Thesis on the First World War - 1510 Words

i. Introduction A. Attention step: the change in the context and trend of war in terms of ferocity of the weapons and the increase in human/nations participation was occasioned by the industrial revolution and the French revolution. B. Thesis: The First World War stimulated the greatest changes in warfare because it brought about new technology and industry development, advancement in science, and improved infrastructure and communication; essentially the First World War combined the legacies of the French and Industrial Revolutions and set the pattern for twentieth century warfare. ii. The industrialization in Europe and the new technology escalated the power of the WWI as compared to the other wars fought across the world there before. A. The industries led to increased production of the weapons needed in the war. B. The availability of raw materials for the industries meant mass production of the weapons sufficient to replace the damaged and the lost as well as the vast army. iii. The advancement in science saw the war become sophisticated as each side tried to outwit the other in tact and equipment. A. Chemistry was largely employed to come up with explosives and ammunitions that had superior destructive power. B. New discoveries for instance of the rockets added to the power of the WWI. iv. The improved infrastructure and communication system boosted the participation of bigger number of troops from the French Revolution. A. The industrial revolution sawShow MoreRelatedYour Death Would Be Mine Written By Martha Hanna Tells1275 Words   |  6 PagesMine written by Martha Hanna tells the story of life in France during World War I through the intimate correspondences of Marie and Paul Pireaud. Marie and Paul were newlywed’s who wrote daily letter correspondences during World War I. Paul was a French soldier who spent the entire duration of the First Great War, from 1914-1918, on the front lines. 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In previous high school English classes, I followed the same structured outline for every essay I wrote. A three-point thesis and one sentence of support following your evidence were the main ideas taught in the goal for me to pass my AP Language and Literature exams.These timed essays only allowed me to briefly address the argument I presented in the paper, which is no comparison to the level of writing expected of me now. Although the ideas on what I would writeRead MoreAnalysis Of Samuel Huntington s The Clash Of The Civilisations1258 Words   |  6 Pagescivilisations believes that the World will eventually divide in accordance with cultural lines, and not political lines. 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Argumentative Speech On Cremation - 1430 Words

Cremation has been used though the ages as a method used by men to accomplish the disposition of human remains. First made popular by the Greeks as it meant setting the soul free, it has been banned as taboo by many but still today it rates its most popular status yet. In America the last taken statistic was between 32 and 40 who favored cremation as an alternative to a burial. This number has quickly risen from a mere 5 percent in 1972, and not without cause. Today we will be talking about cremation and where its future lies. From the pros to the cons, the options today and the alternative options in the future. First lets talk a little about what cremation is. By definition, â€Å"The use of high temperature burning, oxidation and†¦show more content†¦Now that we know well what cremation is lets get into some things surrounding it. The Pros There are many pros to choosing cremation, things that vary and have credible value. First lets talk about how inexpensive it can be compared to a burial. The average cost of cremation in the U.S is somewhere between 800 and 3000 dollars. This varies greatly by state and can have many factors such as who is picking up the body, if you are going through a funeral home, do you want to have a viewing ( if so you might need to have the body embalmed which would add a cost) ect. The average cost of a burial is somewhere between 6000 and 12000 dollars also varying in many places. Sometimes just having a less expensive option can make a lot of difference depending on the families individual situation. Other advantages include having a more portable form a lost family member. Something you can take with you should you choose to move or want to even scatter the ashes in a way which honors the deceased. Some might argue that is proves more eco friendly than burials, taking less space in the ground and with the use of less chemicals. The Cons Like all things there are positives and there are the negatives too. Some including not having the option of a second autopsy should the deceased have had a suspicious cause of death. Some might also argue that cremation is not so eco friendly either with the gases being released into the air holding chemicals such as mercury, from

Assignment Bias, Rhetorical Devices, and Argumentation Free Essays

Assignment: Bias, Rhetorical Devices, and Argumentation The speech of Kane campaigning for Governor is full of bias. The bias starts from the opening seconds of the movie clip and continued through the speech. The man in the beginning of the movie clip demonstrated a bias in favor of Kane becoming Governor. We will write a custom essay sample on Assignment: Bias, Rhetorical Devices, and Argumentation or any similar topic only for you Order Now These biases are created by labeling Charles Kane as a â€Å"friend of the working man† who is an ally of the under paid and under fed. This same Kane campaigner offers up a negative bias towards the opponent Jim Gettys by labeling his time in office as an â€Å"evil domination†. These same negative biases are continued by Kane himself, calling Jim Gettys â€Å"downright dishonest†. All of these negative claims are being made without any supporting facts. The first fallacy I noticed is that Kane is claiming to be a friend of the working man and lower class. The second is the claim that Kane has already won the campaign for Governor, and the campaign has not even started yet, which is a fallacy of false conclusion. The continued attacks on Jim Gettys are an ad hominen fallacy, because the attacks are towards Gettys not the argument at hand. The next fallacy I noticed is a circular fallacy or begging the question. Kane mentions that he wants to protect the under privileged, under fed, and under paid but quickly asserts that he is too busy to make any promises. Kane’s speech for Governor also contains a couple rhetorical devices. The first one I noticed is Kane putting extra emphasis on certain words and phrases, I believe this is done to imply something. The first time this is done is when Kane said â€Å"I made not campaign promises. † There was an extra pause or elaboration on the word â€Å"promises† implying the promises of his opponent were not kept. The next rhetorical device is when Kane said that he had more than hope, implying Jim Gettys has no hope or is hopeless. This type of rhetorical device is an antithesis. The next rhetorical device is of the same type. It is when Kane says he would make promises now if he was not too busy arranging to keep them. This is the contrasting of two separate ideas into one, single, phrase. There some good and some weak arguments and counter arguments made in this movie clip by the campaign man in the beginning and by Kane himself. The argument that Jim Gettys is evil and dishonest is countered by the statements that Kane is the ally of the common man. This is a good argument because of the passionate method used to deliver the arguments, which makes up for the lack of supporting facts. A weak argument is that every poll shows that Kane will be elected. This is weak because this would be very difficult to prove before an actual election event. There is nothing to back up this claim. Another argument made was at the end of the clip, Kane promises to set up a special committee to indict Jim Gettys for his wrong doing. This argument was made following the statement that Kane cannot make any campaign promises, this invalidates his own argument. How to cite Assignment: Bias, Rhetorical Devices, and Argumentation, Papers

Professor Notes- Geochemical Data for Evaluation and Presentation

Question: Dsicuss about the Geochemical Data for Evaluation and Presentation. Answer: Introduction The present report is based on emphasising the risk present in the cashiering process of JK Saddlerys organisation. The present cash procedure has been explained through optimal diagram based on Level 0 (logical) DFD. The activities performed are presented through process plan. The risk present in the existing cashiering system, have been explained with the preventive measures that should be taken by the company. Context and Level 0 (logical) DFD The following procedure is being performed to ascertain that by whom the information is provided to the organisation and by whom it has been received. The above information can be attained by the flow of diagram (Catahan and et.al., 2014). After the accomplishment of the system, it could be verified that whether the objective for which it was developed is attained or not. Figure 1: Context diagram Figure 2: Data flow diagram Process map The diagrammatic presentation which focuses on the authorities by which the different operations of the organisation are been done can be said as process map (Rollinson, 2014). A better understanding regarding the existing system is available through process map with which the needed changes and existing bottlenecks could be ascertained. The analysis of process map assists in ascertaining the required improvement in the existing system (Weske, 2012). By acknowledging it the reason of delays or gaps could be ascertained and removed with appropriate measures. Assumptions: The report is prepared by the cashier regarding cash and cheque receipts. On the basis of a report prepared by cashier, statements are verified by the accounts department. The reports of cashier are not reconciled by the authorities. Above diagrams show that in the existing cashiering process, cashier is responsible to collect all the cash and prepare a report regarding it. The person is responsible for preparing the report regarding the cash and credit customers. It might be possible that the cashier may account cash receipt as credit customer or to enter amount received in cash as amount received in cheque. In the present situation the accounting department reconciles the receipts of cash and cheque with the report prepared by the cashier and after the amount is deposited by him in the bank. As the possibility of receiving cheque without invoice exist and the responsibility to match it with relevant customer is to be done by cashier only, in that case he might do adjustments according to the need of situations. Conclusion The above analysis depicts the risk present in the existing cashiering system of JK Saddlery. The needed improvement in the system has been explained which will assist in checking the misuse of cash received. It could be concluded that after making the required changes in the present system the effectiveness in work of cashier will increase as now his reports will also be checked by the appropriate authorities. References: Catahan Jr and et.al. 2014. Modelling of order data. U.S. Patent 8,762,415. Rollinson, H.R. 2014. Using geochemical data: evaluation, presentation, interpretation. Routledge. Weske, M. 2012. Business process management architectures. In Business Process Management (Pp. 333-371). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Jerusalem Israel Essays - Neighbourhoods Of Jerusalem, Quarters

Jerusalem Israel Jerusalem Jerusalem is located in the heart of Israel and is divided into three sections: the Old City, New City (West Jerusalem), and East Jerusalem. In the center is the Old City which is split up into four main sections: Muslim Quarter, Jewish Quarter, Christian Quarter, and the Armenian Quarter. Also, the Old City is the site of many religious and historical landmarks. Within Jewish Quarters, the main attraction is the Western (Wailing) Wall Wall). It's dubbed the Wailing Wall because many Jews come to pray there, and their prayers sound like wailing. The Wall is the small remaining part of King Solomon's Temple. After the Jews were banished from Temple Mount, the Western Wall became the most sacred place of Judaism. There are two major sects of Jews in this part of the city. There is the Sephardic group, who come from Spain, Africa, and the Mediterranean, and there is the Ashkenazic group, who come from Northern Europe. Another section of the Old City is the Christian Quarter. The center of this part of the city is The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is believed that the Via Dolorosa, a street, was the site of the original Stations of the Cross. Furthermore, it is maintained that Jesus was originally buried at this site. The Church was rebuilt by Crusaders in 1099 CE, but it was originally built in the fourth century. The St. James Cathedral is the center of attention in the Armenian part. Many families who escaped the Armenian Holocaust in 1915 settled in the Old City. Many of the residents of this part of the Armenian Quarter practice the Greek Orthodox religion. The last section of the city is the Muslim Section. Atop the Temple Mount are the gold-domed Dome of the Rock (661 BCE) and the silver-domed al-Aqsa mosques. The Rock referred to in Dome of the Rock is Mt.Zion. This is where Abram went to sacrifice Isaac and Muhammed ascended to heaven.

Conversation With Robi Damelin Example

Conversation With Robi Damelin Example Conversation With Robi Damelin – Coursework Example Robi Damelin Robi Damelin is one of the most inspirational people in the world. This is because she values peace as a means of conflict resolution. More outstanding is the fact that she is able to forgive in spite of personal experience of cruelty. Her courage synchronizes with Nelson Mandela’s stance when he gout of jail after 27 years. In addition, her ideology reflects that of Mahatma Gandhi who promoted peaceful gain of Indian sovereignty in spite of British mistreatment of Indians. Robi Damelin believes that war is an endless idea because it survives on vengeance and power play (Manzoor 1). This highlights war as an irrational subject in human existence that only continues out of unnecessary stubbornness of both divides that participate in the same. In the end, people invest more in war than invest in the vision of the war as a conflict resolution tool. On the other hand, peace creates the space for dialogues, which present long-term solutions to both parties. Robi believ es that the effect of the war should be assessed at the individual level whereby family members lose loved ones. Besides, Robi believes that if other people could make sacrifices and compromise on their bitter stances, the Israel-Palestine conflict would acquire a solution. Such a perspective requires that each party accept that it has suffered atrocities just as much as the other party. When individual pose to mourn, they are highly likely to see the war as a destructive and vain force. Reflections over the losses will eventually lead to the realization that the war needs to halt for the welfare of both parties.Works citedManzoor, Sarfraaz. ‘Shes Israeli, hes an Arab. War has made them like mother and son.’ The Guardian. May 10, 2009. Web. October 22, 2014.

Alcaligenes faecalis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Alcaligenes faecalis - Research Paper Example It is found in the alimentary tract as a harmless saprophyte in 5% to 19% of the normal population. This organism does not usually cause systemic infection. Alcaligenes faecalis has been reported to cause â€Å"sepsis, meningitis, peritonitis, enteric fever, appendicitis, cystitis, chronic suppurative otitis media, abscesses, arthritis, pneumonitis, and endocarditis† (Kavuncuoglu et al 118). Because Alcaligenes faecalis is resistant to commonly used antibiotics, the organism is associated with fatal outcomes. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate Alcaligenes faecalis, and examine various aspects of the organism, its morphology and effects. Taxonomy, Morphology and Functions of Alcaligenes faecalis Hans Riemann and Dean O. Cliver argue that food borne diseases are increasing because of accelerated globalization of food supply, and emphasize the importance of finding new ways of detecting and identifying foodborne pathogens, and the elimination of food-re lated infections and intoxications. â€Å"Alcaligenes faecalis is a Gram-negative, oxidase-positive, and catalase-positive microorganism shaped in the form of a rod, coccal-rod or coccal† (Riemann and Cliver 343). The obligate aerobic bacterium moves with the help of peritrichous flagella, usually eight in number, but may occasionally be up to twelve. Some strains of the microorganism are capable of anaerobic respiration in the presence of nitrate or nitrite (Riemann and Cliver 343). Alcaligenes faecalis generally exists singly, and has a size of 0.5 – 1.0 x 0.5 – 2.6 um. The organism grows optimally at a temperature range of 20-370C. Although not considered as a major food-borne pathogen, it has caused occasional food-borne outbreaks with the typical symptoms of abdominal pain, headache, vomiting and diarrhoea. Further, â€Å"A. faecalis is an important food spoilage bacterium† ((Riemann and Cliver 344). Besides soil and water, the organism has been isol ated from various sources such as medical specimens including body fluids and body waste matter, and from nematodes and insects. Some species of A. faecalis are commonly found in the intestinal tracts of vertebrates (Riemann and Cliver 344). The scientific classification of Alcaligenes faecalis (Vasanthakumari 335) is as follows: Kingdom: Bacteria Phylum: Proteobacteria Class: Beta Proteobacteria Order: Burkholderiales Family: Alcaligenaceae Genus: Alcaligenes Species: Alcaligenes faecalis (Vasanthakumari 335) Fig.1. White, Glistening Colonies of Alcaligenes faecalis on Blood Agar (Herrera, 2012) Paul G. Engelkirk and Janet L. Duben-Engelkirk observe that identification of Gram staining Alcaligenes faecalis and CDC Alcaligenes – like group 1 reveals that they cannot be differentiated from other non-fermenters. They have similar cellular morphology, and are motile by peritrichous flagella. The colonial morphology reveals that A. faecalis produces white colonies with a thin, sp reading, irregular edge (Fig.1). Older colonies, as shown in the illustration above â€Å"tend to spread at the periphery and turn the agar a green-apple color† ((Engelkirk and Duben-Engelkirk 332). James T. Staley, Don J. Brenner, Noel R. Krieg and co-authors observe that the type subspecies faecalis of the Species Alcaligenes faecalis contains the type strain of the species. Its morphological characteristics are the same as those of the Genus Alcaligenes. Colonies of the organism on nutrient agar range in

Globalization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Globalization - Research Paper Example It comes with a cost-benefit package (Faux, 2007). The export and the import of the nation get affected due to globalization. So, the policies previously formulated e.g. in United States hampered export. It affected the currency value of the country, the value of goods and services with job losses. The trade practice gets affected if globalization is not in the favor of the domestic country. Some restrictions are required so as to prevent the middle and the small class of the businesses to bear the heat of globalization (Imade, 2003). The products and the services sold in the global market generate foreign currency. The products and services that are availed in the domestic country of the globalized world helps in the flow of currency from own economy to the other economy. So, the balance of payment gets affected. The balance of payment shows a negative balance which implies the country is facing problem in terms of international trade. The balance of payment should be always positive or equal vent in nature so as to minimize the risk of currency value in the world economy. Globalization also gives an opportunity of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), which means inflow of foreign currencies for investment purposes through companies within the domestic country which also increases the economic strength of the nation. But also as it is foreign money, the return related to it would also be transferred to the foreign investor. Ultimately, the big corporate gets the advantage of foreign currency and grows further (Heakal, 2010). Both the transacting parties can gain absolute advantage from globalization. Specialization in terms of technology or labour gives opportunity to produce goods or services at a low cost and gets them exported. The imported goods or services come at a low cost in comparison to its manufacturing cost in the country. By this way, it is expected that the values of goods and services comes at a cheap rate. But if the policy is formulated is in

Discussion questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Discussion questions - Essay Example Companies allow â€Å"good debtors† to make purchases without necessarily making the payment upfront. The money that the company expects to receive from the debtors after the agreed period is the trade receivable. Receivables are from frequent and ‘good’ customers who are periodically invoiced. An IOU is given to the company by the purchaser for services already rendered or goods already received (Warren, Reeve & Duchac, 2012). When the vice president of operations for Billings National Bank (Tricia Fenton) decided that the bank should use a 365-day year to compute interest on depository accounts (payables), she was being ethical. Therefore, the decision to use a 360-day year to compute interest on loans (receivables) was not professional. A financial year has 365 days; hence, all interests should be calculated based on that period. A 360-day year will reduce the receivables. When receivables reduce, it shows that the company is collecting its debts promptly. However, this is not the case. Tricia Fenton’s aim might be to impress her superiors while in the real sense; the company is facing challenges in collecting debts (Warren, Reeve & Duchac, 2012). Depreciation refers to the loss in asset value due to old age, wear and tear, obsolescence or adverse market conditions. It is crucial to note that land and buildings are the major assets that do not depreciate; instead, their value increases. Depreciation can be regarded as a non cash expense, which increases a company’s cash flow and reduces its reported earnings. For the purposes of financial reporting, businesses use different methods of depreciation. The depreciation method, which a company opts to use while calculating depreciation for all its depreciable assets, may differ from the one it uses for financial statement purposes and for the purposes of determining income taxes. This is due to the varying incentives in hand (Warren,

Music Essays Baroque Music

Music Essays Baroque Music Baroque Music In the book The Enjoyment of Music, Joseph Machlis and Kristine Forney state, the word baroque comes from the Portuguese word barocco which means a pearl of irregular shapes that was used to make jewelry of the time. (299) According to online data the word was first used to describe the style of architecture in Italy during the 17th and 18th century. Later on the word baroque was used to describe the music styles of the 1600s to the 1700s. The Baroque period was a time when composers experimented with form, styles and instruments. This period saw the development of opera and instrumental music. (About.com) Although we use the term baroque today, the appropriateness of the term baroque has been questioned. In music, the term Baroque applies to the final period of dominance of imitative counterpoint where different voices and instruments echo each other but at different pitches, sometimes inverting the echo, and even reversing thematic material. Baroque music too many in the sixteenth century was bizarre, extravagant, and unnatural. According to the data from online Encarta, Baroque music was very different to the music before its time such as medieval and early renaissance music and the development of new harmonic and melodic lines added difference in pace and variation to the compositions giving them a new shape and form. The structure of the music also changed different forms such as fugues and cannons developed and different instruments were introduced. Get help with your essay from our expert essay writers Composers of the early baroque period placed an emphasis on melody. Developments began in Italy and first took place in vocal music, especially opera. Instrumental music started out as an accompaniment of voice but over the course of the baroque era, it achieved an independent identity. Melodies were embellished with ornaments of different types, rapid alternation between the main note and the note just above it. All composers in countries used ornamentation, but it was favored by French composers. Baroque melodies, vocal and instrumental, made prominent use of melodic sequence, the repetition of a short motif at a higher or lower pitch. (Encarta). The principle melody in baroque music was supported by a written bass line, the basso continuo, played by a viol, cello or bassoon. Other parts were added between the melody and the bass by a keyboard instrument, usually a harpsichord or organ. Only they melody and the bass line were written out. Numbers placed over or under the bass notes indicated the type of chord to be played, and they keyboard accompanist added the appropriate notes. (Encarta) According to Manfred F. Bukofzer in his book Music in the Baroque Era the baroque style went through several phases that didn’t even coincide in different countries. They were grouped into three major periods: early, middle and late baroque. Although the periods overlap in time, they can roughly be dated as the first from 1580 to 1630, the second from 1630 to 1680, and the last from 1680 to 1730. These spans indicate only the formative periods of the new concepts with which the previous ones may run parallel for some time, and the start of the baroque period only applies to Italy. In other countries the periods began ten to twenty years later. The middle baroque period brought the bel-canto style in that cantata and opera, with the distinction between aria and recitative. A single section of musical forms began to grow and contrapuntal texture was reinstituted. The modes were reduced to major and minor and the chord progressions are governed by a rudimentary tonality which restrained the free dissonance treatment of the early baroque. The late baroque style was distinguished by a fully established tonality which regulated chord progression, dissonance treatment, and the formal structure. The contrapuntal technique culminated in the full absorption tonal harmony. The forms grew to large dimensions. The concerto style appeared and with it came the emphasis on mechanical rhythm. (17) Along with the different phases of the baroque period there were also different styles, according to Joseph Machlis and Kristine Forney in their book The Enjoyment of Music they explain the different styles. Machlis Forney states that the transition form Renaissance to Baroque brought with it a great change, the shift of interest from texture of several independent parts to one in which a single melody stood out, from polyphonic music to homophonic. The monodic style which originated in vocal music, was named monody wand literally means â€Å"one song,† music for one singer with instrumental accompaniment. The monodic style was known during the beginning of the baroque era. The recitative style is a half-spoken, half-sung delivery, which is often used to link songlike numbers in an opera, oratorio or cantata. Recitative can be dry or accompanied. Secco recitative has only very simple chordal accompaniment; accompanied recitative involves the orchestra more actively. Continuo is the accompaniment part within a homophonic texture, in which a keyboard instrument or sometimes a lute plays a supporting bass line. The composer would write out a single melodic line, and then add figures beneath it to indicate which harmonies the performer should add to it in order to fill out the texture. An aria is a solo song, normally occurring in the context of a longer work but sometimes autonomous. It is usually formally closed, meaning that it could be removed from its setting and performed independently as a complete musical unit. The cantata is a work for solo vocalists, chorus and instrumentalist based on a lyric or dramatic poem. It is generally short and intimate, consisting of several movements that include recitatives, arias, and ensemble members. (395-412). There were many composers that wrote music throughout the baroque era, some more significant than others but each contributing a large amount to the development throughout this period. In Claude Palisca book Baroque Music Arcangelo Corelli was one of the first prominent composers of the Baroque era; he was an Italian composer and violinist writing music in a chamber style and in the form of the late baroque era. Corelli was born in 1653 in Fusignano, Italy not far from Bologna, he spent four years of study in the latter center of violin music before settling in Rome. Corelli separated church and chamber sonatas, grouping them in dozens or half dozens. The content of the two types of sonatas show, an interpenetration of the two manners of writing. Corelli would begin his church sonatas with a severe, majestic, solemn mood, passed on to a resolute and contented one, then to a tenderly melancholic affection, and finally to a light and carefree one. (152) In Donna Getzingr and Daniel Felsenfeld book, Johann Sebastian Bach and the Art of Baroque Music. Bach was a prolific German composer and organist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity. Getzinger and Felsenfeld states that Bach’s music wasn’t appreciated during his time he never played his music in public places because his music was not always well received. He was often criticized for writing music many considered overly complicated, and he quit jobs when his employers could not understand what he had hoped to accomplish with his music. (11-14) Machlis and Forney state that Bach was one of the greatest religious artists in history. He believed that music must serve â€Å"the glory of God.† Bach produced works that spoke for the entire Lutheran faith. The prime medium for Bach’s talents was the organ, and during his life he was known as a virtuoso organist. In Bach’s last works it revealed a master who raised existing forms to the highest level. His sheer mastery of contrapuntal composition has never been equaled. (416-417) It is a still-debated question as to what extent Baroque music shares aesthetic principles with the visual and literary arts of the Baroque period. A fairly clear, shared element is a love of ornamentation, and it is perhaps significant that the role of ornament was greatly diminished in both music and architecture as the Baroque gave way to the Classical period. I had the pleasure of listening to some of Bach music, and say I will definitely add his music to my music collection. Works Cited Bukofzer, Manfred F. Music in the Baroque Era, from Monteverdi to Bach. London: Dent, 1948. Getzinger, Donna. Felsenfeld, Daniel. Johann Sebastian Bach and the Art of Baroque Music. Greensboro, North Carolina: Morgan Reynolds Publishing, Inc. 2004 Machlis, Joseph, Kristine Forney, The Enjoyment of Music: An Introduction to Perceptive Listening. New York: W.W. Norton, 2000. Palisca, Claude V. Baroque Music. Prentice-Hall history of music series. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1981.

Defense Mechanisms :: Free Essays Online

Defense Mechanisms People use defense mechanisms so often that it is perhaps difficult to pick out individual cases to deal with. Additionally, it would be markedly easier for me to look for evidence of these mechanisms within myself. However, others do display such defenses against anxiety-inducing thoughts, memories, and impulses. In the healthy range of defense mechanisms, repression is key. Simply not thinking about something for a long period of time is often quite helpful. This particular mechanism can at times be rather obvious, as when, in a discussion, a person states that he or she would 'rather not talk about this.' Of course, repression is not always this aware, but in this case it is made manifest by a conscious effort to avoid the topic. Of the neurotic defense mechanisms, humor is perhaps most seen on this campus. Self-deprecating humor helps soften the glare of our shortcomings, especially when they surface in public. Sometimes, jokes are made specific to the situation (I tripped; I'm such a clutz!) but they are often generalized. These jokes are also often not very funny, on the order of "I'm a dumbass...hahaha!" Of the psychotic coping mechanisms, denial is much more obvious than reaction formation. I can think of one specific case, a friend who set his sights too high in sending out transfer applications. As rejections have come in, my notion that he was a non-starter for most of his choices because of grades was proven correct, but this is not something that he can seem to come to terms with. He claims not to understand why myself and several other friends, with near-4.0 GPAs have gotten into several prestigious schools, while he has not. Seems like denial: an inability to face his failings. Reaction formation also interests me a lot, because it is rather counter-intuitive as a defense mechanism. I can't really identify it in others very well, but I can see it in myself. In the case of a couple of failed friendships, in which I felt hurt by the actions of the other person, I compensate for my desire to get closer to them again (which produces anxiety because I am afraid of a repeat) by being very bitter towards them and going out of my way to avoid them.

Last Sacrifice Chapter Sixteen

CONSIDERING SYDNEY DESTROYED dead bodies on a regular basis, it was kind of surprising that she was so shocked by our post-fight appearances. Maybe dead Strigoi were just objects to her. Dimitri and I were real live people, and we were a mess. â€Å"I hope you guys don't stain the car,' she said, once the bodies were disposed of and we were on our way. I think it was her best attempt at a joke, in an effort to cover up her discomfort over our torn and bloody clothes. â€Å"Are we going to Paris?' I asked, turning to look back at Dimitri. â€Å"Paris?' asked Sydney, startled. â€Å"Not yet,' said Dimitri, leaning his head back against the seat. He was back to looking like a controlled guardian. All signs of his earlier breakdown were gone, and I had no intention of giving away what had happened before we'd fetched Sydney. So small †¦ yet so monumental. And very private. For now, he mostly looked tired. â€Å"We should wait until daytime. We had to go for Donovan now, but if Sonya's got a house, she's probably there all the time. Safer for us in daylight.' â€Å"How do you know he wasn't lying?' asked Sydney. She was driving with no real destination, merely getting us out of the neighborhood as fast as possible and before people reported screams and the sounds of fighting. I thought back to the terror on Donovan's face and shivered. â€Å"I don't think he was lying.' Sydney didn't ask any more questions, except about which direction she should drive. Dimitri suggested we find another hotel so that we could clean up and get some rest before tomorrow's task. Fortunately, Lexington had a much broader selection of hotels than our last town. We didn't go for luxury, but the large, modern-looking place we chose was part of a chain, clean and stylish. Sydney checked us in and then led us inside through a side door, so as not to startle any guests who might be up in the middle of the night. We got one room with two double beds. No one commented on it, but I think we all shared a need to stay together after our earlier Strigoi encounter. Dimitri was much more of a mess than me, thanks to his mutilation of Donovan, so I sent him to shower first. â€Å"You did great,' I told Sydney as we waited. I sat on the floor (which was much cleaner than the last room's) so that I wouldn't wreck the beds. â€Å"That was really brave of you.' She crooked me a smile. â€Å"Typical. You get beat up and nearly killed, but I'm the one you're praising?' â€Å"Hey, I do this all the time. Going in there alone like you did †¦ well, it was pretty hardcore. And I'm not that beat up.' I was brushing off my injuries, just as Dimitri would. Sydney, eyeing me, knew it too. My legs were scraped more than I'd realized, the skin torn and bleeding from where I'd fallen on the cement. One of my ankles was complaining over the roof-jump, and I had a number of cuts and bruises scattered over the rest of me. I had no clue where most had come from. Sydney shook her head. â€Å"How you guys don't catch gangrene more often is beyond me.' We both knew why, though. It was part of the natural resistance I'd been born with as a dhampir, getting the best of both races' traits. Moroi were actually pretty healthy too, though they sometimes caught diseases unique to their race. Victor was an example. He had a chronic disease and had once forced Lissa to heal him. Her magic had restored him to full health at the time, but the illness was slowly creeping back. I showered after Dimitri finished, and then Sydney forced her first aid kit on both of us. When we were bandaged and disinfected to her satisfaction, she got out her laptop and pulled up a map of Paris, Kentucky. The three of us huddled around the screen. â€Å"Lots of creeks and rivers,' she mused, scrolling around. â€Å"Not much in the way of lakes.' I pointed. â€Å"Do you think that's it?' It was a tiny body of water, marked APPLEWOOD POND. â€Å"Maybe. Ah, there's another pond. That could be a suspect too or–oh! Right here?' She tapped the screen on another body of water, a bit bigger than the ponds: MARTIN LAKE. Dimitri sat back and ran a hand over his eyes as he yawned. â€Å"That looks like the most likely option. If not, I don't think it'll take long to drive around the other ones.' â€Å"That's your plan?' asked Sydney. â€Å"Just drive around and look for a blue house?' I exchanged glances with Dimitri and shrugged. Sydney might be showing her bravery on this trip, but I knew her idea of â€Å"a plan' was a little different from ours. Hers were structured, well-thought out, and had a clear purpose. Also, details. â€Å"It's more solid than most of our plans,' I said at last. The sun was going to be up in another hour or so. I was restless to go after Sonya, but Dimitri insisted sleep until midday. He took one bed, and Sydney and I shared the other. I didn't really think I needed the rest he claimed, but my body disagreed. I fell asleep almost instantly. And like always lately, I eventually was pulled into a spirit dream. I hoped it was Adrian, coming to finish our last conversation. Instead, the conservatory materialized around me, complete with harp and cushioned furniture. I sighed and faced the Brothers Dashkov. â€Å"Great,' I said. â€Å"Another conference call. I have really got to start blocking your number.' Victor gave me a small bow. â€Å"Always a pleasure, Rose.' Robert merely stared off into space again. Nice to know some things never changed. â€Å"What do you want?' I demanded. â€Å"You know what we want. We're here to help you help Vasilisa.' I didn't believe that for an instant. Victor had some scheme in mind, but my hope was to capture him before he could do any further damage. He studied me expectantly. â€Å"Have you found the other Dragomir yet?' I stared incredulously. â€Å"It's only been a day!' I almost had to redo my math on that one. It felt more like ten years. Nope. Only a day since I'd last spoken to Victor. â€Å"And?' Victor asked. â€Å"And, how good do you think we are?' He considered. â€Å"Pretty good.' â€Å"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, but it's not as easy as it seems. And actually †¦ considering what a cover-up this has all been, it really doesn't seem easy at all.' â€Å"But you have found something?' Victor pressed. I didn't answer. An eager gleam lit his eyes, and he took a step forward. I promptly took one back. â€Å"You have found something.' â€Å"Maybe.' Again, I had the same indecision as before. Did Victor, with all his scheming and manipulating, know something that could help us? Last time, he'd given me nothing, but now we had more information. What had he said? If we found a thread, he could unravel it? â€Å"Rose.' Victor was speaking to me like I was a child, as he often did to Robert. It made me scowl. â€Å"I told you before: It doesn't matter if you trust me or my intentions. For now, we're both interested in the same short-term goal. Don't let future worries ruin your chance here.' It was funny, but that was similar to the principle I'd operated on for most of my life. Live in the now. Jump right in and worry about the consequences later. Now, I hesitated and tried to think things over before making a decision. At last, I chose to take the risk, again hoping Victor might be able to help. â€Å"We think the mother †¦ the mother of Lissa's brother or sister †¦ is related to Sonya Karp.' Victor's eyebrows rose. â€Å"You know who that is?' â€Å"Of course. She turned Strigoi–allegedly because she went insane. But we both know it was a little more complicated than that.' I nodded reluctantly. â€Å"She was a spirit user. No one knew.' Robert's head whipped around so fast that I nearly jumped. â€Å"Whos a spirit user?' â€Å"Former spirit user,' said Victor, instantly switching to soothing mode. â€Å"She became a Strigoi to get away from it.' The sharp focus Robert had directed toward the two of us melted into soft dreaminess once more. â€Å"Yes †¦ always a lure to that †¦ kill to live, live to kill. Immortality and freedom from these chains, but oh, what a loss †¦' They were crazy ramblings, but they had an eerie similarity to some of the things Adrian said sometimes. I didn't like that at all. Trying to pretend Robert wasn't in the room, I turned back to Victor. â€Å"Do you know anything about her? Who she's related to?' He shook his head. â€Å"She has a large family.' I threw up my hands in exasperation. â€Å"Could you be any more useless? You keep acting like you know so much, but you're just telling us what we've already found out! You aren't helping!' â€Å"Help comes in many forms, Rose. Have you found Sonya?' â€Å"Yes.' I reconsidered. â€Å"Well, not quite. We know where she is. We're going to see her tomorrow and question her.' The look on Victor's face spoke legions about how ridiculous he thought that was. â€Å"And I'm sure she'll be eager to help.' I shrugged. â€Å"Dimitri's pretty persuasive.' â€Å"So I've heard,' said Victor. â€Å"But Sonya Karp isn't an impressionable teenager.' I sized up a punch but worried Robert might have his force field up again. Victor appeared oblivious to my anger. â€Å"Tell me where you are. We'll come to you.' Once more, a dilemma. I didn't think there was much the brothers could do. But this might present an opportunity to recapture him. Besides, if we had him in person, maybe he'd stop interrupting my dreams. â€Å"We're in Kentucky,' I said at last. â€Å"Paris, Kentucky.' I gave him what other info we had about the blue house. â€Å"We'll be there tomorrow,' Victor said. â€Å"Then where are you now–‘ And just like last time, Robert ended the dream abruptly, leaving me hanging. What had I gotten myself into with them? Before I could consider it, I was immediately taken to another spirit dream. Good Lord. It really was deja vu. Everyone wanted to talk to me in my sleep. Fortunately, like last time, my second visit was from Adrian. This one was in the ballroom where the Council had met. There were no chairs or people, and my steps echoed on the hard wood floor. The room that seemed so grand and powerful when in use now had a lonely, ominous feel. Adrian stood near one of the tall, arched windows, giving me one of his roguish smiles when I hugged him. Compared to how dirty and bloody everything was in the real world, he seemed pristine and perfect. â€Å"You did it.' I gave him a quick kiss on the lips. â€Å"You got them to nominate Lissa.' After our last dream visit, when I'd realized there might be some merit to Victor's suggestion, I'd had to work hard to convince Adrian that the nomination idea was a good one– particularly since I hadn't been sure myself. â€Å"Yeah, getting that group on board was easy.' He seemed to like my admiration, but his face grew grimmer as he pondered my words. â€Å"She's not happy about it, though. Boy, she let us have it afterward.' â€Å"I saw it. You're right that she doesn't like it–but it was more than that. It was spirit- darkness. I took some of it away, but yeah †¦ it was bad.' I remembered how taking her anger had caused it to flare up briefly in me. Spirit didn't hit me as hard as it did her– but that was only temporary. Eventually, if I pulled enough over the years, it would take over. I caught hold of Adrian's hand and gave him as pleading a look as I could manage. â€Å"You've got to look after her. I'll do what I can, but you know as well as I do how stress and worry can agitate spirit. I'm afraid it'll come back like it used to. I wish I could be there to take care of her. Please–help her.' He tucked a loose piece of hair behind my ear, concern in his deep green eyes. At first, I thought his worry was just for Lissa. â€Å"I will,' he said. â€Å"I'll do what I can. But Rose †¦ will it happen to me? Is that what I'll become? Like her and the others?' Adrian had never shown the extreme side effects Lissa had, largely because he didn't use as much spirit and because he did so much self-medicating with alcohol. I didn't know how long that would last, though. From what I'd seen, there were only a few things to delay the insanity: self-discipline, antidepressants, and bonding to someone shadow-kissed. Adrian didn't seem interested in any of those options. It was weird, but in this moment of vulnerability, I was reminded of what had just happened with Dimitri. Both of these men, so strong and confident in their ways, yet each needing me for support. You're the strong one, Rose, a voice whispered inside my head. Adrian gazed off. â€Å"Sometimes †¦ sometimes I can believe the insanity is all imagined, you know? I've never felt it like the others †¦ like Lissa or old Vlad. But once in a while †¦' he paused. â€Å"I don't know. I feel so close, Rose. So close to the edge. Like if I allow myself one small misstep, I'll plunge away and never come back. It's like I'll lose myself.' I'd heard him say stuff like this before, when he'd go off on some weird tangent that only half made sense. It was the closest he ever came to showing that spirit might be messing with his mind too. I'd never realized he was aware of these moments or what they could mean. He looked back down at me. â€Å"When I drink †¦ I don't worry about it. I don't worry about going crazy. But then I think †¦ maybe I already I am. Maybe I am, but no one can tell the difference when I'm drunk.' â€Å"You're not crazy,' I said fiercely, pulling him to me. I loved his warmth and the way he felt against my skin. â€Å"You'll be okay. You're strong.' He pressed his cheek to my forehead. â€Å"I don't know,' he said. â€Å"I think you're my strength.' It was a sweet and romantic statement, but something about it bothered me. â€Å"That's not quite right,' I said, wondering how I could put my feelings into words. I knew you could help someone else in a relationship. You could strengthen them and support them. But you couldn't actually do everything for them. You couldn't solve all their problems. â€Å"You have to find it within your–‘ The hotel room's alarm clock blared and broke me from the dream, leaving me frustrated both because I missed Adrian and hadn't been able to say all I wanted to. Well, there was nothing I could do for him now. I could only hope he'd manage on his own. Sydney and I were both sluggish and squinty-eyed. It made sense that she'd be exhausted, since her whole sleeping schedule–when she actually got sleep–had been thrown off. Me? My fatigue was mental. So many people, I thought. So many people needed me †¦ but it was so hard to help all of them. Naturally, Dimitri was up and ready to go. He'd woken before us. Last night's breakdown might as well have never happened. It turned out he'd been dying for coffee and had patiently waited for us, not wanting to leave us sleeping and undefended. I shooed him off, and twenty minutes later, he returned with coffee and a box of donuts. He also had purchased an industrial-strength chain at a hardware store across the street â€Å"for when we find Sonya,' which made me uneasy. By then Sydney and I were ready to go, and I decided to hold off on my questions. I wasn't crazy about wearing shorts again, not with my legs in this condition, but I was too eager to get to Sonya to insist we stop at a mall. I did, however, decide it was time to get my companions up to speed. â€Å"So,' I began casually, â€Å"Victor Dashkov might be joining us soon.' It was to Sydney's credit that she didn't drive off the road. â€Å"What? That guy who escaped?' I could see in Dimitri's eyes that he was just as shocked, but he kept cool and under control, like always. â€Å"Why,' he began slowly, â€Å"is Victor Dashkov joining us?' â€Å"Well, it's kind of a funny story †¦' And with that intro, I gave them as brief yet thorough a recap as I could, starting with the background on Robert Doru and ending with the brothers' recent dream visits. I glossed over Victor's â€Å"mysterious' escape a few weeks ago, but something told me that Dimitri, in that uncanny way we had of guessing each other's thoughts, was probably putting the pieces together. Both Lissa and I had told Dimitri we'd gone through a lot to learn how to restore him, but we'd never explained the full story–especially the part about breaking out Victor so that he could help us find his brother. â€Å"Look, whether he can help or not, this is our chance to catch him,' I added hastily. â€Å"That's a good thing, right?' â€Å"Its an issue we'll deal with †¦ later.' I recognized the tone in Dimitri's voice. He'd used it a lot at St. Vladimir's. It usually meant there was a private talk in my future, where I'd be grilled for more details. Kentucky turned out to be pretty beautiful as we drove out to Paris. The land was rolling and green as we got out of the city, and it was easy to imagine wanting to live in a little house out here. I wondered idly if that had been Sonya's motivation and then caught myself. I'd just told Dimitri that Strigoi saw no beauty. Was I wrong? Would gorgeous scenery matter to her? I found my answer when our GPS led us to Martin Lake. There were only a few houses scattered around it, and among those, only one was blue. Stopping a fair distance away from the house, Sydney parked the car off to the side of the road as much as she could. It was narrow, the shoulders covered in trees and high grass. We all got out of the car and walked a little ways, still keeping our distance. â€Å"Well. It's a blue house,' declared Sydney pragmatically. â€Å"But is it hers? I don't see a mailbox or anything.' I looked closer at the yard. Rose bushes, full of pink and red blossoms, grew in front of the porch. Baskets thick with white flowers I didn't know the names of hung from the roof, and blue morning glories climbed up a trellis. Around the house, I could just barely make out a wood fence. A vine with orange, trumpet-shaped flowers crawled over it. Then, an image flickered into my mind, gone as quickly as it had come. Ms. Karp watering pots of flowers in her classroom, flowers that seemed to grow impossibly fast and tall. As a teenager more interested in dodging homework, I hadn't thought much about them. It was only later, after watching Lissa make plants grow and bloom during spirit experiments, that I understood what had been happening in Ms. Karp's classroom. And now, even deprived of spirit and possessed by evil, Sonya Karp was still tending her flowers. â€Å"Yeah,' I said. â€Å"This is her house.' Dimitri approached the front porch, studying every detail. I started to follow but held back. â€Å"What are you doing?' I kept my voice low. â€Å"She might see you.' He returned to my side. â€Å"Those are black-out curtains. They aren't letting in any light, so she isn't going to see anything. It also means she likely spends her time on the house's main floor, rather than a basement.' I could easily follow his line of thinking. â€Å"That's good news for us.' When I'd been captured by Strigoi last year, my friends and I had been held in a basement. Not only was it convenient for Strigoi wanting to avoid the sun, it also meant fewer escape and entry options. It was easy for Strigoi to trap prey in a basement. The more doors and windows we had, the better. â€Å"I'll scout the other side,' he said, starting for the backyard. I hurried up to him and caught him by the arm. â€Å"Let me. I'll sense any Strigoi–not that she's going outside, but, well, just in case.' He hesitated, and I grew irate, thinking he didn't believe me capable. Then, he said, â€Å"Okay. Be careful.' I realized he was just worried about me. I moved as smoothly and quietly as I could around the house, soon discovering the wooden fence was going to create difficulty in seeing the backyard. I feared climbing over might alert Sonya to my presence and pondered what to do. My solution came in the form of a large rock lying near the fence's edge. I dragged the stone over and stood on top. It wasn't enough to let me look completely over, but I was able to easily put my hands on top of the fence and hoist myself up for a peek with minimal noise. It was like looking into the Garden of Eden. The flowers in the front had merely been the warm-up act. More roses, magnolia and apple trees, irises, and a billion other flowers I didn't recognize. Sonya's backyard was a paradise of lush color. I scoped out what I needed to and hurried back to Dimitri. Sydney still stood by the car. â€Å"A patio door and two windows,' I reported. â€Å"All curtained. There's also a wooden deck chair, a shovel, and a wheelbarrow.' â€Å"Any pitchforks?' â€Å"Unfortunately, no, but there's a big-ass rock sitting outside the fence. It'd be hard to get it into the yard, though. We're better off using it to help us climb over. No gate in the fence. She's made a fortress.' He nodded in understanding, and without any conversation, I knew what to do. We got the chain from the car and entrusted it to Sydney. We told her to wait for us outside–with the strict instructions to leave if we weren't back in thirty minutes. I hated to say that kind of thing–and Sydney's face indicated she didn't like hearing it–but it was inevitable. If we hadn't subdued Sonya in that amount of time, we weren't going to subdue her at all–or leave alive. If we did manage to overtake her, we'd give some signal for Sydney to come in with the chain. Sydney's amber-brown eyes were filled with anxiety as she watched us head back around the house. I nearly teased her for caring about evil creatures of the night but stopped myself just in time. She might loathe every other dhampir and Moroi in the world, but somewhere along the way, she'd come to like Dimitri and me. That wasn't something to mock. Dimitri stood on the rock and surveyed the yard. He murmured a few last-minute instructions to me before taking my hands and boosting me up over the fence. His height went a long way to make the maneuver as easy and quiet–though not silent–as possible. He followed me shortly thereafter, landing beside me with a small thud. After that, we sprang forward with no delay. If Sonya had heard us, then there was no point in wasting time. We needed every advantage we could get. Dimitri grabbed the shovel and swung it hard into the glass–once, twice. The first strike was about the height of my head, the second lower. The glass fractured more with each impact. Right on the heels of the second hit, I pushed forward and shoved the wheelbarrow into the door. Lifting it and throwing it against the glass would have been a lot cooler, but it was too unwieldy to raise very high. When the wheelbarrow struck the already weakened glass, the cracked areas broke and crumbled altogether, creating a hole big enough for both of us to get through. We both had to duck–especially Dimitri. A simultaneous attack through both sides of the house would have been ideal, but it wasn't like Sonya could run out the front door. Nausea had started to creep over me as soon as we were near the patio, and the sensation hit full force as we entered a living room. I ignored my stomach in the way I'd perfected and braced myself for what was to come. We'd broken in pretty quickly but not quickly enough to truly get the jump on Strigoi reflexes. Sonya Karp was right there, ready for us, doing all she could to avoid the sunlight spilling into the living room. When I'd first seen Dimitri as a Strigoi, I'd been so shocked that I'd frozen up. It had allowed him to capture me, so I'd mentally braced myself this time, knowing I'd feel the same shock when I saw my former teacher as a Strigoi. And it was shocking. Just like with him, so many of Sonya's features were the same as before: the auburn hair and high cheek bones †¦ but her beauty was twisted by all the other terrible conditions: chalky skin, red eyes, and the expression of cruelty that all Strigoi seemed to wear. If she recognized us, she gave no sign and lunged toward Dimitri with a snarl. It was a common Strigoi tactic to take out the bigger threat first, and it annoyed me that they always believed that was Dimitri. He'd shoved his stake in his belt in order to carry the shovel inside with him. The shovel wouldn't kill a Strigoi, but with enough strength and momentum, it would definitely keep Sonya at arm's length. He struck her with it in the shoulder after her first attempt, and while she didn't fall over, she definitely waited before trying another attack. They circled each other, like wolves readying for a battle, as she sized up her odds. One charge, and her greater strength would push him down, shovel or not. All of this took place in a matter of seconds, and Sonya's calculations had left me out of the equation. I made my own charge, slamming into her other side, but she saw me coming out of the corner of her eye and responded instantly, throwing me down while never taking her eyes off Dimitri. I wished I had the shovel and could hit her in the back from a safe distance. All I carried was my stake, and I had to be careful with it since it could kill her. I did a quick scan of her eerily normal living room and couldn't see any other potential weapons. She feinted, and Dimitri went for it. He just barely corrected himself as she leapt forward to take advantage of the situation. She thrust him against the wall, pinning him there and knocking the shovel from his grasp. He struggled against her, trying to break free as her hands found his throat. If I tried to pull her off, my strength combined with Dimitri's would probably free him. I wanted this over as quickly as possible, however, and decided to make a power play. I ran toward her, stake in hand, and plunged it through her right shoulder blade, hoping I was nowhere near her heart. The charmed silver, so agonizing to Strigoi skin, made her scream. Frantic, she shoved me away with force that was astonishing even for a Strigoi. I fell backward, stumbling, and whacked my head against a coffee table. My vision dimmed slightly, but instinct and adrenaline drove me back to my feet. My attack gave Dimitri the split second he needed. He knocked Sonya to the ground and grabbed my stake, pushing it against her throat. She screamed and flailed, and I moved forward to help him, knowing how hard it was to pin a Strigoi. â€Å"Get Sydney †¦' he grunted. â€Å"The chain †¦' I moved as quickly as I could, stars and shadows dancing in front of me. I unlocked the front door and kicked it open as a signal, then ran back to Dimitri. Sonya was making good progress in fighting him off. I dropped to my knees, working with Dimitri to keep her restrained. He had that battle lust in his eyes again, a look that said he wanted to destroy her right here and now. But there was something else, too. Something that made me think he had more control, that my words in the alley had actually had an impact. Still, I uttered a warning. â€Å"We need her †¦ remember we need her.' He gave me a slight nod, just as Sydney showed up lugging the chain. She stared at the scene wide-eyed, pausing only a moment before hurrying over to us. We'll make a warrior of her yet, I thought. Dimitri and I moved to our next task. We'd already spotted the best place to bind Sonya: a heavy, reclining armchair in the corner. Lifting her–which was dangerous since she was still thrashing wildly–we thrust her into the chair. Then, keeping the stake at her neck, Dimitri attempted to hold her down while I grabbed hold of the chain. There was no time to think of a precise system. I just started wrapping it, first around her legs and then as best as I could around her torso, trying to lock her arms against her. Dimitri had bought a lot of chain, thankfully, and I hurriedly wrapped it around the chair in a crazy manner, doing everything I could to keep her down. When I finally ran out of chain, Sonya was pretty well locked into place. Was it something she could break out of? Absolutely. But with a silver stake against her? Not so easy. With both in place †¦ well, we had her trapped for now. It was the best we could do. Dimitri and I exchanged brief, weary looks. I felt dizzy but fought through it, knowing our task was far from over. â€Å"Time for questioning,' I said grimly.

Winter Wonderland

Winter Wonderland I wake up to the sun heating my cold feet under my warm fuzzy blanket. The room is filled with silence as I slide out of the coziness of my covers to look outside the window. To my delightful surprise, tiny ice crystals are falling from the sky creating a white blanket on the world. In a hurry, I put on my thick heavy jacket, slide on my hefty boots, and dress my hands with my favourite waterproof gloves. I rush onto my snow-covered yard, thinking that my favourite season, winter, is finally here.With the grace of snowfall, this winter will be beautiful to look upon, fun to play within, and fills your heart with warmth. A fresh scent of pine fills the air as the bright snow gently lands on the tip of your nose. The sight of every white pine tree around you takes your breath away. Sunlight sits in the horizon while cotton-like snow falls from the sky creating random patterns. The sun beams through the snow creating sparkles like a diamond. The true beauty of nature i s only evident when the world turns into this wintery paradise. Being surrounded by pure beauty makes me feel alive.Along with its beauty, the snow creates a festival of fun. Snow crunches under my feet when I run across the fields of white fluff. The sound of screaming kids buzzes through my ear as they make their way down slippery slopes. When you pick a hand full of snow, the warmth in your gloves prevent your hands from freezing. The cold snow crunches between your gloves as you shape it into a ball. When you snowboard down the steep hill you can feel the cool wind cresting against you. Your hair dances along your cold face and the snow slushes beneath you.Every moment in the comfort of this white snowy blanket is a moment to remember. When you finally get tired of all that fun, you run inside to a steaming cup of hot chocolate mixed with big marshmallows resting upon its surface. The aroma of the hot chocolate is like a breeze of fresh air. You can feel the warmth filling your throat. Your heart is filled with the same warmth and kindness as you comfort your hands with the heat from the sparkling fire. Snow is a blessing from heaven that completes winter. The beauty of snow sparkles in everyone eyes.Outside, you see everyone laughing and playing in the scenery of snow. Indoors, the sound of the crackling fire and the sipping of hot chocolate echoes through the room. With the grace of snowfall, this winter was beautiful to look upon, fun to play within, and filled my heart with warmth. Rippan Brar English 10 Winter Wonderland I. Introduction A. Snowy mornings give you the best feeling. B. Thesis: Snow completes winter because it's beautiful, fun, and fills you with warmth.II. Snow is beautiful. A. You can see blankets of snow. B. The smell of pine is fresh. C. Snow is pure beauty. III. Snow is fun. A. Snowballs B. Snowboarding C. Sleighing IV. Snow fills you with warmth. A. The are different ways to rest after playing in the snow. B. Hot chocolate smells, tastes, and feels good. C. Heart is filled with warmth V. Conclusion A. Snow is a blessing from heaven. B. Snow changes what you do inside and outside. C. Restate Thesis: Winter is incomplete without snow because snow is beautiful, fun, and fills you with warmth.

Literature and Art of the Harlem Renaissance essays

Literature and Art of the Harlem Renaissance essays In the early 1900s, particularly in the 20s and early 30s, African American literature, art, music, and dance began to flourish in Harlem, a section of New York City. Variously known as the New Negro movement, the New Negro Renaissance, and the Negro Renaissance, the movement emerged toward the end of World War I in 1918. The Harlem Renaissance marked the first time that mainstream publishers and critics took African American literature seriously and that African American literature and arts attracted significant attention from the nation as a whole. Although it was primarily a literary movement, it was closely related to developments in African American music, theater, art, and politics The Harlem Renaissance seemed to be the best of times for America, during which whites and African Americans began to mix and gain a better understanding of one another. Harlem became the epicenter of music, art, and literature. This was the place from which acclaimed writers of the period started th eir careers. (Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, etc.) Blues and jazz were the prominent styles of music heard throughout the community, made notable by artists such as Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, and Duke Ellington, and could almost always be heard in social bars known as speakeasies. "No common literary style or political ideas defined the Harlem Renaissance. What united participants was their sense of taking part in a common goal and their commitment to giving artistic expression to the African American experience." (Harlem Renaissance Review) African Americans were able to find sanctuary in the North, having to face much less racism and abuse than those who remained in the South. Many were now able to hold decent jobs with good pay, as opposed to the labor they were forced to do previously. They held an intense yearning for equality. However, they still faced many challenges. Despite protest and some progress, racism still separated Americans in every...

The Impact of Technology in the Business World Speech or Presentation

The Impact of Technology in the Business World - Speech or Presentation Example Communication This is a fundamental factor in any business setting. Effective communication enhances coordination and planning activities, prior to the goals and objectives of the company (Bhatnagar, 2003). Technology has made communication easier by cutting the time taken to send and receive data and information as well making the communication process cheaper. Two or more businesses can actually work together from different locations. Online services in the context of the activities undertaken by businesses are easily handled in the current time, aided by internet and the World Wide Web. Computer and computer technology has enabled businesses to make diverse planning within a very short time. Planning and related programs have been developed for such purposes. Examples in this case are Gantt charts and schedule formats (Daft, 2008). Data handling technologies have provided functionality to the communication process, allowing for massive data storage and information transmission aro und the world. Customer service The success or failure of a business is determined by the customer base. Businesses may be well established based on capital portfolio and management but lack significant market share to facilitate its operational success. Adequate customer services facilitate market share take-over for businesses. Keeping in touch with customers is an essential business tool. Technology has provided easier means through which this can be achieved. Through online communication like chats and emails, a firm can consistently manage its customers. Timely response to issues raised by customers has been realized through the adoption of relevant technologies. Payments and receipts Business liquidity has improved with technological advancement. Modes of making and receiving payments have become more efficient with the adoption of proper technologies that aid the process. Fund transfer technology has provided a basis for the functionality of this. Funds can be transferred in the whole world in seconds. On the same note, invoices can be placed online without the buyer and the seller meeting. Debts and credits are easily handled without the need for the involved parties to meet physically. Financial institutions have integrated online services in their operations, making it easier to access funds from different locations in the world. Investments, exports and imports are effectively done without the need to travel to the specific locations that the goods and services are ordered from. Even where travelling is required, technology has enabled faster means of transportation. Multinational corporations Presence of a business in more than one location is important in diversifying that business’s portfolio. Multinational corporations are international firms that establish their operations in more than one country (Ojukwu, 2003). These firms have found a strong base of operation on technology. Activities between the affiliate firms and the parent firm ha ve been aided by technology. Use of websites has also provide a fundamental tool through which firms create awareness to the entire world about the products and services they offer as well as the prices they charge for their differentiated products.

Environmental Health and Safety Scholarship Essay

Environmental Health and Safety - Scholarship Essay Example The purpose of this research is to investigate the reasons why companies perform environmental audits in their business operations. One of which was the increasing regulatory pressures. Of course, in order to stay in the competitive market, the company must ensure that they comply with all the applicable environmental regulations promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) and other national, local and federal agencies. Another notable reason was to make sure that they meet all the necessary requirements of safety standards designed to promote their continuous development. The auditing requires systematic and comprehensive review of all the aspects within the business which include the properties, facilities, processes and operations. The investigation results will then serve as the guideline and baseline information in order to evaluate and assess the performance of the company. Because of the available updates on EH&S, the problems and deficiencies can be easily identified and can be corrected immediately before it becomes severe and can create more damages. To simplify, environmental auditing is about reducing or mitigating possible risk that may arise in the workplace. This makes sure that the businesses activities have no negative impact instead safeguard the environment as well as promote human health and safety for a total satisfaction. It can also identify possible cost saving, such as waste minimization, avoid fines and penalties and also avoid hospitalization costs due to accidents in the worksite. The growing public awareness can also be attributed for the sudden need of companies to conduct environmental audits. Since, several reports highlighted workplace hazards and accidents more and more became conscious and demand higher standard of EH&S.   Aside from these reasons, environmental auditing was also conducted by many companies in order enhance their image and reputation. Usua lly, this was used to promote their own companies by just stating that they adhere to the highest standards in work site safety. Question 4:   List, and briefly explain, the elements which should be planned in a successful audit program. In order to have a successful environmental audit, several elements should be properly and well planned which include the following: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Goals and Objectives Basically, before any undertakings, the company should state and establish their clear outline of goals and objectives they wanted to achieve after the audit program. This will help and guide them to easily formulate

Cultural, compare and contrast Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cultural, compare and contrast - Assignment Example If a cost benefit analysis is carried out, then the overpricing of the chocolate products will create great profit for the business. Furthermore, the pleasant environmental conditions will attract more tourists that could come to Melbourne for adventure and would not mind to try out the chocolate products at whatever prices. The cultural differences could be handled through various ways. For instance, both cities could decide to hold exchange programs that could aid in the elimination of cultural differences in the long-term. Lastly, both cities could encourage the standardization of goods and services that could encourage the elimination of cultural differences despite discouraging competition (Tierney, 23). In conclusion, both cities have their own cultural differences and similarities. The similarities could work efficiently in encouraging the chocolate business; however, it is important to handle the cultural differences between the two cities for

Determined and Free

Determined and Free Will Essay At this point in my life I believe there is a balance in how many of our choices are determined and how many are free. The things that are determined for us are factors like what we are born into such as our ethnicity and social status. Also, if your parents are religious, you are raised under the influence of that religion. Most children embrace that faith as their own. These are life factors that you can change eventually, but usually due to societal influences you stay with these predetermined decisions. Certain determined things won’t ever be able to be altered. The color of your skin, and how you are treated because of it, is determined by where we are placed in life. Whether we are born with a medical condition or disorder is something we have no control over. Also, whether we have access to higher education or opportunity to move social classes. Many circumstances we don’t have power over are situational. The free will choices in our lives are day-to-day decisions that we make. However, these choices can have a major impact in our lives. I think there are many influences that can affect your free will, but the final decision lies in your own hands. You decide what social and personal influences infiltrate your decision, and in that is power. Things like your faith and morals shape who you are, so to make a decision with absolutely no influence is not necessarily of your own â€Å"free will†. Free will is having a say in your own decisions, it doesn’t matter what influences you unless you feel it limits you. I also believe that people differ in the amount of free will they have. The predetermined factors are generally the same for everyone, but the free choices are different. This is because people choose to let certain factors limit them, and others do not. If someone cares whether others judge him or her, they are less likely to decide to do something they really want if it is odd or embarrassing. Same method works if someone cares if their parents approve or not of their choices. These are limitations to your free will that you choose to adhere to.

Cinematography In A Horror Movie

Cinematography In A Horror Movie Abstract: From our child hood we have been imagining ghosts and seeing imaginary things that are almost improbable to exist to give us terrific fears and these fears come to haunt our dreams. Watching a horror movie gives us that old feeling of fear and makes us emotionally attached to the film. The horrific images from the movie with its special effects and sudden sounds would make many watch them even though its scary. But almost all the horror movies end after balance is restored and everything turns to normal to give the audience a sense of satisfaction. The dissertation is based on the Study of cinematography and special effects in a Horror movie. In the recent past camera, lighting and special effects are of greater importance and fame, so it will be worth exploring those topics. As far as the technical aspect is concerned a brief research of how these kind of films are being filmed from the shooting spot itself, will be very useful for an aspiring artist to get a better idea about its development. Horror films go back as far as the onset of films themselves, over 100 years ago. Introduction: The researcher was interested in watching horror films from his childhood and he was deeply interested in these genres. In his childhood the researcher was very much impressed with the serial mainly called Genmam-X and Marmadesam. The drama that he staged in his schooldays with horror and scary effects as the theme was applauded well by the audience. The tremendous response from the viewers made him start learning the concepts and idea relating to this genre and finally concluded with this concept. It is difficult to show scary effects in screens. If the director gets his requirements from all the technicians the film will be successful, otherwise it will not. In order to get success the film must contain interesting characters and it also depends on their acting. And in terms of technical aspects the cinematography and special effects play a major role. In Indian cinemas, there is some response for these kinds of genre when compared to Hollywood. The main aim of the upcoming short film is that after seeing this, many people have to change their mind to see horror films also. So the main thing that the film should contain is better cinematography with matching special effects. Instead of concentrating on the story alone, cinematography and special effects should be given more importance. Aim: To give the thrill the viewer expects mainly the use of the camera, lightings and Special Effects, Were Script play the secondary role. Statement of the problem: The main purpose of adding the special effects is to frighten the viewer.When it goes beyond the limit it might not be watched by many people. In this situation it may go to another genre of hardcore horror. It may scare people but it will create some abnormal effects in the minds of some people. Objectives: How is cinematography in horror films different from other films? What are special Effects? How is Special Effects done in horror movies? A Study of the cinematography for horror movies. How is make up done for horror movies? Research Questions: What are Special Effects? Colors and intensity of lights? Camera trick and technique in cinematography? Special Effects (Make up) for horror movies? How the horror movies getting winning changes? Significance of the study: Horror movies are the best platform to find rich special effects and lighting and Much interesting camera handling which gives the viewers a different experience From other films. The study through this dissertation is to understand The cinematography in horror films and application of special effects in them. Table of content Chapter 1| Introduction 1.1 | Aim 1.2 | Statement of problem 1.3 | Research questions 1.4 | Objectives 1.5 | Significance of study Chapter 2 | Review of literature 2.1 | Movies 2.2 | Websites 2.3 | Books and articles Chapter 3 | Research Methodology Chapter 4 | Horror films 4.1| Definition 4.2| History Chapter 5 | Introduction to Cinematography 5.1 | Camera 5.1.1 | Lens 5.1.2 | Filters 5.2 | Depth of Field and Focus 5.3 | Aspect ratio and Framing 5.4 | Camera Movements and Camera Angles 5.5 | Lighting Chapter 6 | Cinematography in Horror Films 6.1| over View 6.2 | Camera Works in Horror Films 6.2.1| Camera Movement and Angles 6.2.2| Analysis of Movie Shots 6.3 | Lighting Chapter 7 | Different between Normal films and Horror Films (Cinematography) Chapter 8 | Special effects 8.1| History 8.2 | what is Special effect 8.3 | Planning and use 8.4 | Live Special effect 8.5 | Make up Chapter-9 Integration of dissertation with project Chaper-10-Analysis and conclusion REVIEW OF LITERATURE Movies Reference: Psycho (1960) and the director is Alfred Hitchcock. The cinematography is done by John L.Russell. Psycho is one of the best Hollywood horror movies best for lighting. In one scene the psycho is going to kill the lady who is taking her bath were the lighting was done very well to signify the horror. It is considered to be the best cinematography, in 1961 by John L.Russell .Oscar was nominated for this film. Reference: The Thing (1982) directed by John Carpenter with Special Effects by Rob Bottin. The movie was taken in 1982. In that period they used special effects and visual Effects and make up. The makeup was so realistic that it attracted the viewer Quickly. A human is transformed to a demon easily and the scene is presented very effectively which will fascinate the people. . The comment was that it was too scary. This shows how they have applied VFX and SFX. And the Best special effect 1982 Rob Bottin Saturn award was nominated for this Film. Reference: Van Helsing and the director is Stephen Sommers.The cinematography is handled by Allen Daviau. The movie Van Helsing comes under the genre of horror and it came out in the year 2004. In this movie they followed a really nice cinematography. Actually this movie came out from the comic that Van Helsing is a ghost hunter who will be roaming around the earth in search of ghost, In this movie also he is coming to a village in search of the ghost. There are two interesting characters in this movie. One is the Frankenstein and the other one is the wolf character which was in the custody of the villain. The extra ordinary thing about the movie is that the CG In early days, man used special effects and later it got developed into visual effects. In this movie there are many visual effects shots. A few examples include the climate sequence where the ordinary man transforms into a wolf that is a quality CG work in the industry. Further there are many VFX shots in the movie. Special effects include the blood bossing from the mouth and the usage of the miniature in the movies where Gabrie l (hero) taking the Frankenstein away from the village. Most of the shots were shot inside the studio and they were composited later. Usage of expressive and breath taking matte paintings added to the quality of the movie. The cinematography of the movie plays a major role because of the proper establishment and composition. Reference: Mirror-2 directed by Victor Garcia. Cinematography is done by Lorenzo Senatore. It is really a kind of hardcore killing movie where we can find the hero who is replacing the old security guard in the office. The main concept behind this movie is the revenge by the girl who is killed by the head officer. And he is killing the people through the medium mirror. The main success behind the movie is the lighting and cinematography. Reference: Saw-4, directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and cinematography by David Armstrong. This movie is the successor of the three early parts. The success behind the movie is the usage of the equipments and the method he used for killing others. In the first scene of the movie the villain killed the victim by tying the body to a steel bed and the axe was in a to and fro motion just above the stomach of the victim where it got peeled into many pieces. Website Reference: This Media Studies Factsheet was researched Written by Steph Hendry The horror films are not from this period. Those films were taken from the very early times where they only depend on the special effects and the camera tricks .At that time also some nice pictures came namely the Frankenstein a ghost which was made by a man by assembling many internal organs .This is the fact, that behind the creation of the ghost namely Frankenstein, is one type of ghost. There are many types of ghost that may include the external ghost which was having its own appearance and they will have some special characteristics. The Internal ghost is that it will enter ones body and it will do some thing inside the body of the character. This is the kind of ghost and others include the vampire. Mostly all the thriller movies have this type of ghost, there will be a character sucking blood from the humans and using them for their existence. They will be more like humans living with them but they will have some special characteristics In the earlier periods the ghost will be only living inside the cave and later the living area of the ghost also increased ,no matter where the ghost are living- it may be at school, it may in our home or inside ones soul no matter where it will be. So we can go to the place as we wish when going for this kind of genre. And nowadays time is also not a matter for the ghost it may come at day time or it may come when we are sleeping and when we are in dream. The only fact is that vampire can roam around the world during day times. (Reference: www.darkwebonile.com )accessed on Book

Sumartran Tsunami :: essays research papers

On December 26, 2004 a wave of destruction hit the coasts along the Indian Ocean, affecting lives all over the world. Not only did this disaster bring about a world wide relief effort, but caused a reevaluation of the lack of warning systems in place for many regions threatened by seismic activity and potential devastating coastal impact of seafloor earthquakes. Six months later, information abounds in text, television, and periodicals for any lay person to research. The diversity of perspective is another matter. Depending on the source, subjects will range from brief plate tectonic education to in depth geophysical analysis, from calls for aid involvement to calls for answers revolving around predictability and warning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If a curious student takes a sampling of just a few periodicals, two tuned to a general audience, and one designed to address information in a scholarly manner, that person can easily identify the characteristics and perspective of each. It is important to note, sources focused on human geography and public relations appear to have responded quicker with information and relayed simple geographical concepts, whereas scholarly journals and scientific periodicals are continuing the process of analyzing data and research-oriented information gathering, therefore these magazines are, even after six months, persevering in their quest to present articles, and will more than likely be publishing relevant articles in the future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The National Geographic Society is good source of information, and no person can argue the artistry of its presentation, however, the magazine, and its television and internet productions are directed toward a curious, but mostly naive audience. If searching for an overview, a middle man one may say, National Geographic does provide a history and account of the event in â€Å"The Deadliest Tsunami in History† (National Geographic News, Jan 7, 2005). Organized and succinct, the article begins with a few simple facts about the wave making process and tsunami characteristics, even dispelling myths that a tsunami is a single destructive tidal wave, but actually a series of wave building processes resulting from the shifting of the earth undersea due to seismic activity. The article goes on to include human interest stories, not overlooking an account where an Indian man after remembering a National Geographic program, saves the li8ves of more than 1,500 of his fellow villagers. Lastly, the article discusses potential residual hazards of the event, presenting issues such as famine and disease epidemics due to the lack of clean water and food supplies diminished from the disaster.

What Is Fashion?

An in depth discussion about fashion, its influence towards society and primarily causes responsible for these processes This essay offers a sociological approach towards fashion in which will be critically evaluated, in context of its influence on society, origins of fashion and whether external or/and internal causes are responsible for these processes. This essay begins with an introduction to fashion in a social aspect.According to Kumara (2005) the meaning of fashion is not Just about visual clothing but also the invisible elements behind it such as symbolic meanings and a sense of competition. Fashion is a trend of imitating those whom is admired and envied however fashion is never stationary or fixed, it is ever-changing but does not mean the old is discarded Just may be merely adjusted (Flues, 1930). Rubberiest (2001) argues that a style becomes a fashion through a process called â€Å"collective selection† the fashion is then imitated.This essay then goes into the his tory of fashion, what fashion was like before twenty first century, what the clothing meant to different social classes, with this it will explain how fashion was exposed to other social classes not Just the aristocrats. It is then followed by an evaluation of the importance of fashion in general for society then briefly mentions about the fashion values for boys and girls, men and women.Finally, concluding this essay with a summary of possible internal and/or external causes of the processes for fashion. One definition for fashion is the mass production of goods for adornment in which are imitated from people that are admired and envied however this is more of a modern phenomenon (Edwards, 1997; Flues, 1930). The definition for fashion will never be stationary therefore it is conceived as irrational because it has no content, arks as an external decoration, and carries no intellectual elements (Kumara, 2005).According to Kumara (2005) and Flues (1930) fashion is a concept of imitat ion, it is a fundamental human trait to imitate those who are admired or envied (e. G. Celebrities), and however Herbert Bubbler argued that a style becomes a fashion through the process of â€Å"collective selection† (as cited in Rubberiest, 2003 peg. 14). For example a designer offers a large number of styles on the runway; only a few of these are chosen by buyers, magazine editors, and boutique owners which are then offered to their clients.When consumers actually buy the clothes, those styles become the fashion; consumer relevance, not the designer's, turns a style into fashion (Rubberiest, 2001). In other words those who are admired get their styles from boutiques where the designers had offered their styles beforehand therefore consumers buys the selected styles of their choice and those styles then becomes the fashion – the style becomes a fashion quicker when the buyer is one an admired or envied person.Thus before something becomes a fashion it goes through th e process of collective selection then becomes the fashion object for people to imitate. However the paradox of fashion is that everyone is trying at the same time to be like but yet different, from the person they admire or new – to be like them in so far as they regards them as superiors, to be unlike them (in the sense of being more fashionable') (Flues, 1930).Another essential concept of fashion lies in competition – decoration has a sexual and social value, attractive, and striking forms of ornaments being useful both for purposes of sexual allurement and as signs of rank, wealth, or power – following the convention that the more elaborate and decorative the costume, the higher the social position of the wearer however this was a fashion phenomenon before the nineteenth century (Flues, 1930; Kumara, 2005).In contrast the bohemian fashion sense was less is more thus individuals tend to wear clothing that is simple and has a relaxing feel to it but yet contem porary. The Bohemian style applies to those who live an unconventional and artistic lifestyle thus it was stereotyped to those in the middle class and underclass (Wilson, 2000). However it was at a conference when Richard Florida made a speech about high tech Coos to discover that the bohemian style was not only for those of the middle class and under class people: muff can't have high tech innovation without art and music.All forms of creativity feed off each other†¦ Elf you really want to know how important this is don't ask the high tech Coos or the mayor or the Chamber of Commerce. Ask the guys in the band! â€Å"†¦ The musicians who looked like members of Cowan O'Brien late-night ensemble†¦ Were not local grunge's. They were high-tech Coos and venture capitalists† (Florida, 2003 peg. 191) The purpose of this quote was to show that mom high classed individuals do not dress extravagantly as to show off their wealth, it is quite the opposite.Also it illustrat es that the bohemian style has grown and expanded throughout all levels of the social classes. Before the nineteenth century fashion was only available for those with status such as the aristocrats, as mentioned before the more extravagant the clothing the higher the social position, this mainly occurred before the nineteenth century. Fashion in the fifteenth century is something different from fashion in the nineteenth and twentieth century.In the fifteenth century fashion was an indicator of class status, a court privilege monopolized by aristocracy while commoners would hardly dare call themselves fashionable because they will be frowned upon because they had no rights to be dressed as them, they are unwilling to abandon the signs of superiority and distinctiveness (Flues, 1930; Rubberiest, 2001). The extravagance of fashion in this case meaner higher social status therefore it is part of the individual's identity; the type of fashion people wore during these times distinguished the nobles from the commoners (Kumara, 2005).Flues (1930) mentions that when every man is as good as his fellows, there are no superior social strata left to imitate, and it would seem as though the race of fashion must end, since those behind have definitely caught up those in front. However in the nineteenth century no longer did the aristocracy alone lead fashion, but the wealthy that had the material meaner were invading into their social place therefore fashion became more available (Heywood ; Garcia, 2012; Flues, 1930; Rubberiest, 2001).By the twentieth century, fashion became increasingly democratic, and everyone, regardless of rank or status, had a eight to look fashionable (Heywood ; Garcia, 2012). With the naturalism that followed the French Revolution, the body once more came into its own rights, and the purpose of clothes became the relatively secondary one of throwing into relief the beauties of the body – fashion became more simple and exiguous, the exposure of the bohemian style (Flues, 1930).Therefore the idea of the more extravagant clothing the higher social status slowly diminished; the fashion trend changed and became available to the whole society and not Just the aristocrats. Thus fashion now plays a significant role in the manifestation of differences. The class boundary has become blurry since the decline of European aristocrats, and people desired to make subtle distinctions in order to differentiate themselves from others (Kumara, 2005). This is the modernity of fashion.Fashion is more than Just visual clothing and accessories but also act an indicator of social status or rank, personality or identity; it is also symbolic, expressive, creative, and coercive (Heywood ; Garcia, 2012; Kumara, 2005; Edwards, 1997). According to Flues (1930) fashion is symbolic; it can be presented as trophies (e. G. Hunter wears rare fox belt), terrorizing (consisting of parts of the fallen enemies which can be perceived as awe-inspiring and grueso me), sign of rank and/or occupation, sign of locality or nationality, display of wealth and extension of the bodily self (e. . A skirt can increase the feeling of size, importance, and beauty or how some skirts may add to the effect of movement). Fashion is more concerned with theories between people beyond kin, and the mechanisms through which we form affiliations and select partners with whom to co-operate with (Heywood ; Garcia, 2003). There are two aspects in particular contribute to individual's interaction preferences, and they unconsciously look for cues that signal trustworthiness and cooperation; fashion happens to be one of those cues (Heywood & Garcia, 2003).Therefore it is from their clothes that whether individuals form a good or bad first impression and this is very important especially when going for a job interview or meeting someone you like because people will Judge at first sight hence a good fashion sense can be essential. Indirect expression of an individual thr ough his garments enables us to Judge whether or not this acquaintance is reindeer, angry, frightened, curious, hurried or at ease. It also tells something about their sex, occupation, nationality, and social standing, and thus enabling us to make preliminary adjustment of our behavior towards them (Flues, 1930).For example two guys came up to a girl and both ask for her number, one guy in a messy shirt and ripped pants while the other in a decent shirt and Shares, the girl will most likely be more inclined to give the guy with decent clothes her number because he seems more trustworthy. However familiarity cause them to be overlooked, in other words his does not apply to those that individuals become familiar with because they have already been accepted into the group (Flues, 1930; Kumara 2005).According to Kumara (2005), Heywood and Garcia (2012) fashion is simultaneously about belonging into a group and innovating – distinguishing and identifying oneself; it helps us signa l group conformity, the innate, evolutionarily based need to fit in with the group; and it is about sex and status in that it increases our â€Å"mate value†. Fashion is the result of a great deal of influence which collectively determines the social Truckee of society. Fashion values differ within gender and females happens to be more intact with fashion than males however it does not mean that men do not.On the female side (women), use fashionable products to enhance or create an illusion of youth, beauty and fertility, and on the male (men) side, to display wealth and status (Heywood & Garcia, 2003). It has been stereotyped that fashion for men does not exist that men dress for comfort rather than style; that women dress men and buy clothes for men, nevertheless fashion for men is not taken seriously because t is not appropriately ‘masculine' to take a serious interest in it but they are well dressed for their occupation (Edwards, 1997).Fashion for women is a source of power that can be controlled by using fashion as a tool women shifted from nature to culture, focusing on beauty (Kumara, 2005). Fashion is not only stereotypically positively correlated with feminism but also somewhat true due to women constantly striving to achieve youth and beauty however fashion is where identities can be discovered, and fashion plays no role in the oppression of women or exclusion of men (Kumara, 2005). As Wilson explains: †¦ N ‘administrating the wearer's spectacular identity contemporary fashion refuses the dichotomy nature/culture.Fashion in our epoch administrates the body and thus divests itself of all essentialist. This must be good news for women since essentialist ideologies have been oppressive to them. Fashion often plays with, and playfully transgresses gender boundaries, inverting stereotypes and making us of the masque of femininity. (Wilson, 1994, up. 187) However for the younger generation of females (girls) and males (boys) the imp act of fashion is slightly different; for girls styles of dress are accessory for the accomplishment of social status, of irreconcilability, of a position in the world that saves one from being cast out (Pomeranian,2008).For both girls and boys being unfashionable or out dated can have a negative effect on individuals for they can become the target for bullies hence fashion in this sense is important it determines whether one is in the group or out the group (Pomeranian, 2008). However a particular fashion trend is not for everyone as in not everyone can ‘own it', in other words not everyone will suit every fashion trend, and therefore if he or she does not own' the look then others will end up labeling him or her as a try hard' and become out castes (Pomeranian, 2008).Overall fashion has drastically changed since the fifteenth century, from fashion being only available to aristocrats to fashion being mass produced for everyone that can afford it. An external cause for this ch ange would be when the French exposed the style of bohemianism and the internal cause is that not only nobles and aristocrats have access to the fashion but also those who are wealthy thus making fashion more accessible to the public, the French Revolution accelerated this process.This continued until fashion became entirely exposed to the public and every one now has the right to be fashionable, fashion is then mass produced due to the increase of demands. This then became a modern internal cause for fashion is that people wants to discover, identify and distinguish themselves yet feel like they belong therefore they imitate those they new or admire and try to become part of the ‘in group' to not feel out castes. Since fashion has become democratic there is now more competition for fashion nowadays. References Edwards T. 1997, Men in the mirror: men's fashion, masculinity and consumer society,