The Magic Finger

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Kratom Withdrawal Symptoms, Timeline, and Treatment

Kratom Withdrawal Symptoms, Timeline, and Treatment Addiction Coping and Recovery Overcoming Addiction Print How Long Does Withdrawal From Kratom Last? By Corinne O’Keefe Osborn linkedin Corinne Osborn is an award-winning health and wellness journalist with a background in substance abuse, sexual health, and psychology. Learn about our editorial policy Corinne O’Keefe Osborn Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on March 18, 2019 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on August 06, 2019 More in Addiction Coping and Recovery Overcoming Addiction Methods and Support Personal Stories Alcohol Use Addictive Behaviors Drug Use Nicotine Use In This Article Table of Contents Expand Overview Signs and Symptoms Coping and Relief Warnings Long-Term Treatment Resources View All Back To Top Kratom is an herbal supplement made from the leaves of a tropical tree (Mitragyna speciosa). It is grown and cultivated throughout Southeast Asia. Kratom contains powerful alkaloids that have stimulating, pain-relieving, and mood-altering effects on the brain. It has also been used by some to relieve the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. Over the past few years, kratom use has increased in the United States. Longer-term use can result in dependence and withdrawal from kratom isn’t always easy. Here is everything you need to know about withdrawal symptoms, your timeline, and how to get help. Illustration by JR Bee, Verywell   Overview While Kratom use in Asia goes back hundreds of years, it is a relative newcomer to the Western world. At this point, doctors and scientists are learning more about its effects on the human body, both positive and negative. Frequently cited positive effects include pain relief, relaxation, improved mood, and increased energy. Common negative effects, however, include tolerance, dependence, and withdrawal. The results of a recent online survey found that kratom users in the United States tend to be middle-aged, middle-income people living with pain. Most of the over 8,000 survey respondents said that they were using kratom to treat pain or improve their mood. A smaller, but significant, number said they were using it to help them quit opioids or treat opioid withdrawal. Whatever your reason for turning to kratom, you should know that it isn’t the magic solution some people claim it is. According to FDA research, kratom is an agonist that binds to the mu-opioid receptors. This is the same part of the brain that is activated when you take opioids, like prescription pain killers or heroin. This means that kratom is, essentially, a natural opioid. Like all opioids, it comes with a risk of tolerance, dependence, and withdrawal. Kratom withdrawal resembles opioid withdrawal, although it is typically shorter and less intense. Reports show that the withdrawal experience is different for everyone, with many people experiencing no symptoms at all. Survey data found that only about 9 percent of respondents reported withdrawal symptoms. Most of these people described their symptoms as a level two on a scale of one to five, where one is the most severe and five is the mildest. Frequently cited symptoms include fatigue, cravings, tremors, and muscle aches. Signs and Symptoms Using advanced computer modeling, the FDA came to the conclusion that kratom contains opioid compounds. Opioid withdrawal is, of course, notoriously difficult. Kratom withdrawal appears to be less severe, shorter, and less common. Whereas pretty much anyone taking traditional opioids for an extended period of time will experience withdrawal when they stop their dose, withdrawal symptoms seem to appear in a much smaller portion of kratom users.   Research suggests that people taking large doses of kratom several times per day are more likely to experience moderate to severe withdrawal symptoms than more moderate users. A study of heavy users in Malaysia who self-identified as “dependent” on kratom, found that 65 percent experienced mild withdrawal symptoms and 35 percent experienced moderate to severe symptoms. This is considerably more than the 9 percent of Unites States-based survey respondents who reported withdrawal symptoms. This may have something to do with differences in patterns of use or daily doses. Commonly cited kratom withdrawal symptoms include: Muscle achesInsomniaFatigueCravingsNausea or vomitingCrampingTremorAnxietyDepressionDiarrheaSweatingWatering eyesRunny noseHot flashesRestless legs   According to the U.S. and Malaysian surveys, symptoms of kratom withdrawal typically appear within 12 to 48 hours of your last dose. Symptoms typically disappear within 3 days. Anecdotal reports suggest that some heavy kratom users suffer from whats known as post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS). PAWS happens to some people after withdrawal from a variety of substances. People tend to experience depression, anxiety, and insomnia that comes and goes in waves. It may be a few weeks or months before you feel like yourself again. Coping and Relief Kratom withdrawal can be difficult for some people. When it comes to quitting kratom, you have two options. One is to quit cold turkey. The other is to slowly taper down your dose. Tapering means taking progressively smaller and less frequent doses over the course of several weeks. Some people prefer a gentle tapering strategy, but others want to get withdrawal over with as quickly as possible. Whatever you decide to do, there are ways to make withdrawal more tolerable. Here are a few tips to ease the pain of kratom withdrawal: Talk to your doctor. Explain the situation to your doctor and tell them you expect symptoms similar to opioid withdrawal. Your doctor may prescribe detox medications that can help alleviate problems such as anxiety and nausea.Try OTC medications. There are several medications available over-the-counter that can help treat the symptoms of kratom withdrawal. Examples include antidiarrheals, sleep aids, and pain relievers.Take a shower. Kratom withdrawal leaves some people feeling depressed and exhausted. A shower can help boost your mood, increase your energy, and soothe your aching muscles.Go for a walk. Many people have found that exercise, even a brief walk outside, can relieve some of the discomforts. It’s a great way to distract yourself from cravings and work out excess tension.Keep busy. It may be tempting to take a few days off work and avoid your friends, but keeping busy may be just what you need to get through the worst of it.Remember why you’re quitting. It can help to write down the top reasons why you want to stop using kratom. Keep this list handy and refer to it when cravings hit. Warnings Kratom withdrawal isn’t dangerous. In most cases, it is mild, like a bad cold. Unless you have special medical needs, withdrawing at home should be fine. If you are pregnant, talk to your OB-GYN about your kratom use as soon as possible. There is a case study in the medical literature about an infant born in kratom withdrawal. If you have struggled with drug abuse, talk with a doctor before quitting kratom. If you have been using kratom to help you get off opioids, then you are at risk of relapse. Due to changing tolerance levels, opioid relapses can be very dangerous. Taking kratom instead of opioids may be a type of harm reduction strategy. While scientists still have a lot to learn about kratom, it may be safer than both prescription and illegal opioids. When people overdose on opioids, it is because the drug causes them to stop breathing. Kratom, even in large doses, does not appear to affect the respiratory system. This means that kratom, on its own, is unlikely to cause a fatal overdose. As with any opiate problem, ask your doctor for a prescription for Narcan, the opioid overdose reversal drug, before you quit kratom. Long-Term Treatment If you were using kratom to self-medicate a mental health disorder, such as depression, anxiety, or PTSD, you should consider making an appointment with a psychiatrist or other mental health professional. You may find that a combination of therapy and prescription medication helps you manage your symptoms much better than kratom ever did. Resources If you are going through kratom withdrawal or are planning to quit, it may be helpful to reach out to other people who have been where you are. There are several active online discussion boards on Reddit that you may find helpful, including r/kratom, which has over 61,000 members and r/quittingkratom, which has about 7,000. Both are filled with helpful information. Some users post updates daily about their quest to quit kratom. Just remember that this population is not indicative of the general publicâ€"people are unlikely to post about not having dependence or withdrawal symptoms. In other words, people with dramatic or traumatic stories are disproportionately represented.     A Word From Verywell Most people start using kratom with good intentions. They want a safe, natural way to treat pain and anxiety. And it may work for a while. But when kratom use starts to take over your life, you know it’s time to quit. Quitting may be a bit harder than you thought it was going to be, but it probably won’t get too bad. If you’re struggling, reach out for help. Is Suboxone Better for Treating Opiate Addiction?

Identity, Work and Labor Essays - 990 Words

What are the differences between work and labor? There are many differences between work and labor. At the same time, it is complex to point out these differences because they are subtle. To illustrate one difference between work and labor, here is an example from a building site. The manager or contractor organizes the structure of the tasks that need to be executed. The laborers are those who are doing the heavy work, laying bricks, digging the holes and carrying the lumber. The manager, foreman and the laborers, however, are all working at the site. It is only those doing the heavy work that would be considered to be laboring. Some people work very hard and they really enjoy their work, while others find work to be a chore, could at†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, they had only taken a vacation a few times in their entire careers. Joe Robinson says, â€Å"Vacations can makes people with A-type personalities feel worthless, † (Vacation Doesn’t Work, New York times, 2008). I think very differently and I would encourage them to take vacations or to explore new things in their life. It was really hard for me to see how they became slaves to their work and didn’t receive extra payment for the extra time they worked for years and years. Some of these people retired and were so disrupted in their lives that they didn’t know what to do. Shortly after they retired they became sick and died. The work gave meaning to their life. The author, in the â€Å"Ant and Grasshopper†, Aesop (86), the author describes that the ant works very hard during summer to store food for the winter. She labors through the task while the grasshopper sang and didn’t care about the winter. Life is so much more intricate than this; people are a lot more complex than insects and it is not always easy to accomplish those tasks that the workers or the boss had impose on their selves to accomplish a specific task or project. Their level of constant worry and pressure is intensified when they have a dead line to finish a task. Nevertheless in the corporate world people have to follow certain schedule. For example the employees at some large companies need to sign in and out when they arrive at work andShow MoreRelatedAs I have shown, throughout his essays, Gordon establishes a narrative of the past in the Diaspora1200 Words   |  5 Pagesestablishes a narrative of the past in the Diaspora which is distinctly negative, dra wing on images of the Jewish people as passive and parasitic, alienated from nature and labor and accordingly without a living culture. Through his ideology, Gordon establishes an idea of the perfect relationship between people, nature and labor; a relationship that must be withheld in order for a people to be a living, creative culture. Gordon asserts that the Jewish people have been kept apart from the natural sphereRead MoreWorking Class Solidarity:Rebuilding Youngstown1205 Words   |  5 PagesWorking-Class Solidarity; Rebuilding Youngstown Undoubtedly work and place influence its surroundings. Youngstown, Ohio is emphasized as one in particular. As a result â€Å"steelmaking fueled the area’s economy and defined its identity† (68). The city was represented in newspapers, art work, postcards, and many texts as both â€Å"impressive and attractive† (75), as well as â€Å"imposing, confusing, and uninviting† (86). Considering the conflicting representations, steelmaking â€Å"also suggest(s) a key element ofRead MoreFather Son And The Father1353 Words   |  6 Pagesdirectly. Stevens inability to communicate with his father blatantly highlights the emotional barrier between the two characters. Furthermore, by relinquishing his father of his duties, Stevens will be effectively stripping the man of his professional identity. Stevens is unable to directly demote his father, however, further suggesting that he is unwilling to fully assume the figure of dominance over his father. If Stevens were t o directly address his father on this professional level, he would fullyRead More Examining the American Identity Essay837 Words   |  4 PagesExamining the American Identity â€Å"Americans aren’t idyll daydreamers; they take the initiative.† (Cato.org) In his statement, Edward Hudgins, the director of regulatory studies at the Cato Institute, captures the essence of â€Å"Americaness.† Since the publishing of Ben Franklin’s Autobiography in 1790, this definition of Americans as go-getters and self-made-men has become stock. While Franklin’s life story helped define the American identity, the discussion of what an American is began decadesRead MoreOverseas Chinese and Chinese People Essay1615 Words   |  7 PagesAmericans have their ancestors in other countries. Even though they are called â€Å"Americans†, they have a special identity, that is, hyphenated Americans actually. Chinese-Americans have been one of the large groups of hyphenated Americans since a long time ago. This passage mainly observes the living conditions of Chinese-Americans in America and tries to analyze how the hyphenation identity impa cts their thoughts and life. The first section gives a brief introduction about Chinese-American, includingRead MoreThe Rights Of Immigration And Citizenship Essay1564 Words   |  7 PagesThe high presence of immigrants in ‘vulnerable’ labor markets make the pathways for migration and citizenship critical in accessing agency. The legality of labor for immigrants affects the vulnerability of immigrants. The ‘under the table’ nature of many economic opportunities presented to immigrant populations changes the stability of accumulating capital or creating economic mobility. The ‘off the books’ nature changes the agency to immigrants to gain their wages, protest exploitation and to attainRead MoreMarx And Engels s Impact On Society1349 Words   |  6 Pagesbelieved could use revolution to bring an end to capitalism. The proletariats were a class that depended on selling their labor to survive. Being just another commodity exposed them to the c hanges of competition and the market. Manufacturing factories changed the nature of work for laborers and devaluated and alienated workers. Division of labor and machines caused laborers’ work to lose individual character and they become slaves of the bourgeoisie. Marx recognized that exploitation of workers didRead MoreThe Flaws of Prison Labor Essay687 Words   |  3 PagesThe Flaws of Prison Labor The debate over prison labor has existed as long as the concept it’s self. Opponents claim that it exploits prisoners, takes away jobs from the general population, and puts people in danger by allowing convicts access to their personal information. While supporters of prison labor argue that it helps the economy as well as benefits prisoners. On this issue I stand on the side of the supporters. By having prisoners work we are accomplishing several beneficial thingsRead MoreDual Career Families1654 Words   |  7 Pageshome and completed the majority of the domestic work. The traditional marriage has definitely changed, as it has become more of a norm for both the husband and wife to maintain separate careers. Research has identified numerous variables that affect the stability of a marriage. The factors that have been identified as affecting marriages and in turn influencing divorce rates include: financial stressors, domestic workload, job stressors, identity strains, and marital interaction time. The resultsRead MoreHurricanes And Its Impact On The United States1107 Words   |  5 Pagesdescriptive chronologies by David L. Niddrie and David M. Ludlow to name a few. By reviewing and using all of these resources, Louis A. Pà ©rez concluded that the 1840’s hurricanes had an effect on agriculture, social relations, and the overall national identity of Cuba. The Cuban coffee, tobacco, and sugar productions transformed in the 19th century due to the hurricanes of 1842, 1844, and 1846. The productions of coffee, tobacco, and sugar prior to the 1840’s hurricanes were profitable businesses. Many

Essay on Formal Analysis of Art - 696 Words

Formal Analysis of Art Formal Analysis of Art The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh is consistent of his typical artwork. He uses the lines free and loose making it an expression of his contour lines. The spacing between the stars and the curving contours making it a dot to dot effect. Van Gogh’s, The Starry Night† portrays his personal emotion. He writes to his brother about his painting almost as if he would be confused himself about the painting. The village is dark but at the same time it is peaceful compared to the dramatic sky life. In Sol Le Witts, Wall Drawing it uses an ordered form and symmetrical form called classical lines. The line Sol Le Witts uses is considered a connection between two separate points. Although†¦show more content†¦All the qualities of this art work create the effect that Diego Velazquez is trying to accomplish through the viewer. Velazquez also portrays himself working at a large canvas in his art work. This is also the effect he wanted to accomplish to the viewer. The effect of illusion is that he is watching you, in return to you watching him in his art work. Nighthawks by Edward Hopper use the elements of light in his art work. The formal qualities of his art work are the contrast between the tones. The light in the art work amplifies particular items in the diner. For instance, the cherry wood countertops and the tops of the stools in the diner are shown as the contrast of the light. The colors of the objects are also made to shine through the art work. The outer part of the diner is only noticed through the green tile that is lighter around it. The element of light is used to contrast the change in the objects. The diner also partially blends in with the background of the art work. This effect is also accomplished through the lighting used by Edward Hopper. The color element used in the art work is expressive. The color contrast in the objects are what make the lighted objects stand out in the way that you can see and focus on what the figures are doing. You have a server, a gentleman and a lady at the end of the bar and t he figure that is sitting alone is not lighted so you tend to keep focused on your lighted figures. The viewer ofShow MoreRelatedEssay on Art Formal Analysis601 Words   |  3 PagesArt Formal Analysis Examining the formal qualities of Homer Watson’s painting Horse and Rider In A Landscape was quite interesting. I chose to analyze this piece as apposed to the others because it was the piece I liked the least, therefore making me analyze it more closely and discover other aspects of the work, besides aesthetics. The texture of the canvas works very well with the subject matter portrayed in the painting. The grassy hill side and the leaves of the trees are especially complimentedRead MoreFormal Analysis Of An Art Work Essay854 Words   |  4 PagesPrimary Research: Formal Analysis of an Art Work The art work that I have chosen for this formal analysis of an art work is the Painter of Paestum’s piece titled â€Å"Red-figure lebes gamikos (marriage vessel) it was made with terracotta red clay. This piece was made between 340-330 B.C. It is approximately 10 inches in height. The present location of this art piece is at The San Antonio Museum of Art in the Greek Late Classical section. The collection is a permanent collection from Gilbert M. and DenmanRead MoreArt History Formal Analysis - Comparison1659 Words   |  7 PagesFormal Analysis Paper The pieces Ann Whitley Russell, done by an unknown artist in around 1820 and Lady Frances Knowles, also done by an unknown artist, in the mid-late 17th century are both examples of portraits that portray the sitters in diverse yet insightful ways to viewers. Both Ann Whitley Russell and Lady Frances Knowles are works of art composed of oil paint on canvas. Although these portraits are different, the aspects of space, color, and composition are all important elements thatRead MoreComparison Art History Formal Analysis Essay868 Words   |  4 Pages1. Cimabue Virgin and Child Enthroned 2. Giotto Virgin and Child Enthroned The Giotto and Cimabue are obviously different versions of the Virgin and Child Enthroned. But because they are different versions they have their differences. When i first look at the Cimabue piece the first thing i focus my eyes on is the sweet, tender, loving face the Virgin has on her warm yellow face. Her eyes are looking outward towards the audience which i feel helps you feel like you are part of the enthroningRead Moreart history formal analysis Renoir luncheon of the boating party4340 Words   |  18 Pagesï » ¿ARTS103OL Art Appreciation FORMAL ANALYSIS FORMAL ANALYSIS of: Luncheon of the Boating Party By Auguste Renoir For ARTS103OL Art Appreciation Instructor: The intent of this paper is to provide a greater understanding of the selected art object. Through objective analysis of the formal elements that make up the art object and considerations of the social and cultural climate in which it was conceived, a greater understanding of the art objects significance will be achieved. PartRead More Literature - Formalism, The Hershey Bar of Criticism Essay661 Words   |  3 Pagesdifferent types of critical work and analysis. But to make a complicated matter simple, we can say pretty safely that formalism refers to critics or criticism that, first and foremost, emphasize the form or structure of a work of art and assume that nothing in that form or structure is really accidental or insignificant. That is, the formal elements in a work of art all mean something, in relation to one another and to us. By looking at the architecture of art—how it is constructed, what its elementsRead MoreArt past to Present Essay741 Words   |  3 Pages How would you define art? What criteria would you use? -After being in the Creative Arts class my ideas about what art really is and how I would define it has changed. To me art is something that an artist has thought of and then made it. I also think that art should be something that stimulates the senses or the mind in some way. Whether it me a painting with a hidden meaning or music which stimulates your hearing senses. 2. In the coursepack discussion â€Å"what is art,† what four pieces doRead MoreComparing The Statue Of Gudea802 Words   |  4 Pages they depict different types of people from completely different time periods and cultural backgrounds. The Statue of Gudea shows the ruler of southern Mesopotamian, Gudea, whose reign was from 2144-2124 B.C. (â€Å"The votive statue of Gudea: A formal analysis,† 2011) sitting in a praying position with his hands locked and his eyes forward. He is dressed in what appears to be a lavish robe with an inscription that clearly depicts what Gudea thought of himself and his successes during his time as rulerRead MoreThe Dissolution Of Pollack s Vision Of Non Representational Art891 Words   |  4 Pages This art analysis will define the dissolution of Pollack’s vision of non-representational art/action painting to identify the reduction of rhetoric found in the color field art of Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman during the middle of the 20th century. Abstract Expressionism was typically defined by Pollack’s â€Å"action painting† methods, which sought to objectify the painting process in a complex and busy style of â€Å"rhetoric† applied to canvases laid on the ground and dripped or splashed with paint. RothkoRead MoreAnalysis Of Leonardo Da Vinci s Madonna Of The Rocks1014 Words   |  5 PagesFor the Formal Analysis Essay, I have chosen the following artist and work of art to discuss: Leonardo da Vinci (Italian, 1452-1519), Madonna of the Rocks, c. 1495-1508, oil on panel, 75Ãâ€"47 in. The National Gallery, London. The subject of the Vinci’s Madonna of the Rocks (Fig 120) portrays four human figures under the cave with a landscape as background. In the center, the modeled Virgin Mary is seated on the ground. By her side is John the Baptist, who she has her arm over. Across from John the

Lets Fire All the Managers Free Essays

Already title is caching our attention : â€Å"First, Let’s Fire All the Managers†. Intriguing start changes in the list of charges against the modern management system. The author is showing his critic for complicated system, where we have hundreds of managers in various level. We will write a custom essay sample on Lets Fire All the Managers or any similar topic only for you Order Now He lists three main problems. As first is the costs of management which is very expensive. At second he shows that typical management hierarchy increases the risk of â€Å"calamitous† decisions with bad judgment. And as third multitiered management structure systematically disempowers lower-level employees. For all this three he is giving examples to make sure that readers will understand the problem. After that there is a lot of information about how this system is working and how the place of work is organized. So now we have question. Wouldn’t it be great if we could achieve high levels of coordination without a supervisory superstructure? To confirm theory author is giving very strong arguments by describing new management model called self-management which is in use at American company Morning Star. There are no employees, there are only â€Å"colleagues† which are taking personal responsibility for what they have done. And each person is at the same level. So if there is any problem other colleagues going to help to resolve it. There are no managers all the decision are made in the group of employees : â€Å"Around here, nobody’s your boss and everybody’s your boss. † To be sure that each employee now what he is doing and what kind of opportunities standing in front of him there are management courses , seminars which provide necessary information. As author is showing company have got only great achievement and there is only few small disadvantages. He is giving very strong arguments about almost â€Å"utopia† organization where everybody are happy. Everything sounds perfect but is it real? Using the Google’s I found Morning Star company. â€Å"One of the best, world’s leading tomato ingredient processor†. And as author shows, they have got self-management system in use. As a founders of the new system they create website â€Å"Self-management Institute† which provide all necessary information about new system . Self-Management is an organizational model where functions of a manager (planning, coordinating, controlling, staffing and directing) are pushed out to all participants in the organization as opposed to a select few. From that website we can read the main issue of new system, which is: self-directed work teams, employee empowerment, distributed decision making, â€Å"flattening† the organization, elimination of bureaucratic red tape . All of that is already successfully working in Morning Star company. To be sure author of article Gary Hamel , decide to check on his own that system. What he saw was very fast developing company where without even one manager, people working very efficiently. And the most important is that they know what they doing and feel responsible for that. They are more loyal and are better judgment because they are not lack of context and understand the facts from the ground. System, called pancake-flat, is not complicated, because there are no bosses. But who is making the big decisions? Giving power to everybody is scary, danger, for sure there must be someone responsible more than others. Summary. How can a big company survive without structure? For company like Morning Star where from the beginning the main system was self-management and all the structure was already prepared system was easy to absorb. In my opinion it would be difficult to put that system in mega companies with 100,000 employees. It would look like a loud school class with pupils, when teacher left for a moment and everybody doing what they want even when they were said to read book . That is why in big companies there always must be someone who is going to manage a group. It is almost impossible that 100,000 employees will work efficiently without manager. Self-Management gives a great deal of freedom to colleagues; isn’t that dangerous? Freedom must be balanced with responsibility in any organization. Ofcourse employees need to feel free when they working no one like big pressure and stress on top of work. But if we going to say â€Å"Feel free†, probably their going to put their own targets first. If we gonna left them on their own, we will never be sure if they doing what they where asked for and don’t waste our time and money. The company creates an environment where people can manage themselves by making the main mission the boss and truly empowering people. Where everybody are on the same level, and every one are bosses. It is sounds like â€Å"One for all and all for one†. For sure one thing is good in system like that. It is much cheaper without managers which have to be paid bigger salary. Reading this article I started to thing that that was the main problem. And thet is why new system was invented. To save the money. In my point of viewself-management system is very intresting and very innovative. By the example of Morning Star company I can assume that it can work. Author is sure that is possible to improve this system in much bigger companies. And with that I can not agree. It can not work everywhere and with every person. It always depends on the place (where company is), kind of company, (it worked in a simple agricultural organization doesn’t mean it is gonna work at New York) and employees characters (there is always leading person and someone who only want to do his job) . References: Books: 1. Nic Peeling, Brilliant Manager, (2010), What the best managers know, do and say, 3rd edition, Great Britain, Harlow: Pearson 2. Richard Templar, (2011), The rules of Management, second edition, Great Britain: Pearson 3. Scott Adams, (1996), Dogbert’s Top secret Management Handbook, New York: Harper Collins Publishers Inc. Websides: 1. Self management Institute, http://self-managementinstitute. org 2. Morning Star, http://www. morningstarco. com, (accessed on 11/12/11) Article which I used: Gary Hamel, (2011) First, Let’s Fire All the Managers, http://hbr. org/2011/12/first-lets-fire-all-the-managers/ar/1, (accessed on 06/12/11) How to cite Lets Fire All the Managers, Papers

McDonalds stands for American cultural imperialism Essay Example

McDonalds stands for American cultural imperialism Paper Consideration of the facts, statistics and the phenomenal growth of McDonalds- with a product that is closely associated with American culture- makes McDonalds a form of representation of American cultural imperialism on rest of the world. The essay considers different perspectives about the issue; for example, McDonalds as a global organisation, its justification for the charges made by social activist and consumers perception of the company image. The essay also integrates the consideration of adverse influences of McDonalds on different culture or nations, the economic implication for countries or communities in which it operates and mixed reactions of consumers to the American cultural imperialism that is reflected through McDonalds. Due to the controversies and complex nature in constituent terms of the concept Cultural imperialism, most attempts to define it end up creating abstract complexities in the name of definition (Tomlinson, 1991; Barnett, 1997). However in order to understand American cultural imperialism through McDonalds it is important to define cultural imperialism. Schiller, (1976) defined cultural imperialism as Sum of the process by which a society is brought into a modern world system and how its dominating stratum is attracted, pressured, forced and sometimes even bribed into shaping social institutions to correspond to or even promote, the values and structures of the dominating centre of the system. (Tomlinson,1991:9) . It is worth noting that in the context of cultural imperialism Watson, (1997) has taken culture to mean as popular music, television, film, video, pulp, fiction, comic, advertisement, fashion, home design, and mass produced food. We will write a custom essay sample on McDonalds stands for American cultural imperialism specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on McDonalds stands for American cultural imperialism specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on McDonalds stands for American cultural imperialism specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer John Tomlinson, (1991) argues that the word imperialism has a connotation of some a form of domination linking it to empire, thats why cultural imperialism in third world points to the link between present cultural domination and colonial past. Said, 1997 has also emphasised the sense of domination that underlying the modernist production that is represented through global giants like McDonalds (Laura Chrisman, 2003). McDonalds is one of the crucial developments in America in twentieth-century that has influenced the world (Ritzer, 1996). In 1955 the first franchise of McDonalds was opened, by 1991 the number had reached to 12,000 outlets through out the world (Boje et al, 2006). Rigg (1994) states that McDonalds total sales in 1993 had reached 23. 6 billion, achieving the profit of 1. 1 billion. The total sale of the average US McDonalds outlet is 1. 6 million a year (cited in Ritzer, 1996). By the end of 2006 the company had 31,000 restaurants throughout the world that generated the revenue of $ 21. 6 Billion (McDonalds Annual Report, 2006). And today McDonalds Corporation is running restaurants even in places like Mecca in Saudi Arabia where a product that is associated with modernity and pop culture is difficult to imagine. The influence of McDonalds has reached far beyond confines of the United States and the fast food business (Schlosser, 2002). In a survey of school children it was found that 96% of the students could identify Ronald McDonalds in name recognition which is second to Santa Claus (Greenhouse, 1986). Because of its phenomenal success, there are restaurants throughout the world which copy McDonalds such as the fast food croissanteries in Paris, the chains of fast food restaurants like Nirulas that sells mutton burgers and the restaurants like Juicy Burger in Beirut (Ritzer, 1996). The influence of McDonalds on the way we live today is so deep rooted that the Golden Arches are universally more recognised than the Christian cross (Schlosser, 2001). On the opening of the McDonalds in Moscow a student was observed to exclaim that it was a real peace of America (Ritzer, 1996). McDonalds have a central place in popular culture (Fishwick, 1983). According to Smart (1999) brand names like McDonalds represents high profile symbols that are overloaded with variety of complex cultural association and their continual growing presence in almost all nations and its appeal serve as evidence of its deep-rooted existence, power and success of American commercial and cultural imperialism. Eric Schlosser (2002), observe that a generation ago American embassies and oil companies were the usual targets of overseas demonstration against American imperialism but these days fast food restaurants particularly McDonalds have assumed that symbolic role. Even the media portrays McDonalds as the American culture. For example, movies such as Coming to America, Falling Down, Moscow on the Hudson, Time after Time, Sleeper and Ten Men, have symbolised the American culture through McDonalds (Ritzer, 1996). Kellner (1999) points out the cultural dimension of the McDonalds corporation through advertising campaigns and promotional stunts, trying to create an experience of fun, of family togetherness, and of Americanisation associated with the McDonalds experience. Thus he argues that the one bite into a BigMc is actually consuming the sign values of good time, communal experience, consumer values, efficiency as well as the pleasure of the product. According to him McDonalds is not just selling the fast food, but a family adventure of eating out together, intergenerational bonding and a communal experience as repeated in their advertisements again and again. So the eating at McDonalds includes the consumption of sign values such as inexpensive food, a family outing, Americana or Modernity (Kellner, 1999,). It can be said that McDonalds is a combination of elements of globalisation and internationalisation (Vignali, 2001). According to Royle (2000) in order to succeed abroad McDonalds had to introduce a major cultural change so that their quick service food was uniquely American. Ritzer (1996) has based his theorisation of the phenomenon of McDonaldization on Webers concept of rationalisation that according to him is the domination of more and more sectors of American society and the rest of the world by the principals and key features of McDonalds fast food chain (Kellner, 1999). Retzer (1996) has explained that the principals of McDonaldization have restructured many diverse fields from the food, media, education, and even death. Kellner (1999) too agrees that the McDonalds fast food restaurants are sociological artefacts that can be analysed to generate more general and macro level of conceptualisation. According to Ritzer (1996) McDonaldisation influences not just the restaurant business but also education, health care, travel, leisure, dieting, politics, the family, and almost every other aspect of world society. He argues that McDonaldisation has proved to be an unstoppable process by dominating the seemingly unreceptive institutions and parts of the world. McDonaldization involves revolutionary set of business practices and a revolution in one very important cultural element that is the way people eat (Smart, 1999). In a similar way Pendergrast (1993), have used the term coca-colonization to suggest the continual American Cultural Imperialism. Katz (1994) has too referred Nike as dream machine that seeks to redefine culture through the power of sports . Barry Smart (1999) stresses the point that the expansion of the McDonalds Corporation through its franchised fast food outlets is the significant representation of American economic and Cultural imperialism. It should be noticed that there are various instances of resistance to McDonalds and its rationalisation of food production and consumption (Smart 1999). Ritzer (1998) has referred to the critical reactions in Jerusalem on opening of the New McDonalds by quoting the comment McDonalds is contaminating all of Israel and all of the Jewish people of a kosher restaurant inspector. Webster, (1993) too have referred to several comparable examples of community resistance to the McDonalds corporation in Paris and elsewhere in the France (cited in Ritzer 1998). Constantino, (1978) observes that global organisations like McDonalds are just economic bodies but their operations have direct effect on the culture of the developing countries and they target common masses of local societies in order to maximise their consumers. They try to cultivate a lifestyle that is inappropriate for developing nations by creating new needs, redirecting attitudes and by changing values. They try to induce western culture on segments of population who are most prone to absorb consumer values (Constantino, 1978). Finkelstein, (1999) agrees that McDonalds is an ambiguous product of modernity, because as an economic structure, it is well industrialised it makes the product efficient and profitable but at the social level it lends credence for the modern existence in an iron cage. According to Finkelstein, (1999) the snacks from McDonalds are a type of privatised and individualistic pattern of consumption that doesnt build bonds of belonging. The social harmony of eating in McDonalds is superficially short-lived. Global McDonanldisation produces international identities and images although it creates thin communities (Finkelstein, 1999). Munch (1999) argue that because of consumption of cultural products in a global cultural market common standards of life have vanished and according to him this is an irrational effect of rationalisation process that is turning the whole world into a market for professional organisations. Warde (1997) observes that many forces operate simultaneously to create collective orientation towards selecting food i. e. ocio-cultural forces, media representation of taste, and socio-demographics circumstances program people to similar consumption pattern. Klein, (2000) too believes that the attack from the global companies on the choices people make regarding consumption happens on different fronts for example locally, with few super brands that use their capital power to wipe away small and indepen dent businesses, and legally Consumer companies like McDonalds using Libel trademark suits to hound anyone who brings unwanted twist on a pop culture product (Klein, 2000). McDonalds have influenced the way of life of a significant portion of the world. Fast food that is provided in McDonalds is the form of American culture that the consumers globally literally consume. By copying American eating habits of fast foods (McDonalds), people from all over the world have started to look like obese fast food loving Americans (Schlosser, 2002). Kellner, (1999) takes the argument against McDonalds by stating that McDonalds encourage such a type of food that is closely associated with risk of cancer and heart disease but also actively promoting same culture where at presence of such diseases are not considered as a problem (McLibel Support Campaign, 1994). The growth of McDonald since 1997 in Japan has accelerated the shift in Japanese eating habits. The sale of fast food industry doubled in 1980 which resulted in the doubled rate of obesity in children in Japan (Schlosser, 2002). In a similar way eating large quantities of meat has substantial negative effect on health and McDonalds have sold more than 100 Billion hamburgers (Spencer et al, 2005). Eric Schlosser (2001) referred to a study conducted by Wootan et al in 2006, in which they observed that at McDonalds the nutrition information at point of decision making was often difficult to find or completely absent. Samuelson R. , J. , 1989, argues that there are people who refer McDonalds as a mixture of all that is Vulgar in American culture (cited in Ritzer, 1996). Emerald Group Publishing limited (2007) has published that even though McDonalds is trying to create the company image as an ethical company promoting diversity, concern for the planet and encouraging healthy lifestyle choices however the biggest argument against McDonalds is inherent in its global position that anti global activist see as the crux of the problem. However while taking side of cultural imperialism David Rothkopf, 1997 state that, the vanishing of cultural distinctions might be a sign of progress of civilisation and a tangible sign of enhanced communication and understanding. The famous McLibel case was followed closely by different social activist, however Campbell K. et al (2001) found that the McLibel case did not had a measurable negative impact on McDonalds. But still the critics of fast food and McDonalds in particular are diverse such as farmer, leftist, anarchist, nationalist, environmentalists, consumer advocates, health officials, labour unions and defenders of animal rights. The reason for their targeting the fast food restaurant chain of McDonalds is so ubiquitous, for that it threatens the fundamental aspects of national identity i. e. how, where and what people eat (Campbell et al, 2001). Accordingly Storey (1993), recommends that people, as active participant of local culture should be educated for selecting or rejecting new changes in culture, making meaning, attributing values to the developments in the culture etc. On the other side the growing Americanisation of the world is very oblivious and it is expressed through growing popularity of the movies, music videos, television shows, clothing and the Fast food restaurants like McDonalds from the United States (Schlosser, 2002). Higher income, busier lifestyle, the ease of availability storage, and greater variety in food choices have all resulted in repeat patronage to Fast food restaurants like McDonalds (Veeck et al, 2000). At the same time due to the transitional culture a large number of people are nowadays systematically and directly involved in more than one culture and this has certain amount of influence on the type of lifestyle that appeals to people (Hannerz, 1990). The study by Curtis et al (2007), found that presence of female gender, higher income levels, younger adults, the existence of children in the home and the positive opinion concerning the taste of the western food are the determining factors for the choices of type of food people make. According to Jones et al (2002), McDonalds provide consumers value for money-meals and also to some extent it is identified with an active commitment to community values and community activities. Curtis et al, (2007) observes that the increased consumption of western style convenience food in urban centres is likely the result of modernisation of the consumer preferences, where the consumption of imported foods, is viewed as a sign of modern living. He also argues that McDonalds provide a moderate cost solution for families looking for a modern dining experience, the new form of entertainment in china. In a study Watson (1997) found that there has been a change in the target audience of McDonalds. For example twenty years ago McDonalds catered to children of Hong Kongs wealthy elite however these elite have abandoned McDonalds and have moved to up Market to more expensive places. As a result McDonalds have turned to be a mainstay for working class people, who are attracted by its low cost, convenience, and predictability. However McDonalds annual report in 2006 has presented many facts about company which try to provide justification for its global position and also shed some light on the organisations involvement with local communities for their welfare through employment opportunities, Health education, safety trainings, educational scholarships, and environmental practices. It is worth noticing that McDonalds ( its owner) invest more than $1 Billion annually on employee training and development to create a platform for opportunities and growth for its employees (McDonalds Report, 2006). The company is proud to express the fact that 40% of its staff began their career at the restaurant (McDonalds Annual Report, 2005). McDonalds celebrate diversity in terms of employee backgrounds. 20% McDonalds employees are African and approximately 25% of all McDonalds owner/operator are minorities. McDonalds have secured number one position in Business Magazine for Hispanic, 2005 for its efforts to champion diversity in every aspect of the business. The company is also deeply involved and concerned for the communities in which it operates. For example Taiwan hygiene programme that teaches hand washing skills to children, New Zealand seat belt safety programme, US sue the dinosaur programme, Netherland Ronald sports programme, Russia fire prevention programme, Australia cancer education, McDonalds education Scholarship for children. In the past McDonalds have received more than 60 awards for corporate responsibility and environmental leadership that includes place among 50 best employers in 2006 Canada, best employer of the year in Brazil 2005, Latin America one of the best place to work 2005, Environmental leadership award (2001), corporate conservation leadership award, animal welfare award, toy safety award. According to Adams (2006), who is one of executive officer at McDonalds McDonalds make deliberate choices concerning our food quality, available menu, choices, visibility of nutrition information, and educational message on energy balance and claim that these efforts demonstrate their commitment to the consumers health and wellbeing. McDonalds offers efficiency for consumers which means it is a best available way to get from being hungry to being full (Adams, 2006). It also offers the calculability in terms of portion size, cost and time required to get the product. One can predict the quality and service of the product over the time in all locations (Ritzer, 1996). As a way to avoid the fear of American imperialism, McDonalds tries to purchase as much food as possible from the countries where it operates (Schlosser, 2002). Silverstone (1995) in his paper has cited the criticism made by Lyon, Taylor, and Smith, about George Ritzers belief that the impact of McDonalds on society is essentially bad and they see such a perspective as a biased. They argue that McDonalds is serving a useful role on the high street and it can be seen as slick satisfaction of consumers needs. Silverstone, (1995) has also referred to the McDonalds reaction to the charge of providing unhealthy food that their product form part of an overall balanced diet (McDonalds Food: The Fact, 1994). It should not be ignored that McDonalds places the nutrition information in easy to read graphic format on the packaging for the consumers to understand their dietary requirements (McDonalds Annual Report, 2006). Since the underlying values of the target audience have changed, McDonalds could not solely rely on convenience and product consistency as a unique selling point (Schroder et al, 2005). Watson, 1997 too agrees that in post modern upbringing the boundaries of the status, style, and taste dissolve almost as fast as they are formed. What is in today is out tomorrow as a result McDonalds is giving strong corporate emphasis on consumer health, quality and socially responsible initiatives must be taken (Schroder et al, 2005). According to study carried out by Emerald Group Publishing limited (2007), McDonalds have made significant changes in its product line to reflect todays healthy eating concerns and the more sophisticated taste of twenty first century consumers. In conclusion, due to its phenomenal growth, McDonalds does represent American cultural imperialism. The domination of American culture in the rest of the world has helped McDonalds Corporation in its tremendous growth and consequently McDonalds has strengthened the power of American culture in the world. It shows that the relationship between American cultural domination and the growth of McDonalds is positive. However from the companys point of view, McDonalds offers the world the service that satisfies the consumers needs with due consideration to ethical issues. And for consumers it is an affordable and convenient way of experiencing the modern living. However anti-globalisation activists resist McDonalds for the adverse effects it has on native cultures and argue that the culture represented by McDonalds is inappropriate for the common masses. After considering different perspectives it can be concluded that McDonalds does represent American cultural imperialism but it can not essentially be seen as bad or good for the nations of the world. However, consideration should be given to the importance of native culture, the role it plays in peoples life and the effect of American culture on developing countries where such American influence is not suitable.

The Impact of Social Media in Our Daily Lives

The Impact of Social Media in Our Daily Lives What Is Social Media? Social media is an electronic tool that serves to connect people remotely at their convenience. Some of the versions of this tool are LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, among others. MEDIA INFLUENCE FEMALE PERCEPTION OF THE BODY IMAGE. AGREE OR DISAGREE? There are several reasons why social media is important in our everyday life as outlined herein: Reason 1.  It helps people connect with their friends and make some new ones as well. Reason 2.  It helps people share what they are doing or details on where they are with the rest of the world. Reason 3.  It is also an avenue where you can order social media essay online or buy social media essay as well. What Social Media Are the Most Popular? Pinterest The importance of images on the web cannot be overemphasized and that is why Pinterest continues to gain praise as the only platform that has attracted the highest number of unique visits on a monthly basis. It makes use of the pinboard-style which is quite enticing and can be used to collect best images. Pinterest is also infiltrating the shopping market even as retailers take to using it. WhatsApp This tool has become one of the most popular platforms for instant messaging and can either work with data or internet connection to send or receive messages. Other than that, you can send voice messages, photos, and videos too. WhatsApp comes with customized features as well such as notification sounds, profiles, and wallpapers. Better still, you can allow it to connect to the address book on your phone for all your contacts to be transferred to it. Facebook This is the most popular social network on the internet with a record number of active users and those who take the time to log in on a daily basis. Just after WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger is the second most popular app in the world, used for messaging. You should also expect the dominance of Facebook to continue in future after its acquisition of Whatsapp. Twitter If you need access to instant news, then, twitter should be your number one choice. Twitter is a microblogging network that allows you to share different kinds of multimedia content through tweets. Many individuals continue to use it throughout the world as they enjoy the aspect of unfiltered feed. It is simply the best platform to discover what is happening in the rest of the world instantly. How Social Media Influence Us Social media has both positive and negative influence on individuals. The Good Immediate access to information Twitter delivers instant details on what is happening around you and the rest of the world from various sources hence, it is impossible to miss a thing. A level playing field for business Previously, for your business to be known you had to invest heavily in advertisements. Contrary to that, nowadays businesses can speak to the world through social media, which is a better option. The Bad Talk without action Though social media is an invaluable communication tool, today we see hashtag conversations that cause people to vent on these platforms but no action is taken in the end. Hiding behind anonymity It goes without saying that many are using social media to hide their identities for mischievous reasons. Hence, habitual pranksters and trolls have found a haven on this platform. VIOLENCE IN THE MEDIA CAUSES VIOLENCE IN CHILDREN Where Will Social Media Be in 10 Years? It is true that in the coming days you should expect a revolution in the world of social media. Some of the things to expect are that businesses will be keen to align their strategies in accordance with social media trends. The other thing that businesses will do is train their call center, staff. That will be in line with responding to Twitter, WhatsApp, and Messenger questions directly sent from clients. This will ensure prompt responses and better customer service for enhanced productivity. Social media is already part of our lives and we need to embrace it. However, it is important to set boundaries on the extent to which we should allow it to control our lives. If you need a social media essay, feel free to place an order. We can help you with writing any type of academic paper. Focus on something more important than a  college degree.

Five Misspelled Idioms

Five Misspelled Idioms Five Misspelled Idioms Five Misspelled Idioms By Maeve Maddox Some idioms are confused in the speaking; others just in the spelling. The following idioms are usually pronounced correctly, but they are often misspelled in writing. 1. waiting with bated breath The word bated in this expression is often misspelled â€Å"baited.† For example, â€Å"Were waiting with baited breath  to hear if Rosie ODonnell is officially coming back to daytime screens.†    The word  bated is from a shortening of the verb  abate.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"To bate† means â€Å"to reduce, to lessen in intensity.† The expression â€Å"bated breath† is the only survival of the word in modern English. Read more here. 2. lo and behold People use this to mean something like â€Å"and then see what happened.† The idiom is frequently misspelled as â€Å"low and behold.† Lo is an old form of â€Å"look.† Read more here. 3. pore over Not to be confused with the noun pore (an opening in the skin), the verb pore means, â€Å"to study or examine carefully.† In expressions like â€Å"pore over a book† and â€Å"pore over my taxes,† the word is often misspelled as pour (to transfer liquid). Read more here. 4. toe the line This expression derives from the practice of lining up with one’s toe touching a line that has been drawn on the ground. Competitors line up to begin a race or some other competition. When everyone â€Å"toes the line† in this way, conformity has been achieved. In modern use, the expression occurs almost always in a political context with the meaning of â€Å"to conform to a political party’s platform.† It is often miswritten as â€Å"tow the line.† Read more here. 5. pique one’s interest/curiosity The French borrowing pique means â€Å"to stimulate.† The word is sometimes misspelled as peek and peak. Here are some examples, one of them from a site that offers marketing advice: â€Å"It was that statement that peeked my interest in acting,† says Loretta. Lingerie styles, construction, and cultures have always peeked my curiosity. Udemy has really  peaked my interest. Headlines That Will Have Peaked My Curiosity Read more here. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Opening Lines to Inspire the Start of Your StoryWriting the CenturyComma Before Too?

Global & International Business Contexts (Chilean wine industry) Essay

Global & International Business Contexts (Chilean wine industry) - Essay Example The highly competitive environment in the telecommunication sector has led to low pricing of the communication services that has reduce the cost of the business infrastructure for companies in Chilean markets (William,  Beaujanot  and  Zuniga, 2010). The administrative infrastructure has also been favourable for quick registrations reduced the time of obtaining licences for the new companies entering the wine industry (Rugman and Collison, 2012). The physical infrastructure in Chile supports the growth of wine industry as the country has high efficient air port and sea port facilities to support the distribution of wine. The government has always encouraged development of skills of the available manpower. This has been advantageous for the Chilean wine industry as the efficiency of the workforce is closely linked to the business output (Wines of Chile, 2013). The weakness of the Chilean conditions lay in the lack of good quality of education at various levels in the education s ystem. The government has been coordinating for laying the infrastructure of proper training and development, specialized training for certain industries like the wine industry to provide favourable business environment for the investors. The wine industry of Chile, however, faces the risk of natural disaster like earthquake, volcanoes, etc. Due to these disasters, the wine industry has faced million dollar losses as a result of the damages on the physical infrastructure like the airports, transport facilities, etc. However, the overall industry environment supports adequate level of production to meet the export requirements of the wine industry. The foreign currency regulation is weak in Chile due to which the wine... The strategies and the rivalry prevailing among the wine producers in the Chilean wine markets are also important for analysing the Chilean wine industry. The level of competition in the Chilean wine industry in quite healthy in nature that has the objective of producing quality wine products for supplying to the customers in domestic and foreign markets (Jenster, Hayes and Smith, 2005). The Chilean wine industry has witnessed strong regional competition among the wine producers. Due to the high prospects and the lucrative business opportunities in the wine industry of Chile, there have been foreign direct investments in this sector. The foreign investors have increased their presence in the Chilean wine industry thereby increasing the competition for the production of good quality of wine at competitive prices. The instances of joint ventures have also been noticed in the wine industry. The joint venture between Err azuriz and Mondavi is an example. Thus the competitive rivalry in t he wine industry has been quite intense which led to the increase in performance of wine production and supply over the years. The areas of weakness of the wine industry are also important to analyse the investment proposal of the new business. The wine industry of Chile lacks in the area of governance among the wine producers and suppliers operating in the market (Visser and Langen, 2006). The wine producers and the suppliers lack mutual trust among each other. The practise of copying the marketing and distribution styles of other players has been observed. The Chilean wine industry has shown signs of regional differentiation.

Race and your Community Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Race and your Community - Research Paper Example The population of New York City is about 8 million people. All of them belong to different races and ethnic groups, so some of them look like me, but the majority of the population differs greatly (Crenshaw et al 1996). Diverse world views cause persons to selectively attend to information and to perceive similar information differently, though the same kinds of information are potentially available to each person regardless of race. Thus, racial identity models propose that the earlier stages (or the mono-racial types) are associated with poorer adjustment than later stages because in the earlier stages, the person has to expend considerable energy in screening out or denying potentially identity-shattering information (Schaefer 2006). Ethnic diversity is a historical process in New York so the majority of people treat other people as equals (Aronson, 2007). The leaders within my community treat white people the same way as other races and nationalities paying no attention to racial differences. Racial identification issues per se are not likely to be the primary concerns. Although racial issues will not automatically disappear from her or his life, she or he is not afraid to tackle them when they occur. Moreover, her or his life issues are now centered around becoming the best person he or she can become rather than the best Black person because such dichotomies no longer have meaning for her or him. In seeking a counselor, the Internalizing client may prefer a Black counselor, but he or she will judge the counselor regardless of his or her race on the basis of the quality of her or his demonstrated skills. Likewise, the Internalizing counselor no longer regards the clients race as either a major asset or deficit. It just is (Crenshaw et al 1996). Consequently, he or she attempts to help the immigrant resolve presenting problems and/or become self-actualized, but recognizes that

Analysis of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee :: To Kill a Mockingbird Essays

Analysis of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Born in Monroeville, Alabama, on April 28, 1926, Nelle Harper Lee is the youngest of three children of Amassa Coleman Lee and Francis Lee. Before his death, Miss Lee's father and her older sister, Alice, practiced law together in Monroeville. When one considers the theme of honor that runs throughout Miss Lee's novel, it is perhaps significant to note that her family is related to Confederate General Robert E. Lee, a man especially noted for his devotion to that virtue. Miss Lee received her early education in the Monroeville public schools. Following this, she entered the University of Alabama to study law. She left there to spend a year in England as an exchange student. Returning to the university, she continued her studies, but left in 1950 without having completed the requirements for her law degree. She moved to New York and worked as an airline reservation clerk. Character It is said that Miss Lee personally resembles the tomboy she describes in the character of Scout. Her dark straight hair is worn cut in a short style. Her main interests, she says, are "collecting the memoirs of nineteenth century clergymen, golf, crime, and music." She is a Whig in political thought and believes in "Catholic emancipation and the repeal of the corn laws." Sources Of To Kill A Mockingbird Among the sources for Miss Lee's novel are the following: (1) National events: This novel focuses on the role of the Negro in Southern life, a life with which Miss Lee has been intimately associated. Although it does not deal with civil rights as such - for example, the right to vote - it is greatly concerned with the problem of human dignity - dignity based on individual merit, not racial origin. The bigotry of the characters in this novel greatly resembles that of the people in the South today, where the fictional Maycomb County is located. (2) Specific Persons: Atticus Finch is the principal character in this novel. He bears a close resemblance to Harper Lee's father, whose middle name was Finch. In addition to both being lawyers, they are similar in character and personality - humble, intelligent and hard-working. (3) Personal Experience: Boo Radley's house has an aura of fantasy, superstition, and curiosity for the Finch children. There was a similar house in Harper Lee's childhood. Furthermore, Miss Lee grew up amid the Negro prejudice and violence in Alabama.

Learning Profiles and Multiple Learner Variances Essay

Differentiating According to Learning Profile and Multiple Learner Variances At the beginning of the school year, I suggested to the grade 6 teachers that we do a learning style inventory of the students we teach. They jumped at the opportunity to get to know their students better and to be able to provide their students with the best learning experience and the opportunity to be successful. We discovered many types of learning styles among the students, many of them having a combination of learning styles. As such I have helped them to incorporate strategies that will help to differentiate according to the students learning styles. For visual learners, for example, we have incorporated visual displays such as charts, videos, and handouts. During lectures and discussions they are provided with graphic organizers to help them organize the information. Dr. Tomlinson on the media video on Differentiating by Students Learning Profiles outlines that strategies offer choice to work alone, to work in an analytic way, to work in practical situations and to work in imaginative creative ways. Erica Mozzerall has incorporated most if not all of these strategies in the video on Classroom Demonstration. I thought that giving them the option to choose their own groupings was a good idea, she mentioned that by doing this they have unknowingly grouped themselves according to their own readiness level, she also allowed them to choose the question that they would consider to challenge them more; offering a choice also helps in differentiating according to their readiness levels. The rationale for differentiating according to multiple learning variances is that students need to be given the opportunity to learn and they should be doing so. This can be done through the implementation of differentiation strategies that take into account students learning profiles. In my lesson on students learning profiles, I will provide students with a variety options that will help address their learning styles. I am primarily a visual learner, therefore I tend to incorporate mainly visuals in my lesson, , my task is now to incorporate other strategies that will cater to the other learning styles within the class, which will take me out of my comfort zone however I am open to implementing other strategies that will help students be successful. References Laureate Inc. (2012) Classroom Demonstration. Mozzarell, E. Laureate Inc. (2012) Differentiating by Student Learning Profile. Tomlinson, C. A. Suggested website from cohort member http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/101043/chapters/The-How-To’s-of-Planning-Lessons-Differentiated-by-Learning-Profile.aspx

Helen Keller Essay - 1419 Words

Helen Keller Helen Keller was an American author who lived to educate and inspire others to become the most unique author of her time. She was a gifted woman who had exceptional writing abilities. She utilized simplistic style to correspond with all varieties of people. She wrote to inspire people and to help disabled people achieve their goals. Her writing style was full of many types of diction, syntactic devices, and patterns of imagery to exemplify her life chronicle. Keller used an unadorned tone with superb expressions and descriptions. Helen Adams Keller was born in the small town of Tuscumbia, Alabama in 1880. When she was nineteen months old she was diagnosed with scarlet fever, which left her blind and deaf for the†¦show more content†¦Her main advantage in becoming successful was her eagerness to learn. When she first started to learn she says, â€Å"I began my studies with eagerness. Before me I saw a new world opening in beauty and light, and I felt within me the capacity to know all things.† (Keller, pg. 72) She had a positive persona that enabled her to learn. She wrote simple but effectively in order to appeal to ordinary people, like she saw herself. Keller used simple sentences to convey her thoughts. â€Å"I felt approaching footsteps†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Keller, pg. 15) she writes simple to easily explain her situations. Keller’s main message in her autobiography is that you can persevere through anything in life, â€Å"Helen Keller has shown the world that one can achieve anything in their lifetime.† ( , Pg. 210) She tells the story of her life to present the examples in her life and to show her own uniqueness. Keller proved that her deafness and blindness would not stop her from being an extraordinary person. She also wrote to express her survival of her disabilities and how she overcame them. Keller’s purpose was to inspire people to endure. She communicated to disabled people especially to help them realize what they are capable of. Helen Keller uses specific diction techniques in her writing to address her ideas. She uses vivid sensory language when describing events and objects. When she went to visit the ocean she says, â€Å"I felt the pebbles rattling as the wavesShow MoreRelatedHelen Keller2150 Words   |  9 PagesHelen Keller Her life and legacy While they were saying among themselves it cannot be done, it was done. -Helen Keller Hailan El-Naas Grade 9A April 28, 2013 Table of Contents 1. Outline 1 2. Introduction Read MoreHelen Keller Essay850 Words   |  4 Pagesfulfill her needs. This was exactly the way Helen Keller lived part of her childhood. If we think about Erik W. and Uncle Jim, they were only blind, whereas Helen Keller was deaf and blind. Living with two disabilities, going against society and reaching up to great heights, I believe Helen Keller faced the greatest obstacles. Helen Keller had come across tremendous difficulties, but the aspect that made her stand out was that she was blind and deaf. Keller developed the disabilities due to an unknownRead More Helen Keller Essay1682 Words   |  7 PagesHelen Keller Imagine a life without being able to see or hear and not knowing how to communicate with anyone around you. That world of darkness is what Helen Keller lived in for six years. Helen Keller has been an inspiration to people ever since she turned six. From 1886-1960, she proved herself to be a creative and inspiring woman of America. She was a writer and lecturer who fought for the rights of disadvantaged people all over the world. Most importantly, she overcame her two mostRead MoreHelen Keller Essay1053 Words   |  5 PagesHelen Keller is has changed the hearing, the deaf, and the blind culture. She inspired so many people to push beyond their limits and showed that, even the girl everyone called ‘dumb’ can be more than that. Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama in a small town on the Ivy Green Estate. On July 27th 1880, she was a perfectly normal baby, she could hear, and see. Until she was 19 months old she became very sick with a terrible she lost her hearing and her sight. She was called a ‘wild child’ becauseRead MoreBiography of Helen Keller501 Words   |  2 Pagesdeaf and blindness? Helen Keller was one of the few people back in her time to become really famous over something she couldnt help. Helen was famous because of how she was able to make things better for children and adults with disabilities, and while she did this she had no forms of communication. Helen actually wasnt deaf and blind; she was born perfectly normal in a small town in Alabama called Tuscumbia on June 27, 1880. Due to a sickness believed to be Scarlet Fever; Keller lost her abilityRead MoreEssay On Helen Keller1214 Words   |  5 PagesHelen Keller House and Museum at Ivy Green When I heard about this assignment I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I heard about a special lady who was born in Tuscumbia Alabama. The special lady I was referring too was Helen Keller, I didn’t really know much about her except for the fact that she was blind and deaf. I have also heard about the play and the movie â€Å"Miracle Worker† that was based off of her life. Little did I know I was in for a treat, learning about this magnificent woman’sRead MoreHelen Keller And The Naacp1701 Words   |  7 PagesRebecca Reed Honors American Studies I Mr. Cahalan 27 April 2015 Helen Keller and the NAACP A large issue in our country for the first two centuries, some would argue longer, of our time as our own, independent, country has been the issue of equality among races. This was an issue that was on the mind of many of the people who were very instrumental in our country including men like Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr., among others. The issue of equality among races caused lots of controversyRead MoreA Word For Everything By Helen Keller872 Words   |  4 PagesKeller and Baca, The Knowledge of Writing In Helen Keller’s short story â€Å"A Word for Everything† a blind and deaf child who faced many challenges, in which she was despaired to understand the meaning of the words. The persuasion and motivation are the two key components that helped Helen to overcome her obstacles, and allowed her to acquire the idiom for writing. In Santiago Baca â€Å"Coming into Languages† a teenager who was incarcerated, always so eager to learn the power of writing. When writing,Read MoreHelen Keller: A True Hero Essay1200 Words   |  5 Pagesovercoming said Helen Keller, a woman who faced many obstacles in her life (Fun). Most people dont dedicate their lives to help others, especially if they have disabilities themselves, but Helen Keller is a different story. At 19 months old, Helen Keller was diagnosed with a disease that led her to be deaf and blind. A true hero is someone who is dedicated to help others in need no matter the circumstances/struggle he or she faces, never gives up, and is an inspiration for others. Helen Keller is a heroRead MoreHelen Keller Play: Script1444 Words   |  6 PagesMRS. KELLER - ___________________________ MR. KELLER - _________________________ DOCTOR - ___________________________ DIRECTOR ANAGNOS - ___________________________ ANNE SULLIVAN - ___________________________ HELEN KELLER - ________________________ SCRIPT: On June 27, 1880, a girl named   Helen Adams Keller, a very well-knowned writer, was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama,  Ã‚   in a white, frame cottage called â€Å"Ivy Green.† Her parents were captain Arthur Henley Keller and Kate Adams Keller. (Helen is two

Why Do Old People Smell The Science of Odor as We Age

Old people smell is a real phenomenon. The chemical composition of odor-producing molecules changes as we age and there are other factors that affect how the elderly smell. Heres a look at some biological and behavioral reasons for changes in body odor as we get older—and tips for minimizing the smell (should you wish to). Key Takeaways Body odor naturally changes as people age but there are other factors that contribute to old people smell.Research indicates people generally dont perceive an elderly persons natural body odor to be unpleasant.Other factors can contribute to unpleasant body odor, including medication use, underlying illness, diet, and perfume use.Body odor can be minimized by increased bathing frequency and with the use of a deodorizing antiperspirant. Body Odor Changes as We Age There are several reasons why the retirement home smells different from the high school gym: Body chemistry changes over time. The characteristic scent associated with the elderly is the same, regardless of a persons ethnicity or culture. Scientists have figured out whats happening: As people age, fatty acid production in the skin increases while antioxidant production decreases. Polyunsaturated fatty acids are oxidized, sometimes increasing the amount of a chemical called 2-nonenal. Nonenal is an unsaturated aldehyde known for its grassy, greasy scent. Some researchers did not detect 2-nonenal; however, they did find higher levels of the funky organics nonanal, dimethylsulfone, and benzothiazole in the body odor of older subjects.Illness and medications change a persons odor. Older people are more likely to take a prescription than younger people. Both the underlying medical condition and the drug can affect body odor. For example, taking garlic as a supplement is known to affect odor. Body odor is a side effect of bupropion hydrochloride (Wellbutrin); leuprolide acetate (L upron), used to limit hormone production; topiramate (Topamax), used to treat epilepsy and seizures; and omega-3-acid ethyl ester (Lovaza), used to reduce blood fat levels. Several drugs increase perspiration rate, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), antidepressants, and codeine sulfate. Medical conditions that affect body odor include diabetes, hyperthyroidism, liver disease, kidney disease, menopause, and schizophrenia.Older people may bathe and change their clothing less often. An elderly person may need help bathing, fear falling on a slick bathroom floor, or may experience pain getting into and out of a tub.The sense of smell, like other senses, declines with age. As a result, an older person may not self-identify an unpleasant smell or might apply excessive amounts of cologne or perfume.Dental hygiene significantly affects a persons odor. As we age, the mouth produces less saliva, reducing the best natural defense against bad breath. Periodontal (gum) dise ase is more common in older people, also contributing to halitosis (bad breath). Dentures and bridges can retain bacteria and fungi, leading to infections and a musty smell.Aging affects our ability to sense dehydration. As the pituitary gland sends weaker signals for thirst, older people tend to drink less water. Dehydration leads to stronger-smelling perspiration and urine and can cause the skin to develop an odor from increased shedding of dry cells.Older people tend to have older belongings, which means their possessions have had time to develop odors. If youre surrounded by old-smelling objects, you carry some of their aromas. Why Body Chemistry Changes There may be an evolutionary reason that odor to change as a person ages. According to  Johan Lundstrà ¶m, a sensory neuroscientist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, humans use scent to find mates, identify kin, and avoid sick people.  Lundstrà ¶m and his team conducted a study that found people were able to identify the age of a person based solely on body odor. The experiment also found odors associated with old age (ages 75 to 95) were deemed less unpleasant than those from middle-age and young perspiration donors. The odor of old men was deemed best. The odor of older women (old lady smell) was judged to be less pleasant than that of younger women. A logical conclusion of this study would be that the scent of old men acts as a sort of nonverbal advertising for a mate proven to have genes with high survival potential. The scent of an older woman might mark her as past childbearing age. However, test subjects reacted neutrally to body odor from all age groups, so natural biochemical changes do not, of themselves, produce an unpleasant aroma. Getting Rid of Old Person Smell Keep in mind, the natural body odor of an older person is not considered objectionable! If an elderly person smells bad, its probably due to one of the other contributing factors. Increased attention to personal hygiene and upping water intake should be enough to address unpleasant odor in a healthy individual. However, if a persons smell is truly bad, theres likely an underlying medical cause. A trip to the doctor and dentist may be in order, along with a review of medications that may affect body odor. There are actually products marketed specifically to address old people smell. In Japan, the odor even has its own name: Kareishu. The cosmetic firm Shiseido Group has a perfume line intended to neutralize nonenal. Mirai Clinical offers soap and body wash containing persimmon extract, which contains tannins that naturally deodorize nonenal. Another way to combat nonenal and other odiferous aldehydes is to stop fatty acid oxidation by using a lotion that moisturizes the skin and replenishes antioxidants. Sources Gallagher, M.; Wysocki, C.J.; Leyden, J.J.; Spielman, A.I.; Sun, X.; Preti, G. (October 2008). Analyses of volatile organic compounds from human skin. British Journal of Dermatology. 159 (4): 780–791.Haze, S.; Gozu, Y.; Nakamura, S.; Kohno, Y.; Sawano, K.; Ohta, H.; Yamazaki, K. (2001). 2-Nonenal Newly Found in Human Body Odor Tends to Increase with Aging. Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 116 (4): 520–4.  Mitro, Susanna; Gordon, Amy R.; Olsson, Mats J.; Lundstrà ¶m, Johan N. (30 May 2012). The Smell of Age: Perception and Discrimination of Body Odors of Different Ages. PLOS ONE. 7.

Cyber Bullying Essay - 1447 Words

Sarah is an average teenage girl. She gets decent grades, likes to hang out with friends and is on the track team. One day when Sarah arrives at school she notices other kids staring at her and whispering, but she doesn’t think too much of it. Later in the day at lunch a few kids mutter nasty words at her as they pass by, kids she doesn’t even know. After school she turns on her cell phone and see 15 text messages from numbers she doesn’t know, all of them calling her horrible names like â€Å"skank† and â€Å"bitch.† Once she is home Sarah checks her e-mail to find messages like the ones on her phone, but one of them has a link. After clicking on the link Sarah is directed to a web site, and it appears to be all about her. Photo collages with†¦show more content†¦Traditional bullying was done on school grounds, at the bus stop, or walking home, but today cyber bullies leave teens vulnerable to the abuse with no place to seek refuge.  "Its a non-stop type of harassment and it creates a sense of helplessness (Meech.) Victims begin to feel that no place is safe as attacks reach them through cell phones, instant messages and blogs. Information placed on the internet is transmitted â€Å"instantaneous[ly] to a potentially limitless audience — including recipients in the next state or even overseas† (Billetti.) While victims of traditional bullying might have run away to escape torment, victims of cyber bullying don’t feel that is an option, with the internet being everywhere, their tormentors have access to them no matter where they may be. While the vastness of the internet may be useful for accessing old books and magazines from databases, or storing family photos for ease of access, it also has no limitations as to how long negative information might be stored. â€Å"Words and images in the virtual world can exist in perpetuity in cyberspace. That means victims may review tormenting words and images again and again† (Billitteri.) Imagine your most embarrassing moment available for everyone in the world to see, time after time. Just when a cyber bullying victim mightShow MoreRelatedBullying And The Cyber Bullying Essay1010 Words   |  5 PagesIDENTIFICATION PROBLEM STATEMENT BACKGROUND Cyber bullying refers to something when one uses their cell phone, computers or an electronic device to access internet and technology for the purpose of harassment and providing harms to others. Sending inappropriate messages, uploading disturbing images, threatening and posting something without someone’s’ approval are the forms of cyber bullying. The main aim of this research study is to look after the cyber bullying and the possible reasons of occurrenceRead MoreBullying Evolution : Cyber Bullying1870 Words   |  8 Pages Bullying Evolution: Cyber-bullying 1858 Words 8 Pages At some point during your childhood, you may have encountered that troubled individual, typically known as the â€Å"bully† that drove fear in the hearts of the weakest link by humiliating them, taking what is rightfully theirs, constantly picking on them and sometimes even inflicting physical abuse. Well I hate to break it to you but this individual is back and is more equipped than before, preying on the weak and vulnerable in the cyber world (internet)Read MoreCyber Bullying And Its Effects1411 Words   |  6 PagesStudies indicate that cyber-bullying incidents have quadrupled in past five years (Ross). Cyber-bullying has become a huge issue recently. Every time you turn on the news there is another bullying, or a suicide related to bullying, incident being reported. â€Å"Love is louder† has been a common phrase among celebrities and influential figures lately. They are trying to send out a message to their followers saying that bullying is not right and should not be tolerated. The expansion of communication technologiesRead MoreThe Problem of Cyber Bullying1323 Words   |  6 Pages(â€Å"An Old Problem with a New Face†). Since the rapid growth of technology, cyber bullying has become life-threatening for too many teenagers. Now that teenagers have phones and technology almost twenty-four hours a day, they are putting themselves at a greater risk of being cyber bullied. Cyber bullying is different from regular, old-school bullying; cyber bullying is using the internet to ruin the life of other teenagers. â€Å"Cyber bulling is when a teenager is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliatedRead MoreIs It Serious? Cyber Bullying? Essay1175 Words   |  5 PagesTopic: Cyberbulling is Very Serious Cyber bullying by definition is the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature. This occurs mainly among young people ages between 13- 18. Base on my research I found out in the past decade, there have been multiple cyberbullying cases that ended with the victims taking their own lives. I believe there is more we can do to help with this issue. There is information out there that isRead MoreCyber Bullying And Its Effects1411 Words   |  6 PagesStudies indicate that cyber-bullying incidents have quadrupled in past five years (Ross). Cyber-bullying has become a huge issue recently. Every time you turn on the news there is another bullying, or a suicide related to bullying, incident being reported. â€Å"Love is louder† has been a common phrase among celebrities and influential figures lately. They are trying to send out a message to their followers saying that bullying is not right and should not b e tolerated. The expansion of communication technologiesRead MoreThe Issues Of Cyber Bullying946 Words   |  4 Pages Coastal Carolina University The Issues of Cyber-bullying Alyssa Staub CSCI 101 – D1 Professor Matthews October 23, 2017 â€Æ' Cyber bullying has been a topic for scholarly inquiry, political debate, and policy reform since the commercialization of the Internet. Pre-internet bullying involved socially marginalized children and teenagers picking on their friends and other marginalized children at school. Traditional discipline included detentions, phone calls to their parentsRead More Bullying Evolution: Cyber-bullying Essay1869 Words   |  8 Pagestheirs, constantly picking on them and sometimes even inflicting physical abuse. Well I hate to break it to you but this individual is back and is more equipped than before, preying on the weak and vulnerable in the cyber world (internet). Most recently, it took a crime wave of â€Å"cyber bullying† before our media and leaders in the Untied States gave it attention; now that the American people realize that the â€Å"classroom bully† has evolved into a more dangerously clever and sinister inflictor of emotionalRead MoreBullying Vs Cyber Bullying E ssay2021 Words   |  9 PagesBullying is a major problem that impacts many teens over generations, causing an endless cycle of bullying. With the new age of technology, this leads to new issues that are affecting teens’ lives. One of these issues is that cyberbullying is quickly becoming more common than the traditional playground bullying, as more social media are appealing to teens. Cyberbullying is a type of bullying that happens using electronic devices such as phones, laptops, and tablets. This form of bullying includesRead MoreCyber Bullying And Its Effects On Society Essay1931 Words   |  8 Pages Cyber-bullying The saying, if sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me was ever true, it sure isn t true today (Alexander, 2011). The survey of 9 years olds in 35 countries found that New Zealand is the one most second highest rate of school bullying. (nzherald, 2012). Especially in this case parents really need to take a stand against bullying to help prevent it and to stop it. We as parents need to be a part of the solution, not the problem. Cyberbullying is harmful

The Subtle Knife Chapter One Free Essays

Chapter One The Cat And The Hornbeam Trees Will tugged at his mother’s hand and said, â€Å"Come on, come on†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But his mother hung back. She was still afraid. Will looked up and down the narrow street in the evening light, along the little terrace of houses, each behind its tiny garden and its box hedge, with the sun glaring off the windows of one side and leaving the other in shadow. We will write a custom essay sample on The Subtle Knife Chapter One or any similar topic only for you Order Now There wasn’t much time. People would be having their meal about now, and soon there would be other children around, to stare and comment and notice. It was dangerous to wait, but all he could do was persuade her, as usual†¦ â€Å"Mum, let’s go in and see Mrs. Cooper,† he said. â€Å"Look, we’re nearly there.† â€Å"Mrs. Cooper?† she said doubtfully. But he was already ringing the bell. He had to put down the bag to do it, because his other hand still held his mother’s. It might have bothered him at twelve years of age to be seen holding his mother’s hand, but he knew what would happen to her if he didn’t. The door opened, and there was the stooped elderly figure of the piano teacher, with the scent of lavender water about her as he remembered. â€Å"Who’s that? Is that William?† the old lady said. â€Å"I haven’t seen you for over a year. What do you want, dear?† â€Å"I want to come in, please, and bring my mother,† he said firmly. Mrs. Cooper looked at the woman with the untidy hair and the distracted half-smile, and at the boy with the fierce, unhappy glare in his eyes, the tight-set lips, the jutting jaw. And then she saw that Mrs. Parry, Will’s mother, had put makeup on one eye but not on the other. And she hadn’t noticed. And neither had Will. Something was wrong. â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she said, and stepped aside to make room in the narrow hall. Will looked up and down the road before closing the door, and Mrs. Cooper saw how tightly Mrs. Parry was clinging to her son’s hand, and how tenderly he guided her into the sitting room where the piano was (of course, that was the only room he knew); and she noticed that Mrs. Parry’s clothes smelled slightly musty, as if they’d been too long in the washing machine before drying; and how similar the two of them looked as they sat on the sofa with the evening sun full on their faces, their broad cheekbones, their wide eyes, their straight black brows. â€Å"What is it, William?† the old lady said. â€Å"What’s the matter?† â€Å"My mother needs somewhere to stay for a few days,† he said. â€Å"It’s too difficult to look after her at home just now. I don’t mean she’s ill. She’s just kind of confused and muddled, and she gets a bit worried. She won’t be hard to look after. She just needs someone to be kind to her, and I think you could do that quite easily, probably.† The woman was looking at her son without seeming to understand, and Mrs. Cooper saw a bruise on her cheek. Will hadn’t taken his eyes off Mrs. Cooper, and his expression was desperate. â€Å"She won’t be expensive,† he went on. â€Å"I’ve brought some packets of food, enough to last, I should think. You could have some of it too. She won’t mind sharing.† â€Å"But†¦ I don’t know if I should†¦ Doesn’t she need a doctor?† â€Å"No! She’s not ill.† â€Å"But there must be someone who can†¦ I mean, isn’t there a neighbor or someone in the family – â€Å" â€Å"We haven’t got any family. Only us. And the neighbors are too busy.† â€Å"What about the social services? I don’t mean to put you off, dear, but – â€Å" â€Å"No! No. She just needs a bit of help. I can’t do it myself for a little while, but I won’t be long. I’m going to†¦ I’ve got things to do. But I’ll be back soon, and I’ll take her home again, I promise. You won’t have to do it for long.† The mother was looking at her son with such trust, and he turned and smiled at her with such love and reassurance, that Mrs. Cooper couldn’t say no. â€Å"Well,† she said, turning to Mrs. Parry, â€Å"I’m sure it won’t matter for a day or so. You can have my daughter’s room, dear. She’s in Australia. She won’t be needing it again.† â€Å"Thank you,† said Will, and stood up as if he were in a hurry to leave. â€Å"But where are you going to be?† said Mrs. Cooper. â€Å"I’m going to be staying with a friend,† he said. â€Å"I’ll phone up as often as I can. I’ve got your number. It’ll be all right† His mother was looking at him, bewildered. He bent over and kissed her clumsily. â€Å"Don’t worry,† he said. â€Å"Mrs. Cooper will look after you better than me, honest. And I’ll phone up and talk to you tomorrow.† They hugged tightly, and then Will kissed her again and gently unfastened her arms from his neck before going to the front door. Mrs. Cooper could see he was upset, because his eyes were glistening, but he turned, remembering his manners, and held out his hand. â€Å"Good-bye,† he said, â€Å"and thank you very much.† â€Å"William,† she said, â€Å"I wish you’d tell me what the matter is – â€Å" â€Å"It’s a bit complicated,† he said, â€Å"but she won’t be any trouble, honestly.† That wasn’t what she meant, and both of them knew it; but somehow Will was in charge of this business, whatever it was. The old lady thought she’d never seen a child so implacable. He turned away, already thinking about the empty house. The close where Will and his mother lived was a loop of road in a modern estate with a dozen identical houses, of which theirs was by far the shabbiest. The front garden was just a patch of weedy grass; his mother had planted some shrubs earlier in the year, but they’d shriveled and died for lack of watering. As Will came around the corner, his cat, Moxie, rose up from her favorite spot under the still-living hydrangea and stretched before greeting him with a soft meow and butting her head against his leg. He picked her up and whispered, â€Å"Have they come back, Moxie? Have you seen them?† The house was silent. In the last of the evening light the man across the road was washing his car, but he took no notice of Will, and Will didn’t look at him. The less notice people took, the better. Holding Moxie against his chest, he unlocked the door and went in quickly. Then he listened very carefully before putting her down. There was nothing to hear; the house was empty. He opened a tin for Moxie and left her to eat in the kitchen. How long before the men came back? There was no way of telling, so he’d better move quickly. He went upstairs and began to search. He was looking for a battered green leather writing case. There are a surprising number of places to hide something that size even in any ordinary modern house; you don’t need secret panels and extensive cellars in order to make something hard to find. Will searched his mother’s bedroom first, ashamed to be looking through the drawers where she kept her underclothes, and then he worked systematically through the rest of the rooms upstairs, even his own. Moxie came to see what he was doing and sat and cleaned herself nearby, for company. But he didn’t find it. By that time it was dark, and he was hungry. He made himself baked beans on toast and sat at the kitchen table wondering about the best order to look through the downstairs rooms. As he was finishing his meal, the phone rang. He sat absolutely still, his heart thumping. He counted: twenty-six rings, and then it stopped. He put his plate in the sink and started to search again. Four hours later he still hadn’t found the green leather case. It was half past one, and he was exhausted. He lay on his bed fully clothed and fell asleep at once, his dreams tense and crowded, his mother’s unhappy, frightened face always there just out of reach. And almost at once, it seemed (though he’d been asleep for nearly three hours), he woke up knowing two things simultaneously. First, he knew where the case was. And second, he knew that the men were downstairs, opening the kitchen door. He lifted Moxie out of the way and softly hushed her sleepy protest. Then he swung his legs over the side of the bed and put on his shoes, straining every nerve to hear the sounds from downstairs. They were very quiet sounds: a chair being lifted and replaced, a short whisper, the creak of a floorboard. Moving more silently than the men were, he left his bedroom and tiptoed to the spare room at the top of the stairs. It wasn’t quite pitch-dark, and in the ghostly gray predawn light he could see the old treadle sewing machine. He’d been through the room thoroughly only hours before, but he’d forgotten the compartment at the side of the sewing machine, where all the patterns and bobbins were kept. He felt for it delicately, listening all the while. The men were moving about downstairs, and Will could see a dim flicker of light that might have been a flashlight at the edge of the door. Then he found the catch of the compartment and clicked it open, and there, just as he’d known it would be, was the leather writing case. And now what could he do? He crouched in the dimness, heart pounding, listening hard. The two men were in the hall downstairs. He heard one of them say quietly, â€Å"Come on. I can hear the milkman down the road.† â€Å"It’s not here, though,† said the other voice. â€Å"We’ll have to look upstairs.† â€Å"Go on, then. Don’t hang about.† Will braced himself as he heard the quiet creak of the top step. The man was making no noise at all, but he couldn’t help the creak if he wasn’t expecting it. Then there was a pause. A very thin beam of flashlight swept along the floor outside. Will saw it through the crack. Then the door began to move. Will waited till the man was framed in the open doorway, and then exploded up out of the dark and crashed into the intruder’s belly. But neither of them saw the cat. As the man had reached the top step, Moxie had come silently out of the bedroom and stood with raised tail just behind the man’s legs, ready to rub herself against them. The man, who was trained and fit and hard, could have dealt with Will, but the cat was in the way, and as the man tried to move back, he tripped over her. With a sharp gasp he fell backward down the stairs and crashed his head brutally against the hall table. Will heard a hideous crack, and didn’t stop to wonder about it. Clutching the writing case, he swung himself down the banister, leaping over the man’s body that lay twitching and crumpled at the foot of the flight, seized the tattered tote bag from the table, and was out of the front door and away before the other man could do more than come out of the living room and stare. Even in his fear and haste Will wondered why the other man didn’t shout after him, or chase him. They’d be after him soon, though, with their cars and their cell phones. The only thing to do was run. He saw the milkman turning into the close, the lights of his electric cart pallid in the dawn glimmer that was already filling the sky. Will jumped over the fence into the next-door garden, down the passage beside the house, over the next garden wall, across a dew-wet lawn, through the hedge, and into the tangle of shrubs and trees between the housing estate and the main road. There he crawled under a bush and lay panting and trembling. It was too early to be out on the road: wait till later, when the rush hour started. He couldn’t get out of his mind the crack as the man’s head struck the table, and the way his neck was bent so far and in such a wrong way, and the dreadful twitching of his limbs. The man was dead. He’d killed him. He couldn’t get it out of his mind, but he had to. There was quite enough to think about. His mother: would she really be safe where she was? Mrs. Cooper wouldn’t tell, would she? Even if Will didn’t turn up as he’d said he would? Because he couldn’t, now that he’d killed someone. And Moxie. Who’d feed Moxie? Would Moxie worry about where they were? Would she try to follow them? It was getting lighter by the minute. It was light enough already to check through the things in the tote bag: his mother’s purse, the latest letter from the lawyer, the road map of southern England, chocolate bars, toothpaste, spare socks and pants. And the green leather writing case. Everything was there. Everything was going according to plan, really. Except that he’d killed someone. Will had first realized his mother was different from other people, and that he had to look after her, when he was seven. They were in a supermarket, and they were playing a game: they were allowed to put an item in the cart only when no one was looking. It was Will’s job to look all around and whisper â€Å"Now,† and she would snatch a tin or a packet from the shelf and put it silently into the cart. When things were in there they were safe, because they became invisible. It was a good game, and it went on for a long time, because this was a Saturday morning and the shop was full, but they were good at it and worked well together. They trusted each other. Will loved his mother very much and often told her so, and she told him the same. So when they reached the checkout Will was excited and happy because they’d nearly won. And when his mother couldn’t find her purse, that was part of the game too, even when she said the enemies must have stolen it; but Will was getting tired by this time, and hungry too, and Mummy wasn’t so happy anymore. She was really frightened, and they went around and around putting things back on the shelves, but this time they had to be extra careful because the enemies were tracking them down by means of her credit card numbers, which they knew because they had her purse†¦ And Will got more and more frightened himself. He realized how clever his mother had been to make this real danger into a game so that he wouldn’t be alarmed, and how, now that he knew the truth, he had to pretend not to be frightened, so as to reassure her. So the little boy pretended it was a game still, so she didn’t have to worry that he was frightened, and they went home without any shopping, but safe from the enemies; and then Will found the purse on the hall table anyway. On Monday they went to the bank and closed her account, and opened another somewhere else, just to be sure. Thus the danger passed. But sometime during the next few months, Will realized slowly and unwillingly that those enemies of his mother’s were not in the world out there, but in her mind. That made them no less real, no less frightening and dangerous; it just meant he had to protect her even more carefully. And from the moment in the supermarket when he had realized he must pretend in order not to worry his mother, part of Will’s mind was always alert to her anxieties. He loved her so much he would have died to protect her. As for Will’s father, he had vanished long before Will was able to remember him. Will was passionately curious about his father, and he used to plague his mother with questions, most of which she couldn’t answer. â€Å"Was he a rich man?† â€Å"Where did he go?† â€Å"Why did he go?† â€Å"Is he dead?† â€Å"Will he come back?† â€Å"What was he like?† The last question was the only one she could help him with. John Parry had been a handsome man, a brave and clever officer in the Royal Marines, who had left the army to become an explorer and lead expeditions to remote parts of the world. Will thrilled to hear about this. No father could be more exciting than an explorer. From then on, in all his games he had an invisible companion: he and his father were together hacking through the jungle, shading their eyes to gaze out across stormy seas from the deck of their schooner, holding up a torch to decipher mysterious inscriptions in a bat-infested cave†¦ They were the best of friends, they saved each other’s life countless times, they laughed and talked together over campfires long into the night. But the older he got, the more Will began to wonder. Why were there no pictures of his father in this part of the world or that, riding with frost-bearded men on Arctic sledges or examining creeper-covered ruins in the jungle? Had nothing survived of the trophies and curiosities he must have brought home? Was nothing written about him in a book? His mother didn’t know. But one thing she had said stuck in his mind. She said, â€Å"One day, you’ll follow in your father’s footsteps. You’re going to be a great man too. You’ll take up his mantle.† And though Will didn’t know what that meant, he understood the sense of it, and felt uplifted with pride and purpose. All his games were going to come true. His father was alive, lost somewhere in the wild, and he was going to rescue him and take up his mantle†¦ It was worth living a difficult life, if you had a great aim like that. So he kept his mother’s trouble secret. There were times when she was calmer and clearer than others, and he took care to learn from her then how to shop and cook and keep the house clean, so that he could do it when she was confused and frightened. And he learned how to conceal himself, too, how to remain unnoticed at school, how not to attract attention from the neighbors, even when his mother was in such a state of fear and madness that she could barely speak. What Will himself feared more than anything was that the authorities would find out about her, and take her away, and put him in a home among strangers. Any difficulty was better than that. Because there came times when the darkness cleared from her mind, and she was happy again, and she laughed at her fears and blessed him for looking after her so well; and she was so full of love and sweetness then that he could think of no better companion, and wanted nothing more than to live with her alone forever. But then the men came. They weren’t police, and they weren’t social services, and they weren’t criminals – at least as far as Will could judge. They wouldn’t tell him what they wanted, in spite of his efforts to keep them away; they’d speak only to his mother. And her state was fragile just then. But he listened outside the door, and heard them ask about his father, and felt his breath come more quickly. The men wanted to know where John Parry had gone, and whether he’d sent anything back to her, and when she’d last heard from him, and whether he’d had contact with any foreign embassies. Will heard his mother getting more and more distressed, and finally he ran into the room and told them to go. He looked so fierce that neither of the men laughed, though he was so young. They could easily have knocked him down, or held him off the floor with one hand, but he was fearless, and his anger was hot and deadly. So they left. Naturally, this episode strengthened Will’s conviction: his father was in trouble somewhere, and only he could help. His games weren’t childish anymore, and he didn’t play so openly. It was coming true, and he had to be worthy of it. And not long afterward the men came back, insisting that Will’s mother had something to tell them. They came when Will was at school, and one of them kept her talking downstairs while the other searched the bedrooms. She didn’t realize what they were doing. But Will came home early and found them, and once again he blazed at them, and once again they left. They seemed to know that he wouldn’t go to the police, for fear of losing his mother to the authorities, and they got more and more persistent. Finally they broke into the house when Will had gone to fetch his mother home from the park. It was getting worse for her now, and she believed that she had to touch every separate slat in every separate bench beside the pond. Will would help her, to get it done quicker. When they got home that day they saw the back of the men’s car disappearing out of the close, and he got inside to find that they’d been through the house and searched most of the drawers and cupboards. He knew what they were after. The green leather case was his mother’s most precious possession; he would never dream of looking through it, and he didn’t even know where she kept it. But he knew it contained letters, and he knew she read them sometimes, and cried, and it was then that she talked about his father. So Will supposed that this was what the men were after, and knew he had to do something about it. He decided first to find somewhere safe for his mother to stay. He thought and thought, but he had no friends to ask, and the neighbors were already suspicious, and the only person he thought he could trust was Mrs. Cooper. Once his mother was safely there, he was going to find the green leather case and look at what was in it, and then he was going to go to Oxford, where he’d find the answer to some of his questions. But the men came too soon. And now he’d killed one of them. So the police would be after him too. Well, he was good at not being noticed. He’d have to not be noticed harder than he’d ever done in his life before, and keep it up as long as he could, till either he found his father or they found him. And if they found him first, he didn’t care how many more of them he killed. Later that day, toward midnight in fact, Will was walking out of the city of Oxford, forty miles away. He was tired to his very bones. He had hitchhiked, and ridden on two buses, and walked, and reached Oxford at six in the evening, too late to do what he needed to do. He’d eaten at a Burger King and gone to a cinema to hide (though what the film was, he forgot even as he was watching it), and now he was walking along an endless road through the suburbs, heading north. No one had noticed him so far. But he was aware that he’d better find somewhere to sleep before long, because the later it got, the more noticeable he’d be. The trouble was that there was nowhere to hide in the gardens of the comfortable houses along this road, and there was still no sign of open country. He came to a large traffic circle where the road going north crossed the Oxford ring road going east and west. At this time of night there was very little traffic, and the road where he stood was quiet, with comfortable houses set back behind a wide expanse of grass on either side. Planted along the grass at the road’s edge were two lines of hornbeam trees, odd-looking things with perfectly symmetrical close-leafed crowns, more like children’s drawings than like real trees. The streetlights made the scene look artificial, like a stage set. Will was stupefied with exhaustion, and he might have gone on to the north, or he might have laid his head on the grass under one of those trees and slept; but as he stood trying to clear his head, he saw a cat. She was a tabby, like Moxie. She padded out of a garden on the Oxford side of the road, where Will was standing. Will put down his tote bag and held out his hand, and the cat came up to rub her head against his knuckles, just as Moxie did. Of course, every cat behaved like that, but all the same Will felt such a longing for home that tears scalded his eyes. Eventually the cat turned away. This was night, and there was a territory to patrol, there were mice to hunt. She padded across the road and toward the bushes just beyond the hornbeam trees, and there she stopped. Will, still watching, saw the cat behave curiously. She reached out a paw to pat something in the air in front of her, something quite invisible to Will. Then she leaped backward, back arched and fur on end, tail held out stiffly. Will knew cat behavior. He watched more alertly as the cat approached the spot again, just an empty patch of grass between the hornbeams and the bushes of a garden hedge, and patted the air once more. Again she leaped back, but less far and with less alarm this time. After another few seconds of sniffing, touching, and whisker twitching, curiosity overcame wariness. The cat stepped forward – and vanished. Will blinked. Then he stood still, close to the trunk of the nearest tree, as a truck came around the circle and swept its lights over him. When it had gone past, he crossed the road, keeping his eyes on the spot where the cat had been investigating. It wasn’t easy, because there was nothing to fix on, but when he came to the place and cast about to look closely, he saw it. At least, he saw it from some angles. It looked as if someone had cut a patch out of the air, about two yards from the edge of the road, a patch roughly square in shape and less than a yard across. If you were level with the patch so that it was edge-on, it was nearly invisible, and it was completely invisible from behind. You could see it only from the side nearest the road, and you couldn’t see it easily even from there, because all you could see through it was exactly the same kind of thing that lay in front of it on this side: a patch of grass lit by a streetlight. But Will knew without the slightest doubt that that patch of grass on the other side was in a different world. He couldn’t possibly have said why. He knew it at once, as strongly as he knew that fire burned and kindness was good. He was looking at something profoundly alien. And for that reason alone, it enticed him to stoop and look further. What he saw made his head swim and his heart thump harder, but he didn’t hesitate: he pushed his tote bag through, and then scrambled through himself, through the hole in the fabric of this world and into another. He found himself standing under a row of trees. But not hornbeam trees: these were tall palms, and they were growing, like the trees in Oxford, in a row along the grass. But this was the center of a broad boulevard, and at the side of the boulevard was a line of caf? ¦s and small shops, all brightly lit, all open, and all utterly silent and empty beneath a sky thick with stars. The hot night was laden with the scent of flowers and with the salt smell of the sea. Will looked around carefully. Behind him the full moon shone down over a distant prospect of great green hills, and on the slopes at the foot of the hills there were houses with rich gardens, and an open parkland with groves of trees and the white gleam of a classical temple. Just beside him was that bare patch in the air, as hard to see from this side as from the other, but definitely there. He bent to look through and saw the road in Oxford, his own world. He turned away with a shudder: whatever this new world was, it had to be better than what he’d just left. With a dawning lightheadedness, the feeling that he was dreaming but awake at the same time, he stood up and looked around for the cat, his guide. She was nowhere in sight. No doubt she was already exploring those narrow streets and gardens beyond the caf? ¦s whose lights were so inviting. Will lifted up his tattered tote bag and walked slowly across the road toward them, moving very carefully in case it all disappeared. The air of the place had something Mediterranean or maybe Caribbean about it. Will had never been out of England, so he couldn’t compare it with anywhere he knew, but it was the kind of place where people came out late at night to eat and drink, to dance and enjoy music. Except that there was no one here, and the silence was immense. On the first corner he reached there stood a caf? ¦, with little green tables on the pavement and a zinc-topped bar and an espresso machine. On some of the tables glasses stood half-empty; in one ashtray a cigarette had burned down to the butt; a plate of risotto stood next to a basket of stale rolls as hard as cardboard. He took a bottle of lemonade from the cooler behind the bar and then thought for a moment before dropping a pound coin in the till. As soon as he’d shut the till, he opened it again, realizing that the money in there might say what this place was called. The currency was called the corona, but he couldn’t tell any more than that. He put the money back and opened the bottle on the opener fixed to the counter before leaving the caf? ¦ and wandering down the street going away from the boulevard. Little grocery shops and bakeries stood between jewelers and florists and bead-curtained doors opening into private houses, where wrought-iron balconies thick with flowers overhung the narrow pavement, and where the silence, being enclosed, was even more profound. The streets were leading downward, and before very long they opened out onto a broad avenue where more palm trees reached high into the air, the underside of their leaves glowing in the streetlights. On the other side of the avenue was the sea. Will found himself facing a harbor enclosed from the left by a stone breakwater and from the right by a headland on which a large building with stone columns and wide steps and ornate balconies stood floodlit among flowering trees and bushes. In the harbor one or two rowboats lay still at anchor, and beyond the breakwater the starlight glittered on a calm sea. By now Will’s exhaustion had been wiped out. He was wide-awake and possessed by wonder. From time to time, on his way through the narrow streets, he’d put out a hand to touch a wall or a doorway or the flowers in a window box, and found them solid and convincing. Now he wanted to touch the whole landscape in front of him, because it was too wide to take in through his eyes alone. He stood still, breathing deeply, almost afraid. He discovered that he was still holding the bottle he’d taken from the caf? ¦. He drank from it, and it tasted like what it was, ice-cold lemonade; and welcome, too, because the night air was hot. He wandered along to the right, past hotels with awnings over brightly lit entrances and bougainvillea flowering beside them, until he came to the gardens on the little headland. The building in the trees with its ornate faà §ade lit by floodlights might have been an opera house. There were paths leading here and there among the lamp-hung oleander trees, but not a sound of life could be heard: no night birds singing, no insects, nothing but Will’s own footsteps. The only sound he could hear came from the regular, quiet breaking of delicate waves from the beach beyond the palm trees at the edge of the garden. Will made his way there. The tide was halfway in, or halfway out, and a row of pedal boats was drawn up on the soft white sand above the high-water line. Every few seconds a tiny wave folded itself over at the sea’s edge before sliding back neatly under the next. Fifty yards or so out on the calm water was a diving platform. Will sat on the side of one of the pedal boats and kicked off his shoes, his cheap sneakers that were coming apart and cramping his hot feet. He dropped his socks beside them and pushed his toes deep into the sand. A few seconds later he had thrown off the rest of his clothes and was walking into the sea. The water was deliciously between cool and warm. He splashed out to the diving platform and pulled himself up to sit on its weather-softened planking and look back at the city. To his right the harbor lay enclosed by its breakwater. Beyond it a mile or so away stood a red-and-white-striped lighthouse. And beyond the lighthouse, distant cliffs rose dimly, and beyond them, those great wide rolling hills he’d seen from the place he’d first come through. Closer at hand were the light-bearing trees of the casino gardens, and the streets of the city, and the waterfront with its hotels and caf? ¦s and warm-lit shops, all silent, all empty. And all safe. No one could follow him here; the men who’d searched the house would never know; the police would never find him. He had a whole world to hide in. For the first time since he’d run out of his front door that morning, Will began to feel secure. He was thirsty again, and hungry too, because he’d last eaten in another world, after all. He slipped into the water and swam back more slowly to the beach, where he put on his underpants and carried the rest of his clothes and the tote bag. He dropped the empty bottle into the first rubbish bin he found and walked barefoot along the pavement toward the harbor. When his skin had dried a little, he pulled on his jeans and looked for somewhere he’d be likely to find food. The hotels were too grand. He looked inside the first hotel, but it was so large that he felt uncomfortable, and he kept moving down the waterfront until he found a little caf? ¦ that looked like the right place. He couldn’t have said why; it was very similar to a dozen others, with its first-floor balcony laden with flowerpots and its tables and chairs on the pavement outside, but it welcomed him. There was a bar with photographs of boxers on the wall, and a signed poster of a broadly smiling accordion player. There was a kitchen, and a door beside it that opened on to a narrow flight of stairs, carpeted in a bright floral pattern. He climbed quietly up to the narrow landing and opened the first door he came to. It was the room at the front. The air was hot and stuffy, and Will opened the glass door onto the balcony to let in the night air. The room itself was small and furnished with things that were too big for it, and shabby, but it was clean and comfortable. Hospitable people lived here. There was a little shelf of books, a magazine on the table, a couple of photographs in frames. Will left and looked in the other rooms: a little bathroom, a bedroom with a double bed. Something made his skin prickle before he opened the last door. His heart raced. He wasn’t sure if he’d heard a sound from inside, but something told him that the room wasn’t empty. He thought how odd it was that this day had begun with someone outside a darkened room, and himself waiting inside; and now the positions were reversed – And as he stood wondering, the door burst open and something came hurtling at him like a wild beast. But his memory had warned him, and he wasn’t standing quite close enough to be knocked over. He fought hard: knee, head, fist, and the strength of his arms against it, him, her – A girl about his own age, ferocious, snarling, with ragged dirty clothes and thin bare limbs. She realized what he was at the same moment, and snatched herself away from his bare chest to crouch in the corner of the dark landing like a cat at bay. And there was a cat beside her, to his astonishment: a large wildcat, as tall as his knee, fur on end, teeth bared, tail erect. She put her hand on the cat’s back and licked her dry lips, watching his every movement. Will stood up slowly. â€Å"Who are you?† â€Å"Lyra Silvertongue,† she said. â€Å"Do you live here?† â€Å"No,† she said vehemently. â€Å"Then what is this place? This city?† â€Å"I don’t know.† â€Å"Where do you come from?† â€Å"From my world. It’s joined on. Where’s your daemon?† His eyes widened. Then he saw something extraordinary happen to the cat: it leaped into her arms, and when it got there, it changed shape. Now it was a red-brown stoat with a cream throat and belly, and it glared at him as ferociously as the girl herself. But then another shift in things took place, because he realized that they, both girl and stoat, were profoundly afraid of him, as much as if he’d been a ghost. â€Å"I haven’t got a demon,† he said. â€Å"I don’t know what you mean.† Then, â€Å"Oh! Is that your demon?† She stood up slowly. The stoat curled himself around her neck, and his dark eyes never left Will’s face. â€Å"But you’re alive,† she said, half-disbelievingly. â€Å"You en’t†¦ You en’t been†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"My name’s Will Parry,† he said. â€Å"I don’t know what you mean about demons. In my world demon means†¦ it means devil, something evil.† â€Å"In your world? You mean this en’t your world?† â€Å"No. I just found†¦ a way in. Like your world, I suppose. It must be joined on.† She relaxed a little, but she still watched him intently, and he stayed calm and quiet as if she were a strange cat he was making friends with. â€Å"Have you seen anyone else in this city?† he went on. â€Å"No.† â€Å"How long have you been here?† â€Å"Dunno. A few days. I can’t remember.† â€Å"So why did you come here?† â€Å"I’m looking for Dust,† she said. â€Å"Looking for dust? What, gold dust? What sort of dust?† She narrowed her eyes and said nothing. He turned away to go downstairs. â€Å"I’m hungry,† he said. â€Å"Is there any food in the kitchen?† â€Å"I dunno,† she said, and followed, keeping her distance from him. In the kitchen Will found the ingredients for a casserole of chicken and onions and peppers, but they hadn’t been cooked, and in the heat they were smelling bad. He swept them all into the dustbin. â€Å"Haven’t you eaten anything?† he said, and opened the fridge. Lyra came to look. â€Å"I didn’t know this was here,† she said. â€Å"Oh! It’s cold.† Her daemon had changed again, and become a huge, brightly colored butterfly, which fluttered into the fridge briefly and out again at once to settle on her shoulder. The butterfly raised and lowered his wings slowly. Will felt he shouldn’t stare, though his head was ringing with the strangeness of it. â€Å"Haven’t you seen a fridge before?† he said. He found a can of cola and handed it to her before taking out a tray of eggs. She pressed the can between her palms with pleasure. â€Å"Drink it, then,† he said. She looked at it, frowning. She didn’t know how to open it. He snapped the lid for her, and the drink frothed out. She licked it suspiciously, and then her eyes opened wide. â€Å"This is good?† she said, her voice half hoping and half fearful. â€Å"Yeah. They have Coke in this world, obviously. Look, I’ll drink some to prove it isn’t poison.† He opened another can. Once she saw him drink, she followed his example. She was obviously thirsty. She drank so quickly that the bubbles got up her nose, and she snorted and belched loudly, and scowled when he looked at her. â€Å"I’m going to make an omelette,† he said. â€Å"D’you want some?† â€Å"I don’t know what omelette is.† â€Å"Well, watch and you’ll see. Or there’s a can of baked beans, if you’d like.† â€Å"I don’t know baked beans.† He showed her the can. She looked for the snap-open top like the one on the cola can. â€Å"No, you have to use a can opener,† he said. â€Å"Don’t they have can openers in your world?† â€Å"In my world servants do the cooking,† she said scornfully. â€Å"Look in the drawer over there.† She rummaged through the kitchen cutlery while he broke six eggs into a bowl and whisked them with a fork. â€Å"That’s it,† he said, watching. â€Å"With the red handle. Bring it here.† He pierced the lid and showed her how to open the can. â€Å"Now get that little saucepan off the hook and tip them in,† he told her. She sniffed the beans, and again an expression of pleasure and suspicion entered her eyes. She tipped the can into the saucepan and licked a finger, watching as Will shook salt and pepper into the eggs and cut a knob of butter from a package in the fridge into a cast-iron pan. He went into the bar to find some matches, and when he came back she was dipping her dirty finger in the bowl of beaten eggs and licking it greedily. Her daemon, a cat again, was dipping his paw in it, too, but he backed away when Will came near. â€Å"It’s not cooked yet,† Will said, taking it away. â€Å"When did you last have a meal?† â€Å"At my father’s house on Svalbard,† she said. â€Å"Days and days ago. I don’t know. I found bread and stuff here and ate that.† He lit the gas, melted the butter, poured in the eggs, and let them run all over the base of it. Her eyes followed everything greedily, watching him pull the eggs up into soft ridges in the center as they cooked and tilt the pan to let raw egg flow into the space. She watched him, too, looking at his face and his working hands and his bare shoulders and his feet. When the omelette was cooked he folded it over and cut it in half with the spatula. â€Å"Find a couple of plates,† he said, and Lyra obediently did so. She seemed quite willing to take orders if she saw the sense of them, so he told her to go and clear a table in front of the caf? ¦. He brought out the food and some knives and forks from a drawer, and they sat down together, a little awkwardly. She ate hers in less than a minute, and then fidgeted, swinging back and forth on her chair and plucking at the plastic strips of the woven seat while he finished his. Her daemon changed yet again, and became a goldfinch, pecking at invisible crumbs on the tabletop. Will ate slowly. He’d given her most of the beans, but even so he took much longer than she did. The harbor in front of them, the lights along the empty boulevard, the stars in the dark sky above, all hung in the huge silence as if nothing else existed at all. And all the time he was intensely aware of the girl. She was small and slight, but wiry, and she’d fought like a tiger; his fist had raised a bruise on her cheek, and she was ignoring it. Her expression was a mixture of the very young – when she first tasted the cola – and a kind of deep, sad wariness. Her eyes were pale blue, and her hair would be a darkish blond once it was washed; because she was filthy, and she smelled as if she hadn’t bathed for days. â€Å"Laura? Lara?† Will said. â€Å"Lyra.† â€Å"Lyra†¦ Silvertongue?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Where is your world? How did you get here?† She shrugged. â€Å"I walked,† she said. â€Å"It was all foggy. I didn’t know where I was going. At least, I knew I was going out of my world. But I couldn’t see this one till the fog cleared. Then I found myself here.† â€Å"What did you say about dust?† â€Å"Dust, yeah. I’m going to find out about it. But this world seems to be empty. There’s no one here to ask. I’ve been here for†¦ I dunno, three days, maybe four. And there’s no one here.† â€Å"But why do you want to find out about dust?† â€Å"Special Dust,† she said shortly. â€Å"Not ordinary dust, obviously.† The daemon changed again. He did so in the flick of an eye, and from a goldfinch he became a rat, a powerful pitch-black rat with red eyes. Will looked at him with wide wary eyes, and the girl saw his glance. â€Å"You have got a daemon,† she said decisively. â€Å"Inside you.† He didn’t know what to say. â€Å"You have,† she went on. â€Å"You wouldn’t be human else. You’d be†¦ half dead. We seen a kid with his daemon cut away. You en’t like that. Even if you don’t know you’ve got a daemon, you have. We was scared at first when we saw you. Like you was a night-ghast or something. But then we saw you weren’t like that at all.† â€Å"We?† â€Å"Me and Pantalaimon. Us. But you, your daemon en’t separate from you. It’s you. A part of you. You’re part of each other. En’t there anyone in your world like us? Are they all like you, with their daemons all hidden away?† Will looked at the two of them, the skinny pale-eyed girl with her black-rat daemon now sitting in her arms, and felt profoundly alone. â€Å"I’m tired. I’m going to bed,† he said. â€Å"Are you going to stay in this city?† â€Å"Dunno. I’ve got to find out more about what I’m looking for. There must be some Scholars in this world. There must be someone who knows about it.† â€Å"Maybe not in this world. But I came here out of a place called Oxford. There’s plenty of scholars there, if that’s what you want.† â€Å"Oxford?† she cried. â€Å"That’s where I come from!† â€Å"Is there an Oxford in your world, then? You never came from my world.† â€Å"No,† she said decisively. â€Å"Different worlds. But in my world there’s an Oxford too. We’re both speaking English, en’t we? Stands to reason there’s other things the same. How did you get through? Is there a bridge, or what?† â€Å"Just a kind of window in the air.† â€Å"Show me,† she said. It was a command, not a request. He shook his head. â€Å"Not now,† he said. â€Å"I want to sleep. Anyway, it’s the middle of the night.† â€Å"Then show me in the morning!† â€Å"All right, I’ll show you. But I’ve got my own things to do. You’ll have to find your scholars by yourself.† â€Å"Easy,† she said. â€Å"I know all about Scholars.† He put the plates together and stood up. â€Å"I cooked,† he said, â€Å"so you can wash the dishes.† She looked incredulous. â€Å"Wash the dishes?† she scoffed. â€Å"There’s millions of clean ones lying about! Anyway, I’m not a servant. I’m not going to wash them.† â€Å"So I won’t show you the way through.† â€Å"I’ll find it by myself.† â€Å"You won’t; it’s hidden. You’d never find it. Listen, I don’t know how long we can stay in this place. We’ve got to eat, so we’ll eat what’s here, but we’ll tidy up afterward and keep the place clean, because we ought to. You wash these dishes. We’ve got to treat this place right. Now I’m going to bed. I’ll have the other room. I’ll see you in the morning.† He went inside, cleaned his teeth with a finger and some toothpaste from his tattered bag, fell on the double bed, and was asleep in a moment. Lyra waited till she was sure he was asleep, and then took the dishes into the kitchen and ran them under the tap, rubbing hard with a cloth until they looked clean. She did the same with the knives and forks, but the procedure didn’t work with the omelette pan, so she tried a bar of yellow soap on it, and picked at it stubbornly until it looked as clean as she thought it was going to. Then she dried everything on another cloth and stacked it neatly on the drainboard. Because she was still thirsty and because she wanted to try opening a can, she snapped open another cola and took it upstairs. She listened outside Will’s door and, hearing nothing, tiptoed into the other room and took out the alethiometer from under her pillow. She didn’t need to be close to Will to ask about him, but she wanted to look anyway, and she turned his door handle as quietly as she could before going in. There was a light on the sea front outside shining straight up into the room, and in the glow reflected from the ceiling she looked down at the sleeping boy. He was frowning, and his face glistened with sweat. He was strong and stocky, not as formed as a grown man, of course, because he wasn’t much older than she was, but he’d be powerful one day. How much easier if his daemon had been visible! She wondered what its form might be, and whether it was fixed yet. Whatever its form was, it would express a nature that was savage, and courteous, and unhappy. She tiptoed to the window. In the glow from the streetlight she carefully set the hands of the alethiometer, and relaxed her mind into the shape of a question. The needle began to sweep around the dial in a series of pauses and swings almost too fast to watch. She had asked: What is he? A friend or an enemy? The alethiometer answered: He is a murderer. When she saw the answer, she relaxed at once. He could find food, and show her how to reach Oxford, and those were powers that were useful, but he might still have been untrustworthy or cowardly. A murderer was a worthy companion. She felt as safe with him as she’d felt with Iorek Byrnison, the armored bear. She swung the shutter across the open window so the morning sunlight wouldn’t strike in on his face, and tiptoed out. How to cite The Subtle Knife Chapter One, Essay examples