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The Crucible Research Paper West Memphis Three - 1480 Words

Crucible Research Paper : West Memphis Three The West Memphis Three terminology was birthed when three troubled, teenage boys were accused of brutally torturing and murdering three young, innocent boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, in May of 1993. Authorities had mounting pressure to find the culprits responsible for the unspeakable crime. In a very short time, the three teens were accused, arrested and then charged with the brutal crime. It was not Salem, Massachusetts, but a witch-hunt was going on in West Memphis. It was almost three hundred years later, but three teenagers had to feel like they were being treated like witches that had to be put away. Chris Byers, Michael Moore, and Stevie Branch were the three innocent eight year old boys who were on a bike ride adventure on May 5, 1993 and never returned home again. Family, friends and the entire community were mortified beyond belief. It was unspeakable what happened to the boys. Chris, Michael, and Stevie were found in Robin Hood Hills naked, bound and mutilated. Immediately, rumors began that due to the brutal nature of the crime, it had to be that of satanic doing. On the flip side of the above innocent youngs boys, there are the three very troubled teens that live in the same town. Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, and Jason Baldwin. They were three well known teenagers in West Memphis Arkansas. The three teens had definitely made a name for themselves in their home town. There were rumors of

Case Brief Free Essays

Membreno, the plaintiff in this case hailed from Honduras. He entered into a work contract with the company Costa Crociere SPA or Costa, the defendant. He worked as an oiler on the ship on a contract with Cruise Ships Catering Service International, N. We will write a custom essay sample on Case Brief or any similar topic only for you Order Now V., (CSCS), a Netherlands Antilles company. The on – land office of the company was in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles. Costa is an Italian corporation whose headquarters are in Genoa, Italy. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, Panama, whose business is in Miami, Florida. It had no offices and staff in the United States. The plaintiff Membreno was on a brief work contract with CSCS to work on the ship Costa Atlantica. During the cruise, Membreno received a severe injury to his wrist while performing his duties. At that time the ship was on high seas in international waters and was sailing under the Italian flag. The Plaintiff reported to the on duty supervisor and ship’s doctor with regard to his injury. However, no medical treatment was offered to the plaintiff. Upon the completion of his contract, Membreno disembarked from the ship and went to Honduras where a surgeon diagnosed his wrist with Kinnock’s disease and recommended surgical treatment. Membreno sought and obtained a second opinion from a Miami orthopedic surgeon who performed surgery on the plaintiff’s wrist. In addition, the plaintiff also underwent physical therapy. Procedural History: Subsequently Membreno filed a petition in the district court on the basis of the Jones Act and general maritime law and claimed compensation for his injury. The defendants Costa and CSCS resorted to the doctrine of forum non conveniens to have the petition dismissed. The district court   taking into consideration   this doctrine dismissed the case. After this Membreno filed an appeal petition in the Eleventh Circuit Court. Issues legal question: The issues to be addressed in this case were : first, whether a suit can be filed in the   US courts   in respect of a cause of action that had arisen in a place that was external to its territorial waters , secondly, whether the Jones Act and the General Maritime Laws could be applied in this particular case. Thirdly, whether a claim could be dismissed on the grounds of forum non conveniens. Broad holding: The Jones Act and the General Maritime Laws will be applicable if the cause of action arises within the Territorial waters of the US. A claim cannot be made at a place where a subsidiary company is situated. Narrow holding: The court rejected the contention of the plaintiff stating that the injury had been inflicted on the High Seas. The company in Florida was a subsidiary to the main company. Doctrinal Reasoning: In Szumlicz v. Norwegian Am. Line, Inc. it was held that   the a claim should be dismissed on the grounds of   forum non conveniens in cases where  Ã‚   the United States law was   not applicable (Szumlicz v Norwegian Am.Line, Inc, 1983).The Supreme Court framed eight conditions in Lauritzen v. Larsen, which should be taken into consideration . They are: the place of the unlawful act, the national flag of the vessel, the residence of the injured party, the ship owner’s residential location, the place of the contract, the accessibility of a foreign court, the law of the court, and finally, the place of business of the ship owner. Six conditions out of these were not fulfilled, hence the defendant plead that US law was not applicable to the plaintiff. The important contention as to whether the defendant had been conducting his main business from the United States was proved in the negative (Lauritzen v. Larsen, 1953 ). Policy Reasoning: The Eleventh Circuit Court upheld the decision of the district court. Miscellaneous: There were no dissenting opinions as the judgement was unanimous. References Lauritzen v. Larsen, 345 U.S. 571 (1953 ). Szumlicz v Norwegian Am.Line, Inc, 698F.2d 1192 (11th Circuit Court 1983).                         How to cite Case Brief, Essay examples

Understanding Of World Literature Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Understanding Of World Literature. Answer: World literature in its most simple sense is the sum total of all kinds of literature that prevails in the world in various cultures and countries. The exchange of literary knowledge between the countries and the appreciation of the same is the essence of world literature. However to define the world literature in a particular way of expression is almost impossible as the characteristic features are extremely varied and the extent of the literary works are limitless. Important is Goethes remark National literature is now a rather unmeaning term; the epoch of world literature is at hand, and everyone must strive to hasten its approach in understanding the purview of the literature in an international arena and how globalization in literature is paving way for further exchange of literary culture. Marx on the other hand in 1847 stated National one-sidedness and narrow-mindedness become more and more impossible, and from the numerous national and local literatures there arises a world literature which may in a way be termed as the Marxists definition of world literature (Prawer, 2014). Fritz Stritch has endeavored in explaining world literature as traffic in ideas between peoples, a literary market to which the nations bring their intellectual treasures for exchange. All these potential descriptions have however not served the purpose of producing an all pervasive and comprehensive definition of world literature. Tartuffe is a play composed by Moliere in 1664. This can be successfully termed as a world literature because the term Tartuffe itself started to be used in the meaning hypocrite in English language (Molire, 2015). Antigone on the other hand was composed long ago in around 440 BC. This work cannot be truly be described as world literature as it mainly centers around the legends and myths of Thebes. However various themes included in the literature goes with todays various issues like civil disobedience, legal institutions, and family bonds. The Stranger by Albert Camus on the other hand perfectly represents the features of world literature, because the title character Meursault is described as "a citizen of France domiciled inNorth Africa, a man of theMediterranean, anhomme du midiyet one who hardly partakes of the traditional Mediterranean culture (Camus, 1993), what can be a better example of world literature which makes the reader go through so many cultures and ideas through one character. Leo Tolstoy completed the work Hadji Murat in his last days. This work eloquently depicts a classic east vs. west theme while depicting the struggle between Russia which was dominantly Christian and Chechnya which was dominantly Muslim. This work sincerely reflects the essence of the term world literature. The main difference between world literature and global literature lies in the fact that global literature is composed keeping in mind the world audience hence the themes are those to which the world readers can connect, on the other hand world literature was not composed keeping in mind the global nature of the readers, but the quality of the work and its themes made the world appreciate it. In conclusion it can be said that though there was and there are endeavors in defining the term world literature but it has not been possible yet. The extent of literature is so vast throughout the world that such possibilities are probably not to be materialized any time soon. Reference: Camus, A. (1993). The Stranger. 1942.Trans. Matthew Ward. New York: Knopf. Molire, J. B. P. (2015).Tartuffe. Oberon Books. Prawer, S. S. (2014).Karl Marx and world literature. Verso Books.

Theory Of Consumer Choice Essays - Consumer Theory, Marginal Utility

Theory of Consumer Choice I think that it is right to begin with the Theory of consumer choice. The above consumer has expressed his preference of choice. He has a taste for seafood which he prefers above all other types of food. This does not mean that he only eats seafood, but in line with the last two elements of the theory of consumer choice, he has shown his preference for taste and on that assumption, will do the best that he can for himself to consume as much seafood as he can. The elements of the theory which govern exactly how much seafood he will consume are the first two, namely the consumer's income and the price of seafood. We can assume therefore, that the consumer will devote as much of his budgeted income for food, to as much seafood as he can afford in preference to other foods such as hamburgers. A budget line can be drawn up to show a trade off between say, fish suppers and hamburgers to indicate the combinations of fish suppers and hamburgers the consumer can afford given his income and the prices of each meal. Points on the buget line will all be within the consumers budget for food. All points below the line will show the possible combinations of dinners avaiable for his choice. All points above the line wil be unaffordable. It will be possible to see how far the consumer could indulge his passion for seafood in one week. (Slope of budget line = -Pu/Pv) The next considerations that might be taken are the marginal rate of substitution of one meal for another without changing the total utility, the diminishing marginal rate of substitution which will hold utility constant and representation of taste as indifference curves. I will not elaborate on these at this point as I believe that the marginal utility and diminishing marginal utility are more relevany and pertinent to the question. I shall now contunue by defining utility. In economic jargon, utility is a numerical method of appreciating a consumer's satisfaction. The word itself, as far as meaning is concerned, has nothing to do with its meaning in everyday language. It has nothing to do with usefulness, it is a satisfaction based unit of measurement. Marginal utility on the other hand is, in a sense, an extra utility. What is meant in economic jargon by marginal is the additional pleasure a specific good gives to a consumer. Diminishing marginal utility is the marginal utility lessening due to the growth of consumption. For example, a consumer consumes a pound of fish, and his utility is 10 units, and his marginal utility is 10 units. If the same consumer consumed two pounds of fish, his utility would be 15, but his marginal utility would be 7. The same effect on marginal utility would take place if the amount consumed further increase. Since marginal utility diminishes as the quantity of fish consumed increases, we are faced with diminishing marginal utility. The point is that no matter how good the the consumer's fish dinners are , the more that is consumed, the less satisfaction will the consumer have compared to the initial portion. This of course is down to personal taste, for consumer A may have a diminishing marginal utility that decreases a lot more slowly than consumer B. The fact remains, that at some point, both comsumers will become saturated by their love for seafood and the law of diminishing marginal utility will make itself apparent. Our consumer, as this point, will seek to substitute some of his fish dinners with hamburgers or another alternative. To conclude, the title question based on the argument above, the statement: ?I love seafood so much I can't get enough of it? may be passionate, but economically speaking is implausible. Even if theoretically speaking the consumer had access to an infinite amount of seafood and an unlimited budget, in the end the good would not satisfy the consumer enough to remain a preferred good, thus this change in preference would result in the consumer literally having had enough. First we must consider suppy and demand. Supply is the quantity of a good that sellers want to sell at every price. Demand is the quantity

Analysis of Marks Spencers International Strategy The WritePass Journal

Analysis of Marks Spencers International Strategy Introduction Analysis of Marks Spencers International Strategy IntroductionBackground to the Marks SpencerPast issues related to MSCurrent business climateReviewing its current international strategyRecommendations BibliographyRelated Introduction This report looks at the current international strategy adopted by MS, what are the past issues of the company, what steps it took during the time of downfall and how did it overcome its mistakes to bounce back in the global market with its new marketing strategy. The report is a mix of the academic research and the case study materials provided from which the final conclusion can be drawn as to the organization should proceed to internationalization or not during current market situations. Background to the Marks Spencer MS as a business organization came into existence in 1884 when it was just a penny bazaar. Today after 125 glorious years of growth and expansion, the company is the biggest retailer in the UK. Its product ranges from clothing, food products and household accessories etc. It entered the international market by franchising in countries such as Canada, USA, France, Belgium, and Ireland etc. By the end of 19th century, the international market was on the verge of collapse due to improper management by the senior management of the company. Thus the company decided to withdraw its presence from the international market and instead concentrate only on the home market. (MS company history 2011) Past issues related to MS MS first entered the global market by targeting Hong Kong and South Africa by exporting its products to these countries under the brand name of St. Michaels. Eventually it terminated its contract with Do dwells, which in turn proved to be a disaster for the company as problems related to the local retailers and franchise did not allow the company to build a strong base in the Asian market. (Bevan 2001). MS targeted the Canadian market through family tie-ups and was successful in operating 275 stores across the country. By the end of the 80’s it entered the US market through purchasing a retail market chain named King’s supermarket and Brooks brothers. But eventually the North American market did not accept MS as a competitive brand due to lack of clear branding and positioning of its products. It was unable to satisfy the customer’s demand; also a large number of competitors did not give MS a chance to sustain itself in the market. (Sparks 2005). MS did not offshore its productions to a different country due to quality concerns. This lead to increase in the cost of production which in-turn lead to charging higher price from the customers. On the other hand, the customers did not find the product that appealing so as to pay a premium price for its products. Similarly MS entered the European market without any strategy to be adopted and mainly on the belief that its current business techniques would hold good in catering these market as well. It started expanding its operations in a haphazard situation without a rational strategic approach to it.   (Mellahi et al. 2002) Current business climate By 2001 the company withdrew all its overseas operations and started concentrating in the domestic market. It is a good decision that they took, as there were many flaws that would have taken a lot of time to rectify along with huge losses to bear. The global market has currently undergone a recession stage where MS was deeply affected by decreases in profit margins by 11% from the year 2005 to 2007. Only during the year 2009 it had performed a profitable business with 17% and 5% increase in profits and market share respectively. Its time when the company is recovering and finding new opportunities to enter the international market with a planned and structured system to target the global consumer retail market. The company has carefully analyzed its past mistakes and then has structured its plans for the future.   The next three years is to concentrate mainly in restoring its stability in the market by improving the marketing of their products into various segments and classifications. At the same time it will set foundation for the future expansion through mediums such as space grows, improving multi-channel retailing and to built its capability further to become an international company. (Cameron et al. 1988) Reviewing its current international strategy On the basis of the past issues within MS and the steps taken to cater the current business climate, we have seen the changes related to the target market, mode of entry in the new market, benefits to enter new market, rectification of past mistakes and setting clear objectives for internationalization etc. MS has decided to stabilize itself from the recession and build up its market share in the UK for the next three years; simultaneously working on rational international decisions. These measures show that the company is clear about its vision and mission related to its future. The following points discussed below prove to satisfy me to go forward with the current international strategy, as they have understood the demand in the international market and should implement its strategy accordingly. The current major steps taken by the company are: To enter large markets such as India, China and Europe etc where there is already a demand for this brand. Concentration in one particular market and finishing it first and then moving to another area proves better positioning and marketing for the product. MS can change its marketing style from product driven to market driven. This helps the company to understand the regional demand of their products and to cater it accordingly. (J MS results and multi year strategy 2010) Franchising is a great option rather than opening their own store. Choosing the appropriate franchisee will improve market capturing and sales in that particular country. E.g. to cater the Indian market MS has tied up with Reliance group. On the other hand, the franchising schemes cannot be same in all the countries due to political, economic and social factors. This could create operational problem for the company in the long run. (Quinn and Doherty 2000) Concentration on brand positioning and brand awareness is been done so that the market is aware of the different products and brands the company is offering. Thus there will be no confusing in the mind of the customers related to brands. There can be a possible threat of not accepting a product by different markets or there can be a very low demand for the same. Also MS overseas do not keep food items and accessories unlike UK. Thus it creates huge difference in the brand positioning between two or more countries. (Eyring et al. 2011) The company never grasped the advantage of patented USP such as storm ware clothing range in order to distinguish itself from other company. Today they are looking forward for such restructured range. E.g. fusing storm ware technology into jeans, t-shirts etc. (J MS results and multi year strategy 2010) Flagship stores are to be placed in each region along with supporting stores such as smaller outlets and Internet channels so that the customer can feel a heavy presence of this brand in the market. Amazon platform is currently reliable for the company. (J MS results and multi year strategy 2010) It is practically not possible for the company to perform as planned in its international strategy. There would be uncontrollable factors, which may lead to variations from its objective. The degree of variation can also determine the success and failure of the company. Adequate financial back up is needed for research and development in each particular market. Thus the risk is also high which the company is taking, if not successful in sustaining in the new market there would be huge loss for the company. Recommendations The company should offshore its manufacturing units to different geographic regions so they can cater different markets well. This will change the British brand image to global brand image. Example: Apple Inc is an American company, which contains the software made in Hyderabad, India and the product manufacturing is done in Taiwan. Thus it contains a global brand image. Adopt decentralization system in the organization so that delegation of work can be encouraged, thus involving the regional departments to participate in the major decisions to be taken. Example: Toyota involves every subordinate to participate in the decisions to be taken so that they can receive more opinions before taking any decisions. MS in an umbrella company which involves different products such as food, GM clothing and accessories etc, it has to carefully balance the brand image of all these products simultaneously. It will be a challenge to the company to maintain all the demand in all the countries. Therefore the company should segment and position its products to the lowest possible level before entering that particular market i.e. appropriate portfolio management. (Eyring et al. 2011) MS is always special by taking a step forward at maintaining a high quality that reflects its brand image, thus the company can strongly capitalize on this image for future growth. (Bolland presentation 2010) For every market there should be a particular marketing style in order to attract more customers. The marketing can be through different medium such as Internet, radio, television, banners hording etc.   The marketing should be done keeping in mind the culture, traditions and lifestyle of different regions. The company should adopt the characteristics of a multinational company where the revenue generated should be retained in that department instead of transferring it to the home country. The benefit is that the company does not have to manage the foreign exchange from around the world plus these funds can be capitalize for further growth and expansion within that region. Bibliography Marks and Spencer plc. 2011. Company history. Available at: http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/aboutus/ourhistory   [Accessed: 21st Mar 2011]. Bevan, J. 2001. The Rise and Fall of Marks and Spencer. Profile Books, London. Paul Jackson, Leigh Sparks, (2005) Retail internationalization: Marks and Spencer in Hong Kong, International Journal of Retail Distribution Management, Vol. 33 Issue: 10, pp.766 – 783 Mellahi, K, Cameron. et al. 2002. International Review Of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research. 12(2), pp 191-219. Eyring, M.J. et al. 2011. New Business Models in Emerging Markets. Harvard Business Review. Vol. 89. 2011. Quinn and Doherty. (2000). Burt et al.: Retail internalization and retail failure.(3), 207. _J MS results and multi year strategy_(video recording) 2010,London,UK. BOLLAND, M and STEWART, A. (2010, November 5th). MS Corporate Strategy.   [PowerPoint slides]. Presented at a conference in London, UK. WORD COUNT: 1602

Lions Den Sports Bar & Billiards (Business Plan) Research Paper

Lions Den Sports Bar & Billiards (Business Plan) - Research Paper Example Lion’s Den will run under single proprietorship, with top managers running the various facets of the business. Management wishes to establish the business by means of coordinated marketing and operational execution that will solidify name recognition, and appreciation for the concept. The efforts include both above-the-line and below-the-line advertising, face to face communication and focused strategies. With the marketing plan taking care of drawing the crowd into the business, the operations team will further strengthen client relationship by providing excellent customer service, exemplified by stringent operating guidelines, and up to date employee training and extensive product research. Its expansion plans also prompts management to focus on good inventory management, investing only on fast-moving goods and at the same time, not fearful of experimenting on new trends to find out which fit the target market. The sports bar business will compete in terms of facilities by offering the most number of televisions in the city, and a state of the art table top audio control to give the customers the comfort of being able to listen to his program without the interference of other clients, or without having to wait for the assistance of the service crews. There will also be top-of-the line sports facilities that include billiard tables and dart boards, a mini arcade and a concept bar that are both comfortable and edgy in nature. Clients will feel at ease, and at the same time, be entertained the programs, facilities, visuals and food that the restaurant offers. Lion’s Den will also capitalize on Information Technology and computers to provide the best facilities to the target market. It plans to further expand its business by opening more branches in neighboring cities in the next five years. New Jersey has the most number of malls

The impact of Wireless technology on the field of Communication and Essay

The impact of Wireless technology on the field of Communication and computer engineering - Essay Example Today, we have wireless technology. Examples of wireless technology are all around us including mobile phones, laptops, USB internet, and cameras etc. These technologies are very important because they help us stay connected with each other all the time. The impact of wireless technology on communication and computer engineering is very big. In this paper, it has been discussed how big the impact of wireless technology on communication and computer is engineering. Communication is conversation, interaction, or change of words, ideas, or messages between two or more than two people at the same time. For a long time in the history, when there used to be no wireless technology or even wired technology, people used to send letter to each other through post. That was a very time consuming process. The postman delivered the letters by hand. It took even more time for the sender to get the reply from the person through letter. Then came wired technology. The history of wireless technology c an be traced back to â€Å"1896 [when] Marconi took his apparatus to England where he was introduced to Mr. (later Sir) William Preece, Engineer-in-Chief of the Post Office, and later that year was granted the world's first patent for a system of wireless telegraphy† (nobelprize.org, 2013). When telephone was created, it changed communication a lot. It took the quality of communication and its speed to a whole new level. People contacted each other by phone. Those used to be large phones with bells and buttons containing digits. Although those wired telephones improved communication a lot, yet they were difficult to set up as one needed to do proper wiring in order to be able to talk through them. Then came mobile phones. In the start, only few people had mobile phones and it was considered a status symbol. However, over the last decade, mobile phones became very common and even very poor people started having them. Mobile phones took the communication to an even higher level . Using mobile phones, people did not have to connect to each other through wires because mobile phones were wireless. They worked by catching signals from the air. This shifted the responsibility over to the mobile phone companies and the telecommunication companies to install their towers everywhere so that the signals would propagate everywhere. Once these towers were installed, people became very free. They could talk to each other both within the country and outside using mobile phones. Communication became completely wireless. Over the passage of time, mobile phones improved in quality. They became thinner, smarter, and sharper in that their features were improved. Then came mobile phones with cameras installed in them. This further improved communication because people could not only talk to each other, but also exchange photos with each other that were captured using the mobile phone’s camera. Internet is another technology that is available in wireless form and has h ad a great impact over communication and computer engineering. Today, internet is available in different forms. There is a wired form and there is a wireless form also. In the wired form, internet companies provide wired connection to the users at their homes. They connect their computers or laptops to the internet device using wires. Wires are inserted in ports, one in the desktop computer and the other in the internet device. Laptops have an edge over desktop computers because they consist of wifi facility. Wifi catches signals of the internet device so that internet can be run on the laptop without having to connect it to the internet device using a wire. Using such internet connections, people started communicating with each other in an

Burger Kingcustomer centrality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Burger Kingcustomer centrality - Essay Example Beginning in 1974 they began offering consumers the empowerment to have burgers made to you're own specifications. Burger King opened their first drive-thru window in the US in 1975, and is currently offering healthier menu items for the calorie and cholesterol conscious consumers. Burger King has always placed an emphasis on customer choice and satisfaction. Customer satisfaction can be gauged by employing and combining the results of the customer value models described in the article, 'Customer Value: a Review of Recent Literature and an Integrative Configuration'. (Khalifa 2004: 655-662) By combining the outcomes of the value exchange model, value buildup model, and value dynamics model, Burger King receives high marks in providing customer value. Burger King strives to make the consumers' experience with them as positive as possible. By offering a quality product at a competitive price in a timely, convenient, and friendly manner, Burger King has managed to grow and become one of the worlds' largest fast-food franchise businesses. Convenient locations, ease of service and consistency of quality in their products, in addition to the empowerment provided to all customers purchasing their products, allows for greater customer benefits in relation to sacrifices made in the procurement of these services. This means Burger King scores well based upon the criteria used in rating customer value using the value exchange model. (p. 655) The value build model correlates four aspects of the relationship between customer and supplier: How the customer is treated and their level of satisfaction with that treatment, longevity of the interaction, thoroughness and thoughtfulness between the customer and the supplier, and the consumers' placing an emotional value on their interaction. (p. 656) Consumers of Burger King's services are encouraged to interact with suppliers, or how else would they have their meal made to suit their preferences This is further reflected in Burger King's employee training which places a major emphasis on friendly, courteous customer service tailored to the needs of the consumer. (Careers, 2005, ) By these standards the company receives high marks. The value dynamics model places focus on product/service and delivery, and meeting the needs of the consumer as a person. (Khalifa 2004: 658) It has already been stated that Burger King strives to provide a quality product, which is competitively priced, and easy to receive. Over the years the corporation has expanded their menu options to meet the needs and desires of health-conscious consumers, which has expanded their client base, the core of which is made up of consumers aged 18 to 35, who eat burgers and fries, (BK (UK) 2005: PDF: 3) and allowed for the meeting of individual needs in a more thorough manner. They have managed to accomplish this without sacrificing ease and/or speed of delivery. By making these options available to all customers they have enhanced the individualization of customer interaction. Again, Burger King receives exemplary marks in customer value. By combining these various models, all of the factors and results, and Burger King's own policies

The Cold War Causes And Effects History Essay

The Cold War Causes And Effects History Essay The Cold War was not a military conflict, but was an ongoing political conflict involving both military and economic competition. The evolvement of the Cold War began during and after World War I, although the official beginning of the Cold War was in 1945, at the Yalta Conference. The causes of the Cold War were many, but can be summed up as a battle between capitalism and communism, along with President Trumans disliking Joseph Stalin, the desire of Russia to spread communism throughout the world, Russias fear of Americas A bomb, America refusing to share its nuclear secrets, Russias fear of an attack from America, the need for Russia to secure its western border, and the expansion of Russia into Eastern Europe. In the 1920s and on into the 1930s, America stayed its course with non-recognition of the Soviet Union. In addition, spreading word of the Soviet Unions support for anti-American activities in China and in Latin America, was not helping. The situation continued to deteriorate. The containment strategy came about in 1946, when George Kennan, a diplomat at the US Embassy in Moscow, sent a telegram referred to as the Long Telegram, on February 22. He also published an anonymous article from a July 1947 issue of Foreign Affairs. His concluded that the policies of the U.S. in relation to the Soviets, would need to be made with a long term perspective. Kennan felt that President Franklin Roosevelt had based the dealings of the United States with the Soviet Union, on assumptions that, in his mind, were completely off base. President Roosevelt believed that with Joseph Stalin no longer calling all the shots, the Soviet Union would want the same things as America and her allies. Kennan did not agree. He concluded that resolution would be a careful and lengthy process. America would need to be both patient and vigilant where the Soviet Union was concerned. On March 12, 1947, in an effort to stop the continuing spread of communism, President Harry S. Truman gave a speech, in which he presented his foreign policy, supporting Free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. This speech, made before Congress, was a clear expression of the policies of his administration and was known as The Truman Doctrine. In June 1947, in a speech at Harvard, Secretary of State, George Marshall presented the Marshall Plan, offering financial aid from America. The purpose was to help Europes economy recover from damage done by World War II.. This good will offer was immediately rejected by the Soviet Union. Europe was allowed to spend the financial aid however they wanted as long as they did not use it to buy military supplies. The CIA, also created in 1947, was to secretly funnel money to noncommunist parties, labor unions, news publications, and charitable organizations. This effort did help to limit the influence of pro-communist organizations thus hindering the spread of communism to some degree. To ensure European defense resources were safe, the United States formed the articles of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This committed the United States. to military engagement in Europe. The treaty further stated an attack on any member of NATO would be considered an attack against all. The United Nations was created to serve as the peace-keepers and ensure global safety. Other events affected the progression of the Cold War. Beginning in 1945, when the United States dropped the first atomic bomb in Japan. This caused animosity and suspicion from the Soviet Union. America was not only engaged in a nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union but were also not competing in the race for space. In October 1962 the U.S. and the Soviet Union were on the brink of a nuclear war. Cuba housed Soviet missiles which was unacceptable to the United States. President John F. Kennedy had them removed. In order to gain control over Berlin, the Soviet Union blocked the railways of the Western allies in hopes of Berlin being dependent on them for food and resources. Western allies formed and organization to fly food and supplies by aircraft to West Berlin. Soon after the Soviet Union lifted the blockade in May of 1949, resulting in the split of Germany into two states. The unification of Germany was October 1990 due to the Berlin Wall coming down. The Cold War ended in 1991 after the Soviet Union crumbled. I believe The Cold War was inevitable and could not have been avoided because its simply a struggle between two fundamentally different political and economical systems, Capitalism versus Communism.

Where Does The Truth Lie in Rashomon? :: essays research papers

Where Does The Truth Lie? Rashomon is a film which allows you to come up with your own ending. You are told four stories, all completely different from one another, but about the same thing. As the viewer, you are to come up with your own truth. Also you are then forced to see why people may lie or embellish. Whether it be to keep themselves out of trouble or make themselves seem as if they are a better person then they really are. The reality is that we are no better then what people think we are. This is because we are unable to judge ourselves. We are unable be honest with ourselves. We are unable to see ourselves in a bad light without having made up some excuse. We try to justify everything that it is that we may do, so not to damage our egos. It is our egos which keep us like this. It is our egos which make us feel good, so we are going to do anything to keep our ego at a high point. Why is it that we are willing to lie so that we don’t have to see who we really are? What is it about ourselves th at we wish not to see? Maybe it is the fact that we all want to be viewed as this perfect person that can do no wrong and make no mistakes. So we embellish on our own behalf in order to hide our imperfections, our mistakes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All four of these stories have one thing in common; they are told in such a way that the teller is justified in whatever he or she may have done. In each story, except for the last, the teller was the murderer. Admitting to the murder they all did and blaming someone else for their own actions, they did too. As for the last storyteller, he did not kill anyone, but he stole the dagger and lied to the police. Unable to allow their egos to drop to low, they all told a riveting story of how they were not at fault. The only question here is before asking where the truth lies, is how is it possible for four people to come up with such extremely different tales to tell? People will say anything in order to cover up the truth if they are at fault in some way or another.

Market Segmentation for Lawn Mowers Essay

Introduction In this document, we will analyse the current market of lawnmowers in Portugal. By recognising this market and its products with distinct characteristics, we will perform a customer segmentation, which will allow us to divide the market into small groups. Through the segmentation of the lawnmower market, it will be possible to achieve a greater proximity to the final customer; create advertising media that target the identified segments; facilitate the positioning of the product; and obtain the return on investment by the company. The developments and technological diversity provided by all the competitors operating in the sector has shown that this market is very competitive nowadays. Thus, it is imperative that a strategic shift is implemented, which is more focused on meeting the needs of the customer. The notorious falling sales in the sector since 2008 were of equal importance, although the explanation of this phenomenon lies in the national and international economy situation. To analyze the current market of lawnmowers in Portugal, we started to make a small market research. To get a concrete â€Å"shape†, we went to one of the biggest players in the market – Leroy Merlin, who kindly gave us some informations which served as basis for this assignment and which allow us to have a better vision of what is happening in the lawn care industry. GOALS By segmenting the market of mowers you can:  · Get a closer relationship with the end consumer;  · Create advertising media that are targeted to the identified segments;  · Facilitate the positioning of the product;  · And monetize coveted by the company. This last point is usually associated with Increase sales, Increase profits, Increase sales dealer channel. Segmentation There are several types of lawnmowers available on the market: manual, battery – powered or gas – powered models, are some of the options. There are ways to segment the lawnmower market : Customer characteristics †¢ Geographic ( region, city size, and so on ) †¢ Demographic ( gender, age, race, household size, and so on ) †¢ Socioeconomic ( income, education, occupation, and so on ) †¢ Psychographic ( lifestyle, personality, and so on ) Buying situation †¢ Benefits sought ( product features, quality, service, warranty ) †¢ Usage rate – quantity purchased during a specific period Based on the market research that we conducted, we restricted the types of lawn mowers to non-powered, powered and powered riding for three different market segments : urban, suburban and rural. (POR TABELA DE PERCENTAGEM) The percentages given are based on the literature, as well as the information given by the head of the gardening sector at Leroy Merlin, which we visited, in Alfragide. Against this backdrop, the most attractive segment seems to be that of the consumers who live in the suburban area and who use powered walk-behind lawn mowers. However, this segment may already be flooded with competition, it may be more beneficial to target a small segment of consumers, like urban consumers using non-powered or powered walking mowers. The smallest segment may be the most profitable and lucrative. Conclusion From our research we ​​can segment the market of lawnmowers in Portugal as: mainly directed to male gender, between 35-55 years old, who lives in the suburbs of large cities, in a house with a garden area between 1.000 to 2.150 square feet of grass; with a household of four people and average income between â‚ ¬ 20.000 and â‚ ¬ 30.000 per year. The most chosen mower for this kind of segment is the electric powered one, in spite of major disadvantage of requiring a wire plugged to work, which makes that their use is impractical for those who have large estates. It is noteworthy that one of the great advantages of an electric lawn mower is that it does not require extensive maintenance. With the displacement of many ex-urbanites to the most suburban areas of large cities, the growth of lawnmowers little by little began to live better days. With this segmentation, we believe that  the Finnish company will take advantage of this kind of market penetration. Faced with fierce competition (AKI Group, IZI-MESTRE MACO, LEROY MERLIN, BRICOMARCHÉ, BRICO LECLERC and also in many other customers in traditional market said: Garden Centres, Hardware Stores, Drugstores, Building Materials Stores and other sited North to South), the Finnish company will have to differentiate the products presented, as well as in the developed marketing campaigns, satisfying specific needs and desires of this kind of consumers. Bibliography: Market Segmentation: How to Do It and How to Profit from It, Malcolm McDonald Butterworth-Heinemann, 2012 Market Segmentation: Conceptual and Methodological Foundations, Michel Wedel, ‎Wagner A. Kamakura – 2000 Handbook of Market Segmentation: Strategic Targeting for Business and Technology firms, 3rd edition, Art Weinstein, PhD, 2004 Market Segmentation Success: Making It Happen!, Sally Dibb, ‎Lyndon Simkin – 2013 a

Writing Effective Essays for Academic Admission

Writing Effective Essays for Academic Admission In 500 words or less, where would you like to see yourself, professionally, five years from now? the application asked.I attacked the assignment with relish. Getting into this prestigious universitys summer fellowship program was extremely important to me, and I wrote draft after draft, trying desperately to give the admissions committee exactly what it was looking for in this all-important essay. Finally, I sat down and took a good, long, critical look at each and every attempt, throwing my hands up in relative anguish. Oh, they all sounded perfectly acceptable. Some even sounded relatively eloquent. But, to me, not a one sounded†¦right.I began to wonder just what it was that the admissions committee was actually looking for in this essay, and I began to worry that maybe I really wasnt summer fellow material. But then, one of the high school seniors on my debate team happened to glance over my shoulder as he reached for a book Id told him he could borrow. Is that your applicati on essay? he asked. Can I read it?What could I lose?Hey, he challenged, narrowing his left eye. How about just practicing what you preach?Suddenly, it was clear. I had not trusted the advice that I had been giving to high school and college students for nearly twenty years. I had written an essay that could have been written by any one of a hundred other perfectly qualified applicants. I had tried to play it safe and write something professional and intellectual instead of really taking on the challenge of examining myself to determine just what it was that I wanted out of that academic experience. As a result, none of my attempts to engage in professionally correct writing had resulted in anything that provided a reader with a picture of me.A few days later, I gave that young man another draft to read, knowing full well that it was the one that would be included in my application packet, despite the fact that it consisted of 632 words on where I did not want to see myself, professi onally, five years hence. Even though I knew I hadnt followed the instructions to the letter, I knew I had embodied their spirit. I wrote honestly about who I was at that point in my life, a tired and even somewhat frustrated teacher. I wrote simply and directly about what I really did want out of that summer program- a jumpstart. And I was accepted. The lesson? Ah, yes: To thine ownself be true.Weve all been given similar advice about things like blind dates and interviews. Be yourself, weve been told by everyone from Mom to Ann Landers to ex-General Motors CEO, Lee Iacocca. And that advice holds true when it comes to writing essays for admission to academic programs.The sheer volume of material that admissions committee members must sift through on a daily basis today is staggering. When the bulk of what they are reading is carefully scripted to sound correct, it becomes extremely difficult for committee members to distinguish one candidate from another as they attempt to narrow f ive thousand equally qualified applicants down to a pool of five hundred.So, how can you make your essay stand out in that crowd of five thousand? Instead of trying to say something that you think committee members might want to hear, give them the information that they need in order to make clear choices. Most of the essay topics provided on applications these days ask writers to address, in one form or another, these two basic questions:Who are you?Why is this the right program for you?So, tell them who you are. Tell them what you want out of your next academic experience. Tell them why. Be honest. Be direct. Give details, scenes, moments from your own experience. And most of all, be yourself.Remember your Shakespeare: This above all, to thine ownself be true.

History of Gunpowder

History of Gunpowder Chinese Taoist alchemists were the major force behind the early invention of gunpowder. Emperor Wu Di (156-87 BCE) of the Han dynasty financed research done by the alchemists on the secrets of eternal life. The alchemists experimented with the sulfur and saltpeter heating the substances in order to transform them. The alchemist Wei Boyang wrote the Book of the Kinship of the Three detailing the experiments made by the alchemists. During the 8th century Tang dynasty, sulfur and saltpeter were first combined with charcoal to create an explosive called huoyao or gunpowder. A substance that did not encourage eternal life, however, gunpowder was used to treat skin diseases and as a fumigant to kill insects before its advantage as a weapon was made clear. The Chinese began experimenting with the gunpowder-filled tubes. At some point, they attached bamboo tubes to arrows and launched them with bows. Soon they discovered that these gunpowder tubes could launch themselves just by the power produced from the escaping gas. The true rocket was born.

Precedent in English Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Precedent in English Law - Essay Example It is always considered to be the rule-based, legally well-established case law. "The fact that English Law is largely a system of case-law means that the judge's decision in a particular case constitutes a 'precedent'The judge may simply be obliged to decide the case before him in the same way as that in which the previous case was decided, even if he can give a good reason for not doing so," Cross and Harris (1991, p.4). There is no doubt that precedents have not remained what they used to be and as the society evolves, some of the precedents might become irrelevant and it is left to the court's discerning judgement where and how to apply these highly useful precedents. "Rather, what is common to all the various traits of free judicial decision-making is their critical attitude towards the formalist premises of legal positivism and the ideology of bound judicial decision-making," Siltala (2000, p.5) and he argues that legislative techniques have undergone great change in 20th century which has given way to 'judicial anti-formalism'. Precedent spells the legal authority in the form of a forgone legal case that had reached a judgement that could be described as 'out of the track'. It does not say that similar judgement should be established every time; it only becomes a mandatory example from which either the judge could derive inspiration or measure the new case from that angle. Court is expected to consider such precedents before interpreting law for another judgement. Precedent is a landmark decision that could be applied to other cases, but according to independent circumstances. "The rule-based model suggests that the function of precedent is to settle the law so that it can guide individuals and the courts. The reason-based model suggests that the function is to compensate for the erosion of consensus in the common law by simultaneously fixing starting points for decision-making without giving the judiciary lawmaking power" http://journals.cambridge.org/download.phpfile=%2FLEG%2FLEG11_01%2FS1352325205050019a.pdf&code=303b5dd539d0786a50aadfcbedad50cd Precedents could be mandatory/binding or persuasive, depending on the importance of the said precedent, and also depending on the exclusive circumstances under which it was delivered and the authority who created the precedent. Usually binding precedents are created by higher courts for the lower courts to follow. If created by a lower court, it is never binding on the higher court, although it could take it as a matter of sound significance. Even if it is binding, this does not mean that the lower court has to follow it to the letter unless it is 'directly in point' and no additional cases could be formed on the precedent case. Also in rare occasions, a higher court can overturn the judgement of precedent case, or sometimes even limit the scope of the precedent. Even when they are binding, they do so in a certain ratio, which was highly pronounced in Duncan v Cammell. "On that criterion the ratio decidendi of Duncan v Cammell, Laird would have to be "the" reason which explains the holding on "the" material facts and nothing wider. Therefore all utterances in the precedent case which went in verbal ambit beyond such a reason, even though that ambit might seem to govern the instant facts, did not in law do so. For they were simply not a part of the ratio of Duncan's case," says Stone (1985, p.133).

ASSIGNMENT 2 CRIMINOLOGY REPORT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

ASSIGNMENT 2 CRIMINOLOGY REPORT - Essay Example 22). Since then, crime rates have been lessened in England and Wales. According to the Crime in England and Wales 2003/2004 annual report, violent crimes comprised 23% of all BCS crimes and 19% of police-recorded crime (Dodd et al, 2004, p. 11). The British Crime Survey (BCS) estimated 2,708,000 violent incidents occurred against adults in England and Wales (Dodd et al 2004, p. 67), which, overall, is a decrease of 36% in crime since 1995 (p. 67). However, in 2004 BCS report also noted that violent crime has stabilized (p. 67)). The police recorded 1,109,017 violent incidents, which is a 12% increase since 2002/2003, partly attributed to the implementation of the NCRS (p. 67), increases in the reporting of crime by the general public, increases in police activity, and improvements in recording crime (p. 69) For more than a quarter of a century, from 1969 to 1996, burglary and theft accounted consistently for about half of all recordable offences in England and Wales. The peak was reached in 1992 when they made up 52 percent of recorded crime. By 2004-5 the four types of theft accounted collectively 30% of all crime, according to British Crime Survey report (Home Office 2007). During the time period under study, there was a steady increase in robberies with two peaks followed by sharp declines occurring in 1996 and 2001-02, the latter of which may be partly attributed to the implantation of the NCRS. Ninety percent of the robberies were of personal property, while the balance was robberies of businesses (Dodd et al., 2004, p. 79). The BCS also recorded increases in the robbery rates between 1981 and its 2003-04 interviews, with a peak in 1999. Following this peak, rates declined significantly (-32%). In the Crime in England and Wales 2003-04 report, the conclusion was that for this time period, robbery numbers were too low to provide reliable estimates, although

ROWE Program at Best Buy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ROWE Program at Best Buy - Essay Example Plachy & Plachy (1998) also confirms that ROWE assists managers to design feasible ways of improving their output. Best Buy, for instance, is an international company that applies the ROWE program. This paper, in effect, explores ROWE program at Best Bay using various subheadings. Culture of Best Buy Best Buy Co., Inc. is an international electronic retailer that majorly sells in the United States, Mexico, United Kingdom, Turkey, China, and Canada. As an important aspect of the culture in Best Buy, the organization holds close social media as a form of empowering its employees. In other words, the company reaps massive productive gain through proper application of social media. Gibson & Billings (2003) points out three important social media tools applied in Best Buy. The Loop Marketplace, as one tool, involves replacing traditional suggestion box, where employees submit and share ideas, with specific market meeting points. Instead of collecting opinions of customers using suggestion boxes, the company identifies specific marketplaces where customers could converge and air out their views. As a second tool, Best Buy applies the Prediction Market tool to predict future market behaviors. Through prediction strategy, the organization designs suitable ways of controlling both supply and price of its products. The third social media tool the company has productively implemented is the Blue Shirt Nation. The latter tool involves diverting focus from improvement of pension schemes to modification of IT systems. Application of modern technological advancements has created a work environment where both employees and employers could freely interact. Approach to Organizational Change that ROWE Program Illustrates Gibson & Billings (2003) asserts that Best Buy has transformed its workplace by demolishing old systems where physical presence of a worker is equated to productivity of the worker. That is, from the name of the program, â€Å"results-only work environment,† Best Buy has focused on productivity of an employee, as an organizational change. Delmont (2005) also supports that the program in Best Buy objects at judging performance of a workforce on its output instead of duration spent in a meeting or in an office. Practically, ROWE program allows employees in the company to enter and exit their workplaces at any time of the day. There is no penalty or fine to an employee arriving after the official opening hours or leaving before the official business hours. Delmont (2005) summarizes that the program perceives work as something to do but not somewhere to go. The company is, therefore, interested in knowing whether work is satisfactorily completed. Through ROWE program, two major positive outcomes have been felt in the company. Overall employee satisfactory has shoot up following improvement in every department. Also report by Gallup, an organization that audits corporate cultures, indicates that the company’s productivity has climb ed up by 35% (Delmont, 2005). Resistance ROWE program at Best Buy Faces Even though ROWE program has significant effects in improvement of overall productivity of an organization and employees satisfaction, it, however, faces certain challenges. Resistance often comes from staffs members who appear to be

Presentation and function of horror Essay Example for Free

Presentation and function of horror Essay I busied myself to think of a story a story to rival those which had excited us to this task. One which would speak to the mysterious fears of our nature and awaken thrilling horror one to make the reader dread to look round, to curdle the blood, and quicken the beatings of the heart. If I did not accomplish these things, my ghost story would be unworthy of its name. In the Authors introduction to the standard novels edition (1831), Mary Shelley conveys her aim of the novel, Frankenstein. Mary Shelley proclaims her novel my ghost story p.8. The proposal of a ghost story relates to supernatural literature, which creates horror with paranormal and occult themes, but Frankenstein in fact has no ghosts. There are no bumps in the night and only the minimum amount of blood with emphasis on telling rather than showing in a story of scientific developments beyond our control. To evoke horror Shelleys novel complies with literature of the gothic genre with its tale of macabre in wild picturesque landscapes but without the ghouls and spirits. Shelley has the ability to horrify us without such paranormal torments but through psychological torments. It is Mary Shelleys method and success of creating horror in the novel that this essay aims to discuss. Shelleys era saw rise to momentous discoveries and advances in science that many feared may lead to disaster. The scientific work of Sir Isaac Newton (1642 1727) coupled with the ideals of philosopher John Locke (1632 1704) saw increased ambition and power in the 17th Century. Parallels can be easily drawn between such ambitious scientists and philosophers, and Mary Shelleys fictional character of Victor Frankenstein. Clearly a large influence to the myth of creation the novel endures is aided by the development of electricity. Shelley uses these advances in technology to make her novel appear more realistic and therefore horrifying. She has replaced the heavenly fire of the Prometheus myth with the spark of newly discovered electricity. Although neglected in the novel, Kenneth Branaghs 1994, film Mary Shelleys Frankenstein draws parallels with Luigi Galvani (1737 -1798), by featuring his work of discovering a frogs legs could twitch in an electric field. The use of electricity plus the amniotic fluid, which Victor uses in his creation, mixes the idea of science with the mythical origins surrounding the birth of human life. As Mr Waldman presents and influences the work of Victor Frankenstein, the likes of Newton and Galvini coupled with discussions between Mary Shelley, husband Percy and Lord Byron at Lake Geneva in 1816 have indeed influenced Shelleys role in creating the horror surrounding Frankenstein. When considering horror, we must consider what actually evokes the horror. Shelleys use of language when Victor is developing his workshop of filthy creation p.52 is disturbing, although not much graphic content is written, it is more what is not said and left out that is horrific. The theme of control is central to this idea of horror. When considering the horrendous incidents of September the 11th 2001 in American, and the horrific images of planes hitting tower blocks, are response is stomach churning but the real horror is the lack of control, nobody knows when and how the attacks are going to happen and this is similar in Frankenstein. Victor is scared of the monster as he has no control over him and this permeates through to the reader. There is surely an eye opening benefit of being horrified in some aspects. We can test our courage and survival and prepare for the future and in this case we are providing with the dangerous premonitions of playing god. Due to Mary Shelleys experiences of death and pregnancy the novel seems to suggest her own mental torments about creation, and the horror of birth and development. Shelley lost most of her children, only one survived. Shelley may be using her novel as a way of voicing her disgust and unhappiness at how childbirth can appear. I kept my workshop of filthy creation p.52, may be referring to the womb, the disgust and pain a mother can feel at such unhappiness. The creation seems to depict mothers worst fears, being capable to accept and have endless love for a child and not reject in the horrific manner that Victor does. The description of the monster is very much similar to that of a newborn baby. Once again the 1994 film adaptation of the novel depicts the monsters first steps similarly to that of a newborn Deer, struggling to find his feet, clutching on to his creator for dear life. As the novel reaches horrific climax in Chapter Five, Victor is awoke from a dream to find one hand was stretched out p.56, as his creation asks for help, like a child would to a mother. The way in which this interaction takes place is horrific in that a monster-like creature standing beside his bed awakens Victor, but the manner in which Victor rejects his monster is equally horrific. The creation has no motive for death yet and he is surely asking for help and is abandoned less than a few hours after birth. The novel could be read as a version of what occurs when a man plays god and upsets nature. Trying to create a child without woman is not natural and the horrific incidents which follow act as a warning not to mes s with the origins of human life.

Sir Gawain and The Green Knight :: Essays Papers

Sir Gawain and The Green Knight Text Analysis: Passages 203-278 Summary Sir Gawain and the Green Knight takes place early in the career of King Arthur. Young and naive, Arthur presides over a court that has great wealth and few problems. The Green Knight is a mysterious and magical character who presents a challenge to the pride and wealth of Arthur's kingdom. However, this challenge is not to the battle-strength of Arthur's court, but to its values. The Green Knight disrupts a Christmas celebration taking place in Camelot, and offers a contest: an exhange of ax-strokes. Gawain takes up the contest and chops off the head of the Green Knight who survives through magical means. Gawain sets forth to accept the return blow which is to take place a year and one day from the first. While Gawain is searching for the Green Knight's chapel, he is taken in by a great lord named Bercilak who puts Gawain's honesty and integrity to the test. In parrying Bercilak's wife's attempts at seduction with gentlemanly skill, Gawain passes this moral test. Finally, we discover that the lord is in fact the Green Knight himself. Instead of being killed at the Green Knight's hands, Gawain returns to Arthur's court with a green girdle: representative of Gawain's only failure. By accepting the girdle from Bercilak's wife and not surrendering it as the wager demanded, Gawain fails in his promise. With love for his own life as his only failure, Bercilak and A rthur find little fault with Gawain, and Gawain's reputation as the most virtuous of the Knights of the Round Table remains unblemished. The following analysis is of a passage early in the story. The Green Knight has just made an impressive entrance into Arthur's court, and is ready to issue his challenge. Passage Synopsis: Passages 203-207: The Green Knight is on his horse in Arthur’s court, and his appearance is being described. He is not wearing battle-gear, and has no armor or shield for defense. He is holding a holly bob which is a symbol of peace. Passages 208-220: He is carrying one weapon: a huge green ax. Many lines are used to describe this awesome looking ax. It’s wound with iron and lace, and tassels and buttons of bright green hang from it. Passage 221-232: The Green Knight rather rudely ignores all the guests and goes directly to look for Arthur, referring to him as "The captain of this crowd. Sir Gawain and The Green Knight :: Essays Papers Sir Gawain and The Green Knight Text Analysis: Passages 203-278 Summary Sir Gawain and the Green Knight takes place early in the career of King Arthur. Young and naive, Arthur presides over a court that has great wealth and few problems. The Green Knight is a mysterious and magical character who presents a challenge to the pride and wealth of Arthur's kingdom. However, this challenge is not to the battle-strength of Arthur's court, but to its values. The Green Knight disrupts a Christmas celebration taking place in Camelot, and offers a contest: an exhange of ax-strokes. Gawain takes up the contest and chops off the head of the Green Knight who survives through magical means. Gawain sets forth to accept the return blow which is to take place a year and one day from the first. While Gawain is searching for the Green Knight's chapel, he is taken in by a great lord named Bercilak who puts Gawain's honesty and integrity to the test. In parrying Bercilak's wife's attempts at seduction with gentlemanly skill, Gawain passes this moral test. Finally, we discover that the lord is in fact the Green Knight himself. Instead of being killed at the Green Knight's hands, Gawain returns to Arthur's court with a green girdle: representative of Gawain's only failure. By accepting the girdle from Bercilak's wife and not surrendering it as the wager demanded, Gawain fails in his promise. With love for his own life as his only failure, Bercilak and A rthur find little fault with Gawain, and Gawain's reputation as the most virtuous of the Knights of the Round Table remains unblemished. The following analysis is of a passage early in the story. The Green Knight has just made an impressive entrance into Arthur's court, and is ready to issue his challenge. Passage Synopsis: Passages 203-207: The Green Knight is on his horse in Arthur’s court, and his appearance is being described. He is not wearing battle-gear, and has no armor or shield for defense. He is holding a holly bob which is a symbol of peace. Passages 208-220: He is carrying one weapon: a huge green ax. Many lines are used to describe this awesome looking ax. It’s wound with iron and lace, and tassels and buttons of bright green hang from it. Passage 221-232: The Green Knight rather rudely ignores all the guests and goes directly to look for Arthur, referring to him as "The captain of this crowd.

Essay on Hardships Expressed in Hughes On the Road and Mother to Son

Hardships Expressed in Hughes On the Road and Mother to Son African-American citizens who live in the United States have experienced a tough life through personal experiences. They have struggled to obtain basic civil rights--a struggle that has spanned many centuries (Mabunda 311). Langston Hughes, author of the short story "On the Road" and the poem "Mother to Son," often illustrated in his writing the hardships experienced by the characters--products of African American life in the United States. While Hughes and other young African-American authors wanted to define and celebrate black art and culture, they were also responsible for changing the preconceived notions of most Americans' erroneous ideas of black life (Mabunda 696). The cultural aspects of Hughes' poems exhibited life as an African-American in the late 1910s to the early 1960s. His views, like many writers in his era, came directly from personal experience, which provided the reader with a sense of communication that illustrated--with art rather than essay--the ills of the racist world. L. Mpho Mabunda proclaims that the issues and grim realities of the African-American "could be experienced through the lives of characters and in verse, and the message delivered more subtly and effectively" (696) . The overall theme and purpose of "On the Road" and "Mother to Son" are centered around an illustration of the hardships experienced by most African-American citizens in the early part of the century. Both genres graphically detail the lifestyle and environment in which the African-American lived. In the 20th century, many of the black communities in America have existed in a perpetual state of crisis ("Black American"). According to Kenneth Clark in his add... ... Robinson. The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States. New York: Arno P, 1968. "Henry McNeal Turner." Online. Internet. 24 Apr. 1998. Hughes, Langston. "Mother to Son." Bridges: Literature across Cultures. Eds. Gilbert H. Muller and John A. Williams. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994. 52. ---. "On the Road." Bridges: Literature across Cultures. Eds. Gilbert H. Muller and John A.Williams. New York: McGRaw-Hill, 1994. 845-8. Mabunda, L. Mpho, ed. The African American Almanac. 7th ed. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc., 1997. Miller, R. Baxter, and Evelyn Nettles. "Langston Hughes." Concise Dictionary of American Literary Biography: The Age of Maturity, 1929-1941. Detroit,  Ã‚  Ã‚   MI: Gale Research Inc., 1989. 150-71. Quarles, Benjamin. The Negro in the Making of America. London: Collier-Macmillan Ltd., 1969.

The Golden Lily Chapter 21

I'D SEEN MOVIES where blindfolded people were able to tell where they were going, based on some innate talent to sense motion and direction. Not me. After a few turns, I couldn't have told you where in Palm Spring we were – especially since I suspected Trey was taking a slightly roundabout way in order to make sure there wasn't a tail. The only thing I was certain of was when we got on I-10, simply because of the feel of the freeway. I didn't know what direction we were headed and had no way to accurately time how long we traveled either. Trey didn't offer much in the way of conversation, though he did give short answers whenever I asked questions. â€Å"When did you join the vampire hunters?† â€Å"Warriors of Light,† he corrected. â€Å"And I was born into it.† â€Å"That's why you're always talking about family pressure and why so much is expected of you, isn't it? It's why your dad is so concerned about your athletic performance.† I took Trey's silence as an affirmative and pushed on, needing to get as much information as possible. â€Å"How often do you guys have your, um, meetings? Are you always having those brutal tests?† Until very recently, there had been nothing to suggest Trey's life was much different from any other high school athlete who kept up with his grades, a job, and an active social life. In fact, thinking of all the things Trey usually did, it was hard to imagine him having any time at all for the Warriors. â€Å"We don't have regular meetings,† he said. â€Å"Well, not someone at my level. We wait until we're called, usually because a hunt's under way. Or sometimes we conduct competitions, in order to test our strength. Our leaders travel around, and then Warriors gather from all different places in order to be ready.† â€Å"Ready for what?† â€Å"The day when we can end the vampire scourge altogether.† â€Å"And you really believe this hunt is the way to do it? That it's the right thing to do?† â€Å"Have you ever seen them?† he asked. â€Å"The evil, undead vampires?† â€Å"I've seen quite a few of them.† â€Å"And you don't think they should be destroyed?† â€Å"That's not what I've been trying to tell you. I don't have any love for Strigoi, believe me. My point is that Sonya's not one of them.† More silence. Eventually, I felt us exit the freeway. We drove for a while longer until the car slowed again and turned, onto a gravel road. We soon came to a stop, and Trey rolled down the window. â€Å"This is her?† asked an unknown man. â€Å"Yes,† said Trey. â€Å"You turned off her cell phone?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Take her in then. They'll do the rest of the search.† I heard a squeaking gate open, and then we continued on the gravel road until turning onto what felt like packed dirt. Trey stopped the car and turned it off. He opened his door at the same time someone on the outside opened mine. A hand on my shoulder nudged me forward. â€Å"Come on. Get out.† â€Å"Be careful with her,† warned Trey. I was led from the car into a building. It wasn't until I heard a door shut and latch that my blindfold was finally taken off. I was in a stark room with unfinished drywall and bare bulb lights in the ceiling. Four other people stood around Trey and me, three men and one woman. All of them looked to be in their twenties, and two were the guys who had stopped me at the cafe. Also, all of them were armed. â€Å"Empty out your purse.† It was Jeff, the guy with buzzed dark hair, wearing a gold earring of the antique sun symbol. I complied, dumping my purse's contents onto a makeshift table composed of plywood set on top of some cinderblocks. While they sifted through it, the woman patted me down for wires. She had hair with a bad bleach job and a perennial snarl on her face, but at least her frisk was professional and efficient. â€Å"What's this?† Blond Hair from the cafe held up a small plastic bag filled with dried herbs and flowers. â€Å"You don't look like the drug type.† â€Å"It's potpourri,† I said promptly. â€Å"You keep potpourri in your purse?† he asked disbelievingly. I shrugged. â€Å"We keep all sorts of things around. I took out all the acids and chemicals before I came here, though.† He dismissed the potpourri as harmless and tossed it into a pile with other cleared items, like my wallet, hand sanitizer, and a plain wooden bracelet. I noticed then that the pile also included a pair of earrings. They were round gold discs, covered in intricate swirls and tiny gems. They were beautiful – but I'd never seen them before. I certainly wasn't going to call attention to anything, however, particularly when the woman snatched up my cell phone. â€Å"We should destroy this.† â€Å"I turned it off,† said Trey. â€Å"She might turn it back on. It can be tracked.† â€Å"She wouldn't,† argued Trey. â€Å"Besides, that's a little paranoid, isn't it? No one has that kind of technology in real life.† â€Å"You'd be surprised,† she said. He held out his hand. â€Å"Give it to me. I'll keep it safe. She's here on good faith.† The woman hesitated until Jeff nodded. Trey slipped the phone into his pocket, and I was grateful. There were a lot of saved numbers that would be a pain to replace. Once my purse was deemed safe, I was allowed to put it back together and take it with me. â€Å"Okay,† said Blond Hair. â€Å"Let's go to the arena.† Arena? I had a hard time picturing what that would entail in a place like this. My vision in the silver plate hadn't shown me much of the building, save that it was single-story and had a ratty, worn look to it. This room seemed to be keeping right along with that theme. If the antiquated brochures were further proof of the Warriors' sense of style, I expected this â€Å"arena† to be in someone's garage. I was wrong. Whatever the Warriors of Light had lacked in other areas of their operation, they'd sunk it into the arena – or, as I was told its official name was, The Arena of Divine Radiance of Holy Gold. The arena had been built upon a clearing surrounded by several buildings. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a courtyard. It was bigger, and the ground was more of that sandy packed dirt we'd driven in on. This setup was far from polished or high tech, yet as I took it all in, I couldn't help but think of Trey saying the Warriors had come to town this week. Because for them to have put this together so quickly†¦ well, it was kind of impressive. And frightening. Two sets of rickety wooden bleachers had been erected on opposite sides of the space. One set held about fifty spectators, mostly men, of varying ages. Their eyes, suspicious and even hostile, were on me as I was led in. I could practically feel their gazes boring into my tattoo. Did they all know about the Alchemists and our history? They were all dressed in ordinary clothing, but here and there, I caught glimmers of gold. Many of them wore some kind of ornament – a pin, an earring, etc. – with either an ancient or modern sun symbol. The other bleachers were nearly empty. Three men – older, closer to my dad's age – sat side by side. They were dressed in yellow robes covered in golden embroidery that glittered in the orange light of the setting sun. Golden helmets covered their heads and were engraved with the old sun symbol, the circle with the dot. They watched me as well, and I kept my head high, hoping I could hide the shaking of my hands. I couldn't present a convincing case for Sonya if I seemed intimidated. Around the arena, draped on poles, were banners of all shapes and sizes. They were made of rich, heavy fabric that reminded me of medieval tapestries. Obviously, these weren't that old, but they nonetheless gave the place a luxurious and ceremonial feel. The banners' designs varied considerably. Some really did look straight out of history, showing stylized knights fighting against vampires. Looking at those gave me chills. I really had stepped back in time, into the fold of a group with a history as old as the Alchemists'. Other banners were more abstract, portraying the ancient alchemical symbols. Still others looked modern, depicting the sun on Trey's back. I wondered if that newer sun interpretation was meant to appeal to today's youth. All the while, I kept thinking, less than a week. They put all this together in less than a week. They travel around with all of this, ready to put it up at a moment's notice in order to conduct these competitions or executions. Maybe they are primitive, but that doesn't make them any less dangerous. Although the large crowd of spectators had a rough-and-tumble look to them, like some sort of backwoods militia, it was a relief that they didn't appear to be armed. Only my escort was. A dozen guns were still too many for my tastes, but I'd take what I could get – and hope that they mostly kept the guns for show. We reached the bottom of the empty stands, and Trey came to stand beside me. â€Å"This is the high council of the Warriors of Light,† said Trey. He pointed to each of them in turn. â€Å"Master Jameson, Master Angeletti, and Master Ortega. This is Sydney Sage.† â€Å"You are very welcome here, little sister,† said Master Angeletti in a grave voice. He had a long and messy beard. â€Å"The time for the healing of our two groups is long overdue. We will be much stronger once we put aside our differences and unite as one.† I gave him the politest smile I could and decided not to point out the Alchemists were unlikely to welcome gun-toting zealots into our ranks. â€Å"It's a pleasure to meet you, sirs. Thank you for allowing me to come. I'd like to talk to you about – † Master Jameson held up a hand to stop me. His eyes looked too small for his face. â€Å"All in good time. First, we'd like to show you just how diligently we train our youth to fight in the great crusade. Just as you encourage excellence and discipline in the mind, so too do we encourage it in the body.† Through some unspoken cue, the door we'd just come through opened. A familiar face walked out to the center of the arena: Chris, Trey's cousin. He was wearing workout pants and no shirt, giving a clear view of the radiating sun tattooed on his back. He had a ferocious look on his face and came to stand in the clearing's center. â€Å"I believe you've met Chris Juarez,† said Master Jameson. â€Å"He's one of the finalists in this last round of combat. The other, of course, you also know. Quite the irony that cousins should be facing off, but also fitting since both failed in the initial attack on the fiend.† I turned to Trey, my jaw dropping. â€Å"You? You're one of the†¦ contenders to kill Sonya?† I could barely get the words out. I turned back to the council in alarm. â€Å"I was told I'd have a chance to plead Sonya's case.† â€Å"You will,† said Master Ortega, in a tone that implied it would be a wasted effort. â€Å"But first, we must determine our champion. Contenders, take your places.† I noticed now that Trey was also in sweatpants, looking as though he could be going off to football practice. He stripped off his shirt as well and, for lack of anything else to do with it, handed it to me. I took it and kept staring at him, still unable to believe what was happening. He met my gaze briefly but couldn't hold it. He walked off to join his cousin, and Master Jameson invited me to sit down. Trey and Chris faced each other. I felt a little embarrassed to be studying two shirtless guys, but it wasn't like there was anything too sordid happening. My impressions of Chris since the first time I'd met him hadn't changed. Both he and Trey were in excellent physical shape, muscled and strong with the kinds of bodies that constantly worked and trained. The only advantage Chris had, if it was one, was his height – which I'd also noticed before. His height. With a jolt, memories of the alley attack came back to me. There'd been little of our attackers to see, but the one wielding the sword had been tall. Chris must have been the one originally assigned to kill Sonya. Another robed man appeared from the door. His robes were cut slightly differently from the council's and somehow sported even more gold embroidery. Rather than a helmet, he wore a headdress more in line with what a priest might have. Indeed, that's what he seemed to be as Chris and Trey knelt before him. The priest marked their foreheads with oill and said some kind of blessing I couldn't hear. Then, to my shock, he made the sign against evil on his shoulder – the Alchemist sign against evil. I think that, more so than any of the spiels about evil vampires or shared usage of ancient symbols, was what really drove home the fact that our two groups had once been related. The sign against evil was a small cross drawn on the shoulder with the right hand. It had survived among the Alchemists since ancient days. A chill ran through me. We really had been one and the same. When the priest was finished, another man came forward and handed each of the cousins a short, blunt wooden club – kind of like what police sometimes used in crowd control. Trey and Chris turned toward each other, locked in aggressive poses, holding the clubs in striking positions. A buzz of excitement ran through the crowd, as it grew eager for violence. Evening breezes stirred up dust devils around the cousins, but neither of them flinched. I turned to the council incredulously. â€Å"They're going to attack each other with those clubs?† I asked. â€Å"They could be killed!† â€Å"Oh no,† said Master Ortega, far too calmly. â€Å"We haven't had a death in these trials in years. They'll take injury, sure, but that just toughens our warriors. All of our young men are taught to endure pain and keep on fighting.† â€Å"Young men,† I repeated. My gaze moved down to the bleach blonde girl who'd brought me in. She was standing near our bleachers, holding her gun at her side. â€Å"What about your women?† â€Å"Our women are tough, too,† said Master Ortega. â€Å"And certainly valued. But we'd never dream of letting them fight in the arenas or actively hunt vampires. Part of the reason we do what we do is to keep them safe. We're fighting this evil for their good and our future children.† The man who'd handed out the clubs also announced the rules in a loud, ringing voice that filled the arena. To my relief, the Juarez cousins wouldn't be beating each other senseless. There was a system to the combat they were about to enter into. They could only hit each other in certain places. Hitting elsewhere would result in penalties. A successful hit would yield a point. The first person to five points was the winner. As soon as it started, however, it was clear this wasn't going to be as civilized as I'd hoped. Chris actually landed the first hit right away, nailing Trey so hard on the shoulder that I winced. Animalistic cheers and whoops rang out from the bloodthirsty crowd, echoed by hisses of dismay from Trey's supporters. Trey didn't even react and kept trying to hit Chris, but I could tell there'd be a nasty bruise there later. Both of them were pretty fast and alert, able to dodge a majority of the attempted blows. They danced around, trying to get through each other's guards. More dirt was kicked up, clinging to their sweaty skin. I found myself leaning forward, fists clenched in nervousness. My mouth felt dry, and I couldn't utter a sound. In a remote way, I was reminded a little of the way Eddie and Angeline trained. Certainly, they walked away with injury too. In their situation, however, they were playing guardian and Strigoi. There was a difference between that and two guys striving to inflict the most damage on other. Watching Chris and Trey, I felt my stomach twist. I disliked violence, particularly this barbaric display. It was like I'd been transported back to the days of the gladiators. The crowd's fervor continued to increase. It was on its feet cheering wildly and urging the cousins on. Their voices rang out in the desert night. Despite being struck first, Trey could clearly hold his own. I watched as he made hit after hit on Chris and wasn't sure which sickened me more: seeing my friend hurt or seeing him hurt someone else. â€Å"This is terrible,† I said, when I could finally find my voice. â€Å"This is excellence in action,† said Master Angeletti. â€Å"No surprise since their fathers are outstanding warriors as well. They sparred quite a bit in their youths, too. That's them, down in the front row.† I looked at where he indicated and saw two middle-aged men, side by side, with gleeful looks on their faces as they shouted encouragement at the cousins. I didn't even need Master Angeletti's guidance to guess that they were related. The Juarez family stamp was strong on these men and their sons. The fathers cheered just as avidly as the crowd, not even flinching when Trey or Chris got injured. It was just like my father and Keith's. Nothing mattered except family pride and playing by the group rules. I'd lost track of the points until Master Jameson said, â€Å"Ah, this will be good. Next point determines the winner. It always makes me proud when the contenders are so evenly matched. Lets me know we've done the right thing.† There was nothing right about this. Tears stung my eyes, but whether it was from the dry, dusty air or simply my anxiety, I couldn't say. Sweat was pouring off Trey and Chris now, their chests rising and falling with the exertion of battle. Both were covered in scrapes and bruises, adding onto old ones from days past. The tension in the arena was palpable as everyone waited to see who would land the final hit. The cousins paused slightly, sizing up each other as they realized this was the moment of truth. This was the blow that had to count. Chris, face excited and alight, acted first, lunging forward to land a hit on the side of Trey's torso. I gasped, jumping to my feet in alarm with most of the crowd. The sound was deafening. It was clear from Chris's expression that he could taste victory, and I wondered if he was already imagining the strike that would kill Sonya. Sunset bathed his face in bloody light. Maybe it was because I'd seen enough of Eddie to learn some of the basics, but I suddenly realized something. Chris's movement was too rash and sloppy. Sure enough, Trey was able to evade the strike, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I sank back down to my seat. Those who had been certain he was about to be taken out roared in outrage. That left Trey with a beautiful opening to get in on Chris. My tension returned. Was this really any better? Trey â€Å"winning† the right to take a life? The point was moot. Trey didn't take the shot. I frowned as I watched. He didn't exactly fumble, but there was something that didn't seem right. There's a rhythm to fighting, where instinct and automatic responses take over. It was almost as though Trey had purposely fought against his next instinctive move, the one that said strike now! And in doing so, Trey left himself open. He took a hit from Chris, which knocked him to the ground. I rested a hand on my own chest, as though I'd also felt the blow. The crowd went crazy. Even the decorous masters jumped up from their seats, screaming approval and dismay. I had to forcibly stay seated. Every part of me wanted to run down there and make sure Trey was okay, but I had a feeling one of the armed members of my escort would shoot me or knock me out before I took two steps. My worry faded a tiny bit when I saw Trey stagger to his feet. Chris clapped Trey good naturedly on the back, grinning from ear to ear as those assembled shouted his name. Trey soon retreated to the crowded stands, yielding the victor's spot. His father met him with a look of disapproval but said nothing. The man who'd given out the clubs approached Chris with the sword I'd returned. Chris held it over his head, earning more applause. Near me, Master Jameson stood up and bellowed, â€Å"Bring out the creature!† Creature was hardly how I'd describe Sonya Karp as four heavily armed Warriors dragged her out across the dusty arena. Her legs barely seemed to work, and even from this distance, I could tell she was drugged. That was why Adrian couldn't reach her in dreams. It also explained why she wouldn't have used any magic to attempt escape. Her hair was a mess, and she wore the same clothes I'd seen her in that last night at Adrian's. They were bedraggled, but otherwise, she didn't seem to have any signs of physical abuse on her. This time, I couldn't stop myself from standing up. The blonde girl immediately put a hand on my shoulder, forcing me down. I stared at Sonya, wanting so desperately to help her, but knew I was powerless. Swallowing back fear and rage, I slowly sat back on the bleachers and turned toward the council. â€Å"You told me I'd have a chance to talk.† I remembered their sense of honor. â€Å"You gave your word. Doesn't that mean anything?† â€Å"Our word means everything,† said Master Ortega, looking offended. â€Å"You'll have your chance.† Behind Sonya's guard came two more men hauling a huge block of wood with arm constraints on it. It looked like it had come straight out of a medieval movie set, and my stomach twisted when I realized it was for: decapitation. The shadows had increased, forcing the men to bring out torches that cast sinister, flickering light around the arena. It was impossible to believe I was in twenty-first-century California. I felt like I'd been transported to some barbarian castle. And really, these hunters were barbarians. One of Sonya's guards pushed her to her knees from behind, forcing her head against the block's surface while he bound her hands with the leather restraints. In her addled state, it didn't require nearly the level of force the guy put into it. I couldn't believe they could act so self-righteous when they were about to end the life of a woman who could offer no resistance, let alone even knew she was here. Everyone was screaming for her blood, and I felt like I was going to get sick. Master Angeletti rose, and a hush fell over the arena. â€Å"We have gathered here from all parts of the country for a great thing. It is a rare and blessed day when we actually have a Strigoi in captivity.† Because she's not a Strigoi, I thought angrily. They'd never be able to capture a live one. â€Å"They plague decent humans like ourselves, but today we shall dispatch one back to Hell – one who's particularly insidious because of her ability to hide her true nature and pretend to be one of the more benign fiends, the Moroi – whom we will deal with one day as well.† Murmurs of approval ran through the crowd. â€Å"Before we commence, however, one of our Alchemist brethren would like to speak out on behalf of this creature.† The approval vanished, replaced by angry mutterings and glaring. I wondered uneasily if the guards who kept their guns pointed at me would turn on one of their associates if I was attacked. Master Angeletti held up his hands and silenced them. â€Å"You will show our little sister respect,† he said. â€Å"The Alchemists are kin, and once, we were one. It would be a momentous event if we could once again join forces.† With that, he sat down and gestured to me. Nothing else was offered, and I assumed this meant the floor was mine. I wasn't entirely sure how I was supposed to make my case or where. The council made the decisions, but this seemed like something everyone should hear. I stood up and waited for the girl with the gun to stop me from moving. She didn't. Slowly, carefully, I made my way down the bleachers and stood in the arena, mindful not to go near Sonya. I didn't think that would go over well. I kept my body angled toward the council but turned my head in a way that would hopefully carry to others. I'd given reports and presentations before but always in a conference room. I'd never addressed an angry mob, let alone spoken to such a large group about vampire affairs. Most of the faces out there were swallowed by shadows, but I could picture all those mad, bloodthirsty eyes fixed on me. My mouth felt dry, and, in what was a very rare occurrence, my mind blanked. A moment later, I was able to push through my fear (though it certainly didn't go away), and remember what I'd wanted to say. â€Å"You're making a mistake,† I began. My voice was small, and I cleared my throat, forcing myself to project and sound stronger. â€Å"Sonya Karp is not a Strigoi.† â€Å"We have records of her in Kentucky,† interrupted Master Jameson. â€Å"Eyewitnesses who saw her kill.† â€Å"That's because she was a Strigoi back then. But she isn't anymore.† I kept thinking the tattoo would stop me from talking, but this group was already well aware of the vampiric world. â€Å"In the last year, the Alchemists have learned a lot about vampires. You must know that the Moroi – your so-called ‘benign fiends' – practice elemental magic. We've recently found out there's a new, rare kind of magic out there, one that's tied to psychic powers and healing. That power has the ability to restore Strigoi back to their original form, be it human, dhampir, or Moroi.† A few angry denials quickly rose to a frenzy. Mob mentality in action. It took Master Jameson to quiet them again. â€Å"That,† he said simply, â€Å"is impossible.† â€Å"We have documented cases of three – no, four – people this has happened to. Three Moroi and a dhampir who once were Strigoi and are now in possession of their original selves and souls.† Speaking about Lee in the present tense wasn't entirely accurate, but there was no need to clarify. Besides, describing a former Strigoi who wanted to become Strigoi again probably wouldn't help my case. â€Å"Look at her. Does she seem Strigoi? She's out in the sun.† There wasn't much of it left, but even these fleeting rays of sunset would kill a Strigoi. With the way I was sweating from fear, I might as well have been out under a blazing midafternoon sun. â€Å"You keep saying this is the work of some twisted magic, but have you ever, even once, seen her in Strigoi form here in Palm Springs?† No one acknowledged that right away. Finally, Master Angeletti said, â€Å"She defeated our forces in the street. Obviously, she turned back into her true form.† I scoffed. â€Å"She didn't do that. Dimitri Belikov did – one of the greatest dhampir warriors out there. No offense, but despite all the training, your soldiers were hopelessly outclassed.† I was met with more aggressive gazes. I realized that probably wasn't the best thing I could've said. â€Å"You've been deceived,† said Master Angeletti. â€Å"No surprise since your people have long since become enmeshed behind the scenes with the Moroi. You aren't like us, down in the trenches. You don't come face-to-face with the Strigoi. They're evil, bloodthirsty creatures who must be destroyed.† â€Å"I agree with that. But Sonya's not one of them. Look at her.† I was gaining courage, my voice growing stronger and clearer in the desert night. â€Å"You keep bragging about capturing some terrible monster, but all I see is a drugged, restrained woman. Nice work. Truly a worthy enemy.† None of the council looked nearly as tolerant of me as they had before. â€Å"We simply subdued her,† said Master Ortega. â€Å"It's a sign of our prowess that we were able to do so.† â€Å"You've subdued an innocent and defenseless woman.† I didn't know if driving home that point would help, but I figured it couldn't hurt if they had twisted, chivalrous views of women. â€Å"And I know you've made mistakes before. I know about Santa Cruz.† I had no idea if this had been the same group whose men had gone after Clarence, but I was gambling the council at least knew about it. â€Å"Some of your more zealous members went after an innocent Moroi. You saw the errors of your way then when Marcus Finch told you the truth. It's not too late to correct this mistake either.† To my astonishment, Master Ortega actually smiled. â€Å"Marcus Finch? You're holding him up as some kind of hero?† Not exactly, no. I didn't even know the guy. But if he was a human that talked these crazy people down, then he must have some kind of integrity. â€Å"Why wouldn't I?† I asked. â€Å"He was able to see right from wrong.† Even Master Angeletti chuckled now. â€Å"I would never have expected an Alchemist to praise his sense of ‘right and wrong.' I thought your own views of that were immovable.† â€Å"What are you talking about?† I didn't mean to get derailed, but these comments were too puzzling. â€Å"Marcus Finch betrayed the Alchemists,† explained Master Angeletti. â€Å"You didn't know? I assumed a rogue Alchemist is the last person you'd use to make your case.† I was momentarily speechless. Was he saying†¦ was he saying that Marcus Finch used to be an Alchemist? No. He couldn't be. If he had been, then Stanton would have known who he was. Unless she lied about not having any record of him, a voice in my head warned. Master Jameson had apparently heard enough from me. â€Å"We appreciate you coming out here and respect your attempt to stand up for what you believe is true. We're also glad you were able to see just how strong we've become. I hope you'll take this news back to your order. If anything, your attempts here have demonstrated what we've long known: our groups need each other. Clearly, the Alchemists have gleaned a lot of knowledge over the years that could be very useful to us – just as our strength could be useful to you. Nonetheless,† he glanced over toward Sonya and scowled, â€Å"the point remains now that whatever your intentions, you truly have been deceived. Even if there's some tiny impossible chance that you're right, that she truly is a Moroi†¦ we can't take the chance that she's still been corrupted. Even if she believes she's been restored, she may still have been subconsciously influenced.† Again, I was speechless – but not because I appeared to have lost my case. Master Jameson's words were nearly identical to what Keith's father had said, when he'd told me Keith would be taken back to Re-education. Mr. Darnell had echoed the sentiment, that they couldn't take the risk of even a subtle bit of influence affectin g Keith. Extreme actions had been required. We're the same, I thought. The Alchemists and the Warriors. Years have divided us, but we came from the same place – in both our goals and blind attitudes. And then Master Jameson said the most shocking thing of all. â€Å"Even if she is just a Moroi, it's no great loss. We'll come for them eventually anyway, once we've defeated the Strigoi.† I froze at those words. The blonde girl came forward and again forced me to sit down on the first row of the bleachers. I offered no resistance, too shocked at what I'd just heard. What did they mean they'd come for the Moroi? Sonya could just be the beginning, then the rest of my friends, and then Adrian†¦ Master Angeletti snapped me back to the present. He made a grand gesture toward Chris as he spoke. â€Å"By the divine power we have been granted to bring light and purity into this world, you are authorized to destroy this creature. Commence.† Chris raised the sword, a fanatical gleam in his eyes. A happy gleam, even. He wanted to do this. He wanted to kill. Dimitri and Rose had killed many, many times, but both had told me there was no joy in it. They were glad to do what was right and defend others, but they didn't take pleasure in bringing death. I'd been taught the existence of vampires was wrong and twisted, but what I was about to witness was the true atrocity. These were the monsters. I wanted to scream or cry or throw myself in front of Sonya. We were a heartbeat away from the death of a bright, caring person. Then, without warning, the silence of the arena was pierced with gunfire. Chris paused and lifted his head in surprise. I flinched and looked immediately toward the armed escort, wondering if they'd take it upon themselves to become a firing squad. They looked just as surprised as me – well, most of them. Two of them didn't show much emotion at all – because they were crumpled on the ground. And that was when Dimitri and Eddie burst into the arena.