The Golden Lily Chapter 17

ADRIAN'S CAR DROVE LIKE A DREAM. When I got behind the wheel, I nearly forgot to check for any pursuit. In fact, I nearly forgot that I was supposed to be taking us to Wolfe's and showing Adrian how to use a stick shift. Instead, I was caught up in the way the engine hummed around us and in the scent of the leather. Leaving his neighborhood, I had to restrain myself from flooring it in the crowded streets of downtown Palm Springs. This was a car screaming to be let loose on the open road. I had admired Brayden's Mustang, but I worshipped this one. â€Å"I feel like I've just crashed someone's date,† Adrian remarked, once we were getting on the highway. No one had tailed us out of downtown, making me feel much safer. â€Å"Like I'm intruding on you two. If you want to drop me off somewhere, I'll understand.† â€Å"Huh?† I'd been paying careful attention to the way the car built up to higher speeds, both through sound and feel. The Mustang was in stunning shape. People often have the idea that classic cars are expensive. They are – if they're in good condition. Most aren't. When something's sat around for years without care, it inevitably falls apart, which is why so many older cars are fixer-uppers. Not Adrian's. This had been maintained and restored throughout the years and had probably never left the state of California – meaning it hadn't faced harsh winters. That all added up to a high price tag, making it that much more ludicrous that Adrian had bought something he couldn't drive. I groaned. â€Å"I'm sorry†¦ I don't know what I was thinking.† Well, I kind of knew. I'd been wondering what my odds of a ticket would be if I broke the speed limit to see how fast we could go. â€Å"I should've been walking you through this as soon as I started the car. I promise I will when we leave Wolfe's, all the steps. For now, I guess we can recap the basics. This is the clutch†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Adrian didn't seem annoyed by my neglect. If anything, he looked amused and simply listened to my explanations with a small, quiet smile on his face. Wolfe looked just as disreputable as he had last time, complete with the eye patch and what I suspected were the same Bermuda shorts as before. I hoped he'd done laundry since then. Despite his appearance, he was ready to go when our class assembled and seemed competent in his subject matter. Although he reminded us again about the importance of avoiding conflicts and being aware of one's surroundings, he quickly moved past those points and focused on actually practicing more physical ways of protecting oneself. Considering how much Adrian had complained last time about the â€Å"boring† safety talk, I figured he'd be excited that we were pretty much jumping right into some action. Instead, that amused look from the car vanished, and he grew increasingly tense as Wolfe explained what he wanted us to do in our partnered practice sessions. When the time actually came to practice, Adrian looked blatantly unhappy. â€Å"What's the matter?† I asked. I suddenly remembered last time, when Adrian had freaked out over my â€Å"attack.† Maybe he hadn't really expected he'd have to work here. â€Å"Come on, these are simple. You won't get dirty.† Even when teaching more combative actions, Wolfe was still an advocate of keeping things fast and simple. We weren't trying to learn to beat someone up. These maneuvers were effective means of distracting an assailant so that we could escape. Most were done with the dummies, since we could hardly try to stick fingers in each other's eyes. Adrian went through those motions diligently, if silently. It was working directly with me that he seemed to have a problem with. Wolfe noticed it too as he made his rounds. â€Å"Come on, boy! She can't try to escape if you don't try to hold her. She's not going to hurt you, and you won't hurt her.† The maneuver in question was actually one that would've been helpful the night I'd been grabbed in the alley. So, I was eager to practice it and frustrated that Adrian kept only halfheartedly helping. He was supposed to put an arm around my torso and attempt to cover my mouth. Unfortunately, his efforts were so weak and his hold so loose that I didn't need any special techniques to escape. I could have simply walked right out of his arms. With Wolfe there, Adrian made a slightly better showing as an assailant but immediately resorted to his former ways once we were alone. â€Å"Let's switch,† I said at last, nearly wanting to pull my hair out. â€Å"You try to escape me. Make up for last time.† I couldn't believe that Adrian's sluggish attitude had turned out to be the problem here. I'd expected the hang-up would be me not wanting to touch a vampire, but it didn't bother me at all. I wasn't thinking of him as a vampire. He was Adrian, and my partner in this class. I needed him to learn the move. It was all very pragmatic. If I didn't know better, I'd almost say that Adrian was afraid to touch me, which made no sense. Moroi didn't have those hang-ups. Was something wrong with me? Why wouldn't Adrian touch me? â€Å"What's going on?† I demanded, once we were in the car and headed back to the city. â€Å"I get that you're not an athlete, but what happened in there?† Adrian refused to meet my eyes and instead stared pointedly out the window. â€Å"I don't think this is really my thing. I was all about playing action hero before, but now†¦ I don't know. This is a bad idea. It's more work than I thought.† There was a flippant, dismissive tone in his voice that I hadn't heard in a while. â€Å"What happened to you finishing things you started?† I asked. â€Å"You told me you had changed.† â€Å"That was for art,† said Adrian quickly. â€Å"I'm still in those classes, aren't I? I didn't jump ship on those. I just don't want to do this one anymore. Don't worry. Now that I've got more money, I'll pay you back the class fee. You won't be out anything.† â€Å"That doesn't matter,† I argued. â€Å"It's still a waste! Especially since what Wolfe's showing us isn't really that difficult. We're not ripping ourselves apart like Eddie and Angeline would. Why is this so hard for you to stick with and learn?† My earlier self-doubt returned. â€Å"Do you just not want to work with me? Is there†¦ is there something wrong with me?† â€Å"No! Of course not. Absolutely not,† said Adrian. In my periphery, I saw him finally look at me. â€Å"Maybe there are only so many things I can learn at once. I mean, I'm supposed to also be learning to drive a stick shift. Not that I see that happening.† I wanted to slap myself on the forehead. In my frustration over class, I'd completely forgotten again about showing Adrian how to drive. I felt like an idiot, even though I was still mad at him for giving up on Wolfe. I checked the time. I had things to do tonight at Amberwood but felt obligated to make up for my shoddy teaching. â€Å"We'll practice once we're back in your neighborhood,† I promised. â€Å"We'll start slow, and I'll show you everything you need to do. I might even let you try driving around the block tonight if you seem like you're paying attention to the lesson.† The transformation in Adrian was remarkable. He went from sullen and uncomfortable to cheerful and energetic. I couldn't figure it out. Sure, I found cars and driving fascinating, but technically speaking, there was a lot more detail to learn about manual transmission than there was in Wolfe's evasive techniques. Why were those difficult for him, but the clutch was easy? I stuck around for about an hour when we got back. To his credit, Adrian paid attention to every word I said, although his results were inconsistent whenever I quizzed him or actually let him try something. Sometimes he'd respond like a pro. Other times, he'd seem totally lost on things I could have sworn he'd picked up. By the end of the hour, I felt safe enough with him driving the car at low speeds on empty streets. He was a long way from the highway or stop-and-go traffic of a busy city. â€Å"Looks like we've got more lessons in our future,† I told him when we finished. I'd parked the car behind his building, and we were walking back toward the main entrance and Latte. â€Å"Do not take that car beyond a half-mile radius. I checked the odometer. I'll know.† â€Å"Noted,† he said, still wearing that smirky smile. â€Å"When's the next lesson? You want to come back tomorrow night?† â€Å"Can't,† I said. â€Å"I'm going out with Brayden.† I was surprised at how much I was looking forward to it. Not only did I want to make things up to him after the dance, but I also just wanted a dose of normality – well, at least the kind of normality Brayden and I had together. Plus, things with Adrian were feeling really weird†¦ â€Å"Oh.† Adrian's smile fell. â€Å"Well. I understand. I mean, love and romance and all that.† â€Å"We're going to the textile museum,† I said. â€Å"It's cool, though I'm not sure how much love and romance there'll really be there.† Adrian nearly came to a halt. â€Å"There's a textile museum here? What do people do there?† â€Å"Well, they look at†¦ um, textiles. There's actually a great exhibit on – † I stopped as we reached the front of the building. There, behind Latte, was a familiar car, the rental that Sonya and Dimitri were using. I looked questioningly at Adrian. â€Å"Were you expecting them tonight?† â€Å"No,† he said, resuming his walk to the door. â€Å"They've got a key, though, so I suppose they can make themselves at home anytime. They do it a lot, actually. He eats my food, and she uses my hair stuff.† I followed him. â€Å"Hopefully it's just Dimitri.† After our recent revelations about the hunters, Sonya was pretty much under house arrest. Or so I thought. When we walked into the apartment, she was sitting on the couch. No Dimitri in sight. She glanced up at us from her laptop. â€Å"Thank goodness you're here,† she said, directing her words to me. â€Å"Jill said you two were out and I was hoping to catch you.† Something told me no good would come out of her wanting to â€Å"catch† me, but I had greater concerns. â€Å"What are you doing here?† I asked, half-expecting hunters to come through the door. â€Å"You're supposed to be at Clarence's until you leave town.† â€Å"Day after tomorrow,† she confirmed. She stood; eyes alight with whatever had driven her here. â€Å"But I needed to talk to you now – face-to-face.† â€Å"I would've come to you,† I protested. â€Å"It's not safe for you to be out.† â€Å"I'm fine,† she said. â€Å"I made sure I wasn't followed. This was too important.† She was breathless and excited. More important than being caught by wannabe vampire hunters? Debatable. Adrian crossed his arms and looked surprisingly disapproving. â€Å"Well, it's too late now. What's going on?† â€Å"We got the results back from Sydney's blood,† explained Sonya. My heart stopped. No, I thought. No, no, no. â€Å"Just like with Dimitri's blood, nothing physiological showed up,† she said. â€Å"Nothing unusual with proteins, antibodies, or anything like that.† Relief poured through me. I'd been right. Nothing special about me, no inexplicable properties. And yet†¦ at the same time, I felt a tiny pang of regret. I wasn't the one who would fix everything. â€Å"We sent it to a Moroi lab this time, not an Alchemist one,† Sonya continued. â€Å"One of the researchers – an earth user – felt a hum of earth magic. Just like how Adrian and I felt spirit in Dimitri's blood. The technician had other types of magic users examine your sample, and all four basic elements were detected.† That panic returned. She had me on an emotional roller coaster, one that left me nauseous. â€Å"Magic†¦ in my blood?† A moment later, I understood. â€Å"Of course there is,† I said slowly. I touched my cheek. â€Å"The tattoo has vampire blood and magic in it. That's what it is. There are different degrees of charms in it from different users. That would show up in my blood.† I shivered. Even with a logical explanation, it was a scary thing accepting that there was magic in my blood. Ms. Terwilliger's spells were still anathema to me, but at least there was some comfort in knowing they drew magic from outside of me. But knowing I had something internal? That was terrifying. And yet, I couldn't be surprised at this finding, not with the tattoo. Sonya nodded along. â€Å"Yes, of course. But there must be something about that combination that's repulsive to Strigoi. It may be the key to all of our work!† To my surprise, Adrian took a few steps toward me, and there was a tension in his stance that was fiercely protective. â€Å"So you know Alchemist blood has magic in it,† he said. â€Å"That's no surprise. Case closed. What do you want from her now?† â€Å"Another sample to start,† said Sonya eagerly. â€Å"There's none left in the original vial I took, once all the testing was done. I know this sounds strange, but it'd also be useful if a Moroi could†¦ well, taste your blood and see if it has the same repulsive quality as it did to Strigoi. Fresh blood would be ideal, but even I'm not deluded enough to ask you to submit to a feeding. We should simply be able to use your sample and – â€Å" â€Å"No,† I said. I stumbled backward, horrified. â€Å"Absolutely not. Whether it's from a neck or a vial, there's no way I'm giving my blood for anyone to taste. Do you know how wrong that is? I know you do it all the time with feeders, but I'm not one of them. I should never have given you the first sample. You don't need me for any of this. Spirit's the key. Lee's proof that former Strigoi are the ones you need to examine.† Sonya wasn't cowed by my outburst. She pushed forward, though her tone was gentler. â€Å"I understand your fear, but think of the applications! If something in your blood makes you resistant to Strigoi, then you could save countless lives.† â€Å"Alchemists aren't resistant,† I said. â€Å"That tattoo isn't protecting us, if that's what you're getting at. Do you think that in all our history, there haven't been Alchemists who were turned Strigoi?† â€Å"Well, of course,† she said. Her words were hesitant, encouraging me. â€Å"So, the magic you sensed in me is irrelevant. It's just the tattoo. All Alchemists have it. Maybe ours tastes bad, but Alchemist blood has nothing to do with Strigoi turning. It still happens to us.† I was rambling but didn't care. Sonya grew perplexed, her mind running through the implications of this news. â€Å"But do all Alchemists have bad-tasting blood? If so, how would a Strigoi be able to drain them?† â€Å"Maybe it varies by person,† I said. â€Å"Or maybe some Strigoi are tougher than others. I don't know. Regardless, we aren't the ones to focus on.† â€Å"Unless there's just something special about you,† mused Sonya. No. I didn't want that. I didn't want to be scrutinized, locked behind glass like Keith. I couldn't be. I prayed she wouldn't see how scared I was. â€Å"There's plenty that's special about her,† said Adrian dryly. â€Å"But her blood's not up for dispute. Why are you pushing this again after last time?† Sonya glared at Adrian. â€Å"I'm not doing this for selfish reasons, you know that! I want to save our people. I want to save all our people. I don't want to see any new Strigoi added to the world. No one should live like that.† A haunted look shone in her eyes, as a memory seized her. â€Å"That kind of bloodlust and complete lack of empathy for any other living creature†¦ no one can imagine what it's like. You're hollow. A walking nightmare, and yet†¦ you just don't care†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Funny attitude,† said Adrian, â€Å"seeing as you purposely chose to become one.† Sonya paled, and I felt torn. I appreciated Adrian's defense but also pitied Sonya. She'd explained to me in the past about how spirit's instability – the same instability Adrian feared – had driven her to turning Strigoi. Looking back at her decision, she regretted it more than anything else in her life. She would've submitted herself for punishment, but no court knew how to handle her situation. â€Å"Doing that was a mistake,† she said coldly. â€Å"One I've learned from – which is why I'm so anxious to save others from that fate.† â€Å"Well, then find a way to do it without dragging Sydney into it! You know how she feels about us†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Adrian faltered as he glanced at me, and I was surprised to almost detect bitterness in his voice. â€Å"You know how the Alchemists feel. Keep involving her, and you'll get her in trouble with them. And if you're so convinced they've got the answers, ask them for volunteers and do experiments that way.† â€Å"I'd help with that,† I offered. â€Å"Getting authorized subjects for you. I'd talk to my superiors. They'd like to see an end to Strigoi as much as you.† When Sonya didn't answer right away, Adrian guessed why. â€Å"She knows they'd say no, Sage. That's why she's appealing to you directly and why they didn't send your blood to an Alchemist lab.† â€Å"Why can't you both see how important this is?† asked Sonya, a desperate longing to do good in her eyes. It made me feel guilty and conflicted. â€Å"I do,† said Adrian. â€Å"You think I don't want to see every single one of those bastard Strigoi wiped from the face of the earth? I do! But not at the cost of forcing people to do things they don't want to.† Sonya gave him a long, level look. â€Å"I think you're letting your personal feelings interfere with this. Your emotions are going to ruin our research.† He smiled. â€Å"Well, then. Be glad you'll be free of me in two days.† Sonya glanced between the two of us, looked like she was about to protest, and then thought better of it. Without another word she left, her face defeated. Again, I felt torn. In theory, I knew she was right†¦ but my gut just couldn't agree. â€Å"I didn't mean to upset her,† I said at last. Adrian's face showed no sympathy. â€Å"She shouldn't have upset you. She knows how you feel.† I still felt a little bad, yet I couldn't shake the feeling that if I gave this, I'd be asked to give more and more. I recalled the day Eddie and Dimitri had been coated in spirit magic. No way could I risk getting involved to that level. I was already pushing my limits too far. â€Å"I know†¦ but it's hard,† I said. â€Å"I like Sonya. I gave her the first vial, so I can see why she thought the second would be easy.† â€Å"Doesn't matter,† he said. â€Å"No is no.† â€Å"I really will mention it to the Alchemists,† I said. â€Å"Maybe they'll want to help.† I didn't think I'd get in too much trouble for the first vial. The Alchemists endorsed the initial experiments after all, and I'd probably get points for standing up to vampire peer pressure for the other sample. He shrugged. â€Å"If they do, great. If not, it's not your responsibility.† â€Å"Well, thanks for gallantly coming to my defense again,† I teased. â€Å"Maybe you'd be more into Wolfe's training if you got to protect someone else instead of yourself?† The earlier smile returned. â€Å"I just don't like seeing people bullied, that's all.† â€Å"But you should come back to Wolfe with me,† I urged. â€Å"You need a chance to try to get at me.† Like that, he was serious again. He looked away. â€Å"I don't know, Sage. We'll see. For now, we'll just focus on the driving – when you can get away from your boyfriend, of course.† I left shortly after that, still confused about his weird behavior. Was that some of spirit's crazy effects on the mind? One minute, he was brave and defensive. The next, he was down and obstinate. Maybe there was a pattern or some type of reasoning behind it all, but it was beyond my analytical abilities. Back at Amberwood, I immediately headed for the library to get a book for my English class. Ms. Terwilliger had lightened up on my usual work so that I could â€Å"devote more time† to crafting her spells. Since her independent study – which was supposed to be my easy elective – took up more time than my other classes, it was refreshing to focus on something else for a change. As I was leaving the British Lit section, I caught sight of Jill and Eddie studying together at a table. That wasn't weird, exactly. What was weird was that Micah wasn't with them. â€Å"Hey, guys,† I said, slipping into a seat. â€Å"Hard at work?† â€Å"Do you know how weird it is to be repeating my senior year?† asked Eddie. â€Å"I can't even blow it off either. I have to get decent grades to stay here.† I grinned. â€Å"Hey, all knowledge is worth having.† He tapped the papers in front of him. â€Å"Yeah? You got any knowledge on the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in fiction?† â€Å"Edith Wharton,† I said automatically. He scrawled something onto his paper, and I turned to Jill. â€Å"How are things with you? Where's Micah?† Jill had her chin propped in her hand and was gazing at me with the weirdest look. It was almost†¦ dreamy. It took her a few moments to snap out of her daze and respond. The dreamy look became embarrassed and then dismayed. She glanced down at her book. â€Å"Sorry. I was just thinking how good you look in taupe. What did you ask?† â€Å"Micah?† I prompted. â€Å"Oh. Right. He's got†¦ stuff to do.† I was pretty sure that was the shortest explanation she'd ever given me. I tried to remember what I'd last heard on their status. â€Å"You guys patched things up, right?† â€Å"Yeah. I guess. He understood about Thanksgiving.† She brightened. â€Å"Hey, Eddie and I were talking about that. Do you think we could all have a big family-style Thanksgiving at Clarence's? Do you think he'd mind? We could all help, and it'd be lots of fun. I mean, aside from the cover, we really are like a family. Eddie says he can make the turkey.† â€Å"I think Clarence would love that,† I said, happy to see her cheery again. Then, I replayed her words. I turned to Eddie incredulously. â€Å"You know how to make a turkey? How would you have learned that?† From what I knew, most dhampirs stayed nearly year-round at their schools from an early age. Not a lot of culinary time. â€Å"Hey,† he said, straight-faced. â€Å"All knowledge is worth having.† Jill laughed. â€Å"He wouldn't tell me either.† â€Å"You know, Angeline claims she can cook,† said Eddie. â€Å"We were talking about it at breakfast. She says she knows about cooking turkey too, so if we tag-team, we can pull it off. Of course, she'll probably want to hunt and kill her own.† â€Å"Probably,† I said. It was amazing that he was talking about working with her on anything. It was even amazing that he could speak about her fondly, without a grimace. I was beginning to think more and more that her display at the assembly had been a good thing. We didn't need animosity in this group. â€Å"Well, I got what I came for, so I'm heading back. I'll see you in the morning.† â€Å"See you,† said Eddie. Jill said nothing, and when I glanced over, I saw that she was watching me again with that weird, enraptured look. She sighed happily. â€Å"Adrian had a great time with you at your class tonight, you know.† I nearly rolled my eyes. â€Å"The bond leaves no secrets. He didn't always seem to be having a good time.† â€Å"No, he really did,† she assured me. A dopey smile crossed her features. â€Å"He loves that you love the car more than he does and thinks it's awesome you're getting so good in your defense class. Not that that's a surprise. You're always so good at everything, and you don't even realize it. You don't even realize half the things you do – like how you watch out for others and never even think about yourself.† Even Eddie looked a little astonished by that. He and I exchanged puzzled looks. â€Å"Well,† I said awkwardly, really unsure how to handle this Sydney lovefest. I decided escape was my best option. â€Å"Thanks. I'll see you later and – hey. Where'd you get that?† â€Å"Huh?† she asked, blinking out of her enraptured haze. Jill was wearing a silk scarf painted in rich jewel tones, almost reminding me of a peacock's tail. It also reminded me of something else, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. â€Å"The scarf. I've seen it before.† â€Å"Oh.† She ran her fingers over the smooth material. â€Å"Lia gave it to me.† â€Å"What? When did you see her?† â€Å"She stopped by the dorm yesterday to give the dresses back again. I didn't tell you because I knew you'd want to return them.† â€Å"I do,† I said adamantly. Jill sighed. â€Å"Come on, let's just keep them. They're so pretty. And you know she'll just bring them back anyway.† â€Å"We'll deal with that later. Tell me about the scarf.† â€Å"It's no big deal. She was trying to pitch me on this scarf collection – â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, yeah, she told me too. How she could make it so no one recognized you.† I shook my head, feeling a surprising amount of anger. Was nothing under my control anymore? â€Å"I can't believe she went behind my back! Please tell me you didn't sneak off with her to do a photo shoot.† â€Å"No, no,† said Jill quickly. â€Å"Of course not. But you don't think†¦ I mean, you don't think there's any way she could pull it off? Hide me?† I tried to keep my tone gentle. After all, I was mad at Lia, not Jill. â€Å"Maybe. Maybe not. You know we can't take the chance.† Jill nodded, face sad. â€Å"Yeah.† I left feeling annoyed and was so distracted that I nearly ran into Trey. When he didn't respond to my greeting, I realized he was even more distracted than I was. There was a haunted look in his eyes, and he seemed exhausted. â€Å"You okay?† I asked. He managed a weak smile. â€Å"Yeah, yeah. Just feeling the pressure of everything. Nothing I can't handle. What about you? Don't they usually have to throw you out of this place? Or did you finally get tired of being here for eight hours?† â€Å"I just needed one book,† I said. â€Å"And I was actually only here ten minutes. I was out most of the night.† The smile fell, replaced by a frown. â€Å"Out with Brayden?† â€Å"That's tomorrow. I had, um, family stuff tonight.† The frown deepened. â€Å"You go out a lot, Melbourne. You have a lot of friends outside school.† â€Å"Not that many,† I said. â€Å"I'm not living a party lifestyle, if that's what you're getting at.† â€Å"Yeah, well. Be careful. I've heard about some scary stuff going on out there.† I remembered him being concerned for Jill too. I usually kept up on all the local news and had heard nothing alarming recently. â€Å"What, is there a crime ring in Palm Springs I should know about?† â€Å"Just be careful,† he said. We started to part ways, and then I called to him, â€Å"Trey? I know it's your own business, but whatever's going on†¦ if you want to talk, I'm here.† It was a huge concession for me, seeing as I wasn't always the most socially adept person. Trey gave me a wistful smile. â€Å"Noted.† I was kind of reeling as I went back to my dorm. Adrian, Jill, Trey. I suppose if you counted Eddie and Angeline getting along, everyone in my life was behaving weirdly. All part of the job, I thought. As soon as I was back in my room, I called Donna Stanton with the Alchemists. I never could be sure what time zone she was in, so I wasn't too concerned about the late hour. She answered right away and didn't sound tired, which I took as a good sign. She hadn't responded to my e-mail about the Warriors, and I was anxious for news. They posed too big a threat to us to be ignored. â€Å"Miss Sage,† she said. â€Å"I was planning on calling you soon. I trust everything's okay with the Dragomir girl?† â€Å"Jill? Yeah, she's fine. I wanted to check in on some other things. You got the info I sent you about the Warriors of Light?† Stanton sighed. â€Å"That's what I was going to call you about. Have you had any more runins?† â€Å"No. And they don't seem to have been following us anymore either. Maybe they gave up.† â€Å"Unlikely.† Her next words took a long time to get out. â€Å"Not from what we've observed in the past.† I froze, momentarily speechless. â€Å"In the past? Do you mean†¦ you've run into them before? I was hoping they were just some†¦ I don't know. A crazy, localized group.† â€Å"Unfortunately, no. We've encountered them before. Sporadically, mind you. But they pop up everywhere.† I was still in disbelief. â€Å"But I was always taught that any hunters had disappeared centuries ago. Why has no one ever talked about this?† â€Å"Honestly?† asked Stanton. â€Å"Most Alchemists don't know. We want to run an efficient organization, one that deals with the vampire problem in an organized, peaceful way. There are some people in our group who might want to take more extreme action. It's best then if the existence of our radical offshoot is kept secret. I wouldn't have even told you, but with all the contact you're having, you need to be prepared.† â€Å"Offshoot†¦ then they are related to Alchemists!† I was sickened. â€Å"Not for a very long time.† She sounded equally disgusted. â€Å"There's almost no resemblance anymore. They're reckless and savage. The only reason we let them be is because they usually just go after Strigoi. This situation with Sonya Karp is more difficult. She hasn't had any more threats?† â€Å"No. I just saw her tonight†¦ which brings up the other reason I called†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I gave Stanton a rundown of the various blood experiments, including my own donation. I painted it in very scientific terms, how it had seemed useful as extra data. I then made sure to sound properly appalled by the second request – which wasn't that difficult. â€Å"Absolutely not,† said Stanton. No hesitation. Often, Alchemist decisions went through chains of command, even with someone as high up as her. It was a sign of how much this went against Alchemist beliefs that she didn't even have to consult anyone. â€Å"Human control-blood is one thing. The rest she's suggesting is out of the question. I will not allow humans to be used in these experiments, especially when the evidence clearly shows the former Strigoi need to be the focus – not us. Besides, for all we know, this is some ploy on the Moroi part to get more of our blood for personal reasons.† I didn't believe that last part at all and tried to find a tactful way of saying so. â€Å"Sonya seems to sincerely believe this would help protect against Strigoi. She just doesn't seem to grasp how we feel about it.† â€Å"Of course she wouldn't,† said Stanton dismissively. â€Å"None of them do.† She and I returned our focus to the vampire hunters. The Alchemists were doing some investigating on any sightings in the area. She didn't want me to do any active investigation myself, but I was to report in immediately if any other information came my way. She was assuming the Warriors of Light were operating nearby, and once she found out where, the Alchemists would â€Å"deal with them.† I wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but her tone made me shiver. As she'd pointed out earlier, we weren't a particularly aggressive group†¦ though we were excellent at getting rid of problems. â€Å"Oh,† I said, just as we were wrapping up. â€Å"Did you ever find out anything about Marcus Finch?† I'd tried locating Clarence's mysterious human, who'd helped against the hunters, but had found nothing. I'd hoped Stanton might have more connections. â€Å"No. But we'll keep looking.† A slight pause. â€Å"Miss Sage†¦ I can't emphasize enough how pleased we are with the work you're doing. You've run into a few more complications than any of us expected, yet you handle them all efficiently and properly. Even your conduct with the Moroi is outstanding. A weaker person might have yielded to Karp's request. You refused and contacted me. I'm so proud I took the chance on you.† I felt a tightening in my chest. So proud. I couldn't remember the last time someone had said they were proud of me. Well, my mother did a lot, but no one tied to my work among the Alchemists did. For most of my life, I'd hoped my father would say he was proud. I'd finally given up on expecting that. Stanton was hardly a parental figure, but her words triggered happiness in me I hadn't known was waiting to come out. â€Å"Thank you, ma'am,† I said, when I could finally speak. â€Å"Keep it up,† she said. â€Å"When I can, I'll get you out of that place and into a position that doesn't involve so much contact with them.† And like that, my world came crashing down. I suddenly felt guilty. She really had given me a chance, and now I was deceiving her. I was hardly like Liam, ready to sell my soul to the Strigoi, but I also wasn't staying objective with my charges. Driving lessons. Thanksgiving. What would Stanton say if she knew about that? I was a sham, reaping glory I didn't deserve. If I was truly a dedicated Alchemist, I'd change my life here. I'd stop all extraneous activities with Jill and the others. I wouldn't even attend Amberwood – I'd accept the offer of outside accommodations. I'd only come here and see the gang when I absolutely was required to. If I could do those things, then I'd truly be a good Alchemist. And, I realized, I'd also be terribly, awfully lonely. â€Å"Thank you, ma'am,† I said. It was the only response I could give.

Bukowski poem †a smile to remember Essay

Analysis A smile to remember Charles Bukowski The poem is really a short story about an ordinary family with tragic problems. The child of the mother and the father, who are mentioned in the poem, is the narrator. The likely scenario is that the child in the poem represents Charles Bukowski’s childhood. In the first lines of the story, it is mentioned that the family has goldfish. We hear about a boy, whose mother keeps telling him to be happy, even though she has a miserable life because of his insane and abusive father, who beats her frequently. One day the goldfish dies and his father, being the insensible man he is, throws the goldfish to the cat, but remarkably, Henry’s mother just smiles. The first impression you get when you see the title of the poem is that this must be a ‘feel-good’- or ‘love’-poem. In the first line, the word ‘goldfish’ is mentioned. An innocent image most readers can relate to. The same goes for the line â€Å"my mother, always smiling, wanting us all to be happy†. Again, to the reader this is a good thing. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Most people agree that going through life happy, is something we all try to achieve. The fifth line reads â€Å"and she was right: it’s better to be happy if you†. Then the poet does something remarkable. The line stops after â€Å"you†, while the next line, only includes one word; â€Å"can†. Bukowski made this word a line by itself to make the reader understand the undertone of desolation in the family, because they surely cannot live the happy, picture-perfect life. By writing it this way, Bukowski leave it to the reader to decide if the mother and the child are happy. But clearly the Mother acknowledges that the child is in fact never happy, since he â€Å"never smiles† as she remarks later. Line 10-11, â€Å"raging inside his 6-foot-two frame because he couldn’t understand what was attacking him from within†. We know from earlier, that Bukowski’s childhood was terribly violent and his father was abusive to his  mother and him, but in this poem Bukowski choose to look beyond this and tries to understand why his father was abusive. In this line, the reader senses immediately that something is wrong with the father and that he is fighting his own demons. Is it mental illness, substance abuse or is he just a man with temperament? Bukowski’s mother becomes the center of the stanza; â€Å"my mother, poor fish, wanting to be happy, beaten two or three times a week, telling me to be happy: ‘Henry, smile! Why don’t you ever smile?† Instead of goldfish swimming in a bowl, the goldfish now symbolize the mother (â€Å"poor fish†) who tries to show happiness even though she suffers from violence and lives in pain. However, sor row cannot be hidden, even the child knows that her happiness is not real. As the author express it â€Å"it was the saddest smile I ever saw†. In the last stanza the goldfish dies. The reader can clearly envision the dead fish â€Å"they floated on the water on their side, their eyes still open†. To return to the symbol of the fish being the mother, the reader’s viewpoint now gets completely turned upside down. It is not as simple as it looked – the poem is not about abuse. It is about a frazzled woman who tried to keep an even more broken family together. She believed in the good things in life and smiled through her pain in an attempt to raise a shelter towards the ugly reality she is confined to. Until one day, when the little part of her, still trying to fight, died and was thrown to the cat: By then she just stands there, still smiling. Perhaps she realizes that relief will also come to her some day; when death put an end to her miserable life and she can finally stop pretending that life is a happy place.

Analysis of Hamlet’s First Soliloquy

Scene 2 reveals for the first time Hamlets intimate, innermost thoughts to the audience. Hamlet has just been denied his request to study in Wittenberg, and is in a state of distress due to his fathers death, his mothers hasty marriage to his uncle Claudius, and his own inability to do anything in both occurrences. Through the use of figurative language such as allusions and comparisons, Shakespeare presents Hamlet in an emotional state of grief, bitterness, and disgust. This soliloquy lets the audience know explicitly how Hamlet is struggling with his mind. Hamlet wishes that his physical flesh could cease to exist : O that this too too solid flesh would melt,/Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew! (133-135), and that God has not fixd His canon against self-slaughter (136). Because Hamlet considers life as weary, stale and pointless (137), suicide is a desirable alternative to him, but he will not go down that path because it is forbidden by religion. Hamlet compares life to a wild, unweeded garden (139) to dramatize his state of depression, and Shakespeare also employs this metaphor to symbolize the rotten things that are occurring in Denmark. They are things rank and gross in nature (140) that undoubtedly have a grave effect on Hamlet, such as King Claudiuss newfound authority over the country, and his marriage to Queen Gertrude, his sister in law. Hamlet’s struggle is also depicted through the slow beat, which matches his sorrow and lack of interest in the world. One of Hamlets passionate concerns throughout this soliloquy is that King Claudius is no match against the dead king, and Shakespeare alludes to Greek mythology to form comparisons between the two kings. For example, Hamlet uses the analogy â€Å"So excellent a king, that was to this/Hyperion to a satyr† (11-12) to express his view that his father is far superior to his uncle. In Greek mythology, Hyperion is the Titan God of light, whereas a satyr is half man and half goat creature associated with drinking, dancing, and lust. This analogy thus depicts Hamlet’s disgust over King Claudius asserting the position meant for a revered figure such as his father. Not only that, Hamlet describes his father as so loving towards his wife that he kept the â€Å"winds of heaven† from blowing too roughly on her face (145-146). This hyperbole serves to emphasize the King’s caring and loving attitude towards his wife, and at the same time, maintains the idea of him possessing God-like characterisics. Through the use of these devices, Shakespeare enables the audience to see that Hamlet has deep affections for his father, and is understandably grief stricken at his loss. The Queen’s lack of mourning for her husband’s death, and her haste in marrying King Claudius is another source of Hamlet’s loathing. Shakespeare again alludes to a Greek mythological character, princess Niobe, who could not stop crying over the death of her children , and was turned into a stone waterfall. This shows how unfaithful Queen Gertrude is as opposed to Niobe, who was turned eternally into a crying stone. Hamlet claims that she moved on within a month, and that even a beast â€Å"would have mourn’d longer†. The repetition of the words â€Å"a month† places emphasis on the speediness of the marriage : â€Å"By what it fed on: and yet, within a month A little month Than I to Hercules: within a month† (149-157). His sentences are not well constructed, and are often interjected, depicting his extreme, emotional state: â€Å"Like Niobe, all tears;- why she, even she, O God! † (1. 2. 153-154). Hamlet is betrayed by the queen’s quick recovery not only that, is disgusted at her â€Å"wicked speed† in which she jumps to â€Å"incestuous sheets†. He is so angered over the whole affair and this is depicted in the bitter and hateful tone of his speech; even the Queen’s tears are â€Å"unrighteous† and the whole marriage is an â€Å"incestuous† affair. When he exclaims â€Å"Frailty, thy name is woman! † Shakespeare depicts Hamlet as a misogynist, who views women as easily manipulated and weak. Hamlet concludes that the marriage between his mother and uncle â€Å"cannot come to no good† (162), which implies that it will have an ill effect on Denmark. The soliloquy ends with him saying â€Å"But break my heart,- for I must hold my tongue† (164), which arouses some feelings of pity from the audience because Hamlet must suffer in silence. This soliloquy belays the reasons for Hamlets deep melancholy, confusion, and state of depression that persists throughout the play. The use of allusions, metaphors, and comparisons greatly heightens Hamlet’s state of grief, as well as the extent of his disgust towards the recent events that have deeply affected him. Shakespeare’s use of figurative languange and his style of writing in this soliloquy is therefore effective in creating an emotional scene of Hamlet venting out his despair for the first time.

In depth analysis about article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

In depth analysis about article - Essay Example Despite known contribution of free trade towards economic growth, competitiveness, peace and reduced product rates, the writer has surfaced some serious social and environmental concerns attached to the issue. Arguments thus presented are thought provoking and the ills of free-trade and global integration are discussed at length which were not considered initially at appropriate levels. Social implication of globalization through free-trade are numerous and devastating. Relying too much on the global supplies usually discourages the local grower and manufacturers and thereby results in reduced self reliance which by no means is a good social indicator. Competition in some cases may also force a firm to accept the child labor to reduce costs. A country with strict legislation on social security and child labor find it hard to compete with other lenient countries on these issues. Developed countries have many strict labor protection laws which results in increased internalized costs an d further demolish the chances of a true competition. Therefore, to maintain the competition it is important to lessen the differences of internalize cost among the nations through strict enforcement of social security and child labor laws. The other solution is the imposition of compensatory tariffs on goods from low standard countries.

Credit Agricole a multi-channel mutual bank Case Study

Credit Agricole a multi-channel mutual bank - Case Study Example She had developed trust in the bank through her long time financial advisor. In going back to ask for the mortgage, Pauline was a little bit disappointed when she found that her financial advisor had moved 3 months ago. Even though she accepted that reality, she still went forth to seek services of the bank without comparing to other banks. Pauline and Louis were disappointed with the initial interest rate offered to them by Bernard, which was 5.5 interest rate plus insurance. The two had hoped to bargain an insurance rate less than 5.5% based on having a long customer loyalty history. This was not the case as the prices were reached by simulation software and any cut not allowed. Pauline was shocked to get a phone call after cutting a deal with Bernard of paying the mortgage at 5.5% interest rate plus insurance, though she was realized the same bank had an ongoing promotion of 4.8 % which had been reserved to outbound call-center campaign. Pauline was disappointed when Bernard pretended not to know such a service existed, though later called her and gave her the mortgage at 4.8% interest rate. Pauline found that service delivery by the people in the bank to be slow. Before getting an appointment to Bernard, it took her 2 attempt to get a chance. The call center advisor was slow in responding to crucial questions and making arrangements. In addition, Bernard was not available at some point to see Pauline, though she was at his office. Bernard took days to reply to Pauline’s requests and messages. The financial advisors, Bernard appeared not to have coordinated with well will the call center advisors since they had different information about what Pauline should get for her mortgage. The service which Pauline received was not upto standard like the way she had expected. The process of getting the mortgage took a very long time, and it had a lot of uncertainties and conflicting figures

Non Profit Organizations Inter Agency Collaboration Thesis

Non Profit Organizations Inter Agency Collaboration - Thesis Example horities will seek to align and incorporate strategic objectives while retaining flexibility and influence over outcomes and assuring value for money† (21). This implies that the vision shared by the collaborating agencies call for an alignment of their business culture and aspirations for comparable levels of service quality that entails commitment to openness between these agencies (Foster, 2002). In the case of non profit organizations, collaboration between agencies is usually the practice in the implementation of joint projects for the welfare of their stakeholders. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) uses â€Å"nonprofit† as a legal term referring to organizations that may only use their revenues for their charitable or educational mission rather than profiting from their projects and distributing the profits to owners or shareholders (Eschenfelder, 2007). These nonprofit organizations are classified as tax exempt. Those who donate to public charity can claim a tax deduction (Berry, 2005). Unlike governments, non-profit agencies have no taxing authority, so they are reliant on charitable donations, volunteerism and grants from private foundations and government (Eschenfelder, 2007). It follows that nonprofit organizations face the perennial challenge of securing funds to cover costs of implementing their mission. Arsenault (1998) contends that nonprofit organizations maintain separate systems simultaneously: that of obtaining resources and another system serving their consumers. On the contrary, for-profit organizations operate only under one system that involves consumers purchasing products and services for the revenue generation of the organization – both processes happening simultaneously in just one system (148). In addition, nonprofits that use volunteers manage two human resources systems: the employed staff and another system for the volunteers. It is apparent that planning a nonprofit merger is more complex due to all the considerations

Promoting education of Islamic Finance In Australia Research Paper

Promoting education of Islamic Finance In Australia - Research Paper Example This is one of the reasons why Australia is very keen in promoting Islamic finance services in the country. However, it has been proven that education is extremely important in responding to the growing interest in Islamic finance (Zubair, 2008). Thus, the main thrust of this paper is to promote education of Islamic finance in Australia. This is to provide alternative education model to attract Muslim students from all over the world; and at the same time attracting locals to a new education development in the field of finance. The demand of Islamic financial services among Muslims in Australia is rapidly growing, and to address this concern, the country entered the Islamic finance. Muslim population in Australia is relatively high because of its long-standing trade ties and cooperation to different Muslim countries (Khaleej Times, 2010). According to the current assistant treasurer of Australia Nick Sherry (2010), â€Å"the Islamic finance, banking and insurance market [that] is worth almost $1 trillion is growing rapidly and could reach as much as $5 trillion.† Several institutions in the country are now offering Islamic financial services like Murababa, Ijara, and Musharaka where Muslims and non-Muslims can borrow with no interest and no trading debt (Ahmad, 2010, p.38). This is in response to the local and global potential demands for Islamic finance services in the country. However, the preface of Islamic finance in Australia is relatively new and as expected, not all of the Muslims and non-Mus lims fully understand the principles of Shariah and the Islamic banking concept sector. The Islamic Financial Services Programs (IFSPs) in Australia can be well implemented if the people are fully aware on the entirety of the program and this can be done through education. Several Islamic institutes are looking forward to a day that Shariah’s standard will be recognized in the academic and training

Colonial history US History Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Colonial history US History - Research Paper Example This information has been gathered over the past seven days through intelligence by the forces. Relevant sources inform that there is news spreading through the countryside that some leaders had strayed in Lexington, and had weapons stored in Concord for purposes of destabilizing the crown. General Gage who sent his aides to town in the past four days organized this intelligence gathering; hence, the militias were aware of Gage’s mission and intelligence plans. Therefore, they had established a communication system so that they could know in advance when the government’s forces were coming (â€Å"The Battle of Lexington† 310). This was made to ensure that their military supplies were safe. The militia is said to be under the command and organization of sympathetic colonialists Samuel Adams and John Hancock. One of the militia’s comrades Paul Revere had organized a communication system of alerting the militia of the military’s coming and actions. On 19 April, upon spotting the British army, he used two lanterns as a signal of the British forces approach to seize the military equipments in Concord. However, aware of the generals interest in the town, the militia were said to have moved their equipment to other towns away from Concord (â€Å"The Battle of Lexington† 310). Word has it that he rode while signaling the lanterns from the north church across the Charles River. Revere and Dowse hurriedly rode their horses to the west of the town to sound the warning of the British arrival. The other messengers awakened the town by using the church bells, sounding of drums and firing shots to call everyone out. The town was suddenly running up and down from the alarms; moreover, John Parker who lined them up as the warning continued organized the militia. The militia’s actions are likely to mark the beginning of a revolution against the crown; this is expressed by the events that happened before the shot that was heard around Lexington and people say was

Functional Area Interrelationships Research Paper

Functional Area Interrelationships - Research Paper Example Tired of frequently travelling, she thought to open her own food store. She realized that there was plenty of opportunity for epicurean food shop, thus Kudler Fine Foods was born. Kudler Fine Foods is a local specialty food store and at the moment they are operating three stores, and are located in San Diego metropolitan area. They deal in; From their vision and mission statements it is evident that, they are purely customer oriented. Their business revolves around making the customers satisfied and not just raking in the profits. When the customers are happy, cash flows in on its own. Their mission states that they search the whole world to find the best foods and then they bring it to their stores for the convenience of the customers. One might think that they should be really expensive if they travel the world and hand pick food items, but the reality is quite the opposite. In fact, their stores are known for suiting all sorts of budget lines. When people find anything a little expensive, they can easily make an economical bundle of the products they’re supposed to buy so that they don’t feel deprived. Kudler Fine Food’s organizational structure comprises of groups of management personnel to achieve one common goal and that is the fulfillment of customers, which is the cause. And the effect is healthy profits in both long and short terms. Just like any conventional organization, Kudler Foods operates under a normal chain of command. A typical organizational hierarchy exists in this company. But this doesn’t mean that they don’t have any improvisation. The chain of command runs from top to bottom. Senior managers delegates work to junior managers and if appropriate, the junior managers can further delegates work to sub-managers. Kathy Kudler sits at the top and holds the presidential chair. From that top spot, she commands the whole structure of the company. The core organizational structure is

Marketing case study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing case study - Assignment Example There are numerous speculations suggesting that e-commerce is the best thing that ever happened, however, some scholars seem to differ with this statement (Microsoft Corporation, 1999). This paper will look at both sides of the situations and some of the e-commerce platforms that are available. Online Shopping It is one of the popular means of e-commerce across the globe. The sellers usually create an online storefront, which is equivalent to a retail shop. The buyers will then have to buy products by clicking on to the things they want (Langer, 2002). One of the pioneer online shops is Amazon.com. It is still one of the famous online destinations around the world. Electronic Payment It is vital for one to understand that goods that are usually bought online are usually paid for by online payment (Microsoft Corporation, 2000). They usually use payment gateways and payment processors. This method of payment has been referred to be convenient as the mailing and writing of checks has be en reduced or discarded (Meier & Stormer, 2009). It has also ensured that there is safety among payment where notes are usually involved. Online Auctions One of the famous online auctions is the eBay. The physical auctions are nowadays predated by the online auctions. However, the online auction targets a large market clientele of sellers and buyers (Langer, 2002). The online auction has been reported to usually give rise to ridiculous pricing of products. This has made them to have many customers as they find it interesting and challenging when compared to the regular storefront shopping. Internet Banking This practice has reduced the number of people congesting the banking halls as people can transact all the banking operation in their own comfort (Singleton, 2001). Online banks give room for wire transfer, exchange and buying of products through the Internet. Online ticketing This includes movie, train, air and sporting tickets, which are purchased online. The booking process mak es it easy for buyers as they will not scramble for them at the shops or at the gates of the event (Meier & Stormer, 2009). Many people hate the idea of queuing and this gives them the opportunity of avoiding it. The classification of e-commerce is based on the type of individuals participating in the process. The first type is known as the business to business type of transaction. This involves the parties that are organizations or businesses (Risdahl, 2007). They include traders, retailers and manufacturers. The other type is business to consumers. This type of transaction is available around businesses that normally sell their products online to the end users or consumers (Langer, 2002). Finally, the other type of e-commerce is referred to as consumer-to-consumer type of transaction. This idea has been adopted from the earliest means of trade of butter where people exchange goods for goods (Raisch, 2001). The process allows individuals to exchange properties that they do not want with those that they need online. Advantages of E-commerce The Internet has been realized to be a market that has booming business (Drapkin, Lowy & Marovitz, 2001). Technological advancements have made it easy for many people can access the Internet. This means that there is a lot of exposure and many people can now access to e-commerce activities (VanHoose, 2011). Individuals are striving to ascertain that they utilize the Internet in the conduction of their daily affairs. Therefore, this means that more people are exposed to

Genre Defense of Shakespeares As You Like It Essay Example for Free

Genre Defense of Shakespeares As You Like It Essay As You Like It represents, together with Much Ado About Nothing and Twelfth Night, the summation of Shakespeares achievement in festive, happy comedy during the years 1598-1601, proclaims David Bevington his The Complete Works of Shakespeare (288). Bevington is obviously not the first editor to have categorized Shakespeares plays. In fact, part of the plays popularity might be based upon the fact that audiences know what to expect when they begin viewing the productions. For example, As You Like Its title hints that audiences should expect the play to end happily. This plays name is not, however, all that helps classify it as a comedy. Every element of the play drips with comedic elements, as Shakespeare characteristically critiques love, while highlighting the pastoral motif. The theme of the play is an obvious remark on its classification. Shakespeare exploits literary convention by mocking the foolishness love generates in us all. Kenneth Muir, in Shakespeares Comic Sequence, declares, His [Shakespeares] lovers-Rosalind, Orlando, Celia, Oliver and Phoebe-would all make answer to Marlowes question Who ever loved that loved not at first sight? with a chorus of No one.'(88) Each of the characters do and say impulsive things based solely on emotion. The Forest of Arden gives the characters freedom to act in such silly manners. Once their love relationships have been realized in marriage, the couples can prepare to return to the order, and presumably reason, of the court. The plot of As You Like It centers on the love relationships of four couples. Made up of the lovers stories and the story of the overthrown Duke Senior, who has fled into the Forest of Arden, the plot is quite complex. It centers on the movement of the characters from the court to the forest and then readying themselves to return to court. The play begins with the instantaneous falling in love of Rosalind and Orlando at court and the nearly simultaneous retreat of each into the Forest of Arden, due to Duke Fredericks sudden disdain for Rosalind and Olivers intention to kill Orlando. The plotline continues with Rosalind disguised as Ganymede, a boy, blocking Rosalind and Orlandos love. The plot moves from disorder to order, though, and the play concludes with a typical comic ending: a marriage ceremony. The marriage masque further solidifies the plays comedic classification. Helen Gardner notes in her article that the masque of Hymen returns order as it is able to end the whole with courtly grace and dignity. This is an image of civility and true society, for Hymen is a god of cities (59). A song sung at the wedding feast declares Hymens dominion over towns: Tis Hymen peoples every town / High wedlock then be honored. / Honor, high honor and renown / To Hymen, god of every town! (Shakespeare, V. iv. 142-145). Furthermore, the scene accounts for all of the characters happy state: Rosalind and Orlando have finally overcome all obstacles to be united; Oliver and Celia are able to immediately marry and Oliver has changed his ways; Silvius finally obtains Phoebes love; Touchstone and Audrey are married; and Duke Frederick has repented and joined a monastery, leaving Duke Senior to assume his rightful throne. All problems have been resolved, which leaves no room for arguing that the play is a comedy. The characters also prove that the play has been appropriately classified. The different lovers demonstrate stereotypical kinds of love. Commentator Kenneth Muir remarks, In As You Like It different kinds of love are examined-the lust of Touchstone, the self-love of Jacques, the pride and vanity of Phoebe, and the sentimental idealism of Orlando-and all are found wanting (91). The central relationship is between Rosalind and Orlando, whom Bertrand Evans describes as the brightest of Shakespeares bright heroines and the least conscious of his unconscious heroes (92). Orlando seems a typical jock. He wrestles Charles in the court and then falls hopelessly in love with Rosalind-so hopelessly in love that he, despite being a poor poet, carves Rosalinds name and poems about her into tree trunks. Although Oliver has denied him a gentlemans education, he is a noble character, who is loyal to his servant Adam, brave enough to fight Charles, and loving when speaking about his beloved Rosalind. Nonetheless, Orlando must have some naivetà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ in order for Rosalind to continue fooling him. Evans expounds, Despite the deserved praise which Oliver heaps upon Orlando [,] Orlando is exposed repeatedly in situations of which the truth eludes him. [] His abrupt disposal of Charles the wrestler; his first tongue-tied meeting with Rosalind; his sword-brandishing, valiant, but frightfully unaware entrance to demand food of Duke Senior-all these are parts of the preparation. (92-3) Orlandos good intentions are mocked somewhat by his actions. Rosalind is also a good person, as is evident in her devotion to Celia, her father, and Orlando. However, Rosalinds disguise leads to some humorous scenes as the (at least, original) audience is aware of the fact that, as Muir describes, when Ganymede is helping Orlando, We have a boy pretending to be a woman, pretending to be a boy, pretending to be a boy, pretending to be a woman, satirising feminine behaviour (90). Her disguise provides numerous incongruities as the audience continues to see the male Ganymede in opposition to Rosalind. Taking on a masculine role helps Rosalind to develop inner strength. In fact, Diane Dreher explains in her analysis of androgynous Shakespearean characters that Rosalinds disguise enables her to examine Orlandos motives, allowing her to say and do things that traditional feminine modestly would not permit (121). Despite her depth of character, the audience is constantly aware of her super objective: to marry Orlando. This goal in and of itself is a romantic convention that cannot be ignored. While Oliver and Duke Frederick appear as antagonistic characters in the beginning scenes when they are at court, both make a turn around after entering the forest. Shakespeare utilizes a romantic convention, the sudden conversion of a villain, to further illuminate the plays comedic nature. When Orlando rescues Oliver from a lioness, Oliver finds favor in his younger brother, and the two are reunited. Oliver and Orlandos brother Jacques explains that Duke Frederick has changed: And to the skirts of this wild wood [Duke Frederick] came, / Where, meeting with an old religious man, / After some question with him, was converted / Both from his enterprise and from the world, / His crown bequeathing to his banished brother, / And all their lands restored to them again / That were with him exiled. (Shakespeare, V. iv. 158-164). Entering the woods leads the characters to become better people. The characters language, although sometimes a bit poetic, is rather common. The plays pastoral elements make prose a more likely language choice. In fact, Dr. Sharron Cassavant, professor of English at Northeastern University has calculated that 54.5 percent of the plays 2, 636 lines are written in prose. The opening scene, exposition in conversation between Orlando and Adam, is entirely prose. Rosalind and Celia also interchange in prose. Prose dominates the dialogue between the lovers. Rhymed verse is generally used when Orlando attempts to write poems about his beloved Rosalind. Blank verse, a higher form, is used most often by Jacques, but Duke Senior also utilizes to proclaim the good that nature has offered him. In this critique of love, blank verse is reserved most often for use by those characters unaffected by love. The language lends itself to the plays love-at-first-sight theme in that the lovers do not have time to organize their thoughts in a collected way, but rather sp eak whatever first enters their mind. The play appeals to the comedic audience visually and aurally as well. Most notably, Rosalinds disguise allows the audience, aware of the fact that the boy they see pretending to be a woman is actually the woman he is pretending to be, to laugh at the incongruities of Orlandos pretend love for and Phoebes real love for Ganymede. The disguise also presents funny sounds as Rosalinds voice must change depending on the character she is playing. The other pastoral characters also lend country-bumpkin accents to the plays aural elements, as they are less sophisticated than the courtly characters. As You Like It could not be more comedic. Each of the plays elements presents stereotypical characteristics of comedy. Shakespeare obviously knew the requirements of each genre and managed to control those requirements while never ceasing to dazzle his audience. His works were all as we like them. Works Cited Bevington, David. Introduction to As You Like It. The Complete Works of Shakespeare. By Bevington. NY: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc., 1997. 288-91. Cassavant, Sharron. As You Like It Main page. Introduction to Shakespeare. Course Website. Dept. of English, Northeastern University. 11 December 2004 http://www.atsweb.neu.edu/uc/s.cassavant/AYLImain.html. Dreher, Diane Elizabeth. Domination and Defiance: Fathers and Daughters in Shakespeare. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky, 1986. [OBU] Evans, Bertrand. Shakespeares Comedies. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1960. [OBU] Gardner, Helen. As You Like It. Shakespeare the Comedies: A Collection of Critical Essays, Ed. Kenneth Muir. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.,1965.

Transforming organization, transforming countries Essay Example for Free

Transforming organization, transforming countries Essay The beauty of organizational transformation reflecting in the belonging countries is embedded in the leadership perspective to the emerging challenge at hand. This has to do with meeting the set-out goals of the company. The goals are clearly mapped out in the mission statement. The mission statement of an organization is a step –in and step-out tones on how to carry out an unequivocal vision of such an industry. In a changing world of ours with constant development of information technology and communication at the twinkle of an eye, it is paramount to establish here that constant ‘change’ is ‘part and par sue’ and a continuous process employed by the administration of the executive officers in charge. An organization needs a research section to constantly discover in due time, evaluate the seemingly problem at hand and the problem prospect towards evolving a systematic approach to effectively combat the problem with competitive solutions. The absence of such section presents the system to premature failure, strangulation and sudden collapse amidst overwhelming competitive market layout. But why do people resist this change? Firstly, of important is the leadership ability of the chief executive officer in charge of an organization to communicate in clear tone of the imperative need(s) for a proposed change.   An important change is not usually a sudden one. Therefore the process of change towards productive results is in all, the concern of the entire goal driven employees. Employees are left in suspicion of pending job insecurity when sidelined from the activities resulting in the change. A sector of industries who fails to achieve its sole aim of establishment within a stipulated time is a laboratory earmarked to experiment new method for possible productive running (the change). An employee in such stratum who perhaps, would perform better in newly evolving shape of the future of that sector or possibly in another sector within the same organization will do everything possible to resist a planned change with uncertainty of his/her fate afterward. Thirdly, for an employee whose employment in the organization is not grounded on merit, his spirit-willingness conformity to the written words of vision and mission statement of the industries is slack. Nevertheless, meeting the time-limit for each goal and agenda of the organization per time become a big task. On perceiving a proposed change in view, such an employee become convicted by conscience and consider himself a target for elimination while the leadership sees the need for such change in another perspective. In the absence of other alternative, he will try to oppose such change by all means. To relief employee’s anxiety over intending change Employee anxiety towards change is an obstacle to the success of the plan for the evolving new industry. To work out a yielding change, dealing with the anxiety of the employees should be part of the change process. Adequate information on why the change is necessary at such time relieves anxiety, some of such reasons could be proffering the way forward to perhaps, the gross net loss in company’s quarterly report, significant reduction in shareholders’ earnings per share, the urgent need to meet government new policy (and stipulated deadline) with the industry still having a sharp edge among competitive industries, the change in the political landscape indigenous to the company, the company’s readiness to compete on global horizon, seasonal shifts in market forces of demand and supply, among others. In engineering the change, the visionary leadership need not fidget on the outcome of employee’s retrenchment if need be. Such job relief must be done in under standing or/and the protection of such an individual’s right. Towards A learning organization Peter Senges (The Fifth Discipline, n.d) concisely defines learning organization to be corporate activities in an organization that maintain a continuous habit of development per time. A dynamic organization needs to meet the innumerable challenges of thriving in a tasking world of new discoveries. Besides the employees experience as a product from adaptation to the required skills and the economy surroundings in the industry, it is instinctive for man to naturally challenge history, instructions, precepts and possibly look for an easy way to getting still the same result or a better one of compliance in a dynamical economic demand. As part of the learning process, an organization needs to constantly meet the expectation of each individual component of a working team. Incorporation of ‘a learning organization’ scheme is necessary for an organization to evolve its own identity. Such will make it stands irrespective of employees’ inflow and outflow. Towards A successful team In the present century, ranking highest among necessities for a successful organization is a vibrant and cordial working team (American National Representative Survey, 2003). The term teamwork is a cross-breeding of productive efforts towards synergized results. Each member of a team is a living component of such system that produces the common goal. The evolution of a team is oriented in the required result. This informs the creation and kind of such team. In the turmoil of rapid generation of new customers’ demands, individualistic method is insufficient to quench the hunger for urgency and accuracy. A team needs evolve to do the job (Jackson Ruderman, 1996). Types of Team The categories of team instituted is based on three headings; the working area, the task mission, and the time requirement, and leadership structure. Functional Team: here, each integral member is from the same unit Cross-functional Team Team members assemble from various work units to evaluate and resolve common challenges. Mission Team Mission-accomplished Team – The members here prefer and implement solution to developing issues. Developmental Team This team develops new systems and products Duration Team Ad hoc The team is established for pending issues and stand dissolve thereafter the issues are resolved. Permanent Standing team is a permanent part of the work unit or the organization. Decision making of a chief executive amidst competing values Teams are meant to execute clearly mapped out tasks. The chief executive decides the pending task to be performed, assigns the type of team needed and provides the task in the organizational perspective in terms of goal and objectives. The chief executive officer collates various decision resolved by the team and make ultimate decision. It is important that the decisions are first suggested to another round of objective deliberations, the subjective points are discarded for the objective ones. True test of objectivity is measured by the relative strength of a decision over a reasonable long duration after suggestion. How CEO`s behavior is related to his tenure in office Cumulative success and failure of a CEO is a determinant to the length of his tenure duration. More importantly is his reaction to moment of failure. On the other hand, total shareholders returns over given period of years is tested for different CEOs. The CEO behavior to meeting the target of an organization is evident in the profit and consumer satisfaction yields. For different CEOs, their   behaviors is am reflection of industries differences, company’s oriented grooming before appointment or outside orientation in a similar discipline. References Carly Fiorina, Japanese chamber of commerce and industry New York, New York, November 28, 2000 Transforming Companies, Transforming Countries â€Å"Leadership in Organizations† by G. Yukl Chapters 10-13, The annual Booz Allen Hamilton study, Booz Allen Hamilton Inc, 2003. Web site- http://business2-cnet.com.com/CEOs-on-the-firing-line/2030-1069_3-1021971.html OPM, Workforce Performance Newsletter, April 1998 Phil Garrahan and Paul Stewart â€Å"The Nissan Enigma† Chapter 4 published by Mansell in London 1992).

Relationship Between Visibility and Invisibility

Relationship Between Visibility and Invisibility Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we cant see. It is with these understated, wise words from the conductor in the recent childrens movie The Polar Express that this exploration into social exclusion begins. How is sight related to social exclusion? Quite simply, if a person, population or space is not or cannot be perceived it cannot be engaged with. In many instances it ceases to exist as part of functioning mainstream society, to stretch the sight metaphor, it disappears in societys blind spot. What causes the location of same in this blind spot of society is to be examined elsewhere, but as a process it certainly exists. This essay attempts to outline the relational nature of the societal seen and unseen through some specific ethnographies pertaining to social exclusion. To give a structural grounding, this essay examines firstly the nature of visibility and invisibility, both theoretically and in practice which allows this work to be contextualised. The notion of how this visibility or invisibility feeds into social exclusion is outlined and finally specific references to particular ethnographic texts are made, with secondary literature being called on where necessary. The core ethnographies are Bourgois (2002), In Search of Respect and two works of Saris (2002a, 2002b) on the Cherry Orchard community; State and Culture, and The meaning of art. Concrete examples will be drawn to make reference to both the visibility and invisibility of persons, populations, causal connections and social forces in no particular order. The interplay between same will be loosely traced throughout and is dealt with in depth before the closing remarks. The construction of the notion of visibility and invisibility is a ubiquitous yet largely un-theorised dimension of contemporary anthropology. Much like its sister subject or indeed even mother subject of social exclusion which is yet to be clearly defined in modern anthropology due to its fluid nature. For the sake of this essay I propose that social exclusion be understood as that process through which people or groups are prevented from participating. As to the relationship between social exclusion and visibility, if one is invisible either as an individual or group how is one to participate? So too if a social force is invisible it cannot be dealt with or controlled. This essay asks the question of how is visibility formed? What does it take to be constructed as a visible subject, citizen or consumer in societys eyes, the market or local and global power structures? Which persons, populations and groups are forced to lead invisible lives or to make their existences seen through d rastic behaviour and so-viewed misconduct? What illegal activities and lives are constructed and maintained in the shadow of public attention? The anthropological theoretical construct of visibility and invisibility, that is to say the manner in which anthropologists highlight the existence of these phenomena permeate numerous aspects of the discipline, society and culture. Numerous forms of visibility and invisibility can be constructed whether that is a rendering of human subjects, groups or events visible or invisible based on local moral, societal or hierarchical views. Take for example the employment of social norms and national law in addition to the varying forms of challenging these. Take the enforcement of tough laws of the Irish State against horse owners in Cherry Orchard, whereby the government constructed the view that horses in suburban communities, in this instance Cherry Orchard, were undesirable and had the Gardai (police) take possession of same (Saris: 2002b). Even the preparation, writing and presentation of ethnographies can be made invisible by the mainstream academic community, often due to the issues dealt with which some would rather remain neglected and silenced. Take for example the nature of how these ethnographies are received into modern anthropological thought. Bourgois (2002) has been criticised, just like many other ethnographers in the past, for their representation of a particular reality, for Bourgois life in El Barrio. Its rawness and uncensored violence challenge and disgust many that would prefer it remain hidden or rather invisible in academic writing and thought. Bourgois examines how the inner-city street culture developed in reaction to inequalities suffered by people when they interact with the mainstream society of New York. Bourgois proposes that street culture offers an alternative forum for autonomous personal dignity (2002: 8). Respect, he goes on to say, is integral to this subculture. The construction of this respect as a social manner of placing oneself in a hierarchy within the community of drug ridden El Barrio is important in terms of its making visible a social force, that of respect, and how that articulates itself in terms of actions within the community. Even within the community which is viewed as invisible the dynamics of visibility and invisibility exist. Although the street economy is based on the sale of crack cocaine, it is important to note that, substance abuse in the inner city is merely a symptom and a vivid symbol of deeper dynamics of social marginalization and alienation (Bourgois 2002: 2). Crack, then, is not an end in itself or the aim of the subculture, but rather a centre it operates around. As Bourgois observes, The crack economy, in fact, sprang from the search for respect; people needed an alternative to undesirable minimum-wage jobs, to fit with the street-defined dignity of refusing to work honestly for low wages (Bourgois 2002: 130). The residents of El Barrio could not earn respect or feel respected in the inferior positions they would be working in: Obedience to the norms of high-rise, office-corridor culture is in direct contradiction to street cultures definitions of personal dignity (Bourgois 2002: 115). Dealing crack provides a different visual representation for dignity and respect. Although the majority o f East Harlem residents are not involved with drugs in any way, the minority who are have managed to set the tone for public life (Bourgois 2002: 10). Hence, the crack economy, serves as an important structural force in the culture of East Harlem. The ways of earning respect in East Harlem inner-city street culture vary drastically, even defiantly, from those in mainstream American society. One method of achieving respect is through violence, whereby regular displays of outward violence are essential for protecting against rip-offs by colleagues, customers, and professional holdup artists. Bourgois explains that upward mobility in the underground economy of the street-dealing world requires a systematic and effective use of violence against ones colleagues, ones neighbours, and, to a certain extent, against oneself. Behaviour that appears irrationally violent, barbaric', and ultimately self-destructive to the outsider, can be reinterpreted according to the logic of the underground economy as judicious public relations and long-term investment in ones human capital development (2002: 24). Hence within the context of inner-city street culture violence is a part of the order of society and a legitimate way to earn respect, even t hough to an outsider violence may seem like a symptom of chaos. The highly visible nature of violence when expressed acts as a key point of socialisation in El Barrio. In El Barrio Bourgois highlights one aspect of the invisible becoming visible. Violence and violent activity among the invisible community of El Barrios drug underworld makes a very distinct, and ugly, presence felt when gang members quarrel. The public display of violence or fighting is visually noticed by the members of the visible community and is highly problematic. Deaths register on the polices radar and the media, which only manage to reinforce mainstreams societies need to repress or hide the region of El Barrio. Violent incidents, even when they do not physically threaten bystanders, are highly visible and traumatic. For example, during my first thirteen months of residence in El Barrio I witnessed a slew of violent incidents: .a deadly shotgun shooting a bombing and a machine-gunning. a shoot-out and a police car chase .fire-bombing of a heroin house.. a half-dozen screaming, clothes-ripping fights. (Bourgois: 2002: 34) Saris (2002b), brings an Irish context to this visibility/invisibility argument through his example of Cherry Orchard, Dublin 12. Described as an unfashionable Dublin suburb that most people in the capital have never been to (and that many people would never want to visit) (Saris: 2002b: 14). Saris goes on to say that Irish public policy towards poverty has been spatialised, looking to address the social exclusion of areas and populations in line with continental, especially French, models. (Saris: 2002b: 14) When Cherry Orchard intrudes on the Irish national consciousness at all, it is generally through the reporting of severe problems to be found therein. Perhaps the most spectacular demonstration of this tendency in recent years is the media coverage of the serious troubles in the area around Halloween 1995. At that time, the Gallanstown Housing Estate in Cherry Orchard erupted into a major civil disturbance which was described by the Gardaà ­ at the time as an organized riot. On Halloween night, several units of the Gardaà ­ were lured into the area in hot pursuit of joyriders in stolen cars. They were then surrounded and driven off the street by crowds bearing rocks and petrol bombs. The Gardai came back in force and were driven off the streets again. Over the course of several hours, tens of people were injured, two children very seriously, and dozens of arrests were made. Indeed, the Halloween Riots are still viewed by the authorities as one of the most disturbing incidents of public unrest in the Republic of Ireland within living memory (Saris: 2002b: 15). Interestingly the Cherry Orchard community, as a population, have expressed themselves through art, in specific wall murals. A number of local activist groups joined together and began to cast around for a way to put the riots behind them (Saris: 2002b: 15). It was eventually decided that, to symbolize the new birth of the area, the dreary walls in and around the housing estates of Cherry Orchard, which had hitherto been little more than convenient graffiti canvases, were to be repainted by the youth of the area. These walls allow a space for public expression of the community identity. They are also spaces of conflict in that they are used by rival gangs to pass messages, for example, let the games begin (Saris: 2002b: 14). This is a coded statement which visualises an otherwise unseen threatening reality. This lends another dimension of how groups of people, in this case gangs, make themselves visible. That is to say they articulate their warfare to the outside world, and indeed ma ke a statement within their own community. A specific gang is now visible in the community. The community can also now by identified by this gang. Hence a small group or gang can control external perception of the entire community as they have expressed themselves and choose to be visible. They have gone from being hidden and hiding behind the wall to making their presence felt by using the wall as a canvas. Interestingly in response to this invisible community making a visual stance the authorities, in this case Dublin Corporation, repaints the wall rendering these expressions invisible again. This particular example also begs the question as to who exactly controls what is and is not visible. On these same walls a statement Mark Hall was killed by the Gardai (Saris: 2002b: 16) was placed expressing a perception of a particular gang and using this to incite further violence. Marks mother defaced the wall herself removing the slogan saying that enough is simply enough. Individual ac tors in the society or community can have influence over their visibility or invisibility. All the poorer suburbs of the Dublin fringe, Fettercairn, North Clondalkin and Cherry Orchard, including high-rise urban areas like Ballymun, have recently completed, or are currently building Equestrian Centres, under the auspices of community development. (Saris: 2002: 171) These horse based projects are undertaken to aid those communities who are perceived as being socially excluded. It is through this representation of these neighbourhoods as visibly poor that they have gained such financial assistance for this project. The importance of horse ownership in these communities historically is quite significant in that they used horses for the transportation of goods, for general transport and for work. The tradition of maintain horses continued, unnoticed by most of the sprawling suburban Dublin. The fact of horse ownership in Dublin was invisible, and would have remained so had that invisible world overlapped with the mainstream visibility of middle class Dublin. Saris details an e vent whereby a number of horses strayed onto the M50, a busy motorway which is a ring road for Dublin. The issue of horse ownership in a city travelled from the invisible quarters to the visible and this transition was problematic for the society at large. The relationship between the visible and invisible is a tentative one. When the two overlap both become visible in their sharing. This forces the visible community to deal with the issues presented and for the most part his means returning the invisible to their invisibility. Legislative and police enforcement means were chosen by the middle classes to exercise this control and boxing back into community. These law focused deeds were socially exclusive means to deal with the problem whereby those in these poorer areas lacked the social credit to engage with such policies and drawing up of same. Hence the Dail passed legislation which made it all but impossible to have a horse in the city. Thus legislating horses from visible to in visibility. The final work which I wish to examine in terms of visibility is that of Lemanski Spaces of Exclusivity or Connection? Linkages between a Gated Community and its Poorer Neighbour in a Cape Town Master Plan Development. Even from this articles title the relational nature of the article is apparent. I propose that the gated community in question is constructed visibly whereas the poorer neighbours are constructed into invisibility. The article deals with an analysis of the relationships between residents of a gated community, Silvertree Estate, and their poorer neighbouring, non-gated, area called Westlake Village. The attitudes and perceptions that exist amongst residents of each both communities towards the other neighbourhood are addressed, as well as the nature of any direct contact between residents. The case study for this paper is located in a master plan private development, constructed in 1999 in the heart of Cape Towns wealthy (and predominantly White) southern suburbs. The d evelopment hosts two vastly different residential areas that despite spatial proximity are socially and functionally isolated. (Lemanski: 2006: 397) The development comprises two housing areas: Westlake village, a state-assisted low-income housing area providing home-ownership for Black African and Coloured community and also Silvertree Estate, a luxurious security Village with 24-hour surveillance. The development also includes non-residential land use with an exclusive private school (thus attracting high-income families to Silvertree), a business park, office park, retail centre and the US Consulate office. In terms of visibility of persons Westlake village is a prime example Westlake respondents were relatively easy to locate by walking the streets, knocking on doors and gaining referrals by befriending residents (Lemanski: 2002: 399). This again echoes the earlier examples of notions visibility depending on perspective. Whereas the Westlake village community is considered by those outside to be unworthy of recognition and hence written into invisibility, within the community itself individual actors are as real as the residents of Silvertree Estate. To refer back to the opening remarks of this essay the most real things in the world are the things we cant see. In contrast the residents of Silvertree are more were less willing to pass on their neighbours contact details and security measures ensured that all interviews required a pre-arranged (usually by telephone) appointment; thus it was harder to access Silvertree residents (Lemanski: 2002: 399). The residents of Silvertree are some what invisible to each other to within the highly visible community of Silvertree Estate, the walls within walls in which they live are an exterior expression of this interrelation-ally distant outlook. The nature of what brings about this difference is striking. Silvertree residents wish to remain independent, up in their ivory towers, and do not interact easily or frequently with their neighbours. The etiquette is one of polite distance, not wishing to pry on the other and a desire to maintain security as a priority. They choose to remain invisible. The notion of access is raised, in that Silvertree residents are difficult to access. This reflects the nature of invisibility itself, it is hard to access that which is hard to perceive. As to the enforced invisibility of the Westlake Village, the structural factor of planning has planned them into physical invisibility thanks to specifically designing the two communities in such a manner that the sight-line from Silvertree Estate does not intersect with any house of the invisible Westlake Village community. In the words of one Westlake resident due to the design of the compound the sight line of residents of Silvertree is such that they cannot directly see Westlake village. They build high walls like Jericho. They dont want to see us (E.T., 11 March 2004).(Lemanski: 2006: 408) To give an opposing perspective, that of a Silvertree Estate resident speaking about Westlake people As far as were concerned theyre not even there (A.K., 28 April 2004), (Lemanski: 2006: 409). The social factor of being undesirable, that is to say in this context poor and coloured, has resulted in their being built into invisibility. The relationship between visibility and invisibility is one which functions for the betterment of the visible community. A desire to repress or hide the other is satisfied by this process, its success is evident in the Westlake and Silvertree housing project. While Silvertree has become a sought-after address, with property values far exceeding original hopes, Westlake village has become the forgotten part of the development and is barely visible even from within the development, let alone from the surrounding roads and neighbourhoods. (Lemanski: 2006: 406) Lemanski even goes on to say that this invisibility was intended by the original master-plan design, hence hinting that such an apartheid-esque approach is still considered acceptable by both developers and the city town planners. Hence invisibility can be used as a tool to socially construct and control communities. Hence it is evident that finding the truth is a matter of representation, into visibility or invisibility. Social constructs are related by their ways of making visible, or their pointing out ways of obscuring, a fundamental reality, perhaps the defining quality, of our historical moment that of gross inequalities and their systematic reproduction. Whether that be the apartheid which still exists in South Africa through particular planning and the rewarding of same with success. That is when undesirables are written into invisibility in a particular estate and the whites can exist independently in their visible world they are rewarded by increased property prices. That violence in El Barrio is rewarded with respect. It can therefore be derived that the relationship between visibility and invisibility is complex and centred on power relationships. The nature that if a person, population or space is not or cannot be perceived it cannot be engaged with is key to the usefulness of invisibility for visible communities. So to the desire for invisible communities to stay invisible is demonstrated by Saris (2002) in Cherry Orchard where once their horses ventured into a visible sphere that which the community valued was challenged. The construction of the notion of visibility and invisibility and their relationship is an ever-present dimension in societal action, which feeds directly into or is part therein of social exclusion, in that the aid they process through which people or groups are prevented from participating.

a memorable moment :: essays research papers

On April 17th, 2004, my eldest sister went into labor around 5:30 A.M. I honestly wasn't in the mood to go to the hospital so early in the morning, but my mother told me I should. My mom told me that it was a time when my sister really needed us. All I thought about was that she wouldn't even know whether I was there or not. My family and I took her to the hospital, and then everyone waited in the adjacent room. I never thought much about it, so I fell asleep. To me it was like," Whatever," she's just having a baby, another niece or nephew for me. You see, my sister and I were never that close to begin with. While we all waited in the waiting room, the nurse unexpectedly came in and asked for me by my name. She told me to follow her. My sister said that she wanted me by her side as she delivered. In my head I was thinking," Me...why me?" As I walked into the room, my sister looked at me and whispered," Hello." The doctor told me to keep feeding her ice cubes and keep her calm because the contractions were getting closer together and stronger. More doctors and nurses started pouring in and then it was time. Something inside me told me to just go to my sister and comfort her, so I went to her and grabbed her hand. She was experiencing a lot of pain, but still she managed to look at me and smile. I couldn't do anything but smile back. It seemed that everything was happening so fast because the next thing I remember was the doctor yelling," It's a girl!" My sister and I were so excited and we were both crying tears of joy. My sister hadn't let go of my hand, and I felt her squeeze me a little bit. I turned to her and she mouthed to me," Thank you," just before they handed her the baby. That one simple word just made me feel the warmest sensation in the world. It was as if everything at that moment was right. I stayed with me sister that day and the next and just stared at my niece until I fell asleep.