Kelly Couch Essays - Characters In Hamlet, English-language Films

Kelly Couch February 25, 1997 Period 1 Character Journal Hamlet - Act V I have much to write about on this day, yet I cannot rightfully do it because I have tragically been killed. So, I will tell the story, as a spirit to the world. My life ended in a miserable way. Revenge was on my mind, as well as others. I completed the task that I had set forth to myself. I will start where I last left off. As I am walking with Horatio to the burial of Ophilia, we hear a gravedigger singing of odd things. We stop and watch him for a few moments and then when he begins to throw bones into the air, move out from our cover and inquire of his purpose. He then rambles on and on with strange wording, speaking of his call to be a gravedigger and his life existing since Hamlet Jr. was born. He continues to speak, telling me of a skull that was once Yorick. I tell him of how I had once known him and that he was one of my favorite jesters. Then, I began to carry-on about dying, and how people may be part of the wall. Then, as the funeral people begin to come in, Horatio and I move away, somewhat hidden and listen to the chitchat. The people are complaining of the unluxurious burial. Then, Laertes jumps onto the coffin and begins exclaiming that he wants to be buried next to her. I then enter, jumping onto the coffin with him and tell him of how he could never love her as much as I did. I then leave, after getting a 'load' off my chest. Horatio, still with me, listens as I tell him all the details of my trip to England, and back. I tell of rewriting the letters and being taken captive by the pirates. Then, Osric enters and after much speaking, informs of the request to a dual with Laertes. Then, when I am asked to come, I go to the dual. Laertes thinks I will lose, but I assure him that I have been working on my swordsmanship for some time. When I arrive, most of the royal people are there. I ask Laertes for my forgiveness before the dual begins and he won't except my apology until he has spoken to experts about his honor and reputation. I thank him and request for the swords and tell Laertes that he will be great, but he thinks I am making fun of him. We then receive our swords and the king tells of a wager. I take my foil and inquire of its length compared with the others. The king then tells me that I will be honored if I make the first or second hit. He will give a pearl to the winner as well. I get the first hit and am offered wine, but refuse because I am still dueling. I get a second hit and then take a short break. Gertrude offers me a drink, but I again refuse. When we begin fighting again, Laertes gets a hit on me and we sort of fight, and end up trading swords. I then hurt Laertes-and at the same time Gertrude collapses. As I see Laertes on the ground, he begins confessing and saying that he is justly killed. Then I begin screaming for my mother who appears to be dead. Claudius assures me that she has fainted because of the blood, but she speaks out, saying that a poisoned drink killed her. She dies. I am mad, confused and dying now. I yell for the doors to be closed and tell Claudius to explain to the rest of the court what is going on. After Laertes speaks of Claudius wrong doing, I lunge and kill him. Then, Laertes dies, just after asking my forgiveness of any wrong doings. Now, I must die, but first I tell Horatio to report the true story of what happened and to clear my name. Now, as I am looking back down on that backward and wrong world, I see that justice has been served. My father has been redeemed and my name shall not be tarnished. My only regret is

How to Use ACT Scores Advice to Admissions and Employers

How to Use ACT Scores Advice to Admissions and Employers SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you a college admissions officer or employer wondering how to use ACT scores to select the best applicants?Standardized test scores are often used to predict a person’s intelligence and probability of future success; however, many inferences that arebased on ACT scores are often inaccurate. Keep readingto learn what information ACT scores can tell you, what information they can’t tell you, and how to use them to your best advantage. Who Uses ACT Scores? Standardized test scores are required for many applications, and I’ll discuss three of the most common groups who use thembelow. Colleges Collegeadmissions officers are the most common users of ACT scores, and many schools require applicants to submitstandardized test scores as part of their application.ACT scores can be useful to colleges because they give admissions officers a standard way toestimate an applicant's intelligence. Other ways of measuring a student’s academic abilities, such as GPA and class rank, can vary widely between schools . A student who gets an â€Å"A† in herhigh school’s chemistry class may only have gotten a "B" or a â€Å"C† if shehad done just as well at a different school due to factors such asclass curves, how hard the teacher grades, and grade inflation. Colleges and universities have students applying from a huge number of high schools around the world, and using ACT scores as part of their application gives thema more efficient way to evaluate applicants. Employers Employers do not use ACT scores to the same extent as colleges, but they are still used, particularly in the fields of consulting, software engineering, and investment banking. Like colleges and universities,these companies want a fast way to estimate an applicant’s intelligence and probability of success. ACT scores can be particularlyuseful for large companies who receive a lot of applications, as well as companies hiring recent graduates who don’t have a lot of work experience. Scholarship Committees Many scholarships require students to submit standardized test scores as part of their application.Like colleges and employers, scholarship committees use ACT scores as a way to measureintelligence and predict future success. Many scholarships are used to help pay for college, and these committees often want to award scholarshipsto students who are most likely to put them to good use and do well in college.ACT scores can help predict who these students will be. How Shouldn't You Use ACT Scores? There is some information that ACT scores can’t always correctly estimate. Four inaccurate ways of using ACT scores are listed below, along with an explanation for each as to why it doesn’t give completely accurate information. Bad Use#1:As a Complete Indicator of Intelligence TheACT is often used to estimatehowintelligent a particular person is, however; there are three problems with using scores this way. The first problem is that the ACT only tests a narrow set of skills and knowledge.The ACT can help estimate how good someone is at reading comprehension, scientific reasoning, and solving certain math problems, but in no way can a multiple-choice test with an optional essay measureevery type of intelligence. There are certain forms of intelligence that the ACT simply cannot test for. ACT scores can'tmeasure a test taker'screativity, interpersonal skills, ability to learn a new language, and more. TheACT favors students with the types of intelligence they can testwhile putting students with types of intelligence that are more difficult to measureat a disadvantage. The second problemthat ACT scores can't definitively measure intelligence is becausestudying beforehandcan significantly raise a test taker'sscore. At PrepScholar,we know that a student can significantly improve his or her ACT score if they study enough.If one student gets a 34 on the ACT without studying and another raises his grade from a 31 to a 34 after 50 hours of studying, is one smarter than the other?Some may say the first student is smarter, but the decision to prepare for an important test like the ACT is also a measure of intelligence, so the answer is not really clear.Instead of measuring just intelligence, the ACT measures both intelligence and motivation. The third problemis that factors that are unrelated to intelligence often have a strong impact onhow well a student performs on the ACT. Multiple studies have shown that there is a significant gap between the ACT scores of rich and poor students.Students from wealthier families are often found to score higher on the ACT than students who come from poorer backgrounds. Students who come from wealthier backgrounds likely have schools and parents with more resources for test prep, and they often receive more pressure to do well on the ACT.Therefore, using the ACT as a measure of intelligence can discriminate against students from poorer backgrounds, who are also more likely to be minorities. Bad Use#2:To Find a "Genius" A person who scores perfectly on the ACTmight be assumed to be a genius, good at everything, and guaranteed to succeed at whatever they do. However, the truth is thata person who gets a perfect score on the ACT may in fact be very intelligent, but they may also have put a lot of time into preparing, gotten lucky that day, or a combination ofthose scenarios. Whatever the reason, the ACT tests only a specific set of skills, and a person who gets a perfect score on the ACT won’t automatically be amazing at everything else.As mentioned above, the ACT only tests certain types of intelligence, which also means that a person widely considered to be intelligent may not get a perfect score or even do very well on the ACT at all. It also shouldn’t be assumed that people with perfect ACT scores are more intelligent than those who didn’t receive perfect scores, which introduces ournext point. Don't expect ACT scores to automatically find you a genius. Bad Use#3: To Compare People With Similar Scores The ACT should also not be used to compare the intelligence of people who received similar scores, about 3 points or less in difference.A person with a composite score of 32 and a person with a score of 31 likely had only a small difference between the number of questions they answered correctly. The person who received the 32 shouldn’t be assumed to be smarter than the person who received the 31. Their differences in score could simply be due to normal variation in ACT results. If they both took the ACT again, it’s completely possible thatthe person who got the 31 gets the higher score this time. A person's ACT scores can vary from one test to another,and people can get questions right or wrong by mistake, which doesn’t necessarily reflect their intelligence.When two (or more) people have similar ACT scores, it’s not possible to determine who is more intelligent simply by looking at the slightly higher score. Bad Use#4:To Determine Specific Areas of Expertise The ACT also should notbe used to judge a person'sskill level or knowledge of a specific subject. For example, someone who got a perfect score on the essay may not know how to write a research paper, and someone who does well on the science section may not know anything about microbiology. If the results you're given include subscores,they may provide more details on how well the applicant did in certain subjects, but this information should still not be used to make assumptions about specificskill setsand knowledge areas. How Should You Use ACT Scores? So how can ACT scores be used correctly and accurately? Three ways are listed below. In general, all involve using test scores to make generalinferences that can be further supported by additional evidence. Good Use#1: To Estimate IQ ACT scoresare definitelynot a perfect way to measure a person's intelligence, but there is a relationship between someone's IQ and the score they get on the ACT.While IQ only tests a certain type of problem-solving, (specifically the ability to solve problems based on the information you are given), it is still often used as a measure of intelligence. Meredith C. Gray and Douglas K. Detterman, two researchers at Case Western Reserve University, conducted rigorous studies to understand the relationship between standardized test scores and intelligence. From their research, they have found that, even though the correlation between IQ and SAT is stronger, there is still a relationship between IQ and ACT score.That means if someone scores well on the ACT, then it is more likely, although not guaranteed, that they have a high IQ as well. A lot of colleges and employerswant to admit or hirepeople with a certain levelof intelligence in order to ensure they can handle the work. While there are types of intelligence that neither the ACT nor IQ exams test for, using ACT scores can be a good way to estimate IQ and intelligence if you have many applicants you don’t know much about. Other information, such as GPA and letters of recommendation, should be used to support assumptions based onACT scores.A student with a high ACT score, excellent GPA, and a history of high impactin her extracurriculars has done well in high school and seems likely to continue that success.However, a student with a low ACT score should not necessarily be discounted, especially if they are strong in other areas, such as a good GPA and strongletters of recommendation. Theymay have had a bad test day, get nervous during standardized tests, or excel in other areas not tested by the ACT. ACT scores can'tcorrectly estimatehow smart every person who takes the exam is, so when reviewing applications, all of a student’s application materials should be taken into account. Personal statements and letters of recommendation, in particular, can often provide moreinformation aboutan applicant’s strengths and personality. Good Use #2: As an Indicator of Broad Strengths and Weaknesses As we mentioned earlier, you can'tuse ACT scores to determine if someone is knowledgeable in a very specific subject area, such as poetry or microbiology.However, it is sometimes possible to make inferences aboutwhat broad subject areas the test-taker is stronger and weaker in. The ACT has four sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science, along with an optional essay.If a person has large differences in scores between these sections, it may be possible to determine which areas they are most skilled and comfortable in.For example, someone with a perfect score of 36 for the Mathsection, but a 27 in Reading, may be stronger in the math and sciences. This is certainly not always true, but it can help support an inference if there is other evidence, such as a transcript showing lots of math and science classes and a personal statement describing a passion for biology. Employers can use this information if they arelooking to hire someonewith a particular set of skills.For example, a newspaperwould likely want their journaliststo have strong writingskills but not care as much about mathskills.Colleges can use this information in the sameway. If a student is applying for a school’s accountingprogram, admissions officers may be more interested in their Math score than their Reading and Essay scores. You may be able to use ACT scores to find a person's general strengthsand weaknesses. Good Use #3: To Help Make Efficient Admissions Decisions Sometimes colleges, employers, and scholarship committeesneed a way to quickly make acceptance or rejection decisions, especially if they havea lot of applicants.ACT scores providea quick way to estimatea person’s academic ability,and thus can be very useful. Most colleges and universities publishthe range of ACT scores for their entering class. Half of the class scored within this 25th-75th percentile range.Comparing a student’s ACT scores to the school’s score range can help admissions officers easily identify students far below or above that range and make those admissions decisions easier. For example, if a school’s 25th-75th percentile range is 23 to 28, a student who scored a 21 on the ACT will likely not be offered admission, while a student with a 32 appears to have an excellent chance of being accepted.However, how a student comparesto a school’s ACT score range shouldn't be the only factor admission is based on. A student with a lower-than-average ACT score may a strong GPA andextracurriculars and be an asset to the school while a student with an excellent ACT score may not have much else to recommend her.ACT scores can help make an initial admission decision easier, but the final decision should take other factors into account. Can ACT Scores Be Used to Predict Future Success? Most people use ACT scoresto attempt to select people they thinkwill do well at their school or company and beyond.The line of thinking is that people who score well on the ACT are intelligent and/or hard working,and they will continue to use those skills in the future. Is this true? The short answer is, â€Å"sometimes.† A high school student who scores well on the ACT will usually have at least some intelligence and motivation, but that does not always mean they will do well in college. The student could have spent a lot of time studying for the ACT but then felt like she could coast once he got to college, she may struggle to complete long assignments, she may not adapt well to living on herown, she may not work well in groups, or one of many more potential scenarios. Different sections of the ACT have been found to be more accurate in predicting success in college. A student’s English and Math ACT scores have a more significant correlation to success in college than the Reading and Science sections. A student’s scores on the Reading and Science sections of the ACT were found to have basically no connection to success in college.One study found that high school GPA is a better indicator of whether a student will succeed in college than ACT scores, which makes sense because a GPA takes into account the grades from four years ofhigh school, as opposed to the scores of one exam. The relationship between a person's ACT scores and their career success is even weaker. There is a correlation between people with ACTscores and people who end up working in more competitive fields, but ACT scores alone don’t always predict success.There are numerous factors required to be successful in most careers that the ACT can’t test for, such as interpersonal skills and work ethic, not to mention the specific skills needed to do certain jobs well. Conclusion ACT scores should never be used as the onlyindicator of a person'sintelligence or chanceof future success because they don’t measure a wide enough variety of skills or types of intelligence, and they can be influenced by too many outside factors. However, studies have shown a correlation between ACT score and IQ, and a person who does well on the ACT is often either intelligent, hard-working, or a combination of the two, which can make them more successful students and employees.Additionally, the ACT Math and English sections are most accurate at predicting future success, so they should be given more weight over the Science and Reading sections. The use them in the most accurate and effective way, ACT scores should be used as one part of an application that, along with other materials such as GPA, letters of recommendation, personal statements, and extracurriculars, can help identifyan applicant's particular strengths and estimate their chance of future success. What's Next? Looking for more information on the ACT? We have a guide that gives a complete explanation of the examas well as information for students and schools. Are you using ACT scores to try and estimate IQ?Learn whether the ACT or SAT predicts IQ more accurately. What does the ACT measure? Read this guide to learn whether the ACT accurately measures IQ, wealth, and other factors. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Christine Sarikas About the Author Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries. 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Biography of Clarence Darrow, Legendary Attorney

Biography of Clarence Darrow, Legendary Attorney Clarence Darrow became the most famous defense lawyer in early 20th century America by taking on cases considered hopeless and emerging as a leading voice for civil liberties. Among his celebrated cases was the defense of John Scopes, the Tennessee teacher prosecuted in 1925 for teaching about the theory of evolution, and the defense of Leopold and Loeb, two wealthy students who killed a neighbor boy for the thrill of it. Darrows legal career was utterly ordinary until he became involved in advocating for labor activists in the 1890s. Before long he would become nationally known as a crusader for justice, often speaking out against capital punishment. His obituary in the New York Time in 1938 noted that he had defended the accused in â€Å"a hundred or more murder trials, no client of his had ever died on the gallows or in the electric chair.† That was not entirely accurate, but it underscores Darrows legendary reputation. Fast Facts: Clarence Darrow Known For: Famous defense attorney who often won cases thought to be hopeless.Notable Cases: Leopold and Loeb, 1924; the Scopes Monkey Trial, 1925.Born: April 18, 1857, near Kinsman, OhioDied: March 13, 1938, age 80, Chicago, IllinoisSpouses: Jessie Ohl (m. 1880-1897) and Ruby Hammerstrom (m. 1903)Children: Paul Edward DarrowEducation: Allegheny College and University of Michigan Law SchoolInteresting Fact: Darrow claimed to believe in personal liberty, the abolition of capital punishment, and the improvement of labor conditions. Early Life Clarence Darrow was born April 18, 1857, in Farmdale, Ohio. After attending public schools in Ohio, young Darrow worked as a farm hand and decided the labor of the farm was not for him. He studied for a year Allegheny College in Pennsylvania before attending the University of Michigan law school for a year. His education was not impressive by modern standards, but it qualified him to read law for a year with a local lawyer in Ohio, which was a common method of becoming an attorney at the time. Darrow became a member of the Ohio bar in 1878, and for the next decade he embarked on a fairly typical career for a lawyer in small town America. In 1887, hoping to take on more interesting work, Darrow moved to Chicago. In the big city he worked as a civil lawyer, pursuing ordinary legal tasks. He took on work as a counsel for the city, and in the early 1890s he worked as a corporate counsel for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad. In 1894 Darrow’s life took a significant turn when he began defending legendary labor activist Eugene V. Debs, who was fighting an injunction against him for leading a strike against the Pullman company. Darrow was ultimately not successful in his defense of Debs. But his exposure to Debs and the labor movement gave him new direction in life. Crusader for Justice Beginning in the mid-1890s, Darrow began taking on cases that appealed to his sense of justice. He was generally successful, for what he lacked in education and prestige he made up with his ability to speak plainly but dramatically in front of juries and judges. His courtroom suits were always rumpled, apparently by design. He portrayed himself as a common man seeking justice, though often armed with cunning legal strategies. Darrow became known for sharp cross-examinations of witnesses, and as he championed those he considered oppressed, he would often introduce novel concepts from the emerging field of criminology. In 1894 Darrow defended Eugene Prendergast, a drifter who killed the mayor of Chicago, Carter Harrison, and then walked into a police station and confessed. Darrow raised an insanity defense, but Prendergast was convicted and sentenced to death. He was the first and last of Darrows clients to be executed. The Haywood Case One of Darrows most notable cases came in 1907, when the former governor of Idaho, a supporter of the mining industry, was killed in a bombing. Detectives from the Pinkerton agency apprehended officials of the Western Federation of Miners (part of the Industrial Workers of the World) including the unions president, William Big Bill Haywood. Charged with conspiracy to commit murder, Haywood and others were to go on trial in Boise, Idaho. Darrow was retained for the defense and deftly destroyed the prosecutions case. Under Darrows cross-examination, the actual perpetrator of the bombing admitted he had acted alone as a matter of personal vengeance. He had been pressured to implicate the labor leaders by the prosecutors in the case. Darrow gave a summation which amounted to a profound defense of the labor movement. Haywood and the others were acquitted, and Darrows performance cemented his position as a defender of the common man against money interests. Leopold and Loeb Darrow was on the front pages of newspapers across American in 1924 when he defended Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb. The two were college students from wealthy families who confessed to a shocking crime, the murder of a 14-year-old neighbor boy, Robert Franks. Leopold and Loeb became figures of public fascination as they told detectives they had committed the kidnapping and murder of a random boy for the adventure of perpetrating the perfect crime. Seated left to right, Nathan Leopold, Jr., attorney Clarence Darrow and Richard Loeb. The boys were found guilty of the murder and kidnapping and Bobby Franks.    The families of Leopold and Loeb approached Darrow, who at first resisted taking the case. He was certain they would be convicted, and he had no doubt they had committed the murder. But he took on the case as he was opposed to capital punishment, and his goal would be to save them from what seemed to be certain execution by hanging. Darrow requested that the case be heard by a judge without a jury. The judge in the case agreed. Darrow’s strategy was not to argue about their guilt, which was certain. And as they had been judged sane, he couldn’t argue an insanity defense. He tried something novel, which was to argue that the two young men were mentally diseased. Darrow called expert witnesses to advance psychiatric theories. The witness, known at the time as alienists, claimed the young men had mental problems related to their upbringings which were mitigating factors in the crime. The appeal for mercy posed by Darrow eventually succeeded. After deliberating for ten days, the judge sentenced Leopold and Loeb to sentences of life plus 99 years. (Loeb was killed in prison by another inmate in 1934. Leopold was eventually paroled in 1958 and died in Puerto Rico in 1971.) The judge in the case told the press that he was moved to show mercy by the age of the defendants and not by the psychiatric evidence. However, the case was considered by the public to be a triumph for Darrow. The Scopes Trial Darrow was a religious agnostic and was particularly opposed to religious fundamentalism. So the defense of John Scopes, the schoolteacher from Dayton, Tennessee, prosecuted for teaching about Darwin’s Theory of Evolution naturally appealed to him. American lawyers Clarence Darrow (1857-1938) and William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925) at the Scopes Trial. Heritage Images / Getty Images The case arose when the 24-year-old Scopes, teaching in a local public high school, included mentions of Darwin’s ideas in the curriculum. By doing so he violated a Tennessee law, the Butler Act, and he was charged. William Jennings Bryan, one of most prominent Americans in politics for decades, entered the case as the prosecuting attorney. On one level, the case was simply about whether Scopes had violated the local law. But when Darrow came into the case, the proceedings became nationally known, and the case was dubbed The Monkey Trial in the sensationalist press. A split in American society in the 1920s, between religious conservatives and progressives advocating science, became the focus of the courtroom drama. Newspaper reporters, including the legendary journalist and social critic H.L. Mencken, flooded into the town of Dayton, Tennessee, for the trial. News dispatches went out via telegraph, and even reporters in the new medium of radio relayed the proceedings to listeners around the country. The highlight of the trial occurred when Bryan, claiming to be an authority on Biblical teachings, took the witness stand. He was cross-examined by Darrow. Reports of the encounter stressed how Darrow had humbled Bryan by getting him to admit to a literal interpretation of the Bible. A headline in the Washington Evening Star proclaimed: Eve Made of Rib, Jonah Swallowed by Fish, Bryan Declares In Sensational Cross-Examination of Bible Beliefs By Darrow. The legal result of the trial was actually a loss for Darrow’s client. Scopes was found guilty and fined $100. However, to many observers, including H.L. Mencken, Darrow was considered to have won a victory in the sense of having shown to the nation at large the ludicrous nature of fundamentalism. Later Career Besides his busy legal practice, Darrow published a number of books, including Crime: Its Cause and Treatment, published in 1922, dealing with Darrows belief that crime was caused by factors impacting a persons life. He also wrote an autobiography published in 1932. In 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt appointed the elderly Darrow to a post in the federal government, assigned to correct legal problems with the National Recovery Act (a part of the New Deal). Darrows work was considered successful. One of his last jobs was to serve on a commission studying the threat arising in Europe, and he issued a warning about the danger of Hitler. Darrow died in Chicago on March 13, 1938. His funeral was attended by many members of the public, and he was eulogized as a tireless crusader for justice. Sources: Clarence Seward Darrow. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., vol. 4, Gale, 2004, pp. 396-397. Gale Virtual Reference Library.Scopes Monkey Trial. Gale Encyclopedia of American Law, edited by Donna Batten, 3rd ed., vol. 9, Gale, 2010, pp. 38-40. Gale Virtual Reference Library.Darrow, Clarence. Crime and Punishment in America Reference Library, edited by Richard C. Hanes, et al., vol. 4: Primary Sources, UXL, 2005, pp. 118-130. Gale Virtual Reference Library.

The Main Difference Between Printed and Electronic Search Research Paper

The Main Difference Between Printed and Electronic Search - Research Paper Example The information about the ASDA supermarket in Yellow pages is brief. It is not categorized and of course, it does not provide information about up-to-date special offers. But it gives a short overview of the company, so the reader at once understands what the company does and where it is situated. There is no structure in publications about ASDA in newspapers, magazines and journals, but that information is always corresponding to the date of the article. All news and articles have a brief mention of company ownership. For example, Private Label Magazine writes: â€Å"ASDA, the Wal-Mart owned UK retailer, has relaunched ‘Meals Made Easy,’ its gourmet ready meals private label range, according to a report by Planet Retail. The range of chilled oven-ready meals has over 70 SKUs. The range features redesigned packaging and has been relaunched with a multibuy pricing promotion.† History of ASDA can be found in Internet encyclopaedia Wikipedia. Wikipedia is a multiling ual, Web-based, free-content encyclopaedia. It is written collaboratively by volunteers, meaning articles can be added or changed by nearly anyone. The project began on January 15, 2001, and is now operated by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. The English-language version of Wikipedia currently has 786,750 articles. According to Wikipedia, the name ASDA is a contraction of Associated Dairies and was founded in 1965 by a group of farmers from Yorkshire. ASDA went through a troubled period in the early 1990s but was then revived under the leadership of Archie Norman, who later became a front bench Conservative MP. He was chairman of the company during the period 1996–99.

Consumer Behavior as a Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Consumer Behavior as a Process - Essay Example This paper tells that marketing stimuli are initiated by businesses or companies, and environmental stimuli are provided by social factors according to political, cultural and economic aspects of the society. The black box of the buyer has characteristics and decision process that influence the buyer’s response in the market. Black box model illustrates the response of the buyer in a conscious decision process, where the buyer identifies the problem (Kuester, 117). After problem recognition, search for product or service information is started. Consumers engage in internal and external information search. Information sources are a personal experience, public sources, and commercial sources. This stage provides promotional strategies to businesses and illustrates the most effective information source for the brand. Analyzing alternatives entails comparison of products or brand in the market. The evoked set illustrates the alternatives considered during problem-solving (Kuester 89). Consumers evaluate options or alternatives based on psychological and functional importance they offer. Marketing organizations must understand the benefits consumers require. The customer makes a purchase decision after carefully evaluating the strategies (Kuester 74). Marketing organization must enable the customer to act according to their purchase intention, through sales promotion. Post-purchase is also significant to organizations. This is because it influences the purchasing patterns in the future.

Shakespeares treatment of evil in Macbeth Essay Example for Free

Shakespeares treatment of evil in Macbeth Essay It is clear right from the beginning of the play that the witches play a key role in the play. The opening scene shows the witches planning their meeting with Macbeth. Not only does this scene hold suspense and capture the audiences attention from the start of the play, it sets the atmosphere also. They meet on a moor in thunder and lightening, this portrays an evil image. This is how Shakespeare portrays evil at the start of the play. Shakespeare used rhyming couplets for lovers and magical characters, as well as at the end of a scene to round it off. The Witches speak this certain way to stress their mysteriousness and sense of confusion. Some of their lines contradict each other and this can be very effective and powerful. All: Fair is foul, and foul is fair Hover through the fog and filthy air. (1.1) This is to emphasise the witches hate for good, and love for evil. Also, this would have caused tension among an Elizabethan audience. Witches were believed to be associated with the evil powers of Hell, and that they had diabolical powers and could take demonic power over anybody they chose. The image of them being able to fly would frighten them. In the Royal Shakespeares Companys production, starring Anthony Sher and Harriet Walter, the witches are shown as extremely mentally unhinged and deranged. They run around Macbeth and Banquo as they tell them their prophecies. Their evil is portrayed by the camera shots used, and fuzzy effects that a stage performance could not achieve. This gives them a sense of mystery. The theatre production I saw did not have a very effective or powerful opening. The witches seemed disturbed but I felt they spoke too quickly, this could have been connected with evil forces, but I feel that if the audience did not know the script very well, it could be confusing. Though I felt the parts of the witches were not acted very well, they did depict their power over Lady Macbeth very well. This was achieved in the unsex me here speech in Act One, Scene Five. The witches were shown behind Lady Macbeth in green light, which both created an eerie atmosphere but showed that perhaps they were the evil behind all of Macbeth and Lady Macbeths plans. Maybe they had some control over what was happening. In the witches foul is fair and fair is foul speech, it was sung in a way that made them sound very mentally disturbed. They also did mysterious movements with their arms. Both of these actions made the scene more powerful and interesting for the audience, and also created a feeling of evil and the unknown. The witches were not only in the play to put emphasis on evil; Shakespeare had intended to please King James I, which Macbeth was performed before. The king was very fascinated by witchcraft at the time, but witches were feared by almost everyone during the reign of Elizabeth I, as England was a Christian country, that believed literally in Heaven and Hell and as they thought that witches were associated with Hell, witches must have been evil, and if they were anything to do with them, they were to be condemned to eternity in Hell. Hundreds of people, many women were convicted as witches and tortured and executed. Towards the beginning of the play, King Duncan, his sons, and Lennox meet a captain who was wounded from a battle. Macbeth is well spoken of, and even though the audience have not yet seen Macbeth himself, they are given the impression he is a noble and respectable man. The captain tells of Macbeths victory in having captured the Thane of Cawdor, a traitor to the king. Hearing this, Duncan is overjoyed with Macbeth and gives Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor for himself. For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name) Distaining Fortune, with his brandishd steel, Which Smokd with bloody execution, (Like Valours minion) carvd out his passage. Captain (1.2) Macbeth therefore has good qualities at the beginning of the play that makes his abrupt change terrifying. He is simply a human being with human weaknesses, particularly his ambition, which makes him vulnerable when it comes to being tempted be the idea of having power He does not seem evil at all at the beginning of the play, infact he seems very far from it. He is a man who, as Lady Macbeth says: Too full o th milk of humane kindness to catch the nearest way. (1.5) From the opening scene, Macbeth is chosen as a target for temptation by the witches. This suggests that perhaps he was not an evil person, but just a victim of his ambition and moral weaknesses. He is tempted when he first meets the three witches when they say that he was to be king. But when Macbeth is told that he had been made Thane of Cawdor, he asks: The Thane of Cawdor lives, why do you dress me in borrowed robes? (1.3) This seems to suggest that at the stage, Macbeth wants no honour that is not rightfully his? At first, Macbeth does not want to murder Duncan, as his fears were that he would be eternally damned, especially as Duncan was a good king to his country. But eventually, ambition takes over and he does not let his thoughts get in the way. The witches are not the only reason for why Macbeth becomes so unhinged and obsessed with the idea of becoming king. Lady Macbeth was very responsible for Macbeths decision to kill Duncan; it was she, who mocked Macbeth when he did not want to carry on with their plans to kill him. Lady Macbeth says: When you durst do it, then you were a man: And to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man. (1.7) Lady Macbeth is an extremely strong and power craving woman. She is tremendously ambitious for herself and who is astute enough to recognise her husbands strengths and weaknesses, and also ruthless enough to make the most of them, this is shown when as she mocks him when he did not want to murder. The idea of becoming queen is incredibly tempting to her, and she realises that without her, he will never win the Crown. She therefore calls on the powers of darkness for his and her sake. Come you spirits, That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe, top-full Of direst cruelty (1.5) Lady Macbeth describes in violent terms what she herself would be prepared to do in this situation, she explains how willing she would be to kill for the Throne, by stating that she would go as far as murdering her own child if necessary. I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, And dashd the brains out, had I so sworn As you have done to this. (1.7) The idea she expresses here certainly fits perfectly with the fair is foul and foul is fair speech. This shows that appearances may be deceitful. Lady Macbeth seemed like a very feminine, weak lady. This is shown when the murder of Duncan had just been discovered, Macduff says to Lady Macbeth: O gentle Lady, Tis not for you to hear what I can speak: The repetition in a womans ear, Would murther as it fell (2.3) She is also a very cautious criminal; she remembers details well such as in Act Two, Scene two, when Macbeth had just murdered Duncan, he forgets to leave the daggers back to the scene of the crime. Macbeth, at this point, is shocked after what he had just done. He is frightened, and very guilty, he is not in the state to return the daggers. So Lady Macbeth does it for him to cover their tracks. Not only does she influence Macbeth to such actions, but she is ambitious enough to finish off any things he had begun. At this stage, Macbeth still has a conscience, he panics after he had sinned. Ill go no more: I am afraid, to think of what I have done: Look ont again, I dare not. (2.2) But as time passes, he realises he will have to carry on killing people to cover up the truth that it was him who murdered Duncan. One of those people was his friend, Banquo, who knew about the witches prophecies. Banquo was suspicious, as he had always thought the witches were misleading Macbeth in some way. If anyone knew who had killed Duncan, it would be Banquo. Macbeth therefore needed to rid of him, and also his son, Fleance, as it was said by the witches that he would also become king. First Witch: Lesser than Macbeth, and greater. Second Witch: Not so happy, yet much happier. Third Witch: Thou shalt get Kings, though thou be none. (1.3) This is the point where Macbeth gets carried away with his ambition. He tries to stop what the witches said would happen. This is proved impossible when Fleance flees from the murders, leaving his father, dying. Macbeth carries on murdering innocent people including Lady Macduff and her son. Macbeth returns to the witches to hear more of what was going to happen, in Act Four, Scene One. His ambition had already taken over by then. He is obsessed with keeping the throne. The apparitions one by one tell him bad news, but Macbeth is over confident and is now almost certain he would not be defeated. The power of man: for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth. Macbeth shall never vanquishd be, until Great Birnam Wood, to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him. Apparitions two and three (4.1) Again, not all things are what they seem. This is again, another example of the half-truths that Shakespeare uses. They play a large role in Macbeth, and are what was used to draw Macbeth into doing evil deeds. Evil is also emphasized by clothing in productions and films. In the production that I saw, and in the RSC production, the actors were wearing mostly black all of the time. Lighting was very effective in the live performance; green lighting was used for the witches which gave a supernatural atmosphere. Smoke was also used to create a feeling of mystery in the opening scene. The consequences of evil develops drastically throughout the whole play, starting off with doubts and indecisions, and ending with empty, ruthless cruelty. If Macbeth is viewed as a psychological study of a murderers mind, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both show symptoms of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is defined as a psychotic disorder characterised by loss of contact with the environment, by noticeable deterioration in the level of functioning in everyday life, and by disintegration of personality expressed as disorder of feeling, thought, and conducts. They may also hallucinate, and can not distinguish between what is real and what is not. Macbeth imagines Banquos ghost at the dinner. This scene was done very effectively in the live performance. Banquo appeared onstage, and slipped in and out of the stage through the iron gates, which normally, the actors would have to open to walk through. Stepping through the gate broke the boundaries and gave a very supernatural edge to the scene. Some schizophrenics withdraw emotionally, for example, their outlook on life is deadened and they show little or no warmth. This is exactly what happens to Macbeth near the end of the play. I have livd long enough; my way of life Is falln into the sear, the yellow leaf. I have almost forgot the taste of fears (5.5) Lady Macbeth is so mentally disturbed by what she and her husband have done that she cannot sleep peacefully, resulting in her sleep walking. This signifies that she can not get it out of her head, and she is beginning to become crazy because of it. She is even re-acting some of the past out, including the letter writing, which symbolises the letter that her loving husband wrote to her to inform her of the news that he was to be king. She feels unclean after touching the daggers and the blood of the king. She has hallucinations that her hands are covered in blood and that she cannot remove the smell of blood from her hands either. Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him. The Thane of Fife, had a wife: where is she now? What will these hands neer be clean? Heres the smell of blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. (5.2) She also knows her husband is getting out of control, and she feels that it is all getting unbearable. This is first shown when Macbeth is planning to kill Banquo. Lady Macbeth tries to discourage him, but fails: Lady Macbeth: You must leave this. Macbeth: O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife: Thou knowst, that Banquo and his Fleance lives. (3.2) It is towards her death, when she is seriously psychologically damaged by the events. Shakespeare shows this through the way that she speaks. While throughout most of the play, Lady Macbeth spoke in unrhymed iambic pentameter. At the end when she was sleep talking, she spoke in prose, which showed how disjointed her mind was: Wash you hands, put on your nightgown, look not so pale: I tell you yet again Banquos buried; he cannot come out ons grave. (5.1) In conclusion, I think Macbeth was extremely influenced by the witches. They were the main reason for spread of evil. There is certainly with little doubt, without the witches, and their prophecies, Macbeth would not have murdered Duncan. Though the witches were the main reason, the others was also his ambition, his weakness to temptation, and the power his wife had over him to tempt him to do what his conscience knew was wrong. Lady Macbeth is incredibly determined, and powerful, and eventually, the two of them lost their passion they had for each other because of their evil deeds and desire for control Your hand, your tongue, look like th innocent flower, But be the serpent under t. He thats coming, Must be provided for: and you shall put This nights business into my dispatch, Which shall to all out nights, and days to come, Give solely sovereign swat, and masterdom. Lady Macbeth. (1.5) Upon the sightless couriers of the air, Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye, That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which oerleaps itself, And falls on th other. Macbeth (1.7)

The Tragedy of Eugene O’Neill’s Play, The Hairy Ape Essay -- Hairy Ape

The Tragedy of Eugene O’Neill’s Play, The Hairy Ape Eugene O’Neill’s The Hairy Ape is the story of an alienated, low-class stoker named Yank. Yank’s life becomes a whirlwind when Mildred, the daughter of a wealthy steel owner, looks at Yank like he is a hairy ape. This action creates the withdrawal Yank exhibits. The remainder of the play is Yank’s journey to find his place in society’s realms. He searches for his place in a stokehole, at Fifth Avenue, and in jail. Ultimately Yank’s trek ends as a gorilla squeezes the life out of Yank—O’Neill’s suggestion that Yank can only belong in death (O’Neill 57). Eugene Gladstone O’Neill was born on October 16, 1888, in New York City. His father, James O’Neill, was a popular actor, and introduced Eugene O’Neill to the theater at an early age. After being expelled from Princeton in 1906, O’Neill worked as a gold prospector in Honduras and later as a seaman in the New York area. Soon O’Neill became a regular at bars and clubs in New York City. In 1912, O’Neill contracted tuberculosis. It was during his recovery that O’Neill began to write plays. He wrote many plays and is one of the greatest American dramatists. O’Neill won four Pulitzer Prizes—Beyond the Horizon (1920), Anna Christie (1922), Strange Interlude (1928), and Long Day’s Journey into Night (1957). Eugene O’Neill also received the 1936 Nobel Prize for Literature. O’Neill was given the Nobel Prize, â€Å"for the power, honesty and deep-felt emotions of his dramatic works, which embody an orig inal concept of tragedy† (<http://nobelprizes.com/nobel/literature/1936a.html>). Some critics point to The Hairy Ape as a satirical play. These critics suggest that "clearly O’Neill is a critic of American society and ... ...mploys a chorus, and has an evident tragic flaw—hubris. Works Cited: Alexander, Doris. â€Å"Eugene O’Neill as Social Critic† in O’Neill and His Plays. Oscar Cargill et. al. eds. NY: New York University Press, 1963. Colley, Bryan. Eugene O’Neill. <http://www.kc.net/~bryanc/apebackground.htm>. O’Neill, Eugene. â€Å"Memorandum on Masks† in O’Neill and His Plays. Oscar Cargill et. al. eds. NY: New York University Press, 1963. O’Neill, Eugene. â€Å"The Hairy Ape† in Four Plays by Eugene O’Neill. New York: Signet Classic, 1998. Rollyson, Carl E. â€Å"Eugene O’Neill: The Drama of Self-transcendence† in Critical Essays on Eugene O’Neill. James Martine, ed. Boston: G.K. Hall and Co, 1984. The Nobel Prize Internet Archive. Almaz Enterprises. <http://nobelprizes.com/nobel/literature/1936a.html>. Turner, Ron. Ron’s Place. <http://www.connect.net/ron/oneill.html>.

A Game of Thrones Chapter Thirty-four

Catelyn My lady, you should have sent word of your coming,† Ser Donnel Waynwood told her as their horses climbed the pass. â€Å"We would have sent an escort. The high road is not as safe as it once was, for a party as small as yours.† â€Å"We learned that to our sorrow, Ser Donnel,† Catelyn said. Sometimes she felt as though her heart had turned to stone; six brave men had died to bring her this far, and she could not even find it in her to weep for them. Even their names were fading. â€Å"The clansmen harried us day and night. We lost three men in the first attack, and two more in the second, and Lannister's serving man died of a fever when his wounds festered. When we heard your men approaching, I thought us doomed for certain.† They had drawn up for a last desperate fight, blades in hand and backs to the rock. The dwarf had been whetting the edge of his axe and making some mordant jest when Bronn spotted the banner the riders carried before them, the moon-and-falcon of House Arryn, sky-blue and white. Catelyn had never seen a more welcome sight. â€Å"The clans have grown bolder since Lord Jon died,† Ser Donnel said. He was a stocky youth of twenty years, earnest and homely, with a wide nose and a shock of thick brown hair. â€Å"If it were up to me, I would take a hundred men into the mountains, root them out of their fastnesses, and teach them some sharp lessons, but your sister has forbidden it. She would not even permit her knights to fight in the Hand's tourney. She wants all our swords kept close to home, to defend the Vale . . . against what, no one is certain. Shadows, some say.† He looked at her anxiously, as if he had suddenly remembered who she was. â€Å"I hope I have not spoken out of turn, my lady. I meant no offense.† â€Å"Frank talk does not offend me, Ser Donnel.† Catelyn knew what her sister feared. Not shadows, Lannisters, she thought to herself, glancing back to where the dwarf rode beside Bronn. The two of them had grown thick as thieves since Chiggen had died. The little man was more cunning than she liked. When they had entered the mountains, he had been her captive, bound and helpless. What was he now? Her captive still, yet he rode along with a dirk through his belt and an axe strapped to his saddle, wearing the shadowskin cloak he'd won dicing with the singer and the chainmail hauberk he'd taken off Chiggen's corpse. Two score men flanked the dwarf and the rest of her ragged band, knights and men-at-arms in service to her sister Lysa and Jon Arryn's young son, and yet Tyrion betrayed no hint of fear. Could I be wrong? Catelyn wondered, not for the first time. Could he be innocent after all, of Bran and Jon Arryn and all the rest? And if he was, what did that make her? Six men ha d died to bring him here. Resolute, she pushed her doubts away. â€Å"When we reach your keep, I would take it kindly if you could send for Maester Colemon at once. Ser Rodrik is feverish from his wounds.† More than once she had feared the gallant old knight would not survive the journey. Toward the end he could scarcely sit his horse, and Bronn had urged her to leave him to his fate, but Catelyn would not hear of it. They had tied him in the saddle instead, and she had commanded Marillion the singer to watch over him. Ser Donnel hesitated before he answered. â€Å"The Lady Lysa has commanded the maester to remain at the Eyrie at all times, to care for Lord Robert,† he said. â€Å"We have a septon at the gate who tends to our wounded. He can see to your man's hurts.† Catelyn had more faith in a maester's learning than a septon's prayers. She was about to say as much when she saw the battlements ahead, long parapets built into the very stone of the mountains on either side of them. Where the pass shrank to a narrow defile scarce wide enough for four men to ride abreast, twin watchtowers clung to the rocky slopes, joined by a covered bridge of weathered grey stone that arched above the road. Silent faces watched from arrow slits in tower, battlements, and bridge. When they had climbed almost to the top, a knight rode out to meet them. His horse and his armor were grey, but his cloak was the rippling blue-and-red of Riverrun, and a shiny black fish, wrought in gold and obsidian, pinned its folds against his shoulder. â€Å"Who would pass the Bloody Gate?† he called. â€Å"Ser Donnel Waynwood, with the Lady Catelyn Stark and her companions,† the young knight answered. The Knight of the Gate lifted his visor. â€Å"I thought the lady looked familiar. You are far from home, little Cat.† â€Å"And you, Uncle,† she said, smiling despite all she had been through. Hearing that hoarse, smoky voice again took her back twenty years, to the days of her childhood. â€Å"My home is at my back,† he said gruffly. â€Å"Your home is in my heart,† Catelyn told him. â€Å"Take off your helm. I would look on your face again.† â€Å"The years have not improved it, I fear,† Brynden Tully said, but when he lifted off the helm, Catelyn saw that he lied. His features were lined and weathered, and time had stolen the auburn from his hair and left him only grey, but the smile was the same, and the bushy eyebrows fat as caterpillars, and the laughter in his deep blue eyes. â€Å"Did Lysa know you were coming?† â€Å"There was no time to send word ahead,† Catelyn told him. The others were coming up behind her. â€Å"I fear we ride before the storm, Uncle.† â€Å"May we enter the Vale?† Ser Donnel asked. The Waynwoods were ever ones for ceremony. â€Å"In the name of Robert Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie, Defender of the Vale, True Warden of the East, I bid you enter freely, and charge you to keep his peace,† Ser Brynden replied. â€Å"Come.† And so she rode behind him, beneath the shadow of the Bloody Gate where a dozen armies had dashed themselves to pieces in the Age of Heroes. On the far side of the stoneworks, the mountains opened up suddenly upon a vista of green fields, blue sky, and snowcapped mountains that took her breath away. The Vale of Arryn bathed in the morning light. It stretched before them to the misty cast, a tranquil land of rich black soil, wide slow-moving rivers, and hundreds of small lakes that shone like mirrors in the sun, protected on all sides by its sheltering peaks. Wheat and corn and barley grew high in its fields, and even in Highgarden the pumpkins were no larger nor the fruit any sweeter than here. They stood at the western end of the valley, where the high road crested the last pass and began its winding descent to the bottomlands two miles below. The Vale was narrow here, no more than a half day's ride across, and the northern mountains seemed so close that Catelyn could almost reach out and touch them. Looming over them all was the jagged peak called the Giant's Lance, a mountain that even mountains looked up to, its head lost in icy mists three and a half miles above the valley floor. Over its massive western shoulder flowed the ghost torrent of Alyssa's Tears. Even from this distance, Catelyn could make out the shining silv er thread, bright against the dark stone. When her uncle saw that she had stopped, he moved his horse closer and pointed. â€Å"It's there, beside Alyssa's Tears. All you can see from here is a flash of white every now and then, if you look hard and the sun hits the walls just right.† Seven towers, Ned had told her, like white daggers thrust into the belly of the sky, so high you can stand on the parapets and look down on the clouds. â€Å"How long a ride?† she asked. â€Å"We can be at the mountain by evenfall,† Uncle Brynden said, â€Å"but the climb will take another day.† Ser Rodrik Cassel spoke up from behind. â€Å"My lady,† he said, â€Å"I fear I can go no farther today.† His face sagged beneath his ragged, newgrown whiskers, and he looked so weary Catelyn feared he might fall off his horse. â€Å"Nor should you,† she said. â€Å"You have done all I could have asked of you, and a hundred times more. My uncle will see me the rest of the way to the Eyrie. Lannister must come with me, but there is no reason that you and the others should not rest here and recover your strength.† â€Å"We should be honored to have them to guest,† Ser Donnel said with the grave courtesy of the young. Beside Ser Rodrik, only Bronn, Ser Willis Wode, and Marillion the singer remained of the party that had ridden with her from the inn by the crossroads. â€Å"My lady,† Marillion said, riding forward. â€Å"I beg you allow me to accompany you to the Eyrie, to see the end of the tale as I saw its beginnings.† The boy sounded haggard, yet strangely determined; he had a fevered shine to his eyes. Catelyn had never asked the singer to ride with them; that choice he had made himself, and how he had come to survive the journey when so many braver men lay dead and unburied behind them, she could never say. Yet here he was, with a scruff of beard that made him look almost a man. Perhaps she owed him something for having come this far. â€Å"Very well,† she told him. â€Å"I'll come as well,† Bronn announced. She liked that less well. Without Bronn she would never have reached the Vale, she knew; the sellsword was as fierce a fighter as she had ever seen, and his sword had helped cut them through to safety. Yet for all that, Catelyn misliked the man. Courage he had, and strength, but there was no kindness in him, and little loyalty. And she had seen him riding beside Lannister far too often, talking in low voices and laughing at some private joke. She would have preferred to separate him from the dwarf here and now, but having agreed that Marillion might continue to the Eyrie, she could see no gracious way to deny that same right to Bronn. â€Å"As you wish,† she said, although she noted that he had not actually asked her permission. Ser Willis Wode remained with Ser Rodrik, a soft-spoken septon fussing over their wounds. Their horses were left behind as well, poor ragged things. Ser Donnel promised to send birds ahead to the Eyrie and the Gates of the Moon with the word of their coming. Fresh mounts were brought forth from the stables, surefooted mountain stock with shaggy coats, and within the hour they set forth once again. Catelyn rode beside her uncle as they began the descent to the valley floor. Behind came Bronn, Tyrion Lannister, Marillion, and six of Brynden's men. Not until they were a third of the way down the mountain path, well out of earshot of the others, did Brynden Tully turn to her and say, â€Å"So, child. Tell me about this storm of yours.† â€Å"I have not been a child in many years, Uncle,† Catelyn said, but she told him nonetheless. It took longer than she would have believed to tell it all, Lysa's letter and Bran's fall, the assassin's dagger and Littlefinger and her chance meeting with Tyrion Lannister in the crossroads inn. Her uncle listened silently, heavy brows shadowing his eyes as his frown grew deeper. Brynden Tully had always known how to listen . . . to anyone but her father. He was Lord Hoster's brother, younger by five years, but the two of them had been at war as far back as Catelyn could remember. During one of their louder quarrels, when Catelyn was eight, Lord Hoster had called Brynden â€Å"the black goat of the Tully flock.† Laughing, Brynden had pointed out that the sigil of their house was a leaping trout, so he ought to be a black fish rather than a black goat, and from that day forward he had taken it as his personal emblem. The war had not ended until the day she and Lysa had been wed. It was at their wedding feast that Brynden told his brother he was leaving Riverrun to serve Lysa and her new husband, the Lord of the Eyrie. Lord Hoster had not spoken his brother's name since, from what Edmure told her in his infrequent letters. Nonetheless, during all those years of Catelyn's girlhood, it had been Brynden the Blackfish to whom Lord Hoster's children had run with their tears and their tales, when Father was too busy and Mother too ill. Catelyn, Lysa, Edmure . . . and yes, even Petyr Baelish, their father's ward . . . he had listened to them all patiently, as he listened now, laughing at their triumphs and sympathizing with their childish misfortunes. When she was done, her uncle remained silent for a long time, as his horse negotiated the steep, rocky trail. â€Å"Your father must be told,† he said at last. â€Å"If the Lannisters should march, Winterfell is remote and the Vale walled up behind its mountains, but Riverrun lies right in their path.† â€Å"I'd had the same fear,† Catelyn admitted. â€Å"I shall ask Maester Colemon to send a bird when we reach the Eyrie.† She had other messages to send as well; the commands that Ned had given her for his bannermen, to ready the defenses of the north. â€Å"What is the mood in the Vale?† she asked. â€Å"Angry,† Brynden Tully admitted. â€Å"Lord Jon was much loved, and the insult was keenly felt when the king named Jaime Lannister to an office the Arryns had held for near three hundred years. Lysa has commanded us to call her son the True Warden of the East, but no one is fooled. Nor is your sister alone in wondering at the manner of the Hand's death. None dare say Jon was murdered, not openly, but suspicion casts a long shadow.† He gave Catelyn a look, his mouth tight. â€Å"And there is the boy.† â€Å"The boy? What of him?† She ducked her head as they passed under a low overhang of rock, and around a sharp turn. Her uncle's voice was troubled. â€Å"Lord Robert,† he sighed. â€Å"Six years old, sickly, and prone to weep if you take his dolls away. Jon Arryn's trueborn heir, by all the gods, yet there are some who say he is too weak to sit his father's seat, Nestor Royce has been high steward these past fourteen years, while Lord Jon served in King's Landing, and many whisper that he should rule until the boy comes of age. Others believe that Lysa must marry again, and soon. Already the suitors gather like crows on a battlefield. The Eyrie is full of them.† â€Å"I might have expected that,† Catelyn said. Small wonder there; Lysa was still young, and the kingdom of Mountain and Vale made a handsome wedding gift. â€Å"Will Lysa take another husband?† â€Å"She says yes, provided she finds a man who suits her,† Brynden Tully said, â€Å"but she has already rejected Lord Nestor and a dozen other suitable men. She swears that this time she will choose her lord husband.† â€Å"You of all people can scarce fault her for that.† Ser Brynden snorted. â€Å"Nor do I, but . . . it seems to me Lysa is only playing at courtship. She enjoys the sport, but I believe your sister intends to rule herself until her boy is old enough to be Lord of the Eyrie in truth as well as name.† â€Å"A woman can rule as wisely as a man,† Catelyn said. â€Å"The right woman can,† her uncle said with a sideways glance. â€Å"Make no mistake, Cat. Lysa is not you.† He hesitated a moment. â€Å"If truth be told, I fear you may not find your sister as helpful as you would like.† She was puzzled. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"The Lysa who came back from King's Landing is not the same girl who went south when her husband was named Hand. Those years were hard for her. You must know. Lord Arryn was a dutiful husband, but their marriage was made from politics, not passion.† â€Å"As was my own.† â€Å"They began the same, but your ending has been happier than your sister's. Two babes stillborn, twice as many miscarriages, Lord Arryn's death . . . Catelyn, the gods gave Lysa only the one child, and he is all your sister lives for now, poor boy. Small wonder she fled rather than see him handed over to the Lannisters. Your sister is afraid, child, and the Lannisters are what she fears most. She ran to the Vale, stealing away from the Red Keep like a thief in the night, and all to snatch her son out of the lion's mouth . . . and now you have brought the lion to her door.† â€Å"In chains,† Catelyn said. A crevasse yawned on her right, falling away into darkness. She reined up her horse and picked her way along step by careful step. â€Å"Oh?† Her uncle glanced back, to where Tyrion Lannister was making his slow descent behind them. â€Å"I see an axe on his saddle, a dirk at his belt, and a sellsword that trails after him like a hungry shadow. Where are the chains, sweet one?† Catelyn shifted uneasily in her seat. â€Å"The dwarf is here, and not by choice. Chains or no, he is my prisoner. Lysa will want him to answer for his crimes no less than I. It was her own lord husband the Lannisters murdered, and her own letter that first warned us against them.† Brynden Blackfish gave her a weary smile. â€Å"I hope you are right, child,† he sighed, in tones that said she was wrong. The sun was well to the west by the time the slope began to flatten beneath the hooves of their horses. The road widened and grew straight, and for the first time Catelyn noticed wildflowers and grasses growing. Once they reached the valley floor, the going was faster and they made good time, cantering through verdant greenwoods and sleepy little hamlets, past orchards and golden wheat fields, splashing across a dozen sunlit streams. Her uncle sent a standard-bearer ahead of them, a double banner flying from his staff; the moon-and-falcon of House Arryn on high, and below it his own black fish. Farm wagons and merchants' carts and riders from lesser houses moved aside to let them pass. Even so, it was full dark before they reached the stout castle that stood at the foot of the Giant's Lance. Torches flickered atop its ramparts, and the horned moon danced upon the dark waters of its moat. The drawbridge was up and the portcullis down, but Catelyn saw lights burning in the gatehouse and spilling from the windows of the square towers beyond. â€Å"The Gates of the Moon,† her uncle said as the party drew rein. His standard-bearer rode to the edge of the moat to hail the men in the gatehouse. â€Å"Lord Nestor's seat. He should be expecting us. Look up.† Catelyn raised her eyes, up and up and up. At first all she saw was stone and trees, the looming mass of the great mountain shrouded in night, as black as a starless sky. Then she noticed the glow of distant fires well above them; a tower keep, built upon the steep side of the mountain, its lights like orange eyes staring down from above. Above that was another, higher and more distant, and still higher a third, no more than a flickering spark in the sky. And finally, up where the falcons soared, a flash of white in the moonlight. Vertigo washed over her as she stared upward at the pale towers, so far above. â€Å"The Eyrie,† she heard Marillion murmur, awed. The sharp voice of Tyrion Lannister broke in. â€Å"The Arryns must not be overfond of company. If you're planning to make us climb that mountain in the dark, I'd rather you kill me here.† â€Å"We'll spend the night here and make the ascent on the morrow,† Brynden told him. â€Å"I can scarcely wait,† the dwarf replied. â€Å"How do we get up there? I've no experience at riding goats.† â€Å"Mules,† Brynden said, smiling. â€Å"There are steps carved into the mountain,† Catelyn said. Ned had told her about them when he talked of his youth here with Robert Baratheon and Jon Arryn. Her uncle nodded. â€Å"It is too dark to see them, but the steps are there. Too steep and narrow for horses, but mules can manage them most of the way. The path is guarded by three waycastles, Stone and Snow and Sky. The mules will take us as far up as Sky.† Tyrion Lannister glanced up doubtfully. â€Å"And beyond that?† Brynden smiled. â€Å"Beyond that, the path is too steep even for mules. We ascend on foot the rest of the way. Or perchance you'd prefer to ride a basket. The Eyrie clings to the mountain directly above Sky, and in its cellars are six great winches with long iron chains to draw supplies up from below. If you prefer, my lord of Lannister, I can arrange for you to ride up with the bread and beer and apples.† The dwarf gave a bark of laughter. â€Å"Would that I were a pumpkin,† he said. â€Å"Alas, my lord father would no doubt be most chagrined if his son of Lannister went to his fate like a load of turnips. If you ascend on foot, I fear I must do the same. We Lannisters do have a certain pride.† â€Å"Pride?† Catelyn snapped. His mocking tone and easy manner made her angry. â€Å"Arrogance, some might call it. Arrogance and avarice and lust for power.† â€Å"My brother is undoubtedly arrogant,† Tyrion Lannister replied. â€Å"My father is the soul of avarice, and my sweet sister Cersei lusts for power with every waking breath. I, however, am innocent as a little lamb. Shall I bleat for you?† He grinned. The drawbridge came creaking down before she could reply, and they heard the sound of oiled chains as the portcullis was drawn up. Men-at-arms carried burning brands out to light their way, and her uncle led them across the moat. Lord Nestor Royce, High Steward of the Vale and Keeper of the Gates of the Moon, was waiting in the yard to greet them, surrounded by his knights. â€Å"Lady Stark,† he said, bowing. He was a massive, barrel-chested man, and his bow was clumsy. Catelyn dismounted to stand before him. â€Å"Lord Nestor,† she said. She knew the man only by reputation; Bronze Yohn's cousin, from a lesser branch of House Royce, yet still a formidable lord in his own right. â€Å"We have had a long and tiring journey. I would beg the hospitality of your roof tonight, if I might.† â€Å"My roof is yours, my lady,† Lord Nestor returned gruffly, â€Å"but your sister the Lady Lysa has sent down word from the Eyrie. She wishes to see you at once. The rest of your party will be housed here and sent up at first light.† Her uncle swung off his horse. â€Å"What madness is this?† he said bluntly. Brynden Tully had never been a man to blunt the edge of his words. â€Å"A night ascent, with the moon not even full? Even Lysa should know that's an invitation to a broken neck.† â€Å"The mules know the way, Ser Brynden.† A wiry girl of seventeen or eighteen years stepped up beside Lord Nestor. Her dark hair was cropped short and straight around her head, and she wore riding leathers and a light shirt of silvered ringmail. She bowed to Catelyn, more gracefully than her lord. â€Å"I promise you, my lady, no harm will come to you. It would be my honor to take you up. I've made the dark climb a hundred times. Mychel says my father must have been a goat.† She sounded so cocky that Catelyn had to smile. â€Å"Do you have a name, child?† â€Å"Mya Stone, if it please you, my lady,† the girl said. It did not please her; it was an effort for Catelyn to keep the smile on her face. Stone was a bastard's name in the Vale, as Snow was in the north, and Flowers in Highgarden; in each of the Seven Kingdoms, custom had fashioned a surname for children born with no names of their own. Catelyn had nothing against this girl, but suddenly she could not help but think of Ned's bastard on the Wall, and the thought made her angry and guilty, both at once. She struggled to find words for a reply. Lord Nestor filled the silence. â€Å"Mya's a clever girl, and if she vows she will bring you safely to the Lady Lysa, I believe her. She has not failed me yet.† â€Å"Then I put myself in your hands, Mya Stone,† Catelyn said. â€Å"Lord Nestor, I charge you to keep a close guard on my prisoner.† â€Å"And I charge you to bring the prisoner a cup of wine and a nicely crisped capon, before he dies of hunger,† Lannister said. â€Å"A girl would be pleasant as well, but I suppose that's too much to ask of you.† The sellsword Bronn laughed aloud. Lord Nestor ignored the banter. â€Å"As you say, my lady, so it will be done.† Only then did he look at the dwarf. â€Å"See our lord of Lannister to a tower cell, and bring him meat and mead.† Catelyn took her leave of her uncle and the others as Tyrion Lannister was led off, then followed the bastard girl through the castle. Two mules were waiting in the upper bailey, saddled and ready. Mya helped her mount one while a guardsman in a sky-blue cloak opened the narrow postern gate. Beyond was dense forest of pine and spruce, and the mountain like a black wall, but the steps were there, chiseled deep into the rock, ascending into the sky. â€Å"Some people find it easier if they close their eyes,† Mya said as she led the mules through the gate into the dark wood. â€Å"When they get frightened or dizzy, sometimes they hold on to the mule too tight. They don't like that.† â€Å"I was born a Tully and wed to a Stark,† Catelyn said. â€Å"I do not frighten easily. Do you plan to light a torch?† The steps were black as pitch. The girl made a face. â€Å"Torches just blind you. On a clear night like this, the moon and the stars are enough. Mychel says I have the eyes of the owl.† She mounted and urged her mule up the first step. Catelyn's animal followed of its own accord. â€Å"You mentioned Mychel before,† Catelyn said. The mules set the pace, slow but steady. She was perfectly content with that. â€Å"Mychel's my love,† Mya explained. â€Å"Mychel Redfort. He's squire to Ser Lyn Corbray. We're to wed as soon as he becomes a knight, next year or the year after.† She sounded so like Sansa, so happy and innocent with her dreams. Catelyn smiled, but the smile was tinged with sadness. The Redforts were an old name in the Vale, she knew, with the blood of the First Men in their veins. His love she might be, but no Redfort would ever wed a bastard. His family would arrange a more suitable match for him, to a Corbray or a Waynwood or a Royce, or perhaps a daughter of some greater house outside the Vale. If Mychel Redfort laid with this girl at all, it would be on the wrong side of the sheet. The ascent was easier than Catelyn had dared hope. The trees pressed close, leaning over the path to make a rustling green roof that shut out even the moon, so it seemed as though they were moving up a long black tunnel. But the mules were surefooted and tireless, and Mya Stone did indeed seem blessed with night-eyes. They plodded upward, winding their way back and forth across the face of the mountain as the steps twisted and turned. A thick layer of fallen needles carpeted the path, so the shoes of their mules made only the softest sound on the rock. The quiet soothed her, and the gentle rocking motion set Catelyn to swaying in her saddle. Before long she was fighting sleep. Perhaps she did doze for a moment, for suddenly a massive ironbound gate was looming before them. â€Å"Stone,† Mya announced cheerily, dismounting. Iron spikes were set along the tops of formidable stone walls, and two fat round towers overtopped the keep. The gate swung open at Mya's shout. Inside, the portly knight who commanded the waycastle greeted Mya by name and offered them skewers of charred meat and onions still hot from the spit. Catelyn had not realized how hungry she was. She ate standing in the yard, as stablehands moved their saddles to fresh mules. The hot juices ran down her chin and dripped onto her cloak, but she was too famished to care. Then it was up onto a new mule and out again into the starlight. The second part of the ascent seemed more treacherous to Catelyn. The trail was steeper, the steps more worn, and here and there littered with pebbles and broken stone. Mya had to dismount a half-dozen times to move fallen rocks from their path. â€Å"You don't want your mule to break a leg up here,† she said. Catelyn was forced to agree. She could feel the altitude more now. The trees were sparser up here, and the wind blew more vigorously, sharp gusts that tugged at her clothing and pushed her hair into her eyes. From time to time the steps doubled back on themselves, and she could see Stone below them, and the Gates of the Moon farther down, its torches no brighter than candles. Snow was smaller than Stone, a single fortified tower and a timber keep and stable hidden behind a low wall of unmortared rock. Yet it nestled against the Giant's Lance in such a way as to command the entire stone stair above the lower waycastle. An enemy intent on the Eyrie would have to fight his way from Stone step by step, while rocks and arrows rained down from Snow above. The commander, an anxious young knight with a pockmarked face, offered bread and cheese and the chance to warm themselves before his fire, but Mya declined. â€Å"We ought to keep going, my lady,† she said. â€Å"If it please you.† Catelyn nodded. Again they were given fresh mules. Hers was white. Mya smiled when she saw him. â€Å"Whitey's a good one, my lady. Sure of foot, even on ice, but you need to be careful. He'll kick if he doesn't like you.† The white mule seemed to like Catelyn; there was no kicking, thank the gods. There was no ice either, and she was grateful for that as well. â€Å"My mother says that hundreds of years ago, this was where the snow began,† Mya told her. â€Å"It was always white above here, and the ice never melted.† She shrugged. â€Å"I can't remember ever seeing snow this far down the mountain, but maybe it was that way once, in the olden times.† So young, Catelyn thought, trying to remember if she had ever been like that. The girl had lived half her life in summer, and that was all she knew. Winter is coming, child, she wanted to tell her. The words were on her lips; she almost said them. Perhaps she was becoming a Stark at last. Above Snow, the wind was a living thing, howling around them like a wolf in the waste, then falling off to nothing as if to lure them into complacency. The stars seemed brighter up here, so close that she could almost touch them, and the horned moon was huge in the clear black sky. As they climbed, Catelyn found it was better to look up than down. The steps were cracked and broken from centuries of freeze and thaw and the tread of countless mules, and even in the dark the heights put her heart in her throat. When they came to a high saddle between two spires of rock, Mya dismounted. â€Å"It's best to lead the mules over,† she said. â€Å"The wind can be a little scary here, my lady.† Catelyn climbed stiffly from the shadows and looked at the path ahead; twenty feet long and close to three feet wide, but with a precipitous drop to either side. She could hear the wind shrieking. Mya stepped lightly out, her mule following as calmly as if they were crossing a bailey. It was her turn. Yet no sooner had she taken her first step than fear caught Catelyn in its jaws. She could feel the emptiness, the vast black gulfs of air that yawned around her. She stopped, trembling, afraid to move. The wind screamed at her and wrenched at her cloak, trying to pull her over the edge. Catelyn edged her foot backward, the most timid of steps, but the mule was behind her, and she could not retreat. I am going to die here, she thought. She could feel cold sweat trickling down her back. â€Å"Lady Stark,† Mya called across the gulf. The girl sounded a thousand leagues away. â€Å"Are you well?† Catelyn Tully Stark swallowed what remained of her pride. â€Å"I . . . I cannot do this, child,† she called out. â€Å"Yes you can,† the bastard girl said. â€Å"I know you can. Look how wide the path is.† â€Å"I don't want to look.† The world seemed to be spinning around her, mountain and sky and mules, whirling like a child's top. Catelyn closed her eyes to steady her ragged breathing. â€Å"I'll come back for you,† Mya said. â€Å"Don't move, my lady.† Moving was about the last thing Catelyn was about to do. She listened to the skirling of the wind and the scuffling sound of leather on stone. Then Mya was there, taking her gently by the arm. â€Å"Keep your eyes closed if you like. Let go of the rope now, Whitey will take care of himself. Very good, my lady. I'll lead you over, it's easy, you'll see. Give me a step now. That's it, move your foot, just slide it forward. See. Now another. Easy. You could run across. Another one, go on. Yes.† And so, foot by foot, step by step, the bastard girl led Catelyn across, blind and trembling, while the white mule followed placidly behind them. The waycastle called Sky was no more than a high, crescent-shaped wall of unmortared stone raised against the side of the mountain, but even the topless towers of Valyria could not have looked more beautiful to Catelyn Stark. Here at last the snow crown began; Sky's weathered stones were rimed with frost, and long spears of ice hung from the slopes above. Dawn was breaking in the east as Mya Stone hallooed for the guards, and the gates opened before them. Inside the walls there was only a series of ramps and a great tumble of boulders and stones of all sizes. No doubt it would be the easiest thing in the world to begin an avalanche from here. A mouth yawned in the rock face in front of them. â€Å"The stables and barracks are in there,† Mya said. â€Å"The last part is inside the mountain. It can be a little dark, but at least you're out of the wind. This is as far as the mules can go. Past here, well, it's a sort of chimney, more like a stone ladder than proper steps, but it's not too bad. Another hour and we'll be there.† Catelyn looked up. Directly overhead, pale in the dawn light, she could see the foundations of the Eyrie. It could not be more than six hundred feet above them. From below it looked like a small white honeycomb. She remembered what her uncle had said of baskets and winches. â€Å"The Lannisters may have their pride,† she told Mya, â€Å"but the Tullys are born with better sense. I have ridden all day and the best part of a night. Tell them to lower a basket. I shall ride with the turnips.† The sun was well above the mountains by the time Catelyn Stark finally reached the Eyrie. A stocky, silver-haired man in a sky-blue cloak and hammered moon-and-falcon breastplate helped her from the basket; Ser Vardis Egen, captain of Jon Arryn's household guard. Beside him stood Maester Colemon, thin and nervous, with too little hair and too much neck. â€Å"Lady Stark,† Ser Vardis said, â€Å"the pleasure is as great as it is unanticipated.† Maester Colemon bobbed his head in agreement. â€Å"Indeed it is, my lady, indeed it is. I have sent word to your sister. She left orders to be awakened the instant you arrived.† â€Å"I hope she had a good night's rest,† Catelyn said with a certain bite in her tone that seemed to go unnoticed. The men escorted her from the winch room up a spiral stair. The Eyrie was a small castle by the standards of the great houses; seven slender white towers bunched as tightly as arrows in a quiver on a shoulder of the great mountain. It had no need of stables nor smithys nor kennels, but Ned said its granary was as large as Winterfell's, and its towers could house five hundred men. Yet it seemed strangely deserted to Catelyn as she passed through it, its pale stone halls echoing and empty. Lysa was waiting alone in her solar, still clad in her bed robes. Her long auburn hair tumbled unbound across bare white shoulders and down her back. A maid stood behind her, brushing out the night's tangles, but when Catelyn entered, her sister rose to her feet, smiling. â€Å"Cat,† she said. â€Å"Oh, Cat, how good it is to see you. My sweet sister.† She ran across the chamber and wrapped her sister in her arms. â€Å"How long it has been,† Lysa murmured against her. â€Å"Oh, how very very long.† It had been five years, in truth; five cruel years, for Lysa. They had taken their toll. Her sister was two years the younger, yet she looked older now. Shorter than Catelyn, Lysa had grown thick of body, pale and puffy of face. She had the blue eyes of the Tullys, but hers were pale and watery, never still. Her small mouth had turned petulant. As Catelyn held her, she remembered the slender, high-breasted girl who'd waited beside her that day in the sept at Riverrun. How lovely and full of hope she had been. All that remained of her sister's beauty was the great fall of thick auburn hair that cascaded to her waist. â€Å"You look well,† Catelyn lied, â€Å"but . . . tired.† Her sister broke the embrace. â€Å"Tired. Yes. Oh, yes.† She seemed to notice the others then; her maid, Maester Colemon, Ser Vardis. â€Å"Leave us,† she told them. â€Å"I wish to speak to my sister alone.† She held Catelyn's hand as they withdrew . . . . . . and dropped it the instant the door closed. Catelyn saw her face change. It was as if the sun had gone behind a cloud. â€Å"Have you taken leave of your senses?† Lysa snapped at her. â€Å"To bring him here, without a word of permission, without so much as a warning, to drag us into your quarrels with the Lannisters . . . â€Å" â€Å"My quarrels?† Catelyn could scarce believe what she was hearing. A great fire burned in the hearth, but there was no trace of warmth in Lysa's voice. â€Å"They were your quarrels first, sister. It was you who sent me that cursed letter, you who wrote that the Lannisters had murdered your husband.† â€Å"To warn you, so you could stay away from them! I never meant to fight them! Gods, Cat, do you know what you've done?† â€Å"Mother?† a small voice said. Lysa whirled, her heavy robe swirling around her. Robert Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie, stood in the doorway, clutching a ragged cloth doll and looking at them with large eyes. He was a painfully thin child, small for his age and sickly all his days, and from time to time he trembled. The shaking sickness, the maesters called it. â€Å"I heard voices.† Small wonder, Catelyn thought; Lysa had almost been shouting. Still, her sister looked daggers at her. â€Å"This is your aunt Catelyn, baby. My sister, Lady Stark. Do you remember?† The boy glanced at her blankly. â€Å"I think so,† he said, blinking, though he had been less than a year old the last time Catelyn had seen him. Lysa seated herself near the fire and said, â€Å"Come to Mother, my sweet one.† She straightened his bedclothes and fussed with his fine brown hair. â€Å"Isn't he beautiful? And strong too, don't you believe the things you hear. Jon knew. The seed is strong, he told me. His last words. He kept saying Robert's name, and he grabbed my arm so hard he left marks. Tell them, the seed is strong. His seed. He wanted everyone to know what a good strong boy my baby was going to be.† â€Å"Lysa,† Catelyn said, â€Å"if you're right about the Lannisters, all the more reason we must act quickly. We—† â€Å"Not in front of the baby,† Lysa said. â€Å"He has a delicate temper, don't you, sweet one?† â€Å"The boy is Lord of the Eyrie and Defender of the Vale,† Catelyn reminded her, â€Å"and these are no times for delicacy. Ned thinks it may come to war.† â€Å"Quiet!† Lysa snapped at her. â€Å"You're scaring the boy.† Little Robert took a quick peek over his shoulder at Catelyn and began to tremble. His doll fell to the rushes, and he pressed himself against his mother. â€Å"Don't be afraid, my sweet baby,† Lysa whispered. â€Å"Mother's here, nothing will hurt you.† She opened her robe and drew out a pale, heavy breast, tipped with red. The boy grabbed for it eagerly, buried his face against her chest, and began to suck. Lysa stroked his hair. Catelyn was at a loss for words. Jon Arryn's son, she thought incredulously. She remembered her own baby, three-year-old Rickon, half the age of this boy and five times as fierce. Small wonder the lords of the Vale were restive. For the first time she understood why the king had tried to take the child away from his mother to foster with the Lannisters . . . â€Å"We're safe here,† Lysa was saying. Whether to her or to the boy, Catelyn was not sure. â€Å"Don't be a fool,† Catelyn said, the anger rising in her. â€Å"No one is safe. If you think hiding here will make the Lannisters forget you, you are sadly mistaken.† Lysa covered her boy's ear with her hand. â€Å"Even if they could bring an army through the mountains and past the Bloody Gate, the Eyrie is impregnable. You saw for yourself. No enemy could ever reach us up here.† Catelyn wanted to slap her. Uncle Brynden had tried to warn her, she realized. â€Å"No castle is impregnable.† â€Å"This one is,† Lysa insisted. â€Å"Everyone says so. The only thing is, what am I to do with this Imp you have brought me?† â€Å"Is he a bad man?† the Lord of the Eyrie asked, his mother's breast popping from his mouth, the nipple wet and red. â€Å"A very bad man,† Lysa told him as she covered herself, â€Å"but Mother won't let him harm my little baby.† â€Å"Make him fly,† Robert said eagerly. Lysa stroked her son's hair. â€Å"Perhaps we will,† she murmured. â€Å"Perhaps that is just what we will do.†

Li and Fung: Growth for a Supply Chain Specialist Essay

The case study for this paper is on a Hong Kong-Based Li and Fung Limited â€Å"Li and Fung†. This paper will try to answer the question of â€Å"What would Li and Fung do to safeguard the growth of its business? How could it achieve its target turnover of US$20 billion between 2008 and 2010?† Increase the efficiencies in its global value chain process and to ensure continued growth in net income. One of the primary strategies which set the stage for strong robust growth was the implementation of intranet and extranet information technologies. The internet technology standardized systems across the organization and linked the company’s offices and manufacturing sites throughout the world, encouraging easy tracking of orders and improved quality. The extranet technology linked the company directly to the customer and enabled it to meet and sometimes even exceed customer satisfaction requirements. The strong history of the company and the implementation of information systems and technologies enabled Li & Fung to orchestrate the whole value chain process in a virtual manufacturing environment. Lifung.com, studiodirect.com, ‘electronic stock offer’ and other systems and business processes were implemented to enable the firm to further penetrate into new buyer markets and also to discover opportunities in the supplier markets. This case analyzes the effectiveness of these information and technology systems and recommends steps that could be taken by Li & Fung to draw upon its traditional strengths and explore new opportunities for future growth.