The Grandmothers Tale Essay Example

The Grandmothers Tale Essay EXTENSION ENGLISH The Grandmothers Tale Speech Fairy Tales are short stories that have been passed through cultures and generations, usually adapting to fit the social restrictions and morals of the time. The Grandmothers Tale, which most of us would recognize as Charles Perrault’s adaptation, Little Red Riding Hood, has been passed through different cultures, countries and many variations of the text are prevalent in different societies around the world. The Grandmother’s Tale tells of how a young girl, who is nameless, ventures through the woods to visit her sick grandmother. On the way she meets a wolf, and because of her naivety, tells him where she is heading. The wolf beats her there, eats the grandmother and when the girl arrives, the wolf simulates the grandmother’s voice in order to eat the girl too. The girl how-ever escapes and the wolf ends up getting dropped in the river by laundresses and drowns. Because the hero of the story, the young girl is kept nameless throughout various variations of the text, she is then seen as a representative of all children who read the text, making her a role model for those children. We will write a custom essay sample on The Grandmothers Tale specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Grandmothers Tale specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Grandmothers Tale specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer By giving her an identity this would no longer apply, lessening the effect that fairy tales are designed to have on children. The text has undergone a number of transformations, both simple and complex, thus leading to a variety of versions. By analyzing the text and applying reading practices, approaches and other methods of deconstruction, namely those of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s cycle and Vladimir Propp’s deconstruction of folk tales, it is possible to create a complex transformation of the text. Vladimir Propp and Joseph Campbell both theorized the idea that in divulging into a fairytale text analytically, one can establish certain analyzable elements which are present in a majority of folk tales in unvarying order. Propp studies fairytales by examining their most basic plot components. He devised a list of 31 generic functions, proposing that they covered all of the plot components from which fairy tales were constructed. Joseph Campbell however, discovered one standard plot that has been repeated throughout mythology and fairytale genre. The invited reading of this text is not dissimilar to Bruno Betlelheim’s theory that â€Å"Children know that there are monsters – they need to know that they can be defeated. † The young girl is able to subvert the power relationship between herself and the wolf by using her wits to outsmart him, becoming the heroine of the story and saving herself rather than being passive and becoming a victim. The ideal reading is to not challenge the status quo, thus agreeing with the ideologies presented in the text. By doing so, the reader would be then deemed by Eco to be what he theorized as the ‘Model reader’. The Model reader responds, comprehends, embraces and respects dominant ideologies and discourses promoted in the text. Though the model reader is not born with that socio-cultural understanding, it is imbedded into varying aspects of their culture, like fairy tales, thus molding them into the â€Å"Model reader†. By using characters such as Ogres, witches and, in the case of the grandmother’s tale, a wolf, to portray evil, children are able to easily distinguish between the good and bad. One reason for this is because of the depiction of such characters in folk tales. Usually the good characters are represented as being beautiful, gold hearted beings while the evil are ugly animalistic creatures that are rarely human. The purpose of many fairy tales is to support the status quo. By repeating this practice fairy tales are able to convey the idea that society is portrayed how it should and that it should not be challenged or questioned. They are inherently conservative and portray the dominant ideologies of the time and the society of which they support. They are written by those in power in order to position us in favor of the already powerful. When analyzing The Grandmother’s Tale, it is necessary to have considered the cultural understandings of the time period of which it was written and to understand the discourses which shape that particular society. A discourse is not just a way of speaking or writing, but the whole ‘mental set’ and ideology which encloses the thinking of all members of a given society. That is why transformations of the text can occur. French Philosopher, Michel Foucault is post-modernist in his approach to defining power. He theorized that â€Å"Power works through language by presenting a certain type of knowledge as if it were reality or truth. The discourses of power which exist in society, are those promoted in fairytales. These are people who are wealthy, mainly those born into wealth, and the biologically powerful, men. In The Grandmother’s Tale, the power is, to my cultural understanding, decentralized, by subverting the power relationship to favor the young girl, though in the transformation, Little Red Riding Hood, the power is attributed to the patriarchal male. By referring to Joseph Campbell’s Hero cycle and Vladimir Propp’s analysis of folk tales, the characters can be categorized by the roles of which they play. The heroine of the story is the young girl; she would be labeled as the hero. This operates under a socially acceptable discourse, that of femininity and youth. She is portrayed as genuinely light hearted, a discursive trait that is generally attributed to the hero of the tale. The wolf is the villain of the tale, portraying evil, dishonesty and a cunning manipulative personality. In Norse mythology, Fenrir is a wolf that is bound by the gods, though destined to grow and kill Odin, only to be slain by Odin’s son . Anthropomorphism is the attribution of uniquely human characteristics to nonhuman beings, inanimate objects, or natural or supernatural phenomena. This is something that is repeated in many fairy tales, though in most cases the object or animal is portrayed as something positive. Examples such as the little bird or the bull, existing in transformation of the Cinderella text are seen as the agents of transformation, helping the unrecognized hero, as labeled by Joseph Campbell, to break free of the restraints which hold the hero back from transformation. Readers readily embrace the negative connotations attributed with wolfs, not just because of representations in Norse mythology and other tales, legends and stories, but also because of the biological factors. The wolf is an ice age survivor, stalking its prey in packs. They hunt in packs and for many years have deprived farmers of their livestock, leading to starvation. By attributing human traits to the wolf, a creature that is feared in societies around the world and often portrayed as evil, the children reading, or listening to the text are subconsciously connecting those fearful manipulative traits seen in humans, with evil. This particular representation has supported society’s constraints and still exists and operates in societies of today. Though the wolf is portrayed negatively, it can still be seen as the agent of transformation. In the tale, the girl is naive and disorientated to start with, though with the second encounter of the wolf the girl realizes that he is negative, taking it upon her self to flee. The wolf or villain is then killed, leaving the reader with a sense of satisfaction, knowing that the good character of the story prevailed. The wolf is not human so the power discourse is shifted then by that fact and the fact that he is evil, putting the young girl in power, making it socially acceptable for the wolf to be slain. In some variations of the text the wolf is slain in a gruesome manner yet is still seen as acceptable. By introducing the Woodcutter into an adaptation of the text, Little Red Riding Hood, the power discourse is then, in my opinion, centralized, due to the society of which I live in. In the text, the dominant discourses operating are that of gender. A middle aged working man is now seen to be the hero of the story, subverting the power relationship away from the young girl. He rescues the two women from the wolf, portraying the women as passive and dependant. Both of these ideals are crucial in understanding both texts and without them the text would convey little meaning. This naturalizes the dominant discourses operating in the society of when the text was written. Post-Structuralism suggests that the reader will attribute their own attitudes, values and beliefs to a text whilst reading it. They make links based on the social context of which they exist and operate and expect or predict certain outcomes and events, such as good prevailing over evil, thus leading to a â€Å"happy ending† (do finger quote marks!!!!! ). A happy ending is normally constituted by the dominant discourse that represents the good, generally the heroes, prevailing, while the negativity of the story or the villain is conquered. In literary theory structuralism is a reading approach that observes narrative material, semiotic codes being just one aspect. Structuralism emerged fully in the 1950’s and 1960’s though it can be traced back to the works of Ferdinand de Saussure; a Swiss Linguist who was one of the key figures in the development of modern approaches to the study of language between 1857 and 1913. By analyzing The Grandmother’s Tale using the semiotic code, there are underlying actions, discourses and ideologies prevalent in the text, as well as symbolic meanings which lead the reader to gain inter-textual references and recognize the text as a variation of a text that they have read. Examples of this are such things as the introduction of the colour red that is used in Little Red Riding Hood, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm’s version Little Red Cap, an Austrian version called Little Red Hat and it is also seen in other variations of the story. Alfred DuPont Chandler, Jr. was a professor of business history at Harvard Business School, who wrote extensively about the scale and the management structures of modern corporations. He states â€Å"A sign is a meaningful unit which is interpreted as standing for something other than itself†. The tale and its variations follow the same basic structure and the discourses under which the characters operate tend to be similar in each of the texts. By analyzing the text and subverting discourses and changing actions and traits of the characters, a complex transformation of the text can be produced. This text is generally unrecognizable and readers are unable to connect it to the original text until methods of deconstruction are applied. An example of this is the movie Pretty Woman, a complex transformation of the Cinderella fairy tale. The discourses under which the characters operate have been subverted; therefore the viewer doesn’t recognize the text though they anticipate the actions and behavior of the characters as well as the ending because they are subconsciously making links to Cinderella and similar fairy tales without realization of this. To create a complex transformation of The Grandmother’s Tale, one must subvert ideologies and discourses so that they can be questioned and must stray from the archetypal characters. When deconstructing the transformed version of The Grandmother’s Tale it is obvious that the same basic line of events and structure is still used. It is the discursive shifts and altered semiotics that make the text unrecognizable. The ideal young girl of the story is that of a kind hearted innocent being. By representing her as a young prostitute who has little respect for men, she is no longer the epitome of all that is good and pure, formulating many negative ideologies so that the reader then has to question the text. This then allows a transformation of which challenges cultural expectations and social understandings and assumptions that are crucial to the base text. The inversion of the â€Å"wolf† is another aspect of the transformed text that makes it harder to link it to the original base text. Zoopomorphisation, opposed to anthropomorphism, is giving the human character animal features. I have then subverted those characteristics so that the character is completely different from what the reader expects. The wolf character in The Grandmother’s Tale represents evil, so it would be natural to have the human character whose physical attributes are wolf like to also be evil. There are examples of this in many fictional stories and movies with the use of the â€Å"werewolf† character. However, in the transformed version of The Grandmother’s Tale, Fenrir the male client of the subverted ideal girl who is a prostitute is inverted behaviorally by loving and trying to protect the prostitute. His intentions are pure and selfless, unlike those of the wolf in the base texts. Another discursive shift present in the transformed text is that of the grandmother figure from the base text. The Grandmother’s Tale and Little Red Riding Hood both consist of a sick grandmother, who is needy of basic necessities like milk and bread. The young girl in both of those tales then takes those necessities to the ill grandmother. By inverting the grandmothers gender and altering the age and discourse under which the character operates, an unrecognizable character is formed. When deconstructed, the pimp in the transformed text is actually the subverted grandmother from the base text. He too is ill, though in the text it states what illness he has, putting him in a position where he is relying on his prostitute to bring him money to live on. His behavior however is not kind, but manipulative and selfish, shifting away from the discursive traits of the original character. The pimp is represented as being physically attractive opposed to being physically animalistic and ugly, a trait which generally applies to the villains of the text. Take for example the step mother or step sisters in Cinderella. Those three characters are all represented as being selfish and ugly and are seen to be the villains. The prostitute respects him, something that a lot of us would find hard to comprehend due to the society of which we operate and the ideologies which enclose our thinking. In the original text, the hero’s helpers are the laundresses. By inverting their gender and altering the motive behind killing the wolf character, they are no longer perceived as the hero’s helpers. Though this shift has occurred, the same line of events and the same outcomes are achieved. The reason for these discursive shifts is to subvert the dominant patterns seen in The Grandmother’s Tale and its variations, thus positioning the reader to question ideologies and discourses used in the transformed text. The semiotics in the transformed text are those seen in the original text, though slightly altered. The colour red that has been introduced to variations of The Grandmother’s Tale is used throughout the transformed version, though in different ways conveying different ideologies and meanings. The tattoo on the young prostitute’s leg is an important symbol, ttributing several different meanings to the text. There is extensive symbolism endorsed with the colour red, some positive and some negative. Red is evidently the first colour perceived by man, and a common belief is that the colour red held protective powers against evil influence. Some negative connotations of the colour can be dated back to Israelites in biblical times who painted their do orframes in red blood to scare demons. In ancient Egypt red was the colour of the desert and that of the destructive god Seth. Red is the most vivid symbol in the text, though it was not originally used in The Grandmother’s Tale and was thought to be introduced by Perrault. Psychoanalytic critics have divulged into analyzing the meaning of the colour as it traditionally symbolizes things that would not normally be attributed with a small child. Sin and blood to passion and sexuality, there are many sexual undertones attributed with the colour red. Though the colour is suggestive of sexual connotations, it was most likely introduced by Perrault to try and provoke the idea of caution, another meaning often associated with the colour red. It is obvious that the semiotics present in a text will change over time due to extensive perceptions of signs and symbols that are attributed with certain cultural beliefs. The reason I chose to use a Chinese dragon as the symbol of her tattoo is because of the dominant religions prevalent in my cultural context. By using a red dragon, I am able to subvert the Judeo Christian ideologies and discourses surrounding innocence and the belief in one god. The dominant meaning derived from the tattoo and its colour is that it is very provocative and sexually suggestive, emphasized a lot by the fact that it is on her upper thigh. When analyzed and applied to Chinese mythology, it suggests a lot of other connotations, differing greatly to the negative connotations assumed surrounding Judeo Christian ideologies. The Chinese dragon is one of the most important mythical creatures in Chinese mythology. The Chinese dragon is considered to be the most powerful and divine creature and is believed to be the controller of all waters. The dragon symbolised great power and was very supportive of heroes and gods. This subverts religious beliefs present in the text as there has been extensive interaction between chinese mythology and religion. The chinese dragon is also ultimately symbolic of good fortune. This transformation oversteps boundries layed down by society, and does not make sense within the traditional fairy tale genre. I have chosen to subvert various discourses in order to display this, though I kept the same basic structure throughout the whole text. The original consists of a young girl getting followed by a wolf, who is going to get taken away from her grandmother, though because of this the wolf gets killed. The transformed text is ultimately the same, though due to the amount of discursive shifts this is unrecognizalbe at first. Through reproductions of the text, the most common dominant discourses present are that of gender, clearly reflecting the way society has been and still is being constructed to accept the patriachal hierachy of male dominance. It is evident that fairy tales have underlying intentions of societal constraint and socially acceptable conformity, thus the repiticouse productions of fairy tales seem to have the same underlying message, of which is society is portrayed how it should and that it should not be challenged or questioned. Thank-you

Model United Nations Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers

Model United Nations Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers Model United Nations PS 199D Fall 2006 Dr. Mary Pettenger Mondays, Wednesdays and Office: HSS 205 Fridays 11-11:50 Phone: (503)838-8301 Location: HSS 111 Email: [emailprotected] CRN #: 11032 Office Hours: M, W, F 10-10:50 M & F 2-2:50, and by appointment Web Page: www.wou.edu/~pettengm Course Description The Model United Nations (MUN) course is a unique class because it is a blend of student-managed club and academic course. Students are the primary decision-makers and leaders for the organization. By choosing to participate in this challenging but rewarding club, you will gain valuable knowledge and skills, and join a committed and highly motivated group of students. The purpose of Western Oregon University-MUN (WOUMUN) is to increase your knowledge about international issues, policy making and the activities of the United Nations. You will also gain valuable skills in public speaking, research and writing, negotiation and powers of persuasion, leadership, organization, and interpersonal communication. Students will gain these skills through course assignments, club activities and, most importantly, by playing the role of United Nations delegates at MUN conferences. You will have the opportunity to represent WOU as a MUN delegate at Model UN conferences locally, nationally and internationally. Students are responsible for attending classes, completing several assignments in preparation for MUN conferences, and to attend and participate in the local MUN-Cascadia (MUNC) conference. The instructor of the course fulfills the roles of faculty club advisor and course instructor, holding you responsible to complete the course requirements and to facilitate your learning by providing you with information to gain the necessary knowledge and skills. Ultimately, the benefits you receive from the course will come from your willingness to learn and contribute. Be aware that the time commitment of being a club member is great, but the rewards, if you are willing, are greater. Required Materials (1) Moore, Jr., John A. and Jerry Pubantz, 2006, The New United Nations: International Organization in the Twenty-first Century New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. (Available in the bookstore) (2) United Nations, 2004, Basic Facts about the United Nations New York: United Nations Publications. (Available free to all class members) (3) MUN Delegate Handbook, several copies on reserve in the library. (4) UN Wire. You must subscribe to this free on-line publication at unwire.org/subscribe (5) Materials on Reserve in the Library and on the Internet (see the Projected Class Schedule for specific article titles and web sites) (6) UN Internet Resources, un.org and UN Document Source, http://unbisnet.un.org (7) A source of current event information (newspaper, television, internet, radio) pay particular attention to news related to the United Nations and country assignments. The following is a brief list of the many internet news sources that provide daily news and email updates: The New York Times nytimes.com The Washington Post washingtonpost.com The Christian Science Monitor http:/www.csmonitor.com/ The Economist economist.com/ CNN http://cnn.com Google News http://news.google.com Fall Quarter Activities (1) Conferences The main activity for the PS199 class will be preparation for and participation in the Model United Nations of Cascadia (MUNC) Conference November 10-12 in downtown Portland, hosted by Clark College. Further information will be provided in class. You must participate in this conference as part of the course requirements. (2) Fundraising Volunteers will participate in fundraising activities to collect money for conference expenses and support United Nations organizations (UNICEF, UN Day, etc.). (3) Club Meetings The MUN Club meets every Friday from 12:00-12:50 in HSS112. Attendance is strongly encouraged for class members and extra credit points can be earned. The Directorate of Western-MUN The WOUMUN is headed by a Student Directorate, which acts as the primary decision-making body with regard to the club matters. Directorate members and all other returning club members serve as valuable resources to new club members. Members-at-large will be selected the second week of classes. The 2006-2007 Directorate leaders are: President: Jesse O'Neil Vice-president: Genna Melton Treasurer: Patrick Eiser Secretary: Abby Stephens Laura Maddox is the Assistant Advisor to Dr. Pettenger. Mentors and Tutoring Sessions You will be assigned a mentor during the second week of class. Veteran Club Members will serve as resources to provide you training and information regarding conference preparation and performance. Starting the second week of class, tutoring sessions will be held one night a week. It is strongly suggested that you attend these sessions for tips on research, assistance in writing policy statements and resolutions. Each session is worth 5 points of extra credit. Testing Methods and Point Scale Successful completion of PS 199 will be based upon the following assignments. Students will be able to monitor their own progress through the course by

Invention of printing press Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Invention of printing press - Essay Example The most common form of printing technology is offset lithography that consists of separate towers for every color of ink for printing. Others are gravure printing dependent on the small depressions on the printing plate surface, pad printing, screen printing, and relief printing. The invention of the printing press depended on already available printing technologies that were in use in various regions, such as ink, paper, and block printing invention that was quite common in China, before moving out to revolutionize Europe through Gutenberg works. Industrial Printing Presses Printing presses have evolved enormously over time, shifting from manual to mechanical structures which are less tedious, easier to produce, and with much reduced chances of injuries. Since ancient times, the transformations from wooden to metal built devices are evident, changing the face of printing from Egyptian wooden block printing, all the way to lithography, offset printing, 19th century hot stamping type setting, phototypesetting, to modern 3D printing and digital press. Stanhope printing press invented the first book press using cast iron, followed by Columbian press, which was a drift from Gutenberg print press, even if they employed most of the features and operation procedures from previous Gutenberg’s work (utexas.edu, n.d). All these former industrial press have been serving as the foundations of the succeeding printing presses in the modern society. Mechanized printing press. The difference that arises between the press and Gutenberg’s are the speed of press to make an impression on the paper. While Gutenberg print press compositors put type together by hand to assemble about 2000 characters per... The increase in print works allowed the spread of Christianity across the globe, which was one major practice that preceded European settlement in different continents. Bible translation into native languages was possible, enhancing spread of the gospel to different communities in their backyards. According to Eisenstein, â€Å"between the invention of the printing press and 1520, one hundred and fifty six Latin edition of the Bible had been published, together with seventeen German translation† (1979, p. 330). People had to learn to read and write, to read the word been spread, and acquire timely information and knowledge for their benefit. The number of people who attended church teachings reduced, since the word was more available to everyone, and as the result many could criticize some religious doctrines, creating conflicts among Christian religious denominations.How Printing Press Changed CommunicationCommunication comes differently to convey a message to the society. To day you find people using signs languages, either in body or pictorial forms to mean something. No longer is the human presence important as the agent of message delivery, but the message could be printed out and authorized to clarify and assure its origin to the sender. The culture of public communication has been influenced by the changing printing press technologies, such that it goes beyond providing learning, reasoning, and meaning of the message, to ensure people easier and reliable access of information, and its control when need be.

Company Evaluation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Company Evaluation - Assignment Example Secondly, Miller stated that the fact the site is accessible worldwide has made it the most popular online site in the world where different people from different corners of the world can interact. The third key competence of facebook is its active research and development department, which has continually offered the site with new features that, makes social interaction more interesting. Lastly, the multilingual capability of facebook means non-English speakers can also utilise the social site (40-45). The value and mission of facebook is to simple enable people to connect with friends across that world and this value and mission statement help shape the planning function in the company, since every plan should always be applicable and beneficial to different users across the world. Therefore, the statement helps planners within the company to approach their task with a global approach. The main internal factors of facebook that will influence the business in the future are its research and development, and marketing. Through, continued research and development, the company will be able to remain at the top of competition and it will provide users with a variety of functional features for social interaction. Additionally, through aggressive marketing campaigns across the world the company will be able to attract many users and stay on top of the competition. One of the external factors that can influence the business in the future is heightened competition from other online social sites that are continually coming up and therefore, pose a threat to facebook’s market

Pharmacology assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Pharmacology - Assignment Example The effect of the new drug on the action of warfarin will be investigated in 12 healthy participants. The investigation is based on an open label study that would utilize a multiple dose design. To analyze the interaction between the two drugs in terms of the way JP234 would induce the metabolism of a single dose of warfarin, both R and S enantiomers were initiated through the CYP450 metabolic pathway. The study will be done based on the assumption that the new drug has been studied in vivo whereby in vitro metabolic studies will be consulted in determining whether JP234 is a substrate or an inhibitor the enzymes involved in the metabolism of warfarin. The study results will help in determining any possible interaction, such as whether PJ234 inhibits or induces the metabolism of warfarin. The mode of warfarin action in this case is based on its impact on the synthesis of vitamin K. The study will thus be able to portray the impact of drug interaction after eliminating warfarin. This will be considered from the results obtained from the group in which only the PJ234 is administered, as compared to the group whereby both the PJ234 and warfarin drugs are administered. JP234 is well tolerated during clinical trials and there is no contradiction associated with it. The drug when administered is effective in doses of 50, 75 or 100mg once daily. The drug is metabolized in the liver and has a half life of about 24 hours. In vitro studies indicate that the drug can induce CYP2C9. Patients with chronic atrial fibrillation should be anticoagulated to hinder thromboembolism from taking place (Goodman, 2005). Patient taking JP234 are recommended to take warfarin that is partly metabolized by CYP2C9. JP234 is an antiarrhythmic drug and is usually excreted in the liver just the same as warfarin. The PJ234 drug is considered an inducer of CYP2C9 which

History of the Tudor Dynasty

History of the Tudor Dynasty The Tudor dynasty held the throne of England from 1485 to 1603. In this interval accomplished two revolutions of paramount importance: first, Britain became the first of the Protestant powers, and secondly, she became a maritime and colonial power. Henry VII, founder of the dynasty, presided over the rebuilding of the kingdom, while his son, Henry VIII, consumed his savings striving to solve intractable problems: in diplomacy, that of the European balance, in religion, that of Catholicism without the pope in administration, that of good finances without honesty. Edward VI opened the way for Protestantism, whose progress was repressed by Mary Tudor with an implacable rigor rendering him powerless. Elizabeth I, finally, gathered deftly around her statesmen and advisors, making the symbol of an official religion in accordance with the average opinion of his country and attempted to resolve the major international issues. King Henry VIII Reforms in the British Church were first conducted by Henry VIII more precisely the attachment of Bishops to the English crown: King Henry VII was eager for money, his father had increased the fortune of the English crown by taking the land of noble deaths during the War of the Roses, Henry VIII sought to take those of the Church. At that time the Church had a very important role (one of the largest in the kingdom) and was increasing the discontent of the people because of king s opulent lifestyle. The independence of the Archbishop of Canterbury and bishop s vis- -vis the kings, Henry VIII also found it impossible to tame the Pope because the kings of France and Spain were much more powerful than him. Henry VIII wanted to further centralize the power.(Guy, 245) He divorced one of his six women bishops attached to the crown of England. Indeed, in 1526, Henry VIII asked the Pope to divorce Catherine of Aragon, niece of Charles V King of Spain, because she did not have a son but the Pope, being under the influence of the King of Spain, refused. In 1531, Henry VIII decided to ignore this prohibition and managed to convince the Archbishop of Canterbury and the bishops to attach themselves to him. In 1534, the Act of Supremacy was passed by parliament and Henry VIII became head of all bishops of the kingdom. From the date of this act, all the kings of England became the head of the English Church leaving the pope with no authority. Henry VIII, with the help of Thomas Cromwell, then made use of the Domesday Book to take control of religious taxes; he shut down 560 monasteries and gave their land to the middle classes. This allowed him to raise money for allied merchant classes and landowners, many small gentlemen farmers started making a fortune with this. Also note that the Reformation of the Church had nothing much to do with the arrival of Protestantism: while Henry VIII broke away from the pope, he still remained deeply Catholic. He even grumbled that the Protestants were not loyal to him. He wrote a book critical of Martin Luther, praised by Pope, entitled Defender Fidei (Defender of the Faith or FD that is still found on the coins). Henry VIII crushed all Catholic rebels who would refuse to use the services of the new religion. The monasteries were emptied and sold, and their wealth was confiscated by the state. Thus, the King confirmed the English Reformation. Yet, through the reigns of Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I , daughters of Henry VIII, the Catholic reaction turned bloody, even if the Anglican Church was not called into question . Catholics opposed the system rejecting the reforms of Henry VIII altogether. On 11 July, Henry was excommunicated in Rome and subsequently he answered a call to a future council. A protest of public pity, that of Elizabeth Barton, the holy maid of Kent was rigorously suppressed. Now, war was declared with Rome, Henry VIII, with nothing to spare, ordered that the Pope would be appointed in the future as the bishop of Rome, the bishops would be appointed without the intervention of the Holy See , that church would ultimately be answerable to the Royal Court of Chancery (Anglicanism). Thomas More and Bishop Fisher were imprisoned, the preachers were released throughout the kingdom to speak against the Pope and the King and all the monks were invited to sign the declaration that the bishop of Rome did not more authority in England than any foreign bishop, on pain of punishment similar to those that struck the Franciscans of the Observance. In November 1534, the king added to his titles, according to the wishes of Parliament, that of Supreme Head of the English Church. Deny its supremacy became a crime. It was also a crime of high treason to call it heretical or wish that he, Anne Boleyn, or their children were deprived of the crown. The year 1535 saw a terrible persecution start, under new laws (Treason laws). The monasteries of Charterhouse and Sion troop of martyrs, chained to Newgate, hung, quartered at Tyburn. Fisher, stripped by the Supreme Head of the bishopric of Rochester, was elevated to cardinal by Pope Paul III. Henry VIII had him executed, and his head rot for several days in the pillory of London Bridge. She was soon replaced on the hook by that of Thomas More. This year 1535 and the next date as the two campaigns led by Cromwell, Vicar-General of the supreme leader, for the suppression of the monasteries and destruction of images. In October, the famous doctors Bedyl, Legh, Layton, London, Petre, etc. The beginning of a visitation of all the monasteries of the kingdom was also marked. They were men of bad character, known for their greed, their hardness, coarseness, as evidenced by their correspondence. Everywhere they gathered to gossip and pretended to see the outrageous, secret debauchery. In fo ur months (very short time they had carried out carefully to a serious inquiry), they amassed a Black book material which was presented to Parliament in 1536 to support a proposal by the crown for the total abolition small monasteries and transfer their property to the king. He opposed Luther in asserting that Christs righteousness was imputed to men, nor was it given only to those who had faith that the justification of rights could be acquired by the practice of the virtues of faith, charity and hope, and through repentance and the fear of God, with some effort on the part of man in the exercise of his free will, which was denied by Martin Luther that the veneration of the Virgin Mary and the saints was recommended. The reading of Scripture was closed to the masses from 1546; executions of Lutherans continued until the kings death the following year. Edward VI Edward VI, on his accession to throne was nine years (January 21, 1547) old. His maternal uncle, Hertford, was protector of the kingdom and had himself given the Duchy of Somerset, the brother of Hertford, Sir Thomas Seymour, Lord Admiral and became Seymour of Sudeley. These characters were very much attached to the party of religious reform (Anglican), the young Edward VI shared their sympathies in this regard, in June 1548, and he refrained from making any offering after the Catholic rite at the offertory on Sundays. Ridley and Hugh Latimer were his most favorite preachers, but he listened with pleasure to the Puritan preachers like Hooper and John Knox. Edward VI of England promised a king Puritan, the reformers of all Europe were enthusiastic about his early piety. In April 1551, Calvin sent him a long letter of praise and exhortation. It was the new Josiah. But the learned and fervent devotion was not associated with Edward at the mere natural goodness. He had something in his childhood of deficiency and the hardness of Henry VIII. He was only indifferent to his uncle, the Protector Somerset. While Somerset in 1547 led an expedition against Scotland, his brother, Lord Seymour, treacherously tried to lose it in the spirit of the king. Mary Tudor Despite the measures taken by Edward VI to prevent his sister from becoming his successor, the people recognized the need for the rightful queen. To ensure his own royal authority, questioned by the discussions on the validity of the marriage of his parents, but also to meet his personal beliefs Catholic, Mary Tudor, remained faithful to his religion during the reign of his half-brother, wanted to bring his people back to the old religion with a firm hand. She tried to enforce Catholicism again in the kingdom at the price of imprisonment and death sentences. This is the reason here reign is often associate with blood. In so doing, she disregarded the religious situation of his country: Catholicism was lifeless, while Protestantism was full of vitality. Advised by his cousin, Emperor Charles V, she inaugurated her reign with moderation, content to repeal the laws of the Church taken in the reign of Edward VI, Cranmer jailing and condemning some of her subjects to exile.(Thomas,134) It would mean no bloody persecution against the Protestants, but it did not take account of the opposition of his people, or resistance of Parliament. To demonstrate her desire to give birth to Catholicism, she married in July 1554, the son of Charles V, Philip, heir to the throne of Spain. This reintegration of solemn Church of England in the bosom of the Roman Church attracted the hatred of many who fomented plots against the royal authority. The arrival of Protestantism in Britain or the threat of Catholic invasion pushed the people to convert: when Queen Mary (Queen Mary), half-sister of Catherine of Aragon, Catholic, became head of the kingdom after the death of the son of Henry VIII, Edward VI, who died very young in 1553, the kingdom then composed mainly of Catholics (the majority of the people) but an increasing proportion of the population converted to Protestantism (the richest because this new religion accepted wealth). The position of the Queen Mary was not simple because the kingdom has not experienced female leader for 400 years but Mary committed several errors that resulted in extreme repercussions later on. First, she asked parliament for permission to marry the Catholic King Philip of Spain that compelled disagreeable people to create an uprising. Moreover, the burning of 300 Protestants in five years further aggravated the feud between Catholics and Protestants. Mary died in 1558. For the reinstatement of the Anglican Church to be effective, the big obstacle was the restitution of church property, secularized during the reign of Henry VIII, who had helped some get rich quick. Pope Julius III did not claim this refund, he even sent his legate, Cardinal Reginald Pole, a nephew of Queen Mary, with a mission to give all the English people the full papal absolution. Officially, the authority of Rome was again recognized in the kingdom of England antipapal laws were repealed, Parliament re-enacted the laws against heretics, the bishops called for strong action against all Protestants. The bloody persecution then stood not only against the ecclesiastical dignitaries such as former Archbishop Cranmer, but also against the masses, creating a de facto hostility against Bloody Mary and nourishing a new antipope. The persecution continued with Marys death in 1558. Elizabeth 1 Elizabeth Tudor, daughter of Anne Boleyn, was set to succeed her half-sister. Certainly, on the occasion of the coronation of Mary, Elizabeth had confessed the Catholic faith and promised to defend the true religion, but because of criticism that she opposed the Catholics, accusing her mothers marriage to Henry VIII, Elizabeth which was not affected personally by religious issues but had to promote Protestantism. More skilful politician than her sister, she worked to avoid alienating any of her subjects, the Catholics and Protestants. Elizabeth I, half-sister Mary and Protestants became head of the kingdom because there was no other descendant of the Tudors in 1558. She wanted to reconcile the English among themselves on religious issues and succeeded in 1559 to admit Protestants to two conditions: (1) that they are closer to the Catholics of the kingdom as other Protestants continents, (2) that the monarch remains the sole master of the Church. Elizabeth I undertook many reforms such as the use of Parish (territorial organization of the Church) as an administrative division of the kingdom, the obligation to go to church every Sunday under penalty of law, and finally re-wrote Mass sermons with regard to the attack to the king as a Pechet. Thus, the Church and its representatives had then become fully part of the machinery of state power.(Turton,76) Finally, the English Protestantism completely took off in 1585 with the execution of Mary Queen of Scots in 1587. In fact, Mary Queen of Scots (different from the Queen Mary of England died in 1558) fled to England because she was persecuted in his kingdom of Scotland but this an internal risk in the UK for Elizabeth I as English Catholic nobles would replace the Queen prostetante a Catholic, Elizabeth I therefore took the decision to shut Mary Queen of Scots jail. However, the threat of Spanish invasion (Catholic country) that would attach to England and to defend the Queen Mary over the decision to appoint Mary Philip of Spain as his successor led Elizabeth I to marry in order to cut short the threat of Spanish invasion, or to see the Scottish crown from the hands of Spain. The English people joined the Queen Elizabeth I to stand against the growing threat of Spanish invasion. Elizabeth had the great merit of understanding and acting with a wise and slow progression, behaving immediately after her accession to chief of the Church of England, but assumed that the government of this Church and not s never saying the supreme leader the suprerne head as had once been Henry VIII. The Book of Common Prayer was reworked, and reforms of Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury sacred by the ordinal of Edward VI (1559), ended after a series of preparatory measures, the Act of Uniformity (1564), which was made compulsory. In 1558, good spirits still doubted the possibility of the victory of new ideas in England. As wrote the Philip II of Spain, a careful observer (it was Fest, his ambassador in London), that the Catholics were the majority of the people, and if the capital, the country of Kent and seaports adhered to doctrines of the Reformation, the rest of the country remained committed to the Roman religion. But even most young noblemen and universities were also removed from it. Elizabeth I, deep admirer of his father and determined to behave like him in all things, there were valuable auxiliaries in a business it knew how to carry out with prudence, skill, and dexterity truly remarkable. England was weary of the sudden change of religion for nearly twenty-five years.

Meditation :: essays research papers

The Transcendental Meditation technique is a simple, natural, effortless procedure practiced for any amount of time, usually 10-20 minutes in the morning and evening, while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. During this technique, the individual's awareness settles down and experiences a unique state of restful alertness. As the body becomes deeply relaxed, the mind transcends all mental activity to experience the simplest form of awareness, Transcendental Consciousness, where consciousness is open to itself. This is the self-referral state of consciousness. The experience of Transcendental Consciousness develops the individual's latent creative potential while dissolving accumulated stress and fatigue through the deep rest gained during the practice. This experience enlivens the individual's creativity, dynamism, orderliness, and organizing power, which result in increasing effectiveness and success in daily life. The Transcendental Meditation technique is scientific, requiring neither specific beliefs nor adoption of a particular lifestyle. The practice does not involve any effort or concentration. It is easy to learn and does not require any special ability. People of all ages, educational backgrounds, cultures, and religions in countries throughout the world practice the technique and enjoy its wide range of benefits. Over 500 scientific research studies conducted during the past 25 years at more than 200 independent universities and research institutes in 30 countries have shown that the TM program benefits all areas of an individual's life: mind, body, behavior, and environment. The research findings include: Increased happiness Reduced stress Increased intelligence Increased creativity Improved memory Improved health   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reduced high blood pressure Improved relationships Increased energy Reduced insomnia Reversal of biological aging Reduced crime and improved quality of life in society The research has been published in such major scientific journals as Science, the American Journal of Physiology, Scientific American, Lancet, the Journal of Counseling Psychology, the International Journal of Neuroscience, the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association, the British Journal of Educational Psychology, and the Journal of Conflict Resolution. Research indicates that TM technique Meditators on average have the biological age of a person 5 to 12 years younger, as well as significantly reduced incidence of illness and risk of heart disease. Studies also show that TM technique Meditators have warmer interpersonal relationships, less anxiety, increased self-esteem and self-confidence, increased problem-solving ability and greater creativity. The individual spontaneously radiates a purifying and nourishing influence of positivity and harmony in society as a whole. Now I would like to show one of the different ways that you can meditate, if you feel uncomfortable with sitting on the ground for a few minutes than let me know.

The Vampire Diaries: The Fury Chapter Three

Elena and Damon were waiting in the darkroom. Stefan could sense their presence in the small annex as he pushed the door to the photography room open and led Matt inside. â€Å"These doors are supposed to be locked,† Matt said as Stefan flipped on the light switch. â€Å"They were,† said Stefan. He didn't know what else to say to prepare Matt for what was coming. He'd never deliberately revealed himself to a human before. He stood, quietly, until Matt turned and looked at him. The classroom was cold and silent, and the air seemed to hang heavily. As the moment stretched out, he saw Matt's expression slowly change from grief-numbed bewilderment to uneasiness. â€Å"I don't understand,† Matt said. â€Å"I know you don't.† He went on looking at Matt, purposefully dropping the barriers that concealed his Powers from human perception. He saw the reaction in Matt's face as uneasiness coalesced into fear. Matt blinked and shook his head, his breath coming quicker. â€Å"What-?† he began, his voice gravelly. â€Å"There are probably a lot of things you've wondered about me,† Stefan said. â€Å"Why I wear sunglasses in strong light. Why I don't eat. Why my reflexes are so fast.† Matt had his back to the darkroom now. His throat jerked as if he were trying to swallow. Stefan, with his predator's senses, could hear Matt's heart thudding dully. â€Å"No,† Matt said. â€Å"You must have wondered, must have asked yourself what makes me so different from everybody else.† â€Å"No. I mean-I don't care. I keep out of things that aren't my business.† Matt was edging toward the door, his eyes darting toward it in a barely perceptible movement. â€Å"Don't, Matt. I don't want to hurt you, but I can't let you leave now.† He could feel barely leashed need emanating from Elena in her concealment. Wait, he told her. Matt went still, giving up any attempt to move away. â€Å"If you want to scare me, you have,† he said in a low voice. â€Å"What else do you want?† Now, Stefan told Elena. He said to Matt, â€Å"Turn around.† Matt turned. And stifled a cry. Elena stood there, but not the Elena of that afternoon, when Matt had last seen her. Now her feet were bare beneath the hem of her long dress. The thin folds of white muslin that clung to her were caked with ice crystals that sparkled in the light. Her skin, always fair, had a strange wintry luster to it, and her pale gold hair seemed overlaid with a silvery sheen. But the real difference was in her face. Those deep blue eyes were heavy-lidded, almost sleepy looking, and yet unnaturally awake. And a look of sensual anticipation and hunger curled about her lips. She was more beautiful than she had been in life, but it was a frightening beauty. overlaid with a silvery sheen. But the real difference was in her face. Those deep blue eyes were heavy-lidded, almost sleepy looking, and yet unnaturally awake. And a look of sensual anticipation and hunger curled about her lips. She was more beautiful than she had been in life, but it was a frightening beauty. â€Å"Matt,† she said, lingering over the first consonant of the name. Then she smiled. Stefan heard Matt's indrawn breath of disbelief, and the near sob he gave as he finally backed away from her. It's all right, he said, sending the thought to Matt on a surge of Power. As Matt jerked toward him, eyes wide with shock, he added, â€Å"So now you know.† Matt's expression said that he didn't want to know, and Stefan could see the denial in his face. But Damon stepped out beside Elena and moved a little to the right, adding his presence to the charged atmosphere of the room. Matt was surrounded. The three of them closed in on him, inhumanly beautiful, innately menacing. Stefan could smell Matt's fear. It was the helpless fear of the rabbit for the fox, the mouse for the owl. And Matt was right to be afraid. They were the hunting species; he was the hunted. Their job in life was to kill him. And just now instincts were getting out of control. Matt's instinct was to panic and run, and it was triggering reflexes in Stefan's head. When the prey ran, the predator gave chase; it was as simple as that. All three of the predators here were keyed up, on edge, and Stefan felt he couldn't be responsible for the consequences if Matt bolted. We don't want to harm you, he told Matt. It's Elena who needs you, and what she needs won't leave you permanently damaged. It doesn't even have to hurt, Matt. But Matt's muscles were still tensed to flee, and Stefan realized that the three of them were stalking him, moving closer, ready to cut off any escape. You said you would do anything for Elena, he reminded Matt desperately and saw him make his choice. Matt released his breath, the tension draining from his body. â€Å"You're right; I did,† he whispered. He visibly braced himself before he continued. â€Å"What does she need?† Elena leaned forward and put a finger on Matt's neck, tracing the yielding ridge of an artery. â€Å"Not that one,† Stefan said quickly. â€Å"You don't want to kill him. Tell her, Damon.† He added, when Damon made no effort to do so, Tell her. â€Å"Try here, or here.† Damon pointed with clinical efficiency, holding Matt's chin up. He was strong enough that Matt couldn't break the grip, and Stefan felt Matt's panic surge up again. Trust me, Matt. He moved in behind the human boy. But it has to be your choice, he finished, suddenly washed with compassion. You can change your mind. he finished, suddenly washed with compassion. You can change your mind. â€Å"Matt,† she whispered, her heavy-lashed jewel blue eyes fixed on his. Then they trailed down to his throat and her lips parted hungrily. There was no sign of the uncertainty she'd shown when Damon suggested feeding off the paramedics. â€Å"Matt.† She smiled again, and then she struck, swift as a hunting bird. Stefan put a flattened hand against Matt's back to give him support. For a moment, as Elena's teeth pierced his skin, Matt tried to recoil, but Stefan thought swiftly, Don't fight it; that's what causes the pain. As Matt tried to relax, unexpected help came from Elena, who was radiating the warm happy thoughts of a wolf cub being fed. She had gotten the biting technique right on the first try this time, and she was filled with innocent pride and growing satisfaction as the sharp pangs of hunger eased. And with appreciation for Matt, Stefan realized, with a sudden shock of jealousy. She didn't hate Matt or want to kill him, because he posed no threat to Damon. She was fond of Matt. Stefan let her take as much as was safe and then intervened. That's enough, Elena. You don't want to injure him. But it took the combined efforts of him, Damon, and a rather groggy Matt to pry her off. â€Å"She needs to rest now,† Damon said. â€Å"I'm taking her someplace where she can do it safely.† He wasn't asking Stefan; he was telling him. As they left, his mental voice added, for Stefan's ears alone, I haven't forgotten the way you attacked me, brother. We'll talk about that later. Stefan stared after them. He'd noted how Elena's eyes remained locked on Damon, how she followed him without question. But she was out of danger now; Matt's blood had given her the strength she needed. That was all Stefan had to hang on to, and he told himself it was all that mattered. He turned to take in Matt's dazed expression. The human boy had sunk into one of the plastic chairs and was gazing straight ahead. Then his eyes lifted to Stefan's, and they regarded each other grimly. â€Å"So,† Matt said. â€Å"Now I know.† He shook his head, turning away slightly. â€Å"But I still can't believe it,† he muttered. His fingers pressed gingerly at the side of his neck, and he winced. â€Å"Except for this.† Then he frowned. â€Å"That guy-Damon. Who is he?† â€Å"My older brother,† Stefan said without emotion. â€Å"How do you know his name?† â€Å"He was at Elena's house last week. The kitten spat at him.† Matt paused, clearly remembering something else. â€Å"And Bonnie had some kind of psychic fit.† â€Å"She had a precognition? What did she say? â€Å"She said-she said that Death was in the house.† Stefan looked at the door Damon and Elena had passed through. â€Å"She was right.† Stefan looked at the door Damon and Elena had passed through. â€Å"She was right.† â€Å"Be like what?† Stefan said brutally. â€Å"Disoriented? A vampire?† Matt looked away. â€Å"Both.† â€Å"As for the first, she may become more rational now that she's fed. That's what Damon thinks anyway. As for the other, there's only one thing you can do to change her condition.† As Matt's eyes lit with hope, Stefan continued. â€Å"You can get a wooden stake and hammer it through her heart. Then she won't be a vampire anymore. She'll just be dead.† Matt got up and went to the window. â€Å"You wouldn't be killing her, though, because that's already been done. She drowned in the river, Matt. But because she'd had enough blood from me†-he paused to steady his voice-â€Å"and, it seems, from my brother, she changed instead of simply dying. She woke up a hunter, like us. That's what she'll be from now on.† With his back still turned, Matt answered. â€Å"I always knew there was something about you. I told myself it was just because you were from another country.† He shook his head again self-deprecatingly. â€Å"But deep down I knew it was more than that. And something still kept telling me I could trust you, and I did.† â€Å"Like when you went with me to get the vervain.† â€Å"Yeah. Like that.† He added, â€Å"Can you tell me what the hell it was for, now?† â€Å"For Elena's protection. I wanted to keep Damon away from her. But it looks as if that's not what she wanted after all.† He couldn't help the bitterness, the raw betrayal, in his voice. Matt turned. â€Å"Don't judge her before you know all the facts, Stefan. That's one thing I've learned.† Stefan was startled; then, he gave a small humorless smile. As Elena's exes, he and Matt were in the same position now. He wondered if he would be as gracious about it as Matt had been. Take his defeat like a gentleman. He didn't think so. Outside, a noise had begun. It was inaudible to human ears, and Stefan almost ignored it-until the words penetrated his consciousness. Then he remembered what he had done in this very school only a few hours ago. Until that moment, he'd forgotten all about Tyler Smallwood and his tough friends. Now that memory had returned; shame and horror closed his throat. He'd been out of his mind with grief over Elena, and his reason had snapped under the pressure. But that was no excuse for what he had done. Were they all dead? Had he, who had sworn so long ago never to kill, killed six people today? â€Å"Stefan, wait. Where are you going?† When he didn't answer, Matt followed him, half running to keep up, out of the main school building and onto the blacktop. On the far side of the field, Mr. Shelby stood by the Quonset hut. â€Å"Stefan, wait. Where are you going?† When he didn't answer, Matt followed him, half running to keep up, out of the main school building and onto the blacktop. On the far side of the field, Mr. Shelby stood by the Quonset hut. It looked like the Mad Slasher room from the Haunted House fundraiser. Except that this was no tableau set up for visitors. This was real. Bodies were sprawled everywhere, amid shards of wood and glass from the shattered window. Every visible surface was spattered with blood, red-brown and sinister as it dried. And one look at the bodies revealed why: each one had a pair of livid purple wounds in the neck. Except Caroline's: her neck was unmarked, but her eyes were blank and staring. Behind Stefan, Matt was hyperventilating. â€Å"Stefan, Elena didn't-she didn't-â€Å" â€Å"Be quiet,† Stefan answered tersely. He glanced back at Mr. Shelby, but the janitor had stumbled over to his cart of brooms and mops and was leaning against it. Glass grated under Stefan's feet as he crossed the floor to kneel by Tyler. Not dead. Relief exploded over Stefan at the realization. Tyler's chest moved feebly, and when Stefan lifted the boy's head his eyes opened a slit, glazed and unfocused. You don't remember anything, Stefan told him mentally. Even as he did it, he wondered why he was bothering. He should just leave Fell's Church, cut out now and never come back. But he wouldn't. Not as long as Elena was here. He gathered the unconscious minds of the other victims into his mental grasp and told them the same thing, feeding it deep into their brains. You don't remember who attacked you. The whole afternoon is a blank. As he did, he felt his mental Powers tremble like overfatigued muscles. He was close to burnout. Outside, Mr. Shelby had found his voice at last and was shouting. Wearily, Stefan let Tyler's head slip back through his fingers to the floor and turned around. Matt's lips were peeled back, his nostrils flared, as if he had just smelled something disgusting. His eyes were the eyes of a stranger. â€Å"Elena didn't,† he whispered. â€Å"You did.† Be quiet! Stefan pushed past him into the thankful coolness of the night, putting distance between him and that room, feeling the icy air on his hot skin. Running footsteps from the vicinity of the cafeteria told him that some humans had heard the janitor's cries at last. â€Å"You did it, didn't you?† Matt had followed Stefan out to the field. His voice said he was trying to understand. Stefan rounded on him. â€Å"Yes, I did it,† he snarled. He stared Matt down, concealing none of the angry menace in his face. â€Å"I told you, Matt, we're hunters. Killers. You're the sheep; we're the wolves. And Tyler has been asking for it every day since I came here.† Stefan rounded on him. â€Å"Yes, I did it,† he snarled. He stared Matt down, concealing none of the angry menace in his face. â€Å"I told you, Matt, we're hunters. Killers. You're the sheep; we're the wolves. And Tyler has been asking for it every day since I came here.† â€Å"Why should I?† said Stefan coldly, emptily. â€Å"Do you regret it when you eat too much steak? Feel sorry for the cow?† He saw Matt's look of sick disbelief and pressed on, driving the pain in his chest deeper. It was better that Matt stay away from him from now on, far away. Or Matt might end up like those bodies in the Quonset hut. â€Å"I am what I am, Matt. And if you can't handle it, you'd better steer clear of me.† Matt stared at him a moment longer, the sick disbelief transforming slowly into sick disillusionment. The muscles around his jaw stood out. Then, without a word, he turned on his heel and walked away. Elena was in the graveyard. Damon had left her there, exhorting her to stay until he came back. She didn't want to sit still, though. She felt tired but not really sleepy, and the new blood was affecting her like a jolt of caffeine. She wanted to go exploring. The graveyard was full of activity although there wasn't a human in sight. A fox slunk through the shadows toward the river path. Small rodents tunneled under the long lank grass around the headstones, squeaking and scurrying. A barn owl flew almost silently toward the ruined church, where it alighted on the belfry with an eerie cry. Elena got up and followed it. This was much better than hiding in the grass like a mouse or vole. She looked around the ruined church interestedly, using her sharpened senses to examine it. Most of the roof had fallen in, and only three walls were standing, but the belfry stood up like a lonely monument in the rubble. At one side was the tomb of Thomas and Honoria Fell, like a large stone box or coffin. Elena gazed earnestly down into the white marble faces of their statues on the lid. They lay in tranquil repose, their eyes shut, their hands folded on their breasts. Thomas Fell looked serious and a little stern, but Honoria looked merely sad. Elena thought absently of her own parents, lying side by side down in the modern cemetery. I'll go home; that's where I'll go, she thought. She had just remembered about home. She could picture it now: her pretty bedroom with blue curtains and cherrywood furniture and her little fireplace. And something important under the floorboards in the closet. She found her way to Maple Street by instincts that ran deeper than memory, letting her feet guide her there. It was an old, old house, with a big front porch and floor-to-ceiling windows in front. Robert's car was parked in the driveway. letting her feet guide her there. It was an old, old house, with a big front porch and floor-to-ceiling windows in front. Robert's car was parked in the driveway. But she wasn't going to be able to get in here without being noticed. A woman was sitting on the bed with Elena's red silk kimono in her lap, staring down at it. Aunt Judith. Robert was standing by the dresser, talking to her. Elena found that she could pick up the murmur of his voice even through the glass. â€Å"†¦ out again tomorrow,† he was saying. â€Å"As long as it doesn't storm. They'll go over every inch of those woods, and they'll find her, Judith. You'll see.† Aunt Judith said nothing, and he went on, sounding more desperate. â€Å"We can't give up hope, no matter what the girls say-â€Å" â€Å"It's no good, Bob.† Aunt Judith had raised her head at last, and her eyes were red-rimmed but dry. â€Å"It's no use.† â€Å"The rescue effort? I won't have you talking that way.† He came over to stand beside her. â€Å"No, not just that†¦ although I know, in my heart, that we're not going to find her alive. I mean†¦ everything. Us. What happened today is our fault-â€Å" â€Å"That's not true. It was a freak accident.† â€Å"Yes, but we made it happen. If we hadn't been so harsh with her, she would never have driven off alone and been caught in the storm. No, Bob, don't try to shut me up; I want you to listen.† Aunt Judith took a deep breath and continued. â€Å"It wasn't just today, either. Elena's been having problems for a long time, ever since school started, and somehow I've let the signs slip right past me. Because I've been too involved with myself-with us-to pay attention to them. I can see that now. And now that Elena's†¦ gone†¦ I don't want the same thing to happen with Margaret.† â€Å"What are you saying?† â€Å"I'm saying that I can't marry you, not as soon as we planned. Maybe not ever.† Without looking at him, she spoke softly. â€Å"Margaret has lost too much already. I don't want her to feel she's losing me, too.† â€Å"She won't be losing you. If anything, she'll be gaining someone, because I'll be here more often. You know how I feel about her.† â€Å"I'm sorry, Bob; I just don't see it that way.† â€Å"You can't be serious. After all the time I've spent here-after all I've done†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Aunt Judith's voice was drained and implacable. â€Å"I am serious.† From her perch outside the window, Elena eyed Robert curiously. A vein throbbed in his forehead, and his face had flushed red. â€Å"No, I won't.† â€Å"You don't mean it-â€Å" â€Å"I do mean it. Don't tell me that I'm going to change my mind, because I'm not.† For an instant, Robert looked around in helpless frustration; then, his expression darkened. When he spoke, his voice was flat and cold. â€Å"I see. Well, if that's your final answer, I'd better leave right now.† â€Å"Bob.† Aunt Judith turned, startled, but he was already outside the door. She stood up, wavering, as if she were unsure whether or not to go after him. Her fingers kneaded at the red material she was holding. â€Å"Bob!† she called again, more urgently, and she turned to drop the kimono on Elena's bed before following him. But as she turned she gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. Her whole body stiffened. Her eyes stared into Elena's through the silvery pane of glass. For a long moment, they stared at each other that way, neither moving. Then Aunt Judith's hand came away from her mouth, and she began to shriek.

The Question of Superpower Status of the United States essays

The Question of Superpower Status of the United States essays Americans have just witnessed what may stand in historical perspective as the onset of a new era. That is, the terrorist bombing of the World Trade Center on September 11th. The World Wars represented for most people the depth of carnage, brutality and government excess that is possible when the moral foundation of society is lost to the acquisition of power. The twentieth century brought with it a new awakening to multiculturalism as technology enabled the conceptualization of a 'global community'. The twenty- first century may well prove an era of change in power, especially in the sense of the United States as sole superpower'. Richard Ned Lebow has said, "Power is defined as capability relative to other states" (1994, p. 249). The collapse of the Soviet Union is said to have been the deciding factor in America' ascension to sole superpower' status. The problem with being at the head of the pack' is that a balance must be maintained between the use of such power for responsible leadership and the misuse in the interests of exploitation and, or, expansion (Lipsett, 1998). Balance is also the key word in considering the military buildup as opposed to the economic consequences of military spending. There are many who would side with the "declinist theories that posited an exhausted America, the geoeconomic assumption that military power was pass, and the chaos' theorists who saw America as incapable of dealing with the real problems that would define the next age of history, including proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, local famines and genocide, pollution, and resource depletion" (Harkavy, 1997, p. 578). It is thought that the United States' continued role as a superpower will be based on the political conduct as well as world opinion as to the abuse of such power The future of America's power status is dependent on "American power and p...

How Things Appear Isnt Always how they are essays

How Things Appear Isnt Always how they are essays How things appear is not always how they really are. This is common when looking at how law enforcement officers and agencies operate. The public as well as Serpico had many preconceived ideas about how the department and fellow officers functioned. Unfortunately, for Serpico more and more of his conceptions are turning out to be false. While riding in the patrol car Serpico and his training officer heard a call over the radio about a rape. His partner was not planning on taking the call since it was between sectors, but Serpico insisted. He was not willing to stay in the room while a detective beat the rape suspect with a phone book evidently not approving of the abuse. And later he did not follow orders to wait for the investigating officer and insisted on arresting two other rape suspects. Serpico wants to pay for his meal and get what he wants rather than take what is free and seems disapproving of allowing the restaurant owner to double-park on delivery days. It is obvious that Serpico is out to be the good cop fighting crime, however he is not following the code that the other officers follow. Serpico wants to behave only how he was taught in the academy without becoming involved in some of the abuse of power and lackadaisical attitudes he has witnessed. As a society we want to believe that police officers will go above and beyond the call of duty to serve and protect us, but in actuality many police officers will not do this. As far as Serpico going against the ways that have been set before him, he is only setting himself up for trouble with the other officers. In fact, in todays cop world officers dont take kindly to rookies coming in trying to be super heroes and change the way things are. ...

Environmental Risk of Genetically Modified Food Essay

Environmental Risk of Genetically Modified Food - Essay Example GM foods have been hailed for being the sure approach to meeting the global demand for food especially within the developing world. Scientists affirm that it remains the only viable option for the attainment of the second green revolution to ensure adequate food supplies within the global domain. Critics however affirm that GM foods poses significant environmental risk to the natural society hence they note that the planet has the capacity to produce adequate food for everyone with the lack of food resulting from respective political systems’ inability to properly plan and distribute food, (Schneider & Schneider, 2002:4). Analyzing the economic, environmental and health concerns of the issue, activists argue that environmental impacts of the GM food types should be of more concern comparative to the other related issues. On health, studies indicate that the consumption of genetically modified foods may have unforeseen long-term adverse effects on not only human but the natural ecosystem as well, (Huebner, Studer, & Luethy, 1999: 1137). A 1998 research by the Rowett Research Institute affirmed that genetically modified potatoes contained Lancet, a substance that showed adverse effects on rats. Gene transfer and allergies are two key health risks that have been quoted as resulting from GM foods, (WHO. 2001:1). Based on several studies ingestion of GM foods may result into significant gene transfer from the respective GM foods to bacteria within their gut, (Hallman, Aquino, Cuite, Lang, 2006:12). There are also concerns that GM foods results into allergies which impose significant environmental risk to humans and other living organisms on the planet. The genetic modification of plants may results into unwanted crops or weeds that are genetically resistant to herbicides and other chemicals, an aspect that may result into a wild outgrow of destructive plants.

TOGAF Framework Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

TOGAF Framework - Research Paper Example The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) is a structure that presents a comprehensive technique and a group of supporting systems and tools for building effective enterprise design. Additionally, it can be utilized without any restriction from any corporation desiring to build up enterprise architecture for use inside that association/business/corporate. In addition, this formwork was established by associates of The Open Group, functioning inside the Architecture Forum. However, the first version of TOGAF framework was developed in 1995. In addition, it was foundational upon Technical Architecture Framework for Information Management (TAFIM), built by the United States Department of Defense (DoD). In this scenario, the Department of Defense offered The Open Group open authorization and extensive support to build TOGAF by crafting the TAFIM. Thus, it was the fruit of many years of development attempts as well as a lot of investment comprising million of dollars of US Government. Moreover, by taking the advantage of this powerful base, the members of The Open Group Architecture Forum have built several editions of TOGAF every year and published every one on The Open Group public website (The Open Group, 2011) and (Chase, 2006). 4 TOGAF Heritage 4 As discussed above the Open Group Architecture Forum has built several versions of TOGAF at normal intervals as well as published every one on the web site of The Open Group. Additionally, every form of TOGAF standard is built collaboratively by the members of the design Forum. In addition, at present it consists of approximately 200 corporate members, comprising vendor and customer organizations. In this scenario, the development is carried out by architecture practitioners, with the content foundational upon most excellent practices that developed within the contributing member businesses (Sante & Ermers, 2009) and (The Open Group, 2011). 5 Moreover, TOGAF was one of the primary representations with a powerful fo cus on procedure approached to structural design in the business. In this scenario, architecture can be considered as a business wide procedure that will be controlled by the business administration, through the support of corporate architect. Thus, the (corporate) planner has consequently become a very important person having organizational sensitivity (Sante & Ermers, 2009) and (The Open Group, 2011). 5 Furthermore, the latest versions of TOGAF involve superior features, which focus on the use of architecture as well as its power. However, it came into view when TOGAF started tackling with