Definition of Irony Essay - 652 Words

Definition of Irony Irony is a word that has been around in my life since I was six years old. I remember it exactly, the day that the word entered my vocabulary. My mom and I were driving to my grandma’s house and I was reading a â€Å"Calvin and Hobbes† comic from the paper earlier that morning. Calvin had been saving a snowball in the freezer for 4 months and was going to use it. He snuck up on his nemesis, Suzy, and threw it as hard as he could, and missed. He goes into hysterics, wondering how he could have missed that perfect shot, while, at the same time Suzy is scooping up the pile of snow lying in front of her. Calvin turns in time to see Suzy grinning as she hurls it in his face. The last panel has Calvin lying on the ground†¦show more content†¦This means that you can make fun of someone, and make them feel really dumb, which is something that the media loves to do. The T.V. shows â€Å"Saturday Night Live†, â€Å"Friends†, â€Å"Fraiser†, and â₠¬Å"The Simpsons† are all perfect examples of irony. â€Å"Fraiser† is a show that loves to use the concept of irony to play with the characters of the show, getting them into some precarious situations. Irony in entertainment isn’t something new though. In greek tragedies, famous playwrights used irony to entertain audiences for years. Sophicles used irony in one of his most famous plays, â€Å"Oedipus† where a young couple, who were King and Queen of a land, were told by a prophecy that their son would kill the father. Frightened by this knowledge, they took their son and chained him to a mountain far away. A shepherd found the boy and raised him as his own. The boy grew to become a man, and, while walking on a path, was told to move so that a royal coach may pass. He didn’t want to move and ended up killing all of the guards and the king himself. He then ventured to the next town, which happened to be the city where his parents ruled, and wound up marrying the queen. When they found out what had happened, he took a pin and jabbed out his eyes. The Greeks knew that word as ironia, which is latin. They knew it to mean dissimulation, ignorance purposely aff ected. Probably the most famous greek to useShow MoreRelatedThe dictionary definition of satire is the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose1100 Words   |  5 PagesThe dictionary definition of satire is the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize peoples stupidity or vices. Particularly, in the context of contemporary politics or other topical issues. If one were to examine contemporary culture today they would notice that it is becoming more and more satirized. One could argue this by turning on any program and listening for hidden messages alluding to some cause or political reference. Satire appears in many forms and mayRead Moreâ€Å"Aristotle’s Definition of the Tragic Hero and Irony in Tragedy† Oedipus Rex, Othello, and Death of a Salesman3217 Words   |  13 PagesClassification and definition of tragedy are among many things widely disputed in the all too equivocal realm of composition and literary studies. Thes e erroneous concepts happen to be directly correlated in Aristotelian theory which leads us to his definition of the tragic hero. Aristotle’s conceptualization of tragedy and all that it encompasses is widely revered and accepted; setting the standard previously and contemporaneously. The interpretation of his definition of tragedy is ambiguous, butRead MoreIrony in A Pair of Tickets and A Rocking Horse Winner1405 Words   |  6 Pages P. Vedula English-1102 (60384) 04 July 2012 Rough draft with markups on irony in â€Å"A Pair of Tickets† and â€Å"A Rocking Horse Winner† Two of the many definitions of irony that I like are found on dictionary.com. The first definition states that irony is â€Å"incongruity between what is expected to be and what actually is, or a situation or result showing such incongruity† (â€Å"Irony†). The second defines Dramatic irony as †¦irony that is inherent in speeches or a situation of a drama and is understood byRead MoreShort Story Irony913 Words   |  4 Pagesmuch irony that it knocks your socks off? Irony takes place in all these stories we are talking about. The Merriam-Webster definition of irony is â€Å"the use of words to express something other than, and especially the opposite, of the literal meaning.† These stories will keep you wondering what’s going to happen and when you least expect it, irony will come out of no where and surprise the reader. In the short stories, â€Å"The Veldt,† â€Å"Just Lather, That’s All,† and â€Å"The Ransom of Red Chief,â⠂¬  Irony is activeRead MoreKurt Vonnegut : The Concept Of Postmodernism1598 Words   |  7 Pagesaforementioned definition, by which two girls are observing the world through an innocent and non-obligatory perspective. His poem also shows the definition sparked by Lyotard, of equating the postmodern era to a world of error with no absolute truth, where humans are powerless as seen through the scope of evolution. Kurt Vonnegut’s â€Å"Untitled,† reflects the postmodern-characteristic theme of division in the 21st society through the examination of gender roles through humor and irony; humans and non-humansRead MoreIrony in Brave New World1022 Words   |  5 PagesBy now, you should have learned about irony, one of the most important literary devices used. There are many definitions of irony, but a simple definition is the contrast between what was supposed to happen and what actually happens. Irony is separated into three types: situational irony (you crave oranges, turns out you are allergic to them), verbal irony (â€Å"Oh, you are so funny!† when someone is not funny [sarcasm]), and dramatic irony (while reading, you know there is a monster in the closet, butRead MoreContemporary Rhetoric Test # 11364 Words   |  6 PagesLorena Vicuna Contemporary Rhetoric Test#1 †¢ What 3 fundamental concepts are important to understanding and explaining the rhetorical function of the parody? Concept #1= Satire Concept #2= Ideology Concept #3= Irony Before going into detail on what each concept means and what relationship it has in us understanding the rhetorical fundamental of parody, it would be nice to know what Parody is and where it originated. 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Verbal irony by definition is when someone states one thing and means another; an incongruity between what is said and what is meant. Twain uses verbal irony in his novel when the band of robbers are discussing the meaning of â€Å"ransoming.† Tom says, â€Å"Well I dont know, but perhaps if we keep them tillRead MoreEnglish Segment 1 Study Guide1694 Words   |  7 Pagesa. Definition Play in words b. Example Writing with a broken pencil is pointless Malapropism a. Definition misusing words ridiculously b. Example Listen to the blabbing brook Understatement a. Definition A figure of speech making a statement less or more important than it really is.   b. Example Its sprinkling outside when its actually poring rain. Oxymoron a. Definition Words that conflict each other b. Example Chewy like a solid but juicy like a liquid Verbal Irony a

Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Three Free Essays

â€Å"WHAT DID YOU DO?† I was sitting on the end of a row of seats at Jill’s fashion show almost a week later, in downtown Palm Springs, waiting for things to start. I hadn’t even known Trey was at the show and was startled to suddenly find him kneeling beside me. â€Å"What exactly are you referring to?† I asked him. We will write a custom essay sample on Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Three or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"There are about a million things I can take credit for.† He scoffed and kept his voice pitched low, which wasn’t too necessary with the dull roar of conversation around us. Several hundred had turned out to see the show. â€Å"I’m talking about Slade and friends, and you know it,† Trey said. â€Å"They’ve been really upset about something this week. They keep complaining about those stupid tattoos.† He looked at me meaningfully. â€Å"What?† I asked, putting on a face of innocence. â€Å"Why do you think this has anything to do with me?† â€Å"Are you saying it doesn’t?† he asked, not fooled in the least. I could feel a traitorous smile playing over my lips. After raiding Keith’s apartment, the Alchemists had made sure his tattooist partners no longer had the means to administer illicit tattoos. There’d also been no more talk of Zoe replacing me. It had taken days before Slade and his friends had realized their connection to performance-enhancing ink was gone. I’d been observing their furtive conversations with amusement this week but hadn’t realized Trey had noticed as well. â€Å"Let’s just say that Slade may soon no longer be the superstar he’s been,† I said. â€Å"Hope you’re ready to step up and take his place.† Trey studied me a few moments more, apparently hoping I’d add something else. When I didn’t, he simply shook his head and chuckled. â€Å"Anytime you need coffee, Melbourne, you come see me.† â€Å"Noted,† I said. I gestured toward the still-growing crowd. â€Å"What are you doing here anyway? I didn’t realize you were interested in today’s hottest fashions.† â€Å"I’m not,† he agreed. â€Å"But I’ve got a couple of friends working on the show.† â€Å"Girlfriends?† I asked slyly. He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Friends who are girls. I have no time for silly female distractions.† â€Å"Really? I figured that’s why you got your tattoo. I hear women go for that kind of thing.† Trey stiffened. â€Å"What are you talking about?† I remembered that Kristin and Julia had mentioned how strange it was that Trey had a tattoo of his own and Eddie had later mentioned seeing it on Trey’s lower back in the locker room. Eddie had said it looked like a multi-rayed sun made of very ordinary ink. I’d been waiting for a chance to tease Trey about it. â€Å"Don’t play coy. I know about your sunshine. How come you always give me such a hard time, huh?† â€Å"I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He was truly at a loss. More than that. He looked uncomfortable, worried – like this was something he hadn’t wanted me to know about. That was weird. It wasn’t that big a deal. I was about to question him more when Adrian suddenly made his way to us through the crowd. Trey took one look at Adrian’s stormy face and immediately got to his feet. I could understand his reaction. Adrian’s expression would’ve intimidated me too. â€Å"Well,† said Trey uneasily. â€Å"Thanks again. I’ll catch you later.† I murmured a goodbye and watched as Adrian slipped past me. Micah sat beside me, then Eddie, and then two empty seats we’d saved. Adrian sat down in one of them, ignoring Eddie’s greeting. Moments later, Lee came hurrying in and took the other seat. He looked troubled about something but still managed to be friendlier than Adrian. Adrian stared stonily ahead, and my good mood plummeted. Somehow, without knowing why, I had a feeling I was the reason for his dark mood. We had no time to pursue it, though. The lights went down and the show began. It was emceed by a local newscaster, who introduced the five designers showing tonight. Jill’s designer was third, and watching the others go before her made the anticipation that much more intense. This was worlds away from the practice sessions I’d seen before. The lights and the music took everything to a more professional level, and the other models seemed so much older and seasoned. I began to share Jill’s earlier anxiety, that maybe she was out of her league. Then Lia DiStefano’s turn came. Jill was one of her first models and emerged wearing a flowing, silvery evening gown made of some fabric that seemed to defy gravity. A half mask of pearls and silver covered up her part of her face, obscuring her identity to those who didn’t know better. I would’ve expected them to tone down her vampire features a little, to possibly give her a little more humanlike color. Instead, they’d played up her unusual looks, putting a luminescent powder on her skin that enhanced her paleness in a way that made her look otherworldly. Every single curl had been arranged into place, artfully falling around her and bedecked with tiny glittering jewels. Her walk had improved vastly since that first practice. She’d practically slept in those high heels and had gone beyond simply not trying to fall over. There was a new confidence and purpose that hadn’t been there before. Every once in a while, I’d catch a faint glimpse of nervousness in her eyes or an adjustment in her stride as she managed the tall silver heels. I doubted anyone else noticed those things, however. Anyone who didn’t know Jill and her traits well would see nothing but a strong, ethereal woman striding down the catwalk. Amazing. If she could transform this much with only a little encouragement, what more was to come? Glancing at the guys beside me, I saw similar feelings mirrored in their faces. Adrian’s was filled with that brotherly pride he often had for her, all traces of his earlier bad mood vanished. Micah and Lee both displayed pure, unfiltered adoration. To my surprise, Eddie’s expression was adoring too, along with something else. It was almost†¦ worshipful. This was it, I realized. In coming out as this beautiful, larger-than-life goddess-like creature, Jill was giving flesh to all of Eddie’s idealistic, protective fantasies. She was the perfect princess now, with her dutiful knight waiting to serve. She appeared two more times in Lia’s line, stunning each time, though never quite matching that initial debut in the silver dress. I watched the rest of the show with only half an eye. My pride and affection for Jill were too distracting, and honestly, most of the clothes I saw tonight were way too flashy for my tastes. There was a reception after the show, where guests, designers, and models could mingle over refreshments. My little group found a corner near the hors d’oeuvres to wait for Jill, who had yet to make an appearance. Lee carried an enormous bouquet of white lilies. Adrian watched a waitress go by with a tray full of champagne glasses. His eyes were filled with longing, but he made no moves to stop her. I was proud and relieved. Jill, balance, and alcohol were not things we wanted to mix. When the waitress was gone, Adrian turned to me, and I finally saw that earlier anger return. And, as I’d suspected, it was directed toward me. â€Å"When were you going to tell me?† he asked. It was as enigmatic as Trey’s earlier opening line. â€Å"Tell you what?† â€Å"That the financial aid isn’t going to come through! I talked to the registrar’s office, and they said you knew.† I sighed. â€Å"I wasn’t keeping it from you, exactly. I just didn’t have a chance to tell you yet. There were kind of a lot of other things going on.† Okay, I actually had been putting it off, for exactly this reason. Well, not exactly. I hadn’t anticipated he would get so worked up about it. â€Å"You apparently had enough time to pay the auditing fee, though. And enough money. But not enough to fund new lodging.† I think what was more upsetting about this than the topic was the insinuation that I had somehow chosen to act in a way that would inconvenience him. Like I’d purposely subject myself to this if there’d been some way to avoid it. â€Å"A onetime payment was easy to slip in,† I told him. â€Å"Month-to-month rent? Not so much.† â€Å"Then why bother at all?† he exclaimed. â€Å"The whole point of this was to get me money to get out of Clarence’s! I wouldn’t be taking these stupid classes otherwise. You think I want to ride the bus for hours each day?† â€Å"Those classes are good for you,† I countered, feeling my own temper rise. I hadn’t wanted to lose control, not here and certainly not with our friends witnessing everything. Yet I was appalled at Adrian’s reaction. Couldn’t he see how good it was for him to do something useful? I’d seen his face when he showed me his paintings. They’d given him a healthy channel to deal with Rose, not to mention a sense of purpose for him. And besides, it killed me to see how casually he could just toss aside those â€Å"stupid† classes. It was another reminder of the unfairness of the world, how I couldn’t have what others took for granted. He scowled. â€Å"‘Good for me?’ Come on, stop being my mom again! It isn’t your job to tell me how to live my life. If I want your advice, I’ll ask for it.† â€Å"Right,† I said, putting my hands on my hips. â€Å"It’s not my job to tell you how to live your life – just my job to make it as easy as possible for you. Because God knows you can’t suffer through anything that’s a little inconvenient. What happened to all those things you told me? About being serious about improving your life? When you asked me to believe in you?† â€Å"Come on, you guys,† said Eddie uneasily. â€Å"This isn’t the time or place.† Adrian ignored him. â€Å"You have no problem making Jill’s life as easy as possible.† â€Å"That is my job,† I growled back. â€Å"And she’s still a girl. I wouldn’t think an adult like you would need taking care of the same way!† Adrian’s eyes were filled with emerald fire as he glared down at me, and then his gaze focused on something behind me. I turned and saw Jill approaching. She was back in the silver gown, her expression full of radiant happiness – happiness that plummeted as she got closer and realized there was an altercation going on. By the time she was standing next to me, all her excitement from a moment ago had been replaced by worry and concern. â€Å"What’s happening?† she asked, looking between Adrian and me. Of course, she had to already know because of the bond. It was a wonder his dark feelings hadn’t messed up her performance. â€Å"Nothing,† I said flatly. â€Å"Well,† said Adrian. â€Å"It depends how you define ‘nothing.’ I mean, if you consider lying and – â€Å" â€Å"Stop it!† I cried, raising my voice in spite of my best effort. The room was too noisy for most to notice, but a couple people standing nearby glanced at us curiously. â€Å"Just stop it, Adrian. Can you please not ruin this for her? Can’t you just for one night pretend there are other people in the world who matter besides you?† â€Å"Ruin it for her?† he exclaimed. â€Å"How the hell can you say that? You know what I’ve done for her! I’ve done everything for her! I’ve given up everything for her!† â€Å"Really?† I asked. â€Å"Because from what I can tell, it doesn’t seem like – â€Å" I caught sight of Jill’s face and promptly cut myself off. Behind the mask, her eyes had gone wide with dismay at the accusations Adrian and I were slinging back and forth. I’d just told Adrian he was selfish and not thinking of Jill, yet here I was, continuing to engage with him on her big night, in front of her and our friends. It didn’t matter if I was right – and I felt certain I was. This was no time to be having this discussion. I shouldn’t have let Adrian bait me into this, and if he didn’t have the sense to stop things before they got worse, then I would. â€Å"I’m leaving,† I said. I forced as sincere a smile as I could for Jill, who now looked on the verge of tears. â€Å"You were amazing tonight. Really.† â€Å"Sydney – â€Å" â€Å"It’s okay,† I told her. â€Å"I’ve got some things to do.† I groped for what they would actually be. â€Å"I need to, um, clean up the stuff Keith left behind. Can you get her and Eddie back to Amberwood?† This was directed to Micah and Lee. I knew one of them would step up. I felt no need to make any such provisions for Adrian. I honestly didn’t care what became of him tonight. â€Å"Of course,† said Lee and Micah in unison. After a moment, though, Lee frowned. â€Å"Why do you need to clean up Keith’s stuff?† â€Å"Long story,† I muttered. â€Å"Let’s just say he left town and won’t be back anytime soon. Maybe never.† Inexplicably, Lee seemed bothered by this. Maybe during all the time Keith had spent at Clarence’s, the two guys had become friends. If so, Lee owed me. Jill still looked upset. â€Å"I thought we were all going out to celebrate?† â€Å"You can if you want,† I said. â€Å"As long as Eddie’s with you, I really don’t care.† I reached awkwardly to Jill. I almost wanted to hug her, but she was so elaborate and magnificent in her clothing and makeup that I was afraid of ruining her. I settled for a halfhearted pat on the shoulder. â€Å"I meant it. You were breathtaking.† I hurried away, half-afraid that either Adrian or I would crack and say something stupid to the other. I had to get myself out of there. My hope now was that Adrian would have enough sense to let the topic go and not make this night any worse for Jill. I didn’t know why the fight with him upset me so much. He and I had been bickering nearly since we’d met. What was one more quarrel? It’s because we’d been getting along, I realized. I still didn’t think of him in human terms, but somewhere along the way, I’d come to regard him as a little less of a monster. â€Å"Sydney?† I was stopped by an unexpected source: Laurel. She had touched my arm as I passed by a group of girls from Amberwood. I must have looked really mad because when I fixed my gaze on her, she actually flinched. That had to be a first. â€Å"What?† I asked. She swallowed and stepped away from her friends, eyes wide and desperate. A fedora covered most of her hair, which – I’d heard – she still hadn’t been able to restore to normal. â€Å"I heard†¦ I heard you might be able to help me. With my hair,† she said. That was another favor Kristin had done me. After letting Laurel suffer for a few days, I’d had Kristin put out the word that Sydney Melrose – with her dorm room pharmacy – might be able to fix what was wrong. I’d also made sure, however, that it was understood that Laurel wasn’t my favorite person and that it would take a lot to convince me. â€Å"Maybe,† I said. I tried to keep my face hard, which wasn’t difficult since I was still so upset over Adrian. â€Å"Please,† she said. â€Å"I’ll do whatever you want if you can help me! I’ve tried everything on my hair, and nothing works.† To my astonishment, she shoved some yearbooks at me. â€Å"Here. You wanted these, right? Take them. Take whatever you want.† Another five days of scrubbing with heavy detergent would actually fix her, but I certainly wasn’t going to tell her. I took the yearbooks. â€Å"If I help you,† I said, â€Å"you need to leave my sister alone. Do you understand?† â€Å"Yes,† she said quickly. â€Å"I don’t think you do. No more stunts, bullying, or talking about her behind her back. You don’t have to be her best friend, but I don’t want you interfering with her anymore. Stay out of her life.† I paused. â€Å"Well, except to offer an apology.† Laurel was nodding along with everything I said. â€Å"Yes, yes! I’ll apologize right now!† I lifted my eyes to where Jill was standing with her admirers, Lee’s flowers in her arms. â€Å"No. Don’t make this night any weirder for her. Tomorrow’s soon enough.† â€Å"I will,† said Laurel. â€Å"I promise. Just tell me what to do. How to fix this.† I hadn’t expected Laurel to approach me tonight, but I had been expecting her one of these days. So, I already had the small bottle of antidote ready in my purse. I retrieved it, and her eyes nearly popped out of her head as I held it in front of her. â€Å"One dose is all you need. Use it just like shampoo. Then you’ll have to re-dye it.† She reached for the bottle, and I jerked it back. â€Å"I mean it. Your harassment of Jill ends now. If I give this to you, I will not hear one more word about you giving her a hard time. No more grief if she talks to Micah. No more vampire jokes. No more calling Nevermore and asking about tall, pale people.† She gaped. â€Å"No more what? I never called anyone!† I hesitated. When the tattooist had mentioned someone calling and asking about people who looked like vampires, I’d assumed it was Laurel running with the vampire joke. From the baffled look on her face now, I no longer thought that was true. â€Å"Well, if I hear about any of the other stuff continuing, then what happened to your hair will be nothing in comparison to what happens next. Nothing. Do you understand me?† She nodded shakily. â€Å"P-perfectly.† I handed her the bottle. â€Å"Don’t forget.† Laurel started to turn away and then cast another uneasy glance at me. â€Å"You know, you can be scary as hell sometimes.† I wondered if the Alchemists had had any idea what I’d be doing when it came to this job. At least this settled one thing. Laurel’s desperation convinced me the vampire jokes had only been a tactic. She didn’t really believe any of them were true. It did, however, raise the unnerving question about who had asked about vampires at Nevermore. When I was finally out of the building and heading toward my car, I decided I really would go to Keith’s. Someone needed to sort through his belongings, and it seemed like a safe way to avoid the others. I still had a couple of hours before curfew at Amberwood. Keith’s apartment hadn’t been disturbed since the Alchemists had raided it. The telltale signs from before were there, where we’d discovered his stash of Clarence’s blood and silver supplies. The Alchemists had done little more than retrieve the essentials they needed and had left the rest of his belongings behind. My hope in coming tonight had been to get ahold of his other ingredients, the ones not used to manufacture illicit tattoos. It was always handy to have extra amounts of those chemicals on hand, be it for destroying Strigoi bodies or making dorm room chemistry experiments. No such luck. Even if his other supplies hadn’t been illegal, the Alchemists had apparently decided to confiscate all chemicals and ingredients. Since I was here, though, I decided to see if any of his other possessions were items that would be of use to me. Keith certainly hadn’t held back in using his illicit funds to furnish the apartment with every comfort of home. Scratch that. I doubted his home had anything like this: a California-king-sized bed, giant flatscreen TV, a theater-worthy sound system, and enough food to throw parties every night for the next month. I peered through cupboard after cupboard, appalled at how much of that food was junk food. Still, maybe it’d be worth taking some of it back for Jill and Eddie, so I bagged up the more portable sweets for them, organizing by color and size. I wondered also about the practicality of hauling the TV back to Amberwood. It seemed like a waste to leave it for the Alchemists’ repo crew, though I could already imagine Mrs. Weathers’s expression if she saw us dragging it up the stairs. I wasn’t even sure Jill and I had a wall big enough to hold it. I sat down in Keith’s recliner to ponder the TV issue. Even the recliner was top of the line. The luxurious leather felt like butter, and I practically sank into the cushions. Too bad there was no room for it in Ms. Terwilliger’s room. I could see her relaxing back in it while drinking cappuccino and reading old documents. Well, whatever became of the rest of Keith’s stuff, it was going to require the rental of a moving truck because Latte certainly couldn’t handle the TV, chair, or most of the other things. Once this was decided, there was no reason for me to stay any longer tonight, but I hated to go back. I was afraid of seeing Jill. There was no reaction of hers I welcomed. If she was still sad from the argument, that would make me feel guilty. If she tried to defend Adrian, that would upset me too. I sighed. This chair was so ridiculously comfortable, I might as well enjoy it a little longer. I dug into my messenger bag, looking for homework, and remembered the yearbooks. Kelly Hayes. I’d had almost no time to think about her or the murders, not with all the drama surrounding Keith and the tattoos. Kelly had been a junior when she died, and I had a yearbook for each of her years at Amberwood. Even as a freshman, Kelly took lots of space in the yearbook. I remembered Mrs. Weathers saying Kelly was a good athlete. No kidding. Kelly had participated in nearly every sport Amberwood offered and been exceptional at all of them. She’d made varsity teams during her first year and won all sorts of awards. One thing I also immediately discovered was that Kelly was definitely not a Moroi. That much was obvious, even in black and white, and confirmed in the sophomore-year color spread in the middle. She had a very human build and tanned skin that clearly loved the sun. I was skimming the index of the junior yearbook when I heard a knock at the door. For a moment, I didn’t want to answer. For all I knew, it was some loser friend Keith had made while here, looking to eat his food and watch TV. Then I worried it could be something Alchemist related. I found the Kelly tribute section I’d been seeking and set the yearbook down before tentatively approaching the door. Looking out the peephole, I caught sight of a familiar face. â€Å"Lee?† I asked, opening the door. He gave me a sheepish smile. â€Å"Hey. Sorry to bug you here.† â€Å"What are you doing here?† I exclaimed, beckoning him inside. â€Å"Why aren’t you back with the others?† He followed me into the living room. â€Å"I – I needed to talk to you. When you said you were coming here, it made me wonder if what my father had said was true. That Keith isn’t here anymore?† I sat back down on the recliner. Lee took a spot on the nearby loveseat. â€Å"Yup. Keith’s gone. He was, uh, reassigned.† Keith was off being punished somewhere, and I said good riddance. Lee glanced around, taking in the expensive furnishings. â€Å"This is a nice place.† His eyes fell on the cabinet that had held the alchemy supplies. Its door still hung precariously from its hinges, and I hadn’t bothered tidying up where the Alchemists had cleaned out its other contents. â€Å"Was this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lee frowned. â€Å"Was this place broken into?† â€Å"Not exactly,† I said. â€Å"Keith, um, just needed to find something in a hurry before he left.† Lee wrung his hands and looked around some more before turning back to me. â€Å"And he’s not coming back?† â€Å"Probably not.† Lee’s face fell, which surprised me. I’d always gotten the impression he didn’t like Keith. â€Å"Will another Alchemist be replacing him?† â€Å"I don’t know,† I said. There was still some debate on that. Turning Keith in had stopped me from being replaced by Zoe, and Stanton was now considering just having me fill in as the local Alchemist since the duties were light. â€Å"If someone does, it may be a while.† â€Å"So you’re the only Alchemist in the area,† he repeated, sounding sadder still. I shrugged. â€Å"There are some in Los Angeles.† That inexplicably perked him up a little. â€Å"Really? Could you tell me their – â€Å" Lee stopped as his focus dropped to the open yearbook lying at my feet. â€Å"Oh,† I said, scooping it up. â€Å"Just a research project I’m doing on – â€Å" â€Å"Kelly Hayes.† The cheerful look was gone. â€Å"Yeah. Have you heard of her?† I reached for a nearby piece of scrap paper, intending to use it as a bookmark for the tribute section. â€Å"You might say that,† he replied. I started to ask what he meant, and that’s when I saw it. The spread they’d done in honor of Kelly had pictures from all parts of her high school life. Unsurprisingly, most of them were pictures of her playing sports. There were a few from other areas of her social and academic worlds, including one of her at the prom. She wore a stunning blue satin dress that made the most of her athletic figure and was giving the camera a big grin as she wrapped an arm around her dashing, tuxedo-clad date. Lee. I jerked my head up and looked at Lee, who was now regarding me with an unreadable expression. I turned back to the picture, scrutinizing it carefully. What was remarkable wasn’t that Lee was in the picture – though, believe me, I hadn’t figured out what was going on with that yet. What had me hung up was the timing. This yearbook was five years old. Lee would’ve been fourteen at the time, and the guy looking back at me with Kelly was certainly not that young. The Lee in the picture looked exactly like the nineteen-year-old sitting across from me, which was impossible. Moroi had no special immortality. They aged like humans. I looked back up, wondering if I should be asking if he had a brother. Lee saved me from questioning, though. He simply regarded me with a sad look and shook his head. â€Å"Shit. I hadn’t wanted it to happen like this.† And then, he took out a knife. How to cite Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Three, Essay examples

Themes Of Italian Renaissance Art Essays - Italian Renaissance

Themes of Italian Renaissance Art As the fourteenth century ushered out the Middle Ages in Italy, a new period of cultural flowering began, known as the Renaissance. This period in history was famous for its revival of classical themes and the merging of these themes with the Catholic Church. These themes of humanism, naturalism, individualism, classicism, and learning and reason appeared in every aspect of the Italian Renaissance, most particularly in its art. Humanism can be defined as the idea that human beings are the primary measure of all things (Fleming, 29). Renaissance art showed a renewed interest in man who was depicted in Renaissance art as the center of the world. Pico della Mirandola said that, "there is nothing to be seen more wonderful than man." (Fleming, 284) This could almost be taken as a motto for Renaissance art. Michelangelo's David clearly supports Mirandola's statement. Since Renaissance art focused on representing tangible, human figures, rather than depicting scenes from the Bible in order to praise God, the artists had to think in more natural, scientific terms. Artists became familiar with mathematics and the concept of space, as well as anatomy. Lorenzo Ghiberti studied the anatomical proportions of the body, Filippo Brunelleschi was interested in mathematics in architecture, Leone Battista Alberti, who was skilled in painting, sculpture and architecture, stressed the study of mathematics as the underlying principle of the arts (Fleming, 285). Leonardo also looked at the geometric proportions of the human body (Calder, 197). In painting, but especially in sculpture, artists were inspired to express the structural forms of the body beneath its external appearance. Their anatomical studies opened the way to the modeling and the movements of the human body. In painting, naturalism meant a more realistic representation of everyday objects. In Fra Angelico's Annunciation, he shows an exact reproduction of Tuscan botany (Wallace, 237). Also, the concept of space was important. In painting, figures were placed in a more normal relationship to the space they occupied. Human figures tended to become more personal and individual. Three clear examples of that are Donatello's David, and Leonardo's Mona Lisa and Last Supper, in which the twelve different expressions of the apostles were shown. Every statue, every portrait was an individual person who made a profound impression. Mary and the angel Gabriel became very human in Fra Angelico's Madonna (Wallace, 45). Even when placed in a group, every individual figure stood out separately, as in Boticelli's Adoration of the Magi. One form of art representing the individual was the portrait. Wealthy families and individuals commissioned artists to create statues and paintings. High regard for individual personality is demonstrated in the number and quality of portraits painted at this time (Flemming, 286). Italian Renaissance humanism were motivated by a rediscovery of the values of Greco-Roman civilization. An example of architectural revival is Bramante's Tempietto, a small temple built where St. Peter is said to have been crucified. Bramante later got a chance to build on a much greater scale: St. Peter's Basilica. Clearly using classical civilizations as his model Bramante said of St. Peter's, "I shall place the Pantheon on top of the Basilica of Constantine." (Flemming, 309-310) Other architects went back to the central-type churches modeled on the Pantheon, rather than the rectangular basilica that had evolved over the centuries. They revived classical orders and "blueprints." Decorative motifs were derived directly form ancient sacophagi, reliefs, and carved gems. Sculptors revisited the possibilities of the nude. Painters, however, didn't have the classical references that sculptors had, so they used mythological subjects. With all of the studying and learning of art in the Renaissance, it would be of little wonder that the subject of some of the art was learning itself. The most famous example of this is Raphael's School of Athens. Raphael, along with Michelangelo, was placed in the painting among the ranks of artist-scholars. As members of a philosophical circle intent on reconciling the views of Plato and Aristotle, Raphael and his friends reasoned that Plato and Aristotle were saying the same thing in different words. The two philosophers were placed on either side of the central. On Plato's side, there was a statue of Apollo, the god of poetry. On

States vary in laws related to passive or assisted suicide. What are the laws on this issue in your state essay

States vary in laws related to passive or assisted suicide. What are the laws on this issue in your state essay States vary in laws related to passive or assisted suicide. What are the laws on this issue in your state? essay States vary in laws related to passive or assisted suicide. What are the laws on this issue in your state? essayAssisted suicide is known as euthanasia. Euthanasia can be classified as active and passive. Active type of assisted suicide is based on taking the affirmative steps aimed at the end of life, while passive type is based on failing to take the proper steps which leads to the end of life. Today states vary in laws related to passive or assisted suicide because there are different views on this issue.   In some states, the established laws and regulations prohibit healthcare providers to provide assistance in the act of committing a suicide, while in other states, there is a belief that assisted suicide should be â€Å"available at least for certain categories of patients† (Margolis 8-25). Today assisted suicide is legal in the states Oregon, Washington, Montana, Vermont, and New Mexico. In other states, assisted suicide in considered to be illegal (Assisted Suicide L aws in the United States). The state of Georgia has developed fair laws regarding assisted suicide based on the end of life decisions.In 1994, the Georgia legislature passed the law that discouraged practicing passive or assisted suicide. That law was associated with the case of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, a well-known Michigan pathologist, who began to speak openly about the so-called assistance he provided to more than 100 patients. As a result, many states decided to make assisted suicide illegal or involve the permission of those who want to commit a suicide. In 2012, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that a â€Å"law aimed at controlling assisted suicide was unconstitutional, a decision that is likely to help shape the national debate over the practice† (Severson). The Georgia law explains the act of promoting assisted suicide as a real criminal action. In other words, in Georgia, the legislation does not prohibit all types of assisted suicides, but only those cases in which †Å"assistance had been promoted and in which steps were taken to help carry out the suicide† (Severson). According to the new law, any person who assists another person in committing a suicide shall be considered guilty of a crime and shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one year and not more than ten years.   If a healthcare provider is convicted of taking steps in assisting a suicide, his/her license or registration shall be revoked. According to researchers, â€Å"Georgia is now in the position of being the wild, wild West for those who are promoting doctor-assisted suicide† (qtd. in Severson 1). Besides, in Georgia, the laws permit the natural process of dying, which stands for removing artificial life support, including such practices as â€Å"artificial respiration, intravenous nutrients when a person cannot eat, or keeping the heart beating through small electrical shocks† (Georgia Euthanasia Laws). This fact means that the patient must giv e his consent to remove artificial life support.Thus, it is necessary to conclude that in the state of Georgia, assisted suicide laws are aimed at forbidding this type of practice. Georgia’s law regarding assisted suicide states that mercy killing is not legal because it cannot be approved in any way. However, the state permits the natural process of dying through removing of the artificial life support, if this act is pursuant to the living will of a patient.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Quotes

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Quotes A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving serves up some surprisingly poignant and often funny quotes about Turkey Day. The Peanuts characters, including Lucy, Linus, Patty, Sally, Marcie, and of course, Charlie Brown, maybe youngsters, but they provide plenty of thoughtful wisdom about Thanksgiving traditions like football, turkey and  pumpkin pie. Of course, the words are put into their animated mouths by creator and writer Charles M. Schulz, who was just five days shy of his 51st birthday when the special aired in 1973. It won him the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Childrens Programming. It continued to air every Thanksgiving on CBS until 2000, the year that Schulz died, and then on ABC. Enhance your Thanksgiving dinner conversation with some of these pithy quotes from the TV special, which is also available on DVD and streaming video. Thanksgiving History Linus: In the year 1621, the Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving feast. They invited the great Indian chief Massasoit, who brought 90 of his brave Indians and a great abundance of food. Governor William Bradford and Captain Miles Standish were honored guests. Elder William Brewster, who was a minister, said a prayer that went something like this: We thank God for our homes and our food and our safety in a new land. We thank God for the opportunity to create a new world for freedom and justice. Expressing Thanks Peppermint Patty: Are we going to have a prayer? Its Thanksgiving, you know.Marcie: Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck. We should just be thankful for being together. Traditions Lucy: But Charlie Brown, it’s Thanksgiving. One of the greatest traditions we have is the Thanksgiving Day football game and the biggest, most important tradition of all is the kicking off of the football.Lucy: Isn’t it peculiar, Charlie Brown, how some traditions just slowly fade  away.Charlie Brown, after singing  Over the River and Through the Woods to Grandmothers House We Go: Well, theres only one thing wrong with that...My grandmother lives in a condominium. The Food Charlie Brown: I cant cook a Thanksgiving dinner. All I can make is cold cereal and maybe toast.Peppermint Patty: Look at this! Is this what you call a Thanksgiving day dinner? Did we come across town for this? Were supposed to be served a real Thanksgiving dinner!Peppermint Patty: What kind of Thanksgiving dinner is this? Wheres the turkey, Chuck? Dont you know anything about Thanksgiving dinners? Wheres the mashed potatoes? Wheres the cranberry sauce? Wheres the pumpkin pie? Uninvited Guests Marcie to Peppermint Patty, after they crash Thanksgiving dinner at Charlie Browns house: Wait a minute, Sir; did he invite you here to dinner? Or did you invite yourself and us too? Meet-Ups Sally: Why dont you come along, Linus? We could hold hands under the table. Stress Charlie Brown: Weve got another holiday to worry about. It seems Thanksgiving Day is upon us.

Explain the importance of the liver in detoxificationexcretion and teh Essay

Explain the importance of the liver in detoxificationexcretion and teh function of the immune, digestive, endocrine and cardiovascular systems and hence in hum - Essay Example Each capillary then leads into a lobule. Liver tissue is collection of thousands of such lobules. These lobules are made up of hepatic cells which are the basic metabolic cells of the liver (MamasHealth.com, 2000). The liver is a complex organ. It performs over 500 different functions. Some of the functions include: to produce substances that break down fats, convert glucose to glycogen, produce urea which is the main substance of urine, make certain amino acids which are the building blocks of proteins, filter harmful substances from the blood such as alcohol, storage of vitamins and minerals (vitamins A, D, K and B12) and maintain a proper level or glucose in the blood. The liver is also responsible for producing cholesterol and it is estimated that it produces about 80% of the cholesterol in the body (MamasHealth.com, 2000). Among these functions the two of most important functions is to control of amino acid concentration and detoxification. Urea is produced in the liver and is a metabolite of amino acids. Ammonium ions are produced due to the breakdown of amino acids. And these ammonium ions are used in the biosynthesis of nitrogen compounds and excess ammonium ions are converted to urea (Royal Society of Chemistry, N.D.). The liver's basic functions are three fold: Vascular, Secretory and Metabolic. In other words it plays an important role in the major systems of the body, particularly in the digestive, circulatory and endocrine systems of the human body. In simple terms the vascular function includes being a major blood reservoir, filtering over a liter of blood every minute. The liver effectively removes bacteria, endotoxins, antibody complexes and various other particles from the circulation. The liver is one of the most vital organs in the body when it comes to detoxifying or getting rid of toxins. The liver plays a key role in most metabolic processes, particularly detoxification. The liver neutralizes a broad range of toxic chemicals, both those produced inside the body and those coming from the external environment. In human system the normal metabolic processes produce a wide range of chemicals and hormones and it is worth mentioning that the liver has evolved as an efficient neutralizing mechanisms. If it was not for the liver, then our bodies would have been full of toxics and would have become very difficult for the survival. There is tremendous change in the environment in recent years and it is continuously pumped with toxic chemicals every day. Human beings are as a result exposed to these chemicals. The food we eat is contaminated with pesticides, the air we breathe contains several poisonous gases, and the water we drink has chemicals. In other words many of the toxic chemicals come from the environment: the content of the bowels and the food, water, and air. The harmful polycyclic hydrocarbons such as DDT, dioxin, 2,3-D, PCB, 2,4,5-T and PCP are the basic components of various herbicides and pesticides. And these are example of chemicals that are now found in almost all fat tissues measured. Even those eating unprocessed organic foods need an effective detoxification system because all foods contain naturally occurring toxic constituents. Hence in all these cases liver plays the most important role of detoxification. The liver plays these vital roles in detoxification through the following processes: it filters the blood to remove large toxins, synthesizes

Industry review of retirement home industry Research Paper

Industry review of retirement home industry - Research Paper Example enture should aim at making profits to the investor, but it must also aim at the provision of quality services to the people in the immediate community (Scaffa and Reitz, 2014). There are two types of retirement industries available to individuals who have attained the age of retirement including the independent and the dependent communities. The independent communities consist of consist of the single family homes, condominiums, duplexes, or townhouses where these individuals live just on their own. This kind of industry may offer a number of services. These include provision of the recreation services, taking care of the lawn among other services. On the other hand, the dependent industry is bestowed with the responsibility of the provision of housing arrangements alongside other health care services. These constantly change with the change in the needs and the tastes of the community (Hillstrom and Hillstrom, 2002). In the retirement industry market, the communities are expected to increase especially in America to over 77 million in the next two years. The retirement group is expected to be shopping for the best option in the market regarding housing and health services in the next 2 decades. The venture into the retirement industry requires some capital to help run the facility in one way or the other. Therefore, this industry seems to be centered onto the senior citizens with some sizeable retirement incomes that are adequate to handle the expenses. For instance, in America, the most expensive retirement scheme requires a capital of between $ 100, 000 to $ 1 million (Scaffa & Reitz, 2014). There has been an escalating trend in the development and the expansion of the retirement industry in the American economy. However, in 2007, there was a recession in the US that spread up to the year 2013. This recession slowed down the growth in the retirement industry. This forced several individuals to delay the retirement due to the dwindling personal assets. There