one wants to hear.† He laughed his throaty laugh in my ear. My breathing kicked up a notch, sanding the walls of my throat. Wouldn't Edward, indifferent as he might be, want me to be as happy as possible under the circumstances? Wouldn't enough friendly emotion linger for him to want that much for me? I thought he would. He wouldn't begrudge me this: giving just a small bit of love he didn't want to my friend Jacob. After all, it wasn't the same love at all. Jake pressed his warm cheek against the top of my hair. If I turned my face to the sideif I pressed my lips against his bare shoulder†¦ I knew without any doubt what would follow. It would be very easy. There would be no need for explanations tonight. But could I do it? Could I betray my absent heart to save my pathetic life? Butterflies assaulted my stomach as I thought of turning my head. And then, as clearly as if I were in immediate danger, Edward's velvet voice whispered in my ear. â€Å"Be happy,† he told me. I froze. Jacob felt me stiffen and released me automatically, reaching for the door. Wait, I wanted to say. Just a minute. But I was still locked in place, listening to the echo of Edward's voice in my head. Storm-cooled air blew through the cab of the truck. â€Å"OH!† The breath whooshed out of Jacob like someone had punched him in the gut. â€Å"Holy crap!† He slammed the door and twisted the keys in the ignition at the same moment. His hands were shaking so hard I didn't know how he managed it. â€Å"What's wrong?† He revved the engine too fast; it sputtered and faltered. â€Å"Vampire,† he spit out. The blood rushed from my head and left me dizzy. â€Å"How do you know?† â€Å"Because I can smell it. Dammit!† Jacob's eyes were wild, raking the dark street. He barely seemed aware of the tremors that were rolling through his body. â€Å"Phase or get her out of here?† he hissed at himself. He looked down at me for a split second, taking in my horror-struck eyes and white face, and then he was scanning the street again. â€Å"Right. Get you out.† The engine caught with a roar. The tires squealed as he spun the truck around, turning toward our only escape. The headlights washed across the pavement, lit the front line of the black forest, and finally glinted off a car parked across the street from my house. â€Å"Stop!† I gasped. It was a black cara car I knew. I might be the furthest thing from an autophile, but I could tell you everything about that particular car. It was a Mercedes S55 AMG. I knew the horsepower and the color of the interior. I knew the feel of the powerful engine purring through the frame. I knew the rich smell of the leather seats and the way the extra-dark tint made noon look like dusk through those windows. It was Carlisle's car. â€Å"Stop!† I cried again, louder this time, because Jacob was gunning the truck down the street. â€Å"What?!† â€Å"It's not Victoria. Stop, stop! I want to go back.† He stomped on the brake so hard I had to catch myself against the dashboard. â€Å"What?† he asked again, aghast. He stared at me with horror in his eyes. â€Å"It's Carlisle's car! It's the Cullens. I know it.† He watched dawn break across my face, and a violent tremor rocked his frame. â€Å"Hey, calm down, Jake. It's okay. No danger, see? Relax.† â€Å"Yeah, calm,† he panted, putting his head down and closing his eyes. While he concentrated on not exploding into a wolf, I stared out the back window at the black car. It was just Carlisle, I told myself. Don't expect anything more. Maybe Esme Stop right there, I told myself. Just Carlisle. That was plenty. More than I'd ever hoped to have again. â€Å"There's a vampire in your house,† Jacob hissed. â€Å"And you want to go back?† I glanced at him, ripping my unwilling eyes off the Mercedesterrified that it would disappear the second I looked away. â€Å"Of course,† I said, my voice blank with surprise at his question. Of course I wanted to go back. Jacob's face hardened while I stared at him, congealing into the bitter mask that I'd thought was gone for good. Just before he had the mask in place, I caught the spasm of betrayal that flashed in his eyes. His hands were still shaking. He looked ten years older than me. He took a deep breath. â€Å"You're sure it's not a trick?† he asked in a slow, heavy voice. â€Å"It's not a trick. It's Carlisle. Take me back!† A shudder rippled through his wide shoulders, but his eyes were flat and emotionless. â€Å"No.† â€Å"Jake, it's okay† â€Å"No. Take yourself back, Bella.† His voice was a slapI flinched as the sound of it struck me. His jaw clenched and unclenched. â€Å"Look, Bella,† he said in the same hard voice. â€Å"I can't go back. Treaty or no treaty, that's my enemy in there.† â€Å"It's not like that† â€Å"I have to tell Sam right away. This changes things. We can't be caught on their territory.† â€Å"Jake, it's not a war!† He didn't listen. He put the truck in neutral and jumped out the door, leaving it running. â€Å"Bye, Bella,† he called back over his shoulder. â€Å"I really hope you don't die.† He sprinted into the darkness, shaking so hard that his shape seemed blurred; he disappeared before I could open my mouth to call him back. Remorse pinned me against the seat for one long second. What had I just done to Jacob'? But remorse couldn't hold me very long. I slid across the seat and put the truck back in drive. My hands were shaking almost as hard as Jake's had been, and this took a minute of concentration. Then I carefully turned the truck around and drove it back to my house. It was very dark when I turned off the headlights. Charlie had left in such a hurry that he'd forgotten to leave the porch lamp on. I felt a pang of doubt, staring at the house, deep in shadow. What if it was a trick? I looked back at the black car, almost invisible in the night. No. I knew that car. Still, my hands were shaking even worse than before as I reached for the key above the door. When I grabbed the doorknob to unlock it, it twisted easily under my hand. I let the door fall open. The hallway was black. I wanted to call out a greeting, but my throat was too dry. I couldn't quite seem to catch my breath. I took a step inside and fumbled for the light switch. It was so blacklike the black water Where was that switch? Just like the black water, with the orange flame flickering impossibly on top of it. Flame that couldn't be a fire, but what then ? My fingers traced the wall, still searching, still shaking Suddenly, something Jacob had told me this afternoon echoed in my head, finally sinking in She took off into the water, he'd said. The bloodsuckers have the advantage there. That's why I raced home I was afraid she was going to double back swimming. My hand froze in its searching, my whole body froze into place, as I realized why I recognized the strange orange color on the water. Victoria's hair, blowing wild in the wind, the color of fire She'd been right there. Right there in the harbor with me and Jacob. If Sam hadn't been there, if it had been just the two of us ? I couldn't breathe or move. The light flicked on, though my frozen hand had still not found the switch. I blinked into the sudden light, and saw that someone was there, waiting for me.