Thursday, September 3, 2020

East side story Essay Example For Students

East side story Essay West Side StoryWest Side Story is a cutting edge novel adaptation of Shakespeares play,Romeo and Juliet. The two principle characters are Polish kid named Tony anda Puerta Rican young lady named Maria. Maria is Bernardos sister, the pioneer of astreet pack named the Sharks. The Sharks are a Puerto Rican posse. Tony isa individual from the Jets, the opponent white pack of the Sharks needing to keepPuerto Ricans out. The starting beginnings as the two packs assemble at a localdance. There, Tony and Maria meet and begin to look all starry eyed at. The two of them know thattheir love is risky and start to meet stealthily. They proceed meetingfor half a month. At the point when a road battle breaks out between the Sharks and the Jets, Tonyintervenes in order to put a conclusion to the silly battling. In spite of hisintentions, Tony is maneuvered into the battle as he observes his closest companion, Riff,killed by Bernardo. Tony murders Bernardo, similar to Shakespeares Tybaltkilling Mercutio, and Romeo avenging him. Tony turns into an outlaw andplans to escape with Maria. Tony is informed that Maria has kicked the bucket. Not wantingto live without Maria, Tony comes out of covering up and uncovers himself to theSharks. Avenging Bernardos passing, Chino shoots and slaughters Tony on sight,just right now Tony and Maria are brought together. The sensational contrast between West Side Story and Romeo andJuliet is that Maria is left alive to manage Tonys passing. Maria and Tonyboth were casualties of prejudice, narrow mindedness, and doubt. Prejudice was shownto be inflexible and unforgiving. This story was a great deal morebelievable as well. Words/Pages : 262/24

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Hitler :: History, Nazi, Race Relations

Prejudice has been available in our reality for over 3,000 years. Take African-Americans, before the Million Man March, Martin Luther King and the social liberties development, dark individuals were given less regard than hounds. For the primary century of our countryâ ¹s presence, blacks were slaves without any rights. Significantly after the Civil War liberated them, there was no equivalent chance and much persecution of them by whites, especially in the South. They were steady focuses of savagery and were killed by supremacist loathe gatherings, for example, the Ku Klux Klan and Nazis. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.â ¹s social equality development was the initial move towards a genuinely de-isolated America. In the event that it had not been for individuals like Dr. Lord, Maya Angelou and other solid willed and simply individuals, the nation would presumably still have two kinds of rest rooms- - one for whites and one for blacks.      Racism has been spinning out of control in our nation since the beginning. In the United States during World War II, residents of Japanese starting point were taken structure their homes on the West Coast and moved to inland camps by our legislature in light of the fact that, after the Japanese assault on pearl Harbor, our  â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â -2-  â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â government caused a speculation to adjoin the Japanese. It concluded that the Japanese Americans were a danger thus they chose to place them in camps. These camps were internment camps, not brutal like inhumane imprisonments, however crushing for individuals who viewed themselves as - and were - just as faithful residents as the individuals who were detaining them.      In society today individuals search for a simple way out of issues. Hitler :: History, Nazi, Race Relations Prejudice has been available in our reality for over 3,000 years. Take African-Americans, before the Million Man March, Martin Luther King and the social equality development, dark individuals were given less regard than hounds. For the primary century of our countryâ ¹s presence, blacks were slaves without any rights. Significantly after the Civil War liberated them, there was no equivalent chance and much persecution of them by whites, especially in the South. They were steady focuses of brutality and were executed by supremacist detest gatherings, for example, the Ku Klux Klan and Nazis. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.â ¹s social equality development was the initial move towards a genuinely de-isolated America. On the off chance that it had not been for individuals like Dr. Ruler, Maya Angelou and other solid willed and simply individuals, the nation would likely despite everything have two kinds of rest rooms- - one for whites and one for blacks.      Racism has been spinning out of control in our nation since the beginning. In the United States during World War II, residents of Japanese root were taken structure their homes on the West Coast and moved to inland camps by our administration on the grounds that, after the Japanese assault on pearl Harbor, our  â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â -2-  â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â government caused a speculation to adjoin the Japanese. It concluded that the Japanese Americans were a danger thus they chose to place them in camps. These camps were internment camps, not brutal like death camps, however destroying for individuals who viewed themselves as - and were - just as faithful residents as the individuals who were imprisoning them.      In society today individuals search for a simple way out of issues.

Friday, August 21, 2020

Worldbuilding in a Novel 120+ World Building Questions to Get it Right

Worldbuilding in a Novel 120+ World Building Questions to Get it Right Worldbuilding in a Novel: 120+ World Building Questions to Get it Right Composing a novel requires more than great composing slashes and extravagant scholarly devicesyou need strong worldbuilding so as to create a sensible picture for our readers.And you’ve heard the word ‘world building’ being hurled around a ton, particularly in relationship with the sci-fi and dream genre.In this post, well walk you through how to world form in your novel with tips and inquiries to ensure your book is well-rounded.Heres how to world form in your novel:Understand what world structure isBuild the appearance of the worldDecide on what and who the occupants areDevelop a solid world historyForm cultural rulesDevelop religions and social customsWorld building inquiries for fantasyWorld building inquiries for sci-fiNOTE: If youre prepared to take your reality and get it before perusers all over the place, make a point to look at our VIP Fiction Self-Publishing Program, where youll have 1-on-1 time with a top of the line writer as your mentor! Study it her eWhat is world building?Worldbuilding is the way toward making an anecdotal world inside your novel that can be as intricate as planning a totally new and exceptional area with outlandish animals, social orders, religions, and governments.Or it could be as straightforward as utilizing the world we right now live in as an establishment, at that point tweaking it with a couple of authentic, physical, or social adjustments.World building gives the author an away from of what their reality closely resembles. The conjured up universe serves to build up where the story happens. Its motivation as the setting of the story is to grapple the peruser into the book by giving them a solid location.When an essayist settles on the choice to pitifully world form, it appears. The world they make needs validness and leaves the peruser needing. World structure is an opportunity to catch the creative mind of your peruser. When the peruser is inundated in your reality, they will have the option to suspe nd skepticism and completely draw in with the whole story structure to appreciate a full experience.But, how can one approach accomplishing this?World building may appear to be overwhelming, yet it very well may be separated into straightforward advances that will make the procedure intensive and fun.It is imperative to consider how the world you are making will be special to your story thoughts. Be that as it may, it is similarly as essential to remember how your reality will serve the plot and influence the characters.Four general inquiries to pose to yourself before you begin assembling your reality are as follows.#1 What does the world itself look like?The physical appearance of your reality has a major effect. Since you need to portray the story setting, you have to know what that looks like.Here are a few inquiries you can use to do this:Is it a little thick zone, or a tremendous world loaded with various conditions? What amount of your reality would you say you are going to n eed to appear so as to help the story?How does the territory impact the story?What is the climate like consistently just as when its severe?What does the scene resemble? (Clue: this will impact transport and clothing)Are the characters going to be amassed in one zone like an unassuming community, or inside a labyrinth?If so then all you have to world form is that area and spotlight on components, for example, is this area safe and what is the social structure inside this location?An creator who works admirably of setting up the world right from Chapter 1 is Jenna Moreci in The Saviors Champion. You can find in the model beneath, you know what the land resembles, how it feels, and even one of the essential rural components isall in a couple of short paragraphs.However, in the event that the cast will be going inside your reality, at that point things get progressively mind boggling, and you may need to make numerous nations or planets.Creating numerous nations implies examining how t hey will be not the same as each other.Here are a few inquiries to get this part right:Where do the outskirts lie?What are the dialects spoken?What are the regular resources?What are the different societies and social practices?If you are making various planets, how would they vary from our own? Are there seasons? Is there more than one moon/sun? What living things exist on these planets?Knowing these subtleties forthright can likewise assist you with molding the way of life and customs around the globe itself as we have done in this world. Your worldbuilding will show up progressively normal along these lines as well.#2 Who are the inhabits?Think of your primary cast. Since your characters drive the story, its critical to be sure about each sort of individual required from the beginning of the story to the end.Answer these inquiries for worldbuilding your inhabits:Are they human, outsider, or hybrids?What is their population?How did they get the chance to be a piece of this world?I s there are class framework among inhabitants?Is the class framework characterized by riches or some other factor?What of sexual orientation, race, and species?How do the occupants of the world you are building get along?Are there characteristic coalitions between specific groups?Are a portion of the inhabitant’s oppressors towards the others?What assets do the occupants have?Knowing these subtleties can assist you with forming the plot, however having the option to slide in these subtleties will cause your reality to show up increasingly similar and hence, all the more engaging for your readers.#3 What is the historical backdrop of the world?History is significant, it recounts how things came to be how they are. Your anecdotal world, much the same as this present reality, will must have a history-and this history can frequently be persuasive to your plot. Accordingly, you need to know it.While it isn't imperative for you to realize each moment detail with respect to the hist orical backdrop of your reality, it is pivotal to realize what are a portion of the significant occasions of the past.Here are a couple of perspectives to consider:Who have been the major rulers?What key occasions occurred during their reign?How did their rule change the governments?How did the nations or settlements show up at the state they are right now in?Is there an ongoing chronicled occasion of note?What are the strict and political authentic occasions that are effective to your plot?What have been the major ecological catastrophes? Starvation, plagues, flooding?How have these affected the land and the people?Wars †what countries have been at war with one another before? What countries are still at war?Has there been any thoughtful wars?This can be the most flighty and powerful piece of your reality building ventures.An creator who exceeds expectations at meshing history into his storyline is George R.R. Martin in his Game of Thrones series.The more you think about your universes history, the more open doors you have for foretelling, unexpected developments, and a progressively complete story in general.#4 What are the principles of society?Every society has sets of accepted rules, a set example of conduct expected to be followed.Having rules set up will give a comprehension to character activities and responses just as the general character improvement process. Ask yourself what the rules in your reality are, who authorizes them, and how these will influence the plot.Here are more inquiries for worldbuilding your society:What is the political structure of the world?Who holds force, impact, or authority?Is it an individual or a group?Is there a decision monarchy?Or is it a type of tyranny, dictatorship, or a popular government? Are characters going to disrupt or twisting the norms, or will they be the ones managing them?Are the guidelines thought about reasonable and just, or is the general public everywhere baffled by the principles forced upon th em?How are occupants rebuffed if the standards of society are broken?This is an extraordinary beginning stage for making the state of mind and general vibe of your book, also assembling your primary character and others to fit these standards.#5 What are the religions, and social customs?Readers and pundits for the most part disapprove of a world structure so dull that it contains just one race of people.Creating a general public loaded up with occupants of various races implies there will be an assortment in the customary practices from one specific social gathering to the other.A all around created world will have its national/strict occasions, dress traditions, food, and phonetic qualities. In what manner will this influence your characters? What are the legends and fantasies that fill in as a methods for amusement or training for inhabitants?Here are progressively strict and social traditions worldbuilding questions:What is the strict conviction system?What divine beings, assumi ng any, exist?Do the divine beings play an unmistakable and dynamic job on the planet, or are they elements individuals trust in?Are there strict administrations took care of at a place of worship?How much does religion play into the day by day life of the lay person?What is considered sacred?Are specific images revered?What are a few ceremonies or customs identified with religion in your world?How many occupies put stock in the strict system?Are there any fights between various religions?Are there a particular celebrations or festivities that occur?Do individuals work all week?Are there holidays?Do individuals commend their birthdays?How do the different social classes behave?What customs to they follow to?How are sexual orientation jobs defined?How do families, relationships, and different connections operate?How is demise taken care of †are administrations held, and do cherished ones’ mourn?Is reproduction done out of adoration or duty?Do individuals get the chance to pick their own partners?What practices are commonly viewed as inappropriate or immoral?While there are a great deal of inquiries for this area specifically, these are the absolute generally significant, as they have the ability to shape intentions, social orders, and characters in full.Even on the off chance that you choose to make a general public that is a stone monument †where the whole cast is of a similar race or religion, you despite everything need to obviously state what the traditions remarkable

Saturday, June 6, 2020

Symbolism and Personal Significance in All the Light We Cannot See - Literature Essay Samples

Historians, philosophers, and writers alike can attest to the human struggle to follow a certain moral code; history shows a constant rift between what humans claim they should do and what they actually do. If this rift did not exist, many a crises and war could be averted, but humanity would not be its beautifully flawed self. In the novel All the Light We Cannot See, Doerr is raved over for â€Å"masterfully and knowledgeably re-creat[ing] the deprived civilian conditions of war-torn France and the strictly controlled lives of the military occupiers† (Hooper 23). However, the use of literary devices in the novel reflects a message deeper than that of just another war-time story. Doerr utilizes the war setting as a means of further exploring the nature of humanity in a distinct context. He does not define the characters by war; he defines the characters and gives them a war to respond to. The novel is different from other war stories, in that its focus is on the independent c hoices of the characters, the reasoning behind these choices, and the means by which these choices intertwine the lives of the characters. That being said, Doerr shares his understanding of the nature of humanity with the reader in his utilization of literary devices used in context of reader-response theory. More specifically, Doerr does this with his use of symbolism. By using symbolism throughout the novel, Doerr gives the reader connections between characters, which then allows the reader to clearly compare and contrast the plight of the characters in reference to the symbol. Also, the use of symbolism lets the reader critically consider universal concepts in different contexts, which initiates critical thinking in the reader without the explicit use of theory (Richter 962-963). In his novel All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr uses the key symbols of the blindness, the maze, and the radio to compare and contrast the two main characters and to reflect this theme that in tr oubling times humanity should pursue love. Blindness, ironically, leads the character Werner to spiritual enlightenment, which occurs when he is stuck underground in the Hotel of Bees. When Werner is in total darkness, essentially blind, he is surprised to find that â€Å"Sometimes, in the darkness, Werner thinks the cellar may have its own faint light†¦ After a while, he is learning, even total darkness is not quite darkness; more than once he thinks he can see his spread fingers when he passes them in front of his eyes† (Doerr 211). Despite being in total darkness, Werner is able to â€Å"see† the room based on his spatial memory. This foreshadows the moral insight Werner will gain, for during his grimmest hours with nothing to distract him from his conscience, Werner decides his next plan of action based on what he knows to be right. Before this experience, Werner has acted against his better judgment. He is a manifestation of the Faust legend, listening to those who claim â€Å"We act in our own self-i nterest. Of course we do. Name me a person or a nation who does not. The trick is figuring out where your interests are† (Doerr 84). It is this attitude which prevails among the wealthy and the Nazi leaders. It is this attitude which turns a nation of humans with ability to show compassion into a land of death and persecution. At the Nazi school facility Werner trains at, Werner feels like he â€Å"is succeeding†¦ [and] being loyal†¦ being what everybody agrees is good† yet â€Å"every time he wakes and buttons his tunic, he feels like he is betraying something† (Doerr 250). Werner rejects the cry of his innermost soul: â€Å"is this not wrong?†, because the people around him are saying that â€Å"what [Nazi Germany represents] is an ordering†¦ [of] chaos.. [and] the evolution of the species. the†¦ greatest project human beings have ever embarked upon† (Doerr 194, 240). This false promise of order, protection, and success blinds Werner to all other pursuits, including the pursuit of love. It is not that Werner truly believes the lies he is told; it is that Werner chooses to believe these things because to say otherwise would make his life more difficult and take his potential for success. But now that Werner is surrounded by darkness, he sees the darkness in himself, and â€Å"his ambition and shame [become] one and the same† (Doerr 450). When Werner’s physical eyes are rendered useless in the dark, Werner opens his introspective eyes to see past the twisted propaganda he has pretended to believe, and looks at the reality of himself and his situation. He sees that while his friend â€Å"Frederick said we don’t have choices, don’t own our lives†¦ in the end it was Werner who pretended there were no choices† (Doerr 407). Frederick, who claims to be passive in life, is in reality one of the few brave individuals to stand up to the crowd and pursue his convicted love for all humans, facing the consequences dutifully. Frederick, who when demanded to throw the freezing water on the dying Soviet prisoner looks straight ahead as â€Å" The night steams, the stars burn, the prisoner sways, the boys watch, the commandant tilts his head,† and â€Å" pours the water onto the ground,† stating â€Å"I will not† (Doerr 229). Because of this action, this refusal to comply with the cruelty of the school and the blind obedience demanded of him, Frederick is physically abused by his classmates to the point of neurological damage, and is sent home from the Nazi training school. Once Werner becomes desperate enough to open up his heart and allow himself to be enlightened in the bombed hotel basement, as well as fully realize his own conviction, â€Å"It is as if he has been drowning for as long as he can remember and somebody has fetched him up for air† (Doerr 406). This relief is Werner’s conscience, which had been repressed before this time of reflection, but in this time is finally heard and accepted. Frederick, who pursues love, ends up physically crippled but pure in heart. Werner, in contrast, pursues personal gain and convenience. As a result, he loses his sense of self and damages the relationship between himself and his beloved sister Jutta, the only person who challenges Werner’s unruly ambition. After the epiphany in the darkness, when he finally follows Jutta’s advice to follow his heart and ends up falling in love with Marie-Laure, the first thing he thinks is â€Å"Jutta†¦ I finally listened† (Doerr 475). Had Werner listened to Jutta and pursued his soul’s calling earlier, he would not have needed to be brought into all-enveloping darkness to see the light and love within himself. In contrast with Werners, Marie-Laure’s blindness is representative of her keen moral insight. She describes it: â€Å"What is blindness? Where there should be a wall, her hands find nothing. Where there should be nothing, a table leg gouges her shin. Cars growl in the streets; leaves whisper in the sky; blood rustles through her inner ears† (Doerr 27). Here, initially, the description of blindness meets the readers understanding. It is unmet expectations. It is the fear of the unknown, fully capsized. However, the end of the description takes an unexpected turn. It discusses Marie-Laure’s gifts within the blindness. Her hearing improves, so she is able to focus it in such a way that she can understand the world through the little movements her ears pick up. This parallels her ability to act within her views of morality, for she is able to focus on such views and act in consideration of these beliefs, instead of in spite of them, in contrast to Werner. This follo ws the universal idea that â€Å"when blindness pops up in a story†¦ the author wants to emphasize other levels of sight and blindness beyond the physical† (Foster 202). Marie-Laure’s sense of morality is apparent with her willingness to assist the French resistance and her protection of the stone, not because she cherishes its high dollar value but because she wants to be rid of it. Her intuitive insight sees that the stone has the power to morph men into monsters, and she hopes â€Å"that Papa hasn’t been anywhere near it† (Doerr 52). Marie-Laure’s moral compass is undeniable. However, Marie-Laure’s blindness would not have helped her develop into the convicted person she became, without the help of Marie-Laure’s father’s love. Her father, who â€Å"says he will never leave her, not in a million years†; who claims â€Å"You can do this, Marie† even when she feels â€Å"she cannot†, is her anchor and means of exploring the world despite her fear (Doerr 31, 37). Because Marie-Laure has her father’s support when dealing with the blindness, she has the courage to cope with the struggles of being blind and so pursues life with bravery. The love between her and her father gives Marie-Laure the courage to live in the light, despite being blind. Another significant symbol is the maze, which essentially represents the troubles Marie-Laure faces, especially the blindness which makes her whole life like a maze. Marie-Laure listens to her logic when faced with a problem, because she is experienced in dealing with mazes. When she is diagnosed with â€Å"Congenital cataracts. Bilateral. Irreparable,† the â€Å"Spaces she once knew as familiar†¦ [became] labyrinths bristling with hazards† (Doerr 27). She is forced to regard the objects around herself differently, and move around these objects using the new skills she develops. Her father teaches her to â€Å"walk the paths of logic. Every outcome has its cause, and every predicament has its solution. Every lock its key† (Doerr 111). Marie-Laure’s blindness trains her to approach the unknowable with sensibility, and her father’s love empowers her to handle the blindness. However, when Marie-Laure is faced with the imprisonment of her father, t he love she once depended on is taken and she lapses into a depression, in which â€Å"everything in the house scares her†¦ she is angry†¦ [and] every second it feels as if her father slips farther away† (Doerr 226). She has lost direction and no longer has the motivation to face her problems. It is not until she goes to see â€Å"the ocean! Right in front of her!† and â€Å"the labyrinth of Saint-Malo has opened onto a portal of sound larger than anything she has ever experienced,† that Marie-Laure is able to face the maze again (Doerr 231). She falls in love with the awe-inspiring ocean, and finds within this love a passion for the beauty of the outside world she once considered too overwhelming to face. With this newfound motivation, she can emotionally process the loss of her father and choose her next steps in life with the logic she had been taught. It is with this renewed love and passion that Marie-Laure learns to face her blindness and her pro blems once more. The symbol of the maze shows up in the life of Werner, in that Germany is described as an â€Å"ever-quickening, ever-expanding machine† with factories and businesses and streets filled with worker ant people (Doerr 69). Essentially, it is conveyed as maze-like. For example, in Saint-Malo, â€Å"people whisper, the Germans have renovated two kilometers of subterranean corridors under the medieval walls; they have built new defenses, new conduits, new escape routes, underground complexes of bewildering complexity† (Doerr 10). The Germans have turned their own home into a foreign and intimidating land, a menacing labyrinth. Most of the fear of Germany is because of its intimidating military, which fights in seemingly unfaltering unity with the attitude that â€Å"Everything is glory and country and competition and sacrifice† (Doerr 62). Werner is lost in all of this nationalism; he is lost in the maze of Germany which sings out blasphemy as if it is pure truth and defines purity as a list of required genetics. Germany, which orders it soldiers, â€Å"Do not trust your minds† because they are â€Å"always drifting towards ambiguity, toward questions, when what you really need is certainty. Purpose. Clarity† (Doerr 264). Germany perpetuates the maze, because in contrast to Marie-Claire’s pursuit of reason, it calls for a complete disregard of thinking processes in lieu of uncompromising patriotism. In order to deal with this maze, Werner also finds love, both within the sea and within Marie-Claire. When Werner describes the sea, he says â€Å"It is my favorite thing, I think, that I have ever seen. Sometimes I catch myself staring at it and forget my duties† (Doerr 405). Here Doerr directly compares Werner and Marie-Laure, for they are on two opposing paths yet find the same force of nature appealing. It is dramatic irony, in that the reader can see the unity of passion between the characters before the characters th emselves realize their love. This dramatic irony foreshadows Werner’s eventual focus on Marie-Laure as the motivation to act on his inner heart of compassion. Werner describes first seeing Marie-Laure in the same manner: â€Å"Why are Werner’s hands shaking? Why can’t he catch his breath? This, he thinks, is the pure they were always lecturing about at Schulpforta† (Doerr 413). In both of these cases, Werner stops participating in the work which he truly believes is wrong, because he has seen something which he loves. He is so overwhelmed with emotion in seeing his heart’s desire, he cannot pretend his heart desires anything else. This is the way in which Werner is freed from the maze. Elsewhere, the radio is a symbol of hope for Werner. When he first listens to the radio, the world around Werner â€Å"looks the same as it always has†¦ Yet now there is music. As if, inside Werner’s head, an infinitesimal orchestra has stirred to life† (Doerr 33). Although Werner is stuck in an orphan’s home, destined to work in the dangerous coal mine which orphaned him, the radio is a means of escaping this hopeless reality and dreaming of a different future. In fact, Doerr establishes Werner’s morality with the radio, because â€Å"Werner’s favorite [radio program] is one about light: eclipses and sundials, auroras and wavelengths.† The radio speaker teaches, â€Å"What do we call visible light? We call it color. But the electromagnetic spectrum runs to zero in one direction and infinity in the other, so really, children, mathematically, all of light is invisible† (Doerr 53). This program is metaphorical and shows the equality of all humanity in seeing light, that in technicality all are blind because light exists both infinitely and not at all. Werner’s appreciation of this program reveals his moral beliefs in the value of light and the equality of all human beings. This emphasizes the height of corruption which occurs as this quest to escape the fate of the coal mines consumes Werner, and â€Å"in his nightmares, he walks the tunnels of the mines. The ceiling is smooth and black; slabs of it descend over him as he treads† (Doerr 68-69). This fear of being trapped perverts him. Instead of hoping for love, Werner places his hopes in his future success and the possible luxuries his talents give him access to. Here lies the risk of hope; that humanity may hope in a force of corruption. In this case, the radio which â€Å"ties a million ears to a single mouth† plays â€Å"out of loudspeakers all around Zollverein, the staccato voice of the Reich†, which â€Å"grows like some imperturbable tree; its subjects lean towards its branches as if toward the lips of God† (Doerr 63). Werner’s misplaced hope is only a reflection of all of Germany, which hopes in Hitler, losing sight of morals while in pursuit of prosperity. It is not until later, at the Hotel of Bees, that Werner uses the radio for the right reasons and finds another source to discover hope in. Werner is stuck, and â€Å"the radio is hopeless. He wants to close his eyes, forget, give up†¦ But Volkheimer wants to make an argument that life is worth living† (Doerr 211 ). Werner’s friend and military partner Volkheimer is the love which pushes Werner to finish his last act in pursuit of hope. Because Volkheimer believes Werner’s life is worth living out, Werner is given the strength to continue despite the overwhelming evidence proving his situation to be hopeless. In this same place of blindness, Werner not only reaches enlightenment, but also finds the love he wants to hope in, replacing the ambition which once blinded his judgment. In one last act of desperation, Werner attempts to fix the radio and succeeds, hearing Marie-Laure’s voice on the radio calling for help. Even though Werner’s job is to kill all who broadcast rebellious radio waves, Werner thinks back to his last moment of darkness in which he accidentally kills a young girl while raiding an apartment complex in search for a radio. Because of this occurrence, Werner is more aware of the impact of his actions and wary of violence. He knows his own heart is not complacent with murder, even if it means losing luxury or a successful future. Out of this previous time of poorly placed hope, Werner gains the wisdom to hope in love. He uses the radio to figure out where Marie-Laure is hiding and then saves her from imminent death. Because Werner has renewed his soul, instead of choosing to kill Marie-Laure like his job demands him to, Werner uses the radio to pursue his love for Marie-Laure. The radio also represents hope to Marie-Laure. Marie-Laure and her uncle help with the French resistance against Germany by using their radio to transmit secret messages to all who listen. This action is a manifestation of the choice made in their argument: â€Å"‘Doing nothing is as good as collaborating.’†¦ ‘How do you fight a system?’ ‘You try’† (Doerr 269). The radio is a means of fighting the system, and therefore a fight for hope. While the Germans take most of her uncle’s radios, Etienne keeps his biggest, most-beloved radio secretly in the attic. Etienne holds to his radio because it is one of the few objects which give him purpose and life, especially in light of his post-traumatic stress disorder and his tendency to see â€Å"things that are not there,† which force him to stay indoors (Doerr 122). The radio is the last true reminder of who Etienne is and what he can offer the world, and â€Å"when Marie-Laure comes through the front door with the bread, when he’s opening the tiny scroll in his fingers, lowering his mouth to the microphone, he feels unshakeable; he feels alive† (Doerr 331). The radio is Marie-Laure’s salvation. When she is stuck in her attic, hiding from a mad Sergeant, and cannot do anything else, she calls for help on the radio in the desperate hope that someone will hear her, â€Å"she keeps saying, ‘Help me.’ She begs her father, her great-uncle. She says, ‘He is here. He will kill me† (Doerr 442). At the climax of danger, Werner saves her. Marie-Laure puts her hope in the object her uncle treasures and in the compassion of a stranger, and is rescued. Because of Marie-Laure’s hope in humanity, that someone might be willing to show love, she is liberated. It is not romantic love which saves Werner and Marie-Laure. Soon after they meet, they are separated: Marie-Laure to be brought back to her uncle and Werner to surrender to the French and American militaries. Doerr purposely points this out, with making Werner’s fear that of working in a coal mine and Marie-Laure’s fear that of losing her loved ones to the curse of the diamond. The coal and the diamond seem related- many mistakenly think that coal is used to make diamonds. However, it is a false assumption, just like the assumption many readers would make that this novel is focused on the romance between the two. No, Werner and Marie-Laure are saved by a different love. This is the love which is so mind-shattering, it makes the sweet-tempered Marie-Laure angry â€Å"At everything and everyone,† questioning â€Å"Who knew love could kill you?† (Doerr 226). This is the love which propels life forward, which makes hope valuable, which gives humanity direction . This is the core of Doerr’s novel, the message he wants to send that life is worth living whole-heartedly. It is not a love made up of fairytale endings. Werner dies soon after leaving Marie-Laure, as he half-consciously follows the sound of Claire de la Lune, which he first heard on the radio, and walks into a land mine. It is suicide, and Werner dies wondering â€Å"what future remains? The road ahead is blank, and the lines of his thoughts incline inward†, thinking of â€Å"Marie-Laure†¦ the pressure of his hand against the webbing between her fingers† (Doerr 480, 481). Like Frederick, following his heart did not save Werner from an unfortunate end. But Werner dies a free soul, â€Å"a kite, a balloon†, a person who in his last few days finds light and love and his true self (Doerr 482). This is the love which, Doerr argues, makes life worth living. Because of this love, Marie-Laure is free to explore the â€Å"mazes there are in this world. Th e branches of trees, the filigree of roots, the matrix of crystals, the streets her father re-created in his models†¦ None more complicated than the human brain, Etienne would say, what maybe the most complex object in existence, one wet kilogram within which the universe spins† (Doerr 453). Marie-Laure, at least, is able to follow her love of the beauty in the world, and revel in its wonder. Through the characters of Werner and Marie-Laure, Anthony Doerr shows the only trustworthy method of coping with the maze of life is hoping in love.

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Disparities Of The 2014 Reported Burglary And Theft...

This paper analyses the disparities of the 2014 reported burglary and theft statistics between the, Auckland City District (ACD) and WaitematÄ  District (WD). The statistics are reported by the National Police Headquarters as of April 2015 (New Zealand Police, 2015). Therefore, Police reporting practices will be discussed to point out the strengths and weaknesses of the reported data. Secondly, the Routine Activities and Social Disorganisation theories will be used to provide an explanation for the differences in recorded burglary and theft statistics. Lastly possible policy solutions to reduce the amount of crime reported to and recorded by Police will be discussed. As it appears, burglary and theft offences are higher amongst the Auckland City district than the WaitematÄ . These results are consistent with the Routine Activity and Social Disorganisation theories as there are more suitable targets, less collective efficacy and more incapable guardians within the ACD due to struc tural deficiency. The ACD cover the areas within Herne Bay, Freeman’s Bay, St Helier’s, Onehunga and Avondale, including Waiheke and Great Barrier Islands (NZ Police: Police Districts). The WaitematÄ  Police District includes, New Lynn, the North Shore, Devonport up to Mangawhai and also the motorway stretch from Bombay Hills to Orewa (NZ Police: Police Districts). According to NZ Police (2015), an offense is recorded if they believe that an offense has been committed. As of 2014, the recordedShow MoreRelatedMeasuring Crime And Crime Statistics1876 Words   |  8 Pagesexistence and correctly target resources. Crime statistics are therefore central to solving crime in England and Wales. In order for crime to be tackled effectively, it is vital that it is measured accurately. There are two sources of crime statistics published annually in the UK namely police recorded crime and the Crime Survey of England and Wales. According to the Crime Survey of England and Wales, in total there we re 7.1 million incidents of crime in 2013-2014. Although there has been an 11% reductionRead MoreCrime Rates Between Seattle, Washington And Denver, Colorado2104 Words   |  9 Pagesthat are in common and why that might be. Seattle, Washington has just posted there statistics for the year 2014. Seattle, Washington has had 26 homicides in the year 2014 the most reported homicides were in the month of June with 0 homicides in February and November. There was 128 rape crimes with the highest rape in the month of July 2014 with 16 reported rapes while September was the lowest with only 5 reported rapes. There was 1,572 cases of robbery in Seattle with September being the highestRead MoreThe Uniform Crime Reports The National Incident Based Reporting System978 Words   |  4 Pagesabstract is to critically review the primary data sources used in the criminological research. The two key factors that measures crime are distinguished: official crime statistics, which are based on the compile data records of offenders and offenses processed by the police, courts, and corrections agencies; and unofficial crime statistics, which are produced by people and agencies outside the criminal justice system whom can add value to the data source (Regoli, Robert M., and Hewitt, John D., 2008,Read MoreCrime : A Social Problem1205 Words   |  5 PagesCrime: A Social Problem In 2013 it was reported that every person living in the United States will be a victim of a crime at some point in their lives (Macionis. 2015). A staggering statistic, crime is undoubtedly a significant problem in modern day society. To thoroughly combat this social issue, it is essential for researchers to study who is affected by crime, where and how often it occurs, and especially why it occurs. The reason Crime occurs can best be studied using the two theoretical approachesRead MoreConcealed Carry: The Social Impact1990 Words   |  8 Pages Concealed Carry: The Social Impact Gun control is a highly controversial issue with each proponent (Pro vs. Con) providing statistics and facts supporting their standpoint. However, in the past several decades, advocates supporting gun control have significantly suffered with state’s enacting concealed carry legislation. The Constitution of the United States of America, the Second Amendment, is one of the most prevalent issues in government. To further reduce their stance, recent court decisionsRead MoreJuvenile Justice And Delinquency Prevention2440 Words   |  10 PagesUnited States population has been reported at 321,238,352- accounting for at least 25% of the human population. Five percent out of the 25% of this population is the percentage of youths that are incarcerated or confined (Census, n.d). According to the U.S Department of Justice’s office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency prevention, it was reported in 2011 that 1 in 13 of juvenile arrests was for murder, and about 1 in 5 arrests was for robbery, burglary, or larceny-theft; totaling in an estimated amountRead MoreJuvenile Justice And Delinquency Prevention2506 Words   |  11 PagesUnited States population has been reported at 321,238,352- accounting for at least 25% of the human population. 5% out of the 25% of this population is the percentage of youths that are incarcerated or confined (Census, n.d). According to the U.S Department of Justice’s office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency prevention, it was reported in 2011 that 1 in 13 of juvenile arrests were for murder, and about 1 in 5 arrests were for robbery, burglary, or larceny-theft; totaling in an estimated amountRead MoreThe Juvenile Justice System For Fairness2060 Words   |  9 Pagesdefendants. The question being asked is this being done fairly to all minors who deal with the juvenile justice system? Why do some juveniles with identical crimes receive different punishments from the court? How do the courts justify these disparities i n enforcement? While there are many questions that need to be answered this paper will focus on two. What role does race play in the sentencing of juvenile offenders? Are certain defendants sentenced more harshly because of their race and whyRead MoreRace And Crime Of The Criminal Justice System6937 Words   |  28 Pagescrimes that a white person committed against a black or African American person was usually let off with either a very minor punishment or sentence or no sentence or conviction at all. Yes, white people sell drugs, buy drugs, commit crimes such as burglary, robbery, rape, and even murder as well as a lot of other things just as any other race is capable of and has done but the rampage killers that we often see in the news for things such as shooting up public places like schools and movie theatresRead MoreCriminal Justice System : Crime, Policing, Courts, And Corrections3651 Words   |  15 Pagesthe United States, including drug-related crimes, burglary, theft (not including burglary, housebreaking, and motor vehicle), kidnapping, robbery, and sexual violence (UNODC, 2012). South Korea had a large problem with the high rates of assault being committed, but the rate fell drastically from over 600 in 2011 to 127 in 2012 per 100,000 persons (UNODC, 2012). South Korea did not provide any statistics on the rates in which motor vehicle theft occurs. South Korea does not have many issues common

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Smoking as a Social Problem - 3128 Words

BY: ALEENAF FAROOQ 14L-4277 Smoking is Injurious to Health SocIOLOGY TERM PAPER SIR SHAFQAT HUSSAIN CHAUHDRY Table of Contents: Contents Table of Contents: 1 Executive Summary: 2 Review of literature: 4 Definition of Problem: 5 Formulation of Hypothesis: 6 Research Plan: 6 Data Collected: 7 ï‚ · Surveys: 7 ï‚ · Interviews: 7 Findings: 8 Data Analysis: 13 Role of society: 13 ï‚ · restlessness in our society: 13 ï‚ · Lack of self expression: 13 ï‚ · Pleasure seeking: 14 ï‚ · Lack of appreciation: 14 ï‚ · lack of relief: 14 ï‚ · IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOUR OF MEDIA: 15 Recommendations: 15 Conclusion: 15 Replication of Study: 17 References: 18†¦show more content†¦Murad IV made Pope Urban VII look like a pushover--his punishment for breaking the ban was death. King James I of England was no fan of tobacco either, so he picked up his pen. In 1604, James wrote the treatise A Counterblaste to Tobacco, and he didnt pull any punches, writing, What honour or policie can move us to imitate the barbarous and beastly maners of the wilde, godlesse, and slavish Indians, especially in so vile and stinking a custom?(King James, 1604). As the years progressed, smoking became more and more acceptable. Nazis aggressively tried to suppress tobacco usage but their ban fell with them, as during World War II and the immediate postwar years, smoking was actively promoted in most aspects of society. One only has to review the movies of the 50s and 60s to see that in almost every scene the hero or the heroine is smoking a cigarette. Even, King Jamess attacks on smoking over 3 centuries ago (Eckholm, 1977) have been vindicated. As a result of this, the tobacco companies and society have been very effective in promoting smoking as being socially acceptable. This may seem all the more peculiar, given that most smokers believe smoking is hazardous; indeed, even in 1968 (Horn, Note 1), 53% of smokers reported that they would like to stop. That the antipathy does not necessarily depend on scientific data is evident from the response of Solomon Islanders and Saharan Africans: Though uninformed of the evidenceShow MoreRelatedSmoking Drinking As A Social Problem1682 Words   |  7 Pagesexplore both sides of the argument to suggest that Binge drinking is either a personal concern or that it is a social problem. UK researchers commonly define binge drinking as consuming more than eight units of alcohol in a single session for men, and more than six units for women (NHS, 2014). Over the years alcohol has caused many social and political debates in regards to whether it is a â€Å"social evil† or if the indivi dual who makes the conscious choice to drink it, is the real deviant. It’s clear toRead MoreThe Effect on Smoking Cigarette Banned in Public Essays1282 Words   |  6 Pages Cigarette smoking â€Å"There Is Nothing either Good or Bad, Hard or Easy, It’s How We Choose to Think That Makes It So.† ~ William Shakespeare~ Cigarettes are drugs that have a high risk of dangerous drugs that cause the disease to the body of smokers and people who live nearby. Currently, there are many more smokers are aware of the adverse effects of smoking. But the number of smokers is still increasing. Especially worrisome and continue to cause adverse effects in both polite society andRead MoreThe Effects Of Smoking Cigarettes On Society925 Words   |  4 PagesThe Effects of Smoking Cigarettes Society has been faced with many social struggles since the beginning of time. Smoking cigarettes is just one of those many social challenges. Individuals who smoke cigarettes increase the risk of developing health issues. Advertising has decreased over the years but the investment is with those that started when advertising was a big deal. Finally, the chemicals put into cigarettes are designed to increase a person’s cravings for cigarettes making it harder toRead MoreThe Externalities of Smoking1470 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction In the past decades, an increasing number of countries have imposed a ban on smoking in public places, including restaurants and bars. Unlike other regulations of cigarettes such as tax or promoting ban, this territorial smoking control sparked heated debates. While some argue that the implementation of this regulation is inefficient and reduce the public welfare (Viscusi, 1994; Tollison and Wagner, 1992; Lambert, 2006), others claim that smokers do impose negative externalities toRead MoreOutcome of Banning Smoking in Public Areas663 Words   |  3 Pagesof premature births and severe childhood asthma problems has dropped by after smoking was banned in public places. Researchers from the University of Maastricht and the University of Edinburgh studied 250,000 hospital visits and more than 2.5 million births for asthma attacks in children. It was discovered that â€Å"preterm births and hospital attendance for asthma has fallen by 10% â€Å" especially in areas where smoking is ba nned. Though banning smoking at in public places would possibly have a negativeRead MoreThe Negative Impacts Of Smoking1547 Words   |  7 PagesThe most common problems that are destroying the health of young generations and killing thousands and thousands adults every day is smoking cigarette. The issue of smoking has become one of the most significant and controversial debates in Australia, due its health problem and the effect of the environment atmosphere. Researches and medics worldwide were studying the main causes that makes people smoke and why? (Backes, 2016). According to Dr Jewell‘s article, reveals that there are lots of factorsRead MoreSmoking Is Smoking A Lifestyle Or Disease?1503 Words   |  7 Pages000 Americans died of smoking-related maladies. This figure represents a twenty-four-point reduction in smoking rates since the first tobacco study conducted and published by the Office of the U.S Surgeon General in 1964 (HHS, 2014). These numbers represent a massive i mprovement, but smoking is still a disturbing blemish for an increasingly health-conscious and aware society. Despite these surprising statistics, the question remains: Is smoking a lifestyle or disease? Is smoking similar in nature toRead MoreThe Addiction Of Cigarettes And Teen Smoking894 Words   |  4 Pagespresenting problem is my addiction to cigarettes. I was 13 years old the first time I smoked a cigarette. My addiction began due to peer pressure. Smoking was my way of building social relationships. However, soon I was smoking more or an equal amount of cigarettes than my friends. Since the age of 19, I have been smoking twenty cigarettes a day, which is a pack of cigarettes daily. My addiction to cigarettes is a problem because it is affecting my health. I become fatigued due to smoking. When I doRead MoreOutline the Factors Which Contribute to Low Health Expectancy in Developed Countries. Identify and Assess Possible Solutions to Reduce This Problem.1100 Words   |  5 Pagessolutions to reduce this problem. Health expectancy is â€Å"the number of years a person can expect to live in good health†. (New Zealand Ministry of Social Development, 2010). It reflects concern about the quality of life. Furthermore, low health expectancy means that people live in poor health which is affected by diseases and disability. Many factors contribute to low health expectancy, including smoking and obesity. Society should pay more attention to solve these problems to increase health expectancyRead MoreContribution of Psychology and Social Psychology to the Study of Health and Welfare Issues1358 Words   |  6 PagesContribution of Psychology and Social Psychology to the Study of Health and Welfare Issues In this assignment I will be comparing and contrasting two psychological approaches demonstrating their relevance to understanding a health issue. The issue that I will be applying the two psychological approaches to is Smoking. The psycho dynamic approach denotes the active forces within the personality that motivate behaviour, and the inner causes of behaviour

What Is Eczema free essay sample

More than half of all skin diseases are classified as eczema/dermatitis. These terms both describe inflammatory conditions of the skin associated with symptoms such as redness and swelling, blisters, weeping, itching and scratching. Some people are born with an inherited allergic tendency called atopy. Most eczema patients are atopic and they may also suffer from other allergic diseases such as asthma, hay fever, urticaria or rhinitis. Contact eczema/dermatitis is also common and is often caused by sensitivity to nickel in Jewellery or studs in clothing. Other trigger ubstances include irritant chemicals such as oils from exposure at the workplace: for example shampoo in hairdressers, cement (containing chromium) in builders. In atopic patients the rash usually starts on the face, particularly over the cheeks and chin. Other patients may have a rash in the folds of the elbows, knee Symptoms of Eczema? Symptoms typically include redness, cracking, weeping, soreness, itching, burning, blisters, crusting and scaling. We will write a custom essay sample on What Is Eczema or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These can be acute or chronic and, over a long time, after much scratching, the skin can bleed or become thickened and rough. Contact eczema usually starts with a rash in the area where the skin is in contact with the trigger substance. Eventually this can spread almost anywhere. Atopic eczema tends to occur in the face and/or in the skin creases but may spread to affect the whole body. Another variety is seborrhoeic eczema which tends to occur on the face, centre of the chest and scalp. The skin may be greasy or scaly and, on the scalp, may contribute to dandruff. Diagnosis of Eczema. Diagnosis is usually made by the patients General Practitioner, based on the history, family history and inspection of he skin, noting the type of rash and its distribution. A history of working with chemicals may be important, and a worsening of symptoms after eating certain foods should be considered. This may include salicylates which are found in certain fruits, vegetables, spices, nuts and drinks. Alternatively there may be a food intolerance to a commonly eaten food or colourings and flavourings, particularly those based on azo dyes. Patch or skin prick testing is often used to identify allergic foods, chemicals or airborne particles and blood tests looking for antibodies can also help to identify arious triggers. It is important to differentiate between allergy and intolerance as these involve different mechanisms and treatments. Treatments for Eczema. Food sensitivity to, in particular, milk and wheat is a common cause of eczema and identification and suitable dietary avoidance can make a significant clinical impact. Salicylates and azo compounds have also been implicated and reducing the number of foods containing these can also help. Sensitivity to mould, spores, dust and dust mite can be helped by avoidance techniques as well as desensitisation techniques uch as neutralisation, Isopathy and enzyme potentiated desensitisation can all have a part to play in the management of eczema. Nutritional approaches using evening primrose oil in high doses as well as hydrochloric acid and vitamin B complex can also be useful. Herbal medicine using traditional remedies such as marigold tea can help itching and traditional Chinese herbal medicines have been shown to be highly effective. Classical homeopathy which involves the identification of a suitable remedy for the individual patient has a significant benefit in many patients. Finally skin conditions such as psoriasis. The word eczema comes from Greek and literally means boiling over. Normal skin acts as a barrier to prevent water loss and stop skin irritants from penetrating. If you have eczema your skin doesnt do this as effectively as it should, leading to dryness, itching and cracked, scaly skin which lets in bacteria and allergens that can cause an allergic reaction. It is not a contagious condition. The different types of eczema There are many types of eczema, varying in intensity from mild to severe, but the most common are atopic eczema and contact dermatitis. Atopic eczema is the bodys ver-reaction to foreign substances, causing the skin to become red, inflamed and very itchy. It tends to occur in people who have a natural tendency to develop allergies such as asthma, hay fever and food allergies. This tendency can be inherited. The condition is very itchy and mainly affects the inside of the elbows and knees, and the wrists and ankles. It is most frequently seen in children, although adults can experience it. Contact dermatitis is caused when your skin comes into contact with something that it is allergic or sensitive to. Eczema symptoms are very variable. Eczema in adults If you continue to experience eczema as you get older, you will probably find that it affects the face, neck, upper chest, front of the shoulders, areas where the skin creases and the backs of the hands. Again the main symptom is severe itching and the condition can be exacerbated by stress. Climate How climate affects eczema isnt proven. However, there is evidence that the condition generally improves in mountains over 1500m high, in seashore locations and humid regions. Atopic eczema often becomes worse in autumn, as central heating is more widely used, leading to a reduction in room humidity.

Sunday, April 19, 2020

The Great Gatsby and the American Dream Essay Example For Students

The Great Gatsby and the American Dream Essay The Great Gatsby, as with a number of F. Scott Fitzgeralds novels, has a central concern with the American Dream. It is a dream of self-betterment, wealth, and success through hard work and perseverance1. In its simplest form it is the belief that everybody has the opportunity to accomplish their hearts desire. It is this desire that helps form our opinions on a character in the novel and can ultimately lead to their downfall. The question then is, does the demise of Fitzgeralds characters, most notably James Gatz mean that The Great Gatsby is a novel showing the failures of the American dream; that it is a dream no longer relevant to modern life and the simple men cant hope to better themselves. We see this exemplified in a line from Klipspringers song; The rich get richer and the poor get children. The answer to that question is a resounding yes, but I believe that Fitzgerald redeems some aspects of the America Dream, a man who at the time of writing was enjoying the short lived, material, positive aspects of this dream. We will write a custom essay on The Great Gatsby and the American Dream specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now While Nick admires Jay unequivocally, the first time we hear of Gatsby our narrator writes, Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn. These opposing emotions can live together in Nick because Gatsby can be seen to represent two differing versions of the American Dream at once, each also apparent in other characters in the book. In James Gatz one version is only there in an attempt to realise the other, more important (for him at least) interpretation. Gatsbys quest for wealth is simply because he sees money as the way to Daisy, the more important goal for him. Gatsbys ultimate goal is one of the things that can be used to represent one of the versions of the American Dream. This is the one that can be seen as more wholesome, Gatsbys perseverance in pursuing Daisy is one of the qualities that we like and admire in Gatsby. This is the idealised American Dream that makes Gatsby great and has been evident in his life even before he met Daisy. James Gatzs attempts to better himself as a person fit in with this idealized version, removed from the corrupt, money-loving version we see represented by Daisy at times. Gatsbys schedule shows how he was striving to improve himself, his father told Nick, He always had some resolves like this or something. This side of the American Dream, shown through admirable characteristics of self-improvement and hard-work and perseverance, is what is missing for Tom and Daisy, who are happy just to be wealthy, and leads Nick to note that Daisy has an absence of all desire. They live with a different version of the American Dream than that which I have so far shown in Gatsby, though the materialistic side of the dream is also in him, in fact it is the reason James Gatz became Jay Gatsby. While you can argue whether or not it is the only reason, Jays main reason for desiring wealth is because he sees it as a means to win Daisy over. This is why Gatsby deals in the criminal underworld and associates with Meyer Wolfshiem, the mysterious callers from Philadelphia and Chicago and, of course, the infamous underground pipe-line to Canada. This is also why Gatsby is so keen to show Daisy his house and his many shirts; they are a sign of his wealth and what he thinks will change her mind from her earlier rejection of his love. This also explains the recklessness Gatsby seems to show with his money in throwing constant huge parties for people he doesnt even know. He hopes that Daisy will sooner or later walk into one and will see how his status has changed. After one of the parties Nick comments; a sudden emptiness seemed to flow now from the windows and the great doors, endowing with complete isolation the figure of the host. Gatsby keeps throwing the elaborate parties not because he wants to spend time with any of the guests that are there, but that his lost love may eventually wonder into his home. .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927 , .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927 .postImageUrl , .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927 , .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927:hover , .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927:visited , .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927:active { border:0!important; } .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927:active , .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927 .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uafd0b82101a54deb36ab4fa93e7d1927:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Arthur Birling and fiancee of Gerald Croft EssayWe also have to remember that he only really befriends Nick as he is a link to Daisy, though their friendship grows beyond this. Nick and the readers have ambiguous feelings towards Gatsby because he is a criminal, yet does it to achieve something so pure with an admirable, eternal hope. We also dismiss a lot of Gatsbys illegal involvement with the underground pipe-line to Canada because prohibition isnt a part of our life, and the people making the accusations are under the influence of Gatsbys alcohol. There is also his name; we are so aquatinted with Jay Gatsby that his legal name is irrelevant to us and all the characters except for his father. In short Jay can over come our limited hatred of his illegal actions because we love how he has an ideal conception of who he , which in accord with Platos belief that true reality lies in an ideal realm, beyond the material world that we encounter daily through our senses. 2 This link with Plato is born from Nicks comment on Jays platonic conception of himself. As well as Gatsby, we see a number of characters in the novel that are following a dream. Myrtle is similar to Gatsby in that her dream is to escape her reality and join a higher class in society. The difference between her and Jay is that this is the entirety of her dream, for Gatsby it is only the means to attaining his ultimate goal, Daisy. Myrtle cant be blamed solely for her materialistic nature, she is partly a product of the post-war twenties in America, where the economic boom had made a lot of items available to the masses and advertising had fuelled this desire. Myrtles husband George may also be criticised because he persistently asks Tom for the blue coupi. However George needs this car to survive; he is not like Tom who can bring a fleet of horses across the country, a fact that amazes Nick. George could be seen as the traditional American hero. He has worked hard every day of his life at building up his own business to earn money for the wife he loves but the supposed American Dream doesnt ring true for him. The difference between George and Jay is that jay has a far greater determination; he keeps on working to achieve his goals, no matter how slim his chances of success are. George resigns himself to defeat with his suicide. George doesnt enjoy the financial rewards that Tom found at birth, and his life seems to be devoid of any happiness. The biggest contributing factor to his downfall is Tom Buchanan, half of the couple that smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness. He uses Georges wife as a plaything that he would throw away if things ever became inconvenient for him, just like he did with the chambermaid from the Santa Barbara Hotel. He doesnt understand how important his actions could be to the Wilsons or Daisy. Here is Americas self-centred upper class that has held George back, though become role models for people like Myrtle and the other readers of Town Tattler. His life ends in the most tragic way a suicide. This is after he has killed the novels hero and the other symbol of the admirable version of the American Dream, Jay. However the catalyst in this bloodbath, Tom, is unaffected, and we can compare him and his part in the victims lives with Nicks description of the death car, didnt stop; it came out of the gathering darkness, wavered tragically for a moment, and then disappeared around the next bend. Daisys can be seen as a destructive character like her husband Tom, but we shy away from this because we feel pity for her. What is sad about her dream is that her materialistic desires are born from a longing for security. She didnt want to take a chance with Jay when he was in the army, and she doesnt want to risk her future on the precarious wealth that Gatsby has earned from crime. This is even though she knows Tom is having an affair and isnt really too sure about Goddards books at all. No, Daisy is happy with Tom because she is safe; she needs to secure her world on more than a fairys wing. .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333 , .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333 .postImageUrl , .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333 , .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333:hover , .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333:visited , .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333:active { border:0!important; } .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333:active , .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333 .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u6be1e19cbd64014b52e303eafbb52333:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Name of the Rose Essay SummaryUnlike Gatsby, she doesnt have a schedule and is left wondering what she will do this afternoon and the day after that, and the next thirty years? In the end it is her lack of desire that should end Gatsbys, but he dies still waiting for her to call. Daisy and Tom will continue smash up things and creatures and then retreat back into their money or their vast carelessness. It is therefore not as simple as saying that the novel either illustrates the failure of the American Dream or proves it still to be relevant. It fails the novels characters, but we are still attracted to Jay Gatsby and impressed that his dream has inspired Nick to narrate a story about a man whom he only knew for a few weeks. This makes us want the dream of self-betterment against the odds and that anything is possible if you do the work to be still realistic. The whole crux of the American Dream is that people can transcend the class divide, democracy rules and racism doesnt exist. The problem is that while these ideals were all well and good for the Dutch sailors, the 1920s America doesnt have any of the qualities needed to fulfil the Dream. They dont have the drive and desire to make an effort at improving themselves and would never dream that they could become a part of the upper class society that they are obsessed by, which in turn tries to keep the lower classes in their place. Hence, the divides between people are clearly defined and untrancendable. Toms comments about how Jay is a nobody from no where and annoyance at being associated with the lower classes through Daisys term hulking prove that modern America is like Platos republic, where the aristocracy had souls of gold and the bronze soled working classes could never overcome this difference2. Even Jays new name cant change his roots. The hardworking George fails because of big business and his simple desire to love his wife is ripped apart by Tom. The demonic influence of advertising is also shown through George, who takes an oculists advertisement as a God. Even this generations children lack James Gatzs desires, they are happy scrawling obscene words on the dead mans wall instead of following some self-improving schedule. While Gatsby can be criticised for being nai e, impractical and oversentimental3, his readiness to attempt the impossible is what the rest of his generation lack, and are worse off for it. This is why Gatsby is worth the whole damn bunch put together. The American Dream is unable to survive in the eastern America shown in Fitzgeralds book. The west may hold some hope, but men in the Gatsby mould are seen as a dying breed and the Georges and Toms are becoming more common, with the clear class divide that accompanies them. However, this novels rich couple isnt destroyed like that in The Beautiful and the Damned because here they do worse, they destroy other people. However, we do sometimes see the Dream in a nostalgic light, partly because the author is an example of a life pursuing the American Dream. F. Scott Fitzgeralds success meant that he got his Daisy (his wife, Zelda)4, but Jay fails because of external influences. The American Dream is now common among the flappers but it is the one obsessed with material items, not the self-betterment dream we see in Gatsby. Its Jays quest for love, not money that draws us to him and lets us virtually ignore his criminal connections. Jay dies still waiting for Daisys call even though it is clear for all to see that hope should be lost. It is for his extraordinary gift for hope that we admire him and want to believe that the American Dream of anything being possible for anyone who works for it can still live, but society will not allow this to happen. Nicks final romantic vision of the original Dutch settlers, full of optimism for their new home, holds hope for the Dream, though America isnt a utopia anymore and men like Gatsby will fail because of the society they live in, not the dreams they have. The Great Gatsby And The American Dream Essay Example For Students The Great Gatsby And The American Dream Essay The Great Gatsby and the American Dream The Great Gatsby is depicting the story of a young man trying to win back a long-lost love. Nick Carraway is narrating the story from the future in the order of events it happened. The story of Gatsby and Daisy is only on the surface, in fact, The Great Gatsby is communicating a larger theme. The Great Gatsby exposes the ugly truth of pursuing the American Dream. A common misconception of the American Dream is that anyone has the potential acquire a fortune and reverse the past. Gatsby is considered wealthy, but there is a difference between the rich. Gatsby earned his riches through organized crime and smuggling, Daisy is someone who is born into an aristocratic family. Opposed to Gatsby, who is vulgar, flamboyant, and does not have manners, Daisy is graceful, elegant, and charming. People from elite families like Daisy look down upon people like Gatsby who have just gained their wealth, especially through illegal means. Daisy is desensitized by her wealth. She has the sense of entitlement and selfishness, unlike Gatsby, who is selfless and sincere. We will write a custom essay on The Great Gatsby And The American Dream specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Gatsby’s behavior led his downfall, because he took the blame for Myrtle Wilson’s death even it was Daisy who killed Myrtle. He allowed himself to bear the responsibility when Daisy should have been punished instead. His death did not benefit those around him. Because of Gatsby’s death, Nick and Jordan break off their relationship, Nick returns back to the Midwest, and no one attends Gatsby’s funeral except Nick and Gatsby’s father. Gatsby’s downfall stems from his pursuit of something unworthy and unrealistic, which is Daisy. Winning back Daisy is recreating the past, which is not possible. Not only does Gatsby want to have Daisy back, Gats. .of Gatsby’s sacrifice to protect her. Ultimately, Gatsby’s fate was sealed when he decided that he wanted to become rich and impress Daisy. He was deluded with the thought that he will have succeeded with the idea of having a long-lost love without the war interfering their relationship. As Nick sits on the beach near Gatsby’s house, he closes the book by saying, â€Å"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. † (189). When we chase after our American Dream, we should realize the practicality of our goal, and pursue more noble causes, not just money and luxury, and not be deluded like Gatsby. We cannot recreate our past, nor can we change it, if we try to, we are moving farther and farther away from our dreams. Works CitedFitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1925.Print.

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Anorexia essays

Anorexia essays They have an intense fear. Its so overwhelming that theyd rather be dead than fat. (110 Brownwell) An abusive disease that kills ten percent of its victims is Anorexia Nervosa. This self-starvation disorder affects one percent of all females and is a silent killer (1 Powell). Although this disease has only been recognized for only 120 years, the pressures of perfection have always affected people and acceptance according to looks. Anorexia can be a deadly or treatable disease where fear consumes its sufferers life and causes deep emotional and physical trauma. The official definition of an eating disorder is a persistent disturbance of eating or eating related behavior that results in the altered consumption or absorption of food that impairs physical health or psycho social functioning (135 Brownwell, Fairburn). There are several types of eating disorders, which though common, are very serious. One of the types is Anorexia Nervosa. More than ten percent of anorexics die because of the effects on their body from self-starvation. Anorexia is a very dangerous method of weight loss that involves obsession and fear to the point of it affecting their health. The first account of researching this disease was the writing of a book by Richard Morton in 1689 entitled The Treatise of Consumptions. The term anorexia has Greek and Latin origins that give it its meaning. The term anorexia means loss of appetite and Nervosa means nervous. This phrase fits with the exception of the false feeling of no appetite. Anorexic suffers feel no actual loss of appetite but actually trick their minds into thinking they are full. It is a disease of deliberate starvation and appetite control. Anorexia Nervosa affects over seven million women mainly from ages 15-35. Although this disease affects mainly white middle class women, around one million men also suffer from this disorder. A recovering anorexic, Dawn Lan...

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Legal Reasoning and Writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Legal Reasoning and Writing - Essay Example ublic’s interest and recognizes states’ legislative authority that the courts would uphold based on the precedent that the case of Jacobson v Massachusetts’ (1905) set. Facts to the case identify an epidemic, viral gastroenteritis, in the nation, which is also significant in the capital of South Caledonia. There has been a series of the viral infection that affects groups such as people in schools, apartment complexes, and has been reported in large emergency shelters. Viral gastroenteritis causes fever, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, and affects people by limiting their ability to go to work when they are sick or by forcing people to stay at home to take care of the infection’s victims. There are however only few cases of hospitalization and two reported fatalities. A vaccine was developed a year ago and the FDA approved it for its proven effectiveness and limited adverse effects that is only realized as a sore at the point of injection. State Legislature of South Caledonia then passed a law requiring all people to receive vaccination with a fine of $ 750 for non-compliance unless a person receives state approval for exempt ion. Even though Mr. Russell does not qualify for exemption under the statute, he does not wish to apply for exemption and does not want to receive vaccination. Instead, he wishes to sue the state for protection of his liberty. The constitution, statutes, and case laws are some of the sources of law for guiding judicial decisions and the case of Jacobson v Massachusetts (1905) offers a basis for interpreting conflicting provisions of the constitution and the statute of South Caledonia. While the constitution provides for protection of individuals rights and liberty, Fourteenth Amendment, it also restricts such rights based on rights of other citizens, the Ninth Amendment, and grants states legislative power (Schultz, 2009). The facts of the Jacobson v Massachusetts’ case in which Jacobson declined to receive

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Employee Involvement and Employee Participation Essay

Employee Involvement and Employee Participation - Essay Example However, the increase of competition in all industries worldwide resulted to severe turbulences in most firms’ internal and external environment. In this context, efforts are made so that the interests of employees are adequately promoted ensuring that job satisfaction and employee performance are at high levels. Moreover, emphasis is given on the involvement of employees in all organizational activities. The modes of employee participation and employee involvement, as these terms reflect different aspects of the employment relationship, are analyzed below. Particular reference is made to shared capitalism which is often regarded as a form of employee involvement. Employee involvement is differentiated from employee participation. In order to understand the characteristics of these two terms it would be necessary to refer to their definitions, as they have been developed in the literature published in this field. In accordance with Foot and Hook (2008) employee involvement is used in order to reflect the right of employee to participation in various phases of organizational activities. It is explained that the above right is provided to employees in order for their engagement and productivity to be increased (Foot and Hook 2008). On the other hand, Secord (2003) defined employee involvement as ‘a range of processes designed to engage the support, understanding and optimum contribution of all employees in an organization’ (Secord 2003, p.231). From a similar point of view, Cummings and Worley (2008) note that employee involvement reflects ‘the participation of employees in various organizational decisions’ (Cummings and Worley 2008, p. 350). The cases of Wells Fargo and Verizon as mentioned as examples of the potential effects of employee involvement in organizational decisions. It is explained that the above organizations supported employee involvement, by encouraging their employees to suggest practices that would help towards the increase of organizational performance. In accordance with Kirkman, Lowe and Young (1999) employee involvement can have three levels: ‘a) the parallel suggestion involvement, b) the job involvement and c) the high involvement, or, else, empowerment’ (Kirkman, Lowe and Young 1999, p.4). The mode of employee involvement promoted within a particular organization is depended on the organization’s culture but also on its aims. Employee involvement, as described above, is differentiated from employee participation, a term used in order to describe the regulation of employment relationship by the state. Of course, employee participation can also refer to empowerment and participation in decision-making but it refers to these activities as related rather to industrial democracy, i.e. for highlighting a right given by the state, as for instance, the collective bargaining right (Evans 2001). In accordance with Rose (2008) employee participation can be defined as Ã¢â‚¬Ë œthe extent to which employees and their representatives should and do enter into joint decision making with management’ (Rose 2008, p.335). Winstanley and Woodall (2000) note that since 1980s the context of employee participation has been changed; in its new form, the term employee participation is used in order to show the increase of employee commitment as a means for promoting organizational change. In any case employee involvement often incorporates the elements of employee parti

Friday, January 31, 2020

Annotated Bibliography Essay Example for Free

Annotated Bibliography Essay In order for NHS to satisfy its requirement to transmit large medical imaging files in a timely and secure manner, they must be able to subscribe to circuits of the appropriate bandwidth at each remote office to address the local needs. Unfortunately, the remoteness of some of these locations have resulted in the limitation of network connectivity options. Therefore, the cost-effective alternative to expensive, high-bandwidth internet circuits is to use a WAN optimization solution. A WAN optimization solution consists of a network appliance at each location that focuses on increasing network performance. It accomplishes this through the use of a combination of data compression, content and object-caching, data deduplication and protocol optimization. A WAN optimization appliance works in conjunction with the available bandwidth at a location. The host site would have an appliance that would build ‘acceleration tunnels’ to each of the appliances located at the remote sites. The appliances at the remote sites would be sized based upon the number of users and the available bandwidth at that location. This solution has a number of advantages. It is a very cost-effective approach. Higher bandwidth circuits in remote areas tend to be expensive. The purchase of network appliances are normally a capital expenditure that can be amortized over the life of the product. This timeframe is normally 3 to 5 years. On the other hand, the addition of larger circuits is an operational expenditure that incurs a higher recurring cost on a monthly basis. Secondly, these appliances are transparent to the end user. They do not require additional software on the users’ computers, or require any special setup on a per-user basis. NHS would very likely fall into the Early Adopters category in the Technological Acceptance Curve for this solution (Rogers, 2003). These individuals quickly buy into an idea when the possibility of real benefits have been established. They are primarily concerned with finding a strong match between their needs and the expected benefits (Moore, 1999). The use  of WAN optimization appliances would be an excellent fit for NHS and would be easily accepted by NHS management due to the ability to provide an optimal, technical and cost-effective resolution to the issue they are facing at the remote locations. This solution would allow them the means to meet their requirement to transmit large data files. References Rogers, Everett (2003). Diffusion of Innovations (5th Edition). New York, NY: Free Press Moore, Geoffrey (1999). Crossing the Chasm. United States: Harper Business Essentials

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Horses as My Pen :: Invention Writing Technology Papers

Horses as My Pen When I was told that I had to develop a form of writing using solely nature, my initial reaction was a groan. Despite the fact that nature is abundant where I live--on a farm--is was the middle of winter and my creativity was definitely limited. Additionally, I actually felt lost that I couldn’t use a writing utensil, Dennis Baron was definitely right when he wrote, "We have a way of getting so used to technologies that we come to think of them as natural rather than technological. We assume that pencils are a natural way to write because they are old" (51). Then it hit me, my family has been involved with the use/production/processing of fibers for generations. So my initial idea for this project was to utilize natural wool and dyes or needlepoint of some fashion to create kind of text naturally. As I began formulating more specific ideas for that avenue, I realized that it would be very time consuming and I was unsure of the exact outcome. With sheep in mind, the thought of other barnyard friends danced in my head. I opted to utilize my equines, family and friends. The plan was to align the horses to spell out Hi, although, my first idea was to spell out some random quote, I did not have enough horses to write anything longer than a single word. Just as Twain noted, "Dictating...to a type writer is a new experience for me, writing with horses was new to me" (501). Because I had to take into account my horses’ temperaments, it took some deliberation about who will cooperate next to who and who should be handled by who. At last, a balance was struck and arrangements made to meet on what happened to be a very frigid day. Six of my very dependable helpers showed up and the horses were groomed, we walked them to a field, overlooked by a Harvester Silo. My dad scaled the silo to get an aerial view and we lined up four horses, one pony, two miniature horses and my dog Riley into the Hi formation. Unfortunately, because the weather was brisk, to say the least, the equines were feeling a bit frisky and were not so keen on standing still. This made the process last about 20 minutes, twice as long as I anticipated. Additionally, my mom, who is not a horse person at all, was holding the two mini’s as the i and Riley was antagonizing them, which made the experience slightly stressful since nobody wants to chase down loose horses!

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 14

14. The Samurai of Jackson Street II Katusumi Okata had lived among the gaijin for forty years. An American art dealer, traveling through Hokkaido in search of woodblock prints from the Edo period, had come into Katusumi's father's workshop, seen the boy's prints, and offered to bring Okata to San Francisco to create prints for his gallery on Jackson Street. The printmaker had lived in this same basement apartment since. He'd once had a wife, Yuriko, but she had been killed in front of him on the street when he was twenty-three, so now he lived alone. The apartment had a concrete floor covered by two grass mats, a table that held his printmaking tools, a two-burner stove, an electric kettle, his swords, a futon, three sets of clothes, an old phonograph, and now, a burned-up white woman. She really didn't go with anything else, no matter how he arranged her. He thought he might make a series of prints of her-her blackened, skeletal form posed about the apartment like some demon wraith from a Shinto nightmare, but the composition wasn't working. He walked up to Chinatown and bought a bouquet of red tulips and put them on the futon beside her, but even with the added color and design element, the picture wasn't working. And she was making his futon smell like burned hair. Okata was not used to company, and he wasn't sure how to keep up his end of the conversation. He had once made friends with two rats who came out of a hole in the brick wall. He had talked to them and fed them on the condition that they not bring any friends, but they hadn't listened and he was forced to mortar up the hole. He figured they didn't speak Japanese. To be fair, however, she wasn't doing very well holding up her side of the conversation, either-lying there like a bog person dipped in creosote, her mouth open as if in a scream of agony. He sat on a stool next to the futon with his sketch pad and a pencil and began to sketch her for a print. He had very much admired the great cape of red curls that streamed out behind her when he'd seen her on the street, and he was sorry that all but a few strands had burned away in the sun. A shame. Perhaps he could draw the red curls in anyway. Make them swirl around the blackened rictus like one of Hokusai's waves. He knew what she was, of course. He was still healing from his encounter with the vampire cats, and it took no little bit of sketching to fill in the details, especially as her fangs were pointing prominently at his ceiling right now and they were far too long and sharp to be those of a normal burned-up white girl. He filled three pages with sketches, experimenting with angles and composition, but on the fourth page he found that a sadness had overcome him that he could not chase away with the moment created in making a drawing. Katusumi retrieved his wakizashi short sword from the stand on his work table, unsheathed it, and knelt by the futon. He bowed deeply, then put the point of the sword on the pad of his left thumb and cut. He held his thumb over her open mouth and the dark blood dripped over her teeth and lips. Would she be like the cats? Savage? A monster? He held the razor-edged wakizashi ready in his right hand, should a demon awake. But if he'd been able to raise his beloved Yuriko, even as a demon, wouldn't he have? All the years that had passed, kendo training, drawing, carving, meditating, walking the streets unafraid, alone, hadn't they all been about that? About making Yuriko live? Or not living without her? When the burned-up girl jerked with a great, rasping intake of breath, cinders cracked off her ribs and peppered the yellow futon and water began to flow from the swordsman's eyes. RIVERA AND CAVUTO Marvin the cadaver dog took them to the Wine Country. There they found Bummer and Lazarus, the Emperor's dogs, guarding a Dumpster in an alley behind an abandoned building. Marvin pawed the Dumpster, and tried to stay on task while the Boston terrier sniffed his junk and the golden retriever looked around, a little embarrassed. Nick Cavuto held the lid, ready to lift it. â€Å"Maybe we should call the Wong kid and see if our sunlight jackets are done, then open it.† â€Å"It's daylight,† said Rivera. â€Å"Even if there are, uh, creatures in there, they'll be immobile.† Rivera still had a very difficult time saying the word â€Å"vampires† out loud. â€Å"Marvin says there's a body in there, we need to look.† Cavuto shrugged, lifted the lid of the Dumpster and braced himself for a wave of rotten meat smell, but there was none. â€Å"Empty.† Bummer barked. Marvin pawed at the side of the Dumpster. Lazarus chuffed, which was dog for, â€Å"Duh. Look behind it.† Rivera looked in. Other than a couple of broken wine bottles and the rice part of a taco combo plate, there was nothing in the Dumpster, yet Marvin still pawed at the steel, which was the signal he had been trained to give when he'd found a corpse. â€Å"Maybe we should give Marvin a biscuit to reset him or something,† said Rivera. â€Å"No corpse, no biscuit, that's the rule,† said Cavuto. â€Å"We all have to live by it.† At the mention of a biscuit both Bummer and Marvin stopped what they were doing, sat, looked dutiful and contrite, and gave Rivera the â€Å"I need and deeply deserve a biscuit† look. Frustrated with what biscuit whores his cohorts were, Lazarus went to the side of the Dumpster and started pawing the space between it and the wall, then tried to stuff his muzzle in behind it. Cavuto shrugged, pulled on a pair of form-fitting mechanics gloves from his jacket pocket, and pulled the cement blocks from under the Dumpster's wheels. Rivera watched in horror as the realization hit that he was probably going to get Dumpster schmutz, or worse, on his expensive Italian suit. â€Å"Man up, Rivera,† Cavuto said. â€Å"There's police work to be done.† â€Å"Shouldn't we call some uniforms in to do it? I mean, we're detectives.† Cavuto stood up and looked at his partner. â€Å"You really believe the movies when James Bond kills thirty guys hand to hand, blows up the secret lair, gets set on fire, then escapes under water and his tux doesn't even get wrinkled, don't you?† â€Å"You can't just buy one of those off the rack,† Rivera said. â€Å"It's a high-tech fabric.† â€Å"Just give me a hand with this thing, would you?† Once the Dumpster was in the middle of the alley, the three dogs more or less dogpiled in front of the boarded-up window, Marvin doing his highly trained, â€Å"There's a dead guy in here, give me a biscuit† paw scrape, Bummer barking like he was announcing the big sale event down at Yap-mart and everything had to go, and Lazarus rolling out a long, doleful howl. â€Å"Probably in there,† said Cavuto. â€Å"Ya think?† said Rivera. Cavuto was able to work his fingers between the sheet of plywood and the window frame and pulled it out. Before he could even set it aside Bummer had leapt through the window into the darkness. Lazarus pawed the windowsill, then leapt after his companion. Marvin, the cadaver dog, backed away, then ruffed twice and tossed his head, which translated to, â€Å"No, I'm good, you guys go ahead, just give me my biscuit. I'll be over here-well, would you look at that-those balls definitely need some tongue attention. No, it's okay, go on without me.† Marvin had a nose that could distinguish as many different odors as the human eye could colors, in the range of sixteen million distinct scents. Unfortunately, his doggie brain had a much more limited vocabulary for giving name to those scents and he processed what he smelled as: dead cats, many, dead humans, many, dead rats, many, poo and wee, many flavors, none fresh, and old guy who needs a shower; none of which would have given him pause. The smell that he couldn't file, that he didn't have a response for, that stopped him at the window, was a new one: dead, but not dead. Undead. It was scary, and licking his balls calmed him and kept his mind off the biscuit that they owed him. Rivera shone his flashlight around the room. The basement appeared empty but for piles of debris and a thick layer of dust and ash over the floor, textured with the paw prints of hundreds of cats. He could see the movement of Bummer and Lazarus just at the edge of the flashlight's beam. They were scratching at a metal door. â€Å"We'll need the crowbar out of the car,† said Rivera. â€Å"You're going in there?† asked Cavuto. â€Å"In that suit?† Rivera nodded. â€Å"There's something down there, one of us has to.† â€Å"You're a goddamn hero, Rivera, that's what you are. A real, dyed in the worsted wool and silk blend hero.† â€Å"Yeah, there's that, and you can't fit through the window.† â€Å"Can too,† said Cavuto. Five minutes later they were both standing in the middle of the basement, fanning their Surefire ballistic flashlights through the dust like they were wielding silent light sabers. Rivera led the way to the steel door that the hounds were going at as if someone had duct taped it to a fox. â€Å"You guys, shut up!† Rivera snapped, and much to his surprise, Bummer and Lazarus fell silent and sat. Rivera looked back at his partner. â€Å"That's spooky.† â€Å"Yeah, and praise Willie Mays that's the only spooky thing going on here.† Cavuto was a deeply religious San Francisco Giants fan and genuflected whenever he passed the bronze statue of Willie Mays outside the ball park. â€Å"Good point,† said Rivera. He tried the door, which didn't budge, but it was clear from the arc plowed into the dust and ashes that it had been opened recently. â€Å"Crowbar,† he said, reaching back. Cavuto handed him the crowbar and at the same time drew his gun from his shoulder holster, a ridiculously large Desert Eagle.50-caliber automatic. â€Å"When did you start carrying that thing again?† â€Å"Right after you said the v-word out loud at Sacred Heart.† â€Å"It won't stop them, you know.† â€Å"It makes me feel better. You want to hold it while I pry the door?† â€Å"If there's a-one of them-in there, they'll be dormant or whatever you call it. It's daytime, they can't attack.† â€Å"Yeah, well, just in case they didn't get the memo.† â€Å"I got it.† Rivera fit the crowbar in the door jamb and threw his weight against it. On the third push, something snapped and the door scraped open an inch. Bummer and Lazarus were up instantly, with their noses in the gap. Rivera looked back at Cavuto, who nodded, and Rivera pulled the door open and stepped away. A pile of shelving and junk blocked the doorway, but Bummer and Lazarus were able to thread their way through it and were in the room, barking in frantic, desperate yelps. Through a gap in the junk, Rivera played the beam of his flashlight around the small storeroom, over barrels, shelving, and piles of dusty clothing. â€Å"Clear,† he said. Cavuto joined him in the doorway. â€Å"Clear, my ass.† The big cop kicked his way through the barricade, holding his flashlight high in one hand and the Desert Eagle trained on a row of barrels on the right side of the room, where Bummer and Lazarus were currently indulging a hurricane-level doggie freakout. Rivera followed his partner into the room, then approached the barrels while Cavuto covered him. Beyond the barking, he heard a faint metal tapping coming from one of the barrels. The barrel was upside-down and had held some kind of solid, the label said something about water-filtering mineral. It was sitting on its lid, which was only partially crimped on. â€Å"Something's in there.† â€Å"Plug your ears,† said Cavuto, cocking the hammer on the Desert Eagle, and aiming for the center of the barrel. â€Å"Are you high? You can't fire that thing in here.† â€Å"Well there's can't and there's shouldn't. I probably shouldn't fire it.† â€Å"Cover me, I'm pushing it over.† Before Cavuto could answer Rivera grabbed the edge of the barrel and shoved with all his might. It was heavy, and fell hard. Bummer and Lazarus rocketed around to the exposed lid and were pawing at it. â€Å"Ready?† said Rivera. â€Å"Go,† said Cavuto. Rivera kicked the edge of the lid and it clanked off, then landed with a dull thud in the thick dust on the floor. Bummer rocketed inside while Lazarus frisked back and forth outside. Rivera drew his weapon and moved to where he could look into the barrel. He was met first by a gray storm of hair, then two crystal blue eyes set in a wide, weathered face. â€Å"Well that was unpleasant,† said the Emperor, around the sloppy bath of dog spit he was receiving from Bummer. â€Å"I'll bet,† said Rivera, lowering his weapon. â€Å"I may require some assistance extricating myself from this container.† â€Å"We can do that,† said Cavuto. Cavuto was fighting back a very bad case of the empathy willies, imagining himself spending a night, maybe longer, upside-down, shoved inside a barrel. He and the Emperor were about the same size. â€Å"You in pain?† â€Å"Oh no, thank you, I lost the feeling in my arms and legs quite some time ago.† â€Å"I'm guessing you didn't get in there on your own, did you?† said Rivera. â€Å"No, this was not my doing,† said the Emperor. â€Å"I was roughly handled, but it appears to have saved my life. There wasn't enough room in the barrel for any of them to become solid. There were hundreds of the fiends around me. But you saw them as you came in, I'm sure.† Rivera shook his head. â€Å"You mean the cats? No, there are tracks everywhere, but the place is empty.† â€Å"Well that's not good,† said the Emperor. â€Å"No, it's not.† Rivera was distracted. He'd been playing his flashlight beam around the room, looking for something to help them get the Emperor out of the barrel. He stopped the beam on a spot by the shelves where the dust hadn't been stirred by their rescue efforts. There, as clearly as if it had been made in plaster of Paris to send home for Mother's Day, was a single human footprint. â€Å"That's not good at all,† he said. From outside the window Marvin barked three times quickly, which Rivera thought was a warning, but translated from dog to: â€Å"Hey, can I get a friggin' biscuit out here, or what?†