Hazel vs Oedipus Essay Example for Free

Hazel vs Oedipus Essay Tragedies often feature happiness developing into miseries through errors which ultimately reveal the cold hard truth. The hero suffers from human frailty (hamartia) which directs to his/her downfall. The hero suffers from catastrophic events, experiences peripeteia and is confronted with the magnitude of his/her actions. Two such heroes are Hazel Grace Lancaster from â€Å"The Faults in Our Stars† by John Green, and Oedipus in the play â€Å"Oedipus Rex† written by Sophocles. Both modern and classic articles of literature have a wide-reaching influence on people and inspire many through the centuries. Modern tragic hero Hazel is a teenage thyroid cancer patient who experiences twisting series of bitter losses. As an only child who has been diagnosed since the age of thirteen, she fears and worries what will happen to the loved ones after she dies and wants to minimize the pain her death will cause others. Classic hero Oedipus is destined to fulfill a prophecy that says he will kill his father and marry his mother, and thereby brings disaster on his city and family. He is blinded by the truth and hubris, powerlessly enduring the course of fate despite harsh and fearful confrontations. While both characters fulfill the role of a tragic figure, the modern hero Hazel evidently provides more hope for the audience than the classic hero Oedipus. This is shown when their character traits of determination, courage and ignorance are compared. Determination is a quality a hero cannot be considered one without, and both Hazel and Oedipus show this quality along their ways. Hazel shows determination as she combats cancer despite harsh reality. Augustus asks, With the trope of the stoic and determined cancer victim who heroically fights her cancer with inhuman strength and never complains or stops smiling even at the very end, etcetera? (Green 128). Gus and Hazel refuse to be tropes. Instead they create a new kind of cancer rhetoric, one that looks straight on at the unbearable fact that they are unbelievably unfortunate and stand a good chance of dying young. They are two doomed children who have not really had the chance to experience life, and who are determined to do so one way or another. Hazel demonstrates her strong determination once again as she sets out to Amsterdam with Augustus to find out the ending of her favourite book, â€Å"An Imperial Affliction†. She wants to know those answers and what happens to Anna’s mother after she dies. By using the lens of the novel, she wishes to reassure the fact that her own mother and family will be okay after her death, since directly thinking about it is too terrifying and upsetting. Hazel is told she â€Å"†¦cant go to Amsterdam† because her doctor â€Å"†¦thinks its a bad idea for she might encounter †¦ a probably fatal episode of deoxygenation† (Green 157). Knowing her death is near, Hazel does not pull back from flying out with her oxygen tank. Hazel shouts, â€Å"bullshit  ! That’s bullshit. Just tell me! Make something up! you promised! † (Green 192). Although she does not receive any good information from the author, she tries to pound out what she hopes to hear out of Peter Van Houten’s mouth when he refuses â€Å"†¦to pity [her] in the manner to which†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she is â€Å"†¦well accustomed’’(Green 192). On the other hand, Oedipus displays determination to seek, to know, and to pursue principle as he unwaveringly discovers the truth behind his birth. The evidence first shows when Oedipus is so determined to solve former King Laius’s murder. The citizens of Thebes gather to discuss solution to the plague while Creon returns from the oracle and tells that the murderer of Laius is in Thebes and must be driven out in order for the plague to end. He furiously curses Laius’s murderer who is himself; he states, â€Å"Nor do I exempt myself from imprecation: /Lie all the curses I have laid on others† (Sophocles 32). Oedipus proclaims that should he discover the murderer to be a member of his own family, that person should be struck by the same exile and harsh treatment that he has just wished on the murderer. Oedipus’s sense of justice and powerful determination to uncover the mystery of Laius’s murder ironically leads him to unintentionally curse himself. He acts eagerly and rashly, refusing to shield himself from the truth, as if he brings catastrophe upon himself willingly. Therefore, it is clear that in terms of determination, Hazel’s will to combat tough fate is far more positive than Oedipus’s cursing to resolve matters, delivering more hope to audience. In addition to determination, courage is an important trait for a hero to signify firmness and face difficulty, danger and pain. Both Hazel and Oedipus show their great courage, but Hazel’s courage appears to be more encouraging rather than Oedipus as it is more relatable to the audience. Living with cancer alone takes great bravery. While Hazel has to deal with hospitals, doctors, and imminent death every day, she recognizes how tough she needs to be and how courageous she has been. She says, â€Å"People talk about the courage of cancer patients, and I do not deny that courage. I have been poked and stabbed and poisoned for years, and still I trod on† (Green 74). She is all about not hurting others even if it hurts her and wants to be as passive as possible. Courage is especially evident when she overcomes her pain to prevent others’ suffering. She says, Im a grenade and at some point Im going to blow up and I would like to minimize the casualties, And I cant be a regular teenager, because Im a grenade† (Green 99). Since Hazel feels that she will soon die, she is motivated to be as insignificant as possible and desires to take the risks of others. She is much like a soldier rushing into battle knowing well that death awaits her. She chases her dreams from the hospital bed all the way to the plane to Amsterdam. Not the doctor nor her family’s disapproval and instructions could stop her from going after her dream. She provides faith to teenagers who are commonly trapped under parents’ umbrella to pursuit their own dreams for themselves. She even ignores the glances, whispering, and finger-pointing along her way. In spite of criticism, she acts in accordance to her own beliefs displaying admirable courage and selflessness of her. Young people can be benefit and inspired by her daring courageousness and overcome their obstacles with Hazel’s fearlessness in her battle in mind. Oedipus is also certainly a figure of remarkable courage. Upon arriving in Thebes, Oedipus displays his courage and lack of fear by facing the deadly Sphinx and solving its riddle: He sacrifices himself entirely in an effort to save Thebes which shows great bravery. He is courageous in his refusal to hide from the truth about himself, even when he realizes how horrible it will be. Facing the horror of personal guilt, especially guilt so enormous, takes extreme courage. In the end, Oedipus has to face his own failure to outrun his fate,

The various leadership styles and theories

The various leadership styles and theories The various leadership styles and theories 1. Introduction: This study focuses on the various leadership styles and theories developed over the years. In this report, an attempt has been made to study the leadership style of Willie Walsh, CEO of British Airways. The analysis highlights a number of limitations in his leadership and hence there is scope for improvement. Companys success is purely based on the type of leadership it acquires. A good leader leads its organization towards it mission with this leadership skills and thinking power. According to Kouzes and Posner (2003), leadership is a reciprocal process between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow. They talk about the leader possessing the following ten commitments. (Kouzes and posner, 2003, p no.22) 1. Find your voice by clarifying your personal values. 2. Set the example by aligning actions with shared values 3. Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities 4. Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations 5. Search for opportunities by seeking innovative ways to change, grow and improve 6. Experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from mistakes 7. Foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust 8. Strengthen others by sharing power and discretion 9. Recognize contribution by showing appreciation for individual excellence 10. Celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community. (Kouzes and posner, 2003, p no.22) British Airways: British Airways is the flag raising carrier airline of the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are located in Waterside near London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick airport. BA is the largest airline in the UK based on the number of international flights, international destinations covered and the fleet size. BA celebrated its 90th anniversary on 25 August 2009 (1, www.britishairways.com, 2nd Dec 2009). Currently, the company is facing the toughest time in the history. BA is currently facing severe financial crises since inception and putting its best effort to overcome from this situation. Willie Walsh: Willie Walsh is currently the CEO of British Airways. He succeeded Rod Eddington in May 2005 as Chief Executive Designated. He also holds a number of positions on Honorary Board Member of Flight Safety International, President of the Heathrow Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society, an honorary Member of The Aviation Club and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (UK). (2, www.bashares.com, 2nd Dec 2009) Willie Walsh started as a pilot trainee at the age of 17 with Aer Lingus in 1979. He earned his degree from Dublins Trinity College in Business Administration. He was promoted from the position of cadet to captain, and eventually turned himself to don a business suit by turning around the airlines troubled Spanish charter operation, Futura. He was elected as Aer Lingus chief operating officer in 2000 and then became CEO the year after (4, www.businessweek.com, 2nd Dec 2009). When Aer Lingus was making huge losses in 2000, Willie Walsh returned as the CEO of the company. He took a number of decisions which not only brought company back to profit but also establish as a leading airline company standing with rivals such as Raynair and Easyjet. But soon after his departure, the company again went down. 2. Business Context: British airways was started on 25th August 1919 with the forerunner company named Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited (ATT), and launched a worlds first daily international scheduled air service between London and Paris. British Airways went through a long time of reformation and finally a group was formed in 1974 named as British Airways (4, www.britishairways.com, 05 Dec 2009). Willie Walsh joined BA in Oct 2005 and company made good profits under him. However, BA was reported as having lost most luggages as compared to the other European airlines in the same year. In 2007, BA was involved in the fuel surcharge price fixing and BA was fined  £270 million for the same. As a result, BAs image took a beating but in spite of this, BA saw profit of  £875 million and achieved the long held goal of a 10% operating margin in 2008. He was offered a bonus for the same which he publically rejected. In the current financial year, BA has reported loss of  £358 millions. The graph shows the performance of BAs under Willie Walsh leadership (British Airways Annual reports, 2004-2009). Currently BA is facing toughest time in the aviation history and being the CEO of the company, Willie is expected to lead the company out of this current situation as he had successfully done at Aer Lingus. 3. Literature Review: Due to high rivalry in business, it is necessary for the companies to have effective leaders which can lead the organization successfully. There are various leadership theories which are developed over the years by different researchers. These theories are Contingency theory, Great Man theory, Trait theory and Michigan theory, Transformational and Transactional Theory. An attempt has been made to explain these theories. Contingency Theory: This theory states that there is no best and ideal way to lead the organization since one best leading style is some time not effective in other situation. This theory is similar as the situational theory. Leadership effectiveness is dependent on the leaders diagnosis and understanding of situational factors, followed by the adoption of the appropriate style to deal with each circumstance. (Ogbonna and Lloyd, 2000, p.767). Only difference is that view of contingency theory is much broader however, situational theory focus more on the behaviour that leader should adopt. The leaders ability to lead does depend upon various situational factors and leader should adapt to the situation according to the organizational environment. Trait Theory: This theory states that some people are born with traits and have certain innate qualities which differentiate them from other non-leaders. This theory is identified by Stogdill in 1974 and he identified traits and skills as to critical leaders. According to (Stogdill, 1974), these qualities are perfectly suited for leadership. Following are the traits and skills identified by Stogdill. Adaptable to situations Alert to social environment Ambitious and achievement-orientated Assertive Cooperative Decisive Dependable Dominant (desire to influence others) Energetic (high activity level) Persistent Self-confident Tolerant of stress Willing to assume responsibility Clever (intelligent) Conceptually skilled Creative Diplomatic and tactful Fluent in speaking Knowledgeable about group task Organised (administrative ability) Persuasive Socially skilled source: Stogdill (1974) McCall and Lombardo (1983) have researched on both success and failure and have found following four primary traits for success or derail of leaders: Emotional stability and composure: Calm, confident and predictable, particularly when under stress McCall and Lombardo (1983) Admitting error: Owning up to mistakes, rather than putting energy into covering up McCall and Lombardo (1983). Good interpersonal skills: Able to communicate and persuade others without resort to negative or coercive tactics McCall and Lombardo (1983). Intellectual breadth: Able to understand a wide range of areas, rather than having a narrow (and narrow-minded) area of expertise McCall and Lombardo (1983). Great man Theory: Great man theory describes that the leaders are not made, they are born. It states that the leader will arise when there is need of them. The examples of the same are people like Jesus, Moses, Mohammed and the Buddha who had ability and charisma to motivate the people. They are adopted by the people without any interruption. These types of leaders are already having the power of being motivational and they know how to lead people. Michigan Theory: According to Michigan studies conducted in 1950 in Michigan University, Leaders could be divided in to three types: (1) Task oriented behaviour (2) Relationship Oriented Behaviour and (3) Participative Behaviour. Task oriented behaviour- In this category; leaders concentrated more on arranging, dividing the work among their subordinates rather than making relations with them. They concentrated on the activities like planning, arranging resource and planning the tasks for their subordinates. Relationship oriented behaviour- The leaders who fall into this category not only concentrated on the task to done but also on making relationship with their subordinates. They took interest in solving the personal matters and helped them to set goal for their career of their subordinates. Participative leadership- The Participative leaders included their peers into their decisions like team members. These leaders are observed as good leaders and found facilitative rather than directive in solving problems. These kinds of leaders are more effective for teams instead of individuals. Transformational and Transactional Leadership: Transactional leaders are known to be as instrumental and regularly focus on exchange relationship with their peers (Bass and Avolio, 1993). Burns (1978) was the first who bring transformational and transactional theories in focus. This style of leadership is adopted by the leaders who want to see people working with full enthusiasm. The leaders who fall in this category motivate the employees and subordinates. These leaders are enthusiastic, energetic and they have a passion for their profession. They care about the people working under them and want them to succeed. However, according to Yukl (1999), Organizational processes get insufficient attention in most theories of transformational leadership. Transformational leaders seek to transform themselves and motivate the colleagues and work towards the changing the organizational culture in line with their vision (Bass, 1985). Whereas, Transactional leaders are argued to be visionary and enthusiastic, with an inherent ability to motivate subordinates (Bycio et al., 1995; Howell and Avolio, 1993) under this style of leadership, people are motivated by rewards and punishments depending on their performance. Transactional leader simply wants the people to take full responsibility of their work. If we compared transactional style to transformational style then it can be said that transformational style is selling style but transactional is the telling. 4. Critical Analysis Willie Walsh has taken some decisions which lead the company to growth. He leads BA with his own decisions and he tries to turn the company on his own way. For example, he took decision to open T5 but this lead to complete havoc on the first day. His decisions made lead organization to pay for it. According to the contingency theory, a good Leader should adopt the situation and according to transformational theory, an ideal leader should accept the participation of the subordinates. Since Willie Walsh takes his decision alone, he falls into the category of transactional leader and according to our group study and analysis about Willie Walsh, he as adopted all characteristics of transactional style of leadership. He expects more from his subordinates and tries to take the decision on his own and he dont involve his sub ordinate into his decisions in odd situations. He makes them work with rewards and punishments. Despite of that, It doesnt mean that Willie Walsh is a bad leader or is a type of leader that a organization should not have. According to the trait theory, Willie Walsh has some traits and skills which a leader should have. E.g. he is always alert about social environment, he is ambitious and achievement oriented, he is assertive, decisive, dominant, energetic, self-confident and tolerant of stress. With this, he has got the some skills which a leader should have. E.g. he is clever, intelligent, creative, diplomatic fluent in speaking, socially skilled. This make is as an exception of the leaders. As per our observation, Willie Walsh is leading the organization with his transactional style. It has been observed that the transactional leadership doesnt work for long time. It is true that Willie Walsh made Aer Lingus from loss making air lines to as most profitable air lines in only one year with his style and own made decisions but if we see the annual data of the Aer Lingus then it clearly shows that Aer Lingus didnt make that profit in continues years. By cutting the cost, job cuts, selling company core assets and making the air line a low cost air line would be the best way to make it profit at that moment but it didnt last for long time. Below is given a chart for data for Aer Lingus as evidence (Aer Lingus Annual reports, 2000-2006). Figure 2: Performance graph of Aer Lingus from 2004 to 2009 (data taken from Aer Lingus Annual reports, 2000-2006) It is clear that Aer Lingus made profit in 2002 and 2003 but after that it made very low profit in 2004. 5. Conclusion: To conclude the whole discussion, I would like to say that Willie Walshs working style is mixture of various leadership styles and there is not such way to explain this type of style. Sometime his decisions take the company on the top but sometimes company has to pay for that. He has the ability to take British Airways to overcome the loss it is currently making. Currently his style of leadership is autocratic who does not involve others into his decision and he believe on himself. Willie Walsh currently has an autocratic image in public and known to be as Darth Vader. He needs to change his leadership style and way of working. We see a good and charismatic leader in him but he needs to improve himself so his sub ordinate can support him in order to make the British Airways success. He needs to bring all other employees into the consideration so that decisions can be made by involvement of all the employees. He took some decision to make the company profit by selling old assets and making Aer Lingus a low cost flight, but it has been observed that that success was for a short span of time. After some time Aer Lingus went into the loss. His decision not always make profit for the organization, sometime company has to pay for his transactional decision. We see sometime leader who takes the harsh decisions can be the good leader but those are successful in some particular cases only. Willie Walsh also falls into this category since he had made Aer Lingus a profitable organization in the past. But this style is not relevant for all kind of situations. He has to adopt the style of situational leader or transformational leader in order to tackle the current situation in British Airways. He needs to change himself according to the required situation. Currently British Airways needs a leader or a leadership style that can bring whole company together and take to the peak of success. In my point of view, an ideal leader is the one who know how to make all of his subordinate work together and how to make the company making success. According to me, Willie Walsh needs to change himself to understand the emotions of his peers so that a good and brave decision can be implemented to make the British Airways success. 6. Reflections: If I Compare Willie Walsh with my previous manager then there is very much difference in the working style of leadership which both acquire. My previous managers style of leadership is a mixture of transformational and situational leadership. He changes himself according to the situation then makes wise decisions to make the team success. Willie Walsh does not involve his sub ordinates into his decisions, whereas, my previous leader used to involve his entire sub ordinates into his decision through team meetings. There was a very transparent working hierarchy in the team and organization I worked for. His way of treating the team members amazing and he used to communicate with them in a regular interval of time. He is a situational leader since he proved this by taking some decision according to the situation to make success and those decisions were proved to be the best decision sometimes. He always involved his colleagues by meeting with them and arrange meeting for project discussion. My previous company has many centers in India and sometime employees have to work from different locations. In that case also he used to arrange the meeting over voip calls so that we can bring our views in his notice. My previous manager has some qualities of charismatic leaders and he always comes in to public to confess his mistake. He was a strong and brave manager like Willie Walsh and he took his decisions without any fear like Willie Walsh but leadership style of both very different. In this study I understand how leadership styles changes leader to leader and organization to organization. I understand that the leader will play a very important role in making a organization success and if leader is ready to change then it is possible to take a company from feet to the peak of success. 7. Bibliography: Bass, B.M. and Avolio, B.J. (1993) Transformational Leadership and Organizational Culture, Public Administration Quarterly, 17 (1) pp. 112-17 Bass, B.M. (1985) Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectation. New York: The Free Press. Bycio, P., Hackett, R.D. and Allen, J.S. (1995) Further Assessments of Basss (1985) Conceptualization of Transactional and Transformational Leadership, Journal of Applied Psychology, 80 (4) pp. 468-78 Howell, J.M. and Avolio, B.J. (1993) Transformational Leadership, Transactional Leadership, Locus of Control and Support for Innovation: Key Predictors of Consolidated-Business-Unit Performance, Journal of Applied Psychology, 78 pp. 891-902 Huczynsky A. A. and Buchanan D. A. (2007) Organizational Behaviour. 6th edn. Essex: Prentice Hall. Kouzes, J. and posner, B. (2003) leadership challenge. San Francisco: Jossey-bass, pp. 22 McCall, M.W. Jr. and Lombardo, M.M. (1983) Off the track: Why and how successful executives get derailed. Greensboro: Centre for Creative Leadership. Ogbonna, E. and Lloyd, C. H. (2000) Leadership style, organizational culture and performance: empirical evidence from UK companies, Int. J. of Human Resource Management, 11 (4) Stogdill, R.M. (1974) Handbook of leadership: A survey of the literature. New York: Free Press. Yukl, G., (1999) An evaluation of conceptual weaknesses in transformational and charismatic leadership theories, The Leadership Quarterly, 10 (2) pp. 285-305 Annual reports of British Airways (2004-2009) Annual reports of Aer Lingus (2000-2006) Web references: 1. British Airways (2009) History and heritage: celebrating 90 years with pride. Available at: http://www.britishairways.com/travel/history-and-heritage/public/en_gb [Accessed on 2nd Dec 2009]. 2. British Airways (2009) Biography: Willie Walsh chief executive. Available at: http://www.bashares.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=69499p=irol-govBioID=135180 [Accessed on 2nd Dec 2009]. 3. British Airways (2009) History and Heritage: Explore our past. Available at: http://www.britishairways.com/travel/explore-our-past/public/en_gb [Accessed on 05 dec 2009]. 4. Business Week (2005) Willie Walsh: Chief Executive, British Airways, Britain. Available at: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_22/b3935411.htm [Accessed on 2nd Dec 2009].

Domestic Violence in the Black Community: Policy Analysis

Domestic Violence in the Black Community: Policy Analysis ‘Behind Closed Doors’: An Investigation into the Effectiveness of Law and Policy in Cases of Severe Domestic Violence in the Black Community Introduction Over the last decade there have been an increasing number of cases of severe domestic violence that have resulted in injury and even the death of one or more parties. The researcher has highlighted a gap in current research into the effectiveness of policy in cases of domestic violence. This gap is mostly due to the relationship between domestic violence and the law being difficult to measure because very often the criminal events that take place, such as assault, occur within the privacy of private homes. Furthermore, research suggests that people who experience domestic violence are less willing to report their experiences, or talk about them afterwards due to feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and fear (Davis and Krane, 2006). Domestic violence in the black community has been recognised as being less likely to be reported mainly because women and young people do not wish to threaten the stability of their position within their community. Women from African Caribbean communities are le ss likely to report their experiences and therefore they experience prolonged abuse over a long, or sometimes indeterminate, time frame. Methodology The research hypothesis focuses on the premise that despite recent amendments to the law the law is not effective enough in preventing the perpetrators of domestic violence from seriously harming others in the home. An overview of current law and policy concerning domestic violence will highlight the need for the government to work more closely with social services in order to better protect women and children who experience domestic violence. Research focuses on inner-city areas in the UK, where black communities are most established specifically on parental relationships and parents’ relationships with their children, and how the law seeks to protect these relationships. Using journal articles and research conducted within the last decade, patterns of domestic abuse will be examined and reasons why some cases are more severe than others will be analysed. The case studies will explore individual accounts of domestic violence. Throughout the dissertation research will be placed into a relevant theoretical framework, informed by studies on criminological theory concerning domestic violence and the law; studies on social work theory concerning violence within the home, and the degree of variation within individual experiences of domestic violence (eg: McGee, 1997 and 2000). Literature Review Domestic violence has been defined as: â€Å"a continuum of behaviour ranging from verbal abuse, physical, and sexual assault, to rape and even homicide. The vast majority of such violence, and the most severe and chronic incidents, are perpetrated by men against women and their children.† (Department of Health [DoH] 2000) In most cases the violence is against women by their partners or spouse and affects children belonging to one or both of them. Children can become victims of domestic violence either through being directly targeted or witnessing scenes of domestic violence between parents and their partners. At least 750,000 children a year witness violence within the home, and nearly three quarters of children on child protection registers live in households where domestic violence occurs. (Dept of Health, 2003). Abuse and violence may be physical, emotional, psychological, financial or sexual, and may be constant or spasmodic, yet domestic violence is experienced by individuals from every class, race, religion and culture the world over (British Medical Association [BMA] 1999). While severe cases of domestic violence can often lead to women being hospitalised, others remain undetectable to the public eye, leaving women who live in constant fear of their partner or spouse, trying to avoid degradation. A study by Mayhew found that psychological and emotional abuse might be constant whilst the physical violence is intermittent (Mayhew et al 1996). For the child or young person this becomes a way of life one without stability or security and this can lead to behavioural problems and even crime. Government Policy The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 (Home Office, 2005) Developing police strategy for collecting evidence at the scene (Home Office 2000). Prosecutions from the Criminal Justice Act 1998 where the victim need not appear in court, but her statement used instead. The protection from Harassment Act 1997 ‘Policy for Prosecuting Cases of Domestic Violence.’ Crown Prosecution Survey (2005) Domestic Violence National Action Plan (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime-victims/reducing-crime/domestic-violence/) The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act (2004) (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime-victims/reducing-crime/domestic-violence/) Support Organisations There are many voluntary organisations such as Shelter, which provide counselling and places of refuge for women and children suffering domestic violence. Refuge provides a Freephone 24-hour National Domestic Violence Helpline Community efforts, such as the ‘Peace Week.’[1] Women’s Aid National Centre for Domestic Violence (http://www.ncdv.org.uk/) Case Studies One of the critical debates concerning domestic violence is the idea of ‘getting used’ to a way of being treated and thus for it to become the norm within family life. An article written by a survivor of domestic violence said of her early years in Jamaica: ‘in my experience it was commonplace to hear of or even witness women/men being beaten by their spouses or partners in public view.’ (Unknown author. http://www.2as1.net/articles/article.asp?id=49.). She comments of violence in the UK, saying that ‘particularly within the Black community, the fighting may not overspill onto the streets but it does occur, behind closed doors.’ The purpose of the case studies will be to expose the difficulties involved in cases of domestic violence, eg: Interpreters can be used to help report cases of DV, but involving a third party in a woman’s private life can be an off-putting idea. Furthermore, religious or cultural beliefs might forbid divorce, and religious community leaders mostly being men, only some speak out about domestic violence. psychological effects of domestic violence, such as blame, guilt (Davis and Krane, 2006) For migrant women there exists a fear that separation from family will not allow them to stay in the UK, and they experience the threat that the partner might abduct the children and take them abroad. (Greenwich Multi-Agency Domestic Violence Forum. 2003) The problem of law enforcement Statistics Statistical research will consider work such as The Home Office survey 2004 (findings from the 2001 British Crime Survey), and Domestic Violence: A Resource Manual for Health Care Professionals, by The Department of Health, 2000. Analysis of Results and Theoretical Approaches Results will be analysed and compared to other relevant studies. The analysis will be placed in the context of criminology theory concerning domestic violence, such as general strain theory and angry aggression theory. This section will also draw from Criminology: Theory, Research, and Policy by Vito et al (2006). Conclusion Research will aim to validate the main hypothesis: namely that recent amendments to law and policy concerning domestic violence have contributed to further protecting women and children. Yet there remain situations where the law sometimes cannot be enforced it is thus important that victims of domestic violence can access 24 hour support from their service providers, and that local authorities become more involved in helping to combat domestic violence. Bibliography Ballou, M, Margolin, A., Youga, J., 2002, ‘Voices of Violence: A Study of Male Adolescent Aggression.’ Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education and Development. Volume: 41. Issue: 2. P. 215+. British Medical Association (BMA), 1999, Domestic Violence: a Health Care Issue? BMA: London Crown Prosecution Survey, ‘Policy for Prosecuting Cases of Domestic Violence.’ (2005) [online]. Available from: http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/docs/DomesticViolencePolicy.pdf [Accessed 09/10/08] Davis, S.P. Fantuzzo, J.W.,1989, ‘The effects of adult and peer social initiations on the social behaviour of withdrawn and aggressive maltreated preschool children.’ Journal of Family Violence, 4 Davis, L., and Krane, J., 2006, ‘Collaborate with Caution: protecting children, helping mothers.’ Critical Social Policy. 26. 412. Available online from: ‘http://csp.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/26/2/412.’ [Accessed 07/10/08] Department of Health, Domestic Violence: A Resource Manual for Health Care Professionals. DoH, London. March 2000 Fantuzzo, J.W., and Mohr, W.K., 1999, ‘Prevalence and Effects of Child Exposure to Domestic Violence.’ The Future of Children. Vol 9. No. 3. Gaudoin, T., Home Truths, 2001, The Times Magazine, pp. 24-9, 10 November Greenwich Multi-Agency Domestic Violence Forum ‘Tackling Domestic Violence.’ 5th Edition. August 2003. Hester, M., Pearson, C. and Harwin, N., Making an Impact. Children and Domestic Violence: a Reader. London: Jessica Kingsley Home Office, 2005, ‘National Plan for Domestic Violence.’ [online] Available from: http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/domesticviolence/domesticviolence51.htm [Accessed 08/10/08] Home Office Research Study 276. ‘Domestic Violence, sexual assault, and stalking: Findings from the British Crime Survey. Home Office March 2004 Home Office 2000. Available from ‘http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/prgpdfs/crimlaw.pdf.’ [Accessed 07/ 10/ 08] Kelly, L., 1996, When Women Protection Is the Best Kind of Child Protection: Children, Domestic Violence and Child Abuse, Administration, 44(2), Mayhew, P., Mirlees-Black, C. and Percy, A., The 1996 British Crime Survey England Wales. Home Office Statistical Bulleting, Issue 19.96. Home Office, London 1996. McGee, C., 2000, Childhood Experiences of Domestic Violence. London: Jessica Kingsley McGee, C., 1997, Childrens Experiences of Domestic Violence, Child and Family Social Work, 2 Memon, K., Wife Abuse in the Muslim Community, Belfast Islamic Centre: http://www.khyber.demon.co.uk/comfort/articles/abuse/htm [Accessed 09/10/08] McGibbon, A. and Kelly, L., Abuse of Women in the Home: Advice and Information. London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. London 1989. Piaget, 1962, Dreams and Imitation in Childhood. Gategno, C., (transltr). New York: W. W. Norton. Richardson J., Coid, J., Petruckevitch, A., Wai Shan Chung, Moorey, S., and Feder, G., 2002, ‘Identifying domestic violence: cross sectional study in primary care.’ BMJ. February 2; 324(7332): 274 Shipway, L, 2004, Domestic Violence: A Handbook for Health Professionals. New York: Routledge Unknown author, ‘Domestic Violence within the Black Community.’ 2as1.Net. Available from ‘http://www.2as1.net/articles/article.asp?id=49.’ Vito, G.F, Maahs, J.R, Holmes, R.M, (2006) Criminology: Theory, Research, and Policy Jones Bartlett Wahl, R., Sisk, D.J., and Ball, T.M., 2004, ‘Clinic-based screening for domestic violence: use of a child safety questionnaire.’ University of Arizona, Department of Pediatrics, June 2004. BMC Med. 2004; 2: 25. Available from: ‘http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=455697.’ [Accessed 09/10/08]. URL’S Women’s Aid. Available from: ‘http://www.womens-aid.org.uk/statistics.php’ [Accessed 08/10/08]. http://endabuse.org/programs/healthcare/files/Pediatric.pdf http://cms.met.police.uk/met/boroughs/hammersmith/04how_are_we_doing/news/community_joins_together_for_peace National Centre for Domestic Violence. Available from: http://www.ncdv.org.uk/ [Accessed 08/110/08] [1] See ‘http://cms.met.police.uk/met/boroughs/hammersmith/04how_are_we_doing/news/community_joins_together_for_peace’ ‘Accessed 27/02/07].

Analysis of Anne Bradstreets To My Dear and Loving Husband Essay

Analysis of Anne Bradstreet's To My Dear and Loving Husband Anne Bradstreet's poem, To My Dear and Loving Husband, shows her profound love and undying affection for her husband. For a Puritan woman who is supposed to be reserved, Bradstreet makes it her obligation to enlighten her husband of her devotion. She conveys this message through her figurative language and declarative tone by using imagery, repetition, and paradoxes. Over and over again she expresses her adoration for him with imagery. "I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold, Or all the riches that the east doth hold. My love is such that rivers can not quench,..." (5-7). Bradstreet is declaring there is nothing as powerful as the love she shares with her husband which is untouchable and eternal. These three line...

LOreal Case Study :: essays research papers

Recognizing the increasing rate of obesity in both children and adults Effortless Innovations, was founded with the goal of decreasing the obesity rate of both children and adults by providing quality exercise equipment for both children and their parents that promote physical activity both indoors and outdoors. Due to the recent increase in the popularity of video games, our company is forced to compete with them in order to make our products more appealing to our target market. It is a trampoline that is surrounded by a protective covering to prevent accidental injury. The jump-o- line also has a carb counter as well as a CD player featured on the side so that you can keep track of how much fat you are burning as well as have music to entertain yourself. The jump-o-line is available in different sizes the standard being 12 foot but 10 and 14 foot also available. We would be targeting parents as well as children. The jump-o-line would be to promote parents and children exercising outdoors together. We would try to make this product as affordable as possible in order to encourage its usage by people from every economic background. One demographic factor that we are taking in to consideration is age; the group that we are targeting is children ages 8-13. We would be targeting the southern and western states because of their warmer climate, which makes our product ideal for outside fun for the entire family. Children and Parents are increasingly overweight; this would promote physical activity as well as encourage parents and children to play, interact and exercise together. Consumers of all races as economic classes could benefit from this product. However, we would be targeting the individuals and families in the working class. The trampoline is a product that is already in existence but we believe that with a few minor changes (CD player and carbohydrate counter) the Jump-o-line will boost the popularity with children. The major competitors to the Jump-o-line are the other trampoline providers such as: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  38† Mini Trampoline available at Goods and Deeds for $29.99 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jumpking 15’ Trampoline and Trampoline enclosure available at Elite Deals for $549.95 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Land Trampoline 12’available at KB toys for $199.99 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Trampoline plus Enclosure Combo available at JCPenny for $299.99 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gaiam Trampoline- Yoga Yoga Gear available at Wal-Mart for $99.95 All of the current competitors sell the idea of fun and excitement. However, the Jump-o-line offers much more and in some cases a more reasonable price.

Montessori Practical life Essay

Most children are passionately interested in practical life activities because the activities respond to all the sensitive periods (important periods of childhood development). Practical life activities build a foundation on which the children will grow and carry over into the other areas of the classroom, and over in to their every day life. The Montessori Practical Life exercises respond to the need for: Order of activities (sequences, routine, hierarchy, a cycle or full rotation of an activity) Movement. All practical life activities involve great movements that are varied and attractive. The variety of movements help the child’s self-awareness within the environment and increase the child’s acquisition of intelligent movement. Sensorial exploration (sights, sounds, smells, and eventually language). Needs and tendencies are responded to, to help the children adapt so that they can actively participate and grown within their environment. A child’s love of work. Practical life activities feed their natural desire to work and play an active role in their environment. Practical Life Lessons Guide Children 1. Construction and integration of the child’s personality through their freedom of choice, and through the variety of their choices. Freedom of choice is necessary for the healthy development of the will. 2. Spontaneous purposeful activity that is only possible when children are allowed to exercise their curiosity through repetition. It is only through repetition that abstraction is possible. This abstraction brings about a feeling of completion for the growing child. 3. Development of co-ordination of movement. The child thinks of the activity, wills himself to the activity, and then does the activity. 4. Development of the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of the child. 5. Purposeful movement that helps the development of the mind, and a sense  of achievement. The development of the child’s mind, movement, and senses will in turn, develop the will. 6. Concentration. The child will concentrate on completing an activity as perfectly as possible; all activities are intelligible, logical, sequential, and exact. Children will internalize this and try to repeat the exercises as perfectly as possible; all exercises have a motive for perfection. 7. Orderly work habits. The children need to internalize presentations in an orderly manner in order to reproduce it in an orderly manner. 8. The practical life exercises develop logical thought through the definite logic in the exercises. There is a beginning, middle, and end to each exercise. 9. The exercises give the children a sense of responsibility from the result of freedom (freedom which is a result of co-ordination of movement and awareness of the environment). Children have the freedom and ability to exercise their will within their environment. 10. Social development. All of the practical life exercises teach the children grace, courtesy, patience, and respect. These elements of social development are re-enforced through the actions of the other children and through the actions of the teacher. 11. Establish a sense of reality, rooted in real activities (nothing is make-believe). Exercises are lucid, logical, and realistic. This helps the children pursue reality. If an activity is not meaningful and purposeful than the mind cannot develop or construct itself. 12. Emotional stability helps the children become familiar with the real world and their environment. It builds self-esteem, and through that, their dignity will flourish. Materials and activities are therapeutic, meaning the mind and body work together. Scope and Sequence of the Montessori Practical Life area Before beginning you must observe the child, know what kind of activities they are drawn to, and understand their current skills and abilities. Not all children will be capable of each activity in the order it is shown below. The order below is a guideline only – not a steadfast rule. It is possible to skip over certain activities as long as the next activity the child chooses does not require knowledge/skill that the child does not yet have. The key is to follow the child and offer appropriate activities according to their abilities. The goal is always to set the child up for success. That’s not to say that the child won’t have to work through an activity and repeat it over and over again before being successful. The child needs to be adequately prepared for the activity, physically and mentally. And last, but not least, adults must use their own judgment and decide if an activity is safe for the child. Many practical life activities do not require expensive ‘Montessori materials’ to be effective. As well, practical life activities will vary from culture to culture. You can read Practical Life Lessons and Practical Life FAQ’s for more information. If you are homeschooling your child and wish to have a little more theory and direction on the presentation of Practical Life materials you can purchase our Practical Life Teaching Manual.

Twilight 6. SCARY STORIES

6. SCARY STORIES As I sat in my room, trying to concentrate on the third act of Macbeth, I was really listening for my truck. I would have thought, even over the pounding rain, I could have heard the engine's roar. But when I went to peek out the curtain – again – it was suddenly there. I wasn't looking forward to Friday, and it more than lived up to my non-expectations. Of course there were the fainting comments. Jessica especially seemed to get a kick out of that story. Luckily Mike had kept his mouth shut, and no one seemed to know about Edward's involvement. She did have a lot of questions about lunch, though. â€Å"So what did Edward Cullen want yesterday?† Jessica asked in Trig. â€Å"I don't know,† I answered truthfully. â€Å"He never really got to the point.† â€Å"You looked kind of mad,† she fished. â€Å"Did I?† I kept my expression blank. â€Å"You know, I've never seen him sit with anyone but his family before. That was weird.† â€Å"Weird,† I agreed. She seemed annoyed; she flipped her dark curls impatiently – I guessed she'd been hoping to hear something that would make a good story for her to pass on. The worst part about Friday was that, even though I knew he wasn't going to be there, I still hoped. When I walked into the cafeteria with Jessica and Mike, I couldn't keep from looking at his table, where Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper sat talking, heads close together. And I couldn't stop the gloom that engulfed me as I realized I didn't know how long I would have to wait before I saw him again. At my usual table, everyone was full of our plans for the next day. Mike was animated again, putting a great deal of trust in the local weatherman who promised sun tomorrow. I'd have to see that before I believed it. But it was warmer today – almost sixty. Maybe the outing wouldn't be completely miserable. I intercepted a few unfriendly glances from Lauren during lunch, which I didn't understand until we were all walking out of the room together. I was right behind her, just a foot from her slick, silver blond hair, and she was evidently unaware of that. â€Å"†¦don't know why Bella† – she sneered my name – â€Å"doesn't just sit with the Cullens from now on.† I heard her muttering to Mike. I'd never noticed what an unpleasant, nasal voice she had, and I was surprised by the malice in it. I really didn't know her well at all, certainly not well enough for her to dislike me – or so I'd thought. â€Å"She's my friend; she sits with us,† Mike whispered back loyally, but also a bit territorially. I paused to let Jess and Angela pass me. I didn't want to hear any more. That night at dinner, Charlie seemed enthusiastic about my trip to La Push in the morning. I think he felt guilty for leaving me home alone on the weekends, but he'd spent too many years building his habits to break them now. Of course he knew the names of all the kids going, and their parents, and their great-grandparents, too, probably. He seemed to approve. I wondered if he would approve of my plan to ride to Seattle with Edward Cullen. Not that I was going to tell him. â€Å"Dad, do you know a place called Goat Rocks or something like that? I think it's south of Mount Rainier,† I asked casually. â€Å"Yeah – why?† I shrugged. â€Å"Some kids were talking about camping there.† â€Å"It's not a very good place for camping.† He sounded surprised. â€Å"Too many bears. Most people go there during the hunting season.† â€Å"Oh,† I murmured. â€Å"Maybe I got the name wrong.† I meant to sleep in, but an unusual brightness woke me. I opened my eyes to see a clear yellow light streaming through my window. I couldn't believe it. I hurried to the window to check, and sure enough, there was the sun. It was in the wrong place in the sky, too low, and it didn't seem to be as close as it should be, but it was definitely the sun. Clouds ringed the horizon, but a large patch of blue was visible in the middle. I lingered by the window as long as I could, afraid that if I left the blue would disappear again. The Newtons' Olympic Outfitters store was just north of town. I'd seen the store, but I'd never stopped there – not having much need for any supplies required for being outdoors over an extended period of time. In the parking lot I recognized Mike's Suburban and Tyler's Sentra. As I pulled up next to their vehicles, I could see the group standing around in front of the Suburban. Eric was there, along with two other boys I had class with; I was fairly sure their names were Ben and Conner. Jess was there, flanked by Angela and Lauren. Three other girls stood with them, including one I remembered falling over in Gym on Friday. That one gave me a dirty look as I got out of the truck, and whispered something to Lauren. Lauren shook out her cornsilk hair and eyed me scornfully. So it was going to be one of those days. At least Mike was happy to see me. â€Å"You came!† he called, delighted. â€Å"And I said it would be sunny today, didn't I?† â€Å"I told you I was coming,† I reminded him. â€Å"We're just waiting for Lee and Samantha†¦ unless you invited someone,† Mike added. â€Å"Nope,† I lied lightly, hoping I wouldn't get caught in the lie. But also wishing that a miracle would occur, and Edward would appear. Mike looked satisfied. â€Å"Will you ride in my car? It's that or Lee's mom's minivan.† â€Å"Sure.† He smiled blissfully. It was so easy to make Mike happy. â€Å"You can have shotgun,† he promised. I hid my chagrin. It wasn't as simple to make Mike and Jessica happy at the same time. I could see Jessica glowering at us now. The numbers worked out in my favor, though. Lee brought two extra people, and suddenly every seat was necessary. I managed to wedge Jess in between Mike and me in the front seat of the Suburban. Mike could have been more graceful about it, but at least Jess seemed appeased. It was only fifteen miles to La Push from Forks, with gorgeous, dense green forests edging the road most of the way and the wide Quillayute River snaking beneath it twice. I was glad I had the window seat. We'd rolled the windows down – the Suburban was a bit claustrophobic with nine people in it – and I tried to absorb as much sunlight as possible. I'd been to the beaches around La Push many times during my Forks summers with Charlie, so the mile-long crescent of First Beach was familiar to me. It was still breathtaking. The water was dark gray, even in the sunlight, white-capped and heaving to the gray, rocky shore. Islands rose out of the steel harbor waters with sheer cliff sides, reaching to uneven summits, and crowned with austere, soaring firs. The beach had only a thin border of actual sand at the water's edge, after which it grew into millions of large, smooth stones that looked uniformly gray from a distance, but close up were every shade a stone could be: terra-cotta, sea green, lavender, blue gray, dull gold. The tide line was strewn with huge driftwood trees, bleached bone white in the salt waves, some piled together against the edge of the forest fringe, some lying solitary, just out of reach of the waves. There was a brisk wind coming off the waves, cool and briny. Pelicans floated on the swells while seagulls and a lone eagle wheeled above them. The clouds still circled the sky, threatening to invade at any moment, but for now the sun shone bravely in its halo of blue sky. We picked our way down to the beach, Mike leading the way to a ring of driftwood logs that had obviously been used for parties like ours before. There was a fire circle already in place, filled with black ashes. Eric and the boy I thought was named Ben gathered broken branches of driftwood from the drier piles against the forest edge, and soon had a teepee-shaped construction built atop the old cinders. â€Å"Have you ever seen a driftwood fire?† Mike asked me. I was sitting on one of the bone-colored benches; the other girls clustered, gossiping excitedly, on either side of me. Mike kneeled by the fire, lighting one of the smaller sticks with a cigarette lighter. â€Å"No,† I said as he placed the blazing twig carefully against the teepee. â€Å"You'll like this then – watch the colors.† He lit another small branch and laid it alongside the first. The flames started to lick quickly up the dry wood. â€Å"It's blue,† I said in surprise. â€Å"The salt does it. Pretty, isn't it?† He lit one more piece, placed it where the fire hadn't yet caught, and then came to sit by me. Thankfully, Jess was on his other side. She turned to him and claimed his attention. I watched the strange blue and green flames crackle toward the sky. After a half hour of chatter, some of the boys wanted to hike to the nearby tidal pools. It was a dilemma. On the one hand, I loved the tide pools. They had fascinated me since I was a child; they were one of the only things I ever looked forward to when I had to come to Forks. On the other hand, I'd also fallen into them a lot. Not a big deal when you're seven and with your dad. It reminded me of Edward's request – that I not fall into the ocean. Lauren was the one who made my decision for me. She didn't want to hike, and she was definitely wearing the wrong shoes for it. Most of the other girls besides Angela and Jessica decided to stay on the beach as well. I waited until Tyler and Eric had committed to remaining with them before I got up quietly to join the pro-hiking group. Mike gave me a huge smile when he saw that I was coming. The hike wasn't too long, though I hated to lose the sky in the woods. The green light of the forest was strangely at odds with the adolescent laughter, too murky and ominous to be in harmony with the light banter around me. I had to watch each step I took very carefully, avoiding roots below and branches above, and I soon fell behind. Eventually I broke through the emerald confines of the forest and found the rocky shore again. It was low tide, and a tidal river flowed past us on its way to the sea. Along its pebbled banks, shallow pools that never completely drained were teeming with life. I was very cautious not to lean too far over the little ocean ponds. The others were fearless, leaping over the rocks, perching precariously on the edges. I found a very stable-looking rock on the fringe of one of the largest pools and sat there cautiously, spellbound by the natural aquarium below me. The bouquets of brilliant anemones undulated ceaselessly in the invisible current, twisted shells scurried about the edges, obscuring the crabs within them, starfish stuck motionless to the rocks and each other, while one small black eel with white racing stripes wove through the bright green weeds, waiting for the sea to return. I was completely absorbed, except for one small part of my mind that wondered what Edward was doing now, and trying to imagine what he would be saying if he were here with me. Finally the boys were hungry, and I got up stiffly to follow them back. I tried to keep up better this time through the woods, so naturally I fell a few times. I got some shallow scrapes on my palms, and the knees of my jeans were stained green, but it could have been worse. When we got back to First Beach, the group we'd left behind had multiplied. As we got closer we could see the shining, straight black hair and copper skin of the newcomers, teenagers from the reservation come to socialize. The food was already being passed around, and the boys hurried to claim a share while Eric introduced us as we each entered the driftwood circle. Angela and I were the last to arrive, and, as Eric said our names, I noticed a younger boy sitting on the stones near the fire glance up at me in interest. I sat down next to Angela, and Mike brought us sandwiches and an array of sodas to choose from, while a boy who looked to be the oldest of the visitors rattled off the names of the seven others with him. All I caught was that one of the girls was also named Jessica, and the boy who noticed me was named Jacob. It was relaxing to sit with Angela; she was a restful kind of person to be around – she didn't feel the need to fill every silence with chatter. She left me free to think undisturbed while we ate. And I was thinking about how disjointedly time seemed to flow in Forks, passing in a blur at times, with single images standing out more clearly than others. And then, at other times, every second was significant, etched in my mind. I knew exactly what caused the difference, and it disturbed me. During lunch the clouds started to advance, slinking across the blue sky, darting in front of the sun momentarily, casting long shadows across the beach, and blackening the waves. As they finished eating, people started to drift away in twos and threes. Some walked down to the edge of the waves, trying to skip rocks across the choppy surface. Others were gathering a second expedition to the tide pools. Mike – with Jessica shadowing him – headed up to the one shop in the village. Some of the local kids went with them; others went along on the hike. By the time they all had scattered, I was sitting alone on my driftwood log, with Lauren and Tyler occupying themselves by the CD player someone had thought to bring, and three teenagers from the reservation perched around the circle, including the boy named Jacob and the oldest boy who had acted as spokesperson. A few minutes after Angela left with the hikers, Jacob sauntered over to take her place by my side. He looked fourteen, maybe fifteen, and had long, glossy black hair pulled back with a rubber band at the nape of his neck. His skin was beautiful, silky and russet-colored; his eyes were dark, set deep above the high planes of his cheekbones. He still had just a hint of childish roundness left around his chin. Altogether, a very pretty face. However, my positive opinion of his looks was damaged by the first words out of his mouth. â€Å"You're Isabella Swan, aren't you?† It was like the first day of school all over again. â€Å"Bella,† I sighed. â€Å"I'm Jacob Black.† He held his hand out in a friendly gesture. â€Å"You bought my dad's truck.† â€Å"Oh,† I said, relieved, shaking his sleek hand. â€Å"You're Billy's son. I probably should remember you.† â€Å"No, I'm the youngest of the family – you would remember my older sisters.† â€Å"Rachel and Rebecca,† I suddenly recalled. Charlie and Billy had thrown us together a lot during my visits, to keep us busy while they fished. We were all too shy to make much progress as friends. Of course, I'd kicked up enough tantrums to end the fishing trips by the time I was eleven. â€Å"Are they here?† I examined the girls at the ocean's edge, wondering if I would recognize them now. â€Å"No.† Jacob shook his head. â€Å"Rachel got a scholarship to Washington State, and Rebecca married a Samoan surfer – she lives in Hawaii now.† â€Å"Married. Wow.† I was stunned. The twins were only a little over a year older than I was. â€Å"So how do you like the truck?† he asked. â€Å"I love it. It runs great.† â€Å"Yeah, but it's really slow,† he laughed. â€Å"I was so relived when Charlie bought it. My dad wouldn't let me work on building another car when we had a perfectly good vehicle right there.† â€Å"It's not that slow,† I objected. â€Å"Have you tried to go over sixty?† â€Å"No,† I admitted. â€Å"Good. Don't.† He grinned. I couldn't help grinning back. â€Å"It does great in a collision,† I offered in my truck's defense. â€Å"I don't think a tank could take out that old monster,† he agreed with another laugh. â€Å"So you build cars?† I asked, impressed. â€Å"When I have free time, and parts. You wouldn't happen to know where I could get my hands on a master cylinder for a 1986 Volkswagen Rabbit?† he added jokingly. He had a pleasant, husky voice. â€Å"Sorry,† I laughed, â€Å"I haven't seen any lately, but I'll keep my eyes open for you.† As if I knew what that was. He was very easy to talk with. He flashed a brilliant smile, looking at me appreciatively in a way I was learning to recognize. I wasn't the only one who noticed. â€Å"You know Bella, Jacob?† Lauren asked – in what I imagined was an insolent tone – from across the fire. â€Å"We've sort of known each other since I was born,† he laughed, smiling at me again. â€Å"How nice.† She didn't sound like she thought it was nice at all, and her pale, fishy eyes narrowed. â€Å"Bella,† she called again, watching my face carefully, â€Å"I was just saying to Tyler that it was too bad none of the Cullens could come out today. Didn't anyone think to invite them?† Her expression of concern was unconvincing. â€Å"You mean Dr. Carlisle Cullen's family?† the tall, older boy asked before I could respond, much to Lauren's irritation. He was really closer to a man than a boy, and his voice was very deep. â€Å"Yes, do you know them?† she asked condescendingly, turning halfway toward him. â€Å"The Cullens don't come here,† he said in a tone that closed the subject, ignoring her question. Tyler, trying to win back her attention, asked Lauren's opinion on a CD he held. She was distracted. I stared at the deep-voiced boy, taken aback, but he was looking away toward the dark forest behind us. He'd said that the Cullens didn't come here, but his tone had implied something more – that they weren't allowed; they were prohibited. His manner left a strange impression on me, and I tried to ignore it without success. Jacob interrupted my meditation. â€Å"So is Forks driving you insane yet?† â€Å"Oh, I'd say that's an understatement.† I grimaced. He grinned understandingly. I was still turning over the brief comment on the Cullens, and I had a sudden inspiration. It was a stupid plan, but I didn't have any better ideas. I hoped that young Jacob was as yet inexperienced around girls, so that he wouldn't see through my sure-to-be-pitiful attempts at flirting. â€Å"Do you want to walk down the beach with me?† I asked, trying to imitate that way Edward had of looking up from underneath his eyelashes. It couldn't have nearly the same effect, I was sure, but Jacob jumped up willingly enough. As we walked north across the multihued stones toward the driftwood seawall, the clouds finally closed ranks across the sky, causing the sea to darken and the temperature to drop. I shoved my hands deep into the pockets of my jacket. â€Å"So you're, what, sixteen?† I asked, trying not to look like an idiot as I fluttered my eyelids the way I'd seen girls do on TV. â€Å"I just turned fifteen,† he confessed, flattered. â€Å"Really?† My face was full of false surprise. â€Å"I would have thought you were older.† â€Å"I'm tall for my age,† he explained. â€Å"Do you come up to Forks much?† I asked archly, as if I was hoping for a yes. I sounded idiotic to myself. I was afraid he would turn on me with disgust and accuse me of my fraud, but he still seemed flattered. â€Å"Not too much,† he admitted with a frown. â€Å"But when I get my car finished I can go up as much as I want – after I get my license,† he amended. â€Å"Who was that other boy Lauren was talking to? He seemed a little old to be hanging out with us.† I purposefully lumped myself in with the youngsters, trying to make it clear that I preferred Jacob. â€Å"That's Sam – he's nineteen,† he informed me. â€Å"What was that he was saying about the doctor's family?† I asked innocently. â€Å"The Cullens? Oh, they're not supposed to come onto the reservation.† He looked away, out toward James Island, as he confirmed what I'd thought I'd heard in Sam's voice. â€Å"Why not?† He glanced back at me, biting his lip. â€Å"Oops. I'm not supposed to say anything about that.† â€Å"Oh, I won't tell anyone, I'm just curious.† I tried to make my smile alluring, wondering if I was laying it on too thick. He smiled back, though, looking allured. Then he lifted one eyebrow and his voice was even huskier than before. â€Å"Do you like scary stories?† he asked ominously. â€Å"I love them,† I enthused, making an effort to smolder at him. Jacob strolled to a nearby driftwood tree that had its roots sticking out like the attenuated legs of a huge, pale spider. He perched lightly on one of the twisted roots while I sat beneath him on the body of the tree. He stared down at the rocks, a smile hovering around the edges of his broad lips. I could see he was going to try to make this good. I focused on keeping the vital interest I felt out of my eyes. â€Å"Do you know any of our old stories, about where we came from – the Quileutes, I mean?† he began. â€Å"Not really,† I admitted. â€Å"Well, there are lots of legends, some of them claiming to date back to the Flood – supposedly, the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive like Noah and the ark.† He smiled, to show me how little stock he put in the histories. â€Å"Another legend claims that we descended from wolves – and that the wolves are our brothers still. It's against tribal law to kill them. â€Å"Then there are the stories about the cold ones.† His voice dropped a little lower. â€Å"The cold ones?† I asked, not faking my intrigue now. â€Å"Yes. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land.† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Your great-grandfather?† I encouraged. â€Å"He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf-well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors. You would call them werewolves.† â€Å"Werewolves have enemies?† â€Å"Only one.† I stared at him earnestly, hoping to disguise my impatience as admiration. â€Å"So you see,† Jacob continued, â€Å"the cold ones are traditionally our enemies. But this pack that came to our territory during my great-grandfather's time was different. They didn't hunt the way others of their kind did – they weren't supposed to be dangerous to the tribe. So my great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they would promise to stay off our lands, we wouldn't expose them to the pale-faces.† He winked at me. â€Å"If they weren't dangerous, then why†¦ ?† I tried to understand, struggling not to let him see how seriously I was considering his ghost story. â€Å"There's always a risk for humans to be around the cold ones, even if they're civilized like this clan was. You never know when they might get too hungry to resist.† He deliberately worked a thick edge of menace into his tone. â€Å"What do you mean, ‘civilized'?† â€Å"They claimed that they didn't hunt humans. They supposedly were somehow able to prey on animals instead.† I tried to keep my voice casual. â€Å"So how does it fit in with the Cullens? Are they like the cold ones your greatgrandfather met?† â€Å"No.† He paused dramatically. â€Å"They are the same ones.† He must have thought the expression on my face was fear inspired by his story. He smiled, pleased, and continued. â€Å"There are more of them now, a new female and a new male, but the rest are the same. In my great-grandfather's time they already knew of the leader, Carlisle. He'd been here and gone before your people had even arrived.† He was fighting a smile. â€Å"And what are they?† I finally asked. â€Å"What are the cold ones?† He smiled darkly. â€Å"Blood drinkers,† he replied in a chilling voice. â€Å"Your people call them vampires.† I stared out at the rough surf after he answered, not sure what my face was exposing. â€Å"You have goose bumps,† he laughed delightedly. â€Å"You're a good storyteller,† I complimented him, still staring into the waves. â€Å"Pretty crazy stuff, though, isn't it? No wonder my dad doesn't want us to talk about it to anyone.† I couldn't control my expression enough to look at him yet. â€Å"Don't worry, I won't give you away.† â€Å"I guess I just violated the treaty,† he laughed. â€Å"I'll take it to the grave,† I promised, and then I shivered. â€Å"Seriously, though, don't say anything to Charlie. He was pretty mad at my dad when he heard that some of us weren't going to the hospital since Dr. Cullen started working there.† â€Å"I won't, of course not.† â€Å"So do you think we're a bunch of superstitious natives or what?† he asked in a playful tone, but with a hint of worry. I still hadn't looked away from the ocean. I turned and smiled at him as normally as I could. â€Å"No. I think you're very good at telling scary stories, though. I still have goose bumps, see?† I held up my arm. â€Å"Cool.† He smiled. And then the sound of the beach rocks clattering against each other warned us that someone was approaching. Our heads snapped up at the same time to see Mike and Jessica about fifty yards away, walking toward us. â€Å"There you are, Bella,† Mike called in relief, waving his arm over his head. â€Å"Is that your boyfriend?† Jacob asked, alerted by the jealous edge in Mike's voice. I was surprised it was so obvious. â€Å"No, definitely not,† I whispered. I was tremendously grateful to Jacob, and eager to make him as happy as possible. I winked at him, carefully turning away from Mike to do so. He smiled, elated by my inept flirting. â€Å"So when I get my license†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he began. â€Å"You should come see me in Forks. We could hang out sometime.† I felt guilty as I said this, knowing that I'd used him. But I really did like Jacob. He was someone I could easily be friends with. Mike had reached us now, with Jessica still a few paces back. I could see his eyes appraising Jacob, and looking satisfied at his obvious youth. â€Å"Where have you been?† he asked, though the answer was right in front of him. â€Å"Jacob was just telling me some local stories,† I volunteered. â€Å"It was really interesting.† I smiled at Jacob warmly, and he grinned back. â€Å"Well,† Mike paused, carefully reassessing the situation as he watched our camaraderie. â€Å"We're packing up – it looks like it's going to rain soon.† We all looked up at the glowering sky. It certainly did look like rain. â€Å"Okay.† I jumped up. â€Å"I'm coming.† â€Å"It was nice to see you again,† Jacob said, and I could tell he was taunting Mike just a bit. â€Å"It really was. Next time Charlie comes down to see Billy, I'll come, too,† I promised. His grin stretched across his face. â€Å"That would be cool.† â€Å"And thanks,† I added earnestly. I pulled up my hood as we tramped across the rocks toward the parking lot. A few drops were beginning to fall, making black spots on the stones where they landed. When we got to the Suburban the others were already loading everything back in. I crawled into the backseat by Angela and Tyler, announcing that I'd already had my turn in the shotgun position. Angela just stared out the window at the escalating storm, and Lauren twisted around in the middle seat to occupy Tyler's attention, so I could simply lay my head back on the seat and close my eyes and try very hard not to think.