On Arabian Culture Essay Example for Free

On Arabian Culture Essay The literature on social diversity and cleavages in Arab society and the Middle East as a whole suffers from several fallacies, two of which are most pertinent here. One is the tendency, particularly among Orientalists, to speak both of the mosaic nature of Arab society and of the existence of a unified mentality, or one Arab mind, without any awareness of the contradiction between these two abstractions. The other is the emphasis either on communal cleavages or on class conflicts, with the result that one becomes explanatory while the other is ignored. The interplay and coincidence of these two cleavages are rarely examined in their historical and social contexts. How can an individual define the diversity of Arab society? The diversity that characterizes Arab society needs to be analyzed within a three-dimensional framework: (a) a homogeneity-heterogeneity continuum; (b) the processes of conflict-accommodation-assimilation; and (c) social class cleavages. The continuum that covers the range from a completely homogeneous society to one of great heterogeneity encompasses a complex system of vertical loyalties and communal differentiations (ethnic, linguistic, sectarian, tribal, local, regional, and the like) that coincides as well as conflicts with social class cleavages. Arab society has historically been highly heterogeneous. Certainly, one may argue that there has recently been a resurgence of communal loyalties and mobilization, confirming the mosaic and segmentary structures of society. What cannot be granted is the static conception of these loyalties and cleavage as permanent, unchanging forms of differentiation. What is Arab society in general? The characterization of Arab society as heterogeneous, however, needs to be accompanied by an explicit clarification that not all Arab countries are similar in this respect. In fact, they differ widely in regard to their positions on the homogeneity-heterogeneity continuum. Compared to other Arab countries, Egypt and Tunisia, for instance, may be described as rather homogeneous as far as communal cleavages are concerned. These two countries tend to have fewer ethnic, religious, and tribal differences (and, hence, conflicts) than other Arab societies, and are characterized more by social complexity and social class cleavages. A second group of Arab countries, such as Lebanon and Sudan, occupy a position close to the opposite end of the continuum, each being more of a mosaic in structure and social composition. A third set, such as Syria, Algeria, Arabia, and Morocco, tend to occupy positions more in the middle of the continuum. Conventional Western literature on Arab and other Middle Eastern societies has persistently avoided any serious discussion of social class structure. Instead, it has conceived of Arab societies simply as a mosaic. At the margin of this mainstream discourse, however, there has been some occasional speculation on problems of social stratification. Whenever a discussion of this nature has taken place, it has evolved into a heated exchange. One point of view reaffirms the conclusions of the mosaic model and questions the relevance of class analysis. For instance, C. A. O. van Niewenhuijze and James Bill, in separate works, dismiss class analysis in economic terms and instead use Weberian concepts of status and power. Similarly, Iliya Harik has more recently dismissed the thesis put forward by some writers that the Lebanese civil war is actually a class struggle and expressed his â€Å"belief that class distinctions in Lebanon are too obscure to sustain the class struggle argument†. Bryan S. Turner, by contrast, has pointed out that anyone â€Å"who wants to develop a Marxist analysis of North Africa and the Middle East must start with a critique of the mosaic theory and all its related assumptions†. Such a critique, he explains, is required because mosaic analysts believe â€Å"that traditional Middle Eastern societies were not class dominated and that in the modern Middle East social class is only in the process of emerging alongside other forms of social stratification†. Nicholas S. Hopkins has applied ideas of class derived from the Marxist tradition to changes in the social structure of an agricultural town in Tunisia, concluding that essential changes in the mechanization of agriculture and in the improvement of communications â€Å"led to a shift in the organization of work away from a pattern based on mobilization of labor within the household or the extended kindred . . . and toward a pattern of labor determined by wage labor†. Consequently, this Tunisian agricultural town has shifted from a society in which rank was based â€Å"on vertical rather than on horizontal links† to one â€Å"based on class†. Hopkins argues further that not only is there class in the objective sense, â€Å"there is also class consciousness, at least in embryonic, symbolic form†. My own view is that the persistence of communal cleavages complicates rather than nullifies social class consciousness and struggle. This persistence of communal cleavages and vertical loyalties in some Arab countries is owing to the perpetuation of traditional systems in which communities are linked to their local zaims (traditional leaders) through patron-client relationships. To the extent that constructive change can be introduced in these areas, such traditional systems will give way, increasingly, to other social and class relationships. Reference: Gutas, D. (1998). Greek Thought, Arab Culture : The Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad and Early Abbasid Society (2nd-4th 8th-10th C. ): Routledge. Rejwan, N. (1998). Arabs Face the Modern World: Religious, Cultural, and Political Responses to the West: Gainesville University Press of Florida. Szarmach, P. E. (1979). Aspects of Jewish Culture in the Middle Ages: Albany State University of New York Press

A Raisin In The Sun English Literature Essay

A Raisin In The Sun English Literature Essay Who is Lorraine Vivian Hansberry? Lorraine was born In Chicago on May 19, 1930 She based most of her novels on her life, she was 28 years old when she wrote her first play A Raisin in the Sun which won The Drama Critics Award for best play of the year and made Hansberry the first black, youngest person, and fifth woman to win that prize. She was the youngest of four children Carl, Jr., Perry, and Mammie. Her parents were well educated successful black citizens who publicly fought discrimination against black people. Her father, Carl Augustus Hansberry, Sr., was from Gloucester, Mississippi, he moved to Chicago after attending Alcorn College, and became known as the kitchenette king after subdividing large homes that were vacated by whites who were moving to the suburbs he then sold these small apartments or kitchenettes to African American migrants from the South. Hansberrys mother, Nannie Perry, a schoolteacher and, later, ward committeewoman, was from Tennessee. At the time of Lorr aines birth, she had become an influential society matron who hosted major cultural and literary figures such as Paul Robeson, Langston Hughes, and Joe Louis. Lorraine and her siblings enjoyed privileges unknown to their schoolmates; the parents filled their children with racial pride and civic responsibility. They founded the Hansberry Foundation; an organization designed to inform African Americans of their civil rights, they also encouraged their children to challenge the segregation policies of local restaurants and stores. (Cliffnotes, James, Rosetta). When Hansberry was a child she and her family lived in a black neighborhood on Chicagos Southside. During this time segregation enforced the separation of whites and blacks which was still legal and spreaded throughout the South, Northern States. This was including Hansberrys own Hometown Illinois. Carl and Nannie Hansberry challenged defensive real estate agreements by moving into an all-white neighborhood. Hansberrys family became one of the first to move into an all white neighborhood but, a mob of whites gathered in front of the house and threw a brick through the front window, narrowly missing eight-year-old Lorraine this forced the family to move out. Her father won a narrow victory over restrictive agreements from the Supreme Court, but the decision failed to set examples on their issue. Hansberry still attended Betsy Ross Elementary and Englewood High School even though her family stayed in a all white neighborhood it didnt change her right to get a education with all the other white kids because of her skin color she still had to attend a segregated public school for blacks .Lorraine Hansberry became interested in theater in high school, and pursued this interest in college. Her familys move into a restricted white neighborhood in 1937 helped her battle with injustice; this filled her with a sense of social activism. Their struggle would become the subject of her first major play. Departing from the family tradition of attending black colleges, Hansberry enrolled at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, a predominantly white university, to study journalism, but became equally attracted to the visual arts while she was there. She also attended the University of Wisconsin and the Art Institute of Chicago and studied in Guadalajara, Mexico, from 1948 to 1950. She became more politically active after moving to New York City and writing for freedom magazine. While participating in a demonstration at New York University, she met Robert Barron Nemiroff, the son of progressive Russian Jewish immigrants, and after a short intimate relationship, she married him on June 20, 1953. After having earned his masters degree four months earlier at New York University, he had begun writing a book on Theodore Dreiser, The young couple moved to Greenwich Village and Hansberry began to write massively about the people and lifestyles that she observed around her. She was already an experienced writer and editor, having published articles, essays, and poetry in Freedom, New Challenge Magazine and other political magazines.(Shmoop, A raisin in the Sun). After leaving Freedom in 1953 to concentrate on her writing, Hansberry worked various odd jobs including tagger in the garment industry, typist, program director at Camp Unity (an interracial summer camp), recreation leader for the physically disabled, and teacher at the Marxist-oriented Jefferson School for Social Science. When her husband co-wrote Cindy Oh Cindy (1956), a ballad that became an instant hit, the profits freed Hansberry to devote her full energies to a play about a struggling, working-class black family, like the families who rented her fathers properties on Chicagos South Side A Raisin In the Sun . A Raisin In the Sun reflects the frustrations of a black family whose dreams of economic progress have been let down in 1961, it was produced as a film with most of the original cast and won a special award at the Cannes Film Festival. During this period, Hansberry was much in demand as a public speaker. She expressed her belief that art is social and that black writers m ust address all issues of humankind. As the civil rights movement climaxed, she helped to organize fund-raising activities in support of organizations such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), called for the abolition of the House Un-American Activities Committee, and declared that President John E. Kennedy had endangered world peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis.(Answers.com, A raisin in the Sun). During the last four years of her life, Hansberry worked hard on several plays. The Sign in Sidney Brusteins Window was produced on Broadway in 1964, but critics were less open to this play that challenged the Greenwich Village intellectuals. During its short run, Hansberry battled pancreatic cancer, diagnosed in 1963. She died on 12 January 1965, the same night that her play closed.(Grade Saver, Sherrod, Cheryl.Berkow, Jordan). Lorraine Hansberry left behind several plays some are listed below: (Answers.com, A raisin in the Sun). Nonfiction the Movement: Documentary of a Struggle for Equality, Simon Schuster, 1964. To Be Young, Gifted and Black: Lorraine Hansberry in Her Own Words, introduction by James Baldwin, Prentice-Hall, 1969. Plays A Raisin in the Sun, opened in New Haven and Philadelphia, moved to Chicago, then produced on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theater, March 11, 1959; published by New American Library, 1961. Les Blancs, single scene staged at Actors Studio Workshop, New York, 1963; two-act play produced at Long acre Theater, New York City, 1970. The Sign in Sidney Brusteins Window produced on Broadway, 1964; published by Random House, 1965. Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun and The Sign in Sidney Brusteins Window, New American Library, 1966. To Be Young, Gifted and Black, adapted for the stage by Robert Nemiroff, first produced at the Cherry Lane Theater, January 2, 1969; acting edition published by Samuel French, 1971. Les Blancs: The Collected Last Plays of Lorraine Hansberry, edited by Robert Nemiroff, introduction by Julius Lester, Random House, 1972, reprinted, New American Library, 1983. Lorraine Hansberry: The Collected Last Plays (Les Blancs, The Drinking Gourd, What Use Are Flowers?), edited by Robert Nemiroff, New American Library, 1983. Other (Answers.com, A raisin in the Sun). A Raisin in the Sun: The Unfilmed Original Screenplay, edited by Robert Nemiroff, Plume, 1992. All the Dark and Beautiful Warriors, an unfinished novel. Author of about two dozen articles for Freedom, 1951-55, and over 25 essays for other publications, including the Village Voice, New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Freedom ways, Mademoiselle, Ebony, Playbill, Show, Theatre Arts, Black Scholar, Monthly Review, and Annals of Psychotherapy. Books (Answers.com, A raisin in the Sun). Abramson, Doris E., Negro Playwrights in the American Theatre, 1925-1959, Columbia University Press, 1969, pp. 165-266. Black Literature Criticism, Gale, 1992. Carter, Steven R., Hansberrys Drama: Commitment amid Complexity, University of Illinois Press, 1991. Cheney, Anne, Lorraine Hansberry, Twayne, 1984. Davis, Arthur P., From the Dark Tower: Afro-American Writers, 1900-1960, Howard University Press, pp. 203-07. Hansberry, Lorraine, To Be Young, Gifted and Black: Lorraine Hansberry in Her Own Words, introduction by James Baldwin, Penguin Books, 1969. Hansberry, Lorraine, A Raisin in the Sun: The Unfilmed Original Screenplay, edited by Robert Nemiroff, foreword by Jewell Handy Gresham-Nemiroff, commentary by Spike Lee, Penguin Books USA, 1992. Periodicals (Answers.com, A raisin in the Sun). Black American Literature Forum, spring 1983, pp. 8-13. Commentary, June 1959, pp. 527-30. Freedom ways (special issue), 19:4, 1979. New Yorker, May 9, 1959. New York Times, January 13, 1965; October 5, 1983, p. C24. New York Times Review of Books, March 31, 1991, p. 25. Theatre Journal, December 1986, pp. 441-52. Time, January 22, 1965. Village Voice, August 12, 1959, pp. 7-8. Washington Post, November 17, 1986, p. D1. Hansberry wrote that she always felt the tendency to record her experiences her sense of history and the confusing role of women in history are also shown in her work. She was named most promising playwright. Raisin in the Sun ran for 530 performances from 1959 to 1965; A Raisin in the Sun was a play that Lorraine based on her life while living n Chicago during segregation.(Sparknotes,A raisin in the Sun). It talked about the life of a family called the Youngers some other characters Include: Walter Lee Younger  Ã‚  The central character of the play. Walter is a dreamer. He wants to be rich and devises plans to acquire wealth with his friends, particularly Willy Harris. When the play opens, he wants to invest his fathers insurance money in a new liquor store venture. He spends the rest of the play endlessly preoccupied with discovering a quick solution to his familys various  problems. Beneatha Younger (Bennie)  Ã‚  Mamas daughter and Walters sister. Beneatha is an intellectual. Twenty years old, she attends college and is better educated than the rest of the Younger family. Some of her personal beliefs and views have distanced her from conservative Mama. She dreams of being a doctor and struggles to determine her identity as a well-educated black woman. Lena Younger (Mama)  Ã‚  Walter and Beneathas mother. The head of the family, Mama is religious, moral, and caring. She wants to use her husbands insurance money as a down payment on a house with a backyard to fulfill her dream for her family to move up in the  world. Ruth Younger  Ã‚  Walters wife and Traviss mother. Ruth takes care of the Youngers small apartment. Her marriage to Walter has problems, but she hopes to rekindle their love. She is about thirty, but her weariness makes her seem older. Constantly fighting poverty and domestic troubles, she continues to be an emotionally strong woman. Her almost unenthusiastic sarcasm helps her to survive. Travis Younger  Ã‚  Walter and Ruths sheltered young son. Travis earns some money by carrying grocery bags and likes to play outside with other neighborhood children, but he has no bedroom and sleeps on the living-room sofa. Joseph Asagai  Ã‚  A Nigerian student in love with Beneatha. Asagai, as he is often called, is very proud of his African heritage, and Beneatha hopes to learn about her African heritage from him. He eventually proposes marriage to Beneatha and hopes she will return to Nigeria with him. George Murchison  Ã‚  A wealthy, African-American man who courts Beneatha. The Youngers approve of George, but Beneatha dislikes his willingness to submit to white culture and forget his African heritage. He challenges the thoughts and feelings of other black people through his arrogance and flair for intellectual competition. Mr. Karl Lindner  Ã‚  The only white character in the play. Mr. Lindner arrives at the Youngers apartment from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association. He offers the Youngers a deal to reconsider moving into his (all-white) neighborhood. Bobo  Ã‚  One of Walters partners in the liquor store plan. Bobo appears to be as mentally slow as his name indicates. Willy Harris  Ã‚  A friend of Walter and coordinator of the liquor store plan. Willy never appears onstage, which helps keep the focus of the story on the dynamics of the Younger family. Mrs. Johnson  Ã‚  The Youngers neighbor. Mrs. Johnson takes advantage of the Youngers hospitality and warns them  about moving into an all white  neighborhood. A Raisin In the Sun portrays a few weeks in the life of the Youngers, an African-American family living on the South Side of Chicago in the 1950s. When the play opens, the Youngers are about to receive an insurance check for $10,000. This money comes from the deceased Mr. Youngers life insurance policy. Each of the adult members of the family has an idea as to what he or she would like to do with this money. The head of the family, Mama, wants to buy a house to fulfill a dream she shared with her husband. Mamas son, Walter Lee, would rather use the money to invest in a liquor store with his friends. He believes that the investment will solve the familys financial problems forever. Walters wife, Ruth, agrees with Mama, however, and hopes that she and Walter can provide more space and opportunity for their son, Travis. Finally, Beneatha, Walters sister and Mamas daughter, wants to use the money for her medical school tuition. She also wishes that her family members were not so interest ed in joining the white world. Beneatha instead tries to find her identity by looking back to the past and to Africa. As the play progresses, the Youngers clash over their competing dreams. Ruth discovers that she is pregnant but fears that if she has the child, she will put more financial pressure on her family members. When Walter says nothing to Ruths admission that she is considering abortion, Mama puts a down payment on a house for the whole family. She believes that a bigger, house will benefit them all. The Youngers future neighbors find out that they are moving to an all white neighborhood, and they send Mr. Lindner, from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, to offer the Youngers money in return for staying away. The Youngers refuse the deal, even after Walter loses the rest of the money to his friend Willy Harris, who persuades Walter to invest in the liquor store and then runs off with his cash. In the meantime, Beneatha rejects George Murchison, who she believes to be shallow and blind to the problems of race. She receives a marriage proposal from her Nigerian boyfriend, Joseph Asagai, who wants Beneatha to get a medical degree and move to Africa with him. The Youngers eventually move out of the apartment, fulfilling the familys long-held dream. Their future seems uncertain and slightly dangerous, but they are determined to live a better life. They believe that they can succeed if they stick together as a family and resolve to defer their dreams no longer. During Act 1 Scene 1 of the play which is entitled Friday Morning it is morning at the Youngers apartment. Their small home on the South Side of Chicago has two bedrooms one for Mama and Beneatha, and one for Ruth and Walter Lee. Travis sleeps on the couch in the living room. The only window is in their small kitchen, and they share a bathroom in the hall with their neighbors. Ruth is the first one in the house to wake up so she starts to cook breakfast and this awakes Walter and Travis while Travis is getting ready Walter and Ruth talk in the kitchen they do not seem happy as they engage in some slight humor they keep mentioning a check Walter scans the front page of the newspaper and reads that another bomb was set off, and Ruth responds with anger. Travis asks them for money he is supposed to bring fifty cents to school and Ruth says that they do not have it. His constant nagging quickly irritates her. Walter, however, gives Travis an entire dollar while staring at Ruth. Travis th en leaves for school, and Walter tells Ruth that he wants to use the check to invest in a liquor store with a few of his friends. Walter and Ruth continue to argue about their unhappy lives.(Bookrags, A raisin in the Sun). Act 1 Scene 2 The Following Morning The next day, Saturday, the Youngers are cleaning their apartment and waiting for the insurance check to arrive. Walter receives a phone call from his friend Willy Harris, who is coordinating the potential liquor store investment. It appears that their plan is moving smoothly. The insurance check is all Walter needs to pursue his liquor store. He promises to bring the money to Willy when he receives it. Meanwhile, Beneatha is spraying the apartment with insecticide in an attempt to get rid of cockroaches. Beneatha and Travis start fighting, and Beneatha threatens him with the spray gun. The phone rings, and Beneatha answers. She invites the person on the phone over to the still-dirty apartment, without concerning Mama. After hanging up, Beneatha explains to Mama that the man she has spoken to on the phone is Joseph Asagai, an African intellectual whom Beneatha has met at school. She and Mama discuss Beneathas worries about her familys ignorance abo ut Africa and African people. Ruth returns from seeing a doctor, who has told her that she is two months pregnant. She reveals this information to Mama and Beneatha. Walter returns home and wants to talk about his liquor store plans. Ruth wants to discuss her pregnancy with him and becomes upset when he will not listen.(Cummings study guide, A raisin in the Sun). Act 2 Scene 1 Later that same day Later on the same Saturday, Beneatha comes out from her room dressed in the Nigerian clothes that Asagai has brought her. She dances around the apartment, claiming to be performing a tribal dance while shouting OCOMOGOSIAY and singing. Mama comes home and announces that she has put a down payment on a house with some of the insurance money. Ruth is happy to hear this news because she too dreams of moving out of their current apartment and into a more spacious home. Meanwhile, Walter is noticeably upset because he wants to put all the money into the liquor store. They all become worried when they hear that the house is in Clybourne Park, an entirely white neighborhood. Mama asks for their understanding it was the only house that they could afford. She feels she needs to buy the house to hold the family together. Ruth regains her pleasure and rejoices, but Walter feels betrayed, his dream swept under the table. Walter makes Mama feel guilty, saying tha t she has crushed his dream. He goes quickly to his bedroom, and Mama remains sitting and worrying.(enotes, Marie Rose Naiper Kowski). Act 2 Scene 2 Friday Night a few weeks later On a Friday night a few weeks later, Beneatha and George return from a date. The Youngers apartment is full of moving boxes. George wants to kiss Beneatha, but she does not want to kiss. She wants to engage George in a conversation about the life of African-Americans. It seems that George wants to marry a nice, simple, sophisticated girl. Mama comes in as Beneatha kicks him out Mrs. Johnson the Youngers neighbor visits. Mama and Ruth offer her food and drink, and she gladly accepts. She has come to visit to tell them about a black family who has been bombed out of their home in a white neighborhood. Walters boss calls, telling Ruth that Walter has not been to work in three days. Walter explains that he has been wandering all day (often way into the country) and drinking all night (at a bar with a jazz duo that he loves). He says that he feels depressed, and useless as the man of the family(Sparknotes,A raisin in the Sun). Act 2 Scene 3 Saturday moving day, one week later On Saturday, a week later, it is moving day. Ruth shows Beneatha the curtains she has bought for the new house and tells her that the first thing she is going to do in their new house is take a long bath in their very own bathroom. Ruth comments on the changed mood around the household, noting that she and Walter even went out to the movies and held hands the previous evening. Walter comes in and dances with Ruth. Beneatha teases them about acting in a stereotypical fashion but does not really mean any harm. A middle-aged white man named Karl Lindner appears at the door. He is a representative from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, and he tells the Youngers that problems arise when different kinds of people do not sit down and talk to each other. The Youngers agree, until he reveals that he and the neighborhood coalition believe that the Youngers presence in Clybourne Park would destroy the community there. When Mama comes h ome, Walter, Ruth, and Beneatha tell her about Mr. Lindners visit. It shocks and worries her, but she supports their decision to refuse the buyout offer. Then, as she is making sure that her plant is well packed for the trip, the rest of the family surprises her with gifts of gardening tools and a huge gardening hat. Mama has never received presents other than at Christmas, and she is touched by her familys generosity. Just as the whole family begins to celebrate, Bobo, one of Walters friends, arrives. After some stumbling, he announces that Willy Harris has run off with all of the money that Walter invested in the liquor store deal. It turns out that Walter had invested not only his $3,500 but also the $3,000 intended for Beneathas education. Mama is angry and begins to beat Walter in the face. Beneatha breaks them up. Weakness overcomes Mama, and she thinks about the hard labor her husband endured in order to earn the money for them. She prays heavily for strength.(123 help me, A raisin in the Sun). Act 3 An hour later One hour later on moving day, everyone is still unhappy. Walter sits alone and thinks. Asagai comes to help them pack and finds Beneatha questioning her choice of becoming a doctor. She no longer believes that she can help people. Mama enters and announces that they are not going to move. Ruth protests. Walter returns, having called Mr. Lindner and invited him back to the apartment he intends to take his offer of money in exchange for not moving to Clybourne Park. Everyone objects to this plan, arguing that they have too much pride to accept not being able to live somewhere because of their race. Walter, very agitated, puts on an act, imitating the stereotype of a black male servant. When he finally exits, Mama declares that he has died inside. Beneatha decides that he is no longer her brother, but Mama reminds her to love him, especially when he feels hopeless.(Pink Monkey, Sauder,Dianne). The movers and Mr. Lindner arrive. Mama tells Walter to deal with Mr. Lindner, who is laying out contracts for Walter to sign. Walter starts hesitantly, but soon we see that he has changed his mind about taking Mr. Lindners money. His speech builds in power. He tells Mr. Lindner that the Youngers are proud and hardworking and intend to move into their new house. Mr. Lindner appeals to Mama, who defers to Walters statement. Ultimately, Mr. Lindner leaves with his papers unsigned. Everyone finishes packing up as the movers come to take the furniture. Mama tells Ruth that she thinks Walter has finally become a man by standing up to Mr. Lindner. Ruth agrees and is noticeably proud of her husband. Mama, who is the last to leave, looks for a moment at the empty apartment. Then she leaves, bringing her plant with her.(Cliffnotes, James Rosetta). While reading a raisin in the sun I came to a conclusion that it is essentially about dreams, as the main characters struggle to deal with the depressive circumstances that rule their lives. The title of the play refers to a line that Langston Hughes famously said in a poem he wrote about dreams that were forgotten or put off. He wonders whether those dreams shrivel up like A raisin in the Sun. Every member of the Younger family has a separate, individual dream Beneatha wants to become a doctor, for example, and Walter wants to have money so that he can afford things for his family. The Youngers struggle to attain these dreams throughout the play, and much of their happiness and depression is directly related to their achievement of, or failure to attain, these dreams. As the play progressed The Youngers eventually move out of the apartment, fulfilling the familys long-held dream. Their future seems uncertain and slightly dangerous, but they are determined to live a better life. They believe that they can succeed if they stick together as a family. By the end of the play, they learn that the dream of a house is the most important dream because it unites the family, And so did I.

Concepts Of Appropriation Under The Theft Act Law Essay

Concepts Of Appropriation Under The Theft Act Law Essay The Theft Act 1968  [1]  was legislated as a result of complicated, confusing and highly technical prior statutes and case law. Antiquated terminology like larceny, embezzlement and false pretences were to be replaced by a simple and short Act that was aiming towards codification of the criminal law. The Criminal Law Revision Committee advised on the recommendation, which as a result fully transpired. The report affirmed larceny, embezzlement and fraudulent conversion should be replaced by a single new offence of theft. The important element of them all is undoubtedly the dishonest appropriation of anotherers property.  [2]  Unfortunately the courts interpretation of the Theft Act has not went as smooth as anticipated; it became highly disputed as the House of Lords reached contrasting outcomes on several cases. Parliament was possibly at fault to some extent due to the Act being formulated very simplistic, the consequence was that judges had to work out exactly what the law was. My purpose will be to chronologically evaluate the crucial case law, academic opinion, as well as objectively conclude from a theoretical and practical perspective. The definition of The Theft Act 1968 is A person is guilty of theft if he dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it; and thief and steal shall be construed accordingly.  [3]  This section is pivotal and fundamental as the whole Act is structured around this definition. Dispute surrounds the element of appropriation. Academics and lawyers have and still are extensively contesting on whether consent should be relevant or irrelevant for an individual to appropriate property. The Criminal Law Revision Committee which prompted the Act stated We hope and believe that the concept of dishonest appropriation will be easily understood even without the aid of further definition.  [4]  This lack of further definition in hindsight, demonstrated poor judgment from the Committee as cases will illustrate that interpretation of appropriation has led to difficulties even in straightforward circumstances. In Lawrence  [5]  an Italian student who was unfamiliar with the currency opened his wallet to a taxi driver to allow him to acquire the fare. The driver took money which was well over the excess of the fare. The driver disputed that his conduct could be appropriation because the student consented. The House of Lords held that it was irrelevant the student consented and dismissed the defendants appeal; the drivers conviction was upheld. This case concluded that appropriation can occur even when the victim has consented in handing over their property. Under the old Larceny Act 1916 a requirement for appropriation was without the consent of the owner  [6]  . Viscount Dilhorne highlighted this contrast in his judgment as he quoted Parliament by the omission of these words has relieved the prosecution of the burdon of establishing that the taking was without the owners consent  [7]  . Furthermore, Lawrenece means that certain crimes of deception may also be identical to crim es of theft, due to consent being irrelevant. Surely Parliaments intentions were not to have it amalgamated with s15 Obtaining Property by Deception. P. R. Glazebrook brought up this illogical consequence as he wrote Should it matter tuppence whether a crook snitched his victims property or tricked him out of it? Parliament thought not.  [8]  I myself find it hard to comprehend that Parliament enacted a meaningless provision but this is a practical and theoretical effect of the courts verdict. Shute and Horder also disagreed with the crimes being amalgamated by writing in a journal The label thief does not carry the same moral import as the label conman;  [9]  they also went on to say The nature of the wrongdoing in theft has a separate moral foundation from that of obtaining by deception. There is no doubt that these crimes are entirely different in reality and should be treated entirely different by the law; the outcome of Lawrenece does seem to question the merit and prac ticality of the Theft Act. The House of Lords in the case of Morris  [10]  casted uncertainty on this proposition as they held that the defendant must have done something objectively criminal for appropriation to occur. The facts involved the defendant exchanging labels on goods in a supermarket in order to pay less for the item; he was seized before paying and charged with theft. His council submitted that he could not have appropriated the item as he had handled the item in the supermarket with implied consent of the owner. Judging on Lawrence the defendant should have been convicted but the court completely opposed. Lord Roskil quoted appropriation in my view involves not an act expressly or impliedly authorised by the owner but an act by way of adverse interference with or unsurpation of those rights.  [11]  So on this judgment, a consensual acquirement of property would not be theft since the element of appropriation is absent. For the next eight years until R v Gomez  [12]  , this case was us ed in preference to Lawrence. The facts of Gomez involved the defendant who was an employee of a store in. He convinced the manager to sell goods to an accomplice and accept payment by cheques. He told the manager that the cheque was as good as cash but was aware that they were stolen. Gomez was convicted of theft at the trial court. The defendant appealed to the Court of Appeal, Lord Lane CJ was very clear on his position and stated anyone who obtains goods in return for a cheque which he knows will be dishonored on presentation, or indeed by way of any other similar pretence, would be guilty of theft  [13]  . He then went on to say that appropriation never occurred as There is no appropriation at the moment when he takes possession of the goods because he was entitled to do so under the terms of the contract of sale.  [14]  Lord Lane expressed that this conduct should not fall within the Theft Act as in practice it expands it enormously. Professor Shute obviously agreed with Lord Lanes reasoning as he w rote To create a new offence of theft to include conduct which ordinary people would find difficult to regard as theft would be a mistake.  [15]  Lord Lane also stressed that by making consent irrelevant created a clear conflict between civil and criminal law. Gomez was appealed to the House of Lords. The house had to clarify if consent was relevant and if appropriation involvedadverse interference with, or usurpation of, some right of the owner  [16]  The lords concluded 3:2 in favor for Lawrence against Morris and decided that consent is irrelevant to appropriation. Lord Keith quoted in the leading judgment Belief or the absence of belief that the owner had such knowledge is relevant to the issue of dishonesty, not to question whether or not there has been an appropriation.  [17]  This decision was of vast importance and had extensive implications to the offence of theft. In practical situations it could determine the point of arrest, for example, an individual can in theory be arrested in a shop for simply touching an item, perhaps just looking at the ingredients, if the law enforcement suspect the individual is planning to steal this item then in theory then they can be arrested. In practice this seems completely absurd; in add ition it means the law authorities have enormous arbitrary powers resulting from this legislation. Although in practice I doubt this example would occur often but arbitrary powers this broad should be taken very seriously as it may contravene human rights, the rule of law and the manifest criminality rule  [18]  that George Fletcher discusses. This rule maintains the notion that a reasonable person should identify the theft that has occurred. To some degree criminal activity like theft should be obvious to the objective observer. Alarmingly, by omitting the consent element for appropriation means that it practically vanishes the necessity to have an actus reus for a conviction. Also, there is no doubt that in certain cases consent will distinguish if the defendants conduct was dishonest or not. By dismissing consent the law is virtually relying on the entire mens rea element. Lord Lowry dissented in Gomez cited a dictionary definition of appropriate, he quoted take possession of, take to oneself, especially without authority.  [19]  He concluded that consent was relevant and there had to be some sort of adverse interference, which I do believe should be an element of appropriation. Later on in the 1990s, appropriation was at the centre of a further legal concern. The question the courts had to address was; could a recipient of a valid gift in civil law have appropriated property and be charged with theft if there was no deception? Again, consent was questioned. There were several cases with similar facts but it was R v Hinks  [20]  which resolved the issue. The defendant befriended a man of limited intelligence and naivety although he was mentally able of understanding the concept of ownership and a gift. The defendant encouraged the man to withdraw sixty thousand pounds and deposit it in her account. The Court of Appeal held that it was irrelevant the gift was valid in civil law and the question was certified to the House of Lords. Hinks defence submitted sound reasoning on why it would be wrong to hold a valid civil gift as appropriated, they referred to numerous examples of when contractual problems under such a expansive definition of appropriation whic h could now become theft. The defence also highlighted that it would create disharmony and a blatant conflict with civil law. Lord Steyn countered this issue as he quoted The tension between the civil law and the criminal law is therefore not in my view a factor which justifies a departure from the law as stated in Lawrence and Gomez.  [21]  In addition, on the matter of consent and authority he said this was immaterial.  [22]  The court appeal was dismissed as the gift was appropriated, only with Lord Hobhouse dissenting. Therefore in practice if there is an acquisition of property through dishonestly then the gift will have been appropriated and stolen. There are several consequences of the final decision in Hinks. First of all it means that there is no longer any distinction between fraud and theft, which does not seem to be logical as they are entirely different crimes. Lord Steyn discarded appropriation as being narrow due the number of unjustified acquittals that may be the consequence. Although this is a convincing justification and I can see the logic due to the defendants unconscionable conduct, but I believe this should not be the criminal law. The contrast with civil law could been evaded by perhaps declaring the gift voidable due to undue influence. The court asserting the legitimacy of the gift as irrelevant was perhaps unconvincing. J.C Smith strongly disapproved as he wroteWho ever heard of ordinary literate people describing the receipt of a gift as an appropriation?  [23]  Numerous academics have agreed with Smith and understandably criticized the courts decision. Clarkson and Keating have described Hinks decision in particular as lamentable  [24]  as the House of Lords do not identify what actually constitutes appropriation. J.C Smith emphasized how expansive appropriation is currently, the commentary stated Millions of employees are appropriating their employers property, millions of customers are appropriating the property of shopkeepers, husbands are appropriating the property of their wifes and vice versa every hour of the day  [25]  , therefore if mens rea is perceptible then these examples can all be theft. Reflecting on the judgments, journals and commentary, I believe adverse interference should be present in the definition of appropriation. Perhaps the negative aspect is there may be an undeserved acquittal but better this than innocent individuals convicted due to the law being so expansive. It is simply more practical and just for adverse interference to be an element in of the Theft Act. Adverse iterference establishes the progress from actual guilty contemplation or consideration to which should be the full mens rea of theft. Individuals with criminal thoughts and ideas should not be liable for theft if the criminal act has not been executed. Unfortunetly due to adverse interference being ommitted from the requirement of the Theft Act, thoughts and ideas can be criminal in the present law which in my opinon is completely unsound and dangerously premature for a justifiable conviction.

Abortion: Pro-life! :: essays research papers

Every day, an overwhelming amount of human beings’ lives are terminated. The culprit: unwanted pregnancies. Many woman are (not by choice), becoming pregnant as a result of unsafe sex, rape, and other things. So what is one to do when they discover that they’re pregnant? They have some alternatives: (1) have the child and raise it (2) have the child, then give it up for adoption (3) get an abortion. Sadly, many women choose alternative three, unaware of what they’re getting themselves into. Abortion is very cruel to the baby and even harms the mother. It is murder!There are many different procedures for abortions, all gruesome and pain inflicting on the baby. Suction Aspiration (vacuum curettage) makes up for 98% of first trimester abortions. The cervix is first dilated. Then a suction tube with a sharp cutting edge is inserted which rips the baby to pieces. It then sucks out all the remains. If the mother waits until the third trimester (when the baby is more developed), then she must have Partial Birth Abortion. Using Ultra-sound, the doctor grabs the baby’s legs and forces out all but the head. Scissors are then jammed into the back of the skull and opened, creating a larger hole. A suction tube sucks the brains out, causing the skull to collapse. Then the dead baby is removed.Believe it or not, the mother is also harmed. In Suction Aspiration, if any tissue is left inside, it’ll become infected. For Methoxotrexate Injection, another type of abortion, Methoxotrexate can produce ill side effects such as anemia, nausea, cancer, lung disease, and heavy bleeding. Just think of the mental trauma the mother is also feeling. She has the forever-guilty conscience of being responsible for her own child’s death. Many mothers say, "I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.""I feel like crawling into a hole and dying," says another mother after the operation.A common argument is that abortion isn’t murder because the baby isn’t alive. But on the contrary: life begins at conception. After only 18 days, the heart is formed, and after 20 the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system are developing. A mere four days later, the heart starts beating. Is abortion murder though? According to the Webster Dictionary, abortion is to terminate a pregnancy because the baby is not capable of living.

chlamydia :: essays research papers

Chlamydia (STD) Æ’Ã ¦ Chlamydia trachoma is a sexually transmitted disease that is transmitted by direct contact through oral, vaginal and anal intercourse and is also transmitted to newborns through vaginal birth by an infected mother. This disease is not passed on by indirect contact, such as a toilet seat. Æ’Ã ¦ Chlamydia trachoma is biologically active in vaginal and penile secretions and fluids. Æ’Ã ¦ The usual reservoir for C. trachoma is the mucous membranes of the body found in the genital region, throat, and eyes. Æ’Ã ¦ The etiological agent of Chlamydia is C. trachomatis which has the following general characteristics: obligate intracellular parasite gram negative coccoid bacteria nonmotile intracellular does not possess a peptidoglycan layer unable to produce its own ATP. Æ’Ã ¦ The following tests are used to identify C. trachomatis: 1) ELISA test and FA test may be effective only when the bacterium is metabolically active (not infectious), these tests are used to detect group specific LPS and strain-specific outer membrane proteins 2) gram staining (negative, coccoid) 3) culture and iodine staining for inclusion bodies (used because the trachoma species of Chlamydia cannot be stained with iodine because it does not contain glycogen) 4) Serological tests that detect high titer IgM antibodies indicates a recent infection (used in adults, cannot distinguish between current and previous infections, not very useful) 5) nucleic acid probes (these are currently new and further info was not available) Æ’Ã ¦ The bacterium C. trachomatis was first discovered in 1907 by Stanislaus von Prowazek in Berlin. The genus part of the name, Chlalmydia, comes from the Greek word chlamys, which means cloak and the species part of the name, trachomatis is also Greek and means rough or harsh. This name is perfectly associated with the actions of this disease. Æ’Ã ¦ A cloak is meant to hide, conceal or even disguise; and that is what C. trachomatis does on the inside of the body, it hides, it is usually asymptomatic (no symptoms). It enters the body through mucous membranes on the body as elementary bodies that bind to receptors on the host cells and are taken in by endocytosis or phagocytosis. The elementary bodies become reticulate bodies that do not combine with the lysosome and are able to resist being digested and killed. The reticulate bodies reproduce by binary fission and change back into elementary bodies which leave by reverse endocytosis. The elementary bodies have a rough outer membrane that allows them to be resistant against  ¡Ã‚ §harsh ¡Ã‚ ¨ environmental conditions which is associated with the name trachomatis.

How the American Revolution Got Started

The events that took place before the American Revolution affected history in such a way giving the British and colonists the need to have a Revolution. The French and Indian war is the name for the war that took place between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. The aftermath of this war was a big part leading up to the American Revolution. The war changed economic, political, and social relations between the three European powers (Britain, France, and Spain) their colonies and colonists, and the natives that occupied the territories they demanded. The war finally ended with the signing of the treaty of Paris in 1763. France and Britain suffered financially because of the war. The stamp act came along in 1765, this was a direct tax imposed by the British parliament on the colonies. The act required that almost all printed materials must be produced on stamped paper. This consisted of legal documents, magazines, newspapers etc. The purpose of this tax was to pay for troops stationed in North America after the British Victory in the seven years’ war. The stamp Act congress was a meeting of representatives from the thirteen colonies. They discussed and acted upon the stamp act that was passed by the governing parliament of Great Britain, and did not include any representatives from the colonies. The congress then put together the declaration of the stamp act congress, which was fourteen points of colonial protest. They issued it to the king and parliament in hopes of repealing the stamp act. The Townsend acts were a series of laws passed beginning in 1767 by the Great Britain parliament in relation to the British colonies in North America, The acts being named after Charles Townshend who was the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Overall this was an internal tax on economic activity within a single colony; Townsend wanted the external taxes which was an economic activity that goes through a colony and into other parts of the country. Such as paint, glass, tea etc. He thought we should use the money to pay the colonial governor, other parliaments and the king’s salaries. Another event was the Boston massacre, an incident that happened in March of 1770. It started out as a street fight, the civilians being mad at the British for taxing everything and ended in Britain redcoats killing five civilians. This caused a lot rebellion in the British American colonies leading us towards the American Revolution. Five years later Shots were heard around the world. Paul Revere on April 18th yelled out the British regulars are coming! The first shot was fired by the British in Lexington, and then they went to Concord. Then our militia stopped them and turned them back to Boston. This was the start of the revolution, minute men were ready to stand in a minutes warning. The colonists were not going to stand for the British taking over their land and taxing them on all of their goods, so they fought for their rights. US constitution There were proposals at the philadelphia constitution convention in 1787. These proposals were the virginia plan, and the new jersey plan that people did not like. The US contitution was ratified after the Great compromise came into effect. Otherwise known as the conneticut plan. This consisted of a strong national government (tax, raising an army, regulated trade, and supremed laws). Another was the seperation of powers between legislative and executive. Also there would be two houses of congress, the senate and the House of Representatives. The states would be able to choose their US senators. Lastly there was the slavery 3/5th compromise meaning a slave counts as 3/5 of a person. When the U. S. Constitution was presented to the states, many people chose to be either Federalists or Anti-Federalists. Virginia and many other states were against the Constitution because there was no bill of rights included in it. James Madison was known as the â€Å"Father of the Constitution†, and he and Alexander Hamilton were two Federalists who supported the Constitution and explicated it in the Federalist papers (1788). On the other side George Mason, an Anti-Federalist, opposed the Constitution. Federalist (James madison) wanted a stronger government and argued to ratify the constitution. The US constitution will control factions which is a group of people with a common interest and economic seek to control government for own benefit. 1. ) Also the bigger the better in a national government, multiple factions will cancel one another out. 2. ) WE will choose the best among us to govern for the common good (republicanism) Anti Federalists – opposed to ratifying the constitution Partrick henry thought things were okay before the philadalphia convention and we were at peace. He also thought a large government would have to resort to tyranny to control everything menaing a loss of individual rights. He thought we should have lumped the states into a consolidated government. Samuel bryan thought governing over such a large area would be unable to address local concerns. Richard henry lee didn’t know it would be such a huge change.

Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 15

Tiggy. She was running. Throwing the door open. Visionsof kittens impaled by tiny stakes in her mind. It wasn't Tiggy on the front porch. It was Ash. He was lying flat in the purple twilight, little moths fluttering around him. Mary-Lynnette felt a violent wrench in her chest.For a moment everything seemed suspended-and changed. If Ash were dead-if Ash had been killed †¦ Things would never be all right. She would neverbe all right. It would be like the night with the moonand stars gone. Nothing that anybody could do wouldmake up for it. Mary-Lynnette didn't know why-itdidn't make any sense-but she suddenly knew it was true. She couldn't breathe and her arms and legs felt strange. Floaty. Out of her control. Then Ash moved. He lifted his head and pushed up with his arms and looked around. Mary-Lynnette could breathe again, but she still felt dizzy. â€Å"Are you hurt?† she asked stupidly. She didn't dare touch him. In her present state one blast of electricity could fry her circuits forever. She'd meltlike the Wicked Witch of the West. â€Å"I fell in thishole, â€Å"he said. â€Å"What do you think?† That's right, Mary-Lynnette thought; the footsteps hadended with more of a crash than a thud. Not like the footsteps of last night. And that meant something †¦if only she couldfollow the thought to the end†¦ . â€Å"Having problems, Ash?†Kestrel's voice saidsweetly, and then Kestrel herself appeared out of the shadows, looking like an angel with her golden hair and her lovely clean features. Jade was behind her, holding Tiggy in her arms. â€Å"He was up in a tree,† Jade said, kissing the kitten's head. â€Å"I had to talk him down.† Her eyes were emerald in the porch light, and she seemed to float rather than walk. Ash was getting up, shaking himself. Like his sisters, he looked uncannily beautiful after a feeding,with a sort of weird moonlight glow in his eyes. Mary-Lynnette's thought was long gone. â€Å"Come on in,† she said resignedly. â€Å"And help figure out who killed your aunt.† Now that Ash was indisputably all right,she wanted to forget what she'd been feeling a minuteago. Or at least not to think about what it meant. What it means, the little voice inside her head said sweetly, is that you're in big trouble, girl. Ha ha. â€Å"So what's the story?† Kestrel said briskly as they all sat around the kitchen table. â€Å"The story is that there is no story,†MaryLynnette said. She stared at her paper in frustration. â€Å"Look-what if we start at the beginning? We don't know who did it, but we do know some things about them. Right?† Rowan nodded encouragingly. â€Å"Right.† â€Å"First: the goat. Whoever killed the goat had to bestrong, because poking those toothpicks through hidewouldn't have been easy. And whoever killed the goat had to know how your uncle Hodge was killed, because the goat was killed in the same way. And they had to have some reason for putting a black irisin the goat's mouth-either because they knew Ashbelonged to the Black Iris Club, or because they be longed to the Black Iris Club themself.† â€Å"Or because they thought a black iris would represent all lamia, or all Night People,† Ash said. Hisvoice was muffled-he was bent over, rubbing hisankle. â€Å"That's a common mistake Outsiders make.† Very good, Mary-Lynnette thought in spite of herself. She said, â€Å"Okay. And they had access to two different kinds of small stakes-which isn't sayingmuch, because you can buy both kinds in town.† â€Å"And they must have had some reason to hate Mrs. B., or to hate vampires,† Mark said. â€Å"Otherwise, why kill her?† Mary-Lynnette gave him a patient look. â€Å"I hadn't gotten to Mrs. B. yet. But we can do her now. First, whoever killed Mrs. B. obviously knew she was a vampire, because they staked her. And, second †¦ um†¦second . . .† Her voice trailed off. She couldn't think of anything to go second. -240 â€Å"Second, they probably killed her on impulse,† Ash said, in a surprisingly calm and analytical voice.†You said she was stabbed with a picket from the fence, and if they'd been planning on doing it, they'd probably have brought their own stake.† â€Å"Verygood.† This time Mary-Lynnette said it out loud. She couldn't help it. She met Ash's eyes and saw something that startled her. He looked as if itmattered to him that she thought he was smart. Well, she thought. Well, well. Here we are, probably for the first time, justtalking to each other. Not arguing, not being sarcastic, just talking. It's nice. It was surprisingly nice. And the strange thing was, she knew Ash thought so, too. They understood each other. Over the table, Ash gave her a barely perceptible nod. They kept talking. Mary-Lynnette lost track of timeas they sat and argued and brainstormed. Finally she looked up at the clock and realized with a shock that it was near midnight. â€Å"Do wehave to keep thinking?† Mark said pathetically. â€Å"I'm tired.† He was almost lying on the table. So was Jade. I know how you feel, Mary-Lynnette thought. Mybrain is stalled. I feel †¦ extremely stupid. â€Å"Somehow, I don't think we're going to solve the murder tonight,† Kestrel said. Her eyes were closed. She was right. The problem was that MaryLynnette didn't feel like going to bed, either. Shedidn't want to lie down and relax-there was a rest lessness inside her. I want †¦ what do I want? she thought. I want †¦ â€Å"If there weren't a psychopathic goat killer lurkingaround here, I'd go out and look at the stars,† shesaid. Ash said, as if it were the most natural thing inthe world, â€Å"I'll go with you.† Kestrel and Jade looked at their brother in disbelief. Rowan bent her head, not quite hiding a smile. Mary-Lynnette said, â€Å"Um †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Look,† Ash said. â€Å"I don't think the goat killeris lurking out there everyminutelooking for people to skewer. And if anything does happen, I can handle it.† He stopped, looked guilty, then bland. â€Å"I mean we can handle it, because there'll be two of us.† Close but no cigar, buddy, Mary-Lynnette thought. Still, there was a certain basic truth to what he was saying. He was strong and fast, and she had the feeling he knew how to fight dirty. Even if she'd never seen him do it, she thoughtsuddenly. All those times she'd gone after him, shining light in his eyes, kicking him in the shins-and he'd never once tried to retaliate. She didn't think it had even occurred to him. She looked at him and said, â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"Now,† Mark said. â€Å"Look †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"We'll be fine,† Mary-Lynnette told him. â€Å"We won't go far.† Mary-Lynnette drove. She didn't know exactly where she was going, only that she didn't want to go to her hill. Too many weird memories. Despite what she'd told Mark, she found herself taking the car farther and farther. Out to where Hazel Green Creek and Beavercreek almost came together and the land between them was a good imitation of a rain forest. â€Å"Is this the best place to look at – stars?† Ash saiddoubtfully when they got out of the station wagon. â€Å"Well-if you're looking straight up,† MaryLynnette said. She faced eastward and tilted her head far back. â€Å"See the brightest star up there? That's Vega, the queen star of summer.† â€Å"Yeah. She's been higher in the sky every nightthis summer,† Ash said without emphasis. Mary-Lynnette glanced at him. He shrugged. â€Å"When you're out so much at night,you get to recognize the stars,† he said. â€Å"Even if you don't know their names.† Mary-Lynnette looked back up at Vega. She swallowed. â€Å"Can you–can you see something small and bright below her-something ring-shaped?† â€Å"The thing that looks like a ghost doughnut?† Mary-Lynnette smiled, but only with her lips.†That's the Ring Nebula. I can see that with my telescope.† She could feel him looking at her, and she heardhim take a breath as if he were going to say something. But then he let the breath out again and looked back up at the stars. It was the perfect moment for him to mention something about how Vampires See It Better. And if he had, Mary-Lynnette would have turned on him and rejected him with righteous anger. But since hedidn't,she felt a different kind of anger welling up. A spring of contrariness, as if shewere the Mary in the nursery rhyme. What, so you've decided I'm not good enough to be a vampire or something? And what did I really bring you out here for, to the most isolated place I could find? Only for starwatching? I don'tthink so. I don't even know who I am anymore, she remembered with a sort of fatalistic gloom. I have the feeling I'm about to surprise myself. â€Å"Aren't you getting a crick in your neck?† Ashsaid. Mary-Lynnette rolled her head from side to side slightly to limber the muscles. â€Å"Maybe.† â€Å"I could rub it for you?† He made the offer from several feet away. Mary-Lynnette snorted and gave him a look. The moon, a waning crescent, was rising above thecedars to the east. Mary-Lynnette said, â€Å"You want to take a walk?† â€Å"Huh? Sure.† They walked and Mary-Lynnette thought. About how it would be to see the Ring Nebula with herown eyes, or the Veil Nebula without a filter. She could feel a longing for them so strong it was like a cable attached to her chest, pulling her upward. Of course,that was nothing new. She'd felt it lots of times before, and usually she'd ended up buying another book on astronomy, another lens for her telescope. Anything to bring her closer to what she wanted. But now I have a whole new temptation. Something bigger and scarier than I ever imagined. What if I could be-more than I am now? Thesame . person, but with sharper senses? A Mary-Lynnette who couldreally belong to the night? She'd already discovered she wasn't exactly whoshe'd always thought. She was more violent-she'd kicked Ash, hadn't she? Repeatedly. And she'd admired the purity of Kestrel's fierceness. She'd seenthe logic in the kill-or-be-killed philosophy. She'd dreamed about the joy of hunting. What else did it take to be a Night Person? â€Å"There's something I've been wanting to say toyou,† Ash said. â€Å"Hm.†Do I want to encourage him or not? But what Ash said was â€Å"Can we stop fightingnow?† Mary-Lynnette thought and then said seriously, â€Å"Idon't know.† They kept walking. The cedars towered around them like pillars in a giant ruined temple. A dark temple. And underneath, the stillness was so enormous that Mary-Lynnette felt as if she were walkingon the moon. She bent and picked a ghostly wildflower that wasgrowing out of the moss. Death camas. Ash bent and picked up a broken-off yew branch lying at the footof a twisted tree. They didn't look at each other. They walked, with a few feet of space between them. â€Å"You know, somebody told me this would happen,† Ash said, as if carrying on some entirely different conversation they'd been having. â€Å"That you'd come to a hick town and chase agoat killer?† â€Å"That someday I'd care for someone – and itwould hurt.† Mary-Lynnette kept onwalking. She didn't slow or speed up. It was only her heart that was suddenly beating hard-in a mixture of dismay and exhilara tion. Oh, God-whatever was going to happen washappening. â€Å"You're not like anybody I've ever met,† Ash said. â€Å"Well, that feeling is mutual.† Ash stripped some of the papery purple bark offhis yew stick. â€Å"And, you see, it's difficult becausewhat I've always thought about humans-what I wasalways raised to think †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I know what you've always thought,† MaryLynnette said sharply. Thinking,vermin. â€Å"But,† Ash continued doggedly, â€Å"the thing is andI know this is going to sound strange-that I seem to love you sort of desperately.† He pulled more bark off his stick. Mary-Lynnette didn't look at him. She couldn't speak. â€Å"I've done everything I could to get rid of the feeling, but it just won't go. At first I thought if I left Briar Creek, I'd forget it. But now I know that wasinsane. Wherever I go, it's going with me. I can't kill it off. So I have to think of something else.† Mary-Lynnette suddenly felt extremely contrary. â€Å"Sorry,† she said coldly. â€Å"But I'm afraid it's not very flattering to have somebody tell you that they love you against their will, against their reason, and even-â€Å" â€Å"Against their character,† Ash finished for her, bleakly. â€Å"Yeah, I know.† Mary-Lynnette stopped walking. She stared at him.†You havenot readPrideand Prejudice, † she said flatly. â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"Because Jane Austen was a human.† He looked at her inscrutably and said, â€Å"How do you know?† Good point.Scary point. How could she really knowwho in human history had been human? Whatabout Galileo? Newton? T ycho Brahe? â€Å"Well, Jane Austen was a woman,†shesaid, retreating to safer ground. â€Å"And you're a chauvinist pig-,' â€Å"Yes, well, that I can't argue.† Mary-Lynnette started walking again. He followed.†So now can I tell you how, um, ardently I loveand admire you?† Another quote. â€Å"I thought your sisters said youpartiedall the time.† Ash understood. â€Å"I do,† he said defensively. â€Å"Butthe morning after partying you have to stay in bed. And if you're in bed you might as well read something They walked. â€Å"After all, weare soulmates,† Ash said. â€Å"I can't becompletely stupid or I'd be completely wrong for you.† Mary-Lynnette thought about that. And about thefact that Ash sounded almost-humble. Which he had certainly never sounded before. She said, â€Å"Ash †¦I don't know. I mean-weare wrong for each other. We're just basically incompatible. Even if I were avampire, we'd be basically incompatible.† â€Å"Well.† Ash whacked at something with his yew branch. He spoke as if he half expected to be ignored. â€Å"Well, about that †¦ I think I couldpossibly change your mind.† â€Å"About what?† â€Å"Being incompatible. I think we could be sort offairly compatible if . . .† â€Å"If?† Mary-Lynnette said as the silence dragged on.†Well, if you could bring yourself to kiss me.† â€Å"Kissyou?† â€Å"Yeah, I know it's a radical concept. I was pretty sure you wouldn't go for it.† He whacked at another tree. â€Å"Of course humanshave been doing it for thousands of years.† Watching him sideways, Mary-Lynnette said, â€Å"Would you kiss a three-hundred-pound gorilla?† He blinked twice. â€Å"Oh, thank you.†Ã¢â‚¬ I didn't mean you looked like one.†Ã¢â‚¬ Don't tell me, let me guess. I smell like one?†Mary-Lynnette bit her lip on a grim smile. â€Å"I mean you're that much stronger than I am. Would you kissa female gorilla that could crush you with one squeeze`? When you couldn't do anything about it?†He glanced at her sideways. â€Å"Well, you're notexactly in that position, are you?† Mary-Lynnette said, â€Å"Aren't I? It looks to me as ifI'd have to become a vampire just to deal with youon an equal level.† Ash said, â€Å"Here.† Hewasofferingher theyew branch.Mary Lynnette stared at him. â€Å"You want to give me your stick.† â€Å"It's not a stick, it's the way to deal withme onan equal level.† He put one end of the branch againstthe base of his throat, and Mary-Lynnette saw that it was sharp.She reached out to take the other end and found the stick was surprisingly hard and heavy. Ash was looking straight at her. It was too dark to see what color his eyes were, but his expression was unexpectedly sober. â€Å"One good push would do it,† he said. â€Å"First here and then in the heart. You could eliminate the problem of me from your life.† Mary-Lynnette pushed, but gently. He took a step back. And another. She backed him up against a tree, holding the stick to his neck like a sword. â€Å"I actually meant only if you were really serious,†Ash said as he came up short against the cedar's bare trunk. But he didn't make a move to defend himself.†And the truth is that you don't even need a spear like that. A pencil in the right place would do it.† Mary-Lynnette narrowed her eyes at him, swirlingthe yew stick over his body like a fencer getting the range. Then she removed it. She dropped it to the ground. â€Å"You really have changed,† she said. Ash said simply, â€Å"I've changed so much in the lastfew days that I don't even recognize myself in the mirror.† â€Å"And you didn't kill your aunt.†Ã¢â‚¬ You're just now figuring that out?† â€Å"No. But I always wondered just a bit. All right, I'll kiss you.† It was a little awkward, lining up to get the position right. Mary-Lynnette had never kissed a boy before. But once she started she found it was simple. And†¦ now she saw what the electric feeling ofbeing soulmates was for. All the sensations she'd felt when touching his hand, only intensified. And not unpleasant. It was only unpleasant if you were afraidof it. Afterward, Ash pulled away. â€Å"There. Yousee,†he said shakily. Mary-Lynnette took a few deep breaths. â€Å"I supposethat's what it feels like to fall into a black hole.† â€Å"Oh. Sorry.† â€Å"No, I mean-it was interesting.† Singular, shethought. Different from anything she'd ever felt before. And she had the feeling thatshe would be different from now on, that she could never go back andbe the same person she had been. So who am I now? Somebody fierce, I think.Somebody who'd enjoy running through the dark ness, underneath stars bright as miniature suns, and maybe even hunt deer. Somebody who can laugh atdeath the way the sisters do. I'll discover a supernova and I'll hiss when somebody threatens me. I'll be beautiful and scary and dangerous and of course I'll kiss Ash a lot. She was giddy, almost soaring with exhilaration. I've always loved the night, she thought. And I'll finally belong to it completely. â€Å"Mary-Lynnette?† Ash said hesitantly. â€Å"Did you likeit?† She blinked and looked at him. Focused. â€Å"I want you to turn me into a vampire,† she said. It didn't feel like a jellyfish sting this time. It wasquick and almost pleasant like pressure being released. And then Ash's lips were on her neck, and that wasdefinitely pleasant. Warmth radiated from his mouth. Mary-Lynnette found herself stroking the back of his neck and realized that his hair was soft,as nice to touch as cat's fur. And his mind†¦was every color of the spectrum. Crimson and gold, jade and emerald and deep violetblue. A tangled thorn-forest of iridescent colors that changed from second to second. Mary-Lynnette wasdazzled. And half frightened. There was darkness in among those gemlike colors. Things Ash had done in the past †¦ things she could sense he was ashamed of now. But shame didn't change the acts themselves. I know it doesn't-but I'll make up for them, somehow.You'll see; I'll find away†¦. So that's telepathy, Mary-Lynnette thought. She couldfeel Ash as he said the words, feel that hemeant them with desperate earnestness-and feel that there was a lot to make up for. I don't care. I'm going to be a creature of darkness,too. I'll do what's in my nature, with no regrets. When Ash started to lift his head, she tightened her grip, trying to keep him there. â€Å"Please don't tempt me,† Ash said out loud, hisvoice husky, his breath warm on her neck. â€Å"If I take too much, it will make you seriously weak.I mean it, sweetheart.† She let him go. He picked up the yew stick and made a small cut at the base of his throat, tilting his head back like a guy shaving his chin. Mary-Lynnette realized he'd never done this before. With a feeling that was. almost awe, she put her lips to his neck. I'm drinking blood. I'm a hunter already–sort of. Anyway, I'm drinking blood and liking it-maybe because it doesn'ttastelike blood Not like copper and fear. It tastes weird and magic and old as the stars. When Ash gently detached her, she swayed on her feet. â€Å"We'd better go home,† he said. â€Å"Why? I'm okay.† â€Å"You're going to get dizzier-and weaker. And ifwe're going to finish changingyou into a vampire–â€Å" â€Å"if† â€Å"All right,when. But before we do, we need to talk. I need to explain it all to you; we have to figure out the details. Andyouneed to rest.† Mary-Lynnette knew he was right. She wanted to stay here, alone with Ash in the dark cathedral of the forest-but shedidfeel weak. Languid. Apparently it was hard work becoming a creature of darkness. They headed back the way they had come. Mary-Lynnette could feel the change inside herself-it was stronger than when she'd exchanged blood with the three girls. She felt simultaneously weak and hypersensitive. As if every pore were open. The moonlight seemed much brighter. She couldsee colors dearly-the pale green of drooping cedar boughs, the eerie purple of parrot-beak wildflowersgrowing out of the moss. And the forest wasn't silent anymore. She could hear faint uncanny sounds like the soft seething of needles in the wind, and her own footsteps on moist and fungus-ridden twigs. I can even smell better, she thought. This place smells like incense cedar, and decomposing plants,and something really wild-feral, like something from the zoo. And something hot †¦burny †¦ Mechanical. It stung her nostrils. She stopped and looked at Ash in alarm. â€Å"Whatisthat?† 0He'd stopped, too. â€Å"Smells like rubber and oil†¦.† â€Å"Oh, God, thecar, † Mary-Lynnette said. They looked at each other for a moment, then simultane ously turned, breaking into a run. It was the car. White smoke billowed from under the closed hood. Mary-Lynnette started to go closer, but Ash pulled her back to the side of the road.†I just want to open the hood-† â€Å"No. Look. There.† Mary-Lynnette looked-and gasped. Tiny tongues of flame were darting underneath the smoke. licking out of the engine. â€Å"Claudine always said this would happen,† shesaid grimly as Ash pulled her back farther, â€Å"Only I think she meant it would happen with me in it.† â€Å"We're going to have to walk home,† Ash said.†Unless maybe somebody sees the fire†¦.† â€Å"Not a chance,† Mary-Lynnette said. And that'swhat you get for taking a boy out to the most isolated place in Oregon, her inner voice said triumphantly. â€Å"I don't suppose you could turn into a bat or something and fly back,† she suggested. â€Å"Sorry, I flunked shapeshifting. And I wouldn't leave you here alone anyway.† Mary-Lynnette still felt reckless and dangerous and it made her impatient. â€Å"I can take care of myself,† she said. Andthat was when the club came down and Ash pitched forward unconscious.