Goffman’s The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life Essay

Goffman’s The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life considers how people act in daily life and in different circumstances. He employs the language of theatre to show how humans are ‘social actors’ who take on different roles in different situations and circumstances. Actors have the ability to choose roles and are aware of an audience. Chapter 2 focuses on ‘Teams’. Goffman suggests that people will form teams to support how they present themselves. Like actors on a stage, it is difficult to act alone and to fulfil a desired goal. So people incorporate performance teams. A team is â€Å"a set of individuals who co-operate in staging a single routine† (69). There are 2 kinds of relationships in teams: one is that of reciprocal dependency where each member must depend on the other to achieve their goal or stage their ‘show’ and the other is that of reciprocal familiarity where ‘members are in the know’ and they work together to ‘maintain’ the appearance. A team therefore is not necessarily an organisation or social structure but a group of performers coming together to sustain a definition of a situation which tries to claim what ‘reality’ is (e. g. political parties for an upcoming election). In order to achieve something, all members must observe a ‘principle of unanimity’. Interaction between groups is always about who ‘performs’ and controls the ‘scene’; the other team becomes the ‘audience’. Thus there is always an issue of power – dramatic and directive dominance. Dramatic power is power that is visible but has little reality because somebody else is directing that actor. This person who directs someone else with dramatic power has directive dominance (e. g. Queen of England has dramatic power but no directive power; the Prime Minister has directive dominance). Sometimes a performer can hold both kinds of power. Questions: 1. Provide some examples of ‘Teams’ that you observe in the everday. Ans: Political parties, business organisations, college fraternities, fan clubs 2. In those examples, what are they ‘staging’ (i. e. what is their task / goal)? Who holds dramatic power? Who has directive dominance? Ans: College fraternities: staging masculinities, teenage identities Business organisations: usually profit gain through transactions Ans: Apple’s Steve Jobs – has both dramatic power and directive dominance

Bronislaw Kasper Malinowski: Bio-bibliography Essay

A British anthropologist born in Krakow, Poland, Bronislaw Kasper Malinowsky left his mark in anthropological studies around the world. Throughout his career, Bronislaw dedicated his time to developing methods that dominated preceding anthropological fieldwork. Malinowski is most famously known for founding Social Anthropology and the idea of functionalism. (See Notable Names Data Base, The) Bronislaw Malinowski was born April 7, 1884 to mother, Jozefa, and father, Lucjan Malinowski. Lucian was a professor of Slavic philology at Jagellonian University in Southern Poland. Bronislaw’s mother, born Jozefa Kacka, married Lucjan at the age of 35 in 1883. Although she did not hold any place in the academic world, like her husband, she was part of a family that owned land and held a certain high-ranking status in society. (See Notable Names Data Base, The – Bronislaw Malinowski and Wayne, Helena pg.529) When Bronislaw was 14 years old his father died of a heart attack at the a ge of 58 leaving him under his mother’s care. â€Å". The family had been living on Cracow University grounds, but widow and son had to leave this home and thereafter lived in various flats in central Cracow. They were always rather hard up. A professor’s pension was not very generous: there was, however, some family money.† (See Wayne, Helena pg. 530) As a child, Malinowski attended Krakow’s King John Sobieski public school. He went by the nickname, Bronio. His mother’s side of the family being more maternal than his father’s side, Malinowski spent a lot of time with the Kacka cousins. Throughout his years at the public school, and later on during his college career, Malinowski always had a very gangly body structure and often was sickly looking. Due to poor health, Malinowski frequently had to take time off from school to slow down and not get worse. Malinowski had incredibly bad eyesight and it progressively got worse to the point where he was threatened with blindness. (See Wayne, Helena pg. 530 and Notable Names Data Base, The – Bronislaw Malinowski) While attending Jagellonian University, during one of his health breaks, Bronislaw Malinowski came across the work of a British Anthropologist, Sir James Frazer (2). Frazer’s work, The Golden Bough, sparked Malinowski’s interest in primitive peoples and about human cultures and society (1). Malinowski’s original focus at the college was mathematics and physics. He later decided to broaden his education by studying philosophy and psychology. After receiving his PhD in Philosophy, Physics, and Mathematics in 1908, Malinowski went on to study physical chemistry at Leipzig University in Germany. Then finally, ended his academic studies at the London School of Economics. This is where he received his DSc in 1913 and also earned his PhD in Science in 1913. (S ee Notable Names Data Base, The – Sir James Frazer, Bronislaw Malinowski) After college, Malinowsky traveled to New Guinea, Australia, and Melanesia. Where he began his early field expeditions and began his well-known work on the Trobriand Islanders. Malinowsky studied their marriages, trade, and their religious practices. Malinowski found it just as important to observe the people he was studying during their everyday lives as opposed to simply asking the different cultures questions. Malinowski had the idea that people, while under a study, have the tendency to lie in order to give the examiner what they want to hear. It was by observing cultures going about their lives as usual that Malinowski discovered that many previous discoveries made by other anthropologists, such as Lewis Henry Morgan and Sir James Frazer, were very incorrect. These other anthropologists committed a proverbial crime, known today sweeping generalizations. Malinowski discovered that in order to obtain factual and accurate data on other cultures, an anthropologists couldn’t rightfully assume that because one or two cultures have the same characteristic then a similar culture will also hold that same characteristic. This finding also disproved Sigmund Freud’s Oedipal Complex theory. Malinowski’s practice with extended fieldwork changed the game of anthropology forever. (See Notable Names Data Base, The – Bronislaw Malinowski) With Malinowski’s new approach to fieldwork study, he discovered that these â€Å"savage† cultures were actually more civilized than they had been given credit for in the past. â€Å"For example, tribal marriage and religious practices, no matter how strange or exotic, revealed themselves to be an integral part of the healthy functioning of the community, playing vital roles in trade, community cohesion, and social stability.† (See Notable Names Data Base, The – Bronislaw Malinowski) Along with his groundbreaking discoveries in fieldwork methods, Malinowski better known for his introduction to the idea of functionalism. Functionalism is â€Å"a theory stressing the importance of interdependence among all behavior patterns and institutions within a social system to its long-term survival.† In other words, people in a society require the social structure in order to function as an individual. (See Free Dictionary – Functionalism) Malinowski’s idea of functionalism was branched from Radcliffe Brown’s, another British anthropologist, similar idea called structural functionalism. â€Å"Malinowski meanwhile placed greater emphasis on the actions of the individual: how the individual’s needs were served by society’s institutions, customary practices and beliefs, and how the psychology of those individuals might lead them to generate change.† (See Notable Names Data Base, The – Bronislaw Malinowski) Malinowski marri ed twice. His first marriage was to Elsie Rosaline Masson in 1919. Together they had three children, all girls. Eslie passed away in 1935 after a long illness . Five year later, he married for a second and final time to Anna Valetta Hayman-Joyce, a painter, in 1940. Malinowski did not have any more children. Despite being in ill health in 1940, Malinowski continued to do field work. He had begun a new study; â€Å"a study of marketing among the Zapotec of Oaxaca.† Mid-study, Malinowsky died of a heart attack, just as his father had, on May 16 1942 leaving behind his successful contribution to anthropology. (See Encyclopedia – Bronislaw Malinowski) In today’s American society, we are taught that every race and culture is equal. Bronislaw Malinowski taught us this by pointing out cultures’ same differences. For example, one culture may turn to magic or sacrificial practices to overcome evil while an American culture might pray to a higher, unknown power. These may seem like two different extremes but they are equally a practice of religion to help cope with uncontrollable forces of the universe. I found it very werwinteresting that, although this may seem like common sense to people today, there was one person who was able to destroy sweeping generalizations and the idea of a â€Å"savage† culture. With over fifty successful pieces of work, and seventeen published books, Malinowski had four books that were his best known: Argonauts of the Western Pacific (1922), Crime and Custom in Savage Society (1926), The Sexual Life of Savages in North-Western Melanesia (1929), and finally, published after his death, Magic, Science, and Religion and Other Essays (1948). (See Notable Names Data Base, The – Bronislaw Malinowski)

Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle - Essay Example Healthy lifestyle is directly related to longevity. However maintaining a healthy lifestyle means that besides evading the excessive use of certain drinks, one must keep an active and regular activity. Exercising contributes to the maintenance of normal weight. Physical activity benefits to your health by reducing the risk of hearth disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and osteoporosis (World Health Organization report, 1998). In addition regular exercising improves the posture, strengthens the muscles and bones and provides you with better mental health. The statistics from the American Cancer Society report (2009) show that in 2006 23% of the U.S. population suffered from cancer and eventually died. Smoking is the single greatest preventable factor of premature death. 20% of the deaths in the U.S. were related to smoking. The data indicates also that there are 430 thousand premature deaths caused by smoking (American Cancer Society report, 2009). People who quit smoking might enjoy a considerable more healthy life after that.

Security Requirement Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Security Requirement Analysis - Research Paper Example This telecommunication network should enable the dentists to work within the offices and also from their laptops while at the patients’ home. It should allow only the five dentists and twelve dental assistants to access the medical records of any patient, the daily schedule and to receive or send a patients record even when out of office. The designed network should meet HIPAA requirements by maintaining high degree confidentiality on the patient’s details (Claise and Wolter 2007). In this telecommunication network the patients’ record should be confidential. It should be accessed only by the dentists and the dental assistants. The firm’s database should restrict access on patient’s record by asking for a password first from the users trying to access. Then after authentication the information can be accessed .The authorized users should have a unique password which should be confidential. This network should integrate all the functional requirement s with the needs of human users e.g. dentists, dental assistants, receptions and also patients who wish intend to seek services from this dental firm. The dentists must protect dental health of their patients at all costs by completing all dental procedures in progress within the clinic and even after the prescription. They should remain available for emergencies and it is therefore vital that this telecommunication network allows the dentists and the dental assistant to exercise human resource mobility. In designing a telecommunication network that will meet the needs of the stationary offices and the mobile doctors we need sixteen desk top computers ,five laptops ,ten office phones, five modems, five printers, five scanners, networking cables ,five- eight pin switches ,five routers , fiber optic connection in the city and also the world wide web targeting patients from other areas. The dental x-ray machine should be available in the dental laboratory. Assuming in every New Smile d ental clinic offices we have at least five rooms; reception, dentist’s room, dental assistant’s room (open office system), dental laboratory and the server room. In server room we have the server connected to the router. The router helps to connect the local area interconnection to the city’s fiber optic connection thus the metropolitan area network .One of the clinics can be made the headquarters and the server here is connected via the router to the wide area network wide .All computers and computing resources in a stationary office are connected via cables to the switch in the server room which is connected to the router. At the reception we have one desktop, an office phone, scanner and a printer. The desktop is connected via networking cable to the switch in the server room .The office phone is a mobile phone .The scanner and the printer are also connected to the local area network via cables. The scanner is for changing the hard copy into soft copy especia lly for documents received from other sources other than any of this firm’s clinic. In the dentists’ offices we have the mobile office phone, desktop, a laptop and a modem. When the dentist is in the office he can use the desktop while on mobile services he can use the laptop and via modem access the records online. In his absence from office any other dentist can come and access the records

HR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

HR - Essay Example This is because according to Westphal and Fredickson (2001), management is a complex phenomenon that entails both an art and a science, revolving round the utilization of human resource and human capital to achieving organizational goals. As an art, management can be said to be the practice of making people more effective than they would naturally be in the absence of any management in place (Tushman and Nadler, 2009). Meanwhile, the twenty-first century has become a very challenging and competitive century for all organizations, businesses and companies to be more effective (Armstrong and Overton, 2007). The need for competitiveness is because the world is now a global village and so any company operating in any part of the world finds itself competing with all other companies in the same industry (Argyris and Schon DA. 1996). With such kind of competition, the best way to ensure survival is through the maximization of human resource, which the definition makes clear, can only be ac hieved through management. What is more, the science in management has been said to manifest in the various ways in which management is performed. In this regard also, it would be said that the twenty-first century comes with so much opportunities for leaders to be highly dynamic in the science of management, consolidating the continual growth of management. Why management will not die anytime soon Generally, management will not die anytime soon in the twenty-first century as Koch & Godden (1996) claim because the principles and pillars on which management strives continue to be important and even more important in the twenty-first century than they were before. These four pillars have been identified by Tushman and Nadler (2009) as being planning, organizations, directing and monitoring. Van (2006) notes that planning is the process of identifying what an organization would need in the short to long term basis and putting in place structures to ensure that those needs are met, whil es identifying the cost and benefits that will come with achieving those goals. Generally, proper planning has been said to prevent poor performance. The debate that management will die soon in the

Security as a profession Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Security as a profession - Essay Example Most individuals find security as their last option preferring white-collar professions to it. The association of the industry and other fields is addressing these obstacles. It is unfortunate that most individuals are failing to appreciate security as a profession yet they cannot survive without applying various means of security in their workstations or their homes. Most organizations and industries are making use of such security individuals to safeguard their premises over theft and burglary. Thus, failing to appreciate this level of security details is intriguing and ironic at the same time. For many years, individuals working as security guards view themselves as working in jobs only for the survival of it but they do not view it as a profession. Many just ventured into such security jobs because they did not have any alternative job to earn a living from. Others were enrolled in security positions to safeguard the elite from others until they retired. Others served in the military or police service for many years and then figured out that they were qualified for a job as security officials. The other group of individuals chose it as a career went to school to develop essential skills then began tarmacking in search of security jobs from companies. They began building their skills in the progress and climbed up the ladder on their way.

Physic (Medical Imaging & Laser Surgery) Coursework

Physic (Medical Imaging & Laser Surgery) - Coursework Example The wavelength reduces with the increase of absorbed energy (Zettili, 2009). The wavelength for visible light is in the range of 750nm-400nm. X-rays wavelength is in the range of 10nm upward. The wavelength of x-rays is extremely short as compared to the wavelength of visible light. The order of absorbency for x rays from the most absorbent to the least absorbent for the following materials is as follows: copper, glass, wood and air while the order of absorbency for visible light is as following: air, wood glass and lastly copper. From the list it can deduced that the order of absorbency of X rays is exactly vice versa to that of visible light for the mention materials (Kusky and Cullen, 2009). When the produced x-ray is passed through the body, some part of the energy is absorbed by the body during the rest pass. The opposite side of the body is a plate containing a film that detects the X- rays and captures the attenuated x-rays. As x-ray emerges from the body, it contains an image in the form of variation in exposure across the image area. Variations are as a result of different rate of attenuation of x ray by the object. The plate is sprayed with powder that adheres to the charged areas hence electrostatic charge is formed. The heavily charged areas produce more detailed information as powder gathers more quickly in those areas. X rays are more attenuated by denser material than light material; therefore bones will attenuate more rays than fats and muscles. From the above picture, the bones are clearly seen (denser material) while muscles, blood and fats cannot distinctly be seen. Shadings show them. The CT scanner uses x-rays that are emitted in a fan shape to produce 3D images of objects. It has rotating gantry with x-ray tube mounted on it and arc shaped detector. When the x-ray beam is aligned by collimator and emitted, the rotating frame spins the tube and detector by 360 degrees

21st century medication treatments. and 1960's medication treatments Research Paper

21st century medication treatments. and 1960's medication treatments - Research Paper Example has remained the same throughout the years, the ways of providing such treatment have changed, with the development of more efficient ways and medication to do so. Some diseases, which were previously thought to be untreatable, can now  be  more easily treated  than  before, and these include some mental disorders. In this paper, there shall be a comparison of the way treatments were done in the 1960s and how they are handled in the contemporary period. Among the areas to be discussed, include the medication that is given to patients, therapies, the various types of surgeries, and several minor treatments. In the twenty first century, there are medications for almost every medical condition, which is known to medical practitioners. These medications are based on a long period of research, and most have been proven to work extremely efficiently. Many of these medications have been designed to treat ailments and are continuously being improved to achieve the best result. However, most of the medications that are used in the twenty first century are dedicated to medical conditions, which are currently prevalent, and rarely are medications developed to deal with diseases that are thought to have been eradicated. This is highly risky because it enables such diseases as smallpox, which was thought to have been eradicated, to form new strains, which would be virtually untreatable using modern medicine. Despite this, it can still be said that contemporary medications have exceedingly improved the lives of people, and it has enabled people to lead normal lives despite some severe conditions wh ich they might have (Hitron 243). Medications in the 1960s were not advanced, as those used in the twenty first century, because  the technology used for their development was not advanced. However, it is during this period that research on various medical conditions began to be conducted so that cures could be found. It can be said that the medications used in the 1960s were still in

Stv Essay Example for Free

Stv Essay Technology is inevitable -Technology is not always inevitable -Societies can reject technology (rejection of the US SST) Various versions: technology is autonomous, unstoppable, out of control; technology is an end to itself, â€Å"progress is inevitable† According to Jacques Ellul: ‘‘‘Technique’ had permeated all aspects of society. It is an autonomous and unrelenting substitution of means for ends. Modern society’s vast ensemble of techniques had become self-engendering and had accelerated out of humanity’s control. According to Theodore Roszak: Technocracy is society governed by technical experts appealing to scientific knowledge; it is ‘‘‘ideologically invisible’’’ if you accept rationality and efficiency without question

Group Dynamics Essay Example for Free

Group Dynamics Essay What is â€Å"group dynamics†? Perhaps it will be most useful to start by looking at the derivation of the word â€Å"dynamics†. It comes from a Greek word meaning force. In careful usage the phrase, â€Å"group dynamics† refers to the forces operating in groups. The investigation of group dynamics, then, consists of a study of these forces: what gives rise to them, what conditions modify them, what consequences they have, etc. The practical application of group dynamics (or the technology of group dynamics) consists of the utilization of knowledge about these forces for the achievement of some purpose. In keeping with this definition, is not particularly novel, nor is it the exclusive property of any person or institution. It goes back at least to the outstanding work of men like Simmel, Freud, and Cooley. Although interest in groups has a long and respectable history, the past fifteen years have witnessed a new flowering of activity in this field. Today, research centers in several countries are carrying out substantial programmes of research designed to reveal the nature of groups and of their functioning. The phrase â€Å"group dynamics† had come into common usage during this time and intense efforts have been devoted to the development of the field, both as a branch of social science and as a form of social technology. In this development the name of Kurt Lewin had been outstanding. As a consequence of his work in the field of individual psychology and from his analysis of the nature of pressing problems of the contemporary world, Lewin became convinced of society’s urgent need for a scientific approach to the understanding of the dynamics of groups. In 1945 he established the Research Center for Group Dynamics to meet this need. Since that date the Centre has been devoting its efforts to improving our scientific understanding of groups through laboratory experimentation, field studies, and the use of techniques of action research. It has also attempted in various ways to help get the findings of social science more widely used by social management. Much of what I have to say in this paper is drawn from the experiences of this Center in its brief existence of a little more than five years. We hear all around us today the assertion that the problems of the twentieth century are problems of human relations. The survival of civilization, it is said, will depend upon man’s ability to create social interventions capable of harnessing, for society’s constructive use, the vast physical energies now at man’s disposal. Or, to put the matter more simply, we must learn how to change the way in which people behave toward one another. In broad outline, the specifications for a good society are clear, but a serious technical problem remains: How can we change people so that they neither restrict the freedom nor limit the potentialities for growth of others; so that they accept and respect people of different religion, nationality, colour, or political opinion; so that nations can exist in a world without war, and s that the fruits of our technological advances can bring economic well-being and freedom from disease to all people of the world? Although few people would disagree with these objectives when stated abstractly, when we become more specific, differences of opinion quickly arise. These questions permit no ready answers. How is change to be produced? Who is to do it? Who is to be changed? Before we consider in detail these questions of social technology, let us clear away some semantic obstacles. The word â€Å"change† produces emotional reactions. It is not a neutral word. To many people it is threatening. It conjures up visions of a revolutionary, a dissatisfied idealist, a trouble-maker, a malcontent. Nicer words referring to the process of changing people are education, training, orientation, guidance, indoctrination, therapy. We are more ready to have others â€Å"educate† us than have them â€Å"change† us. We, ourselves feel less guilty in â€Å"training† others than in â€Å"changing† them. Why this emotional response? What makes the two kinds of words have such different meanings? I believe that a large part of the difference lies in the fact that the safer words (like education and therapy) carry implicit assurance that the only changes produced will be good ones, acceptable within a currently held value system. The cold, unmodified word â€Å"change†, on the contrary, promises no respect for values; it might even tamper with values themselves. perhaps for this very reason it will foster straight thinking if we use the word â€Å"change† and thus force ourselves to struggle directly and self-consciously with the problems of value that are involved. Words like education, training, or therapy, by the very fact that they are not so disturbing, may close our eyes to the fact that they too inevitably involve values. How can we change people so that they neither restrict the freedom nor limit the potentialities for growth of others; so that they accept and respect people of different religion, nationality, colour, or political opinion; so that nations can exist in a world without war, and so that the fruits of our technological advances can bring economic wellbeing and freedom from disease to all people of the world? The proposal that social technology may be employed to solve the problems of society suggests that social science may be applied in ways not different from those used in the physical sciences. Does social science, in fact, have any practically useful knowledge which may be brought to bear significantly on society’s most urgent problems? What scientifically based principles are there for guiding programmes of social change: In this paper we shall restrict our considerations to certain parts of a relatively new branch of social science known as â€Å"group dynamics†. We shall examine some of the implications for social action which stem from research in this field of scientific investigation. Consider first some matters having to do with the mental health of an individual. We can all agree, I believe, that an important mark of a healthy personality is that the individual’s self-esteem has not been undermined. But on what does self-esteem depend? From research on this problem we have discovered that, among other things, repeated experiences of failure or traumatic failures on matters of central importance serve to undermine one’s self-esteem. We also know that whether a person experiences success or failure as a result of some undertaking depends upon the level of aspiration which he has set for himself. Now, if we try to discover how the level of aspiration gets set, we are immediately involved in the person’s relationships to groups. The groups to which he belongs set standards for his behaviour which he must accept if he is to remain in the group. If his capacities do not allow him to reach these standards, he experiences failure, he withdraws or is rejected by the group and his self-esteem suffers a shock. Consider a second example. A teacher finds that in her class she has a number of trouble-makers, full of aggression. She wants to know why these children are so aggressive and what can be done about it. A foreman in a factory has the same kind of problem with some of his workers. He wants the same kind of help. The solution most tempting to both the teacher and the foreman often is to transfer the worst trouble-makers to someone else, or if facilities are available, to refer them for counselling. But is the problem really of such a nature that it can be solved by removing the trouble-maker from the situation or by working on his individual motivations and emotional life? What leads does research give us? The evidence indicates, of course, that there are many causes of aggressiveness in people, but one aspect of the problem has become increasingly clear in recent years. If we observe carefully the amount of aggressive behaviour and the number of trouble-makers to be found in a large collection of groups, we find that these characteristics can vary tremendously from group to group even when the different groups are composed essentially of the same kinds of people. In the now classic experiments of Lewin, Lippitt and White (1939) on the effects of different styles of leadership, it was found that the same group of children displayed markedly different levels of aggressive behaviour when under different styles of leadership. Moreover, when individual children were transferred from one group to another, their levels of aggressiveness shifted to conform to the atmosphere of the new group. Efforts to account for one child’s aggressiveness under one style of leadership merely in terms of his personality traits could hardly succeed under these conditions. This is not to say that a person’s behaviour is entirely to be accounted for by the atmosphere and structure of the immediate group, but it is remarkable to what an extent a strong, cohesive group can control aspects of a member’s behaviour traditionally thought to be expressive of enduring personality traits. Recognition of this fact rephrases the problem of how to change such behaviour. It directs us to a study of the sources of the influence of the group on its members. Within very recent years some research data have been accumulating which may give us a clue to the solution of our problem. In one series of experiments directed by Lewin, it was found that a method of group decision, in which the group as a whole made a decision to have its members change their behaviour, was from two to ten times more effective in producing actual change as was a lecture presenting exhortation to change (Lewin, 1951). We have yet to learn precisely what produces these differences of effectiveness, but it is clear that by introducing group forces into the situation a whole new level of influence has been achieved. The experience has been essentially the same when people have attempted to increase the productivity of individuals in work settings. Traditional conceptions of how to increase the output of workers have stressed the individual: * Select the right man for the job * Simplify the job for him * Train him in the skills required * Motivate him by economic incentives * Make it clear to whom he reports * Keep the lines of authority and responsibility simple and straight. But even when all of these conditions are fully met we find that productivity is far below full potential. There is even good reason to conclude that this individualistic conception of the determinants of productivity actually fosters negative consequences. The individual, now isolated and subjected to the demands of the organization through the commands of his boss, finds that he must create with his fellow employees informal groups, not shown on any table of organization, in order to protect himself from arbitrary control of his life, from the boredom produced by the endless repetition of mechanically sanitary and routine operations, and from the impoverishment of his emotional and social life brought about by the frustration of his basic needs for social interaction, participation, and acceptance in a stable group. Recent experiments have demonstrated clearly that the productivity of work groups can be greatly increased by methods of work organization and supervision which give more responsibility to work groups, which allow for fuller participation in important decisions, and which make stable groups the firm basis for support of the individual’s social needs (Coch French, 1948). It is points out future research will also demonstrate that people working under such conditions become more mature and creative individuals in their homes, in community life, and as citizens. A few years ago the Research Center for Group Dynamics undertook to shed light on this problem by investigating the operation of a workshop for training leaders in intercultural relations (Lippitt, 1949). In a project, directed by Lippitt, they set out to compare systemically the different effects of the workshop upon trainees who came as isolated individuals in contrast to those who came as teams. Six months after the workshop, however, those who had been trained as isolates were only slightly more active than before the workshop whereas those who had been members of strong training teams were now much more active. They do not have clear evidence on the point, but they are quite certain that the maintenance of heightened activity over a long period of time would also be much better for members of teams. For the isolates the effect of the workshop had the characteristic of a â€Å"shot in the arm† while for the team member it produced a more enduring change because the team provided continuous support and reinforcement for its members. What conclusions may we draw from these examples? What principles of achieving change in people can we see emerging? To begin with the most general position, we may state that the behaviour, attitudes, beliefs, and values of the individual are all firmly grounded in the groups to which he belongs. How aggressive or cooperative a person is, how much self-respect and self-confidence he has, how energetic and productive his work is, what he aspires to, what he believes to be true and good, whom he loves or hates, and what beliefs and prejudices he holds—all these characteristics are highly determined by the individual’s group memberships. In a real sense, they are properties of groups and of the relationships between people. Whether they change or resist change will, therefore, be greatly influenced by the nature of these groups. Attempts to change them must be concerned with the dynamics of groups. In examining more specifically how groups enter into the process of change, we find it useful to view groups in at least three different ways. In the first view, the group is seen as a source of influence over its members. Efforts to change behaviour can be supported or blocked by pressures on members stemming from the group. To make constructive use of these pressures the group must be used as a medium of change. In the second view, the group itself becomes the target of change. To change the behaviour of individuals it may be necessary to change the standards of the group, its style of leadership, its emotional atmosphere, or its stratification into cliques and hierarchies. Even though the goal may be to change the behaviour of individuals, the target of change becomes the group. In the third view, it is recognized that many changes of behaviour can be brought about only by the organization efforts of groups as agents of change. A committee to combat intolerance, a labour union, and employers association, a citizens group to increase the pay of teachers—any action group will be more or less effective depending upon the way it is organized, the satisfactions it provides to its members, the degree to which its goals are clear, and a host of other properties of the group.

The Process Of Socialization English Language Essay

The Process Of Socialization English Language Essay Some of a persons behaviour is natural while most of the behaviour is learnt. When a child comes in the world, he/she is gradually moulded in society into a social being and learns social ways of acting and feeling. His/her existence in the society becomes impossible without this process. This process of moulding and shaping the personality of the human infant is called socialization. In general Socialization is a social training by which every society prescribes its own ways and means of giving social training to its new born members so that they may develop their own personality. 1. MEANING OF SOCIALIZATION Socialization is often referred to as the transmission of culture, the process by which people learn the rules and practices of social groups. Just as we learn a game by playing it, so we learn life by engaging in it. Socialization is definitely a matter of learning and not of biological inheritance. People become what they are by socialization. Through the process of socialization the individual becomes a social person and attains personality. Socialization is the process whereby the individual acquires the conventional patterns of human behaviour. Every person tries to adjust himself/herself to the condition and environment predominantly determined by the society of which he/she is a member. If he/she fails to do so, he/she becomes a social deviant and is brought back into the line by the efforts of the group of which he/she is a member. This process is knows as socialization. It is the opposite of individualization. 2. THE PROCESS OF SOCIALIZATION Socialization is a process of transforming the human animal into a human being, of converting the biological being into a social being. It is said that the working of the process of socialization starts long before the child is born. The direct socialization begins only after birth. Factors of the Process of Socialization There are four factors of this process of learning. These are imitation, suggestion, identification and language. Imitation: Imitation is copying of the actions of another by an individual. In imitation the person imitating performs exactly the same activity as the one being performed before him. It is the main factor in the process of socialization of the child. Through imitation a child learns many social behaviour patterns. Language and pronunciation are acquired by the child only through imitation. Suggestion: McDougall defines suggestion as the process of communication resulting in the acceptance with conviction of the communicated proposition in the absence of logically adequate grounds for its acceptance. Suggestion is the process of communicating information which has no logical or self-evident basis. It may be conveyed through language, pictures or some other similar medium. Suggestion influences not only behaviour with others but also ones own private and individual behaviour. Identification: A child cannot make any distinction between his/her organism and environment in his/her early age. At that time most of his/her actions are random of which he/she is not conscious. As the child grows in age, he/she comes to know of the nature of things which satisfy his/her needs and such things become the object of his/her identification. The speed and area of identification increase with the growth in age and through identification the child becomes sociable. Language: As we all know, language is the medium of social intercourse and the means of cultural transmission. At first a child utters syllables having no meaning but gradually the child comes to learn his/her mother-tongue. The language moulds the personality of the individual from infancy. Theories of Socialization The heart of socialization is the development of the self. Gardner Murphy has defined self as the individual as known to the individual. The self of a person is what he/she consciously or unconsciously conceives himself/herself to be. There are mainly three important theories to explain the development of self. 3. AGENCIES OF SOCIALIZATION The process of socialization is operative throughout life. What a child is going to be is more important than what he is. It is socialization which turns the child into a useful member of the society and gives him/her social maturity. The chief agencies of socialization are the following: The Family: The process of socialization begins for every one of us in the family. They are not only closely related to the child but physically also they are nearer to the child than others. The child learns respect for persons in authority. The environment of a family influences the growth of a child. Of the parents it is the mother who first begins the process of socialization. The School: The school is the second agency of socialization. The education the child gets in the school moulds hi/her ideas and attitudes. Education is of great importance in socialization. The communication they receive from their teachers help to socialize them and to make them finally mature members of their societies. The Playmates or Friends: The relation between a child and his/her playmates is one of equality. It is based on cooperation and mutual understanding. The child acquires something from his/her friends and playmates which he cannot acquire from parents. From the friends the child acquires cooperative morality and some of the informal aspects of culture like fashions, fads, crazes, modes of gratification and forbidden knowledge. The knowledge of such things is necessary from the social point of view. The Church: Though in modern society the importance of religion has diminished, yet it continues to mould our beliefs and ways of life. When a child sees his/her parents going to the temple and performing religious ceremonies, he/she listens to the religious sermons which may determine his course of life and shape his ideas. The State: The state makes laws for the people and lays down the modes of conduct expected of them. If people fail to adjust their behaviour in accordance with the laws of the state, they may be punished for such failure. Hence the state also moulds our behaviour. 4. ELEMENTS OF SOCIALIZATION There are there elements which play their part in the socialization process of the individual, they are: The physical and psychological heritage of the individual. The environment in which he is born, and Culture in which he is because of the action and interaction between these elements. 5. ROLE OF SOCIALIZATION Socialization is the most important factor in personality development. Some importances of socialization are listed below: Socialization converts a person, the biological being into a person, the social being. Socialization contributes to the development of personality. It helps to become disciplined. It helps to enact different roles. It provides the knowledge of skills. It helps to develop right aspiration in life. It contributes of the stability of the social order. Socialization helps to reduce social distance. It provides scope for building the bright future. It helps the transmission of culture. 6. SOCIALIZATION OF ADULTS Socialization is a life-long process. At no point in the life of a person it comes to an end. The socialization of adults is easier than the socialization of children. The socialization of adults can be a prolonged and a tough process. This is particularly so when the skills to be learnt are complex and the responsibilities of the role are heavy. Generally adult socialization is designed to help the person gain specific skills. 7. INDIVIDUALIZATION Generally speaking, individualization is the opposite of socialization. It is that social process which tends to make the individuals more or less independent of their own. Individualization is the process in which people come to know themselves and acquire the sense of inner responsibility. Socialization brings people into relation with others; individualization makes him autonomous or self-determining. It is the process carried through by the individual and the society, and is primarily a mental process which is being spread through the prevailing ideas. Aspects of Individualization Mannheim has distinguished four main aspects of individualization. These aspects are: Individualization as a process of learning different from other people: The external differentiation of individuals leads to the formation of new groups. The people isolated from other people develop different types of personality. Individualization on the level of new forms of self regarding attitudes: The individualization comes to feels himself/herself as superior and separate from others and evaluates himself/herself in high terms. The person begins to regard his/her life and character as unique. Individualization through objects: Some people have a fixed feeling towards certain people and objects. Many factors influence the individual choice such as wealth or the process of modern production and distribution. Family conditions also shape the wishes of the individual. Individualization as a kind of deepening into ourselves: The feeling of solitary can develop a feeling of privacy and partial isolation in an individual. It leads to introspection which is again another from of individualization. 8. CONCLUSION The importance of socialized attitudes cannot be minimized in a society. A person with socialized attitudes would no do any work which is socially harmful. A socialized citizen would place human welfare above his individual gain. He would put human values above all else. Modern society has still to solve some basic problems of socialization at all stages of childhood and youth. The improvement of socialization offers one of the greatest possibilities for the future alteration of human nature and human society.

The Static Character in Homer’s Odyssey Essay -- Homer Odyssey Essays

The Static Character in Homer’s Odyssey The Odyssey, by Homer, translated by W.H.D. Rouse (between 900 and 700 BC.) is "The best story ever written" (7). This is a story about a man named Odysseus Laertiades who went off to war. After winning the war, he and his men were heading home when their ship got off track. They ended up in the land of the Cyclops. They were held captive by a god's, Poseidon Earthholder, son. Odysseus came up with a plan to get out of there which involved poking the Cyclops' eye out. The Earthholder got mad and vowed Odysseus and his men would not make it back home to Ithaca. If Odysseus was to make it home, he was to arrive "There late and in misery, in another man's ship, ' lose all his companions, and ' find tribulation at home" (111). With the help of the gods, Odysseus finally does make it home, late, alone, and on another man's ship. He arrives there to find trouble in his house. In The Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus Laertiades is a static character; he doesn't change throughout the boo k. Yet Homer still retains the readers interests by the situations Odysseus finds himself in, how he always finds a unique way out, and how he triumphs in the end. Odysseus finds himself in many strange and difficult situations. One of the strange and difficult situations Odysseus finds himself at is the land of the Cyclops. Odysseus had taken twelve of his men to explore the island. They found a cave and decide to stay there until the Cyclops who lived there returned. The Cyclops returned and "Picked up a huge great stone and placed it in the doorway," so the men couldn?t escape (104). "The cruel monster? reached out toward my men, grabbed two like a pair of puppies and dashed them on the ground?. Then h... ...ss than a day. Odysseus finally met his son Telemachos, and the both fought to kill the men who wanted to marry Odysseus' wife. "Telemachos slung on his sharp sword, and grasped his spear, and took his stand by the seat, the son armed by his father's side" (242). They killed all the men who were eating up Odysseus' wealth. Odysseus finally met his wife and father after twenty years of being away. The Odyssey, by Homer, is good even though the main character, Odysseus, is a static character. In most good books, the reason they are good is because the main character changes. Homer manages to write a good book, even though the main character doesn't change, by the situations Odysseus finds himself in, how he always finds a unique way out, and how he triumphs in the end. Works Cited Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Rouse, W.H.D.. New York: New American Library, 1937.

Comparing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Pleasantville :: comparison compare contrast essays

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Pleasantville Have you ever heard of the great Mark Twain? Many people have and recognize his novels by name; especially his most famous book called The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The great thing about Huck is that it was meant to be a simple book, but ended up deemed a classic. The reason for this is that it contains many great American themes and motifs. Many American novels, books and movies also contain these themes and motifs, making it very easy to compare Huckleberry Finn to Pleasantville. Although the plot of each story is very different, Huckleberry Finn and Pleasantville have the same motifs. Both the movie and the book have the motifs of going west, rebel vs. the establishment and Jim Crow/Shaman. This essay will compare these common American motifs. The "go west" motif is about the characters running away or escaping from where they previously were (this doesn't necessarily have to include a trip west). In Huck Finn the river is the tool used to help Huck and Jim escape from their life. The river helps to take Huck and Jim away from civilization and reunite them with nature. The river also helps to free them from "slavery", Huck being a "slave" to the Widow Douglas and Jim actually being Miss Watson's slave. In Pleasantville a life in colour is how the townspeople are allowed to "go west". When they are in black and white they have the perfect life, meaning that nothing can ever go wrong, therefore they can never learn from their mistakes. When David introduces the thought of thinking for themselves to the teenagers of Pleasantville they begin to notice that there are other places in the world, this begins to change things from black and white to colour. Both stories contain the motif of going west. Another motif in these two works is the Rebel vs. the Establishment motif. In Huck the rebel would be Huck and one of the establishments would be the "civilized" people in the book. Huck refuses to believe that people can be so shallow and religious, and also believes that this comes from being "civilized". The other establishment would the Widow Douglas/Miss.

Associate Program Material Essay

Throughout most of U.S. history, in most locations, what race has been in the majority? What is the common ancestral background of most members of this group? I think that the majority race has been the white race throughout most of U.S. history. They were the majority race that chose to settle in the U.S. and capitalize here. The common ancestral background of most members in this group, comes from European descent. The white race decided to turn the U.S. into their own profit, and they were in control for a long time, setting social standards and turning this country into a form of profit in order to capitalize here. The white race has built this country to become what it is today, however in my opinion, it was the slaves (African Americans) that the whit race kept that should get credit for the work that they put in, because they did all the work. What are some of the larger racial minorities in U.S. history? What have been the common ancestral backgrounds of each of these groups? When did each become a significant or notable minority group? There are several larger minorities in U.S. history, mainly the African American and the Latino race. Their common racial backgrounds are Africa, America, Puerto Rico, the Islands, and Mexico to name a few. In 1928, the African American race became a significant minority when the last state ended slavery. Latinos became a larger minority when they started to triple in size between the 1990’s and the early 2000’s. They started to grow as a minority group. Mrlincolnandfreedom.org, 2013 In what ways have laws been used to enforce discrimination? Provide examples. These laws were intended against which racial minorities? Based on my research, I have found that the most popular law, was the Jim Crow Law. This law was found and practiced in the South shortly after the slavery ended.  This law was creating obstacles for African Americans by preventing them to gain equality in the U.S. This law was made out of prejudice and discrimination, and was only meant to create hardships for African Americans, because slavery had ended. The Jim Crow law started the segregation, for example, African Americans could not go to the same schools, restaurants, or even drink from the same water fountain. In what ways have laws been used to eliminate discrimination? Provide examples. Did the laws work to eliminate discrimination? There have been laws made in order to prevent discrimination after political protests, and people standing up for their rights. In today’s society, one can not be mistreated or denied housing, sexual orientation, jobs, government assistance, etc. because there are illegal consequences to doing so. Majority of these laws do not only consider the race anymore, they consider the sex, the age, religion etc., and I think that this is justified. The affirmative action of the courts and prison systems which have discriminated against African American’s and Hispanics by giving them 20% longer sentences, is one example of a law that eliminated discrimination. To this day, discrimination is still present. But some of these laws have tried to create equality for everyone.

Solving Proportions

A comparison of two numbers is referred to as a ratio, similar to fractions that can be reduced to lowest terms and then converted into a ratio of integers. Ratios allow one to compare sizes of two quantities and unit measurements. Any statement expressing the equality of two ratios is known as a proportion, which is used in numerous formulas in today’s real world settings and applications. Using proportions is an effective way to find solutions by using the extreme means property or cross-multiplying. Extreme means property is simply the end result of the product of the extremes equaling the products of the means.Cross-multiplying is a short cut in proportions providing it is a faster way to solutions rather than multiplying each side of the rational expression equation by the LCD. Applications of rational expressions involving formulas include finding the equation of a line, distance, rate, time, uniform motion, and work problems. Proportions are used on a daily basis withou t even one realizing it by comparing measurements, unit pricing, driving distances, and calculating populations and wildlife on a daily basis to find a solution.For example, I will be using the extreme means property to estimate bear population in Keweenaw Peninsula. I was asked to solve problem #56, on page 437 of Elementary and intermediate algebra, (Dugopolski, M. , 2012) which states, that conservationists captured, tagged, and released 50 bears. Over a one-year period, a random sample of 100 bears included only 2 tagged bears in Keweenaw Peninsula. To calculate the proportion, it will allow me to expect the ratio of bears that were originally tagged to the whole population is equal to the ratio of the returning bears totaling 100 but only 2 tagged bears to the size of the sample.The variable â€Å"b† for bears is applied, then followed by cross-multiplying the extremes and means to the proper set up of the proportion to find the solution. The two ratios are as follows: 5 0/b = the originally tagged bears to the whole population and 2/100 = the recaptured bears to the sample size. The means are 2 and b and the extremes are 50 and 100. 50 = 2 b 100Correct setup of proportion. 5,000 = 2b cross multiply the means (2*b) and the extremes (50*100) 2 2followed by division of 2. 2,500 Answer after division was carried out.x = 2, 500 The estimated number of bears in Keweenaw Peninsula. Continuing onto the second assignment involving proportions, the following equation must be solved for y. Since there are single fractions (also referred to as ratios) on both sides of the equation, the extreme means property will be used again in this proportion. y – 1 = -3 x + 3 4Written as an equation; solving for y. 4(y – 1) = -3x(x + 3)Cross multiplying was done. 4y – 1 + 4 = -3x +3 +3Distribute 4 on left side and 3 on the right side. y = -3x -3 + 1 Add 1 to both sides.4y = 2x -5Last step, 4 is divided on both sides. 4 4 y = -3 4 Linear equation in the form of y = mx + b and with a slope of -3/4. Taking notice that the slope of -3/4, is the same number as the number on the right hand side of the previous equation. I must continue trying another method but still use the extreme means property and try another method to see if I get a different solution. This may be an extraneous solution that I may come upon considering if the solution does not satisfy the rational expression.y – 1 = -3O riginal equation. x – 3 4 y – 1 = -3 Distribute (x-3) on both sides and multiply. x – 3 4 (x – 3)Cancel out common factors which eliminates denominator on left. y – 1 + 1 = -3x – 3 +1 To isolate y, 1 is added to both sides. Cancel common factors. y = -3 x -1 4Equation complete and simplified. For this equation, I could have multiplied the LCD to both sides, but I found the extreme means property was an efficient shortcut. Cross- multiplying allowed me to eliminate the fractions and have the same endi ng result.We can now consider this an extraneous solution because the number showing as the solution but causes zero (0) in the denominator. As rational expressions can be tricky when there is a variable involved in the denominator so caution must be adhered. The use of proportions is everyday life and real world settings and applications are used without one even realizing it. While proportions can determine a solution whether it be driving distance, estimated population count, unit measuring, gas mileage, or to estimate an average time for a job to be completed, it is a necessary tool that is used in many ways.The ratios that build the proportion can be easily solved by cross- multiplying the extremes and means in a fast and effective way. The wildlife can be assured that their tags will be calculated with an accurate solution for any conservationist inquiring about a certain species. So the next time you find yourself comparing two quantities, deciding the average time for a spec ific job, or determining how many miles you can go on a half of tank of gas on your next road trip, remember you are actually calculating proportions!

Spirit Bound Chapter Two

MY TRIALS WERE A BLUR. You'd think, seeing as they were the most important part of my education at St. Vladimir's, that I'd remember everything in perfect, crystalline detail. Yet my earlier thoughts were kind of realized. How could these measure up to what I'd already faced? How could these mock fights compare to a mob of Strigoi descending on our school? I'd had to stand against overwhelming odds, not knowing if those I loved were alive or dead. And how could I fear a so-called battle with one of the school's instructors after having fought Dimitri? He'd been lethal as a dhampir and worse as a Strigoi. Not that I meant to make light of the trials. They were serious. Novices failed them all the time, and I refused to be one of them. I was attacked on all sides, by guardians who'd been fighting and defending Moroi since before I was born. The arena wasn't flat, which complicated everything. They'd filled it with contraptions and obstacles, beams and steps that tested my balance–including a bridge that painfully reminded me of that last night I'd seen Dimitri. I'd pushed him after plunging a silver stake into his heart–a stake that had fallen out during his plummet to the river below. The arena's bridge was a bit different from the solid wooden one upon which Dimitri and I had fought in Siberia. This one was rickety, a badly constructed path of wooden planks with only rope rails for support. Every step made the entire bridge swing and shake, and holes in the boards showed me where former classmates had (unfortunately for them) discovered weak spots. The test they assigned me on the bridge was probably the worst of all. My goal was to get a â€Å"Moroi† away from a group of â€Å"Strigoi† that were in pursuit. My Moroi was being played by Daniel, a new guardian who had come with others to the school to replace those killed in the attack. I didn't know him very well, but for this exercise, he was playing completely docile and helpless–even a little afraid, just as any Moroi I was guarding might have been. He gave me a little resistance about stepping onto the bridge, and I used my calmest, most coaxing voice to finally get him to walk out ahead of me. Apparently they were testing people skills as well as combat skills. Not far behind us on the course, I knew the guardians acting as Strigoi were approaching. Daniel stepped out, and I shadowed him, still giving him reassurances while all my senses stayed on alert. The bridge swung wildly, telling me with a jolt that our pursuers had joined us. I glanced back and saw three â€Å"Strigoi† coming after us. The guardians playing them were doing a remarkable job–moving with as much dexterity and speed as true Strigoi would. They were going to overtake us if we didn't get a move on. â€Å"You're doing great,† I told Daniel. It was hard to keep the right tone in my voice. Screaming at Moroi might put them into shock. Too much gentleness would make them think it wasn't serious. â€Å"And I know you can move faster. We need to keep ahead of them–they're getting closer. I know you can do this. Come on.† I must have passed that persuasive part of the test because he did indeed pick up his speed–not quite enough to match that of our pursuers, but it was a start. The bridge shifted crazily again. Daniel yelped convincingly and froze, gripping the rope sides tightly. Ahead of him, I saw another guardian-as-Strigoi waiting on the opposite side of the bridge. I believed his name was Randall, another new instructor. I was sandwiched between him and the group at my back. But Randall stayed still, waiting on the first plank of the bridge so that he could shake it and make it harder for us. â€Å"Keep going,† I urged, my mind spinning. â€Å"You can do it.† â€Å"But there's a Strigoi there! We're trapped,† Daniel exclaimed. â€Å"Don't worry. I'll deal with him. Just move.† My voice was fierce this time, and Daniel crept forward, pushed on by my command. The next few moments required perfect timing on my part. I had to watch the â€Å"Strigoi† on both sides of us and keep Daniel in motion, all the while monitoring where we were on the bridge. When we were almost three quarters of the way across, I hissed, â€Å"Drop down on all fours right now! Hurry!† He obeyed, coming to a halt. I immediately knelt, still speaking in an undertone: â€Å"I'm about to shout at you. Ignore it.† In a louder voice, for the benefit of those coming after us, I exclaimed, â€Å"What are you doing? We can't stop!† Daniel didn't budge, and I again spoke softly. â€Å"Good. See where the ropes connect the base to the rails? Grab them. Grab them as tightly as you can, and do not let go, no matter what happens. Wrap them around your hands if you have to. Do it now!† He obeyed. The clock was ticking, and I didn't waste another moment. In one motion, while still crouched, I turned around and hacked at the ropes with a knife I'd been given along with my stake. The blade was sharp, thank God. The guardians running the trial weren't messing around. It didn't instantly slice the ropes, but I cut through them so quickly that the â€Å"Strigoi† on either side of us didn't have time to react. The ropes snapped just as I again reminded Daniel to hold on. The two halves of the bridge swung toward the sides of wooden scaffolding, carried by the weight of the people on them. Well, ours did at least. Daniel and I had been prepared. The three pursuers behind us hadn't been. Two fell. One just barely managed to catch hold of a plank, slipping a bit before securing his grip. The actual drop was six feet, but I'd been told to regard it as fifty–a distance that would kill me and Daniel if we fell. Against all odds, he was still clutching the rope. I was hanging on as well, and once the rope and wood were lying flat against the scaffolding's sides, I began scrambling up it like a ladder. It wasn't easy climbing over Daniel, but I did it, giving me one more chance to tell him to hang on. Randall, who'd been waiting ahead of us, hadn't fallen off. He'd had his feet on the bridge when I cut it, though, and had been surprised enough to lose his balance. Quick to recover, he was now shimmying up the ropes, trying to climb up to the solid surface above. He was much closer to it than me, but I just managed to grab his leg and stop him. I jerked him toward me. He maintained his grip on the bridge, and we struggled. I knew I probably couldn't pull him off, but I was able to keep getting closer. At last, I let go of the knife I'd been holding and managed to get the stake from my belt–something that tested my balance. Randall's ungainly position gave me a shot at his heart, and I t ook it. For the trials, we had blunt-ended stakes, ones that wouldn't pierce skin but which could be used with enough force to convince our opponents that we knew what we were doing. My alignment was perfect, and Randall, conceding it would have been a killing blow, relinquished his hold and dropped off the bridge. That left me the painful task of coaxing Daniel to climb up. It took a long time, but again, his behavior wasn't out of character with how a scared Moroi might behave. I was just grateful he hadn't decided a real Moroi would have lost his grip and fallen. After that challenge came many more, but I fought on, never slowing down or letting exhaustion affect me. I slipped into battle mode, my senses focused on basic instincts: fight, dodge, kill. And while staying tuned to those, I still had to be innovative and not fall into a lull. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to react to a surprise like the bridge. I managed it all, battling on with no other thoughts beyond accomplishing the tasks before me. I tried not to think of my instructors as people I knew. I treated them like Strigoi. I pulled no punches. When it finally ended, I almost didn't realize it. I was simply standing there in the middle of the field with no more attackers coming at me. I was alone. Slowly, I became more aware of the world's details. Crowds in the stands cheering. A few instructors nodding to each other as they joined in. The pounding of my own heart. It wasn't until a grinning Alberta tugged at my arm that I realized it was over. The test I'd waited for my entire life, finished in what felt like a blink of an eye. â€Å"Come on,† she said, wrapping her arm around my shoulder and guiding me toward the exit. â€Å"You need to get some water and sit down.† Dazed, I let her lead me off the field, around which people were still cheering and crying my name. Behind us, I heard some people saying they had to take a break and fix the bridge. She led me back to the waiting area and gently pushed me onto a bench. Someone else sat beside me and handed me a bottle of water. I looked over and saw my mother. She had an expression on her face that I had never seen before: pure, radiant pride. â€Å"That was it?† I asked at last. She surprised me again with genuinely amused laughter. â€Å"That was it?† she repeated. â€Å"Rose, you were out there for almost an hour. You blew through that test with flying colors–probably one of the best trials this school's ever seen.† â€Å"Really? It just seemed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Easy wasn't quite the right word. â€Å"It was a haze, that's all.† My mom squeezed my hand. â€Å"You were amazing. I'm so, so proud of you.† The realization of it all truly, truly hit me then, and I felt a smile of my own spreading over my lips. â€Å"Now what happens?† I asked. â€Å"Now you become a guardian.† I'd been tattooed many times, but none of those events came close to the ceremony and fanfare that occurred while getting my promise mark. Before, I'd received molnija marks for kills I'd made in unexpected, tragic circumstances: fighting Strigoi in Spokane, the school attack and rescue–events that were cause for mourning, not celebration. After all those kills, we'd kind of lost count, and while guardian tattoo artists still tried to log every individual kill, they'd finally given me a star-shaped mark that was a fancy way of saying we'd lost count. Tattooing isn't a fast process, even if you're getting a small one, and my entire graduating class had to get them. The ceremony took place in what was usually the Academy's dining room, a room they were able to remarkably transform into something as grand and elaborate as we'd find at the Royal Court. Spectators–friends, family, guardians–packed the room as Alberta called our names one at a time and read our scores as we approached the tattoo artist. The scores were important. They would be made public and, along with our overall school grades, influence our assignments. Moroi could request certain grads for their guardians. Lissa had requested me, of course, but even the best scores in the world might not compensate for all the black behavioral marks on my record. There were no Moroi at this ceremony, though, aside from the handful who had been invited as guests by the new graduates. Everyone else gathered was a dhampir: either one of the established guardians or about-to-become-guardians like me. The guests sat in the back, and the senior guardians sat near the front. My classmates and I stood the whole time, maybe as some sort of last test of endurance. I didn't mind. I'd changed out of my torn and dirty clothes into simple slacks and a sweater, an outfit that seemed dressy while still retaining a solemn feel. It was a good call because the air in the room was thick with tension, all faces a mix of joy at our success but also anxiety about our new and deadly role in the world. I watched with shining eyes as my friends were called up, surprised and impressed at many of the scores. Eddie Castile, a close friend, got a particularly high score in one-on-one Moroi protection. I couldn't help a smile as I watched the tattooist give Eddie his mark. â€Å"I wonder how he got his Moroi over the bridge,† I murmured in an undertone. Eddie was pretty resourceful. Beside me, another friend of mine, Meredith, gave me a puzzled look. â€Å"What are you talking about?† Her voice was equally soft. â€Å"When we were chased onto the bridge with a Moroi. Mine was Daniel.† She still looked confused, and I elaborated. â€Å"And they put Strigoi on each side?† â€Å"I crossed the bridge,† she whispered, â€Å"but it was just me being chased. I took my Moroi through a maze.† A glare from a nearby classmate shut us up, and I hid my frown. Maybe I wasn't the only one who'd gone through the trial in a daze. Meredith had her facts screwed up. When my name was called, I heard a few gasps as Alberta read my scores. I had the highest in the class by far. I was kind of glad she didn't read my academic grades. They would have totally taken away some of the glory of the rest of my performance. I'd always done well in my combat classes, but math and history†¦ well, those were a bit lacking, particularly since I always seemed to be dropping in and out of school. My hair was pulled tightly into a bun, with every stray wisp held with hairpins so that the artist would have nothing to interfere with his work. I leaned forward to give him a good view and heard him grunt in surprise. With the back of my neck covered in marks, he'd have to be tricky. Usually a new guardian provided a blank canvas. This guy was good, though, and managed to delicately place the promise mark in the center of the nape of my neck after all. The promise mark looked like a long, stretched-out S, with curly ends. He fit it in between the molnija marks, letting it wrap around them like an embrace. The process hurt, but I kept my face blank, refusing to flinch. I was shown the final results in a mirror before he covered it up with a bandage so it would heal cleanly. After that, I rejoined my classmates and watched as the rest of them received their tattoos. It meant standing for another two hours, but I didn't mind. My brain was still reeling with everything that had happened today. I was a guardian. A real, honest-to-goodness guardian. And with that thought came questions. What would happen now? Would my scores be good enough to erase my record of bad behavior? Would I be Lissa's guardian? And what about Victor? What about Dimitri? I shifted uneasily as the full impact of the guardian ceremony hit me. This wasn't just about Dimitri and Victor. This was about me–about the rest of my life. School was over. I would no longer have teachers tracking my every move or correcting me when I made mistakes. All decisions would be on me when I was out protecting someone. Moroi and younger dhampirs would look to me as the authority. And I would no longer have the luxury of practicing combat one minute and lounging in my room the next. There were no clear-cut classes anymore. I would be on duty all the time. The thought was daunting, the pressure almost too great. I'd always equated graduation with freedom. Now I wasn't so sure. What new shape was my life going to take? Who would decide? And how could I reach Victor if I was assigned to guard anyone besides Lissa? Across the room, I met Lissa's eyes among the audience. They burned with a pride that matched my mother's, and she grinned when our gazes met. Get that look off your face, she chastised through the bond. You shouldn't look that anxious, not today. You need to celebrate. I knew she was right. I could handle what was to come. My worries, which were many, could wait one more day–particularly since the exuberant mood of my friends and family ensured that I would celebrate. Abe, with that influence he always seemed to wield, had secured a small banquet room and thrown a party for me that seemed more suited to a royal debutante, not some lowly, reckless dhampir. Before the event, I changed yet again. Prettier party clothes now seemed more appropriate than the formal molnija ceremony outfit. I put on a short-sleeved, emerald green wrap dress and hung my nazar around my neck, even though it didn't match. The nazar was a small pendant that looked like an eye, with different shades of blue circling it. In Turkey, where Abe came from, it was believed to offer protection. He'd given it to my mother years ago, and she'd in turn given it to me. By the time I'd put on makeup and brushed out my tangled hair into long, dark waves (because my tattoo bandages didn't go with the dress at all), I hardly looked like someone capable of fighting monsters or even throwing a punch. No–that wasn't quite true, I realized a moment later. Staring into the mirror, I was surprised to see a haunted look in my brown eyes. There was pain there, pain and loss that even the nicest dress and makeup couldn't hide. I ignored it and set off for the party, promptly running into Adrian as soon as I stepped outside my dorm. Without a word, he swept me into his arms and smothered me with a kiss. I was totally caught off guard. It figured. Undead creatures didn't surprise me, but one flippant royal Moroi could. And it was quite the kiss, one that I almost felt guilty about sinking into. I'd had concerns when first dating Adrian, but many of them had disappeared over time. After watching him flirt shamelessly and take nothing seriously for so long, I'd never expected to see such devotion from him in our relationship. I also hadn't expected to find my feelings for him growing–which seemed so contradictory considering I still loved Dimitri and was concocting impossible ways to save him. I laughed when Adrian set me down. Nearby, a few younger Moroi had stopped to watch us. Moroi dating dhampirs wasn't super uncommon at our age, but a notorious dhampir dating the Moroi queen's great-nephew? That was kind of out there–especially since it was widely known how much Queen Tatiana hated me. There had been few witnesses to my last meeting with her, when she'd screamed at me to stay away from Adrian, but word of that kind of thing always gets around. â€Å"Like the show?† I asked our voyeurs. Realizing they'd been busted, the Moroi kids hastily continued on their way. I turned back to Adrian and smiled. â€Å"What was that? It was kind of a big kiss to throw on me in public.† â€Å"That,† he said grandly, â€Å"was your reward for kicking so much ass in those trials.† He paused. â€Å"It was also because you look totally hot in that dress.† I gave him a wry look. â€Å"Reward, huh? Meredith's boyfriend got her diamond earrings.† He caught hold of my hand and gave an unconcerned shrug as we began to walk to the party. â€Å"You want diamonds? I'll give you diamonds. I'll shower you in them. Hell, I'll get you a gown made out of them. But it's going to be skimpy.† â€Å"I think I'll settle for the kiss after all,† I said, imagining Adrian dressing me like a swimsuit model. Or a pole dancer. The jewelry reference also suddenly brought on an unwanted memory. When Dimitri had held me captive in Siberia, lulling me into blissful complacency with his bites, he'd showered me with jewelry too. â€Å"I knew you were a badass,† continued Adrian. A warm summer breeze ruffled the brown hair he so painstakingly styled each day, and with his free hand, he absentmindedly tried to arrange it back into place. â€Å"But I didn't realize just how much until I saw you dropping guardians out there.† â€Å"Does that mean you're going to be nicer to me?† I teased. â€Å"I'm already nice to you,† he said loftily. â€Å"Do you know how badly I want a cigarette right now? But no. I manfully suffer through nicotine withdrawal–all for you. But I think seeing you out there will make me a little more careful around you. That crazy dad of yours is kind of gonna make me cautious too.† I groaned, recalling how Adrian and Abe had been sitting together. â€Å"God. Did you really have to hang out with him?† â€Å"Hey, he's awesome. A little unstable, but awesome. We got along great.† Adrian opened the door to the building we were seeking. â€Å"And he's a badass in his way too. I mean, any other guy who wore scarves like that? He'd be laughed out of this school. Not Abe. He'd beat someone almost as badly as you would. In fact†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Adrian's voice turned nervous. I gave him a surprised look. â€Å"In fact what?† â€Å"Well†¦ Abe said he liked me. But he also made it clear what he'd do to me if I ever hurt you or did anything bad.† Adrian grimaced. â€Å"In fact, he described what he'd do in very graphic detail. Then, just like that, he switched to some random, happy topic. I like the guy, but he's scary.† â€Å"He's out of line!† I came to a halt outside the party's room. Through the door, I heard the buzz of conversation. We were apparently among the last to arrive. I guessed that meant I'd be making a grand entrance fitting for the guest of honor. â€Å"He has no right to threaten my boyfriends. I'm eighteen. An adult. I don't need his help. I can threaten my boyfriends myself.† My indignation amused Adrian, and he gave me a lazy smile. â€Å"I agree with you. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to take his ‘advice' seriously. My face is too pretty to risk.† His face was pretty, but that didn't stop me from shaking my head in exasperation. I reached for the door's handle, but Adrian pulled me back. â€Å"Wait,† he said. He drew me into his arms again, our lips meeting in another hot kiss. My body pressed to his, and I found myself confused by my own feelings and the realization that I was reaching a point where I might want more than just kissing. â€Å"Okay,† said Adrian when we'd finally broken away. â€Å"Now we can go in.† He had that same light tone to his voice, but in his dark green eyes, I saw the kindling of passion. I wasn't the only one considering more than just kissing. So far, we'd avoided discussing sex, and he'd actually been very good about not pressuring me. I think he knew I just wasn't ready after Dimitri, but in moments like these, I could see just how difficult it was for Adrian to hold back. It softened something inside of me, and standing on my tiptoes, I gave him another kiss. â€Å"What was that?† he asked a few moments later. I grinned. â€Å"Your reward.† When we finally made it into the party, everyone in the room greeted me with cheers and proud smiles. A long time ago, I'd thrived on being the center of attention. That desire had faded a little, but now, I put on a confident face and accepted my loved ones' praise with swagger and happiness. I held up my hands triumphantly, earning more clapping and approval. My party was almost as much of a blur as my trials. You never really realize how many people care about you until they all turn out to support you. It made me feel humble and almost a little teary. I kept that to myself, though. I could hardly start crying at my own victory party. Everyone wanted to talk to me, and I was surprised and delighted each time some new person approached me. It wasn't often that I had all the people I loved best in one place, and, uneasily I realized this opportunity might never come again. â€Å"Well, you've finally got a license to kill. It's about time.† I turned and met the amused eyes of Christian Ozera, a onetime annoyance who'd become a good friend. So good, in fact, that in my joyous zeal, I reached out and hugged him–something he clearly didn't expect. I was surprising everyone today. â€Å"Whoa, whoa,† he said backing up, flushing. â€Å"It figures. You're the only girl who'd get all emotional about the thought of killing. I don't even want to think about what goes on when you and Ivashkov are alone.† â€Å"Hey, look who's talking. You're itching to get out there yourself.† Christian shrugged by way of agreement. It was a standard rule in our world: Guardians protected Moroi. Moroi didn't get involved in battles. Yet after recent Strigoi attacks, a lot of Moroi–though hardly a majority–had begun to argue that it was time for Moroi to step up and start helping the guardians. Fire users like Christian were particularly valuable since burning was one of the best ways to kill a Strigoi (along with staking and decapitation). The movement to teach Moroi to fight was currently–and purposely–stalled in the Moroi government, but that hadn't stopped some Moroi from practicing in secret. Christian was one of them. Glancing beside him, I blinked in astonishment. There was someone with him, someone I'd hardly noticed. Jill Mastrano hovered near him like a shadow. A Moroi freshman–well, soon to be a sophomore–Jill had come forward as someone who also wanted to fight. She had sort of become Christian's student. â€Å"Hey Jill,† I said, giving her a warm smile. â€Å"Thanks for coming.† Jill flushed. She was determined to learn to defend herself, but she grew flustered among others–particularly around â€Å"celebrities† like me. Rambling was her nervous reaction. â€Å"I had to,† she said, brushing her long, light brown hair out of her face. Like always, it was a tangle of curls. â€Å"I mean, it's so cool what you did. At the trials. Everyone was amazed. I heard one of the guardians saying that they'd never seen anything like you, so when Christian asked if I wanted to come, of course I had to. Oh!† Her light green eyes went wide. â€Å"I didn't even tell you congratulations. Sorry. Congratulations.† Beside her, Christian struggled to keep a straight face. I made no such attempts and laughingly gave her a hug too. I was in serious danger of turning warm and fuzzy. I'd probably get my tough guardian status revoked if I kept this up. â€Å"Thanks. Are you two ready to take on a Strigoi army yet?† â€Å"Soon,† said Christian. â€Å"But we might need your backup.† He knew as well as I did that Strigoi were way out of their league. His fire magic had helped me a lot, but on his own? That'd be a different story. He and Jill were teaching themselves to use magic offensively, and when I'd had time between classes, I'd taught them a few combat moves. Jill's face fell a little. â€Å"It's going to stop once Christian's gone.† I turned to him. It was no surprise he'd be leaving. We'd all be leaving. â€Å"What are you going to do with yourself?† I asked. He shrugged. â€Å"Go to Court with the rest of you. Aunt Tasha says we're going to have a ‘talk' about my future.† He grimaced. Whatever his plans were, it looked like they weren't the same as Tasha's. Most royal Moroi would head off to elite colleges. I wasn't sure what Christian had in mind. It was standard practice after graduation for new guardians to go to the Moroi Royal Court for orientation and to get their assignments. We were all due to leave in a couple of days. Following Christian's gaze, I saw his aunt across the room, and so help me, she was talking to Abe. Tasha Ozera was in her late twenties, with the same glossy black hair and ice blue eyes that Christian had. Her beautiful face was marred, however, by some terrible scarring on one side–the result of injuries inflicted by Christian's own parents. Dimitri had been turned into a Strigoi against his will, but the Ozeras had purposely chosen to turn for the sake of immortality. It had ironically cost them their lives when the guardians hunted them down. Tasha had raised Christian (when he wasn't at school) and was one of the main leaders in the movement supporting those Moroi who wanted to fight Strigoi. Scar or not, I admired her and still thought she was beautiful. From my wayward father's attitude, it was clear he did too. He poured her a glass of champagne and said something that made her laugh. She leaned forward, like she was telling him a secret, and he laughed in return. My jaw dropped. Even from this far away, it was obvious they were flirting. â€Å"Dear God,† I said with a shudder, hastily turning back to Christian and Jill. Christian seemed torn between smugness at my discomfort and his own unease at watching a woman he regarded as a mother get hit upon by a pirate mobster guy. A moment later, Christian's expression softened as he turned back to Jill and continued our conversation. â€Å"Hey, you don't need me,† he said. â€Å"You'll find others around here. You'll have your own superhero club before you know it.† I found myself smiling again, but my kindly feelings were suddenly shattered by a jolt of jealousy. It wasn't my own, though. It was Lissa's, coming through the bond. Startled, I glanced around and spotted her across the room, giving Christian the look of death as he spoke to Jill. It's worth mentioning that Christian and Lissa used to date. More than date. They'd been deeply in love, and honestly, they kind of still were. Unfortunately, recent events had badly strained their relationship, and Christian had broken up with her. He'd loved her but had lost his trust in her. Lissa had spun out of control when another spirit user named Avery Lazar had sought to control her. We'd eventually stopped Avery, and she was currently locked away in a mental institution, last I'd heard. Christian now knew the reasons for Lissa's horrible behavior, but the damage was done. Lissa had initially been depressed, but her sorrow had now turned to anger. She claimed she wanted nothing to do with him anymore, but the bond gave her away. She was always jealous of any girl he talked to–particularly Jill, whom he'd been spending a lot of time with lately. I knew for a fact there was nothing romantic going on there. Jill idolized him as some wise teacher, nothing more. If she had a crush on anyone, it was Adrian, who always treated her like a kid sister. We all kind of did, really. Christian followed my gaze, and his expression hardened. Realizing she had his attention, Lissa immediately turned away and began talking to the first guy she found, a good-looking dhampir from my class. She turned on the flirtatious charm that came so easily to spirit users, and soon, both of them were laughing and chatting in a way similar to Abe and Tasha. My party had turned into a round of speed dating. Christian turned back to me. â€Å"Well, looks like she's got plenty to keep her busy.† I rolled my eyes. Lissa wasn't the only one who was jealous. Just as she grew angry whenever he hung out with other girls, Christian became prickly when she spoke to other guys. It was infuriating. Rather than admit they still had feelings and just needed to patch things up, those two idiots just kept displaying more and more hostility toward each other. â€Å"Will you stop already and actually try to talk to her like a rational person someday?† I groaned. â€Å"Sure,† he said bitterly. â€Å"The day she starts acting like a rational person.† â€Å"Oh my God. You guys are going to make me rip my hair out.† â€Å"It'd be a waste of nice hair,† said Christian. â€Å"Besides, she's made her attitude perfectly clear.† I started to protest and tell him how stupid he was, but he had no intention of sticking around to hear a lecture I'd already given a dozen times. â€Å"Come on, Jill,† he said. â€Å"Rose needs to mingle more.† He quickly stepped away, and I had half a mind to go beat some sense into him when a new voice spoke. â€Å"When are you going to fix that?† Tasha was standing next to me, shaking her head at Christian's retreat. â€Å"Those two need to be back together.† â€Å"I know that. You know that. But they can't seem to get it through their heads.† â€Å"Well, you'd better get on it,† she said. â€Å"If Christian goes to college across the country, it'll be too late.† There was a dry–and exasperated–note in her voice when she mentioned Christian going to college. Lissa was going to Lehigh, a university near the Court, per an arrangement with Tatiana. Lissa would get to attend a bigger university than Moroi usually went to, in exchange for spending time at the Court and learning the royal trade. â€Å"I know,† I said in exasperation. â€Å"But why am I the one who has to fix it?† Tasha grinned. â€Å"Because you're the only one forceful enough to make them see reason.† I decided to let Tasha's insolence go, mostly because her talking to me meant that she wasn't talking to Abe. Glancing across the room, I suddenly stiffened. He was now talking to my mother. Snatches of their conversation came to me through the noise. â€Å"Janine,† he said winningly, â€Å"you haven't aged a day. You could be Rose's sister. Do you remember that night in Cappadocia?† My mother actually giggled. I had never heard her do that before. I decided I never wanted to again. â€Å"Of course. And I remember how eager you were to help me when my dress strap broke.† â€Å"Dear God,† I said. â€Å"He's unstoppable.† Tasha looked puzzled until she saw what I was talking about. â€Å"Abe? He's actually pretty charming.† I groaned. â€Å"Excuse me.† I headed toward my parents. I accepted that they'd once had a romance–one that led to my conception–but that didn't mean I wanted to watch them relive it. They were recounting some walk on the beach when I reached them. I promptly tugged Abe's arm away. He was standing way too close to her. â€Å"Hey, can I talk to you?† I asked. He looked surprised but shrugged. â€Å"Certainly.† He gave my mother a knowing smile. â€Å"We'll talk more later.† â€Å"Is no woman safe around here?† I demanded as I led him away. â€Å"What are you talking about?† We came to a stop by the punch bowl. â€Å"You're flirting with every woman in this room!† My chastising didn't faze him. â€Å"Well, there are so many lovely women here†¦. Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?† â€Å"No! I wanted to talk to you about threatening my boyfriend. You had no right to do that.† His dark eyebrows shot up. â€Å"What, that? That was nothing. Just a father looking out for his daughter.† â€Å"Most fathers don't threaten to disembowel their daughters' boyfriends.† â€Å"That's not true. And anyway, that's not what I actually said. It was much worse.† I sighed. He seemed to delight in my exasperation. â€Å"Think of it as a graduation gift. I'm proud of you. Everyone knew you'd be good, but no one knew you'd be that good.† He winked. â€Å"They certainly didn't expect you to destroy their property.† â€Å"What property?† â€Å"The bridge.† I frowned. â€Å"I had to. It was the most efficient way. God, that was a bitch of a challenge. What'd the other grads do? They didn't actually fight in the middle of that thing, did they?† Abe shook his head, loving every minute of his superior knowledge. â€Å"No one else was put in that situation.† â€Å"Of course they were. We all face the same tests.† â€Å"Not you. While planning the trials, the guardians decided you needed something†¦ extra. Something special. After all, you'd been out fighting in the real world.† â€Å"What?† The volume of my voice caught the attention of a few others. I lowered it, and Meredith's earlier words came back to me. â€Å"That's not fair!† He didn't seem concerned. â€Å"You're superior to the others. Making you do easy things wouldn't have been fair.† I'd faced a lot of ridiculous things in my life, but this was pretty out there. â€Å"So they had me do that crazy bridge stunt instead? And if they were surprised I cut it, then what the hell else did they expect me to do? How else was I supposed to survive that?† â€Å"Hmm.† He stroked his chin absentmindedly. â€Å"I honestly don't think they knew.† â€Å"Oh, for God's sake. This is unbelievable.† â€Å"Why are you so mad? You passed.† â€Å"Because they put me in a situation they didn't even know how to get out of.† I gave him a suspicious look. â€Å"And how do you even know about this? This is all guardian business.† An expression I didn't like at all came over his face. â€Å"Ah, well, I was with your mother last night and–â€Å" â€Å"Whoa, okay. Just stop,† I interrupted. â€Å"I do not want to hear what you and my mother were doing last night. I think that'd be worse than the bridge.† He grinned. â€Å"Both are in the past, so no need to worry now. Enjoy your success.† â€Å"I'll try. Just don't do me any more favors with Adrian, okay? I mean, I'm glad you came to support me, but that's more than enough.† Abe gave me a canny look, reminding me that underneath that swagger he was indeed a shrewd and dangerous man. â€Å"You were more than happy to have me do you a favor after your return from Russia.† I grimaced. He had a point, seeing as he had managed to get a message into a high-security prison. Even if it hadn't led to anything, he still got points. â€Å"Okay,† I admitted. â€Å"That was pretty amazing. And I'm grateful. I still don't know how you pulled that off.† Suddenly, like a dream you recall a day later, I remembered the thought I'd had just before my trials. I lowered my voice. â€Å"You didn't actually go there, did you?† He snorted. â€Å"Of course not. I wouldn't set foot in that place. I simply worked my network.† â€Å"Where is that place?† I asked, hoping I sounded bland. He wasn't fooled. â€Å"Why do you want to know?† â€Å"Because I'm curious! Convicted criminals always disappear without a trace. I'm a guardian now, and I don't even know anything about our own prison system. Is there just one prison? Are there lots?† Abe didn't answer right away. He was studying me carefully. In his business, he suspected everyone of ulterior motives. As his daughter, I was probably doubly suspect. It was in the genes. He must have underestimated my potential for insanity because he said at last, â€Å"There's more than one. Victor's in one of the worst. It's called Tarasov.† â€Å"Where is it?† â€Å"Right now?† He considered. â€Å"In Alaska, I think.† â€Å"What do you mean, ‘right now'?† â€Å"It moves throughout the year. Right now it's in Alaska. Later, it'll be in Argentina.† He gave me a sly smile, apparently wondering how astute I was. â€Å"Can you guess why?† â€Å"No, I–wait. Sunlight.† It made perfect sense. â€Å"Alaska's got almost nonstop daylight this time of year–but nonstop night in the winter.† I think he was prouder of my realization than of my trials. â€Å"Any prisoners trying to escape would have a hard time.† In full sun, no Moroi fugitive would get very far. â€Å"Not that anyone can escape through that level of security anyway.† I tried to ignore how foreboding that sounded. â€Å"Seems like they'd put it pretty far north in Alaska then,† I said, hoping to worm out the actual location indirectly. â€Å"You get more light that way.† He chuckled. â€Å"Even I can't tell you that. That's information the guardians keep close, buried in their headquarters.† I froze. Headquarters†¦ Abe, despite being usually observant, didn't notice my reaction. His eyes were watching something across the room. â€Å"Is that Renee Szelsky? My, my†¦ she's grown lovely over the years.† I grudgingly waved him away, largely because I wanted to chase this new plan in my mind–and because Renee wasn't anyone I knew very well, which made him hitting on her less appalling. â€Å"Well, don't let me stop you. Go lure more women into your web.† Abe didn't need much prodding. Alone, I let my brain spin, wondering if my developing scheme had any chance of success. His words had sparked a new plan in my mind. It wasn't much crazier than most of my others. Across the room, I met Lissa's jade eyes again. With Christian out of sight, her mood had improved. She was enjoying herself and was excited about the adventures ahead of us, now that we were free and out in the world. My mind flashed back to the anxieties I'd felt earlier in the day. We might be free now, but reality would catch up with us soon. The clock was ticking. Dimitri was waiting, watching. I wondered briefly if I'd still get his weekly letters, now that I'd be leaving the school. I smiled at her, feeling kind of bad that I'd be ruining her mood when I told her we might now have a very real chance of busting out Victor Dashkov.