The Role of Race in Othello

â€Å"Although the plots of Shakespeare's plays are specific, the motivations of the characters — as well as of Shakespeare himself — have been the source of much debate. Arguments continue over interpretations of Shakespeare's intentions in part because his plays remain so profoundly relevant. † (www. pbs. org, Teachers’ Guide, Othello : Essay on race, web. ) Othello is the story of a Berber who in the fourteenth century, has reached the top of the pyramid in the Republic of Venice thanks to his value as a valiant general of the army. However, his life ended prematurely and tragically in the darkness of jealousy and crime. Othello is the only one able to defeat the Turks on the Cyprus battlefront. This is why the Doge sent him for this mission and, incidentally, gives him approval to bond with a woman from the nobility of Venice , Desdemona, daughter of Senator Brabantio, despite the reluctance of the latter, which obviously does not this â€Å"Moor† in his family. The drama takes place at the couple's arrival in Cyprus and victorious of the Turks – without a single fight since it is served by the storm which swept the enemy fleet. Othello becomes the governor of the island and is at the height of his military and personal life since he won the heart and selflessness of Desdemona who even strongly opposed her father to stay with him. From there, it's a highway to hell that Shakespeare offers us, and we are right to ask the question of why such a tragedy, when Othello had just made an exceptional course and that nothing, could predict such a fall? In the play, the Venetian society claims not to be racist, what is true because it allows Othello to become a governor of Cyprus. But just like our western and modern society, this racism rises under a speech of tolerance and opening. And it re-appears on the occasion of social struggles, of political or economic crises. It is the case in the play on the occasion of the fight between Iago and Cassio. But this racism is also interiorized by Othello. Why does not he speak to Desdemona? Why does not he rely on her? Because he built his life in a violent fight against exclusion, so that he cannot believe in his happiness. His class is printed for ever in the face. Othello is a text on otherness, on the impossibility for a Southerner, a Moor, a Berber from North Africa to find his place in Venice at that time without denying all of the above. But if this denial — and that is the demonstration made by Shakespeare — can last a while, then it turned against its author whose life turns to a tragedy. The play rises the question of the status of the stranger in our human society in general. Similarly, Othello may sound like a denunciation, a text that Shakespeare would have made masked in a classical tragedy that could please his audience. But we can also consider that the work, with its multiple facets exceeded its own author. It seems t that the idea there is probably a reflection on the question of otherness and the need of human societies to be open to the Other, to avoid the risk of dying themselves from the isolation in which they stand, is widespread with regard to this text. The heart of this tragedy is the question of â€Å"acculturation†. To take a place in society, the Stranger or more precisely â€Å"the dominated†, is obliged to begin this process which is to adopt the dominant culture to be recognized in the world of mainstream. The question of the disappearance of the original culture becomes glaring, because without it the â€Å"dominated† loses its soul and so a part of his life. Returning to the text, we can notice first that Othello is often referred to its origins, the color of his skin, his â€Å"strangeness†, in short, non-membership in the Republic of Venice, this irrespectively of the invaluable services he could have render. In the first scene of Act I, Iago, Othello’s â€Å"faithful† servant, who could not bear not to have been appointed by him as lieutenant, is trying to oppose the Senator Brabantio, Desdemona's father , to the love affair between his master and Desdemona. Iago’s terms would today lead to court prosecution for racism : â€Å"You’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse; You’ll have your nephews neigh to you, you’ll have coursers for cousins, and gennets for germans†. A little further the remarks are no less moderate: â€Å"I am one sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the moor are making the beast with two backs â€Å". We also learn in this first act, when Othello is obliged to explain the circumstances of his love with Desdemona (â€Å"strange and against nature†), that Brabantio that was linked to him in some â€Å"friendship â€Å"but we understand that it was true as he remained in the place which was his own, without going to compete with the Venetian nobles and hope to enter, for example, in the family. In this situation, the witch trials is already wielded by Brabantio accusing Othello of magic. Othello: â€Å"Her father loved me, he often invited me, he asked me the story of my life †¦ †. This is in sharp contrast to the despair and violence of the father when he learns that his daughter left with Othello. He even make explicit reference to skin color and supposed ugliness of the stranger: Scene 2 of the first act: â€Å"Can a girl so tender, so beautiful would [†¦ ] never ran from the tutelage of her father in a black soot to be like you, to fear, not to delight. . Scene 3 of the first act: â€Å"†¦ become, despite his love of nature [†¦ ] she was afraid to look! â€Å". Othello’s forced denial is complete: he converted to Christianity and blames himself the Turks who represent Muslim revivalism, until his last words which will be discussed further. No word on his Berber origins nor his first religion which is Islam in all likelihood It seems to devote a genuine hatred for the Turks in the name of this total feeling of belonging to the Republic of Venice. He understood that his ascent is the price. It is simply swept away, erased its own and profound identity in its very essence. We can see in the same time as the others always refer to the â€Å"particuliarities† that are his, his â€Å"strangeness,† and then only when it comes to belittle, humiliate and to remove any legitimacy on this earth for which he fought body and soul. His denial is the cause of Othello's descent into hell, into a kind of belated recognition that he was at the zenith of its glory. The â€Å"homecoming† seems to be inevitable for all of us, especially one who is living an important moment of his life and history. At the peak of his life, the Moor of Venice is undoubtedly aware of his confinement in this gilded citadel – military glory and carnal love. Then he givse up, probably unconsciously, self-destruction and easily falls into the trap of his so called faithful villainous Iago. There is a strong moment in this play, the only one to make a positive reference to the origins of Othello: it is the episode of the handkerchief, a crucial object that comes from his mother when she was on her deathbed. Othello's mother is quoted there for the first time, as a remnant of that origin killed out of necessity †¦ This hences the importance of the handkerchief Othello and focusing on its loss. The fact that the object has been given to Cassio, Desdemona's supposed lover, therefore appears quite high. The behavior of Lodovico, the Doge's sent to Cyprus to recall Othello, is the most emblematic of the shaky status of Othello in this society he wanted to endorse with all his heart: it is as if Othello man considered and respected, was expected at the turn, as if it were enough for him to make any mistakes so that everybody will sound the most negative about him and forget immediately all its virtues. That's what it feels well in Act 4, Scene One: Lodovico, ironic, after seeing Othello in the grip of jealousy hit Desdemona: â€Å"This would not be believed in Venice, Though I should swear I saw it † . Othello seems to be the subject of a hostile nature, a sort of presumed guilt until he proves he is innocent The tragedy of Othello is that he felt one day that his meteoric success was insignificant because it was really and deeply – socially and culturally — was denied by a block of domination in a society which he lived in and which he has become, paradoxically, one of the banners. Irreversible process, there remained to be a good reason for the man to end the world, and he is guided by hatred Iago who is going to serve him a dish of lies and machinations . Othello then gives up again. Iago does not kill Othello, but gives him the means to destroy himself. After his credit tainted by political and military actions that Venice could not accept, he decides to kill the woman who deeply loved him and to end his own life with these words that clearly show his awareness of the † wrong way â€Å"it has made in his life :† †¦ f one whose hand, like the base Judean, threw the pearl away richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued eyes, albeit unused to the melting mood, drops tears as fast as the Arabian trees their med’ cinable gum. Set you down this. And say besides that in Aleppo once, where a malignant and turbaned Turk beat a Venetian and traduced the state, I took by th’ throat the circumcised dog and smote him — thus (He stabs himself). † Everything is here, up to the tribe of Othello's origins and thus he has â€Å"betrayed† †¦ And we might think that â€Å"circumcised dog† is Othello himself. As we said in the beginning, Shakespeare’s work have always been the source of much debate and of many interpretation. In deed, let’s conclude with a quote from the critic Harold Bloom in his book Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human notes, â€Å"We can keep finding the meanings of Shakespeare, but never the meaning. As each generation re-interprets Shakespeare, it's likely that these issues will continue to challenge, infuriate, and intrigue audiences.

Lady Agnew of Lochnaw by John Singer Sargent

John Sargent was one of the most prominent portrait painters during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.   Sargent was born in Italy to American parents that moved constantly throughout his childhood.   Perhaps painting portraits allowed him to get close to individuals since he did not during his childhood.  Ã‚   There is no denying that Sargent was observant in the physical details as well as the details of the subject’s personality because the subjects look as if they are ready to step out of the painting and join the world of the living.   This is especially true of Lady Agnew of Lochnaw painted in eighteen ninety-three. The subject of the painting Lady Agnew of Lochnaw is Gertrude Vernon, the wife of Andrew Noel Agnew.   He commissioned the painting soon after he inherited the barony in France.   In the painting, Lady Agnew seems to be staring out into the eyes of the viewer and even though she is in a relaxed pose, she is dressed formally.   From her intense gaze, one can tell that Lady Agnew is a strong person who is not afraid to look someone straight in the eye. Blue green silk fabric was used for the background in the painting.   Even though Sargent uses more green near the shadows, blue is the predominant color.   At first glance one does not notice the tiny peach and white flowers that are scattered throughout the fabric.   However, they lend an elegant quality to the fabric because they give an oriental look to the silk which also comes from the orient. It is also expensive so it makes a statement of wealth.   Sargent achieves the texture of silk in the background with his use of lights and darks which shows quality of his talent.   The blue green color also compliments the soft white chiffon dress with the sheer sleeves.   The lilac colored satin sash blends with the faint hint of pink used in the peach flowers.   The lightness of the color of Lady Agnew’s dress gives an ironic contrast of freedom and innocence. The Chair in which Lady Agnew is sitting is reminiscent of the furnishings of Marie Antoinette which is symbolic of her and her husband’s new titles.   The wood of the chair is painted in a cream and gold colored French provincial style.   The elegance of the furniture is displayed in the light cream background with light blue and deep mauve colored flowers giving the fabric the style of country French.   The cream of the chair contrast the white of the dress, but the blue and pink still bring the colors together by complimenting the lilac sash. Lady Agnew wears very little jewelry, but the pieces she has chosen are sophisticated.   Around her neck she wears a deep rose colored undefined cameo necklace suspended from a gold chain.   The cameo is encircled with jewels that appear to be diamonds.   Again the wealth of the Agnews is displayed with the quality of the jewelry. She also wears a wide yet delicate gold bracelet on the wrist that is slightly draped over the arm of the chair.   The gold in the bracelet blends so well with the colors of the chair that it is barely noticeable.   The understatement of the jewelry symbolizes the taste of the titled Agnews. When one gazes on a John Sargent portrait, such as Lady Agnew of Lochnaw, it is easy to see how he was such a renowned artist in this area.   The realistic portraits and his use of color brought to life those who sat before him.   Sargent could also present the subject’s social status of his subject without being ostentatious. References Sargent, J. (1893).   Lady Agnew of Lochnaw. Wallace, N. (2005) Lady Agnew of Lochnaw.   JSS Virtual Gallery. Retrieved April 29, 2008 from http://www.jssgallery.org/Paintings/Lady_Agnew.htm

Employment Law Essay

1. When can an employee’s religious belief qualify as a bona fide occupational qualification? Religious organizations are permitted to discriminate as long as the position relates to the promotion of the religion. Religious belief is considered a bona fide occupational qualification. For example, if a catholic church is looking for a clergy member. The Catholic Church would argue that only catholic could effectively practice and preach the tenants of their religion. 2. In the law firm of Milton, Madden & Herman (â€Å"MM&H), a request has been filled by two Sikhs to wear turbans. Although MM&H’s dress code does not speak to this issue, MM&H decides to prohibit this attire. How would you advise the Sikhs to proceed? Sikhs can argue that MM&H prohibited the turban which is part of his religion. The company can always accommodate his religious beliefs as long as Sikhs explain what his religious beliefs are and how they are being compromised by the employer because of the task at hand. Reasonable accommodation of a religious belief must be made by the employer if such accommodation does not compromise the rights of others does not require lots of cash. 3. Johnny Carlton attended the University of Lebanon while his father was stationed in the military in that country. When Kurt Munson review Carlton’s application for employment, he asks Carlton why he chose to attend college there. Carlton explains. When Carlton, who is qualified for the position, is subsequently denied, he reasons that Munson’s inquiry was determining factor. Carlton initiates a Title VII claim for national origin discrimination. Munson asserts that Carlton does not fall under that protected class. Is Carlton covered? Yes, Carlton is covered. Even though he  is not of national origin and not part of the protected class he attended a school or religious institution that is identified with people of a specific national origin. In this case Lebanon. Carlton can sue because the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 says that individuals are protected from discrimination based on national origin. 4. Harvey Jameson was recently terminated as comptroller at the age of 66 from Better Beef, Inc. His replacement is Tammy Parker, age 45. Because both he and his replacement are covered under the ADEA, Jameson is wondering whether he is precluded from suing. Harvey can go ahead and sue, but, he might not win this one because once he does initiate the case the employer must provide legitimate nondiscriminatory reason for the discharge. In this case, it seems that he was â€Å"let go† because of his performance. Then Harvey must prove that the employer’s reasoning was false and that the real reason was to discriminate. 5. Rita Hall has kidney failure and is forced to be on dialysis three times a week. She is a financial analyst for Bull and Bear. She is asking for three afternoons off each week. Hall is offering to work. Late two days and on Saturdays to make up the remaining time off. She does not believe this will adversely affect her duties. Bull and Bear refuses, claiming it is disruptive to the work environment. How would you advise Hall to proceed? For Rita Hall is more of revenue problem and not an age discrimination. The company can claim that to keep this employee would be not beneficial to the company in financial terms.

Shaken Baby Syndrome Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Shaken Baby Syndrome - Essay Example Today, SBS is recognised as a form of child abuse through out the world and there are laws to protect the child from SBS. This is a serious problem and it is estimated that about 25% to 30% of infant victims with SBS die from their injuries. It is important to note that nonfatal consequences of SBS include varying degrees of visual, motor and cognitive impairments that will last all through life. Studies have also found that the direct costs of child maltreatment are $24 billion annually while indirect costs often exceed an estimated $69 billion annually in USA (2001) (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2006). It is because of the papers published by John Caffey that SBS is today recognized as a child abuse. Caffey was a radiologist specializing in pediatric cases. Caffey stressed on the point that the multiple limb fractures he observed in babies were the result of abuse. However, it was not until Kempe and his associates at the University of Colorado Medical Center in Denver published their seminal article in 1962 that the theories of Caffey and others began to gain popularity and recognition (Leestma, 2006). In general, the injuries that characterize Shaken Baby Syndrome are intracranial hemorrhage i.e. bleeding in and around the brain; retinal hemorrhage i.e. bleeding in the retina of the eye; and other fractures of the ribs and at the ends of the long bones. The impact trauma may add on to the injuries such as bruises, lacerations or other fractures (Sirotnak, et al., 2004). Shaken Baby Syndrome predominantly occurs in infants less than one year of age. These infants below the age of one are susceptible because of their relatively large sized heads, heavy brains and weak neck muscles. The violent shaking of an infant causes the shearing of blood vessels around the brain and subdural haematoma causing irreversible damage to the nerve cells. As a result of these injuries, brain swelling and a lack of blood and oxygen may result, producing further damage to the infant's brain and other parts of the body. It is usually the parent or the caregiver who is involved in violently shaking an infant that may result in SBS and most of the experts believe that the reasons for this violent act are common in most of the cases such as frequent crying and toileting behavior. The new parents find it difficult to cope with certain behaviors of their new born child and in such cases the crying baby can become the trigger for frustration of parent or caregiver and may result in violent shaking of the baby. Since the time it is recognized as child abuse, several measures have been taken for the prevention of SBS. Additionally, the identification, evaluation, investigation, management and prevention of SBS require a multidisciplinary approach. It also relies on the knowledge, skills, mandate and jurisdictional responsibilities of key disciplines. It is important for physicians, nurses, and other health care providers to provide adequate information on SBS to the parents and other caregivers. There is also a need for shared commitment and coordination among health, child welfare, police, social services, justice and education professionals, as well as the community at large. Shaking a child violently is considered as child abuse and a criminal assault. For this purpose, several states in USA have passed bills and in most of these places the legal implications of SBS involve child welfare and criminal investigations. These

Why Do We Do School Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Why Do We Do School - Assignment Example Throughout the academic career, the children learn the lesson through proper curriculum and sophisticated educational planning. This paper will elaborate upon the reasons that children do school for. School Just like other educational institutions, the school is such an institution which is specifically intended for the provision of education to the students under proper instructions and directions by the teachers, the system of school is the source of formal education in most of the countries. In such systems, there is a series of schools through which the students progress and proceed in order to complete their formal education and learning process. There are varying names for these academic institutions but mostly they are known as the primary school system for those children who are young and secondary school systems for teenagers who have already passed out their primary school systems. In United States, these schools are known by various names: preschool systems for toddlers, k indergarten for the kids, and then elementary, middle, high school which upgrades to the higher levels of academic with college, university and graduate schools. Reasons for doing School The gaining of knowledge and going to school is the fundamental essential and a right for the children belonging to the modern society and nuclear families these days. Unlike the perspectives of few traditional families, doing school is the most important task in children’s life. Several reasons which define the schooling process as vital are given below: Fulfillment of the basic demands The schools of modern times are the fulfilling aspects and mirror image of the sentimental values, kinship demands, and perception of the modern day nuclear family. The postmodern era of the current world requires the children to be competent to deal with the upcoming burdens and demands of the revolutionary times. Thus, they need to be capable enough to tackle all the issues and challenges of the future (Dav id, 2005). Ethical and Moral learning At the foundation level, the schools are needed to develop children in ethical and moral aspects. This side of the children’s personality affects their image and reputation in the society and boosts their thinking capabilities. It enables them to become better citizens and good human beings in order to survive in the social structure. It teaches them to be considerate towards their peers, family and other members of the social groups. Not only this, but the moral and ethical teachings also makes one satisfied in their innate nature. Professional requirements As soon as the children proceed from the elementary and middle school to the higher levels such as college and university, they begin thinking about their professional growth and future standards. It is the time when they need to take big decision and great commitments in context of time, work, determination and money. Moreover, the professional standards require a professional degree as it fulfills the need of advanced learning which is important for entering into the practical field (Hawaii Community Foundation, 2011). Cultural Congruence The students require an education which is culturally congruent and relevant for them. For this purpose the schools are advised to design their curriculum according to the cultural relevance for the school and college goers. Here, the schools play a part to empower the students socially, intellectually, politically and emotionally by utilizing their cultural referents to impart skills, knowledge and attitudes (Tyrone, 2001). This would help the

Decision Making Tools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Decision Making Tools - Essay Example This is a formal technique used in organizations where there are many possible causes that are competing to be implemented. In this respect, the Pareto Analysis is used as a problem solver that estimates each course of action’s benefits to the project. After the estimation, the analysis will then find the most effective actions that will bring a total benefit that is closest to the optimal possible benefit (Mullen 1991, p. 56). Where managers are interest in finding the causes of the problems, the Pareto analysis offers a creative way that enables a team to stimulate their thinking and though organization. This decision making tool is inhibited by important problems which initially were small but continue to grow as time passes by. The Pareto analysis is thus more practical when combined with other analytical tools such as the fault tree analysis and failure mode and effects analysis. The Pareto Analysis helps organization in the identification of the top 20% causes of problem s that the management needs to address in order to resolve 80% of the problems facing the organization. After the identification of the top 20% causes, other analytical tools are used in the identification of the root causes of the organization’s problems. Some of the tools that are used for the analysis include the Fish-bone analysis and the Ishikawa diagram which are effective in looking for the root causes of problems. When the Pareto Analysis is applied in risk management, the management are given the opportunity to concentrate on the risks that have adverse effects on the project’s operations (Perrow 1986, p. 69). Advantages of Pareto Analysis One of the advantages of Pareto Analysis is realized in the undertaking of knowing the relevance of each stock keeping unit. A stock keeping unit’s relevance is helpful in determining the resources that are need in managing the stock keeping unit. The resources are mainly considered in the context of money and time th at are allotted to one particular stock keeping unit. The nature of an organization determines the importance of a stock keeping unit by using different data that will be applicable to the organization. If the company is a small retail company, the Pareto Analysis will generally be used focusing on the units sold or the sales in dollars. Pareto Analysis in this instance will be used to identify the bottom selling unites and the top selling units by using the sales data of the organization (Rodrigues 1991, p. 15). Larger manufacturing companies will generally apply the Pareto Analysis with a focus on the cost of goods sold. A manufacturing company will thus apply the Pareto Analysis on cost of goods sold to concentrate its efforts in ensuring that the costs of the most expensive materials are lowered. The production planners of an organization will use the Pareto Analysis to keep a very close control on the spending part for the production of a particular stock taking unit that has a higher beneficial perspective to the organization in the context of the yearly cost of goods sold. The production planners will also seek to lessen the yearly expenditures for that particular part by looking for an

The 9th grade girls at Apopka High School are not comfortable with Research Proposal

The 9th grade girls at Apopka High School are not comfortable with their changing bodies. They feel unattractive and insecure an - Research Proposal Example Most importantly, some studies have shown that girls’ tend to develop positive character, including improved self-esteem and confidence, as a result of participating in sports (Scottish Executive, 2003; Strong et al., 2005). Brief overview of the plan The study will start with identification of the problem, then a review of the literature. Thereafter, a field study will be conducted in 10 schools, specifically involving 100 Fifth-Grade female Students. The researcher will ask both open-ended and closed-ended questions, which will help identify different factors that are associated with girl’s participation and lack of participation in sports. As such, the data that will be collected will be both qualitative and quantitative. The analysis of the quantitative data will rely on SPSS for analysis, with regression analysis and descriptive statistics being performed. Nvivo software will be used to categorize qualitative data, especially by identifying common themes. The resea rcher will use purposive sampling to identify the 10 schools and simple sampling in choosing the students that will participate. A purposeful sampling (also called judgmental sampling) is based on the fact the researcher is capable of selecting the schools that are effectively suited to meet the purpose of the study (Ritchie, Lewis, & Elam, 2003). The sample, though seemingly small, is a reasonable for the research purpose because most of the girls in different schools have many commonalities and hence no need to choose a very large sample. The program evaluation will take them form of check list filling, whereby the success of different goals will be identified. The achievement of the goals will be gauged by a rank art scale, which will be assigned 1-5 points for the purpose of quantification. Validity is important in assessing the accuracy and credibility of the data used in this study, which is also critical in ensuring that the results of a research are not biased. In other word s, validity will ensure that the study’s assessment and measurement process achieves the intended goal, or rather what is intended to be measured. To improve validity in this study, the researcher will uphold accuracy and credibility of information by selecting well-designed instruments. There are two types of validity, which according to Garson (2008) includes internal and external validity. The biases that are likely to affect the results of this study are the major threats to internal validity. Examples of such biases include subjectivity, researcher's biases, inflexible knowledge related to the theoretical framework and blind spots (Creswell, 2005). The research will be charged with the responsibility of reducing these biases in order to ensure validity of the study. According to Trochim (2006), external validity is related to the extent to which the results of the study can be generalized in other conditions. Since this study is faced with threats to external validity, i t cannot be generalized outside Atlanta area. Some of the reasons for lack of generalization to other areas include the fact that the demography of Atlanta area is different from other areas in the country. The research will use a triangulation technique to validate the results of the interviews. This will involve application of a number of data validation techniques such as backing up of the evidence from different individuals, using overlapping perspective and pieces of evidence, and authenticating information using several forms of

Myths, Misconceptions, and Fears Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Myths, Misconceptions, and Fears - Assignment Example That is, many are those who have had the fear that using hypnosis will lead to permanent criminal and immoral conduct in patients. But this is a fear that can clearly not be substantiated because hypnosis is known to be a therapy that has a moderation of service, compassing its implementation for only temporary situations and not permanent basis (Husky, 2011). In the application and usage of hypnosis as a complementary and alternative medicine, there are some biases that are often complained of by researchers. This bias has to do with the kind of revelations that people undergoing hypnosis are made to reveal about their lives. The commonest form of argument has been that people are made only to reveal the deepest darkest secrets of their lives, exposing them to public ridicule. But this situation has been explained by Cuellar (2006), explaining that hypnosis that is done as showbiz must be differentiated from those that are done on a clinical medicinal basis. Finally, the use of hypnosis would be contraindicated in patients who show excess aggression and characteristic chaos when exposed to the method. The reason for this is that such people have wrong reactions toward the process and if not withdrawn from may bring about unexpected consequences and side

Do my assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Do my assignment - Essay Example rage American are their security and country’s economics that directly affects the amount and quality of food on their table, their shopping habits, their selection (most of the times it is the availability/affordability) of college/university, savings/investment and health. Obama might not have been the best when it comes to taking care of all these matters but he sure is a person that keeps things under budget. In my observation and from what I have learnt from my American friends, (I’m a student from the Middle East) the majority considers Romney a Neocon. He would probably waste precious resources of the US citizens in engaging unnecessary battles and wars. Americans don’t want their money to be spent on military ventures, painfully, outside the US soil. The Americans have their own battles to fight on their own soil. Being a military superpower doesn’t mean that each of its citizens is fed properly and sleeps in a warm

Analyzing current Fallacies; Peer Counseling on Writing Assignment

Analyzing current Fallacies; Peer Counseling on Writing - Assignment Example This is a situation whereby when one is associated with somebody or is used to someone, he is thought to be like that person and embraces his ideology. â€Å"People think that epilepsy is divine simply because they dont have any idea what causes epilepsy. But I believe that someday we will understand what causes epilepsy, and at that moment, we will cease to believe that its divine. And so it is with everything in the universe† This is a superstitious argument and thus fallacious based on ignorance. I am not confident with this example. â€Å"We have reached a point today where labor-saving devices are good only when they do not throw the worker out of his job.† This is fallacious based on the lack of understanding or misconception. I am confident with this example of fallacy. â€Å"I had become too accustomed to the pseudo-Left new style, whereby if your opponent thought he had identified your lowest possible motive, he was quite certain that he had isolated the only real one. This vulgar method, which is now the norm and the standard in much non-Left journalism as well, is designed to have the effect of making any noisy moron into a master analyst.† This is ad-hominem arguments and thus fallacious. I am not confident with this example. â€Å"Psychobabble attempts to redefine the entire English language just to make a correct statement incorrect. Psychology is the study of why someone would try to do this.† This is a self-justification and thus tagged fallacious. I am confident with this example of fallacy. The following is an example of the fallacy of association; ‘The Republicans are big on this, as when they recently tried to make Barack Obama out to be an extremist because he is associated with Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers. If a person knows somebody with extreme views, the implication goes, then that person must be an extremist as well (www.emagill.com/rants/eblog114a.html). Rupert Murdoch: â€Å"Maybe most Moslems [are] peaceful,

The Gothic Mode as Subversive Essay Example for Free

The Gothic Mode as Subversive Essay Why is Gothic literature considered subversive? First we consider the definition of subversive. Anything that works against the dominant culture is called subversive. Gothic literature focuses on death and decay, which is a negative attitude. The majority of Gothic writers are not motivated by any high ideals. Instead they are intent on making money, and so aim for cheap thrills. A good example is the â€Å"penny-dreadfuls† of the Victorian era, which were cheap serializations of bloodthirsty tales carrying titles like ‘Varney the Vampire’. The Gothic mode is not necessarily subversive. If it can be shown that the Gothic mode is expressive of culture, and therefore does not work against it, we may conclude that it is not necessarily subversive. It may be argued that Gothic is a subgenre of Romanticism, which is acknowledged to be a cultural phenomenon. There are possible exceptions, and authors may always take advantage of a popular medium, and will strive to pander to basic instincts. But the strategy is to show that there is an underlying social need that Gothic literature addresses to, and therefore it cannot be called antisocial. What it Romantic literature, and how do the Romanticists evaluate Gothic? Romantic literature is professed to be that which emphasizes imagination over reason. William Wordsworth is a leading light of Romanticism, and the Preface which he wrote for the second edition of his Lyrical Ballads is seen by many to be the manifesto of the movement. In the same Preface Wordsworth reacted violently against the Gothic genre, averring that â€Å"the human mind is capable of excitement without the application of gross and violent stimulants; and he must have a very faint perception of its beauty and dignity who does not further know that one being is elevated above another in proportion as he possesses this capability† (2004, p. 6). Wordsworth conceives Romanticism as an philosophical ideal. According to this ideal Romantic literature is meant to ennoble human passion and feeling. Gothic literature does not seem to measure up to this ideal, and so it is rejected by the Romanticists. Why the Romanticists are wrong in their assessment of Gothic literature, in the context of Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto? The Romanticists fail to acknowledge that their philosophy is rational, and therefore they are advocating a merger of reason and imagination, and they are not merely surrendering themselves to imagination alone. Analysing the substance of Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto, we also find a marriage between the imaginary and the factual. The novel is of imaginative content, and yet it is eager to establish itself as factual. To this end Walpole interposes himself as mere translator of an ancient manuscript that has newly been discovered. The long title and the extended Preface go to great lengths to establish this pretence. The substantive part of the novel is also engaged merely in keeping up this pretence, and therefore to keep the original mood intact. There is a succession of mysterious occurrences, laced with energizing diction, which creates an aura of continuous suspense and action, without any effort towards a coherent and unified story. The setting of the story is all important, and it is meant to be evocative of a mysterious past. The pretence towards factuality is merely meant to be a trigger to the imagination. Thus, the factual leads to the imaginative, and the imaginative to the factual. In this way the two aspects are merged. This is why Walpole’s novel should be classed as Romantic. Gothic literature as protest. Romanticism was a protest against the ethos of the Enlightenment. The latter was a 18th century phenomenon that emphasized reason above all else, and looked back to ancient Greece and Rome for inspiration. The Romanticists felt that too much stress on reason suppresses the imagination. If Gothic be classed as Romanticism we should be able to identify in it the same protest. Indeed, the earlier manifestation of Gothic in the context of architecture was indeed a protest of the same sort. The â€Å"Gothic revival† was a phenomenon that originating in Germany, and was a protest against the humanist tendencies of the Italian renaissance. It meant to re-establish the medieval values of religion and community against the atheist and cosmopolitan tendencies of Italy. It was mainly expressed through the architecture of churches, abbeys and cathedrals. Its ornateness was deliberately pitched against the homogenizing tendency in classical art. Its elongated spires and arches were deliberately pointed towards heaven, emphasizing the otherworldly, which was a protest against the humanist ethos which wants to flatten all things to the earth. Gothic architecture is indeed a precursor to the Romanticism of the 18th century, which was also a reaction against neoclassicism and the humanist ethos. Margaret Drabble suggests that the ‘Gothic’ in the title merely means medieval, so that â€Å"Gothic tale† merely means â€Å"medieval tale† (1995, p. 412). This may be true, but the term carries far more significance. It originally referred to the architectural style, which originates from Germany, the land of the Goths. The eponymous Castle of Otranto is a Gothic building. Following Walpole’s cue the genre itself came to be heavily dependent on such ‘Gothic’ settings. It may be argued that Gothic literature is not only characterized by setting. Indeed, we may detect in it the same philosophy which has animated the Gothic revivalism of Germany. In this way Gothic literature is a protest, and coincides with the protest of Romanticism. This will establish the Gothic mode of literature to be a subgenre of Romanticism, and therefore no longer subversive. Why the fascination with death? The Marquis de Sade offers a contemporary explanation of the Gothic fascination with death. In his Ideas on the Novel suggests that it was the shock of the French Revolution that caused literature to react in such an unusual way. He continues, â€Å"For one who knew all the miseries with which the wicked can afflict humanity the novel became as difficult to create as it was monotonous to read† (qtd. in Bruhm 1994, p. 161). In short, a new form of literature was required to take the place of the defunct optimistic strain of the Enlightenment. The chaos and terror unleashed by the Revolution represents a terrible shock to the general ethos of the age, and something that defied comprehension. The reflection of this in literature was the advent of the Gothic mode. The unsettled imagination refocused on death, instead of on light and life, as was characteristic of the Enlightenment. But against this it may be argued that in previous ages people has turned to the supernatural for comfort in periods of discontent. The supernatural is not a part of the the Gothic, which is more inclined towards the natural and the factual. It may also be argued against Sade that Gothic literature begins well before the storming of the Bastille. In this light, it is more reasonable to see the genre as an extension of Romanticism, and as constituting part of the same Romantic protest. From this point of view the French Revolution itself is a confirmation of the fears inherent in the Romantic protest. Gothic as a corrective to the ethos of the Enlightenment. Gothic should be properly seen as a protest against the cold calculation of extreme rationalism. The Enlightenment focused on light and life, and therefore tended to overlook death. It believed that with the light of reason all obstacles could be overcome. But the French Revolution functioned as a staggering reminder of death. Even before the revolution the subconscious sought to explain death, which clarifies the Gothic fascination. Karl Marx warns us that â€Å"the tradition of all the generations of the dead weighs like a nightmare on the brain of the living† (1963, p. 1). To ignore death is a form of suppression. Therefore, Gothic taste for death is best explained as a corrective to the ethos of the Enlightenment. In the age of reason men were reluctant to turn to the supernatural. Instead the focus was on death in outlandish and displaced circumstances. Analysing the issue David Punter comes to the conclusion that â€Å"[w]ithin the Gothic we can find a very intense, if displaced, engagement with political and social problems† (1994, p. 56). The engagement, as we have seen, is through a focus of death, and the displacement takes place through setting the narrative in the medieval period, or in ‘Gothic’ setting which is evocative of a bygone age. How Gothic relates to Romanticism proper, and the question of being subversive revisited. The proper strain of Romanticism claims to work against the rationalist ethos. But it too fails to consider death, and prefers to dwell on the ‘higher’ ideals of feeling and imagination. The Gothic mode makes up for this lack in Romanticism, and therefore must be considered more Romantic, than a typical work of Blake or Wordsworth, for it is spontaneous in its composition, and is not burdened by a conscious philosophy. Gothic literature can be said to have sprung from the context of its age. It professes all the Romanticism does, but in an entirely natural way. If Romanticism is a protest against the strictures of rationalism and neoclassicism, then Gothic literature is too. In this context it is significant to note that the Gothic mode is still vigorously active to this day, while Romanticism is now studied as a historical phenomenon. This is testimony of the authenticity of the Gothic, as against the measured cadences penned by Wordsworth. The essential value of Gothic literature is attested to from many respectable quarters. Commenting on the genre, Edgar Allan Poe says that â€Å"terror is not of Germany, but of the soul† (qtd. in Asselineau 1970, p. 17). Assessing the works of Ann Radcliffe, arguably the greatest of the early Gothic writers, Donald Spector says that â€Å"she united terror and beauty† (1963, p. 6). These comments are indicative of the profundity and beauty contained in works that are otherwise merely sensationalist and lightweight on the surface. In Northanger Abbey Jane Austen provides a spoof of the genre which is at the same time an affirmation. The naive heroine, Catherine, who is addicted to Gothic fiction, and lives in her imagination, in thrown headlong into the world to learn the ropes. Henry Tilney is attracted to her because of her naivete, and enthuses about her literary taste: â€Å"The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid† (Austen 2003, p. 77). Austen portrays Henry as a paragon of common sense, and so it is not unlikely that his opinion is that of the author. Catherine has an irresistible urge to believe in Gothic literature, so when she comes upon a real Gothic abbey she begins to imagine dark designs in every unusual detail. Austen demonstrates that even in parody the gothic mode is intrinsically exciting, and to deny such pleasure is a mark of literary snobbishness. She intends to explain rather than condemn. The continuing relevance of the Gothic mode. The inference is that the Gothic genre tries to make sense of death when the rational core of society is in denial. Rationalism is by nature retrospective, and Emerson explains, â€Å"Our age is retrospective. It builds the sepulchres of the fathers. It writes biographies, histories, and criticism. The foregoing generations beheld God and nature face to face; we, through their eyes† (2003, p. 181). Out failure to apprehend nature directly leads to alienation, which Gothic literature means to address. In its original context the Gothic was a protest against the cold calculation of extreme rationalism, and the same argument may be provided to explain its continuing appeal in modern mechanized society. Rationalism argues selectively from the past, but carefully ignores death. This is a form of suppression. Gothic literature is deemed to be subversive because of a seemingly unhealthy appetite for death. But when seen in the context of overcoming suppression and alienation, we must conclude that it is a mistake to classify Gothic literature as necessarily subversive. References ASSELINEAU, R. , 1970. Edgar Allan Poe. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. AUSTEN, J. , 2003. Northanger Abbey, Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sandition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. BRUHM, S. , 1994. Gothic Bodies: The Politics of Pain in Romantic Fiction. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press. DRABBLE, M. , 1995. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. Oxford: Oxford University Press. EMERSON, R. W. , 2003. Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Eds. W. H. Gilman, C. Johnson. New York: Signet Classic. MARX, K. , 1963. The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, With Explanatory Notes. New York: International Publishers. PUNTER, D. , 1996. The Literature of Terror: A History of Gothic Fictions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Longman. SPECTOR, D. , (Ed. ) 1963. Seven Masterpieces of Gothic Horror. New York: Bantam. WALPOLE, H. ; BECKFORD, W. ; SHELLEY, M. W. , 1968. Three Gothic Novels: The Castle of Otranto; Vathek; Frankenstein. Eds. P. Fairclough, Mario Praz. New York: Penguin Classics. WORDSWORTH, W. , 2004. Lyrical Ballads with Other Poems 1800. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing.

Reading Aloud Essay Example for Free

Reading Aloud Essay 1. 0 Introduction More than half of our lives today concern about reading ability. Through reading people are being introduce to values and knowledge. People usually read to get a job, as a hobby or to fulfill their dream. Reading always intertwine with literacy and the experiences that one felt via reading often different with each other. Different people have different understanding on text read. Reading materials can be magazines, newspapers, books, research articles, journals and other written form of texts. As long as people can write there will be always a text to read. Moreover, one academic skill that is especially important for school success is reading proficiency (Bernhardt, 2005). For children to succeed academically it is essential that they develop the foundational reading skills that will allow them to obtain knowledge fluidly through text and increased opportunities for learning (Joseph, 2006). Thus, reading proficiency is a fundamental skill which will help students to engage with new input or knowledge. However not all proficient readers have the ability to read fluently. According to Hudson (2009), reading proficiency constitutes of reading for fluency and reading for comprehension: reading for fluency deals with the accurate reading behavior which deals with reading with correct pronunciation. Whereas reading for comprehension deals with reading for understanding a text. Reading fluency is the most important component in reading skills and the numbers of students who can acquire a good reading fluency is not great (Schatschneider, 2006). Most curriculum in schools assumes that all students are literate and they can accumulate knowledge via reading (Rasinski Hoffman, 2003). However not all readers can read a passage fluently even though they can comprehend the passage well (Baker, Smolkowski, Katz, Fien, Seeley, Kame’enui, et al. , 2008). Hence, for years reading fluency was the forgotten stepchild of the reading curriculum because teachers and reading scholars were more interested in moving students as quickly as possible into silent reading, not the level of expressiveness in oral reading (Rasinski et al., 2008). Profoundly according to Elena Lilles et al. (2008) if students struggle with reading fluency, they will consequently struggle with other academic areas. Serious reading fluency problems in school limits success in most academic tasks and promote academic exclusion from intellectually rewarding and challenging educational opportunities (Entwisle, Alexander Olson, 2004). Ellen, Ramp, Anderson Martin, (2007) ask if students capable of comprehending a passage, will they also capable to read the same passage with correct pronunciation? They also explain that if the students can achieve a good level in comprehending a text in English, it does not guarantee that the students can acquire an efficient level in oral reading. As a consequence, students will face problems in using English language orally as medium of communicative language in society. However, students who are struggling to read can be helped through monitoring their oral reading fluency through a suitable reading approach (Schatschneider, 2006). Daly III, Chafouleas Skinner, (2005) has come out with several reading approach. There are 1)reading aloud, where the students need to read aloud a passage given several time before being evaluate by teachers, 2) phrase drill error correction, where the error words are being repeated until the students acquire the phonic sound, 3) performance feedback, where the students need to give feedback on passage that they have read. 4) Listening while reading, where the students need to read the passage aloud in the class and the students who are listening will learn how to pronounce certain words. 5) Folding in flashcard instruction, where the students learn to pronounce a word through flash cards. In conclusion, students should be able to acquire reading proficiency both in fluency and comprehending a reading text. The consequences of lack in reading proficiency could affect their academic performance. As solution reading habits should be implement in school. Students should practice reading in order to prevent them from being a struggle readers. Students who can comprehend a reading text does not mean that they can read the text fluently with correct pronunciation. Reading problem especially in reading fluency can be improved through appropriate intervention which seem to be suitable with the students. Thus, students’ weaknesses in reading a text should be identified in order to enhance their reading proficiency especially in reading fluency 1. 1 Background of the study Malaysia is characterised by a multilingual society where its population is made up of people who come from various ethnic and linguistic backgrounds (Harison, 2010). Thus, Malaysia has different kind of races that use different kind of languages. Malay students will use Malay language to communicate, the Indian students will use Tamil language and the Chinese students will use Mandarin language. Most of the time they will read books that related to their languages because of the need to enhance their reading on their mother tongue (Abdul Rashid, Chew Muhammad Kamarul, 2006). Hence, due to this matter, reading in English might being neglected or being less focused in school. When teacher conducting an oral test to our students, the interference of their mother tongue occurs and that made our students become a struggle reader (Siti Norliana, Roszainora Muthusamy, 2009). Most of the reading activities in Malaysian Secondary Schools focus on understanding a comprehension text which later the knowledge that they comprehend will be used to answer the questions given (KBSM, 2001). Therefore, secondary students reading skills was not optimally being explored. Teachers will ask several students to read aloud and most of the time will be silent reading. Indeed, the students only built their knowledge but they cannot read fluently which most of them having problem related to reading fluency (Siti Norliana, Roszainora Muthusamy, 2009). In order to find a solution for the reading problem related to reading fluency, a precise study on how can we help our Malaysian secondary students become a fluent reader is important to carry out. Reading fluency like has been mention above focused on students’ speed of accurate reading (Hudson et al. , 2005). Thus, this research focused on how we can help struggle readers to enhance their reading fluency. This study used reading aloud approach where the students need to read passage given orally. Reading passages were chosen from the Malaysian secondary English Textbook as the reading materials. CBM was used to measure the accurate reading or the percentages of correct word read during the reading sessions. Accurate reading focuses on 1) words pronounce correctly, 2) words read incorrectly which consist errors of mispronunciations, substitutions, and omissions, 3) three second rule which the words will be counted as an error when the teacher help the students to pronounce it after they hesitate in pronouncing the words for three seconds. Exactly as the guidelines provided by Daly III, Chafouleas Skinner, (2005, p. 78). Thus, the result of this research sought to reveal on how far the reading will aloud approach can improve Malaysian secondary students reading fluency. 1. 2 Problem statement Models of World Englishes has been coined by Professor Braj B. Kachru on 1985 (Phillipson, 2008). This model explains how English widely spread and used worldwide. According to Kachru, B. B. , Kachru, Y. , Nelson, C. L. , (2006), there are three circle models which can classify English as native language (ENL), English as a second language (ESL), and English as foreign language (EFL). The three circles model are: The current sociolinguistic profile of English may be viewed in terms of three concentric circles . . . The inner Circle refers to traditional cultural and linguistic bases of English. The Outer Circle represents the institutionalised non- native varieties (ESL) in regions that have passed through extended periods of colonization . . . The Expanding Circle includes the regions where the performance varieties of the languages are used essentially in EFL contexts. (Kachru, B. B. , Kachru, Y. , Nelson, C. L. , 2006). Concisely, this model explains about three circles which roughly classify three different English learners worldwide. 1) The Inner Circle houses countries, like the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and so on, where English is traditionally the primary or native language (English as Native Language). 2) The Outer Circle comprises countries where English has a long history of institutionalized functions, usually owing to a colonial past, and is used intra-nationally among fellow citizens who are usually bilingual (English as Second Language). Finally, 3) The Expanding Circle consists of countries in which English has no special status, but may be taught as a foreign language (English as Foreign Language) (Rajadurai, 2010). Applied to Malaysia, our country has traditionally been assigned Outer Circle status due to the British colonization. (David Govindasamy 2003). Rajah stated that the independence of Malaya in 1957, however, saw a continuing change in attitude towards the English language, in favor of the Malay language. English continued to be a dominant language. (as cited in Lee Su Kim, Lee King Siong, Wong Azizah, 2010). Competence in English had become a crucial partition in Malaysian society after the independence, carving out for itself a role in the economical areas, in education and placing the society status or standard among Malaysian. (Lee Su Kim, Lee King Siong, Wong Azizah, 2010). In the Malaysian school context, where English is officially stated and taught as a second language, learning English as a second language (ESL) in class always poses many language and cultural obstacles (Melor et al,.2012). Thus, there is a widespread concern among educators about students who not having the ability to read or students who is struggling to read in English (Zulhilmi, 2005). In News Straits Times newspaper dated on 12th February 2006 reported a survey conducted by the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) on students’ ability to read in English among secondary schools students in Malaysia. From the 70 secondary schools population of 73,858 students were analyzed, and from the analysis there are 34,890 students who could not read in English. What is more shocking is that some of these students are in Form five and having had eleven years of schooling and learning English as a second language yet they failed to achieve the basic skills of reading in English. Thus, students’ reading ability in second language need to be developed so that they can become fluent readers. (Noorliza, 2006). In order for students to succeed in reading fluently the teacher need to focus on enhancing their reading fluency (Baker, 2008). Baker also claimed that acquiring fluency in reading can also be considered important because it is also a part of developing reading ability. One of the ways to help students in enhancing their reading fluency is through reading aloud approach. (Hale et al. , 2007). Thus, this research will show the insight of struggling readers enhancing their reading fluency through reading aloud approach. 1. 3 Rationale of the study Several models of reading development suggest that reading fluency is a one of the most important components of effective reading ( Kuhn Stahl, 2003). Normally, students who are struggling to read will take longer time to develop their reading fluency. Due to this subject matter using reading aloud strategy seem to be an effective and convenient way to help our struggling readers. (Compton, Fuchs, D. , Fuchs, L. S. , Bryant, 2006) Rasinski Padak (2008) claims that reading aloud approach should be an instructional routine in all classrooms, including those for student who experience difficulty in reading. Another advantage of reading aloud, especially for those who find reading difficult, is that it familiarizes students with the style and form of written language. It also provides students with a model of what fluent reading should sound like. (Goering Baker, 2010). Furthermore, Nurazila et al. , (2011) claim that the use of reading aloud approach is less being attempt to be studied by our Malaysian researchers. Indeed, they also stated that this reading approach strengths and weaknesses still need to be investigate deeper. So, the rationales of this study open up the chance to enhance students reading fluency using reading aloud approach. 1. 4 The Purpose and Objective of the study. The purpose of this study is to investigate the reading fluency development of our secondary school students using reading aloud approach. Henceforth, the objectives of this study are: 1. To identify whether reading aloud approach can improve students reading fluency or not 2. To identify whether reading aloud approach has a positive influence on the subjects’ percentages of correct words read during the treatment was given. 3. To identify students common errors in their reading session. 1. 5 Research questions Thus, research questions of this study will be: 1. To what extent does reading aloud approach improve students’ reading fluency? 2. To what extent does reading aloud approach influences the subjects’ percentages of correct words read in each reading sessions during the treatment was given? 3. To what extent does students make errors in their reading sessions? 1. 6 Significance of the study 1. 6. 1. Society level At the society level, this study can help in developing number of peoples who can use English as a second language fluently which can cater jobs requirement as English is being used as second language in Malaysia. This study will also help the new generation equip with proper level English proficiency that can help them face the globalization era which English is widely being used as universal language. 1. 6. 2. School level. This study will help school to improve their students reading abilities in order to gain better result in major examination in English subject. It is also will give an idea on how to save struggle readers in the schools. 1. 6. 3. Teacher At the pedagogical level, this study can assist the teachers in solving problems in reading fluency among the students. Students who are struggling readers could be helped through the approach used in this research which later could help teachers to easily conduct the lesson of the day without facing any problem in teaching and learning session. 1. 6. 4. Students. This research might help the student in enhancing their reading proficiency. Students not only competent in reading to gain comprehension and knowledge but also can convey the knowledge fluently through oral reading using accurate pronunciation, intonation and reading rate. 1. 7 Limitation of the study 1. 7. 1. Time limitation In order to carry out this research, a consistent time management should be taken care of. This study has to be conducted 4 times a week, for 5 weeks. So, a proper supervision of time is needed. However, in school the periodic timetable given and the school’s programs will interrupt the suggested period of the research. 1. 8 Definition of terms 1. 9. 1 Reading fluency Reading fluency is often defined as â€Å"the ability to read rapidly with ease and accuracy and to read with appropriate expression and phrasing. (Grabe, 2008). In this study, reading fluency refers to accurately read the words in one minute without making errors in the reading sessions. 1. 9. 2. 1 Accurate reading. According to Fletcher, Francis, Morris Lyon (2005) accurate reading is the ability to recognize word, how to sound a words which involve the process of pronouncing words correctly with the correct pronunciation. In this research, accurate reading refers to reading a passage accurately without making errors in reading. The errors consist of mispronunciation, substitutions and omission, and three second rules which the words will be counted as an error when the teacher help the students to pronounce it after they hesitate in pronouncing the words for three seconds. 1. 9. 2 Reading aloud approach Rasinski (2003) defined reading aloud as a process of sounding the words in written forms loudly with appropriate facial expression, rhythm and use the correct punctuation marks in the texts read. In this study reading aloud means students need to read passage given orally in front of teacher. Teacher will assist the students through monitoring the students’ reading. Students will be given chances to read the passages repeatedly before the students’ progress in reading were taken. 1. 9. 3 Curriculum Based Measurement Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) is a standardize format for assessing reading fluency in one minute time. (Daly III, Chafouleas Skinner, 2005). In this study, CBM refers to students reading progress in one minute. CBM will show the level of students’ reading fluency gain through reading treatment given for the students. 1. 9. 4 Struggling readers Struggling readers refers to students who fail to recognize words, fail to comprehend various types of text, have little motivation to read and spend less time in reading. (Chard, Vaughn Tyler, 2002). In this research struggling readers refers to students who fail to pronounce a word with correct intonation using appropriate reading speed and students who can comprehend the texts but having difficulties in sounding the words in a text.

Theories on Employee Relations

Theories on Employee Relations Unitarist, Pluralist and Marxist perspective have been described for understanding and analyzing employee relations. Each of them provides a different interpretation towards workplace conflict, the role of unions and job regulation (Edwards, 2003). In other words, those three perspectives hold different views against conflict in the employee relations. The following paragraphs will introduce three perspectives one by one. After that, it will summarize the differences among them. Unitarist perspective Seeing from the Unitarist perspective, the organization is regarded as an integrated and harmonious group of people with one loyalty culture. Specified explanations are as follows. Such an organization attaches much importance to mutual cooperation. Moreover, all employees within the organization share a mutual purpose. In addition, this perspective similar to paternalism has a high requirement for the loyalty of all employees. The management of such an organization is outstanding due to its emphasis and application. For this reason, it has been concluded that trade unions are not necessary for the mutual exclusiveness of the loyalty between organizations and employees. However, the conflict on employee relations is considered pathological and disruptive outcome caused by interpersonal friction, communication breakdown, as well as agitators (Kaufman, 2004). Pluralist perspective From the perspective of Pluralist, organization is made up of various sectional groups. Each group has its legal loyalties, goals and leaders. Particularly, management and trade unions are two remarkable sectional groups in the Pluralist perspective. As a result, the main job responsibility of management is not enforcement and control but persuasion and coordination. However, trade unions are acted as lawful delegates of employees. The conflict is inevitable here and the conflict in the Pluralistic perspective is solved by collective bargaining. Generally speaking, conflict is always associated with bad things. However, conflict if being managed well can also take place evolution and positive change from the perspective of Pluralism (Kaufman, 2004). Marxist perspective Marxist perspective is also called radical perspective. This perspective is to reveal the nature of the capitalist society. It thinks that workplace relations are against the history. It recognizes inequalities in power in the employment relationship and in wider society as a whole. Consequently, conflict is perceived as an inevitable result. Whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s more, a natural response regarding workers against the capitalism exploitation is seen as trade unions. The managementà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s position would be improved by institutions of joint regulation from the view of Marxism if having the periods of acquiescence, because they suppose rather than challenge the proceeding of capitalism (Hyman, 1975). Differences among three perspectives According to the descriptions toward three perspectives, it is obviously that they have different understandings against conflict. The Unitarist view perceives conflict as a word with derogatory sense and it puts forward three reasons of generating conflict such as agitators, interpersonal friction and communication breakdown. It employs a paternalistic approach, so it is short of the conflict between capital and labor which is the focus of Marxist perspective. Moreover, it does not refer to the solution. On the contrary, the Pluralist view indicates that collective bargaining is the way of tackling conflict. Another difference lies in that sometimes conflict can be positive. It implies the importance of conflict management. It can be seen that the Pluralist view pays much attention to conflict resolution and how to how to manage conflict. Moreover, it considers that the power between parties with different interests is equal, which is just opposite to the Marxist perspective. Actual ly, the Marxist view is very radical. From its point of view, the inevitability of conflict comes from the inequalities of powers caused by capitalism exploitation. That is to say, different from Unitarist perspective, the Marxist perspective gives different reasons of bringing about conflict. Appropriate perspective for analyzing employee relations in the UK In this part, it will firstly describe the development process of employee relations in the UK. Afterwards, it will prove that three perspectives can be applied to analyze the British employee relations but the Pluralist perspective is the most appropriate view for analyzing British employee relations. According to the definition of collective bargaining by International Labor Organization, one party of collective bargaining is one employer, some employers or one or several employer organizations while the other party is one or several worker organization (Herman, 1998). It is obviously that the collective bargaining is not feasible without the union of workers. In Medieval England, the relationship between employers and employees was equal but not class relations. As usual, most of competent employees would live in a separate house or married the daughter of employers. The sprout of the capitalist way of production provided possibility for the emergence of industrial relations. The distinction of manufacturing rights and power of management, the division of employers and employees, as well as the existence of a great many permanent labors provided soil for the generation of the trade union. At the early stage of capitalism, there was not law or system to guarantee the basic life o f employees. In order to make a living, workers must negotiate with employers. Although a lot of inequalities existed between them, workers did not have enough countervailing power through individual negotiation or signing contract with each worker. In order to improve life and working conditions, labors gradually united and struggled with employers. At the end of 1600s, trade union emerged as the times require. Because the industrial workers did not form strong hierarchy, the primary labor movement was only limited to the range of manual workers. One of important role of the early trade union on behalf of workers was to negotiate with employers for salary, employment conditions and so on. At the end of 1700s, the collective agreement between employment labor organizations and employers came to the UK, which is the earliest collective agreement in the world (Fraser, 1999). The UK as the source origin of Industrial Revolution is also a country developing trade union movement earliest in the world (Williams and Smith, 2006). Therefore, the British labor relations system is with distinctive characteristics. In the development history of British Labor Laws, collective bargaining is regarded as an effective way to resolve labor disputes. Before the Second World War, the collective bargaining in the UK was mainly a national negotiation. The national collective agreement covered most of workers. Until 1970s, some local collective bargaining emerged. More and more employers started to withdraw from national collective bargaining. Corporate-level collective bargaining gradually occupied dominant position replacing national collective bargaining (Gospel, 1998). Moreover, the government also supported decentralized collective bargaining and the regulatory institutions such as wages council were abolished. In addition, the British law fully protected the interests of members of trade union and stated a variety of immunities against trade unions so that they would not be charged owing to strikes or other industrial actions. However, collective bargaining has begun to suffer multifarious criticisms since 1980s. Someone criticized that the collective bargaining was too disruptive, because the breakdown of collective bargaining brought about too frequently industrial actions so as to weaken domestic economic competitiveness. As a result, the coverage of collective bargaining gets smaller and smaller. According to the statistics, the coverage has already decreased from 70% in 1984 to 41% in1998 (Addison and Siebert, 2002). In any way, collective bargaining was the basis of the British employee relations for much of the 20th century. Based on the introduction of employee relations in the UK, it can be seen that the British collectivism has already went through the development process from sprout to be legal. In Medieval England, the relationship between employers and employees can be explained with the paternalistic approach. Employers and employees were loyal with the ideal of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“a happy familyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  and did not need the trade union to solve conflicts, which is the emphasis of the Unitarist perspective. Consequently, the inequalities existed between employers and employees at the beginning stage of capitalism. Employees were exploited by employers, but they had not enough strong power to solve them. For this reason, the inequalities in power in employment relationship can be analyzed by the Marxist view. After that period of time, the trade union came into being and was firstly responsible for negotiating with employers regarding the issues of wage and employment condition. Afterwards, the collective agreement emerged in the UK with the improvement of trade union. Moreover, the diversification of employees created conditions for the expansion of trade unions and members. As a result, the form of collective bargaining was more common and was regarded as an effective solution to conflict in labor disputes, which is identical with the view of the Pluralist perspective. Employers gradually found the disadvantages of collective bargaining and less took part in the collective bargaining. As a matter of fact, the decline of collective bargaining can also attribute to the shortcomings of the Pluralist perspective which focused too much on the solution to conflict and the accommodation to change and power differences. In other words, it neglects the government influences and power differences at all employee relations levels. As a whole, the deficiencies of collective bargaining lead to its declination in the British employee relations, but its role can not be substituted for any other kind of conflict resolution. It can be concluded that the Pluralist perspective has greatly influenced the employee relations in the UK and will continue to develop its effects, which is natural to be the most appropriate perspective for analyzing the British employee relations compared with other two perspectives. Conclusion To sum up, different people have different minds. The Unitarism, Pluralism and Marxism have already expressed their views against the conflict on employee relations. However, there are some differences in their views. Three perspectives are from different angles and have different emphases. After discussing the differences among three perspectives, it has elaborated my own opinion that the Pluralist perspective is the most appropriate for the analysis of employee relations in the UK based on the development process of the British employee relations. It can be concluded from the analyses that collective bargaining with irreplaceable role is playing a less and less important role in the British employee relations with the various changes in employment and the labor force. In addition, conflict management is extremely significant for the sustainable development of organizations. People should not only focus on the conflict resolution but also pay attention to the influences of other fac tors. As a result, it is very crucial and indispensable for every organization to establish positive employee relation so as to attract and retain high-quality staff, to improve employee productivity, to increase employee loyalty, to enhance working morale, to elevate business performance, as well as to reduce absence rate (Lewis and Saunders, 2003). (1973 words)

Iago in William Shakespeares Othello Essay examples -- Shakespeare Ch

Iago in William Shakespeare's Othello Iago has many motives for destroying the other characters in the play. One of these is jealousy. Iago is jealous of Othello, Desdemona, Cassio and even his own wife, Emilia. He is jealous of Othello for many reasons. Iago wants the power and the respect that Othello has. We see this in Act 2 scene 1 where Iago says ‘the moor- howbeit I endure him not- is of a constant, loving, noble nature’ which hints that he wants what Othello has as they are both opposites and these attributes may be the ones he will need to gain power. Iago is jealous of Othello’s marriage with the senator’s daughter as it gives Othello even more power and an attractive wife- he envies Othello for his wife as he states ‘I do love her too’ which suggest that Iago may have feelings towards Desdemona making him more jealous of what Othello has. Also Iago is crude and racist and always calls Othello the ‘moor’ which is a racist term. This could be the reason for his jealousy as he finds the fact that Othello is above him quite unnatural. In his soliloquy, Iago states ‘he’s done my office’ referring to Othello, which means Othello has slept with his wife making him even more jealous, even though he does not know if it is true or not. Iago is also jealous of Desdemona. He wants to be in her place- he wants to be an influential person to Othello- he wants to be closer to him thus closer to power. He twists the fact that Othello is passionate and obsessed with Desdemona to his own advantage. We see this when Iago states that he will ‘put the moor at least into a jealousy so strong that judgement cannot cure’ meaning that Iago will use... ...om Cassio) with his words and need not use them anymore. We are left to make our own minds up about why Iago did it. There are hints here and there but still we do not know him well enough to conclude what his reasons were from the evidence we receive throughout the play. We cannot even be sure that Iago was telling us his true thoughts in his soliloquies about Othello and Cassio having slept with Emilia. May be he is motiveless: he just invents reasons to be bad. We do not hear of the affair situation anywhere outside Iagos soliloquies. He does say himself ‘I am not what I am’ so does this not mean that anything he seems to be he is not and everything he says is a lie. I believe that Iago is the character with the most depth that I have ever encountered- so much depth that it becomes almost impossible to analyse him.

Brave New World: Utopia Without Shakespeare? Essay -- Brave New World

Brave New World: Utopia Without Shakespeare? The Utopia of the future- something every human seemingly wants, but is it worth it to throw away everything for happiness and live in a world where only a few people can recall a man named Shakespeare? In Aldous Huxley's satirical novel, "Brave New World," this cellophaned world, polished and regulated to perfection, is a reality. In this Utopia, people like Bernard Marx, an intelligent and adverse Alpha, the highest class of humans, are conditioned to worship the Great Ford, to believe everything the Controllers say, to amuse themselves with sports, "feelies" and non-utilitarian relationships and, most of all, to take soma, a drug simulating happiness, whenever a problem should arise. No one feels, no one reads or experiences art, no one discovers, no one cries, no one grows old, no one feels pain or fear and absolutely no one is unhappy. Different from regular Alphas, having mental excesses and physical shortcomings as a result of his decanting process, Bernard seeks meaning in his perfectly structured civilization. Discontented with the daily routine in "Utopia," Bernard attempts to venture out in search of mental and physical freedom. He does so by visiting the primitives in a simple Indian village outside of his ordered world. There he meets the savage named John, the "natural" son of a Beta woman who was forced to live in the Indian village after getting lost several years before. Natural childbirth is unheard of in Utopian society with its totally structured birth control system. Through John's experiences and realizations in the "Brave New World," the nonsense of the conditioned and controlled humans, living in Utopia, is understood. John ... ... real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin. . . I'm claiming the right to be unhappy. . . Not to mention the right to grow old and ugly and impotent; the right to have syphilis and cancer; the right to have too little to eat; the right to be lousy; the right to live in constant apprehension of what may happen tomorrow; the right to catch typhoid; the right to be tortured by unspeakable pains of every kind. . . I claim them all (Huxley 288). Certainly, the two existing places in Huxley's "Brave New World," Utopia and the Indian village contrast drastically. By representing two totally different societies, an actual and an ideal, they contribute to the central meaning of the work, to show that a perfect society in which happiness prevails is not the answer. Living your own life as an individual, in an imperfect world, is far more rewarding than Utopia.

The American Dream in The Great Gatsby :: The Great Gatsby

The American dream is sought after and imagined by everyone who comes to America. It is the main reason that people come to America; they come for freedom as well as to one day attain the idea of a perfect American dream. It theoretically symbolizes what you have accomplished in life and what you wish to one day have. In my personal opinion if any person wants come to America to live a life of happiness, be released of religious persecution and the freedom to say what you feel, then it can be accomplished. This is the first thing you get as soon as you become an American. That for me is considered a dream for the persecuted. Now beyond this lies desire, which is what society thrives from because it is what our economy is based off of. It is said that you only need food, shelter, and clothing. Dreaming is what America is all about; the beautiful houses, the wealth, the power to control things at your fingertips. Anything you can dream of you can obtain. Although, obtaining a wealthy d ream can be a life of hard work and poverty—depending on what you want— it will eventually pay off to finally accomplish what is desired. â€Å"My own house was an eye-sore, but it was a small eye-sore and it had been over look, so I had a view of the water, a partial view of my neighbor’s lawn and the consoling proximity of millionaires—all for eighty dollars a month.† (10) The Great Gatsby   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Essentially, the â€Å"dream† is in my view a state of mind in which you feel comfortable and content in. It is a reassurance that you have begun and finished what you set out to offer to yourself. I do not base my dream upon materialistic items such as a big house or cars or all the wealth I can imagine. Rather I want set out to fall in love, have a family and teach my children and support them. No matter at what cost this would be. I would really like to home school and teach them but I cannot deprive them of friends, fun, and experiences that I had and will have.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I want to support them in whatever they are interested in, whether it be science, art, engineering, anything that makes them as happy as I am with my dream. Finding a woman that I can put up with and her I will be one of the harder things to obtain.

Succubus Heat CHAPTER 8

Grace called me that night while I was on my way to talk to Isabelle. â€Å"Hello, Georgina. This is Grace.† I waited patiently for Mei's complementary greeting. When it didn't come, I asked in surprise, â€Å"It's just you? Not Mei?† Grace's voice, while as flat as usual, held the tiniest puzzled note in it. â€Å"Why would Mei be here?† It apparently hadn't occurred to her that I had never received a call or a visit from either of them alone. They always functioned as a unit, kind of giving the impression that the fabric of the universe might rip open if they were ever apart. This was as weird as them nearly accepting coffee the other day. â€Å"Never mind. What's up?† â€Å"Jerome wanted me to tell you that he is†¦pleased.† â€Å"Over what?† â€Å"Over you successfully embarrassing Cedric.† â€Å"But I didn't-† I bit my lip, suddenly wondering if I should be so quick to deny my involvement. Jerome hadn't been happy with me recently. While the stupid spectacle at Queen Elizabeth Park had put me on Cedric's shit list, it might very well take me off Jerome's and hasten my permanent return to Seattle. I stayed silent. â€Å"He's glad you took his talk to heart,† Grace continued. â€Å"Although, he does wish to remind you that you being sent to Cedric is supposed to be a gesture of good will. So try not to be too efficient. Jerome encourages you to keep up with these small jabs but to remember that you do ultimately want this group undone.† I sighed. â€Å"Noted.† Grace disconnected. Great. This was all I needed. Jerome thought I was guilty too-of trying to score extra credit with him. Cedric had told me I could find Isabelle at a jazz club a few miles from my hotel. It was over on a street lined with clubs and bars, and the excitement and energy in the air as I walked toward Isabelle's hangout was palpable. It was Saturday night, after all, and the streets teemed with humans eager and excited for life and love. I couldn't see their souls or energy the way an imp like Hugh could, but I didn't need to. It was apparent in the way they moved and talked and eyed each other for potential hook-ups. Even after my recent tryst, being in this electric atmosphere made me itch for another conquest. I'd have to cruise these clubs once I'd concluded business with Isabelle. The jazz club was small and dark, exactly the way you expected such places to be. All the tables were filled, and lots of people stood by the bar or along the wall. I didn't have any trouble finding Isabelle, though. The signature of a greater immortal filled up a place like this. Hers made me think of sunlight shining through crystals, fracturing into sparkles of color. She sat alone at a corner table. Most obviously single women in there were being hit on-in fact, I got a number of appraising looks as I walked through-but no one other than the wait staff seemed to notice Isabelle. It reminded me of how no one ever noticed Jerome's resemblance to John Cusack. Isabelle wore a long blue dress with spaghetti straps, surprisingly risqu? ¦ for an angel. Her hair was sunny blond and worn loose to her lower back-not unlike a golden cloak, I thought wryly. She sensed me, of course, and didn't seem surprised at all when I sat down across from her. With a smile, she glanced up and crooked a finger toward the nearest waiter. He hurried over and took my gimlet order. Once he was gone, Isabelle turned her attention on me. â€Å"So. Jerome's succubus.† Cedric had called me the same thing when we first met. I kind of resented my identity being based on my association with-or rather, possession by-someone else. â€Å"Yeah,† I said. She watched me pleasantly, neither cold nor friendly. With angels, you never knew which extreme you might get. Mostly, she looked curious, so I figured I could get right down to business. â€Å"So I-â€Å" â€Å"Shh.† â€Å"Wh-â€Å" She held up her hand, dark eyes focusing on something beyond me. The band was in the middle of a song, and the trumpet player had just put the instrument to his lips. A long, high note came out, kicking off what turned into a mournful solo. When he finished a minute or so later, I turned back to Isabelle and saw the waiter had brought my gimlet. The angel's face was alight with wonder-and wistfulness. â€Å"Did you hear that?† she asked me. â€Å"Those notes weren't complicated, yet he managed to put so much into them. His heart, his emotions, his soul. A world of sorrow, exquisite agony†¦all in those few notes.† She took a sip of her wine. â€Å"You can't do that. Not even I can do that-not the way he did.† Her words surprised me, but I knew exactly what she meant. Part of the reason I was always a little in awe of Seth's books was because he, as a mortal, had a talent that an immortal like me never could possess. â€Å"Only humans have the gift of creation,† I murmured. Her eyebrows rose slightly, and she smiled. â€Å"Yes, exactly. So tell me, what can I do for you, Jerome's succubus?† I felt a little weird interrogating her now. There was something a little sad and vulnerable about her that made her appealing. Nonetheless, I pushed forward. Angels and demons came from the same stock. Both were good at making you believe what they wanted. â€Å"You†¦you know about those so-called Satanists, right? The Army of Darkness?† Isabelle's smile twitched. â€Å"Great movie, silly cult. Did you have anything to do with their display today? I really liked the goat mask.† I shook my head. â€Å"Actually, I was wondering if you had anything to do with it.† â€Å"Me?† She laughed. â€Å"I only wish I could think up things that good-but there we are again: humans and creation. Why do you ask?† â€Å"Because they say they're being directed by an angel.† I gave her an abridged version of what the group had told me. â€Å"And you assume they literally meant an angel?† â€Å"I'm trying not to assume anything. But I think someone or something is directing them, and your side has as good a reason as any to stir up trouble for Cedric and make the authorities on all sides come down on him.† â€Å"And your side has just as good a reason. Demons try to oust each other all the time.† I tapped my nails along my glass's edge and eyed her warily. â€Å"And you haven't actually answered my question,† I pointed out. â€Å"You haven't directly denied being involved.† Angels couldn't technically lie, but oh, they were masters at not always telling the truth. Isabelle finished off her wine and smiled at me again. â€Å"Oh, you are delightful. This is just like being on a TV cop show. No wonder Carter likes you so much.† I sighed in exasperation, realizing I was going to get nowhere. Fucking angels. Her grin dimmed a little, but she was still clearly amused. â€Å"Look, Georgina,† she said. She knew my name; no real surprise. â€Å"I like you. You're clever and endearing, but here's how it is: I don't want to see Cedric leave Vancouver. I like him. And anyway, that saying about keeping your enemies close is true. I know him, I understand him. And when you're playing a game like ours, the better you know the pieces on the board, the better you'll do. I don't want to have to live with an archdemon I don't know, one who's a lot more unpleasant than he is.† A new glass of wine had been delivered, and she paused to take a sip. â€Å"And that's the truth.† I didn't know what to say. I wanted to believe her but had no idea if I could. I simply sighed again. â€Å"What are you thinking?† she asked. â€Å"I wish I could believe you when you say you aren't involved. Even with the whole not-lying thing, I don't know that I can. I don't think that I can trust anyone.† â€Å"That,† she said firmly, â€Å"is absolutely something I agree with: you can't trust anyone. On any side. Everyone's got their own agenda, and there's something in the air right now-it's like a building storm, to use a clich? ¦. Be careful.† Her face looked momentarily troubled, and then she relaxed again as her attention returned to the stage. â€Å"Ah, the soloist is back.† I slid my empty glass to the center of the table. I started to take out some cash too, but she waved it away. â€Å"Thanks for talking,† I told her, rising from my chair. Suddenly, I hesitated. â€Å"You mentioned Carter. I don't suppose†¦I don't suppose you know where he's been lately?† I'd never thought I would utter those words. Carter had tormented me for years with his unsolicited, cryptic advice. He'd particularly loved to comment about Seth and me, as though he had some special interest in our relationship. Since it had ended, I'd hardly seen Carter at all. He used to come hang out with my friends and me but had only surfaced a couple of times in the last few months. Isabelle smiled. â€Å"He's closer than you think.† â€Å"Typical angel answer,† I groaned. I turned around to leave and then yelped. Carter stood by the club's entrance. Abandoning Isabelle, I hurried across the crowded room. Oblivious to the dress code, Carter wore his typical grungy clothing, ratty jeans and a plain gray T-shirt. A flannel shirt was tied around his waist, and his blond hair could have handled a good washing and brushing. He smiled expectantly at my approach and stepped outside to the crowded street. I followed. â€Å"What are you doing here?† I asked, taking out my cigarettes. I grabbed one for myself and then offered him the pack. He took one too. â€Å"What are you doing here?† he returned pleasantly. â€Å"You know what I'm doing here. Everyone knows what I'm doing here.† I fumbled in my purse for my new lighter and found a matchbook instead. I pulled it out. Mark's Mad Martini Bar. I'd forgotten them. â€Å"What's wrong?† asked Carter, noting my frown. I shook my head. â€Å"Nothing.† I traded the matches for my lighter, and we lit up. â€Å"You were lurking with your signature hidden,† I continued. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Element of surprise,† he said. â€Å"It was worth it to see your face.† We walked past the club lines and drunken groups, no clear destination in mind-at least none that I knew of. â€Å"You haven't been around in a while,† I accused. â€Å"Why, Daughter of Lilith, have you missed me?† â€Å"No! But I was starting to feel like you were only interested in me while I was dating Seth.† â€Å"Of course not.† There was a long, overly nonchalant pause. â€Å"So†¦have you talked to him lately?† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"You are only interested in Seth! You're going to have to let it go, Carter. Seth and I are finished. Why can't you obsess on me and my new boyfriend instead?† â€Å"Because you can do better.† â€Å"Everyone keeps saying that. But I'm a succubus. How much better can I do?† â€Å"The fact that people keep telling you that should be answer enough.† â€Å"Seth broke up with me ,† I said through gritted teeth. â€Å"He doesn't want me anymore, end of story.† â€Å"Oh, come now. Do you really believe that?† â€Å"Seeing as I was there at the break-up? Yes.† Carter tsked. â€Å"Georgina, Georgina. You're letting your anger and other emotions cloud your reason, which is unfortunate since you're a lot smarter than people give you credit for. Go back and think. Why did Seth break up with you?† I stared off at the far side of the street, refusing to look at him. â€Å"Because he thought if we stayed together, we'd both get hurt. That it would be better if we split, no matter how painful at the time.† â€Å"And you think that makes him a bad person?† â€Å"Yes.† I turned back toward Carter. â€Å"Because I didn't agree. I was willing to take the risk. He gave up.† â€Å"Sometimes it takes more courage to know when to retreat than to keep fighting.† â€Å"I don't think it could have taken that much courage. He ended up with Maddie pretty quickly.† No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't keep the bitterness from my voice. â€Å"That takes courage too, forcing yourself to start over with someone new, to keep moving on with your life.† â€Å"Seems more like a rebound to me.† Carter took a long drag on his cigarette. â€Å"Seth didn't leave and go to Maddie because he stopped loving you. If there were no complications in the world, you would be the one he chose. You are his ideal, his first choice.† â€Å"That's not flattering to Maddie.† â€Å"It doesn't make her less. It just means he loves her differently. And when you decide you have to move on, that's how it is. Just because things don't work out, it doesn't mean there aren't other people you can't love. Love is too big a thing for you to go without it in life.† â€Å"Oh yes,† I said. â€Å"I have so missed these cryptic conversations.† Carter crooked me a grin. â€Å"I'm glad to see you're back to your old self.† â€Å"I've missed the sarcasm too.† â€Å"No, I'm serious. You weren't a lot of fun these last few months. You were kind of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"†¦bitchy?† He shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. You were angry and depressed and frustrated. You stopped caring about the people around you. You weren't†¦well, you.† â€Å"You don't know me or what I am.† â€Å"I know you better than you think. I know you're still hurting and think the universe has given up on you. It hasn't. I also know that as far as all this demon business is concerned, your curiosity is going to tangle you up further in something you shouldn't be involved with in the first place. Jerome,† he declared, â€Å"is a fool.† â€Å"Do you know what's going on?† I asked eagerly, coming to a stop. â€Å"Who's leading that cult? Who's supposedly running this huge game that's going on that I can't see?† â€Å"No,† said Carter, expression dark. â€Å"I don't know any of that. But if I were you, I'd get back to Seattle soon. Stay close to Jerome.† â€Å"He hates me right now.† â€Å"No, he doesn't. Stay close to him. He'll protect you. If he can't†¦well, I will. If I can.† There was nothing romantic in his offer of protection. It wasn't spoken with chivalrous fierceness. His manner was uneasy, like he was dealing with a last resort. I also couldn't help but replay his last words: if I can . Angels-or demons-didn't use the word â€Å"if† very often. â€Å"What do you mean if-â€Å" â€Å"Go back home, Daughter of Lilith.† He tipped his head back to stare at the night sky, blew smoke into the air, and then looked down at me with his silvery gray eyes. â€Å"We'll talk soon.† He dropped the cigarette to the sidewalk and vanished. I glanced around, worried someone had seen us, but we'd walked far from the partiers. I stamped out the cigarette, turned, and headed back in the direction of all the nightlife to go find some guys I'd noticed checking me out. A night with drunken men might still leave me feeling hollow, but at least their motives were easier to understand than angels'.