How much more is Jane Eyre than just a piece of romantic fiction? :: Free Essay Writer

How much more is Jane Eyre than just a piece of romantic fiction? All the qualities of a typical romantic fiction are certainly found in ‘Jane Eyre’. The usual qualities found in romances are a Hero and Heroine. They can have some tension between them before finally falling in love but something gets in their way, eventually they over come all odds and get to be together in the end. Obviously Jane is the Heroine and Mr. Rochester is the Hero, and as in most romances, the story is told through the eyes of the Heroine. ‘Jane Eyre’ starts off with Jane’s childhood to allow the reader to get to know Jane and sympathize with all her views and feelings. When Jane first moves to Thornfield Hall the romance starts. To build up the tension for the reader Jane is at first denying her feeling. â€Å"it was rather a trial to appear thus formally summoned in Mr. Rochester’s presence† It is obvious to the reader what is going to happen and frustrating that Jane will not admit that she likes him this is very typical of a romance. It follows on conforming to the romance stereotype when Jane admits her feelings but something gets in the way. At first this is Blanche Ingram, Jane is convinced by things people have said that she is going to Marry Mr. Rochester. â€Å"And did I now think Miss Ingram such a choice as Mr. Rochester would be likely to make?† This is providing a barrier against them getting together in the straight forward way of just Blanche Ingram but she also stands to represent looks and class. She is a lot prettier than Jane and this tests Mr. Rochester to see if he is the deep thinking man Jane thinks he is. Also Jane is of a lot lower class than Blanche Ingram and it would have seemed strange at the time ‘Jane Eyre’ was written for Mr. Rochester to chose Jane. This is pushed aside and it seems like everything has started to go right for Jane. Then follows the clichà ©d romantic twist. Jane discovers Mr. Rochester’s wife. â€Å"this gentleman’s wife is still living† Everything falls apart for Jane. She runs away and begins to start a new life till the end of the novel when Jane finds out Mr. Rochester’s wife has died and they get married. â€Å"My Edward and I then are happy† As in all romances it comes to the happy ending to make the reader feel happy and satisfied. These were the ways in which ‘Jane Eyre’ followed the typical romance patterns for general romances. But there is much more to this novel.

Theme of Death in William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet :: Romeo and Juliet Essays

Theme of Death in Romeo and Juliet Slash, cling, clank these are the sounds that are heard in a sword fight as a man is killed. In the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare the theme death is portrayed many times by the characters Marcutio, Romeo, and Juliet. The first instance of the theme death was in act 3 when Marcutio challenged Tybalt to a sword fight. "Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find a grave man."(Act three, scene 1, line 104.) Also as Marcutio is dying he says "Help me into some house, Benvolio, Or I shall Faint." (Act 3, scene 1, line 113.) Both these quotes show how Marcutio portrayed the theme death. Second, Romeo is the next to portray the theme death. Now in Act 5, this is the time that Romeo shows the theme death. He has heard of Juliet's death and is so heartbroken that he goes to an apothecary to get poison so he can join Juliet in heaven. "To Juliet's grave; for there must I use thee." (Act 5, scene 1, line 93). Second when Romeo is about to drink the poison he says, "Here's to my love! [Drinks.] O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die. [Falls.]" (Act 5, scene 3, line 122). These quote show how Romeo loves Juliet. So much he will die to be with her." The next quotes show how Juliet's feelings are mutual to Romeo's. After Juliet wakes up from her death like coma she sees Romeo's dead corpse and notices that he had never got the message from the friar. "O churl! Drunk all, and left no friendly drop to help me after? I will kiss his lips. Haply some poison yet doth hang on them. To make me die with a restorative." The next quote shows how the poison has no effect on Juliet, and how she is so desperate to be with Romeo she will stab herself. "O happy dagger! [Snatches Romeo's dagger.] This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die. [She stabs herself and falls.

Exploring Schizophrenia Essay example -- Research Paper Mental Disorde

Exploring Schizophrenia "Schizophrenia is a cruel disease. The lives of those affected are often chronicles of constricted experiences, muted emotions, missed opportunities, unfulfilled expectations. It leads to a twilight existence, a twentieth-century underground man...It is in fact the single biggest blemish on the face of contemporary American medicine and social services; when the social history of our era is written, the plight of persons with schizophrenia will be recorded as having been a national scandal." E. Fuller Torrey, M.D., Surviving Schizophrenia I personally don't know anyone with schizophrenia, or at least I don't think I do. Perhaps I don't realize that my neighbor is walking through life with a secret, like the homosexual who, afraid of society's unfounded prejudice, confusion, and doubts over issues not talked about, remains silent. For this reason, my interest in schizophrenia developed: not because I have been affected by the disorder in a direct (or even indirect) way, but precisely because I haven't. I haven't because mental disorders are not something discussed over coffee. In our society schizophrenia isn't everybody's problem, and so most are content not to think – and consequently not to do – anything about it. My concern with schizophrenia stemmed from the unknown; thus it was fitting that my search to discover facts about it steadily uncovered more gray areas. What are the causes of schizophrenia? No one knows for certain. The symptoms? They vary. What about treatments? They too have varied throughout history and current treatment differs from case to case. Faced with the frustration of unanswered queries, I began to wonder why I chose this topic. However, that is the nature of scienc... ...: Longman Publishers USA, 1997. Keefe, Richard & Philip Harvey. Understanding Schizophrenia. New York: The Free Press, 1994. Mortensen PB, Pedersen CB, Westergaard T, et al. "Effects of family history and place and season of birth on the risk of schizophrenia." New England Journal of Medicine 340 (1999): 603-8. O'Brien, Patrick. The Disordered Mind. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1978. Rund, Bjorn Rishovd. How do neuroleptics affect cognitive dysfunctions in schizophrenia? Nordic Journal of Psychiatry 53.2 (1999): 121-125. Stephenson, Joan. "Schizophrenia researchers striving for early detection and intervention." Journal of the American Medical Association 281.20 (05/26/99): 1877. Swartzendruber, Phil. "Mainstreaming the marginalized." Printed in The Record (April 2, 1998). http://www.goshen.edu/record/1997-98/April2-1998/mainstream.html. Exploring Schizophrenia Essay example -- Research Paper Mental Disorde Exploring Schizophrenia "Schizophrenia is a cruel disease. The lives of those affected are often chronicles of constricted experiences, muted emotions, missed opportunities, unfulfilled expectations. It leads to a twilight existence, a twentieth-century underground man...It is in fact the single biggest blemish on the face of contemporary American medicine and social services; when the social history of our era is written, the plight of persons with schizophrenia will be recorded as having been a national scandal." E. Fuller Torrey, M.D., Surviving Schizophrenia I personally don't know anyone with schizophrenia, or at least I don't think I do. Perhaps I don't realize that my neighbor is walking through life with a secret, like the homosexual who, afraid of society's unfounded prejudice, confusion, and doubts over issues not talked about, remains silent. For this reason, my interest in schizophrenia developed: not because I have been affected by the disorder in a direct (or even indirect) way, but precisely because I haven't. I haven't because mental disorders are not something discussed over coffee. In our society schizophrenia isn't everybody's problem, and so most are content not to think – and consequently not to do – anything about it. My concern with schizophrenia stemmed from the unknown; thus it was fitting that my search to discover facts about it steadily uncovered more gray areas. What are the causes of schizophrenia? No one knows for certain. The symptoms? They vary. What about treatments? They too have varied throughout history and current treatment differs from case to case. Faced with the frustration of unanswered queries, I began to wonder why I chose this topic. However, that is the nature of scienc... ...: Longman Publishers USA, 1997. Keefe, Richard & Philip Harvey. Understanding Schizophrenia. New York: The Free Press, 1994. Mortensen PB, Pedersen CB, Westergaard T, et al. "Effects of family history and place and season of birth on the risk of schizophrenia." New England Journal of Medicine 340 (1999): 603-8. O'Brien, Patrick. The Disordered Mind. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1978. Rund, Bjorn Rishovd. How do neuroleptics affect cognitive dysfunctions in schizophrenia? Nordic Journal of Psychiatry 53.2 (1999): 121-125. Stephenson, Joan. "Schizophrenia researchers striving for early detection and intervention." Journal of the American Medical Association 281.20 (05/26/99): 1877. Swartzendruber, Phil. "Mainstreaming the marginalized." Printed in The Record (April 2, 1998). http://www.goshen.edu/record/1997-98/April2-1998/mainstream.html.

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 6~7

6. The Vampire Parrots of Telegraph Hill A flock of wild parrots lives in the city of San Francisco. They are South American cherry-headed conures-bright green with a red head, a little smaller than a typical pigeon. No one is quite sure how they came to the City. It's likely that they are the descendants of animals caught in the jungle, then released to the city skies when they proved too wild to be kept as pets. They fly over the northern waterfront of San Francisco, foraging for fruit, berries, and blossoms, from the Presidio at the entrance of the Golden Gate Bridge, over Pacific Heights, the Marina, Russian Hill, North Beach, and all the way to the Ferry Building near the Oakland Bay Bridge. They are social, squawky, silly birds that mate for life and advertise their presence with a cacophony of beeps and cheeps that inspire smiles from residents, bewilderment from tourists, and hunger in predators, mostly red-tailed hawks and peregrine falcons. The parrots spend their nights high in the trees of Telegraph Hill, beneath the great concrete phallus of Coit Tower, sheltered from attack from hawks by the evergreen canopy overhead, and from all but the most ambitious cats, by the sheer altitude. But still, they are sometimes attacked, and although gentle creatures, they will fight back, biting with their thick, built-for-seed-crushing beaks. Which is what happened. The next morning after he witnessed the cat attack in the SOMA, the Emperor of San Francisco was awakened from a nest he'd made in one of the little stair gardens on Telegraph Hill, to hear parrots squawking in the trees. The sun was just breaking the horizon behind the Bay Bridge, turning the water red-gold under a blue morning mist. The Emperor crawled out from under a pile of carpet padding, stood, and stretched, his great joints creaking in the cold like ancient church doors. The men, Bummer and Lazarus, poked their noses out of the gray cloak, snuffled the dawn, then, with the call of the parrots, resolved themselves to morning and emerged like urgent butterflies to search for the perfect spot for the first wee of the day. The three watched as fifty or so squawking parrots circled Coit Tower and headed out toward the Embarcadero, where, suddenly, they all stopped flying, burst into flames, and fell like a smoldering storm of dying comets into Levi's Plaza. â€Å"Well, you don't see that every day,† said the Emperor, scratching Lazarus's ears through the bandages. The retriever was a doggy version of The Mummy, wrapped ears to tail in bandages after his last encounter with the vampire cats. The vet in the Mission wanted to keep him overnight, but the retriever had never spent a night away from the Emperor since they had found each other, and the vet had no accommodations for a large and burly monarch, let alone a feisty Boston terrier, so the three had bunked together under the carpet pad. Bummer chuffed, which translated from dog to: â€Å"I don't like it.† As the famous frog sang, it's not easy being green. 7. The Fog Comes on Little Cat Feet and Whatnot FOO Stephen â€Å"Foo Dog† Wong's fully bombed Honda drift machine was full of rats. Not completely full, the passenger seat was filled by Jared Whitewolf, Abby's backup BFF. (BBFF, really.) â€Å"Did you have to get all white ones?† Jared asked. He was six foot two, very thin, and paler than Death shagging a snowman. The sides of his head were shaved and in the middle he sported an unlaquered Mohawk, which hung in his eyes unless he was lying on his back or looking up. In addition to a floor-length black PVC cenobite coat, he was currently wearing Abby's thigh-high red platform Skankenstein ® boots, which was completely within his rights, as her current BFF. What bothered Foo was not that Jared had on girl's boots, but that he had on the boots of a girl with distinctly small feet. â€Å"Don't those hurt?† Jared tossed his hair out of his eyes. â€Å"Well, it's like Morrissey said, ‘Life is suffering.'† â€Å"I think the Buddha said that.† â€Å"I'm pretty sure Morrissey said it first-like, back in the eighties.† â€Å"No, it was the Buddha.† â€Å"Have you ever even seen a picture of the Buddha with shoes on?† Jared asked. Foo couldn't believe he was having this argument. What's more, he couldn't believe he was losing this argument. â€Å"Well, I have some Nikes upstairs that might fit you if you need to change shoes. Let's get the rats unloaded. I have to get to work.† Jared already had four plastic cages with two white rats in each stacked on his lap, so he unfolded himself out of the Honda and wobbled on the red platforms to the fire door of the loft. â€Å"Don't try to paint them black,† Jared said, peering into the Plexiglas boxes as Foo opened the door for him. â€Å"I tried that with my first rat, Lucifer. It was tragic.† â€Å"Tragic?† said Foo. â€Å"I'd have never guessed. Put them on the floor in the living room. I'll borrow the truck from work tomorrow and pick up some folding tables to put them on.† In addition to pursuing his degree in molecular biology, and variously rescuing Abby, formulating vampire serum, and tricking out his Honda, Foo still worked part-time at Stereo City, where he specialized in telling people that they needed a bigger TV. â€Å"You still have that job?† Jared said as he stumbled up the stairs. â€Å"Abby said you guys have total fuck-you money.† Why did she tell him? She wasn't supposed to tell him. Did she tell him everything? Why did she have to have friends at all? She'd given Jared five thousand dollars of Jody and Tommy's money for Hanukkah-despite the fact that neither one of them was Jewish. â€Å"Because I will not let mainstream society make me into the Christmas bitch of the zombie baby-Jebus, that's why,† she'd said. â€Å"And because he helped me take care of the Countess and Lord Flood when they were in trouble.† â€Å"I need to keep my cover,† Foo said. â€Å"For tax purposes.† That was partially true. He did need to keep up his cover, because, like Abby, he hadn't actually told his parents that he'd moved out. They were so used to him being at school, in the lab, or at work, that they hadn't really noticed that he hadn't been sleeping at home. It helped that he had four younger brothers and sisters, who were all carrying insane work and course loads. His parents were all about toil. As long as you were toiling, you were okay. They could smell toil from miles away, or the lack of it. He might be able to get away with living in his own loft with his spooky-sexy girlfriend, and doing bizarre genetic experiments on the undead, but if he quit his job they'd sense it in a second. It took Foo and Jared twenty minutes to get all the rats up the steps and lined up around the living room. â€Å"We're not going to hurt them, are we?† said Jared, holding up one of the plastic cages so he was eye to eye with its occupants. â€Å"We're going to turn them into vampires.† â€Å"Oh, cool. Now?† â€Å"No, not now. For now, you're going to need to feed them and make sure there's a water bottle in each of their cages,† Foo said. â€Å"Then what?† Jared asked, tossing his hair out of his eyes. â€Å"Then you can go home,† said Foo. â€Å"You don't need to observe them full-time until the experiment starts.† â€Å"I can't go home. I told my parents I was staying over at Abby's.† Foo was suddenly horrified at the thought of having to spend the night in the loft with a hundred rats, two bronzed vampires, and Jared. Especially Jared. Maybe he'd go home and leave Jared to watch the rats-make an appearance at home for the parents, so as to throw them off the trail of his non-toiling, loft-living, Anglo-girlfriend lifestyle. â€Å"You can stay here, then,† Foo said. â€Å"I'll be back in the morning.† â€Å"What about them?† Jared nodded toward the bronzed figures of Jody and Tommy. â€Å"What about them?† â€Å"Can I talk to them? I didn't get to finish telling Jody my novel.† Jared had spent a very long night telling Jody the first part of the novel he was going to write, an erotic horror story that starred himself and his pet rat, Lucifer 2. â€Å"Okay,† said Foo. He didn't really like thinking about the two people, well, vampires, but they seemed a lot like people, that he'd helped imprison in a bronze shell. It sort of gave him the willies, and that was highly unscientific. â€Å"But no touching,† he added. Jared pouted and sat down on the futon, about the only spot in the entire living-room-kitchen area not covered with plastic rat cages. â€Å"Okay, but will you help me get these boots off before you go?† Foo shuddered. It had been less than an hour since the cops led Abby away and already he missed her like a severed limb. It was embarrassing. How could hormones and hydrostatic pressure make you feel like this? Love was very unscientific. â€Å"Sorry,† Foo said. â€Å"Gotta jet.† A true hero, the kind Abby accused him of being, he knew, would have helped Jared. JARED Abby Normal had once offered to pay for a tattoo for Jared that read: Danger. Do not administer caffeine without adult supervision. Jared asked, â€Å"Can it be in red? Does it have to be on the forehead? Maybe on the side so I can grow my hair over it if I don't like it. Am I being emo? Do you want to play Blood-feast on Xbox? They have green fur iPod cases at Urban Outfitters. I love white chocolate mochas. Marilyn Manson needs to be dragged to death behind a clown car. Oh fuck, I'm so allergic to this eyeliner I could cry.† Abby said, â€Å"Oh my God, you're like Obnoxious and Annoying had an ass baby!† â€Å"What are you trying to say?† asked Jared. What she had been trying to say, although she didn't know it at the time, was that under no circumstances should Jared be left alone in an apartment with an abundance of time and espresso, which is what Foo had just done. So after feeding, watering, and naming all the rats (most given French names from Abby's copy of Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal), Jared began brewing espressos and was nine demitasse cups into the afternoon when he decided to act out the remainder of his unwritten vampire adventure novel, The Dark of Darkness, for a hundred rats caged in plastic and two vampires encased in bronze. â€Å"So the evil Blood Queen dons her chrome strap-on of death and goes after Lucifer 2. But Jared Whitewolf is on her like a fat kid on a cupcake, parrying her blows with his dagger of death, or Dee Dee, as it is known.† Jared pirouetted, a move he'd learned in ballet class at age six, and slashed the air, low and fast, with the double-edged dagger held backhand so as to sever his imaginary enemy's femoral artery, a move he'd learned in Soul Assassin Five on the Xbox (although it was harder to do while wearing platform boots than it was in the video game). The dagger was real enough, twelve inches of double-edged high-carbon stainless steel with a dragon hilt. Jared carried it because he thought it made him look badass when doormen took it away from him at clubs. â€Å"And he strikes her weapon in half!† he said, leaping and bringing the blade around a little too fast. He turned his ankle, lost his balance, and as he fell, the dagger put a deep nick in the bronze statue. â€Å"Ow!† He sat on the floor holding his ankle and rocking back and forth in the yoga position known as the â€Å"freaked-out half-lotus.† Then he noticed the gash he'd put in the bronze, directly over Jody's right clavicle. â€Å"I'm sorry, Countess,† Jared said, still a little breathless from his battle. â€Å"I didn't mean to hurt you. It's just that I had to save Lucifer 2. You'd do the same thing for Lord Flood if he was in the story.† Jared buffed at the bronze with his sleeve, but the gash was deep and wasn't going to go away with polishing. â€Å"Abby's going to kill me. I'll patch you, Countess. Just hang on. Toothpaste. We used it on the wall that time we drank Abby's mom's vodka and played cross-country darts in her living room. Hang on a minute.† Jared let the heavy dagger drop to the floor, climbed to his feet, winced, then limped off to the bathroom to look for toothpaste. He located a tube of all natural tartar control with baking soda just as the sun dropped under the horizon in the west. Out in the living room, a needle-thin stream of mist began leaking out of the gash he'd made in the bronze statue. Toothpaste probably wouldn't have fixed it. THE ANIMALS In the last two months, the Animals, the night stock crew at the Marina Safeway, had hunted an ancient vampire, blown up his yacht, stolen millions of dollars' worth of art, sold it for pennies on the dollar, spent the remaining hundreds of thousands on gambling and a blue hooker, got turned into vampires, were torn apart by zoo animals, then burned up by sunlamps when they attacked Abby Normal, then turned, by Foo, back into seven guys who stocked shelves at the Safeway and smoked a little too much weed. And as it often is with adventurers, after the adventure, they were feeling a little bored, and a little worried that nothing exciting would ever happen to them again. After you've battled the darkness, then become the darkness, then shagged the darkness, frozen turkey bowling and skiing behind the floor-scrubbing machine just doesn't hold the same thrill. After you've shared a blue prostitute with your buddies to the tune of a half a million dollars, only to have her kill and resurrect you before disappearing into the night, swapping stories of banging babes was a bit of an anticlimax. After all, they worked nights and the oldest of them, Clint, was only twenty-three, so most of their stories were gross exaggerations, wishful thinking, or outright lies anyway. Even crucifying Clint with zip ties on the potato chip rack every other Friday didn't seem fun anymore, and last week they had just left him hanging, thrashing in the Doritos, and went off to stock their aisles before he could even forgive them for knowing not what they did. Tragic, really, to be young, free, and mind-numbingly bored. So when the Emperor of San Francisco came screaming out of the parking lot and slammed, face-first, into the big Plexiglas front window, rattling the Tic Tacs on every register, each of them dropped what he was working on and headed to the front of the store, hoping in their hearts that something outstanding was coming down. The seven, the Animals, stood on one side of the big window, while the Emperor pounded on the other, the royal hounds leaping and barking at his side. â€Å"Maybe we should let him in,† said Clint, curly-haired, born-again, ex-heroin addict who worked cereal, coffee, and juices. â€Å"He seems troubled.† â€Å"S,† said Gustavo, the porter, leaning on his mop. â€Å"Troubled.† â€Å"Seems fucking freaked,† said Drew, the Ichabod-Crane-gaunt master of the frozen food aisle and chief medical officer. â€Å"Totally fucking freaked.† â€Å"What's wrong?† asked Lash, the lean black guy who had become their leader when Tommy was turned into a vampire, largely because he almost had an MBA, but also because he was a black guy and inherently cooler than everyone else. â€Å"Murder, destruction, ravenous creatures of the night, a storm of them,† shouted the Emperor. â€Å"Hurry, please.† â€Å"He always says that,† said Barry, the balding fireplug of a scuba diver who also stocked soap and dog food. â€Å"Well, every time he says it, it's kind of true,† said Jeff, the tall blond ex-power forward with the blown-out knee (baking supplies and international foods). â€Å"I say let him in.† â€Å"Look, the retriever is all bandaged up. Poor guy,† said Troy Lee, their resident martial arts expert who worked the glass aisle. â€Å"Let them in.† â€Å"You just want to roll the little one up in a burrito,† said Lash. â€Å"Yeah, that's right, Lash. Because I'm Chinese, I have a deep-seated need to nosh house pets. Now why don't you let him in before my inner Chinaman forces me to kung-fu your bitch ass.† Because he understood that he was the leader only so long as he told everyone to do what they wanted to do anyway, and because he had had his bitch ass kung-fued in the past and hadn't cared for it, Lash unlocked the door and let the Emperor in. The old man fell into the store when Lash opened the door. Bummer and Lazarus stopped barking and bolted by them, and on toward the back of the store. Jeff and Drew got the Emperor seated on one of the registers and Troy Lee handed him a bottle of water. â€Å"Chill, Your Majesty, we've done this before.† â€Å"Not like this. Not like this,† said the Emperor. â€Å"It's a storm of evil. Lock the door.† Lash rolled his eyes. They really had done this before, and the door being locked or unlocked wasn't going to make much difference if a vampire was following the old man. â€Å"We got your back, Highness,† Lash said. â€Å"Lock the door,† the Emperor moaned, pointing through the window. A fog bank was moving across the parking lot, with rather more intent than one usually expects from a fog bank. A high, yowling screech seemed to come out of the fog in a stream, as if it had been sampled, amplified, and duplicated a thousand times. The Animals moved to the glass. â€Å"Lock the door, Lash,† Clint said. Clint never gave orders. The edge of the fog bank was boiling with shapes, claws, ears, eyes, teeth, tails-cats formed of fog, rolling in a wave over one another, some materializing partially, only to evaporate and roll back into the cloud, their red eyes moving through the cloud like embers out of a firestorm. â€Å"Whoa,† said Drew. â€Å"Whoa,† repeated the others. â€Å"Okay, that is different,† said Troy Lee. â€Å"My friends all over the City are missing,† the Emperor said. â€Å"Street people. They're gone. Just their clothes and gray dust,† the Emperor said. â€Å"The cats are killing everything in their way.† â€Å"That is fucked up,† said Jeff. â€Å"Deeply, deeply fucked up,† said Barry, dragging one of the heavy wooden order dividers off the register and brandishing it like a club. â€Å"Lock the fucking door, Lash!† Clint screamed. â€Å"Jesus hates it when you use the f-word,† said Gustavo, the Mexican porter, who was Catholic and liked to remind Clint when his Jesus was slipping. The fog washed against the window and claw marks etched the Plexiglas instantly to frost, as if it had all been sanded. The noise was like, well, it was like a thousand vampire cats clawing on Plexiglas-it made their teeth hurt. â€Å"Did anyone bring weapons?† Troy Lee asked. â€Å"I brought some weed,† Drew said. A cat's claw of fog crept under the door and raked the toe of Lash's sneaker. He snapped the lock shut, pulled out the key, and backed away. â€Å"Okay, break time,† he said. â€Å"Crew meeting in the walk-in.† JARED Across town, in the bedroom of a fashionable loft, in the fashionable SOMA neighborhood, aspiring rat-shagger, Jared Whitewolf, looked up from rubbing his sore ankle to see a completely naked redhead walk into the room. Her hair hung to her waist in a great curling cape, framing her figure, which was perfect and as white as a marble statue. She held Jared's double-edged dagger in her right hand. Jared backed up onto the bed in a reverse crab walk. â€Å"I, I, I, it, it, it-Abby made me-â€Å" â€Å"Chill, Scissorhands,† Jody said. â€Å"You'd better find some of those blood bags of Steve's fast, unless you'd like to finish high school as a pile of greasy dust. Countess is thirsty.†

Ancient History: Cities of Vesuvius

Using Source A and B and your own knowledge, describe the main features of the economy in Pompeii. -The some of the main features of the economy in Pompeii consisted of: Trade, Commerce, Industry, Occupations, and Public Works. -Trade: Pompeii was the port for Nuceria and Nola, which made it the trading centre for mainly agricultural produce. There are suggestions for the size and nature of the port but this is determined on whether it was a sea port or a river port. Pompeii played an important role in the economy of the Campanian region. Commerce: There were plenty of shops in Pompeii, but the evidence to what was sold in them is very little, and archaeologists can hardly determine what was sold in them. Some shops that have been determine though are: a masons shops and a carpenters shop, both these shops were determined through paintings that had both masons and carpenters tools on it. Markets were important as well. The macellum which was located in the Forum and sold meat and fish. The forum featured a courtyard, a colonnade and a row of shops. The evidence that supports the macellum is fish bones and scales found in a drain beneath the forum structure. Although, not all shops or markets had permanent locations. Evidence from the praedia or estate of Julia Felix makes it clear that there were temporary stalls that sold goods such as shoes, or metal vessels. There were plenty of bars and inns in Pompeii and were mainly located on the main roads and near the gates. The many thermopolia (Source B) acted as bars, the dolia or large terracotta pots embedded in the counters of these shops are generally acknowledged as food or drink holders. Buildings identified as inns have been locate near the Nuceria Gate and the Forum. They consisted of courtyards and upper floor rooms. Industry: Industry played an important part in the economy of Pompeii. Agriculture, Wine and olive oil production were predominant. Pliny once stated ‘more skill was needed to produce olive oil than wine, because the same tree produces different kinds of oil’. The green olive was the olive that had the outstanding taste, and was used mainly for olive oil production. Most of the pressing of oil (Source A: Olive Press) was done in the rich estates, but some were found in Pompeian houses and the Forum granary. Generally presses had to be warmed with large fires, and Cato once stated â€Å"Pompeian presses built from lava stone were the best’. Once olive oil was pressed it was sold at the Oblitarium or oil markets. -Occupations: There is a large amount of evidence from Pompeii concerning the varied occupations of the population. Pompeii had a large community of artisans which included: artists, metalworkers, potters and glassblowers. There were tradesmen, wealthy merchants, manufacturers and service industries employing bakers, innkeepers, bath attendants and brothel keepers. Some evidence to support these occupations are the artworks from Pompeii that depicted cupids engaged in the various crafts and occupations of the townspeople.

The largest bakery

IntroductionGREGGS is the largest bakeshop retail merchant in UK. The historical company foremost founded by John Gregg in 1939, and opened its first store in 1951. After about 60 old ages enlargement, it becomes a nutrient land supplying big scope of fresh nutrient for 5 million clients every hebdomad in over 1,400 net stores. During this period, a little bakeshop store became a nutrient giant with to the full developed distribution centres providing freshness and quality nationally. Meanwhile they besides faced obstruction on their manner to multinational. The failure in Belgium is a warning of their enlargement. As the purpose to decide the impact from economic recession, 10 Belgium stores were resolutely closed in last twelvemonth. The study analysis GEREGGS ‘ public presentation in 2008 from their one-year study, and measure its attraction of investing.Fiscal PerformanceBased on the Amalgamate Income Statement ( line 1 Appx. 1 [ Page 5 ] ) , the entire gross revenues ended 27 December 2008 increased by 7.1 % to & A ; lb ; 628.2 million ( compared to & A ; lb ; 586.3 million in 2007 ) , including a 4.4 % rise of like-for-like gross revenues growing. At the same clip, the distribution and merchandising costs rocketed from & A ; lb ; 278.7 million ( 2007 ) to & A ; lb ; 306.6 million ( 2008 ) , by 10 per centum. On the contrary, the net income before revenue enhancement reduced from & A ; lb ; 49 million to & A ; lb ; 45.1 million ( Line 9 Appx.1 [ Page 5 ] ) , a decrease of 7.8 % excepting belongings additions, restructuring costs and exceeding pension recognition, which is non really satisfactory but still acceptable under such fortunes, the clients are delicate and losing assurance. Meanwhile, the operat ing net income dropped by 2.6 per centum to & A ; lb ; 48.6 million ( 2007: & A ; lb ; 49.9million ) . Partially for the ground of the higher Significant addition in energy and ingredient costs therefore more dearly-won of the distribution and merchandising. From the figures above, 23.6 per centum of its hard currency flow contributed to assets. 41 net stores freshly set up in 2008, which are somewhat more than 34 in 2007. Second, the P/E ratio in 10.5 % is still acceptable during the vulnerable economic period of planetary crisis. Third, as a company supplying fresh nutrient, the stock list turnover was keeping at a typical high degree. What ‘s more, the working capital of company is lower than favourable line, nevertheless it dues to the low stock list and to the full usage of hard currency. Finally, the ROA and ROE ratio were keeping singular at 15.4 % and 23.0 % severally. As a investor, GREGGS is an perfectly attractive pick.PositionHarmonizing to the appraisal of GREGGS ‘ fiscal public presentation, a satisfactory consequence was obtained. The entire gross rocketed above 7 per centum, although the net net income is somewhat declined compared with 2007. The economic crisis created series of concatenation actions to the c ompany ‘s day-to-day operation. Since the significant additions in natural stuffs, a higher cost of gas, electricity and fuel straight impact on production and distribution. Meanwhile indirect effects besides raised the cost throughout the supply concatenation. What ‘s more, the increasing cost of ware affected the cost of its indispensable constituents of merchandises, such as flour, meats, wheat, and so on. In order to cover the impact of planetary rising prices, GREGGS improved their efficiency and made accommodation on selling monetary value. Although it is a manner to keep gross, a hazard of disputing clients ‘ trade name trueness merged from such action. Obviously they conquered it good by effectual work on quality, freshness, gustatory sensation and friendly service. From the figures of last Chapter, the Quick ratio besides named Acid trial is a portion of measuring liquidness in short term. It indicates if a company has adequate short-run buttockss to cover its current liabilities. A favourable figure in most of industries is 1:1, but for a nutrient company running under a tight liquidness ( Acerb trial: 36.7 % ) is besides a common happening. Another portion is long term, which is besides called Gearing ratio, measures the relationship between long term liabilities and stockholders ‘ equity. 19.3 % ( Appx.2, Cal. 19, P12 ) is an acceptable degree for stockholders, the involvements on long term debts is controlled to some extent. The company was besides engaged on betterment of their methods of bring forthing nutrient. For a long clip, GREGGS bakeshop made a bulk of its merchandises under its ain formulas, therefore a considerable regional fluctuation. In the last twelvemonth, they implemented a programme in order to consolidate their merchandises. By the terminal of 2009, 80 per centum of merchandises would be harmonized across the state. At the same clip, they responded effectual on clients ‘ demand. Set repast on lower monetary value and inventions of new spirit were introduced to consumers. Equally good as welcomed pieces such as hot sandwiches and pesto baguette would be expanded into more net stores. Besides the chief service they provided, GREGGS made a singular part on societal duty. Firstly it provided a favourable working environment and competitory intervention to employees. They provide scope of public assistances such as, private medical intervention, psychological advisers, and wagess for people. Second, a scheme named ‘ Making a Difference to Communities ‘ is good performed. The GREGGS ‘ Trust founded in 1987 was still running good on roll uping financess to back up local charity. In 2008, they raised and distributed & A ; lb ; 1.8 million assisting local communities. The GREGGS Breakfast Club is supplying free, healthy nutrient for over 6,000 primary school kids. The activities of bettering their merchandises help GREGGS with its selling place, and the repute from taging a difference to communities helps them with their societal positon. Based on the company ‘s satisfactory public presentation on fiscal place, the sensible mark of following twelvemonth would be good accomplished.Cash FlowTake a glimpse at the Cash Flow statement ( Appx.1 Page 7 ) , ( 49 ) hard currency generated from operations was & A ; lb ; 44 million, a 28.6 % decrease by & A ; lb ; 62 million ( 2007 ) , & A ; lb ; 41 million is contributed to ( 50 ) acquisition of belongings, works and equipment compared with & A ; lb ; 42 million in 2007, and ( 59 ) cyberspace hard currency from funding activities was & A ; lb ; 36 million ( 2007 ) to & A ; lb ; 15 million ( 2008 ) . First of wholly, 56.5 % of financess obtained from operations and finance activities were used in investing. Harmonizing to company ‘s program in 2009, there will be an enlargement of net stores. The proportion will travel up. On the other custodies, 7.1 per centum of its hard currency flows were generated from gross revenues. Compared with 10.5 % ( 2007 ) , the increasing cost of natural stuffs contributed to this difference. Last of all, the operations Cash Flow to Current Liabilities Ratio was 96.8 % in 2007, reveals less hard currency influxs therefore more investing of capital.Decision and RecommendationTo sum up, as the biggest nutrient retail merchant, it suffered a respectable impact from increasing universe rising prices. Without inquiry, the twelvemonth 2008 is a important point at GREGGS flight, where they accomplished an acceptable public presentation. In the following twelvemonth, a program of simplifying operations and doing farther enlargement is good prepared. A s figures mentioned before, GREGGS was keeping a comparatively high volume of stock list to equilibrate the impact of lifting cost of stuffs. Under the economic background is unbending up, it would be better to runing at low stock list. Their first measure of fiscal accomplishment in 2009 is a 3.2 per centum of addition in entire gross revenues and a 1.0 per centum of like-for-like gross revenues growing by 7th March, 2009. Sing the conditions influence on their gross revenues, it is a sensible aim. However they underestimated the recovery of the economic position and consumers ‘ assurance.MentionsGreggs Annual ReportDun & A ; Bradstreet Industry and Financial Consulting Services.Industry Norms and Key Business Ratios. Murray Hill, NJ: Dun & A ; Bradstreet Industry and Financial Consulting Services, 2002.Investopedia Dictionary. 14 May 2003. & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.investopedia.com & gt ; .How do I measure a company ‘s fiscal public presentation? Rollins College Olin Library. & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //tars.rollins.edu/olin/businessresearch/fin_perform/index.shtml & gt ;

Man Is Known by the Company He Keeps Essay

Man is a social creature. None can live alone, away from the society of his fellow being, like shipwrecked Alexandra Selkirk who aspired for company in the lonely island. It is always very natural for him to seek the company of others. Even when all his immediate physical needs are met, he must have someone to talk to enjoy himself with. At home he has his near and dear ones by his side. But that is not enough. He must have other companions— friends to whom he can unburden his heart and with whom he can exchange his ideas and share his enthusiasm. Hence, we must intimately associate with others; we must do so that our friends may come to exert a great deal of influence over us, on our character and conduct. Man is by nature imitative, and he will often be led to imitate others. For good or for evil, others very often lead and guide us. They may mould our tastes and interest, and shape our character. We become good or bad as our friends are. For instance, if a man is virtuous and honest, he will by his speech and conduct inspire his friends with goodness and honesty. Similarly, if our friends are wicked, we may follow them do as they do and become wicked ourselves. Naturally, we cannot blame people if they judge us by the company we keep. The same boy shapes differently if placed in different companies. Furthermore, no companionship, at least no lasting companion ­ship is possible unless the parties have similar tastes and interests, likes and dislikes. It is like the magnetic affinity. A man who is bad in instinctively drawn to those who are similarly bad. It has been most truly said that birds of the same feather flock together. Here also the character of our companions is an index of our own character. If he does not show his dislike nor try to avoid uncongenial company, having found undeserving, he will surely, in course of time, become quite as bad as his friend. It is quite axiomatic that one who is virtuous will shun the company of those who are given to the ways of vice. He will try to make friends with those that are good and on the right path. Companionship thus is a positive factor not only in the formation of character but in the estimation of man’s true worth. It is at once an influence on character and a measure of one’s real worth. A man is often judged by the collective quality and identity of his group. Nobody will believe that a particular robber of the gang is honest. As we are drawn to men who feel and act like ourselves and we are influenced by them. An estimate of the moral character of an individual can easily by made in reference to that of his companions. He cannot be different from his friends. So we conclude that he is what his friends are. Just as one rotten mango spoils the rest in the basket, similarly one wicked man corrupts a lot of friends. In the choice of our companions, we must be cautious and careful because on this choice depends so much. Before we make friends with others, we must watch their conduct and know what kind of men they actually are. But as children do not know what is right and wrong, parents must see that boys and girls do not fall into evil company. This task should begin at school, — in the formative years of a boy or girl.