Election Commission in India

A good electoral system is, therefore, the bed rock of genuine representative government. The architects of the Indian constitution attached the highest significance to arzon-dependent electoral machinery for the conduct of elections. For this it was necessary that an independent election commission with its vast paraphernalia should be set-up in country such a commission could ensure fair and free elections of the representatives of the pie at all levels. Articles 324, Dr.Ambedkar contended, â€Å"proposed centralise the election machinery in hands of a single commission, be assisted by regional commissioners working under the supervision direction control of the election commission and not and under e control of the state government as envisaged earlier. † Composition of the Election Commission: Of the four pillars of the Indian constitution, the Election commission is one, the other three being the Supreme Court, the public service commission and the comptroller and Auditor General of India.On the Election commission depends the integrity of election, which truly is the oxygen of democracy. Thus viewed, its independence d impartiality assume critical importance to the country's entire political system. To ensure free and fair and impartial elections, the constitution establishes the Election Commission, a body autonomous in character and free from political orenecutive influence. The commission is an All India body having jurisdiction over, elections to parliament, fate Legislatures, offices of the president and vice-president.The Election Commission consists of the Chief Election Commissioner, and such number of Election Commissioners if any as the president may fix from time to time. The Chief Election Commissioner stands at the apex of the hierarchy of the Election Commission of India. All these commissioners are appointed by the president subject to the provisions of any law enacted by parliament for the purpose. The Chief Election Commissioner ac ts as the chairman of the Election Commission . n case any other Election Commissioner besides him is appointed. The tenure of the Chief Election Commissioner is independent of the executive discretion, for he cannot be removed from his of face except in the like manner and on the like grounds as a judge of the Supreme Court. The conditions of service of the Chief Election Commissioner cannot be varied to his disadvantage after his appointment. The president also promulgated an ordinance amending the Chief Election Commissioner and ther Election Commissioner Act providing for unanimous transaction of business and decisions but in case of differences of opinion among the three members the matter shall be decided â€Å"according to the opinion of the majority. † The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioner Act, 1991 as existed before the issue of ordinance was weighed in favour of the chief election commissioner on decision making in case of differences among the members of the commission. The constitution provides for a single member or multimember Election Commission.Where there is more than one I members the CEC acts as its chairman. The committee on Electoral Reforms has made certain recommendations with regard to the items and conditions of service Of the Chief Election Commissioner and the other Election Commissioners. After having studied those recommendations the chief Election Commissioners of India conditions of service rules 1972 were amended with introspective, effect from 1st January 1986. The Chief Election Commissioner of India will not be entitled to the salary and other facilities, like rent free accommodation, equivalery to that of a judge of Supreme Court.The term of his office has also been extended upto 6 years, from the date he assumes office or till the day he at his the age of 65 years. To assist the Chief Election Commissioner in the performance of his onerous duties there exists a large paraphernalia of the off icers and the staff subordinate to him. Among them is the regional commissioner. Deputy Election Commissioner, secretary, Under secretary, Research officers etc. In the place of the regional commissioners a new post of Deputy Election Commissioner was created in the Election Commission for the first time in 1956.Since he Deputy Chief Election Commissioner is appointed by the president and is usually sent on deputation, he can be recalled by the central govt, at the request of the chief Election Commissioner at any time. At the state or the union territory level there is the Chief Election officer as the kingpin in the Electoral machinery. He is nominated by the Election Commission in consultation with the state Govt. He is usually a senior executive or judicial officer of the state Government.He is assisted by the joint deputy or assistant Chief Election officers as well as the rest of the staff appointed by him in consultation with the state government. He may be a whole time or pa rt time officer. At the district level the electoral duties are discharged by the District officer or the Executive Officer in addition to his normal administrative routine. The responsibility for the preparation and revision of electoral rolls is rested in an officer called the Electoral Registration officer. He may have under him Assistant Electoral Registration officers.The election in every constituency is supervised by an officer known as the returning officer nominated by the Election commission in consultation with the govt, of the state. The same officer can be nominated as returning officer r more than one constituencies. He is assisted by one or more assistant Returning Officers so designated by the Election Commission. The staff consisting of presiding and polling officers, for the actual conduct of the poll is appointed by the District Election officer. The District Election Officer may appoint a presiding officer for each polling station and such polling officers are ne cessary.The presiding officer keeps order of the pooling station and ensures the fair conduct of the poll. Functions and powers of the Election Commission: The Election Commission of India has to perform multifarious duties assigned to it under the constitution. Some of the principal functions of the commission are: (1) Demarcation of constituencies: To facilitate the process of elections a country has to be divided into several constituencies. The task of delimiting constituencies is generally performed by a delimitation commission.But the power to delimit parliamentary and assembly constituencies for the first general elections in 1951 was conferred on the president. The Election Commission distributed the seats district wise in each one of the states and directed the Chief Electoral Officers to prepare proposals for the physical demarcation of constituencies according to the prescribed criteria. The procedure adopted in the delimitation of constituencies in 1951 led to a virtual power in the hands of the ruling party to decide the contours of the constituencies as it suited its designs.The association of parliamentary Advisory committees with the delimitation commission gave top priority to political consideration. The Election Commission strongly pleaded for taking away this power from the parliament. The Delimitation commission was to consist of three members, two of whom were to be nominated by the president from serving or retired judges of the Supreme Court or High Courts while the Chief Election Commissioner was to be an ex-officio member. (2) Electoral Rolls:The second important but tedious function of the Election Commission is to prepare for identification the upto date list of all the persons who are entitled for voting at the poll. (3) Recognition of political parties and Allotment of Symbols: A new part IV A has been added to the representation of the people Amendment Act, 1951 on registration of political parties. Section 29 A now inserted prov ides for registration with the commission, of associations and bodies of individual citizens of India as political parties for purpose of this Act. This provision came into force from June 15, 1989.A recognised political party has been classified either as a National Party or a state party under paragraph 7 of the Elections symbol order 1968. Another important function of the Election Commissioner is to allot symbols to the political parties and the candidates, and also to accord recognition to the political parties. The commission has specified certain symbols as reserved and others as free. The reserved symbols are only available for candidates sponsored by the political parties and the free symbols are equally available to other candidates.The Election Commission has power to adjudicate upon disputes with regard to recognition of political parties and rival claims to a particular symbol for the purposes of elections. (4) Scrutiny of the Nomination Papers: Another function of the Election Commission is to examine the nomination papers of the candidates. These papers are accepted if found in order, but rejected otherwise. This duty is performed by the returning officer who notifies to all the contesting candidates the date, time and place for the formal scrutiny of nomination papers.The Returning officer summarily but judicially examines all the nomination papers and decides the objection raised. He is also to see whether the requisite requirements of security deposit, election symbol, election agent etc. have also been fulfilled. He is empowered to reject the nomination papers either by upholding the objection raised by a rival candidate or on his own motion or any of the following (a) that the candidate either is not qualified or is disqualified to fill the seat under any of the relevant constitutional provisions viz. Articles 84. 02, 173 and 191 (b) that the provision of sections 33 and 34 of the representation of the people's Act 1951 have not been compli ed with and (c) that the signature of the candidate or the proposer on the nomination or papers is not genuine. (5) The conduct of the poll: Another stupendous task that the Election Commission has to undertake is the conduct of the poll throughout the whole of India. In a parliamentary constituency, the returning officer is to make suitable arrangements for conducting the poll with the prior approval of the Election Commission.The commission can order a Ripoll for the whole constituency under compulsion of circumstances. Articles 324 confers on the Election Commission necessary powers to conduct the elections including the power to countermand the poll in a constituency and ordering a fresh poll there in because of hooliganism and break down of law and order at the line of polling or counting of votes. (6) Election Expenses: Another most controversial function that the election commission has perform is no scrutinize the accounts of election expenses submitted by contestants in ele ctions.In India every contesting candidate is required to maintain and file the accounts of his election expenses. Within a prescribed period after publication of the result of his election within 10 days from the last date of filing the returns the Returning Officer submits to the Election Commission a list of all the candidates and their agents together with their returns as also his observation in respect of candidates who have failed to lodge returns in the specified time and a accordance with the procedure prescribed by law.The commission scrutinizes the accounts and dudes whether the returns are in proper form and whether they have been lodged in time. In case of default it notifies the candidates or their agents of there disqualification by publishing these in the official Gazette. Role of the Election Commission: Election is the contrivance through which a modern state creates amongst its citizens a sense of involvement and participation in public affairs. It is through popu lar elections that the authority of a govt, is clouted with legitimacy and peaceful and orderly transfer of authority to new leaders is ensured.For this it was necessary than an independent Election Commission with its vast paraphernalia should be set up in the country. Such a commission would ensure fair and free election of the representatives of the people at all levels. According to L. K. Advani, â€Å"The Election Commission occupies a pivotal place in the scheme of the Indian constitution. During recent years it has willingly or unwillingly abdicated its independent Supra governmental authority and accepted for itself the role of a mere official department charged with the conduct of elections. The relations between CES and the central and state Governments are not cordial. The confrontation and the ensuing embarrassment for the Governments as a result of the ruling given by Chief Election Commissioner J. N. Seshan have only been increasing. With a critical evaluation of the working of the Election Commission of India so far as we can now infer that: Firstly, the working of the Elections Commission of India during the last four decades has shown that the Election Commission worked independently and impartially, as well as efficiently.Secondly, the Election Commission has fulfilled all the constitutional obligations, and has never tried to go beyond or over step the limits of the constitution. It always worked within the frame work of the constitution. Thirdly, when the Election Commission conducted the first General Election in 1951-52 the electorate were just 17 million but the present strength of the electorate is about 50 crores. The commission, has however been able to cope with its ever mounting responsibilities. It has the capacity to meet new challenges and faced the situation boldly.Fourthly, although the faith of the people in democracy, its institutions and political parties has eroded but their faith in the Election Commission has all the mor e strengthened or fortified. According to the Election Commission, the very fact that in almost all states the ruling parties have suffer setbacks shows that the elections have been free and fair. It has given the lie to the wide spread belief that the party in power will use official machinery and influence the voters in its favour.

Night Essay by Elie Wiesel Essay

Night/Worms from Our Skin: Literary Analysis Essay – Dehumanization Hunger. Terror. Despair. Flames. Death. These are just a few things men and women saw during the time at Auschwitz, Gleiwitz, and Buchenwald. Separated from their family members, these people felt many hardships. In this essay, I will evaluate how men and women that were dehumanized had the will to survive despite starvation, physical labor and fear of separation. Night is essentially Elie Wiesel’s memoir about his experiences in the Holocaust while Worms from Our Skin tells about Mam’s excruciating experiences on Khmer Rouge. Both Wiesel and Mam faced starvation during dies of desperation. â€Å"Bread, soup – these were my whole life. I was a body. Perhaps less than that even: a starved stomach. The stomach alone was aware of the passage of time.† (Wiesel 50). Wiesel only really has a strong sense of starvation throughout the book. How is it possible for one to turn on his own father, to murder him like he never knew him before? In the book Night, Wiesel states that of a son killing his father so he could eat a piece of bread which his father had saved. Every time that Elie thinks he and the prisoners have suffered as much pain as they can bear and have behaved as cruelly as possible to one another, the Nazis lead them to behave even more basely and without human respect. People eat the snow off the people’s backs as stated by Elie in the book. People were so desperate for food that they didn’t know what else to eat. In Mam’s perspective, Chamroeun a mother of three chil dren couldn’t feed them. In the end, all three children died because of starvation. Separation of families was a strong and leading cause of unforgiveness during the Holocaust and Khmer Rouge. Mam stated that little children were taking out of homes so that the Khmer Rouge could indoctrinate them. Stein, the niece of Eliezer’s mother finds Eliezer and his father at Auschwitz and is desperate to hear news of his family. Eliezer lies and tells him his family is doing fine, which keeps him alive for awhile. Stein is very shocked of the separation of his family and he only keeps living for his family. In the selection after they arrive in Gleiwitz, Elie and his father was almost separated but Elie causing confusion allows him and his father not to get separated and move on not going to the crematorium. â€Å"I was putting one foot in front of the other, like a machine. I was dragging this emancipated body that was still such a weight. If only I could have shed it! Though I tried to put it out of my mind, I couldn’t help thinking that there were two of us: my body and I. And I hated that body.† (Wiesel 85). Elie stated this because of the physical labor he had to go through. Groups had to run through the heavy snow for twenty kilometers with no rest and if you could not run they shot you to your death. Also Elie had to lift heavy stones of slab in order to survive. As quoted by the gate at Auschwitz â€Å"Work will make you free†. (Wiesel 40). In Worms from Our Skin, Mam had to work fifteen hours a day in order to survive and also had to walk several kilometers in order to reach the fields they worked. Elie Wiesel exemplied dehumanization of the many Jewish prisoners in Night. He showed the readers a personal view of the Nazi’s treatment to the prisoners. They lost their possessions, family, morality and their identity. They also had to face starvation, labor and separation. In Mam’s perspective, she had to face the consequences of losing her father and facing excruciating physical labor. Succinctly, Hitler, Khmer Rouge and the Nazis dehumanized and inhumanely tortured the Jews and innocent people.

Finance and Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Finance and Accounting - Essay Example They analyze results of strategic decisions and measure the value of the results, strategize to maximize profitability, sustainability and flexibility, ensure that the business continues to grow, return value to owners and attract more resources, and make the decisions that are reflected in the financial statements, they are key players in the world of business (Robinson, 2012, 12). They record, analyze, summarize and report financial information for use by the management and investors, they also play an integral role in the firm’s daily management and decision making process, they execute strategic goals, drive growth and manage the firm’s risk by implementing financial controls over its business activities (Alba, et. al, 2005, 103). Financial accountability is important in maintaining a healthy business. They also educate their employers on financial information accordingly and advise them. Generally they do not have to work with other employees as they report to the management directly. The average salary of a financial accountant is $50820 per year (Robinson, 2012, 97). Tasks carried out by a financial accountant include summarizing and preparing financial records and statements to report externally, maintaining records of assets, liabilities, capital (shareholders’ equity), tax demands and financial transactions in the organization. They utilize accounting principles to ensure compliance with regulatory reporting requirements. To become an accountant one requires advanced education and formal certification to get qualified for senior accounting jobs. On the most basic level, accountants keep and inspect financial accounts for companies, government institutions and individuals. Some accountants are self employed while others work for large firms. Most accountants work full time though some work part time. Those who work part time are usually busier during end of financial year and during tax season (Ryan, 2004, 45). Most accounting professionals have

Self-reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Self-reflection - Essay Example A patient can easily cajole a therapist to an extent a therapist assumes the role of a parent for the patient. In this case, the process is unconscious given that the therapist is a social being and does not realize that she has given into the patient’s nagging behavior. Broadly, this is one of the negative effects of counter-transference. The other negative effect of the counter-transference especially during HIV/AIDS patient counseling is compromise of the counselor. The concept helps in counseling because it enhances patient-counselor communication. Counter-transference enables the HIV/AIDS patient to be open to the counselor because of the development of trust and faith upon the counselor. The counselor also automatically listens to the challenges facing the patients because he assumes a friend role. Therefore, counter-transference is vital in counseling of HIV patients. However, counter-transference negatively influences the performance of a counselor because of the subjectivity of the counselors. The film Endgame: AIDS in Black America, AIDS statistics reveal the disparity caused by the scourge on the Black community. The most appalling thing is that half of AIDS victims are Blacks. The film covers the personal stories of the Black AIDS victims. One of the interviewees endured stigma, drugs, prejudice and prostitution. The interviewees confirm that the HIV is a human virus as opposed to the common perception that the virus was only associated with white gay men. The difference in the HIV cases in San Francisco and Oakland reveals that HIV cases are higher in Francisco than Oakland. As a result, the HIV cases in San Francisco receive adequate medical attention compared to Oakland. The creation of awareness is critical in the alleviation of the scourge. Creation of awareness on HIV made many people to be aware of their HIV status in San Francisco. One can transmit the virus to another. In this regard, Nel Davis was at crossroads with regard to

Case Study Report LVMH Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Case Study Report LVMH - Essay Example The detail analysis shows that the firm cannot be beaten despite the tough competition and hence promises a bright future. Thus the report essentially points out the strategic position of the firm and its present and future prospects. The world’s largest luxury commodity retail group, Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) functions on the basis of four parameters viz. its product line, pattern of distribution, style of communicating its product offerings to large number of consumers and its price points. The luxury goods group renders greater impact on the first three activities for which the stress rendered by charging high prices gets mediated. Louis Vuitton had used its distribution and communication styles to lure huge groups of customers to its beautifully ordained stores spread along the region. Furthermore, the company spends a lot on advertising activities to create mass awareness of its products and shops. The price strategy followed by Louis Vuitton helps the company earn a huge margin of around 40 to 45 percent. A comparison drawn on the revenue margins of other luxury brand companies reflects that Louis Vuitton stands far ahead in the race. The world-renowned luxury goods brand states that the max imum number of consumers belongs to the middle level groups while the rich elites constitute only a niche segment. However, Louis Vuitton observes that owing to the event of recession the structure of consumer spending has countered a radical change. The consumers of the luxury goods retail chain who were not price sensitive previously became highly aware of the changing economic situation. This resulted in a huge drop of sales of such luxury commodities, which came to be observed as objects of lesser importance. Owing to the change in the market condition brought about by recession the company felt the need to redesign its products to focus on their basic usage parameters rather than making it gaudy. Thus, the price of the

Information Technology Project Management System thinking Essay

Information Technology Project Management System thinking - Essay Example Although Smith says that their 6000-plus health care workers participated in the system's development and implementation, I have found no details on just how this came about. Baker describes the need for the staff to have an ID and password before they could treat hospital patients. Improvement in services, especially pharmacy, is also mentioned, as well as a faster time to get test results in other departments such as X-ray. What isn't mentioned are the obstacles met and resolved during implementation of the new technology. Baker does say that, according to Smith, other systems, not referred to by name, were studied and found to be lacking, and the reason for one failure was because staff usage was voluntary, and not enough people signed up to use it. This is the only reference to an obstacle. Baker says that Smith attributes the success of Epic at ENH to the commitment of management to make it a priority. In fact, most of the credit is given to management, even though cooperation o f staff appeared to be very much a contributing factor. Although Baker did describe the system set up with staff to make the system work, none of the pros or cons faced by them was covered. Comments: In past years, especially before the year 2000, patient record keeping in health institutions focused far more on the financial records of the institution, with computer usage mostly in accounting. Patient tracking did not always exist as a complete package, combining physician, laboratory, hospital, and information records. Because of layoffs in the health field, in clerical as well as medical areas, filing was not always up to date, and records were sometimes missing. This led to medical errors. The computer as an interconnected unit collecting all information on a single patient was not being utilized. As the millennium drew near, the need for updated systems of communication through information technology became evident, and a concerted effort was made to prevent data loss with the advent of Y2K. Even though the anticipated problems never really materialized, the use of electronics became the system of choice for record keeping and intercommunication. The institution of new pro grams and increased computer usage meant setting up training programs for workers who often had no previous computer knowledge. One factor not addressed in Baker's article is whether management explored assistive technology to aid disabled people in an age in which the emphasis is on equal access and function. According to a recent article on access for the disabled, "at the systems (or public technology) level, technology provides access that enhances community integration and equal opportunity. ("Technology for Access and Function," par. 3). In looking to the future of information technology in health care, the events that followed Hurricane Katrina and Rita in Louisiana were unprecedented, and that state finds itself rebuilding its health care system. The Rand Corporation set up an institute for a

Addition to prescription drugs among elderly Annotated Bibliography

Addition to prescription drugs among elderly - Annotated Bibliography Example Administration on Aging. Retrieved from http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/AoA_Programs/HPW/Behavioral/docs2/Issue%20Brief%205%20Prescription%20Med%20Misuse%20Abuse.pdf The Administration on Aging (AOA) (2012) described the problem of prescription medication misuse and abuse among older adults, which is already a public health problem. Misuse and abuse of prescription drugs refer to non-medical use of prescription drugs. The brief argued that the elderly is prone to misuse and abuse of drugs that can have negative interaction effects. If some of the elderly are already abusing and misusing prescription drugs, the risks of abusing other drugs may be present and result to greater health problems. Costello, R.B., Leser, M., & Coates, P.M. (2009). Dietary supplements: Current knowledge and future frontiers. In C.W. Bales, & Ritchie C.S. (Eds.), Handbook of clinical nutrition and aging (2nd ed.) (pp.553-634). New York: Humana Press. Costello, Leser, and Coates (2009) noted that, though some kinds of herbal medicine have been found to be effective, its lack of regulation makes it hard to study how it works and what its toxicity levels are. They asserted that very few of current herbal medicines are tested for efficacy and toxicity levels. They explained that interaction risks between herbal supplements and prescription drugs of the elderly are high because the elderly tend to take in more medicine than younger adults. These researchers also talked about the dietary needs of the elderly that must be balanced with prescription drug effects. Djuv, A., Nilsen, O.G., & Steinsbekk, A. (2013). The co-use of conventional drugs and herbs among patients in Norwegian general practice: A cross-sectional study. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 13, 295. Retrieved from http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/13/295 Djuv, Nilsen, and Steinsbekk (2013) conducted a cross-sectional study to understand the co-use of

GOAL STATEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

GOAL STATEMENT - Essay Example In a country where there is just one doctor for every 10,000 people, there is an urgent need for trained professionals to help not only those who are sick, but also to advise and counsel the people on preventive measures to remain healthy. Uganda’s government today is facing the problems of giving adequate healthcare to a population whose growth is exploding. The need for health care professionals therefore is urgent. Having grown up in surroundings such as these, and watching members of my family, most of whom are in the medical field, give their best to the health problems of the community; the medical field was what I always thought of as my ultimate goal in life. A good nurse brings to his/her work the important qualities of kindness, compassion, patience and above all diligence and dedication. These are qualities that I have grown up with and fortunately imbibed to a great extent. Nursing professionals at every level are a boon to society. Patients come to the healer in a state of acute mental and physical distress. A sympathetic ear and kind reassurance helps allay fears and generate confidence in the patient. Effective communication is the key to helping patients help themselves. Nowhere is this more evident than in communities that are poor and illiterate. The essence of the nursing profession lies in these qualities that are ingrained into a nurse during education at every level. Besides delivering good and cost effective health care, the nursing professional must also be capable of focusing on prevention rather than on cure. Understanding advances in technology and using this knowledge to educate communities on ways to lead healthier lives is an important aspect of the entire nursing profession. I hope to learn and practice all of this while I graduate in nursing. My goal in seeking to graduate in this profession is to be able to deliver not just healing but also preventive care that is the essence of a good medical practitioner. I hope to lear n highly sophisticated communication and observational skills, to succeed in interviewing the patient to assess his/her previous health history, risk factors and identify symptoms of disease that even the patient may not be unaware of, before it gets out of hand. While I graduate, I would be gaining new knowledge through research which is something I could not hope to have easy access to in my own country. I am certain that all this will help me in my goal of relieving the sufferings of my fellow countrymen. Since my childhood, I have been motivated to do something for my fellow Ugandans. While I was growing up, there was a great deal of urbanization going on in Uganda. This spurt of growth in urban areas swayed me from my original goal and motivated me to choose to be an engineer in the urban planning department. In Uganda opportunities for learning are not easy to come by, and I worked hard at my studies in order to be able to qualify for admission to Makerere University in Uganda as a student of Urban Planning. At the time, I saw the problem of an exploding population as one that could be solved by planned townships where people could live decently, and could get work so as to earn a decent living. After graduating I worked for a number of years as an urban planning engineer. At first, I was very happy as I saw myself as the architect of new projects, better roads and modern townships with all the amenities that were available

Juvenile fire setting Essay Example for Free

Juvenile fire setting Essay Findings indicate that of all victims of fires set by a child; about thirty four percent of the victims are children themselves. The leading cause of death in residential fires in the United States has been found to be playing with fire. Children are often engaged in games that involve playing with fire. These games are normally played in the bedroom where many things can easily catch fire. Older children on the other hand play with fire outside the home. The majority of these children are often under the false impression that they have the capacity to control the fires that they have set. A large percentage of children who set fire have no possession of fire safety education and are also not supervised by their parents. Statistics indicate that more than fifty percent of individuals arrested for arson in the United States are juveniles. About eighty thousand structure fires are caused by children who play with fire. From this, seven hundred and sixty deaths and more than three thousand five hundred injuries result. The annual estimates of damages from juvenile fire setting stand at 1. 2 billion dollars. It takes less than two minutes for an entire room to be set on fire by a flame from a single match. In only under five minutes, the entire house can be engulfed in flames. Over three hundred deaths and two thousand injuries result from juvenile arson and fires set by youth annually. Again, property damage resulting from these fires amount to over three hundred million dollars. Forty percent of deaths related to residential fire are caused by children playing with fire. Characteristic of fire setters Juvenile fire setters can be categorized into three groups according to age. The first category is made up of children aged less than seven years. The majority of fires caused by this category of children are mainly as a result of accident or curiosity. Some studies indicate that the childrens interest in fire begins before the age of three (Kolko Kadzin, 1999). Naturally, children are curious about fire even though there are various factors that determine whether a child actually sets fire or not. Such factors include the availability of fire supply and their exposure to fire. The majority of children under this category who set fire are not aware of the potential consequences. The second category is comprised of children between the age eight to twelve. Fire set by children within this category may also emanate from curiosity. However, it may also be the result of an underlying psychosocial conflict (Slavkin, 2000). Children under this category may be completely aware of the consequences of their actions and set fire as a strategy for attracting attention. They are likely to continue setting fire until their concerns become addressed or until their needs are met. The third category consists of adolescents aged between thirteen years and eighteen years. A major feature of these young people under this category is that they seem to possess a long history of playing with fire and fire starting behavior that had not been detected. Their fire setting actions may either be motivated by psychosocial conflict and turmoil or an intended criminal behavior. The history of such young people is characterized by behavior problems and school failure. They are highly vulnerable to peer influence. Another classification of juvenile fire setters lives out those that start fire out of curiosity. As such, it classifies intentional fire setters. The first group within this category is made up of those children who set fire as a way of seeking attention. The second category is made up of children who are motivated through delinquent activity. The final category is composed of juveniles who have severe emotional disturbances. Regardless of the mode of classification, what is apparent is that the older the child, the more hey experiment with more sophisticated materials. As children advance in age, their fire setting tend to be externally directed toward locations such as barns, garbage dumpsters, grasslands, schools and automobiles (Little, 1998). There exist various varieties of psychosocial, behavioral, conduct and aggression problems exuded by juvenile fire setters. Among these are a tendency of playing with matches or lighters, cruelty to animals, item burning and extreme enthusiasm and curiosity about fire (Foerger, 1999). The potential for setting fire becomes high when these factors are combined with the circumstance, the ease at which matches and lighters can be obtained and a general misunderstanding about the consequences of fire. Juvenile fire setters may possess a number of characteristics. These children tend to be curious about fire and do not understand the dangers associated with fire. In some cases, these children may be experiencing some changes in the family life such as death, divorce or separation. They may also have a history of behavioral problems and poor peer relationship. Parental involvement Families are often reluctant in responding to what they normally take to be a one time occurrence. Families in most cases tend to ignore the seriousness of the behavior. Every child who has engaged in fire play or fire setting tendencies requires intervention. Children need to be educated on the dangers of playing with fire by their parents so that they may stop the behavior. The most important thing that parents need to do is to take notice of their children. Parents also need to talk to their children about the dangers of fire. They also must set a good example as the majority of children learn about the use of fire from their parents. If the parents are reckless with fire, the child is likely to handle fire carelessly. Access to matches and lighters should also be restricted. The only way to ensure that children do not access them is by keeping them safely. Problems are likely to occur when children begin to handle fire in ways that are dangerous. Parents should therefore seek appropriate help before any serious problem occur. Professional guidance is more appropriate as threats and punishments are in most cases ineffective. Without any form of intervention, fire setting cannot stop. The past decade has witnessed the establishment of various programs in numerous jurisdictions across the United States to address concerns about juvenile fire setting. These programs primarily fall under the fire service. Their aim is to prevent the recurrence of fire setting by identifying, evaluating and treating the juvenile fire setter. Early programs were mainly designed by local mental health professionals and personnel in the fire service. Based on models developed by the United States Fire Administration, various programs have been established. Apart from the fire department, juvenile fire setter programs obtain referrals from the police departments, mental health agencies, social service agencies, schools and parents. A working relationship exists between the programs and a number of these major community agencies. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the United States Fire Administration, in seeing the need for increased knowledge on how the problem of juvenile fire setting can be minimized, funded an initiative known as the National Juvenile Fire setter/Arson Control and Prevention (NJF/ACP) Program which ran from 1987 through 1993. Possible solutions The most appropriate solutions to children with fire setting behavior are those focused on brief therapy (Little, 1998). The solution focused on brief therapy was developed as a family counseling theory. The therapy is made up of sessions with the first session being the most important. It employs â€Å"solution talk† to change cognitions from negative focus on weakness and problems to the positive attitudes of expressing optimism and strength. This may in particular satisfy the powerful need of juvenile fire setters for security and love. The problem can also be solved through fire safety education, collaboration with the community agencies and empathy training. These methods can especially be used by school counselors to bring about positive changes for juveniles with fire setting behaviors and the general society. Current trends It has been noted that during the winter months, there is always an increased rate of child fire injuries and deaths. The distribution of injuries and deaths are even throughout the week. Deaths and injuries also seem to take place between 8 P. M and 8 A. M. (Kolko, 2002). The majority of child fares are residential with more than ninety percent of such fires resulting in injuries and death. Fires often originate from the bedroom. Arson still continues to be a major United States problem.

Cockroaches and Hemolymph Concentration in the Body Essay Example for Free

Cockroaches and Hemolymph Concentration in the Body Essay This lab was conducted to determine the concentration of hemolymph in the body of a cockroach. It was done by making serial dilutions to make a standard graph by injecting a dye into a cockroach and determining the concentration at different times with the use of a spectrophotometer to find the optical density which is measured in absorbance. Results showed that the concentration was not within the pre-experiment research range. Introduction: Cockroaches as well as all other insects have an open circulatory system. Unlike humans who have a closed circulatory system with arteries and veins, insects do not have any arteries or veins. They have a body of internal fluids and they use diffusion to transfer nutrients and oxygen across their bodies. This process of diffusion is only made possible because of their small bodies. In practical terms, cockroaches are cheaper than vertebrates, and since they are neither furry nor cuddly their use does not anger the animal-rights enthusiasts. In terms of economics and public health, we need to know everything we can about insects because of their enormous impact on humans as crop pests, carriers of disease, pollinators, etc. But they also have a fascination in their own right. For instance, they represent the only other major group of animals that, with the higher vertebrates, have successfully conquered the terrestrial habitat. Insects and mammals have a vastly different evolutionary heritage: evolution has had to work with very different basic body plans to produce two highly successful terrestrial organism (Smith 119-139). Insects regulate their hemolymph volume by a variety of mechanisms including hormonal and metabolic factors. In an aquatic environment, insects must continuously excrete water to compensate for water uptake, whereas in a hot, dry terrestrial environment the insect must conserve water – in both these instances, the volume of the hemolymph is regulated to prevent excessive water gain or loss. In any given insect species, the volume of the hemolymph at any particular time during the life cycle will tend to be fairly constant. However, stressing the insect, for example by exposure to very high temperatures or by starvation, will result in changes in the hemolymph volume. The Internal fluid in the insect’s body is termed Hemolymph it contains both blood and other fluids. The hemolymph is used to transfer nutrients, ions, and waste to different organs in the body. It also is used to defend against microorganisms that might attack the insect’s body. The Hemocoel houses the hemolymph where all the organs are located. My hypothesis was that the hemolymph in the insect’s body was about 20-40% of the body mass. Materials and Methods: In order to find the cockroachs hemolymph volume, a small quantity of concentrated dye was injected which helped one to find how much the dye was diluted. A spectrophotometer was used to find the dye concentration needed in the cockroach. A spectrophotometer worked because dyes and other chemicals absorb light of characteristic wavelengths, and the amount of absorption depended on the concentration of the chemical. Knowing the original concentration and the final concentration it was to calculate what volume (the hemolymph volume) would have been necessary to dilute the dye that much. A range of volumes was chosen extending from below to above the probable values for hemolymph volume; you can produce a standard curve for optical density of solution on which you can read hemolymph volume directly. One advantage of this was that any errors in the procedure with the cockroach were likely to be similar to those for determining the standard curve, and they therefore canceled each other out. We started off by making serial solutions to make a standard curve for dye concentrations. We put 100, 200, 300 and 400 ul of a Ringer solution mixed with 10 ul of dye. We then put 5 ul of the first tubes into tubes that had 2500 ul of Ringer solution using a pippete. We then measured the optical density (Absorbance) of our serial dilutions with a spectrophotometer at 522 nm. Then we graphed the data, we made it linear by doing 1/OD to get an equation for the line. The next thing we did is we anesthetized our cockroaches with CO2 and we weighed our cockroaches. We then injected 10 ul of dye into the abdomen of the insect. We waited until the dye was mixed in the hemolymph evenly then we took samples at different points in time at 5, 15 and 20 min in time. We injected next to the armpit of the leg and used cold capillaries to obtain our samples. We then used the spectrophotometer to measure the OD of the samples mixed with 2500 ul of ringer solution at the different time periods. We then plotted the data and obtained the  equation. Then we plugged the reciprocal of y intercept to the equation and found the x value which equals the volume. This is a graph illustration of time(seconds) Versus optical density Discussion: After the lab was done, my original hypothesis was rejected. I predicted that the cockroach would have 20-40% hemolymph concentration. This turned out to be incorrect. Our cockroach had a percentage of approximately 15%. The result is not far from the 20% range I predicted nevertheless, not specifically accurate at all. According to my prior research, an average hemolypmh is around 25 percent and makes up about 20% of the body weigh of the cockroach. According to this research, my hypothesis was correct about the concentration of hemolyph (Czpla 171-181) There is always some variation within experiments so; something that was done during the experiment possibly could have gone wrong. The variation could have been due to the lack of following the specific time or variables. It was most likely due to a human error, which my group possible overlooked. There could have been mishandling of the specialized equipment such as the pipette or the spectrometer. It is really easy to mishandle the pipet and can result in the wrong amounts of water used for the experiment. This could affect the optical density and result in excess data. Some of the equipment was old and not always properly and fully functional. In a good preparation, the three data points for optical density (OD) will lie approximately on an exponentially declining curve (dye excretion rate may be a function of dye concentration). The extrapolation back to zero time should therefore follow this curve. Often, however, the first point will be noticeably high or low compared to the trend of the later points. This is probably due to poor mixing, either because of poor circulation, or poor injection where the dye sometimes appears to be trapped close to the point of injection. In this case, the best that can be done is to extrapolate from the later points, which, since there are only two points, will have to be a linear extrapolation. My results were in an exponentially declining curve so,I can not relate any error due to the mixing. A factor, which should be discussed because it could’ve provided some potential errors, is the removal of hemolymph from the cockroach during the 30-minute sampling period. This could have reduced the hemolymph volume. The error becomes progressively larger as the 5  µl samples are removed. If mixing is incomplete, the OD may apparently increase. Another possible source of error is the distribution of the dye, that is, how long does it take for the dye to be distributed uniformly throughout the hemolymph? This could have been a potential error, it is something I remember happening during the experiment though I did not realize the implications of it at the time. As time goes by, the Optical Density in the samples taken goes down in value. That shows that the dye within the body of the cockroach is getting transferred outside of the body of the insect. The Hemolymph concentration in this cockroach is . 2/1. 3= 15% that is not within the range of the concentration that should be which is within the range of 20-40%. There might have been an error in the spectrophotometer or maybe the dye didn’t spread well enough within the body, which would ruin our results. The sex of the cockroach might also play a role on the concentration of Hemolymph. For the future, if I were to carry out the same experiment I would stick to my prediction but would be more careful in carrying out the experiment. I would make sure I carried out the experiment exactly right.

Scarlet Letter Interpretation

Scarlet Letter Interpretation Qu 5: ‘†¦they had begun to look upon the scarlet letter as the token, not of that one sin, for which she had borne so long and dreary a penance, but of her many good deed since what does the Scarlet letter teach us on the subject of meaning and interpretation? It is perhaps unheard of and a little strange that one could actually consider the very letter ‘A within the story of ‘The Scarlet Letter to be considered the main character within Hawthornes tale. However it is due to this very letter that the entire tale of Hester unfolds. After reading the tale of Hester and her ascent from tainted woman to what can only be called a liberated if somewhat damaged soul it is hard to pin point the exact meaning of the letter ‘A .It is a letter as ambiguous as it sounds for it leaves open an entire dictionary of words to interpret its meaning. In a story that deals with the breakdown of the puritan society beliefs through a woman whose punishment for adultery is to wear a red letter upon her clothing it is easy to see how one can suppose the tale of ‘The scarlet letter to be one centering around Hester herself and yet it is perhaps the very ending of the ‘The scarlet letter ‘It bore device, a heralds wording of which may serve for motto and brief description of our now concluded legend; so sombre is it, and relieved only by one ever-glowing point of light gloomier than the shadow: ‘ON A FIELD, SABLE, THE LETTER A, GULES that beholds the true central subject of the ‘The Scarlet letter. That is, the very letter itself being the main protagonist leaving Hester to portray a rather small if catalytic part of the novel providing no more than a mere insight into the true meaning of the many and sometimes abstract meanings of the letter. Through out the ‘Scarlet letter the reader is presented with a selection of characters within the Puritan community, which come to view and relate to the scarlet letter in their own different ways. For example at the beginning of the novel the old puritan women of the community regard it as what is the general opinion at the time of Hesters release from prison. That of a symbol of sin and shame. Hester herself provides her own interpretation by weaving a letter whose appearance could only but reflect her own rebellious nature within the puritan society. Within and throughout the novel the scarlet letter takes on and changes many forms so as to leave the reader in a somewhat bewildered and confused state of mind. The beginning of the novel sees the puritan society regard the letter as the proof of sin made visible to all eyes to both punish Hester whilst at the same time serve as a warning. Yet as the tale progresses the meaning of the letter changes and transforms to create a whole different meaning around it. If the major characteristic of the symbol is its enigmatic nature, it is not surprising that the question of its understanding should be of major importance. Yet perhaps in order to begin understanding the true meaning of the Scarlet letter we must first look towards Hawthorns ‘The Custom-house where in the Scarlet letter is described as a ‘mystic symbol, subtly conveying itself to my sensibilities, but evading the analysis of my mind. As a romantic symbol, the scarlet letter appeals to both intellect and sensitivity. However, the interpretative process as Hawthorne presents it in The Scarlet Letter is complex, and the link between feeling and understanding is far less direct than it may seem at first sight. Although the idea of intuitive comprehension may be considered as an ideal, Hawthornes pragmatism leads him to qualify it and to take into account the impact of social conventions on the understanding of the symbol. This is evident when Hawthorn describes the feeling of ‘burning heat as he picks up the letter and how it appeared that the letter was not altogether made of simple red cloth but was much rather like ‘a red hot iron, yet Hawthorne goes on to conclude that even so without any knowledge of the letter past and origins it was to then remain a riddle. Hawthornes ‘The scarlet letter which then goes on to try and give voice to the letter found in the common house is no more than a possib le insight into the many interpretations available regarding the letter itself, perhaps then leaving the reader more mystified than ever. Martin Terence within ‘Nathanial Hawthorne claims that Hawthorne seems to say, this is a scarlet letter; because of that, it is capable of further meaning. The letter will have to carry the burden of the tale. Hawthornes use of symbolism is fully developed in the multi-meanings hidden in the scarlet letter through a variety of characters. The scarlet letter represents different ideals to different people and should be given the proper consideration. For the puritans the scarlet letter symbolised the sign of a sinner whose moral obligation towards the community was to portray the mark of sinner to both shame and warn. Giving up her individuality, she would become the general symbol at which the preacher and moralist might point, and in which they might vivify and embody their images of womans frailty and sinful passion. Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast, [†¦] as the figure, the body, the reality of sin. (71-72) Through the above extract one can easily see the firm belief the Puritans held that was that through her actions Hester had disgraced not only herself but the entire community. Their belief in that Hester is to take responsibility for her actions is not however carried out in the manner they had originally hoped. Hester may carry out her punishment silently and diligently yet the outcome is not the one the Puritans had foreseen, for Hesters sin grows from that of passion to one of principle. On the other hand towards the Reverend Arthur Dimmersdale the letter takes on a whole new meaning. He regards the letter as a constant reminder of the sin and cowardice that plaque him. As time goes past this guilt constantly grows as he finds himself unable to take responsibility for his actions. The action he takes of standing upon the scaffold at night is merely one of the signs of his ever increasing guilt. It could even be claimed that his inability to like Hester wear the Scarlet letter tur ns out to be his downfall as by the end of the novel Dimmersdale dies. Whilst on the other hand it could also be claimed that Hesters ability to wear the scarlet letter proves to be her salvation for although she does not forget or dismiss the original purpose of the letter she is however able to through the letters ability to deem her a social outcast to be left alone behind the symbol to both develop and grow as a character. Terence claims that Hester comes to view the letter as ‘an armour of pride that is also a mantle of suffering. Her isolation from the rest of the community and the downfall of her place within society can be seen as her mantle of suffering whilst her armour of pride resides in Hesters own beliefs that her act of adultery was rooted in the love she felt for Dimmersdale as well as her own love of Pearl. Hesters secret serves as an â€Å"emblem† of different fates of the Puritan generation. â€Å"Hawthorne seems to adorn the subject rather than present it, conceal it with fancy needlework, so that the letter A might have been thought to mean†¦anything other than adulteress†. He portrays the guilt as craftwork, which he attributes to Hesters prototype: â€Å"sporting with her infamy, the lost and desperate creature had embroidered the fatal token with golden thread and the nicest art of needlework. The Scarlet Letter is concerned not only with passion but also with America (another possible signification of Hesters letter). â€Å"It attempts to find in the story of Hester and Dimmesdale a paradigm of the fall of love in the New World†. Pearl herself could be described as a character that function upon two levels within the narrative, both as a child and as an allegory. If then Pearl is the embodiment of the Scarlet letter itself ,then it is possible for the reader to understand Hesters own interpretation of the letter even better, for what mother could ever see her child as a sin to be ashamed of. Instead it is with and through Pearl that the letter begins its ascending course, as its meaning changes to mean both motherhood and strength. It is Pearls utter devotion and obsession with the letter that helps convey the bond between the letter and the child. They are the same, they were born through the same ‘act of sin .This is most evident when Hester removes the letter in the woods and is then forced to replace it when Pearl refuses to acknowledge her without it. The incident is vital in conveying the bond between the letter and the child. As the living manifestation of the letter, Pearl refuses to have it dis carded. It is here that critic Stephanie Carrez puts forward the notion that here it should be said that through Pearl we can see the danger of Hesters ability to change the letters meaning and interpretation. This is seen when Hester does not comply with the educational values prescribed by Scriptural authority. This echoes the discussion set by the author on the market place as Hester steps out of the prison door, where one of the women within the crowd voices â€Å"This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die; is there not law for it?   Truly there is, both in the Scripture and the statute-book. Then let the magistrates, who have made it of no effect, thank themselves if their own wives and daughters go astray. â€Å"Hester should have died, since such is the law, both in the Scripture and the statute-book†. Carrez goes on to explain that If the punishment chosen is for her to wear the letter, it does not represent the letter of the law, but rather its spirit; although the letter is supposed to be fatal,† Hester will nevertheless live. The interpretation of the symbol entails social consequences, and Hawthorne is highly aware of its dangers. Interpreting words is potentially dangerous: is not the disappearance of the word adultery the best proof of the subversive power of the artist? Even so the many interpretations of the Scarlet letter all stem out of the most common symbol found by readers and that being â€Å"adultery†. Although the letter contains various interpretations, it proves to serve only one purpose: that being to make Hesters sin of adultery known to everyone. The letter is the revolving element throughout the novel. As a consequence of such a use of symbols, no definite truth can be established, and truth itself becomes an uncertain concept. The resulting ambiguity of Hawthornes texts is at the same time a force and a weakness. Hawthorne thus seems to linger over the consequences of using the scarlet letter as a romantic symbol. If scattered and particular visions must be assembled to represent the truth, along romantic lines, he refuses to adopt the radical idea of totally subjective truth, and even sometimes mocks the possibility to do so. The multiplication of possible interpretations is at the same time an artistic necessity and a metaphysical and social threat, and this constitutes one of the keystones of Hawthornes ambiguity. The modern aesthetic interrogation about writing, and about the role of the reader in the construction of a truthful meaning, unsettled Hawthornes faith in his own work, but provided the modern reader with one of the best examples of the power of art.

Working With Special Needs Students Changed My Life Essay -- Community

"Love cannot remain by itself — it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action and that action is service." - Mother Teresa Boom! A toy dashes across the room and slams against the nicely painted wall. A blood curdling scream comes racing through the room and my eyes rush towards a small little body sprawled out on the carpet. The body is tossing and turning about, kicking its arms and legs. While to some this predicament may seem unnerving, to me it is a normal night at OSEP. This past year I was giving the opportunity to volunteer at OSEP, a program for special needs children and their siblings. The OSEP program provides a safe place twice a month for special needs children along with their siblings, which allows their parents a few hours to relax and have a night out. Most parents of special needs children can not find babysitters who are willing to watch their child, so OSEP gives parents that chance to have a small break. In the OSEP program there is a variety of different children I had the privilege to come in contact with; these children range from mental retardation,...

The Role of Alcohol in Fitzgeralds Tender is the Night Essays

The Role of Alcohol in Tender is the Night      Ã‚   All of the main characters in Tender is the Night are wealthy enough that they can lead a life of leisure. One of the main activities of this lifestyle is drinking. Drunkenness causes and is the result of many negative things that happen to the characters. This is evidenced the most by the actions of Abe North and Dick Diver. The first time we meet Dick Diver in Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night he is "going from umbrella to umbrella carrying a bottle and little glasses in his hands"(Fitzgerald, 11). From that point on there is alcohol involved in almost every scene.    The first time that alcohol played a major role was in the duel between Tommy Barban and Mr. McKisco. McKisco was drunk when he challenged Tommy to the duel. He was also drunk when the duel went on. Both shots missed and the duel was over, but the role of alcohol had made its impression.    Abe North was the first character to be portrayed as an alcoholic. Rosemaary noticed that "his eyes were bloodshot form sun and wine"(Fitzgerald, 60) and that "he was always stopping in places to get a drink"(Fitzgerald, 60). He repeatedly missed the boat back to America and as a result of his drinking habits a dead Negro appeared in Rosemary's bedroom. Abe North eventually died in a fight at a speakeasy. Drinking caused his entire downfall. There really was not much background given on Abe that would give the reasons that he drank. His career was not very successful, but it really could not be determined which came first, his drinking or his lack of success.    Rosemary had her first drink with the Divers and the Norths. She did this because she thought it would somehow bring her closer to the group. She... ...He no longer practiced medicine and he was not helping Nicole get any better. His drinking went on to cause him further unhappiness by making things with Nicole even worse, and was the reason that he lost both his social standing and his career.    Alcohol had some effect on all the characters in Tender is the Night either directly or through a loved one. It was the cause of the ruin of two of the main characters. Drinking played a very important role in many of the events that took place.    Works Cited and Consulted: Bruccoli, Matthew J. and Judith S. Baughman. Reader's Companion to F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1996. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. Tender is the Night. New York: Collier Books. 1982. Stern, Milton R. Tender Is the Night: The Broken Universe. New York: Twayne, 1994.

Scene 5 Act 5 Commentary

Macbeth:She should have died hereafter; There would have been a time for such a word. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow Creeps in the petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out brief candle, Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury Signifying nothing. 5. 5 17-28) Act 5, Scene 5 Commentary In act 5, scene 5 of Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses metaphors, diction, mood and tone to emphasize the concept that life is meaningless, in order to suggest the theme of ambition without moral constraints. Upon hearing of his wife’s death, Macbeth reflects on how pointless his own life has become. Shakespeare uses tone to declare Macbeth’s feelings toward life. Throughout this passage, the tone is very bitter and cold. â€Å"It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. (5. 5 26-28) After hearing a women’s cry, Macbeth realises his own mortality, and he speaks scornfully. While reflecting on how meaningless his life has become, an angry mood is established. Once realising his life is full of noise and melodrama, he sees that he really failed and his life does not signify anything. He quickly becomes enraged at how his life has turned out. Shakespeare has a very specific diction, and in this particular passage, he chooses to use repetition. â€Å"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow† (5. 18) BY repeating ‘tomorrow’ over and over, the boredom of life in general is stressed by dragging the word out. He also chooses to use â€Å"petty pace† (5. 5 19) and â€Å"dusty death† (5. 5 22), forming alliterations. The use of similar sounds put emphasis on the fact that the days are just dragging on dreadfully, which only lead to death. All through Macbeth’s solil oquy, Shakespeare incorporates various metaphors, one of which compares life to a bad actor who wanders and worries on stage. â€Å"Life’s but a walking shadow, a oor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more. † (5. 5 23 -25) Macbeth believes that life is just an illusion, and once you are done wandering around, you just disappear and leave nothing important behind. He also compares life to a candle. â€Å"Out, out brief candle. † (5. 5 22) The brief candle is one that is dimly lit – that no one wants – and burns out quickly. The candle symbolizes how short and dull life is. By adding â€Å"Out, out† (5. 5 22) Macbeth shows how he wants the candle to burn out.He is contemplating suicide and does not want to live anymore because he is ashamed of his life. This entire passage is centred on the concept that life is insignificant, which exemplifies the theme of ambition without moral constraints. Due to Macb eth’s ambitions, he is in too deep to turn around. It is far too difficult to turn around and stop killing, so his choice is to just keep going. Up until this time, Macbeth had expected to win the battle between him, Malcolm and Macduff. He thought winning this war would finally bring him happiness again.Once Lady Macbeth died he realised that is not the case. His actions went unchecked by any morals, which just led to the destruction of his life. Lady Macbeth killed herself because she could handle the guilt anymore, and now that his wife is gone, he sees the damage and realises that he failed at making his life noteworthy. The theme of ambition without moral constraints is shown through Macbeths realization that life is futile, that is presented by Shakespeare’s use of metaphors, diction, mood and tone.

Access to Education

For My Research paper, I would like to talk about Access to Education in world countries. This subject is important to me because I want to become a teacher someday.For most Americans, we usually have the typical ordinary lives, we go to school, get a job and work. Now-a-days most Americans, don't go to school but imagine not being able to go to school your whole life and just working from the age of 7. Now that's something to think about, for many world countries, it`s not easy to get access to education like it is for the people in America. For third world countries they don't get educated period, and we American are forced to go to school by the age of 16, we take it for granted. Could you imagine not going to school and getting an education? How would you feel if you didn't have supplies for class or a classroom to go to? These are just some questions to think about. Education is one of the most difficult things to get in third world countries because of lack of funding, un-trained teachers and also no classroom. Body 1 Education is one of the most difficult things to get in world countries because of lack of funding. According to https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/10-barriers-to-education-around-the-world-2/ one of the number one reason to having education in world countries is â€Å"a lack of funding for education†, from this article it says † the amount of total aid that's allocated to education has decreased in each of the past six years and education aid is 4% lower than it was in 2009.† Wow, the fact that education has decreased since 2009 is not a good sign, we should be going up higher but even in the united states there are children not wanting to go to school, they feel being a basketball player or singer is better.

Chapter 14 Snape’s Grudge

No one in Gryffindor Tower slept that night. They knew that the castle was being searched again, and the whole House stayed awake in the common room, waiting to hear whether Black had been caught. Professor McGonagall came back at dawn, to tell them that he had again escaped. Throughout the day, everywhere they went they saw signs of tighter security; Professor Flitwick could be seen teaching the front doors to recognize a large picture of Sirius Black; Filch was suddenly bustling up and down the corridors, boarding up everything from tiny cracks in the walls to mouse holes. Sir Cadogan had been fired. His portrait had been taken back to its lonely landing on the seventh floor, and the Fat Lady was back. She had been expertly restored, but was still extremely nervous, and had agreed to return to her job only on condition that she was given extra protection. A bunch of surly security trolls had been hired to guard her. They paced the corridor in a menacing group, talking in grunts and comparing the size of their clubs. Harry couldn't help noticing that the statue of the one-eyed witch on the third floor remained unguarded and unblocked. It seemed that Fred and George had been right in thinking that they — and now Harry, Ron, and Hermione — were the only ones who knew about the hidden passageway within it. â€Å"D'you reckon we should tell someone?† Harry asked Ron. â€Å"We know he's not coming in through Honeyduke's,† said Ron dismissively. â€Å"We'd've heard if the shop had been broken into.† Harry was glad Ron took this view. If the one-eyed witch was boarded up too, he would never be able to go into Hogsmeade again. Ron had become an instant celebrity. For the first time in his life, people were paying more attention to him than to Harry, and it was clear that Ron was rather enjoying the experience. Though still severely shaken by the night's events, he was happy to tell anyone who asked what had happened, with a wealth of detail. â€Å"†¦ I was asleep, and I heard this ripping noise, and I thought it was in my dream, you know? But then there was this draft†¦I woke up and one side of the hangings on my bed had been pulled down†¦I rolled over†¦and I saw him standing over me†¦like a skeleton, with loads of filthy hair†¦holding this great long knife, must've been twelve inches†¦and he looked at me, and I looked at him, and then I yelled, and he scampered. â€Å"Why, though?† Ron added to Harry as the group of second year girls who had been listening to his chilling tale departed. â€Å"Why did he run?† Harry had been wondering the same thing. Why had Black, having got the wrong bed, not silenced Ron and proceeded to Harry? Black had proved twelve years ago that he didn't mind murdering innocent people, and this time he had been facing five unarmed boys, four of whom were asleep. â€Å"He must've known he'd have a job getting back out of the castle once you'd yelled and woken people up,† said Harry thoughtfully. â€Å"He'd've had to kill the whole house to get back through the portrait hole†¦then he would've met the teachers†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Neville was in total disgrace. Professor McGonagall was so furious with him she had banned him from all future Hogsmeade visits, given him a detention, and forbidden anyone to give him the password into the tower. Poor Neville was forced to wait. outside the common room every night for somebody to let him in, while the security trolls leered unpleasantly at him. None of these punishments, however, came close to matching the one his grandmother had in store for him. Two days after Black's break-in, she sent Neville the very worst thing a Hogwarts student could receive over breakfast — a Howler. The school owls swooped into the Great Hall carrying the mail as usual, and Neville choked as a huge barn owl landed in front of him, a scarlet envelope clutched in its beak. Harry and Ron, who were sitting opposite him, recognized the letter as a Howler at once — Ron had got one from his mother the year before. â€Å"Run for it, Neville,† Ron advised. Neville didn't need telling twice. He seized the envelope, and holding it before him like a bomb, sprinted out of the hall, while the Slytherin table exploded with laughter at the sight of him. They heard the Howler go off in the entrance hall — Neville's grandmother's voice, magically magnified to a hundred times its usual volume, shrieking about how he had brought shame on the whole family. Harry was too busy feeling sorry for Neville to notice immediately that he had a letter too. Hedwig got his attention by nipping him sharply on the wrist. â€Å"Ouch! Oh — thanks, Hedwig.† Harry tore open the envelope while Hedwig helped herself to some of Neville's cornflakes. The note inside said: Dear Harry and Ron, How about having tea with me this afternoon 'round six? I'll come collect you from the castle. WAIT FOR ME IN THE ENTRANCE HALL; YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED OUT ON YOUR OWN. Cheers, Hagrid â€Å"He probably wants to hear all about Black!† said Ron. So at six o'clock that afternoon, Harry and Ron left Gryffindor Tower, passed the security trolls at a run, and headed down to the entrance hall. Hagrid was already waiting for them. â€Å"All right, Hagrid!† said Ron. â€Å"S'pose you want to hear about Saturday night, do you?† â€Å"I've already heard all abou' it,† said Hagrid, opening the front doors and leading them outside. â€Å"Oh,† said Ron, looking slightly put out. The first thing they saw on entering Hagrid's cabin was Buckbeak, who was stretched out on top of Hagrid's patchwork quilt, his enormous wings folded tight to his body, enjoying a large plate of dead ferrets. Averting his eyes from this unpleasant sight, Harry saw a gigantic, hairy brown suit and a very horrible yellow-and-orange tie hanging from the top of Hagrid's wardrobe door. â€Å"What are they for, Hagrid?† said Harry. â€Å"Buckbeak's case against the Committee fer the Disposal o' Dangerous Creatures,† said Hagrid. â€Å"This Friday. Him an' me'll be goin' down ter London together. I've booked two beds on the Knight Bus†¦.† Harry felt a nasty pang of guilt. He had completely forgotten that Buckbeak's trial was so near, and judging by the uneasy look on Ron's face, he had too. They had also forgotten their promise about helping him prepare Buckbeak's defense; the arrival of the Firebolt had driven it clean out of their minds. Hagrid poured them tea and offered them a plate of Bath buns but they knew better than to accept; they had had too much experience with Hagrid's cooking. â€Å"I got somethin' ter discuss with you two,† said Hagrid, sitting himself between them and looking uncharacteristically serious. â€Å"What?† said Harry. â€Å"Hermione,† said Hagrid. â€Å"What about her?† said Ron. â€Å"She's in a righ' state, that's what. She's bin comin' down ter visit me a lot since Chris'mas. Bin feelin' lonely. Firs' yeh weren' talking to her because o' the Firebolt, now yer not talkin' to her because her cat –â€Å" â€Å"?C ate Scabbers!† Ron interjected angrily. â€Å"Because her cat acted like all cats do,† Hagrid continued doggedly. â€Å"She's cried a fair few times, yeh know. Goin' through a rough time at the moment. Bitten off more'n she can chew, if yeh ask me, all the work she's tryin' ter do. Still found time ter help me with Buckbeak's case, mind†¦She's found some really good stuff fer me†¦reckon he'll stand a good chance now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Hagrid, we should've helped as well — sorry –† Harry began awkwardly. â€Å"I'm not blamin' yeh!† said Hagrid, waving Harry's apology aside. â€Å"Gawd knows yeh've had enough ter be getting' on with. I've seen yeh practicin' Quidditch ev'ry hour o' the day an' night — but I gotta tell yeh, I thought you two'd value yer friend more'n broomsticks or rats. Tha's all.† Harry and Ron exchanged uncomfortable looks. â€Å"Really upset, she was, when Black nearly stabbed yeh, Ron. She's got her heart in the right place, Hermione has, an' you two not talkin' to her –â€Å" â€Å"If she'd just get rid of that cat, I'd speak to her again!† Ron said angrily. â€Å"But she's still sticking up for it! It's a maniac, and she won't hear a word against it!† â€Å"Ah, well, people can be a bit stupid abou' their pets,† said Hagrid wisely. Behind him, Buckbeak spat a few ferret bones onto Hagrid's pillow. They spent the rest of their visit discussing Gryffindor's improved chances for the Quidditch Cup. At nine o'clock, Hagrid walked them back up to the castle. A large group of people was bunched around the bulletin board when they returned to the common room. â€Å"Hogsmeade, next weekend!† said Ron, craning over the heads to read the new notice. â€Å"What d'you reckon?† he added quietly to Harry as they went to sit down. â€Å"Well, Filch hasn't done anything about the passage into Honeydukes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry said, even more quietly. â€Å"Harry!† said a voice in his right ear. Harry started and looked around at Hermione, who was sitting at the table right behind them and clearing a space in the wall of books that had been hiding her. â€Å"Harry, if you go into Hogsmeade again†¦I'll tell Professor McGonagall about that map!† said Hermione. â€Å"Can you hear someone talking, Harry?† growled Ron, not looking at Hermione. â€Å"Ron, how can you let him go with you? After what Sirius Black nearly did to you! I mean it, I'll tell –â€Å" â€Å"So now you're trying to get Harry expelled!† said Ron furiously. â€Å"Haven't you done enough damage this year?† Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but with a soft hiss, Crookshanks leapt onto her lap. Hermione took one frightened look at the expression on Ron's face, gathered up Crookshanks, and hurried away toward the girls' dormitories. â€Å"So how about it?† Ron said to Harry as though there had been no interruption. â€Å"Come on, last time we went you didn't see anything. You haven't even been inside Zonko's yet!† Harry looked around to check that Hermione was well out of earshot. â€Å"Okay,† he said. â€Å"But I'm taking the Invisibility Cloak this time.† On Saturday morning, Harry packed his Invisibility Cloak in his bag, slipped the Marauder's Map into his pocket, and went down to breakfast with everyone else. Hermione kept shooting suspicious looks down the table at him, but he avoided her eye and was careful to let her see him walking back up the marble staircase in the entrance hall as everybody else proceeded to the front doors. â€Å"Bye!† Harry called to Ron. â€Å"See you when you get back!† Ron grinned and winked. Harry hurried up to the third floor, slipping the Marauder's Map out of his pocket as he went. Crouching behind the one-eyed witch, he smoothed it out. A tiny dot was moving in his direction. Harry squinted at it. The minuscule writing next to it read Neville Longbottom. Harry quickly pulled out his wand, muttered, â€Å"Dissendium!† and shoved his bag into the statue, but before he could climb in himself, Neville came around the corner. â€Å"Harry! I forgot you weren't going to Hogsmeade either!† â€Å"Hi, Neville,† said Harry, moving swiftly away from the statue and pushing the map back into his pocket. â€Å"What are you up to?† â€Å"Nothing,† shrugged Neville. â€Å"Want a game of Exploding Snap?† â€Å"Er — not now — I was going to go to the library and do that vampire essay for Lupin –â€Å" â€Å"I'll come with you!† said Neville brightly. â€Å"I haven't done it either!† â€Å"Er — hang on — yeah, I forgot, I finished it last night!† â€Å"Great, you can help me!† said Neville, his round face anxious. â€Å"I don't understand that thing about the garlic at all — do they have to eat it, or –â€Å" He broke off with a small gasp, looking over Harry's shoulder. It was Snape. Neville took a quick step behind Harry. â€Å"And what are you two doing here?† said Snape, coming to a halt and looking from one to the other. â€Å"An odd place to meet –â€Å" To Harry's immense disquiet, Snape's black eyes flicked to the doorways on either side of them, and then to the one-eyed witch. â€Å"We're not — meeting here,† said Harry. â€Å"We just — met here.† â€Å"Indeed?† said Snape. â€Å"You have a habit of turning up in unexpected places, Potter, and you are very rarely there for no good reason†¦I suggest the pair of you return to Gryffindor Tower, where you belong.† Harry and Neville set off without another word. As they turned the corner, Harry looked back. Snape was running one of his hands over the one-eyed witch's head, examining it closely. Harry managed to shake Neville off at the Fat Lady by telling him the password, then pretending he'd left his vampire essay in the library and doubling back. Once out of sight of the security trolls, he pulled out the map again and held it close to his nose. The third floor corridor seemed to be deserted. Harry scanned the map carefully and saw, with a leap of relief, that the tiny dot labeled Severus Snape was now back in its office. He sprinted back to the one-eyed witch, opened her hump, heaved himself inside, and slid down to meet his bag at the bottom of the stone chute. He wiped the Marauder's Map blank again, then set off at a run. Harry, completely hidden beneath the Invisibility Cloak, emerged into the sunlight outside Honeydukes and prodded Ron in the back. â€Å"It's me,† he muttered. â€Å"What kept you?† Ron hissed. â€Å"Snape was hanging around.† They set off up the High Street. â€Å"Where are you?† Ron kept muttering out of the corner of his mouth. â€Å"Are you still there? This feels weird†¦Ã¢â‚¬  They went to the post office; Ron pretended to be checking the price of an owl to Bill in Egypt so that Harry could have a good look around. The owls sat hooting softly down at him, at least three hundred of them; from Great Grays right down to tiny little Scops owls (â€Å"Local Deliveries Only†), which were so small they could have sat in the palm of Harry's hand. Then they visited Zonko's, which was so packed with students Harry had to exercise great care not to tread on anyone and cause a panic. There were jokes and tricks to fulfill even Fred's and George's wildest dreams; Harry gave Ron whispered orders and passed him some gold from under the cloak. They left Zonko's with their money bags considerably lighter than they had been on entering, but their pockets bulging with Dungbombs, Hiccup Sweets, Frog Spawn Soap, and a Nose-Biting Teacup apiece. The day was fine and breezy, and neither of them felt like staying indoors, so they walked past the Three Broomsticks and climbed a slope to visit the Shrieking Shack, the most haunted dwelling in Britain. It stood a little way above the rest of the village, and even in daylight was slightly creepy, with its boarded windows and dank overgrown garden. â€Å"Even the Hogwarts ghosts avoid it,† said Ron as they leaned on the fence, looking up at it. â€Å"I asked Nearly Headless Nick†¦he says he's heard a very rough crowd lives here. No one can get in. Fred and George tried, obviously, but all the entrances are sealed shut†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry, feeling hot from their climb, was just considering taking off the cloak for a few minutes when they heard voices nearby. Someone was climbing toward the house from the other side of the hill; moments later, Malfoy had appeared, followed closely by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy was speaking. â€Å"†¦should have an owl from Father any time now. He had to go to the hearing to tell them about my arm†¦about how I couldn't use it for three months†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Crabbe and Goyle sniggered. â€Å"I really wish I could hear that great hairy moron trying to defend himself†¦'There's no ‘arm in ‘im, ‘onest –‘†¦That Hippogriff's as good as dead –â€Å" Malfoy suddenly caught sight of Ron. His pale face split in a malevolent grin. â€Å"What are you doing, Weasley?† Malfoy looked up at the crumbling house behind Ron. â€Å"Suppose you'd love to live here, wouldn't you, Weasley? Dreaming about having your own bedroom? I heard your family all sleep in one room — is that true?† Harry seized the back of Ron's robes to stop him from leaping on Malfoy. â€Å"Leave him to me,† he hissed in Ron's ear. The opportunity was too perfect to miss. Harry crept silently around behind Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, bent down, and scooped a large handful of mud out of the path. â€Å"We were just discussing your friend Hagrid,† Malfoy said to Ron. â€Å"Just trying to imagine what he's saying to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. D'you think he'll cry when they cut off his Hippogriff's –â€Å" SPLAT! Malfoy's head jerked forward as the mud hit him; his silverblond hair was suddenly dripping in muck. â€Å"What the –?† Ron had to hold onto the fence to keep himself standing, he was laughing so hard. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle spun stupidly on the spot, staring wildly around, Malfoy trying to wipe his hair clean. â€Å"What was that? Who did that?† â€Å"Very haunted up here, isn't it?† said Ron, with the air of one commenting on the weather. Crabbe and Goyle were looking scared. Their bulging muscles were no use against ghosts. Malfoy was staring madly around at the deserted landscape. Harry sneaked along the path, where a particularly sloppy puddle yielded some foul-smelling, green sludge. SPLATTER! Crabbe and Goyle caught some this time. Goyle hopped furiously on the spot, trying to rub it out of his small, dull eyes. â€Å"It came from over there!† said Malfoy, wiping his face, and staring at a spot some six feet to the left of Harry. Crabbe blundered forward, his long arms outstretched like a zombie. Harry dodged around him, picked up a stick, and lobbed it at Crabbe's back. Harry doubled up with silent laughter as Crabbe did a kind of pirouette in midair, trying to see who had thrown it. As Ron was the only person Crabbe could see, it was Ron he started toward, but Harry stuck out his leg. Crabbe stumbled — and his huge, flat foot caught the hem of Harry's cloak. Harry felt a great tug, then the cloak slid off his face. For a split second, Malfoy stared at him. â€Å"AAARGH!† he yelled, pointing at Harry's head. Then he turned tail and ran, at breakneck speed, back down the hill, Crabbe and Goyle behind him. Harry tugged the cloak up again, but the damage was done. â€Å"Harry!† Ron said, stumbling forward and staring hopelessly at the point where Harry had disappeared, â€Å"you'd better run for it! If Malfoy tells anyone — you'd better get back to the castle, quick –â€Å" â€Å"See you later,† said Harry, and without another word, he tore back down the path toward Hogsmeade. Would Malfoy believe what he had seen? Would anyone believe Malfoy? Nobody knew about the Invisibility Cloak — nobody except Dumbledore. Harry's stomach turned over — Dumbledore would know exactly what had happened, if Malfoy said anything — Back into Honeydukes, back down the cellar steps, across the stone floor, through the trapdoor — Harry pulled off the cloak, tucked it under his arm, and ran, flat out, along the passage†¦Malfoy would get back first†¦ how long would it take him to find a teacher? Panting, a sharp pain in his side, Harry didn't slow down until he reached the stone slide. He would have to leave the cloak where it was, it was too much of a giveaway in case Malfoy had tipped off a teacher — he hid it in a shadowy corner, then started to climb, fast as he could, his sweaty hands slipping on the sides of the chute. He reached the inside of the witch's hump, tapped it with his wand, stuck his head through, and hoisted himself out; the hump closed, and just as Harry jumped out from behind the statue, he heard quick footsteps approaching. It was Snape. He approached Harry at a swift walk, his black robes swishing, then stopped in front of him. â€Å"So,† he said. There was a look of suppressed triumph about him. Harry tried to look innocent, all too aware of his sweaty face and his muddy hands, which he quickly hid in his pockets. â€Å"Come with me, Potter,† said Snape. Harry followed him downstairs, trying to wipe his hands clean on the inside of his robes without Snape noticing. They walked down the stairs to the dungeons and then into Snape's office. Harry had been in here only once before, and he had been in very serious trouble then too. Snape had acquired a few more slimy horrible things in jars since last time, all standing on shelves behind his desk, glinting in the firelight and adding to the threatening atmosphere. â€Å"Sit,† said Snape. Harry sat. Snape, however, remained, standing. â€Å"Mr. Malfoy has just been to see me with a strange story, Potter,† said Snape. Harry didn't say anything. â€Å"He tells me that he was up by the Shrieking Shack when he ran into Weasley — apparently alone.† Still, Harry didn't speak. â€Å"Mr. Malfoy states that he was standing talking to Weasley, when a large amount of mud hit him in the back of the head. How do you think that could have happened?† Harry tried to look mildly surprised. â€Å"I don't know, Professor.† Snape's eyes were boring into Harry's. It was exactly like trying to stare down a Hippogriff. Harry tried hard not to blink. â€Å"Mr. Malfoy then saw an extraordinary apparition. Can you imagine what it might have been, Potter?† â€Å"No,† said Harry, now trying to sound innocently curious. â€Å"It was your head, Potter. Floating in midair.† There was a long silence. â€Å"Maybe he'd better go to Madam Pomfrey,† said Harry. â€Å"If he's seeing things like –â€Å" â€Å"What would your head have been doing in Hogsmeade, Potter?† said Snape softly. â€Å"Your head is not allowed in Hogsmeade. No part of your body has permission to be in Hogsmeade.† â€Å"I know that,† said Harry, striving to keep his face free of guilt or fear. â€Å"It sounds like Malfoy's having hallucin –â€Å" â€Å"Malfoy is not having hallucinations,† snarled Snape, and he bent down, a hand on each arm of Harry's chair, so that their faces were a foot apart. â€Å"If your head was in Hogsmeade, so was the rest of you.† â€Å"I've been up in Gryffindor Tower,† said Harry. â€Å"Like you told –â€Å" â€Å"Can anyone confirm that?† Harry didn't say anything. Snape's thin mouth curled into a horrible smile. â€Å"So,† he said, straightening up again. â€Å"Everyone from the Minister of Magic downward has been trying to keep famous Harry Potter safe from Sirius Black. But famous Harry Potter is a law unto himself. Let the ordinary people worry about his safety! Famous Harry Potter goes where he wants to, with no thought for the consequences.† Harry stayed silent. Snape was trying to provoke him into telling the truth. He wasn't going to do it. Snape had no proof — yet. â€Å"How extraordinarily like your father you are, Potter,† Snape said suddenly, his eyes glinting. â€Å"He too was exceedingly arrogant. A small amount of talent on the Quidditch field made him think he was a cut above the rest of us too. Strutting around the place with his friends and admirers†¦The resemblance between you is uncanny.† â€Å"My dad didn't strut,† said Harry, before he could stop himself. â€Å"And neither do I.† â€Å"Your father didn't set much store by rules either,† Snape went on, pressing his advantage, his thin face full of malice. â€Å"Rules were for lesser mortals, not Quidditch Cup-winners. His head was so swollen –â€Å" â€Å"SHUT UP!† Harry was suddenly on his feet. Rage such as he had not felt since his last night in Privet Drive was coursing through him. He didn't care that Snape's face had gone rigid, the black eyes flashing dangerously. â€Å"What did you say to me, Potter?† â€Å"I told you to shut up about my dad!† Harry yelled. â€Å"I know the truth, all right? He saved your life! Dumbledore told me! You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for my dad!† Snape's sallow skin had gone the color of sour milk. â€Å"And did the headmaster tell you the circumstances in which your father saved my life?† he whispered. â€Å"Or did he consider the details too unpleasant for precious Potter's delicate ears?† Harry bit his lip. He didn't know what had happened and didn't want to admit it — but Snape seemed to have guessed the truth. â€Å"I would hate for you to run away with a false idea of your father, Potter,† he said, a terrible grin twisting his face. â€Å"Have you been imagining some act of glorious heroism? Then let me correct you — your saintly father and his friends played a highly amusing joke on me that would have resulted in my death if your father hadn't got cold feet at the last moment. There was nothing brave about what he did. He was saving his own skin as much as mine. Had their joke succeeded, he would have been expelled from Hogwarts.† Snape's uneven, yellowish teeth were bared. â€Å"Turn out your pockets, Potter!† he spat suddenly. Harry didn't move. There was a pounding in his ears. â€Å"Turn out your pockets, or we go straight to the headmaster! Pull them out, Potter!† Cold with dread, Harry slowly pulled out the bag of Zonko's tricks and the Marauder's Map. Snap picked up the Zonko's bag. â€Å"Ron gave them to me,† said Harry, praying he'd get a chance to tip Ron off before Snape saw him. â€Å"He brought them back from Hogsmeade last time –â€Å" â€Å"Indeed? And you've been carrying them around ever since? How very touching†¦and what is this?† Snape had picked up the map. Harry tried with all his might to keep his face impassive. â€Å"Spare bit of parchment,† he said with a shrug. Snape turned it over, his eyes on Harry. â€Å"Surely you don't need such a very old piece of parchment?† he said. â€Å"Why don't I just — throw this away?† His hand moved toward the fire. â€Å"No!† Harry said quickly. â€Å"So!† said Snape, his long nostrils quivering. â€Å"Is this another treasured gift from Mr. Weasley? Or is it — something else? A letter, perhaps, written in invisible ink? Or — instructions to get into Hogsmeade without passing the Dementors?† Harry blinked. Snape's eyes gleamed. â€Å"Let me see, let me see†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he muttered, taking out his wand and smoothing the map out on his desk. â€Å"Reveal your secret!† he said, touching the wand to the parchment. Nothing happened. Harry clenched his hands to stop them from shaking. â€Å"Show yourself!† Snape said, tapping the map sharply. It stayed blank. Harry was taking deep, calming breaths. â€Å"Professor Severus Snape, master of this school, commands you to yield the information you conceal!† Snape said, hitting the map with his wand. As though an invisible hand were writing upon it, words appeared on the smooth surface of the map. â€Å"Mooney presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business.† Snape froze. Harry stared, dumbstruck, at the message. But the map didn't stop there. More writing was appearing beneath the first. â€Å"Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Mooney and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git.† It would have been very funny if the situation hadn't been so serious. And there was more †¦ â€Å"Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a professor.† Harry closed his eyes in horror. When he'd opened them, the map had had its last word. â€Å"Mr. Wormtail bids Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball.† Harry waited for the blow to fall. â€Å"So †¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Snape softly. â€Å"We'll see about this †¦Ã¢â‚¬  He strode across to his fire, seized a fistful of glittering powder from a jar on the fireplace, and threw it into the flames. â€Å"Lupin!† Snape called into the fire. â€Å"I want a word!† Utterly bewildered, Harry stared at the fire. A large shape had appeared in it, revolving very fast. Seconds later, Professor Lupin was clambering out of the fireplace, brushing ash off his shabby robes. â€Å"You called, Severus?† said Lupin mildly. â€Å"I certainly did,† said Snape, his face contorted with fury as he strode back to his desk. â€Å"I have just asked Potter to empty his pockets. He was carrying this.† Snape pointed at the parchment, on which the words of Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were still shining. An odd, closed expression appeared on Lupin's face. â€Å"Well?† said Snape. Lupin continued to stare at the map. Harry had the impression that Lupin was doing some very quick thinking. â€Å"Well?† said Snape again. â€Å"This parchment is plainly full of Dark Magic. This is supposed to be your area of expertise, Lupin. Where do you imagine Potter got such a thing?† Lupin looked up and, by the merest half-glance in Harry's direction, warned him not to interrupt. â€Å"Full of Dark Magic?† he repeated mildly. â€Å"Do you really think so, Severus? It looks to me as though it is merely a piece of parchment that insults anybody who reads it. Childish, but surely not dangerous? I imagine Harry got it from a joke shop –â€Å" â€Å"Indeed?† said Snape. His jaw had gone rigid with anger. â€Å"You think a joke shop could supply him with such a thing? You don't think it more likely that he got it directly from the manufacturers?† Harry didn't understand what Snape was talking about. Nor, apparently, did Lupin. â€Å"You mean, by Mr. Wormtail or one of these people?† he said. â€Å"Harry, do you know any of these men?† â€Å"No,† said Harry quickly. â€Å"You see, Severus?† said Lupin, turning back to Snape. â€Å"It looks like a Zonko product to me –â€Å" Right on cue, Ron came bursting into the office. He was completely out of breath, and stopped just short of Snape's desk, clutching the stitch in his chest and trying to speak. â€Å"I — gave — Harry — that — stuff,† he choked. â€Å"Bought — it†¦in Zonko's†¦ ages — ago†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Well!† said Lupin, clapping his hands together and looking around cheerfully. â€Å"That seems to clear that up! Severus, I'll take this back, shall I?† He folded the map and tucked it inside his robes. â€Å"Harry, Ron, come with me, I need a word about my vampire essay — excuse us, Severus –â€Å" Harry didn't dare look at Snape as they left his office. He. Ron, and Lupin walked all the way back into the entrance hall before speaking. Then Harry turned to Lupin. â€Å"Professor, I –â€Å" â€Å"I don't want to hear explanations,† said Lupin shortly. He glanced around the empty entrance hall and lowered his voice. â€Å"I happen to know that this map was confiscated by Mr. Filch many years ago. Yes, I know it's a map,† he said as Harry and Ron looked amazed. â€Å"I don't want to know how it fell into your possession. I am, however, astounded that you didn't hand it in. Particularly after what happened the last time a student left information about the castle lying around. And I can't let you have it back, Harry.† Harry had expected that, and was too keen for explanations to protest. â€Å"Why did Snape think I'd got it from the manufacturers?† â€Å"Because†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lupin hesitated, â€Å"because these mapmakers would have wanted to lure you out of school. They'd think it extremely entertaining.† â€Å"Do you know them?† said Harry, impressed. â€Å"We've met,† he said shortly. He was looking at Harry more seriously than ever before. â€Å"Don't expect me to cover up for you again, Harry. I cannot make you take Sirius Black seriously. But I would have thought that what you have heard when the Dementors draw near you would have had more of an effect on you. Your parents gave their lives to keep you alive, Harry. A poor way to repay them — gambling their sacrifice for a bag of magic tricks.† He walked away, leaving Harry feeling worse by far than he had at any point in Snape's office. Slowly, he and Ron mounted the marble staircase. As Harry passed the one-eyed witch, he remembered the Invisibility Cloak — it was still down there, but he didn't dare go and get it. â€Å"It's my fault,† said Ron abruptly. â€Å"I persuaded you to go. Lupin's right, it was stupid, we shouldn't've done it –â€Å" He broke off; they reached the corridor where the security trolls were pacing, and Hermione was walking toward them. One look at her face convinced Harry that she had heard what had happened. His heart plummeted — had she told Professor McGonagall? â€Å"Come to have a good gloat?† said Ron savagely as she stopped in front of them. â€Å"Or have you just been to tell on us?† â€Å"No,† said Hermione. She was holding a letter in her hands and her lip was trembling. â€Å"I just thought you ought to know†¦Hagrid lost his case. Buckbeak is going to be executed.†