Claude Monet Water Lilies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Claude Monet Water Lilies - Essay Example I could feel my heart beat quicken as I inched forward in line for my ticket, anticipating what I would see, how it would affect me, and how I would be changed in some way, as we all are, by seeing to what heights the soul of man can rise. As I entered the building and was captured by the walls of glass, modern, clean white lines of the galleries, the large public works of art throughout the building, with works hung on staircase landings (of all places!) and from the ceilings, meant to show how accessible and functional the modern works could be. I was drawn into one exhibit, on the second floor, though, that featured an exhibition of the French impressionist artist Claude Monet, entitled â€Å"Monet’s Water Lilies.† I was drawn into a room where three 20-foot paintings, his masterpieces of his study of Water Lilies, were hung in harmonious and dramatic style. The works were placed next to and across from each other, with their gigantic canvases echoing what Monet saw over many days and months in his garden in Giverny. At first glance, the works were a muted collection of simplicity, but the more I studied the works, the more I was overwhelmed at their aspects of color, the juxtaposition of the works, and the overwhelming sense of permanence I felt when sitting among these works. I was drawn into their immense size, wealth of subtle colors and scale of proportions that reflected the various moods created by light, water, sky, and nature, as they all worked together to create a sense of serenity and eternal feeling. It slowed me down to a point to where I had to sit and observe, and allow myself to see the detail throughout each painting. The simplicity yet complexity of the works drew me to them and left a permanence in my mind’s eye. The fact that they were located in a room which seemed built especially for these large works, allowed them to be seen as a reflection of each other, in a way enhanced the experience for me. As I observed, I noticed more and more layers of paint on the works, which showed a tremendous amount of effort that went into the work. Done in impressionist pastels, with a study of a pond dotted with reflections of water lilies, poppies, sky, grasses, and trees, reminded me that the more we look at even the most simplistic things, the more complex they are. The simplicity is reminiscent of the style of Japanese art with a harmonious relationship between man and nature, with each complementing each other. In this case, there were no men or human structures in the paintings, as we were meant to be the human element of the works, and almost become part of the painting, as we are filled with a sense of serenity, color, nature, and calmness. The muted lighting, subtle colors, reflections of sky--and of ourselves- allows the viewer to become part of that Giverny landscape-- part of Monet’s eternal world. The pure simplicity of the works, but the hidden complexity of the brush strokes, depth and layer of colors, echoes the haiku of the Japanese poet, Matsuo Basho. As with Monet, his haiku are simple on the surface, but the artist draws the observer in with hidden complexities and depth of meaning and complexity of nature and human existence. As Monet uses the stroke of a brush to reveal his emotional depth and feeling, Bashu uses the written word to paint his canvas of emotion and searching of the human soul. Simplicity means complexity in both artists’

Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that Poe manipulates the story to suit his needs through the use of the point of view presented in the form of first-person narration.   The central narrator, Montressor, presents the story at a personal point of view. The readers’ opinion is corrupted by the narrator’s perception towards Fortunato. The opening line of the story is meant to lure the readers into supporting his actions, â€Å"The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge†. The use of central narrator affects the emotional attachment that the reader feels upon a character. His attempt to capture readers’ support is strategic. However, readers do not understand what Fortunato had done to the narrator or if the narrator is trying to create a scene in his mind. The reader becomes even more confused because all the story events are brought to the fore by the narrator. Montresor takes advantage of the narration role to justify his actions as well as changing the readers’ attitude towards Fortunato.   The story is told from the narrator’s point of view to increase the depravity and remorse that the reader feels. The narrator tries to divert the reader away from realizing the perverseness of his behavior. He suggests that walling-off Fortunato brings satisfaction.   The narrator is successful in walling-off Fortunato in a cordial manner without struggle or resistance being put-up by Fortunato, â€Å"The Amontillado!’ ejaculated my friend, not yet recovered from his astonishment† (532). If the author had Fortunato resist or show any anger, the act could have negatively affected the reader’s mood. The impact of the scene is further enhanced through narration by the immediate sobering up of Fortunato, â€Å"It was not the cry of a drunken man† (532). Use of central narration indicates that the story revolves around the in ner terror and the innate evil that exists in people. It allows the readers peer inside the narrators, as well as the author’s, mind and condition. Use of first person narration is related to the idea that telling the story from the victim’s perspective would not portray the memorable qualities to the readers’ attention. The narrator is able to bring out the true clarity of the dark tale, chilling suspense and invite the reader’s into the calculating and icy mind of Montresor. The detailed first person narration reveals the author’s intention of making the readers judge the narrator; not sympathize with him. First person narration is used to show that revenge is impossible due to a man’s inner self. This style also allows the reader to understand the character’s inner struggles and decisions, â€Å"You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however that I gave utterance to a threat† (528). The use of a character’s point of view is poetic because it brings-out various themes such as brutality and insensitivity. The narration helps in the expression of the author’s inner most feelings in relation to the main theme of the literary article. The use of the first person narration by Poe portrays some aspects of meta-fiction traits. Most of the ideas being asserted by the narrator emanates from the author. The story narration could be a confession or the narrator could be bragging. Otherwise, why shoul d it be back dated for half a century? Additionally, he exclaims, â€Å"In pace requiescat!† at the end of the story (533). This indicates that he could be comforting his soul after making a fifty year old confession. Because I could not stop for Death by Emily Dickinson is also a first person narration that invokes controversy. This is because it presents a multidimensional and complex view of a concept that is mysterious to most readers: death. Just like in the case of The Cask of Amontillado by Poe, the author seems to express his feelings and inner thoughts through

Network Aware Adaptive Media Streaming in Mobile Cloud

Network Aware Adaptive Media Streaming in Mobile Cloud Authors Name/s per 1st Affiliation (Author) line 1 (of Affiliation): dept. name of organization line 2-name of organization, acronyms acceptable line 3-City, Country line 4-e-mail address if desired Authors Name/s per 2nd Affiliation (Author) line 1 (of Affiliation): dept. name of organization line 2-name of organization, acronyms acceptable line 3-City, Country line 4-e-mail address if desired Abstract—This electronic document is a â€Å"live† template and already defines the components of your paper [title, text, heads, etc.] in its style sheet. *CRITICAL: Do Not Use Symbols, Special Characters, or Math in Paper Title or Abstract. (Abstract) Keywords—multimedia streaming; mobile cloud; ranking; QoS I. Introduction In recent years, mobility of computing devices has caught the fascination and attention of many users all over the world. This has led to rapid advancement in mobile technology and now users can easily stream high quality multimedia content like audio and video on the go. A huge limitation to this, however, is the loss of quality that is incurred while transferring the data. Due to the mobile nature of the devices, varying signal strength can lead to packet loss which ultimately leads to the reduction in the quality of service (QoS). In addition, the memory available in mobile devices is relatively low. To overcome these constraints, data is stored and retrieved from a cloud. Cloud computing addresses the QoS related issues and reliability problems. The cloud has a large amount of storage space and computation power. Harnessing the power of the cloud, it will be possible to service the needs of multiple mobile clients simultaneously. Using the cloud, it is possible to allocate resources on demand and reallocate them dynamically. In order to stream data from a cloud to a mobile device, a coding and decoding architecture like H264/SVC is necessary. This architecture is an extension of the H.264/AVC. It ensures that the same quality of video that can be obtained using H.264/MPEG-4 AVC design on the mobile device. It employs spatial scalability and temporal scalability. According to spatial scalability samples of high quality data can be predicted from their decoded low quality counterparts. Using temporal scalability, the entire video is modelled in such a way that the motion is encoded as dependencies so that the picture for subsequent frames need not be encoded directly. In order to boost QoS, a technique called Bayesian-Gaussian method is used to predict the bandwidth available to the mobile user. Once the bandwidth has been predicted, the data is encoded using xuggler transcoding algorithm. To finally stream the video, multipath routing protocols are used and ranks are provided to each node to ensure that none of them have to wait indefinitely to be serviced. Following this, a comparison is made to the existing Bayesian technique proposed by Keshav[1]. II. Related Work A. Mobile Cloud Compuing A mobile cloud computing setup is one in which mobile devices outsource the computational power of the cloud. Data storage and processing are both performed outside the mobile device. B. Streaming Content C. Role of Cache in Real Time Streaming The role of the cache has been outlined by Wu et al[2]. When a Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) request is sent by a machine, the cache memory is initially searched. In case a cache miss occurs, the original server services the request. D. Improving Quality of Service A number of different approaches have been proposed in order to ensure that the quality of service is maximized. One such method presented by Wang and Dey[3] uses a technique that varies the complexity of the content depending on the network. Non-essential data in a scene are omitted to accomplish this. Lai et al[4] have also put forth an approach to data streaming that depends on the network. Prediction of the bandwidth is done based on measured historical data. This will help prevent the wastage of bandwidth. It is also noted that the video format to be used is to be chosen. This is performed by a Bayesian prediction module. A third approach is detailed by Thuy An et al[5]. Enhancements are made to the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) in order to provide an overall better experience. The data separated into two categories and compressed. Lossless techniques are used to provide the best possible output. E. Ranking The various approaches mentioned in the previous section discuss improving QoS with respect to one user. But in reality, the cloud is simultaneously accessed by more than just one user. For this reason, it is important to ensure that there is some scheduling mechanism in place that will monitor the incoming requests so that no client request is forced to wait for too long without being serviced. Zhou et al[6] have proposed a novel approach in which all the competing mobile devices work together to minimize congestion. This approach aims to strike a balance between reducing the distortion in data and increasing the performance of the network as a whole. III. Proposed Work The proposed model has two major components: the mobile device and the cloud. The mobile device simply issues the request while the cloud provides a rank, predicts the bandwidth and then streams the video accordingly. The architecture has been outlined in Fig.1. A. Mobile Device The implementation of the mobile portion of the architecture is fairly straight forward. The user is provided with the option to specify the location of the video in the cloud server. Then, the cache is check to see if the requested data is available. If it is, the data is transferred directly from the cache. This type of cached data will be accessible offline as well. In the case where a cache miss occurs, the server is accessed to retrieve the data. B. The Cloud The videos that are to be stream are stored in a separate database. When a request is made, the video is streamed using the cloud. In order to do this, three major modules are implemented in the cloud. In the cloud, the users are ranked and then the bandwidth available is estimated. Finally, xuggler transcoding is used to encode the data and the encoded data is transferred to the mobile device for viewing. Each operation is handled by a different module as show in Fig.2. C. Bandwidth Prediction D. Xuggler Transcoding E. Ranking The ranking module is used to ensure that QoS is improved while transmitting the data. Once the bandwidth has been determined, the data has to be sent in such a way that the congestion in the network is as low as possible. Ranking is done based on the user profile. The user profile contains a history of the user’s downloads as well as the bandwidth measured. Poorly performing nodes in the system are identified using this ranking system and they can be enhanced to improve the overall functioning of the network as a whole. F. Channel Assignment Once ranking is done, multipath routing algorithms are used to transfer the data. Link states are determined and the several feasible paths are selected. Since several paths are selected, the chances of congestion and packet loss are reduced. The most suitable channel for transmission of the data can be determined by solving the linear programming equation Min (1) The process of selecting the best channel is shown in Fig. 3. IV. Output The proposed system has been implemented and its results have been compared with that of the Keshav’s Bayesian technique. It can be seen that the proposed system works better than Keshav’s system consistently. Comparative studies have been undertaken on the basis of bandwidth and peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR). A. Bandwidth The bandwidth predicted by the proposed system is a lot closer to the actual measured bandwidth than that predicted by Keshav’s system. The graph in Fig.4 clearly shows the deviation of both techniques from the actual measured bandwidth. B. PSNR and Bit Rate The quality of the video streamed can be determined based on the bit rate as well as the PSNR. The proposed system performs better than Keshav’s system on both counts. This is shown in the graph in Fig.5. C. Video Quality The comparative study only shows us how the system works in comparison to Keshav’s existing system. To determine the effectiveness of this system, a detailed study of the video quality was performed and has been summarized in Table 1. Conclusion It is clear from the studies undertaken that the proposed Bayesian-Gaussian technique works well at predicting the bandwidth available. The xuggler transcoding also ensures that quality is preserved. Thus, using a mobile cloud it is possible to stream videos without a loss in quality and also without forcing the user to wait for the video to load. Acknowledgment (Heading 5) The preferred spelling of the word â€Å"acknowledgment† in America is without an â€Å"e† after the â€Å"g.† Avoid the stilted expression â€Å"one of us (R. B. G.) thanks †. Instead, try â€Å"R. B. G. thanks†. Put sponsor acknowledgments in the unnumbered footnote on the first page. References The template will number citations consecutively within brackets [1]. The sentence punctuation follows the bracket [2]. Refer simply to the reference number, as in [3]—do not use â€Å"Ref. [3]† or â€Å"reference [3]† except at the beginning of a sentence: â€Å"Reference [3] was the first † Number footnotes separately in superscripts. Place the actual footnote at the bottom of the column in which it was cited. Do not put footnotes in the reference list. Use letters for table footnotes. Unless there are six authors or more give all authors’ names; do not use â€Å"et al.†. Papers that have not been published, even if they have been submitted for publication, should be cited as â€Å"unpublished† [4]. Papers that have been accepted for publication should be cited as â€Å"in press† [5]. Capitalize only the first word in a paper title, except for proper nouns and element symbols. For papers published in translation journals, please give the English citation first, followed by the original foreign-language citation [6]. G. Eason, B. Noble, and I.N. Sneddon, â€Å"On certain integrals of Lipschitz-Hankel type involving products of Bessel functions,† Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London, vol. A247, pp. 529-551, April 1955. (references) J. Clerk Maxwell, A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism, 3rd ed., vol. 2. Oxford: Clarendon, 1892, pp.68-73. I.S. Jacobs and C.P. Bean, â€Å"Fine particles, thin films and exchange anisotropy,† in Magnetism, vol. III, G.T. Rado and H. Suhl, Eds. New York: Academic, 1963, pp. 271-350. K. Elissa, â€Å"Title of paper if known,† unpublished. R. Nicole, â€Å"Title of paper with only first word capitalized,† J. Name Stand. Abbrev., in press. Y. Yorozu, M. Hirano, K. Oka, and Y. Tagawa, â€Å"Electron spectroscopy studies on magneto-optical media and plastic substrate interface,† IEEE Transl. J. Magn. Japan, vol. 2, pp. 740-741, August 1987 [Digests 9th Annual Conf. Magnetics Japan, p. 301, 1982]. M. Young, The Technical Writer’s Handbook. Mill Valley, CA: University Science, 1989.

The Nature of Ghosts in The Woman Warrior Essay -- Maxine Hong Kingsto

The Nature of Ghosts in The Woman Warrior "Ghost." What images does this word conjure up in the average American mind? Perhaps you think of little kids draped in white sheets begging for candy on Halloween. Perhaps you imagine transparent versions of dead people wandering the earth for eternity. Perhaps you are reminded of a person who just saw something especially scary; they are "pale as a ghost". So the word "ghost" - a word with many meanings - calls forth these images. What do they have in common? There's the idea of paleness - when was the last time you ever saw a black ghost? Silence - ghosts don't say much, except maybe they go "Boo!" once in a while. And, just maybe, there's a hint of unfamiliarity in the idea - it's always a stranger's soul wandering the earth, not someone you know, and somehow - maybe with a white sheet - the ghost's identity is hidden from the world. Perhaps these have something in common with the "Chinese" idea of the ghost as it is played out in Kingston's The Woman Warrior. I have placed "Chinese" in quotes to acknowled...

Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 15

Tiggy. She was running. Throwing the door open. Visionsof kittens impaled by tiny stakes in her mind. It wasn't Tiggy on the front porch. It was Ash. He was lying flat in the purple twilight, little moths fluttering around him. Mary-Lynnette felt a violent wrench in her chest.For a moment everything seemed suspended-and changed. If Ash were dead-if Ash had been killed †¦ Things would never be all right. She would neverbe all right. It would be like the night with the moonand stars gone. Nothing that anybody could do wouldmake up for it. Mary-Lynnette didn't know why-itdidn't make any sense-but she suddenly knew it was true. She couldn't breathe and her arms and legs felt strange. Floaty. Out of her control. Then Ash moved. He lifted his head and pushed up with his arms and looked around. Mary-Lynnette could breathe again, but she still felt dizzy. â€Å"Are you hurt?† she asked stupidly. She didn't dare touch him. In her present state one blast of electricity could fry her circuits forever. She'd meltlike the Wicked Witch of the West. â€Å"I fell in thishole, â€Å"he said. â€Å"What do you think?† That's right, Mary-Lynnette thought; the footsteps hadended with more of a crash than a thud. Not like the footsteps of last night. And that meant something †¦if only she couldfollow the thought to the end†¦ . â€Å"Having problems, Ash?†Kestrel's voice saidsweetly, and then Kestrel herself appeared out of the shadows, looking like an angel with her golden hair and her lovely clean features. Jade was behind her, holding Tiggy in her arms. â€Å"He was up in a tree,† Jade said, kissing the kitten's head. â€Å"I had to talk him down.† Her eyes were emerald in the porch light, and she seemed to float rather than walk. Ash was getting up, shaking himself. Like his sisters, he looked uncannily beautiful after a feeding,with a sort of weird moonlight glow in his eyes. Mary-Lynnette's thought was long gone. â€Å"Come on in,† she said resignedly. â€Å"And help figure out who killed your aunt.† Now that Ash was indisputably all right,she wanted to forget what she'd been feeling a minuteago. Or at least not to think about what it meant. What it means, the little voice inside her head said sweetly, is that you're in big trouble, girl. Ha ha. â€Å"So what's the story?† Kestrel said briskly as they all sat around the kitchen table. â€Å"The story is that there is no story,†MaryLynnette said. She stared at her paper in frustration. â€Å"Look-what if we start at the beginning? We don't know who did it, but we do know some things about them. Right?† Rowan nodded encouragingly. â€Å"Right.† â€Å"First: the goat. Whoever killed the goat had to bestrong, because poking those toothpicks through hidewouldn't have been easy. And whoever killed the goat had to know how your uncle Hodge was killed, because the goat was killed in the same way. And they had to have some reason for putting a black irisin the goat's mouth-either because they knew Ashbelonged to the Black Iris Club, or because they be longed to the Black Iris Club themself.† â€Å"Or because they thought a black iris would represent all lamia, or all Night People,† Ash said. Hisvoice was muffled-he was bent over, rubbing hisankle. â€Å"That's a common mistake Outsiders make.† Very good, Mary-Lynnette thought in spite of herself. She said, â€Å"Okay. And they had access to two different kinds of small stakes-which isn't sayingmuch, because you can buy both kinds in town.† â€Å"And they must have had some reason to hate Mrs. B., or to hate vampires,† Mark said. â€Å"Otherwise, why kill her?† Mary-Lynnette gave him a patient look. â€Å"I hadn't gotten to Mrs. B. yet. But we can do her now. First, whoever killed Mrs. B. obviously knew she was a vampire, because they staked her. And, second †¦ um†¦second . . .† Her voice trailed off. She couldn't think of anything to go second. -240 â€Å"Second, they probably killed her on impulse,† Ash said, in a surprisingly calm and analytical voice.†You said she was stabbed with a picket from the fence, and if they'd been planning on doing it, they'd probably have brought their own stake.† â€Å"Verygood.† This time Mary-Lynnette said it out loud. She couldn't help it. She met Ash's eyes and saw something that startled her. He looked as if itmattered to him that she thought he was smart. Well, she thought. Well, well. Here we are, probably for the first time, justtalking to each other. Not arguing, not being sarcastic, just talking. It's nice. It was surprisingly nice. And the strange thing was, she knew Ash thought so, too. They understood each other. Over the table, Ash gave her a barely perceptible nod. They kept talking. Mary-Lynnette lost track of timeas they sat and argued and brainstormed. Finally she looked up at the clock and realized with a shock that it was near midnight. â€Å"Do wehave to keep thinking?† Mark said pathetically. â€Å"I'm tired.† He was almost lying on the table. So was Jade. I know how you feel, Mary-Lynnette thought. Mybrain is stalled. I feel †¦ extremely stupid. â€Å"Somehow, I don't think we're going to solve the murder tonight,† Kestrel said. Her eyes were closed. She was right. The problem was that MaryLynnette didn't feel like going to bed, either. Shedidn't want to lie down and relax-there was a rest lessness inside her. I want †¦ what do I want? she thought. I want †¦ â€Å"If there weren't a psychopathic goat killer lurkingaround here, I'd go out and look at the stars,† shesaid. Ash said, as if it were the most natural thing inthe world, â€Å"I'll go with you.† Kestrel and Jade looked at their brother in disbelief. Rowan bent her head, not quite hiding a smile. Mary-Lynnette said, â€Å"Um †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Look,† Ash said. â€Å"I don't think the goat killeris lurking out there everyminutelooking for people to skewer. And if anything does happen, I can handle it.† He stopped, looked guilty, then bland. â€Å"I mean we can handle it, because there'll be two of us.† Close but no cigar, buddy, Mary-Lynnette thought. Still, there was a certain basic truth to what he was saying. He was strong and fast, and she had the feeling he knew how to fight dirty. Even if she'd never seen him do it, she thoughtsuddenly. All those times she'd gone after him, shining light in his eyes, kicking him in the shins-and he'd never once tried to retaliate. She didn't think it had even occurred to him. She looked at him and said, â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"Now,† Mark said. â€Å"Look †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"We'll be fine,† Mary-Lynnette told him. â€Å"We won't go far.† Mary-Lynnette drove. She didn't know exactly where she was going, only that she didn't want to go to her hill. Too many weird memories. Despite what she'd told Mark, she found herself taking the car farther and farther. Out to where Hazel Green Creek and Beavercreek almost came together and the land between them was a good imitation of a rain forest. â€Å"Is this the best place to look at – stars?† Ash saiddoubtfully when they got out of the station wagon. â€Å"Well-if you're looking straight up,† MaryLynnette said. She faced eastward and tilted her head far back. â€Å"See the brightest star up there? That's Vega, the queen star of summer.† â€Å"Yeah. She's been higher in the sky every nightthis summer,† Ash said without emphasis. Mary-Lynnette glanced at him. He shrugged. â€Å"When you're out so much at night,you get to recognize the stars,† he said. â€Å"Even if you don't know their names.† Mary-Lynnette looked back up at Vega. She swallowed. â€Å"Can you–can you see something small and bright below her-something ring-shaped?† â€Å"The thing that looks like a ghost doughnut?† Mary-Lynnette smiled, but only with her lips.†That's the Ring Nebula. I can see that with my telescope.† She could feel him looking at her, and she heardhim take a breath as if he were going to say something. But then he let the breath out again and looked back up at the stars. It was the perfect moment for him to mention something about how Vampires See It Better. And if he had, Mary-Lynnette would have turned on him and rejected him with righteous anger. But since hedidn't,she felt a different kind of anger welling up. A spring of contrariness, as if shewere the Mary in the nursery rhyme. What, so you've decided I'm not good enough to be a vampire or something? And what did I really bring you out here for, to the most isolated place I could find? Only for starwatching? I don'tthink so. I don't even know who I am anymore, she remembered with a sort of fatalistic gloom. I have the feeling I'm about to surprise myself. â€Å"Aren't you getting a crick in your neck?† Ashsaid. Mary-Lynnette rolled her head from side to side slightly to limber the muscles. â€Å"Maybe.† â€Å"I could rub it for you?† He made the offer from several feet away. Mary-Lynnette snorted and gave him a look. The moon, a waning crescent, was rising above thecedars to the east. Mary-Lynnette said, â€Å"You want to take a walk?† â€Å"Huh? Sure.† They walked and Mary-Lynnette thought. About how it would be to see the Ring Nebula with herown eyes, or the Veil Nebula without a filter. She could feel a longing for them so strong it was like a cable attached to her chest, pulling her upward. Of course,that was nothing new. She'd felt it lots of times before, and usually she'd ended up buying another book on astronomy, another lens for her telescope. Anything to bring her closer to what she wanted. But now I have a whole new temptation. Something bigger and scarier than I ever imagined. What if I could be-more than I am now? Thesame . person, but with sharper senses? A Mary-Lynnette who couldreally belong to the night? She'd already discovered she wasn't exactly whoshe'd always thought. She was more violent-she'd kicked Ash, hadn't she? Repeatedly. And she'd admired the purity of Kestrel's fierceness. She'd seenthe logic in the kill-or-be-killed philosophy. She'd dreamed about the joy of hunting. What else did it take to be a Night Person? â€Å"There's something I've been wanting to say toyou,† Ash said. â€Å"Hm.†Do I want to encourage him or not? But what Ash said was â€Å"Can we stop fightingnow?† Mary-Lynnette thought and then said seriously, â€Å"Idon't know.† They kept walking. The cedars towered around them like pillars in a giant ruined temple. A dark temple. And underneath, the stillness was so enormous that Mary-Lynnette felt as if she were walkingon the moon. She bent and picked a ghostly wildflower that wasgrowing out of the moss. Death camas. Ash bent and picked up a broken-off yew branch lying at the footof a twisted tree. They didn't look at each other. They walked, with a few feet of space between them. â€Å"You know, somebody told me this would happen,† Ash said, as if carrying on some entirely different conversation they'd been having. â€Å"That you'd come to a hick town and chase agoat killer?† â€Å"That someday I'd care for someone – and itwould hurt.† Mary-Lynnette kept onwalking. She didn't slow or speed up. It was only her heart that was suddenly beating hard-in a mixture of dismay and exhilara tion. Oh, God-whatever was going to happen washappening. â€Å"You're not like anybody I've ever met,† Ash said. â€Å"Well, that feeling is mutual.† Ash stripped some of the papery purple bark offhis yew stick. â€Å"And, you see, it's difficult becausewhat I've always thought about humans-what I wasalways raised to think †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I know what you've always thought,† MaryLynnette said sharply. Thinking,vermin. â€Å"But,† Ash continued doggedly, â€Å"the thing is andI know this is going to sound strange-that I seem to love you sort of desperately.† He pulled more bark off his stick. Mary-Lynnette didn't look at him. She couldn't speak. â€Å"I've done everything I could to get rid of the feeling, but it just won't go. At first I thought if I left Briar Creek, I'd forget it. But now I know that wasinsane. Wherever I go, it's going with me. I can't kill it off. So I have to think of something else.† Mary-Lynnette suddenly felt extremely contrary. â€Å"Sorry,† she said coldly. â€Å"But I'm afraid it's not very flattering to have somebody tell you that they love you against their will, against their reason, and even-â€Å" â€Å"Against their character,† Ash finished for her, bleakly. â€Å"Yeah, I know.† Mary-Lynnette stopped walking. She stared at him.†You havenot readPrideand Prejudice, † she said flatly. â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"Because Jane Austen was a human.† He looked at her inscrutably and said, â€Å"How do you know?† Good point.Scary point. How could she really knowwho in human history had been human? Whatabout Galileo? Newton? T ycho Brahe? â€Å"Well, Jane Austen was a woman,†shesaid, retreating to safer ground. â€Å"And you're a chauvinist pig-,' â€Å"Yes, well, that I can't argue.† Mary-Lynnette started walking again. He followed.†So now can I tell you how, um, ardently I loveand admire you?† Another quote. â€Å"I thought your sisters said youpartiedall the time.† Ash understood. â€Å"I do,† he said defensively. â€Å"Butthe morning after partying you have to stay in bed. And if you're in bed you might as well read something They walked. â€Å"After all, weare soulmates,† Ash said. â€Å"I can't becompletely stupid or I'd be completely wrong for you.† Mary-Lynnette thought about that. And about thefact that Ash sounded almost-humble. Which he had certainly never sounded before. She said, â€Å"Ash †¦I don't know. I mean-weare wrong for each other. We're just basically incompatible. Even if I were avampire, we'd be basically incompatible.† â€Å"Well.† Ash whacked at something with his yew branch. He spoke as if he half expected to be ignored. â€Å"Well, about that †¦ I think I couldpossibly change your mind.† â€Å"About what?† â€Å"Being incompatible. I think we could be sort offairly compatible if . . .† â€Å"If?† Mary-Lynnette said as the silence dragged on.†Well, if you could bring yourself to kiss me.† â€Å"Kissyou?† â€Å"Yeah, I know it's a radical concept. I was pretty sure you wouldn't go for it.† He whacked at another tree. â€Å"Of course humanshave been doing it for thousands of years.† Watching him sideways, Mary-Lynnette said, â€Å"Would you kiss a three-hundred-pound gorilla?† He blinked twice. â€Å"Oh, thank you.†Ã¢â‚¬ I didn't mean you looked like one.†Ã¢â‚¬ Don't tell me, let me guess. I smell like one?†Mary-Lynnette bit her lip on a grim smile. â€Å"I mean you're that much stronger than I am. Would you kissa female gorilla that could crush you with one squeeze`? When you couldn't do anything about it?†He glanced at her sideways. â€Å"Well, you're notexactly in that position, are you?† Mary-Lynnette said, â€Å"Aren't I? It looks to me as ifI'd have to become a vampire just to deal with youon an equal level.† Ash said, â€Å"Here.† Hewasofferingher theyew branch.Mary Lynnette stared at him. â€Å"You want to give me your stick.† â€Å"It's not a stick, it's the way to deal withme onan equal level.† He put one end of the branch againstthe base of his throat, and Mary-Lynnette saw that it was sharp.She reached out to take the other end and found the stick was surprisingly hard and heavy. Ash was looking straight at her. It was too dark to see what color his eyes were, but his expression was unexpectedly sober. â€Å"One good push would do it,† he said. â€Å"First here and then in the heart. You could eliminate the problem of me from your life.† Mary-Lynnette pushed, but gently. He took a step back. And another. She backed him up against a tree, holding the stick to his neck like a sword. â€Å"I actually meant only if you were really serious,†Ash said as he came up short against the cedar's bare trunk. But he didn't make a move to defend himself.†And the truth is that you don't even need a spear like that. A pencil in the right place would do it.† Mary-Lynnette narrowed her eyes at him, swirlingthe yew stick over his body like a fencer getting the range. Then she removed it. She dropped it to the ground. â€Å"You really have changed,† she said. Ash said simply, â€Å"I've changed so much in the lastfew days that I don't even recognize myself in the mirror.† â€Å"And you didn't kill your aunt.†Ã¢â‚¬ You're just now figuring that out?† â€Å"No. But I always wondered just a bit. All right, I'll kiss you.† It was a little awkward, lining up to get the position right. Mary-Lynnette had never kissed a boy before. But once she started she found it was simple. And†¦ now she saw what the electric feeling ofbeing soulmates was for. All the sensations she'd felt when touching his hand, only intensified. And not unpleasant. It was only unpleasant if you were afraidof it. Afterward, Ash pulled away. â€Å"There. Yousee,†he said shakily. Mary-Lynnette took a few deep breaths. â€Å"I supposethat's what it feels like to fall into a black hole.† â€Å"Oh. Sorry.† â€Å"No, I mean-it was interesting.† Singular, shethought. Different from anything she'd ever felt before. And she had the feeling thatshe would be different from now on, that she could never go back andbe the same person she had been. So who am I now? Somebody fierce, I think.Somebody who'd enjoy running through the dark ness, underneath stars bright as miniature suns, and maybe even hunt deer. Somebody who can laugh atdeath the way the sisters do. I'll discover a supernova and I'll hiss when somebody threatens me. I'll be beautiful and scary and dangerous and of course I'll kiss Ash a lot. She was giddy, almost soaring with exhilaration. I've always loved the night, she thought. And I'll finally belong to it completely. â€Å"Mary-Lynnette?† Ash said hesitantly. â€Å"Did you likeit?† She blinked and looked at him. Focused. â€Å"I want you to turn me into a vampire,† she said. It didn't feel like a jellyfish sting this time. It wasquick and almost pleasant like pressure being released. And then Ash's lips were on her neck, and that wasdefinitely pleasant. Warmth radiated from his mouth. Mary-Lynnette found herself stroking the back of his neck and realized that his hair was soft,as nice to touch as cat's fur. And his mind†¦was every color of the spectrum. Crimson and gold, jade and emerald and deep violetblue. A tangled thorn-forest of iridescent colors that changed from second to second. Mary-Lynnette wasdazzled. And half frightened. There was darkness in among those gemlike colors. Things Ash had done in the past †¦ things she could sense he was ashamed of now. But shame didn't change the acts themselves. I know it doesn't-but I'll make up for them, somehow.You'll see; I'll find away†¦. So that's telepathy, Mary-Lynnette thought. She couldfeel Ash as he said the words, feel that hemeant them with desperate earnestness-and feel that there was a lot to make up for. I don't care. I'm going to be a creature of darkness,too. I'll do what's in my nature, with no regrets. When Ash started to lift his head, she tightened her grip, trying to keep him there. â€Å"Please don't tempt me,† Ash said out loud, hisvoice husky, his breath warm on her neck. â€Å"If I take too much, it will make you seriously weak.I mean it, sweetheart.† She let him go. He picked up the yew stick and made a small cut at the base of his throat, tilting his head back like a guy shaving his chin. Mary-Lynnette realized he'd never done this before. With a feeling that was. almost awe, she put her lips to his neck. I'm drinking blood. I'm a hunter already–sort of. Anyway, I'm drinking blood and liking it-maybe because it doesn'ttastelike blood Not like copper and fear. It tastes weird and magic and old as the stars. When Ash gently detached her, she swayed on her feet. â€Å"We'd better go home,† he said. â€Å"Why? I'm okay.† â€Å"You're going to get dizzier-and weaker. And ifwe're going to finish changingyou into a vampire–â€Å" â€Å"if† â€Å"All right,when. But before we do, we need to talk. I need to explain it all to you; we have to figure out the details. Andyouneed to rest.† Mary-Lynnette knew he was right. She wanted to stay here, alone with Ash in the dark cathedral of the forest-but shedidfeel weak. Languid. Apparently it was hard work becoming a creature of darkness. They headed back the way they had come. Mary-Lynnette could feel the change inside herself-it was stronger than when she'd exchanged blood with the three girls. She felt simultaneously weak and hypersensitive. As if every pore were open. The moonlight seemed much brighter. She couldsee colors dearly-the pale green of drooping cedar boughs, the eerie purple of parrot-beak wildflowersgrowing out of the moss. And the forest wasn't silent anymore. She could hear faint uncanny sounds like the soft seething of needles in the wind, and her own footsteps on moist and fungus-ridden twigs. I can even smell better, she thought. This place smells like incense cedar, and decomposing plants,and something really wild-feral, like something from the zoo. And something hot †¦burny †¦ Mechanical. It stung her nostrils. She stopped and looked at Ash in alarm. â€Å"Whatisthat?† 0He'd stopped, too. â€Å"Smells like rubber and oil†¦.† â€Å"Oh, God, thecar, † Mary-Lynnette said. They looked at each other for a moment, then simultane ously turned, breaking into a run. It was the car. White smoke billowed from under the closed hood. Mary-Lynnette started to go closer, but Ash pulled her back to the side of the road.†I just want to open the hood-† â€Å"No. Look. There.† Mary-Lynnette looked-and gasped. Tiny tongues of flame were darting underneath the smoke. licking out of the engine. â€Å"Claudine always said this would happen,† shesaid grimly as Ash pulled her back farther, â€Å"Only I think she meant it would happen with me in it.† â€Å"We're going to have to walk home,† Ash said.†Unless maybe somebody sees the fire†¦.† â€Å"Not a chance,† Mary-Lynnette said. And that'swhat you get for taking a boy out to the most isolated place in Oregon, her inner voice said triumphantly. â€Å"I don't suppose you could turn into a bat or something and fly back,† she suggested. â€Å"Sorry, I flunked shapeshifting. And I wouldn't leave you here alone anyway.† Mary-Lynnette still felt reckless and dangerous and it made her impatient. â€Å"I can take care of myself,† she said. Andthat was when the club came down and Ash pitched forward unconscious.

A Man for All Seasons: Play About Thomas More Essay

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