The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 3. MOTIVES

THE SUN WAS SO DEEPLY BURIED BEHIND THE CLOUDS that there was no way to tell if it had set or not. After the long flight – chasing the sun westward so that it seemed unmoving in the sky – it was especially disorienting; time seemed oddly variable. It took me by surprise when the forest gave way to the first buildings, signaling that we were nearly home. â€Å"You've been very quiet,† Edward observed. â€Å"Did the plane make you sick?† â€Å"No, I'm okay.† â€Å"Are you sad to leave?† â€Å"More relieved than sad, I think.† He raised one eyebrow at me. I knew it was useless and – much as I hated to admit it – unnecessary to ask him to keep his eyes on the road. â€Å"Rene is so much more . . . perceptive than Charlie in some ways. It was making me jumpy.† Edward laughed. â€Å"Your mother has a very interesting mind. Almost childlike, but very insightful. She sees things differently than other people.† Insightful. It was a good description of my mother – when she was paying attention. Most of the time Rene was so bewildered by her own life that she didn't notice much else. But this weekend she'd been paying plenty of attention to me. Phil was busy – the high school baseball team he coached was in the playoffs – and being alone with Edward and me had only sharpened Rene's focus. As soon as the hugs and squeals of delight were out of the way, Rene began to watch. And as she'd watched, her wide blue eyes had become first confused and then concerned. This morning we'd gone for a walk along the beach. She wanted to show off all the beauties of her new home, still hoping, I think, that the sun might lure me away from Forks. She'd also wanted to talk with me alone, and that was easily arranged. Edward had fabricated a term paper to give himself an excuse to stay indoors during the day. In my head, I went through the conversation again. . . . Rene and I ambled along the sidewalk, trying to stay in the range of the infrequent palm tree shadows. Though it was early, the heat was smothering. The air was so heavy with moisture that just breathing in and out was giving my lungs a workout. â€Å"Bella?† my mother asked, looking out past the sand to the lightly crashing waves as she spoke. â€Å"What is it, Mom?† She sighed, not meeting my gaze. â€Å"I'm worried. . . .† â€Å"What's wrong?† I asked, anxious at once. â€Å"What can I do?† â€Å"It's not me.† She shook her head. â€Å"I'm worried about you . . . and Edward.† Rene finally looked at me when she said his name, her face apologetic. â€Å"Oh,† I mumbled, fixing my eyes on a pair of joggers as they passed us, drenched with sweat. â€Å"You two are more serious than I'd been thinking,† she went on. I frowned, quickly reviewing the last two days in my head. Edward and I had barely touched – in front of her, at least. I wondered if Rene was about to give me a lecture on responsibility, too. I didn't mind that the way I had with Charlie. It wasn't embarrassing with my mom. After all, I'd been the one giving her that lecture time and time again in the last ten years. â€Å"There's something . . . strange about the way you two are together,† she murmured, her forehead creasing over her troubled eyes. â€Å"The way he watches you – it's so . . . protective. Like he's about to throw himself in front of a bullet to save you or something.† I laughed, though I was still not able to meet her gaze. â€Å"That's a bad thing?† â€Å"No.† She frowned as she struggled for the words. â€Å"It's just different. He's very intense about you . . . and very careful. I feel like I don't really understand your relationship. Like there's some secret I'm missing. . . .† â€Å"I think you're imagining things, Mom,† I said quickly, struggling to keep my voice light. There was a flutter in my stomach. I'd forgotten how much my mother saw. Something about her simple view of the world cut through all the distractions and pierced right to the truth of things. This had never been a problem before. Until now, there had never been a secret I couldn't tell her. â€Å"It's not just him.† She set her lips defensively. â€Å"I wish you could see how you move around him.† â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"The way you move – you orient yourself around him without even thinking about it. When he moves, even a little bit, you adjust your position at the same time. Like magnets . . . or gravity. You're like a . . . satellite, or something. I've never seen anything like it.† She pursed her lips and stared down. â€Å"Don't tell me,† I teased, forcing a smile. â€Å"You're reading mysteries again, aren't you? Or is it sci-fi this time?† Rene flushed a delicate pink. â€Å"That's beside the point.† â€Å"Found anything good?† â€Å"Well, there was one – but that doesn't matter. We're talking about you right now.† â€Å"You should stick to romance, Mom. You know how you freak yourself out.† Her lips turned up at the corners. â€Å"I'm being silly, aren't I?† For half a second I couldn't answer. Rene was so easily swayed. Sometimes it was a good thing, because not all of her ideas were practical. But it pained me to see how quickly she caved in to my trivializing, especially since she was dead right this time. She looked up, and I controlled my expression. â€Å"Not silly – just being a mom.† She laughed and then gestured grandly toward the white sands stretching to the blue water. â€Å"And all this isn't enough to get you to move back in with your silly mom?† I wiped my hand dramatically across my forehead, and then pretended to wring my hair out. â€Å"You get used to the humidity,† she promised. â€Å"You can get used to rain, too,† I countered. She elbowed me playfully and then took my hand as we walked back to her car. Other than her worries about me, she seemed happy enough. Content. She still looked at Phil with goo- goo eyes, and that was comforting. Surely her life was full and satisfying. Surely she didn't miss me that much, even now. . . . Edward's icy fingers brushed my cheek. I looked up, blinking, coming back to the present. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. â€Å"We're home, Sleeping Beauty. Time to awake.† We were stopped in front of Charlie's house. The porch light was on and the cruiser was parked in the driveway. As I examined the house, I saw the curtain twitch in the living room window, flashing a line of yellow light across the dark lawn. I sighed. Of course Charlie was waiting to pounce. Edward must have been thinking the same thing, because his expression was stiff and his eyes remote as he came to get my door for me. â€Å"How bad?† I asked. â€Å"Charlie's not going to be difficult,† Edward promised, his voice level with no hint of humor. â€Å"He missed you.† My eyes narrowed in doubt. If that was the case, then why was Edward tensed as if for a battle? My bag was small, but he insisted on carrying it into the house. Charlie held the door open for us. â€Å"Welcome home, kid!† Charlie shouted like he really meant it. â€Å"How was Jacksonville?† â€Å"Moist. And buggy.† â€Å"So Rene didn't sell you on the University of Florida?† â€Å"She tried. But I'd rather drink water than inhale it.† Charlie's eyes flickered unwillingly to Edward. â€Å"Did you have a nice time?† â€Å"Yes,† Edward answered in a serene voice. â€Å"Rene was very hospitable.† â€Å"That's . . . um, good. Glad you had fun.† Charlie turned away from Edward and pulled me in for an unexpected hug. â€Å"Impressive,† I whispered in his ear. He rumbled a laugh. â€Å"I really missed you, Bells. The food around here sucks when you're gone.† â€Å"I'll get on it,† I said as he let me go. â€Å"Would you call Jacob first? He's been bugging me every five minutes since six o'clock this morning. I promised I'd have you call him before you even unpacked.† I didn't have to look at Edward to feel that he was too still, too cold beside me. So this was the cause of his tension. â€Å"Jacob wants to talk to me?† â€Å"Pretty bad, I'd say. He wouldn't tell me what it was about – just said it was important.† The phone rang then, shrill and demanding. â€Å"That's him again, I'd bet my next paycheck,† Charlie muttered. â€Å"I got it.† I hurried to the kitchen. Edward followed after me while Charlie disappeared into the living room. I grabbed the phone mid-ring, and twisted around so that I was facing the wall. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"You're back,† Jacob said. His familiar husky voice sent a wave of wistfulness through me. A thousand memories spun in my head, tangling together – a rocky beach strewn with driftwood trees, a garage made of plastic sheds, warm sodas in a paper bag, a tiny room with one too-small shabby loveseat. The laughter in his deep-set black eyes, the feverish heat of his big hand around mine, the flash of his white teeth against his dark skin, his face stretching into the wide smile that had always been like a key to a secret door where only kindred spirits could enter. It felt sort of like homesickness, this longing for the place and person who had sheltered me through my darkest night. I cleared the lump from my throat. â€Å"Yes,† I answered. â€Å"Why didn't you call me?† Jacob demanded. His angry tone instantly got my back up. â€Å"Because I've been in the house for exactly four seconds and your call interrupted Charlie telling me that you'd called.† â€Å"Oh. Sorry.† â€Å"Sure. Now, why are you harassing Charlie?† â€Å"I need to talk to you.† â€Å"Yeah, I figured out that part all by myself. Go ahead.† There was a short pause. â€Å"You going to school tomorrow?† I frowned to myself, unable to make sense of this question. â€Å"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I?† â€Å"I dunno. Just curious.† Another pause. â€Å"So what did you want to talk about, Jake?† He hesitated. â€Å"Nothing really, I guess. I . . . wanted to hear your voice.† â€Å"Yeah, I know. I'm so glad you called me, Jake. I . . .† But I didn't know what more to say. I wanted to tell him I was on my way to La Push right now. And I couldn't tell him that. â€Å"I have to go,† he said abruptly. â€Å"What?† â€Å"I'll talk to you soon, okay?† â€Å"But Jake -â€Å" He was already gone. I listened to the dial tone with disbelief. â€Å"That was short,† I muttered. â€Å"Is everything all right?† Edward asked. His voice was low and careful. I turned slowly to face him. His expression was perfectly smooth – impossible to read. â€Å"I don't know. I wonder what that was about.† It didn't make sense that Jacob had been hounding Charlie all day just to ask me if I was going to school. And if he'd wanted to hear my voice, then why did he hang up so quickly? â€Å"Your guess is probably better than mine,† Edward said, the hint of a smiletugging at the corner of his mouth. â€Å"Mmm,† I murmured. That was true. I knew Jake inside and out. It shouldn't be that complicated to figure out his motivations. With my thoughts miles away – about fifteen miles away, up the road to La Push – I started combing through the fridge, assembling ingredients for Charlie's dinner. Edward leaned against the counter, and I was distantly aware that his eyes were on my face, but too preoccupied to worry about what he saw there. The school thing seemed like the key to me. That was the only real question Jake had asked. And he had to be after an answer to something, or he wouldn't have been bugging Charlie so persistently. Why would my attendance record matter to him, though? I tried to think about it in a logical way. So, if I hadn't been going to school tomorrow, what would be the problem with that, from Jacob's perspective? Charlie had given me a little grief about missing a day of school so close to finals, but I'd convinced him that one Friday wasn't going to derail my studies. Jake would hardly care about that. My brain refused to come up with any brilliant insights. Maybe I was missing some vital piece of information. What could have changed in the past three days that was so important that Jacob would break his long streak of refusing to answer my phone calls and contact me? What difference could three days make? I froze in the middle of the kitchen. The package of icy hamburger in my hands slipped through my numb fingers. It took me a slow second to miss the thud it should have made against the floor. Edward had caught it and thrown it onto the counter. His arms were already around me, his lips at my ear. â€Å"What's wrong?† I shook my head, dazed. Three days could change everything. Hadn't I just been thinking about how impossible college was? How I couldn't be anywhere near people after I'd gone through the painful three-day conversion that would set me free from mortality, so that I could spend eternity with Edward? The conversion that would make me forever a prisoner to my own thirst. . . . Had Charlie told Billy that I'd vanished for three days? Had Billy jumped to conclusions? Had Jacob really been asking me if I was still human? Making sure that the werewolves' treaty was unbroken – that none of the Cullens had dared to bite a human . . . bite, not kill . . . ? But did he honestly think I would come home to Charlie if that was the case? Edward shook me. â€Å"Bella?† he asked, truly anxious now. â€Å"I think . . . I think he was checking,† I mumbled. â€Å"Checking to make sure. That I'm human, I mean.† Edward stiffened, and a low hiss sounded in my ear. â€Å"We'll have to leave,† I whispered. â€Å"Before. So that it doesn't break the treaty. We won't ever be able to come back.† His arms tightened around me. â€Å"I know.† â€Å"Ahem.† Charlie cleared his voice loudly behind us. I jumped, and then pulled free of Edward's arms, my face getting hot. Edward leaned back against the counter. His eyes were tight. I could see worry in them, and anger. â€Å"If you don't want to make dinner, I can call for a pizza,† Charlie hinted. â€Å"No, that's okay, I'm already started.† â€Å"Okay,† Charlie said. He propped himself against the doorframe, folding his arms. I sighed and got to work, trying to ignore my audience. â€Å"If I asked you to do something, would you trust me?† Edward asked, an edge to his soft voice. We were almost to school. Edward had been relaxed and joking just a moment ago, and now suddenly his hands were clenched tight on the steering wheel, his knuckles straining in an effort not to snap it into pieces. I stared at his anxious expression – his eyes were far away, like he was listening to distant voices. My pulse sped in response to his stress, but I answered carefully. â€Å"That depends.† We pulled into the school lot. â€Å"I was afraid you would say that.† â€Å"What do you want me to do, Edward?† â€Å"I want you to stay in the car.† He pulled into his usual spot and turned the engine off as he spoke. â€Å"I want you to wait here until I come back for you.† â€Å"But . . . why?† That was when I saw him. He would have been hard to miss, towering over the students the way he did, even if he hadn't been leaning against his black motorcycle, parked illegally on the sidewalk. â€Å"Oh.† Jacob's face was a calm mask that I recognized well. It was the face he used when he was determined to keep his emotions in check, to keep himself under control. It made him look like Sam, the oldest of the wolves, the leader of the Quileute pack. But Jacob could never quite manage the perfect serenity Sam always exuded. I'd forgotten how much this face bothered me. Though I'd gotten to know Sam pretty well before the Cullens had come back – to like him, even – I'd never been able to completely shake the resentment I felt when Jacob mimicked Sam's expression. It was a stranger's face. He wasn't my Jacob when he wore it. â€Å"You jumped to the wrong conclusion last night,† Edward murmured. â€Å"He asked about school because he knew that I would be where you were. He was looking for a safe place to talk to me. A place with witnesses.† So I'd misinterpreted Jacob's motives last night. Missing information, that was the problem. Information like why in the world Jacob would want to talk to Edward. â€Å"I'm not staying in the car,† I said. Edward groaned quietly. â€Å"Of course not. Well, let's get this over with.† Jacob's face hardened as we walked toward him, hand in hand. I noticed other faces, too – the faces of my classmates. I noticed how their eyes widened as they took in all six foot seven inches of Jacob's long body, muscled up the way no normal sixteen-and-a-half-year-old ever had been. I saw those eyes rake over his tight black t-shirt – short-sleeved, though the day was unseasonably cool – his ragged, grease-smeared jeans, and the glossy black bike he leaned against. Their eyes didn't linger on his face – something about his expression had them glancing quickly away. And I noticed the wide berth everyone gave him, the bubble of space that no one dared to encroach on. With a sense of astonishment, I realized that Jacob looked dangerous to them. How odd. Edward stopped a few yards away from Jacob, and I could tell that he was uncomfortable having me so close to a werewolf. He drew his hand back slightly, pulling me halfway behind his body. â€Å"You could have called us,† Edward said in a steel-hard voice. â€Å"Sorry,† Jacob answered, his face twisting into a sneer. â€Å"I don't have any leeches on my speed dial.† â€Å"You could have reached me at Bella's house, of course.† Jacob's jaw flexed, and his brows pulled together. He didn't answer. â€Å"This is hardly the place, Jacob. Could we discuss this later?† â€Å"Sure, sure. I'll stop by your crypt after school.† Jacob snorted. â€Å"What's wrong with now?† Edward looked around pointedly, his eyes resting on the witnesses who were just barely out of hearing range. A few people were hesitating on the sidewalk, their eyes bright with expectation. Like they were hoping a fight might break out to alleviate the tedium of another Monday morning. I saw Tyler Crowley nudge Austin Marks, and they both paused on their way to class. â€Å"I already know what you came to say,† Edward reminded Jacob in voice so low that I could barely make it out. â€Å"Message delivered. Consider us warned.† Edward glanced down at me for a fleeting second with worried eyes. â€Å"Warned?† I asked blankly. â€Å"What are you talking about?† â€Å"You didn't tell her?† Jacob asked, his eyes widening with disbelief. â€Å"What, were you afraid she'd take our side?† â€Å"Please drop it, Jacob,† Edward said in an even voice. â€Å"Why?† Jacob challenged. I frowned in confusion. â€Å"What don't I know? Edward?† Edward just glared at Jacob as if he hadn't heard me. â€Å"Jake?† Jacob raised his eyebrow at me. â€Å"He didn't tell you that his big . . . brother crossed the line Saturday night?† he asked, his tone thickly layered with sarcasm. Then his eyes flickered back to Edward. â€Å"Paul was totally justified in -â€Å" â€Å"It was no-man's land!† Edward hissed. â€Å"Was not!† Jacob was fuming visibly. His hands trembled. He shook his head and sucked in two deep lungfuls of air. â€Å"Emmett and Paul?† I whispered. Paul was Jacob's most volatile pack brother. He was the one who'd lost control that day in the woods – the memory of the snarling gray wolf was suddenly vividin my head. â€Å"What happened? Were they fighting?† My voice strained higher in panic. â€Å"Why? Did Paul get hurt?† â€Å"No one fought,† Edward said quietly, only to me. â€Å"No one got hurt. Don't be anxious.† Jacob was staring at us with incredulous eyes. â€Å"You didn't tell her anything at all, did you? Is that why you took her away? So she wouldn't know that -?† â€Å"Leave now.† Edward cut him off mid-sentence, and his face was abruptly frightening – truly frightening. For a second, he looked like . . . like a vampire. He glared at Jacob with vicious, unveiled loathing. Jacob raised his eyebrows, but made no other move. â€Å"Why haven't you told her?† They faced each other in silence for a long moment. More students gathered behind Tyler and Austin. I saw Mike next to Ben – Mike had one hand on Ben's shoulder, like he was holding him in place. In the dead silence, all the details suddenly fell into place for me with a burst of intuition. Something Edward didn't want me to know. Something that Jacob wouldn't have kept from me. Something that had the Cullens and the wolves both in the woods, moving in hazardous proximity to each other. Something that would cause Edward to insist that I fly across the country. Something that Alice had seen in a vision last week – a vision Edward had lied to me about. Something I'd been waiting for anyway. Something I knew would happen again, as much as I might wish it never would. It was never going to end, was it? I heard the quick gasp, gasp, gasp, gasp of the air dragging through my lips, but I couldn't stop it. It looked like the school was shaking, like there was an earthquake, but I knew it was my own trembling that caused the illusion. â€Å"She came back for me,† I choked out. Victoria was never going to give up till I was dead. She would keep repeating the same pattern – feint and run, feint and run – until she found a hole through my defenders. Maybe I'd get lucky. Maybe the Volturi would come for me first – they'd kill me quicker, at least. Edward held me tight to his side, angling his body so that he was still between me and Jacob, and stroked my face with anxious hands. â€Å"It's fine,† he whispered to me. â€Å"It's fine. I'll never let her get close to you, it's fine.† Then he glared at Jacob. â€Å"Does that answer your question, mongrel?† â€Å"You don't think Bella has a right to know?† Jacob challenged. â€Å"It's her life.† Edward kept his voice muted; even Tyler, edging forward by inches, would be unable to hear. â€Å"Why should she be frightened when she was never in danger?† â€Å"Better frightened than lied to.† I tried to pull myself together, but my eyes were swimming in moisture. I could see it behind my lids – I could see Victoria's face, her lips pulled back over her teeth, her crimson eyes glowing with the obsession of her vendetta; she held Edward responsible for the demise of her love, James. She wouldn't stop until his love was taken from him, too. Edward wiped the tears from my cheek with his fingertips. â€Å"Do you really think hurting her is better than protecting her?† he murmured. â€Å"She's tougher than you think,† Jacob said. â€Å"And she's been through worse.† Abruptly, Jacob's expression shifted, and he was staring at Edward with an odd, speculative expression. His eyes narrowed like he was trying to do a difficult math problem in his head. I felt Edward cringe. I glanced up at him, and his face was contorted in what could only be pain. For one ghastly moment, I was reminded of our afternoon in Italy, in the macabre tower room of the Volturi, where Jane had tortured Edward with her malignant gift, burning him with her thoughts alone. . . . The memory snapped me out of my near hysteria and put everything in perspective. Because I'd rather Victoria killed me a hundred times over than watch Edward suffer that way again. â€Å"That's funny,† Jacob said, laughing as he watched Edward's face. Edward winced, but smoothed his expression with a little effort. He couldn't quite hide the agony in his eyes. I glanced, wide-eyed, from Edward's grimace to Jacob's sneer. â€Å"What are you doing to him?† I demanded. â€Å"It's nothing, Bella,† Edward told me quietly. â€Å"Jacob just has a good memory, that's all.† Jacob grinned, and Edward winced again. â€Å"Stop it! Whatever you're doing.† â€Å"Sure, if you want.† Jacob shrugged. â€Å"It's his own fault if he doesn't like the things I remember, though.† I glared at him, and he smiled back impishly – like a kid caught doing something he knows he shouldn't by someone who he knows won't punish him. â€Å"The principal's on his way to discourage loitering on school property,† Edward murmured to me. â€Å"Let's get to English, Bella, so you're not involved.† â€Å"Overprotective, isn't he?† Jacob said, talking just to me. â€Å"A little trouble makes life fun. Let me guess, you're not allowed to have fun, are you?† Edward glowered, and his lips pulled back from his teeth ever so slightly. â€Å"Shut up, Jake,† I said. Jacob laughed. â€Å"That sounds like a no. Hey, if you ever feel like having a life again, you could come see me. I've still got your motorcycle in my garage.† This news distracted me. â€Å"You were supposed to sell that. You promised Charlie you would.† If I hadn't begged on Jake's behalf – after all, he'd put weeks of labor into both motorcycles, and he deserved some kind of payback – Charlie would have thrown my bike in a Dumpster. And possibly set that Dumpster on fire. â€Å"Yeah, right. Like I would do that. It belongs to you, not me. Anyway, I'll hold on to it until you want it back.† A tiny hint of the smile I remembered was suddenly playing around the edges of his lips. â€Å"Jake . . .† He leaned forward, his face earnest now, the bitter sarcasm fading. â€Å"I think I might have been wrong before, you know, about not being able to be friends. Maybe we could manage it, on my side of the line. Come see me.† I was vividly conscious of Edward, his arms still wrapped protectively around me, motionless as a stone. I shot a look at his face – it was calm, patient. â€Å"I, er, don't know about that, Jake.† Jacob dropped the antagonistic faade completely. It was like he'd forgotten Edward was there, or at least he was determined to act that way. â€Å"I miss you every day, Bella. It's not the same without you.† â€Å"I know and I'm sorry, Jake, I just . . .† He shook his head, and sighed. â€Å"I know. Doesn't matter, right? I guess I'll survive or something. Who needs friends?† He grimaced, trying to cover the pain with a thin attempt at bravado. Jacob's suffering had always triggered my protective side. It was not entirely rational – Jacob was hardly in need of any physical protection I could offer. But my arms, pinned beneath Edward's, yearned to reach out to him. To wrap around his big, warm waist in a silent promise of acceptance and comfort. Edward's shielding arms had become restraints. â€Å"Okay, get to class,† a stern voice sounded behind us. â€Å"Move along, Mr. Crowley.† â€Å"Get to school, Jake,† I whispered, anxious as soon as I recognized the principal's voice. Jacob went to the Quileute school, but he might still get in trouble for trespassing or the equivalent. Edward released me, taking just my hand and pulling me behind his body again. Mr. Greene pushed through the circle of spectators, his brows pressing down like ominous storm clouds over his small eyes. â€Å"I mean it,† he was threatening. â€Å"Detention for anyone who's still standing here when I turn around again.† The audience melted away before he was finished with his sentence. â€Å"Ah, Mr. Cullen. Do we have a problem here?† â€Å"Not at all, Mr. Greene. We were just on our way to class.† â€Å"Excellent. I don't seem to recognize your friend.† Mr. Greene turned his glower on Jacob. â€Å"Are you a new student here?† Mr. Greene's eyes scrutinized Jacob, and I could see that he'd come to the same conclusion everyone else had: dangerous. A troublemaker. â€Å"Nope,† Jacob answered, half a smirk on his broad lips. â€Å"Then I suggest you remove yourself from school property at once, young man, before I call the police.† Jacob's little smirk became a full-blown grin, and I knew he was picturing Charlie showing up to arrest him. This grin was too bitter, too full of mocking to satisfy me. This wasn't the smile I'd been waiting to see. Jacob said, â€Å"Yes, sir,† and snapped a military salute before he climbed on his bike and kicked it to a start right there on the sidewalk. The engine snarled and then the tires squealed as he spun it sharply around. In a matter of seconds, Jacob raced out of sight. Mr. Greene gnashed his teeth together while he watched the performance. â€Å"Mr. Cullen, I expect you to ask your friend to refrain from trespassing again.† â€Å"He's no friend of mine, Mr. Greene, but I'll pass along the warning.† Mr. Greene pursed his lips. Edward's perfect grades and spotless record were clearly a factor in Mr. Greene's assessment of the incident. â€Å"I see. If you're worried about any trouble, I'd be happy to -â€Å" â€Å"There's nothing to worry about, Mr. Greene. There won't be any trouble.† â€Å"I hope that's correct. Well, then. On to class. You, too, Miss Swan.† Edward nodded, and pulled me quickly along toward the English building. â€Å"Do you feel well enough to go to class?† he whispered when we were past the principal. â€Å"Yes,† I whispered back, not quite sure if this was a lie. Whether I felt well or not was hardly the most important consideration. I needed to talk to Edward right away, and English class wasn't the ideal place for the conversation I had in mind. But with Mr. Greene right behind us, there weren't a lot of other options. We got to class a little late and took our seats quickly. Mr. Berty was reciting a Frost poem. He ignored our entrance, refusing to let us break his rhythm. I yanked a blank page out of my notebook and started writing, my handwriting more illegible than normal thanks to my agitation. What happened? Tell me everything. And screw the protecting me crap, please. I shoved the note at Edward. He sighed, and then began writing. It took him less time than me, though he wrote an entire paragraph in his own personal calligraphy before he slipped the paper back. Alice saw that Victoria was coming back. I took you out of town merely as a precaution – there was never a chance that she would have gotten anywhere close to you. Emmett and Jasper very nearly had her, but Victoria seems to have some instinct for evasion. She escaped right down the Quileute boundary line as if she were reading it from a map. It didn't help that Alice's abilities were nullified by the Quileutes' involvement. To be fair, the Quileutes might have had her, too, if we hadn't gotten in the way. The big gray one thought Emmett was over the line, and he got defensive. Of course Rosalie reacted to that, and everyone left the chase to protect their companions. Carlisle and Jasper got things calmed down before it got out of hand. But by then, Victoria had slipped away. That's everything. I frowned at the letters on the page. All of them had been in on it – Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, and Carlisle. Maybe even Esme, though he hadn't mentioned her. And then Paul and the rest of the Quileute pack. It might so easily have turned into a fight, pitting my future family and my old friends against each other. Any one of them could have been hurt. I imagined the wolves would be in the most danger, but picturing tiny Alice next to one of the huge werewolves, fighting . . . I shuddered. Carefully, I scrubbed out the entire paragraph with my eraser and then I wrote over the top: What about Charlie? She could have been after him. Edward was shaking his head before I finished, obviously going to downplay any danger on Charlie's behalf. He held a hand out, but I ignored that and started again. You can't know that she wasn't thinking that, because you weren't here. Florida was a bad idea. He took the paper from underneath my hand. I wasn't about to send you off alone. With your luck, not even the black box would survive. That wasn't what I'd meant at all; I hadn't thought of going without him. I'd meant that we should have stayed here together. But I was sidetracked by his response, and a little miffed. Like I couldn't fly cross country without bringing the plane down. Very funny. So let's say my bad luck did crash the plane. What exactly were you going to do about it? Why is the plane crashing? He was trying to hide a smile now. The pilots are passed out drunk. Easy. I'd fly the plane. Of course. I pursed my lips and tried again. Both engines have exploded and we're falling in a death spiral toward the earth. I'd wait till we were close enough to the ground, get a good grip on you, kick out the wall, and jump. Then I'd run you back to the scene of the accident, and we'd stumble around like the two luckiest survivors in history. I stared at him wordlessly. â€Å"What?† he whispered. I shook my head in awe. â€Å"Nothing,† I mouthed. I scrubbed out the disconcerting conversation and wrote one more line. You will tell me next time. I knew there would be a next time. The pattern would continue until someone lost. Edward stared into my eyes for a long moment. I wondered what my face looked like – it felt cold, so the blood hadn't returned to my cheeks. My eyelashes were still wet. He sighed and then nodded once. Thanks. The paper disappeared from under my hand. I looked up, blinkingin surprise, just as Mr. Berty came down the aisle. â€Å"Is that something you'd like to share there, Mr. Cullen?† Edward looked up innocently and held out the sheet of paper on top of his folder. â€Å"My notes?† he asked, sounding confused. Mr. Berty scanned the notes – no doubt a perfect transcription of his lecture – and then walked away frowning. It was later, in Calculus – my one class without Edward – that I heard the gossip. â€Å"My money's on the big Indian,† someone was saying. I peeked up to see that Tyler, Mike, Austin, and Ben had their heads bent together, deep in conversation. â€Å"Yeah,† Mike whispered. â€Å"Did you see the size of that Jacob kid? I think he could take Cullen down.† Mike sounded pleased by the idea. â€Å"I don't think so,† Ben disagreed. â€Å"There's something about Edward. He's always so . . . confident. I have a feeling he can take care of himself.† â€Å"I'm with Ben,† Tyler agreed. â€Å"Besides, if that other kid messed Edward up, you know those big brothers of his would get involved.† â€Å"Have you been down to La Push lately?† Mike asked. â€Å"Lauren and I went to the beach a couple of weeks ago, and believe me, Jacob's friends are all just as big as he is.† â€Å"Huh,† Tyler said. â€Å"Too bad it didn't turn into anything. Guess we'll never know how it would have turned out.† â€Å"It didn't look over to me,† Austin said. â€Å"Maybe we'll get to see.† Mike grinned. â€Å"Anyone in the mood for a bet?† â€Å"Ten on Jacob,† Austin said at once. â€Å"Ten on Cullen,† Tyler chimed in. â€Å"Ten on Edward,† Ben agreed. â€Å"Jacob,† Mike said. â€Å"Hey, do you guys know what it was about?† Austin wondered. â€Å"That might affect the odds.† â€Å"I can guess,† Mike said, and then he shot a glance at me at the same time that Ben and Tyler did. From their expressions, none of them had realized I was in easy hearing distance. They all looked away quickly, shuffling the papers on their desks. â€Å"I still say Jacob,† Mike muttered under his breath.

Evaluate a given situation to determine a company’s attitude towards social responsibility

The case of Company X is a good example of private enterprise that has yet to put social development at the core of its business. Before measures are laid out as to how they could improve its corporate social responsibility (CSR), it is imperative to discuss the basics of CSR. CSR is defined as the responsibility of a business towards society (Bateman and Snell, 2002,p. 151). It used to be that businesses exist primarily to sell goods and provide services (Pride, Hughes and Kapoor, 1988, p. 41). In succeeding years, the principle of CSR increased with some organizations becoming motivated in social development, evolving to enlightened self-interest. Enterprises were driven more by the need to enhance competitive advantage. Recognizing that products have achieved quality and price parity, companies saw the need to shore up their reputation capital. In essence, CSR became the competitive advantage. The shift it motivation for social development resulted in CSR becoming mainstream business practice. In recent years, companies measure organizational performance not only with financial aspect but included social and environmental criteria as well. CSR has made a big leap at the heart of businesses (Porter and Kramer, 2006, p. 1). Company Q clearly does not prioritize CSR. While closing some stores due to money lost is a practical move, they were not able to recognize the importance of maintaining customer relationships. True, they granted a persistent customers’ request to sell organic and health-conscious food but they sold it in limited amounts only. Based on the case, it stated that this request has been made for years, meaning there was a clamor for this. Company X was not able to see that. Declining to donate day-old food items to the food bank simply because they were worried of possible revenue loss and issues of stealing and gossip indicates that Company X gives priority to how much money they are making rather than how they could use the opportunity to contribute resources to the society in aim of improving the quality of life. The purpose of a business is not only to pursue profits. Since businesses are part of the society, they cannot ignore social issues. In taking their part in tackling social issues, businesses can create and maintain a stable environment that has long-term profitability (Pride, Hughes and Kapoor, 1988, p. 42). There are three areas that Company X could start with in implementing CSR- customers, employees and community. With regards to the customers, Company X could involve their customers in the product development process. They could provide feedback. The company has had experience in this area when they finally gave in to the customers’ request for organic and health food. Constant communication and interaction with customers is one way. Going an extra step may include putting health and environmental information on their products and services; getting feedback from customers on why they like going to the store and what aspect they feel need improvement (putting up a feedback box), things like that. Company X should remember that word of mouth advertising is a good and simple way to gain customers’ attention. If more customers like the store, there is a high probability that they would recommend it to their friends and colleagues. Customers should feel that the store is a safe place to stay so ample security should be provided. It is stated in the case that the chain closed some stores in high crime areas. When it comes to their employees, it is rather safe to assume that Company X does not trust their employees judging by the fact that they were afraid to donate because some employees may steal and say that they got it from the food drive. Employees are a major stakeholder in businesses. Without employees, the company would not advance. Company X could start implementing employee programs that would benefit them individually and organizationally. It is a fact that employees who enjoy their work and have a good working relationship with their employers are likely to contribute more to the company. Company X could start with putting work-life balance programs and those that facilitate employee participation in decision making. An open channel of communication between employees and managers is vital. After all, in a store, it is the employee that has the most contact with the customers. If Company X deems that donating day-old food results in revenue loss, they could still support the community in other means such as hiring of locals and purchasing products locally. This way, they could augment the income of the community. Additionally, they could espouse employee volunteerism in community development programs. They could also align social development into their business practice. Under this approach, they could identify their needs and determine how communities could be helped. It may not be donating food or money after all. Direct consultation with the community could make a significant change not only for the community but Company X as well. After all, they are situated in the community; they might as well integrate them. Businesses should discharge its CSR in a way that befits its competence. The benefit cuts both ways: businesses add to their income and their communities gain skills, livelihood and assets. CSR should be central and strategic to the business. CSR in an obligation seamlessly integrated into the core business. Everyone needs to step up to alleviate social problems and make the world a better place for the future generation.

College Binge Drinking Epidemic

College Binge Drinking Epidemic Throughout the years, drinking alcohol in excessive amounts has become somewhat synonymous with the college experience. It has become an expected occurrence for college-aged students to drink and party regularly, and overtime has transformed into an accepted social norm of college life. Extreme drinking has been a consistent social problem that has substantially grown on college campuses all around the United States for the past few decades. In fact, binge drinking is consistently voted as the most serious problem on campuses by collegiate presidents (College Binge Drinking Facts).Thus, most campuses have recognized binge drinking as a serious problem, yet this epidemic continues on, and many seem to turn a blind eye toward it. According to Learn-About-Alcoholism. com, 90% of the alcohol consumed by teens is consumed in the form of binge drinking. Binge drinking is a widespread phenomenon on most college campuses, including the University of Massachuse tts Amherst, and has harmful and dangerous consequences as well as significant impacts on the goal higher education. First, it is important to establish a definition for the term ‘binge drinking. The National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA) defines binge drinking as â€Å"a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0. 08 gram-percent or above. For a typical adult, this pattern corresponds to consuming five or more drinks (male), or four or more drinks (female), in about two hours† (What Colleges Need to Know Now). In essence, binge drinking is the drinking of alcoholic beverages with the primary intention of becoming heavily intoxicated by alcohol over a short period of time.In a nationwide survey, nearly half of all college students (42%) reported binge drinking during the last two weeks. It is obvious that binge drinking is a severe problem on college campuses as almost half of all students engage in this risky acti vity that leads to unhealthy and negative outcomes. In this situation, the objective social issue is binge drinking on college campuses around the country, including UMass Amherst. The subjective social problems are all of the various repercussions that binge drinking can result in (Lundquist Lecture January 25).Most college students do not consider these serious risks when they participate in heavy drinking. These consequences include intentional and unintentional injuries, alcohol poisoning, physical and sexual abuses, unprotected sex and sexually transmitted diseases, relationship problems, alcohol addiction, and poor grades. Long-term use of alcohol risks liver damage, pancreatitis, certain cancers, literal shrinkage of the brain, neurological damage, high blood pressure, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases (Witmer).It is clear there are countless negative effects both physically and mentally, and long-term and short-term caused by excessive alcohol consumption. There are numerous groups of people who view binge drinking on campuses as problematic. School administrators and the faculty of colleges are concerned with this problem because it tarnishes the reputation of the school, inflicts damage to school property, and injures or even kills students. Parents of these college students also view drinking as problematic, as it is likely they are paying for their children to attend school, and their teens are partying their college years away.Students who do not binge drink on campus but witness the effects of it on their peers and friends are concerned with this problem, and are also greatly affected by the behavior of students who binge drink. Among students who do not binge drink on a given night, 71% have had sleep or study disrupted, 11% had been pushed, hit, or assaulted by the binge drinker, 57% had to spend the majority of their sleep time caring for the intoxicated student, 23% had experienced an unwanted sexual encounter, and 16% had property da mage (College Binge Drinking Facts).On the other hand, students who are engaging in binge drinking do not view this as a social problem as they are oblivious to the risky outcomes and alarming statistics. I believe excessive drinking has been defined as a social problem on the UMass Amherst campus because programs and campaigns have been established to help reduce the amount of binge drinking among students. For example, BASICS (Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students) is a program for students found in violation of the UMass liquor code. The program includes two 50-minute counseling sessions with a drug and alcohol prevention specialist.About 1,000 students a year go through the program, mostly students who have violated the campus alcohol rules, but students may also attend on their own free will. Furthermore, freshmen at UMass are required to take a 75-minute online course about alcohol consumption (Drake). UMass also offers many other activities on campus to give extra opportunities for students to participate in rather than illegal drinking. The lifecycle of binge drinking has been established through the NIAA’s definition of binge drinking which defines the problem.The public has transformed it into a public issue with organizations such as SADD and Alcoholics Anonymous. The lifecycle of the binge drinking problem continues with a debate over the cause of it, and finally finishes with coming up with a solution to reduce the amount of binge drinking on campuses (Lundquist Lecture January 25). UMass Amherst has a history of binge drinking and wild parties, thus earning itself the nicknames Zoomass, The Zoo, and Zoomass Slamherst. Although UMass has many outstanding attributes to the school, its drinking reputation and party scene still seems to stand out from the rest of what the school has to offer.In 2005, the Princeton Review awarded UMass Amherst one of the â€Å"Best Northeastern Colleges,† as well as one of the eighty-on e nationwide â€Å"Colleges with a Conscience† for its exceptional community-service learning programs. The Princeton Review also named UMass Amherst the number nine party school in the nation, and obviously this ranking gained more press and attention than the other recognitions (Drake). Most college students do not consider the harmful consequences, both short term and long term, when going out for a night of binge drinking.The three leading causes of death for 15 to 24 year olds are car accidents, homicides, and suicides, and alcohol is a leading factor in all three. Specifically, 1,700 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes. Annually, an estimated 30,000 college students require medical treatment after overdosing on alcohol. Also, 599,000 college students aged 18 to 24 sustain unintentional injuries each year from use of alcohol.Alcohol is also a catalyst for sexual behavior s, both unprotected and unwanted. More than 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape. Additionally, 400,000 students aged 18 to 24 had unprotected sex and more than 100,000 students of this age group report having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex (A Snapshot of Annual High-Risk College Drinking Consequences). Alcohol use in college campuses also have a severe negative effect on the academic performance of students who partake in binge drinking.About 25% of college students report academic penalties as a result of drinking such as missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall (A Snapshot of Annual High-Risk College Drinking Consequences). In fact, frequent binge drinkers are twenty-one times more likely than non-binge drinkers to miss classes, fall behind in schoolwork, engage in vandalism, be injured or hurt, engage in unplanned sexual acti vity, not use protection when having sex, get in trouble with campus police, or drive a car after drinking (Binge Drinking on College Campuses).Some of the top reasons college students give for exposing themselves to binge drinking are drinking to have a good time, drinking to get drunk, and drinking to celebrate. Other rationales are peer pressure, stress from academic and familial issues, and the culture of alcohol consumption on campuses. Students that are more likely to be binge drinkers are white, involved in athletics, age twenty-three or younger, and are residents of a fraternity or a sorority. It is also reported that the prevalence of binge drinking among men is two times the prevalence among women, and is more common by older teens than younger teens.Statistics show that 35% of adults with alcohol dependency developed symptoms by age 19, which is the age of a college student. The proportion of current drinkers that binge is highest in the 18 to 20 year old group (51%) (Qui ck Stats: Binge Drinking). When considering different sociological perspectives on college binge drinking, there are three different outlooks on how it originates among students. The pathological perspective on binge drinking states that drinking is the result of innately evil individuals. The abnormality is genetic, so therefore there is no remedy for binge drinking.The disorganization perspective on binge drinking believes that drinking arises when individuals become disoriented by rapid social and societal change or are socialized to behave badly. These drinkers have not yet adopted the mainstream norms of society. Lastly, the critical perspective on binge drinking takes the viewpoint that inequality leads some groups to binge drink out of economic necessity. They drink to deal with their problems concerning financial instability and other various struggles and hardships of life. (Lundquist Lecture January 25).Statistics across the country prove that binge drinking on college cam puses continues to be a growing problem. Linda Degutis, associate professor of emergency medicine at Yale Medical School, believes college drinking has indeed worsened since she began a career in emergency medicines in the early seventies. She states, â€Å"I don’t remember seeing people coming in with the alcohol overdoses the way we do now† (Seaman 113). Additionally, in the fall of 2003 there was an apparent spike in the alcohol-related hospitalizations across the United States.The first two weekends of George Washington University’s first semester saw a doubling of hospitalizations. At Harvard, the number of Undergraduates carried into University Health Services’ ER on Massachusetts Avenue nearly doubled during October and November from the previous year. (114) The movie, Spin the Bottle: An Example of Social Problems at UMass was a homework assignment for Sociology 103 students to watch. This documentary highlights the growing epidemic of drinking on college campuses, and how the media and advertisements also fuel binge drinking.Clips from the popular comedy films American Pie and Roadtrip are featured in Spin the Bottle showing how movies can influence and encourage teen drinking. College students who view these films get the idea that drinking in college is a rite of passage and that it is a social norm of college life. Spin the Bottle also discussed the status of alcohol advertising and how it appeals to the female market by featuring attractive, feminine women in their ads. This only supports and persuades female college students to keep up with the males in drinking at college parties without seeming too masculine.Spin the Bottle uses the sociological imagination to connect to larger societal issues, such as how industries are only looking to make a profit even if their product has negative effects on people and how the environment of college life affects how an individual makes his or her decisions. In particular, UMass A mherst has experienced out of control parties and riots, all stemming from binge drinking. In 2003, an uprising ensued after a Red Sox playoff game, in which 1,000 UMass students overturned cars, set fires, broke into a dining hall, and threw bottles at police.This called for a supposed greater control over binge drinking and partying. However, three years later in October, town police reported to have arrested approximately 200 students since the start school, a third more than the year before (Schweitzer). In May of 2003, a pre-graduation party which consisted of over 1,500 UMass Amherst students turned into an uncontrollable riot. The so-called â€Å"Hobart Hoedown,† held on Hobart Lane, resulted in students throwing broken pieces of rock and beer bottles at passing cars and police officers.The Amherst Fire Department extinguished a number of fires, one of which burned down a PVTA bus stop. In all, forty-five arrests were made and there were fifteen reported injuries among Amherst cops as well as police overtime at the cost of $20,000 (Lyman). More recently, in February 2008, a wild off-campus house party turned into a dangerous, drunken fight. Athletes allegedly attacked other people attending the party with baseball bats, lacrosse sticks, and bottles.In addition around this time, two students were facing attempted murder charges in late-night conflicts in a UMass dormitory, which included an alleged rape and racially charged double stabbing. As expected, it is believed that binge drinking was the cause of these violent attacks and incidents (Schworm). Even this past weekend, ironically labeled â€Å"Blackout Weekend,† at UMass Amherst, twelve students were hospitalized and treated for serious alcohol intoxication at the Turn It Up dance party at the Mullins Center. Three other students who did not need medical attention but were drunk were placed in protective custody by police (DeForge).Clearly, there is an abundance of issues and various o ccurrences stemming from binge drinking at UMass Amherst, and even with increased policing and enforcing of rules, these events continue to happen. UMass Amherst has made considerable efforts in trying to curtail the amount of drinking and partying that goes on in and around campus. In 2006, the university purchased â€Å"Frat Row,† an infamous string of Greek houses on North Pleasant Street, for $2. 5 million and demolished them (Schweitzer). UMass has implemented the So-Called Social Norms Campaign and has the BASICS program to fight binge drinking on campus.At UMass-Amherst, 68% of men and 58% of women report drinking five or more drinks in a row at least once in the past two weeks, according to the latest surveys. Both of these figures are well above the national average; however they do represent progress from years past. Since 2003, overall binge drinking has dropped 26%, and frequent heavy drinking is down 38% (Schworm). Thus, it is clear UMass has recognized binge dri nking as a social problem on campus and is working on ways of trying to reduce it, although it still remains a significant issue.Ultimately, binge drinking is an extensive social problem that exists on college campuses across America and startling statistics back up the huge numbers of students that are affected by drinking. Serious health problems, physical and sexual abuse, injuries, and poor grades are all penalties resulting from partaking in the risky behavior of binge drinking. There are various influences and reasons that encourage students to drink heavily, including peer pressure, academic and relationship stress, believing it is an accepted culture of college, and drinking to get drunk.UMass in particular has experienced violence, property damage, and student injuries and deaths as a result of binge drinking. The university has recognized the problem and is being proactive about trying to reduce the amount of binge drinking on campus. Clearly, binge drinking is problem of epidemic proportions that is greatly affecting colleges in negative ways, and without actions and solutions to curb dangerous student behavior the issue will only continue to deteriorate campuses and the students themselves.

Equality before the law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Equality before the law - Essay Example There are various instances when best men are not offered the opportunity to represent their nation, in a democratic way. However, Pericles states that people have adopted the system of office rotation in assuring democracy. As a result, democracy and equal representation of individuals play an imperative role in any government (Thucydides and Woodruff 41). Individuals are offered freedom in order to exercise their rights in a nation that observes representation of the majority. According to Pericles, there must be equal representation of rights and freedom to citizens irrespective of cultural, economic, or social considerations (Thucydides and Woodruff 41). Therefore, people must follow rules and regulations to the letter in order to ensure democracy. The city of Athens represents a nation that has put into consideration myriad political aspects such as democracy, observes individuals’ rights and freedom among others ( Tracy 56). According to the writings, happiness results from individuals being free to carry out any legal activity without infringing others rights and freedom. The city of Athens has a strong force that protects its citizens from external intrusions by neighboring enemies (Thucydides and Woodruff 41). The city of Athens has managed to, effectively; organize its government matters through the adoption of democratic

The Zodiac Killer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Zodiac Killer - Essay Example Additionally, he single-mindedly killed the college students without any theft intentions. The belongings of the teens were found intact when they were discovered dead by a passing motorist, Burges. The Zodiac was courageous enough to send vulgar insults to the police after he carried out his unscrupulous missions. He employed weird ciphers and made phone calls, yet no police unit could efficaciously track him down. The killer was techno-savvy, and he understood the operation of hi-tech systems of technology. This enabled hi evade the police and any investigative authority. According to Menny, the Zodiac killer is alive to date aged 91 years (Menny23). The young couple was from a concert before the incident happened. The first article ‘Friends Quizzed in Slaying of Teen Pair near Vallejo’ has a related version of the zodiac killer to the second article ‘Police Seeking Teens’ Slayer’. Even so, there are slight differences subject to the different investigators of the incident. Menny asserts that the teens had attended a pre-concert during that day in Vallejo before the incident happened that evening. This claim concurs with the ‘Police Seeking Teens’ Slayer’ article, which also reveals that the two late teens were in a pre-Christmas concert prior to their murder. However, Menny asserts that there is a possibility that the two youngsters were trailed by their assailant from the Vallejo concert.

Maisie is representative of her class (the working poor) and gender Essay

Maisie is representative of her class (the working poor) and gender. Discuss the effects of WWI on the class system and on women, in particular - Essay Example One of the ways in which Maisie Dobbs represents the working class poor is by having a history and identity that totally correlates with the working class poor. Particularly, Maisie Dobbs hails from a poor background. Alongside this, Maisie becomes less fortunate as she loses her mother her mother at her pubescent stage of life. To show for this poverty and underprivileged status, Dobbs has to work to supplement her father’s efforts. In fact, the matter is graver since this means that Dobbs is being exploited, since she is a minor yet she is employed. This is not so uncommon among low income earners or the working class poor societies which may not mind their underage children being conscripted into child labor, to supplement their meager earnings (Winspear, 12). Likewise, Dobbs represents the working class poor by landing a lowly job as maid at Lady Rowan Compton’s Belgravia Mansion, in 1910. Mostly, it is the working class poor which cannot discriminate against jobs that come their way, because of prevailing antecedent factors such as previous inability to access quality education. This means that in the long run, the working class poor subculture cannot produce favorable qualifications to help them attain meaningful jobs. Dobbs also represents the working class poor by taking education seriously. The working class poor takes education seriously because it sees it as the only conduit by which it can become empowered and scale upwards in the society. High income earners and the upper middle class may mostly not take learning as seriously as the working class poor, since the two classes are privileged to have several options. The seriousness that Dobbs expends in her learning is seen in her being filled with the joy of reading and learning when she is introduced to Lady Compton’s library. Dobbs also gladly and willingly becomes Maurice Blanche’s

Communication conflict between culture Research Paper

Communication conflict between culture - Research Paper Example on factors however, every society has its own cultural traits that have been developed due to centuries of historical, religious and behaviorist approaches. Thus, when it comes to performing communication between two separate cultures, there is a high possibility that due to differences in cultural influences such process of communication and the elements of conflict that obviously remain integrally related with methods of communication among people belonging to separate socio-cultural disciplines, would contradict against one another and such problem of contradiction between cultures, in the context of communication, is surely a matter of great concern. According to scholarly interpretations, the process of communication can be defined â€Å"[as] a system of behavior† (Novinger 4). Consequently, it has also been identified that â€Å"[because] different cultures often demand very different behaviors, intercultural communication is more complex than communication between persons of same culture† (Novinger 4). However, in order to over the obstacles of intercultural communication, several attempts have been made by sociological and linguistic scholars and those attempts have resulted in considerable progress since last 20 years within the same domain. According to the theorists, the entire process of communication can be divided into two categories, namely, subjective and objective. The objectivists of intercultural communication are of opinion that another world, which is separate from general individual existence, exists and people in search of harmony among behavior of other people orient their methods of communicati on by depending on situations or environment. Thus, according to objectivists, communication is not self-determined; rather it is dependent on external factors like situation or environment. The subjectivists, however, have adopted quite a contrasting position than that of the objectivists as they opine that communication generates from free human

How do geographies of exclusion and inequality structure experiences Essay

How do geographies of exclusion and inequality structure experiences of contemporary society - Essay Example These aspects have resulted to regional differences in relation to division of labour of gender in relation to reproduction and production, paid labour and unpaid labour, and in domestic and public spheres. Vanderbeck & Dunkley (2006) states that, the different values, norms and rules governing the gender in terms of division of labour and gender sharing of responsibilities, resources and power are significant elements in understanding the manner of inequality of gender in different regions and societies. Geographical differences mean that men and women take part in their national or regional economic activities differently from one another. More so these differences differ across the world. Two major factors are specifically significant in determining at which extent women take part in the main economic activities and their reach valued social resources; 2. How inflexible the â€Å"public private† segregate is, thus affecting the degree of the women in terms of public movement and opportunities for straight economic participation (Vanderbeck & Dunkley, 2006) Research form various social sciences subjects hints that there are different household variations which are associated with specific â€Å"regional patriarchies†. These basically concerns land inherences, economic activities, welfare outcomes and marital practices. (Vanderbeck & Dunkley, 2006) The most pronounced type of gender inequality in Asia is related with governments which are extremely patriarchy. These regimes also include those found in North Africa western Asia and East Asia. These countries have a clear different history and culture but they share similarities in terms of woman economic activity. Family structures and kinship in these countries are mostly patrilineal; marriages seem to be exogamous and also â€Å"patrilocal† where women marry out of their community. Household in these regions are organized alongside

E-Customer Relationship Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

E-Customer Relationship Management - Essay Example   Although e customer relations management is a fairly new area of study for businesses and related stake holders, there has been research taken up to show the possible solutions to the   business problem as presented above. These solutions have been projected to help the organizations increase and maintain their customers through the provision of quality customer relations. The first solution that shall be looked into is developing customer focused business strategies. This involves considering the consumer throughout the process of developing a business strategy (Shanmugasundaram, 2008). This means the organization has to understand the needs of the consumers as well as the demands and through this they can be able to project what demands the consumers might make in the future. The most effective way of getting to the level where an organization can make projections into the future about the demands of their clients, is by providing channels of communications that enable the cl ient to give their views on the products provide4d as well as communication what the consumer would like the organization to improve or include in the line of their production (Romano and Fjermestad, 2006). By so doing the client gets to choose which channel of communication best suits them and thereafter the organization can use that to communicate on a personal level to the consumer telling them of new products and of upcoming sales. This creates a personal feel to the relationship.... Following research undertaken to understand the potential markets and increased profit presented by the Internet, e customer relationship management has come forth as an area that has not yet been fully looked into. Studies continue to show that online based organizations do not offer competitive customer service to counter their offline competition whose customer relations management supersedes that of the online based firms. According to the research report by Lee-Kelley, Gilbert, and Mannincom (2003), many firms in the U.K that went online were blinded by the perception that the Internet provides a near perfect market. This belief led most of the firms to decrease the attention on other strategies of pleasing the client and instead focused on setting the price. This led to aspects such as feature, quality and customer relations being compromised and this meant the organizations did not enjoy the full potential of opportunities created by the Internet. One of the rationales for the concentration of setting the prices is the fact that with online transactions, the consumer is able to compare different firms offering the same item and this creates price wars. This makes firms engage in an act that eventually benefits the consumers more. Although e customer relations management is a fairly new area of study for businesses and related stake holders, there has been research taken up to show the possible solutions to the business problem as presented above. These solutions have been projected to help the organizations increase and maintain their customers through the provision of quality customer relations. The first solution that shall be looked into is developing customer focused business

Design in Modern Art (painting from Paula and Leonard Granoff Gallerie Essay - 15

Design in Modern Art (painting from Paula and Leonard Granoff Galleries) - Essay Example The sculpture painting is placed in [Please provide the room that you obtained it from]. There are other fashion sculptures placed around it such as shoes. There is also a glass cupboard with other ornaments in it. There is a wooden table made of a board that holds them (Rosenfeld, & Daniel, 54). It has been displayed upright with human portrait used to depict how it appears when it has been used. The room which it has been placed is well lit with ceiling lights illuminating enough light to the objects. The display is very appropriate since it gives the viewer the direct message of what it is and has the theme of modernism in it. The display is very good since the portrait that has been used also suggest the gender type that the artwork is made for. The time period of this object is of the twentieth century since most of the clothing displayed is widely used in the present. The artist has used modern techniques in bringing out the sculpture; the artist has presented the fashionable trends in the twentieth century and displayed contemporary artwork. The artist is a modernist; everything that has been used in the sculpture is modern. The artwork symbolizes modern fashion styles that are widely used in the twentieth century. The artwork also symbolizes change that has seen old fashion dressed being wiped out with trendy ones like the one portrayed. The artwork has a theme of religious meaning; in this context, it has touched on fashion styles that are widely used by Christians. One traditional aspect that has been considered is the color black; meanwhile, the patterns and the materials used are both modern. The fashion can be used in both social and official ceremonial events. The artist inspires and it brings a feeling that success comes through hard work and determination. The choice about this object reveals that art has been given the first priority and understanding how to succeed is may be learnt from past

The Rise of Cloud Computing in Telecommunication Industry Essay Example for Free

The Rise of Cloud Computing in Telecommunication Industry Essay Introduction â€Å"There was a time when every household, town, farm or village had its own water well. Today, shared public utilities give us access to clean water by simply turning on the tap; cloud computing works in a similar fashion.† That was the analogy used by Vivek Kundra, Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the United States Government to depict the use of cloud computing in today’s society. As the corporate world has embarked on the interactive platform of Web 2. 0, some companies are progressing one step ahead to experiment data communication with cloud computing. What is cloud computing? According to Mache Creeger in the article â€Å"Cloud Computing: An Overview†, cloud computing refers a model of shift in the delivery of architecture of information services and data for economic reasons (Creeger, 2009). In this paper, I will present a brief overview of how cloud computing operate, the role of cloud computing in telecommunication industry, the advantages and challenges involved in its implementation. How does cloud computing work? â€Å"Cloud† technically refers to the data center hardware and software used in providing a pay-as-you-go data service to the public. The term â€Å"private cloud†, on the other hand, is used by organizations to refer to their internal data centers (Armbrust, et al., 2010). Cloud computing can be divided into three types of services, namely software-as-a-service (SaaS) for WAN-enabled applications, platform-as-a-service (PaaS) for new applications, and infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) for computational and storage infrastructure (Creeger, 2009). Armbrust, et al. April 2010. [Main components of cloud computing]. Retrieved from â€Å"A View of Cloud Computing† Journal Article. Sometimes, cloud is claimed to be nothing new in data services. Chris Rose, author of the article â€Å"A Break in The Cloud? The Reality of Cloud Computing†, suggests that cloud computing is the merging of existing technologies like networking and virtualization to provide new services that charges by usage (Rose, 2011). Fundamentally, the point of storing data in the cloud, compared to conventional data management, is its high accessibility from a shared and centralized hosts and low cost for the same reason. Not only that, it enables opportunities for enhanced collaboration on a shared common platform (Creeger, 2009). What does cloud computing mean to telecommunication business? Google, Amazon and Salesforce.com were among the earliest companies to set their footsteps in by building data architectures using cloud technology to support their applications. Following that was an increasing number of telecommunication companies around the globe such as KDDI, China Mobile, SingTel that were grabbing their pieces of the pie by joining the pioneers in delivering data services using cloud (Tobolski, Greenway, Tucker, 2011). For these companies, they foresaw cloud services as a lucrative loophole from traditional telecommunication. An article by Accenture entitled â€Å"Six Questions Every Telecommunications Senior Executive Should Ask about Cloud Computing† reports that â€Å"worldwide cloud services revenue was projected to surpass $56.3 billion in 2009, a 21.3 percent increase from 2008 revenue of $46.4 billion, according to Gartner, Inc. The market is expected to reach $150.1 billion in 2013.à ¢â‚¬  (Tobolski, Greenway, Tucker, 2011). Those figures are huge enough to boost revenues for the telecommunication players. Additionally, Tobolski and other authors points out in the same article that cloud computing allows companies to save cost by bypassing most expenses in installing and maintaining their own local data centers (Tobolski, Greenway, Tucker, 2011). These are among of the reasons more telecom companies are investing in the development of cloud technology. However, there are other reasons that make cloud computing an ideal option. For instance, the common application platform used in cloud allows sharing with third parties, hence allowing telecommunication companies to deploy services that either extend their services to or operate independently in cooperating with third parties (Creeger, 2009). They would enjoy a lot more flexibility and less rigidity in their operations with the advantages offered by cloud. Another article, â€Å"Privacy, Security and Trust in Cloud Computing, The Perspective of the Telecommunication Industry† also highlights that telecommunication industry is at a unique position to integrate and promote new cloud-based services by making use of its existing relationships with customers (Martucci, Zuccato, Smeets, Habib, Johansson, Shahmehri, 2012). Such effort would encourage more participation in cloud computing that helps it to grow immensely and gain trusts from more customers. Furthermore, their expertise in building and managing complex networks is another plus point to adopt cloud computing in meeting some industrial needs that traditional data technology was unable to provide (Tobolski, Greenway, Tucker, 2011). In another word, cloud computing can make up to what was previously lacking in the industry. From a technical stand, Internet Protocol (IP) infrastructure owned by telcos also lends itself well to cloud services compared to enterprise infrastructure (Gubbins, 2009). All these instances have proven that cloud computing is a good fit for the telecommunication industry in increasing revenues and efficiency as well as lowering operational costs. Advantages of Cloud Computing i. Economic Advantage/ Cost efficiency As mentioned previously, the application of cloud computing in managing data saves cost for telecommunication companies. How and how much do they save? According to Mache Creeger again, sharing resources and purchasing power of very large-scale multitenant data centers in using cloud can result in an obvious cost cut, from paying as much as $3.75 per month for a gigabyte of managed storage reduced to as low as only 10 to 15 cents per month with cloud storage (Creeger, 2009). For companies that are constantly allocating a huge chunk of expense on keeping their data, cloud computing seems exactly like the great solution to saving on that. This difference in price essentially owes it to the lower physical space of only about 1,000 square feet required in a cloud data center that uses virtualization, instead of 35,000 square feet for a conventional data center. Yet compared to server utilization of between 2 and 3 percent on a usual data center, the one in cloud with virtualization can g o up to 80 percent (Creeger, 2009). Another economic benefit for using cloud is in giving small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) the affordability to invest in a disaster recovery cost. Again using virtualization, disaster recovery mechanism is more cost-effective by requiring 1.05 times the cost of the infrastructure itself, instead of double of that cost if using typical disaster recovery (Creeger 3). Therefore, not only companies get to save on paying for the storage, they even get to pay a lower price to keep their data safe just because it’s a better technology. Additionally, there are other expenses involved in the operation of telecommunication data business that can be significantly reduced. Using the concept of economies of scale, operating on large-scaled cloud data centers at low-cost locations can produce a factor of 5 to 7 decrease in cost of electricity, network bandwidth, operations, software, and hardware (Armbust et al. 3). Armbrust, et al. April 2010. [Main components of cloud computing]. Retrieved from â€Å"A View of Cloud Computing† Journal Article. ii. Flexibility and Shift in Control Besides saving costs, shifting to cloud-based data services results in a certain level of flexibility and technical advantages to the companies. In contrast with traditional data services, cloud capable of being turned on and off as needed and easily expandable by attaching more servers (Joe Tobolski et al. 4). Hence, cloud is more customizable with better control to cater to the needs of different companies. Moreover, Creeger mentions in his article that the increased automation used in cloud computing is another advantage by eliminating the need for on-call system administrators (Creeger, 2009). This means the operation of data service under cloud computing are programmed well in advance without relying on manpower. The shift to a new technology that it is so flexible and cost-effective is almost similar to the technology shift from analog to digital signals. Therefore, it is not surprising if most of the telecommunication and data management companies decide to adopt cloud computi ng in the near future. Risks and Challenges In spite of all the benefits that cloud computing bring to the telecommunication and data industry, it is not without risks in its application. In fact, there is a list of challenges posed by cloud computing that different parties are debating and companies are seeking for solutions. In dealing with data, especially sensitive and confidential ones, security and control have always been one of the major concerns. According to the article â€Å"Privacy, Security and Trust in Cloud Computing, The Perspective of the Telecommunication Industry†, In cloud computing services, telecommunication providers in have to share customers’ data with cloud computing providers in providing cloud computing services so the challenge is in ensuring they do not lose control over the customers’ data and identity (Martucci, Zuccato, Smeets, Habib, Johansson, Shahmehri, 2012). However, Creeger provides a different stand in addressing this challenge in his article. According to him, trusting information assets to a recognized and established cloud service provider could increase the security of customers’ data. Also, many data centers would continuously research and develop better ways to secure their infrastructure and data processed (Creeger, 2009). While no major data breaches cases involving cloud were heard of up to this point, telecom companies simply cannot afford the risking their customers’ data before assured that cloud computing services are at least as safe and stable as the traditional data services. Standardization is another challenge faced by companies in delivering cloud services. There is currently a lack of standardized interfaces for cloud computing and telecommunication services to integrate and it seems that the developers are only interested in making the components cross-compatible between different platforms (Martucci, Zuccato, Smeets, Habib, Johansson, Shahmehri, 2012). It may sound like a temporary solution and as the technologies mature, they will decide if standardized interfaces are necessary after all. This is just part of the lack of measurement standards that make evaluating the performance of cloud-provided services less possible at this moment. Besides security and standards, transparency of the cloud market could be a challenge if telecom companies are smart enough in maintaining good relationships with customers. Cloud computing services would be portrayed as the same as any Internet services and hence when the services go down, people would blog, post and tweet about it and share with people around the world. For example, a service outage that cut 14 percent of Google users from services in 2009 caused an outrage on social media channels (Tobolski, Greenway, Tucker, 2011). Consequently, this would negatively affect the reputation of the service providers. Therefore, aside being its part in avoiding service failures, telecom companies have to take part in social media and respond to customers’ feedbacks and complaints. These risks and challenges are not impossible to overcome but require time and collaborations between cloud providers and telecom computing to produce more promising security and standard. Conclusion Even with a relatively new emergence, cloud computing has a sophisticated and established infrastructure, ready to provide data services for the next generation of service providers. Cloud computing is a technology created to stay in the industry and continue to grow as telecommunication and other corporate companies jump on the bandwagon to benefits from it. While the advantages of implementing cloud computing seem appealing in terms of cost and technical flexibility, companies should always consider its drawbacks and understand the risks before proceeding with the adoption of this technology. With cloud computing becoming part of the telecommunication industry, it brings a new hope to the companies in generating more revenues and overcoming the weaknesses of traditional data services. Hence, it would also improve the quality of service in delivering and managing customers’ data Bibliography Armbrust, M., Fox, A., Griffith, R., Joseph, A. D., Katz, R., Konwinski, A., et al. (2010, April). A view of cloud computing. Communications of the ACM, 53(4), pp. 50-58. Creeger, M. (2009, June). Cloud Computing: An Overview. Queue Distributed Computing, 7(5). Gubbins, E. (2009, May). How Telcos Could Conquer The Cloud. Telephony, 250(5), pp. 34-35. Martucci, L. A., Zuccato, A., Smeets, B., Habib, S. M., Johansson, T., Shahmehri, N. (2012). Privacy, Security and Trust in Cloud Computing: The Perspective of the Telecommunication Industry . Ubiquitous IntelligenceComputing and 9th International Conference on AutonomicTrusted Computing (UIC/ATC), (pp. 627 632 ). Sweden. Rose, C. (2011). A Break In The Cloud? The Reality of Cloud Computing. International Journal of Management Information Systems, 15(4), 59-63. Tobolski, J., Greenway, A., Tucker, W. (2011, February 15). Six Questions Every Telecommunications Senior Executive Should Ask About Cloud Computing. USA.

Robert Frosts “Mending Wall” Essay Example for Free

Robert Frosts â€Å"Mending Wall† Essay The â€Å"Mending Wall† by Robert Frost is forty five lines long and is structured into a single paragraph verse. There are no stanzas and visually looks like and metaphorical represents a wall. Frosts writes this poem in first person with the use of â€Å"I† which makes the poem narrative – as if the narrator is speaking directly to the reader. The intimate conversation happening between the narrator and the reader is further supported by the use of presence tense in the text of the poem and the casual speech of the narrator. The â€Å"Mending Wall† is literally about a physical wall that lies between his far and his neighbors farm. The narrator walks along the decaying wall describing in detail the nature and structure of the wall. He often compares the wall to himself and his neighbor. The narrator ponders again and again â€Å"what makes good neighbors†. The narrator plays with the idea that perhaps the wall between their farms is the key to a great relationship. This implies that for people to maintain a safe and proper relationship they must be isolate from each other. Through the use of vivid imagery Frost explores how people relate to each other and suffer through isolation. The central image in the â€Å"Mending Wall† is the wall itself. As the wall decays, the narrator and his neighbor repair, which maintains their relationship. However, the wall is also used by Frost as an symbol. The wall symbolism the metaphoric wall which human build to keep themselves safe and other out. Frost asserts that â€Å"There were it is we do not need the wall† (23) implying that while emotional wall exists, they are not needed. He believes that â€Å"something there is that doesnt love a wall† (1). Narrator cleverly explores that idea that if people were truthful with themselves they would have to confess they do not like the wall which separates one life from another. Perhaps this is the reason for the falling stones and the constant decay of the wall over time. Frost has the unique ability to bring together metaphysical thought and the beautiful New England landscape in rhyming text. There are several minor images within the poem which add to the mood and tone of the poem. The setting of the poem is springtime and can be seen in â€Å"frozen ground swell† (2), â€Å"spring mending time† (11), â€Å"in the sun† (3), and â€Å"spring is the mischief in me† (28). Spring is the time when life begins anew and there is great hope for the future. Frost, through the use of imagery, explores the theme of human isolation and asserts that â€Å"walls†, emotional or physical, need not exist. That â€Å"something† in the universe hates these walls and actively works to destroy them which is why the physical wall in the poem is in need of constant repair. Through the narrators casual speech, Frost advices the reader that perhaps he or she should take into consideration the subtle hints and let the walls between human souls be destroyed. Work Cited Frost, Robert. The Mending Wall Literature and the Writing Process. Comp. Elizabeth McHahan. New York: Prentice-Hall , 2005. 449.

Meaning of Political Theory

Meaning of Political Theory Political theory is a subdivision of the study of politics. It is a contested expression in that political theorists have failed to reach a consensus on an all-encompassing definition as any such definition is bound to alienate someone. Theorists have tried to bring some exactness to the contested concepts so that one can provide convincing arguments for the particular social arrangements aimed. However, John Plamenatz defined political theory as the systematic thinking about the purposes of government (Farrelly, 2004). The expression Political Theory is composed of two words, ‘Politics’ and ‘Theory’. Politics literally means the study of politics and it is about conflict of interest and its resolution which occurs at every level of the society. Theory is anything from a plan to a piece of abstract knowledge. In academic discourse, however, a theory is an explanatory proposition, an idea or set of ideas that in some way seeks to impose order or meaning upon phenomena (Heywood, 2004). This paper therefore seeks to discuss what political theory is. The role of political theory is to analyze the political concepts, understand and criticize them through the use of the four tools: concepts, models, theories and paradigms. Concept is a general idea about something usually expressed in a single word or short phrase that draws out meaning from an otherwise infinitely complex reality, for example; equality, presidency, political party, power, social class, rights, law, etc. (Heywood, 2004). It helps to make sense of the world by serving as a tool for thinking, criticizing, arguing, explaining and analyzing political developments and to classify objects by recognizing that they have similar forms or properties, hence concepts serve as building blocks of human knowledge. Model is a representation of empirical data that aims to advance understanding by highlighting significant relationships and interactions among variables, for example; systems analysis, public choice, game theory, etc. Models are built around a number of concepts to apt ly resemble the original object without necessarily becoming its copy. A Theory is an explanation and prediction of relationships among specific variables, for example; pluralism, elitism, functionalism, etc. It is usually used interchangeably with model and may be explained by a series of models. A theory attempts to present a full explanation and prediction of future events while a model attempts to accurately reflect reality. Paradigm is an intellectual framework comprising interrelated values, theories and assumptions, within which search for knowledge is conducted. It consists of a set of principles that structure the process of intellectual inquiry, for example; liberalism, Marxism, feminism, etc. According to Heywood (2004), political theory was broadly defined to include normative theory and systematic theory. Normative theory contains the history of political ideas and the continuous generation of new ideas about what society ought to be. It is concerned with ethical or normative questions, such as why should I obey the state, how should rewards be distributed and what should be the limits of individual liberty. This traditional approach is primarily interested in examining how thinkers developed and justified their views, and the intellectual context in which they worked. Systematic theory includes the explanation and understanding of the existing society and enables one to make projections for the possible future transformations. Given this difference in the definition of political theory, it is not easy to reach a compromise on the definition. Political theory involves analytical study of ideas and doctrines that have been central to political thought unlike Political Ph ilosophy which is concerned with the critical evaluation of political beliefs, paying attention to both inductive and deductive forms of reasoning and to clarify and refine the concepts employed in political discourse. It has attempted to understand better the behavior of actors like voters, politicians, lobbyists and bureaucrats, and has spawned rational choice, public choice and social choice schools of thought (Heywood, 2004). Hoffman and Graham, in their book, Introduction to Political Theory, explain that political theory takes account of activity that focuses on the states that are formed by political parties through elections to govern a country. In everyday life, we are guided by notions of right and wrong, justice and injustice, so that everything we do is informed by concepts, just like politicians. Humans in general cannot work without ideas as it is a defining property of human activity that we can only act when we have ideas in our head as to what we should do (Hoffman et al., 2009). The objective of political theory is also to train citizens to think rationally about political questions and assess correctly the political events of their time. Human beings are unique in two respects: they possess reason and the ability to reflect on their actions. They communicate with each other in the language they know. Unlike other species, they can express their innermost thoughts and desires; they can share their ideas and discuss what they consider to be good and desirable. Political theory has its roots in these twin aspects of the human self. It analyzes certain basic questions such as how the society should be organized, why government is needed, what is the best form of government, what does the state owe its citizens and what do we owe each other as citizens (www.politics.as.nyu.edu). It examines questions of this kind and systematically deals with the origins, meanings and significance of political ideas that we are familiar with such as freedom, equality, democracy, citizenship, justice, development, nationalism, secularism, etc. It clarifies the existing definitions of these concepts by focusing on some major political thinkers of the past and present. It also examines the extent to which freedom or equality are actually present in the institutions that we participate in everyday such as schools, shops, buses, trains, government offices, etc. It looks at whether existing definitions are adequate and how existing institutions of government and policy practices must be modified to become more democratic in a systematic manner. It probes the significance of principles such as rule of law, separation of powers, judicial review, etc. This is done by examining the arguments advanced by different thinkers in defense of these concepts. Besides examining arguments, political theorists also reflect upon the current political experiences and point out trends and possibilities for the future. When we begin a debate or argument on any topic, we usually as k what does it mean and how does it matter (www.politics.as.nyu.edu). Conclusion Political theory means theorizing politics. It encourages people to examine their ideas and feelings about political things. It exposes them to systematic thinking on justice or equality so that they can polish their opinions and argue in an informed manner and for the sake of common interests. It analyzes and explains political ideas and concepts rather than advance any particular beliefs or interpretations like what political philosophy does. In this context, political theory will mean an explanatory proposition, an idea or set of ideas that seeks to explain matters about politics. Bibliography Farrelly, C. (2003), An Introduction to Contemporary Political Theory, A Reader: Sage Publications Ltd, London. Heywood, A. (2004), Political Theory: An Introduction, 3rd Edition: Palgrave MacMillan, New York. Hoffman, J. and Graham, P. (2009), Introduction to Political Theory, 2nd Edition: Pearson Education Limited. (www.politics.as.nyu.edu), Chapter 1; Political Theory: An Introduction.pdf 1 Meaning of Political Theory Meaning of Political Theory The term Political Theory is composed of two words ‘Politics’ and ‘Theory’. Politics means the study of politics whereby theory is anything from a plan to a piece of abstract knowledge. In academic discourse, however, a theory is an explanatory proposition, an idea or set of ideas that in some way seeks to impose order or meaning upon phenomena. Political theory involves analytical study of ideas and doctrines that have been central to political thought (Heywood, 2004). This paper seeks to discuss the meaning of political theory. Political Philosophy Political Philosophy is concerned with how the world ought to be rather than with how we see it now. In short this area of study is defined based on what is experienced rather than on theory. What political goals, is it reasonable and correct to follow? The meanig of this is to be leally employed to pursue such reasonable and main purpose. In short these are the impotant questions Political Philosophy tries to answer. Political philosophers have discussed them from antiquity to recent times, that is why the sound knowledge of the history of political thought isindispensable for political theorists. (Druwe ulrich) Political theory is concerned with ethical or normative questions, such as ‘Why should I obey the state?’, ‘How rewards should be distributed?’ and ‘What should be the limits of individual liberty?’ This traditional approach is primarily interested in examining views by great thinkers, justify them and find out their sources and the intellectual context in which they worked. Political theory has attempted to understand better the behavior of actors like voters, politicians, lobbyists and bureaucrats, and has spawned ‘rational choice,’ ‘public choice’ and ‘social choice’ schools of thought. Heywood, 2004 Political theory examines questions of this kind and systematically clarifies the meaning of concepts such as freedom, equality, democracy, secularism and justice. It explains the meanings and significance of these and other related concepts. It clarifies the existing definitions of these concepts by focusing on some major political thinkers of the past and present. It also examines the extent to which freedom or equality are actually present in the institutions that we participate in everyday such as schools, shops, buses or trains or government offices. It looks at whether existing definitions are adequate and how existing institutions (government, bureaucracy) and policy practices must be modified to become more democratic in a systematic manner. Political theory probes the significance of principles such as rule of law, separation of powers, judicial review, etc. This is done by examining the arguments advanced by different thinkers in defense of these concepts. Besides examining arguments, political theorists also reflect upon the current political experiences and point out trends and possibilities for the future. The role of Political theory is to analyze the political concepts, understand them and criticize them through the use of the four tools: concepts, models, theories and paradigms. Concept is a general idea or mental construct in which an attempt is made to draw out meaning from an otherwise infinitely complex reality, for example; equality, presidency, political party, etc. It helps to make sense of the world by serving as a tool through which political developments are explained, analyzed, disapproved, and classifying of objects by recognizing that they have similar forms or properties. For example we must attempt to understand the political parties in Malawi since the colonial period to date. What we have seen, heard and experienced has acted as a building block for our knowledge Dr. E B Muluzi introduced starter pack fertilizer to famers but hunger still continued but Prof. Bingu Wa Muthalika analyzed what was in the past and introduced fertilizer subsidy, it worked and it put Malawi on the world map as a food self-sufficient. Therefore Concepts serve as building blocks of human knowledge. Model is an analytical tool through which meaning can be imposed upon a massive disorganized collection of facts , simplification of reality and merely a device for drawing out understanding but not reliable knowledge in themselves ,following and explaining Easton’s systems model we see that people mean people who form political parties and their parties in estimate figures then inputs are manifestos which are made to convince voters to elect them into government and the gate keepers are mechanisms put in place to protect the government of the day like law enforcers. The government is the political party that has been elected into power by the people. Outputs are the developments that are unfold from their manifestos in order to fulfill their promises they made during campaign period. A model can also be defined as a representation of empirical data that aims to advance understanding by highlighting significant relationships and interactions among variables. Models are built around a number of concepts to aptly resemble the original object without necessarily becoming its copy. Theory is a reliable explanation, comprehensive, consistent and systematic prediction of relationships among specific variables. It is usually used interchangeably with model and may be explained by a series of models. A theory attempts to present a full explanation and prediction of future events while a model attempts to accurately reflect reality. The objective of political theory is to train citizens to think rationally about political questions and assess correctly the political events of our time. Human beings are unique in two respects: they possess reason and the ability to reflect on their activities. In addition to that they also have the ability to use language and communicate with each other. Unlike other species, they can express their innermost thoughts and desires; they can share their ideas and discuss what they consider to be good and desirable. Political theory has its roots in these twin aspects of the human self. It analyzes certain basic questions such as how the society should be governed. Is the government needed? What form of government is best for us? Is our freedom limited by the law? What social contract is there between the state and its citizens? What about citizen to citizen? Paradigm is an intellectual framework comprising interrelated values, theories and assumptions, within which search for knowledge is conducted. It consists of a set of principles that structure the process of intellectual inquiry. Conclusion Political theory helps us in critical thinking, evaluation and understanding of ideas. As a human being we are able to enlarge our knowledge because it is through the study of political theory where we get building blocks of our knowledge. It also helps us to understand and evaluate manifestos of political parties in order to make informed decision and make a good choice during any election, in addition to that politicians are able to make decisions for their parties so that they can be voted into power in any election and they can be able to make a good government. Political theory’s objective is to analyze and explain political ideas and concepts rather than advance any particular beliefs or interpretations like what political philosophy does. In this context, political theory will mean an explanatory proposition, an idea or set of ideas that seeks to explain matters in politics. In all political theory involves the analytical study of ideas and doctrines that have been cent ral to political thought (Heywood 2004). Bibliography Heywood, A.(2004) Political Ideologies: An introduction. 3rd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Heywood, A.(2004) Political Theory: An Introduction. 3rd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Druwe Ulrich (1995)politische 2nd ed Neuried https: ioenline. Microsoft.com./# ieslice.