How Charles Dickens shows Miss Havisham change over the novel Essay

How does Dickens show the change in Miss Havisham over the course of the novel?  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Great Expectation† is about a young boy named Pip and follows him throughout his life. Pip meets Miss Havisham a lady with a broken heart who has an adopted daughter named Estella, Estella is a â€Å"pretty young girl† that pip falls in love with. A close analysis of the novel reveals Miss Havisham is not the person she is perceived to be. The bitter and vengeful Miss Havisham is one of the main characters in Dickens’ novel Great Expectations. She is central to the novel and holds the plot together. Dickens waits until Chapter 8 to introduce the character to the reader, like Pip we are scared and frightened when we meet her for the first time. â€Å"I should have cried out, if I could†. This shows that Miss Havisham intimidates Pip; and as a result, we fear for Pip; and are also uncomfortable as readers. Also, the word ‘haunting’ is associated when we think of Miss Havisham. This is because of her â€Å"ghostly† appearance, her disturbed state of mind, and the way she haunts Pip. If we are to say haunting is when someone/something has a lasting, negative effect on something, it is evidently shown that Miss Havisham is a gothic, disturbing, melancholic character. Dickens uses descriptive writing to describe Miss Havisham as a wealthy, well dressed woman â€Å"in rich materials – satins, and lace, and silk†. Dickens uses imagery of luxury and opulence to give a clear picture in the readers mind about how Miss Havisham is dressed. Dickens also uses a simile’ withered like the dress’ to show how Miss Havisham has been trapped in time and grown old and decayed along with her white wedding dress, also reflecting her mental state. Dickens presents her to be a living dead, ‘waxwork and skeleton’ as there is nothing healthy in her. She has allowed herself to get wasted and now she looks more dead than alive. Both Miss Havisham and her adopted daughter Estella, manipulate Pip for their own â€Å"sick fancys†. Miss Havisham states to Pip that her heart has been â€Å"broken† and she wants â€Å"diversion†. She also â€Å"has had enough of men and women† therefore, enclosing herself in her house. Miss Havisham was jolted at the altar by the man she thought she loved. As a result of her heartache and pain, she stopped the clocks at twenty to nine, and left the house and herself exactly the way it was on that day; â€Å"never seen the sun since you were born†. In addition, Miss Havisham uses Estella as a ploy, to seek revenge on all males. Estella is a young lady, who is very pretty. Estella is very rude and patronises Pip. She calls him by the name of â€Å"boy† which makes us feel sorry for Pip and dislike Estella. Estella known to be a â€Å"beautiful†, â€Å"self possessed†, â€Å"scornful† young lady makes Pip aware of his common working class background. He is powerfully attractive to the mysterious ways of Satis House and Estella. He accepts her cruelty as he truly loves her, he follows her taunting and harshness and wishes to become a rich gentlemen; to please Estella and to stop her name calling and for her not see him as â€Å"coarse†, â€Å"rough† boy. This is when Pip wants to higher his social class, starting the course of â€Å"Great Expectations†. Miss Havisham is the feeder to the way Pip thinks and manipulates him into thinking that she is the benefactor for him becoming a gentleman living in London. She leads him to believe this by slyly hinting that she knows more. â€Å"Mr Jaggers is your guardian I understand?† This makes pip believe that it is her that is helping him to becoming a gentleman. Although in the end we find out it is a convicted he helped when he was younger. Satis House, the reflection of Miss Havisham’s state of mind â€Å"in every crevice†; decaying. She has enclosed herself within the walls of Satis House letting no outside world in. The only way you can get in is through the front gate which is guarded at all times. The house remains to be the exact same as when she left it. The garden with trees fluctuated everywhere, grass â€Å"in every crevice†. This shows that its hasn’t been cared for, just like Miss Havisham hasn’t. The interior is also decaying. In Chapter 11, Pip goes into her room and sees a â€Å"A bride-cake. Mine!† that was â€Å"seeming to grow†. It is as if it is a part of her, a part of her past and past happiness that has gone. This makes the reader feel sorry for her, as she is truly heartbroken. Miss Havisham has been presented by Dickens as a cold, heartless character, only thinking about herself. Dickens makes us believe this by the way Estella is treated by her; the way Miss Havisham uses her to break all males’ hearts. â€Å"Love her, love her, love her!† Miss Havisham tells pip with â€Å"passionate eagerness† whatever Estella does he will â€Å"love her†. She curses him like a evil persuasive witch doing a spell. This shows that she focuses on one thing and must live up to a target; it is an unhealthy love its like obsession. Estella now can’t love; she doesn’t know how to love. Estella can’t even love her Miss Havisham. This all changes in chapters 38 and 49 Miss Havisham feels guilty for making Estella becomes a cold â€Å"heartless† person. However, when Estella rebels to her adopted mother, Miss Havisham is truly sorry for her harsh actions â€Å"what have I done?† She says this repeated several times, truly sorry. As she has no idea what she has done wrong. Miss Havisham can’t die without knowing she is forgiven. Dickens has shown he unmarried contradictory character Miss Havisham, has gone through many changes throughout the novel. Although â€Å"Great Expectation† is a novel about Pips life, it includes â€Å"Terror†, â€Å"love†, drama, and excitement; these factors of the novel are part of how Miss Havisham has changed.Towards the end of the novel in chapter 49 Dickens use of ominous language prepares the reader the Miss Havisham’s death. â€Å"Funeral music†, â€Å"the cathedral chimes† All these quotes prepare the reader for something to go wrong, like a death is going to occur. Dickens also explains when he walks pasted the â€Å"priory garden, seemed to call to me that the place was changed† this shows the future will change by a death. Miss Havisham’s death made a big difference to the novel. In chapter 49 Miss Havisham dies after server burns from an accidental fire. Her death is very painful. â€Å"She was shrieking, with a whirl of fire blazing all about her†, this death in some ways seems to release her from all her hurt and pain. The fire is symbolic; pip â€Å"dragged the heap of rottenness in the midst, and all the ugly things that sheltered there†. This shows it dragged all the decay and the living death away. The fire ended it all.   In conclusion to this Miss Havisham has changed from an evil witch who only thinks about herself to a woman who feels guilty for all the things she has done.

Alvin Ailey and Sociology

Jerry Tarn Professor Douglas Kierdorf Social Science 102 April 18th, 2013 Alvin Ailey’s â€Å"Revelations† and Sociology As the world begins to modernize, society develops into what sociologist Ferdinand Tonnies calls a â€Å"Gesellschaft† society. In a Gesellschaft society, people concentrate only on themselves and build relationships mostly based on the possible monetary gains. Because people are so focused on money, matters that do not possess any monetary value tend to be discarded as insignificant or unworthy. Subjects such as the arts are often seen as unnecessary, excess, and impractical.However, what people fail to realize, is that art is in fact an integral part of humanity. Art can provide deep insights into our society, revealing both its positive and negative aspects in the most genuine form. Dance? a physical expression of art? is one of the many methods people uses to portray the various characteristics of society. Alvin Ailey’s signature wor k: â€Å"Revelations†, produced in 1960, is a prime example that reflected and exposed the social changes that were occurring during that era. The 1960s was marked as a time of great change as it was the era when America began to transform into an increasingly modern society.There were significant improvements in science (and technology exemplified by the start of the space exploration), which greatly changed how people lived and viewed the world. However, the most important changes were probably societal ones, namely the civil rights movement. The civil rights movement was categorized by African Americans expressing their dissatisfactions with the injustices that they had to endure in past century. Although African Americans were liberated from slavery after the Civil War, they still had to deal with the inequality of racial segregation.Under those laws, African Americans had to face disadvantages such as (but not limited to): lack of voting rights, inferior quality of facil ities, and unequal treatment under law. In sociological terms, there was little social mobility, institutionalized discrimination, and communities were racially stratified. It was not until the 1960s that the nonviolent protests and public civil disobediences of African Americans began to gain prominence and produce effect. In 1960, one of the many famous acts of civil disobedience, the â€Å"Greensboro Sit-Ins† occurred.The sit-ins consisted of multiple instances of nonviolent protests at the Woolworth Store in Greensboro, North Carolina by local African American students. After repeated protests and growing tensions, the store finally desegregated its services. Coincidently, Ailey’s â€Å"Revelations† was produced in the same year that the protests occurred. Although there wasn’t a direct correlation between the Greensboro protests and the creation of Ailey’s dance, the production of Ailey’s dance was nevertheless a sign of social change.W hen Ailey’s dance company first performed, they changed the entire dynamic of American Dance Theater as African American way of life was finally represented by African Americans instead of by proxies of Caucasian dancers. The ability of African American dancers to represent their own culture shows the social change of the transfer of authority (of the dance theater industry) from the dominant group to the minority group. Another way that Ailey’s dance company signified social change was its integration of different ethnic groups.Following in the footsteps of his mentor, Lester Horton, Ailey decided to include dancers of different races into his dance company in 1962. Ailey’s practice of what sociologists termed â€Å"ethnic pluralism† was another sign of social change. Besides evidencing social change, â€Å"Revelations† also reflected the various elements of American society. The dance itself was able to show these elements through the contents of the plot, which was divided into three sections: â€Å"Pilgrim of Sorrow†, â€Å"Take Me to the Water†, and â€Å"Move Members, Move†.The first section, â€Å"Pilgrims of Sorrow† is about the sufferings of African Americans during the slavery era. The story depicts African Americans toiling through hard labor as slaves and trying to use song as an outlet for relief. Ailey also incorporates the song â€Å"I’ve been ‘Buked†, by Hall Johnson, to accentuate the agony and frustrations of African Americans. The reason why Ailey brought back stories of extreme hardship is perhaps he wanted to remind Americans how much pain African Americans had to go through.He wanted to emphasize how important it was for people to realize the need for the abolishment of segregation. Ailey also probably felt that because America’s history of racial inequality has existed for such a long time, African Americans have become what William Wilson calls the â€Å"permanent underclass†. Even after the Civil Rights Act passed, like W. E. B du Bois described in â€Å"The Philadelphia Negro†, African Americans still face financial disadvantages due to the situations they were put in before the passing of the bill.With the coexistence of people’s constant â€Å"just-world hypothesis† and stubbornness of their cognitive schema, the disadvantages of African Americans will never receive the deserved attention as people will just assume that their misfortunes were brought upon by themselves. This is probably why Ailey recognized the bitter truth that racism will always exist. Slightly different from â€Å"Pilgrims of Sorrow†, â€Å"Take me to the Water† and â€Å"Move Members, Move† conveys a more positive atmosphere as it portrays scenes of baptism and church service. Take me to the Water† depicts a woman by the riverside, ready to get baptized while â€Å"Move Members, Move† depic ts a celebratory church scene. These dances are also reflections of American society as it shows the roles of religion. One role of religion was providing comfort to those undergoing hardship. When African Americans went through slavery, they sought comfort in God and practicing Christianity. Another role of religion in American society was providing solidarity. Emile Durkheim believed that religion brought unity amongst people and connection between individuals.This is reflected in American society as Christianity, America’s largest religion, underlies the many values in American culture. Another important aspect of Ailey’s dance that is worth mentioning is Ailey’s own life. When he was working on â€Å"Revelations†, a lot of the content was the result of his upbringings. Ailey grew up in rural Texas in the segregation era. At that time, especially in Texas, African Americans lived under constant danger as they not only faced discrimination, but also vio lence and risks of random lynching.All of these atrocities combined are probably what allowed Ailey to have such strong feelings towards the suffering of the slaves in the first part of his dance. Another influential moment in Alvin Ailey’s life was his exposure to literature. When he studied at universities in California, he learned of the writings of famous African American writers such as Langston Hughes and James Baldwin. In addition to his meeting with Maya Angelou, he perhaps became influenced and meant his performance to be an act to promote civil rights. Another influence of Ailey’s life was his exposure to religion.When he was young, he attended a Southern Baptist church. The songs and hymns that he heard when he went to church was probably influential to his other two dances â€Å"Take me to the Water† and â€Å"Move Members, Move†. This goes to show that what people experience in their childhood greatly influences their social identity as an ad ult. From Ailey’s background and dance piece, it could be seen that America during the 1960s was dominated by the Caucasian race, had a strong sense of religion (specifically Christianity), and had an unequal society.It was also beginning to advance into a developed society, which explains the rapid social change. To a certain extent, America today still possesses some discrimination towards certain ethnic groups, and equality isn’t exactly fully established in every aspect of the country. Nevertheless, as society progresses, so will its values. There will come a point in the future when all of the negative aspects that society used to possess will change for the better. However, it is important to be aware of the need of social change. One way that social change can be exercised is through art.Art is a highly human expression, and is one of the many methods that can facilitate social change. Works Cited Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre: Origins to 1979†,  In ternational Encyclopedia of Dance, vol. 1. Oxford University Press, New York: 1979. 54-57. Dunning, Jennifer (1996). Alvin Ailey: A Life In Dance. New York: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, INC. ISBN  0-201-62607-1. Foulkes, Julia L. Modern bodies: Dance and American modernism from Martha Graham to  Alvin  Ailey (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2002), 179-184 Kowal, Rebekah J.How to Do Things with Dance : Performing Change in Postwar America (Middletown, CT; Wesleyan University Press, 2010), 1-6 Mitchell, Jack. Alvin  Ailey  American Dance Theater (Kansas City, Mo. : Andrews and McMeel, 1993), 1-25 â€Å"Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-Ins†,  Library of Congress. Retrieved April 15, 2013. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. â€Å"Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-Ins†,  Library of Congress. Retrieved April 15, 2013. [ 2 ]. Kowal, Rebekah J. How to Do Thi ngs with Dance : Performing Change in Postwar America (Middletown, CT; Wesleyan University Press, 2010), 1-6 [ 3 ].Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre: Origins to 1979†,  International Encyclopedia of Dance, vol. 1. Oxford University Press, New York: 1979. 54-57. [ 4 ]. Mitchell, Jack. Alvin  Ailey  American Dance Theater (Kansas City, Mo. : Andrews and McMeel, 1993), 1-25 [ 5 ]. Ibid. [ 6 ]. Foulkes, Julia L. Modern bodies: Dance and American modernism from Martha Graham to  Alvin  Ailey (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2002), 179-184 [ 7 ]. Dunning, Jennifer (1996). Alvin Ailey: A Life In Dance. New York: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, INC. ISBN  0-201-62607-1.

The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 12. TIME

â€Å"I HAVE FORESEEN . . . ,† ALICE BEGAN IN AN OMINOUS tone. Edward threw an elbow toward her ribs, which she neatly dodged. â€Å"Fine,† she grumbled. â€Å"Edward is making me do this. But I did foresee that you would be more difficult if I surprised you.† We were walking to the car after school, and I was completely clueless as to what she was talking about. â€Å"In English?† I requested. â€Å"Don't be a baby about this. No tantrums.† â€Å"Now I'm scared.† â€Å"So you're – I mean we're – having a graduation party. It's no big thing. Nothing to freak out over. But I saw that you would freak out if I tried to make it a surprise party† – she danced out of the way as Edward reached over to muss her hair – â€Å"and Edward said I had to tell you. But it's nothing. Promise.† I sighed heavily. â€Å"Is there any point in arguing?† â€Å"None at all.† â€Å"Okay, Alice. I'll be there. And I'll hate every minute of it. Promise.† â€Å"That's the spirit! By the way, I love my gift. You shouldn't have.† â€Å"Alice, I didn't!† â€Å"Oh, I know that. But you will.† I racked my brains in panic, trying to remember what I'd ever decided to get her for graduation that she might have seen. â€Å"Amazing,† Edward muttered. â€Å"How can someone so tiny be so annoying?† Alice laughed. â€Å"It's a talent.† â€Å"Couldn't you have waited a few weeks to tell me about this?† I asked petulantly. â€Å"Now I'll just be stressed that much longer.† Alice frowned at me. â€Å"Bella,† she said slowly. â€Å"Do you know what day it is?† â€Å"Monday?† She rolled her eyes. â€Å"Yes. It is Monday . . . the fourth.† She grabbed my elbow, spun me halfway around, and pointed toward a big yellow poster taped to the gym door. There, in sharp black letters, was the date of graduation. Exactly one week from today. â€Å"It's the fourth? Of June? Are you sure?† Neither one answered. Alice just shook her head sadly, feigning disappointment, and Edward's eyebrows lifted. â€Å"It can't be! How did that happen?† I tried to count backwards in my head, but I couldn't figure out where the days had gone. I felt like someone had kicked my legs out from under me. The weeks of stress, of worry . . . somehow in the middle of all my obsessing over the time, my time had disappeared. My space for sorting through it all, for making plans, had vanished. I was out of time. And I wasn't ready. I didn't know how to do this. How to say goodbye to Charlie and Rene . . . to Jacob . . . to being human. I knew exactly what I wanted, but I was suddenly terrified of getting it. In theory, I was anxious, even eager to trade mortality for immortality. After all, it was the key to staying with Edward forever. And then there was the fact that I was being hunted by known and unknown parties. I'd rather not sit around, helpless and delicious, waiting for one of them to catch up with me. In theory, that all made sense. In practice . . . being human was all I knew. The future beyond that was a big, dark abyss that I couldn't know until I leaped into it. This simple knowledge, today's date – which was so obvious that I must have been subconsciously repressing it – made the deadline I'd been impatiently counting down toward feel like a date with the firing squad. In a vague way, I was aware of Edward holding the car door for me, of Alice chattering from the backseat, of the rain hammering against the windshield. Edward seemed to realize I was only there in body; he didn't try to pull me out of my abstraction. Or maybe he did, and I was past noticing. We ended up at my house, where Edward led me to the sofa and pulled me down next to him. I stared out the window, into the liquid gray haze, and tried to find where my resolve had gone. Why was I panicking now? I'd known the deadline was coming. Why should it frighten me that it was here? I don't know how long he let me stare out the window in silence. But the rain was disappearing into darkness when it was finally too much for him. He put his cold hands on either side of my face and fixed his golden eyes on mine. â€Å"Would you please tell me what you are thinking? Before I go mad?† What could I say to him? That I was a coward? I searched for words. â€Å"Your lips are white. Talk, Bella.† I exhaled in a big gust. How long had I been holding my breath? â€Å"The date took me off guard,† I whispered. â€Å"That's all.† He waited, his face full of worry and skepticism. I tried to explain. â€Å"I'm not sure what to do . . . what to tell Charlie . . . what to say . . . how to . . .† My voice trailed off. â€Å"This isn't about the party?† I frowned. â€Å"No. But thanks for reminding me.† The rain was louder as he read my face. â€Å"You're not ready,† he whispered. â€Å"I am,† I lied immediately, a reflex reaction. I could tell he saw through it, so I took a deep breath, and told the truth. â€Å"I have to be.† â€Å"You don't have to be anything.† I could feel the panic surfacing in my eyes as I mouthed the reasons. â€Å"Victoria, Jane, Caius, whoever was in my room . . . !† â€Å"All the more reason to wait.† â€Å"That doesn't make any sense, Edward!† He pressed his hands more tightly to my face and spoke with slow deliberation. â€Å"Bella. Not one of us had a choice. You've seen what it's done . . . to Rosalie especially. We've all struggled, trying to reconcile ourselves with something we had no control over. I won't let it be that way for you. You will have a choice.† â€Å"I've already made my choice.† â€Å"You aren't going through with this because a sword is hanging over your head. We will take care of the problems, and I will take care of you,† he vowed. â€Å"When we're through it, and there is nothing forcing your hand, then you can decide to join me, if you still want to. But not because you're afraid. You won't be forced into this.† â€Å"Carlisle promised,† I mumbled, contrary out of habit. â€Å"After graduation.† â€Å"Not until you're ready,† he said in a sure voice. â€Å"And definitely not while you feel threatened.† I didn't answer. I didn't have it in me to argue; I couldn't seem to find my commitment at the moment. â€Å"There.† He kissed my forehead. â€Å"Nothing to worry about.† I laughed a shaky laugh. â€Å"Nothing but impending doom.† â€Å"Trust me.† â€Å"I do.† He was still watching my face, waiting for me to relax. â€Å"Can I ask you something?† I said. â€Å"Anything.† I hesitated, biting my lip, and then asked a different question than the one I was worried about. â€Å"What am I getting Alice for graduation?† He snickered. â€Å"It looked like you were getting us both concert tickets -â€Å" â€Å"That's right!† I was so relieved, I almost smiled. â€Å"The concert in Tacoma. I saw an ad in the paper last week, and I thought it would be something you'd like, since you said it was a good CD.† â€Å"It's a great idea. Thank you.† â€Å"I hope it's not sold out.† â€Å"It's the thought that counts. I ought to know.† I sighed. â€Å"There's something else you meant to ask,† he said. I frowned. â€Å"You're good.† â€Å"I have lots of practice reading your face. Ask me.† I closed my eyes and leaned into him, hiding my face against his chest. â€Å"You don't want me to be a vampire.† â€Å"No, I don't,† he said softly, and then he waited for more. â€Å"That's not a question,† he prompted after a moment. â€Å"Well . . . I was worrying about . . . why you feel that way.† â€Å"Worrying?† He picked out the word with surprise. â€Å"Would you tell me why? The whole truth, not sparing my feelings?† He hesitated for a minute. â€Å"If I answer your question, will you then explain your question?† I nodded, my face still hidden. He took a deep breath before he answered. â€Å"You could do so much better, Bella. I know that you believe I have a soul, but I'm not entirely convinced on that point, and to risk yours . . .† He shook his head slowly. â€Å"For me to allow this – to let you become what I am just so that I'll never have to lose you – is the most selfish act I can imagine. I want it more than anything, for myself. But for you, I want so much more. Giving in – it feels criminal. It's the most selfish thing I'll ever do, even if I live forever. â€Å"If there were any way for me to become human for you – no matter what the price was, I would pay it.† I sat very still, absorbing this. Edward thought he was being selfish. I felt the smile slowly spread across my face. â€Å"So . . . it's not that you're afraid you won't . . . like me as much when I'm different – when I'm not soft and warm and I don't smell the same? You really do want to keep me, no matter how I turn out?† He exhaled sharply. â€Å"You were worried I wouldn't like you?† he demanded. Then, before I could answer, he was laughing. â€Å"Bella, for a fairly intuitive person, you can be so obtuse!† I knew he would think it silly, but I was relieved. If he really wanted me, I could get through the rest . . . somehow. Selfish suddenly seemed like a beautiful word. â€Å"I don't think you realize how much easier it will be for me, Bella,† he said, the echo of his humor still there in his voice, â€Å"when I don't have to concentrate all the time on not killing you. Certainly, there are things I'll miss. This for one . . .† He stared into my eyes as he stroked my cheek, and I felt the blood rush up to color my skin. He laughed gently. â€Å"And the sound of your heart,† he continued, more serious but still smiling a little. â€Å"It's the most significant sound in my world. I'm so attuned to it now, I swear I could pick it out from miles away. But neither of these things matter. This,† he said, taking my face in his hands. â€Å"You. That's what I'm keeping. You'll always be my Bella, you'll just be a little more durable.† I sighed and let my eyes close in contentment, resting there in his hands. â€Å"Now will you answer a question for me? The whole truth, not sparing my feelings?† he asked. â€Å"Of course,† I answered at once, my eyes opening wide with surprise. What would he want to know? He spoke the words slowly. â€Å"You don't want to be my wife.† My heart stopped, and then broke into a sprint. A cold sweat dewed on the back of my neck and my hands turned to ice. He waited, watching and listening to my reaction. â€Å"That's not a question,† I finally whispered. He looked down, his lashes casting long shadows across his cheekbones, and dropped his hands from my face to pick up my frozen left hand. He played with my fingers while he spoke. â€Å"I was worrying about why you felt that way.† I tried to swallow. â€Å"That's not a question, either,† I whispered. â€Å"Please, Bella?† â€Å"The truth?† I asked, only mouthing the words. â€Å"Of course. I can take it, whatever it is.† I took a deep breath. â€Å"You're going to laugh at me.† His eyes flashed up to mine, shocked. â€Å"Laugh? I cannot imagine that.† â€Å"You'll see,† I muttered, and then I sighed. My face went from white to scarlet in a sudden blaze of chagrin. â€Å"Okay, fine! I'm sure this will sound like some big joke to you, but really! It's just so . . . so . . . so embarrassing!† I confessed, and I hid my face against his chest again. There was a brief pause. â€Å"I'm not following you.† I tilted my head back and glared at him, embarrassment making me lash out, belligerent. â€Å"I'm not that girl, Edward. The one who gets married right out of high school like some small-town hick who got knocked up by her boyfriend! Do you know what people would think? Do you realize what century this is? People don't just get married at eighteen! Not smart people, not responsible, mature people! I wasn't going to be that girl! That's not who I am. . . .† I trailed off, losing steam. Edward's face was impossible to read as he thought through my answer. â€Å"That's all?† he finally asked. I blinked. â€Å"Isn't that enough?† â€Å"It's not that you were . . . more eager for immortality itself than for just me?† And then, though I'd predicted that he would laugh, I was suddenly the one having hysterics. â€Å"Edward!† I gasped out between the paroxysms of giggles. â€Å"And here . . . I always . . . thought that . . . you were . . . so much . . . smarter than me!† He took me in his arms, and I could feel that he was laughing with me. â€Å"Edward,† I said, managing to speak more clearly with a little effort, â€Å"there's no point to forever without you. I wouldn't want one day without you.† â€Å"Well, that's a relief,† he said. â€Å"Still . . . it doesn't change anything.† â€Å"It's nice to understand, though. And I do understand your perspective, Bella, truly I do. But I'd like it very much if you'd try to consider mine.† I'd sobered up by then, so I nodded and struggled to keep the frown off my face. His liquid gold eyes turned hypnotic as they held mine. â€Å"You see, Bella, I was always that boy. In my world, I was already a man. I wasn't looking for love – no, I was far too eager to be a soldier for that; I thought of nothing but the idealized glory of the war that they were selling prospective draftees then – but if I had found . . .† He paused, cocking his head to the side. â€Å"I was going to say if I had found someone, but that won't do. If I had found you, there isn't a doubt in my mind how I would have proceeded. I was that boy, who would have – as soon as I discovered that you were what I was looking for – gotten down on one knee and endeavored to secure your hand. I would have wanted you for eternity, even when the word didn't have quite the same connotations.† He smiled his crooked smile at me. I stared at him with my eyes frozen wide. â€Å"Breathe, Bella,† he reminded me, smiling. I breathed. â€Å"Can you see my side, Bella, even a little bit?† And for one second, I could. I saw myself in a long skirt and a high-necked lace blouse with my hair piled up on my head. I saw Edward looking dashing in a light suit with a bouquet of wildflowers in his hand, sitting beside me on a porch swing. I shook my head and swallowed. I was just having Anne of Green Gables flashbacks. â€Å"The thing is, Edward,† I said in a shaky voice, avoiding the question, â€Å"in my mind, marriage and eternity are not mutually exclusive or mutually inclusive concepts. And since we're living in my world for the moment, maybe we should go with the times, if you know what I mean.† â€Å"But on the other hand,† he countered, â€Å"you will soon be leaving time behind you altogether. So why should the transitory customs of one local culture affect the decision so much?† I pursed my lips. â€Å"When in Rome?† He laughed at me. â€Å"You don't have to say yes or no today, Bella. It's good to understand both sides, though, don't you think?† â€Å"So your condition . . . ?† â€Å"Is still in effect. I do see your point, Bella, but if you want me to change you myself. . . .† â€Å"Dum, dum, dah-dum,† I hummed under my breath. I was going for the wedding march, but it sort of sounded like a dirge. Time continued to move too fast. That night flew by dreamlessly, and then it was morning and graduation was staring me in the face. I had a pile of studying to do for my finals that I knew I wouldn't get halfway through in the few days I had left. When I came down for breakfast, Charlie was already gone. He'd left the paper on the table, and that reminded me that I had some shopping to do. I hoped the ad for the concert was still running; I needed the phone number to get the stupid tickets. It didn't seem like much of a gift now that all the surprise was gone. Of course, trying to surprise Alice wasn't the brightest plan to begin with. I meant to flip right back to the entertainment section, but the thick black headline caught my attention. I felt a thrill of fear as I leaned closer to read the front-page story. SEATTLE TERRORIZED BY SLAYINGS It's been less than a decade since the city of Seattle was the hunting ground for the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history. Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, was convicted of the murders of 48 women. And now a beleaguered Seattle must face the possibility that it could be harboring an even more horrifying monster at this very moment. The police are not calling the recent rash of homicides and disappearances the work of a serial killer. Not yet, at least. They are reluctant to believe so much carnage could be the work of one individual. This killer – if, in fact, it is one person – would then be responsible for 39 linked homicides and disappearances within the last three months alone. In comparison, Ridgway's 48- count murder spree was scattered over a 21-year period. If these deaths can be linked to one man, then this is the most violent rampage of serial murder in American history. The police are leaning instead toward the theory that gang activity is involved. This theory is supported by the sheer number of victims, and by the fact that there seems to be no pattern in the choice of victims. From Jack the Ripper to Ted Bundy, the targets of serial killings are usually connected by similarities in age, gender, race, or a combination of the three. The victims of this crime wave range in age from 15-year-old honor student Amanda Reed, to 67-year-old retired postman Omar Jenks. The linked deaths include a nearly even 18 women and 21 men. The victims are racially diverse: Caucasians, African Americans, Hispanics and Asians. The selection appears random. The motive seems to be killing for no other reason than to kill. So why even consider the idea of a serial killer? There are enough similarities in the modus operandi to rule out unrelated crimes. Every victim discovered has been burned to the extent that dental records were necessary for identification. The use of some kind of accelerant, like gasoline or alcohol, seems to be indicated in the conflagrations; however, no traces of any accelerant have yet been found. All of the bodies have been carelessly dumped with no attempt at concealment. More gruesome yet, most of the remains show evidence of brutal violence – bones crushed and snapped by some kind of tremendous pressure – which medical examiners believe occurred before the time of death, though these conclusions are difficult to be sure of, considering the state of the evidence. Another similarity that points to the possibility of a serial: every crime is perfectly clean of evidence, aside from the remains themselves. Not a fingerprint, not a tire tread mark nor a foreign hair is left behind. There have been no sightings of any suspect in the disappearances. Then there are the disappearances themselves – hardly low profile by any means. None of the victims are what could be viewed as easy targets. None are runaways or the homeless, who vanish so easily and are seldom reported missing. Victims have vanished from their homes, from a fourth- story apartment, from a health club, from a wedding reception. Perhaps the most astounding: 30- year-old amateur boxer Robert Walsh entered a movie theater with a date; a few minutes into the movie, the woman realized that he was not in his seat. His body was found only three hours later when fire fighters were called to the scene of a burning trash Dumpster, twenty miles away. Another pattern is present in the slayings: all of the victims disappeared at night. And the most alarming pattern? Acceleration. Six of the homicides were committed in the first month, 11 in the second. Twenty-two have occurred in the last 10 days alone. And the police are no closer to finding the responsible party than they were after the first charred body was discovered. The evidence is conflicting, the pieces horrifying. A vicious new gang or a wildly active serial killer? Or something else the police haven't yet conceived of? Only one conclusion is indisputable: something hideous is stalking Seattle. It took me three tries to read the last sentence, and I realized the problem was my shaking hands. â€Å"Bella?† Focused as I was, Edward's voice, though quiet and not totally unexpected, made me gasp and whirl. He was leaning in the doorway, his eyebrows pulled together. Then he was suddenly at my side, taking my hand. â€Å"Did I startle you? I'm sorry. I did knock. . . .† â€Å"No, no,† I said quickly. â€Å"Have you seen this?† I pointed to the paper. A frown creased his forehead. â€Å"I hadn't seen today's news yet. But I knew it was getting worse. We're going to have to do something . . . quickly.† I didn't like that. I hated any of them taking chances, and whatever or whoever was in Seattle was truly beginning to frighten me. But the idea of the Volturi coming was just as scary. â€Å"What does Alice say?† â€Å"That's the problem.† His frown hardened. â€Å"She can't see anything . . . though we've made up our minds half a dozen times to check it out. She's starting to lose confidence. She feels like she's missing too much these days, that something's wrong. That maybe her vision is slipping away.† My eyes were wide. â€Å"Can that happen?† â€Å"Who knows? No one's ever done a study . . . but I really doubt it. These things tend to intensify over time. Look at Aro and Jane.† â€Å"Then what's wrong?† â€Å"Self-fulfilling prophecy, I think. We keep waiting for Alice to see something so we can go . . . and she doesn't see anything because we won't really go until she does. So she can't see us there. Maybe we'll have to do it blind.† I shuddered. â€Å"No.† â€Å"Did you have a strong desire to attend class today? We're only a couple of days from finals; they won't be giving us anything new.† â€Å"I think I can live without school for a day. What are we doing?† â€Å"I want to talk to Jasper.† Jasper, again. It was strange. In the Cullen family, Jasper was always a little on the fringe, part of things but never the center of them. It was my unspoken assumption that he was only there for Alice. I had the sense that he would follow Alice anywhere, but that this lifestyle was not his first choice. The fact that he was less committed to it than the others was probably why he had more difficulty keeping it up. At any rate, I'd never seen Edward feel dependent on Jasper. I wondered again what he'd meant about Jasper's expertise. I really didn't know much about Jasper's history, just that he had come from somewhere in the south before Alice found him. For some reason, Edward had always shied away from any questions about his newest brother. And I'd always been too intimidated by the tall, blond vampire who looked like a brooding movie star to ask him outright. When we got to the house, we found Carlisle, Esme, and Jasper watching the news intently, though the sound was so low that it was unintelligible to me. Alice was perched on the bottom step of the grand staircase, her face in her hands and her expression discouraged. As we walked in, Emmett ambled through the kitchen door, seeming perfectly at ease. Nothing ever bothered Emmett. â€Å"Hey, Edward. Ditching, Bella?† He grinned at me. â€Å"We both are,† Edward reminded him. Emmett laughed. â€Å"Yes, but it's her first time through high school. She might miss something.† Edward rolled his eyes, but otherwise ignored his favorite brother. He tossed the paper to Carlisle. â€Å"Did you see that they're considering a serial killer now?† he asked. Carlisle sighed. â€Å"They've had two specialists debating that possibility on CNN all morning.† â€Å"We can't let this go on.† â€Å"Let's go now,† Emmett said with sudden enthusiasm. â€Å"I'm dead bored.† A hiss echoed down the stairway from upstairs. â€Å"She's such a pessimist,† Emmett muttered to himself. Edward agreed with Emmett. â€Å"We'll have to go sometime.† Rosalie appeared at the top of the stairs and descended slowly. Her face was smooth, expressionless. Carlisle was shaking his head. â€Å"I'm concerned. We've never involved ourselves in this kind of thing before. It's not our business. We aren't the Volturi.† â€Å"I don't want the Volturi to have to come here,† Edward said. â€Å"It gives us so much less reaction time.† â€Å"And all those innocent humans in Seattle,† Esme murmured. â€Å"It's not right to let them die this way.† â€Å"I know,† Carlisle sighed. â€Å"Oh,† Edward said sharply, turning his head slightly to look at Jasper. â€Å"I didn't think of that. I see. You're right, that has to be it. Well, that changes everything.† I wasn't the only one who stared at him in confusion, but I might have been the only one who didn't look slightly annoyed. â€Å"I think you'd better explain to the others,† Edward said to Jasper. â€Å"What could be the purpose of this?† Edward started to pace, staring at the floor, lost in thought. I hadn't seen her get up, but Alice was there beside me. â€Å"What is he rambling about?† she asked Jasper. â€Å"What are you thinking?† Jasper didn't seem to enjoy the spotlight. He hesitated, reading every face in the circle – for everyone had moved in to hear what he would say – and then his eyes paused on my face. â€Å"You're confused,† he said to me, his deep voice very quiet. There was no question in his assumption. Jasper knew what I was feeling, what everyone was feeling. â€Å"We're all confused,† Emmett grumbled. â€Å"You can afford the time to be patient,† Jasper told him. â€Å"Bella should understand this, too. She's one of us now.† His words took me by surprise. As little as I'd had to do with Jasper, especially since my last birthday when he'd tried to kill me, I hadn't realize that he thought of me that way. â€Å"How much do you know about me, Bella?† Jasper asked. Emmett sighed theatrically, and plopped down on the couch to wait with exaggerated impatience. â€Å"Not much,† I admitted. Jasper stared at Edward, who looked up to meet his gaze. â€Å"No,† Edward answered his thought. â€Å"I'm sure you can understand why I haven't told her that story. But I suppose she needs to hear it now.† Jasper nodded thoughtfully, and then started to roll up the arm of his ivory sweater. I watched, curious and confused, trying to figure out what he was doing. He held his wrist under the edge of the lampshade beside him, close to the light of the naked bulb, and traced his finger across a raised crescent mark on the pale skin. It took me a minute to understand why the shape looked strangely familiar. â€Å"Oh,† I breathed as realization hit. â€Å"Jasper, you have a scar exactly like mine.† I held out my hand, the silvery crescent more prominent against my cream skin than against his alabaster. Jasper smiled faintly. â€Å"I have a lot of scars like yours, Bella.† Jasper's face was unreadable as he pushed the sleeve of his thin sweater higher up his arm. At first my eyes could not make sense of the texture that was layered thickly across the skin. Curved half-moons crisscrossed in a feathery pattern that was only visible, white on white as it was, because the bright glow of the lamp beside him threw the slightly raised design into relief, with shallow shadows outlining the shapes. And then I grasped that the pattern was made of individual crescents like the one on his wrist . . . the one on my hand. I looked back at my own small, solitary scar – and remembered how I'd received it. I stared at the shape of James's teeth, embossed forever on my skin. And then I gasped, staring up at him. â€Å"Jasper, what happened to you?†

Race & Ethnicity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Race & Ethnicity - Essay Example In America, ethnicity and race have been perceived differently in the past and presently due to color, gender discrimination, and religious differences, which are the main determinants. The traditional perception of race and ethnicity in the country was that those who belonged to a specific race were segregated from the other. Each tribe was independent of the other irrespective of the above factors. Today in America, ethnicity, and race involves grouping people on the basis of how much the society rewards them and their shared culture. Unlike in the past when majority of Americans were white, presently, people in America are either black or white, and their no transition except for Native Americans or the Asian Americans (Margret 12). As a result, race and ethnicity was not on the basis of color in the past. Today, white people in America live segregated from the non-whites. The Africans-Americans live typically in large Africans neighborhoods. The residential segregation has led to elevated levels of poverty experienced in the racial and ethnic minorities. These minorities have dismal chances to acquire jobs, poor healthcare facilities and are prone to crime. There has been increased resistance fusion in marriage patterns of people of America outside their ethnic, religious, and racial groups. Gender differences did not have power in the past hence determined not much race and ethnicity. Today, gender has been a base of discrimination in the United States where the interests of the females have been addressed as those of minority. The white men have overlooked the oppression of the female sex gender. Feminism distracts women from full participation in the America’s progress, and their formation of feminist groups among the Blacks worsens the matter (Clear et. al. 22). The media portray the black African-Americans negatively where they are seen as uneducated, prostitutes, and homemaker’s. Race and ethnicity has been violent because of religious d ifferences presently due to the increase in religious denominations. In the past, religion did not have much power as it does today hence determined less about race and ethnicity. Today, people have used religion as a discriminatory factor in the United States. Terrorist have even used religion as their bases for terror, for example, the Muslims fight the Christians in America. European immigrants sometimes faced religious intolerance as well as the Roman Catholics who suffered from prejudice (Clear 38). People discriminate others because of religion because they are unfamiliar with other religions and the childish mentality that any opposing religion is wrong. Many people from childhood grow not knowing how to appreciate other’s religion and thus train to treat them brutally. People of a specific religion are thus forced to adopt some behaviors that will seclude them from the rest and this form a based for racism and ethnicity in the United States (Barron 4). In conclusion, race and ethnicity is common in the American society, but different from the traditional perspective in respect to color, gender discrimination, and religious differences. Evident in this paper, presently, the patterns of race and ethnicity are changing by being biracial and multiracial among the present children (Margret 18). Through color, race and ethnici

Case study hillton's transformation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hillton's transformation - Case Study Example This spirit of togetherness and unity of the community was manifested in the city and all the parties involved in the area including the labor unions representing the employees accepted that all the employees be given the opportunity to exercise their freedom at their work places. Based on their experience, the workers are accorded the opportunity for growth and development through rise in ranks and promotion. All the employees at Hillton were working in the environment where all their activities in the industry were guided by industrial legislations and regulations. Under these clauses, all the employees are entitled to equal treatment and fair treatment with equality. The employees at Hillton were expected to adequately learn and acquire the skills that match their job skills and technical competence. Besides, the employees of Hillton must keep good work records as they waits for their turn to rise to the ranks. Since 1970s, Hillton has experience economic growth and development. O ver these years, the economy of this small city has posted a significant increase in the economic status covering all the sectors of the economy. The city was characterized by changes in the demographic statistics and the human population features. It is through such changes in the population and demographic features that the entire city undergone transformation. Major change and transformation took place in the municipality’s labor force departments. This was necessitated by the fact that the rise in the human population seeking services of the municipal council had increased, thus increasing the pressure and the demand from the organization to deliver quality services to the needy and service demanding population. The municipal therefore had no choice but to transform its labor and workforce units to attend to the diverse and increasing demands of the public. To meet the increase in the demand of services, Hillton conducted a massive restructuring of its labor force and thi s called for fair and quick promotion of the employees and increasing the responsibilities assigned to these groups of personnel. The City also had to seek for the services of many outsiders and thereby employing more people to help in the delivery of services to the public and to reduce the pressure on its small workforce. At this point in time, Hillton had never imagined of any form of institutional layoffs but instead the organization practiced what the experts describe as â€Å"conform and entitlement† management policy. The department manager has all the freedom at their working environment with little intervention from the city manager or the elected council members. Besides, the tax policies of the council were very weak and ineffective. The council of Hillton which initially had poor and insufficient resources to meet the growing demands raises by a rise in the demographic statistics had to restructure its institutions and systems. The most affected class was the phys ical and social amenities, including roads, security, recreational facilities, building and lands. This process of conducting social reconstruction and development of city called for the expansion of the work force of the council thereby leading to the inclusion of outsider in the early described as the inside tasks. Rather than promoting its internal staff as had been the culture at Hillton, in 1996, the management filled all the vacant position in the city council with hired technical and professional outsourced from other countries

Hospitality Management internship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hospitality Management internship - Essay Example The following paragraphs state the pros and cons of the democratic management skill to this particular organization. This type of management skill will in one way or another lift the employee’s morale because they feel important and treasured in the development of the particular organization. The uplift of an employee’s morale3 will hence increase the output of the employee towards the increase of the particular organizations .on the other hand the consultation of the employees before making of any decisions will lead to the employer identifying miss ups in the organization. This will then lead the organization growing at very fast rate with minimal mistakes to bring down the organization. In other cases, this type if management may lead to the employees losing their trust on the management and decision making skills of the particular management. Sometimes the employees may want the management to make decisions for them. Through the democratic form in the organization, the culture of the organization is kept alive hence making the team building of the organization much easier. Due to the ongoing culture of the organization, the management is able to help the employees of the organization grow in skill in the particular posts posted in. Through the method the employees consult each other and correct their weaknesses together hence making the organization much stronger as a team. This will then make the cohesiveness of the employees much stronger hence facilitating the management and the running of the organization. Each employee is unique and has his or her own strength and weaknesses hence the employer is able to pick out the specific employees with the same strengths in the organization and put them together. This will be able to make the organization strong in every aspect because many of its members are4 working on the same part of the organization hence making of mistakes is pretty hard for the members working as one

Value of Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Value of Music - Essay Example Music listening is such an involvement that facilitates a healing environment. Music allows people to relate their emotions with themselves and gives them a feeling of self-awareness which leads to a better life overall. Music is a safe, cheap and easily used tool for helping people to manage pain, confusion, and other such issues that are wrongly interfering in their lives. Music sure can lead to an emotional response and arouse certain emotions in a person; however, it can also form emotional habits in a person and when he listens to a certain kind of music his emotions do not need another stimulus to arise. Aristotle wrote about this phenomenon in these words â€Å"by music a man becomes accustomed to feeling the right emotions† (Marshall, 1953, p. 229). If music is used in healing environments it would prove to be helpful and would assist in the promotion of mental as well as physical health. It is said that music is a universal language that allows understanding among dif ferent cultures; similarly, music is also a universal language within the body and it leads to better living (Gardner, 1990). Several genres of music exist all around the world. One such is hip hop which reflects the feel that women are objects to be used and disposed of; they do not have any value. It is assumed that anyone who would listen to such music would get against the female population since music does affect the emotions and habits of the listener. Powell has argued that such sexism exists in hip hop in order to â€Å"silence feminist critiques of the culture† (McLune). However, what about the fact that the females grow up in such an environment as well yet their character is not questioned like that of black men? If we look at Powell’s argument it would be very apparent that it is perfectly okay for sexism to exist if there is the phenomenon of poverty. This, however, makes no sense because whites can also do what black men do, there being no difference betw een them besides the colour of their skin. If there is no such difference where does the difference occur in sexism in music? And then there is the fact that female rappers also exist. How can a person go against his own kind like these women who talk shit about the rest of the female population? Of course, they mean it for the actual bitchy women, and not everyone. But is this excuse even valid? Music has a psychological aspect to it and it can affect an individual very positively or negatively, depending on the kind of music being listened to. It can improve a person’s mental health, calm and relax him and prove to be intellectually stimulating. Such is the case with adults, teens and children alike. Music has an effect on our emotions and affects the way we think. Through music we can successfully communicate and discuss concepts. Music is a way of life. It even unites people and bridges gaps among those who may not have anything else in common. It soothes us and conveys a message of brotherhood. Music is something which awakens from the extreme depth of a person’s soul, his emotion and thus it is an important aspect to be studied in emotion psychology. Every kind of music has its own way and thus a distinct interpretation. It all depends on the composer that is how he chooses to convey his message, whether it is in sadness, loyalty, anger or any other emotion. In fact, music has proven to be a very emotional communication tool. The kind of music we listen to can have a great effect on the kind of person we are and the type of personality we adopt. The intensity and frequency of music can surely affect our mental health, whether it is positively or negatively since that depends on what kind we are listening to. However, an argument presented by (Jones) says that violent media is good for kids. We just talked about the different genres of music affecting people in different ways, with the violent, negative and strong music disturbing individual s and negatively affecting their habits and