Friday, January 24, 2020

The Iron Hand of Dramatic Irony Essay example -- Sophocles Oedipus tyr

The Iron Hand of Dramatic Irony Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus is considered by many scholars to be the most significant masterpiece of Greek drama. Through Oedipus Tyrannus, Sophocles is able to develop and establish dramatic irony, a theatrical device that allows the audience to understand the hidden meanings of the words and actions of the characters, though the characters themselves remain oblivious. Therefore, the behavior of the characters become ironic because they are unable to grasp the reality of the truth that is being unraveled before their eyes. "Dramatic irony may be described as putting into a speaker's (character's) mouth words that have for the audience a meaning not intended by the speaker" ("Dramatic"). Sophocles weaves this device into Oedipus Tyrannus, giving the play a distinct characteristic. He devises a "step-by-step discovery" of the truth (Gould), yielding value for the profound way it is constructed. With the use of dramatic irony, Sophocles incorporates the audience into the play by endowing them with "the divine position of knowing the truth" (Clay 13). A highly established illustration of dramatic irony may be found in Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus, where the character of Oedipus investigates the murder of the previous king of Thebes, only to learn that it is himself who is guilty of committing the crime, a truth known to the audience all along. Thus, Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus has dramatic irony woven into the play from the beginning to the end. The principal aspect of Sophoclean tragedy that is delicately worked into the play is dramatic irony itself. Sophocles masters the technique of dramatic irony in Oedipus Tyrannus as he entails a second, ominous meaning for nearly every... ...ut his tragic downfall. The significant use of dramatic irony in the tragedy of Oedipus compels the spectator to be involved emotionally in Oedipus' blind heroic struggles to find the truth. Thus, Sophocles effectively implements the art of dramatic irony through the tragedy of Oedipus Tyrannus. Works Cited Bates, William N. Sophocles Poet and Dramatist. New York: A.S. Barnes, 1940. 19-20. Writer's Market. 22 February 2001 <http://www.writersmarket.com/encyc/d.asp>. Knox, Bernard, trans. Oedipus the King by Sophocles. Enriched Classic ed. New York: Washington Square P, 1987. Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Trans. Diskin Clay. Ed. William Arrowsmith. New York: Oxford UP, 1978. 13. Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Trans. Thomas Gould. New Jersey: Prentice, 1970. 2. Sophocles. Oedipus Tyrannus. Norton Critical Ed. New York: Norton, 1970.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Occupational Health Psychology Health And Social Care Essay

What is Occupational Health Psychology and what can it offer administrations and employees? Occupational Health Psychology harmonizing to M. Colman ( 2009 ) is a field ofA appliedA psychological science, at the interface ofA occupationalA psychologyA andA healthA psychological science, concerned with the application ofA psychologyA to bettering the quality of work experience and with the protection and publicity of theA wellness, safety, and wellbeing of people in work. It emerged as an independent field in the late ninetiess. Duncan et Al. ( 2004 ) reported that at least one individual is killed and over 6,000 are injured at work every working twenty-four hours in the UK. They besides claimed that in the UK, absenteeism is bing employers ?13 billion a twelvemonth. Modernization and competitory challenges workers face presents increased the emphasiss and unwellnesss. Therefore, the intent of occupational wellness psychological science is to advance wellness and safety for employers, employees and their households. Specific jobs in the workplace including emphasis and burnout, workplace intimidation, accidents, carpal tunnel syndrome and malignant neoplastic disease.What can Occupational Health Psychology offer?Occupational wellness psychological science can offer to both administrations and employees. For cases: occupational wellness and safety jurisprudence, psychosocial jeopardies and wellbeing at workplace and pull offing emphasis in administrations. The Health and Safety Executive ( HSE ) is the chief organic structure of responsible for implementing statute law and supplying counsel on wellness and safety in the workplace in the UK. The HSE screens offices, mills, edifice sites, mines and preies, fairgrounds, railroads, chemical workss, offshore and atomic installings, schools and infirmaries. ( Duncan et al. , 2004 ) Administrations are another organic structure that are responsible to supply wellness and safety in the workplace. Administrations should hold hazard appraisal helps to protect their workers and their concern, every bit good as comply with the jurisprudence. It helps them concentrate on the hazards that truly matter – the 1s with the possible to do existent injury ( HSE ) . Besides, for employees, they should do certain that they got wellness and safety under control. Post-traumaticA stressA upset harmonizing to M. Colman ( 2009 ) isA anA anxietyA disorderA originating as a delayed and protracted response after sing or witnessing aA traumaticA event affecting existent or threatened decease or serious hurt to self or others. A research had been done by Lunt et. Al ( 2004 ) on Literature Review of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder amongst Rail Workers. Suicides under trains are the strongest factor doing rail workers to hold PTSD. In short, this research suggested few attacks illustration leting employees for natural recovery and ill leave. Besides, it is a great thought to provide a voluntary footing â€Å" Buddy Support System † . â€Å" Buddies † should be acquainted with the psychological boundaries within which they are expected to present â€Å" psychological first assistance † . Stress harmonizing to M. Colman ( 2009 ) is a psychological and physical strain or tenseness generated by physical, emotional, societal, economic, or occupational fortunes, events, or experiences that are hard to pull off or digest. Whereas, burnout is anA acuteA emphasis upset or reaction characterized by exhaustion ensuing from overwork, with anxiousness, weariness, insomnia, depression, and damage in work public presentation. Stress and burnout caused from working had a great impact on employees, their households and administrations. The undermentioned parties may play a function in a emphasis direction undertaking ( Schabracq, 2001 ) : the employees, the employer, the director, the human resources, the occupational wellness co-ordinator, the occupational wellness adviser, the occupational wellness doctor, the company public assistance worker, the employees ‘ representative and attention systems outside of the administrations. The employees need to cognize their jobs and hap pen solution to work out it without conveying emphasis from work to place and frailty versa. The employers and directors in other manus should oversee the employees ‘ well-being and play an of import function of carry oning stress bar. Equally good as, administration should unify with audiences e.g. occupational wellness doctor from exterior of administration for their aid. Workplace strong-arming harmonizing to Heery ( 2008 ) is any behavior that intimidates an employee, taking to feelings of humiliation, deficiency of dignity, or insufficiency. The effects of workplace intimidation are estimated to be responsible for ( between one tierce to a half ) of all stress-related unwellness ( Ellis, 2003 ) . Employees being bullied should collar the affair to their administrations. Equally good as, the administrations should be cognizant of any intimidation happen within the workplaces and put up a policy against intimidation and force. Accidents such as stealing and stumbling are the most common cause of hurts at work, bing employers over ?300 million a twelvemonth in lost production and related costs. ( Duncan et. Al, 2004 ) . To cut down these hurts, administrations should aware of the care review. Employees should besides be provided with wellness and safety information and written instructions. Furthermore, administrations should besides supervise to do certain that the on the job country is safe. Table IIDB02 below was taken from HSE web site: Prescribed industrial diseases ; non – lung diseases in Great Britain by disease 1995-2008Great BritainDiseaseDisease No1995/961996/971997/981998/991999/20002000/012001/02 ( vitamin D )Musculoskeletal ( B ) A4 – A8 870 ( 520 ) 765 ( 480 ) 600 ( 375 ) 465 ( 290 ) 430 ( 305 ) 375 ( 265 ) 360 ( 245 ) Occupational hearing loss A10 530 n/a 415 n/a 260 ( 10 ) 315 ( 5 ) 225–265–265–Vibration white finger A11 3015 ( 10 ) 3290 ( 25 ) 3035 ( 15 ) 3155 ( 10 ) 3210 ( 5 ) 3315 ( 10 ) 2425 ( 10 ) Carpal tunnel syndrome A12 265 ( 60 ) 295 ( 50 ) 400 ( 55 ) 480 ( 70 ) 475 ( 55 ) 600 ( 80 ) 795 ( 80 ) Allergic Rhinitis D4 720 ( 40 ) 350 ( 25 ) 200 ( 10 ) 135 ( 10 ) 80 ( 10 ) 90 ( 10 ) 75 ( 5 ) Dermatitis D5 330 ( 80 ) 335 ( 90 ) 270 ( 70 ) 220 ( 55 ) 210 ( 55 ) 205 ( 55 ) 170 ( 45 ) OthersA80 ( 15 ) 85 ( 10 ) 85 ( 15 ) 75 ( 10 ) 60 ( 5 ) 65 ( 5 ) 55 ( 5 )EntireA5810A5535A4845A4845A4690A4920A4145ABeginning: DWPGreat BritainDiseaseDisease No2002/032003/042004/052005/062006/072007/08Musculoskeletal ( B ) A4 – A8 390 ( 235 ) 345 ( 200 ) 370 ( 230 ) 245 ( 145 ) 215 ( 125 ) 255 ( 130 ) Occupational hearing loss A10 335 ( 5 ) 330 ( 5 ) 255 ( 5 ) 210–175–215–Vibration white finger A11 1775 ( 10 ) 1015 ( 5 ) 865–645–515 ( 5 ) 1005–Carpal tunnel syndrome A12 1030 ( 95 ) 820 ( 90 ) 675 ( 65 ) 520 ( 55 ) 435 ( 45 ) 530 ( 65 ) Allergic Rhinitis D4 100 ( 5 ) 90 ( 10 ) 90 ( 10 ) 50 ( 5 ) 45 ( 10 ) 40 ( 5 ) Dermatitis D5 200 ( 50 ) 170 ( 35 ) 165 ( 50 ) 145 ( 35 ) 115 ( 35 ) 105 ( 20 ) OthersA65 ( 10 ) 75 ( 10 ) 65 ( 10 ) 60 ( 10 ) 75 ( 15 ) 70 ( 15 )EntireA3895A2845A2490A1880A1575A2215ABeginning: DWP This shows that there was tonss of industrial disease normally happened to those employees working in building sites, working with machinery or even those who were sitting at their work Stationss. This tabular array besides proves that business wellness psychological science and HSE had successfully reduced the sum of instances each twelvemonth. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a nervus upset which may affect hurting, prickling, numbness and failing in parts of the manus, and can be caused by, among other things, exposure to quiver ( HSE, 2008 ) . In order to cut down this syndrome, administrations should be cognizant of the wellness and safety of their employees. In add-on, administrations should besides corroborate that the tools and machineries are good maintained. Cancer due to work such as lung and vesica malignant neoplastic disease, Gates ( 2004 ) refers to the surveies conducted by research workers from the Environmental Epidemiology Unit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The research workers studied the degrees of lung or vesica malignant neoplastic disease hazard following exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ( PAHs ) . PAHs increased the hazard among workers exposed to diesel for case. This circumstance will alarm administrations to cut down the exposure degrees and control wellness hazard of their employees.DecisionIn conformity to the researches gathered as above, there are so many advantages of Occupational Health Psychology offering both administrations and employees as to keep their wellness, wellbeing and safety at working topographic points. Occupational Health Psychology helps to cut down emphasis, psychosocial jeopardy, unwellness, accidents, hurts etc. Harmonizing to Analysis of Compensation Claims Related to Health and Safety Issues ( System Concepts, 2003 ) , they stated that cause of accidents including faux pass, trips ( 16 % ) manual handling ( 10 % ) and exposure to resound ( 7.6 % ) taking to strive, sprains and hearing loss. The mean cost of these claims was faux pass, trips and falls ( ?4,222 ) , manual handling ( ?4,325 ) and exposure to resound ( ?1,782 ) . This analysis besides recommended few suggestions for farther research including utilizing the findings of this research to advance farther accident decrease and raising consciousness of hazard amongst employees. Administrations can besides carry on Employee Assistance Programs ( Cooper, 2003 ) . EAP is a systematic, organized and go oning proviso of guidance, advice and aid funded by the employer particularly for stress employees. As we can see, there is been tonss of instances, hurts, accidents, psychosocial jeopardies etc. happened throughout the twelvemonth at working topographic points. Stress is the major result of action. Results show that any unwellnesss, accidents etc. will take to emphasize and burnout and frailty versa, emphasis at first phase can take to burnout, depression, unwellnesss, accidents etc. Therefore, future monitoring, supervising and cooperation from both administrations and employees are much needed. If instances can be reduced, this will lend to the success, cut down the costs of claims, increase public presentation and happier life to both parties and their households.Mentions Listâ€Å" burnoutA n. † A A A Dictionary of Psychology. Edited by Andrew M. Colman. Oxford University Press 2009.A Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.A A University of Bedfordshire.A A 15 November 2009A A hypertext transfer protocol: //0-www.oxfordreference.com.brum.beds.ac.uk/views/ENTRY .html? subview=Main & A ; entry=t87.e1199 Cooper, C. ( 2003 ) ‘Employee Assistance Programs ‘ in Quick, J & A ; Tetrick, L ( explosive detection systems. ) Handbook of Occupational Health Psychology. Washington: APA, pp.289-304 Duncan, M. , et Al ( 2004 ) Health and safety At Work Necessities: Revised & amp ; Expanded. 3rdedn. London: Lawpack Publishing Limited. Ellis, P. ( 2003 ) ‘Bullying and Victimisation at Work ‘ ‘Occupational Safety & A ; Health Journal ‘ , grand 2003 pp.40-42 Gates, E. ( 2004 ) ‘Cancer and Work ‘ ‘Occupational Safety & A ; Health Journal ‘ , May 2004 pp.18-21. HSE ( 2003 ) Analysis of compensation claims related to wellness and safety issues. Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr070.pdf ( Accessed: 15 November 2009 ) HSE ( 2008 ) Hand-Arm Vibration: Advice for Employees. Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg296.pdf ( Accessed: 14 November 2009 ) HSE ( no day of the month ) Health and safety: Acquiring started. Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/meetings/iacs/sbtaf/170407/gettingstarted.pdf ( Accessed: 15 November 2009 ) HSE ( no day of the month ) Table IIDB02: Prescribed industrial diseases ; non – lung diseases in England, Wales and Scotland by disease ( a ) 1995-2008. Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/iidb02.htm ( Accessed: 14 November 2009 ) Lunt ( 2004 ) Literature Review of Post Traumatic StressDisorder amongst Rail Workers Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.hse.gov.uk/research/hsl_pdf/2004/hsl0416.pdf ( Accessed: 15 November 2009 ) â€Å" occupational wellness psychologyA n. † A A A Dictionary of Psychology. Edited by Andrew M. Colman. Oxford University Press 2009.A Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.A A University of Bedfordshire.A A 13 November 2009A A hypertext transfer protocol: //0-www.oxfordreference.com.brum.beds.ac.uk/views/ENTRY.html? subview=Main & A ; entry=t87.e9206 â€Å" post-traumatic emphasis disorderA n. † A A A Dictionary of Psychology. Edited by Andrew M. Colman. Oxford University Press 2009.A Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.A A University of Bedfordshire.A A 15 November 2009A A hypertext transfer protocol: //0-www.oxfordreference.com.brum.beds.ac.uk/views/ENTRY.html? subview=Main & A ; entry=t87.e6509 â€Å" pneumoconiosisA n. † A A A Dictionary of Nursing. Oxford University Press, 2008.A Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.A A University of Bedfordshire.A A 14 November 2009A A hypertext transfer protocol: //0-www.oxfordreference.com.brum.beds.ac.uk/views/ENTRY.html? subview=Main & A ; entry=t62.e7112 Schabracq, M. , et Al ( 2001 ) Occupational Health Psychology: the Challenge of Workplace Stress. Leicester: BPS Books. â€Å" stressA n. † A A A Dictionary of Psychology. Edited by Andrew M. Colman. Oxford University Press 2009.A Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.A A University of Bedfordshire.A A 15 November 2009A A & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //0-www.oxfordreference.com.brum.beds.ac.uk/views/ENTRY.html? subview=Main & A ; entry=t87.e8038 & gt ; â€Å" workplace intimidation † A A A Dictionary of Human Resource Management. Edmund Heery and Mike Noon. Oxford University Press, 2008.A Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.A A University of Bedfordshire.A A 15 November 2009A A hypertext transfer protocol: //0-www.oxfordreference.com.brum.beds.ac.uk/views/ENTRY.html? subview=Main & A ; entry=t162.e1422Question 2: Research indicates that work can hold a negative impact on the wellness of employees. When compared with unemployed people, nevertheless, persons who are employed are by and large healthier. Critically discuss supplying illustrations of research to back up your statement.IntroductionWork can hold both positive and negative impact on the wellness of employees. The negative impact psychological and physical for cases emphasis, force per unit area and chronic unwellnesss. Hockey ( 2002 ) claimed that care of undertaking ends is threatened by inordinate work load and environmental conditions. Excessive work load may do emphasis and force per unit area to employees. This shows that work load may take to emphasize and therefore it cut down work quality.Relationship between facets of work and wellness jobsIt is clear that there are legion factors in people ‘s occupation and their work scenes which may make both psychological ( emotional ) and physical strain ( O'Driscoll, 2002 ) . Harmonizing to Jones ( 2001 ) , largest figure of surveies has considered the relationship between these work stressors and cardiovascular disease, blood force per unit area and cold. For case agriculture emphasis ; it involved a combination of physical and mental wellness effects such as work load issues and farming patterns ( HSE ) . Farmers are besides be givening to lose a batch of energy and excessively much exposure to the sunshine. Besides, air flight cabin crew ; they are more hazardous to acquire chest and tegument malignant neoplastic disease due to ionizing radiation. Another illustration, is l earning as a profession. Schamer and Jackson ( 1996 ) cited by Greenglass ( 2003 ) describes that instructors are affected by occupation burnout due to workload and emphasize, ensuing in negative attitudes towards pupils, loss of energy and instability public presentation. Harmonizing to DWP ( 2005 ) people usually spend 35-60 % of wakeful yearss at work and 28 million working yearss lost attributed to work related illness. However, by working, it provides an chance to advance and better wellness.Relationships between unemployment and wellness ailmentsIn conformity to Warr ( 1987 ) , research into unemployment and wellness has frequently been cross-sectional, comparing a group of people who are at the clip are unemployed with similar people who are in paid work. Such comparing on a regular basis shows that employed people are much healthier. Some unemployed people will kick that they feel really useless, lost of dignity, lost of self-pride, no money to back up themselves and their households etc. Research into occupation loss and go oning unemployment significantly impairs mental wellness ( Warr, 1987 ) . Furthermore, unemployment will increase the impact on physical wellness. Feeling useless, lost of ego regard and emphasis, these people will get down to make harmful behaviors such as intoxicant ingestion, smoke and even the worst suicide effort. No money for unemployment will do them to cut down their nutrient consumption and this cause poorness. Some instances they will get down to pretermit their kids and divorce. Peoples who are long-run unemployed or who have ne'er worked are between two to three times more likely to hold hapless wellness than those in work ( Arthritis Care, 2006 ) .Work has benefitsWork has many benefits ; people gain money to back up themselves and others from working. Earlier authors such as F.W Taylor, believed in economic sciences need motivation- ‘money is a incentive ‘ ( Mullins, 2007 ) . In add-on, harmonizing to DWP ( 2005 ) , people who are healthy tend to be more economically active and people who are economically active tend to be healthi er. In contrast, Jahoda ( 1982 ) give an illustration of grounds from many studies that people want to work, even if it were non an economic necessity. Furthermore harmonizing to her once more, non all the unemployed live in poorness ; non all the hapless are unemployed. The Jobless environment by Warr ( 1987 ) explained nine environmental characteristics including chance of control, chance for accomplishment usage, handiness of money, physical security, chance for interpersonal contact, valued societal place. Opportunity control shows that unemployed people have lesser opportunities to make up one's mind their ain chosen ways. Opportunity for accomplishment usage demonstrates that unemployed people are limited to demo their accomplishments and endowments and they had no opportunity to better and larn new accomplishments. Unemployment had reduced the income and handiness of money. Studies ( cited from Smith, 1980 ) showed that unemployed people systematically indicate that deficit of money is viewed as the greatest beginning of personal and household jobs ) . Physical security is good linked with handiness of money because if person had less income, it means there is less security at place for illustration. Last, chance for interpersonal contact and valued societal place will cut down if person loss his/her occupation. Unemployed individual will loss self-pride and prone to remain off from societal life. In other manus, all of these illustrations of environmental characteristics by Warr, are opposite to employed people. Employed people had many opportunities of make up one's minding their ain ways and thoughts. They besides had opportunities to construct up ego regard, self assurance, bettering accomplishments and larn new things. Furthermore, employed people had handiness of money therefore, they had a really unafraid physical and life. Finally, they are besides had a greater societal networking and interpersonal contact with households, employers, co-workers and communities.DecisionIn conformity to the researches and authors above we can reason that that working have both negative impact on the wellness of employees. Positive impacts such as happier life, derive money, obtain self assurance and ego regard, great physical security, handiness to interpersonal contact and communicating with others. Unlike negative impacts that conveying lesser happier life, cut downing self esteem, cu t downing income etc. In footings of wellness, working people had a greater opportunity of acquiring emphasis, mental illness and working-related unwellness. However, it is different between working-related unwellness and non. It is because ; working people had emphasis due to workload and physical unwellness due to the occupation range. But in the terminal, working people gain wages after that and this leads to occupation satisfaction. Example: wage, acknowledgment, publicity and congratulations from employers. It depends on each of persons need and what they want from working. Harmonizing to Maslow ‘s demand hierarchy: the most of import demand for people is physiological. Physiological demand is link to pay, because by acquiring salary, we can purchase nutrient ( Mullins, 2007 ) . Furthermore, they can acquire aid from employers, companies benefits, compensations and claims, ill foliages whenever they got ill or chronic unwellnesss. Whereas, for unemployed people, they are stress because they loss their occupation or got retrenched and unable to back up themselves and their households. They besides had limited life manner and experience awkward to be in the center of society. If they got chronic unwellness, this is a major job because they can non pay to bring around their unwellness. In short, we can see that employed people are by and large healthier ( in footings of psychological science ) and physically than unemployed people.Mentions listArthritis Care ( 2006 ) Benefits of working. Available at:hypertext transfer protocol: //www.arthritiscare.org.uk/LivingwithArthritis/Workingwitharthritis/Benefitsofworking ( Accessed: 17 November 2009 ) DWP ( 2005 ) Health, Work and Wellbeing-Caring For Our Future. Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.hse.gov.uk/campaigns/conferences/wellbeing/2.pdf ( Accessed: 17 November 2009 ) Hockey, R. ( 2002 ) ‘Human Performance in the Working Environment ‘ in Warr, P ( ed. ) Psychology at Work. England: Penguin Books, pp.26-50 HSE ( no day of the month ) Farmers, Farm Workers and Work-Related Stress. Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.sro.hse.gov.uk/View_Article.aspx? id=92 ( Accessed: 15 November 2009 ) Jahoda, M. ( 1982 ) Employment and Unemployment. Cambridge: Imperativeness Syndicate. Jones, F. and Bright J. , ( 2001 ) Stress: Myth, Theory and Research. England: Pearson Education. Mullins, L. ( 2007 ) Management and Organisational Behaviours. 8th edn. England: Pearson Education. O'Driscoll, P et. Al. ( 2002 ) ‘Job-related Stress and Burnout ‘ in Warr, P ( ed. ) Psychology at Work. England: Penguin Books, pp.203-228 Warr, P. ( 1987 ) Work Unemployment and Mental Health. United States: Oxford University Press.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Poem Explication of quot;Guys like thatquot; by Joyce Sutphen Free Essay Example, 750 words

â€Å"Guys Like That† by Joyce Sutphen. Joyce Sutphen is an American poetry writing who was born in Minnesota. Ms. Sutphen has a PhD in the matter of Renaissance drama, which she acquired from the University of Minnesota. She has taught creative writing and English literature at Gustavus Adolphus College which is situated in Saint Peter, Minnesota. Some of the poems that are written by Ms. Sutphen include straight out of view, coming back to the body, naming the star and first words. All of which, have won prestigious awards. The poem about the lives of wealthy people and how people who are ordinary view them. The poem explores how the wealthy women live like and how they look like. The poem also explores the lives of rich men, how they look like and what people think of them. The poem also then goes further to make it clear to the reader that things are not as they look like. The true lives of the rich according to the poet is very shallow. Rich people drive, dress and generally live expensive life styles; this does not mean that their lives are deep instead; they could be living shallow lifestyles that are far less meaning full compared to that of ordinary people. First stanza In the first stanza, the writer explores how the wealthy people drive in very expensive car. We will write a custom essay sample on Poem Explication of Guys like that by Joyce Sutphen or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now It is also written like the persona was driving in a cheap old car. By reading the firs stanza, one can conclude that it is written from an American perspective. This is evident because of how the poet describes the car that the average person drives â€Å"†¦ dented last-century version of the most ordinary car in America†. Second stanza In the second stanza, the poet begins by exploring how the wealthy people most probably look like (Dispathc). According to the poet, the wealthy men are dressed in black suits. In addition, the appearance of the rich and wealthy people, they are neat and tend to walk fast. From the persona’s perspective, the wealthy people seem to be thinking about expensive and luxurious things such as whine and marble floors. However the same people tend to think of TV stations are available to the ordinary person. Third stanza As the third stanza begins the poet, goes ahead to give another example of the ordinary TV stations that the wealthy, neat and fast people tend to think of. The persona then goes ahead to explain how misconstrued the thoughts of an average girl may be about how they consider the wealthy men. To the ordinary girl, the wealthy men are different from the average person in various aspects. The poet describes the average man as the men who drive the trucks that takes cows to the slaughter. The fourth stanza The fourth stanza commences with the poet illustrating that as much the ordinary man may be taking a cow to the slaughterhouse, the wealthy man could be doing something sinister. This is meant to convince the reader that the wealthy men could as well have amassed their wealthy by doing something that is harmful to the society in one way or another. The writer does this by saying as the ordinary man takes cow to the slaughter house, the wealthy and classy men could be doing something which is much worse that the death of a mere of a cow. According to the persona, the people who look very elegant and cool are likely to have been involved in some kind of illegal activities so that they are able to finance their wealthy and luxurious lifestyles. The poet goes ahead to mention some of the few illegal things that the wealthy people may have been involved in so that they are in the place they are today. The illegal activities included moving of money across the border. This in its literal sense is money laundering. It is the process of â€Å"cleaning† the money that has been earned through fraudulent means. The cleaning in its self is the money laundering and is done in such a way that the bad past of how the money was acquired is untraceable by the necessary authority (Sutphen). Fifth stanza In the fifth stanza, the writer takes time to illustrate how insensitive the rich person may be. This is evident at the near end of the sentence whereby the person states that the rich live some other people poorer that they were already. In the stanza, the poet states the fact that the rich people enter in to deals that are only meant to enrich themselves. This is at the expense of the others since the other party is left with less wealth than they had already. Sixth stanza The sixth stanza is like an extension of the fifth stanza. This is because in this stanza, the poet goes ahead to explain the wealthy people plot to take more from the already humbled. In the sixth stanza, the poet also gives other examples of how the rich people immerse property of the humble. Conclusion The poem is about the rich and how the ordinary and the poor people view them. The poem also illustrates how wrong, misconstrued people are about the lives of the wealthy, and what really goes in their head while they are in their expensive cars. At around the third stanza, the poet starts to make it clear how wrong people tend to be about what means and extent some of the rich people have to stoop. The reason the wealthy people may have to stoop so low is that they want to continue to live their expensive and luxurious lifestyles. According to the tone of the poet, one can be able to tell that he/she is well versed in both the psychology of the rich and poor. This seems too evident in the way in which the persona can be able to distinguish between the two main characters in them. Work Cited Dispathc. Poetry dispathc & other notes from the underground. n.d. Document. 27 June 2015. Sutphen, Joyce. Guys Like That. n.d.

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Descriptive Essay About Fast Food - 825 Words

A lot of people eat fast food regularly. It has become a way of life for a lot of people, and I am no exception to this. I never really paid attention to the actual details of fast food, but recently I started to wonder who was the best fast food restaurant. To answer this, I compared the service quality, the price and the food quality from Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s and Burger King. I went to one establishment a day from Wednesday through Friday at around 12:10 pm, and I got enough food for the average family size of three to sample from. I found it extremely important to get food around noon because it’s the peak of lunch rush. Service Lunch rush is where the real service quality of a restaurant is going to shine. It really shows how well a†¦show more content†¦The staff was ok. Unlike the other restaurants it wasn’t very busy. The staff seemed more interested in goofing off than assisting me. The thing that really got me was the speed of this restaurant. Burger king took approximately 7 minutes. The same as Chick-fil-A. The problem is that a Burger King only serving three other people took as long as a completely full Chick-fil-A. The staff at Burger King was okay in terms of manners. They weren’t rude, but they could have been more focused. They are absolutely terrible with their time. The first-place winner in the service category is clearly Chick-fil-A. They are consistently nice and quick. Second-place goes to Burger King. It shouldn’t have taken that long, But the staff weren’t crabby like the people at McDonald’s. Good service is a must have for returning customer s, but it’s not entirely what draws people to a certain fast food place. Price The thing that draws most people to a particular fast food place is the bargain that they think they’re getting. Going to a restaurant to buy 15 individual items and 15 meals to compare prices is insane. So instead I found online charts that had the prices (not including tax) for Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s and Burger King to compare instead. The food I’m looking at are two fast food staples: The chicken nugget and the fry. The Chick-fil-12-piece nugget meal contains: 12 nuggets, a medium drink and a medium fry. This will run you about $8.59. The individual prices forShow MoreRelatedMy Favorite Food848 Words   |  4 Pages-Here are some guidelines for writing a descriptive essay: Take time to brainstorm If your instructor asks you to describe your favorite food, make sure that you jot down some ideas before you begin describing it. For instance, if you choose pizza, you might start by writing down a few words: sauce, cheese, crust, pepperoni, sausage, spices, hot, melted, etc. Once you have written down some words, you can begin by compiling descriptive lists for each one. Use clear and concise language. Read MoreObjectivity In Autophenonmenology And Heterophenomenology.938 Words   |  4 PagesHeterophenomenology In the journal â€Å"How to Study Human Consciousness Empirically,† Daniel Dennett claims that â€Å"people are often just wrong about what they are doing and how they are doing it.† Rather than having an objective and complete understanding of our own intentions and processes, we tend to use assumptions as knowledge, alter facts to align with our beliefs, and theorize about causes and effects. As a result, studies of traditional phenomenology (referred to in this situation as autophenomenology) areRead MoreAn Analysis Of Hans Taparia And Pamela Koch s New York Times Online Article1337 Words   |  6 PagesRhetorical Analysis Essay: â€Å"A Seismic Shift in How People Eat† In Hans Taparia and Pamela Koch’s New York Times online article â€Å"A Seismic Shift in How People Eat,† posted on November 6, 2015, the current struggle that big food companies are experiencing in relation to increased consumer awareness is discussed. Prompting this article is the overwhelming movement to healthy eating by the general populace and the havoc it is wreaking on corporate companies. Highly popular among health enthusiastsRead MoreCommunication Is Important For All Aspects Of Human Interaction1548 Words   |  7 Pagesbeen perfecting.) Communication is something that is necessary for all aspects of human interaction, however what happens when you are forced to use different means of communication to represent what you are trying to say? To be discussed in this essay is: CMC, verbal, and nonverbal communication and their relation to how we make decisions when we are exposed to new types of language. Consequently, one can observe how those decisions are based on a lack of language which directly affects communicationRead MoreServing in Florida Analysis Essay1742 Words   |  7 Pagespizza barf, decomposing lemon wedges, and water-logged toast crusts; sounds like the typical garbage can. Would anyone believe that these phrases apply to a run-down restaurant in the middle of Florida? Barbara Ehrenreich goes undercover at a local fast food diner known as Jerry’s to investigate life as a blue-collar laborer, serving to customers arriving in â€Å"human waves† (Ehrenreich 180). It is throughout her journey working for both Jerry’s and a factory known as Hearthside that she learns the difficultiesRead MoreThe Global North/South Divide1724 Words   |  7 PagesA descriptive essay on the Globla North/South divide. Explores the social, cuptural and economic differences that exist between the regions defined as the global north and the global south. The theory of the Global North and Global South is a new geopolitical perspective. It divides the world into two blocs – the industrialized countries of the global North and the poor countries of the South on the global level of analysis. While â€Å"Global South† is sometimes used as a synonym for the more familiarRead MoreShhh Essay2170 Words   |  9 Pages(2012) Summary: Is Popular Culture Good for You? Length: 1-2 pages (double-spaced with proper header, a descriptive title, and a Works Cited entry) Source: David Crystal’s â€Å"2B or not 2B† Due: End of class period, Wednesday, June 13th Percentage of Final Grade: 10% Objective: Write a summary of Crystal’s essay â€Å"2B or not 2B.† Use a template from They Say, I Say to begin your summary. Make appropriate rhetorical â€Å"moves,† such as integrating quotes, choosingRead MoreTen Most Effective Ways to Improve Your English1003 Words   |  5 Pages10 Most Effective Ways to Improve Your English 800-1000 words essay 1. Read : Read anything and everything in English. You can read story books, newspapers, magazines, blogs, comics, English textbooks, instructions and ingredients on food packages, advertisements, etc. For story books, don’t force yourself to read something too difficult or something you know you won’t enjoy. Make reading fun! Read books that you ENJOY reading. I hate to read books that bore me too. Opening up books beforeRead More Essay on Euthanasia and Doctor-Assisted Suicide1175 Words   |  5 Pagesmore popular points of interest involved with the euthanasia-assisted suicide discussion. There are less than a dozen questions which would come to mind in the case of the average individual who has a mild interest in this debate, and the following essay presents information which would satisfy that individuals curiosity on these points of common interest.    Euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal in the state of Oregon and in the country of the Netherlands; these are the only two jurisdictionsRead MoreAnalysis : Capital Dysphoria 2234 Words   |  9 Pagesbeyond given norms. ​We begin with Barbara Ehrenreich’s essay Serving in Florida, in which the author provides a diaristic account of a single month living off of minimum wages from two full time jobs. Coming from the background of a journalist visiting this lifestyle as a personal/journalistic experiment, Ehrenreich attempts to make sense of the toxic environment she becomes immersed in upon entering her new workplace at a local fast food chain: â€Å"The kitchen is a cavern, a stomach leading to the

Monday, December 23, 2019

12 Angry Men Movie - 1698 Words

12 Angry Men In a world where the jury is the voice of the peoples justice, twelve men sit in a room poised to determine the fate of one boys life. Did he do it? If he didnt, who did? Why would a young man kill his beloved father with a switchblade knife? The moment that the jury-comprised of twelve Caucasian men, abhorrent in todays society-entered the small, blank, bleak room, they had already come to the conclusion that the young man was guilty as charged without deliberation. One lone man stood his ground and had the guts to stand up to the others and profess that he believed the man could not be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt due to conflicting information. How could he prove it? Through verbal and nonverbal†¦show more content†¦He became incredulous and demanded that the juror who made the statement to revise what he said and recognize that not all individuals from the slums are criminals. This is a prime example of profiling. Oral communication has played a huge factor in the deliberations in the jury room. Up to this point each juror has conveyed his belief through speech. â€Å"A verbal message can be conveyed and a response received in a minimal amount of time. If the receiver is unsure of the message, rapid feedback allows for early detection by the sender and, hence, allows for early correction† (Judge, 371) Some jurors were eloquent in the way they relayed their reasonings to the others, and some were very loud and abrupt and had little evidence to support their beliefs but relied purely on prejudices, biases, and ignorance in an effort to get a quick response. These jurors also used this opportunity to elicit any responses or feedback or make corrections to others’ reasonings. Many of the jurors relied on the oral messages that they received through the testimony of eyewitnesses in the courtroom. When they regurgitated the information in the jury room, however, some of the messa ges could have been, and probably were, distorted. This is why many people prefer to hear it â€Å"straight from the horse’s mouth.† Others used the testimony to prove the beliefs of others wrong or to find a reasonable doubt to vote not guilty. TheShow MoreRelated12 Angry Men In The Movie : 12 Angry Men808 Words   |  4 Pagesoften touchy subjects in a unique light. In this movie the audience is faced with 12 jurors who hold the fate of a young man on trial for murder in their hands. It is supposed to be that one is innocent until proven guilty; however that is not the case in this movie. The Jurors are very prejudiced and closed minded throughout most of the movie for the most part. However, the one juror who is not that way is number 8. In the 1957 MGM film 12 Angry Men Juror number 8 relies primarily on his core valuesRead More12 Angry Men : Movie Analysis : 12 Angry Men1103 Words   |  5 PagesThe 1957 movie version of 12 angry men, brings twelve people together with different personalities and experiences to discuss the fate of a young boy that allegedly killed his father. At the very beginning many agree that the boy is guilty except for one man. Juror #8 votes not guilty and pushes to have the evidence talked thr ough. Slowly after reviewing all the evidence carefully the eleven to one vote switched from eleven thinking guilty to eleven thinking not guilty. Each juror brought differentRead MoreThe Movie 12 Angry Men 865 Words   |  4 Pages As a Criminal Justice major, the classic movie 12 Angry Men has always been very influential and essential in my studies. This brilliant film is based on the concept of a fair trial to a young man, aged eighteen, who has been accused of stabbing his own father to death. Being tried for first-degree murder, the jurors vote most be unanimous on whether or not this child is to be sentence to death. Demanding the viewers to question the veracity behind our â€Å"fair† criminal justice system, this 1957 trialRead MoreMovie Paper (12 Angry Men)1493 Words   |  6 PagesCOMM 132 October 2, 2014 Movie Paper (12 Angry Men) In the Movie, 12 Angry Men, 12 jurors were tasked with finding a young man guilty or not-guilty of murdering his own father. In order for the men to fulfill their duty as jurors, they had to come to a consensus of whether the young man was guilty or not by working together, as a group, in order to analyze the trials evidence and testimonies, to then come to an agreement on the defendant’s guilt or innocence. As a group that was formed solelyRead MoreMovie Analysis : 12 Angry Men1639 Words   |  7 Pageswithin a diverse group.The purpose of this paper is to analyze the importance of cooperative communities while providing different aspects of leadership. Movie Summary The movie 12 Angry Men is a depiction of a jury deliberation in the 1950’s involving the trial of a teenager that is accused of murdering his father. These twelve men were brought together by a random selection process to make a unanimous decision. In the beginning, all jurors believed the boy to be guilty without a doubtRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie 12 Angry Men 933 Words   |  4 Pages12 Angry Men Overview In the movie of 12 Angry Men, a group of jurors must decide the fate of an inner-city boy, who is charged with killing his father. The case should have been a slam dunk, yet one man (Juror No. 8) in the initial vote cast reasonable doubt over the evidence of the trial. While deliberating their verdict, the details are revealed. Subsequently, the jurors slowly changed their vote to innocent on the basis of doubt. Despite their duty to separate personal matters from the factsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie 12 Angry Men 946 Words   |  4 Pages12 Angry Men For the purpose of this paper I will be using a movie based on a teen male who is on trial for the murder of his father in 1957. There are twelve men on the jury who are from all different areas of society. They have one goal, to decide based on testimony and evidence on whether the accused is guilty or not. The following information is one person’s observation of the movie â€Å"12 Angry Men† using the 5 Stages of Group Development. Keywords: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, AdjourningRead MoreMovie Review 12 Angry Men607 Words   |  3 PagesAns 6. â€Å"Prejudice always complicated the truth.† The movie 12 Angry Men, by means of several situational examples, reaffirms the fact. The first case in point is of the boy on trial who is born and brought up in slums. Many of the jury members, especially jurors 10, 7, 4 and 3 are heavily influenced by the prejudices they hold against children from the slums. In one of the scenes, juror 10, goes into a rage and explains why people from the slums cannot be trusted and calls them little better thanRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie 12 Angry Men 2223 Words   |  9 Pages12 Angry Men is a movie centered around a murder case and the 12 men that are in charge of providing a verdict for a kid charged of first degree murder of his own father. In this movie, the characters have to face a long and grueling procedure of figuring out how to charge the kid after a six day long trial and hours long deliberation between the jurors. The film of 12 Angry Men has several key psychological aspects to it that can be accurately and summarily described. In the movie, the jury hasRead MoreMovie Analysis : 12 Angry Men1404 Words   |  6 PagesThe group type presented in the film 12 Angry men appears to be a task group. Task groups typically come together to accomplish a specific charge. In this case, their task was to decide a verdict of guilty or not guilty for the boy on trial. According to our text, some feature of this task group would include those listed under the â€Å"teams† category such as appointed leadership and focus on a specific task or charge. The members’ bond is simply there interest in the task, as they have no previous

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Blood Promise Chapter Twenty-Six Free Essays

string(90) " dead end spun me around, and I tried to calm myself, knowing panic would make me sloppy\." I think the profanities that came out of my mouth when I hit the ground would have been understandable in any language. It hurt. The bush was not particularly sharp or pointy, but it wasn’t soft by any stretch of the imagination. We will write a custom essay sample on Blood Promise Chapter Twenty-Six or any similar topic only for you Order Now It broke my fall somewhat, though it didn’t save my ankle from twisting underneath me. â€Å"Shit!† I said through gritted teeth, climbing to my feet. Russia sure was making me swear a lot. I tested the weight on my ankle and felt a twinge of pain but nothing I couldn’t stand on. A sprain, thank God. The ankle wasn’t broken, and I’d had worse. Still, it was going to slow down my getaway. I limped away from the bush, trying to pick up the pace and ignore the pain. Stretching before me was that stupid hedge maze I’d thought was so cool the other night. The sky was cloudy, but I doubted moonlight would have made it easier to navigate. No way was I going to fight that leafy mess. I’d find where it ended and get out through there. Unfortunately, when I circled the house, I discovered an unhappy truth: The hedge was everywhere. It encircled the estate like some kind of medieval moat. The annoying part was, I doubted Galina had even had it installed for defense. She’d probably done it for the same reason she had crystal chandeliers and antique paintings in the hallways: It was cool. Well, there was nothing for it, then. I picked an opening to the maze at random and started winding my way through. I had no idea where to go, no strategies for getting out. Shadows lurked everywhere, and I often didn’t see dead ends coming until I was right on top of them. The bushes were tall enough that once I was only a little way into the maze, I completely lost sight of the top of the house. If I’d had it as a navigation point, I might have been able to just move in a straight (or nearly straight) line away. Instead, I wasn’t entirely sure if I was going backward or in circles or what. At one point, I was pretty sure I’d passed the same jasmine trellis three times. I tried to think of stories I’d read about people navigating mazes. What did they use? Bread crumbs? Thread? I didn’t know, and as more time passed and my ankle grew sorer, I began to get discouraged. I’d killed a Strigoi in my weakened state but couldn’t escape some bushes. Embarrassing, really. â€Å"Roza!† The voice carried distantly on the wind, and I stiffened. No. It couldn’t be. Dimitri. He’d survived. â€Å"Roza, I know you’re out there,† he called. â€Å"I can smell you.† I had a feeling he was bluffing. He wasn’t close enough for me to feel sick, and with the cloying perfume of the flowers, I doubted he could scent me yet-even if I was sweating a lot. He was trying to bait me into giving up my location. With new resolve, I headed down the next twist in the bushes, praying for the exit. Okay, God, I thought. Get me out of this and I’ll stop my half assed churchgoing ways. You got me past a pack of Strigoi tonight. I mean, trapping that one between the doors really shouldn’t have worked, so clearly you’re on board. Let me get out of here, and I’ll†¦ I don’t know. Donate Adrian’s money to the poor. Get baptized. Join a convent. Well, no. Not that last one. Dimitri continued his taunting. â€Å"I won’t kill you, not if you give yourself up. I owe you. You took out Galina for me, and now I’m in charge. Replacing her happened a little ahead of schedule, but that’s not a problem. Of course, there aren’t many people to control now that Nathan and the others are dead. But that can be fixed.† Unbelievable. He truly had survived those odds. I’d said it before and meant it: Alive or undead, the love of my life was a badass. There was no way he could have defeated those three†¦ and yet, well†¦ I’d seen him take on crazy odds before. And clearly his being here was proof of his capabilities. The path ahead of me split, and I randomly chose the right hand path. It spread off into the darkness, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Score. Despite his breezy commentary, I knew he was also moving through the maze, getting closer and closer. And unlike me, he knew the paths and how to get out of it. â€Å"I’m not upset about you attacking me, either. I would have done it in your place. It’s just one more reason why we should be together.† My next turn took me into a dead end filled with climbing moonflowers. I kept my swearing to myself and backtracked. â€Å"You’re still dangerous, though. If I find you, I’m probably going to have to kill you. I don’t want to, but I’m starting to think there’s no way we can both live in this world. Come to me by choice, and I’ll awaken you. We’ll control Galina’s empire together.† I almost laughed. I couldn’t have found him if I wanted to in this mess. If I’d had that kind of ability, I’d My stomach swirled a little. Oh no. He was getting closer. Did he know it yet? I didn’t fully understand how the amount of nausea correlated to distance, but it didn’t matter. He was too close, period. How close did he need to be to truly smell me? To hear me walking on the grass? Each second brought him closer to success. Once he had my trail, I was screwed. My heart started racing even more-if that was even possible at this point-and the adrenaline pumping through me numbed my ankle, even though it still slowed me down. Another dead end spun me around, and I tried to calm myself, knowing panic would make me sloppy. You read "Blood Promise Chapter Twenty-Six" in category "Essay examples" All the while, that nausea grew in increments. â€Å"Even if you get out, where will you go?† he called. â€Å"We’re in the middle of nowhere.† His words were poison, seeping into my skin. If I focused on them, my fear would win, and I’d give up. I’d curl into a ball and let him come for me, and I had no reason to believe he’d let me live. My life could be over in the next few minutes. A turn to my left led to another wall of glossy green leaves. I sidestepped it quickly and headed in the opposite direction and saw-fields. Long, vast stretches of grass spread out ahead of me, giving way to trees scattered off in the distance. Against all odds, I’d made it out. Unfortunately, the nausea was strong now. This close, he had to know where I was. I peered around, realizing the truth of his words. We really were in the middle of nowhere. Where could I go? I had no idea where we were. There. To my left, I saw the faint purple glow on the horizon that I’d noticed the other night. I hadn’t realized what it was then, but now I knew. Those were city lights, most likely Novosibirsk, if that was where Galina’s gang did most of their deeds. Even if it wasn’t Novosibirsk, it was civilization. There would be people there. Safety. I could get help. I took off at as fast a run as I could manage, feet pounding hard against the ground. Even the adrenaline couldn’t block that much impact out, and pain crackled up through my leg with each step. The ankle held, though. I didn’t fall or go to a true limp. My breath was hard and ragged, the rest of my muscles still weak from all I’d been through. Even with a goal, I knew that the city was miles away. And all the while, the nausea grew and grew. Dimitri was close. He had to be out of the maze now, but I couldn’t risk looking back. I just kept running toward that purple glow on the horizon, even though it meant I was about to enter a cluster of trees. Maybe, maybe it would provide cover. You’re a fool, some part of me whispered. There’s nowhere you can hide from him. I reached the thin line of trees and slowed just a little, gasping for breath and pressing myself up against a sturdy trunk. I finally dared a look behind me but saw nothing. The house glowed in the distance, surrounded by the darkness of the hedge maze. My sick stomach hadn’t grown worse, so it was possible I might have a lead on him. The maze had several exits; he hadn’t known where I’d come out. My moment of respite over, I kept moving, keeping the soft glow of the city lights in sight through the branches. It was only a matter of time before Dimitri found me. My ankle wasn’t going to let me do much more of this. Outrunning him was slowly becoming a fantasy. Leaves left over from last fall crunched as I moved, but I couldn’t afford to step around them. I doubted I had to worry anymore about Dimitri sniffing me out. The noise would give me away. â€Å"Rose! I swear it’s not too late.† Shoot. His voice was close. I looked around frantically. I couldn’t see him, but if he was still calling for me, he likely couldn’t see me yet either. The city haze was still my guiding star, but there were trees and darkness between me and it. Suddenly, an unexpected person came to mind. Tasha Ozera. She was Christian’s aunt, a very formidable lady who was one of the forerunners of teaching Moroi to fight back against Strigoi. â€Å"We can retreat and retreat and let ourselves get backed into corners forever,† she’d said once. â€Å"Or we can go out and meet the enemy at the time and place we choose. Not them.† Okay, Tasha, I thought. Let’s see if your advice gets me killed. I looked around and located a tree with branches I could reach. Shoving my stake back into my pocket, I grabbed hold of the lowest branch and swung myself up. My ankle complained the whole way, but aside from that, there were enough branches for me to get good hand- and footholds. I kept going until I found a thick, heavy limb that I thought would support my weight. I moved out onto it, staying near the trunk and carefully testing the limb’s sturdiness. It held. I took the stake out of my pocket and waited. A minute or so later, I heard the faint stirring of leaves as Dimitri approached. He was much quieter than I had been. His tall, dark form came into view, a sinister shadow in the night. He moved very slowly, very carefully, eyes roving everywhere and the rest of his senses no doubt working as well. â€Å"Roza†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He spoke softly. â€Å"I know you’re here. You have no chance of running. No chance of hiding.† His gaze was fixed low. He thought I was hiding behind a tree or crouched down. A few more steps. That was all I needed from him. Against the stake, my hand began to sweat, but I couldn’t wipe it off. I was frozen, holding so still that I didn’t even dare breathe. â€Å"Roza†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The voice caressed my skin, cold and deadly. Still scrutinizing his surroundings, Dimitri took one step forward. Then another. And then another. I think it occurred to him to look up the instant I jumped. My body slammed into his, knocking him to the ground back-first. He immediately tried to throw me off, just as I tried to drive the stake through his heart. Signs of fatigue and fighting were all over him. Defeating the other Strigoi had taken its toll, though I doubted I was in much better shape. We grappled, and once, I managed to rake the stake against his cheek. He snarled in pain but kept his chest well protected. Over it, I could see where I’d ripped his shirt the first time I’d staked him. The wound had already healed. â€Å"You. Are. Amazing,† he said, his words full of both pride and battle fury. I had no energy for a response. My only goal was his heart. I fought to stay on him, and at last, my stake pierced his chest-but he was too fast. He knocked my hand away before I could fully drive the stake through. In the process, he knocked me off of him. I flew several feet away, mercifully not hitting any trees. I scrambled to my feet, dazed, and saw him coming toward me. He was fast-but not as fast as he’d been in previous fights. We were going to kill ourselves in trying to kill each other. I’d lost my advantage now, so I ran off into the trees, knowing he’d be right behind me. I was certain he could outrun me, but if I could accrue just a tiny lead, then maybe I could secure another good attack place and try to â€Å"Ahhh!† My scream rang into the night, jarring against the quiet darkness. My foot had gone out from under me, and I was sliding rapidly down a steep hillside, unable to stop myself. There were few trees, but the rocks and my ungainly position made the fall painful, particularly since I was wearing that sweater dress. How I managed to keep holding the stake was beyond me. I hit the bottom roughly, managed to briefly stand, and then promptly stumbled and fell-into water. I stared around. On cue, the moon peeked out from the clouds, casting enough light to show me a huge expanse of black, fast-moving water in front of me. I gaped at it, utterly confused, and then I turned in the direction of the city. This was the Ob, the river that ran through Novosibirsk. The river headed right toward it. Glancing behind me, I saw Dimitri standing on top of the ridge. Unlike some of us, he’d apparently been watching where he was going. Either that, or my scream had tipped him off that something was amiss. It was going to take him less than a minute to come running down after me, though. I looked to either side of me and then in front. Okay. Fast-moving water. Possibly deep. Very wide. It’d take the pressure off my ankle, but I wasn’t thrilled about my chances of not drowning. In legends, vampires couldn’t cross running water. Man, I wished. That was pure myth. I did a double take to my left and just barely saw a dark shape over the water. A bridge? It was the best shot I had. I hesitated before going toward it; I needed Dimitri to start coming down here. I was not going to run off and let him pace me up above on the ridge. I needed the time his hill descent would buy me. There. He took one step onto the slope, and I tore off down the shore, not looking back. The bridge grew closer and closer to me, and as it did, I realized just how high it was. I’d misjudged it from where I’d landed. The slopes around the bridge reached farther up the more I ran downriver. I was going to have a hell of a climb. No problem. I’d worry about that later-by which I meant in about thirty seconds, since that was probably how long it’d take Dimitri to catch up with me. As it was, I could hear his feet splashing through the shallow water on the bank, the sounds growing nearer and nearer. If I could just reach the bridge, if I could just get to high ground and to the other side. The nausea surged in me. A hand closed around the back of my jacket, jerking me backward. I fell against Dimitri and immediately began fighting him, trying to free myself. But God, I was so, so tired. Every piece of me hurt, and no matter how weary he was, I was worse. â€Å"Stop it!† he yelled, gripping my arms. â€Å"Don’t you get it? You can’t win!† â€Å"Then kill me!† I wriggled, but his hold on my upper arms was too strong, and even holding the stake, I couldn’t do anything with it. â€Å"You said you would if I didn’t surrender myself. Well, guess what? I didn’t. I won’t. So just get it over with.† That phantom moonlight lit up his face, eradicating the normal shadows and making his skin stark white against the night’s backdrop. It was like all the colors in the world had been blanked out. His eyes merely looked dark, but in my mind’s eye, they glowed like fire. His expression was cold and calculating. Not my Dimitri. â€Å"It’d take a lot for me to kill you, Rose,† he said. â€Å"This isn’t enough.† I wasn’t convinced. Still holding onto me with that unbreakable grip, he leaned toward me. He was going to bite me. Those teeth would pierce my skin, and he’d turn me into a monster like him or drink until I was dead. Either way, I’d be too drugged and too stupid to know it. The person who was Rose Hathaway would leave this world without even realizing it. Pure panic shot through me-even as that part of me that was still in withdrawal cried out for more of those glorious endorphins. No, no. I couldn’t allow that. Every nerve I had was set on fire, ramping up for defense, attack, anything†¦ anything to stop this. I would not be turned. I could not be turned. I wanted so badly to do something to save myself. My whole being was consumed with that urge. I could feel it ready to burst out, ready to. My hands could touch each other but not Dimitri. With a bit of maneuvering, I used the fingers of my left hand to pry off Oksana’s ring. It slipped off and into the mud, just as Dimitri’s fangs touched my skin. It was like a nuclear explosion going off. The ghosts and spirits I’d summoned on the road to Baia burst between us. They were all around, translucent and luminescent in shades of pale green, blue, yellow, and silver. I’d let loose all of my defenses, let myself succumb to my emotions in a way I hadn’t been able to when Dimitri first caught me. The ring’s healing power had barely kept me in check just now, but it was gone. I had no barriers on my power. Dimitri sprang back, wide-eyed. Like the Strigoi on the road, he waved his hands around, swatting the spirits as one would mosquitoes. His hands passed right through them, ineffectual. Their attack was more or less ineffectual too. They couldn’t physically hurt him, but they could affect the mind, and they were damned distracting. What had Mark said? The dead hate the undead. And from the way these ghosts swarmed Dimitri, it was clear that they did. I stepped back, scanning the ground below me. There. The ring’s silver gleamed up at me from a puddle. I reached down and grabbed it, then ran off and left Dimitri to his fate. He wasn’t exactly screaming, but he was making some horrible noises. That tore at me, but I kept going, running toward the bridge. I reached it a minute or so later. It was as high as I’d feared, but it was sturdy and well built, if narrow. It was the kind of country bridge that only one car at a time could cross. â€Å"I’ve come this far,† I muttered, staring up at the bank. It was not only higher than the one I’d fallen down, it was also steeper. I pocketed the ring and stake and then reached out, digging my hands into the ground. I was going to have to half-crawl, half-climb this one. My ankle got a slight reprieve; this was all upper-body strength now. As I climbed, however, I began to notice something. Faint flashes in my periphery. An impression of faces and skulls. And a throbbing pain in the back of my head. Oh no. This had happened before too. In this panicked state, I couldn’t maintain the defenses I usually did to keep the dead away from myself. They were now approaching me, more curious than belligerent. But as their numbers grew, it all became as disorienting as what Dimitri was now experiencing. They couldn’t hurt me, but they were freaking me out, and the telltale headache that came with them was starting to make me dizzy. Glancing back toward him, I saw something amazing. Dimitri was still coming. He really was a god, a god who brought death closer with each footstep. The ghosts still swarmed him like a cloud, yet he was managing progress, one agonizing step at a time. Turning back, I continued my climb, ignoring my own glowing companions as best I could. At long last, I reached the top of the bank and stumbled onto the bridge. I could barely stand, my muscles were so weak. I made it a few more steps and then collapsed to my hands and knees. More and more spirits were spinning around, and my head was on the verge of exploding. Dimitri still made his slow progress but was a ways from the bank yet. I tried to stand again, using the bridge’s rails for support, and failed. The rough grating on the bridge scraped my bare legs. â€Å"Damn.† I knew what I had to do to save myself, though it could very well end up killing me, too. With trembling hands, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the ring. I shook so badly that I felt certain I’d drop it. Somehow, I held on and managed to slide it onto my finger. A small surge of warmth radiated from it into me, and I felt a tiny bit of control settle into my body. Unfortunately, the ghosts were still there. The traces of that fear, of dying or turning Strigoi, were still in me, but it had lessened now that I was out of immediate danger. Feeling less unstable, I sought for the barriers and control I usually kept up, desperate to slam them into place and drive my visitors away. â€Å"Go, go, go,† I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut. The effort was like pushing on a mountain, an impossible obstacle that no one could have the strength for. This was what Mark had warned about, why I shouldn’t do this. The dead were a powerful asset, but once called, they were difficult to get rid of. What had he said? Those who danced on the edge of darkness and insanity shouldn’t risk this. â€Å"Go!† I shouted, throwing my last bit of strength into the effort. One by one, the phantoms around me vanished. I felt my world settle back into its rightful order. Only, when I looked down, I saw that the ghosts had left Dimitri too-as I’d suspected. And just like that, he was on the move again. â€Å"Damn.† My word of the night. I managed to get on my feet this time as he sprinted up the slope. Again, he was slower than usual-but still more than fast enough. I began backing up, never taking my eyes off of him. Getting rid of the ghosts had given me more strength, but not what I needed to get away. Dimitri had won. â€Å"Another shadow-kissed effect?† he asked, stepping onto the bridge. â€Å"Yeah.† I swallowed. â€Å"Turns out ghosts don’t much like Strigoi.† â€Å"You didn’t seem to like them much either.† I took another slow step backward. Where could I go? As soon as I turned around to run, he’d be on me. â€Å"So, did I go far enough for you to not want to turn me?† I asked as cheerfully as I could manage. He gave me a wry, twisted smile. â€Å"No. Your shadow-kissed abilities have their uses†¦ Too bad they’ll go away when you’re awakened.† So. That was still his plan. In spite of how much I’d infuriated him, he still wanted to keep me around for eternity. â€Å"You’re not going to awaken me,† I said. â€Å"Rose, there’s no way you can-â€Å" â€Å"No.† I climbed up onto the railing of the bridge, swinging one leg over. I knew what had to happen now. He froze. â€Å"What are you doing?† â€Å"I told you. I’ll die before I become Strigoi. I won’t be like you or the others. I don’t want that. You didn’t want that, once upon a time.† My face felt cold as a night breeze blew over it, the result of stealthy tears on my cheeks. I swung my other leg over and peered down at the swiftly moving water. We were a lot more than two stories up. I’d hit the water hard, and even if I survived that fall, I didn’t have the strength to out swim the current and get to shore. As I stared down, contemplating my death, I thought back to when Dimitri and I sat in the backseat of an SUV once, discussing this very topic. It was the first time we’d sat near each other, and every place our bodies touched had been warm and wonderful. He’d smelled good-that scent, that scent of being alive was gone now, I realized-and he’d been more relaxed than usual, ready to smile. We’d talked about what it meant to be alive and in full control of your soul-and what it meant to become one of the undead, to lose the love and light of life and all those you’d known. We’d looked at each other and agreed death was better than that fate. Looking at Dimitri now, I had to agree. â€Å"Rose, don’t.† I heard true panic in his voice. If he lost me over the edge, I was gone. No Strigoi. No awakening. For me to be turned, he needed to kill me by drinking my blood and then feed blood back to me. If I jumped, the water would kill me, not bloodletting. I would be long dead before he found me in the river. â€Å"Please,† he begged. There was a plaintive note to his voice, one that startled me. It twisted my heart. It reminded me too much of the living Dimitri, the one who wasn’t a monster. The one who’d cared for me and loved me, who’d believed in me and made love to me. This Dimitri, the one who was none of those things, took two careful steps forward, then stopped again. â€Å"We need to be together.† â€Å"Why?† I asked softly. The word was carried away on the wind, but he heard. â€Å"Because I want you.† I gave him a sad smile, wondering if we’d meet again in the land of the dead. â€Å"Wrong answer,† I told him. I let go. And he was right there, sprinting out to me with that insane Strigoi speed as I started to fall. He reached out and caught one of my arms, dragging me back onto the railing. Well, half-dragging. Only part of me made it over; the rest still hung out over the river. â€Å"Stop fighting me!† he said, trying to pull on the arm he held. He was in a precarious position himself, straddling the rail as he tried to lean over far enough to get me and actually hold onto me. â€Å"Let go of me!† I yelled back. But he was too strong and managed to haul most of me over the rail, enough so that I wasn’t in total danger of falling again. See, here’s the thing. In that moment before I let go, I really had been contemplating my death. I’d come to terms with it and accepted it. I also, however, had known Dimitri might do something exactly like this. He was just that fast and that good. That was why I was holding my stake in the hand that was dangling free. I looked him in the eye. â€Å"I will always love you.† Then I plunged the stake into his chest. It wasn’t as precise a blow as I would have liked, not with the skilled way he was dodging. I struggled to get the stake in deep enough to his heart, unsure if I could do it from this angle. Then, his struggles stopped. His eyes stared at me, stunned, and his lips parted, almost into a smile, albeit a grisly and pained one. â€Å"That’s what I was supposed to say†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he gasped out. Those were his last words. His failed attempt to dodge the stake had made him lose his balance on the edge. The stake’s magic made the rest easy, stunning him and his reflexes. Dimitri fell. He nearly took me with him, and I just barely managed to break free of him and cling to the railing. He dropped down into the darkness-down, down into the blackness of the Ob. A moment later he disappeared from sight. I stared down after him, wondering if I would see him in the water if I squinted hard enough. But I didn’t. The river was too dark and too far away. Clouds moved back over the moon, and darkness fell over everything again. For a moment, staring down and realizing what I’d just done, I wanted to throw myself in after him, because surely there was no way I could go on living now. You have to. My inner voice was much calmer and more confident than it should have been. The old Dimitri would want you to live. If you really loved him, then you have to go on. With a shaking breath, I climbed over the rail and stood back on the bridge, surprisingly grateful for its security. I didn’t know how I would go on living, but I knew that I wanted to. I wasn’t going to feel fully safe until I was on solid ground, and with my body falling apart, I began to cross the bridge one step at a time. When I was on the other side, I had a choice. Follow the river or the road? They veered off from each other slightly, but both headed roughly in the direction of the city’s lights. I opted for the road. I didn’t want to be anywhere near the river. I would not think about what had just happened. I couldn’t think about it. My brain refused. Worry about staying alive first. Then worry about how you’re going to live. The road, while clearly rural, was flat and packed and made for easy walking-for anyone else. A light rain began falling, which just added insult to injury. I kept wanting to sit and rest, to curl up in a ball and think of nothing else. No, no, no. The light. I had to go toward the light. That almost made me laugh out loud. It was funny, really. Like I was someone having a near-death experience. Then I did laugh. This whole night had been full of near-death experiences. This was the least of them. It was also the last, and as much as I longed for the city, it was too far away. I’m not sure how long I walked before I finally had to stop and sit. Just a minute, I decided. I’d rest for a minute and then keep moving. I had to keep moving. If by some crazy chance I’d missed his heart, Dimitri could be climbing out of the river at any moment. Or other surviving Strigoi could be coming after me from the manor. But I didn’t get up in a minute. I think I may have slept, and I honestly don’t know how long I’d been sitting there when headlights suddenly spurred me to alertness. A car slowed down and came to a stop. I managed to get to my feet, bracing myself. No Strigoi got out. Instead, an old human man did. He peered at me and said something in Russian. I shook my head and backed up a step. He leaned into the car and said something, and a moment later, an older woman joined him. She looked at me and her eyes widened, face compassionate. She said something gentle-sounding and held out her hand to me, cautious in the way one would be when approaching a feral animal. I stared at her for several heavy seconds and then pointed at the purple horizon. â€Å"Novosibirsk,† I said. She followed my gesture and nodded. â€Å"Novosibirsk.† She pointed to me and then to the car. â€Å"Novosibirsk.† I hesitated a little longer and then let her lead me into the backseat. She took off her coat and laid it over me, and I noticed then that I was soaked from the rain. I had to be a mess after everything I’d been through tonight. It was a wonder they’d even stopped. The old man began driving again, and it occurred to me I could have just gotten in a car with serial killers. But then, how would that be any different from the rest of my night? The mental and physical pain were starting to drag me under, and with my last effort, I wet my lips and choked out another gem from my Russian vocabulary. â€Å"Pazvaneet?† The woman looked back at me in surprise. I wasn’t sure if I had the word right. I might have just asked for a pay phone instead of a cell phone-or maybe I’d asked for a giraffe-but hopefully the message came through regardless. A moment later, she reached into her purse and handed me a cell phone. Even in Siberia, everyone was wired. With shaking hands, I dialed the number I now had memorized. A female voice answered. â€Å"Allo.† â€Å"Sydney? This is Rose†¦Ã¢â‚¬  How to cite Blood Promise Chapter Twenty-Six, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Burmese Pythons in the Everglades free essay sample

They followed their ears to a duel between an alligator and a huge Burmese Python. The alligator clamped his jaws around the snake. The snake wrapped its body around the alligator. The tourists wasted no time in whipping out their camera phones or video cameras, and within days the video was viral. Millions were enthralled by the odd match-up, but to scientists, it was a sign of what could be a very serious problem. The fight between an American alligator and a Burmese Python is unusual, and pretty intriguing, because the Burmese Python is not native to Florida. In fact, people barely noticed they were there until the early 1990s. The accidental introduction of an invasive species to an ecosystem can be absolutely devastating. They can wipe out other species, destroy habitats, and throw the whole system out of whack. We’ve seen it before. The introduction of the Brown treesnake to Guam, for example, caused major ecological and socioeconomic problems since its introduction to Guam shortly after World War II. The tree snakes clearly thrived in the environment of Guam over that of Australia; Specimens from Guam were significantly larger, Dobson 2 nd reproduced year round, as compared to those found living in Australia, which reproduce seasonally. As the snakes thrived in a new home, the island could not quite handle them as their native lands could. The brown treesnake caused a severe decline in native forest bird species, the loss of two lizard species, and declines in the Marianna fruit bat. It is now recognized as a public health threat, as well as a substantial drain on Guam’s economy. What has happened to Guam at the hand of a foreign, invasive species which should never have been introduced could easily happen to Florida too. If we allow the Burmese Python to take over and deplete the diverse everglades, there is no telling what could be the long term effect. Like the Brown Treesnake to Guam, the Burmese Python survives better in the Everglades than its own natural environment. In Southeast Asia, the pythons may be prey to jackals, monitor lizards, parasites, and diseases. â€Å"By the time they reach two years old, not much can eat them in the Everglades† says USGS biologist Kristen Hart, quoted by Michael Tennessen (6). These animals are large: up to 20 feet long, and 200 pounds heavy. They are sneaky: they’re often underground, in trees, underwater, or just blending into their surroundings with their brown and green-ish markings. They’re fast: â€Å"Relocated Pythons have demonstrated a homing ability, returning up to 48 miles from where they were captured. † (Tennessen, 5) Most native species of the Everglades don’t stand a chance against these monsters. Some experts estimate that there are tens of thousands of Burmese Pythons living free in Florida today. Some eighteen hundred specimens have been removed and recorded in and around the Everglades since 2005. Their numbers have risen dramatically. Two Burmese Dobson 3 Pythons were captured in the Everglades in 2000. In 2008, the number captured hit 343 (Tennesen, 3). Long ago, water from the Kissimmee River was free to flow to Lake Okeechobee and southward, over the lowlands of Biscayne Bay, the Ten Thousand Islands, and Florida Bay. It was a shallow layer of water moving slowly across nearly 11,000 square miles. It created the swamps, sloughs, ponds, marshes and forests which now make up the remaining wilderness of southern Florida. Many of those species are native, but many have been introduced to the environment, usually as stowaways on other imports, or pets that have been released. The Burmese Python is one of the most invasive of these non-native species. The snakes originate from Southeast Asia, so they thrive in Florida’s similar environment. The Everglades became sort of a paradise to the pythons, since their introduction in the early 1990’s. A female Burmese Python will lay up to 207 eggs at once. Inside her nest, she will coil her body around the eggs to maintain a temperature of about ninety degrees Fahrenheit. Incubation takes around two months. The python has only just recently been observed engaging in shivering thermo genesis for the first time outside of captivity. This is the production of body heat through muscle contractions. The mother snake does this to raise the temperature of her nest and eggs- the warmer the incubation, the quicker they will hatch, and slither free throughout the forest, carrying on its destructive path. With this sort of reproduction, it’s no wonder they’re so easily taking over the Everglades. Dobson 4 One of the first big releases of the Burmese Python in Florida took place in 1992. Hurricane Andrew, a category 5 hurricane, took down a large snake importer’s warehouse, as well as causing many billions of dollars of damage. Each year, Miami receives 12,000 exotic pet shipments, many of which are the Burmese Python. A person who takes in a 20-inch baby python might be understandably surprised when it becomes a 12-foot, 200 pound beast within a couple years, and many will end up releasing it into the wild. Most likely they are unaware that the reptile is about to wreak havoc on the ecosystem, gobbling native small to medium-sized species of all kinds, if they are unlucky enough to fall into its path. A Burmese Python will eat anything from birds and rodents to bobcats and deer- it will even swallow one of Florida’s iconic American Alligators like the one the tourists captured. Scientists who are worried about conservation of The Everglade’s native species have been recording numbers of medium-sized animal sightings and comparing them to numbers taken during 1996 and 1997. The recordings for most species were down by close to 99 percent! Obviously there are other factors that have surely had an effect on the animals, like climate change, pollution, hurricanes, and whatever else, but there is a pretty definite link between the time of introduction of the Bermuda Python to wild Florida, and the sharp decrease in sightings of native species. The solution for such an issue is a tricky debate. How do you get rid of such a large population entirely? It may not seem especially â€Å"eco-friendly† or humane to run around capturing and killing as many Burmese Pythons as we can get our hands on, but neither is Dobson 5 allowing these creatures that humans are responsible for bringing to Southern Florida, deplete the natural ecosystem and force native species into endangerment or extinction. So far nobody has thought up a good alternative, and permits to catch/kill Burmese Pythons found in and around the Everglades are now distributed. In 2003, the Task Force established an interagency team (FIATT) that will focus its efforts on non-native species. Their goal is to figure out how to assess and control the numbers of these threatening species (National Resource Council, 53). The largest subtropical wilderness here in the United States has also been designated as a World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve, and Wetland of International Importance. It is naturally home to a wide spectrum of species, some which cannot even be found anywhere else. Needless to say, the preservation of this landmark is hugely important. Besides the Pythons there are Nile Monitor Lizards, African Sacred Ibis, Old World Climbing Ferns, and god knows what else threatening a fragile ecosystem. There is no quick or easy way of stopping the Burmese Python from destroying the Everglades. We will have to work tirelessly and with dedication, because this problem will not take care of itself. One by one, each Burmese python will have to be captured and dealt with by relocation, or extermination. In all of my research, I found no alternative solution proposed, besides killing off most of the snakes. Maybe, more humanely, we could arrange some sort of python sanctuary in which Burmese Pythons are captured, sterilized, and cared for until their natural deaths.