The Golden Lily Chapter 11

I'M NOT A PHYSICAL PERSON. I'm decent in volleyball, and Eddie once taught me to throw a punch. But I make no claims to having the kind of training that guardians get. I certainly don't have their reflexes. So, in this situation, unable to break free of restraint, I pretty much did the only thing I could. I screamed. â€Å"Help! Somebody help!† My hope was that it would delay Sonya's captors from decapitating her or whatever it was they planned to do. I also hoped it would, well, bring help. We'd departed from the main downtown roads but were still close enough that someone should hear me – especially since there had still been a decent number of people out earlier. One of the attackers holding Sonya flinched, so I supposed I was partially successful. My own captor clamped a hand over my mouth and pushed me harder against the brick wall. Then, a strange thing happened. He – because he had the right build to be male, even though I couldn't make out his face – froze. He was still holding me, but his body had gone rigid. It was almost like he was shocked or surprised. I wasn't sure why. Surely someone screaming for help when assaulted wasn't that weird. I didn't think I could overpower him but still hoped I might take advantage of his stunned state. I pushed forward again, trying to get out of his grip. I only managed to move a few inches before he locked me back into place. â€Å"We need to go!† exclaimed one of Sonya's captors. Another guy. From what I could tell, they all were. â€Å"Someone will come.† â€Å"This'll only take a second,† growled the one holding the sword. â€Å"We need to rid the world of this evil.† I watched in terror, my heart seizing in my chest. I was afraid for myself, but I was especially afraid for Sonya. I'd never seen a decapitation. I didn't want to start now. Half a second later, I found myself suddenly free. Someone new had joined our fray, someone who ripped my captor away and tossed him easily to the pavement. It looked painful, and the guy landed with a grunt. Even in this poor lighting, the height and coat gave my savior away. It was Dimitri. I'd seen him fight before, but it never got old. He was captivating. He never stopped moving. Every action was graceful and lethal. He was a dancer of death. Ignoring the guy he'd just thrown, Dimitri surged toward the others. He immediately went for the guy with the sword. A swift kick from Dimitri sent the assailant flying backward. He dropped the sword and barely managed to catch hold of one of the churchyard trees. Meanwhile, one of the men holding Sonya simply turned tail and ran back toward downtown. Dimitri didn't pursue. His attention now was on the last guy, who was foolishly attempting to fight back. This freed Sonya, however, and she wasted no time getting to her feet and scurrying over to my side. I was rarely touchy-feely with anyone – certainly not Moroi – but I clung to her without even thinking twice. She did the same, and I could feel her trembling. Once, as a Strigoi, she'd been a force to be reckoned with. As a Moroi, one who'd just had a sword at her throat, things were understandably different. The guy facing down Dimitri actually managed a couple of good dodges. His mistake came when he attempted to hit Dimitri. It opened his guard, and like that, Dimitri punched him hard in the face. The tall guy who'd hit the tree earlier attempted an attack, but he was an idiot if he thought Dimitri was distracted. Dimitri dispatched him easily, and he landed near the guy Dimitri had just punched. The tall one struggled to his feet and looked like he wanted to attack again. His friend grabbed hold of him and tugged him away. After a moment's struggle between them, the two finally ran off. Dimitri didn't pursue. His attention was all on Sonya and me. â€Å"Are you okay?† he asked, swiftly striding over to us. I managed a weak nod, even though I was shaking uncontrollably. â€Å"Let's get out of here,† said Dimitri. He put a hand on each of our shoulders and began to steer us away. â€Å"Wait,† I said, moving toward the churchyard. â€Å"We should take the sword.† I scanned in front of me, but it was even darker than before. Dimitri found the sword right away with his superior eyesight. He tucked it under his duster, and the three of us quickly got out of there. We walked to Adrian's apartment, since it was much closer than Clarence's property outside of town. Even so, the brief trip seemed to take forever. I kept feeling like we could be attacked again at any moment, but Dimitri continued giving us assurances, while still pushing us at a good pace. Adrian was surprised to see us at his door. He also looked pretty drunk, but I didn't care. All I wanted was the security of his four walls. â€Å"What†¦ what's going on?† he asked, as Dimitri urged Sonya and me inside. Adrian's eyes looked at each of us, resting longest on me. â€Å"Are you okay? What happened?† Dimitri gave Sonya and me a once-over, double-checking for injuries despite our protests. He reached out and gently held my chin, turning my non-tattooed cheek toward him. â€Å"A little scraped,† he said. â€Å"Not serious, but you should clean it.† I touched the spot he'd indicated and was astonished to see blood on my fingers. I didn't even remember getting hurt but supposed it had come from the brick wall. Sonya had no physical marks but admitted to having a pretty bad headache from where she'd hit the ground. â€Å"What happened?† Adrian asked again. Dimitri held up the sword he'd retrieved from the scene. â€Å"Something a little more serious than a mugging, I think.† â€Å"I'd say so,† said Sonya, sitting on the couch. Her attitude was amazingly calm for what we'd just endured. She touched the back of her head and winced. â€Å"Particularly since they called me a creature of evil before you showed up.† Dimitri arched an eyebrow. â€Å"They did?† I hadn't moved once I'd reached the living room. I simply stood there with my arms wrapped around myself, feeling numbed. Movement seemed too difficult. Thinking seemed too difficult. As Dimitri examined the sword, however, something caught my eye and made my sluggish brain slowly begin to function again. Seeing my interest, he held the sword out to me. I took it, careful of the blade, and examined the hilt. It was covered with engravings. â€Å"Do those mean something to you?† he asked. My mind was still cloudy with fear and adrenaline, but I ignored it and tried to dredge up some facts. â€Å"These are old alchemy symbols,† I said. â€Å"From the Middle Ages, back when our group was just a bunch of medieval scientists trying to turn lead into gold.† That was all the history books knew about my society. That, and we'd eventually given up on gold. The organization had later found more sophisticated compounds, including vampire blood. Interacting with vampires had eventually evolved into our current cause, as ancient Alchemists realized the terrible and dark temptations vampires represented. Our cause became a holy one. The chemistry and formulas my society had once worked on for personal gain became the tools needed to hide the existence of vampires, tools we now supplemented with technology. I tapped the largest symbol, a circle with a dot in the center. â€Å"This is actually the symbol for gold. This other one is silver. These four triangle things are the basic elements – earth, air, water, and fire. And these†¦ Mars and Jupiter, which tie into iron and tin. Maybe the sword's composition?† I frowned and studied the rest of the metal. â€Å"No gold or silver actually in it, though. Their symbols can also refer to the sun and moon. Maybe these aren't physical at all. I don't know.† I handed the sword back to Dimitri. Sonya took it from him, studying what I'd pointed out. â€Å"So, are you saying this is an Alchemist weapon?† I shook my head. â€Å"Alchemists would never use something like this. Guns are easier. And the symbols are archaic. We use the periodic table now. Easier to write ‘Au' for gold instead of drawing that sun symbol.† â€Å"Is there any reason these would be on a weapon? Some greater symbolism or meaning?† Dimitri asked. â€Å"Well, again, if you go back, the sun and gold were the most important to the ancient Alchemists. They revolved around this whole idea of light and clarity.† I touched my cheek. â€Å"Those things are still important in some ways – it's why we use this gold ink. Aside from the benefits, the gold marks us as†¦ pure. Sanctified. Part of a holy cause. But on a sword†¦ I don't know. If whoever did this was going off the same symbolism, then maybe the sword is sanctified.† I thought back to the attackers' words, about returning to Hell. I grimaced. â€Å"Or maybe its owners feel it's serving some kind of holy duty.† â€Å"Who were these guys anyway?† asked Adrian. â€Å"Do you think Jill's at risk?† â€Å"They knew about vampires. But they were human,† said Dimitri. â€Å"Even I could tell that,† I agreed. â€Å"The one was pretty tall, but he was no Moroi.† Admitting our assailants had been human was difficult – and baffling – for me. I'd always believed the Strigoi were evil. That was easy. Even Moroi couldn't always be trusted, which was why the thought of Moroi assassins coming after Jill didn't seem that far-fetched. But humans†¦ the people I was supposed to be protecting? That was tough. I'd been attacked by my own kind, the so-called good guys, not the fanged fiends I'd been taught to fear. It was a jolt to my worldview. Dimitri's face grew even grimmer. â€Å"I've never heard of anything like this – mainly because most humans don't know about Moroi. Aside from the Alchemists.† I gave him a sharp look. â€Å"This had nothing to do with us. I told you, swords aren't our style. Neither are attacks.† Sonya set the sword down on the coffee table. â€Å"No one's making accusations about anyone. I assume it's an issue you'll both want to bring up to your groups.† Dimitri and I nodded. â€Å"Although, I think we're overlooking a key point here. They were treating me like a Strigoi. A sword's not the easiest way to kill someone. There'd have to be a reason.† â€Å"It's the only way a human could kill a Strigoi, too,† I murmured. â€Å"Humans can't charm a silver stake. I suppose they could set you on fire, but that's not practical in an alley.† Silence fell as we all mulled this over. At last, Sonya sighed. â€Å"I don't think we're going to get anywhere tonight, not without talking to others. Do you want me to heal that?† It took me a moment to realize she was talking to me. I touched my cheek. â€Å"No, it'll heal fast on its own.† That was one of the side effects of the vampire blood in our lily tattoos. â€Å"I'll go clean it before I go.† I walked to the bathroom as confidently as I could. When I reached it and saw my reflection in the mirror, I lost it. The scrape wasn't bad, not at all. Mostly, what upset me was what it represented. Sonya had had the blade to her throat, but my life had been in danger too. I had been attacked, and I'd been helpless. I wet a washcloth and tried to bring it to my face, but my hands were shaking too badly. â€Å"Sage?† Adrian appeared in the doorway, and I quickly tried to blink away the tears that had started to fill my eyes. â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"You okay?† â€Å"Can't you tell from my aura?† He didn't answer but instead took the washcloth from me before I dropped it. â€Å"Turn,† he commanded. I did, and he dabbed the scrape with it. With him standing so close to me, I could see that his eyes were bloodshot. I could also smell the alcohol on him. Nonetheless, his hand was steadier than mine. Again, he asked, â€Å"You okay?† â€Å"I'm not the one who had a sword to my throat.† â€Å"That's not the question I asked. Are you hurt anywhere else?† â€Å"No,† I said, looking down. â€Å"Just maybe†¦ maybe my pride.† â€Å"Your pride?† He paused to rinse the washcloth. â€Å"What does that have to do with anything?† I looked up but still didn't meet his eyes. â€Å"I can do a lot of things, Adrian. And – at the risk of sounding egotistical – I mean, well, I can do a lot of pretty awesome things that most people can't.† There was amusement in his voice. â€Å"Don't I know it. You can change a tire in ten minutes while speaking Greek.† â€Å"Five minutes,† I said. â€Å"But when my life's on the line – when others' lives are on the line – what good am I? I can't fight. I was completely helpless out there. Just like when the Strigoi attacked us and Lee. I can only stand and watch and wait for people like Rose and Dimitri to save me. I†¦ I'm like a storybook damsel in distress.† He finished cleaning my cheek and set the washcloth down. He cupped my face in his hands. â€Å"The only thing true about what you just said was the storybook damsel part – and that's only because you're pretty enough to be one. Not the distress thing. Everything else you just said was ridiculous. You're not helpless.† I finally looked up. In our conversations, Adrian wasn't usually the one accusing me of being ridiculous. â€Å"Oh? So I am like Rose and Dimitri?† â€Å"No. No more than I am. And, if memory serves, someone told me recently it was useless trying to be like other people. That you should only try to be yourself.† I scowled at having my words thrown back at me. â€Å"This isn't the same situation at all. I'm talking about taking care of myself, not impressing someone.† â€Å"Well, there's your other problem, Sage. ‘Taking care of yourself.' These encounters you've had – Strigoi, crazy guys with swords. Those aren't exactly normal. I don't think you can really get down on yourself for not being able to fight back against those kinds of attacks. Most people couldn't.† â€Å"I should be able to,† I muttered. His eyes were sympathetic. â€Å"Then learn. That same person who likes giving me advice once told me not to be a victim. So don't be. You've learned how to do a million other things. Learn this. Take a self-defense class. Get a gun. You can't be a guardian, but that's not the only way to protect yourself.† A cluster of emotions boiled within me. Anger. Embarrassment. Reassurance. â€Å"You've got a lot to say for a drunk guy.† â€Å"Oh, Sage. I've got a lot to say, drunk or sober.† He released me and stepped away. I felt oddly vulnerable without him near. â€Å"What most people don't get is that I'm more coherent like this. Less chance for spirit to make me crazy.† He tapped the side of his head and rolled his eyes. â€Å"Speaking of which†¦ I'm not going to give you any lectures about that,† I said, glad to shift the topic from me. â€Å"Lunch with your dad sucked. I get it. If you want to drown that out, it's fine. But please, just keep Jill in mind. You know what this does to her – not now, maybe, but later.† The ghost of a smile flickered across his lips. â€Å"You're always the voice of reason. Just try listening to yourself once in a while.† The words were familiar. Dimitri had said something similar, that I couldn't take care of others without taking care of myself first. If two people as wildly different as Adrian and Dimitri had the same opinion, then maybe there was something to it. It gave me a lot to think about when I returned to Amberwood later. One of the good things about Adrian's intoxication was that Jill hadn't been able to witness our talk. So the next day over lunch when I gave Jill, Eddie, and Angeline a recap of what had happened, I was able to edit the story and leave out my own breakdown. Jill and Angeline's reactions were about what I expected. Jill was concerned and kept asking over and over if Sonya and I were okay. Angeline regaled us with tales of all the things she would've done to the attackers and how, unlike Dimitri, she would have chased them through the streets. Eddie was quiet and didn't say much until the other two had left, Angeline back to her room and Jill to get ready for class. â€Å"I thought something was wrong with you today,† he said. â€Å"Especially at breakfast, when Angeline called a tomato a vegetable and you didn't correct her.† I managed a half smile at his joke. â€Å"Yeah. Well, it's the kind of thing that sticks with you. I mean, maybe not for you guys. Random sword attacks in dark alleys are normal for you, right?† He shook his head, face serious. â€Å"You can't ever take any attack in stride. People who do get careless. You have nothing to feel bad about.† I'd been stirring some sketchy looking mashed potatoes and finally gave up. â€Å"I don't like being unprepared. For anything. Don't get me wrong – I've been there when you and Rose fought Strigoi. I was helpless then too†¦ but that's different. They're larger than life†¦ beyond a human's scope. I don't really expect myself to be able to fight then. But what happened last night – even with the sword – was only one step away from a mugging. Mundane. And they were human, like me. I shouldn't have been so ineffectual.† â€Å"Do you want me to teach you some tricks?† he asked kindly. That brought my smile back. â€Å"What you do is a little larger than life too. Maybe I'd be better doing something a little more suited to my level. Adrian said I should get a gun or take a self-defense class.† â€Å"That's good advice.† â€Å"I know. Scary, huh? The Alchemists do gun-training, but I'm not a fan. I do pretty well at classes and theory, though.† He chuckled. â€Å"Very true. Well, if you change your mind, let me know. After working with Angeline, I'm ready for anything. Although†¦ to be fair, she's backed off a little.† I thought back to my last real conversation with her. Her fight and suspension had only been yesterday but felt like years ago. â€Å"Oh. I sort of had a talk with her.† â€Å"What kind of talk?† he asked, surprised. â€Å"I told you not to worry about my personal life. It's my problem.† â€Å"I know, I know. But it just kind of happened. I told her that her behavior was out of line and that she needed to stop. She was pretty mad at me, though, so I wasn't sure if it had gotten through.† â€Å"Huh. I guess it did.† The next words obviously were a big concession. â€Å"Maybe she's not as bad as I thought.† â€Å"Maybe,† I agreed. â€Å"And look at it this way. At least her suspension means you don't have to worry about her at the dance.† From the way his face lit up, it was clear he hadn't realized that yet. A few moments later, he toughened up again. â€Å"If there are attacks going on like this, I'm going to have to be extra cautious with Jill – especially at the dance.† I hadn't thought there was any way Eddie could be more cautious, but probably he'd prove me wrong. â€Å"I kind of wish Angeline was going.† Most of my classes were distracting enough to keep me from thinking too much about last night, but Ms. Terwilliger's independent study was different. It was too quiet, too low-key. It gave me a lot of time in my own head, bringing back all the fear and self-doubt I'd been trying to ignore. For once, I copied and notated the spells without really memorizing them. Usually, I couldn't help myself. Today, my mind wasn't there. We were almost halfway through the period when I finally tuned in enough to really process what I was working on. It was a spell from Late Antiquity that allegedly made the victim think scorpions were crawling on him or her. Like so many of Ms. Terwilliger's spell books, the formula was convoluted and time consuming. â€Å"Ms. Terwilliger?† I hated to ask anything of her, but recent events weighed too heavily on me. She looked up in surprise from her paperwork. After the cold war we'd entered into, she'd grown used to me never speaking unless spoken to. â€Å"Yes?† I tapped the book. â€Å"What good are these so-called offensive spells? How would you ever use them in a fight when they require concoctions that take days to prepare? If you're attacked, there's no time for anything like that. There's hardly any time to think.† â€Å"Which one are you looking at?† she asked. â€Å"The scorpion one.† She nodded. â€Å"Ah, yes. Well, that's more of a premeditated one. If you've got someone you don't like, you work on this and cast it. Quite effective for ex-boyfriends, I might add.† Her face grew distracted, and then she focused back on me. â€Å"There are certainly ones that would be more useful in the kind of situation you're describing. Your fire charm, if you recall, had a lot of prep work but could be used quite quickly. There are others that can be cast on extremely short notice with few components – but as I've said in the past, those types require considerable skill. The more advanced you are, the less you need ingredients. You need a lot more experience before you're at a level to learn anything like that.† â€Å"I never said I wanted to learn anything like that,† I snapped. â€Å"I'm just†¦ making an inquiry.† â€Å"Oh? My mistake. It almost sounded like you were, dare I say, interested.† â€Å"No!† I was grateful that the healing magic in my tattoo had cleared up most of the bruising on my face from last night. I didn't want her to suspect that I might have serious motivation for protection. â€Å"See, this is why I never say anything in here. You read too much into it and just use it to further your agenda to torment me.† â€Å"Torment? You read books and drink coffee in here – exactly what you'd be doing if you weren't here.† â€Å"Except that I'm miserable,† I told her. â€Å"I hate every minute of this. I'm almost ready to stop coming and risk the academic fallout. This is all sick and twisted and – † The last bell of the day cut me off before I said something I'd regret. Almost immediately, Trey appeared in the doorway. Ms. Terwilliger began packing up and looked over at him with a smile, as though everything in here was perfectly normal. â€Å"Why, Mr. Juarez. How nice of you to show up now, seeing as you couldn't make it to my class this morning.† Looking back, I realized she was right. Trey hadn't been in her history class or our chemistry class. â€Å"Sorry,† he said. â€Å"I had some family stuff to take care of.† â€Å"Family stuff† was an excuse I used all the time, though I doubted Trey's had involved taking vampires on a blood feeding run. â€Å"Can you, uh, tell me what I missed?† he asked. Ms. Terwilliger slung her bag over her shoulder. â€Å"I have an appointment. Ask Miss Melbourne – she'll probably explain it more thoroughly than I can. The door will lock behind you when you two leave.† Trey sat down in a nearby desk and pulled it up to face mine while I produced our history and chemistry assignments, since I assumed he'd need the latter as well. I nodded toward the duffle bag he had on the floor beside him. â€Å"Off to practice?† He leaned over to copy the assignments, his dark hair falling around the sides of his face. â€Å"Wouldn't miss it,† he said, not looking up as he wrote. â€Å"Right. You only miss classes.† â€Å"Don't judge,† he said. â€Å"I would've been there if I could.† I let it go. I'd certainly had my fair share of weird personal complications come up before. While he wrote, I turned on my cell phone and found I had a text message from Brayden. It was one word, a record for him: Dinner? I hesitated. I was still worked up over last night, and although Brayden was fun, he wasn't the comfort I needed right now. I texted back: Not sure. I've got some work to do tonight. I wanted to look up some self-defense options. That was the reassurance I needed. Facts. Options. Brayden's quick response followed: Late dinner? Stone Grill at 8? I considered it and then texted back that I'd be there. I had just set down my phone when another text message buzzed. Unexpectedly, it was from Adrian. How r u feeling after last night? Been worried about u. Adrian was articulate in email but often resorted to abbreviations in texts – something I could never bring myself to do. Even reading it was like listening to nails on a chalkboard for me, yet something touched me about his concern, that he was worried about my well-being. It was soothing. I wrote back: Better. I'm going to find a self-defense class. His response time was nearly as fast as Brayden's: Let me know what u find. Maybe I'll take one 2. I blinked in surprise. I certainly hadn't seen that coming. There was only one thing I could send back: Why? â€Å"Geez,† said Trey, closing up his notebook. â€Å"Miss Popularity.† â€Å"Family stuff,† I said. He scoffed and shoved the notebook into his backpack. â€Å"Thanks for these. And speaking of family stuff†¦ your cousin. Is it true she was expelled?† â€Å"Suspended for two weeks.† â€Å"Really?† He stood up. â€Å"That's it? I thought it'd be a lot worse.† â€Å"Yeah. It nearly was. I persuaded them to go easy on her.† Trey laughed outright at that. â€Å"I can only imagine. Well, I guess I can wait two weeks then.† I frowned. â€Å"For what?† â€Å"To ask her out.† I was speechless for a few seconds. â€Å"Angeline?† I asked, just in case he thought I had another cousin. â€Å"You want to ask out†¦ Angeline?† â€Å"Sure,† he said. â€Å"She's cute. And taking out three guys and a speaker? Well†¦ I'm not going to lie. That was pretty hot.† â€Å"I can think of a lot of words to describe what she did. ‘Hot' isn't one of them.† He shrugged and moved toward the door. â€Å"Hey, you've got your turn-ons, I've got mine. Windmills for you, brawling for me.† â€Å"Unbelievable,† I said. Yet, I wondered if it really was. I supposed we did all have our own â€Å"turn-ons.† Trey's lifestyle was certainly different from mine. He was devoted to his sport and always had bruises on him from practice, even now. They were more severe than usual. I couldn't understand his passions any more than he could understand my love of knowledge. My phone buzzed again. â€Å"Better get back to your fan club,† said Trey. He left, and a strange thought occurred to me. Were all of Trey's recent bruises really from sports? He kept making a lot of references to his family, and I suddenly wondered if something far more insidious than I'd suspected was keeping him away. It was a troubling idea, one I didn't have a lot of experience with. Another buzz from the phone pulled me out of my worries. I checked the phone and found another text from Adrian – a long one that spanned two messages. It was a response to my question about him taking a self-defense class. It'll give me a reason to avoid S&D. Besides, u aren't the only one who might need protection. Those guys were human and knew S was a vampire. Maybe vampire hunters r real. Ever think Clarence might be telling the truth? I stared at the phone in disbelief, processing Adrian's words and the implications of last night's attack. Ever think Clarence might be telling the truth? No. Until that moment, I hadn't.

Faces of Aids: Gender Inequality and Hiv/Aids

Running Head: Face of AIDS: Gender Inequality and HIV/AIDS 1 Face of AIDS: Gender Inequality and HIV/AIDS Introduction The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which eventually develops into acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a devastating disease that has reached pandemic levels, affecting all populations worldwide. Since the first reported case of HIV/AIDS in the early 1980s, HIV/AIDS has become one of the leading causes of mortality across the globe in the history of mankind (U. S.Global Health Policy [USGHP], 2010). While HIV/AIDS has contributed significantly to the global burden of disease; amongst those living with HIV/AIDS, it has had devastating impacts on women and girls. Amid 40 million people living with HIVAIDS globally, virtually half of them are women (Quinn & Overbaugh, 2005). In addition, new infection rates have been escalating dramatically worldwide, with most centralized in developing countries (The Global Coalition on Women and AIDS [GCWA], n. d. ).In su b-Saharan Africa, women account for almost 60% of all infected adults, while girls account for approximately 75% of all infected young people between ages of 15 and 24 (Brijnath, 2007; Quinn & Overbaugh, 2005). In developing countries such as sub-Saharan Africa, the proportion of women infected with HIV/AIDS is also on the rise, for every ten men infected with HIV/AIDS, 13 women are diagnosed HIV-positive (Brijnath, 2007). In developed countries such as United States, the incidence of HIV/AIDS had increased by 15% compared with 1% that of men from 1999 to 2003 (Quinn & Overbaugh, 2005).These alarming statistics imply an ominous future for women and girls affected by the disease – feminization of HIV/AIDS. This paper will highlight the burden of disease implications on gender inequality in developing nations. Running Head: Face of AIDS: Gender Inequality and HIV/AIDS 2 Feminization of HIV/AIDS When HIV/AIDS cases were first reported, it was viewed that HIV/AIDS was a disease a mongst homosexual men, and the main modes of transmission were through men who have sex with men (MSM).Presently, however, 80% of infections were contracted through heterosexual sex while 19% were through drug injections (Quinn & Overbaugh, 2005). It is evident that women and girls are bearing a hefty portion of the burden of HIV/AIDS. Women and girls are socially, physically, and biologically more vulnerable to HIV/AIDs transmissions and stigma associated with the disease. On the societal level, women in developing countries are perceived as being inferior, which is the root cause of gender profiling and stigma towards this group (Quinn & Overbaugh, 2005).The society have set the stage for women and girls to be more susceptible to means for HIV/AIDS transmission; furthermore infringing on their freedom of choice. Due to cultural structure and gender norms, women and girls are deprived of education, thus they grow to be economically dependent on men. This limits their autonomy to re fuse sexual liaisons with their intimate partner. For instance, the practice of safe sex through condom usage is mainly the males’ choices, while women have restricted negotiation power (Mulligan, 2006). The minority status of women in developing countries thus exposes them to high rates of HIV/AIDS infections.Gender norms impacts of HIV/AIDS are discerning and even more harmful towards women and girls because they face stigmatization and discrimination on a greater magnitude than men. An ethnographic study conducted by Carr et al. (2004) reported that women were more concerned about the psychosocial insinuations affiliated with being HIV-positive, rather Running Head: Face of AIDS: Gender Inequality and HIV/AIDS 3 than the adverse health outcomes of the disease. The fear of stigmatization accompanying disclosure of HIV-positive status has hindered women from reaching out for appropriate and necessary medical and mental support.Stigma and discrimination have shown to have neg ative effects on women’s mental and physical wellbeing because they suffer from social isolation and low self-esteem (Carr & Gramling, 2004). This has not only resulted in the under-representation of HIV-positive women, it has also created barriers for women to attain better health (Carr & Gramling, 2004). Being physically inferior to men, women are prone to be coerced and being victims of sexual violence. These factors contribute to escalating infection rates because there is an increasing likelihood for survival sex work (Brijnath, 2007).Attributable to poverty and lack of education, women resolve to prostitution for survival. The combination of lack of knowledge regarding practices of safe sex and frequent encounters of sexual partners further enhance women and girls’ vulnerabilities to contracting the disease. Sexual violence is also a common theme among women living with HIV/AIDS (Rountree & Mulraney, 2008). Moreover, it has also been suggested that women are biol ogically more susceptible to disease progression of HIV/AIDS when taking hormonal contraceptives (Quinn & Overbaugh, 2005).The Global Coalition on Women and AIDS The feminization of HIV/AIDS is evident, and requires serious attention. Gender inequality in developing countries has placed significant burden of disease on women, and has been the propelling force for feminization of HIV/AIDS pandemic. In recognizing and fully comprehending the severity of this pandemic, The Global Coalition on Women and AIDS (GCWA) has taken initiative towards fighting for a brighter future for women on a national level. Running Head: Face of AIDS: Gender Inequality and HIV/AIDS 4GCWA is an UNAIDS collaborative effort, which involves diverse networks of organizations and political bodies to alleviate this burden of disease on women and girls (GCWA, n. d. ). The objectives of GCWA are to provide necessary medical attention to those in need, raising awareness, mitigate violence against women, and promote gender equality. GCWA tackles issues concerned with gender inequality and the adverse impacts it has had on women. Public Health Intervention Recommendation Gender inequality and inferiority are the undertow that has deteriorated the feminization trend of HIV/AIDS.Public health initiatives should focus on empowering women and improving their independence. This can be achieved through specialized support systems that educate and raise public awareness of the roots and gravity of the situations. Furthermore, this should be complemented with employment referencing and acquisition support programs to enrich their economic autonomy. Conclusion HIV/AIDS has become a feminizing pandemic, resulting in disproportionate burden of disease on women and girls. Traditional subordination of women as minorities has exacerbated the severity of the issues.Global Coalition on Women and AIDs is a comprehensive initiative that targets the root of this problem. Future initiatives for decreasing this gap of gender inequality should emphasize on empowering women and promoting their autonomy. Running Head: Face of AIDS: Gender Inequality and HIV/AIDS 5 References Brijnath, B. (2007). It’s about time: Engendering AIDS in Africa. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 9(4), 371-386. Carr, R. L. , & Gramling, L. F. (2004). Stigma: A health barrier for women with HIV/AIDS. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 15(5), 30-39. Mulligan, S. (2006). Women and HIV/AIDS.The Furrow, 57(4), 232-238. Quinn, T. C. , & Overbaugh, J. (2005). HIV/AIDS in women: An expanding epidemic. Women’s Health, 308, 1582-1583. Rountree, M. A. , & Mulraney, M. (2008). HIV/AIDS risk reduction intervention for women who have experienced intimate partner violence. Clinical Social Work Journal, 38, 207-216. The Global Coalition on Women and AIDS. (n. d. ). About GCWA. Retrieved March 25, 2011, from http://www. womenandaids. net/about-gcwa. aspx U. S. Global Health Policy. (2010). AIDS deaths (adults an d children) 2009. Retrieved March 27, 2011, from http://www. globalhealthfacts. org/topic. jsp? i=7

Breast Cancer And Its Effects On Cancer

Breast cancer begins as a group of cancer cells that invade tissues in the breast . When new cells form when they are not needed from the body or don 't die when they are supposed to, a build up of cells creates a mass of tissue called a tumor or lump. Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that forms in the tissues of the breast. Mostly in women but can also occur in men. Statistics show that 1 in 8 women in America will have invasive breast cancer in her lifetime and it is estimated that†¦ and colleges revisited a previously studied subject of DNA Methylation of the hTERT gene in breast cancer to see if they could reproduce previous findings using a more practical method (1). MS-PCR is a cost efficient and simple non-time consuming process to perform; therefore, it is a practical way to amplify DNA in methylation studies. The hTERT gene codes for telomerase which is especially active in cancer cells. Methylation of the DNA in the -600 bp region upstream of the transcription site is linked†¦ are over two hundred types of cancer. (Professor Walkowicz) More than seven million people world-wide die every year from this terrible disease. (Professor Walkowicz) Over sixty percent of cancer is preventable but how do these statistics change when compared with gender? Is the mortality rate disproportional when it comes to sex? According to recent reports men are more likely to get cancer and die of cancer than women. For example, according to data compiled by Cancer Research UK, men were sixty†¦ Breast cancer is one of the leading cancers that affect a myriad of people in today’s society. â€Å"About 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 12%) will develop breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.† (Breast Cancer, 2016). Some people diagnosed with this type of cancer could have the opportunity to detect it early on due to screenings or self-evaluations. However despite early detection, it does not guarantee that the cancer can be treated in its entirety. Different stage levels decide the degree in which†¦ and the main reasoning for that would be breast cancer. During the 1970s-1980s breast cancer mortality increased as oppose to the 1990s-2013 when breast cancer mortality decreased by 37 percent due to early detection and mammography screening1. It is advised that women should perform their own exam at home daily, going along the breast extending into the armpits pressing firmly for any lumps or changes in the breast. Often times, at first, breast cancer could be asymptomatic, meaning showing no†¦ Breast Cancer Breast cancer has been the most concentrated on focus for finding a cure, asides from AID’s, for decades. It is a serious issue that plagues not only women, but, in some rare cases, men too. 1 in 8 United States women (approximately 12%) will develop some form of breast cancer, according to breastcancer.org. One should perform a self-examination once a month. There are 4 stages of breast cancer, with 4 being the most severe. To determine the stage of breast cancer, tumor size, lymph†¦ Breast Cancer It was not that long ago that the author this paper did not understand the entirety of what it meant when someone was told they had breast cancer. Although she had a basic understanding of the horrific consequences, she did not understand how complex and elusive cancer could be. She did not understand the difference between staging and grading tumors, nor the different tumor markers and what they meant. She knew chemotherapy and radiation were treatments, but knew very little about†¦ for breast cancer or cannot afford the costs for mammography screening. The CDC (2014) states that breast cancer is the number one leading cause of death amongst women in the United States. In the year 2014, it was estimated that there were over 232,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 62,570 new cases of situ breast cancer (Komen, 2014). According to the American Cancer Society (2014), 1 out of 8 women who are younger than 45 years old has been diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and†¦ Breast Cancer impacts many people, whether it is the person that has the illness themselves, or even their families. Breast cancer affects the patient in ways such as â€Å"burning breasts, hair loss, liver issues, and going for blood every single week, not to mention having a weakened immune system, and being sick constantly†(Brentin), as described in an interview. Even after one becomes cancer free there are still so many complications from breast cancer. When asked what some of the changes to her body†¦ of different cancers that people tend to hear of. Cancer is abnormal cells that grow out of control and invade a healthy person’s body. When these cells do not grow normally things can go wrong. When cancer occurs it is because the cells divide more than they should and begin to form masses also known as tumors. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the most common type of cancer is breast cancer and is the second leading cause of cancer death in woman. Breast cancer is when the malignant†¦

Burning of Fossil Fuels Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Burning of Fossil Fuels - Essay Example This act has been faced by many criticisms but at the same time the environmentalists have deemed it necessary for reducing global warming. In this paper we shall discuss the pros and cons of this EPA policy and its impact on the environment as well as its social impacts. The burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil, has led to emission of greenhouses in excessive amounts. Although the green house is essential for our survival as it keeps the earth surface warmer but release of excessive gasses in the atmosphere will increase the temperature of the Earth’s surface from 3.2 to 7.2?F above 1990 levels by the end of this century. This will not have an adverse effect on the environment but will also badly affect people, plants and animals. The Federal government of U.S is continuously working towards its aim to stop global warming. Many measures are been taken by them, one of which is reduce the emissions of CO2 by the coal power plants and encouraging the use of natural gas for power plants. These measures are definitely necessary for preserving the environment. It will save thousands of lives from various diseases- heart and lung diseases, malaria, smog diseases, chronic bronchitis, asthma, severe coughs and so on. Our children will grow up as healthier individuals without having to face the diseases in their childhood. Furthermore it will restore back the nature to its original form.

What are the pros and cons of the new military retirement system Research Paper

What are the pros and cons of the new military retirement system - Research Paper Example Retirement from services is the common end to all professions, whether in financial services, educational services, government jobs, or jobs in the defense sector. However, the provisions and procedure of retirement varies from sector to sector and across time periods. The retirement policies followed in the military system, too, has varied greatly with the passage of time. There are large differences between the retirement policies followed by the military in earlier times and the ones practiced in the 20th century. The greatest attraction of a strenuous military career has always been the benefits and incentives offered on retirement. Since the earlier periods, through the World War II era to the current times, dialogues have been exchanged on the subject of reform of the military retirement schemes. The primary focus of all these meetings and discussions was to reduce the government expenditure on the military system, by reducing the monetary compensation paid to the retirees. How ever, it is interesting to observe â€Å"that of the dozens of study groups, commissions, committees, boards, task forces, and the like that have recommended making major structural cuts, only one such has been enacted into law, in 1986 -- and that was essentially repealed (i.e., its cuts made voluntary) in 1999, seven years before it would become effective†. ... The retirement allowance of the active military personell is based on the longevity of their services. Usually, after 20 years of services a person is allowed to retire and enjoy pensions and benefits. The retirement decision of the disabled retirees, on the other hand, may depend on the longevity of service or the degree of disability suffered. The monthly annuity of retirees is calculated on the basis of Cost-Of-Living-Allowances (COLA), which ensures that their income is guaranteed against inflationary trends. These monetary benefits are accompanied by some non-monetary benefits â€Å"which include exchange and commissary privileges, medical care through TRICARE, and access to Morale, Welfare and Recreation facilities and programs† (Henning, 2008) The old discussions on the reformation of these provisions have continued in recent times as well and their objectives have remained much the same, i.e. a reduction in government expenditure. This paper will, now, study in detail the advantages and disadvantages of the current military retirement system. Advantages of the new Military Retirement System: Monetary Benefits: The present system of military retirement is divided into three categories of compensation. They can be described as follows. For the people who have entered the services before 8th September, 1980, the monthly annuity will be calculated over the basic pay. This is referred to as the System 1. For the people who have entered the services during the period of 8th September, 1980 to 31st July, 1986, the monthly income will be the average of the highest income in three years. This system is called System 2 or High 3. Lastly, those who entered the services on or after the date of 1st August, 1986, have the right to choose between the High-3 system and the

Diplomatic Immunity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Diplomatic Immunity - Essay Example Yet because of ambiguities in the interpretation of the said international agreement, abuses of diplomatic immunities have become inevitable. These abuses of power and privilege range from petty crimes like traffic violations and debt to more serious crimes of conspiracy, rape, and murder. Because of this, efforts to clarify the extent and provisions of Diplomatic Immunity should take place. This paper will then attempt to provide suggestions on how to resolve and prevent abuses of diplomatic immunities. Diplomatic immunity, as agreed upon by the standards of international law, is a form of legal exemption extended to a country's diplomats. This entitles the diplomats and their immediate families to be exempted from the laws and local courts of the host country. Some of the general provisions of diplomatic immunity guarantee that the diplomats and their immediate families: "may not be arrested or detained, may not have their residences entered or searched, may not be subpoenaed as witnesses, and may not be prosecuted." (eDiplomat, 2006) The 1958 Yearbook of International Law Commission, as cited in Vrk (2003), mentions three theories about the legal bases of diplomatic immunity. ... ntatives of a sending state, the diplomats should also be given the same independence as a receiving state would have negotiated with the sending state itself. These two theories, of course, have long been deduced to legal fictions with all the faulty assumptions. The accepted theory behind diplomatic immunity now lies in the "theory of functional necessity." This theory is based on the need of diplomatic missions and diplomats to efficiently perform their duties and responsibilities according to what their country requires from them, without apprehensions of being criminally charged by the receiving state. For instance, diplomats are able to initiate unfounded penal proceedings without hindrances from the receiving state because of diplomatic immunity. According to eDiplomat (2006), "Diplomatic immunity is not meant to benefit individuals personally; it is meant to ensure that foreign officials can do their jobs. Under the concept of reciprocity, diplomats assigned to any country in the world benefit equally from diplomatic immunity." This assumption that diplomatic immunity would be reciprocally observed between sovereign states justifies the seemingly biased scales of justice. The rationale why countries agree to be dependent on a foreign country's decision before prosecuting a diplomat in their own territory is based on the fact that these countries are both receiving and sending diplomats. This means that they also have their own diplomats' immunity at stake in different countries across the globe. It is clearly stated in the preamble of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations that "the purpose of such privileges and immunities is not to benefit individuals but to ensure the efficient performance of the functions of diplomatic missions as representing

SEC 10K Paper on Target Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

SEC 10K Paper on Target - Assignment Example The corporate headquarters of the company are located in and around Minneapolis, Minnesota - United States, and Mississauga, Ontario- Canada. The financial statements of Target Company to be analyzed are as at February 1, 2014 and February 2, 2013 and the consolidated results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended February  1, 2014 were audited by Ernst  & Young  LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm on February 14, 2014. Profitability: Target Company reported the lowest profits of $ 1,971 in 2013 compared to $ 2,999 and $ 2,929 in 2012 and 2011 respectively. The company incurred huge investments in Canada whose returns was much less than the costs.. Its U.S segment reported profits that seems to have cushioned the company’s consolidated income. Long-Term Debt: Target has a long-term debt worth $ 12,622 million as at February 1, 2014. Types of long-term debts: notes, debentures. Long-term debts decreased in 2013 as compared to $ 14,654 million in 2012. Target Company suffers from poor credit rating. Retained Earnings: Beginning balance is $ 13,155 million and ending balance is $ 12,599. The retained earnings increased because of repurchasing of stock and also, part of the dividends declared was not paid. Target Company paid dividends worth $ 1006 million. Statement of Cash Flows: Ending balance is $ 6520 million. The cash balance increased due to the firm’s increased operations both in Canada and U.S investors always prefer investing in firms with prospective higher returns and potential to faster growth. Fast growing firms often indicate a net income but have their cash held in accounts receivable or depend too heavily on bank financing. This is implied by the items falling under investing activities of the cash flow statement. Our company always has a surplus cash budget. In summary, sales increased showing a positive

Precis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Precis - Essay Example This article throws light on a critical issue of which I had very little knowledge earlier. It opened my eyes to the negative side of globalization that basically triggered deforestation of the Amazon. Though the author has partially blamed the local people that are involved in logging and cattle ranching; but in my opinion, the government is solely responsible for not keeping its laws strict enough for people to avoid committing environmental crimes. The government has introduced Plano Amazonia to develop the Amazon forests which would further increase the rate of deforestation. Loggers and cattle farmers work together and keep moving the agricultural frontier upwards after having deforested some parts of the Amazon. At the cost of deforestation, Brazil has become the largest beef exporter in the whole world. With the efforts of environmentalists, the big exporters of soya bean and beef have pledged not to buy from growers in the Amazon, which is commendable and would save the Amazo n forests to a great deal. The congress has approved a land reform bill that claims to end illegal farming and environmental crimes but environmentalists are wary of it. Illegal land holdings are prevalent in the Amazon. The new law aims to introduce land regularization and eventually stop deforestation but it is very difficult for the weak Brazilian state to enforce it. Environmentalists have proposed commercializing the products of the forests, which would benefit the local people as well. Amazon fund have been set up by the Brazilian government and many countries, the UN and private companies shall donate to put an end to deforestation. Building roads through the forests to connect far off areas is essential for economic development, despite the effect that it would contribute to deforestation. Efforts are underway to preserve the forests as a

Plitical scienceNormative ideas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Plitical scienceNormative ideas - Essay Example Normative ideas can hence be defined as coming into existence when predicted development are connected with ideas about desired or undesired development, and when the insight of this connection consequently establish a concern about developments that will take place in the future and probably a need to make a choice (Scheuer & John 214). For instance, when one associates predictions about further technological innovation of the agricultural sector to ideals that hold that policies should be aimed at protecting against environmental exhaustion, concerns may be established about the escalation of agricultural production. It is suggested that normative ideas are either found among the public or directed to the public. Therefore, normative ideas may be seen as public sentiments on one hand that are basic and often implicit that sets boundary for an array of acceptable solution while, on the other hand, they may be used by decision makers strategically to frame policies that will be accep table among the public (Scheuer & John 214). ... Several scholars have tried to define more clearly how we can characterize ideas that have both normative and empirical character. Some classify ideas from the high normative level down to the empirical by distinguishing between principled beliefs, world views and causal beliefs. Ideas play a role both in the contested forefront of politics and in a more established background which is usually taken for granted (Scheuer & John 215). In a detailed empirical reality and analysis, there is detailed causal effect relationship with a more embedded background, wider world views and policy paradigms which are more taken for-granted ontological assumptions about reality and systems of theory used to interpret this empirical reality. Empirical analyses proximate reality and construct ideas as detailed empirics, causal beliefs and explicit empirical theories which are based on paradigms, deeper assumption and systems of thought about empirical reality and policy. On the other hand, normative l evels involve frames and ideas that are based on cultural sentiments, deeply held public sentiments norms and ideologies. An idea as a cultural value denotes normative setting, postulation about good and bad and about an ideal world (Scheuer & John 217). Frames, on the other hand, are foreground ideas symbols and spin images that package reality and, which help structure the terms of popular policy thinking and discussion (Jayapalan 254). Empirical analyses of political issues sometime may not serve the intended purpose fully well. It may lead to certain expectations about the future, but these expectations become falsified by occurrences. For instance, in 1980, there were parliamentary elections in Tamilnadu which were followed by assembly elections. From the observation of the

Annotation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Annotation - Essay Example Ray has to sell his Black Panthers on the March, so Spurgeon accompanies him against his will. There, he listens to a boy speaking about freedom. He learns that he should have to shed the ant of his self, that blind, crumb-seeking part of himself that is keeping him from achieving his dreams. But, he is confused because he has the burden of his father on his shoulders which he cannot throw away because of his dreams. The author has used remarkable descriptive language to describe the conflict the father and son. There are metaphors in a myriad of places. Consider these lines: â€Å"Freedom is attained only when the ant of the self – that small, blind, crumb-seeking part of ourselves – casts off slavery and its legacy, becoming a huge brave ox† (Packer). The ant of the self personifies the self of the man, which keeps him a slave unless he sheds all his fears. We can also take it like this: Spurgeon, like an ant, keeps on trying to pick up the crumbs of appreciation and likeness from his father who is void of all these things. The reader comes across a tension in the relationship between Ray and Spurgeon. They differ in their class attitudes, as they seem to be belonging to invisible, mind-created, different economic backgrounds. These lines are a proof of this: â€Å"When most people talk about investing, they mean stocks and bonds and mutual funds. What my father means is his friend Splo’s cockfighting arena†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Packer). The language used is ironic, and uses insulting words like â€Å"pussy† when the author wants to describe how the father talks to his son. It was very exciting for me to come across the tension that was there between the father and son. Generally, this bond is based on love, respect and support. But here, I read about the contrasting personalities. The most threatening issue that tore the relationship apart was that both of them had totally contrasting psyches. They did not get along

Feminism and Homosexuality in Theater Essay Example for Free

Feminism and Homosexuality in Theater Essay Feminism in theater has a very close relationship with the depiction of homosexuality onstage. Playwrights and performance artists who advocate feminism have seen theater as a powerful tool to make the public understand their views. The work of artists such as Lillian Hellman, Holly Hughes, and Anna Deavere Smith shape the discussion of feminism and homosexuality in the theater. Lillian Hellman was a playwright who’s known for plays that discussed the psychological and social manifestations of evil. Her work was revolutionary because she created strong female characters at a time when men ruled American theater. On the subject of homosexuality, Hellman’s most relevant work was â€Å"The Children’s Hour† (Champion and Nelson 156). While â€Å"The Children’s Hour† sends a powerful message on the topic of homosexuality, Hellman herself wasn’t a homosexual and her work may have reflected her attitude toward the subject. Hellman described the play to a reporter as â€Å"not really a play about lesbianism, but a lie (Griffin and Thorsten 27). † According to Hellman, the bigger the lie, the better it gets. â€Å"The Children’s Hour,† which opened on Broadway on November 20, 1934, painted a grim but clear depiction of Hellman’s view. â€Å"The Children’s Hour† is about the lives of two young women who opened a school for girls. Eventually, their lives are gradually ruined when one of the students accuses them of lesbianism. The characters of Martha Dobie and Karen Wright were realistically rendered by Hellman, resulting in a Broadway hit that would have 691 performances. This was a milestone of an achievement since America at the time was very conservative and homosexuality was a taboo subject (Griffin and Thorsten 27). Homosexuality was so taboo a subject in the Western world that the play was banned in Chicago, Boston, and London. While the play earned critical success in France and New York, it wasn’t awarded the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1935 because the subject matter was still thought to be too sensitive at the time. Critics from New York however, protested the refusal of conservative bodies in the theater industry by forming the Drama Critics’ Circle. The organization has since then presented its own awards for plays they thought were relevant to art and society (Griffin and Thorsten 27). Hellman’s guardedness toward the issue of homosexuality is reflected on the play’s morality, which though clearly controversial and shocking at the time, was nevertheless morally acceptable to the majority of audiences. One glaring example of this is the fact that in the play, the accusation that Martha Dobie and Karen Wright were engaged in a lesbian relationship was simply a lie. An archetypal malicious teenager named Mary Tilford who studied in the school for girls fabricated the story. In fact, Karen was engaged to Dr. Joe Cardin, whom she really loved. Martha may have really been a lesbian in the story, but fearing for her sexuality, she committed suicide after revealing her thoughts and feelings to Karen (Griffin and Thorsten 28). Despite her sensational plays often associated with left-wing politics and feminism, Hellman considered herself largely a â€Å"moral writer. † The issue of homosexuality was primarily just a tool in the story to illustrate Hellman’s view that good people sometimes bring about harm because of their unwillingness to challenge evil. Karen was clearly painted in the play as a heterosexual and Martha seemed to have paid for her crime (homosexuality) with her life. Aside from reaffirming the norms of American society at the time, the play also apparently satisfied the morality of the conservative audience (Griffin and Thorsten 28). â€Å"The Children’s Hour† may have shied away from directly defending homosexuality, but it nevertheless showed the gradual opening of society to the broader roles of women. Martha and Karen were women who earned their own money, thus sending a message that they were independent and had some sort of power to satisfy their desires. These female characters were different from another of Hellman’s characters named Regina in â€Å"The Little Foxes. † While Regina depended on others’ money and the things she got from her manipulation of men, Martha and Karen had the education and administrative skills which led to the success of the all girls’ school they founded. Joe, Karen’s partner, also symbolized the growing number of egalitarian men at the time. He was very supportive of his partner’s wish to continue her career after their marriage and he also respected her dedication to the school she co-founded. He even defended Karen and Martha to his aunt after Mary’s mother convinced other parents to take their children out of the school because of the lesbianism charge (Griffin and Thorsten 28). In effect, while the play was hesitant to probe the reality of homosexuality more deeply, it did affirm in the audience’s mind the expanding role and power of women in society. Hellman might have been too guarded about lesbianism, but performance artist Holly Hughes was definitely vocal about her views about homosexuality and homosexual relationships. Hughes was an openly homosexual performance artist and writer of various plays and books that center on the topic of homosexuality. Her work has both been debated and celebrated by artists and intellectuals. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) refused to fund Hughes’ work in the summer of 1990 because of its sensitive subject matter, which resulted in a fierce debate and controversy in the world of performance art. One of Hughes’ most controversial pieces is a play entitled â€Å"Well of Horniness. † Lynda Hart, Assistant Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote that the â€Å"Well of Horniness† is both â€Å"transgressive and aggressive† because it dismantles the audience’s preconceived notions about lesbian homosexuality. The play is loosely based on a classic novel about lesbian homosexuality written by Radclyffe Hall. Hughes’ play became very successful and eventually inspired two sequels: â€Å"Part II: Victim Victoria† and â€Å"Part III: In the Realm of the Senseless (Hart and Phelan 60-61). † The play is mostly representational, with the plot repeatedly interrupted by mock commercials and commentaries (Hart and Phelan 60-61). The memorable characters of â€Å"Well of Horniness† include Georgette, Rod, and Vicki. Georgette is Rod’s sister and Vicki is Rod’s fiancee. Vicki and Georgette are members of a sorority called Tridelta Tribads. Georgette meets Rod and Vicki at a restaurant, and Georgette soon recognizes Vicki as someone she knows from her past sorority. Vicki instantly desires Georgette and stares at her longingly. While dining at the restaurant, Vicki drops her fork underneath the table. As she goes down to pick it up, she’s drawn instead to Georgette’s legs, which Hughes writes, were â€Å"two succulent rainbows leading to the same pot of gold (Hart and Phelan 61-62). † The aggressive affirmation of homosexual reality masked in comedy is performed in the play as Vicki continues to give Georgette cunnilingus while Rod delivers a monologue on honeymoon getaways. In productions of the play at East Village, Manhattan, this scene is performed explicitly with Georgette in a comedic manner to Vicki underneath the table. Vicki then gets up and says she’s feeling â€Å"a little too hot† and goes to the bathroom (Hart and Phelan 62). Rod tells Georgette that he senses â€Å"something fishy† but he can’t â€Å"put his finger† on it (Hart and Phelan 62). Georgette then replies, â€Å"I’m working on it. † The comedic conversation happens in the context of a play that is filled with references to fish, eager beavers, muff-divers, and other terms associated with lesbianism (Hart and Phelan 62). In contrast to â€Å"The Children’s Hour†, â€Å"Well of Horniness† certainly drives home its message on homosexuality in a more direct, striking manner. Hughes’ play doesn’t hide behind other issues or concerns such as the â€Å"lie† or â€Å"evil† in Hellman’s play, and instead hits audiences with the reality of homosexuality right away. It is this controversial nature of Hughes work that has made her notorious for conservative critics and even lesbians and other homosexuals who review her work. Hart though, thinks that Hughes’ play effectively challenges heterosexual hegemony. Its borderline messages and controversial nature opens up a â€Å"hopeful new space of visibility† for feminism and its supporters (Hart and Phelan 62). The popular scene from â€Å"Well of Horniness† is even more notable because it shatters lesbian stereotypes. Lesbians at the time were thought of as homosexuals who generally assumed male identities. Vicki though, was already engaged to Rod and yet still desired other women. Vicki’s performance of oral sex for Georgette in close proximity to her fiance destroys any notions the audiences might have regarding lesbianism and the sexuality of women. Since the play is representational, Rod’s character mainly stands for heterosexual hegemony, which explains why the character is named â€Å"Rod† to refer to male phallic symbol. Hughes shows that homosexual realities are happening throughout society despite the blind functioning of heterosexual institutions, such as marriage, as the play points out. Unlike Hellman, Hughes seems more concerned with homosexuality than feminism, although the empowerment of women might also be addressed by her aggressive plays. Through the clear depiction of women as freely desiring beings, Hughes is able to free women from societal stereotypes. â€Å"Women† isn’t a category of human beings who can only desire men. Instead, it’s a fuzzy category that mostly refers to female human beings who may desire any sex and express that desire in different ways. Overarching Hellman and Hughes’ work may be the amazing work of Anna Deavere Smith, performance artist, playwright, writer, and professor. Smith has received numerous awards and is widely known for her performances which have her assuming the identities of more than twenty people. Smith employs few props, such as chairs and tables to differentiate identities in her performances. All the identities she plays are real people who are interviewed beforehand about a social issue. The result of her lengthy monologues is a stunning commentary on the differences that fracture a community. One of Smith’s most popular acts is called â€Å"On the Road,† which she has been performing since 1982. In one of her performances, Smith interviewed twenty-five men and women from Princeton University on subjects such as the university’s eating clubs which are exclusive to men, assault against women, and the condition of black students among others. The fifty-minute dialogue that results from this research entertains and delights audiences at the same time. Smith usually invites her subjects to attend her performances and their reaction is usually positive. Many of them even laugh out loud when they recognize their own selves in the numerous identities performed. Some of them though, get unsettled when they see their views juxtaposed with others from the community (Hart and Phelan 35). This unsettling of the self may be one of the main goals of Smith in structuring her acts through such a unique manner. According to Smith, her goal is â€Å"to find American character in the ways that people speak (Cohen-Cruz 148). † She said that the spirit, imagination, and the challenges of the time can then be captured by inhabiting the words of the people in the community. Unlike other actors who try to project realistic characters on the stage, Smith’s emphasis is more on the filtering of the self through a single actor. She doesn’t assume that she has all the experiences of her subjects, but that she can learn many things from these experiences (Cohen-Cruz 148). Feminism has been one of the subjects of Smith’s performances for a very long time. In one Princeton performance entitled â€Å"Gender Bending,† Smith reminisced how women from Seven Sisters colleges had been imported to Princeton throughout history to provide weekend entertainment for members of fraternities. Feminist definitions of the body, the AIDS crisis, and modern literary representations of homosexuality are also discussed in the show. Smith tackled all these issues by impersonating the subjects she interviewed and playing them onstage (Hart and Phelan 37). In a way, Smith’s work is closer to reality than both Hellman and Hughes’ work because it merely projects the voice of real people onstage. What makes Smith’s performance more striking though than a simple video recording of interviews is that only one face speaks for all of the subjects. Through this technique, Smith is able to erase the immediate symbols of color, gender, and other characteristics of her subjects. Without the physical characteristics that differentiate one subject from another, audiences are forced to consider each subject’s view as a part of a unity that is the community. Stereotypes are then magnified as audiences realize that differences are oftentimes imaginary and unjust. Instead of masking the call for the empowerment of women through discussions about â€Å"evil† such as what Hellman did, or aggressively attacking the audience with controversial representations of lesbians such as what Hughes demonstrated, Smith is able to give voice to real women by simply putting their views side by side with others from the community. Smith puts real context in her performances, which makes the issue more immediate to viewers. Her acts send the message that gender discrimination is really happening right now and many people are unconsciously participating in it. They call for an immediate response to pressing social issues while entertaining audiences at the same time. For ordinary citizens, norms in society are always difficult to challenge, let alone break. Revolutionary works by Hellman, Hughes, and Smith are very valuable in that they help people to cross the bridge, so they can see the other side. While some audiences may dislike the oftentimes crude and vulgar images in their work, their act of watching alone is enough to gradually bend the norms of society. Norms always have to be challenged so that society’s morality and humanity doesn’t remain oppressively stagnant. Once taboo subjects are discussed, they cease to haunt the people concerned and become an issue for everyone. As modernity pushes people to think more about the effects of gender on society and the self, feminism and homosexuality will continue to be relevant topics in theater and other forms of art in the future. Hellman, Hughes, and Smith’s work will also continue to shape the discussions on these topics. These three brilliant writers represent different sides of the spectrum and their work should be read by anyone interested in exploring the relationship between feminism, homosexuality and theater arts. Works Cited Champion, Laurie and Emmanuel Sampath Nelson. American Women Writers, 1900-1945: a Bio-bibliographical Critical Sourcebook. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000. Cohen-Cruz, Jan. Local Acts: Community-based Performance in the United States. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2005. Griffin, Alice and Geraldine Thorsten. Understanding Lillian Herman. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1999. Hart, Lynda and Peggy Phelan. Acting Out: Feminist Performances. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1999.

What Christians believe about life is up to them Essay Example for Free

What Christians believe about life is up to them Essay AO3: What Christians believe about life is up to them. They should not try to make others accept their position Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer, showing that you have given more than one point of view. Refer to Christianity in your answer One can understand why one might agree, because of free will. We are allowed to make our own rational choices, the story of Adam and Eve illustrates this belief. However, those choices have to be made wisely and they may not only affect the individual but also affect others and society (Abortion and Euthanasia). God have given us many teachings about life, in the bible and he has told us that every person is an individual and is unique therefore giving us all the right to make our own interpretations about life. Nevertheless, he also tells us that we must spread the word of God, this means the beliefs and the teaching of the gospels about the sanctity of life, and you shall not kill so what Christians belief about life is not up to them In the ten commandment they set down a set of rules and in these rules there is a rule which states that one shall not kill this means that people must belief that life is special (no matter what someone may individually think) and must be protected at all costs, like the Catechist teaching. However, the Quakers have no such rules and believe that each person has their own unique situation and that they will be guided by the Holy Spirit, to make the right decision. So that they can make their own decisions about life. A general belief by many Christians is that one should show care and compassion for all non-Christians, even those who are weak in society, unborn or dying. However, one cannot force this view on anyone because the Sanhedrin in the New Testament tried to force their beliefs on Jesus, and he rejected the legalistic approach of the Pharisees and Scribes. But, Jesus challenged these approaches and then was murdered by crucifixion by the Sanhedrin and the Romans. He disputed the authority and was murdered and so we should dispute the authority of the Pope and his archbishops and bishops. They must not make an ill-advised decision on life. Beliefs about life and death affect God, temple of the holy spirit and image and likeness of God. Even though some may argue that beliefs are personal, God is living in us and so he must have a say in the decision. Our society is not longer exclusively Christian and so we cannot make others subscribe to Christian beliefs. This is may seem a very even case but I am certain that people must be able to make their own decisions and not be told what to do. I disagree with this statement and believe that the public in general must also disagree. This is why dictatorship was not at all popular and democracy is. Martin Luther King was man who made his own decisions about life. He believed that all people we equal, and so he made a decision and changed the way we humans live for eternity. Although, the bible may seem out of date with the current times and so we must make decisions based on the modern understanding of what is being written.

How Does Public Opinion Influence Policy Making Politics Essay

How Does Public Opinion Influence Policy Making Politics Essay Public opinion is the summation of individual attitudes, sentiments or views held by grown-up people. Public opinions can be swayed by public associations and political media. Mass media uses a broad range of advertising techniques to get their message out and change the peoples opinions. By assessing the opinions at the personal level and combining them, the percentage of the population with particular views and preferences can be established. Public opinions affect policy both positively and negatively depending on the overall general public view on the policy. Governments have in many occasions devised the use of public opinions for guiding their public information and helping in the making of government policies. The fundamental representation of democracy is the provision of a method through which public opinion and public policy are dependably and frequently interacted. Robert and Gerald (1993) claims that there should be on one hand preferences for the policy and on the other hand public responsiveness to the policy. Political representation has become a major subject in todays politics, and in highly developed democracies there has been increased dissatisfaction with the governments with many people claiming that governments dont represent their interest when formulating policies. According to Holti (1996) the Meech Lake Accord, which was a policy advocating for the Canadian elite accommodation, was met with extensive cries for transparency and public discussion. Many policy planners in addition included public opinion and organized interest groups as important parts in their policy formulation process. Besides public opinion, organized interest groups also participate as a nongovernmental political determinant of the public policy. Public opinion may influence policy positive or negatively. How public opinion influences policy Representation largely depends on a reactive public which watches and responds to what the government is doing. Little advantages are gained on policies where the public is not attentive and uninformed on their preference. Public opinion on policies is very important to representation democratic system as a part of representation itself. A public that is quick to respond behaves like a thermostat as it adjusts its preferences for more or less policy depending on what policy makers do. State governments should develop policy outputs that replicate the concerns of the public and organized interests. Interest groups can also participate various roles standing-in as public or clients representatives as a broker of political information or as policy experts. Public opinion should hold larger weight on policy- making when a mood of the public is successfully communicated by use of interest group activities. The interest group serves as a representative of the mood of the people with their own policy goals. Population based approximations have been used but their effects have been difficult to ensnare from the split effects of socioeconomic conditions According to Daniel (2005) in the last fifteen years, new measures of state public opinion supported on group disaggregated nationwide surveys had revealed a good linkage between the state policy, open-mindedness, and public opinion. Interest groups and general public play an important role in influencing bureaucratic decision making. In USA, both the state public views and those done by interest groups support the addition of non- governmental forces in manipulating policy outcomes. For example, by examining the effect of public opinion of environmental, health and education policies, the conservatives will prefer a free market situation whereas the liberals will pursue a government centered regulation to address these problems in aforementioned areas. By using interest groups, the more groups that are organized around a particular policy area, the more authority that advocacy community has on public policy outputs. By increasing the numbers of advocacy communities, they are able to communicate their ideas to policymakers more frequently and urgently. Public interests group serve as representative by including an interaction between the public and the organized interests. The environmental groups serve to represent a broader public as compared to health and education. The governments political situations such as party control of countrys legislature and governorship, together with party competition with the state, is also a policy determinants. Party competition within the state as a government political condition affects public policy and thus affects public opinion. A party competitiveness will create a positive public policy and public opinion. External State conditions are also determinants of public policy, which may include population indicators, economic, and geographic conditions. For example, richer states usually have more capital to spend on environmental programs and are more likely respond to a higher increase in taxation since their higher incomes exceeds the threshold to satisfy more basic needs. Higher incomes levels have an encouraging relationship on environmental policy. The mass public opinion concerning American foreign policy has been expressed inconsistently and rationality and on incoherence on the other side. In general, the American public do not support the foreign policy due to lack of their involvement in the policy making process. According to Witt Kopf (1990) this is because the American people are ill informed and not interested about foreign policy with equivalent weakness to demonstrate that unstable foreign policies are liable to manipulation by political elites. Poverty rates affect both health and education policys negatively. Contrasting to access to health care the burden of education expenditure for impoverished population is in general manifested in increased states spending compared to local expenditures because small income base of regions with larger poor people. The proportion of locally raised education income is a good indicator of how states fund their education system. Some states preserve a high level of control over their schools systems and thus provide the bulk of the required funding. According to Courtney and David (2005) increases in educational attainment improve both verbal and writing skills and results to higher income and greater professional prestige, enhancing social capital and improved understanding of political processes, which in turn leads to greater political participation. Views of those who are more learned have a greater influence than views of those with less learned. The possibility of comparative pressure depends on which policies are chosen as outcomes variables. The suggestion follows from the contingent model of public opinions weight on policy which affirms that the degree to which a policy is affected by judgment is related to the salience of the subject to the public. The underlying principle for saliencys effect on policy awareness is that people are more politically active when matters are important to them. For example, the effects of public views on civilian rights policies in US. Civil rights mattes are possibly more salient issues to blacks than whites and as a result attitudes of blacks may carry more weight with politicians than attitudes of whites. The Federal government and both state and local governments have in many times hiked cigarette excise taxes in the current years from 24cents per pack to 34 cents per pack with a total of 19 states complying with the increase. The two effects of the reputation of cigarette excise taxes can be predicted in that one is to create revenue from smokers who continue to smoke and also to persuade minor smokers to quite. The problem that is being addressed is the extent to which tobacco control policies affect the public opinion towards smoking. Tobacco management policies can be used to change inexperienced assumptions on fitness risks caused by smoking and can serve as an alternative for health teaching. The execution of tobacco taxes can eventually change public opinions towards smoking. Several alternatives for public opinion have been developed towards smoking and have been scrutinized with relationship between alternatives and the changes in policy on cigarettes. Smokers who prepare to stop smoking obviously ridicule smoking more than the smokers who dont want to stop. The health behaviors of those who are affluent calculated by the attainment of education may serve as an important pointer for public reaction towards smoking. For that reason, the dominance of smoking by intention to stop and education achievement arguably serve as better alternatives for attitude towards smoking than the rate of smoking alone. The proxy for the public response towards smoking is related to the explicit support of tobacco control policies and succeeding change in tobacco control laws. The prevalence of educate smokers who dont want to stop is the best proxy for public reaction towards smoking and accordingly changes in cigarette demand. There is always depressing relationship between excise taxes hikes and the predominance smoking which is primarily driven by the predominance educated smokers who dont want to stop. Public reaction towards smoking is a central feature to what exten t tobacco policies are implemented. If tobacco control rules such as cigarette excise taxes and smoking bans are related with public reactions towards smoking, then it follows that smoking sentiments influence future demand than the tobacco control policies. The decline in cigarette smoking and the hike in tax reflect to some extent the public reaction towards smoking. Tobacco control policies and public sentiments together help in reducing the rate of smoking. How public opinion does not influence policy Policy makers in many times are forced to make an assumption that public views are a reliable guide to making public policy whereas they should not. Public opinion polling often assesses the wishes and liking of respondents but doesnt reflect the costs or threat associated with the policy. Public opinions conveyed in polls cannot tell the policy choice which needs consideration to tradeoffs among values to second-best potential and to unexpected risks. Opinion polls are not likely to get better enough to help the policy choices. Enhancements make the polls results more expensive or too difficult to get from worn out respondents. Therefore, we should not expect in future that polling will replace the use of reasoned policy choices by chosen spokespersons of the people. Despite all the numerical fancy in modern days polling, the dug out advice should not direct public policy. Although public requirements for more government intercession to help are real in that people honestly crave the promised improvement, the cries for state action fail to meet even the highest minimal standard of legitimate guidance. Modern day polls are seducing those who respondent and dont offer them hard choices like the ones faced by policy analysts or legislatures. Polls do not offer wide-reaching advice about policy but they only measure wishes for worlds of advantages with no costs. Opinion polling has crossed the line between mechanically footage popular attitudes and becoming a political player. Contemporary polls are not excellent guides to policy making and we dont have the reason to believe they can be improved to stand in place of policy analysis. A triumphant battle against facile entreatment must deal with the way polls are used not the surveys themselves. Abstract craving for public bounty should only be regarded as interesting curiosities and under no conditions should they notify policymakers or determine policy choices. The capacity of political system to act in response to the likings of its citizens is innermost to democratic presumption and practice. Where assessed, public opinion expresses a reasoned mood or view on a meticulous policy of a problem in a manner that is identifiable by political influential and it is more likely than not that the progress of the policy will be in the path of public opinion. Two parameters which must be followed are within a broad of constraints established by public views. Politicians and policy entrepreneurs often have considera ble room to plot policy in detailed ways that are not noticeable to the public. According to Kennamer (1992) there are different ways to transform welfare, evade spread of communism in underdeveloped countries, fight crime, and address shortage of energy. Secondly whereas the public opinion clearly places important limits on policymaking, the amalgamation of contradictory public views on majority vital policy issues and the capability of political elites to contour or direct views considerably reduce the independent informal impact of public sentiments. Policy questions are intrinsically many sided and is often the reason that strategy and political entrepreneurs can draw upon particular issues structured and abroad ideological underpinnings that have accepted support to endorse meticulous policy schedule. Conclusion It is the external demands of public views that hold and influence policy-making decisions and not the widely known formal apparatus of government. The power of the public opinion in relation to party of the legislature does not essentially underrate the power of the government officials and institutions. According to Norris (1997) the American State governments are responsive to the views of general public and to organized publics. State governments function just as representative democracies with policy out puts very much reflecting the state and external political conditions. Public opinions at the same time tend to have a steady effect across policy areas while the governments tend to be operating in a representative manner, with policy principally the wills of its citizens. Party platforms and electoral fortunes serve as expansions of outer determinants connecting needs and wants with policies and programs. In addition, the impacts of non-governmental political situations on pol icy can vary across problem areas. Organized interest are not massive persuaders of public policy and different groups across problem areas have varying effects as they search for to push forward their own specific goals. Even within the same problem, groups can have varying goals and impact across specific agendas and policies. Public opinion tends to have consistent effect across policy areas.

Ecstasy: A Drug That Can Kill :: Illegal Drugs Essays

Ecstasy: A Drug That Can Kill missing works cited Three years ago, Mark*, now a college junior, went to a Dave Mathews concert in Boston with a few friends. He was 18 at the time, and about a half-hour before the concert started, they all decided to take a pill of the drug Ecstasy. This was Mark’s first time taking the drug, so he didn’t fully know what to expect. They chose what is called the â€Å"speedy† type, commonly used at raves and parties rather than the â€Å"dopey† type, which is known to give more of a slow, relaxing feeling. â€Å"Seriously, you get this warm fuzzy feeling that runs up your back, and a feeling that everything in life is right. Your jaw begins to clench and you love chewing on stuff†¦gum, straws, candy,† he said. The feelings that Mark experienced are typical effects of the drug. His most intense feelings lasted about three hours, and the overall feeling of the drug remained for about six to seven hours. Yet the feelings of contentment abruptly ended when he awoke the next day. â€Å"The next day was the most horrible day of my life,† he said. â€Å"All the happiness that was triggered in your brain is drained and you’re left with nothing.† Over eight million people aged 12 and older reported using the â€Å"club† drug ecstasy at least once in their lifetime, according to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), an information source on the consequences, patterns, and prevalence of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use and abuse in the general U.S. population, age 12 and older. Methylenedioxymethamephetamine (MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy, is a synthetic psychoactive drug used for its elated and hallucinogenic causes. Formally used to assist psychotherapy in the 1970s, it is now banned in the United States. Although illegal, it is rapidly rising in popularity in the United States, particularly among teenagers and young adults. Taken orally in a tablet or capsule, snorted, or injected, it generally takes 30 to 40 minutes to take effect and lasts about three to six hours, although some side effects can occur weeks after taking the drug. Ecstasy’s psychological side effects include confusion, depression, sleep problems, anxiety, and paranoia. Like Prozac, it causes an elevation in serotonin, a chemical in the brain which triggers happy feelings in people. Some physical side effects are muscle tension, teeth clenching, nausea, blurred vision, chills, or sweating.

The Importance of Music in Life Essay -- Papers Musical Art Essays Pap

The Importance of Music in Life Music is an important component for all people to posses in their lives. A child should be introduced to music at a very young age. The introduction of every type of music from classical all the way to modern rock is important. This gives a child the ability to form their own opinion to what they might like the best. Classical music can teach a child every aspect of music including, harmony, themes, dynamics, polymeters, and polyrhythms. These are the components that are scarce in modern music today. The three major components of variation are melody, rhythm, and meter. Variation is an important key to teach a child so that they understand the there are many different ways to approach music and life. The composer Lucien Caillet wrote many variations on the theme ?Pop Goes the Weasel?. Most children have heard this tune in cartoons or songs at school not realizing the classical context. This is a wonderful piece for children because of the dramatic and calm instrumentals followed by the variations of the theme. The music has a whimsical cheerful feel to it and is a perfect example for an introduction, theme, five variations of the theme followed by a coda. These are all important parts of a piece for a child to recognize. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a remarkable composer that all children should study. The piece, ?Ah, Vous Dirai-je, Maman? is perfect for a child in that it resembles a well known nursery rhyme, ?Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?. This piece is also an example of variations of theme. This begins as a simple melody transforming into a complex variation containing a difference in meter throughout the variations with in an increase in tempo. The composition has a ver... ...istmas along with presents and a Kingdom of Sweets is enough to keep a child delighted. Music in any form is important for all people to have in their lives. When a child is introduced to various forms of music at an early age it helps to broaden their minds and see the beauty outside of material things. It is important for a child to learn to have an open mind before the mishaps of life have a chance to close them. Bibliography: Works Cited Bond, Judy and Vincent Lawrence. Share the Music Third Edition. Macmillan Publishing Company, 1995. Bond, Judy and Vincent Lawrence. Share the Music Second Edition. Macmillan Publishing Company,1988. Staton, Barbara and Merill Staton. Music and You Fifth Grade. Macmillan Publishing Company, 1968. Staton, Barbara and Merill Staton. Music and You Forth Grade. Macmillan Publishing Company, 1978.

Shakespeares Macbeth - The Two Sided Lady Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

The Two Sided Lady Macbeth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the main characters in the Shakespearean play Macbeth, is the wife of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth.   Lady Macbeth is a very two sided character in this play.   She consistently acts differently when she is with her husband than she does when she is not.   There are various examples of this exhibitied in the play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the most notable examples of this is contained in Act I Scene v when Lady Macbeth reads the letter written to her by Macbeth.   Shortly after reading it, she makes the comment that she feels Macbeth is too kind to   murder Duncan and that he will need her help, strength, and willpower to   commit it.   However, after she hears that Macbeth is returning home, she calls   upon evil spirits and other demonic entities to give her some aid.   She does   this because she realizes that she doesn’t have the strength of will to persuade   Macbeth into murdering Duncan after all.   Then, when Macbeth arrived, just   after she finished praying for help, she acts as if she has a heart of stone and   that Macbeth is not a man if he is afraid of killing Duncan.   This is a prime   example of her deception towards him, and how she acts differently when she   is alone than when she is around him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another example of her being two sided is the role she talks about   playing in Duncan’s death, and the role that she actually does play in it. There are a few times in the play, mostly when she is attempting to persuade   Macbeth into committing the murder, that she says he should just leave the murder to her.   Throughout the play she gradually decreases her role in the murder until it becomes Macbeth’s job to kill Duncan, not hers.   This is another very large trick on her part, but one that Macbeth also fails to see;   Whether it is because he chooses not to, or because he is too naive to realize it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The last noteworthy example of her inconsistency occurs between Act I Scene vii and Act II Scene ii.   In Act I Scene vii she severely scolds Macbeth for having second thoughts about committing the murder.   She tries to get rid of his rational thoughts by saying that he must not really love her if he can change his mind on the murder, which she says he promised her he would do.