Admiral Edward Vernon of the Royal Navy

Admiral Edward Vernon of the Royal Navy A distinguished officer in the Royal Navy, Admiral Edward Vernons career commenced in 1700 and spanned a period of 46 years. This saw him learn his trade under Admiral Cloudesley Shovell before establishing himself as a rising star in the ranks. Vernon saw active service in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) and later in the War of Jenkins Ear and the War of the Austrian Succession. Though he won a triumph at Porto Bello in 1739, he is best remembered for his invention of grog, a rum and water mixture, that was provided to the sailors in his fleets. Grog would go on to become a staple of Royal Navy life until 1970. Early Life Career Born November 12, 1684 in London, Edward Vernon was the son of James Vernon, secretary of state to King William III. Raised in the city, he received some education at the Westminster School before entering the Royal Navy on May 10, 1700. A popular school for the sons of well-placed Britons, Westminster later produced both Thomas Gage and John Burgoyne who would play key roles in the American Revolution. Assigned to HMS Shrewsbury (80 guns), Vernon possessed more education than most his peers. Remaining aboard for less than a year, he shifted to HMS Ipswich (70) in March 1701 before joining HMS Mary (60) that summer. War of the Spanish Succession With the War of the Spanish Succession raging, Vernon received a promotion to lieutenant on September 16, 1702 and was transferred to HMS Lennox (80). After service with the Channel Squadron, Lennox sailed for the Mediterranean where it remained until 1704. When the ship was paid off, Vernon moved to Admiral Cloudesley Shovells flagship, HMS Barfleur (90). Serving in the Mediterranean, he experienced combat during the capture of Gibraltar and Battle of Malaga. Becoming a favorite of Shovell, Vernon followed the admiral to HMS Britannia (100) in 1705 and aided in the capture of Barcelona. Rapidly rising through the ranks, Vernon was elevated to captain on January 22, 1706 at the age of twenty-one. First assigned to HMS Dolphin (20), he shifted to HMS Rye (32) a few days later. After taking part in the failed 1707 campaign against Toulon, Vernon sailed with Shovells squadron for Britain. Nearing the British Isles, several of Shovells ships were lost in the Scilly Naval Disaster which saw four ships sunk and 1,400-2,000 men killed, including Shovell, due to a navigational error. Saved from the rocks, Vernon arrived home and received command of HMS Jersey (50) with orders to oversee the West Indies station. Member of Parliament Arriving in the Caribbean, Vernon campaigned against the Spanish and broke up an enemy naval force near Cartagena in 1710. He returned home at the wars end in 1712. Between 1715 and 1720, Vernon commanded various vessels in home waters and in the Baltic before serving as commodore at Jamaica for a year. Coming ashore in 1721, Vernon was elected to Parliament from Penryn a year later. A staunch advocate for the navy, he was vocal in debates regarding military matters. As tensions with Spain increased, Vernon returned to the fleet in 1726 and took command of HMS Grafton (70). After cruising to the Baltic, Vernon joined the fleet at Gibraltar in 1727 after Spain declared war. He remained there until fighting ended a year later. Returning to Parliament, Vernon continued to champion maritime matters and argued against continued Spanish interference with British shipping. As relations between the two countries worsened, Vernon advocated for Captain Robert Jenkins who had his ear cut off by the Spanish Coast Guard in 1731. Though wishing to avoid war, First Minister Robert Walpole ordered additional troops to be sent to Gibraltar and ordered a fleet to sail for the Caribbean. War of Jenkins War Promoted to vice admiral on July 9, 1739, Vernon was given six ships of the line and ordered to attack Spanish commerce and settlements in the Caribbean. As his fleet sailed west, Britain and Spain severed relations and the War of Jenkins Ear began. Descending on the poorly defended Spanish town of Porto Bello, Panama, he quickly captured it on November 21 and remained there for three weeks. The victory led to the naming of Portobello Road in London and public debut of the song Rule, Britannia!. For his achievement, Vernon was hailed as a hero and was granted Freedom of the City of London. Old Grog The following year saw Vernon order that the daily rum ration provided to the sailors be watered down to three parts water and one part rum in an effort to reduce drunkenness. As Vernon was known as Old Grog for his habit of wearing grogham coats, the new drink became known as grog. Some have argued that Vernon dictated the addition of citrus juice to the mixture which would led to much-reduced rates of scurvy and other diseases in his fleet as it would have added a daily dose of Vitamin C. This appears to be a misreading of his original orders and was not part of the original recipe. Failure at Cartagena In an effort to follow up Vernons success at Porto Bello, in 1741 he was given a large fleet of 186 ships and 12,000 soldiers led by Major General Thomas Wentworth. Moving against Cartagena, Colombia, British forces were hampered by frequent disagreements between the two commanders and delays ensued. Due to the prevalence of disease in the region, Vernon was skeptical of the operations success. Arriving in early March 1741, British efforts to take the city were plagued by a lack of supplies and rampaging disease. Endeavoring to defeat the Spanish, Vernon was forced to withdraw after sixty-seven days which saw around a third of his force lost to enemy fire and disease. Among those to take part in the campaign was George Washingtons brother, Lawrence, who named his plantation Mount Vernon in the admirals honor. Sailing north, Vernon captured Guantnamo Bay, Cuba and desired to move against Santiago de Cuba. This effort failed due to heavy Spanish resistance and Wentworths incompetence. With the failure of British operations in the region, both Vernon and Wentworth were recalled in 1742. A Return to Parliament Returning to Parliament, now representing Ipswich, Vernon continued to battle on behalf of the Royal Navy. Critical of the Admiralty, he may have authored several anonymous pamphlets which attacked its leadership. Despite his actions, he was promoted to admiral 1745, and took command of the North Sea Fleet in an effort to prevent French aid from reaching Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) and the Jacobite Rebellion in Scotland. Having been refused in his request to be named Commander-in-Chief he elected to step down on December 1. The following year, with the pamphlets circulating, he was removed from the Royal Navys list of flag officers. An avid reformer, Vernon remained in Parliament and worked to improve the Royal Navys operations, protocols, and fighting instructions. Many of the changes he worked for aided in the Royal Navys dominance in the Seven Years War. Vernon continued to serve in Parliament until his death at his estate in Nacton, Suffolk on October 30, 1757. Buried at Nacton, Vernons nephew had a monument erected to his memory at Westminster Abbey.

Zhidao - I Know in Mandarin Chinese

Zhidao - I Know in Mandarin Chinese When learning a new language and practicing it with native speakers, you often need to indicate your knowledge of the topic. In Mandarin you use zhÄ «dao (know) and bà ¹ zhÄ «do (don’t know). These are used as you would expect if translated directly from English. If you get asked a question, the most natural way of saying you dont know is  wÇ’Â  bà ¹ zhÄ «do (I don’t know). ZhÄ «dao is made up of two characters: çŸ ¥Ã© â€œ. The first character çŸ ¥ (zhÄ «) means to know,† or â€Å"to be aware† and the second character é â€œ (do) means â€Å"truth,† or â€Å"principle.† Do also means â€Å"direction† or â€Å"path† and in this context it forms the first character of â€Å"Daoism† (Taoism). Pleas note that this word is also commonly pronounced with a neutral tone on the second syllable, so both  zhÄ «dao and zhÄ «do are common. Examples of Zhidao QÇ ngwà ¨n, sheà ­ zhÄ «dao nÇŽli yÇ’u yà ³ujà º?è «â€¹Ã¥â€¢ , è ª °Ã§Å¸ ¥Ã© â€œÃ¥â€œ ªÃ¨ £ ¡Ã¦Å"‰éÆ' µÃ¥ ±â‚¬?è ¯ ·Ã©â€" ®, è ° Ã§Å¸ ¥Ã© â€œÃ¥â€œ ªÃ©â€¡Å'æÅ"‰é‚ ®Ã¥ ±â‚¬?Excuse me, does anyone know where the post office is?WÇ’ bà ¹ zhÄ «do.我ä ¸ Ã§Å¸ ¥Ã© â€œÃ¦Ë†â€˜Ã¤ ¸ Ã§Å¸ ¥Ã© â€œI don’t know. There are more words that have a similar meaning in Mandarin, so lets look at how  zhÄ «do related to words like 明ç™ ½ (mà ­ngbai) and ä ºâ€ Ã¨ § £ (liÇŽojiÄ›). Both these are better translated as understand, compared to just knowing about something.  Ã¦ËœÅ½Ã§â„¢ ½ (mà ­ngbai) has the added meaning that something is not just understood, but also clear. This is typically used to ask if someone understands something that was just explained or to express that you understand what your teacher just explained. ZhÄ «do is more commonly used when you just want to say that you have noted a fact someone mentioned or that youre aware of something. Update:  This article was significantly updated by  Olle Linge  on May 7thth, 2016.

Fashion and Luxury Goods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Fashion and Luxury Goods - Essay Example The essay "Fashion and Luxury Goods" discovers the characteristics of Luxury goods and fashion. Luxury goods are those goods with a characteristic of being quite uncommon in the consumers’ preference due to affordability of the product. This means that goods would be luxurious when they have low demand than the supply of the commodity. This makes the product to be rare and superior in the view of the consumers’ sight. Due to its rare characteristics in the markets, these products become high priced and they are thus often not bought by every one with the desire to purchase the product. Generally, such goods would have demand increases in to several folds as results of the increases in incomes. This is contrary to the normal trend of goods and services purchases whereby the normal necessity products, the demand increases is not so significant in comparisons with the relative income increments. The makes the particular products to have varied demand transition which occur s with the dynamics occasion in the purchasing powers of the consumers. So, the major characteristic of luxury goods is that it has to change abnormally with the people’s incomes. The change of income of most people with low income makes the demand for the goods to change. For goods which are luxurious portrays a high income elasticity of demand. This implies that such goods are goods which are superior to the others. However, this should not be assumed to be the cases in the today’s world. The superiority is based on considerable factors.... Such goods in their business and economic world they must therefore to be scarce. Their scarcity can be created both in the natural ways and in the artificial methods. For instances, certain products from the mining industry are much useful in the fashion and luxury industry. This includes goods like gold and diamond products. These are products in most country because the mines resources are not available in those states. This means that such products are scarce which makes them to most people to be unavailable in the natural manner. Furthermore, through manufacturing company operations, a company may decide to produce a particular product in quantities according to their ability of production but these products fails t be adequate to satisfy the demands of such a product. Normally, when goods are scarce and demand of products is high, then the prices of goods and services goods up. However, in the cases of luxury goods, there is scarcity of the products and also the demand is low, hence our normally expectation is that the prices should below, which is not the situation. It is well observed that another characteristic for these goods is that their prices remain to be high even when the demand is low. Goods that are purchased by consumer are based on certain reasons. These are normally from the motivation which he may get from the products or from the sellers. This is widely varied depending on the many factors which are considered between the consumers and the products. This is because we have got wide varieties if goods which are preferably considered differently by the consumers in the luxury industries. There are those

Assesment Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assesment Paper - Assignment Example As a result, I am rigid of character and prefer dealing with details and facts. Because of my evaluative character, I prefer being logical on things and aim at achieving the best from things. The knowledgeable character that I have leads me towards preferring ideas that are challenging and require me to go deeper into things. As a result, I have an objective feature that enables me to look at the optimistic side of things. From my social character, I have a long chain of friends who have further enabled in the development of my character. The sociable character has enabled me to deal with a wide majority of individuals, which has come in handy with features that are more sociable. Such features include developing new relationships with others. Such has allowed me a chance to lead a more interactive people. With such characters, being with people brings me all the joy. The need to uphold my ideologies has depicted that I have a concrete and literal feature. The concrete nature enables me to hold onto my ideas, while preventing control by other people. As such, I prefer to make decisions based on my feelings as opposed to logic. I am more secure following my conscience as opposed to group proposals. Following the program, I was able to realize that I may be holding a leadership position in the next five years. A number of leadership skills will enable the performance in this capacity. The main leadership strengths include the ability to influence others. During the evaluation program, I realized that I have great skills in communicating ideas to other people. My well-enhanced communication skills, bolstered by interactive characters, will enable me in working in a leadership capacity in the future. Moreover, my goal-oriented character would ensure a sense of direction in managing others as a leader. I will be able to ensure the interaction between people and the ensuing pooling of efforts to achieve a common set of

Trade Liberalization Conflicts with Morally-Conscious Environmental Policies Essay Example for Free

Trade Liberalization Conflicts with Morally-Conscious Environmental Policies Essay With the liberalization of trade, the influence of the corporate elite upon the global economy had increased tenfold. Because multi-national corporations are not beholden to the standards of any one particular government, they are able to maximize their profits by establishing a subsidiary in a country with no rules regarding the use of environmental toxins, minimum wage, or emissions standards. Usually, these are among the world’s poorest countries, which are quickly becoming the most polluted causing damage to the residents as well as the local wildlife. It is commonly known in the sphere of business that the greatest concern that corporations have is maximizing profits for shareholders. As a result, many of the world’s most vulnerable populations have no other alternative than to eat genetically modified Franken-foods or face starvation. In many nations with significant biodiversity such as the Amazon rainforest, enterprising lumber workers and farmers are destroying several acres of forest every second in order to become competitive in the growing produce market. While that would serve to create a significant source of food for an uncertain era, it is only temporary at best and will ultimately cause more problems than it solves. When a land is overly farmed and grazed, it will eventually turn into a desert wasteland, and there would be no way for the people to feed themselves once that happens. Proponents of trade liberalization argue that their practices would end poverty around the world and produce the highest qualities of goods when protectionist strategies fail. However, in order to remain competitive every country in the world would have to turn its territory into a giant corporation and the world’s natural resources would eventually be depleted. Reference Carbaugh, R. J. (2004). International economics (9th ed. ). Mason, OH: Thomson/South-Western Educational Publishing.

Mars and the Earth Essay -- Astronomy Space Essays

Mars and the Earth Geologists study the surface of both Mars and Earth by using interplanetary comparative analysis to further their understanding of the two planets. In some ways, Mars resembles Earth. Features on Mars such as an atmosphere, a wind-modified surface, near-surface water, volcanism, seasons, ice caps, dust storms, and channels can be found on Earth as well, albeit slightly different in origination or intensity. Despite their similarities, their differences are profound. Their acute differences in their tectonic framework and their quantities of liquid water affect the geological theories behind the formation of the surface of Earth and Mars. By investigating these similarities and differences, geologists can grasp and acquire a better understanding of the evolution of these two planets. Mars, named after the Roman war god, is known as the Red Planet due to its’ red or pink appearance as it glows in the night sky. Galileo first saw Mars around the year 1610, since then numerous others have viewed the mysterious planet. Just to name a few, Michael Carr in The Surface of Mars (1) describes the trail of Mars’ historical observations; starting with Huyghens in 1659 who verified that Mars, like Earth, had a north-south rotation in a 24-hour period, Cassini who observed polar caps on Mars in 1666, and Herschel who, in the late 1700’s, determined that Mars had seasons much like Earth. According to Cross and Moore, Mars is much smaller and less massive than Earth (8). They also argue that Mars and the Earth move around the Sun in different periods, making observation of geological features extremely difficult since sightings are limited to a few months every other year (12). As difficult as Mars is to obse... ... Editors of Life. The Earth. New York, NY: Time Inc. Book Division, 1962. Carr. Michael H. Images of Mars. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1980. Carr, Michael H. The Surface of Mars. Westford, Mass: The Murray Printing Co., 1981. Gornitz, Vivien. Geology of the Planet Mars. Stroudsburg, PA: Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross, Inc., 1979. Guest, John. The Earth and Its Satellite. New York, NY: David McKay Company, Inc., 1971. Michaux, C. M. Handbook of the Physical Properties of the Planet Mars. Washington, D. C.: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1967. Mutch, Thomas A. The Geology of Mars. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1976. Moore, Patrick, & Charles A. Cross. Mars. New York, NY: Crown Publishers Inc., 1973. â€Å"Poles Apart: North and South on Mars.† Valley News [Hanover] 6 May 2002, first ed:

Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 22

Seth wasn't at the bookstore the next day, which I took as a bad sign. It was usually his passive-aggressive reaction to whenever we had a fight. I thought about him a lot while I worked, thinking of that awful blowout. We'd had a lot of uncomfortable talks in our time together, but we'd never had anything like that. I couldn't put my finger on exactly what about it bothered me – aside from the obvious – but I kept feeling like it was a pivotal moment, something that was going to have long-reaching effects. It scared me, and I wanted to fix things. And, of course, there was Nyx to worry about. I was going to find a victim after work, and then Vincent said the angels would come while I was asleep – when Nyx made her move. â€Å"You okay?† I looked up from the stack of checks I was signing in my office. Maddie stood there in a black pencil skirt and fitted white blouse that made her look super amazing. She'd worn her hair down too. â€Å"Wow,† I said. â€Å"What's the occasion?† â€Å"Nothing,† she said, with a shrug. â€Å"Wardrobe overhaul.† She lifted one foot, revealing three-inch black heels. â€Å"Holy shit,† I said. â€Å"You don't do anything in halves.† She beamed, and I noticed something about her that had nothing to do with the new clothes. There was joy in her eyes – a happiness that made her confident and even more radiant. She was a far cry from the bitter woman who'd shown up at the auction. â€Å"What's going on?† I asked, not fixating on myself for the first time today. Her grin widened, revealing her phantom dimple. A moment later, she turned more serious. â€Å"I'll tell you later. My news is good. But you†¦what's the matter? You look awful.† Yasmine had said the same thing last night. It really was a sad day when a succubus couldn't stay on top of her game. I shook my head. â€Å"It's†¦complicated.† I offered a weak smile. â€Å"I'll deal with it, don't worry. Now, come on. I'd rather hear something cheerful. Tell me what's going on.† â€Å"Can't. They need me out there. I just came to drop these off.† She set a stack of papers on my desk. They practically melted into the other stacks I already had. My office was so chaotic, it could have been a lair for Nyx in and of itself. â€Å"Come on, the suspense is going to drive me crazy,† I teased. â€Å"Well†¦you think you can give me a lift to the airport tomorrow? I'm going home for Christmas.† â€Å"You taking Doug with you?† â€Å"Nope. He's your holiday gift. But I'll give you the scoop then if you can give me a ride. I'd probably need to leave around five.† â€Å"Five o'clock traffic on the Friday before Christmas. We're going to have a lot of time to talk.† A bit of her normal nervousness reappeared. â€Å"If it's a problem†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Nope. We're closing early anyway. We'll go then.† Maddie left, and I found myself momentarily distracted by whatever her news could be. Whatever it was, it was a good thing. I liked the change it had brought about. That sort of happiness and confidence suited her. My thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing. I answered and found Seth on the other end. â€Å"Hey,† I said, hoping I sounded cool and confident and not desperate and relieved. â€Å"Hey.† A long pause followed. â€Å"I†¦just†¦wanted to make sure we were on for Christmas.† My heart sank. No: â€Å"I've missed you.† No: â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"Sure. Wouldn't miss it.† Thinking about Christmas. I experienced a weird sense of d? ¦j? ¤ vu. We'd also been with his brother on Thanksgiving. And like now, we'd also been fighting. There it was again: my life, the endless loop. You aren't learning. You aren't changing. Of course, Seth and I had patched up the other fight. Maybe that kind of resolution would repeat itself too. After all, holidays were supposed to be magic, right? â€Å"Okay,† he told me. â€Å"I'll pick you up.† â€Å"Okay.† Another long pause. â€Å"I'd come by today, but†¦well. The book†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The book. Always the book. Then again, I was busy with chaos deities today. â€Å"Yeah, I know. It's fine.† â€Å"We'll talk on Christmas.† â€Å"Okay.† We hung up. A chill ran through me. There it was again. I had no gift for premonition, but an inner instinct – one that had nothing to do with Nyx's visions of the future – told me there was something big coming. After work, I drove over to Bellevue, Seattle's richest and most pretentious suburb. A city in its own right, Bellevue was pretty much the polar opposite of SeaTac. Hotels, restaurants, and shopping were continually being added to its downtown strip, and the influx of money from Boeing and Microsoft was steadily replacing older, plain buildings with sleeker and more stylish architecture. Bellevue was also home to a guy I knew named Kevin. I'd met him years ago in a bar. There was nothing overly extraordinary about Kevin. He was neither a sinner nor a saint, instead occupying some happy ground in the middle that yielded a decent amount of energy whenever I slept with him. His most notable trait was that he was perpetually available. He worked at home – some Web business, I believed – and never seemed to go out, despite being good-looking and sociable. I didn't question that too much, though, because it suited my purposes whenever I needed quick and easy sex with someone I didn't completely loathe. â€Å"Sandra,† he said happily, opening the door of his condo for me. He had dark brown hair and a closely trimmed, very new beard that I approved of. Dark brown eyes regarded me with amusement. â€Å"Been a while.† My â€Å"Sandra† form had a petite build similar to the one I usually wore. After that, the resemblance ended. My hair was now curly and black, my eyes a blue that looked violet sometimes. Underneath my long black coat, I wore a sleeveless navy blue dress that fit snugly and was far too skimpy for this kind of weather. â€Å"It has been,† I agreed. â€Å"Does that mean you aren't going to let me in?† He smiled and stepped back, grandly waving me inside. â€Å"What, do you think I'm crazy or something? Only an idiot would turn you away.† I followed Kevin down the hall and into his living room. He'd redecorated since the last time I was here, and the change was nice. The furniture and d? ¦cor were now all done in shades of a grayish blue that reminded me of winter twilights. A fireplace crackled on one side of the room, and a large bay window looked out to another set of condos. I draped my coat over a chair and smoothed miniscule wrinkles out of the dress. â€Å"You want something to drink?† he asked, hands in his pockets. I shook my head. â€Å"I don't have much time.† He gave me a rueful smile. â€Å"You never do. You know, sometimes I feel used.† â€Å"Is that a problem?† â€Å"Problem?† he asked with a snort. â€Å"A beautiful woman who wants to have sex with me and no commitments? Hardly a problem.† He took a few steps toward me. â€Å"Use me all you want.† He came closer still, and we met in a kiss. No delay, no preamble. I wrapped my arms around his neck and parted my lips, eager to feel him and taste him. His hands rested on my hips for a moment, then slid upward. He caught my dress's straps and pulled them down, baring my breasts and still kissing me the whole time. Pushing forward, he pressed me against the wall, near the fireplace. I felt its heat against the bare skin of my legs. His hands cupped my breasts, thumbs sliding to my nipples and squeezing them. He varied the intensity, sometimes hard and sometimes gentle. I broke the kiss long enough to incline my head toward the uncovered window behind him. â€Å"The window – â€Å" He crushed his mouth back against mine. Our tongues danced together briefly, and then he pulled back just long enough to say, â€Å"I know.† The tone of his voice told me that he not only knew – he also wanted it that way. I didn't question it. This apparently was the season for exhibitionism. Eventually, he moved his mouth away from mine and trailed kisses down my neck. I tilted my head back and arched the rest of my body toward his. One of his hands continued cupping a breast as he nibbled on its nipple, teeth and tongue stirring it to arousal. His other hand pushed up my skirt, eagerly seeking my panties and what lay within. The ache for his energy and his touch coursed through me. I moaned softly as he moved his lips down my body. Shifting to the floor, he settled on his knees while still keeping me standing against the wall. He pulled the panties down all the way, so they hung around my ankles. Sliding his hands between my thighs, he pulled them apart slightly and then buried his face between them, his stubble tickling me. I was burning and wet, more so than I'd realized, and when his tongue touched my aching clit, I moaned more loudly and felt my knees tremble slightly. I started to tell him that he didn't need to do this, that it was okay if he just wanted to get straight to the main event. But as his tongue gently moved back and forth, building the heat and ecstasy within me, I swallowed my words. The last three guys I'd slept with hadn't made me come, and although this visit was strictly utilitarian and part of the Nyx plan, I suddenly and selfishly wanted to get more than his life energy out of it. Back and forth his tongue moved, speed and intensity continually shifting. As his thoughts began to trickle into me, I could tell that he liked doing that not simply for the sake of novelty, but also because he liked seeing the way I reacted to each slight change. He was one of those men who truly enjoyed making a woman happy. The burning spot he'd brought to life between my legs grew and grew, expanding beyond where his tongue touched, beyond my thighs. Steadily, it spread into my whole body, all the way to my fingertips. I felt like fire in human – or rather, succubus – form and writhed against the wall, against him. My knees buckled as the searing pleasure reached a critical point inside me, and his hands moved down to steady my legs and keep me upright. At last the core within me exploded, the fire turning to pure light, pure bliss. I cried out at the way the orgasm consumed me, at the way his tongue still kept teasing me even in the throes of my climax. Finally, even he couldn't keep me upright. My legs had turned to jelly, and I sank to the floor in front of him. He smiled, genuinely pleased, and leaned forward to kiss me. I could taste me on his lips. â€Å"Come on,† he said, taking my hands and helping me up. He led me over to the window and peeled off the rest of my dress. He eased me onto a high window seat. Removing his own clothes, he murmured, â€Å"I should go find a condom.† My breathing was rapid, my heart pounding away. â€Å"No, I want to feel you – just you.† I took his hand and brought it between my legs, guiding his fingers into me. â€Å"I want you to feel me.† I'd been wet before starting all this and was now doubly so after what he'd just done. His fingers glided easily inside of me, and his eyes widened at what he felt. Indecision played on his face, and then he nodded. If counseling any of my human friends, I would certainly advocate safe sex. It didn't matter for me personally, however, since I couldn't catch anything or get pregnant. Often with victims, I'd talk them out of any sort of protection in order to increase their guilt. With Kevin tonight, I didn't want to bother with condoms simply because I didn't want to waste the time. My urgency and desire were too strong. I wanted him now. I slid my hands down his stomach and felt how hard he was. He wanted me too. I wrapped my fingers around him, stroking and massaging and loving the way he swelled within my hand. Pressing my back against the cold glass, I drew my knees up to me and then spread them wide, feeling rather like a butterfly. The window seat was exactly the perfect height, putting us hip to hip as I led him inside of me. We both gasped at the contact. He pushed in as far as possible, our hips pressed skin to skin. The way he filled me up was exquisite. Shape-shifting meant I could make myself as tight as possible, and I loved how he tested the limits of it. He paused a moment, simply savoring the way our bodies felt together, and then slowly began moving in and out of me, rocking me against the window with each thrust. And with that, his life began pouring into me in earnest. I nearly exhaled with relief. The sensation of that energy filling me up rivaled the feel of his body inside me. I had missed it so much, missed the wonder and joy of that pure, indescribable energy generated by the human soul. Nyx had been stealing a part of me, and I was glad to have it back, if only for this moment. The thoughts coming through with his energy were happy and content ones as he reveled in the pleasure of being with me. A secret, kinky part of him was turned on by hoping that his neighbors across the way might be watching. He hoped they were. He hoped they were jealous. His thrusts grew harder and harder, and he murmured over and over how wonderful I was, how beautiful. Still sensitive from him going down on me, I came twice more, my body melting as the orgasms' spasms shook me. At last, I felt his body tense and saw his expression signal he was about to lose control. I dug my nails into his arms and begged him to come in me. He did, shoving me so hard against the window that I hoped the glass would hold. The peak of his energy hit me with his climax, and as it faded, we both sighed happily. I didn't abandon him quite as quickly as I had Bryce, but I didn't spend time lounging in the afterglow either. I helped him get dressed and made sure he was situated comfortably on the couch before I left. I liked him, after all, and hoped I'd see him again in some other casual situation. His face was languid and content as we made our good-byes. â€Å"You are the most exhausting woman I've ever been with,† he told me, eyelids flickering with fatigue. I couldn't help a smile. Of course I was. Other lovers didn't steal his soul – at least not literally. â€Å"Does that mean you want me to stay away longer next time?† He smiled and yawned. â€Å"No. Absolutely not.† Still smiling, I left and headed back to the city. But as I drove closer to downtown, brimming with energy, my happy feelings faded. I remembered why I'd had to go see him in the first place and what would happen tonight. My body, so achingly hot an hour ago, grew cold. When I arrived back at my apartment, Vincent, Carter, and Yasmine were already waiting for me. None of them commented on my glow. Instead, they launched right into the plan. â€Å"Nyx will probably come trolling around tonight,† Carter explained. â€Å"And when she sees you've got energy again, she'll do her thing.† Yasmine nodded along. â€Å"We can't be here when it happens. Vincent will be around, out in the living room. She won't suspect him of anything; she'll figure he's an ordinary human. But when he senses her feeding off of you, he'll let us know. Then, we'll show up and bind her.† I didn't like the sound of any of that – neither the feeding nor the binding. â€Å"What's that mean?† â€Å"We'll pull her out and trap her,† said Carter. Presumably â€Å"out† meant out of me. Yikes. â€Å"Then we'll take her away, back to her prison,† added Yasmine. Their confidence inspired confidence in me, and I suspected I was being influenced by angelic charisma. But there was no way out of this, not if I wanted to shake my nighttime visitor. â€Å"All right,† I said. â€Å"Let's do this.† The angels left. It was still early evening, so I hung out with Vincent. We played a couple games of cards and watched bad movies. Hanging out with him in such a casual way made it easy to forget he was a nephilim. When midnight loomed, I stood up and stretched. â€Å"I don't think I can sleep,† I remarked. â€Å"It's like trying to go to bed on Christmas Eve. Too jittery to settle down. Except†¦it's not Santa I'm waiting for.† He smiled. â€Å"Well, try. If we need to, we can probably give you a sedative or something, but this whole thing will be more efficient without.† It took a long time – lying in bed for almost two hours – before I fell asleep. It wasn't easy to relax when you were inviting a creature of chaos to come feed off of you. And yet, as I drifted off, I couldn't help a small flicker of eagerness. I'd be dreaming the dream again. And I did. It started from the beginning, like always, running all the way to the part where the little girl fell and my dream-self comforted her. The girl's tears were drying when we both heard the faint sound of a car door closing. My dream-self straightened up. A smile blossomed on her face as she regarded her – my – daughter with the kind of over-exaggerated excitement adults often use with children. â€Å"You hear that?† my dream-self asked. â€Å"Daddy's home.† Mirrored excitement showed on the girl's face as my dream-self stood up, still holding the girl and balancing her on one hip. It was an act of some coordination, considering how small my dream-self was. They walked to the front door and stepped outside onto a porch. It was nighttime, all quiet darkness, save for a small light hanging on the porch. It shone onto a long stretch of unbroken white snow on the lawn and the driveway. All around, more snow fell in a steady stream. I didn't recognize the place, but it certainly wasn't Seattle. That much snow would have sent the city into a panic, putting everyone on Armageddon alert. My dream-self was perfectly at ease, barely noticing the snow. Wherever she was, it was a common occurrence. In the driveway, a car had just pulled up. I felt my dream-self's heart swell with happiness. A man stood behind it, a non-descript dark figure in the faint lighting. He took out a rolling suitcase and slammed the trunk shut. The little girl clasped her hands in excitement, and my dream-self waved a hand in greeting. The man returned the wave as he walked toward the house, and my waking self tried desperately to see his face. It was too dark. I needed him to get closer, just a little closer – I couldn't get any closer because just then, I felt my soul get ripped out of me. I sat up in bed, nearly screaming in agony at the pain coursing through me. All four angels, plus Vincent, ringed the room. The power pulsing around us felt like smoke. I could barely breathe. And there, beside my bed, was Nyx. She looked a lot like Erik's description: an old, emaciated woman. Her skin and hair were white, her dark eyes sunken and inhuman. A tattered, gossamer dress wrapped around her body. She had an almost translucent look, like she wasn't entirely solid, and a sparkling aura shone around her. I couldn't see the forces being wielded, but I felt them distinctly. The angels temporarily had her enclosed in walls of power, but she wasn't bound, not yet. She pushed back against their restraints with considerable power of her own, and I gaped. Any one of those angels dwarfed my own power – yet, their combined force was still an even match for hers. It was a staggering thought, and I couldn't understand why she'd need my energy since she had so much of her own. And actually, she did have some of mine. She'd taken about half before they'd pulled her out of me. Nyx shrieked in rage, still pushing back on them. Then, bit by bit, I could see the balance shift. Her power was fading the more she used it. The angels' was steady. They were weakening her. She realized this and panic showed on her face. Casting frantic eyes over all the angels, she finally rested her gaze on Yasmine. There was still enough of a faint connection between us that I realized what Nyx was going to do. She'd sought out the least powerful of the foursome. Mustering the last of her power, she blasted it toward Yasmine, hoping both to smash the angels' united front and hurt Yasmine enough to cause a distraction. A heartbeat before Nyx unleashed her attack, I saw Vincent's face. He too realized what she was going to do. He moved forward, and I felt his mask drop. The telltale nephilim signature washed over me, and his power filled the room as well. There was a lot of it. He'd held back in the alley. Invisible energy rushed from Nyx toward Yasmine, trying to destroy the angel. But Vincent was there, blocking the attack. It rebounded back on Nyx. She screamed again, her defenses shattering. The other angels seized the opportunity, and bands of light snapped into place around her. A moment later, the light faded, but the restraints were there, even if I could no longer see them. She clawed around her, like a twisted version of a mime in a box, but she was trapped. She couldn't get through the walls they'd locked her in. They'd done it. They'd recaptured Nyx. But none of the angels were paying attention to her. They were all looking at Vincent. â€Å"You,† gasped Joel. He didn't hesitate. He strode toward the nephilim, and I saw Joel's body start to shimmer with light. He was about to transform into his true form, a form of terrible beauty and power. But Yasmine was faster. The slim, dark-haired woman became pure light. She was all the colors of the rainbow and none of them. A sword of flame appeared in her hands. She stepped in front of Vincent – who was screaming at her to stop – and swung toward Joel. The blade hit him, and he screamed. An awful, burning sensation was starting to flood me. Hastily, I shielded my eyes and looked away, realizing what I'd almost done. An angel's true form was an indescribable thing, requiring senses a human – or a human-turned-succubus – didn't possess. Staring at her could cause me major damage. Even being in the same room with her hurt. But I'd seen what I'd needed to before looking away. I'd seen the sword fall. Yasmine had attacked Joel. Nyx had pegged her as the weakest of the four, but Yasmine and Joel must have been incredibly close in power. Catching him by surprise like that tipped the scales. The air in the room swirled, reaching hurricane levels. Power exploded around me, like a sun going supernova. Everything was fire and wind. And screaming. Twin screams: Yasmine's and Joel's. I wrapped my arms around me, burying my face, certain I was going to die. The energy exploding toward me reached a point in which it would surely blow up the building, blow up the world. Stronger and stronger it grew. Suddenly, it all reversed. Power rushed away from my side of the room, back toward the angels. It was like a black hole had formed, sucking everything toward it. Of course, it was only pulling energy, not physical objects, but I nonetheless felt like it was dragging me in too. I clutched the bed's comforter, using it like an anchor to hold me down. Time ceased to have meaning. Ten seconds or ten hours could have passed for all I knew. Finally, the rushing stopped, and everything went still. The atmosphere returned to normal. No more insane power levels. There was only what you would normally expect in a room with three angels, a nephilim, a succubus, and a primordial entity of chaos. The latter had suddenly moved to the backburner of everyone's attention. Yasmine had returned to her â€Å"human† form. It was safe for me. I looked up, expecting Carter and Whitney to swoop in and attack her. But they stood frozen. No trace of Joel remained. He was gone, destroyed. The typhoon of power had marked his death. Yasmine was on her knees, fingers digging into the sides of her face. She sobbed, murmuring words that sounded like frantic prayers. Vincent, like the angels, kept his distance from her. She had just killed Joel. I didn't understand why no one was acting. Why were they just standing there? Everyone seemed to be waiting for something. Suddenly, a voice hissed beside me, more in my mind than spoken aloud. â€Å"Succubus.† I looked into Nyx's cavernous eyes. Like Vincent and the angels, I'd forgotten about her. She extended her hand toward me, and I cringed. Fortunately, the invisible binds kept her from getting any closer. â€Å"Succubus,† she repeated. â€Å"Touch the walls. Use the last of your power to set me free.† â€Å"What? No!† I was dividing my attention between her and the others. The angelic group still stood motionless. â€Å"Free me, and I'll help you exact your revenge.† â€Å"Revenge? Who are you talking about?† â€Å"The one who sent me to you when I escaped,† she rasped. â€Å"The one who promised you to me.† I had no clue what she meant. â€Å"Like†¦who freed you?† She cast an uneasy look behind her. Time was ticking down on her distraction. â€Å"No, you were promised to me! But I can help you. Help you punish – â€Å" â€Å"No,† I said. She was too dangerous. Whatever insane revenge she was talking about wasn't worth what she could do to mortals if she was freed. Her desperation grew. The angels were eventually going to remember her, and we both knew it. â€Å"I will show you the end of the dream!† she cried. â€Å"I'll show you the man. The man in the dream.† My heart stopped. â€Å"He isn't real,† I whispered. â€Å"It was all a lie. You used it to trick me.† â€Å"No! Everything I show is true. Always true.† â€Å"It can't be†¦it's impossible.† I swallowed and felt tears starting to fill my eyes. I wanted it to be true. More than anything. â€Å"That can't ever happen to me.† Nyx beat her hands on her unseen prison walls. â€Å"It's real! It's the future! I've seen it. Touch the walls, and I will show you. I will show you the man in the dream!† I wanted to. I wanted to see him. I needed to see him. The man in the dream. The man who could maybe truly make this future happen†¦. My hand moved forward, like it was being controlled by an outside force. Nyx's eyes widened, eager and hungry. All of a sudden, a scream split the air. No, it was more than a scream. When Yasmine had destroyed Joel, that had involved screaming. This was more than that. It was the most horrible noise in the universe, a phenomenon that went beyond mere sound. Much as my eyes couldn't exactly perceive an angel's appearance, my ears couldn't fully comprehend this. My hand dropped from Nyx, and I jerked my gaze to the angels. Yasmine was still on her knees, and flames were starting to consume her. It was no ordinary fire, though. It reminded me of the light of her true form: all colors and none. Carter and Whitney watched, faces unreadable. Vincent also watched. He'd taken a few steps toward me, backing away from the fire. The look on his face was filled with a jumble of emotions, none of them good. I didn't understand what was happening to Yasmine yet, but I knew what would happen to him. â€Å"Get out,† I told him in a low voice. His face was pale, as pale as Nyx's. He looked like he'd aged a hundred years. â€Å"I can't†¦I can't leave her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You have to. They'll destroy you. Or if they don't, someone else will. Someone else in the city will have noticed this. You know I'm right.† His eyes were still on Yasmine. I could no longer see her, though. She was all flame – flame that had turned black. â€Å"Go!† I exclaimed. â€Å"It's what she'd want. She did this for you!† Vincent flinched at those words and finally looked at me. The full force of his grief made the held-back tears spill down my cheeks. â€Å"Go. Please,† I begged. Joel had been destroyed. Yasmine looked like she was about to be. I couldn't stand anymore death. He said nothing, but after several seconds, he turned invisible. I felt his aura go. Across the room, the flames were starting to fade. Yasmine was slowly reappearing, completely unscathed. She looked no different, but something about her signature had changed. I felt the same golden light, the impression of saffron and frankincense. But it was edged in something else. It no longer had the sharp, crystalline quality of angelic auras. That was gone, replaced by a dark and smoky feel – a smokiness that had nothing to do with the fire. The flames finally disappeared altogether, and Yasmine still knelt on the floor. Seconds later, another signature joined us, one I knew well. Jerome stood in the room, apparently back from whatever clandestine matters he'd needed to oversee. He looked from face to face, finally focusing on mine. â€Å"Jesus Christ. What have you done now?† I ignored him, unable to tear my gaze from Yasmine. She looked the same, exactly the same. And yet, she wasn't†¦ She'd noticed the change too. She held her arms out in front of her, studying them as though she'd never seen herself before. Horror flooded her features. â€Å"No,† she moaned. â€Å"No†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She began sobbing again. Carter finally looked away from her and met Jerome's eyes. â€Å"This is yours now, Charon.† Jerome nodded and stepped toward Yasmine. â€Å"Time to go.† She looked up at him, face glistening with tears. She said nothing, but she didn't need to. Her expression said everything. It was a plea, a plea that none of this was real, that maybe – just maybe – Jerome could make it all go away. He shook his head and touched her shoulder. They vanished. The room was quiet, an unnatural quiet that felt almost oppressive. My voice seemed strange and out of place. â€Å"Wh-what happened?† I asked Carter. I noticed now that Whitney was crying. â€Å"Yasmine has fallen,† he said softly. â€Å"She's a demon now.†

A Man for All Seasons: Play About Thomas More Essay

A Man for All Seasons written by Robert Bolt is a play about a man, Thomas More, who lives by his beliefs and eventually dies because of his beliefs. The play has a simple theme, played out through a few main characters. Rich’s character and personality prevent More from being successful. The first appearance of Rich in the play happens right away in the first scene. This is the first time you get to see his personality. Rich and More have an argument, as to whether every man is capable of being bribed. Rich believes that money, status or women, can bribe anyone. More doesn’t agree with him completely but is intrigued with his belief that a man can be bought with materials. Rich is referring to the fact that he has read Machiavelli, which More later teases him of. Machiavelli’s morals are different from More’s. More admires his private conscience above things like personal advancement, but Machiavelli gives advice about the opposite. Rich’s reference to Machiavelli seems to show that he and Thomas Cromwell will spare no one to achieve success later in the play. At the end of the scene More tells the duke that Rich needs a job, but that he doesn’t necessarily recommend Rich, which displays More’s view of Rich. More is a well respected man, so his opinion on someone would be a valid one. Right from the beginning of the play you can see the difference between Rich’s and More’s characters. More obviously cares for Rich’s well being. Rich’s lust for power and wealth in the end gets the best of him and any kind of guidance or advice given from More is ignored. It’s interesting to note that More does care for Rich. In his interaction with Rich in the first scene, More teaches by testing Rich by offering him the goblet, letting Rich know that the goblet was a bribe and is therefore ? dirtied’. More understands Rich’s faults from the beginning of the play, but he tries to nurture Rich anyway. This is another excellent example of More’s superior character. It’s unfortunate that Rich eventually perjures himself to sentence More to death. A Man for All Seasons focuses on Rich’s rise in status almost as much as it does the fall of More. More and his beliefs get him death, while Rich gains greater status and more and more wealth, at the cost of his friend More. Throughout the book you can see Rich fall deeper and deeper into his own loss of innocence. At the end of Act One, Rich and Cromwell are having a conversation. Cromwell offers Rich the job as Collector of Revenue in return he wants information about the goblet given to him by More. Rich ? laments’ that he has lost his innocence, â€Å"I’m Lamenting. I’ve lost my innocence (44). † The scene seems to show that Rich has sold his soul to the Devil. In this scene Rich isn’t entirely sure about what he is doing which shows that at this point there is still some humanity left in him. The final fall of Rich’s character occurs at the end of the play when Rich takes the stand at Mores trial. Rich is asked to testify about his conversation with More before the trial on what More’s stance was on what the King was doing. Rich says, â€Å"Parliament has made our King Head of the Church. Why will you not accept him?†¦ Then he said parliament had no power to do it (94). † By perjuring against More he has pulled the final straw and officially hands himself over to greed and lust for power. More’s standout character is shown once again when he says to Rich, â€Å"In good faith, Rich, I am sorrier for your perjury than my peril. † In the end for perjuring against More Rich is given the job of attorney General of Wales. Throughout the play we see the fall of Thomas More and the rising of Rich. The contrast of Rich’s gain in status and Mores loss of status, really makes the play. It seems that the author doesn’t try to make his characters stand for anyone thing in particular, but in Rich’s case he is a symbol of the tendency to surrender to the temptation of wealth and status. Throughout the play you never get any real depth of Rich as a person. This seems to be what the author is trying to do because Rich works as a perfect contrast to More without taking anything away from More’s character. Without the contrast of Rich’s character we wouldn’t get to see who More really is. Rich’s character shows us all what impact money and status can have on us.

Compare Jane Eyre and Rebecca focusing in particular on each writers use of symbolism Essays

Compare Jane Eyre and Rebecca focusing in particular on each writers use of symbolism Essays Compare Jane Eyre and Rebecca focusing in particular on each writers use of symbolism Paper Compare Jane Eyre and Rebecca focusing in particular on each writers use of symbolism Paper Essay Topic: Jane Eyre Literature Rebecca This essay is about two, romantic-suspense novels that I have been studying recently. The narrative, theme and characters of these novels are very similar but they were both written at different times. One of the novels Jane Eyre, is basically about a young girl Jane, who falls in love and marries her employer Edward Rochester who is older than her. In the other novel Rebecca, the narrator, whose name we do not know, also falls in love with an older man, Maxim De Winter who is a widower. As the story of both the novels develops, we find out that the husbands conceal a horrific secret from their wives. Also, the two main female characters in the novels come from similar backgrounds. They have both been brought up in hardships and have always had a lack of money. Whereas, the men they have married are very wealthy, this makes the women feel a bit out of place and minor to their husbands. Basically the theme of the novels is that a young woman falls in love with a man, who is much older to her and then discovers that the man she loves keeps some sinister secrets from her. The book Jane Eyre is about an orphan girl Jane who is deprived by her aunt and cousins. At the age of eleven she decides to go to a young orphans institution. She spends her time there for eight years and later becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall, to an eight year old French girl, Adele. She falls in love with her employer, Mr Rochester and is ecstatic when she finds out that he also loves her. Despite the age difference between them, they decide to get married. On their wedding day Jane discovers that her husband-to-be, Mr Rochester has a mentally disturbed wife who is locked up in the attic at Thornfield. After making this alarming discovery, she runs away and starts to live life with a family in a woodland cottage. Coincidently, she later discovers that the family she is living with are her long lost cousins. She inherits a fortune off her uncle, and decides to marry one of her cousins, in an attempt to forget her first love Mr Rochester. She is unable to do this, so she returns to Thornfield. When she arrives there she discovers that Thornfield was set alight by Edward Rochesters wife and that she also died during the incident. She also learns that Mr Rochester was injured in the fire, and is suffering from blindness and the loss of an arm. Despite his physical disabilities, Jane marries him and gives birth to two of his children. In Rebecca the narrator is the main character. She is also an orphan who is disadvantaged. One day she is introduced to a man named Maxim De Winter, after having a few secret meetings with him she falls in love. She doesnt know that Maxim feels the same way until he proposes to her, willingly she agrees. The newly wedded couple return to Maxims home Manderley. Maxims first wife Rebecca was adored by everyone. One of the house keepers, Mrs Danvers loathes the new Mrs De Winter and always emphasizes Rebeccas presence in the house. During her stay in Manderley she is constantly criticized, by Mrs Danvers. She is made to compete with the old Mrs De Winter. After suffering a lot of torment from Mrs Danvers she is finally faced with the horrific secret that her husband has kept from her. She finds out that Maxim De Winter murdered his provocative ex wife, as he didnt really love her and she was unfaithful to him. He shot her but he pretended that she had drowned. She is faced with the same options as Jane Eyre whether she should stay with her husband or leave him. She decides to stay with him but they dont return to Manderley as it was burnt down, another similarity between the two novels. The authors of both books use symbolism to a great effect. Like most books the symbolism is perceived only after the story has been read completely. The novels have very similar views to the houses they talk about. They both speak negatively of the houses. In Jane Eyre I focused analysed how Thornfield Hall was portrayed. The name Thornfield Hall, to start of with, is very symbolic, as the house was where all the lies and dark secrets were kept, therefore a field with many thorns in it. The author of Jane Eyre often uses a contrast between light and dark. An example of this is when Jane is walking through a corridor in Thornfield She took her candle, the staircase window was too high and latticed When people see the light it usually means that they realise something that they should have known. In this case Jane cannot see the light as the source for light is out of reach. This may be symbolic, of Jane not yet knowing about the dark secret about the existence of Bertha Mason inside the house. The dark landing is compared to that of a church rather than a house, where Jane feels uncomfortable, a vault like air pervaded the stairs . The vault is symbolic of a coffin that encases the emotions and feelings of Jane. The church is also where Jane finds out about Edwards secret. The feeling within the house is very creepy, the eerie impression wide hall and spacious staircase the long cold gallery. These descriptions seem like a perfect setting for a ghostly appearance within the house. The doors inside the house are always closed, this is symbolic to the danger and the secrets that are being kept and disclosed from Jane. This gives us an idea of the theme of the novel as later on we discover that behind those close doors many dark secrets have been kept. Jane describes the steps in Thornfield to be quite slippery, this is also quite symbolic as Janes life on the whole is slippery and insecure. She also mentions a clock that is curiously carved, this is particularly symbolizing the plot of the story which is constructed in a twisted and complex way. The continuous reference to the house resembling a church gives a hint that there could be a wedding later on in the story. Charlotte Bronte uses the setting to reflect the lives of the characters. An example of this is when she emphasizes the opening of doors. This symbolizes the starting of Janes new life and the secret revelations that Jane will face later on. Charlotte Bronte uses the settings of the house to describe the plot, theme, and characters of the novel. The author of Rebecca, Daphne Du Maurier also uses very similar techniques to Charlotte Bronte. In Rebecca I focused on the journey of Mr and Mrs De Winter, when entering Manderley for the first time, as a wedded couple. Mrs De Winter, like Jane also speaks negatively of Manderley and its surroundings. She describes the path entering Manderley to be twisted and turned as a serpent, this is symbolic to the life that she leads later on as it is all over the place and quite unstable. Another symbolic meaning of it could be that it is referring to how Maxim viewed Rebecca to be, like a serpent; evil and resented. The phrase serpent is often used when talking of evil and deceit, and serpents are creatures that cannot be trusted on their appearance. This is exactly what Rebecca was like, her outer appearance made her look very innocent but in reality she was an unfaithful wife who deceived her husband. She describes the branches above them to be intermingled like a roof of a church; this could be symbolic to Rebecca and Maxims marriage as they wedded inside a church whereas the new Mrs De Winter wedded Maxim inside a registry office. She recounts the leaves to be thickly entwined with very less sunlight coming through. This can be interpreted in two different ways. One interpretation could be that the love between the newly wedded couple is so strong that nothing can get between them; however another interpretation could be that the new Mrs De Winter felt her life was so thickly closed up that there was very little chance of any happiness coming through, as light is usually always associated with happiness. She describes the air surrounding Manderley to contain no wind again creating the image of a coffin like in Jane Eyre where she feels encased and suffocated. She recalls the lodge gates were a memory these were the gates that led them in to Manderley. This could be symbolizing that Mrs De Winters previous life was now a distant memory, now that she is entering a new wedded life. She observes the wildlife around Manderley and says other trees, trees I could not name, coming close, so close I could touch them this could imply that Mrs De Winter knew there was something going on which was secretive but she couldnt quite get her finger on it. Mrs De Winter goes on to describe the rhododendrons blood red shocked me with their crimson faces, massed one upon the other in incredible profusion nothing but the slaughterous red.. . The red is like blood, this could symbolize that Rebecca was murdered in cold blood. The flowers are so vibrant and bright that you cant miss them; this is exactly what Rebecca was when she was alive. Later in the story the rhododendrons are mentioned again, There they were blood red and luscious, massed beneath the open window Even though Rebecca is no longer alive, there are still signs of Rebeccas existence within the house. There was a drawing too and in the centre of this, the tiny statue of a naked fawn, his pipes to his lips where he would dance and play his part The little fawn is the new Mrs De Winter, she feels inferior to Rebecca and that she has to try and compete against Rebecca as she feels they are being compared. She has to pretend to be someone that she isnt and play a part in the Manderley household. The rhododendrons are always there as an audience. nd I noticed then that the rhododendrons, not content with forming their theatre on the lawn outside had been permitted to the room itself. She is standing in the room which used to belong to Rebecca when she observes the rhododendrons in there, their great warm faces looked upon me from the mantelpiece, they floated in a bowl upon the table. The rhododendrons represent Rebecca, who is looking down on Mrs De Winter. This is like a flashback of Rebeccas death, as when she died she was left floating in water. In Jane Eyre I looked at a passage where Jane walks across to the local town to post a letter, the ground was hard, the air was still, my road was bendy; I walked fast until I got warm and then walked slowly to enjoy and analyse the species of pleasure. This quote sums up Janes relationship with Mr Rochester. First she is unknowing of his feelings for her and she feels alone but then she rushes through with everything when he claims he loves her as she doesnt want it to end. Then in the end she takes things slowly as she knows he loves her. If a breath of air stirred, it made no sound here Even though Bertha Mason was in the house, Jane was unaware of her living inside the house. Far and wide, on each side there were only fields, she and Edward were now able to lead a life with no more problems everything was in the open; wide and clear. The characters in both stories are very similar. Mr Rochester and Mr De Winter have great similarities. They are both previously married before they fall in love with younger women and they both have deadly secrets that they keep from their wives. They both have a similar financial status as they are quite rich and well off. The characters Jane and Mrs De Winter also have many similarities. Firstly, both of them came from similar backgrounds where they were not respected and made to feel inferior. They then fall in love with men that are much older than them and they also face similar situations, as both of their husbands confront them about a sinister secret. When they discover their husbands secrets they both decide to stick by their husbands as they love them too much. Both authors use similar techniques in their writing. Not only does the plot of their stories resemble each other, their characters and themes of the story are quite the same. The symbolism techniques that they use have a great resemblance; the two writers literacy skills are very alike. The two novels are very interesting but out of the two I found Rebecca to be most exciting. This is because it was a well written, romantic thriller with lots of unexpected twists and turns, whereas the plot of Jane Eyre was quite predictable. The use of symbolism is very effective in both novels, in Rebecca there is a great concentration on nature, but the flowers that are mentioned are spoken about from a negative perspective. Other authors tend to use flowers in a more positive way to portray beauty but Daphne Du Maurier does the total opposite, this is one of the things that I enjoyed when reading her novel as it was quite different compared to other novels.

6 Reasons to Read Before Class

6 Reasons to Read Before Class Everyones college and grad school experience is a little different, but the one thing all have in common is reading. You already know that college entails a lot of reading. Guess what? Grad school is way worse.  Expect your reading load to triple, at least, in graduate school. With such a huge set of reading assignments, you might be tempted to fall behind and not read before class. Here are six reasons why you should avoid temptation and read ahead of the class. Make the Most of the Class Time Class time is valuable. Be sure that you can follow along. When you read ahead of time, you are more likely to understand the organization of the lecture. Youll be better able to figure out whats important and what isnt (and thereby take effective notes). Understand the Topic and What You Don't Understand If everything that you hear in class is new, how will you determine what you understand and whether you have questions? If you have read beforehand you can focus your attention on filling gaps in your understanding by paying more attention during some parts of the lecture and by asking questions. Participate Most classes require at least some participation. Be ready to answer questions and to discuss the topic. Its easy to participate when you know the topic. Reading beforehand helps you to understand the material and gives you time to consider your perspective and opinions. Dont get caught unprepared. Professors opinions matter - do not get caught faking it. Show Off Reading before class lets you show that youve read, that you care, and that you are intelligent. Youll be able to ask good questions and participate in a way that demonstrates preparation, interest, and mastery of the material. These are all positive marks in profs views. Participate in Group Work Many classes require group work, often in class. If you have read, you are ready and likely will not mooch off of your classmates, or benefit from their hard work. In turn, if you have read you can tell when the group is taking a wrong turn. Contrary to some stereotypes, effective group work requires preparation. Show Respect Reading ahead of time shows respect for the instructor and interest in the class. While instructors feelings should not be the primary motivator of your behavior, relationships with faculty are important and this is one easy way to get your relationship with your professor off to a good start. Think ahead- faculty are often important resources for advice, recommendation letters, and opportunities. Many students find reading tiresome, a great deal of work. Try employing reading strategies such as the SQ3R method.

International Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

International Relations - Essay Example ate activity (the use of the sea, outer space and Antarctica, international telecommunications, postal services, the carriage of goods and passengers by air and the transfer of money) and is a primary tool for the conduct of international trade. (The nature of international law) The basis of international law is the concern of the rights and duties of the states. In the system of values underlying international law is the principle of legal equals but not legal superiority. As the world of today grows interdependent more and more, every state is interested to abide by international law which ensures a stable environment for the international relations development. International law is believed to be based on reciprocity principle. The concept of reciprocity is fundamental to bilateralism. It means that equal social partners establish bilateral relationships that are not unidirectional but involve at least some element of quid pro quo. This concept of reciprocity may be responsible for a great deal of inter-state co-operation or exchange, outside or in addition to any international legal obligations. It is a principle of international law: in the context of general customary international law any state claiming a right under that law has to accord all other states has same right. (Byers) Norms of reciprocity emerged as meta-rules for the system in the absence of a recognized rule of law. We may talk of reciprocity in the case when parties’ incentives are aligned perfectly. (Parisis & Ghei, 2002) The vast body of literature proves that individuals are motivated by concerns of fairness and reciprocity. There’s no need for external enforcement mechanisms, such as a legal system, or a threat of coercion. Numerous authors (Axelrod R., Berg J.,) prove that cooperation is not based only on the model of self-interest and that reciprocity is an essential element of human behavior. The principle of reciprocity remains essential in international law, due to the