Recommendations for Auric Bank Essay

Auric Bank is a modern British bank that cares about its customers. Business at Auric Bank is constantly reviewed in order to provide customers with excellent service at competitive prices. The objective of this business report is to scrutinize different solutions to the two issues Auric Bank is currently facing. One of them is customer service improvement and the second one involves implementing a policy which will cut the bank’s costs and at the same time will boost its profits and share price. As a part of the major reorganization a look has to be taken at the cost of customer service since Auric Bank generated a loss of approximately  £1.5 billion in 2011 by investing in unprofitable areas of business. Since that time the bank has carried out a major review of its operations the main points of which are: 1. Customers believe Auric Bank is charging too much for its services 2. Auric Bank no longer has the image of a ‘caring ´ bank that is close to its customers and understands their needs 3. The bank needs to reduce costs to increase profits and price per share Today Auric Bank has 2,500 employees working in three call centers located in different cities in South England. There are four solutions which the directors of the bank are considering: 1. The call centers could be kept in-house  2. The call centers could be outsourced to a Company based in South Africa 3. The call centers could be outsourced to a Company based in Scotland 4. The call centers could be outsourced to a Company based in India PROBLEM SOLUTIONS First option One of the solutions is to keep call centers in their current locations in South England and reduce costs by using more part-time workers, reducing working hours of business centers and enhancing productivity by increasing the ratio of calls returned per hour. Estimated cost of running the call centers for the next five years is  £16 million. Estimated savings by introducing changes are above  £3 million with actual costs being equal up to  £13 million. The price is really high for our cost-cutting policy. There are three positive parts of this solution: 1. Current employees in call-centers are ready to provide the customers with personal approach as they have been acquainted with each other for a long time 2. Current employees know the operations and transactions inside out and, therefore, do not need intensive training 3. South-English workers show that Auric Bank is an English bank and, therefore, reinforce the bank’s closeness to its customers Second option Another way is to outsource services of call-centers to a company based in South Africa. Resource Plc is a company based in Cape Town. Calculations show us that cost of the contract with Resource Plc to run call centers for the next five years is  £8 million. This firm has an excellent reputation for its reliability and good service, and that is a crucial aspect because one of the priorities in banking sphere is the quality of customer service. Moreover Resource Plc has a lot of experience in running this kind of centers. We must take into consideration that Resource Plc offers good balance of costs and quality of service. It is expected that they will manage call centers more efficiently. The staff will be trained to provide the bank with new products and services at much lower costs than the UK centers and will undoubtedly conduct business very professionally. Third option Third possible solution could be outsourcing the call center to a Scottish company Orion Plc. Estimated cost of running the call centers for five years is  £10 million. The positive part of this company is that it is a new firm with young, energetic managers, which can work almost restlessly. Second advantage is that they have several contacts with big companies; this means that these companies trust them. Also they are experienced in running call centers that will help to avoid confusion during work. However, there also are setbacks such as complaints of the customers about telephone lines being always busy, which does not indicate a high productivity level. Contracts with big companies can undermine the reputation and performance of our collaboration. Price of contract with Orion Plc is not relatively low, but quality of their service is not enough for this price. Fourth option Last solution is to outsource the call centers to an Indian company that is based in Bangalore. X-source India is a fast growing company that has contracts with several large US companies. This means that it does not have problems with hiring employees and operating with low costs. An estimated cost of the contract with X-source India over the next five years is  £5,5 million. We must take into consideration that a lot of US companies perform cost-cutting policy through Indian outsourcing call centers. Indian employees have good qualification because the majority of them are university graduates. Indian management will provide fast and effective service and price of the contract is very low. RECOMMENDATIONS We understand that Auric Bank is the English bank, and if directors decide to relocate call centers abroad they will have some problems with laying off 2,500 employees. This fact will negatively affect the reputation of Auric Bank and of course labor unions will be against this action. Quality of service might not stay on the same level abroad, however, keeping call centers in England is too expensive. Taking all facts into consideration I would advise to relocate the call centers of Auric Bank abroad. Scottish and Indian companies have been servicing a lot of big clients. This fact, their serious commitment, can affect the quality of their services provided to other customers in a negative way. The call centers had better not be kept in-house because it is a very expensive solution that will not let AB focus on developing parts of business. Therefore I suggest moving call centers to South Africa and collaborating with Resource Plc. The offer of this company represents an appropriate price-to-quality ratio. If AB cooperates with the South African company it will achieve its goals: reduce operation costs, increase quality of services and get customer loyalty.

Key Drivers Essay

Given that the development of new systems can be fraught with problems and delays, what drives organisations to develop systems? The most important drivers come directly from the needs of the business and are often not related to technology, but require technological solutions. There are a number of possible triggers for the need to develop a new system including users identifying a need, organisations needing to grow or acquire other companies in order to extend their market share, the need to reduce staffing costs or an organisation needing to keep up with competitors. A few more drivers are considered here: Need for growth Sometimes businesses can become stagnant. This means they are not growing (gaining new business and exploring new opportunities) or they are shrinking (losing business). Eventually, businesses that do not have any movement or change will begin to decline, although this can take some time. Most organisations want to advance – they want to expand, become involved in new markets and increase profits. They need to grow to survive and for this they have to have a strategic plan. This is where the company decides what it wants to do and what direction it wants to take. As part of this process, its systems will be examined to ensure that they are capable of supporting the proposed growth. If this is not the case, then the organisation has time to address the issues. Company acquisition It is not unusual for one company to buy out another. For example, the media company Telewest was purchased by the larger group NTL a few years ago. Since then, it has been sold again – this time to the Virgin Media Group. An organisation may well buy another company for any one of or combination of the following reasons: To access new markets: A company selling sports equipment, for example, buys a sports clothing company so that it can add products and services to its portfolio that it feels will interest its existing customers. Alternatively, an organisation might purchase a company active in a completely different market sector so that it can get involved in new different activities. To increase market share of existing business: One supermarket chain buys out another supermarket chain, thus having more outlets and business overall. To acquire particular assets: Sometimes the acquisition is because one company needs to purchase the assets of another company so that it can use them itself. An example might be a car manufacturer buying an advertising company so that it can reduce its marketing and advertising costs. If one organisation acquires another, it can do one of two things: Allow the systems to continue running separately for each company Find ways of integrating systems so that organisations can work together Which route is taken will depend very much on what managers intended when they purchased the company. If the acquiring company does not intend to keep its acquisition, for example, there would be little point in integrating the systems. Need to increase productivity When systems have been in place for a period of time, they are said to decay. This means that they become less and less useful to the organisation. At implementation: System will be heavily used – there will still be debugging activity and training needed. During general use: System is working as it should and is being used effectively. Start of decay: Inefficiencies are found that affect organisational productivity What causes decay? These are a few examples: New technology becomes available that would help increase productivity by improving efficiency. Capacity needs increase because sales have improved and productivity output does not match demand. The activities of competitors demand that the organisation improves its ability to respond. More users working on the system can slow it down, thereby making the system less productive overall. Legal requirements At times an organisation has no other option but to respond to changes in the law. Responding to and implementing required changes in health and safety legislation is essential if an organisation is going to continue to operate within the law. The one advantage of changes in legal requirements is that they are usually anticipated. It would not be fair if changes needed to be made immediately that would disadvantage one company over another. When new laws, or changes in existing laws, occur, companies usually have a grace period of time to prepare prior to the law coming into force.

English Language Learner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

English Language Learner - Essay Example In addition, ELL students tend to be nervous and anxious about interacting and addressing these issues to their teachers. In some cultures for instance, it is considered a taboo for a male, Middle-Eastern student to ask for help since it is considered to be â€Å"unmanly.† Issues such as these are prevalent in all cultures. The fear of participation and interaction with mainstream students for international students is even harder when interacting with NES. International students are intimidated as the possibility of mispronouncing or misinterpreting a certain words can be extremely humiliating. Undoubtedly, ESL students feel constrained to communicate effectively in a social environment due to their accents. All these factors accumulate to create a barrier towards developing interpersonal relationships. 2. What are the socio-cultural characteristics of young English Language Learners? What are the educational backgrounds of the families whose home language is other than Engli sh? Gather information about demographics in your state, and discuss how this can impact your work as a teacher.   Young English language learners are hardworking, determined and enthusiastic about learning the English language. Most students that are international students are middle-class and are highly educated. ... For instance, researchers suggest that developing critical skills for international students stem from analyzing magazine and radio advertisements. With this creative approach, students tend to modify their attention between subject matter and language data. 3. How do young ELL children acquire a second language? What is your current ability in supporting acquisition of second language for young ELL children?   Based on careful analysis, everyday conversational skills such as writing, reading and collaboration can truly solidify the foundation of the student’s cognitive and linguistic skills. In the process of learning an additional language, ESL students must keep up with the daily strains that are placed in their program of studies. Furthermore, ESL students must learn to excel in time management skills. Indisputably, each student has a unique set of literacy development needs. Most ESL students have a strict schedule and must be accommodated with personalized program of a ctivities that is managed by the staff itself. Lastly, the implementation of workshops with groups can tremendously enhance the process of acquiring a second language. As of now, we conduct workshops and conduct role playing, in which students are always engaged in a learning environment. 4. Describe how young ELL children’s cultural communication styles and learning styles affect the learning process. Refer to your observation of a young ELL child, during your Family Workshop. How did the family / teacher respond to the child in context of his/her communication style and learning style?   Without a doubt, different cultures possess different

Parenting and emerging adulthood Research Paper

Parenting and emerging adulthood - Research Paper Example The classification of data obtained was done in the basis of the parents’ readiness to let go. Those parents who showed the readiness of letting go were classified as â€Å"letting go†, while those who were reluctant to let go were classified into â€Å"reluctant to let go† category. There are those however, who were â€Å"not ready to let go† of their children altogether (Kloep and Hendry 826). Results from the study revealed that although most parents were happy watching their children grow up, they were not very happy watching them leave them. Others were happy and relieved to watch their children grow into maturity and become independent. Different characteristics of these parents showed their readiness to let go of their children. Some had in depth attachment with the children, such that they found it hard to watch them leave. From the results, it was evident that the level of parents’ love and openness with their children affected their willingness of letting go. According to Kloep and Hendry (829), parents who were happy to let go of their children were either working or living away from their children, or their children were university students and thus spent little time toge. Parents who were reluctant to let go were found to have spent a lot of time with their children and thus felt the impact them of the separation. Those who held on to their children loved them so much that they felt lonely by letting them go. Power fights between the parents and the children was a result of the parents who felt that their children were not mature enough to live on their own or make concrete decisions (Kloep and Hendry 830). A number of conclusions were drawn from the study. The researchers found out that the parents had some difficulty in letting their children go regardless of the relationship they had. Parents have an

Immigration Reform Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Immigration Reform - Research Paper Example On June 15, 2012, with immediate effect, the Obama administration declared that the administration would not deport young illegal immigrants arrived in the US as children. To speak precisely, the illegal immigrants will get work permit if they have arrived in the US before age 16 and the current age of the applicant is less than 30. They may also be granted work permit if they have been living in this country for 5 years uninterruptedly, have graduated from a US high school, or have served in the military. Above all, it is necessary that they do not have any criminal history during the stay in the US. Janet Napolitano, the Homeland Security further clarified, "It is not immunity; it is not amnesty. It is an exercise of discretion," (Peralta and Memmott, 2012). This implies that the State is using its discretion powers and allowing people to apply for job permits. In this policy measure, the government decides to bypass Congress because of their inability to enforce the Dream Act that has provision of granting citizenship to illegal immigrants provided they serve in the military or go to college. For many undocumented children, English is their first language and the US is their home. Many of these illegal immigrants are in the process of completing schooling with the top grades. They do have the potential of becoming future teachers, nurses, doctors and scientists but their illegal status comes in their way. The Presidents initiative will give them an opportunity to exploit their full potential. The initiative is aimed at achieving the following objectives (American Immigration Council, 2012). a. Initiative provides opportunity not only to enhance their living standards but contribute to the US economy by increasing its GDP and tax contributions. It has been found that those with higher degrees earn two to three times more than a person with only high-school degree

Renewable energy source Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Renewable energy source - Essay Example Passive solar methods consist of orienting a building to the sun, selecting materials with positive heat mass or mild scattering qualities, and developing areas that normally clear of the flow of air. Solar energy is the transformation of light from the sun into power either by photovoltaics (PV), or ultimately using focused solar (CSP). Concentrated solar techniques use contacts or showcases and monitoring techniques to focus a large area of sunshine into a small ray. Commercial focus on solar plants was first developed in the 1980s. Photovoltaics turn mild into electricity using the photoelectric effect. Photovoltaics is an important and relatively affordable energy source where lines energy is affordable to link, or simply not available. However, as the cost of solar power is dropping, solar is also progressively used in grid-connected situations to nourish low-carbon energy into the lines. The development of affordable, endless and clean solar energy technological innovation will have huge longer-term benefits. It will increase countries’ energy security through dependency on natural, endless and mostly import-independent resource, improve durability, reduce contamination, reduced the expenses of mitigating international warming, and keep non-renewable energy prices reduced than otherwise (Tiwari &Â  Mishra 78). These advantages are international. Hence the additional expenses of the rewards for early implementation should be considered learning investments; they must be smartly spent and need to be widely

European System of Balance of Power Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

European System of Balance of Power - Article Example France was very much afraid of Germany after WWI. During the treaty of Versailles, they made their point. After the WWI the French economy weakened day by day. Their demands include the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France, financial and military aid by League of Nations in case of the German attack and should have French control over left bank of the Rhine Republic and Saar. Finally, it has been said that the French asked too much and pushed the Germans to a corner. The US, on the other hand, helped the European community by giving financial aid. They helped the Germans to come out of the financial crisis. The US realized the importance of the United Nations and convinced its allies and enemies to join the group. After centuries of bloodshed on the continent, with reconstruction after WWII financed by the American Marshall plan and protection provided by the American military during the Cold War, old adversaries in Europe achieved reconciliation and integration. Americans see a Germany that was wounded in WWI, destroyed in WWII, and then rehabilitated and protected (in the case of West Germany) in the post-war period thanks to American military might and American money. During the second half of 1944, the Nazi empire gradually imploded as its enemies invaded from east, west, and south. Supplies and manufacturing dwindled on a daily basis. The once mighty had some of the best military aircraft in the world but lacked fuel to fly them and parts to maintain them. Evidence suggests that Chancellor Adolf Hitler himself became addicted to a variety of drugs and that he may also have suffered from syphilis, Parkinson's disease, or both.  

Pop Art- Andy Warhol Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Pop Art- Andy Warhol - Research Paper Example The essay "Pop Art- Andy Warhol" states the art of Andy Warhol. To understand the concepts and techniques employed in the pop art, this paper will analyze Andy Warhol through the period of his work. This will include the techniques and themes he employed in his work the origin and the implication of the art movement as well as the work of Andy Warhol through analysis of literature and internet sources in the form of annotated bibliography. Pop art originated in Britain much earlier than it did in North America, but their origins were independently motivated. The beginning of pop art in the United States marked the reemergence of the hard-edged composition of art and the use of representational art. The representational nature of art was achieved through pop art by the artists using mundane reality, impersonal, parody and irony to mask the personal symbolism. â€Å"The works of pop artists were at their greatest high in America in 1960’s and the term pop art was introduced in December of 1962 during a Symposium on pop art that was organized by the museum of modern art†. Freeman, asserts that the generation of American pop artists in its prime duration of the 1960’s had to search deeply for dramatic styles that would help in the creation of a demarcation between the art and the well-designed commercial material. The prime period of the pop art was known as the pop art movement that was marked by a new level of fascination with the popular culture that was meant to influence and reflect the post-war society.

The impact of airport design, development, operations, and funding Essay

The impact of airport design, development, operations, and funding sources on Airport systems - Essay Example Thus, to build new safety standards and maintain them to the highest level, an Act regarding aviation safety was passed on May 20, 1926. The Act made great beneficial impacts upon the airport design, development, operations, and funding sources. According to this Act, all aircraft should be properly checked and certified in order to be suitable for flight. The Act emphasized that the federal government should take measures to build more airports according to the most modern designs. The federal government was also instructed to devise strategies regarding aircraft altitude separation. One main focal point of this Act was to build and maintain new airways. Navigational facilities were also required to be improved. â€Å"Under this act, the government supplied money for air navigation facilities so that the routes would become safer to fly, day and night† (U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission, 2010). The website of U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission states that the development of airports is a true example of government caring for its people’s safety. The improved aviation operations enabled the aircraft to go on extended flights which it did not before this Act because there were more accidents in the early nineteenth century and no detailed investigation was performed.

Hobsons Choice Assignment Essay Example for Free

Hobsons Choice Assignment Essay This essay will talk about Willies steps from being a shoe maker to becoming the owner of a shop. Willie is an important character although he is one of the only working class characters in the play. (The other, his friend who also works in the shop.) The play focused on the key figure Willie climbing the social ladder. Also his anxiousness towards the other characters. On his way up he even manages to insult his old master. He gains a father-in-law and two sister-in-laws. His old girlfriend Ada Figgins though he was not much to look at but Maggie still wanted to marry him. Mrs. Hepworth thinks Willie the boot maker is good at his trade. Hobson disagrees with her congratulating him. As Mrs. Hepworth says Did you make these boots. Then Hobson remarks If there is anything wrong Im capable of making the man suffer for it. This shows Hobson thinks poorly of his staff, also Mrs. Hepworth thinks People should be praised for doing a good job. However, Hobson gets jealous of Willie because of this. Hobson doesnt pay his daughters waages but he does pay Willies. Jim says and their wages? Then Hobson says Wages! do you think i pay my own daughters wages? Im not a fool! This is saying that Will maybe more important to him or that his daughters are related to him so that they can work for nothing. But later on in the play Hobson offers to give Hobson his old wage back but he doesnt offer Maggie anything. This shows by Ada saying Heres your dinner Will, that Will is considered more important as they say Oh, Miss obson its good of you to take notice like that, which shows that she cant say things properly. He had also gained importance then to have people fighting over him. Alice disagrees with Maggie owning a shop. She also wonders where they got the funding. Maggie produces a card saying Willie Mossop, practical book and shoe This shows the he is professional and proper. This shows they have gone from working in a shop to owning one.  Maggie wants Hobson to wear a collar for work. This shows that Hobson is below Willie in the social ladder. Maggie says Father dont you think to put a collar on for Will. Hobson Put a collar on for Willie Mossop (enraged at idea) Maggie manages to talk him round but he still makes an excuse. Im going to put a collar on, but because my necks cold. She has managed to make Hobson put a collar on, but because Hobson is very proud he says the collar is for something else.  Throughout the drama, Willie gains importance and eventually buys his own shop, with the help Maggie. Willie grows from being a poor laboring man to a professional shoe maker who earns a lot of money, he gains confidence and near the end Hobson is inferior to Willie.

Using The Case Scenario Of Bertram Family Social Work Essay

Using The Case Scenario Of Bertram Family Social Work Essay Part 1: Indicate two sociological theories that can be used to help your understanding of the service users situation In taking the time to observe how sociological and psychological influences may impact on a service user or client group, the social worker can remain mindful of the wider context of a situation and not just take what she sees at face value. This knowledge allows the social worker to remain objective and to make informed decisions in order to maintain professionalism in her work. By applying Sociological and Psychological theory to the Bertrams case study I aim to explore the wider social context, outside influence and psychological implications from the past and present. Through this exploration I will uncover the varying viewpoints and sometimes contradictory nature of these theories. To gain a Sociological perspective on the case study I will be applying Functionalist and Feminist theories. I will be able to scrutinise the Bertrams current situation and apply the theory in order to gain a wider understanding of the social context. In order to maintain a balanced viewpoint, Psychod ynamic theory and Maslows hierarchy will enable me to consider the psychological impact with a focus on human and emotional development. By examining a situation from a Sociological perspective we can take into account how various aspects such as class, social structure, religion, disability can impact people from a wider social context. This is essential in gaining a holistic picture the situation. Functionalism By applying a Macro theory to the case scenario it allows us to look at the large scale features of society and how individual actions affect society as a whole and vice versa. Functionalism will enable me to contemplate the structure of society and how the Bertrams fit within that structure. Functionalist theorists regard society as a system with interlocking parts. It is believed that each part needs to function effectively in order for society, as a system, to work as a whole. It is often rationalised using biological analogy. The social role of individuals is an integral part of the theory. Each person is thought to have their individual role to play within society. From a functionalist perspective it is very clear that Mrs Bertram is not fulfilling her role as a wife. Due to her alzemers she is unable to carry out the duties that would have been expected of her. Durkheim believed that everyone had their place, and a womans place was in the home. In the context of the 40s, 50s wh en Functionalism was at its peak, this viewpoint would not have been uncommon, if a little out-dated by todays standards. None the less, it is not through choice that she has become dysfunctional within society. She has legitimate claim for not being able to carry out her societal role and Functionalism would automatically see her take on the sick role. This would enable her to function again within the system under a different guise. It could also be observed that Mr Bertram is a dysfunctional member of society. With his reckless behaviour, his outrageous spending, and the lack of care for his wifes basic needs he is no longer fulfilling his role of husband. A main proponent of Functionalism was Emile Durkheim (1858-1917). He saw marital vows as obligations. When I perform my duties as a brother, a husband or a citizen and carry out the commitments I have entered into, I fulfil obligations which are defined in law and custom which are external to myself and my actions (Durkheim, 1982). He believed that if a member of society was deemed as dysfunctional, then he was considered to be a deviant member of society. Deviance occurs when people are not functioning correctly, according to the norm. This could be through crime, or anything which affects their ability to carry out their societal role. Deviance needs to be controlled or managed. If it was established that Mr Bertram was in fact deviant then he may need some persuading that by providing the care and attention that his wife needs his wife would not be removed from the situation. Through this resolution, therefore, they would both be able to function appropriately. It could be observed that Mr Bertram had an alcohol dependency. If this was established then Mr Bertram too may take on the sick role. In which case a different method for resolving the issues within the house would need to be adopted. Talcott Parsons (1902-1979) believed that sickness was a social concept rather than a biological concept. So being ill meant acting in different, deviant ways to the norm. Being sick was therefore a form of social role (Haralambos and Holborn, 2004). Parsons believed the rights of a sick person to be exemption from normal social obligations, the right to be looked after and blamed for their social deviance as long as they were genuinely sick. Obligations of a person playing the sick role would be to understand that they have to get well as soon as possible in order to continue their normal function and in order to do this they must receive professional help. Mr Bertrams condition would need to be treated or managed in order to enable him to function ag ain. In that case Mr and Mrs Bertram would be able to stay at home under treatment and the issues about care could be dealt with accordingly. He would no longer be considered deviant member of society. A criticism of the sick role would be that it is very difficult to apply to long term illness like that of Mrs Bertram. It is built on the assumption that the person gain help in order to gain function. This would not be possible for Mrs Bertram. Feminism From a Radical Feminist perspective it could be observed that Mrs Bertram has been oppressed by her husband. Through her devotion and his dominance she has succumb to subordination. Radical Feminists use the patriarchal social system as a concept to explain gender inequality. Patriarchy is the dominance of men over women in society. They view men as responsible for the exploitation of women from which they benefit greatly, through free domestic labour, sexual duties and so on. The case study describes how Mrs Bertram was swept off of her feet and totally devoted to Mr Bertram. In their current situation, Mrs Bertram is at home in squalled conditions and desperately in need of help. Mr Bertram is avoiding the situation by using diversionary tactic, selfishly seeking social activity and pleasure through drink. This further increases her oppression as she is fully dependent on her husband to provide the care and attention which she is desperately in need of. Shulamith Firestone, an early radical feminist writer argues that men control womens roles in re-production and child bearing. Because women are biologically able to give birth to children, they become more dependent materially on men for protection and livelihood (Giddens, 2006). Feminists could argue that for this reason Mrs Bertram has become vulnerable within her setting and just accepts this way of life. Jessie Bernard argued that Men need marriage more than women (pg 208 Gender). Perhaps this reliance on the domestic labour, comfort and sexual duties of a wife, which has been lost my Mr Bertram through his wifes condition is attributing to his behaviour. Mrs Bertram is no longer fulfilling her duties as a wife and this could be disrupting his routine. It would appear that Mr Bertram has never had to control the household, take care of his wife or finances, and may lack the ability or may simply consider it beneath him. It could affect his masculinity to have to carry out such c hores and duties believed to be part of a womans role. This may also be the reason why he is reluctant to accept help with the situation. He may feel he is being barraged and dictated to by his step daughters which may be resulting in a greater defiance. It is not clear from the case study, the nature of their relationship either. He may feel that family and professionals are undermining his authority as head of the household. Mr Bertram may be compensating for his lack of masculinity at home, by using his social appearance, bravado, drinking and defiance. This time away from the house for him may reaffirm his role as a dominant male within society whilst his dominant role as a man disappears at home. He no longer has command over his wife, no longer gets respect, adoration that he was once used to. Men are considered to have more influence within society; Mr Bertram has no influence over this situation or over his wife. Part 2: Using the scenario describe two psychological theories that can be used to help your understanding of the service users situation Humanistic theory Maslows hierarchy of needs Humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908 1970) argued that humans throughout life not only want to have their basic survival needs met they strive for more in terms of personal growth. He believed that once basic needs for survival had been met that human development progressed toward higher psychological needs. He argued that people are motivated by the conscious desire for personal growth (Rathus, 2004). Maslow believed what separated us from our so-called lower animals was our capacity for self-actualisation (Rathus,2004). He believed that this self- actualisation was as important as basic needs but could not be met unless other stages of human needs were completed. He organised these stages into the hierarchy of needs, often presented in pyramid format. Each stage must be satisfied in order to progress to the next. At the bottom of the hierarchy are physiological needs. These are the basic human needs we all have in order to survive, like food, water, shelter, oxygen. Once t he first basic need has been satisfied, the following stage is safety needs, the need for security. The following stage in the hierarchy is love and belonging; the need to give and receive love, to overcome loneliness and achieve a sense of belonging in life. The fourth stage is Esteem needs; to feel self-confident, respected and not to feel inferior. Self-actualisation is the final stage in the hierarchy and can only be reached when all foregoing needs are satisfied and the person feels he has achieved everything he wants to in life and is the best that he can be. In the case of the Bertrams it is clear that Mrs Bertram is currently not even meeting the bottom of Maslows hierarchy of needs. It is noted that their flat is in an appalling state, she is unable to feed herself and left on her own for most of the day. You would expect most of her needs to be met within the context of her marriage to Mr Bertram; however, since he has neglected his role as a husband, he has placed her in a position of significant danger. Since not even her basic physiological needs are being met in the current situation then at present there would not be an opportunity to progress through the hierarchy of needs. If Mrs Bertram was placed in residential care then her physiological needs would be met. She would have food, water and care of her basic needs. She could then perhaps progress to the following stage of safety. She would no longer be at risk of hurting herself and she would be in a more secure environment. Although it could be argued that for an advance Alzheimers sufferer, the unfamiliar setting would disorientate her and she might not actually feel secure there. Because of her diagnosis, Mrs Bertram is unlikely to meet the third stage of love and belongingness. Her advanced Alzheimers may mean that she fails to recognise her husband, family members and have a declining ability to communicate. Mrs Bertram would never reach self-actualisation. The best that could be achieved would be basic survival and safety needs, whether this was achieved at home with the compliance of her husband, or in residential care. Although it could be debated that residential care would not be the best opt ion. As the GP states in the case scenario, a move to residential care might well kill Mrs Bertram. It would appear from the case scenario that Mr Bertrams basic needs are being fulfilled. However it is uncertain as to whether his s safety and security needs are being met. He certainly would not get a sense of love and belonging from his wife, in the latter stages of sever dementia. I would observe, however, there is some attempt from Mr Bertram to achieve a sense of self-esteem, since he spends the majority of his time with his compatriots at the golf club. It is clear that in this relationship and the current situation faced by the Bertrams that he too has no way of reaching self-actualisation. Maslow observes that it is mainly social factors that hinder the personal growth of humans. Potentially at least the first two stages of Maslows hierarchy could be reached within the context of their marriage, with the right services in place. Psychodynamic theory Through the Psychodynamic theory of personality we could speculate about Mr Bertrams past and how that has influence on his behaviour in the present. It would be difficult to achieve a comprehensive result in regards to Mrs Bertram because of her Alzheimers. Since her behaviour is wholly attributed to her condition. Studying Sigmund Freuds (1856 1939) theories, with a focus on psychosexual development, would be the most relevant to apply to the case scenario. Psychodynamic theory had been developed and evolved over the years. Freuds idea of Psychodynamic theory depicted humans as largely driven by unconscious motives and desires. He proclaimed that humans come into conflict when their basic instincts come up against social pressure to follow, laws or moral codes. At first this conflict is external, but as we develop it becomes internalised (Rathus, 2004). Freud explains the conflict of personality using psychic structures. The id, which Freud believed is present at birth and located in the unconscious mind, and revolves around our basic biological drives and instincts. It operates on what Freud called the pleasure principle. It demands instant gratification regardless of laws or moral rules. Another feature in the structure of personality is the ego. Formed from the id, developed through learni ng and experience. This is the part where conscious thought takes place (Beckett and Taylor, 2010). The ego operates on the reality principle. This takes into consideration what is practical and possible in gratifying needs (Rathus, 2004). When the ego senses improper impulses arsing it can sometimes deploy a number of defence mechanisms. The third psychic structure is the superego. This is formed throughout early childhood and is developed through standards, values, parenting and moral standards. Psychodynamic theory emphasises the way in which the mind stimulates behavior, and both mind and behavior influence and are influenced by the persons social environment (Payne, 2005) Freud believed there were four stages in psychosexual development. The first stage took place during the first year of a childs life. This is known as the oral stage. Much of the childs development is explored by putting things into the mouth and sucking, biting chewing. Freud believed it was possible to have arrested development through trauma. And be fixated on one of the stages. From the case study we could surmise that Mr Bertram is fixated on the oral stage of psychosexual development through his drinking. We could speculate that he may have had a significant trauma at that stage which has left him with a possible alcohol dependency, thus fixated on the oral stage. It could perhaps be identified that Mr Bertram is using psychological defence mechanisms in order to avoid the situation that he is currently facing. Part 3: Reflect on your own background describe it and indicate 1 sociological and 1 psychological theory that can be applied to you, giving examples The relationship I have with my father has often been fraught, difficult and tense. As a sufferer of a severe mental disorder, my father has often displayed irrational, delusional, paranoid and sometimes violent behaviour. Throughout his life he has had frequent hospitalisation. For me this is something I have grown up with and am used to dealing with on a day to day basis. I am acutely aware of how our relationship differs to that of my friends for example. I have as close a relationship as possible with him, and to that end I usually bear the brunt of his paranoia and aggression when he is unwell. I have witnessed first-hand the stigma attached to mental illness. I find it extremely difficult to trust anyone enough to tell them about the situation, and I strongly feel I shouldnt have to tell everyone that meets him, this only leads to labelling him as mentally ill, thus changing the way in which they treat him; which only compounds his paranoia. Some Sociological theorists believe that mental illness is a social construction in order to rationalise bizarre or irrational behaviour that cannot be in any other way explained. This is known as labelling theory. Scheff (1966) argued that people are labelled as mentally ill because their behaviour does not make sense to others. Scheff points out that labelling of a person as mentally ill is facilitated by stereotyped imagery learned in early childhood and continually reaffirmed, inadvertently, in ordinary social interaction and through the mass media. Thus, when a persons violation of social norms or deviance becomes a public issue, the traditional stereotype of crazy person is readily adopted both by those reacting to the deviant person and, often, by the deviant person as well (Lamb. 2002). Erving Goffman suggests that when someone is labelled as mentally ill then they are treated differently. When an interaction takes place with that person it is with this knowledge of the menta l illness, therefore creating what Goffman called a spurious interaction (Haralambos and Holborn, 2004). From a behaviourist view, Schizophrenia could be viewed as a kind of learned behaviour. From this perspective, people engage in schizophrenic behaviour when it is more likely to be reinforced than normal behaviour (Rathus, 2004). This could be the result of being raised in an unrewarding or punitive situation. It could also be observed that this kind of behaviour is reinforced within the hospital setting, where the schizophrenic behaviour is reinforced through attention from professionals within that setting. Cognitive theory argues that behavior is affected by perception or interpretation of the environment during the process of learning. Apparently inappropriate behavior must therefore arise from misinterpretation. Therapy tries to correct the misunderstanding, so that our behavior reacts appropriately to the environment (Payne, 2006) I believe the experiences I have had with my father give me the ability to understand mental illness without stigmatising. It also helps me empathise with the sufferer and the family. An empathetic approach to someone who was hearing voices for example, would be to understand that to the person affect, they are very real. I fully understand the importance of having the right services in place in order for that person to thrive. My experience allows me to observe the wider context of a situation and realise that it is not only the primary sufferer of the condition that is affected. The wider family needs to be considered as they have a huge role to play in the well-being of the person concerned.

Comparing The Indian to His Love and The Hosting of the Sidhe Essay

The Indian to His Love and The Hosting of the Sidhe The Aesthetic Movement, as exemplified by "The Indian to His Love," by W. B. Yeats, seems lifeless and insipid when compared to his "The Hosting of the Sidhe." The images of the two poems are so completely different that they almost demand a different set of rules dealing with their creation. It would be virtually impossible for Yeats to deal effectively with the subject matter of "The Hosting of the Sidhe" in the same manner as "The Indian to His Love" because he is viewing the world from a different perspective for each poem. There is little relationship between the characters of "The Indian to His Love" and those of "The Hosting of the Sidhe." In the former, Yeats deals exclusively with mortals, idealized perhaps, but nonetheless mortals who must deal with the world as mortals: "Here we will moor our lovely ship/ And wander ever with woven hands," and. "How we alone of mortals are." These characters are not only mortals, but are anonymous in that they have no personal identities, and there is no representation of them as individuals. The lovers seem to decorate the scene much as the "peahens" and the "parrot." Yeats does, however, remind the readers of the characters' mortality even while he makes them seem timeless. "How when we die our shades will rove" tells clearly that those mortals may be in a dream, but even this dream is destined to end. In "The Hosting of the Sidhe," in contrast to "The Indian and His Love," Yeats deals with the ... ...e the reader at all. On the other hand, in "The Hosting of the Sidhe," Yeats presents the ideal of life: immortals in a real world. Yeats wants the reader to feel the life in this poem, not just observe it. The poem reaches out and coaxes: "Away, come away:/ Empty your heart of its mortal dream." The world Yeats sees in each poem is completely different, and by choosing his words carefully and changing his style of writing, he allows readers to see that difference and to feel it. handouts home

John Steinbecks The Chrysanthemums and D.H. Lawrences The Odour of Ch

John Steinbeck's 'The Chrysanthemums' and D.H. Lawrence's 'The Odour of Chrysanthemums' Women in the 1900s were given little attention. John Steinbeck and D.H Lawrence however have chosen to base their short stories on a single woman character and around a type of flower, which is the chrysanthemum. Though written by male writers, both stories give an insight of the feelings and actions of a female character in that time period and how chrysanthemums can mean an entirely different obsession towards the two main characters. John Steinbeck's 'The Chrysanthemums' is about a tinker who confronts Elisa Allen while she was working on her prized chrysanthemums. Elisa was impressed of the tinker's freedom and his way of life. The tinker offers his service, repairing pots and pans, to Elisa, but she refuses at first. However, the tinker does not give up and tells Elisa about a customer that would be interested in her chrysanthemums. Elisa's attitude instantly changed and after her discussion with tinker she finds some work for the tinker to work on. Elisa's husband, Henry, takes her out later to the city for dinner. To her dismay she finds her lovely chrysanthemums dumped by the roadside by the tinker. D.H Lawrence, however, writes about Elizabeth Bates and her children who wait for the return of Walter, husband and father, who is late in his homecoming. Elizabeth has a brief meeting with her father. Not waiting any longer, Elizabeth and her children have dinner. Elizabeth puts her children to sleep and then goes out to look for her husband. It turns out that the husband had an accident and is now dead. Elizabeth's mother in law visits her and together they clean the dead Walter, while reminiscing the past.... ...not be offered to strangers. However, in 'Odour of Chrysanthemums,' Elizabeth realises she has never really known Walter and is ashamed to handle him. She experiences fear for she is aware that she has no control over her destiny and that she cannot escape death. Both stories do not have a happy ending, but instead deal with different aspects of life. 'The Chrysanthemums' with society and trust, whereas 'Odour of Chrysanthemums' with fate and death. I feel that John Steinbeck offers a better ending because it teaches us not to trust strangers with ease and gives us the message that we should be happy with what we have, not to envy others. Then again, the ending in 'Odour of chrysanthemums' is also true but I feel that it is too harsh. It is a fact that every creature will encounter death but death should not be Elizabeth's or anyone's 'ultimate master.'

Jill Bolte Taylor’s Stroke of Insight

Report I Title: Jill Bolte Taylor's stroke of insight Link: http://www. ted. com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight. html Speaker: Jill Bolte Taylor Affiliation: http://www. drjilltaylor. com Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard-trained and published neuroanatomist who dedicated her career to research into the severe mental illnesses. She had a stroke while she was researching about biological differences between healthy brains and brains of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective or bipolar disorder at1996.One of her blood vessel exploded on the left side of her brain and it caused the stroke. In the seminar, she explains her observations about the 4 hour after the stroke as a neuroanatomist. According to her experience she could not able to walk, talk read, write or recall any of her life. In this talk, initially she explains the major functions of the brain with a real human brain. Then she clarifies her stroke according to these functions. She tells the results of her bleeding step by step with examples and helps us to imagine a stroke.After all she finishes her speech with explaining her feelings after she survived and recovered. Beside Jill Bolte Taylor’s stroke of insight video, I watched videos about being happy â€Å"Dan Gilbert asks, Why are we happy? †, about intelligence of plants â€Å"Stefano Mancuso: The roots of plant intelligence† and about brain damages â€Å"VS Ramachandran on your mind†. I generally watched the videos about brain and intelligence because I interested in the human intelligence and brain functions. Mr.Gilbert’s talk showed me the effects of our psychological immune system to be happy, Mr. Mancuso’s talk represented me the intelligence of plants which is similar to animals’ and Mr. Ramachandran’s talk helped me to illustrate the brain functions of human while he was talking about the brain damages. All of these topics were interesting but I mo stly interested in Taylor’s topic because she had a disease which is about her researches and she survived from it without any permanent damage. I liked to hear this neuroanatomy specialist’s own life experiments about brain disease.Favorite quotes and sentences: â€Å"I essentially became an infant in a woman’s body. † â€Å"For those of you who understand computers, our right hemisphere functions like a parallel processor, while our left hemisphere functions like a serial processor. † About Jill Bolte Taylor’s stroke of insight video, I did not understand why and how she felt that she is in nirvana after she woke up after the surgery. I strongly recommend this video to the other students because it is one of the most interesting speech I have ever heard.

War on Coal

War on Coal â€Å"President Obama is responsible entirely for the closure of that mine and the loses of these jobs†, Robert Murray CEO of Murray Energy Corporation told CNN after 239 men were laid off because an Ohio mine had closed. The current war on coal is not one of just and fair reasons. Coal has several positive benefits that greatly outweigh the negative environmental effects that some say it causes. The main benefit of coal is the hundreds of thousands it employs annually. However, with the strict regulations being put on coal mines these days the tradition of coal mining may be one our children will never know.It is our responsibility as Americans to beat the Obama Administration and win the war on coal. Coal was first found in America in 1742 in what is now Boone County, West Virginia. Since then mining it has been a job that employs thousands and those thousands don’t get near the praise they deserve. Every time the man-trip goes under, the people on it risk their lives to provide us with the main source for energy and heat. The Merle Travis lyricâ€Å"Where the dangers are double and the troubles are few† completely captures the atmosphere of a coal mine.Slag falls, explosions, fires, and above all cave –ins and roof falls are just a few of the dangers miners face every day, yet people still feel the need to condemn these men for the job they do. The Obama administration could care less about the many jobs they are doing away with from the coal industry. â€Å"The many regulations the he (President Obama), and his radical appointees and the U. S. EPA haves put on the use of coal have closed 175 power plants† (Murray 2). Assume those 175 power plants employed 100 men that is 17,500 people who are out of work.How can Obama say he is for the working class when he is taking the working class’s jobs? Josh Mandel, Ohio state treasurer told Congress â€Å" I think the Obama administration should be ashamed for pu tting middle class coal miners out of work across the country. Coal miners and their families live in some of the poorest areas of the country and the Obama war on coal is killing jobs in the parts of America that can least afford it. †. Mandel is right. Obama and his administration are killing jobs and small mining towns all across the country and it must be stopped before they are gone.While running in his 2008 campaign, Obama told the San Francisco Chronicle that the â€Å"notion of no coal†¦is an illusion†, but he added that he favored the Cap and Trade system. He then went on to say â€Å"so if someone wants to build a coal powered plant, it’s just that it will bankrupt them because they are going to be charged a huge sum for all the greenhouse gas that is being emitted†(Trinko 3) This statement sounds like someone who wasn’t in the slightest bit worried about the 385,105 miners who were directly employed by coal at the time. Trinko 2) thi s number didn’t include truck drivers, mine inspectors, power plant workers, railroad workers, or and other jobs that are affected by the coal industry. The Obama Administration has done everything it can possibly do to destroy the American coal industry. We have gone from producing 1. 2 billion tons of coal a year to producing somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 million tons (Trinko 3). It is disingenuous at best for Obama to say he supports the coal industry when we have lost about one third of our production.Joe Biden told gist. com that he didn’t see much of a role for clean energy in America, but then added that he wanted to help China clean their coal plants (Trinko 3). For the past 4 years, Obama and his administration have tried to end coal in America and it is time we take it back. Ryan Williams, Mitt Romany’s spokesman said â€Å"Obama has waged a war on coal that has devastated the middle class and American Workers† This is completely true. No , coal is not the way of life in Washington, D.C, but if the Obama Administration would look at the big picture, they would see that in America as a whole country, coal is a way of life in many states. Some of these states are Colorado, Wyoming, and every state in Appalachia. As election time draws near, the Romney Campaign is looking for ways to appeal to the coal miners, coal truck drivers, railroad workers, and others affected by the coal industry. â€Å"it is a narrow group of voters you’re looking at, but in those areas it is a big deal because it affects entire communities.It really is their whole livelihood. People who work in the coal industry and their family and friends will become single-issue voters this year†, says Kristen Kukowski, secretary for the Republican National Committee. She is right. The coal industry is a livelihood, and had been bringing people together for centuries. Coal towns stick together, so if Romney gets in good with one small coal tow n, other towns are sure to follow. His approach to attract miners has had a positive effect and will continue to do so as long as Obama pushes his strict regulations.Jason Hayes, communications director for the American Coal Council says â€Å"the industry over the past few decades had invested over $100 billion in cleaning up emissions and it’s already been effective. All of the important noxious pollutants have decreased markedly over the last 30 to 40 years. We’ve been doing all of this on top of dealing with everything else. † Coal may not be green, but it is a source of energy American needs. It is cheap and efficient. Without coal, America wouldn’t be anywhere near where it is today. The coal mined here isn’t just used for energy.America’s coal makes steel. Steel is used for thousands of things. If coal is gone, not only will our electric and heat bills increase, but the price of steel with be outrageous. â€Å"The environmental benef its that we’re hearing about are questionable, but the job losses are real and they are happening to thousands right now† Hayes adds. It is up to us to change the way things in America are going. This is our country, Not Washington’s. So in the 2012 Presidential Election, vote for the working class, vote for coal, vote for Romney! You could be the one vote it takes to make coal win.

3m Innovation Case Study

1-What are the roots of 3M’s culture of entrepreneurship and innovation? What were the key tenets of this culture as they emerged over time? 3M goes back to 1902 when five Minnesota businessmen established the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. to mine a mineral that they thought was corundum, which is ideal for making sandpaper. The mineral, however, turned out to be low-grade anorthosite, nowhere near as suitable for making sandpaper, and the company nearly failed. To try and salvage the business, 3M turned to making the sandpaper itself using materials purchased from another source.In 1907, 3M hired a twenty-year-old business student, William McKnight, as assistant bookkeeper. This turned out to be a pivotal move in the history of the company. The key to institutionalizing innovation at 3M has been the principle of â€Å"patient money. † The basic idea is that producing revolutionary new products requires substantial long-term investments, and often repeated fail ure, before a major payoff occurs. Another key component of 3M’s innovative culture has been an emphasis on duel career tracks.Right from its early days, many of the key players in 3M’s history, people like Richard Drew, chose to staying research, turning down opportunities to go into the management side of the business. Although 3M’s innovative culture emphasizes the role of technical employees in producing innovations, the company also has a strong tradition of emphasizing that new product ideas often come from watching customers at work. 2. What were the strengths of the organization and culture of 3M during the McKnight to DeSi-mone era? What were the potential weaknesses?Leadership, CEO George Buckley is highly respected, and 3M is repeatedly recognized as a top company for developing leaders. Innovation gets a load of these stats patents awarded researchers worldwide. In many ways, 3M was ahead of its time in management philosophy and human resource practi ces. Geographically diverse Sixty-three percent of sales are outside of the United States; the company has operations in more than 65 countries. Diverse in terms of revenue streams, too. 3M has six key business units, none of which account for more than 33% of sales. Financially, there was strong paid a dividend every quarter since 1916. – The expansion of 3M into international markets was highly successful. What explains this? What was the drawback with 3M’s international expansion strategy? The first steps abroad occurred in the 1920s. There were some limited sales of wet and dry sandpaper in Europe during the early 1920s. These increased after1929 when 3M joined the Durex Corp. , a joint venture for international abrasive product sales in which 3M was involved along with eight other U. S. companies. The international businesses were grouped into an International Division that Sampair headed.From the get go, the company insisted that foreign ventures pay their own wa y. The company would start by exporting to a country and working through sales subsidiaries. The philosophy can be reduced to several key and simple commitments: Get in early, Hire talented and motivated local people, Become a good corporate citizen of the country, Grow with the local economy, American products are not one-size-fits-all around the world, Enforce patents in local countries. Program to encourage new product and new business initiatives born outside the United States.By 1983, products developed under the initiative were generating sales of over $150 million a year. 3M Brazil invented a low-cost, hot-melt adhesive from local raw materials, 3M Germany teamed up with Sumitomo 3M of Japan to develop electronic connectors with new features for the world wide electronics industry. By the 1990s 3M started to shift away from a country-by-country management structure to more regional management. Drivers behind this development included the fall of trade barriers, the rise of tr ading blocks such as the European Union and NAFTA, and the need to drive down costs in the face of intense global competition.

Bloodlines Chapter Eighteen

â€Å"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘MISSING'?† I asked. â€Å"She was supposed to meet us a couple hours ago,† Eddie said, exchanging glances with Micah. â€Å"I thought maybe she was with you.† â€Å"I haven't seen her since PE.† I was trying hard not to kick into panic mode yet. There were too many variables at play and not enough evidence to start thinking crazy Moroi dissidents had kidnapped her. â€Å"This is a really big place – I mean, three campuses. Are you sure she isn't just holed up studying somewhere?† â€Å"We've done a pretty exhaustive search,† said the security officer. â€Å"And teachers and workers are on alert looking for her. No sightings yet.† â€Å"And she isn't answering her cell phone,† added Eddie. I finally let true fear overtake me, and my face must have shown it. The officer's expression softened. â€Å"Don't worry. I'm sure she'll turn up.† It was the kind of conciliatory thing people in his profession had to say to family members. â€Å"But do you have any other ideas of where she might be?† â€Å"What about your other brothers?† asked Micah. I'd been afraid it would come to that. I was almost one hundred percent sure she wasn't with Keith, but he should still probably be notified about her disappearance. It wasn't something I looked forward to because I knew there'd be a lecture in it for me. It would also be a sign of my failure in the eyes of other Alchemists. I should have stayed by Jill's side. That was my job, right? Instead, I'd – foolishly – been helping someone run errands. Not just anyone – a vampire. That's how the Alchemists would see it. Vamp lover. â€Å"I was just with Adrian,† I said slowly. â€Å"I suppose she could've somehow gotten to Clarence's and waited for him. I didn't actually go inside.† â€Å"I tried Adrian too,† said Eddie. â€Å"No answer.† â€Å"Sorry,† I said. â€Å"We were doing his interviews, so he must have turned his phone off. Do you want to try him again?† I certainly didn't want to. Eddie stepped aside to call Adrian while I talked with Mrs. Weathers and the officer. Micah paced around, looking worried, and I felt guilty for always wanting to keep him from Jill. The race thing was a problem, but he really did care about her. I told the officer all the places Jill liked to frequent on campus. They confirmed that they'd already checked them all. â€Å"You got ahold of him?† I asked when Eddie returned. He nodded. â€Å"She's not there. I feel kind of bad, though. He's pretty worried now. Maybe we should've waited to tell him.† â€Å"No†¦ actually, it might be a good thing.† I met Eddie's eyes and saw a spark of understanding. Adrian's emotions seemed to intrude on Jill when they were running strong. If he was panicked enough, she'd hopefully realize people were concerned and show back up. That was assuming she was just hiding out or had gone somewhere we couldn't find. I tried not to consider the alternative: that something had happened where she couldn't contact us. â€Å"Sometimes students just sneak off,† said the officer. â€Å"It's inevitable. Usually they try to sneak back in before curfew. Hopefully that's just the case now. If she doesn't show up then – well, then we'll call the police.† He walked off to radio the rest of security for a status check, and we thanked him for his help. Mrs. Weathers returned to the front desk, but it was clear she was worried and agitated. She came across as gruff sometimes, but I had the feeling she actually cared about her students. Micah left us to find a few friends of his who worked on campus, in case they'd seen anything. That left Eddie and me. Without conferring, we turned toward some chairs in the lobby. Like me, I think he wanted to stake out the door in order to see Jill the instant she showed up. â€Å"I shouldn't have left her,† he said. â€Å"You had to,† I said reasonably. â€Å"You can't be with her in classes or her room.† â€Å"This place was a bad idea. It's too big. Too hard to secure.† He sighed. â€Å"I can't believe this.† â€Å"No†¦ it was a good idea. Jill needs some semblance of a normal life. You could've locked her in a room somewhere and cut her off from all interaction, but what good would that do? She needs to go to school and be with people.† â€Å"She hasn't done much of that, though.† â€Å"No,† I admitted. â€Å"She's had a rough time with it. I kept hoping it'd get better.† â€Å"I just wanted her to be happy.† â€Å"Me too.† I straightened up as something alarming hit me. â€Å"You don't think†¦ you don't think she would've run away and gone back to her mom, do you? Or Court or somewhere?† His face grew even more bleak. â€Å"I hope not. Do you think things have been that bad?† I thought about our fight after the shower incident. â€Å"I don't know. Maybe.† Eddie buried his face in his hands. â€Å"I can't believe this,† he repeated. â€Å"I failed.† When it came to Jill, Eddie was usually all fierceness and anger. I'd never seen him so close to depression. I'd been living with the fear of my own failure since coming to Palm Springs but only now realized that Eddie had just as much on the line. I recalled Adrian's words about Eddie and his friend Mason, how Eddie felt responsible. If Jill didn't come back, would this be history repeating itself? Would she be someone else he'd lost? I'd thought this mission might be redemption for him. Instead, it could turn into Mason all over again. â€Å"You didn't fail,† I said. â€Å"You've been in charge of protecting her, and you've done that. You can't control her happiness. If anything, I'm to blame. I gave her a lecture for the shower incident.† â€Å"Yeah, but I destroyed her hopes when I told her the modeling idea Lee had wouldn't work.† â€Å"But you were right about – Lee!† I gasped. â€Å"That's it. That's where she is. She's with Lee, I'm certain of it. Do you have his number?† Eddie groaned. â€Å"I'm such an idiot,† he said, taking out his cell phone and scanning for the number. â€Å"I should've thought of that.† I touched the cross around my neck, saying a silent prayer that this would all be solved easily. As long as it meant Jill was alive and well, I could've handled her and Lee eloping. â€Å"Hey, Lee? It's Eddie. Is Jill with you?† There was a pause as Lee responded. Eddie's body language answered the question before I heard another word. His posture relaxed, and relief flooded his features. â€Å"Okay,† said Eddie a few moments later. â€Å"Well, get her back here. Now. Everyone's looking for her.† Another pause. Eddie's face hardened. â€Å"We can talk about that later.† He disconnected and turned to me. â€Å"She's okay.† â€Å"Thank God,† I breathed. I stood up, only then realizing how tense I'd been. â€Å"I'll be right back.† I found Mrs. Weathers and the security officer and relayed the news. The officer immediately spread the word to his colleagues and soon left. To my surprise, Mrs. Weathers almost looked like she was on the verge of tears. â€Å"Are you okay?† I asked. â€Å"Yes, yes.† She turned flustered, embarrassed at being so emotional. â€Å"I was just so worried. I – I didn't want to say anything and scare you all, but every time a student's missing†¦ well, a few years ago, another girl disappeared. We thought she'd just sneaked off – like Matt said, it happens. But it turned out†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mrs. Weathers grimaced and looked away. â€Å"I shouldn't be telling you this.† As if she could stop with that kind of intro. â€Å"No, please. Tell me.† She sighed. â€Å"The police found her a couple days later – dead. She'd been abducted and killed. It was terrible, and they never caught her killer. Now I just think of that whenever someone disappears. It's never happened again, of course. But something like that scars you.† I could imagine so. And as I returned to Eddie, I thought about him and Mason again. It seemed like everyone was carrying baggage from past events. I certainly was. Now that Jill's safety wasn't a concern, all I kept thinking was: What will the Alchemists say? What will my father say? Eddie was just hanging up his phone again when I approached. â€Å"I called Micah to tell him everything's okay,† he explained. â€Å"He was really worried.† All signs of Mrs. Weathers's past trauma vanished the instant that Jill and Lee walked through the door. Jill actually looked upbeat until she saw all of our faces. She came to a halt. Beside her, Lee already looked grim. I think he knew what was coming. Eddie and I hurried forward but didn't have a chance to speak right away. Mrs. Weathers immediately demanded to know where they'd been. Rather than cover it up, Jill confessed and told the truth: she and Lee had gone off campus, into Palm Springs. She was careful to make sure Lee didn't get accused of any kidnapping charges, swearing he didn't know she could only leave with approved family members. I confirmed this – though Lee was hardly off the hook in my opinion. â€Å"Will you wait outside?† I asked him politely. â€Å"I'd like to speak to you privately later.† Lee started to obey, flashing Jill a look of apology. He lightly brushed her hand in farewell and turned away. It was Mrs. Weathers who stopped him. â€Å"Wait,† she said, peering at him curiously. â€Å"Do I know you?† Lee looked startled. â€Å"I don't think so. I've never been here before.† â€Å"There's something familiar about you,† she insisted. Her frown deepened a few moments more. At last, she shrugged. â€Å"It can't be. I must be mistaken.† Lee nodded, met Jill's eyes in sympathy again, and left. Mrs. Weathers wasn't done with Jill. She launched into a lecture about how dangerous and irresponsible they'd been. â€Å"If you were going to sneak off and break rules, you could've at least confided in your siblings. They've been scared to death for you.† It was almost funny, her advising on â€Å"responsible† rule-breaking. Considering how panicked I'd been, I couldn't find anything amusing just then. She also told Jill that she'd be written up and punished. â€Å"For now,† said Mrs. Weathers, â€Å"you are confined to your room for the rest of the night. Come see me after breakfast, and we'll find out if the principal thinks this warrants suspension.† â€Å"Excuse me,† said Eddie. â€Å"Can we have a few minutes alone here with her before she goes upstairs? I'd like to talk to her.† Mrs. Weathers hesitated, apparently wanting Jill's punishment immediately enforced. Then she gave Eddie a double take. The look on his face was hard and angry, and I think Mrs. Weathers knew there was punishment of a different sort coming from Jill's big brother. â€Å"Five minutes,† said Mrs. Weathers, tapping her watch. â€Å"Then up you go.† â€Å"Don't,† said Jill, the instant we were alone. Her face was a mixture of fear and defiance. â€Å"I know what I did was wrong. I don't need a lecture from you guys.† â€Å"Don't you?† I asked. â€Å"Because if you knew it was wrong, you wouldn't have done it!† Jill crossed her arms over her chest. â€Å"I had to get out of here. On my own terms. And not with you guys.† The comment rolled right off of me. It sounded young and petty. But to my surprise, Eddie actually looked hurt. â€Å"What's that supposed to mean?† he asked. â€Å"It means that I just wanted to be away from this place without you always telling me what I'm doing wrong.† That was directed to me. â€Å"And you jumping at every shadow.† That, of course, was to Eddie. â€Å"I just want to protect you,† he said, looking hurt. â€Å"I'm not trying to smother you, but I can't have anything happen to you. Not again.† â€Å"I'm in more danger from Laurel than any assassins!† Jill exclaimed. â€Å"Do you know what she did today? We were working in the computer lab, and she ‘accidentally' tripped over my power cord. I lost half my work and didn't finish in time, so now I'm going to get a lower grade.† A lesson on backing up work probably wouldn't be useful just then. â€Å"Look, that's really terrible,† I said. â€Å"But it's not in the same category as getting yourself killed. Not by a long shot. Where exactly did you go?† For a moment, she looked as though she wasn't going to give up the info. Finally, she said, â€Å"Lee took me to Salton Sea.† Seeing our blank looks, she added, â€Å"It's a lake outside of town. It was wonderful.† An almost-dreamy expression crossed her features. â€Å"I haven't been around that much water in so long. Then we went downtown and just walked around, shopping and eating ice cream. He took me to that boutique, with the designer who's looking for models and – â€Å" â€Å"Jill,† I interrupted. â€Å"I don't care how awesome your day was. You scared us. Don't you get that?† â€Å"Lee shouldn't have done this,† growled Eddie. â€Å"Don't blame him,† said Jill. â€Å"I talked him into it – I made him think you guys wouldn't mind. And he doesn't know the real reason I'm here or the danger.† â€Å"Maybe dating was a bad idea,† I muttered. â€Å"Lee's the best thing that's happened to me here!† she said angrily. â€Å"I deserve to be able to go out and have fun like you guys.† ‘†Fun'? That's kind of an exaggeration,† I said, recalling my afternoon with Adrian. Jill needed a target for her frustration, and I won the honor. â€Å"Doesn't seem like it to me. You're always gone. And when you aren't, you just tell me what I'm doing wrong. It's like you're my mom.† I'd been wading through all of this calmly, but suddenly, something about that comment made me snap. My finely tuned control shattered. â€Å"You know what? I kind of feel that way too. Because as far as I can tell, I am the only one in this group behaving like an adult. You think I'm out there having fun? All I'm doing is babysitting you guys and cleaning up your messes. I spent my afternoon – wasted my afternoon – driving Adrian around so that he could blow off the interviews that I set up. Then I get here and have to deal with the aftermath of your ‘field trip.' I get that Laurel's a pain – although maybe if Micah had been warned off from the beginning, these problems with her never would've happened.† I directed that last comment at Eddie. â€Å"I don't get why I'm the only one who sees how serious everything is. Vampire-human dating. Your lives on the line. These aren't the kinds of things you can screw around with! And yet†¦ somehow, you all still do. You leave me to do the hard stuff, to pick up after you†¦ and all the while, I've got Keith and the other Alchemists breathing down my neck, waiting for me to screw up because no one trusts me since helping your pal Rose. You think this is fun? You want to live my life? Then do it. Step right up, and you start taking responsibility for a change.† I hadn't yelled, but my volume had certainly gone up. I'd pretty much delivered my speech without taking a breath and now paused for some oxygen. Eddie and Jill stared at me, wide-eyed, as though they didn't recognize me. Mrs. Weathers returned to us just then. â€Å"That's enough for tonight. You need to go upstairs now,† she told Jill. Jill nodded, still a little stunned, and hurried away without saying goodbye to any of us. Mrs. Weathers walked her to the stairs, and Eddie turned to me. His face was pale and solemn. â€Å"You're right,† he said. â€Å"I haven't been pulling my share.† I sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted. â€Å"You're not as bad as they are.† He shook his head. â€Å"Still. You might be right about Micah. Maybe he'll keep some distance if I talk to him, and then Laurel will lay off Jill. I'll ask him tonight. But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He frowned, choosing his words carefully. â€Å"Try not to be too hard on Adrian and Jill. This is stressful for her, and sometimes I think a little of Adrian's personality is leaking into her through the bond. I'm sure that's why she ran off today. It's something he'd do in her situation.† â€Å"No one forced her to do it,† I said. â€Å"Least of all Adrian. The fact that she coaxed Lee and didn't tell us shows that she knew it was wrong. That's free will. And Adrian has no such excuses.† â€Å"Yeah†¦ but he's Adrian,† said Eddie lamely. â€Å"Sometimes I don't know how much of what he does is him and how much is spirit.† â€Å"Spirit users can take antidepressants, can't they? If he's worried about it becoming a problem, then he needs to step up and take charge. He has a choice. He's not helpless. There are no victims here.† Eddie studied me for several seconds. â€Å"And I thought I had a harsh view on life.† â€Å"You have a harsh life,† I corrected. â€Å"But yours is built around the idea that you always have to take care of other people. I was raised to believe that's necessary sometimes but that everyone still needs to try to take care of themselves.† â€Å"And yet here you are.† â€Å"Tell me about it. You want to come talk to Lee with me?† All apology vanished from Eddie's face. â€Å"Yes,† he said fiercely. We found Lee sitting on a bench outside, looking miserable. He jumped up when we approached. â€Å"You guys, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have done it. She just sounded so sad and so lost that I wanted to – â€Å" â€Å"You know how protective we are of her,† I said. â€Å"How could you have not thought that this would worry us?† â€Å"And she's a minor,† said Eddie. â€Å"You can't just take her away and do whatever you want with her!† I admit, I was a little surprised that the threat to Jill's virtue was what he chose to bring up. Don't get me wrong – I was also conscious of her age. But after he saw her literally die, it seemed like Eddie would be worried about more than making out. Lee's gray eyes went wide. â€Å"Nothing happened! I would never do anything like that to her. I promise! I'd never take advantage of someone so trusting. I can't ruin this. She means more to me than any other girl I've dated. I want us to be together forever.† I thought being â€Å"together forever† was extreme at their ages, but there was a sincerity in his eyes that was touching. It still didn't excuse what he'd done. He took our lecturing seriously and promised there would never be a repeat. â€Å"But please†¦ can I still see her when you're around? Can we still do group things?† Eddie and I exchanged glances. â€Å"If she's even allowed to leave campus after this,† I said. â€Å"I really don't know what's going to happen.† Lee left after a few more apologies, and Eddie also returned to his dorm. I was walking upstairs when my phone rang. Glancing down, I was startled to see my parents' number in Salt Lake City on the caller ID. â€Å"Hello?† I asked. For a frantic moment, I hoped it was Zoe. â€Å"Sydney.† My father. My stomach filled with dread. â€Å"We need to talk about what's happened.† Panic shot through me. How had he found out about Jill's disappearance already? Keith jumped out as the obvious culprit. But how had Keith found out? Had he been at Clarence's when Eddie called Adrian? Despite his flaws, I couldn't imagine Adrian telling Keith what had happened. â€Å"Talk about what?† I asked, playing for time. â€Å"Your behavior. Keith called me last night, and I must say, I'm very disappointed.† â€Å"Last night?† This wasn't about Jill's disappearance. So what was it about? â€Å"You're supposed to be coordinating efforts for that Moroi girl to blend in. You aren't supposed to be out socializing with them and having a good time! I could hardly believe it when Keith said you took them out bowling.† â€Å"It was mini-golf, and Keith okayed it! I asked him first.† â€Å"And then I hear you're helping all these other vampires run errands and whatnot. Your duty is only to the girl, and that is to do only what's necessary for her survival – which I also hear you aren't doing. Keith tells me there was an incident where you didn't properly handle her difficulties in the sun?† â€Å"I reported that immediately!† I cried. I'd known Keith was planning to use that against me. â€Å"Keith – † I paused, thinking about the best way to handle this. â€Å"Misunderstood my initial report.† Keith had blown off my initial report, but telling my father his protege had lied would just put my father's defenses up. He wouldn't believe me. â€Å"And Keith's one to talk! He's always hanging out with Clarence and won't say why.† â€Å"Probably to make sure he remains stable. I understand the old man isn't all there.† â€Å"He's obsessed with vampire hunters,† I explained. â€Å"He thinks there are humans out there that killed his niece.† â€Å"Well,† said my father, â€Å"there are some humans out there who catch on to the vampire world, those whom we can't dissuade. Hardly hunters. Keith's doing his duty by enlightening Clarence. You, however, are misguided.† â€Å"That's not a fair comparison!† â€Å"Honestly, I blame myself,† he said. Somehow I doubted that. â€Å"I shouldn't have let you go. You weren't ready – not after what you went through. Being with these vampires is confusing you. That's why I'm recalling you.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"If I had my way, it'd be right now. Unfortunately, Zoe won't be ready for another two weeks. The Alchemists want her to undergo some testing before she gets her tattoo. Once she does, we'll send her in your place and get you†¦ some help.† â€Å"Dad! This is crazy. I'm doing fine here. Please, don't send Zoe – â€Å" â€Å"I'm sorry, Sydney,† he said. â€Å"You've left me no choice. Please don't get into trouble in your remaining time.† He disconnected, and I stood in the hall, my heart sinking. Two weeks! Two weeks and they were sending Zoe. And me†¦ where were they sending me? I didn't want to think about it, but I knew. I needed to stop this from happening. Wheels were already in motion. The tattoos, I suddenly thought. If I could finish my tests on the stolen substances and find out info about the blood supplier, I would earn the Alchemists' regard – hopefully enough to take away the taint that Keith had put on me. And why had he done it? Why now? I knew he'd never wanted me along. Maybe he had just been biding his time, building up evidence against me until he could get me ousted in one fell swoop. I wouldn't let him, though. I'd bust open this tattoo case and prove who the stellar Alchemist was. I had enough evidence now to get their attention and would simply turn in what I had if nothing new came to light within a week. The decision filled me with resolve, but I still had trouble sleeping when I went to bed later. My father's threat hung over me, as did my fear of the reeducation centers. After about an hour of tossing and turning I finally dozed off. But even that was fitful and troubled. I woke up after only a few hours and then had to fall asleep all over again. This time, I dreamed. In the dream, I stood in Clarence's living room. Everything was neat and in place, the dark wood and antique furniture giving the space its usual ominous feel. The details were surprisingly vivid, and it was like I could even smell the dusty books and leather on the furniture. â€Å"Huh. It worked. Wasn't sure if it would with a human.† I spun around and found Adrian leaning against the wall. He hadn't been there a moment ago, and I had a flash of that childhood fear of vampires appearing out of nowhere. Then I remembered this was a dream, and these kinds of things happened. â€Å"What weren't you sure about?† I asked. He gestured around him. â€Å"If I could reach you. Bring you here into this dream.† I didn't quite follow what he meant and said nothing. He arched an eyebrow. â€Å"You don't know, do you? Where you are?† â€Å"At Clarence's,† I said reasonably. â€Å"Well, in reality I'm asleep in my bed. This is just a dream.† â€Å"You're half right,† he said. â€Å"This is a spirit dream. This is real.† I frowned. A spirit dream. Since most of our information about spirit was sketchy, we had hardly anything on spirit dreams. I'd learned most of what I knew about them from Rose, who had been frequently visited by Adrian in them. According to her, the dreamer and the spirit user were actually together, in a meeting of the minds, communicating across long distances. It was hard for me to fully grasp that, but I'd seen Rose wake up with information she wouldn't have otherwise had. Still, I had no evidence to suggest I was really in a spirit dream now. â€Å"This is just a regular dream,† I countered. â€Å"Are you sure?† he asked. â€Å"Look around. Concentrate. Doesn't it feel different? Like a dream†¦ but not like a dream. Not quite like real life either. Call it what you want, but the next time we see each other in the waking world, I'll be able to tell you exactly what happened here.† I looked around the room, studying it as he'd suggested. Again, I was struck by the vividness of even the smallest details. It certainly felt real, but dreams often did†¦ right? You usually never knew you were dreaming until you woke up. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to still my mind. And like that, I felt it. I understood what he meant. Not quite like a dream. Not quite like real life. My eyes flew open. â€Å"Stop it,† I cried, backing away from him. â€Å"Make it end. Get me out of here.† Because in accepting that this really was a spirit dream, I'd had to acknowledge something else: I was surrounded in vampire magic. My mind was ensnared in it. I felt claustrophobic. The magic was pressing on me, crushing the air. â€Å"Please.† My voice grew more and more frantic. â€Å"Please let me go.† Adrian straightened up, looking surprised. â€Å"Whoa, Sage. Calm down. You're okay.† â€Å"No. I'm not. I don't want this. I don't want the magic touching me.† â€Å"It won't hurt you,† he said. â€Å"It's nothing.† â€Å"It's wrong,† I whispered. â€Å"Adrian, stop it.† He reached out a hand, like he might try to comfort me, and then thought better of it. â€Å"It won't hurt you,† he repeated. â€Å"Just hear me out, and then I'll dissolve it. I promise.† Even in the dream, my pulse was racing. I wrapped my arms around myself and backed up against the wall, trying to make myself small. â€Å"Okay,† I whispered. â€Å"Hurry.† â€Å"I just wanted to say†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He stuffed his hands in his pockets and glanced away uncomfortably before looking at me again. Were his eyes greener here than in real life? Or was it just my imagination? â€Å"I wanted to†¦ I wanted to apologize.† â€Å"For what?† I asked. I couldn't process anything beyond my own terror. â€Å"For what I did. You were right. I wasted your time and your work today.† I forced my mind to dredge up memories from this afternoon. â€Å"Thank you,† I said simply. â€Å"I don't know why I do these things,† he added. â€Å"I just can't help it.† I was still terrified, still suffocating in the magic surrounding me. Somehow, I managed to echo my earlier conversation with Eddie. â€Å"You can take control of yourself,† I said. â€Å"You aren't a victim.† Adrian had been gazing off, troubled by his thoughts. He suddenly jerked his gaze back to me. â€Å"Just like Rose.† â€Å"What?† Adrian held out his hand, and a thorny red rose suddenly materialized there. I gasped and tried to back up farther. He twirled the stem around, careful not to prick his fingers. â€Å"She said that. That I was playing the victim. Am I really that pathetic?† The rose wilted and crumpled before my eyes, turning to dust and then vanishing altogether. I made the sign against evil on my shoulder and tried to remember what we were talking about. â€Å"Pathetic's not the word I'd use,† I said. â€Å"What word would you use?† My mind was blanking. â€Å"I don't know. Confused?† He smiled. â€Å"That's an understatement.† â€Å"I'll check a dictionary when I wake up and get back to you. Can you please end this?† The smile faded to an expression of amazement. â€Å"You really are that scared, aren't you?† I let my silence answer for me. â€Å"Okay, one more thing, then. I thought of another way I can get out of Clarence's and get some money. I was reading about college and financial aid. If I took classes somewhere, do you think I could get enough to live on?† This was a concrete question I could deal with. â€Å"It's possible. But I think it's too late. Classes have started everywhere.† â€Å"I found a place on the internet. Carlton. A college on the other side of town that hasn't started yet. But I'd still have to act fast, and†¦ that's what I don't know how to do. The paperwork. The procedures. But that's your specialty, right?† â€Å"Sad but true,† I said. Some part of me thought Carlton sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. He took a deep breath. â€Å"Will you help me? I know it's making you babysit again, but I don't know where to start. I promise I'll meet you halfway, though. Tell me what I need to do, and I will.† Babysit. He'd been talking to Jill or Eddie or both. That was reasonable, though. He'd want to know that she was okay. I could only imagine how my tirade had been paraphrased. â€Å"You were in college before,† I said, recalling his record. I'd scoured it when putting together the ill-fated resume. â€Å"You dropped out.† Adrian nodded. â€Å"I did.† â€Å"How do I know you won't this time? How do I know you aren't just wasting my time again?† â€Å"You don't know, Sage,† he admitted. â€Å"And I don't blame you. All I can ask is that you give me another chance. That you try to believe me when I say I'll follow through. That you believe I'm serious. That you trust me.† Long moments stretched out between us. I'd relaxed slightly, without even realizing it, though I remained up against the wall. I studied him, wishing I was better at reading people. His eyes were that green in real life, I decided. I just usually didn't look at them so closely. â€Å"Okay,† I said. â€Å"I trust you.† Total shock filled his features. â€Å"You do?† I was no better at reading people than I had been ten seconds ago, but in that moment, I suddenly gained a flash of understanding into the mystery that was Adrian Ivashkov. People didn't believe in him very often. They had low expectations of him, so he did as well. Even Eddie had sort of written him off: He's Adrian. As though there was nothing to be done for it. I also suddenly realized that, as unlikely as it seemed, Adrian and I had a lot in common. Both of us were constantly boxed in by others' expectations. It didn't matter that people expected everything of me and nothing of him. We were still the same, both of us constantly trying to break out of the lines that others had defined for us and be our own person. Adrian Ivashkov – flippant, vampire party boy – was more like me than anyone else I knew. The thought was so startling that I couldn't even answer him right away. â€Å"I do,† I said at last. â€Å"I'll help you.† I shivered. The fear of the dream returned, and I just wanted this to be over. I would've agreed to anything to be back in my non-magical bed. â€Å"But not here. Please – will you send me back? Or end this? Or whatever it is?† He nodded slowly, still looking stunned. The room began to fade, its colors and lines melting like a painting left in the rain. Soon, all dimmed to black, and I found myself waking up in my dorm room bed. As I did, I just barely caught the sound of his voice in my mind: Thank you, Sage.

Abigail progressed Essay

Abigail is the former mistress of John Proctor, and also the previous maid of the Proctor residence. Abigail is the niece of Revered Parris and attempted to practise witchcraft, only to be caught by her uncle. This lead to the arrival of several other characters to precede in the Salem witch trials, where Abigail and her friends act as witnesses. In the beginning of the play, she seems to be dishonest in admitting to witchcraft. When she talks to Parris, she attempts to use Tituba as a scapegoat. â€Å"But we never conjured spirits†¦ She always sings her Barbados songs, and we dance. † Abigail tells this to Parris to attempt to clear her name, as she and her friends are accused of witchcraft by the Reverend. She might be thinking that if she persuades her Uncle long enough, the civil blood between the two would make Parris believe that she is innocent, yet Parris is already concerned over the reputation she is getting from a remark that Elizabeth had supposedly made. â€Å"†¦ she comes so rarely to church this year for she will not sit so close to something soiled†¦ † This has one of the biggest in the opening Act as this sends a message to the audience of what Abigail’s character is based around, and what she is truly like. In my opinion, Miller describes Abigail’s character in this manner as he is trying to contrast her character with that of Elizabeth, in the sense of honesty, as how Elizabeth is described in a later discussion between Proctor and Danforth. Abigail is shown to be a sweet young woman, caring for her relatives. This is shown in the book, which would make you believe that she is innocent. However, in the film of â€Å"The Crucible,† Abigail is shown dancing at the beginning of the first segment. This changes your perspective of the character Abigail, due to the relatively bad thing she is performing, which back in those days and what many people believe even now to be a sin. â€Å"In her life sir, she never lied†¦ my wife cannot lie† Therefore Abigail is said to lie a great deal, whilst Elizabeth hardly ever lies. Abigail is quick to change her attitude to the girls, intimidating them into a worrisome state. She speaks to her so called ‘friends’ about the consequences of telling of the witchery they attempted to perform. She uses a natural power she has to strike terror in the hearts of her friends. She also shows how maniacal and ruthless she can be. â€Å"Let either of you breathe a word†¦ and I will come in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. † Abigail says this to her group of girls as she aims to strike fear in the eye of her followers, stating that if they were to betray her, she would come back and haunt them. And as she explains how she has seen murders occur before her very own eyes, she exclaims she is able to murder any victim she desires. This affects the audience, as in the beginning of the play, they observe a sweet, young lady transform so quickly into this vicious, desperate girl. I think Miller quickly turns Abigail into this enraged character as now the audience can see just how she really acts, behind the faces of her elders. He is successful in doing this as just a few minutes in the plays time before this, as she talks to Parris; she seems to be trying to show Parris of how considerate she is of his feelings by asking him to rest. â€Å"Uncle, you’ve prayed since midnight. Why do you not go down and -† He shows her speaking with Parris in a manor which a child would talk to their own parents, contrasting the way she talks to her friends, which I think in her opinion is people who she has power over. Miller attempts to show a classic stereotype of a distressed person in a forlorn situation when she is seen talking to her friends. Abigail does have a soft spot in her heart for one person – John Proctor. We, the audience hear that John and Abigail have had an affair. In Proctors mind, it is now clearly over between them. â€Å"I’ll not be comin’ for you no more† But Abigail does not see their relationship this way, and thinks that they should be together. â€Å"Give me a word, John. A soft word. † She says this to entice him towards her, in a manner of flirtation. This affects the audience by letting them know who the one man Abigail is in love with is, and how she is willing to re-kindle her relationship with Proctor, even if it means to make Elizabeth a divorcee. I think Miller writes about Abigail in this way to show the audience just how her character resembles that of a stereotype of a young, spoilt girl who will do anything to get what she wants, but never what she deserves. Abigail becomes quick to hand the blame of practising witchcraft over to Tituba, whilst she and her friends knew that it was her lead the witchery into the stage of being â€Å"worshippers of Lucifer. † When Hale and Parris came to confront Abigail about the witchery, the pressure became too much for her, and blurted out the only persons name she thought she could get away with. â€Å"Did you call the Devil last night? † â€Å"I never called him! Tituba†¦ Tituba†¦ † Hale and Parris are quick to believe the story of Abigail, calling for the presence of Tituba. But at the same they time, they do begin to fear the safety of Abigail from the Devil. â€Å"Have you sold yourself to Lucifer? † â€Å"I never sold myself! I’m a good girl! I’m a proper girl! † She probably done this to show all of her elders that she is a good Christian girl, and lied to protect herself from a punishment and to also save her Uncle’s reputation as the towns Reverend. This shows just how ruthless Abigail can be, and to what lengths she would go to bring her own happiness, even if it meant causing pain and suffering to others. I think Miller done this to be constant in Abigail’s character, showing she can be deceiving and sly. This also shows throughout Act 1, Abigail has maintained a constant character. In the duration of Act Two, Abigail didn’t make an appearance, but she was, however, talked about a lot by the other characters, especially by the Proctors. It also appears that she tried to frame Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft, by cleverly, yet deceivingly sticking a needle into her in the same position a needle was in Elizabeth’s doll, acting as if Elizabeth’s â€Å"poppet† was a voodoo doll. But this incident isn’t seen, but only talked about by Cheever to Hale, Proctor and Elizabeth.