Wedding Day

Wedding Day Every little girl dreams about her wedding day. I was no different. An Indian marriage is performed with great funfair. All people whether rich or poor want it to be a memorable occasion. My wedding day was the most joyous day of my life. Since then, I have learned that such moments do not happen all the time. It is important to enjoy them. My wedding day was fulfilled with many emotional including happiness, sadness, fear, and excitement. My wedding has been the most blissful time of my life. However, it seemed to be a complete blur.It all happened very quickly from the moment I was engaged to the moment we walked around the sacred circle on my wedding day. The wedding was put together in only ten days. I spent those ten days with my fiance and my future in-laws getting to know each other. We spent time visiting temples and shopping in preparation for the wedding. We shopped matching wedding dress. Our wedding dress was red and white color. I also spent much of that time with my family and many relatives from out of the town. I met so many people.There were over 2000 people that attend our two day wedding ceremonies. Almost everyone from our families to our friends helped celebrate. On that day I was very nervous to go front of my fiance but inside of my heart, I was very happy. I was going to start my new life. Not only were many of dreams coming true, but also I was fulfilling my father’s hopes. He also wished that I settle in the United States for a better life. I will always remember the joy in my father’s eyes that day. While I was having the time of my life, a part of me was both sad and fearful.I was disappointed my older brother was unable to attend the biggest day of my life. He was living abroad and could not make the trip back because of immigration issues. I was also sad because I realized that I would need to leave for the US. I had always lived in our small village for my entire life. It meant that I was leaving my life behind. I had to leave my family, friends, and relatives. It was very difficult for me to pack up my life into two suitcases. I didn’t even know when I will come and see my family and friends again.I was also a bit scared to start my new life with my husband. I had only known him for a short time and his family members. With anything new, there is always fear of the unknown. Everything I knew was about to change. For example, new family members, new roles as wife, language, life-style and also new country. I even had to learn about the new culture. I didn’t cried much when I was leaving my family and friends on my wedding night than I cried when the final day came to going the airport and coming in the United States. I had cried a bunch when I left my country.On the other side, I was very excited about coming to the United States. It would be a beginning of new chapter of my life. Before coming into the United States, I had only seen how life would be on TV. I am very thankful to my parent. They are the one who think about my better future in the United States. I couldn’t wait to see all the amazing things United States is famous for like the statue of liberty, space center, and Disney world. I was very thrilled about meeting new people, making new friends, and trying new food. I was also anxious to start my married life. I wanted to be a perfect wife.I look forward to taking care of my husband and his family such as cooking, cleaning, and also help with some other works. I was very excited to meet his all friends and family friends. My wedding day was everything that had dreamed up. I went through many emotions such as happiness, sadness, and excitement. I have learned not to fear the unknown. Instead, I should embrace new opportunities. I continue to believe that things always come out for the best. I feel very bless for life. For my better life, I am thankful to my parent. In the end, it has been a most memorable and life changing event of my life.

Professional Philosophy of Early Childhood Education Essay

1. What do you consider to be the most harmful for adolescents†¦. binge drinking, drug addiction or anorexia nervosa? Why? Explain your choice in a minimum of five sentences. I consider the most harmful for adolescents is binge drinking. As children move from adolescence to young adulthood, they encounter dramatic physical, emotional, and lifestyle changes. Developmental transitions, such as puberty and increasing independence, have been associated with alcohol use. So in a sense, just being an adolescent may be a key risk factor not only for starting to drink but also for drinking dangerously. Whatever it is that leads adolescents to binge drinking, once they start they face a number of potential health risks. Although the severe health problems associated with harmful alcohol use are not as common in adolescents as they are in adults, studies show that young people who drink heavily may put themselves at risk for range of potential health problems. 2. Define adolescent egocentrism. Give three examples of egocentric fantasies or fables. Adolescent egocentrism is teens and older twin’s belief that others are highly attentive to their behavior and appearance. That is, egocentric adolescent believe that eyes are on them. Adolescent egocentrism is developmentally normal. In other words, teens and older twins can no more by stopping themselves from being egocentric than an infant can fix their inability to speak. Adolescent egocentrism usually appears around 11 or 12 years of age. Here are 3 examples of fable: The first one is the imaginary audience and personal fable seems to capture what have been viewed as typical fact of adolescent behavior. For example, self-consciousness and conformity to the peer group in regard to appearance can be understood as resulting from the belief that other (i.e., the imaginary audience) is always watching and judging. Feeling of isolation and risk-taking behavior can be viewed as outcomes of personal fable, believing that one is unique and invulnerable. The second example is self-other differentiation errors or egocentrism, emerging as a result of the transition. Attaining this development stage means that one can think abstractly and about possibilities; for example, one can think about what other people may be thinking. The third examples are empirical evidence supporting the theoretical link between imaginary audience and personal fable ideation and formal operational thinking has emerged only infrequently, and has been the best. For example, so studies have found what appears to be heightened imaginary audience and personal fable ideation among middle school students. 3. Give an example of how schools, peers and the media influence teen sexual behavior. Be sure you address each one. Example of how schools on teen sexual behavior†¦ Many young people engage in sexual risk behaviors that can result in unintended health outcomes. For example, among U.S. high school students have 47% in sexual intercourse. To reduce sexual risk behaviors and related health problems among youth, schools and other youth serving organizations can help young people adopt lifelong attitudes and behaviors that reduce their risk HIV , other STDs, and unintended pregnancy. Example of peer’s teen sexual behavior†¦. Teens want to be with people their own age. During adolescence, teens spend more time with their peers and without parental supervision. With peers, teens can be both connected and independent, as they break away from their parents images of them and develop identities of their own. Example of media influence teen sexual behavior†¦. If you don’t talk to your kids about your own values and expectations about sex, the main input they’ll get is from the media. Music videos, movies, reality shows. And studies show that the more sexual content kids watch and listen to, the earlier they’re likely to have sex themselves. In fact, teens report that their main source of information about sex, dating and sexual health comes from what they see and hear in the media. 4. Teen depression and teen suicide is a reality. What would you consider to be an inspirational song for an adolescent? The song I chose is Hero, by Mariah Carey. I love Mariah, when I first started listening to her I found most of her songs, inspirational and heart felt, she is one amazing songwriter/singer and I’m truly blesses to have someone like Mariah to keep the faith to other teens to listen to her songs

Allegory and Obstacles in The Pilgrim’s Progress

Allegory and Obstacles in The Pilgrim’s Progress In the classic allegory The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan explains the journey of a newly-saved believer. Bunyan’s story unraveled in a dream of a man named Christian. After reading a section in the bible, Christian tells his wife and children that he must find a way to deliver them from the City of Destruction or they will be burned by fire from Heaven. As Christian sat in a field crying for salvation, a man named Evangelist advised him to run toward a shining light that would lead him to the Wicket-gate where he could learn how to be saved. Throughout his journey to the Celestial City, Christian encountered people who tried to discourage him and lead him astray in many ways. Two of these deceiving people, Worldly Wiseman and Apollyon, symbolize very common setbacks that occur in the walk of believers. Worldly Wiseman was a man of high standing in his hometown Carnal Policy. He had great knowledge of how the world sees morality. As he crossed paths with Christian he tried to convince him that going to the Celestial City was a waste of time. He told Christian not to take counsel from Evangelist or read the Bible because doing so would only lead him to peril and death. However, even though Mr. Worldly Wiseman seemed to know what he was talking about, he didn’t. He tried to deceive Christian into thinking that he could have happiness and be released from his burdens if only he lived a moral life. He considered people who took the hard road to the Celestial city foolish. (13-19) For the most part, Worldly Wiseman allegorically represents the world’s scorn of having a relationship with God. The world’s outlook, and that of Worldly Wiseman, fits right into the Devil’s plan because it makes people believe that if they are a good person they will go to Heaven without having a relationship with God and without taking the sins from their life, which is just not true. Christian was led astray by what Worldly Wiseman told him until Evangelist found him again and got him back on the road to the Celestial City. Apollyon was a horrific beast, in the Valley of Humiliation, who believed that he was lord and protector of all the land. He despised the Prince (Jesus) and killed anyone who went to seek Him. When Christian encountered Apollyon, he tried to strike fear in his heart. He told Christian to go back to his home in the City of Destruction or he would kill him as he did the others who passed to find the Prince. Christian did not listen to him, but instead told him that he liked the things of the Prince better than those of Apollyon and would not return to his previous home but continue his journey. Hearing these things enraged Apollyon and he decided to kill Christian. However Christian stood his ground and fought him for nearly half a day. Battered and injured things looked grim for Christian but when Apollyon turned his back the Lord gave him the strength he needed to pierce his sword into the monster, and he flew away bringing victory to Christian. (63-69) Within the narrative, Apollyon symbolizes subjection to worldly power and the loss of spiritual freedom. He tried to take away Christian’s freedom to choose a path towards God. Apollyon is comparable to a dictator who demands that the people under his rule must not worship or follow God, but instead take part in worldly, sinful practices. This type of government is all too common in this world. It causes people to have less knowledge of God because people fear to share the gospel in highly persecuted countries. Also the people who do know the gospel must risk everything at times. It’s hard for a father to sacrifice his wife and children or his life to follow God. However, people in lost, tyrannical countries must stay strong and fearless in their walk with God, and missionaries must trust that God can protect them as they share His Word with those countries. Evangelist went into Apollyon’s dominion, knowing the dangers, in attempt to save as many people as possib le. Christian left his home and family, and went through many trials and obstacles to follow God. God is infinitely worth it though, both Evangelist and Christian knew this. Every character in The Pilgrim’s Progress allegorically stands in for obstacles or blessings that occur in a Christian’s walk with Christ. This essay is focused on the obstacles. One of the worst things that happens in Christian churches across the world is the spectacle of half-hearted â€Å"Christians† believing that they don’t need a relationship with God. Instead, they have the mindset of Mr. Worldly Wiseman and believe following religious rules alone can get them to Heaven. Another common obstacle in a Christian’s, or even a non-believer’s walk is persecution. Apollyon, much like the world’s dictators, persecuted all who wanted to follow God. This kind of leadership makes it much more difficult for believers to follow Christ. Worldly Wiseman and Apollyon both symbolize some of the most destructive problems in the lives of Christs followers. However, those problems in reality, just as in the book, can be overcome.

SETTING UP A BUSINESS (Business and Management Fda) Essay

SETTING UP A BUSINESS (Business and Management Fda) - Essay Example h a decision, the business owner should consider his or her vision regarding the nature and size of the business, the level of control, the business’s susceptibility to lawsuits and the tax liabilities of each of the structures (Cross et al., 2009, p. 353). In our case, Clare, Jasmine and Sanjita can either decide to form a general partnership, a limited partnership or a corporation. A partnership is a business set-up that is established when two or more people bring their skills and resources together with one goal (Bagley & Dauchy, 2012, p. 287). Notably, a partnership is defined by the Partnership Act as â€Å"a voluntary association of two or more people, each contributing money, skills, labor, property or goodwill as the capital of the new firm† (UK Gov, 1980). A general partnership is a form of partnership where the partners are all fully active each with control within the business. This also makes each one of them fully liable for business debts (Emerson, 2009, p. 267). In reference to Gibson and Fraser (2013, p. 290-94), entrepreneurs would consider a general partnership because each partner has equal authority within the business. This makes each partner partake in decision making within the business. This also implies that every partner acts as an agent to the business and to the other partners. In this case, a partner can transact on behalf of the business and the other associates, thing that would legally bind them (Miller, 2012, p. 387). However, a partner is not authorized to indulge in a business that would have harmful effects to the other partners such as selling the business property without consent of the other associates, sell his or her interest in the organization or admit new partners into the business without the consent of the other associates (Law Commission UK, 2003, s.28 and 29). Another factor that would make entrepreneurs choose a general partnership is the way profits and losses are shared. Unlike other forms of business such as

Bridge Collapse and the Duty to Warn (ethics) Essay

Bridge Collapse and the Duty to Warn (ethics) - Essay Example What is Right I believe that the engineer that conducted the initial inspection adequately did his part as mandated by the California Attorney General’s Opinion Number 85-208 (1985), that as the hired registered engineer assigned to investigate the structural integrity of the Swinging Bridge; he was able to conclude that it is stable and sound to provide adequate service. But he also added to his recommendation that further testing should be carried out and that protective coating should be applied even though the bridge was free from rust. Noncompliance to his recommendations, added to that the regular swinging of the pedestrians, could have severely compromised the integrity of the structure and thus caused the accident. I believe that the court ruling in favor of the county is justifiable. For one, I do believe that the pedestrian should be responsible for their actions. It was them who engaged in a risky past time and they should in turn bear the consequences of their acti on. Secondly, they—anyone who engages in swinging the bridge should even be sanctioned for putting not just themselves at risk but other pedestrian as well who are using the bridge since their past time is creating potential danger to other people. Third, I think that the engineer should not be held liable because he did perform his duty to warn the public through his report. What is Wrong On the other hand, it was the inaction of the county to the report that could have caused the collapse. It for instance did not follow the engineer’s recommendation of carrying out further tests to determine structural stability, and it did not apply the protective coating that would prevent the onslaught of rust. Furthermore, if further testing had been carried out after the initial survey, as was part of the recommendation of the investigating engineer seven years prior to the accident, the succeeding test/s that would be carried out in the bridge would have allowed the succeeding investigating engineer to see the damage that the ‘swinging’ is causing to the bridge and thus determine the structural stability of the bridge in his report. If so, again, the incident could have been avoided. This will allow the engineer to again, adequately warn the public about the potential hazard of the bridge if it is continuously swing. The county also failed in addressing the illegal past time of the people, the Swinging Bridge is a public place, and since swinging it has been a well-known past time that pause potential danger not just to the actors doing the swinging but to other innocent pedestrian, it was the responsibility of the country to address the matter by creating ordinances that prohibits such activity. I also believe that the court should have sanctioned the county. Despite the fact that

Information Systems and Processing Controls Assignment

Information Systems and Processing Controls - Assignment Example Moreover, they provide balances and checks that are only spotted on calculation errors in the business books, and the also the mismatched entry of items. According to Tyler (2013) found out that audit software aided the auditor in generating models and simulations that are of help to study the financial approach of the business, and how it can be restructured. In addition, the auditor can also use the model to judge the potential risk that is posed by the current system. The computer-assisted audits lead to increased accuracy of the audit results by reducing the overall time spent on transactions. It also lessens disruption to business activities by reducing the amount of documentation you need to retrieve, thereby saving your time and money. Tyler (2013) asserted that the program audit performed a wide variety of tasks like recalling calculated interest from invoices; analytical procedures; testing the configuration of the operating system; re-performing the calculations that have been done by the accounting systems entity. Subsequent advantages are; there are long-term economies, it reads the actual records, deals with large volumes of transactions. The schedules and reports that have been generated by the computer are more objective and professional thus enhancing communication of data. According to Wavomba (2010) reported that the organization gains assurance regarding the accuracy of the transactional data and the extent to which the business transactions adhere to controls and comply with policies. The consisted use of the automated transaction analysis and continuous monitoring enables real-time independent testing and validation of critical data. To sum up, it improves management of auditing procedures. Integrated test facility package is a quality control responsibility that utilizes, monitors, and controls the dummy test data through existing programs and checks the existence and adequacy of  program data entry controls and processing controls (Koch, 2009).  

Human Resources Internal & External Recruiting advantages Essay

Human Resources Internal & External Recruiting advantages - Essay Example The internal recruitment method and the external recruitment method. These two methods can be defined as follows. Internal Recruitment is the process of finding potential internal candidates and encouraging them to apply for and be willing to accept organizational job openings. This can be done by Job posting which means information about a job vacancy is placed in conspicuous places in an organization, such as bulletin boards or newsletters. External Recruitment on the other hand is the process of finding potential external candidates and encouraging them to apply for and be willing to accept the organizational job openings. This can be done by realistic job preview which is a technique used during the recruitment process in which the job candidate is presented with a balanced view of both the positive and negative aspects of the job (Julie Andrew Marc Kline Mike Bohl, Christine Stone Roland Gehweiler, 12). Internal recruitment as we said is the recruitment of employees from within the organization, and this certainly has positive and negative effects on the organization. Recruitment effects the organization as a whole, but over here we will discuss only its effects on workplace, labor force and wages. Starting off with the advantages that recruitment provides to the work place. The employee is oriented to the organization. He knows of the organization structure, its policies and regulation, the working environment as well as the people working with him. He is also familiar with the culture that exists. This overall saves the time of the management and directly hands over the new responsibilities as in other terms the employee is actually promoted from his current job. Since the management has already worked with him they have the reliable information required. They know of the employees' strengths and weaknesses and are aware of how to control the new status given. Then comes a very important factor which is the recruitment cost being very low. There is no need to advertise for the job available, as the required skills already exist within the organization. The internal recruitment provides a career structure. It gives an incentive to the current employees to work efficiently and get promoted. This provides an additional scope for the current ones. Lets have a look at the disadvantages that the internal recruitment's work place has. One drawback of extensive internal recruiting is the reduced likelihood of innovation and new perspectives. A lack of new employees from the outside leads to a lack of new ideas and approaches. A use of the internal pool for the consideration of vacant positions can lead to conflicts. The organization has to ensure and continuously check its balance of a diverse workforce. This has to relate to the organization's legal, political and geographical environment. Internal recruiting demands a higher degree of employee training. In order to develop the skills needed to train the current workforce in new processes and technologies, the organization has to provide a more expensive training program. It limits the number of candidates, as not everyone within the organization is capable of taking over the vacant job. It may cause jealousy amongst the employees as not everyone can be promoted. The managers may resent loss of staff to other departments as its pretty logical that the one being promoted was a good employee and therefore the place he would be

Finland's school success what Americans keep Ignoring Article

Finland's school success what Americans keep Ignoring - Article Example However, some of the best campuses are private owned, and they are profit making institutions. They charge high costs for tuition and can only be afforded by the select few in the country (The Atlantic). Unlike American system of education that focuses on standardized tests, Finland has only one exceptional exam; the National Matriculation Exam, which is the equivalent of a high school test,. Although pupils and students in Finland are given report cards, the teachers base the performance on individual assessments. The Finland teachers are trained to evaluate the performance of the pupils and students at independent and personal perspective. The Government only confirms the progress of the students by carrying out periodic tests with few groups of the teachers (The Atlantic). The American education policy rests on the theme of the competition (The Atlantic). This is not the case with Finland. The institutions in Finland are merited according to how well they cooperate with other and not in regard to their competitive advantage. The country does not list the best of the best in curriculum performance. The approach to giving quality education t its residents, all students from whichever backgrounds are treated equal. All the pupils are awarded free meals, health care and personalized guidance. What the Americans keep ignoring from the success of Finland schools is that they are using the wrong approach to improve the level of education. The Americans need to look at equity in providing education, award less homework and more creativity tests, stop the competitive attitude and foster cooperation and evaluate performance of the students from an independent view. The Americans have not yet adopted the Finland system since they are focusing issues that are just the opposite of what Finland supports such as private sector involvement and competition. A similar state

Religion can be used to promote hate and this results in violent acts, Annotated Bibliography

Religion can be used to promote hate and this results in violent acts, including rape and murder of our LGBTQI neighbors - Annotated Bibliography Example This source is a book. The Bible, Christianity, & Homosexuality will be used two ways. The first is to show what types of myths exist about the Bible and homosexuality. The Bible only mentions homosexuality several times in the Bible. The first time was when angels visited Sodom and Gomorrah. Thus the name Sodomites were given to homosexuals. The Bible does not speak of domestic partners in a homosexual relationship. A mob wanted to rape the male angels. On this account most Christians think homosexuality is equal to rape. Justin Cannon does his best to show that one account does not represent all homosexuals. This source will be useful in laying a foundation for religious bias against the LGBTQI community. It will also show that homosexuals can also be Christian. This resource is a book. Candace Chellew-Hodge shares her experiences as a gay Christian. This is a biography about how the author dealt with hatred from religious zealots. She shows how her religion, Christianity, can be used against the LGBTQI community. This book also shows specific incidents of hatred and violence against members of the LGBTQI community. Despite the violence and hatred against the LGBTQI community due to religion, many LGBTQI individuals still retain their belief in their religion. This source will also show that even LGBTQI individuals that are Christian do not escape violence of discrimination. Sexuality or being defined as a LGBTQI community member is more important to the opposition than the individual’s religion or beliefs. This book is another source that studies homosexuality and the Bible. Dwyer numbered all of the references of homosexuality in the Bible to seven. Each circumstance is examined individually. Like the case of homosexuality in Sodom and Gomorrah, Dwyer presents each instance. This source is important to show that Christianity does not promote violence. Everyone is a sinner, no matter their sexuality. If Jesus

The Tremendous Impact of Global Financial Crisis Essay

The Tremendous Impact of Global Financial Crisis - Essay Example Although the world is yet to recover from the financial crisis, studies show that the main cause emanates from the misunderstanding of its roots (CrÄÆ'ciun & Ochea, 2014). Six years down the line, the effects of the financial crisis are still present as if it was just yesterday. Most of the affected nations, especially in Europe are still grappling with the effect that came along with the crash. Studies show that there were several factors associated with the crash. One of the most recognized causes of the financial crisis was bursting of the US housing bubble. This was due to the laxity in the loan policies, whereby it was quite easy to obtain loans such as mortgage auto and credit card (The Economist, 2013). This, later on, resulted in financial institutions, which had expected a positive income, ending up with huge losses and debts. The decline in the prices also caused homes worth less than mortgage loans to be forced to financial incentives in order to qualify for foreclosure. Studies showed that the crisis was avoidable since the main reasons behind the crash were financial regulation failures by institutions such as banks and governments. Another reason is the dramatic collapse of corporate governance, which was because of the reckless manner in which financial institutions were behaving (Shun, 2013). For instance, financial institutions were involving themselves in risky affairs whereby they would take part in excessive borrowing patterns hence putting the financial system in direct collision with the crisis (Shun, 2013). Apart from financial institutions risky affairs, another reason behind the crisis is ill-preparedness by nations on matters relating to the financial crisis. Key policymakers in most of the affected states never saw the crisis approaching due to the lack of full knowledge of the financial systems.

British Wildlife Essay Example for Free

British Wildlife Essay Outline of species along with related anatomy, handling considerations and rehabilitation, release requirements Skeletal system Although the deer’s skeletal system is very similar to a dog or cat’s in terms of its basic structure, although there are some adaptations that they require in order to survive the wild. Deer have long necks which enable them to crane it so they can feed off low lying grass and other vegetation. Stefoff, R. (2007) Deer are prey animals and so they require adaptations that enable them to run fast and this is why they are ‘ugulates’, (hoofed mammals). Ungulates walk on their ‘ungulis’ which is a tough outer plate of a hoof or toenail. When ungulates walk, their feet or digits do not come into contact with the ground but their hooves. Stefoff, R. (2007). This clever evolutionary asset is essential for speed. This is down to the biomechanics of how bodies move- the smaller the area that touches the ground with each stride, the greater the stride is which results in faster movement. Stefoff, R. (2007) Hooves are an extremely strong version of human fingernails strong enough not to break when under immense pressure i.e. when the deer is running. Stefoff, R. (2007).The strength of the hooves comes from the keratin which exists in thick sheets and keratin fibres which run in all directions Stefoff, R. (2007) Deer have a total of four toes on each foot. The middle two toes touch the ground and the outer two are elevated at the back, just above the hoof and are called dewclaws Stefoff, R. (2007). Metapodials in deer are elongated and form the lower part of the deer’s legs. In a deer, the femur and the humerus are short and thick in order to be able to anchor the large mass of muscle needed to propel them forward when running at high speed. Stefoff, R. (2007) Scent glands Seven glands are located on the body of a deer, scattered from head to toe to assist with communication amongst the herd and is how deer differentiate between one another (interspecies communication) Nickens, E. (2009). Deer scent is made up of scent glands and their urine. Stefoff, R. (2007) Deer use a technique called ‘flehmen’; this is the act of curling back their upper lip and sucking in air. This is used to detect scents from other deer. Stefoff, R. (2007) Antler growth Antler growth is an interesting area of study which provokes questioning as to why antler growth is delayed until the start of puberty and secondly, mammalian organ regeneration. Antler growth only occurs in male deer and is delayed until the start of puberty at 5 – 7 months old. No other mammal can regenerate an organ. The antlers of a 200-kg adult red deer may weigh as much 30 kg but take only 3 months to grow. Antlers are formed from pedicles; permanent bony horns on the frontal bone of the skull. Periosteal cells (Antlerogenic Periosteum) are collected in the distal parts of the cristae externae of the frontal bones. These are activated by rising androgen levels in the blood. Testosterone binds to specific sites on the AP which leads to trabecular bone being formed beneath the periosteum and a pedicle develops. There are four ossification stages in the formation of antlers in deer starting with ‘Intramembranous ossification’; this is the proliferation of antlerogenic cells and differentiation into osteoblasts. Osteoblasts form trabecular in the cellular periosteum. This then leads to ‘transitional ossification’, this initiates when pedicle reaches 5-10mm in height. Osseocartilaginous tissue is formed by the antlerogenic cells at the apical surface, which have undergone a change in differentiation pathway to form chondrocytes. The third stage is ‘pedicle endochondral ossification’ when chrondrogenesis takes place in the pedicle alone. The final ossification stage is ‘antler endochondral ossification’- antlerogenic cells maintain their chrondrogenic differentiation pathway until the very first antler has fully formed. Shiny velvet skin covering the distal end of the pedicle coincidences with antler formation. Un-branched antlers described as ‘spikers’ elongate as a result of an endochondral process in the distal tip. (Deer antlers: a zoological curiosity or the key to understanding organ regeneration in mammals?) The first antler continues growing until the autumn rutting season where testosterone levels are increased once again. Cessation in longitudinal growth causes this endocrine change. Antler bone becomes fully mineralized and the overlying velvet sheds to reveal bare bone. A single unbranched antler is left attached to the pedicle until it is cast the following spring Deer antlers: a zoological curiosity or the key to understanding organ regeneration in mammals? Handling considerations The safest method of restraining/handling deer is to try to pull head to its flank, cover their head, hold the leg at the front and push the deer down onto the ground. This technique requires mastering so a well-trained person should only be allowed to do this. Deer bones are fragile so need to be cautious. Release requirements When it comes to releasing deer, a few things need to be kept in mind when choosing a location to release them. Deer need as much woodland cover as possible, especially with a male deer as they are very much territorial creatures. It is preferred to release a deer exactly where it was found. If this is not possible i.e. the deer was found in the middle of a road then it must be released no more than 1km from where it was found. Veterinary diagnosis and treatment Outline of condition, clinical signs and recommended treatment Roundworm is a condition commonly seen in deer. These are internal parasites that are found in the intestines and soak up nutrients from the animal’s diet which results in the sufferer becoming malnourished and weak because they are not getting the nutrients they require. The clinical signs of a deer with worms are very hard to detect because they are prey animals and must not show signs of weakness otherwise it would make them a target for predators. Often they won’t show any signs until they are close to death. Should they show signs they would be lethargic, losing weight, scowering (lowering their head) and producing fluid faecal matter. Deer get stressed very easily and it would be unethical to try and capture them for treatment as it would be putting the person capturing the deer at risk as well as the deer as their skeletal systems are very fragile and is liable to shatter. Deer antlers are extremely dangerous because they are strong as well as being full of bacteria; deer use their antlers to fight and they also urinate on their antlers so it could infect a human quite severely. Treatment To treat worms in deer, Ivermectin â€Å"spot on† is used and is placed on the back of the deer’s neck. It is applied at 2 week intervals and, once cleared it can then be applied monthly to prevent it recurring. Nursing requirements What are the nursing needs of this patient and condition etc Deer, ideally should be nursed in a barn or large enclosure and not kept in a veterinary practice. This is purely because they are dangerous animals and are likely to lash out or charge at humans when they feel provoked. Isolating the deer is ideal to prevent the worms passing onto other animals nearby and to avoid having to treat the others. Deer should not be isolated for too long as they can get stressed and this would not be an ethical thing to do. Discussion of legal and ethical considerations What legislation and ethical considerations are relevant Wildlife and countryside act 1981 Wildlife and natural environment (Scotland) Act 2011 References http://www.nyantler-outdoors.com/deer-anatomy.html

The supernatural aspects of Macbeth Essay Example for Free

The supernatural aspects of Macbeth Essay In my essay I am going to be writing about the Supernatural aspects of Macbeth. I will be referring closely to Act 1 Scene 3, Act 1 Scene 5 and Act 4 Scene 1. In Shakespeares day people were obsessed with witchcraft. Shakespeare added supernatural elements to the play to grab the audiences attention right from the beginning. This includes opening (Act 1 Scene 1) Macbeth with three witches, with immediately establishes the influence of the supernatural. They are discussing where they will meet Macbeth to tell him his future. In Act 1 Scene 3, the three witches are talking about the death of a sea captain, whilst waiting for Macbeth. Macbeth arrives with Banquo, and each of the three witches has something different to tell Macbeth. The first witch says All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! , the second witch says All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! , and the third witch says All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter! Macbeth is very confused and begins to question what the witches had said to him. Then, the three witches disappear. This would have caused a gasp in the audience in Shakespeares day because of the Supernatural phenomena. This basically means that the witches can tell the future, and this scares the audience. In Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth receives a letter from Macbeth, telling her of the witches predictions. She is a very ambitious woman and will make sure that the prediction will be fulfilled. When she hears that King Duncan is on the way to the castle, she calls upon the evil spirits to help her carry out the murder of King Duncan. She says; Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty! Make thick my blood; stop up the access and passage to remorse, when she says unsex me here, she is asking the spirits to take away her femininity because she wants to have the strength of a man. She also says Stop up the access and passage to remorse which means she is asking the spirits to take away the emotion guilt so that she cannot feel bad about what she has done or have doubts. A Shakespearean audience would find this part of the play very shocking because this was probably the part of The Supernatural that they knew least about. In Act 4, Scene 1 the witches are preparing a cauldron whilst waiting for the arrival of Macbeth. Hecate (The head witch) comes to make sure that all is ready whilst the other witches seal the charm/spell. Macbeth then arrives commanding the witches to tell him what he wants to know. If you asked people in the modern day what a common thing for a witch to say is, they would most probably say Double, double toil and trouble. Shakespeare added this to the play because he knew that it would leave an effect on the audience. The witches show Macbeth four apparitions. The first apparition is a Helmeted Head, which warns Macbeth to be cautious of Macduff. The Second apparition is a child covered in blood, which tells Macbeth that no man born from woman can harm him. The third apparition is a child crowned with a tree in his hand; this tells Macbeth that he is safe until Birnham Wood moves to Dunsinane. The fourth and last apparition, is a show of eight kings, the last with a glass in his hand; Banquo following. This shows Macbeth that Banquos descendants will be crowned king. This means that the witches were right because it comes true at the end of the play. On a modern stage, Macbeth would be shown with a lot of electrical sound effects, lighting, smoke machine ECT. But in the Shakespearean day, there wasnt anything like that so people would have to create their own sound effects, and have to wait until a certain time of day to set the scene. In conclusion, there are many supernatural aspects to Macbeth. This leaves the audience is left confused whether the Supernatural is real or not and have to make up their own minds. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.

Marks And Spencer: An Analysis

Marks And Spencer: An Analysis Introduction Marks and Spencer is one of the UKs leading retailers. MandS was founded by a partnership between Michael marks, a polish immigrant from Slonim and Thomas Spencer in the early years 1884 to 1949. Then the next few years Michael marks opened some market stalls in many locations like North West of England. In 1984, Thomas Spencer invested in Marks activities and the plan to open the first store in partnership at 20, Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester. And that was the first founding of the present Mark and Spencer retail company. They started their business with a simple business strategy which was to sell quality products under the label of St Michael. MS lingerie, womens clothes and girls school uniform Task 1: Strategic Formulation: According to G Johnson K Scholes, Strategy is the direction and scope of an organisation over the long term, which achieves advantage in a changing environment through its configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholder expectations. In simple words, business strategy is a plan which is set by an organisation in terms of future performance. It also gathers what are the plans needed to get the goals set. Whenever embryonic your strategy it is important to understand which position you want to start from in terms of the current performance levels. In addition it is important to consider the important factors which can influence the ability to achieve the strategy. So as MS strategy is including the following components they are vision, mission and goals. As MS Vision is to be standard against which all others are measured MS Mission is to make aspirational quality accessible to all And MS Values are Quality, value, service, innovation and trust Meaning of Stakeholder: Stakeholders are persons, groups or institution with interest in a project or programme. Stakeholder analysis helps to find out the interest of stakeholder in relation to the project, to identify the conflict of interest and understand the relations between stakeholders for the project interest is drawn. MSs management gave a great support that helped in its growth. But recently MSs mangers seems to fail on leading the group to lower and lower sales and profits and their strategic decisions. Shareholders are feeling insecure for future because the share prices are falling down. Hence, MS needs to undertake various steps to maintain the market share and retain its stakeholder in the business for the future growth and success. Stakeholder management has two important elements Stakeholder Analysis and Stakeholder Planning. Stakeholder analysis is a technique used to identify the key and important people who are needed for the project whereas stakeholder planning is a support that would help to succeed the plans. Importances of Stakeholder Analysis that is carried by MS are as follow: To understand the relationship with the stakeholder. To understand the stakeholders place in the organization. To understand the importance of the stakeholder in the organization. Stakeholders power Stakeholders priorities Associated risk areas. To help decide better strategies and decision To help accept the strategy and decision of the organization. http://www.actuaries.org.uk/?a=161691 take the diagram from this for stakeholder of MS What is Stakeholder Mapping? Description During the Stakeholder analysis process, it is useful to classify the various stakeholders by drawing pictures of what stakeholders interest they represent, what groups they are in, the amount of power they process, whether they symbolize inhabiting or following factors for the organisation to recognize its objectives, or which methods they should be dealt with. Stakeholder Mapping is the process to create such pictures to clarify the position. Business strategy definition: Strategic or institutional management is the conduct of drafting, implementing and evaluating cross functional decision that will enable an organization to achieve its long term. According to Arieu (2007), there is strategic consistency when the actions of an organization are consistence with the expectation of management, and these in turn are with the markets and the context. As MS is the UKs leading retailers, MS sells stylish, great value clothing and home products, as it also deliver excellent quality food, reliably sourced from around 2,000 suppliers globally. MS has a commitment as to provide advanced quality products at a reasonable price which has built a  £8 billion turnover, MS employ 68,000 employees in 30 countries, and has more than 500 stores and serving ten millions of customers each and every week. MS have spent the last five years putting in place tough foundations in line with the long term plans. MS have introduced new products and services in the core business of general merchandising (GM) and food, expanding the international business, broadening the multi-national portfolio, and putting the plan A in the heart of our business. MS also respond to the changing needs of the customers by improving the values without comprising on quality; something MS keep viewing the short term pain for a long term gain. MS with its strong brand, delivering the right products and with the exclusive experienced management team, MS are now: Operational executive and increase in the pace of change in the business Increasing MS direct by structuring more channels to markets. MS keep building their international portfolio so as to grow the global customer base MS keeps updating with the current brand communication. As MS celebrate their 125th anniversary they have revealed reputation for Trust, Quality, Service, Value and Innovation. These central part values of MS are as important today as they ever have been. MS has nearly 300 stores in UK which is the shop keeping leader. It is countrys largest retailer and the main business is Clothing which contribute 17% on market share price. MS has always targeted the middle aged class especially their clothing department and specifically the womens wear. Per Una is the brand that is very popular in UK. MS has decided to expand and explore new market in Malaysia. MS share price is also falling due to recession; hence investors are worried about it. Therefore a detail research is carried out to solve the problem and to launch a new clothing range in Malaysia as per the expansion plan. MS has carried out the environmental and organizational audit in order implement its expansion plan with strong clothing range and wide range of products to retain the market position and increase the share price. Following is the SWOT analysis that is carried by MS to first decide it strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats of entering in new market for launching a range of new clothing in womens wear. SWOT Analysis for MS. Internal Strengths Weaknesses Own branded products under own labels. Best Quality service Having their own farm which gives Fresh/ Quality Food. Large Range of products Understands customer trends and preferences. Online-Shopping Existing store coverage is leading to difficulties High price as compare to competitors Very dependent on the performance of own labels External Opportunities Threats Expansion into the new markets. Retail Partnerships Internet shopping Available technology to improve their functioning. Cheap-chains targeting the high end market Overseas groups entering the market Threats from discount store which offers same price with trendy clothing range. With above analysis it is clear that MS can use a strategy that will allow them to enter new market like Malaysia. MS can certainly use its brand image and name to get familiar in the market and to face the competition. Though there is threats and weakness that needs to be taken care by MS in order to be successful in the expansion plan to maintain the market share price. Table 2 MS Industry, PEST Analysis Political Economic European Integration and Free Trade Agreement. Open market for British companies to invest in European. Competition Commission EU Competition Law 2009 Market value  £5.66bn Relative Recession proof industry Optimistic customer Booming retail industry Socio Cultural Technological Change in consumer taste and lifestyle. Organics and healthy eating Environmental conscious Internet selling. IT and Communication Supply Chain Optimization Cool Storage and Transport Stock Management and Bar Code Above analysis gives a clear picture about the European market as a part of expansion for MS. INTERNAL AUDIT: MS has decided to conduct the Organizational audit through Porters Generic Value chain. Porters Generic Value Chain Inbound Logistics > Operations > Outbound Logistics > Marketing Sales > Service > M A R G I N Firm Infrastructure HR Management Technology Development Procurement Diagram 1: http://www.netmba.com/strategy/value-chain/ MS goal behind these activities is to give the customers the value that exceeds the cost of activities and thereby this offer will result in the profit margin. The value chain activities explain MSs: Inbound Logistic: This explain the distribution to manufacturing of MS and even warehousing of the raw materials. Operations: Operation explains the process of transforming raw materials into finished products and service to sell them in MS outlets. Outbound Logistics: The manufacturing and distribution of finished goods. Marketing and Sales: carrying out the market research to identify the customers need and requirement to face the competition in the market. Service: After the product and services are sold MS has a strong support of customers. MS takes every complaint seriously because no problem is small in business in this modern competitive world. MS supports these activities with: The infrastructure of the MS firm is guided with organizational structure, control system and company culture. Put Diagram please to explain: Human resource management: MS takes additional care in selecting its workforce to make that it keeps the values and market position. TASK 2: Table 2 MS Boston Consulting Group Matrix Relative Market Share High Low Rate of Market Growth High Stars Question Marks Organic foods Clothing range Online shopping# Indian own brand foods Services Bakery Low Cash Cows Dogs Perfectly Balanced Own Brand Label Products Wines Delicatessen Counter sales (Fish, Cheese, Pattisserie, Meat) Frozen uncooked foods Flowers Entertainment goods STRATEGIC PLANNING: There are six steps in strategic planning, MS has covered few step as discussed above with various analysis carried out. In this task we will discuss the strategies to be used for entering in new market as part expansion plan. MS and every companies has three main generic strategies available either become the lowest cost retailer or differentiate product and services in such a way that the customers so that they will pay a premium price. Generic strategies result: Cost Leadership, Differentiation and Focus. MSs core products ( food and clothing ), it emphasis a focus generic Strategies as it concentrates on a narrow segment A particular set of groups such as executives Market segmentation such as high end Product feature such as freshness and within the chosen segments MS attempts to achieve differentiation from Tesco, Asda and any high street retailer. Needs that can be better serviced by focusing entirely on it. Competitive Strategy: Competitive Strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing to perform activities differently or to perform different activities than rivals to deliver a unique mix of value ( Michael E Porter) The essence of strategy lies in creating tomorrows competitive advantages faster than competitors mimic the ones you posses today (Gary Hamel C K Prahalad) Porters four generic Competitive Strategies MS Generic Strategies: As per these strategies it is argued that to establish its competitive advantage the business needs to make two fundamental decisions which are: Whether to compete on Cost. Its competitive scope. Cost Leadership: As MS has decided to enter the market which is more competitive at price. In order to enter broad cross section of the market by introducing products and service at low price. MS wants to sustain and retain customers in European market; hence it has kept its cost as low as possible to keep low prices for the products and service. MS has to make sure that its quality or the features of the product are untouched with the efforts being at low cost. Market place is more dominated by price, as the product is same from seller to seller. Differentiation: MS will be introducing its product with differentiated feature. MS own brand such as Per Una is very popular within UK that attracts customers frmom aged 35, MS will launch its a new clothing range that will attract customers from aged 20 to 25. It will have a new clothing range with low prices to attract young customer. New Group Strategy and Structure: Based on the above analysis and research and strategic review, the board of MS announced in April 29 of 2009 significant changes to the structure group and strategy. Highlighting the new plans which will be used to retain the customers and increase the share price in the market: More focus on UK retail: Own brands will be modified and will be made more stylish to attract young group of people as well. MS will be selling more of its own brand and products exclusive to MS so that customers can be rest assure that the products are quality, value and service. Recovery plan for range of clothes: There is a huge growth in products like Home, food and Beauty. Store improvement Programme Focused customer service Closure of loss making business, Cost cutting measures and realisation of value: MS is a huge company, customer, investor and everyone has great expectation from them. Therefore MS intend to merge or close business which is making losses. MS intend to close the subsidiary in the European rather than the Irish one. Selling of brooks in king brothers market and super markets in the US as there are no suitable platform for future international expansion by MS in US. MS has opened a new store in China through franchising. MS intends to close its loss making business including a dedicated call centre with about 340 jobs in total. Cost cutting is one of the best ways to reduce the costs of goods sold by using foreign suppliers and less supplier mainly to Asia. TASK 3: Lately, MS has faced some tough competition and thats how its time for MS to come up with new market for growth. In order to analyse the market and find a new market MS has adopted the Ansoffs product market matrix. Table 4 MS The Ansoff Matrix; Growth Vector Components Products Existing New Markets Existing Market Penetration Product Development Improve service and quality Repositioning Withdrawal Expand Own Brand Labels Introduce new products Expand to non-food sector New Market Development Diversification Internationalising Globalization Expand abroad Online shopping Conglomerate Acquisitions Above Ansoff matrix suggest that MS can use this as a base to plot its expansion plan for future. In order to develop a new marketing strategy, MS carried out a market research. MS market research shows that the best way to bring new customers in their existing range would be by exploiting new markets (market development). The company when carried out the research in both primary and secondary and as a outcome, they find the opportunity to target between the ages 18-25 which also includes the students (three million) as potential customers, with a spending ratio of  £12 billion. To aim the youth (students) so that they start shopping for their early student days, MS set a new strategy. 90 universities were contacted and the company used variety of tactics to attract the students like give free gifts at freshers fair, free voucher, direct mail flyers and we banners. This would help the students to maintain their loyalty over degree course and ahead in working life. To increase the awareness about the MS value and products, the company set up a campaign. This campaign was really helpful where MS achieved business aims, including growth and a new market (students, youngsters). Trendy with less price catalogue was another step towards substantive growth. It was launched in 2009 with an aim that it benefits the company as well as the customers which offers a variety of product, free home delivery, and online service as well. To maintain this rapid growth, MS is also planning to take discounted offers internationally with opening new stores in different countries, to further expand the growth in business with a unique selling proposition. MS market research gives the result that the existing product into new markets was the best direction to take further TASK 4: In Addition, MS is to adopt a new system to manage supply. MS is introducing merchandise lifecycle software (Trade Stone Software system) which will support its global sourcing initiatives. This software will reduce the time which will take to bring new products to market, increase imports over an unspecified timeframe and expand its product selection. And with the introduction of the CPR (Customer Pulled Replenishment), MS is planning to implement on the financial strategy by reducing labour costs and stock handling. Accordingly, MS will be maintaining different levels of implementations of strategies. Following the operational strategy for MS Below is a cash flow statement for MS expansion plan in European Market with new clothing range and new product line. Above is the GAP analysis will help MS to set realistic goals and as a basis for identifying the extent to which existing strategies will fail to meet performance objectives in the future. GAP analysis will help MS to realise the requirement and effort required to fill in the GAP from where we are to where we want to go, this gap between this two questions will help MS to fill the gap with all resources that is needed. While planning the strategies MS has forecasted desired revenue/profits. It is then possible to consider how this gap may be bridged, as MS has decided to fill in the gap with expansion and launching a new clothing launch for attracting customers from 20-25 years. Expectancy Theory (Vroom) Effort hh Expectancy? Leads to Performance Instrumentality Leads to Outcome (Reward) Valence? Personal Goals After a extraordinary amount of research over the last few years it shows an increasing realisation of the customer satisfaction and customer focus in the company, MS decided to rebrand few of its stores by applying over the last few years it shows an increasing realisation of the customer satisfaction and customer focus in the company, MS decided to rebrand few of its stores by applying whole new concept design to take MS forward. With the new merchandising techniques and displays MS have found a real positive change in the customers hopping environment. Additionally, to increase the effort towards its modernised offer MS is also mulling a revamp of few of its stores. Moreover, MS also continues to fine-tune its portfolio, transferring its existing store into larger sites such as Oxford Street store, which took over a site formerly occupied by CA in 2002. In order to carry out the market surreys and research, MS is evaluating systems in their organisation. To form the budget of the company MS are opening new stores and departments. As well, the company is working on the limitations to achieve the targets. For example MS has recently evaluated a recycling technique (Plan A) through which it is generating quite a lot of money. Referencing: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8KS4gKNgLysCpg=PT29dq=G+Johnson+%26+K+Scholescd=1#v=onepageq=G%20Johnson%20%26%20K%20Scholesf=false http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Strategy (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })() http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/essays-and-dissertations/bcg-growth-sharemarket.php http://www.netmba.com/strategy/matrix/bcg/ http://www.examstutor.com/business/resources/companyprofiles/marksandspencer/strategyinsight.php (about ms details and information.) http://www.echeat.com/essay.php?t=29922 http://www.thinkingmanagers.com/management/market-strategy.php http://www.oxbridgewriters.com/essays/marketing/marks-spencers-corporate-objectives.php http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/essays-and-dissertations/ansoff-analysis.php

Michael Jordan is Not God Essay -- essays research papers

Michael Jordan is one of the most well known people in the world. Whether it’s on the basketball court or on television, Michael Jordan is seen everywhere. Children see him and â€Å"wanna be like Mike.† Parents see him and believe he’s the ideal role model. This is the person everyone sees and adores. However, nobody sees his character off the court and off of television. I believe that his off the court behavior shows his true self. I’m not accusing Michael Jordan of being Satan; I just don’t believe he is the god that everyone makes him out to be.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Everybody knows the story. Michael Jordan got cut from his high school basketball team so he worked twice as hard and finally made it. People look at this and believe that hard work ethic will earn you success in whatever you do. He then went on to attend the University of North Carolina where he helped the Tar Heels become national champions. At this point people thought Michael Jordan was the real deal, but some were still skeptical. Finally he was drafted into the NBA where he won six championship rings. No one was skeptical anymore. Everyone looks at his on the court success and believes he is the greatest player to ever play the game. For those who don’t watch sports, they see him on commercials and see him drink his Gatorade, wear his Hanes underwear, show off his new shoes, and spray his cologne. The fact of the matter is that Michael Jordan has become a household name in America. Many feel he rep... Michael Jordan is Not God Essay -- essays research papers Michael Jordan is one of the most well known people in the world. Whether it’s on the basketball court or on television, Michael Jordan is seen everywhere. Children see him and â€Å"wanna be like Mike.† Parents see him and believe he’s the ideal role model. This is the person everyone sees and adores. However, nobody sees his character off the court and off of television. I believe that his off the court behavior shows his true self. I’m not accusing Michael Jordan of being Satan; I just don’t believe he is the god that everyone makes him out to be.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Everybody knows the story. Michael Jordan got cut from his high school basketball team so he worked twice as hard and finally made it. People look at this and believe that hard work ethic will earn you success in whatever you do. He then went on to attend the University of North Carolina where he helped the Tar Heels become national champions. At this point people thought Michael Jordan was the real deal, but some were still skeptical. Finally he was drafted into the NBA where he won six championship rings. No one was skeptical anymore. Everyone looks at his on the court success and believes he is the greatest player to ever play the game. For those who don’t watch sports, they see him on commercials and see him drink his Gatorade, wear his Hanes underwear, show off his new shoes, and spray his cologne. The fact of the matter is that Michael Jordan has become a household name in America. Many feel he rep...

Narrative- Water Slide Experience Essay example -- Personal Narrative

Narrative- Water Slide Experience I was so excited. I could hardly breathe through the hour drive it took to get there. I was squished between my two ten-year-old best friends in the back seat of a white Saturn, but I didn't care. I was practicing over and over in my head what I was going to say to all the smart-alecky adults who would tell me I was too young to ride the water slides. I was simply going to reply, "Actually I'm ten, going on eleven." On the right of me sat the girl I met in preschool, the swimmer who was named after a state like me: Tennessee. She was the observant artist. She sat there holding a deck of cards, trying to find all the queens. I could tell she was nervous. Her hands were sweating. The cards were damp and at one point they slipped from her fingers. She giggled unhappily. I looked down and realized mine were sweating too. On my left was the girl who spoke for the three of us. She was the big cheese. Anna was without a doubt, the most daring of the three of us. She was the one who started the famous food fight of '95 in the Travis cafeteria. She told the entire school that her sister ran away to join the circus in '96,and in '97 she broke a boy's arm, wrestling. It was obvious that she was going to ride the infamous "death slide." In fact as soon as we jumped out of the car she screamed, "I'm going to ride the biggest ride at Schlitterbahn, 'The Death Slide.'" I was still debating on whether or not to go on the newest and scariest ride of Schlitterbahn. Anna was humming "Jon Jacob," and acting like it was no big deal. Tennessee was practically shaking and saying, "Everything will be fine. I'll ride the kiddy slide." She was joking, but I knew that thought was probably going through her he... ...The lifeguard yelled, "Keep your hands and your feet together." I sat down on the edge at the very top of the slide, he gave me a hard, fast push and I was off. It was like sliding down a vertical stick. I had to squeeze my arms to my chest and keep my clenched feet together. I was screaming so hard, I had a sore throat the next day. But I wasn't screaming from pain or freight but excitement. When we got to the bottom Tennessee and I were laughing and throwing up our arms in victory. Anna wasn't too happy with us at first but she got over it, though she never did go down The Death Slide that day. I know it was just a ride in a park, but I always think about day when I'm feeling too scared to try something new. I remember what it felt like to fly down that big blue slide. I realize that I might be quiet, even invisible, but hidden inside me is a brave heart.

Ann Petry’s Short Story Like a Winding Sheet Essay -- Ann Petry Windin

Ann Petry’s Short Story "Like a Winding Sheet" In Ann Petry’s 1945 short story "Like a Winding Sheet,". Johnson is a black male struggling with racism and societal pressures. Johnson faces many challenges. As one reads, one cannot help but feel his anger, frustration and tenseness. Petry tells it in the following way, "The knowledge that he had struck her seeped through him slowly and he was appalled but he couldn’t drag his hands away from her face." Petry goes on further to tell us, "He had lost all control over his hands." This rage Johnson is experiencing is described as a "winding sheet". Johnson’s everyday routine causes anger and frustration to build up inside him. Get up, go to work and come home; get up, go to work and come home. The routines...

The Symbols Used by William Golding in “Lord of the Flies”

LITERATURE ASSIGNMENTS EXPLAIN THE USE OF IMAGERY IN WILLIAM GOLDING’S â€Å"LORD OF THE FLIES† â€Å"Lord of the flies† by William Golding, is a book filled with terrifying truths and unhidden disclosed secrets that have gone too far not to be acknowledged.The writer perspicuously reveals the role of the society in suppressing the minds of its followers to the extent that even the most savage of all creatures if allowed, â€Å"man† is beguiled into reflectively presuming himself at the very peak of morality and the vision of civilization; as said, the hidden truths cannot remain so eternally; and thus Golding advances to fill â€Å"the lord of the flies† as a depiction of what lies beneath the barricade of lies and pretension.He sets his book based on the most thought ‘civilized’ society, the British, using English school boys to buttress his points. Even amongst the symbolisms and the significances of the prose, there is a nature to w hich the book lies, a feature that makes it so further distinguishable from other books; a realized attribute that is passionately attained in this book, that is the ‘IMAGERY’. Golding’s ‘Lord of the flies’ is emphatic in nature and is an imagery of the reality of the scenes of its own.The descriptive and metaphorical diction of the prose was advancement even in the times of Golding himself. In the book, Golding ensures the usage of imagery, one way or another at ever nook and cranny of his book. At a peak where Golding lays close realization between actual reality and his diction; it lies so close that one can almost see the scene. His words are so emphatic, they portray pure descriptive genius and they buttress the true beauty of nature.Golding’s use of imagery sets us to realize the actual exquisiteness of the panorama, where the senses of the reader are so heightened that an awareness to the paradisiac essence of the book is established th at even the task of discernment of reality from the book becomes arduous; where one can in actuality, practically feel, taste, touch and see the very essence of the island itself; even right from the beginning of the novel. This therefore leaves the diction used in the prose’s imagery to the reader to be bordering between sheer reality and fiction segregated by a mere thin diaphanous sliver or thread.With imagery, Golding amplifies the sheer potency (effects) of several scenarios in the novel. Just like Michelangelo, the artist, Golding paints his artwork that is the novel; with scintillatingly vivid yet arrestingly dramatic colorful and picturesque scenes that one can only define as intense, passionately ardent and vibrant; but using his mere diction as the instrument culpable of the brilliance he smears his book with remorseless reality and intense vivacity.It is blatant that if the imagery of ‘lord of the flies’ is removed then the book will become just ordina rily plain and boring, like a vacuum. It is now conspicuous the fact that the emphasis of this alluring book falls thoroughly on the paradisiac landscape of the cryptic island. Theological overtones are constantly elaborated in references to the island as a tropical haven: â€Å"the candle-buds open their wide white flowers glimmering under the light that pricked down from the first stars.Their scent spilled out into the air and took possession of the island† (page 74) a potent quotation, just a hay in the haystack barn of such assorted quotes from the book of ‘ lord of the flies’; vividly gives the reader an exclusive insight on the addictive allure of the flower. Golding uses a sundry of approaches to detail the very nature within the nature of the flowers; but all of these quotes and sentences prove the beauty of the fiction in relation to actual reality, because of Golding’s creative disposition that beguiles and lures the reader deeper into the appear ance of the panorama.Golding’s imaginative and innovative touches adds flare here and there throughout the novel. The sun and the thunder, for instance, in consideration to the attention are set across as physical realities not only for their symbolic in as much as they prove important, it is for the genius in Golding’s diction that they seem to take such a role. Golding advances further to analyze every scrap of the book theologically, with a realistic sense in a subtle perspective.Golding develops a fervor for stacking the imagery in addition to the ather extraordinary momentum and power which drives the whole narrative forward, so that one incident comes prior and immediately another, sustaining that suspense he coalesces the both of them to give the most prolific effects. Therefore, it is no longer vague to the fact that Golding’s power to perceive a careful preparation for an incident.But this imagery is not only restricted on the beauty of the island, Gold ing goes far to depict the characters of the novel, giving each of them a specific trait and feature that either boosts their role in the novel as a hero or regales them to the position of antagonist. The animals- pigs, â€Å"squeakings- and the hard strike if hoofs on a path†¦caught in creepers, throwing itself at the elastic traces in all the madness of extreme terror† (chapter 1. Page 42) the birds, â€Å"a vision of red and yellow, flashed upwards with a witchlike cry† (chapter 1,page 13), are set with vibrant abilities, colors and sounds, the mountains, the lake etc. verywhere, there is a certain perception to close reality in description to each one of them. Golding utilizes imagery to the maximum where he uses his diction to play with the reader’s empathy; when the reader feels present, a true reflection of what could actually be seen if allowed, a replica fabricates with the play of the mind, Golding involves the reader in every detail of the charac ters’ surroundings and events; therefore , it is the mind of the reader’s being that is stimulated to beguile the reader into seeing the novel in the mind’s eyes without a single visual effect.ASSIGNMENT2 In all literal sense, there is no doubt to the fact that â€Å" the lord of the flies† written by William Golding is without a doubt a perceptively innovative novel comprising of several symbols in natural sense to which Golding makes use of in several scenarios to depict the sheer nature of man’s facade, being and civilization. The irony where even the most civilized can also submit and be subjected to there true nature- the cataclysmic nature hidden beneath the mask of civilization.The book set in the time of the world war two portrays savagery of his experiences through the novel, â€Å"the lord of the flies†. He opens the minds of the readers to the facade of our actual daily lives. He accentuates on his points by using a set of symbols that sets apart the novel from the others, with symbols Golding represents and demarcates several roles played in the novel, thus giving it an inciting taste. They are the vivid representations of several things in the novel.Golding utilizes these precise symbols in as much of its analytical sense expressed using this certain representations to signify specific things that are used to promote the themes and to give perfect significances to the established literature. As perceived and notable right from the first chapter, ‘the conch’ being one of the most important major symbols used by Golding to a layman may only appear in natural common sense to be only seen as a beautiful shell, thus this segregates the borders etween literally analyzed details and sheer layman sense, deliberately the hidden representations Golding uses the conch to embody the very first realization of the boy’s actual civilization at first; this shell is an conspicuous symbol, in chapter one this very same shell is used in the hands of Golding to illustrate and show the utter honesty and civil behaviours of the boys marooned in the island. The conch is the very embodiment of the boys’ unity where Ralph and Piggy to amalgamate the boys spanned all about the cryptic island to conspire and establish a meeting amongst them uses the conch.Golding’s perceptive nature in his creative literature prodigy allows the further symbolization of the conch to denote Ralph’s place of authority as the chief, the conch is a potent symbol that sets the pace for others to come in the book; in as much as its overt representation of Ralph’s authority, the children’s reunion, the show of civility of the boys at their first appearance the conch symbolizes the authority of whoever amongst the boys holding the conch, not for only Ralph but they are given the boost to authorize, not in the sense that they are over Ralph, but such that whoever bearing the conch i s freely given permission to utter verbal speeches pertaining to the subjects at hand without the interception of any of the other in exception to Ralph, who being ‘chief’, then surmounts them all in prerogatives. This symbol’s role in the uniting of the boys is made more conspicuous when the conch first conch begins to lose its influence and the boys dissipate into severe savagery, and is later crushed by a boulder, signifying the demise of the civilized instinct among almost all the boys and therefore breaking the boys utterly and evidently pointing out the extremity of Ralph’s authority and leadership.In exemption to the potent ‘conch’, another symbol is persistently utilized and one of the most ingenious symbolic aspects of the book, ‘Piggy and his spectacles’ in Golding’s creation to embody the very peak of scientific inquisition; Piggy, an intellectual boy poses knowledge about the different facts nobody remembers or even inquire about and the voice of evident logic. ‘Piggy’s glasses’ represent intelligence and sight or the ability to see when it is used to focus the sunrays of the sun on woods to start a fire and as a result of it being stolen by Jack the potent power of sight and intelligence is transmitted to Jack. It is blatant that Piggy is the conscience of absolute knowledge when he consistently advices Ralph on their priorities or survival in the island; it was he who brought the ideas of definite need for shelter, and solely thought out the need to know everyone’s name at the first meeting enough to go about asking for everyone’s name. piggy and his glasses are recognized farther as symbols of knowledge and sight, when the break of the glasses and piggy’s blindness leads to the indisputable blindness of Ralph ‘sight’. In as much as piggy symbolizes, he is also the one who tried to see the scientific perspective over the death of Simo n, when he points out what is culpable for Simon’s death, which he analyzed to be because of Simon’s creeping into the circle. The death of piggy completes the blindness and forces them all into absolute darkness, which in turn without the ‘voice of logic’ drowns the boys in barbaric savagery and thus leads them on a hunt for Ralph.During the events occurring in the novel, Golding continually introduces more symbols in referring to the characters behavior and reactions in relation to actual reality of man. Amongst these is the intimidating anticipated appearance which the boys bore apprehension towards, that is surely the very presence of the beast of the air, which is later ascertained by Simon to be the dead body of a parachutist represents man’s apprehension and dread for what is unknown, which in actuality brings into the realization of man’s hasty resolve that only settles for a waiting jeopardy to occur; at several levels of mindset, in every aspect this fear widely diffuses through man emotionally, physically, spiritually, psychologically, culturally and politically pushing him through the very height of destruction. The lord of the flies’, another major symbol which is a dead sow’s head skewered in the jungle by Jack and his gang signifies man’s untamed barbaric savagery; the destructive capabilities of man’s hands, his consistent torture of nature and her descendants in the struggle for ‘civility’. His inner inconspicuous self hidden in a semblance of civilization and authoritarian rules and commands once unraveled bursts through the seams of the very fabric of ‘innocuous minds’ and reveals a horrifying grotesque and frightening being. Also, the painted faces which was smeared over jack and his gang symbolizes the mask that man hides behind; the facade and illusion inconspicuous as the painted faces of the boys, revealing the lies and cloaks the truths creat es a formal game of charades where the deceived is man himself. It also signifies man’s moral degradation and his intense levels of cruelty.

Negative Sites on Abortion, Helping Make a Dignified Choice

Every year in the United States, 25% of pregnancies are ended in abortion. This number may seem quite high, but it is actually on the decline and is much lower than several other countries. These numbers are extremely high for one main reason. That reason is a lack of education. When young women become pregnant they feel the only alternative to having the baby is abortion. This is wrong and that is why we must educate the public to bring the abortion numbers down. The abortion issue has two sides. Pro-lifers believe that a human life is created at conception. Pro-choicers believe life begins at birth. Both groups have the common goal of minimizing the number of abortions, but have different ways of accomplishing that. For example, pro-lifers believe abortion should be illegal, while pro-choicers believe that it is the woman†s body as well as her choice. The other main differences lie in the definitions of several key terms. For example take the word pregnancy. Pro-lifers believe pregnancy starts at conception, while pro-choices believe it starts at the time of birth. To bring down the abortion rate, we need to focus on the factors causing the problems (Baird). I believe the main factor is a lack of education. If we started to educate children earlier about pregnancy, we would see a drop in the number of pregnancies and abortions. While this technique may be long and expensive, it is the best remedy for the long run. There are several ways we can implement this technique. We could develop a program similar to D. A. R. E. , in which it is demanded for students to take classes. D. A. R. E. , which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, has been especially successful. The purpose of the program is to inform children that popularity can be found in positive and nonviolent behavior. The program also helps children feel a sense of belonging that stresses their values. D. A. R. E teaches children valuable lessons concerning drugs and alcohol abuse. The program helps the children to lead better, fuller, and more satisfying lives. Research done by the D. A. R. E. program showed that for every $1 spent on drug abuse prevention, communities can save $4 to $5 in costs for drug abuse treatment and counseling. It was also found that in the past two years, drug abuse has either stayed the same or declined. The program has seen this type of success since it started in 1983 (D. A. R. E. ). I believe a class like this concerning abortion and pregnancy would have similar success. The class would inform the children on the purposes of sex and pregnancy. It would teach them the importance of sex and why you should wait for the right person. This would directly tie into abortion portion of the class. The class would tell why abortion is wrong and what alternatives there are to abortion. They would learn how contraceptive methods such as condoms are used to prevent pregnancy, while abortifacient techniques are used to end a pregnancy that has already begun (Prolife. rg). Some other common forms of birth control the students would learn about are diaphragms, cervical caps, contraceptive pills, and emergency contraception pills or â€Å"the morning after pill. † There are some other alternatives to education. One of them is making abortion illegal, but at this stage it is impossible. As the public continues to become more educated, the abortion rate will go down as will the opinion of abortion. At this stage there may be a possibility of making abortion illegal. But until we get to this stage, making abortion illegal is not an option. There is hope though, because the public's opinion of abortion has been changing. A CNN Poll in 1998 showed that only 31% of men and 32% of women were advocates of abortion. A similar poll was taken in 1980, which showed that 52% of the population believed in some form of abortion. Other than education, making it illegal would be the main goal. Obviously abortions would still happen, but now the number of pregnancies each year would dip under five percent. I also believe that more pregnancy clinics are needed. Pregnancy clinics help to spread the word to the public concerning pregnancy. I believe simple things like free condoms are a start to remedy the problem (Religioustolerance. org). As mentioned earlier, education is the best way of dealing with the abortion rate. Education at a younger age helps to control pregnancy and it informs involved parties of the alternatives they have. Not only would the abortion rate and pregnancy rate drop, but so would the number of sexually transmitted diseases. Although every woman has the right to abortion, I believe that many women would change their decision if they knew of the alternatives.

Faulkner’s and Morrison’s Notions of Parenting

In literature of fictional realism, the difficulty of storytelling often lies in creating a believable atmosphere, in order for the reader to identify with the characters and surroundings. The theme and plot may well be stylish and inspirational, but without plausible characters or a practical setting, the atmosphere of suspended belief the author is striving for can be marred by the simple obscurity of the key elements of character development, functional setting, and writing style appropriate to the story itself. If an author is skilled enough to successfully employ these crucial elements, and have a solid story to boot, then great writing is created. Such is the case with William Faulkner and Toni Morrison. Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying and Morrison’s Pulitzer- and Nobel-prize winning novel Beloved express the damage that can be caused through either excess of devotion or indifferent neglect of the respective parent. Both writers maintain focus on the development of the characters, create an active and believable setting, and employ appropriate writing styles to successfully convey their social commentaries. In As I Lay Dying, Faulkner introduces his characters, the Bundren family, as simple country folk faced with grave circumstances. Addie, the mother of the family, is on her deathbed, and not much longer for the world. The household is in a state of despair, performing their perfunctory duties, but with a pronounced lack of enthusiasm. Anse, worrying himself on the front porch, puts it simply after telling his son Vardaman to wash his hands: â€Å"But I just cant seem to get no heart in it,† (Faulkner, 38). Neither Anse nor any other members of the household seem to have any clue as to how to react to the forthcoming tragedy, outside of dispensing their feeble grasp of pathos. Even Tull, the Bundrens’ nearby neighbor, comments on Anse in pity: â€Å"†¦the only burden Anse Bundren’s ever had is himself†¦I think to myself he aint that less of a man or he couldn’t a bore himself this long. † (Faulkner, 73). This simple statement by Tull is a testimony to Anse’s burden as a father and husband. Anse recognizes his failings as both patraiarch and devoted husband; it is that weight that ignites a sudden surge of faithfulness to his wife and urges him upon the journey to respect her last wishes of a burial in Jefferson. Faulkner further establishes the Bundrens as incapable of grasping appropriateness as Cash stands outside of his mother’s window, in her full view, nailing and sawing together the coffin in which she will be laid to rest. The irony is that Addie wants to see it being constructed: â€Å"[Addie was] Lying there with her head propped up so she could watch Cash building the coffin,† (Faulkner, 23). Faulkner is commenting not only on the family’s dim grasp of appropriateness, but on the mother’s part as well, and the reader is left to wonder the reasoning behind Addie’s decision to watch her son build her coffin. In this light, Addie can seem cold towards her children, in that she is looming over Cash’s shoulder as he goes about the grim task of constructing his dying mother’s coffin. In actuality, Addie holds her son in reverence and is transmitting that care using the only method she was taught, by merely paying attention to him. Looking at the characters individually in order to circumscribe a mediocre upbringing, Faulkner’s careful construction of the characters implies the damage the parents have inflicted by their relative indifference. Vardaman remains in a state of reluctance and confusion, simply because no one in the family, least of all the parents, takes the time to fully explain the circumstances. He cannot grasp death’s finality and begins to panic when his mother is placed into the coffin post-mortem: â€Å"Are you going to nail it shut, Cash? Nail it? Nail it? † (Faulkner, 65). His incredulity incites him to action, and the episode spins into Vardaman’s notion to drill holes into the coffin so that she might breathe. Unfortunately, Vardaman misjudges the body’s position and â€Å"When they taken the lid off they found that two of [the drill-holes] had bored on into her face,† (73). The whole of the scene focuses on the fact that Vardaman was acting out of concern and love for his mother, but with disastrous results. This is a vehicle Faulkner employs throughout the novel, that bad ideas are often accompanied by good intentions, which re-emphasizes the tacit misunderstanding of a sound family dynamic. There is an abject, obscure devotion, but the family, including Addie, has had an impossible time of setting that devotion in concrete terms. But it is Faulkner’s use of language to skillfully transition into Addie’s sole monologue that explicates his willingness to peg complex irony into an otherwise straightforward novel. Faulkner utilizes the family’s inability to communicate as a launching point for Addie’s monologue, which centers on the idea that words are often lacking in function. Addie represents Faulkner’s commendable language skills by evoking great sorrow in a single stroke. While previous monologues of other characters create a mosaic of separate sadnesses, it is through Addie that the reader is pulled into pointed and exacted depths of human misery. Moreover, her frank manner of speech serves Faulkner’s purpose of cold accuracy as Addie despairs in her position of responsibility she never wanted nor feel she deserves: â€Å"I knew that that word [love] was like the others; just a shape to fill a lack; that when the right time came, you wouldn’t need a word for that anymore than for pride or fear†, (Faulkner, 172). Devin Mckernan, in his article Conflict of the Feminine in As I Lay Dying, comments on this move by Faulkner: â€Å"That this would be Faulkner’s take on language is obviously ironic, as he depends on his words to not only live but perpetuate his own concepts and beliefs,† (9). Addie’s statement of words being insufficient to fill a particular void is Faulkner’s method of projecting his own frustration at the feebleness and insubstantiality of words. Addie summarizes the futility of spoken words in situations where speech is neither necessary nor fulfilling of any definitive purpose. So automatically her lack of faith in the communication of words is relayed to her children, whom she neglects to communicate effectively with, and Vardaman’s vacancy, Jewel’s bitterness, and Dewey Dell’s airiness reflect Addie’s poor maternal instincts. Too, she is objecting her husband Anse’s reference to ‘love’. For Addie, as for Faulkner, the conveyance of deep-felt emotions or thoughts or ideas or beliefs cannot be hammered down in such abstract terminology; words such as ‘love’ and ‘pride’ are both ambiguous and subjective, hence meaningless. This outlook proves Addie a failed mother and a bitter wife, which is transmuted upon the family and reflects in their dim sense of family. Faulkner’s tact lies in the brevity of Addie’s monologue to express Addie’s resentment of words of feeling: â€Å"†¦sin and love and fear are just sounds that people who have never sinned nor loved nor feared have for what they never had and cannot have until they forget the words,† (174). Clearly, the language is disparaging of the abstract nature of words, but subtly Faulkner is urging the reader to think for himself and what those abstract words mean to each individual, or if they should have a meaning attached to them in the first place. There still remains the implied love that Anse has for his family. After Cash breaks his leg, Anse comes up with the idea of setting the leg into cement as a remedy. This episode is the most profound example of Anse’s poor fathering yet, and the fact that he does not realize the damage being done until a neighbor points out the worsening injury is further evidence of Faulkner desiring his audience to grasp the absoluteness of parental failing: â€Å"Cash’s leg and foot turned black†¦ ‘Didn’t none of you have more sense than that? ’ Mr. Gillespie said,† (Faulkner, 224). Here is the penultimate example of Anse impacting his children out of ignorance, but not for lack of caring. It must be noted that Faulkner still implies a general air of tenderness warmth as Anse â€Å"just aimed to help [Cash],† (ibid), but without the common sense to do anything but the first hare-brained idea he could muster. This scene is also an example of Faulkner’s use of a dynamic setting to deliver the theme of the husband finally finding devotion enough for his wife, but, like Addie, viewing the children as burdensome. For Faulkner, Yoknapatawpha county and its rural Mississippi surroundings provide the requisite set of trials and misfortunes the Bundrens must overcome to deliver Addie safely to Jefferson. On the way they encounter a fierce river that drowns their mule team, providing the first example of the roughness of the terrain as a force to be reckoned with: â€Å"†¦I see the mules come rolling up slow up out of the water, their legs spraddled stiff like they had balked upside down†¦,† (Faulkner, 154). This episode still outlines a familial love between the characters, because it was Anse’s bull-headed devotion to Addie’s dying wish of burial in Jefferson that made the sojourn necessary in the first place, and come what may he would deliver her no matter how rough the road gets, and in spite of his bitterness towards his family. Faulkner weaves the setting further into his tale by making the novel one of necessary travel. As stated earlier, the primary goal of the Bundrens is to deliver Addie to her final resting place in Jefferson. The gathering rain, the swollen, mule-drowning river, and the instance of Cash’s broken leg all provide Faulkner with ample opportunity to make the setting as threatening as Anse’s stubborn devotion. The risks run by the family are outweighed by Anse’s final attempt to do right by Addie, a fact to which Anse is either oblivious or indifferent. Faulkner succeeds in his goal to incorporate as much of the setting to drive his novel and further express the mishaps of Anse’s bumbling paternal figure. As I Lay Dying is regarded as a giant of literary fiction, encompassing stout and functional characters, a dynamic and threatening setting, and a style of versification as subtle as it is simple to relay the message of parental ignorance and neglect. And Toni Morrison, in her novel Beloved, is equally successful in her characterizations, her setting, and her expressive language, but to deliver a message of hope from the most down-trodden, the ex-slaves of post-Civil war society. Morrison rides the road opposite Faulkner, ensuring the proper level of complexity in her characters, taming her setting to nurture as well as inflict tragedy, and designing her language on a more intricate level. Morrison’s characters are not permitted the lack of intimacy like the Bundren family. Sethe, the matriarchal central figure of the story, operates on a far deeper and more complex level than the sum total of the Bundrens combined. She is strong-willed yet vulnerable, fierce yet devoted, at times simple and straightforward in thought, and at other times profound and insightful. In the opening scene, Paul D comments to himself on the nature of Sethe â€Å"†¦the one with iron eyes and backbone to match,† (Morrison, 9). In Sethe, the reader is given a strong character who is also burdened with her charges, Denver and Beloved. But Sethe differs from Anse in her willingness to accept that burden, accept her children and try to raise them up correctly, insofar as her past and her present will allow her. Morrison takes care to create Sethe as a proper mother figure, weaving into her narrative the harrowing story of Sethe’s escape from Sweet Home, integrating Denver’s birth on a grounded rowboat, and illustrating the automatic response of maternal care for Beloved upon Beloved’s entrance into the novel. These two very human flaws are central for Sethe’s internal struggles. She holds her head high in pride, as an escaped ex-slave who has (mostly) succeeded in putting her grim past behind her: â€Å"No more running-from nothing. I will never run from another thing on this earth,† (Morrison, 15). This early declaration from Sethe provides the context for the reader to understand her position; that as a mother escaping from slavery’s treachery caused her to duck and run, but as a woman having overcome that trial she is in firm refusal to let any further hardships force her to turn tail and bail. So it is the shame of having to run, as necessary as that escape was, coupled with the pride of having survived the grisly cruelty of slavery that constitutes much of Sethe’s psychological makeup. This past, however, will lead Sethe down a road of what can be viewed as either temporary psychosis or the pinnacle of devoted motherhood. In one of the most crucial scenes of the novel, the slavehunters have discovered Sethe and her children hiding out in a shed at the back of 124. Sethe, well aware of the inhumanity of the men surrounding her, slays her child, cutting its throat. When the men enter, they find Sethe â€Å"holding a blood-soaked child to her chest with one hand and an infant by the heels in the other,† (Morrison, 149). The other infant is Denver, whom Stamp Paid saves from â€Å"the arch of its mother’s swing,† (ibid). At first glance, this scenario seems strikingly cruel, but Sethe’s personal history as a slave, and therefore her knowledge of its terrors, drives her to commit the unspeakable infanticide: in Sethe’s mind, she had no choice but to save her children from the horrendous fate of slavery by murdering them. This episode portrays the duality of Sethe’s unfortunate past as always having an effect on her well-being and that of her children; she is devoted as a mother, but so much so that she assumes her child’s immediate death is preferable to the inhumanities of slavery. For Morrison, Paul D represents an odd secondary paternal figure, that of the bedraggled former slave male willing to sacrifice his own pride and paset at the chance of a content â€Å"normal† life with Sethe. But this life includes Denver, and from the outset Paul D is aware of Denver’s resentment towards him, not necessarily as a father figure, but as a stranger and a threat to the relationship between Denver and Sethe. Paul D is Morrison’s definintion of an aloof father, aware of his conspicuousness to Denver, and Denver believing that he has no intention of attempting the role of father. Midway through the novel, the reader encounters a crucial moment, as Paul D has been seduced and taken by Beloved, but he is willing to tell Sethe the truth. Paul D finally musters the courage to tell her of his infidelity, and Morrison is sure to highlight Sethe’s courage: â€Å"†¦already ready to accept, release or excuse an in-need-or-trouble man†¦because she didn’t believe any of them†¦ could measure up,† (Morrison, 128). In this statement, Morrison portrays Sethe as she has been from the outset of the story, iron-willed and accustomed well enough to disappointment than to let some wild man from her distant past ruin her by shucking off and discarding her. This outlook is due to Morrison’s extensive development of her character, making Sethe that much more plausible, in the sense that her disturbing past bears down so heavily on her present decision. The established mindset of overcoming any difficulty sets her jaw before she even knows what the issue is that Paul D is referring to. Too, there is an expectant despair in the statement, since Sethe’s past is so loaded with tragedy that she is reluctant to believe anything else is possible. This theme, the inability to completely conquer one’s own past demons, will further define Morrison’s complexity in regard to Sethe and Paul D’s incompatibility as a functional parental pair. Sethe and Paul D are strong central characters but are reluctant to revisit the mutual history that has so bound them, even in the light of a functional and content relationship. As stated by Arlene R. Keizer, â€Å"†¦the knowledge [from Sethe’s and Paul D’s slavery history] that might sustain them spiritually is consigned to the same forbidden area as the knowledge that might destroy them,† (Keizer, 2). Keizer touches on two main points that prove Sethe and Paul D inaccessible as parental figures: one, their shared history is too violent to revisit, hence any former knowledge of upbringing is null and void; and two, this forbidden area constitutes a large portion of their personalities, so any parenting they might attempt would only be a partial reflection of the whole person. Morrison ensures that the past setting of her characters binds them as strong as the present setting. The span of years passed in degradation and submission still wound and hinder both Sethe’s and Paul D’s further attempts to encompass a functional family life. Here a key difference arises between Morrison and Faulkner. Faulkner’s setting is present-focused, concentrating on the immediate actions and linear motion of the story to carry his failed parent theme. His characters can’t see but the road ahead of them, and plod along with a dim view of what is and what still might be, with little to no reference to any previous tragedy. The Bundrens’ past is reflected upon briefly, but merely in passing and without the gravity and great triumph intermingled with tragedy that Morrison employs. Morrison establishes the past as vital to the characters’ growth or retardation, where the strengths and weaknesses are exposed fully in their profound self-reflections, and their past will ultimately haunt them, especially Sethe and Paul D crippling their abilities as parental figures. Often enough, the characters have found methods and means to dissuade the past from surfacing too much, as when Sethe rubs Paul D’s knee, likening the soothing repetitive action to kneading flour into dough: â€Å"Working, working dough. Nothing better than that to start the day’s serious work of beating back the past,† (Morrison, 73). Here, the reader is drawn back to the fact that a collective past such as Sethe’s and Paul D’s must be confronted daily and fiercely, lest the despair it might breed ruin their lives and all that they have worked for. But it is the physical manifestation of Beloved and her move into 124 that wreaks the most havoc, and attempts to crush the semblance of a family Sethe and Paul D were attempting to find. Beloved’s entrance into the novel signifies dual emotions for Sethe, particularly since the longer Beloved lingers, the more willing Sethe is to please and obey her. Beloved completed Sethe in a way that neither Denver nor Paul D could. Sethe becomes doting, gradually sacrificing herself as Beloved grows fatter while â€Å"Sethe pleaded for forgiveness, counting, listing again and again her reasons,† (Morrison, 242). Convinced that Beloved is actually the spirit of her murdered daughter, Sethe is driven to madness by outpouring the devotion she robbed herself of with Beloved’s murder. it is unclear whether or not Beloved is truly the spirit of the child she has slain, but the representation of Sethe’s morbid past is definitely represented. As Jean Wyatt comments, â€Å"Beloved [is] able to articulate infantile feelings that ordinarily remain unspoken,† (Wyatt, 231). Wyatt’s statement encompasses the fullness of the problem. In the literal sense, the reader is drawn to the fact that adult Beloved can speak fully of the murder and articulate her resentment, her bitterness, and demand reasoning from Sethe, which gradually breaks Sethe down into madness. Figuratively, Beloved’s communication serve as a continous reminder of Sethe’s most profound and secret mistake of murdering her daughter. Beloved is a cruel and vindictive spirit, prying Sethe from the care of Denver without Sethe’s full awareness, and capitalizing on Sethe’s regret to the point of Sethe being driven mad. At this point in the novel, a drastic change occurs in Denver. Sethe now dotes upon Beloved incessantly, to the point that Sethe’s health begins to fail and she is driven further into a harmful obsession for Beloved’s well-being. This incites Denver to action, and through her despairing over her mother, Denver dives headlong into maturity, going about town asking for help in the exorcising of Beloved’s malignant spirit. The town gathers and amidst Sethe’s mistaking Mr. Bodwin for Schoolteacher and Sethe’s subsequent attempt to kill him, Beloved vanishes. This episode is Morrison’s most profound irony regarding Sethe as the maternal figure; that by neglecting Denver in favor of Beloved, Denver blooms into a fully grown woman, and succeeds in saving her mother from the terrible spirit of Beloved. The metaphor of the past as a force that requires â€Å"beating back† is crucial also to understanding Morrison’s method of incorporating figurative speech into her novel; the text is rife with similes, metaphors, and euphemisms: â€Å"†¦when trouble rode bareback among them.. or when Amy refers to the whip scars on Sethe’s back as â€Å" a chokecherry tree† (Morrison, 249, 79). These metaphors are Morrison’s most powerful vehicle in delivering her message of hope, where trouble becomes a beast to be tamed and the cruel scars of Sethe’s past are likened to the pleasing image of a tree. It is this language that separates Morrison from Faulkner the most, since Faulkner maintains simple language for a simple people, while Morrison enriches her characters with complex metaphors to fully grasp the potency of those insubstantial words that ever fail to convey a complete meaning. Both Beloved and As I Lay Dying incorporate the three elements of character development, realistic setting, and a sound approach to language use in order to convey their separate messages. Faulkner proves Anse’s and Addie’s failed parenting through his simple-minded but plausible country folks, the fierce and dynamic setting they work within, and the unsophisticated language and writing that epitomizes the questionable decisions and motivations of the parents. Morrison achieves a similar end as her parental characters operate on a more complex thought level, with all the restraints and reassurances of the past. Too, her setting revolves around both the present and the past to create an expansive environment to learn and grow from, and her use of the higher language of metaphor and her final ironic twist implies a mental and spiritual depth that Faulkner’s Bundren family never attains.