Organizational Behaviour Learnings

Organizational Behaviour Learnings: OB course has given me a better understanding of the behavioural processes in an organization and provided me with a guideline for tackling various situations that I am likely to come across and be better equipped to function as a future manager within any stage of my work-life. During my work life at TCS,I have come across various kind of people. Some of them being arrogant,stern,unapproachable vis-a-vis others who were friendly, helpful and always in high spirits. Initial days the question I kept asking to myself was to do all the work assigned to me by myself or should I seek help from my colleagues. It was the initial steps I was taking into an unknown corporate jungle and I was full of doubts. One of the learning’s I had was how to balance work and life. There were periods of long working hours when we will have to work extra hours and come to office during the weekends. Along with this there was continuous phone calls asking for updates and the likes during the few hours I got to spend away from work. As a beginner I was eager to do more work and take on the added responsibility. But as the pressure mounted it was affecting my physical and mental self. OB gives us an insight into such a situation upfront and offers on how to tackle them to have a balanced work-life. One other key things one has to learn is to say NO to things. Even if you are the smartest and most hardworking employee on the planet ,it is impossible to do everything by yourself. We must learn to turn down the tasks which we logically could conclude that we wont be able to finish within the timeline and also learn to delegate and share work. Pursuit of career growth is only one facet of life and we must learn to juggle between the various other roles of life also. As I took up the role of leading a team of 20 people, the various uncertainties such as whom to assign what work, how to manage deadlines coming from superiors, learning the art of allocating time between meetings and dealing with various team dynamics as a manager came to life. Task allocation had to be done judiciously, prioritizing the work at hand and assigning it to the right people. I soon had 3-4 team members who were very enthusiastic and ready to take upon more challenging tasks and on the other hand a few who were very laid back and didn’t take work seriously. The trick was in assigning the high priority challenging tasks to the first kind and the mundane tasks to the other. Alongside this I used to talk to all my team members if they were dissatisfied with what they did and how I could make work-life better for them. As we fill into the shoes of a manager, we move from an individual perspective to managing a team wherein each of the team member has to be understood and also the team dynamics. OB learning comes in handy as it teaches us about how the team dynamics differs from an individualistic point of view. I handled multiple tasks within the project and hence had to work under different people, each having his/her own take on their subordinates and they treated them differently. We should understand the nature of the people we work under and modify the way we present ourselves to them as each one’s expectations will be different. This is where Interpersonal communication and relations that we learn in OB helps us to evolve with our Boss. OB also teaches us about how to handle emotions and personality in a work environment. There were many situations where I got frustrated with my Boss or with my team mates. This naturally happens as we are working on stringent timelines and clash of ideas are likely to happen. Maintaining composure and dealing with such emotionally challenging situations can define your personality among your colleagues. Another vital factor is the motivation we expect from the work – life. Personally I always was focussed on climbing up the corporate ladder and looked forward to new challenges. During initial phases I was subjected to monotonous, time consuming work. I was going off-course and there wasn’t any motivation in me to work. My manager noticed this and after a brief talk, she understood the negative effect it was having on me and further gave me different role and responsibility which instilled new life in me to work and bought back the urge in me to perform. Understanding what you want, your hygiene and motivating factor early will enable you to enjoy your work and hence have a positive effect overall. Also the lure of an onsite was an added motivation that many employees shared in hope of earning big bucks and spending time overseas. Organizational politics is an unavoidable part for any employee . Its a social work group where biases, favouritism’s and down-play rules. I also got entangled and initially caught unaware on which side to take. There are multiple teams in parallel and taking side with one senior or group will irk the other. Here is where tactfulness and being smart counts and here we must also learn to utilise the art of persuasion. A persuader must match his emotional fervour to the audience’s ability to receive the message and use the smarter way of negotiation. Many a times during my work life I had to convince the team members about the importance of work they are doing and the impact it carries within the project. Also as a team lead I had to persuade and convince the project manager of the additional resources I needed or for extending the timelines. Another aspect that forms the crux of OB is the way of communicating yourself and making yourself being heard. In a MNC with the large work group and complex hierarchies, one must really put in the extra effort to be heard amongst the crowd. For me, I learnt the secret lies in persistence and not giving up when you are ignored. If you give up no one is going to care about what you told and its brushed aside. On the other hand if you can reason yourself and understand whom to communicate it to within the hierarchy it makes all the difference. Working as a part of an Agile team we used to have daily stand-up meetings with the onsite where each days performance was analysed and commented upon. A manager has to be prompt in explaining his team’s daily activities and resolve any conflict that occurs due to clash of ideas. A team goal is defined at the start and objectives are laid which are pursued by the team. Whilst the manager has to deal with the complexities occurring in the work place, a leader is one who has to deal with the change. We had a leader who kept a watch on the proceedings and kept looking for other alternatives, technology advancements, client requirement changes etc and incorporated some breakthrough changes which redefined the goals and objectives that was set in initial stages. The drawbacks I found in OB learning was the extend up to which these theoretical learning’s could be taken over and practically applied to the ever changing and fast paced workspace. The theories and case studies are rational and very relevant to the current organizational scenario. But the effectiveness it can deliver as a pure theory subject is what raises my concern. Unless we learn these behavioural norms in an active way like learn it while experiencing it ,these theories will remain just as a dormant learning within us. The effectiveness could be brought in by giving more role plays and real life case studies which can be solved by us by creating a virtual organizational simulation inside the four walls of a classroom.

Olympics Document Based Question Essay

DBQ Essay (Modern Day Olympics 1896 – 2002) War, Nationalism, and money paid by various corporations/countries all shaped the modern day Olympics. War played a major role in shaping the modern day Olympic Games. In document one, Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic movement, states that the Olympics would serve as a reduction of war because of the worldwide competition between various countries. Coubertin wrote this document to attempt to convince the Athletic Society of France to revive the Olympic Games. In document 3, the autobiography of Arnold Lunn talks about how the Nazis used certain competition to prove to the world that a dictatorship (or Nazism) is better than democracy. The only thing that mattered to the Nazi’s was to win. The Nazi’s had pictured the Olympics as a war where it was the Nazi’s against the world. Document 5 reveals that if Japan wouldn’t have hosted the Olympic Games after the Second World War, they would’ve never gotten what they needed to rise as a world trade power. Ryotaro Azuma wrote this document to recognize the fact that the Olympics had evo lved into an event that would ultimately save a country. Nationalism also played a major role in shaping the modern day Olympic Games. Document 2 recognizes the fact that men were too proud to let women represent their country in the Olympics. Document 4 represents nationalism because it shows how proud America would be if they beat the Soviets in any sort of competition during the Olympics. Bob Matthias wrote this document to show us the determination and pride the U.S had to defeat the soviets, and how the Olympics evolved into a competition between just the U.S and the Soviets.

John Quincy Adams: Domestic and Foreign Policy Essay

Adams believed strongly that it was constitutional and appropriate for the federal government to sponsor broad programs to improve American society and prosperity. He backed Henry Clay’s proposed â€Å"American System,† envisioning a national marketplace in which North and South, town and country, were tied together by trade and exchange. To realize this vision, Adams proposed to Congress an ambitious program involving the construction of roads, canals, educational institutions, and other initiatives. Lacking congressional allies, however, Adams was unable to maneuver most of these programs into law. Congress also blocked many of his foreign initiatives. His support of the so-called Tariff of Abominations of 1828, which protected American interests but caused higher prices, cost him popularity among the voters. John Quincy Adams’s administration achieved a mixed record in foreign affairs during his presidency. On the one hand, it substantially opened up trade through commercial treaties with a variety of nations, including Austria, Brazil, the Central American federation, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, which granted the United States reciprocal trading rights. Adams arranged to extend indefinitely a commercial convention with Britain and resolved outstanding questions regarding British seizure of property during the War of 1812. On the other hand, President Adams was prevented from resolving the ongoing issue of trade with the British West Indies, and rivals in Congress were determined to deny him any mark of success and thwarted his other efforts. For example, when the new Latin American republics, which had formerly been Spanish colonies, convened a congress in Panama to promote cooperation in the Western Hemisphere, they logically asked for delegates to attend from the American President who had authored the Monroe Doctrine. When Adams requested funding to send two delegates, southern congressmen strongly objected. The new Latin American nations had outlawed slavery, and southerners feared that the conference might call for a united stand in favor of emancipation everywhere in the hemisphere. Others did not like the idea of American ministers’ meeting with black and mixed-race foreigners on equal terms. Jacksonian supporters in Congress eagerly joined with southerners to withhold funding for the delegation until the convention had ended. Also, Adams had resolved many foreign affairs issues that might have engaged him as President when he served as Monroe’s secretary of state. He had already secured the disarmament of the Great Lakes, fishing rights off of Canada, a U.S.-Canadian boundary, the accession of Florida, and a U.S.-Spanish border west of the Mississippi River giving America strong claim to the Pacific Coast in the Northwest. These were all issues that previously had brought the nation into open conflict with Britain. The resolution of these concerns, which had dominated American foreign policy for so many years, meant fewer projects for the State Department to tackle during the Adams administration.

Procedures in Collecting Forensic Evidence Essay

Procedures in Collecting Forensic Evidence - Essay Example The auditor would first check the design of the system and if he is satisfied with the design then he goes on checking the operation of the internal control system. The auditor must make inquiry of the management of the reasons for which the pervious auditor withdraws from the assignment. Management should be inquired as to the facts of not allowing the current auditor contacting the previous auditor. There are certain chances of irregularity in the financial statement or the withdrawal of the auditor may also indicate fraud. The auditor use both statistical techniques and non-statistical technique to select sample from any given population. When using the non-statistical sampling auditor uses his professional judgment to select the sample. The purpose of this type of sampling is to achieve satisfactory basis for the auditor to draw conclusion about the population. It is essential for the auditor to select a sample that represents population to avoid bias. The most common methods of sample selection are described below; In this type of sampling population is divided by a sample size to obtain s sampling interval. For example the auditor may select every 25th item from the population. The auditor should be careful if the population units are not structured in that way that the sample population represents a particular pattern (Pickett, 2006). This is the sampling technique in which the auditor selects a sample without following any structured techniques. With the use of this sampling the auditor avoid any biased selection, but it has no basis to justify the reason for which any particular item was selected. This sampling method is not appropriate when statistical sampling is used. In this method the auditor selects samples of contiguous items from the population. This type of sampling is not normally used in audit because the population is structured. It is only effective in

How effective is terrorism legislation with regards to restraining Dissertation

How effective is terrorism legislation with regards to restraining terrorists - Dissertation Example Qualitative researchers: reject the idea that social sciences (such as education and training) can be studied with the same methods as the natural or physical sciences; feel that human behavior is always bound to the context in which it occurs; therefore, behavior must be studied holistically, in context, rather than being manipulated; employ an "insider's" perspective; this makes qualitative research an intensely personal and subjective style of research. Quantitative researcher: argues that both the natural and social sciences strive for testable and confirmable theories that explain phenomena by showing how they are derived from theoretical assumptions; reduces social reality to variables in the same manner as physical reality; attempt to tightly control the variable in question to see how other variables are influenced. (San Diego State University, 2006) As can be seen from the above descriptions, the sheer complexity of the situation regarding terrorism is most suited to one that sees "context" as everything, rejecting the idea that human relations can be simplified to a model as exists within the physical sciences. The "insider's" perspective is exactly the type that will allow for the most useful information to be gleaned. Viewing the situation of terrorism from an objective distance. will tend towards either of two equally undesirable ends: a conclusion of incomprehensibility or one that falls back on old stereotypes and clichs. Adopting the qualitative approach may not offer as easy cause and effect solutions to the question, but it will allow a far better exploration of what is actually occurring. The Definition of "Terrorism" and "Terrorist" The origins of the word "terrorist" are rather ironic. It seem as... This dissertation reveals that the simple, stark question remains as to whether a legislation could have stopped these young men planning and then implementing their bombings. Could any legislation have stopped them walking into that Underground station that morning? The answer is no. Many of the arguments that revolve around the issue of terrorism avoid the dilemma that is at the center of any free society’s reaction to those who want to destroy it. Namely, how far should a society go in giving up freedoms in order to protect them? Totalitarian countries tend to be remarkably free of terrorism because a police state does not allow such groups to even begin to form. If the choice is between living in a police state free of terrorism and living in a free society in which terrorism may occur, the vast majority of the British people (as in all free countries) will choose the latter. In conclusion, a free society and a democracy allow people to do and say almost anything as long as it does not directly harm anybody else. People have the privacy of their own homes to discuss what they will: if terrorism and its glories are one of those subjects there is nothing a free society can do about it. British people may move from house to house, street to street, city to city and even (within Europe) from country to country, without government intervention. One of the weaknesses that go along with the great strength of such a free society is that a terrorist may do the same thing.

Experimental plan for lab Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Experimental plan for lab - Essay Example Besides, identification of trace elements and clues in crime scene is a major challenge in the forensic science. Therefore, some of the commonest methods are less accurate and time consuming with low levels of reliability making it difficult to identify the specific culprits especially nowadays that criminals are very knowledgeable. However, according to Hartzell (689) invention of chemical processes like GCMS, which uses trace materials from the crime scene is revolutionising the path taken by forensic scientist and criminal investigators because of its reliability, accuracy and the ability to identify signature molecules even at trace and minute levels. Volunteers will provide the samples by rubbing their fingers across the forehead before using the clean beads from the vials in rubbing between their fingerprints for 15 seconds and then immediately placing the beads in the vial Hartzell-Baguley, Brittany, Rachael E .Hipp, Neal R. Morgan, and Stephen L. Morgan. "Chemical Composition of Latent Fingerprints by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry an Experiment for an Instrumental Analysis Course,." Journal of Chemical Education 48.4 (2007): 689-91.

International Business (Domino's Pizza) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International Business (Domino's Pizza) - Essay Example The paper will discuss the methods of international expansion the company used to date and its appropriate development methods, Domino's Pizza methods using in different markets, as well as the possible combination of international expansion methods. The paper will also critically appraise the current strategy and give appropriate recommendations for further development. 2. The most appropriate Domino's Pizza development method, as well as the best method of international expansion is licensing and franchising: "We have developed a large, global, diversified and committed franchise network that is a critical component of our system-wide success and our leading position in pizza delivery. As of March 21, 2004, our franchise store network consisted of 6,878 stores, 63% of which were located in the contiguous United States" (7). These system has doubtless advantages namely for such global international company as Domino's Pizza. The franchise system allows minimizing such negative barriers of international expansion as language barrier, local governmental measures and the registration of trademark. The system also provides the adaptation of Domino’s Pizza rights and regulations to the cultural differentiations of various countries: â€Å"We also adapt our system to the local market to accommodate cultural differences in delivery vehicles, store design, signage, etc. Pizza toppings are the most common cultural adaptation. We have pickled ginger in India, squid in Japan and green peas in Brazil† (3). Domino’s Pizza quick service restaurants in different countries are not a wholly subsidiary of Domino Pizza Company (like McDonald’s in the UK). 's in the UK). They are based on Franchising Agreement with Domino's Pizza International, Inc. A franchisee must have appropriate local market, business strategies and experience knowledge: "Internationally, we have also been able to grow our franchise network by attracting franchisees with business experience and local market knowledge. We generally use our master franchise model, which provides our international franchisees with exclusive rights to operate stores or sub-franchise our well-recognized brand name in their markets" (7). Through well developed franchising system Domino's Pizza Company gains constant royalty payments which allow the company to develop an d expand to international markets: "A substantial percentage of our earnings is generated by our committed, owner-operator franchisees through royalty payments and revenues to our vertically-integrated distribution system. Royalty payments yield strong profitability to us because there are minimal corresponding company-level expenses and no capital requirements associated with their collection" (3). The growth and revenue of Domino's Pizza is mainly provided by its franchising system development and royalty payments from numerous stores throughout the world. The company has chosen the most appropriate method of international expansion. Domino's Pizza makes franchising agreements with appropriate firms working in relevant market segments and having local market features knowledge.

None Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 16

None - Essay Example It therefore draws interests from individuals both locally and globally and in fact it has been predicted that the election will be hotly contested. The Presidential election in the United States will feature the current president Barrack Obama who will be vying on the Democratic Party ticket against a Republican candidate who is yet to be elected (Gaylican 2). Both parties have already begun their campaigns with the Republican comprising of contenders such as Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum. The analysis of international events is done based on various levels such as individual, interstate, domestic and global. In this case, the presidential candidates are affected as individuals since their election will be based on what they have been able to do in the past and what they are capable of doing if elected. Barrack Obama for instance being the current president, his election will be based on his performance during the first term of four years. Duri ng his first tenure in office, he has managed to score on various achievements such as the overhaul in healthcare, the 2009 stimulus package and the bills of reform in the financial sector. Despite all these achievements, he still faces the challenge of high federal debt and unemployment which leaves many with doubts about their future. Mitt Romney on the other hand faces the challenges of convincing the voters on extend of his capability to successfully articulate traditional values. The United States is a country with people from other nations. The interstate relations therefore take a centre stage when it comes to the presidential elections. Other nations want to be assured of stability of their economies, businesses and harmonious relations. The candidate who proves to respect the interstate relations will therefore have higher chances of being elected. The majority of citizens in the United States recognize the fact that Obama took

Expand business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Expand business - Essay Example In other words, it is a process of undertaking two or more unrelated product lines for the purpose of diversification. The rationales behind adoption of this concept are: cost advantage by diversifying production activities, maximum utilization of resources and mitigation of risk associated with operations in single market (Wiersema & Bowen, 2008). The only relevance that can be developed among the products is that all four products of the company cover low, mid and high level markets. The luggage line covers the lower section of the market; the writing instruments cover mid-level consumers, while the LED TVs are sold at higher end of the market. Lastly, miscellaneous plastic and paper tags are useful across all kind of markets. In conglomerate diversification, it is difficult to relate diversified products of the same company as a part of same base. However, the brand equity of each product indirectly adds to overall brand equity of the company. Conglomerate diversification is a major growth strategy that brings forward different hidden opportunities that a company can pursue, when market for one of its line of business is saturated. It is important to realize that with product line diversification, a company can achieve greater market share and growth rate within comparatively small period of time. In addition, this is one of the most suited strategies for internationalization. In international venture, most companies pursue two kinds of strategies: horizontal or related integration and conglomerate or unrelated integration. The main advantages of related integration is that the company can continue growing in the same sector by producing or introducing similar or related product under the same branch. The following section focuses on product elimination, when a company switches from unrelated to related diversification strategy (Wan &

Occupational Therapy for Dementia Patients Assignment

Occupational Therapy for Dementia Patients - Assignment Example A patient may display abrupt mood swings, become aggressive and angry due to chemical changes in the brain. The patient may develop fear and frustration as he feels that he is gradually losing knowledge and understanding of his surroundings (Scout News, 2006). A person with AD may live anywhere from three to twenty years after diagnosis. On the final phase of AD, a patient becomes increasingly immobile and dysfunctional, totally incontinent that he cannot control his urine or bowel movement; may become bedridden that bed sores and suffers from muscle pain; may lose the ability to swallow and may not be able to eat or drink properly. At the stage of end of life care, the patient may require feeding tubes, respirator, antibiotics and hospitalization. Occupational therapy is recommended by physicians to help the patient improve the ability to perform daily activities and reduce the pressure on their caregivers (Griffith, 2007). Occupational therapy can improve the daily performance, communication, sense of competence and quality of life of an AD patient. The therapist applies a combination of education, setting feasible goals, using adaptations in physical environment, training compensatory skills, training supervision skills, and changing dysfunctional cognitions on patient behavior. The occupational therapist can help the patient's caregiver to understand the impact of AD ona person's day-to-day function (Scout News, 2006). ... the occupational therapist based on Canada's Occupational Therapy Resource Site (2009): 1) minimize distractions in the environment by reducing excess noise at mealtime and decrease confusion by eating regularly, maintaining same table setting, use plain dishes and minimal cutlery; 2) provide opportunities for independence and personal control by dressing, lay out the clothes in the order that they will be put on by the patient and allow the patient with AD to do as much as he can for himself together with verbal cues and encouragement. When eating, use tableware with enlarged handles, plates with rims, and non-slip placemat to help the patient maintain coordination and be independent; 3) ensure consistency in routines by preparing a schedule of regular daily activities for personal care, medication, meals, leisure, walking, and retiring to bed; 4) maintain a safe and secure environment for the patient by providing grab-bars, non-slip bathmat, bathbench and hand-held shower with ther mostatic shower control in the bathroom; 5) manage stress by developing coping skills, providing support, and counseling; 6) learning about the disease, its effects, and future care. II. Diagnostic procedures and Prognosis of OT Intervention Physicians usually do not tell the patient that he has AD. Only in the case than the patient expresses the need to know the truth that the doctor discloses his condition. The doctor will prescribe drugs to slowdown progression of AD. Drug trials are performed in early stages of AD. Most of the doctors dealing with AD will recommend Occupational Therapy to help the patient improve his capability to perform daily activities and speech therapy to maintain verbal skills of patients with mild symptoms of AD. Another type of therapy developed is

Discussions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

Discussions - Essay Example This is because the power of choices is in their versatility, and it enables the investor to adjust their position as per the prevailing situation or circumstances. However, this versatility has its cost and, therefore, the investors should assess this extra cost based on their knowledge and skills. Options also involve a risk which is not suitable for all investors. One should, therefore, be in a position to evaluate the risk associated and develop measures for managing such risks. Being ignorant of such risks will place the investor in a weak position. Stock options are the agreement between two parties to sell or buy an asset. It is the contract that gives one party the right. It does not give the responsibility to buy or sell an asset in the future at a pre-set price known as the strike price or exercise price (Fabozzi, 2008). There are two types of options; call option and put option. Call option is the financial contract that gives the buyer the right but, not the obligation to acquire a given number of assets in the future at a predetermined price. On the other hand, put option gives the right but not obligation to sell a specific number of underlying securities at some future date (Fabozzi, 2008). It is essential to review the proforma quantification in the footnotes periodically in order to access more information concerning the options. Even though the expense is expected not to persist, it changes as the situation changes and as investors, one should continually assess the information to be able to adjust the value or the cost of the option. Consumer spending theory states that, people spend their money at a level that is consistent with their expected average income. The steady average income which is long term is referred to as permanent income. Any individual will only save if his or her current income is higher than the expected permanent income (Thaller, 1981). This implies that people will only

The Individual And The Environment Essay Example for Free

The Individual And The Environment Essay The turn between the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries brought enormous changes for the American society, and these changes are cogently reflected in the works of the most important writers of the time. In the light of Frederick Jackson Turner’s theory of the significance of the frontier in the American history, one could argue that the multiple changes that took place at this time were determined, in part, by the closing of the frontier in 1890. The ever expanding frontier had functioned as a catalyzing element for the shaping of the American culture, with its main characteristics, pragmatism and individualism. The frontier, as the limit between wilderness and civilization, may have indeed contributed to the development of pragmatism, just as the closing of the frontier affected the following cultural epoch. After the Civil War and up to the World War I, the American economy developed immensely, to the point that The United States was among the greatest world powers at the beginning of the twentieth century. This was due especially to the ever increasing industrialization of the country, to its capitalism, but also to the great number of immigrants that arrived during this period. While economically the changes were indeed positive and influenced the future of the nation, their social impact was more dramatic. As the main literary works of the time show it, the individual suffered inevitably from alienation, and was overwhelmed and oppressed by the major social and economical fluctuations of the time. Civilization however desired begun to feel as a threat for the individual who lost his sense of identity and felt as a wheel in some greater mechanism. The literary works of the time revealed the pressure that the environment now exercised over the individual. This pressure was even heavier for women, who began to feel that they were not even part of the tumultuous activity of the epoch, since they could not even play an active part in the changes they witnessed. One of the most important writers of the time were thus the early feminists, such as Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Kate Chopin, and a little later, Edith Wharton. Their novels put the American discriminating society on display, and point to the gender stereotypes that trapped the women into immutable and pre-established social roles. Gilman (2000) discusses the place of the women in society in her work, Women and Economics: â€Å"In spite of the power of the individual will to struggle against conditions, to resist them for a while, and sometimes to overcome them, it remains true that the human creature is affected by his environment, as is every other living thing.[†¦] To take from any community its male workers would paralyze it economically to a far greater degree than to remove its female workers[†¦] This is not owing to lack of the essential human faculties necessary to such achievements, nor to any inherent disability of sex, but to the present condition of woman, forbidding the development of this degree of economic ability. The male human being is thousands of years in advance of the female in economic status. Speaking collectively, men produce and distribute wealth; and women receive it at their hands.† As Gilman suggests, the woman was in no way able to participate in society, and was taken to be a mere recipient of what the man would provide her with. She also infers that this role is not necessarily the natural role of the woman, but actually the one that was forced on her after many centuries of gender discrimination. The women appear to be even more trapped in their environment at this point in American history. Another salient writer of the time, Henry Adams in his book entitled The Education of Henry Adams constructs a very telling image of the American individual crushed by civilization and by his social circumstances: he represents the dynamo as a great force and a symbol that replaced in the American culture the missing pieces of tradition which were respected by the Europeans, such as Venus or the Virgin. The image has feminist implications as well, as Adams (2001) compares the sexless energy of the dynamo with both the Virgin and Venus, symbols of the woman in European tradition: â€Å"All this was to American thought as though it had never existed. The true American knew something of the facts, but nothing of the feelings; he read the letter, but he never felt the law. Before this historical chasm, a mind like that of Adams felt itself helpless; he turned from the Virgin to the Dynamo as though he were a Branly coherer.† Stephen Crane also creates a memorable image of the cruel universe, which seems to care nothing for the individual existence, and which binds everything to its general laws, not minding the separate lives of the people but only the system: â€Å"A man said to the universe: Sir I exist! However, replied the universe, The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation. (Perkins, 1999) Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is perhaps one of the most remarkable works of her time for its audacity, and it accurately gives a view of the individual in general oppressed by the social, inescapable nets and alienated from his primitive, natural state, and even more emphatically, reveals the condition of the woman, which is even worse. The imagery of the novel is fraught with opposite symbols of freedom versus entrapment, and of the human and natural individual, versus the unnatural and artificial society. Edna Pontellier, the protagonist of the story, is the character who undergoes a true awakening by the end of the novel, both as a woman and as an individual who finally escapes the laws of society and returns to the purity of the natural impulses and natural feelings in a human being. As a married woman and mother of two children, Edna is supposed to fill in the role of the perfect mother as society required, which is personified in the novel by Edna’ s friend, Mrs. Adele Ratignolle. The frequent fights that Edna has with her seemingly perfect husband depict even better her pre-established role as a self-sacrificing mother, who is supposed to think of nothing else but childbirth and all the other things related to nursing. From the start, even before her awakening Edna feels the oppression of her environment, although as yet she is not able to pinpoint it to a specific cause: â€Å"An indescribable oppression, which seemed to generate in some unfamiliar part of her consciousness, filled her whole being with a vague anguish.†(Perkins, 1999) This unconscious feeling is not fully understood even by Edna herself, since the women were not used to thinking and feeling as individuals, and to dissent in any way from what was already prescribed as their imposed conduct. Chopin’s insistence that Edna did not fit in her society and that she did not fit the mother profile is very significant, as it points to the sense that women have to be regarded as individuals who are entitled to their own inner lives, and not limited to their nursing activities, that would eventually â€Å"efface† any trace of their personality: â€Å"In short, Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman. The mother women seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle. It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood. They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels.†(Perkins, 1999) The awakening of Edna is exactly her realization that she is a passionate human being, and moreover an individual who can relate to her environment as she chooses, and not on the basis of some foreordained laws of behavior: â€Å"Mrs. Pontellier was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her. This may seem like a ponderous weight of wisdom to descend upon the soul of a young woman of twenty-eightperhaps more wisdom than the Holy Ghost is usually pleased to vouchsafe to any woman.†(Perkins, 1999) Chopin is sharply ironical in the commentary she makes with regard to the unexpected wisdom in her character: for centuries women had been discriminated as individuals and as rational beings who could judge for themselves. The main transformation of Edna consists thus of her flaunting of all the social law, and willingly giving in to adultery to escape from the tyranny of her own husband: â€Å"To-day it is Arobin; to-morrow it will be some one else. It makes no difference to me, it doesnt matter about Leonce Pontellierbut Raoul and Etienne! (Perkins, 1999) However, in the end, before she drowns in the sea, undoubtedly a symbol of liberation, Edna achieves more than asserting her own rights and independence as a female. When she faces the sea, that is her freedom, she turns her back to the entrapping civilization and artificial society and is elated when she discovers her own nakedness, a symbol of the primitive and natural state of man: â€Å"[†¦]she stood naked in the open air, at the mercy of the sun, the breeze that beat upon her, and the waves that invited her. How strange and awful it seemed to stand naked under the sky! how delicious! She felt like some new-born creature, opening its eyes in a familiar world that it had never known.†(Perkins, 1999) Thus, at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, American literature displayed the rupture between the individual and his environment, and the alienation of the human beings in the midst of the overpowering civilization. This marked the beginning of the modern, urbane era, in which the developed society is apt to destroy individuality and the basic and natural humanity of every man. Reference List: Adams, Henry (2001) The Education of Henry Adams. Bartelby.com. http://www.bartleby.com/159/25.html Gilman, Charlotte Perkins (2000) Women and Economics. The Celebration of Women’s Writing. http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/gilman/economics/economics.html Perkins Charles and Barbara Perkins (1999). The American Tradition in Literature Vol. 1. New York: Mc-Graw Hill College

Importance of Social Work

Importance of Social Work Social work involves working with some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people in society. It is working with individuals, groups and communities, putting into practice Social Work Values that aid people to overcome possible oppression they face. The actions of Social Workers are to promote social change, help solve problems and empower and liberate people to help enhance their well being. (British Association of Social Workers, 2002) It needs to be understood that Social Workers must be vigilant against the possibility of exploitation or oppression of Service users through unethical Practices. (Thompson, 2005: Pg 108) All Professional occupations are guided by ethical codes and underpinned by Values (Bishman, 2004) and from the very beginning of Social Work, the profession has been seen as firmly rooted in values (Reamer, 2001) (Cited by Bishman, 2004) Every person has a set of beliefs which influence actions, values relate to what we think others should do and what we ought to do, they are personal to us. (Parrot, 2010:13) Although society may been seen as having shared values we are all brought up with different personal values bases, this is an important point to consider when working with others, because our values can influence the way we behave. It would therefore be seen as foolish to underestimate the significance of values within the Social Work Profession. (Thompson, 2005: 109) Our Personal Values can change over time, and our behaviour can alter as a result of the situation we are in. From a young age one of the most important values instilled in me by my parents was to have respect for others, this should be carried throughout life as we should treat others the way in which we would expect to be treated. The importance of having a value base for Social Work is to guide Social Workers and protect the interest of Services Users. (Parrot, 2010:17) As a practising Social Worker it is important to recognise personal values and to be able to understand, situations will present themselves were personal and professional values can conflict. It was only when we had the speakers in that I began to question my own values. NISCC outlines a code of Practice for Social Workers to adhere to, from listening to the speakers in class one issue that was highlighted was that of partnership. Partnership is now a very evident part of everyday language of people involved in the process of providing care. (Tait and Genders 2002) However it is not always put into practice. Mr Y referred to being kept in the dark about his illness, he was eventually given a diagnosis, but it was never explained to him what the meaning of this diagnosis was or how it would affect his life. Social Workers have to exercise professional discretion, due to the nature of their work; judgements have to be made which involve values and consequences that make the worker accountable for their actions. (Thompson 2009) Partnership working is very important for people with a disability, I was able to recognise a conflict with my personal values when one of the Mr X spoke about a visit to the GP, where the GP was asking the carer how the Service User was feeling rather that asking them, from listening to this I was able to recognise that this is something that I have done in the past and possible infantilises the individual with comments such as referring to them as we dote or wee pet and I never thought that there was anything wrong with using these statements, however from the experience gained I can recognise that my personal values and the professional values are in conflict at this point. It is a way of oppressing this individual, and failure to promote their rights as an person. When viewing this in conjunction with the NISCC Code Of Practice, it was clear that there was a conflicting of values. NISCC states that as a Social Care worker we must protect the rights and promote the interests of service users and carers as the Disabled Movement states Nothing about us, without us. We need to consider the Service User perspective, one of the speakers stated effective partnership working should include the professionals and the Service user. Partnership is a key value in the professional value base underpinning Community Care. Braye and Preston-Shoot 200343) Partnership should be promoted in several ways such as keeping an open dialogue between professionals and Service Users, setting aims, being honest about the differences of opinion and how the power differences can affect them and providing the Service User with information that helps to promote their understanding. (Braye and Preston-Shoot 2003) In the case if the speaker who was not given a diagnosis for a long time and was just put out of the consultants office this key areas did not apply. Another issue that was striking was that of independence, initially my personal view was not of someone with a disability being independent, my personal experience in the past had led me to believe that people with a disability required a lot of help and were dependant on a carer to provide that help, I didnt view them as being in employment. Some of these values were quite dormant until I began working in the Social Care Field. The Speakers that we had in from Willow bank explained that they all have jobs and aim to be as independent as possible. This highlighted the conflict between my personal and professional values which I need to be aware of. The NISCC code of practice states a Social Worker should promote the independence of Service Users, this is one conflict that I can acknowledge with my personal values, I need to look at the bigger picture an view the service users as individual people with unique traits and interests it is important that they are not labelled due to their disability, It is viewed that it is society which disables physically impaired people, disability is something imposed on top of impairments by the way we are unnecessarily isolated and excluded from full participation in society. (Oliver 1996) My Personal view was that I believe that we should aim to do things for people with disabilities, I have often found myself carrying out tasks for them that I know they are able to perform themselves, when the speaker from sixth sense spoke about how she had been spoon fed and pushed around the playground as a child had gave her a sense of learned helplessness, it made me acknowledge my own actions. Again this is another area where my personal values conflict with the professional values. Respect for persons in an extremely important values, although I believe I was brought up to show respect for others by creating dependency in a way is disrespectful to the individual. The promotion of independence is important, it is crucial to see those with a disability as individual people. The NISCC code of practice highlights As a social care worker, you must respect the rights of service users while seeking to ensure that their behaviour does not harm themselves or other people. Keeping in line with the NISCC Code of Practice I need to actively challenge my own prejudices in order to ensure that I am promoting anti-oppressive practice. Being able to understand the value conflicts in practice can prove to be very beneficial. It can help us acknowledge the differences in the power structure, which can oppress the service user. Social Workers aim to empower the Service User, to help them help themselves. It is important that Professional values are always at the forefront to promote anti-oppressive practice. Social Work Practice is underpinned by laws, policies and procedures. It is important to always be aware of the Service Users perspectives, this will help ensure more effective and efficient practice. Both our personal and professional values need to be acknowledged for effective and efficient practice. It is of little use if Social Workers have a professional value base which doesnt inform or influence their practice, Social Work ethics can be understood as Values put into actions. (Banks, 2006)

Citizenship And Immigration Backbone Of Exclusion Politics Essay

Citizenship And Immigration Backbone Of Exclusion Politics Essay The concepts of citizen and immigrant have been discussed by many scholars for many reasons. These reasons can be the need of demonstrating the conflicts and the problems between citizens and immigrants, the immigrants illegal status that have generally unbearable life and working conditions, otherness of immigrants and thus their exclusion from mainstream of the society. Calavita is one of the scholars indicating the significance of dichotomy concerning citizen and immigrant issue by gathering ideas of many scholars. Thus, the main objective of my paper is to indicate on what basis Calavita challenges the immigrant/citizen dichotomy and also to illustrate the crucial points I agree by making use of the articles of vital scholars such as Bosniak, Marshall, Didier, Turner, Soysal, Balibar, Silverstein, Castles and Davidson and Giordano. The concept of citizenship not only refers to inclusion but also exclusion as it explicitly or implicitly posits the differences between citizens and immigrants who are generally considered as foreigners. Firstly, Calavita starts to challenge the immigrant/citizenship dichotomy by emphasizing the arguments of scholars concerning the differences between citizens and immigrants. For instance, Brubaker states that even though citizenship refers to inclusion, it is externally exclusive (21). Both Brubaker and Michael Walzer indicate a sharp difference between citizens who belong to the national community and noncitizens that do not. Thus, Calavita emphasizes that the extensive empirical scholarship that shows exclusionary aspect of citizenship affirms immigrants as a distinctly marginal population as well (403). Calavita also highlights the marginality of illegal immigrants by pointing out that they are given the worst jobs and excluded from social membership not only by virtue of their status as immigrants but by illegality (403). Moreover, according to B.S. Turner, who gets citizenship explicitly shows the general criteria of inclusion/exclusion within a political community and how these resources following citizenship membership are allocated and administered largely determines the economic fate of individuals and families (7). I totally agree with Calavitas and Turners arguments because there are many countries which can demonstrate the social and economical exclusion of immigrants such as Great Britain, Germany, France and so on. For instance, In Great Britain, many immigrants from Iran, Brazil, Afghanistan, Iraq and so on, are generally deprived of safe working conditions with poor salaries and they are generally given the worst jobs which citizens of the country do not want to do. Moreover, they have to live in some campsites far away from the mainstream of the society as they cannot afford to pay the rent of ordinary houses. As they are not the citizens of the country, their jobs, living and working conditions are harsh on the basis of exclusion. What is more, the exclusionary nature of citizenship in England can refer to inequality. According to Marshall, citizenship has been a growing institution in England associated with capitalism which is a system, not of equality but of inequality (102). Therefore, it can be deduced that the exclusion of immigrants is not only the result of exclusionary nature of citizenship but also the strong desire of capitalist people who want to earn more by exploiting the illegal status of immigrants. Calavita continues her arguments concerning otherness and marginalization of immigrants by indicating Filipina domestic workers in Los Angeles and Rome as examples emphasized by Salazar Parren who argues that Filipinas confront sets of dislocations in Italy and the United States, despite the legal, political, and cultural differences of the two contexts, as they provide the gendered, low-wage labour on which global capitalism thrives (404). As a result, capitalism has a crucial role in shaping the exclusion and economic marginalization of immigrants. The rights of immigrants have been extended through the enforcement of the law. For instance in the European Union it is achieved through a common asylum and immigration policy which provides specific rights to immigrants in the European Union countries. Calavita similarly addresses the issue of formal citizenship in the United States and the legal rights that distinguish citizens from noncitizens by utilizing Peter Schucks article which shows the evolution of the meaning of citizenship in U.S. immigration and naturalization law (405). It is argued that the value of U.S. citizenship has been decreased because immigrants have gained increasing rights as the concept of universalistic human rights independent of citizenship has expanded (405). Moreover, Yasemin Soysal states that rights that used to belong solely to nationals are now extended to foreign populations, thereby undermining the very basis of national citizenship (190). Calavita and other scholars also points out universal hu man rights in democratic societies which means that immigrants have come to enjoy virtually all the privileges associated with formal citizenship (usually, but not always, with the exception of voting rights) (405). What is more, according to Linda Bosniak, rights and recognition should be given to all people who are territorially present within the geographical space of a national state by virtue of that presence (390). This obviously refers to immigrants who territorially exist in many countries but denied. I agree with the opinions on the gradual growth of immigrants right not only in USA but also in Europe through the enforcement of the law. Thus, distinct terms have been created for the condition of immigrants such as denizen which is indicated by Soysals article for foreigners who are long-term residents of European states and who have substantial rights and privileges (190). Calavita thus shows that this concept of a membership continuum is at least implicitly shared by virtu ally all who write on immigration law and belonging (406). But at times it is somewhat awkwardly accompanied by the enduring idea of a conceptually clear, legally consequential, and ideologically charged distinction between citizens and foreigners (Brubaker, 21). It can be considered as true assumption since the explicit differences between them can be still observed in many countries such as in Great Britain I illustrated above. Different concepts such as transnational citizenship, global citizenship, and post national citizenship are raised in Calavitas article for further destabilizing this presumed dichotomy (Baubock 1994; Falk1993; Bosniak 2000, 449). According to her, the establishment of the European Union and the appearance of European citizenship may be the clearest example for transnational membership. While the allocation of many formal citizenship rights to all Europeans in the European Union clearly extends the conventional state-centered concept of citizenship, this transnational form is still relatively rare (406). Didier Bigo states that it is vital to have a long-term economic and social policy on migration that provides for decent conditions of family unification, equal wages and pension rights, and cross-border movements facilitated by international agreements (581). Thus, it can be deduced that the concept of European citizenship and immigration policy provide advantages such as equal wage s to the immigrants. Furthermore, Calavita argues that conceptual precision is required in our discussions of citizenship yet we need not define citizenship as intrinsically national in nature (407). Therefore, it can be pointed out that the definition of citizenship cannot be something which is unchangeable yet which has been developed and extended through evolution as Bosniak acknowledges that citizenship is multiple and overlapping through increasingly transterritorial quality of political and social life (450). However, we need to emphasize that being citizen of a country does not necessarily mean that your rights are protected and you can defend yourself when you are treated unfairly, even citizens of a country can be deprived of social, civil and political rights as Calavita indicates (407). Racialized citizenship, cultural citizenship and dependent citizenship are another crucial terms which are addressed by Calavita (407). These terms are the explicit illustration and proof of exclusionary nature of citizenship. To give an illustration, Paul Silverstein states that the white aristocracy think that they are enactors of national will and utilize a nationalistic practice of exclusion on racialised Aboriginal and Asian cocitizens and also in France Muslims are not seen as French citizenship since their culture is based on different religious activities (27). For describing the dependent citizenship, gender issue has a pivotal role as womens dependent citizenship is observed in USA. (407). Calavita makes use of Bredbenners article concerning womens dependent citizenship in USA through the Naturalization Act of 1855 (407). When foreign women married U.S. citizens, law automatically conferred citizenship on foreign women that protected these women from deportation and gave th em inheritance Rights yet deprived them of their native citizenship without their consent (407-408). Even though foreign men who married U.S. had acquired right to vote, these women who married U.S. men could not vote. This can be an exact proof of the dominance of patriarchy and the crucial clue indicating status of women as second class citizens in USA. According to Calavita, gender and race are often at the forefront of the struggle for inclusion as we realize women position in USA in that times , Muslims condition in France and the otherness of Aborigines in Australia emphasized by Silverstein (408). Being a citizenship is considered as first act to empower oneself against the environment into which one is born and thus a citizen tries to find mastery over whatever pushes him or her back into subjection (Castles and Davidson, 26). As a result, citizenship is inclined to indicate mastery over all environments which can be taken as the main result of capitalism. Calavita acknowledges that the ruled were dependent on the rulers, but the rulers no less depended on the ruled. The two sides were tied to each other and neither could easily opt out of the wedlock (410). To give specific illustration, the capitalist employers want to give jobs to illegal immigrants in order to gain more profit by giving them poor salaries. The amount of money which the employers earn is thus relied on the employment of this ruled class. In addition, violence and crime against immigrants are another vital issue raised by Calavita by pointing out that in late August 2004, 11 homeless people were attacked in organized assaults in Sao Paulo, leaving at least 7 dead (412). This can be considered as a cruel attempt to keep the homeless out of public space (412). As we can realize these scholars point out that immigrants are marginalized and excluded from membership in the national community of citizen-insiders yet this dichotomy is problematic-on one hand because immigrants are increasingly granted formal rights (412). As we can observe, the dichotomy addressed by Calavita constitutes contradictions and conflicts as it not only refer to exclusion and marginalization but also evolution of immigrants rights. In the second part of the paper, she maintains her argument with immigration policy in Italy which grants victims of human trafficking temporary residence permits to escape from situations of violence and abuse (Giordano, 588) and she suggests that the legal construction of marginality is here particularly seen. For example, the immigrants are consistently found in the lowest paid, most precarious, and least secure jobs. It is estimated that 30% of non-EU immigrants in Italy work in the vast underground economy and it is hard to obtain permanent legal status through Immigration laws (413). The illegal condition of them in Italy should be emphasized as illegality of immigrant workers is embedded in Italian immigration law anchored by temporary and contingent permit systems (413). Balibar states that capacities of reception and integration are arbitrarily established according to criteria of cultural distance-that is, race (37). Also, Calavita acknowledges that immigrants are racialize d and their cultures highlighted as problematically distinct, to the extent that they are economically other which means that ethnic and cultural difference by themselves do not elicit racism, but rather their connection with poverty does (414). Thus, it can be said that race and gender are intertwined and so are labour function and race. The concept of non-EU jobs offered to immigrants from third World countries clearly indicates degrees of economic marginality. As this is a legal process, Economic marginality is thus institutionalized through law (415). They are also excluded from access to the national health care system. Also, they experience illegal discrimination in the housing market which causes them to live in homeless shelters and soup kitchens (415). We can realize the mutual existence of economical, social and cultural exclusion of immigrants in Italy. According to her, if economic marginality is backbone of immigrants exclusion, then it shows the reason that other impov erished groups in highly stratified market societies are similarly denied full membership (415). Thus, we can think that immigrants expose to both economic and social marginality. The workers, who are mostly young and woman and poorly paid, are too busy with their own survival to create solidarity among them. An overall conclusion is that the first part of the paper confirms the traditional dichotomy concerning citizen-insider/immigrant-outsider and the distinction between them is tried to be described by ideas of different scholars which is relied on the nominal definition of citizenship applied to women and people of colour (416). However, the Italian example indicates us that there is no exact and explicit boundary between citizens and immigrants and we can realize the economic marginality and otherness in the context of the racialization of Third World countries. However, it should be always remembered that even formal citizens can confront troubles from which immigrants can suffer and not all citizens are true members. Thus, they can also share the sense of exclusion with immigrants. Calavita sums up what she challenges by pointing out that the scholars claiming the extension of immigrants rights and documenting the critical race theory and feminist expose ´s of the limitations on substantive citizenship come from dramatically different theoretical positions and use various conceptualizations of citizenship (409). Yet, the conventional dichotomy between citizen-members and immigrant-outsiders is all disrupted by them. As result, it can be totally wrong to draw explicit definitions for citizen and immigrant yet it should be realized that the exclusion of immigrants also come from their inability of being consumers in the global marketplace. Lastly, it should not been forgotten that nowadays both immigrants and citizens have been backbone of marginality and exclusion which stems from the inescapable result of the capitalist world.

Communism: America Denies Freedoms to its Citizens :: American America History

Communism: America Denies Freedoms to its Citizens We fight for freedom abroad, but deny it to those at home.   The 1920s presents a perfect example -- the U.S. was just finishing WWI in which they fought for freedom in a foreign country, but right after the war they denied freedom to those on their home front.   Our Constitution should protect its citizen’s rights and freedoms, and then it can stop when we all realize that the Constitution is just a piece of paper.   It has no bearing unless it is written upon the hearts of government officials and they choose to follow these laws.   And from the past one should realize that this is not always possible.   As for the 1920s, the U.S. government became tyrannical over its people denying them such freedoms as speech and the right to a lawyer.   This leads to the question â€Å"Was the U.S. justified to infringe on the freedoms of others?† The Palmer Raids happened in direct correlation to events that occurred on the first of May 1919.   On May 1, several packages were delivered by the United States Postal Service to several prominent figures including judges, senators and businessmen.   One such package was delivered to Senator Thomas Hardwick of Georgia.   Ethel Williams his personal secretary went outside and received the package.   As she proceeded to open the packages, the package exploded, blowing off her two arms and nearly killing her (Hoyt 4). While this bomb did incite some government officials to fear Communists, the bombing that put them over the top happened to Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer.   Palmer and other politicians were sitting in the library of Palmer’s house when they heard an explosion.   All the members of this gathering exited outside and discovered it had been a bomb; only this time the person did not set the fuse correctly and died when the bomb went off.   They found the victim’s body with literature that read, â€Å"There will be bloodshed; we will not dodge; there will have to be murder; we will kill, because it is necessary; we will destroy to rid the world of your tyrannical institutions†Ã‚   (Hoyt 31). Instead of Palmer going after the person or persons whom directly planned the bombing, he went after everyone who had any association with the organizations the person or persons were part of.   He blamed a whole group for the action of one.

False Hope in King Lear :: King Lear essays

False Hope in King Lear      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout Shakespeare's King Lear, there is a sense of renewal, or as L.C. Knights puts it, "affirmation in spite of everything," in the play.   These affirmative actions are vividly seen throughout the play that is highly infused with evil, immorality and perverted values.   These glimpses of hope seem to provide the reader with an underlying notion of human goodness that remains present, throughout the lurking presence of immorality and a lack of values. However, in the end it is questionable if these are true revelations, and if the affirmative notions are undermined, and thus less significant than the evil in which they are engulfed.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Act I Scene I, the first glimmer of hope is revealed in the play at a time of madness, corruption and despair.   In this scene, King Lear has created an environment of competition that promotes false flattery, among many other things as he divides his kingdom in relation to the amount of love his daughters profess to him.   King Lear in his willfulness and arrogance does not see the error that he makes in equating love with reward, in this competitive environment.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cordelia is the only one of the three sisters who cannot fully participate in the competition to gain her father's inheritance by engaging in false flattery.   Instead of trying to out due her sisters, she merely describes her love in relation to their filial bond.   Although her father views this as a degrading insult and banishes her, it is shown that through her filial bond, she loves her father with more depth and sincerity than her eager, self absorbed sisters.   Cordelia emerges amid the moral depravity and social decay as one who is honest and true to her beliefs.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In banishing his daughter Cordelia from the kingdom and taking away her inheritance, King Lear is destroying the natural order of society.   She is left abandoned by both her father and her presumed suitor, Burgundy.   Yet Shakespeare rewards Cordelia's noble character with another suitor, the King of France. Despite all that has occurred in relation to being left destitute and friendless, France gladly accepts the estranged Cordelia as his bride to be and applauds her

What works in America :: Culture Cultural Essays

What works in America Jennifer Mancini's parents were born in Italy and immigrated to America just before they had two daughters, Jennifer and her sister. They left a country whose culture stressed close family ties, traditional food, traditional ways of preparing food, and strict social customs. It is Italian tradition that family stick together through the hard times; parents are always there for their children and children are always there for their parents. When the Mancinis came to America, they were forced to abandon many of their customs; in fact, all they held on to was a bit of the old language and their Italian food. Through the experiences she and her family have endured, Mancini believes that "people eventually will assimilate to a more mainstream culture over time, even if they didn't plan to or want to.Just like the old saying goes: 'When in Rome do as the Romans do.'" Although most immigrants are reluctant to stray from how they have learned to live, it will help them to give up much of the ir old ways and accept the dominant culture America has to offer. Rejecting or simply not being able to stray from one's previous culture results in negative responses from the mainstream American culture. Ronald Takaki, a professor and historian at the University of California at Berkeley, shared his view of immigration along with personal experiences in his essay entitled "A Different Mirror" Takaki, a second generation Japanese-American, describes how his appearance erected a barrier between himself and an "American." His experience begins inside a cab on the way to a conference on multiculturalism. The driver and Takaki chat for a few minutes until the middle-aged white man in the front seat notices something odd, his passenger looks foreign yet speaks perfect English. Takaki explained to the driver that he had lived his entire life in The United States and is a true-blooded American. Takaki tell us that, "Somehow I did not look 'American' to him; my eyes and complexion looked foreign" (589). The cab driver immediately assumed that a foreigner had entered his car because Takaki did not look like all the other "Americans" that ask for a ride. His eyes were slanted and his complexion a little darker than the norm, too dark and slanted to be from this country. That is the difficulty with immigration in America today. The American people often are not open enough to get past the differences found amongst ethnic backgrounds.

The Twilight Saga 5: Midnight Sun 27. Deadlock

Warm, sweeping, glorious, relief, the most powerful emotion that had hit me in days, more forceful than my anger, my agony†¦my pain, rushed over me. This emotion was so full of an alleviation and ease that all of the anguish and distress was leaving my body as I saw the emotions in Bella's eyes again. At the sight, I realized that I never truly appreciated her beauty. My eyes looked up as I silently prayed to whatever entity that kept her alive, letting them know how devoutly thankful I truly am. Looking back at her, the deep depths, the windows to her soul, continued to move in quick irregular motions as she reached up to pull the oxygen tube from her nose. â€Å"No, you don't.† I reached over to stop her hand. My chin was resting only inches from her face when her eyes finally met mine. She was disorientated. â€Å"Edward?† Her voice was hoarse, drained, like she was fatally wounded. A tiny pucker formed between her brows. She tried to focus on my face. â€Å"Oh, Edward, I'm so sorry!† She was sorry? What did she need to be sorry for? â€Å"Shhhh.† I attempted to stop her insanity. â€Å"Everything's all right now.† I tried to speak bracing words of comfort. She needn't be so anxious with her frail body being in such a broken state. â€Å"What happened?† Her words were slurred slightly, almost like she was drunk. Memories of the events that happened that fateful morning, which brought her to this place, rushed across my mind. My stomach bubbled with a sickening acid. â€Å"I was almost too late. I could have been too late,† I whispered, torment lacing each syllable. â€Å"I was so stupid, Edward. I thought he had my mom.† Of course, she would try to put the blame on herself. â€Å"He tricked us all,† I said, trying to ease her mind. She really should be resting. â€Å"I need to call Charlie and my mom,† worry was present in her eyes†¦always worried about someone else, anyone else, but herself. â€Å"Alice called them. Rene is here — well, here in the hospital. She's getting something to eat right now.† â€Å"She's here?† She tried to sit up, her body swaying slightly. I couldn't let her hurt herself anymore so I lightly pushed her back down onto the pillows. â€Å"She'll be back soon,† I promised. â€Å"And you need to stay still.† â€Å"But what did you tell her?† Her voice was panicked. â€Å"Why did you tell her I'm here?† Even in her drugged stupor, she was still trying to protect our secret. Without effort, my love radiated out of me along with the agony that rippled through me at the thought of what actually happened just those two days ago. â€Å"You fell down two flights of stairs and through a window.† You were tortured by a vicious vampire and I was nearly too late. â€Å"You have to admit, it could happen.† I tried to lighten the mood with this small joke. She sighed at my bad humor and I could see her wince slightly at the pain it caused. Her eyes finally left mine to roam over her broken and mangled body. â€Å"How bad am I?† She asked, curious. This time I sighed. The damage was extensive. â€Å"You have a broken leg, four broken ribs, some cracks in your skull, bruises covering every inch of your skin, and you've lost a lot of blood. They gave you a few transfusions. I didn't like it — it made you smell all wrong for a while.† I took in a deep breath at the luxurious scent that now filled the small room, letting it sting my throat with the pleasurable burning sensation. â€Å"That must have been a nice change for you,† she half smiled. She had it all wrong though. To imagine her without the palatable scent was almost unbearable, like I had drank all the goodness from her body and it was being replaced by some cheap imitation. â€Å"No, I like how you smell.† â€Å"How did you do it?† Her voice was strained. I knew what she was asking. Many memories stirred from that horrible morning. Blood was coming out of her in torrents, flooding the floor. The blood†¦how did I stop? I remembered the pleasure and the pain that consumed my body at just the mere thought of her warm blood in my mouth, my burning throat with the accompanied obsessive longing finally being quenched. The thought tore at every nerve in my body. The disgust I felt didn't stop me though; I still brought her wrist to my mouth and drank from her. Even when she yanked around in my grasp, thrusting against my hold, screaming, I didn't let go. I didn't even know how I did it. â€Å"I'm not sure,† there was the tiniest quiver in my voice. Gently, I lifted her hand which was wrapped in white gauze, examining it carefully. Along with the ache that seared deep inside me, there was this new indication of what I was. A monster. A creature that should have no part in this angel's life. Lightly caressing her hand I shivered at this sick souvenir that would always be on her wrist which made my dead heart shatter. The wires that connected her to all the monitors were just another vivid reminder on top of everything else at how fragile and breakable she was. Each passing second felt like borrowed time. I sighed. â€Å"It was impossible†¦ to stop,† my voice was low, a whisper. But I did stop; I was able to keep her alive. â€Å"Impossible. But I did.† My eyes met hers, a smile creeping up my face; a great rush of affection washing over me. â€Å"I must love you.† â€Å"Don't I taste as good as I smell?† She returned my smile. The satisfaction†¦the gratifyingly warm blood in my mouth ?C it was beyond delicious. It coursed through my body, sweeter than life. â€Å"Even better — better than I'd imagined.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† she apologized. She was†¦sorry? Again, what was with the apologies? If it wasn't for my stupidity in the first place she wouldn't have even been in the situation to have her blood sucked by me, of all creatures. I looked up to the ceiling in exasperation before returning my gaze to her. â€Å"Of all the things to apologize for.† â€Å"What should I apologize for?† For a moment I was lost in desperate speculation, thoughts consuming my mind momentarily. Only one thing came to mind. â€Å"For very nearly taking yourself away from me forever.† If her life had ended that day†¦I shuddered†¦I too, would have died. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she apologized again. â€Å"I know why you did it. It was still irrational, of course. You should have waited for me, you should have told me.† At this, I realized maybe she didn't trust me as much as I thought. She shouldn't trust me. Because of me, she was here in this hospital bed, for several days, fighting to regain consciousness. â€Å"You wouldn't have let me go,† she explained, like I should have known this. â€Å"No,† I replied in a stern tone. â€Å"I wouldn't.† She shuddered and then slightly winced. My eyes roamed over her to find the culprit of her obvious pain, my nerves being pulled tighter at her discomfort. â€Å"Bella, what's wrong?† I pleaded She ignored me, wanting more answers. â€Å"What happened to James?† James, I growled internally; the enemy being brought to the forefront of my mind. â€Å"After I pulled him off you, Emmett and Jasper took care of him,† I said with clenched teeth. Bella needed me, I knew that, but regardless, jealousy still rippled through me at the thought that it wasn't me who got to pull him apart – it wasn't me who burned him. Her eyebrow furrowed. â€Å"I didn't see Emmett and Jasper there.† â€Å"They had to leave the room†¦ there was a lot of blood.† Everyone's actions that night caught me off guard; all of them behaving like there was not a single drop of blood spilled in the building. Luckily, we all have no need for oxygen. â€Å"But you stayed,† she stated with a deep fervor, her face smoothing. â€Å"Yes, I stayed.† Obviously, I stayed. She needed me†¦she would have died. Preventing that was most important. â€Å"And Alice, and Carlisle †¦Ã¢â‚¬  she said in conjecture. Of course they stayed, too. They consider her part of our family. â€Å"They love you, too, you know.† â€Å"Did Alice see the tape?† She asked anxiously. â€Å"Yes,† I gritted my teeth. I remembered watching the tape through Alice's mind, the things he did to Bella ?C the way he taunted me on the video. â€Å"She was always in the dark, that's why she didn't remember,† Bella explained, distracting me. I nodded. â€Å"I know. She understands now,† I said darkly. That was all James did; hurt people and their families, only leaving reminders of his presence. Bella's hand came up to reach for my face, but the IV stopped her from moving far. â€Å"Ugh.† She winced. My head came up from her pillow, concerned. â€Å"What is it?† I asked anxiously, the image of James still in my view ?C anger still coursing through me. â€Å"Needles,† she explained, looking up like she was going to be sick. She took several deep breaths. Instantly, the anger left my body as humor replaced it. The absurdity of it all ?C she was beaten by a vampire, yet this†¦needle, of all things, makes her sick. â€Å"Afraid of a needle,† I muttered under my breath, shaking my head. â€Å"Oh, a sadistic vampire, intent on torturing her to death, sure, no problem, she runs off to meet him. An IV, on the other hand†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She rolled her eyes. â€Å"Why are you here?† She asked. Instantly, I felt a chill in my stomach. I just stared at her, surveying her face, confusion sweeping over me. Then, it hit me. Maybe she didn't want me here, which is understandable, but it still made my heart ache, my body shriveled in pain. My eyebrows pulled together as a frown replaced my previous amusement. â€Å"Do you want me to leave?† An obvious grimace appearing on my face. â€Å"No!† She protested as loudly as she could. â€Å"No, I meant, why does my mother think you're here? I need to have my story straight before she gets back.† â€Å"Oh,† I breathed, once again, relief burst through me; understanding replacing confusion. She still wants me here! Happiness swelled inside me like a balloon. â€Å"I came to Phoenix to talk some sense into you, to convince you to come back to Forks.† I fixed my face, like I was trying to convince her myself, proving this lie was convincing. â€Å"You agreed to see me, and you drove out to the hotel where I was staying with Carlisle and Alice — of course I was here with parental supervision,† I infused innocently, â€Å"but you tripped on the stairs on the way to my room and†¦ well, you know the rest. You don't need to remember any details, though; you have a good excuse to be a little muddled about the finer points.† Looking into her eyes I could see her mental processes whirling around before she spoke. â€Å"There are a few flaws with that story. Like no broken windows,† she said matter-of-factly. â€Å"Not really,† I chuckled lightly under my breath. â€Å"Alice had a little bit too much fun fabricating evidence. It's all been taken care of very convincingly — you could probably sue the hotel if you wanted to. You have nothing to worry about,† I assured her, caressing her cheek with the lightest of touches, letting her warmth envelope me. â€Å"Your only job now is to heal,† I ordered. I continued to trace my fingers around her magnificent face. Her heart began to jump around wildly, the monitor echoing the erratic palpitations. â€Å"That's going to be embarrassing,† she muttered. This could be more amusing than I realized. Now her heart was beating loudly enough for both of us to hear with all of this equipment magnifying it. I chuckled. â€Å"Hmm, I wonder†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I leaned in, deliberately trying to hear her reaction; the beeping noise hammered quickly along with her heart before my cold lips even reached her warm ones. Her heart continued to beat a little faster as I slowly moved in for the kiss. Gently, I reminded myself; placing my lips upon hers, sending a spine tingling sensation through me as she lightly moaned in pleasure. Her heart was racing before it gave a huge bound and then it stopped altogether. Panic hit. I pulled back instantly as the light beeping noise started again. Relief, a feeling that seemed to be recurring over and over today, swept over me. â€Å"It seems that I'm going to have to be even more careful with you than usual,† I grimaced. â€Å"I was not finished kissing you,† she grumbled. â€Å"Don't make me come over there.† Affection gushed up inside me and against my careful stature; a smile crept up my face at her obvious love for me. It was amazing that she still yearned to be with me like I craved to be with her. After everything I had done to her she still wished for a proximity that I was still reluctant to give her; I was filled with a trepidation that I would hurt her, break her, kill her somehow. Despite my thoughts, I still bent down to press my lips lightly to hers. The heat crept up my face and down my veins as it brought warmth to my cold heart. In the hallway, I could hear a discussion being whispered. â€Å"How long will it take before she wakes up?† Rene asked the nurse. Soon, please tell me soon! â€Å"It's up to her, Mrs. Dwyer.† â€Å"Well, thanks anyways,† she sounded defeated. Edward is still in there I bet ?C they have had enough time alone. Who knows what those crazy kids were up to before this accident happened. I pulled out of our kiss. â€Å"I think I hear your mother,† I smiled. â€Å"Don't leave me,† she cried irrationally. Terror was obvious in her deep brown eyes. â€Å"I won't,† I promised solemnly, and then I smiled serenely. â€Å"I'll take a nap.† I jumped from the stiff plastic chair by her side to the turquoise artificial-leather recliner at the foot of her bed, leaning it all the way back, and closing my eyes. I became a statue. â€Å"Don't forget to breathe,† she whispered mockingly. Going along with her humor I took a deep breath, my eyes remained closed. Rene's light echoing footsteps moved towards the door before she lightly pressed against it, causing the door to crack open. She's awake! Rene thought excitedly. Her eyes peeked through the space, hoping to sneak a peek at a possible conversation, eavesdropping before she opened the door all the way to rush towards Bella's open eyes. â€Å"Mom!† Bella croaked out, her voice relieved. Oh, my baby girl, Rene's mind was easing slightly. Through her eyes I could see my still form feigning sleep. Ah, he's asleep†¦but still here. Her annoyed thoughts became verbal. â€Å"He never leaves, does he?† she muttered. â€Å"Mom, I'm so glad to see you!† Bella ignored her mom's spoken thought. Rene's expression cleared, her eyes returning to her daughter. Forget Edward†¦my baby. My beautiful baby girl. She's awake. Tears flowed down Rene's cheeks as she bent down to hug Bella awkwardly. â€Å"Bella, I was so upset!† Rene spluttered through her tears and other inarticulate sounds. I should have never, ever let her go to Forks. What was I thinking? I'm such a fool. â€Å"I'm sorry, Mom. But everything's fine now, it's okay,† Bella tried to reassure her. She's sorry? I'm sorry! Everything's not okay. Look at her†¦all the bruises. At Rene's thoughts, my stomach tightened sickeningly with pain. I felt a pang of unease. The bruises†¦the broken bones†¦they were my fault, no one else's. Sick images swam in my head and continued to come at me relentlessly. Every part of me ached with my idiocy ?C my ignorance ?C at what my clandestine existence ultimately brought to Bella. Thoughts of leaving her echoed through my head, but my love continued to pulse in my heart, my inability to leave her growing stronger. The ongoing battle continued to ensue inside me. â€Å"I'm just glad to finally see your eyes open.† Rene sat down at the end of Bella's bed. Her eyes are so sparkly. To think that there was a possibility that they could never open again†¦she grew sick at the thought, letting it trail off to images of coffins and people dressed in black. Struggling, I tried to push her images from my mind fiercely. My lurking doubts started resurfacing in my mind. I should leave Bella to her life, stop destroying her future. â€Å"How long have they been closed?† Bella gasped, her mouth forming a little O of horror. â€Å"It's Friday, hon, you've been out for a while.† â€Å"Friday?† Her voice was full of stunned disbelief. The two worst days of my life. I had to agree with Rene's thoughts, except they were the worst two days of my entire existence. â€Å"They had to keep you sedated for a while, honey — you've got a lot of injuries.† â€Å"I know,† Bella winced. â€Å"You're lucky Dr. Cullen was there. He's such a nice man†¦ very young, though. And he looks more like a model than a doctor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  If I wasn't married†¦ â€Å"You met Carlisle?† Bella interrupted her fantasy. â€Å"And Edward's sister Alice. She's a lovely girl.† The whole family is breath taking. What kind of food are they feeing them? Only if she knew of the consequences of having our beauty and the blood we drink to continue our deplorable existence. â€Å"She is,† Bella agreed sincerely, unstinting devotion, love emitting from Bella's eyes in rays of emotion. Suddenly I was in Rene's vision. Wow, she really does feel strongly for this family. But, what about this boy? He seems to be around much more than the rest. â€Å"You didn't tell me you had such good friends in Forks,† Rene said suspiciously, turning back to Bella but continuing to steal glances of me over her shoulder. I wonder what their deal is†¦ Rene was busy stealing another glance over her shoulder when Bella moaned in pain. The lamentation of grief reached Rene's ears, her eyes quickly found Bella's. So did mine, flashing open as soon as her mom's attention was no longer on me, panic coursing through me. â€Å"What hurts?† she demanded anxiously, voicing my same concerns. Her thoughts were full of a deep motherly concern, one full of love. â€Å"It's fine,† she tried to relieve our tension. â€Å"I just have to remember not to move.† Her words eased some of my panic. Closing my eyes again, I focused on her through Rene's thoughts. Never again. She's not going back to Forks. Thank god for Phil's contract. She'll be so excited. â€Å"Where's Phil?† Bella blurted out, almost as if she were reading her mother's mind too. â€Å"Florida– oh, Bella! You'll never guess! Just when we were about to leave, the best news!† â€Å"Phil got signed?† Bella interjected. â€Å"Yes! How did you guess! The Suns, can you believe it?† She can finally move back home! Deep down I could feel the hollowing of my insides along with the burning of my heart at the thought of Bella moving away, but it was the best thing she could do. She should leave, graduate high school, college†¦get married and have kids. Not stay with a vampire who could offer her no future. â€Å"That's great, Mom,† she replied in a questioning enthusiasm. I knew what was going to come next. The borrowed time was lessening. Instantly, I became increasingly nervous. â€Å"And you'll like Jacksonville so much,† she jabbered while Bella stared at her vacantly. â€Å"I was a little bit worried when Phil started talking about Akron, what with the snow and everything, because you know how I hate the cold, but now Jacksonville! It's always sunny, and the humidity really isn't that bad. We found the cutest house, yellow, with white trim, and a porch just like in an old movie, and this huge oak tree, and it's just a few minutes from the ocean, and you'll have your own bathroom –â€Å" â€Å"Wait, Mom!† Bella interrupted. â€Å"What are you talking about? I'm not going to Florida. I live in Forks.† My heart, my cold, dead, unbeating heart†¦I swear, it just started beating again. She wanted to stay in a place she hated, and I knew it was because of me. What? Maybe she doesn't understand. Rene smiled. â€Å"But you don't have to anymore, silly,† she laughed. â€Å"Phil will be able to be around so much more now†¦ we've talked about it a lot, and what I'm going to do is trade off on the away games, half the time with you, half the time with him.† â€Å"Mom.† Bella hesitated for a second. Automatically I tried to hear her mind, the space between us silent as ever before she spoke. â€Å"I want to live in Forks. I'm already settled in at school, and I have a couple of girlfriends† — suddenly I was in Rene's vision. It's because of him, I know it. — â€Å"and Charlie needs me. He's just all alone up there, and he can't cook at all.† I wasn't sure why, but it was clear that she didn't want to go to Florida with Rene, and I was all for that plan. Even though it wasn't a good plan. Forks†¦Rene's thoughts were babbling inarticulately. â€Å"You want to stay in Forks?† She spluttered. Again, I was in her vision, my face tense with the conversation. This boy†¦Does she love him, too? Still†¦Forks. Insane. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"I told you — school, Charlie — † she shrugged â€Å"ouch!† Bella ?C how do I comfort her? Her hand fluttered uselessly over Bella's body. Her eyes narrowed in on an un-bandaged spot and patted lightly. Seriously, though ?C school? Charlie? I don't believe it. â€Å"Bella, honey, you hate Forks,† she stated firmly. â€Å"It's not so bad.† Well, that wasn't the response I was hoping for. Oh, come on. Rene scoffed. Again, I saw my face flash in front of her eyes before she turned back to Bella. â€Å"Is it this boy?† she whispered. Bella opened her mouth and then closed it. What was she thinking? â€Å"He's part of it,† Bella finally spoke nonchalantly. â€Å"So, have you had a chance to talk with Edward?† â€Å"Yes.† He's quite mysterious†¦ â€Å"And I want to talk to you about that.† How stupid to even consider someone approving of me for their daughter. â€Å"What about?† Her lips pressed together tightly. â€Å"I think that boy is in love with you,† Rene alleged, keeping her voice low. â€Å"I think so, too.† Despite the situation we were under, I grinned at the memory of our time in the meadow, the first time I confessed my love for her. â€Å"And how do you feel about him?† She was pushing for details, which means Bella will have to lie. I cringed internally at that thought. She was a horrible liar. A small gush of air swept in and out of Bella's lungs before she spoke. â€Å"I'm pretty crazy about him.† This made me happy. I nearly took her life, yet, she was still ‘crazy about' me. â€Å"Well, he seems very nice, and, my goodness, he's incredibly good-looking, but you're so young, Bella†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I was hoping that I wouldn't have to have ‘the talk' with her until she was older. She sighed. What was I expecting? She is seventeen after all. â€Å"I know that, Mom. Don't worry about it. It's just a crush.† Crush? Just a crush? Her words burned more than my thirst. Deep down I knew she was perpetrating a farce, but still, just like at her house before we left for Phoenix, the words caught me off guard. Crush†¦I can handle that. Then it's not too serious after all. â€Å"That's right,† she agreed. Then she sighed and glanced guiltily over her shoulder at the big, round clock on the wall above my head. I need to get home†¦Phil. He'll be worried if I don't answer the phone. Seeing the time for myself I was disheartened that my time with her was slowly passing by. Sooner than I'd like, I would have to leave her forever. Was I brave enough? Did I have enough will power†¦enough strength? â€Å"Do you need to go?† Bella interrupted my reverie. â€Å"Phil's supposed to call in a little while†¦ I didn't know you were going to wake up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No problem, Mom.† Bella said indifferently. â€Å"I won't be alone.† That's right. I'll be here. She was just so soft and vulnerable. It seemed foolhardy to let her out of my sight, where anything could happen to her. And yet, the worst things that could happen to her would result from being with me. Deep down, I wished that she wasn't better off being away from me. I bet you won't†¦not with Edward keeping an eye on you. â€Å"I'll be back soon. I've been sleeping here, you know.† â€Å"Oh, Mom, you don't have to do that! You can sleep at home — I'll never notice.† The words were slurred slightly, the drugged stupor still not completely worn off. â€Å"I was too nervous,† she admitted sheepishly. â€Å"There's been some crime in the neighborhood, and I don't like being there alone.† Her eyes darted to the newspaper next to the bed. â€Å"Crime?† Bella asked, thunderstruck. It was awful. The building was in ruins. Rene was picturing the remains of the ballet studio. â€Å"Someone broke into that dance studio around the corner from the house and burned it to the ground — there's nothing left at all! And they left a stolen car right out front. Do you remember when you used to dance there, honey?† â€Å"I remember,† her voice quivered slightly under – what I would expect to be ?C bad memories. She looks scared. Maybe I should stay here†¦ â€Å"I can stay, baby, if you need me.† â€Å"No, Mom, I'll be fine. Edward will be with me.† Edward, again. That could also be a good reason to stay. â€Å"I'll be back tonight.† I hope he heard that. She glanced at me again as she thought it. â€Å"I love you, Mom.† â€Å"I love you, too, Bella. Try to be more careful when you walk, honey, I don't want to lose you.† I never realized her clumsiness would come to this though. Seriously ?C a coma in the hospital. I remembered Carlisle looking over Bella's X-ray at the hospital after the van nearly crushed her to death. She had many healed fractures. Trying to suppress laughter, I could stop the grin that spread across my face. I wonder if that hot boy will be in the room. I heard the nurse's thoughts that checked on Bella yesterday. She came bustling in then to check all of the tubes and wires. Rene watched the nurse for a minute. I better get going. I don't want to miss Phil's phone call. He'll be elated to hear that she is awake finally. She kissed Bella's forehead, patted her gauze-wrapped hand, and left. The nurse was checking the paper readout on the heart monitor. Hum†¦I wonder if this is because of him. The nurse pictured my face. He makes my heart do funny things, too. Maybe she is just worried or nervous. I would be if I woke up from a coma, too. â€Å"Are you feeling anxious, honey? Your heart rate got a little high there.† After Rene left I opened my eyes, watching the nurse interact with Bella, pushing her thoughts from my mind. â€Å"I'm fine,† Bella assured the nurse. I'm sure you are. I'd be fine too if he was at my bed side. â€Å"I'll tell your RN that you're awake. She'll be in to see you in a minute.† The nurse turned on her heals and strode quickly out of the room. It took me less than a second to move to her side, so quickly that she didn't see me move from point A to point B. Instead of her being surprised, her tiny eyebrows rose in humor. â€Å"You stole a car?† Duh, I wanted to say. Instead I just smiled. â€Å"It was a good car, very fast,† I refused to apologize; she didn't seem to mind. It had to be fast, my only purpose was to get to her as quickly as I could†¦to save her life before James had the opportunity to take her away from me forever. I was too late, but just in time to barely reverse the effects of the venom that had rushed down her veins. â€Å"How was your nap?† She smirked. â€Å"Interesting.† My mind was wondering, remembering her plea to stay in Forks and her word crush. My eyes narrowed slightly and she noticed the change in my facial features. â€Å"What?† Honestly, I was happy with her response to stay in Forks, but disappointed all the same because now I had to find the courage to tell her to go, that she would be better off without me in her life. Was I brave enough? Was I that self sacrificing? By the look on her face she had already read too much into my face so I looked down. â€Å"I'm surprised. I thought Florida †¦ and your mother†¦well; I thought that's what you would want.† The many nights I watched her sleep, as her worries and thoughts were spoken freely, let me know how much she truly cared for her mother. Also, when she talked about Rene it was if a parent were talking about a child. Was she just tired of the responsibility of her mother? That was uncharacteristic of her, so probably not the culprit to her reasoning to stay in Forks. The word crush rang through my mind again and so I couldn't be the reason, either. When I finally looked up she was staring at me uncomprehendingly. â€Å"But you'd be stuck inside all day in Florida. You'd only be able to come out at night, just like a real vampire.† A real vampire? What am I, chopped liver? The humor quickly passed. It was time to convince her to go back home†¦to Florida. â€Å"I would stay in Forks, Bella. Or somewhere like it,† I explained.† Someplace where I couldn't hurt you anymore.† She stared at me with a blank expression, like she was having trouble processing my words. Was it the drugs? Maybe this conversation should wait until she was more aware and alert. I was just making excuses. Her lips turned down into an unfathomable expression as the monitor magnified her heart beats which were quickly increasing. The beeping nose and the pounding in her chest were reaching a dangerous point, going so fast I was nervous. Her breathing picked up along with her heart. Soon, she was gasping, hyperventilating. Her eyes began to water as her face contorted into a horrible grimace of pain. The soft lines of her face were suddenly sharp and defined. I didn't know what to do, what to say. That beeping doesn't sound good. I better go check it out. A different nurse came marching into the room. Maybe she had a remedy that I didn't. She looked over the monitors to see that her regular heart beat, and the insane palpitations that were pulsing wildly through her, were not the same. Wow, she looks like she is in a lot of pain. Jeesh, what a tortured face. . â€Å"Time for more pain meds, sweetheart?† she asked sweetly, tapping the IV feed. â€Å"No, no,† Bella choked out, the pain still clearly in her tone. â€Å"I don't need anything.† Of course, she didn't want to seem weak. â€Å"No need to be brave, honey. It's better if you don't get too stressed out; you need to rest.† The nurse waited, but she just shook her head. â€Å"Okay,† she sighed. â€Å"Hit the call button when you're ready.† This better not be his fault or I'm going to kick him out of the room so she can get some rest. The nurse's stare bore into me, like she was trying to burn a hole through my skull before she glanced at the machinery like she was warning me she could hear it. She left the room. I'll be listening. Ignoring the overly observant nurse I placed my hands on Bella's face to bring her attention back to our conversation. Her eyes were full of moisture, the look in them wild with unease and anxiety. Her heart was still bounding wildly ahead. â€Å"Shhh, Bella, calm down.† I tried to soothe her. â€Å"Don't leave me,† she begged me, her voice cracking with the pain. Her pupils dilated in terror as her lips trembled uncontrollably. When she begged like this, how could I deny her anything? All my plans, all my thoughts†¦every second of deciding to leave her crumbled into little pieces. â€Å"I won't,† I promised. â€Å"Now relax before I call the nurse back to sedate you.† Still, her heart continued to thunder along, not relaxing one bit to my words. Great, I was going to give her a heart attack. All my efforts to keep her alive and just the mere thought of my absence would send her over the edge. A second was all it took to change everything: the atmosphere in the room, my mission here, the reason I leaned toward the glorious soul in front of me†¦ What had been for one purpose before was now for another. To stay. To keep her alive. To prevent her heart from exploding with the pain that I was feeling too. â€Å"Bella.† I lightly brushed her face apprehensively. â€Å"I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here as long as you need me,† I promised. â€Å"Do you swear you won't leave me?† She whispered a small splutter of terror. She was gasping for air as her heart continued to beat out of control, her pulse continuing to reach a danger point. Her reactions robbed me temporarily of breath. It was oddly disembodying trying to understand her fear, because it was me who couldn't live without her. It shouldn't be the other way around. Before the nurse decides to kick me out of the room I had to calm her down. I took her face between my hands. Her warmth crept up my body slowly as I brought my face only inches from hers before whispering to her, â€Å"I swear.† Her breath was filling the air between us. It was very appealing, but in this moment I was too worried about her heart and her breathing. Each second the rhythmic motion of her breath and her heart slowed. I refused to let go of her until she had calmed down. When the monitors had quieted I sighed in relief. â€Å"Better?† I asked, surveying her face. â€Å"Yes,† she answered, her voice sounded guarded. Under my breath I began muttering so low she wouldn't hear me. â€Å"Beautiful, insane, overly sensitive girl. What an overreaction.† I shook my head. â€Å"Why did you say that?† She whispered. At first, I didn't know if she actually heard what I had muttered. â€Å"Are you tired of having to save me all the time? Do you want me to go away?† Again, insane. With increasing desperation I tried to explain to her that I did want her, that it would literally kill me if she went away. â€Å"No, I don't want to be without you, Bella, of course not. Be rational,† I added sensibly. â€Å"And I have no problem with saving you, either — if it weren't for the fact that I was the one putting you in danger†¦ that I'm the reason that you're here.† â€Å"Yes, you are the reason,† she interjected with a frown. â€Å"The reason I'm here –alive.† I had less resolution than ever. â€Å"Barely.† I choked out. â€Å"Covered in gauze and plaster and hardly able to move.† I stared down at her like it would force her to mend. â€Å"I wasn't referring to my most recent near-death experience,† her voice was slightly irritated. Staring at her, I tried to read her eyes. Yes, I saved her in the past, but that had nothing to do with the present. She was still in this hospital bed because of me. The silence tautened and strained. She finally spoke. â€Å"I was thinking of the others — you can take your pick. If it weren't for you, I would be rotting away in the Forks cemetery.† Her voice was like an angry drunken titter from all the drugs in her system. The memories made me wince several times. The van, Port Angeles†¦my thoughts trailed off, not wanting to think of where she would be if I wasn't there to intercede on her behalf. Then I realized I had already made my decision. I wasn't going to let her leave. If she did I would follow her, even if she was unaware of it. No matter what, I would watch over her, keep her from harm, for as long as I could justify it. Luckily, I don't see how she would ever not need me to keep her safe. I suddenly found myself wishing that her clumsiness would never go away. I looked at her gauze covered wrist, my original thoughts surfacing. â€Å"That's not the worst part, though,† I continued, ignoring her previous words of comfort.†Not seeing you there on the floor†¦ crumpled and broken.† The words caught in my throat. â€Å"Not thinking I was too late. Not even hearing you scream in pain — all those unbearable memories that I'll carry with me for the rest of eternity. No, the very worst was feeling†¦ knowing that I couldn't stop. Believing that I was going to kill you myself,† my voice tailed away feebly as the memory of her blood in my mouth, swirling sweetly down my throat, surfaced. â€Å"But you didn't,† she pointed out. â€Å"I could have. So easily.† Her breath came a little quicker again. Panic was obvious in her eyes. Did she finally understand that she should fear me? â€Å"Promise me,† she whispered. â€Å"What?† â€Å"You know what.† She gave me an insolent stare. I was wrong; she didn't fear me, just the opposite. How can I promise to never leave when I know one day I will have to? Not now, though. I can't leave her now when she needs me. Still, I gazed uncertainly towards her, my eyes automatically tightening. A lurking doubt resurfaced in my mind. She's here because of me. This is my fault. If I stay ?C this might happen again. I couldn't have that. I could feel the warmth of her pulse in the air and on my skin. Trying to master myself I realized that my time with her was ticking away. Hearing her voice – an extraordinary tonic, I might add – after the two days of complete and utter silence, settled my thoughts. â€Å"I don't seem to be strong enough to stay away from you, so I suppose that you'll get your way†¦ whether it kills you or not,† my tone growing more forlorn with each word. â€Å"Good.† She stated firmly. â€Å"You told me how you stopped†¦ now I want to know why,† she demanded. â€Å"Why?† I repeated warily, I hadn't recovered from the shock of the question. â€Å"Why you did it. Why didn't you just let the venom spread? By now I would be just like you.† Her words fell oddly upon my ears and were an unpleasant surprise. Words I didn't expect to hear come out of her mouth. Where did she learn this? In that precise moment it hit me like a bolt of lightning. Alice. A scathing noise escaped my lips as I thought about this. She was a bit sneakier than I realized. But telling Bella about vampire transformations was crossing the line. I couldn't suppress a shiver of loathing. I could feel my nostrils flaring as my lips grew tighter together. I didn't respond, not knowing if Alice really told her, or if it was another one of those legends she read about and was merely guessing how the conversion worked. Bella broke the silence. â€Å"I'll be the first to admit that I have no experience with relationships, but it just seems logical†¦ a man and woman have to be somewhat equal†¦ as in, one of them can't always be swooping in and saving the other one. They have to save each other equally.† It seems her knowledge is not as extensive as I first thought. Of course, in movies and books vampires had to bite their victims to turn them. It was easy for her to deduct these things. Instead of getting angry, I folded my arms on the side of her bed and rested my chin on my arms. Still, I will have to have a†¦talk†¦with Alice. I thought about what Bella said though, about saving each other equally. She doesn't realize how much she has saved me, how she pulled me out of the deepest depression that even Jasper has ever seen. My whole family has fallen in love with Bella merely for what her presence has done for me. â€Å"You have saved me,† I said quietly, letting her in on my revelation. â€Å"I can't always be Lois Lane,† she insisted, ignoring me. â€Å"I want to be Superman, too.† Her statements still had me utterly bewildered. She wanted to be a vampire. Of all things in the world that she could ask for, she asks for the one thing I refuse to give. I was unsure of the best way to approach the subject. Bella, I might kill you in the process and you will burn for three days and beg for death before you finally turn into a vampire who never sleeps and is always aching to quench ones thirst. No, that is too much information. â€Å"You don't know what you're asking.† I stared at the edge of her pillowcase, afraid she might see my thoughts displayed across my face. â€Å"I think I do.† â€Å"Bella, you don't know. I've had almost ninety years to think about this, and I'm still not sure,† I tried not to succumb to the rage I felt bubbling under my skin. Why was she pushing this subject? â€Å"Do you wish that Carlisle hadn't saved you?† â€Å"No, I don't wish that.† I used to, but now I realize my fate included Bella, and I would have never met her without Carlisle's rash decision to turn me. â€Å"But my life was over. I wasn't giving anything up.† â€Å"You are my life. You're the only thing it would hurt me to lose,† she admitted, not the least bit embarrassed. No matter how much she pleaded with me, I would never take her soul. It wasn't up for debate. â€Å"I can't do it, Bella. I won't do that to you.† â€Å"Why not?† She croaked. â€Å"Don't tell me it's too hard! After today, or I guess it was a few days ago†¦ anyway, after that, it should be nothing.† I glared at her. A positively dangerous look crept across my face. â€Å"And the pain?† I asked, curious. She flinched, obviously remembering the fire that burned through her veins. â€Å"That's my problem,† she said coolly. â€Å"I can handle it.† Insane. â€Å"It's possible to take bravery to the point where it becomes insanity.† â€Å"It's not an issue. Three days. Big deal.† Shock so huge it rooted me to the spot and roughly burst through me. Three days. This was something that could have only been told by another vampire. It wasn't Jasper, he respects other's wishes. Alice, on the other hand†¦the very nosy, annoying, short vampire that receives visions, has been pressing the ‘turn Bella into a vampire' campaign for a while now. I wonder what vision she is seeing now. It must be flickering, I haven't decided how I am going to get even with her for telling Bella about this. Venom was thundering through my veins. Enough was enough. I didn't want to flat out tell her no. I wanted her to want to be human. Maybe she needed reminders of why she should stay human. â€Å"Charlie?† I asked curtly. â€Å"Rene?† A blank silence greeted my words. She was opening and closing her mouth like words wouldn't form. I waited for her response, but obviously, she didn't have one. Did she finally reach her senses? â€Å"Look, that's not an issue either,† she finally muttered an obvious lie. Apparently she hasn't reached her senses. â€Å"Rene has always made the choices that work for her — she'd want me to do the same. And Charlie's resilient; he's used to being on his own. I can't take care of them forever. I have my own life to live.† Was she missing the key words here? If she were to stay human she would have a life to live. If she were a vampire, on the other hand, her life would just become this limitless existence that I refused to make her be a part of. â€Å"Exactly,† I snapped. â€Å"And I won't end it for you.† My careful composure was slipping. â€Å"If you're waiting for me to be on my deathbed, I've got news for you! I was just there!† Lame justification. â€Å"You're going to recover,† I reminded her. She took a deep breath at my words, returning my stare. There was no compromise in her face, and I wasn't budging either. â€Å"No,† Bella said slowly. â€Å"I'm not.† Anger vanished, fear replaced it. Was something else wrong with her†¦like cancer? Was she not telling me something? No, her life couldn't be like one of those sad stories you read about. My forehead automatically creased with worry. â€Å"Of course you are. You may have a scar or two†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You're wrong,† she insisted. â€Å"I'm going to die.† No! She was not going to die, she was going to live. I would fight for her, keep her alive. A sense of hopelessness engulfed me. My mind was lost in a desperate speculation. Panic flared within me. â€Å"Really, Bella.† Anxiety broke through my voice. â€Å"You'll be out of here in a few days. Two weeks at most.† She glared at me like I was an idiot. â€Å"I may not die now†¦ but I'm going to die sometime. Every minute of the day, I get closer. And I'm going to get old.† Relief, glorious relief. I frowned at her as her words finally released the tension that built so suddenly. My fingers found my temples as I began to rub them, trying to soothe my troubled mind, closing my eyes. â€Å"That's how it's supposed to happen. How it should happen. How it would have happened if I didn't exist — and I shouldn't exist.† She snorted. I opened my eyes in surprise. â€Å"That's stupid. That's like going to someone who's just won the lottery, taking their money, and saying, ‘Look, let's just go back to how things should be. It's better that way.' And I'm not buying it.† She might have made a point if she used something besides the lottery as an example. â€Å"I'm hardly a lottery prize,† I growled, anger returning. â€Å"That's right. You're much better,† she pointed out. I rolled my eyes and my lips grew tight. It doesn't matter what else she says, she's wasting her breath. To take her soul would be the last thing on earth I would do. She will stay human. Even if Alice tries to take a bite I will tackle and kill if I must. â€Å"Bella, we're not having this discussion anymore. I refuse to damn you to an eternity of night and that's the end of it.† Now stop, I added internally. â€Å"If you think that's the end, then you don't know me very well,† she warned me. â€Å"You're not the only vampire I know.† I will stop her by any means. â€Å"Alice wouldn't dare,† I growled aloud. â€Å"Alice already saw it, didn't she?† She guessed. â€Å"That's why the things she says upset you. She knows I'm going to be like you†¦ someday.† Dammit! I slipped up. Bella is just too perceptive. I'm going to have to be doubly careful what I say around her, choosing my words more carefully. It's just so hard in a heated argument. â€Å"She's wrong,† I barked angrily. â€Å"She also saw you dead, but that didn't happen, either.† â€Å"You'll never catch me betting against Alice,† she retorted. We glared at each other for several long minutes. The regular intervals of the machines continued into our silence. Bella's heart was weirdly steady considering the heated discussion we just had. She was lying down but her chin till jutted out, her forehead was creased with thought and her lips pursed. My angry expression cleared at her beauty. It was heard to stay upset with such a glorious creature. â€Å"So where does that leave us?† She wondered. I chuckled darkly. â€Å"I believe it's called an impasse.† She sighed. â€Å"Ouch,† she muttered. â€Å"How are you feeling?† I asked. My eyes found the button for the nurse. I wanted to bring my original threat back into play if she didn't behave ?C sedation. â€Å"I'm fine,† she lied, her pain was breaking through the pretense. â€Å"I don't believe you,† I said gently. â€Å"I'm not going back to sleep,† she argued, refusing to let anyone think she was weak. â€Å"You need rest. All this arguing isn't good for you.† â€Å"So give in,† she suggested. â€Å"Nice try.† She wasn't behaving. Time for impulsive action. I reached for the button. â€Å"No!† Her eyes saw my hand reach out. I ignored her. â€Å"Yes?† the speaker on the wall squawked. â€Å"I think we're ready for more pain medication,† I said calmly, ignoring her furious expression. â€Å"I'll send in the nurse.† â€Å"I won't take it,† she said vehemently. Pills? Doubtful. I looked toward the sack of fluids hanging beside her bed. â€Å"I don't think they're going to ask you to swallow anything,† I smiled ruefully. The thundering of her heart jumped up into a faster face. Looking into her deep eyes I read the irrational fear. She needs rest, and medication will make the pain go away so she can do just that. It isn't like there are going to be sticking her with needles. I sighed in frustration. â€Å"Bella, you're in pain. You need to relax so you can heal. Why are you being so difficult? They're not going to put any more needles in you now.† â€Å"I'm not afraid of the needles,† she cried out. â€Å"I'm afraid to close my eyes.† It was hard to be frustrated at her when she said those words. Jubilation doused my previous anger. I smiled. She was just worried that I wouldn't be here. Hadn't I made it clear that I wasn't going anywhere? Her thoughts were completely irrational. I took her face in between my hands so she had to look at me. â€Å"I told you I'm not going anywhere. Don't be afraid. As long as it makes you happy, I'll be here.† She smiled back. â€Å"You're talking about forever, you know.† Then, I remembered her words to Rene. â€Å"Oh, you'll get over it — it's just a crush.† She shook her head in disbelief. â€Å"I was shocked when Rene swallowed that one. I know you know better.† One day she will outgrow me, though. My worst fear, yet I prayed she was right, that she would want me forever. â€Å"That's the beautiful thing about being human,† I whispered. â€Å"Things change.† Her eyes narrowed. â€Å"Don't hold your breath,† she retorted. I laughed. I could hold my breath forever if I had too, though I would never do it for something as stupid as wanting Bella to leave me. The nurse came into the room brandishing a syringe. Get out of my way. â€Å"Excuse me,† she said harshly to me. I got up and crossed to the end of the small room, leaning against the wall. I folded My arms and waited. Bella kept her eyes on me, still apprehensive. I met her gaze calmly. â€Å"Here you go, honey.† The nurse smiled as she injected the medicine into Bella's IV. â€Å"You'll feel better now.† â€Å"Thanks,† Bella mumbled, unenthusiastic. It didn't take long. Bella's head already began to lull from side to side. â€Å"That ought to do it,† the nurse muttered as Bella's eyelids drooped. The nurse promptly left the room, eyeing me suspiciously. Even though she was obviously losing consciousness I rushed over to Bella to place my hands on her face, to hold her head still. â€Å"Stay.† Bella slurred. â€Å"I will,† I promised. â€Å"Like I said, as long as it makes you happy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated, not long enough for Bella to notice. â€Å"As long as it's what's best for you,† I added to my statement. â€Å"‘S not the same thing,† she mumbled more inarticulate words. Watching her trying to beat off the medication was kind of†¦hilarious. I laughed. â€Å"Don't worry about that now, Bella. You can argue with me when you wake up.† A cheesy grin spread across her face as her eyes became small slits. ‘†Kay.† I continued to try and suppress laughter. I was very glad Emmett wasn't here, the jokes would never end. Looking down at my now drunken beauty, I brought my lips to her ear. â€Å"I love you,† I whispered. â€Å"Me, too.† â€Å"I know,† I laughed quietly at my joke, remembering her saying that when I finally sucked the venom out of her wrist and told her I loved her. Again, I tried to suppress laughter as her head lulled sideways, her lips puckering at a funny angle, facing the opposite direction of my face. I shook my head and brought my lips to hers. â€Å"Thanks,† she sighed. â€Å"Anytime,† I chuckled. She went limp in the bed, but was still struggling to reach reality. â€Å"Ed..war?† she tried to say my name, but it came out all wrong. â€Å"Yes?† I smiled down at her â€Å"I'm betting on Alice,† she mumbled, her words clearer this time. My humor vanished, a frown replaced my smile. This argument was far from over, but no matter what, our deadlock would remain. I kissed her forehead and sat down next to her to hold her hand until she wakes again.