Happy Endings Margaret Atwood Essay

‘Happy Endings’ is one of Margaret Atwood’s most frequently-anthologized stories because it is so unusual. In form, it isn’t so much a story as an instruction manual on how to write one. In content, it is a powerful observation on life. The story is broken up into six possible life scenarios plus some concluding remarks. In scenario A, John meets Mary and they have a perfect life, living together devotedly until they die. In scenario B, John sleeps with Mary, whom he doesn’t love; he treats her abysmally, she commits suicide, and he marries Madge, whom he does love, and ‘everything continues as in A.’ In scenario C, Mary sleeps with John, who is married to Madge, who has become boring. Mary only sleeps with John because she pities him, and she is really in love with James, who rides a motorcycle. John discovers Mary and James in bed together and shoots them before turning the gun on himself. Madge goes on to marry a nice man named Fred, and we continue as in A. In scenario D, Fred and Madge have no interpersonal problems at all, but their house is swept away by a tidal wave. They emerge ‘wet and dripping and grateful, and continue as in A.’ In scenario E, Fred is found to have heart problems. Madge nurses him until he dies, after which she selflessly devotes herself to volunteer work for the rest of her life. It is in this scenario, incidentally, that Atwood begins to break down this encapsulated version of ‘fifty ways to write a story.’ Maybe it’s not Fred with the heart problems, she suggests; maybe it’s Madge who has cancer. Maybe she’s not kind and understanding; maybe she’s guilty and confused. Or maybe Fred is. Maybe Fred, after Madge’s death, devotes himself to bird watching rather than volunteer work. We are obviously getting the point that none of this really matters. In scenario F, Atwood hammers this point home. ‘If you think this is all too bourgeois, make John a revolutionary and Mary a counterespionage agent and see how far that gets you. . . . You’ll still end up with A.’ What is the common denominator between all these scenarios? In case you missed it, Atwood sums it up in her concluding remarks. ‘John and Mary die. John and Mary die. John and Mary die.’ As in ‘The Age of Lead,’ ‘Happy Endings’  forces us to question the point of life. Every story, carried to its ultimate logical conclusion, has the same ending, because all lives have the same ending. We may die in the heat of battle; we may die in our sleep. We may die in infancy, in a gang war, in a nursing home. But we’re going to die. The story isn’t in the ending — it’s in what we do on the way there. Margaret Atwood Happy Endings So you may have found that this week’s reading left you with quite a few questions, such as, â€Å"What did I just read?† Margaret Atwood’s â€Å"Happy Endings† is not a typical short story. In fact, we could even raise the question of whether it actually is a short story or not. â€Å"Happy Endings† is an example of metafiction. You may want to think of metafiction this way: it is a writer writing about writing. To clarify, in metafiction, an author writes a story in order make the reader think about the nature of a story. With metafiction, the author becomes self-reflective about the act of writing. Did you notice those moments in â€Å"Happy Endings† when Atwood comments on the story she is writing? (For example, in plot C, the voice of the author mentions, â€Å"†¦this is the thin part of the plot, but it can be dealt with later† [767].) Atwood’s goal is for the reader to contemplate what is the essence of a story. â₠¬Å"If you want a happy ending, try A.† â€Å"Happy Endings† primarily consists of 6 different bare-bone plots stemming from the very basic catalyst: â€Å"John and Mary meet.† Plot A – the one recommended it we want a â€Å"happy ending† – presents the ideal married life of Mary and John: they enjoy well-paying, fulfilling careers;the value of their house skyrockets, their children â€Å"turn out well;† they go one vacation;and even get to retire. (Heck, their sex-life together doesn’t even fade!) Atwood offers Plot A as the stereotypical, cliched â€Å"happy ending.† The problem with Plot A, at least as far as storytelling goes, there’s no drama. Here the couple does not face any conflict, crisis, or tension. Without crisis, there’s no character development. John and Mary become merely empty names; there’s no reason to care for them. While a â€Å"happy ending,† Plot A falls completely flat. (Plot A reminds me of a quotation from Leo Tols toy: â€Å"All families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its  own way.†) Plots B through F test out different directions that events can go after â€Å"John and Mary meet.† Each of these plots are remarkably predictable, mainly since they are based on cliched, stock characters. Plot B places Mary in the role of the unrequited lover, just hoping that John, the insensitive male, will come to see how much she truly cares for him. (The terms that Mary’s friends use to describe John – â€Å"a rat, a pig, a dog† – are unimaginative.) In Plot C, John takes on the part of the insecure, middle-aged man seeking assurance from a much younger woman, Mary. Plot D is the well recognizable disaster story, like last year’s film â€Å"The Impossible†. If you are a fan of Nicholas Sparks’ â€Å"The Notebook,† you are already familiar with Plot E. Finally, Plot F resembles that of the story of lovers caught up in the political turmoils of their time. However, whatever the plot maybe, we always end with Plot A. The names of the characters may change and â€Å"in between you may get a lustful, brawling saga of passionate involvement, a chronicle of our times, sort of† but the ending to the story will always be the s ame (767). Is this because, according to Atwood, readers will only accept this idealized ending for tales of romance? Could Atwood be commenting on readers’ expectations for how the story will end when two lovers meet? Moreover, is Atwood claiming there is something false about Plot A? Atwood emphatically states near the end of â€Å"Happy Endings† is that â€Å"the only authentic ending† is: â€Å"John and May die. John and Mary die. John and Mary die.† Adopting a bleak outlook, Atwood argues that the one ending that we all will share in and so rings true is death. Now rather than leave us on that depressing note, Atwood offers a bit of hope, â€Å"So much for endings. Beginnings are always more fun† (676). If you consider this statement, Atwood is right. Generally, romantic tales don’t open with the couple being married, with a home and children. Instead, the story of a couple centers on how they get together – what are the obstacles, the emotional turmoil, they face to reach their Plot A? From William Shakespeare to Jane Austen to Nicholas Sparks, marriage is a conclusion not a beginning. The drama lies in everything the lovers have to do to reach that p oint. â€Å"Now try How and Why† In the final three paragraphs, Atwood identifies where the essence of a story lies. No surprise at all that she dismisses plot as formulaic, just a mere  sequence of events – â€Å"a what and a what and a what† (676). Looking back on over Plots A through F, that is all she gives us. John and Mary’s characters are left undeveloped; again, we could interchange their names with those of Madge and Fred, while leaving the plot the same. We don’t care about John and Mary because we don’t have the chance to get to know them. Also, at the end of each plot Atwood leaves us with the question of what is the point of the story. There’s an emptiness felt after reading each plot. Why tell us the story? Generally, we, as readers, look for authors through their writings to give us some insight into our world. Stories have themes, morals, profound messages that go beyond just the bones of the plot. Consider some of the short stories that we have read so far this term. Is it just that Chopin gives us the story of Louise Mallard’s dying after learning her husband is still alive? Is the importance of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† limited to just Gilman’s narrator’s going mad through seeing a woman trapped within the wallpaper? Why does the story of Emily Grierson’s keeping the body of her murder lover in bed with her matter? For Atwood, the plot becomes the vehicle for the author to shows us a new truth. †¦ Happy Endings Margaret Atwood Analysis This detailed literature summary also contains Further Reading on Happy Endings by Margaret Atwood. Margaret Atwood’s â€Å"Happy Endings† first appeared in the 1983 Canadian collection, Murder in the Dark, and it was published in 1994 for American audiences in Good Bones and Simple Murders. Subtitled â€Å"Short Fiction and Prose Poems,† Murder in the Dark featured four types of works: autobiographical sketches, travel notes, experimental pieces addressing the nature of writing, and short pieces dealing with typical Atwood themes, notably the relationship between the sexes. â€Å"Happy Endings,† which is essentially a self-referential story framework, falls into the third category. In several thumbnail sketches of different marriages, all of which achieve a traditional â€Å"happy ending,† Atwood references both the mechanics of writing, most particularly plot, and the effects of gender stereotyping. In earlier works, including the novel Bodily Harm, as well as speeches, Atwood discusses the writer’s relationship to society. She defined the artist, in part, as â€Å"the guardian of the moral and ethical sense of the community.† In â€Å"Happy Endings,† Atwood fulfills this role with a challenge  that she throws out to those writers who rely on the stereotypical characterization of men and women and to the reader who accepts such gender typing. At the same time, she challenges other writers to more closely examine typical literary convention. Theme the â€Å"happy† couple in â€Å"Happy Endings,† whether comprised of John and Mary, John and Madge, or Madge and Fred, enjoys the trappings of middle-class values and represents this element of society. The husband and wife hold professional jobs, earn good money, and make sound investments that afford them some of life’s luxuries, such as nice vacations and a relaxing retirement. Even in the more troublesome aspects of these stories, the couples manifest their middle-class values. In version C, John’s marital crisis is brought on by the fact that he feels his life is settled and dull. This mid-life angst drives him to attempt to boost his self-esteem through an affair with a much-younger woman. Despite the middle-class values that permeate the piece, only in version F does Atwood frankly address them. Style â€Å"Happy Endings† is satirical in the way that it makes fun of the naive conception that a person’s, or a couple’s, life can have a simple happy ending. In version A, John and Mary build a life based on their nice home, rewarding jobs, beloved children, enjoyable vacations, and post-retirement hobbies. They experience one success after another. No problems or difficulties—major let alone minor— are mentioned; as such, their life is completely unreal. Such unreality is emphasized by the events of version B. While John and Mary do not achieve this happy ending, John does achieve it—but with Madge. And in yet another version, Madge achieves this happy ending with Fred. Although all the individuals bring to their relationships a unique past and set of experiences, each couple eventually achieves the exact same ending described in version A. †¦ Margaret Atwood uses her short story Happy Endings to show that it is not the end of a story that is important it is the middle. She seems to say that the endings are all clichÃÆ' © that the middle is the part that is unique. This holds true with literature versus a beach novel although a beach novel and piece of literature may end the same way it is the rest of the book that  makes one different from the other. As she says the true ending is â€Å"John and Mary die† the only guarantee in life is death. So since the ending is already known why does it have the tendency to â€Å"steal† the spotlight from the rest of the story? Sure in some cases people can guess the middle of a story from the ending, if they find someone died in an electric chair they can assume he committed a crime. However if someone dies from heart failure no one can know anything about his life, they may guess the person ate too much junk food, or drank too much but if they don’t know any thing else they can’t guess the middle. However if someone knows the middle they can guess the ending, if they are told that person â€Å"A† had to have triple bypass surgery and that person â€Å"B† murdered a few people they can make an educated guess how each story ends. But even the middle of the story is only part of a greater whole, without the beginning of the story no one can tell why certain events happened and what lead to person â€Å"A† to doing â€Å"action z†. Atwood also says that what happens is not all-important but how it happens and why it happens. According to Atwood, all the whats are just the plot, one thing that happens after another, however the how and the whys are what really make a story more than a story. This is the important part, the hows and the whys are what makes a story literature with out them it makes no difference if the prose is expertly laid out or not it is all still a story nothing more. The step from story to literature is a gray line and is based on pe rsonal taste, as Justice Stewart said â€Å"I know it when I see it† although he was referring to obscenity it is just as applicable here. The use of story like this to portray the differences in opinion on what makes a story is pure genius on the part of Atwood, what is even more interesting is the fact that it is also considered literature. The main theme in most literature that divides it from the rest of the stories is that literature tries to make a specific point, and in doing so forces the reader to think about the point that the author is trying to make. In this way it is easy to decide what is literature and what is not, if at the end of a story if the reader’s only thought is â€Å"Gee, what a nice story† then it is most definitely not literature, but if instead if the thought is more along the lines of â€Å"The author said A, B and C but were they really trying to make a point about D?† it is literature. Although even this test has it’s holes because literature for one person is just a nice story for someone else. As Flannery  O’Connor said, â€Å"[if you don’t ge t the enlightenment] just sit back and enjoy the story.† What Does Happy Ending Mean â€Å"Happy Endings† is a short story by Margaret Atwood. It was first published in a 1983 Canadian collection, Murder in the Dark. It includes six stories in one, each ending with death. The author believes that this is the only sure ending to anything. The stories are all inter-related, containing the same characters and similar actions. Behind the obvious meaning of these seemingly pointless stories lies multiple deeper and more profound meanings; exploring, for example, themes of domesticity, welfare, and success. It all ends up with John and Mary dying at the end of the story. Characters John – He is one of the main characters of the short story. In A, he is in love with Mary and is happily married to her. In B, he doesn’t feel the same way Mary does for him as he only uses her for her body. He eventually takes a woman named Madge to a restaurant. In the end, he marries her. In C, he is a middle-aged man married to Madge but is in love with twenty-two year old Mary. One day he sees Mary with another man and shoots both of them before shooting himself. Mary – She is the main character of the short story. In A, she is happily married to John and had children with him. In B, Mary is in love with John but is saddened with the fact that he doesn’t love her. In C, she is a twenty-two-year old who is in love with James. She is shot by John. James – He is a twenty-two year old whom Mary has feelings for. He isn’t ready to settle down and prefers to ride his motorcycle. He wants to be free while he’s still young. One day, he an d Mary have sex. He is shot by John towards the end. He doesn’t appear anywhere else. Madge – In B, Madge is John’s love interest. She is taken to a restaurant and eventually, they get married. In C, she is John’s wife. In D, she meets a man named Fred. Fred – He is the man Madge meets. In her short story â€Å"Happy Endings†, Margaret Atwood simultaneously displays her feelings about not only the art of creative writing, but also the equally artistic act of living one’s life to the fullest. The story, if it  can really be called a â€Å"story† in the traditional sense of the word, immediately breaks the thin wall of author/audience by presenting a completely unique structure: that of an outline or a jumbled notebook. By asking the reader, â€Å"If you want a happy ending, try A,† Atwood is seemingly giving the reader a choice. Since A must be the happy ending, it implies that there are other, more sinister endings yet to be discovered. Appropriately, after the happy ending has completed, there follows five more endings, all of which seem to be quite depressing, but nevertheless end in â€Å"everything continues as in A.† Why would Atwood do this? In each of her scenarios, she creates two main characters, John and Mary appropriat ely boring names for characters that are so underdeveloped and stereotyped as to be almost comedic. It would be possible to call them each protagonists, but they are the very definition of flat characters: dull and undeveloped. In fact, the reader is informed of their personality traits not because Atwood shows them through a conflict or a plot rather, she simply tells them. Lines such as, â€Å"She sleeps with him even though she’s not in love with him,† present the type of stock character that Mary or John will assume for said scenario without any mystery involved. By creating such flat characters that differ between scenarios, but still coming back with â€Å"everything continues as in A,† Atwood brings up an interesting point: it’s not the destination that matters it’s all the same for everyone it’s the journey. In fact, after presenting all of her mock scenarios for the characters, Atwood abruptly changes tone to tell the reader an important fact: â€Å"The only authentic ending is the one presented here: John and Mary die. John and M ary die. John and Mary die.† After all, at the end of every person’s life, regardless of how they lived it or what they experienced, they will encounter death. This essay has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work written by our professional essay writers. Order a custom essay on Happy Endings by Margaret Atwood written by an expert online.    Atwood notices that people tend to not think quite like this, if only because it is not the most comforting of thoughts, and she uses â€Å"Happy Endings† to allow people a chance to be a bit introspective. â€Å"So much for endings. Beginnings are always more fun. True connoisseurs, however, are known to favor the stretch in between, since it’s the hardest to do anything with.† Such is true for writing; such is true for life. With her unconventional structure, caricatures for characters, and sometimes sarcastic tone, Atwood manages to convey one of the most important concepts about life of all. Do not let life become â€Å"a what and a what and a what.†Ã‚  Learn to favor the stretch between beginning and end, and then, perhaps, you can make your own happy ending. Sources Margaret Atwood Official   website Happy Endings Reviews Happy Endings Wiki

Health Care Economics Essay

The economics of United States health care has been through many changes over its history. There are multiple factors to what caused the changes to the health care system over time with changes such as technological advances in medicine and surgical devices, new medical discoveries, and financial laws pertaining to health care. Just as with other businesses, the health care industry’s economy would depend upon supply and demand of their services. Throughout the time that health care has been undergoing these changes, it remains that the economical situation in health care has been the main focal point to how well that health organizations in the United States will perform. In the early 1900s doctors were just beginning to cease being expected to offer care for free, medical care costs were finally becoming emphasized, and insurances were just getting involved into the health care industry (PBS, 2012). The idea of a national health care policy is first introduced by President Truman in 1945, he would be denied by the American Medical Association campaign against the idea. Eventually in 1960 the American Medical Association would develop a national policy as well that would be signed into law by President Johnson and would become the foundations for Medicare and Medicaid (Rebelo 2007). As of the past two decades, the cost of health care have rapidly been on the rise (PBS, 2012). As new medical discoveries occurred in health care and technology advanced, physicians became more capable of treating patients for their illnesses. Financing in medical organizations is important so that they may afford to do more research and obtain better technology, at the moment the health care industry is 17% of the United State’s Gross Domestic Product only expecting to rise even more as time continues. Majority of the funding for the health care industry is received through the government through Medicare and Medicaid programs. The rest of the funding is being provided by private investors. To understand how well that health care industries are doing, researchers evaluate the elasticity or inelasticity of the organization’s products. If it shown to be elastic, the organization is doing well selling the product or service which as the supply to it decreases, the price will rise. Inelasticity is likely showing that it is not performing as well, organizations are either uncertain about raising prices as the supply drops or the population is not willing to pay more for the service. They will also look at the microeconomics and macroeconomics to see how they are affecting the industry’s economic situation. Microeconomic will focus on how smaller or more particular aspects in the economy are affecting price-cost relationships. Macroeconomics will look at the economic situation as the entire country as a whole to examine what effects that may be causing. The health care industry’s economy continues to be a strong focus in the United States economy as even more focus is being poured into evaluating the health care policy situation within the United States and funding relating to it. The government programs that have been created with the health care industry are still in operation and being reformed to make adjustments that are as suitable as possible to the nation in terms of quality and affordability, attempting to offer the best care and technology possible while making it available to as many as possible without costing the country so much. Economists in the United States are examining the microeconomic and macroeconomic markets to help determine the performance of the industries and what course of action will be taken, though the spending on health care in the past few years has become a large issue for the United States. Through history with the start of health care economics to the current time, funding has been a large focusing issue in the United States taking a large portion of the nations gross domestic product, far surpassing that of other nations and will continue to be a main focusing issue for economists and political debates.

The Twilight Saga 5: Midnight Sun 2. Open Book

I leaned back against the soft snow bank, letting the dry powder reshape itself around my weight. My skin had cooled to match the air around me, and the tiny pieces of ice felt like velvet under my skin. The sky above me was clear, brilliant with stars, glowing blue in some places, yellow in others. The stars created majestic, swirling shapes against the black universe – an awesome sight. Exquisitely beautiful. Or rather, it should have been exquisite. Would have been, if I'd been able to really see it. It wasn't getting any better. Six days had passed, six days I'd hidden here in the empty Denali wilderness, but I was no closer to freedom than I had been since the first moment that I'd caught her scent. When I stared up at the jeweled sky, it was as if there were an obstruction between my eyes and their beauty. The obstruction was a face, just an unremarkable human face, but I couldn't quite seem to banish it from my mind. I heard the approaching thoughts before I heard the footsteps that accompanied them. The sound of movement was only a faint whisper against the powder. I was not surprised that Tanya had followed me here. I knew she'd been mulling over this coming conversation for the last few days, putting it off until she was sure of exactly what she wanted to say. She sprang into sight about sixty yards away, leaping onto the tip of an outcropping of black rock and balancing there on the balls of her bare feet. Tanya's skin was silver in the starlight, and her long blond curls shone pale, almost pink with their strawberry tint. Her amber eyes glinted as she spied me, halfburied in the snow, and her full lips stretched slowly into a smile. Exquisite. If I'd really been able to see her. I sighed. She crouched down on the point of the stone, her fingertips touching the rock, her body coiled. Cannonball, she thought. She launched herself into the air; her shape became a dark, twisting shadow as she spun gracefully between me and the stars. She curled herself into a ball just as she struck the piled snow bank beside me. A blizzard of snow flew up around me. The stars went black and I was buried deep in the feathery ice crystals. I sighed again, but didn't move to unearth myself. The blackness under the snow neither hurt nor improved the view. I still saw the same face. â€Å"Edward?† Then snow was flying again as Tanya swiftly disinterred me. She brushed the powder from my unmoving face, not quite meeting my eyes. â€Å"Sorry,† she murmured. â€Å"It was a joke.† â€Å"I know. It was funny.† Her mouth twisted down. â€Å"Irina and Kate said I should leave you alone. They think I'm annoying you.† â€Å"Not at all,† I assured her. â€Å"On the contrary, I'm the one who's being rude – abominably rude. I'm very sorry.† You're going home, aren't you? she thought. â€Å"I haven't†¦entirely†¦decided that yet.† But you're not staying here. Her thought was wistful now, sad. â€Å"No. It doesn't seem to be†¦helping.† She grimaced. â€Å"That's my fault, isn't it?† â€Å"Of course not,† I lied smoothly. Don't be a gentleman. I smiled. I make you uncomfortable, she accused. â€Å"No.† She raised one eyebrow, her expression so disbelieving that I had to laugh. One short laugh, followed by another sigh. â€Å"All right,† I admitted. â€Å"A little bit.† She sighed, too, and put her chin in her hands. Her thoughts were chagrined. â€Å"You're a thousand times lovelier than the stars, Tanya. Of course, you're already well aware of that. Don't let my stubbornness undermine your confidence.† I chuckled at the unlikeliness of that. â€Å"I'm not used to rejection,† she grumbled, her lower lip pushing out into an attractive pout. â€Å"Certainly not,† I agreed, trying with little success to block out her thoughts as she fleetingly sifted through memories of her thousands of successful conquests. Mostly Tanya preferred human men – they were much more populous for one thing, with the added advantage of being soft and warm. And always eager, definitely. â€Å"Succubus,† I teased, hoping to interrupt the images flickering in her head. She grinned, flashing her teeth. â€Å"The original.† Unlike Carlisle, Tanya and her sisters had discovered their consciences slowly. In the end, it was their fondness for human men that turned the sisters against the slaughter. Now the men they loved†¦lived. â€Å"When you showed up here,† Tanya said slowly. â€Å"I thought that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I'd known what she'd thought. And I should have guessed that she would have felt that way. But I hadn't been at my best for analytical thinking in that moment. â€Å"You thought that I'd changed my mind.† â€Å"Yes.† She scowled. â€Å"I feel horrible for toying with your expectations, Tanya. I didn't mean to – I wasn't thinking. It's just that I left in†¦quite a hurry.† â€Å"I don't suppose you'd tell me why†¦?† I sat up and wrapped my arms around my legs, curling defensively. â€Å"I don't want to talk about it.† Tanya, Irina and Kate were very good at this life they'd committed to. Better, in some ways, than even Carlisle. Despite the insanely close proximity they allowed themselves with those who should be – and once were – their prey, they did not make mistakes. I was too ashamed to admit my weakness to Tanya. â€Å"Woman troubles?† she guessed, ignoring my reluctance. I laughed a bleak laugh. â€Å"Not the way you mean it.† She was quiet then. I listened to her thoughts as she ran through different guesses, tried to decipher the meaning of my words. â€Å"You're not even close,† I told her. â€Å"One hint?† she asked. â€Å"Please let it go, Tanya.† She was quiet again, still speculating. I ignored her, trying in vain to appreciate the stars. She gave up after a silent moment, and her thoughts pursued a new direction. Where will you go, Edward, if you leave? Back to Carlisle? â€Å"I don't think so,† I whispered. Where would I go? I could not think of one place on the entire planet that held any interest for me. There was nothing I wanted to see or do. Because, no matter where I went, I would not be going to anywhere – I would only be running from. I hated that. When had I become such a coward? Tanya threw her slender arm around my shoulders. I stiffened, but did not flinch out from under her touch. She meant it as nothing more than friendly comfort. Mostly. â€Å"I think that you will go back,† she said, her voice taking on just a hint of her long lost Russian accent. â€Å"No matter what it is†¦or who it is†¦that is haunting you. You'll face it head on. You're the type.† Her thoughts were as certain as her words. I tried to embrace the vision of myself that she carried in her head. The one who faced things head on. It was pleasant to think of myself that way again. I'd never doubted my courage, my ability to face difficulty, before that horrible hour in a high school biology class such a short time ago. I kissed her cheek, pulling back swiftly when she twisted her face toward mine, her lips already puckered. She smiled ruefully at my quickness. â€Å"Thank you, Tanya. I needed to hear that.† Her thoughts turned petulant. â€Å"You're welcome, I guess. I wish you would be more reasonable about things, Edward.† â€Å"I'm sorry, Tanya. You know you're too good for me. I just†¦haven't found what I'm looking for yet.† â€Å"Well, if you leave before I see you again†¦goodbye, Edward.† â€Å"Goodbye, Tanya.† As I said the words, I could see it. I could see myself leaving. Being strong enough to go back to the one place where I wanted to be. â€Å"Thanks again.† She was on her feet in one nimble move, and then she was running away, ghosting across the snow so quickly that her feet had no time to sink into the snow; she left no prints behind her. She didn't look back. My rejection bothered her more than she'd let on before, even in her thoughts. She wouldn't want to see me again before I left. My mouth twisted with chagrin. I didn't like hurting Tanya, though her feelings were not deep, hardly pure, and, in any case, not something I could return. It still made me feel less than a gentleman. I put my chin on my knees and stared up at the stars again, though I was suddenly anxious to be on my way. I knew that Alice would see me coming home, that she would tell the others. This would make them happy – Carlisle and Esme especially. But I gazed at the stars for one more moment, trying to see past the face in my head. Between me and the brilliant lights in the sky, a pair of bewildered chocolate-brown eyes stared back at me, seeming to ask what this decision would mean for her. Of course, I couldn't be sure if that was really the information her curious eyes sought. Even in my imagination, I couldn't hear her thoughts. Bella Swan's eyes continued to question, and an unobstructed view of the stars continued to elude me. With a heavy sigh, I gave up, and got to my feet. If I ran, I would be back to Carlisle's car in less than an hour†¦ In a hurry to see my family – and wanting very much to be the Edward that faced things head on – I raced across the starlit snowfield, leaving no footprints. â€Å"It's going to be okay,† Alice breathed. Her eyes were unfocused, and Jasper had one hand lightly under her elbow, guiding her forward as we walked into the rundown cafeteria in a close group. Rosalie and Emmett led the way, Emmett looking ridiculously like a bodyguard in the middle of hostile territory. Rose looked wary, too, but much more irritated than protective. â€Å"Of course it is,† I grumbled. Their behavior was ludicrous. If I wasn't positive that I could handle this moment, I would have stayed home. The sudden shift from our normal, even playful morning – it had snowed in the night, and Emmett and Jasper were not above taking advantage of my distraction to bombard me with slushballs; when they got bored with my lack of response, they'd turned on each other – to this overdone vigilance would have been comical if it weren't so irritating. â€Å"She's not here yet, but the way she's going to come in†¦she won't be downwind if we sit in our regular spot.† â€Å"Of course we'll sit in our regular spot. Stop it, Alice. You're getting on my nerves. I'll be absolutely fine.† She blinked once as Jasper helped her into her seat, and her eyes finally focused on my face. â€Å"Hmm,† she said, sounding surprised. â€Å"I think you're right.† â€Å"Of course I am,† I muttered. I hated being the focus of their concern. I felt a sudden sympathy for Jasper, remembering all the times we'd hovered protectively over him. He met my glance briefly, and grinned. Annoying, isn't it? I grimaced at him. Was it just last week that this long, drab room had seemed so killingly dull to me? That it had seemed almost like sleep, like a coma, to be here? Today my nerves were stretched tight – piano wires, tensed to sing at the lightest pressure. My senses were hyper-alert; I scanned every sound, every sight, every movement of the air that touched my skin, every thought. Especially the thoughts. There was only one sense that I kept locked down, refused to use. Smell, of course. I didn't breathe. I was expecting to hear more about the Cullens in the thoughts that I sifted through. All day I'd been waiting, searching for whichever new acquaintance Bella Swan might have confided in, trying to see the direction the new gossip would take. But there was nothing. No one noticed the five vampires in the cafeteria, just the same as before the new girl had come. Several of the humans here were still thinking of that girl, still thinking the same thoughts from last week. Instead of finding this unutterably boring, I was now fascinated. Had she said nothing to anyone about me? There was no way that she had not noticed my black, murderous glare. I had seen her react to it. Surely, I'd scared her silly. I had been convinced that she would have mentioned it to someone, maybe even exaggerated the story a bit to make it better. Given me a few menacing lines. And then, she'd also heard me trying to get out of our shared biology class. She must have wondered, after seeing my expression, whether she were the cause. A normal girl would have asked around, compared her experience to others, looked for common ground that would explain my behavior so she didn't feel singled out. Humans were constantly desperate to feel normal, to fit in. To blend in with everyone else around them, like a featureless flock of sheep. The need was particularly strong during the insecure adolescent years. This girl would be no exception to that rule. But no one at all took any notice of us sitting here, at our normal table. Bella must be exceptionally shy, if she'd confided in no one. Perhaps she had spoken to her father, maybe that was the strongest relationship†¦though that seemed unlikely, given the fact that she had spent so little time with him throughout her life. She would be closer to her mother. Still, I would have to pass by Chief Swan sometime soon and listen to what he was thinking. â€Å"Anything new?† Jasper asked. â€Å"Nothing. She†¦must not have said anything.† All of them raised an eyebrow at this news. â€Å"Maybe you're not as scary as you think you are,† Emmett said, chuckling. â€Å"I bet I could have frightened her better than that.† I rolled my eyes at him. â€Å"Wonder why†¦?† He puzzled again over my revelation about the girl's unique silence. â€Å"We've been over that. I don't know.† â€Å"She's coming in,† Alice murmured then. I felt my body go rigid. â€Å"Try to look human.† â€Å"Human, you say?† Emmett asked. He held up his right fist, twisting his fingers to reveal the snowball he'd saved in his palm. Of course it had not melted there. He'd squeezed it into a lumpy block of ice. He had his eyes on Jasper, but I saw the direction of his thoughts. So did Alice, of course. When he abruptly hurled the ice chunk at her, she flicked it away with a casual flutter of her fingers. The ice ricocheted across the length of the cafeteria, too fast to be visible to human eyes, and shattered with a sharp crack against the brick wall. The brick cracked, too. The heads in that corner of the room all turned to stare at the pile of broken ice on the floor, and then swiveled to find the culprit. They didn't look further than a few tables away. No one looked at us. â€Å"Very human, Emmett,† Rosalie said scathingly. â€Å"Why don't you punch through the wall while you're at it?† â€Å"It would look more impressive if you did it, baby.† I tried to pay attention to them, keeping a grin fixed on my face like I was part of their banter. I did not allow myself to look toward the line where I knew she was standing. But that was all that I was listening to. I could hear Jessica's impatience with the new girl, who seemed to be distracted, too, standing motionless in the moving line. I saw, in Jessica's thoughts, that Bella Swan's cheeks were once more colored bright pink with blood. I pulled in short, shallow breaths, ready to quit breathing if any hint of her scent touched the air near me. Mike Newton was with the two girls. I heard both his voices, mental and verbal, when he asked Jessica what was wrong with the Swan girl. I didn't like the way his thoughts wrapped around her, the flicker of already established fantasies that clouded his mind while he watched her start and look up from her reverie like she'd forgotten he was there. â€Å"Nothing,† I heard Bella say in that quiet, clear voice. It seemed to ring like a bell over the babble in the cafeteria, but I knew that was just because I was listening for it so intently. â€Å"I'll just get a soda today,† she continued as she moved to catch up with the line. I couldn't help flickering one glance in her direction. She was staring at the floor, the blood slowly fading from her face. I looked away quickly, to Emmett, who laughed at the now pained-looking smile on my face. You look sick, bro. I rearranged my features so the expression would seem casual and effortless. Jessica was wondering aloud about the girl's lack of appetite. â€Å"Aren't you hungry?† â€Å"Actually, I feel a little sick.† Her voice was lower, but still very clear. Why did it bother me, the protective concern that suddenly emanated from Mike Newton's thoughts? What did it matter that there was a possessive edge to them? It wasn't my business if Mike Newton felt unnecessarily anxious for her. Perhaps this was the way everyone responded to her. Hadn't I wanted, instinctively, to protect her, too? Before I'd wanted to kill her, that is†¦ But was the girl ill? It was hard to judge – she looked so delicate with her translucent skin†¦ Then I realized that I was worrying, too, just like that dimwitted boy, and I forced myself not to think about her health. Regardless, I didn't like monitoring her through Mike's thoughts. I switched to Jessica's, watching carefully as the three of them chose which table to sit at. Fortunately, they sat with Jessica's usual companions, at one of the first tables in the room. Not downwind, just as Alice had promised. Alice elbowed me. She's going to look soon, act human. I clenched my teeth behind my grin. â€Å"Ease up, Edward,† Emmett said. â€Å"Honestly. So you kill one human. That's hardly the end of the world.† â€Å"You would know,† I murmured. Emmett laughed. â€Å"You've got to learn to get over things. Like I do. Eternity is a long time to wallow in guilt.† Just then, Alice tossed a smaller handful of ice that she'd been hiding into Emmett's unsuspecting face. He blinked, surprised, and then grinned in anticipation. â€Å"You asked for it,† he said as he leaned across the table and shook his iceencrusted hair in her direction. The snow, melting in the warm room, flew out from his hair in a thick shower of half-liquid, half-ice. â€Å"Ew!† Rose complained, as she and Alice recoiled from the deluge. Alice laughed, and we all joined in. I could see in Alice's head how she'd orchestrated this perfect moment, and I knew that the girl – I should stop thinking of her that way, as if she were the only girl in the world – that Bella would be watching us laugh and play, looking as happy and human and unrealistically ideal as a Norman Rockwell painting. Alice kept laughing, and held her tray up as a shield. The girl – Bella must still be staring at us. †¦staring at the Cullens again, someone thought, catching my attention. I looked automatically toward the unintentional call, realizing as my eyes found their destination that I recognized the voice – I'd been listening to it so much today. But my eyes slid right past Jessica, and focused on the girl's penetrating gaze. She looked down quickly, hiding behind her thick hair again. What was she thinking? The frustration seemed to be getting more acute as time went on, rather than dulling. I tried – uncertain in what I was doing for I'd never tried this before – to probe with my mind at the silence around her. My extra hearing had always come to me naturally, without asking; I'd never had to work at it. But I concentrated now, trying to break through whatever shield surrounded her. Nothing but silence. What is it about her? Jessica thought, echoing my own frustration. â€Å"Edward Cullen is staring at you,† she whispered in the Swan girl's ear, adding a giggle. There was no hint of her jealous irritation in her tone. Jessica seemed to be skilled at feigning friendship. I listened, too engrossed, to the girl's response. â€Å"He doesn't look angry, does he?† she whispered back. So she had noticed my wild reaction last week. Of course she had. The question confused Jessica. I saw my own face in her thoughts as she checked my expression, but I did not meet her glance. I was still concentrating on the girl, trying to hear something. My intent focus didn't seem to be helping at all. â€Å"No,† Jess told her, and I knew that she wished she could say yes – how it rankled inside her, my staring – though there was no trace of that in her voice. â€Å"Should he be?† â€Å"I don't think he likes me,† the girl whispered back, laying her head down on her arm as if she were suddenly tired. I tried to understand the motion, but I could only make guesses. Maybe she was tired. â€Å"The Cullens don't like anybody,† Jess reassured her. â€Å"Well, they don't notice anybody enough to like them.† They never used to. Her thought was a grumble of complaint. â€Å"But he's still staring at you.† â€Å"Stop looking at him,† the girl said anxiously, lifting her head from her arm to make sure Jessica obeyed the order. Jessica giggled, but did as she was asked. The girl did not look away from her table for the rest of the hour. I thought – though, of course, I could not be sure – that this was deliberate. It seemed like she wanted to look at me. Her body would shift slightly in my direction, her chin would begin to turn, and then she would catch herself, take a deep breath, and stare fixedly at whoever was speaking. I ignored the other thoughts around the girl for the most part, as they were not, momentarily, about her. Mike Newton was planning a snow fight in the parking lot after school, not seeming to realize that the snow had already shifted to rain. The flutter of soft flakes against the roof had become the more common patter of raindrops. Could he really not hear the change? It seemed loud to me. When the lunch period ended, I stayed in my seat. The humans filed out, and I caught myself trying to distinguish the sound of her footsteps from the sound of the rest, as if there was something important or unusual about them. How stupid. My family made no move to leave, either. They waited to see what I would do. Would I go to class, sit beside the girl where I could smell the absurdly potent scent of her blood and feel the warmth of her pulse in the air on my skin? Was I strong enough for that? Or had I had enough for one day? â€Å"I†¦think it's okay,† Alice said, hesitant. â€Å"Your mind is set. I think you'll make it through the hour.† But Alice knew well how quickly a mind could change. â€Å"Why push it, Edward?† Jasper asked. Though he didn't want to feel smug that I was the one who was weak now, I could hear that he did, just a little. â€Å"Go home. Take it slow.† â€Å"What's the big deal?† Emmett disagreed. â€Å"Either he will or he won't kill her. Might as well get it over with, either way.† â€Å"I don't want to move yet,† Rosalie complained. â€Å"I don't want to start over. We're almost out of high school, Emmett. Finally.† I was evenly torn on the decision. I wanted, wanted badly, to face this head on rather than running away again. But I didn't want to push myself too far, either. It had been a mistake last week for Jasper to go so long without hunting; was this just as pointless a mistake? I didn't want to uproot my family. None of them would thank me for that. But I wanted to go to my biology class. I realized that I wanted to see her face again. That's what decided it for me. That curiosity. I was angry with myself for feeling it. Hadn't I promised myself that I wouldn't let the silence of the girl's mind make me unduly interested in her? And yet, here I was, most unduly interested. I wanted to know what she was thinking. Her mind was closed, but her eyes were very open. Perhaps I could read them instead. â€Å"No, Rose, I think it really will be okay,† Alice said. â€Å"It's†¦firming up. I'm ninety-three percent sure that nothing bad will happen if he goes to class.† She looked at me inquisitively, wondering what had changed in my thoughts that made her vision of the future more secure. Would curiosity be enough to keep Bella Swan alive? Emmett was right, though – why not get it over with, either way? I would face the temptation head on. â€Å"Go to class,† I ordered, pushing away from the table. I turned and strode away from them without looking back. I could hear Alice's worry, Jasper's censure, Emmett's approval, and Rosalie's irritation trailing after me. I took one last deep breath at the door of the classroom, and then held it in my lungs as I walked into the small, warm space. I was not late. Mr. Banner was still setting up for today's lab. The girl sat at my – at our table, her face down again, staring at the folder she was doodling on. I examined the sketch as I approached, interested in even this trivial creation of her mind, but it was meaningless. Just a random scribbling of loops within loops. Perhaps she was not concentrating on the pattern, but thinking of something else? I pulled my chair back with unnecessary roughness, letting it scrape across the linoleum; humans always felt more comfortable when noise announced someone's approach. I knew she heard the sound; she did not look up, but her hand missed a loop in the design she was drawing, making it unbalanced. Why didn't she look up? Probably she was frightened. I must be sure to leave her with a different impression this time. Make her think she'd been imagining things before. â€Å"Hello,† I said in the quiet voice I used when I wanted to make humans more comfortable, forming a polite smile with my lips that would not show any teeth. She looked up then, her wide brown eyes startled – almost bewildered – and full of silent questions. It was the same expression that had been obstructing my vision for the last week. As I stared into those oddly deep brown eyes, I realized that the hate – the hate I'd imagined this girl somehow deserved for simply existing – had evaporated. Not breathing now, not tasting her scent, it was hard to believe that anyone so vulnerable could ever justify hatred. Her cheeks began to flush, and she said nothing. I kept my eyes on hers, focusing only on their questioning depths, and tried to ignore the appetizing color of her skin. I had enough breath to speak for a while longer without inhaling. â€Å"My name is Edward Cullen,† I said, though I knew she knew that. It was the polite way to begin. â€Å"I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan.† She seemed confused – there was that little pucker between her eyes again. It took her half a second longer than it should have for her to respond. â€Å"How do you know my name?† she demanded, and her voice shook just a little. I must have truly terrified her. This made me feel guilty; she was just so defenseless. I laughed gently – it was a sound that I knew made humans more at ease. Again, I was careful about my teeth. â€Å"Oh, I think everyone knows your name.† Surely she must have realized that she'd become the center of attention in this monotonous place. â€Å"The whole town's been waiting for you to arrive.† She frowned as if this information was unpleasant. I supposed, being shy as she seemed to be, attention would seem like a bad thing to her. Most humans felt the opposite. Though they didn't want to stand out from the herd, at the same time they craved a spotlight for their individual uniformity. â€Å"No,† she said. â€Å"I meant, why did you call me Bella?† â€Å"Do you prefer Isabella?† I asked, perplexed by the fact that I couldn't see where this question was leading. I didn't understand. Surely, she'd made her preference clear many times that first day. Were all humans this incomprehensible without the mental context as a guide? â€Å"No, I like Bella,† she answered, leaning her head slightly to one side. Her expression – if I was reading it correctly – was torn between embarrassment and confusion. â€Å"But I think Charlie – I mean my dad – must call me Isabella behind my back. That's what everyone here seems to know me as.† Her skin darkened one shade pinker. â€Å"Oh,† I said lamely, and quickly looked away from her face. I'd just realized what her questions meant: I had slipped up – made an error. If I hadn't been eavesdropping on all the others that first day, then I would have addressed her initially by her full name, just like everyone else. She'd noticed the difference. I felt a pang of unease. It was very quick of her to pick up on my slip. Quite astute, especially for someone who was supposed to be terrified by my nearness. But I had bigger problems than whatever suspicions about me she might be keeping locked inside her head. I was out of air. If I were going to speak to her again, I would have to inhale. It would be hard to avoid speaking. Unfortunately for her, sharing this table made her my lab partner, and we would have to work together today. It would seem odd – and incomprehensibly rude – for me to ignore her while we did the lab. It would make her more suspicious, more afraid†¦ I leaned as far away from her as I could without moving my seat, twisting my head out into the aisle. I braced myself, locking my muscles in place, and then sucked in one quick chest-full of air, breathing through my mouth alone. Ahh! It was genuinely painful. Even without smelling her, I could taste her on my tongue. My throat was suddenly in flames again, the craving every bit as strong as that first moment I'd caught her scent last week. I gritted my teeth together and tried to compose myself. â€Å"Get started,† Mr. Banner commanded. It felt like it took every single ounce of self-control that I'd achieved in seventy years of hard work to turn back to the girl, who was staring down at the table, and smile. â€Å"Ladies first, partner?† I offered. She looked up at my expression and her face went blank, her eyes wide. Was there something off in my expression? Was she frightened again? She didn't speak. â€Å"Or, I could start, if you wish,† I said quietly. â€Å"No,† she said, and her face went from white to red again. â€Å"I'll go first.† I stared at the equipment on the table, the battered microscope, the box of slides, rather than watch the blood swirl under her clear skin. I took another quick breath, through my teeth, and winced as the taste made my throat ache. â€Å"Prophase,† she said after a quick examination. She started to remove the slide, though she'd barely examined it. â€Å"Do you mind if I look?† Instinctively – stupidly, as if I were one of her kind – I reached out to stop her hand from removing the slide. For one second, the heat of her skin burned into mine. It was like an electric pulse – surely much hotter than a mere ninety-eight point six degrees. The heat shot through my hand and up my arm. She yanked her hand out from under mine. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I muttered through my clenched teeth. Needing somewhere to look, I grasped the microscope and stared briefly into the eyepiece. She was right. â€Å"Prophase,† I agreed. I was still too unsettled to look at her. Breathing as quietly as I could through my gritted teeth and trying to ignore the fiery thirst, I concentrated on the simple assignment, writing the word on the appropriate line on the lab sheet, and then switching out the first slide for the next. What was she thinking now? What had that felt like to her, when I had touched her hand? My skin must have been ice cold – repulsive. No wonder she was so quiet. I glanced at the slide. â€Å"Anaphase,† I said to myself as I wrote it on the second line. â€Å"May I?† she asked. I looked up at her, surprised to see that she was waiting expectantly, one hand half-stretched toward the microscope. She didn't look afraid. Did she really think I'd gotten the answer wrong? I couldn't help but smile at the hopeful look on her face as I slid the microscope toward her. She stared into the eyepiece with an eagerness that quickly faded. The corners of her mouth turned down. â€Å"Slide three?† she asked, not looking up from the microscope, but holding out her hand. I dropped the next slide into her hand, not letting my skin come anywhere close to hers this time. Sitting beside her was like sitting next to a heat lamp. I could feel myself warming slightly to the higher temperature. She did not look at the slide for long. â€Å"Interphase,† she said nonchalantly – perhaps trying a little too hard to sound that way – and pushed the microscope to me. She did not touch the paper, but waited for me to write the answer. I checked – she was correct again. We finished this way, speaking one word at a time and never meeting each other's eyes. We were the only ones done – the others in the class were having a harder time with the lab. Mike Newton seemed to be having trouble concentrating – he was trying to watch Bella and me. Wish he'd stayed wherever he went, Mike thought, eyeing me sulfurously. Hmm, interesting. I hadn't realized the boy harbored any ill will towards me. This was a new development, about as recent as the girl's arrival it seemed. Even more interesting, I found – to my surprise – that the feeling was mutual. I looked down at the girl again, bemused by the wide range of havoc and upheaval that, despite her ordinary, unthreatening appearance, she was wreaking on my life. It wasn't that I couldn't see what Mike was going on about. She was actually rather pretty†¦in an unusual way. Better than being beautiful, her face was interesting. Not quite symmetrical – her narrow chin out of balance with her wide cheekbones; extreme in the coloring – the light and dark contrast of her skin and her hair; and then there were the eyes, brimming over with silent secrets†¦ Eyes that were suddenly boring into mine. I stared back at her, trying to guess even one of those secrets. â€Å"Did you get contacts?† she asked abruptly. What a strange question. â€Å"No.† I almost smiled at the idea of improving my eyesight. â€Å"Oh,† she mumbled. â€Å"I thought there was something different about your eyes.† I felt suddenly colder again as I realized that I was apparently not the only one attempting to ferret out secrets today. I shrugged, my shoulders stiff, and glared straight ahead to where the teacher was making his rounds. Of course there was something different about my eyes since the last time she'd stared into them. To prepare myself for today's ordeal, today's temptation, I'd spent the entire weekend hunting, satiating my thirst as much as possible, overdoing it really. I'd glutted myself on the blood of animals, not that it made much difference in the face of the outrageous flavor floating on the air around her. When I'd glared at her last, my eyes had been black with thirst. Now, my body swimming with blood, my eyes were a warmer gold. Light amber from my excessive attempt at thirst-quenching. Another slip. If I'd seen what she'd meant with her question, I could have just told her yes. I'd sat beside humans for two years now at this school, and she was the first to examine me closely enough to note the change in my eye color. The others, while admiring the beauty of my family, tended to look down quickly when we returned their stares. They shied away, blocking the details of our appearances in an instinctive endeavor to keep themselves from understanding. Ignorance was bliss to the human mind. Why did it have to be this girl who would see too much? Mr. Banner approached our table. I gratefully inhaled the gush of clean air he brought with him before it could mix with her scent. â€Å"So, Edward,† he said, looking over our answers, â€Å"didn't you think Isabella should get a chance with the microscope?† â€Å"Bella,† I corrected him reflexively. â€Å"Actually, she identified three of the five.† Mr. Banner's thoughts were skeptical as he turned to look at the girl. â€Å"Have you done this lab before?† I watched, engrossed, as she smiled, looking slightly embarrassed. â€Å"Not with onion root.† â€Å"Whitefish blastula?† Mr. Banner probed. â€Å"Yeah.† This surprised him. Today's lab was something he'd pulled from a more advanced course. He nodded thoughtfully at the girl. â€Å"Were you in an advanced placement program in Phoenix?† â€Å"Yes.† She was advanced then, intelligent for a human. This did not surprise me. â€Å"Well,† Mr. Banner said, pursing his lips. â€Å"I guess it's good you two are lab partners.† He turned and walked away mumbling, â€Å"So the other kids can get a chance to learn something for themselves,† under his breath. I doubted the girl could hear that. She began scrawling loops across her folder again. Two slips so far in one half hour. A very poor showing on my part. Though I had no idea at all what the girl thought of me – how much did she fear, how much did she suspect? – I knew I needed to put forth a better effort to leave her with a new impression of me. Something to better drown her memories of our ferocious last encounter. â€Å"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?† I said, repeating the small talk that I'd heard a dozen students discuss already. A boring, standard topic of conversation. The weather – always safe. She stared at me with obvious doubt in her eyes – an abnormal reaction to my very normal words. â€Å"Not really,† she said, surprising me again. I tried to steer the conversation back to trite paths. She was from a much brighter, warmer place – her skin seemed to reflect that somehow, despite its fairness – and the cold must make her uncomfortable. My icy touch certainly had†¦ â€Å"You don't like the cold,† I guessed. â€Å"Or the wet,† she agreed. â€Å"Forks must be a difficult place for you to live.† Perhaps you should not have come here, I wanted to add. Perhaps you should go back where you belong. I wasn't sure I wanted that, though. I would always remember the scent of her blood – was there any guarantee that I wouldn't eventually follow after her? Besides, if she left, her mind would forever remain a mystery. A constant, nagging puzzle. â€Å"You have no idea,† she said in a low voice, glowering past me for a moment. Her answers were never what I expected. They made me want to ask more questions. â€Å"Why did you come here, then?† I demanded, realizing instantly that my tone was too accusatory, not casual enough for the conversation. The question sounded rude, prying. â€Å"It's†¦complicated.† She blinked her wide eyes, leaving it at that, and I nearly imploded out of curiosity – the curiosity burned as hot as the thirst in my throat. Actually, I found that it was getting slightly easier to breathe; the agony was becoming more bearable through familiarity. â€Å"I think I can keep up,† I insisted. Perhaps common courtesy would keep her answering my questions as long as I was rude enough to ask them. She stared down silently at her hands. This made me impatient; I wanted to put my hand under her chin and tilt her head up so that I could read her eyes. But it would be foolish of me – dangerous – to touch her skin again. She looked up suddenly. It was a relief to be able to see the emotions in her eyes again. She spoke in a rush, hurrying through the words. â€Å"My mother got remarried.† Ah, this was human enough, easy to understand. Sadness passed through her clear eyes and brought the pucker back between them. â€Å"That doesn't sound so complex,† I said. My voice was gentle without my working to make it that way. Her sadness left me feeling oddly helpless, wishing there was something I could do to make her feel better. A strange impulse. â€Å"When did that happen?† â€Å"Last September.† She exhaled heavily – not quite a sigh. I held my breath as her warm breath brushed my face. â€Å"And you don't like him,† I guessed, fishing for more information. â€Å"No, Phil is fine,† she said, correcting my assumption. There was a hint of a smile now around the corners of her full lips. â€Å"Too young, maybe, but nice enough.† This didn't fit with the scenario I'd been constructing in my head. â€Å"Why didn't you stay with them?† I asked, my voice a little too curious. It sounded like I was being nosy. Which I was, admittedly. â€Å"Phil travels a lot. He plays ball for a living.† The little smile grew more pronounced; this career choice amused her. I smiled, too, without choosing to. I wasn't trying to make her feel at ease. Her smile just made me want to smile in response – to be in on the secret. â€Å"Have I heard of him?† I ran through the rosters of professional ball players in my head, wondering which Phil was hers†¦ â€Å"Probably not. He doesn't play well.† Another smile. â€Å"Strictly minor league. He moves around a lot.† The rosters in my head shifted instantly, and I'd tabulated a list of possibilities in less than a second. At the same time, I was imagining the new scenario. â€Å"And your mother sent you here so that she could travel with him,† I said. Making assumptions seemed to get more information out of her than questions did. It worked again. Her chin jutted out, and her expression was suddenly stubborn. â€Å"No, she did not send me here,† she said, and her voice had a new, hard edge to it. My assumption had upset her, though I couldn't quite see how. â€Å"I sent myself.† I could not guess at her meaning, or the source behind her pique. I was entirely lost. So I gave up. There was just no making sense of the girl. She wasn't like other humans. Maybe the silence of her thoughts and the perfume of her scent were not the only unusual things about her. â€Å"I don't understand,† I admitted, hating to concede. She sighed, and stared into my eyes for longer than most normal humans were able to stand. â€Å"She stayed with me at first, but she missed him,† she explained slowly, her tone growing more forlorn with each word. â€Å"It made her unhappy†¦so I decided it was time to spend some quality time with Charlie.† The tiny pucker between her eyes deepened. â€Å"But now you're unhappy,† I murmured. I couldn't seem to stop speaking my hypotheses aloud, hoping to learn from her reactions. This one, however, did not seem as far off the mark. â€Å"And?† she said, as if this was not even an aspect to be considered. I continued to stare into her eyes, feeling that I'd finally gotten my first real glimpse into her soul. I saw in that one word where she ranked herself among her own priorities. Unlike most humans, her own needs were far down the list. She was selfless. As I saw this, the mystery of the person hiding inside this quiet mind began to thin a little. â€Å"That doesn't seem fair,† I said. I shrugged, trying to seem casual, trying to conceal the intensity of my curiosity. She laughed, but there was no amusement the sound. â€Å"Hasn't anyone ever told you? Life isn't fair.† I wanted to laugh at her words, though I, too, felt no real amusement. I knew a little something about the unfairness of life. â€Å"I believe I have heard that somewhere before.† She stared back at me, seeming confused again. Her eyes flickered away, and then came back to mine. â€Å"So that's all,† she told me. But I was not ready to let this conversation end. The little V between her eyes, a remnant of her sorrow, bothered me. I wanted to smooth it away with my fingertip. But, of course, I could not touch her. It was unsafe in so many ways. â€Å"You put on a good show.† I spoke slowly, still considering this next hypothesis. â€Å"But I'd be willing to bet that you're suffering more than you let anyone see.† She made a face, her eyes narrowing and her mouth twisting into a lopsided pout, and she looked back towards the front of the class. She didn't like it when I guessed right. She wasn't the average martyr – she didn't want an audience to her pain. â€Å"Am I wrong?† She flinched slightly, but otherwise pretended not to hear me. That made me smile. â€Å"I didn't think so.† â€Å"Why does it matter to you?† she demanded, still staring away. â€Å"That's a very good question,† I admitted, more to myself than to answer her. Her discernment was better than mine – she saw right to the core of things while I floundered around the edges, sifting blindly through clues. The details of her very human life should not matter to me. It was wrong for me to care what she thought. Beyond protecting my family from suspicion, human thoughts were not significant. I was not used to being the less intuitive of any pairing. I relied on my extra hearing too much – I clearly was not as perceptive as I gave myself credit for. The girl sighed and glowered toward the front of the classroom. Something about her frustrated expression was humorous. The whole situation, the whole conversation was humorous. No one had ever been in more danger from me than this little girl – at any moment I might, distracted by my ridiculous absorption in the conversation, inhale through my nose and attack her before I could stop myself – and she was irritated because I hadn't answered her question. â€Å"Am I annoying you?† I asked, smiling at the absurdity of it all. She glanced at me quickly, and then her eyes seemed to get trapped by my gaze. â€Å"Not exactly,† she told me. â€Å"I'm more annoyed at myself. My face is so easy to read – my mother always calls me her open book.† She frowned, disgruntled. I stared at her in amazement. The reason she was upset was because she thought I saw through her too easily. How bizarre. I'd never expended so much effort to understand someone in all my life – or rather existence, as life was hardly the right word. I did not truly have a life. â€Å"On the contrary,† I disagreed, feeling strangely†¦wary, as if there were some hidden danger here that I was failing to see. I was suddenly on edge, the premonition making me anxious. â€Å"I find you very difficult to read.† â€Å"You must be a good reader then,† she guessed, making her own assumption that was, again, right on target. â€Å"Usually,† I agreed. I smiled at her widely then, letting my lips pull back to expose the rows of gleaming, razor sharp teeth behind them. It was a stupid thing to do, but I was abruptly, unexpectedly desperate to get some kind of warning through to the girl. Her body was closer to me than before, having shifted unconsciously in the course of our conversation. All the little markers and signs that were sufficient to scare off the rest of humanity did not seem to be working on her. Why did she not cringe away from me in terror? Surely she had seen enough of my darker side to realize the danger, intuitive as she seemed to be. I didn't get to see if my warning had the intended effect. Mr. Banner called for the class's attention just then, and she turned away from me at once. She seemed a little relieved for the interruption, so maybe she understood unconsciously. I hoped she did. I recognized the fascination growing inside me, even as I tried to root it out. I could not afford to find Bella Swan interesting. Or rather, she could not afford that. Already, I was anxious for another chance to talk to her. I wanted to know more about her mother, her life before she came here, her relationship with her father. All the meaningless details that would flesh out her character further. But every second I spent with her was a mistake, a risk she shouldn't have to take. Absentmindedly, she tossed her thick hair just at the moment that I allowed myself another breath. A particularly concentrated wave of her scent hit the back of my throat. It was like the first day – like the wrecking ball. The pain of the burning dryness made me dizzy. I had to grasp the table again to keep myself in my seat. This time I had slightly more control. I didn't break anything, at least. The monster growled inside me, but took no pleasure in my pain. He was too tightly bound. For the moment. I stopped breathing altogether, and leaned as far from the girl as I could. No, I could not afford to find her fascinating. The more interesting I found her, the more likely it was that I would kill her. I'd already made two minor slips today. Would I make a third, one that was not minor? As soon as the bell sounded, I fled from the classroom – probably destroying whatever impression of politeness I'd halfway constructed in the course of the hour. Again, I gasped at the clean, wet air outside like it was a healing attar. I hurried to put as much distance between myself and the girl as was possible. Emmett waited for me outside the door of our Spanish class. He read my wild expression for a moment. How did it go? he wondered warily. â€Å"Nobody died,† I mumbled. I guess that's something. When I saw Alice ditching there at the end, I thought†¦ As we walked into the classroom, I saw his memory from just a few moments ago, seen through the open door of his last class: Alice walking briskly and blank-faced across the grounds toward the science building. I felt his remembered urge to get up and join her, and then his decision to stay. If Alice needed his help, she would ask†¦ I closed my eyes in horror and disgust as I slumped into my seat. â€Å"I hadn't realized that it was that close. I didn't think I was going to†¦I didn't see that it was that bad,† I whispered. It wasn't, he reassured me. Nobody died, right? â€Å"Right,† I said through my teeth. â€Å"Not this time.† Maybe it will get easier. â€Å"Sure.† Or, maybe you kill her. He shrugged. You wouldn't be the first one to mess up. No one would judge you too harshly. Sometimes a person just smells too good. I'm impressed you've lasted this long. â€Å"Not helping, Emmett.† I was revolted by his acceptance of the idea that I would kill the girl, that this was somehow inevitable. Was it her fault that she smelled so good? I know when it happened to me†¦, he reminisced, taking me back with him half a century, to a country lane at dusk, where a middle-aged women was taking her dried sheets down from a line strung between apple trees. The scent of apples hung heavy in the air – the harvest was over and the rejected fruits were scattered on the ground, the bruises in their skin leaking their fragrance out in thick clouds. A fresh-mowed field of hay was a background to that scent, a harmony. He walked up the lane, all.

Term paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Term Paper Example It is further concerned with other activities such as the disposition of offenders and treatment of juveniles found to have committed a criminal act. The criminal justice system also includes public institutions and key players such as the police, prosecutors, courts, corrections, crime victims and so on (â€Å"Criminal Justice System†). Purpose According to Frase and Weidner, the criminal justice system has the primary purpose of enforcing laws in line with the defined rules and limitations. The authors furthered that the â€Å"system† refers to â€Å"something highly rational – carefully planned, coordinated, and regulated† (Frase & Weidner). On the other hand, Drakeford and Friedman reiterated that controlling crime and assuring due process are the two main purposes of the criminal justice system (5). Key Players’ Functions The criminal justice system is composed of four institutions, namely, police, prosecution, courts, and corrections, and thes e interact with each other towards a balanced action for justice. In simpler terms, the police are responsible for enforcing the law; the courts are responsible for hearing the legality of the crime, and; corrections house the convicted offenders. The following section lists the specific responsibilities of these key players. Police. According to Stevens, the police have intended and unintended functions that include the following: morals enforcement, class control, riot control, order maintenance, safety, service, and crime fighting. Other specific functions include the following: To subdue conduct that is considered threatening. To protect or help a person who is harmed. To uphold security in the community. To help people who are unable to help themselves such as the handicap, the mentally ill, the old and the young, and others. To help in resolving conflict between groups and individuals. To oversee the movement of vehicles and people. To recognize problems that can become seriou s problems (Stevens). Prosecutor. The main function of the prosecutor in a trial is to convince the jury that the defendant is guilty of the crime. Other functions include, but not limited to, the following: To ensure that the guilty person is convicted. To charge suspect with a crime. To represent the government during a trial. To assist in selecting jurors. To call on witnesses to prove the defendant’s guilt. To cross-examine the witnesses presented by the defense (Read). Court. The court consists of the prosecutors, judges and other stakeholders, each of which has roles to fulfill. The prosecuting office must present evidence to the court regarding the guilt of the offender. The prosecutor is usually involved during the initial investigation, pretrial hearings and during the trial. During the preliminary hearing, several factors such as the severity of the offense, will determine the next step. The lack of probable cause can lead to the dismissal of the case. Otherwise the case may be brought to the grand jury. If there is sufficient evidence, the grand jury then decides to try the offender (Drakeford & Friedman, 8-9). Corrections. Drakeford and Friedman stated that corrections have several purposes, one of which is to punish the offenders. This is based on the belief that punishment deters offenders from criminal behavior. Another purpose of the corrections is to protect the society from these offenders. The third purpose is to rehabilitate the offenders (10). Interaction of Key Players The key players in the criminal justice system,

Climate change Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Climate change - Research Paper Example 1). The current discourse hereby asserts that deforestation is a human activity that contributes immensely to climate change and; since it is within man’s control, it could be abated and mitigate the impact of climate change. In the article written by Docksai (2013), the author acknowledged that in the simplest means, climate change could be addressed by merely focusing on the need for more trees. From statistics provided on the top 10 countries with the highest deforestation, it was revealed that Brazil topped the list with 3,446,000 hectares of forest area that was allegedly cut. This was seconded by Indonesia with 1,447,800 hectares of forest area cut; followed by Russia (532,200 hectares) and Mexico (395,000 hectares). The United States is also included in the list with 215,200 hectares of forest area cut (Compare Infobase Ltd., 2013). Evidently, the extensive amount of forest area that had been cut through deforestation has significantly affected the world’s climat e. The reasons for cutting trees in forest areas have been identified to be diverse and mostly linked to financial pursuits. According to the National Geographic, the primary reason for deforestation is actually agriculture. Trees from forests were reportedly cut to provide greater land for purposes of planting crops; as well as grazing livestock (National Geographic Society, 2013). Other causes of deforestation were disclosed to either be intentional which include logging and making way for urbanization; or uninentional such as natural causes like wildfires. The effects of deforestation were mostly noted as skewing in the negative side: the destruction of natural habitat for living species; soil erosion leading to flash floods; and of course, climate change. Trees were noted to be agents of absorption for greenhouse gases. Likewise, trees were commonly known as serving as canopies that apparently block the rays of the sun from piercing through the land; and therefore keeps the fore st soil moist. At night, these trees were also revealed to hold the heat that was apparently preserved during the day and prevents the heat from entering the atmosphere (National Geographic Society, 2013). With a great amount of lost trees, the heat pierces through the land and dries it immensely; and also allows greater levels of greenhouse gases to be expelled to the atmosphere resulting to climate change. After having identified the causes and effects of deforestation, it is crucial to acknowledge that the solution is clear and identifiable; since man could control the rate of cutting of forest trees and could design policies to prevent further devastation. As asserted, the quickest solution to the dilemma is to prevent the cutting of forest trees at such an alarming rate. Likewise, another solution that was noted included the effective management of forest resources. This allegedly entails balancing the cutting of appropriately selected forest trees to be immediately replaced by new trees (National Geographic Society, 2013). It should be emphasized, however, that the number of replanted trees should significantly exceed the number of trees that were cut due to deforestation. This method had already been implemented by Brazil, the number one country to have been identified to have deforested their land (Compare Infobase Ltd., 2013). According to Docksai (2013), Brazil â€Å"hit a milestone in 2012: Forest loss that year, at 4,500

MGT 401 Case 5 Leadership and Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MGT 401 Case 5 Leadership and Change - Essay Example Berkshire Hathaway Incorporation is operating in the conglomerate industry since 1955. Since then, the company is thriving and running its successful ventures in the industry. Warren Buffet built an amazing record in the company with his remarkable leadership skills that does not only gave the direction but also ensured that the employees and other staff members are following his direction along him. At the time when Warren Buffet took control of Berkshire Hathaway, the company was only dealing in the textile business, the strategies of savvy deal making by Warren led the company to a great success and converted the textile industry into conglomerate industry in the next 50 years. In recent times, Warren Buffet is looking to convey his succession plan to other eligible members of the company. Undoubtedly, as a CEO, Warren alone with his leadership skills has developed and brought the company to a stage where several minds could think to reach. The company must bring changes in its leadership roles with time after reaching a certain level of success, one succession plan could be helpful and entertaining till a certain period, and then the company has to adopt some changes in its leadership management and its succession plan. Berkshire Hathaway was living on a succession phenomenon where the company was afraid to release a title icon from a seat. It is also a fact that new and fresh minds could bring more succession plans by combining their minds with the experienced mind. Berkshire Hathaway has also implied the same formula for its giant venture (Rothwell, 2010). In my opinion, Berkshire Hathaway has performed an outstanding and remarkable job in the industry. The whole industry and management teams are now in the resonance of the company’s success. It is the right time for Berkshire Hathaway to prepare for the succession. Warren Buffet is now 80 years of age, and his great experience, the internal position holders should adopt strong

Variation of Capitalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Variation of Capitalism - Essay Example This essay declares  with the globalization of management structures and the integration of global economic systems, all the economic systems in the world are supposed to follow a standardized structure, but in actuality that is not the case. There are several variations in the economic structures in the world, as well as in the practices of capitalism.According to the paper findings  the effort of converging to a single and effective type of market economy, from the late 19th century has been diminished by the substantial variations among the dominant firms, practices of employment, supplier-customer relationships. As the global economy continues to become more integrated, the societies having different institutional arrangements will eventually continue to develop and create a variation in the economic systems.  The variations are on the grounds of economic and social capabilities in particular sectors and industries. As a result, a country becomes specialized in one sector b ut lacks in the other. The UK economy in the late 20th century was strong in financial services and architecture; on the other hand, they were weaker in construction and assembly line manufacturing.  The institutional subsidiary systems which govern the capital and labour market shape the capitalist models, and when they act in a calibrated manner they reinforce all the sub systems.  The comparative advantage system creates specific ways to adjust any incoming changes.

Modern definition of success in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Modern definition of success in America - Essay Example Black Americans have been able to establish different expectations and attitudes compared to their white counterparts. This has accrued from the historical evolution of the American society (Lipsitz 371). This essay will focus mainly on the African-Americans because they have been known to face the most humiliation and discrimination as compared to other races namely Hindu and Hispanic. The most common form of prejudice was slavery which entailed slaves being owned as properties with no legal rights whatsoever. They could be bought, sold to clear debts and even leased to interested parties. Statistics in the 19th Century showed that the African- Americans comprised of the largest number of slaves who were immigrants of African descent that had crossed the Atlantic sea. Slavery was used as a means of getting slave laborers to produce certain goods for the world market namely sugar and tobacco by working in large plantations (Moon 234). The living conditions of slaves were intolerable at best therefore leading to a number of deaths of African-Americans. The causes of death were mainly poverty and sickness and in some cases, thorough beatings by their masters (Moon 234). Despite this, many Africans still came to the western hemisphere with hopes of a promising future only to be disappointed in the long-run. Slavery died with the Civil War but there was still existence of slaves in various States up to 1840. This the period whereby the one-drop rule came into being which mentioned that any individual who had any level of African ancestry was a negro namely black. Children who had mixed parentage were automatically considered to be black because they had â€Å"one drop of negro blood†. The man behind this rule was known as Thomas Jefferson although historical records have found that he bore children of mixed race with his slave known as Sally Hemings. This

Compare the psychological internalization of character in Aeschylus Essay

Compare the psychological internalization of character in Aeschylus Shakespeare, and Austen - Essay Example He was a poet, a playwright and also a scriptwriter. He is also known as the England’s national poet and the â€Å"Bard of Avon†. Moving on, around the world we have another famous world of literature, the Greek history. No doubt the ancient Greek civilization has been one of the most fascinating and wonderful of all the civilizations. And for this, we must be thankful to the ancient Greek writers. One of the most renowned Greek legends is Aeschylus. He was a Greek playwright and is called the father of tragedy. Hamlet’s father, the king, gets murdered by his own brother. To his astonishment his mother marries his uncle, the killer of her husband and his father. Then he is followed by his father’s ghost who cries out for vengeance. However, the Prince is in a dilemma. He has to figure out how to deal with his uncle who kills his father to become the king and goes ahead within a very short period of time to marry his mother. It is a clear indication of how people can be pretenders and harmful. At the same time it calls for a good analysis of the people around. Then there is a kingdom lynching in between, and there is no one who could be trusted. Thus all of the relations and emotions: Family, politics, blood lust, betrayal, mystery, friendship and love – each plays a role in Shakespeares great tragedy, "Hamlet". Through Hamlet Shakespeare represents a man at his most destructive. Hamlet by far is one of Shakespeares greatest works, and is pretty much considered to be the pinnacle of Shakespeare’s literary power. Also, Emma is considered to be Austen’s favorite character. Just like herself, Emma is a domineering, intrusive, complacent, snob of a juvenile woman who attempts to state the lives of all her peers and family members. But even with her flaws, or maybe because of them, Emma happens to be one of Austen’s most adored heroines. Through Emma, Austen expresses her analyses of 19th century England’s intricate and

School Library Media Coordinator Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

School Library Media Coordinator - Essay Example Whereas pedagogy used to be the norm from kindergarten and through the school years and even within the portal of the colleges, now the focus is shifting to enable students grasp the methodologies for self-learning in the primary school years. The library used to be more of a place for reading entertainment. However, now the library has taken its rightful place as powerhouse of knowledge and information, almost a window to the world. Today, the wonders of knowledge and information and their utility occur with little gap in between. Take, for instance, the fields of information and communication technologies. These have become so all-encompassing and intertwined that students are getting the opportunity to use them long before they learn the fundamentals of what drives them and how they operate. Mobile phones, video games, the internet, gadgets like mp3, iPod, iPhone, etc. have students knowing lot more about these even before they start learning the dynamics of electrons, magnetism, calculus, conversion of energy and so on. The importance of the school library has dramatically increased in the past few decades. Knowledge and its application have become far too advanced and quicker than ever before for libraries to remain like a silent spectator in the background. Today, the function of library is a... The library has become a window to every activity from simple reading room containing literature classics to the volumes containing information about intriguing botanies and awe-inspiring planetarium. The library is now the buzzword for every subject, the initiating and training grounds for knowledge building in social sciences, physics and mathematics, the forerunner to specialization in different fields of science and arts (School Library Media Activities Monthly). Before the advent of the information era, the scope for utility of knowledge had to wait till the student completed studies and entered her/his career. Indeed, there was such a wide gap between learning and application of knowledge that most students had forgotten all that they had learnt in schools and colleges in view of the system-oriented assembly-line method of operating prevailing in every corporation, institution and agencies. This way, students simply became nothing less than robots performing the same mundane activities on rote. Education was a dull, repetitive, cyclic and boring affair. The information and communication era has changed all this. Nowadays, education must focus on specialization besides general knowledge to provide students the cutting edge in their area of interest and ability to grasp. There is the need for libraries to provide extensive information beyond the limited dose provided in graded textbooks. Thus, the treatment of library by learning institutions is becoming the litmus test for its efficacy and reputation. The value and importance of learning and teaching with the use of libraries must be the rule rather than the exception. Knowledge is far too advanced and complex now. It is not possible to depend solely on pedagogy style, classroom teaching. The

Analizing film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analizing film - Essay Example This historical period fills the gap between Civil War reconstruction and Martin Luther King. The film just featured the actual suffering of black men in the hands of Whites. There was no exaggeration. 4. What interferences were made in the film? Were there parts of the film that that filmmakers must have made up because they couldn’t have known this from the available evidence? Answer: The film revealed that slavery in a different form was enacted even after the Civil Wars and continued till World War II. The movie is based on the 2008 published book- Slavery by Another Name. The book is a result of extensive research done by the author Douglas A. Blackmon; as such this movie is entirely based on facts. There is no amount of fabrication in it. Douglas himself is the Co-executive producer of the film. 5. What techniques are used in the film to persuade the audience to the filmmaker’s point of view? Note music, camera angle, character portrayal, etc. Answer: The film use d various techniques to establish its points but most important of all is the story line. The movie is based on a book with the same title and follows close to the original writing. The character portrayal is quite strong and the individual incidents of black men’s agonies are quite heart rending in nature. ... Blackmon. Sheila has used several sources to authenticate the reality of the story line. Sheila's sources vary from business records to one "Sheriff's Feeding Account, 1899-1907." She also uses government documents and articles by an assortment of various academics, some of whom are included in the movie. She also looked into newspapers of that era and web based resources. 7. What relevant information do I know? Does it contradict or support the theory presented in the film? Answer: I had always thought that Civil War was the ending of slavery system. The war put an end to the Black’s miseries and the black populations were able to lead a better life. Of course I knew that racial discrimination continued to flourish in the country and still the American society witness one or the other form of racial discriminations. However, I was completely unaware that Blacks suffered a different kind of slavery and that it continued for so long a period. The movie contradicts the theory I was holding about Black people’s lives and acted as an eye opener. 8. Overall how strong are the historical arguments in this film? Is it historically accurate? Answer 8: Samuel D. Pollard’s movie, Slavery by Another Name is based on historical facts. Dr. Sharon Malone, wife of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in the PBS portion of the 2012 Winter TCA Tour reinforces the fact that â€Å"this is American history.† (January 4, 2012). The movie concerns not only South American history but entire America for the North Americans were as guilty of the crime as the Southerners. Slavery in different forms continued to be practice even after it was officially abolished in the

Chinese Philosophies Essay Essay Example for Free

Chinese Philosophies Essay Essay From 1027-221 BCE, the Zhou era, Chinese philosophers â€Å"offered insights into how humans should behave in regard to their families, the state, and nature. † Different philosophers tried to achieve a similar goal of having a well-ordered Chinese society, but they all had vastly different methods of achieving this goal. There were three different schools of Chinese thought that all tried to achieve the goal of having a peaceful society that lived in harmony. All of these ideas were exceptionally diverse and they all varied in different ideas. â€Å"Daoism emphasized harmony with nature; Confucianism emphasized the harmony of relationships; and Legalism emphasized the harmony of a well-regulated state. † The Three Schools of Chinese thought, Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism had major impact on Chinese History both politically and socially for they each promoted a different approach to achieve a well-ordered society. Confucianism is a philosophy that pushed for a well-ordered society by emphasizing human relationships, a righteous leader, and a good education. The discoverer of this idea was Confucius, a philosopher and teacher. He grew up in the period of Eastern Zhou, the age of a hundred schools. His goal was to transform the Chinese society into a state of coherence and righteous. He planned this goal was to be achieved by something called filial piety, devotion and service to parents, ancestors, and superiors. He found filial piety important because he believed it would make the people act moral. Another way he planned to achieve this goal was having a wise and moral leader that was able to set good examples for his people. The Analects state that Confucius said â€Å"If you preside over them with dignity, they will be reverent; if you are filial and loving, they will be loyal; if you promote the good and instruct the incapable, they will be mutually encouraging. † This proves that he believed the ruler should often set a good example for his people in order for them to be moral and show goodness. Another factor that played a huge role in Confucianism was the human relationships. The emphasized relationships were ruler-people; parent-child; husband-wife; elder sibling- younger sibling and friend to friend. These relationships were crucially important because Confucius believed each person had obligations to fulfill and a certain stance in society. And to fulfill those duties each person was expected to behave. Also the goodness of the people was expected to start at the home. He said, â€Å" Only when the roots are well planted will the Way grow â€Å" This reveals that the longer moral ways have appeared the more moral the person is likely to be. But if you juxtaposed the other two philosophies compared to Confucianism you would realize that are extremely different. In the contrary one of the other philosophies, Legalism, is much different than Confucianism and is a lot harsher. Legalism also had the goal of well-ordered society but had different idea of achieving this common goal. The dynasties that used the idea of Legalism were the Qin Dynasty and the Han Dynasty. The Qin Dynasty used Legalism to the full extent while the Han Dynasty infused Confucianism and Legalism together. Han Feizi, the prince of the Han dynasty, through his writings outlined how to maintain a stable society through laws, punishments and other factors. He believed that one way to reach a well-ordered society was to have a strict and strong ruler. Quoted from The Writings Of Master Han Fei, Fei said, â€Å" If conformers to law are strong, the country is strong; if conformers to law are weak, the country is weak †¦Ã¢â‚¬ . From this you can conclude that Han Fei truly believed that a harsh ruler was the key to a successful society. Another aspects that contributed to the success of the community were to have enforced laws. As stated from The Writings of Master Han Fei â€Å" To govern the state by law is to praise the right and blame the wrong. † This reveals that Han Fei also thought that through praising the good people and punishing the bad the society would be â€Å"well-ordered†. Which also shows that Han Fei believed in harsh punishments to tame the people of his country. A final belief of Legalism was a strong base of realism opposed to idealism. Realism was encouraged because Fei thought â€Å" †¦a strong dose of realism was needed to bring his present-day world out of the chaos that beset it† In other words means idealism was not a strict enough way to achieve a well-ordered society. But the idea of Daoism would strongly disagree with the previous concepts. Daoism, also known as â€Å" The Way That Is and Is Not â€Å", enormously differs from the other two philosophies. Daoism was used in the time period of the Eastern Zhou. The originator of this philosophy was Laozi, an â€Å"old master†, who was supposedly immortal. Laozi was against Confucianism and its concepts and perceived things from a diverse view. The goal of Daoism was to maintain a common goal of a well-ordered society. But he planned to attain this goal by following The Law of The Dao is it’s being what it is. Which simply means things are the way they are and you should not interfere. He wanted the people to follow their Dao, their destiny, something you’re naturally good at that doesn’t take any effort. And he believed by just doing that the society would be in harmony with nature. An additional way to achieve his goal was to have hands off government and ruler that were not strict or influential to the society. This is proven in The Dao Dejing; it says, â€Å" I will do nothing, and the people will be transformed of themselves; I will be fond of keeping still, and the people will of themselves become correct†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In other words Laozi expected the ruler to let the people govern themselves and learn from their own mistakes as opposed to having laws to obey. Which also relates to a concept that is well known to most Daosist called Nonaction. In summary in Daoism to achieve the goal of having a well-ordered society you must follow your dao and be in harmony with nature. In conclusion The Three Schools of Chinese thought, Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism had major impact on Chinese History both politically and socially for they each promoted a different approach to achieve a well-ordered society. They also still have an impact on today’s modern society. Each one of these philosophies have some how branched off to religions or philosophes that are still encouraged today. For example Daoism also helped mold the religion of Buddhism. Legalism appears in several of countries around the world where the rulers of a society give there people strict laws with cruel punishments. And for Confucianism Chinese society’s still focus on having relationships with people closest to them. Therefore it was extremely important that these philosophies were studied and discovered.