A Game of Thrones Chapter Thirty-one

Tyrion As he stood in the predawn chill watching Chiggen butcher his horse, Tyrion Lannister chalked up one more debt owed the Starks. Steam rose from inside the carcass when the squat sellsword opened the belly with his skinning knife. His hands moved deftly, with never a wasted cut; the work had to be done quickly, before the stink of blood brought shadowcats down from the heights. â€Å"None of us will go hungry tonight,† Bronn said. He was near a shadow himself; bone thin and bone hard, with black eyes and black hair and a stubble of beard. â€Å"Some of us may,† Tyrion told him. â€Å"I am not fond of eating horse. Particularly my horse.† â€Å"Meat is meat,† Bronn said with a shrug. â€Å"The Dothraki like horse more than beef or pork.† â€Å"Do you take me for a Dothraki?† Tyrion asked sourly. The Dothraki ate horse, in truth; they also left deformed children out for the feral dogs who ran behind their khalasars. Dothraki customs had scant appeal for him. Chiggen sliced a thin strip of bloody meat off the carcass and held it up for inspection. â€Å"Want a taste, dwarf?† â€Å"My brother Jaime gave me that mare for my twenty-third name day,† Tyrion said in a flat voice. â€Å"Thank him for us, then. If you ever see him again.† Chiggen grinned, showing yellow teeth, and swallowed the raw meat in two bites. â€Å"Tastes well bred.† â€Å"Better if you fry it up with onions,† Bronn put in. Wordlessly, Tyrion limped away. The cold had settled deep in his bones, and his legs were so sore he could scarcely walk. Perhaps his dead mare was the lucky one. He had hours more riding ahead of him, followed by a few mouthfuls of food and a short, cold sleep on hard ground, and then another night of the same, and another, and another, and the gods only knew how it would end. â€Å"Damn her,† he muttered as he struggled up the road to rejoin his captors, remembering, â€Å"damn her and all the Starks.† The memory was still bitter. One moment he'd been ordering supper, and an eye blink later he was facing a room of armed men, with Jyck reaching for a sword and the fat innkeep shrieking, â€Å"No swords, not here, please, m'lords.† Tyrion wrenched down Jyck's arm hurriedly, before he got them both hacked to pieces. â€Å"Where are your courtesies, Jyck? Our good hostess said no swords. Do as she asks.† He forced a smile that must have looked as queasy as it felt. â€Å"You're making a sad mistake, Lady Stark. I had no part in any attack on your son. On my honor—† â€Å"Lannister honor,† was all she said. She held up her hands for all the room to see. â€Å"His dagger left these scars. The blade he sent to open my son's throat.† Tyrion felt the anger all around him, thick and smoky, fed by the deep cuts in the Stark woman's hands. â€Å"Kill him,† hissed some drunken slattern from the back, and other voices took up the call, faster than he would have believed. Strangers all, friendly enough only a moment ago, and yet now they cried for his blood like hounds on a trail. Tyrion spoke up loudly, trying to keep the quaver from his voice. â€Å"If Lady Stark believes I have some crime to answer for, I will go with her and answer for it.† It was the only possible course. Trying to cut their way out of this was a sure invitation to an early grave. A good dozen swords had responded to the Stark woman's plea for help: the Harrenhal man, the three Brackens, a pair of unsavory sellswords who looked as though they'd kill him as soon as spit, and some fool field hands who doubtless had no idea what they were doing. Against that, what did Tyrion have? A dagger at his belt, and two men. Jyck swung a fair enough sword, but Morrec scarcely counted; he was part groom, part cook, part body servant, and no soldier. As for Yoren, whatever his feelings might have been, the black brothers were sworn to take no part in the quarrels of the realm. Yoren would do nothing. And indeed, the black brother stepped aside silently when the old knight by Catelyn Stark's side said, â€Å"Take their weapons,† and the sellsword Bronn stepped forward to pull the sword from Jyck's fingers and relieve them all of their daggers. â€Å"Good,† the old man said as the tension in the common room ebbed palpably, â€Å"excellent.† Tyrion recognized the gruff voice; Winterfell's master-at-arms, shorn of his whiskers. Scarlet-tinged spittle flew from the fat innkeep's mouth as she begged of Catelyn Stark, â€Å"Don't kill him here!† â€Å"Don't kill him anywhere,† Tyrion urged. â€Å"Take him somewheres else, no blood here, m'lady, I wants no high lordlin's quarrels.† â€Å"We are taking him back to Winterfell,† she said, and Tyrion thought, Well, perhaps . . . By then he'd had a moment to glance over the room and get a better idea of the situation. He was not altogether displeased by what he saw. Oh, the Stark woman had been clever, no doubt of it. Force them to make a public affirmation of the oaths sworn her father by the lords they served, and then call on them for succor, and her a woman, yes, that was sweet. Yet her success was not as complete as she might have liked. There were close to fifty in the common room by his rough count. Catelyn Stark's plea had roused a bare dozen; the others looked confused, or frightened, or sullen. Only two of the Freys had stirred, Tyrion noted, and they'd sat back down quick enough when their captain failed to move. He might have smiled if he'd dared. â€Å"Winterfell it is, then,† he said instead. That was a long ride, as he could well attest, having just ridden it the other way. So many things could happen along the way. â€Å"My father will wonder what has become of me,† he added, catching the eye of the swordsman who'd offered to yield up his room. â€Å"He'll pay a handsome reward to any man who brings him word of what happened here today.† Lord Tywin would do no such thing, of course, but Tyrion would make up for it if he won free. Ser Rodrik glanced at his lady, his look worried, as well it might be. â€Å"His men come with him,† the old knight announced. â€Å"And we'll thank the rest of you to stay quiet about what you've seen here.† It was all Tyrion could do not to laugh. Quiet? The old fool. Unless he took the whole inn, the word would begin to spread the instant they were gone. The freerider with the gold coin in his pocket would fly to Casterly Rock like an arrow. If not him, then someone else. Yoren would carry the story south. That fool singer might make a lay of it. The Freys would report back to their lord, and the gods only knew what he might do. Lord Walder Frey might be sworn to Riverrun, but he was a cautious man who had lived a long time by making certain he was always on the winning side. At the very least he would send his birds winging south to King's Landing, and he might well dare more than that. Catelyn Stark wasted no time. â€Å"We must ride at once. We'll want fresh mounts, and provisions for the road. You men, know that you have the eternal gratitude of House Stark. If any of you choose to help us guard our captives and get them safe to Winterfell, I promise you shall be well rewarded.† That was all it took; the fools came rushing forward. Tyrion studied their faces; they would indeed be well rewarded, he vowed to himself, but perhaps not quite as they imagined. Yet even as they were bundling him outside, saddling the horses in the rain, and tying his hands with a length of coarse rope, Tyrion Lannister was not truly afraid. They would never get him to Winterfell, he would have given odds on that. Riders would be after them within the day, birds would take wing, and surely one of the river lords would want to curry favor with his father enough to take a hand. Tyrion was congratulating himself on his subtlety when someone pulled a hood down over his eyes and lifted him up onto a saddle. They set out through the rain at a hard gallop, and before long Tyrion's thighs were cramped and aching and his butt throbbed with pain. Even when they were safely away from the inn, and Catelyn Stark slowed them to a trot, it was a miserable pounding journey over rough ground, made worse by his blindness. Every twist and turn put him in danger of falling off his horse. The hood muffled sound, so he could not make out what was being said around him, and the rain soaked through the cloth and made it cling to his face, until even breathing was a struggle. The rope chafed his wrists raw and seemed to grow tighter as the night wore on. I was about to settle down to a warm fire and a roast fowl, and that wretched singer had to open his mouth, he thought mournfully. The wretched singer had come along with them. â€Å"There is a great song to be made from this, and I'm the one to make it,† he told Catelyn Stark when he announced his intention of riding with them to see how the  "splendid adventure† turned out. Tyrion wondered whether the boy would think the adventure quite so splendid once the Lannister riders caught up with them. The rain had finally stopped and dawn light was seeping through the wet cloth over his eyes when Catelyn Stark gave the command to dismount. Rough hands pulled him down from his horse, untied his wrists, and yanked the hood off his head. When he saw the narrow stony road, the foothills rising high and wild all around them, and the jagged snowcapped peaks on the distant horizon, all the hope went out of him in a rush. â€Å"This is the high road,† he gasped, looking at Lady Stark with accusation. â€Å"The eastern road. You said we were riding for Winterfell!† Catelyn Stark favored him with the faintest of smiles. â€Å"Often and loudly,† she agreed. â€Å"No doubt your friends will ride that way when they come after us. I wish them good speed.† Even now, long days later, the memory filled him with a bitter rage. All his life Tyrion had prided himself on his cunning, the only gift the gods had seen fit to give him, and yet this seven-times-damned she-wolf Catelyn Stark had outwitted him at every turn. The knowledge was more galling than the bare fact of his abduction. They stopped only as long as it took to feed and water the horses, and then they were off again. This time Tyrion was spared the hood. After the second night they no longer bound his hands, and once they had gained the heights they scarcely bothered to guard him at all. It seemed they did not fear his escape. And why should they? Up here the land was harsh and wild, and the high road little more than a stony track. If he did run, how far could he hope to go, alone and without provisions? The shadowcats would make a morsel of him, and the clans that dwelt in the mountain fastnesses were brigands and murderers who bowed to no law but the sword. Yet still the Stark woman drove them forward relentlessly. He knew where they were bound. He had known it since the moment they pulled off his hood. These mountains were the domain of House Arryn, and the late Hand's widow was a Tully, Catelyn Stark's sister . . . and no friend to the Lannisters. Tyrion had known the Lady Lysa slightly during her years at King's Landing, and did not look forward to renewing the acquaintance. His captors were clustered around a stream a short ways down the high road. The horses had drunk their fill of the icy cold water, and were grazing on clumps of brown grass that grew from clefts in the rock. Jyck and Morrec huddled close, sullen and miserable. Mohor stood over them, leaning on his spear and wearing a rounded iron cap that made him look as if he had a bowl on his head. Nearby, Marillion the singer sat oiling his woodharp, complaining of what the damp was doing to his strings. â€Å"We must have some rest, my lady,† the hedge knight Ser Willis Wode was saying to Catelyn Stark as Tyrion approached. He was Lady Whent's man, stiff-necked and stolid, and the first to rise to aid Catelyn Stark back at the inn. â€Å"Ser Willis speaks truly, my lady,† Ser Rodrik said. â€Å"This is the third horse we have lost—† â€Å"We will lose more than horses if we're overtaken by the Lannisters,† she reminded them. Her face was windburnt and gaunt, but it had lost none of its determination. â€Å"Small chance of that here,† Tyrion put in. â€Å"The lady did not ask your views, dwarf,† snapped Kurleket, a great fat oaf with short-cropped hair and a pig's face. He was one of the Brackens, a man-at-arms in the service of Lord Jonos. Tyrion had made a special effort to learn all their names, so he might thank them later for their tender treatment of him. A Lannister always paid his debts. Kurleket would learn that someday, as would his friends Lharys and Mohor, and the good Ser Willis, and the sellswords Bronn and Chiggen. He planned an especially sharp lesson for Marillion, him of the woodharp and the sweet tenor voice, who was struggling so manfully to rhyme imp with gimp and limp so he could make a song of this outrage. â€Å"Let him speak,† Lady Stark commanded. Tyrion Lannister seated himself on a rock. â€Å"By now our pursuit is likely racing across the Neck, chasing your lie up the kingsroad . . . assuming there is a pursuit, which is by no means certain. Oh, no doubt the word has reached my father . . . but my father does not love me overmuch, and I am not at all sure that he will bother to bestir himself.† It was only half a lie; Lord Tywin Lannister cared not a fig for his deformed son, but he tolerated no slights on the honor of his House. â€Å"This is a cruel land, Lady Stark. You'll find no succor until you reach the Vale, and each mount you lose burdens the others all the more. Worse, you risk losing me. I am small, and not strong, and if I die, then what's the point?† That was no lie at all; Tyrion did not know how much longer he could endure this pace. â€Å"It might be said that your death is the point, Lannister,† Catelyn Stark replied. â€Å"I think not,† Tyrion said. â€Å"If you wanted me dead, you had only to say the word, and one of these staunch friends of yours would gladly have given me a red smile.† He looked at Kurleket, but the man was too dim to taste the mockery. â€Å"The Starks do not murder men in their beds.† â€Å"Nor do I,† he said. â€Å"I tell you again, I had no part in the attempt to kill your son.† â€Å"The assassin was armed with your dagger.† Tyrion felt the heat rise in him. â€Å"It was not my dagger,† he insisted. â€Å"How many times must I swear to that? Lady Stark, whatever you may believe of me, I am not a stupid man. Only a fool would arm a common footpad with his own blade.† Just for a moment, he thought he saw a flicker of doubt in her eyes, but what she said was, â€Å"Why would Petyr lie to me?† â€Å"Why does a bear shit in the woods?† he demanded. â€Å"Because it is his nature. Lying comes as easily as breathing to a man like Littlefinger. You ought to know that, you of all people.† She took a step toward him, her face tight. â€Å"And what does that mean, Lannister?† Tyrion cocked his head. â€Å"Why, every man at court has heard him tell how he took your maidenhead, my lady.† â€Å"That is a lie!† Catelyn Stark said. â€Å"Oh, wicked little imp,† Marillion said, shocked. Kurleket drew his dirk, a vicious piece of black iron. â€Å"At your word, m'lady, I'll toss his lying tongue at your feet.† His pig eyes were wet with excitement at the prospect. Catelyn Stark stared at Tyrion with a coldness on her face such as he had never seen. â€Å"Petyr Baelish loved me once. He was only a boy. His passion was a tragedy for all of us, but it was real, and pure, and nothing to be made mock of. He wanted my hand. That is the truth of the matter. You are truly an evil man, Lannister.† â€Å"And you are truly a fool, Lady Stark. Littlefinger has never loved anyone but Littlefinger, and I promise you that it is not your hand that he boasts of, it's those ripe breasts of yours, and that sweet mouth, and the heat between your legs.† Kurleket grabbed a handful of hair and yanked his head back in a hard jerk, baring his throat. Tyrion felt the cold kiss of steel beneath his chin. â€Å"Shall I bleed him, my lady?† â€Å"Kill me and the truth dies with me,† Tyrion gasped. â€Å"Let him talk,† Catelyn Stark commanded. Kurleket let go of Tyrion's hair, reluctantly. Tyrion took a deep breath. â€Å"How did Littlefinger tell you I came by this dagger of his? Answer me that.† â€Å"You won it from him in a wager, during the tourney on Prince Joffrey's name day.† â€Å"When my brother Jaime was unhorsed by the Knight of Flowers, that was his story, no?† â€Å"It was,† she admitted. A line creased her brow. â€Å"Riders!† The shriek came from the wind-carved ridge above them. Ser Rodrik had sent Lharys scrambling up the rock face to watch the road while they took their rest. For a long second, no one moved. Catelyn Stark was the first to react. â€Å"Ser Rodrik, Ser Willis, to horse,† she shouted. â€Å"Get the other mounts behind us. Mohor, guard the prisoners—† â€Å"Arm us!† Tyrion sprang to his feet and seized her by the arm. â€Å"You will need every sword.† She knew he was right, Tyrion could see it. The mountain clans cared nothing for the enmities of the great houses; they would slaughter Stark and Lannister with equal fervor, as they slaughtered each other. They might spare Catelyn herself; she was still young enough to bear sons. Still, she hesitated. â€Å"I hear them!† Ser Rodrik called out. Tyrion turned his head to listen, and there it was: hoofbeats, a dozen horses or more, coming nearer. Suddenly everyone was moving, reaching for weapons, running to their mounts. Pebbles rained down around them as Lharys came springing and sliding down the ridge. He landed breathless in front of Catelyn Stark, an ungainly-looking man with wild tufts of rust-colored hair sticking out from under a conical steel cap. â€Å"Twenty men, maybe twenty-five,† he said, breathless. â€Å"Milk Snakes or Moon Brothers, by my guess. They must have eyes out, m'lady . . . hidden watchers . . . they know we're here.† Ser Rodrik Cassel was already ahorse, a longsword in hand. Mohor crouched behind a boulder, both hands on his iron-tipped spear, a dagger between his teeth. â€Å"You, singer,† Ser Willis Wode called out. â€Å"Help me with this breastplate.† Marillion sat frozen, clutching his woodharp, his face as pale as milk, but Tyrion's man Morrec bounded quickly to his feet and moved to help the knight with his armor. Tyrion kept his grip on Catelyn Stark. â€Å"You have no choice,† he told her. â€Å"Three of us, and a fourth man wasted guarding us . . . four men can be the difference between life and death up here.† â€Å"Give me your word that you will put down your swords again after the fight is done.† â€Å"My word?† The hoofbeats were louder now. Tyrion grinned crookedly. â€Å"Oh, that you have, my lady . . . on my honor as a Lannister.† For a moment he thought she would spit at him, but instead she snapped, â€Å"Arm them,† and as quick as that she was pulling away. Ser Rodrik tossed Jyck his sword and scabbard, and wheeled to meet the foe. Morrec helped himself to a bow and quiver, and went to one knee beside the road. He was a better archer than swordsman. And Bronn rode up to offer Tyrion a double-bladed axe. â€Å"I have never fought with an axe.† The weapon felt awkward and unfamiliar in his hands. It had a short haft, a heavy head, a nasty spike on top. â€Å"Pretend you're splitting logs,† Bronn said, drawing his longsword from the scabbard across his back. He spat, and trotted off to form up beside Chiggen and Ser Rodrik. Ser Willis mounted up to join them, fumbling with his helmet, a metal pot with a thin slit for his eyes and a long black silk plume. â€Å"Logs don't bleed,† Tyrion said to no one in particular. He felt naked without armor. He looked around for a rock and ran over to where Marillion was hiding. â€Å"Move over.† â€Å"Go away!† the boy screamed back at him. â€Å"I'm a singer, I want no part of this fight!† â€Å"What, lost your taste for adventure?† Tyrion kicked at the youth until he slid over, and not a moment too soon. A heartbeat later, the riders were on them. There were no heralds, no banners, no horns nor drums, only the twang of bowstrings as Morrec and Lharys let fly, and suddenly the clansmen came thundering out of the dawn, lean dark men in boiled leather and mismatched armor, faces hidden behind barred halfhelms. In gloved hands were clutched all manner of weapons: longswords and lances and sharpened scythes, spiked clubs and daggers and heavy iron mauls. At their head rode a big man in a striped shadowskin cloak, armed with a two-handed greatsword. Ser Rodrik shouted â€Å"Winterfell!† and rode to meet him, with Bronn and Chiggen beside him, screaming some wordless battle cry. Ser Willis Wode followed, swinging a spiked morningstar around his head. â€Å"Harrenhal! Harrenhal!† he sang. Tyrion felt a sudden urge to leap up, brandish his axe, and boom out, â€Å"Casterly Rock!† but the insanity passed quickly and he crouched down lower. He heard the screams of frightened horses and the crash of metal on metal. Chiggen's sword raked across the naked face of a mailed rider, and Bronn plunged through the clansmen like a whirlwind, cutting down foes right and left. Ser Rodrik hammered at the big man in the shadowskin cloak, their horses dancing round each other as they traded blow for blow. Jyck vaulted onto a horse and galloped bareback into the fray. Tyrion saw an arrow sprout from the throat of the man in the shadowskin cloak. When he opened his mouth to scream, only blood came out. By the time he fell, Ser Rodrik was fighting someone else. Suddenly Marillion shrieked, covering his head with his woodharp as a horse leapt over their rock. Tyrion scrambled to his feet as the rider turned to come back at them, hefting a spiked maul. Tyrion swung his axe with both hands. The blade caught the charging horse in the throat with a meaty thunk, angling upward, and Tyrion almost lost his grip as the animal screamed and collapsed. He managed to wrench the axe free and lurch clumsily out of the way. Marillion was less fortunate. Horse and rider crashed to the ground in a tangle on top of the singer. Tyrion danced back in while the brigand's leg was still pinned beneath his fallen mount, and buried the axe in the man's neck, just above the shoulder blades. As he struggled to yank the blade loose, he heard Marillion moaning under the bodies. â€Å"Someone help me,† the singer gasped. â€Å"Gods have mercy, I'm bleeding.† â€Å"I believe that's horse blood,† Tyrion said. The singer's hand came crawling out from beneath the dead animal, scrabbling in the dirt like a spider with five legs. Tyrion put his heel on the grasping fingers and felt a satisfying crunch. â€Å"Close your eyes and pretend you're dead,† he advised the singer before he hefted the axe and turned away. After that, things ran together. The dawn was full of shouts and screams and heavy with the scent of blood, and the world had turned to chaos. Arrows hissed past his ear and clattered off the rocks. He saw Bronn unhorsed, fighting with a sword in each hand. Tyrion kept on the fringes of the fight, sliding from rock to rock and darting out of the shadows to hew at the legs of passing horses. He found a wounded clansman and left him dead, helping himself to the man's halfhelm. It fit too snugly, but Tyrion was glad of any protection at all. Jyck was cut down from behind while he sliced at a man in front of him, and later Tyrion stumbled over Kurleket's body. The pig face had been smashed in with a mace, but Tyrion recognized the dirk as he plucked it from the man's dead fingers. He was sliding it through his belt when he heard a woman's scream. Catelyn Stark was trapped against the stone face of the mountain with three men around her, one still mounted and the other two on foot. She had a dagger clutched awkwardly in her maimed hands, but her back was to the rock now and they had penned her on three sides. Let them have the bitch, Tyrion thought, and welcome to her, yet somehow he was moving. He caught the first man in the back of the knee before they even knew he was there, and the heavy axehead split flesh and bone like rotten wood. Logs that bleed, Tyrion thought inanely as the second man came for him. Tyrion ducked under his sword, lashed out with the axe, the man reeled backward . . . and Catelyn Stark stepped up behind him and opened his throat. The horseman remembered an urgent engagement elsewhere and galloped off suddenly. Tyrion looked around. The enemy were all vanquished or vanished. Somehow the fighting had ended when he wasn't looking. Dying horses and wounded men lay all around, screaming or moaning. To his vast astonishment, he was not one of them. He opened his fingers and let the axe thunk to the ground. His hands were sticky with blood. He could have sworn they had been fighting for half a day, but the sun seemed scarcely to have moved at all. â€Å"Your first battle?† Bronn asked later as he bent over Jyck's body, pulling off his boots. They were good boots, as befit one of Lord Tywin's men; heavy leather, oiled and supple, much finer than what Bronn was wearing. Tyrion nodded. â€Å"My father will be so proud,† he said. His legs were cramping so badly he could scarcely stand. Odd, he had never once noticed the pain during the battle. â€Å"You need a woman now,† Bronn said with a glint in his black eyes. He shoved the boots into his saddlebag. â€Å"Nothing like a woman after a man's been blooded, take my word.† Chiggen stopped looting the corpses of the brigands long enough to snort and lick his lips. Tyrion glanced over to where Lady Stark was dressing Ser Rodrik's wounds. â€Å"I'm willing if she is,† he said. The freeriders broke into laughter, and Tyrion grinned and thought, There's a start. Afterward he knelt by the stream and washed the blood off his face in water cold as ice. As he limped back to the others, he glanced again at the slain. The dead clansmen were thin, ragged men, their horses scrawny and undersized, with every rib showing. What weapons Bronn and Chiggen had left them were none too impressive. Mauls, clubs, a scythe . . . He remembered the big man in the shadowskin cloak who had dueled Ser Rodrik with a two-handed greatsword, but when he found his corpse sprawled on the stony ground, the man was not so big after all, the cloak was gone, and Tyrion saw that the blade was badly notched, its cheap steel spotted with rust. Small wonder the clansmen had left nine bodies on the ground. They had only three dead; two of Lord Bracken's men-at-arms, Kurleket and Mohor, and his own man Jyck, who had made such a bold show with his bareback charge. A fool to the end, Tyrion thought. â€Å"Lady Stark, I urge you to press on, with all haste,† Ser Willis Wode said, his eyes scanning the ridgetops warily through the slit in his helm. â€Å"We drove them off for the moment, but they will not have gone far.† â€Å"We must bury our dead, Ser Willis,† she said. â€Å"These were brave men. I will not leave them to the crows and shadowcats.† â€Å"This soil is too stony for digging,† Ser Willis said. â€Å"Then we shall gather stones for cairns.† â€Å"Gather all the stones you want,† Bronn told her, â€Å"but do it without me or Chiggen. I've better things to do than pile rocks on dead men . . . breathing, for one.† He looked over the rest of the survivors. â€Å"Any of you who hope to be alive come nightfall, ride with us.† â€Å"My lady, I fear he speaks the truth,† Ser Rodrik said wearily. The old knight had been wounded in the fight, a deep gash in his left arm and a spear thrust that grazed his neck, and he sounded his age. â€Å"If we linger here, they will be on us again for a certainty, and we may not live through a second attack.† Tyrion could see the anger in Catelyn's face, but she had no choice. â€Å"May the gods forgive us, then. We will ride at once.† There was no shortage of horses now. Tyrion moved his saddle to Jyck's spotted gelding, who looked strong enough to last another three or four days at least. He was about to mount when Lharys stepped up and said, â€Å"I'll take that dirk now, dwarf.† â€Å"Let him keep it.† Catelyn Stark looked down from her horse. â€Å"And see that he has his axe back as well. We may have need of it if we are attacked again.† â€Å"You have my thanks, lady,† Tyrion said, mounting up. â€Å"Save them,† she said curtly. â€Å"I trust you no more than I did before.† She was gone before he could frame a reply. Tyrion adjusted his stolen helm and took the axe from Bronn. He remembered how he had begun the journey, with his wrists bound and a hood pulled down over his head, and decided that this was a definite improvement. Lady Stark could keep her trust; so long as he could keep the axe, he would count himself ahead in the game. Ser Willis Wode led them out. Bronn took the rear, with Lady Stark safely in the middle, Ser Rodrik a shadow beside her. Marillion kept throwing sullen looks back at Tyrion as they rode. The singer had broken several ribs, his woodharp, and all four fingers on his playing hand, yet the day had not been an utter loss to him; somewhere he had acquired a magnificent shadowskin cloak, thick black fur slashed by stripes of white. He huddled beneath its folds silently, and for once had nothing to say. They heard the deep growls of shadowcats behind them before they had gone half a mile, and later the wild snarling of the beasts fighting over the corpses they had left behind. Marillion grew visibly pale. Tyrion trotted up beside him. â€Å"Craven,† he said, â€Å"rhymes nicely with raven.† He kicked his horse and moved past the singer, up to Ser Rodrik and Catelyn Stark. She looked at him, lips pressed tightly together. â€Å"As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted,† Tyrion began, â€Å"there is a serious flaw in Littlefinger's fable. Whatever you may believe of me, Lady Stark, I promise you this—I never bet against my family.†

Tom Sawyer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Whether or not many have read the book, Mark Twain’s â€Å"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer† has been referenced numerous times in social media. It has been used in media in such formats as movies and cartoons. Because of this, many believe Tom Sawyer to be a children’s book, while others believe it to be a more literal adult influenced novel. With the many outside influences such as religion, writing styles, and the author’s opinions it can be argued that Mark Twain’s â€Å"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer† can be seen as either a children’s book or an adult’s novel.Many believe it is more suited as an adult book. The Influence of religion in any storyline can affect the plot greatly. â€Å"If we maintain the implicit conjunction between the Bible and Tom’s books, this can be read as a very serious critique of the abuses of religion† (McIntosh-Byrd 15). In his critique, Byrd states how religio n is often seen as the only way to go. Many don’t know any different and therefore Byrd believes the book to be more centered on religion and its constant critique. â€Å"The fact that both of these scenes take place within the church in indicative of an implicit critique of the role of religion in St.Petersburg† (McIntosh-Byrd 15). Again here Byrd says that religion has changed the storyline somewhat. Because of these reasons it can be argued that Tom Sawyer is more suited for adults because adults can understand what Twain was trying to say more and he knew this by the way he wrote. The different writing styles in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer change the audiences that the story appeals to. â€Å"These defects of structure would probably not appreciate the flexibility of the narrative, it’s easy, casual gait. † (Doren 431).From this view, Mark Twain’s â€Å"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,† can be seen as more of a children’s book becau se of its easy going nature. The lack of responsibility in this book translates well to children. â€Å"But Tom’s energy did not last. He began to think of the fun he had planned for this day, and his sorrows multiplied. † (Twain 12) Many are without responsibilities and hope to never gain any. â€Å"Mark Twain drives with careless, sagging reins, but he holds the general direction. † (Doren 431) Twain keeps a general hold on the story but he allows the characters to roam bout freely, which makes it more kid friendly, in the sense that the kids want to feel like they are truly in charge. â€Å"And when the middle of the afternoon came, from being a poor, poverty-stricken boy in the morning, Tom was literally rolling in wealth. † (Twain 15) The different writing styles affected the story in one way but at the same time it can affect it in the other opposite direction. On the other side of the spectrum, this book can be seen as an adult’s novel based on the writing styles evident in the text. Twain borrowed its structure from several literary genres popular in the United States during the late nineteenth century: Local color-fiction, Juvenile fiction, sentimental romance, and the dime thriller† (De Santis). Adults can handle a lot more styles in books such as these. â€Å"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer†¦Represented an attempt to cultivate the gentled, eastern-seaboard audience currently enthralled by local-color fiction. † (Baetzhold) Again here critic has noticed the same trend. Local-color or regional literature is fiction and poetry that focuses on the characters of a story.This is evident in De Santis’ critique of â€Å"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer†. Noticing the author’s opinions the reader can tell whether they meant for their book to be a children’s book or an adult’s piece of literature. â€Å"It had no history, and no future, existing in the framed bookends of the aut hor’s comments at the beginning and end of the tale. † (McIntosh-Byrd 15) Twain’s opinions about the way things should be in society affects the story. Say another writer had written about the exact same topic it would be completely different. Twain put a lot of his own thoughts and beliefs into his story. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is an extremely difficult work to approach analytically because it is so embedded in the author’s own childhood. † (McIntosh-Byrd 13) It has been argued that the town of St. Petersburg in the story was Twain’s interpretation of his childhood hometown. â€Å"Uncertain whether it should be aimed at a youthful or an adult audience, Mark Twain once more submerged in the shadow the realistic aspects of puberty, removing portions of the book which might offend younger readers. † (Baetzhold) if Twain didn’t remove these portions f the story it would have definitely been focused towards a more mature audien ce. Since he did it is more appropriate that â€Å"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer† be focused more on the youthful audience. With the many outside influences such as religion, writing styles, and the author’s opinions it can be argued that Mark Twain’s â€Å"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer† can be seen as either a children’s book or an adult’s novel. The book was originally written as an adult’s novel, but over the years since it has been written it has slowly been more closely analyzed as a children’s book.

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 30

Assignment Example Hume claimed that in his reflections on the self, he learnt that it is impossible to have a unified impression of self without the particular perceptions. Hume argued that whenever he thinks about the concept of self, what he finds are particular perceptions such as heat or cold, love or hate, or pleasure or pain. Hume argued that these particular perceptions do not exist as a unified entity that can be termed self, Hume says, â€Å" Pain and pleasure, grief and joy, passions and sensations succeed each other, and never all exist at the same time† (Selby-Bigger, 294). For this reason, therefore, Hume concluded self is an illusion, and that what we call self is a bundle of sensations. Unlike Hume, however, Immanuel Kant held that self is a reality and that we are able to know the self. Kant’s conception of the self is also an offshoot of his Epistemology. In his theory of knowledge, Immanuel Kant taught that there are two sources of human knowledge, which are sensibility and understanding. According to Immanuel Kant, sensibility gives us objects, while the understanding thinks and reasons about the given objects. For Kant, therefore, it is possible for us to have knowledge of things which have no direct impressions. Kant, therefore, argued that by looking for the self in sense impressions, Hume was looking for the self in the wrong place. For Kant, the self is the entity that unifies human experiences, thus enabling human mind to synthesis sense perceptions. For Kant, the self is what Rene Descartes had termed as the thinking I. By arguing that existence precedes essence, Sartre meant that human beings are born indeterminate, or without their essence, and that it is human beings themselves who make up their essence. According to Sartre, human beings are not determined, before they are born, what they will be in life. For this reason, therefore, Sartre viewed human beings as existing first before they determine their essence of what they will be in life.

Development of Media Art Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Development of Media Art - Dissertation Example Historical Aspects: According to Benjamin (1986) "technology transforms the entire nature of art", and the same can be witnessed throughout the past centuries, where the art form gradually developed from paintings, to print, to videos and finally to digital arts in recent times. It is on account of these changes, that the field of media art today; has transformed significantly, to include diverse practices used by the artists eventually translating into a wider audience and markets. The history and evolution of media arts is described in four key phases i.e. the era of films during the early 20th century; the invention of video and its impact on arts during the early nineteenth century; the beginning of the media arts movement during the late nineteenth century; finally culminating into the current trend - that of invention and development of digital media triggered by the technological revolution during the late nineteenth century. Films during the early nineteenth century could mai nly be categorized into two distinct categories i.e. those which catered to the commercial aspects and followed the narrative style and those which were experimental or 'short films'. The innovation in the field of media arts during this era was mainly with regard to the use of sounds, and other artistic techniques such as use of special effects such as slow motions, or close-ups as well as the ability to edit the films. These techniques were mainly followed for both narrative as well as experimental films. According to Renan (1967) most of the films developed during this period were 'experimental' in nature, which explored subjects and themes which were highly controversial. This eventually gave rise to the documentary film making, which was dominant during this era. The next phase i.e. during the 1960s was marked by the advent of video, within the arena of media arts, which was further fuelled by the invention of television and broadcasting technologies (Vogel, 1998). However sinc e these inventions were relatively new, the cost of producing and implementing such technologies was relatively higher and hence it restricted the open and liberal use of this form of media by the artists (Rush, 2001; Hanhardt, 2000). However, the scenario changed drastically over the years, and the art form gradually expanded to include a wider variety of media arts (Furlong, 1983; D'Agostino, 1985). These new developments brought about a new and fresh wave of changes in the field of media arts leading to the influx of new artists who excelled in the art form, and ultimately changed the existing and conventional media practices adopted by artists during those times. The subsequent years i.e. the years between 1960 and 1970 saw another significant wave of change, which culminated into the launch of the Media Arts Movement, whereby the pioneers of the industry realized the need for change in the manner in which the current media was functioning especially with regard to the projectio n of issues concerning third world countries, and strived to bring about relevant and effective changes. This was the era which was dominated by an ideology whereby media was perceived and practiced as a predominantly artistic form rather than acknowledging its commercial aspect, which was largely ignored. Eventually towards the end of this decade, the prices of the film

Analysis of Globalization and the Production of Locality in Urban Essay - 3

Analysis of Globalization and the Production of Locality in Urban Egypt Article by Farha Grannam - Essay Example The problem arises when globalization is viewed as neocolonialism or Americanization. The flows from the United States and Europe are said to shape the landscape of Cairo in different ways. There is a need for broadening the globalization concept so that the flows responsible for shaping cultural identities and practices. Grannam (250) says that ‘many changes were needed to facilitate the operation of capital†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ this shows that there is a need for several changes to take place in globalization. The new boundaries, differentiation, and social inequalities being produced and clanged by global flows are important to asses. There are things that attract attention to the inequalities that are produced by global processes. Global flows are not only structured but they also structure. There are groups that are empowered by having connections with the western cities. Production of urban locality is an issue that requires to be addressed with the increased movement of images, people, and commodities. Locality is produced by the interactions of those dwelling and those traveling. Locality is what allows individuals to follow collective flows that are resisted in different contexts (Grannam 256). Diane Singerman reviews how there are international scholars who have collaborated in producing information on politics and culture. Looking at Cairo we realize how complicated the normative project of citizenship is within globalization. Through carrying out research on shops, malls, neighborhoods, villages, towns, and historical areas then it is easy to understand the global flows. With the example of Cairo whose economy was not planned, it is easy to understand why it is megalopolis (Singerman 85). I agree that transforming public space to private is legitimated except if it results from the crime, terrorism, or pollution.  

Managing Information Systems Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Managing Information Systems Assignment - Essay Example In this scenario this report will analyze some of the main aspects such as responsibilities of IT and MIS at the business level and overall implementation issues for setting up an online business at D&D International Enterprises. OVERVIEW Currently every business utilizes information systems along with other new technology based objects at all the stages of business processes to gather, perform operations, and store business data. Additionally, this corporate data is collected as well as distributed in the type of effective business information required to perform diverse tasks of the company. In this scenario, every staff member of the company makes use of these information systems to perform assigned tasks. For instance, a car selling business that could utilize a computer database to manage products sell best, and a retail store could utilize a computer-based information technology artifacts as well as information system to sell products over the Internet. ... Normally, organizations use management information systems to facilitate their staff members to use and change information. However, in many cases, the management information systems work behind the scenes, and the users of the information system are not often engaged or even aware of the operations that are managed or controlled by the system. In addition, the management and improvement of information technology systems and tools supports management as well as other staff members in carrying out several operations associated to the management of business information. Moreover, the management information systems and other business systems are particularly valuable in the collection of company data as well as the creation of corporate information to be employed like tools intended for decision making (BPC, 2010; Schauland, 2011; Lari, 2002). MIS AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE TO BUSINESS Management information system is a wide-ranging phrase intended for the computer structures in a business th at offers information regarding its business processes. It is as well employed to submit to the people who handle and supervise these systems. Normally, in a huge business, â€Å"management information system" or the â€Å"Management information system department" refers to a centrally-harmonized or fundamental arrangement of computer administration and proficiency, frequently comprising mainframe systems however in addition comprising the company’s whole network of computer system resources. In the start, they were developed to perform some specific functions of the business such as calculating the payroll as well as managing accounts receivable and payable. As applications evolved and improved those offered executives with

Time Value of Money Calculations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Time Value of Money Calculations - Assignment Example Capital budgeting decisions are based on an evaluation of the cash flows expected from investing in a specific project (Emery et al 2007). Projects are evaluated using methods such as: net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), payback period (described as simple payback) and discounted payback period. These methods can assist management in deciding which project among a set of options yields the best return or whether a particular project should be undertaken. The NPV is the net balance of the initial investment after deducting future cash flows at present values. The implication of a negative NPV indicates the failure of the project to generate enough funds to pay up the initial investments as well as to facilitate some returns to shareholders. Information contained in the Appendix indicates that the project has a positive NPV of $16,692. This implies that the project would be beneficial to the organization The IRR is the discount rate that equates the present value of a project’s cash flows with the cost of the project (Brigham and Ehrhardt 2005). This occurs when NPV is equal to Zero (0). If used appropriately it is a valuable tool in the selection of projects (Hazen 2003). The IRR of the Server Update project is 10.13 per cent. This is 2.13 per cent above the organization’s cost of capital and therefore offers a positive return to shareholders. See Appendix 1 for the solution. According to Brigham and Ehrhardt (2005) the simple payback period indicates the time period over which the project recovers the initial investment. In performing the calculations the annual cash flows are set off against the initial outflow until there is a positive balance. Investments with long payback periods are considered to be risky compared to those with relatively short payback periods and so this method has a bias for short term projects. Additionally, the simple payback method does not take into account the time value of money since it

The Emperor Justinian's Code influenced government organization, views Research Paper

The Emperor Justinian's Code influenced government organization, views on leadership and church-and-state relationships throughout many future governments - Research Paper Example The laws became the legal binding laws of the state. The Emperor Justinian’s Code influenced government organization, views on leadership and church-and-state relationships throughout many future governments. Justinian was born 482 in the area that in modern times is called the Balkans, north of Greece. He was the nephew of the then emperor and thus had had a great deal of power even before he became the emperor. On his accession to the throne, he united the neighboring areas to become the sole emperor of the east region for thirty-seven years from 527. The then state was closely connected with the church. All emperors preceding Justinian, since the dominance of Constantine, had always incorporated religious extremism of intolerance into the legal framework and thus Justinian followed the same tradition. The past regimes had been very ruthless persecuting those who did not tow to the Christian teachings, Justinian’s reign became a very crucial era that affected future governments especially in antiquity and early epoch of the middle ages. In the Nicene religious wars, the emperor became an icon and a hero as he led successive campaigns against the classical thought, and all other people opposed to Christianity (Sarris 65). He achieved these victories against non-believers by imposing oppressive binding imperial decrees that were not to be opposed, the government of Justinian was unanimously supporting forced conversions, and the existing temples of other religions were destroyed with the government troops actively involved in the religious campaigns. Though the use of troops in the enactment of the religious agendas had been inexistence since the time of Constantine, it reached its climax during the time of Justinian. The emperor’s campaigns of using state machinery to force other people to do the bidding of the church became very formidable such that it lasted for generations until the

Sonoco HR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Sonoco HR - Essay Example The packaging industry as a whole have began to alter the landscape of the industry, a change towards â€Å"packaging end-to-end solutions† instead of individual packaging services have become the norm (Sand, 2009). Sonoco’s leadership for its part have at the onset implemented strategies to control cost that is in-line with its target of generating growth by stimulating sales and its capacity (Gase, 2007). The plan involved modernizing its commercial packaging division to enable it to respond to the demands of clients with dynamic requirements due to these clients’ need to respond to consumer tastes. However, the changes only granted autonomy to the General Manager of each division in managing his own personnel contrary to the required cross functional cooperation to meet the changing customer needs (Heinecke, 2011). Sonoco has been known to encourage a family-oriented, paternalistic, collaborative, and team oriented corporate culture amongst its employees. Unde rperformance and indolence are often times overlooked if it does not affect the bottom line too much. Cindy Hartley was hired to align Sonoco with the ever changing requirements of the packaging industry. ... There is a need to ensure that the performance is reflective of the actual contribution of the employee to the company (Neal, 2009). Sonoco’s employee training should not be limited to hard skills training but also on soft skills training to ensure that employees are developed overtime that will satisfy the third focus area of Cindy which is succession planning (Brinkerhoff & Mulder, 1995). Succession planning is ensuring that any position in the company can be replaced by individuals easily to prevent down time (Sims & Gay, 2007). Sonoco’s existence has been marked with several acquisitions of small companies mainly for its customer base if not additional capacity it will bring to the organization. The strategy is not only sound but it makes more sense, since instead of acquiring new equipment and getting fresh employees to be trained at considerable cost while spending on marketing to acquire new clients, buying companies will accomplish all in a much shorter time fra me (Clemente & Greenspan, 1998). The strategy while sound similarly created specialization amongst and between the employees of the acquired company (Prof Jarillo & Straub, 2012). It should be noted that the acquisition of the different companies equally resulted to the acquisition of employees with unique skill set that is applicable to the acquired company’s operation (Stahl & Mendenhall, 2005). However, the best scenario is to have employees that are multi skilled if not ambidextrous (Kortmann, 2012). The expanding employee base and the expanding customer base did not bode well for leaders within Sonoco and the companies it integrated due to its acquisition. Leaders were not trained to

Hamlet Essay Example for Free

Hamlet Essay Shakespeares Hamlet remains at the pinnacle of high culture texts and the cannon as one of the most iconic texts in the modern world. Hamlet is a deeply philosophical in which grapples with metaphysical questions- existential in nature that underpins the human ethos. It is through the highly charged language, textual integrity and use of meta-theatrical techniques that ensure the plays modernity and continuing resonance in society through multiple perspectives. Hamlet is a revenge tragedy play that reveals the conflicting social paradigms of patriarchal Elizabethan society in transition, wherein the forces of reformation and renaissance were usurping the older world of medieval feudalism and hierarchy. The play also reflects the concerns of a society that questioned their social roles particularly the divine and moral standards of the church and crown. The play captures the spirit of inquiry through its opening question whos there? revealing the plays search for identity and truth- both literal and metaphorical- in which Hamlet drives at the moral centre of the play. Hamlet is essentially a grand narrative that follows the strictly controlled linear revenge tragedian format with Prince Hamlet as the avenging tragic hero. His role is indeed profound and equivocal; he questions the nature of freewill whilst seeking affirmation through the ghost to avenge his fathers murder. Yet it is by Hamlets pivotal flaws of hesitancy and uncertainty that he authors his own downfall and those innocents around him. Shakespeare reflects the conflicting values of his context through Hamlets statement o cursed spite that I was ever born to set it right he is torn between conflicting notions of medieval paganism and vengeance opposed to Christian humanism that demanded restraint and rationality. Yet it is through Hamlets melancholy and his questioning of humanity that the play becomes highly philosophical and personal drawing audiences in with the beauty of poetic language. Perspectives of Hamlet such as Kenneth Brannaghs 1996 film production and Marion Pots 2008 Bell Shakespeare theatre production demonstrate the plays continuing iconic status in society and its seamless ability to be re-appropriated into new contexts and perspectives. Brannaghs perspective of Hamlet is traditional, yet he stresses the conflict between truth and appearance through his stage design. The film depicts C19th castle of Elsinore, resplendent in its colourful pageantry, overpowering pristine white and extravagant costuming. Brannaghs implementation of secret hallways, mirrors and Hamlets dark clothing is juxtaposed to this lavish world that metaphorically reveals the entrenched and pervasive corruption that underlie this facade. Shakespeare stresses this notion through use of recurring extended metaphor in the rank, vile and un-weeded garden. This conflict between truth and appearance is illuminated in Act 3 Scene 2 via the play within the play. The acting on all levels in this scene causes the play to become highly reflexive and meta-theatrical, audiences are alerted to its constructed nature as twere a mirror up to nature yet also cautioning audiences over the masks that are constructed by people to disguise truth. The scenes reflexive and modernist techniques allow us to contemplate upon the nature of appearances demonstrating the iconic relevancy of the play. Brendan Cowells depiction of Hamlet in Pots Sydney production is that seemingly of a highly intellectual yet rebellious C21st college student. Cowell plays the role ironically subverting the worlds of adults through wit, puns and sarcasm that draws audiences into the plays self described comedic and cathartic nature. Potts perspective of Hamlet invokes a feeling of moral malaise through stage design. The use of worn dated clothing and seemingly dark decaying walls that seep water- hinting at underlying corruption and subverting the cleansing connotations of water. The presence of a large dominating spiral staircase gives the play a subterranean and stygian atmosphere that effectively alerts audiences towards looming mortality and hidden truth. In Act 2 Scene 2 Hamlet reflects upon the majesty of man- oh what piece of work is man- yet this is ironically juxtaposed to his own self disillusionment. Shakespeares movement from iambic pentameter to prose reflects Hamlets own loss of mirth; whilst also demonstrating the power of Shakespeares use of textual integrity to allow audiences to sympathise and connect to Hamlet. Hamlets paradoxical nature is revealed through evocative imagery concerning the goodness of humanity how like an angel yet this is subverted by Hamlets melancholy in his role as the avenger. Shakespeare juxtaposes this speech to his most iconic soliloquy to be or not to be in Act 3 Sc 1; the balanced opening thesis demonstrates our fear of the eternal mystery beyond death as opposed to the continuance of the hardships in life. The poetic and transcendent nature of Shakespeares language is demonstrated through his iconic sustained metaphor of death as the undiscovered country . This metaphor gives death a normality yet we are forever cautioned away by its eternal mystery. The soliloquy is highly evocative, subverting deaths connotations by giving it a tantalising quality through its ability to give us sleep, perchance dream. The speech causes audiences to reflect upon death, challenging our perceptions of life, whilst demonstrating Hamlets frustration at his own inaction and weakness that ironically drive the philosophical nature of the play. Shakespeares mediation on mortality continues in Act 5 Sc 1 which employs use of black humour and satire to subvert deaths connotations whilst providing comedic relief through the gravediggers banter. Hamlets monologue with Yorricks skull illuminates the finality and inexorable nature of mortality. The scene moves from satire and comedy to increasing seriousness with dramatic irony at Hamlets lack of knowledge of Ophelias death. The scene is juxtaposed to the entry of the coffin, taking on a deeper poignancy as it illuminates the irony of Hamlets feigned insanity as opposed to Ophelias true madness that resulted in her tragic demise causing audiences to reflect upon the nature of existence and fate. Ultimately Shakespeare affirms the existence of destiny at the end of the play through Hamlets statement there is a divinity that shapes our ends, coming down upon the religious paradigms of his day. Hamlet is a play challenges and questions our conventional paradigms and beliefs through Shakespeares mastery of literary technique, textual integrity and Hamlets contemplations. As a result the play examines universal concerns of humanity ensuring the plays continuing iconic status in society.

Nurse patient relationship and first case of death

Nurse patient relationship and first case of death Introduction The purpose of this essay is to discuss, analyse and reflect upon an acute event which took place when caring for a patient in practice. The writer has chosen to discuss the diagnosis, care and death of an 82 year old gentleman, named James Green (hereafter referred to as James). The writer will discuss the nurse-patient relationship experienced with James, and how his death affected the writer. Due to and to ensure confidentiality, the chosen patients name has been edited, which follows the guidelines of the Department of Health Code of Practice on Confidentiality (2003), NMC Code of Conduct [Confidentiality] (2008) and the Use of Patient Information (DH 2006). The essay will begin with a discussion on reflection including definitions, its purpose, and the advantages and disadvantages of reflection in nursing and education. The essay will then describe the acute care event of his diagnosis and death and reflect upon this. The essay will be structured using Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1988) to enable the writer to consciously analyse what happened and why. In certain areas of this essay, it will be appropriate to write in the first person, when describing the incident and discussing the thoughts and feelings experienced at the time (Webb 1992). It is not usually academically appropriate to use the first person, however, in reflective essays, personal thoughts and emotions are required in some areas and therefore Webb argued that it was certainly more appropriate to refer to oneself as I in those sections. From the section subtitled Evaluation, the writer will revert back to writing in the third person, as this is considered more academically appropriate for analysis and evaluation. Reflection was appropriately described by Boud (2001) as turning experience into learning however, it has been considered an important tool in learning and development for many years. Reflection was first documented in 1933, by the philosopher, John Dewey, in his studies on psychology and the way one thinks and learns. Dewey thought of reflection as a form of problem solving, by relating ones experiences to earlier similar ones to explore any commonalities. Another concept of reflection is that it enables the nurse to solve problems or learn from actions through thinking consciously about an activity which would then enable one to learn from any task undertaken. This was argued by Mantzoukas and Jasper (2004) in their studies on reflection and ward activity. However, in nursing, one of the most significant studies on reflection was carried out by Donald Schà ¶n (1983; 1987) in his works on The Reflective Practitioner. Much of the nursing literature regarding and surrounding reflecti on refers to Schà ¶n, which indicates that his work is widely accepted in nursing and nursing education. It is also from Schà ¶n that the term reflective practice was born. Schà ¶n advised that reflection, is a form of story telling, that leads the nurse into selecting particular actions and details of an activity one would normally or abnormally carry out. This in turn allows the nurse to solve details of their actions and learn exactly what in fact they had carried out. In nursing, reflection is used as an aid in recognition and development of knowledge and skills of chronic and acute illness, accidents and the care and treatment of a patient. Reflection following an experience in practice allows a nurse to revisit, explore and learn from an incident and gives an opportunity to relate the incident to theory. According to Maggs and Biley (2000) there are advantages to learning and evaluating practice through reflection. By allowing one to challenge opinions and theories in relation to an incident and relating these back to practice, the nurse can spend time discovering what happened and why. Reflection can be used to evaluate any clinical incident, positive or negative to attempt to better understand and contemplate the events which have taken place, and the behaviour, emotions and actions of not only the nurse, but the patient and others involved at that time Reflection allows time for one to think deeply about a situation and increase knowledge sur rounding that situation (Hannigan 2001). These advantages were mirrored by Gustaffson and Fagerberg (2004). Reflection in nursing is guided by various models of reflection, such as Gibbs Model of Reflection (1988), Johns model (1994), Kolbs Learning Cycle (1984) and Atkins and Murphys model of reflection (1994). This essay will focus upon and use Gibbs Model as the structure for reflecting upon the acute care event witnessed in practice. Gibbs model is considered a useful framework by students for structuring reflection as it is clearly separated into smaller sections titled, description, thoughts and feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and an action plan, in the style of an ongoing cycle of learning and reflecting. Gibbs unlike most other models of reflection encourages the learner to think through emotions and feelings experienced (Jones and Alinier 2006). However, Rolfe et al (2001), and Jones and Alinier (2006) argued that the six sections in the cycle were unspecific and too general and that it assumes that all learners have the same needs. Despite this, for the purpose of thi s essay, Gibbs model is considered the most appropriate. It would appear from the literature read, that there are many more advantages than disadvantages, for the use of reflection in nursing and nurse education. However a strong example which was found when searching for disadvantages was that some writers believe that not all those using reflection would feel comfortable writing openly and honestly about a situation, if they thought someone were to read it. This may be due to a lack of trust or a fear of humiliation or simply being unable to or not wanting to revisit uncomfortable situations or memories (Boud 2001; Tate and Sills 2004). Sumner (2010) discussed success in reflection in terms of moral maturity and found that nurses with little experience, as well as younger nurses, fail to have the experience and maturity to allow them to be comfortable and successful in reflection. Also, Dewey (1933) wrote that reflection only begins when an individual identifies a problem or a need to learn from an activity. If an individual is not to th ink of a problem or activity then reflection may not take place. The structure of Gibbs reflective cycle will begin here with the first section of the cycle, detailing what happened in the Acute Care Event. For the purpose of structuring this essay, each section will be subtitled in accordance with the headings used in Gibbs Cycle. Description As discussed in the introduction, the writer will here describe the illness and death of a patient being cared for in practice. The acute care event which will be focussed on is his diagnosis and death and the emotions felt by the writer following the loss of this patient. James had presented in AE after a fall at home and apart from a previous medical history of a myocardial infarction in 2007 and tachycardia, James was in good health. This was his first fall, however he had trouble recalling if he had tripped, or alternatively collapsed. Following his fall, it was reported he was having mobility problems and was notably short of breath and therefore he was admitted onto the ward, originally for overnight observation. He was being cared for on the ward with regular observations, medication and was prescribed 2litres of oxygen through a nasal cannula for his shortness of breath and lower oxygen saturation (SpO2). He was scoring 0 on most occasions on his Early Warning Score (Morgan et al 1997), which indicated that he was quite well other than his noted shortness of breath. Within 4 days of being admitted to the ward however, James health had not improved and rather, had begun to deteriorate and he was being monitored regularly. He complained of pain in his lower abdomen and advised he had been suffering from constipation intermittently for several weeks. He was prescribed senna to relieve this, however his symptoms persisted. James was then sent by the medical team for an abdominal CT and X-ray, which diagnosed colorectal cancer, with large malignancies in both his colon and rectum, and metastatic cancer of the liver. Consultants sadly diagnosed this as terminal as all 8 segments of the liver were cancerous and the disease was too severe for him to benefit from active treatment and so they recommended he be managed conservatively, ensuring he was comfortable and pain free. The decision was made by the medical staff following discussion with James that resuscitation would not take place in the event of an arrest as doctors decided this would allow James a dignified and peaceful death, given his diagnosis and illness. This is the decision made in most cases with terminal illness or with the very elderly (Jevon 1999). Despite this, staff predicted he would be discharged as he was still well and self-caring. Over the 2 weeks after his diagnosis, James weight decreased and his BMI dropped from19 to 16. His appetite lessened, and he became frail and unable to walk around the ward. On the fourteenth day following his diagnosis, James passed away around 7pm. I was caring for a patient at the bed next to him, when his family discovered he had passed away, and informed me. I closed the curtains around his bed and then reported his death to the nursing staff and my mentor, leaving James family to spend time with him and grieve. James was pain free at the time of his death and appeared settled and comfortable in the short time before his death that evening. Thoughts and Feelings This was my first experience of death, and James and I, along with other staff, had developed a strong Nurse-Patient relationship and rapport. He was a well liked patient on the ward and his diagnosis and death were sudden and relatively unexpected. The nursing staff allowed me to sit away from the ward as I was noticeably distressed, upset and unable to disguise my emotions. The break enabled me to compose myself away from the ward, James and his family and reflect upon what I had just experienced. I felt extremely sad that James had died and also felt as though I was unaware of how to cope or react having never seen a dead body and not experiencing death before. I found it difficult not to cry, knowing that some may find it inappropriate but informed the nursing staff of the fact that this was the first experience of death in an acute setting and that I felt inexperienced in how to deal with the emotions I was experiencing. Over the course of the evening, when speaking to my colleagues, his family, and when at home after my shift, I experienced phases of sadness, powerlessness as a student nurse and guilt. I felt it was appropriate to discuss my experience with my family in order to share my feelings and receive comfort and support from others. Some writers argue that the feeling of guilt and powerlessness is because many feel that somehow they should have done more to prevent the death occurring, despite death in many cases being unavoidable (Kirchhoff et al 2002). Dakin (2003) discussed that the emotions felt by the nurse are more for the impact the loss has on the family, and will begin when observing the emotions of the family. Gerow et al (2010) argue that the way a nurse copes during and after a first death, and whether they are supported by colleagues during this time, will affect their behaviour and emotions in future deaths. I feel I was well supported by my mentor at the time, in that she allowed me to take some time to compose myself after his death, and gave me the opportunity to decide whether or not I carried out last offices. My personal thoughts are that at the time of the incident, I was experiencing a similar grief to that of the loss of a loved one or friend, as James and I had developed a strong nurse-patient relationship and he was an extremely popular patient with all the nursing staff during his time on the ward, although he was always aware of professional boundaries. I feel that in reflection of this event, I was not prepared for experiencing my first death and was unaware of how to cope during the incident and therefore perhaps, I was fearful and displayed too much emotion. Kà ¼bler-Ross (1969, 1973), discussed grief as a five stage model, containing denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. When comparing the emotions felt during this time, it is quite possible that the feelings only cover the depression and acceptance stage of this five stage model. Her theory of grief was originally designed to incorporate the feelings of terminally ill patients into an understandable and recognisable model or cycle, however, the theory also includes a broader theory that those involved in a dying persons care may experience comparable stages of adjustment. Some have argued that this theory is not relevant to many patient or others experiences surrounding death or illness and that since the publication of her book, there has been no further research or evidence to support the five stage model (Bonanno 2001). Lange et al (2009), compared nurses attitudes and emotions when dealing with death regularly, to various attitude scales, such as The  Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying (FATCOD) Scale (1991), in which it gives a range of potential thoughts and feelings a nurse may encounter and asks the nurse to compare their feelings to these suggestions and gives a total score. Their findings showed that the more experience a nurse had with death and care of the dying, the more positive their feelings and emotions were, and those with little or less experience, showed more negative emotions, such as fear. The study also showed that those with less experience would benefit from education and exposure to ensure they cope effectively with end-of-life care and death, which mirrors other literature on nurses emotions and coping (Lange et al 2009; Hegedus et al 2008; Dunn et al 2005). The writer has read articles on the emotions experienced by students when coping with difficult situations and death which has allowed me to compare the way I felt, to the way other nurses feel in similar situations and literature has confirmed that the emotions felt by myself at the time of the incident are in fact quite common among nurses and in particular nurses with less experience in coping with death (Redinbaugh et al 2003; Lange et al 2009; Dakin 2003). Evaluation Prior to and after James death, following his diagnosis of terminal colorectal cancer, he was well supported by all health professionals involved in his care. He was notably low in mood and quite tearful at times in the 2 weeks before his death. He spoke at length about his feelings and asked a number of questions about his condition and about death. He would often inform the nursing staff of his gratefulness and ability to open up to them about his illness and discuss the shock he was suffering following his diagnosis. He would often advise us that he felt a comfort from knowing someone was there to listen and talk to him. James care was well managed by staff, including the acute care incident of his death where dignity and respect remained a positive element of his care as a whole. As previously documented, he was a popular patient on the ward and all health professionals enjoyed working with him. By deeming James popular, the writer has reflected upon this, and on the nurses attitudes towards other patients on the ward and whether care given to less popular patients was the same. Stockwell (1972) discussed the care given from nursing staff and attitudes, to popular and unpopular patients. This study challenged the opinion that nurses treat all patients the same in a non-judgmental manner and the conclusions found that those patients deemed unpopular were in fact treated less well than those deemed more popular. Reflecting on James and the other patients, this conclusion is fairly true of some, not all, nursing staff on the ward, in that there were similar patients whom were deemed more difficult to care for, and they were often not given as much time or support from staff. This theory has been revisited a number of times with different studies and reviews, man y of which reaching the same conclusions as Stockwell (English and Morse, 1988; Carveth 1995; Conway 2000). There are positive and negative elements to this, in that James was given excellent care and support during his time on the ward, and there is doubt whether the nursing and medical staff could have done more to reassure James or make him comfortable, however, it has made the writer realise that perhaps other patients were not cared for in the same way. At the time of the incident, immediately after being informed of James death; the writer feels as though they coped well, giving the family time and privacy to come to terms with his death, away from nursing staff and other patients. The writer was strong enough to not show any outward emotion at the time, and it was only when informing the other staff, that sadness and distress occurred. The writer feels the way they coped around his family was a positive experience, as they could see sadness from a nursing point of view, but other emotions were appropriately fairly hidden until away from them. Some may argue that perhaps at the time there was too much emotion exposed overall, however, again, these emotions did not show in front of James family (Bolton 2000). However, one cannot say that a tear was not shed when speaking to them, but the writer believes this to be an appropriate way of empathising with the relatives of patients following the death of their loved one, and for that, t he relatives are most grateful (Redinbaugh et al 2003). Dakin (2003), on a study of emotions of nursing students, found that most, if not all, have experienced a sense of loss and grief and have become emotional at the loss of a patient at some point, but mainly in the earlier stages of training and on the first experience of death. Redinbaugh et al (2003) again, discussed the emotions of Doctors and in particular medical students, following the death of a patient. Their findings showed that the more time that is spent with a patient; the more vulnerable the doctor is to feelings of loss when the patient dies. Although this paper refers to Medical staff and students, this is true for all health professionals, and can relate very strongly to nurses. As described above, the nursing staff allowed the writer to take some time away from the ward to stop crying and reflect upon what had and what was being experienced. One of the nursing staff came to discuss the writers feelings following his death and made sure the writer wasnt experiencing too much shock or distress. The support from nursing staff given during that time, was a very positive experience and extremely beneficial to learning. This was the writers first experience of Clinical Supervision, giving the writer time to discuss what had happened and the feelings being experienced (Cutliffe et al 2010). Clinical supervision was described by the NMC (1993) as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦professional support and learning which enables individual practitioners to develop knowledge and competenceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. This best describes the support the writer was given during this time and Bonanno et al (2001) argue that talking, rather than writing, about ones emotions following trauma or loss is highly beneficial to learning. Analysis In this section, the writer will discuss how James was cared for during his time on the ward, and select key themes from the incident which will enable the writer to discuss and analyse certain elements of the incident. The key themes which have been identified from the description and on reflection are the nurse-patient relationship, grief, and coping with the first experience of death. Prior to James death, following his diagnosis of terminal colorectal cancer, he was well supported by all Health professionals involved in his care. As previously documented, he was a popular patient on the ward and had a strong positive professional relationship with all staff involved in his care. The writer feels as though this was a positive element of James care and that effective communication took place between staff and patient in this instance. James appeared happy on the ward and would often praise nursing staff for their ability to talk to him and offer comfort in a distressing time. The nurse-patient relationship was described as a therapeutic relationship between a nurse and a client built on a series of interactions and developing over time in Mosbys Medical Dictionary (2009), which the writer believes to be a positive description and true to that of the relationship with James. The nurse patient-relationship in this instance is a factor of this acute care event that the writer has chosen to reflect upon. The nurse-patient relationship was documented by Peplau (1952) in the Interpersonal Relationship Model, where Peplau wrote of this being an essential element of nursing to enhance a patients well-being. This was an essential part of James care and an element that he himself was grateful for during a difficult and emotional time. Pullen and Mathias (2010) wrote that the key to the patient feeling a sense of peace and well-being was based on effective communication and building a therapeutic relationship. Nicholson et al (2010) also discussed effective communication and relationships as a positive promoter of dignity. Sumner (2010) wrote that effective nurse-patient relationships are only present when the nurse is competent, mature and experienced enough to manage themselves in the interaction. This could be seen as a disadvantage in nursing as a whole as many nurses are young and less socially mature or experienced. Also those fitting this category may believe this to be a false claim of younger nurses which the writer can also relate to. She also wrote that in caring as a nurse, there are two players involved, the patient and the nurse, who both have feelings and needs which need to be addressed in the interaction. With relation to the connection with dying patients, many nurses find it difficult to approach a patient and build a positive nurse-patient relationship due to fear, or the fear of losing that patient. This however can frustrate the nurse as they may feel a duty to connect with that person as well as comforting the patient when they are in distress or are frightened (Moore, 1997). Mok and Chiu (2004) found that the nurse-patient relationship in palliative care often developed into more of a friendship, as a nurse would spend more time with the families and much more time listening to the fears of patients and attending to their needs. The relationship being seen as a friendship was due to the depth of intensity of the relationship. This is due to the patient discussing extremely personal and emotional aspects of their life which would not normally occur, however this is a one-sided intimacy (Spross 1996). This theory was true of the relationship the writer and other health profession als had with James. For this reason, it can be understood why nurses sometimes feel a great sense of loss after the death of a patient they have cared for, as a close relationship may have formed, particularly with long term patients. Another key point recovered from this reflection, is that of the sadness and grief experienced, following the death of this patient. As documented in the section subtitled feelings, the writer feels as though they experienced a sense of loss which can be related to grief which may be similar to that experienced following the death of a friend. This is due to the positive nurse-patient relationship with James and as previously written, the fact that he was a popular and well thought of patient on the ward. Because his death was sudden following the diagnosis of colorectal cancer, the writer believes that none of the health professionals involved were prepared for his rapid deterioration and death. Again, Kà ¼bler-Ross (1969; 1973), describes grief and loss as a 5 stage model, commonly known as the five stages of grief. In it, the stages described are, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, however an individual may not experience these stages in the order Kà ¼bler-Ross described, nor may they experience all of the five stages. When comparing the emotions felt during this time to this model, it is quite possible that the feelings experienced only cover the depression and acceptance stage of this five stage model. However, in Kà ¼bler-Rosss description of these stages, she writes that depression involves a person becoming detached from emotion, non-acceptant of affection or acceptant of efforts to improve emotion. When comparing this description to the emotions felt during this time, it may be possible that one did not experience depression in the form that is described and may only have experienced the acceptance stage of her five stage model. In this stage Kà ƒ ¼bler-Ross describes the acceptance as coming to terms with the loss (Kà ¼bler-Ross 1969). Bonanno (2002, 2004, and 2009) is a popular critic of the work of Kà ¼bler-Ross and other theorists. In his studies, and his book titled The Other Side of Sadness: What the New Science of Bereavement Tells Us About Life After a Loss, Bonanno states that grief does not necessarily occur in stages, as has previously been argued, rather that it contains four common sections (trajectories) which different people facing loss will experience. The four trajectories, as detailed by Bonanno are resilience, recovery, chronic dysfunction and delayed grief. Bonanno has been highly acclaimed by many psychologists and his peers however he is criticised also for his argument that humans can be resilient, or hardy in the face of trauma, which overturns the theories we have become accustomed to such as Kà ¼bler-Ross stages of grief and Freuds theory of repressed memories and coping. Matzo et al (2003) argued that the loss of a patient can affect all involved, including the patient, the family and the nurse themselves and that a nurse will experience a personal feeling of grief and confront it with their own coping skills. In terms of the sadness felt by the writer at the time of the death, as previously discussed, some may argue that from a professional perspective, expressing emotion in such way is not appropriate , however studies carried out have shown expression of emotion to be a healing power and can help with coping with distress in future incidents (Kennedy-Moore and Watson 1999, 2001; Pennebaker, 1997). In relation to this, Consedine et al, (2002), argue that inexpressiveness can be harmful and can cause delayed distress on the body, however some have argued that in terms of coping professionally, not expressing emotion or a lack of association with an emotional event, may be beneficial (Bonnano 2001). In nurse education, the theory surrounding death and dying is taught in terms of definition, assessment and intervention, and all student nurses are aware of these from an early stage; however, little or no teaching is given on death, emotion, grief and the feeling of loss experienced by the nurse (Matzo 2003). This in turn can affect the way a student experiencing a death for the first time can behave and can affect the emotions experienced and displayed, as it did for the writer on the death of James. As discussed earlier Dakin (2003), found that most nursing students when asked to discuss an experience of death, have shared a sense of loss and grief and have become emotional at the loss of a patient at some point which has argued that the sense of emotion felt by the writer is in fact relatively normal, particularly when less experienced with emotion situations. Conclusion Following the incident, when reflecting upon what happened and the feelings of the writer, it could be confirmed by the writer that James was given excellent care and support during his time on the ward and in death, and there is doubt whether the nursing and medical staff could have done more to reassure James or make him comfortable. James was pain free at the time of his death and appeared settled and comfortable. The writer feels this incident, although sad and emotional, to be overall quite positive, in that it has enabled the writer to learn from the emotions experienced and build strengths in dealing with similar situations. This incident and the chance the writer has had to reflect upon what happened at the time, has allowed the writer to discover the thoughts and feelings of the incident and relate them to literature. As this was the writers first experience of death and dying, there is no other previous clinical incident to relate these feelings and behaviour to, although a similar incident which has recently taken place, will be discussed in the next section. From speaking with doctors and nursing staff on the subject of coping with the death of a patient and coping with the sudden diagnosis of terminal illness, the author has learned more about the topic and how to approach it. The writer has also found it positive to learn that the emotions experienced are common, particularly among nurses and that emotion is a natural human response that in some cases cannot be avoided (Dakin 2003; Matzo 2003; Redinbaugh et al 2003). Working with and meeting James was a very heart warming and at the same time educational experience for the writer, in that his death, although emotional, has enabled the writer to learn from what happened and from the emotions experienced and build upon strengths in dealing with similar distressing experiences in their future training and career. The writer feels happy that had the opportunity to work with James, and happy, and thankful that it was him whom the writers first experience of death was with. Action Plan From writing this reflective essay, the writer has learned valuable theory and skills in dealing with death and dying patients and how emotion is quite normal in the experience of death. From reading literature, it has helped me understand more about death, grief and about how nurses cope and develop coping skills when dealing with emotional situations. I felt it necessary to review literature, to compare my feelings and to discover if others experience similar a similar sense of loss. On discovering that the emotions felt following a first death experience are common, it gave the writer assurance and confidence that they would cope better the next time a death occurred in practice. Coincidently, after reading this literature, recently, another elderly patient passed away whilst the writer was in practice. Similarly to James, she was a well liked patient on the ward and her death was relatively unexpected, although she was frail and elderly. From reflecting now upon how the writer coped with James death and how they coped with the death of the second patient, an 90 year old lady, the writer can see a substantial difference in the emotions felt during each incident. This confirms that the writer has gained confidence, knowledge and skills in dealing with death and dying patients. The writer learned how to shed a tear without becoming overly emotional, and how to offer sympathy and support to the family of the deceased without showing too much sadness. The writer believes this is due to not only the literature read for this essay, but also the support received from the nursing staff following James death, and the clinical supervision received on the ward by nursing staff at the time. This mirrors Bonannos (2001) argument that talking about an incident and ones emotions is highly beneficial and potentially more beneficial that writing or reflecting about it. The writer does feel however that student nurses should be given more ed

Personal Writing: After casino :: essays research papers

Personal Writing: After "Casino" I was outside the movie theater waiting for my usually late friend Ryan to meet me there. I noticed two guys and a girl in the parking lot drinking beer. They seemed pretty drunk but I thought nothing of it as they walked into the theater. Finally Ryan arrived and we decided to see "Casino" a story about the mob in Las Vegas. After the movie we walked out and sat on Ryan's car to have a cigarette while we imitated the gangsters from the movie. I noticed one of the guys I had seen before the movie over by my car urinating on the bumper. Being in the mood that I was from the movie I confronted him by saying "hey, you f*#kin' pissin' on my car?" He denied it and pointed out that he had in fact missed the car, which was true. Just then his buddy from inside the car asks me if I have a problem. I say no I don't but I would if there was pee on my car. What? He says. I said it's cool, there's no pee on my car, it's pretty damn disrespectful to be pissin' on someone's car. And with that it was over I walked away with Ryan (who had joined me) back to his car. On the way over to his car I mentioned to him how I wouldn't have had that attitude with they guy if we hadn't seen that type of movie. I guess the fellow in the car still thought I had a problem because he pulled his truck up, got out, and got up in my face. What were you sayin' to your friend just now? You talkin' sh*t? Listen man, I said, it's cool, there's no pee on my car! Well I think you two still gots a problem over here. With that he proceeds to throw one of their empty beer bottles on the ground and then one at my car. We argue some more and then his friend gets up in Ryan's face. Just when I think this guy is calmed down he goes over to my car and pushes a shopping cart into the right rear quarter panel. By this time I had lost it, this guy was going down. I went to my car and started to get my baseball bat out from the back seat. I was ready to smash his brains in, or his car. They took off and headed out of the parking lot. Ryan yelled for me to chase them and I was ready.

My Vision Of Tomorrow Essay -- Personal Narrative Writing

Tomorrow's world will be much different and also, much better in many ways. We will have developed much better technology. We will have made huge medical advancements. The general quality of life will be much better, and living will also have become much easier. Still, nothing can ever be perfect, and in a world of the future, we will experience many complex and unavoidable problems such as depletion of resources, overpopulation, and the threat of nuclear and biological warfare. The solutions to these dilemmas will not be immediately apparent; but, we will have to overcome them. The future could hold great opportunities for many people, but we will need to work at it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the future, technology will have advanced so much and so fast that many new possibilities will arise. Most likely, we will enjoy interplanetary space travel frequently in the future and we may even develop communities on other planets, such as mars, or perhaps on the moon. Numerous scientists and writers have already also predicted this. Life will also be made much, much easier in the future for humans by robots, computers, and other automatons. Many simple tasks done today by humans such as cooking, cleaning, and repairing household items will be done by these machines much more quickly and efficiently and with less pollution. Almost all of the current manual labor jobs, especially in the United States, will become obsolete and robots wil...

Compare and Contrast Women in The Yellow Wallpaper and Story of an Hour :: Yellow Wallpaper Story of an Hour

Compare and Contrast Women Characters in The Yellow Wallpaper and Story of an Hour      Ã‚  Ã‚   Women have traditionally been known as the less dominant sex.   Through history women have fought for equal rights and freedom.   They have been stereotyped as being housewives, and bearers and nurturers of the children.   Only recently with the push of the Equal Rights Amendment have women had a strong hold on the workplace alongside men.   Many interesting characters in literature are conceived from the tension women have faced with men.   This tension is derived from men; society, in general; and within a woman herself.   Two interesting short stories, â€Å"The   Yellow Wall-paper and â€Å"The Story of an Hour, â€Å" focus on a woman’s plight near the turn of the 19th century.   This era is especially interesting because it is a time in modern society when women were still treated as second class citizens.   The two main characters in these stories show similarities, but they are also remarkably different in the ways they deal with their problems and life in general.   These two characters will be examined to note the commonalities and differences.   Although the two characters are similar in some ways, it will be shown that the woman in the â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is a stronger character based on the two important criteria of rationality and freedom.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In â€Å"The Yellow Wall-paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the unnamed female protagonist is going through a rough time in her life.   (For now on, this paper will refer to this unnamed character as the â€Å"the narrator in ‘Wall-paper,’† short for â€Å"The Yellow Wall-paper.   The narrator is confined to room to a room with strange wall-paper.   This odd wall-paper seems to symbolize the complexity and confusion in her life.   In â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin, the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard must also deal with conflict as she must deal with the death of her spouse.   At first there is grief, but then there is the recognition that she will be free.   The institute of marriage ties the two heroines of these two short stories together.   Like typical young women of the late 19th century, they were married, and during the course of their lives, they were expected to stay married.   U nlike today where divorce is commonplace, marriage was a very holy bond and divorce was taboo.   This tight bond of marriage caused tension in these two characters.

High School and Peter Essay

1.In his senior year of high school Peter Martin was sixteen. He was built like a rock, but no one noticed him in his school until the day of the first football game. When he scored three long-running touch downs. At the high school dance Peter was very excited to be going. He had never been to a high school dance before because he didn’t really have any friends. After the game Peter felt good about himself for leading his team to victory, and wasn’t so shy and starting to talk to people that he didn’t know. The high school dance was at a really big house close to the high school. When Peter gets to the high school party he doesn’t know what to really expect. The first thing that happened at the party was that a girl that he didn’t really know came up to him and wanted to dance with him. Peter says yes to the girl, so they go and dance for a very long time. After they were done dancing the girl gives Peter her phone number. Peter and the girl that he meets start dating each other. Peter is a very smart kid and has very good grades. The types of friends that he hangs around are athletic people. On the weekends Peter sleeps in to around 12:30pm to 1:00pm. The way Peter and his family act to one another is that they treat each other with respect. 2.One implied detail about Peter is that he is timid. â€Å"His shyness, his shrewd and dogged ways, his blue eyes gazing from underneath a shock of dark hair†. This quote shows that Peter doesn’t like being around people. The second implied detail about Peter is that he is not easy to hit down. â€Å" 3.(A) The people that are there from Peter’s family are his dad, his mom, Joe, Mickey, Ruth, and Elizabeth. (B) It is cold outside, so everyone has to keep warm. â€Å"All bundled up in warm clothing and flushed from the cold wind.† Peter’s family might not know a lot about football. â€Å"It was the first football game in the Martin’s mother’s experience. 4.(A) One point that the coach give to his team is to don’t give up in this game because it isn’t going to be easy. Another point that the coach states are that he is comparing the sizes between his players and the Lawton Boys. (B) I think that the player â€Å"love† the old man because he is a good coach, but also the get the whole point of the speeches that he gives to them. 5.(A) One of the first things that happen is that the ball is kicked to Peter and Peter loses it in the sky and it drop right in front of him, but somehow he returns it for 30 yards. The second thing that happens in the game is that Peter run wide and gained five yards. (B) One thing that happens in the stands is that Peter’s family is shouting to him saying positive things. The second thing is that Peter’s mother never sees anything that Peter does on the field. (C) At half time the score ended 0-0. 6.At half time the coach states that he wants them to do more passing plays. Another thing that the coach says it that he wants them to do a trick play. The final thing that the coach says at half time is that he wants them to try the forty- seven in their end zone.