The Education System Essay Example

The Education System Essay Example The Education System Essay The Education System Essay Essay Topic: Education This point has caused one of the main criticisms of looking at cultural deprivation as the reason for working class underachievement. Critics have argued that working class parents seem less interested and less encouraging because of their situation and circumstances. They want to show their children what life is like realistically for the working class, that high occupational status is a dream. Another criticism of cultural deprivation has been by those who feel that material factors are more important. These critics are structuralists, and think that it is important to focus on what parents can provide materialistically that would encourage their children to do better at school, for example a quiet room for homework and appropriate books. If there is not enough money for books, the student has to get a part-time job which is likely to result in less time spent on schoolwork, thus not doing well in exams. There are other critics of cultural deprivation who feel it is important to look at factors of the school which affect the performance of different social class students. For example, there are subcultures (anti-social, anti-school) which working class students are more likely to be drawn into, and so their educational performance is obviously affected. The next explanation was a criticism of the last one material deprivation, or material factors. These theorists believe the students homes background influences and affects them the most. This is very much a structuralist view. The argument is that working class parents cannot afford the materials necessary for their children to do well. The children are likely to share bedrooms with other siblings and dont have a quiet place for study, and my have to get a part-time job if their parents are not financially secure. Working class parents are also less likely to be able to attend parents meetings because they have a clash of time with work. Working class students are less likely to continue to higher education because their parents simply cannot afford tuition fees and the extra necessities of university. All these negative aspects of material deprivation are why many sociologists argue that material factors are why working class students are relative failures in the education system. However, as with inheritance and heredity, and cultural deprivation, material factors have also been criticised. Those who do not believe in material deprivation focus more on in school factors and how these affect performance. They argue it is more important to look at how the school can provide materialistically, but overriding this, culturally. For example, they look at the dominant culture and value system of teachers. In school, teachers have authority and students of working class, in particular, feel intimidated and do not want to do well. This often results in a case of teacher versus student values debate. Where the teacher may encourage the benefits of education, the student may feel that the teachers authority and nagging is discouraging. There are many other in school factors that sociologists have put forward, which became the next explanation interpretivist arguments. The interpretivist explanation for working class underachievement focuses on in school factors. They believe there are many things that happen inside school which prevent working class students performing as well as middle class students. One of these factors is subcultures, both anti-school and anti-social. Working class students find themselves easily drawn into these subcultures, often with excuses such as the teachers picking on me so Im not going to his/her lesson. Peer pressure is also a major issue in anti-school subcultures. When one student decides that school isnt for them and does not attend, they need somebody or several fellow students to truant with. Students who may have previously conformed do not want to be left out and join the anti-school feeling. Two important in school factors of the interpretivist argument are teacher labelling and streaming. Labelling is where a teacher prejudges a working class student, labelling them as useless, thus giving middle class students more attention and support. This drives working class students away in anti-school subcultures and holds them back from educational success. Streaming is where students are split and taught in groups of their perceived ability. David Hargreaves, an interactionist, claimed streaming created an increased amount of feeling inferior as lower stream boys progress to more mature ages. This affects how they feel towards education and more than often results in poor exam performance. As older students feel inferior and join anti-school subcultures, younger students find themselves without role models and in turn feel anti-school. Both labelling and streaming involve teachers stereotyping students of all social classes, which can lead to discrimination, e. g. sexism and racism. Again, interpretivists have also found themselves being criticised for their views. The critics are structuralists who feel it is more important to look at out of school factors and the students home background, in other words material and mainly cultural factors at home. Focuses are on things such as the values of and attitudes to education at home, and religious and cultural values. Critics argue that parents of working class students have very different values and attitudes to education than middle class parents. For example, working class parents may find it important to emphasise survival as key in their childrens futures, whereas middle class parents could believe in encouraging their children to aim as high as possible and achieve all they possibly can. Religious and cultural values are also important in the structuralist view. Where features of religion may interfere with how students are taught, their parents may choose to pull them out of the education system. A current example of this is the banning of the Muslim scarf in French schools. It is a vital aspect of Islam for females to wear a scarf, so where I has been banned, huge protests have been held and many Muslim parents have taken their children somewhere Islam can be practised and the children can be educated. Critics of interpretivists also think peer pressure in the area where the student lives is important. If there is an anti-school subculture in the area, the student is extremely likely to be a part of it as it its where they spend most of their time. As time has passed, each of the explanations offered for working class underachievement have become more developed, and have also faced more criticism. The first sociologists to look into this issue believe intelligence is inherited and measurable, and middle class parents are generally more intelligent. They also believe in IQ tests and think they are an excellent way of measuring intelligence. However, there are opponents to this suggestion who believe IQ tests are unfair and cannot be used to test member of different social classes and people of subcultures within social classes and ethnic groups. There are many weaknesses and not many strengths to the argument of inheritance and heredity. Though the sociologists argue that intelligence is inherited from parents, there has not been a study to prove that this is so, i. e. no evidence has been provided to back up this idea. They do, on the other hand, not deny that there are less intelligent middle class students and more intelligent working class children. I agree with the critics who claim that IQ tests are unfair because when an IQ test is created, it will in some way be biased to a certain group (usually the middle class). There would be questions on the test that working class children would not be familiar with, thus failing to perform well and being labelled unintelligent. This is an extremely unfair way to explain why working class students are relative failures in the education system. Cultural deprivation was offered by those sociologists who felt working class children were brought up in a culture where people around them placed a lower value on education and where their parents were much less interested in their schooling than middle class parents. I agree with the critics who say that it is unfair to say working class parents are uninterested in their childrens education because it is their circumstances that put them in that position. A weakness of this argument is that although a researcher may have looked into a working class family and found that their argument was proven correct, not all working class families are this way and many do encourage academic success. As a reason for working class underachievement, cultural factors are important to look at but do not apply to all working class families. The sociologists who argue that material deprivation at home is the cause for working class underachievement have a strong argument. They claim that working class parents are unable to afford the materialistic requirements of school and that this forces their children to fall behind and perform badly. Though this is a very valid argument, it is important to look at other factors as well as materialistic factors at home. For example, material and cultural factors at school are equally important, and should all be taken into consideration. The interpretivist argument focused on in school factors and how these affected the performance of students. The sociologists looked at things such as anti-school subcultures and teacher labelling and streaming. Like the sociologists who agree with material factors, interpretivists fail to look at other factors. They see in school factors as the sole reason for working class underachievement, which is not correct. Though it is also a valid argument like material deprivation, it should not be forgotten that the home background of a student is equally important to look at as well as the state of the school. I think that inheritance and heredity do not cause working class underachievement, but that a combination of cultural and material factors both at home and at school cause working class students to be relative failures in the education system. Where each individual theory counts out the others as valid reasons, I think this is wrong and that all count equally towards working class underachievement.

As She's Walking Away Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

As She's Walking Away - Essay Example The title of the song â€Å"As She’s Walking Away† reflects a song that is inspired by a woman who is walking away from a man in a particular setting that is yet to be determined, but will be determined by the song’s lyrics. From the title, one can gather that it was one of those circumstances where a man saw or was with an attractive woman and something happened that made her to walk away. In order to determine the meaning of the song, one needs to delve into the details of the song’s lyrics. The opening lyrics reveal that the man and woman in this song had never met before and that they were in a room where they could see each other face to face. However, the man seems not to have enough courage to walk over and talk to her. The man admits not to know her name and he blames it to his foolish pride. The meaning of the song is further revealed as one continues to listen to the song. Now that the man has not had guts to walk over and talk to this pretty wom an that he has admired, the woman is walking away as he claims to be falling in love with her. In the chorus of the song, the man admits to the fact that he has lost the battle of approaching this woman because his heart would not tell his mind to tell his mouth what to say to this woman. However, he encourages himself that he lives to fight another day. Subsequent lyrics provides a picture of where the setting is; it suggests it is a bar â€Å"†¦ask her to dance (Go on son).† The man recalls a wise man next to him saying to him about the woman who got away and how he missed his chance. The wise man then advises him not to let regret happen of the dream he has to chase. The further meaning of the song can be obtained as one continues listening to the song and internalizing the content of its lyrics. The song becomes more inspirational as it goes on; it acknowledges that one might fall down on his face but this should not dampen their spirits, but rather it should be the moment of rolling the dice and having some faith. In the second chorus, the song presents an impression that a man should not be falling in love while a woman is walking away because the heart would not tell the mind to tell the mouth what it should say. It calls against falling in love with a woman while she is walking away because a man might fall down on his face. It is for this reason that a man should roll the dice and have some faith about the circumstances. The song concludes by blending the first and the second choruses. It reiterates the need for a man not to fall in love as the woman walks away. It appreciates the fact that the heart would not tell a man’s mind to tell his mouth what it should. It inspires the man that while he may have lost this particular battle, he still lives to fight another day. For emphasis purposes, the song ends by saying that a man should not fall in love as the woman is walking away. The end gives the closing sentiments of the song by rei terating that regardless of the fact that she might walk away, a man should not fall in love because this may let regret take place and that a man might fall down on his face as a result. This song reflects on situations of human life where people get certain chances and fail to take advantage of them and in the process miss those very important opportunities. From the song it can be gathered that because of lack of courage on the part of the man, he was unable to walk over to the pretty woman and

Engaging parents and fathers in their children's early learning Essay - 1

Engaging parents and fathers in their children's early learning - Essay Example 1. Father Awareness- The outlook of the father for social group and in perception of numerous cohorts, builds a psychological understanding of being protected in childs mind, it generates socialization as well as being recognized in the society, the identity to the child as well as an understanding that child has a mother and a father. 2. Respect for Fathers- Father or father figures play vital role in generating respect for themselves and others. This inculcates an understanding in the budding minds to value relationships, generates friendly atmosphere, male presence, conversation involving dignity, diversity and specific strengths. 5. Practitioners strengths that acknowledge the socialization with the staff and colleagues of the father. Such interactions aid in the development of communication and interactive skills and make the child more judgmental. 6. Advocacy and Empowerment- aids in knowledge and ability to value fathers experience and shaping the personality of the child. Father in turn tries to overcome societal barriers to become positive and inculcate positivism in child. Quiet enthusiasm- positive family bonding is imperative in nurturing the children, consistent and steady relationship are also appreciated by the parents, and they respect their parents in a natural manner. Abusive language by the father inculcates negative atmosphere and hampers the personality development of the child. On the contrary, positive and understanding fathers always sow the seeds of happy and contented family environment, inculcating the concept of personal integrity in the family members. Expertise- children look upon their father to be the strongest and intellectual. Knowledge and experience of the father pave the way for building strength in relationship, understanding for others, besides development of skills (Web. Principles for engaging with families). What parents do is more important than who they are. The parents must involve

Business Ethics And The Fast Food Industry

Business Ethics And The Fast Food Industry Ethics is the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group. It is the study of morality. This paper is research based on ethnographic study conducted in one of the outlets of Burger King an American based fast food company with over 12000 outlets across 73 countries. This paper includes observations that were made in one of its outlets, interviewing some of its employees, and also includes inputs given by some chosen customers. Once all these recordings were made, the aim was to relate our findings to identify if this company is ethical in its practices. I visited Burger King Outlet in M. L Hampstead, which was pretty spacious, with about sixty seating capacity. Out of which forty were lower seats, 10 high chairs and the also had some 10 chairs specially meant for kids. Considering the crowd it seems to be enough seating facility, but during peak hours that is between twelve to three in the noon its bit difficult to get seats. Nether There neither is a specific smoking zone inside the burger king nor is it allowed in burger king. The shop is handicap friendly all the parts of store are wheel chair accessible, the doors can be opened pressing the button sitting on a wheel chair. Toilets specially meant for handicaps are facilitated. They have toy cars in which children can sit and play, it is a special attraction for children. parents bring children because of this reason. It costs fifty pens for ten mins ride. They also give free toy pack with kids meal which cost 2.99 pounds. They dont have any discount like student discount or any other discount targeting specific section of customers but they have offers like buy one get one free which is applicable for any sandwiches, expect sandwiches its not applicable to any other items . I found that many people asking for specific type of burger called whopper burger which coast 3.79 pounds. Other than this more customers opted fizzy drinks these two items seems to be very famous with burger king. I also noticed that only few people opted for take away like 20% but maximum about 80% of customers opted to eat in. one more thing I observed that from 12 to 3 in noon it is peak hours and for every ten minutes we can expect 30 to 40 costumers .so at that time six service staff were attending customers in the front desk but on other times in off pick hours there will be around 15 to 20 customers in a span of 10 minutes , so there will be 3 to 4 service staff in front. I interacted with staff and tried to collect some data. They were very friendly and cooperative and were generous to give following information They told that, there were 30 people working in that particular burger king .out of that 24 were male 16 female .In that 6 of 24 male staff were designated as shift mangers, 3 out of 6 female staff were also shift managers and there was only one branch manager. Expect this 10 members all other were service staff and they were paid 5.80 pounds per hour and shift managers were paid 6.20 pounds per hour and branch manager was paid a fixed monthly salary. They were allowed to take 40 days of paid sick leave others than this they didnt had any special comforts or benefits, and employees were given permission to have food worth 50 pens per hour. And they were paid 50 percent extra salary when they work during bank holidays and festival holidays . The staff was really diverse which include people from all ethnicity, out of which 10 were student working part time and remaining were working full time. They said they prepare a burger within 30 sec n they dont take more than 2 min to serve a customer, whatever may be the order. As far as customer concerned majority of them were middle aged, compared to young or old people and there were more female customer than male. When I spoke to some of the young customer I came to know that that rates in burger were bit costlier compared McDonalds, KFC and its other competitors and hence less in number of younger crowd. Majority of customer were very polite in the behavior but sometimes young customers behave very rudely, they even use abusive words and even through the burger if some minor mistake is happened while serving this young customers. Unlike McDonalds and star bucks, in burger king I didnt see them collecting money for any kind charity work, nether I saw any information regarding burger king charity connection. Ethics, which often called as moral philosophy is not easily defined and philosophers offer contradictory explanations of it. It is a subject which includes discussions about how we should live, what is right? What is wrong? And what we mean? To get an idea of ethics, its important to have a look at these questions: Are some of the things always wrong, If so what are those?, or does it defer on the point of view or even situation? How to measure goodness and badness? Are all humans selfish? Are really some people better at morality than others, or is everyone equally capable of being good? Why should you be good? Is Ethics a special type of knowledge? If it is so what sort of knowledge is it and how do we get it? Dose morality means obeying a set of rules? If people say, I know cheating is wrong, do they know it is wrong or simply believe it very strongly? Are moral laws the same as societies laws? This means, ethics covers a wide range of topics. The answers for these questions are hotly debated for hundreds of years and are still debated today. They affect every aspect of the way we live. They cover even issues such as whether we should pay our taxes or not and even how we treat our pets. There are two different kinds of ethics: Ethical theory and Practical ethics. Ethical theory examines the various philosophies, systems, ideas or principles used in making judgments about right/wrong/good/bad things. Practical ethics is more focuses on subjects that always invite ethical questioning such as is it is right to have an abortion or help someone who is terminally ill. No doubt these two things are related. The theory we use influences the decisions on every particular moral issue. For example, one who believes in a set of principles which states that life is sacred and no one can ever take it. This principle may lead him to think against capital punishment. So the ethical theory leads him to a view about the moral issue (the death penalty). Before we proceed, some definitions should not go amiss. Ethics comes from the Greek word ethikos which in its root form (ethos) means character or custom. For the Greeks it refereed to the appropriate or customary way to behave in society. Morality is derived from the Latin word Moralis and is concerned with which actions are right and which or actions are wrong, rather than the character of the person. Today the two terms are often used interchangeably. Business ethics concentrates on the moral standards applicable to business policies, institutions, and their behavior. In other words, is a form of applied or practical ethics. It includes not only the analysis of moral norms and values, but also attempts to apply the conclusions of this analysis to that assortment of institutions, technologies, transactions, activities, and pursuits that we call business. Business ethics investigates three different kinds of issues: systemic, corporate, and individual. Systemic issues in business ethics are ethical questions raised about the economic, legal, political and other social systems within which the businesses operate. Corporate issues in business ethics are ethical questions raised about a particular company. Individual issues in business ethics are ethical questions raised about a particular individual or an individuals within a company. The multinationals operating in more than one country creates ethical dilemmas for their managers that managers of a firm limited to a single country may not face. The ability to shift its operations from one country to another enables the multinational to escape the social controls that a single nation might attempt to impose and can allow the multinational to play one country against another country. It can even sometimes transfer goods, raw materials and capital among its plants in different countries which enables it to escape fiscal obligations and even taxes that companies operating in a single nation forced to bear. They often get the opportunity to transfer a new technology or set of products from a more developed world to nations that are less developed. It is often faced with the dilemma of deciding which of these different norms and standards to implement in its operations. Ethical relativism is the view which states that there are no ethical standards that are absolutely true and that can be applicable to the companies and people of all societies. Thus, the theory of ethical relativism implies that whatever the majority in our society believes about morality can be considered automatically correct. Utilitarianism is a term for a view which holds that actions and policies can be evaluated on the basis of benefits and costs they will impose on society. usualy business analysts think that the best way to evaluate the ethical propriety of a business decision or any other decision is by relying on utilitarian Justice and Fairness Issues involving justice and fairness are usually divided into three categories: Distributive justice is concerned about the fair distribution of societys benefits and burdens. Retributive justice refers to the imposition of punishments and penalties on those commit wrong deeds. Compensatory justice deals the best possible way of compensating people who were wronged by others. Least Harm This deals with condition where neither choice are beneficial. In such case, a person can choose least harm possible option and which harms the fewest people. One should also sensibly argue that people have superior responsibility to do no harm than to take steps benefiting others. For example, a person has a greater responsibility to simply walk past a person rather than to hit a person as they walk past with no specific reason. Rights In the rights ethical theory the rights accepted by a society are protected and given the highest priority. Rights are considered to be ethical since a large population endorses them. Individuals may also confer rights upon others if they have the capability and resources to do so (1). For example, a person may say that his friend may borrow the car for a day. The friend who was given the ability to borrow the car is now having the right of the car for the day. Based on the theories and utilitarianism which explains ethics based on benefits and cost though burger king charging more than other counterparts like Mc Donalds and K.F.C, people thought, it worth paying and liked the quality, thus it seems to be ethical as for as the pricing is concerned. But some also thought its pricing was expensive especially the youngsters and many avoided Berger king and rather preferred other options. With there prospective it may be unethical pricing. . As for as employee rights are concerned burger king is paying the minimum pay directed by the government. Though it seems to be nothing wrong legally but when charging more than all its counterparts it seems to be unethical to stick to bottom of the payment scale, when it come to paying its employees. And in case of Mc Donalds, there rival brand they had some special schemes for its employees through corporate tie ups, but any such facilities are missing in case of burger king, says the employee. But burger king employee are happy that unlike many other fast food companies it allows its employees to have food. Food they can have is like 50 pens worth per hour, but it seems to be unethical seeing the pricing of its food items, it should be sensible and ethical if they try to increase this. And it cannot be uneconomical considering the fact that only 5to 10 employees work in most of its outlets at a time, Thus it doesnt make huge impact to its revenues. Seeing the fact that all of its outlets are disabled friendly it seems to be an ethical practice, but they might be doing it for compulsion since it is mandatory under law. Further opinion regarding being disabled friendly can be given only if we can come to know whether they are having similar practice in countries where its not a compulsion under law. They do have facilities for entertaining the kids, but they are charging for it so it hard to categories it has a act of social concern or a commercial one. But they are also giving some gifts along with kiddy meal, again this can be considered a marketing activity. They doesnt even have student or any kind of discounts which again doesnt really come under ethics , it could have been considered as a mere promotional activity ,even if they were having. One thing that really needs a mention, is its diversified staff which included all kind of people from different ethnicities, male female and students and had both part timers and full timers. The staff were very friendly and polite they treated every one in a same way the did not do any differentiation based on race, color, religion and ethnicity. There was no gender bias they treated every one the same even when some young costumers behaved very rudely they were trained to be very polite. From some of its behavior it brings a notion that it is very ethical and socially responsible. but its might not be totally true because many of these acts may be carried out of legal compulsion and some time even because of business compulsions, but one good thing, which need to be mentioned is that, its not involved in any notable un ethical behaviors. The topic of ethics itself is a debatable subject in every step. So on this topic it hard to decide or conclude whether the Burger king is ethical or not. And its might be the case of many other companies References: Manual g velasquez business ethics andrewson university 2001 Serrelo.c and fraedrich john 1994.

Divorce Essay -- essays research papers

The number of children who were living with only one of their biological parents from 1900 to 1972 increased by 700%. Can we call this beneficial on the child's maturing and mental stability and development? Between 1970 and 1996 the proportion of children under 18 living with only one of their parents grew from 12% to 28%. While the percentage of children living with both parents declined from 85% to 68%. As this century has passed, more and more divorces are taking place at an increased rate each year, and while it may be hard on the parents, it's detrimental to so many children. It confuses them, upsets them, and leaves them questioning many things, most of which they will never find out until they are older. From 1950 to 1980 there has been a total of 175% increase in divorces. The statistics now indicate, that half of all children will witness the breakup of a parents marriage, of these close to half of them will go on to see the break up of a parents second marriage, that's indicating a 25% increase each year! The latest figures released show that all in all, between 1970 and 1996 the number of divorced people has more than quadrupled. 10% of these children that witness this first divorce will go on to witness three or more family breakups. I am here to give my thoughts and opinions on the issue of now in this 20th century, the increased rate of children developing mentally without a fatherly figure in the family is harming the children's development. Tim Rotheisl...

The Return: Midnight Chapter 31

Elena woke up feeling stiff and cramped. But that wasn't surprising. Three other people seemed to be on top of her. Elena? Can you hear me? Stefan? Yes! You're awake? I'm all cramped†¦and hot. A different voice interrupted. Just give us a moment and you won't be cramped anymore. Elena felt Damon move away. Bonnie rol ed into his place. But Stefan clung to her for a moment. Elena, I'm sorry. I never even realized what condition you were in. Thank God for Damon. Can you forgive me? Despite the heat, Elena cuddled closer to him. If you can forgive me for putting the whole party in danger. I did that, didn't I? I don't know. I don't care. All I know is that I love you. It was several minutes before Bonnie woke up. Then she said feebly, â€Å"Hey! Whachoo doin'in my bed?† â€Å"Getting out of it,†Elena said, and tried to rol over and get up. The world was wobbly. She was wobbly – and bruised. But Stefan was never more than a few inches away, holding her, righting her when she started to fal . He helped her get dressed without making her feel like a baby. He examined her backpack, which fortunately hadn't gone into the water, and then he took out anything heavy inside. He put the heavy things in his own pack. Elena felt much better after being given some food, and after seeing the thurgs – both of them – eating too; either stretching their great double trunks up to break off pieces of wood from the barren trees, or scooping away snow to find dry grass underneath. They clearly were not going to die after al . Elena knew everyone was watching her to gauge whether or not she was up to any more that day. She hurried to finish drinking the tea heated over a dung fire, trying to conceal the fact that her hands shook. After forcing some jerky down, she said in her most cheerful voice, â€Å"So what next?† How do you feel? Stefan asked her. â€Å"Little sore, but I'l be fine. I guess everyone expects me to have pneumonia, but I don't even have any cough.† Damon, after one heavy-lidded glance at Stefan, took both her hands and stared at her. She couldn't – she didn't dare – meet his eyes, so she focused on Stefan, who was looking at her comfortingly. At last Damon dropped Elena's hands abruptly. â€Å"I went in as far as I could. You should know how far that is,†he added to Stefan. â€Å"She's sound, her nose is wet, and her coat is shiny.† Stefan looked as if he were going to smack him one, but Elena took his hand soothingly. â€Å"I'm healthy,†she said. â€Å"So that's two votes for me going on to save Fel ‘s Church.† â€Å"I've always believed in you,†Stefan said. â€Å"If you think you can go on, you can go on.† Bonnie sniffled. â€Å"Just don't take any more chances, okay?†she said. â€Å"You scared me.† â€Å"I'm real y sorry,†Elena said gently, feeling the void of Meredith's absence. Meredith would be a great help to both of them now. â€Å"So, shal we continue? And where are we heading? I'm al turned around.† Damon stood. â€Å"I think we just keep in a straight line. The path is narrow after this – and who knows what the next trial is?† The path was narrow – and misty. Just as before, it started in filmy veils and ended up blinding them. Elena let Stefan, with his catlike reflexes, go first, and she held on to his pack. Behind her, Bonnie clung like a burr. Just when Elena thought she was going to scream if she had to keep traveling through the white blanket any farther, it cleared. They were near the top of some mountain. Elena took off after Bonnie, who had hurried ahead at the sight of transparent air. She was just fast enough to grab on to Bonnie's pack and pul her backward as she reached the place where the land stopped. â€Å"No way!†Bonnie cried, setting up a clamoring echo from below. â€Å"There is no way I'm going across that!† That was a chasm with a very thin bridge spanning it. The chasm was frosty white on either side at the top, but when Elena gripped the bridge's ice-cold metal poles and leaned a little forward she could see glacial blues and greens at the very bottom. A chil wind hit her face. The gap between this bit of the world and the next bit directly in front of them was about a hundred yards long. Elena looked from the shadowy depths to the slender bridge, which was made of wooden slats and just wide enough for one person to walk on. It was supported here and there by ropes which ran to the sides of the chasm and were sunk with metal posts into barren, icy rock. It also swooped magnificently down and then back up again. Even looking at it gave the eye a sort of mini?Cthril ride. The only problem was that it didn't include a safety belt, a seat, two handrails, and a uniformed guide saying, â€Å"Hands and feet must be kept inside the attraction at alltimes!†It did have a single, thin, creeper-woven rope to hold on to on the left. â€Å"Look,†Stefan was saying, as quietly and intently as Elena had ever heard him speak, â€Å"we can hold onto each other. We can go go one by one, very slowly – â€Å" â€Å"NOOO!† Bonnie put into that one word a psychic shriek that almost defeaned Elena. â€Å"No, no, no, no, NO! You don't understand! I can't DO IT!† She flung her backpack down. Then she began laughing and crying at the same time in a ful -blown attack of hysterics. Elena had an impulse to dash water in her face. She had a stronger impulse to throw herself down beside Bonnie and shriek, â€Å"And neither can I! It's insane!†But what good would that do? A few minutes later Damon was talking quietly to Bonnie, unaffected by the outburst. Stefan was pacing in circles. Elena was trying to think of Plan A, while a little voice chanted inside her head, You can't do it, you can't do it, you can't do it, either. This was al just a phobia. They could probably train Bonnie out of it – if, say, they had a year or two. Stefan, on one of his circular trips near her, said, â€Å"And how are you about heights, love?† Elena decided to put a brave face on it. â€Å"I don't know. I think I can do it.† Stefan looked pleased. â€Å"To save your hometown.† â€Å"Yes†¦but it's too bad nothing works here. I could try to use my Wings for flying, but I can't control them – â€Å" And that kind of magic is simply not available here, Stefan's voice said in her mind. But telepathy is. You can hear me, too, can't you? They thought of the answer simultaneously, and Elena saw the light of the idea breaking on Stefan's face even as she began to speak. â€Å"Influence Bonnie! Make her think she's a tightrope walker – a performer since she was a toddler. But don't make her too playful so she doesn't bounce the rest of us off!† With that light in his face, Stefan looked†¦too good. He seized both Elena's hands, whirled her around once as if she weighed nothing, picked her up, and kissed her. And kissed her. And kissed her until Elena felt her soul dripping off her fingertips. They shouldn't have done it in front of Damon. But Elena's euphoria was clouding her judgment, and she couldn't control herself. Neither of them had been trying for a deep mind probe. But telepathy was al they had left, and it was warm and wonderful and it left them for an instant in the circle of each other's arms, laughing, panting – with electricity flashing between them. Elena's whole body felt as if she'd just gotten a sizable jolt. Then she pul ed herself out of his arms, but it was too late. Their shared gaze had gone on much too long, and Elena felt her heart pounding in fear. She could feel Damon's eyes on her. She barely managed to whisper, â€Å"Wil you tel them?† â€Å"Yes,†Stefan said softly. â€Å"I'l tel them.†But he didn't move until she actual y turned her back on Bonnie and Damon. After that she peeked over her shoulder and listened. Stefan sat down by the sobbing girl and said, â€Å"Bonnie, can you look at me? That's al I want. I promise you, you don't have to go across that bridge if you don't want to. You don't even have to stop crying, but try to look me in the eye. Can you do that? Good. Now†¦Ã¢â‚¬ His voice and even his face changed subtly, becoming more forceful – mesmerizing. â€Å"You're not afraid of heights at all, are you? You're an acrobat who could walk a tightrope across the Grand Canyon and never turn a hair. You're the very best of al your family, the flying McCul oughs, and they're the best in the world. And right now, you're going to choose whether to cross over that wooden bridge. If so, you'l lead us. You'l be our leader.† Slowly, while listening to Stefan, Bonnie's face had changed. With swol en eyes fixed on Stefan's, she seemed to be listening intently to something in her own head. And final y, as Stefan said the last sentence, she jumped up and looked at the bridge. â€Å"Okay, let's go!†she cried, picking up her backpack, while Elena sat staring after her. â€Å"Can you make it?†Stefan asked, looking at Elena. â€Å"We'l let her go first – there's real y no way she can fal off. I'l go after her. Elena can come after me and hold on to my belt, and I'm counting on you, Damon, to hold on to her. Especial y if she starts to faint.† â€Å"I'l hold her,†Damon said quietly. Elena wanted to ask Stefan to Influence her, too, but everything was happening so fast. Bonnie was already on the bridge, only pausing when cal ed back by Stefan. Stefan was looking behind him at Elena, saying, â€Å"Can you get a good grip?†Damon was behind Elena, putting a strong hand on her shoulder, and saying, â€Å"Look straight ahead, not down. Don't worry about fainting; I'l catch you.† But it was such a frail wooden bridge, and Elena found that she was always looking down and her stomach floated up outside her body and above her head. She had a death-grip on Stefan's belt with one hand, and on the woven creeper with the other. They came to a place where a slat had detached and the slats on either side looked as if they might go at any moment. â€Å"Careful with these!†Bonnie said, laughing and leaping over al three. Stefan stepped over the first chancy slat, over the missing one, and put his foot on the next. Crack! Elena didn't scream – she was beyond screaming. She couldn't look. The sound had shut her eyes. And she couldn't move. Not a finger. Certainly not a foot. She felt Damon's arms around her waist. Both of them. She wanted to let him support her weight as he had many times before. But Damon was whispering to her, words like spel s that allowed her legs to stop shaking and cramping and even let her stop breathing so fast that she might faint. And then he was lifting her and Stefan's arms were going around her and for a moment they were both holding her firmly. Then Stefan took her weight and gently put her feet down on firm slats. Elena wanted to cling to him like a koala, but she knew that she mustn't. She would make them both fal . So somewhere, from inner depths she didn't know she had, she found the courage to take her own weight on her feet and fumbled for the creeper. Then she lifted her head and whispered as loudly as she could, â€Å"Go on. We need to give Damon room.† â€Å"Yes,†Stefan whispered back. But he kissed her on the forehead, a quick protective kiss, before he turned and stepped toward the impatient Bonnie. Behind her, Elena heard – and felt – Damon jumping catlike over the gap. Elena raised her eyes to stare at the back of Stefan's head again. She couldn't compass al the emotions she was feeling at that moment: love, terror, awe, excitement – and, of course, gratitude, al at once. She didn't dare turn her head to look at Damon behind her, but she felt exactly the same things for him. â€Å"A few more steps,†he kept saying. â€Å"A few more steps.† A brief eternity later, they were on solid ground, facing a medium-sized cavern, and Elena fel to her knees. She was sick and faint, but she tried to thank Damon as he passed by her on the snowy mountain trail. â€Å"You were in my way,†he said shortly and as coldly as the wind. â€Å"If you had fal en you might have upset the entire bridge. And I don't happen to feel like dying today.† â€Å"What are you saying to her? What did you just say?†Stefan, who had been out of earshot, came hurrying back. â€Å"What did he say to you?† Damon, examining his palm for creeper thorns, said without looking up, â€Å"I told her the truth, that's al . So far she's zero for two on this quest. Let's hope that as long as you make it through they let you in the Gatehouse, because if they're grading on performance we've flunked. Or should I say, one of us has flunked?† â€Å"Shut up or I'll shut you up,† Stefan said in a different voice than Elena had ever heard him use before. She stared. It was as if he'd grown ten years in one second. â€Å"Don't you ever talk to her or about her that way again, Damon!† Damon stared at him for a moment, pupils contracted. Then he said, â€Å"Whatever,†and strol ed away. Stefan bent down to hold Elena until her shaking stopped. And that's that, Elena thought. An ice-cold rage gripped her. Damon had no respect for her at all; he had none for anyone but himself. She couldn't protect Bonnie from Bonnie's own feelings – or stop him from insulting her. She couldn't stop Bonnie for forgiving. But she, Elena, was done with Damon. This last insult was the end. The fog came in again as they walked through the cavern.

The Chimney Sweeper by William Blake - 515 Words

William Blake’s poem, â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† is a poem about children losing their innocence and being forced to clean chimneys. The setting is in the industrial period when children in orphanages being sent to work at such a young age. The young boys were usually the ones to be put to work because they were small enough to get into the chimneys and clean them. Children in this era eventually were diagnosed with Black Lung Disease because they inhaled too much soot in their lungs. The poem opens with a child in the industrial period describing how his mother had died when he was very young, showing the readers that he started sweeping chimneys and being forced into labor at a young age. In the quote, â€Å"And my father sold me while yet my tongue† letting readers know that he was sold before he could even speak. In the third line he states that actually it was before he could even really cry because he, â€Å"could scarcely cry weep weep weep weep† th e reader can also pick up on the fact that â€Å"weep† and â€Å"sweep† rhyme giving subtle hints. There was a big class distinction back in the industrial period since the poor children are sweeping the higher-class people’s chimneys. The distinction is shown when the poem says, â€Å"So your chimneys I sweep in soot I sleep†. The words your and I really show the class distinction. It emphasizes the words so that we know that the children have to do the upper-class people’s dirty work. In the second stanza, the writer opens up about how childrenShow MoreRelatedThe Chimney Sweeper By William Blake1487 Words   |  6 Pageschoice but to sell their sons and daughters. Unfortunately, the career that children were forced into was chimney sweeping, which had a terrifyingly high mortality rate. The poem, â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper†, written by William Blake, tells the heartbreaking story of a child who is sold into chimney sweeping at a young age and leads a devastating life. After reading Blake’s poem about the sweepers, one may begin to wonder how it was possible for children to be treated so poorly, and how the king of thatRead MoreThe Chimney Sweeper By William Blake1306 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Blake published â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† in 1789 in the first phase of his collection of poems entitled â€Å"Songs of Innocence†. A later poem under the same name was published five years later in his follow up collection, â€Å"Songs of Experience†. The chimney sweeper’s tale begins in Songs of Innocence with the introduction of a young boy who was sold by his father after the death of his mother; the poem then shifts in the next stanza to describe the speaker’s friend Tom Dacre, another chimney sweeperRead MoreThe Chimney Sweepers By William Blake862 Words   |  4 Pages The Chimney Sweepers William Blake has written two poems with the same title of Chimney Sweeper, however each poem was written to portray a different perspective of similar situations. The poem Chimney Sweep (Songs of Experience) is written in a bleaker scope compared to Chimney Sweep (Songs of Innocence) which happens to be much more optimistic.Willaim Blake had written these stories as foils of one another and which has helped readers compare and contrast the messages that the poems are tryingRead MoreThe Chimney Sweeper by William Blake1202 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Blake, author of Songs of Experience, wrote various poems, which are accompanied by their contradicting Songs of Innocence poems. Through the contradiction of both poems, Blake emphasizes the need for both innocence and experience in order to live a good life. In â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper†, Blake shows the life of a young orphan boy. In the songs of innocence poem, the boy is naive and is unaware of the injustice around him; how ever, the songs of experience poem contradict that life style andRead MoreChimney Sweeper William Blake2301 Words   |  10 PagesWilliam Blake proved himself as one of the most influential artists to spring from the Romantic Era without a doubt. What made Blake so popular may have been his ability to portray his time period in works of art that were beautifully crafted. Blake’s poetry was not appreciated during his lifetime because people were living the lives his works vicariously told, but once his time period ended, a historical book was left behind. The theme of a struggle is most prominently showcased in Blake’s poetryRead MoreThe Chimney Sweeper By William Blake1887 Words   |  8 PagesWilliam Blake, author of The Chimney Sweeper, gives the reader an uncomfortable feeling of the acceptance, and cruelty of child labor. With the use of anecdote, biblical allusions and a very sympathetic and retributive tone—Blake is able to transform the surreal idea of child labor into a visual reality. The poem revolves around a little boy, who the narrator describes as a â€Å"little black thing†, who is working as a sweeper in very poor and hopeless conditions. Through the voice of the child chimneyRead MoreThe Chimney Sweeper by William Blake Essay596 Words   |  3 PagesIn the Chimney Sweeper, William Blake portrays the lack of innocence in these young boys lives since they are expected to have attained the experience to preform such unjust actions. The speaker of the poem begins it by letting us know that after his mother passed away his father gave him up to be a chimneysweeper so he could obtain money. These two figures, his mother and father are whom kids are supposed to depend on and look up for guidance. He feels abandoned because his mother is gone andRead MoreSocial Criticism in William Blakes Chimney Sweeper3015 Words   |  13 PagesSocial Criticism in William Blake’s â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† ‘The Chimney Sweeper’ by William Blake criticises child labour and especially society that sees the children’s misery but chooses to look away and it reveals the change of the mental state of those children who were forced to do such cruel work at the age of four to nine years. It shows the change from an innocent child that dreams of its rescue to the child that has accepted its fate. Those lives seem to oppose each other and yet if one readsRead MoreWilliam Blake s Inscription On The Young Chimney Sweepers1382 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Blake s Inscription on the Young Chimney Sweepers By: Kyle Fitch Prof. Joseph McNally Engl. 3312 B April 20, 2015 A key point in the history of mankind was the Industrial Revolution. It was also a difficult time in history in terms of suffering, especially for the lower class that had to work twice as hard as the upper class for minimum wage. A young poet by the name of William Blake became livid and motivated in the late eighteenth century by the coldhearted usage of young boysRead MoreThe Chimney Sweeper and London by William Blake and Tich Miller and Timothy Winters2299 Words   |  10 PagesThe two poems â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† and â€Å"London† by William Blake, and the two poems â€Å"Tich Miller† and â€Å"Timothy Winters† are all on a theme of childhood, however, they are set in different eras and so childhood should be very different. Discuss this, comparing and contrasting the poems. As a child, William Blake was a loner. He never socialised with other children and sat by himself reading the Bible. His family were very religious, but did not agree with organised religion. This meant