Arlington National Cemetery :: essays research papers

Arlington National Cemetery As the birds are singing their sweet melody, the terrain of Arlington National Cemetery is filled with sadness. Although the brilliant rays of sun are shinning through the thick colossal treetops, there is a chill in the air. While watching the mourners, the feeling of their sorrows is all too real. Thousands of headstones in the far distance create magnificent mazes against the horizon. The immense land has very little room to spare as it is overflowing with graves of heroic soldiers. The white marble graves are like oversized dominos stacked precisely in the thick wind ruffled grass. It is almost inconceivable to imagine each tomb is the physical eternal home to a once courageous and patriotic warrior of our homeland. As the fireball in the heavens slowly descends, it creates a glorious silhouette of the infinite number of tombstones. As you leisurely and respectfully journey through the peaceful burial ground, John F. Kennedy’s last resting place will be discovered. Watching over JFK’s grave is an eternal flame. The ever lasting flame emits a propane aroma into the calm air. As one may gaze at Kennedy’s grave, it is difficult to imagine someone would intentionally seize the life of a great leader from our nation. Continuing on, the Tomb of the Unknowns is the next stop on the journey. An extravagant white marble sarcophagus symbolizes the resting place for patriotic fighters who could not be identified during the time of war. Guarding the stunning sarcophagus are Tomb Guard sentinels. These sentinels are considered the best of the elite in the United States military. The elite soldiers stride back and forth in such a beautiful rhythmic motion that it is spectacular. A wonderful feeling is aroused knowing the brave unknown soldiers are being honored for giving their lives in a terrible time of war.

Fight Club and the Idea of Nonsensical Life Essay

In our dynamic and busy society, every one is prone to suffer some psychological problems from its faintest symptoms to the most severe effect to the human mind. This trouble occurs because our society can not satisfy our mental capabilities. This shows that even if the human mind is regarded as the most important and most reliable machine in the universe, there is still the possibility that it cannot handle every inch of information fed into it, which unfortunately draws back with negative effects in our social and psychological nature. The psychological problems are somewhat manifested in the actions of people in our everyday activities which includes social interaction, eating, walking, sleeping, and others. The body, together with our mind is our ultimate weapon to all problems that attacks us in every minute of every day, thus it is important to take care of our body and mind to ensure a smooth flow of social and psychological functions One of the most common problems that people around the world experience that has something to do with the psychological nature and has an effect in the social realm is the presence of insomnia. This is a physiological and psychological problem that makes a person stay awake for hours in the night and could lead to depression, anxiety, and other psychological and social problems if not being taken cared of. This could be seen in situations of stress and other social factors such as boredom and heavily depressing situations that makes the mind of an individual relatively awake at night, and affects many aspects of its life including his/her career, social life and interaction, leisure, and even the family. This is illustrated in Chuck Palahniuk’s novel â€Å"Fight Club†. Wherein, the main character or the narrator suffers from insomnia and eventually led him to other directions of life that changed the course of his whole nature and realm forever. â€Å"I want to a good night’s sleep. I want to get up without feeling that to waken is to plunge through a trap door†(40). This poem line shows us that many people experience problems of insomnia, which have a different effect on every body based on the interpretation and diagnosis from the persons history and psychological disposition. So why do people suffer from insomnia and psychological problem? One of the main reasons, I think is that, most people who go through is have a feeling that their lives were senseless or vain. This also makes it easier to understand that people who suffer any psychological problem have the tendency to overreact and unfortunately lead themselves to death. Their idea of a good life is being overrun by anxiety and senseless assumptions that makes them think that their actions arte not enough to act ordinarily and make themselves think as if they are the ones responsible for failures and misrecognitions. Chuck wrote about these feelings in his book through the use of a character named Tyler. Tyler shows the people his influence through his illustration of nonsensical lives the people had been which gave him the reason to create the group and the fight club members a new reason to live their lives as they prefer it. The first life that Tyler changed was essentially his own. The main character and Tyler are actually the same person although the narrator did not learn this until near the end of the story. When Tyler and the narrator first met together, they started fight club after Tyler’s uttered his legendary phrase, `I want you to hit me as hard as you can` (Palahniuk 46). This started a totally different period in the narrator’s life. Different from the meaningless but contented life he had been experiencing. This led to an unstructured yet significant life moment he felt in everyday of his life. It is far from his unhappy, monotonous and tedious life at the office, selling cars and dealing with his hated boss. The narrator, having had his life changed by Tyler and fight club, then goes on to say, `You aren’t alive anywhere like your alive at fight club` (51). The narrator would rather be at fight club than anywhere else in the world. Along with this, he also says that `After a night in fight club, everything in the real world gets the volume turned down` (49). The main character cannot compare his experiences at fight club to anything else in his life. His enthusiasm and eager ness is shown in fight club more than anything in the he ever done in the world, and in the course of his life. Tyler Durden tore down the narrator by changing his life and then rebuilt his life by starting fight club with him. For the narrator, his unexpected meeting with Tyler is the most phenomenal yet unbelievable thing that he never thought could change his nonsensical life. Tyler also changed strangers’ lives by establishing Project Mayhem and giving assignments at fight club, to be executed and that would make a change in the social environment as the day goes on. Tyler ordered the members to each make twelve human sacrifices to ensure their existence in the organization and make their commitment as sincere as possible thru these assignments. The best example is the human sacrifice the narrator made of Raymond Hessel. The narrator takes Raymond at gunpoint and makes him explain that he has failed at becoming a veterinarian. After telling Raymond that he will kill him if he won’t be on his way to becoming a veterinarian in three months, the narrator lets him go and remarks, `Raymond K. K. Hessel, your dinner is going to taste better than any meal you’ve ever eaten, and tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of your life` (155). By doing this, the narrator has made Raymond stop taking his life for granted and made him do something productive with his life. Although most people would see this act as being mean or cruel, this is the best and most effective way for the narrator to get Raymond to stop taking his life for granted. In other words, there is a great effect given off by the group not only upon themselves but to other people as well. It did not matter if these people are total strangers, but what is important to them is the huge effect they make in the lives of people, including that of Tyler’s and the narrator’s. By following the rules and compensating the value of their commitment, the members practically make their lives as meaningful to them, especially inside of the fight club circle. Tyler then expands his vision and decides to create Project Mayhem to try to change the world. With all the effect of fight club in the minds of its members and the effect of their actions in the society, they became a large organization that plans to take over the society by way of Tyler Durden’s words and commands. In other words, his words are like God’s commandments that should be followed in order to make some changes in the scenes of problematic worldviews. He says `Like fight club does with clerks and box boys, Project Mayhem will break up civilization so that we can make something better out of the world` (125). He sees that the only way to change the world is to destroy it so it can rebuild into something stronger. Tyler thought of the world as `my world, my world, and those ancient people are dead` (124). He wanted the world to be his generations world and for it to be `free of history. ` Tyler saw that history had done harm to the world, so if they freed the world from its history they were `going to save the world` (125). Project Mayhems main focus is to take the world one step back so they can move three steps forward. It is like an anarchistic thought that, people should not believe in what ever authorities say, what is important is what Tyler says and the members should believe and respect it like no other authorities exist. By putting into every one’s mind that fight club should not be talked about outside of their organizational circle, the group remains as underground as possible to protect their identity and to protect their principle to change the mainstream interpretation of the world. With this, it shows that it reflects the world view of the narrator as a tedious and tiring scenario wherein he should obey every word his boss says. Or he should do every work given to him everyday. Sometimes we are tricked into thinking that the only ways for change to come about is to keep moving forward and in the same direction. In Fight Club, we are shown that this is not true by the character of Tyler and that sometimes it is better to move backwards so we can progress forwards. Not only is this true in the book, but it can also be applied to situations in the real world. In addition, we may take another path to attain progress and growth other than what is given to us by the world. People’s view on the world and life as a whole should be taken on its next level that we should not only think in its linear sense but in a diffusing one. More possibilities and more options. This was also internalized by the narrator through the revelation of Tyler Durden’s identity throughout the story, which gave him other idea of life not just the ordinary life he experienced in the past. But on the otherhand this also led to more serious complications of life as a whole. Works Cited Palahniuk, Chuck. Fight Club. USA: WW Norton, 1996.

Burden Of Overweight Shifting Poor Health And Social Care Essay

Background: Overweight and fleshiness prevalence has increased globally ; nevertheless, current prevalence and tendencies of fleshy by societal category in low- and middle-income states are unknown. Methods: Repeated cross-sectional, nationally representative informations from adult females aged 18-49 ( n=556,352 ) in 41 low- and middle-income states were used to find the prevalence of corpulence ( body mass index a†°?25 ) at each study moving ridge by wealth quintile and educational attainment ( individually ) . The SES-specific prevalence difference and prevalence growing rate for each state were compared for the lowest and highest SES groups. Linear arrested development estimated the association between state wealth and fleshy prevalence growing. Consequences: In the bulk of country-years the highest wealth and instruction groups still have the highest age-standardized prevalence of corpulence and fleshiness ( 97 of 111 entire country-years ) . However, in about half of the states ( 21 of 41 ) , the additions in fleshy prevalence over clip have been greater in the lowest SES group compared to the highest SES group. Higher country-level Gross Domestic Product per capita ( GDP ) was associated with a higher fleshy prevalence growing rate for the lowest wealth group compared to the highest ( aGDPper capita/1000= 0.24 ; 95 % CI -0.015, 0.46 ) . Decisions: Presently, higher SES groups have more fleshy than lower SES groups across most developing states. However, half the states show a faster growing rates in corpulence in the lowest Selenium groups, declarative mood of an on-going displacement in the fleshy load toward lower SES groups. Across states, this displacement toward faster fleshy growing among lower wealth groups is associated with higher GDP. ( Word Count: 250 ) Introduction Low socioeconomic position ( SES ) is associated with higher rates of chronic disease in high-income states 1-4. In lower-income states, chronic disease has merely late go a prima cause of morbidity and mortality 5, and less is known about the societal patterning of emerging chronic diseases in these contexts. In the yesteryear, corpulence was comparatively uncommon in lower-income states and was positively associated with SES 6. However, the prevalence of corpulence has increased dramatically in many lower-income states around the universe over the last 5-15 old ages 7-9. As the load of nutrition-related disease has shifted toward overnutrition 10, it is unknown whether the load of these emerging diseases is going comparatively heavier among lower SES groups. Recent cross-sectional grounds suggests that in the bulk of lower-income states wealthier groups have a higher odds of corpulence. However, within-country clip tendencies of the fleshy prevalence for high and low socioeconomic position groups have non been reported. Changes in the fleshy prevalence over clip by socioeconomic position group are of import for understanding which groups are sing an increasing load of corpulence which can assist expect emerging forms of disease. ( ? ) Based on ascertained relationships in higher income states and on the documented relentless associations between low socioeconomic position and the prima causes of disease in many contexts, experts have hypothesized that the load of chronic disease in lower income states will finally switch toward lower SES populations within these states ( believe I can mention yach and popkin, possibly others look at concluding disseration chapter ) . Brazil is one of the few middle-income states in which alterations over clip in the SES-specific fleshy prevalence are available. Nationally-representative informations between 1975 and 2003 indicate that, among adult females, the lowest income groups have experienced much more rapid additions in fleshiness prevalence compared to highest SES groups 11. Among the two most thickly settled parts in Brazil, the fleshiness prevalence in the lowest income group has really surpassed that in the highest income group 12. Such a form of alteration in SES-specif ic fleshiness rates is consistent with a switching load of fleshiness to the hapless. Similar forms have been reported among adult females in urban countries of sub-saharan Africa ( ref? ? ) †¦ Merely with faster fleshy prevalence growing rates for the low SES groups could the relationship between high SES and overweight finally go opposite in states with antecedently positive relationships. On the other manus, there is research to propose that higher SES populations in lower income states will go on to bear the largest load of chronic disease. In India†¦ Additionally, economic dazes frequently affect nutrient security and can go forth populations with the lowest socioeconomic position most vulnerable to inadequate nutrition in these circumstances.13 ( seek to happen some scientific rating of this, might get down by reading Sen article ) . Merely with faster fleshy prevalence growing rates for the low SES groups could the relationship between high SES and overweight finally go opposite in states with antecedently positive relationships. Such a displacement of the load of fleshiness to low SES groups in states come oning through epidemiologic passages would be consistent with the cardinal cause theory of disease ( 11, 12 ) . This theory is frequently invoked to explicate wellness disparities and high spots the overall persistance of the relationship between SES and hapless wellness over clip, despite alterations in the T ( 1, 11, 13-15 ) . Brazil is one of the few middle-income states in which alterations over clip in the SES-specific fleshy prevalence are available. Nationally-representative informations between 1975 and 2003 indicate that, among adult females, the lowest income groups have experienced document within-country clip tendencies for growing in and, higher entire fleshy prevalence? ? ? ? is from the Demographic Health Surveys ( DHS ) , which are nationally representative family studies administered chiefly in low- and middle-income states ( henceforth referred to as lower-income states ) . The studies entail repeated cross-sections and roll up information about cardinal demographic features, birthrate, contraceptive method, wellness and nutrition. The DHS questionnaires are standardized to enable cross-country comparings 21. Since our primary involvement is in the clip trends in fleshy prevalence we included merely states that measured anthropometrics in at least two study moving ridges. beginnings that include anthropometric informations on at least two perennial steps over clip. The bulk are from Demographic Health AAdditionally, s 22, 232425 ) . Wealth and instruction were used individually to stand for SES. To stand for wealth, we used the DHS wealth index, which is derived from a chief constituents analysis ( PCA ) of some assets that were asked in all DHS studies, every bit good as some country-specific assets 26. The wealth index was used to make country- and year-specific quintiles of wealth mark, which were used as a categorical variable in the analyses. Education was categorized based on the educational mileposts: no schooling, primary, secondary, third school. If less than 2 % of the population fell into any one of the instruction classs, that class was combined with the following closest class to avoid unstable estimations. Results Age-standardized fleshy prevalence was determined for each wealth and instruction group in each state and in each study twelvemonth and SES ( wealth or instruction ) group. Sample weights to account for complex study design were used in all analyses. Analysiss were conduced individually by: 1 ) wealth quintile, 2 ) instruction group. Our results of involvement were 1 ) the difference in fleshy prevalence between the lowest and the highest wealth/education groups for each study moving ridge ( prevalence difference ( PD ) ) , and, to measure clip tendencies, 2 ) the annualized difference in the net alteration in fleshy prevalence between the first and last study moving ridge for the lowest and highest wealth/education groups ( annualized difference in fleshy prevalence alteration rate ) . To cipher the prevalence difference for wealth quintiles, we subtracted the prevalence in the highest wealth quintile from that of the lowest wealth quintile ( Overweightlowest- Overweighthighest ) in each study wave in each state. A positive corpulence prevalence difference would so bespeak that the lower wealth quintile had a higher prevalence of fleshy compared to the higher wealth quintile. To obtain the annualized difference in the fleshy prevalence growing rates between wealth quintiles, we took the difference between the net alteration in fleshy prevalence in the highest group and the net alteration in the lowest group ( Overweightlowest, lastwave- Overweightlowest, firstwave ) – ( Overweighthighest, lastwave – Overweighthighest, firstwave ) . A positive difference in prevalence growing rates indicated the lowest wealth quintile had a higher rate of prevalence growing rate than did the highest quintile. We repeat these analyses for each state by instruction group, classified by educational mileposts, lowest being no schooling and highest being third school. SES was represented by wealth and instruction, in separate analyses, to research the hardiness of the consequences to different indexs of SES. For DHS states, we used the DHS wealth index ; it is derived from a chief constituents analysis ( PCA ) of assets that were asked in all studies, every bit good as some country-specific variables 2727 Potentially do age-standardization as sensitiveness analysis merely. Make 90 % CI and site Davey-Smith article 27 619 1128 2930 14 19 hazard factors for obesityrisk factors for 1. Phelan JC, Link BG, Diez-Roux A, Kawachi I, Levin B. â€Å" Cardinal causes † of societal inequalities in mortality: a trial of the theory. J Health Soc Behav 2004 ; 45:265-85. 2. Antonovsky A. Social Class, Life Expectancy and Overall Mortality. The Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly 1967 ; 45:31-73. 3. Adler NE, Boyce T, Chesney MA, et Al. Socioeconomic position and wellness: The challenge of the gradient. American Psychologist 1994 ; 49:15-24. 4. Marmot MG, Smith GD, Stansfeld S, et al. Health inequalities among British civil retainers: the Whitehall II survey. Lancet 1991 ; 337:1387-93. 5. WHO. The universe wellness study 2003: determining the hereafter. Geneva: World Health Organization ; 2003. 6. Sobal J, Stunkard AJ. Socioeconomic position and fleshiness: a reappraisal of the literature. Psychol Bull 1989 ; 105:260-75. 7. Popkin BM. The World Is Fat: The Fads, Trends, Policies, and Merchandises That Are Fattening the Human Race. New York: Avery-Penguin Group ; 2008. 8. Popkin BM. Global nutrition kineticss: the universe is switching quickly toward a diet linked with noncontagious diseases. Am J Clin Nutr 2006 ; 84:289-98. 9. Popkin BM, Conde W, Hou N, Monteiro C. Is there a slowdown globally in fleshy tendencies for kids compared with grownups? Obesity ( Silver Spring ) 2006 ; 14:1846-53. 10. Mendez MA, Monteiro CA, Popkin BM. Overweight exceeds scraggy among adult females in most underdeveloped states. Am J Clin Nutr 2005 ; 81:714-21. 11. Monteiro CA, Conde WL, Popkin BM. Income-specific tendencies in fleshiness in Brazil: 1975-2003. Am J Public Health 2007 ; 97:1808-12. 12. Monteiro CA, Conde WL, Popkin BM. The load of disease from undernutrition and overnutrition in states undergoing rapid nutrition passage: a position from Brazil. Am J Public Health 2004 ; 94:433-4. 13. de Brauw A. Migration and child development during the nutrient monetary value crisis in El Salvador. Food Policy ; In Press, Corrected Proof. 14. Link BG, Phelan J. Social conditions as cardinal causes of disease. J Health Soc Behav 1995 ; Spec No:80-94. 15. Link BG, Phelan JC. Understanding sociodemographic differences in wellness — the function of cardinal societal causes. Am J Public Health 1996 ; 86:471-3. 16. Phelan JC, Link BG. Controling disease and making disparities: a cardinal cause position. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2005 ; 60 Spec No 2:27-33. 17. Miech R. The formation of a socioeconomic wellness disparity: the instance of cocaine usage during the 1980s and 1990s. J Health Soc Behav 2008 ; 49:352-66. 18. Chang VW, Lauderdale DS. Fundamental cause theory, technological invention, and wellness disparities: the instance of cholesterin in the epoch of lipid-lowering medicines. J Health Soc Behav 2009 ; 50:245-60. 19. Monteiro CA, Conde WL, Lu B, Popkin BM. Obesity and unfairnesss in wellness in the underdeveloped universe. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2004 ; 28:1181-6. 20. McLaren L. Socioeconomic position and fleshiness. Epidemiologic Reviews 2007 ; 29:29-48. 21. DHS Model Questionnaires. Measure DHS Macro International. ( Accessed at hypertext transfer protocol: //www.measuredhs.com/aboutsurveys/dhs/questionnaires.cfm. ) 22. DHS. DHS Guidelines for Interviewer Training: Measure DHS. Macro International ; 2000. 23. Indonesian Family Life Survey. ( Accessed Janurary 10, 2010, at hypertext transfer protocol: //www.rand.org/labor/FLS/IFLS/hh.html. ) 24. WHO/FAO. Expert Consultation on Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic DiseasesReport of the joint WHO/FAO expert audience. Geneva: World Health Organization ; 2003. 25. Ahmad O, Boschi-Pinto C, Lopez A, Murray C. Age standardisation of rates: a new WHO criterion. Geneva: World Health Organization ; 1999. 26. Rutstein SO, Johnson K. The DHS Wealth Index: Measure DHS, Macro International ; 2004. 27. Appropriate body-mass index for Asiatic populations and its deductions for policy and intercession schemes. The Lancet 2004 ; 363:157-63. 28. Ziraba AK, Fotso JC, Ochako R. Overweight and fleshiness in urban Africa: A job of the rich or the hapless? BMC Public Health 2009 ; 9:465. 29. Du S, Mroz TA, Zhai F, Popkin BM. Rapid income growing adversely affects diet quality in China — peculiarly for the hapless! Soc Sci Med 2004 ; 59:1505-15. 30. Monda KL, Gordon-Larsen P, Stevens J, Popkin BM. China ‘s passage: the consequence of rapid urbanisation on big occupational physical activity. Soc Sci Med 2007 ; 64:858-70. 1.

Reaction Paper to a Motivation Article

REACTION PAPER Topic: â€Å"INCENTIVES ARE NOT THE SAME AS MOTIVATORS†Mr. Clayton Christensen, a renowned author in the field of management, wrote an article entitled â€Å"INCENTIVES ARE NOT THE SAME AS MOTIVATORS†. He enlightens his readers on the difference between incentives and motivators. He was born on April 16, 1952 at Salt Lake City, Utah (USA). Besides being a teacher and a consultant, he is also famous in writing articles about innovator’s dilemma. This article was published by Carmen Nobel last June 4, 2012.Some people may say that â€Å"incentives† and â€Å"motivators† are synonymous to each other, but they are different in a major way. Incentives are somewhat like â€Å"prizes† set for the persons who did something beneficial. Meaning, people will do their best to get the prize. Whereas for motivators, it is somewhat like â€Å"encouragements† to persuade people to do their best to enhance their own skills. It is more la sting and holistic. â€Å"Do this and you’ll get that,† These are the words that we always hear from our parents.This is also a very common and popular phrase in companies. Some corporations rely on some sort of incentive programs, wherein there will always be â€Å"fabulous prizes† if the company’s productivity improves. Henry L. Gantt, contributor to Scientific Management, had designed a program wherein every worker who finished a day’s assigned work load would win a 50? bonus for that day. Because of this, of course, we can conclude that all workers labored to win the prize.But behind all these incentives, do all workers really have passion for their work? In my personal experience, when I was young, I also did the household chores because of incentives – washing dishes for new toys, clothes, and other things; cleaning the house for cell phone load; and many more. But after some time, I realized that without any incentives, I am not motiv ated to perform those tasks. Motivations came when I realized that upon completion of the assigned tasks, I can enjoy and benefit from it.I can feel and enjoy the fruits of my labor. In conclusion, I agree with the author that motivations are better than incentives. If you would look at it carefully, if the incentive program will to be used, people will only do their job because of that â€Å"something† that will be given afterwards. However, if the motivation program will to be introduced instead, it would inspire people to do their best at all times, in order for them to be proud, and contented with what they have done, and with what they have achieved.

Good Manger

Chapter 1 Summary Laura Chase is killed instantly in a car accident. Laura's sister must go to the morgue to identify the body, and readers are given an idea of the woman Laura's sister is. She is careful, deliberate, and knows that she must dress appropriately in case newspaper reporters are nearby. She must do anything fitting her position as the wife of Mr. Richard E. Griffen. Especially since the car in which Laura Chase died belonged to Mrs. Richard E. Griffen.Laura's sister decides to wear black, of course, and she must also wear gloves, a veil, and should bring a handkerchief. When Laura's sister opens a drawer in her dressing room, she comes across a stack of school examination notebooks that have been bound in kitchen string. When she lifts the notebooks out, the shock of Laura's death hits her. Chapter 2 Summary Sub-Novel There are two main characters in the sub-novel: the man and woman. Clandestine meetings occur between them and the relationship is in its infancy. The wom an is described as â€Å"nervous. She is married but he is single. Details are dropped into the narrative like toppings on an ice cream sundae – the color of the woman's dress, the kind of tree that sits outside her bedroom window – and these things will be clues to the identities of the man and woman later on. Additionally, news clips, interspersed between vignettes, keep readers on a linear time path with the main novel. Also in this chapter are stories within stories. The woman and man meet several times and in varied places: over lunch, in a park, at night under a bridge.Chapter 3 Summary Main Novel It is June, 1998 and Iris Chase Griffen is about to present the Laura Chase Creative Writing Award to a graduating senior at Port Ticonderoga High School. Readers get to know Iris a bit better throughout the narrative. The death of her sister Laura, which she describes as being as close to a suicide as the word damn is to swearing, is an old wound that still bleeds. He r representation of the Chase family in the presentation of this monetary award is very difficult for her.Iris reminisces about her sister's life, how the story in the sub-novel created a town furor worthy of book banning, and how Iris has withstood the worst of this upset for the past 50 years. Yet, Laura is also seen as a genius taken in the prime of her life – a genius that Iris wears like a hair shirt. Chapter 4 Summary Sub-Novel The man and woman continue to meet in secret. At a cafe, she is uncomfortable because of the part of town in which it is located, and he is uncomfortable with the â€Å"fancy† way she is dressed.Their togetherness, for him, is about sex; their togetherness, for her, is about what is missing in her marriage: love and respect. The two of them leave the cafe and go to a room he is borrowing from a friend. It is threadbare, worn, and shabby. The woman is again uncomfortable in this environment but is so needy for what the man can give her that she stays. They make-love and he continues telling her the science-fiction tale about the residents of Sakiel-Norn. In another instance, at another time, the man and woman meet in a friend's apartment where they again make love, and again, he continues telling the story. Chapter 5 SummaryMain Novel This chapter volleys between present-day and the mid-1920s through the late 1930s in the history of the Chase family. Readers are permitted the chance to know Iris as an old woman and also get to know how Iris came to be that old woman. It is 1925 and Liliana Chase has died after the premature birth of her third child. Iris is saddled with caring for Laura and knows that it is going to be a full-time job. Even though Reenie acts in a motherly fashion toward both girls, it is Iris who tends to Laura's everyday needs. They must be each other's best friend, because they are not permitted to go off the grounds of Avilion alone.It is during this time that Iris tries to figure out why her moth er died as well as how to explain to Laura what happened to the â€Å"unfinished† baby t Chapter 6 Summary Sub-Novel The man and woman continue to meet in a variety of borrowed places: a dingy room, an opulent apartment and a janitor's storeroom in the basement of a building. The woman is clearly out of her element and comments so to herself while she goes to meet the man. She feels out of place in body and spirit: her clothes are too fancy, her walk is too refined and her attitude is too uptown for the downtown surroundings.However, she clearly loves this man, or certainly loves the image of him. He tries to appear nonchalant, but even he grows restless when he thinks she is not coming to meet him. Theirs is a relationship that starts out purely physical but melds into one of need. In addition, as the book continues, readers are left to wonder who this woman is: Laura or Iris? Chapter 7 Summary Main Novel More of Iris's mystery begins to unravel with the opening of Chapter 7 . She possesses a steamer trunk – one from her 1935 honeymoon trip to Europe with Richard Griffen – full of handwritten text and a couple of first edition books.It is hinted that Laura wrote these, but the question does arise: did Iris actually write stories, including the sub-novel? Many have written to Iris in hopes of interviewing her about her dead sister but she has steadfastly refused. She keeps the existence and contents of the steamer trunk a secret from the world. On a trip into Toronto to see her lawyer, Iris asks Walter to drive her past her old home – the one she shared with Richard as a newly married woman. It is still there, and now has tendrils of ivy fingering up the brickwork. Chapter 8 Summary Sub-Novel The man and woman continue meeting and telling each other stories.They debate over the ending of the story of the blind assassin and the tongueless girl. The woman wants a happy ending, where the two will live out their years together; the man w ould like to see everyone, including the lovers, annihilated. The storytelling between the man and woman is intellectual foreplay. At another rendezvous, the man tells a nicer story, at the urging of the woman. It is about the Lizard Men of Xenor and their coupling with women of Earth to create a super race. The woman tells the man that she is going away on the maiden voyage cruise of the Queen Mary.It is becoming clearer that the woman is Iris Griffen. Chapter 9 Summary Main Novel The elderly Iris is losing the battle all older people fight: to maintain independence at home. Iris's mind is still sharp but her body is letting her down. She cannot even do her own laundry in the basement without fearing she will fall and be hurt. Elderly Iris is also fighting off the ministrations of Myra who dotes on her as though she inherited her from her mother, Reenie. Myra means well but smothers Iris all the same. Her latest idea is to hire someone to clean Iris's house and do laundry for her.H owever, Iris does not want a stranger touching her underwear. It is the spring of 1936; the Civil War had begun in Spain, King Edward had abdicated the throne for the Duchess of Windsor, and Laura had headed off to school. T Chapter 10 Summary Sub-Novel The woman misses the man desperately and looks high and low for some sign of him; something to tell her that he is safe. She finds their story, The Lizard Men of Xenor, in a newsstand at a train station. She secretly sneaks it home and cherishes it as though he were reaching his hand out to her and her alone.Waiting for him to return from Spain seems interminable and, to pass the time, she imagines him imagining her. In her mind's eye, she sees him on trains, in stations and in diners. Her salvation is that he is on his way home to her, only her, and that he will soon emerge through the mist of a departing train to save her from her own life. Chapter 11 Summary Main Novel As the story progresses, readers are treated to little hints, tiny secrets here and there. Iris likes to visit the middle stall in the washroom of a local doughnut shop.That is where the best graffiti is written (including some about Laura) — and where she would like to add some of her own. She checks into that stall regularly to see what has been written there, as one would get a weekly update to a news item. Laura was sent to a different school — same temperament, different uniform — and plans were laid by Winifred for Laura's debut the following year when she turned eighteen. Laura grudgingly attended school but hated it. Once Laura started to be a bigger burden than Winifred wanted Richard to bear, it was decided that Laura should be married.Chapter 12 Summary Sub-Novel The man returns from the war in Spain and is greeted at the train station by the woman. Because he has not yet rented a room, they go to a seedy hotel to be alone together after such a long time apart. The room in the hotel is the worst place they have ever been together. It smells bad, the furniture is tacky and ripped and there is no fresh air. She tells him that she found The Lizard Men of Xenor and waited, impatiently, for the next episode so that she knew he was all right. She had worried about him dying in the war, and he tells her that nearly happened.Chapter 13 Summary Main Novel, the 1930s Just before World War II, Iris' marriage to Richard was getting worse. She had suffered two miscarriages and learned that Richard had enjoyed his share of mistresses. She assumed these dalliances were with his secretaries who were always very young and very pretty. They kept up marital appearances by going to parties and gatherings and Iris was grateful that Richard was no longer bothering her for marital obligations. Once World War II broke out, Richard and his business were in a bad place.He had been too friendly with the Germans prior to the war and stood to lose a lot of money. Following the end of the war, Iris receives a call from Laura. Back in Toronto, Iris sees Laura at Diana Sweets, one of Iris's favorite shops. Chapter 14 Summary Main Novel, the late 1940s Iris finds old school exercise books after Laura dies. In the mathematics book, there appears a long column of numbers with words opposite some of them. Iris recognizes the numbers as dates. The first date coincides with Iris's return from Europe and the last day was just a few months before Laura was sent to Bella Vista.Iris concludes that these are the dates Richard raped Laura. Iris was grateful that Laura had never seen Aimee because she would have known right away that Aimee was Alex Thomas's daughter and not Richard's. Iris keeps all of Laura's notebooks, bound together with string, plus other manuscript pages in the steamer trunk once used in her wedding trousseau. After Laura's funeral, Iris leaves Richard. She sends the steamer trunk out to Port Ticonderoga and then takes Aimee away while Richard is gone on business. Chapter 15 Summary Sub-No velIris is seen cherishing the photo of her and Alex Thomas at the Button Factory picnic that hot, humid Labor Day in the mid-1930s. The picture was of happiness, but the ensuing story was not. Just before her death, Iris has one last daydream. It is of reuniting with Sabrina, one in which Sabrina does not blame her for her fate. Sabrina calls Iris, comes to her house and sits with her. On May 29, 1999, Iris Chase Griffen dies at the age of 83. Shortly thereafter, Sabrina returns from traveling abroad to see to her grandmother's affairs

E mail response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Star Alliance in the field of Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

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