Definition and Examples of Sermons

A sermon is a form of public discourse on a religious or moral subject, usually delivered as part of a church service by a pastor or priest, possibly taking the form of a jeremiad.  It comes from the Latin word for discourse and conversation. Examples and Observations For many centuries, from the early Middle Ages onward, sermons reached a far larger audience than any other type of non-ritualistic discourse, whether oral or written. They are entirely in the oral tradition, of course, with the sermonist as the speaker and the congregation as the hearers, and with a live relation between the two. The sermon gains in potential effect because of the hallowed nature of the occasion and the religious nature of the message. Moreover, the speaker is a figure endowed with special authority and set apart from the willing hearers who are listening.(James Thorpe, The Sense of Style: Reading English Prose. Archon, 1987)I have been rather reluctant to have a volume of sermons printed. My misgivings have grown out of the fact that a sermon is not an essay to be read but a discourse to be heard. It should be a convincing appeal to a listening congregation.(Martin Luther King, Jr. Preface to Strength to Love. Harper Row, 1963)The various means through which heare rs are gratified implies, of course, that a sermon may answer to very different needs. . . . In a sense, these motives for audience attendance correspond with the threefold aim of classical rhetoric: docere, to teach or persuade the intellect; delectare, to delight the mind; and movere, to touch the emotions.(Joris van Eijnatten, Getting the Message: Toward a Cultural History of the Sermon. Preaching, Sermon and Cultural Change in the Long Eighteenth Century, ed. by J. van Eijnatten. Brill, 2009)St. Augustine on the rhetoric of the sermon:After all, the universal task of eloquence, in whichever of these three styles, is to speak in a way that is geared to persuasion. The aim, what you intend, is to persuade by speaking. In any of these three styles, indeed, the eloquent man speaks in a way that is geared to persuasion, but if he doesn’t actually persuade, he doesn’t achieve the aim of eloquence.(St. Augustine, De Doctrina Christiana, 427, trans. by Edmund Hill)It was p erhaps inevitable that Augustines opinion would have a strong influence on the future development of rhetoric . . .. Moreover, the De doctrina provides one of the few basic statements of a Christian homiletic prior to the emergence of the highly formalized thematic or university style of sermon about the beginning of the 13th century.(James Jerome Murphy, Rhetoric in the Middle Ages: A History of Rhetorical Theory From Saint Augustine to the Renaissance. Univ. of California Press, 1974)Excerpt from the most famous American sermon:There is no want of power in God to cast wicked men into hell at any moment. Mens hands cant be strong when God rises up: the strongest have no power to resist him, nor can any deliver out of his hands.He is not only able to cast wicked men into hell, but he can most easily do it. Sometimes an earthly prince meets with a great deal of difficulty to subdue a rebel that has found means to fortify himself and has made himself strong by the number of his follow ers. But it is not so with God. There is no fortress that is any defence against the power of God. Though hand join in hand, and vast multitudes of Gods enemies combine and associate themselves, they are easily broken in pieces: they are as great heaps of light chaff before the whirlwind, or large quantities of dry stubble before devouring flames. We find it easy to tread on and crush a worm that we see crawling on the earth; so tis easy for us to cut or singe a slender thread that any thing hangs by; thus easy is it for God, when he pleases, to cast his enemies down to hell. What are we, that we should think to stand before him, at whose rebuke the earth trembles, and before whom the rocks are thrown down!(Jonathan Edwards, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, delivered at Enfield, Connecticut on July 8, 1741)

Shakespeares 10 things Essay - 1200 Words

1. Betrayal and revenge 2. Metaphors of death-King Lear, Merchant of Venice, Othello 3. Humor- A Midsummer Nights Dream, As You Like It 4. Pastoral settings- Ling Lear, A midnight Summers Dream 5. Madness and insanity- Othello, Midnight Summer?s Dream, King Lear 6. Reversal- the main character falls from a high place 7. Letters- King Lear, Merchant of Venice 8. Things are not as they appear- King Lear, Merchant of Venice, Midsummer Night?s Dream 9. The Father/Daughter Conflict-Midsummer, King Lear, Merchant of Venice 10. Justice- King Lear, Merchant of Venice The Father/Daughter Conflict- In Midnight Summers Dream, Egeus commands Hermia, his daughter, to wed Demetrius, whom she does not love. Against the advisement of the†¦show more content†¦is the villain in the play. It is not by accident that he is mentioned in the letter in this way. In King Lear, Goneril plots to kill her husband through a letter to Edmund delivered by Oswald. Edmund frames his brother Edgar with a letter that appears to conspire to kill Gloucester, their father. It is here that the audience sees how conniving and calculated Edmund really is and there is no room for sympathy of the character. Things are not as they appear- Disguises are tools William Shakespeare uses to hide or mask inner and outer appearances. In The Merchant of Venice, disguises are used throughout the play by different characters for varied reasons. The ?lottery of the caskets? in Merchant of Venice is an excellent example the theme; Things are not as they appear. Portia?s suitors must choose from caskets of gold, silver, and lead in order to win her hand in marriage. The choice of the lead casket not only wins the fair Portia, but it is also indicate the suitor is intelligent and of substance: not superficial and materialistic. Raised as a Jew, Jessica disguises herself as a pageboy to cover up her identity and embark on a forbidden marriage to Lorenzo, a Christian. This act of defiance refuses her not only her religion, but also her father, Shylock, a Jewish usurer. At the introduction of Jessica?s character, the audience may be inclined to pity the daughter of the main villain in the play, who is accused of greed and usury;Show MoreRelatedEssay on Shakespeare Authorship Controversy1504 Words   |  7 PagesShakespeare, the man who wrote 37 plays and more than a hundred sonnets, is known throughout the world. Many people consider him one of the best English playwrights of our time, others say that he was a genius. William Shakspere was born in Stratford-upon Avon in 1564 and died in 1616 at the age of 52. In the mid-19th century, questions had arisen about the Shakespeare authorship controversy, and many scholars wondered whether Shakspere, the man from Stratford, wrote the plays. Ralph W. 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Such lines as; â€Å"As good luck would have it (The Merry Wives of Windsor), Dead as a doornail (2 Henry VI), Full circle (King Lear), and Milk of human kindness (Macbeth)†Read MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1304 Words   |  6 PagesShakespeare has been known for the use of old English and deeper meanings between the lines of all of his work. He is most known for Romeo and Juliet, the Tragedy of Othello, and especially his one hundred and fifty four sonnets. Sonnets are a 14-line poem that rhymes in a particular pattern. The sonnet, like any other work of Shakespeare, is very difficult to interpret and even more difficult for the poet to write himself due to the restrictions of length. Sonnets 1-126 start off with the affection

Love for Goodness’ Sake Plato’s Symposium Free Essays

Socrates says, â€Å"In a word, then, love is wanting to possess the good forever† (206B). Naturally, it would be my inclination to agree with this statement; however, love is much more complex than Socrates’ definition. Love is the desire to always be happy, and finding goodness is the key to happiness. We will write a custom essay sample on Love for Goodness’ Sake: Plato’s Symposium or any similar topic only for you Order Now Love brings the good out of our souls to guide our lives. We search for goodness in love, yet surrendering to love and desire (eros) is what brings out our goodness. The happiness that love provides encourages the individual to be his or her best self, which is how we ultimately live our lives around goodness. Plato’s Symposium teaches this catch-22: in searching for goodness in love, we discover the goodness within our own souls. A person faces choices every day; with every decision there is the option of acting morally or shamefully. Most people aim to make moral choices, but regardless of the decisions people make, every person has an inherent ability to distinguish acting shamefully and morally. Whether this ability is something a person is born with or is developed through education from one’s parents is irrelevant; it’s important to notice that individuals are aware of their acts before they love someone. When someone falls in love—or is overcome by desire—he or she becomes acutely aware of his or her actions and usually makes a conscious effort to make good choices. In seeing the goodness of the ones a person desires, he or she is reminded of the importance of portraying one’s good qualities. This is the heart of Phaedrus’ argument, that â€Å"there is a certain guidance each person needs for his whole life†¦and nothing imparts this guidance†¦as well as Love† (178D). He continues to argue that the best possible society would be full of lovers and their beloveds because all of its members would be constantly aware of being their best selves in the presence of their loved ones. Phaedrus contends that surrendering to eros brings out an individual’s goodness, but he doesn’t address whether this goodness exists when a person is living without Love. Aristophanes discusses his belief that people fall in love when they find the their â€Å"other half† who fills them with a sense of completeness. He tates, â€Å"It’s obvious that the soul of every lover longs for something else; his soul cannot say what it is† yet he pursues the feeling of unity and completeness that love provides (192D). This sense of wholeness comes from finding the goodness within oneself when a person is with his or her matching half. Socrates disagrees with Aristophanes’ argument because he doesn’t know that each person’s other half is good. The concept of having a matching half may provide comfort to some, but it implies that each person should only have a desire for one person. It is very common for people to love multiple people through the course of their lives. Aristophanes may not be incorrect in saying that every soul is searching for its matching half, but the key part of his argument in this context is that when a person finds someone he or she loves, that person feels a sense of fullness. I believe this sense of feeling of fulfillment comes from rediscovering the good within oneself. The argument in the Symposium that most emphasizes this point is that of Socrates. He believes that everyone is pregnant, either physically or mentally. Those who are pregnant physically bear children; this is their way of spreading life and goodness into the world. Those who are have a pregnant soul bear wisdom, creativity and beauty into the world. Both forms of pregnancy leave behind a small piece of goodness and the process of pregnancy proves that this goodness begins within the individual. A woman has most of what is required to make a baby within her body before finding a lover. She has healthy organs that make her body function, and she is capable of maintaining her body. She has eggs in her ovaries that are waiting for a lover to fertilize them. When she finds a lover, his sperm combines with her egg and a beautiful baby develops. Both the man and the woman have all of the ingredients to create offspring, but the unity of the lovers is required to complete the process. In the same way, each individual has wisdom within their souls, but it’s necessary to combine two souls to expose the goodness to society. The process of bringing beauty and wisdom into the world through spiritual pregnancy is more abstract than physical pregnancy, but is equally important. In the same way that a physical lust develops between lovers, souls can crave each other. Socrates states that the soul is drawn to other beautiful and developed souls, and these people connect through intellectually stimulating arguments—they give birth to new ideas and thoughts. He believes that, â€Å"when [a person] makes contact with someone beautiful and keeps company with him, he conceives and gives birth to what he has been carrying inside him for ages. And whether they are together or apart, he remembers that beauty† (209C). Here, Socrates says that the beauty, truth, knowledge, and goodness were all contained within the lover before the relationship was established; it is through dialogue that this beauty is exposed. Being aware of displaying our good behaviors and trying to impress our loved ones can be a good thing, but sometimes one’s heightened awareness of goodness can make him or her feel inferior. When Alcibiades crashes the philosophers’ dinner, he begins his speech of praise for Socrates, but quickly Alcibiades reveals his overwhelming sense of mediocrity when in Socrates’ presence. â€Å"Yes, he makes me feel ashamed,† Alcibiades confesses, â€Å"I know perfectly well that I can’t prove he’s wrong when he tells me what I should do; yet, the moment I leave his side, I go back to my old ways† (216B). Alcibiades believes he will never be good enough for the pious and goodness-filled Socrates. Alcibiades admits that he strives to be his best self in front of Socrates, but he lapses into old habits when they are apart. Alcibiades declares, â€Å"my whole life has become one constant effort to escape from him and keep away, but when I see him, I feel deeply ashamed, because I’m doing nothing about my way of life, although I have already agreed with him that I should† (216B). Therefore, Alcibiades is aware that he has the potential to be good, but he only has the strength to be noble when he’s with Socrates. The tragedy is that Socrates doesn’t want to take Alcibiades as a lover, leaving the latter to suffer through life feeling lonely and inadequate. Alcibiades should remember that he has the power to be moral and display his goodness, which could in turn lead him to another lover. All of the philosophers whose ideas I’ve discussed above reveal that love brings out the good in each of us, but I believe that the good is contained within the individual before exposure to a lover. We seek lovers because we crave the reminder to always be our best selves. We take pride in acting morally, and we feel good when others recognize our good behavior. We have desire for someone when we see his or her beauty and goodness, and we hope to be desired for our goodness as well. When two lovers come together, there is a feel of unity because there’s an understanding that both people will be noble for each other. People are compelled to stay with a lover for the entirety of their lives because they want to continue to be full of goodness. When we are without a lover, we may feel lonely and can lose touch with our internal goodness. We crave love because we need the constant reminder to be our highest selves—the self we are most proud of. Because Love makes us extra aware of our goodness both internally and behaviorally, it’s important to remember that we have the power to be our noblest selves at any time, with or without a lover. Therefore Socrates was right after all: love is the desire to hold on to the good in our lives forever, and being with a lover is the best way to constantly be aware of being our best selves. How to cite Love for Goodness’ Sake: Plato’s Symposium, Papers

How to carry out effective research free essay sample

Research can be defined as a careful investigation or inquiry especially through search for new facts in any branch of knowledge systematized effort to gain new knowledge. It can be considered a movement from the known to the unknown. it comprises defining and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions; collecting, organizing and evaluating data; making deductions and reaching conclusions; and at last carefully testing the conclusions to determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis. OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH 1. To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it. 2. To portray accurately the characteristics of a particular individual, situation or a group 3. To determine the frequency with which something occurs or with which it is associated with something else. 4. To test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between variables. MOTIVATION IN RESEARCH 1. Desire to get a research degree along with its consequential benefits; 2. Desire to face the challenge in solving the unsolved problems, i. e. , concern over practical problems initiates research; 3. Desire to get intellectual joy of doing some creative work; 4. Desire to be of service to society; 5. Desire to get respectability. TYPES OF RESEARCH The basic types of research are as follows: 1) Descriptive vs. Analytical: Descriptive research includes surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds. The major purpose of descriptive research is description of the state of affairs as it exists at present. Analytical research, on the other hand, the researcher has to use facts or information already available, and analyze these to make a critical evaluation of the material. Applied vs. Fundamental: Research can either be applied research or fundamental research. Applied research aims at finding a solution for an immediate problem facing a society or an industrial/business organization, Whereas fundamental research is mainly concerned with generalizations and with the formulation of a theory. â€Å"Gathering knowledge for knowledge’s sake is termed ‘pure’ or ‘basic’ research 3) Quantitative vs. Qualitative. Quantitative research is based on the measurement of quantity or amount. It is applicable to phenomena that can be expressed in terms of quantity. Qualitative research, on the other hand, is concerned with qualitative phenomenon, i. e. , phenomena relating to or involving quality or kind 4) Conceptual vs. Empirical: Conceptual research is that related to some abstract idea(s) or theory. It is generally used by philosophers and thinkers to develop new concepts or to reinterpret existing ones. On the other hand, Empirical research relies on experience or observation alone, often without due regard for system and theory. It is data-based research, coming up with conclusions which are capable of being verified by observation or experiment. We can also call it as experimental type of research. Research Approaches. There are two basic approaches to research, quantitative approach and the qualitative approach. Quantitative approach involves the generation of data in quantitative form which can be subjected to rigorous quantitative analysis in a formal and rigid fashion while Qualitative approach to research is concerned with subjective assessment of attitudes, opinions and behavior. Research in such a situation is a function of researcher’s insights and impressions. Significance of Research These days nearly all governments maintain large staff of research technicians or experts to carry on this work. Thus, in the context of government, research as a tool to economic policy has three distinct phases of operation 1) Investigation of economic structure through continual compilation of facts. 2) Diagnosis of events that are taking place and the analysis of the forces underlying them. 3) The prognosis, i. e. , the prediction of future developments. Research has its special significance in solving various operational and planning problems of business and industry. Operations research and market  research, along with motivational research, are considered crucial and their results assist. in more than one way, in taking business decisions. Research is equally important for social scientists in studying social relationships and in seeking answers to various social problems The significance of research can also be understood keeping in view the following points: 1. To those st udents who are to write a master’s or Ph. D. thesis, research may mean a careerism or a way to attain a high position in the social structure; 2. To professionals in research methodology, research may mean a source of livelihood; 3. To philosophers and thinkers, research may mean the outlet for new ideas and insights; 4. To literary men and women, research may mean the development of new styles and creative work; 5. To analysts and intellectuals, research may mean the generalisations of new theories. Thus, research is the fountain of knowledge for the sake of knowledge and an important source of providing guidelines for solving different business, governmental and social problems. Research methods This May be understood as all those methods/techniques that are used for conduction of research. Research methods or techniques, thus, refer to the methods the researchers use in performing research operations. In other words, all those methods which are used by the researcher during the course of studying his research problem are termed as research methods. Research methods can be put into the following three groups. 1. In the first group we include those methods which are concerned with the collection of data. These methods will be used where the data already available are not sufficient to arrive at the required solution; 2. The second group consists of those statistical techniques which are used for  establishing relationships between the data and the unknowns; 3. The third group consists of those methods which are used to evaluate the accuracy of the results obtained. Research methodology This is a way to systematically solve the research problem. It may be understood as a science of studying how research is done scientifically. In it we study the various steps that are g enerally adopted by a researcher in studying his research problem along with the logic behind them. Similarly, in research the scientist has to expose the research decisions to evaluation before they are implemented. He has to specify very clearly and precisely what decisions he selects and why he selects them so that they can be evaluated by others also. Importance of Knowing How Research is done The importance of knowing the methodology of research or how research is done stems from the following considerations: 1. For one who is preparing himself for a career of carrying out research, the importance of knowing research methodology and research techniques is obvious since the same constitute the tools of his trade. 2. Knowledge of how to do research will inculcate the ability to evaluate and use research results with reasonable confidence. When one knows how research is done, then one may have the satisfaction of acquiring a new intellectual tool which can become a way of looking at the world and of judging every day experience. 3. In this scientific age, all of us are in many ways consumers of research results and we can use them intelligently provided we are able to judge the adequacy of the methods by which they have been obtained. The knowledge of methodology helps the consumer of research results to evaluate them and enables him to take rational decisions. Research Process Before embarking on the details of research methodology and techniques, it seems appropriate to present a brief overview of the research process. Research process consists of series of actions or steps necessary to effectively carry out research and the desired sequencing of these steps. However, the following order concerning various steps provides a useful procedural guideline regarding the research process: Formulating the research problem: The researcher must single out the problem he wants to study, i. e.  he must decide the general area of interest or aspect of a subject-matter that he would like to inquire into. Initially the problem may be stated in a broad general way and then the ambiguities, if any, relating to the problem be resolved. Essentially two steps are involved in formulating the research problem, understanding the problem thoroughly, and rephrasing the same into meaningful terms from an analytical point of view. The best way of understanding th e problem is to discuss it with one’s own colleagues or with those having some expertise in the matter. After this the researcher rephrases the problem into analytical or operational terms i. e. to put the problem in as specific terms as possible. This task of formulating, or defining, a research problem is a step of greatest importance in the entire research process. The problem to be investigated must be defined unambiguously for that will help discriminating relevant data from irrelevant ones. Care must; however, be taken to verify the objectivity and validity of the background facts concerning the problem. Extensive literature survey: Once the problem is formulated, a brief summary of it should be written down. It is compulsory for a research worker writing a thesis for a Ph. D. degree to write a synopsis of the topic and submit it to the necessary Committee or the Research Board for approval. At this juncture the researcher should undertake extensive literature survey connected with the problem. For this purpose, the abstracting and indexing journals and published or unpublished bibliographies are the first place to go to. Academic journals, conference proceedings, government reports, books etc. Development of working hypotheses: After extensive literature survey, researcher should state in clear terms the working hypothesis or hypotheses. Working hypothesis is tentative assumption made in order to draw out and test its logical or empirical consequences. As such the manner in which research hypotheses are developed is particularly important since they provide the focal point for research. They also affect the manner in which tests must be conducted in the analysis of data and indirectly the quality of data which is required for the analysis. In most types of research, the development of working hypothesis plays an important role. Hypothesis should be very specific and limited to the piece of research in hand because it has to be tested. The role of the hypothesis is to guide the researcher by delimiting the area of research and to keep him on the right track. How one develops working hypotheses. 1. Discussions with colleagues and experts about the problem, its origin and the objectives in seeking a solution; 2. Examination of data and records, if available, concerning the problem for possible trends, peculiarities and other clues; 3. Review of similar studies in the area or of the studies on similar problems; and 4. Exploratory personal investigation which involves original field interviews on a limited scale with interested parties and individuals with a view to secure greater insight into the practical aspects of the problem. Thus, working hypotheses arise as a result of thinking about the subject, examination of the available data and material including related studies and the counsel of experts and interested parties. Working hypotheses are more useful when stated in precise and clearly defined terms. Preparing the research design: The research problem having been formulated in clear cut terms, the researcher will be required to prepare a research design, i. e. , he will have to state the conceptual structure within which research would be conducted. The preparation of such a design facilitates research to be as efficient as possible yielding maximal information. In other words, the function of research design is to provide for the collection of relevant evidence with minimal expenditure of effort, time and money. But how all these can be achieved depends mainly on the research purpose. Research purposes may be grouped into four categories, 1. Exploration, 2. Description, 3. Diagnosis, 4. Experimentation. A flexible research design which provides opportunity for considering many different aspects of a problem is considered appropriate if the purpose of the research study is that of exploration. But when the purpose happens to be an accurate description of a situation or of an association between variables, the suitable design will be one that minimises bias and maximises the reliability of the data collected and analyzed. There are several research designs, such as, experimental and non-experimental hypothesis testing. Experimental designs can be either informal designs (such as before-and-after without control, after-only with control, before-and-after with control) or formal designs (such as completely randomized design, randomized block design, Latin square design, simple and complex factorial designs), out of which the researcher must select one for his own project. The preparation of the research design, appropriate for a particular research problem, involves usually the consideration of the following:1. the means of obtaining the information 2. the availability and skills of the researcher and his staff (if any) 3. explanation of the way in which selected means of obtaining information will be organized and the reasoning leading to the selection; 4. the time available for research; and 5. the cost factor relating to research, i. e. , the finance available for the purpose. Determining sample desi gn: The researcher must decide the way of selecting a sample or what is popularly known as the sample design. In other words, a sample design is a definite plan determined before any data are actually collected for obtaining a sample from a given population. Thus, the plan to select 12 of a city’s 200 drugstores in a certain way constitutes a sample design. Samples can be either probability samples or non-probability samples. With probability samples each element has a known probability of being included in the sample but the non-probability samples do not allow the researcher to determine this probability. Probability samples are those based on simple random sampling, systematic sampling, stratified sampling, cluster/area sampling whereas non-probability samples are those based on convenience sampling, judgment sampling and quota sampling techniques. A brief mention of the important sample designs is as follows: Deliberate sampling: Deliberate sampling is also known as purposive or non-probability sampling. This sampling method involves purposive or deliberate selection of particular units of the universe for constituting a sample which represents the universe. If a researcher wishes to secure data from, say, gasoline buyers, he may select a fixed number of petrol stations and may conduct interviews at these stations. At times such a procedure may give very biased results particularly when the population is not homogeneous. Simple random sampling: This type of sampling is also known as chance sampling or probability sampling where each and every item in the population has an equal chance of inclusion in the sample and each one of the possible samples, in case of finite universe, has the same probability of being selected Systematic sampling: In some instances the most practical way of sampling is to select every 15th name on a list, every 10th house on one side of a street and so on. Sampling of this type is known as systematic sampling. An element of randomness is usually introduced into this kind of sampling by using random numbers to pick up the unit with which to start. This procedure is useful when sampling frame is available in the form of a list. In such a design the selection process starts by picking some random point in the list and then every nth element is selected until the desired number is secured. Stratified sampling: If the population from which a sample is to be drawn does not constitute a homogeneous group, then stratified sampling technique is applied so as to obtain a representative sample. In this technique, the population is stratified into a number of non-overlapping subpopulations or strata and sample items are selected from each stratum. If the items selected from each stratum is based on simple random sampling the entire procedure, first stratification and then simple random sampling, is known as stratified random sampling.

The Crucible Devices Used To Create Hysteria Research Paper Example

The Crucible: Devices Used To Create Hysteria Paper Arthur Millers The Crucible is superficially about the story of how one girl, of the lowest class, created paramount chaos in a brief time span, in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts. The girl, named Abigail, manipulated the townspeople to become stricken with fear and terror. Underneath this external layer lies the story of persecution, deception and fallacious accusations. It is about how the social hierarchy of a seemingly rational town could be disarrayed, how deceit can become truth, how people can be wrongly victimized and condemned. Mostly, it is of how one person can disturb the peace of a society, creating vast amounts of hysteria. One of the most important devices used in The Crucible is the one of the antagonist herself, Abigail Williams. She is described in the play as being a strikingly beautiful girl, an orphan, with an endless capacity for dissembling (page 8-9). She is a stunning, bewitching teenager of seventeen years, however, she is able to conceal and hide her true motives, thus making her the perfect villain for the story. She has the typical femme fatale persona, one who brings disaster to men and all others who are unfortunately entwined in her sick games. Because of her ability to mask her intentions throughout the play, she manages to manipulate and exploit everyone in town with power to condemn and chastise the innocent. Abigail represents the repressed longings of all the Puritans in Salem. She is the only person in town who does not suppress her desires. She is the simplest character of all the major characters in the story, and has a clear objective of pursuing John Proctor after their affair, as well as eliminating Elizabeth. We will write a custom essay sample on The Crucible: Devices Used To Create Hysteria specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Crucible: Devices Used To Create Hysteria specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Crucible: Devices Used To Create Hysteria specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Declaring witchcraft in Salem allowed Abigail to elevate in the social hierarchy system from being a servant, to one who is able to convict any towns-person of the worst allegation possible, Devil-worship. The setting in which the play is set is Salem, Massachusetts, in the late 17th century, in the year 1692. It is a Puritan society, indicating that it is a strict, solemn and fearful town. The people of Salem are gullible and superstitious, prone to being overly religious. Because of their devout attitude towards religion and God, they are daunted by many fears, including the fear of witchcraft, the Devil and Hell, death and of being caught. In this restrictive community, one is not allowed to enjoy oneself or participate in celebration of any kind, instead, physical exertion and strict compliance with their religion are the most appropriate way to measure faith, trust and honesty. The Salem witch trials allowed those who held grudges to act upon them, allowing many innocent people to be found guilty, thereby sentenced to death by hanging. The time of the Salem witch trials is described by Arthur Miller as One of the strangest and most awful chapters in human history.

English Exam Essay

English Exam Essay English Exam Essay Firstly I was at outside with my friends riding our bikes down the enormous road, it was really boiling hot and I was sweating like it was my last day of day in the planet. My friends decided to go home and leave me by my self because they couldn't hack the sweat dripping down the forehead to their shirt. Unforunalty I didn't want to go home now because I still wanted to try out my new bike my dad bought me and if I go home now they wont let me it till tomorrow and I cant wait for that long, It’s never been this loud in the Yankee before; it’s sounds like a football match between the best team in world Barcelona vs. real Madrid. The compound was loud as ever, everyone was cheering because they was watching the baseball game that was taking place in the middle of the courtyard till we all heard 2 gun shots Bang! Bang! The compound turned absolute silent it took less then 2 second for everyone in the compound to be quiet. Everyone was confused no one knew what was happening, I tried to peddle back home as fast as I could but when I looked left I saw a car with a roaring engine coming towards me I tried to focus on who was driving the car so I can see who it was; but my heart was beating to fast and I just wanted to get back to my parents but I gave the car one last look and all I see was a man with a assault rifle shooting everyone that came in his way. Why did he do that? I was just trying to figure out what was going on but there was no time. I was near my house but the car was to close to me and I was panicking thinking I was going to get shot till I heard someone say my name Peter! Peter! My heart stopped straight away I turned back and I see my dad I was in shock so I decided to stay on my bike as my dad was running towards me I saw the same people in car with the assault rifles roaring and coming towards us again and shot my dad on his knees and shot his head right in

Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Research Paper - Essay Example Step 2: Sharing My Knowledge In order to get some information, I visited the website of walmartstore.com. In this website, a sufficient amount of information is available regarding health and wellness, careers and so on. I decided to know a finance opening at Wal-Mart. In this website’s career portal, Wal-Mart has comprehensive plan for young and new workforce. Step 3: Devising Research Questions I have insufficient information about Wal-Mart. To get further information, I have formulated following questions: When Wal-Mart came into existence? What is the current financial strength of Wal-Mart? What is the customer base of Wal-Mart? After devising the research questions, it is important to find some resources to get the answers of these questions. It is important to have reliable source to answer these questions. Step 4: Finding Sources First and most reliable source is the official website of Wal-Mart. The main page of the website has different links. These links connect to d ifferent templates. A sufficient amount of information is available on these provided links. Particularly, the link for â€Å"About Us† gives information regarding the purpose of Wal-Mart and a brief history note is also mentioned. Step 5: Answering Research Questions Following are the answers which I found. ... What is the current financial strength of Wal-Mart? Wal-Mart is a financially stable and sound company. In the year of 2010, the company posted the sales figure of $405 billion (â€Å"About Us†). The Fortune Magazine ranked Wal-Mart as first among retailers in the year of 2010. The rank given by the Fortune Magazine gives me the idea of the company is financially strong and sound. This is encouraging factor for me to become an employee of Wal-Mart. What is the customer base of Wal-Mart? Weekly, more than 200 million times these customers are served at the stores of Wal-Mart. Also, a huge chain of 8,838 retail units is always ready to serve the customers. And to serve the customers, Wal-Mart has employed 2.1 million associates worldwide (â€Å"About Us†). I think Wal-Mart serve more than any other company in the world. And this is mainly the company’s service quality that attracts so many customers. Step 6: Presenting the Research Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. In the year of 1962, Wal-Mart came into existence (â€Å"About Us†). It launched its business operations by opening the first Wal-Mart discount store in Rogers, Ark. And in the year of 1969, Wal-Mart was incorporated as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Wal-Mart opened its first Sam’s Club membership warehouse in 1988. With the continued business success and business growth, Wal-Mart became an international entity in 1991 when it launched and opened its very first Sam’s Club near Mexico City. Wal-Mart is a financially stable and sound company. In the year of 2010, the company posted the sales figure of $405 billion (â€Å"About Us†). Additionally, Wal-Mart has a huge figure of customers, associates and members. Weekly, more than 200 million times these

The Cinematic Auteurist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Cinematic Auteurist - Essay Example Some of the major arguments against auteur theory are that the theory is not applied across wide range of film artists and is often confined to the creative inputs of directors. People also believe that it also gives undue credit to the directors when they are supposed to transform the script into films. As directors are supposed to make films as per the script, the originality factor of directors is meaningless. In the contemporary times, auteur theory significantly impacts the marketing of films not only in Hollywood but throughout the world. The personal style of the directors is used as a market statement for advertising the film across all formats of media. The popularity of the directors therefore becomes the key element within the market strategy of the films. The eminence of director and his creative inputs to the scripts give huge credibility to the film and help to market it with success. Hence, auteur theory helps provide the genre of the film with new dimension of interpr etation through the eyes of the director’s creativity. Auteur theory also affects the way that films are analyzed by critics and audiences. The scripts with common themes and issues become stupendous success as films because of the way the issues are treated within the wider scope of film making. The director as main anchor, helps to visualize the thematic portray in a highly sensitive way which gives a unique perspective to the otherwise common issue. Hitchcock films and films by Steven Spielberg have created their own niche market because they have successfully transformed common themes into work of art. Thus, individual contributions of directors often become important part of film success which the critics use to analyze the films.

Fad diet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Fad diet - Essay Example She began drinking nothing but a mixture of maple syrup and lemon water for days. She would supplement this with cabbage soup. Occasionally, she would buy The Hollywood forty-eight hour Miracle Diet juice at Walgreens. She would count fat grams, sugar grams, calories and carbohydrates. June became a fad diet junkie. Many young women undergo the same kind of social segregation because of their body sizes and shapes (Moyad, 2005). Other than the potential physical health complications that obesity poses to millions of citizens around the states, the reported social view of the obese adds another danger of psychological health risks to the obese. For this reason, many people, especially the youth and young adults have resorted to fad dieting oblivious of the effects of such choices (Fineberg, 1972). The research looks at the rationale of fad dieting. It gives answers the question: Is fad diet really an effective way of losing weight and becoming slim, attractive and fit or is it just some fantasy people are living in? The topic of study is important given the rumored health risks associated with the practice. There are claims that fad diet is merely an illusion of getting slim. In fact it is hazardous to health and a waste of time and money. In fact later it results in more over weightiness then before. At the same time, some people report that they actually lose weight through fad dieting. Irrespective of the results of fad dieting, there is another problem of inconsistency of the diet one is supposed to stick to. There is need to research the issue of fad dieting so as to help generate a standard, helpful diet or discourage the practice if it poses more dangers than benefits (Calman, Hauser, Lurio, & Pichardo, 2008). With the current state of improved information technology, there is so much information available to people, but that does not enhance people’s knowledge. The internet has myriad of

Issues of Company Co-Ownership

Issues of Company Co-Ownership MEMORANDUM 1 i. When in a state of co-ownership, the decision to make alterations and repairs is one in which it is necessary, that both parties must have made a common agreement before any changes are made to a property.[1] It should also be noted that in previous cases where exceptional circumstances arise and the property is in need of necessary repairs that any one of the co-owners is able to make changes to the property.[2]. This can be determined by firstly and very basically establishing that they are in a co ownership,[3] and also that the case provided sees changes made to the property are not repairs as defined as necessary operations in rebuilding, repairing.[4] This means a unanimous agreement was therefore necessary and that the only other way Victor would be entitled to make the changes are seen in Rafique v Amin in which personal bar is referred which would only be relevant if Jack already knew about the changes that were going to be made but chose to do nothing as even though no agreement was reached yet no objection was made. This is also seen not to be the case as Jack was not present or notified at the time of the alterations. Since alterations (not repairs) have been made to the property and not minor changes that are permissible, it can be quite clearly stated that Victor was not permitted to carry out such alterations on the flat. On the one hand there is room for Victor to plead that what is being proposed is so trivial as to fall within the principle enshrined in the brocard à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [5] , on the other hand it seems that the changes made could be classified as more than trivial so it seems that Victor was not entitled to carry out the changes made to the property. ii. The issue of whether Jack can do anything to prevent Victor from making more changes can be rather complex. As found in Barkley v Scott(1983) 10 Sh Ct Rep 23 and owner is quite entitled to make changes to a property as long as they are regarded as de minimis meaning that they are minimal such as previously mentioned above.[6] This would be a an ordinary use of the property in which Jack could not prevent although would need further enquiry. It should also be noted that unauthorised actions will become subject to an interdict. This would prevent Victor from carrying out any more alterations to the property. Such action would require court action which in multiple cases sees declarator granted along with interdict and on occasion a reinstatement in favour of the pursuer who at the time was not contacted.[7] It seems that in this case to stop Jack making further amendments an indictment would have to be placed upon him with the penalties for breaking such indictment becoming ever more serious.[8] So, it can be said with absolute certainty that the common proprietor has the right to veto that will therefore prevent further alterations on the property regardless of whether the property they are disputing over is able to be sold or not.[9] On occasion the pursuer often seeks for a financial return through damages. This would see Victor have to pay for the damage he has done, although often the amount to pay out through damages is hard to quantify[10] and it has been said that for a breach there has to be shown to have suffered material damage from such a breach[11]. For that reason, sometimes the repayment of damage maybe in this case is not suitable. So, it can be said that perhaps indictment is one of the most feasible routes here to prevent Victor from making further changes to the flat. Often, this results in Jack who has been greatly inconvenienced to look to dispone his shares of the flat. This would be at Jacks discretion as whilst not directly linked to preventing Victor from making further unwanted changes to the flat this often occurs when there is a break down in cooperation and in practice the best remedy for this is actually the sale and division of the property. iii. Despite it being clear that Victor does not want Jack to sell the property it can be hard to prevent. The selling of a property is of thought to often depend on, mutual compatibility goodwill, and understanding.[12] Providing that this still exists between Jack and Victor the usual step would be to sell shares of the property or sell the property as a whole. It is said in Latin that both in communionemà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ nemo compellitur invitus detineri[13] and that regardless of the relationship communion est mater rixarum.[14] This is particularly significant in Victors case as it means that if the issue is raised in court each party as pro indiviso owners has an absolute entitlement to the right of division and sale.[15] When the division and sale takes place the property will either be sold all together and then split between co-owners or the property is physically divided into the extent of the shares so in this case it would be evenly split. This does seem to then favour division of the property which would prevent sale however, in a situation where it is seen as far from practical or grossly unsuitable it will end in the sale of a property.[16] This is very much so relevant to issues involving common property that cannot be sold at all such as a commonly used stairwell,[17] or that the co-owners are married in which case would have separate rules or that one of the co-owners has been sequestrated, both are irrelevant to Jack and Victor.[18] It is even possible that it is not sold on the market and that Jack can ask Victor to transfer his share of the of the property to him for half its value, however this is the right to buy out is a contentious one but entirely plausible. It seems therefore, that there is very little Victor can do to prevent Jack from selling the flat. iV. As said previously situations in which property is sold is entirely different for married couples as they follow a separate set of rules regarding the sale of property between co owners. In Jack and Victors current situation at common law both cohabitants initially had no legally recognised status. Although unmarried separation rights are the exact same in property terms when the relationship breaks down it is then they are both distinguishable. Due to Jack and Victor not being married if their relationship was to break down their property would be divided into his his and theirs[19] where each couple will claim exactly what is they individually own. This is different if Jack and Victor were married as if they were then the property would be divided into what it is felt each party needs, like in some cases for example, the husband will leave the matrimonial home to be transferred to his ex-wife, along with the fact that matrimonial couples are seen as one unit rather than being treat ed as complete strangers. As at the end of a relationship in divorce it is to be shared equally[20] as special circumstances can be accounted for and these decisions are generally fully down to judicial discretion as it is then that it is decided to what property the property can be valued as. to what value it has. As at the end of divorce it is all calculated towards a figure as matrimonial property seems to only have significant importance during divorce proceedings which can lead to money being exchanged to make a property transfer order. [21]These are considerations Jack and Victor dont need to currently make as they are not married and the only Act that would apply to cohabitants would be the Family Law Scotland Act.[22] This only goes as far as giving the option of financial provisions and also to make sure that goods are perceived as co owned, cohabitants have similar but not entirely equal occupancy rights (such as occupancy rights only up to 6 months ) as contained in the M atrimonial Homes Act 1981. This highlights the problems of couples who live together outside of marriage (such as Jack and Victor) face when their relationship breaks down as while they have some rights protected by some Acts they are not as greatly protected as married couples are. i A lease can be defined as a contract between one person who grants permission for the other to use their property for a set amount of time in return for payment, which is known as rent. There are 3 types commercial, agricultural and residential property. Navid seemingly falls into the commercial property bracket. There are 4 main elements for a valid lease to be present. The first is that there must be a general agreement between the two parties the lessor and the lessee. Secondly, there must be property. The lessee must be given possession of the property and unless in special cases such as shooting rights which can be leased although this must be clarified so the subject of the lease is found.[23] Rent is another which is usual paid periodically and in most circumstance on a monthly basis but can be paid in various different ways such as through services and not only through money.[24] The court may also find a lease exists as long as the other three elements are found.[25] Finally for a lease to be valid there has to be a duration on the lease. So in theory it is allowed for a lease to last for many years.[26] So far it can easily be established that both Navid and Isa have a valid lease in place. Furthermore, the formality of whether or not the lease was signed is irrelevant if the lease lasts one year or less, and longer and both parties must have a written agreement.[27] So, if Navid has entered into a lease for over with Isa for it to be valid it is hoped that there was a written agreement in place along with the other four elements listed above. In most cases a lease will contain the rights of both the tenant and the landlord. This is because the lease is recognised by the law with its own set of terms. The first is possession and that the landlord is obligated (so in this case Isa) to give the tenant what is known as natural possession, one that the landlord should not interfere with.[28] The tenant as a consequence must be present in the property with only short absences allowed as without such a possession of the property the lease can be regarded as a material breach such as when a tenant was absent from a prison due to detention in prison.[29] The second reason is that rent must be paid by the tenant when it is due. The reason leases are so short and are often changed is due to changes in external factors such as inflation, if the new rate set is not agreed on it is for the third party to decide, which will see the rent set in line with market rates. Thirdly, the property must be sufficiently plenished by the landlord to a reasonable standard in which it would be expected to be equitable for the payment of rent, as without this an interdict can be put in place against the land lord.[30] The tenant is also obligated to use the property for the purposes of let and may not alter or invert this which will cause a breach of the lease, however, The Landlord is obliged to make sure that the property in question is fit for the circumstances under in which it will be let, which can lead Isa to be questioned on her upkeep of her property. Finally, the property must be maintained by the landlord, so the landlord must carry out the maintenance to the property within a reasonable time and if he does not he is liable.[31] The landlord however is not liable if an Act of God occurs such as a flood, a third party causes damage ( in which case they are liable) or the tenant will be liable if they breach the obligation to take care of a property in which case they will be made to pay. There are reasons for either Landlord or tenant in this situation to bring the lease to an end. Firstly, Isa could feel the need for the lease to end due to the fact Navid has not paid rent for the past 6 months. This is a clear obligation of a lease, and the onus is very much on Navid to pay that money. Without Navid paying that money it can be cause for Isa to take action against Navid the remedies available include what is known as action for payment. This remedy is typically used for situations including this one in which rent is not paid, this results in the execution of the lease which is often found as a clause within the lease. This enables a judge to carry out what is known as summary diligence which sometimes does not even need court action.[32] Isa is also entitled to rescind the lease due to a material breach of a monetary obligation in which it would require her to give Navid a 14 day notice to pay the unpaid rent. Furthermore, Isa herself as a landlord has a right to th e goods brought into the property by the tenant known as invecta et illata for rent. It however, seems Navid has the stronger case as Isa has quite clearly fell short of providing a suitable standard of property due to the dampness that has ruined Navids stock. This entitles him to either; seek damages for the fact the landlord has failed to carry out the required repairs that will leed to Navid suffering monetary loss although defining the quantification of such a breach is difficult to determine. He is also able to seek the remedy of specific implement which sees the landlord required by the courts to carry out repairs on Navids shop. This is a remedy specific to Scottish courts which unlike England do not offer such a remedy to the keep open clause. A final option for Navid is to keep suspending his obligation to pay rent due to Isa breaching her obligation to repair the dampness on the premises as he is very much allowed to continue to retain the rent from Isa as long as he has not been paying her for months when she has been failing to meet her obligations. [1] Rafique v Amin 1997 SLT 1385 [2] Rafique v Amin 1997 SLT 1385 [3] Cargill v Muir 1837 [4] Bell Principles 1075 [5] Rafique v Amin 1997 SLT 1385 [6] Kleyn, D and Wortley, S Co ownership on Zimmerman, Visser and Reid Mixed Legal Systems. [7] Rafique v Amin 1997 SLT 1385 [8] http://www.lawscot.org.uk/news/2015/02/prison-sentence-for-john-odonnell/ [9] Deans V Woolfson 1922 SLT 165 [10] Barkley v Scott [11] http://www.jandhmitchell.com/pdf/Title%20Conditions%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf [12] Mclead v Cedar Holding Ltd. 1989 SLT 620. [13] No one can be forced to remain in co ownership [14] Common property is the mother of quarrels. [15] Upper Crathes Fishing Ltd v Baileys Exrs 1991 SLT 747 [16] Thom v Macbeth 1875 3 R 161. [17] Bells Principle 1082 [18] Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 1985, s 40 [19] http://www.terry.co.uk/cohabs.html [20] [21] [22] [23] Conway v Glasgow City Council 1999 SCLR 248 [24] Paisley Land Laww para 79 [25] Glen v Roy (1882) 10 R 239 [26] Welwood v Husband (1874) I R 507 [27] RoW(S) A 1995, S 1 [28] Graham v Black and Stevenson [29] Blair Trust Co v Gilbert [30] Co-operative Insurance Society v Halford Ltd 1998 SLT 90 [31] Wolfson v Forrester 1910 SC 675 [32] Cowie v Martalo 2011 GWD 32-676

offensive language Essay -- essays research papers

Offensive Language Throughout the day, I find myself exposed to harsh language. Whether in at work or walking through the hallways at school, it is all around us. Later, as I accelerate through rush-hour traffic, I discover that I use these words as well, lashing out with blunt verbal terms in the safety of my enclosed vehicle. I have used bad language before, but I do use it often. I have friends that cuss every other word. However, I do not care for it much. It is not so much offensive, just bothersome. Whether your daily vocabulary consists of several cuss words or it is just the occasional â€Å"shit† in a fit of anger or pain, everyone is guilty of it. Who hasn’t accidentally let a word slip when they slam their finger in a door or stub their toe on the coffee table? Is this impressive, of course not. There used to be a day that when you said â€Å"shit† in public, it was like exploding a bomb in public; people would fall silent, staring at you with half-angry open mouths. Mot hers would clap their hands over their children’s ears and push them away from you; desperately trying to keep their kids form such language. But today, we’ve fallen. Sure there are still a few people that cringe at the sound of vulgar language, but not many. In the 1970’s, George Carlin delivered a monologue citing seven words that you could never say on network television. Now, these words are being used regularly on network television. You could say that swear words have lost their impact, or, you could argue that our language has become downright coarse, offensive, and rude. Where do Cuss words come from, and what do they really mean? Originally it began as cursing. These are the words and phrases that you say in order to curse someone. It was some sort of supernatural or magical belief. Nowadays, people know that telling someone to â€Å"Go to Hell† will not actually curse them there, no matter how angrily it is said. The evolution of profanity continues to change with each generation. Some cuss words have somehow maintained their original meanings throughout hundreds of years, while many others have completely changed meaning or simply fallen out of use. The meaning behind a word is what makes it acceptable or unacceptable. Veterinarians use the word â€Å"bitch† on a regular basis, and think nothing of it. The meaning of the word is female dog. It is a fine word to use in that profession, or... ... the disrespect we have for everything, and our lack of manners, but also a growing rage that we obviously don’t know what to do with. Bad language is all over the media, informing in the attitudes of young people. It creeps into our workplace and into our homes. We need to find a way to diffuse some of this rage, and find more constructive ways to express it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Words are very powerful and word usage is extremely important. Unfortunately, we are living in a society that seems to have forgotten the basics of language. Our growing tolerance of swear words is not a sign of progress, it is a sign of how we have lowered our standards. I am not saying that I am completely innocent. I do not cuss on a regular basis, but when I drop something heavy on my foot the expression â€Å"Darn It† just doesn’t seem to cut it. The fact that we even have words that are considered â€Å"profane† is silly. Words are words, and nothing more. They only exist to describe things. The words poop, crap, and shit all mean exactly the same thing. Why on earth is one of them incorrect to use and the others not? It may not make sense, but that is the way it is and it probably always will be.

Forward the Foundation Chapter 8

21 In two days Joranum had swept Trantor, partly by himself, mostly through his lieutenants. As Hari muttered to Dors, it was a campaign that had all the marks of military efficiency. â€Å"He was born to be a war admiral in the old days,† he said. â€Å"He's wasted on politics.† And Dors said, â€Å"Wasted? At this rate, he's going to make himself First Minister in a week and, if he wishes, Emperor in two weeks. There are reports that some of the military garrisons are cheering him.† Seldon shook his head. â€Å"It will collapse, Dors.† â€Å"What? Joranum's party or the Empire?† â€Å"Joranum's party. The story of the robot has created an instant stir, especially with the effective use of that flier, but a little thought, a little coolness, and the public will see it for the ridiculous accusation it is.† â€Å"But, Hari,† said Dors tightly, â€Å"you needn't pretend with me. It is not a ridiculous story. How could Joranum possibly have found out that Demerzel is a robot?† â€Å"Oh, that! Why, Raych told him so.† â€Å"Raych!† â€Å"That's right. He did his job perfectly and got back safely with the promise of being made Dahl's sector leader someday. Of course he was believed. I knew he would be.† â€Å"You mean you told Raych that Demerzel was a robot and had him pass on the news to Joranum?† Dors looked utterly horrified. â€Å"No, I couldn't do that. You know I couldn't tell Raych-or anyone-that Demerzel was a robot. I told Raych as firmly as I could that Demerzel was not a robot-and even that much was difficult. But I did ask him to tell Joranum that he was. He is under the firm impression that he lied to Joranum.† â€Å"But why, Hari? Why?† â€Å"It's not psychohistory, I'll tell you that. Don't you join the Emperor in thinking I'm a magician. I just wanted Joranum to believe that Demerzel was a robot. He's a Mycogenian by birth, so he was filled from youth with his culture's tales of robots. Therefore, he was predisposed to believe and he was convinced that the public would believe with him.† â€Å"Well, won't they?† â€Å"Not really. After the initial shock is over, they will realize that it's madcap fiction-or they will think so. I've persuaded Demerzel that he must give a talk on subetheric holovision to be broadcast to key portions of the Empire and to every sector on Trantor. He is to talk about everything but the robot issue. There are enough crises, we all know, to fill such a talk. People will listen and will hear nothing about robots. Then, at the end, he will be asked about the flier and he need not answer a word. He need only laugh.† â€Å"Laugh? I've never known Demerzel to laugh. He almost never smiles.† â€Å"This time, Dors, he'll laugh. It is the one thing that no one ever visualizes a robot doing. You've seen robots in holographic fantasies, haven't you? They're always pictured as literal-minded, unemotional, inhuman-That's what people are sure to expect. So Demerzel need merely laugh. And on top of that-Do you remember Sunmaster Fourteen, the religious leader of Mycogen?† â€Å"Of course I do. Literal-minded, unemotional, inhuman. He's never laughed, either.† â€Å"And he won't this time. I've done a lot of work on this Joranum matter since I had that little set-to at the Field. I know Joranum's real name. I know where he was born, who his parents were, where he had his early training, and all of it, with documentary proof, has gone to Sunmaster Fourteen. I don't think Sunmaster likes Breakaways.† â€Å"But I thought you said you don't wish to spark off bigotry.† â€Å"I don't. If I had given the information to the holovision people, I would have, but I've given it to Sunmaster, where, after all, it belongs.† â€Å"And he'll start off the bigotry.† â€Å"Of course he won't. No one on Trantor would pay any attention to Sunmaster-whatever he might say.† â€Å"Then what's the point?† â€Å"Well, that's what we'll see, Dors. I don't have a psychohistorical analysis of the situation. I don't even know if one is possible. I just hope that my judgment is right.† 22 Eto Demerzel laughed. It was not the first time. He sat there, with Hari Seldon and Dors Venabili in a tap-free room, and, every once in a while, at a signal from Hari, he would laugh. Sometimes he leaned back and laughed uproariously, but Seldon shook his head. â€Å"That would never sound convincing.† So Demerzel smiled and then laughed with dignity and Seldon made a face. â€Å"I'm stumped,† he said. â€Å"It's no use trying to tell you funny stories. You get the point only intellectually. You will simply have to memorize the sound.† Dors said, â€Å"Use a holographic laughtrack.† â€Å"No! That would never be Demerzel. That's a bunch of idiots being paid to yak. It's not what I want. Try again, Demerzel.† Demerzel tried again until Seldon said, â€Å"All right, then, memorize that sound and reproduce it when you're asked the question. You've got to look amused. You can't make the sound of laughing, however proficient, with a grave face. Smile a little, just a little. Pull back the corner of your mouth.† Slowly Demerzel's mouth widened into a grin. â€Å"Not bad. Can you make your eyes twinkle?† â€Å"What do you mean, ‘twinkle,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ said Dors indignantly. â€Å"No one makes their eyes twinkle. That's a metaphorical expression.† â€Å"No, it's not,† said Seldon. â€Å"There's the hint of tears in the eye-sadness, joy, surprise, whatever-and the reflection of light from that hint of fluid is what does it.† â€Å"Well, do you seriously expect Demerzel to produce tears?† And Demerzel said, matter-of-factly, â€Å"My eyes do produce tears for general cleansing-never in excess. Perhaps, though, if I imagine my eyes to be slightly irritated-â€Å" â€Å"Try it,† said Seldon. â€Å"It can't hurt.† And so it was that when the talk on subetheric holovision was over and the words were streaking out to millions of worlds at thousands of times the effective speed of light words that were grave, matter-of-fact, informative, and without rhetorical embellishment-and that discussed everything but robots-Demerzel declared himself ready to answer questions. He did not have to wait long. The very first question was: â€Å"Mr. First Minister, are you a robot?† Demerzel simply stared calmly and let the tension build. Then he smiled, his body shook slightly, and he laughed. It was not a loud uproarious laugh, but it was a rich one, the laugh of someone enjoying a moment of fantasy. It was infectious. The audience tittered and then laughed along with him. Demerzel waited for the laughter to die down and then, eyes twinkling, said, â€Å"Must I really answer that? Is it necessary to do so?† He was still smiling as the screen darkened. 23 â€Å"I'm sure it worked,† said Seldon. â€Å"Naturally we won't have a complete reversal instantly. It takes time. But things are moving in the right direction now. I noticed that when I stopped Namarti's talk at the University Field. The audience was with him until I faced him and showed spunk against odds. The audience began to change sides at once.† â€Å"Do you think this is an analogous situation?† asked Dors dubiously. â€Å"Of course. If I don't have psychohistory, I can use analogy-and the brains I was born with, I suppose. There was the First Minister, beleaguered on all sides with the accusation, and he faced it down with a smile and a laugh, the most nonrobot thing he could have done, so that in itself was an answer to the question. Of course sympathy began to slide to his side. Nothing would stop that. But that's only the beginning. We have to wait for Sunmaster Fourteen and hear what he has to say.† â€Å"Are you confident there, too?† â€Å"Absolutely.† 24 Tennis was one of Hari's favorite sports, but he preferred to play rather than watch others. He watched with impatience, therefore, as the Emperor Cleon, dressed in sports fashion, loped across the court to return the ball. It was Imperial tennis, actually, so-called because it was a favorite of Emperors, a version of the game in which a computerized racket was used that could alter its angle slightly with appropriate pressures on the handle. Hari had tried to develop the technique on several occasions but found that mastering the computerized racket would take a great deal of practice-and Hari Seldon's time was far too precious for what was clearly a trivial pursuit. Cleon placed the ball in a nonreturnable position and won the game. He trotted off the court to the careful applause of the functionaries who were watching and Seldon said to him, â€Å"Congratulations, Sire. You played a marvelous game.† Cleon said indifferently, â€Å"Do you think so, Seldon? They're all so careful to let me win. I get no pleasure out of it.† Seldon said, â€Å"In that case, Sire, you might order your opponents to play harder.† â€Å"It wouldn't help. They'd be careful to lose anyway. And if they did win, I would get even less pleasure out of losing than out of winning meaninglessly. Being an Emperor has its woes, Seldon. Joranum would have found that out-if he had ever succeeded in becoming one.† He disappeared into his private shower facility and emerged in due time, scrubbed and dried and dressed rather more formally. â€Å"And now, Seldon† he said, waving all the others away, â€Å"the tennis court is as private a place as we can find and the weather is glorious, so let us not go indoors. I have read the Mycogenian message of this Sunmaster Fourteen. Will it do?† â€Å"Entirely, Sire. As you have read, Joranum was denounced as a Mycogenian Breakaway and is accused of blasphemy in the strongest terms.† â€Å"And does that finish him?† â€Å"It diminishes his importance fatally, Sire. There are few who accept the mad story of the First Minister's robothood now. Furthermore, Joranum is revealed as a liar and a poseur and, worse, one who was caught at it.† â€Å"Caught at it, yes,† said Cleon thoughtfully. â€Å"You mean that merely to be underhanded is to be sly and that may be admirable, while to be caught is to be stupid and that is never admirable.† â€Å"You put it succinctly, Sire.† â€Å"Then Joranum is no longer a danger.† â€Å"We can't be certain of that, Sire. He may recover, even now. He still has an organization and some of his followers will remain loyal. History yields examples of men and women who have come back after disasters as great as this one-or greater.† â€Å"In that case, let us execute him, Seldon.† Seldon shook his head. â€Å"That would be inadvisable, Sire. You would not want to create a martyr or to make yourself appear to be a despot.† Cleon frowned. â€Å"Now you sound like Demerzel. Whenever I wish to take forceful action, he mutters the word ‘despot.' There have been Emperors before me who have taken forceful action and who have been admired as a result and have been considered strong and decisive.† â€Å"Undoubtedly, Sire, but we live in troubled times. Nor is execution necessary. You can accomplish your purpose in a way that will make you seem enlightened and benevolent.† â€Å"Seem enlightened?† â€Å"Be enlightened, Sire. I misspoke. To execute Joranum would be to take revenge, which might be regarded as ignoble. As Emperor, however, you have a kindly-even paternal-attitude toward the beliefs of all your people. You make no distinctions, for you are the Emperor of all alike.† â€Å"What is it you're saying?† â€Å"I mean, Sire, that Joranum has offended the sensibilities of the Mycogenians and you are horrified at his sacrilege, he having been born one of them. What better can you do but hand Joranum over to the Mycogenians and allow them to take care of him? You will be applauded for your proper Imperial convern.† â€Å"And the Mycogenians will execute him, then?† â€Å"They may, Sire. Their laws against blasphemy are excessively severe. At best, they will imprison him for life at hard labor.† Cleon smiled. â€Å"Very good. I get the credit for humanity and tolerance and they do the dirty work.† â€Å"They would, Sire, if you actually handed Joranum over to them. That would, however, still create a martyr.† â€Å"Now you confuse me. What would you have me do?† â€Å"Give Joranum the choice. Say that your regard for the welfare of all the people in your Empire urges you to hand him over to the Mycogenians for trial but that your humanity fears the Mycogenians may be too severe. Therefore, as an alternative, he may choose to be banished to Nishaya, the small and secluded world from which he claimed to have come, to live the rest of his life in obscurity and peace. You'll see to it that he's kept under guard, of course.† â€Å"And that will take care of things?† â€Å"Certainly. Joranum would be committing virtual suicide if he chose to be returned to Mycogen-and he doesn't strike me as the suicidal type. He will certainly choose Nishaya, and though that is the sensible course of action, it is also an unheroic one. As a refugee in Nishaya, he can scarcely lead any movement designed to take over the Empire. His following is sure to disintegrate. They could follow a martyr with holy zeal, but it would be difficult, indeed, to follow a coward.† â€Å"Astonishing! How did you manage all this, Seldon?† There was a distinct note of admiration in Cleon's voice. Seldon said, â€Å"Well, it seemed reasonable to suppose-â€Å" â€Å"Never mind,† said Cleon abruptly. â€Å"I don't suppose you'll tell me the truth or that I would understand you if you did, but I'll tell you this much. Demerzel is leaving office. This last crisis has proved to be too much for him and I agree with him that it is time for him to retire. But I can't do without a First Minister and, from this moment onward, you are he.† â€Å"Sire!† exclaimed Seldon in mingled astonishment and horror. â€Å"First Minister Hari Seldon.† said Cleon calmly. â€Å"The Emperor wishes it.† 25 â€Å"Don't be alarmed,† said Demerzel. â€Å"It was my suggestion. I've been here too long and the succession of crises has reached the point where the consideration of the Three Laws paralyzes me. You are the logical successor.† â€Å"I am not the logical successor,† said Seldon hotly. â€Å"What do I know about running an Empire? The Emperor is foolish enough to believe that I solved this crisis by psychohistory. Of course I didn't.† â€Å"That doesn't matter, Hari. If he believes you have the psychohistorical answer, he will follow you eagerly and that will make you a Good First Minister.† â€Å"He may follow me straight into destruction.† â€Å"I feel that your good sense-or intuition-will keep you on target†¦ with or without psychohistory.† â€Å"But what will I do without you-Daneel?† â€Å"Thank you for calling me that. I am Demerzel no more, only Daneel. As to what you will do without me – Suppose you try to put into practice some of Joranum's ideas of equality and social justice? He may not have meant them-he may have used them only as ways of capturing allegiance-but they are not bad ideas in themselves. And find ways of having Raych help you in that. He clung to you against his own attraction to Joranum's ideas and he must feel torn and half a traitor. Show him he isn't. In addition, you can work all the harder on psychohistory, for the Emperor will be there with you, heart and soul.† â€Å"But what will you do, Daneel?† â€Å"I have other things in the Galaxy to which I must attend. There is still the Zeroth Law and I must labor for the good of humanity, insofar as I can determine what that might be. And, Hari-â€Å" â€Å"Yes, Daneel.† â€Å"You still, have Dors.† Seldon nodded. â€Å"Yes, I still have Dors.† He paused for a moment before grasping Daneel's firm hand with his own. â€Å"Good-bye, Daneel.† â€Å"Good-bye, Hari,† Daneel replied. And with that, the robot turned, his heavy First Minister's robe rustling as he walked away, head up, back ramrod straight, along the Palace hallway. Seldon stood there for a few minutes after Daneel had gone, lost in thought. Suddenly he began moving in the direction of the First Minister's apartment. Seldon had one more thing to tell Daneel-the most important thing of all. Seldon hesitated in the softly lit hallway before entering. But the room was empty. The dark robe was draped over a chair. The First Minister's chambers echoed Hari's last words to the robot: â€Å"Good-bye, my friend.† Eto Demerzel was gone; R. Daneel Olivaw had vanished. Part II Cleon I CLEON I-†¦ Though often receiving panegyrics for being the last Emperor under whom the First Galactic Empire was reasonably united and reasonably prosperous, the quarter-century reign of Cleon I was one of continuous decline. This cannot be viewed as his direct responsibility, for the Decline of the Empire was based on political and economic factors too strong for anyone to deal with at the time. He was fortunate in his selection of First Ministers-Eto Demerzel and then Hari Seldon, in whose development of psychohistory the Emperor never lost faith. Cleon and Seldon, as the objects of the final Joranumite Conspiracy, with its bizarre climax- Encyclopedia Galactica 1 Mandell Gruber was a happy man. He seemed so to Hari Seldon, certainly. Seldon stopped his morning constitutional to watch him. Gruber, perhaps in his late forties, a few years younger than Seldon, was a bit gnarled from his continuing work in the Imperial Palace grounds, but he had a cheerful, smoothly shaven face, topped by a pink skull, not much of which was hidden by his thin sandy hair. He whistled softly to himself as he inspected the leaves of the bushes for any signs of insect infestation. He was not the Chief Gardener, of course. The Chief Gardener of the Imperial Palace grounds was a high functionary who had a palatial office in one of the buildings of the enormous Imperial complex, with an army of men and women under him. The chances are he did not inspect the Palace grounds more often than once or twice a year. Gruber was but one of that army. His title, Seldon knew, was Gardener First-Class and it had been well earned, with thirty years of faithful service. Seldon called to him as he paused on the perfectly level crushed gravel walk, â€Å"Another marvelous day, Gruber.† Gruber looked up and his eyes twinkled. â€Å"Yes, indeed, First Minister, and it's sorry I am for those who be cooped up indoors.† â€Å"You mean as I am about to be.† â€Å"There's not much about you, First Minister, for people to sorrow over, but if you're disappearing into those buildings on a day like this, it's a bit of sorrow that we fortunate few can feel for you.† â€Å"I thank you for your sympathy, Gruber, but you know we have forty billion Trantorians under the dome. Are you sorry for all of them?† â€Å"Indeed, I am. I am grateful I am not of Trantorian extraction myself so that I could qualify as a gardener. There be few of us on this world that work in the open, but here I be, one of the fortunate few.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ â€Å"The weather isn't always this ideal.† â€Å"That is true. And I have been out here in the sluicing rains and the whistling winds. Still, as long as you dress fittingly†¦ Look-† And Gruber spread his arms open, wide as his smile, as if to embrace the vast expanse of the Palace grounds. â€Å"I have my friends-the trees and the lawns and all the animal life forms to keep me company-and growth to encourage in geometric form, even in the winter. Have you ever seen the geometry of the grounds, First Minister?† â€Å"I am looking at it right now, am I not?† â€Å"I mean the plans spread out so you can really appreciate it all-and marvelous it is, too. It was planned by Tapper Savand, over a hundred years ago, and it has been little changed since. Tapper was a great horticulturist, the greatest-and he came from my planet.† â€Å"That was Anacreon, wasn't it?† â€Å"Indeed. A far-off world near the edge of the Galaxy, where there is still wilderness and life can be sweet. I came here when I was still an earwet** lad, when the present Chief Gardener took power under the old Emperor. Of course, now they're talking of redesigning the grounds.† Gruber sighed deeply and shook his head. â€Å"That would be a mistake. They are just right as they are now properly proportioned, well balanced, pleasing to the eye and spirit. But it is true that in history, the grounds have occasionally been redesigned. Emperors grow tired of the old and are always seeking the new, as if new is somehow always better. Our present Emperor, may he live long, has been planning the redesign with the Chief Gardener. At least, that is the word that runs from gardener to gardener.† This last he added quickly, as if abashed at spreading Palace gossip. â€Å"It might not happen soon.† â€Å"I hope not, First Minister. Please, if you have the chance to take some time from all the heart-stopping work you must be after doing, study the design of the grounds. It is a rare beauty and, if I have my way, there should not be a leaf moved out of place, nor a flower, nor a rabbit, anywhere in all these hundreds of square kilometers.† Seldon smiled. â€Å"You are a dedicated man, Gruber. I would not be surprised if someday you were Chief Gardener.† â€Å"May Fate protect me from that. The Chief Gardener breathes no fresh air, sees no natural sights, and forgets all he has learned of nature. He lives there†-Gruber pointed scornfully-â€Å"and I think he no longer knows a bush from a stream unless one of his underlings leads him out and places his hand on one or dips it into the other.† For a moment it seemed as though Gruber would expectorate his scorn, but he could not find any place on which he could bear to spit. Seldon laughed quietly. â€Å"Gruber, it's good to talk to you. When I am overcome with the duties of the day, it is pleasant to take a few moments to listen to your philosophy of life.† â€Å"Ah, First Minister, it is no philosopher I am. My schooling was very sketchy.† â€Å"You don't need schooling to be a philosopher. Just an active mind and experience with life. Take care, Gruber. I just might have you promoted.† â€Å"If you but leave me as I am, First Minister, you will have my total gratitude.† Seldon was smiling as he moved on, but the smile faded as his mind turned once more to his current problems. Ten years as First Minister-and if Gruber knew how heartily sick Seldon was of his position, his sympathy would rise to enormous heights. Could Gruber grasp the fact that Seldon's progress in the techniques of psychohistory showed the promise of facing him with an unbearable dilemma? 2 Seldon's thoughtful stroll across the grounds was the epitome of peace. It was hard to believe here, in the midst of the Emperor's immediate domain, that he was on a world that, except for this area, was totally enclosed by a dome. Here, in this spot, he might be on his home world of Helicon or on Gruber's home world of Anacreon. Of course, the sense of peace was an illusion. The grounds were guarded-thick with security. Once, a thousand years ago, the Imperial Palace grounds-much less palatial, much less differentiated from a world only beginning to construct domes over individual regions-had been open to all citizens and the Emperor himself could walk along the paths, unguarded, nodding his head in greeting to his subjects. No more. Now security was in place and no one from Trantor itself could possibly invade the grounds. That did not remove the danger, however, for that, when it came, came from discontented Imperial functionaries and from corrupt and suborned soldiers. It was within the grounds that the Emperor and his staff were most in danger. What would have happened if, on that occasion, nearly ten years before, Seldon had not been accompanied by Dors Venabili? It had been in his first year as First Minister and it was only natural, he supposed (after the fact), that there would be jealous heart-burning over his unexpected choice for the post. Many others, far better qualified in training-in years of service and, most of all, in their own eyes-could view the appointment with anger. They did not know of psychohistory or of the importance the Emperor attached to it and the easiest way to correct the situation was to corrupt one of the sworn protectors of the First Minister. Dors must have been more suspicious than Seldon himself was. Or else, with Demerzel's disappearance from the scene, her instructions to guard Seldon had been strengthened. The truth was that, for the first few years of his First Ministership, she was at his side more often than not. And on the late afternoon of a warm sunny day, Dors noted the glint of the westering sun-a sun never seen under Trantor's dome-on the metal of a blaster. â€Å"Down, Hari!† she cried suddenly and her legs crushed the grass as she raced toward the sergeant. â€Å"Give me that blaster, Sergeant,† she said tightly. The would-be assassin, momentarily immobilized by the unexpected sight of a woman running toward him, now reacted quickly, raising the drawn blaster. But she was already at him, her hand enclosing his right wrist in a steely grip and lifting his arm high. â€Å"Drop it,† she said through clenched teeth. The sergeant's face twisted as he attempted to yank his arm loose. â€Å"Don't try, Sergeant,† said Dors. â€Å"My knee is three inches from your groin and, if you so much as blink, your genitals will be history. So just freeze. That's right. Okay, now open your hand. If you don't drop the blaster right now, I will shatter your arm.† A gardener came running up with a rake. Dors motioned him away. The sergeant dropped the blaster to the ground. Seldon had arrived. â€Å"I'll take over, Dors.† â€Å"You will not. Get in among those trees and take the blaster with you. Others may be involved-and ready to act.† Dors had not loosened her grip on the sergeant. She said, â€Å"Now, Sergeant, I want the name of whoever it was who persuaded you to make an attempt on the First Minister's life-and the name of everyone else who is in this with you.† The sergeant was silent. â€Å"Don't be foolish,† said Dors. â€Å"Speak!† She twisted his arm and he sank down to his knees. She put her shoe on his neck. â€Å"If you think silence becomes you, I can crush your larynx and you will be silent forever. And even before that, I am going to damage you badly-I won't leave one bone unbroken. You had better talk.† The sergeant talked. Later Seldon had said to her, â€Å"How could you do that, Dors? I never believed you capable of such†¦ violence. â€Å" Dors said coolly, â€Å"I did not actually hurt him much, Hari. The threat was sufficient. In any case, your safety was paramount.† â€Å"You should have let me take care of him.† â€Å"Why? To salvage your masculine pride? You wouldn't have been fast enough, for one thing. Secondly, no matter what you would have succeeded in doing, you are a man and it would have been expected. I am a woman and women, in popular thought, are not considered as ferocious its men and most, in general, do not have the strength to do what I did. The story will improve in the telling and everyone will be terrified of me. No one will dare to try to harm you for fear of me.† â€Å"For fear of you and for fear of execution. The sergeant and his cohorts are to be killed, you know.† At this, an anguished look clouded Dors's usually composed visage, as if she could not stand the thought of the traitorous sergeant being put to death, even though he would have cut down her beloved Hari without a second thought. â€Å"But,† she exclaimed, â€Å"there is no need to execute the conspirators. Exile will do the job.† â€Å"No, it won't,† said Seldon. â€Å"It's too late. Cleon will hear of nothing but executions. I can quote him-if you wish.† â€Å"You mean he's already made up his mind?† â€Å"At once. I told him that exile or imprisonment would be all that was necessary, but he said no. He said, `Every time I try to solve a problem by direct and forceful action, first Demerzel and then you talk of â€Å"despotism† and â€Å"tyranny.† But this is my Palace. These are my grounds. These are my guardsmen. My safety depends on the security of this place and the loyalty of my people. Do you think that any deviation from absolute loyalty can be met with anything but instant death? How else would you be safe? How else would I be safe?' â€Å"I said there would have to be a trial. ‘Of course,' he said, ‘a short military trial and I don't expect a single vote for anything but execution. I shall make that quite clear.' â€Å" Dors looked appalled. â€Å"You're taking this very quietly. Do you agree with the Emperor?† Reluctantly Seldon nodded. â€Å"I do.† â€Å"Because there was an attempt on your life. Have you abandoned your principles for mere revenge?† â€Å"Now, Dors, I'm not a vengeful person. However, it was not myself alone at risk or even the Emperor. If there is anything that the recent history of the Empire shows us, it is that Emperors come and go. It is psychohistory that must be protected. Undoubtedly, even if something happens to me, psychohistory will someday be developed, but the Empire is falling fast and we cannot wait-and only I have advanced far enough to obtain the necessary techniques in time.† â€Å"Then you should teach what you know to others,† said Dors gravely. â€Å"I'm doing so. Yugo Amaryl is a reasonable successor and I have gathered a group of technicians who will someday be useful, but they won't be as-† He paused. â€Å"They won't be as good as you-as wise, as capable? Really?† â€Å"I happen to think so,† said Seldon. â€Å"And I happen to be human. Psychohistory is mine and, if I can possibly manage it, I want the credit.† â€Å"Human,† sighed Dors, shaking her head almost sadly. The executions went through. No such purge had been seen in over a century. Two Ministers, five officials of lower ranks, and four soldiers, including the hapless sergeant, met their deaths. Every guardsman who could not withstand the most rigorous investigation was relieved of duty and exiled to the remote Outer Worlds. Since then, there had been no whisper of disloyalty and so notorious had become the care with which the First Minister was guarded, to say nothing of the terrifying woman-called â€Å"The Tiger Woman† by many-who watched over him, that it was no longer necessary for Dors to accompany him everywhere. Her invisible presence was an adequate shield and the Emperor Cleon enjoyed nearly ten years of quiet and absolute security. Now, however, psychohistory was finally reaching the point where predictions, of a sort, could be made and, as Seldon crossed the grounds in his passage from his office (First Minister) to his laboratory (psychohistorian), he was uneasily aware of the likelihood that this era of peace might be coming to an end.