Saturday, August 31, 2019

Last Sacrifice Chapter Fifteen

I DIDN'T LIKE TO SEE Victor Dashkov proven right. But, oh, was he ever. With Lissa's proclamation, the room that had been holding its breath suddenly exploded. I wondered if there had ever been a peaceful Council session in Moroi history or if I just kept coincidentally tuning into controversial ones. What followed today reminded me a lot of the day the dhampir age decree had passed. Shouting, arguments, people out of their chairs †¦ Guardians who normally lined the walls and watched were out among the people, looks of concern on their faces as they prepared for any disputes that might go beyond words. As quickly as Lissa had been at the center of everything, the room seemed to forget her. She sat back down, and Christian found her hand again. She squeezed it tightly, so much so I wondered if she was cutting off his circulation. She stared straight ahead, still reeling. Her mind wasn't focused on all the chaos, but everything her eyes and ears perceived came through to me. Really, the only attention my friends received was when Daniella came over and scolded Adrian for nominating outside his family. He shrugged it off in his usual way, and she huffed off, realizing–like many of us–that there was really no point in trying to reason with Adrian. You'd think that in a room where everyone was scrambling to push their own family's advantage, every single person would therefore be arguing that Lissa's nomination was invalid. That wasn't the case, however–particularly because not everyone in the room was royal. Just as I'd noted earlier, Moroi from all over had come to witness the events that would determine their future. And a number of them were watching this Dragomir girl with interest, this princess from a dying line who could allegedly work miracles. They weren't ravenously chanting her name, but many were in the thick of the arguments, saying she had every right to step up for her family. Part of me also suspected that some of her â€Å"common' supporters simply liked the idea of thwarting the royal agenda. The young couple that had been harassed by Lady Badica weren't the only ones there who'd been pushed around by their â€Å"betters.' Most surprisingly, there were some royals speaking up for Lissa too. They might be loyal to their own families, but not all of them were heartless, selfish connivers. Many had a sense of right and wrong–and if Lissa had the law on her side, then she was in the right. Plus, lots of royals simply liked and respected her. Ariana was one person who advocated for Lissa's nomination, despite the competition it created. Ariana knew the law well and undoubtedly realized the loophole that allowed Lissa to run would fail when election time came. Still, Ariana stood her ground, which endeared her to me even more. When the real voting did come, I hoped Ariana would win the crown. She was intelligent and fair–exactly what the Moroi needed. Of course, Ariana wasn't the only one who knew the law. Others picked up on the loophole and argued the nomination of a candidate that no one could vote for was pointless. Normally, I would have agreed. On and on the debate raged while my friends sat quietly in the hurricane's eye. At long last, the matter was settled the way most decisions should be: through voting. With Lissa still denied her Council seat, that left eleven members to determine her future. Six of them approved her candidacy, making it official. She could run. I suspected some of those who voted for her didn't truly want her running, but their respect for the law prevailed. Many Moroi didn't care what the Council said. They made it clear they considered this matter far from over, proving what Victor had said: this was going to rage on for a while, getting worse if she actually passed the tests and made it to the voting stages. For now, the crowd dispersed, seeming relieved–not only because they wanted to escape the yelling but also because they wanted to spread this sensational news. Lissa continued saying little as she and our friends left. Walking past the gawkers, she remained a model of regality and calmness, like she'd already been declared queen. But when she finally escaped it all and was back in her room with the others, all those locked-up, frozen feelings exploded. â€Å"What the hell were you guys thinking?' she yelled. â€Å"What have you done to me?' Along with Adrian, Christian, and Eddie, the rest of the conspirators had shown up: Tasha, Abe, and my mom. All of them were so completely stunned by this reaction from sweet Lissa that none of them could reply now. Lissa took advantage of their silence. â€Å"You set me up! You've put me in the middle of a political nightmare! Do you think I want this? Do you really think I want to be queen?' Abe recovered first, naturally. â€Å"You won't be queen,' he said, voice uncharacteristically soothing. â€Å"The people arguing about the other part of the law are right: no one can actually vote for you. You need family for that.' â€Å"Then what's the point?' she exclaimed. She was furious. She had every right to be. But that outrage, that anger †¦ it was fueled by something worse than this situation alone. Spirit was coming to claim its price and making her even more upset than she would have been. â€Å"The point,' said Tasha, â€Å"is everything crazy you just saw in the Council room. For every argument, for every time someone drags out the law books again, we have more time to save Rose and find out who killed Tatiana.' â€Å"Whoever did it must have an interest in the throne,' explained Christian. He rested a hand on Lissa's shoulder, and she jerked away. â€Å"Either for themselves or someone they know. The longer we delay their plans, the more time we have to find out who it is.' Lissa raked her hands through her long hair in frustration. I tried to pull that coil of fury from her, taking it into myself. I succeeded a little, enough that she dropped her hands to her side. But she was still pissed off. â€Å"How am I supposed to look for the murderer when I'm tied up doing all those stupid tests?' she demanded. â€Å"You won't be looking,' said Abe. â€Å"We will.' Her eyes widened. â€Å"That was never part of the plan! I'm not going to jump through royal hoops when Rose needs me. I want to help her!' It was almost comical. Almost. Neither Lissa nor I could handle â€Å"sitting around' when we thought the other needed our help. We wanted to be out there, actively doing what we could to fix the situation. â€Å"You are helping her,' said Christian. His hand twitched, but he didn't try to touch her again. â€Å"It's in a different way than you expected, but in the end, it's going to help her.' The same argument everyone kept using on me. It also made her just as angry as it had made me, and I desperately tugged at the wave of instability spirit kept sending through her. Lissa peered around the room, looking accusingly at each face. â€Å"Who in the world thought of this idea?' More uncomfortable silence followed. â€Å"Rose did,' said Adrian at last. Lissa spun around and glared at him. â€Å"She did not! She wouldn't do this to me!' â€Å"She did,' he said. â€Å"I talked to her in a dream. It was her idea, and †¦ it was a good one.' I didn't really like how that seemed to come as a surprise to him. â€Å"Besides, you kind of put her in a bad situation too. She kept going on about how much the town she's in sucks.' â€Å"Okay,' snapped Lissa, ignoring the part about my plight. â€Å"Supposing that's true, that Rose passes this â€Å"brilliant' idea on to you, then why didn't anyone bother to tell me? Didn't you think a little warning might help?' Again, it was just like me complaining about how my jailbreak had been kept a secret from me. â€Å"Not really,' said Adrian. â€Å"We figured you'd react exactly like this and have time to plan a refusal. We kind of gambled that if you were caught on the spot, you'd accept.' â€Å"That was kind of risky,' she said. â€Å"But it worked,' came Tasha's blunt response. â€Å"We knew you'd come through for us.' She winked. â€Å"And for what it's worth, I think you'd make a great queen.' Lissa gave her a sharp look, and I made one more attempt to drag away some of the darkness. I concentrated on those churning emotions, imagining them in me instead of her. I didn't pull it all but managed enough to take the fight out of her. Rage suddenly flared in me, blinding me momentarily, but I was able to push it off to a corner of my mind. She suddenly felt exhausted. I kind of did too. â€Å"The first test is tomorrow,' she said quietly. â€Å"If I fail it, I'm out. The plan falls apart.' Christian made another attempt to put his arm around her, and this time, she let him. â€Å"You won't.' Lissa didn't say anything else, and I could see the relief on everyone's faces. No one believed for a second she liked this, but they seemed to think she wasn't going to withdraw her nomination, which was as much as they could hope for. My mother and Eddie had said nothing this entire time. As was common for guardians, they'd kept to the background, remaining shadows while Moroi business was conducted. With the initial storm passing over, my mother stepped forward. She nodded toward Eddie. â€Å"One of us is going to try to stay near you at all times.' â€Å"Why?' asked Lissa, startled. â€Å"Because we know there's someone out there who isn't afraid to kill to get what they want,' said Tasha. She nodded toward Eddie and my mom. â€Å"These two and Mikhail are really the only guardians we can trust.' â€Å"Are you sure?' Abe gave Tasha a sly look. â€Å"I'm surprised you didn't get your special guardian â€Å"friend' on board.' â€Å"What special friend?' demanded Christian, instantly picking up on the insinuation. Tasha, to my astonishment, flushed. â€Å"Just a guy I know.' â€Å"Who follows you with puppy-dog eyes,' continued Abe. â€Å"What's his name? Evan?' â€Å"Ethan,' she corrected. My mother, looking exasperated by such ridiculous talk, promptly put an end to it– which was just as well since Christian looked like he had a few things to say. â€Å"Leave her alone,' she warned Abe. â€Å"We don't have time for it. Ethan's a good guy, but the fewer people who know about this, the better. Since Mikhail has a permanent post, Eddie and I will do security.' I agreed with all of what she'd just said, but it struck me that to get my mother on board, someone–probably Abe–had filled her in on all the illicit activity that had occurred recently. He was either really convincing or she loved me a lot. Grudgingly, I suspected both were true. When Moroi were at Court, their guardians didn't need to accompany them everywhere, meaning my mom would most likely be free of her assignment while Lord Szelsky stayed here. Eddie didn't have an assignment yet, which also gave him flexibility. Lissa started to say something else when a sharp jolt in my own reality snapped me away from her. â€Å"Sorry,' said Sydney. Her slamming on the brakes was what had brought me back. â€Å"That jerk cut me off.' It wasn't Sydney's fault, but I felt irritated at the interruption and wanted to yell at her. With a deep breath, I reminded myself that I was simply feeling spirit's side effects and that I couldn't allow it to make me act irrationally. It would fade, like always, yet some part of me knew I couldn't keep taking that darkness from Lissa forever. I wouldn't always be able to control it. Now that I was back to myself, I looked out the windows, taking in our new surroundings. We weren't in the mountains anymore. We'd reached an urban area, and while the traffic was hardly heavy (seeing as it was still the middle of the human night), there were definitely more cars on the road than we'd seen in a while. â€Å"Where are we?' I asked. â€Å"Outskirts of Lexington,' Sydney said. She pulled over to a nearby gas station, both to refill and so we could plug Donovan's address into her GPS. His place was about five miles away. â€Å"Not a great part of town, from what I hear,' Dimitri said. â€Å"Donovan runs a tattoo parlor that's only open at night. A couple of other Strigoi work with him. They get partiers, drunk kids †¦ the kind of people that can easily disappear. The kind Strigoi love.' â€Å"Seems like the police would eventually notice that every time someone went for a tattoo, they disappeared,' I pointed out. Dimitri gave a harsh laugh. â€Å"Well, the â€Å"funny' thing is that they don't kill everyone who comes in. They actually give tattoos to some of them and let them go. They smuggle drugs through the place too.' I regarded him curiously, as Sydney slipped back into the car. â€Å"You sure know a lot.' â€Å"I made it my business to know a lot, and Strigoi have to keep a roof over their heads too. I actually met Donovan once and got most of this straight from the source. I just didn't know where exactly he worked out of until now.' â€Å"Okay, so, we've got the info on him. What do we do with it?' â€Å"Lure him out. Send in a â€Å"customer' with a message from me needing to meet him. I'm not the kind of person he can ignore–well, that he used to not–never mind. Once he's out, we get him to a place we choose.' I nodded. â€Å"I can do that.' â€Å"No,' said Dimitri. â€Å"You can't.' â€Å"Why not?' I asked, wondering if he thought it was too dangerous for me. â€Å"Because they'll know you're a dhampir the instant they see you. They'll probably smell it first. No Strigoi would have a dhampir working for him–only humans.' There was an uncomfortable silence in the car. â€Å"No!' said Sydney. â€Å"I am not doing that!' Dimitri shook his head. â€Å"I don't like it either, but we don't have a lot of options. If he thinks you work for me, he won't hurt you.' â€Å"Yeah? And what happens if he doesn't believe me?' she demanded. â€Å"I don't think he can take the chance. He'll probably go with you to check things out, with the idea that if you're lying, they'll just kill you then.' This didn't seem to make her feel any better. She groaned. â€Å"You can't send her in,' I said. â€Å"They'll know she's an Alchemist. One of those wouldn't work for Strigoi either.' Surprisingly, Dimitri hadn't considered that. We grew quiet again, and it was Sydney who unexpectedly came up with a solution. â€Å"When I was inside the gas station,' she said slowly, â€Å"they had, like, one rack of makeup. We could probably cover most of my tattoo up with powder.' And we did. The only compact the station sold wasn't a great match for her skin tone, but we caked enough of it on to obscure the golden lily on her cheek. Brushing her hair forward helped a little. Satisfied we'd done all we could, we headed off to Donovan's. It was indeed in a rundown part of town. A few blocks away from the tattoo parlor, we spotted what looked like a nightclub, but otherwise, the neighborhood appeared deserted. I wasn't fooled, though. This was no place you'd want to walk around alone at night. It screamed â€Å"mugging.' Or worse. We checked out the area until Dimitri found a spot he felt good about. It was a back alley two buildings away from the parlor. A gnarled wired fence stood on one side while a low brick building flanked the other. Dimitri instructed Sydney on how to lead the Strigoi to us. She took it all in, nodding along, but I could see the fear in her eyes. â€Å"You want to look awed,' he told her. â€Å"Humans who serve Strigoi worship them– they're eager to please. Since they're around Strigoi so much, they aren't as startled or terrified. Still a little afraid, of course, but not as much as you look now.' She swallowed. â€Å"I can't really help it.' I felt bad for her. She strongly believed all vampires were evil, and we were sending her into a nest of the worst kind, putting her at great risk. I knew also that she'd only ever seen one live Strigoi, and despite Dimitri's coaching, seeing more could completely shell shock her. If she froze in front of Donovan, everything could fall apart. On impulse, I gave her a hug. To my surprise, she didn't resist. â€Å"You can do this,' I said. â€Å"You're strong–and they're too afraid of Dimitri. Okay?' After a few deep breaths, Sydney nodded. We gave her a few more encouraging words, and then she turned the corner of the building, heading toward the street, and disappeared from our sight. I glanced at Dimitri. â€Å"We may have just sent her to her death.' His face was grim. â€Å"I know–but we can't do anything now. You'd better get into position.' With his help, I managed to make it onto the roof of the low building. There was nothing intimate in the way he hoisted me up, but I couldn't help but have the same electric feeling all contact with him caused or note how easily we worked together. Once I was securely positioned, Dimitri headed for the opposite side of the building Sydney had gone around. He lurked just around the corner, and then there was nothing to do but wait. It was agonizing–and not just because we were on the verge of a fight. I kept thinking about Sydney, what we'd asked her to do. My job was to protect the innocent from evil–not thrust them into the middle of it. What if our plan failed? Several minutes passed, and I finally heard footsteps and muttered voices at the same time a familiar wave of nausea moved through me. We'd pulled the Strigoi out. Three of them walked around the building's corner, Sydney in the lead. They came to a halt, and I spotted Donovan. He was the tallest–a former Moroi–with dark hair and a beard that reminded me of Abe's. Dimitri had given me his description so I wouldn't (hopefully) kill him. Donovan's henchmen hovered behind him, all of them alert and on guard. I tensed, my stake gripped tightly in my right hand. â€Å"Belikov?' demanded Donovan, voice harsh. â€Å"Where are you?' â€Å"I'm here,' came Dimitri's response–in that cold, terrible Strigoi voice. He appeared from around the building's opposite corner, keeping to the shadows. Donovan relaxed slightly, recognizing Dimitri–but even in darkness, Dimitri's true appearance materialized. Donovan went rigid–suddenly seeing a threat, even if it was one that confused him and defied what he knew. At the exact same moment, one of his guys jerked his head around. â€Å"Dhampirs!' he exclaimed. It wasn't Dimitri's features that tipped him off. It was our scent, and I breathed a silent prayer of thanks that it had taken them this long to notice. Then, I leapt off the roof. It wasn't an easy distance to jump–but not one that would kill me. Plus, my fall was broken by a Strigoi. I landed on one of Donovan's guys, knocking him to the ground. I aimed my stake at his heart, but his reflexes were quick. With my lighter weight, I was easy to shove off. I'd expected it and managed to keep my footing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sydney dropping low and hurrying off out of here, per our instructions. We wanted her away from the crossfire and had told her to go to the car, readying herself to take off if things went bad. Of course, with Strigoi, things were always bad. Donovan and his other guy had both gone for Dimitri, assessing him as the greater threat. My opponent, judging from his fanged smile, didn't seem to regard me as a threat at all. He lunged toward me, and I dodged away, but not before snaking out a kick that took him in the knee. My hit didn't seem to hurt him, but it did ruin his balance. I made another strike at staking and was thrown off again, hitting the ground hard. My bare legs scraped against the rough cement, tearing skin. Because my jeans had grown too dirty and torn, I'd been forced to wear a pair of shorts from the backpack Sydney had brought me. I ignored the pain, shooting right back up with speed the Strigoi didn't expect. My stake found his heart. The hit wasn't as hard as I would have liked, but it was enough to throw him off, then allowing me to drive the stake in further and finish him. Not even waiting to see him fall, I jerked my stake out and turned toward the othe rs. I hadn't hesitated once in the battle I'd just fought, but now, I paused at what I saw. Dimitri's face. It was †¦ terrifying. Ferocious. He'd had a similar look when he'd defended me at my arrest–that badass warrior god expression that said he could take on hell itself. The way he looked now †¦ well, it took that fierceness to a whole new level. This was personal, I realized. Fighting these Strigoi wasn't just about finding Sonya and helping Lissa. This was about redemption, an attempt to destroy his past by destroying the evil directly in his path. I moved to join him, just as he staked the second henchman. There was power in that strike, much more power than Dimitri needed as he shoved the Strigoi against the brick wall and pierced his heart. It was impossible, but I could imagine that stake going straight through the body and into the wall. Dimitri put more attention and effort into that kill than he should have. He should have responded like I had and immediately turned to the next threat, once the Strigoi was dead. Instead, Dimitri was so fixated on his victim that he didn't notice Donovan taking advantage of the situation. Fortunately for Dimitri, I had his back. I slammed my body into Donovan's, shoving him away from Dimitri. As I did, I saw Dimitri pull out his stake and then slam the body against the wall again. Meanwhile, I'd successfully drawn Donovan's attention and was now having a difficult time eluding him without killing him. â€Å"Dimitri!' I yelled. â€Å"Come help me. I need you!' I couldn't see what Dimitri was doing, but a few seconds later, he was by my side. With what almost sounded like a roar, he leapt at Donovan, stake out, and knocked the Strigoi to the ground. I breathed a sigh of relief and moved in to help with the restraint. Then, I saw Dimitri line up his stake with Donovan's heart. â€Å"No!' I dropped to the ground, trying to both hold Donovan and push away Dimitri's arm. â€Å"We need him! Don't kill him!' From the look on Dimitri's face, it was unclear if he even heard me. There was death in his eyes. He wanted to kill Donovan. The desire had suddenly taken precedence. Still trying to hold Donovan with one arm, I smacked Dimitri in the face with my other hand–going for the side I hadn't punched the other night. I don't think he felt the pain in his adrenaline rage, but the hit got his attention. â€Å"Don't kill him!' I repeated. The command made it through to Dimitri. Our struggle, unfortunately, gave Donovan maneuvering room. He started to break free of us, but then, as one, Dimitri and I threw ourselves into holding Donovan. I was reminded of the time I'd questioned Strigoi in Russia. It had taken a whole group of dhampirs to restrain one Strigoi, but Dimitri seemed to have unnatural strength. â€Å"When we were interrogating, we used to–‘ My words were interrupted when Dimitri decided to utilize his own method of interrogation. He gripped Donovan by the shoulders and shook him hard, causing the Strigoi to keep hitting his head against the cement. â€Å"Where is Sonya Karp?' roared Dimitri. â€Å"I don't–‘ began Donovan. But Dimitri had no patience for Strigoi evasion. â€Å"Where is she? I know you know her!' â€Å"I–‘ â€Å"Where is she?' I saw something on Donovan's face that I'd never seen in a Strigoi before: fear. I'd thought it was an emotion they simply didn't possess. Or, if they did, it was only in the battles they fought with one another. They wouldn't waste time with fear around lowly dhampirs. But oh, Donovan was scared of Dimitri. And to be honest, I was too. Those red-ringed eyes were wide–wide, desperate, and terrified. When Donovan blurted out his next words, something told me they were true. His fear wasn't giving him a chance to lie. He was too shocked and unprepared by all of this. â€Å"Paris,' he gasped out. â€Å"She's in Paris!' â€Å"Christ,' I exclaimed. â€Å"We cannot road trip to Paris.' Donovan shook his head (in as much as he could with Dimitri shaking him in return). â€Å"It's a small town–an hour away. There's this tiny lake. Hardly anyone on it. Blue house.' Vague directions. We needed more. â€Å"Do you have an addr–‘ Dimitri apparently didn't share my need for more information. Before I could finish speaking, his stake was out–and in Donovan's heart. The Strigoi made a horrible, blood-curdling scream that faded as death took him. I winced. How long until someone heard all this and called the police? Dimitri pulled his stake out–and then stabbed Donovan again. And again. I stared in disbelief and horror, frozen for a few moments. Then, I grabbed Dimitri's arm and began shaking him, though I felt like I would have had more effect shaking the building behind me. â€Å"He's dead, Dimitri! He's dead! Stop this. Please.' Dimitri's face still wore that terrible, terrible expression–rage, now marked with a bit of desperation. Desperation that told him if he could only obliterate Donovan, then maybe he could obliterate everything else bad in his life. I didn't know what to do. We had to get out of here. We had to get Sydney to disintegrate the bodies. Time was ticking, and I just kept repeating myself. â€Å"He's dead! Let it go. Please. He's dead.' Then, somewhere, somehow, I broke through to Dimitri. His motions slowed and finally stopped. The hand holding the stake dropping weakly to his side as he stared at what was left of Donovan–which wasn't pretty. The rage on Dimitri's face completely gave way to desperation †¦ and then that gave way to despair. I tugged gently on his arm. â€Å"It's over. You've done enough.' â€Å"It's never enough, Roza,' he whispered. The grief in his voice killed me. â€Å"It'll never be enough.' â€Å"It is for now,' I said. I pulled him to me. Unresisting, he let go of his stake and buried his face against my shoulder. I dropped my stake as well and embraced him, drawing him closer. He wrapped his arms around me in return, seeking the contact of another living being, the contact I'd long known he needed. â€Å"You're the only one.' He clung more tightly to me. â€Å"The only one who understands. The only one who saw how I was. I could never explain it to anyone †¦ you're the only one. The only one I can tell this to †¦' I closed my eyes for a moment, overpowered by what he was saying. He might have sworn allegiance to Lissa, but that didn't mean he'd fully revealed his heart to her. For so long, he and I had been in perfect sync, always understanding each other. That was still the case, no matter if we were together, no matter if I was with Adrian. Dimitri had always kept his heart and feelings guarded until meeting me. I thought he'd locked them back up, but apparently, he still trusted me enough to reveal what was killing him inside. I opened my eyes and met his dark, earnest gaze. â€Å"It's okay,' I said. â€Å"It's okay now. I'm here. I'll always be here for you.' â€Å"I dream about them, you know. All the innocents I killed.' His eyes drifted back to Donovan's body. â€Å"I keep thinking †¦ maybe if I destroy enough Strigoi, the nightmares will go away. That I'll be certain I'm not one of them.' I touched his chin, turning his face back toward mine and away from Donovan. â€Å"No. You have to destroy Strigoi because they're evil. Because that's what we do. If you want the nightmares to go away, you have to live. That's the only way. We could have died just now. We didn't. Maybe we'll die tomorrow. I don't know. What matters is that we're alive now.' I was rambling at this point. I had never seen Dimitri so low, not since his restoration. He'd claimed being Strigoi had killed so many of his emotions. It hadn't. They were there, I realized. Everything he had been was still inside, only coming out in bursts–like this moment of rage and despair. Or when he'd defended me from the arresting guardians. The old Dimitri wasn't gone. He was just locked away, and I didn't know how to let him out. This wasn't what I did. He was always the one with words of wisdom and insight. Not me. Still, he was listening now. I had his attention. What could I say? What could get through to him? â€Å"Remember what you said earlier?' I asked. â€Å"Back in Rubysville? Living is in the details. You've got to appreciate the details. That's the only way to defeat what the Strigoi did to you. The only way to bring back who you really are. You said it yourself: you escaped with me to feel the world again. Its beauty.' Dimitri started to turn toward Donovan again, but I wouldn't let him. â€Å"There's nothing beautiful here. Only death.' â€Å"That's only true if you let them make it true,' I said desperately, still feeling the press of time. â€Å"Find one thing. One thing that's beautiful. Anything. Anything that shows you're not one of them.' His eyes were back on me, studying my face silently. Panic raced through me. It wasn't working. I couldn't do this. We were going to have to get out of here, regardless of whatever state he was in. I knew he'd leave, too. If I'd learned anything, it was that Dimitri's warrior instincts were still working. If I said danger was coming, he would respond instantly, no matter the self-torment he felt. I didn't want that, though. I didn't want him to leave in despair. I wanted him to leave here one step closer to being the man I knew he could be. I wanted him to have one less nightmare. It was beyond my abilities, though. I was no therapist. I was about to tell him we had to get out there, about to make his soldier reflexes kick in, when he suddenly spoke. His voice was barely a whisper. â€Å"Your hair.' â€Å"What?' For a second, I wondered if it was on fire or something. I touched a stray lock. No, nothing wrong except that it was a mess. I'd bound it up for battle to prevent the Strigoi from using it as a handhold, like Angeline had. Much of it had come undone in the struggle, though. â€Å"Your hair,' repeated Dimitri. His eyes were wide, almost awestruck. â€Å"Your hair is beautiful.' I didn't think so, not in its current state. Of course, considering we were in a dark alley filled with bodies, the choices were kind of limited. â€Å"You see? You're not one of them. Strigoi don't see beauty. Only death. You found something beautiful. One thing that's beautiful.' Hesitantly, nervously, he ran his fingers along the strands I'd touched earlier. â€Å"But is it enough?' â€Å"It is for now.' I pressed a kiss to his forehead and helped him stand. â€Å"It is for now.'

Friday, August 30, 2019

Beowulf vs. Spiderman

Back in the seventeenth century, they had epic heroes like Beowulf, who killed Grendel with his bare hands. Now, they have heroes such as Spiderman who can shoot web from his wrist and crawl up walls. Beowulf and Spiderman have characteristics that distinguish them as heroes, some of which are found in both of them while one has characteristics the other doesn’t. During the Anglo Saxon days, the original hero was Beowulf, the supreme warrior. He had marvelous strength, not like the average being.His true bravery and his powerful will to fight to death is what people genuinely knew him for. However, in today’s society, the modern superheroes are taken as being a regular limited hero. Spiderman for instance, was not born with super powers but was bitten by a spider that gave him the power. Unlike Beowulf, who would kill his enemy, Spiderman has limitations and would not dare kill his enemy because he believes death is never the answer. They’re alike because they bo th put other people’s needs in front of their own; they would risk their lives for someone else’s.They’re also alike because during the times of Spiderman and Beowulf, there are always critics that only criticize the hero; to make them seem like something they’re not. For example, Peter Parker (Spiderman) is always taking pictures for the Daily Bugle to let people know that Spiderman is a â€Å"good guy†, but his imperial figure only wants to make him seem like he is committing a crime. With Beowulf, because he is so vital and was born with this power, average people that do not know him do not think highly of him, want to bring him down.Resolution: Today’s modern superheroes are given super powers like super strength, reflexes and agility, and to possibly have spider webs come from your wrist and have the ability to crawl up walls! But just like any other epic hero, all of them have some challenging obstacles that has altered their life in one way or another that makes them become strong and prepared to be the icon that most people look up too, while others waiting to watch you fall and fail with the city you protect. These superheroes are all somewhat similar because they fight for their people rather than for themselves and they fight only for justice!

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Establish the genre and themes of the film Essay

How does the opening sequence of â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† try to capture audience interest and establish the genre and themes of the film? â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† has a very effective opening sequence, the first four minutes set the story of the movie, giving you an idea of what’s to come. â€Å"Romeo & Juliet† is believed to have been written around 1595 by William Shakespeare. The story is about a pair of star-crossed lovers. Two teenagers pursue their love for each other despite the fact that their families have been at odds with each other for decades. It is directed by Baz Lurhman who immediately captures the audience’s attention whilst establishing the film’s genre and themes using different methods. Baz Lurhman uses lighting and colour to capture the audience’s interest. â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† starts with a black background and a Television coming closer to the camera with a newsreader. The black focuses the audience’s attention onto the newsreader and what she’s saying. Colour symbolism plays a key part in this film and is already demonstrated by the newsreader. The reporter wears red perhaps signaling love, danger and passion. Behind the newsreader is a sky blue screen, giving a feeling of coldness. Also Capulet and Montague are associated with red and blue. Colour symbolism is also demonstrated a lot in the opening sequence with grey, white, black, blue and red being the most common colours used. The colours grey, white and black are used in the clips of the newspapers with the black and white perhaps used as a contrast showing good versus evil or opposing sides. The grey can be interpreted as the families merging as white mixing with black makes grey or showing that the battles between the families isn’t as straight forward as it may seem. Another frequently used colour is red, the cross between Romeo and Juliet’s name is red maybe indicating that there is blood shed, tragedy and passion between them. Romeo and Juliet’s names are white on a dark background, which in a way could be emphasizing their innocence in a dark corrupting world. The different family names (Capulet and Montague) are coloured as red and blue. Different lighting techniques are used alternate between day and nighttime adding dramatic effects to the beginning, in the daylight the consequences of the feud can be seen e. g. people fighting, with guns etc. Strobe lighting is used to create the effects of police lights on the family’s faces of Romeo and Juliet, which is extremely effective and realistic reflecting modern day life. The next tactic used by Baz Lurhman to attract the audience’s attention is sound. The sounds helps set the atmosphere especially the music which keeps up with the images displayed on screen, the more dramatic the shots the more dramatic the music. For example when violent pictures are being shown the music becomes louder and faster. The music is exceptionally effective as the change of pace/dynamics in the music engages the audience’s attention. The sounds used are both diagetic and non-diagetic, the voiceover and music is diagetic and the helicopter, newsreader are non-diagetic which adds to the realism of the opening sequence. The voiceover featured in â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† is very realistic, serious and atmospheric. The man reads out a phrase from â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† summing up the story of the film, the extract is portrayed in three ways in the form of dialogue and writing. The repetition of the prologue may be for emphasis, the director would have seen this as an important extract for the audience so portrayed it in different ways as, different things appeal to different people. Another important part of sound is when the imagery of the guns are shown a choir boy sings a high note which could be interpreted as a scream, perhaps subtlety implying the hurt that has been caused by the feud. In the opening scene Baz Lurhman sets a lot of narrative clues and themes by showing different clips. A theme of violence is apparent with a lot of imagery of guns and police. In a way Baz Lurhman may have been trying to reflect modern day American society with guns being a common object on the streets as the film is also set in modern day New York. Another clear theme is religion; the film is Christian based (catholic), this is apparent by the statues of Mary and Jesus placed between the two families, the cross between the name’s of Romeo and Juliet as well as the person shown in the clips wearing a veil. It is noticeable that there is rivalry between the two families, both businesses on the opposite sides of the street and that there is a war/conflict going on not just involving the family indicating that both families have power and authority as they have influenced people to take their sides. Editing is an essential part of the opening sequence to attract the audience’s attention. The director Baz Lurhman edits the opening shots of the movie so the audience are introduced to the plot and characters (apart from Romeo and Juliet) before the film even begins. Jump shots are used at a very fast pace to reflect the speed of events in the play. There are variable scene lengths used to focus the audiences attention e. g. some scenes are long like when introducing characters compared to the shorter scenes when fast clips are shown of violence. Shots are interchanged very quickly e. g. shots of the statues which are then relegated to the background in a way the director is setting themes in context for the audience. Scenes of pure text and visuals are also used to reinforce messages through different perspectives e. g. dialogue, newspaper or action etc. as different people take in information in different ways. In a way it is the directors way of getting people to keep up with what is happening in the film. Baz Lurhman also uses mis-en-scene to help capture the audience’s attention and establish genres and themes of the film. Shots are often straight and centered to emphasise things clearly e. g. the statue of Jesus in closed into but is shown dwarfed by skyscrapers maybe showing a theme of religion versus business. This is a trend throughout the opening scene helping to classify major themes in the film such as police versus crime and Capulets versus Montagues. The use of news and media in the starting scene highlights how big a scale the feud has. The news and media are used to set the scene and to tell the audience what has happened so far in the film. Newspaper headlines are thrown into view of the camera with text from the original play, this may interest people in different ways gaining attention from them. Another tactic used with the media to gain the audience’s attention is right at the start of the film. The newsreader’s voice begins minimalist and muted but getting louder to focus the audience on language. Whenever text is used in the beginning it is always put in it’s own frame to emphasise importance. Frames of later scenes in the film, which are violent and disturbing, are juxtaposed with shots of e. g. a choirboy in a church singing maybe signifying that innocence is evil, corruption and danger. The majority of shots are filmed at night perhaps Baz Lurhman was being symbolic emphasizing darkness. Fireworks are also caught in one frame symbolizing passion, fury and anger in the plot. When the director is introducing the characters, there is one freeze frame for each character all in time with the music to focus the audience’s attention. Introducing each of the characters and unwinding their lives in the opening scene is helpful to gain the audience’s attention and to keep them interested. The audience is given clues to the current family situation e. g. the skyscrapers at opposite ends of the street with the family names written on them- â€Å"Capulet and Montague† hinting at opposing sides. Also when the voice over is talking about â€Å"two foes† the images of the parents come across the screen. It is shown in the newspapers that the two families are the centre of media attention, leading the audience to understand what extraordinary and special lives they must live. It is also interesting the way Romeo and Juliet are portrayed in the newspaper picture, it is the only real time that you see them properly in the opening scene and they are shown as children. This may be a tactic used by Baz Lurhman to emphasise to the audience how innocent and victimized Romeo and Juliet both are. The only other real time you see Romeo in the opening scene is him hiding and shying away from the outside world, again emphasizing him as a victim of his families feud. The parents of Romeo and Juliet when introduced, all seem to be in the middle of the action yet not included perhaps indicating that the feud has got so out of hand not even the Capulets or Montagues can control the situation. When all the characters are introduced they all seem very solemn and not portraying any emotion. But this isn’t the case for Dave Paris. When he is introduced he is happy, well dressed and purposely made different by Baz Lurhman to make him stand out to look like the hero of the film. Mercutio is also made different when introduced, he is a different race from everyone else indicating his uniqueness as he is showing true emotion at the same time. He is shown on a dry, isolated landscape demonstrating his distant from the involvement of the feud taking place in the city. Another key character in the introduction is the police officer; he is shown involved in the middle of the action, but is wearing a uniform signifying authority and discipline. There is also colour symbolism involved in the characters, Romeo’s mother has red hair, which may be an indication of her personality as people with red hair are said to be more passionate and quick tempered. This is also the case with clothing, the father’s of Romeo and Juliet show no emotion and are dressed normally, but with the mother’s of Romeo and Juliet although they show no emotion on their face but it is portrayed through their clothing. The mother’s clothing tends to be more flamboyant and colourful indicating to the audience distress. Baz Lurhman effectively captures the audience’s attention throughout the opening scene using all these different methods. At one point in the opening scene you are shown an aerial view of the city and I feel that this is an essential scene. After the aerial view of the city is shown a violent, busy, intimidating clip of modern street life within the city is shown demonstrating that the city is complex and dangerous. Even though â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† is four hundred years old, it still relates to modern society.

Dynamic of Destruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dynamic of Destruction - Essay Example However, Dynamic of Destruction is little more than a list of atrocities committed during the first half of the twentieth century – even if the individual events themselves are new to the reader, the manner in which they were performed have been repeated often enough that they seem a natural part of warfare to us. Kramer's thesis is so obvious as to be barely an argument at all. However, the horrors of the Great War were not limited to Germany – other countries, such as Italy and the Balkan nations, also committed shocking acts of brutality on their own as well as other peoples. The chapter on 'German Singularity?' emphasizes that the â€Å"policy of absolute destruction† (114) was not unique to twentieth-century Germany, as many scholars have argued. Italy was one of the nations which perversely thrived under the influence of war. Its â€Å"eager †¦ brutality and racism† (116) at the dawn of the century was the nation's attempt to â€Å"restore Ital y's status as a Great Power† (116) as it invaded modern-day Libya. Even â€Å"Italy's bourgeois feminist movement renounced its pacifism† (118).

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Indonesia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Indonesia - Essay Example Firstly under the influence of Buddism, the residents of present day Indonesia then became Hindus under the influence of Hinduism. Muslim influence got established in the region when they invaded the region in the thirteenth century. A number of residents of the Islands had adopted Islam as their religion by the fifteenth century (infoplease, 2011). The current cities of Indonesia contain buildings that are evidence of the promulgation of Colonial era in the region. The old town in the city of Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, holds marks of Holland on them. These marks indicate that they are a sign of the Colonial era dating back to the seventeenth century (Citrinot, 2010). The very first years of the seventeenth century thus embarked with the establishment of the Dutch as the rulers of the region. The province of Wast Timor, however, continued to remain under the control of Portugal till the middle of the seventeenth century. The Dutch Colonial rule existed for a little over three hundred years. This rule over the mineral rich Islands of Indonesia resulted to be extremely fruitful for the rulers. The Dutch â€Å"Netherlands East Indies† became renowned as the richest colonial possessions of the world. They could, however, not do much for the modernization of the land under their possession. (State, 2011) The initiation of the twentieth century embarked the emergence of the Indonesian Independence Movement. This movement was led by young individuals some of whom had got their initial educations from Netherlands only. This movement flourished in the years between the two world wars. The Second World War showed the invasion of the country by the Japanese. They were harsh opponents of the Western Allies. The people of Indonesia were not comfortable with their colonial rulers and therefore no uprising emerged against the Japanese upon

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Bmw Company Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bmw Company Analysis - Essay Example BMW is and always will be looking for new and innovative vehicles to develop in accordance with the needs and wants of the customers while keeping the environment and safety precautious as number one on the priority list. The all-hybrid vehicle is just one example of such a strategy that is in store for the customers. The other important step that BMW would be taking is to increase value for the customers while achieving higher profitability and growth targets with the programme to tap 6 billion Euros in efficiency potential by 2012. Furthermore the shareholders would benefit from company success to a greater extent and their confidence will be regained. New targets set by the CEO in September, 2007 to regaining the sales target of 8% to 10% in the Automobile segment will quieten down the non-ambitious target critics. Also, to solve its declining Dollar problem, BMW will use natural hedging and increase its purchases primarily in US dollars. Specialized Competitors exist in the industry. Luxury vehicles Mercedes and Audi and Lexus compete directly with some of the classes of BMW. It is tougher for BMW to compete than other premium car makers because it lacks the competition’s economies of scale. Audi uses components and engines from its huge Volkswagen owner just like Lexus uses many crucia l from Toyota’s while Mercedes trucks and smaller cars can provide hidden content for more luxurious models.

Monday, August 26, 2019

Cameron Mackintosh's Contribution to the Development of the Essay

Cameron Mackintosh's Contribution to the Development of the Megamusical - Essay Example Mackintosh, Cameron born was a British theatrical producer who oversaw the era of the international "megamusical" in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming the worlds most prominent and powerful impresario. Mackintosh was born on Oct. 17, 1946, in Enfield, Middlesex, England, to Ian Mackintosh, a Scottish timber merchant and jazz trumpeter, and Maltese-born Diana Tonna Mackintosh, who had been actor Nigel Patricks secretary when the couple met in Italy during World War II. Eight-year-old Mackintosh was taken to see a production of the musical Salad Days, after which he demanded to speak to the author, Julian Slade, who gave him a backstage tour and instilled in the boy a fascination with theatrical production. Mackintosh studied stage management at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London but left after one year. He became a stagehand at Londons Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, cleaning the auditorium after performances to earn extra money. His first West End presentation, a 1969 revival of Anything Goes, failed. In 1976, however, his production of the musical revue Side by Side by Sondheim ran 781 performances in London before transferring to Broadway, his first stateside effort. (Lawson, 1999)

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Global Warming Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Global Warming - Term Paper Example United States has not properly addressed the problem of global warming (Besel 162). Therefore, the subject of subject of global warming is live and undisputed scientific fact that the nation should address quickly. Many scientific activities are responsible for the global warming that people experience in United States and the globe at large. United States is becoming dangerous warmer because of emission of greenhouse gases. These gases include methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide. The gases have adverse effects on the environment because they cause pollution. This artificial problem contributes largely to global warming. This is an assertion that the scientific activities drive the climate change and global warming. Scientists have disputed the claims of their responsibility in global warming in various ways. To start with, the scientists argue that carbon dioxide does come from their activities. To them, burning fossils generates a lot of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Thi s is an attempt to assert that they do not take any activity in the problem of global warming. They claim that that they have put proper mechanisms to eradicate the emission of carbon dioxide. Second, the scientist stresses that carbon dioxide has been increasing in the atmosphere before the industrial developments. They scientists insist that other types of natural energies such as solar play a big role in global warming. The scientists argue points out those natural sources such as eruption of volcanoes evolve a lot of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (Griffin 112). The scientists blame their critics for distorting scientific information to assert their points. Third, the unchallenged scientific fact emanate from the measurement that scientists take on the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. These measurements indicate that burning of forests and fossils contributes to generation of harmful gases to the atmosphere. This is an attempt to deny their responsibility in their c ontribution to the global warming and climate change. They argue that natural fluctuations attribute to the sudden increase in temperatures (Maslin 27). It is evident that the undisputed scientific facts have played a big role in global warming. The facts are fallacious. To start with, there was no global warming before scientific revolution. This era of scientific expansion in knowledge and research led to the growth of industries. A natural mechanism ensured a right balance of carbon dioxide that natural processes emitted (Griffin 112). The issue of global warming came into been after the mushrooming of industries. It is therefore a lie for the scientists to claim that they do have a role in the global warming menace. The scientists’ assertion that the current global warming is because of natural fluctuations in the environment is overtly misleading. This is unchallenged scientific facts. The earth has experienced all these climatic swings but there has never been an alarmi ng effect on temperature. It therefore means that scientific processes are responsible for the increase in temperatures in the atmosphere. It is a conspiracy of scientists not to give information of their contribution to the global warming (Besel 163). This is despite the fact that the scientists have the right equipment to provide a qualitative explanation of the issue of global

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Conducting a Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Conducting a Market - Essay Example iPhone is the pioneer smartphone that enhanced the mobile phone users’ experiences with its touchpad feature. iPhone has significantly impacted the market share of all leading mobile phones worldwide and has been successful in developing a loyal customer base (Keller, 120). Hence, the paper will analyse the success of iPhone in the smartphone industry and the customer perception about iPhone to gain a deeper understanding about the strategy followed by Apple to exceed the expectations of its customers and make them loyal to the brand. Research objectives Since the foremost goal of the research is to determine the customer perception about Apple’s iPhone, the main research objectives that are addressed in this paper are as follows: 1. To determine the best features of iPhone 2. To identify the customer loyalty level with iPhone 3. To analyse the factors that created a distinctive image of iPhone in the market Importance of the study With the help of the study, an underst anding about the elements that form the customer perception about a brand will be identified. This research will allow the evaluation of various factors that have been the source of Apple’s success. When the marketing strategies of top-ranked brands are studied, it assists in analysing the key constituents that are taken into account to create the desired brand image and the steps taken to retain the customer’s attention. By studying the customer perception about iPhone, the research provided details about interesting facts that the company focuses on exceeding the satisfaction level of its prestigious customers. Limitations of the study As there were time and resource... This report stresses that iPhone is considered to be the best brand in the smartphone industry as it has been providing an exceptional experience to the users. With each new breakthrough invention, Apple continues to enhance the customer expectation level; it has definitely an excellent perceived quality which is evident from the growth in number of customers every year. The phone developers have done a marvellous job by creating the smartphones in a simple and easy to use form. However, the company should try to attract the people of old generation by offering them attractive packages. Apple should try to grab their attention by informing them the positive sides of using the smartphone. This paper makes a conclusion that the customer perception about iPhone is strong and positive and they have trust in the brand that they will be offered only genuine and fine quality products which will ensure that they get value for their money for a long period. As the quality of iPhone is durable, there are fewer chances that the customers face any problem when using it; in case of any issue, they can easily contact the company’s representative who will resolve the matter as soon as possible. Providing customers the after sales services also impacts the brand image of the product in a positive way. Such value added features increases the chances of customers for making repeat purchases when they plan to buy a similar product in future.

Friday, August 23, 2019

The Abrahamic Covenant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Abrahamic Covenant - Essay Example Destroy all He created save one man, Noah, who walked in the ways of the Lord and had found favour in His eyes. So God instructed Noah to build a huge ark, which can house his family and a pair of each animal. Then the waters came upon the earth for forty days and forty nights, wiping out the mankind and beasts from the face of the earth, save those in the ark Noah built. Thereafter, God blessed Noah and his sons to be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth again. Thereafter they went their ways and multiplied in numbers. There was only one language, and in their pride, the mankind wanted to build a tower so high, that it would reach to heavens. So, God confounded them with various tongues, and they abandoned their edifice, but the vanity of pride and sin still prevailed. And it multiplied as did the mankind, filling the earth. During such times, God came to a man called Abram and said " Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."( KJV, Genesis 12: 1-3 ) And Abram beliAnd Abram believed in what he heard, and set out taking his family and his cattle and travelled all the places the Lord instructed. Then the Lord, in course of Abram's days, rechristened his name to Abraham, and his wife Sarai to Sarah, and in the ripe of their age, renowned His promise to them. "And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. " (KJV, Genesis 17: 7-8). Then Abraham had Isaac for a son and his faith and belief is put to test when the Lord asks Isaac for a sacrifice. Abraham then passes it and the Lord is further pleased with Abraham. And Abraham dies, well in old age, having willed all his material possessions and the Lord's covenant to Isaac. Then to Isaac twins are born, Esau who comes out first, then Jacob holding Esau's leg. By virtue of the covenant the Lord establishes with Abraham, it should further be carried to Esau and his children, but Esau sells his birthright to Jacob over a meal. The Lord Himself says in this regard Then Jacob has twelve sons and these twelve sons are the heads of twelve tribes of the nation of Israel. And Israel after serving Egypt in bondage for four hundred years is liberated by the Prophet Moses. This follows two most crucial aspects in the Jewish history, the meeting of the Lord on Mount Sinai, followed by handing over the Torah - consisting of five books, which discuss the advent of Hebrews since creation till the liberation. Torah is considered to be the Law, in other words, it could also be called the directions given by the Lord to the nation of Israel towards keeping them chaste and in accordance to His will. This Torah further has the Ten Commandments, which are believed to be directly

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Experiments in Art and Technology Essay Example for Free

Experiments in Art and Technology Essay The new interface I will define is one in which the artist makes active use of the inventiveness and skills of an engineer to achieve his purpose. The artist could not complete his intentions without the help of an engineer. The artist incorporates the work of the engineer in the painting or the sculpture or the performance. what a perfect synergy! Introduction ‘Experiments in Art and technology’ (E. A. T. ) is an aged non profit making and tax exempted organization instituted as far back as 1966 by renounced engineers and artists. The engineers included the persons of Billy Kluver and Fred Waldhauer, while the artists, the persons of Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Whitman. Experiments in Art and Technology was pioneered from the experience of a popular work titled – ‘9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering’. The notable event was of the 69th ‘Regiment Armory in new York City, United State of America† (October 1966). About 40 engineers and 10 popular artists symbiotically worked together to put up an engineered and equally artistic performances. With the works of E. A. T. , artists and engineers’ relationships have received huge boost, thereby stimulating the willingness and participation of industries in artistic events. Companies’ cooperation through sponsorship is one of the achievements of E. A. T. There was fast expression of interest in the group over the space of time. Three years after the inauguration of Experiments in Art and Technology, the organization recorded over 4,200 memberships of diversified artists and engineers all around the United States of America, South America, Japan, Canada and every other interested industry all over the world. Through the process towards achieving the aim of E. A. T. , there was a local program within the group named the Technical Services Program. This program enhanced the effective collaboration of artists working hand-in-hand with engineers on a specific assignment/project. This was made possible by a deliberate effort at pinning suitable artists with appropriate engineers for synergic results. The program also assisted the collaborators in reaching out to industries and corporate-business communities in meeting the needs to accomplish outstanding project. Furthermore, E. A. T. commissioned inter-field projects and events which were anchored by artists involving the use of new technological woks. Some of the projects included the earlier mentioned ‘9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering† in 1966’, ‘Some More Beginning in 1968’ – the later happened to mark the start of ‘exhibition of art and technology. The exhibition was held at a museum in Brooklyn. Included in the list of the project was the â€Å"artist-engineer collaborations to design and program the Pepsi Pavilion at Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan. † Picture showing First meeting of E. A. T. in November 1966 The Story of Experiments in Art and Technology When Andy Warhol was trying to create floating light bulbs, he asked Billy Kluver for his kind assistance. Kluver, who was an engineer working at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, rejected the plea but instead promised to offer him a wrapper usually use to wrap sandwiches, the material is silvery. Warhol fashioned the material into a rectangular object called Mylar today. Injecting Helium into this Mylar created a floating funhouse mirrors in 1966. This example of collaboration between artists and scientists was a motivation to forming Experiments in Art and Technology (E. A. T. ). The artist-engineer collaboration in E. A. T. was formalized at the event of â€Å"9 Evenings; Theatre and Engineering†, (Oct. 1966, in New York). The program exposed audience to â€Å"state-of-the-art performances and music† from about 50 artists and engineers. Technology electrified things in an appreciable ways, e. g. â€Å"Dancers tripped light switches by moving their legs past photo-cells, and a tennis game was amplified through microphones in the rackets. The compliment received was overwhelming reflecting the need for engineers in artistic works. E. A. T. was then established in November, and by the early 70s it had already absorbed networks of over 6,000 members. â€Å"Throughout the lifespan of E. A. T. , affiliated groups produced over 500 artworks; most common was the body-oriented performance or supercharged minimalist sculpture. One of the most memorable projects commissioned was the Pepsi Pavilion of Expo 1970 Osaka. There, over 60 artists and engineers contributed to the interactive exhibits inside the futuristic dome† The Pepsi Pavilion at Expo 70 Osaka with Fujiko Nakayas mist shroud Aims and objectives of E. A. T. The non profit making organization was vibrant primarily within the two decades of its institution in 1966 by Billy Kluver, Fred waldhauer, Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Whitman. It was carved out of the need to ‘mobilize the ingredients of arts, industry and science around collective projects, calling the participation from different disciplines. E. A. T. also aimed at encouraging the technical harmony towards the realization of new means of expressing arts using modern technological equipment such as computer-made images, sounds, video, (audiovisual), manufacturing materials and robotics. To start with, ‘Experiments in Art and Technology’ brought artists and engineers together to enlighten the participants in order to accustom them with â€Å"tele-writing and satellite transmission using telecommunication technology†. In addition, E. A. T. aimed at giving the developing countries around an ease of Communication Bridge through certain project assignments. In pursuance of these goals, E. A. T. began opening annexes in the US, Canada and Japan. Other Projects Projects realized at the advent of interdisciplinary included: The Anand Project of 1969, this project aided educational television whereby public spaces were linked together to facilitate interactions irrespective of the distance apart. Through this, different countries all around the world can exchange disturbing questions even about a common uncertainty. For example, â€Å"Anand Dairy Cooperative in Baroda (India); Telex: QA (1971), which linked public spaces in New York (U. S. ), Ahmadabad (India), Tokyo (Japan) and Stockholm (Sweden) by telex† Still among the projects is the ‘Children and Communication in 1972’this particular project piloted the enabling of children within the suburb of New York City, to exchange conversation with telex, telephone and fax machine. Also, in El Salvador is a project to fashion out methods for storing culture and tradition in the region (1973). Collection of E. A. T. ’s Published Documents Detailing the activities of Experiments in Art and Technology in 1980; over 400 documents were stored in archive ranging from information bulletins, exhibition catalogues, periodicals, photocopies of press clippings, proposals, lectures, announcements newsletters reprints of major articles, among others. The archive was deposited at major libraries in New York, Moscow of Russia, Washington in U. S., Paris in France et cetera. The archive was aimed at monument the reflection of E. A. T. ’s wide geographical tentacle with technical and artistic diversity. Technical Service Program (1966-1973) Technical service program (TSP), founded as a subgroup in mid 60s, permits specialist in art and engineering to collaborate with the aim of meeting the artist’s technological needs without interruption in the team projected design and developmental stages. Highly technical projects were accomplished with this partnership. This collaboration was publicized when E. A. T. group came up with EAT News that announced projects at different stages of completion. Still, was the periodic public forum held on upcoming technologies such as ‘lasers and holography. ’ The TSP came to an end in 1973 Technical Information (1966) This program provided consulting services for artists. The service provisions included ‘technical libraries’ for artists in New York and telephone assistance line operated by engineers from E. A. T. offices. The library collection features documented activities of EAT from ‘60s to ‘80s. More on â€Å"9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering† (1966-2005) These were series of events that catapulted performances of artists and engineers working in unison as an E. A. T. group. The performances broke down inter-relationship barrier. It went does: Billy kluver and Robert Rauschenberg requested the working relation of 30-man engineer at Bell Laboratories, seeking their involvement in an inter-disciplinary project where avant-garde theatre, dance and new technologies were blended together. The artists involved were John Cage, Lucinda Childs, Oyvind Fahlstrom, Alex Hay, Deborah Hay, Steve Paxton, Yvonne Rainer, Robert Rauschenberg, David Tudor and Robert Whitman. These artists were paired with engineers to produce technical components on the podium used by the participants. It was indeed a break through adventure in the field of Art and technology. Billy Kluver, farther of ‘Experiments in Art and technology’ Reference http://www. fondation-langlois. org/html/e/page. php? NumPage=306 The Man Who Made a Match of Technology and Art

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Stem Cell Research and the Human Genome Project Essay Example for Free

Stem Cell Research and the Human Genome Project Essay Applications of Biotechnology: Stem Cell Research and the Human Genome Project Stem Cells Stem cells are unspecialized cells found in large quantities in bodies of fetuses and in some parts of the adult body. These unspecialized cells are capable of forming other organs, which make it one of the controversial issues in medical ethics. The benefits of stem cell transplant are very huge, but the ethical moral dilemma always enters as many groups question the ethicality of the procedure that stem cell transplant requires. Stem cells are relevant in the development of an organism. It forms other specific cells, and is also capable of repairing or replacing other damaged cells in the body. The cells are cultivated from the human embryo, which formed 4-5 days after the egg cell undergoes fertilization by the aid of the sperm cell. It can also be obtained from a fetus between its 5th and 9th week, which will actually be aborted (Experiment Resources, 2008). Stem cell transplant has a potential application for cell-based therapies. Today, illnesses that require organ transplantation become problematic, since the number of patients in need for organ transplant outweighs the number of available organs. Scientists must first be able to manipulate the stem cells for them to possess the necessary characteristics for differentiation, transplantation and engraftment (National Institute of Health, 2009). The stem cells are incorporated to the tissue of the damaged organ or the organ that has to be replaced. The stem cells proliferate extensively and generate enough cells to form the tissue. The stem cells differentiate into the desired cell type and must survive into the body of the patient. The tissues then integrate to the surrounding tissue after transplant and later on function appropriately as part of the formerly damaged tissues (National Institute of Health, 2009). The members of the society reacted differently as stem cell research progresses to its development. The ethical considerations are still on a long debate. The intensity of debates is due to life itself. For countries allowing abortion, the application of stem cell research would be a lot of help. But for those countries which are conservative, especially those that have active religious movements, stem cell research would always be in question. The instance that the success of this research would be misused is also an on-going debate. The Human Genome Project Human genomic mapping was first introduced in the year 1980, with the first map produced in 1987 (cited in Toga Mazziota, 2002, p. 15). It excited the interest among scientists, which later led to the conceptualization of the human Genome Project. This $3 billion project contributed a lot to the understanding of human biology. Most especially, it determined the huge importance of developing the biological map (Toga and Mazziota, 2002, p. 15). Neuroscience is the field that benefits the most in human genomic mapping. The development of these maps is relevant into monitoring of the presence of diseases, such as the Huntington’s disease, muscular dystrophy, and cystic fibrosis. Common diseases such as the Alzheimer’s disease have also been detected in maps. Maps are incorporated in a database that is accessible to molecular biologists. Scientists may also add maps of newly discovered diseases useful in future studies. This created a large network of scientists exchanging information and resources. The interaction among scientists is led by the Human Genome Organization, responsible particularly for the management of chromosome workshops. The continuation of the human genome project opened opportunities to technological fronts and progress to other fields of scientific endeavors. New types of genetic markers have been developed for assay for better experimental strategies and computational methods. Collectively, these methods help in assembling the results in to physical maps (Toga Mazziota, 2002, p. 15). Genomics has a considerable potential for the improvement of the health situation of the developing countries in the future. Illness can already be traced and cured by genetic interventions. Thus, improving the healthcare leads to relief in human suffering (Colson Cameron, 2004, 2004, pp. 63-64). References Colson, C. W. N. M. de S. Cameron. (2004). Human dignity in the biotech century: a Christian vision for public policy. Retrieved May 19, 2009, from http://books. google. com/books? id=ygIiRL7mQBkCpg=PA63dq=advantage+benefits+human+genomic+mapas_brr=3#PPA63,M1 Experiment Resources. (2008). Stem Cell Research Pros and Cons. Retrieved May 18, 2009, from Experiment Resources: http://www. experiment-resources. com/stem-cell-pros-and-cons. html National Institute of Health. (2009, April 28). Stem Cell Basics: What are the potential uses of human stem cells and the obstacles that must be overcome before these potential uses will be realized? Retrieved May 18, 2009, from http://stemcells. nih. gov/info/basics/basics6. asp Toga, A. W. J. C. Mazziota. (2002). Brain mapping: the methods. 2nd ed. Retrieved May 19, 2009, from http://books. google. com/books? id=mBBYKllGwZYCpg=RA1-PA15dq=benefits+advantage+of+having+human+genomic+mapas_brr=3#PRA1-PA14,M1

Field Trip To Observatoire De Haute-Provence Report

Field Trip To Observatoire De Haute-Provence Report Shaoshan Zeng Abstract A group of 9 students from University College London (UCL) will be visiting the Observatoire de Haute-Provence (OHP) in France between 14th February and 22nd February 2015. Students are expected to use the CCD camera on the 1.20m telescope to image two RR Lyrae variable stars: XY CVn and RR Gem. Also, students will use the Aurelie spectrograph on the 1.52m telescope to obtain high resolution spectra of bright spectroscopic binary systems within the spectral region 4070-4130Ã…. The main content of this report will focus on the observing facilities available at the OHP and background information of the objects to be targeted. And the last section of this report is the observing diary containing all the data obtained at the telescope. Contents Overview of l’Observatorie de Haute-Provence (OHP) Brief History Location Previous scientific work Observing conditions Observing Instruments The 1.20m Telescope The 1.52m Telescope The Aurelie Spectrogrph Scientific Programme for 1.2m Telescope Scientific Programme for 1.52m Telescope Targets RR Lyrae variable stars Spectroscopic binaries Observing Diary References Appendix 1. Light curves of RR Lyrae variables. Appendix 2. Finder Charts 1. Overview of l’Observatorie de Haute-Provence (OHP) History The observatory is owned by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and is funded by the Institut National des Sciences de l’Univers (INSU). Originally, OHP was built as a national facility for Frence astronomers in 1937 and later on in 1949, the facilities at the OHP were available to be used by foreign visiting astronomers. In 1943, the first astronomical observations were made with the 1.20m telescope and the first research paper were published a year later. 1.2 Location OHP is located in St Michel, near Forcalquier in the Alpes de Haute-Provence, south-east France. The coordinates of OHP are: Longitude = 0h 22m 52s E Latitude = +43 ° 55’ 46† Altitude = 650m Previous scientific work OHP has done some remarkable work on the detection of extra-solar planets. This studies started with the discovery of 51 Peg-b in 1995 using the ELODIE spectrograph on the 1.93m telescope and followed by many more discoveries such as Glises 876, the third closest known star to the Sun were found in 1998 and HD190228b was announced in 2000 as a giant planet orbiting the host star. In 2006, ELODIE was replaced by a stabilised high resolution spectrograph called SOPHIE at the 1.93m telescope of OHP. It is operated by using a large survey for search for northern extrasolar planets through the radial velocity method. Nowadays, SOPHIE plays a significant contribution to the follow-up of transiting exoplanet candidates from photometric surveys include SWASP, CoRoT and Kepler. 1.4 Observing Conditions The reason for OHP grounded on this site is mainly because the benefit of having higher probabilities on clear sky and favourable weather conditions throughout the year and the average atmospheric extinction at OHP is approximately twice that for ESO at La Silla. On average, about 60% of nights are considered to be suitable for astronomical observations. This can be showed by the yearly breakdown which based on a statistics made from 1965 to 2004: 170 nights are excellent conditions, 50 nights with very slight cloud and 70 nights are being partly cloudy. Despite of the weather conditions, the image quality is also the key factor to provide good observation. At OHP, the seeing disk is around 2 arcsec and can be lower down to 1 arcsec occasionally which compares to the image quality at ULO is about 4-5 arcsec. However, about 45 days per year on average (commonly in winter) cold wind flows from the northwest which is known as Mistral would cause the degradation of seeing, sometimes the quality of the seeing can severely decline to over 10 arcsec. But the advantage of having the Mistral winds is good weather usually follow as the winds usually clear up the sky. 2. Observing Instruments There are four main telescopes operate at OHP: 1.93m, 1.52m, 1.20m and 0.80m. Typically, 1.52m and 1.20m telescopes will be used to undertake studies during the field trip. 2.1 The 1.20m Telescope This is the first telescope installed at OHP and operates since 1943. It only has a Newton focus which is corresponded to a focus ratio of f/6. As an improvement, the telescope is now equipped with a CCD camera for direct imaging and photometry. It is usually operated for studies of variability of X-ray sources, imaging of galaxies and H II regions as well as the faint solar system objects. 2.2 The 1.52m Telescope This is the telescope that have been in use since 1967 at OHP and is used accompanied with the high resolution Aurelie spectrograph which is positioned at the Coude focus. Thus, most of the spectroscopic studies are carried out by using this telescope. The Coude focus is the only focus of this telescope and the focal ratio is f/27.6 which is almost identical to the 1.52m telescope at the ESO at La Silla. Even though it needed to be pointed manually, all other functions are automated. The telescope is equipped with a CCD camera, used from acquiring the target and automatic guiding. The camera has a field of view of 3’ x 4’. 2.3 The Aurelie Spectrograph The Aurelie spectrograph is a high resolution spectrograph that has been developed and installed on the 1.52m telescope in 1989 at the OHP. The goal of using such high quality instrument is to obtain spectra at very high resolutions over the spectral range of 3900 to 10000Ã… and because of the average seeing conditions at the OHP, the Aurelie spectrograph is also designed to obtain the largest optical efficiency and small amount of scattered light with an entrance aperture at about 3 arcsec wide. The detector attached to the spectrograph is called Thomson TH7832 which is a linear array CCD-like detector. The array is made of 2048 pixels of which 2036 are usable. The advantage of using this detector is: it is very clean meaning it exhibits no interference fringes or persistence effects and this would give the benefit to detect very weak absorption lines. 3. Scientific Programme for 1.2m Telescope The main purpose of this programme is to obtain images of two RR Lyrae variable stars RR Gem and XY CVn by using Cousins B- and V-band filters followed by calibrating these images with respect to stars of known magnitude near to the target star. This will be down over the course of 6 nights with 1.2m telescope. As a result, light curves of these stars will be obtained over several cycles of variation in order to calculate the pulsation period of each of the two stars. The light curve of XY CVn will be compared to that of RR GEM as the light curve of XY CVn is more symmetrical. From experience gained last few years (between 2003 and 2014) of UCL field trips who also completed the task with the same telescope, CCD and filters conclude that the exposure times should be around 1-3 minutes in each of the filter for RR Gem and because XY CVn is fainter than RR Gem, it requires longer exposure time of around 4 minutes in each of the B and V-bands. If the star has magnitude at around 11, a s ignal to noise ratio of at least 100 should be obtained with a 60 second or even shorter exposure in the V-band. The same signal to noise ratio is also kept for the B-band. Other than evaluating the result obtaining in the programme, observations of these two targets will also be compared to those obtained during the UCL field trip of 2000 to 2014. This should give more accurate calculated period and overtone modulation of the light curves to the stars. RR Lyrae stars are pulsating variables with about half the mass of the Sun but probably much older and hotter than the Sun. They belong to low mass Population II and they are abundant in globular clusters. RR Lyrae variables are special because they growing larger and smaller in size with their brightness changing significantly. In general, they have periods of 0.2 to 1 day and spectral types of A2 to F6 which have an average effective temperature of 7000K and a luminosity typical around 80 Lsun. Some of them have similar light curves to those of Cepheid variables and obey a period luminosity relation which is approximately: Log10 P = -0.85M + constant These properties make RR Lyrae variables become excellent standard candles as if the period of time it takes for an RR Lyrae to go through its cycle of brightening and dimming is known, then the absolute luminosity of that star can be estimated. The absolute luminosity shows how bright a star would be if it was a certain distance away from us. From this, the distance to the star can be determined if the measure brightness of the star appear to us compared to its absolute luminosity. 4. Scientific Programme for 1.52m Telescope For this programme, the Aurelie spectrograph on the 1.52m telescope will be used to obtain high resolution spectra of a selection of targets which are known to be spectroscopic binary systems that in the spectral region of 4070-4130Ã…. By analysing these spectra, weak absorption lines should be resolved to measure the changes in the radial velocity of a star by applying the cross correlation technique. Since the field trip group in 2006 and 2010-2014 also completed the similar task with Aurelie, the analysed results from this field trip will be compared to those obtained in previous years and hopefully this will result in an improvement of phase coverage for all of the systems, especially for targets with long period. By combining all the data sets, a number of physical parameters such as the mass ratio, the mass function, the period and the orbital eccentricity can be estimated for each binary system. As HÃŽ ´ (ÃŽ »4101Ã…) is included in the targeted spectral region, the appea rance of this line in obtained spectra also need to be investigated as it changes as a function of spectral type. In order to resolve the weak lines and measure their wavelengths accurately, a spectrographic resolving power of at least R = 40000 is required. Such high resolution that in use should also provide accurate information of radial and rotational velocities for each target. A wavelength coverage of at least 60Ã… is needed to include enough weak lines simultaneously and to make sure the continuum level outside the HÃŽ ´ line could be estimated. Despite of these, useful weak lines can only be obtain with a signal to noise ratio of at least 250 due to the fact that the equivalent widths of the weak lines are expected to be with several mÃ…. And more importantly, the total integration time of all of the start should be controlled to be 120 minutes or less because the resolution of orbital phase of 1.52m telescope would become poor if longer exposure time is used. Spectroscopic binaries involve two stars orbiting around their common centre of mass. These two stars are so close together that can only be seen as one object, and over period of time, there is Doppler shift change in the observing spectrum. In other words, if the star does exist in a binary system, they are of similar luminosity, each spectral line will twice over the course of one orbit, split into two, reach a maximum separation and then move back together again due to the Doppler shift caused by their radial velocity. Among all the targets, the star ÃŽ ± Uma is of particular interest as it has a long period of 44 years while other target stars have relatively short periods and has an orbit that is not clearly determined. It thought to have passed periastron in 2000, so it would be interesting to compare its measured radial velocity with that from spectral obtained during 2006 to 2014. 5. Target stars 5.1 RR Lyrae Variable Stars The stars that will be observing for the investigation of the light curves of RR Lyrae variable stars on the 1.2m telescope are shown below in Table 1 along with their coordinate, magnitudes and period. Table 1. Investigate RR Lyrae variable stars RR Gem is a type â€Å"a† RR Lyrae variable, it is well located for observation between UT 18:00 to 24:00 in late January to February at OHP. This light curve of this type of star will show a steep increase in brightness at first, the brightness will then gently fade away until a minimum is reached. The finding charts for RR Gem can be found in Appendix 1. (A1) and the calibration stars are shown in Table 2 below. Table 2. Calibration stars for RR Gem XY CVn is a type â€Å"c† RR Lyrae variable, it is well located for observation in the morning in January and February at OHP. Different to RR Gem, the light curve of this type of star is more symmetrical. The finding charts for both target stars can be found in Appendix 1. 5.2 Spectroscopic binaries targets The stars for which I am responsible for background research for the programme occurring on the 1.52m telescope are shown in Table 3 below. Table 3. Spectroscopic binaries targets Both of the targets are circumpolar which will never set throughout the night, this makes them easily observable in night time. For HR 4072, it would be best observed at around 0:00-1:00 UT and ÃŽ ¹ CrB should be best observed at 6:00-7:00 UT as these time will be the target just across the meridian i.e at their highest point in the sky. However, 6:00-7:00UT would correspond to 7:00-8:00 local time at OHP, would pass the sun rise time and the sky is bright already. Thus, target ÃŽ ¹ CrB can be observed in the early morning before sunrise when it still high up in the sky before crossing the meridian. The finding charts for both target stars can be found in Appendix 2. 6. Observing Journal References http://www.obs-hp.fr -the OHP website http://www.simbad.com -online star catalogue http://www.aavso.org/ -online database for variable stars, obtain light curves and finding charts 2015 UCL Field Trip Observation Plans (Stephen Boyle, September 2014) Appendix 1 A1. Finding Chart of RR Gem (AAVSO) A2. Finding chart of XY CVn (AAVSO)

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Essay --

4.15 Addressing resistance It is important to gain employees support by keeping them well informed and involved during the change process. Piderit (2000) stated in a quote saying ‘’successful organizational adaptation is increasingly reliant on generating employee support and enthusiasm for proposed changes, rather than merely overcoming resistance’’. 56 M: ‘’I believe people should be informed as to the need for change and encouraged by senior management. Perhaps the promise of extra benefits or a pay rise once change has been successfully implemented would provide a degree of motivation’’. E1: ‘’Create open communication channels with employees in order to keep them informed about the process and to gain their support’’. The question asked about how resistance was addressed received mixed responses, the manager was seeking a motivational factor to encourage employees not resist in the shape of a pay rise, which is very logical, however the employee’s response was more about being informed in order to be supportive. Therefore what is required is to prepare employees for change, and this can be done via effective communication in the shape of seminars, newsletters, face-to-face meetings and other means. Some factors add to the fire of resistance rather than minimise it, a breakdown in communication channels or the communication of the wrong message is vital. Maintaining consistency of the message by ensuring the validity and reliability of the message is of particular importance to ensure that the correct message is delivered. CEO: ‘’Poor understanding caused by poor communication, communication is not briefing and telling people, communication is sending the message out, having it received and repeated back to you and you confirm... ...nderestimated, (ii) the benefits that could be achieved if it is done correctly and more importantly (iii) the problems that could be caused if you don’t address resistance to change’’. In response to my question about the lessons learnt, the three points highlight in a way or another, the importance of communication. To my understanding employee engagement in this context means the creation of a dialogue and opening of communication channels, delivering a message via the dialogue and ensuring that the message is repeated back to ensure validity of the message. The third point addresses and affirms that there could be obstacles that could surface if we don’t recognise the importance of addressing resistance to change. 60 Chapter 5: Discussions and Analysis of Findings "If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude" Maya Angelou

Monday, August 19, 2019

Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis :: Metamorphosis essays

The Metamorphosis The Metamorphosis is the story of a commercial traveler, Gregor Samsa, that one morning awoke turned into a gigantic insect. It is no dream but, simply and plainly, a real metamorphosis with no rhetoric in between. Facing this incredible fact, Kafka does not do any realistic concessions and keeps the new condition of the character to the end. That makes of The metamorphosis a hard work of fiction, in the way of Odyssey (with which, besides, it is closely related) or in the way of the Medieval fairy tales, specially those in which the wicked witch turns The Prince Charming into a hideous animal. >From the other side, the work, that belongs to a trilogy about marriage in relation to the individual, the family and the so-ciety written by Kafka, has a highly autobiographical contain. In The Judgment the subject is the engagement assumed as a treason to the literary calling; in The metamorphosis there is a view of marriage and family relations from a masochistic and incestuous perspective; in The Trial, it is the settlement of accounts, related with the incapacity of accomplishing the acquired compro-mises, according to an unwritten law, he must pay. In the three cases, the story ends with the protagonist's death. The Metamorphosis is built on a fiction level with two faces, Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky and Venus in Furs by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, superposed in a way they get in contact with a real level with two faces too, the family relations and his dreams of Felice. By the merging of theses two levels, Kafka gets a fantastic reality which allows him to express his deepest dreams and desires in relation with marriage and sex in a poetic language that turns The Metamorphosis into a classic of erotism, aspect not considered until now. (Such a pleiad, Kafka, Sacher- Masoch and Dostoesky, met in The Metamorphosis turns into a height of masochism this work). PART ONE The Metamorphosis has three parts: the first one describes both the transformation of Gregory and his family's reaction to this respect; the second part shows the new cotidianity of the fami-liar group whose fragile estability crush with Gregory and sis-ter's bringing face to face; and the last part, where we attend Gregory's frustrated attemp of reconquering his sister, ends with his death. The foreground onto which Kafka builds his work is Dostoevsky's novel. This one brings to him a textual base that he lightly, mainly through substitutions, varies for adapting it to the intentions of his own story. For the first part of The Meta-morphosis, Kafka takes three

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Ghost Stories :: English Literature

Ghost Stories Ghost stories revolve around lots of Spooky tales that work on displacing the reader's fear. Some of the main techniques which make them successful involve: Fear, Drama, Danger and Suspense. However, the main idea is that they create tension too. Such stories which use tension to dramatic affect are "The Red Room" by H.G. Wells and "Farthing House" by Susan Hill; both are written in first person narrative to allow the reader to get scared along with the main character. Both stories also build tension through their Style, Setting, Structure and Language. "The Red Room" is about a ghost hunter who is a legendary ghost, "Farthing House" is about a woman who stays with her aunt at a residential house and feels and sees a woman's supernatural presence in her room - both tales have a dramatic twist at the end! Tension is created through "The Red Room's" setting in many ways - Firstly: "I can assure you, said that it will take a very tangible ghost to frighten me". This dramatic opening to the story sets the ghost hunter as a Brave, Strong character. The word 'tangible' suggests it will take more than a scary image to frighten him, yet tension is caused because the reader now expects that something will be frightening him - soon. H.G. Wells builds on this subtle tension and the supposed 'invincible man' by setting his story to contradict and unease the man's assurances, not only is he in a strange house with a legendary red room (building immediate suspicion by the fact that the room is renowned, "You will show me to this haunted room of yours,") but Wells surrounds him with grotesque characters too. The three custodians set the story by introducing the reader to the Red Room and through their crusty appearance. "If is your own choosing, said the man with the withered arm and glanced at me askance" only four lines into the story and the main character, along with the reader already senses that all is not well, mainly because the man is deformed - "withered" and because he is acting oddly i.e.; "looking askance". This action suggests the custodian knows something we don't, he appears too shifty. Wells continues to build tension through introducing the second man who also adds to the scene: "shambling step", "more bent, more wrinkled, more aged", "his lower lip half averted, hung pale and pink from his decaying yellow teeth", "began to cough". The verb 'shambling' suggests the man may have a limp and the repetition of the word 'more' portrays a disgusting image of the ageing wreck, barely human. The man's manky description backs this up and encourages the

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Outline New World Beginnings

The Ice Age formed a land bridge in the area of present-day Boring Sea, which allowed nomadic groups of people to enter the Americas. B. Group of Nomads 1. Traveled across the Boring Land Bridge and populated the Americas 2. Split into countless tribes and evolved into over 2,000 languages a. Incas- Peru b. Mayans- Central America c. Aztec- Mexico Ill. The Earliest Americans A. Pueblo Indians 1. Constructed Intricate Irrigation systems to water their cornfields. 2. Lived In adobes and pueblos. B. Mound Builders 1. Lived at Iacocca, near present-day East SST. Louis. 2.Built an elaborate pueblo of more than six hundred interconnected rooms at Coach Canyon. C. Eastern Indians 1. Developed the three-sister farming where the beans grew on the trellis of the cornstalks and the squash covering the planting mounds to retain moisture in the soil. 2. Among them were the Creek, Choctaw, and Cherokee. D. Iroquois Confederacy 1. Created by the legendary leader, Hiawatha. 2. Developed political an d organizational skills to sustain a robust military alliance that menaced its neighbors. IV. Indirect Discoveries of the New World A. Blonde bearded Norse from Scandinavia reaches North America. . The Vikings landed around 1,000 C. E. 2. They landed at a place near Leans auk Meadows in present-day Newfoundland. . They soon abandoned the place and their discoveries were soon forgotten. B. Christian Crusaders rank high among America's indirect discoveries. 1 . Tens of thousands fought to regain control of the Holy Land from Muslim control. 2. Foiled in their assaults, the Crusaders craved the delights of Asia. V. Europeans Enter Africa A. Marco Polo returns to Europe in 1295 from China. B. Slave trade begins 1. Arab merchants and Africans had traded slaves before the Europeans arrived. . Millions were wrenched from their home continent after the discovery of the Americas. C. In 1488, Portuguese explorer Bartholomew Aids rounded the A. Columbus persuaded the Spanish monarchs to outfit him with three tiny but seaworthy ships. B. By heading westward, he thought he would reach the Indies. 1. After six weeks at sea, he thought he reached the Indies when it was the Americas and mistaken the people there as â€Å"Indians. † C. Columbus discovery led too global economic system. 1. Europe would provide the markets, capital, and the technology. 2. Africa would provide the labor. 3.New World would provide the raw materials. VI'. When Worlds Collide A. The Old World and the New World traded things also known as the Columbian Exchange. B. The New World gave the Old World: 1. Corn, potatoes, pineapples, tomatoes, tobacco, beans, vanilla, etc. 2. Gold, silver, and syphilis(SST). C. The Old World gave the New World: 1. Wheat, sugar cane, rice, coffee, horse, cows, pigs, etc. 2. Smallpox, measles, bubonic plague, influenza, typhus, etc. A. Have any immunity in their bodies. B. Thus, around 90% of Native Americans died. VIII. The Spanish Conquistadores The Indians didn't A.Portugal and Spain argued over who got what land and the argument was settled wrought the Treaty of Tortillas. 1. Portugal received territories in Africa, Asia, and Brazil. 2. Spain received territories in the Americas. B. Spanish conquistadores fanned out across the Caribbean. 1. Vases Nuns Balboa- discovered the Pacific Ocean. 2. Ferdinand Magellan- His vessel circumnavigated across the globe. 3. Juan Pence De Leon- Explored Florida looking for the â€Å"Fountain of Youth. † 4. Francisco Coronado- Discovered the Grand Canyon and enormous herds of buffalos. 5. Hernandez De Sotto- Discovered the Mississippi River. 6.Francisco Pizzeria- Crushed the Incas of Peru. C. Encomia system established. . It allowed the government to â€Å"command† Indians to certain colonists in return for the promise to try to Christianize them. 2. Bartholomew De Alas Cases, appalled by the encomia system, called it â€Å"A moral pestilence invented by Satan. † ‘X. The Conquest o f Mexico 1. Montague thought Herman Cortes was the god, Quadruplicate, returning from the eastern sea. 2. Herman Cortes was welcomed into the empire and took advantage by conquering it. 3. A new race of people called messiest is formed, which have a mix of Latin American's European and Indian blood. 4.The Spaniards' greed for gold led Montague to attack the Spanish on niche tries (sad night). X. The Spread of Spanish America 1. Within about half a century of Columbus landfall, Spanish cities flourished in the Americas. 2. Other countries wanted their share of the new lands. A. The English sent Giovanni Cabot to explore the northeastern coast of North America. B. The French sent Giovanni dad Overgraze to probe the eastern seaboard. C. Lawrence River. 3. The Pueblo Indians started an uprising called the Pope's Rebellion against the Spanish in 1680. 4. The misdeeds of the Spanish in the New World gave birth to the â€Å"Black Legend. †