Primary Notes For Girlfriend in a Coma Essay Example for Free

Primary Notes For Girlfriend in a Coma Essay Theme Statement Rediscovering one self to give hope for the future. At some point in your life there will be sense of loneliness, to overcome this, you ought to find a significant meaning in life. Richard Richard a loyal, smart, boyfriend to Karen who is in a coma for the past 17 years. He has been by her side till the very end. Hes devoted to her, counting all the days she has been in the coma. (108) He question what is life without her? He started to having a drinking problem (79) thinking it will solve everything. He was already in depression, giving up hope when his friend, Jared died to cancer. (236) Hes been alone for 17 years even tho he is still close with his friends, theyre not always there. Questioning his fatherhood, why he failed to raise his daughter, Megan while Karen is in a coma. He broke down and went back to this drinking habits (107) When Karen awoke everything seems to have hope now.(131) When he withdrew he stills to able to maintain a proper lifestyle in his community on Rabbit Lane(246) Loneliness Each one of the character at a point along this book feels a sense of loneliness. Richard the most out of the character suffers this when Karen went into a coma. Even tho he has his daughter Megan, he still feels empty. (79) Wendy also feels lonely when Jared has passed away, he was her one true love (145) When she saw Jared ghost she wanted him to take her away, from her lonely life (224) Megan also deals with loneliness, after the â€Å"plague† she lost her â€Å"bestfriend† Jenny. She went to visit her home and read her diary â€Å"230† She also requested Jared to take her away.(234) Linus also question the purpose of life, he no longer wanted to live on the planet.(236) He wanted a glimpse of afterlife, which he then saw heaven.(238) Rabbit Lane All the events that occurred revolves around Rabbit Lane, where are there character grew up. They question why the plague hasnt reach them in Rabbit Lane. A lot of memories have taken since when they were young till â€Å"the last day of the world†

Discuss Seven Key Characteristics Of Leader Nursing Essay

Discuss Seven Key Characteristics Of Leader Nursing Essay Leadership is defined as a combination of skills, internal motivation or personality traits and characteristics in any particular situation in which a person is able to influence the values, attitudes, beliefs or behaviour of a team (Daly, Speedy Jackson, 2006). It is an art which can motivate or inspire a person or a group to do well and achieve a common goal. In leadership a person who works as a leader directs a group by using knowledge, skills and personality traits and all team members follow this leader. Leadership occurs when someone influences others to act in a situation by guiding, inspiring and motivating (Davidson, 2010). There are seven major characteristics of a leader which play a vital role in leadership. The first and most important characteristic is self esteem. A leader should have knowledge of his or her strengths and weaknesses. If a person is able to find their own self then he or she can build strength in others and can also create confidence which can counterbalance any weaknesses or ineffectiveness in others. This is very important in every field of leadership. A leader should know about his or her own worth and be able to make good decisions (Blais, Hayes, Kozier Erb, 2006). Secondly, a leader should be a good communicator, because communication always works to increase unity and it leads to teamwork. A leader who has good communication skills can understand team members views and think about them. A leader always motivates team members to share their ideas to ensure that all are able to contribute to achieve the common goal. If a leader can communicate well with group members regarding their plans and ask them about their ideas, they will feel more motivated and valued for their work and also will understand their duties. This characteristic empowers the team members to equally participate in achieving common goal (Vanhove, 2010). Integrity is an important and effective quality of a leader which involves honesty, loyalty and trustworthiness in leadership. It is demonstrated by a persons thinking, attitudes and actions. People always judge integrity by a leaders behaviour and truthfulness during work. If a person treats others well with a strong sense of right and wrong and shows dedication towards their work, they are a trustworthy and respected leader. Leaders can display integrity by working clearly and honestly with team spirit (Kelly, 2009). A leader should have balance between professional or family life. It is a good trait of a leader to have a balanced life. If a person pays attention to their work or their goals at the appropriate time and then is also able to maintain their personal relationships by giving time to family members and friends, then that person can lead without stress in their work place. A leader can become a role model by balancing their life (Whitehead, Weiss Tappen, 2004). Having a good vision is another essential quality of leadership. By this characteristic a leader can find out new opportunities and new trends to make their organisation strong and successful. A leader who has good visualization of upcoming possibilities and trends can make a difference in discerning good and bad opportunities. By this visionary leadership, leaders can imagine effective goals for team members and apply these in order to avoid difficult problems. Leaders should screen opportunities or information and choose the useful information for their team to attain the best outcomes. This personality trait is also important for the professional growth of a person (Sullivan Decker, 2009). In addition, a leader should have the power to make decisions and empower the team members to share their ideas with management. Empowerment makes a leader confident and relevant to work in the organisation. By empowering group members, their contribution to thinking and planning increases their passion to work in a group (Huber, 2006). Moreover, awareness and observance of their environment should be in leadership. A person who has the ability to observe that what is happening around him or her can work as a leader. In some tough situations a leader can observe the problem and make some relevant decisions to solve it. Good observational skills help to detect upcoming difficulties and enable strategies to be put in place to prevent harm by informing the group in advance (Spears, 2010). These characteristics are very important in nursing leadership because an effective nurse leader can work with others to gain universal goals like better client care, make new policies and create new procedures. In nursing leadership, integrity is very important because patients and health workers always accept honesty and rely on trustworthy leaders. As a leader, a nurse has to notice different issues and perspectives to improve clients health, so good characteristics make him or her passionate and a source of encouragement to do the best which result in a good impact on others (Carroll, 2002). In the health care environment, leaders and teams or team work are necessary for success so it is important to have good traits in a leader to promote the health and take appropriate action in order to meet patients needs. In nursing field effective leadership require all these characteristics to understand the human emotions that nurses face daily basis. By having good self esteem, nurse leader can understand and accept own self in nursing. Some traits like good communication and good observation in nurse leaders make them strong to focus on achieving common goal related to client care and it increase leadership capacity which are vital to ensuring assessment of situation and implementation of a suitable plan of action. Nursing leadership based on honesty and truthfulness because patients trust on nurses for improvement in health care with understanding (Daly, Speedy Jackson, 2010). Nursing practice is affected by these characteristics which are needed to shape and improve the structure of health care facilities. They help to make new strategies in order to achieve common goals. Health field is a difficult field so staff and management have to tackle difficult situations in daily routine so this helps in decision making and problem solving (Shaw, 2007) Empowerment makes staff members independent to share their ideas and power to take decision in client care. By having these characteristics in nursing leaders they can learn from adversity and show dedication to the job. By good observation a leader can monitor the staffs work to maintain quality and provide the best direction to staff for future. It is essential for nurses to realize that people require ongoing feedback which can be positive or negative. In the practise of nursing, effective leadership requires understanding common goals and needs of staff and patients which can be created by motivating and empowering the team and others who will interact with it (Blais, Hayes, Kozier Erb, 2006). Change always affected by power. It can be in different position. Power works for change by using different methods and ways. It can be knowledge, money and experiences of particular field. In nursing field nurses can make change only in their limitations and by using their own power which should be related to client care (Painter, 2010). Power is defined as one persons effect or influence on others to gain support in order to implement new ideas. It can be used to reward or punishing others for right or wrong action. People are always affected by power and sometimes it influences every day practice in nursing and nurses represent the power capacity to react and respond in a range of ways. Power can produce changes in work place and quality of work for best result in health care environment. Nurses knowledge, practise and understanding of their role in helping people make them more able to influence people by particular decision making related to peoples health and wellbeing. Their power and authority can be used to improve the patients condition and nursing practise (Marquis, 2009) Nurses have power to discuss new policies and plan. They can speak about right and wrong in practise and share their ideas to benefits clients care. Power also can be use to improve skills and knowledge of working group. Nurses use their power to work for client for better outcomes (Huntington Gilmour, 2006). Nurses can exercise their power by educating to patients and their families in order to achieve better health and make changes in their power. Secondly, nurse can use power effectively by changing behaviour of colleagues by introducing new policies and plans. Nurse can improve their performance in their profession by getting training which will improve their good practice (Tomey, 2004). Nursing managers use their power to make changes in organizations by evaluating staff in order to reward and punish them. Nurses use power to share information and work as experts in nursing field. Nurses use information and reasonable power to promote health. Empowering everyone in this field, prevent conflicts and other unsatisfactory behaviour in the work place. Moreover, empowerment provides independence to make decisions for health worker in their field (Yoder- Wise, 2003). Nurses should always use their power to be trustworthy health care providers because power makes a relationship of trust between nurse and client. In other words, nurse can effectively use power strategy to motivate others to connect and collaborate to achieve professional goals (Huber, 2006). In conclusion, leadership is a process to influence others by some characteristics to make change and achieve common goal in profession. Seven key characteristics like integrity, self esteem, communication skill, power, balance in life and observation, are very important for nursing leader because by these characteristics a leader can impact strongly on others and feel more confident to motivate others. Honesty and vision to know opportunities create trust among staff, client and leader which is important to improve health services for better care. In nursing field power of a leader and nurse creates changes in others to get success for the implementation of plans and improve knowledge by training. Appropriate use of power in nursing, plays a vital role in managing difficult situations in decision making.

Causes And Effects Of Deforestation Sociology Essay

Causes And Effects Of Deforestation Sociology Essay Laurance (1999) stated that Tropical forests do far more than sustain biodiversity; they are homes to indigenous peoples, pharmacopeias of natural products, and provide vital ecosystem services, such as flood amelioration and soil conservation (p. 109). This shows that forest is very important to us but deforestation is causing all the forest to be cleared. What is deforestation? Deforestation is the act of cutting down all the trees in a particular area. Deforestation is carried out for some reasons. These reasons could be categorized into legal deforestation and illegal deforestation. Tropical forest takes up about six percent of the earth and a lot of problems could occur when all the trees are cut down. To this day, people are still debating on whether deforestation is appropriate or not. What are the causes and effects of deforestation? What is happening to the tropical rainforest now? We have always read news about Indonesia and the occurrence of forest burning almost every year. Why are they doing it? It had been reported that they burn the forests so that they will have a better land to plant palm oil. It acts as a fertilizer to the land because their plants died and converted into fertilizer. Even thought they did it to fertilize the land but it brought harm to the people who live around the country. Air pollution often happens in Malaysia because hazes are formed due to forest burning in Indonesia. Haze is an atmospheric phenomenon that causes the air around it to be misty and blurry. It brings harm to the people that inhale it. Therefore, the rate of people receiving treatment for illnesses caused by inhalation of haze increases every year. This shows that deforestation is causing a lot of effects on mankind and it is often shown on advertisement and newspaper; however, it seems that people are still not aware of the effects of deforestation. This research paper is discusses about the causes and effects of deforestation around the world. Many people are more aware of the effects than the causes of deforestation. This research paper is going to talk about the causes and effects of deforestation. Besides discussing the causes and effects of deforestation, this paper also argues about what can be done to save the forest too. Causes of deforestation One of the most common causes of deforestation is clearing out the forest to pay back the foreign debt of that particular country (Culas, 2006). Some country has a huge sum of foreign debt and they dont the capability to clear their debt; thus they clear out the forests so that the land they acquire later could be used for crop production. By planting crops that could be exported to another country, they could earn a lot and repay back their debt. This is why most countries choose to clear forests and focus on agricultural purposes. Countries that do not owe other countries any debt are less likely to take up deforestation or will have a lower rate of deforestation. Therefore, countries that are in a heavy debt should look for alternative ways that could gain them a better income instead of clearing up the forests. As I have mentioned earlier, tropical forests only takes up about 6 percent of the whole earth. If these countries continue to clear up the forests without thinking of the consequences, the amount of forests left on the surface of the earth would seriously decline. Another cause of deforestation is the increasing demand of land. Due to the increase of human population, certain countries are also experiencing an increase in the demand for houses. This leads to developers seeking more land to build houses on. Hence, developers clear up forests after forests so that the land they acquire could be used to build houses. Through the development of houses on forest land, they can sustain the population in that country. We dont have to look at other country. We just need to take a look at our own country, Malaysia. Forests in Setapak area were cleared up to build condominiums. Malaysia has the population of over millions and the demand for houses is very high. They choose to clear up the forests so that there would be more land to build apartments, condominiums, terrace houses and other housing structures. This shows that deforestation is the first option when it comes to fulfilling the demand for land. Besides fulfilling the demand of houses, the dema nd of oil has also leads to deforestation. Oil is widely used everywhere in the world now. When the demand for oil increases, lands are also needed for oil plantation. The absence of land made oil plantation a difficult task; hence, deforestation becomes the option again to gain lands. Trees were chopped down and the land is then used to plant oil palm so the demand for palm oil could be met. Besides meeting the demand of land, the weakness shown in the governments policies is also one of the causes for deforestation (Laurance, 1999). Ever since we were kids, we were always taught that there are rules when it comes to cutting down trees. Despite that, many people continue to violate the rules and continue to do illegal logging. Why is it that people constantly neglect the boundaries set up by the government and commit illegal loggings? This is because of the governments weak policies. Rules and boundaries were set by the government but there were no enforcement. Law enforcers are not strict and often neglect their duty when it comes to punishing individuals for violating the rules. For example, the law enforcers just releases those who have violated the laws despite catching them and witnessing them doing illegal logging. This does not help reduce deforestation but rather makes the matter worse. People will think that it is fine to do illegal logging since the law enforce rs, such as police officers, do not arrest those who violated the rules in spite of their crime. Such acts by those who work for the government will only promote further deforestation instead of stopping them. Soon, the trees in the country will gradually disappear. The effects of deforestation What are the effects of deforestation? One of the effects of deforestation includes affecting the habitat of the indigenous people. When deforestation happens, it gravely affects the indigenous people because deforestation contributes to death, illness, poorness, and culturl shock (Mitten, 1997). The indigenous people who live in forests seek their food from the forests and deforestation terminates their only means to acquire food. In addition, logging activities have become an easy way to earn money. Therefore, all the companies build their factory near the rivers. The waste products that were made while processing forest products would be dumped into the river; thus, polluting it. Indigenous people drink water from the river. As a result, they will get sick because of the dirty water caused by the factories. It can even cause deaths if it gets too serious. Besides that, the culture of the indigenous people that has been passed down from generations to generations will soon vanish w hen the indigenous people slowly decreases due to death. Cultural shock will occur and the history of the indigenous people will soon be forgotten. Besides harming the indigenous people, deforestation harms the wildlife too (Bonaudo, Pendu, Faure, Quanz, 2005). This is because around 80 to 90 percent of animal species live in the tropical rainforest. Imagine if all the trees were cut down, what will happen to the animal? It is without a doubt that the animals will lose their natural habitat and they will become extinct. Animals, such as pandas, refuse to breed when they are not in their own natural habitat. Therefore, the population if panda keeps decreasing as time goes by because their natural habitat is being destroyed due to deforestation. When deforestation happens, the animals lose their natural habitats and also their protective shield. This causes the animals to have some difficulty adapting to their new environment and as a result, the animals would refuse to breed. The extinction of these animals is guaranteed if they refuse to breed due to the destruction of their natural habitat. Our future generation will have to l ook at pictures or visit the museums in order to the animal instead of just looking at the animals in real life. Deforestation will soon cause the future generation to lose touch with the animals that exist now and they will only know them through knowledge passed down by their parents or by visiting a museum. Another effect of deforestation is climate change. Bala, Caldeira, Wickett, Phillips, Lobell, Delire, Mirin, (2006) stated that deforestation affects the global climate by releasing the carbon stored in the living plants and soils as well as by altering the physical properties of the planetary surface (p. 6550). Trees take in carbon dioxide that is released by human through respiration. Trees stored carbon dioxide to produce their own food through photosynthesis process. When the trees are all cut down, there will not be any more trees to absorb the carbon dioxide that is released by humans. Carbon dioxide will then be trapped at the atmosphere and temperature will increase. As the carbon dioxide in the air increases severely, so does the temperature. This will results in the phenomena known as global warming. When global warming happens, ice in the North Pole and South Pole will melt. This will result in an increase of sea level. The increase in the sea level will flood countries t hat are geographically situated in a lower sea level and these countries will disappear from the surface of the earth. Soon, all the land will be flooded and the countries will disappear one by one. What can be done? Deforestation has caused a lot of harm to the mankind. There are a number of actions that could be taken to reduce deforestation. For example, instead of cutting down trees to acquire new land, we can perform land reclamation. Land reclamation involves the creation of new lands from oceans or riverbeds. Besides that, government should enforce the rules instead of handling the matters leniently. The people who violate the rules should be fined or prosecuted. This serves as a warning to others so that they will stop their illegal logging and this could help save and preserves the trees around us. Every country should preserve their forests and plant more trees so that the biodiversity could be maintained. Discussion All in all, deforestation has caused a lot of devastating effects not only to the people but also the animals. Before understanding the effects, we need to find the roots of why deforestation happens first. As I have stated earlier, the causes of deforestation are the large sum of foreign debt, the increasing demand for land, and the weakness in the governments policies. Deforestation happens because the trees were cut down for crop production. With the production, they could repay back the debt. Besides that, the demand for land gradually increases as time goes by. This is because the increase in popularity has increased the demand of land to build houses. Moreover, the weaknesses in the policies promote deforestation instead of curbing them. This occurs because the government did not enforce the rules that were set and they did not take illegal deforestation seriously. Deforestation has done a lot of harm to the people and also to the wildlife. The most common effect is causing harm to indigenous people. Indigenous people live in forests and everything they do inside the forest is part of their culture. Deforestation causes the indigenous people will lose their home as well as their source for food. Deforestation will cause their culture to extinct sooner or later. The most precious aspect in a country is its original culture. If the indigenous people are extinct, there will be no more culture for that particular country. Besides harming the indigenous people, deforestation harms wildlife too. Most of the animal species live in the tropical forest. Not only does it act as a natural habitat for the animals, forests also act as a protective shield for the animals. When deforestation occurs, they lose their natural habitat and protective shield. Soon, they will be on the edge of extinction. When this happen, it will cause a loss in biodiversity and ou r future generation will have to know the animals through pictures. Another effect of deforestation is climate change. Trees act as storages for carbon dioxide that are released by humans through respiration. Trees absorb carbon dioxide for their photosynthesis process. If the trees were cut down, all the carbon dioxide will be released to the atmosphere and this will cause the temperature to increase. An increase in the temperature will result in global warming and global warming; in turn, melts the ice in the North and South Pole. This results in an increase of sea level. Therefore, lands that are positioned in a lower sea level will soon be flooded and disappear from the surface of the earth. After understanding the causes and effects, what can be done to curb deforestation? Every government should find another alternative way to boost their economy and repay back the foreign debt. Instead of cutting down the trees for crop production, they can try boosting the economy through the tourism section. This way, they can save the forest and gain profits at the same thing. Besides cutting down trees for more land, land reclamation can be taken to acquire more land. These methods are able to fulfill the demands for land as well as preserve the forest at the same time. Governments should also enforce the rules that were set for logging activities. People who violate the rules by carrying out the illegal logging act musr be fined or prosecuted. This acts as a warning to others so that they do not dare to do it again. Besides that, government could come out with other ways of punishing the people that violates the rules. As an overall, they must enforce the laws and regulations on environmental issues. Conclusion I chose to do this research on deforestation because I have read a lot of news on how deforestation do us harm and yet no one has done anything to stop it. I hope that this research paper could help people to do understand more on the causes and effects of deforestation. Besides that, I also hope this research will help curb deforestation and save the trees from being logged. By doing so, the biodiversity of the earth could be maintained and no harm would befall on humans. If deforestation continues to happen, there will be no more trees in the future. This will result in higher temperature, loss of biodiversity and more. Therefore I hope everybody will do his or her part in preserving and protecting the forest so that there is a better future for our next generation.

Artificial Intelligence Essay -- Technology, Automated Online Assistan

This paper summarizes various definitions of Artificial Intelligence and provides a brief account of progress in the field. The origin and purpose of artificial intelligence is discussed. This paper also discusses a few of the many subcategories of research, applications and current technological obstacles that scientist face when developing AI. In particular, this paper overviews various specific military applications of AI. Finally, the paper provides discussion on the impact that the future of artificial intelligence may have on humans. The literature that exists regarding artificial intelligence shall also be examined briefly, and finally how it has affected humanity, particularly psychologically. â€Æ' Statement of topic Artificial Intelligence (AI) is often depicted by science fiction authors and scientists as potentially equal—or superior—to human intelligence. Yet this dream may remain elusive until machines attain the basic human virtue of common sense. Some of the leading experts and researchers in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) have tried to define the term or the subject. Phillip Jackson, in his book An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (1985), defines AI research as ‘an attempt to discover and describe aspects of human intelligence that can be simulated by machines’ (Jackson, 1985). John McCarthy, one of the pioneer scientists in the field and the person believed to have coined the term ‘artificial intelligence’ defined the goal of AI as ‘to develop machines that behave as though they were intelligent.’ This definition, however, is insufficient because it does not comprehensively capture the intended purpose of AI; it is to o general. The definition that best captures the definition of AI was given ... ...l the cursor of a mouse by what they think and using their speech. The system, created at Washington University, enables people who have had damage to their speech because of a brain injury or who have limited mobility because of injury to use computers just as normal people would (Leuthardt, et al., 2011). Scientists currently try as much as possible to focus on solutions that help solve limitations that machines have, trying to improve them as much as possible. One good example is the research currently being undertaken by researchers to find easier ways in which soft robots used in search and rescue can move faster. As a result, the researchers have focused on the movement of different species of caterpillars, looking up to these soft-bodies caterpillars for inspiration on how to create more intelligent systems of robot locomotion (Lin, Leisk, & Trimmer, 2011).

Aimee Mann Lyrics and Gendered Language Patterns :: Free Essays Online

Aimee Mann Lyrics and Gendered Language Patterns Paul Thomas Anderson claims that many of the characters for his film Magnolia[1] were inspired by Aimee Mann lyrics and from knowing Aimee as a personal friend. As the film unfolds, the main theme of connectivity between the characters becomes apparent. If they are not connected in a physical way, they each are in a symbolic way linked as they deal with the necessity of love. Several times it is spoken in the film how someone has love to give, but does not know how to show it. The character Claudia, which Anderson said was played â€Å"with a true sense of Aimee Mann insanity†[2], is so desperate for love and to be needed; yet when Jim offers his love to her, she is so terrified that she runs from it. Here Anderson decides to not only refer to Aimee Mann, but actually has Claudia state to Jim a lyric from Aimee’s song â€Å"Deathly†: â€Å"Now that I’ve met you would you object to never seeing me again?†[3] As Claudia runs from the rest aurant it is clear that being needed in a relationship distresses her, the same emotion Aimee[4] reveals in her song lyric. As Anderson uses a song lyric as text in the film’s dialogue, the question of how lyrics can be looked at in terms of conversational content is raised. In showing how men and women speak differently Tannen cites many kinds of examples in You Just Don’t Understand. Not only does she look at experimental and observational studies, she also includes excerpts from plays and short stories to show that speech patterns carry over into artistic expression[5]. Lyrics then can be examined in this same manner though they are a different type of conversation. If a play is two or more characters conversing with one another on stage, a song lyric can be viewed as one side of a story of dialogue. It does not become any less conversational because of this, but is a different way to interpret a relationship. Deborah Tannen has achieved scholarly and public praise for her conclusions about how women and men differ in conversational styles. You Just Don’t Understand[6] clarifies stylistic differences in how the two sexes communicate with each other.

The Lost Duke of Wyndham Chapter Four

Ten minutes later Grace was in the Wyndham carriage, alone with the dowager, trying to remember just why she'd told Thomas he shouldn't commit his grandmother to an asylum. In the last five minutes the dowager had: Turned the carriage around. Shoved Grace out and to the ground, where she'd landed awkwardly on her right ankle. Sent the Willoughby sisters on their way without the slightest explanation. Had the Wyndham carriage brought around. Outfitted aforementioned carriage with six large footmen. Had Grace tossed inside. (The footman doing the tossing had apologized as he'd done so, but still.) â€Å"Ma'am?† Grace asked hesitantly. They were speeding along at a rate that could not be considered safe, but the dowager kept banging her walking stick against the wall, bellowing at the driver to move faster. â€Å"Ma'am? Where are we going?† â€Å"You know very well.† Grace waited one careful moment, then said, â€Å"I'm sorry, ma'am, I don't.† The dowager speared her with an angry stare. â€Å"We don't know where he is,† Grace pointed out. â€Å"We will find him.† â€Å"But, ma'am – â€Å" â€Å"Enough!† the dowager ground out. Her voice was not loud, but it contained sufficient passion to silence Grace immediately. After a moment passed, she stole a glance at the older woman. She was sitting ramrod straight – too straight, really, for a ride in the carriage, and her right hand was bent and angled like a claw, pulling back the curtain so she might see outside. Trees. That's all there was to see. Grace couldn't imagine why the dowager was staring out so intently. â€Å"If you saw him,† the dowager said, her low voice cutting into Grace's thoughts, â€Å"then he is still in the district.† Grace said nothing. The dowager wasn't looking at her, in any case. â€Å"Which means,† the icy voice continued, â€Å"that there are only a very few places he might be. Three posting inns in the vicinity. That is all.† Grace rested her forehead in her hand. It was a sign of weakness, something she usually tried not to display in front of the dowager, but there was no maintaining a stiff facade now. They were going to kidnap him. She, Grace Catriona Eversleigh, who had never so much as nicked a ha'penny ribbon from a fair, was going to be party to what had to be a high crime. â€Å"Dear Lord,† she whispered. â€Å"Shut up,† the dowager snapped, â€Å"and make yourself useful.† Grace grit her teeth. How the devil did the dowager think she could be useful? Surely any manhandling that needed doing would be performed by the footmen, each of whom stood, as per Belgrave regulations, five feet eleven inches tall. And no, she did not mistake their purpose on the journey. When she had looked askance at the dowager, the reply had been a terse, â€Å"My grandson might need convincing.† Now, the dowager growled, â€Å"Look out the window,† speaking to her as if she'd turned idiot overnight. â€Å"You got the best look at him.† Dear God, she would gratefully forfeit five years off her life just to be anywhere but inside this carriage. â€Å"Ma'am, I said – he was at the end of the drive. I didn't really see him.† â€Å"You did last night.† Grace had been trying not to look at her, but at that, she could not help but stare. â€Å"I saw you kissing him,† the dowager hissed. â€Å"And I will warn you now. Don't try to rise above your station.† â€Å"Ma'am, he kissed me.† â€Å"He is my grandson,† the dowager spat, â€Å"and he may very well be the true Duke of Wyndham, so do not be getting any ideas. You are valued as my companion, but that is all.† Grace could not find the outrage to react to the insult. Instead, she could only stare at the dowager in horror, unable to believe that she had actually spoken the words. The true Duke of Wyndham. Even the very suggestion of it was scandalous. Would she throw over Thomas so easily, strip him of his birthright, of his very name? Wyndham was not just a title Thomas held, it was who he was. But if the dowager publicly championed the highwayman as the true heir†¦dear God, Grace could not even imagine the depth of the scandal it would create. The impostor would be proven illegitimate, of course – there could be no other outcome, surely – but the damage would be done. There would always be those who whispered that maybe Thomas wasn't really the duke, that maybe he ought not be so secure in his conceits, because he wasn't truly entitled to them, was he? Grace could not imagine what this would do to him. To all of them. â€Å"Ma'am,† she said, her voice quavering slightly. â€Å"You cannot think that this man could be legitimate.† â€Å"Of course I can,† the dowager snapped. â€Å"His manners were impeccable – â€Å" â€Å"He was a highwayman!† â€Å"One with a fine bearing and perfectly correct accent,† the dowager retorted. â€Å"Whatever his current station, he was brought up properly and given a gentleman's education.† â€Å"But that does not mean – â€Å" â€Å"My son died on a boat,† the dowager interrupted, her voice hard, â€Å"after he'd spent eight months in Ireland. Eight bloody months that were supposed to be four weeks. He went to attend a wedding. A wedding.† Her body seemed to harden as she paused, her teeth grinding together at the memory. â€Å"And not even of anyone worth mentioning. Just some school friend whose parents bought themselves a title and bludgeoned their way into Eton, as if that could make them better than they were.† Grace's eyes widened. The dowager's voice had descended into a low, venomous hiss, and without even meaning to, Grace moved closer to the window. It felt toxic to be so close to her right now. â€Å"And then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the dowager continued. â€Å"And then! All I received was a three-sentence note, written in someone else's hand, reporting that he was having such a fine time that he believed he was going to remain.† Grace blinked. â€Å"He didn't write it himself?† she asked, unsure why she found this detail so curious. â€Å"He signed it,† the dowager said brusquely. â€Å"And sealed it with his ring. He knew I couldn't decipher his scrawl.† She sat back, her face contorting with decades old anger and resentment. â€Å"Eight months,† she muttered. â€Å"Eight stupid, useless months. Who is to say he did not marry some harlot over there? He had ample time.† Grace watched her for several moments. Her nose was in the air, and she gave every indication of haughty anger, but something was not quite right. Her lips were pinching and twisting, and her eyes were suspiciously bright. â€Å"Ma'am – † Grace said gently. â€Å"Don't,† the dowager said, her voice sounding as if it might crack. Grace considered the wisdom of speaking, then decided there was too much at stake to remain silent. â€Å"Your grace, it simply cannot be,† she began, somehow maintaining her courage despite the withering expression on the dowager's face. â€Å"This is not a humble country entail. This is not Sillsby,† she added, swallowing the lump that formed in her throat at the mention of her childhood home. â€Å"We are speaking of Belgrave. Of a dukedom. Heirs apparent do not simply vanish into the mist. If your son had had a son, we would have known.† The dowager stared at her for an uncomfortably sharp moment, then said, â€Å"We will try the Happy Hare first. It is the least uncouth of all the local posting inns.† She settled back against the cushion, staring straight ahead as she said, â€Å"If he is anything like his father, he will be too fond of his comforts for anything less.† Jack was already feeling like an idiot when a sack was thrown over his head. So this was it, then. He knew he'd stayed too long. The whole ride back he'd berated himself for the fool he was. He should have left after breakfast. He should have left at dawn. But no, he had to get drunk the night before, and then he had to ride out to that bloody castle. And then he'd seen her. If he hadn't seen her, he would never have remained at the end of the drive for so long. And then he wouldn't have ridden off with such speed. And had to rest and water his mount. And he certainly wouldn't have been standing by the trough like a bloody bull's-eye when someone attacked him from behind. â€Å"Bind him,† a gruff voice said. It was enough to set every pore in his body into fighting mode. A man did not spend his life so close to the noose without preparing for those two words. It didn't matter that he couldn't see. It didn't matter that he had no idea who they were or why they'd come for him. He fought. And he knew how to fight, clean and dirty. But there were three of them at least, possibly more, and he managed only two good punches before he was facedown in the dirt, his hands yanked behind his back and bound with†¦ Well, it wasn't rope. Almost felt like silk, truth be told. â€Å"Sorry,† one of his captors mumbled, which was odd. Men in the business of tying up other men rarely thought to offer apologies. â€Å"Think nothing of it,† Jack returned, then cursed himself for his insolence. All his little quip earned him was a mouth full of burlap dust. â€Å"This way,† someone said, helping him to his feet. And Jack could do nothing but obey. â€Å"Er, if you please,† the first voice said – the one who'd ordered him bound. â€Å"Care to tell me where I'm going?† Jack inquired. There was quite a bit of hemming and hawing. Minions. These were minions. He sighed. Minions never knew the important things. â€Å"Er, can you step up?† And then, before Jack could oblige, or even say, â€Å"Beg pardon,† he was roughly hoisted into the air and tumbled into what had to be a carriage. â€Å"Put him on a seat,† a voice barked. He knew that voice. It was the old lady. His grandmother. Well, at least he wasn't off to be hanged. â€Å"Don't suppose someone will see to my horse,† Jack said. â€Å"See to his horse,† the old lady snapped. Jack allowed himself to be moved onto a seat, not a particularly easy maneuver, bound and blindfolded as he was. â€Å"Don't suppose you'll untie my hands,† he said. â€Å"I'm not stupid,† was the old lady's reply. â€Å"No,† he said with a false sigh. â€Å"I didn't think you were. Beauty and stupidity never go as hand in hand as one might wish.† â€Å"I am sorry I had to take you this way,† the old lady said. â€Å"But you left me no choice.† â€Å"No choice,† Jack mused. â€Å"Yes, of course. Because I've done so much to escape your clutches up to now.† â€Å"If you had intended to call upon me,† the old lady said sharply, â€Å"you would not have ridden off earlier this afternoon.† Jack felt himself smile mockingly. â€Å"She told you, then,† he said, wondering why he'd thought she might not. â€Å"Miss Eversleigh?† So that was her name. â€Å"She had no choice,† the old lady said dismissively, as if the wishes of Miss Eversleigh were something she rarely considered. And then Jack felt it. A slight brush of air beside him. A faint rustle of movement. She was there. The elusive Miss Eversleigh. The silent Miss Eversleigh. The delicious Miss Eversleigh. â€Å"Remove his hood,† he heard his grandmother order. â€Å"You're going to suffocate him.† Jack waited patiently, affixing a lazy smile onto his face – it was not, after all, the expression they would expect, and thus the one he most wished to display. He heard her make a noise – Miss Eversleigh, that was. It wasn't a sigh exactly, and not a groan, either. It was something he couldn't quite place. Weary resignation, perhaps. Or maybe – The hood came off, and he took a moment to savor the cool air on his face. Then he looked at her. It was mortification. That's what it had been. Poor Miss Eversleigh looked miserable. A more gracious gentleman would have turned away, but he wasn't feeling overly charitable at the moment, and so he treated himself to a lengthy perusal of her face. She was lovely, although not in any predictable manner. No English rose was she, not with that glorious dark hair and shining blue eyes that tilted up ever-so-slightly at the edges. Her lashes were dark and sooty, in stark contrast to the pale perfection of her skin. Of course, that paleness might have been a result of her extreme discomfort. The poor girl looked as if she might cast up her accounts at any moment. â€Å"Was it that bad, kissing me?† he murmured. She turned scarlet. â€Å"Apparently so.† He turned to his grandmother and said in his most conversational tone, â€Å"I hope you realize this is a hanging offense.† â€Å"I am the Duchess of Wyndham,† she replied with a haughty lift of her brow. â€Å"Nothing is a hanging offense.† â€Å"Ah, the unfairness of life,† he said with a sigh. â€Å"Wouldn't you agree, Miss Eversleigh?† She looked as if she wanted to speak. Indeed, the poor girl was most definitely biting her tongue. â€Å"Now if you were the perpetrator in this little crime,† he continued, allowing his eyes to slide insolently from her face to her bosom and back, â€Å"this would all be so very different.† Her jaw tightened. â€Å"It would be,† he murmured, allowing his gaze to fall to her lips, â€Å"rather lovely, I think. Just think – you, me, alone in this exceedingly luxurious carriage.† He sighed contentedly and sat back. â€Å"The imagination runs wild.† He waited for the old lady to defend her. She did not. â€Å"Care to share your plans for me?† he asked, propping one ankle over the opposite knee as he slouched in his seat. It wasn't an easy position to achieve, with his hands still stuck behind him, but he was damned if he'd sit up straight and polite. The old lady turned to him, her lips pinched. â€Å"Most men would not complain.† He shrugged. â€Å"I am not most men.† Then he offered a half smile and turned to Miss Eversleigh. â€Å"A rather banal rejoinder on my part, wouldn't you say? So obvious. A novice could have come up with it.† He shook his head as if disappointed. â€Å"I do hope I'm not losing my touch.† Her eyes widened. He grinned. â€Å"You think I'm mad.† â€Å"Oh, yes,† she said, and he rather enjoyed her voice again, washing warmly over him. â€Å"It's something to consider.† He turned to the old lady. â€Å"Does madness run in the family?† â€Å"Of course not,† she snapped. â€Å"Well, that's a relief. Not,† he added, â€Å"that I am acknowledging a connection. I don't believe I wish to be associated with cutthroats such as yourself. Tsk tsk. Even I have never resorted to kidnapping.† He leaned forward, as if imparting a very grave confidence to Miss Eversleigh. â€Å"It's very bad form, you know.† And he thought – oh, how lovely – that he saw her lips twitch. Miss Eversleigh had a sense of humor. She was growing more delectable by the second. He smiled at her. He knew how to do it, too. He knew exactly how to smile at a woman to make her feel it deep inside. He smiled at her. And she blushed. Which made him smile even more. â€Å"Enough,† the old lady snapped. He feigned innocence. â€Å"Of what?† He looked at her, at this woman who was most probably his grandmother. Her face was pinched and lined, the corners of her mouth pulled down by the weight of an eternal frown. She'd look unhappy even if she smiled, he thought. Even if somehow she managed to get that mouth to form a crescent in the correct direction – No, he decided. It wouldn't work. She'd never manage it. She'd probably expire from the exertion. â€Å"Leave my companion alone,† she said tersely. He leaned toward Miss Eversleigh, giving her a lopsided smile even though she was quite determinedly looking away. â€Å"Was I bothering you?† â€Å"No,† she said quickly. â€Å"Of course not.† Which couldn't have been further from the truth, but who was he to quibble? He turned back to the old lady. â€Å"You didn't answer my question.† She lifted an imperious brow. Ah, he thought, completely without humor, that was where he got the expression. â€Å"What do you plan to do with me?† he asked. â€Å"Do with you.† She repeated the words curiously, as if she found them most strange. He lifted a brow right back at her, wondering if she'd recognize the gesture. â€Å"There are a great many options.† â€Å"My dear boy,† she began. Her tone was grand. Condescending. As if he'd only needed this to realize that he ought to be licking her boots. â€Å"I'm going to give you the world.† Grace had just about managed to regain her equilibrium when the highwayman, after a lengthy and thoughtful frown, turned to the dowager and said, â€Å"I don't believe I'm interested in your world.† A bubble of horrified laughter burst forth from her throat. Oh dear heavens, the dowager looked ready to spit. Grace clamped a hand over her mouth and turned away, trying not to notice that the highwayman was positively grinning at her. â€Å"Apologies,† he said to the dowager, not sounding the least bit contrite. â€Å"But can I have her world instead?† Grace's head snapped back around in time to see him nodding in her direction. He shrugged. â€Å"I like you better.† â€Å"Are you never serious?† the dowager bit off. And then he changed. His body did not move from its slouch, but Grace could feel the air around him coiling with tension. He was a dangerous man. He hid this well with his lazy charm and insolent smile. But he was not a man to be crossed. She was sure of it. â€Å"I'm always serious,† he said, his eyes never leaving those of the dowager. â€Å"You'd do well to take note of that.† â€Å"I'm so sorry,† Grace whispered, the words slipping out before she had a chance to consider them. The gravity of the situation was bearing down on her with uncomfortable intensity. She had been so worried about Thomas and what this would all mean for him. But in that moment it was brought home to her that there were two men caught in this web. And whatever this man was, whoever he was, he did not deserve this. Perhaps he would want life as a Cavendish, with its riches and prestige. Most men would. But he deserved the choice. Everyone deserved a choice. She looked over at him then, forcing herself to bring her eyes to his face. She had been avoiding his gaze as much as she could, but her cowardice suddenly felt distasteful. He must have felt her watching him, because he turned. His dark hair fell forward over his brow, and his eyes – a spectacular shade of mossy green – grew warm. â€Å"I do like you better,† he murmured, and she thought – hoped? – that she saw a flicker of respect in his gaze. And then, quick as a blink, the moment was gone. His mouth slid into that cocky half smile and he let out a pent-up breath before saying, â€Å"It's a compliment.† It was on the tip of her tongue to say, Thank you, as ridiculous as that seemed, but then he shrugged – one shoulder only, as if that was all he could be bothered with – and added, â€Å"Of course, I would imagine that the only person I would like less than our esteemed countess – â€Å" â€Å"Duchess,† the dowager snapped. He paused, gave her a blandly haughty stare, then turned back to Grace. â€Å"As I was saying, the only person I would like less than her† – he jerked his head toward the dowager, not even honoring her with a direct glance – â€Å"would be the French menace himself, so I suppose it's not that much of a compliment, but I did want you to know that it was sincerely given.† Grace tried not to smile, but he always seemed to be looking at her as if they were sharing a joke, just the two of them, and she knew that it was making the dowager more furious by the second. A glance across the carriage confirmed this; the dowager looked even more starched and upset than usual. Grace turned back to the highwayman, as much out of self-preservation as anything else. The dowager showed every sign of an imminent tirade, but after her performance the night before, Grace knew that she was far too besotted with the idea of her long-lost grandson to make him her target. â€Å"What is your name?† Grace asked him, since it seemed the most obvious question. â€Å"My name?† Grace nodded. He turned to the dowager with an expression of great scolding. â€Å"Funny that you haven't asked me yet.† He shook his head. â€Å"Shameful manners. All the best kidnappers know their victims' names.† â€Å"I am not kidnapping you!† the dowager burst out. There was an uncomfortable moment of silence, and then his voice emerged like silk. â€Å"I misunderstand the bindings, then.† Grace looked warily at the dowager. She'd never appreciated sarcasm unless it emerged from her own lips, and she would never allow him the last word. And indeed, when she spoke, her words were clipped and stiff, and colored blue with the blood of one secure in her own superiority. â€Å"I am restoring you to your proper place in this world.† â€Å"I see,† he said slowly. â€Å"Good,† the dowager said briskly. â€Å"We are in accord, then. All that remains is for us to – â€Å" â€Å"My proper place,† he said, cutting her off. â€Å"Indeed.† â€Å"In the world.† Grace realized that she was holding her breath. She could not look away, could not take her eyes off his when he murmured, â€Å"The conceit. It's remarkable.† His voice was soft, almost thoughtful, and it cut to the bone. The dowager turned sharply toward the window, and Grace searched her face for something – anything – that might have shown her humanity, but she remained stiff and hard, and her voice betrayed no emotion when she said, â€Å"We are almost home.† They were turning down the drive, passing the very spot where Grace had seen him earlier that afternoon. â€Å"So you are,† the highwayman said, glancing out the window. â€Å"You will come to regard it as home,† the dowager stated, her voice imperious and exacting and, more than anything else, final. He did not respond. But he didn't need to. They all knew what he was thinking. Never.

Perform a close reading of any passage or short chapter

The Grapes of Wrath, examining its use of theme, setting, tone, figurative language, allusions, etc. By Angela-Stanton The Grapes of Wrath not only criticizes the socio-economic problems provoked by capitalism, but advocates (moral courage) as the answer to conflicts and hostilities. In Chapter 29, Steinbeck emphasizes that although nature's omnipotent power of destruction Is beyond human control, moral courage can sustain hope and faith In life.This theme is successfully achieved in this short but significant intercalary heaper through the effective use of figurative language and diction, leading to the memorable ending in Chapter 30 where Rose of Sharon selflessly suckles the dying man. The narration paints a Blvd setting of the destitute land. The clouds, wind and rain are personified as the destructive forces of nature. The gray clouds are march[long] In from the ocean'.The aggressive verb ‘march' presents the military nature of the clouds, foreshadowing how this strong arm y overpowers humans and land. Contradicting auditory images describe the wind that ‘swished in the bush' and ‘roared in the forests'. The auditory verb ‘swished' depicts the swift, stealthy action of the wind as It passes the bush; whereas the contrasting auditory verb ‘roared' reminds us the wind has a violent Impact on the land. The adverbs ‘fiercely and silently' are oxymoron describing how the wind overwhelms humans brutally without announcing its arrival.Rain is also personified as it Whipped the shining water and Whipped up the surfaces [of the fields]'. The repetitive use of the relentless verb Whipped' illustrates the rain's physical force and portrays it as a powerful tormentor of land and humans. The action of the rain and Its Impact on the land are emphasized by the parallel structure the streams and the little rivers edged up to the bank sides', worked at willows and tree roots', ‘bent the willows deep in the current' ‘cut out th e roots of cottonwood' and ‘brought down the trees. This parallel structure consists of phrases starting with a powerful verb that inflicts misery on a ‘victim', emphasizing the pervasive Impact of the unceasing rain. Personification is extended to the description of the land. Initially, the earth is ‘drink[inning] the rain' when the rain only consists of ‘small drops and a steady beat'. This personification depicts the rain's essential role as a nourishing provider for life. Then, the rain intensifies and the earth ‘[whisper] under the beat of the rain' and the streams ‘[thunder] under the churning freshets'.This parallel structure Juxtaposes the earth and the streams using contrasting auditory verbs, displaying the earth as a thunder[inning]' streams. The earth's changing reaction to the intensifying rain from drinking to whispering alludes to the rain's volatility reigning over the vulnerability of the land. This insinuation extends to nature i n general, implying that nature is precious which controls the well-being of humans and land. The narration also explores the severity of the rain's impact on the migrant workers.The water ‘[fouls] the ignition wires' and ‘[fouls] the carburetors' of the cars. This parallel structure emphasizes the extensive destruction with the use of active voice placing Water' as the subject, suggesting that despite their level of technology and utility, the cars are inevitably destroyed. Although the migrants want to escape from this hostile environment, their cars Wouldn't start because the wires were shorted' ND ‘if the engines would run, deep mud engulfed the wheels'.The use of the ‘if' conditional structure indicates that there is no workable solution to combat the flood. All these details in the narration establish the people's dire situation since their last resort, that is migration, is destroyed by the rain. The narrative perspective shifts from one adverse predic ament to another, creating a prevailing sense of inevitability to escape from the disaster. The migrant workers ‘splashed out through the water' to towns, country stores and relief offices to seek help and shelter.The verb ‘splashed' portrays the workers' desperate attempt to survive which is further intensified Their suffering is further intensified by the parallel by the structure to point out how they ‘beg for bread', ‘beg for rotting vegetables' and ‘steal when they [can]'. The fact that they are begging for these basic provisions reveals their desperate attempts at survival shows the inevitability of their fate. Then, the narration focuses on the specific individuals' reaction towards the flood. In the Wet hay of leaking barns', babies are born to Women who [pant] with pneumonia'.This situation is a contrast to the hopeful expectations of new life. Instead, these babies are born to intense suffering, sickness and death. Meanwhile, old people Ã¢â‚¬Ë œ[curl] up in the corners and [die] that way. This symbolic act underscores their need for consolation and security, regressing to their fetal position before death. The fact that the disaster has affected both stages of life reflects the scope of misery, aggravating the despondent tone which prevails the narration. This tone is accentuated through the repetitive use of the conjunction ‘And'.This manipulation is intentional, conveying that difficulties are accumulating and both humans and land cannot escape from this disaster. The greatest fear amidst the catastrophe is the lack of work. This concern is accentuated by the two sudden, choppy paragraphs ‘No work till spring. No work // And if no work– no money, no food. ‘ These are hopeless complaints of the migrant workers. The abruptness, along with the repetition of ‘no work, highlights the workers' dire financial situation. Since their hope for work is shattered, they are too feeble to sustain their struggle for survival.This fear is intensified by the use of effects, ‘no money, no food'. The pause seems to imply the reluctance of the workers to acknowledge the consequences of unemployment. There is a change of tone when the migrants' fear turns into wrath. The turning point is introduced by the short sentence ‘Theme's horses— we're men. ‘ This bitter comment demonstrates the men's realization of their ill-treatment and worthlessness when compared to the horses. Realizing such an injustice, they ‘[gather] together' and ‘anger [takes] its place' instead of fear. The gathering empowers them to combat hostility actively instead of suffering helplessly.This unity reflects Steinbeck proletarian ideology that men can generate surprising power collectively in brotherhood. It tends to advocate that moral courage is the answer to conflicts and hostilities. The change of tone is most prominent at the end of the chapter when hope and relief is conveyed through the color of ‘pale green' in the ‘hills' and tiny points of grass' in the ‘beginning of the year'. This sudden change of color from gray to green creates a hopeful rebirth, suggesting that between the state of hopelessness and hopefulness, the only powers that can sustain humans through all adversities is moral courage.This turning point rekindles readers' faith in life and is vital to their understanding of the final message conveyed in Chapter 30 through Rose of Sharon. Overall, chapter 29 portrays the adversity of nature and underscores the conflict between nature and men. Together with the hopeful, symbolic ending, it brings out the theme that even though nature is omnipotent, it can be counteracted by moral courage. If humans remain individualistic, they become powerless. However, if humans are unified, they can benefit from the mutual support and bonding of brotherhood, which is the driving force that beautifies and prospers humanity.