A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings

Literary Analysis of â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† â€Å"When Pelayo and Elisend first find the fallen man, they regard him as human, he is â€Å"dressed like a ragpicker†Ã¢â‚¬  (McFarland). Gabriel Garcia Marquez short story â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† is a fabulous story about an angel in â€Å"pitiful condition of a drenched great-grandfather† with â€Å"Huge buzzard wings† (Marquez 294). Marquez uses magical realism to express the literary elements of the old man, in third person point of view, and with several interpretations.In the short story, Marquez shows two major elements of magic realism. The two elements were the old man and, the girl who has been turned into a spider. The people in the story treat the old man as an oddity. He was not treated like an angel instead he was treated more like a freak of nature. The old man appears to be nothing more than a frail human with wings, and so his status as an angel is endlessly debated. â€Å"What surprised him the most, however, was the logic of his wings.They seemed so natural on that completely human organism that he couldn’t understand why other men didn’t have them too† (Marquez 298). Father Gonzaga thinks that he cannot be an angel because he lacks dignity and splendor. â€Å"Father Gonzaga went into the chicken coop and said good morning to him in Latin. The parish priest had his first suspicion of an imposter when he saw that he did not understand the language of god† (Marquez 295). Of course this begs the question of whether the angel lacks dignity, or whether he just lacks dignity because of the way he is treated, being imprisoned in a chicken coop.Perhaps it is the people who lack dignity, not the old man. The old man's other supernatural characteristic is his incredible patience in the face of his treatment which does not make much of an impression on the majority of the people, who are happy to exploit him until bored with him. The magic realism for Spider-Girl is a clear contrast with the Old Man; whereas, he is difficult to interpret because he is not trying to please the crowd. The Spider-Girl delights the people with the clarity of her story. while still practically a child she had sneaked out of her parents’ house to go to a dance, and while she was coming back through the woodsafter having danced all night without permission, a fearful thunderclap rent through the sky in two and through the crack came the lightning bolt of brimstone that changed her into a spider† (Marquez 297). â€Å"When a new spectacle arrives, the woman who has been changed into a spider for disobeying her parents, the community shifts their attention to her. A typical carnival hoax or sideshow â€Å"freak†Ã¢â‚¬  (McFarland).Unlike the Angel, the people do not debate her status as a spider; it is taken for granted. The story is written in third person point of view, in the eyes in Pela yo, in order to show the isolation of the old man is feeling. As the story begins and as Pelayo finds the old man, he does not understand who or what the old man is, until he hears the old man’s â€Å"sailor’s voice†. â€Å"This explanation is merely arbitrary, however, because basic logic rejects the interpretation and makes Pelayo’s explanation merely humorous† (Slomski).The story makes it difficult to understand how the old man is feeling due to the point of view it is written. If the story is switched to the point of view of the old man, it would be easier to understand the feelings and alienation the old man is being faced. â€Å"They would drive him out of the bedroom with a broom and a moment later finds him in the kitchen† (Marquez 298). This quote displays the alienation the old man felt through Pelayo’s eyes. â€Å"The second interpretation is made by a neighbor woman who is thought to know â€Å"everything about life and death. The humor of her interpretation arises in the certainty with which she pronounces that the  old  man  is an angel† (Slomski). Marquez use of magical realism and literary elements, in a third person point of view, proved many interpretations. â€Å"Thus, the Magical Realism of Garcia Marquez’s style — a blurring of the division between the real and the fantastic — is used to underscore the notion (indeed, the seeming contradiction) that the irrational is a natural part of life† (Slomski). By analyzing, the literary elements of third person/omniscient point of view, imagery and characterization are what alienate the fabulous characters. A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings An old man with enormous wings is an interesting short story with elements of mysticism.   Gabriel Josà © Garcà ­a Mà ¡rque with the tool of his Magical realism unfurled the world of reality to incorporate the   myth and supernatural elements in his stories. Gabriel used this tool with great dexterity to spear into our senses our own predicaments toward the nature’s mystic world.This is the whole essence of An Old man with enormous wings. Here I will delve in this short story how with the lively characters of   an old man and woman and a mystic old man with wings, Gabriel brought our real life and our connection with the nature in close proximity.The magic realism has a characteristic of deep fantasy marked with flamboyance and intermittent mystery. It goes to the credit of Gabriel that he created fantasy and the real world in proximity with each other and seems to be   equal. The   whole village has people full of life as if the real characters have been simmered into the words, still the smell of mystesism can be felt when people realize the old man with wings is in possession of   magical powers. It is his mysterous nature which is a center of attraction.The story starts with an old man and woman when they were collecting and throwing crabs in the sea. Pelayo suddenly came across an old angel with dilapitated wings and called his wife Elisenda. At the first site of an angel, both were puzzled and the neighbor lady went to further extent to claim that this angel must have come to take away the child but as he is old, rain and thunderstorm thumped him into the ground. The old couple picked up an angel and put him in a chicken coop just like other chickens.The most intriguing aspect is of the story is when characters come to know that this is not a normal bird or animal or human being, he is a human but with wings and therefore he is not a man. Still Doctor after examining his wings remarks why humans do not have these wings? Here Gabreil presented him as so natural that it seems this winged creature is normal yet incredible and we are made to believe his imaginary sense of perception.The old man with wings, a vivid character is described with the help of sensory imagination, which poises in us the clear picture and makes it lively. Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez enables us not only to visualize the old man, but also feel his mystic parts and his whistling heart.The imagery makes us understand the supernatural stereotypic elements that we hold about angels and also makes us understand that old man with wings does not possess any of the heroic or exalted qualities but just like any other poor human being, is earthly, weak and poor. (Faulkner, 1999).   Even Father Gonzaga also said that there is nothing in him that can be compared to the beautiful and dignity of angles, thus though supernatural and mystic he is.Garcia Marquez increased the anxiousness of the readers on the question of angels as real but not fictitious and is n ot like what we have been visualizing. This old man with wings is not anywhere near to our conventional angels who are powerful, beautiful and immortal, or send by God. This angel is old and decrypt, powerless, totally left at the mercy of strangers, but as mentioned in the book he has magical qualities that rendered him a superior position. He is a bizarre mixture of holiness and the blasphemy.It appears as if he has come to make the old couple’s life comfortable and he did that. When he is kept in Chicken coop, slowly and slowly, son of old couple recovered, over and above Paloya and his wife’s earnings too improved when they started charging the fees from the villagers who so ever came to see this strange creature. Whole village is giving his or her own interpretation regarding the originality of this angel hiding the true nature of this old man.The story moves as if it is not a fable but only a conventional idea what the people stores and hold. Until the end of the story, uncertainty remains and we are not able to know the mystery of this winged creature – how it came and from where it came. This uncertainty implied not only to the winged creature but also to the life – the life in which we are living now and a life where the uncertainty prevails. Through these mystic creatures, writer tries to emphasize that anything can happen, as this whole world is full of mysteries.The descriptions of imaginary poetry also seems to be real, and complain of a villager of his problem of sleep because stars in the night disturbs him, also appears to be true, a simple medical problem ( Faulkner, 1999). And this impression of villagers, Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez's created by the use of narrative voice, in the voice of a third person, and is aware of all the facts and as such readers trust him. This is also true that narrator tries to endorse upon us the idea that nothing is impossible in this world, and nature has in store numerous complex beings, wh ich even our eyes cannot perceive.With the supernatural elements, Gabriel also used Irony as a tool to show the mirror of the other face of human beings- face, which human beings hide behind their virtuous proposition. On one hand, all villagers are showing sympathy to the little old creature but on the other hand all have their own selfish motives. Some one is coming to see the old creature to get cured and some one to make their wish fulfilled. Neighbor wanted creature to be smashed to death.Pelayo and Elisenda, who had put the tiny being in a chicken coop, used it for their own materialistic gains. The people made mockery of this winged creature as any other animal of the circus. Pelayo and Elisenda did not show any sympathy towards the poor creature. This is apparently true in this â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings† that human nature is unspiritual yet boasts of spirituality.â€Å"An Old Man with Enormous Wings† contains a brief yet elegant presentation of h uman nature as thoughtless, predatory, and unspiritual humanity. Garcia Marquez by mentioning about several flaws in human nature put forward several ways in which man can turn towards divinity. The selfishness is also visible in the story where Carnival brought a girl changed into spider, as she did not obey her parents.The cruelty lies in the human’s inclination towards spicy news and furor which girl generates by not being virtuous or disobeying parents. Her story projects a true and clear meaning of our daily life: to obey your parents and not to go out dancing whole night. By the arrival of the spider girl, every one’s attention is now diverted from that old angel. The story comes to an end when after so many years of captivity angel again got back his wings and flew off.Several questions remained unanswered in the story. We never come to know from where the angel came and where it has gone?   The connections between what the people perceive and how they respond is left unclear. It is not clear why a neighbor woman thinks that the angel is in danger and recommends killing him, neither it is clear that how and why Pelayo and Elisenda’s baby got cured?Uncertainty remains through out and the people like other readers in the story just make interpretation of events but do not understand them. It is rightly said that it is a fairy tale without any constructive explanation.

My Tuesday with Morrie Essay

Life is a class, from the day we came to the day we leave. In this class, we learn to learn, learn to live, learn to accept relationships, learn to face death, and learn to adapt to this long and fancy journey of life. Since our childhood, we constantly wonder what our futures will be. Our future life style, future career, the coming deterioration of our body functions and even death, are all in blur that whenever we think of them, we will be occupied by fear. Sometimes, we cannot help but ask: what is the feeling of death? Where will we go after we die? It is always hard for us to be easy with death because we fear it. Therefore, we rush to work hard to get what we desire within the short span of life. However, it is a pathetic fact that we are sometimes blinded and lose what we really need when pursuing what we â€Å"desire†. Even worse, we will not realize it until we are about to die. Tuesday with Morrie can help us realize it before hand. My Encounter with Tuesday with Morrie I am really grateful for this course and Miss Yang. Thank you for giving me a chance to read Tuesday with Morrie, a book that enlightened me in understanding the meaning of life. I am the same kind of people as Mitch Albom, who is always occupied by work and spare no time in other parts of life. When I was reading this book on every Thursday, I put myself in Mitch’s position. The Abstract of the Story Tuesday with Morrie tells a real story about an old professor, Morrie  Schwartz, who had been gradually paralyzed by ALS and was about to die. His student, Mitch Albom, accidently saw his professor being interviewed in the television. Shocked by the upcoming death of his dear professor, Mitch went to meet Morrie in order to grasp some time to say goodbye to the professor who inspired him during college. During the last three months, no matter how busy Mitch was, he would went to see Morrie on Tuesdays to attend Morrie’s lessons about the meanings of life. They talked a lot ranging from death, love, marriage to culture etc. Inspired by the lesson, Mitch realized that love dwarfs all the fame and fortune. Luckily, he successfully saved a precious relationship. Three Kinds of Attitudes towards Life Life is the same process for everyone which stars from birth, living to death. However, everyone has his own particular understanding of life. In my opinion, most of the attitudes towards life can be divided into three main categories. Those who have monotonous and dull lives conceive life as a process of birth, eating, drinking, sleeping, getting married, growing old and finally going to the heaven, which is apparently meaningless. The second type views life as a trade. Their theme of life is what they can obtain from life. Their spontaneous reaction to any new experience is bound to be: what it worth to me? In the world built on this kind of attitude, happiness turns out to be a competition. Most people in the modern world are living with this life style where competition and efficiency dwarf everything. The third kind of attitude expresses a theme: what I can bring into life. Their objective is to bring others happiness, which eventually will bring happiness to themselves. I admit that I am in the second category. Tuesday with Morrie taught me how to move into the third. Cherish What You Own at the Present. In Tuesday with Morrie, Professor urged us to remember a philosophy: â€Å"If you’re always battling against getting older, you’re always going to be unhappy, because it will happen anyhow.† Since we cannot reject it, why don’t we just ignore it and cherish what we have right now? We should enjoy every stage of our lives. When we are kids, we should enjoy playing and being an innocent kid. When we are adults, we should enjoy working hard,  giving out, embracing love and being an enthusiastic adult. When we are old, we should enjoy the peace of life and being an experienced yet calm old man or woman. As long as we accept who we are right now and learn to enjoy it, every stage is meaningful and wonderful for us. Many of us skip other processes lying in the middle but only see the very end of life and therefore rush every day to try to obtain more, more and more. This is not living. Realize What We Need In the modern world, there are innumerable people like Mitch, who was always occupied by his work, by his pursuing of fame and fortune. Though I am still a student, I have already been trapped in this kind of life style, too. Due to the countless homework and researches, I barely have time to have fun with friends or care for my families. I can obtain all I desire but I seldom feel quite happy. I was confused and could not find a way out. Morrie helped me. He said that when you learn how to die, you learn how to live. Death is a wake-up call for all of us. When faced with death, all the fortune and fame, those we desire and fight for in our whole life, become useless. There was an experiment carried out among students. They were given five stuffs, including a box of matches, a Channel perfume, an LV bag, a Benz car and a big house. Everyone was given a few million dollars and they could buy whatever they want. The result shows no one ever chose to buy the matches. However, when the professor assumed that the students were in a deserted island, all the students bought the matches. It is obviously that, compared with a box of matches, those luxuries are of no use in the deserted island. Matches can start fire to warm, to cook and to make signals. That was what they need. Nowadays, people are hard to be satisfied because they are always pursuing things much more than they actually need. If we can learn lessons from Morrie’s death or the students’ realization in the experiment, we can figure out how much we have already owned and suddenly we can get away from the depression of the constant struggle for more and start to enjoy living itself. It is a pity that the modern world encourages the second type of life style I mentioned above. A set pattern designed by the society forces us to struggle  for colleges, exams, promotions, money, marriages, houses and cars etc. It seems every one takes it for granted and has been accustomed to it. We lost our judgment. Morrie, as a man dying soon, told us that wealth could not buy happiness and contentment. Life should not have been that hard. My Changes after Reading the Book When Morrie asked Mitch to drop by every Tuesday, Mitch hesitated and said he might not be able to because he was so busy. However, he made it. After reading Morrie’s fourteen lessons on the meaning of life, I decided to learn from both Morrie and Mitch. I have to abandon my forever excuse: I am so occupied and I have no time. I started calling my parents and my sister regularly and occasionally went out with friends, as well as doing some charity works. Amazingly, it suddenly occurred to me that I am a human, a living human. Though it is hard to suddenly change from type two person to type three, who can live as wisely as Morrie, I am working on it and I am making progress.

Chapter 13 Madeye Moody

â€Å"Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and Care of Magical Creatures†¦damn it, we’re still with the Slytherins†¦.† â€Å"Double Divination this afternoon,† Harry groaned, looking down. Divination was his least favorite subject, apart from Potions. Professor Trelawney kept predicting Harry’s death, which he found extremely annoying. â€Å"You should have given it up like me, shouldn’t you?† said Hermione briskly, buttering herself some toast. â€Å"Then you’d be doing something sensible like Arithmancy.† â€Å"You’re eating again, I notice,† said Ron, watching Hermione adding liberal amounts of jam to her toast too. â€Å"I’ve decided there are better ways of making a stand about elf rights,† said Hermione haughtily. â€Å"Yeah†¦and you were hungry,† said Ron, grinning. There was a sudden rustling noise above them, and a hundred owls came soaring through the open windows carrying the morning mail. Instinctively, Harry looked up, but there was no sign of white among the mass of brown and gray. The owls circled the tables, looking for the people to whom their letters and packages were addressed. A large tawny owl soared down to Neville Longbottom and deposited a parcel into his lap – Neville almost always forgot to pack something. On the other side of the Hall Draco Malfoy’s eagle owl had landed on his shoulder, carrying what looked like his usual supply of sweets and cakes from home. Trying to ignore the sinking feeling of disappointment in his stomach, Harry returned to his porridge. Was it possible that something had happened to Hedwig, and that Sirius hadn’t even got his letter? His preoccupation lasted all the way across the sodden vegetable patch until they arrived in greenhouse three, but here he was distracted by Professor Sprout showing the class the ugliest plants Harry had ever seen. Indeed, they looked less like plants than thick, black, giant slugs, protruding vertically out of the soil. Each was squirming slightly and had a number of large, shiny swellings upon it, which appeared to be full of liquid. â€Å"Bubotubers,† Professor Sprout told them briskly. â€Å"They need squeezing. You will collect the pus -â€Å" â€Å"The what?† said Seamus Finnigan, sounding revolted. â€Å"Pus, Finnigan, pus,† said Professor Sprout, â€Å"and it’s extremely valuable, so don’t waste it. You will collect the pus, I say, in these bottles. Wear your dragon-hide gloves; it can do funny things to the skin when undiluted, bubotuber pus.† Squeezing the bubotubers was disgusting, but oddly satisfying. As each swelling was popped, a large amount of thick yellowish-green liquid burst forth, which smelled strongly of petrol. They caught it in the bottles as Professor Sprout had indicated, and by the end of the lesson had collected several pints. â€Å"This’ll keep Madam Pomfrey happy,† said Professor Sprout, stoppering the last bottle with a cork. â€Å"An excellent remedy for the more stubborn forms of acne, bubotuber pus. Should stop students resorting to desperate measures to rid themselves of pimples.† â€Å"Like poor Eloise Midgen,† said Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff, in a hushed voice. â€Å"She tried to curse hers off.† â€Å"Silly girl,† said Professor Sprout, shaking her head. â€Å"But Madam Pomfrey fixed her nose back on in the end.† A booming bell echoed from the castle across the wet grounds, signaling the end of the lesson, and the class separated; the Hufflepuffs climbing the stone steps for Transfiguration, and the Gryffindors heading in the other direction, down the sloping lawn toward Hagrid’s small wooden cabin, which stood on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid was standing outside his hut, one hand on the collar of his enormous black boarhound, Fang. There were several open wooden crates on the ground at his feet, and Fang was whimpering and straining at his collar, apparently keen to investigate the contents more closely. As they drew nearer, an odd rattling noise reached their ears, punctuated by what sounded like minor explosions. â€Å"Mornin’!† Hagrid said, grinning at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. â€Å"Be’er wait fer the Slytherins, they won’ want ter miss this – Blast-Ended Skrewts!† â€Å"Come again?† said Ron. Hagrid pointed down into the crates. â€Å"Eurgh!† squealed Lavender Brown, jumping backward. â€Å"Eurgh† just about summed up the Blast-Ended Skrewts in Harry’s opinion. They looked like deformed, shell-less lobsters, horribly pale and slimy-looking, with legs sticking out in very odd places and no visible heads. There were about a hundred of them in each crate, each about six inches long, crawling over one another, bumping blindly into the sides of the boxes. They were giving off a very powerful smell of rotting fish. Every now and then, sparks would fly out of the end of a skrewt, and with a small phut, it would be propelled forward several inches. â€Å"On’y jus’ hatched,† said Hagrid proudly, â€Å"so yeh’ll be able ter raise ’em yerselves! Thought we’d make a bit of a project of it!† â€Å"And why would we want to raise them?† said a cold voice. The Slytherins had arrived. The speaker was Draco Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle were chuckling appreciatively at his words. Hagrid looked stumped at the question. â€Å"I mean, what do they do?† asked Malfoy. â€Å"What is the point of them?† Hagrid opened his mouth, apparently thinking hard; there was a few seconds’ pause, then he said roughly, â€Å"Tha’s next lesson, Malfoy. Yer jus’ feedin’ ’em today. Now, yeh’ll wan’ ter try ’em on a few diff’rent things – I’ve never had ’em before, not sure what they’ll go fer – I got ant eggs an’ frog livers an’ a bit o’ grass snake – just try ’em out with a bit of each.† â€Å"First pus and now this,† muttered Seamus. Nothing but deep affection for Hagrid could have made Harry, Ron, and Hermione pick up squelchy handfuls of frog liver and lower them into the crates to tempt the Blast-Ended Skrewts. Harry couldn’t suppress the suspicion that the whole thing was entirely pointless, because the skrewts didn’t seem to have mouths. â€Å"Ouch!† yelled Dean Thomas after about ten minutes. â€Å"It got me.† Hagrid hurried over to him, looking anxious. â€Å"Its end exploded!† said Dean angrily, showing Hagrid a burn on his hand. â€Å"Ah, yeah, that can happen when they blast off,† said Hagrid, nodding. â€Å"Eurgh!† said Lavender Brown again. â€Å"Eurgh, Hagrid, what’s that pointy thing on it?† â€Å"Ah, some of ’em have got stings,† said Hagrid enthusiastically (Lavender quickly withdrew her hand from the box). â€Å"I reckon they’re the males†¦.The females’ve got sorta sucker things on their bellies†¦.I think they might be ter suck blood.† â€Å"Well, I can certainly see why we’re trying to keep them alive,† said Malfoy sarcastically. â€Å"Who wouldn’t want pets that can burn, sting, and bite all at once?† â€Å"Just because they’re not very pretty, it doesn’t mean they’re not useful,† Hermione snapped. â€Å"Dragon blood’s amazingly magical, but you wouldn’t want a dragon for a pet, would you?† Harry and Ron grinned at Hagrid, who gave them a furtive smile from behind his bushy beard. Hagrid would have liked nothing better than a pet dragon, as Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew only too well – he had owned one for a brief period during their first year, a vicious Norwegian Ridgeback by the name of Norbert. Hagrid simply loved monstrous creatures, the more lethal, the better. â€Å"Well, at least the skrewts are small,† said Ron as they made their way back up to the castle for lunch an hour later. â€Å"They are now,† said Hermione in an exasperated voice, â€Å"but once Hagrid’s found out what they eat, I expect they’ll be six feet long.† â€Å"Well, that won’t matter if they turn out to cure seasickness or something, will it?† said Ron, grinning slyly at her. â€Å"You know perfectly well I only said that to shut Malfoy up,† said Hermione. â€Å"As a matter of fact I think he’s right. The best thing to do would be to stamp on the lot of them before they start attacking us all.† They sat down at the Gryffindor table and helped themselves to lamb chops and potatoes. Hermione began to eat so fast that Harry and Ron stared at her. â€Å"Er – is this the new stand on elf rights?† said Ron. â€Å"You’re going to make yourself puke instead?† â€Å"No,† said Hermione, with as much dignity as she could muster with her mouth bulging with sprouts. â€Å"I just want to get to the library.† â€Å"What?† said Ron in disbelief. â€Å"Hermione – it’s the first day back! We haven’t even got homework yet!† Hermione shrugged and continued to shovel down her food as though she had not eaten for days. Then she leapt to her feet, said, â€Å"See you at dinner!† and departed at high speed. When the bell rang to signal the start of afternoon lessons, Harry and Ron set off for North Tower where, at the top of a tightly spiraling staircase, a silver stepladder led to a circular trapdoor in the ceiling, and the room where Professor Trelawney lived. The familiar sweet perfume spreading from the fire met their nostrils as they emerged at the top of the stepladder. As ever, the curtains were all closed; the circular room was bathed in a dim reddish light cast by the many lamps, which were all draped with scarves and shawls. Harry and Ron walked through the mass of occupied chintz chairs and poufs that cluttered the room, and sat down at the same small circular table. â€Å"Good day,† said the misty voice of Professor Trelawney right behind Harry, making him jump. A very thin woman with enormous glasses that made her eyes appear far too large for her face, Professor Trelawney was peering down at Harry with the tragic expression she always wore whenever she saw him. The usual large amount of beads, chains, and bangles glittered upon her person in the firelight. â€Å"You are preoccupied, my dear,† she said mournfully to Harry. â€Å"My inner eye sees past your brave face to the troubled soul within. And I regret to say that your worries are not baseless. I see difficult times ahead for you, alas†¦most difficult†¦I fear the thing you dread will indeed come to pass†¦.and perhaps sooner than you think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her voice dropped almost to a whisper. Ron rolled his eyes at Harry, who looked stonily back. Professor Trelawney swept past them and seated herself in a large winged armchair before the fire, facing the class. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, who deeply admired Professor Trelawney, were sitting on poufs very close to her. â€Å"My dears, it is time for us to consider the stars,† she said. â€Å"The movements of the planets and the mysterious portents they reveal only to those who understand the steps of the celestial dance. Human destiny may be deciphered by the planetary rays, which intermingle†¦.† But Harry’s thoughts had drifted. The perfumed fire always made him feel sleepy and dull-witted, and Professor Trelawney’s rambling talks on fortune-telling never held him exactly spellbound – though he couldn’t help thinking about what she had just said to him. â€Å"I fear the thing you dread will indeed come to pass†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But Hermione was right, Harry thought irritably, Professor Trelawney really was an old fraud. He wasn’t dreading anything at the moment at all†¦well, unless you counted his fears that Sirius had been caught†¦but what did Professor Trelawney know? He had long since come to the conclusion that her brand of fortunetelling was really no more than lucky guesswork and a spooky manner. Except, of course, for that time at the end of last term, when she had made the prediction about Voldemort rising again†¦and Dumbledore himself had said that he thought that trance had been genuine, when Harry had described it to him. â€Å"Harry!† Ron muttered. â€Å"What?† Harry looked around; the whole class was staring at him. He sat up straight; he had been almost dozing off, lost in the heat and his thoughts. â€Å"I was saying, my dear, that you were clearly born under the baleful influence of Saturn,† said Professor Trelawney, a faint note of resentment in her voice at the fact that he had obviously not been hanging on her words. â€Å"Born under – what, sorry?† said Harry. â€Å"Saturn, dear, the planet Saturn!† said Professor Trelawney, sounding definitely irritated that he wasn’t riveted by this news. â€Å"I was saying that Saturn was surely in a position of power in the heavens at the moment of your birth†¦.Your dark hair†¦your mean stature†¦tragic losses so young in life†¦I think I am right in saying, my dear, that you were born in midwinter?† â€Å"No,† said Harry, â€Å"I was born in July.† Ron hastily turned his laugh into a hacking cough. Half an hour later, each of them had been given a complicated circular chart, and was attempting to fill in the position of the planets at their moment of birth. It was dull work, requiring much consultation of timetables and calculation of angles. â€Å"I’ve got two Neptunes here,† said Harry after a while, frowning down at his piece of parchment, â€Å"that can’t be right, can it?† â€Å"Aaaaah,† said Ron, imitating Professor Trelawney’s mystical whisper, â€Å"when two Neptunes appear in the sky, it is a sure sign that a midget in glasses is being born, Harry†¦.† Seamus and Dean, who were working nearby, sniggered loudly, though not loudly enough to mask the excited squeals from Lavender Brown – â€Å"Oh Professor, look! I think I’ve got an unaspected planet! Oooh, which one’s that, Professor?† â€Å"It is Uranus, my dear,† said Professor Trelawney, peering down at the chart. â€Å"Can I have a look at Uranus too, Lavender?† said Ron. Most unfortunately, Professor Trelawney heard him, and it was this, perhaps, that made her give them so much homework at the end of the class. â€Å"A detailed analysis of the way the planetary movements in the coming month will affect you, with reference to your personal chart,† she snapped, sounding much more like Professor McGonagall than her usual airy-fairy self. â€Å"I want it ready to hand in next Monday, and no excuses!† â€Å"Miserable old bat,† said Ron bitterly as they joined the crowds descending the staircases back to the Great Hall and dinner. â€Å"That’ll take all weekend, that will†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Lots of homework?† said Hermione brightly, catching up with them. â€Å"Professor Vector didn’t give us any at all!† â€Å"Well, bully for Professor Vector,† said Ron moodily. They reached the entrance hall, which was packed with people queuing for dinner. They had just joined the end of the line, when a loud voice rang out behind them. â€Å"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!† Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing there, each looking thoroughly pleased about something. â€Å"What?† said Ron shortly. â€Å"Your dad’s in the paper, Weasley!† said Malfoy, brandishing a copy of the Daily Prophet and speaking very loudly, so that everyone in the packed entrance hall could hear. â€Å"Listen to this! FURTHER MISTAKES AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC It seems as though the Ministry of Magic’s troubles are not yet at an end, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor crowd control at the Quidditch World Cup, and still unable to account for the disappearance of one of its witches, the Ministry was plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.† Malfoy looked up. â€Å"Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley. It’s almost as though he’s a complete nonentity, isn’t it?† he crowed. Everyone in the entrance hall was listening now. Malfoy straightened the paper with a flourish and read on: Arnold Weasley, who was charged with possession of a flying car two years ago, was yesterday involved in a tussle with several Muggle law-keepers (â€Å"policemen†) over a number of highly aggressive dustbins. Mr. Weasley appears to have rushed to the aid of â€Å"Mad-Eye† Moody, the aged ex-Auror who retired from the Ministry when no longer able to tell the difference between a handshake and attempted murder. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Weasley found, upon arrival at Mr. Moody’s heavily guarded house, that Mr. Moody had once again raised a false alarm. Mr. Weasley was forced to modify several memories before he could escape from the policemen, but refused to answer Daily Prophet questions about why he had involved the Ministry in such an undignified and potentially embarrassing scene. â€Å"And there’s a picture, Weasley!† said Malfoy, flipping the paper over and holding it up. â€Å"A picture of your parents outside their house – if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn’t she?† Ron was shaking with fury. Everyone was staring at him. â€Å"Get stuffed, Malfoy,† said Harry. â€Å"C’mon, Ron†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren’t you, Potter?† sneered Malfoy. â€Å"So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?† â€Å"You know your mother, Malfoy?† said Harry – both he and Hermione had grabbed the back of Ron’s robes to stop him from launching himself at Malfoy – â€Å"that expression she’s got, like she’s got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?† Malfoy’s pale face went slightly pink. â€Å"Don’t you dare insult my mother, Potter.† â€Å"Keep your fat mouth shut, then,† said Harry, turning away. BANG! Several people screamed – Harry felt something white-hot graze the side of his face – he plunged his hand into his robes for his wand, but before he’d even touched it, he heard a second loud BANG, and a roar that echoed through the entrance hall. â€Å"OH NO YOU DON’T, LADDIE!† Harry spun around. Professor Moody was limping down the marble staircase. His wand was out and it was pointing right at a pure white ferret, which was shivering on the stone-flagged floor, exactly where Malfoy had been standing. There was a terrified silence in the entrance hall. Nobody but Moody was moving a muscle. Moody turned to look at Harry – at least, his normal eye was looking at Harry; the other one was pointing into the back of his head. â€Å"Did he get you?† Moody growled. His voice was low and gravelly. â€Å"No,† said Harry, â€Å"missed.† â€Å"LEAVE IT!† Moody shouted. â€Å"Leave – what?† Harry said, bewildered. â€Å"Not you – him!† Moody growled, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Crabbe, who had just frozen, about to pick up the white ferret. It seemed that Moody’s rolling eye was magical and could see out of the back of his head. Moody started to limp toward Crabbe, Goyle, and the ferret, which gave a terrified squeak and took off, streaking toward the dungeons. â€Å"I don’t think so!† roared Moody, pointing his wand at the ferret again – it flew ten feet into the air, fell with a smack to the floor, and then bounced upward once more. â€Å"I don’t like people who attack when their opponent’s back’s turned,† growled Moody as the ferret bounced higher and higher, squealing in pain. â€Å"Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The ferret flew through the air, its legs and tail flailing helplessly. â€Å"Never – do – that – again -† said Moody, speaking each word as the ferret hit the stone floor and bounced upward again. â€Å"Professor Moody!† said a shocked voice. Professor McGonagall was coming down the marble staircase with her arms full of books. â€Å"Hello, Professor McGonagall,† said Moody calmly, bouncing the ferret still higher. â€Å"What – what are you doing?† said Professor McGonagall, her eyes following the bouncing ferret’s progress through the air. â€Å"Teaching,† said Moody. â€Å"Teach – Moody, is that a student?† shrieked Professor McGonagall, the books spilling out of her arms. â€Å"Yep,† said Moody. â€Å"No!† cried Professor McGonagall, running down the stairs and pulling out her wand; a moment later, with a loud snapping noise, Draco Malfoy had reappeared, lying in a heap on the floor with his sleek blond hair all over his now brilliantly pink face. He got to his feet, wincing. â€Å"Moody, we never use Transfiguration as a punishment!† said Professor McGonagall wealdy. â€Å"Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that?† â€Å"He might’ve mentioned it, yeah,† said Moody, scratching his chin unconcernedly, â€Å"but I thought a good sharp shock -â€Å" â€Å"We give detentions, Moody! Or speak to the offender’s Head of House!† â€Å"I’ll do that, then,† said Moody, staring at Malfoy with great dislike. Malfoy, whose pale eyes were still watering with pain and humiliation, looked malevolently up at Moody and muttered something in which the words â€Å"my father† were distinguishable. â€Å"Oh yeah?† said Moody quietly, limping forward a few steps, the dull clunk of his wooden leg echoing around the hall. â€Å"Well, I know your father of old, boy†¦.You tell him Moody’s keeping a close eye on his son†¦you tell him that from me†¦.Now, your Head of House’ll be Snape, will it?† â€Å"Yes,† said Malfoy resentfully. â€Å"Another old friend,† growled Moody. â€Å"I’ve been looking forward to a chat with old Snape†¦.Come on, you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And he seized Malfoy’s upper arm and marched him off toward the dungeons. Professor McGonagall stared anxiously after them for a few moments, then waved her wand at her fallen books, causing them to soar up into the air and back into her arms. â€Å"Don’t talk to me,† Ron said quietly to Harry and Hermione as they sat down at the Gryffindor table a few minutes later, surrounded by excited talk on all sides about what had just happened. â€Å"Why not?† said Hermione in surprise. â€Å"Because I want to fix that in my memory forever,† said Ron, his eyes closed and an uplifted expression on his face. â€Å"Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret.† Harry and Hermione both laughed, and Hermione began doling beef casserole onto each of their plates. â€Å"He could have really hurt Malfoy, though,† she said. â€Å"It was good, really, that Professor McGonagall stopped it -â€Å" â€Å"Hermione!† said Ron furiously, his eyes snapping open again, â€Å"you’re ruining the best moment of my life!† Hermione made an impatient noise and began to eat at top speed again. â€Å"Don’t tell me you’re going back to the library this evening?† said Harry, watching her. â€Å"Got to,† said Hermione thickly. â€Å"Loads to do.† â€Å"But you told us Professor Vector -â€Å" â€Å"It’s not schoolwork,† she said. Within five minutes, she had cleared her plate and departed. No sooner had she gone than her seat was taken by Fred Weasley. â€Å"Moody!† he said. â€Å"How cool is he?† â€Å"Beyond cool,† said George, sitting down opposite Fred. â€Å"Supercool,† said the twins’ best friend, Lee Jordan, sliding into the seat beside George. â€Å"We had him this afternoon,† he told Harry and Ron. â€Å"What was it like?† said Harry eagerly. Fred, George, and Lee exchanged looks full of meaning. â€Å"Never had a lesson like it,† said Fred. â€Å"He knows, man,† said Lee. â€Å"Knows what?† said Ron, leaning forward. â€Å"Knows what it’s like to be out there doing it,† said George impressively. â€Å"Doing what?† said Harry. â€Å"Fighting the Dark Arts,† said Fred. â€Å"He’s seen it all,† said George. â€Å"‘Mazing,† said Lee. Ron dived into his bag for his schedule. â€Å"We haven’t got him till Thursday!† he said in a disappointed voice. Chapter 13 Madeye Moody â€Å"Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and Care of Magical Creatures†¦damn it, we’re still with the Slytherins†¦.† â€Å"Double Divination this afternoon,† Harry groaned, looking down. Divination was his least favorite subject, apart from Potions. Professor Trelawney kept predicting Harry’s death, which he found extremely annoying. â€Å"You should have given it up like me, shouldn’t you?† said Hermione briskly, buttering herself some toast. â€Å"Then you’d be doing something sensible like Arithmancy.† â€Å"You’re eating again, I notice,† said Ron, watching Hermione adding liberal amounts of jam to her toast too. â€Å"I’ve decided there are better ways of making a stand about elf rights,† said Hermione haughtily. â€Å"Yeah†¦and you were hungry,† said Ron, grinning. There was a sudden rustling noise above them, and a hundred owls came soaring through the open windows carrying the morning mail. Instinctively, Harry looked up, but there was no sign of white among the mass of brown and gray. The owls circled the tables, looking for the people to whom their letters and packages were addressed. A large tawny owl soared down to Neville Longbottom and deposited a parcel into his lap – Neville almost always forgot to pack something. On the other side of the Hall Draco Malfoy’s eagle owl had landed on his shoulder, carrying what looked like his usual supply of sweets and cakes from home. Trying to ignore the sinking feeling of disappointment in his stomach, Harry returned to his porridge. Was it possible that something had happened to Hedwig, and that Sirius hadn’t even got his letter? His preoccupation lasted all the way across the sodden vegetable patch until they arrived in greenhouse three, but here he was distracted by Professor Sprout showing the class the ugliest plants Harry had ever seen. Indeed, they looked less like plants than thick, black, giant slugs, protruding vertically out of the soil. Each was squirming slightly and had a number of large, shiny swellings upon it, which appeared to be full of liquid. â€Å"Bubotubers,† Professor Sprout told them briskly. â€Å"They need squeezing. You will collect the pus -â€Å" â€Å"The what?† said Seamus Finnigan, sounding revolted. â€Å"Pus, Finnigan, pus,† said Professor Sprout, â€Å"and it’s extremely valuable, so don’t waste it. You will collect the pus, I say, in these bottles. Wear your dragon-hide gloves; it can do funny things to the skin when undiluted, bubotuber pus.† Squeezing the bubotubers was disgusting, but oddly satisfying. As each swelling was popped, a large amount of thick yellowish-green liquid burst forth, which smelled strongly of petrol. They caught it in the bottles as Professor Sprout had indicated, and by the end of the lesson had collected several pints. â€Å"This’ll keep Madam Pomfrey happy,† said Professor Sprout, stoppering the last bottle with a cork. â€Å"An excellent remedy for the more stubborn forms of acne, bubotuber pus. Should stop students resorting to desperate measures to rid themselves of pimples.† â€Å"Like poor Eloise Midgen,† said Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff, in a hushed voice. â€Å"She tried to curse hers off.† â€Å"Silly girl,† said Professor Sprout, shaking her head. â€Å"But Madam Pomfrey fixed her nose back on in the end.† A booming bell echoed from the castle across the wet grounds, signaling the end of the lesson, and the class separated; the Hufflepuffs climbing the stone steps for Transfiguration, and the Gryffindors heading in the other direction, down the sloping lawn toward Hagrid’s small wooden cabin, which stood on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid was standing outside his hut, one hand on the collar of his enormous black boarhound, Fang. There were several open wooden crates on the ground at his feet, and Fang was whimpering and straining at his collar, apparently keen to investigate the contents more closely. As they drew nearer, an odd rattling noise reached their ears, punctuated by what sounded like minor explosions. â€Å"Mornin’!† Hagrid said, grinning at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. â€Å"Be’er wait fer the Slytherins, they won’ want ter miss this – Blast-Ended Skrewts!† â€Å"Come again?† said Ron. Hagrid pointed down into the crates. â€Å"Eurgh!† squealed Lavender Brown, jumping backward. â€Å"Eurgh† just about summed up the Blast-Ended Skrewts in Harry’s opinion. They looked like deformed, shell-less lobsters, horribly pale and slimy-looking, with legs sticking out in very odd places and no visible heads. There were about a hundred of them in each crate, each about six inches long, crawling over one another, bumping blindly into the sides of the boxes. They were giving off a very powerful smell of rotting fish. Every now and then, sparks would fly out of the end of a skrewt, and with a small phut, it would be propelled forward several inches. â€Å"On’y jus’ hatched,† said Hagrid proudly, â€Å"so yeh’ll be able ter raise ’em yerselves! Thought we’d make a bit of a project of it!† â€Å"And why would we want to raise them?† said a cold voice. The Slytherins had arrived. The speaker was Draco Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle were chuckling appreciatively at his words. Hagrid looked stumped at the question. â€Å"I mean, what do they do?† asked Malfoy. â€Å"What is the point of them?† Hagrid opened his mouth, apparently thinking hard; there was a few seconds’ pause, then he said roughly, â€Å"Tha’s next lesson, Malfoy. Yer jus’ feedin’ ’em today. Now, yeh’ll wan’ ter try ’em on a few diff’rent things – I’ve never had ’em before, not sure what they’ll go fer – I got ant eggs an’ frog livers an’ a bit o’ grass snake – just try ’em out with a bit of each.† â€Å"First pus and now this,† muttered Seamus. Nothing but deep affection for Hagrid could have made Harry, Ron, and Hermione pick up squelchy handfuls of frog liver and lower them into the crates to tempt the Blast-Ended Skrewts. Harry couldn’t suppress the suspicion that the whole thing was entirely pointless, because the skrewts didn’t seem to have mouths. â€Å"Ouch!† yelled Dean Thomas after about ten minutes. â€Å"It got me.† Hagrid hurried over to him, looking anxious. â€Å"Its end exploded!† said Dean angrily, showing Hagrid a burn on his hand. â€Å"Ah, yeah, that can happen when they blast off,† said Hagrid, nodding. â€Å"Eurgh!† said Lavender Brown again. â€Å"Eurgh, Hagrid, what’s that pointy thing on it?† â€Å"Ah, some of ’em have got stings,† said Hagrid enthusiastically (Lavender quickly withdrew her hand from the box). â€Å"I reckon they’re the males†¦.The females’ve got sorta sucker things on their bellies†¦.I think they might be ter suck blood.† â€Å"Well, I can certainly see why we’re trying to keep them alive,† said Malfoy sarcastically. â€Å"Who wouldn’t want pets that can burn, sting, and bite all at once?† â€Å"Just because they’re not very pretty, it doesn’t mean they’re not useful,† Hermione snapped. â€Å"Dragon blood’s amazingly magical, but you wouldn’t want a dragon for a pet, would you?† Harry and Ron grinned at Hagrid, who gave them a furtive smile from behind his bushy beard. Hagrid would have liked nothing better than a pet dragon, as Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew only too well – he had owned one for a brief period during their first year, a vicious Norwegian Ridgeback by the name of Norbert. Hagrid simply loved monstrous creatures, the more lethal, the better. â€Å"Well, at least the skrewts are small,† said Ron as they made their way back up to the castle for lunch an hour later. â€Å"They are now,† said Hermione in an exasperated voice, â€Å"but once Hagrid’s found out what they eat, I expect they’ll be six feet long.† â€Å"Well, that won’t matter if they turn out to cure seasickness or something, will it?† said Ron, grinning slyly at her. â€Å"You know perfectly well I only said that to shut Malfoy up,† said Hermione. â€Å"As a matter of fact I think he’s right. The best thing to do would be to stamp on the lot of them before they start attacking us all.† They sat down at the Gryffindor table and helped themselves to lamb chops and potatoes. Hermione began to eat so fast that Harry and Ron stared at her. â€Å"Er – is this the new stand on elf rights?† said Ron. â€Å"You’re going to make yourself puke instead?† â€Å"No,† said Hermione, with as much dignity as she could muster with her mouth bulging with sprouts. â€Å"I just want to get to the library.† â€Å"What?† said Ron in disbelief. â€Å"Hermione – it’s the first day back! We haven’t even got homework yet!† Hermione shrugged and continued to shovel down her food as though she had not eaten for days. Then she leapt to her feet, said, â€Å"See you at dinner!† and departed at high speed. When the bell rang to signal the start of afternoon lessons, Harry and Ron set off for North Tower where, at the top of a tightly spiraling staircase, a silver stepladder led to a circular trapdoor in the ceiling, and the room where Professor Trelawney lived. The familiar sweet perfume spreading from the fire met their nostrils as they emerged at the top of the stepladder. As ever, the curtains were all closed; the circular room was bathed in a dim reddish light cast by the many lamps, which were all draped with scarves and shawls. Harry and Ron walked through the mass of occupied chintz chairs and poufs that cluttered the room, and sat down at the same small circular table. â€Å"Good day,† said the misty voice of Professor Trelawney right behind Harry, making him jump. A very thin woman with enormous glasses that made her eyes appear far too large for her face, Professor Trelawney was peering down at Harry with the tragic expression she always wore whenever she saw him. The usual large amount of beads, chains, and bangles glittered upon her person in the firelight. â€Å"You are preoccupied, my dear,† she said mournfully to Harry. â€Å"My inner eye sees past your brave face to the troubled soul within. And I regret to say that your worries are not baseless. I see difficult times ahead for you, alas†¦most difficult†¦I fear the thing you dread will indeed come to pass†¦.and perhaps sooner than you think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her voice dropped almost to a whisper. Ron rolled his eyes at Harry, who looked stonily back. Professor Trelawney swept past them and seated herself in a large winged armchair before the fire, facing the class. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, who deeply admired Professor Trelawney, were sitting on poufs very close to her. â€Å"My dears, it is time for us to consider the stars,† she said. â€Å"The movements of the planets and the mysterious portents they reveal only to those who understand the steps of the celestial dance. Human destiny may be deciphered by the planetary rays, which intermingle†¦.† But Harry’s thoughts had drifted. The perfumed fire always made him feel sleepy and dull-witted, and Professor Trelawney’s rambling talks on fortune-telling never held him exactly spellbound – though he couldn’t help thinking about what she had just said to him. â€Å"I fear the thing you dread will indeed come to pass†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But Hermione was right, Harry thought irritably, Professor Trelawney really was an old fraud. He wasn’t dreading anything at the moment at all†¦well, unless you counted his fears that Sirius had been caught†¦but what did Professor Trelawney know? He had long since come to the conclusion that her brand of fortunetelling was really no more than lucky guesswork and a spooky manner. Except, of course, for that time at the end of last term, when she had made the prediction about Voldemort rising again†¦and Dumbledore himself had said that he thought that trance had been genuine, when Harry had described it to him. â€Å"Harry!† Ron muttered. â€Å"What?† Harry looked around; the whole class was staring at him. He sat up straight; he had been almost dozing off, lost in the heat and his thoughts. â€Å"I was saying, my dear, that you were clearly born under the baleful influence of Saturn,† said Professor Trelawney, a faint note of resentment in her voice at the fact that he had obviously not been hanging on her words. â€Å"Born under – what, sorry?† said Harry. â€Å"Saturn, dear, the planet Saturn!† said Professor Trelawney, sounding definitely irritated that he wasn’t riveted by this news. â€Å"I was saying that Saturn was surely in a position of power in the heavens at the moment of your birth†¦.Your dark hair†¦your mean stature†¦tragic losses so young in life†¦I think I am right in saying, my dear, that you were born in midwinter?† â€Å"No,† said Harry, â€Å"I was born in July.† Ron hastily turned his laugh into a hacking cough. Half an hour later, each of them had been given a complicated circular chart, and was attempting to fill in the position of the planets at their moment of birth. It was dull work, requiring much consultation of timetables and calculation of angles. â€Å"I’ve got two Neptunes here,† said Harry after a while, frowning down at his piece of parchment, â€Å"that can’t be right, can it?† â€Å"Aaaaah,† said Ron, imitating Professor Trelawney’s mystical whisper, â€Å"when two Neptunes appear in the sky, it is a sure sign that a midget in glasses is being born, Harry†¦.† Seamus and Dean, who were working nearby, sniggered loudly, though not loudly enough to mask the excited squeals from Lavender Brown – â€Å"Oh Professor, look! I think I’ve got an unaspected planet! Oooh, which one’s that, Professor?† â€Å"It is Uranus, my dear,† said Professor Trelawney, peering down at the chart. â€Å"Can I have a look at Uranus too, Lavender?† said Ron. Most unfortunately, Professor Trelawney heard him, and it was this, perhaps, that made her give them so much homework at the end of the class. â€Å"A detailed analysis of the way the planetary movements in the coming month will affect you, with reference to your personal chart,† she snapped, sounding much more like Professor McGonagall than her usual airy-fairy self. â€Å"I want it ready to hand in next Monday, and no excuses!† â€Å"Miserable old bat,† said Ron bitterly as they joined the crowds descending the staircases back to the Great Hall and dinner. â€Å"That’ll take all weekend, that will†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Lots of homework?† said Hermione brightly, catching up with them. â€Å"Professor Vector didn’t give us any at all!† â€Å"Well, bully for Professor Vector,† said Ron moodily. They reached the entrance hall, which was packed with people queuing for dinner. They had just joined the end of the line, when a loud voice rang out behind them. â€Å"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!† Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing there, each looking thoroughly pleased about something. â€Å"What?† said Ron shortly. â€Å"Your dad’s in the paper, Weasley!† said Malfoy, brandishing a copy of the Daily Prophet and speaking very loudly, so that everyone in the packed entrance hall could hear. â€Å"Listen to this! FURTHER MISTAKES AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC It seems as though the Ministry of Magic’s troubles are not yet at an end, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor crowd control at the Quidditch World Cup, and still unable to account for the disappearance of one of its witches, the Ministry was plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.† Malfoy looked up. â€Å"Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley. It’s almost as though he’s a complete nonentity, isn’t it?† he crowed. Everyone in the entrance hall was listening now. Malfoy straightened the paper with a flourish and read on: Arnold Weasley, who was charged with possession of a flying car two years ago, was yesterday involved in a tussle with several Muggle law-keepers (â€Å"policemen†) over a number of highly aggressive dustbins. Mr. Weasley appears to have rushed to the aid of â€Å"Mad-Eye† Moody, the aged ex-Auror who retired from the Ministry when no longer able to tell the difference between a handshake and attempted murder. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Weasley found, upon arrival at Mr. Moody’s heavily guarded house, that Mr. Moody had once again raised a false alarm. Mr. Weasley was forced to modify several memories before he could escape from the policemen, but refused to answer Daily Prophet questions about why he had involved the Ministry in such an undignified and potentially embarrassing scene. â€Å"And there’s a picture, Weasley!† said Malfoy, flipping the paper over and holding it up. â€Å"A picture of your parents outside their house – if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn’t she?† Ron was shaking with fury. Everyone was staring at him. â€Å"Get stuffed, Malfoy,† said Harry. â€Å"C’mon, Ron†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren’t you, Potter?† sneered Malfoy. â€Å"So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?† â€Å"You know your mother, Malfoy?† said Harry – both he and Hermione had grabbed the back of Ron’s robes to stop him from launching himself at Malfoy – â€Å"that expression she’s got, like she’s got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?† Malfoy’s pale face went slightly pink. â€Å"Don’t you dare insult my mother, Potter.† â€Å"Keep your fat mouth shut, then,† said Harry, turning away. BANG! Several people screamed – Harry felt something white-hot graze the side of his face – he plunged his hand into his robes for his wand, but before he’d even touched it, he heard a second loud BANG, and a roar that echoed through the entrance hall. â€Å"OH NO YOU DON’T, LADDIE!† Harry spun around. Professor Moody was limping down the marble staircase. His wand was out and it was pointing right at a pure white ferret, which was shivering on the stone-flagged floor, exactly where Malfoy had been standing. There was a terrified silence in the entrance hall. Nobody but Moody was moving a muscle. Moody turned to look at Harry – at least, his normal eye was looking at Harry; the other one was pointing into the back of his head. â€Å"Did he get you?† Moody growled. His voice was low and gravelly. â€Å"No,† said Harry, â€Å"missed.† â€Å"LEAVE IT!† Moody shouted. â€Å"Leave – what?† Harry said, bewildered. â€Å"Not you – him!† Moody growled, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Crabbe, who had just frozen, about to pick up the white ferret. It seemed that Moody’s rolling eye was magical and could see out of the back of his head. Moody started to limp toward Crabbe, Goyle, and the ferret, which gave a terrified squeak and took off, streaking toward the dungeons. â€Å"I don’t think so!† roared Moody, pointing his wand at the ferret again – it flew ten feet into the air, fell with a smack to the floor, and then bounced upward once more. â€Å"I don’t like people who attack when their opponent’s back’s turned,† growled Moody as the ferret bounced higher and higher, squealing in pain. â€Å"Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The ferret flew through the air, its legs and tail flailing helplessly. â€Å"Never – do – that – again -† said Moody, speaking each word as the ferret hit the stone floor and bounced upward again. â€Å"Professor Moody!† said a shocked voice. Professor McGonagall was coming down the marble staircase with her arms full of books. â€Å"Hello, Professor McGonagall,† said Moody calmly, bouncing the ferret still higher. â€Å"What – what are you doing?† said Professor McGonagall, her eyes following the bouncing ferret’s progress through the air. â€Å"Teaching,† said Moody. â€Å"Teach – Moody, is that a student?† shrieked Professor McGonagall, the books spilling out of her arms. â€Å"Yep,† said Moody. â€Å"No!† cried Professor McGonagall, running down the stairs and pulling out her wand; a moment later, with a loud snapping noise, Draco Malfoy had reappeared, lying in a heap on the floor with his sleek blond hair all over his now brilliantly pink face. He got to his feet, wincing. â€Å"Moody, we never use Transfiguration as a punishment!† said Professor McGonagall wealdy. â€Å"Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that?† â€Å"He might’ve mentioned it, yeah,† said Moody, scratching his chin unconcernedly, â€Å"but I thought a good sharp shock -â€Å" â€Å"We give detentions, Moody! Or speak to the offender’s Head of House!† â€Å"I’ll do that, then,† said Moody, staring at Malfoy with great dislike. Malfoy, whose pale eyes were still watering with pain and humiliation, looked malevolently up at Moody and muttered something in which the words â€Å"my father† were distinguishable. â€Å"Oh yeah?† said Moody quietly, limping forward a few steps, the dull clunk of his wooden leg echoing around the hall. â€Å"Well, I know your father of old, boy†¦.You tell him Moody’s keeping a close eye on his son†¦you tell him that from me†¦.Now, your Head of House’ll be Snape, will it?† â€Å"Yes,† said Malfoy resentfully. â€Å"Another old friend,† growled Moody. â€Å"I’ve been looking forward to a chat with old Snape†¦.Come on, you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And he seized Malfoy’s upper arm and marched him off toward the dungeons. Professor McGonagall stared anxiously after them for a few moments, then waved her wand at her fallen books, causing them to soar up into the air and back into her arms. â€Å"Don’t talk to me,† Ron said quietly to Harry and Hermione as they sat down at the Gryffindor table a few minutes later, surrounded by excited talk on all sides about what had just happened. â€Å"Why not?† said Hermione in surprise. â€Å"Because I want to fix that in my memory forever,† said Ron, his eyes closed and an uplifted expression on his face. â€Å"Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret.† Harry and Hermione both laughed, and Hermione began doling beef casserole onto each of their plates. â€Å"He could have really hurt Malfoy, though,† she said. â€Å"It was good, really, that Professor McGonagall stopped it -â€Å" â€Å"Hermione!† said Ron furiously, his eyes snapping open again, â€Å"you’re ruining the best moment of my life!† Hermione made an impatient noise and began to eat at top speed again. â€Å"Don’t tell me you’re going back to the library this evening?† said Harry, watching her. â€Å"Got to,† said Hermione thickly. â€Å"Loads to do.† â€Å"But you told us Professor Vector -â€Å" â€Å"It’s not schoolwork,† she said. Within five minutes, she had cleared her plate and departed. No sooner had she gone than her seat was taken by Fred Weasley. â€Å"Moody!† he said. â€Å"How cool is he?† â€Å"Beyond cool,† said George, sitting down opposite Fred. â€Å"Supercool,† said the twins’ best friend, Lee Jordan, sliding into the seat beside George. â€Å"We had him this afternoon,† he told Harry and Ron. â€Å"What was it like?† said Harry eagerly. Fred, George, and Lee exchanged looks full of meaning. â€Å"Never had a lesson like it,† said Fred. â€Å"He knows, man,† said Lee. â€Å"Knows what?† said Ron, leaning forward. â€Å"Knows what it’s like to be out there doing it,† said George impressively. â€Å"Doing what?† said Harry. â€Å"Fighting the Dark Arts,† said Fred. â€Å"He’s seen it all,† said George. â€Å"‘Mazing,† said Lee. Ron dived into his bag for his schedule. â€Å"We haven’t got him till Thursday!† he said in a disappointed voice.

Movie report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Movie report - Essay Example The sacrifices of the Jesuits in the movie closely mirror the life that Jesus lived in the Bible. â€Å"The Mission† is a movie written by Robert Bolt and directed by Roland Joffe. Produced by Fernando Ghia and David Puttnam, it stars Jeremy Irons as Father Gabriel, the head of the Jesuit mission, Robert de Niro as a former Spanish slaver who becomes a Jesuit, Liam Neeson as a young Jesuit, Ray McAnally as the Spanish cardinal sent by the Catholic Pope to look into the Jesuit missions, and Chuck Low as the Spanish Governor Cabeza who led the Spanish troops to attack the Guaranis. The setting of the story is in the 1970s. The movie’s historical background suggests that under the Treaty of Madrid, the Portuguese were given the power to take over the Guarani community, which at that time was run by Jesuit missionaries. The natives themselves resisted and many died including the Jesuit missionaries headed by Father Gabriel. The introduction presents an example of how the Je suits risk their lives in their mission to convert non-Christians. The scene in which one priest is salvaged by tying him to a cross and letting him run down through the Iguazu falls depicts how cruel the Guaranis could be towards the missionaries. In fact, history recounts Jesuit missionaries in different countries who died for their belief. Martinez (73) reports the death of eight missionary Jesuit priests in an attack in Mexico. Tylenda (372), Butler (68) and Molinari (26) also report the sacrifices of the Jesuit missionaries in different parts of the world especially in Japan, China and Southern America. The scene in which Fr. Gabriel plays his oboe in a river illustrates the courage and determination that Jesuits should possess in order to enter the mission. This is despite the death of the other missionary priest in the falls. Fr. Gabriel plays his instrument to capture the hearts of the Guaranis. Soaked in the river, he positions himself on a rock and plays his oboe until the Guaranis pay attention to him and ask him to come with them. Fr. Gabriel uses music to communicate and bring peace to the people because that is the only way to communicate with them. In sending his disciples, Jesus did not mention the use of music but he equipped them with different languages in order to spread the Word. On the part of the Jesuits, music serves as the way to capture the hearts of the people. In the latter part, we see the people singing in harmony, a scene that touches even the heart of Cardinal Altamirano. This shows the strategy of the Jesuits in converting non-believers. The music of Fr. Gabriel communicates peace and harmony with the people. Until now, Jesuits are known for the beautiful music they make, which one can hear from mass in Catholic churches. The movie also sets the example on how the Jesuit missionaries deny themselves of material pleasures in life. Mendoza, the Spanish slaver, leaves his armor and other personal belongings behind when he follows Fr. Gabriel. The scene is momentous because leaving his sack signifies Mendoza’s preparedness to enter the mission by denying his personal needs and embracing the missionary life. It is also in this scene that the Jesuits and the Guaranis welcome him as their brother. Based on his reaction, Mendoza experiences true happiness and finds relief from the pain caused by his

Marketing Strategy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Marketing Strategy - Term Paper Example This will help the company in bringing together all the basics of marketing for the purpose of ensuring that the objective of the promotion; that is entering a new market of the new innovation is achieved. Introduction The first iMac was the earliest legacy-free PC. The original iMac was the first ever Macintosh computer not to have the FDD and to be fitted with a USB port. All the Macs have consequently fitted it. Through the USB port, we find that the makers of hardware could produce items that compatible with both the Macs and the x86. Initially, the users of Macintosh were forced to look for particular hardware, like the mice and keyboards that were specially designed for the ‘old world’ the exclusive ADB interface and modems together with printers with the LocalTalk ports of the Mac. Only a small number of the models from particular producers or companies came with these interfaces, and usually and often went at a premium price. Being cross-platform, we find that th e USB has enabled the users of Macintosh to choose from a large variety of devices that are promoted for Wintel PC platform, like storage devices, mice, canners, USB flash drives and hubs. As the USB was slower compared to many ports present at the time like the SCSI, iBooks, and the unmodified iMacs were seriously crippled until sufficient replacements like the USB 2.0 and FireWire were standardized. However, after iMac, the company continued removing the older floppy drives together with peripheral interfaces from its remaining product line (Carroll, 2011). Borrowing from the 20th Anniversary Macintosh of 1997, the different iMacs designs that are LCD-based maintained the all-in-one idea first envisaged in the original Macintosh computer of the company. Nevertheless, the successful iMac enabled the company to continue with its targeting of the Power Macintosh line at the market’s high-end. This prefigured the same concept in the notebook market when the iBook that looks lik e the iMac was launched in the year 1999. However, since then, Apple has maintained this concept of consumer differentiation against the professional product lines (Sculley, 2009). The focus of the company on design has enabled all of its consequent products to establish a distinct identity. The company avoided the use of the beige colors that were pervading the industry at that time. Apple would later shift from the multihued designs of the late 1990s and the early 2000s. However, the later part of the twenty first century’s first decade saw the company applying the anodized aluminum and black, white, and the clear polycarbonate plastics. Several PCs currently, are more design-conscious compared to the period before the introduction of the iMac, with the multi-shaded schemes of design being widespread, and some laptops together with desktops present in multicolored, and decorative or pretty patterns (Frank, 2010, p52). The campaign is to be carried out in the United States a nd in countries all over the world. The time frame for theses objectives to be achieved will be twenty four months. As the company works towards the introduction of upgraded and newer products, adjustments and refinements may need to be undertaken. However, the most important thing is maintaining consistency. Moreover, since both objectives are based on one another, the company should primarily focus on putting emphasis or stress on the extensibility message in attempting to speed understanding to the idea or concept of digital lifestyle

Zen Buddhism - The Land of the Disappearing Buddha Essay

Zen Buddhism - The Land of the Disappearing Buddha - Essay Example As such, this school of Buddhism favors ones direct comprehension through Zazen and the interaction of a believer with an accomplished teacher or spiritual guide. Some of the basic teachings of Zen include various sources of Mahayana thoughts, more so, the Yogyakarta, Huayan, and the Tathagatgarbha alongside an emphasis on issues such as totality, the Buddha-nature, and the Bodhisattva-ideal. Other influential elements in Zen Buddhism are the Madhyamika and the Prajnaparamita. Zen began to develop as a distinct school of Buddhism through the teachings of an Indian Sage, Bodhidharma, who taught at the Shaolin Monastery of China. Due to his efforts in popularizing the school of Buddhism, Bodhidharma is often referred to as the First Patriarch of Zen amongst many believers. Zen Buddhism is also subdivided further into three main sub-schools namely, Rinzai, Soto, and Sanbo Kyodan. Zen Buddhism is different form other traditional forms of the religion. However, the differences exist more in the form rather than the essence of each school of Buddhism. One of the most popular forms of traditional Buddhism in East Japan is Theravada. This type of Buddhism is founded on the initial principles of the religion that Buddha himself practiced. These include careful mediation while observing the rules of conduct, studying the canon of Buddhist scripture, the Vinaya, revering Buddha, and understanding the Sultras as well as its commentaries. For the adherents of this school of Buddhism, the religion is almost a monastic practice of the teachings of Buddha. Zen Buddhism is different from other schools such as the Theravada school because it does on play greater emphasis on scriptures and the Sultras. In fact, Zen Buddhists teach that the school is an intellectual practice that anyone can learn and practices as opposed to being a religion for the selected individual believ ers. In as much as Buddhism began in China, its movement across the continent into other co8ntries and

Restoring Toyotas Reputation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Restoring Toyotas Reputation - Essay Example The blow based on reputation was very damaging (Costea 2010). The first thing Toyota should have done is to clarify any point that the consumer needed to know more about the problem that had caused the recalling of cars. Toyota actually did this right as good management would do. They came up with a way to confront the criticism put forward and to respond to any questions and points that needed clarification to the consumer. Their strategy to handle all the inquisitions was through social media using Social Digs, Twitter and Facebook (Toyota 2009). The next step would be to immediately identify where they had gone wrong during the production that affected the quality of the final product. Somewhere along the line of production an error must have occurred to cause the problem that would come to affect the quality and thus damage the reputation of Toyota (Ohnsman and Kitamura 2010). After performing this review and identifying where the production had gone wrong, they should have mende d that loophole. The better way of dealing with this was for the management to change the system of reviewing quality in cars. This would build some confidence and form assurance of a proper method of evaluating quality to the consumers who have become distrustful of the current method of checking for quality. If the management changes the evaluation system and makes this public, they will reassure the public of good quality and in turn revive their reputation (Anon, 2010). The Toyota management should also try to make policies that consider the customer’s point of view in their implementation. They should not make cars with the quality that they feel they need to be producing, but they should make cars with the quality standards that their customers need in a car, making the production be all about what the customer needs. There was a lot of speculation on the cause of the acceleration in the Toyota cars. Some of the critics even cited a ridiculous claim such as electric fau lts in the cars (Kaufman 2010). The management should thus have fit the Toyota cars with an event data recorder that would record all the data a car outputs, and thus the cause of the problem would have been quickly identified, hence avoiding speculation from critics that would be more damaging to the product. The company should also have set up regional technical offices to help evaluate the cars needed to recall. In 2009, they had to recall entire shipments of cars. There was no evaluation on the status of the car regionally, which led to massive recalling. Analysis at a regional level would have reduced the number of cars being taken back to the company greatly by solving some of the technical issues regionally. The Toyota has raised its reputation since the 2009 crisis, and it was rated at number 74 as of 2012 (Davis 2012). Coming up with a new managerial structure that is set to achieve proper marketing of the product will see them get their competitive edge back and rise to th e level they were before. One such structure is the organisation of the TNGA planning division that will see the company realise the Toyota Global Vision (Toyota 2013). To sustain Toyota’s competitive advantage, they have come up with a Kaizen approach in lean production. The Kaizen approach involves continual development and implementation of new better changes in its method of production. It brings in team effort and the opinion of each team player is considered and evaluated on the improvement in the production system. This system has great improvement in the

Relate the quotation selected to the theories of tourism and impacts Research Paper

Relate the quotation selected to the theories of tourism and impacts and sustainability - Research Paper Example While this along with other such regions around the world are quickly becoming the must-watch hot spots of wetland destinations, it is essential to see how far the tourism industry is thriving on both improving the economy and protecting the marshes by sustainable maintenance. Since wetlands provide essential services such as water, food and energy, the indigenous people will have an urge to protect the swamp, mostly as part of their own tradition and culture (Chang 2010, p. 190). At the same time, tourism industry is interconnected with social, economical and environmental factors of the community. On the whole, tourism has the capacity to generate jobs and related businesses. Thus development in tourism needs to be sustainable, so that a) the viability of enterprises and activities can be maintained for a long term on the economic front, b) a greater respect for human rights, that is recognised with an impartial allotment of benefits to eradicate poverty, could be gained on the soc ial front and c) conserving and managing of resources, biological diversity and natural heritage become priority on the environmental front. As a matter of fact, sustainable tourism would promote a desire in the masses to enjoy green tourism, for example, conducting a series of elite interviews on why tourism is booming in Cuba, Jayawardene (2002. p 57) found that â€Å"the government’s focus on and attention to sustainable tourism development† was the main reason for the tourism flourishing in Cuba. It shows that tourist preferences are increasingly influenced by sustainability concerns; that is why, according to Taleb Rifai (Secretary General World Tourism Organisation), â€Å"today, ecotourism, nature, cultural adventure, rural and community tourism are taking the lead in the tourism markets and are predicted to continue growing more rapidly than traditional tourism products. Wetlands tourism is therefore uniquely placed in the evolving scenario of green tourismâ⠂¬  (2012). Considering the growing popularity of greener destinations, there is an urgent need of sustainability in wetland tourism management. The planning of policies and awareness rising on this issue needs to be focused on the potential value of the wetland tourism with regards to the economic benefit it can bring into the indigenous society. The study of the Fatt’an wetlands in Taiwan concludes by stating that awareness of the local people is the key to the success of any sustainable management program (Chang 2010 pp 198). However, many wetland examples around the world would reveal the risks and consequences of having unsustainable management in wetland tourism. Many countries have introduced wetland tourism policies, but they have not set sustainable strategies adequately recognising the role of wetlands. Hence, some of the African countries including Kenya, Namibia and so on were not able to yield the fruit of wetland tourism (Earth Watch). Similarly, the negative e ventualities resulting from unsustainable management of wetland might include the deterioration of the ecosystem due to various activities, which may also negatively affect the tranquillity of the wetland species

In Vitro Fertilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

In Vitro Fertilization - Essay Example It is noteworthy that infertility is a problem affecting both parties in a relationship-male and female. There has been misconception that infertility is only a problem of females alone but this is not the case. Infertility is major problem affecting couples and individuals across the globe in both developed and underdeveloped world as a people have failed to get pregnant or sire because of one reason or another. For instance, it is estimated that at least 10 percent of men and women of reproductive age in the United States cannot conceive as per the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics (Vorvick). Infertility in both male and female may occur in number of incidences. For instance, infertility in female occurs when the eggs are blocked in ovaries and as such cannot move to the womb. Other incidences occur when the ovaries are incapable of producing eggs, inability of the fertilized egg to survive once it sticks on uterus and finally inability of the embryo to stick on the lining of the uterus. Infertility in a male on the other hand may occur when there is a decrease in the sperm count, sperm is blocked from being released and finally when the sperm released is immatur e and weak. Infertility in both male and female is caused by a number of factors some of which are common while other unique to a particular gender. Key among the factors that cause infertility in female include but not limited to growth in the uterus such fibroids, cancer, autoimmune disorder, excessive exercising, certain medication, obesity, old age, pelvic inflammatory disease, excessive drinking of alcohol, scarring from STI, thyroid disease, hormonal imbalance, pelvic infection and or clotting disorder (Vorvick). Male infertility on the other hand is caused by a number of factors that include but not limited to birth defects, old age, hormonal imbalance, excessive

The driving age should be raised or requirements for a license should Essay

The driving age should be raised or requirements for a license should be changed - Essay Example It is said that a sixteen-year-old teenager is not mature enough to be allowed to drive and while some people might think it sounds unfair, it has been biologically proven. The frontal cortex in the human brain is responsible for motor skills, risk taking, problem solving and emotional maturity. While lack of experience might be blamed as a cause of road accidents by teenage drivers, emotional maturity is the major reason why teenagers make bad drivers. There is a process called the spreading of white matter from the back to the front of the brain which helps in effective communication between brain cells, a process that usually takes place when one attains the age of twenty and continues until one is around thirty years of age (Gillin). It is clearly visible from this fact that a teenager’s brain does not have the capacity needed to make urgent and important decisions when driving. An adult’s brain can be able to switch on fast when an emergency occurs on the road whil e he is driving, for example, when a kid decided to rush to the road, thus saving a life. Teenagers are also more of risk takers, which become a problem when they are on the road, combined with emotional immaturity being a risk taker serves as a big problem as they will want to put themselves in situations that will be difficult to handle. While I am not advocating that the driving age be changed to mid 20’s to allow for maturity, a middle ground can be reached by raising the age from sixteen to eighteen to reduce the cases of teenage motor accidents (Bjorklund and Blasi 473). Statistics show that car crashes are the number one cause of death among teenagers in the U.S and those between sixteen and nineteen years of age were more likely to be involved in serious and fatal accidents than those aged twenty years and above. The former age had an estimated 2700 deaths and 282,000 casualties in the year 2010. It is also interesting to note that death was recorded more among male d rivers of the said age group as compared to female drivers. There were also increased chances when the passenger was a teenager and in the first six months of being given a driving license. Moreover, 56% of interviewed teenagers admitted to answering mobile phones and 13% said that they are used to sending and responding to text messages while driving and a further 17% admitted that speeding was fun while driving (â€Å"Teen Drivers Facts†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). Some of the reasons noted as to why teens were more likely to be at risk, most of those involved in accidents at the time had been drinking and or speeding therefore resulting in fatal accidents and even death. In addition, most of the teenagers are unable to recognize dangerous situations and therefore end up taking risks that are life threatening and for those who already find themselves in such situations are not able to act fast as to prevent any forthcoming accidents. Some teenagers do not follow the rules of the road, one ver y important rule is to give enough space or headway between your car and the one in front of you therefore ensuring that you can see the road well and reduce chances of a crash in case the car ahead of you gets involved in one or brakes suddenly.

Candys dog Essay Example for Free

Candys dog Essay In Section three of â€Å"Of Mice and Men† we come to a significant part of the story where Carlson shoots Candy’s dog. From previous sections in the book, Steinbeck has made it evident that Candy’s dog is important to Candy. When we are first introduced to Candy and his dog, Steinbeck repeatedly describes both characters as â€Å"old†, showing how alike both are. â€Å"Old Candy, the swamper, came in and went to his bunk, and behind him struggled his old dog. † In this sentence, the adjective used to describe both characters is â€Å"old†. This suggests the similarity between them, showing that they are both reaching nearer to the end of their life. While Slim, George, Candy and his dog are in the bunk house, Carlson comes in and talks to Slim. He then complains about the smell of the dog. â€Å"God awmighty that dog stinks. Get him outta here, Candy! † Carlson makes it clear that he doesn’t like the dog being in the bunk house as it brings a foul smell with it. But when Candy hears Carlson say this, he reaches over to pat his dog as if it is fully aware of what is being said. This action evinces that Candy is apologising to the dog on Carlson’s behalf. Candy treats his dog like a human as his dog is his only companion. However, the workers at the ranch see him only as a dog. When Carlson mentions to Candy about shooting his dog, Candy’s actions and dialogues convey how Candy feels about this idea. â€Å"Candy looked about unhappily. ‘No,’ he said softly. ‘No, I couldn’t do that. I had him too long. ’ Candy is reluctant to let Carlson shoot his dog and we know this through the use of the adverb â€Å"unhappily†. Candy words make it evident that he is not ready to lose his only company. Candy purposefully tries to delay Carlson when he says, â€Å"You ain’t got no gun. † He is hopeful that Carlson doesn’t have the necessary items to kill Candy’s dog with. When the men hear the shot that marks the death of Candy’s dog, Candy’s reaction towards the death of his dog illustrates his emotions. â€Å"For a moment he continued to stare at the ceiling. Then he rolled slowly over and faced the wall and lay silent. † This action symbolises an act of rejecting the outside world. Candy’s dog was his only way of staying happy. But now that his dog has been shot, he has nothing else in the world that is worth living for. During this conversation between Carlson and Candy, George interrupts. â€Å"George said, ‘I seen a guy in Weed that had an Airedale could herd sheep. Learned it from the other dogs. ’† George tries divert Carlson’s attention to a different topic. This indicates that George is attempting to assist Candy in saving his dog. George is being empathetic towards Candy as he might understand how Candy will feel when he loses his only companion. He is taking into account other’s feelings before his own. We see this previously in the book where George stands up for Lennie when Curley threatens him. George’s only companion is Lennie and he has travelled with Lennie in search of work for a very long time. George may be the only person who realises how difficult it will be for Candy if he found himself alone after a very long time. As Carlson continuously encourages Candy to let him shoot Candy’s dog, Carlson turns to Slim for support. He asks Slim, â€Å"I bet Slim would give you one of his pups to raise up, wouldn’t you, Slim? † From previous descriptions in the book, the audience is aware that Slim is an influential character in the novel. Steinbeck makes a direct judgement about him unlike he does with the other characters in the book. Steinbeck describes him as â€Å"Majestic† and â€Å"Prince of the ranch†. Nearing the death of Candy’s dog, Steinbeck once again shows us the importance of Slim’s character at the ranch when Carlson asks for Slim’s opinion on the matter. When Slim agrees with Carlson that Candy’s dog should be shot Candy look’s helplessly at Slim: â€Å"Candy looked helplessly at him, for Slim’s opinions were law. † Steinbeck yet again directly informs the reader that Slim’s opinions are not taken lightly but seriously by the men on the ranch. It is clear that the men on the ranch constantly have respect for Slim and they do as Slim says. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Steinbeck section.

Biography of Fernando Botero Essay Example for Free

Biography of Fernando Botero Essay Fernando Botero, also named the most Colombian of Colombian artists, has developed a style the world notices as his own. Fernando was born in 1932 in Medellin, Colombia. Fernando came across heavy schooling as a child, which isolated him from traditional art in museums and such cultural institutions. It was his strict school however that brought art to be an interest for Fernando, the school Botero attended was run by Jesuits who were strict and brought little enjoyment into Botero’s life. To find enjoyment Botero began to draw at a young age. At that young age his inspiration was anything that interest him such as bullfighting. Fernando was a great fan of bullfights so he would paint scenes of this then sold them in front of the arena for 5 pesos. He spent nearly two years painting this subject. He had a growing interest in art his entire life; he shared his thoughts, and studied. When Botero was seventeen he worked for the Medellin newspaper, El Colombiano, titled Picasso and the Nonconformity of Art, which showed Botero’s mind and how it is linked with art. Botero is so well known because of his signature style, robust and round objects and characters. Botero tells critics that he is simply attracted to his form without knowing why. He claims that artists never know why artists use a form, he claims the style is intuitive and that the explanation for their style can be rationalized after it’s adopted. Botero is difficult to understand, as he doesn’t share his opinion with his art or even explaining his art. â€Å"He shares his vision with us but not telling us how to feel about it. Navas- Nieves says. We know his works are personal as some of his famous works depict his youth, â€Å"The Bishop†, â€Å"The Nun†, â€Å"The Bullfighter†, and â€Å"The Widow†. It is unknown to all except Botero however if these drawings reflect the beauty with these no proportional, bright colored, exaggerated sized or the turmoil. Botero eliminated brushwork and texture in his paintings as he favored a smoother look. Botero’s works are abstract and are educated by a Columbian upbringing and social commentary. When Colombian children go to church they see all these Madonnas, so clean and perfect. In South America china-like perfection is very much a part of the ideal toilet of beauty. More so even than the polychrome wood sculptures in Spain, Latin American sculptures look like porcelain. So, in contrast to Europe or North America, you connect the notions of art and beauty at a very early age. I grew up with the idea that art is beauty. All my life Ive been trying to produce art that is beautiful to discover all the elements that go to make up visual perfection. When you come from my background you can’t be spoilt by beauty, because youve never really seen it. If youre born in Paris, say, you can see art everywhere, so by the time you come to create art yourself you’re spoilt – youre tired of beauty as such and want to do something else. With me it was quite different. I wasnt tired of beauty; I was hungering for it. † Botero said this knowing he was not raised with art, which is his beauty. The lack of art in his life made him develop such an original style. The church influences Botero, his baroque style was adopted from the church. Botero is the most Colombian of Colombian artists because of his insulation from international trends. Botero once remarked â€Å"A painter can do things a photographer can’t do, because a painter can make the invisible visible. † This thinking lead Botero to create a series of serious paintings about prisoner abuse in Abu Ghraib. Botero, through his paintings in this series allowed us to feel the prisoners suffering. The paintings brought us to the agony of the victims, the humiliation they felt and all the pain was transferred from the painting to us, making us the victim. This series proved moreover Botero’s skill of art. Many critics thought the series was out of Botero’s league claiming that Botero’s style cannot do justice to the seriousness of the subject. Botero proved the critics wrong when he captures the emotion of the victims. The difference between photographs and paintings are that photographs come with a story. Just something that happened. They can be beautiful but paintings show affects and emotion and thoughts and different depictions. Much more thought goes into a painting, which sets the two apart.