A Dirty Job Chapter 22

22 RECONSIDERING A CAREER IN SECONDHAND RETAIL Anton Dubois, the owner of Book 'em Danno in the Mission, had been a Death Merchant longer than anyone else in San Francisco. Of course he hadn't called himself a Death Merchant at first, but when that Minty Fresh fellow who opened the record store in the Castro coined the term, he could never think of himself as anything else. He was sixty-five years old and not in the best health, having never used his body for much more than to carry his head around, which is where he lived most of the time. He had, however, in his years of reading, acquired an encyclopedic knowledge of the science and mythology of death. So, on that Tuesday evening, just after sundown, when the windows of his store went black, as if all the light had been sucked suddenly out of the universe, and the three female figures moved toward him through the store, as he sat under his little reading light at the counter in the back, like a tiny yellow island in the vast pitch of space, he was the first man in fifteen hundr ed years to know exactly what – who – they were. â€Å"Morrigan,† Anton said, with no particular note of fear in his voice. He set his book down, but didn't bother to mark the page. He took off his glasses and cleaned them on his flannel shirt, then put them back on so as not to miss any detail. Just now they were only blue-black highlights moving among the deep shadows in the store, but he could see them. They stopped when he spoke. One of them hissed – not the hiss of a cat, a long, steady tone – more like the hiss of air escaping the rubber raft that is all that lies between you and a dark sea full of sharks, the hiss of your life leaking out at the seams. â€Å"I thought something might be happening,† Anton said, a little anxious now. â€Å"With all the signs, and the prophecy about the Luminatus, I knew something was happening, but I didn't think it would be you – in person – so to speak. This is very exciting.† â€Å"A devotee?† said Nemain. â€Å"A fan,† said Babd. â€Å"A sacrifice,† said Macha. They moved around him, just outside his circle of light. â€Å"I moved the soul vessels,† Anton said. â€Å"I guessed that something had happened to the others.† â€Å"Aw, are you disappointed because you're not the first?† said Babd. â€Å"It will be just like the first time, pumpkin,† said Nemain. â€Å"For you, anyway.† She giggled. Anton reached under his counter and pushed a button. Steel shutters began to roll in the front of the store over the windows and door. â€Å"You afraid we'll get away, turtle man,† said Macha. â€Å"Don't you think he looks like a turtle?† â€Å"Oh, I know the shutters won't keep you in, that's not what they're for. The books say that you're immortal, but I suspect that that's not exactly true. Too many tales of warriors injuring you and watching you heal yourself on the battlefield.† â€Å"We will be here ten thousand years after your death, which starts pretty soon, I might add,† said Nemain. â€Å"The souls, turtle man. Where did you put them?† She extended her claws and reached out so they caught the light from Anton's reading lamp. Venom dripped from their tips and sizzled when it hit the floor. â€Å"You'd be Nemain, then,† Anton said. The Morrigan smiled, he could just see her teeth in the dark. Anton felt a strange peace fall over him. For thirty years he had, in some way or another, been preparing for this moment. What was it that the Buddhists said? Only by being prepared for your death can you ever truly live. If collecting souls and seeing people pass for thirty years didn't prepare you, what would? Under the counter he carefully unscrewed a stainless-steel cap that concealed a red button. â€Å"I installed those four speakers at the back of the store a few months ago. I'm sure you can see them, even if I can't,† Anton said. â€Å"The souls!† Macha barked. â€Å"Where?† â€Å"Of course I didn't know it would be you. I thought it might be those little creatures I've seen wandering the neighborhood. But I think you'll enjoy the music, nonetheless.† The Morrigan looked at each other. Macha growled. â€Å"Who says things like ‘nonetheless'?† â€Å"He's babbling,† said Babd. â€Å"Let's torture him. Take his eyes, Nemain.† â€Å"Do you remember what a claymore looks like?† Anton asked. â€Å"A great, two-handed broadsword,† said Nemain. â€Å"Good for the taking of heads.† â€Å"I knew that, I knew that,† said Babd. â€Å"She's just showing off.† â€Å"Well, in this time, a claymore means something else,† Anton said. â€Å"You acquire the most interesting things working in the secondhand business for three decades.† He closed his eyes and pushed the button. He hoped that his soul would end up in a book, preferably his first edition of Cannery Row, which was safely stored away. The curved claymore antipersonnel mines that he had installed in speaker cabinets at the rear of the store exploded, sending twenty-eight hundred ball bearings hurtling toward the steel shutters at just under the speed of sound, shredding Anton and everything else in their path. Ray followed the love of his life a block up Mason Street, where she hopped on a cable car and rode it the rest of the way up the hill into Chinatown. The problem was that while it was pretty easy to figure out where a cable car was going, they only came along about every ten minutes, so Ray couldn't wait for the next one, jump on, and shout, â€Å"Follow that antiquated but quaint public conveyance, and step on it!† And there were no cabs in sight. It turned out that jogging up a steep city hill on a hot summer day in street clothes was somewhat different from jogging on a treadmill in an air-conditioned gym behind a row of taut fuck puppets, and by the time he got to California Street, Ray was drenched in sweat, and not only hated the city of San Francisco and everyone in it, he was pretty much ready to call it quits with Audrey and go back to the relative desperation of Ukrainian Girls Loving Him from afar. He caught a break at the Powell Street exchange, where the cable cars pick up in Chinatown, and was actually able to jump on the car behind Audrey's and continue the breathtaking, seven-mile-per-hour chase, ten more blocks to Market Street. Audrey hopped off the cable car, walked directly out to the island on Market, and stepped onto one of the antique streetcars, which left before Ray even got to the island. She was like some kind of diabolical rail-transit supervixen, Ray thought. The way the trains just seemed to be there when she needed them, then gone when he got there. She was master of some sort of evil, streetcar mojo, no doubt about that. (In matters of the heart, the Beta Male imagination can turn quickly on a floundering suitor, and at that point, Ray's was beginning to consume what little confidence he had mustered.) It was Market Street, however, the busiest street in the City, and Ray was able to quickly grab a cab and follow Audrey all the way into the Mission district, and even kept the cab for a few blocks when she was on foot again. Ray stayed a block away, following Audrey to a big jade-green Queen Anne Victorian building off Seventeenth Street, which had a small plaque on the column by the porch that read THREE JEWELS BUDDHIST CENTER. Ray had his breath and his composure back, and was able to watch comfortably from behind a light post across the street as Audrey climbed the steps of the center. As she got to the top step, the leaded-glass door flew open and two old ladies came rushing out, frantic, it seemed, to tell Audrey something, but entirely out of control. The old ladies looked familiar. Ray stopped breathing and dug into the back pocket of his jeans. He came up with the photocopies he'd kept of the driver's-license photos of the women Charlie had asked him to find. It was them: Esther Johnson and Irena Posokovanovich, standing there with the future Mrs. Macy. Then, just as Ray was trying to get his head around the connection, the door of the Buddhist center opened again and out charged what looked like a river otter in a sequined minidress and go-go boots, bent on attacking Audrey's ankles with a pair of scissors. Charlie and Inspector Rivera stood outside Fresh Music in the Castro, trying to peer in the windows past the cardboard cutouts and giant album covers. According to the hours posted on the door, the store should have been open, but the door was locked and it was dark inside. From what Charlie could see, the store was exactly as he had seen it years ago when he'd confronted Minty Fresh, except for one, distinct difference: the shelf full of glowing soul vessels was gone. There was a frozen-yogurt shop next door and Rivera led Charlie in and talked to the owner, a guy who looked entirely too fit to run a sweetshop, who said, â€Å"He hasn't opened for five days. Didn't say a word to any of us. Is he okay?† â€Å"I'm sure he's fine,† Rivera said. Three minutes later Rivera had obtained Minty Fresh's phone numbers and home address from the SFPD dispatcher, and after trying the numbers and getting voice mail, they went to Fresh's apartment in Twin Peaks to find newspapers piled up by the door. Rivera turned to Charlie. â€Å"Do you know of anyone else who could vouch for what you've been telling me?† â€Å"You mean other Death Merchants?† Charlie asked. â€Å"I don't know them, but I know of them. They probably won't talk to you.† â€Å"Used-book-store owner in the Haight and a junk dealer off lower Fourth Street, right?† Rivera said. â€Å"No,† Charlie said. â€Å"I don't know of anyone like that. Why did you ask?† â€Å"Because both of them are missing,† Rivera said. There was blood all over the walls of the junk dealer's office. There was a human ear on the floor of the bookstore in the Haight.† Charlie backed against the wall. â€Å"That wasn't in the paper.† â€Å"We don't release stuff like that. Both lived alone, no one saw anything, we don't know that a crime was even committed. But now, with this Fresh guy missing – â€Å" â€Å"You think that these other guys were Death Merchants?† â€Å"I'm not saying I believe that, Charlie, it could just be a coincidence, but when Ray Macy called me today about you, that was actually the reason I came to find you. I was going to ask you if you knew them.† â€Å"Ray ratted me out?† â€Å"Let it go. He may have saved your life.† Charlie thought about Sophie for the hundredth time that night, worried about not being there with her. â€Å"Can I call my daughter?† â€Å"Sure,† Rivera said. â€Å"But then – â€Å" â€Å"Book 'em Danno in the Mission,† Charlie said, pulling his cell phone out of his jacket pocket. â€Å"That can't be ten minutes away. I think the owner is one of us.† Sophie was fine, feeding Cheese Newts to the hellhounds with Mrs. Korjev. She asked Charlie if he needed any help and he teared up and had to get control of his voice before he answered. Seven minutes later they were parked crossways in the middle of Valencia Street, watching fire trucks blasting water into the second story of the building that housed Book 'em Danno. They got out of the car and Rivera showed his badge to the police officer who had been first on the scene. â€Å"Fire crews can't get in,† the cop said. â€Å"There's a heavy steel fire door in the back and those shutters must be quarter-inch steel or more.† The security shutters were bowed outward and had thousands of small bumps all over them. â€Å"What happened?† Rivera asked. â€Å"We don't know yet,† said the cop. â€Å"Neighbors reported an explosion and that's all we know so far. No one lived upstairs. We've evacuated all the adjacent buildings.† â€Å"Thanks,† Rivera said. He looked at Charlie, raised an eyebrow. â€Å"The Fillmore,† Charlie said. â€Å"A pawnshop at Fulton and Fillmore.† â€Å"Let's go,† Rivera said, taking Charlie's arm to help speed-limp him to the car. â€Å"So I'm not a suspect anymore?† Charlie asked. â€Å"We'll see if you live,† Rivera said, opening the car door. Once in the car, Charlie called his sister. â€Å"Jane, I need you to go get Sophie and the puppies and take them to your place.† â€Å"Sure, Charlie, but we just had the carpets cleaned – Alvin and – â€Å" â€Å"Do not separate Sophie and the hellhounds for one second, Jane, do you understand?† â€Å"Jeez, Charlie. Sure.† â€Å"I mean it. She may be in danger and they'll protect her.† â€Å"What's going on? Do you want me to call the cops?† â€Å"I'm with the cops, Jane. Please, go get Sophie right now.† â€Å"I'm leaving now. How am I going to get them all into my Subaru?† â€Å"You'll figure it out. If you have to, tie Alvin and Mohammed to the bumper and drive slowly.† â€Å"That's horrible, Charlie.† â€Å"No, it's not. They'll be fine.† â€Å"No, I mean they tore my bumper off last time I did that. It cost six hundred bucks to fix.† â€Å"Go get her. I'll call you in an hour.† Charlie disconnected. Well, claymores suck, I can tell you that,† said Babd. â€Å"I used to like the big sword claymore, but now†¦now they have to make them all splody and full of – what do you call that stuff, Nemain?† â€Å"Shrapnel.† â€Å"Shrapnel,† said Babd. â€Å"I was just starting to feel like my old self – â€Å" â€Å"Shut up!† barked Macha. â€Å"But it hurts,† said Babd. They were flowing along a storm sewer pipe under Sixteenth Street in the Mission. They were barely two-dimensional again, and they looked like tattered black battle flags, threadbare shadows, oozing black goo as they moved up the pipe. One of Nemain's legs had been completely severed and she had it tucked under her arm while her sisters towed her through the pipe. â€Å"Can you fly, Nemain?† asked Babd. â€Å"You're getting heavy.† â€Å"Not down here, and I'm not going back up there.† â€Å"We have to go back Above,† said Macha. â€Å"If you want to heal before a millennium passes.† As the three death divas came to a wide junction of pipes under Market Street, they heard something splashing in the pipe ahead. â€Å"What's that?† said Babd. They stopped. Something pattered by in the pipe they were approaching. â€Å"What was that? What was that?† asked Nemain, who couldn't see past her sisters. â€Å"Looked like a squirrel in a ball gown,† said Babd. â€Å"But I'm weak and could be delusional.† â€Å"And an idiot,† said Macha. â€Å"It was a gift soul. Get it! We can heal Nemain's leg with it.† Macha and Babd dropped their unidexter sister and surged forward toward the junction, just as the Boston terrier stepped into their path. The Morrigan backpedaling in the pipe sounded like cats tearing lace. â€Å"Whoa, whoa, whoa,† chanted Macha, what was left of her claws raking the pipe to back up. Bummer yapped out a sharp tattoo of threat, then bolted down the pipe after the Morrigan. â€Å"New plan, new plan, new plan,† said Babd. â€Å"I hate dogs,† said Macha. They snagged their sister as they passed her. â€Å"We, the goddesses of death, who will soon command the all under darkness, are fleeing a tiny dog,† said Nemain. â€Å"So what's your point, hoppie?† said Macha. Over in the Fillmore, Carrie Lang had closed her pawnshop for the night and was waiting for some jewelry she'd taken in that day to finish in the ultrasonic cleaner so she could put it in the display case. She wanted to finish and get out of there, go home and have dinner, then maybe go out for a couple of hours. She was thirty-six and single, and felt an obligation to go out, just on the off chance that she might meet a nice guy, even though she'd rather stay home and watch crime shows on TV. She prided herself on not becoming cynical. A pawnbroker, like a bail bondsman, tends to see people at their worst, and every day she fought the idea that the last decent guy had become a drummer or a crackhead. Lately she didn't want to go out because of the strange stuff she'd been seeing and hearing out on the street – creatures scurrying in the shadows, whispers coming from the storm drains; staying at home was looking better all the time. She'd even started bringing her five-year-old basset hound, Cheerful, to work with her. He really wasn't a lot of protection, unless an attacker happened to be less than knee-high, but he had a loud bark, and there was a good chance that he might actually bark at a bad guy, as long he wasn't carrying a dog biscuit. As it turned out, the creatures who were invading her shop that evening were less than knee-high. Carrie had been a Death Merchant for nine years, and after adjusting to the initial shock about the whole phenomenon of transference of souls subsided (which only took about four years), she'd taken to it like it was just another part of the business, but she knew from The Great Big Book of Death that something was going on, and it had her spooked. As she went to the front of the store to crank the security shutters down, she heard something move behind her in the dark, something low, back by the guitars. It brushed a low E-string as it passed and the note vibrated like a warning. Carrie stopped cranking the shutters and checked that she had her keys with her, in case she needed to run through the front door. She unsnapped the holster of her. 38 revolver, then thought, What the hell, I'm not a cop, and drew the weapon, training it on the still-sounding guitar. A cop she had dated years ago had talked her into carrying the Smith & Wesson when she was working the store, and although she'd never had to draw it before, she knew that it had been a deterrent to thieves. â€Å"Cheerful?† she called. She was answered by some shuffling in the back room. Why had she turned most of the lights out? The switches were in the back room, and she was moving by the case lights, which cast almost no light at the floor, where the noises were coming from. â€Å"I have a gun, and I know how to use it,† she said, feeling stupid even as the words came out of her mouth. This time she was answered by a muffled whimper. â€Å"Cheerful!† She ducked under the lift gate in the counter and ran to the back room, fanning the area with her pistol the way she saw them do in cop shows. Another whimper. She could just make out Cheerful, lying in his normal spot by the back door, but there was something around his paws and muzzle. Duct tape. She reached out to turn on the lights and something hit her in the back of the knees. She tried to twist around and something thumped her in the chest, setting her off balance. Sharp claws raked her wrists as she fell and she lost her grip on the revolver. She hit her head on the doorjamb, setting off what seemed like a strobe light in her head, then something hit her in the back of the neck, hard, and everything went black. It was still dark when she came to. She couldn't tell how long she'd been out, and she couldn't move to look at her watch. Oh my God, they've broken my neck, she thought. She saw objects moving past her, each glowing dull red, barely illuminating whatever was carrying them – tiny skeletal faces – fangs, and claws and dead, empty eye sockets. The soul vessels appeared to be floating across the floor, with a carrion puppet escort. Then she felt claws, the creatures, touching her, moving under her. She tried to scream, but her mouth had been taped shut. She felt herself being lifted, then made out the shape of the back door of her shop opening as she was carried through it, only a foot or so off the floor. Then she was hoisted nearly upright, and she felt herself falling into a dark abyss. They found the back door to the pawnshop open and the basset hound taped up in the corner. Rivera checked the shop with his weapon drawn and a flashlight in one hand, then called Charlie in from the alley when he found no one there. Charlie turned on the shop lights as he came in. â€Å"Uh-oh,† he said. â€Å"What?† Rivera said. Charlie pointed to a display case with the glass broken out. â€Å"This case is where she displayed her soul vessels. It was nearly full when I was in here – now, well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Rivera looked at the empty case. â€Å"Don't touch anything. Whatever happened here, I don't think it was the same perp who hit the other shopkeepers.† â€Å"Why?† Charlie looked back to the back room, to the bound basset hound. â€Å"Because of him,† Rivera said. â€Å"You don't tie up the dog if you're going to slaughter the people and leave blood and body parts everywhere. That's not the same kind of mentality.† â€Å"Maybe she was tying him up when they surprised her,† Charlie said. â€Å"She kind of had the look of a lady cop.† â€Å"Yeah, and all cops are into dog bondage, is that what you're saying?† Rivera holstered his weapon, pulled a penknife from his pocket, and went to where the basset hound was squirming on the floor. â€Å"No, I'm not. Sorry. She did have a gun, though.† â€Å"She must have been here,† Rivera said. â€Å"Otherwise the alarms would have been set. What's that on that doorjamb?† He was sawing through the duct tape on the basset's paws, being careful not to cut him. He nodded toward the doorway from the shop to the back room. â€Å"Blood,† Charlie said. â€Å"And a little hair.† Rivera nodded. â€Å"That blood on the floor there, too? Don't touch.† Charlie looked at a three-inch puddle to the left of the door. â€Å"Yep, I think so.† Rivera had the basset's paws free and was kneeling on him to hold him still while he took the tape off his muzzle. â€Å"Those tracks in it, don't smear them. What are they, partial shoe prints?† â€Å"Look like bird-feet prints. Chickens maybe?† â€Å"No.† Rivera released the basset, who immediately tried to jump on the inspector's Italian dress slacks and lick his face in celebration. He held the basset hound by the collar and moved to where Charlie was examining the tracks. â€Å"They do look like chicken tracks,† he said. â€Å"Yep,† Charlie said. â€Å"And you have dog drool on your jacket.† â€Å"I need to call this in, Charlie.† â€Å"So dog drool is the determining factor in calling in backup?† â€Å"Forget the dog drool. The dog drool is not relevant. I need to report this and I need to call my partner in. He'll be pissed that I've waited this long. I need to take you home.† â€Å"If you can't get the stain out of that thousand-dollar suit jacket, you'll think it's relevant.† â€Å"Focus, Charlie. As soon as I can get another unit here, I'm sending you home. You have my cell. Let me know if anything happens. Anything.† Rivera called the dispatcher on his cell phone and asked him to send a uniform unit and the crime-scene squad as soon as they were available. When he snapped the phone shut, Charlie said, â€Å"So I'm not under arrest anymore?† â€Å"No. Stay in touch. And stay safe, okay? You might even want to spend a few nights outside of the City.† â€Å"I can't. I'm the Luminatus, I have responsibilities.† â€Å"But you don't know what they are – â€Å" â€Å"Just because I don't know what they are doesn't mean I don't have them,† Charlie said, perhaps a little too defensively. â€Å"And you're sure you don't know how many of these Death Merchants are in the City, or where they might be?† â€Å"Minty Fresh said there was at least a dozen, that's all I know. This woman and the guy in the Mission were the only ones I spotted on my walks.† They heard a car pull up in the alley and Rivera went to the back door and signaled to the officers, then turned to Charlie. â€Å"You go home and get some sleep, if you can, Charlie. I'll be in touch.† Charlie let the uniformed police officer lead him to the cruiser and help him into the back, then waved to Rivera and the basset hound as the patrol car backed out of the alley.

Free sample - The Twenties Modernism Vs Traditionalism. translation missing

The Twenties Modernism Vs Traditionalism. The Twenties Modernism Vs TraditionalismIntroduction This decade (1920-1929) is also known as the 'Roaring Twenties ' and sometimes as the 'Jazz age'. This is a period with a huge number of developments in the United States, first of all, there was the economic boom, and this was a post war effect of the First World War. The decade was graced with a spell of economic prosperity. In the early years of this decade, America realized that they have huge urbanized settings than rural. This was also the time when there was prohibition in the United States causing rise of criminals and criminal families such as Al Capone and the Chicago outfit. During this decade, baseball was the major sport and this was when the immigration act was passed. This is also when women were allowed to vote in the nation and work so there was a rather large number of women in work areas.1 Modernism versus Traditionalism During that decade the generation of youth began behaving differently than was previously seen as the norm. Youths lived in the urban areas and mostly led brush (fast-paced) lives. This new trait that was developing altogether is what is being referred to as modernism now and the traits that were left in order to adopt this new life standard is known as traditionalism. Before modernism, the elders stayed in the rural areas and lead quiet and deliberate lives. In order for us to see both sides of the coin of this argument we should try to understand these two groups of individuals. We must consider this in the light of how they saw each other in what areas and what makes them different. These areas are Urban and Rural, Evolutionist and Creationist, Youthful and Aged, The Alcohol debate (prohibition), The radio and Car effects. URBAN VS RURAL: during this time America was at the peak of urbanization trend that began around fifty2 years earlier and for the first time the nation was seen as more urban than rural. The modernists of this time preferred the fast-paced lifestyle. The time was characterized by a huge influx of population to the cities. The cities offered their thoughts to the traditionalists who were backward people at that time and were against development and that they lived their lives based on very thin margins of thinking and they were not open to change. The traditionalists at the time preferred the quiet life in the countryside and the farms. Generally the rural people had their own opinions about the modernists who lived in the cities; they considered them immoral due to their dressing styles and other character traits and since the modernists were more in the cities and business was prosperous they saw the modernists as people too much into money and materialistic values. EVOLUTIONIST AND CREATIONISTS: The modernists at the time started drifting away from the norm and beliefs of religion. They no more accept the known doctrines that the world was created by a deity which was a strong belief of traditionalists; modernists started becoming more liberal and started accepting explanations that the world, as we know it, was evolved as stated by the biological concept of evolution.3 This concept says that any living creature is bound by time and develop with the passage of time; this means the creatures become better in their later generations. This also caused a major trial4 (the Scope’s trial) which happened in 1925 in the state of Tennessee in which a teacher, John Scope was accused of teaching the concept of evolution to his students. The teacher was found guilty but the trial ruling was overturned due to a problem in the prosecutions side. The traditionalists preferred to stick to religion and its doctrines at the time. They stay within the boun daries and teachings of bible and believed that the world was created by God and that evolution was a myth and that the opinion that humans came from monkeys (as dictated by the theory of evolution) is untrue and it should not be taught to students as it is misleading and would derail the generation away from their roots and culture as they literally are considered to be the gospel. Thus traditionalist were against it. YOUTH AND ELDERS/ADULTS: In this period it was the youths that mainly look to the modernist lifestyle. At the time, the youth gave precedence to certain objects that the elders did not see as necessary. Youths loved cars and the fast lives. They court around not to find spouses but just to have fun. Youths also desired life that gave off an air of independence and this they can only find in the cities and urban areas where one had to be a bit unscrupulous in order to get along. The women youth of the time came to be known as flappers due to their dressing habits, they wore short dresses and dyed their hair; this was the fashion at the time. They also wore make up which was not the norm. The elderly at the time are the ones who had the traditionalist aspect in them. They preferred life that gave them a sense of community and security which was mainly found in the rural and farm areas. They saw the youth of the time as being careless and immoral; the traditionalists had a more conserva tive dressing style, a more modest living and even speaking style. Even in the art that the traditionalists preferred it was more modest and subtle. THE ALCOHOL FACTOR: This also falls into the realm of prohibition5 also know as the 'noble experiment'. This was a period in which United States government had banned any activity that involved alcohol in its borders as in the transport, manufacture and sale of alcohol was banned within the United States borders.   Now even though this was the situation in the country, alcohol still did play a major role in the modernist vs. traditionalist agenda, after all, alcohol was still available mainly by means of crime lords and families such as that of Al Capone and the Chicago outfit. Modernists saw alcohol as an element that provided personal freedom. This was a complete paradox of what the traditionalists believed: they said that alcohol caused crimes and broke apart families and that where there was no alcohol people were generally happier and healthier. This period caused the aforementioned crime outfits to prosper even though alcohol was later legalized in 1933. EFFECTS OF THE RADIO: In 1923, there was a frenzy about radio and by the end of that year there was close to six hundred radio stations and close to half a million households in the nation possessed radio sets; whereas in 1922, there was less than a hundred thousand sets. Thus, within a short while it seemed as though radio was all everyone was doing because almost all organizations that were worth mentioning had radio stations. This provided a sure quick fire resulted in easy access to information. Spreading ad and promotions becomes easier. In addition to information, radio also provided entertainment. This changed lifestyle preferred by the modernists is what is totally different from the lifestyle followed by traditionalists. Traditionalist think modernist as leaving their norms behind, whereas young traditionalist thinks modernist’s lifestyle as attractive. Thus, it has been said that the Twenties were shaped by a clash of culturesmodernist versus traditional. This was an era shaped by two groups of people different in almost everything, whether it is their thoughts or their dressing style, their religion beliefs or their general lifestyle. Two cultures were coming face to face thus there were clashes plus acceptances. Thus people always give this argument that that time was a time of cultural clash.    Bibliography: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Paul Sann, The Lawless Decade(Dover Publication: New York 1970). 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"A GODLIKE PRENSENCE †: the impact of radios in 1920s and 1930s 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wayne Curtis, Bootleg Paradise (American heritage: may/April 2007). 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   John Barth , The Friday Book(G. P. Putnam's Sons:1984). 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Carneiro Robert, Evolutionism in Cultural Anthropology: A Critical History(Westview Press, Boulder, CO, 2003).

Short Story and Dance Pianist Essays

Short Story and Dance Pianist Essays Short Story and Dance Pianist Paper Short Story and Dance Pianist Paper Status in Two Chekhov Stories In the introduction to our edition of Chekhovs short stories, by George Pahomov, it is stated that Chekhovs fiction â€Å"captured the burgeoning Russian democracy† and that â€Å"in Chekhovs democratic world view, no one was excluded† (vii-viii). We see these ideals being put forward in the two stories by Chekhov that we will discuss in this paper. In these two stories, â€Å"The Resurrection† and â€Å"The Dance Pianist,† we can see how Chekhov depicts a world where the authors own democratic ideals may be in mind, but which is in reality still very much based on the old-fashioned concepts of status and rank. We will see that both of these stories center around the concept of social status, especially in the way that different types of people react to a sudden change in the social status of one particular character in each story. What these two stories have in common is that in both cases, the central character is the one suffering the sudden change in status, and having to tell the reader about it afterward. â€Å"The Confession† is an early story of Chekhovs which deals with an unnamed, first-person narrator who tells the reader the story of how, one day, he received a small promotion at his work along with a small raise. He goes on to describe how this seemingly minor change in his life caused him to experience a sudden and unexpectedly intense shift in the way he was treated by people around him, who already had known him for almost his whole life. Not only does this sudden promotion change the way others treat him, it also shifts the way he perceives himself, leading him to take dangerous risks that will result in a disaster for himself. At the beginning of â€Å"The Confession,† the narrator explains that â€Å"I was rejoicing over the promotion and the slight increase in salary, nothing more† (Chekhov 1). And yet, he also realizes immediately that â€Å"all at once people appeared to have changed† in his mind. Even one of his superiors, Kazusov, who he used to consider an arrogant ogre, starts acting friendly to him and invites him to his house (pp. 1-2). The narrators mother and father start spending extravagantly, buying better food and clothes even though he warns them that he is really not making much more money: â€Å"you know, my salary wasn’t doubled. The increase was trifling,† he tells them (p. 2). These early events give us the hint that others may be exploiting the man for their own ends, and this point will be important at the end. A hint of trouble comes fairly quickly in this very short story. Here, the narrator explains that the demands on him for money from his friends and family, and for his sudden wedding, have led him to take money from his workplace, even though he attempts to justify it in his mind: â€Å"Why not take it, when you know you are going to put it back as soon as you receive your salary? (Chekhov 3). Unfortunately, he never actually does return the money and is caught almost immediately, bringing disaster upon himself. Suddenly, no one wants anything to do with him anymore, and even his newfound friends abandon him: â€Å"Yesterday I was respected and honored on all sides; today I am a scoundrel and a thief† (p. 4). The point of this story is to realize that it is not about the making of a thief, or how a man turns dishonest due to outward demand s on him. Rather, the point is clearly about how others perceive ones sudden change of status almost immediately, and will try to use it for their own benefit. The mans friends and family have not turned away from him because they are so honest themselves, since they benefited from his generosity and even encouraged him to spend beyond his means. It is simply his sudden downturn in social status, the opposite of his sudden rise in status at the beginning of the story. The second story also deals directly with a sudden shift in a characters status is â€Å"The Dance Pianist. † Like to â€Å"The Confession,† this story also centers around a single character, who tells the story of an event that has just taken place in his life. Unlike the first story, however, the character in this story has a name, Pyotr Rublyov. Also in contrast to the first story, he is telling the story not to the readers directly, but to another character, his roommate who is the first person narrator of the story. A third contrast between â€Å"The Dance Pianist† and â€Å"The Confession† is that in the present story the status change is really a change in other characters perception of the main characters status, rather than an actual shift in his status. In â€Å"The Dance Pianist,† the point is centered on a man who is mistaken for someone of more importance than he really is, and how society tends to treat people very differently based on perception of status. At the beginning of â€Å"The Dance Pianist,† our main character, Pyotr, a â€Å"former student,† comes bursting into his room late one night and after some prodding by his roommate tells his story of that evening. He had been working as a paid pianist for society people at an aristocratic party, and says that he was kicked out for something that he will soon describe in detail (Chekhov 47). He complains about the poor way that he is treated by society people, which lays out the foundation for what is to follow: â€Å"And what am I, after all? A piano player, a domestic, a waiter that knows how to play the piano. In the homes of merchants I’m addressed as an inferior, given a tip, and – no offense intended† (p. 48). He explains that a young woman at the party began speaking to him casually, and he soon realizes (due to an overheard conversation) that she has mistaken him for an invited guest of the party, not just a hired piano player. Pyotr goes on playing the piano, trying to forget the incident, but it keeps bugging him throughout the night: â€Å"I commenced thinking what rubbish I had turned out to be; that after traveling two thousand versts to reach Moscow, in the hope of becoming a concert pianist or a composer, I now find myself a dance pianist† (Chekhov 50). Pyotr seems to feel bad for his roommate, a struggling writer, as well. Finally the point of the story occurs to him, and he explains it to his roommate, neatly summing up the lesson to be learned: What is it in the Russian character, I wondered, that makes it possible, as long as you are free, a student, or loafing around without a job, to drink with a man, slap him on the belly, flirt with his daughter; but as soon as you are in even a slightly subordinate relation to him, the shoemaker must stick to this last! Chekhov 51) As a result of this sudden realization, he finds that he cant hold his embarrassment and shame inside any more, and gets thrown out of the party for losing his composure. The clear message we can obtain from this long anecdote is that something as simple as a change in other peoples perception of ones status is enough to greatly influence the type of relationships that are possible or permissible for one. As we can again read from the introduction, we find an example of the sort of situation where â€Å"human relationships then become vertical, subject to object† (xi-xii). In both of these Chekhov stories, the author has clearly set forward the reality of social status in the Russia of his own time, but he has also stated something universal about human relationships. We can see in both stories the sometimes disastrous effects that can result from either a real change in social status (as in â€Å"The Confession†) or even a perceived or mistaken one (as in â€Å"The Dance Pianist†). Although Chekhov himself may have held democratic ideals (as mentioned at the beginning of this paper), in these stories he is able to describe the reality of a society in which status roles and social position are of high importance, and which imposes serious consequences for violations. Chekhov, Anton. â€Å"The Confession. † In Anton Chekhov: Selected Stories, pp. 1-4. New York: Signet Classics 1960. . â€Å"The Dance Pianist. † In Anton Chekhov: Selected Stories, pp. 46-52. New York: Signet Classics 1960.

Principles of Effective Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Principles of Effective Leadership - Essay Example From the essay it is clear that for missions to succeed, especially in times of uncertainty, ambiguity, and adversity, leaders must live and conduct all their activities so that others may look them squarely in the eye knowing that they are associating with and placing their trust in an honorable individual. As the paper declares leaders exert themselves to promote the well-being of others. They do something or stand ready to do something for others. They develop self-reliance in others so that they can become effective members of an interdependent team. Self-reliance means that a staff member does not need the presence of the boss to carry out the tactical and operational elements of his or her own job. As a leader, one should state the job to be done but leave it to one’s subordinate to recommend the methods that will accomplish the desired results, at the time required, with due regard for costs. If one wants to lead people, one has to communicate information directly and honestly. One cannot hem and haw or water down the truth. One has to keep one’s people and the people to whom one reports, grounded in the reality of one’s situation. Many women, especially, respect the social value of an indirect approach to problems, and this places them at a disadvantage in le adership situations. If one has trouble with the direct approach, one should put one’s points in writing, structuring them so that when one goes into a meeting, one can use one’s notes as an aid until one feels comfortable in delivering verbal reports without them.

Family Therapy Modalities Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Family Therapy Modalities Paper - Assignment Example Generally, psychological treatments involve communication and issue of instructions to clients, but without administration of drugs. However, therapists or counselors may determine and understand situations to refer their patients to medical doctors or other forms of treatment. Individual therapy and family therapy have certain similarities and differences. Similarities Both individual and family therapies involve or base of psychological processes and procedures. The two methods do not involve administration of medical drugs or any forms of medical diagnosis. However, a therapist can recommend that a patient see a medical doctor when health condition of the given patient proves necessary (Lebow, 2014). When referred to a medical doctor, a patient receives the necessary treatment and returns to the psychologist for actual treatment. In both individual and family therapies, an individual patient attends and is usually the center of focus. Strategies and approaches designed to solve a given problem depend on the nature and condition of the given patient. Even though family members form an important part of the entire therapy in family therapy, much of focus and energy directs to the actual patient. Differences Individual therapy involves treatment of a patient when alone and in engagement with a therapist. Sessions for individual therapies do not involve any other third party besides the patient and the counselor. Family therapy on the other hand involves treatment of the patient while in company of the family members. Sessions for family therapies involve patient, family members and the counselor.

International Market Entry and Development Essay - 6

International Market Entry and Development - Essay Example ct researches globally to recognize the global and regional segments of the market and to observe chance for incorporating and better synchronizing the strategies across the national borders. In addition to this speedy collection of information and formulation of results from geographically concentrated sources become very important to predict change in the market and develop a more detailed and useful response strategies (Carman, J. M, 1980). Technological advances both facilitate as well as cause more difficulties in gathering data on global basis. The advances and continuously increasing technological complexities allows the collection of data on a broader geographical scale. Yet the flip side of this advances should never be ignored. To cater the research needs of today’s world, one must examine the changes under which they have gone through in the last four decades. In the early 60s and 70s U.S firms decided to shift to the international markets from the domestic markets. Japan and Europe also expanded from the domestic markets to the international markets to widen their geographical range and to act in response of the foreign competitions that was entering their domestic markets. Initially firms were interested more in gathering information to discover and judge the market opportunities of the other countries to assess which markets should be targeted, how to do the positioning of the products and how much to adapt the marketing mix to the local markets (Carman, J. M, 1980) The changes in the global market along with the technological changes in the collection of data, its analysis and its distribution entail that the researches should broaden their spectrum to plan, implement and to execute the research in this competitive world. Researchers need to align their skills and capabilities in order to carry and plan the researches in this competitive world (Carman, J. M, 1980) The growth of retailers globally also assist marketing research. As their chains

The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe and Confessions found In a Prison by Charles Dicken Essay Example for Free

The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe and Confessions found In a Prison by Charles Dicken Essay My essay will consist of the themes of the two short stories and background information on the authors who were living at the Victorian time, now seen as classical writers. Edgar Allen Poe was born January 19th 1809 in Boston. He was an American short story writer, poet, critic, and editor. He is famous in all of these traits for his cultivation of mystery and macabre writing. The atmosphere is his tales of horror is unrivalled in American fiction. After his mother died in Richmond, in 1811, he was taken into the home of John Allan, a Richmond merchant (presumably his godfather), and his childless wife. He was later taken to Scotland and England (1815-20), where he was given a classical education that was continued in Richmond. His gambling losses at the university incensed his guardian that he refused to let him continue, and Poe returned to Richmond to find his sweetheart, (Sarah) Elmira Royster, engaged. Poe made a name as a critical reviewer and married his young cousin Virginia Clemm, who was only 13. Poe seems to have been an affectionate husband and son-in-law. Poe was dismissed from his job in Richmond, apparently for drinking, and went to New York City. Drinking was in fact to be the bane of his life. To talk well in large company he needed a slight stimulant, but a glass of sherry might start him on a spree; and, although he rarely succumbed to intoxication, he was often seen in public when he did. This gave rise to the conjecture that he was a drug addict, but according to medical testimony he had a brain lesion. His wife Virginia died in 1847. Charles Dickens is generally considered as one of the greatest writers of the Victorian Era. His work is characterised by attacks on the social evils, injustices and hypocrisy. In his early teen years he was forced to end school and work in the factory. Dickens characters such as Scrooge, David Copperfield and Mr Pickwick have fascinated generations of readers. The author was born in Hampshire during the industrial age his father was a well-paid clerk but often ended up in financial problems. Dickens wrote for several newspapers. In 1836 he married Catherine Hogart. They had 10 children. Both short stories contain the theme of GOTHIC LITERATURE. The Goths were said, by history, to be barbarians who destroyed the classical Roman civilisation and plunged the civilised world into the centuries of ignorance called the Dark Ages. Hence the word Goth originally came from the name of the German tribe at odds with the Roman Empire, later a generic term for all German tribes- came to stand for Barbarous; and later, what was said to be barbarous, came to be known as gothic. The term gothic also came to represent the medieval culture of the long years of the Dark Ages. In Edgar Allan Poes story The Tell Tale Heart, the narrator cannot see that she/he is crazy and rather maniacally tries to convince that she/he is not. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. You should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded. He gleefully recounts the skilled way he kills an old man and buries him under the floorboards. When two policemen came to the residence to investigate, the narrator believes that he can hear the old mans heart still beating, and it drives the narrator to confess the crime: Villains! (Narrator shrieked), dissemble no more! -Here, here! It is the beating of the hideous heart. Both authors have one obvious thing in common they are both male writers. They were very popular in their short story writing and became very famous. The two stories have the narrator as the insane murderers. Those killers talk in great detail about why, how, when and where they committed their evil actions. In both stories the victims were vulnerable. A young child was atrociously killed in Confessions found In a Prison and a powerless old man was killed fiercely in The Tell Tale Heart. Both victims were vulnerable because of their age. The murder plots were both designed intelligently methodically thought out what was being undertaken in days or weeks before the episode occurred. Both authors added a great twist in the end and left the readers stunned. The police officers in The Tell Tale Heart were shocked by the killers confession while viewing where the body was hidden; he was revealing his madness in a dramatic breakdown. The army officers in Confessions in a Prison found out where the decaying body of the child lay simply by observing the unknown crime scene. Last of all, both murderers confessed to their compulsive, inhumane actions and paid for taking the life of an innocent person. The killers in both stories believably insane in the way they had the most ridiculous reasons to take another human life but they still had killers motives. There are many differences that make the both stories unique, such as the murderers Motives to kill. In The Tell Tale Heart the killer was haunted by the evil eye of vulture, although he still liked the man he had to get rid of the eye. In Confessions Found In a Prison the motives were all about greed because the killers wife loved his nephew as her own child and was haunted by the childs face and eyes, which reminded him of his mother, who he believed didnt like him very much. The two victims who were killed had a major contrast in age, old verses young. I think I felt more sympathy for the child being killed rather than the old man because the young child had his whole life ahead to see and experience the world, compared to the old man who had already lived his life. I also think the killing of a child was more horrific in the Confessions found In a Prison compared to the aged man in The Tell Tale Heart. The helpless young child was innocent, little and fragile who even attempted to escape outside in the garden by himself. The poor child didnt have the best of childhood. Both his parents had died, and he had been put into the care of his uncle. The murder in The Tell Tale Heart was left unidentified as to whether it was a male or a female. There were no clues or hints referring to his or her sex, which gives the story more suspense and more mystery. As a reader I felt the narrator could only have been a man due to the horrific style of the murder. I understand that these extreme actions could have been committed by a woman, but I believe it is more likely to be a man. The assassin in the story Confession found In a Prison had a blood relationship with his victim. The killer was an uncle of the child who was his BLOOD nephew. The murderer in the story of the The Tell Tale Heart was a neighbour to the old man who we didnt really know anything about. The Tell Tale Heart takes place in the region of 7-8 days mainly during the hours of darkness at the residence of the old man. The motives of the two murderers were different and similar in particular ways. In The Tell Tale Heart the assassin was disturbed by the evil eyes of the old man that was an image of a vulture. In Confessions found In a Prison the murderer was greedy and jealous because his wife seemed to love his nephew as her own child, the memory of his brothers wifes eyes lived in the little boys eye in particular, which he inherited. I think there is a lot of evidence as to why the murderer was completely mad in The Tell Tale Heart The narrator was simply trying so hard to convince the reader that he/she was not mad, for example but why will you say that I am mad or the line would a mad man have been so wise as this? this clearly shows that the narrator is trying to convince the reader of his sanity. The repetitiveness and the use of phrases of how a mad man should be keeps relating to themes of madness. The narrator also uses speech, involving the readers by asking questions, e.g. Would a mad man have been so wise as this? The killer says in the first paragraph that he/she loved the old man. The killer didnt have any grudges against him, and he had never wronged the narrator. The only thing that came in the way of all of these opinions was that the narrator was haunted by the old mans eye. Such stupid, mad and negative thoughts took the life of an innocent man. The killer in Confessions Found In a Prison was a blood relative of the victim, the uncle of the child. The killer didnt really think twice about his relationship towards the boy and about the deep, deep consequences. Both murderers had plainly confessed to their repulsive deeds at the end of the short stories. Both confessed dramatically. Both murderers sat on top of their victims lifeless corpses just before they were found out. In The Tell Tale Heart the narrator was sitting on top of the floorboards just above where the body had been placed. In Confessions found in a Prison the murderer sat outside in his own garden with his own officers sitting on the soil that his nephew lay beneath. Both killers ended at the site of the manic crimes. In Confessions Found In A Prison when the narrator did not move his chair or himself, the army officers guessed that he was hiding something. Both narrators have probably flashes in their mind of what they did and what their consequences were going to be if they got caught for murdering an innocent and helpless. For example in Confessions Found In A Prison although the narrator his all the evidence and covered up the crime scene, he lived in fear of being found out that he killed his own nephew. He suffers terrible nightmares and needs to keep a constant watch over his nephews early grave. Both authors are sending significant messages in their short stories, who ever takes a wrong turning life or has done something very wrong against the law will be caught and punished to pay in debt for their crime. If you murder, later your actions turn into regrets and pure nightmares, it drives you insane because you cant simply cope with a guilty conscious. The authors try to convey to their readers that by taking a life of a human, the punishment given to the killer will never be enough to pay for the death of an innocent person who will never get another chance to live in this world. I believe the authors are disapproving of MURDER, in the way they ended their short stories with both killers getting caught and arrested for operating a murder offence. Edgar Allen Poe uses noise to create atmosphere in the short story and to build up suspense, for example, the hinges creaked. The reader instantly wants to discover who is behind the door. This creates more suspense and mystery with the intension of making the readers more engaged, and wanting to read further, and it leaves the reader clinging to the edge of their seats. The Tell Tale Heart is very quiet, calm and peaceful, until the twist at the end of the story, when death was inflicted upon the victim. A silence is always followed by action; again the reader is kept entertained, interested and literally addicted to the suspense and the build up of the tension. Edgar Allan Poe also mentions time in The Tell Tale Heart. It helps many writers in building suspense and creating atmosphere based of the theme of the story. Time makes the story more interesting and gives a sense of repetition if certain words involving time are used atmosphere, suspense and tension are built. For example, For the whole hour I didnt move a muscle this portrays how slowly the time passed. For a minute, the heart went on with a muffled sound. The writer here engages his readers by making TIME a way of creating more atmosphere and tension the short story. Out of the two murderers I really do not think either of them deserved any sympathy, seeing as their reasons for murder were both so meaningless. I feel a tiny bit of pity for the murderer in Confessions found in a Prison because he had had the hatred growing inside him for a long time, waiting to explode. From an early age he seemed to resent his brother and this hatred was later transferred to his innocent nephew. The killer in Confessions found in a Prison wasnt completely mad at the beginning of the story, but became so when the nephew took a role as part of his everyday life, his madness simply stretched from the point when the child was put under his care, the memory of the childs parents was there to remind him everyday of his past hatred and jealousy. The murderer in The Tell Tale Heart didnt appear to have a particular link with the victim, as we know it. The victim did him no wrong. I believe the narrator was mad, and beyond any sense of logical thought. I think he was in need of great medical help from the beginning of the story. I favoured The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe rather than the short story Confessions found in a Prison by Charles Dickens, even though both stories stunned me completely. The author Edgar Allan Poe writes in such anger and irritation about the evil eye, which was compared to a vultures eye. The account of the heart of the old man drumming in the killers mind, driving him to breakdown, gives the reader a shaky feeling while imagining the event. I think the repetition of words helped build up the suspense and tension, this also guides the reader to read further into the passage. The word mad appears in The Tell Tale Heart many times referring to the narrators insanity, this implies to the reader that the narrator is crazy, as he/she brings up this subject on many occasions and obsessively denying their own accusations, e.g. I am not mad. There are many short sentences, usually a device to build up atmosphere and suspense. Edgar Allan Poe writes in such detail about each topic, for example the Evil Eye, we as readers could feel the hate growing inside the narrator, which became very realistic. The twist at the end of this story fascinated me, and gave effectiveness to the whole story. It was intelligently written. The ending wasnt obvious, and kept you guessing to the very end. I didnt expect the killer in The Tell Tale Heart to rip up the floor boards because of all of the hard work and preparation that the killer went through to cover up the crime scene. I took a great interest In the way the narrator was portrayed at the end, when the police inspectors arrived. The killer put on an innocent and relaxed facial expression, just in-case suspicion occurred with the officers. His or her voice tones were transformed into calm, relaxing tones, and the body language is conveyed greatly by the description from the author. The body language was altered depending on the situation to avoid suspicion. The reaction at the end was unexpected, but I could sense a twist building up in the writing. The coincidental visit from the police, and the dramatic confession of the killer was very amusing for me to read. In conclusion, Although I believe that neither of the murderers deserve sympathy, I feel remote pity for both murderers, in the fact that they were mentally unstable, and the knowledge of their crime tore at them until it drove them to confess all. I believe that this does equate for a slight sympathetic vote to go to the killer who showed the most emotion, and regret. I therefore would say I felt the most sympathy for the killer in The Tell Tale Heart.