Thorn Queen Chapter Eighteen

The village I'd passed earlier was called Marmant, and I had to get directions from Maiwenn's guards to make sure I didn't accidentally take some twisted Otherworldly path in my attempt to return. I rode there with troubled feelings, still replaying the events with Kiyo and trying to decide if our assorted arguments today had qualified as true fights. I soothed myself a little by reaching out and manipulating the air, creating gusts and eddies and attempting to see how big a blast I could make. At one point, I made a scrubby tree bend pretty far, but it tired me out. I had to practice more to sustain true gale-force winds, and lightning still remained out of my grasp. The people of Marmant greeted me with that same mix of fear and awe I had come to expect. Word of the changes being wrought in the land was getting around, so they were grateful and allowing themselves optimism at last. Yet, my fearsome reputation always lurked on the horizon, so they spoke gingerly around me, fearful of enraging the dangerous monarch who had forced this dangerous land upon them. â€Å"How is everything?† I asked, hoping I seemed concerned and nonthreatening. Rather than a mayor, this town had a council of five that made decisions, and they'd invited me inside for a private meeting. They were ordinary-looking men and women-still with that peasant feel so common in the Otherworld-but there was an air of competence around them. â€Å"You've got water and food now?† â€Å"Yes, your majesty,† said a middle-aged woman who seemed to be the speaker of the group. â€Å"Thank you, your majesty.† â€Å"Good. I'm sorry it's been so hard on you. Things should be better now.† There was a brief silence in the group, one heavy with unspoken meaning. I looked from face to face. â€Å"What?† â€Å"We don't want to trouble your majesty†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Trouble away. It's what I'm here for.† This got another round of exchanged looks. It was still apparently an odd concept for these people. â€Å"Well,† began the woman, â€Å"near the outskirts of our town's boundaries, there have been some attacks.† â€Å"What kind?† â€Å"Bandits, your majesty.† â€Å"Son of a bitch,† I said. We'd known the group had moved, but they'd been quiet thus far, allowing me to hope I could take Kiyo up on his offer and deal with them before they caused more trouble. â€Å"We actually have many fighters and strong magic users,† she said with some pride. â€Å"But we could not stand against their monsters.† â€Å"You mean demons.† She gave a nervous nod. â€Å"Son of a bitch,† I said again. This had to be dealt with, and at this point, I really was willing to be a bastard and hold a gun to Jasmine's head. â€Å"Don't worry. They're going to be taken care of. Soon. Very soon.† The woman looked startled at the menacing tone in my voice, but her words were grateful. â€Å"Thank you, your majesty.† â€Å"Anything else I should know about?† This time, it was a man who spoke up. â€Å"We don't want to trouble you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I groaned. â€Å"Just tell me what it is.† â€Å"We heard your majesty has been seeking missing girls.† I straightened up. â€Å"Yes. What about it?† â€Å"One of ours disappeared two days ago. My neighbor's daughter, Markelle.† A small, wry smile crossed his lips. â€Å"She's a wild one, often wandering off where she shouldn't. But she hasn't come back†¦and she always does†¦.† I felt my fists clenching and forcibly relaxed them. I didn't need to scare these people any further. â€Å"Aside from the bandits, have you seen anyone else lurking around? Humans, maybe?† He seemed even more afraid to discuss this topic. â€Å"We see humans sometimes, your majesty.† I think he thought mentioning my own kind would anger me. â€Å"It's not uncommon. Often there are humans who†¦ah, give chase to some of the denizens of this world.† Shamans like me, he meant. â€Å"Usually, they leave us alone once they've found their quarry.† I thought back to Jasmine. â€Å"Any soldiers or warriors of the gent-shining ones?† â€Å"Occasionally. I presume they're deserters from King Aeson.† Not a bad theory, actually. â€Å"But we see none of them regularly. There's no one in particular who keeps returning.† I leaned forward, some part of me feeling like everything was about to fall together. â€Å"But there is a human you keep seeing, isn't there? Especially since the girls began disappearing?† He nodded. It was here. Everything was here. â€Å"A man, right? A man with a red snake tattoo?† â€Å"No, your majesty.† â€Å"I-what?† I froze for a moment. â€Å"Then who?† â€Å"A woman, your majesty. A woman with graying hair that she wears in a long braid.† I stared at him for several seconds, and then I laughed. This seemed to scare them all more than if I had burst into a rage. â€Å"Abigail,† I said at last, more to myself than them. â€Å"Your majesty?† I waved a hand at them. â€Å"Never mind.† Abigail. Fucking Abigail and Art. Working together to†¦what? Abduct gentry girls? But why? I'd toyed with the idea of Art as some kind of sick rapist, but where did Abigail fit in with this? Surely that would hold no interest for her. With a sigh, I pushed the questions to a small box in my mind, needing to wrap this up and get back to the human world. I needed to have that talk with Roland. â€Å"Anything else going on I need to know about? You've got copper nearby, right?† Finding water and food was naturally essential, but it was copper that was going to truly change things in the Thorn Land. It was what all our trade agreements were being based on. â€Å"How's the extraction going?† â€Å"Slowly until today, your majesty,† the woman admitted. â€Å"Our magic users are skilled in many things, but we have few who can work with metal. Much of our labor has been manual.† I frowned. â€Å"Why did things change today?† â€Å"Why,† she said in surprise, â€Å"because you sent the Oak King to us.† â€Å"The Oak-wait. You mean Dorian?† I exclaimed. â€Å"He's not here now, is he?† They were all clearly surprised at my surprise. â€Å"Yes, your majesty,† said the guy who'd spoken earlier. â€Å"He's out with the workers now. I thought you knew.† I stood up, still full of shock. â€Å"I have to see him. Excuse me.† They all murmured polite farewells and nearly knocked each other over with bows. I didn't stick around to return the formality. Instead, I headed back out into the bright afternoon sun, lightly jogging to where I'd seen the workers on the far side of the village. At first, I saw no indication of Dorian. Men and a few women were digging diligently, sweat rolling down their faces. Then, suddenly, I heard a slight rumbling, and the ground trembled. Huge chunks of rock rose from the earth, a few of them glinting in the sunlight. They lifted in a cluster and then slowly drifted off to the side of the work site, gently coming to rest on a pile of similar stones. Turning, I looked to the opposite side of the area and finally found Dorian, his hands moving in the air as he guided the ore. His clothes were simple today, but that hair burned and rippled in the sunshine like liquid fire. His face was filled with concentration as he watched the rocks, but once they'd come to a halt, he broke into a smile as he strode forward. â€Å"My lady Thorn Queen, what a delight.† I let him kiss my hand for the sake of appearances-seriously, why were the gentry so into that?-and then pulled him out of earshot of the others. â€Å"What the hell are you doing here?† I exclaimed. â€Å"Why, retrieving my copper.† â€Å"That's not what I mean!† He shrugged and wiped sweat off his brow. His devil-may-care expression aside, it was clear he was tired. I grabbed hold of his arm and led him back toward the town. â€Å"Come on, get something to drink before you get dehydrated. And start explaining.† â€Å"I heard there was some difficulty with your copper, and I decided to come help, seeing as it benefits me too. My sword is in need of replacement, you know-and that's not a metaphor. The metaphorical one is just fine. Besides, you don't honestly think I can let you take all the glory as being the most helpful monarch around, do you? You're making us all look bad.† â€Å"Dorian,† I groaned. Because there was really no other response. If people had fallen all over me when I arrived, the two of us together created quite the stir. Again, I was reminded of some celebrity tabloid couple. We returned to the council hall, at which point I used my queenly authority to get some privacy and some refreshment. It was a bit startling to see how quickly my orders were obeyed. Once we were alone and Dorian was sprawled in a chair, I truly got a good look at just how exhausted he was. â€Å"How long have you been out there doing this?† I asked, pouring him water from a pitcher. â€Å"Most of the day. And I'll take the wine, my dear.† He nodded toward a nearby decanter. â€Å"It'll dehydrate you further,† I scolded, handing him the cup of water. He scowled but drank it down eagerly. I watched him, still perplexed. â€Å"But why? You don't need the copper that badly.† â€Å"Perhaps not. But you do.† He finished the water, and I gave him a refill. â€Å"Thank you. Waited on by a queen-truly the dream of many a man.† I pulled over a chair of my own. â€Å"You didn't need to do it,† I protested. â€Å"You've practically killed yourself.† â€Å"Hardly. Give me and my stamina some credit.† â€Å"I still don't get it.† He finished this cup too and then gave me a look that was both exasperated and amused. â€Å"Eugenie, why do you keep having such a hard time believing I'd do things for you?† There was earnestness in his voice, and I realized we kept having this conversation over and over. Out of everyone in my life lately, it seemed like he was the only reliable one. â€Å"I don't know why. I'm sorry. I just run into few people who give something for nothing. Mining isn't going to get me into your bed.† â€Å"Well,† he said cheerfully, â€Å"nobody knows that for sure, but even if not? It doesn't matter. You need it. It makes you happy. End of story.† I looked away. Dorian truly was my friend. â€Å"Thank you. It does make me happy. One less thing in a sea of problems today.† He handed me the cup. â€Å"Get me wine this time, and tell me what your problems are. You can even sit on my lap.† â€Å"No thanks,† I said, but I did get him the wine. â€Å"I saw you and the kitsune pass earlier, actually. Is that part of your problem?† He answered his own question. â€Å"Yes, yes. Of course it is.† I was a bit surprised to hear myself pouring my thoughts out to him again. I didn't even have the excuse of being drunk this time. â€Å"I saw the baby today.† â€Å"Cute?† â€Å"Very. And it just made me feel†¦I don't know. Kiyo thinks it's jealousy, but it's more than that. I just can't explain it.† â€Å"Kind of a questioning of your own life and the choices-or lack thereof-before you?† I looked up, startled, and met his eyes. They were unusually serious. â€Å"Yes, exactly.† Dorian remained silent, and I found myself rambling more. â€Å"He's having a hard time getting all of it lately-the magic, the girls, the demons†¦he doesn't like me spending time over here. Neither does Roland.† I couldn't help a smile. â€Å"Hell, neither do I. But†¦I have to. I have to put things right around here.† â€Å"I know you do,† he said, face serious. â€Å"Dorian†¦what would happen if I got a crown?† This made him a smile a little. â€Å"It would make you look even more beautiful.† â€Å"No, I'm serious. Kiyo says it's a bad idea. That it would make all this real.† â€Å"It's already about as real as it's going to get, my dear.† â€Å"That's what I told him! But I don't get the big deal. You never wear a crown.† â€Å"Not often. But I have one, and I was crowned and all my people swore fealty to me. That's what a crown would lead to. You want one for ornamentation? Sure, that's easy. But put one on and walk out among your people-especially in a city like Highmore-and say, ‘This is who I am, I am your queen†¦' Well, that's what the kitsune fears. You're already queen. No crown can affect that. But you accepting one and declaring your authority is when you truly believe you're a queen. And as far as Kiyo is concerned, that's where the danger is.† â€Å"Wow,† I said, nearly as surprised to have such a thorough explanation from him as I was by the content itself. â€Å"Are you afraid of it?† He snorted. â€Å"Hardly. I don't need a crown to know you're a queen. It radiates off of you. But I would like for you to know you're a queen.† If dealing with all the crap I had on my plate didn't make me think I was a queen, then I didn't really know what else would. I let the crown issue go and instead recapped my latest intel about the bandits and Abigail. â€Å"I can't figure out her role here. You mentioned before that Art's motives would be†¦uh, understandable. But why her? Unless she's just enough of a pal to help him score some gentry action.† Dorian was still in his pensive mode. He'd poured himself yet another glass of wine and handed me one too that I sipped sparingly. â€Å"Let me ask you this. Why do men of the shining ones so often abduct your women?† â€Å"Easy,† I returned. â€Å"Because we're more fertile. You guys might have sex in public, but it doesn't usually result in anything. A guy who wants a kid has better luck with a human.† Dorian nodded. I had a feeling he'd already made some leap of logic and was prompting me here to figure it out myself. â€Å"And what about humans? Are you hoping for children each time you make love?† I laughed, thinking of my stock of condoms and birth control pills. â€Å"Hardly. We go to a lot of trouble not to. Too easy for us.† He leaned toward me, green eyes shrewd. â€Å"Then think about it. You understand why we would want humans. Why would humans want us?† I studied him, trying to catch up to what he'd already thought of. A few moments later, I got it. â€Å"Because you'd fulfill the opposite need. A human could have sex with a gentry girl and not worry too much about her getting pregnant. Or getting a disease.† Gentry were healthier than us in that regard. It seemed to go along with them having such long life spans- â€Å"Oh God. That would be part of it.† The more I followed his logic, the clearer and clearer it became. â€Å"You guys live longer. Gentry girls would stay young and beautiful for a long time†¦.† The horror of it was setting in. Until that moment, I had thought there were few sexual crimes worse than gentry guys consistently trying to rape me to get me pregnant. As shocking as it seemed, I was wrong. If this were true†¦if this idea that Dorian was suggesting was true†¦well. That was worse. Gentry girls taken because they were the ideal sexual partners: young, disease resistant, hard to get pregnant-even with a human. I almost laughed. It was like Tim's poem about the maiden who'd come from another world, whose beauty and youth were so great that mortal men had coveted her. The question was, how did the gentry girls feel about this role? A lot of girls wanting to get pregnant might wholeheartedly embrace human lovers-literally and figuratively. But Moria's traumatized state suggested her stint with Art hadn't been welcome†¦ I stood up and rubbed my eyes. â€Å"Oh God,† I repeated. â€Å"The stuff†¦all the stuff†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What?† asked Dorian, understandably confused. Dropping my hands, I looked back at him. â€Å"These shamans, Abigail and Art. They live well. They have more possessions†¦nicer things than they should for the jobs they have.† Art's giant house in an upper-class neighborhood. The shiny SUV. Abigail's luxurious-albeit messy-apartment. Her extensive jewelry collection. â€Å"I don't know how, but they're making money off it. Off these girls.† I slumped against the wall. â€Å"And I don't know what to do about it.† Dorian rose and came to stand by me. â€Å"You'll stop them.† I shook my head. â€Å"It's not that simple. Art was right-there's no shaman council. I can't report them to anyone, certainly not human authorities. There's no accountability, no laws that apply here.† â€Å"They're breaking your laws,† he said, leaning toward me. â€Å"Therefore you have every right to stop them. Treat them as you would any other criminal in your land. Kill them.† â€Å"I can't!† I exclaimed. â€Å"I'd have to actually catch them here, and so far I haven't been able to. And I'm certainly not going to go to Texas and kill them there.† â€Å"Why not? If a murderer from my kingdom killed someone in yours, I wouldn't bat an eye if you came to slay him.† â€Å"It's different. They're†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Human?† I hated to admit, but yes, there it was. I had chased Otherworldly monsters from my world back to this one and never hesitated to kill them or banish them directly to the Underworld. But somehow, the thought of intentionally tracking humans and killing them†¦ I didn't need to voice my answer for Dorian to understand. Exasperation flared on his face, this time mixed with†¦anger. â€Å"Damn it, Eugenie. You just told me you had to put things right! Which is it? Or does it only depend on what's easy at any given time? What your mood is? Who you like better that day?† â€Å"It's not that easy!† I exclaimed. â€Å"You don't understand. You can't understand. I'm caught between two worlds here, with two sets of loyalties. I've spent my entire life being human-being part of that world. You can't expect me to throw all that away and betray my own kind.† He opened his mouth to retort and was interrupted by a faint roll of thunder. Whatever words he'd been about to utter disappeared, and he laughed. â€Å"Do you hear that? That's you, Eugenie. Your anger.† I shook my head. â€Å"I can't control thunder and lightning yet.† â€Å"Not control, no. But you can summon it unconsciously. Do you think there's anything in this land that isn't tied to you?† He gestured around us. â€Å"All these people here†¦all the people in this village looking at you with adoring eyes†¦they are your own kind too. This is what I meant when I said you're the only one who doesn't seem to realize you're a queen yet! All these people are looking to you to protect them and do what's right. If you can't do that, then you might as well back off and do what the kitsune and your stepfather want you to do.† â€Å"Dorian, I can't kill in cold blood!† He gripped me by the arms, voice calm but infused with anger. â€Å"You can do whatever it is you have to do! You are a queen. Forget all this talk about Storm King's grandson. Right now, you are his heir. You are on the verge of becoming one of the most powerful rulers in this world, which means you don't have the luxury of being squeamish. You can rule with love, but you have to rule with ruthlessness too. You are going to go down in history, Eugenie, as one of the greatest monarchs we have ever seen. And it is going to start with this-this wrong that you're going to right. If you can't do it, if you can't stop those who are hurting your people, then you might as well stop the rest of this charade. Go out there and tell those people you can't do anything for them, that you can't feed them or protect them because they aren't your kind and aren't worth bloodying your hands for!† He was shouting now, breathing heavily. I stared at him, eyes wide, filled with a little of that fear I always got when his temper rose. Moments like these reminded me of just how powerful Dorian was physically and magically. His lazy, lean appearance was deceptive; I'd seen him fight. Between that and the power he wielded, I hoped there would never come a day when we were truly antagonists. Outside, I heard thunder again. It took me several seconds to muster an answer, and when I spoke, my voice was very small. â€Å"I can't,† I said. â€Å"I can't tell them that.† â€Å"I know you can't,† he whispered. And then, still gripping me, he leaned down and kissed me. More astonishingly, I kissed him back. It seemed like all the emotions that had consumed me recently-all the rage and confusion-were poured into that kiss. My teeth bit against his lips, and when he shoved me against the wall, I welcomed the brief pain. Our hands were all over each other as we kissed, mine running the length of his body while his more aggressively hiked up the dress I'd earlier regretted wearing. In a matter of seconds, it was pushed over my hips, leaving my legs bare. With one hand still holding the skirt up, his other pushed between my thighs, slipping underneath the thong I'd put on this morning in the hopes of getting intimate with Kiyo. Those clever fingers slid into me, stoking a wetness I hadn't thought could come on so fast. My small exclamation was muffled in his crushing kiss as he alternately thrust his fingers into me and pulled out to tease and dance with my clit. It was the latter he eventually settled on, circling and stroking as heat built between my legs and made all my muscles tense up. Then, the burning flood of sensation exploded, and I came with another cry that his kiss smothered, a cry that faded into a moan as my body trembled and spasmed from the shock waves of heat and electricity still shooting through me from his touch. My orgasm created no pause in the action, though. The hand that had just brought me such pleasure moved from between my legs to his pants as he began to unfasten them. His mouth finally left mine, moving on to my neck, his kisses hot and fierce. He shoved his pants down, and I felt him against me, hard and ready as he pressed his hips to mine. My hands were tangled in his hair as I tilted my head back to receive his kisses, but his hands, busy as always, were prying off my underwear. The reality of what was happening sank in. â€Å"Wait†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I murmured, lost as his mouth bit against my skin. â€Å"No, we can't†¦I can't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You can,† he breathed in my ear. â€Å"Let me†¦let me do it. Let me bury myself in you. Let me spread your legs and take you like I did before. We are gods in this world, Eugenie, with no other lovers who are our equals. No others who are worthy of this joining.† The thong was on the ground now, and I could feel his erection pressed against my skin, so, so close to sliding in and doing all the things he promised. He rested his hands under my thighs and hoisted me up against the wall so that my legs wrapped around his hips. â€Å"Dorian†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I gasped. â€Å"I'm with Kiyo†¦.† â€Å"So? You're a queen. Do you think you can't have as many lovers as you like?† â€Å"It's†¦it's wrong. We can't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"We can,† he said, voice low and full of promise. â€Å"And when we do, this land will be reborn†¦.† Afterward, I would never be entirely sure if I would have let him do it. I like to think I would have stopped him. I was in love with Kiyo, after all, and loyal to him. Surely I would have said no and shoved Dorian aside. I wasn't in love with him†¦or was I? In those moments before we'd kissed, I'd felt like he truly got me and understood the things in my head. I think I'd probably loved him since around the time we'd met; I certainly never lost the attraction. Still, that didn't make cheating on Kiyo right. Whatever decision I would have made was taken from me when there was a knock at the door. I jerked away from Dorian and hastily shoved my skirt down. He more casually turned away to pull his pants back up, seeming in no particular hurry. The door opened, and the lead councilwoman stuck her head in. Even with Dorian's back to her and me dressed, it had to have been obvious what was going on-particularly with my underwear on the floor. If she found it shocking, though, she didn't show it, and I recalled how free the gentry were in public. â€Å"Your majesties,† she said politely, â€Å"there's a storm coming in, and the workers were wondering what the Oak King wanted to do.† Dorian, decent once more, turned around and gave her a laconic, charming smile. â€Å"A storm? Really? How truly unexpected. Well, tell them to bring as much of the ore as they can into storage before the rain and cover the rest up. I'll come check on it in a moment since I have a feeling the Thorn Queen is about to depart with some haste.† The woman gave a quick curtsey and shut the door once more. â€Å"You're right,† I said, jerking my thong back on. â€Å"I'm leaving.† â€Å"Yes,† he agreed, still smiling. â€Å"Because that's your normal course of action when something happens that you don't know how to process.† â€Å"That's the thing,† I growled. â€Å"Nothing happened here, okay? None of this did.† His eyebrows rose. â€Å"Really? Because I could have sworn that something happened when my hand was between your-â€Å" â€Å"No!† I would have approached him with clenched fists to drive home my threat but was afraid of what would happen if I was close to him again. â€Å"This didn't happen. This was anger and confusion and me in a weak place, okay? I appreciate what you've done here with the copper-really. And for the advice on the girls. But that's it.† I turned, not wanting to look into those green eyes or see that smirk anymore. I didn't want to admit that loving two men was just like the rest of my life, ripped into two worlds. I needed to get out of here and get back home-though I wasn't sure which home I meant. Dorian didn't try to stop me, but his voice rang out after me as I hurried out and rain began to fall outside. â€Å"Don't forget what I said, Eugenie. Crown or not, you are a queen, so don't be afraid to do what you have to do. Love and ruthlessness. Those are the keys.†

Was Robespierre More a Success Than a Failure as a Revolutionary Leader?

Introduction to Robespierre: Robespierre was a French lawyer, politician and one of the most influential figures of the French- Revolution. Influenced by 18th century philosophes such as Rousseau, he was a capable articulator of the beliefs of the left-wing bourgeoisie. Successes: Gained support of the majority: He gained the title â€Å"incorruptible†. Particularly interested in the rights of man and revolutionary virtue. Earned his reputation in the Estates General as a defender of the poor. He genuinely believed that the people of France were good and was therefore capable of achieving social and public well being in France.While the Constituent Assembly was preoccupied with drawing up a constitution, Robespierre turned from the assembly of lawyers and wealthy bourgeoisie to the people of France. He was very successful in voicing out his ideas for the Declaration of the Rights of man and constitutional provision. In the Jacobin Club, he found a sympathetic audience among th e intelligent artisans and small shopkeepers who became members of the club. His fanaticism won him supporters; his singularly sweet and sympathetic voice gained him hearers; and his upright life attracted the admiration of all Establishment of the Republic:Robespierre's main ideal was to ensure the virtue and sovereignty of the people. He disapproved of any acts which could be seen as exposing the nation to counter-revolutionaries and traitors, and became increasingly fearful of the defeat of the Revolution. He instigated the Terror and the deaths of his peers as a measure of ensuring a Republic of Virtue Establishment of the National Convention – to sweep away the enemies Supported execution of Louis â€Å"For Louis I have neither hate, not love.I only hate his crimes† Destruction of the Gironidsts – Maxim Isnard, Girondist, spoke about counter-revolution and on 2nd June, a crowed of armed men from the Commune of Paris arrested 32 deputies from the convention Reign of Terror: After Robespierre was elected to the Committee of Public safety (a revolutionary tribunal), he earned a dominat position after the fall of the monarchy and declared â€Å"It is time to horrify all the conspirators† The terror acted against real and suspected enemies of the evolution and extended into every corner of France. Victims were mostly the aristocracy, bourgeoisie and members of the clergy but also included members of other classes. In all, perhaps 40,000 people were executed. Leadership of War was decisive: A revolutionary war must be waged to free subjects and slaves from unjust tyranny, not for the traditional reasons of defending dynasties and expanding frontiers.Failures: Short-term rule (1793-1794) Enemies were paralysed briefly: Cecile Renault, woman who tried to murder Robespierre and other politicains who opposed him for being a dictator and associated with Danton’s death â€Å"the blood of Danton chokes him† Socio-religious and economic policies weren’t a success

Failure of Thomas Gradgrind (Hard Times by Charles Dickens)

Thomas Gradgrind is a man bereft of any imagination or fancy, and perhaps that is why he is a staunch believer in the practicality of the education system. He discards wonderment and regards facts and figures as the ultimate path to learning. In the novel Hard Times, the author Charles Dickens has shown Gradgrind as an educationist, and hence has portrayed him implementing his views on both his pupils in the school, as well as on his family. He expects his students to engage in nothing but factual education; and brings up his children on the same principle.Fashioning his children on the principle of logic, he wants to make model beings out of them, which he may portray to society as examples of a practical nature. But he fails to understand the power of human emotions, or rather their weakness. Ignoring all possibilities of what hope and imagination could bring, into the lives of both himself and others around him, he creates a wall of facts beyond which it becomes very hard for his daughter Louisa and his son Tom to see, which they very much come to want. They get sick of their father’s ‘eminently practical’ ways and long to break free from the environment they are made to live in.Their desires and wishes are so subdued that they are forced to turn to whatever respite, no matter how little they can get from any source whatsoever. Despite his efforts to implement his theory upon everyone around him, the seed of fancy does not die out in his son and daughter, and is evidently on display in the incident where the siblings are caught peeping in at the fanciful circus which fuels their starved imaginations, but their moment is short lived as they are caught by their eminently practical father who chastises them for their behavior.In his views, their behavior is astonishing, for such practical children are not expected to be seen paying attention to things such as circuses and other such buffoonery. His views, which he holds in such high regards, fail here as it shows that no matter how much practicality a person is fed with, even if it is up to the brim leaving no room for any thing belonging to another nature, that basic human nature, which is known as, among others, fancy, will find its way through the thickest of books and the toughest of facts, into the minds of human beings, especially those so deprived of it.And it may as well grow their, positively if it is fed, and negatively, in a manner of frustration and despair, if it is not. Such was the case with Gradgrind’s children that their fancy was gravely trampled upon and not allowed to grow, that their basic human nature of fancy and imagination took on a negative tone of development and brought out in them natures far from what might be considered good. Gradgrind’s forcing upon them his extreme practicality and factual nature brings out the worst in them, as is often the case with youth exposed to the extremities of human psychology.His daughter Louisa enters into a loveless marriage with the unsympathetic man Bounderby, and becomes an unfeeling and cold person. There is no hope developed within her to help her think about what other prospects might have been open for her; whereas Tom goes astray and disembarks on a path unfit for a gentleman of his stature. There is no imagination in his mind whatsoever to suggest to him another course of being other than the one he has been brought up on, which is also the one he detests, and hence, in desperation, he takes to the only other path he sees before him.Gradgrind, having firm belief in the sensibleness of his ideas, extends his educational theory to the orphan child Sissy, who is the estranged child of the circus man Jupe, whom Gradgrind, overcome by pity at realizing her prospects as an un-apprenticed orphan, invites to live in his own house, which he relishes in presenting as an example to Louisa as to what becomes of someone who engages in things which do no appeal to the rationa l side of man.He provides Sissy with the same logical education he had been fashioning his children and his pupils on, but Sissy is not able to be as practical in nature as her education ought to have made her. She is not able to leave behind her basic nature, one which has bred from a past of reading fairy tales and enjoying the circus, which Thomas Gradgrind so detests. And it is this past, this quality of nature, which ultimately helps his son to escape a dreadful turn of events. Tom Gradgrind, on the other hand, having received an education factual in nature to the core, and without any experience whatsoever in mattersotherwise, goes off course and unlike his father, becomes a man of lesser standards. He enters into gambling and commits thievery. The education tom receives, which teaches him that self interest must rise above every other, is over-done. As a result Tom becomes so selfish that he coaxes his sister Louisa into marrying the rich businessman Bounderby just so that he could mint money for his gambling purposes, and becomes cross with her, when Louisa lands up on the wrong side of her marriage and is not able to fulfill his demands anymore.His sister is distraught at being treated coldly by her beloved brother, as he is the sole love of her life. He is very efficiently able to hide the crime he commits by playing upon the general suspicion on the poor workman Stephen Blackpool, the suspicion he has facilitated by taking advantage of Stephen’s gratitude towards his sister and asking to keep watch over the bank on the days leading to the robbery, so that the general doubt would naturally fall on Stephen.Gradgrind is forced to realize the failure of his theory implemented on his children by the embarrassment he suffers at the hands of his son when Tom junior, after his heist at the bank is at the brink of exposure, is in the process of escaping but is stopped short by Gradgrind’s old student Bitzer, who has now become a man of utmost p ractical bend of mind, who places his teacher’s very theory in his own face.Bitzer is an unyielding man who gives importance to nothing above self interest, which, as he truly states, was taught to him under the school of thought propagated by Thomas Gradgrind himself. He gives no regard to his former educator, stating instead that self interest and practicality is what he has been taught all his life, and that is what he shall practice. Gradgrind’s daughter Louisa marries Bounderby solely for the sake of her brother.Neither does she feel anything special towards Bounderby, neither holds anything against him, but agrees to it solely on her brother’s suggestion. To her, nothing in her life is worth getting excited for, as the extreme practical nature of her upbringing restricts her from thinking about things she could’ve possibly engaged in. Her saying, from time to time, â€Å"What does it matter? † suggests that she is so jaded of the system she i s a part of, that it does not matter to her what goes on around her, and is devoid of all concern.Her upbringing and education has been so weak in equipping her with knowledge about human relations of any kind that she is flustered when she is approached by James Harthouse with matters of the heart, and rushes back to her father as she is clueless about what to do about or make of the situation, thus displaying the failure of Thomas Gradgrind’s principles and beliefs on which he has brought his daughter up. This which goes on to show that man’s basic temperament cannot be bottled and filed, thus failing his theory of education being profoundly practical.

Change Management and Leadership in Dell company Essay

Change Management and Leadership in Dell company - Essay Example Change Management and Leadership in Dell company Because of various issues, these business entities do not accept the change of management, and involves themselves in different actions that are not in favor of the organization thus, resists change. The consequences of this resistance in change is poor performance of the firm in terms of manufacturing, production and distribution and this is the reason that change management has become very essential for the firms. The operations of organizations are effectively looked-after by change management including logistics, purchases, and controlling (Scheer, et al., 2003). The organization change is not only dependent on the resources and technology of the organization, but it depends on setting mindset of the employees positively towards the organization and creating an organization culture where flexible environment is made for all employees so that the maximum output can be extracted from them (Scheer, et al., 2003). Therefore, a responsible leadership should be able to implement change s in the organization and should motivate the employees for giving their maximum energy for their organization not only for increasing the revenue, but taking competitive edge over the rivals. Dell’s Change Management: Michael Dell founded Dell in 1984 on the basis that the company will sell their computers directly to the end user. The aim of the company was to understand the needs and requirements of users and providing operating systems that will meet the needs of those users. The company is the one of the largest and most well renowned companies around the world for selling reliable IT related product. The mission of Dell is to become the most successful computer firm of the world by providing the best customer services to clients. The company has more than 40000 employees and it maintains a large corporate culture as different team members belonging to different regions works together for Dell (Hill & Gareth, 2009). The company aims for change management because of maint aining consistent growth and become the market leader in mobile computing industry. Different brands of Dell plays an important role in making the company market leader because Dell acquires products of other strong brand and then making these products merge into a large company. After acquiring these brands, Dell improves overall operations of the brand, gives comprehensive training to its employees, and introduces new technology in their systems, which help the company to introduce these brands as reliable dell products. The acquisitions of these brands results in economies of scales, which makes the distribution network of Dell stronger, and the company is able to cater many regions with the help of these brands (Hill & Gareth, 2009). The vision of Dell for making change management is to increase its business growth consistently and increasing the revenue of the company at the same time. In order to achieve this change management successfully, the company focuses on the following four elements: (i) The company focuses on taking the market share of the mobile computing industry by making efforts to improve the production of their products. (ii) Change management helps the company to improve its overall efficiency and decrease the cost of production. (iii) Dells aim to enter in new market where there is a chance of expanding and company can become the market leader in these regions. (iv) The company creates the value of shareholder by

Psychiatrict-negligence in Tort Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Psychiatrict-negligence in Tort Law - Essay Example The following research examines liability and the probable outcomes. The modern tort of negligence as observed in numerous cases requires the existence of a care duty that the claimant owes the defendant, violation of duty and considerable injury or sabotage, which emanates from that violation.2 Every previously mentioned aspect of the case in the given case is subject to assessment and establishment in every claim against the defendant, for any suit against the defendant to yield positively. Foremost, it is essential to delineate the range of the members that owe a duty of care. Negligence essentially deals with paying damages to victims of an accident, resulting from other parties’ carelessness. If a duty of care is indistinct in the given case, then the tort of negligence is not necessary from that point when analyzing that situation. In this study, determining who owes the other a duty of care as the fire incident occurred is immensely dependent on Lord Atkins’s nei ghbor principle that prescribes a framework for analyzing the validity of duty of care. Negligent liability of psychological harm thus depends on a test called the neighbor principle.3 The foremost action by the court when determining liability for payment of damages a conduction of the neighbour test. The court further enquires whether there existed core policy considerations that dictated that not duty of care and eventual liability for damages should exist. Moreover, the prescribed requirements before imposition of a duty of care include the foreseeability of the damage, a proximal linkage between the involved parties; both criteria should be under justifiable and reasonable circumstances.4 However, that criterion is not essentially necessary. The aspect of foreseeability refers to what a reasonable person would have predicted in the imminent circumstances and is ubiquitous in the offense of negligence. It is founded on the Atkins’s neighbor rule, but can pose as a test th e remoteness of damage and violation of rightful duty where the loss ought has to be foreseeable as a probability.5 Proximity refers to the legal rather than physical proximity and is relevant considering whether the involved persons and parties are neighbors in the law, such as Eric and the Dwain’s knitting needle factory. Though this test has a shallow framework, other factors that enhance the determination of liability for negligence tort include damage types of economic loss, personal injury, property sabotage and psychological damage, which is relevant to our case of study. Other considerations are whether the damage was through omission, was through a third party and if the defendants are under a special law classification. In the light of this accident, Eric suffered physical injury from the flames, fumes and the hassle of saving the trapped people in the burning factory. Eric is thus, a primary victim. Dwain as a defendant in this scenario is a neighbor to Eric and th erefore owes Eric a duty of care. It is Eric’s legal right to live in a stress free life, and his neighbor, the knitting needle factory is liable to compensate him for any harm he experiences,

Evidence base practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evidence base practice - Essay Example Thus, it is fundamental to explore the fundamental aspects of Evidence Based Practice (EBP) to determine its contribution to the provision of quality care. The scope The handout highlights essential elements that ensure stakeholders and various policy makers obtain credible information on Evidence Based Practice (EBP). The purpose of the study is highlighted so are the target population, objectives, critiques on the varied methods and major recommendations. The handout also covers the potential barriers to achieving effective Evidence based practice (EBP) in health institutions. These are vital in ensuring the provision of exemplary clinical services to patients. Purpose and target population The handout provides stakeholders in the health sector with information on the essentiality of Evidence Based Practice (EBP). The application of the practice is currently gaining momentum. This is because of its relevant in ensuring the provision of health services. The approach enhances the qua lity of clinical services provided by health officials (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2011). It is significant to note that clinical activities are crucial; thus, require proper execution by qualified professionals to avert any possible complication. The approach focuses on the integration of appropriate clinical equipments in institutions, hiring of highly qualified personnel, training staff and promoting the delivery of valuable services to patients. The target population includes students, patients, health professionals and customers (Melnyk, & Fineout-Overholt, 2011). It also allows stakeholder to identify their role in enhancing excellent delivery of health services. The stakeholders would understand that this process requires proper coordination and understanding. This will enable the stakeholders to undertake health activities based on the ethical guidelines. Objectives and questions I. To establish the imperativeness of Evidence Based Practice (EBP) in the delivery of clinical services II. To investigate the role of nursing officials in ensuring absolute adoption of Evidence based practice (EBP) III. To establish the critical steps that lead to effective implementation of Evidence based practice (EBP) IV. To ascertain whether Evidence based practice (EBP) facilitates value addition in service delivery to clients Questions I. What is the usefulness of Evidence Based Practice (EBP) in the delivery of clinical services? II. What is the role of nursing officials in ensuring absolute adoption of Evidence based practice (EBP)? III. What are the critical steps that lead to effective implementation of Evidence based practice (EBP)? IV. Does Evidence Based Practice (EBP) facilitate value addition in service delivery to clients? Professions represented in the document The medical professionals represented in the document are nurses and individuals from diverse medical background, for example, clinical officers, doctors and diagnosticians. These professionals have t he capacity to implement the process (Melnyk & Morrison-Beedy, 2012). Additionally, diagnosticians are represented because they perform medical assessment that requires proper assessment and evidence procedures. This allows the identification of a patient’s health complications accurately. The target population has been chosen due to their relevance. Furthermore, health professio

Key aspects of Formation of a Persecuting Society and No god but God Term Paper

Key aspects of Formation of a Persecuting Society and No god but God - Term Paper Example The violence started after the death of Prophet Muhammad on various issues. The violence was not just on individual level, but it was the institutional, governmental and judicial too. It was between the groups of people of different race, religion and lifestyle. Same situation was there in Europe after the fall of Roman Empire. Around 1100 Europe had become a persecuting society. Persecution was the common phenomenon in the history of Islam and Christianity. It is one of the characteristics of barbarian society which has left all the signs of civilization behind. The stories of persecutions are famous in European as well as the history of Islam. The books such as â€Å"No God But God,† written by Reza Aslan or the book â€Å"The Formation of a Persecuting Society,† written by R.I. Moore, are among the finest elaborations of the persecution society in medieval Europe and Middle East countries. Key words: Persecution, Islam, Christianity State system connected to Islam an d Christianity: Muslim community was growing rapidly at the time of the death of Muhammad. But the community had become orphan and leaderless. Due to the extension of an unmanageable condition the community was likely to face anarchy. Thus Muslim community was undergoing a turbulent phase after Muhammad’s sad demise. ... It was a great threat to the political stability of Ummah. Hence the first and major task in such circumstances was to find someone who could replace Muhammad and maintain the stability and integrity of the community. Lots of discussions started arising. It was also suggested that the leadership should be dual, i.e. one is from Mecca and another is from Medina. But it was also unacceptable. After the discussion the person was selected to be the leader of the community and it was Abu Bakr. He was given the title of Caliph. A Caliph was regarded as the â€Å"Trusty† or â€Å"Agent† of God. Out of the religious need, the political system was established in Arabian Peninsula and the community chaos thus ended. The political system thus placed on the foundation of religion. Christianity was prevalent in Middle East before the rise of Islam. But in Muslim Spain some period was there in which intolerance towards Christianity became so strong that it resulted religious persecut ions. Islamic laws there, were not allowing Jews as well as Christians to promote their religious faith in public. But these prohibitions affected Christian as compared to Jews. That might be the reason according to Reza Aslan that Christianity disappeared from the Islamic region. On the other hand the least affected Jews became prosperous and their community increased. Islam and Christianity are the two religions connected with each other historically and traditionally. The two religions have their origin in the Middle East itself. Islam started spreading and expanding hastily in all over Middle East after the death of Prophet Muhammad. Christianity also spread in Europe after the fall of Roman Empire. Some have opined that the fall