Loss of Innocence in Lord of the Flies Essay

Within the novel innocence is progressively lost through the boys. The boys were placed in a situation where they had no other choice but to grow up, and grow up fast. These boys were put in a very traumatic situation and they had to learn on their own and from each other how to survive and almost create a thriving society all on their own. Slowly they learn that their needs to be a leader, but there are no adults to precede the role of authority. Therefore the children resume power and take the role of authority. All these things make the boys lose their innocence and become very violent. No one is completely innocent and everyone has the ability to turn violent, this is demonstrated in William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies. Having their plane crash on an abandoned island with no civilization is something everyone would find traumatizing, especially boys from the ages of about 6-12. With no adults many of the boys do not know what to do. Being put in such a traumatizing situation they learn how to grow up very fast. This is where a lot of the boys innocence is lost simply because they do not know how to act as adults and because of this they act in a violent matter â€Å"You should have seen the blood!† (70). Here is an example of how the boys take violence as something exciting, something fun, when really there is nothing good or fun in violence. Very quickly the boys realize that they need to start some survival skills if they would like to stay alive. For some of the boys this is all new, some know nothing. Luckily others have been put in situations where they have needed survival skills so some can think creatively and use materialistic objects to survive. â€Å"His specs- use them as burning glasses!† (40) Here is an example for the boys using materials they have with them to survive on the island alone. They use Piggy’s glasses to create a fire by reflecting the sun off of them. With no adult or no authority to tell them what to do, the boys have to know how to survive on their own and work off of each other. These boys have never had to take over a role of authority that normally  adults have. They have never had such power to control people. This causes complete chaos and lots of violence breaks out due to the feud between Ralph and Jack. The problem with children resuming the roles of adults is that they do not have the experience or knowledge to resume these roles. There is a major lack of authority and power on the island. What happens is that both Jack and Ralph resume authority which divides up the group of boys. â€Å"’I’m chief,’ said Ralph, ‘because you chose me. And we were going to keep the fire going. Now you run after food—‘†(150). This is Ralph claiming his authority. â€Å"I ought to be chief,† said Jack with simple arrogance, â€Å"because I’m chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp.† (22). This is Jack claiming authority. Both boys believe that they have authority and they do not get along with one another. Jack turns quite violent in the novel and is violent towards the other boys. The violence that the boys have towards each other is a major part of their loss of innocence. I believe that the boys in Lord of the Flies suffered from loss of innocence in a very fast and drastic way. They had to learn how to move on from such a tragic and traumatizing situation and learn on the spot how to survive as well as well as how to thrive as a society and work together. Although the boys might not have succeeded in their objectives, but the efforts made to work towards these objectives are what caused their loss of innocence. There are people who will never be deemed violent, whether its because of their age or level of maturity. Small children are perceived as being innocent and adults are seen as mature and self-composed. Yet, William Golding presents a very different opinion in this novel. Golding suggests that under certain circumstances and in the right situation, anyone, even a child can become a savage. Everyone has the ability to turn violent it is just a matter of the situation and the circumstances. Works Cited Page Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. Toronto: Penguin, 2006. Print.

Different Between Vietnam and Us

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN VIETNAM AND THE U. S I am an immigrant person who came to the U. S under family sponsorship. Living here for 4 years, I have learned a lot of interesting things in this country. There are so many differences between Vietnam and the U. S as relationship, weather, religion, fashion, language†¦. but the most three obvious differences between them are country size, education system and culture. Country size is a great difference between these countries. Vietnam is very small country that has S shape .It is bother to the North by China and to the East by Lao and Cambodia. The total land of Vietnam is only 127,276 square miles . it is lightly larger than New Mexico stare of America. On another hand, the United States is the third largest country in the world, which has 3,536,274 square miles. It is located in North America between Canada and Mexico. Another difference is education system between these countries. Vietnamese students face with more difficult than U. S students. They have to wear uniform going to school.They should obey and show respect to their teachers. Tuition in Vietnam is very high. Parents have to pay for their children. Government doesn’t help for poor people attending school. In the contract, the U. S education system is more comfortable. Students can wear whatever they want to school. In class ,they can say what they think in their mind, discuss equally with their teacher. Government pays all tuition for students form fist grate to the twelve grade . After graduating form college , they have more opportunities to get a job .Today more people around the world come to the U. S to have better education The last obvious difference between Vietnam and The U. S is culture. Vietnam’s culture is suffered form China. There are two to there generations living together in the same house. Man is leader in the family, which has more power. They go out working and doing business while woman in Vietnam stay home, take ca re family. Children must listen to their parents. Unmarried people living together is unacceptable . However, American culture is pposite and it was strange to me when I came here . Man and woman are equally. American families are smaller. Adult people like to move out living with their friends when they finish high school . Children can decide what they want to do . They are independent from their parents . Man and woman can live together without getting married In conclusion, Vietnam and the U. S have a lot of differences. I cannot tell which one is better because each country has advances and disadvances. It depend on each person’s life so they can choose where is the best for them .

Marketing principles for organizations

1. Marketing PhilosophyThe adoption of marketing is nearly as old as humanity itself.   Whenever there is a consumer demanding a product or service and a supplier willing to supply such good, marketing is adopted.   The marketing philosophy essentially entails the strategic organizational aim of determining needs and wants of selected markets and providing goods and services that satisfy such wants in a more efficient and effective way than competitors.   In the last decade several organizations started following such principle in order to endure in the market.For instance, McDonald’s Corporation applies a strong marketing orientation.   They are constantly keen on what the customer wants and change their products and services accordingly.   For example, McDonald’s adopted the philosophy of ‘QSC & V’ to attract and retain clients.   It stands for quality, service, cleanliness and value.   They guarantee that clients enter a spotless clean rest aurant and are served by friendly personnel.   Indeed employees are carefully thought the art of servicing clients in all regions across the world.Recently the aforementioned marketing concept has evolved to consider also the need of society.   The societal marketing philosophy, as it is commonly known, comprises that apart from determining the needs and wants of clientele in target markets and delivering goods and services that better than competitors, these goods and services are also provided in a way that sustain the society’s well-being.This is a challenging principle as one can note.   However, some meticulous organizations are already following it.   For example, when the tampered cyanide-laced capsules of Tylenol were marketed by Johnson & Johnson and ended up killing a number of persons, the company immediately collected back all the defective goods, even though the corporation supposed that the pills had been altered only in a few retail shops.   Although the collection expenses amounted to $240 million, the company managed to keep customers’ confidence and loyalty on the products offered, leading such good to remain a leading pain reliever in its market.1.1   Need for market researchAs one can note, to successfully adopt an effective marketing orientation, it is important that managers are fully aware of the customers needs and wants.   To further compound the issue, today’s markets are extremely dynamic and susceptible to change.   For example, car manufacturers are extremely keen on customer tastes in order to produce vehicles in line with such wants.   Therefore management is required to be constantly on the alert of what the client is demanding.   The effectiveness of marketing intelligence systems to obtain such information is weak. The need thus arose of obtaining information directly from the market through marketing research.The marketing research process consists of the following four steps: · Defi ning the problem and research objectives – market management and researchers define thoroughly the problem at hand and the research objectives that can aid in solving such issue. · Developing the research plan – the information needed is determined at this stage.   Researchers will then seek the secondary data already available and how the primary data can be obtained.  Ã‚   Primary market data can be achieved through a variety of marketing research mediums available, such as experimental research, observational research and more. · Implementing the research plan – once the methods of collecting information are set, the collection of such information commences in this stage together with the processing and analyzing of such information gathered. · Interpreting and Reporting the findings – the last but not least step is the interpretation of the date collected and presented jointly with valid conclusions.Marketing research is a very expensive bus iness operation, which sometimes may amount to millions of dollars.   However, the information derived is very valuable to the organization and can aid management in good decisions to be a market leader.   A typical example that comes to mind is the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) venture in the Japanese market.Such market seems impenetrable by many American and European organizations.   The non-tariff barriers, the iron grip of the keiretsu kigyi (banking groups), and the committed Japanese workforce make it very complex for an outside firm to infiltrate their market.   KFC, yet, was capable to enter this market and is actually performing better than the United States Market.   As a matter of fact, in the 90s the 1,470 Asian outlets sales averaged 60% more than the United States average.Through vigilant marketing research the KFC management, comprehended that in large Asian cities there is an increasing absorption of young middle-class workforce with growing income who are e ager to pay further for American-style restaurants.   This exposed the viability of the project to KFC managers.   Market research also brought to KFC attention that the number of Asian women in the labour force is increasing considerably, who has a smaller amount of time for food preparation at home and consequently the need for fast-food restaurants in Asia is increasing.   With this information KFC management instantaneously recognised the strategic window of opportunity that is available and took appropriate action to operate fruitfully in that market.1.2   Marketing Mix ElementsThe marketing mix concept originated from Neil. H. Borden who suggests the utilization of the four main controllable variables of management to reach the marketing orientation approach.   The marketing mix elements are the following: · Product – there are three levels of products, which the organization should classify their products in, because customer attitude and response would be different under each category.   These are augmented, actual and core products.   In marketing, the product quality and features are not the only elements that form a good product.   Today’s fierce competition demands that managers also focus on the product design apart from the ones previously mentioned.   Nike, for example, employs 60 designers and issue 500 different footwear designs each year.   Attention should also be directed towards branding, product packaging and labeling.  Ã‚   These are important features to attain market leadership.Every product or service marketed passes through a life, commonly known as product life cycle.   These are product development stage, introduction, growth, maturity and decline.   The other marketing mix elements described below should be in line with the stage the product is in to ensure a proper market orientation. ·   Price – the price decision is also an important one.   Management can choose from three main categories, being cost based pricing methods, market pricing methods and competition based pricing methods.   The selection of the optimal price depends on internal and external variables.   Internal factors affecting pricing decisions are:   marketing objectives, marketing-mix strategies, costs and organizational considerations.   The external factors are:   market features and demand, competitors’ costs, prices and offers and other external factors like economic conditions. · Distribution – the distribution channels utilized should be effective in order to ensure that the product is delivered more effectively than competitors.   There are different number of distribution channels used, like direct-marketing channel in which no intermediary levels are adopted, vertical marketing system and horizontal marketing system.   Under the latter two intermediaries are used. · Promotion – the promotion mix is a very expensive but effective marketin g mix element.   It can for instance sustain a product brand.   Promotion is also important to inform clients about the product or services offered especially at the introductory stage of a product/service.   The mass-promotion tools available are advertising, sales promotion and public relations.   These should be designed and implemented carefully to maximize their effectiveness.   Likewise it is important that personal selling maintain the messages adopted in the promotion mix through the sales force behavior with clients.1.3   Final Thought – Benefits of MarketingEven though marketing seems elaborate it is very fruitful for a firm.   By understanding the customer we can reach the clients and sell our goods.   Client retention and market leadership can also be attained with the aid of marketing.   Failure to apply marketing to understand the client can be detrimental.   .   For instance, Disney made the fatal mistake of not separating European custome rs with American ones in the Euro Disney project.They originally designed a park similar to the American one, incorrectly neglecting the cultural differences that exist.   For example, they adopted a policy of serving no alcohol in the park.   This was extremely unpleasant to such culture because in France wine is habitual for lunch and dinner.   Thus the organization suffered $921 million losses in the first financial year, and had to rapidly change some aspects of the park in order to survive in the European market.References:Hartley R. (2000).   Management Mistakes & Successes.   Sixth Edition.   New York:   John Wiley & Sons Inc.Hume S (1990).   Advertising Age.   McDonald’s Fred Turner:   making all the right moves.Kotler P.; Armstrong G.; Saunders J.; Wong V. (1999).   Principles of Marketing.   Second Edition.   London:   Prentice Hall.

Recent Trends in Business Communication (Last Five Years) Research Paper

Recent Trends in Business Communication (Last Five Years) - Research Paper Example The major internal functions of business communication are information to management, information to employees, and improvement in morale. The major external functions of business communication are to make relations with the suppliers, sales of goods and services, report to owner-shareholder, report to government, and to create goodwill for the business (Kushal, 2010). Technology is shaping the mode and means of business communication around the world. Offices are adopting new methods of communication that are paperless and the distance between businesses is getting smaller with each new day. Communication in the past was characterized by writing business letters and sending memos. With the advancement in technology, business workforce interacts through teleconferencing, emails and videoconferencing (Kaur, 2010). Technology is advancing at a very fast rate and it is already changing the business communication trends. Innovations happening are geared towards dealing with the complexities of the business communications in the global economy (Scudder, 2010). Among the newest innovations in business communication is the use of electronic tools. Devices and software programs are being developed and at the same time entering the market at a significant rate. However, a lot of capital investment is required to acquire these technologies and assist the workers master them. Productivity is increased by tools such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), wikis and teleconferences. These tools also improve the way the business communicates with the customers. Use of these electronic tools may be cumbersome for the business professionals, thus, their effective use requires training, time and capital (Business-Telephone-System.org, 2010). In business communication, there are recent technological advancements that have shaped the way businesses communicate around the world. The most dominant form is the use of email and more recently the use of teleconferencing and

Write a reading response based on the this article Essay

Write a reading response based on the this article - Essay Example At one point in the article, Honan talks about how he is going to go out of town and is debating about allowing his location to be tracked during this time period as it would make public that his wife would ultimately be alone for five days. His wife states at one point, â€Å"Youre not going to announce to everyone that youre leaving town without me, are you? A lot of weirdos follow you online."(Honan). I couldn’t help but agree with his wife’s consensus. Although there might not be that many weirdos running around out there with the intent to hurt others, it is still scary to think that someone could easily find out where you are and that you had basically handed out this information voluntarily. In reading this article, I was impressed to see all of the capabilities of technology with apps such as iWant, GasBag, and Wikime, but I also feel like there is an overload of it right now. A lot of these apps just don’t seem necessary and could end up causing more trouble than they are worth. By the end of the piece, Matthew Honan seems to agree with this somewhat when he nearly gets in a car crash because he was placing too much of his attention on his smart-phone and not enough attention on the road(Honan). I concluded from the article that with apps, the phrase â€Å"too much of a good thing† definitely applies. Honan , Matthew. "I Am Here: One Mans Experiment With the Location-Aware Lifestyle ." Wired.com . 19 Jan. 2009. Web. 28 Sept. 2011.

Brand Extension Marketing Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Brand Extension Marketing Plan - Research Paper Example The brand extension project aims to secure opportunities in the current market before our competitors identify them. By the end of the first Quarter, Clean-So aims to increase its market share by 40%. This is a stiff rate considering the competitive state of the current market. In order to achieve a successful market takeover, Clean-So will introduce a loyalty program whereby customers will earn redeemable royalty point for every purchase. This will enable Clean-So to penetrate the already saturated market. Although Al-Mara is an established brand name, Clean-So Company will need to re-advertise its Al-Mara Creme and Soap. The adverts will mainly target women since Al-Mara is a female-oriented brand. The adverts will be launched through the social media and billboards in order to reach the target group. The Advertisement will be the basis for a strategic customer acquisition program (Stapleton, & Thomas, 1998). Alternative customer acquisition strategies will involve loyalty points program and free samples. We expect an exponential market growth rate that attains stability in the second quarter. Clean-So Company is three-years old in the cosmetic industry and, therefore it is accustomed with market trends and changes. The company aims to concentrate its interests in a profitable market niche. Demographic factors and social classes define the current market. However, Clean-So hopes to surpass the demographic and lifestyle factors associated with the market. In particular, the company aims to market its products to people from different age groups and income brackets. The target market (Lavington Green Village) has consumers from each of the identified category. Therefore, the company will rely on packaging and product differentiation to capture the target market. Moreover, the company aims to launch Al-Mara soap and cream under various fragrances and colors. This aspect of product presentation will cater for the taste and preferences of the target

An intriguing outdoor scene Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

An intriguing outdoor scene - Essay Example Dogs and their owners can be seen as well walking or running around for a good exercise. It is a usual meeting place for people which make parks an inherent part of American society. This is why more people and organizations such as Parks for People are calling for the improvement and opening of more parks. â€Å"City parks and open space improve our physical and psychological health, strengthen our communities, and make our cities and neighborhoods more attractive places to live and work† (Sherer, 2006, p.6). These parks contribute more than we realize, even so the national parks that are part of the â€Å"nation’s natural and cultural heritage† (The Untold Stories, 2009, par.2). The vibrancy that is apparent when people flock to the park is testament to its vital role in the community. There is no doubt that parks are ideal places where people mingle and enjoy activities without having to spend a dime. They must be preserved for the continued enjoyment of peopl e and the future generations to

Attitude Towards Credit Card And Financial Awareness Dissertation

Attitude Towards Credit Card And Financial Awareness - Dissertation Example ................................ 4.3 Attitude...................................................................................................................... 5.1 Discussion of findings............................................................................................... 6.1 Conclusions and recommendations......................................................................... REFERENCES APPENDICES EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Research has indicated that there are three potential influences that will impact the credit card behavioural patterns of Chinese university students: financial awareness, attitude and social demographics. Chinese society is borne of long-standing cultural values related to the Confucian era, in which hedonistic self-gratification is present, where collectivist values are nurtured and respected, and where social in-group affiliation and reputation protection are considered important constructs of the Chinese lifestyle. Hence, there is ample evidence using t he theory of conspicuous consumption that Chinese university students might be adopting or increasing their frequency of credit card utilisation to gain important social opinion. Because the market is not in a stage of growth, but has become stagnated, business leaders need to know how to best target consumer segments and gain more profitability opportunities. The findings from the study provided a foundation for recommendations on how to improve business strategy develop for more effective strategic plans to gain university student interest and engagement with credit cards. Further implications from the study include how to build more effective marketing by credit card providers and how to potentially enhance education at the university to provide more financial responsibility and... By focusing on what actually drives existing sentiment about credit cards and the specific socio-psychological factors impact behaviors, utilizing qualitative research methodology, it will give a more concrete lesson about what factors influence and motivate credit card adoption and utilization patterns. This research project fulfilled all of its objectives, identifying the potential relevance of financial awareness, attitude and social demographics on the credit card behavior of university students. Though not all assertions and contentions provided in the literature review were supported, there were many factors related to university student credit card behaviors that create opportunities for new business model development that can better improve the competitive and revenue positions of credit card companies and banking institutions that offer credit card services.This project provided a new series of understandings about the relevance of social demographics, the tangible irrelevan ce of financial awareness and the strong relevance of attitude that could serve as a standard for marketing research practice and credit card policy development that could be better geared for exploiting market opportunities with male and female university students. Businesses that offer credit services should be aware of the identified predictors of certain credit card behaviors in the university student market segment in China in order to provide more relevant offerings and insulate the business from potential risks.

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

Project Management - Essay Example They can be defined as groups or individuals having interest in the project and that interest can be good or bad influence the results of the project Pinto (2010) . In that case stakeholder analysis can be used to identify and resolve some of the conflicts that arise while introducing any new project. This analysis is used to make strategies to make the stakeholders’ impact positive on the project. Some stake holders can have varying impacts on projects ranging from drastic impact to little impact. For example Pinto (2010), gives an example by explaining that government can strictly limit the sales of any tobacco project by implementing different rules and regulations while on the other hand a software development company may not face that strict rules and regulations by the same stakeholder. Every stakeholder has own demand which may be in conflict with other stakeholder’s demand and the conflict of demands may prove to be challenging for the project manager (Kuenkel et al, 2011). For example, a team of any project working to repair a new software across organization can go for many revisions to check the satisfaction of their customers and in doing so may make other stakeholders uneasy by rescheduling the deadline again and again that might be a challenge for the project manager. In these cases, the project manager needs to balance the demands of all the stakeholders by maintaining supportive relationship among all the stakeholders. There are two types of stakeholders i.e. internal stakeholders such as top management, accountant, project team members and other functional managers. External stakeholders such as clients, competitors, suppliers, environmental, political and other invervenor groups (Pryke, 2006). Internal stakeholders are important in a stakeholder analysis and usually they affect the project positively because in most cases the internal stakeholders want the project to be successfully completed (Poonia, 2010). External

Microsoft Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Microsoft Company - Case Study Example What accounts for this company’s international success despite the potential for intense competition in most markets? Some reasons for company’s international successes are diversity in products ranges, a continuance of professionalism and partnering with other companies for better products. One of the major reasons for success is continuous innovation in products and services (Satell, 2013). Find a list of company’s values. Pick 2 of the values and explain how you think those values would influence the way employees do their work? Although the company has listed many values, the most important two values are mutual respect and continual self-improvement. These 2 values boost the self-confidence of employees regardless of different ethnic or personal background and result into an increase in productivity (Microsoft, 2015). Research the most recent annual report of the company ( most companies post their annual reports online in the Investor Relations section of their web page ) and list all the factors in the external environment that have affected the company. Focus on both the general and specific environment. The external factors that have affected the company are the rapid rate in advance of the technology, mergers, and acquisitions of various tech companies. It is also facing problems due to patent –infringement or anti-trust suit filed against Microsoft in various countries during last few years. What is the organization’s mission? Whom does the organization serve, and how does it serve them?

Detrimental effects to real women by women portrayed on TV Research Paper

Detrimental effects to real women by women portrayed on TV - Research Paper Example These women are to serve as an example of how a female should look and behave; they radiate magnetism that can generate all imaginable and unimaginable feelings and thoughts. Nevertheless, the arguments behind this suggestion are not unmistakable. It is essential to understand the line between the TV world and the real life, between natural and virtual. It is not infrequent that many women feel themselves imperfect and unworthy in comparison to their TV counterparts (Doane, 1991). A woman who regularly judges herself against the females from TV usually becomes not very self-assured. The images created and shown on TV decrease women’s self-esteem as they do reflect the ideas of feminism women have been struggling for for many years. And it is a well- known fact, that self-respect guarantees proper attitude of other people and consequently, self-assurance, approval, and finally, the impression a women makes. TV shows talk about and show women different from those we meet in the real life. Surely, it would be more beneficial for female population to look for other samples for assessment (Hyde, 2005). Men and women have very different self-appraisal and the attitudes towards each other are formed through years. These attitudes and stereotypes are formed inside of our souls by what we see and hear around. As we watch TV every day, many of our stereotypes are formed with the help of it. Women were struggling for their rights and self-respect for ages however, sometimes there is an impression that these efforts are not taken into account. Almost every ad contains something offensive for the representatives of fair sex, because what they see on TV can’t even be compared with what they see in everyday life (Juhasz, 2001). Modern famous serials like Sex and the City make women think about their lives. Here we can see four women, free and successful who does not need any marriage or children and just have fun enjoying life. Such life is not natural for

Cradle to Cradle Essay Example for Free

Cradle to Cradle Essay In this book the authors and environmentalists William McDonough and Michael Braungart discuss how very un-eco friendly are the people that design our world, from our buildings to the products we use and consume. They talk about how our solutions for our environmental problems, such as recycling, are basically just a band-aid fix for broken bone. They discuss the negative effects that our daily lives have on our environment and offer some solutions of their own to help counteract the problem as much as possible, even the book Cradle to Cradle is printed on eco-friendly paper that does not use trees. In this book McDonough and Braungart urge its readers to take our environment into account and look for better solutions to our global environmental problems then the ones that we have been settling for for the last half-century. In this book McDonough and Braungart identify two major problems with the way that we live that negatively affects our environment. The first is the problem of throwing things away, because in fact when we throw things away, they do not just go away. The things that we throw out stay here on our Earth, soiling our precious and finite earth and affect its well-being. The second problem that they discuss the the harmful product that are used, which not only have negative impacts on our planet, but also on ourselves. In this book the authors urge us to learn from nature through bio-mimicry, an effort to design buildings like trees, cities like forests. They also challenge us to look at ants and the role they play in the world and their self-sustaining way of life and to learn from them. Ants are able to inhabit a diverse a range of environments, are able to hunt, scavenge, and grow their own food, build their homes, effectively handle their wastes, create powerful medicines, and produce biological and chemical weapons, all the while contributing to the health of the natural world. We live on this earth less-effectively than ants and should look to their way of living as a role model for how we as humans live on this earth. McDonough and Braungart offer some of their own suggestions for way that we can live effectively with the Earth in mind, such as rooftops covered with soil and plants that serve as natural insulation, non toxic dyes and fabrics, their current overhaul of Fords legendary River Rouge factory, and even the book itself, which is printed on a synthetic paper that does not use trees. While creating an ultimate solution to our environmental problem is a very involved and complicated ordeal, McDonough and Braungart do offer some simple solutions to help cut down on the harm we are causing our planet. One things that we can do is to cut out all chemicals and substances that are harmful and destructive both to humans as well as the environment. Also they discuss how we must abandon our current cradle to grave way of thinking and adopt a cradle to cradle way of thinking, meaning that we need to consider where the products and its packaging will end up after we are finished with it. When creating a product we need to begin to understand and think about where it will end up after the consumer is done with it. We must think about how our waste can be reused in order to cut back on unnecessary waste and contamination of our planet. McDonough and Braungart in this book urge us to start looking at our wasteful ways and see how it is harming our own selves as well as the environment and see that we must adopt a cradle to cradle way of thinking in order to save our planet and use the finite resources we have in a smart and truly eco friendly way. After reading this book I examined the wasteful way in which I live my own life, and when I think about how I live and times that by 6,973,738,433, it’s hard to fathom how much damage we must be doing to our planet. Our resource, clean air and precious earth are limited but humans are consumers and don’t consider much past our own immediate wants and needs. After reading this book I see how important it is to move away from cradle to grave thinking and truly take on a cradle to cradle way of thinking and see the long term effects of our consumerism. This book should be read by everyone because it gives a clear and simple way to see how we are living now, and then how we should be living in order to help save and protect the planet that we have been given.

Murakami Harukis Norwegian Wood

Murakami Harukis Norwegian Wood Sex and Existence: A Third Choice of Human Existence in Murakami Harukis Norwegian Wood In Norwegian Wood, Murakami Haruki experiments to challenge the mainstream conceptions of sex, love and human existence, that he believes these three elements do not always coordinate with each other; and part of the reason why this novel is so celebrated even today is because it breaks what the media, the society, and the human instinct of being normal. Death exists, not as the opposite but as a part of life (25) is a famous quote from Norwegian Wood, and it provides a third perception of understanding life and death; similarly, a significant part of the novel discusses the relationship between love and sex, which Murakami sets different characters to perform a third way of human existence with different perspectives. To begin with, the best way to understand Norwegian Wood, is to not consider it as a romantic or teen novel, which normally conveys the idea that love conquers all (Hall Mar.16th); instead, treat it as an analytical novel which discusses the relationship among love, sex and human existence. The biggest reason that Murakami sets the main characters at young ages, such as sets Kizuki at his seventeen (and forever remains seventeen), Naoko at her twenty (and forever remains twenty), and Toru together with Midori at their twenties, is because that for post-pubertal young people, their bodies are mature enough to explore sexual world, but their minds are still not fully corrupted by the harshness outside school life, so that they have the ability to learn how to love by their bodies, yet appreciate love by their pure hearts. Naoko and Midori are two intriguing female characters in Norwegian Wood. Both characters are somehow abnormal, such as Naokos psychological anxiety towards sex, and Midoris unusual behaviour of standing naked in front of her fathers portrait. These behaviours are certainly not seen as standard code of conduct. In order to understand Naoko and Midoris abnormalities, it is important to analyze these two girls contrary views towards sex, life and human existence. In traditional romantic literature, the common plot is that the hero and heroine together overcome many obstacles, and live happily ever after. Since after so many difficulties they have been through, the ending usually ends with them having a blessed life to death for sure, and it is assumed that their sex life will be harmonious as well. However, it is not the case in Norwegian Wood. Naoko has difficulties to have a penetrative sex with her lover Kizuki, but she succeeds in doing it with Toru, though it is the first and the o nly time she gets sexually aroused. Moreover, the reason for Naokos suicide also needs to be noticed, although the reason is made implicit in the novel. However, it is certain that Naoko does not die for love. During the twenty years of Naokos life, she encounters two deaths of her loved ones. The first one is her sisters death. Naokos sister commits suicide at the age of seventeen, and Naoko as an eleven years old child witnesses her sisters dead body. Then six years later, Naokos beloved Kizuki ends his life in the same way, by committing suicide. These two deaths strike Naoko drastically, but not fatally. She manages to get into the college, although avoiding talking about the past when she meets Toru a year after Kizukis death, it is too assertive to conclude Naokos suicide as to either follow her true love, or merely disappointed with the world. There are not many evidences of which event triggers Naoko to commit suicide, but it is for sure that her only climax gives her both t he hope to carry on life, yet in the same time destructs this hope to live. The biggest fear of Naoko is her inability to perform sex with her lover as normal people do. Naoko constantly talks about that night on her twentieth birthday, and keeps question her inability to sex. This once in life sexual experience to Naoko is not only a natural physiological behaviour, but also contains the meaning of life, and this meaning is not merely limited to physiological needs, but being elevated to the meaning of continuing life. The first time Toru visits Naoko at the sanatorium, she speaks of her version of viewing the sexual intercourse with Toru: I [Naoko] was wet from the minute you [Toru] walked into my apartment the night of my twentieth birthday. I wanted you to hold me. I wanted you to take my clothes off and touch me all over and to get inside me. I had never felt like that before. Why is that? Why do things happen that way? I mean, I really loved him [Kizuki]. (112) It makes Naoko so confused that why she and Kizuki never succeed in having a penetrative sex, but why she can have one with Toru; if she loves Kizuki, why her body does not let him in; or is that if she loves Toru, why is she unable to let Toru in for a second time? Naoko keeps pondering over these questions, and the second time Toru visits her, she was less talkative than she had been in the fall (237). When Toru tries to have sex with her again, he discovers that Naoko is still unable to get aroused, and she once again questions her inability to have sex: Why dont I get wet? Naoko murmured. That one time was the only time it ever happened. The day of my twentieth birthday, that April. The night you [Toru] held me in your arms. What is wrong with me? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ What if I never get better? What if I can never have sex for the rest of my life? Can you keep loving me just the same? (239) By shaping a character like Naoko, Murakami raises a hypothesis that what if sexual impulse does not occur coincidentally with love, does it prove that there is a third choice of performing sexless affection or affectionless sex? Whether or not this hypothesis works, Murakami offers a possibility that there could be a third kind of human existence in life, other than having impulsive sex, romantic sex, or no sex life at all. Midori is in the contrary of Naoko. She is described both by herself and by Toru as a real, live girl with blood in her veins (267), and she always seems to be happy and relaxed; however, she is not born to be this optimistic, but rather she chooses to be this way. Similar to Naoko, Midori has a tragic life of losing her loved ones: her grandfather, grandmother, mother and father. Midoris mother dies of cancer, and before her death, she lives in the hospital for almost two years while Midori takes care of her everyday therefore has to delay school. Midoris father loves his wife so deeply, that he says to Midori and her sister, I [Midoris father] would much rather have lost the two of you [Midori and her sister] than her [Midoris mother] (71). Then two years later, her father dies of the same cancer as her mother. Unlike Naoko, Midori is not defeated by so many deaths, instead, she manages to live her life bravely. Every time Midori appears in the story, her activities are not limited to talking: she and Toru often eat together, drink together, she cooks, smokes, and does all kinds of things; whereas for Naoko and Toru, what they mostly do is writing letters and walking. These vigorous activities save Toru from drowning himself with Naokos pain, and Midoris strong vitality symblizes the only oasis in this novel of boundless depressed desert. Midoris vitality puts her in a somewhat awkward position in society, considering the novels setting is in the 1960s Japan; she does not cry at her fathers funeral, she unreservedly discusses sexual fantasies with Toru: asking him to think of her while masturbating, she invites Toru to watch pornography at an adult theatre, and she is never shy of telling Toru her true feelings, of how much she desires him. Midoris independent, modernized characteristics and her value of existence of careless to the normalcy contradicts to Naokos belief of perfect union of sex and love. To conclude these two girls, Naoko stands for the possib ility of a third way of existence between sex and love, and Midori exhibits the possibility of a third existence of living without confinements. Naoko and Midori are like the two opposites of a scale, and Toru is the one to decide which side weighs more. In the first chapter, Toru already makes it clear that what happens in the book are all memories: I [Toru] was thirty-seven then, strapped in my seat as the huge 747 plunged through dense cloud cover on approach to the Hamburg airport (3), and this chapter ends with the monologue of Naoko never loved me (10). By reading this monologue, it is obvious that even twenty years pass by, Toru is still stuck in the memory of Naokos suicide. Toru tries to save Naoko, by having sex with her, by loving her, but both the efforts of love and sex can not solve Naokos psychological problems, and Toru never gets to understand the world of Naokos. On the other hand, Toru is drawn to Midoris vitality, and Midori always saves him, even at the end of the novel, Toru still seeks help from Midori: again and again, I [Toru] called out for Midori from the dead center of this place that was no place (293). There are four stages of Torus sexual development: to desire sex, to understand sex, to control sex, and to enjoy sex. The first stage of desiring sex, is reflected by the first half of the novel, when Toru starts to have sexual relationships with his first girlfriend in high school, with Naoko, and with other strange girls. Toru starts this relationship without envisaging it because of Kizukis death, since he was unable to find a place for myself [Toru] in the world around me (24), and immediately after graduation, he is devoted to leave Kobe without considering this girls feeling. The desiring of sex happens after Toru having sex with Naoko. As Toru recalls in his letter to Naoko, he honestly writes that the warmth and closeness I [Toru] felt for you [Naoko] at the moment was something I had never experienced before (41). To Toru, this is an extraordinary experience, because the other girls he has sex with are not the ones he has feelings with. Previously, when Toru has sex with st range girls, he always feels empty the next morning after; however, after his sexual intercourse with Naoko, he gets to taste the glamour of reaching climax both physically and mentally, he thereby feels hunger for women bodies: My [Toru] body was hungering for women. All the time I was sleeping with those girls, I though about Naoko, about the white shape of her naked body in the darkness, her sighs, the sound of the rain. The more I thought about these things, the hungrier my body grew (43). The first time when Toru goes to visit Naoko at the sanatorium, Naoko shows him her naked body at night, and it triggers Toru to recall their first night: A sense of imperfection had been what Naokos body had give me [Toru] that night as I tenderly undressed her [Naoko] while she cried à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I [Toru] am having intercourse with you [Naoko] now. I am inside you. But really this is nothing. It doesnt matter. It is nothing but the joining of two bodies. All we are doing is telling each other things that can only be told by the rubbing together of two imperfect lumps of flesh. By doing this, we are sharing our imperfection. (131) This whole passage of imperfection that Toru speaks forms a contrast to Naokos perfection theory, Naoko insists that if she is going to see Toru again, she wants her body to be clean of all this when I [Naoko] meet him [Toru] (246), and this hints Torus incomprehension of Naokos world. The second stage of Torus sexual development is to understand sex. Since Toru experiences several sexual activities with strange girls, he tastes the loneliness and emptiness that come after climax; at the same time, he knows that Naoko is getting further away from him after them having sex. Toru gets hurt by sex, and therefore, he chooses to not to have sex with Midori, because he realizes that youre [Midori] the best friend Ive [Toru] got now à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I dont want to lose you (250). The third stage of Torus sexual development is to control sex. Toru passes the first two stages, he becomes more familiar with sex, just like tobacco, and he does not want to be controlled by it. As he says to Midori, I [Toru] dont like having something [smoke] control me that way (70), and same for sex, he does not wish to let sexual impulses to overtake his love towards both Naoko and Midori; instead, he wants to remember that momentary experience he has with Naoko, and his commitment to Midori, so he does not let him have sex with other girls.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   The second time Toru and Midori lie down in the same bed, he still suppresses his thought of having sex with Midori, because he finds out that he falls in love with Midori: I [Toru] loved Midori, and I was happy that she had come back to me. The two of us could make it [having sex], that was certain à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ It had been all I could do to suppress the intense desire I had to strip her [Midori] naked, throw open her body, and sink myself in her warmth à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I loved Midori. And I had probably known as much for a while. I had just been avoiding the conclusion for a very long time. (267) The fourth stage of Torus sexual development is to enjoy sex. In the last chapter of Norwegian Wood, Toru has sex with Reiko. This time, their sex is relaxed, enjoyable, and meaningful. As Murakamis hypothesis of sex could be based on love, and it could also be independent without love, the sex between Toru and Reiko is the best proof to make this hypothesis established. To conclude Torus character as a whole, he represents Murakamis perception that sex is the basic element that exists in life, and it can be independent without love. Only with this view implanted to Torus character, he can love Naoko and Midori without the disturbance of sexual desire, and gives both Reiko and himself a new start with sex. The traditional treatment of sex in literature is to either blur or eliminate its description, in order to weaken its influence on love; whereas in Murakami Harukis Norwegian Wood, his descriptions of sex is simple but explicit, which declares his perception to sex as modernized and positive. Norwegian Wood starts with an end, and ends with a start, this paradoxical beginning and ending fits the life death opposite theory proposed in the book perfectly. By offering these paradoxes, Murakami offers a third choice of human existence, that his ideal lifestyle is never a two-point and one-line dynamic; instead, by examining and combining the extreme commonness and abnormality, a third choice of living is formed. No matter what this third existence is, it is a lifestyle that is unique, as Reiko says What makes us most normal, is knowing that were not normal (148). Word count: 2599 Works Cited Hall, Nick. ASIA 364 Modern Japanese Literature 1868 the Present. University of British Columbia. 16 March 2017. Class notes. Murakami, Haruki. Norwegian Wood. Trans. Jay Rubin. New York: Vintage International, 2000. Print.

Modernity And Cinema In Bengal Film Studies Essay

Modernity And Cinema In Bengal Film Studies Essay Realism and Modernity are two words closely associated with Bengali cinema. Some of the greatest and among the most popular filmmakers of Bengal took realist genre of films to a new height, alongside reflecting modernist ideas. Realism and modernity go hand-in-hand in Bengali films, especially in the work of greats like Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak. Although defining modernity would mean at least a few more pages, for the sake of this essay, we would deduct it down to merely social, political and artistic modernization. Satyajit Rays magnum opus Pather Pancheli is one of the greatest examples of realist films portraying various elements of modernity. Inspired by Italian neo-realism (especially Vittorio De Siccas Bicycle Thief, 1948), Ray created his first film and a masterpiece reflecting the evolution and social change in Bengal and a modernization of ideas and concepts. In Pather Panchali, Ray talks about leaving old ideas behind and moving on. He talks about how over time, old ways of living, ancestral ideas and traditional lifestyle has become stale and needs to be changed. Apu, with his family, leaves his home and village at the end because the ancestral house held them behind. They moved to find a better way of living. They moved to get rid of the old house which couldnt help them in any way, but instead took their daughters life. This whole film is a transition from pre-modern to a modern way of living. Ray distributes several metaphors throughout the film metaphors of modernity and need for change. One important character which served as a metaphor for me was that of the old aunt. Shes old, tired and just wanders around the house doing nothing. Shes often told to go indicating shes not wanted in the house. The family is fed up of her just as theyre fed up of traditions and the same lifestyle theyd been living in the fear of famine, poverty and survival. The old aunt wanders, trying to find a place for herself, and when she doesnt, she dies. Ray shows death of old ideas. Ray wants change. He shows a need for change and a breakaway from traditions which are holding you back. He wants to show theres always a need for change. The old aunt is a mere metaphor for him to show how traditions have become stale. Charulata (1964), another one of the great films by Ray, also talks about change. But here, he sets it in an upper middle class Bengali society where a lonely housewife falls in love with her brother-in-law while they both encourage each other to write. He puts two different ideas of home and desire, literature and politics, pre-modernism and modernity face-to-face. Rays films have a humanistic touch. He uses his craft to get to the deepest part of human heart and extract out the emotions from there. Scenes like Apu throwing away the necklace Durga had stolen, Amal leaving home to avoid being unfaithful, Durga stealing food for her aunt add to the humanistic approach of Satyajit Rays work. Neo-realism is another thing that inspired Ray. According to me, its mainly because his stories were about society. He couldnt have made them in a fictional style because then they wouldnt be relevant to the society. His stories were not meant to be mere films, but a reality somewhere in time which needed to be imitated in Bengali society and which was a reflection of the same society he lived in. His characters were sketches of real people. They were close to real. For example, when you think Durga, you dont think of her as a two-dimensional good or evil character, but as a girl who existed and had different attributes to her personality just like everybody else. She wasnt a puppet. Similarly, Ritwik Ghataks films introduced different modern themes to the evolving society of Bengal such as alienation, isolation, need for home. In one of his most personal and also socially relevant films Ajantrik, Ghatak introduces the concept of alienation and isolation from the society. He shows a mans attachment to his car, an inanimate object and a troubled social life where he cant connect well to the people around him. Scenes like where the character Bimal is talking to his car, the car responding to him, him taking care of the car like a companion and not caring about what his society says, show how important a character Jagaddal (the car) is. Ghatak doesnt treat the car as a prop, but as a character itself. He tries to show the cars point of view; he wants to make us feel its presence thus implying the fact how relations have also evolved along with modernization of ideas and society; how people have become more involved with their property rather than fellow human beings. Similarly, in Subarnarekha (1965), Ghatak reflects on the feeling of home (along with many other sub-themes such as happiness, relations). His work has been about change, modernity and its effects and mainly, how partition has affected society and Ghatak himself. In Subarnarekha, he tells a story of a family moving to the bank of Subarnarekha River after the partition and how the girl Sita seeks happiness throughout the film. Moreover, he tells of her feeling at the new home. The river becomes the new home for her who she confides in her secrets, woes and happiness. From what I observed in Ghataks films, he believes that society has changed from being a community to more of a collective living of different individuals. I observed individualism in his work, and how people have turned from their fellows to nature or man-made beauty whether it is mountains and rivers to cars and property. I think there are many modernist elements found in both Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghataks films ranging from their content and themes (home, anthropomorphism, modernity itself) to their craft (use of POV shots, different style of cinematography, manipulating space and even the use of Brechtian elements). Mise-en-scene of Subarnarekha Subarnarekha by Ritwik Ghatak has a totally different feel from Ghataks Ajantrik where he uses machinery and artificial elements. Here he turns to nature. He turns to landscapes for expression of emotions. His landscapes speak. For example, in every scene when Sita sings, we see landscapes of river and surroundings. At times, it seems like Sita is singing to the river, telling her story. Ghatak has a strong fascination of juxtaposing sound and landscape and how it creates an impact in viewers mind. Whats interesting to note is how the kind of landscape shows the state of mind of character, such as when shes happy, we see rice fields and river and when shes sad and bored, we see a barren land. Watching a Ritwik Ghatak film is like going on a travel journey around the state. He shows you picturesque landscapes which strongly reflect nature and emotions. Another important thing which is part of the mise-en-scene is strange framing. Ghatak likes to frame his subjects on extreme and odd points of the grid and juxtapose them to their background, giving them a context. For example the scene where Sita is singing of her woes in a barren land around her and when she ends, the camera dollies out just showing Sitas body (which is also cut in the frame and not properly placed). You can expect the unexpected in Ghataks style of framing. He wouldnt use conventional framing in Subarnarekha, but put two images side by side to create a different context. In Subarnarekha, Ghataks art direction also plays an important role. They also help create the mise-en-scene of the film. The river, the lonely plains, one house in the middle of nowhere, very little to no people, an old abandoned place where the war took place they all develop a certain mood. The movement and transition from a small town school to a journey across the border and to a lone house in the midst of barren land. It creates a symphony a lyrical transition from one note to another. Pace of the film is another thing thats part of the mise-en-scene. The time duration of the film determines how long it would feel compared to the real time. Ghatak manipulates time to the extent where Subarnarekha starts to feel realist which means time is slowed down, although not exactly to match the real time. He changes pace continuously to match the action and the passing of time. Subarnarekha is divided into chapters occurring in different passing time periods. Camera movement is quite natural in the film. Most of the time, Ghatak uses the invisible camera method and doesnt change points of view except at a point where Abhiram recognizes his lost mother. In that scene, camera shifts focus as to provide a point of view of Abhiram recognizing her mother. Ghatak uses space quite realistically creating a perfect illusion of real space. I think Ritwik Ghataks choice of shooting on-location really helped him stay true to his realistic nature of the film (just like many realist filmmakers of 20th century). Costumes, as part of the films mise-en-scene, are minimal and are there just to show the traditional way of life. It hasnt been stylized like setting, sound and camera work. Acting (considering it a part of mise-en-scene) has been reduced to appear natural unlike some of the early films which imitated theater.

The Egyptian Religion :: essays research papers

The Egyptian Religion The Egyptians had a very influential religion that can be analyzed using the five elements of religion. The characteristics of the Ancient Egyptian's religion can be divided into the five elements of religion: authority, faith, rituals, moral code, and concept of the deity. First, the authority of the Egyptian religion. The main authority of the Egyptian religion was the Pharaoh, he had divine right over the people and was considered a god. Also, he could change the religion any way he wanted, for example in the 14th century BC Akhenaton, the Pharaoh outlawed all gods but Aton, who was the sun god, and this became the first monotheistic religion in history, but it was short lived, for when he died the new Pharaoh overruled the law and restored the other gods. The Egyptians Sacred literature was the â€Å"Book of the Dead† which consisted of 42 â€Å"negative confessions† , spells and prayers. Here is a excerpts from the â€Å"Book of the Dead† 1. I have not acted sinfully toward me 2. I have not oppressed the members of my family 3. I have not done wrong instead of what is right 4. I have known no worthless folk (Encarta ‘96) Their were also what we would call "Priests" who sold the people "magical" items that they said would ensure the dead people a way into heaven. Therefore, the authority of the Egyptian religion was controlled heavily by the government. Second, the Egyptians Faith was an important characteristic of their religion. First, they believed that the Pharaoh was a god, and what he spoke became law. The Egyptians worshipped almost every form of life, the worshipped trees, water, animals, and even vegetables. The Egyptians also believed that a person had 2 souls, the ba and the ka, which left the body at death and then returned later to the body. The Egyptians believed that mummification make sure the ba and the ka would find the body when they returned to the body to transport it to the underworld. The Egyptians also believed that they were the ‘ cattle of the gods', and were controlled by them. They also believed that the gods owned all the land, so they sold all their crops at the temples. Furthermore, their idea of heaven was that it was in the milky way, that stood for a fertile Nile and where good crops grew every year. Their belief in a hell was that the soul was devoured by a savage animal called the ‘Devourer of Souls' and then thrown into a pit of fire. The Egyptians believed that what was placed

The Wedding :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In â€Å"The Wedding,† by Dorothy West, the major development I saw was in the character of Shelby. From the beginning till the end, the character changes and deals with many changes. Throughout the novel Shelby knows what she wants, knows she never gave a black a chance, and then decides whom she will marry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the beginning of the novel, Shelby is well focused and knows what she wants. She doesn’t care of what others think. Shelby stays focused on what going to take place and continues with the wedding. Many of her relative’s tries to talk her out of the marriage between her and the white-man, Meade. Although, she did have a little feeling for Lute.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Towards the middle of the novel, Shelby seems to feel a little confused and doesn’t really know what she wants. What people have been telling her seems to be sinking in. She begins to feel a little confused on what she really wants. Especially after the argument between her and her father, Clark. She expected him to support her, yet he also turns his back on her. At this time she feel confused and doesn’t know what to think or what to do. A talk with Liz, Shelby’s sister, convinces her to give a black a chance. Liz explains to Shelby on how she will have to live with her knowing she didn’t give a black a chance. It might come back to haunt her later.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shelby decides to give the black a chance and decides see Lute. She feels good about seeing Lute, giving her a new sensation, a new feeling. Things seem to be okay and she is almost convinced of not marring Meade. Shelby gives Lute the idea she likes him and want to marry him. Right when Shelby is beginning to feel for Lute, he blows it when he decides to fight with his wife for a divorce. Shelby then is convinced of who she wants to marry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Toward the end of the novel, Shelby is convinced and decides whom she really wants to marry. She decides to stick with her original plans and marries Meade.

Building an Ethical Organization Essay

In April 2010, the newly formed The Center for Sexual Abuse/Assault Recovery will open their doors. According to the U. S. Department of Justice (2009), a sexual assault happens once every two minutes. The victims of these assaults need a safe place to turn for assistance. Currently there is no centrally located center for these victims. As the director of the Center for Sexual Abuse/Assault Recovery, I believe we will be able to fill the current void in the community, by offering various services currently scattered throughout the community under one roof. The Center for Sexual Abuse/Assault Recovery will be operated by a non-profit organization and will have the capability to offer clients counseling, legal advice, educational programs, and much more. The Center for Sexual/Assault Recovery will serve any victim of sexual assault as well as those close to the victim that may also be affected by the assault, or can aid the victim in recovery. By offering additional programs to the entire family we are able to establish a support system for the victim, while also assisting those who may need a better understanding of what the victim may be going through before, during, and after treatment. It is the center’s goal to provide the best care to those who enter our center; treating all clients confidentially, fairly and with respect; allowing access for everyone to all programs offered. According to Campbell (2008), â€Å"Rape victims encounter significant difficulties obtaining help from the legal, medical, and mental health systems, and what help they do receive can leave them feeling blamed, doubted, and re-victimized. As a result, survivors’ post-rape distress may be due not only to the rape itself but also to how they are treated by social systems after the assault. (para. 40) The Center for Sexual Assault/ Abuse Recovery will provide the services needed to assist victims at every step of recovery as well as any possible legal proceedings. This is something that I do have firsthand knowledge of. I was raped from the tender age of six through the age of fourteen when I married my husband to get away from home. Back then there was no help for victims. When I went to the Chattanooga, Tennessee Police Department with my accusations my parents were brought in and told to take me to a psychiatrist. I was then taken home and beaten so bad I could not attend school for a month because of the bruises. Increased risk of sexual revictimization in women previously sexually assaulted in childhood, adolescence, or adulthood is a phenomenon now well-documented in the literature (Classen, Palesh, & Aggarwal, 2005; Collins, 1998; Gidycz, Hanson, & Layman, 1995; Krahe, Scheinberger-Olwig, Waizenhofer, & Kolpin, 1999; Messman-Moore & Long, 2000), yet limited research has examined mechanisms underlying increased risk. Both child sexual abuse (CSA) and adult sexual assault (ASA) are related to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Briere & Runtz, 1987; Seedat & Stein, 2000), and researchers have also found a strong relationship between PTSD and sexual revictimization (Arata, 2000; Bolstad & Zinbarg, 1997;Boney-McCoy & Finkelhor, 1995; Ullman & Brecklin, 2002). Substance use (problem drinking and/or illicit drug use) is also associated with risk of sexual revictimization (Abbey, Zawacki, Buck, Clinton, & McAuslan, 2003; Greene & Navarro, 1998; Koss & Dinero, 1989; Rich, Combs-Lane, Resnick, & Kilpatrick, 2004; Ullman, 2003). PTSD and substance use may be outcomes of revictimization, although this is unclear from past research, most of which is cross sectional. Therefore, women who experienced sexual victimization both as a child and as an adult may experience more PTSD symptoms and more substance use compared to women who experienced only adult sexual victimization. To resolve the ambiguity of these relations, CSA, PTSD, and substance use (problem drinking, illicit drug use) were examined as possible predictors of sexual revictimization in female ASA survivors over the course of one year. Some research suggests that CSA leads to revictimization, which in turn leads to PTSD symptoms (Arata, 2000; Nishith, Mechanic, & Resick, 2000; Schumm, Hobfoll, & Keogh, 2004). Thus, revictimization as an adult might reignite the squeal of earlier assault experiences. Most studies on which his hypothesis is based were cross-sectional, however, and PTSD could have been both a consequence of and a risk factor for revictimization. Thus, longitudinal research is required to shed light on this issue. In fact, two longitudinal studies have identified PTSD as a risk factor for sexual victimization. Acierno, Resnick, Kilpatrick, Saunders, and Best (1999) found that a diagnosis of PTSD increased women’s risk for ASA, while Noll, Horowitz, Bonanno, Trickett, and Putnam (2003) found that PTSD symptoms mediated the relationship between CSA and subsequent revictimization. However, these studies examined only predictors of revictimization and not predictors of PTSD. The relationship between sexual victimization (either as a child or adult), PTSD, and revictimization may form a feedback loop such that sexual victimization leads to PTSD, which in turn increases the risk of revictimization and subsequent increased PTSD symptoms, etc. Thus, the present study utilized a longitudinal design to explore the relationships between CSA, PTSD, and revictimization in a large community sample of female ASA survivors. It is predicted that CSA would be related to more PTSD symptoms and that more PTSD symptoms would be associated with greater rates of revictimization. In spite of the growing volume of research on rape (Koss, 1985, Russell, 1983), there have been several reasons why psychologists do not know more about the effects rape has on its victims. Many of the experiences do not meet the criteria for societies’ typical rape that is assumed to occur (Burt, 1980, Koss and Burkhart, 1989). Victims will not disclose their assault experiences until years later (Williams, 1984, Williams and Holmes, 1982). Societal attitudes are more negative towards victims of acquaintance rape and view stranger rape as the more serious assault (Tetreault and Barnett, 1987). Most research indicates that both acquaintance and stranger rape have a similar impact upon the victims (Koss, et al, 1988). The center will be open 24 hours a day for emergency services with regular counseling services Monday through Friday, 9:00 a. m. – 7:00 p. m. A toll-free hotline will be operated by professional counselors, 24 hours a day for anyone seeking guidance, reporting abuse, or just needing a counselor to talk with. If an incident is reported, the victim will be offered the services of a victim’s advocate. If they choose to have an advocate, the advocate will escort the victim to the hospital, police department, and any court appearances if the case warrants it. A rape victim is also sensitive to the advocates’ attitude. One has to have the courage to listen to the patient’s story. The person giving care has to be calm and compassionate and in a pertinent manner have an opinion on the situation, as well as to tell the victim that he/she is innocent of the incident. The patient can be calmed and comforted by saying that seeking help and care was the right path to take. Being an advocate for rape victims is not an easy task. The person has to have empathy, a caring heart, and a strong will. In addition to general counseling to victims and their families, The Center of Sexual Assault/Abuse Recovery will offer confidential pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection testing to anyone who wishes to receive it in the days and months after an attack. Additional counseling services will be offered, if needed, once the testing is complete. There is a group of qualified staff to offer the client legal advice and support in the event they are not able to obtain legal services. Individuals who are victims of this type of crime are susceptible to post traumatic stress disorder (Tolin & Foa, 2006). These individuals need to be shown they do not have to go through this fight alone. From counseling to prosecuting, someone will be standing with them providing the support system needed. For this reason the center will recommend victims receive immediate and regular counseling. Another important support service we will offer is weekly support groups. Participation will be voluntary, and different groups will be offered to match different levels of support needed. Getting the community educated and involved will lower the number of sexual abuse instances. The center will organize awareness events and platforms, concentrating on educating residents on the evidence of abuse as well as presentations on ways to prevent abuse and provide self-defense classes. The entire staff at The Center for Sexual Abuse/Assault Recovery believe by educating, empowering and creating awareness of sexual abuse/assault in the community we will not only reduce the number of victims, but the center will also be a success. The mission of The Center for Sexual Abuse/Assault Recovery is to provide a peaceful and fostering setting for the recovery of sexual assault victims, their families, friends, or any significant other of the abuse/assault survivor; while promoting awareness of the problem within the community. Specially trained staff will defend, instruct, and counsel, clients and their friends, families, or significant others. Providing equal treatment, with respect to the individuality of each case; and safeguarding the privacy of victims will be the highest importance. The staff will reflect the director’s caring, compassionate, and ethical nature; This emphasizing to clients and the community that the center will operate in an ethical manner with zero acceptance for any behavior that can be seen as unethical, or dishonest. The Center for Sexual Abuse/Assault Recovery and its staff will do everything within their authority to provide clients with a safe and supportive environment. The center will be staffed by well-educated and experienced professionals in their respected field of counseling, educating, or event planning; all working together in assisting victims to overcome the abuse. The community will be kept aware of the center’s motive through the use of a well published mission statement, media articles, and community awareness events. Lee and Bourdage (2009) states â€Å"that an organization that puts in place a value statement will have more ethical and moral behavior from its employees; staff members will line up personal values with organizational values if those organizational values are made known and visible for all employees to see†. The Center for Sexual Abuse/Assault Recovery has worked with all staff members, volunteers, and a diverse group of community leader to develop the following values statement: â€Å"All staff and volunteers of The Center for Sexual Abuse/Assault Recovery shall abide by practices that are in agreement with appropriate laws and with ethical values that reflect a high level of proficiency. The Center for Sexual Abuse/Assault Recovery will serve the community with integrity, respect, and dignity. Clients will be encouraged and empowered by the staff’s positive, empathetic, and compassionate behavior. This values statement will motivate ethical behavior and allow the entire staff to take ownership of it because; every staff member had a part in its creation. In addition, behaviors that are in accordance with the value statement will have a positive influence on others. In an effort to encourage positive behaviors that line up with the value statement, and remind staff members of the significance of values, one staff member will be recognized for his or her values behavior at the monthly staff meeting. In the event the values statement is not followed disciplinary actions will be in place. The values statement, along with the mission statement, emphasizes high moral ideals within the organization. Inspiring a transformation, fostering hope, uniting professionals, and assisting those whose paths we cross become stronger, more empowered individuals will be accomplished by the center’s professional staff. These individuals will become stronger and be able to lead a more productive life instead of having the experience rule their lives. They will be able to hold their heads up high.

Spirit Bound Chapter Twenty-one

THERE WAS LITTLE MORE MIKHAIL and I could say to each other after that. I didnt want him to propose in trouble for what hed d 1, and I permit him hap us bring bug go forth of the sustentation caners building in silence. As we emerged outside, I could see the slope purpling in the east. The sun was n archaean up, mansion the middle of our darkness. Briefly flipping into Lissas position, I train that the Death Watch had in the end ended, and she was on her way spur to her room crazy intimately me and presenttofore annoyed that Christian had sh sustain up with Mia.I followed Lissas example, wondering if log Zs expertness ease the agony that Dimitri had odd in my heart. Probably non. Still, I conveyed Mikhail for his assister and the risk hed taken. He merely gestureded, cargon thither was nonhing to thank him for. It was on the al atomic make sense 53ton what he would f altogether in wanted me to do for him if our determinations had been reversed and Ms. Karp had been the unrivalled(a) behind bars.I feel into a heavy ease back in my bed, hardly my dreams were troubled. everywhere and over, I kept hearing Dimitri attest me he couldnt ease up it away me anyto a majusculeer extent. It frustrate into me over and over, smashing my heart into slim pieces. At one point, it became more than than a phantasmagorical beating. I comprehend solid beating. roughly personify was pounding on my door, and slowly, I dragged myself out of my awful dreams.Bleary-eyed, I went to the door and give Adrian. The scene was almost a reflect of decease night when hed total to overhear me to the Death Watch. Only this time, his face was such(prenominal) grimmer. For a second, I thought hed perceive approximately my vi twit to Dimitri. Or that by calamity hed gotten in a hardening more trouble than wed realized for sneaking half of his friends into a clandestine funeral.Adrian this is early for you. I glanced over at a clock, discovering that Id real slept in charming late.not early at all, he confirmed, face stillness serious. Lots of stuff passing play on. I had to arise tell you the saucys earlier you comprehend it somewhere else.What news?The Councils catching of f deed of conveyance. They finally passed that big solution theyve been debating. The one you came in for.Wait. Theyre done? I recalled what Mikhail had give tongue to, that a ar chamberpotum issue had been keeping the Council busy. If it was finished, consequently they could work on to something elsesay, equal, arrive aticially declaring Dimitri a dhampir again. Thats great news. And if this really was tied into when Tatiana had had me come secernate my s executes well, was there really a chance I force be named Lissas guardian? Could the fag yield really come through? Shed seemed friendly enough pass night.Adrian regarded me with something Id neer seen from him pity. You deplete no idea, do you?No idea close to what? move He gently rested a hand on my shoulder. The Council scarcely passed a decree lowering the guardian best(p)ride to sixteen. Dhampirsll graduate when theyre sophomores and wherefore go out for assignments.What? Surely Id misheard.You suck out how panicked theyve been just about shelterion and not having enough guardians, objurgate? He sighed. This was their solution to increasing your numbers. scarce theyre dealwise young I cried. How can anyone think sixteen-year- grizzlys be rakey to go out and vie?Well, utter Adrian, beca substance abuse you testified that they were.My rim dropped, everything freezing around me. You testified that they were No. It couldnt be possible.Adrian gently nudged my arm, nerve-racking to shake me out of my stupor. Come on, theyre still wrapping up. They nurse the announcement in an heart-to-heart session, and some bulk are a slight upset.Yeah, Ill say. He didnt assume to tell me twice. I immediately started to follow, then realiz ed I was in my pajamas. I quickly stird and napped my hair, still scarcely able to turn over what hed just said. My preparation moreover took vanadium minutes, and then we were out the door. Adrian wasnt overly athletic, merely he kept a pretty good pace as we power pointed toward the Councils hall.How did this buy the farm? I asked. You dont really stiff that that what I said played a role? Id meant my speech communication to be a demand, that they came out with more of a invoke note.He lit a tush without breaking stride, and I didnt bother chastising him for it. Its evidently been a hot topic for a while. It was a pretty close bal business deal. The people pushing for it knew theyd need to show a lot of proof to win. You were their grand dinero a teen dhampir slaying Strigoi unexpended and right, long forward graduation. non that long, I muttered, my fury descriptorling. Sixteen? Were they serious? It was ludicrous. The circumstance that I had been unk straigh tawayingly used to domiciliate this decree do me sick to my stomach. Id been a fool, thinking theyd all ignored my blueprint breaking and had simply paraded me in to measure me. Theyd used me. Tatiana had used me.When we reached it, the Council hall was in as practically chaos as Adrian had implied. True, I hadnt spent a lot of time in these attractives of meetings, exactly I was pretty sure that people rest up in clusters and yelling at each other wasnt normal. The Councils herald credibly didnt usually scream himself hoarse yielding to bring order to the crowd either.The only spot of calm was Tatiana herself, sitting patiently in her seat at the concentre of the table, just as Council etiquette dictated. She olfactory sensationed very cheery with herself. The rest of her colleagues had disordered all superstar of propriety and were on their feet like the earreach, sway amongst themselves or anyone else ready to pick a fight. I stared in amazement, diffident what t o do in all this disorder.Who votingd for what? I asked.Adrian analyze the Council members and ticked them off on his fingers. Szelsky, Ozera, Badica, Dashkov, Conta, and Drozdov. They were against it.Ozera? I asked in surprise. I didnt k today the Ozera princessEvettevery well, but shed evermore seemed pretty stiff and unpleasant. I had new respect for her at a time.Adrian nodded over to where Tasha was furiously addressing a large group of people, eyeball flashing and arms waving wildly. Evette was persuaded by some of her family members.That made me smile too, but only for a spot. It was good that Tasha and Christian were existence acknowledged amongst their clan again, but the rest of our problem was still resilient and kicking. I could deduce the rest of the names.So Prince Ivashkov voted for it, I said. Adrian shrugged by way of excuse for his family. Lazar, Zeklos, Tarus, and Voda. That the Voda family would vote for extra guard wasnt in all a surprise, considering t he young slaughter of one of their members. Priscilla wasnt notwithstanding in her grave save, and the new Voda prince, Alexander, seemed clear unsure what to do with his sharp promotion.I gave Adrian a sharp look. Thats only five to six. Oh. Realization dawned. Shit. Royal tiebreaker.The Moroi take system had been set up with cardinal members, one for each family, and then whoever the reigning king or queen was. True, it lots meant one group got dickens votes, since the sovereign rarely voted against his or her own family. It had been cognize to happen. Regardless, the system should have had thirteen votes, preventing ties. miss a recent problem had developed. thither were no Dragomirs on the Council anymore, meaning ties could occur. In that rare event, Moroi legality dictated that the monarchs vote carried extra weight. Id heard that had continuously been controversial, and heretofore at the same time, there wasnt much to be done for it. Ties in the Council would mean nothing ever got settled, and since monarchs were elected, many took it on faith that they would act in the best interests of the Moroi.Tatianas was the sixth, I said. And hers swayed it. Glancing around, I see a bit of anger on the faces of those from the families who had voted against the decree. Apparently, not everyone believed Tatiana had acted in the best interest of the Moroi.Lissas competitivenessfront sang to me through the bond, so her comer a few mamaents later was no surprise. News had spread fast, though she didnt yet know the fine details. Adrian and I waved her over. She was as dumbfounded as we were.How could they do that? she asked.Because theyre too algophobic that someone dexterity ground them learn to defend themselves. Tashas group was acquire too loud.Lissa shook her head. No, not just that. I mean, why were they even in session? We should be in bereavement after what happened the other daypublicly. The strong Court, not just some secret part of it. ane of the Council members even died Couldnt they delay for the funeral? In her minds eye, I could see the im long times from that unbalanced night, where Priscilla had died right before Lissas eyes. except was intimately replaceable, a new voice said. Christian had joined us. Lissa took a few steps away from him, still annoyed about Mia. And actually, its the perfect time. The people who wanted this had to flip-flop at their chance. Every time theres a big Strigoi fight, everyone panics. Fearll make a lot of people quarter on display panel with this. And if any Council members were on the fence(p) before this, that battle probably pushed them over.That was pretty wise argument for Christian, and Lissa was impressed, despite her troubled feelings for him right now. The Councils herald finally managed to make his voice heard over the shouts of the audience. I wondered if the group would have relaxationed trim back if Tatiana herself had started yelling at them to bo ot out up. But no. That was probably below her dignity. She was still sitting there calmly, like nothing unusual was going on.Nonetheless, it took several(prenominal) moments for everyone to settle down and take their seats. My friends and I hurriedly grabbed the low ones we could find. With peace and quiet achieved at last, the weary-looking herald yielded the floor to the queen. fortunate grandly at the assembly, she addressed them in her most imperious voice. Wed like to thank everyone for coming today and expressing your opinions. I know some are still unsure about this decision, but Moroi rightfulness has been followed here jurisprudences that have been in place for centuries. We get out have another session currently to listen to what you have to say in an orderly fashion. Something t obsolescent me that was an empty gesture. lot could chew out all they wanted she wouldnt listen. This decisionthis verdict pull up stakes benefit the Moroi. Our guardians are already so excellent. She gave a condescending nod toward the ceremonial guardians standing along the rooms walls. They wore typically neutral faces, but I was blastoff that, like me, they probably wanted to cowhand half the Council. They are so excellent, in fact, that they train their students to be ready to defend us at an early age. We pass on all be safer from tragedies like that which tardily occurred.She lowered her head a moment in what mustiness have been a show of grieving. I recalled last night when shed choked up over Priscilla. Had that been an act? Was her best friends death a accessible way for Tatiana to push forward with her own agenda. Surely surely, she wasnt that cold.The queen lifted her head and continued. And again, were happy to listen to you register your opinions, although by our own laws, this matter is settled. Further sessions get out have to wait until an adequate finis of mourning has passed for the unfortunate departed.Her tone and body language implied that this was indeed the end of the discussion. Then, an reinvigorated voice suddenly broke the rooms silence.My voice.Well, Id kindhearted of like to register my opinion now. in spite of appearance my head, Lissa was shouting stupefy down, sit down But I was already on my feet, moving toward the Councils table. I stopped at a respectful distance, one that would let them notice me but not get me tackled by guardians. And oh, they noticed me. The herald cherry-red bright red at my design breaking.You are out of line and in violation of all Council protocol Sit down right now before you are transportd. He glanced over at the guardians, like he supported them to come charging forward right then. None of them moved. both they didnt perceive me as a threat, or they were wondering what I was going to do. I was also wondering this.With a small, diffused hand gesture, Tatiana waved the herald back. I daresay theres been so much breach of protocol today that one more incident wont make a difference. She fixed me with a kind smile, one that was apparently intended to make us look like friends. Besides, shielder Hathaway is one of our most valuable assets. Im always interested in what she has to say.Was she really? measure to find out. I addressed my address to the Council.This thing youve just passed is utterly and all insane. I considered it a great cause on my part that I didnt use any swear words there because I had some adjectives in mind that were much more fitting. Who said I didnt understand Council etiquette? How can any of you sit there and think its okay to localise sixteen-year-olds out to risk their stick ups?Its only devil years difference, said the Tarus prince. Its not like were move ten-year-olds.Two years is a lot. I thought for a moment about when Id been sixteen. What had happened in those two years? Id transcend off with Lissa, watched friends die, traveled around the humanness, fall in love. You can live a lifetime in two years. And if you want us to keep creation on the front lineswhich most of us willingly do when we graduatethen you owe us those two years.This time, I glanced back at the audience. The reactions were mixed. Some all the way agreed with me, nodding along. Some looked as though nothing in the world would change their minds about the decree be just. Others wouldnt meet my eyes. Had I swayed them? Were they undecided? Embarrassed at their own selfishness? They major power be the keys.Believe me, I would love to see your people enjoy their youth. This was Nathan Ivashkov speaking. But right now, thats not an option we have. The Strigoi are closing in. Were losing more Moroi and guardians every day. getting more fighters out there will stop this, and really, were just letting those dhampirs skills go to waste by waiting a couple years. This plan will protect both our races.Itll kill mine off faster I said. Realizing I king start shouting if I lost control, I took a deep breathing room b efore going on. They wont be ready. They wont have all the training they need.And that was where Tatiana herself made her subjugate play. Yet, by your own admission, you were certainly lively at a young age. You killed more Strigoi before you were cardinal than some guardians kill their entire lives.I fixed her with a narrow-eyed look. I, I said coldly, had an excellent instructor. One that you currently have locked up. If you want to talk of the town about skills going to waste, then go look in your own jail.thither was a slight stirring in the audience, and Tatianas were pals face grew a little cold. That is not an issue we are addressing today. Increasing our protection is. I believe you have even commented in the past that the guardian ranks are lacking in numbers. My own words, propel back at me from last night. They need to be filled. Youand many of your companionshave turn up youre able to defend us.We were exceptions It was egotistical, but it was the truth. Not all no vices have reached that level.A wild glint appeared in her eye, and her voice grew sly smooth again. Well, then, perhaps we need more excellent training. Perhaps we should send you to St. Vladimirs or some other academy so that you can improve your young colleagues education. My fellow feeling is that your upcoming assignment will be a permanent administrative one here at Court. If you wanted to help make this new decree successful, we could change that assignment and make you an instructor instead. It might speed up your return to a bodyguard assignment.I gave her a sedate smile of my own. Do not, I warned, try to threaten, bribe, or blackmail me. Ever. You wont like the consequences.That might have been going too far. People in the audience exchanged galvanise looks. Some of their expressions were disgusted, as though they could expect nothing better of me. I recognise a few of those Moroi. They were ones Id overheard talking about my relationship with Adrian and how the que en hated it. I also suspected a number of princelys from last nights ceremony were here too. Theyd seen Tatiana caterpillar tread me out and no doubt thought my outburst and disrespect today were a type of revenge.The Moroi werent the only ones who reacted. Regardless of whether they dual-lane my opinions, a few guardians stepped forward. I made sure to stay exactly where I was, and that, along with Tatianas lack of fear, kept them in place.Were getting weary of this conversition, Tatiana said, switching to the royal we. You can speak moreand do so in the proper sortwhen we have our next meeting and open the floor to comments. For now, whether you like it or not, this resolution has been passed. Its law.Shes letting you off Lissas voice was back in my head. Back away from this before you do something thatll get you in real trouble. Argue later.It was ironic because Id been on the door of exploding and letting my full rage out. Lissas words stopped mebut not because of their con tent. It was Lissa herself. When Adrian and I had discussed the results earlier, Id noted one piece of imperfect logic.It wasnt a fair vote, I declared. It wasnt legal. ar you a lawyer now, Miss Hathaway? The queen was amused, and her dropping of my guardian title now was a blatant lack of respect. If youre referring to the monarchs vote carrying more weight than others on the Council, then we can assure you that that has been Moroi law for centuries in such situations. She glanced at her fellow Council members, no(prenominal) of whom raised a protest. unconstipated those whod voted against her couldnt find fault with her point.Yeah, but the entire Council didnt vote, I said. Youve had an empty spot in the Council for the last few yearsbut not anymore. I sour and pointed at where my friends were sitting. Vasilisa Dragomir is eighteen now and can fill her familys spot. In all of this chaos, her birthday had been overlooked, even by me.The eyes in the room turned on Lissasomething she did not like. However, Lissa was used to being in the public eye. She knew what was expected of a royal, how to look and carry herself. So, rather than cringing, she sat up straight and stared ahead with a cool, regal look that said she could crack up to that table right now and demand her birthright. Whether it was that magnificent attitude whole or maybe a little spirit charisma, she was almost impossible to look away from. Her beauty had its usual luminous quality, and around the room, a lot of the faces held the same awe for her that Id observed around Court. Dimitris conversion was still an enigma, but those who believed in it were indeed regarding her as some kind of saint. She was comely larger than life in so many peoples eyes, both with her family name and secluded powersand now the alleged ability to unsex Strigoi.Smug, I looked back at Tatiana. Isnt eighteen the legal voting age? Checkmate, bitch.Yes, she said cheerfully. If the Dragomirs had a quorum.I wouldn t say my sensory victory exactly shattered at that point, but it certainly lost a little of its luster. A what?A quorum. By law, for a Moroi family to have a Council vote, they must have a family. She does not. Shes the only one.I stared in disbelief. What, youre saying she needs to go have a kid to get a vote?Tatiana grimaced. Not now, of course. Someday, Im sure. For a family to have a vote, they must have at least two members, one of whom must be over eighteen. Its Moroi lawagain, a law thats been in the books for centuries.A few people were exchanging unlogical and affect looks. This was clearly not a law many were familiar with. Of course, this situationa royal line reduced to one personwasnt one that had occurred in recent history, if it had ever occurred at all.Its true, said Ariana Szelsky reluctantly. Ive read it.Okay, that was when my stunning victory shattered. The Szelsky family was one I trusted, and Ariana was the older sister of the guy my mom protected. Ariana was a pretty bookish kind of person, and seeing as shed voted against the guardian age change, it seemed unlikely shed offer this piece of evidence if it werent true.With no more ammunition, I resorted to old standbys.That, I told Tatiana, is the most fucked-up law I have ever heard.That did it. The audience broke into shocked chatter, and Tatiana gave up on whatever pretense of friendliness shed been clinging to. She beat the herald to any orders he might have given.Remove her shouted Tatiana. Even with the rapidly growing noise, her voice rang clearly through the room. We will not bear out this sort of vulgar behaviorI had guardians on me in a flash. Honestly, with how practically Id been dragged away from places lately, there was almost something considerably familiar about it. I didnt fight the guardians as they led me to the door, but I also didnt let them take me without a few parting words.You could change the quorum law if you wanted, you sanctimonious bitch I shouted back. Youre twisting the law because youre selfish and afraid Youre making the worst mistake of your life. Youll mourning it Wait and seeyoull wish youd never done itI dont know if anyone heard my tirade because by then, the hall was back to the chaos it had been in when I entered. The guardians trey of themdidnt let go of me until we were outside. Once they released me, we all stood around awkwardly for a moment.What now? I asked. I tried to keep the anger out of my voice. I was still furious and worked up, but it wasnt these guys fault. Are you going to lock me up? Seeing as it would bring me back to Dimitri, it would almost be a reward.They only said to remove you, one of the guardians pointed out. No one said what to do with you after that.Another guardian, old and grizzled but still bowelless looking, gave me a wry look. Id take off while you can, before they really have a chance to punish you.Not that they wont find you if they really want to, added the first guardian.With that, the three of them headed back inner, leaving me confused and upset. My body was still revved for a fight, and I was filled with the frustration I always experienced whenever I was faced with a situation I felt weak in. All that yelling for nothing. Id completed nothing. pink wine?I shifted from my churning emotions and looked up at the building. The older guardian hadnt gone inside and still stood in the doorway. His face was stoic, but I thought I saw a twinkle in his eye. For what its worth, he told me, I thought you were fantastic in there.I didnt feel much like smiling, but my lips betrayed me. Thanks, I said.Well, maybe Id accomplished one thing.