The Time and Fate of Ragnarok Essay -- Literary Analysis

The Norse tale of Ragnarok presents an interesting example of apocalyptic literature as it presents both an end and a notable new beginning. The world which rises from the cosmic rubble is essentially equivalent to that which was destroyed, possessing the same creatures, features and Gods of times past. Thus through the themes of time and fate Snorri challenges the concepts of what was, is and will be by providing a framework which allows for the potential reiteration of history. By reviewing the Prose Edda’s telling of the the events before, during and after Ragnarok, the relationship between fate, time and history becomes clear. The Prose Edda begins by introducing several key concepts to the later work, beginning with Snorri’s connection of the Christian Genesis to Norse mythology. He cites the northern migration of man away from his origins as the cause of the slow loss of the name of the Abrahamic God. Snorri uses this loss as the primary reason for the need for alternate explanations of natural phenomena and thus the evolution of Nordic mythology (Snorri, 3). Typical exampl...

Analysis of Charles Dickens’ †Sketches by Boz Essay

‘The Streets-Morning’ by Charles Dickens is an extract taken from ‘Sketches by Boz.’ It is a descriptive piece and follows prominent features of the literary sketch technique, as it contains no prominent plot. The speaker narrates the â€Å"appearance presented by the streets of London an hour before sunrise on a summer’s morning.† The extract is in the first person narrative. This feature adds intensity and supports the use of details. First person narrative is generally considered unreliable due to lack of witnesses and external verification; however, the detached and objective narration by the speaker prompts readers to think otherwise – â€Å"now and then a rakish looking cat runs stealthily†¦bounding first on the water-butt then on the dust hole†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The sentence structures used support the use of detail and imagery. The speaker uses complex-compound sentences that are long with two or more sub-clauses. The use of these help create the atmosphere and heavy early morning slumber – â€Å"There is an air of cold, solitary desolation about the noiseless streets which we are accustomed to see thronged at other times by a busy, eager crowd, and over the quiet, closely shut buildings†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Through this narrative, readers are made aware of the close attention to detail the speaker employs. The mood of the extract is established through the sentence structure and setting. A relaxed and comfortably detached perspective is evident. In many ways it is similar to the morning itself, gently unfolding as the darkness fades. The narrative time and context is established through the subjects described in the setting. â€Å"Coach-stands† lying deserted in the larger thoroughfares remind readers of the 19th century. This is supported by the fact that they are described as ‘coach stands’ and not bus stands. Imagery plays an essential role in a literary sketch and is seen widely in this extract. The speaker uses concrete and abstract imagery. The use of metaphors lends a sense of what the speaker is feeling or trying to describe to the reader. Such metaphors are: â€Å"The days are swarming with life and bustle† the reference to honeybees shows a restlessness which was similarly used by John Keats in ‘Ode to Autumn† – And still more, later flowers for the bees, †¨Until they think warm days will never cease.† The bee metaphor is used to show activity that contrasts with the early morning street. The second metaphor is – â€Å"stillness of death is over the streets,† perhaps the most foreboding of lines in the extract, this metaphor could serve as a possible foreshadowing for impending events. The street itself becomes an important motif. It represents a path that leads somewhere, however, readers could question whether this could be leading to activity or stagnation. This theory is supported with the images of the â€Å"drunken, the dissipated, and the wretched.† The policeman similarly, is also preoccupied with his â€Å"deserted prospect.† The description of the street is similarly presented in Tennessee Williams’ ‘A Streetcar Named Desire†Ã¢â‚¬â€œ â€Å"The houses mostly white frame, weathered grey with rickety outside stairs and galleries and quaintly ornamented gables to the entrances of both. It is the first dark of an evening in early May.† The houses become symbols of who their inhabitants are in the extract. They give readers insights to where they live, how they live and who they are. The â€Å"quiet, closely-shut buildings† are perhaps the only privacy the residents have. The speaker brings in social context through this description and the tone shifts to one of fragmentation and futility with the description of – â€Å"The last houseless vagrant whom penury and police have left in the streets, has coiled up his chilly limbs in some paved corner, to dream of food and warmth.† The social context and strata becomes ironic when the last drunken man is home before sunlight, while the â€Å"orderly† part of the population are still asleep.† The opening lines of T.S. Eliot’s ‘Preludes’ also refers to an early morning scene similar to the one in the extract, using personification – â€Å"The morning comes to consciousness Of faint stale smells of beer From the sawdust-trampled street With all its muddy feet that press To early coffee-stands.† Human qualities are given to the cat who is – â€Å"rakish looking.† The character of whose develops as the speaker gives him gender and infers that â€Å"his character depended on his gallantry.† The use of personification adds further detail to the narrative with – â€Å"A partially opened bedroom-window here and there, bespeaks the heat of the weather, and the uneasy slumbers of its occupant.† The extract uses language in distinct and deliberate ways to shape meaning. The vocabulary used helps infer that the speaker is mature; this is seen with use of words such as â€Å"penury,† â€Å"profligate† and â€Å"dissipated.† A sentence of importance in shaping such meaning is – â€Å"The drunken, the dissipated and the wretched have disappeared.† The trochaic features at the end of each word, helps to reveal the distant and condescending manner in which the speaker is viewing these people. The order in which these words are presented form a climatic effect. Also seen is the use of the adverb â€Å"then† in describing the cat’s actions, which gives dramatic effect – â€Å"Bounding first on the water-butt, then on the dust-hole, and then alighting on the flag-stones.† The use of inversion by the speaker helps readers to concentrate on certain parts of the narrative. This is done in deliberation to gain readers’ attention, particularly in – â€Å"An occasional policeman may alone be seen at the street corners,† as opposed to the conventional ‘may be seen alone.’ Such emphasis is also used in – â€Å"cold, solitary desolation.† The speaker employs onomatopoeia to describe a drunken man’s inebriation with – â€Å"roaring out the burden of the drinking song of the previous night.† The speaker has a noted tone of detached indifference. This mood could be due to the futility of the modern age and monotony of these peoples lives in the eyes of a keen observer. The historical, social context comes back to the forefront and the void between the country and the urban life is seen. This effect of the 19th century and industrial revolution is addressed in – â€Å"The few whose unfortunate pursuits of pleasure, or scarcely less unfortunate pursuits of business cause them to be less acquainted with the scene.† Grammar and punctuation support meaning. The use of dashes shows a flow of thought or in the case of describing the cat, shows action and continuity. The use of the color grey in the â€Å"somber light of daybreak† supports the mood and futile atmosphere, seen also in O’ Henry’s ‘Gift of the Magi’ – â€Å"Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard.† The extract concludes with a reference to the figures in the early morning streets as â€Å"exceptions† other than which the â€Å"streets presents no signs of life, nor the houses of habitation.†

The Prison System At Parchman - 1032 Words

Worse than Slavery is a monograph that discusses Parchman Prison and gives various accounts of men and women who lived within the prison. Overall, Parchman was another way for white men to stay in charge and to keep black men oppressed. During this time, ninety percent of the prison population was African American. Although slavery had ended many years prior to the establishment of Parchman, it had many characteristics of slavery. The prison system at Parchman reflects themes of poverty, racism and reform. Living in poverty was something most African American had sadly become accustomed to, therefore, going to Parchman wasn’t much of a change. African Americans at this time were mostly sharecroppers and use to maintaining the fields.†¦show more content†¦I’m got to work wherever I’m is.† (136) The writer ever referred to Parchman as a smooth and simple extension of normal black life. (136) Although Parchman prison was a very profitable operation and made a great deal of money on cotton production, the inmates were still forced to remain in poverty. (224) In less than a decade, Parchman had become a giant money machine: profitable, self-sufficient, and secure. (155) Racism in Mississippi was still strong at this time. Parchman was thought of as a well-organized slave plantation that would not raise African Americans intelligence or their morality, but it could teach them proper discipline, strong work habits, and respect for white authority.(110) Although, there were some white males in the prison, they were still segregated by race. While most African American’s did work in the fields, whites with particularly useful skills hoped for jobs as carpenters, mechanics, truck drivers, maintenance men or â€Å"dog boys.† Otherwise, the whites performed the same tasks and the same routine as African Americans. (162) The women’s camp at Parchman was also segregated by race. The blacks lived in a long shed-like s tructure, while the whites lived in a small brick building with a high fence in-between. Very few white women ever spent time at Parchman. It was said, â€Å"It is a fortunate thing for Mississippi that white women seldom indulge in serious crime.† (174) In

God of Fire and Metallurgy in Ancient Mythologies Free Essay Example, 2000 words

As in the case of the Greek stories, in Norse mythology also there has been some changes occurred as it is passing down through many generations. Poetic Edda and Prose Edda are the two main sources of Morse Mythology. It was Snorri Sturluson from Iceland who wrote Prose Edda around the year 1200 (Norse Mythology). The Poetic Edda is a collection of authorless Old Norse poems. The book entitled, Norse Mythology writes, Loki, a trickster, and troublemaker, was both a giant and a god in Norse mythology (Norse mythology 16). He is the god of the Jotun Race and is considered as the evil god of fire God in Norse Mythology. This Loki was once bound and shut up in a dark cave when he caused many problems to the gods. The website entitled; Norse Gods and Immortals remarks the character of Loki as, The sly, trickster god. Son of two giants. Also known as the Sly One, the Trickster, the Shape Changer and the Sky Traveler. Becomes increasingly eviler. He is responsible for the death of Balder . Bound until Ragnarok. The presentation of Loki in Norse mythology is very interesting that one can find various beliefs existing with Loki, the mischief maker. The Norse mythology presents Loki as the father of lies and deceit, and shapeshifter (Daly Rengel 63). We will write a custom essay sample on God of Fire and Metallurgy in Ancient Mythologies or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page Loki had two wives Angrboda and Sign. Loki had three children in Angrboda and two in Signyn (Norse mythology 16). As Loki belonged to the Jotun race, he is often viewed as an enemy of gods. Some believe that he is the blood brother of the great god Odin, which is why the gods never harm him though he causes for many mischiefs and certain other problems.

Fundamentals of Macroeconomics - 850 Words

Benson James ECO 372 Fundamentals of Macroeconomics 08 October 2013 The gross domestic product (GDP) is defined as the market value of all goods in any country at any specific time. The gross domestic product is frequently used to establish a country’s wealth or standard of living. Even though the GDP is supposed to determine a country’s economic health, many nonbelievers think the gross domestic product does not account for the underground economy. An underground economy would consist of transactions that are no reported to the government. The first thing that comes to mind as an example would be restaurant servers. Not all restaurants require servers to claim all of their tips.†¦show more content†¦They can do this by offering goods and services at a discounted prices or creating temporary sale items to compete. Massive layoff of employees can affect household because it will decrease the amount income each household brings in. When a household does not have a regular income, it affects the way they spend their money. Households will have to cut costs and budget their money wisely. When massive layoffs take place is has a great affect on the government as well. The government has to compensate for the large number of recently unemployed people. This increases government spending dramatically because now they have to use money for people who are collecting unemployment rather than on something else. Since households have less income, they are unable to put their money back in the economy. Even though businesses are saving on their own costs by laying off employees, they are not bringing in as much because people have less disposable income. When there is a decrease in taxes, households have a greater income which in turn allows them to spend their money at business. When households have a higher income, it lessens the amount of money the government has to provide for households. Business will be able to stay competitive in the market because people will have more money to spend on their goods andShow MoreRelatedFundamentals Of Macroeconomics Paper On Macroeconomics1272 Words   |  6 Pages Fundamentals of Macroeconomics Paper Macroeconomics is a study in which reflects the economy as a whole and the levels of total output, which is also referred to as national income. National income measures the value of an output produced in an economy over a period of time. In this paper gross will attempt to describe the economics related word terms such as gross domestic product (GDP), real GDP, nominal GDP, unemployment rate, inflation rate and interest rate in laymen. Also will describeRead MoreFundamentals of Macroeconomics Essay778 Words   |  4 PagesFundamentals of Macroeconomics Fundamentals of Macroeconomics Stafford M. 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Last Sacrifice Chapter Twenty-three Free Essays

string(33) " of harshness and desperateness\." THE FEW SECONDS OF SILENCE that followed seemed to stretch out to eternity. Everyone was confused, each for totally different reasons. Jill’s initial surprise had been laced with excitement, but as she stared around from face to face, her smile faded and faded until she looked as bewildered as the rest of us. We will write a custom essay sample on Last Sacrifice Chapter Twenty-three or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"What’s going on?’ asked a new voice. Moments later, Emily Mastrano appeared beside her daughter. Emily glanced at me and Sydney with curiosity and then gasped when she saw the third member of our group. â€Å"Sonya!’ Emily jerked Jill back, her face filled with panic. Emily wasn’t guardian-fast, but I admired her responsiveness. â€Å"Emily †¦ ?’ Sonya’s voice was very small, on the verge of cracking. â€Å"It †¦ it’s me †¦ really me †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Emily tried to tug the man inside as well but stopped when she got a good look at Sonya. Like anyone else, Emily had to acknowledge the obvious. Sonya had no Strigoi features. Plus, she was out in broad daylight. Emily faltered and opened her mouth to speak, but her lips couldn’t quite manage it. She finally turned to me. â€Å"Rose †¦ what’s going on?’ I was surprised that she would regard me as an authority, both because we’d only met once and because I honestly wasn’t sure what was going on either. It took me a few attempts to find my voice. â€Å"I think †¦ I think we should come inside †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Emily’s gaze fell back on Sonya. Jill tried to push forward to see what all the drama was about, but Emily continued blocking the door, still not totally convinced it was safe. I couldn’t blame her. At last, she gave a slow nod and stepped away to give us access. Sydney’s eyes flicked toward the car, where Victor, Robert, and Dimitri were waiting. â€Å"What about them?’ she asked me. I hesitated. I wanted Dimitri to be with me to drop the bombshell, but Emily might only be able to handle one thing at a time here. Moroi didn’t have to run in royal circles to know who Victor Dashkov was or what he looked like. Our trip to Las Vegas had been proof of that. I shook my head at Sydney. â€Å"They can wait.’ We settled into the family’s living room and learned the guy who’d answered the door was Emily’s husband, John Mastrano. Emily went through the motions of offering us beverages, like this was a perfectly ordinary visit, but the look on her face confirmed she was still in shock. She handed us glasses of water like a robot, her face so pale she might have been Strigoi. John rested his hand on Emily’s once she sat down. He kept giving us wary looks, but for her, he was all affection and concern. â€Å"What’s going on?’ Emily’s eyes were still dazed. â€Å"I †¦ don’t know. My cousin is here †¦ but I don’t understand how †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ She looked back and forth at me, Sydney, and Sonya. â€Å"How is this possible?’ Her voice shook. â€Å"It was Lissa, wasn’t it?’ exclaimed Jill, who undoubtedly knew this relative’s sordid history. She was understandably shocked–and a little nervous–but excitement was beginning to stir. â€Å"I heard what happened with Dimitri. It’s true, isn’t it? Lissa can heal Strigoi. She saved him. She saved †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Jill turned toward Sonya, enthusiasm wavering a little. I wondered what kind of stories she’d heard about Sonya. â€Å"She saved you.’ â€Å"Lissa didn’t do it,’ I said. â€Å"Another, uh, spirit user did.’ Jill’s face lit up. â€Å"Adrian?’ I’d forgotten about her crush on him. â€Å"No †¦ someone else. It’s not important,’ I added hastily. â€Å"Sonya’s †¦ well, she’s Moroi again. Confused, though. Not quite herself.’ Sonya had been drinking in the sight of her cousin but now turned to me with a wry, knowing smile. â€Å"I can speak for myself, Rose.’ â€Å"Sorry,’ I said. Emily turned to Sydney and frowned. They’d been introduced, but no more. â€Å"Why are you here?’ Emily didn’t have to say what she really meant. She wanted to know why a human was here. â€Å"Are you a feeder?’ â€Å"No!’ exclaimed Sydney, jumping up from her spot beside me on the loveseat. I had never seen her filled with such outrage and disgust. â€Å"Say that again, and I’ll walk right out of here! I’m an Alchemist.’ She was met with blank stares, and I pulled Sydney back down. â€Å"Easy, girl. I don’t think they don’t know what Alchemists are.’ Secretly, I was glad. When I’d first discovered the Alchemists, I’d felt like I was the last person in the world to find out. It was nice to know others were out of the loop too. Keeping things simple for now, I explained to Emily, â€Å"Sydney’s been helping us.’ Tears brimmed in Emily’s blue eyes as she turned back to her cousin. Emily Mastrano was one of the most stunning women I’d ever met. Even tears were beautiful on her. â€Å"It’s really you, isn’t it? They brought you back to me. Oh God.’ Emily rose and walked over to hold her cousin in a deep embrace. â€Å"I’ve missed you so much. I can’t believe this.’ I almost felt like crying, too, but sternly reminded myself that we had come with a mission. I knew how startling this all was. We had just turned the Mastrano family’s world upside down †¦ and I was about to complicate things even more. I hated to do it. I wished they could have the time they needed to adjust, to celebrate the miracle of having Sonya back. But the clock at Court–and on my life–was ticking. â€Å"We brought her †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ I said at last. â€Å"But there’s another reason we’re here.’ I don’t know what tone my voice conveyed, but Emily stiffened and stepped back from Sonya, sitting down beside her husband. Somehow, in that moment, I think she knew why we were here. I could see in her eyes that she was afraid–as if she’d been dreading this type of visit for years, as if she’d imagined it a hundred times. I pushed forward. â€Å"We know †¦ we know about Eric Dragomir.’ â€Å"No,’ said Emily, her voice an odd mixture of harshness and desperateness. You read "Last Sacrifice Chapter Twenty-three" in category "Essay examples" Her obstinate manner was remarkably similar to Sonya’s initial refusal to aid us. â€Å"No. We are not doing this.’ The instant I’d seen Jill, the instant I’d recognized those eyes, I’d known we had the right place. Emily’s words–more importantly, her lack of a denial–confirmed it. â€Å"We have to,’ I said. â€Å"This is serious.’ Emily turned to Sonya. â€Å"You promised! You promised you wouldn’t tell!’ â€Å"I didn’t,’ said Sonya, but her face wore its earlier doubt. â€Å"She didn’t,’ I said firmly, hoping to reassure them both. â€Å"It’s hard to explain †¦ but she kept her promise.’ â€Å"No,’ repeated Emily. â€Å"This isn’t happening. We cannot talk about this.’ â€Å"What †¦ what’s going on?’ demanded John. Anger kindled in his eyes. He didn’t like seeing strangers upset his wife. I directed my words to Emily. â€Å"We have to talk about this. Please. We need your help. We need her help.’ I gestured to Jill. â€Å"What do you mean?’ asked Jill. That earlier eager spark was gone, cooled by her mother’s reaction. â€Å"It’s about your–‘ I came to a stop. I’d rushed into this, ready to find Lissa’s sibling– her sister, we now knew–with little thought of the implications. I should have known this would be a secret from everyone–including the child in question. I hadn’t considered what a shock this would be to her. And this wasn’t just some random stranger. This was Jill. Jill. My friend. The girl who was like a little sister to all of us, the one we looked out for. What was I about to do to her? Looking at John, I realized things were worse still. Did Jill think he was her father? This family was about to be shaken to its core– and I was responsible. â€Å"Don’t!’ cried Emily, jumping up again. â€Å"Get out! All of you! I don’t want you here!’ â€Å"Mrs. Mastrano †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ I began. â€Å"You can’t pretend this isn’t real. You have to face it.’ â€Å"No!’ she pointed to the door. â€Å"Get out! Get out, or I’ll †¦ I’ll call the police! Or the guardians! You †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Realization flashed over her now that the initial shock of seeing Sonya had faded. Victor wasn’t the only criminal Moroi would be on guard for. â€Å"You’re a fugitive! A murderer!’ â€Å"She is not!’ said Jill, leaning forward. â€Å"I told you, Mom. I told you before it was a mistake–‘ â€Å"Get out,’ repeated Emily. â€Å"Sending us away won’t change the truth,’ I said, forcing myself to stay calm. â€Å"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?’ John’s face was flushed red, angry and defensive. â€Å"If I don’t have an answer within thirty seconds, I’m calling the guardians and the police.’ I looked over at Jill and couldn’t speak. I didn’t know how to say what I needed to, at least not tactfully. Sydney, however, didn’t have that problem. â€Å"He’s not your father,’ she said bluntly, pointing at John. There was a slight pause in the room. Jill almost looked disappointed, like she’d hoped for more exciting news. â€Å"I know that. He’s my stepdad. Or, well, my dad as far as I’m concerned.’ Emily sank back on the couch, burying her face in her hands. She seemed to be crying, but I was pretty sure she could jump up at any moment and call the authorities. We had to get through this fast, no matter how painful. â€Å"Right. He’s not your biological father,’ I said, looking steadily at Jill. The eyes. How had I never noticed the eyes? ‘Eric Dragomir is.’ Emily made a low keening sound. â€Å"No,’ she begged. â€Å"Please don’t do this.’ John’s anger morphed back to the confusion that seemed to be so in fashion in this room. â€Å"What?’ â€Å"That †¦ no.’ Jill slowly shook her head. â€Å"That’s impossible. My father was just †¦ just some guy who ran out on us.’ In some ways, that wasn’t far from the truth, I supposed. â€Å"It was Eric Dragomir,’ I said. â€Å"You’re part of their family. Lissa’s sister. You’re †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ I startled myself, realizing I had to look at Jill in a whole new way. â€Å"You’re royalty.’ Jill was always full of energy and optimism, operating in the world with a naive hope and charm. But now her face was grim and sober, making her look older than her fifteen years. â€Å"No. This is a joke. My dad was a lowlife. I’m not †¦ no. Rose, stop.’ â€Å"Emily.’ I flinched at the sound of Sonya’s voice, surprised to hear her speak. I was more surprised at her expression. Authoritative. Serious. Determined. Sonya was younger than Emily by–what? Ten years, if I had to guess. But Sonya had fixed her cousin with a stare that made Emily look like a naughty child. â€Å"Emily, it’s time to give this up. You have to tell her. For God’s sake, you have to tell John. You can’t keep this buried anymore.’ Emily looked up and met Sonya’s eyes. â€Å"I can’t tell. You know what will happen †¦ I can’t do that to her.’ â€Å"None of us know what will happen,’ said Sonya. â€Å"But things will get worse if you don’t take control now.’ After a long moment, Emily finally looked away, staring at the floor. The sad, sad look on her face broke my heart. And not just mine. â€Å"Mom?’ asked Jill, voice trembling. â€Å"What’s happening? This is all a big mix-up, right?’ Emily sighed and looked up at her daughter. â€Å"No. You are Eric Dragomir’s daughter. Rose is right.’ John made a small, strangled sound but didn’t interrupt his wife. She squeezed his hand again. â€Å"What I told you both over the years †¦ it was true. Mostly. We did just have a brief †¦ relationship. Not a cheap one, exactly. But brief.’ She paused and glanced over at John this time, her expression softening. â€Å"I told you †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ He nodded. â€Å"And I told you the past didn’t matter to me. Never affected how I felt about you, about Jill. But I never imagined †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ â€Å"Me neither,’ she agreed. â€Å"I didn’t even know who he was when we first met. It was back when I lived in Las Vegas and had my first job, dancing in a show at the Witching Hour.’ I felt my eyes go wide. No one seemed to notice. The Witching Hour. My friends and I had been to that casino while hunting for Robert, and a man there had made a joke about Lissa’s father being interested in showgirls. I knew Emily worked in a Detroit ballet company now; it was why they lived in Michigan. Never would I have guessed that she’d started as a feather-and-sequin-clad dancer in a Las Vegas show. But why not? She would have had to start somewhere, and her tall, graceful frame would lend itself well to any type of dancing. â€Å"He was so sweet †¦ and so sad,’ Emily continued. â€Å"His father had just died, and he’d come to sort of drown his sorrows. I understood how a death would devastate him, but now †¦ well, I really understand. It was another loss to his family. The numbers were dropping.’ She frowned thoughtfully and then shrugged. â€Å"He was a good man, and I think he truly loved his wife. But he was in a dark, low place. I don’t think he was using me. He cared about me, though I doubt what happened between us would have in other circumstances. Anyway, I was fine with the way things ended and was content to move on with my life †¦ until Jill came along. I contacted Eric because I thought he should know–though I made it clear I didn’t expect anything from him. And at that point, knowing who he was, I didn’t want anything. If I’d let him, I think he would have acknowledged you, had a role in your life.’ Emilyâ€⠄¢s eyes were on Jill now. â€Å"But I’ve seen what that world is like. Court life is politics and lies and backstabbing. In the end, the only thing I’d accept from him was money. I still didn’t want that. I didn’t want to feel like I was blackmailing him–but I did want to make sure your future was secure.’ I spoke without thinking. â€Å"You don’t really live like you’re using that money.’ I regretted the words as soon as they were out. Their home was perfectly nice, hardly the depths of poverty. But it also didn’t match the funds I’d seen moved around in those bank accounts. â€Å"I’m not,’ said Emily. â€Å"It’s on hand for emergencies, of course, but mostly I set it all aside for Jill, for her future. To do whatever she wants.’ â€Å"What do you mean?’ asked Jill, aghast. â€Å"What kind of money are you talking about?’ â€Å"You’re an heiress,’ I said. â€Å"And royalty.’ â€Å"I’m not any of those things,’ she said. She was frantic now, looking around at all of us. She reminded me of a deer, ready to bolt. â€Å"There’s a mistake. You’ve all made some mistake.’ Emily stood up and walked over to Jill’s chair, kneeling on the floor before it. Emily clasped her daughter’s hand. â€Å"It is all true. And I’m sorry you have to find out like this. But it doesn’t change anything. Our lives aren’t going to change. We’ll go on just like we have before.’ A range of emotions raced over Jill’s features–especially fear and confusion–but she leaned down and buried her face against her mother’s shoulder in acceptance. â€Å"Okay.’ It was a touching moment, and again, I almost felt like crying. I’d had my own share of family drama and parental issues. Like before, I wanted the Mastranos to have this moment–but they couldn’t. â€Å"You can’t,’ I told them. â€Å"You can’t go on like before. Jill †¦ Jill has to go to Court.’ Emily jerked away from Jill and stared at me. Only a second ago, Emily had been full of grief and distress. Now, I saw intense anger and ferocity. Her blue eyes were stormy, fixing me with a sharp glare. â€Å"No. She is not going there. She is never going there.’ Jill had already visited Court before, but both Emily and I knew that I wasn’t referring to some casual sightseeing trip. Jill had to go with her true identity. Well– maybe true wasn’t the right word. Illicit royalty wasn’t part of her nature, at least not yet. She was who she’d always been, but her name had changed. That change had to be acknowledged, and the Moroi Court would be shaken. â€Å"She has to,’ I urged. â€Å"The Court’s getting corrupted, and the Dragomir family has to play its part to help fix things. Lissa has no power alone, not without a family quorum. All the other royals †¦ they’re trampling her. They’re going to push laws that won’t help any of us.’ Emily still knelt by the chair, as though shielding Jill from my words. â€Å"And that’s exactly why Jill can’t go. It’s why I wouldn’t let Eric acknowledge her. I don’t want Jill involved. That place is poison. Tatiana’s murder is proof.’ Emily paused and gave me a sharp look, reminding me that I was the chief suspect. Apparently we weren’t past that yet. â€Å"All those royals †¦ they’re vicious. I don’t want Jill turning into one of them. I won’t let her turn into one of them.’ â€Å"Not all royals are like that,’ I argued. â€Å"Lissa’s not. She’s trying to change the system.’ Emily gave me a bitter smile. â€Å"And how do you think the others feel about her reform? I’m sure there are royals who are happy to see her silenced–royals who wouldn’t like to see her family reemerge. I told you: Eric was a good man. Sometimes I don’t think it’s a coincidence their family has died out.’ I gaped. â€Å"That’s ridiculous.’ But I suddenly wasn’t so sure. â€Å"Is it?’ Emily’s eyes were on me, as though guessing my doubts. â€Å"What do you think they’d do if another Dragomir came forward? The people who oppose Vasilisa? What do you think they’d do if only one person stood between them and her family’s power?’ Her implications were shocking †¦ yet, I knew they weren’t impossible. Glancing over at Jill, I felt an empty, sinking feeling in my stomach. What would I be subjecting her to? Sweet, innocent Jill. Jill wanted adventure out of life and could still barely talk to guys without blushing. Her desire to learn to fight was half-youthful impulse and half-instinct to defend her people. Stepping into the royal world could technically help her people too–though not in a way she’d ever expected. And it would mean getting involved with the dark and sinister nature that sometimes filled the Court. Emily seemed to read my silence as agreement. A mix of triumph and relief crossed her face, all of which vanished when Jill suddenly spoke up. â€Å"I’ll do it.’ We all turned to stare. Thus far, I’d been regarding her with pity, thinking of her as a victim. Now, I was startled at how brave and resolved she looked. Her expression was still underscored with a little fear and shock, but there was a steel in her I’d never seen before. â€Å"What?’ exclaimed Emily. â€Å"I’ll do it,’ said Jill, voice steadier. â€Å"I’ll help Lissa and †¦ and the Dragomirs. I’ll go with Rose back to Court.’ I decided mentioning the myriad difficulties of me getting anywhere near Court wasn’t important just then. Honestly, I had reached a point where I was playing all of this by ear, though it was a relief to see Emily’s fury shifted away from me. â€Å"You will not! I’m not letting you near there.’ â€Å"You can’t make this choice for me!’ cried Jill. â€Å"I’m not a child.’ â€Å"And you’re certainly not an adult,’ retorted Emily. The two began arguing back and forth, and soon John jumped in to support his wife. In the midst of the family bickering, Sydney leaned toward me and murmured, â€Å"I bet you never thought the hardest part of finding your â€Å"savior’ would be getting her mom to let her stay out past curfew.’ The unfortunate part about her joke was that it was kind of true. We needed Jill, and I certainly hadn’t envisioned this complication. What if Emily refused? Clearly, keeping Jill’s heritage a secret was something she’d been pretty adamant about for a while– say, like, fifteen years. I had a feeling Jill wouldn’t be beyond running away to Court if it came down to that. And I wouldn’t be beyond helping her. Once more, Sonya jumped into the conversation unexpectedly. â€Å"Emily, didn’t you hear me? This is all going to happen eventually, with or without your consent. If you don’t let Jill go now, she’ll go next week. Or next year. Or in five years. The point is, it will happen.’ Emily sank back against the chair, face crumpling. â€Å"No. I don’t want this.’ Sonya’s pretty face turned bitter. â€Å"Life, unfortunately, doesn’t seem to care what we want. Act now while you can actually stop it from being a disaster.’ â€Å"Please, Mom,’ begged Jill. Her jade Dragomir eyes regarded Emily with affection. I knew Jill might indeed disobey and run off–but she didn’t want to, not if she didn’t have to. Emily stared into the distance, long-lashed eyes vacant and defeated. And although she was standing in the way of my plans, I knew she did it out of legitimate love and concern–traits that had probably drawn Eric to her. â€Å"Okay,’ said Emily at last. She sighed. â€Å"Jill can go–but I’m going too. You aren’t facing that place without me.’ â€Å"Or me,’ said John. He still seemed bewildered but was determined to support his wife and stepdaughter. Jill regarded them both with gratitude, reminding me again that I’d just turned a functional family dysfunctional. Emily and John coming with us hadn’t been part of my plans, but I couldn’t blame them and didn’t see what harm they’d cause. We’d need Emily anyway to tell everyone about Eric. â€Å"Thank you,’ I said. â€Å"Thank you so much.’ John eyed me. â€Å"We still haven’t dealt with the fact that there’s a fugitive in our home.’ â€Å"Rose didn’t do it!’ That fierceness was still in Jill. â€Å"It was a setup.’ â€Å"It was.’ I hesitated to speak my next words. â€Å"Probably by the people opposing Lissa.’ Emily paled, but I felt the need for honesty, even if it reaffirmed her fears. She took a steadying breath. â€Å"I believe you. Believe that you didn’t do it. I don’t know why †¦ but I do.’ She almost smiled. â€Å"No, I do know why. It’s because of what I said before, about those vipers at Court. They’re the ones who do this kind of thing. Not you.’ â€Å"Are you sure?’ asked John uneasily. â€Å"This mess with Jill is bad enough without us housing a criminal.’ â€Å"I’m certain,’ said Emily. â€Å"Sonya and Jill trust Rose, and so I do. You’re all welcome to stay here tonight since we can hardly head out to Court right now.’ I opened my mouth to say we most certainly could leave right now, but Sydney elbowed me sharply. â€Å"Thank you, Mrs. Mastrano,’ she said, summoning up that Alchemist diplomacy. â€Å"That would be great.’ I repressed a scowl. Time was still pressing on me, but I knew the Mastranos were entitled to make some preparations. It was probably better to travel in the daytime too. A rough check of my mental map made me think we could do the whole drive back to Court in one day. I nodded in agreement with Sydney, resigning myself to a sleepover at the Mastrano house. â€Å"Thanks. We appreciate it.’ Suddenly, something occurred to me, summoning back John’s words. This mess with Jill is bad enough without us housing a criminal. I gave Emily as convincing and reassuring a smile as I could muster. â€Å"We, um, also have some friends with us waiting out in the car †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ How to cite Last Sacrifice Chapter Twenty-three, Essay examples

Establishing a High Performing Project Team

Question: Discuss about the Establishing a High Performing Project Team. Answer: High Performance Team High performance team understands the objectives of team, and aware of the individual roles that would contribute in achieving team goals. Further, team members support each other in meeting the overall team objectives (Peters and Carr, 2013). In an organisation, high performance team refers to the group of individuals, who have specific knowledge, skills and experience to accomplish the task (Hertz, 2010). This team also helps the organisation to collaborate and bring innovation for the firm in terms of developing new ideas to provide competitive advantages to the firm (Katzenbach and Smith, 2015). The high performance team in the given scenario would be a team that could implement the change initiative for the local FMCG. Team would strive to work towards to formulate, execute, and monitor a change management plan that would lead to staff cooperating with change, reducing operation cost and turnaround time. 5 different team members would be selected internally who would contribute in this initiative to make change happen. Aiming the perfect scenario This team would create an ideal scenario that would lead to the win-win situation for all stakeholders. The idea scenario after the change program would be that existing employees will be enabled to work with the new employees and team members on the new machinery. Due to this, employees would enable to work in their full capacity that will be effective in increasing firms productivity and efficiency (Hertz, 2010). Due to this, the firm will also enable to achieve competitive advantages in the national and international FMCG market. After the change program, the firm would enable to produce nuts in new flavour and also change the packaging with more transparency. Current Situation Challenges in implementing change program There are various challenges that will be faced by the team in implementing change program. In this, employee resistance would be one of the challenges for the team. It is because in the organisation, 80% workforce worked above 10 years and they do not want any changes in the working practices. Due to the introduction of new technology based machines, employees may feel that they can lose their current jobs. Due to this, the existing employees would not support the team to implement the change program, which may affect the effective implementation of change program in the organisation (Raoprasert and Islam, 2010). Another challenge in implementing change program would be related to organisational structure. In the organisation, there may be possibility that some employees and labours unable to learn new technology and procedures to blend nuts in four new flavours. It would affect the team to effectively implement change program to improve competitive position of firm (Persse, 2013). Potential conflicts and how to manage Team stage 1: Forming the team Diverse background of new employees will be a potential conflict in this stage, which may negatively affect the induction program. It will also discourage the employees to share their backgrounds, interests and experience with each other (Daft, Dorothy Marcic, 2016). For this, it is the responsibility of the team manager to clearly define the team goals and provide direction regrading the project. Along with this, team leader should determine team roles and responsibility, which will be effective in managing the conflicts in this stage (Lehman and DuFrene, 2010). Team stage 2: Storming In this stage, the conflict will be generated due to different opinion of each member to perform the tasks (Quintanilla and Wahl, 2015). In this, team leader should provide guidance to the team members and collectively work with them to resolve problems (Williams, 2015). Team stage 3: Norming In this stage, the conflict among the team members will be related to the negative thinking of other members. It may generate the issues, which may negatively impact on the project (Williams, 2016). For this, manager should motivate team members to collectively work with each other and share their experience and thinking to resolve the conflicts (Huszczo, 2011). Team stage 4: High Performing In this stage, the differences in working practices may bring conflicts between new and existing employees (Samson and Daft, 2012). For this, manager should develop the guidelines and regulations to accomplish the work in particular format (Phillips and Gully, 2013). Inducting new team member into the team Potential conflict of new members with the existing members According to the conflict attribution theory, in the team, a conflict between team members could be raised due to feeling a sense of struggle, and latent participation among the team members (Graham and Folkes, 2014). Due to working above 10 years, existing employees may feel no excitement in doing job as compared to the new employees (Ensley, 2014). This sense of feeling may bring conflicts among the new and existing employees. References Daft, R. L. and Marcic, D. (2016) Understanding Management. USA: Cengage Learning. Ensley, M. D. (2014) Entrepreneurial Teams as Determinants of of New Venture Performance. UK: Routledge. Graham, S. and Folkes, V. S. (2014) Attribution Theory: Applications to Achievement, Mental Health, and Interpersonal Conflict. USA: Psychology Press. Hertz, H. S. (2010) Health Care Criteria for Performance Excellence: Baldrige National Quality Program (2009-2010). USA: DIANE Publishing. Hertz, H. S. (2010) Education Criteria for Performance Excellence (2009-10): Baldrige National Quality Program. USA: DIANE Publishing. Huszczo, G. E. (2011) Tools for Team Leadership: Delivering the X-Factor in Team Excellence. UK: Hachette. Katzenbach, J. and Smith, D. (2015) The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization. UK: Harvard Business Review Press. Lehman, C. M. and DuFrene, D. D. (2010) Building High-Performance Teams. USA: Cengage Learning. Persse, J. (2013) The IT Service Management Process Manual. Germany: Van Haren. Peters, J. and Carr, C. (2013) High Performance Team Coaching. USA: FriesenPress. Phillips, J. M. and Gully, S. M. (2013) Organizational Behavior: Tools for Success. USA: Cengage Learning. Quintanilla, K. M. and Wahl, S. T. (2015) Business and Professional Communication: KEYS for Workplace Excellence. USA: SAGE Publications. Raoprasert, T. and Islam, S. M. N. (2010) Designing an Efficient Management System: Modeling of Convergence Factors Exemplified by the Case of Japanese Businesses in Thailand. USA: Springer Science Business Media. Samson, D. and Daft, R. L. (2012) Management. USA: Cengage Learning. Williams, C. (2015) Effective Management. USA: Cengage Learning. Williams, C. (2016) MGMT. USA: Cengage Learning.