The maturation of George Willard Free Essay Example, 1250 words

Maturation of George Willard Sherwood Anderson brings out touching themes from a small town life. In Winesburg, Ohio, Sherwood combines novelistic aspects with those of short stories to describe life in Winesburg. Consisting of twenty-four short stories, the book paints a picture of the inhabitants of winesburg through the narration of George Willard. George Willard harmonizes all the short stories to make up one continuous story. The writer introduces George as a young boy working as a reporter with the Winesburg Eagle. The book describes George’s progression from a young boy in the beginning, to an adult in the end. The writer tells the story of George’s family, his adventures with women during adolescence, his relationship with peers and his maturation to an adult. At the end of the book, George is a mature individual who is ready to face the world and he leaves Winesburg (Anderson and Boyd, 328). All the characters in the story confide in George and therefore, he u nderstands life in Winesburg better than any other person does. George is the only son of his father and mother. We will write a custom essay sample on The maturation of George Willard or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now George grows up lacking the warmth of a beautiful relationship with his mother (Howe, 31). They do not get along well. His mother is dissatisfied with what life has offered her in the years. Her life is full of vanity because she has not found true love in marriage. On the other hand, his father only has failed ambitions to show for the years he has lived. He often urges George to focus on achieving something in life. His mother wants the best for him but does not like the way his father pesters him to leave the hometown. From the way his parents still guide him on the path of life, the reader realizes that George is but a boy at the beginning of the book. He has not chosen the exact thing he wants to pursue in life. Although he wants to leave the hometown, that will come after two years. George concentrates on his dreams and these define his world (Howe, 13). George is an adventurous adolescent. Emotions of love confuse and drift him easily. He wan ts to experiment with love and sex like any other boy his age. He is romantically involved with several women. After he successfully seduces a girl and has sex with her, he expresses mixed feelings. At first, he gets a heroic feeling but later embarrassment crops up. These are the feelings that come with love and youth especially when adolescents engage in sexual matters to satisfy their curiosity. George experiences the illusions of love.

Boeing s Principles Of Corporate Governance And Its...

Boeing is the biggest aerospace firm in the world that leads in the production of security and space system, commercial jetliners and defense. The company is among the major US exports, it produces several products used within the US, and others are exported to countries that are allied to the US. Among the products and services, that Boeing offers to its clients include weapons, electronic defense systems, launch systems, communication systems, military aircraft, commercial aircraft, and launch systems, among others. Boeing Company is run by corporate officers, managers, and the employees, all who are under the chief executive officer. More so, there exists a board of directors who main responsible is to review that firm’s principles of†¦show more content†¦Economic Indicators Efforts to address the economic indicators for Boeing will require the use of the Boeing annual results for the whole company. This is because the annual results for Boeing business operations are no available. The economic indicators used by Boeing will refer to the firm’s business annual results for the period between 2011 and 2014. Below is a list of economic indicators employed by Boeing to evaluate the business success and failures: †¢ Inventory turnover ratio- this is a ratio that is used to show the number of times the inventory is tuned into sales during a certain accounting period. It is calculated by dividing the cost of goods sold by the inventory. In Boeing Co., the inventory turnover has been declining since the accounting period ending 2012, 2013 and 2014. The declining in inventory turnover in Boeing could be an implication that the company is overstocking, has inefficiencies in its marketing strategies, or having obsolete products. On the other hand, a high rate of inventory turnover may be an indication that the firm has limited stock. Low inventory turnover is costly for Boeing because it results in increased holding costs (Stock Analysis on Net, 2015). †¢ Receivables turnover ratio-this is an accounting ratio employed in quantifying the ability of a firm to collect debts and to extend credit. The ratio is calculated by dividing the net credit sales by the average accountsShow MoreRelatedCorporate Goverance Practices of Boeing, Honda and Daimler Essay5591 Words   |  23 Pages Group Assignment: Corporate Governance Practices of Boeing, Honda Daimler Melbourne, May 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION Characterised by nation-specific features and different regulatory systems, the use of corporate governance mechanisms varies across different countries in the world.Read MoreThe Impact of the A380 Project on the Financial Performance of EADS16541 Words   |  67 Pagesmonths for all the wrong reasons. 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Researching Trojan Attacks for Network Security- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theResearching Trojan Attacks for Network Security. Answer: Introduction The purpose of making this report is to emphasize on essential topic of network security. Nowadays, all people are connected through network solutions with each other. From communication to sharing of content everything is done on internet and hefty amount of information is transferred in this process. Networking has become a proficient way to connect with people worldwide for business and other purposes. There are several benefits of using network connections but there are also some security concerns connected with its usage. The main concerns related to network security includes virus attacks like malware, hacking, phishing and other vulnerable attempts by cyber-criminals. Here in this report, I will discuss about Trojan attacks which is considered highly favored means of attacks. Discussion The main reason to conduct this research on Trojan attacks is that this threat has modelled a serious threat to network users. Trojan horse is a type of malware which is very much vulnerable for users and cause damage of information that is stored into network database and also migrate over networks (Accuwebhosting.com, 2017). The different variety of Trojan viruses are available on internet landscape and it performs variety of tasks. Some Trojan attacks are programmed to take full control of users of computer, to obtain confidential information and to insert more malware on victims computer. The current and famous Trojans are Backdoor Trojan, Downloader Trojan, Remote Access Trojan and DDoS Attack Trojan. Every type of Trojan is harmful and hard to control. In upcoming paragraphs I will discuss about these latest Trojan Attacks in detail. Latest Trojan Attacks and their Type of Damage Following are some latest Trojan attacks that must be in knowledge of computer users: Backdoor Trojan Downloader Trojan Remote Access Trojan (RAT) DDoS Attack Trojan Infostealer Trojan Backdoor Trojan This type of Trojan has potential to create a backdoor on users of computers. This backdoor enables a hacker to access to the system to control it, to steel data and download more malware on that system (Adrc.com, 2017). A computer that has installed backdoor Trojan that is also known as Zombie and Bot. With the help of this Backdoor Trojan, attackers can terminate tasks and processes, change settings of computer, download miscellaneous files and upload files and other content of a computer (Dimitrova, 2017). Moreover, today it is also possible that with the help of back door various criminal activities can be performed to earn money. In this earning process different schemes like pay per install, distribution of spam emails and harvesting of confidential information of users are implementing and high revenue is generated (Biovisualtech.com, 2017). Downloader Trojan It is also a current type of Trojan. The key purpose of this Trojan is to download additional content onto the infected computer and this additional content involves additional pieces of malware. It is very malicious and download into computers with some dishonest means such as with an attachment of emails or images that are downloadable for customers and spread virus into whole system. This type of Trojans can easily installed into computer system without any kind of user interaction and exploits whole security of computer without knowledge of users. It is also a most vulnerable type of Trojan and highly prefer to use by professional hackers. Remote Access Trojan Through this Trojan, full control of computer system can be provided to attackers. Remote Access Trojan is commonly known as RAT. It is basically a malware program that consists of a backdoor to get admin control over whole system. Mostly RAT is downloaded unnoticeably with a user-requested program and this program can be a game or an email attachment. By getting access on host system with the help of RAT, virus can be spread into other connected systems easily. The main operations that can be done attackers after getting access on system with RAT include proper monitoring of behavior of users by using keyloggers and other spyware, access of confidential information such as social security numbers and personal information of users and it also activate webcam and recording video of system. Furthermore, it is also possible that by using remote access Trojan attackers can also take screenshots, format drives and can distribute viruses and malware. So these are very bad impacts and damag es of remote access Trojan. Another important thing about RAT is that it is very difficult to detect and even it does not appear in list of running tasks in a computer systems. Therefore, without any intimation of users RAT attack is implemented by attackers. Distributed Denial of Service Attack Trojan This type of Trojan is commonly known as DDoS and it also causes so much harmful impacts. DDoS Trojan is basically designed to take down a network and it is done by flooded it with traffic. A third party server is seized by DDoS Trojan and problem of network congestion increased. Due to this problem, server stops to give response. There is no availability of appropriate solution for resolving this problem and not even rebooting of server can stop the attack. But one option to stop this attack is to halt the hack tool program. If DDoS Trojan is installed into a computer system then it will restrict system to connect with network and user cannot open a single website. Infostealer Trojan The main objective of this Trojan is to snip data from infected computers. The main confidential knowledge is collected by infostealer Trojan and it is sent to the predetermined location. The collected information can be financial, personal or can be related to compromised computer. But it is mostly seen that combination of this whole information is hacked by this Trojan. Once information regarding login credentials, financial information and other information regarding particular websites is gathered by infostealer Trojan then it is sold in black market by attackers. This is the most vulnerable impact of this type of Trojan. Now on the behalf of above discussion, it is cleared that latest Trojans are very much vulnerable and it is necessary to control them by using available tools and techniques. Now in next segment of this report, I will discuss about most vulnerable platforms of Trojan (Malwarebytes Labs, 2017). Most Vulnerable Platforms of Trojans Trojans and other types of malware have become big problems for all compute users. This harmful program has potential to attack on a whole system and damage it (F-secure.com, 2017). There are different types of platforms that are targeted by Trojans but MS-DOS and Windows are very much common among them (Protalinski, 2017). According to analysis, it is found that for Trojans and other types of viruses have one aimed platform to damage and to make it vulnerable for computer users and that is MS-DOS and Windows 95 which is successor of DOS platform. The main reason of this is popularity of Windows and DOS among people worldwide. Moreover, large amount of software solutions are based on DOS platform that is why it can be used for wide distribution of Trojan attack on systems. Besides this, it is also found that DOS and Windows are less secured as compared to Macintosh and Linux. These both platforms are very much vulnerable for Trojans and viruses. That is why most of the Trojan attacke rs can easily obtain data from systems or software solutions that are based on conventional platforms like DOS. In this case, it is responsibility of developers to be very careful while developing applications and software solutions on base of both DOS and Windows (Engelfriet, 2017). After knowing about vulnerable platforms where Trojans can easily put its bad influence to large extent, now in next segment of this report I will discuss about methods that can be used to get prevention against Trojans (Server Intellect, 2017). Prevention Techniques for Trojans The above discussed currently used Trojans and their damages are required to control as quickly as possible. In this situation, there is no doubt to say that bad impact of Trojan can be controlled to some extent by using some tools and techniques that are developed by developers. These techniques are known as prevention techniques and these are listed as below (Usa.kaspersky.com, 2017): Use of Anti-Virus Software Never do Computer Startup with Floppy Disk Monitor Downloaded Programs at Regular Basis Do not Unknown Email Attachments Take Regular Backup of Confidential System Files Use of Anti-Virus Software Anti-virus software solution is one of the essential techniques of prevention. This software must be installed into system of every user and the configuration of anti-virus is very easy. The main purpose of anti-virus is to detect Trojan or other viruses from users systems and give alert message to user (Trusteer, 2017). It is done by raising a flag by anti-virus at detection of any unknown harmful entity. Whenever, user gets any indication like this then he should immediately remove that entity from system. Moreover, with detection anti-virus can also fix the malware (SearchSecurity, 2017). Never do Computer Startup with Floppy Disk Another way to get prevention from Trojan is that never use floppy disk for computer startup in drive A because infection rate of floppy disk with virus and Trojans is high (Manes, 2017). Therefore, if a user wants to use floppy disk then he or she has to make uninfected recovery disk. Otherwise, Trojan infected floppy disk has potential to raise boot-sector virus at time of computer startup. The main reason behind the most of the Trojans and virus attacks is innocence of users that they do not carefully checks unknown or absurd entities that are entering into their systems (Symantec.com, 2017). Monitor Downloaded Programs at Regular Basis A computer user downloads several things from internet such as documents, images, audio and videos etc. But before download these programs into system, its monitoring is necessary to identify Trojans, viruses and worms in it. Trojans are attached with these materials by hackers in hidden form so that users could not find that. In this case, only virus detectors or spyware can be used for detection purpose. It is an appropriate way to restrict viruses to enter into system (Us.norton.com, 2017). Dont Open Unknown Email Attachments It is commonly observed that several emails are received at daily basis by computer users that are connected with internet and they have accounts on social sites. Some emails are spam and fake that must be deleted by users in one shot. Basically what hackers do? They send harmful Trojan scripts in form attachments via emails to users from unknown email addresses. When these emails are opened by users then harmful scripts are executed and entered into users systems and it is difficult for users to know that what is happening with their systems. In this way, Trojans attack in invisible way on the computer systems. This can be restricted if users will immediately delete unknown emails without reading them (Webopedia.com, 2017). Take Regular Backup of Confidential System Files The regular backup of systems files and other important files is considered to be most helpful option to get prevention from virus and Trojan attacks as I have discussed in this report. This backup can be used to recover important files of system and database can also be recovered. These are some key techniques that must be implemented both at users and developers level to control the vulnerable Trojan attack at some level. This small level protection can stop a bad entity to enter into system or networks. Conclusion To sum up, I can say that Trojans and its damages for computer systems and networks is a critical and serious topic to discuss. Through this report, I have tried to provide appropriate information regarding current Trojans and their way of affecting people. This information must be taken into consideration seriously by users and developers, otherwise heavy loss of information can occur. As discussed above, by using some important techniques Trojans and other virus attacks can be controlled. So those techniques should be used. Furthermore, users should obtain information from internet and other sources to tackle vulnerable virus attacks, their affects and remedies. Whether there are several new versions of Trojans are introduced by hackers but on other prevention procedures are also developed. References Usa.kaspersky.com. (2017). [online] Available at: https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/preemptive-safety/avoiding-a-trojan-virus [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]. Adrc.com. (2017). Virus, Worm and Trojan Preventation. [online] Available at: https://www.adrc.com/sm/virus_prevention.html [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]. Biovisualtech.com. (2017). Tips for preventing VIRUS, WORM and TROJAN HORSE infections by Bob J. Valkovski. [online] Available at: https://www.biovisualtech.com/preventing-virus.htm [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]. Protalinski, E. (2017). Cross-platform Trojan attacks Windows, Intel Macs, Linux | ZDNet. [online] ZDNet. Available at: https://www.zdnet.com/article/cross-platform-trojan-attacks-windows-intel-macs-linux/ [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]. Engelfriet, A. (2017). Infected! Computer viruses and Trojan horses (in Security Viruses @ iusmentis.com). [online] Iusmentis.com. Available at: https://www.iusmentis.com/security/viruses/viruses-trojans/ [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]. SearchSecurity. (2017). What is RAT (remote access Trojan)? - Definition from WhatIs.com. [online] Available at: https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/RAT-remote-access-Trojan [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]. Server Intellect. (2017). What is a Trojan Downloader? - Server Intellect. [online] Available at: https://www.serverintellect.com/support/techfaq/trojan-downloader/ [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]. Symantec.com. (2017). Backdoor.Trojan | Symantec. [online] Available at: https://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2001-062614-1754-99 [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]. Us.norton.com. (2017). What Is A Trojan?. [online] Available at: https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-malware-what-is-a-trojan.html [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]. Accuwebhosting.com. (2017). How to prevent Trojan horse infection? -Web Hosting Technical Support Discussion Forum. [online] Accuwebhosting.com. Available at: https://www.accuwebhosting.com/discussion/forum/peer-support/how-to-s/windows-server/1242-how-to-prevent-trojan-horse-infection [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]. Manes, C. (2017). Most vulnerable operating systems and applications in 2015. [online] GFI Blog. Available at: https://techtalk.gfi.com/2015s-mvps-the-most-vulnerable-players/ [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]. Dimitrova, M. (2017). Types of Trojan Attacks 2015. Network, Browser Exploits and Security Essentials - How to, Technology and PC Security Forum | SensorsTechForum.com. [online] How to, Technology and PC Security Forum | SensorsTechForum.com. Available at: https://sensorstechforum.com/types-of-trojan-attacks-2015-network-browser-exploits-and-security-essentials/ [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]. Trusteer. (2017). Remote Access Trojan (RAT). [online] Available at: https://www.trusteer.com/en/glossary/remote-access-trojan-rat [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]. Webopedia.com. (2017). What is Remote Access Trojan? Webopedia Definition. [online] Available at: https://www.webopedia.com/TERM/R/Remote_Access_Trojan.html [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]. F-secure.com. (2017). Trojan-Downloader Description | F-Secure Labs. [online] Available at: https://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/trojan-downloader.shtml [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]. Malwarebytes Labs. (2017). Trojan.Downloader - Malwarebytes Labs. [online] Available at: https://blog.malwarebytes.com/detections/trojan-downloader/ [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017].

Study 3 scenes from act 1 of Romeo and Juliet analyse their importance in terms of plot, character and theme Essay Example For Students

Study 3 scenes from act 1 of Romeo and Juliet analyse their importance in terms of plot, character and theme Essay Roll up, Roll up, the most amazing production around, tragedy, humour, blood, death and love, all on show at the globe theatre, London. Imagine yourself the year is 1594, its the Elizabethan era and Shakespeare has released his new play, Romeo and Juliet, the most successful ever released. The location is south of the river Thames and crowds of people are gathered. The atmosphere is ecstatic, this was the place to be! The scene above is a description of a typical occurrence of a night within the Elizabethan era, crowds of people would flock to the theatre to enjoy plays of many themes, this was considered a social gathering and a time of fun. The play writers, including Shakespeare had great fun presenting plays to audiences, using a variety of humour, images, ideas and themes, this mixture and presentation was particularly true within, Romeo and Juliet. We will write a custom essay on Study 3 scenes from act 1 of Romeo and Juliet analyse their importance in terms of plot, character and theme specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The prologue was a convention of the Elizabethan tragedies, it was not present in all of Shakespeares plays but was within, Romeo and Juliet. The prologue wasnt considered alien, instead it was a recognisable feature. Before the performance even begins the audience are given an insight into the forthcoming events. The prologue contains a basic and brief overview of the plot. However it doesnt just inform, it also delivers the key themes and ideas of the play. The prologue grabs the audiences attention, diverting them to the action on stage, it calms them down, creating the right atmosphere. Many of the themes of the play are introduced, so even at this very early stage the audience are aware of what to expect. The more able audience members would have been able to make comparisons to the plot given within the prologue to the actual happenings later in the play. The language within the prologue is related to the main themes of the play, an example of this is the language relating to the theme of death. On almost every line, there is a death related word, for instance on line 3, grudge, line 4, blood, line 5 fatal, line 6, take their life, and so on. This combination adds real emphasis to the main themes and ideas of the plot of Romeo and Juliet. There are other word-theme associations, including love, anger, self-respect and much more. As with Shakespeares other plays, Romeo and Juliet contains a wide variety of themes. This wide variety of themes makes the plot more interesting and appealing to the audience, it also allows the appeal of the play to be open to a much wider audience. The main and underlying themes of Romeo and Juliet include, misfortune and fate, conflict, love, death, violence, hatred, passion, power and youth. Within the themes of Romeo and Juliet, some are linked together, for example love and hatred. Shakespeare wanted to show that opposites can coexist, similar to the idea of Good and evil, this combination of opposites makes interesting viewing for the audience, moving the plot of this play away from any other. To express the many themes and ideas within the play, Shakespeare used a wide variety of techniques within the Prologue, as well as throughout the rest of the play. Most of the techniques are poetic to make the ideas more powerful and memorable. There is a rhyme scheme where, the first four lines rhyme ABAB, the next four lines rhyme CDCD, the next four lines rhyme EFEF, finishing with a rhyming couplet GG, an example of this is, Dignity and Mutiny, the language within this rhyming pair AA, links to the theme of death. Alliteration is present, From Forth Fatal Foes, this creates emphasis on a certain sound, the sound of seriousness and death. Enjamberment is common, this keeps the play flowing, precisely what Shakespeare wanted to do to ensure that the audience were entertained. The rhythm used within the prologue is known as an iambic pentameter, where 5 beats are followed by another 5 beats, this creates the atmosphere, and helps to echo the theme being described. The prologue is written as a sonnet, Shakespeare used sonnets throughout the play, they follow the poetic style and add sound through means of rhyme, rhythm and Enjamberment. Shakespeare chose to introduce the sonnet at the very beginning of the play to introduce the poetic style of play writing. Also at about the same time that Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet, he was writing his sonnets, so was probably interested to incorporate them into his play. By using a sonnet it also breaks the content down into three quatrains and a couplet, this is similar to a play, as a play is broken down into scenes and acts. As I have already said the prologue introduces themes, events and ideas, before they have even happened, a particular introduction is the announcement of a death, the chorus says, Fearful passage of their death-marked love, this links to later happenings in the play, as well as to the theme of love and death, it is interesting how Shakespeare presented these almost opposites at the same time, because you cant love if you are dead. The early warning of death gives the audience more preparation for the later events, they are not as shocked when it happens but they can also relate events earlier in the play and relate it to the idea of death looking at how it affects them. Although the prologue only contains one character, the chorus, the audience are aware of other characters. This is important because it suggests a certain importance to the characters introduced leaving the audience interested in their later happenings. The audience are aware of two families, Two households, these being the Montagues and the Capulets. Romeo and Juliet are introduced, A pair of Star-crossed lovers, an image which links to the theme of love, so in all two characters are introduced as well as the two families and the chorus creating interest in their development. The beginning of scene 1 incorporates bawdy humour, it links to the theme of love, in many forms, it helps to keep the plot and narrative moving, ensuring that the audience are entertained. There is some friendly banter apparent which to an extent could be described as rivalry or conflict, which would link to one of the themes of the play. Gregory says, This quarrel is between our masters, and us their men, this shows that Shakespeare did want to immediately present to the audience that conflict is a major theme of the play, however he presented it as bawdy humour, take it in what sense thou wilt, a reference to raping women but the reference is presented in a humorous way. The bawdy humour between both Sampson and Gregory captures the audiences immediate attention, it transfers their attention to the events on stage and makes them interested in the plot. Romeo is talked about and introduced to the audience before he is actually met. This early introduction highlights the fact that he could be an important character who has great significance in regards to the plot and events within the play. The early introduction also makes the audience curious and interested in the developments of his character. The way that Romeo is introduced is through a means of suicide fear from his father Montague, he says, Unless good counsel may the cause remove, this therefore obviously links to the theme of death. This also relates to events near to the end of the play where both Romeo and Juliet die from suicide, so again this is the case of a prior warning to an event which will happen later in the play. So that Shakespeare could express the many themes and ideas of the play he used a variety of poetic techniques, these include, the use of adjectives, Fiery, this helps to create a more detailed picture of events and feelings, helping to create a better atmosphere. Personification is used, Alas that love, so gently in his view, the use of personification makes love seem alive as a person. There are a mass of metaphors and similes used to help create imagery, an example being, A sea nourished with loving tears, by creating images the audience are allowed to use their imaginations more they can convert the images and have a better understanding of the scene that is being presented in front of them. Other techniques are used within the scene and these include, dramatic irony, repetition, rhyme, all used to create different levels of meaning, and to create a voice that speaks trough the writing. The Prince makes a speech within scene 1, which helps to stop the public fighting and riots. The speech gives the audience an insight into later events, as they become aware that a death will happen, the insight comes when the prince says, Your lives shall forfeit of the peace, the language links to the theme of death, The princes speech also demonstrates the anger and conflict between the two families, he says, Purple fountains issuing from your veins, a nice image for the audience to help imagine and picture the scene that Shakespeare wanted to create. .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6 , .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6 .postImageUrl , .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6 , .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6:hover , .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6:visited , .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6:active { border:0!important; } .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6 { 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; } .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6:active , .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6 .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; } .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6 .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua39d2e1fa3fda51b606948d06ab673c6:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Playwright Hamlet EssayThe characters within the play of Romeo and Juliet play probably the biggest role, it is their job to convey the plot to the audience in an appropriate way so that both the audience are entertained, and at the same time aware of emotion etc. Within scene 1 the main characters that the audience meet are; Tybalt, Benvolio and Romeo, these characters are all important because they all contribute to the plot, they link to the themes of the play, and they are all individuals, they all have their own characteristics and behaviour, which makes interesting viewing for the audience. Tybalts short temper leads to a public fight, the audience learns a great dea l about his character even though he only says five lines. Before Romeo meets the love of his life, Juliet, the audience are exposed to a different emotion from his character, although he has not yet been met or introduced, the audience become aware of his love sickness and his feeling of being unwanted. Montague says, Shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out, the audience are aware of the typical reason for this being done, which links to the theme of love. Montague also creates images when speaking about Romeos love sickness, he says, Ere he can spread his sweet leaves in the air, he knows that there is something wrong, but he is not sharing it, this follows the degree of secrecy that is used later by Romeo, Juliet and the Nurse. Shakespeare played with language and its usage. He played with words, and played with presentation techniques. One way that he did this was by Romeo speaking to Benvolio in riddles, he says, Not having that, which, having, makes them short, Romeo is saying that not having Juliet makes time go slow, this language links to the theme of love, and also adds clever trickery to the way that the audience interpret what the characters are saying before them on stage. By playing with the language he is creating something much more interesting for the audience, it makes the plot, characters and language more attractive, meaning that the audience are more likely to be interested in what is happening. A technique used commonly throughout Romeo and Juliet, is the use of oxymorons, they are particularly common within Scene 1. Because the play is about the clash of opposites oxymorons are particularly appropriate because they do help to illustrate the opposites. Within 6 lines of scene 1, Romeo says five different oxymorons, Love and Hate, Bright and Smoke, Cold and Fire, these link to the themes of the play, showing the opposites that are put together. Shakespeare introduces the opposites idea here within scene 1 to highlight its importance for the rest of the play, as the opposites are a key part to the play it was important for the audience to be aware of its existence. The purposes of Scene 1, which add significance to events within the play include, the introduction of the main characters, excluding Juliet. The scene is set and the audience understand the time and place of key events, this is important because it would have a direct effect on the actors behaviour, if for example they were presented to be in a public place the actors behaviour would be portrayed as courteous and polite, however if the actors were presented as being behind closed doors, the mood and behaviour is likely to be different. Scene 1 also introduces the key themes, love, death, romance and hatred, this is important because it means that the audience are prepared for the upcoming events. Scene 3 explores Lady Capulets character highlighting her relationship with Juliet. This character seems to be distanced and detached from her daughter, this agrees with the stereotypical belief of upper class relationships with family. She says, Nurse, wheres my daughter, rather than saying wheres Juliet. Lady Capulet speaks through the nurse and refers to Juliet as Daughter. Shakespeare purposely did this to create interesting viewing for the audience but also to keep the plot in keeping with the traditional values around at the time of the play. To support the entertaining style of Romeo and Juliet, the audience are introduced to the nurse. As a character she could be described as very superficial, sentimental, lively, entertaining, bawdy and humorous, allowing for the audience to be entertained. She says, It stinted and said, Ay', the nurse expresses previous memories of Juliet and refers to love whilst keeping the audience entertained, the nurse at this point would presumably be crying with laughter keeping the entertaining style very much alive. This joke orientated style keeps the audience interested in the plot. The plot, the characters and the language are all important within Romeo and Juliet, they are important because they all link to the themes, That shall she, marry, this links to the theme of love. The characters of Romeo and Juliet against their parents represent the youth and aged, in particular the conflict between them. The plot gives the audience access to the main themes through the events on stage, an example of this is when Juliet, Lady Capulet and the nurse are talking about marriage, this can be linked to the theme of love. Because the plot, characters and language are linked to the themes the audience would have been more likely to understand what is happening on stage, because they have at the very least access to what the play is about. The Nurse and Lady Capulet are almost opposites in terms and character. The nurse isnt just any ordinary servant, instead she is practically a member of the Capulet family. When the nurse begins to talk about Juliet we learn not only Juliets age, Ill lay fourteen of my teeth, but also a great deal about the character of the nurse. She remembers trivial details of Juliets childhood, It stinted and said Ay'. The nurses speech is very repetitive and her points are not explored for very long. Lady Capulet is a complete contrast, she asks direct questions, to Juliet she says, How stands your disposition to be married, the language of which refers to the theme of love and marriage. Juliet being the submissive and polite girl she is answers in a way which is not offensive but instead evasive. Lady Capulet is persistent and in reflection a contrast to the character of the nurse. Having this character contrast within the play makes the plot more interesting and entertaining for the audience, highlighting the key themes and ideas. Within scene 3 Shakespeare used a variety of poetic techniques to add a certain musicality to the play. Rhythm is apparent, the last word within a line rhymes with the last word in the next line, Lies and Eyes, or Lover and Cover, this for the audience makes the characters speeches more entertaining because they are said in a slightly different way, within the above quotes, the language is linked to the themes, lover links to the theme of love, but it is contrasted by saying that the love is hidden under a cover, this is true as the Love between Romeo and Juliet is hidden. Adjectives are used, Valiant Paris, this adds more emphasis on the audiences interpretations of a character as a result of the description they are more likely to see him as brave. Lady Capulet uses imagery in speech, she compares Paris to a book, Read oer the volume of young Paris face, the language also links to the theme of love, showing Paris as a candidate for the marriage of Juliet. Metaphors are also used, V eronas summer hath not such a flower, and this adds imagery allowing the audience to imagine the scene that is being described. This variety of techniques that Shakespeare used adds real emphasis on the characters, the language and the themes of the play. Within Scene 3 there are many contrasting things, an example being the idea of inside and outside, Lady Capulet says, To beautify him, only lacks a cover, this refers to a belief that beauty within is shown by beauty on the outside, the language links to theme of love as Lady Capulet wants Juliet to marry Paris. The opposites are not just isolated to Scene 3, they appear throughout the play, other opposites include the idea of Love and Hatred, black and white, Youth versus age, fast versus slow, and so on, these contrasting ideas coexisting makes the play more interesting and exciting for the audience, making them focus more on the happenings on stage. .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0 , .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0 .postImageUrl , .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0 , .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0:hover , .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0:visited , .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0:active { border:0!important; } .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0 { 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; } .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0:active , .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0 .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; } .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0 .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u2c41ee2b17dc2c51a6009971df2225e0:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Examining the ways in which Shakespeare makes act 3 scene 5 full of tension and excitement for the audience EssayScene 3 is important because it leads up to feast, like scene 1 and scene 2 the plot is focused around the build up to the feast at the Capulets Mansion. The audience can sense a feeling of urgency amongst the characters, Lady Capulet says, Speak briefly, this follows the sense of urgency adding to the build up to the feast. The build up within scene 3 is important because it introduces ideas to the audience which will be of more relevance at the end of act 1, the audience are also prepared for the upcoming events, this follows the introductory events idea from the prologue and scene 1. The end of scene 3 includes sexual references linked to the theme of love, the nurse says, Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days, the language links to the theme of love as the nurse talks about Juliet finding true love to make a marriage with. Shakespeare deliberately gave this ending to the scene, not only does it finish with references to the themes of the play but it also prepares the audience making them aware that a marriage is about to happen, this prior warning becomes true later in the play when Romeo and Juliet marry together in secrecy. The purposes of scene 3, which add significance to events within the play include, the added humour, the nurse keeps the audience entertained which means that they are more likely to be interested in the play. Scene 3 also presents a typical domesticated scene, inside the Capulet mansion, off the streets where stereotypically the upper class belonged. It also introduces Juliet as a character in more detail, the audience see her more as a submissive and obedient girl. As well as scene 3 developing the character of Juliet, those of the Nurse and Lady Capulet are developed, the nurse is seen as a very humorous and entertaining character and Lady Capulet is seen as being very detached from her daughter. Scene 5 brings about several developments in peoples characters, the audience particularly see a development in the characters of Capulet and Tybalt. The audience see two different sides to Capulets character, he is seen as very welcoming, when with guests, he says, Welcome, gentlemen, this is portraying him as the perfect host. The audience also see him in a different light where he is very controlling, he says, More light, you naves, and turn the tables up, this is the other side, when he is away from guests. This two sided character portrayal shows that people can have more than one side to them, one for when on public display and another when nobody is watching. Tybalt becomes very angry within this scene, Makes my flesh tremble in their different greeting, this angriness is important because it will have a direct effect later in the play. These developments in character are important because it shows how they can change in such a short period of time. As well as the poetic techniques that are used throughout the play, other techniques are used, including the clever use of punctuation and word play. At the very beginning of scene 5 there is no punctuation when the servants are speaking, When good manners shall lie all in one or two mens hands, these long unpunctuated sentences create the desired feeling of urgency and help to show the audience that people are rushing about. Shakespeare relied heavily on language to portray the scenes, as well as deliver emotion. Also at the time when this play was produced scenery at the theatre would have been very limited, so it was very much down to the language and presentation of language to create the desired effects. Within scene 5 the audience finally see Romeo and Juliet fall in love. It comes about after the big build up to it within the previous scenes. The first meeting of the lovers is written as a sonnet, which adds musicality to the content, making it more entertaining for the audience. When Romeo talks to Juliet he uses religious imagery, he says, holy shrine. Juliet also speaks with a religious theme, she says, Good pilgrim, this shows their faith, highlighting their love is a journey. The use of the religious imagery shows that their relationship is special, it isnt just a normal relationship, instead it stands out. To help create the love feeling metaphors are used, the cheek of night, there is also a mixture of alliteration, teach the torches to, these poetic techniques help to add emphasis to the love between Romeo and Juliet. There are many opposites within scene 5, this very much agrees with the conflicting style that runs throughout the play. The majority of the opposites within this scene are said mainly by Juliet, Early and Late, Known and Unknown, Love and Hate, these contrasting ideas link to the main themes of the play, linking to the language theme association. The opposites extend to when Juliet says, My grave is like to be my wedding bed, already Juliet is imagining her death as her bridegroom, this links to the end of the play. Juliet says, My only love sprung from my only hate, this echoes examples of the many opposites which run through the play. Juliet reflects her first experiences with the love of her life Romeo with the nurse. She confides in the nurse trying to find out his name, she says, Go ask his name, it is ironic that they have already fallen in love but they dont know each others names, just like the early introduction of ideas before they actually happen. Juliets lovers name is found out at the very end of the act, Shakespeare deliberately did this to keep a feeling of suspicion and unclearness. The nurse gets Romeos name correct after 3 attempts, the number 3 being a magic number. The nurse is more of a mother figure to Juliet than Lady Capulet, they talk to each other like mother and daughter, unlike the relationship that Juliet and Lady Capulet have. To ensure continuity of themes, Juliet finds out that Romeo is an enemy, The only son of your great enemy, this creates the desired conflict making the happenings on stage more interesting. Scene 5 is a climax of act 1, there has been a massive build up to the feast at the Capulet mansion from the beginning of the prologue to the end of scene 4. Scene 5 to an extent is the end product of a lot of preparation and build up, this is the outcome and the result. Scene 5 is a mass of action and events, Romeo and Juliet fall in love, characters are developed and the plot moves on. Scene 5 is thoroughly entertaining and humorous, with the nurse, Capulet, Romeo and Juliet. The themes are developed and explored in more detail. The dramatic power of the scene is immense, and the statements that Shakespeare was trying to make really do shine through. Scene 5 is an important scene because it has implications on later events in the play. The purposes of scene 5, which add significance to events within the play include, the fact that the love story of Romeo and Juliet begins, a suitable ending to act 1. There are also links within the scene to later events in the play, when Tybalt says, Now seeming sweet, convert to bittrest gall, this is referring to poison and more importantly linking to the suicides at the end of the play, the language links to the theme of death, Scene 5 is particularly good in holding interest with a love scene, music, dancing and contrasts of character and costumes. Scene 5 predicts the future disasters of Romeo and Juliet, after the threats of Tybalt. The scene also develops the characters of Capulet, Tybalt, Romeo and Juliet. In conclusion, the scenes which I have studied have all used a variety of techniques to deliver the plot and key themes to the audience. Shakespeare used a variety of things to ensure that the audience were kept entertained but more importantly interested in both the characters and the plot. To ensure that his plays were successful he used humour, poetic techniques which include metaphors, personification and sonnets. Shakespeare also used a wide variety of themes ranging from love to death and from light to dark. He incorporated lots of opposites which made the play more interesting for the audience. The main theme of the play is love and Shakespeare took away the stereotypical love story and created something much more unique, mixing it with tragedy. Love is love is love.

The Secret Life of a Real Halloweener [Interview]

The Secret Life of a Real Halloweener [Interview] Something unbelievable happened right the week before Halloween! Searching the internet weve bumped into the real Halloween idolator. Yup, he does exist. His favourite holiday is Halloween and not without reason. Apart from being a Halloween fan, Jonathan Wojcik is an artist, a toy collector, an armchair biologist and owns a monstrous blog. So, this extraordinary person is our next interviewee and we are going to find out as much as we can about his unusual Halloween philosophy. And if you missed our previous interview about Halloween with Katy Gilroy, dont forget to read it right after you finish with this interview! What to start with? Lets start from the very beginning, actually! How did you happen to become the fan of Halloween? I was born on Halloween, and all my life took an interest in strange creatures, whether fantasy monsters or real-world insects and marine life. Its just been that way as long as I can remember! Now, its clear. Halloweener by birth! I guess, your attitude to the celebration is different from others. What do you think is the main idea of Halloween? People have always enjoyed things that scare them, especially children. Halloween is a celebration of horror and fear, which are as important to almost every aspect of human culture as anything else could be. Entire civilizations revolved around the mysteries of death and the supernatural, and ghost stories are one of the oldest narrative genres known to man. Have you noticed some evolution of Halloween celebration through the years? Did you like the old traditions better? Or do you find some new trends more interesting? Halloween has grown a lot in popularity since I was a kid. Its much more often celebrated by adults than it was just twenty some years ago, although many forms of celebration have strayed from what made it so fun in the first place. Adult costumes tend to be either sexy or an attempt at humor these days, or pop-culture references. Dressing up to look cool, creative and scary is a rarer art. What was the most memorable Halloween celebration for you so far? Probably, just trick or treating as a child. I had to be taken to other towns because we lived in the middle of nowhere, and I always had the most elaborate, creepy outfits most houses had seen. I always picked out the big, freaky monster masks and combined them with a lot of other things, like real bones and tattered cloth. I am sure you dressed up a lot, but can you remember your best and favourite Halloween costume? Only last year I made a full-body brain creature with giant eye stalksI just didnt really have anywhere to take it. Lets move from the costumes to the places. What do you think is the best city to celebrate Halloween? I love the haunted houses and hayrides in Maryland and Pennsylvania where I grew up. Otherwise, I havent often had the chance to attend any big, public celebrations. And the food do you have your favourite Halloween food? Reeses Peanut Butter Cups are my favorite year round, but the Peanut Butter Pumpkins are even better. Theyre plumper, with a higher peanut butter to chocolate ratio. Now, reveal us some of your personal Halloween traditions. You must have those, unique and different from common ones? Beside doing articles and artwork online, I have a tiny little coffin decoration that opens up to show a skeleton inside. I leave it closed until August 1st, which is the start of Halloween season for me, and close it back again in November. As youve already mentioned the artwork what kind of Halloween craft do you make? And what is your favourite kind of Halloween art? I have a method of making gooey monster sculptures out of insulation foam. They were even featured in an art show once! I may be sharing the process soon as a seasonal blog post. Sounds awesome! So, you make up a lot (like, thousands) of spooky characters. Do you have your favourite monster? Every iteration, reinterpretation, homage and parody to The Fly. Flies are possibly my favorite animal with their weird looks and habits, and theyre so unlike humans that mashing them together always results in something weird and fun. And the final question is simple what are your plans for the upcoming Halloween? This year I debuted a new comic online and will be sharing some special art and writing on Halloween itself. Otherwise I think I was invited to a party, but Im not a huge party person. Mostly, I like to stay in and watch horror cartoons! Thanks, Jonathan, for sharing your unique view on the Halloween phenomenon! Got interested in Jonathans Halloween artworks? You are welcome to leave comments, ask questions and suggest ideas below!

Free Essays on Sampls Gre Essay

â€Å"The function of science is to reassure; the purpose of art is to upset. There lies the value of each.† Though it is detrimental to attribute specific functions and purposes to knowledge, especially at higher level of understanding, since both science and art form the same sphere of knowledge, the issue at hand is certainly some worth contemplating. Indeed, the function of science is reassure and the purpose of art is, to some extent, upset. Hence each has its own worth albeit in a limited way. Science, in one sense, has the meaning of 'knowledge' accumulated from experience. In other sense, it is the pursuit of truth behind the phenomena through experimentation and study. The very genesis of science upholds these definitions. In the primordial stages of human civilizations, eastern or western, man was intrigued by the phenomena of nature such as lightening, earthquakes etc. These phenomena, as they were mysteries to the man of those times, remained dreadful to man. Man, the rational animal, honed his intellect to get emboldened and gain vigor. The rationalization for these phenomena resulted ultimately in philosophy and understanding of these resulted in science. Thus, the very purpose of science has been and is to remove the fears of man about the 'unexplained'. The concept of electricity has removed the fear of lightning, and the concept of human morphology and medicine and that of disease are a few examples. Quite surprisingly, the value of science gets tainted once it starts threatening. The unwanted by-products of science such as pollution, nuclear weapons, and destruction to environment countermand the very purpose for which science has been rightfully created. None can deny the fact that this perversion of science has diluted the value of it. It is quite evident that science is now a tool that creates fear instead of removing it. On the other hand, art has altogether a different reason to be cr... Free Essays on Sampls Gre Essay Free Essays on Sampls Gre Essay â€Å"The function of science is to reassure; the purpose of art is to upset. There lies the value of each.† Though it is detrimental to attribute specific functions and purposes to knowledge, especially at higher level of understanding, since both science and art form the same sphere of knowledge, the issue at hand is certainly some worth contemplating. Indeed, the function of science is reassure and the purpose of art is, to some extent, upset. Hence each has its own worth albeit in a limited way. Science, in one sense, has the meaning of 'knowledge' accumulated from experience. In other sense, it is the pursuit of truth behind the phenomena through experimentation and study. The very genesis of science upholds these definitions. In the primordial stages of human civilizations, eastern or western, man was intrigued by the phenomena of nature such as lightening, earthquakes etc. These phenomena, as they were mysteries to the man of those times, remained dreadful to man. Man, the rational animal, honed his intellect to get emboldened and gain vigor. The rationalization for these phenomena resulted ultimately in philosophy and understanding of these resulted in science. Thus, the very purpose of science has been and is to remove the fears of man about the 'unexplained'. The concept of electricity has removed the fear of lightning, and the concept of human morphology and medicine and that of disease are a few examples. Quite surprisingly, the value of science gets tainted once it starts threatening. The unwanted by-products of science such as pollution, nuclear weapons, and destruction to environment countermand the very purpose for which science has been rightfully created. None can deny the fact that this perversion of science has diluted the value of it. It is quite evident that science is now a tool that creates fear instead of removing it. On the other hand, art has altogether a different reason to be cr...

Collective Bargaining and Unions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Collective Bargaining and Unions - Essay Example Traditionally, trade unions were very powerful in championing employee rights hence were viewed as adversaries by the management but nowadays the management has realised the need to partner with them. Though collective bargaining is an effective way of ensuring favourable working conditions, the employment context has changed and new ways of handling employee issues have emerged such as the human resource management approach which views workers as assets hence partnering with them in realisation of the organization aims (Wilton, 2011). The question that begs an answer is; which is the most appropriate approach to employment relations in a dynamic and turbulent environment? This requires us to delve into the benefits of having strong unions and the disadvantages as well as the HRM approach to employment relations. Collective bargaining and a strong role for unions have various implications on the various actors in employment relations such as the employees, employers, trade unions and the state. In Britain, trade unions had a lot of power before the conservative government took over power. The players in British employment relations include the Trade Union Congress, European Union, staff associations, state, employee representatives, and employers among others (Armstrong, 2009). ... They also help to settle disputes by participating in disciplinary and grievance hearings, legal representation for members, ensuring health and safety standards are maintained and ensuring job security by protecting them against unlawful dismissal. Trade unions can effectively bargain for improved wages and benefits for workers but what does this imply for the employer? If it results in higher wages than equilibrium wages in the market, the employer is unable to compete effectively in the highly competitive global market hence may be forced out of business or reduce production (Hyman, 2001). Moreover, increased wages lead to high production costs thus reduced output which may force the employer to cut labour costs by reducing the number of employees. This is a disadvantage to the employees as they lose income. For unions, increased wages means increased returns for them although a reduction in membership means loss of returns. Sometimes collective bargaining does not end up in an ag reement hence conflicts arise. A strong union may influence members to go on strike until their demands are met or stay on the job but slow their production (Singh, 2010).This leads to great losses for the employer due to reduced productivity or lost production. For example, British Airways strike in 2010 led to disruption of flights from Heathrow airport hence massive losses due to cancellation of flights and loss of consumer confidence. Trade disputes are therefore inevitable where unions are strong. Collective bargaining determines the relationship between employee and employer through an agreed employment contract (Torrington et al. 2011). This may limit workplace flexibility which is much needed in today’s

Jesus as founder of Christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Jesus as founder of Christianity - Essay Example That Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah or Christ, is the founder of Christianity is held as an unquestionable assumption by many Christians is obvious, but careful scholarship requires that the assumption be qualified, if not refuted. A founder may be defined as a person who establishes, initiates, originates or lays the foundations of an idea, movement, group or institution . Identifying a founder of Christianity then will require one to determine with which person did the religion originate, who established it, who introduced it as an idea or movement, and who gave it its structure and organisation. As we shall see, this task is not a clear-cut one. The origins of Christianity were fraught with much controversy, and its development into the organized religion and group of religious systems that we now call Christianity cannot be said to have been a smooth and linear one. This paper then explores the above question along three axes: Jesus as the founder of Christianity; Jesus as the originator of a Jewish Messianic sect that â€Å"posthumously† became Christianity; and the apostles as the founder of a Jewish sect that became Christianity through the interpretations and Christology of Paul. According to The Columbia Encyclopaedia, the main teachings of Christianity are that "Jesus is the Son of God; that his life on earth, his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension into heaven are proof of God's love for humanity and God's forgiveness of human sins; and that by faith in Jesus one may attain salvation and eternal life"3. It is indisputable that Christianity centres on the life, death, resurrection, and teachings of Jesus, without whom the religion wouldn't exist. He is the pre-eminent source, and the great 'rabbi', whose words and the Midrash4 thereof form the New Testament scriptures. It is Jesus who gives the basis for the religion's creation in the forty days between His resurrection and ascension: "After his suffering he appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. He said to them 'you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'"5 Although Christianity begins in earnest after Jesus' ascension, he lays the foundations for it to be carried out in the above quote and in the Great Commission: "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And [miraculous] signs will accompany those who believe".6 There are two things of note about this commission; the first is that it reiterates the disciples' missionary work during the lifetime of Jesus7, and the second is that it gives the disciples the power and authori ty to continue doing the miraculous work that Jesus had done in his lifetime. The first time the gospel is preached after the resurrection is on the day of Pentecost, when, on receiving the promised Holy Spirit, Peter addresses the crowd gathered8. His sermon takes the following form: he recalls the Messianic prophecy in Joel and relates the story of Jesus' life, work, persecution and resurrection, using this to demonstrate that "God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."9 He closes with a rejoinder that indicates the basic tenet of 'The Way': "Repent and be baptised, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."10 'The Way' eventually becomes known as 'Christianity', after the appellation given to the disciples in Antioch11. On the one hand, the above shows that to some extent, Jesus can be considered the founder of Christianity, since it originates and is grounded in him. On the other hand, it shows, as most definitions of Christianity claim, that the religion that bears his name is actually founded by his followers after his death12. In one sense, Christianity,

Deloneys view of age Essay Example for Free

Deloneys view of age Essay The word ‘age’ is also paired with the adjective ‘crabbed’, however the word ’youth’ is not attached to any word and seems almost completely separate. Youth seems quite isolated from the word ‘age’ and could represent how nowadays parents and children are quite segregated from each other. As well as the word being isolated, it seems to be independent, as it is not relying on an adjective to describe itself. Following onto the point of where I had written that parents and children are isolated from one another, this is clearly demonstrated to us in ‘Romeo and Juliet’, throughout the play, as well as in ‘crabbed age and youth’, when it is written that they ‘cannot live together’. The isolation between a parent and child, can be expressed due to the fact that these two humans are both from different generations, and have been brought up to have different opinions, or in some cases, completely contrasting opinions and as a consequence have little or nothing in common. For example in ‘Follower’ we are not informed of any similarities between the father and son, however the fact that the verb stumble appears twice and that both the father and the son have experienced it, suggests that this is the only thing of which they have in common. Another example is in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ where we see at the beginning of the play Capulet displaying a willingness to become a better parent as he attempts to understand Juliet’s thoughts and emotions by saying to Paris that Juliet is too â€Å"ripe to be a bride†. This portrays to us a parent who is willing to change their own opinion in a matter. in the Elizabethan era it was considered normal for a 14 year old to be married and expecting children, which is made clear to us when Paris says to Capulet ‘younger than she (Juliet) are happy mothers made’, to which Capulet answers by saying that young mothers are ‘too soon marr’d’. By defending his and his daughter’s actions, shows him to be a protective father. There is no doubt that along the path of parenthood there will be clashes between a parent and child, of which the child or parent feels that they ‘cannot live together’, due to different factors, the most prominent of which is a severe clash of opinions. We know not to take the line ‘cannot live together’ literally, because Deloney is talking about the two opinions of the youth and the old and how they are so severely differentiated, almost contradictory. I translate this stanza to mean that the two opinions are so contradictory that neither can win the argument. I can refer this to the poem ‘Catrin’, in which Gillian Clarke talks about a ‘red rope of love’ which represents the bond that a parent and child have. To demonstrate how contradictory these 2 opinions are, Deloney offers us a variety of antithesis, such as â€Å"Youth like summer†¦ Age like winter†, â€Å"Youth is hot†¦ Age is Cold†. The roles in this parent child relationship are clear to us; Capulet even tells us that he thinks of Juliet as a ‘whining mammet’. A mammet is a puppet, and so obviously a puppet needs a puppeteer, and due to how Capulet acts in this scene, it is evident that he is the puppeteer. This hierarchy of a parent and child is also shown in ‘Follower’, when Heaney describes his father to be a ‘full sail strung’ and that ‘horses strained at his clicking tongue’. By saying that even ‘horses strained at his clicking tongue’ shows how much power and authority his father had; he had to do such little, to get the horses to do a lot of work. The fact that an animal listens to him, demonstrates just how powerful he is. Deloney also thinks that age and youth are completely opposite by saying ‘age like winter weather; Youth like summer brave’. By using two completely opposite seasons of the year, Deloney is also pointing out that parents and children are also completely opposite. For example it is hot in summer and cold in winter, it cannot be hot in winter and cold in summer, however when we get too hot, we wish for it to be cooler and when we are cold, we wish for it to be hot. Similarly, when we are old we desire to be young, and when we are young we wish to be older or you could say when children are in need of parents, they may not be here, but that when they are here, you do not need them vice versa. If we were to interpret this to fit the role of a parent child relationship then we would say that when as children we become older and our parents eventually die, suddenly we seem to miss them immensely. So by using antithesis, the poet is basically telling us that once a parent or child is deceased, we learn how much we appreciated them. I feel it is a shame that we only realise things like this once it has been taken from us. This is shown in Romeo and Juliet when Capulet discovers that his daughter has apparently died from depression, he feels overwhelmed and his true feelings for Juliet are revealed as he says ‘with my child are my joys buried’, however when she was alive (in act 3 scene 5), he did not seem to care if she were to ‘die in the streets’.

Essay --

There are many similarities and differences in the readings of Plato’s The Allegory Cave, Descartes’ Mediation and The Matrix. These stories share an alternative perception to reality and the implications that it is caused on the individuals who are affected by this alteration. These stories share skepticism of validity in the perception of reality. Firstly, these three stories, The Matrix, The Allegory Cave, and Mediation, share common similarities that questions the authenticity of the world around them and doubts their perceived perception of reality and its validity. Descartes discussed the possibility that everyone is dreaming and that our actions involving eye opening, moving our head, hands and our body are illusions.(Descartes, 1641) Plato also regarded the perception of men who were restrained to look forward only could only perceive objects and passersby as their shadows. Plato stated that these prisoners’ perception of reality would be no more than just shadows of objects.(Plate, 514-518) The Matrix relates with Descartes theory based on the fact that in The Matrix, there is a computer system that controls everyone’s mind in a computer-generated virtual dream world. These stories ask deeper questions on the basis of man’s perception of reality and the possibility that our minds and perceptions ar e controlled by something else and that something else determines our reality. (Wachowski, 1999) Secondly, although these three stories share common similarities about the validity of reality, they have distinguishing differences that separate them from one another. The Matrix depicts a stepford-like society that is completely controlled by the computer system. However, there is a group of individuals who have overcome their p... ...me where those who are living in an illusion will have to come to terms with reality eventually. The time in which that happens, those who are living in the illusion will have a much harder time trying to comprehend the true reality which would cause more troubles and problems than living with the harshness in the first place. Finally, The Matrix, The Allegory Cave, and Mediation all have significant importance is revelation of the perceived perception of reality and the validity of that reality. Each story has its own unique twist to whom or what has the control over that perception. The stories give the reader the opportunity to dive deeper into this meaning of reality. The skepticism that is used is relatable in each individual’s lives. Individuals have to determine what they perceive to be real and true and what they believe to be opinions that are truly false. Essay -- There are many similarities and differences in the readings of Plato’s The Allegory Cave, Descartes’ Mediation and The Matrix. These stories share an alternative perception to reality and the implications that it is caused on the individuals who are affected by this alteration. These stories share skepticism of validity in the perception of reality. Firstly, these three stories, The Matrix, The Allegory Cave, and Mediation, share common similarities that questions the authenticity of the world around them and doubts their perceived perception of reality and its validity. Descartes discussed the possibility that everyone is dreaming and that our actions involving eye opening, moving our head, hands and our body are illusions.(Descartes, 1641) Plato also regarded the perception of men who were restrained to look forward only could only perceive objects and passersby as their shadows. Plato stated that these prisoners’ perception of reality would be no more than just shadows of objects.(Plate, 514-518) The Matrix relates with Descartes theory based on the fact that in The Matrix, there is a computer system that controls everyone’s mind in a computer-generated virtual dream world. These stories ask deeper questions on the basis of man’s perception of reality and the possibility that our minds and perceptions ar e controlled by something else and that something else determines our reality. (Wachowski, 1999) Secondly, although these three stories share common similarities about the validity of reality, they have distinguishing differences that separate them from one another. The Matrix depicts a stepford-like society that is completely controlled by the computer system. However, there is a group of individuals who have overcome their p... ...me where those who are living in an illusion will have to come to terms with reality eventually. The time in which that happens, those who are living in the illusion will have a much harder time trying to comprehend the true reality which would cause more troubles and problems than living with the harshness in the first place. Finally, The Matrix, The Allegory Cave, and Mediation all have significant importance is revelation of the perceived perception of reality and the validity of that reality. Each story has its own unique twist to whom or what has the control over that perception. The stories give the reader the opportunity to dive deeper into this meaning of reality. The skepticism that is used is relatable in each individual’s lives. Individuals have to determine what they perceive to be real and true and what they believe to be opinions that are truly false.

Angels Demons Chapter 113-117

113 Something was wrong. Lieutenant Chartrand stood outside the Pope's office and sensed in the uneasy stance of the soldier standing with him that they shared the same anxiety. The private meeting they were shielding, Rocher had said, could save the Vatican from destruction. So Chartrand wondered why his protective instincts were tingling. And why was Rocher acting so strangely? Something definitely was awry. Captain Rocher stood to Chartrand's right, staring dead ahead, his sharp gaze uncharacteristically distant. Chartrand barely recognized the captain. Rocher had not been himself in the last hour. His decisions made no sense. Someone should be present inside this meeting! Chartrand thought. He had heard Maximilian Kohler bolt the door after he entered. Why had Rocher permitted this? But there was so much more bothering Chartrand. The cardinals. The cardinals were still locked in the Sistine Chapel. This was absolute insanity. The camerlegno had wanted them evacuated fifteen minutes ago! Rocher had overruled the decision and not informed the camerlegno. Chartrand had expressed concern, and Rocher had almost taken off his head. Chain of command was never questioned in the Swiss Guard, and Rocher was now top dog. Half an hour, Rocher thought, discreetly checking his Swiss chronometer in the dim light of the candelabra lighting the hall. Please hurry. Chartrand wished he could hear what was happening on the other side of the doors. Still, he knew there was no one he would rather have handling this crisis than the camerlegno. The man had been tested beyond reason tonight, and he had not flinched. He had confronted the problem head-on†¦ truthful, candid, shining like an example to all. Chartrand felt proud right now to be a Catholic. The Illuminati had made a mistake when they challenged Camerlegno Ventresca. At that moment, however, Chartrand's thoughts were jolted by an unexpected sound. A banging. It was coming from down the hall. The pounding was distant and muffled, but incessant. Rocher looked up. The captain turned to Chartrand and motioned down the hall. Chartrand understood. He turned on his flashlight and took off to investigate. The banging was more desperate now. Chartrand ran thirty yards down the corridor to an intersection. The noise seemed to be coming from around the corner, beyond the Sala Clementina. Chartrand felt perplexed. There was only one room back there – the Pope's private library. His Holiness's private library had been locked since the Pope's death. Nobody could possibly be in there! Chartrand hurried down the second corridor, turned another corner, and rushed to the library door. The wooden portico was diminutive, but it stood in the dark like a dour sentinel. The banging was coming from somewhere inside. Chartrand hesitated. He had never been inside the private library. Few had. No one was allowed in without an escort by the Pope himself. Tentatively, Chartrand reached for the doorknob and turned. As he had imagined, the door was locked. He put his ear to the door. The banging was louder. Then he heard something else. Voices! Someone calling out! He could not make out the words, but he could hear the panic in their shouts. Was someone trapped in the library? Had the Swiss Guard not properly evacuated the building? Chartrand hesitated, wondering if he should go back and consult Rocher. The hell with that. Chartrand had been trained to make decisions, and he would make one now. He pulled out his side arm and fired a single shot into the door latch. The wood exploded, and the door swung open. Beyond the threshold Chartrand saw nothing but blackness. He shone his flashlight. The room was rectangular – oriental carpets, high oak shelves packed with books, a stitched leather couch, and a marble fireplace. Chartrand had heard stories of this place – three thousand ancient volumes side by side with hundreds of current magazines and periodicals, anything His Holiness requested. The coffee table was covered with journals of science and politics. The banging was clearer now. Chartrand shone his light across the room toward the sound. On the far wall, beyond the sitting area, was a huge door made of iron. It looked impenetrable as a vault. It had four mammoth locks. The tiny etched letters dead center of the door took Chartrand's breath away. IL PASSETTO Chartrand stared. The Pope's secret escape route! Chartrand had certainly heard of Il Passetto, and he had even heard rumors that it had once had an entrance here in the library, but the tunnel had not been used in ages! Who could be banging on the other side? Chartrand took his flashlight and rapped on the door. There was a muffled exultation from the other side. The banging stopped, and the voices yelled louder. Chartrand could barely make out their words through the barricade. â€Å"†¦ Kohler†¦ lie†¦ camerlegno†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Who is that?† Chartrand yelled. â€Å"†¦ ert Langdon†¦ Vittoria Ve†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Chartrand understood enough to be confused. I thought you were dead! â€Å"†¦ the door,† the voices yelled. â€Å"Open†¦!† Chartrand looked at the iron barrier and knew he would need dynamite to get through there. â€Å"Impossible!† he yelled. â€Å"Too thick!† â€Å"†¦ meeting†¦ stop†¦ erlegno†¦ danger†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Despite his training on the hazards of panic, Chartrand felt a sudden rush of fear at the last few words. Had he understood correctly? Heart pounding, he turned to run back to the office. As he turned, though, he stalled. His gaze had fallen to something on the door†¦ something more shocking even than the message coming from beyond it. Emerging from the keyholes of each of the door's massive locks were keys. Chartrand stared. The keys were here? He blinked in disbelief. The keys to this door were supposed to be in a vault someplace! This passage was never used – not for centuries! Chartrand dropped his flashlight on the floor. He grabbed the first key and turned. The mechanism was rusted and stiff, but it still worked. Someone had opened it recently. Chartrand worked the next lock. And the next. When the last bolt slid aside, Chartrand pulled. The slab of iron creaked open. He grabbed his light and shone it into the passage. Robert Langdon and Vittoria Vetra looked like apparitions as they staggered into the library. Both were ragged and tired, but they were very much alive. â€Å"What is this!† Chartrand demanded. â€Å"What's going on! Where did you come from?† â€Å"Where's Max Kohler?† Langdon demanded. Chartrand pointed. â€Å"In a private meeting with the camer – â€Å" Langdon and Vittoria pushed past him and ran down the darkened hall. Chartrand turned, instinctively raising his gun at their backs. He quickly lowered it and ran after them. Rocher apparently heard them coming, because as they arrived outside the Pope's office, Rocher had spread his legs in a protective stance and was leveling his gun at them. â€Å"Alt!† â€Å"The camerlegno is in danger!† Langdon yelled, raising his arms in surrender as he slid to a stop. â€Å"Open the door! Max Kohler is going to kill the camerlegno!† Rocher looked angry. â€Å"Open the door!† Vittoria said. â€Å"Hurry!† But it was too late. From inside the Pope's office came a bloodcurdling scream. It was the camerlegno. 114 The confrontation lasted only seconds. Camerlegno Ventresca was still screaming when Chartrand stepped past Rocher and blew open the door of the Pope's office. The guards dashed in. Langdon and Vittoria ran in behind them. The scene before them was staggering. The chamber was lit only by candlelight and a dying fire. Kohler was near the fireplace, standing awkwardly in front of his wheelchair. He brandished a pistol, aimed at the camerlegno, who lay on the floor at his feet, writhing in agony. The camerlegno's cassock was torn open, and his bare chest was seared black. Langdon could not make out the symbol from across the room, but a large, square brand lay on the floor near Kohler. The metal still glowed red. Two of the Swiss Guards acted without hesitation. They opened fire. The bullets smashed into Kohler's chest, driving him backward. Kohler collapsed into his wheelchair, his chest gurgling blood. His gun went skittering across the floor. Langdon stood stunned in the doorway. Vittoria seemed paralyzed. â€Å"Max†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she whispered. The camerlegno, still twisting on the floor, rolled toward Rocher, and with the trancelike terror of the early witch hunts, pointed his index finger at Rocher and yelled a single word. â€Å"ILLUMINATUS!† â€Å"You bastard,† Rocher said, running at him. â€Å"You sanctimonious bas – â€Å" This time it was Chartrand who reacted on instinct, putting three bullets in Rocher's back. The captain fell face first on the tile floor and slid lifeless through his own blood. Chartrand and the guards dashed immediately to the camerlegno, who lay clutching himself, convulsing in pain. Both guards let out exclamations of horror when they saw the symbol seared on the camerlegno's chest. The second guard saw the brand upside down and immediately staggered backward with fear in his eyes. Chartrand, looking equally overwhelmed by the symbol, pulled the camerlegno's torn cassock up over the burn, shielding it from view. Langdon felt delirious as he moved across the room. Through a mist of insanity and violence, he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. A crippled scientist, in a final act of symbolic dominance, had flown into Vatican City and branded the church's highest official. Some things are worth dying for, the Hassassin had said. Langdon wondered how a handicapped man could possibly have overpowered the camerlegno. Then again, Kohler had a gun. It doesn't matter how he did it! Kohler accomplished his mission! Langdon moved toward the gruesome scene. The camerlegno was being attended, and Langdon felt himself drawn toward the smoking brand on the floor near Kohler's wheelchair. The sixth brand? The closer Langdon got, the more confused he became. The brand seemed to be a perfect square, quite large, and had obviously come from the sacred center compartment of the chest in the Illuminati Lair. A sixth and final brand, the Hassassin had said. The most brilliant of all. Langdon knelt beside Kohler and reached for the object. The metal still radiated heat. Grasping the wooden handle, Langdon picked it up. He was not sure what he expected to see, but it most certainly was not this. Angels & Demons Langdon stared a long, confused moment. Nothing was making sense. Why had the guards cried out in horror when they saw this? It was a square of meaningless squiggles. The most brilliant of all? It was symmetrical, Langdon could tell as he rotated it in his hand, but it was gibberish. When he felt a hand on his shoulder, Langdon looked up, expecting Vittoria. The hand, however, was covered with blood. It belonged to Maximilian Kohler, who was reaching out from his wheelchair. Langdon dropped the brand and staggered to his feet. Kohler's still alive! Slumped in his wheelchair, the dying director was still breathing, albeit barely, sucking in sputtering gasps. Kohler's eyes met Langdon's, and it was the same stony gaze that had greeted Langdon at CERN earlier that day. The eyes looked even harder in death, the loathing and enmity rising to the surface. The scientist's body quivered, and Langdon sensed he was trying to move. Everyone else in the room was focused on the camerlegno, and Langdon wanted to call out, but he could not react. He was transfixed by the intensity radiating from Kohler in these final seconds of his life. The director, with tremulous effort, lifted his arm and pulled a small device off the arm of his wheelchair. It was the size of a matchbox. He held it out, quivering. For an instant, Langdon feared Kohler had a weapon. But it was something else. â€Å"G-give†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Kohler's final words were a gurgling whisper. â€Å"G-give this†¦ to the m-media.† Kohler collapsed motionless, and the device fell in his lap. Shocked, Langdon stared at the device. It was electronic. The words SONY RUVI were printed across the front. Langdon recognized it as one of those new ultraminiature, palm-held camcorders. The balls on this guy! he thought. Kohler had apparently recorded some sort of final suicide message he wanted the media to broadcast†¦ no doubt some sermon about the importance of science and the evils of religion. Langdon decided he had done enough for this man's cause tonight. Before Chartrand saw Kohler's camcorder, Langdon slipped it into his deepest jacket pocket. Kohler's final message can rot in hell! It was the voice of the camerlegno that broke the silence. He was trying to sit up. â€Å"The cardinals,† he gasped to Chartrand. â€Å"Still in the Sistine Chapel!† Chartrand exclaimed. â€Å"Captain Rocher ordered – † â€Å"Evacuate†¦ now. Everyone.† Chartrand sent one of the other guards running off to let the cardinals out. The camerlegno grimaced in pain. â€Å"Helicopter†¦ out front†¦ get me to a hospital.† 115 In St. Peter's Square, the Swiss Guard pilot sat in the cockpit of the parked Vatican helicopter and rubbed his temples. The chaos in the square around him was so loud that it drowned out the sound of his idling rotors. This was no solemn candlelight vigil. He was amazed a riot had not broken out yet. With less than twenty-five minutes left until midnight, the people were still packed together, some praying, some weeping for the church, others screaming obscenities and proclaiming that this was what the church deserved, still others chanting apocalyptic Bible verses. The pilot's head pounded as the media lights glinted off his windshield. He squinted out at the clamorous masses. Banners waved over the crowd. Antimatter is the Antichrist! Scientist=Satanist Where is your God now? The pilot groaned, his headache worsening. He half considered grabbing the windshield's vinyl covering and putting it up so he wouldn't have to watch, but he knew he would be airborne in a matter of minutes. Lieutenant Chartrand had just radioed with terrible news. The camerlegno had been attacked by Maximilian Kohler and seriously injured. Chartrand, the American, and the woman were carrying the camerlegno out now so he could be evacuated to a hospital. The pilot felt personally responsible for the attack. He reprimanded himself for not acting on his gut. Earlier, when he had picked up Kohler at the airport, he had sensed something in the scientist's dead eyes. He couldn't place it, but he didn't like it. Not that it mattered. Rocher was running the show, and Rocher insisted this was the guy. Rocher had apparently been wrong. A new clamor arose from the crowd, and the pilot looked over to see a line of cardinals processing solemnly out of the Vatican onto St. Peter's Square. The cardinals' relief to be leaving ground zero seemed to be quickly overcome by looks of bewilderment at the spectacle now going on outside the church. The crowd noise intensified yet again. The pilot's head pounded. He needed an aspirin. Maybe three. He didn't like to fly on medication, but a few aspirin would certainly be less debilitating than this raging headache. He reached for the first-aid kit, kept with assorted maps and manuals in a cargo box bolted between the two front seats. When he tried to open the box, though, he found it locked. He looked around for the key and then finally gave up. Tonight was clearly not his lucky night. He went back to massaging his temples. Inside the darkened basilica, Langdon, Vittoria, and the two guards strained breathlessly toward the main exit. Unable to find anything more suitable, the four of them were transporting the wounded camerlegno on a narrow table, balancing the inert body between them as though on a stretcher. Outside the doors, the faint roar of human chaos was now audible. The camerlegno teetered on the brink of unconsciousness. Time was running out. 116 It was 11:39 P.M. when Langdon stepped with the others from St. Peter's Basilica. The glare that hit his eyes was searing. The media lights shone off the white marble like sunlight off a snowy tundra. Langdon squinted, trying to find refuge behind the faà §ade's enormous columns, but the light came from all directions. In front of him, a collage of massive video screens rose above the crowd. Standing there atop the magnificent stairs that spilled down to the piazza below, Langdon felt like a reluctant player on the world's biggest stage. Somewhere beyond the glaring lights, Langdon heard an idling helicopter and the roar of a hundred thousand voices. To their left, a procession of cardinals was now evacuating onto the square. They all stopped in apparent distress to see the scene now unfolding on the staircase. â€Å"Careful now,† Chartrand urged, sounding focused as the group began descending the stairs toward the helicopter. Langdon felt like they were moving underwater. His arms ached from the weight of the camerlegno and the table. He wondered how the moment could get much less dignified. Then he saw the answer. The two BBC reporters had apparently been crossing the open square on their way back to the press area. But now, with the roar of the crowd, they had turned. Glick and Macri were now running back toward them. Macri's camera was raised and rolling. Here come the vultures, Langdon thought. â€Å"Alt!† Chartrand yelled. â€Å"Get back!† But the reporters kept coming. Langdon guessed the other networks would take about six seconds to pick up this live BBC feed again. He was wrong. They took two. As if connected by some sort of universal consciousness, every last media screen in the piazza cut away from their countdown clocks and their Vatican experts and began transmitting the same picture – a jiggling action footage swooping up the Vatican stairs. Now, everywhere Langdon looked, he saw the camerlegno's limp body in a Technicolor close-up. This is wrong! Langdon thought. He wanted to run down the stairs and interfere, but he could not. It wouldn't have helped anyway. Whether it was the roar of the crowd or the cool night air that caused it, Langdon would never know, but at that moment, the inconceivable occurred. Like a man awakening from a nightmare, the camerlegno's eyes shot open and he sat bolt upright. Taken entirely by surprise, Langdon and the others fumbled with the shifting weight. The front of the table dipped. The camerlegno began to slide. They tried to recover by setting the table down, but it was too late. The camerlegno slid off the front. Incredibly, he did not fall. His feet hit the marble, and he swayed upright. He stood a moment, looking disoriented, and then, before anyone could stop him, he lurched forward, staggering down the stairs toward Macri. â€Å"No!† Langdon screamed. Chartrand rushed forward, trying to reign in the camerlegno. But the camerlegno turned on him, wild-eyed, crazed. â€Å"Leave me!† Chartrand jumped back. The scene went from bad to worse. The camerlegno's torn cassock, having been only laid over his chest by Chartrand, began to slip lower. For a moment, Langdon thought the garment might hold, but that moment passed. The cassock let go, sliding off his shoulders down around his waist. The gasp that went up from the crowd seemed to travel around the globe and back in an instant. Cameras rolled, flashbulbs exploded. On media screens everywhere, the image of the camerlegno's branded chest was projected, towering and in grisly detail. Some screens were even freezing the image and rotating it 180 degrees. The ultimate Illuminati victory. Langdon stared at the brand on the screens. Although it was the imprint of the square brand he had held earlier, the symbol now made sense. Perfect sense. The marking's awesome power hit Langdon like a train. Orientation. Langdon had forgotten the first rule of symbology. When is a square not a square? He had also forgotten that iron brands, just like rubber stamps, never looked like their imprints. They were in reverse. Langdon had been looking at the brand's negative! As the chaos grew, an old Illuminati quote echoed with new meaning: â€Å"A flawless diamond, born of the ancient elements with such perfection that all those who saw it could only stare in wonder.† Langdon knew now the myth was true. Earth, Air, Fire, Water. The Illuminati Diamond. Angels & Demons 117 Robert Langdon had little doubt that the chaos and hysteria coursing through St. Peter's Square at this very instant exceeded anything Vatican Hill had ever witnessed. No battle, no crucifixion, no pilgrimage, no mystical vision†¦ nothing in the shrine's 2,000-year history could possibly match the scope and drama of this very moment. As the tragedy unfolded, Langdon felt oddly separate, as if hovering there beside Vittoria at the top of the stairs. The action seemed to distend, as if in a time warp, all the insanity slowing to a crawl†¦ The branded camerlegno†¦ raving for the world to see†¦ The Illuminati Diamond†¦ unveiled in its diabolical genius†¦ The countdown clock registering the final twenty minutes of Vatican history†¦ The drama, however, had only just begun. The camerlegno, as if in some sort of post-traumatic trance, seemed suddenly puissant, possessed by demons. He began babbling, whispering to unseen spirits, looking up at the sky and raising his arms to God. â€Å"Speak!† the camerlegno yelled to the heavens. â€Å"Yes, I hear you!† In that moment, Langdon understood. His heart dropped like a rock. Vittoria apparently understood too. She went white. â€Å"He's in shock,† she said. â€Å"He's hallucinating. He thinks he's talking to God!† Somebody's got to stop this, Langdon thought. It was a wretched and embarrassing end. Get this man to a hospital! Below them on the stairs, Chinita Macri was poised and filming, apparently having located her ideal vantage point. The images she filmed appeared instantly across the square behind her on media screens†¦ like endless drive-in movies all playing the same grisly tragedy. The whole scene felt epic. The camerlegno, in his torn cassock, with the scorched brand on his chest, looked like some sort of battered champion who had overcome the rings of hell for this one moment of revelation. He bellowed to the heavens. â€Å"Ti sento, Dio! I hear you, God!† Chartrand backed off, a look of awe on his face. The hush that fell across the crowd was instant and absolute. For a moment it was as if the silence had fallen across the entire planet†¦ everyone in front of their TVs rigid, a communal holding of breath. The camerlegno stood on the stairs, before the world, and held out his arms. He looked almost Christlike, bare and wounded before the world. He raised his arms to the heavens and, looking up, exclaimed, â€Å"Grazie! Grazie, Dio!† The silence of the masses never broke. â€Å"Grazie, Dio!† the camerlegno cried out again. Like the sun breaking through a stormy sky, a look of joy spread across his face. â€Å"Grazie, Dio!† Thank you, God? Langdon stared in wonder. The camerlegno was radiant now, his eerie transformation complete. He looked up at the sky, still nodding furiously. He shouted to the heavens, â€Å"Upon this rock I will build my church!† Langdon knew the words, but he had no idea why the camerlegno could possibly be shouting them. The camerlegno turned back to the crowd and bellowed again into the night. â€Å"Upon this rock I will build my church!† Then he raised his hands to the sky and laughed out loud. â€Å"Grazie, Dio! Grazie!† The man had clearly gone mad. The world watched, spellbound. The culmination, however, was something no one expected. With a final joyous exultation, the camerlegno turned and dashed back into St. Peter's Basilica.