Sympathy for the betrayers and the betrayed Essay Example for Free

Sympathy for the betrayers and the betrayed Essay More than would be imagined, it is sometimes more difficult to sympathise with the victims of infidelity; easier than we might have imagined to sympathise with the betrayers themselves. To what extent do you agree with this estimation in relation to the three texts chosen? In none of the three texts can it be said that the adulterers elicit or deserve greater sympathy than the victims of adultery. Despite this imbalance, it would unconsidered and possibly rather supercilious to simply judge the betrayers on their actions without meditating on the reasoning behind the actions and the circumstances in which the adulterers have found themselves. All the adulterers within the text (apart from Jerry in Betrayal (1978), and Rodolphe in Madame Bovary (1857)) merit a degree of sympathy, yet despite this, their actions cannot be wholly justified, and the characters cannot, therefore, be fully exonerated. The savage destruction of Emma Bovary by Flaubert, and Cresseids gruesome infliction of leprosy are certainly a cause for sympathy in both cases. Emma Bovarys death is a painfully drawn out event in which she turned whiter than the sheet at which her fingers kept clawing and soon began to vomit blood. Her limbs were contorted, her body covered with brown blotches. It is interesting to note the contrast between the description at the beginning of the novel in which Flaubert erotically describes the tip of her tongue poking between her beautiful teeth, delicately licking the bottom of the glass and the description post-arsenic in which her entire tongue protruded from her mouth; her rolling eyes dimmed like lamp globes as they fade into darkness. Notably, Flaubert focuses on the body and its indignities, which is in contrast to Madame Bovarys romanticism Similarly, in The Testament of Cresseid, Henryson depicts a disease so realistic and visceral that, as early as 1841, Sir J. A. Y. Si mpson was able to diagnose the exact type of disease Cresseid has. (1) Henrysons detailed description gave rise to at least one suggestion that he himself was a physician. The Gods marred her, declaring, Your eyes so bright and crystal I make bloodshot / Your voice so clear, unpleasing, grating, hoarse / Your healthy skin I blacken, blotch and spot / With livid lumps I cover your fair face. Cupids declaration of, Your mirth I hereby change to melancholy is one of a series of semantically opposite, yet alliterative words, which in this instance, are used to display the unfavourable contrast of Cresseids existence before her punishment and afterwards, whilst also augmenting the malicious and sadistic nature of the Gods. In Heaneys translation he writes, your high estate is in decline and fall. The is a reference to Edward Gibbons work The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, (1776) the literary allusion conveying the suddenness and inexplicability of Cresseids physical decline. The bleakness of her situation is summarised in the descri ption of her having to make do with a cup and clapper. They remain Her whole life has been reduced to this alliterative phrase, whilst the caesura indicates the sudden nature of her loss. Not only does Cresseid receive a gruesome affliction, the reader is also left with the feeling that her punishment is undeserved. The reason for her sentence is blasphemy, since whoever blasphemes all Gods offer insults. Betrayal is heavily frequented with profanities such as Good God, yet nothing results. In Madame Bovary, Charles addressed curses to the heavens, but not so much as a leaf quivered. The triviality of Cresseids offence in contrast to the magnitude of her chastisement displays an injustice in the name of justice, and this is borne true in the lack of consequence fastened to blasphemy in the other two texts. When Cupid retorts indignantly of Cresseids claim that I was the cause of her misfortune, one notes an irony given that all the Gods share an overwhelming involvement in all her actions and hence her misfortune. Cresseid is a puppet of the pagan Gods whims, and her lack of volition means that she should not be blamed. Fate is recurrently referred to, in for example, the lines, Cresseids most miserable and fated death (fatall destenie), Of Troy and Greece, how it could be your fate, and Fate is fickle when she plies the shears. This predestination is not a problem with which the adulterers in the other two texts must face. Further, the scornfully humorous description of the Gods, particularly Saturn who behaved in a churlish, rough, thick-witted manner, and had a rucked and wrinkled face, a lyre like lead and a steady nose run creates a further sympathy for Emma, since those that condemn her are rendered in an absurd, grotesque and humorous light. Henryson goes further when he describes Cupid as a boar that whets its tusks, he grinds and fumes, since it goes beyond anthromorphism to zoomorphism; and the description of Gods that raged, grimaced, rampaged and bawled and scoffed is a display of Gods that have unlimited power and limited judgement. Whilst Madame Bovary does not have to contend with predestination, her actions are still restricted by societys ambits and the limitations placed on women in the mid-nineteenth century. In societal terms, she has to live in the mediocrity of her provincial surroundings. It is important to note that the novels sub-title is Provincial Manners they frustrated Flaubert, and he used Emma Bovarys disgust with her class as a way of conveying his own hatred for the banality of the middle-classes. Madame Bovary shows how ridiculous the attitudes of the bourgeoisie can be. Homaiss haughtily flamboyant speeches are used by Flaubert to display the pretensions of the bourgeois. The less grandiose act by a woman who received a 25 franc award for 54 years of service giving it to our curà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ so he can say some masses for me leads the reader not to see this as remarkable, rather to see it as a sign of fanaticism, thus challenging fidelity as a certain good. Madame Bovary longs to be more ref ined and sophisticated than her environment allows her. Flauberts depiction of a black chalk drawing of the head of Minerva in the middle of a wall whose green paint was flaking from the damp is a visual metaphor for Emma Bovary, a Roman goddess amongst the banalities of life. A recurring leitmotif in the novel is that of Emma Bovary looking with her head against the window pane, gazing into the garden; it is a poignant allusion to her aspirations for a more interesting existence and also her locomotive desires, in which the garden has both a metaphorical and physically restrictive quality. Her affairs represent her both breaking out of an existence as humdrum and circumscribed as that of their hens and their dogs (2) and that she had no qualms about mistaking cul for coeur.'(2) The Emma of Betrayal has a greater degree of freedom than the other two protagonists, she, after all is running a gallery. Nevertheless, it could be argued that she is a player in amongst Jerry and Roberts game of one-upmanship; their self-absorbed competitiveness being encapsulated in their games of squash (note the punning effect with the verb squash and Rodolphes remark that he will squash him (Charles) like a fly in Madame Bovary). This remark of Rodolphes shows that he also gets enjoyment from stamping on other mens power, which is backed up in the imagery of Rodolphes Mounted stags heads in his study he gets a thrill from male conquest as well as female conquest. Harold Pinter himself commented that Betrayal is a play about two close friends perhaps Emma is simply within Jerry and Roberts story, a victim of psychological determinism, rather than Madame Bovarys societal determinism and Cresseids cosmic determinism. Both Emma Bovary and Cresseid share an existence in a patriarchal world, which Emma from Betrayal is not a part of. Madame Bovary, for example, is blessed with artistic gifts that cause Charles to proudly display her work to whoever chooses to visit his abode. However, given the restrictions placed on women during the period, the Bovary households wall would be the only dwelling for any art she may happen to create; this can be contrasted to Betrayals Emma who actually owns her own art gallery and who also has the benefit of the possibility of travelling anywhere she wants (the film notes her possession of a car: making her an agent of mobility), and is not confined to the ennui of a rustic Rouen. Madame Bovarys gender-founded restrictions are expressed in the structure of the novel. The novel initiates with a depiction of Charles schooldays, and indeed, starts with the nous form, thus centralising Charless character. At the end of the novel, Homais becomes the centre of attention, as his mounting successes are described by Flaubert, finally climaxing in Il vient de recevoir la croix dhonneur (he has been given the Legion of Honour). Emmas story is therefore trapped between Charles and Homais; the structure of the novel is mimetic of her entrapment in a male-dominated world, and these restrictions should evoke sympathy in the reader. Similarly, Cresseid is subject to male authority, which is made clear in the line Yet whatever men may think or say contemptuously, and the traditionally accepted belief of her as being merely a lustfully encumbered individual is challenged by the way in which her punishment is portrayed as having resulted from blasphemy. The popular portrayal of Cresseid in both Chaucers Troilus and Cresseid (C. 1380) and Shakespeares Troilus and Cressida is challenged by the Testament of Cresseid (1475) and evoke sympathy in the reader. Madame Bovary and Emma are mutually unique from Cresseid in that their adulterous other halves are base to a level which subtracts from the potential criticism of the primary adulterers themselves. Jerry is emotionally detached from Emma, yet still has a vulgar, sexual interest in her, as indicated in the final (yet chronologically foremost) scene in which he declares, I should have had you, in your white, before the wedding, I should have blackened you, in your white wedding dress. He later articulates, youre banishing me to, a state of catatonia, and frequently proclaims youre beautiful, youre incredible etc. However, earlier in the play, he makes short remarks and responses to Emmas questions an indication that he has no real emotional interest in her. Jerry also fails to recall with accuracy certain events relating to their relationship. For example when Jerry recalls throwing Emmas daughter in the air he believed it to be in Emmas kitchen, to which she replied, it was your kitchen. When Jerry calls her darling she responds, dont say that, because she knows that this term of endearment is not meant by Jerry. Emma puts in a lot of effort into the affair, as indicated by her yearning for a continuation of their romantic escapades: you see, in the past, we were inventive, we were determined, Jerrys disinterested response is, It would not matter how much we wanted it if youre not free in the afternoons and Im in America. This is extremely similar to Rodolphes remark Youre mad, you really are! How could we do that?, when Emma puts forward the idea of a sojourn in Paris, and is indicative of the contrasting levels of commitment between the adulterer and the adulteress. When they finally decide on their trip to Paris, Madame Bovary asks, I am counting the days. Arent you? There is also a link between that and Emmas question will we ever go to Venice? She answers her own question in Betrayal in Madame Bovary, nothing is said at all. Emmas desire for something more in their relationship is indicated in her wish for a shared home with Jerry. She is saddened by the fact that the crockery and the curtains and the bedspread have been left for so long. She later says to Jerry you didnt ever see it as a home in any sense did you?, to which Jerry replied, no, I saw it as a flat you know. Emma correctly acknowledges Jerrys desires when she finishes off his sentence with the words for fucking, despite Jerrys protestation of for loving. Emmas inability to let go of the relationship is indicated in the scene where she struggles to take her ring from her keyring and ends up throwing it to Jerry to take it off Jerry would be happy to end the relationship. Rodolphe is an even more heinous character, as indicated in his objectification of Emma: This one had seemed pretty to him, the word one rather than she makes her merely one of his many inamoratas. Even more striking is when he says, how to get rid of it afterwards (admittedly, the French elle can mean both she and it, but Margaret Mauldons Oxford translation, unlike that of the Penguin edition uses the wholly unkind it, which is much more effective in making Rodolphe appear objectionable). In both cases, the deplorable adulterers create sympathy when scrutinising the adulteresses and this is not a factor that exists in The Testament of Cresseid. If one were to be overtly cynical, it could be argued that Jerry and Rodolphe are partly correct in their views on the affair. Is an affair really all that romantic, after all? Vargas Llosa would be quick to point out the dangers of equating lust with love. Perhaps the two Emmas are looking for too much in the relationship, and are making it out to be more than it really is. Emmas amorous adventures activate an abundance of lies, yet Stephen Heath empathizes with her fabrications. He states that Emma lies, but everything lies'(3), he talks of how the narrating voice enters to state a distance from her, but Flaubert also cuts such statements, reduces their number(3). At times, the narration drifts into sympathy with Emma, at other times it condemns her. The use of a style indirect libre causes the narration to be ambiguous, and the truth of description becomes indistinguishable from the subjectivity of opinion. A characteristic example of this is when Flaubert talks about Rodolphe in the 3rd person Rodolphe had heard these things so many times that they had nothing original for him. He then reverts into Rodolphes mind: one has to make allowances, he thought, exaggerated declarations masking mediocre affection. One gets the impression that Flaubert reverts back to the narrative in the ending lines human language is like a cracked cauldron on which we beat out tunes to make a bear dance when we would move the stars to pity, however, this is just an assumption the non-use of quotation marks means the reader can never know when a characters thoughts have ended, and one gets the impression that the narrator imparts some of his own reflections into the characters thoughts. This free and indirect style not only creates a sympathy with regards to her fallaciousness, it is also creates a benignancy by virtue of the way the narration supports her own views. An example of this is when the narration wafts from she wondered if by some other workings of chance it might not have been possible for her to meet another man to a sort of agreement from the narrator in the line he might have been handsome, witty, distinguished, attractive. Heath describes this free and indirect style as a way in which the the writer and the reader become Emma, are taken up in her reverie, her imaginings. The novel, therefore, often cultivates its own sympathy by virtue of its style, which causes the writer and reader to become one with the protagonist and to experience Madame Bovarys own feelings. This can be paralleled to Henrysons voice of sympathy The Testament of Cresseid. Henryson is so derisory of the unreasonable nature of the Gods ruling that he impulsively breaks into the se cond person when he declares: Your doom is hard and too malicious, thus interrupting the sentencing and displaying contempt of court Cresseid and Madame Bovary are dissimilar to Emma in so far as they experience a development as a result of their infidelity, the former explicitly and the latter implicitly. Cresseid talks about herself in the second person when she says, Where is your chambers cushioned chair and screen / And handsome bed and hand-embroidered linen? The wine and spice, the supper that you supped on. The use of the second person is suggestive of self-derision rather than self-lamentation. She understands her situation and she profoundly remarks, All wealth on earth is wind that flits and veers. She also criticised herself: I myself will be my own accuser. This development from Cresseid makes her worthy of not so much sympathy but respect. Madame Bovarys development happens in a moment, which makes it more like an epiphany, thus lacking the cognitively prolonged nature of Cresseids development. It is also a very implicit moment in which she began to laugh, a ghastly, frenzied, despairing laugh after hearing the voice of the blind beggar. At this point, she realises the meaning of the beggars words love is unseeing (thus rendering the beggar as an representation of Cupid. Whilst Cresseid and Madame Bovary cannot be justified in their actions, their realisations do rouse respect from the reader. The Emma of Betrayal experiences no such development. An aspect of the equation still wants, namely the victims. It is certainly true that the adulterers garner a notable degree of sympathy, yet it would be very mean-spirited to identify more with them than the victims. In the Testament of Cresseid, the affected person is Troilus. Although there are only 2 paragraphs focusing on Cresseids betrayal of Troilus, they themselves being sped along by the use of enjambment, this is done more out a desire not to repeat a story successfully written by Chaucer, but also to alleviate the readers judgment of Cresseid. Later in the poem, Henryson writes of Troilus in glowing terms, describing him as having beaten down, by war and jeopardy, / The Grecian knights, and in a moment of great largesse past where Cresseid with lepers made abode and A girdle he took out, / A purse of gold and many shining gemstones / and threw them down into Cresseids dress. Troilus certainly elicits a huge amount of sympathy from the reader, especially after he for grief a lmost fell down when recalling Cresseids physical deformations. In both Madame Bovary and Betrayal, the victims of adultery are children. Jerrys lack of concern over his children is encapsulated in his gnomic description of his son Sam: Hes tall. Quite tall. Does a lot of running. Hes a long distance runner. Wants to be a zoologist. The waiter in the restaurant scene is similarly an innocent bystander who is subjected to Roberts frustrations: wheres our lunch. This place is going to pot. Same glass. Wheres our lunch? Richard Martin, in his letter to The Times Literary Supplement argued that he sees not just displaced emotion in Roberts aggression towards the waiter but the waiter himself as a displaced version of Judith: for she is the hapless, indeed dumb, waiter (4). Judith, the children, and the waiter, are all correlated because they are all affected onlookers, but they know not what by. It is interesting to note that the children do not feature physically in the play, but in the 1983 film (by David Jones), the children feature in negative-co nsequences of the characters adultery-borne vented frustrations; for example, when Jerry hollers at his son for playing music too loudly. This is paralleled in Madame Bovary, where her daughter is a victim of her infidelity. This is evidenced in the scene where Madame Bovary says to Berthe Oh, for heavens sake, leave me alone, shoving her away with her elbow. As a result, Berthe fell against the foot of the chest of draws, cutting her cheek on the brass fitting. At the end of the novel, Berthe makes her keep at a cotton mill. The chief victim of infidelity in the three texts is Charles Bovary. Despite being unsophisticated, dim-witted and a frighteningly bad doctor (his operation on Hippolytes club foot, resulting in amputation, as an example), he is still one of the novels most moral and sincere characters and he genuinely loved Emma whilst she was having licentious liaisons. Emma is often very unkind to Charles, for example, when she says; he carries a knife in his pocket like a peasant. I cannot help but parallel this to the narrator in Robert Frosts poem Mending Wall who describes his neighbour as Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top / In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed. It is a particularly significant line, since Rodolphe wields a knife at one point, and this fails to elicit the same response from Emma. One strikingly poignant scene is when Charles finally sees all the letters from Emmas lovers: his deep despondency caused general amazement. He no longer went out, he saw no one, he even refused to visit his patients. People began saying that he shut himself off to drink. The final description of him is as a long-bearded, wild-looking man in filthy clothes who paced up and down noisily. For all Charles faults, it seems unthinkable to sympathise more with Emma than Charles. In all three cases, the victims garner more sympathy than the b etrayers. One should not nonchalantly accept the three primary adulterers actions as morally reprehensible; but we should acknowledge that their actions are borne out of something more complex than it would at first appear. The greatest sympathy should be given to Cresseid because her life was subject to fate; she lacked all volition owing to Henrysons depiction of the all-encompassing control of the Gods. I say Henrysons depiction because Chaucers original has been manipulated by Henryson such that it rapidly avoids the issue of her affair whilst also removing all her volition. Madame Bovary represents the repressed sensuality within us, and the reader can certainly feel for her more than the prudish and monotonous environment she inhabits (ironically, it was a puritanical society that condemned Flauberts novel for being too sympathetic to an adulteress). It is difficult to sympathise with Betrayals Emma. It is true that she longed for a more meaningful relationship with Jerry, but her dedication to Jerry is severely questioned given the initiation of her additional affair with Casey. One would have to question the disposition of any individual who sympathises with the adulterers more than the victims of adultery, as any reader of Madame Bovary would attest to. 1. http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/testaint.htm 2. The Perpetual Orgy (Vargas Llosa) 3. Madame Bovary (Stephen Heath) 4. Letter from the Times Literary Supplement Word count with quotes: 3720 Word Count without quotes: 2895

The Changes To The Youth Justice System

The Changes To The Youth Justice System there have been many changes to the youth justice system over the years, having varying effects on youth crime. To discuss whether this statement is true or not, we must look at the many government legislations and initiatives that have tried to lower crime. The twentieth century has seen a huge array of moral panics (defined as an over exaggerated response to a problem, justified or not) due to many social changes, such as alcohol, drugs, pop culture, football, music, film, television and video games; these are all seen as causes to youth crime. The moral panic began with the Mods and Rockers who had expressive subcultures during the 1960s which led to skinheads, lager louts, yob culture, football hooligans, rave culture and todays young offenders and anti social behaviour. The 1970s brought more emphasis on the individuals responsibility, the 1980s brought corporatism where justice specialists had a greater influence on policies and in the 1990s where youth crime has been heavily f eatured in the media and there has been the recognition of sub-criminal activity such as anti-social behaviour. Youths have been seen as out of control in the twenty-first century because of societies strong sense of morality but this has weakened for young people, young people these days are constantly looking for fun and excitement, but youth crime cannot be labelled as a moral panic, according to the Telegraph  [1]  from 2005 to 2008, The number of under-18s convicted or cautioned over violent offences rose from 17,590 to 24,102 which is an increase of 37 per cent, however it could be argued that newspapers such as this are fuelling moral panics. The main changes to the youth justice system began with Labours win in 1997, but the system does have a history. The view on youth justice has changed dramatically since the beginning of the 19h century where children were treated as adults in court, the Reformatory Schools Act 1854 created special institutions to reform children in need of care through education; this was the first major legislation towards tackling youth crime. In 1908 The Children Act was passed which abolished imprisonment of juveniles and separated juveniles from adults and began a more welfare based approach to youth crime, juvenile delinquency had started to rise by the First World War and was seen as a problem, A social commentator in 1917 stated their vulgarity and silliness and the distorted, unreal Americanised view of life must have a deteriorating effect and lead to the formation of false ideals, (cited in Muncie 1999:50)  [2]  . The Children and Young Persons Act 1933 then defined a child to be unde r the age of 14 and a young person between the ages 14 and 18, children under the age of 10 were deemed incapable of doing wrong and exempt from prosecution, this is known as doli incapax and it created a panel of magistrates to deal with youth cases, it also created loco parentis where the courts could act for the parent. During 1948 detention centres were formed, a very early version of todays young offenders institutes and was a more punitive approach. Then came the Young Persons Act in 1969 was an important act and made many changes, it gave a bigger emphasis on the social worker and proposed that offenders under the age of 14 with care instead of punishment, police were also made to make use of cautions, however afterwards, the act was criticised for being too soft as rates of crime began to rise. Because of its many flaws, The Criminal Justice Act 1982 and restricted the use of care and custodial orders, Borstals were replaced with fixed term youth custody orders, new sentence s were created and abolished numerous times afterwards until the Criminal Justice Act 1988 which rid youth custody and replaced it with detention in youth offender institutes. The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 brought secure training for those aged 12 to 15, The Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 extended community sentences and introduced tagging. Cautioning was revised in the Criminal Justice Act 1998 which restricted the use of reprimands and warnings. Before 1997 figures show that approximately 70% of all crimes were committed by a small number of young men and so with Labours win in 1997, their overhaul of the youth justice system had 3 objectives to deal with Prevent youngsters from falling in to crime, provide the criminal justice system with more sentencing choices and focus sentencing on preventing repeat offending  [3]  . Those aged under 18 are sentenced differently from adults as the criminal justice system believe that they are less responsible for their action s than adults and that sentencing should be used for reform as well as/or instead of punishment, this did change however with the killing of James Bulger by two 10 year old boys in 1993 where the murder was so violent they were tried in an adult court. The case caused a huge nationwide debate on how to handle young offenders; much of this was fuelled by the media. The government began its reform with the 1998 white paper No more excuses A new Approach to Tackling Youth Crime in England and Wales this in turn lead to The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 which included: The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales to deal with young offenders and reduce reoffending, the Youth Justice Service for local authorities to tackle crime, Youth Offending Teams which included members from probation, social services, police etc., anti-social behaviour orders, new community orders, local child curfew and others, although this act did cover punishment, welfare, action plans, objectives and performanc e reviews, it has been widely criticised for being too harsh with parenting orders, curfews and ASBOs. There is a clash between ASBOs which exclude offenders and the Youth Offending Teams which has a more inclusionist approach. There have been concerns that most of these efforts do not tackle the root causes of crime nor do they influence good behaviour in youths. However this act has many advantages, there is a strong emphasis on the welfare of the child such as the early intervention and focus on parenting and the parents responsibility to the child, the emphasis on restorative justice illustrates the persistence of welfare principles and the act has led to greater funding for the youth justice system  [4]  .The Home Office website lists the main causes of youth crime as troubled home life poor attainment at school, truancy and school exclusion, drug or alcohol misuse and mental illness, deprivation such as poor housing or homelessness and/or peer group pressure and these are the main areas of concern and focus points of the Youth Crime Action Plan of 2008 which set out the governments goals for the next year. The act led to huge amounts of money being spent on the youth justice system like never before, approximately  £380 million which doubled to  £648.5 million by 2007. Youth courts were established by the Criminal Justice Act 1991 and deal with those aged 10 to 17, Labours plans were to try and keep young offenders out of court and emphasised the use of ASBOs community orders etc., however, the Centre of Crime and Justice studies performed an independent audit of the system in 2007 and found the key priority was speeding up the youth justice process  [5]  resulting in missed targets for Labour. It claims that the majority of the budget was spent of custody and not prevention which is pointless if the government do not want youths in custody. As mentioned earlier, the Youth Justice board was introduced in 1998 and has changed the youth crime system, by trying to help young offenders, for example, accommodation and resettlement, alternatives to custody, education, training and employment and health and has set its self targets to reduce self-reported crime and the amount of children overall in the service, however as the independent audit states: Despite regular commitments made by the YJB to reduce the number of children sentenced to custody, the latest targets have not been met. In fact, at present, performance is deteriorating, with numbers increasing by 8% since March 2003 against a target of a 10% reduction.  [6]  It could be argued that although the creation of the Youth Justice Board was a step in the right direction, it hasnt nearly been as successful as it could have been and is failing. Next are the Youth Offending teams, set up in every local authority in England and Wales and is represented by people from the police and probation to health, education and social services. According to the audit, Labour used budgets from social and health care to fund youth crime prevention which according to the report is vital to keeping youth offending down; youth offending teams are not cut out for the social aspect of youth offending which led to missed targets and overworking. The report also found that youth offending teams can only regulate youth crime and cannot reduce it which should be reformed in policy. Although many changes have been made and a lot of money spent, there is increasing fear of gang and knife crime. To have a clearer view on this, we must look at statistics; the main supplier of these is the OCJS (Offending, Crime and Justice Survey) who in 2006 performed a self reporting offending survey to 10 to 25 year olds. For example Here we can see the proportion of 10- to 25-year-olds committing an offence in the last 12 months, at its highest on 26% of all 10 to 25 year olds are committing crime, which is less than a 3rd of all young people, according to the survey 12 per cent of males aged from 10 to 25 said they had committed an offence designated as serious, eight per cent were classified as frequent offenders, and five per cent as serious and frequent offenders  [7]  . 10 to 25 year olds is a wide area of study which could include thousands of young people, of this of only at the most 12% are committing serious crimes, the statistics could be a lot worse. As stated in the summary: (it surveys people aged) 10 to 25 living in the general household population in England and Wales. The survey does not cover young people living in institutions, including prisons, or the homeless, and thus omits some high offending groups. This is a relatively big omission, if they do not survey the people in prison who have been incarcerated of crimes; they are leaving out quite a vital part of their research. Also, the research is only a study which involves interviewing; they interviewed past interviewees from 2003 and 2004 and used new people. Yet if the survey was for 2005, they would only use new people, they also compare to the 2003 and 2004 surveys, which would suggest they are comparing the same people. As mentioned the survey is predominately made up of interviewing, it does not take police crime statistics into account which could give totally different results. According to the government report- Crime Action Plan: One year on Summary, they have been successful in reducing crime, re-offending fell between 2000 and 2007 by 24% The number of young people in the criminal justice system has gone down, by 9% from 2006/7 to 2007/8, more young people are taking part in their communities than using alcohol and drugs and there had been a 22% fall in sharp object assault. The independent audit however disagrees with this, saying that the aim of reducing young offending in Crime and Disorder act has yet to be achieved and that self reported offending is not declining. In conclusion, I would agree and disagree with changes to the youth justice system have little impact on the youth crimes, in agreement rates of youth offending have declined, theres is a lot more social support for young offenders, there has been the recognition of the causes of crime, with the creation if anti social behaviour orders, less children are kept out of court, the creation of young offending teams and the youth justice board is a huge change from the past and the government has actively tried to reduce youth crime with a much better funded system. However, in some aspects the statement could be true, some people believe that there is too much focus on welfare, and not enough on punishment, New Labour had failed even to mitigate the continuing increased use of custody of young offenders, let alone reverse it  [8]  , The government seem to be focusing more on some areas than others. The independent audit found that the budget for youth crime was taken from education, h ealth and social services which were themselves vital to young offenders; they found that most of the governments targets had been missed; Youth offending teams are failing and cannot work efficiently. As the audit says A decade on from the creation of the YJB and YOTs, and at a time of rising concerns about youth gangs and violence involving guns and knives, the time has come to reappraise the role and purpose of the youth justice system and to consider what it can realistically achieve in addressing youth offending.

The Siberian Work Camp and One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich Essay

The Siberian Work Camp and One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich      Ã‚  Ã‚   In Gulag Archipelago, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn describes in three volumes the Russian prison system known as the gulag.   That work, like Kafka's The Trial, presents a culture and society where there is no justice - in or out of court.   Instead, there is a nameless, faceless, mysterious bureaucracy that imposes its will upon the people, coercing them to submit to the will of the state or face prison or death.   In One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich, we are presented with exactly what the titles tells us, one day in the life of Ivan Denisovich.   However, Ivan Denisovich spends his days in the gulag in Siberia, freezing and starving with the other prisoners while he serves the remainder of a ten year sentence.   Ivan is not a hero or extraordinary.   Instead, he is an ordinary example of the type of individual who spent their days in the gulag.   What emerges from these ordinary individuals is the strength and will to survive and at the end of the day, a day that millions of others spent just like Ivan, still find the courage to conclude "Almost a happy day" (Solzhenitsyn 159).   This analysis will focus on the historical significance of the event covered in this work, i.e., the daily life of an ordinary prisoner in a Siberian work camp in communist Russia.   A conclusion will discuss how a novel provides the reader with a different viewpoint of history than that provided by the pundit or historian.    BODY There could be few books written on any level (historical, psychological, social, etc.) that reveal as much significance about the historical period when the Russian gulag was in operation under a communist regime than the fiction of Aleksandr Sol... ...ng and surviving extraordinary conditions much like the victims convicted unfairly to prison work camps across communist Russia in the twentieth century.   Thus, the title of Solzhenitsyn's novella is apropos to the historical event described because while we are only witness to Ivan's day and Ivan is an ordinary inhabitant of the gulag, millions of other human beings endured and survived similar days, day in and day out.   Thus when Ivan concludes at the end of the novella "Almost a happy day", we see the considerable abilities and capacities of ordinary human beings to retain hope and survive against extraordinary circumstances (Solzhenitsyn 159).    WORKS   CITED Solzhenitsyn, A.   One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich.   (Only authorized edition).   Introduction by Marvin L. Kalb.   Foreward by Alexander Tvardovsky.   New York:   E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1963.

Passionate About Teaching Essay example -- Personal Narrative Educatio

Ending Statement Feminist and Critical Pedagogies I came back to graduate school last semester at the ripe-old age of 31, unsure of what I wanted to get out of it. I had spent a year in graduate studies in English at the University of Maine about six years earlier, but left because I wasn't ready to commit to an academic life. In the six years since I left Maine, my life had been anything but academic. For the first year or so, I "temped" at conventions and tradeshows, went on auditions and performed in regional theater. Then a friend of mine introduced me to her acting teacher, and I got involved in a two-year intensive acting program which forced me to look at myself and my life deeply (and luckily got me into therapy)! During that time I began a temp job at a small executive search firm where a few acting friends also worked. The job turned permanent and lasted over three years while I finished my acting program and began auditioning. Looking back now, I guess the problem was, once I finished class, I wasn't the same person who h ad originally gone out on auditions. I found myself reading books on writing (never acting) on my lunch breaks from the stifling office secretarial job. But people who asked about my life heard about my auditions and singing classes and wish to be on Broadway. I never looked at the fact that that wish was a very old, childhood wish which had slowly stopped giving me what it had for so long: something to dream about, aspire to. Something, I now admit, to make me interesting. The decision to leave it behind was painful (no one outside of "the business" could understand why I would want to leave behind such a glorious, exciting dream. Interestingly, all of my friends who were at various levels of s... ...at at least I now know that I need to teach--in some format, somewhere, and I need to apply what I've learned and continue to learn and question my own learning. But I can't decide if going on for a PhD is really what I want anymore. I always thought that was the mark of success. But I wonder if it will really allow me to work with the students I am most interested in helping. I am particularly interested in working with those who didn't get enough out of school but who decided to come back and give it another try, to see if they'd find something different this time around. I want to provide something different. I know I want to keep teaching and talking about teaching. I know I want to keep the hope that teaching writing is valuable and opens up possibilities for students who maybe thought they had none. Is that too naive? Maybe. But it seems like it's worth a try.

A Rebirth & story Essay

A thirteen year old boy named Brian Robeson is the central character in Gary Paulsen’s novel entitled Hatchet (Paulsen, 1999). Brian left Hampton, New York to visit his father. He boarded a plane to the Canadian north woods. Unfortunately, the pilot suffered from a heart attack and died. The young boy was left with no choice but to take over the controls of the plane. Following a traumatic fall, the plane crashed into a lake in the Canadian woods and left the boy stranded. Brian’s mother gave him a hatchet to use in the woods whenever he gets a chance to visit his father. Fastened to his belt at the event of the crash, the hatched served as his only possession that survived the accident. It was a constant element in the young boy’s adventure. His ultimate rescue was made possible when he got the survival pack in the plane through the use of his hatchet. The survival pack contained a transmitter which allowed him to send a signal to the rescuers. He suffered a painful transition when his parents divorced. Brian is an exceptionally dynamic character. As a young boy accustomed to the comforts of city living, he undervalues the conveniences of the life he lives. Yet when he was stranded in the woods, Brian emerged as an independent and mature man who gained a better understanding of the world. It took time for him to learn how to love and respect his environment. In the same way, moving on from his parents’ divorce took him some time. Initially, Brian was a picture of resentment, frustration, and helplessness. However, his adventures in the woods transformed him into a man he never knew he could become. He acquired lessons and adopted traits necessary for survival. A newfound appreciation for his environment and the sense of harmony in mind and body molded his character. Brian developed into a man capable of surviving not just the woods but life in general. He learned the value of patience. The virtue allowed him to mature. If he was who he used to be, setbacks would have already immobilized him. However, he was not his old self anymore. Thus, setbacks become manageable. The moment he came to a realization that feeling hopeless and frustrated will not do him any good, Brian learned to control his temper. It was through a process of trial-and-error which allowed him to succeed in building a shelter and in hunting for food. In the event of failure, he learned from his mistakes and never dwelt on them. When problems arise, he tried different approaches whenever possible until he succeeds. In the woods, he gained a well developed sense of observation. He used his senses not solely as a means for survival. His senses helped him grasp the beauty of his natural environment. The continuous stimulation of urban life has dulled his senses. The comparative peacefulness of the woods made it possible for him to perceive sound anew. Through it, Brian was able to pick up on different of sounds since he has learned to hear them. In the beginning, the view of the woods and the lake seemed to be a blur. Eventually, he was able to see its beauty. His now perceptive sense proved to be an indispensable tool in order to survive. He acquired a new appreciation for nature and the independence that is essential when the comforts of city life are out of reach. He respects the animals who like him find shelter in the woods. He started to acknowledge the fact that he is but a living thing struggling to survive. This makes him no different to the flora and fauna around him. Prior to the plane crash, all the knowledge he has about nature was provided primarily by the books he read, the things he was taught at school and the information relayed by the media. His adventure in the woods affirmed that indeed, experience is the best teacher. When he arrived at the woods, Brian was a little overweight. He was used to eating hamburgers and the food his mother cooks for him. However, when he arrived in the woods, his food intake consisted of fish, rabbit, berries, and chicken-like birds he preferred to call â€Å"foolbirds† (Paulsen, 1999). His new diet reduced the size of his stomach leaving him with lean muscles. He himself was surprised when he first saw how his physical look has changed. Nevertheless, his physical appearance is not the sole and most profound change which took place in his person. Living in the woods has provided him a renewed perspective in life. He found harmony of mind and body when he gained a better understanding of nature. He recalled that his English teacher once told him that the mind has the power to dictate the how the body behaves. It had never been so true. No goal is beyond reach for someone who stays active and maintains a positive outlook in life. For Brian, the body and mind connection is something he has never felt before. It signified a growing comfort with his natural environment. The aforementioned changes were a sign his emerging manhood. Brian used to define his own identity through his parents. In this regard, his parents’ divorce caused a significant impact on his person. It brought about utter pain on the young boy. He came to believe that future will not be as stable as it used to be. The solace he used to find in his identity with his family had gone. He was unprepared to define himself as an adult. Much so, he does not know where to find his own sense of identity as an individual. The plane crash and his consequential stay in the woods are the events which compelled Brian to begin to accept and finally deal with his damaged sense of self. When he was confronted with the challenge of survival, he only had to pick one choice. Brian was forced to decide whether to learn to be tough and mature in the process or to helplessly die. He chose the former and accepted the challenge that fate has brought on his way. He succeeded and emerged from the experience as a man with a sense of responsibility. Brian then became a person ready to take on the pressures that come with growing up in a world devoid of comfort. Reference Paulsen, G. (1999). Hatchet. Aladdin Paperbacks: New York.

Developmental Psychology and Children Essay

1.1 An explanation of the legal status and principles of the relevant Early Years Framework and why the early years frameworks emphasise a personal and individual approach to learning development. The department of Education have issued a statutory Framework for Nursery settings, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage. The framework sets the legal requirements for the care of young children relating to Learning, Development and Welfare. The EYFS framework sets the UK standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five. The curriculum is built around four principles: 1.A Unique Child 2.Positive Relationships 3.Enabling Environments 4.Learning and Development To give a basic understanding of the four principles, I will explain them below: A Unique Child You should focus on how children develop and recognise they are all different, but should be treated equally. Positive relationships and good communication are vital. Children need to learn about risks and safety, how to make good choices and how to stick to boundaries. Positive Relationships The theme is about children learning to manage their feelings and build relationships. You should respect all kinds of families and aim to develop a positive two-way relationship with parents. You will support, listen and work with the children to help them learn.Have a nominated key carer for each child to ensure they have the opportunity of building a close relationship and are well monitored during their time with you. Enabling Environments Plan and check on each child’s progress and make every attempt to involve parents and the local community. Ensure that inside and outside spaces of the nursery are safe, interesting and engaging. Learning and Development Focus on ensuring young children learn through play and exploration, with support for each individual. You should encourage children to develop imagination, to get actively involved in learning and to make decisions. Make every attempt to develop children’s creative and critical thinking, balancing the need for both the children and adults to lead the learning. Always work towards the following specific goals to help keep within the framework: †¢Personal, Social and Emotional Development, helping to build confidence, concentration, independence and respect. †¢Communication, Language and Literacy, developing speaking and listening skills and beginning to read and write. †¢Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy, focusing on number work, mathematical ideas and thinking. †¢Knowledge and Understanding of the World, helping children investigate and think about their place in the world. †¢Physical Development, relating to developing physical skills and understanding. †¢Creative Development, centred around building children’s imagination. †¢Welfare, ensuring we are all aware of our responsibility for children’s welfare. We will look after your child properly and help them to stay healthy. We also ensure the Red House is a safe and positive place for children

The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 17. What Do I Look Like? …

17. What Do I Look Like? The Wizard Of Oz? You Need A Brain? You Need A Heart? Go Ahead.Take Mine. Take Everything I Have. HEART? GO AHEAD. TAKE MINE. TAKE EVERYTHING I HAVE. I sort of had a plan as I ran to the Cullens' garage. The second part of it was totaling the bloodsucker's car on my way back. So I was at a loss when I mashed the button on the keyless remote, and it was not his Volvo that beeped and flashed its lights for me. It was another car – a standout even in the long line of vehicles that were mostly all drool-worthy in their own ways. Did he actually mean to give me the keys to an Aston Martin Vanquish, or was that an accident? I didn't pause to think about it, or if this would change that second part of my plan. I just threw myself into the silky leather seat and cranked the engine while my knees were still crunched up under the steering wheel. The sound of the motor's purr might have made me moan another day, but right now it was all I could do to concentrate enough to put it in drive. I found the seat release and shoved myself back as my foot rammed the pedal down. The car felt almost airborne as it leaped forward. It only took seconds to race through the tight, winding drive. The car responded to me like my thoughts were steering rather than my hands. As I blew out of the green tunnel and onto the highway, I caught a fleeting glimpse of Leah's gray face peering uneasily through the ferns. For half a second, I wondered what she'd think, and then I realized that I didn't care. I turned south, because I had no patience today for ferries or traffic or anything else that meant I might have to lift my foot off the pedal. In a sick way, it was my lucky day. If by lucky you meant taking a well-traveled highway at two hundred without so much as seeing one cop, even in the thirty-mile-an-hour speed-trap towns. What a letdown. A little chase action might have been nice, not to mention that the license plate info would bring the heat down on the leech. Sure, he'd buy his way out of it, but it might have been just a little inconvenient for him. The only sign of surveillance i came across was just a hint of dark brown fur flitting through the woods, running parallel to me for a few miles on the south side of Forks. Quil, it looked like. He must have seen me, too, because he disappeared after a minute without raising an alarm. Again, I almost wondered what his story would be before I remembered that I didn't care. I raced around the long U-shaped highway, heading for the biggest city I could find. That was the first part of my plan. It seemed to take forever, probably because I was still on the razor blades, but it actually didn't even take two hours before I was driving north into the undefined sprawl that was part Tacoma and part Seattle. I slowed down then, because I really wasn't trying to kill any innocent bystanders. This was a stupid plan. It wasn't going to work. But, as I'd searched my head for any way at all to get away from the pain, what Leah'd said today had popped in there. That would go away, you know, if you imprinted. You wouldn't have to hurt over her anymore. Seemed like maybe getting your choices taken away from you wasn't the very worst thing in the world. Maybe feeling like this was the very worst thing in the world. But I'd seen all the girls in La Push and up on the Makah rez and in Forks. I needed a wider hunting range. So how do you look for a random soul mate in a crowd? Well, first, I needed a crowd. So I tooled around, looking for a likely spot. I passed a couple of malls, which probably would've been pretty good places to find girls my age, but I couldn't make myself stop. Did I want to imprint on some girl who hung out in a mall all day? I kept going north, and it got more and more crowded. Eventually, I found a big park full of kids and families and skateboards and bikes and kites and picnics and the whole bit. I hadn't noticed till now – it was a nice day. Sun and all that. People were out celebrating the blue sky. I parked across two handicapped spots – just begging for a ticket – and joined the crowd. I walked around for what felt like hours. Long enough that the sun changed sides in the sky. I stared into the face of every girl who passed anywhere near me, making myself really look, noticing who was pretty and who had blue eyes and who looked good in braces and who had way too much makeup on. I tried to find something interesting about each face, so that I would know for sure that I'd really tried. Things like: This one had a really straight nose; that one should pull her hair out of her eyes; this one could do lipstick ads if the rest of her face was as perfect as her mouth___ Sometimes they stared back. Sometimes they looked scared – like they were thinking, Who is this big freak glaring at me? Sometimes I thought they looked kind of interested, but maybe that was just my ego running wild. Either way, nothing. Even when I met the eyes of the girl who was – no contest – the hottest girl in the park and probably in the city, and she stared right back with a speculation that looked like interest, I felt nothing. Just the same desperate drive to find a way out of the pain. As time went on, I started noticing all the wrong things. Bella things. This one's hair was the same color. That one's eyes were sort of shaped the same. This one's cheekbones cut across her face in just the same way. That one had the same little crease between her eyes – which made me wonder what she was worrying about___ That was when I gave up. Because it was beyond stupid to think that I had picked exactly the right place and time and I was going to simply walk into my soul mate just because I was so desperate to. It wouldn't make sense to find her here, anyway. If Sam was right, the best place to find my genetic match would be in La Push. And, clearly, no one there fit the bill. If Billy was right, then who knew? What made for a stronger wolf? I wandered back to the car and then slumped against the hood and played with the keys. Maybe I was what Leah thought she was. Some kind of dead end that shouldn't be passed on to another generation. Or maybe it was just that my life was a big, cruel joke, and there was no escape from the punch line. â€Å"Hey, you okay? Hello? You there, with the stolen car.† It took me a second to realize that the voice was talking to me, and then another second to decide to raise my head. A familiar-looking girl was staring at me, her expression kind of anxious. I knew why I recognized her face – I'd already catalogued this one. Light red-gold hair, fair skin, a few gold-colored freckles sprinkled across her cheeks and nose, and eyes the color of cinnamon. â€Å"If you're feeling that remorseful over boosting the car,† she said, smiling so that a dimple popped out in her chin, â€Å"you could always turn yourself in.† â€Å"It's borrowed, not stolen,† I snapped. My voice sounded horrible – like I'd been crying or something. Embarrassing. â€Å"Sure, thatW hold up in court.† I glowered. â€Å"You need something?† â€Å"Not really. I was kidding about the car, you know. It's just that†¦ you look really upset about something. Oh, hey, I'm Lizzie.† She held out her hand. I looked at it until she let it fall. â€Å"Anyway†¦,† she said awkwardly, â€Å"I was just wondering if I could help. Seemed like you were looking for someone before.† She gestured toward the park and shrugged. â€Å"Yeah.† She waited. I sighed. â€Å"I don't need any help. She's not here.† â€Å"Oh. Sorry.† â€Å"Me, too,† I muttered. I looked at the girl again. Lizzie. She was pretty. Nice enough to try to help a grouchy stranger who must seem nuts. Why couldn't she be the one? Why did everything have to be so freaking complicated? Nice girl, pretty, and sort of funny. Why not? â€Å"This is a beautiful car,† she said. â€Å"It's really a shame they're not making them anymore. I mean, the Vantage's body styling is gorgeous, too, but there's just something about the Vanquish___† Nice girl who knew cars. Wow. I stared at her face harder, wishing I knew how to make it work. C'mon, Jake – imprint already. â€Å"How's it drive?† she asked. â€Å"Like you wouldn't believe,† I told her. She grinned her one-dimple smile, clearly pleased to have dragged a halfway civil response out of me, and I gave her a reluctant smile back. But her smile did nothing about the sharp, cutting blades that raked up and down my body. No matter how much I wanted it to, my life was not going to come together like that. I wasn't in that healthier place where Leah was headed. I wasn't going to be able to fall in love like a normal person. Not when I was bleeding over someone else. Maybe – if it was ten years from now and Bella's heart was long dead and I'd hauled myself through the whole grieving process and come out in one piece again – maybe then I could offer Lizzie a ride in a fast car and talk makes and models and get to know something about her and see if I liked her as a person. But that wasn't going to happen now. Magic wasn't going to save me. I was just going to have to take the torture like a man. Suck it up. Lizzie waited, maybe hoping I was going to offer her that ride. Or maybe not. â€Å"I'd better get this car back to the guy I borrowed it from,† I muttered. She smiled again. â€Å"Glad to hear you're going straight.† â€Å"Yeah, you convinced me.† She watched me get in the car, still sort of concerned. I probably looked like someone who was about to drive off a cliff. Which maybe I would've, if that kind of move'd work for a werewolf. She waved once, her eyes trailing after the car. At first, I drove more sanely on the way back. I wasn't in a rush. I didn't want to go where I was going. Back to that house, back to that forest. Back to the pain I'd run from. Back to being absolutely alone with it. Okay, that was melodramatic. I wouldn't be all alone, but that was a bad thing. Leah and Seth would have to suffer with me. I was glad Seth wouldn't have to suffer long. Kid didn't deserve to have his peace of mind ruined. Leah didn't, either, but at least it was something she understood. Nothing new about pain for Leah. I sighed big as I thought about what Leah wanted from me, because I knew now that she was going to get it. I was still pissed at her, but I couldn't ignore the fact that i could make her life easier. And – now that I knew her better – I thought she would probably do this for me, if our positions were reversed. It would be interesting, at the very least, and strange, too, to have Leah as a companion – as a friend. We were going to get under each other's skin a lot, that was for sure. She wouldn't be one to let me wallow, but I thought that was a good thing. I'd probably need someone to kick my butt now and then. But when it came right down to it, she was really the only friend who had any chance of understanding what I was going through now. I thought of the hunt this morning, and how close our minds had been for that one moment in time. It hadn't been a bad thing. Different. A little scary, a little awkward. But also nice in a weird way. I didn't have to be all alone. And I knew Leah was strong enough to face with me the months that were coming. Months and years. It made me tired to think about it. I felt like I was staring out across an ocean that I was going to have to swim from shore to shore before I could rest again. So much time coming, and then so little time before it started. Before I was flung into that ocean. Three and a half more days, and here I was, wasting that little bit of time I had. I started driving too fast again. I saw Sam and Jared, one on either side of the road like sentinels, as I raced up the road toward Forks. They were well hidden in the thick branches, but I was expecting them, and I knew what to look for. I nodded as I blew past them, not bothering to wonder what they made of my day trip. I nodded to Leah and Seth, too, as I cruised up the Cullens' driveway. It was starting to get dark, and the clouds were thick on this side of the sound, but I saw their eyes glitter in the glow of the headlights. I would explain to them later. There'd be plenty of time for that. It was a surprise to find Edward waiting for me in the garage. I hadn't seen him away from Bella in days. I could tell from his face that nothing bad had happened to her. In fact, he looked more peaceful than before. My stomach tightened as I remembered where that peace came from. It was too bad that – with all my brooding – I'd forgotten to wreck the car. Oh well. I probably wouldn't have been able to stand hurting this car, anyway. Maybe he'd guessed as much, and that's why he'd lent it to me in the first place. â€Å"A few things, Jacob,† he said as soon as I cut the engine. I took a deep breath and held it for a minute. Then, slowly, I got out of the car and threw the keys to him. â€Å"Thanks for the loan,† I said sourly. Apparently, it would have to be repaid. â€Å"What do you want now?† â€Å"Firstly†¦ I know how averse you are to using your authority with your pack, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I blinked, astonished that he would even dream of starting in on this one. â€Å"What?† â€Å"If you can't or won't control Leah, then I – â€Å" â€Å"Leah?† I interrupted, speaking through my teeth. â€Å"What happened?† Edward's face was hard. â€Å"She came up to see why you'd left so abruptly. I tried to explain. I suppose it might not have come out right.† â€Å"What did she do?† â€Å"She phased to her human form and – â€Å" â€Å"Really?† I interrupted again, shocked this time. I couldn't process that. Leah letting her guard down right in the mouth of the enemy's lair? â€Å"She wanted to†¦ speak to Bella.† â€Å"To Bella?† Edward got all hissy then. â€Å"I won't let Bella be upset like that again. I don't care how justified Leah thinks she is! I didn't hurt her – of course I wouldn't – but I'll throw her out of the house if it happens again. I'll launch her right across the river – â€Å" â€Å"Hold on. What did she say?† None of this was making any sense. Edward took a deep breath, composing himself. â€Å"Leah was unnecessarily harsh. I'm not going to pretend that I understand why Bella is unable to let go of you, but I do know that she does not behave this way to hurt you. She suffers a great deal over the pain she's inflicting on you, and on me, by asking you to stay. What Leah said was uncalled for. Bella's been crying – â€Å" â€Å"Wait – Leah was yelling at Bella about me?† He nodded one sharp nod. â€Å"You were quite vehemently championed.† Whoa. â€Å"I didn't ask her to do that.† â€Å"I know.† I rolled my eyes. Of course he knew. He knew everything. But that was really something about Leah. Who would have believed it? Leah walking into the bloodsuckers' place human to complain about how /was being treated. â€Å"I can't promise to control Leah,† I told him. â€Å"I won't do that. But I'll talk to her, okay? And I don't think there'll be a repeat. Leah's not one to hold back, so she probably got it all off her chest today.† â€Å"I would say so.† â€Å"Anyway, I'll talk to Bella about it, too. She doesn't need to feel bad. This one's on me.† â€Å"I already told her that.† â€Å"Of course you did. Is she okay?† â€Å"She's sleeping now. Rose is with her.† So the psycho was â€Å"Rose† now. He'd completely crossed over to the dark side. He ignored that thought, continuing with a more complete answer to my question. â€Å"She's†¦ better in some ways. Aside from Leah's tirade and the resulting guilt.† Better. Because Edward was hearing the monster and everything was all lovey-dovey now. Fantastic. â€Å"It's a bit more than that,† he murmured. â€Å"Now that I can make out the child's thoughts, it's apparent that he or she has remarkably developed mental facilities. He can understand us, to an extent.† My mouth fell open. â€Å"Are you serious?† â€Å"Yes. He seems to have a vague sense of what hurts her now. He's trying to avoid that, as much as possible. He†¦ loves her. Already.† I stared at Edward, feeling sort of like my eyes might pop out of their sockets. Underneath that disbelief, I could see right away that this was the critical factor. This was what had changed Edward – that the monster had convinced him of this love. He couldn't hate what loved Bella. It was probably why he couldn't hate me, either. There was a big difference, though. I wasn't killing her. Edward went on, acting like he hadn't heard all that. â€Å"The progress, I believe, is more than we'd judged. When Carlisle returns – â€Å" â€Å"They're not back?† I cut in sharply. I thought of Sam and Jared, watching the road. Would they get curious as to what was going on? â€Å"Alice and Jasper are. Carlisle sent all the blood he was able to acquire, but it wasn't as much as he was hoping for – Bella will use up this supply in another day the way her appetite has grown. Carlisle stayed to try another source. I don't think that's necessary now, but he wants to be covered for any eventuality.† â€Å"Why isn't it necessary? If she needs more?† I could tell he was watching and listening to my reaction carefully as he explained. Tm trying to persuade Carlisle to deliver the baby as soon as he is back.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"The child seems to be attempting to avoid rough movements, but it's difficult. He's become too big. It's madness to wait, when he's clearly developed beyond what Carlisle had guessed. Bella's too fragile to delay.† I kept getting my legs knocked out from under me. First, counting on Edward's hatred of the thing so much. Now, I'd realized that I thought of those four days as a sure thing. I'd banked on them. The endless ocean of grief that waited stretched out before me. I tried to catch my breath. Edward waited. I stared at his face while I recovered, recognizing another change there. â€Å"You think she's going to make it,† I whispered. â€Å"Yes. That was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.† I couldn't say anything. After a minute, he went on. â€Å"Yes,† he said again. â€Å"Waiting, as we have been, for the child to be ready, that was insanely dangerous. At any moment it could have been too late. But if we're proactive about this, if we act quickly, I see no reason why it should not go well. Knowing the child's mind is unbelievably helpful. Thankfully, Bella and Rose agree with me. Now that I've convinced them it's safe for the child if we proceed, there's nothing to keep this from working.† â€Å"When will Carlisle be back?† I asked, still whispering. I hadn't got my breath back yet. â€Å"By noon tomorrow.† My knees buckled. I had to grab the car to hold myself up. Edward reached out like he was offering support, but then he thought better of it and dropped his hands. â€Å"I'm sorry,† he whispered. â€Å"I am truly sorry for the pain this causes you, Jacob. Though you hate me, I must admit that I don't feel the same about you. I think of you as a†¦ a brother in many ways. A comrade in arms, at the very least. I regret your suffering more than you realize. But Bella is going to survive† – when he said that his voice was fierce, even violent – â€Å"and I know that's what really matters to you.† He was probably right. It was hard to tell. My head was spinning. â€Å"So I hate to do this now, while you're already dealing with too much, but, clearly, there is little time. I have to ask you for something – to beg, if I must.† â€Å"I don't have anything left,† I choked out. He lifted his hand again, as if to put it on my shoulder, but then let it drop like before and sighed. â€Å"I know how much you have given,† he said quietly. â€Å"But this is something you do have, and only you. I'm asking this of the true Alpha, Jacob. I'm asking this of Ephraim's heir.† I was way past being able to respond. â€Å"I want your permission to deviate from what we agreed to in our treaty with Ephraim. I want you to grant us an exception. I want your permission to save her life. You know 111 do it anyway, but I don't want to break faith with you if there is any way to avoid it. We never intended to go back on our word, and we don't do it lightly now. I want your understanding, Jacob, because you know exactly why we do this. I want the alliance between our families to survive when this is over.† I tried to swallow. Sam, I thought. It's Sam you want. â€Å"No. Sam's authority is assumed. It belongs to you. You'll never take it from him, but no one can rightfully agree to what I'm asking except for you† It's not my decision. â€Å"It is, Jacob, and you know it. Your word on this will condemn us or absolve us. Only you can give this to me.† can't think. I don't know. â€Å"We don't have much time.† He glanced back toward the house. No, there was no time. My few days had become a few hours. don't know. Let me think. Just give me a minute here, okay? â€Å"Yes.† I started walking to the house, and he followed. Crazy how easy it was, walking through the dark with a vampire right beside me. It didn't feel unsafe, or even uncomfortable, really. It felt like walking next to anybody. Well, anybody who smelled bad. There was a movement in the brush at the edge of the big lawn, and then a low whimper. Seth shrugged through the ferns and loped over to us. â€Å"Hey, kid,† I muttered. He dipped his head, and I patted his shoulder. â€Å"S'all cool,† I lied. â€Å"I'll tell you about it later. Sorry to take off on you like that.† He grinned at me. â€Å"Hey, tell your sister to back off now, okay? Enough.† Seth nodded once. I shoved against his shoulder this time. â€Å"Get back to work. I'll spell you in a bit.† Seth leaned against me, shoving back, and then he galloped into the trees. â€Å"He has one of the purest, sincerest, kindest minds I've ever heard,† Edward murmured when he was outof sight. â€Å"You're lucky to have his thoughts to share.† â€Å"I know that,†! grunted. We started toward the house, and both of our heads snapped up when we heard the sound of someone sucking through a straw. Edward was in a hurry then.He darted up the porch stairs and was gone. â€Å"Bella, love, Ithought you were sleeping,† I heard him say. â€Å"I'm sorry, I wouldn't have left.† â€Å"Don't worry. Ijust got so thirsty – it woke me up.It's a good thing Carlisle is bringing more. This kid is going to need it when he gets out of me.† â€Å"True. That's a good point.† â€Å"I wonder if he'll want anything else,† she mused. â€Å"I suppose we'll find out.† I walked through the door. Alice said, â€Å"Finally,† and Bella's eyes flashed to me. That infuriating, irresistible smile broke across her face for one second. Then it faltered, and her face fell. Her lips puckered, like she was trying not to cry. I wanted to punch Leah right in her stupid mouth. â€Å"Hey, Bells,† Isaid quickly. â€Å"How ya doing?† â€Å"I'm fine,† she said. â€Å"Big day today, huh? Lots of new stuff.† â€Å"You don't have to do that, Jacob.† â€Å"Don't know what you're talking about,† I said, going to sit on the arm of the sofa by her head. Edward had the floor there already. She gave me a reproachful look. â€Å"I'm so s – † she started to say. I pinched her lips together between my thumb and finger. â€Å"Jake,† she mumbled, trying to pull my hand away. Her attempt was so weak it was hard to believe that she was really trying. I shook my head. â€Å"You can talk when you're not being stupid.† â€Å"Fine,I won't say it,† it sounded like she mumbled. I pulled my hand away. â€Å"Sorry!† she finished quickly, and then grinned. I rolledmy eyes and then smiled back at her. When I stared into her eyes, I saw everything that I'd been looking for in the park. Tomorrow, she'd be someone else. But hopefully alive, and that was what counted, right? She'd look at me with the same eyes, sort of. Smile with the same lips, almost. She'd still know me better than anyone who didn't havefull access to the inside of my head. Leah might be an interesting companion, maybe even a true friend – someone who would stand up for me. But she wasn't my best friend the way thatBella was. Aside from the impossible love I felt for Bella, there was also that other bond, and it ran bone deep. Tomorrow, she'd be my enemy. Or she'd be myally. And, apparently, that distinction was up to me. I sighed. Fine!I thought, giving up the very last thing i had to give. It made me feel hollow. Go ahead. Save her. As Ephraim's heir, you have my permission, my word, that this will not violate the treaty. The others will just have to blame me. You were right – they can't deny that it's my right to agree to this. ‘Thank you.† Edward's whisper was low enough that Bella didn't hear anything. But the words were so fervent that, from the corner of my eye, I saw the other vampires turning to stare. â€Å"So,†Bella asked, working to be casual. â€Å"How was your day?† â€Å"Great. Went for a drive. Hung out in the park.† â€Å"Sounds nice.† â€Å"Sure, sure.† Suddenly, she made a face. â€Å"Rose?† she asked. I heard Blondie chuckle. â€Å"Again?† â€Å"I think I've drunk two gallons in the last hour,† Bella explained. Edward and I both got out of the way while Rosalie came to lift Bella from the couch and take her to the bathroom. â€Å"Can I walk?† Bella asked. â€Å"My legs are so stiff.† â€Å"Are you sure?† Edward asked. â€Å"Rose'llcatch me if I trip over my feet. Which could happen pretty easily, since I can't see them.† Rosalie set Bellacarefully on her feet, keeping her hands right atBella's shoulders. Bella stretched her arms out in front of her, wincing a little. â€Å"That feels good,† she sighed. â€Å"Ugh, but I'm huge.† She really was. Her stomach was its own continent. â€Å"One more day,† she said, and patted her stomach. I couldn't help the pain that shot through me in a sudden, stabbing burst, but I tried to keep it off my face. I could hide it for one more day, right? â€Å"All righty, then. Whoops – oh, no!† The cup Bella had left on the sofa tumbled to one side, the dark red blood spilling out onto the pale fabric. Automatically, though three other hands beat her there, Bella bent over, reaching out to catch it. There was the strangest, muffled ripping sound from the center of her body. â€Å"Oh!† she gasped. And then she went totally limp, slumping toward the floor. Rosalie caught her in the same instant, before she could fall. Edward was there, too, hands out, the mess on the sofa forgotten. â€Å"Bella?† he asked, and then his eyes unfocused, and panic shot across his features. A half second later,Bella screamed. Itwas not justa scream, it was a blood-curdling shriek of agony. The horrifying sound cut off with a gurgle, and her eyes rolled back into her head. Her body twitched, arched in Rosalie's arms, and then Bella vomited a fountain of blood.