Constrain The Power :: essays research papers

â€Å"Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism†¦Animal Farm was the first book in which I tried, with full consciousness of what I was doing, to fuse political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole,† George Orwell, [1984]. The criticisms and protests Orwell has against the dictatorship of Napoleon, a pig who tricked his animal society into believing equality was the greater evil, are vibrantly shown throughout the novel. The change of life citizens endured during their stay on Animal Farm enlightens its readers with the true purpose of the book. â€Å"George Orwell’s whole life was spent in preparation of Animal Farm, and the text itself bears the dates November, 1943-February, 1944,† The Times Literary Supplement. In November of 1943 the United States controlled the first nuclear reaction at the University of Chicago. The Manhattan project was a success, and the country held the power to decimate any opposing power. However, with this achievement erupted much controversy. Was the use of atomic bombs humane and reasonable to end conflicts? Englishman, George Orwell, opposed any practice related to these weapons. Through his brilliant satire, Animal Farm, Orwell depicted a frightening view of the future. Even those deemed as national heroes were corrupt. It was uncertain at the time if overthrowing the government would ever change current society. In essence, the United States is not run under totalitarian views. We are a democracy, a society where the people’s choice presides over that of one person. However, in smaller countries this could be overthrown very swiftly. In the book Animal Farm, two major leaders, Snowball and Napoleon, begin their journey to a successful society when Napoleon turns on Snowball. He sends his bodyguards, (portrayed as vicious dogs) after Snowball in hope to drive him off the farm. Once this was accomplished, he began to manipulate the minds of the animals on the farm into believing that Snowball was actually their enemy from the beginning. â€Å"Do you know the enemy who has come in the night and overthrown our windmill? SNOWBALL! he suddenly roared in a voice of thunder. Snowball has done this thing! In sheer malignity, thinking to set back our plans and avenge himself for his ignominious expulsion, this traitor has crept here under cover of night and destroyed our work of nearly a year. Comrades, here and now I pronounce the death sentence upon Snowball,† Animal Farm, pg.

Dandelion Wine :: essays research papers

Dandelion Wine is a book written by Ray Bradbury. Dandelion Wine is a book about a summer through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy. It establishes a change of Douglas’s childhood to manhood. It will show how a young, orgulous boy goes through many stymies. Douglas Spaulding is a boy growing up in a somewhat deserted town. The time was 1928. Douglas’s house is an el dorado. Doug lives near an umbra, to others though it is just a ravine. It is just going to be the start of a new summer when Douglas finally realizes that he is free and alive. Douglas goes through many changes along the way, some for the best and some for the worst. There are many ways to describe a boy amazing as Doug, but three characteristics come to mind. Doug is mature, smart, and lively. Maturity can be used in many ways. For Douglas it is this particular summer when Doug starts out as a boy and by the end he has become more educated about life and learns to handle many difficult situations well. How many 12 year olds can cope with death of important people at that time of their lives? Douglas is forced to deal with it quite a few times. One day Doug meets an old man named Colonel Freeleigh. The Colonel is 100 years of age. The Colonel is a very old man who is quite sick and lonely. The Colonel is at the point in his life where he needs a nurse to take care of him. The Colonel is overjoyed to receive company. The Colonel regales Doug and two of his friends with stories of when he was younger. The Colonel shares stories such as the Civil War, Ching Ling Soo, and Pawnee Bill. After Doug had visited the Colonel he passed away that night. This is the first death Doug had to come to terms with. Doug was emotionally distraught, but learned that the Colonel died for what he believed in, happiness. Doug is best friends with Jon Hugh. Doug had known Jon his whole life. One day Jon decided to tell Doug that his dad got a job and they were going to move that night. A myriad of emotions ran through Doug’s head at this time. Doug wondered if he would ever get to see Jon again. The realization that they had so little time and so much to do kicked in.

Human Development Essay

Taking a look at the Human Development Index map of Africa, which can be seen on (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index) on the web; it shows that many of Africa’s countries are very underdeveloped.7 One of the obvious reasons for why countries is Africa are underachieving is because of how poor is the strength of their economy compared to others. As it is well known, Africa is very rich in mineral resources as many other states rely upon their, possessing most of the known minerals types of the world. Africa’s economy is more reliant on agriculture than that of any other continent, with around 60% of Africans working in the agricultural sector. Secondly, the economic development of virtually all African nations has been hindered by inadequate transportation systems. Most countries rely on road networks that are composed largely of dirt roads, which become impassable during the rainy seasons. Road networks tend to link the interior of a country to the coast; few road systems link adjacent countries.9 To show how poor and how bad economy crisis is in Africa, one ought to take a look at their food crisis and the growing volume of food imports. Whereas Africa imported an average volume of 1.96 million metric tons of agricultural products in the years 1961-63, by 1980-82 this figure had risen to 11.2 million metric tons at an annual value of over $6.8 billion (over one-seventh of the total value of Africa’s imports in 1982).Owing to foreign exchange constraints, most African countries have had to rely increasingly on food aid to meet their imported food requirements.10 The commercial sectors of most African states rely heavily on one or a few export commodities. The bulk of trade occurs with industrialized nations, which require raw materials and sell industrial and consumer goods. Trade between African states is limited by the competitive, rather than complementary, nature of their products and by trade barriers, such as tariffs, and the diversity of currencies. Looking at the economy of Europe, a sharp contrast in strength and influence can visibly be seen. Europe has long been a world leader in economic activities. As the birthplace of modern science and of the Industrial Revolution, Europe acquired technological superiority over the rest of the world, which gave it unquestioned dominance in the 19th Century. An important impetus for growth since the mid-20th Century has been the formation of supranational organisations such as the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Unlike Africa, Europe has highly developed transport systems, which are densest in the central part of the continent. Many countries in Europe use well maintained transportation systems to transport important goods such as water transport which plays a major role in the European economy. Almost all European countries maintain national airlines, and several, such as Air France, British Airways, Swissair, Germany, and Netherlands are major worldwide carriers.13 Looking at both economies and trade, it is unquestionably obvious that Europe conducts substantial international trade compared to Africa. For Europe, much of its trade is intra-continental, especially among members of the European Union, but also engages in large-scale trade with countries of other continents. Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy and the Netherlands are among the world’s greatest trading nations. A large portion of European inter-continental trade involves the exporting of manufactured goods and the imp orting of raw materials. Europe’s agricultural sector is generally highly developed, especially in Western Europe. The agricultural sector in Europe is helped by the Common Agricultural Policy, which provides farmers with a minimal price for their products and subsidized their exports, which increases competitiveness for their products. This policy is highly controversial as it hampers free trade worldwide (protectionism sparks protectionism from other countries and trade blocs: the concept of trade wars) and is violating the concept of ‘fair trade’.15 Africa’s economy is more reliant on primary products (i.e, agricultural and mineral) than that of any other continent, with around 60% of Africans working in the agricultural sector. About three fifths of African farmers are subsistence farmers tilling small pots of land to feed their families, with only a minimal surplus that can be sold for other goods.16 However, there are significant number of large farms that grow cash crop such as coffee, cotton, cocoa, and rubber; these farms, normally operated by large corporations, cover tens of square kilometres and employ large number of labourers. Africa’s geography is unsuited to trade and thus hampers its economy. The centre of the continent, at least on the western side, is an almost impenetrable rainforest that greatly impedes the transit of people of goods. Some of the wealthiest parts of South Africa are blocked from the rest of Africa by the Kalahari Desert, while the Sahara creates an obvious barrier to trade. While Africa has a number of great river systems such as those of the Nile, Niger, Congo, and Zambezi, it is not nearly as well-linked rivers as are other areas such as Europe. Moreover, many of the rivers are blocked by rapids and cataracts that require vast development projects if they are to be bypassed. The wetness of the roads and tracks makes transport difficult and hazardous. In addition Africa is cut off from the sea to a greater extent than any other continent. To enforce even more problems to Africa; there is an increasing amount of desertification occurring in Africa where the deserts, especially the Sahara are becoming larger, enveloping area around them, leaving less space for land. This process is partly due to the deforestation of areas of forest; with no roots to hold soil in place, it blows away leaving an infertile desert. Europe has a well developed financial sector. Many European cities are financial centres with the City of London being the largest.19 The European financial sector is helped by the introduction of the euro as common currency. This has made it easier for European households and firms to invest in companies and deposit on banks in other European countries as exchange rate fluctuations are now non-existent in Europe. As mentioned above, Europe’s economy is superior to that of Africa, so what can Africa do to improve it’s economy or perhaps what can it take from the Europe economy as a model. Professor J A. van Ginkel held a conference on the ‘Knowledge and Development in Africa’; here he talked about ways to improve Africa’s economy however not only by getting the economic policies right.20 Prof van Ginkel mentions that there is now substantial evidence that institutional weakness in many African countries is a critical obstacle to economic performance.21 From the surveys he conducted on the obstacles to business in Africa it highlights the damage caused by: the unpredictability of changes in laws and policies, the unreliability of law enforcement, and the impact of corrupt bureaucracies.22 Unless governments eliminate these kinds of obstacles then it is unlikely that the economy whether it is just locally in certain parts of Africa or on a national front will flourish. An aspect of the Europe model that Africa can learn from is the aspect of knowledge. No commodity is more expensive than â€Å"knowledge†. An Africa without a sustainable, strong knowledge sector of its own will always remain in a dangerously dependent position. Research and training institutions on the continent can make a critical contribution in at least three ways: by making the most of existing indigenous knowledge; by accessing the vast reservoir of existing global knowledge, as well as the ongoing advances in understanding, and adapting them to suit specific local conditions; and by helping to find innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems.23 In terms of human resources, it was highlighted in the ‘Seminars of Anticipation’ that African developments suffers from a tragic paradox: on the one hand, elites trained in Western world are too many (and most of them stay in the US or in the EU because they cannot find well-paid qualified positions in Af rica, or because their skills do not correspond to African needs); while on the other hand the well-trained intermediate executives required to manage a modern economy are cruelly missing in Africa (higher technical experts, management executives, civil administrators†¦). To conclude, this essay has looked the economies of both Europe and Africa and compared and contrast both of them. It has also provided information about both economies in terms of trade and finance. A brief history was provided which looked at the relationship between Europe and Africa and to the days of ‘colonisation’. Reasons as to why both regions are on different levels economically were provided to show how dominant and rich Europe was and how poor and underdeveloped Africa was. The Africa food crisis was mentioned to give an account of how poor Africa was against other regions. In addition ways that Africa can improve their economy thus bringing it more power and strength so that it can compete with other regions was provided, for example making sure Africa had the aqeduate education so that it learn. Many Africans move to the west so that they can have higher education which is not available in Africa and tend to stay there once they have completed their studies. This is detrimental to Africa’s development and thus a solution to the problem would be to support the creation of a complete curriculum. This would lead to a massive contribution to the development of vocational and technical education in Africa thus improving Africa’s economy. So as it can seen, the economies for both Europe and Africa are at this present time in contrast to each other but there is hope for Africa to become more dominant and influential in world affairs if the correct adjustments and policies are introduced to improve them. References Fawcett, L., & Hurrell, A., Regionalism in World Politics, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1995, pg 43  Ravenhill. J, Africa in economic crisis, Basingstoke, Macmillan, 1986, pg 9  www.ciaonet.org/isa/rajo  

Children with Disabilities and Their Shot at Education Essay

The widening gap between the rich and the poor attest to the saying that â€Å"the rich is getting richer and the poor is getting poorer† (Houck, 2006). The book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America which was written by Barbara Ehrenreich showed a vivid picture of how those occupying blue collar jobs fail to make ends meet with a meager income. The irony here lies in the fact that these people occupy jobs whose services or products they can’t even buy. This phenomenon is described by the great philosopher Karl Marx as the Theory of Alienation (Pappenheim, 1959). A worker can no longer claim that the product he is making is truly his, hence, he is alienated from his products and can’t even afford to buy it himself. Alienation is said to be a product of capitalism. Barbara Ehrenreich related in her book that even hotel maids can’t afford a decent place to stay in when in fact they toil more than most middle class men do. Those who work at Wal-mart can’t even buy half of what is being sold in the store that they are working for (Ehrenreich, 2006). Though they work even harder than those who are buying their products they earn only six to seven dollars an hour. Poverty therefore is not caused by laziness because those who are poor work tremendously harder as compared to rich individuals who only sit behind the desk all day and wait for the paycheck (Anderson, . et. al. 2006). These people exhaust every possible way to make ends meet and that includes finding a second job just to pay the rent and cutting down on basic necessities. Even so, what they earn is not enough to cover for all the household expenses. If you take into consideration everyone in a community, only a small fraction of its population enjoys living a well-off life. A majority suffers from lack of resources or doesn’t have enough food to fill their stomachs. Imbalance in the distribution of resources and wealth affects majority of the citizens. The sad reality lies on whom are the ones getting much and who are the ones not getting anything at all. Majority of the people suffer from low wages while people like Ms. Ehrenreich would not even give a wink at dispensing 40 dollars for a pair of khaki pants (Ehrenreich, 2006). Forty dollars for a pair of pants for some would be too much when 15 dollars would do. The ones in the higher echelons of the society are the ones who are not doing actual hard labor. They capitalize from the hard work of the poor working class, literally giving their sweat, sweating their lungs out and blood just to make money. They work hard and gets paid less, barely enough to make a living out of it. Here is where we come to ask, why do they settle for menial jobs? Is there a job shortage in our country? Apparently, there is none. Even foreigners find fulfilling jobs in our country so why cant our own citizens find one? That is because of skills and qualification. Most jobs that pay above minimum wage are those that require a college degree or educational attainment. Not everyone has the opportunity to study in college; therefore not everyone is qualified to get a high paying job. Even if they get to study college, more often than not they are not able to maximize the learning in the school because of factors such as lack of sleep and decent meal. More so for children with disabilities and are from a poor family. There are other factors that affect a child’s learning and comprehension in class and more often than not, these factors are often overlooked especially in a normal class setting. These children are categorized as lazy, mentally slow or hopeless. They suffer from discrimination and â€Å"labeling† which according to psychology, will damage and weaken the child’s perception and self-esteem. Barbara Ehrenreich, in her book, was able to somewhat apply sociological imagination which was coined by C. Wright Mills in 1959 in her analysis on the state of the people in the labor force. She was able to show why these people are often found by their supervisors slack and not so enthusiastic in their jobs. This is due to lack of sleep and fatigue caused by having two jobs, not having proper and complete meal, and lacking other necessities that makes a worker productive. She went beyond the conventional notion that they are inherently lazy and is not competitive. The sociological imagination links poverty to larger picture, one that occurs in society as a whole and not just on the individual (Mills, 2000). If sociological imagination is to be applied in a classroom setting, a child with disabilities coming from a poor family not being able to keep up with the lessons will not be viewed as sheer laziness by the child or the parents. Rather, a broader picture will enable the teachers to analyze the complexities of poverty that ultimately caused the child to exhibit slow performance in class or even cause the child’s disability. For one, an impoverished family can’t afford regular check ups and medicines upon conception of the child. This alone increases the risks of having complications during pregnancy. We can’t blame the parents if they have no money in preparation for the pregnancy because this family is caught up in the complex web of poverty. The parents might be working hard to give the child a better future but factors such as inflation, epidemic, wide scale cost-cutting of companies, national depression and other factors may have hindered them from preparing for the birth of the child. The rate of poverty for families with children below 18 years of age is 27% (Jackson, 2000). Poverty for a child with disabilities can cause him his future. For one, parents fail to give these children proper medicines and other necessities for them to function normally. Consequently, these parents can’t afford to enroll their child in a school for children with disabilities. As a result, they either become the laughing stock of the entire classroom or they stop going to school. Either way, if they don’t get proper education they too will be caught up in the vicious cycle of poverty (Zou, 2005). Inclusive Classrooms The philosophy of inclusion operates on the premise that a child with disabilities will learn more about society and will have better chances at his future when he is not segregated from society itself. Simply put, inclusion setting allows for children with disabilities to participate in a normal class and encourage him to participate like a normal student instead of discriminating him on the grounds of his disabilities (Salend, 2007). The classroom then becomes a pool of diverse students wherein children with disabilities learn to socialize with normal children and normal children will then learn to respect and not discriminate children with disabilities or those who have cultural background (Salend, 2007). This setting is said to be beneficial to both the normal and special children since they will be able to socialize and prepare for their encounter with diverse individuals in the future. Inclusive setting entails collaboration with the parents and is a tedious process. It is a participatory process wherein the children and the parents are part of the planning and not just mere receivers. They asses the needs of the students and adjust to it so that they will be able to address their individual needs. However such task requires much effort from the teachers, parents and the students (Salend, 2007). This is where most of the dilemma comes from. If the effort of the teachers in the inclusive setting is the same as those in the special learning institution, they ought to be paid much higher than normal teachers. A participatory classroom setting really needs much effort and patience for it to work, however if the goal of the educator/teacher is to teach efficiently then effort should not be an issue. As an educator it is their duty and pride to see their students learn. The success of inclusive learning is a case-to-case basis since the needs of the students are different. There are students who require stringent measures in a classroom setting because of health risks of aggressive behaviors. While inclusive setting is good for the social and emotional skills of a child, the safety and health of the students should be taken into consideration. Conclusion Inclusive classrooms give a ray of hope for those who are financially challenged. It increases the chances of a physically challenged child to have a better shot at his future. Much like most of the children from poor families, the chances of these children in getting low-wage or below minimum wage jobs will also decrease. Once they acquire the skills needed for high paying jobs then the cycle of poverty in their own family will be broken. However such is just a small part of the poverty puzzle. The U. S. as an industrialized country, has one of the widest inequality gaps in the world in terms of income (Schifferes, 2003). Despite its ability to generate income, it remains a fact that even powerful corporations and few individuals still hold more than 60 percent of the economy. Capitalism as Marx would put it will always divide and widen the gap between those who do labor and those who sit and watch them work, thus, the rich and the poor. Poverty will never be resolved overnight or it may not be the concern of the government or the society, but it is the duty of the government or the state to ensure equal distribution of wealth. They should protect the basic rights and interest of its people because the state is created by the people and for the people. The government must provide better programs with regards to education, in which it will cater the need of poor families. Education must be considered as a right not a privilege. It is indeed true that the chances of getting a good quality of education for the poor is thin, however by maximizing the resources such as the ordinary classroom setting and transforming it to inclusive classroom setting, even poverty can be alleviated. It is through collaborative and participatory action that a society can achieve progress.

The Crusade: Unjustified Attack on Muslims

The Crusade, or the â€Å"Holy War† was a medieval military expedition between the Europeans and the Muslims. Their main goal was to conquer the Holy Land, as it will give the conqueror prosperity. Pope Urban II was known for starting the First Crusade which begun in 1096 and lasted till 1099. Within this period of time, chaos and destruction was unavoidable. With both sides having their own schemes of conquer, this resulted to be an endless blood striving battle for control. Despite the clever tactics of the Christians, their attacks toward the Muslims were unjustified. Christians believed that the Crusades were justified because of multiple reasons. Being one of the most powerful religions back then and today, they were well known for their strong devout beliefs. They believed that it was God’s will and their duty to attack the Muslims (Crusaders Capture). This leaded into a more in depth theory that the Crusaders took caution of. Those who failed to achieve their duties serving God, â€Å"He will condemn [you]† (Muslim Belief). Furthermore, the Crusades believed Pope Urban II’s speech. All who die by the way, whether by land or sea, on in battle against the pagans, shall have immediate remission of sins. †(Littell). In exchange for their faith, â€Å"†¦in your coming you will find your reward in heaven. † (Littell) Thus, this convinced them to believe and become attentive to all their activities so they will not displease God for they did not want to face any consequences. It was also an encouragement for Chr istians to confirm their decisions of battling against the Muslims since it gave them hope to think for all that is worth, it was a justifiable action. The Muslims believed that the Christians were unjustified. Firstly, Jerusalem was a holy land to the Muslims, for Muhammad visited a temple that was located there. Their main goal was to protect their land from barbaric vengeances. As for Muslims, they also had their own God. Following the same concepts as the Christians, they relied and trusted the one and only God, Allah. â€Å"There is no god but He, the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. † (Juma) For those who disbelieve God, their punishment will be to receive devastation as well as to fail their mission, returning home defeated and worthless. If a Muslim monarch failed to please their people, they were sentenced for slavery (Beha-ed-Din). People were punished if they did not succeed their commission towards warfare. Convinced by this conjecture, the Muslims were cruel towards the Christians. Their religious beliefs were the main reasons for the Crusades. Both parties, especially the Muslims, had confidence towards their God and it angered the Muslims that the Christians did not believe their one and only Allah. For those who believed in Allah: â€Å"He will help you firm your feet†(Translation). The Muslims trusted these messages therefore it motivated them into satisfying both their nation and religion but left them unjustified due to the Christians. Following this premise, the Crusades were inequitable. By considering the concepts above, it clearly shows that both had different intentions from its many viewing points. However, Muslims tend to show an unrighteous side towards the affects that the Christians had constructed. The Muslims indicated a strong will of unjustification towards its attacks. In 1187, Saladin once more triumphed Jerusalem and most of the Holy Land. Hearing its news, Richard the Lion Heart began the Third Crusade to vanquish the city once and for all. Arriving in 1191, he massacres and held the Muslims as prisoners. Saladin feared that his approaching plans of conquer would definitely cause his empire to collapse therefore, he offered agreements. Nonetheless, Richard stated an execution to be held for the Muslim defenders. Their agreement never worked out accordingly. Richard) In addition, the Muslims had a better rebuttal for ruling Jerusalem. Muhammad had conquered the â€Å"Holy Land. † The Christian power was being dissolved at that time and the Muslims had a period of peace. This is significant because it explains how the Muslims came to occupy the land before the Christians had. They later came back and declared war to regain the city they thought to be theirs also intended to weaken Muslim forces. (Translation) Lastly, the Western scholars in dicated bias towards the Christians leaving this unjust to the Muslims to a greater extent. They â€Å"highlighted the Christian desire to rule the Holy Lands† (Juma). This clearly proves that the Muslims were unsatisfied with this situation. To conclude this, the statements and opinions declared in the previous paragraphs are all debatable from both sides. It is agreeable that they have influential arguments that can take place. The Christian had their own purposes of attacking while Muslim’s motives were to keep the land. To come to a respectable factor, both sides had the same ideal objective. To make what they believe in that was right just. Muslims believed that it was an injustice act that the Christians did. During the period of time, many events occurred that obstructed and caused hardship towards the unlucky. Today, this phenomenon has struck the society into an influence of warfare. This is important because we are able to take notices of what the history had left us either benefiting us in either a positive or negative way. Humans can easily use this as an advantage as well as a weapon towards today’s society.

Frostbite Chapter 17

Seventeen WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE doing?† she demanded. Her voice was still too loud as far as I was concerned. â€Å"Nothing, I- â€Å" â€Å"Excuse us, Lord Ivashkov,† she growled. Then, like I was five years old, she grabbed me by my arm and jerked me out of the room. Champagne sloshed out of my glass and splashed onto the skirt of my dress. â€Å"What do you think you're doing?† I exclaimed, once we were out in the hall. Mournfully, I looked down at my dress. â€Å"This is silk. You could have ruined it.† She grabbed the champagne flute and set it down on a nearby table. â€Å"Good. Maybe it'll stop you from dressing up like a cheap whore.† â€Å"Whoa,† I said, shocked. â€Å"That's kind of harsh. And where do you get off turning motherly all of a sudden?† I gestured to the dress. â€Å"This isn't exactly cheap. You thought it was nice of Tasha to give it to me.† â€Å"That's because I didn't expect you to wear it out with Moroi and make a spectacle of yourself.† â€Å"I'm not making a spectacle of myself. And anyway, it covers everything up.† â€Å"A dress that tight might as well be showing everything,† she retorted. She, of course, was dressed in guardian black: tailored black linen pants and a matching blazer. She had a few curves of her own, but the clothing hid them. â€Å"Especially when you're with a group like that. Your body's†¦conspicuous. And flirting with Moroi doesn't really help.† â€Å"I wasn't flirting with him.† The accusation made me angry because I felt I'd been on really good behavior lately. I used to flirt all the time- and do other things- with Moroi guys, but after a few talks and one embarrassing incident with Dimitri, I'd realized how stupid that was. Dhampir girls did have to be careful with Moroi guys, and I kept that in mind all the time now. Something petty occurred to me. â€Å"Besides,† I said mockingly, â€Å"isn't that what I'm supposed to do? Hook up with a Moroi and further my race? It's what you did.† She glowered. â€Å"Not when I was your age.† â€Å"You were only a few years older than me.† â€Å"Don't do anything stupid, Rose,† she said. â€Å"You're too young for a baby. You don't have the life experience for it- you haven't even lived your own life yet. You won't be able to do the kind of job you wish you could.† I groaned, mortified. â€Å"Are we really even discussing this? How did we go from me allegedly flirting to suddenly having a litter? I'm not having sex with him or anyone else, and even if I were, I know about birth control. Why are you talking to me like I'm a child?† â€Å"Because you act like one.† It was remarkably like what Dimitri had told me. I glared. â€Å"So you're going to send me to my room now?† â€Å"No, Rose.† She suddenly looked tired. â€Å"You don't have to go to your room, but don't go back in there, either. Hopefully you didn't draw too much attention.† â€Å"You make it sound like I was giving a lap dance in there,† I told her. â€Å"I just had dinner with Lissa.† â€Å"You'd be surprised what things can spark rumors,† she warned. â€Å"Especially with Adrian Ivashkov.† With that, she turned and headed off down the hall. Watching her, I felt anger and resentment burn through me. Overreact much? I hadn't done anything wrong. I knew she had her whole blood-whore paranoia, but this was extreme, even for her. Worst of all, she'd dragged me out of there, and several people had witnessed it. For someone who supposedly didn't want me attracting attention, she'd kind of messed that one up. A couple of Moroi who'd been standing near Adrian and me walked out of the room. They glanced in my direction and then whispered something as they passed. â€Å"Thanks, Mom,† I muttered to myself. Humiliated, I stalked off in the opposite direction, not really sure where I was going. I headed out toward the back of the lodge, away from all the activity. The hall eventually ended, but a door leading to some stairs sat on the left. The door was unlocked, so I followed the stairs upward to another door. To my pleasure, it opened up onto a small rooftop deck that didn't appear to see much use. A blanket of snow lay over it all, but it was early morning out here, and the sun shone brightly, making everything glitter. I brushed snow off of a large, box-like object that looked to be part of the ventilation system. Heedless of my dress, I sat down on it. Wrapping my arms around myself, I stared off, taking in the view and the sun I rarely got to enjoy. I was startled when the door opened a few minutes later. When I looked back I was even more startled still to see Dimitri emerge. My heart gave a small flutter, and I turned away, unsure what to think. His boots crunched in the snow as he walked over to where I was sitting. A moment later, he took off his long coat and draped it over my shoulders. He sat down beside me. â€Å"You must be freezing.† I was, but I didn't want to admit it. â€Å"The sun's out.† He tipped his head back, looking up at the perfect blue sky. I knew he missed the sun as much as I did sometimes. â€Å"It is. But we're still on a mountain in the middle of winter.† I didn't answer. We sat there in a comfortable silence for a while. Occasionally, a light wind blew clouds of snow around. It was night for Moroi, and most would be going to bed soon, so the ski runs were quiet. â€Å"My life is a disaster,† I finally said. â€Å"It's not a disaster,† he said automatically. â€Å"Did you follow me from the party?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"I didn't even know you were there.† His dark clothes indicated he must have been on guardian duty at the party. â€Å"So you saw the illustrious Janine cause a commotion by dragging me out.† â€Å"It wasn't a commotion. Hardly anyone noticed. I saw because I was watching you.† I refused to let myself get excited over that. â€Å"That's not what she said,† I told him. â€Å"I might as well have been working a corner as far as she was concerned.† I relayed the conversation from the hallway. â€Å"She's just worried about you,† Dimitri said when I finished. â€Å"She overreacted.† â€Å"Sometimes mothers are overprotective.† I stared at him. â€Å"Yeah, but this is my mother. And she didn't seem that protective, really. I think she was more worried I'd embarrass her or something. And all that becoming-a-mother-too-young stuff was stupid. I'm not going to do anything like that.† â€Å"Maybe she wasn't talking about you,† he said. More silence. My jaw fell open. You don't have the life experience for it- you haven't even lived your own life yet. You won't be able to do the kind of job you wish you could. My mom had been twenty when I was born. Growing up, that had always seemed really old to me. But now†¦that was only a few years off for me. Not old at all. Did she think she'd had me too soon? Had she done a shoddy job raising me simply because she didn't know any better at the time? Did she regret the way things had turned out between us? And was it†¦ was it maybe possible that she'd had some personal experience of her own with Moroi men and people spreading rumors about her? I had inherited a lot of her features. I mean, I'd even noticed tonight what a nice figure she had. She had a pretty face, too- for a nearly forty-year-old, I mean. She'd probably been really, really good-looking when she was younger†¦. I sighed. I didn't want to think about that. If I did, I might have to reevaluate my relationship with her- maybe even acknowledge my mother as a real person- and I already had too many relationships stressing me. Lissa always worried me, even though she seemed to be okay for a change. My so-called romance with Mason was in shambles. And then, of course, there was Dimitri†¦. â€Å"We aren't fighting right now.† I blurted out. He gave me a sidelong look. â€Å"Do you want to fight?† â€Å"No. I hate fighting with you. Verbally, I mean. I don't mind in the gym.† I thought I detected the hint of a smile. Always a half-smile for me. Rarely a full one. â€Å"I don't like fighting with you either.† Sitting next to him there, I marveled at the warm and happy emotions springing up inside of me. There was something about being around him that felt so good, that moved me in a way Mason couldn't. You can't force love, I realized. It's there or it isn't. If it's not there, you've got to be able to admit it. If it is there, you've got to do whatever it takes to protect the ones you love. The next words that came out of my mouth astonished me, both because they were completely unselfish and because I actually meant them. â€Å"You should take it.† He flinched. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Tasha's offer. You should take her up on it. It's a really great chance.† I remembered my mom's words about being ready for children. I wasn't. Maybe she hadn't been. But Tasha was. And I knew Dimitri was too. They got along really well. He could go be her guardian, have some kids with her †¦ it would be a good deal for both of them. â€Å"I never expected to hear you say anything like that,† he told me, voice tight. â€Å"Especially after- â€Å" â€Å"What a bitch I've been? Yeah.† I tugged his coat tighter against the cold. It smelled like him. It was intoxicating, and I could half-imagine being wrapped in his embrace. Adrian might have been onto something about the power of scent. â€Å"Well. Like I said, I don't want to fight anymore. I don't want us to hate each other. And†¦well †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I squeezed my eyes shut and then opened them. â€Å"No matter how I feel about us †¦ I want you to be happy.† Silence yet again. I noticed then that my chest hurt. Dimitri reached out and put his arm around me. He pulled me to him, and I rested my head on his chest. â€Å"Roza,† was all he said. It was the first time he'd really touched me since the night of the lust charm. The practice room had been something different †¦ more animal. This wasn't even about sex. It was just about being close to someone you cared about, about the emotion that kind of connection flooded you with. Dimitri might run off with Tasha, but I would still love him. I would probably always love him. I cared about Mason. But I would probably never love him. I sighed into Dimitri, just wishing I could stay like that forever. It felt right being with him. And- no matter how much the thought of him and Tasha made me ache- doing what was best for him felt right. Now, I knew, it was time to stop being a coward and do something else that was right. Mason had said I needed to learn something about myself. I just had. Reluctantly, I pulled away and handed Dimitri his coat. I stood up. He regarded me curiously, sensing my unease. â€Å"Where you going?† he asked. â€Å"To break someone's heart,† I replied. I admired Dimitri for a heartbeat more- the dark, knowing eyes and silken hair. Then I headed inside. I had to apologize to Mason†¦and tell him there'd never be anything between us.

Persuasive speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Persuasive speech - Essay Example People going to public places such as hotels or even some schools face the wrath of isolation. They are regarded as strangers or even terrorists and are stared at surprisingly. 2- Fear of physical harm. People opposed to wearing of hijabs have always assaulted girls wearing the hijabs in different countries such as France and other public places such as schools. They are always suspected to be hiding something behind their hijabs (Elawawadh Web). As a result of assault and discrimination, many girls have opted out of Islam and joined other religions or secular world. They fear the level of discrimination driven towards people wearing hijabs (â€Å"BBC News† Web). - Media has played a huge role in escalating challenges affecting people wearing hijabs. Through the media, such as social media and the television or newspaper, people around the world have been made to understand that terrorists are Muslims. The fear of interacting or rather mixing with Muslims has led to the isolation and physical abuse of people wearing hijabs (Elawawadh Web). Girls wearing hijabs do not have the knowledge on why they should wear the hijabs. They do not understand the benefits or even the meaning of wearing the hijabs (Asser Web). The knowledge should also be spread among people who discriminate against people wearing hijabs. They should understand that it is won for a good cause (Vyver Web). 2- Proper institutions and legal framework should be put in place to protect girls wearing hijab (Syed Web). Schools and other public places need to protect people wearing hijabs by introducing stern measures to punish any form of discrimination or physical assault. 3- Media should act as the number one messenger that promotes hijab wearing among Muslim girls (â€Å"BBC News† Web). They should bring in Muslim sheiks and clerics as well as leaders who support girls wearing hijabs. Wearing hijab is a command from Allah and it plays a major role in maintaining integrity and