Research on football Essay

Most people in Germany enjoy watching football on television or live in the stadium. Football is not only sport number one, but also the number one topic of conversation. Although it is so popular, many people, fans or not fans, discuss whether the football players are good value or not. So, is it fair that they earn so much more than others? Of course stars like Ronaldo, Zidane or Beckham, but also all the other professional football players have a high training intensity with a minimum of two trainings per day and additional duties like for example meetings with sponsors or fan clubs. Many of them are engaged in social organisations and do a lot for poor and disabled people. They do a lot for the money they get. On the basis of the high number of trainings and at least one game per week during the season means a high strain for the players. They get injured † often seriously † because of this high strain and the fact that their body is their capital. They have to give everything for the money, even their health. These are arguments why professional football players are good value. The training intensitiy, the strain, the injuries that result from the strain and of course the age lead to the realization that the players are not able to do their sport for such a long time. They need the money because they have to built reserves for their later life. The players deserve the money they get, for the clubs make huge profits with the player. Real Madrid for example expands – or at least wants to in the market of merchandising products in Asia because of the engagement of David Beckham. Madrid had to pay Ã'‚Ð’Ð ¼ 35 million, but experts say, that only the sell of the jersey with Beckham’s number brings at least Ã'‚Ð’Ð ¼ 50 million back to Madrid. So the club has great economic advantages. In the case of the most famous players, who are always in the spotlight, it is fair that they earn so much. They really have no private life because of their popularity. They are accompanied by photographers and journalists all the time and do not have a single moment for themselves or their families. They have to bear a lot. In the worst case, they are even blackmailed. â€Å"Nine people have been arrested in connection with an alleged conspiracy to kidnap Victoria Beckham and seek a 5m ransom. † This happened to David Beckham in 2002 and is an evidence for the great pressure the players have to stand. The money compensates them for this pressure. On the other hand you could say that the â€Å"work† of a football player can not be compared with the â€Å"real work† of a factory-worker or a manual worker. For the football player it is a hobby with a maximum of three to four hours of training per day, which is not too hard. For the factory-worker it is at least eight hours of hard physical work per day. You could also say that not only football players get injured. Manual workers can be seriously injured in their jobs too. They could fall down from a scaffolding and break their bones or Another fact is that professional football players get so much more than for example a professional handball player, although the handball player trains as often and as hard as the football player. He just gets more because football is the number one sport in Germany and not because he does so much more. Some people say that the stars bring a lot of money for their clubs or even a whole region. But many people criticize, that the players ( and not only the best ones)still get contracts, that guarantees them millions of euros, despite the fact that the current economic situation is not the best. The point that football players have no private life because of their celebrity and the permanent presence of media that is closely connected with it, could be invalidated by the fact that this happens only to the most popular players. â€Å"German football captain†¦ has had to tell his pregnant wife he had a mistress† wrote â€Å"The Mirror†. It is only interesting when the 34 year-old and very famous goalkeeper Oliver Kahn leaves his wife and his daughter for a 13 years younger party-girl, and not when an unknown player from Energie Cottbus does the same. So most of the players can still enjoy a calm private life and nevertheless get plenty of money. In this discussion you have to take into consideration, that football players have much more free time than anybody else. The worker has about 4 weeks holiday per year, while the season of a football player lasts only for about 7 months. That means that they have about 5 months holiday. Ironic people would say that they need so much money because they have so much time to give it out. The majority however, thinks, that it is just unfair with regard to the rest of the working people. So for both sides you can find several arguments. Everybody should decide for himself whether it is just that they earn so much or not. In my opinion it is not. â€Å"Beckham said he was delighted to be moving to Spain, though most people believe he’s delighted to be cashing cheques for Ã'‚Ð’Ð ¼ 6 million a year in salary. † That means he gets about 500,000 Ã'‚Ð’Ð ¼ per month, 125,000 Ã'‚Ð’Ð ¼ per week, 17,800 Ã'‚Ð’Ð ¼ per day and 740 Ã'‚Ð’Ð ¼ per hour. I think that is unfair with regard to the hard working people. Nobody is worth so much.

Computerized Admission Examination System Essay

Entrance Examination – An examination success in which qualifies a person to join a school, university, organization. Examination that many educational institutions use to select students for admission. These exams may be administered at any level of education, from primary to higher education, although they are more common at higher levels. School – An institution for educating children. University – a school that offers courses leading to a degree (such as a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree) Examination – a test to show a person’s progress, knowledge, or ability Student – a person who is studying at a school or college. Visual Basic – Visual Basic is a third-generation programming language. Microsoft intended Visual Basic to be relatively easy to learn and use. Administrator – Who is responsible to create a new course, delete course, add member or delete it. Faculty member – A teacher in the faculty. Introduction Online Examination System is a software application which allows a particular company or institute to arrange, conduct and manage any objective examination via online. This document will propose all features and procedures to develop the system. This document specially containing details about objectives, scope, limitation, theoretical framework, conceptual framework, statement of the problem, hypothesis, significance, abstract and synthesis. Entrance Exam System is very useful for Educational Institute to prepare an exam, save the time that will take to check the paper and prepare mark sheets. It will help the school to testing of students and develop their skills. But the disadvantages for this system, it takes a lot of times when you prepare the exam at the first time for usage. And we are needs number of computers with the same number of students. The effective use of Entrance Exam System, many Educational Institute can be use it to develop their strategy for putting the exams, and for getting better results in less time. Scope and limitations: On-line Exam system is designed for Educational Institutes (like schools and universities). The system handles all the operations, and generates reports as soon as the test is finish, that includes name, mark, time spent to solve the exam. Allow students to see or display his answers after the exam is finish. The type of questions is only multiple choice or true and false. The scope and limitation of this system is: The on-line exam system design to educational institutes. Hold all operation and generate reports to student, teachers and administrator. Support multiple choices questions. Allow the student to prochoice the answer and to see his mark. Verify a security, authority and safty. The Administrator can be done the following: Create/delete accounts (add a list of faculty names and list of his student) Change password for Faculty/Student Create/ delete/update courses (subject). The Faculty can be done the following: Change password. Insert questions. Specify the answers. Update mark of questions and answers. The Student can be done the following: Change password. Choose exam. Review answers. See his exam mark. View other material.

The United States and the War of 1812 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The United States and the War of 1812 - Essay Example Both houses approved the message and they signed an accord, which supported war against Britain on 18 June (Turner, 11). How the United States became involved in the War of 1812 Americans constantly call the War of 1812 as the second American War of Independence. The major reasons that prompted the United States to declare war against the British was their constant abuse of America’s sovereignty. Particularly, the British interfered with the affairs of North America. This intrusion of Great Britain in North America angered the United States (Martin, 2). In various occasions, the Royal Navy prevented neutral ships from getting inside the ports controlled by Napoleon. It emerged that most of these neutral ships that the British stopped came from the United States. Eventually, most Americans felt that the British were restricting their important trade (Turner, 22). Americans also felt that this restriction of trade by the British occurred in a way that Britain did not consider Am erica as a sovereign nation. The British continued their intrusion as if America did not exist. In addition, the British acted in a way to suggest that America was only a young and minor nation which did not require respect and which could not pose any threat (Healey, 3). The British also angered the Americans due to the habit of the Royal Navy stopping neutral ships from America in search of contraband and deserters who had fled from the cruel and brutal life on British warships (21). In some occasions, the British captains acted impulsively and even lured men who were native-born Americans into service on British warships. These actions by the British continually angered the Americans who felt that the British were interfering with their important affairs (Turner, 22). Even though America attempted to reverse these situations through diplomatic complains, the British continued with these operations. In another attempt to stop these harassments, America summoned a invalidate trade restriction intended to punish the British, but it made many American merchants insolvent. It seemed to America that the British were too anxious to fight Napoleon that they did not consider the peril of United States. In addition, the British did not care of what the Americans can do since they considered it as a young nation without ample military and economic foundation (Healey, 5). Thomas Jefferson, the American president was responsible for defending the nations honor. Since Jefferson was an educated person, he closed up the American waters from supplying water to the British warships, facilitated the release of three seamen and ordered the British to end their harassment actions towards America. Even though the British compensated the Americans for their actions, impressments still went on unabated (Hickman, 1). There was still another grievance that lay at the heart of American hostility toward Great Britain and which prompted America to join the war. During that time, Americ a was expanding its boundaries as it was outgrowing its coastal boundaries westward (1). Britain also realized the potential of this huge and already managed a vast amount of the land in its Canadian provinces. Instead of leaving things the way they were, the British supported the American Indians to struggle and fight against American settlers who were migrating westward from the original United States (Healey, 2). Most Americans in the west assumed that the

The Cash Flow Budget of Hidetoseek Company Assignment

The Cash Flow Budget of Hidetoseek Company - Assignment Example This limit is only  £ 25000 but the negative balance of cash flows shows that in the month of July, the balance ( £ 36544) has crossed the limit. Therefore they have to think about any other source of the short-term loan. Another one issue is that before adopting the option of bulk purchase the company should determine the amount of short-term loan and their interest and they should compare it with the reduced cost. Because of cheap raw material if the company has to pay a huge amount of interest then it will be of no use. The difference between the cash and profit mainly lies between the working capital cycles. The process of calculating net profit and cash flow is different from each other. Before explaining or pointing out the differences it will be beneficial to understand the process of each method through the calculation of a particular month. In Task 1, the cash flow calculation has already been shown for the month of June now calculation of net profit can be shown. At first, it required the calculation of closing stock which will be as follows. {(8500 + 35000) - (16500*100/170)} = 33795. The next step is to calculate the gross profit and it will be {(33795+16500) – (8500+35000)} = 6795. Now all the expenses should be deducted from it to calculate the net profit. Therefore net profit will be {6795- (1333+2500+360+650+780+30000)}= (1828) whereas the closing balance of cash flow was  £ (9754). The above calculation depicts that not only the process but also the number of sales, purchase and other expenses are different. Here, the actual amount of all those items has been taken where in case of cash flows only the amount which is collected or paid during this month has taken. More specifically it can be stated that cash flow considers only the cash inflow and outflow but while calculating the profit all the actual sales, purchase and expenses are taken into account.  

Types of Network Attacks Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Types of Network Attacks - Research Paper Example There is a variety of network attacks reported by researchers and information assurance professionals which keep targeting the government and private industry in a staggering number. It is a great concern of both the government and private industry to get rid of them by using the defense mechanisms identified by information assurance professionals in the past but significant research is still in continuation on this particular subject. It is reported that the number of attacks has doubled by two times since the introduction of World Wide Web due to which some say that the number of network attacks has become unprecedented now and the faster effective defense actions are taken against them, the better. The National Cyber Alert System for the US government and private sectors identified in recent past that all types of network attacks utilize security vulnerabilities (Yang, 1997) and nearly half of all the security threats from the Internet go unreported.It is increasingly important fo r the information assurance professionals and network administrators to acknowledge the nature of potential attacks on computer security so that it becomes easier afterwards to protect the network against such attacks. Spoofing is one such network attack which creates problems by causing a host or application to imitate the actions of another (The Linux Documentation Project, 2002). This is done by tracking IP addresses in network patches by the attacker who conventionally mimics another innocent host. After identifying the IP address by IP Address Spoofing, the attacker next proceeds to modifying or deleting important data (Microsoft TechNet, 2012). Following IP addresses means tracking or guessing TCP sequence number for example as in the case when a TCP connection from another host is tried to be mimicked by the attacker. This is why security vulnerabilities are created by the US-CERT to defend against such natured network attacks. The authenticity of various datagrams and comma nds is also advised to be verified by the teams responsible for detecting network attacks. This is identified as a very important step for protection against network attacks like spoofing. The attackers also try taking advantage of the element of predictability which is why it is advised to incorporate unpredictability into connection control systems so that TCP sequence numbers and myriad port addresses for example could not be tracked or mimicked through spoofing. Source addresses are also taken advantage of in spoofing due to which

Child Trafficking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Child Trafficking - Essay Example These children, having suffered at the hands of fate get tempted by such offers, mainly because they want to make good money to serve their personal and family needs. Such children sometimes even step out of their houses with these agents, even without their parental consent. Actually neither the child nor the â€Å"adult is usually aware of the full implications of their actions† (What is Child Trafficking para. 2). Often, by the time these children are rescued, it is generally too late. The children who have been trafficked and sexually exploited have to bear various consequences varying from unwanted pregnancies to HIV/AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases. The physical scars can still be dealt with but the psychological scars remain to haunt them for a lifetime! Unfortunately, though many children get rescued their sufferings continue. According to an NGO, Plan USA, â€Å"The causes of child trafficking are complex and often reinforce each other. Victims are often made vulnerable by factors including poverty, the attraction of perceived higher standards of living, lack of employment opportunities, organized crime, violence and discrimination against women and children, government corruption, political instability and armed conflict† (What is Child Trafficking para. 2). ... The statistics show that in the last 20 year's time, anti trafficking organizations have worked harder to accept, understand, research and resolve the issue. But, despite of these continuous efforts, the problem remains unresolved. Therefore, it is time to make cumulative effort globally to eradicate such heinous issues thriving around us. â€Å"Some shocking numbers: Approximately 80% of human trafficking victims are women and girls of which upto 50% are minors. – U.S. State Department The average age of entry for children, who have been victims of the sex trade industry is about 12 years. – U.S. Department of Justice The global market for child trafficking is over $12 billion a year, with more than 1.2 million child victims. – UNICEF Surveys indicate that 30 to 35 % of all sex workers in Mekong (sub-region of Southeast Asia) are between 12 and 17 years of age. – UNICEF The average cost of slavery today is $90, a historic low† (Bales). Apart from w hat the governments across the world are doing to end child trafficking, there are other non profit agencies which are aiming towards rescuing children from hunger, abuse and disease. Each day, more and more children are trafficked into prostitution, forced labor, child marriages and other kinds of slavery. â€Å"Each day, the challenges grow greater for those who seek to prevent child trafficking and provide care for children who have been trafficked† (Our Mission para. 2). We all wait for someone else to bring about that change ! A general tendency is not to bother about the problem - unless it befalls upon us. That is precisely the reason why problems which are occurring on global level seldom find a global and effective solution. Sometimes it is people’s fear that holds them back from raising

Universal packaging design Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Universal packaging design - Case Study Example In business, universal packaging design is a framework in which product packaging in a way that captures a wide range of people and circumstances without any special features (Lidwell, William, Kritina Holden, Jill Butler, and Kimberly Elam, 26).For instance, a counter with a universal design will have manifold heights- a standard height for taller people and a shorter height for short people. Universals designs must follow certain principles that define it. They include:1. Equitable use The design has to meet the needs of people with different abilities. It must be equally usable to all users: Identical whenever possible and offer equivalence in utility where it is not identical. It should not segregate or stigmatize any users Must avail specifications of privacy, safety, and security to the all users The design must be appealing to all users.2. Flexible to users The design should accommodate different individual abilities and preferences. The user should be free to make a choice on the methods of use. Right and left-handed persons should also be accommodated The equipments should be able to facilitate accuracy and precision for the user The design should provide room for the users to adapt to any change that may occur.3. Simple and intuitive to use The design should be simple to understand. The experience of the user on its use does not matter. The user’s knowledge, language, skills, or current level of concentration should not matter in the ease to use design. The design should have the ability to eliminate unnecessary complexity It should accommodate different literacy levels and skills. The design should a sequential effect on items according to their level of importance The systems should provide effective feedback during and after the completion of the task 4. Perceptible information The design should communicate information to the user where necessary without special sensory abilities form the user. It uses pictorial, verbal and tactile modes for the redundant presentation of essential information. It should provide sufficient contrast between essential information and its surroundings Essential information should have maximum legibility The readers hold is able to describe different elements i.e. it should make easy for the user to give instructions and directions The design should compatible with a variety of designs or devices used by user with sensory limitations. 5. Tolerance of error The designs should minimize on hazards and adverse consequences of intended and unintended actions Arranges elements to minimize hazards and errors in a way the is understandable to all users. Categories such as, most used elements, hazardous elements eliminated, isolated, or shielded are applicable. Provides warnings of possible hazards and errors that can occur on the instrument or device It provided fail-safe features of the model to the user It should direct the user to avoid unconscious actions in tasks that require vigilance and att entiveness. 6. Low physical effort Users should not use a lot of energy when using the design. There should efficiency and comfort with the most minimum fatigue User should be able to maintain a neutral position of the body when using the design The user should use reasonable operating forces Repetitive actions should be minimal Sustained physical efforts should be minimal 7. Size and space approach of use The size and space approach of a design is the extent to which the use can reach, manipulate, and use the design regardless of their body size, posture or mobility. The design should allow the user to do all that without strain. It should be adjustable to allow users of all body sizes to use it. Important elements must be clearly seen by any sitting or standing user The users should be able to comfortably reach all of the components they need during operations It should accommodate any variations in hand and grip size Space for assistive or personal devices for users should be acc ommodated through sufficient space.

Texas - Water Riparian Rights (years 1836-1986) Essay

Texas - Water Riparian Rights (years 1836-1986) - Essay Example The fragmented institutional structure of riparian water rights constituted obstacles to achieving an efficient and comprehensive water-resource management system, thus the development of a surface water permit system. A riparian area refers to an area that acts as an interface between land, and a stream or river; consequently, riparian water rights refers to the system of allocating water on the basis of riparian land ownership. The Riparian doctrine was introduce in Texas over 200 years ago by Hispanic settlers in San Antonio, Texas; the Hispanic practices and legal principles became the blue print from which land title was granted. During this time, and through the 19th Century, riparian land was granted and the benefits included the right of riparian land owners to take water from the streams and rivers for purposes of irrigation. This can be best demonstrated in the case of Motl v Boyd (1926); the case was about the rights of Hispanics to take water from streams for irrigation (Rio Grande). In this case, the Supreme Court of Texas decided that the owner of riparian land had the right to use riparian waters not only for household and domestic purposes, but for irrigation purposes as well (Hutc hins 517). Riparian rights were affected by a couple of artificial and natural challenges; first there was the question of what constituted a river bed, a section of the riparian zone that would be owned by the state. Secondly, there was the question of defining the rivers banks since the boundary was ever changing due to manmade or natural reasons. Effects such as erosion, accretion, avulsion, subsidence and dereliction resulted in the shifting of boundaries, reducing or increasing the state owned river bed and the private owned riparian land (Powell 7). In 1840, the state of Texas abolished the Spanish riparian doctrine and embraced the English riparian common law with a few exceptions from the doctrine; this was later

The Evolution of the British Welfare State Essay

The Evolution of the British Welfare State - Essay Example It is often said that the Great Statesman, who rescued a warn-torn Britain in the First World War, Winston Churchill lay the very foundations of the British welfare state. Even as back as 1909 he had laid the groundwork for his "radical reforms," for the labor workforce aimed at making working conditions pleasant and to improve labor relations with the employer.The modern-day health insurance system is indeed a brainchild of Churchill and in 1946 despite his conservative roots he still gave support for Clement Atlee's introduction of near-full socialism in Britain.The emerging labor party, in particular, took it upon itself towards a commitment to reform and social justice, which was later dubbed rhetorically as the British brand of socialism. And thus began a period collective welfare which sought to rid the society of the "scramble for private gain" which tainted the society's ideals and conscience in the name of "Capitalism".According to contemporaries like George Bernard Shaw who called this an "installment of Socialism" rather than a revolution.Britain has had much to learn from its contemporaries in this regard. Whereas the Soviet Union seemed a complete package of central planning a concept new to the West, the British Government took this influence to enlarge its role in the Economic sector.This was the inception of a "Welfare state" which began in the mid-thirties as the Government became active in its industrial ventures.The saving of the national economy was a cause shared by all the affectees of the war.The traditional 19th-century liberalism was in shambles now and the concept self-interest being a social good was rejected as plain selfish and Unjust. One of the key leaders of this movement Prime Minister Attlee once remarked that the capitalism and self-interest was "a pathetic faith resting on no foundation of experience." The new Britain as envisaged by its labourite perceivers would be a promised land where past mistakes would never be repeated and the government would take responsibility for its people. The Beveridge Report was prepared by a government-appointed commission during World War II under William Beveridge, a former economist, and bureaucrat.The aim of this report was to slay the "five giants" of Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor, and Idleness.The report generated worldwide controversy particularly in the Soviet and German circles, as Britain braced its role as a welfare state.The Beveridge report played a pivotal role in the setting up of free medical care(the modern day NHS), promoted the idea of pensions and welfare education and housing and unemployment benefits

Autobiographical Essay Essay Example for Free

Autobiographical Essay Essay My first encounter with fear to a high extent was when I was six years old. I was riding in the car with my mom who was under the influence of alcohol. The fear that rushed through my veins made me think that something as horrible as death could happen. My older brother and younger sister were both in the car. We then pulled into the parking lot of a liquor store. My heart sank to know that my mom was consuming more alcohol to make her blood alcohol level rise. My mom stepped out of the car into the cover of darkness and walked into the store to purchase a fifth of whiskey. When she walked out of the store, I thought to myself that something really bad was going to happen that night. When my mom returned to the car, I looked deep into her eyes and asked her, â€Å"Can you please take us home before anything bad happens?† She looked at me and said, while slurring her words, â€Å"Everything is going to be okay.† I knew that everything was not going to be okay. My mom then started the car, reversed, and drove out of the parking lot of the liquor store to run over the island in the middle of the road. The car tilted from side to side and back onto the smooth road to safety. As I looked out of the window of my door with water filling my eyes, I blurrily saw cops drive past us as though we were invisible. Every part of me wanted to spring out of my car door and bring attention to the danger that was in the atmosphere. Every time a chance came, I let it slip by because I was afraid that my mom would scream at me. All I wanted to do was fall asleep and wake up in my comfy bed at home, but I knew that was impossible. We had been driving for what felt like an hour but it was only five minutes. After I blinked the water from my eyes, I realized that we were in the parking lot of Papa Murphy’s. My mom sent my older brother in to go and get the pizza that she had ordered earlier that afternoon. When he returned my mom got off the car and walked over to a group of guys standing outside of a bar and started hitting on them making a complete fool of her. As I watched those guys scan her body, disgust over took my body. As soon as her door clicked shut, I unbuckled my seatbelt, grabbed to fifth of whiskey out of the cup holder, opened my door, and through the bottle at a nearby tree. The glass bottle shattered into tiny pieces onto the grass around the tree. The relief that rushed through my body gave me hope and actually made me believe that  everything was going to be okay. After my mom finally got back into the car, she looked back at me and my sister in the back seat and said, â€Å"I’m taking you home to eat dinner with your dad now.† When those words came out of her mouth, I was filled with joy. When we finally pulled into our driveway, I unfastened my seatbelt in a flash and bolted into the house, turned the oven on, and ran into my dad’s loving arms as tears ran down my face. The comfort and loving care I felt as my dad wrapped his arms around me, made me know that I was safe. My dad then looked down at me and said with a serious look on his face, â€Å"I’m going to go and talk to your mom and see what she wants to do.† When he closed the slider door behind him, I heard my mom raise her voice in a way that made you think someone was dying. I ran to the slider door to see what was happening. The look on my dad’s face brought tears to my eyes. He was so sickened to see my mom drown herself in alcohol. My mom through her hands into the air, got back into her car, and drove away angrily. My dad then came up the steps of our deck as though he just found out that he had only a week to live. When he finally reached the door, he looked up to see the dry tear marks down my face, opened the door, and embraced me. We then walked into our living room to see my brother and sister watching Sponge Bob, we joined them. My dad then slowly walked into the kitchen to place the pizza in the oven. After about twenty minutes, we all sat down together and had dinner. Soon after, my dad looked at us three kids and said with a smile, â€Å"I have a surprise for you guys!† I looked at my siblings and saw life come into their eyes. My dad then went into the other room and came back out with an enormous bag of candy. As soon as he placed the bag on the table, we kids dog piled that bag of candy like it was the last supply of food on the earth. After we were all satisfied with candy sticking to our faces, we all went into the living room to watch a movie. I sat next to my dad while my siblings sat right in front of the 60 inch television. After, I finally fell asleep in my dad’s arms watching Popeye, I felt secure and safe. The next morning, I woke up to my dad saying to me, â€Å"Your mom got a DUI last night and she has to spend some time in jail.† When I heard that, I immediately thought that maybe my mom had either caused an accident or possibly even killed someone. We then immediately left the house to see if we could go and bail my mom out. We  couldn’t. She had to spend 4 days in jail. Those 4 days were the longest days ever. I loved my mom so much but I hated her when she was under the influence. Losing emotional connection from my mom was a hard thing to go through. I was a â€Å"daddy’s girl† so, my mom just always thought that my dad had to only be there for me. Even when they divorced she was never there for me emotionally. Ever since that day we’ve never emotionally connected. She confessed to me that she had to shut me out because I reminded her of my dad. Aside from all the chaos, I learned a very important lesson; never drink and drive. Experiencing this moment, made me know that alcohol affects everyone; the devout Christian, the highest paid employee, the people who swore they would never drink, and even the Lindsay Lohan’s. I knew from that moment on that if I even dared to drink alcohol, I would not do it front of my children or drive. Ten years after this encounter, my mom has lived her life as a recovered addict from alcohol. She saw how her drinking effected everyone she loved; her kids, husband, mom, dad, nieces, nephews, etc. From that moment on, my mom decided that she wouldn’t use alcohol as a numbing device to the pain. She hasn’t even touched the smallest bit of alcohol since. I am proud of her and am happy to see her live her life in freedom instead of bondage. That day made me know that I didn’t want to be seen by my kids, drinking and driving. I believe this moment was put in my life just so that I would now not to make the mistakes that my mom made and actually live my life in peace.

Acute Myocardial Infarction and Periodontal Disease

Acute Myocardial Infarction and Periodontal Disease Research Findings The study examined the association between acute myocardial infarction and periodontal diseases using cross sectional design. The analysis was carried out using the SPSS/PC Windows version 21.0 software package (IBM, Inc.). The sample size taken for the study was 80 (Cases=40, Control=40). The bivariate association between the studied variables, acute MI and periodontitis (dichotomized) was analyzed with the appropriate test. A significance level of p≠¤0.05 was considered significant and the odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Further, conditional logistic regression analysis/cox regression analysis (1:1 matched pairs) was used to assess the independent contribution of periodontal diseases to the risk of acute myocardial infarction and also to find the relationship between AMI and other possible explanatory variables. The risk factors such as tobacco habit, smoking, dietary habits, family history of diabetes, were forced into the model. The following secti on presents the results. Descriptive Statistics and Preliminary Analyses Association between acute myocardial infarction and study variables. The table below presents the association between Acute Myocardial Infarction and study variables. The results showed that odds of outcome (AMI) were significantly higher in subjects with periodontitis, smoking habits, hypertension and mixed dietary habits. Out of the total 80 patients, the majority of the periodontitis patients (82.5%) were present within the case group (AMI patients) (p=0.026). Similarly, the prevalence of smoking (52.5% vs. 27.5%, p=0.031) and hypertension (52.5% vs. 47.9%, p Table 6:  Association between Acute Myocardial Infarction and study variables *p Association between periodontitis and study variables. The table below presents the association between Periodontitis and study variables. The results showed that odds of outcome (periodontitis) were significantly higher in subjects with smoking habits, hypertension and alcohol drinking (p Table 7:  Association between Periodontitis and study variables Conditional Logistic Regression Analysis Using Cox Proportional Hazard Model Following the preliminary analysis’ cox regression analyses were used to assess the independent contribution of periodontal diseases to the risk of acute myocardial infarction and also to find the relationship between an AMI event and possible explanatory variables. To control the effects of multiple potential confounders, multivariate model were also fitted by modeling periodontitis as a time varying covariant in a model. Cox proportional hazard analysis allowed the researcher to include the predictor variables (covariates) one by one into the subsequent models. This provided estimated coefficients for each of the covariates and allowed the researcher to assess the impact of multiple covariates in the same model. We can also use Cox regression to examine the effect of continuous covariates such as BMI. The following recoding was done to examine the association between AMI and periodontitis. Socio economic status=0 (Reference category): Lower; 1=Upper Lower; 2=Lower middle; 3=Upper middle; 4=Upper: Family history=0 (Reference category): No; 1=Yes; Exercise=0 (Reference category): Yes; 1=No ; Hyper tension=0 (Reference category): No; 1=Yes: Diabetes=0 (Reference category): No; 1=Yes: Dietary habit=0 (Reference category): Vegetarian; 1=Mixed: Smoking habit=0 (Reference category): Non-smoker; 1= Former smoker; 2=Smoker: Smokeless tobacco habit=0 (Reference category): Non-users; 1= Former user; 2=Current u ser: Alcohol drinking=0 (Reference category): Non-drinker; 1= Current drinker; 2=Irregular abstainer: Marital status=0 (Reference category): Unmarried; 1= Married; 2=Divorced. The conditional logistic regression estimates the odds ratio, and an exact 95% confidence interval. Table 3, below presents the association between AMI and Periodontitis using Cox regression. Table 8:  Cox Regression Dependent variable: Acute Myocardial Infarction Conditional logistic regression analysis outcomes indicated the presence of a significant association between AMI and periodontitis (Beta=1.358, p= .039 In all the stages, for regular exercise the beta value is negative which means it is a protective factor or is inversely related as acute myocardial events, however this association is not statistically significant to report. Statistical Analysis of Other Clinical Parameters (DMFT, CPI and LOA Scores) Test for normality. To test the assumption of normality, the study used the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilks test. From this test, the Sig. (p) value was compared to the priori alpha level (level of significance for the statistic) – and a determination was made as to reject (p ÃŽ ±) the null hypothesis. The Table 1 below shows that where ÃŽ ± = 0.001, given that p Table 9:  Test for Normality Test for homogeneity of variance (equality of variances). Further, to test the assumption of homogeneity of variance, where the null hypothesis assumes no difference between the two group’s variances (H0: 2 ÏÆ' 1 = 2 ÏÆ' 2), a non-parametric Levene’s test for equality of variances is the most commonly used statistic to verify the equality of variances in the samples (homogeneity of variance) especially for non-normally distributed data. Therefore, Kruskal Wallis one-way analysis Leven’s test was applied. The Levene’s test uses the level of significance set a priori for the t test analysis (e.g., ÃŽ ± = .05) to test the assumption of homogeneity of variance. However, in SPSS it’s challenging to execute Leven’s test for non-normally distributed data in one step. Hence steps were applied to create three new variables such as ranked data, group mean ranks and deviation from mean ranks. Finally, the differences were computed using ANOVA and the p value was found to be Table 10:  Test Statistics Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon W test : comparing medians. As the data is non-homogenous and non-normally distributed, Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon W tests were used to compare the median scores of DMFT, CPI and LOA scores, and also to check the significance of differences. Null Hypothesis: Median score of DMFT, CPI and LOA is same for both case and control. Alternative hypothesis: Median score of DMFT, CPI and LOA differs between case and control. Table 11:  Test Statistics DMFT Score CPI Score LOA Score Mann-Whitney U 403.500 340.500 374.500 Wilcoxon W 1223.500 1160.500 1194

Essay on Greed for Power and Money in Catch-22 -- Catch-22

Greed for Power and Money in Catch-22    Although Catch-22 is a novel that entirely takes place at war, the book uses comedy to emphasize the physical and emotional pain of war. The novel shows us how people are changed by war and how their focuses are changed through different experiences. Many of the people in the book are disgusted by their commanding officers and the conditions around them. Joseph Heller served in the war and witnessed crazy occurrences and met strange people like those in the book. By reading the novel, we can see that he strongly disliked war. There are many themes in the novel, two of the main themes are the greed for power and money.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Power greed is a major theme in Catch-22. There are many characters who put others aside for their own gain of power. Perhaps the most notorious power greedy character in the book is Colonel Cathcart. Colonel Cathcart desperately wants to be a major. If he is promoted, he will have much more power, and the power is what he wants. Cathcart is constantly raising the number of missions the pilots and bombardiers must complete to be discharged. Cathcart raises the missions to appeal the commanding officers. The men vehemently hate Cathcart for doing this because it changes their lives. Every time they think they are near being freed from the war, he raises the missions and ruins their plans. The problem with Cathcart is that he is competitive, and only thinks of how he is doing in comparison to how others are doing. He knew that most all men his age were not majors, so his only purpose was to become a major at his young age of 36. He would do anything to those below him to achieve major status.      Ã‚  Ã‚  &nbs... ...plating sticking wire between the men's wrists and hips. He wanted to surgically install copper wiring so that the men did not move their arms while marching, but forgot about it only after realizing that the wire and surgery would cost too much and the men could not fall down drunk at the end of the parade. Scheisskopf thought of the men as toy soldiers that he could manipulate in any way so that he could be the greatest march coordinator ever. He wanted to manipulate them only so he could be famous and move up in rank to General.    . There are many themes in Catch 22, two of the main themes are the greed for power and money. The greed for power and money takes control of many men in this novel. These men are presented to send a clear message.   Heller is saying that war is a terrible thing because it corrupts people and confuses them.      

An Analysis of the Poem A Prayer for My Daughter by William Butler Yeat

"A Prayer for My Daughter" is a poem written by William Butler Yeats in 1919. This poem is a prayer-like poem. And it generally tells about the poet's ideas about his daughter who is sleeping at the same time while the poem is being told. Throughout the poem Yeats reflects how he wants his daughter's future to be. This essay will analyze the poem in three sections: 1- What does this poem mean?, 2- The poetic devices, imagery, rhyming, figures of speech, used in the poem and mood, diction, language, and the structure of the poem, 3- An essay in a feminist point of view titled "What does the poet want his daughter to become?" . 1-WHAT DOES THIS POEM MEAN? The poet is watching his infant daughter sleep. In the first stanza he starts with describing the setting of the poem. It is stormy outside, there is a kind of dark and gloomy weather and he prays for her. And he says that he has gloom in his mind and we will understand that what gloom is that in his mind. In the second stanza the poet describes the things while he was praying for his daughter. He walks for an hour and notices the "sea-wind scream upon the tower", "under the arches of the bridge", "in the elms above the flooded stream." They probably represent the dreaming of the human beings and they are decisive. They are all about the present things and they block people from thinking about the future events. The last four lines of the second stanza clearly explain this idea: "Imagining in excited reverie That the future years had come, Dancing to a frenzied drum, Out of the murderous innocence of the sea." In the third stanza he prays for her beauty, but not too much. He considers the beauty as a decisive element for choosing the right person to ma... ... parts of the ideal woman he has in his mind or its opposites. He supports that a woman should be "a flourishing hidden tree", who is not well-known but beautiful. She shouldn't be anything but "merry." " Innocence" is beautiful in women, that's why if his daughter keeps her innocence inside and do not abuse it, she will not be affected by the "wind." He thinks that too much beauty distorts women, and causes them to destroy the gifts that are given by "Horn of Plenty" thus he wants his daughter to use the gifts wisely and properly. And he wants his daughter to learn the fact that "hearts are earned", and the men, who are deceived by just beauty, will notice their mistake later. He wants her daughter not to have strong opinions like hatred, because he thinks that hatred is the worst thing in the world. He hopes she will marry, and her house will be full of customs.

teh rechartering of the national bank by Andrew Jackson :: essays research papers

The Rechartering of the National Bank In 1832, a Renewal Bill for the United States Bank came up to the President, Andrew Jackson. He vetoed this bill for the Bank, and in the address that he included with the veto stated that he knew that this would be an issue, and that people would not like it. He told in this address all of the clear and obvious reasons why he vetoed against the bank.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, Andrew Jackson, aimed towards all of the strict constructionists, brought up the point that the formation of a national bank is not in the Constitution, and therefore there is no reason why we should be able to use it. President Jackson also said how the national bank is â€Å"rebellious of the rights of the states, and dangerous to the liberties of the people†. Jackson could see that the bank was a monopoly, and the danger that this could bring. He said how the bank is run primarily by 25 people, 20 of which are elected by the bank stock holders, the other five are elected by the bank officials themselves, who in the long run can keep reelecting themselves, and corruption is bound to follow.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main point that President Jackson made in his address for the veto was that too much of the money in the U.S. Bank was from foreign countries. When private stockholders from other countries don’t pay their debts, it hurts the U.S. economy, but even worse then that is the foreign business that the bank does creates an incredible amount of foreign dividend that the U.S. citizens have to pay for, in their taxes. The President says that the banking system should be entirely American; all of the stockholders in the United States Banking system should consist of U. teh rechartering of the national bank by Andrew Jackson :: essays research papers The Rechartering of the National Bank In 1832, a Renewal Bill for the United States Bank came up to the President, Andrew Jackson. He vetoed this bill for the Bank, and in the address that he included with the veto stated that he knew that this would be an issue, and that people would not like it. He told in this address all of the clear and obvious reasons why he vetoed against the bank.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, Andrew Jackson, aimed towards all of the strict constructionists, brought up the point that the formation of a national bank is not in the Constitution, and therefore there is no reason why we should be able to use it. President Jackson also said how the national bank is â€Å"rebellious of the rights of the states, and dangerous to the liberties of the people†. Jackson could see that the bank was a monopoly, and the danger that this could bring. He said how the bank is run primarily by 25 people, 20 of which are elected by the bank stock holders, the other five are elected by the bank officials themselves, who in the long run can keep reelecting themselves, and corruption is bound to follow.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main point that President Jackson made in his address for the veto was that too much of the money in the U.S. Bank was from foreign countries. When private stockholders from other countries don’t pay their debts, it hurts the U.S. economy, but even worse then that is the foreign business that the bank does creates an incredible amount of foreign dividend that the U.S. citizens have to pay for, in their taxes. The President says that the banking system should be entirely American; all of the stockholders in the United States Banking system should consist of U.

Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver Essay

Both Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver are well recognized TV chefs, however both use spoken language in very different ways, while interacting with their audience. For example Nigella’s language is more sophisticated and formal whereas Jamie’s language is more casual and informal. While there are many language differences between each of these chefs, there are also many similarities. Jamie Oliver was brought up in Essex, where people usually are open minded and sociable. When he does his openings he usually uses phrases like â€Å"Hey guys† & â€Å"Hello lovely people†, this friendly approach to the audience makes him more connected to people all around the world who watches his TV programmes like Jamie’s 15 minutes meals. Nigella in the other hand was born in wandsworth London and was brought up in a self-established and well educated family. She uses sophisticated language and she doesn’t usually has a warm greeting like Jamie’s inste ad she gets straight to the point like â€Å" this salad† , which suggest that the main focus for her is the food she is cooking. Jamie Oliver uses friendly gestures from beginning to the end. He starts usually with â€Å"hey guys† which automatically brings a friendly feeling towards the audience. This creates Jamie as an friendly and approachable. He uses informal speech while talking to the audience making them feel connected to him and making them more focused on what he is trying to say. While he is doing some action like smashing a potato he doesn’t usually say â€Å"smash the potato† but instead he uses â€Å"bash the hell out of it† which in sense is using onomatopoeia which makes it more exciting and simple to understand. Jamie does use this quiet often and also uses slang languages which is more appealing to teen audiences and it also sounds very relaxed and laid back. Nigella uses words like â€Å"lethally and fierce chilli† which is related to some type of quick and snappy. It shows how quick the chilli flavour hits you and how strong the hotness is in the ingredie nt. This may make the audience feel that the chilli is very powerful. The word lethally and fierce are common words to describe chilli. Nigella also uses long pauses while saying the word chilli, while she has long pauses its usually for gestures to take place for the pause moments. Language used by Nigella and Jamie both of them use semantic fields of cookery throughout their programme. They use this to add come kind of impression to their audience while differentiating to which category their food falls into. Jamie uses jargon throughout his programme and he uses it  more frequently as he is well connected to his viewers and others(who) already know him as an casual informal chap from down the street. In the other hand nigella creates huge focus on her jargons to make sure that what are good and what are bad in the food, however in my opinion she sticks to more difficult words what only small proportion of people could understand again implementing she was well educated and was raised in higher class family. Other factors of her that we could also state is being flirtatious with the audience which could make her more appealing to men audiences and making her more likeable and getting more likes and views. She uses words like â€Å"plumcious beauties† which have more impact on male audience then female audience. In conclusion, I believe that Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver both use effective language in there spoken responses. This is because they want to encourage their target audience that everyone can cook even if it’s more difficult or something easy. Nigella uses more sophisticated and formal language, which is mostly based for a more upper classed audience and jamies uses informal language and slang which makes him more reliable to teenagers who don’t want any hassel and just want quick and simple way to make good food. Overall Nigella and Jamie have their own ways and uses different language techniques to engage and persuade the audience that they have the most successful food methods and recipes, which has been proven as these chefs have been well known on TV newspapers and magazines.

Child Abuse Essay

If you were placed in a position were your life was put into danger would you risk escaping? This question was asked by Jaycee Dugard everyday during her eighteen year being held captive. In her memoir A Stolen Life, Jaycee Dugard explains to us why she didn’t try to run from her abductor Philip Garrido even though she was given so many chances to do so. In most situations it is very difficult for victims to escape their abusers control. In the past it was near impossible for victims of abduction to escape safely on their own. With the realization that â€Å"We have seen a significent increase in the number of thru the means of strangers, family or friends† (Amber Alert 1). It has been easier to help child abduction victims with systems like the Amber Alert system, yet it is still difficult for the victims to leave on their own. Abuse victims along with Dugard also struggle with gaining the strength to leave. Years after Dugard was rescued she says â€Å"You must find your voice and not be afraid to speak up† (Dugard 148). Something she regrets doing while being held captive. In the end the claim that victims of abuse should take more responsibility to escaoe their abusers control should be challenges because of the difficulty to escape their abusers control and to gain the strength to leave. Not only do child victims of abuse deal with the control of their abuser, but many adults deal with the same issue. Many women deal with the challenge of leaving their abusive partner, but fail because of the partner control and power they have over their victims. Many women find it difficult because they remain emotionally and economically dependent on their batterer (Domestic Violence 1). In most marital situations their is a cycle of abuse and the family’s life becomes a cycle of violence. â€Å"The man who was terrifying and intimidating turns into a remorseful, needy, and dependent man. The woman who was battered then will feel sorry for the man and recommit to him in a fantasized hope that the abuse won’t happen again. But the cycle of abuse will begin again, often becoming worse† (Domestic Violence 2). In order to escape this abuse the cycle must be broken. According to Blich, â€Å"Stranger kidnapping victimizes more females then males, occurs primarily at outdoor locations, victimizes both teenagers and school-age children, is associated with sexual assaults in the case of girl victims† (Blich 1). After being abducted children are usually brainwashed and manipulated, gaining the abductor even more control. This is what happened in Dugards situation. Philip Garrido, Dugards  abductor, told her that he was hurting her so he wouldn’t have to hurt other little girls, thereby making Dugard feel that if she did try to leave it would be her fault for the pain he caused others (Dugard 158). In doing so Garrido gained complete control over Dugard. However strong you are most can agree that it is very difficult to leave somebody you are dependent on, yet it is necessary if you want t o go on happily. Therefore the claim that abuse victims should take more responsibility to escape their control is difficult for anyone. Many will argue that people who are abused should take more responsibility to to escape from their abuser. In some situations outsiders will argue that we should outsmart our abuser and learn from it making us stronger to leave. According to The Washington Post, â€Å"They escaped these things not through the efforts of good samaritans, but through recognizing a bad situation and either getting away from it, avoiding it or screaming and kicking to draw attention† (St. George 1). This proves that children are capable not responsible. Another argument is that the child who is being abducted should be able to help themselves and escape the situation. â€Å"The child should do whatever is necessary to stay out of the car, because once the child is in that car, it dramatically reduces the chances of escape† (St. George 2). This is a lot of responsibility put onto a young child. How do we expect an eight year-old girl to escape a potential abuser if many forty year-old women cant leave an abuser they have been with for years. During Dugard’s eighteen year abduction several visuals were taken to show the pain of her loved ones. It can be proven that many were concerned with her abduction. In the visual â€Å"Missing† published in The Telegraph (2009). We are shown both Dugards mother, Terry Probyn, and step-father, Carl Probyn, they look heartbroken and distressed. Some would argue that with how much Jaycee Dugard knew she was loved, she should of gained enough strength and motivation to escape and go back to living her everyday life. However she was unaware of this while being held captive. The argument that in domestic abuse options are available to leave or available to encourage victims to leave is true, yet difficult. Victims have the option of professional help and gaining awareness of the situation. With the cycle of abuse it is very hard to get to the point were you understand you need the help, then there is the struggle of actually going ahead and doing it. Regardless of the several arguments that people can challenge we have proof from specific  situations like Dugard’s along with more common issue like marital dispute that without finding overall strength and gaining the courage to escape the abuser control it is impossible to escape and go back to your normal life. Gaining strength is one of the most difficult things to do in life. One way we gain strength is having support and happiness. How do we gain strength if we don’t have either? This faces millions of people daily who are in abusive relationships. They simply cant find the strength to leave. In Dugards memoir she says although she is unhappy she is too afraid of the risk of leaving and doesn’t know how she wo uld be able to take care of herself and her two daughters. â€Å"One of the reasons I stayed was I wanted my kids to be safe. The outside was scary for me. I was so afraid that if i left or tried to leave and take them both with me I wouldn’t be able to protect them† (Dugard 276). Even her knowing the fact that if she were to escape successfully her daughters could have a much better life, yet if they weren’t successful they would have to continue living in hiding in the backyard of Garrido’s home. She didn’t have enough strength to take the risk although the successful end results were so much better then her current situation. In abuse situations victims struggle with the same issue of strength. In between the cycle of abuse there is only a small gap between the man being violent and the women feeling remorseful and forgiving him. Where gaining the strength in between that small gap is difficult especially when it would need to be regained the next time the abuse restarts. Women also have other options. Most women have a supportive family or homes they can go to keep safe. But strength is key and difficult to obtain when one is constantly bringing you down. Although more options are available to leave, like hot-line cards in bathrooms for abuse victims or Dugard being taken into public with the option to run, we need strength to take them. Strength is a necessity to leave making the claim that abuse victims are responsible for leaving their abuser difficult to prove. In conclusion finding the courage to leave an abuser is an unthinkable challenge to those placed in that position. Without finding the strength and escaping the overwhelming control of the abuser its near impossible. As time goes on there becomes more options for abuse to happen or lead to abuse. â€Å"One in five children ten to seventeen receive unwanted sexual solicitations online† (Blich 1), which can lead to a more serious abuse. No matter how different the situations  are the abuse victims suffer through they can relate back to the same struggles. According to Jayvee Dugard after her long term abuse she refers to life today as â€Å"A light that I thought had been extinguished was coming back to life† (Dugard 238). While in the position of abuse its difficult to find the strength, but it can be gained again. The difficulty of escaping the abuser will also be difficult. It will remain difficult while recovering from the abuse. The claim that people should take more responsibility to escape their abusers? False.

The Twilight Saga 5: Midnight Sun 4. Visions

I went back to school. This was the right thing to do, the most inconspicuous way to behave. By the end of the day, almost all the other students had returned to class, too. Just Tyler and Bella and a few others – who were probably using the accident as a chance to ditch – remained absent. It shouldn't be so hard for me to do the right thing. But, all afternoon, I was gritting my teeth against the urge that had me yearning ditch, too – in order to go find the girl again. Like a stalker. An obsessessed stalker. An obsessessed, vampire stalker. School today was – somehow, impossibly – even more boring than it had seemed just a week ago. Coma-like. It was as if the color had drained from the bricks, the trees, the sky, the faces around me†¦ I stared at the cracks in the walls. There was another right thing I should be doing†¦that I was not. Of course, it was also a wrong thing. It all depended on the perspective from which you viewed it. From the perspective of a Cullen – not just a vampire, but a Cullen, someone who belonged to a family, such a rare state in our world – the right thing to do would have gone something like this: â€Å"I'm surprised to see you in class, Edward. I heard you were involved in that awful accident this morning.† â€Å"Yes, I was, Mr. Banner, but I was the lucky one.† A friendly smile. â€Å"I didn't get hurt at all†¦ I wish I could say the same for Tyler and Bella.† â€Å"How are they?† â€Å"I think Tyler is fine†¦just some superficial scrapes from the windshield glass. I'm not sure about Bella, though.† A worried frown. â€Å"She might have a concussion. I heard she was pretty incoherent for a while – seeing things even. I know the doctors were worried†¦Ã¢â‚¬  That's how it should have gone. That's what I owed my family. â€Å"I'm surprised to see you in class, Edward. I heard you were involved in that awful accident this morning.† â€Å"I wasn't hurt.† No smile. Mr. Banner shifted his weight from foot to foot, uncomfortable. â€Å"Do you have any idea how Tyler Crowley and Bella Swan are? I heard there were some injuries†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I shrugged. â€Å"I wouldn't know.† Mr. Banner cleared his throat. â€Å"Er, right†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he said, my cold stare making his voice sound a bit strained. He walked quickly back to the front of classroom and began his lecture. It was the wrong thing to do. Unless you looked at it from a more obscure point of view. It just seemed so†¦so unchivalrous to slander the girl behind her back, especially when she was proving more trustworthy than I could have dreamed. She hadn't said anything to betray me, despite having good reason to do so. Would I betray her when she had done nothing but keep my secret? I had a nearly identical conversation with Mrs. Goff – just in Spanish rather than in English – and Emmett gave me a long look. I hope you have a good explanation for what happened today. Rose is on the warpath. I rolled my eyes without looking at him. I actually had come up with a perfectly sound explanation. Just suppose I hadn't done anything to stop the van from crushing the girl†¦ I recoiled from that thought. But if she had been hit, if she'd been mangled and bleeding, the red fluid spilling, wasting on the blacktop, the scent of the fresh blood pulsing through the air †¦ I shuddered again, but not just in horror. Part of me shivered in desire. No, I would not have been able to watch her bleed without exposing us all in a much more flagrant and shocking way. It was a perfectly sound excuse†¦but I wouldn't use it. It was too shameful. And I hadn't thought of it until long after the fact, regardless. Look out for Jasper, Emmett went on, oblivious to my reverie. He's not as angry†¦but he's more resolved. I saw what he meant, and for a moment the room swam around me. My rage was so all-consuming that a red haze clouded my vision. I thought I would choke on it. SHEESH, EDWARD! GET A GRIP! Emmett shouted at me in his head. His hand came down on my shoulder, holding me in my seat before I could jump to my feet. He rarely used his full strength – there was rarely a need, for he was so much stronger than any vampire any of us had ever encountered – but he used it now. He gripped my arm, rather than pushing me down. If he'd been pushing, the chair under me would have collapsed. EASY! He ordered. I tried to calm myself, but it was hard. The rage burned in my head. Jasper's not going to do anything until we all talk. I just thought you should know the direction he's headed. I concentrated on relaxing, and I felt Emmett's hand loosen. Try not to make more of a spectacle of yourself. You're in enough trouble as it is. I took a deep breath and Emmett released me. I searched around the room routinely, but our confrontation had been so short and silent that only a few people sitting behind Emmett had even noticed. None of them knew what to make of it, and they shrugged it off. The Cullens were freaks – everyone knew that already. Damn, kid, you're a mess, Emmett added, sympathy in his tone. â€Å"Bite me,† I muttered under my breath, and I heard his low chuckle. Emmett didn't hold grudges, and I probably ought to be more grateful for his easy going nature. But I could see that Jasper's intentions made sense to Emmett, that he was considering how it might be the best course of action. The rage simmered, barely under control. Yes, Emmett was stronger than I was, but he'd yet to beat me in a wrestling match. He claimed that this was because I cheated, but hearing thoughts was just as much a part of who I was as his immense strength was a part of him. We were evenly matched in a fight. A fight? Was that where this was headed? Was I going to fight with my family over a human I barely knew? I thought about that for a moment, thought about the fragile feel of the girl's body in my arms in juxtaposition with Jasper, Rose, and Emmett – supernaturally strong and fast, killing machines by nature†¦ Yes, I would fight for her. Against my family. I shuddered. But it wasn't fair to leave her undefended when I was the one who'd put her in danger. I couldn't win alone, though, not against the three of them, and I wondered who my allies would be. Carlisle, certainly. He would not fight anyone, but he would be wholly against Rose's and Jasper's designs. That might be all I needed. I would see†¦ Esme, doubtful. She would not side against me either, and she would hate to disagree with Carlisle, but she would be for any plan that kept her family intact. Her first priority would not be rightness, but me. If Carlisle was the soul of our family, then Esme was the heart. He gave us a leader who deserved following; she made that following into an act of love. We all loved each other – even under the fury I felt toward Jasper and Rose right now, even planning to fight them to save the girl, I knew that I loved them. Alice†¦I had no idea. It would probably depend on what she saw coming. She would side with the winner, I imagined. So, I would have to do this without help. I wasn't a match for them alone, but I wasn't going to let the girl be hurt because of me. That might mean evasive action†¦ My rage dulled a bit with the sudden, black humor. I could imagine how the girl would react to my kidnapping her. Of course, I rarely guessed her reactions right – but what other reaction could she have besides terror? I wasn't sure how to manage that, though – kidnapping her. I wouldn't be able to stand being close to her for very long. Perhaps I would just deliver her back to her mother. Even that much would be fraught with danger. For her. And also for me, I realized suddenly. If I were to kill her by accident†¦ I wasn't certain exactly how much pain that would cause me, but I knew it would be multifaceted and intense. The time passed quickly while I mulled over all the complications ahead of me: the argument waiting for me at home, the conflict with my family, the lengths I might be forced to go to afterward†¦ Well, I couldn't complain that life outside this school was monotonous any more. The girl had changed that much. Emmett and I walked silently to the car when the bell rang. He was worrying about me, and worrying about Rosalie. He knew whose side he would have to choose in a quarrel, and it bothered him. The others were waiting for us in the car, also silent. We were a very quiet group. Only I could hear the shouting. Idiot! Lunatic! Moron! Jackass! Selfish, irresponsible fool! Rosalie kept up a constant stream of insults at the top of her mental lungs. It made it hard to hear the others, but I ignored her as best I could. Emmett was right about Jasper. He was sure of his course. Alice was troubled, worrying about Jasper, flipping through images of the future. No matter which direction Jasper came at the girl, Alice always saw me there, blocking him. Interesting†¦neither Rosalie nor Emmett was with him in these visions. So Jasper planned to work alone. That would even things up. Jasper was the best, certainly the most experienced fighter among us. My one advantage lay in that I could hear his moves before he made them. I had never fought more than playfully with Emmett or Jasper – just horsing around. I felt sick at the thought of really trying to hurt Jasper†¦ No, not that. Just to block him. That was all. I concentrated on Alice, memorizing Jasper's different avenues of attack. As I did that, her visions shifted, moving further and further away from the Swan's house. I was cutting him off earlier†¦ Stop that, Edward! It can't happen this way. I won't let it. I didn't answer her, I just kept watching. She began searching farther ahead, into the misty, unsure realm of distant possibilities. Everything was shadowy and vague. The entire way home, the charged silence did not lift. I parked in the big garage off the house; Carlisle's Mercedes was there, next to Emmett's big jeep, Rose's M3 and my Vanquish. I was glad Carlisle was already home – this silence would end explosively, and I wanted him there when that happened. We went straight to the dining room. The room was, of course, never used for its intended purpose. But it was furnished with a long oval mahogany table surrounded by chairs – we were scrupulous about having all the correct props in place. Carlisle liked to use it as a conference room. In a group with such strong and disparate personalities, sometimes it was necessary to discuss things in a calm, seated manner. I had a feeling that the setting was not going to help much today. Carlisle sat in his usual seat at the eastern head of the room. Esme was beside him – they held hands on top of the table. Esme's eyes were on me, their golden depths full of concern. Stay. It was her only thought. I wished I could smile at the woman who was truly a mother to me, but I had no reassurances for her now. I sat on Carlisle's other side. Esme reached around him to put her free hand on my shoulder. She had no idea of what was about to start; she was just worrying about me. Carlisle had a better sense of what was coming. His lips were pressed tightly together and his forehead was creased. The expression looked too old for his young face. As everyone else sat, I could see the lines being drawn. Rosalie sat directly across from Carlisle, on the other end of the long table. She glared at me, never looking away. Emmett sat beside her, his face and thoughts both wry. Jasper hesitated, and then went to stand against the wall behind Rosalie. He was decided, regardless of the outcome of this discussion. My teeth locked together. Alice was the last to come in, and her eyes were focused on something far away – the future, still too indistinct for her to make use of it. Without seeming to think about it, she sat next to Esme. She rubbed her forehead as if she had a headache. Jasper twitched uneasily and considered joining her, but he kept his place. I took a deep breath. I had started this – I should speak first. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said, looking first at Rose, then Jasper and then Emmett. â€Å"I didn't mean to put any of you at risk. It was thoughtless, and I take full responsibility for my hasty action.† Rosalie glared at me balefully. â€Å"What do you mean, take full responsibility'? Are you going to fix it?† â€Å"Not the way you mean,† I said, working to keep my voice even and quiet. â€Å"I'm willing to leave now, if that makes things better.† If I believe that the girl will be safe, if I believe that none of you will touch her, I amended in my head. â€Å"No,† Esme murmured. â€Å"No, Edward.† I patted her hand. â€Å"It's just a few years.† â€Å"Esme's right, though,† Emmett said. â€Å"You can't go anywhere now. That would be the opposite of helpful. We have to know what people are thinking, now more than ever.† â€Å"Alice will catch anything major,† I disagreed. Carlisle shook his head. â€Å"I think Emmett is right, Edward. The girl will be more likely to talk if you disappear. It's all of us leave, or none of us.† â€Å"She won't say anything,† I insisted quickly. Rose was building up to the explosion, and I wanted this fact out there first. â€Å"You don't know her mind,† Carlisle reminded me. â€Å"I know this much. Alice, back me up.† Alice stared up at me wearily. â€Å"I can't see what will happen if we just ignore this.† She glanced at Rose and Jasper. No, she couldn't see that future – not when Rosalie and Jasper were so decided against ignoring the incident. Rosalie's palm smacked down on the table with a loud bang. â€Å"We can't allow the human a chance to say anything. Carlisle, you must see that. Even if we decided to all disappear, it's not safe to leave stories behind us. We live so differently from the rest of our kind – you know there are those who would love an excuse to point fingers. We have to be more careful than anyone else!† â€Å"We've left rumors behind us before,† I reminded her. â€Å"Just rumors and suspicions, Edward. Not eyewitnesses and evidence!† â€Å"Evidence!† I scoffed. But Jasper was nodding, his eyes hard. â€Å"Rose – † Carlisle began. â€Å"Let me finish, Carlisle. It doesn't have to be any big production. The girl hit her head today. So maybe that injury turns out to be more serious that it looked.† Rosalie shrugged. â€Å"Every mortal goes to sleep with the chance of never waking up. The others would expect us to clean up after ourselves. Technically, that would make it Edward's job, but this is obviously beyond him. You know I'm capable of control. I would leave no evidence behind me.† â€Å"Yes, Rosalie, we all know how proficient an assassin you are,† I snarled. She hissed at me, furious. â€Å"Edward, please,† Carlisle said. Then he turned to Rosalie. â€Å"Rosalie, I looked the other way in Rochester because I felt that you were owed your justice. The men you killed had wronged you monstrously. This is not the same situation. The Swan girl is an innocent.† â€Å"It's not personal, Carlisle,† Rosalie said through her teeth. â€Å"It's to protect us all.† There was a brief moment of silence while Carlisle thought through his answer. When he nodded, Rosalie's eyes lit up. She should have known better. Even if I hadn't been able to read his thoughts, I could have anticipated his next words. Carlisle never compromised. â€Å"I know you mean well, Rosalie, but†¦I'd like very much for our family to be worth protecting. The occasional†¦accident or lapse in control is a regrettable part of who we are.† It was very like him to include himself in the plural, though he had never had such a lapse himself. â€Å"To murder a blameless child in cold blood is another thing entirely. I believe the risk she presents, whether she speaks her suspicions or not, is nothing to the greater risk. If we make exceptions to protect ourselves, we risk something much more important. We risk losing the essence of who we are.† I controlled my expression very carefully. It wouldn't do at all to grin. Or to applaud, as I wished I could. Rosalie scowled. â€Å"It's just being responsible.† â€Å"It's being callous,† Carlisle corrected gently. â€Å"Every life is precious.† Rosalie sighed heavily and her lower lip pouted out. Emmett patted her shoulder. â€Å"It'll be fine, Rose,† he encouraged in a low voice. â€Å"The question,† Carlisle continued, â€Å"is whether we should move on?† â€Å"No,† Rosalie moaned. â€Å"We just got settled. I don't want to start on my sophomore year in high school again!† â€Å"You could keep your present age, of course,† Carlisle said. â€Å"And have to move again that much sooner?† she countered. Carlisle shrugged. â€Å"I like it here! There's so little sun, we get to be almost normal.† â€Å"Well, we certainly don't have to decide now. We can wait and see if it becomes necessary. Edward seems certain of the Swan girl's silence.† Rosalie snorted. But I was no longer worried about Rose. I could see that she would go along with Carlisle's decision, not matter how infuriated she was with me. Their conversation had moved on to unimportant details. Jasper remained unmoved. I understood why. Before he and Alice had met, he'd lived in a combat zone, a relentless theater of war. He knew the consequences of flouting the rules – he'd seen the grisly aftermath with his own eyes. It said much that he had not tried to calm Rosalie down with his extra faculties, nor did he now try to rile her up. He was holding himself aloof from this discussion – above it. â€Å"Jasper,† I said. He met my gaze, his face expressionless. â€Å"She won't pay for my mistake. I won't allow that.† â€Å"She benefits from it, then? She should have died today, Edward. I would only set that right.† I repeated myself, emphasizing each word. â€Å"I will not allow it.† His eyebrows shot up. He wasn't expecting this – he hadn't imagined that I would act to stop him. He shook his head once. â€Å"I won't let Alice live in danger, even a slight danger. You don't feel about anyone the way I feel about her, Edward, and you haven't lived through what I've lived through, whether you've seen my memories or not. You don't understand.† â€Å"I'm not disputing that, Jasper. But I'm telling you now, I won't allow you to hurt Isabella Swan.† We stared at each other – not glaring, but measuring the opposition. I felt him sample the mood around me, testing my determination. â€Å"Jazz,† Alice said, interrupting us. He held my gaze for a moment more, and then looked at her. â€Å"Don't bother telling me you can protect yourself, Alice. I already know that. I've still got to – † â€Å"That's not what I'm going say,† Alice interrupted. â€Å"I was going to ask you for a favor.† I saw what was on her mind, and my mouth fell open with an audible gasp. I stared at her, shocked, only vaguely aware that everyone besides Alice and Jasper was now eyeing me warily. â€Å"I know you love me. Thanks. But I would really appreciate it if you didn't try to kill Bella. First of all, Edward's serious and I don't want you two fighting. Secondly, she's my friend. At least, she's going to be.† It was clear as glass in her head: Alice, smiling, with her icy white arm around the girl's warm, fragile shoulders. And Bella was smiling, too, her arm around Alice's waist. The vision was rock solid; only the timing of it was unsure. â€Å"But†¦Alice†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Jasper gasped. I couldn't manage to turn my head to see his expression. I couldn't tear myself away from the image in Alice's head in order to hear his. â€Å"I'm going to love her someday, Jazz. I'll be very put out with you if you don't let her be.† I was still locked into Alice's thoughts. I saw the future shimmer as Jasper's resolve floundered in the face of her unexpected request. â€Å"Ah,† she sighed – his indecision had cleared a new future. â€Å"See? Bella's not going to say anything. There's nothing to worry about.† The way she said the girl's name†¦like they were already close confidants†¦ â€Å"Alice,† I choked. â€Å"What†¦does this†¦?† â€Å"I told you there was a change coming. I don't know, Edward.† But she locked her jaw, and I could see that there was more. She was trying not to think about it; she was focusing very hard on Jasper suddenly, though he was too stunned to have progressed much in his decision making. She did this sometimes when she was trying to keep something from me. â€Å"What, Alice? What are you hiding?† I heard Emmett grumble. He always got frustrated when Alice and I had these kinds of conversations. She shook her head, trying to not let me in. â€Å"Is it about the girl?† I demanded. â€Å"Is it about Bella?† She had her teeth gritted in concentration, but when I spoke Bella's name, she slipped. Her slip only lasted the tiniest portion of a second, but that was long enough. â€Å"NO!† I shouted. I heard my chair hit the floor, and only then realized I was on my feet. â€Å"Edward!† Carlisle was on his feet, too, his arm on my shoulder. I was barely aware of him. â€Å"It's solidifying,† Alice whispered. â€Å"Every minute you're more decided. There're really only two ways left for her. It's one or the other, Edward.† I could see what she saw†¦but I could not accept it. â€Å"No,† I said again; there was no volume to my denial. My legs felt hollow, and I had to brace myself against the table. â€Å"Will somebody please let the rest of us in on the mystery?† Emmett complained. â€Å"I have to leave,† I whispered to Alice, ignoring him. â€Å"Edward, we've already been over that,† Emmett said loudly. â€Å"That's the best way to start the girl talking. Besides, if you take off, we won't know for sure if she's talking or not. You have to stay and deal with this.† â€Å"I don't see you going anywhere, Edward,† Alice told me. â€Å"I don't know if you can leave anymore.† Think about it, she added silently. Think about leaving. I saw what she meant. Yes, the idea of never seeing the girl again was†¦painful. But it was also necessary. I couldn't sanction either future I'd apparently condemned her to. I'm not entirely sure of Jasper, Edward, Alice went on. If you leave, if he thinks she's a danger to us†¦ â€Å"I don't hear that,† I contradicted her, still only halfway aware of our audience. Jasper was wavering. He would not do something that would hurt Alice. Not right this moment. Will you risk her life, leave her undefended? â€Å"Why are you doing this to me?† I groaned. My head fell into my hands. I was not Bella's protector. I could not be that. Wasn't Alice's divided future enough proof of that? I love her, too. Or I will. It's not the same, but I want her around for that. â€Å"Love her, too?† I whispered, incredulous. She sighed. You are so blind, Edward. Can't you see where you're headed? Can't you see where you already are? It's more inevitable than the sun rising in the east. See what I see†¦ I shook my head, horrified. â€Å"No.† I tried to shut out the visions she revealed to me. â€Å"I don't have to follow that course. I'll leave. I will change the future.† â€Å"You can try,† she said, her voice skeptical. â€Å"Oh, come on!† Emmett bellowed. â€Å"Pay attention,† Rose hissed at him. â€Å"Alice sees him falling for a human! How classically Edward!† She made a gagging sound. I scarcely heard her. â€Å"What?† Emmett said, startled. Then his booming laugh echoed through the room. â€Å"Is that what's been going on?† He laughed again. â€Å"Tough break, Edward.† I felt his hand on my shoulder, and I shook it off absently. I couldn't pay attention to him. â€Å"Fall for a human?† Esme repeated in a stunned voice. â€Å"For the girl he saved today? Fall in love with her?† â€Å"What do you see, Alice? Exactly,† Jasper demanded. She turned toward him; I continued to stare numbly at the side of her face. â€Å"It all depends on whether he is strong enough or not. Either he'll kill her himself† – she turned to meet my gaze again, glaring – â€Å"which would really irritate me, Edward, not to mention what it would do to you – † she faced Jasper again, â€Å"or she'll be one of us someday.† Someone gasped; I didn't look to see who. â€Å"That's not going to happen!† I was shouting again. â€Å"Either one!† Alice didn't seem to hear me. â€Å"It all depends,† she repeated. â€Å"He may be just strong enough not to kill her – but it will be close. It will take an amazing amount of control,† she mused. â€Å"More even than Carlisle has. He may be just strong enough†¦ The only thing he's not strong enough to do is stay away from her. That's a lost cause.† I couldn't find my voice. No one else seemed to be able to either. The room was still. I stared at Alice, and everyone else stared at me. I could see my own horrified expression from five different viewpoints. After a long moment, Carlisle sighed. â€Å"Well, this†¦complicates things.† â€Å"I'll say,† Emmett agreed. His voice was still close to laughter. Trust Emmett to find the joke in the destruction of my life. â€Å"I suppose the plans remain the same, though,† Carlisle said thoughtfully. â€Å"We'll stay, and watch. Obviously, no one will†¦hurt the girl.† I stiffened. â€Å"No,† Jasper said quietly. â€Å"I can agree to that. If Alice sees only two ways – â€Å" â€Å"No!† My voice was not a shout or a growl or a cry of despair, but some combination of the three. â€Å"No!† I had to leave, to be away from the noise of their thoughts – Rosalie's selfrighteous disgust, Emmett's humor, Carlisle's never ending patience†¦ Worse: Alice's confidence. Jasper's confidence in that confidence. Worst of all: Esme's†¦joy. I stalked out of the room. Esme touched my arm as I passed, but I didn't acknowledge the gesture. I was running before I was out of the house. I cleared the river in one bound, and raced into the forest. The rain was back again, falling so heavily that I was drenched in a few moments. I liked the thick sheet of water – it made a wall between me and the rest of the world. It closed me in, let me be alone. I ran due east, over and through the mountains without breaking my straight course, until I could see the lights of Seattle on the other side of the sound. I stopped before I touched the borders of human civilization. Shut in by the rain, all alone, I finally made myself look at what I had done – at the way I had mutilated the future. First, the vision of Alice and the girl with their arms around each other – the trust and friendship was so obvious it shouted from the image. Bella's wide chocolate eyes were not bewildered in this vision, but still full of secrets – in this moment, they seemed to be happy secrets. She did not flinch away from Alice's cold arm. What did it mean? How much did she know? In that still-life moment from the future, what did she think of me? Then the other image, so much the same, yet now colored by horror. Alice and Bella, their arms still wrapped around each other in trusting friendship. But now there was no difference between those arms – both were white, smooth as marble, hard as steel. Bella's wide eyes were no longer chocolate. The irises were a shocking, vivid crimson. The secrets in them were unfathomable – acceptance or desolation? It was impossible to tell. Her face was cold and immortal. I shuddered. I could not suppress the questions, similar, but different: What did it mean – how had this come about? And what did she think of me now? I could answer that last one. If I forced her into this empty half-life through my weakness and selfishness, surely she would hate me. But there was one more horrifying image – worse than any image I'd ever held inside my head. My own eyes, deep crimson with human blood, the eyes of the monster. Bella's broken body in my arms, ashy white, drained, lifeless. It was so concrete, so clear. I couldn't stand to see this. Could not bear it. I tried to banish it from my mind, tried to see something else, anything else. Tried to see again the expression on her living face that had obstructed my view for the last chapter of my existence. All to no avail. Alice's bleak vision filled my head, and I writhed internally with the agony it caused. Meanwhile, the monster in me was overflowing with glee, jubilant at the likelihood of his success. It sickened me. This could not be allowed. There had to be a way to circumvent the future. I would not let Alice's visions direct me. I could choose a different path. There was always a choice. There had to be.

Narrative Technique of Sula Essay

Although Sula is arranged in chronological order, it does not construct a linear story with the causes of each new plot event clearly visible in the preceding chapter. Instead, Sula uses â€Å"juxtaposition,† the technique through which collages are put together. The effects of a collage on the viewer depend on unusual combinations of pictures, or on unusual arrangements such as overlapping. The pictures of a collage don’t fit smoothly together, yet they create a unified effect. The â€Å"pictures† of Sula’s collage are separate events or character sketches. Together, they show the friendship of Nel and Sula as part of the many complicated, overlapping relationships that make up the Bottom. Morrison presents the novel from the perspective of an omniscient narrator — one who knows all the characters’ thoughts and feelings. An omniscient narrator usually puts the reader in the position of someone viewing a conventional portrait or landscape rather than a collage. (In such situations, the viewer can perceive the unity of the whole work with only a glance.) To create the collage-like effect of Sula, the omniscient narrator never reveals the thoughts of all the characters at one time. Instead, from chapter to chapter, she chooses a different point-of-view character, so that a different person’s consciousness and experience dominate a particular incident or section. In addition, the narrator sometimes moves beyond the consciousness of single, individual characters, to reveal what groups in the community think and feel. On the rare occasions when it agrees unanimously, she presents the united community’s view. As in The Bluest Eye and Jazz, the comm unity has such a direct impact on individuals that it amounts to a character. In narrative technique for Sula, Morrison draws on a specifically modernist usage of juxtaposition. Modernism, discussed in Chapter 3, was the dominant literary movement during the first half of the twentieth century. Writers of this period abandoned the unifying, omniscient narrator of earlier literature to make literature more like life, in which each of us has to make our own sense of the world. Rather than passively receiving a smooth, connected story from an authoritative narrator, the reader is forced to piece together a coherent plot and meaning from more separated pieces of  information. Modernists experimented with many literary genres. For example, T. S. Eliot created his influential poem The Wasteland by juxtaposing quotations from other literary works and songs, interspersed with fragmentary narratives of original stories. Fiction uses an analogous technique of juxtaposition. Each successive chapter of William Faulkner novel As I Lay Dying, for instance, drops the reader into a different character’s consciousness without the direction or help of an omniscient narrator. To figure out the plot, the reader must work through the perceptions of characters who range from a seven-year-old boy to a madman. The abrupt, disturbing shifts from one consciousness to another are an intended part of the reader’s experience. As with all literary techniques, juxtaposition is used to communicate particular themes. In Cane, a work that defies our usual definitions of literary genres, Jean Toomer juxtaposed poetry and brief prose sketches. In this way, Cane establishes its thematic contrast of rural black culture in the South and urban black culture of the North. Morrison, who wrote her master’s thesis on two modernists, Faulkner and Virginia Woolf, uses juxtaposition as a structuring device in Sula. Though relatively short for a novel, Sula has an unusually large number of chapters, eleven. This division into small pieces creates an intended choppiness, the uncomfortable sense of frequently stopping and starting. The content of the chapters accentuates this choppy rhythm. Almost every chapter shifts the focus from the story of the preceding chapter by changing the point-of-view character or introducing sudden, shocking events and delaying discussion of the characters’ motives until later. In â€Å"1921,† for example, Eva douses her son Plum with kerosene and burns him to death. Although the reader knows that Plum has become a heroin addict, Eva’s reasoning is not revealed. When Hannah, naturally assuming that Eva doesn’t know of Plum’s danger, tells her that Plum is burning, the chapter ends with Eva’s almost nonchalant â€Å"Is? My baby? Burning?† (48). Not until midway through the next chapter, â€Å"1923,† does Hannah’s questioning allow the reader to understand Eva’s motivation. Juxtaposition thus heightens the reader’s sense of incompleteness. Instead of providing quick resolution, juxtaposition  introduces new and equally disturbing events. Paradoxically, when an occasional chapter does contain a single story apparently complete in itself, it too contributes to the novel’s overall choppy rhythm. In a novel using a simple, chronological mode of narration, each succeeding chapter would pick up where the last one left off, with the main characters now involved in a different incident, but in some clear way affected by their previous experience. In Sula, however, some characters figure prominently in one chapter and then fade entirely into the background. The first chapter centers on Shadrack, and although he appears twice more and has considerable psychic importance to Sula and symbolic importance to the novel, he is not an important actor again. In similar fashion, Helene Wright is the controlling presence of the third chapter, â€Å"1920,† but barely appears in the rest of the book. These shifts are more unsettling than if Shadrack and Helene were ancestors of the other characters, generations removed, because the reader would then expect them to disappear. Their initial prominence and later shadowy presence contribute to the reader’s feeling of disruption. The choppy narration of Sula expresses one of its major themes, the fragmentation of both individuals and the community. Sula. New York: Knopf, 1973. Rpt. New York: Penguin, 1982