In this chapter the writer uses the setting of the chapter to explain the feeling of all the main characters Essay Example for Free

In this chapter the writer uses the setting of the chapter to explain the feeling of all the main characters Essay In this chapter the writer uses the setting of the chapter to explain the feeling of all the main characters. When we first meet the family they are walking down a road which is all dirty and surrounded by dirt. The nature around them is dying out or rotting. This we can apply to both characters feeling; Micheal feels like his marriage spoiled or ruined his chance of a good life or any fortunes. Whereas Susan feels like she is dying or has died in Micheals heart since he is ready to sell her like he wouldve sold a horse in an auction. Hardy uses nature many times in this chapter. At one time when Micheal is auctioning Susan we are told that a sparrow flies in and everyone watches the sparrow till it disappears. This could in fact be showing us Susans position. Everyone watches her till she is able to go out of the tent with Newson the sailor. Hardy uses a lot of contrast to show the readers Micheals two sides, in this chapter. In the last chapter we saw Micheal in his drunken state which was his dark side. We saw his greed and bad temper. In chapter 2 though we see Micheal when he is sober and when he finds out what he has done. He shows determination in finding his wife and takes responsibility, however even in this chapter we see Micheals bad side when he blames Susan for being simple minded enough to think the auction was binding. Also we see his negative points when he is too proud of himself to tell people why he is searching for his wife. We straight away see that these two sides of Micheals will be a great factor in this book. In this chapter Hardy relives the walk to Weydon-Priors. Only this time the people walking are in a more loving situation. Also there are two women. The women obviously feel love for each other because they are holding each others hands. The fact that they are both wearing black gowns straight away gives us an idea of why these two women have come back this way. Also this is the first time we see Elizabeth- Jane in her grown up state and we see that she is brought up as a very nice girl. Although we see straight away that she is brought up in a rich lifestyle when she tells her mother that the infirmity tent isnt respectable. At this point e see for the first time that Hardy adds suspence when he decides to bring Susan back to Micheal. The reader wonders why Susan is so determined to meet him. He main question is why ahs Susan never told Elizabeth when she is old enough to know. Casterbridge is described in great detail and because Hardy has a gift for description we can almost see the town come to life. We also find that the town is eager to spread gossip when two women willingly tell Susan about the gossip of the bread and the town. We can see from detailed point that the public will be a very important point in the book. Micheal also reveals his caring point when he tells the towns people that the wheat is not really safe to eat. We also se that Micheal is true to his oath not to drink, when in his meeting he only drinks water. Near the end of the meeting we see the Angry Micheal side when he makes a sharp retort. We see a description of Farfrae and immediately we can tell that he is the total opposite of Henchard. Both in looks and we think in personality. Also through the names of the pubs and inns we can see that maybe Hardy is trying to make a point. When they go to the three mariners then Hardy could be trying to say that they are among the waves of chance. The fact that chance plays a big role in this novel and especially in this chapter. Its by chance that Farfrae hears about the corn and has the solution or that Elizabeth-Jane notices him and that they all stay at the three mariners. Also the way Michael misses his family by a few minutes on his way to see the man. We can assume that Hardy is proving the powers working against mankind in this chapter. In this chapter we see little irony when Elizabeth-Jane says that they must stay at the fancy inn yet then gets a job as a serving maid which is not too respectable it self. While we can say that Elizabeth-Jane is making sacrifices for her mother, we can still remember that the towns people have seen Elizabeth serving them and they will remember her face later on. Also in this chapter we pity Michael when we learn that he is lonely and we guess that what he wants is a business partner or a friend. Farfrae is straight away the person that comes to mind. Though again we see a bit of fickleness in Michaels attitude when he cannot even remember the old mangers name. Farfrae then decides to sing fro the towns people and its by chance that the people are in the mood for his sad songs and Elizabeth-Jane who has been eyeing him, has her heart set on him. When the townspeople talk to Farfrae we know straight away that he has the ability to charm people and when he sings he is charmed them further. We can assume that the reason that the townspeople like the sad songs is because they feel like the story of the song represents them in a way, with their lost ideals. We can even see a bit of this in Micheal himself. Also Elizabeth-Jane misinterprets the songs that Farfrae sings and when her mother says he Elizabeth assumes its about Farfrae. These misunderstandings prove to be a problem later on. In the next chapter wee that both Susan and Micheal have to turn towards the younger generation to save themselves. Susan saves her marriage by sending Elizabeth-Jane with the note to Micheal and Micheal saves his business by begging Farfrae to say on as manager. When Elizabeth-Jane takes the walk through the town it creates a time of suspense because it is stalling the meeting between Micheal and Susan and it cuts the conversation between Micheal and Farfrae. Mostly though it shows us just how much power Micheal ahs in his town socially and business wise. Again we see a contrast between Michaels sides when at first he acts kindly towards Elizabeth-Jane, when he learns who she is. Also when he sends back Susan five guineas we feel that he is almost trying to buy her back since five guineas are how much was paid for her before. Yet we see his cold side again when he coldly turns down Joshua Jopp about his interview and he has created a new enemy at the same time. Later also Micheal explodes on Elizabeth-Jane and cannot even calm himself down. Also in this chapter we see a proud side of Michael when he asks to see Susan in a secret place and will not see her in public incase they might be seen and found out. Slowly we will see this part of his attitude be a big part of his downfall. In the next chapter when Micheal has asked to see Susan in the ring and we get the description of the place it automatically sets a place for something negative to take place. Almost a place where nothing positive can happen. Hardy backs this himself by saying, the boys cannot make this a good cricket field. This ring is maybe meant to show Hardys life in a way that Hardy is known for his architecture and his liking to the Greek mythology in a way. The Roundness representing the coliseum and the positiveness being kept away by ghosts of the past like the killed gladiator or the woman who was strangled. This is like a metaphor in a way to their relationship. Micheal will fall in battle and his control is so tight on Susan it might almost be strangling her. The next chapter gives us an idea of our speculation is chapter 3 about another woman in Micheals life. We learn that this woman is infact living in Jersey. We already know that when a person is included in Hardys plots he is never easily forgotten so when we hear about this woman we straight away know she will affect the plot. Again this chapter reveals a lot when Micheal reveals to his best friend that he is very lonely and would like a friend. We guess straight away that he ahs also made a mistake when he reveals his whole past to someone he has only known for a day. He tells Farfrae everything and doesnt think of any consequences that could later occur. We see Farfrae first ability in this chapter after he handles his position very well with his new boss. Even though he has plans to eat alone he decides to dine with Micheal and when he is asked about help on how to handle his problem with the lady in Jersey he gives an answer that could start the first sign of discord between the two people. He tells Micheal that he should firstly tell Elizabeth-Jane the truth about her mother and father and he disagrees and gets rather angry. Yet he forgets that it was him who in the first place told him about all his past secrets. In this chapter we finally see Micheal openly court Susan and then propose to her. Even though this should be good new the whole chapter caries ill will which is mostly carried by the townspeople. We can maybe use the natures reaction to show out the feelings of Micheal and Susan. When the two enter the church to get married it is raining quite badly and it is very dark almost showing how the two really feel about each other. Hardy uses these nature effects to show the reader how the two feel about each either. By hiding the meaning of the nature effects it almost showing that the two have hidden their feelings about each other. The townspeople also add most of the uneasiness. They dont actually know the secret about the wedding but they have an idea that something is not right. They immediately feel that Susan is not at the same class as Micheal which is ironic because Michael is the one with the worst background out of the two. In this chapter we know for sure that something about Elizabeth-Jane is being hidden because not only does Micheal keep going on about her hair colour but he starts asking her to change her second name. Also we find out that Micheal maybe getting rather annoyed with Farfrae when he gets angry at little things that Farfrae says. At one time he even dismisses Farfraes opinion by saying dont take too much thought about things. Also since Elizabeth-Jane has started growing in her new place she starts to bloom a certain beauty. Yet she still remembers her old lifes

The Similarities Between Classical Music and Ellingtons Jazz Essay

One of the greatest tragedies in the 20th century can be seen in the debasing of the Jazz genre as a unworthy equal to it’s predecessor, European Classical music. This can be seen in various statements about Jazz, such as Boris Gibalin commit, â€Å"The â€Å"Jazz Mania† has taken on the character of a lingering illness and must be cured by means of forceful intervention.†1 This conflict can be traced through out the history of Jazz, as Classical composers have relatively disregarded this new type of music. Before Duke Ellington’s Cotton Club performances, Jazz play on the radio was delegated for late night audience only. This sub-culture treatment has led many critics to disregard the Jazz movement as a dance craze, or unsuccessful recreations of Classical pieces. This slandering of Jazz has not only created a false image of the music, but it has also lead to a full disconnection between the two genres. It is for this reason that I propose in my pap er to show the relationship between these two musical categories. My hopes in demonstrating these similarities is to disassemble the schism of ignorance built between the two, and place both Jazz and Classical music on equal footing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Critics of Jazz have always perpetuated this schism by utilizing the reasoning behind Jazz, that of it being a free form interpretation, to question the legitimacy of calling a Jazz leader a composer. For how can one be styled as a proper composer and still remain true to the Traditional Jazz concepts? The classic composer has at their disposal highly skilled musicians who are trained to work within professional bodies, such as a symphony orchestra or string quartet, and who then relies on the efficiency of these professionally trained bodies to interpret his scores as he sees fit. On the surface this appears to run contradictory to the Jazz composer whom, â€Å"Has to write for specific combinations which do not exist until he brings them into being, and to rely on highly individual executants whose personal style must be blended together to give expression to his own ideas without†¦losing their individuality†.2 Yet to interpret this blending of highl y individualistic sounds as proof of a schism between this and the rigidly structured Classical composer is a false impression. This fallacy can be attributed to overemphasizing the sporadic and improvisational aspects of Jazz and refusi... ...usical category. From Bach to Mozart, Beethoven and even Tchaikovsyky employed it as a stylistic feature in their pieces.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, one can see the shared characteristics of the two musical styles. Yet I find myself pressing again the reasoning for this paper, for I must submit that I am in no way declaring that Classical music equates Jazz. The two musical categories are different in numerous ways, but one must wonder does this difference justify the mistreatment of Jazz. Throughout history great innovations have been created not thought the passive means, but through the torrent fires of dissent. Classical music has born the scars of numerous dissenting musicians, all of who now stands as pinnacles of their craft. Yet now we have arrived at a time in which this reverent originality has become cause for scorn, and it is this debasement that I am addressing. By showing the similarities of the two genres, I had hoped in quenching this distaste for Jazz. This musical elitism that is being perpetuated can lead only to a disastrous finale for all who engage in it. Duke Ellington has it right when he stated, â€Å"There are only two types of music, good music and the rest.†18

Brand Name

As stated in â€Å"Brand Durability Challenged† (201 1) people usually feel connected with and loyalty to the brands that have been in the market for many years. â€Å"Credibility, quality and consistency' (Moisakos, 201 1) of the old brand can build consumer loyalty. The connection between people and brands might be the reason why most people usually buy the same thing over and over. This idea can be related to Civilian(2007)g's idea that people usually buy things that they know about because they feel safe and comfortable with, and they think those products are good.According to Westbound (201 0), it has been discovered that more than half of the consumers who participated in the latest consumer survey decided what brands to buy at the store. If there are two products with same prices, they often choose the one with a brand because many people use it. To illustrate, Caviar (2007) reports that a study by Stanford University found that when the exact same food was given to ch ildren-the only difference being the container in which it was served-, most of the children said that the food that was in McDonald's packaging tasted better.In other words, people have a mind-set that products with brands have better quality than those without brands. On the other hand, according to the article â€Å"Are you wasting money on brand names† Consumer Reports has done a survey and seventeen percent Of participants thought that name brand food contained more nutritious than other products. However, it is discovered that there are no big differences between nutrition of the tested products which are both brand name products and store brand products. Many consumers are proud of themselves when they use brand names products.These products usually include cars, clothes, and electronic devices. People have good feelings when buying those products. They feel confident to go out of their house with Nikkei shoes, Levies t-shirt, and Gucci bag. Those are popular brands fo r clothing and they are very expensive. People go shopping for these brands because they want to show off and feel rich. A great example is about the t-shirts. Nikkei t-shirts are more expensive than other t-shirt without brand, but people still want to pay more for it. Martin (2003) reports that even though Nikkei is accused of labor abuse, Nikkei still succeeds in building image of its brand.A lot of people still feel good with it, and they still buy its products. This makes it obvious how much consumers treasure their identification with the image of Nikkei. On the other hand, it is obvious that if a product or a brand has a bad image, not many people will want to buy that product or that brand because they think that it might lower their look. The image Of the brand is an important factor Of consumer's purchasing decision. In the civilization, most people like to follow the majority because they like to be part of the group.In Caviar's article, Dan Goldstein, an assistant profes sor of marketing at London Business School, says that â€Å"People tend to believe, If I've heard of [a product] before, it's probably because it's popular, and popular things are good. † This quote shows that people in today's world like popular things. Brand names are usually popular and people purchase them because of their popularity. Advertising is one way to introduce a product to consumers. According to Marksman(2011), people were requested to see a line of BBS (BOBBY), but there was also a â€Å"b† in some lines(Bobby).They were asked to count the line with â€Å"b†. Before each line was shown, fifty' percent of the respondents saw the brand name of the ice tea. After the test was done, people, again, were asked to choose the drinks. The choices are the ice tea and water. People who were thirsty chose to drink the ice tea more than water. The example can demonstrate that advertising can also be a part of reasons why people choose a particular product. Re putation is not only the reason why people choose to buy a brand name product, but design of sound and logo of the brand name is also another important factor.

TOEIC Listening Practice Short Talks

Media s Negative Influence On Public View Of Law Enforcement

Media s Negative Influence on Public View of Law Enforcement The two common opposing views towards police officers is a supper cop who saves the day and a violent officer who harms civilians. As a society we tend to zoom in on every blemish and mistake law enforcement makes and the media often encourages these views. In news outlets when police positively contribute to the community it usually only makes headlines for a day or two, but when a crisis occurs it receives high media coverage for weeks at a time. Recently there have been controversial cases surrounding police brutality which have fed the belief that police using excessive and deadly force is a the most common reflex. In reality it’s not as common as portrayed. In 2010 the New York Police Department received over 206,000 calls involving weapons and of those calls only 33 ended in officers firing their weapons (Anthony, 294). Home videos and pictures showing confrontation between law enforcement and offenders are cau sing wide spread misconception about police brutality. There is no concrete definition of excessive force, but it is generally referred as police force that is unnecessary or unreasonable. Since Police use force frequently in order to restrain a suspect who may cause harm to the public or the officer him or herself, the amount of necessary force can be perceived differently by anyone watching. Officers have to make quick and clear decisions every time they encounter a possible offender. In theShow MoreRelatedThe Problem Of Local Police868 Words   |  4 PagesDescription of the Problem Local police are being overly co-opt by federal law enforcement agencies. They are directing too many resources toward protecting the nation’s borders and other federal duties. 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Blackberry An Tool For Growing Businesses - 1844 Words

Introduction Blackberry, a former smartphone juggernaut, is a company that prides itself in being the most secure and productive mobile services and software firm on the market. It will be critiqued and analyzed in this paper. Following the critique, a recommendation will be made at the end. P.E.S.T.L.E. Upon conducting a pestle analysis of the company, we begin to see the numerous problems that the company needs to overcome. Technological forces apply to all companies in the technology industry. In the case of Blackberry with the advancing pace of technology they need to ensure that they are able to keep up. The trending use of social media, as stated by an article, is an important tool for growing businesses (Cisnero, 2014). Twitter is a prime example of this as most businesses now use it to provide news, support, and to reach out to their users for feedback. As a result, Blackberry should emphasize on the integration the use of social media in to their company. 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Part Three Chapter VI Free Essays

VI Things denied, things untold, things hidden and disguised. The muddy River Orr gushed over the wreckage of the stolen computer, thrown from the old stone bridge at midnight. Simon limped to work on his fractured toe and told everyone that he had slipped on the garden path. We will write a custom essay sample on Part Three Chapter VI or any similar topic only for you Order Now Ruth pressed ice to her bruises and concealed them inexpertly with an old tube of foundation; Andrew’s lip scabbed over, like Dane Tully’s, and Paul had another nosebleed on the bus and had to go straight to the nurse on arrival at school. Shirley Mollison, who had been shopping in Yarvil, did not answer Ruth’s repeated telephone calls until late afternoon, by which time Ruth’s sons had arrived home from school. Andrew listened to the one-sided conversation from the stairs outside the sitting room. He knew that Ruth was trying to take care of the problem before Simon came home, because Simon was more than capable of seizing the receiver from her and shouting and swearing at her friend. ‘†¦ just silly lies,’ she was saying brightly, ‘but we’d be very grateful if you could remove it, Shirley.’ He scowled and the cut on his fat lip threatened to burst open again. He hated hearing his mother asking the woman for a favour. In that moment he was irrationally annoyed that the post had not been taken down already; then he remembered that he had written it, that he had caused everything: his mother’s battered face, his own cut lip and the atmosphere of dread that pervaded the house at the prospect of Simon’s return. ‘I do understand you’ve got a lot of things on †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Ruth was saying cravenly, ‘but you can see how this might do Simon damage, if people believe †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ ‘Yes.’ Ruth sounded tired. ‘She’s going to take those things about Dad off the site so, hopefully, that’ll be the end of it.’ Andrew knew his mother to be intelligent, and much handier around the house than his ham-fisted father. She was capable of earning her own living. ‘Why didn’t she take the post down straight away, if you’re friends?’ he asked, following her into the kitchen. For the first time in his life, his pity for Ruth was mingled with a feeling of frustration that amounted to anger. ‘She’s been busy,’ snapped Ruth. One of her eyes was bloodshot from Simon’s punch. ‘Did you tell her she could be in trouble for leaving defamatory stuff on there, if she moderates the boards? We did that stuff in comput – ‘ ‘I’ve told you, she’s taking it down, Andrew,’ said Ruth angrily. She was not frightened of showing temper to her sons. Was it because they did not hit her, or for some other reason? Andrew knew that her face must ache as badly as his own. ‘So who d’you reckon wrote that stuff about Dad?’ he asked her recklessly. She turned a face of fury upon him. ‘I don’t know,’ she said, ‘but whoever they are, it was a despicable, cowardly thing to do. Everyone’s got something they’d like to hide. How would it be if Dad put some of the things he knows about other people on the internet? But he wouldn’t do it.’ ‘That’d be against his moral code, would it?’ said Andrew. ‘You don’t know your father as well as you think you do!’ shouted Ruth with tears in her eyes. ‘Get out – go and do your homework – I don’t care – just get out!’ Yet the deletion of the post could not remove it from the consciousness of those who were passionately interested in the forthcoming contest for Barry’s seat. Parminder Jawanda had copied the message about Simon Price onto her computer, and kept opening it, subjecting each sentence to the scrutiny of a forensic scientist examining fibres on a corpse, searching for traces of Howard Mollison’s literary DNA. He would have done all he could to disguise his distinctive phraseology, but she was sure that she recognized his pomposity in ‘Mr Price is certainly no stranger to keeping down costs’, and in ‘the benefit of his many useful contacts’. ‘Minda, you don’t know Simon Price,’ said Tessa Wall. She and Colin were having supper with the Jawandas in the Old Vicarage kitchen, and Parminder had started on the subject of the post almost the moment they had crossed the threshold. ‘He’s a very unpleasant man and he could have upset any number of people. I honestly don’t think it’s Howard Mollison. I can’t see him doing anything so obvious.’ ‘Don’t kid yourself, Tessa,’ said Parminder. ‘Howard will do anything to make sure Miles is elected. You watch. He’ll go for Colin next.’ Tessa saw Colin’s knuckles whiten on his fork handle, and wished that Parminder would think before she spoke. She, of anyone, knew what Colin was like; she prescribed his Prozac. Vikram was sitting at the end of the table in silence. His beautiful face fell naturally into a slightly sardonic smile. Tessa had always been intimidated by the surgeon, as she was by all very good-looking men. Although Parminder was one of Tessa’s best friends, she barely knew Vikram, who worked long hours and involved himself much less in Pagford matters than his wife. ‘I told you about the agenda, didn’t I?’ Parminder rattled on. ‘For the next meeting? He’s proposing a motion on the Fields, for us to pass to the Yarvil committee doing the boundary review, and a resolution on forcing the drug clinic out of their building. He’s trying to rush it all through, while Barry’s seat’s empty.’ She kept leaving the table to fetch things, opening more cupboard doors than was necessary, distracted and unfocused. Twice she forgot why she had got up, and sat down again, empty-handed. Vikram watched her, everywhere she moved, from beneath his thick eyelashes. ‘I rang Howard last night,’ Parminder said, ‘and I told him we ought to wait until we’re back up to the full complement of councillors before we vote on such big issues. He laughed; he says we can’t wait. Yarvil wants to hear our views, he said, with the boundary review coming up. What he’s really scared of is that Colin’s going to win Barry’s seat, because it won’t be so easy to foist it all on us then. I’ve emailed everyone I think will vote with us, to see if they can’t put pressure on him to delay the votes, for one meeting †¦ ‘†The Ghost of Barry Fairbrother†,’ Parminder added breathlessly. ‘The bastard. He’s not using Barry’s death to beat him. Not if I can help it.’ Tessa thought she saw Vikram’s lips twitch. Old Pagford, led by Howard Mollison, generally forgave Vikram the crimes that it could not forget in his wife: brownness, cleverness and affluence (all of which, to Shirley Mollison’s nostrils, had the whiff of a gloat). It was, Tessa thought, grossly unfair: Parminder worked hard at every aspect of her Pagford life: school ftes and sponsored bakes, the local surgery and the Parish Council, and her reward was implacable dislike from the Pagford old guard; Vikram, who rarely joined or participated in anything, was fawned upon, flattered and spoken of with proprietary approval. ‘Mollison’s a megalomaniac,’ Parminder said, pushing food nervously around her plate. ‘A bully and a megalomaniac.’ Vikram laid down his knife and fork and sat back in his chair. ‘So why,’ he asked, ‘is he happy being chair of the Parish Council? Why hasn’t he tried to get on the District Council?’ ‘Because he thinks that Pagford is the epicentre of the universe,’ snapped Parminder. ‘You don’t understand: he wouldn’t swap being chair of Pagford Parish Council for being Prime Minister. Anyway, he doesn’t need to be on the council in Yarvil; he’s already got Aubrey Fawley there, pushing through the big agenda. All revved up for the boundary review. They’re working together.’ Parminder felt Barry’s absence like a ghost at the table. He would have explained it all to Vikram and made him laugh in the process; Barry had been a superb mimic of Howard’s speech patterns, of his rolling, waddling walk, of his sudden gastrointestinal interruptions. ‘I keep telling her, she’s letting herself get too stressed,’ Vikram told Tessa, who was appalled to find herself blushing slightly, with his dark eyes upon her. ‘You know about this stupid complaint – the old woman with emphysema?’ ‘Yes, Tessa knows. Everyone knows. Do we have to discuss it at the dinner table?’ snapped Parminder, and she jumped to her feet and began clearing the plates. Tessa tried to help, but Parminder told her crossly to stay where she was. Vikram gave Tessa a small smile of solidarity that made her stomach flutter. She could not help remembering, as Parminder clattered around the table, that Vikram and Parminder had had an arranged marriage. (‘It’s only an introduction through the family,’ Parminder had told her, in the early days of their friendship, defensive and annoyed at something she had seen in Tessa’s face. ‘Nobody makes you marry, you know.’ But she had spoken, at other times, of the immense pressure from her mother to take a husband. ‘All Sikh parents want their kids married. It’s an obsession,’ Parminder said bitterly.) Colin saw his plate snatched away without regret. The nausea churning in his stomach was even worse than when he and Tessa had arrived. He might have been encased in a thick glass bubble, so separate did he feel from his three dining companions. It was a sensation with which he was only too familiar, that of walking in a giant sphere of worry, enclosed by it, watching his own terrors roll by, obscuring the outside world. Tessa was no help: she was being deliberately cool and unsympathetic about his campaign for Barry’s seat. The whole point of this supper was so that Colin could consult Parminder on the little leaflets he had produced, advertising his candidacy. Tessa was refusing to get involved, blocking discussion of the fear that was slowly engulfing him. She was refusing him an outlet. Trying to emulate her coolness, pretending that he was not, after all, caving under self-imposed pressure, he had not told her about the telephone call from the Yarvil and District Gazette that he had received at school that day. The journalist on the end of the line had wanted to talk about Krystal Weedon. Had he touched her? Colin had told the woman that the school could not possibly discuss a pupil and that Krystal must be approached through her parents. ‘I’ve already talked to Krystal,’ said the voice on the end of the line. ‘I only wanted to get your – ‘ But he had put the receiver down, and terror had blotted out everything. Why did they want to talk about Krystal? Why had they called him? Had he done something? Had he touched her? Had she complained? The psychologist had taught him not to try and confirm or disprove the content of such thoughts. He was supposed to acknowledge their existence, then carry on as normal, but it was like trying not to scratch the worst itch you had ever known. The public unveiling of Simon Price’s dirty secrets on the council website had stunned him: the terror of exposure, which had dominated so much of Colin’s life, now wore a face, its features those of an ageing cherub, with a demonic brain seething beneath a deerstalker on tight grey curls, behind bulging inquisitive eyes. He kept remembering Barry’s tales of the delicatessen owner’s formidable strategic brain, and of the intricate web of alliances that bound the sixteen members of Pagford Parish Council. Colin had often imagined how he would find out that the game was up: a guarded article in the paper; faces turned away from him when he entered Mollison and Lowe’s; the headmistress calling him into her office for a quiet word. He had visualized his downfall a thousand times: his shame exposed and hung around his neck like a leper’s bell, so that no concealment would be possible, ever again. He would be sacked. He might end up in prison. ‘Colin,’ Tessa prompted quietly; Vikram was offering him wine. She knew what was going on inside that big domed forehead; not the specifics, but the theme of his anxiety had been constant for years. She knew that Colin could not help it; it was the way he was made. Many years before, she had read, and recognized as true, the words of W. B. Yeats: ‘A pity beyond all telling is hid at the heart of love.’ She had smiled over the poem, and stroked the page, because she had known both that she loved Colin, and that compassion formed a huge part of her love. Sometimes, though, her patience wore thin. Sometimes she wanted a little concern and reassurance too. Colin had erupted into a predictable panic when she had told him that she had received a firm diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, but once she had convinced him that she was not in imminent danger of dying, she had been taken aback by how quickly he dropped the subject, how completely he reimmersed himself in his election plans. (That morning, at breakfast, she had tested her blood sugar with the glucometer for the first time, then taken out the prefilled needle and inserted it into her own belly. It had hurt much more than when deft Parminder did it. Fats had seized his cereal bowl and swung round in his chair away from her, sloshing milk over the table, the sleeve of his school shirt and onto the kitchen floor. Colin had let out an inchoate shout of annoyance as Fats spat his mouthful of cornflakes back into his bowl, and demanded of his mother, ‘Have you got to do that at the bloody table?’ ‘Don’t be so damn rude and disgusting!’ shouted Colin. ‘Sit up properly! Wipe up that mess! How dare you speak to your mother like that? Apologize!’ Tessa withdrew the needle too fast; she had made herself bleed. ‘I’m sorry that you shooting up at breakfast makes me want to puke, Tess,’ said Fats from under the table, where he was wiping the floor with a bit of kitchen roll. ‘Your mother isn’t â€Å"shooting up†, she’s got a medical condition!’ shouted Colin. ‘And don’t call her â€Å"Tess†!’ ‘I know you don’t like needles, Stu,’ said Tessa, but her eyes were stinging; she had hurt herself, and felt shaken and angry with both of them, feelings that were still with her this evening.) Tessa wondered why Parminder did not appreciate Vikram’s concern. Colin never noticed when she was stressed. Perhaps, Tessa thought angrily, there’s something in this arranged marriage business †¦ my mother certainly wouldn’t have chosen Colin for me †¦ Parminder was shoving bowls of cut fruit across the table for pudding. Tessa wondered a little resentfully what she would have offered a guest who was not diabetic, and comforted herself with the thought of a bar of chocolate lying at home in the fridge. Parminder, who had talked five times as much as anybody else all through supper, had started ranting about her daughter, Sukhvinder. She had already told Tessa on the telephone about the girl’s betrayal; she went through it all again at the table. ‘Waitressing with Howard Mollison. I don’t, I really don’t know what she’s thinking. But Vikram – ‘ ‘They don’t think, Minda,’ Colin proclaimed, breaking his long silence. ‘That’s teenagers. They don’t care. They’re all the same.’ ‘Colin, what rubbish,’ snapped Tessa. ‘They aren’t all the same at all. We’d be delighted if Stu went and got himself a Saturday job – not that there’s the remotest chance of that.’ ‘ – but Vikram doesn’t mind,’ Parminder pressed on, ignoring the interruption. ‘He can’t see anything wrong with it, can you?’ Vikram answered easily: ‘It’s work experience. She probably won’t make university; there’s no shame in it. It’s not for everyone. I can see Jolly married early, quite happy.’ ‘Waitressing †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ ‘Well, they can’t all be academic, can they?’ ‘No, she certainly isn’t academic,’ said Parminder, who was almost quivering with anger and tension. ‘Her marks are absolutely atrocious – no aspiration, no ambition – waitressing – â€Å"let’s face it, I’m not going to get into uni† – no, you certainly won’t, with that attitude – with Howard Mollison †¦ oh, he must have absolutely loved it – my daughter going cap in hand for a job. What was she thinking – what was she thinking?’ ‘You wouldn’t like it if Stu took a job with someone like Mollison,’ Colin told Tessa. ‘I wouldn’t care,’ said Tessa. ‘I’d be thrilled he was showing any kind of work ethic. As far as I can tell, all he seems to care about is computer games and – ‘ But Colin did not know that Stuart smoked; she broke off, and Colin said, ‘Actually, this would be exactly the kind of thing Stuart would do. Insinuate himself with somebody he knew we didn’t like, to get at us. He’d love that.’ ‘For goodness sake, Colin, Sukhvinder isn’t trying to get at Minda,’ said Tessa. ‘So you think I’m being unreasonable?’ Parminder shot at Tessa. ‘No, no,’ said Tessa, appalled at how quickly they had been sucked into the family row. ‘I’m just saying, there aren’t many places for kids to work in Pagford, are there?’ ‘And why does she need to work at all?’ said Parminder, raising her hands in a gesture of furious exasperation. ‘Don’t we give her enough money?’ ‘Money you earn yourself is always different, you know that,’ said Tessa. Tessa’s chair faced a wall that was covered in photographs of the Jawanda children. She had sat here often, and had counted how many appearances each child made: Jaswant, eighteen; Rajpal, nineteen; and Sukhvinder, nine. There was only one photograph on the wall celebrating Sukhvinder’s individual achievements: the picture of the Winterdown rowing team on the day that they had beaten St Anne’s. Barry had given all the parents an enlarged copy of this picture, in which Sukhvinder and Krystal Weedon were in the middle of the line of eight, with their arms around each other’s shoulders, beaming and jumping up and down so that they were both slightly blurred. Barry, she thought, would have helped Parminder see things the right way. He had been a bridge between mother and daughter, both of whom had adored him. Not for the first time, Tessa wondered how much difference it made that she had not given birth to her son. Did she find it easier to accept him as a separate individual than if he had been made from her flesh and blood? Her glucose-heavy, tainted blood †¦ Fats had recently stopped calling her ‘Mum’. She had to pretend not to care, because it made Colin so angry; but every time Fats said ‘Tessa’ it was like a needle jab to her heart. The four of them finished their cold fruit in silence. How to cite Part Three Chapter VI, Essay examples