Music as Substance and Form in Grace Notes :: Grace Notes

Music as Substance and Form in Grace Notes In the novel Grace Notes by Bernard MacLaverty, Catherine's growth as an artist through the story provides both substance and form to the story. Early on in Catherine's life, she was taught and influenced by the people close to her. Miss Bingham was her first formal teacher. She taught Catherine things she seemed to have known beforehand: "Miss Bingham says it's all inside her head and all she has to do is draw it out" (99). Miss Bingham also gave Catherine her first manuscript jotter, taking her on her way to becoming a composer. Catherine's family was also a big influence. Granny Boyd taught Catherine songs they would sing in "the rounds of the kitchen" (145). In contrast to Miss Bingham and Granny Boyd, it seems as if her father wanted to have more control over her music interest. When listening to the Lambeg drums, her father called it "Sheer bloody bigotry" (258), yet Catherine thought it interesting with the complex rhythms. The strongest influences on Catherine, as with most children, come at an early age, and for Catherine this all happens in her home town. There are also outside influences on Catherine's development as an artist. Catherine first saw Huang Xiao Gang at a composition workshop at the university. Huang talked about "pre-hearing and inner hearing" (33), and other ways of thinking of music in very non-western methods. Catherine remembers the 'pre-hearing' and 'inner hearing' quite a few times later, when she has ideas about music. Catherine also learns while visiting the composer Anatoli Melnichuck in Kiev. She does not actually learn directly from Melnichuck, but learns about things when she is there. When she visits the Refectory church she hears the bells in the bell tower, making a reverberating "Tintinnabulation" (124). Catherine as well hears the monks in the church singing. The singing came without warning, "it was not sacred singing - there was a lightness to it" (125). The singing there at the Refectory church reminded her of Granny Boyd singing 'The Bell Doth Toll'. The outside influences in Catherine's life gave s ome contrast and some interesting aspects to her music. The influences and teachings in her life all come together to create Vernicle, which is played for the BBC at the end of the novel. Her music comes in two parts, like "the bilateral symmetry of a scallop shell" (273).

What Continues to Make Othello Worthy of Study

William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, ‘Othello’ written in approximately 1603, continues to be studied and appreciated even now in modern society, more than four hundred years after it was written. Apart from the obviousness of Shakespeare’s ability to use diction to draw in the audience, ‘Othello’ has many qualities which allow it to be interpreted and re-interpreted through time. It can relate to any audience and context because its varied themes, values and ideas, remain relevant to all societies making it possible for anyone to relate to ‘Othello’ on some level. This, along with Shakespeare’s depiction of common human emotions, and his ability to portray these in such a realistic manner continues to make ‘Othello’ worthy of critical study. The universality of Shakespeare’s themes are evident not only in ‘Othello’ but in almost all of his works. The most apparent theme in the text is that of jealousy. Iago importantly warns, ‘O, beware, my lord, of Jealousy. It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on’ (act 3, scene 3). This warning is directed at Othello, but is also important for Roderigo and Iago himself. Although Iago could be called one of the most diabolical antagonist/villains in literature, his actions are spurred by such common human emotions; jealousy and greed. Jealousy acts as a great literary device in the text because it is an extremely universal emotion which almost all living creatures are capable of feeling, and this gives the audience an emotional attachment to the characters and plot. It allows the audience to feel sympathy for the characters. Othello’ plays with the jealous nature of the characters, such as Iago’s envy of power and position, along with his suspicions about his wife. These things encourage the plot, and initiate the series of events to unfold during the text. Through Iago, Shakespeare conveys the lengths to which a man will go to achieve his objective. Iago’s manipulativeness causes Othello to become a victim of unfounded jealousy, and this drives the entire plot. Furthermore, Iago’s hatred and jealousy is fueled by his racism. The audience is constantly reminded of Othello’s colouring through the character’s dialogue, motives and actions. Shakespeare creates vulgar visual imagery with the metaphor, â€Å"Very now, an old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe. † (act 1, scene 1) . Unfortunately, racism and prejudice are common throughout history as minorities and groups are deemed lower than others, and this continues still to this day. Division and stereotyping of groups due to race, sex, sexuality and ability have existed through the ages, and unfortunately will continue to exist. Another discernible theme in ‘Othello’ is love. This emotion too is universal emotion, and the impulsiveness and compulsion to disobey family that love can generate is shown through Desdemona’s willingness to deliberately disobey her father in order to secretly marry Othello. Romance today is one of the most popular literary genres, and can be enjoyed by all ages, in all societies. Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ has been adapted to suit modern society such as in the film ‘O’, and interpreted in different media, including dramatical performances, opera, ballet, television shows and films. All of these provide different interpretations of the text and demonstrate the adaptability of ‘Othello’. Shakespeare’s poetic and beautiful language and his use of themes such as love, power, revenge, war and jealousy are timeless. His depiction of human ideas and paths of action are also timeless, as humans basic senses will remain the same. These factors, compounded with Shakespeare’s ability to continually challenge oncoming generations, both in the literature and dramatical sense, make ‘Othello’ timeless and worthy to continue to be studied in modern society and after.

Nz Fitness Industry

Within New Zealand a growing number of people are using the fitness industry as a convenient means of improving and maintaining their well-being. In recent times a market boom has taken place with more and more gyms being built throughout the country, and with them new business opportunities arising. One of the most renown gyms in New Zealand, Les Mills is an example of one of these modern business franchises.In the 43 years since Phillip Mills family started running their first Les Mills gym in New Zealand, the gym has since gone international with over 14,000 gyms now spread throughout 75 countries worldwide and an estimated net worth of (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. ) (citation). It is estimated that in New Zealand alone the gym industry generated over (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ) in 2008 (citation). Along with the increase in gyms being established a large proportion of the fitness industry is now focusing on nutrition as an additional market for generating profit.This report serves to a nalyse and interpret both individual markets along with relevant figures, and will outline the potential future business prospects for investment or creating a new franchise in both markets. New Zealand has a large fitness industry as exercise has become a very important part of everyday life. Today’s gym goers are opting for low frills operators trading away high end services in favour of convenience, price and flexible contracts.With more than 10% of New Zealand’s population now seeing an exercise professional regularly, there is a total of 400,000 people on average seeing 1500 exercise professionals on a regular basis. (cited) Some of the top gyms in New Zealand are Les Mills, Next generation and Jetts. Les Mills has a competitive advantage of having fun while exercise via the fitness classes that are suitable for all ages and sizes, such as Body Combat. Les Mills is a large firm that has privately owned companies headquarters in Auckland only which are valued at $1 30 million.Les Mills believes that by 2020 they will open a further of 10 gyms in Auckland (cited Mills). The health and fitness market has been described as blandly premium as there is little deffirentiation between service offerings, indicating that there is opportunity for competitive advantage to be achieved through quality. In order to open a new franchise sufficient funds must be available. Competition exist with a newly opened Les Mills Britomart, which was set up with a total cost of $10 million dollars. Margins are very slim for smaller gyms, so would need to be a large player to be successful. Nz Fitness Industry Within New Zealand a growing number of people are using the fitness industry as a convenient means of improving and maintaining their well-being. In recent times a market boom has taken place with more and more gyms being built throughout the country, and with them new business opportunities arising. One of the most renown gyms in New Zealand, Les Mills is an example of one of these modern business franchises.In the 43 years since Phillip Mills family started running their first Les Mills gym in New Zealand, the gym has since gone international with over 14,000 gyms now spread throughout 75 countries worldwide and an estimated net worth of (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. ) (citation). It is estimated that in New Zealand alone the gym industry generated over (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ) in 2008 (citation). Along with the increase in gyms being established a large proportion of the fitness industry is now focusing on nutrition as an additional market for generating profit.This report serves to a nalyse and interpret both individual markets along with relevant figures, and will outline the potential future business prospects for investment or creating a new franchise in both markets. New Zealand has a large fitness industry as exercise has become a very important part of everyday life. Today’s gym goers are opting for low frills operators trading away high end services in favour of convenience, price and flexible contracts.With more than 10% of New Zealand’s population now seeing an exercise professional regularly, there is a total of 400,000 people on average seeing 1500 exercise professionals on a regular basis. (cited) Some of the top gyms in New Zealand are Les Mills, Next generation and Jetts. Les Mills has a competitive advantage of having fun while exercise via the fitness classes that are suitable for all ages and sizes, such as Body Combat. Les Mills is a large firm that has privately owned companies headquarters in Auckland only which are valued at $1 30 million.Les Mills believes that by 2020 they will open a further of 10 gyms in Auckland (cited Mills). The health and fitness market has been described as blandly premium as there is little deffirentiation between service offerings, indicating that there is opportunity for competitive advantage to be achieved through quality. In order to open a new franchise sufficient funds must be available. Competition exist with a newly opened Les Mills Britomart, which was set up with a total cost of $10 million dollars. Margins are very slim for smaller gyms, so would need to be a large player to be successful.

Choctaw Indians

The tribe of Choctaw Indians was originally located in the southeastern part of the Mississippi, southwestern Alabama, Louisiana and Georgia. This name for this tribe of Indians is attributed to various sources, some of these are the Spanish word chato which means flat because the Choctaw used to flatten the foreheads of their male infants and Haccha, a name of the Pearl River with which these people were associated . These people believe that they originated from â€Å"Ninah Waya†, which is a sacred hill located near Nozapter, Mississippi.The name â€Å"Ninah Waya† means â€Å"Productive Mountain† and is often referred to as â€Å"The Mother Mound†. The â€Å"emergence myth† is a part of Choctaw history. These Indians are supposed to have belonged to the Muskhogean linguistic family. Initially they existed as very large groups, but were significantly reduced in numbers due to infected foreigners who spread a number of epidemic diseases amongst thes e hapless Indians. The other tribes in this linguistic family are Creeks, Chickasaws, Seminoles and Apalachi .In comparison to the Chickasaw and the Creek who were their age old enemies, the Choctaws were more democratic and less warlike. The Choctaws lived in wattle-and-daub homes. These homes had walls consisting of pole frames covered with mud and bark and a thatched roof. They were agrarian in general and in this aspect were unsurpassed in the entire Southeastern part of the U. S, and used simple tools to cultivate corn, beans, sweet potatoes, and tobacco.They were so proficient in this activity that they were in the enviable position of possessing surplus food which they bartered in order to obtain goods that they did not have. Moreover, they utilized blowguns, bows and arrows, spears and traps to hunt animals for food and pelts. Their trading capacity was so great that they traded on a very large scale with other tribes and in order to communicate with their customers they dev eloped a simple trade language. In order to transport merchandise and animals hunted by them they used dugout canoes.The Choctaws were fond of sport and it occupied an important part of their culture. Their variety of lacrosse, which was very popular amongst the eastern tribes was a very rough game played with a stick. This game was used to promote social gatherings, bring about settlement of disputes and to train the participants for warfare. The number of participants in this game would be in the hundreds and all sorts of violence like biting, belabouring and kicking were permitted. Not surprisingly, the participants would suffer serious and sometimes fatal injuries.The outcome of this game had so much importance attached to it that Choctaw priests used to offer prayers in order to have an effect on the result of the game . The Choctaws took to riding horses and using them as pack animals with the advent of the Europeans in the 16th century. They developed their own specialized ho rse breeds and raised cattle. The 18th and 19th centuries were witness to the forced migration of the Choctaws farther and farther west in order to circumvent clashes with the European settlers.Initially they allied with the French later on they worked as spies for the Americans in the American Revolution, which lasted from 1775 to 1783, and reported the activities of the British. In the War of 1812 they allied with the U. S and fought under General Andrew Jackson and they also fought against the Creek in the Creek War that lasted from 1813 to 1814. The universal belief was that the land occupied by the Indians had gold in it, accordingly President Jackson brought about legislation that required relocation of the Southeast Indian tribes to lands west of the Mississippi River.The first victims of this inhuman deed were the loyal Choctaws, who were made to shift their location to the Indian Territory, which is in Oklahoma under the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Accordingly, as per the p rovisions of the 1830, Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek the Choctaw nations was forcibly relocated to South-eastern Oklahoma. The years from 1831 to 1834 saw these hapless Choctaws being subjected to a series of forced marches westward, which proved fatal for many of their numbers who succumbed to disease, hunger, exposure and attacks by bandits.Around twenty thousand Choctaws were shifted and only seven thousand survived this arduous journey notorious as the â€Å"The Trail of Tears†. The greed of the settlers was gratified to some extent by the year 1842 as most of the Choctaw lands had become the property of the settlers. Oklahoma, was chosen by the Choctaws as their promised land, because it was for the most part empty and was considered to be useless for any other purpose. However, this place proved to be very fertile and was utilized by them as an agricultural haven. The surviving Choctaws built a new city based on their agricultural genius.In the Indian Territory the Cho ctaw, the Creek, Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Seminole were collectively known as the Five Civilized Tribes, because they had organized governments with written constitutions and due to the fact that they had established public schools and newspapers. The Choctaw joined forces with the Confederacy during the American Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865. Due to the ever increasing influx of non-Indian settlers, the Choctaws were unable to retain their lands, even in Oklahoma, where they had been ruthlessly relocated.Ironically, Oklahoma is a term invented by the Choctaw leader Allen Wright to connote red people and was initially used to denote the western half of the Indian Territory. The number of persons who identified themselves as Choctaw in the U. S. census of 2000 was approximately 87,000 and a further 71,000 identified themselves as having Choctaw blood. Federal trust lands are held by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma in the vicinity of Durant. Furthermore, the Mississippi Ban d of Choctaw Indians’ reservation is located near the Pearl River.Some Choctaw groups reside in Louisiana and what should be of encouragement to these hapless people, there has been a revival of traditional customs and unity between these groups since the 1950s . Women have traditionally been objects of veneration in the Choctaw culture. This honour has been accorded to them due their being the head of every family household and due to their being the caretakers of children and elders in the family. In legends these tribes are considered to be vegetarians and one of the Cherokee legends describes this epoch as the beginning of equality and mutual helpfulness between humans, plants and animals.Initially all three lived in harmony, however, with the passage of time, man became destructive and started to kill and eat some of the animals and in retaliation some of the animals invented diseases to limit the human population. True generosity was exhibited by only the plants, which provided not only food to man, but also medicine to cure these diseases . The historical evolution of the Choctaw makes one aware of their efforts in respect of economic development and the strong Tribal government which has resulted from such development.In the past, the Choctaw people had undergone several hardships like health problems and reliance upon the federal government for the bare necessities of life. However, subsequent to the year 1945, the situation has improved drastically and the strong tribal governmental leadership and appropriate planning have made the Choctaw people self reliant. With the improvement in employment and educational opportunities, availability of better housing and healthcare facilities a resurgence of the Choctaw community and their cultural arts has transpired and this has brought about betterment in their standard of living.The language of the Choctaws and their native culture are no longer threatened with extinction as they had been saved and st rengthened due to their efforts. At present Choctaw community can be considered to be a successful community. This is due to the fact that they not only preserved their culture but did so in the face of great adversity. The Choctaw Indian Reservation is spread across 35,000 acres of Tribal lands, which are located in ten counties of the Mississippi. The federal government is responsible for safeguarding these lands.These sites are Pearl River, Red Water, Bogue Chitto, Standing Pine, Tucker, Conehatta and Bogue Homa. The Tribal government is headquartered in Pearl River and is the largest of these lands. The Choctaws enjoy several traditional cultural activities in addition to those provided by modern society. Their artistic output comprises of hand woven baskets made from Mississippi swamp cane, beadwork, etc. They are also famous for their dances, cooking and sewing traditional apparel. In the modern world they are active in almost all fields of scientific and commercial endeavour. In contrast to the past, when they had been relegated to the background, these people can be assumed to have become a part of the fast paced and exciting American way of life. These people are highly creative and gifted and some of their special events, which enable them to congregate as a Choctaw community in order to commemorate their tribal traditions, are the annual Choctaw Indian Fair held in the month of July in the Choctaw Indian Reservation and the spring festivals of the Choctaw communities . Works Cited Page Ferguson, Bob.Choctaw Chronology. Retrieved from http://www. choctaw. org/history/chronology. htm on October 6, 2006 Rita Laws, WAS THE AMERICAN ABORIGINAL DIET VEGETARIAN? , retrieved from www. animalvoices. org/aboriginal. htm. on 06. 10. 2006. Retrieved from http://www. choctaw. org/culture/welcome. htm on 06. 10. 2006. Team Sports. Choctaw. Retrieved from http://www. cradleboard. org/cnat/resource/choctaw. htm on October 8, 2006 Waldman, Carl. â€Å"Choctaw. † Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2006 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2005.

A Game of Thrones Chapter Seventy-two

Daenerys The land was red and dead and parched, and good wood was hard to come by. Her foragers returned with gnarled cottonwoods, purple brush, sheaves of brown grass. They took the two straightest trees, hacked the limbs and branches from them, skinned off their bark, and split them, laying the logs in a square. Its center they filled with straw, brush, bark shavings, and bundles of dry grass. Rakharo chose a stallion from the small herd that remained to them; he was not the equal of Khal Drogo's red, but few horses were. In the center of the square, Aggo fed him a withered apple and dropped him in an instant with an axe blow between the eyes. Bound hand and foot, Mirri Maz Duur watched from the dust with disquiet in her black eyes. â€Å"It is not enough to kill a horse,† she told Dany. â€Å"By itself, the blood is nothing. You do not have the words to make a spell, nor the wisdom to find them. Do you think bloodmagic is a game for children? You call me maegi as if it were a curse, but all it means is wise. You are a child, with a child's ignorance. Whatever you mean to do, it will not work. Loose me from these bonds and I will help you.† â€Å"I am tired of the maegi's braying,† Dany told Jhogo. He took his whip to her, and after that the godswife kept silent. Over the carcass of the horse, they built a platform of hewn logs; trunks of smaller trees and limbs from the greater, and the thickest straightest branches they could find. They laid the wood east to west, from sunrise to sunset. On the platform they piled Khal Drogo's treasures: his great tent, his painted vests, his saddles and harness, the whip his father had given him when he came to manhood, the arakh he had used to slay Khal Ogo and his son, a mighty dragonbone bow. Aggo would have added the weapons Drogo's bloodriders had given Dany for bride gifts as well, but she forbade it. â€Å"Those are mine,† she told him, â€Å"and I mean to keep them.† Another layer of brush was piled about the khal's treasures, and bundles of dried grass scattered over them. Ser Jorah Mormont drew her aside as the sun was creeping toward its zenith. â€Å"Princess . . . † he began. â€Å"Why do you call me that?† Dany challenged him. â€Å"My brother Viserys was your king, was he not?† â€Å"He was, my lady.† â€Å"Viserys is dead. I am his heir, the last blood of House Targaryen. Whatever was his is mine now.† â€Å"My . . . queen,† Ser Jorah said, going to one knee. â€Å"My sword that was his is yours, Dacnerys. And my heart as well, that never belonged to your brother. I am only a knight, and I have nothing to offer you but exile, but I beg you, hear me. Let Khal Drogo go. You shall not be alone. I promise you, no man shall take you to Vaes Dothrak unless you wish to go. You need not join the dosh khaleen. Come east with me. Yi Ti, Qarth, the JadeSea, Asshai by the Shadow. We will see all the wonders yet unseen, and drink what wines the gods see fit to serve us. Please, Khaleesi. I know what you intend. Do not. Do not.† â€Å"I must,† Dany told him. She touched his face, fondly, sadly. â€Å"You do not understand.† â€Å"I understand that you loved him,† Ser Jorah said in a voice thick with despair. â€Å"I loved my lady wife once, yet I did not die with her. You are my queen, my sword is yours, but do not ask me to stand aside as you climb on Drogo's pyre. I will not watch you burn.† â€Å"Is that what you fear?† Dany kissed him lightly on his broad forehead. â€Å"I am not such a child as that, sweet ser.† â€Å"You do not mean to die with him? You swear it, my queen?† â€Å"I swear it,† she said in the Common Tongue of the Seven Kingdoms that by rights were hers. The third level of the platform was woven of branches no thicker than a finger, and covered with dry leaves and twigs. They laid them north to south, from ice to fire, and piled them high with soft cushions and sleeping silks. The sun had begun to lower toward the west by the time they were done. Dany called the Dothraki around her. Fewer than a hundred were left. How many had Aegon started with? she wondered. It did not matter. â€Å"You will be my khalasar,† she told them. â€Å"I see the faces of slaves. I free you. Take off your collars. Go if you wish, no one shall harm you. If you stay, it will be as brothers and sisters, husbands and wives.† The black eyes watched her, wary, expressionless. â€Å"I see the children, women, the wrinkled faces of the aged. I was a child yesterday. Today I am a woman. Tomorrow I will be old. To each of you I say, give me your hands and your hearts, and there will always be a place for you.† She turned to the three young warriors of her khas. â€Å"Jhogo, to you I give the silver-handled whip that was my bride gift, and name you ko, and ask your oath, that you will live and die as blood of my blood, riding at my side to keep me safe from harm.† Jhogo took the whip from her hands, but his face was confused. â€Å"Khaleesi, † he said hesitantly, â€Å"this is not done. It would shame me, to be bloodrider to a woman.† â€Å"Aggo,† Dany called, paying no heed to Jhogo's words. If I look back I am lost. â€Å"To you I give the dragonbone bow that was my bride gift.† It was double-curved, shiny black and exquisite, taller than she was. â€Å"I name you ko, and ask your oath, that you should live and die as blood of my blood, riding at my side to keep me safe from harm.† Aggo accepted the bow with lowered eyes. â€Å"I cannot say these words. Only a man can lead a khalasar or name a ko.† â€Å"Rakharo,† Dany said, turning away from the refusal, â€Å"you shall have the great arakh that was my bride gift, with hilt and blade chased in gold. And you too I name my ko, and ask that you live and die as blood of my blood, riding at my side to keep me safe from harm.† â€Å"You are khaleesi,† Rakharo said, taking the arakh. â€Å"I shall ride at your side to Vaes Dothrak beneath the Mother of Mountains, and keep you safe from harm until you take your place with the crones of the dosh khaleen. No more can I promise.† She nodded, as calmly as if she had not heard his answer, and turned to the last of her champions. â€Å"Ser Jorah Mormont,† she said, â€Å"first and greatest of my knights, I have no bride gift to give you, but I swear to you, one day you shall have from my hands a longsword like none the world has ever seen, dragon-forged and made of Valyrian steel. And I would ask for your oath as well.† â€Å"You have it, my queen,† Ser Jorah said, kneeling to lay his sword at her feet. â€Å"I vow to serve you, to obey you, to die for you if need be.† â€Å"Whatever may come?† â€Å"Whatever may come.† â€Å"I shall hold you to that oath. I pray you never regret the giving of it.† Dany lifted him to his feet. Stretching on her toes to reach his lips, she kissed the knight gently and said, â€Å"You are the first of my Queensguard.† She could feel the eyes of the khalasar on her as she entered her tent. The Dothraki were muttering and giving her strange sideways looks from the corners of their dark almond eyes. They thought her mad, Dany realized. Perhaps she was. She would know soon enough. If I look back I am lost. Her bath was scalding hot when Irri helped her into the tub, but Dany did not flinch or cry aloud. She liked the heat. It made her feel clean. Jhiqui had scented the water with the oils she had found in the market in Vaes Dothrak; the steam rose moist and fragrant. Doreah washed her hair and combed it out, working loose the mats and tangles. Irri scrubbed her back. Dany closed her eyes and let the smell and the warmth enfold her. She could feel the heat soaking through the soreness between her thighs. She shuddered when it entered her, and her pain and stiffness seemed to dissolve. She floated. When she was clean, her handmaids helped her from the water. Irri and Jhiqui fanned her dry, while Doreah brushed her hair until it fell like a river of liquid silver down her back. They scented her with spiceflower and cinnamon; a touch on each wrist, behind her ears, on the tips of her milk-heavy breasts. The last dab was for her sex. Irri's finger felt as light and cool as a lover's kiss as it slid softly up between her lips. Afterward, Dany sent them all away, so she might prepare Khal Drogo for his final ride into the night lands. She washed his body clean and brushed and oiled his hair, running her fingers through it for the last time, feeling the weight of it, remembering the first time she had touched it, the night of their wedding ride. His hair had never been cut. How many men could die with their hair uncut? She buried her face in it and inhaled the dark fragrance of the oils. He smelled like grass and warm earth, like smoke and semen and horses. He smelled like Drogo. Forgive me, sun of my life, she thought. Forgive me for all I have done and all I must do. I paid the price, my star, but it was too high, too high . . . Dany braided his hair and slid the silver rings onto his mustache and hung his bells one by one. So many bells, gold and silver and bronze. Bells so his enemies would hear him coming and grow weak with fear. She dressed him in horsehair leggings and high boots, buckling a belt heavy with gold and silver medallions about his waist. Over his scarred chest she slipped a painted vest, old and faded, the one Drogo had loved best. For herself she chose loose sandsilk trousers, sandals that laced halfway up her legs, and a vest like Drogo's. The sun was going down when she called them back to carry his body to the pyre. The Dothraki watched in silence as Jhogo and Aggo bore him from the tent. Dany walked behind them. They laid him down on his cushions and silks, his head toward the Mother of Mountains far to the northeast. â€Å"Oil,† she commanded, and they brought forth the jars and poured them over the pyre, soaking the silks and the brush and the bundles of dry grass, until the oil trickled from beneath the logs and the air was rich with fragrance. â€Å"Bring my eggs,† Dany commanded her handmaids. Something in her voice made them run. Ser Jorah took her arm. â€Å"My queen, Drogo will have no use for dragon's eggs in the night lands. Better to sell them in Asshai. Sell one and we can buy a ship to take us back to the Free Cities. Sell all three and you will be a wealthy woman all your days.† â€Å"They were not given to me to sell,† Dany told him. She climbed the pyre herself to place the eggs around her sun-and-stars. The black beside his heart, under his arm. The green beside his head, his braid coiled around it. The cream-and-gold down between his legs. When she kissed him for the last time, Dany could taste the sweetness of the oil on his lips. As she climbed down off the pyre, she noticed Mirri Maz Duur watching her. â€Å"You are mad,† the godswife said hoarsely. â€Å"Is it so far from madness to wisdom?† Dany asked. â€Å"Ser Jorah, take this maegi and bind her to the pyre.† â€Å"To the . . . my queen, no, hear me . . . â€Å" â€Å"Do as I say.† Still he hesitated, until her anger flared. â€Å"You swore to obey me, whatever might come. Rakharo, help him.† The godswife did not cry out as they dragged her to Khal Drogo's pyre and staked her down amidst his treasures. Dany poured the oil over the woman's head herself. â€Å"I thank you, Mirri Maz Duur,† she said, â€Å"for the lessons you have taught me.† â€Å"You will not hear me scream,† Mirri responded as the oil dripped from her hair and soaked her clothing. â€Å"I will,† Dany said, â€Å"but it is not your screams I want, only your life. I remember what you told me. Only death can pay for life.† Mirri Maz Duur opened her mouth, but made no reply. As she stepped away, Dany saw that the contempt was gone from the maegi's flat black eyes; in its place was something that might have been fear. Then there was nothing to be done but watch the sun and look for the first star. When a horselord dies, his horse is slain with him, so he might ride proud into the night lands. The bodies are burned beneath the open sky, and the khal rises on his fiery steed to take his place among the stars. The more fiercely the man burned in life, the brighter his star will shine in the darkness. Jhogo spied it first. â€Å"There,† he said in a hushed voice. Dany looked and saw it, low in the east. The first star was a comet, burning red. Bloodred; fire red; the dragon's tail. She could not have asked for a stronger sign. Dany took the torch from Aggo's hand and thrust it between the logs. The oil took the fire at once, the brush and dried grass a heartbeat later. Tiny flames went darting up the wood like swift red mice, skating over the oil and leaping from bark to branch to leaf. A rising heat puffed at her face, soft and sudden as a lover's breath, but in seconds it had grown too hot to bear. Dany stepped backward. The wood crackled, louder and louder. Mirri Maz Duur began to sing in a shrill, ululating voice. The flames whirled and writhed, racing each other up the platform. The dusk shimmered as the air itself seemed to liquefy from the heat. Dany heard logs spit and crack. The fires swept over Mirri Maz Duur. Her song grew louder, shriller . . . then she gasped, again and again, and her song became a shuddering wail, thin and high and full of agony. And now the flames reached her Drogo, and now they were all around him. His clothing took fire, and for an instant the khal was clad in wisps of floating orange silk and tendrils of curling smoke, grey and greasy. Dany's lips parted and she found herself holding her breath. Part of her wanted to go to him as Ser Jorah had feared, to rush into the flames to beg for his forgiveness and take him inside her one last time, the fire melting the flesh from their bones until they were as one, forever. She could smell the odor of burning flesh, no different than horseflesh roasting in a firepit. The pyre roared in the deepening dusk like some great beast, drowning out the fainter sound of Mirri Maz Duur's screaming and sending up long tongues of flame to lick at the belly of the night. As the smoke grew thicker, the Dothraki backed away, coughing. Huge orange gouts of fire unfurled their banners in that hellish wind, the logs hissing and cracking, glowing cinders rising on the smoke to float away into the dark like so many newborn fireflies. The heat beat at the air with great red wings, driving the Dothraki back, driving off even Mormont, but Dany stood her ground. She was the blood of the dragon, and the fire was in her. She had sensed the truth of it long ago, Dany thought as she took a step closer to the conflagration, but the brazier had not been hot enough. The flames writhed before her like the women who had danced at her wedding, whirling and singing and spinning their yellow and orange and crimson veils, fearsome to behold, yet lovely, so lovely, alive with heat. Dany opened her arms to them, her skin flushed and glowing. This is a wedding, too, she thought. Mirri Maz Duur had fallen silent. The godswife thought her a child, but children grow, and children learn. Another step, and Dany could feel the heat of the sand on the soles of her feet, even through her sandals. Sweat ran down her thighs and between her breasts and in rivulets over her cheeks, where tears had once run. Ser Jorah was shouting behind her, but he did not matter anymore, only the fire mattered. The flames were so beautiful, the loveliest things she had ever seen, each one a sorcerer robed in yellow and orange and scarlet, swirling long smoky cloaks. She saw crimson firelions and great yellow serpents and unicorns made of pale blue flame; she saw fish and foxes and monsters, wolves and bright birds and flowering trees, each more beautiful than the last. She saw a horse, a great grey stallion limned in smoke, its flowing mane a nimbus of blue flame. Yes, my love, my sun-and-stars, yes, mount now, ride now. Her vest had begun to smolder, so Dany shrugged it off and let it fall to the ground. The painted leather burst into sudden flame as she skipped closer to the fire, her breasts bare to the blaze, streams of milk flowing from her red and swollen nipples. Now, she thought, now, and for an instant she glimpsed Khal Drogo before her, mounted on his smoky stallion, a flaming lash in his hand. He smiled, and the whip snaked down at the pyre, hissing. She heard a crack, the sound of shattering stone. The platform of wood and brush and grass began to shift and collapse in upon itself. Bits of burning wood slid down at her, and Dany was showered with ash and cinders. And something else came crashing down, bouncing and rolling, to land at her feet; a chunk of curved rock, pale and veined with gold, broken and smoking. The roaring filled the world, yet dimly through the firefall Dany heard women shriek and children cry out in wonder. Only death can pay for life. And there came a second crack, loud and sharp as thunder, and the smoke stirred and whirled around her and the pyre shifted, the logs exploding as the fire touched their secret hearts. She heard the screams of frightened horses, and the voices of the Dothraki raised in shouts of fear and terror, and Ser Jorah calling her name and cursing. No, she wanted to shout to him, no, my good knight, do not fear for me. The fire is mine. I am Daenerys Stormborn, daughter of dragons, bride of dragons, mother of dragons, don't you see? Don't you SEE? With a belch of flame and smoke that reached thirty feet into the sky, the pyre collapsed and came down around her. Unafraid, Dany stepped forward into the firestorm, calling to her children. The third crack was as loud and sharp as the breaking of the world. When the fire died at last and the ground became cool enough to walk upon, Ser Jorah Mormont found her amidst the ashes, surrounded by blackened logs and bits of glowing ember and the burnt bones of man and woman and stallion. She was naked, covered with soot, her clothes turned to ash, her beautiful hair all crisped away . . . yet she was unhurt. The cream-and-gold dragon was suckling at her left breast, the green-and-bronze at the right. Her arms cradled them close. The black-and-scarlet beast was draped across her shoulders, its long sinuous neck coiled under her chin. When it saw Jorah, it raised its head and looked at him with eyes as red as coals. Wordless, the knight fell to his knees. The men of her khas came up behind him. Jhogo was the first to lay his arakh at her feet. â€Å"Blood of my blood,† he murmured, pushing his face to the smoking earth. â€Å"Blood of my blood,† she heard Aggo echo. â€Å"Blood of my blood,† Rakharo shouted. And after them came her handmaids, and then the others, all the Dothraki, men and women and children, and Dany had only to look at their eyes to know that they were hers now, today and tomorrow and forever, hers as they had never been Drogo's. As Daenerys Targaryen rose to her feet, her black hissed, pale smoke venting from its mouth and nostrils. The other two pulled away from her breasts and added their voices to the call, translucent wings unfolding and stirring the air, and for the first time in hundreds of years, the night came alive with the music of dragons. THE END

Ben Franklin Norris

Ben Franklin Norris Essay Benjamin Franklin Norris, one of the leading figures in the naturalistic style of writing, was born in Chicago in 1970. During his teenage years he moved to 1822 Sacramento Street to live with his father in San Francisco. He traveled to Paris and studied Art and was first exposed to one of his influential writers Emile Zola. He returned to San Francisco and studied the philosophy of evolution at the University of California at Berkley. He transferred to Harvard and took writing classes under Lewis E Gates. Upon graduating he attempted to make a name for himself as a travel writer. He traveled to South Africa and wrote an article about the Boer war. His plans to stay there were cut short as he was captured by the Boer army and deported back to the United States. When he returned to San Francisco, Norris began writing for the magazine The Wave. It was at The Wave that he wrote his first published article that later turned into a novel. Norris continued to work as a journalist, covering the Spanish-American war and he published a few more novels. In 1900, he began work on his second trilogy and most influential set of writings called The Epic of Wheat. The first book of his trilogy, The Octopus, was published in 1901. The second novel, The Pitt, was just near finished when he suffered from appendicitis and had to go under the knife to have his appendix removed. Unfortunately he never recovered from his surgery, and the third book of his trilogy was never written. Norris was married to a girl named Jeanette, and had bought a ranch ten miles west of Gilroy, California along route 152. Because of his death, he never got to stay there and continue writing as planned. His body is buried at the foot of Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, California, plot twelve, lot 105, site 11, on the cemetery map. Although Benjamin Franklin Norris, or Frank Norris as his gravestone reads, died at the young age of 32. He still managed to be recognized to be one of the best naturalistic writer s at the turn of the century. Norris had a short life, but it was packed full of things that had a huge impact on him. He witnessed different wars, and the industrial revolution firsthand. As a naturalistic writer, your experiences are what drive your work. Norris writing was very creative as a result of his experiences. You also could tell about his life by looking at the themes in Norris fiction books. A great example of this, is the impact of the industrialization on what he thought of as peaceful agricultural communities. The chaos of the people who lived in those communities was an expression of Norris discomfort of what was going on in his life at that time. These themes are best showcased in his novel, The Octopus. The tentacles of the octopus are a metaphor for the twisting steel tracks of the railroad choking the countryside. Norris got the idea for The Octopus from the Santa Carla valley___ where he stayed on extended vacation. It was that valley where he became aware of t he struggle between the farmers who grew wheat and the railroad monopoly that controlled the transportation of it. In The Octopus, the war is fought out in the open with violence and also behind closed doors with bribes. With this novel, Norris single handedly created a social drama in American literature. This was done through his interpretation of the ruthless era. The Octopus is hailed by many critics as Norris most impressive work or as Warren French said, A magnificent, imaginative achievement, one of the few American novels to bring a significant episode from our history to life. According to Norris, realism is the literature of the normal and the representative. The smaller details of everyday life, things that are likely to happen between lunch and supper. He says naturalism brings together the best from realism, romanticism, while displaying detailed accuracy and philosophical depth. It is a school by itself, unique, somber, powerful beyond words. Its Naturalism NorrisWord s/ Pages : 726 / 24 READ: Quick History Of Art Essay Research Paper

A critical discussion of the , HRM and motivation of NHS Assignment

A critical discussion of the , HRM and motivation of NHS - Assignment Example Motivation is the desire that drives the employees of a specific firm to take part actively in the operations of the organization regardless of their happiness levels. It is also true that the NHS administrators have in the past used several strategies in an attempt to ensure that their employees remain motivated. Nonetheless, most of their approaches have fallen short, as a substantial percentage of the employees in question have not changed the attitude they have towards their responsibility. Based on various motivational theories like the Maslow hierarchy of needs; however, the National Health Service can come up with ideal approaches that can help them bring the best out of their employees as highlighted in the section below. The National Health Service (NHS) is definitely one of the organizations full of activity in Europe given that it is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring the well-being of citizens within the United Kingdom, Iceland, Wales and Scotland. In recent past however, the organization has been facing challenges within its Human Resource Department, mainly related to employee motivation. This report consequently aims to provide more information on the major motivational issues facing NHS as an organization, and some of the mechanisms that the establishment can employ in order to bring the best out of its work force. In handling the project, I settled on the National Health Service mainly because the organization has faced challenges to do with motivation in the recent past as well as that of change in the structure and organization of the institution. The National Health Service (NHS) is a combination of four different institutions that operate in England, Scotland, Wales as well as Northern Iceland, and share a common goal, which is to introduce a broad health and recovery package for both the prevention and treatment of health conditions (NHS website). The organization became operational way back in