The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 28 Free Essays

I Will Have to Require a First-Place Victory â€Å"Question number one,† my father says. â€Å"How many touchdowns will McNabb throw against the Saints?† I can hardly believe I am actually eating a sit-down meal with my father. Mom smiles at me as she winds spaghetti around her fork. We will write a custom essay sample on The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 28 or any similar topic only for you Order Now She even shoots me a wink. Now don’t get me wrong, I am happy that Mom’s plan has worked out, and I am delighted to be eating a meal with my father, having a conversation even – and I am especially happy to see my parents playing with love again – but I also know my father, and I worry that a single Eagles loss will turn Dad back into a grump. I worry for Mom, but decide to ride out the moment. â€Å"Ten touchdowns,† I tell my father. Dad smiles, pops a small sausage into his mouth, chews enthusiastically, and then tells my mother, â€Å"Pat says ten touchdowns.† â€Å"Maybe eleven,† I add, just to be optimistic. â€Å"Question number two. How many touchdowns will undrafted rookie sensation Hank Baskett catch?† Now, I fully realize that Baskett has only caught one TD in the first five games, but I also know my family is being overly optimistic tonight, so I say, â€Å"Seven.† â€Å"Seven?† Dad says, but smiling. â€Å"Seven.† â€Å"He says seven, Jeanie. Seven!† To me Dad says, â€Å"Question number three. In what quarter will quarterback Drew Brees finally suffer a concussion because he has been sacked so many times by the Eagles’ superior defense?† â€Å"Um. That’s a tough one. The third quarter?† â€Å"That is incorrect,† my father says, shaking his head in mock disappointment. â€Å"First quarter is the correct answer. Question four. When are you going to bring home that broad you’re always running with? When are you going to introduce your girlfriend to your father?† When Dad finishes asking question four, he slurps a load of spaghetti into his mouth and then begins chewing. When I fail to respond, he encourages me with his left hand, tracing invisible circles with his index finger. â€Å"Did you see that Pat found his wedding pictures and put them back up in the living room?† Mom says, and her voice sort of quivers. â€Å"Jake told me you were over Nikki,† Dad says. â€Å"He said you were into this Tiffany broad. No?† â€Å"May I be excused?† I ask my mother, because my little scar is itching, and I feel as though I might explode if I don’t start banging my fist against my forehead. When my mother nods, I see sympathy in her eyes, which I appreciate. I lift for a few hours, until I no longer feel the need to punch myself. In the new reflector vest my mother has recently bought for me, I run through the night. I was going to open Tiffany’s letter this evening because I was so excited about having dinner with my father, but now I know I am most definitely not in a good mood, so opening the letter would be a violation of the rules Tiffany clearly laid out for me two nights ago. I almost opened the letter last night, when I was in an excellent mood, but it hadn’t been forty-eight hours. As I run, I try to think about Nikki and the end of apart time, which always makes me feel better. I pretend that God has made a bet with me and if I run fast enough, He will bring Nikki back, so I begin sprinting the last two miles of my run. Soon I’m running so fast, it’s amazing – faster than any human being has ever run before. In my mind I hear God tell me I have to do the last mile in under four minutes, which I know is almost impossible, but for Nikki I try. I run even faster, and when I am a block away, I hear God counting down from ten in my mind. â€Å"Five – four – three – two – † And when my right foot lands on the first concrete square of my parents’ sidewalk, God says â€Å"One,† which means I ran fast enough – that I made it home before God said â€Å"Zero.† I am so happy. I am so impossibly happy! My parents’ bedroom door is closed when I go upstairs, so I shower and then slip under my comforter. I pull Tiffany’s envelope from under the mattress of my bed. I take a deep breath. I open the letter. As I read the several typed pages, my mind explodes with conflicting emotions and awful needs. Pat, Read this letter start to finish! Do not make any decisions until you have read the entire letter! Do not read this letter unless you are alone! Do not show this letter to anyone! When you have finished reading this letter, burn it – immediately! Do you ever feel like you’re living in a powder keg and giving off sparks? Well, there was nothing I could do to bring my Tommy back, and the inability to accept his death kept me ill for two whole years – but then you came into my life. Why? At first I thought, God is sending me a new man, a replacement for my Tommy, which made me mad, because Tommy is irreplaceable (no offense). But when I listened to the way you talked about Nikki, I realized God had sent you to me so I might help you find the end of apart time. This was to be my mission. And so I have been working on it. â€Å"What?† I can hear you saying right now. â€Å"How can my friend Tiffany end apart time?† Well, this is the part that might make you mad. Are you ready, Pat? Brace yourself. I’ve been talking to your Nikki on the phone – regularly. Every night for the past two weeks. I got the phone number from Veronica, who – through Ronnie’s conversations with your mom – has been providing Nikki with information about you ever since you were permanently assigned to that neural health facility in Baltimore. It turns out that your family banned Nikki from obtaining information about you, which they could do because Nikki divorced you soon after you were permanently admitted. I know this bit of news has most likely upset you terribly. Sorry, but it’s best just to state things plainly at this point. Don’t you think? Okay, this next part is bad too. Nikki was able to divorce you because you committed a crime, which you do not remember. (I am not going to tell you what that crime was, because you have probably blocked it from your memory intentionally; most likely, you are not yet mentally ready to deal with this very frightening reality. My therapist Dr. Lily and I theorize that you will remember committing this crime when you are mentally and emotionally ready.) Nikki was granted a divorce and all your assets, and in exchange, someone else dropped all charges against you. Of course, the deal also sent you to the bad place indefinitely for â€Å"rehabilitation.† You agreed to all of the above at the time and were deemed to be â€Å"of sound mind† by your therapist Dr. Timbers, but soon after being put away for good, you â€Å"lost† your memory and your marbles as well. I am not telling you all of this to be mean – quite the contrary. Remember, God put me in charge of helping you end apart time. It turns out Nikki has wanted to communicate with you very much. She misses you. This is not to say she wants to marry you all over again. I want to be clear about this. She still remembers what you did – the crime you committed. And she is a little afraid of you as well, as she fears you might be mad at her and want to retaliate. But she was married to you for years and she wants to see you well, and maybe even become friends again. I have reported your desire to reconcile with Nikki. To be honest, your desire is much stronger than hers. But you never know what might happen if you begin to communicate again. Two problems: One. After you committed that crime, Nikki took out a restraining order against you, so technically it is illegal for you to contact her. Two. Your parents – on your behalf, and probably in retaliation – took out a restraining order against Nikki, claiming any contact she made could jeopardize your mental health. So it is also illegal for her to contact you. Even still, Nikki would like to communicate with you, if only to smooth over what happened. Her guilt is glaring. She walked away with all your assets, and you had to spend years in a mental institution, right? So. Coming to the point. I am offering myself as a liaison. The two of you can communicate through me, and there will be no trouble. You will be able to write Nikki letters – one every two weeks. I will read these letters to Nikki over the phone. She will be able to dictate her responses to me, again over the phone, which I will type up on my laptop, print out, and present to you. Pat, we are friends, and I value our friendship very much. That having been said, you must appreciate that what I am offering puts me in a very precarious position. If you decide to take me up on my offer, I would be putting myself at risk legally, and also I would be jeopardizing our friendship. I need to inform you that I will not be your liaison for free, but am offering you a trade. What do I want? Remember when I said I was scouting you? Well, I want to win this year’s Dance Away Depression competition, and I need a strong man to do it. â€Å"What is Dance Away Depression?† I hear you asking. Well – it is an annual competition organized by the Philadelphia Psychiatric Association that allows women diagnosed with clinical depression to transform their despair into movement. The sole focus is supposed to be diminishing depression through use of the body, but judges award a wreath of flowers to the second-best dance routine and a golden trophy to the first-place dance routine. Dancing solo, I have won that fucking wreath two years straight, and this year I want to win the golden trophy. This is where you figure in, Pat. God sent me the strongest man I have ever met in my entire life; tell me this isn’t divine intervention. Only a man with your muscles could perform the type of lifts I have in mind – award-winning lifts, Pat. The competition will be held at the Plaza Hotel in center cit y, on a Saturday night – November 11th. Which gives us just under a month to practice. I know the routine already, but you’ll be starting from scratch, and we both will have to practice the lifts. This will take a lot of time. I told Nikki about my conditions, and she wants to encourage you to be my dance partner. She says you need to broaden your interests, and that she had always wanted to take dance lessons with you. So it is more than okay with her; she encourages you to do this. Also, I’m afraid I will have to require a first-place victory in exchange for being your liaison. Lucky for you, the routine I have choreographed is first-rate. But in order to win, you will have to immerse yourself in dance. Below are the non-negotiable conditions. Should you decide to be my dance partner, you will: Give up Eagles football for the duration of our training. No going to games. No watching games on television. No discussing Eagles football with anyone. No reading the sports pages. You may not even wear your beloved Baskett jersey. End your weight training by two o’clock each afternoon, at which point we will go for a five-mile run, after which we will rehearse from 4:15 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on weekdays. On weekends we will rehearse from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. No exceptions. Make sure at least 15 of your friends and relatives attend the dance recital, because the judges are often swayed by applause. Do whatever I say without asking any questions. Assure I win the competition. MOST IMPORTANTLY: Tell no one about our arrangement. You can tell people you are training for a dance competition, but you cannot tell anyone about my demands and my contacting Nikki on your behalf – never ever. Should you meet all six demands, I will act as a liaison between Nikki and you; I will attempt to end apart time, and then who knows what will happen between you and your ex-wife. If you fail to meet my demands, I am afraid you might never talk to Nikki again. She says this is your only shot. Contact me within 24 hours with your decision. Reread my list of demands, memorize each, and then burn this letter. Remember, if you want me to be your liaison, tell no one I am in contact with Nikki. With best intentions, Tiffany I reread the letter over and over all night. Parts I do not want to believe are true – especially the parts about my committing a crime and Nikki divorcing me, which are ideas that make me feel like smashing my fist against my forehead. What type of crime would put me in such a situation, and who would drop charges when I checked myself into a neural health facility? I can understand Nikki’s divorcing me because I was a bad husband, especially because, well, I was a bad husband. But I have a hard time believing I actually committed a crime that could result in such drastic legal measures. And yet Tiffany’s letter seems to explain so much – my mother’s taking down my wedding pictures, all the awful things Jake and Dad said about Nikki. If I am really divorced, everything my family has done to keep Nikki out of my memory would have been for my protection, especially since they are not optimistic enough to realize that I am not dead and therefore still have at least a shot at getting Nikki back, which I don’t have to tell you is the silver lining to the letter. Of course, I cannot be sure about anything, since I have no memory of the past few years. Maybe Tiffany made up the story just to get me to perform in her dance competition. This is possible. I certainly would not have volunteered to be her partner, even if I am practicing being kind now. I realize that Tiffany’s letter might be a trick, but the possibility of communicating with Nikki is too good to chance – as it may be my last opportunity. Also, Tiffany’s mentioning God’s will seems to suggest that she understands what apart time is all about. It makes sense that Nikki would want me to take dancing lessons. She always wanted me to dance with her, but I never did. The thought of dancing with Nikki in the future is enough to make me accept that I will be missing the three Eagles games before the bye week, including the home game against Jacksonville. I think about how angry this will make my father, Jake, and maybe even Cliff, but then I think about the po ssibility of finally living out the happy ending to my movie – getting Nikki back – and the choice is obvious. When the sun comes up, I open the window in the downstairs bathroom, burn the letter over the toilet, and flush the charred remains. Next, I run across Knight’s Park, jog around the Websters’ house, and knock on Tiffany’s door. She answers in a red silk nightgown, squinting at me. â€Å"Well?† â€Å"When do we start training?† I ask. â€Å"Are you ready to commit fully? Ready to give up every-thing – even Eagles football?† I nod eagerly. â€Å"Only I can’t miss my therapy sessions on Fridays, because some judge will send me back to the bad place if I do, and then we won’t be able to win the competition.† â€Å"I’ll be outside your house tomorrow at two o’clock,† Tiffany says, and then shuts the door. The first floor of Tiffany’s in-law suite is a dance studio. All four walls are completely covered by full-length mirrors, and three have railings like you see ballerinas using. The floor is hardwood, like a pro-basketball court, only without any painted lines and with a lighter varnish. The ceiling is high, maybe thirty feet tall, and a spiral staircase in the corner leads to Tiffany’s apartment. â€Å"I had this built when Tommy died,† Tiffany says. â€Å"I used the insurance money. Do you like my studio?† I nod. â€Å"Good, because it’s going to be home for the next month. Did you bring your photograph?† I open the bag that Tiffany instructed me to bring and pull out my framed picture of Nikki; I show it to Tiffany, and then she walks over to the stereo system behind the spiral staircase. From an iron hook on the wall she removes a pair of headphones – the kind that cover your entire ears like earmuffs – and brings them to me. A very long cord is attached. â€Å"Sit,† she says. I drop to the floor and sit with my legs crossed. â€Å"I’m going to play our song, the one we are going to dance to. It’s important that you feel a deep connection with this song. It needs to move you if it’s going to flow through your body. I’ve picked this song for a reason. It’s perfect for both of us, which you’ll soon see. When I put the headphones on you, I want you to stare into Nikki’s eyes. I want you to feel the song. Understand?† â€Å"It’s not a song played by a soprano saxophonist, is it?† I ask, because Kenny G is my nemesis, as you know. â€Å"No,† she says, and then places the headphones on my ears. My ears are enveloped in the padding. Wearing the headphones makes me feel as if I am alone in this large room, even though if I look up, Tiffany will be there. With the frame in my hands, I stare into Nikki’s eyes, and soon the song begins to play. Piano notes – slow and sad. Two voices taking turns singing. Pain. I know the song. Tiffany was right. It is the perfect song for both of us. The song builds, the voices become more emotional, and everything inside of my chest starts to hurt. The words express exactly what I have felt since I was released from the bad place. And by the chorus, I am sobbing, because the woman singing seems to feel exactly what I am feeling, and her words, and her emotion, and her voice †¦ The song ends with the same sad piano notes that began the number. I look up and realize that Tiffany has been watching me cry, and I begin to feel embarrassed. I set my photo of Nikki down on the floor and cover my face with my hands. â€Å"I’m sorry. Just give me a second.† â€Å"It’s good that the song makes you cry, Pat. Now we just have to transform those tears into motion. You need to cry through your dancing? Understand?† I do not understand, but I nod anyway. How to cite The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 28, Essay examples

Competitive Policy for Netflix Inc- myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theCompetitive Policy for Netflix Inc. Answer: Netflix, Inc. It is an American entertainment corporation established in 1997 and operates in the entertainment industry. They specialised in providing streaming media service and DVD by mail service. The organisations operate in more than 180 companies and generated revenue of US$8.83 billion in 2016 financial year. In their beginning, the company focused on providing DVD on mail facility, but their operations expanded with the introduction of streaming media facility, which gained Netflix an international spot. The reason for selecting Netflix is that company has a monopolistic advantage over its competitors such as HBO Now, Apple iTunes, hula or Amazon Prime Video. At their peak time, the companys internet traffic data amount to 37 percent in North America, which is higher than every other competitor combined, and they had more than 89 million active subscribers. Netflixs Strategy Netflix has updated their strategy to expand their stream media service over different countries. The company provides original as well as other sources content, to their subscribers. As of March 2016, the firm offers more than 1197 TV shows and 4335 movies to their users. The company is focusing on enhancing their services worldwide; they already have their operations in more than 180 countries. With the popularity of the home internet, Netflix has become an essential part of peoples life. Many video stores or DVD retail stores have closed due to the popularity of Netflix. In North America, the giant video rental service Blockbuster has been closed due to the popularity of Netflix (Adhikari et.al. 2012). As per Jenner (2016), in order to increase the number of users, Netflix focuses on improving their services before their competitors, like high-quality content (4K resolution), simple UI design, licensing more content and producing more original services. The company focus their resources on analysing the watching habits of their users and recommend content based on their preferences. They also analyse illegally downloaded TV shows and movies from torrents to learn about customers behavior in most European countries. This assists Netflix in enhancing their users base which is more than 89 million subscribers. Business Model Following are the key principles of Netflix business model which provide them a competitive advantage over its competitors: The company provide their services at an affordable price and also offer a large number of original and secondary content which gives them a competitive The original server produced by Netflix such as House of Cards and Stranger things are award winning and popular series, which attract a large number of their subscribers since their competitors cannot provide such shows. According to Abraham (2013), the video in demand facility provided by Netflix is more popular than television because users can watch anything they want at any time, unlike television shows. Netflix analyses their users watching habits are provided recommendations based on such preferences, which increase the watch time of users (Gomez-Uribe and Hunt 2016). CAGE Framework To enhance international operations, a company is required to analyse various cultural, administrative, geographic and economic factors of countries. As per Allen, Feils and Disbrow (2014), since Netflix provide internet streaming services, it is easier for them to provide facilities in different countries. Netflix has launched their services in India, Russia, Singapore and many others. They also manufacture domestic original content to attract customers in a particular country. Microsoft Corporation It is an American international technology corporation founded in 1975. It operates in software, hardware and customers electronics industry. The company serves their customers worldwide and had more than 114,000 employees. It had revenue of US$85.32 billion in 2016 financial year. The reason for choosing Microsoft is that more than 90 percent of worlds computer runs on windows, which is an operating system provided by Microsoft. Microsofts decision of acquiring LinkedIn for $26.2 billion dollars has been a significant step towards companys future growth by using LinkedIns data. Microsofts Strategy Microsoft provides various software, hardware, cloud based and electronics products to their customers. Apple and Google give a huge competition to Microsoft with their smartphone and other software services. The company has updated their strategies in the leadership of Satya Nadella, to increase their position in consumer electronics market. The intelligent cloud services of Microsoft provided them a competitive advantage over other companies since more than 70 percent of Fortune 500 organisations use Microsofts cloud based services (Wonglimpiyarat 2012). The company also give emphasis to merger and acquisition with popular acquisitions such as Nokia, Mojang Synergies, Skype, LinkedIn and many others. They merger their cloud services with acquisition companys services to improve their customer's experience. They are also focusing on virtual reality and virtual personal assistant technology with products such as Cortana and HoloLens (Pellegrin-Boucher, Le Roy and Gurau 2013). Business Model Even with high competition from Apple and Google, Microsoft has secured its place in the market. The company has introduced new policies in their business model to provide better competition. Following are the main features of Microsofts business model: Using the cloud based networks to provide services to companies and customers, such as Microsoft One Drive, Azure, and Outlook (DaSilva and Trkman 2014). Entering into new markets with consumer products such as Cortana, HoloLens and Surface Pro, which allow the company to gain competitive advantage. Microsoft is providing constant updates to windows and other softwares to add new features and improving the quality of software (Amit and Zott 2012). Collection of large consumer data resources from acquisitions such as Skype and LinkedIn, which allow them to formulate their future strategies according to consumers requirements. CAGE Framework For improving their worldwide services and resources, Microsoft evaluates different economic, cultural, administrative and geographic aspects of countries which assist them in formulating international policies. They acquire domestic companies to increase their operations, and they also provide their services to local companies. This strategy allows them to easily operate in various international markets (Chor and Manova 2012). References Abraham, S., 2013. Will business model innovation replace strategic analysis?.Strategy Leadership,41(2), pp.31-38. Adhikari, V.K., Guo, Y., Hao, F., Varvello, M., Hilt, V., Steiner, M. and Zhang, Z.L., 2012, March. Unreeling netflix: Understanding and improving multi-cdn movie delivery. InINFOCOM, 2012 Proceedings IEEE(pp. 1620-1628). IEEE. Allen, G., Feils, D. and Disbrow, H., 2014. The rise and fall of Netflix: what happened and where will it go from here?.Journal of the International Academy for Case Studies,20(1), p.135. Amit, R. and Zott, C., 2012. Creating value through business model innovation.MIT Sloan Management Review,53(3), p.41. Chor, D. and Manova, K., 2012. Off the cliff and back? Credit conditions and international trade during the global financial crisis.Journal of international economics,87(1), pp.117-133. DaSilva, C.M. and Trkman, P., 2014. Business model: what it is and what it is not.Long range planning,47(6), pp.379-389. Gomez-Uribe, C.A. and Hunt, N., 2016. The netflix recommender system: Algorithms, business value, and innovation.ACM Transactions on Management Information Systems (TMIS),6(4), p.13. Jenner, M., 2016. Is this TVIV? On Netflix, TVIII and binge-watching.new media society,18(2), pp.257-273. Pellegrin-Boucher, E., Le Roy, F. and Gur?u, C., 2013. Coopetitive strategies in the ICT sector: typology and stability.Technology Analysis Strategic Management,25(1), pp.71-89. Wonglimpiyarat, J., 2012. Technology strategies and standard competitionComparative innovation cases of Apple and Microsoft.The Journal of High Technology Management Research,23(2), pp.90-102.

Short Story Essay Example

Short Story Essay Short Story Name: Course: Date: We will write a custom essay sample on Short Story specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Short Story specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Short Story specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Short Story Thomas Milan always woke up in the morning feeling fresh and tranquil. Each new day, Thomas always woke up surrounded by a bevy of beautiful women, one on either side, their arms draped across his magnificent chest as if never wanting to let the Adonis go. After all, which sane woman, could let the one and only son of the richest man in the world, Fabiano Monte Glazlo, leave without gaining something from him? A simple autograph on the skins of these women was enough to sweep them away into the land of celebrities that was usually conceptualized by the aspect of fame. Indeed, every person wants fame, even the beggar on the street who puts placards with the words, â€Å"Jesus is coming† scribbled in an unkempt and hasty manner on his frail body desires fame. Dwelling on the subject of fame, Milan was indeed popular. Stick with him and you would find yourself on the cover of The New York Times, Vogue and even The Source despite the magazine’s assertion that it only catered for African American talent. Standing at 6 feet, Milan was always the center of attraction in his parochial school. The girls adored him, the teachers praised him, but not for his academic excellence and the boys? They always hated him but Milan always told them in his heavy Italian accent, â€Å"Don’t hate the player, hate the game†. At the age of 22, Milan was living the life most youth dreamt of: fast cars, sexual escapades and wealth. Anything that Milan wanted, he always got it at the snap of his finger. Be it girls, friends, clothes: everything circled on the palm of his hand. The young Adonis always took advantage of women since he knew that girls would always stoop low whenever he asks them for a one-night stand. His father, while surrounded by a bevy of excellent foreign prostitutes, always berated him for bringing different girls to home each night warning him of the dreaded HIV virus. To Milan, living life on the edge was what God intended for people like him, people born with a silver spoon in their mouth. However, things were not going to be that same after Milan, in his usual sex jaunts, brought home a rather peculiar girl he had always had his eyes on for a while. One night with Mary Ashley would change Milan’s life for eternity. That night, the sky was covered by dark nimbus clouds that were ready to unleash a terror of stupefying rain, the thunder coupled with instantaneous lightning crackled with a mighty roar while the trees swayed violently from side to side as the leaves pulled out from their branches in protest as the wind carried them away from their branches. Milan and Mary hastily hopped out of the Aston Martin Glazlo had bought for him on his twentieth birthday and scoured hurriedly across the bronze brazen steps of the house. The minute they entered the majestic house reminiscent of an English castle, Milan called out for his father, but there was no response. â€Å"Nina.., Jaffrey, Sawyer!†, Milan’s tenor voice echoed in the house as he called out for his chaperones but they were not in the house. â€Å"It seems they have already left,† said Milan as he lustily gazed at Mary as she dried off her black gothic hair. Together, they hurried up the stairs taking off their clothes one by one while kissing. As soon as they entered Milan’s master bedroom, which was the size of a bungalow, Milan jumped on his bed, naked and jittery as a school kid about to be given candy, all sprawled out and ready to have a passionate night. Ashley smiled and then turned, closed the door under lock and key and advanced slowly towards Milan taking off her clothes one by one and as soon as she jumped on the bed, a knife dug into Milan’s chest. The element of surprise was upon the young man, he was motionless, his eyes popped out, it was as if he was not feeling the pain of the cold hard steel in his heart. â€Å"Why Ash, why?†, Milan slowly asked as he peered at the hand that wielded the blade. There was no mistaking it: it was Mary’s hand; sweet, funny and beautiful Mary’s hand. â€Å"Remember me lover boy? The girl you raped and dumped in a garbage bin!† Sweet and warm Mary was now Dark, twisted and furious Ashley. â€Å"B†¦But, I th†¦thought y..y..ou d..i..ed?† Milan retorted in difficulty as the blood hastily seeped out of his chest. â€Å"I knew you’d say that, but two years of plastic surgery surely did a lot!†, Ashley replied bearing a malevolent smile across a rosy and beautiful visage. â€Å"Karma did a number on you this time! You cannot go around messing with innocent people’s lives just because you have a little bit of money and expect everything to be jolly as usual. Payback!† Ashley screamed as she drove the blade further in Milan’s chest. â€Å"Bye handsome, greet the Devil for me!† Ashley said as she kissed him on the cheek and walked out of the white tiled room. Milan did not understand what had happened. What was more astonishing was the fact that he did not feel any pain. All of a sudden, cold icy water splattered across his face. â€Å"What in heaven’s name is wrong with you?! You were screaming at the top of your lungs!† his father said as he stepped out of his room. â€Å"Get dressed, we are late!† his father’s voice echoed as he descended the stairs. Milan was dumbfounded, a few minutes past; he had a knife stuck in his chest. Immediately he gazed at his chest only to find nothing like that. Sighing with relief, he woke up, said a prayer, which he never did, and woke up hurriedly ready to go to the annual school meeting. â€Å"It was just a dream, just a dream.† Milan thought as he went into the bathroom. Short Story Essay Example Short Story Essay Literature contains an interesting plot that should include a situation between two things, which is called conflict. Conflict is a very important element in literature. In Richard Connell’s â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game† the main character goes through many conflicts to survive. In Richard Wright’s â€Å"The Rights to the Streets of Memphis† a boy named Richard is kicked out of his house to buy the groceries, but a gang tries to beat him up on the way. The boy has to build up his courage and face the gang. In both Richard Connell’s â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game† and Richard Wright’s â€Å"The Rights to the Streets of Memphis†, there are important internal and external conflicts throughout the story that are being created as the characters try to survive. Being washed up on a mysterious island and getting hunted down by crazy man are some examples of conflict in â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game†. â€Å"Your brain against mine. Your woodcraft against mine. Your strength and stamina against mine† (Connell 74). This quote from the story shows the external conflict between Rainsford and General Zaroff. The General is challenging him to a battle to the death. â€Å"The cat was coming again to play with the mouse† (Connell 77). This shows how the General is like the predator hunting down its prey. Rainsford is trying his best to survive. â€Å"Only the devil himself could follow that complicated trail through the jungle after dark† (Connell 76). This quote is an example of the conflict that Rainsford is going through with the jungle. This is an example of man vs. nature. Rainsford is thinking that the jungle is very hard to navigate through, which is an obstacle. We will write a custom essay sample on Short Story specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Short Story specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Short Story specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The main conflict in this story is Rainsford trying to survive. Getting beat up can teach you a couple of lessons. In â€Å"The Rights to the Streets of Memphis† the main character goes through a few conflicts. The poor little boy named Richard gets kicked out of his house to buy the groceries, but a gang gets in his way. The boy’s mother states â€Å"Go on and don’t pay any attention to them† (Wright 121). The mother is trying to her son into a grown up. She wants him to stand up for himself. This shows the love she has for Richard. â€Å"If these boys bother you, then fight† (Wright 121). Richard’s mother has no other choice but to let him fight, otherwise he will act as a little boy for the rest of his life. This is an example of external conflict because Richard is going to fight the other kids. â€Å"Don’t you come into this house until you’ve gotten those groceries† (Wright 121). This is an example of internal conflict because Richard has a choice of either staying home and get beat by his mother, or to go fight the gang. Richard found that the best way is to fight the gang and stand up for himself. In both of these conflicts, Richard is trying to survive. Conflict is a very important literary element in both of these short stories. It is one of the many literary elements that play a major role in a story’s plot by creating a complication between two things. Both Rainsford and Richard had to choose whether they want to survive or not. Rainsford survives by fighting back. Richard also learns that he needs to fight back. In both Richard Connell’s â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game† and Richard Wright’s â€Å"The Rights to the Streets of Memphis† conflict is a vital element that challenges the characters to survive.

A Struggle between Love And Prejudice

A Struggle between Love And Prejudice One of the most interesting threads to follow in the novel Pride and Prejudice is how the feelings of the main heroine, the witty, intellectual, and sensitive Elizabeth Bennett, towards Fitzwilliam Darcy change from complete detestation to become passionate love at the end of the story. I find it very exciting to examine what Elizabeth has to go through to reach the point at which her opinion alters and that is the reason why I have decided for this theme.The alteration of Elizabeth ´s opinion and feelings is a long process. The first meeting of Darcy and her at the Meryton ball is a complete catastrophe. Although at first everybody is fascinated by the sight of the young, elegant stranger and all find him extraordinarily handsome, this feeling does not last long. The people slowly realise that his pride is so irritating and revolting, that it makes his character almost totally unlikeable and almost all of them agree that he is not even worth talking to.Lady Catherine confronts Eli zabeth about Darcy, on...Elizabeth happens to overhear a dialogue between Darcy and his friend, Charles Bingley , during which Darcy refuses to dance with a woman from a lower society. Furthermore, he declares Elizabeth to be" ...tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt (him) ..." This surely is sufficient for our heroine to create a quite unfriendly picture of this gentleman. So, beginning with this event, this energetic, wise young girl forms a prejudice towards Darcy that will prevent her future involvement with him. It is here then that the two main themes of the novel, pride and prejudice, are first presented.Elizabeth ´s prejudice, sparked off at the ball, requires quite a long time to be overcome. When they next meet at Sir William Lucas ´ party, Elizabeth refuses to dance with Darcy and her attitude remains...

Why Spanish Words From Greek Often Break the Gender Rule

Why Spanish Words From Greek Often Break the Gender Rule Greek words abound  in Spanish  - but with a twist. Most if not all Spanish words that end in -ma and come from Greek are masculine  even though the last letter is a. Why Greek Words Often Break the Gender Rule There are dozens of such words. Among the ones youre likely to recognize even if you know little Spanish are problema (problem), tema (theme or subject), teorema (theorem), trauma (trauma), and poema (poem). A few other Greek-derived nouns with other endings also break the rule, including  planeta (planet). So the question often comes up: Why are these words from Greek ending in -a masculine? According to the popular language website Del Castellano, it has to do with the way the words entered the language. In Greek these words were all neuter gender, and they remained neuter as they became part of Latin. But as Latin morphed into Spanish, the masculine and neuter genders merged in a way that formerly neuter nouns became masculine. (The neuter gender still exists in Spanish for some specialized situations, but it isnt used for the names of things.) Something similar happened with the Greek words that evolved into those Spanish words ending in -ta that refer to roles of people, such as dentista (dentist) and atleta (athlete). Those words were masculine in Greek and then Latin. As Spanish evolved, the default form of those words continued to be masculine - but they alternatively could become feminine when referring to women. Many words for occupations fit this category. Unfortunately, theres no foolproof way to know which Spanish words ending in -ma come from Greek, although nearly all of them have English cognates, and many have them are connected with science or academic matters. Among the -ma words that dont come from Greek is và ­ctima (victim), which is feminine even referring to a male. Và ­ctima comes from Latin and thus follows the regular pattern. Sample Sentences Here are sentences showing some of the masculine -a words in use. The words may have meanings other than those in the translations: Pocas flores tienen un aroma tan poderoso como la gardenia. (Few flowers have a scent as strong as does the gardenia.) El carisma es una especie de magnetismo que inspira confianza y adoracià ³n. (Charisma is a type of attraction that inspires confidence and adoration.) El clima de Colombia es muy variado. (The climate of Colombia is quite varied.) El coma es un estado de inconsciencia prolongadoc caracterizada por una pà ©rdida de funciones importantes de la vida. (A coma is a state of prolonged unconsciousness characterized by a loss of important life functions.  Note that coma when it means comma is feminine.) El astrà ³nomo britnico Edmund Halley fue el primero en calcular la à ³rbita de un cometa. (The British astronomer Edmund Halley was the first to calculate the orbit of a comet. Note that the feminine cometa is the word for a kite.) El cromosoma humano 14 ha sido completamente secuenciado. (Human chromosome 14 has been completely sequenced.) El diafragma es una parte del objetivo que limita el rayo de luz que penetra en la cmara. (The diaphragm is a part of the lens that limits the light beam entering the camera.) Un diagrama de Venn usa cà ­rculos. (A Venn diagram uses circles.) Los dilemas morales son una preocupacià ³n desde la antigà ¼edad. (Moral dilemmas have been a concern since antiquity.)  ¿Crees que eres inteligente? Aquà ­ encontrars algunos muy difà ­ciles enigmas. (Do you think youre intelligent? Here you will find some very difficult puzzles.) Aunque es muy raro, los fantasmas pueden ser visibles durante el dà ­a. (Although its quite rare, ghosts can be visible during the day.) No todos los idiomas espaà ±oles son latinos. (Not all the languages of Spain are from Latin.) Esta organizacià ³n es como un sistema cerrado. (This organization is like a closed system.) El tema seleccionado del estudio debe ser un problema prioritario de nuestra sociedad. (The subject selected for the study should be a critical problem in our society.) El teorema de Pitgoras est relacionado con la geometrà ­a y la trigonometrà ­a. (The Pythagorean theorem is related to geometry and trigonometry.) â€Å" ¿Cul es tu programa favorito de la televisià ³n? (What is your favorite television program?) Enviar un telegrama de hasta 40 palabras cuesta en Argentina unos 300 pesos. (Sending a telegram of up to 40 words costs about 300 pesos in Argentina.) Una extraccià ³n de sangre puede provocar trauma sicolà ³gico. (A blood drawing can cause psychological trauma.)

Research Critique of Ostomy patients' perceptions of quality of care Essay

Research Critique of Ostomy patients' perceptions of quality of care - Essay Example The discussions are based on the researchers' ability to demonstrate an understanding of the qualitative paradigm and the particular qualitative method being used, if the problem clearly delineated with an appropriate rationale for using a qualitative approach, if the purpose for the study one of discovery and description, conceptualization (theory building), illusions, or sensitization, if the researcher-respondent relationship is understood and if the role of the researcher as "research tool" is apparent. This research critique carefully assessed the importance of a research paper for the improvement of the quality nursing care given to Ostomy patients. Recommendations would not be effective unless the process before setting up a recommendation is to be found true, correct and free from any bias. Centuries had already passed and compared to the world way back centuries ago, people today are more knowledgeable, and curios about the things going on around us. Compared to the lifestyle of the olden days, there are things which they believe is indescribable and even tuberculosis has no cure. Today, there are many things that science can do. It is no doubt then, that today's technological era has been achieved by the careful research of scientists, engineers and concerned people who aims to improve something which is inline with their forte. Through thorough research, things have been achieved which changes the world, that is why, careful and truthful research is essential. Can you imagine a world being deceived by false research It could not only harm the world and the society, malicious research, especially medical researches could cause death to patients instead of nursing them to make them better. In the research conducted by Persson, Eva PhD RN ETN; Gustavsson, Bengt PhD MD; Hellstrm, Anna-Lena PhD RN; Lappas, George BSc and Hultn, Leif PhD MD entitled Ostomy patients' perceptions of quality of care [ISSUES AND INNOVATIONS IN NURSING PRACTICE], the researchers aim to improve the nursing practices towards Ostomy patients to be able to provide them with quality care. They have fully understood and identified the needs of Ostomy patients, though following the qualitative research, it lacks the identification and thorough explanation of what Stoma is all about. They should have clearly defined Stoma and give a narrative explanation which would enable readers to picture out the severity if this illness. Through this, the reader would understand how and why it is important to focus on issues and innovations in nursing practice with regards to the quality care given to Ostomy patients. Before continuing with the research, the researchers should have also explained in clear, straightforward terms, all aspects of living with a stoma, including ways to feel more comfortable with it, and helps you overcome any embarrassment a patient may feel when talking to doctors and other healthcare professionals, to be able to get the best possible help and support. For those who have stoma, the surgery is life-saving, but they can be hard to adjust to, and even though no-one may know that a person have stoma it can make a patient feel

Answer questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Answer questions - Assignment Example Groupon promise affects the consumers through high promises and values with regard to the risks. It offers them return on value. It also offers them returns in case of damages or other losses incurred. In case of cancelation of flights, or other unseen circumstances, Groupon Promise guarantees money back value and fixed percentage returns (Groupon). Groupon impacts the consumers decisions based on the market trends. They target the areas, products and services that are in and in the demand zone of the clients. They assure top quality services and in return refunds in case of poor services and products against a given package and scheme. Consumers on the other hand take into account factors such as refund, the benefits, the comparative analysis as drawn by comparing other services offering companies. The brand name and quality delivery on account of the past services and records is another area that makes up for the consumers decision making factors