Amazon vs. Borders Books Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Amazon versus Outskirts Books - Essay Example Having seen the colossal developments of Borders, Kmart gained it in 1992 and renamed the organization name as Border Group. It began universal development during the last times of 1990’s and began its first global office in Singapore in 1997. Along these lines the organization was extended to numerous different abroad nations and was fit as a fiddle till 2004. In any case, it began to confront numerous issues from 2004 onwards and right now one the skirt of annihilation. It sought financial protection suit for shutting down its 200 stores in 2011. Correlation of the administration moves toward each organization took to Internet promoting and deals Amazon figured numerous techniques to save the guests for longer periods in its site. They knew about the way that investing more energy by surfers in their site may build their deals. They did everything conceivable to tie up the guests in their site. Since greater part of the web surfers are young people, Amazon concentrated more in cooking the requirements of the youngsters while they visit Amazon’s site. To put it plainly, Amazon’s web advertising procedures were essentially founded on the adolescent network. Publicizing, E-retailing, Channeling, , Affiliation, Franchising, Subscription and so on were a portion of the web advertising approaches created and executed by Amazon the executives for abusing the market openings. Then again, Borders submitted such a significant number of key bungles which carried numerous difficulties to the presence of the organization. For instance, â€Å"Borders made a significant vital blunder in 2001 when it gave off its online business to Amazon†(Wahba, 2011). Rather than abusing the open doors in online business, Borders attempted to avoid it. They thought... The paper Amazon versus Fringes Books discusses the action and rivalry of two biggest book retailers on the planet. The paper examines why in various circumstances one of them was effective and the other one was a disappointment. Amazon.com is presently one of the highest online book shops on the planet. It was begun in the mid-1990s and was not gainful in the initial scarcely any years. Be that as it may, with inventive business methodologies, it defeated the underlying difficulties and turned into the pioneer in web based bookselling. Then again, Borders Books was the second biggest book retailer in America. It was begun in 1971. Until 2004, Borders confronted little issues and was running gainful. Nonetheless, after 2004, it began to confront numerous administration and business issues which constrained them to petition for Chapter 11 of every 2011. The administration of Amazon adjusted superbly to the changing economic situations though Borders neglected to do as such. While Amazon rushed to understand the open doors in online business, Borders neglected to remember it. Amazon has acquainted client inviting sites with pull in the online clients while Borders depended vigorously on the capacities of deals staff in selling their books from its store. Amazon delivered creative sites with the assistance of current innovations to discuss adequately with the clients. Intelligent segments were a portion of the offices accessible in amazon sites. Fringes remained totally away from its online clients and it was a significant screw up submitted by the organization.

Wireless Security Essay Example For Students

Remote Security Essay SECURITY OF WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONSIntroductionWireless gadgets, similar to all innovations that give outside access to corporate systems, present security challenges. With remote norms rehearses still quickly advancing, it is imperative to comprehend the qualities and confinements of accessible innovations so as to actualize a protected arrangement. Stretching out current security arrangements to envelop remote gadgets requires a comprehension of the security highlights of both remote gadgets and remote systems. Reason for the StudyThe motivation behind the examination was to aid the choice whether Lotus Development ought to stretch out current security approaches to incorporate remote gadgets. Coming up next are basic security questions: What difficulties are confronted with remote security? How might you check that the gadget being utilized is quite the hands of an approved client? How might you improve the security of the device?How secure is the over-the-air arrange between the association and the remote gadget? How might you secure the remote session?Should Lotus advancement remember remote gadgets for their security policies?Research Methods and ProceduresThrough conventional and electronic research of books, periodicals, and business diaries, optional research was led. Figures were developed through broad research and investigation of communications of systems. Remote Security ChallengesMobile gadgets and remote systems depend on a wide range of innovation, a lot of it bleeding edge. In contrast with PCs, each class of cell phone as of now speaks to an exceptional equipment and programming stage. Cell phones and PDAs, for instance, have differing capacities and restrictions both as figuring gadgets and as customer gadgets getting to corporate systems. The remote systems that help cell phones are likewise assorted. By depending on industry standard conventions like TCP/IP, HTTP, SMTP and TAP, Mobile Services for Domino bolsters huge numbers of the significant remote systems as of now in activity. This guidelines based methodology likewise furnishes MSD with a typical security model that can work across remote systems, while simultaneously removing a portion of the multifaceted nature from working with various remote system suppliers (Braden, 1997). In any case, it is essential to comprehend that there is as of now no industry-wide security standard that will chip away at each cell phone and on each remote system, in the way that X.509 and SSL length the PC universe. MSD overcomes this issue any place conceivable by including its own security highlights (Freeburg, 1991). Cell phone SecurityMost cell phones at present give just a straightforward username/secret phrase blend to square utilization of the gadget (a couple of additionally offer nearby information encryption). What's more, since most clients don't utilize even this simple degree of security, cell phones like pagers, cell phones and PDAs are basically unbound (Aziz, 1993). Existing PC-based security instruments, for example, customer declarations, basically dont exist yet for remote gadgets. The fundamental explanation is that remote gadgets as of now come up short on the figuring power important to approve a declaration locally. Besides, every remote gadget has its ow n exceptional equipment, working framework benefits and incorporated applications. These elements make it hard to make a standard neighborhood security system that can work over every single remote innovation. Security, besides, has as of late become a significant worry of gadget sellers. This is on the grounds that remote gadgets have customarily been focused at singular clients for access to their own information not corporate information. Be that as it may, as cell phone use among corporate clients increments, improved security has become a principal necessity. As merchants address this developing need, increasingly more security arrangements and proposed guidelines will rise (Aziz, 1993). Gadget Security EnhancementsMSD underpins the full range of remote gadgets: from single direction alphanumeric pagers that can get a basic message from your Domino organize; to the most recent age of Web-prepared telephones furnished with miniaturized scale programs, from which clients can get to their Notes mail, schedule and corporate index. In view of the incredible decent variety of gadget abilities, just as their inalienable security confinements, MSD can't give security to information put away l ocally over each gadget. Rather, MSD gives security to corporate information inside the firewall, by making sure about it against unapproved access by remote gadgets. Specifically, MSD furnishes heads with the capacity to (Cohen, 1991): Associate a particular, approved client with every cell phone (Trusted Devices). Indicate what remote systems can speak with MSD (Trusted IP Addresses). Trusted DevicesMSDs Trusted Devices include empowers chairmen both to recognize what representative is approved to utilize every gadget, and to control the capacity of every client or gadget to get to Domino through MSD. For instance, if a representative loses their cell phone, an overseer can quickly impair the utilization of that gadget with MSD, along these lines taking out the hazard that an impostor will get to the system. Notwithstanding Trusted Devices, MSD offers a related security highlight called Dynamic Device/User Mapping. It works this way: the first run through a client effectively enters a legitimate Domino HTTP username and secret word from an appropriately enrolled cell phone, a record is made in MSDs arrangement database that maps the clients completely qualified Domino username to a special gadget ID (which is gotten from the gadget). As a matter of course, clients can without much of a stretch clear this record utilizing their cell phones, so as to impart the gadget to another person. Be that as it may, executives can decide to bolt the first-run through mapping between gadget ID and username, forestalling anybody other than the first, approved individual from utilizing the gadget (Banan, 1999). Confided in IP AddressesMSD empowers overseers to enlist the IP locations of the WAP passages they use with MSD. Just HTTP demands from these IP delivers are allowed to utilize the MSD applicatio n. This viably limits the intermediaries that can get to a hierarchical system (Perkins, 1996). Over-the-Air SecurityIn todays remote world, associations may have little control with respect to which remote system its information goes over between the firewall and workers cell phones. And keeping in mind that the Internet offers security measures for confirmation and encryption between a remote clients PC based Web program and a corporate intranet, remote systems have no practically equivalent to, all inclusive security components. In any case, numerous administrators utilizing either Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) or Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) innovation give RSA-based encryption between the telephone, cell tower and WAP portal (Arup, 1993). Security highlights regular to numerous remote systems incorporate the accompanying (Freeburg, 1991): 1.RSA RC4 encryption is basically for over-the-air transmissions between the gadget and the remote system. 2.As solicitations from the miniaturized scale program arrive at the WAP entryway over the remote system, they are ch anged over and gone along to the HTTP server. This change happens continuously, utilizing the neighborhood memory of the WAP door. The chance of unapproved access to information during this procedure is accordingly negligible. 3.The WAP passage can likewise bolster HTTP associations, alongside different sorts of testaments. This gives improved security between the WAP portal and application servers like Mobile Services for Domino. This multi-layer approach, represented in Figure 1, gives a safe establishment to over-the-air associations (Nichols, 1998). Figure 1: Over-the-air security in a remote networkMSD Server SecurityAs suggested over, the establishment for all of MSD security capacities is Dominos incorporated security administrations. Since MSD is a completely coordinated, Domino-based arrangement, relevant Domino security administrations are accessible for use on the MSD server itself. For instance, Domino underpins port encryption through RSA RC4. As an alternative, the system correspondence among MSD and the remainder of the Domino condition can be encoded, giving an astounding method to build security for corporate information (Davies, 1994). Not exclusively is a MSD server as secure as any Domi no server, it likewise empowers associations to regulate MSD server security a similar way all other Domino servers in the earth are overseen for security purposes. Gambia EssayIn expansion, you can utilize an outsider Certificate Authority to approve the qualifications of the Internet Service Provider and their WAP door, and require the utilization of SSL for correspondence between the specialist co-op and their passage. Situation 2Most extranet organizes today that depend on Web principles utilize the utilization of some type of DMZ, or Demilitarized Zone (likewise alluded to as a twofold firewall). In this arrangement, the MSD server is situated between two corporate firewalls. One firewall, on the Internet side, should just permit traffic from explicit, believed IP delivers in to the MSD server. The other, on the Domino organize side, should just permit the MSD server to speak with explicit Domino servers, by means of explicit (and alternatively scrambled) ports (Abhaya, 1994). Situation 3In a virtual private system (VPN) condition, a rented line T1 circuit, Frame Relay or ATM-type association is introduced legitimately between the Wireless Server Provider and the corporate system. This gives an increasingly secure association, by excellence of making a private passage that sidesteps the open Internet inside and out. A VPN additionally gives a considerably more solid vehicle since it isn't subject to the Internet for availability. Another advantage of private systems, for example, those executed by means of casing hand-off, is that they can be a lot quicker than some Internet associations (Aziz, 1993). ConclusionWireless access to corporate information from cell phones, for example, Web-empowered mobile phones, dad

Asking Friends and Family to Embrace Change

Asking Friends and Family to Embrace Change Change isn’t easy. More often than not, we don’t change because we get in our own way. Other times we don’t make a change because we’re afraid of what people will think about us, afraid of what they will say about us, afraid they will treat us differently. Ultimately, we are afraid of rejection. When we approached minimalism, we realized many of our closest friends and family members were supportive of the changes we wanted to make; and in other cases, many of them were neutral bystanders, ambivalent to the simplification going on around us. In some instances, some of the people closest to us didn’t approve of our new paths: some of these people mistook the journey on which we were embarking as a direct attack on their way of life, as if by questioning our lives we were also questioning their lives. Clearly this was not our intent: our journey involved questioning our lives, not theirs. We were simply looking for happiness, using minimalism as a tool to search for deeper meaning. Yet some people thought the changes we were making were silly, stupid, and even crazy (literally). We had worked hard for more than a decade to accumulate all these nice material possessions, big houses, fancy cars, “important” job titles, and the American Dream, all of which was supposed to make us happy, right? When the consumerist, over-indulgent lives we were leading didn’t make us happy, there had to be something wrong with us. At least that’s what the naysayers said: Maybe Joshua Ryan went crazy. Maybe they are experiencing a mid-midlife crisis. Maybe they joined a cult (someone actually accused us of joining a cult, likening minimalism to Jonestown and Branch Davidian). We had to explain a few things to these naysayers It’s not you, it’s me. We’ve all heard this line before. It has been parodied a thousand times, but there is a profound truth to be discovered here. We weren’t questioning anyone else’s lifestyle but our own. Many people weren’t happy with their own situations, and they aspired to be like us because they thought we “had it figured out.”  We didn’t have it figured out, though, and that frustrated some people because we were who they wanted to emulate: we had the material possessions, the salaries, the awards, the facade of power, the fast-track to corporate success. We looked around us, though, and realized most of the people above us, people several rungs higher on the corporate ladder, weren’t happy, eitherâ€"they were far less happy than we were. What were we supposed to doâ€"keep working exceptionally hard and aspire to continue to be unhappy? It’s all right to tell naysayers you’re making changes in your life so you can be happy. Better yet, you can do wh at we did and ask those naysayers a question: “You want me to be happy, don’t you?” Circumstances change. If our 28-year-old selves could have time-traveled back to 1999 to tell our eighteen-year-old selves about everything we were going to “accomplish”  over the next decade, the teenage Joshua Ryan would have been elated. You mean I’m going to have this, that, and this? You mean I’ll be able to afford this? The happiness would have soon faded, though, and by 28 (or perhaps much sooner) an overwhelming cloak of discontent would have enveloped our lives. That’s because circumstances change, and thus, we must change: we must continue to evolve and grow if we expect to be happy. What adds value to your life today, may not add value to your life tomorrow. You, too, can change. Minimalism may not be the answer for you. If you’re not happy, though, you, too, can build your change muscle and, over time, change your circumstances. There are many paths to happiness; minimalism simply allowed us to clear the clutter from our paths so we could find that happiness sooner. Show people the benefits. As we journeyed further down our paths, many of the naysayers jumped on board. Not because we asked them toâ€"we’ve never asked anyone to embrace minimalismâ€"but because they saw the happiness we’d welcomed into our lives. They saw that for the first time in our adult lives we were truly excited, joyous, and content with who we were. They saw that perhaps we didn’t have it figured out before, and maybe we didn’t have it figured out now, but we certainly appeared to be on the right track. The actions alone didn’t convince them, but once they saw the benefits, they better understood the changes we’d undergone. There were, however, some relationships we had to get rid of: it wasn’t easy, but certain peopleâ€"friends and familyâ€"weren’t adding value to our lives, they were sources of negativity, and they prevented us from growing. We treated this option as a last resort, but it’s important to know that, as we grow, even our relationships can change. Today, many of our old friends are still our friendsâ€"while others are notâ€"but we’ve also established new, empowering relationships that encourage our constant growth and help us enjoy what we contribute to the relationship. Read this essay and 150 others in our new book, Essential.

The Last Apprentice Revenge Of The Witch - 949 Words

Children’s fantasy novels are an effective tool to use in the classroom because they are riveting and keep the students’ attention. However, teachers must draw on them effectively, to make students aware that what they learn is meaningful. An example of this is the novel ‘‘The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch’’ written by Joseph Delaney. In this novel, there are various valuable morals to teach, to any high school or elementary school reader. In this essay, I will demonstrate how Joseph Delaney’s fantasy novel ‘‘The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch’’ enhances children’s ‘‘world knowledge , by using Tom as a surrogate to teach perseverance and facing fears; thus, leading to personal fulfillment. I will illustrate how teachers can use Tom’s perseverance to show the students how this allowed him to attain his goals and that they can do the same. As well, I will demonstrate how t eachers can work with facing fears to show students that this will lead to personal satisfaction and growth.When exploited in the classroom, Joseph Delaney’s novel allows students to observe how perseverance can benefit them in attaining their personal goals. Even in the most demanding situations, Tom, the Spook’s apprentice, must have the courage not to give up. He must stick it out even though he does not think he has what it takes to become a Spook, which he later discovers to become his calling. Attaining this goal leads to personal achievement. Teachers can use this moral of the storyShow MoreRelatedBrief Summary of The Last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney591 Words   |  2 Pagesmake you run back to your mom. Where your job appears out of nowhere, where food magically appears on the kitchen, where gates are opened for you and where unexpected things approach you. Either good or bad. This book is called The Last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney. Thomas J. Ward(aka, Tom) is the seventh son of a seventh son whom is sent to The Spook by his mother(aka Mum) The Spook(aka Mr. Gregory) is Toms boss that teaches him lessons he wont forget. The book changes settingsRead MoreEvil in Shakespeares Macbeth, Mary Shellys Frankenstein and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde1782 Words   |  8 PagesThree witches appear to Macbeth and his friend Banquo. Witches have always been considered as evil beings; later in the play we find this to be true. The first witch says, All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis, the second witch continues All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor and the third witch then says All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter. Basically the witches are telling Macbeth that he will become the Thane of Cawdor and then kingRead More African Minkisi and American Culture Essay6248 Words   |  25 Pagesresponsible for a person’s death (BaKongo people believed that people only died as a result of a form of witchcraft), and there’s Kozo, the double-headed dogs that hunt out wrongdoers. Nganga also set things called â€Å"nkisi guns† on graves, so that if a witch passed by a person they have killed, they would go home and die a sudden death. A loosely defined class of minkisi is called minkondi (Nkondi in the singular), and is often used to hunt â€Å"witches† (people that harm their neighbors) and other wrongdoersRead MoreIgbo Dictionary129408 Words   |  518 Pagesthey will find this edition at least slightly less faulty. I am very grateful to Dr (now Professor) E.N. Emenanjá » , Mr (now Dr) P.A. Anagbogu, and to Miss Helen Joe Okeke and Miss Ifeoma Okoye, students of Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri, for last-minute [sic] help on the grammatical se ction of the introduction; and to the late Mr A.E. Ahunanya, Mrs Dorothy Njoku, and Miss Mercy Harry for their care over the typing. Kay Williamson Port Harcourt December, 1983 iii Igbo Dictionary: KayWilliamson

What Is Velocity in Physics

Velocity is defined as a vector measurement of the rate and direction of motion. Put simply, velocity is the speed at which something moves in a particular direction, such as the speed of a car traveling north on a major freeway, or the speed a rocket travels as it launches into space. The scalar (absolute value) magnitude of the velocity vector is the speed of the motion. In calculus terms, velocity is the first derivative of position with respect to time. You can calculate velocity by using a simple formula that uses rate, distance, and time. Velocity Formula The most common way to calculate the constant velocity of an object moving in a straight line is with the formula: r d / t where r is the rate, or speed (sometimes denoted as v, for velocity)d is the distance movedt is the time it takes to complete the movement Units of Velocity The SI (international) units for velocity are m/s (meters per second). But velocity may be expressed in any units of distance per time. Other units include miles per hour (mph), kilometers per hour (kph), and kilometers per second (km/s). Speed vs. Velocity and Acceleration Speed, velocity, and acceleration are all related to each other. Remember: Speed, according to its technical definition,  is a scalar quantity that indicates the rate of motion distance per time. Its units are length and time. Put another way, speed is a measure of  distance  traveled over a certain amount of time. Speed is often described simply as  the distance traveled per unit of time. It is how fast an object is moving.   Velocity, by definition,  is a vector quantity that indicates distance per time and direction. Like speed, its units are length and time, but direction is also involved in the equation. Velocity measures displacement over time, as opposed to distance. Acceleration  is defined in technical terms as a vector quantity that indicates the rate of change of velocity. It has dimensions of length and time. Study.com puts it in simpler terms: Acceleration is often called speeding up, though it would more accurately be referred to as velocitying up. The everyday experience of acceleration is in a vehicle. You step on the accelerator and the car speeds up as increasing force is applied to the drive train by the engine. Why Velocity Matters Velocity measures motion starting in one place and heading toward another place. In other words, you use measures of velocity to determine how quickly you (or anything in motion) will arrive at a destination from a given location. Measures of velocity allow you to (among other things) create timetables for travel. For example, if a train leaves Penn Station in New York at 2 p.m. and you know the velocity at which the train is moving north, you can predict when it will arrive at South Station in Boston. Sample Velocity Problem To understand velocity, it can be helpful to peruse a sample problem. For example,  a physics student drops an egg off an extremely tall building. What is the eggs velocity after 2.60 seconds? The hardest part about solving for velocity in a physics problem is selecting the right equation. In this case, two equations may be used to solve the problem. Use the equation: d vI*t 0.5*a*t2 where d is distance, vI is initial velocity, t is time, and a is acceleration (due to gravity, in this case). So, you would have: d (0 m/s)*(2.60 s) 0.5*(-9.8 m/s2)(2.60 s)2d -33.1 m (negative sign indicates direction downward) Next, you can plug in this distance value to solve for velocity using the equation: vf vi a*t where vf is final velocity, vi is initial velocity, a is acceleration, and t is time. Since the egg was dropped and not thrown, the initial velocity is 0. vf 0 (-9.8 m/s2)(2.60 s)vf -25.5 m/s So, the velocity of the egg after 2.60 seconds is 25.5 meters per second. Although its common to report velocity as a simple value, remember its a vector and has direction as well as magnitude. Usually, moving upward is indicated with a positive sign, and down carries a negative sign.

The Vampire Diaries Dark Reunion Chapter Seven Free Essays

Stefan approached the corner house reluctantly, almost afraid of what he might find. He half expected that Damon would have abandoned his post by now. He’d probably been an idiot to rely on Damon in the first place. We will write a custom essay sample on The Vampire Diaries: Dark Reunion Chapter Seven or any similar topic only for you Order Now But when he reached the backyard, there was a shimmer of motion among the black walnut trees. His eyes, sharper than a human’s because they were adapted for hunting, made out the darker shadow leaning against a trunk. â€Å"You took your time getting back.† â€Å"I had to see the others home safe. And I had to eat.† â€Å"Animal blood,† Damon said contemptuously, eyes fixed on a tiny round stain on Stefan’s T-shirt. â€Å"Rabbit, from the smell of it. That seems appropriate somehow, doesn’t it?† â€Å"Damon-I’ve given Bonnie and Meredith vervain too.† â€Å"A wise precaution,† Damon said distinctly, and showed his teeth. A familiar surge of irritation welled up in Stefan. Why did Damon always have to be so difficult? Talking with him was like walking between land mines. â€Å"I’ll be going now,† Damon continued, swinging his jacket over one shoulder. â€Å"I’ve got business of my own to take care of.† He tossed a devastating grin over his shoulder. â€Å"Don’t wait up.† â€Å"Damon.† Damon half turned, not looking but listening. â€Å"The last thing we need is some girl in this town screaming ‘Vampire!’ † Stefan said. â€Å"Or showing the signs, either. These people have been through it before; they’re not ignorant.† â€Å"I’ll bear that in mind.† It was said ironically, but it was the closest thing to a promise Stefan had ever gotten from his brother in his life. â€Å"And, Damon?† â€Å"Now what?† â€Å"Thank you.† It was too much. Damon whipped around, his eyes cold and uninviting, a stranger’s eyes. â€Å"Don’t expect anything of me, little brother,† he said dangerously. â€Å"Because you’ll be wrong every time. And don’t think you can manipulate me, either. Those three humans may follow you, but I won’t. I’m here for reasons of my own.† He was gone before Stefan could gather words for a reply. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Damon never listened to anything he said. Damon never even called him by name. It was always the scornful â€Å"little brother.† And now Damon was off to prove how unreliable he was, Stefan thought. Wonderful. He’d do something particularly vicious just to show Stefan he was capable of it. It was no use. He couldn’t keep his mind on the puzzle. He was tired and lonely and in desperate need of comfort. And the stark truth was that there was no comfort to be had. Elena, he thought, you lied to me. It was the one thing she’d insisted on, the one thing she’d always promised. â€Å"Whatever happens, Stefan, I’ll be with you. Tell me you believe that.† And he had answered, helpless in her spell, â€Å"Oh, Elena, I believe it. Whatever happens, we’ll be together.† But she had left him. Not by choice maybe, but what did that matter in the end? She had left him and gone away. There were times when all he wanted was to follow her. Think about something else, anything else, he told himself, but it was too late. Once unleashed, the images of Elena swirled around him, too painful to bear, too beautiful to push away. The first time he’d kissed her. The shock of dizzy sweetness when his mouth met hers. And after that, shock after shock, but at some deeper level. As if she were reaching down to the core of himself, a core he’d almost forgotten. Frightened, he’d felt his defenses tear away. All his secrets, all his resistance, all the tricks he used to keep other people at arm’s length. Elena had ripped through them all, exposing his vulnerability. Exposing his soul. And in the end, he found that it was what he wanted. He wanted Elena to see him without defenses, without walls. He wanted her to know him for what he was. Terrifying? Yes. When she’d discovered his secret at last, when she’d found him feeding on that bird, he had cringed in shame. He was sure that she’d turn away from the blood on his mouth in horror. In disgust. But when he looked into her eyes that night, he saw understanding. Forgiveness. Love. Her love had healed him. And that was when he knew they could never be apart. Other memories surged up and Stefan held on to them, even though the pain tore into him like claws. Sensations. The feel of Elena against him, supple in his arms. The brush of her hair on his cheek, light as a moth’s wing. The curve of her lips, the taste of them. The impossible midnight blue of her eyes. But Bonnie had reached Elena. Elena’s spirit, her soul, was still somewhere near. Of anyone, he should be able to summon it. He had Power at his command. And he had more right than anyone to seek her. He knew how it was done. Shut your eyes. Picture the person you want to draw near. That was easy. He could see Elena, feel her, smell her. Then call them, let your longing reach out into the emptiness. Open yourself and let your need be felt. Easier still. He didn’t give a damn about the danger. He gathered all his yearning, all his pain, and sent it out searching like a prayer. And felt†¦ nothing. Only void and his own loneliness. Only silence. His Power wasn’t the same as Bonnie’s. He couldn’t reach the one thing he loved most, the one thing that mattered to him. He had never felt so alone in his life. â€Å"You want what?† Bonnie said. â€Å"Some sort of records about the history of Fell’s Church. Particularly about the founders,† Stefan said. They were all sitting in Meredith’s car, which was parked a discreet distance behind Vickie’s house. It was dusk of the next day and they had just returned from Sue’s funeral-all but Stefan. â€Å"This has something to do with Sue, doesn’t it?† Meredith’s dark eyes, always so level and intelligent, probed Stefan’s. â€Å"You think you’ve solved the mystery.† â€Å"Possibly,† he admitted. He had spent the day thinking. He’d put the pain of last night behind him, and once again he was in control. Although he could not reach Elena, he could justify her faith in him-he could do what she wanted done. And there was a comfort in work, in concentration. In keeping all emotion away. He added, â€Å"I have an idea about what might have happened, but it’s a long shot and I don’t want to talk about it until I’m sure.† â€Å"Why?† demanded Bonnie. Such a contrast to Meredith, Stefan thought. Hair as red as fire and a spirit to go with it. That delicate heart-shaped face and fair, translucent skin were deceptive, though. Bonnie was smart and resourceful-even if she was only beginning to find that out herself. â€Å"Because if I’m wrong, an innocent person might get hurt. Look, at this point it’s just an idea. But I promise if I find any evidence tonight to back it up, I’ll tell you all about it.† â€Å"You could talk with Mrs. Grimesby,† Meredith suggested. â€Å"She’s the town librarian, and she knows a lot about the founding of Fell’s Church.† â€Å"Or there’s always Honoria,† Bonnie said. â€Å"I mean, she was one of the founders.† Stefan looked at her quickly. â€Å"I thought Honoria Fell had stopped communicating with you,† he said carefully. Stefan was surprised. He didn’t entirely like the idea of Elena’s journal on display. But Honoria’s records might be exactly what he was looking for. Honoria had not just been a wise woman; she had been well versed in the supernatural. A witch. â€Å"The library’s closed by now, though,† Meredith said. â€Å"That’s even better,† said Stefan. â€Å"No one will know what information we’re interested in. Two of us can go down there and break in, and the other two can stay here. Meredith, if you’ll come with me-â€Å" â€Å"I’d like to stay here, if you don’t mind,† she said. â€Å"I’m tired,† she added in explanation, seeing his expression. â€Å"And this way I can get my watch over with and get home earlier. Why don’t you and Matt go and Bonnie and I stay here?† Stefan was still looking at her. â€Å"Okay,† he said slowly. â€Å"Fine. If it’s all right with Matt.† Matt shrugged. â€Å"That’s it, then. It might take us a couple of hours or more. You two stay in the car with the doors locked. You should be safe enough that way.† If he was right in his suspicions, there wouldn’t be any more attacks for a while-a few days at least. Bonnie and Meredith should be safe. But he couldn’t help wonder what was behind Meredith’s suggestion. Not simple tiredness, he was sure. â€Å"By the way, where’s Damon?† Bonnie asked as he and Matt started to leave. Stefan felt his stomach muscles tighten. â€Å"I don’t know.† He had been waiting for someone to ask that. He hadn’t seen his brother since last night, and he had no idea what Damon might be doing. â€Å"He’ll show up eventually,† he said, and closed the door on Meredith’s, â€Å"That’s what I’m afraid of.† He and Matt walked to the library in silence, keeping to the shadows, skirting areas of light. He couldn’t afford to be seen. Stefan had come back to help Fell’s Church, but he felt sure Fell’s Church didn’t want his help. He was a stranger again, an intruder here. They would hurt him if they caught him. The library lock was easy to pick, just a simple spring mechanism. And the journals were right where Bonnie had said they would be. Stefan forced his hand away from Elena’s journal. Inside was the record of Elena’s last days, in her own handwriting. If he started thinking about that now†¦ He concentrated on the leather-bound book beside it. The faded ink on the yellowing pages was hard to read, but after a few minutes his eyes got accustomed to the dense, intricate writing with its elaborate curlicues. It was the story of Honoria Fell and her husband, who with the Smallwoods and a few other families had come to this place when it was still virgin wilderness. They had faced not only the dangers of isolation and hunger but of native wildlife. Honoria told the story of their battle to survive simply and clearly, without sentimentality. With a prickling at the back of his neck, he reread the entry carefully. At last he leaned back and shut his eyes. He’d been right. There was no longer any doubt in his mind. And that meant he must also be right about what was going on in Fell’s Church now. For an instant, bright sickness washed over him, and an anger that made him want to rip and tear and hurt something. Sue. Pretty Sue who had been Elena’s friend had died for†¦ that. A blood ritual, an obscene initiation. It made him want to kill. But then the rage faded, replaced by a fierce determination to stop what was happening and set things right. I promise you, he whispered to Elena in his own mind. I will stop it somehow. No matter what. He looked up to find Matt looking at him. Elena’s journal was in Matt’s hand, closing itself over his thumb. Just then Matt’s eyes looked as dark a blue as Elena’s. Too dark, full of turmoil and grief and something like bitterness. â€Å"You found it,† Matt said. â€Å"And it’s bad.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"It would be.† Matt pushed Elena’s journal back into the case and stood. There was a ring almost of satisfaction in his voice. Like somebody who’s just proved a point. â€Å"I could have saved you the trouble of coming here.† Matt surveyed the darkened library, jingling change in his pocket. A casual observer might have thought he was relaxed, but his voice betrayed him. It was raw with strain. â€Å"You just think of the worst thing you can imagine and that’s always the truth,† he said. â€Å"Matt†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Sudden concern stabbed at Stefan. He’d been too preoccupied since coming back to Fell’s Church to look at Matt properly. Now he realized that he’d been unforgivably stupid. Something was terribly wrong. Matt’s whole body was rigid with tension lying just under the surface. And Stefan could sense the anguish, the desperation in his mind. â€Å"Matt, what is it?† he said quietly. He got up and crossed to the other boy. â€Å"Is it something I did?† â€Å"I’m fine.† â€Å"You’re shaking.† It was true. Fine tremors were running through the taut muscles. â€Å"I said I’m fine!† Matt swung away from him, shoulders hunched defensively. â€Å"Anyway, what could you have done to upset me? Besides taking my girl and getting her killed, I mean?† This stab was different, it was somewhere around Stefan’s heart and it went straight through. Like the blade that had killed him once upon a time. He tried to breathe around it, not trusting himself to speak. â€Å"It was the truth.† Stefan waited a moment and then added, levelly, â€Å"But it’s not the whole problem, is it?† Matt didn’t answer. He stared at the floor, pushing something invisible with the side of one shoe. Just when Stefan was about to give up, he turned with a question of his own. â€Å"What’s the world really like?† â€Å"What’s†¦ what?† â€Å"The world. You’ve seen a lot of it, Stefan. You’ve got four or five centuries on the rest of us, right? So what’s the deal? I mean, is it basically the kind of place worth saving or is it essentially a pile of crap?† Stefan shut his eyes. â€Å"Oh.† â€Å"And what about people, huh, Stefan? The human race. Are we the disease or just a symptom? I mean, you take somebody like-like Elena.† Matt’s voice shook briefly, but he went on. â€Å"Elena died to keep the town safe for girls like Sue. And now Sue’s dead. And it’s all happening again. It’s never over. We can’t win. So what does that tell you?† â€Å"Matt.† â€Å"What I’m really asking is, what’s the point? Is there some cosmic joke I’m not getting? Or is the whole thing just one big freaking mistake? Do you understand what I’m trying to say here?† â€Å"I understand, Matt.† Stefan sat down and ran his hands through his hair. â€Å"If you’ll shut up a minute, I’ll try to answer you.† Matt drew up a chair and straddled it. â€Å"Great. Take your best shot.† His eyes were hard and challenging, but underneath Stefan saw the bewildered hurt that had been festering there. â€Å"I’ve seen a lot of evil, Matt, more than you can imagine,† Stefan said. â€Å"I’ve even lived it. It’s always going to be a part of me, no matter how I fight it. Sometimes I think the whole human race is evil, much less my kind. And sometimes I think that enough of both our races is evil that it doesn’t matter what happens to the rest. â€Å"When you get down to it, though, I don’t know any more than you do. I can’t tell you if there’s a point or if things are ever going to turn out all right.† Stefan looked straight into Matt’s eyes and spoke deliberately. â€Å"But I’ve got another question for you. So what?† Matt stared. â€Å"So what?† â€Å"Yeah. So what.† â€Å"Yeah, so what?† Stefan leaned forward. â€Å"So what are you going to do, Matt Honeycutt, if every bad thing you’ve said is true? What are you going to do personally? Are you going to stop fighting and swim with the sharks?† Matt was grasping the back of his chair. â€Å"What are you talking about?† â€Å"You can do that, you know. Damon says so all the time. You can join up with the evil side, the winning side. And nobody can really blame you, because if the universe is that way, why shouldn’t you be that way too?† â€Å"Like hell!† Matt exploded. His blue eyes were searing and he had half risen from his chair. â€Å"That’s Damon’s way, maybe! But just because it’s hopeless doesn’t mean it’s all right to stop fighting. Even if I knew it was hopeless, I’d still have to try. I have to try, damn it!† â€Å"I know.† Stefan settled back and smiled faintly. It was a tired smile, but it showed the kinship he felt right then with Matt. And in a moment he saw by Matt’s face that Matt understood. â€Å"I know because I feel the same way,† Stefan continued. â€Å"There’s no excuse for giving up just because it looks like we’re going to lose. We have to try-because the other choice is to surrender.† â€Å"I’m not ready to surrender anything,† Matt said through his teeth. He looked as if he’d fought his way back to a fire inside him that had been burning all along. â€Å"Ever,† he said. â€Å"Yeah, well, ‘ever’ is a long time,† Stefan said. â€Å"But for what it’s worth, I’m going to try not to either. I don’t know if it’s possible, but I’m going to try.† â€Å"That’s all anybody can do,† Matt said. Slowly, he pushed himself off the chair and stood straight. The tension was gone from his muscles, and his eyes were the clear, almost piercing blue eyes Stefan remembered. â€Å"Okay,† he said quietly. â€Å"If you found what you came for, we’d better get back to the girls.† Stefan thought, his mind switching gears. â€Å"Matt, if I’m right about what’s going on, the girls should be okay for a while. But you go ahead and take over the watch from them. As long as I’m here there’s something I’d like to read up on-by a guy named Gervase of Tilbury, who lived in the early 1200s.† â€Å"Even before your time, eh?† Matt said, and Stefan gave him the ghost of a smile. They stood for a moment, looking at each other. â€Å"All right. I guess I’ll see you at Vickie’s.† Matt turned to the door, then hesitated. Abruptly, he turned again and held out his hand. â€Å"Stefan-I’m glad you came back.† Stefan gripped it. â€Å"I’m glad to hear it† was all he said, but inside he felt a warmth that took away the stabbing pain. And some of the loneliness, too. How to cite The Vampire Diaries: Dark Reunion Chapter Seven, Essay examples

Lord of the Flies Theme Analysis Essay Example

Lord of the Flies Theme Analysis Essay William Golding creates a society that is doomed to fail because it lacks the rules that are necessary for its survival. When left to their own devices, the boys prove that human nature must be bridled or it will turn catastrophic. William Golding believes that total and complete freedom presents a danger to any society. The use of foreshadowing in the exposition, Jack’s internal conflicts and Ralph’s realizations about humanity warn the reader that the people in a society cannot be completely free or the society will collapse. William Golding shows how unstable a society without rules is by foreshowing a disastrous end to the society in the exposition of the novel. In the first few pages of the novel when the boys are selecting a leader, they compare Jack and Ralph noting that â€Å"while the most obvious leader was Jack†¦ there was a stillness about Ralph† (21) that causes them to pick him as their leader. By comparing the two boys, the author is foreshadowing a future conflict between them, and Jack’s eventual rise to power. The author also uses vivid imagery and personification to symbolize their inability to control certain aspects of their society. We will write a custom essay sample on Lord of the Flies Theme Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Lord of the Flies Theme Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Lord of the Flies Theme Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer He personifies darkness, explaining how it â€Å"pour[s] out and submerge[s] between the trees†(31) making the forest as â€Å"strange as the bottom of the sea†(31). By comparing their environment to the bottom of the sea, a place where humans cannot survive for long, the author is foreshadowing an end to their society. In addition, because the boys are unable to stop the darkness, the author is symbolizing that there are aspects of their society that are out of their control. The author also uses in the exposition when he has Jack stab a knife into a tree trunk. Jack, frustrated at not killing a pig, â€Å"snatch[es] his knife out of the sheath and slam[s] it into a tree trunk†(29) and vows that â€Å"next time there would be no mercy†(29). Jack shows very early on in the novel that he wants things done his way, and the violence with the knife proves that he will do what it takes to get his way. Jack is a key character throughout the book, and the development of his character is one way that the author expresses the theme. The author uses Jack’s growing changes and internal conflicts to showcase the society’s decline into animalistic behavior. In the exposition of the novel, Jack, interested in having rules in their society, â€Å"cry[s] excitedly†¦ â€Å"We’ll have rules! Lots of rules! Then when anyone breaks ‘em-â€Å"(31). The author shows that Jack wants to be in charge, and that he originally wants for there to be rules, so that they can escape the island. After living without adults for a while, however, Jack stops worrying about being rescued. In fact, when Ralph mentions being rescued â€Å"Jack ha[s] to think for a moment before he [can] remember what rescue [is]†(49) and he goes back to talking about how he wants to kill a pig. Jack knows that killing the pig will give him a feeling of power that he craves desperately, and it makes him even more inhuman. Jack eventually leads some of the boys away from Ralph and separates himself further by painting his face, and demanding that he be named their Chief. When one of the boys asks him a question, â€Å"The Chief’s blush [is] hidden by the white and red clay†(147). By using the clay to hide his face, Jack is making himself invulnerable and inaccessible, setting himself apart from the others. The last way that the author proves the theme is with Ralph’s realizations about humanity. Golding uses Ralph’s thoughts and opinions towards the end of the book to show the meaning of the novel. When Ralph looks at himself and the other boys and sees how dirty they are, and how little that affects him, he realizes â€Å"with a little fall of the heart that these were the conditions he took as normal now and that he did not mind†(100). The fact that he no longer cares that the boys are changing shows that he knows that he cannot control it. Another example would be that after helping to kill Simon, Ralph does not deny what he did, but instead says â€Å"I wasn’t scared, I was- I don’t know that I was†(142). Ralph acknowledges that he and the others boys are changing to the point where they don’t even recognize themselves anymore. Lastly, Ralph, hunted by the other boys, â€Å"feel[s] the point of his spear with his thumb grin[ing] without amusement†(175). Ralph doesn’t want to hurt the boys, but he knows that he will do what he has to in order to protect himself. He went from being the one who wanted order in their society to someone who has to hide for his own safety. Golding develops the theme that total and complete freedom presents a danger to a society throughout the whole novel. He used foreshadowing in the exposition to show that the society would fail. He also showed Jack’s fall from grace to symbolize the society was a whole changing. Lastly, he used Ralph to express his views on humanity. Golding used this novel as a warning to future generations- that too much freedom can, in fact, be bad. He believes that it is human nature to want to be on top, and that humans will do what is necessary to get there. Golding sees rules as the one thing that protects humans from their own savagery. Works Cited Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. United States of America: Putnam, 1954.