The Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck - 935 Words

A monopoly is when a firm sells a product that has no substitutes and is the only seller of that product. In the book â€Å"The Grapes of Wrath†, John Steinbeck really portrays the idea of monopoly in the peach picking incident. A firm gains monopoly power when they are able to set prices. This occurred when the Joads were fixing their flat tire, they got offered a job as peach pickers in Hooper Ranch by a well-dressed man. On their first day of the job, the Joads need to be escorted by police because there are people angrily yelling by the entrance. When they began their job as peach pickers their wage was five cents per box. The whole family worked from morning to sundown, only to earn a dollar on their first day of work. However, they were paid in credit and had to go to the company store in order to use that credit. Then that same night, Ma went to the company store to buy something for dinner. She realized that the prices for the goods were much higher than normal and was only able to buy some not so tasteful looking burgers and coffee. Then when she asked why the prices on the goods were higher, the clerk said â€Å"â€Å"yes, it’s high, an’ same time it ain’t high. Time you go on in town for a couple poun’s of hamburg, it’ll cos’ you ’bout a gallon of gas. So you see it ain’t really high here, ’cause you got no gallon a gas.† (Steinbeck) What he means by this is that since the area is isolated and the company paid only in credit, the only place to buy goods is the company store.Show MoreRelatedThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck Essay1622 Words   |  7 Pages The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck, widely viewed as one of the most finest and powerful American writer, born to a middle-class family in 1902 in the Salinas Valley of California. Steinbeck is a writer who often spoke for the people. The Grapes of Wrath is a great movie, published in 1939, filled with many universal truths and views on human nature and society, especially where class is concerned. In the article, John Steinbeck The Grapes a wrath: A Call to Action says, â€Å"Steinbeck’s novel showcasedRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1075 Words   |  5 PagesKirsten Lloyd Mr. Eldridge AP Junior English 21 August 2014 Grapes of Wrath â€Å"Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.† (Seneca), In the 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, the reader accompanies the Joad family as they struggle to escape the crippling Dust Bowl of the mid- 1930’s. In hopes of establishing a new life for themselves after being forced off their land the family embark on a journey from Oklahoma to California in search of fruitful crops and steady work alongRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1563 Words   |  7 Pages John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, depicts a migrant farming family in the 1930s. During this time, life revolved around the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, making circumstances difficult for almost everyone involved, especially those who had little. This time of drought and despair caused people to lose hope in everything they’ve ever known, even themselves, but those who did not, put their hope in the â€Å"promised land† of California. Here, the grass was thought to be truly greenerRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1189 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Grapes of Wrath† Shortly after being released John Steinbeck’s book â€Å"The Grapes of Wrath† was banned because many critics viewed the novel as promoting communist propaganda, or socialist ideas. The ideas that many of these critics point to is Steinbeck’s depiction of the Big Banks/ Businesses as monsters, the comparison of Government camps to a utopia in contrast of the makeshift â€Å"Hoovervilles,† and the theme of the community before the individual, In his novel â€Å"The Grapes of Wrath† John SteinbeckRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1093 Words   |  5 Pages In John Steinbeck s The Grapes of Wrath, Tom Joad and his family are forced from their home during the 1930’s Oklahoma Dust Bowl and set out for California along with thousands of others in search of jobs, land, and hope for a brighter future. The Grapes of Wrath is Steinbeck’s way to expound about the injustice and hardship of real migrants during the Depression-era. H e utilizes accurate factual information, somber imagery, and creates pathos, allowing readers connections to the Joad’s plightRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1190 Words   |  5 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath April 14th, 1939, John Steinbeck published the novel, The Grapes of Wrath. The novel became an immediate best seller, with selling over 428,900 copies. Steinbeck, who lived through both the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, sought to bring attention to how families of Oklahoma outdid these disasters. Steinbeck focuses on families of Oklahoma, including the Joads family, who reside on a farm. The Joad family is tested with hardship when life for them on their farm takesRead MoreThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck702 Words   |  3 PagesJohn Steinbeck’s use of the intercalary chapters in The Grapes of Wrath helps weave the reader’s sympathy of the Joad family into a more broad sympathy for the migrant farmers as a whole, in the hopes that the readers would then be compelled to act upon what they have read. During the Great Depression, people had a big disconnect about what was happening in various parts of the country. People often struggle to find sympathy for events when they can’t even visualize a person who is suffering throughRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck2144 Words   |  9 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath is a well-known beloved novel of American Literature, written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. Whoever said a road is just a road has not read The Grapes of Wrath. From the time we read when Tom Joad, novel’s protagonist, returns home after four years in prison; the meaning of roads changed. Route 66, also known as the mother road the road of flight, was a lifeline road, which allowed thousands of families to pursue their hopes and dreams. This road is also the road thatRead MoreThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck1014 Words   |  5 PagesJohn Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, was first written and later published in the 1939. Fr om the time of its publication to date, the exemplary yet a simple book has seen Steinbeck win a number of highly coveted awards including Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and later on Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. Set at the time of the Great Depression, the book most remarkably gives a descriptive account of the Oklahoma based sharecropper Joad’ poor family in the light of economic hardship, homelessnessRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck1064 Words   |  5 PagesThe Grapes of Wrath, originated from a John Steinbeck’s book, a legendary film that focus on a major point of American history. The story follows the Joad family on their journey to California trying to survive the hardships. This film, focus on the social problems of America like the Dust bowl, The Great Depression, and industrialism. The Grapes of Wrath was filmed in a journalistic-documentary style, which displayed the realism of the epidemic in the thirties. The thirties the period The Grapes

Last Sacrifice Chapter Twenty-one Free Essays

I DIDN’T GET TO DRIVE. â€Å"General’ Sydney didn’t either, much to her outrage, though Dimitri did some fast- talking to explain why. It all started when Victor discovered his car was having â€Å"engine trouble. We will write a custom essay sample on Last Sacrifice Chapter Twenty-one or any similar topic only for you Order Now ’ He wasn’t very happy about that. He made no accusations, but I think everyone there–even Sonya and Robert–could guess the malfunction wasn’t coincidental. This meant we all had to pile in the CR-V, which hadn’t been designed to seat so many people–which was why Dimitri had come up with a creative seating plan. Of course, one of those â€Å"seats’ turned out to be the cargo space in the back. It was good-sized, but when Sydney learned it was her seat, she accused Dimitri of adding insult to the injury of taking her keys. I wouldn’t tell her so, but putting her back there was a sound choice. Dimitri’s seating chart was configured to minimize threats inside the car. Dimitri drove, with Robert going shotgun, and me between Victor and Sonya in the backseat. This put a guardian in each row, separated the brothers, and kept the spirit users apart too. When I argued that he and I could switch spots and still maintain the same security, Dimitri pointed out that having me at the wheel wouldn’t be safe if I had to suddenly flip to Lissa’s mind. It was a fair point. As for Sydney †¦ well, she was neither a threat nor a fighting force, so she got offloaded to the back. And speaking of dead weight †¦ â€Å"We have got to get rid of Victor and Robert now,’ I murmured to Dimitri, as we loaded the CR-V with groceries and our meager luggage (further reducing Sydney’s space, much to her outrage). â€Å"They’ve done what we needed. Keeping them is dangerous. It’s time to turn them over to the guardians.’ The brothers wanted to continue on with us in order to find Lissa’s sibling. We were letting them–but not out of generosity. We simply couldn’t let them out of our sights yet. â€Å"Agreed,’ Dimitri said, frowning slightly. â€Å"But there’s no good way to do it. Not yet. We can’t leave them tied up beside the road; I wouldn’t put it past them to escape and hitchhike. We also can’t turn them in ourselves, for obvious reasons.’ I set a bag inside the car and leaned against the bumper. â€Å"Sydney could turn them in.’ Dimitri nodded. â€Å"That’s probably our best bet–but I don’t want to part with her until we get to †¦ well, wherever we’re going. We might need her help.’ I sighed. â€Å"And so, we drag them along.’ â€Å"Afraid so,’ he said. He gave me wary look. â€Å"You know, when they are in custody, there’s a very good chance they’ll have quite a story to tell the authorities about us.’ â€Å"Yeah.’ I’d been thinking about that too. â€Å"I guess that’s a problem for later. Gotta deal with the immediate problems first.’ To my surprise, Dimitri smiled at me. I would have expected some prudent, wise remark. â€Å"Well, that’s always been our strategy, hasn’t it?’ he asked. I smiled in return, but it was short-lived, once we hit the road. Mercifully, Victor wasn’t his usual annoying chatty self–which I suspected was because he was growing weak from lack of blood. Sonya and Robert had to be feeling the same way. This was going to be a problem if we didn’t get a feeder soon, but I didn’t know how we were going to pull that off. I had the impression Sydney hadn’t realized any of this yet, which was just as well. Being a human among a group of hungry vampires would certainly make me nervous. She was actually probably safer sequestered in the back from everyone else. Sonya’s directions were vague and very need-to-know. She only gave us short-term information and often wouldn’t warn about a turn until we were right on top of it. We had no idea where we were going or how long it would take. She scanned a map and then told Dimitri to go north on I-75. When we asked how long our trip would take, her response was: â€Å"Not long. A few hours. Maybe more.’ And with that mysterious explanation, she settled back in her seat and said no more. There was a haunted, pensive expression on her face, and I tried to imagine how she felt. Only a day ago she’d been Strigoi. Was she still processing what had happened? Was she seeing the faces of her victims as Dimitri had? Was she tormenting herself with guilt? Did she want to become Strigoi again? I left her alone. Now wasn’t the time for therapy. I settled back, preparing myself to be patient. A tingle of consciousness suddenly sparked in the bond, shifting my attention inward. Lissa was awake. I blinked and looked at the dashboard clock. Afternoon for humans. The Moroi at Court should have been long asleep by now. But no, something had awakened her. Two guardians stood at her door, faces impassive. â€Å"You have to come with us,’ one of them said. â€Å"It’s time for the next test.’ Astonishment filled Lissa. She’d known the next test was â€Å"coming soon’ but hadn’t heard any further details since returning from the endurance test. That trip had taken place during the Moroi night too, but she’d at least had fair warning. Eddie stood nearby in her room, having replaced my mother as Lissa’s protection a few hours ago. Christian sat up in Lissa’s bed, yawning. They hadn’t gotten hot and heavy, but Lissa liked having him around. Snuggling with her boyfriend while Eddie was in the room didn’t seem as weird to her as it did when my mom was there. I didn’t blame her. â€Å"Can I change?’ Lissa asked. â€Å"Be quick,’ said the guardian. She grabbed the first outfit she could and hurried to the bathroom, feeling confused and nervous. When she came out, Christian had pulled on his jeans already and was reaching for his T-shirt. Eddie meanwhile was sizing up the guardians, and I could guess his thoughts because I would have shared the same ones. This wakeup call seemed official, but he didn’t know these guardians and didn’t totally trust them. â€Å"Can I escort her?’ he asked. â€Å"Only as far as the testing area,’ said the second guardian. â€Å"What about me?’ asked Christian. â€Å"Only as far as the testing area.’ The guardians’ answers surprised me, but then, I realized it was probably common for monarch candidates to go to their tests with entourages–even unexpected tests in the middle of the night. Or maybe not so unexpected. The Court’s grounds were virtually deserted, but when her group reached their destination–a small, out of the way section of an old brick building–she had to pass several groups of Moroi lining the halls. Apparently, word had gotten out. Those gathered stepped aside respectfully. Some–probably advocates of other families–gave her scowls. But lots of other people smiled at her and called out about â€Å"the dragon’s return.’ A few even brushed their hands against her arms, as though taking luck or power from her. The crowd was much smaller than the one who’d greeted her after the first test. This eased her anxiety but didn’t shake her earlier resolve to take the tests seriously. The faces of the onlookers shone with awe and curiosity, wondering if she might be the next to rule them. A doorway at the end of the hall marked the conclusion of her journey. Neither Christian nor Eddie needed to be told that this was as far as they could go. Lissa glanced at the two of them over her shoulder before following one of the guardians inside, taking comfort from her loved ones’ supportive faces. After the epic adventure of the first test, Lissa expected something equally intimidating. What she found instead was an old Moroi woman sitting comfortably in a chair in a mostly empty room. Her hands were folded in her lap, holding something wrapped in cloth. The woman hummed, seeming very content. And when I say old, I mean she was old. Moroi could live until their early 100s, and this woman had clearly crossed that mark. Her pale skin was a maze of wrinkles, and her gray hair was wispy and thin. She smiled when she saw Lissa and nodded toward an empty chair. A small table sat beside it with a glass pitcher of water. The guardians left the women alone. Lissa glanced around her surroundings. There were no other furnishings, though there was a plain door opposite the one she had come through. She sat down and then turned toward the old woman. â€Å"Hello,’ said Lissa, trying to keep her voice strong. â€Å"I’m Vasilisa Dragomir.’ The woman’s small smile grew, showing her yellowed teeth. One of her fangs was missing. â€Å"Always such manners in your family,’ she croaked. â€Å"Most people come in here and demand we get down to business. But I remember your grandfather. He was polite during his test as well.’ â€Å"You knew my grandfather?’ exclaimed Lissa. He had died when she was very, very young. Then, she picked up another meaning in the woman’s words. â€Å"He ran for king?’ The woman nodded. â€Å"Passed all his tests. I think he would have won the election, if he hadn’t withdrawn at the last moment. After that, it was a coin’s toss between Tatiana Ivashkov and Jacob Tarus. Very close, that one. The Taruses still hold a grudge.’ Lissa had never heard any of this. â€Å"Why’d my grandfather withdraw?’ â€Å"Because your brother had just been born. Frederick decided he needed to devote his energy to his fledgling family, instead of a nation.’ Lissa could understand this. How many Dragomirs were there back then? Her grandfather, her father, and Andre–and her mother, but only by marriage. Eric Dragomir hadn’t had any brothers or sisters. Lissa knew little about her grandfather, but in his place, she decided that she too would have rather spent time with her son and grandson, instead of listening to the endless speeches Tatiana had had to deal with. Lissa’s mind had wandered, and the old woman was watching her carefully. â€Å"Is †¦ this the test?’ asked Lissa, once the silence had gone on too long. â€Å"Is it, like, an interview?’ The old woman shook her head. â€Å"No. It’s this.’ She unwrapped the object in her lap. It was a cup–a chalice or a goblet. I’m not sure which. But it was beautiful, made of silver that seemed to glow with its own light. Blood-red rubies were scattered along the sides, glittering with each turn of the cup. The woman regarded it fondly. â€Å"Over a thousand years old, and it still gleams.’ She took the pitcher and filled the chalice with water while Lissa and I processed the words. A thousand years? I was no metal expert, but even I knew silver should have tarnished in that time. The woman held out the cup to Lissa. â€Å"Drink from it. And when you want to stop, say’stop.† Lissa reached for the cup, more confused than ever by the odd instructions. What was she supposed to stop? Drinking? As soon as her fingers touched the metal, she understood. Well, kind of. A tingle ran through her, one she knew well. â€Å"This is charmed,’ she said. The old woman nodded. â€Å"Infused with all four elements and a spell long since forgotten.’ Charmed with spirit too, thought Lissa. That too must have been forgotten, and it put her on edge. Elemental charms had different effects. Earth charms–like the tattoo she’d been given–were often tied with minor compulsion spells. The combination of all four in a stake or ward provided a unified blast of life that blocked the undead. But spirit †¦ well, she was quickly learning that spirit charms covered a wide range of unpredictable effects. The water no doubt activated the spell, but Lissa had a feeling that spirit was going to be the key player. Even though it was the power that burned in her blood, it still scared her. The spell woven into this cup was complex, far beyond her skills, and she feared what it would do. The old woman stared unblinkingly. Lissa hesitated only a moment more. She drank. The world faded away, then rematerialized into something completely different. She and I both recognized what this was: a spirit dream. She no longer stood in the plain room. She was outdoors, wind whipping her long hair in front of her face. She brushed it aside as best she could. Other people stood around her, all of them in black, and she soon recognized the Court’s church and graveyard. Lissa herself wore black, along with a long wool coat to protect against the chill. They were gathered around a grave, and a priest stood near it, his robes of office offering the only color on that gray day. Lissa took a few steps over, trying to see whose name was on the tombstone. What she discovered shocked me more than her: ROSEMARIE HATHAWAY. My name was carved into the granite in regal, elaborate font. Below my name was the star of battle, signifying that I’d killed more Strigoi than could be counted. Go me. Beneath that were three lines of text in Russian, Romanian, and English. I didn’t need the English translation to know what each line said because it was standard for a guardian’s grave: â€Å"Eternal Service.’ The priest spoke customary funeral words, giving me the blessings of a religion I wasn’t sure I believed in. That was the least weird thing here, however, seeing as I was watching my own funeral. When he finished, Alberta took his place. Lauding the deceased’s achievements was also normal at a guardian’s funeral–and Alberta had plenty to say about mine. Had I been there, I would have been moved to tears. She concluded by describing my last battle, how I’d died defending Lissa. That actually didn’t weird me out so much. I mean, don’t get me wrong. Everything going on here was completely insane. But, reasonably speaking, if I was actually watching my own funeral, it made sense that I would have died protecting her. Lissa didn’t share my feelings. The news was a slap in the face to her. She suddenly became aware of a horrible empty feeling in her chest, like part of her was gone. The bond only worked one way, yet Robert had sworn losing his bondmate had left him in agony. Lissa understood it now, that terrible, lonely ache. She was missing something she’d never even known she’d had. Tears brimmed in her eyes. This is a dream, she told herself. That’s all. But she’d never had a spirit dream like this. Her experiences had always been with Adrian, and the dreams had felt like telephone calls. When the mourners dispersed from the graveyard, Lissa felt a hand touch her shoulder. Christian. She threw herself gratefully into his arms, trying hard to hold back sobs. He felt real and solid. Safe. â€Å"How did this happen?’ she asked. â€Å"How could it have happened?’ Christian released her, his crystal-blue eyes more serious and sorrowful than I’d ever seen. â€Å"You know how. Those Strigoi were trying to kill you. She sacrificed herself to save you.’ Lissa had no memory of this, but it didn’t matter. â€Å"I can’t †¦ I can’t believe this is happening.’ That agonizing emptiness grew within her. â€Å"I have more bad news,’ said Christian. She stared in astonishment. â€Å"How could this get any worse?’ â€Å"I’m leaving.’ â€Å"Leaving †¦ what? Court?’ â€Å"Yes. Leaving everything.’ The sadness on his face grew. â€Å"Leaving you.’ Her jaw nearly dropped. â€Å"What †¦ what’s wrong? What did I do?’ â€Å"Nothing.’ He squeezed her hand and let it go. â€Å"I love you. I’ll always love you. But you are who you are. You’re the last Dragomir. There’ll always be something taking you away †¦ I’d just get in your way. You need to rebuild your family. I’m not the one you need.’ â€Å"Of course you are! You are the only one! The only one I want to build my future with.’ â€Å"You say that now, but just wait. There are better choices. You heard Adrian’s joke. â€Å"Little Dragomirs’? When you’re ready for kids in a few years, you’re going to need a bunch. The Dragomirs need to be solid again. And me? I’m not responsible enough to handle that.’ â€Å"You’d be a great father,’ she argued. â€Å"Yeah,’ he scoffed, â€Å"and I’d be a big asset to you too–the princess married to the guy from the Strigoi family.’ â€Å"I don’t care about any of that, and you know it!’ She clutched at his shirt, forcing him to look at her. â€Å"I love you. I want you to be part of my life. None of this makes sense. Are you scared? Is that it? Are you scared of the weight of my family name?’ He averted his eyes. â€Å"Let’s just say it’s not an easy name to carry.’ She shook him. â€Å"I don’t believe you! You’re not afraid of anything! You never back down.’ â€Å"I’m backing down now.’ He gently removed himself from her. â€Å"I really do love you. That’s why I’m doing this. It’s for the best.’ â€Å"But you can’t †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Lissa gestured toward my grave, but he was already walking away. â€Å"You can’t! She’s gone. If you’re gone too, there’ll be no one †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ But Christian was gone, disappearing into fog that hadn’t been there minutes ago. Lissa was left with only my tombstone for company. And for the first time in her life, she was really and truly alone. She had felt alone when her family died, but I’d been her anchor, always at her back, protecting her. When Christian had come along, he too had kept the loneliness away, filling her heart with love. But now †¦ now we were both gone. Her family was gone. That hole inside threatened to consume her, and it was more than just the loss of the bond. Being alone is a terrible, terrible thing. There’s no one to run to, no one to confide in, no one who cares what happens to you. She’d been alone in the woods, but that was nothing like this. Nothing like it at all. Staring around, she wished she could go sink into my grave and end her torment. No †¦ wait. She really could end it. Say ‘stop,’ the old woman had said. That was all it took to stop this pain. This was a spirit dream, right? True, it was more realistic and all- consuming than any she’d ever faced, but in the end, all dreamers woke up. One word, and this would become a fading nightmare. Staring around at the empty Court, she almost said the word. But †¦ did she want to end things? She’d vowed to fight through these trials. Would she give up over a dream? A dream about being alone? It seemed like such a minor thing, but that cold truth hit her again: I’ve never been alone. She didn’t know if she could carry on by herself, but then, she realized that if this wasn’t a dream–and dear God, did it feel real–there was no magic â€Å"stop’ in real life. If she couldn’t deal with loneliness in a dream, she never would be able to while waking. And as much as it scared her, she decided she would not back down from this. Something urged her toward the fog, and she walked toward it–alone. The fog should have led her into the church’s garden. Instead, the world rematerialized and she found herself in a Council session. It was an open one, with a Moroi audience watching. Unlike usual, Lissa didn’t sit with the audience. She was at the Council’s table, with its thirteen chairs. She sat in the Dragomir seat. The middle chair, the monarch’s chair, was occupied by Ariana Szelsky. Definitely a dream, some wry part of her thought. She had a Council spot and Ariana was queen. Too good to be true. Like always, the Council was in a heated debate, and the topic was familiar: the age decree. Some Council members argued that it was immoral. Others argued that the Strigoi threat was too great. Desperate times called for desperate actions, those people said. Ariana peered down the table at Lissa. â€Å"What does the Dragomir family think?’ Ariana was neither as kind as she’d been in the van nor as hostile as Tatiana had been. Ariana was neutral, a queen running a Council and gathering the information she needed. Every set of eyes in the room turned toward Lissa. For some reason, every coherent idea had fled out of her head. Her tongue felt thick in her mouth. What did she think? What was her opinion of the age decree? She desperately tried to dredge up an answer. â€Å"I †¦ I think it’s bad.’ Lee Szelsky, who must have taken the family spot when Ariana became queen, snorted in disgust. â€Å"Can you elaborate, princess?’ Lissa swallowed. â€Å"Lowering the guardian age isn’t the way to protect us. We need †¦ we need to learn to protect ourselves too.’ Her words were met with more contempt and shock. â€Å"And pray tell,’ said Howard Zeklos, â€Å"how do you plan to do that? What’s your proposal? Mandatory training for all ages? Start a program in the schools?’ Again Lissa groped for words. What was the plan? She and Tasha had discussed it lots of times, strategizing this very issue of how to implement training. Tasha had practically pounded those details into her head in the hopes Lissa could make her voice heard. Here she was now, representing her family on the Council, with the chance to change things and improve Moroi life. All she had to do was explain herself. So many were counting on her, so many waiting to hear the words she felt so passionately about. But what were they? Why couldn’t Lissa remember? She must have taken too long to answer because Howard threw his hands up in disgust. â€Å"I knew it. We were idiots to let a little girl on this Council. She has nothing useful to offer. The Dragomirs are gone. They’ve died with her, and we need to accept that.’ They’ve died with her. The pressure of being the last of her line had weighed on Lissa since the moment a doctor had told her that her parents and brother had died. The last of a line that had empowered the Moroi and produced some of the greatest kings and queens. She’d vowed to herself over and over that she wouldn’t disappoint that lineage, that she would see her family’s pride restored. And now it was all falling apart. Even Ariana, whom Lissa had considered a supporter, looked disappointed. The audience began to jeer, echoing the call of removing this tongue-tied child from the Council. They yelled for her to leave. Then, worse still: â€Å"The dragon is dead! The dragon is dead!’ Lissa almost tried again to make her speech, but then something made her look behind her. There, the twelve family seals hung on the wall. A man had appeared out of nowhere and was taking down the Dragomir’s crest, with its dragon and Romanian inscription. Lissa’s heart sank as the shouts in the room became louder and her humiliation grew. She rose, wanting to run out of there and hide from the disgrace. Instead, her feet took her to the wall with its seals. With more strength than she thought herself capable of possessing, she jerked the dragon seal away from the man. â€Å"No!’ she yelled. She turned her gaze to the audience and held up the seal, challenging any of them to come take it from her or deny her her rightful place on the Council. â€Å"This. Is. Mine. Do you hear me? This is mine!’ She would never know if they heard because they disappeared, just like the graveyard. Silence fell. She now sat in one of the medical examining rooms back at St. Vladimir’s. The familiar details were oddly comforting: the sink with its orange hand soap, the neatly labeled cupboards and drawers, and even the informative health posters on the walls. STUDENTS: PRACTICE SAFE SEX! Equally welcome was the school’s resident physician: Dr. Olendzki. The doctor wasn’t alone. Standing around Lissa–who sat on top of an examination bed–were a therapist named Deirdre and †¦ me. Seeing myself there was pretty wacky, but after the funeral, I was just starting to roll with all of this. A surprising mix of feelings raced through Lissa, feelings out of her control. Happiness to see us. Despair at life. Confusion. Suspicion. She couldn’t seem to get a hold of one emotion or thought. It was a very different feeling from the Council, when she just hadn’t been able to explain herself. Her mind had been orderly–she’d just lost track of her point. Here, there was nothing to keep track of. She was a mental mess. â€Å"Do you understand?’ asked Dr. Olendzki. Lissa suspected the doctor had already asked this question. â€Å"It’s beyond what we can control. Medication no longer works.’ â€Å"Believe me, we don’t want you hurting yourself. But now that others are at risk †¦ well, you understand why we have to take action.’ This was Deirdre. I’d always thought of her as smug, particularly since her therapeutic method involved answering questions with questions. There was no sly humor now. Deirdre was deadly earnest. None of their words made sense to Lissa, but the hurting yourself part triggered something in her. She looked down at her arms. They were bare †¦ and marred with cuts. The cuts she used to make when the pressure of spirit grew too great. They’d been her only outlet, a horrible type of release. Studying them now, Lissa saw the cuts were bigger and deeper than before. The kinds of cuts that danced with suicide. She looked back up. â€Å"Who †¦ who did I hurt?’ â€Å"You don’t remember?’ asked Dr. Olendzki. Lissa shook her head, looking desperately from face to face, seeking answers. Her gaze fell on me, and my face was as dark and somber as Deirdre’s. â€Å"It’s okay, Liss,’ I said. â€Å"It’s all going to be okay.’ I wasn’t surprised at that. Naturally, it was what I would say. I would always reassure Lissa. I would always take care of her. â€Å"It’s not important,’ said Deirdre, voice soft and soothing. â€Å"What’s important is no one else ever gets hurt. You don’t want to hurt anyone, do you?’ Of course Lissa didn’t, but her troubled mind shifted elsewhere. â€Å"Don’t talk to me like a child!’ The loudness of her voice filled the room. â€Å"I didn’t mean to,’ said Deirdre, the paragon of patience. â€Å"We just want to help you. We want you to be safe.’ Paranoia rose to the forefront of Lissa’s emotions. Nowhere was safe. She was certain about that †¦ but nothing else. Except maybe something about a dream. A dream, a dream †¦ â€Å"They’ll be able to take care of you in Tarasov,’ explained Dr. Olendzki. â€Å"They’ll make sure you’re comfortable.’ â€Å"Tarasov?’ Lissa and I spoke in unison. This other Rose clenched her fists and glared. Again, a typical reaction for me. â€Å"She is not going to that place,’ growled Rose. â€Å"Do you think we want to do this?’ asked Deirdre. It was the first time I’d really seen her cool facade crumble. â€Å"We don’t. But the spirit †¦ what it’s doing †¦ we have no choice †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Images of our trip to Tarasov flashed through Lissa’s mind. The cold, cold corridors. The moans. The tiny cells. She remembered seeing the psychiatric ward, the section other spirit users were locked up in. Locked up indefinitely. â€Å"No!’ she cried, jumping up from the table. â€Å"Don’t send me to Tarasov!’ She looked around for escape. The women stood between her and the door. Lissa couldn’t run. What magic could she use? Surely there was something. Her mind touched spirit, as she rifled for a spell. Other-Rose grabbed a hold of her hand, likely because she’d felt the stirrings of spirit and wanted to stop Lissa. â€Å"There’s another way,’ my alter ego told Deirdre and Dr. Olendzki. â€Å"I can pull it from her. I can pull it all from her, like Anna did for St. Vladimir. I can take away the darkness and instability. Lissa will be sane again.’ Everyone stared at me. Well, the other me. â€Å"But then it’ll be in you, right?’ asked Dr. Olendzki. â€Å"It won’t disappear.’ â€Å"I don’t care,’ I told them stubbornly. â€Å"I’ll go to Tarasov. Don’t send her. I can do it as long as she needs me to.’ Lissa watched me, scarcely believing what she heard. Her chaotic thoughts turned joyous. Yes! Escape. She wouldn’t go crazy. She wouldn’t go to Tarasov. Then, somewhere in the jumble of her memories †¦ â€Å"Anna committed suicide,’ murmured Lissa. Her grasp on reality was still tenuous, but that sobering thought was enough to momentarily calm her racing mind. â€Å"She went crazy from helping St. Vladimir.’ My other self refused to look at Lissa. â€Å"It’s just a story. I’ll take the darkness. Send me.’ Lissa didn’t know what to do or think. She didn’t want to go to Tarasov. That prison gave her nightmares. And here I was, offering her escape, offering to save her like I always did. Lissa wanted that. She wanted to be saved. She didn’t want to go insane like all the other spirit users. If she accepted my offer, she would be free. Yet †¦ on the edge or not, she cared about me too much. I had made too many sacrifices for her. How could she let me do this? What kind of friend would she be, to condemn me to that life? Tarasov scared Lissa. A life in a cage scared Lissa. But me facing that scared her even more. There was no good outcome here. She wished it would all just go away. Maybe if she just closed her eyes †¦ wait. She remembered again. The dream. She was in a spirit dream. All she had to do was wake up. Say â€Å"stop.’ It was easier this time. Saying that word was the simple way out, the perfect solution. No Tarasov for either of us, right? Then, she felt a lightening of the pressure on her mind, a stilling of those chaotic feelings. Her eyes widened as she realized I had already started pulling away the darkness. ‘Stop’ was forgotten. â€Å"No!’ Spirit burned through her, and she threw up a wall in the bond, blocking me from her. â€Å"What are you doing?’ my other self asked. â€Å"Saving you,’ said Lissa. â€Å"Saving myself.’ She turned to Dr. Olendzki and Deirdre. â€Å"I understand what you have to do. It’s okay. Take me to Tarasov. Take me where I won’t hurt anyone else.’ Tarasov. A place where real nightmares walked the halls. She braced herself as the office faded away, ready for the next part of the dream: a cold stone cell, with chains on the walls and people wailing down the halls†¦. But when the world put itself back together, there was no Tarasov. There was an empty room with an old woman and a silver chalice. Lissa looked around. Her heart was racing, and her sense of time was off. The things she’d seen had lasted an eternity. Yet, simultaneously, it felt like only a couple seconds had passed since she and the old woman had conversed. â€Å"What †¦ what was that?’ asked Lissa. Her mouth was dry, and the water sounded good now †¦ but the chalice was empty. â€Å"Your fear,’ said the old woman, eyes twinkling. â€Å"All your fears, laid out neatly in a row.’ Lissa placed the chalice on the table with shaking hands. â€Å"It was awful. It was spirit, but it †¦ it wasn’t anything I’ve seen before. It invaded my mind, rifling through it. It was so real. There were times I believed it was real.’ â€Å"But you didn’t stop it.’ Lissa frowned, thinking of how close she had come. â€Å"No.’ The old woman smiled and said nothing. â€Å"Am I †¦ am I done?’ asked Lissa, confused. â€Å"Can I go?’ The old woman nodded. Lissa stood and glanced between the two doors, the one she’d entered through and the plain one in the back. Still in shock, Lissa automatically turned toward the door she’d come through. She didn’t really want to see those people lined up in the hall again but swore she’d put on a good princess face. Besides, there’d only been a fraction here compared to the group who’d greeted her after the last test. Her steps were halted when the old woman spoke again and pointed toward the back of the room. â€Å"No. That’s for those who fail. You go out this door.’ Lissa turned and approached the plain door. It looked like it led outdoors, which was probably just as well. Peace and quiet. She felt like she should say something to her companion but didn’t know what. So, she simply turned the knob and stepped outside †¦ Into a crowd cheering for the dragon. How to cite Last Sacrifice Chapter Twenty-one, Essay examples

Rodin Essay Example For Students

Rodin Essay Like most artists, Rodin was not an overnight success. Even though he was rejected numerous times from art schools because of his art style, he prevailed in the end. Rodin, like many artists, got their inspiration from other great and famous artists. In Rodins case, his inspiration came from Michelangelo. In Rodins more famous works, one can see the similarities between the two artists artwork. Rodins parents were not wealthy, therefore, he was not able to attend an art school of his choice. His father, however, did send him to Petite cole, a training ground for commercial draftsman and practicienscutters and finishers of work in stone. At the age of seventeen, Rodin won his first prize for a clay model and he came in second place for one of his drawings. His teachers at Petite cole encouraged him to try for the Grande cole des Beaux-Arts. He applied, but was not accepted. Not giving up hope, Rodin applied two more times, but was rejected. Determined to make a living, he worked for a large commercial designer. It was there, that he created numerous objects with his hands; anything from masks of gods to cupids. This is where he began to see that he had a future in what he loved the most, art. Even though Rodin was an artist, his career did not take off so soon. When he was 22, his sister Maria died. He anguished so much over her death that he decided to leave his art. He quit everything and decided to enter the Order of the Fathers of the Very Holy Sacrament. While living in the monastery, Rodin confided in Father Eymard, and he was the one that told Rodin to continue sculpting and not to give up. Rodin eventually realized that religion was not his calling and once he had enough money saved up, he moved into his first studio. From that point on, he was fully committed to his artwork. Rodin said that it was so cold in his studio, (he could not afford to have heat) that he would wake up and see parts of his sculptures on the floor. Since I didnt have the money to have them cast, each day I lost precious time covering my clay with wet cloths. Despite that, at every turn I had accidents from the effects of the cold and heat. Entire sections detached themselvesheads, arms, knees, chunks of torso fell off; I found them in pieces on the tiles that covered the floor . In 1864, Rodin created a masterpiece, something that would change his life forever. He created The Man with the Broken Nose, and with the new creation he said, It determined all my future work. The new sculpture was not found to be worth anything after Rodin tried to enter it in the Salon. So, he took it back home and placed it in a corner for numerous years. One day, one of Rodins students saw the lonely bust and asked if he could borrow it to make copy. Rodin did not refuse and when the student, Jules Desbois took it to his classmates at the Grande cole, they were astounded. All of Desboiss classmates stood around with amazement, all asking who created such a masterpiece. Desbois s aid, The man who made it, whose name is Rodin, failed three times to enter the school, and the work you take to be antique was refused by the Salon. In 1866, Rose, his girlfriend, gave birth to a baby boy. He soon had a job with one of the best employers around, Carrier-Belleuse. There, he was a draftsman, molder, finisher and a caster. He eventually left because he had all the money that he claimed he needed. In 1870, he was called to serve in the National Guard, but was released because of his poor vision. By this time, there was no money and Rodin tried to call previous clients that could possibly want some decorating done. All ties were broken after he left the reputable company Carrier-Belleuse. After months without having any work, Rose left him and Rodin decided to join a partnership with another ex-employee of Carrier-Belleuse. Together, the two men made sculptures and reliefs for a number of building in Brussels. Auguste made a decent living from his commission and he was s oon able to do what he always wanted to do; travel to Italy. In 1875, Rodin was able to afford to move to Italy, where he studied Michelangelo almost immediately. At this point, Italy was probably the best thing that could have happened to Rodin. From the moment I arrived, I began to study Michelangeloand I believe this great magician will reveal some of his secrets to me. Having found his affinity for Michelangelo, Rodin now tackled the problem of how to draw on his example, not just copy from it. He began work on a full-scale figure that, while showing Michelangelos influence, was quite unlike anything Rodin had actually seen in Italy. The piece, a male nude destined to become famous as The Age of Bronze, was freestanding, both literally and figuratively, and it signaled the end of Rodins 20-year apprenticeship in art. Early on in the year of 1877, Rodin was accused of being an imposter. The Salon claimed that he had taken a statue and just molded right over it with new material. When Rodin found out what he was being accused of, he rushed to the press and had pictures taken to prove that he was not an imposter, and to prove that the sculpture was not exactly like the human body. Finally, the Salon concluded that it was not the same thing and Rodin said, I have learned how to use it bronze casting. Rodin returned to Paris in late1877, when a death occurred in the family. Rodin had lost his mother, and now his father had gone blind and was beginning to turn senile. If that were not enough, his son, from his common-law wife Rose was almost completely retarded. Some say that it is possible that he suffered a head injury when he fell from a two-story window as a young baby. Even though his son was dying, Rodin attempted to give his son drawing lessons, but his son appeared to ignore him. Throughout Auguste Rodins work, one can see the similarities between his work and Michelangelos work. One can assume that after one man studies another great man, traits and ide as will shine through the artists work. The Age of Bronze resembles Michelangelos Dying Slave by the posture that the two statues share. The two men are twisted in the same fashion, as if they are frozen and sculpted just as the artist saw them. One leg of each statue has its knee bent, both heads are looking forward, and the arm is raised in the air. Rodins Crouching Woman resembles many characteristics from Michelangelos Crouching Youth. The Crouching Woman, created between 1880-1882, looks as if she has eternal suffering. This is given away by the way her knees are bent, implying that she may be helpless, she wants to be pitied, or she is tired. The similarities between the two statues is easier to see than the differences. Both figures heads are tilted the same way. Both knees are bent and intertwined with her own arms; while one hand holds one foot. Both women have clear muscle definition, but the facial expression is just like the muscle definition, obvious that there are no e motions to show. Lastly, both sculptures are left in an un-sculptured stone for a base. Once again, Michelangelos work can be seen in Rodins Faun and Child. The Faun and Child was designed in December 1882, and is almost a replica of Michelangelos sketch of the prophet Jechonius. Both adult figures have their heads looking back, as if both guardian and child are in danger. Secondly, the guardian is holding the child with his/her left arm. Lastly, it seems as though the children are either reaching or looking at something that they yearn for. Rodin was a very talented artist, sculptor, and thinker. He was able to make people see things the way that he saw them, and even though it was tough getting started, he prevailed and was able to live happily; considering what a hard life he had. Rodin died in November 1917 and his common-law wife, Rose, died in February of 1917. Rodin died with having completed over 400 sculptures and 7,000 drawings.Two of Rodins most famous pieces of work were finally shown in the Salon in 1878, The Man with the Broken Nose and the Age of Bronze. I had a chance to see several Rodins and visit his home in paris last summer and while he may reflect Michealangelo ,it was clear ,no one could deny his talent as a sculptor. His forms hold such a strong sense of motion and strength. My favorite would have to be his sculpture the Kiss, it stands in the garden deTolluries in paris and just left such a strong impression on me. .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e , .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e .postImageUrl , .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e , .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e:hover , .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e:visited , .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e:active { border:0!important; } .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e:active , .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u6b4100b4fce5d424f97712b8b581834e:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Unemployment Essay Bibliography:Bibliography1.Cunningham, Lawrence and John Reich. Culture and Values: A Survey of the WesternHumanities. Vol. 2, 4th Edition. Forth Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1998. 2.HalWilliam Harlan and the Editors of Time-Life Books. The World of Rodin: 1840-1917.Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1978. 3.Lampert, Catherine. Rodin: Sculpture and Drawings. Hong Kong: Kwong Fat Offset PrintingCo. Ltd., 1986.

Texoil Negotiation Essay Example

Texoil Negotiation Paper Value based pricing was going to be the key, I thought, from the moment I looked at the Texoil case as the service station owner. From my perspective, the owners not only owned the station, but had acquired a loyal customer base. They had knowledge of the regional environment. They themselves were part of the reason the station was successful. My contention was that if Texoil built a station without them, it would be both risky and potentially unsuccessful. Based on the above value analysis, my partner and I decided that the total value of the station was: the cost of a new building for Texoil plus lost revenues during construction plus the lifetime value of previously acquired customers plus the risk reduction of a failed venture – a total of two million dollars. We knew that the above figure was quite high, and we planned to come out quickly and anchor the discussion there with our supporting evidence. [1] Since the preliminary analysis showed it would cost Texoil 650k to build and 553k was our minimum desired selling price, our goal was to walk away with any deal above 650k. We will write a custom essay sample on Texoil Negotiation specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Texoil Negotiation specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Texoil Negotiation specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer I was open to thinking creatively about a deal that was not all-cash. [2] We recognized quickly that our BATNA so-so. If we sold for 400k it might be enough to pay for the sailboat, but it would not be enough to live on later. However, we realized that even in this worst case scenario, the boat could be sold upon returning in order to finance subsequent expenses. It wasn’t perfect but it was palatable. Ultimately, a deal that beat 400k would also work, but it would be leaving value on the table. Looking forward to the negotiation, we knew the Texoil rep would remark on the fact that we had been running ads in the newspaper. We felt that this was a disadvantage as it made us look desperate to sell. We wanted Texoil to think our BATNA was not only another offer but also continuing to enjoy running the station. The concocted story was: we started running the ads after we got an ‘out of the blue’ offer by a large competitor. We were SO surprised by this generous offer that we decided to go fishing to see what other interest was out there, though we had by no means decided that we wanted to sell. Process My partner and I as well as the Texoil rep spent some time getting acquainted and exchanging pleasantries. Relationship building before a negotiation is a key to successful outcomes. [3] He asked us why we were selling, and we trotted out our planned back story. A silence came over the discussion, and my partner proceeded to share our estimated two-million-dollar valuation. The Texoil rep’s brow furrowed, he scribbled on his paper, and said that based on his analysis he could offer us 200k! I was taken aback. My first instinct was that he was re-anchoring low. For most of the subsequent negotiation I felt he was playing hard ball. I countered by returning to the value discussion. I elaborated once again about how starting a gas station in a tough region with plenty of competitors was not a slam dunk; that there was a risk of failing, and that was the reason to pay a premium. The Texoil rep nodded his head and said, I still don’t understand how you’re getting to two million. At this point, I realized we had been doing too much talking, and potentially giving up too much information. We hadn’t asked why Texoil was interested, what their assumptions were, what they were looking at? Not letting the opposition speak was a blunder. Unfortunately, however, the rep didn’t give much information away. I redirected the conversation. I said, â€Å"our data shows it would cost you at least 650k to build, plus the customer base. † So how in the world are you getting somewhere between 200k and 300k. This was a smart move, because it got him to acknowledge that indeed the price to build was 650k, but that was for a new facility, potentially with the convenience store. I said sure, but then you’re going to be competing against me, and you’ll lose. Clearly existing relationships matter. He said price matters more. We went back and forth a little. At this point, I introduced the idea of us having a partial stake in the gas station. The Texoil rep seemed to be more ok with that idea, but the percent was still low. We appealed to his honest side. â€Å"Look,† we said, â€Å"We started at two million, we’ve gone way down. Do you want a deal or not? † He admitted that he had a cap on his spend. He offered $450k. I said at that level we’ll need a 20% stake. We went back and forth and landed on $450k, 15% stake, and 40 hours of work between the two of us upon returning from the vacation. Learning About Self I believe I showed a couple key strengths in this negotiation. First, by continuing to re-center the discussion about value, we earned a higher ending agreement. [I believe we had one of the most favorable agreements in the class for the gas station proprietors. ] We were able to sell the Texoil rep on the concept that he needed us and the skillset we brought. When we got down to a number that worked for him, he was open to non-cash solutions. One of the challenges in this case was information asymmetry. Not knowing the opponents’ information, limitations, and whether they were just pulling our leg. After the rep brought up that $650k was the price including an entirely new station with a convenience store, plus new pumps, I realized we had to be willing to pivot down. We acknowledged that taking into account the store and new pumps, the number was at least 500k to build, and they still needed us or it wouldn’t be a successful business. Knowing when your value proposition is different than originally stated is another key to getting the deal made. At one point my partner said, â€Å"Do you want a deal or not? You approached us to buy the station, but it seems like you’re not actually interested. Are you? † That did elicit the reaction of, â€Å"well yeah. † I think this shows that sometimes, when you’re stuck, zooming out to the 10,000 ft level can be beneficial. The mistake I made during this negotiation was that I let my mouth run wild for too long at certain points. I need to be more conscious, and actively listen. One thing I’m proud of is that we were open to a lot of creative solutions that were non-cash based. This gets at my own decision making criteria, where I land somewhere between a â€Å"charismatic† and a â€Å"thinker. †[4] I like seeing both the big picture and seeing the data. The thinker side that relishes the data feed, in some ways is very challenged by the ambiguity of negotiation. In some ways you don’t always know if you got the best deal you could get. That’s hard as a thinker who wants to win. Having that â€Å"charismatic† side, however, helps in terms of creating the grand strategy; coming up with the value proposition. Maybe I don’t get the most perfect deal, but at least the conceptual thinking and game-plan is on solid footing. What would you do differently? I have two regrets. First, my partner and I should have listened more to the rep at the start of the conversation. He was great at letting us talk. It turned out he didn’t actually know much about the situation, so we played right into his hands. The second mistake was not creating some sort of hierarchy of who was chief negotiator or roles. We discussed our overall plan, and that we were setting our initial value at two million, but after he re-anchored at 200k, we were off our game. There were a few times when my partner said something that I wasn’t completely in agreement with, and probably vice versa. We ended up taking a break a little more than half way through to resettle and to discuss where we were at. This was partially due to frustration. In retrospect, this was a shrewd decision and could have been taken early. I think the lesson is, if the opponent is doing something unexpected, stop and think deeply or take a break. It doesn’t seem to hurt.

Shrek Film Review Essay Example

Shrek Film Review Essay Example Shrek Film Review Paper Shrek Film Review Paper Essay Topic: Film Hilarious, irreverent digitally-animated fable from the makers of Antz. A Scottish ogre, a talking donkey, a midget tyrant, a princess with a secret and a whole raft of fairy-tale characters poke fun at uptightness and dole out liberalism. Shrek!! The highly indulgent topic of cinematic conversation ever since its release during late 2001. Well, impressed by its popularity I decided to take a look!! In due course, I was not disappointed!! Based in modest moderation on William Steigs book about a giant green ogre, this irreverent and absorbing computer-animated fairy tale is aimed as much at children as their parents. From the start, tradition is acknowledged as well as mocked. The execution of both is masterly. Opening with a Once upon a time story narrated over the turning leaves of an illustrated book, the pages are abruptly torn away to be used as toilet paper by the mischievous Shrek. The tone for a highly entertaining adventure has been set for the audience. The flatulent ogre then bathes in a nearby mud pool where he delights in blowing fart bubbles to the surface. So, far tradition is being turned on its head! Shrek is the Yiddish word for fear. I dont know what the Yiddish word for lovable is, but that would have been more appropriate! Shrek tries his best, but hes more cuddly than scary. This can be clearly seen in parts of the movie, which leads to the audience seeing new/interesting sides. Mike Myers Scottish brogue makes Shrek more endearing and adds another dimension to the movie. Mike Myers in a more familiar role of Austin Powers. The giant green ogre certainly doesnt intimidate the irrepressible and wise cracking Donkey (a character that accurately incorporates verbal diarrhoea, brought to life by an inspired Eddie Murphy, who imposes himself as the reluctant Shreks sidekick after fleeing from the evil ruler Lord Farquaad. The diminutive and dastardly Farquaad, voiced malignantly and masterly by John Lithgow, who has banished all the fairy tale characters from his kingdom of Duloc, including the Three Blind Mice, Pinocchio and Donkey. Whereupon they seek refuge at the home of the reclusive and sceptical Shrek, this despite the prominent Beware of the Ogre sign. Anxious to be rid of the intruders, Shrek pleads to Farquaad for their removal. The Lord agrees to his request, but this is a fairy tale and so naturally theres one condition. And again, because its a fairy tale, you have to have a princess in there somewhere. But this is no ordinary fairy tale and so when Farquaad has to find a wife to make his kingdom perfect; he picks Princess Fiona (the voice of Cameron Diaz) over two other contestants in a dating game and then gets Shrek to bring her back. The Dreamworks team behind Shrek take obvious delight in mocking their Disney rivals with Farquaads perfect kingdom bearing more than a passing resemblance to a certain other magic kingdom. Shrek enjoys feisty and addictive humour found in other recent animated films like Aladdin. The magic and charm of this genre is being able to plunder inspiration from everywhere and anywhere, enabling such moments as an aerial fighting sequence from The Matrix. Its while indulging itself with such gags that Shrek is at its best, as when the ogre inflates a hapless frog into a balloon as a gift for Princess Fiona, who in return snatches an unsuspecting snake from a tree, blows it up and twists it balloon-style into a dog. The styles of a princess and an ogre, at this point are equally amusing. Another example of a fairy tale with a slant. An encounter with Robin Hood and his merry men also gives an original slant when they break into a Riverdance routine. Comedy, it seems can only be restrained by rules. This production is clearly as amusing for the animators as the results are for the audience. Shreks frivolity extends to its soundtrack which is a refreshing change from the generic tunes that burden most animated films. Its collection of pop songs includes tracks by Smash Mouth, The Proclaimers, Maroon 5 and climaxes with Donkey leading a chorus of characters in a rendition of Im A Believer. As with all good fairy tales Shrek is built solidly around a moral, the message being to focus not on appearances but inner beauty, but that is secondary to the films main concern which is to make you laugh, and you do. Loudly and often, believe me!

Believes is a Verb

Believes is a Verb Believes is a Verb Believes is a Verb By Maeve Maddox Some bloggers, academics, and authors with books on Amazon seem to be confused about the verb believe and the noun belief. Here are just four examples: INCORRECT: Manobo Religious Believes and Practices- title of paper published at Academia.edu. CORRECT : Manobo Religious Beliefs and Practices INCORRECT: A recent study examines how religious and spiritual believes can impact our health in different ways.- Science World Report. CORRECT : A recent study examines how religious and spiritual beliefs can impact our health in different ways. INCORRECT: Awakening of Religious Believes of Islam- Facebook page title. CORRECT : Awakening of Religious Beliefs of Islam INCORRECT: Why do I mention believes, I really mean  religious believes, because more or less we have been forced to belief that a supernatural world doesnt exist, or it is a  world where only god’s reside.- Paul J. Linke, The Conspiracy Rhetoric of Mankind, Xlibris, 2012. CORRECT : Why do I mention beliefs, I really mean  religious beliefs, because more or less we have been forced to believe that a supernatural world doesnt exist, or it is a  world where only gods reside. Believe is a verb. Its principal parts are believe/believes, believed, (has) believed. Belief is a noun. Paul Brians (Common Errors in English Usage) sums up the difference nicely: People can’t have religious â€Å"believes†; they have religious beliefs. If you have it, it’s a belief; if you do it, you believe. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a UK Business LetterAnyone vs. Everyone"To Tide You Over"

Technologies for Business Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Technologies for Business - Research Proposal Example 5. It is critical to note that success and failure of such technologies also depends upon the way you project yourself and your company. Normally, small and start up businesses are largely dependent upon the person who is running the whole show therefore the business vision as well as strategic direction of the company which it is going to take. 6. The available technologies which can serve the basic purpose functionality as well as advanced functionalities for the firm include operating systems, PHP, .NET, Java Beans, J2EE, Java Scripting, FLASH, MySQL, ORACLE, SQL SERVER, SAAS and AJAX. 7. These technologies are easily available at relatively low expect few technologies such as Oracle etc. Start up businesses can easily integrate them into viable information technology solutions to remain competitive. 8. It is also important to note that these technologies offer different opportunities however, on the other hand there are associated risks with using such technologies also and start up businesses, due to their lack of expertise in each area, may find it difficult to utilize all such technologies to their fullest advantage. "The purpose of an operating system is to organize and control hardware and software so that the device it lives in behaves in a flexible but predictable way."(http://computer.howstuffworks.com).1 There are normally two types of operating system which are in use. These are: MS -Windows Operating System 1. Microsoft Windows Operating system is one of the most widely used operating systems in the world. 2. It is used in more than 90% of the computers in use. 3. It is based on graphical user interface technology. 4. There are different versions of this operating system as from time, Microsoft has made changes to its system in order to accommodate new and more demanding technological requirements. 5. It is not that much costly and can run on any machine regardless of hardware configuration. Other operating systems such as Apple Mac can only run on the PCs made by Apple itself. Linux 1. Linux is the only open source freeware operating system in the world which is easily available. 2. It is technically one of the most sophisticated operating system and is mostly run on the servers meant for networking and storage requirements. 3. Linux is based on UNIX based operating system and support different programming languages. 4. This operating system however would be only suitable if business is willing to run some online services and require on-going server support. Other Technologies PHP 1. PHP is one of the scripting languages which are used for writing dynamic and interactive websites. 2. PHP is highly flexible and robust and can be imbedded into HTML. 3. This is an easy to use language and can be used for developing dynamic websites such as online web stores, shopping carts etc. 4. One of

Business Organization of R&D Activities in Big Pharma Companies Essay

Business Organization of R&D Activities in Big Pharma Companies - Essay Example Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK) has the strongest pipeline in pharmaceutical industry the globe over. This pipeline is achieved when out of millions of compounds screened about 250 make it to pre-clinical testing, 10 make it to clinical testing and only one gets approved for patient use. With these astronomical trial efforts involved, R&D activity needs to be brisk and fast at all stages to keep the pipeline growing. GSK's recent robust performance is threatened substantially by this very patent and pipeline uncertainties. Therefore the period 2004-06 will require the company to devise methods to emerge out of these uncertainties as competition mounts pressure throughout this period. In order to resolve its diseconomies of scale on formal innovation(each commercially released drug is equivalent to an innovation), GSK has restructured the company's R&D functions into strategic business units, styled Centre of Excellence for Drug Discovery(CEDD), breaking from an organic and holistic structure in order to hasten process of innovation. GSK appears to be attempting to keep its pipeline filled via this method.GSK followed this restructuring with another round when it introduced Medicine Development centers (MDCs).The main task of MDCs is to streamline decision making and maximize the global development opportunities for each product. The MDCs are responsible for product development from concept stage to manufacturing and marketing stages.MDCs enter into collaborations with CEDDs at an early stage thus integrating R&D, manufacturing and marketing functions. Because of the smaller scale of these units the decision layers in each activity has not only been reduced but has also become transparent and accountable.Intra organization communication is now specialized in competence functions and thus is quick and decisive. A web site on company information describes the organization structure and R& D activity at GSK to fit in the above description almost exactly "The organizational structure of GSK is designed to make our company a model for excellence in the pharmaceutical industry - a new company that represents best practice in every way. GSK is a company with the size and scale to invest in the tools we need to succeed, and to drive that success going forward. To achieve that goal, GSK is organized as a flexible company, capable of responding quickly to a rapidly changing marketplace. Organized globally to coordinate activities and gain the benefits of size and scale, the company is built on smaller, customer-focused units, dedicated to delivering medicines that relieve the suffering of patients around the world. The new and innovative model for R&D, the focused structure of our pharmaceutical business throughout the world and the organization of our global services such as IT and Procurement are some of the highlights in the approach which will lead our success.At GSK, scientists in Research and Development are committed to capturing

Planning and Decision Making Essay Example for Free

Planning and Decision Making Essay Planning and decision-making are critical processes for effective police administration because: (1) planning is the first step to the effective operation and good management of a police department; (2) planning is the essential element of decision –making; (3) effective planning can eliminate or reduce potential catastrophe resulting from manmade and natural disasters; (4) decision making can usually be described in three types of theoretical models rational, incremental, and heuristic none of which defines all of the elements and factors that affect every decision; (5) the decisions individuals make during crisis situations often define their leadership abilities and, in some cases, their career success; (6) police administrators rarely act alone and most decision making within a police department is conducted at the group level; and (7) decision making is rarely perfect, and is often marred by individual and group weakness that can be identified and hence, avoided. (Swanson, 2012) Yes I agree on my topic with what the author is talking about, because planning and decision making from personal experience is very big. Making decision is very stressful at times that will lead to depression that comes with giving up and frustration that might makes you uncertain of making the best choice. Planning is the most basic function of management. It preceded other functions because a manager plans before he acts. Planning involves determination the objectives and selecting courses of action that will lead to the achievement of predetermined objectives. I don’t like to plan because I get over my head, and too excited and can’t wait for the day to come.

Confusion and Personal Identity in Rip Van Winkle Essay -- Rip Van Win

   Rip Van Winkle tells the story of a man who, on a trek into the Kaatskill mountains, mysteriously sleeps away twenty years of his life during the Revolutionary War. When he returns home, he finds that things have dramatically changed; King George no longer has control over the colonies, and many of his friends have either died or left town. At this point, the story reaches its climax, where Van Winkle realizes that his life may be forever changed. To this point, Rip Van Winkle has had only to deal with the change in his surroundings. Having no doubts about his personal character, his fears remain singular only briefly, for when the crowd points to a man whom they call Rip Van Winkle, he begins to question his being as well. "I'm not myself-I'm somebody else-that's me yonder-no-that's somebody else, got into my shoes..." Frustration has set in by this point, as our hero Rip cannot explain the events that have happened to him. In one night, his world had drastically changed, and no logical explanation can be found. The larger issue at hand, though, is the identity crisis that Van Winkle is suffering. Upon a detailed analysis of this climactic section, two dominating themes are found: confusion and the issue of personal identity. There are constant references to these ideas throughout the selection. That Van Winkle is confused seems obvious and is quite understandable, but this confusion extends beyond the bizarre sequence of events encountered. When Rip notices the person that the township refers to as Rip Van Winkle, it is as though he is looking into a mirror, for this person portrays a "precise counterpoint of himself." Although Rip visually sees this other person, his examination becomes a personal reflect... ...oncerns over which groups would provide leadership for the masses, and how those masses were to be represented. Men like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin, who had provided great leadership for this fledgling nation, were leaving the fate of America in new hands. The pessimists voiced their opinions, but there was a great feeling off optimism as the Industrial Revolution began to harbor its effects throughout the United States and the world. The issue of identity seemed a pertinent issue at the time. In this story, Rip Van Winkle's search for identity provides, perhaps, the most stimulating aspect of the story. In the selected passage, we see his character go through tremendous emotional changes. In only one paragraph, we watch his life unfold as he searches for the inner truth that he had been denying. In one paragraph, we watched a man find himself.   

Progressive Rock Legacy Essay

Music is a form of expression that allows artist to share their experiences with others. A critical time in the progression of music especially rock music came about in the 1960’s. Many Individuals during that time turned to music to ease the troubles going on in the world. The hippie movement was a new phenomenon that came about during this time period. Drugs and sex became very popular amongst the people who were into rock music and part of the hippie movement. People of this counterculture turned away from the norms of life and wanted a much simpler life. This counterculture allowed music to improper for the time period and the revolution of rock music. Bob Dylan was one of the first to introduce progressive rock music. He was doing a show at a folk music concert when he plugged in his electric guitar while singing folk music. People in the crowed were outrage, but in due time the music caught on. Bob Dylan combined bluegrass with rock music and created masterpieces. His spontaneity and creativity allowed listeners to slowly ease into a new type of music. The Beatles, like Bob Dylan, created new sounds for their audiences. Given that the Beatles were very popular, they could experiment more than most artists without the fear of failure. The Beatles added lyrics about racy subjects that would have appalled many people just a couple years before. Since the Beatles were so popular and they exposed the public to this new progressive rock music, it allowed other artist to join the progressive rock era. Progressive rock music cannot easily be defined. The music includes new sounds, jam sessions, trippy noises, and combining all sort of musical genres into one. White middle aged, middle class kids normally listened to this type of music. Largely influenced by the music, many of these listeners had a very different view of the world from their parents. These kids liked the experiences they got while listing to progressive rock music. It was something that they could talk about with their friends and not their parents. This was known as the generation gap. The idea of love, freedom, and minimal materialistic needs among these young listeners lead to a movement known as the â€Å"Hippie Movement†. The hippies had a completely different view of the world than those living in normal society. Instead of finding happiness in families, jobs, and nice things, hippies found happiness in the non-materialistic things in life. The hippies no longer spent money on an education, nice clothes, or even a shelter. Second hand stuff was popular amongst this movement. Love once meant marriage, but the hippie saw it in a different light. Everyone loved everyone and sex was very common. The hippie counterculture did not frown on making love without being married. Many of these people had multiple partners and that was accepted. Countless number of the songs during the sixties agreed with the hippie counterculture. Songs such as â€Å"Like a Rolling Stone† by the Beatles talked about how well educated people dropped out of society to live a simple life. The song addresses issues such as having no direction and having to scrounge for the next meal. The hippies did not mind living this kind of live style. Other songs such as â€Å"Love me Do† also by the Beatles, although very simple explain the sex culture between the hippies. Lyrics such as â€Å"Someone to love, Somebody new, Someone to love, Someone like you† showed it did not matter who you were loving as long as you were open to new experiences. The reason why people of the hippie movement liked to listen to this new type of rock music and join a counterculture that goes against everything normal in society is because the listener is free to interoperate the music any way they wanted. Unlike in real life no one is telling the listener what to do or think. The hippies were about individualism and freedom to express and the music let them experience that. A normal conversation between two hippies would be about what they thought the music was trying to convey and how the music made them feel. They would learn from each other and were free to think what they wanted. The principal common thread that was apart of not only the hippie movement, but also most of the artist of the late sixties that was part of the counterculture and progressive rock music was drugs. Drugs such as marijuana and acid were very popular within the hippie culture because it allowed them to escape reality and opened their minds to the music. It was a way for the hippies to feel the music in a way they could not when they sober. The feeling of being apart of the song not just listening to the song was key for the hippies listening to the music. The drugs allowed the mind to escape and enjoy the present time. A quote from Tony (ask jarl his last name), a famous musician, nails why the drugs such as marijuana and acid were so popular for people listening to music. Tony states, â€Å"I think if you smoke (marijuana) this enables you to sit back and relax more than anything, and let’s you listen (to music), you know, without any hang-ups, you sit back and listen. Whereas with acid you see right into the music it’s a bigger thing altogether. You hear things on Pink Floyd on acid, well I do, that I don’t hear when I’m straight. When on drugs the listener can interoperate the meaning of the songs in a completely different manner then if the listener is sober. Going along with the counterculture of the hippie movement, freedom is key and drug allowed hippies to think freely when listening to the new and improved groovy tracks. Expression did not only come in the form of talking amongst the hippies. Hippies at live shows while on acid would expression themselves through dance. The acid allowed the listener to dance whatever way the music made them feel. This goes back to the individualism that was so important to the hippie movement. People did not judge one another by the way they dance, everyone was so into the music that they were oblivious to what was going on next to them. Another form of expression was the light shows during live performances. Artist would combine very colorful lightshows to enhance the viewing experience of the listener. A very popular visual effect would be projecting oil and water onto a big screen. Combining great music and stimulating visual effects with drugs such as acid caused the hippie culture to be infatuated with live shows. Live shows were so popular and it would allow artist to be exposed. Without the live shows, artist would not have got nearly as much exposure to new fans. Many of the artist in the sixties were joining in on the counterculture and experimenting with drugs. By using drugs the artist became more experimental and could connect with the listeners. While writing artist could keep the listeners in mind and right music that would be stimulating to everyone. Drawn out solos and experimenting with all different types of sounds were encouraged. Songs included very interesting noises such as sounds of animals locked up in cages and sounds of love making between groups of people. These were included to allow the listener to interoperate the song in a way that made sense to them. A great example of an artist that connected with his audience and joined in on the counterculture of the sixties was Jimmy Hendrix. He would talk about his experiences with the drugs such is so in the song â€Å"Purple Haze†. This would allow the audience to connect with him. Not only was Jimmy Hendrix making great music, but he was also part of the listener’s counterculture. Jimmy also included sick Guitar licks in his music. Real groovy stuff. His guitar sounded like it was telling a story all by itself. The counterculture of the 1960’s that included the hippie movement, the expression of freedom, love and drugs, all contributed to the great music that was produced during that time. It helped music become progressive rock music. The progression was attributed to both the artist and the followers. If the artist did not have the hippie movement, the culture would have been much different and the music would not have been so experimental. Drugs, part of the hippie movement, were very important to this movement as well. The artist could create sounds that allowed listeners to get lost in the music. The artist themselves would create the music and while being lost in it themselves. One of the key virtues that everyone of this movement followed was finding one self. The music of this time period help individual find themselves. As quoted by Harry (ask Jarl his last name), â€Å"It (the music) played a big part in making me the way I am now†. Many of these people that listened and experienced progressive rock music to the fullest would agree with Harry.

Topic Essay # 93

While I was growing up in Colombia my idea of fun was going outside to the park either with my cousins or friends to play until it got dark and my mom would call me to go back inside the house. Growing up in Colombia is something very different than a kid growing up here in the United States. My afternoons during the week would always have around the same schedule as I would be back home by one in the afternoon, at two thirty I would had already eaten lunch, and by six all my homework would be done meaning that I would be free to go out and play.If I did not have my homework done my mom would not allow me to go out for the day. The complex in which I lived had a few houses owned by my uncles or aunts, so growing up around family was something I always did. I have a few cousins around the same age range so all I had to do was walk down the street knock on their door and ask them to come out and play.For us having fun had a very broad meaning because it could be something like playing hide and seek, making up games as we went, getting dirty in the park, riding our bikes around the complex or to the other end it was sitting down and talking about our life, with the girls we would do each other’s hair while the boys just kicked the ball around, just going into someone’s house and watch a movie, or just lay there in the grass with the summer breeze warming up our skin as we looked to the sky and made shapes out of the clouds. My idea of fun was something I could do every day, at any time and never gets tired of it.Having fun it was a moment in which I could forget about everything and just enjoy my time with those whom were around. Fun did not always meant doing big things or be in expensive places as at the moment my family did not have the resources to do that but within that I learn that it was the little things that would make up a really nice big picture that actually mattered. With the fact that a few places in my complex were owned by members of my family, something I would always look forward to when I was a kid was the fact that wherever I went there would always be food.Every single kid always likes to eat, it doesn’t matter where you get your food as long as you get it you will be happy. Well I loved being able to eat around those whom I love the most and not always having to eat at my house. All my uncles and aunts know how to cook. With my cousins we would try to switch houses as much as possible so we could have different types of meals made by those whom we love. The memory of being able to go outside and play all day until it was dark out and then know that when I was done I could go and eat something delicious is something from my childhood that I would never change.I could have fun for a few hours and then look forward to be in the table eating and chatting around those who mean the world to me. I know that if I had grown up here in the United States, this memory from when I was a kid would not be the sam e as when I moved here everything changed, and being here already for over eight years I can see the difference in how things really go. I am happy that I had my own idea of having fun, and looking forward to something in Colombia and that is truly a blessing for me.

Interactive Behaviour at Work Essay Example

Interactive Behaviour at Work Essay Example Interactive Behaviour at Work Essay Interactive Behaviour at Work Essay Cheniere Energy was founded in 1983 and is a universe taking liquified natural gas ( LNG ) company. Through its subordinates the company engages in the development, building, ownership, and operation of onshore LNG receiving terminuss and natural gas grapevines in the Gulf Coast of the United States. It besides engages in oil and natural gas geographic expedition and development activities. Cheniere Energy is based in Houston, Texas with offices in Johnson Bayou, Louisiana, and London called Cheniere International UK Branch. The London office consists of six people who are responsible for sourcing and trading LNG ladings for Cheniere every bit good as pull offing the twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours operations and activities of the office. Purpose of the study The intent of this study is to analyze work issues at Cheniere International UK Branch ensuing from office torment and specifically the struggle between an office helper and the operations director. It focuses on the synergistic behavior subjects associating to communicating, work relationships and leading. Definition of Interactive Behaviour at work The term synergistic behavior at work refers to the mutual communicating behavior of two or more individuals. It covers both their overt behavior and the factors and processes underlying it. It besides extends to the usage of communicating for intents such as self-presentation, co-operation, act uponing others, working in groups and leading. ( Guirdham, 2002 ) Definition of the subjects Communication Harmonizing to Guirdham ( 2002 ) communicating is a procedure of reassigning information from one entity to another. Interpersonal communicating at work may be face-to-face or indirect, formal or informal, and transmitted verbally or nonverbally. Communication is affected by linguistic communication, communicator manner, the differences between one- and bipartisan communicating, power and position, civilization, gender and disablement. These effects on communicating give rise to barriers, which can be analyzed as intrinsic, single degree and inter-group. To be high in quality, communicating must get the better of these barriers. Work relationship Mutuality and societal orientations, functions, norms and conformance every bit good as co-operative, competitory and conflict behaviors are all constructs that help us to understand and be more effectual in work relationships. Other of import facets related to the issues discussed cover conflict declaration, cultural differences, get bying with bias, favoritism and torment. ( Guirdham, 2002 ) Harassment is defined as: behavior which is unreasonable, unwelcome and violative, and which creates an intimidating, hostile or mortifying working environment. ( Mullins, 2005 ) Harassment is a possible cause of emphasis. The Health and Safety Executive ( HSE ) defines emphasis as: The inauspicious reaction people have to extra force per unit area. It is non disease. But if emphasis is intense and goes on for some clip, it can take to a mental and physical ailment wellness . Leadership Leadership can be defined as the ability of an person to act upon, motivate and enable others to lend towards the effectivity and success of the administration of which they are members ( Guirdham, 2002 ) There is a close relationship between leading and direction, particularly in work administration, and an increasing inclination to see them as synonymous. However, arguably there are differences between the two and it does non follow that every leader is a director. Leadership might be viewed in more general footings, with accent on interpersonal behavior in a broader context. Harmonizing to Mullins ( 2005 ) due to its complex nature there are many alternate ways of analyzing leading. Leadership may be examined in footings of qualities or traits attack, in footings of the functional or group attack, as a behavioral class, in footings of manners of leading, through the situational attack and eventuality theoretical accounts, and in footings of differentiation between transactional and transformational leading. Problem designation The issue discussed in this study involves the deteriorating relationship between a director and an helper ( myself ) in a little office environment. In add-on the study looks at the behavior of a manager of the company involved to whom the employees were straight responsible to. Matters discussed include the designation of cardinal points of struggle between the two individuals involved, the manner of direction, the reaction of fellow employees, the interaction with the manager involved and stairss taken to decide the issue. Background and causes of jobs I joined the Cheniere International UK Branch in 2008 as an office helper. Working at their London office in Mayfair where there were three other employees at my degree, two were English and one was an American. I was the lone one holding English as a 2nd linguistic communication. The operations director was a mature English lady with a really strong personality and an accretive attitude. I noticed that I was being asked to make well more work than the other helpers and that the director was questioning my attempts every twenty-four hours. At first I thought this was because I was new to the occupation and that it was a manner of mensurating my capablenesss and ability to get by with the emphasiss of the work. It became clear nevertheless that this was much more of a peculiar attitude toward me as compared to the other employees. Possibly write something about working in a multi-cultural environment or perchance highlight that there was predomination of white Anglo-saxon employees and as such no exposure to different civilizations or cultural diverseness. Inter-cultural jobs arise when members of an in-group perceive members of an out-group as inferior. This can advance in-group favoritism, increased inclination to pigeonhole members of out-groups and negative attitudes to existent or sensed cultural differences. It can ensue in exclusion of members of out-groups, negative ratings and torment. In a little office environment it would be unusual for person in a place of authorization to experience threatened by a individual junior employee. It is hard to give any clear cases of torment, as such, as this was a elusive but changeless undermining of my place on a day-to-day footing. This was evident in her changeless unfavorable judgment of my work and mentions to my Polish background and English non being my native linguistic communication. I made a point of inquiring the other helpers to look into my work and they ever said it was all right and that was merely her manner and non to worry. One happening that began to give me an penetration to her behavior was when she asked me, in forepart of all the other helpers, why I did non work as a nursemaid or cleansing agent as all other Polish misss did . This indicated to me that there was the possibility that her actions were non really based upon my public presentation but upon a much deeper bias and possible stereotyping of Polish people ( either jointly or by gender ) . In a unusual manner this was a alleviation as until so my assurance had been undermined and I felt under emphasis at work. It seemed nil I of all time did was right, I was frequently depressed, both at work and at place and it was hard to understand why she picked on me and what was doing the job. It besides made it hard for me to seek to see how I could decide the job. Bing cognizant of the personality clang between us I was seeking to understand what caused her hostile behavior and I blamed myself that it was I who caused the struggle, but on the other manus I knew I usually neer have any major jobs prosecuting with people, being an easygoing and friendly individual. The Thoms-Kilmann Conflict Mode Questionnaire can be utile in explicating my stance in the struggle. Scoring 9 in avoiding and 9 in suiting manners shows that I am non an self-asserting individual, do non wish to ache people s feelings, obey orders and I am by and large a altruistic type of individual. ( See Appendix x for a transcript of the Thoms-Kilmann Conflict Mode Questionnaire you took. ) It was really hard to delight and fulfill her likely because she developed irrational beliefs and prejudiced positions about me. If being from Poland meant to her that I should be a nanny or cleaner she possibly believed that people of other races or backgrounds are in some manner inferior and hence merit to be treated as 2nd category. Harmonizing to Tehrani ( 1996 ) the deficiency of ego consciousness in harassers increases their frights and bias. Harassers neer experience strong plenty to prove their positions objectively, preferring to populate in an irrational universe, where they need to continually back up their prejudiced positions with colored grounds. To explicate even deeper her behaviour I would state she portrayed the actions of a stigmatizer. Freidson ( 1983 ) stated that in Erving Goffman s theory of societal stigma a stigma is an property, behavior, or repute which is socially discrediting in a peculiar manner: it causes an single to be mentally classified by others in an unwanted, rejected stereotype instead than in an recognized, normal one . In this director s eyes I was different ; she may non desire to accept me because of my nationality, my different speech pattern, my beginning. Goffman divides the person s relation to a stigma into three classs: the stigmatized are those who bear the stigma ; the conventions are those who do non bear the stigma ; and the wise are those among the conventions who are accepted by the stigmatized as wise to their status. I so represent a stigmatized individual, the director is normal and remainder of our squad can be seen as wise. Strategic Deductions of the job My instance can be seen as a micro job because it describes a state of affairs in a little office and merely a few people are involved in the struggle. I am the lone individual who was harmed and it could be argued that it is hard to demo macro deductions from this issue. However, I would wish to emphasize that torment at the workplace occurs really frequently and causes a batch of jobs. Harmonizing to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service ( ACAS ) torment in the workplace costs employers in the UK more than ?2bn per twelvemonth in ill wage, staff turnover and lower productiveness. 19 million on the job yearss are lost each twelvemonth as a direct consequence of workplace torment. 1 in 4 people report that they have experienced torment in the last 5 old ages. 70 % of HR professionals have witnessed or have been cognizant of torment in their administration. Administrations that fail to turn to the job of unacceptable behavior at workplace wage a heavy cost in footings of loss of staff, reduced invention, morale and sickness absence. This is in add-on to the cost of judicial proceeding and bad public dealingss ( Tehrani, 1996 ) . My issue did non impact the administration in a important manner, except high staff keeping within 1 twelvemonth two office helpers left the company because of Jane s hard character. As mentioned before 25 % of the population suffer from torment. By depicting my personal experience I raise an issue that affects a batch of people and something that organisations have to cover with. Harassment is related with work relationship one of the chief subjects which are described in this paper. Harmonizing to Tehrani ( 1996 ) torment has a figure of common elements ; it involves a hurtful behavior, this behavior is repeated over a period of clip and the individual being harassed discoveries it hard to support themselves. Peoples being harassed will besides hold trouble in being rational in their thought, believing the Acts of the Apostless or positions of a harasser are the positions of everyone else. When I was working for Cheniere I was droping sad, negative and worthless. In add-on my feelings were heightened with effusions of choler, shouting, solitariness and injury. Lack of pleasance in about everything that I was making was important and hard to get by with. Bing h umiliated resulted in the deficiency of ego assurance to asseverate myself and dispute the unacceptable behavior of operations director. It needs to be added that torment is linked with emphasis. Guirdham ( 2002 ) stated: Some of the major effects of emphasis include slumber problem, fatigue, being unable to get by good in struggle state of affairss, desiring to be left entirely, smoke, imbibing and eating excessively much, being unable to act upon or carry people and happening it hard to acquire up in the forenoons . I recall that I was frequently really tired, could non kip, and did non desire to see my friends or household. Some people were inquiring me why I let her be opprobrious and ill-mannered towards me. The reply is because she had power over me. As I mentioned I held the lowest place in the office and I was supposed to listen to everyone and making whatever they needed at work. Among Gallic and Raven s ( 1959 ) power beginnings there is one which can be implemented in this state of affairs coercive power. ( Podsakoff and Schriesheim, 1985 ) Threats and penalty are common tools of coercion. I was frequently given unwanted undertakings by Jane. There is one in peculiar where she spilled tea on her desk and asked me to clean it. My illustration demonstrates that this beginning of power can frequently take to jobs and in many fortunes it involves abuse. Coercive power can do unhealthy behavior and dissatisfaction in the workplace. ( mindtools.com ) From my above rating it can be stated that the operations director was decidedly my important other at that clip. She had really strong influence on my self-esteem and my behavior. Many administrations and their directors and executives are guilty of ignoring, digesting or prolonging struggles and torment ( Guirdham, 2002 ) . This statement confirms the behavior of my manager who was seeking to explicate me that I should accept the fact that Jane is by and large a hard individual and hence should non take it personally what she says and how she behaves. Lack of leading qualities can be seen in my foreman s attitude. A big part of the bing literature on leading focuses merely on the positive traits of leaders. However, the alleged dark side of leading , or negative personal traits of leaders, has received comparatively less attending. Besides, in pattern, leading is largely evaluated in footings of the positive traits and strengths of leaders, even though certain organisational factors and followings features significantly contribute to the effectivity or ineffectualness of leaders ( Toor and Ogunlana, 2009 ) . The manager was non an effectual leader. A leade rA who lacks character or unity will non be seen as a competent one. Even though he was intelligent, amiable, persuasive, or understanding, he was besides prone to apologizing unethical behavior. Office torment is a really unethical issue and should be resolved by a company s leader, but it was non in my instance. Furthermore leaders non attuned to the demands of the employees are non effectual either. Successful leaders focus on workers satisfaction and trueness. They should happen ways to systematically prosecute them and integrate them into company s policies and do certain they know and obey their codification of behavior. If they ignore, mistreat, or otherwise do non value their employees, they will non be valued for competencies. Furthermore good leaders should pass on efficaciously across mediums, constituencies, environments of class employees. My foreman was cognizant that Jane s behaviour was harmful but did non respond and did non desire to be involved in the struggle. Th is observation can take to a statement that the manager represented a laissez faire leading manner. Harmonizing to Flynn ( 2009 ) this type of a leader describes inactive leaders who are loath to act upon subsidiaries or give way. They by and large refrain from take parting in group or single determination devising and to a big extent, abdicate their leading function. Subordinates are given considerable freedom of action and, hence, seem likely to maximise their power and influence. Although laissez- faire leading can be really successful in some environments where followings are responsible for self-monitoring, job resolution in my instance it was non what I needed. I was looking for a go-between in my struggle with Jane, person who can direct and take stairss to decide the job. From Blake Mouton Managerial Grid position, it could be argued that the manager represented Impoverished Leadership which is known for making a work environment that is non fulfilling and non actuating. The consequence is a topographic point of disorganisation, dissatisfaction and inharmoniousness. ( Rollinson, 2005 ) My foreman had low concern for employee satisfaction because cognizing I was depressed and was in a struggle he was non concerned about it. A major danger of stereotyping is that it can barricade out accurate perceptual experience of an person and lead to possible state of affairs of bias or favoritism. This in effect can construct communicating barriers. Jane s inclination to impute negative features to me on the footing of a general classification was a simplified procedure of her perceptual experience. Her pigeonholing procedure based on my nationality and instruction had a important deduction to the ambiance in our office and my well-being. Her bias caused communicating job between us. Harmonizing to Erven ( 2008 ) stereotyping is a barrier to communicating when it causes people to move as if they already know the message that is coming from the transmitter or worse, as if no message is necessary because everybody already knows. Peoples stereotype genders, races, faiths, and civilizations. They combine them to state things but frequently falsely making premises. Stereotypes develop from world. Poles steal British occupations became a stereotype because a batch of Poles are hapless and had to larn how to last and came here to look for a occupation but they do non merit to be stereotyped. It might be true that most of Polish adult females work as nursemaids or cleaners but, it does non place me, my demands, and my failings. So if Jane used the stereotyped position of Polish adult females towards me, she missed who I really am, as an person. I wanted to pass on, talk to her and did non desire to be lost in the stereotyped construct. Peoples are complex and need to be understood as persons, non stereotypes. Singularity is what gets lost in the stereotypes and deficiency of proper communicating. Peoples should listen, understand, see the whole individual, and that requires rejecting the preconceived premises, b ased on the stereotypes that are created and used. Communication is at the bosom of many interpersonal jobs faced by employers. Understanding the communicating procedure and so working at betterment provide a formula for going more effectual communicators. Knowing the common barriers to communicating is the first measure to minimising their impact. Stereotyping is a barrier to proper communicating, it can non merely interrupt communicating, it can destruct it. The significance of non-verbal communicating and organic structure linguistic communication demand to be evaluated in this study as in my instance it was more of import than verbal communicating. Harmonizing to Mullins ( 2005 ) non-verbal communicating includes illations drawn from position, gesture, touch, invasion of personal infinite, extent of oculus contact, tone of voice or facial look. Very frequently the operations trough was utilizing proper linguistic communication and if was non obvious for others to see the struggle between us and her aversion. Her tone of voice and facial look were directing messages that I was non accepted and were unwelcomed. Mullins ( 2005 ) adds besides that in our face-to face communicating with other people the messages about our feelings and attitudes come merely 7 per cent from the words we use, 38 per cent from our voice and 55 per cent from organic structure linguistic communication, including facial look. Significantly, when organic structure linguistic communication such as gestures and tone of voice struggles with the words, greater accent is likely to be placed on the non-verbal message. He besides suggests that when verbal and non-verbal messages are in struggle ( like in my instance sing communicating with the operations director ) accepted wisdom is that the non-verbal signals should be the 1s to trust on, and that what is non said is often louder than what is said, uncovering attitudes and feelings in a manner words can non show. Alternate options for deciding job Leave the occupation or stay. Peoples have bad yearss at work. But if that bad twenty-four hours is every twenty-four hours, it might be clip to see go forthing the occupation. Some causes of occupation dissatisfaction are impossible to change, and in this instance employees may good be better off doing an issue. Leaving the occupation is normally a really hard determination and can frequently do assorted emotions: joy because of traveling on to something better, unhappiness at losing people we enjoyed work with, alleviation we do nt hold to get by with the job and struggles any longer. Uncertainty about the hereafter and new occupation has normally a large impact on people s determinations. I was besides concerned about my hereafter. Staying with Cheniere was an alternate, but I was concerned how I can alter the ambiance and Jane s behavior. Talking to her or to my foreman were the options to do my work conditions better. Alternatively I could remain with the company and attempt to accept the environment and atmosphere, and seek to cut down sensitiveness to ill will or shows of bias. Mullins ( 2005 ) evaluated hard people: Possibly our reluctance to place, and so straight address, struggle within administrations is based upon the widely held belief that struggle is inevitable, negative and unwieldy . There is a inclination to see struggle as a consequence one individual s personality. Conflict may be inevitable, but how dramatically state of affairss could be changed if we could besides see it as positive and manageable. What if we think of these state of affairss as raising inquiries of difference? What if we were to do a displacement off from faulting persons and their personalities, acknowledging alternative ly that it is through normal human interaction that outward looks of difference are produced? Unfortunately get bying with hard people is non one of my strong points. Another option was to crush her at her ain game. Act like her, be unsympathetic, stating co-workers how unjust she is. This option would be really hard because she held higher place and therefore had power and because I respect people it wound be something against my values and beliefs. Choice of option I was seeking to decide the job. I talked to the manager but was ignored and was told that I should accept the state of affairs as it is and accept Jane s behavior because she is hard and she is non traveling to alter her attitude. Another advice was that I should be less emotional and seek to be mentally stronger. He did non wish to talk to Jane to inquire to alter her attitude and assist her to get by with her hostile behavior. Tehrani ( 1996 ) argue that the function of leader in developing the accomplishments which enable people to pass on in an unfastened and self-asserting mode is possibly one of the most effectual tools in turn toing struggles. The support of an self-asserting and caring director is an of import facet of rehabilitating a harasser. Harassers need support when they are developing the new accomplishments and behaviours in communicating which will replace the harassing behavior. I besides talked to Jane but I was told that I read her purposes severely. She was see king to state me that there was no issue between us and I should non blow her clip for such conversations. Rationale for pick Because I had an interesting occupation, was satisfied with my compensation I did non desire to go forth therefore I was seeking to happen a declaration. I was non accepted by one of the colleagues but I did non desire to be a victim of torment. I was seeking to be a subsister. Harmonizing to Tehrani ( 1996 ) victims of torment often express the position that there is small they can make to forestall the torment taking topographic point. They have no pick but to set up with what is being done to them. This perceptual experience of deficiency of personal control or power must be changed if the harassee is of all time to do sense of what has happened to them. Survivors, on the other manus, are able to get down to do picks and determinations about what they want to make to halt or decide the torment. Survivors of torment take an active portion in make up ones minding how they would wish things to be handled when deciding their jobs. They are acute to take duty for doing things go on, in stead than acting passively, leting others, nevertheless good intending, to take over control. One of the chief accomplishments subsisters of torment learn is to be self-asserting in showing what they want and do non desire to go on during the harassment probe ; to be able to state yes or no regardless of the wants of others. Assertiveness is besides one of the most of import accomplishments needed to forestall harassees going victims of torment in the hereafter. Finally the subsisters of torment are able to look frontward to the hereafter, a hereafter without torment, while the victims concentrate on the torment itself, instead than on how they can alter things to forestall the torment happening once more. Although I was seeking to assist myself, was looking for aid from the managers and besides arranged a meeting with Jane, nil changed. Execution of Option I finally decided to go forth. It took me 2 hebdomads to happen another occupation. The difference in the on the job environment was huge. New colleagues were pleasant and friendly. I am glad that I took control over the state of affairs and left the company. I will neer to the full bury this experience but sometimes we should see and accept the extremes, because if the contrast is lost, we lose grasp. Time for Implementation I was working for this company for 5 months before passing in my surrender. Decision In recent old ages at that place has been an increasing acknowledgment of the injury that could be done to persons who become the victims of torment or intimidation. Although there have been important moves to present statute law and guidelines that deal with the debut of organisational policy and processs on torment and intimidation, the happening of torment is still common in many British organisations. My instance in this paper can be perceived as a representation of this job for many organisations. This is non an easy issue to cover with for troughs, people who cause torment and most of all for people who suffer from hostile behaviour. Background and causes of such struggles are frequently inexplicit and non easy to decide. Understanding the communicating procedure and communicating barriers is of import to efficaciously command the job. Leadership accomplishments and appropriate usage of power can be important.