“A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens Essay

Injustice is probably one of the oldest forms of hate known to man. Injustice can be found anywhere and in all forms of life. One of the most well known forms of injustice is slavery. Men and women of all ages and races suffer under slavery still to this day. Romania, for example, has been home to the unfortunate youth who are sold as prostitutes by their own parents! We all know that this is wrong, but society has driven us to not considering this as slavery, just cruelty. Obviously slavery is unjust, but some people to this date still do not know this because of the way they were brought up. However, what was once justified can, upon closer examination, be considered unjust. This was also the case during the revolution in France that began in 1789. Charles Dickens in â€Å"A Tale of Two Cities† described the many injustices that resulted from oppression in France. Injustice during the French Revolution affected everyone touched by it because the revolution claimed many victi ms on all sides. French peasants suffered, the aristocrats suffered, and innocent people suffered when the Revolution claims its victims. The unjust French government oppressed the poor peasants until they revolted in a bloody uprising. Everyone has a breaking point, and once it was reached, it was very hard to go back to a calm state. It was already bad that Marie Antoinette was using the tax money from the poor peasants to pay for her unnecessary dinner parties. Once Antoinette raised the taxes for that same purpose, it became unjust. This resulted in the beheading of Marie Antoinette. The wine was red wine, and had stained the ground of the narrow street in the suburb of Saint Antoine, in Paris, where it was spilled. It had stained many hands, too, and many faces, and many naked feet, and many wooden shoes. The hands of the man who sawed the wood, left red marks on the billets; and the forehead of the woman who nursed her baby, was stained with the stain of the old rag she wound about her head again. Those who had been greedy with the staves of the cask, had acquired a tigerish smear about the mouth; and one tall joker so besmirched, his head more out of a long squalid bag of a night-cap than in it, scrawled upon a wall with his finger dipped in muddy wine-lees–blood (Dickens 37). The wine, which symbolizes blood, was smeared everywhere. This showed how desperate the French were to find some nourishment, even if it meant slurping wine off the city streets. It was amazing how a calm day in France changed into first come first serve madness. Also, the raiding of the Bastille showed how little the peasants could tolerate before retaliating. In this massacre, the peasants overpowered the guards to set the famous landmark on fire. Next, the aristocrats suffer from the united peasants’ uncontrollable anger and violence. One may wonder how the aristocrats and the peasants suffered at the same time? Before the Revolution, the aristocrats had all the money and happiness, but as the Revolution progressed, this happiness gradually converted into fear. Once the peasants realized that they made up the majority, they took advantage of this. The peasants’ anger drove them to imprisoning and killing every rich person in sight. Innocent people were killed just because they were rich. Aristocrats had no chance of survival because they were hated most. Anyone who worked for the government or even believed in what it stood for lived in a life of fear. The Marquis from â€Å"A Tale of Two cities† was too ignorant to realize that his comments bothered the people. This angered the peasants along with how wealthy he was. But one didn’t have to be the Marquis to be punished. Any wealthy man returning to France could be considered an emigrant. For instance, Darnay, a wealthy man, was accused of being an emigrant, so he was immediately sent to prison. As you can see, even the wealthy had no protection under the crumbled government. Lastly, innocent people suffer as the Revolution burned out of control. Innocent people, which included relatives of those directly affected, suffer just because of the overgrown madness. A good example of this would be Lucie and her daughter Little Lucie. Madam Defarge (who was probably the biggest reactionary in the whole book) wanted the whole Manette family to suffer just because Darnay (the nephew of the Marquis) married into the family. Luckily, Little Lucie was not hurt, thanks to Mrs. Pross who put her own life on the line just to save the Manette family. Mrs. Pross, who lived a simple, quiet life, suffered partial deafness from the sound of a single gunshot. Many relatives of the aristocrats received death by the guillotine just because of their family ties and heritage. This was not right, but the people were blinded by their madness to even think about who they were killing and punishing. As illustrated, injustice during the French Revolution affected everyone touched by it because the Revolution claimed so many victims on all sides. Thousands of irreplaceable lives were taken during the time of the Revolution. There were no winners in the outcome of the revolution. These few years were some of the worst France had ever seen. The grindstone had a double handle, and turning at it madly were two men, whose faces, as their long hair flapped back when the whirlings of the grindstone brought their faces up, were more horrible and cruel than the visages of the wildest savages in their most barbarous disguises (Dickens 260). Is it ok to do unjust things in the name of justice? Will there ever be an end to injustice in the world we live in? At the rate we’re going, we may never reach the desired utopia that we dream of. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Essay In ‘A Tale of Two Cities,’ by Charles Dickens, there were two characters that have many different personality traits, strengths, and weaknesses. But they also had a few things in common as well. These two characters are Sydney Carton and Madame Defarge. Although these two characters are alike, they both have different motives. Sydney Carton is a very strong and intelligent man. Fist, Carton presents himself as a drunk, lazy attorney, who feels as though his life has no meaning. Carton professes his love to Lucie Manette, but later on Carton becomes a changed man. He transform into a Christ-like figure. He begins to shoulder his way through life. His goals are positive and lead to his â€Å"recalled to life,† in book the first. Carton only wants to do what he knows will please Lucie, because he wants to die with the knowledge that one human being in the world who thought he was worth something and cared for him. Another character in the book named Stryver, describes Carton as â€Å"summons, no energy, and purpose.† Sydney also describes himself as, â€Å"like one who died young.† The only time in which Carton’s motivation kick in is towards the end, when he sacrifices his own life for Charles Darnay because he knows it is what would make Lucie Manette happy. The next character I will describe is Madame Defarge. Madame Defarge is completely motivated as well as Carton is, but Madame Defarge is also driven with revenge. It appears that Madame Defarge goals are only of vengeance. Madame Defarge is self-centered; app her goals are reflected around herself and her own revenge, which is shown when she says, â€Å"Tell the wind and fire where to stop; not me.† †A Tale of Two Cities† by Charles Dickens Essay Throughout A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens tells the story of several characters, all of who are developed continuously throughout the chapters. Several of the characters are greatly developed, some showing unpredictable sides to their personalities. Sydney Carton is a prime example of such a character, his delicate personality revealed when he declares his love for Lucie. He is not the only character in love with Lucie, however. Throughout Book Two, it is revealed that Stryver and Charles Darnay are also coveting Lucie. Darnay and Carton both announce their love for her, however Carton is the only one who goes directly to Lucie to tell her. In this passage, Carton is asking Lucie to not forget him and to remember that even when she is married and with kids, he will always be there for her to keep her happy. Carton’s declaration of his love for Lucie not only reveals his love and foreshadows his selfless, noble act in the later chapters, but in addition, Dickens’ use of language reveals that Sydney is no longer the â€Å"jackal,† but that he is in fact much more than that – a sensitive man with deep emotions. Dickens’ use of language in this passage brings to light the sincerity in Sydney Carton, changing the mood of the reader towards him, and the words that Dickens uses to make Carton express himself allows Carton to truly show his desire for Lucie. When Carton says, â€Å"for you, and for any dear to you, I would do anything,† Dickens is emphasizing the fact that Carton is dedicated to her. Throughout the passage, he continuously repeats phrases including the word you, such as when he states â€Å"I would embrace any sacrifice for you and for those dear to you.† As a result of emphasizing Carton’s love for Lucie, Dickens creates an immense feeling of sympathy for the reader, as the dedication for Lucie is expressed so eloquently. The fact that Carton accepts this unrequited love by saying â€Å"I will relieve you of a visitor with whom I well know you have nothing in unison, and between whom and you there is an impassable space† creates even more comp assion for Carton because even though it is known that Lucie does not reciprocate his feelings, it is even more painful to watch as he simply walks away from the woman he loves. In addition to uncovering Carton’s true love for Lucie, Dickens uses irony to show the eloquent Carton that contrasts with the drunken Carton of the previous chapters. The chapter to which this passage belongs to is titled â€Å"The Fellow of No Delicacy,† which is ironic because although perhaps Carton was not delicate in the preceding chapters, in this passage he is nothing but eloquent and delicate. He remarks â€Å"try to hold me in your mind, at some quiet times, as ardent and sincere in this one thing,† a great example of his eloquence, which once again causes the reader to develop sympathy for him, since the language he is using so differs from his previous drunken language à ¯Ã‚ ¨203). Carton’s eloquence really shines through in this passage, even though it contrasts with the chapter title and Dickens creates sympathy and tenderness towards Sydney Carton. Because Sydney Carton is put down, not only by others but by himself as well, throughout the entire first half of the second book, when he declares his love for Lucie in such an unselfish and loving manner, it changes how Carton is viewed. Since Stryver takes all the credit for being successful even though Carton does all the work, it is written, â€Å"†¦although Sydney Carton would never be a lion, he was an amazingly good jackal† à ¯Ã‚ ¨116). Carton even describes himself to Darnay as â€Å"I am a disappointed drudge, sir I care for no man on earth, and no man on earth cares for me,† exhibiting Carton’s own self-pity and sadness for the world à ¯Ã‚ ¨113). However, with this passage, Sydney Carton causes any reader to fully disregard any judgments made for his character. Dickens previously portrayed him as this unfortunate man without anything to live for, but now it is revealed that Carton does indeed have someone to live for – Lucie and her happi ness. This passage causes all previous opinions about Sydney Carton to be discarded, as now Sydney Carton is no longer the jackal, but he has turned into the lion. In addition to revealing the compassionate and eloquent side of Sydney Carton, this passage is also a moment of foreshadowing for Carton’s noble and unselfish act of sacrificing himself for Lucie’s happiness. What may have seemed to be just talk about how much he loved Lucie turned out to be very, very real. In this passage, Carton declares to Lucie, â€Å"†¦think now and then that there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you† à ¯Ã‚ ¨204). In his last moments, Carton visualizes Lucie feeling that â€Å"each was not more honoured and held sacred in the other’s soul, than I was in the souls of both,† referring to the respect and recognition that both Darnay and Lucie give to Carton à ¯Ã‚ ¨500). In this passage, Carton sets up his feelings for her, perhaps knowing that someday he would have the chance to occupy a special place in Lucie’s heart for a noble, heroic act. His â€Å"sacrifice for you and for thos e dear to you† embodies the Charles Dickens’ theme of love overpowering everything. With love, Carton was able to have the strength to sacrifice his life for the happiness of one person he cared about. With love, not jealousy, he was able to ask Darnay, â€Å"I wish we might be friends† à ¯Ã‚ ¨275). While Lucie does not reciprocate Carton’s love, she does defend him in front of Darnay, declaring â€Å"I would ask you†¦to be very generous with him always†¦I would ask you to believe that he has a heart he very, very seldom reveals, and that there are deep wounds in it† à ¯Ã‚ ¨278). By Carton declaring his love for Lucie and being wholly devoted to her, he is not only able to give Lucie a complete family, safe and protected in England, but he is also able to say that â€Å"it is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known,† clearly displaying that through his death, he is gaining all the love and admiration he never had before à ¯Ã‚ ¨500). Sydney Carton is my favorite character of the entire novel. His noble act despite the unrequited love between him and Lucie is such an honorable action, and the fact that he kept true to his word about giving his life â€Å"to keep a life you love beside you† makes him all the more noble à ¯Ã‚ ¨204). I thought that this passage was really a turning point for Sydney Carton’s character, since up to that point he had been very reserved and inarticulate, but when he went to speak to Lucie he became this eloquent speaker, driven by a strong love. From then on, we continue to see Carton’s character develop, creatively seeking out the apothecary for the substances in order for the plan to work. He acted without a moment’s hesitation, and that â€Å"[his face] was the peacefullest man’s face ever beheld there† shows that he had absolutely no regrets about his sacrifice à ¯Ã‚ ¨4à ¯Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¹). To be that calm when he is about to be the newest victim of the Guillotine is a daunting task in itself, but to have someone who would sacrifice his or her life just for someone else’s happiness is beyond imaginable. Therefore, this passage sets the stage for Carton’s ultimate sacrifice, making Carton no longer a â€Å"disappointed drudge,† but a noble hero who goes from being a friend to Darnay and the Manettes to becoming their savior. There is no greater sacrifice that Carton could have made, and for it all to be because he loved Lucie unconditionally is a pretty incredible thing. â€Å"A Tale of Two Cities† by Charles Dickens Essay Loyalty and duty is one of the main themes in â€Å"A Tale of Two Cities†. Dickens examines this theme on many different levels, looking at both the loyalty and duty involved in the characters’ personal relationships and their loyalty to certain causes or beliefs. Many of the characters in the book make great sacrifices due to loyalty on a national level or personal level. Lucie Manette shows great dedication and loyalty to her father, Dr. Manette. Though she once believed she was an orphan, when Lucie meets with her father she is unable to part with him. She looks after him and as the â€Å"golden thread† is able to bring him back to health and lovingly take care of him thereafter. Miss Pross, her nursemaid tells Mr. Lorry how Lucie had to persevere and showed tremendous devotion when she was nursing her father back to health â€Å"He gets up in the dead of night†¦ She hurries to him and they go on together until her love and company have brought him to himself.† (p94) She even says she is willing to avert her marriage plans despite her love for Darnay because she loves her father and does not want to leave him â€Å"If my marriage were so arranged as that it would part us†¦ I should be more unhappy and self-reproachful now than I can tell you.† (p180) Lucie sees it her duty as a daughter to look after Dr. Manette and th roughout the book she demonstrates her loyalty to him â€Å"She had been true to her duties. She was truest to them in the season of trial, as all the quietly loyal and good always will be.† (p264) Lucie also shows loyalty when her husband, Darnay is imprisoned. Throughout his imprisonment, Lucie goes to stand outside the prison for two hours each day hoping that her husband will be able to see her. â€Å"In all weathers she waited†¦ she never missed a single day.† She is also loyal to Carton who professes his love for her. She makes sure that he is welcome in her home and that he is treated with respect despite his reputation and bad habits. She tells Darnay to â€Å"Remember how strong we are in our happiness, and how weak he is in his misery!†. At the end of the book Carton sacrifices his life in order to save Darnay. Lucie honours him even after his death by naming her son after him. Darnay himself shows loyalty to his old steward, Gabelle. Gabelle is imprisoned in France due to his relationship with the Evrà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½monde family and he so he writes to Darnay appealing to his â€Å"Justice, honour, and good name.† (p233) Darnay’s sense of duty and responsibility forbids him to turn his back on Gabelle or on his country. He is unaware of how dangerous it will be for him in Paris and idealistically, he even believes that he may be able to calm some of the violence. Eventually, like a ship may be drawn to the Loadstone Rock, he decides to go to Paris and fulfil what he believes is his duty. Miss Pross is brusque, tough, and fiercely loyal to Lucie, her â€Å"Ladybird†. Mr Lorry admires her for being so humble and for adoring Lucie so much that she would do anything for her. He talks of Miss Pross being â€Å"One of those unselfish creatures†¦ who will, for pure love and admiration, bind themselves willing slaves,† (p92) At the beginning of the book, Miss Pross says that she will never go abroad â€Å"If it was ever intended that I should go across salt water, do you suppose Providence would have cast my lot in an island.† (p30). However, when Darnay goes secretly to France and Lucie hears of his imprisonment, Miss Pross accompanies her to France. She overcomes her fear of travelling out of loyalty to Lucie. At the end of the book, Miss Pross shows extreme courage and devotion to Lucie when she faces Madame Defarge to stop her discovering that Lucie is fleeing France. â€Å"I don’t care an English Twopence for myself. I know that the longer I keep you here, the greater hope there is for my Ladybird.† (p352) Miss Pross then starts a violent fight with Madame Defarge though she had â€Å"Never struck a blow in her life† and when a pistol accidentally is shot and kills Madame Defarge, Miss Pross is deafened for life. The fight between these two women shows how Miss Pross was stronger in her loyalty to Lucie than Madame Defarge was in her hatred- â€Å"love, always so much stronger than hate.† (p353) Miss Pross also remains loyal to her brother even though he had previously stolen all of her money and left her. She says that Solomon was â€Å"the one man worthy of Ladybird† (p92) and that he â€Å"Had the makings in him of one of the best and greatest men in his native country.† (p284) The revolutionaries in France prove that a new, fairer French republic can only be achieved with heavy and terrible costs. Personal loves and loyalties must be sacrificed for the good of the nation. When Darnay is arrested for the second time, the guard who seizes him reminds Manette that state interests should be held above personal loyalties. â€Å"If the Republic demands sacrifices from you, without doubt you as a good patriot will be glad to make them. The Republic goes before all.† (p281) Defarge shows courage and loyalty to the revolution when he tries to give a petition to the King â€Å"At the hazard of his life, darted out before the horses with the petition in his hand.† (p163) However, Madame Defarge thinks her husband weak when he pities Doctor Manette and does not want Darnay or Lucie to be killed. â€Å"If it depended on thee- which happily it does not- thou wouldst rescue this man even now.† (p326) Dr. Manette is loyal to his dutiful daughter Lucie. Even when Charles tells him that he is part of the French aristocratic family who caused his long imprisonment in the Bastille, he allows Charles to marry her. Though the shock of this discovery causes a relapse of his old mental state, when he recovers he accepts the marriage of Lucie and Charles for his daughter’s happiness. Mr. Lorry is extremely loyal to Tellson’s Bank. He agrees to go to the bank in Paris even in the midst of the revolution to make sure it is safe. â€Å"If I were not prepared to submit myself to a few inconveniences for the sake of Tellson’s, after all these years, who ought to be?† (p226) He describes himself as a man of business and even when he is almost eighty years old, he risks his safety and goes to Paris just to ensure the safety of the bank. Jerry Cruncher tells his wife what he thinks is her duty. â€Å"A mother’s first duty is to blow her boy out.† Mr. Cruncher does not like his wife praying because he thinks it affects his work as a grave-robber. â€Å"You have no more natural sense of duty than the bed of this here Themes river has of a pile,† (p156) However, he shows loyalty to Mr. Lorry and to the Manettes when he tells Carton that Roger Cly was not dead as he had not been in his grave when he went to dig it up. Cruncher puts his position at risk when he gives away his secret career. The French aristocracy show a lack of duty and loyalty. They treat the people of France extremely badly. When the Marquis St. Evrà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½monde’s coach runs over a child he thinks that tossing a coin to the father is enough compensation. Monseneigneur shows no loyalty to his family. When he wanted some money he married his sister to a rich man, treating her like an object rather than a sister. Dr. Manette sees how cruel the Evremendes were when he has to look after the dying lady whom they had taken from her husband on her wedding night. The sacrifice of Sydney Carton is an example of tremendous loyalty to Lucie and her family. Carton loves Lucie so much that he willingly gives up his life to save her husband, Charles Darnay. â€Å"For you, and for any dear to you, I would do anything.† Carton single-handedly thinks up a plan and arranges that he replaces Darnay at the guillotine. Carton’s love for Lucie eventually makes him a better person, knowing that he will save Darnay radically changes him, â€Å"For the first time in many years, he had no strong drink.† (p324) Even Mr. Lorry notices the change in him â€Å"His manner was so fervent and inspiring,† (p330). For the first time Carton feels like his life may have a purpose and could be useful â€Å"Of little worth as life is when we misuse it,† (p322)Carton’s loyalty to Lucie is extremely important for him, in choosing to die for her, Carton not only enables their happiness but also ensures his spiritual rebirth. â€Å"It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done, it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.† (p361) We can see through all these characters how important loyalty and duty is. For some people like Carton and Miss Pross, it provides a purpose in life. For others such as Dr. Manette, Lucie and Darnay, duty is what they feel is the right thing to do. Overall, Dickens shows us that duty and loyalty can make you a better person and that sometimes sacrifice is necessary to achieve happiness or to produce something good.

Feminism vs misandry

The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti- family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians† claimed Pat Robertson, an obviously extreme conservative with very strong opinions. Unfortunately, he has no proof to back his Idea up because even the commonly used dictionary dis-mantles his argument. Feminism and misandry, or man-hating, are very different but are commonly synonymized and generalized for five main reasons.This occurs so that men and women who dont want to deal with the real problem of sexism can paint one giant picture of radicalism and be done with the issue. According to Sam Killerman, a writer who travels the country speaking out against oppression of any sort, there are five main reasons why so many people believe that feminists are man haters; one of those being generalization. Due to the fact that some individual feminists hate men, people like to assume that all feminists hate men. But â€Å"a portion does not equal the whole, even If that portion Is really loud (killerman).And that's the thing; theVre not even that loud! Anti-feminists like to, as Sam would say, â€Å"cherry pick† quotes and apply them to the whole to make their argument stronger even though It's an Inaccurate portrayal of what the whole Is actually like. Most feminists would disagree with the statement that they hate men (Killerman). They stand for what feminism stands for; equality for all, no matter your gender. However, In all fairness, It would be a fallacy to say that misandrists dldnt exist, but Lindy West an American author and newspaper editor argues that the innocent become the guilty through self-fulfilling prophecy.If people keep pinning feminists against men eventually feminists will start hating men (West). The reason being: that is not the truth and the fact that people keep synonymizing misandry wi th feminism will of course lead the one being accused to hate the accuser, which in this case Is generalized as mem But the hate would be for the sin, not the sinner; feminists hate the lie, not the liar. Unfortunately, as stated previously anti-feminists cherry pick what will make their argument seem the most correct (Killerman).Killerman seconds West's self-fulfilling prophecy with the thought that for 200 years e have been spoon fed that feminists hate men so what else are we to believe. This is the second reason feminism and misandry are constantly synonymized. The first feminist to start advocating for equal rights was in the 1 700s but it â€Å"didn't pick up steam† until the late 1800s and the even then the wants of these women hadn't changed much. They primarily asked for the right to vote, to own property, and to attend college. These â€Å"radical demands† were met with labels such as anti-God, antl- family, and of course, anti-men.And people thought the wome n were being ridiculous. However, the saying does go that power corrupts and these men in power at the time would do anything to keep It, including falsely classifying an entire demographic (Killerman). And naturally when someone in power claims something it is believed without any further thought as to why this might be true, so feminists galnea tne tltle 0T man naters ana Trom tnat polnt on people nave always synonymized the two. The third reason Sam gives for this misconception goes back to his first point. The accused hating the accuser is why we said women start to hate men, a self-fulfilling prophecy.But the same goes for the men. When they think there entire gender is being labeled as rapists and evil naturally they are going to start hating the people that think this. (Killerman) Men have been told that all feminists label them as said things so they, not wanting to be grouped into such categories start firing their own missiles of distain and disagreement. Speaking of dista in that brings us to Killermans fourth reason why man y people think feminists hate men. Even though feminism believes in equal rights for all ,regardless of their anatomy, most feminists tend to focus on only the issues acing the female population (Killerman).This made the men feel left out and like their issues weren't as important as women's which naturally makes them bitter. Allie Rowbottom who has an undergraduate in sexuality and gender studies examines this issue a bit. She counters that argument with the fact that without the feminist movement nothing would have changed for the men either. â€Å"Women would still be in the kitchen, and men would still be on the battlefield. (Mudd)† So feminists continue to get a bad name even though they changing things for both genders, Killerman and Rowbottom agree this is a bit contradictory.Men unfortunately aren't the only ones who blow things out of proportion when it comes to feminism. The media and especially people in power ( specifically men) like to believe â€Å"instead of dealing with inequality and giving up a bit of unearned power, it's far more fruitful to change the conversation and put the oppressed group on the defensive. (Killerman)† They sensationalize and radicalize what feminists are doing and put the people who support the movement on the defensive so they can make the group seem even more radical. And this doesn't Just happen with feminism; this happens with other major ssues as well.Stereotypes exist for everyone no matter your skin color, gender, or sexuality. And unfortunately the people who have the power to change these things would rather sensationalize them than actually solve them. (Killerman) And according to a study on media sensationalism, unless people are educated on the issue they will never really know that there is a problem in the way our news is fed to us. (Reisenwitz) In conclusion, the fact that feminism is constantly synonymized with misandry is a horrible misc onception. They are not the same thing, even the dictionary agrees.The five main reasons this occurs is because of generalization, it's all people have ever been told, because men hate to be generalized, because men become angry that their issues take a back seat, and because the issues are sensationalized making the supporters seem radical. The only way to change this vicious stereotype is to change the way we think. We need to start holding our powerful people accountable for the things they say and start weeding the truth from the lies. Only then can we work together to create a world where what gender you are or claim to be doesn't effect the benefits you receive.

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Insurance - Essay Example The insurance system today is so much integrated in our society that life without an insurance plan looks impossible. The insurance companies have spread their roots and are insuring everything and anything. There are several types of insurances such as life insurance where the customers pay to an insurance company as its saving account to keep its money and give it back when the family of the insurer needs it. A life insurance policy has different clauses and agreements varying from a company to company. Other insurances include health insurance which is a very common concept in the USA as the health facility is very expensive and is not provided by the government. The people in the USA rely mainly on their health insurance plans for their treatments. Health insurance also has many packages and they vary from companies to customers need. Car insurance is when an insurance company pays for your car repair in case of an accident. It seems like that the insurance companies are entities which are there to help people, but in the realty, this industry is making very high profits as they take your dollars as profits and gives you your money in cents. Insurance companies have established their grounds despite facing many problems. The major controversy about insurance companies is coming from the religious segment of the society as all the three main religions Christianity, Islam and Judaism are against insurance. As in Christian priest say that having insurance indicates the lack of faith in god, in Islam, the concept of interest is forbidden so insurance to the Muslim world is not a culture that they should absorb in, and in Judaism, the rabbi says that it is an avoidance of god will. Even after barriers, the insurance companies have reached to new heights in making profits. Insurance companies are very technical in nature as their clauses and contracts are very difficult to understand. The concept of "uberrimae fidei" is a Latin word for 'utmost good faith'. Under this term, the applicants are required to tell the company everything which might cause their decision to change. Every applicant has to disclose the details of the material belonging and also the circumstances and the future expectation of the applicant. The concept is essential as the insurance business is done on the basis of trust. The applicant should have enough money to buy an insurance policy - the payment of insurance is taken on installment basis - it varies from cases to cases. Insurance is an investment that you make in order to get good returns on it. The chance of profitability is only present if there is mutual faith and believes between the client and the investment company. The insurance contracts have significance important because if the deal doesn't work the case goes into court so the two parties should be aware of their treaty in the case of disclosure. "To point out all types of disclosure is not only a difficult task but also to an extent futile, even though such acquisition of types could immensely help in compiling the information for the judges and lawyers to seek an analogy in their respective cases in front of them. However, when one understands the basic notion of burden of disclosure then the nature and types can

The Doctrines of Pythagoras- Doing in Ovids The Metamorphoses Essay

The Doctrines of Pythagoras- Doing in Ovids The Metamorphoses - Essay Example Overall the stories and connected by idea of transformation, starting with the physical changes which created the world, and in the manner in which the gods, in their longing to disrupt with life on the continent, are persistently changing their own presence and form. However, the most famous changes in the book are those remarkable time when a living being is transformed into something else. Many of the stories of transformation are concerned with severe suffering. This grants to practically all them a naturally dramatic superiority because they irregularly focus on a vulnerable and objecting character suffering from godly or human vindictiveness. Further, the main characters are frequently innocent females, trailed by celestial or human rapists. In more simple terms, Metamorphoses is a catalogue of famous Greek and Roma stories, most which deal with violence, phenomenal transformation of appearance and suffering, organized in a loose series. Ovid’s style so frequently change s the relatively simple details of famous legend into convincing, extremely dramatic, and multifaceted tale (Due 12-30). Befitting Ovid’s continual poem, interest in the precise meaning of the Pythagoras’s speech in â€Å"Metamorphoses† 15 has proved to ever be unceasing. ... Since it appears in the final book, we can presume that it has some kind of programmatic function or, as is always is the case with Ovid, numerous functions. With regard to the preceding 14 books, Ovid incredibly regales to us with an enormous assortment of style and genres. Further, it is absolutely clear that this multiplicity as opposed to the analysis in terms of generic restraints, is the actual importance of the function of genre in the† Metamorphoses.† However, there has been the lack of philosophical disquisition until the last book. One of the many reasons, therefore, for Ovid’s insertion of this philosophical boastful bluster is merely to round out his whole virtuoso collection with, yet still, another magnificent piece (Mandelbaum 20-50). Secondly, the selection of Pythagoras was agreeable for that function and numerous others. At his time, Pythagoreanism represented a syncretistic assortment of the teachings of various philosophical schools, pseudo-scie ntific assumption, spirituality, and spiritual and religious dispensations. Accordingly, Ovid’s Pythagoras provides an diverse cause of mixture indebted to all types of philosophical teachings, including his own, Empedocles’, Heraclitus’s, and the Stoics’, alongside irregular insinuation, mostly for the purpose of counterargument, to Epicureans and Lucretius. The process finds its appropriate analogue in Ovid’s consideration of the material for the masterpiece â€Å"Metamorphoses†, which in the same way varies, not dogma, and inconsistency. For this case, Ovid’s poem is amid other things a collection of themes and styles. Meanwhile, Pythagoras speech is a collection of philosophers (Brunauer 40-50). Hardie thus argues that through the

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 14

Marketing - Essay Example Market forecasts for the digital media industry over the past four years are said to be inaccurate and reflected a longer span of time before a major market segment is established. This scenario, however, was altered when Apple iTunes Music Store and Ipod Video was introduced by Apple. The success of these products had been phenomenal and is poised to change the landscape of the entertainment world. It was Apple who introduced and pushed for the concepts of video on demand (VOD), along with novel ideas such as pod casting, which is becoming a major factor in video marketing. Sales of the Ipod Video had been surprisingly brisk since Christmas and Apple is likely to raise its sales to 30% for the first quarter of 2006 alone. Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, announced in an Apple press release that they have sold one million videos in less than 20 days of Ipod Video’s release. (Apple) Meanwhile, the traffic on Apple iTunes online store was reported to have jumped 50% in the latter part of last year. (Siglin) A week after its launch, Apple iTunes Music Store boasted to have reached a 2 million-dollar mark, with the store selling music for $0.99 a song. The staggering demand for the Apple portable media has not gone unnoticed by the video industry. Last October, Ipod Video’s launch was sent off by a historical deal between Apple and ABC with the sale of the latter’s television series â€Å"Lost† episodes through Apple iTunes Music Store. Apple is currently in strategic partnership with Walt Disney Co., ABC’s parent company, which involves similar sale of popular ABC shows like â€Å"Desperate Housewives,† â€Å"Night Stalker,† and â€Å"That’s So Raven.† Siglin quoted the NBC Universal chairman, Bob Wright, being interviewed by the Los Angeles Times: â€Å"Apple’s success certainly reinforces the view that there is a demand out there†¦ It’s for real, and it’s going to be with us for a long

Research report on student consumerism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research report on student consumerism - Essay Example However, only three questionnaires were returned and, consequently, considered within the research analysis. Thus, the sample is represented by three female full-time students, who live in the university dorm, are of the same age, but study different majors. The questionnaire they filled in included questions that would provide an insight to why they prefer some types of food over other and how their preferences have changed since their coming to the university. Literature Review Basis for the present research was derived from the analysis of available literature and research on consumer behavior in terms of consumers’ habits, preferences, and approaches to eating and food shopping. The major literature that advised present research included researches that had been conducted primarily among university students in Canada (Eichler, 1988) that studied factors influencing person’s food choices, difference in approaches to student diet, etc. Thus, according to Silverman (19 97) there is a â€Å"Weight Gain Attributed to University Life† phenomenon known as the â€Å"freshman 15.† It is a popular belief that university students gain an average of fifteen pounds during their first year of university (Mason, 2002). Although it is partly a myth, studies show evidence that the majority of students entering university do in fact gain a significant amount of body mass during their first year of university attendance, which is associated with the accumulation of body fat (Blaxter, Hughes, Tight, 2006) A research by Hammersley (1993) looks at the factors influencing a person’s food choices, which are numerous and the relationships between those factors are seemingly complex (Wolcott, 1990). There is a high level of variance between the factors identified and described by researchers; the number and specificity of these factors vary, depending on the scope of the study. (Yates, 2004) Researchers of Healthy University of Toronto limited their study of food security on the St. George campus to five main factors: time, location, cost, variety, and nutrition (Wolcott, 1990). In another study, Holliday (2007) described factors as four stimulus properties of foods: Budget-friendly, Energizing, Sensory satisfaction, and Time; this is known as ‘BEST’ (Holliday, 2007). In contrast, a qualitative study conducted by Ribbens and Edwards (1998) to assess adolescents’ perceptions of factors influencing their food choices uncovered numerous situation-specific factors; media, peer influence, body image, mood, food cravings, and vegetarian beliefs are just some examples (Ribbens, Edwards, 1998) Method In this research Interview method has been used to collect data from our target respondents. We used direct interview method to get the answers. Major reason to use this method is the Open ended nature of Questions which have been asked to the Interviewees but at the same time it was not completely an un-structured typ e of interview because we have used the list of questions to get the desired results for our research topic so one can say that this was the semi-structure type of interview. There is certain benefit for using this approach like, In this way respondents can easily express their feelings more easily and Convenient and in result of this approach the non-biased information can be easily collect to some extent. (Taylor, 2002) The selected sample students are hostelries therefore there are chances

Cherrie Morag Heroes And Saints Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cherrie Morag Heroes And Saints - Essay Example Heroes and saints represent horrible epidemics of incurable diseases birth defects among other problems that a small farming town faced; this was caused by the spraying of a pesticide that resulted in a great suffering among the people. These Political injustices arose in the American system of governance. The play seeks to sound a message to the present people that they should not count on other people, to bring changes, but should demand the help. People must learn to come together, and fight for their basic rights. This can only be achieved if the oppressed come together, and in one voice demand, their rights and this will lead to the eventual attainment of happiness and liberty. The race takes precedence in the play, once one was recognized as a Latino he or, she was taken to have a sort of disability. Race and disability are both identities that are interstitial and simultaneous. In this play, Moraga makes use of disability as a metaphor and phenomenal frame for economic oppress ion, gender, and racial discrimination. Felipe Franco is a character used by Moraga in this play, the mother to Felipe worked in the fields poisoned by pesticides when she was pregnant, due to this Felipe was born with no limbs. Here, what is seen is the use of disability put forward in lived reality and used as a metaphor dissipating oppression. An environmental justice group identified race to be a very powerful factor when it comes to the public’s exposure to toxicity. Pesticides tend to focus on the female reproductive system resulting.

Legality and Effectiveness Essay Example for Free

Legality and Effectiveness Essay This paper will discuss the aspects of B. F. Skinner’s book Walden Two and the implications toward determinism or free will implied through his characterizations and ideologies. The debate in this paper will present the dichotomy of free will and determinism and will end with support on the side of free will. Definitions for either ideal will be discussed in the paper as well as a presentation of Walden Two being a parody of Plato’s Republic which in turn will also give a succinct definition as to whether or not the book was written in a free will aspect or that pertaining to determinism. The connections between Skinner’s concepts of free will and determinism are rampant throughout the text, and the fashion by which the book exemplifies Plato’s Republic is striking in its context. Plato’s Republic exerts diatribes and discussion between his protagonists match exactly those ideologies presented in altercative fashion in Skinner’s text. Points are present in Skinner’s Walden Two through the debates or seeming debates between the protagonists. The underlying idea behind each writing is that of discovering and reinforcing utopia. Although at times Skinner’s work hinges upon the concepts of determinism as in the statement, â€Å"†¦in the long run man is determined by the state† (257) there is also the dialectical approach which would state that the society or the state in this reference would first have to be formed by the collective of free wills in order for a system of codes to be first instated. The viable principles of this code remark on the importance of salubrious living which is also dominated by general tolerance (148). The subject of utopia evolves in his work through the process of avoiding interpersonal conflict; therefore the free will which so dominates the literature cannot in this utopian state dominate the free will of other societal members and in this paradox is found several conundrums. The ideologies present in Walden Two exert themselves on experimental psychology and behaviorism. This means that Walden Two is an experiment in lieu of understanding behavior as a function of environmental histories of experiencing consequences. These experiences delve into the facet of Walden Two’s society being presented as a utopia due to their practice of scientific social planning and the way in which they condition their children (as mentioned prior in the codes). Walden Two is structured after Thoreau’s Walden (as well as Plato’s Republic) which basis life after a lifestyle in which war is not supported and the fostering of competition is not founded which therefore leads inextricably to social strife being ousted. Also, Skinner presents a society by which minimal consumption is found and a rich social relationships, personal happiness, and a satisfying work and leisure life is deliberately introduced into each area of society through the codes cited in the paper formerly. Free will then becomes a factor in this utopian society due to its infrastructure. Skinner highlights throughout Frazier’s diatribes that the technology of behavior is what makes a society more palatable to the members which inherit and live in that society. Therefore, the autonomous agent is not the driving force of such a society but rather the driving force becomes the original character design of Walden Two. In Skinner’s society free will is further determined through infrastructure by way of Walden Two giving credit to the individual for work accomplished by their own actions. Thus, the society is based on the originating force of a paradigm or code or action and this is where the definition of free will may be found throughout the context of the text. The actions of the characters in the society are not deterministically grounded but instead, the environment and genetic potentials of freedom cause the society to be based on reality whereby reality in this sense is determined by the individual and not by the society or methods of actions found through the environment in which free will becomes an impetus of determinism. The Experimental Analysis of Behavior and Applied Behavior Analysis are techniques intrinsic in human affairs as defined by Skinner. In support of the notion of free will, Skinner writes, â€Å"I have only one important characteristic, I’m stubborn. I’ve had only one idea in my life—a true idee fixe, the idea of having my own way† (271). The idea of determinism is that free will is a characteristic that is nonexistent because factors in a person’s environment do not allow for the paradigm of choice to have any relevance in decisions, desires, wants, or overall personal satisfaction or other emotions characterized through free will (jealousy, love, ego, possessiveness, etc. ). Frazier however points out to Castle that â€Å"determinism doesn’t entail that behavior is always predictable any more than it implies that the weather is always predictable† (391). Society and social as well as psychological behavior are products which hinge upon causal laws which means that we can’t have free will; but counter to this argument it is presented in the body of text that free will is defined through choices that are predictable in advance which is truly counter to the core definition of free will in which determinism of events and actions cannot be measured through prescience or any other advanced indicators. Frazier argues that free will and therefore free choices would be unpredictable, but contrasting this belief, Frazier states, â€Å"â€Å"For the last several thousand days, I’ve chosen of my own free will not to dye my hair orange. Therefore, it is very probable that tomorrow, I will choose of my own free will not to dye my hair orange. † (391). This is not a strong counter argument to determinism and by this omission, it is proven that free will is the factor involved in Skinner’s Walden Two, because Frazier’s own volition in the above argument truly states that he thinks free will is only based on unpredictability. The basis of the argument in Walden Two that is in support of determinism is that if determinism is true then free will by opposition cannot be true, however, in this circular argument there exists fallacies for, Skinner is assuming that there cannot co-habit a society in which both determinism and free will cannot become hegemony; however, this cannot be a reputable argument since its basis is only found in the fact that one cannot be true simultaneously. Castle argues in favor of free will through the basis of experience. Both Castle and Frazier argue that a person’s behavior can be controlled or restricted through the enforcement of force or physical restraint. Through such enforcement however, the propelling of enforcement further leads to the person being forced upon to react by way of such force promoting animosity and feel unfree which furthers the concept of free will in the fact of a reaction to force. Although Skinner does not promote force as a form of punishment in Walden Two there is a definite cause in the restriction of force which leads the reader to believe that free will is trying to be staunched in the society and therefore enforcement cannot be used because it simply incites free will. Instead, Skinner basis his utopia on the process of positive reinforcement. This means members of Walden Two are given items they like or the items they like are taken away from them if they have acted negatively. Thus, positive reinforcement is not determined to be the same as punishment and therefore, the society can be relatively defined as staunching free will which means that the society is in recognition of free will, yet, free will in the society persists because Walden Two designs its infrastructure after scotching free will, at least in the instance of positive reinforcement. Walden Two is furthered designed to bring forth a utopian society by way of defining behavior as being determined through past history of positive reinforcement, as well as the presence of environment. Frazier says â€Å"it’s not control that’s lacking when one feels ‘free,’ but the objectionable control of force. † In the very best society, people will feel free because its rulers use the science of â€Å"reinforcement theory† or operant conditioning to elicit desirable behavior without the use of force. Frazier: â€Å"Now that we know how positive reinforcement works†¦we can be more successful in our cultural design. † (p. 394). Thus, although the concept of positive reinforcement highlights behaviorism, the act of reinforcement is further aiding in the development of free will simply by recognizing that free will is inherent and as an inherent quality measures must be taken in order to counteract free will, in the view of positive reinforcement in Walden Two. The concept of past history being of importance to behaviorism in both free will and determinism, Stace states, â€Å"If a man’s actions were wholly determined by chains of causes stretching back into the remote past, so that they could be predicted beforehand by a mind which knew all the causes, it was assumed that they could not in that case be free. This implies that a certain definition of actions done from free will was assumed, namely that they are actions not wholly determined by causes or predictable beforehand. Let us shorten this by saying that free will was defined as meaning indeterminism. This is the incorrect definition which has led to the denial of free will. As soon as we see what the true definition is we shall find that the question whether the world is deterministic†¦or in a measure indeterministic †¦is wholly irrelevant to the problem† (Stace 1952: 860). Thus, the managers have free will over the utopian society in Walden Two because the citizenry are instructed to go to the managers with any problems and to have them sort out the problems, which means that the managers, the controllers of this utopian society are based after free will in order to determine justice, or even to determine positive reinforcement. Work Cited Doyle, Jim. Treatment for Rapists, Molesters Under Fire Cost, Legality and Effectiveness at Issue In Extended Program. San Francisco Chronicle. (11 July, 2004). (Online). Available: http://www. sfgate. com/cgi bin/article. cgi? file=/chronicle/archive/2004/07/11/MNGB57IU41. DTL Isaacson, Walter. A Declaration of Mutual Dependence. The New York Times. July 4 2004. pg. 4. Skinner, B. F. Walden Two. The Macmillan Company, New York. 1948. Stace, Walter T. Is Determinism Inconsistent with Free Will Staddon, John. On Responsibility and Punishment. The Atlantic Monthly. 275(2) (1995). Pg88.

Beethovens Musical Form

Beethovens Musical Form Among the musical form these three forms are evident in the works of Ludwig Beethoven. The prelude, overture and sinfonie are among the musical forms which can be seen in the composition of Beethoven. These three forms evolved since the 17th century until now. To identify the similarity of prelude, overture and sinfonie it is best to describe each form. A prelude is a piece of music which is short; it has no particular introduction to succeeding movements of a work that are usually longer and more complex. It features single rhythmic and melodic motif that is used in every measure throughout the piece. Stylistically, the prelude is improvisatory in nature. The prelude can also refer to an overture, particularly to those seen in an opera or an oratorio. Prelude can be referring to as a preface. It can stand on its own or introduce another work. Overture in music is the instrumental introduction to a dramatic, choral (1911encyclopedia.org) or, occasionally, instrumental composition. It is used as an opening to a larger dramatic work such as an opera. Overture also referred to collections of movements, known as suites. (wikipedia.com). A sinfonie is a musical composition, the extended and used for orchestra. It does not imply a specific form. There are sinfonies that are tonal works in four movements with the first in sonata form, and it is often described by music theorists as the structure of a classical (reference.com) sinfonie. Evolution of Prelude The very first preludes were lute compositions of the Renaissance era. They were free improvisations and served as brief introductions to larger pieces of music or particular larger and more complex movements; lutenists also used them to test the instrument or the acoustics of the room before performing. In the 17th century in France the keyboard preludes started. During this century the duration of each note is left to the performer. The first composer who embrace the genre is Louis Couperin, and harpsichord preludes were used until the first half of the 18th century by numerous composers including Jean-Henri d’Anglebert (1629-1691), Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre (1665-1729), Franà §ois Couperin (1668-1733) and Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764), whose very first printed piece (1706) was in this form. The last unmeasured preludes for harpsichord date from the 1710s. Prelude in the 17th century in Germany led to a sectional form similar to keyboard toccatas Johann Jakob Fr oberger or Girolamo Frescobaldi. Outside Germany, Abraham van den Kerckhoven (c.1618-c.1701), one of the most important Dutch composers of the period, used this model for some of his preludes. Southern and central German composers did not follow the sectional model and their preludes remained improvisational in character with little or no strict counterpoint. In the second half of 17th century prelude are being paired with figures in the same key. Preludes were also used by some 20th century composers when writing Baroque-inspired suites. Such works include Ravels Le Tombeau de Couperin (1914/17) and Schoenbergs Suite for piano, Op. 25 (1921/23), both of which begin with an introductory prelude. Ludwig van Beethoven wrote two preludes, Op. 39; each one cycles through all of the major keys of the piano. Evolution of Overture Overture was formulated during the 17th century. As a musical form overture begins with the works of J-B Lully (1911encyclopedia.org). He devised the scheme that constitutes the typical French overture up to the time (1911encyclopedia.org) of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Friderich Handel. This French ouverture consists of a slow introduction in a marked dotted rhythm (1911encyclopedia.org), followed by a lively movement in fugato style. The slow introduction was always repeated, and sometimes the quick movement concluded by returning to the slow tempo, (1911encyclopedia.org) usually with new motivic material but occasionally recapitulating the opening, and this combined fast-slow material was sometimes also repeated. The operatic French ouverture was frequently followed by a series of dance tunes before the curtain rose. It thus became used as the prelude to a suite. (1911encyclopedia.org) Bach was able to use the French ouverture form for choruses, and even for the treatment of chorales. Thus the ouverture, properly so called, of his fourth orchestral suite became the first chorus of the church cantata. (1911encyclopedia.org). Evolution of Sinfonie In German, Symphonie was a generic term for spinets and virginals from the late 16th century to the 18th century (Marcuse 1975, 501). In the sense of sounding together the word also appears in the titles of some works by 16th- and 17th-century composers including Giovanni Gabrieli (the Sacrae symphoniae) and Heinrich Schà ¼tz (the Symphoniae sacrae). (reference.com). In the 17th century, for most of the Baroque period, the terms symphony and sinfonia were used for a range of different compositions, including instrumental pieces used in operas, sonatas and concertos—usually part of a larger work. The opera sinfonia, or Italian overture had, by the 18th century, a standard structure of three contrasting movements: fast; slow; fast and dance-like. It is this form that is often considered as the direct forerunner of the orchestral symphony. The terms overture, symphony and sinfonia were widely regarded as interchangeable for much of the 18th century. In 18th century the sinfonie has three movements, in the tempo quick-slow-quick. Symphonies at this time, whether for concert, opera, or church use, were not considered the major works on a program: often, as with concerti, they were divided up between other works, or drawn from suites or overtures. Vocal music was dominant, and symphonies provided preludes, interludes, and postludes. At the time most symphonies were relatively short, lasting between 10 and 20 minutes. Mozart’s early symphonies are in this layout. The early three-movement form was eventually replaced by a four-movement layout which was dominant in the latter part of the 18th century and most of the 19th century. The composition of early symphonies was centred on Vienna and Mannheim. The most important symphonists of the latter part of the 18th century are Joseph Haydn who wrote at .With the rise of established professional orchestras, the symphony assumed a more prominent place in concert life between approximately 1790 and 1820. Ludwig van Beethovens first Academy Concert advertised Christ on the Mount of Olives as the featured work, rather than his performances of two of his symphonies and a piano concerto. Beethoven dramatically expanded the symphony. (reference.com). His Symphony No. 3 (the Eroica), has a scale and emotional range which sets it apart from earlier works. His Symphony No. 9 takes th e unprecedented step of including parts for vocal soloists and choir in the last movement. Beethoven, together with Franz Schubert, replaced the usual genteel minuet with a livelier scherzo. (reference.com). The twentieth century also saw further diversification in the style and content of works which composers labelled as symphonies. Some composers, including, continued to write in the traditional four-movement form, while other composers took different approaches: Jean Sibelius Symphony No. 7, his last, is in one movement. (reference.com). Conclusion Prelude, overture and sinfonie are musical form that has been connected to each other to form a musical composition. Prelude if seen in an opera or an oratorio can be referred to as overture. Symphonies provided prelude. These three forms of music have been used by several musicians. Composer like Beethoven has used the three forms. Understanding the use of each form will enlighten the mind of those who are confused and not familiar in this form. References: See R. Simpson, ed., The Symphony (2 vol., 1972); D. F. Tovey, Essays in Musical Analysis: Symphonies (1935, repr. 1972); R. Nadeau, The Symphony (rev. ed. 1974); H. Chappell, Sounds Magnificent (1986). http://www.reference.com/search?r=13q=Symphony http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overture http://www.webconfs.com/search-engine-spider http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prelude_(music) http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Overture

Weddings of the Middle Ages Essay -- European History

Weddings of the Middle Ages As the ages have past weddings have changed, the most interesting weddings took place in the middle ages. Middle ages were full of mystery and lust, women were not merely wives but prizes and a possession, rarely was it love. The reasons of which people were married was determined by their class. Most of the marriage laws we know today evolved during this era. The celebrations were extravagant, full of color and magnificent entertainment and exquisite feasts, radical compared to prior ages. The middle ages were truly a turning point as weddings evolved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The major difference between the weddings of the Middle Ages and now was the motives and reasoning behind them. Medieval marriage ceremonies depended on the social class of the two to be married. People of the middle ages were grouped into two groups the noble class and the peasants. The nobles cared about their name and there social stature thus arranging marriages for their children was commonly known. The children would have a set spouse by the age of ten or eleven. The main reason for this practice was to keep success and the acquisition of wealth in families. The marriages were matters of business rather then love. This was not so true with the peasants; peasants’ marriages were more sincere or would take place due to a pregnancy. Unlike weddings today they depended on who you were rather then who you wished to be or wish to be married to.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After your bride or grooms were chosen for you many preparations would take place. The ceremony about to take place would be the biggest one you had seen unless you had been to other weddings. Many meetings between the two families would take place as more arrangements were made. The next few weeks would be a time of excitement and wonder. Not only have you not seen your future spouse but you might not have even been given the chance to know his her name, the reason for this is unsure. Depending on family and other factors you may have been given the chance to see your future spouse six or five days prior to the wedding. During the middle ages the custom was known to be celebrated in castles and courtyards as long as a priest blessed the bride and groom. In ages prior to the Middle Ages weddings could not take place anywhere but the churches. As time proceeded the Catholic Church gave more room in regards to where the... ...a connection then prior almost a bonding of two families. As we get into the meaning behind certain practices and gifts we can see that they aren’t just for the future couple but many processes and meaning are behind them. Weddings today are much more different then marriages of the past. Many of the customs from then have made their way to this era but also many haven’t. we can see many differences and also many similarities. The biggest difference is the control of marriages and the arranged marriages that took place. In today’s culture we are not grouped by social stature as they were then, our marriages are based on love not class. I think this is a good thing and I am happy to be blessed by God to be able to have the freedom of choice in something as important and life changing as a marriage. In conclusion we can see times have changed. The middle ages were interesting in context but not as interesting to live out. We can learn a lot from the culture of the middle ages. I am very interested on how things have changed and notice some of the similarities. I am blessed to live in such an awesome era and happy to have the opportunity to learn about such a interesting one.

The Last Hung: Joops Mid-life Crisis :: essays research papers

The Last Hung: Joop's Mid-Life Crisis In Horst Stern's The Last Hunt, a man named Joop is portrayed as a professional worker in a very well known bank. Outside of being a banker, Joop enjoys to hunt wild animals. This has been a hobby of his since he was a young boy. Throughout the story many questions are raised about Joop's true feelings about his job, hunting, and his life. In the beginning of the story, a women walks in on Joop while he is staring at a picture on a wall in his office. The women is very embarrassed because she believes he is staring at the nudity part of the picture. This indeed is not true as the reader further examines the reason behind the picture. By looking at the picture, Joop realizes that he is going through a mid-life crises, which can only be resolved by exorcising memories of his wife, the bear, and the goddess of hunting, Diana. The solution to the first part of his mid-life crisis is to get rid of the memories of Mari that still resided deep within his mind. He does this by visiting the house where the majority of these memories take place. While touring through the house he remembers all the ways that Mari resembled the goddess of Diana. During the period that Joop was married to Mari, she portrayed herself in a few ways as being Diana. She did this by giving the name of "Worshipping Diana to the act of Joop kissing her. Her skin was white except for one violet-colored bruise just under her right collarbone; it never disappeared entirely during the hunting season and came from the kick of her hefty weapons. It pleased her that he liked to kiss this particular spot. She called it "Worshipping Diana" (Stern 112). By doing this, Mari therefore implies that she believes she is the goddess of hunting. Not only does Mari imply that she is similar to the goddess Diana, but Joop also feels very upset about her believing that she is a goddess and he is just one of her pawns. " Her solemnity always frightened him, since it seemed to suggest that his main role in her eyes was as high priest of her own cult" (Stern 112). In this case the high priest would be the hunter Joop, and he would be serving Mari in her own fantasies. Joop's departure from the house was very swift because he wanted to get the memories of Mari behind him. Joop climbed wearily into the car and told his chauffeur to drive .

Shadow Kiss Chapter 9

Nine WITH SO MANY MOROI tracing their roots back to Eastern Europe, Orthodox Christianity was the dominant religion on campus. Other religions were represented too, and I'd say all in all, only about half of the student body attended any sort of services regularly. Lissa was one such student. She went to church every Sunday because she believed. Christian also attended. He did it because she went and because it made him look good and seem less likely to become Strigoi. Since Strigoi couldn't enter holy ground, regular church service provided a small front of respectability for him. When I wasn't sleeping in, I showed up at church for the social aspect. Lissa and my friends usually hung out and did something fun afterward, so church made for a good meeting spot. If God minded me using his chapel as a way to further my social life, He hadn't let me know. Either that, or He was biding his time before punishing me. When the service ended that Sunday, however, I had to stick around the chapel, because that was where my community service was going to happen. When the place had cleared out, I was surprised to see one other person had lingered with me: Dimitri. â€Å"What are you doing here?† I asked. â€Å"Thought you might need some help. I hear the priest wants to do a lot of housecleaning.† â€Å"Yeah, but you're not the one being punished here. And this is your day off too. We – well, everyone else – spent the whole week battling it out, but you guys were the ones picking the fights the whole time.† In fact, I noticed now that Dimitri had a couple bruises too – though not nearly as many as Stan had. It had been a long week for everyone, and it was only the first of six. â€Å"What else would I do today?† â€Å"I could think of a hundred other things,† I noted dryly. â€Å"There's probably a John Wayne movie on somewhere that you haven't seen.† He shook his head. â€Å"No, there isn't. I've seen them all. Look – the priest is waiting for us.† I turned around. Sure enough. Father Andrew stood at the front, watching us expectantly. He'd taken off the rich robes he'd worn during service and now stood in simple slacks and a button down shirt. He looked like he was ready to work too, and I wondered whatever happened to Sunday being a day of rest. As Dimitri and I approached to get our assignments, I pondered what could have actually made Dimitri stay here in the first place. Surely he hadn't really wanted to work on his day off. I wasn't used to puzzles with him. His intentions were usually straightforward, and I had to assume there was a simple explanation now. It just wasn't clear yet. â€Å"Thank you both for volunteering to help me.† Father Andrew smiled at us. I tried not to scoff at the â€Å"volunteering† reference. He was a Moroi in his late forties, with thinning gray hair. Even without much faith in religion, I still liked and respected him. â€Å"We aren't doing anything particularly complex today,† he continued. â€Å"It's a bit boring, really. We'll have to do the regular cleaning, of course, and then I'd like to sort the boxes of old supplies I have sitting up in the attic.† â€Å"We're happy to do whatever you need,† Dimitri said solemnly. I repressed a sigh and tried not to think of all the other things I could be doing. We set to it. I was put on mop duty, and Dimitri took over dusting and polishing the wooden pews. He appeared thoughtful and intent as he cleaned, looking like he actually took pride in his work. I was still trying to figure out why he was here at all. Don't get me wrong; I was happy to have him. His presence made me feel better, and of course I always loved watching him. I thought maybe he was there to get more information out of me about what had happened that day with Stan, Christian, and Brandon. Or maybe he wanted to chastise me about the other day with Stan, where I'd been accused of jumping into battle for selfish reasons. These seemed like likely explanations, yet he never said a word. Even when the priest stepped out of the sanctuary to go to his office, Dimitri continued working quietly. I would have figured if he'd had anything to say, he would have done it then. When we finished the cleaning, Father Andrew had us haul box after box of stuff down from the attic and into a storeroom at the back of the chapel. Lissa and Christian frequently used that attic as a secret getaway, and I wondered if having it cleaner would be a pro or a con for their romantic interludes. Maybe they would abandon it, and I could start getting some sleep. With all of the stuff downstairs, the three of us settled on the floor and began sorting it all out. Father Andrew gave us instructions on what to save and what to throw out, and it was a relief to be off my feet for a change this week. He made small talk as we worked, asking me about classes and other things. It wasn't so bad. And as we worked, a thought came to me. I'd done a good job convincing myself that Mason had been a delusion brought on by lack of sleep, but getting assurance from an authority figure that ghosts weren't real would go a long way toward making me feel better. â€Å"Hey,† I said to Father Andrew. â€Å"Do you believe in ghosts? I mean, is there any mention of them in – † I gestured around us. † – in this stuff?† The question clearly surprised him, but he didn't appear to take offense at me calling his vocation and life's work â€Å"this stuff.† Or at the fact that I was obviously ignorant about it all, despite seventeen years of sitting through services. A bemused expression crossed his face, and he paused in his work. â€Å"Well †¦ it depends on how you define ‘ghost,' I suppose.† I tapped a theology book with my finger. â€Å"The whole point of this is that when you die, you go to heaven or hell. That makes ghosts just stories, right? They're not in the Bible or anything.† â€Å"Again,† he said, â€Å"it depends on your definition. Our faith has always held that after death, the spirit separates from the body and may indeed linger in this world.† â€Å"What?† A dusty bowl I was holding dropped out of my hand. Fortunately, it was wood and didn't break. I quickly retrieved it. That was not the answer I'd been expecting. â€Å"For how long? Forever?† â€Å"No, no, of course not. That flies in the face of the resurrection and salvation, which form the cornerstone of our beliefs. But it's believed the soul can stay on earth for three to forty days after death. It eventually receives a ‘temporary' judgment that sends it on from this world to heaven or hell – although no one will truly experience either until the actual Judgment Day, when the soul and body are reunited to live out eternity as one.† The salvation stuff was lost on me. The â€Å"three to forty days† was what caught my attention. I completely forgot about my sorting. â€Å"Yeah, but is it true or not? Are spirits really walking the earth for forty days after death?† â€Å"Ah, Rose. Those who have to ask if faith is true are opening up a discussion they may not be ready for.† I had a feeling he was right. I sighed and turned back to the box in front of me. â€Å"But,† he said kindly, â€Å"if it helps you, some of these ideas parallel folk beliefs from Eastern Europe about ghosts that existed before the spread of Christianity. Those traditions have long upheld the idea of spirits staying around for a short time after death – particularly if the person in question died young or violently.† I froze. Whatever progress I'd made in convincing myself Mason had been brought on by stress instantly vanished. Young or violently. â€Å"Why?† I asked in a small voice. â€Å"Why would they stay? Is it†¦ is it for revenge?† â€Å"I'm sure there are some who believe that, just as some believe it's because the soul has trouble finding peace after something so unsettling.† â€Å"What do you believe?† I asked. He smiled. â€Å"I believe the soul separates from the body, just as our fathers teach us, but I doubt the soul's time on earth is anything the living can perceive. It's not like in the movies, with ghosts haunting buildings or coming to visit those they knew. I envision these spirits as more of an energy existing around us, something beyond our perception as they wait to move on and find peace. Ultimately, what matters is what happens beyond this earth when we attain the eternal life our savior bought for us with his great sacrifice. That's what's important.† I wondered if Father Andrew would be so quick to say that if he'd seen what I'd seen. Young or violently. Both had applied to Mason, and he had died less than forty days ago. That sad, sad face came back to me, and I wondered what it had meant. Revenge? Or could he truly not find peace? And how did Father Andrew's theology about heaven and hell fit with someone like me, who had died and come back to life? Victor Dashkov had said I'd gone to the world of the dead and returned when Lissa had healed me. What world of the dead? Was that heaven or hell? Or was it another way of referring to this in-between state on earth that Father Andrew was talking about? I didn't say anything after that, because the idea of a revenge-seeking Mason was so startling. Father Andrew sensed the change in me, but he obviously didn't know what had brought it about. He tried to coax me out. â€Å"I just got some new books in from a friend in another parish. Interesting stories about St. Vladimir.† He tilted his head. â€Å"Are you still interested in him? And Anna?† Theoretically, I was. Until we'd met Adrian, we'd only known of two other spirit users. One was our former teacher, Ms. Karp, who'd gone completely nuts from spirit and become a Strigoi to stop the madness. The other person was St. Vladimir, the school's namesake. He'd lived centuries ago and had brought his guardian, Anna, back from the dead, just as Lissa had me. It had made Anna shadow-kissed and created a bond between them too. Normally, Lissa and I tried to get our hands on everything we could about Anna and Vlad, in order to learn more about ourselves. But, as incredible as it was for me to admit, I had bigger problems right now than the ever-present and ever-puzzling psychic link between Lissa and me. It had just been trumped by a ghost who could possibly be pissed off over my role in his untimely death. â€Å"Yeah,† I said evasively, not making eye contact. â€Å"I'm interested†¦but I don't think I can get to it anytime soon. I'm kind of busy with all this†¦you know, field experience stuff.† I fell silent again. He took the hint and let me work on without further interruption. Dimitri never said a word throughout any of this. When we finally finished sorting, Father Andrew told us we had one more task before our work was done. He pointed to some boxes that we'd organized and repacked. â€Å"I need you to carry these over to the elementary campus,† he said. â€Å"Leave them off at the Moroi dorm there. Ms. Davis has been teaching Sunday school for some of the kindergartners and might be able to use those.† It would take at least two trips between Dimitri and me, and the elementary campus was a fair distance away. Still, that put me one step closer to freedom. â€Å"Why are you interested in ghosts?† Dimitri asked me on our first trip. â€Å"Just making conversation,† I said. â€Å"I can't see your face right now, but I have a feeling you're lying again.† â€Å"Jeez, everyone thinks the worst of me lately. Stan accused me of glory-seeking.† â€Å"I heard about that,† said Dimitri, as we rounded a corner. The buildings of the elementary campus loomed up in front of us. â€Å"That might have been a little unfair of him.† â€Å"A little, huh?† Hearing him admit that thrilled me, but it didn't change my anger against Stan. That dark, grouchy feeling that had plagued me lately sprang to life. â€Å"Well, thanks, but I'm starting to lose faith in this field experience. Sometimes in the whole Academy.† â€Å"You don't mean that.† â€Å"I don't know. The school just seems so caught up in rules and policies that don't have anything to do with real life. I saw what was out there, comrade. I went right to the monster's lair. In some ways †¦ I don't know if this really prepares us.† I expected him to argue, but to my surprise he said, â€Å"Sometimes I agree.† I nearly stumbled as we stepped inside one of the two Moroi dorms on the elementary campus. The lobby looked a lot like the ones on the secondary campus. â€Å"Really?† I asked. â€Å"Really,† he said, a small smile on his face. â€Å"I mean, I don't agree that novices should be put out in the world when they're ten or anything, but sometimes I've thought the field experience should actually be in the field. I probably learned more in my first year as a guardian than I did in all my years of training. Well†¦ maybe not all. But it's a different situation, absolutely.† We exchanged looks, pleased over our agreement. Something warm fluttered up in me, putting the lid on my earlier anger. Dimitri understood my frustration with the system, but then, Dimitri understood me. He glanced around, but there was no one at the desk. A few students in their early teens were working or talking in the lobby. â€Å"Oh,† I said, shifting the weight of the box I held. â€Å"We're in the middle school dorm. The younger kids are next door.† â€Å"Yes, but Ms. Davis lives in this building. Let me try to find her and see where she wants these.† He set his box down carefully. â€Å"I'll be right back.† I watched him go and set my own box down. Leaning against a wall, I glanced around and nearly jumped when I saw a Moroi girl only a couple feet away. She'd been standing so perfectly still, I hadn't noticed her. She looked like she could be mid-teens – thirteen or fourteen – but she was tall, much taller than me. The slimness of her Moroi build made her look even taller. Her hair was a cloud of brown curls, and she had freckles – rare among the normally pale Moroi – across her face. Her eyes widened when she saw me looking at her. â€Å"Oh. My. God. You're Rose Hathaway, aren't you?† â€Å"Yeah,† I said with surprise. â€Å"Do you know me?† â€Å"Everyone knows you. I mean, everyone heard about you. You're the one who ran away. And then you came back and killed those Strigoi. That is so cool. Did you get molnija marks?† Her words came out in one long string. She hardly took a breath. â€Å"Yeah. I have two.† Thinking about the tiny tattoos on the back of my neck made my skin itch. Her pale green eyes – if possible – grew wider. â€Å"Oh my God. Wow.† I usually grew irate when people made a big deal about the molnija marks. After all, the circumstances had not been cool. But this girl was young, and there was something appealing about her. â€Å"What's your name?† I asked. â€Å"Jillian – Jill. I mean, just Jill. Not both. Jillian's my full name. Jill's what everyone calls me.† â€Å"Right,† I said, hiding a smile. â€Å"I figured it out.† â€Å"I heard Moroi used magic on that trip to fight. Is that true? I would love to do that. I wish someone would teach me. I use air. Do you think I could fight Strigoi with that? Everyone says I'm crazy.† For centuries, Moroi using magic to fight had been viewed as a sin. Everyone believed it should be used peacefully. Recently, some had started to question that, particularly after Christian had proved useful in the Spokane escape. â€Å"I don't know,† I said. â€Å"You should talk to Christian Ozera.† She gaped. â€Å"Would he talk to me?† â€Å"If you bring up fighting the establishment, yeah, he'll talk to you.† â€Å"Okay, cool. Was that Guardian Belikov?† she asked, switching subjects abruptly. â€Å"Yeah.† I swore I thought she might faint then and there. â€Å"Really? He's even cuter than I heard. He's your teacher, right? Like, your own personal teacher?† â€Å"Yeah.† I wondered where he was. Talking to Jill was exhausting. â€Å"Wow. You know, you guys don't even act like teacher and student. You seem like friends. Do you hang out when you're not training?† â€Å"Er, well, kind of. Sometimes.† I remembered my earlier thoughts, about how I was one of the few people Dimitri was social with outside of his guardian duties. â€Å"I knew it! I can't even imagine that – I'd be freaking out all the time around him. I'd never get anything done, but you're so cool about it all, kind of like, ‘Yeah, I'm with this totally hot guy, but whatever, it doesn't matter.'† I laughed in spite of myself. â€Å"I think you're giving me more credit than I deserve.† â€Å"No way. And I don't believe any of those stories, you know.† â€Å"Um, stories?† â€Å"Yeah, about you beating up Christian Ozera.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said. Now rumors of my humiliation were trickling down to the lower campus. If I walked over to the elementary dorms, some six-year-old would probably tell me she'd heard that I killed Christian. Jill's expression turned momentarily uncertain. â€Å"But I didn't know about the other story.† â€Å"What other story?† â€Å"About how you and Adrian Ivashkov are – â€Å" â€Å"No,† I interrupted, not wanting to hear the rest. â€Å"Whatever you heard, it's not true.† â€Å"But it was really romantic.† â€Å"Then it's definitely not true.† Her face fell, and then she perked back up a few seconds later. â€Å"Hey, can you teach me to punch someone?† â€Å"Wai – What? Why would you want to know that?† â€Å"Well, I figure if I'm going to fight with magic someday, I should learn to fight the regular way too.† â€Å"I'm probably not the right person to ask,† I told her. â€Å"Maybe you should, um, ask your P.E. teacher.† â€Å"I did!† Her face looked distraught. â€Å"And he said no.† I couldn't help but laugh. â€Å"I was joking about asking him.† â€Å"Come on, it could help me fight a Strigoi someday.† My laughter dried up. â€Å"No, it really wouldn't.† She bit her lip, still desperate to convince me. â€Å"Well, it would at least help against that psycho.† â€Å"What? What psycho?† â€Å"People keep getting beat up around here. Last week it was Dane Zeklos, and just the other day it was Brett.† â€Å"Dane †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I ran through my knowledge of Moroi genealogy. There were a gazillion Zeklos students around. â€Å"That's Jesse's younger brother, yeah?† Jill nodded. â€Å"Yup. One of our teachers was so mad, too, but Dane wouldn't say a word. Neither would Brett.† â€Å"Brett who?† â€Å"Ozera.† I did a double take. â€Å"Ozera?† I had the impression she was really excited to tell me things I didn't know. â€Å"He's my friend Aimee's boyfriend. He was all bruised up yesterday – had some weird things that looked like welts, too. Maybe burns? But he wasn't as bad as Dane. And when Mrs. Callahan asked him about it, Brett convinced her it was nothing, and she let it go, which was weird. He was also in a really good mood – which was also weird, since you'd kind of think getting beat up would bring you down.† Somewhere in the back of my mind, her words tickled a memory. There was some connection I should be making, but I couldn't quite grasp it. Between Victor, ghosts, and the field experiences, it was honestly a wonder I could string words together anymore. â€Å"So can you teach me so that I won't get beat up?† Jill asked, clearly hoping she'd convinced me. She balled her fist up. â€Å"I just do this, right? Thumb across the fingers and swing?† â€Å"Uh, well, it's a little more complicated than that. You need to stand a certain way, or you'll hurt yourself more than the other person. There are a lot of things you need to do with your elbows and hips.† â€Å"Show me, please?† she begged. â€Å"I bet you're really good.† I was really good, but corrupting minors was one offense I didn't yet have on my record, and I preferred to keep it that way. Fortunately, Dimitri came back just then with Ms. Davis. â€Å"Hey,† I told him. â€Å"I have someone who wants to meet you. Dimitri, this is Jill. Jill, Dimitri.† He looked surprised, but he smiled and shook her hand. She turned bright red and became speechless for a change. As soon as he released her hand, she stammered out a goodbye and ran off. We finished up with Ms. Davis and headed back toward the chapel for our second load. â€Å"Jill knew who I was,† I told Dimitri as we walked. â€Å"She had kind of a hero-worship thing going on.† â€Å"Does that surprise you?† he asked. â€Å"That younger students would look up to you?† â€Å"I don't know. I just never thought about it. I don't think I'm that good of a role model.† â€Å"I disagree. You're outgoing, dedicated, and excel at everything you do. You've earned more respect than you think.† I gave him a sidelong glance. â€Å"And yet not enough to go to Victor's trial, apparently.† â€Å"Not this again.† â€Å"Yes, this again! Why don't you get how major this is? Victor's a huge threat.† â€Å"I know he is.† â€Å"And if he gets loose, he'll just start in on his crazy plans again.† â€Å"It's really unlikely he will get loose, you know. Most of those rumors about the queen letting him off are just that – rumors. You of all people should know not to believe everything you hear.† I stared stonily ahead, refusing to acknowledge his point. â€Å"You should still let us go. Or† – I took a deep breath – â€Å"you should at least let Lissa go.† It was harder for me to say those words than it should have been, but it was something I'd been thinking about. I didn't think I was a glory seeker like Stan had said, but there was a part of me that always wanted to be the one in the middle of a fight. I wanted to rush forward, doing what was right and helping others. Likewise, I wanted to be there at Victor's trial. I wanted to look him in the eye and make sure he was punished. But as time went on, it seemed less likely that that would happen. They really weren't going to let us go. Maybe, though, maybe they'd let one of us go, and if it should be anyone, it should be Lissa. She'd been the target of Victor's plan, and though her going alone stirred up that nervous idea about how maybe she didn't need me to guard her, I'd still rather take the chance and see him put away. Dimitri, understanding my need to rush in and take action, seemed surprised by my unusual behavior. â€Å"You're right – she should be there, but again, it's nothing I can do anything about. You keep thinking I can control this, but I can't.† â€Å"But did you do everything you could?† I thought back to Adrian's words in the dream, about how Dimitri could have done more. â€Å"You have a lot of influence. There must be something. Anything.† â€Å"Not as much influence as you think. I've got a high position here at the Academy, but in the rest of the guardian world, I'm still pretty young. And yes, I did actually speak up for you.† â€Å"Maybe you should have spoken up louder.† I could sense him shutting down. He'd discuss most things reasonably but wouldn't encourage me when I was just being a bitch. So, I tried to be more reasonable. â€Å"Victor knows about us,† I said. â€Å"He could say something.† â€Å"Victor has bigger things to worry about with this trial than us.† â€Å"Yeah, but you know him. He doesn't exactly act like a normal person would. If he feels like he's lost all hope of getting off, he might decide to bust us just for the sake of revenge.† I'd never been able to confess my relationship with Dimitri to Lissa, yet our worst enemy knew about it. It was weirder even than Adrian knowing. Victor had figured it out by watching us and gathering data. I guess when you're a scheming villain, you get good at that stuff. He'd never made the knowledge public, though. Instead, he'd used it against us with the lust charm he'd made from earth magic. A charm like that wouldn't work if there wasn't already attraction in place. The charm just cranked things up. Dimitri and I had been all over each other and had been only a heartbeat away from having sex. It had been a pretty smart way for Victor to distract us without using violence. If anyone had tried to attack us, we could have put up a good fight. But turn us loose on each other? We had trouble fighting that. Dimitri was silent for several moments. I knew he knew I had a point. â€Å"Then we'll have to deal with that as best we can,† he said at last. â€Å"But if Victor's going to tell, he's going to do it whether or not you testify.† I refused to say anything else until we got to the church. When we did, Father Andrew told us that after going over some more things, he'd decided he really only needed one more box brought over to Ms. Davis. â€Å"I'll do it,† I told Dimitri crisply, once the priest was out of earshot. â€Å"You don't have to come.† â€Å"Rose, please don't make a big deal about this.† â€Å"It is a big deal!† I hissed. â€Å"And you don't seem to get it.† â€Å"I do get it. Do you really think I want to see Victor loose? Do you think I want us all at risk again?† It was the first time in a long time I'd seen his control on the verge of snapping. â€Å"But I told you, I've done all I can do. I'm not like you – I can't keep making a scene when things don't go my way.† â€Å"I do not.† â€Å"You're doing it right now.† He was right. Some part of me knew I'd crossed a line †¦ but just like with everything else recently, I couldn't stop talking. â€Å"Why did you even help me today?† I demanded. â€Å"Why are you here?† â€Å"Is that so strange?† he asked. He almost looked hurt. â€Å"Yes. I mean, are you are you trying to spy on me? Figure out why I messed up? Make sure I don't get into any trouble?† He studied me, brushing hair out of his eyes. â€Å"Why does there have to be some ulterior motive?† I wanted to blurt out a hundred different things. Like, if there wasn't a motive, then that meant he just wanted to spend time with me. And that made no sense, because we both knew we were only supposed to have a teacher-student relationship. He of all people should know that. He was the one who'd told me. â€Å"Because everyone has motives.† â€Å"Yes. But not always the motives you think.† He pushed open the door. â€Å"I'll see you later.† I watched him go, my feelings a tangle of confusion and anger. If the situation hadn't been so strange, I would have almost said it was like we'd just gone on a date.