Cultural Matrix and Summary Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cultural Matrix and Summary - Coursework Example The name of this Icon is The Savior Acheiropoietos. Speaking about Byzantine architecture, the paramount object is the Church of Hagia Sophia. By this unique building the whole period in the development of architecture could be depicted (Brooks). The Byzantium Empire fell, because of attack of foreigners. However, its fall was caused not only by external attack, but by many internal problems (Weitzmann). The main of them are the economic downfall of Byzantium, first of all the fall of its craft and trade connected with the penetration of empire by foreign traders, who undermined its economy; the poor life of peasantry and the citizens of the town; aggravation of class contradictions in the society and the struggle inside the dominating group; feudal wars, treacherous policy of feudals. The self-interested politics of the countries of Eastern Europe, which did not provide Byzantium with any help in danger, also contributed to the fall of the Empire (Bowersock). Byzantium created the outstanding culture, maybe even the most outstanding in the Middle Ages, the only existing in Christian Europe till XI century. It was the continuation of the richest antique culture and the beginning of the culture of the Middle Ages. During many centuries Constantinople remained the only great city of the Christian Europe, which did not have any analogues (Kazhdan). The literature and art of Byzantium imposed influence on other peoples’ culture. The remaining monuments and the great creations of art show to us the whole brilliance of the Byzantine culture. That is why Byzantium deservingly occupied the significant place in the history of the Middle

Pharmacy Essay Example for Free

Pharmacy Essay This is funny to admit at this stage of my pre-registration year, but I do not fully understand the role of a pharmacist. Those of you who read my blogs may be thinking – â€Å"why? † Surely after four years at university and four months of pre-registration training I should understand the role of the pharmacist. But the truth is I don’t, and here’s why. Throughout my pharmacy degree I gathered experience in four sectors that pharmacists can work in which included; academia, hospital, community and the industrial sector. My first experience was in academia and I could understand the role of a pharmacist here. Being a registered pharmacist in this sector is not necessary. This is because an academic career does not necessarily involve the practise of pharmacy. However specific areas e. g. pharmacy law and ethics and pharmaceutics, may require registration and a more clinical focus. In general, teaching is a part of the pharmacy code of ethics under section 7 ‘Take Responsibility For Your Working Practices’ with 7. 3 stating ‘Contribute to the development, education and training of colleagues and students, and share your knowledge, skills and expertise’. The academic sector for a pharmacist’s career therefore makes sense and the day-to-day role can be described as that similar to any other academic. The next area in which I worked was community. Primarily the pharmacist’s role here is to ensure the essential services stated by the PSNC are being delivered. From my understanding, this is what defines the pharmacist’s role in community. The location of community pharmacies will dictate what additionally services are available and the pharmacists may or may not have to adapt to these roles e. g. flu vaccination, smoking cessation. The role of a community pharmacist can be very clear cut. In my opinion, the role could be expanded to increase collaboration with General Practitioners and Commissioning Groups and I feel there are areas where community pharmacists can have more of an impact. As a pre-registration student, I look at the future of community pharmacy with great interest regarding the potential roles of pharmacists. During my third year I obtained some hospital experience. The main motivation in my application for the hospital pre-registration was to discover the role of a clinical pharmacist. I remember how surprised I was when I compared the clinical check of community pharmacist to that of a hospital pharmacist a subject a fellow blogger has been discussing. In hospital the role of the pharmacist varies greatly and it is here where I get lost. There are clinical pharmacists who spend their time at a ward based level working within multi-disciplinary team. There are medicines information pharmacists who spend time researching and finding answers to medicine related queries. There are pharmacists who work in the production unit managing and ensuring products are of satisfactory quality. There are pharmacists who work in clinical trials, mental health, risk management, teaching, information technology, service managers†¦ The list seems endless. It is here where I struggle to define the role of a hospital pharmacist because with the variety of the jobs comes different skill sets and therefore a hospital pharmacist becomes indefinable. Clinically (which is the area I’m interested in), hospital pharmacy has expanded greatly developing roles for prescribers and consultant pharmacists. But these roles are few and far between depending on funding, need, and all sort of other complications/variables. With the observations and knowledge I have so far, I feel the role of hospital pharmacist has no set definition and there can be future innovative roles for pharmacists in this sector. A conference and placement in industry was my final experience before my pre-registration year. Shadowing pharmacists within industry was interesting however there is no set definition of an industrial pharmacist. This is because apart from being a Qualified Person, being a pharmacist in industry has, in my opinion, no benefits to that of any other scientists. Pharmacy does however cover the whole of a medicines journey (from medicinal chemistry right up to issues surrounding patient compliance) and pharmacists in industry will have that awareness that could be used to their advantage. To conclude, I have discussed my opinions and thoughts regarding the role of a pharmacist in various sectors. I have not mentioned the role of a pharmacist in the primary care setting or within media or politics. However, hopefully I have demonstrated that, in my opinion, the role of the pharmacist cannot be defined because it varies massively.

Irony in The Most Dangerous Game and The Cask of Amontillado :: Richard Connell Edgar Allen Poe

Irony in Richard Connell's The Most Dangerous Game and The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe Irony is used in writing to add new interest to a seemingly ordinary subject. Richard Connell's The Most Dangerous Game and The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe use irony throughout their stories, creating unique works. To recognize Irony, you must first understand it, then you can see how it is used in these two works. Irony is a word with many meanings aside from what we often think of as irony. Irony is defined as the contrast between what is said and what is meant or what happens and what we feel should happen. There are three main types of irony. Verbal irony is when what is said is the opposite of what is meant, as in sarcasm. Situational irony is when an event is the opposite of what would ordinarily occur. Dramatic irony is when the reader or audience knows something that the characters do not know. There are many examples of all three types of irony in The Most Dangerous Game and The Cask of Amontillado. The Most Dangerous Game and The Cask of Amontillado use irony as major parts of their plots. The entire premise of The Most Dangerous Game is situational irony. Usually hunters would hunt animals, but in this story the Antagonist, General Zaroff, hunts men a quarry that is far from ordinary. Dramatic irony occurs throughout the Cask of Amontillado, and adds a whole new dimension to the story's plot. The reader knows that Montresseur, the main character, intends to murder Fortunato, the antagonist, while Fortunato is oblivious to the impending danger. This situation also creates a sort of verbal irony. Some of Montresseur's statements seem innocent, casual conversation, but once his vengeful intent is considered, they take on a whole new meaning. For example, wen Montresseur tells Fortunato his family motto: "No One Injuries Me Without Punishment" it seems an friendly comment, but considering that he is about to murder his companion for revenge, it becomes a warning of impending dan ger. These uses of irony demonstrate the many ways in which irony can be used.

Composed upon Westminster Bridge and The World is too much with us

William Wordsworth, poet and writer, born on April 7th, 1770 in a small Cumberland village named Cochermouth, located on the northern edge of the Lake District. He attended infant school in the small town of Hawkshead, located in one of the most beautiful regions of the Lake District. Wordsworth remained at Hawkshead until the age of 16. There were some long and deeply impressive rumples through the country, which affected his poetry greatly. You will realize that he loves nature and had a deep loyalty to Britain, even though he lived in France and was married to a French woman. The two poems I will be discussing are; â€Å"The World is too much with us† and â€Å"Composed upon Westminster Bridge†. It is interesting to notice that both of these poems take on a Petrarchan sonnet form. The form of a sonnet consists of an octave (first 8 lines) and a sestate (last 6 lines). This gives us a total of 14 lines. However in â€Å"The World is too much with us† a unique and significant form is taken on; Wordsworth gives the octave 8 and a half lines while the sestate has only 5 and a half. Wordsworth uses the octave for the exposition or the theme and the sestate for the conclusion. â€Å"The World is too much with us† embodies one of the central ideas of the Romantic Movement in poetry, of which Wordsworth was a founder – that in our daily life, especially living in towns, we have lost touch with the renewing powers of nature. â€Å"Composed upon Westminster Bridge† is a magnificent sonnet, which shows Wordsworth appreciating and indeed demonstrating the beauty of a great city – though perhaps it is characteristic of his love for solitude, and is set in the early morning, when there is no bustle and noise. Throughout both sonnets Wordsworth cleverly employs the use of semicolons, colons, comma or just a full stop. His reasons for this is to make us pause, reflect and get the true meaning of the line we have just read. In the first two lines of â€Å"The World is too much with us† – The World is too much with us; late and soon Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers: Wordsworth uses both the semicolon and the colon and intends us to think â€Å"what world?† â€Å"which power?† he gets across that we are being engulfed in the materialistic world and have a lack of concern for nature, thus we take nature for granted and we waste our natural powers. In the corresponding lines of â€Å"Composed upon Westminster Bridge† – Earth has not anything to show more fair: Dull would he be of soal who could pass by A sight so touching in its majesty: Wordsworth utilizes a number of ploys to grab our attention. The opening line is a bold statement meaning he has not ever seen a better sight. The use of the word â€Å"earth† suggests the supreme quality of such beauty. He uses the words â€Å"earth†, â€Å"anything† and â€Å"fair† to indicate the entire world. In the second line syntax is put to use; â€Å"dull would he be of soul† as opposed to â€Å"he would be dull of soul†. This is for extra emphasis on the word â€Å"dull†. He also uses enjambment by allowing lines 2 and 3 to flow together as 1; this helps to stress ‘a sight so touching'. The repetition of the letter s sound helps to convey the ‘breathless' sense of admiration. Touching is a word that we can all relate to whereas majesty shows the importance of nature and how much he was startled by this view. In the next two lines of â€Å"The World is too much with us† – â€Å"Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!† Here Wordsworth gives nature a capital letter. This is the first indication in the poem of what it is about. Syntax again is used where he could have simply written â€Å"we see little in nature that is ours†, which means we don't recognise nature as being part of ours. In line two, the poet says â€Å"we have given our hearts away†, our heart is associated with love and without it he is implying we do not appreciate nature in the manner we should. A sordid boon is a phrase used to convey the meaning of a gift of no value. This hints that we no longer value our love by living in the materialistic world. Wordsworth uses personification in line four of â€Å"Composed upon Westminster Bridge†. A simile is also implied for further understanding. â€Å"This City now doth, like a garment, wear The beauty of the morning; silent, bare† Garment suggests a comfortable easy fit yet the world is more grand than say, clothing, and the beauty of the scene is enhanced by implications of resplendent finery. Another capital letter is used in the middle of the sentence on the word city. This shows the importance and beauty of the city. The two lines mean that the city now wears the beauty of the morning; again Wordsworth shows us his love and passion for nature. In the corresponding lines of â€Å"The World is too much with us† there is the same punctuation and language affects – â€Å"This Sea that bears her bosom to the moon; The winds that will be howling at all hours, And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers; Again to show the importance of nature Wordsworth uses a capital letter on sea, which is most of our natural world today. Personification is used on these same lines – â€Å"the sea that bears ‘HER' bosom to the moon† and â€Å"the winds that will be ‘HOWLING' at all hours†. â€Å"Like sleeping flowers† is the simile implied to show the calming after the storm. The octave in â€Å"Composed upon Westminster Bridge† ends with: – â€Å"Open unto the fields, and to the sky; All bright and all glittering in the smokeless air.† You could almost say these statements are incorrect, but remember it was the 1800's when this sonnet was composed. When Wordsworth stood upon this bridge he could see everlasting green fields, surrounding London, that lead right to the horizon. Open is a word that could mean anything but in this poem it means that there is a light open feeling to the atmosphere. â€Å"Smokeless† – still, pure, unpolluted. Perhaps this reminds us of how the scene will change once days of smoky industry begin. â€Å"For this, for everything, we are out of tune; It moves us not.† These are the last one and a half lines of the octave in â€Å"The World is too much with us†. Wordsworth suggests here that we are out of tune. Thus hinting we are not in harmony with nature. This again shows the difference of tone. In â€Å"composed upon Westminster Bridge† the tone is a hushed, almost breathless admiration. He was surprised by sudden vision of splendor and became more emotional whereas he recognizes the materialistic living in â€Å"The World is too much with us†. The sestet of â€Å"The World is too much with us† opens with â€Å"Great God†. Wordsworth recognises God's great power of nature but he would also rather be a Pagan because Pagan's appreciated nature. He wants to see glimpses to make him less sad and a glimpse would keep the suspense and make him more aloof. Proteus and Triton are Greek Gods. Proteus: Greek sea God and Triton: one of a race of minor sea – Gods in Greek mythology, with a mans form but the tail of a fish, often depicted as carrying a shell – trumpet. In the sestet of â€Å"composed upon Westminster Bridge† Wordsworth seems very happy with the view of London city with the sun rising. He says such things as: â€Å"Never did the sun more beautifully steep†, and â€Å"Ne'er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!† which is another cleaver use of syntax. This is a change from â€Å"The World is too much with us† as in that sonnet the wonderful natural scenery in which he was writing made him sad to think about how people don't appreciate it anymore. â€Å"Dear God† is also used in â€Å"composed upon Westminster Bridge†. This is maybe his prayer to God to keep nature so beautiful whereas in â€Å"The World is too much with us†, he used â€Å"Great God† as to say WAKE UP! We (the readers) can visualize and relate to the wonderful scenery Wordsworth describes effectively, with language and punctuation to convey his meaning.

US Intelligence Community: From Past to Present Essay

The US Intelligence Community can be traced back to the yearss of the 1776 Revolution. The nation’s foremost spyhead. General George Washington used undercover agents to accurately nail the motions of the British Army during the Revolutionary War. The British Army besides employed undercover agents to place possible dissenters in the largely loyalist South. The Revolution besides produced the country’s foremost cryptographer. Dr. Benjamin Church. Dr. Church posed as a member of the Boston ‘school’ while supplying indispensable intelligence about Rebel activities to General Gage. the British commanding officer of Boston. After his assignment as head sawbones of the Continental Army. he continued to supply necessary information to the British. Dr. Church place was compromised after Samuel West deciphered a missive the former sent to the British. Dr. Church was sent into expatriate. What by and large struck me was the engagement of Benjamin Franklin in spy games. Franklin became the head of the country’s foremost formal intelligence-gathering bureau – the alleged ‘Committee of Secret Correspondence. ’ This bureau was formed in 1775 with the primary end of garnering information about sentiments towards the Revolutionary War in Europe. However. the bureau extended its authorization. It authorized its ‘employees’ to utilize necessary methods in ‘influencing support for the Revolution in Europe. ’ Franklin. through a secret dialogue. asked France to supply Gallic military personnels. France offered both its ground forces and naval forces to back up the American revolutionists. After the Revolution. the American Intelligence Community adopted an isolationist stance. The bureau became one of the primary organisations tasked to the edifice of a state. Espionage was viewed as a tool for defence – ne'er a public-service corporation for increasing colonial influence. As a consequence. the Gallic. Spanish. and British had small problem larning American activities. During the War of 1812. US governments were able to nail British motions in the continent ( and the purpose of firing Washington ) . However. no one knew how to utilize the procured information. American intelligence was awkward and supra-inefficient. The first major spring in the development of a sophisticated intelligence system came during the American Civil War. Both Union and the Confederacy used undercover agents non merely for information-gathering but besides for sabotage. Allan Pinkerton formed an intelligence community tasked to supplying war information to General McClelland. In the South. General Robert E. Lee relied on the alleged ‘Canadian Cabinet’ – a group of Southern leaders who directed espionage against the Union. Although both sides were able to develop efficient intelligence systems. many military commanding officers belittled the importance of intelligence in military runs. It was merely during American’s entry to the First World War that American military commanding officers began to see the existent advantages of an effectual intelligence community. This can be exhibited by the creative activity of the convoy system. American undercover agents in Europe sent critical information about the activities of U-boats in the Atlantic ( its motions. possible marks. and scheme ) . Based on the information. the President ordered the creative activity of a convoy system which could protect merchant ships traversing the Atlantic Ocean. After the First World War. the United States had a really efficient and effectual intelligence community.

Sidra Digital and Social Media Strategy

Sidra Digital and Social Media Strategy Additional comments These are additional comments whai are based on the digital and social media strategy presented to Sidra Company. Generally, this strategy is developed to assist Sidra in enhancing efficiency in its operations by increasing contact with customers and employees through social media interaction. This is an important strategy due to the increase in the Internet usage and subscription.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on Sidra Digital and Social Media Strategy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Moreover, the strategy is important because customers and employees use the social media frequently, which makes digital and social media the best place to communicate with employees and customers freely and easily. Additionally, digital and social media strategy will enable the company to enhance public relations because it will provide the organization with the possibliity to respond quickly to inquiries from cl ients. It will also enable the company to conduct reliable and quality survey research based on customer feedback (Wasserman and Kibani 67). How to secure the social media accounts The use of technology is on the rise, this has led to negativity and an increase in hacking. Several companies and individuals have been victims of hacking, which affects the operation of business organizations in the social media networks. The organization should make it a priority to secure the social media accounts to verify that customers and clients trust their communication through online channels. There are several methods that the company may use to secure its social media accounts, for instance, assigning a specific employee the duty to manage the accounts. Social media accounts should be managed by one person in the organization to ensure the administrator of the page is the only person who knows the password. This will protect the password from easy access by unauthorized persons. Secondly, cre ating a sign in seal will also improve safety of the account. Additionally, sign ins from other devices whach are not authorized by the organization should be detected and alerts ahould be sent to the administrators account. These will certify the safety of the accounts (Erik, Muntinga and Moorman 73). How to integrate social media with website contents Integration of the social media and website should be a priority for the organization. Integrating social media with the website content increases traffic and communication in social media. We will design and integrate social media icons on the website that will lead to the official social media pages of the organization.Advertising Looking for proposal on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This will enable clients and other interested parties to easily interact with the company from their official social media accounts and pages. We will also desi gn a page section displaying recent and important communication from the social media to enable customers who visit the website to view the trending topics about the organization on the social media (Erik, Muntinga and Moorman 81). Social media account set up Setting up a social media account is challenging because customers communicate with the company using Arabic and English. Social media accounts allow communication in any language because translation is available using Google. Therefore, the organization will have to register with Google to be on Google maps, and enable the administrator to use Google translator to translate any communication from other languages he or she does not understand well. Moreover, liaising with other social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook will be important because it will enable the organization to gain authority to use icons and logos of these social media sites on the organizational website. Generally, the organization has to subscribe wit h Google affiliate and other social media companies as a business, thus it will be required to incorporate their icons and logos on the companys website to enable easy access and communication between the company, employees and customers, as well as among other stakeholders (Wasserman and Kibani 28). Engagement with audience Monitoring engagement with the target audience on the social media is a challenge that most people face and companies is not an exaption. Companies use social media networks as a way of enhancing efficiency in operation. Similarly, Sidra intends to increase efficiency in operating by improving communication with customers, employees and other stakeholders. We require a program that monitors traffic on the site and social media sites, account and pages of the company to record engagement with clients.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on Sidra Digital and Social Media Strategy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn M ore Determining the level of engagement with the target audience is important because it will enable the organization to evaluate the impact of the digital and social media strategy that is in use. Moreover, it will enable the organization to easily review the impact of the strategy and make relevant and necessary changes to maintain quality operations (Wasserman and Kibani 94). Response to feedbacks Using social media sites is challenging because clients may post positive as well as negative feedbacks. These are important to the development and growth of the company sinse complany will be able to adapt to clienss demands and thus improve its services. Furthermore, quality improvement is based on the feedback given by customers. It is easy for customers to provide feedback through social media communication. The administrator of the account should respond to both positive and negative feedback. It should be the priority of the organization responding to negative feedbacks. R esponse to negative feedbacks is a credit to an organization because it is an easy way to clarify on the issues. We will install a program that filters negative and positive feedback to ensure that the administrator of the account easily views the communication in categories. Negative feedback should be responded first to establish clarity and enhance public relations with the clients. It is a negative feedback that can affect the operation of the organization, therefore, they require prompt response to maintain good relations with the customers and the general public, while enhancing efficiency and increasing levels of returns. This plan will enable the administrator to respond to both positive and negative feedback appropriately. Moreover, we will develop specific responses to some feedback to assure timely response. Responses such as ‘thank you’, ‘you will receive a response from the administrator’, and ‘thank you for contacting us’ among ot hers (Wasserman and Kibani 103). How to address concentration on a specific social media account or site Traffic and use of social media sites depend on the preferences of the customers and the target group. However, the organization will have to subscribe to an account with the available social media companies. This will enable the company to address the needs and concern of all customers across the region. It is likely that the social media site that has the highest number of subscribers who are the customers of the organization will lead to active activities and communication between the customers and the organization. However, the most common social media sites used by organizations in communicating with clients and its employees are Twitter and Facebook (Erik, Muntinga and Moorman 38).Advertising Looking for proposal on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The organization may notice over concentration on a specific social media account, for example, Twitter. This can be a challenging situation for the organization. Basically, before implementing this strategy the employees must undergo training on how to integrate this new way of operation into the normal operating method and techniques. Receiving more response from the target group from Twitter than Facebook will be an evidence for the organization that a large number of the target group are actually subscribed to Twitter. This will enable the organization to increase its activity on Twitter account to cinch prompt response to inquiries that need quick reply from the organization. Furthermore, the organization will therefore have to encourage its employees to use Twitter to enhance communication with the customers (Wasserman and Kibani 75). Examples of social media contents The digital and social media strategy that the organization intends to initiate and implement targets differen t regions of the globe. Social media sites enable organizations to interact with customers across the globe. This will compel the company to make sure that the contents of the social media being used are relevant to the target group. The groups that we target are from the European region, Africa, Middle East and Asia among others. Regions such as Canada, Europe and America are not aware of Sidra. Therefore, the media content shared with these regions will focus on informing them more about the organization to enhance their understanding and knowledge. Although countries in the Middle East are aware of Sidra, they are ignorant of social media. Therefore the contents we share with the customers in this region will be educating them on the importance of using social media and encouraging them to increase subscription to social media (Erik, Muntinga and Moorman 118). Marketing plan Marketing is the process that organizations use to inform customers of their new, existing, and future pro ducts. Organizations require an effective marketing plan to guarantee addressing the needs of customers as soon as possible. As a company, we will recommend Sidra to establish an effective marketing plan to ascertain that this strategy is appropriately and effectively implemented. Establishment of an effective marketing plan will require Sidra to conduct extensive research, which will require the services of specialized marketers. As a company, we cannot offer a marketing plan for the organization, but provide a strategy and it is upon the organization to decide on the company to seek services based on their financial strength. Therefore, the cost of the marketing plan will depend on the provider that Sidra decides to seek services from (Erik, Muntinga and Moorman 110). Engagement with influencers Influencers will play an important role in ensuring that the strategy is successfully implemented in the organization. Sidra will engage with them directly to build a direct association. T he influencers that Sidra will engage with directly will be the social marketing agencies in Europe, Canada and America to increase awareness about the organization (Wasserman and Kibani 43). Ketchum Company input and contributions We, as the organization in charge of developing the strategy, assure Sidra quality services due to the nature of our business and experience in offering such services. We have a good monitoring system that enables the organization to successfully evaluate and supervise the strategy. Our system will enable the organization to communicate with customers in any language. Communication with any language via the support services will be possible through integration of the Google translator in the system. Moreover, the storage capacity we offer will enable the organization to store reports for the purposes of weekly, quarterly and annual status checking. Additionally, our program will assist the company in establishing a strategy to aid in client reviews, onlin e status reports and conference calls (Erik, Muntinga and Moorman 107). Erik, Cambria, Daniel Muntinga and Smit Moorman. Principles and Practice of Marketing. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Wasserman, Todd and Shama Kibani. Contemporary Marketing Strategies: Digital and Social Media. London: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.

Anaylsis between Thoreaus Civil Disobedience & Kings Letter essays

Anaylsis between Thoreau's Civil Disobedience & Kings Letter essays In Civil Disobedience and Letter from Birmingham Jail, Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King use different techniques to fully convey their own opinions on injustice in the government; Thoreau uses a metaphor while King uses an illustration in order to establish emotional appeals. Even though Civil Disobedience, by Henry David Thoreau, was written in 1849, and King was imprisoned in 1963, each recognize that injustice occurs in our government. Each authors techniques are effective in proving that injustice should be demolished. Henry David Thoreau compares the United States government to a political machine. This machine has friction, which is Thoreau explains is injustice. He states that If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of the government, let it go, let it go...certainly the machine will wear out (Thoreau 8). Thoreau is stating that this machine will eventually cease to run if the friction continues to occur. By having injustice in the government, corruption is ultimately the result, and the corrupt government will eventually crumble. Thoreau also explains that the people who are affected by the injustice should stop it, or at least make an effort to stop it. Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine (Thoreau 8). Sitting back and letting others fix the problem will accomplish nothing, but making any effort towards correcting the injustice is an accomplishment in itself. Although Thoreaus metaphor established an emotional appeal effectively, Kings illustrations elucidate the issue of injustice equally as effectively. King makes mention of the Christians that existed during times of great persecution, and he admires the way that they stood up for what they believed in. King explains that Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power b ...

The Best Way to Use The Official SAT Study Guide

The Best Way to Use The Official SAT Study Guide SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you studying for the SAT? Chances are you've heard of, or maybe even already purchased, The Official SAT Study Guide. It's the #1 best-selling test prep and study guide book on Amazon.com, and used by thousands of students around the country to prepare for the SAT. But before you dive into The Official SAT Study Guide, you need to make sure you're using it correctly. Read our guide to getting the most out of the nation's most popular SAT study guide. What is The Official Guide? The Official SAT Study Guide is an SAT prep book written by College Board, the makers of the SAT. Since the book is made by the people who make the test, it contains some of the best quality practice problems and practice tests you can find. The Official Guide also contains an overview of each of the three sections of the SAT (Critical Reading, Math, and Writing), including practice problems. It also contains 10 full SAT practice tests. That is a ton of practice! In short, The Official SAT Study Guide can be an excellent resource, if you use it wisely. But if you run through the tests quickly without decent studying or analysis of your performance, you’ll waste them. And if you skip content review entirely in favor of practice, you'll miss out on your highest score. Here’s the best way to use both sections of the guide. Part 1 of The Official SAT Study Guide: Section Guides The Official SAT Study Guide provides overviews and practice problems for the Critical Reading, Math, and Writing sections. These sections provide a detailed overview of topics covered on the SAT, strategies to approach the questions, and relevant practice questions. We recommend reading through each section guide so you know exactly what you are going to be tested on, even if you think you already know. That said, you’re not going to get super deep, conceptual learning of concepts like plane geometry or English grammar rules from The Official Guide. For example, in the Math review section, The Official Guide says the SAT covers three types of factoring: difference of squares, finding common factors, and factoring quadratics. If you already know how to factor, this is helpful because it shows exactly what you need to know. However, if you're fuzzy on your Algebra and can't remember how to go about factoring a quadratic, this guide won't help you learn how. So if there is a subject you are really struggling with, you should also seek out resources (including other prep books) that give more in-depth coverage. For example, you can get prep books that focus on just one SAT section, including Erica Meltzer's guide to Critical Reading and Steve Warner's 28 SAT Math Lessons. We also have an article about the best prep books for SAT math. You can also read our detailed guides on SAT Math, SAT Reading, and SAT Writing. Part 2 of The Official Guide: 10 Full-Length SAT Practice Tests The 10 practice tests are the meat of The Official SAT Study Guide. Written by College Board themselves, these tests are an excellent way to practice not only your content knowledge, but your timing and test-taking strategy. They’re the best way to practice for the SAT before you sit down and take it for real on test day. Some students get The Official SAT Study Guide just for the 10 practice tests, and get their content review and strategy guides elsewhere. However, as we recommend above, it’s best to at least read over College Board’s review of the main subjects, as you can get insight into what they are testing and helpful tips to break down the problems. The Best Way To Use The Official SAT Study Guide The key to getting the most out of The Official Guide is, paradoxically, to not just rely on the practice tests. Or to be more precise, don’t just take all 10 practice tests without properly analyzing your mistakes and working to correct them in between practice tests. You wouldn't run 10 races in a row without training in between. Similarly, don't run through all 10 SAT practice tests without taking time to analyze your mistakes and practice. First, take one practice test to see where you stand. How you take advantage of The Official SAT Study Guide varies based on how much you need to improve and which sections of the test you struggle on. We will walk through two example students based on their practice test scores to show what we mean. Student A, Practice Score 2100 (CR = 750, M = 600, W = 750) This is a high achieving student, who even on a practice test is already getting a strong composite. That said, this student is likely going for an even higher score. If they score 2300 or higher they will have a good SAT score for the Ivy League. To accomplish that, they need to do the most work in math, filling some content gaps as well as improving test-taking strategy. After the first practice test, they should analyze their mistakes, particularly on the math section. To keep track of what they did wrong, they should log those mistakes in a notebook. For example, if they missed a math problem because they misunderstood how exponents work, they should note that. If they missed a problem because they went to fast and botched the arithmetic, they would write that down too. Once they have completed the analysis of their mistakes, they should gather resources to fix them. This should include reading through The Official Guide's content guide chapters. While they might move pretty quickly through the Critical Reading and Writing chapters, they should read the Math chapters closely and do all of the related Math practice problems. They could also consider buying a guide specifically for SAT Math, checking out SAT math prep sites like Erik the Red, or other online SAT resources. After they have taken between two or three weeks to study content and do practice problems, they should attempt another full practice test. After this practice test, again, they should carefully log their mistakes in their notebook, this time noting where they have improved and where they are still faltering. For example, if they still aren’t getting exponent questions right, they should use a resource like Khan Academy or even ask a teacher or friend to make sure they conceptually understand exponents. Next, they should continue to drill SAT math practice problems. After another two to three weeks, they can try another practice test, and repeat this process as necessary. They could also consider just doing the math sections of a few of the practice tests, though keep in mind if you start breaking up the practice tests by section, you can't use them for full run-throughs. As you get closer to your test date and are making fewer mistakes, you can lessen the time between practice tests. We recommend taking at least three practice tests before the real thing. Student B, Practice Score 1500 (M = 450, CR = 550, W = 500) This student should start the same way as Student A – that is, they should analyze their mistakes on the practice test. By carefully correcting the test and logging their mistakes, they can create a study guide to help them prepare. Don't underestimate the importance of this simple study tool. This student’s practice score puts them at an average (50th percentile) SAT score. If they can hit 1800, that would put them in the 80th percentile. If they get to 2000 they would be above the 90th! To accomplish that, they need to fill content gaps in all areas, particularly math. They should start by going through each of The Official Guide’s content-review chapters and doing all of the practice problems. If they find a particular concept they struggle with or a section that still seems difficult, they should use an additional resource before hitting the practice tests. For example, say they’re struggling with sentence-completion questions on CR. While The Official SAT Study Guide gives strategies for answering these questions, it doesn’t provide a vocab list or ways to study vocabulary. The student should find outside SAT vocabulary resources to help them with sentence completion (for example our list of the Best SAT Vocab lists on the web). Once they feel more confident about the SAT content, they can move onto practice tests. If timing is an issue, they can start by giving themselves time and a half for the first practice tests and then working their way up to strict timing. After each practice test, they should log all of their mistakes in a notebook and study for an additional two to three weeks, focusing on drilling their weak spots. FAQs About The Official SAT Study Guide Is it important for me to do all 10 tests? That depends on your goals. If you get a 1900 on your practice test and your goal is to break a 2000 composite, you probably won’t need to take all 10 practice tests to make that 100-point improvement. However, if you start with a 1900 but your goal is to score 2300 or higher, you have many more improvements to make and likely will take more practice tests. We recommend studying for at least two weeks in between practice tests, and continuing the process of studying and taking a practice test until you feel confident you’ll reach your target score. The larger a point improvement you need to take, the more likely it is you’ll need all of the tests. However, finishing all 10 tests is certainly not a requirement or necessity to do well. Try to focus in on your weak spots and carefully monitor your studying progress, rather than just going through all 10 tests quickly. Taking 5 tests but analyzing your mistakes and studying carefully in between is more effective than just taking 10 practice tests in a row. How many tests should I do before the real test? We recommend taking at least three practice tests before the real SAT. Take the first before you begin studying to gauge your strengths and weaknesses, take one after you’ve studied for two or three weeks to measure your progress, and take one close to test day to continue to build your stamina and accuracy. But again, how many tests you take depends on how much you need your score to improve by. For some students, three could be plenty. For others, they may need closer to eight or nine under their belt. It all depends on what your target score is and whether you're hitting it in practice or not. What resources should I use to drill subject skills? Your first stop will probably be a more specific prep book. This will give you access to more targeted practice questions in skills you are still building. There are also tons of online resources. Here at PrepScholar, we have articles for everything from how to read SAT reading passages to how to stop running out of time on SAT math. See a complete collection of our posts here. You can also check out good SAT studying websites and online SAT vocab lists. Finally, you can consider PrepScholar’s online test-prep program. We provide targeted practice questions based on your weaknesses to help you drill subject skills. Where do I find answer explanations? Unfortunately, The Official Guide tests do not come with answer explanations. However, if you own The Official Guide, you will be able to use the College Board’s Book Owner Area. It includes a feature that allows you to enter your practice test answers online, and then College Board analyzes your results, giving you a score estimate and saying which areas you still need to improve in. It also provides sample essays for each of the essay questions in the practice tests. Where can I get more practice tests? Just keep bubbling, just keep bubbling... If you’re still looking to improve after taking the 10 practice tests, check out our links to free, official SAT practice tests online. Many prep books also contain their own practice tests, though be aware since they’re not made by College Board, they’re not as high-quality as the tests in The Official Guide. Should I work through the practice tests with a timer, or give myself as much time as I need? Once again, this depends on your needs. If you find yourself running out of time on the practice tests, you might experiment with giving yourself time-and-half, time-and-a-quarter, and then strict timing on practice tests, to build up your speed. If you don’t run out of time often, then use strict timing for all practice tests. In any case, every time you take the SAT you should time it carefully, even if you’re giving yourself extra time. A huge part of the challenge of the SAT is pacing. It won't matter if you're capable of getting most of the questions right if you can't answer half of them on test day. We recommend wearing a watch when you practice so you can get used to timing yourself and even check how long you’re spending on each question. (You won't be able to bring your cell phone with you to the SAT.) The Bottom Line The Official SAT Study Guide is a great resource because of the high quality of the practice tests. But taking those tests alone won't magically improve your score. Make sure your time reviewing practice tests is meaningful – don’t just rush through scoring and ignore what you did wrong. Log your mistakes, drill your weaknesses, and keep practicing until you're confident you will get your target score on test day. What’s Next? Wondering how to make the most of your time reviewing practice problems? Read our guide to an SAT 1600 by our full-scorer. Even if you’re not going for a 1600, Allen lays out how to best analyze and correct your weaknesses. Getting sick of prep books? Check out the best SAT prep websites around! So how exactly do you know what your SAT target score is? Learn how to calculate it based on your dream schools. Also read more in-depth about how the SAT is scored. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also feature thousands of practice questions, 10 official SAT practice tests, and personal feedback on your essays from an expert instructor. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Role of commercial banks in causing the financial crisis Term Paper

Role of commercial banks in causing the financial crisis - Term Paper Example On the other side of Europe, the G7 financial ministers have assumed the crisis to be an American problem until much of the European banking system effectively collapsed. In countries such as Germany, the bailing out of the major industries including the Hypo Real estate as well as European mega banks came to hit them hard as they are the big lenders. Other nations like Britain emulated what was happening and commendably made their banking systems to become national. By October 2008 many of the European countries including Canada had gone so far as to guarantee not only the deposits but as well the debts of the banks as well. The financial system in the world is the umbrella body that will be concerned with how all the institutions that deal with finances will work including the borrowing of money in the form of loans that will be repaid in a period that will be short or relatively longer. At times, the webs of debt and credit have always been fragile in times of panic, spreading problems from a part of the global economy to the other. The reason that is responsible for this is that when one link in the very intricate chain becomes weak and breaks and defaults on some debt, it can leave creditors hazardously short of funds, unable to assure the credit of other firms. In this way, the consequences of one failure can spread throughout the entire economy and hence the entire money market (Roubini and Mihm 117) . There are always marketing risks arising when financial institutions trade assets and liabilities as well as derivatives as opposed to holding them for longer investment, funding or hedging purposes, (Saunders and cornett 184). When this happens, the financial institutions are assumed to directly control the maturities of their assets and liabilities as well as the interest issues are concerned. As interest rates fall, many mortgage borrowers seek to repay their existing loans and refinance at a lower rate.

Business report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business report - Research Paper Example Business report In the present day scenario, the hospitality, leisure and tourism industry of the world is experiencing immense growth owing to augmenting demand from the customers towards the facilities served by this particular industry. The industry is precisely explained as one of the major service industries that offer wide range of services like lodging, restaurant facilities, theme park benefits and transportation facilities among others, to a wide range of customers. Correspondingly, maintaining high level of integrity and delivering due significance towards the level of employee commitment is also crucial in order to obtain overall business efficiency. 1.0. Background Considering the chances witnessed in the modern era, it can be argued that the immense growth of the hospitality and the tourism industry has been stimulated largely due to the increasing number of people getting attracted towards the wide range of services offered by the participating companies. Notably, maint aining a balance between the quality and quantity of services in the hospitality industry often raise to be a noteworthy challenge, which in turn requires effective organisational leadership practices. Implementation of this particular approach is often argued as an important aspect for the long term sustainability of the industry (Laws, 2004). Aim of the Report. The aim of this report will to evaluate the importance of customer service in the hospitality, leisure and tourism industry around the world and the corresponding components that tend to influence the strategic effectives of its practices in this regard. Accordingly, the paper will recommended for the future approach that the participant companies should undertake with regard to providing effective and integrated customer services in this particular industry. 2.0. Discussion Customers are widely considered as the key attribute of any form of business, especially in the present day context, where the performance of the busin ess is entirely dependent on the behaviour of the customers. However, the importance of customers in the hospitality, leisure and tourism industry resides to a higher level owing to the fact that it is a service industry and also due to the reason that customer retention by ensuring maximum customer satisfaction is the key to sustainability in the industry structure. Providing services to the customers and that too in an efficient and dedicated manner is the core success factor for companies operating in this particular industry in today’s contemporary setting (Leland & Bailey, 2006). Customer Services. As described in the above section of the report, customers are the primary driving force in hospitality business in today’s contemporary world. According to the study of Leland & Bailey (2006), customer service is regarded to be a particular approach taken with the intention to ensure better customer satisfaction through effective and integrated service based business o perations. In precise, it is the assistance or the advice any business provides to its targeted customers on the purchase of services offered. Although the mechanism is not limited to the hospitality industry, it shall not be pious to state that the approach has its maximum significance in this particular

Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Research Proposal Example Therefore, even those consumers who wished to purchase electronics faced restrictions in doing so since there was limited credit. This resulted in huge losses for electronics companies, including Blackberry, Motorola Mobility, and Nokia, evidencing the significant effects the recession was having on the electronics industry. The research paper will seek to evaluate the effects of the recession on behaviour of the consumer in the UK electronics industry, particularly with regards to the smartphone industry. Understanding the response of consumers to the economic downturn with regards to their buying behaviour is imperative for companies seeking to ensure future success (Chakrabarti, 2011: p56). While signs show that the UK economy is stabilizing, leading to questions about this research’s relevance, the changes to consumer behaviour by recessions tend to last for a long time. Therefore, even as economists signal the end of the recession and beginning of recovery, this is unlike ly to be reflected immediately by consumers in their buying behaviour. This literature review will seek to provide a strong foundation in order to understand various widely used consumer behaviour models, which is important in investigating current buying behaviour and decision-making process of consumers in the UK. Consumer behaviour accounts for every decision and action taken by individuals during the purchase of services and goods. According to Dees & Soares (2013: p5), studying the behaviour of consumers is important since for firms to be successful, they should understand the forces that drive consumers to make decisions about purchasing a product, while also helping determine why they choose one brand over another, how they come to these decisions, and how this information can be used for value creation. Foxall (2013: p99) defines consumer behaviour as the study of those processes through which groups or

The Broader Impact Of DSP (Digital signal processing) In A Global Research Paper

The Broader Impact Of DSP (Digital signal processing) In A Global Economi And Social Context - Research Paper Example Each of these areas has involved substantial involvement of the digital signal processing technology with its own unique algorithms, mathematics and specialized techniques. As a result, digital signal processing has significant impact on the social, economic and in global lives in our society today. Digital signal processing convert analogue signals to digital signal. By doing this, there is extraction of signals, which later get modifications to meaningful and relevant information through the digital signal. In the pioneer ages digital signal processing was only in computers and by the application of technology limited in some key areas, for instance radar and sonar where national security appeared to be at risk. This is because of the international threats that were happening because of international tension. Another area is oil expiration and in this area, there are large amounts of revenue for example mad, oil sector industry is a very profitable industry that is capable of raisi ng the economic level of a nation. Space exploration is another sector that digital signal processing adopted because of the importance of data received. The collected data are of an irreplaceable nature. The final area of involvement in digital signal processing was medical imaging, where it could play a vital role in the treatment and saving of lives. Impact in an economic context Digital signal processing has had great impact in our lives especially economically. The recent technological advances have commanded entrepreneurs and investors to spend a lot of money in technology. Innovations in technology have led to many firms competing with each other to develop the most sophisticated technological devices that outsmart its competitors and gain the largest market share in the industry. Advances in computing, data storage and data transmit ion have enabled firms to reduce costs, create new market, expand existing market and create employment in the nation (44). Maintaining the inte grity of the specifications Companies and organizations have moved quickly to grab these newly found opportunities and as a result, firms are spending billions on their enterprise system. Firms are developing sophisticated software and hardware packages that integrate ordering, procurement, inventory, finance and human resources in their companies. Consumers get a wide range of goods and services for communication entertainment, shopping, education and other activities that relate to the firm and firms on the other hand get the opportunity to widen their consumer targets. With the embracing of technology, firms are able to reduce cost, maximize their profits and increase shareholders wealth. Consumers also benefit from these technological advancements where by prices of commodities are reduced due to the decrease of costs. This is also by being able to access wide ranges of products that are available (32). Telecommunication has also been a beneficiary of these technological advance s. Drastic improvements in computing power, accompanied by healthy competition in the industry have led to dramatic reduction rates among the consumers in communication. The telecommunication industry has been able to expand massively to tap the new opportunities; these firms now enjoy substantial customers in their networks. The introductions of wireless and broadband services have made communication much easier and faster (22). This

Cold war and its impact on the world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cold war and its impact on the world - Essay Example Thesis statement: The evaluation of the Cold War proves that the polarization of the world nations into two distinct blocs under the United States and the Soviet Union, its political and economic dissimilarities, influence of capitalism and communism, in the years following World War two led to the Cold War, and these events developed into a Cold War because the real fight was ideological, between capitalism and communism. In the years following the WWII, the political context of the East (say, in Soviet Union and China) was totally under the control of communist ideology. For instance, Soviet Union and China embraced communism as the official political ideology. On the other side, United States was not affected by WWII and was trying to prove the same in the global context. Besides, most of the European nations were badly affected by the after-effects of WWII. This political circumstance deeply influenced the polarization of East under Soviet Union and china, and West under the United States, which eventually led to the Cold War. David S. Painter stated that â€Å"The Cold War shaped the foreign policies of the United States and the Soviet Union and deeply affected their societies and their political, economic, and military institutions† (1). Unlike the European nations, United States faced less economic problems after the WWII. This helped the United States to gain importance and priority in the international context as a superpower. On the other side, the Soviet Union and China were trying to prove that the WWII did not affect their economic backbones. James E. Cronin made clear that â€Å"The cost of adapting to the realities of the cold War was at least as great, if not greater, for the Soviet Union† (4). Within this context, the economic dissimilarities among the West and the East deeply influenced the polarization in the years following WWII. On the other side, one cannot neglect the influence of capitalism and communism which

Ethical And critical Thinking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical And critical Thinking - Research Paper Example He was of the view that due to more guns being carried around on the streets, there is more danger present. Therefore, atleast certain gun control measures would be needed for security purposes. This point of view was backed up by the death of 32 people shot dead on the Virgina Tech campus on April 16, 2007. (Carpenter) Eventhough this article was structured in a way that adds more authenticity to it by using several direct quotes, it lacks analysis and the evaluation from the writer’s own perspective. She could’ve used facts to prove a view point. One fact could have been that the Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 have resulted in the decrease in violent crimes (40 Reasons Guns Should be Banned). The flow of ideas in the article could have been smoother and Amanda Carpenter could have used more facts and statistics to back up her comparisons of Obama with Hillary Clinton. Amanda B. Carpenter has great credibility to her name. A coloumnist for The Washington Times, as well as an author, blogger and commentator, she has vast experience and knowledge about political and cultural issues. Writing for a renowned paper such as Washington Times and with no allegations towards her for being biased, the article can be labelled as credible and authentic. This article, opposes the viewpoint of Obama and talks about why it is a must for all citizens to carry concealed weapons. The author, Benjamin Shapiro, adopts a very sarcastic and manipulative style of writing in his article. He starts off talking about a case in which the 27 year old Alan Senitt was killed in a rape attempt on his female companion. He then moves on to discuss how every individal has the right to protect himself. (Shapiro) Benjamin Shapiro wrote the article in a very interesting and an attention grabbing way. The start of the article talks about violence and death which is a great start for an article to grab the attention of the

Cold war and its impact on the world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cold war and its impact on the world - Essay Example Thesis statement: The evaluation of the Cold War proves that the polarization of the world nations into two distinct blocs under the United States and the Soviet Union, its political and economic dissimilarities, influence of capitalism and communism, in the years following World War two led to the Cold War, and these events developed into a Cold War because the real fight was ideological, between capitalism and communism. In the years following the WWII, the political context of the East (say, in Soviet Union and China) was totally under the control of communist ideology. For instance, Soviet Union and China embraced communism as the official political ideology. On the other side, United States was not affected by WWII and was trying to prove the same in the global context. Besides, most of the European nations were badly affected by the after-effects of WWII. This political circumstance deeply influenced the polarization of East under Soviet Union and china, and West under the United States, which eventually led to the Cold War. David S. Painter stated that â€Å"The Cold War shaped the foreign policies of the United States and the Soviet Union and deeply affected their societies and their political, economic, and military institutions† (1). Unlike the European nations, United States faced less economic problems after the WWII. This helped the United States to gain importance and priority in the international context as a superpower. On the other side, the Soviet Union and China were trying to prove that the WWII did not affect their economic backbones. James E. Cronin made clear that â€Å"The cost of adapting to the realities of the cold War was at least as great, if not greater, for the Soviet Union† (4). Within this context, the economic dissimilarities among the West and the East deeply influenced the polarization in the years following WWII. On the other side, one cannot neglect the influence of capitalism and communism which

Buss law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Buss law - Essay Example 2. A partnership ceases to exist or in other words is terminated where the single venture that was pursued is terminated; or where the term of the partnership was for a fixed period of time, which has lapsed; where it is consequently found that the partnership is illegal or for an illegal purpose; or where a court grants an order to one of the partner. 3. The courts in Barclays Bank v. O’Brien1 have classified undue influence into two classes; the first is actual undue influence where the claimant has to prove that the offender had used undue influence on the claimant to enter into the particular transaction. In the second class that is presumed undue influence, the claimant only has to prove that there was a relationship of trust and confidence which has been breached; there is no need to prove actual undue influence, once a confidential relationship has been established. 4. A lessee is under a duty to abide by the leasehold covenants which have been agreed upon in the agreement. Further the lessee has to maintain property so that third party entering the premises does not get affected from such non-maintenance. 5. Under the Statute of Frauds 1677 it has been clearly stated that contracts of surety must be made in writing and should be duly signed. However there are two exceptions which might be said to be relevant to surety, the first one is where there has been part performance and the second is where the defendant addresses the existence of a contract under an oath. 5 The general formation of a contract requires an offer (that is a definite promise to be bound by the contract provided that that certain terms and conditions are fulfilled), acceptance (an unequivocal intention to abide by the offer from the offeree), intention to create legal relations and certainty. S.40 (1) of the Law of Property Act 1925 (repealed by s.2 of the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act

Rhetorical Strategies for Distinct Image Ads in Same Product Essay Example for Free

Rhetorical Strategies for Distinct Image Ads in Same Product Essay Rhetorical Strategies for Distinct Image Ads in Same product Advertisement is a form of communication intended to persuade consumers to purchase or to accept the ideas, products or services. Advertising persuasion strategy not only has logic, but also has a unique artistry that advertisers use to find many effective persuasions for various kinds of target markets. Different ways to persuade customers for the same product could have distinct effects by analyzing targets, appeal methods, and angles of vision. Two different image advertisements for watches are analyzed with rhetorical strategies thereinafter, which have entirely distinct groups of the target audiences. The first ad analyzed is an ad for the Witinauer Watch in Essence Magazine, which displays a young woman in her late 20s holding a Witinauer Watch. The color of the background of the Witinauer Watch ad is black. The woman’s face occupies almost the entire upper right corner of the ad. Half of her face is showing, from the lower half of her nose to her chin. A light comes from the upper right onto her face, shadowing a small section below her nose and lips. Her neck is in darkness. She has a slightly parted mouth with bright red glossy lips. Exposed are her last three fingers of the right hand, which have finger nails the same red color as the lips. Those three fingers stick out from the darkness holding onto the top watch links of the Wittnuer Watch next to the right corner of her mouth. The watch is in front of the background. The color of the watch is silver, and its shape is elliptical. Around the watch face and links appear to be diamonds. The shapes of the diamonds which stand for the numbers of time on the watch face are similar to a parallelogram. The word â€Å"WITTNAUER† and a straight line with a small â€Å"w† in the middle are on the upper middle of the dial, and the word â€Å"SWISS† is located to the middle bottom of the dial. Th ere are words â€Å"Into the Night† with white color and Times New Roman font in front of the shadow of her lips. On the right side bottom there is the logo â€Å"WITTNAUER† in yellow, Times New Roman font and Calibri font for the word â€Å"SWISS.† In front of the background, on the left side bottom there are two jewelry company names: Zales and Gordon’s Jewelers. Their websites are also listed. On the left side of the ad, in a vertical direction, are the identifier and the watch website. The second ad analyzed is an ad for a Rolex Watch in Outside Magazine, which displays a man who is in his 50s, wearing a Rolex Watch. There are two parts of the Rolex Watch ad: the main color of the upper five  sixths is dark colored and the bottom is dark green. In the above five sixths of the ad, the color gradually fades from the four corners to the words on the upper left. On the upper left, there are seven rows of words: the first six rows are the interview of the man, and the last row is the advertising slogan. The man with short hair folds his arms, smiling, looking towards the le ns camera on the right hand side. He is wearing a gray anorak jacket, and wearing a Rolex Watch on his left hand. Under his right arm there is a coil of blue and white climbing rope. In front of the background, a silver round shaped Rolex Watch is on the left bottom. The watch links are connected with oblong blocks. There are twelve even numbers that lap around the watchcase, and are separated by inverted triangles. There are sixty minute marks and twelve geometric shapes around the white dial. An inverted triangle is on the top of the middle of the watch; two rectangles mark the quarter of an hour. There are four different shaped hands behind the glass: the hour hand has two bars with an object like a Mercedes–Benz logo on the end of the bars. The minute hand also has two bars; the second hand has a long single bar with a circle near the end of the bar. There is also a red hand with a triangle at the end of the bar. The logo of the watch has two parts: the above is a shape of a golden royal crown, and the bottom is the word â€Å"ROLEX† with white color and Times New Roman font. There is a Rolex logo with several words on the middle upper of the dial, two rows of words just below the center, and two words on the middle bottom. In the lower right of the watch, in front of the dark green background, there are words â€Å"OYSTER PERPERTUAL EXPLORERâ… ¡Ã¢â‚¬  with white color and Arial Unicode MS font. On the right corner, in front of the dark green background, there is a Rolex logo and its website below. On the middle bottom, there are two rows about the product official contact number and sponsoring brands. Although both ads are all about watch, the target market strategies are distinguished. The appeals for the Rolex Watch ad and the Wittnauer Watch ad are logos, ethos and pathos. Both ads use logos, logical evidences to support the value of the products. For example, the Rolex Watch is on the arm of a rugged-looking man, and the Wittnauer Watch is in the hand of a sexy beautiful model. Equally important, in the Rolex Watch ad and the Wittnauer Watch ad, the watch is on the left because English is read from left to right, so the watch is the first thing that the reader sees. Likewise, the two ads use  ethos to emphasize the characters of the products to obtain the trustworthiness from readers. For instance, the model of the Rolex Watch ad is a sports star that has a high status in the adventure world. His name is Ed Viesturs, a famous high–altitude mountaineer who achieves marvelous achievements. The model has a high status in the adventure world. It indicates that the Rolex Watch is so famous that well–known people support it as well. People who like adventure will be attracted by this ad because of him. The Wittnauer Watch ad provides a famous brand as well. There are two well known jewelry companies’ names that appear in the ad, Zales and Gordon’s Jewelers. They are the sellers of the diamond–shaped watch. This improves the market value of the Wittnauer Watch. Both of the ads use a famous person or brand to appeal credibility to readers. Furthermore, both the Wittnauer Watch ad and the Rolex Watch ad have pathos. In the Rolex Watch ad, the word â€Å"Rolex, a crown for every achievement† appears after the introduction of the model. This attracts people who are successful or want to be an achievement because it makes a belief for readers, and makes people feel happy and proud when they are imaging having this product. Similarly, the Wittnauer Watch ad is favored by women because the surface of it is full of diamonds, which makes the watch look more glorious. Compared with the Rolex Watch ad and the Wittnauer Watch ad, both of them appeal to readers by logos, ethos and pathos. After analyzing the target audiences for both ads, the advertisers tried to persuade their target viewers by the angle of vision. In both of the Wittnauer Watch ad and the Rolex Watch ad, the products are in visible locations that it catches readers’ eyes. The watch in the Wittnauer Watch ad is in front of the dark background and most of the surface of the watch appears to be diamonds, which makes the watch dazzling. It shows this product is not only a watch, but also jewelry. Similarly, in the Rolex Watch ad, the watch appears from the dark background. The big round shape, large lap around–numbers, sporty clock hands, and geometric shapes makes the watch look like a timer, but not only a simple watch. In addition, the ads use different types of models to express different types of watches. The model of the Wittnauer Watch ad is a mature young lady. Her three long fingers and bright red glossy lips show a very sexy beautiful woman, which shows a rich high status. As well, the model in the Rolex Watch ad is a 50–year old rugged-looking man, and expresses that this man is full  of experienc es. Furthermore, the object or the words in the ads help to explain the product or introduce the model. In the Wittnauer Watch ad, the word â€Å"Into the Night† beside the watch, which appears from the dark, means the watch is as bright as a diamond at night. This shows how luxury the watch is. Likewise, in the Rolex Watch ad, the grey anorak jacket and the coiled blue and white climbing rope under the male model’s right arm helps to indicate the model as a mountaineer. Overall, the angles of vision of these two ads use the watch impression, selected models, property, and background to convince their potential customers. In conclusion, advertisers use many strategies to attract their target audience. They are very intelligent that they can take a simple product and turn it into the perfect thing for a certain group of consumers. Using angle of vision and Aristotelian Appeals of logos, ethos and pathos, advertisers to convince audiences their products will make them glamorous, athletic or successful. These advertisements are very attractive, but consumers should not just believe the advertisers because ad is a persuasive tool that it only shows their target audience the impressive parts of products. Consumers should concern more about the reality that whether these products are worth to purchase. They must consider the facts.

Monets Green Reflections :: essays research papers fc

Since the dawn of time, man has been inspired by the beauty of art. The Macquarie Concise Dictionary describes art as â€Å"the production or expression of what is beautiful, appealing or of more than ordinary significance†. I interpret the word art to refer to the physical reproduction of the artists own perception of the world around them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A masterpiece is defined as â€Å"a consummate example of skill or excellence†. Therefore, when in search of a masterpiece of the artistic category, we must take into account the proficiency and dexterity displayed by the artist. With these basic principles in mind, it is my belief that one cannot surpass Monet’s series entitled â€Å"Waterlilies† and more specifically the painting â€Å"Green Reflections†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have adored the â€Å"Waterlilies† series for a number of years. It was its originality that first appealed to me. â€Å"Green Reflections† is my favourite due mainly to the use of the green colour to indicate darkness of the water. The painting seems busy, yet not overpoweringly so. There is much for the eye, while allowing room for personal interpretation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Visually appealing, â€Å"Green Reflections† is a classic example of Monet’s personal style, being both scientific and painterly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This particular painting has captivated many admirers with its pretty pastel colours, prevalent in many of Monet’s works. The yellows and pinks of the lilies are in strong contrast to the deep blues and jungle greens of the water.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Monet brought the study of the transient effects of natural light to its most refined expression, through the â€Å"Waterlilies† series. Therefore tone is an important aspect of the painting. It is used with great success, giving the appearance of shade on the right hand side. The tone also gives the impression of water reflections.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The â€Å"Waterlilies† series was a number of paintings of the same lily pond. The defining characteristic of â€Å"Green Reflections† is that it was the only one of the group painted at night. Monet’s fascination with light and colour was the fuel behind this concept.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Being an impressionist painter, very little of his works used line and shape. â€Å"Green Reflections† is no exception. Irregular patterns are prominent with little regard for structure and realism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The only way Monet could capture his version of â€Å"the truth of the moment† was through ‘lying’. Monet’s method made accommodations to his underlying philosophy of instantaneity and attention to decorative elements. Monet attempted to reconcile the idea of capturing a moment and his supposition that all moments must contain absolute truth through the use of a harmony of colours.

Light and Dark Imagery in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay examp

Light and Dark Imagery in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a novel about a man named Marlow and his journey into the depths of the African Congo. Marlow is in search of a man named Kurtz, an ivory trader. Though Marlow?s physical journey seems rather simple, it takes him further into his own heart and soul than into the Congo. The setting, symbols and characters each contain light and dark images, these images shape the central theme of the novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conrad uses light and dark imagery to help create the setting for the story; light represents civilization while darkness suggests the uncivilized. The novel opens on the deck of a boat called the Nellie, as we are introduced to the passengers we are told how the sun is slowly fading, and soon darkness will engulf the area. This image is Conrad?s first use of light and darkness; he uses it to foreshadow the ultimate darkness Marlow will face. Conrad is warning his readers to be careful, lest they let down their guard and allow the darkness to come them. The other character in the book, Kurtz, is taken over by the evil embodied in the darkness. During Kurtz?s journey into the heart of darkness the isolation, darkness and power all made him lose control of himself and allowed the darkness to take over.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Every aspect in Conrad?s book has a deep meaning, which can then be linked to the light and dark imagery. In the novel there are two rivers, the Thames and the Congo. The...

Contraceptives in School Essay

During the past decade, there have been stark generational differences in terms of moral and social norms. In order to accommodate for these changes, society has had to make difficult decisions regarding the protection of todays youth. One of the biggest controversies that have been ongoing deals with the gray area regarding the roles of educators and parents. School systems today are distributing condoms and contraceptives to students as young as 11 years old with the intention of preventing their students from suffering from the negative side effects of sex. From an ducator’s perspective, the distribution of condoms has become a necessity due to the overwhelming lack of morals instilled in the youth at the fault of their parents. They also argue that it encourages safety and that it is completely foolish to assume that abstinence is always practiced. On the contrary, conservatives will argue that condoms promote sex and their distribution will show minors that sex at a young age is socially acceptable. Conservatives’ opinions are naive because they blatantly condone the fact that standards and practices have changed dramatically over time. The rising issue of under aged sex has made the distribution of condoms a necessity in order to combat the negative ramifications of the decisions made by todays uneducated youth. A misconception that is widely believed is that passing out condoms in schools will influence or pressure teens to have sex. According to Dr. Kevin J. Minch, if young people believe they will be â€Å"safe† when using a condom they are much less likely to be deterred from engaging in dangerous and immoral behavior (Minch). The conservatives believe that with the introduction of condoms at an early age, this would lead to the unnecessary exposure of the youth to a concept hat should only be tackled by legal adults. It allows them to stray into the obscure world they are not yet ready for. Widespread condom distribution will establish sexual activity as the norm among young teens, creating peer pressure to participate in sex. The added temptation to engage in sexual activity is â€Å"protected† will result in more women having sex at a younger age, perhaps furthering their exploitation. Minch) Sex is a topic that should be addressed at the discretion of each parent and the fact is that educators are slowly taking over the responsibilities of the parent. The opposition would argue that parents of every ethnicity and background have spent years of their life attempting to instill solid morals and values to their children. It is understandable how a parent would feel for a high school teacher to pass out condoms to students at such a young age. Education systems are making the decision on what they think is best for the child rather than having the parents deciding the verdict on this issue. It is said that teenagers who have a good relationship with their parents are less likely to experience a pregnancy and the harsh consequences from unprotected sex. Good communication between parents nd children helps ensure that children make the right decisions when it comes to their sexual activity. However, as seen by the statistics, the amount of parental involvement in the lives of teens today is limited. Educators are simply picking up the slack since some parents do not educate their children on the simple right and wrongs like previous generations were taught. In addition to educators programs that educate our youth and that taxpayers should not fund these programs. â€Å"Is it really the responsibility of hardworking taxpayers to pay for the use of protection for irresponsible teens? I certainly do not think so† (Cook). Educators do not need to sanction the idea of a sexually active lifestyle; however they should hearten all young teenagers to make Judicious decisions when it comes to being sexually active. In this case, schools provide their sex-education classes and many prefer it stayed Just that, that it is not fit to provide a basket of condoms upon the exiting of a classroom. What the conservatives fail to do is look at the logical perspective and to take into account the statistics and reality of todays youth. What needs to be widely noticed is that the United States has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and births. It is fact that that the teen pregnancies in our nation cost the United States at least 7 billion dollars each year. For the fiscal year of 2006 the federal government spent over 38 billion dollars to support families that began with a birth from a teenage mother. Nearly eight billion dollars is spent each year to diagnose and treat sexually transmitted diseases. Either the money paid towards taxes can contribute to pregnancies and their after effects, or the money can be well Prevention is much more important when all the facts are spent on prevention. displayed. Every year, around 750,000 teenagers will get pregnant. As a result, more than two thirds of teenagers who give birth will drop out of school, thus leading to an uneducated and difficult future. Teenage mothers and their children are more likely than others to be placed in the poverty bracket; therefore billions of dollars are spent taking care of them. Teen pregnancies are seen as a disadvantage in todays society due to the fact that many children born to teenage mothers tend to have a low birth rate. In addition to this, children born to teenage mothers are said to do poorly in school as they age and are more suceptible to abuse and neglect. The ruth is that the Centers of Disease Control reports nineteen million new STDs each year and approximately half of these reports are from our youth. One in four sexually active teenagers become infected with a sexually transmitted disease every year, which includes but is not limited to Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Genital Warts, and Herpes. (The Alan Guttmacher Institute). Another mind wrenching fact coming from the American Social Health Association is that of nine million new STD cases in the year 2000, ninety percent was accounted for by HIV and HPV (Human Papillomavirus) in ages fifteen to twenty-four years of age. Chesson HW, Blandford JM, Gift TL, Tao G, Irwin KL. According to an educator working out of a New York City public high school, the idea of distributing condoms has her approval. â€Å"If I could, I would give out condoms in my classroom. I think we should make it as easy as possible for teens to access condoms. † This statement could cause an upheaval of opinion, but this teacher is looking out for the welfare of her students. High school students’ main focus should be education, goal setting, and discover ing their own individuality. These teenagers should live an energetic and active life without worrying about remarital sex. Even though this is true, it has been proven that over 50% of teenagers have had sexual intercourse before graduating High School. So what is to come of this? Considering a high percentage of high school students are in fact having sex, there are outstanding statistics proving many STDs and teenage with the prevention classes and protection. When students are provided with condoms, it at least gives them the opportunity to be responsible with such an irresponsible act. Condoms are proven not to be 100% effective protecting against pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. However they have and will cut the odds by a landslide. Their distribution could have a significant impact on many lives by protecting them from diseases and unforeseen pregnancies that can end a young mother’s future. The best defense against STD’s and under aged pregnancies is simply knowledge and protection. Frequently, parents are too embarrassed to approach their child about any type of sexual activity. For this reason students are left uniformed and in harms way. A catastrophe will take place if sex education and protection are taken away from the students today. Parents need to be active and not permit sexual activity and disregard its existence. Often our society does not recognize these situations. Regardless of the parents’ opinions of moral and religious rights, someone has to protect the youth considering abstinence is not a sure avenue for these children. This is why our education systems have, and need to continue doing so, taken a step forth to protect our nation’s future.

The Host Chapter 29: Betrayed

Maybe I should have run the other way. But no one was holding me back now, and though his voice was cold and angry, Jared was calling to me. Melanie was even more eager than I was as I stepped carefully around the corner and into the blue light; I hesitated there. Ian stood just a few feet ahead of me, poised on the balls of his feet, ready for whatever hostile movement Jared might make toward me. Jared sat on the ground, on one of the mats Jamie and I had left here. He looked as weary as Ian, though his eyes, too, were more alert than the rest of his exhausted posture. â€Å"At ease,† Jared said to Ian. â€Å"I just want to talk to it. I promised the kid, and I'll stand by that promise.† â€Å"Where's Kyle?† Ian demanded. â€Å"Snoring. Your cave might shake apart from the vibrations.† Ian didn't move. â€Å"I'm not lying, Ian. And I'm not going to kill it. Jeb is right. No matter how messed up this stupid situation is, Jamie has as much say as I do, and he's been totally suckered, so I doubt he'll be giving me the go-ahead anytime soon.† â€Å"No one's been suckered,† Ian growled. Jared waved his hand, dismissing the disagreement over terminology. â€Å"It's not in any danger from me, is my point.† For the first time he looked at me, evaluating the way I hugged the far wall, watching my hands tremble. â€Å"I won't hurt you again,† he said to me. I took a small step forward. â€Å"You don't have to talk to him if you don't want to, Wanda,† Ian said quickly. â€Å"This isn't a duty or a chore to be done. It's not mandatory. You have a choice.† Jared's eyebrows pulled low over his eyes-Ian's words confused him. â€Å"No,† I whispered. â€Å"I'll talk to him.† I took another short step. Jared turned his hand palm up and curled his fingers twice, encouraging me forward. I walked slowly, each step an individual movement followed by a pause, not part of a steady advance. I stopped a yard away from him. Ian shadowed each step, keeping close to my side. â€Å"I'd like to talk to it alone, if you don't mind,† Jared said to him. Ian planted himself. â€Å"I do mind.† â€Å"No, Ian, it's okay. Go get some sleep. I'll be fine.† I nudged his arm lightly. Ian scrutinized my face, his expression dubious. â€Å"This isn't some death wish? Sparing the kid?† he demanded. â€Å"No. Jared wouldn't lie to Jamie about this.† Jared scowled when I said his name, the sound of it full of confidence. â€Å"Please, Ian,† I pleaded. â€Å"I want to talk to him.† Ian looked at me for a long minute, then turned to scowl at Jared. He barked out each sentence like an order. â€Å"Her name is Wanda, not it. You will not touch her. Any mark you leave on her, I will double on your worthless hide.† I winced at the threat. Ian turned abruptly and stalked into the darkness. It was silent for a moment as we both watched the empty space where he had disappeared. I looked at Jared's face first, while he still stared after Ian. When he turned to meet my gaze, I dropped my eyes. â€Å"Wow. He's not kidding, is he?† Jared said. I treated that as a rhetorical question. â€Å"Why don't you have a seat?† he asked me, patting the mat be-side him. I deliberated for a moment, then went to sit against the same wall but close to the hole, putting the length of the mat between us. Melanie didn't like this; she wanted to be near him, for me to smell his scent and feel the warmth of his body beside me. I did not want that-and it wasn't because I was afraid he would hurt me; he didn't look angry at the moment, only tired and wary. I just didn't want to be any closer to him. Something in my chest was hurting to have him so near-to have him hating me in such close proximity. He watched me, his head tilted to the side; I could only meet his gaze fleetingly before I had to look away. â€Å"I'm sorry about last night-about your face. I shouldn't have done that.† I stared at my hands, knotted together in a double fist on my lap. â€Å"You don't have to be afraid of me.† I nodded, not looking at him. He grunted. â€Å"Thought you said you would talk to me?† I shrugged. I couldn't find my voice with the weight of his antagonism in the air between us. I heard him move. He scooted down the mat until he sat right beside me-the way Melanie had hoped for. Too close-it was hard to think straight, hard to breathe right-but I couldn't bring myself to scoot away. Oddly, for this was what she'd wanted in the first place, Melanie was suddenly irritated. What? I asked, startled by the intensity of her emotion. I don't like him next to you. It doesn't feel right. I don't like the way you want him there. For the first time since we'd abandoned civilization together, I felt waves of hostility emanating from her. I was shocked. That was hardly fair. â€Å"I just have one question,† Jared said, interrupting us. I met his gaze and then shied away-recoiling both from his hard eyes and from Melanie's resentment. â€Å"You can probably guess what it is. Jeb and Jamie spent all night jabbering at me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I waited for the question, staring across the dark hall at the rice bag-last night's pillow. In my peripheral vision, I saw his hand come up, and I cringed into the wall. â€Å"I'm not going to hurt you,† he said again, impatient, and cupped my chin in his rough hand, pulling my face around so I had to look at him. My heart stuttered when he touched me, and there was suddenly too much moisture in my eyes. I blinked, trying to clear them. â€Å"Wanda.† He said my name slowly-unwillingly, I could tell, though his voice was even and toneless. â€Å"Is Melanie still alive-still part of you? Tell me the truth.† Melanie attacked with the brute strength of a wrecking ball. It was physically painful, like the sudden stab of a migraine headache, where she tried to force her way out. Stop it! Can't you see? It was so obvious in the set of his lips, the tight lines under his eyes. It didn't matter what I said or what she said. I'm already a liar to him, I told her. He doesn't want the truth-he's just looking for evidence, some way to prove me a liar, a Seeker, to Jeb and Jamie so that he'll be allowed to kill me. Melanie refused to answer or believe me; it was a struggle to keep her silent. Jared watched the sweat bead on my forehead, the strange shiver that shook down my spine, and his eyes narrowed. He held on to my chin, refusing to let me hide my face. Jared, I love you, she tried to scream. I'm right here. My lips didn't quiver, but I was surprised that he couldn't read the words spelled out plainly in my eyes. Time passed slowly while he waited for my answer. It was agonizing, having to stare into his eyes, having to see the revulsion there. As if that weren't enough, Melanie's anger continued to slice at me from the inside. Her jealousy swelled into a bitter flood that washed through my body and left it polluted. More time passed, and the tears welled up until they couldn't be contained in my eyes anymore. They spilled over onto my cheeks and rolled silently into Jared's palm. His expression didn't change. Finally, I'd had enough. I closed my eyes and jerked my head down. Rather than hurt me, he dropped his hand. He sighed, frustrated. I expected he would leave. I stared at my hands again, waiting for that. My heartbeat marked the passing minutes. He didn't move. I didn't move. He seemed carved out of stone beside me. It fit him, this stonelike stillness. It fit his new, hard expression, the flint in his eyes. Melanie pondered this Jared, comparing him with the man he used to be. She remembered an unremarkable day on the run†¦ â€Å"Argh!† Jared and Jamie groan together. Jared lounges on the leather sofa and Jamie sprawls on the carpet in front of him. They're watching a basketball game on the big-screen TV. The para-sites who live in this house are at work, and we've already filled the jeep with all it can hold. We have hours to rest before we need to disappear again. On the TV, two players are disagreeing politely on the sideline. The cameraman is close; we can hear what they're saying. â€Å"I believe I was the last one to touch it-it's your ball.† â€Å"I'm not sure about that. I wouldn't want to take any unfair advantage. We'd better have the refs review the tape.† The players shake hands, pat each other's shoulders. â€Å"This is ridiculous,† Jared grumbles. â€Å"I can't stand it,† Jamie agrees, mirroring Jared's tone perfectly; he sounds more like Jared every day-one of the many forms his hero worship has taken. â€Å"Is there anything else on?† Jared flips through a few channels until he finds a track and field meet. The parasites are holding the Olympics in Haiti right now. From what we can see, the aliens are all hugely excited about it. Lots of them have Olympic flags outside their houses. It's not the same, though. Everyone who participates gets a medal now. Pathetic. But they can't really screw up the hundred-meter dash. Individual parasite sports are much more entertaining than when they try to compete against each other directly. They perform better in separate lanes. â€Å"Mel, come relax,† Jared calls. I stand by the back door out of habit, not because I'm tensed to run. Not because I'm frightened. Empty habit, nothing more. I go to Jared. He pulls me onto his lap and tucks my head under his chin. â€Å"Comfortable?† he asks. â€Å"Yes,† I say, because I really, truly am entirely comfortable. Here, in an alien's house. Dad used to say lots of funny things-like he was speaking his own language sometimes. Twenty-three skidoo, salad days, nosy parker, bandbox fresh, the catbird seat, chocolate teapot, and something about Grandma sucking eggs. One of his favorites was safe as houses. Teaching me to ride a bike, my mother worrying in the doorway: â€Å"Calm down, Linda, this street is safe as houses.† Convincing Jamie to sleep without his nightlight: â€Å"It's safe as houses in here, son, not a monster for miles.† Then overnight the world turned into a hideous nightmare, and the phrase became a black joke to Jamie and me. Houses were the most dangerous places we knew. Hiding in a patch of scrubby pines, watching a car pull out from the garage of a secluded home, deciding whether to make a food run, whether it was too dicey. â€Å"Do you think the parasites'll be gone for long?† â€Å"No way-that place is safe as houses. Let's get out of here.† And now I can sit here and watch TV like it is five years ago and Mom and Dad are in the other room and I've never spent a night hiding in a drainpipe with Jamie and a bunch of rats while body snatchers with spotlights search for the thieves who made off with a bag of dried beans and a bowl of cold spaghetti. I know that if Jamie and I survived alone for twenty years we would never find this feeling on our own. The feeling of safety. More than safety, even-happiness. Safe and happy, two things I thought I'd never feel again. Jared makes us feel that way without trying, just by being Jared. I breathe in the scent of his skin and feel the warmth of his body under mine. Jared makes everything safe, everything happy. Even houses. He still makes me feel safe, Melanie realized, feeling the warmth where his arm was just half an inch from mine. Though he doesn't even know I'm here. I didn't feel safe. Loving Jared made me feel less safe than anything else I could think of. I wondered if Melanie and I would have loved Jared if he'd always been who he was now, rather than the smiling Jared in our memories, the one who had come to Melanie with his hands full of hope and miracles. Would she have followed him if he'd always been so hard and cynical? If the loss of his laughing father and wild big brothers had iced him over the way nothing but Melanie's loss had? Of course. Mel was certain. I would love Jared in any form. Even like this, he belongs with me. I wondered if the same held true for me. Would I love him now if he were like this in her memory? Then I was interrupted. Without any cue that I perceived, suddenly Jared was talking, speaking as if we were in the middle of a conversation. â€Å"And so, because of you, Jeb and Jamie are convinced that it's possible to continue some kind of awareness after†¦ being caught. They're both sure Mel's still kicking in there.† He rapped his fist lightly against my head. I flinched away from him, and he folded his arms. â€Å"Jamie thinks she's talking to him.† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Not really fair to play the kid like that-but that's assuming a sense of ethics that clearly does not apply.† I wrapped my arms around myself. â€Å"Jeb does have a point, though-that's what's killing me! What are you after? The Seekers' search wasn't well directed or even†¦ suspicious. They only seemed to be looking for you-not for us. So maybe they didn't know what you were up to. Maybe you're freelancing? Some kind of undercover thing. Or†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It was easier to ignore him when he was speculating so foolishly. I focused on my knees. They were dirty, as usual, purple and black. â€Å"Maybe they're right-about the killing-you part, anyway.† Unexpectedly, his fingers brushed lightly once across the goose bumps his words had raised on my arm. His voice was softer when he spoke again. â€Å"Nobody's going to hurt you now. As long as you aren't causing any trouble†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He shrugged. â€Å"I can sort of see their point, and maybe, in a sick way, it would be wrong, like they say. Maybe there is no justifiable reason to†¦ Except that Jamie†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My head flipped up-his eyes were sharp, scrutinizing my reaction. I regretted showing interest and watched my knees again. â€Å"It scares me how attached he's getting,† Jared muttered. â€Å"Shouldn't have left him behind. I never imagined†¦ And I don't know what to do about it now. He thinks Mel's alive in there. What will it do to him when†¦?† I noticed how he said when, not if. No matter what promises he'd made, he didn't see me lasting in the long term. â€Å"I'm surprised you got to Jeb,† he reflected, changing the subject. â€Å"He's a canny old guy. He sees through deceptions so easily. Till now.† He thought about that for a minute. â€Å"Not much for conversation, are you?† There was another long silence. His words came in a sudden gush. â€Å"The part that keeps bugging me is what if they're right? How the hell would I know? I hate the way their logic makes sense to me. There's got to be another explanation.† Melanie struggled again to speak, not as viciously as before, this time without hope of breaking through. I kept my arms and lips locked. Jared moved, shifting away from the wall so that his body was turned toward me. I watched the movement from the corner of my eye. â€Å"Why are you here?† he whispered. I peeked up at his face. It was gentle, kind, almost the way Melanie remembered it. I felt my control slipping; my lips trembled. Keeping my arms locked took all my strength. I wanted to touch his face. I wanted it. Melanie did not like this. If you won't let me talk, then at least keep your hands to yourself, she hissed. I'm trying. I'm sorry. I was sorry. This was hurting her. We were both hurting, different hurts. It was hard to know who had it worse at the moment. Jared watched me curiously while my eyes filled again. â€Å"Why?† he asked softly. â€Å"You know, Jeb has this crazy idea that you're here for me and Jamie. Isn't that nuts?† My mouth half-opened; I quickly bit down on my lip. Jared leaned forward slowly and took my face between both his hands. My eyes closed. â€Å"Won't you tell me?† My head shook once, fast. I wasn't sure who did it. Was it me saying won't or Melanie saying can't? His hands tightened under my jaw. I opened my eyes, and his face was inches away from mine. My heart fluttered, my stomach dropped-I tried to breathe, but my lungs did not obey. I recognized the intention in his eyes; I knew how he would move, exactly how his lips would feel. And yet it was so new to me, a first more shocking than any other, as his mouth pressed against mine. I think he meant just to touch his lips to mine, to be soft, but things changed when our skin met. His mouth was abruptly hard and rough, his hands trapped my face to his while his lips moved mine in urgent, unfamiliar patterns. It was so different from remembering, so much stronger. My head swam incoherently. The body revolted. I was no longer in control of it-it was in control of me. It was not Melanie-the body was stronger than either of us now. Our breathing echoed loudly: mine wild and gasping, his fierce, almost a snarl. My arms broke free from my control. My left hand reached for his face, his hair, to wind my fingers in it. My right hand was faster. Was not mine. Melanie's fist punched his jaw, knocked his face away from mine with a blunt, low sound. Flesh against flesh, hard and angry. The force of it was not enough to move him far, but he scrambled away from me the instant our lips were no longer connected, gaping with horrorstruck eyes at my horrorstruck expression. I stared down at the still-clenched fist, as repulsed as if I'd found a scorpion growing on the end of my arm. A gasp of revulsion choked its way out of my throat. I grabbed the right wrist with my left hand, desperate to keep Melanie from using my body for violence again. I glanced up at Jared. He was staring at the fist I restrained, too, the horror fading, surprise taking its place. In that second, his expression was entirely defenseless. I could easily read his thoughts as they moved across his unlocked face. This was not what he had expected. And he'd had expectations; that was plain to see. This had been a test. A test he'd thought he was prepared to evaluate. A test with results he'd anticipated with confidence. But he'd been surprised. Did that mean pass or fail? The pain in my chest was not a surprise. I already knew that a breaking heart was more than an exaggeration. In a fight-or-flight situation, I never had a choice; it would always be flight for me. Because Jared was between me and the darkness of the tunnel exit, I wheeled and threw myself into the box-packed hole. The boxes crunched, crackled, and cracked as my weight shoved them into the wall, into the floor. I wriggled my way into the impossible space, twisting around the heavier squares and crushing the others. I felt his fingers scrape across my foot as he made a grab for my ankle, and I kicked one of the more solid boxes between us. He grunted, and despair wrapped choking hands around my throat. I hadn't meant to hurt him again; I hadn't meant to strike. I was only trying to escape. I didn't hear my own sobbing, loud as it was, until I could go no farther into the crowded hole and the sound of my thrashing stopped. When I did hear myself, heard the ragged, tearing gasps of agony, I was mortified. So mortified, so humiliated. I was horrified at myself, at the violence I'd allowed to flow through my body, whether consciously or not, but that was not why I was sobbing. I was sobbing because it had been a test, and, stupid, stupid, stupid, emotional creature that I was, I wanted it to be real. Melanie was writhing in agony inside me, and it was hard to make sense of the double pain. I felt as though I was dying because it was not real; she felt as though she was dying because, to her, it had felt real enough. In all that she'd lost since the end of her world, so long ago, she'd never before felt betrayed. When her father had brought the Seekers after his children, she'd known it was not him. There was no betrayal, only grief. Her father was dead. But Jared was alive and himself. No one's betrayed you, stupid, I railed at her. I wanted her pain to stop. It was too much, the extra burden of her agony. Mine was enough. How could he? How? she ranted, ignoring me. We sobbed, beyond control. One word snapped us back from the edge of hysteria. From the mouth of the hole, Jared's low, rough voice-broken and strangely childlike-asked, â€Å"Mel?†