Concert Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Concert Report - Essay Example In readiness for the concert, I enjoyed a special dinner prepared for the audience. More specifically, LA Phil staffer introduced us to the evening classical concert amidst cheers from the audience. It was such a refreshing and joyous feeling to be part of this audience. The pianist and concert conductor, Christian Zacharias opened the Los Angeles Philharmonic Classical Music concert with a fascinating performance that left the audience in party mood and in happy feelings. The conductor manifested his creativity and perfection in playing neo-classical Danses concertantes to the enjoyment of the audience that kept their clapping and cheers for the longer part of his performance. The rhythm and the matching beats were resoundingly entertaining and seemingly derived the destined message in a light yet refreshing tone. The Concertmaster who played the Bach violin with immense energy and fun derived a sweet feeling as the audience enjoyed every tone, beat, and the rhythmic movement of his body. Indeed, Martin Chalifour left the audience craving for more of artistic expertise despite playing numerous sets of refreshing music. At some point, the band sought to remember the depressing feelings that Robert Schumann felt during their performance. This led to a sad feeling as the audience identified with the band’s expression of Schumann’s sad encounters. Nevertheless, Christian Zacharias led the band in clear beats, swift body movement, and rhythmic music flow to the amazement of the audience, which exhibited deep feelings towards the message communicated by the performers. Furthermore, the Walt Disney Concert Hall offered a resounding bass response, which completed a sweet tonal variation with the joyous violin. As such, I was able to identify and enjoy every tone, beat, and rhythms from the performers. However, at some point, the resounding bass response led to a booming sound, which disturbed my hearing thus creating a disturbing feeling. At the same time,

The phenomenon is suicide bombing Essay Example for Free

The phenomenon is suicide bombing Essay The phenomenon is suicide bombing more often intrudes into our life from newspapers headlines, TV news and unfortunately even more and more people face it in reality. The understanding of the reasons that cause this phenomenon may considerably assist in preventing its expansion and probably even help to stop it. That is why now we may encounter a great number of various works dealing with this topic which aim at considering suicide bombing from different viewpoints. The herein literature review attempts to focus on the most significant aspects of suicide bombing as well as to present those works which provide the most profound and comprehensive analysis of suicide bombing. Besides the works reviewed here are selected on the base of variety of viewpoints they provide. One of the most substantial works, that touch upon the issue of suicide bombing, is the book New Political Religions, Or an Analysis of Modern Terrorism by Barry Cooper. The analysis given in the book provides understanding of the nature of a suicide mission. That is, in addition to considering such relatively straightforward issues as who did what and how it was accomplished, author is also concerned with interpreting the phenomena of terrorist action as meaningful within the context of sources provided by the terrorists themselves. Author asserts that one of the oldest insights of political science is that all political action is self-interpretive and proves that terrorism is no exception. The very useful aspect of the problem under discussion revealed in the book is the psychological analysis of the suicide’s actions. In particular Cooper argues that they are not necessarily psychopaths. They are not crazy in the commonsense use of the term. They most definitely are, however, â€Å"spiritually disordered†. As author states, the spiritual disorders that are present among contemporary terrorists are expressions of ideology. It is for this reason that one can compare the spiritually disordered suicide bombers to the adherents of modern ideologies in the SS or KGB. The author also discusses the relation between the terrorism and religion. In particular, he observes that Koran condemns any form of suicide; however, the motives of the terrorist acts performers necessarily contain some religious elements. Hence, Cooper concludes that the religion itself cannot be a rational basis for organization of a terrorist act; nevertheless it can be intensifying factor in the reasoning of suicide bombing. The next article under revision is Understanding Suicide Terrorism: Richard Jackson Argues That Terrorism Cannot Be Attributed Solely to Religious Extremism, Hatred or Mental Illness published by Richard Jackson in Journal New Zealand International Review. In this article the author tries to clarify what are the reasons of suicide bombing. After having summarised particular cases the author arrives to conclusion that is very close to that presented in a book reviewed above. Namely, religion is only a factor in a very few cases of suicide terrorism around the world, and even in these instances, religious extremism is almost never the sole cause. Jackson notes that after all, there are many extremists and fanatics in virtually every religion, most of whom will never engage in any form of violence. Nor is suicide terrorism the result of religious brainwashing; in places like Palestine, there are many more volunteers for suicide missions than the terrorist groups require. The author provides a valuable understanding of the fact that suicide bombers and terrorists are almost never motivated primarily by hatred for their victims. In actual fact, many suicide bombers are motivated by more altruistic aims, such as sacrifice for their comrades and their community, or a belief that they are fighting for a good cause. The author also states the arguments used by the organizers of suicide bombing during the planning of the terrorist acts. The strongest among others is tactical advantages. On a tactical level, terrorists believe that their actions can be successful and that powerful governments can be forced to change their policies; in effect, they are making a rational calculation that enough carnage will achieve the desired results. In the work The Underlying Realities of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict after 11 September, published in Arab Studies Quarterly, the author Norton Mezvinsky highlights the chronological development of terrorist acts performed by the suicide bombers after the declaration of Intifada from 28 September 2000. The main purpose of this work is to explore the sway of the events of 9/11 on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The most valuable in this work is the summarising of effects the terrorist acts had both for the Palestinians and the Israelis. Thus the author asserts that from the very beginning Intifada mainly implied the perpetration of suicide bombings. Israel, in its turn, with the purpose to render terrorist centers harmless brought troops into the territory of West Bank. Israels military incursion into the West Bank greatly increased Palestinian hostility. Beginning in the aftermath of 28 September 2000, suicide bombing became the major weapon of armed struggle for Palestinians. Arafat and some other Palestinian political leaders condemned and called for a halt to the suicide bombings. Such statements had little effect. Suicide bombings have instilled fear and hurt the economy in Israel, but Palestinian suffering has nevertheless far surpassed Israeli Jewish suffering. The next paper is the article by Terri Toles Patkin Explosive Baggage: Female Palestinian Suicide Bombers and the Rhetoric of Emotion, published in Women and Language which examines the psychological, social and gender factor in suicide bombing. The author of this work asserts that suicide bombers are not suffering from clinical depression or emotional difficulties; they perceive themselves as fulfilling a holy mission that will make them martyrs. The action is not suicide (as it was mentioned above suicide is prohibited by Koran) but rather martyrdom and thus does not violate religious prohibitions against killing oneself. In particular Terri Patkin studies numerous psychological peculiarities of a woman which may induce them to participate in terrorist groups. The particularly interesting is the point of the author that the peculiar role of a woman in Muslim society can be a significant factor that impel women to participate in suicide bombing. Women have participated in terrorist groups worldwide, but their relatively low numbers and roles often centering on support of their male colleagues have diminished onlooker perceptions of their importance. Women tend to be more actively involved in nationalist/secular terror organizations rather than Islamist/religious groups. Women in Palestinian groups are often enthusiastic about their increased roles. Generally for the western society martyrdom operations represent an odd and abnormal type of violent behaviour. Thus it would be useful to know what is the suicide bombing for a terrorist him-/herself or for the representative of the Muslim belief. This interest can be satisfied by the work A Comparative Study of Lebanese and Palestinian Perceptions of Suicide Bombings: The Role of Militant Islam and Socio-Economic Status conducted by Simon Haddad and presented in International Journal of Comparative Sociology. This work consists of the sociological survey for the attitude of the Lebanese and Palestinian to suicide bombing. The major objective of this article is to provide a general overview of respondents attitudes towards suicide bombings within a comparative perspective. Derived data indicate that for Lebanese and Palestinian, the most important determinant of attitudes toward suicide bombings is political Islam. The greater the attachment to the religious dogma the more likely respondents are to express support for suicide bombings. Certain Muslims commit these acts in the name of Jihad and thus in expectation of a handsome divine reward. Result of this article increase understanding of the phenomena of suicide bombings and pro-suicide attitudes in both Lebanese and Palestinian cases. And finally the book Global Terrorism by Brenda J. Lutz and James M. Lutz provides a general research of the terrorism phenomenon. The work defines the place of suicide bombing among the other methods of terror. Thus, it is stated that in most cases the suicide bombing is used against political regimes (the authors include here the terrorist acts against the foreign troops on the occupied territory), basing on religious motives or ethnical ground. Also there are cases when suicide bombing are performed basing on ideological ground (Kurdish Workers Party). The book is illustrated with the table showing the number of terrorist acts conducted from 1980 to 2000. So we can see that more than a half of acts of suicide bombing (168 out of 280) up till 2000 were organized by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka and India. These terrorist acts were based on the ethnical ground. Unfortunately there are no data following 2000 as it could have helped to find out what is the change in this ratio after the declaration of Intifada. This literature review unfortunately left a number of problems, related to suicide bombings, unconsidered. Thus it would be desirable to pay attention to such problem as children participation in suicide bombing. Also the question of suicide bombings by the Chechens against the Russian government is not discussed in the books and articles reviewed. Many researchers differentiate the Chechen terrorism as a separate branch due to its incredible brutality towards civilians. Bibliography COOPER, Barry. New Political Religions, Or an Analysis of Modern Terrorism. Columbia, MO, University of Missouri Press, 2004. JACKSON, Richard. Understanding Suicide Terrorism: Richard Jackson Argues That Terrorism Cannot Be Attributed Solely to Religious Extremism, Hatred or Mental Illness. New Zealand International Review, 30 (5): 2005: 24+. MEZVINSKY, Norton. The Underlying Realities of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict after 11 September. Arab Studies Quarterly, 25 (1-2): 2003: 197+. PATKIN, Terri Toles. Explosive Baggage: Female Palestinian Suicide Bombers and the Rhetoric of Emotion. Women and Language, 27 (2): 2004: 79+. HADDAD, Simon. A Comparative Study of Lebanese and Palestinian Perceptions of Suicide Bombings: The Role of Militant Islam and Socio-Economic Status. International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 45 (5): 2004: 337+. LUTZ, Brenda J. and LUTZ, James M. Global Terrorism. New York, Routledge, 2004.

The Lynmouth Floods

The Lynmouth Floods Case Study: Lynmouth Lynmouth is a village in Devon, England, on the north edge of Exmoor. The village is on the converging point of the West Lyn and East Lyn rivers, in a gorge 700 feet (210 m) below Lynton, to which it is connected by the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway. The two villages are governed at local level by Lynton and Lynmouth Town Council. Lynmouth is rural area with not much corporate activity going on. It is in the coastal part of the United Kingdom Island, which makes it a large tourist attraction spot. People usually come to Lynmouth for Tourism and the activities they do are mainly horseback riding, fishing and boat rides. Flood in 1952 On the 15th and 16th of August 1952, a storm of tropical started over in south-west England, precipitating 229 millimetres (9.0 in) of rain within 24 hours on a coastal area, Exmoor. It is thought that a cold front started a thunderstorm, and the storm worsened. An immediate surface run-off occurred and it caused a flash flood. Large amounts of floodwaters moved down the northern part, converging upon the village of Lynmouth; in particular, in the upper West Lyn valley, a dam was formed by fallen trees. This caused potential energy to form and after a while the water broke through the dam sending a huge wave of water and fragments down that river. Overnight, over 100 buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged along with 28 of the 31 bridges, and 38 cars were washed out to sea. In total, 34 people died, with a further 420 made homeless. Overall the rainstorm lasted about fourteen hours and 300 million gallons of rain precipitated. Cause of the Flood The small but steep sided drainage basin in which Lynmouth was situated increased the risk of flooding in the area. The steep sides encouraged greater surface runoff and combined with the small drainage basin size meant any water could reach the river fairly quickly. This was made worse by the high drainage density of the area due to the impermeable rocks of the area around Exmoor which formed the source of the river; again increasing the amount of surface runoff following rainfall. Prior to August 15th 1952 Lynmouth had received above average rainfall for 12 out of the first 14 days of the month meaning the soils were already saturated and the river levels high. On August 15th a heavy thunderstorm resulted in 200mm falling in 14 hours, one of the three heaviest rainfalls recorded in the UK. This heavy rain combined with the saturated ground and rapid surface runoff resulted in a huge volume of water flowing down the river. As Lynmouth is situated at the confluence of the East and We st Lyn rivers the volume of water was increased further at this point and the was far beyond the capacity of the river channel causing the river to burst its banks. This resulted in devastating floods as the West Lyn which had been diverted during the construction of parts of Lynmouth retook its natural course, flowing straight through the village. Prevention Following the Lynmouth flood disaster, flood management plans were put in place to try and ensure such a disaster could not happen again by managing any excess rain water so that the River could handle it in the in the future. A number of flood management strategies were put in place: The mouth of the East Lyn was widened to increase capacity and allow water to quickly pass into the Bristol Channel The West Lyn was straightened to increase channel efficiency straightening the channel reduces friction and increases velocity, enabling water to travel through the channel as quickly as possible making it more efficient in coping with flood waters; The West Lyn was not redirected, instead being allowed to follow its natural course Floodplain zoning was used to identify areas around the river most at risk from flooding. Building restrictions were then put in place with areas close to the river which are most prone to flooding being left as open spaces such as car parks. Bridges were made wider and taller to allow flood water to tr avel quickly beneath them and to reduce the likelihood of debris becoming trapped and acting like a dam as had happened in 1952;Embankments were built by the river to increase channel capacity and reduce the likelihood of flooding; More trees were planted upstream in the source area to try and reduce initial surface runoff through interception and the soaking up of water. Tree roots also help to improve infiltration by opening up the soil and slowing down the rate at which water reaches the ground;

Puritan Beliefs :: The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne, Literature

The Puritans once held a position of power among the religious world. Their beliefs were strict and they did not compromise their morals or standards for any outside individual. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the Puritan religion reflects the attitude and values of the common man during that particular time period.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main belief among the Puritans was that they were God’s chosen people. In their eyes, they held supremacy over the average man. They believed in Pelagianism based on the Doctrine of Elect. This was the belief that man could redeem himself through acts of charity, religious devotion, and by living an unselfish life. Many of these strict beliefs were based on John Calvin’s principle of predestination. Predestination was that through God’s grace, one would reach heaven and that this special grace could not be earned; it was predetermined at birth. This principle of predestination forced Puritans to truly believe that their actions did not matter and their devotion to God had no bearing over their destiny.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Puritans also believed in the degradation of one’s self, which meant that they had to make themselves worthy to God so that he would not instill his wrath on the Puritan community. They feared God and his special power, but considered themselves God’s special elects. Basically, they felt they had the right to perform any necessary deeds that would satisfy God’s will. Sin was thought of as an unavoidable element of human nature, and since this was a natural occurrence, all sins had to be confessed.

A Game of Thrones Chapter Fifty-nine

Catelyn As the host trooped down the causeway through the black bogs of the Neck and spilled out into the riverlands beyond, Catelyn's apprehensions grew. She masked her fears behind a face kept still and stern, yet they were there all the same, growing with every league they crossed. Her days were anxious, her nights restless, and every raven that flew overhead made her clench her teeth. She feared for her lord father, and wondered at his ominous silence. She feared for her brother Edmure, and prayed that the gods would watch over him if he must face the Kingslayer in battle. She feared for Ned and her girls, and for the sweet sons she had left behind at Winterfell. And yet there was nothing she could do for any of them, and so she made herself put all thought of them aside. You must save your strength for Robb, she told herself. He is the only one you can help. You must be as fierce and hard as the north, Catelyn Tully. You must be a Stark for true now, like your son. Robb rode at the front of the column, beneath the flapping white banner of Winterfell. Each day he would ask one of his lords to join him, so they might confer as they marched; he honored every man in turn, showing no favorites, listening as his lord father had listened, weighing the words of one against the other. He has learned so much from Ned, she thought as she watched him, but has he learned enough? The Blackfish had taken a hundred picked men and a hundred swift horses and raced ahead to screen their movements and scout the way. The reports Ser Brynden's riders brought back did little to reassure her. Lord Tywin's host was still many days to the south . . . but Walder Frey, Lord of the Crossing, had assembled a force of near four thousand men at his castles on the Green Fork. â€Å"Late again,† Catelyn murmured when she heard. It was the Trident all over, damn the man. Her brother Edmure had called the banners; by rights, Lord Frey should have gone to join the Tully host at Riverrun, yet here he sat. â€Å"Four thousand men,† Robb repeated, more perplexed than angry. â€Å"Lord Frey cannot hope to fight the Lannisters by himself. Surely he means to join his power to ours.† â€Å"Does he?† Catelyn asked. She had ridden forward to join Robb and Robett Glover, his companion of the day. The vanguard spread out behind them, a slow-moving forest of lances and banners and spears. â€Å"I wonder. Expect nothing of Walder Frey, and you will never be surprised.† â€Å"He's your father's bannerman.† â€Å"Some men take their oaths more seriously than others, Robb. And Lord Walder was always friendlier with Casterly Rock than my father would have liked. One of his sons is wed to Tywin Lannister's sister. That means little of itself, to be sure. Lord Walder has sired a great many children over the years, and they must needs marry someone. Still . . . â€Å" â€Å"Do you think he means to betray us to the Lannisters, my lady?† Robett Glover asked gravely. Catelyn sighed. â€Å"If truth be told, I doubt even Lord Frey knows what Lord Frey intends to do. He has an old man's caution and a young man's ambition, and has never lacked for cunning.† â€Å"We must have the Twins, Mother,† Robb said heatedly. â€Å"There is no other way across the river. You know that.† â€Å"Yes. And so does Walder Frey, you can be sure of that.† That night they made camp on the southern edge of the bogs, halfway between the kingsroad and the river. It was there Theon Greyjoy brought them further word from her uncle. â€Å"Ser Brynden says to tell you he's crossed swords with the Lannisters. There are a dozen scouts who won't be reporting back to Lord Tywin anytime soon. Or ever.† He grinned. â€Å"Ser Addam Marbrand commands their outriders, and he's pulling back south, burning as he goes. He knows where we are, more or less, but the Blackfish vows he will not know when we split.† â€Å"Unless Lord Frey tells him,† Catelyn said sharply. â€Å"Theon, when you return to my uncle, tell him he is to place his best bowmen around the Twins, day and night, with orders to bring down any raven they see leaving the battlements. I want no birds bringing word of my son's movements to Lord Tywin.† â€Å"Ser Brynden has seen to it already, my lady,† Theon replied with a cocky smile. â€Å"A few more blackbirds, and we should have enough to bake a pie. I'll save you their feathers for a hat.† She ought to have known that Brynden Blackfish would be well ahead of her. â€Å"What have the Freys been doing while the Lannisters burn their fields and plunder their holdfasts?† â€Å"There's been some fighting between Ser Addam's men and Lord Walder's,† Theon answered. â€Å"Not a day's ride from here, we found two Lannister scouts feeding the crows where the Freys had strung them up. Most of Lord Walder's strength remains massed at the Twins, though.† That bore Walder Frey's seal beyond a doubt, Catelyn thought bitterly; hold back, wait, watch, take no risk unless forced to it. â€Å"If he's been fighting the Lannisters, perhaps he does mean to hold to his vows,† Robb said. Catelyn was less encouraged. â€Å"Defending his own lands is one thing, open battle against Lord Tywin quite another.† Robb turned back to Theon Greyjoy. â€Å"Has the Blackfish found any other way across the Green Fork?† Theon shook his head. â€Å"The river's running high and fast. Ser Brynden says it can't be forded, not this far north.† â€Å"I must have that crossing!† Robb declared, fuming. â€Å"Oh, our horses might be able to swim the river, I suppose, but not with armored men on their backs. We'd need to build rafts to pole our steel across, helms and mail and lances, and we don't have the trees for that. Or the time. Lord Tywin is marching north . . . † He balled his hand into a fist. â€Å"Lord Frey would be a fool to try and bar our way,† Theon Greyjoy said with his customary easy confidence. â€Å"We have five times his numbers. You can take the Twins if you need to, Robb.† â€Å"Not easily,† Catelyn warned them, â€Å"and not in time. While you were mounting your siege, Tywin Lannister would bring up his host and assault you from the rear.† Robb glanced from her to Greyjoy, searching for an answer and finding none. For a moment he looked even younger than his fifteen years, despite his mail and sword and the stubble on his cheeks. â€Å"What would my lord father do?† he asked her. â€Å"Find a way across,† she told him. â€Å"Whatever it took.† The next morning it was Ser Brynden Tully himself who rode back to them. He had put aside the heavy plate and helm he'd worn as the Knight of the Gate for the lighter leather-and-mail of an outrider, but his obsidian fish still fastened his cloak. Her uncle's face was grave as he swung down off his horse. â€Å"There has been a battle under the walls of Riverrun,† he said, his mouth grim. â€Å"We had it from a Lannister outrider we took captive. The Kingslayer has destroyed Edmure's host and sent the lords of the Trident reeling in flight.† A cold hand clutched at Catelyn's heart. â€Å"And my brother?† â€Å"Wounded and taken prisoner,† Ser Brynden said. â€Å"Lord Blackwood and the other survivors are under siege inside Riverrun, surrounded by Jaime's host.† Robb looked fretful. â€Å"We must get across this accursed river if we're to have any hope of relieving them in time.† â€Å"That will not be easily done,† her uncle cautioned. â€Å"Lord Frey has pulled his whole strength back inside his castles, and his gates are closed and barred.† â€Å"Damn the man,† Robb swore. â€Å"If the old fool does not relent and let me cross, he'll leave me no choice but to storm his walls. I'll pull the Twins down around his ears if I have to, we'll see how well he likes that!† â€Å"You sound like a sulky boy, Robb,† Catelyn said sharply. â€Å"A child sees an obstacle, and his first thought is to run around it or knock it down. A lord must learn that sometimes words can accomplish what swords cannot.† Robb's neck reddened at the rebuke. â€Å"Tell me what you mean, Mother,† he said meekly. â€Å"The Freys have held the crossing for six hundred years, and for six hundred years they have never failed to exact their toll.† â€Å"What toll? What does he want?† She smiled. â€Å"That is what we must discover.† â€Å"And what if I do not choose to pay this toll?† â€Å"Then you had best retreat back to Moat Cailin, deploy to meet Lord Tywin in battle . . . or grow wings. I see no other choices.† Catelyn put her heels to her horse and rode off, leaving her son to ponder her words. It would not do to make him feel as if his mother were usurping his place. Did you teach him wisdom as well as valor, Ned? she wondered. Did you teach him how to kneel? The graveyards of the Seven Kingdoms were full of brave men who had never learned that lesson. It was near midday when their vanguard came in sight of the Twins, where the Lords of the Crossing had their seat. The Green Fork ran swift and deep here, but the Freys had spanned it many centuries past and grown rich off the coin men paid them to cross. Their bridge was a massive arch of smooth grey rock, wide enough for two wagons to pass abreast; the Water Tower rose from the center of the span, commanding both road and river with its arrow slits, murder holes, and portcullises. It had taken the Freys three generations to complete their bridge; when they were done they'd thrown up stout timber keeps on either bank, so no one might cross without their leave. The timber had long since given way to stone. The Twins—two squat, ugly, formidable castles, identical in every respect, with the bridge arching between—had guarded the crossing for centuries. High curtain walls, deep moats, and heavy oak-and-iron gates protected the approaches, the bridge footings rose from within stout inner keeps, there was a barbican and portcullis on either bank, and the Water Tower defended the span itself. One glance was sufficient to tell Catelyn that the castle would not be taken by storm. The battlements bristled with spears and swords and scorpions, there was an archer at every crenel and arrow slit, the drawbridge was up, the portcullis down, the gates closed and barred. The Greatjon began to curse and swear as soon as he saw what awaited them. Lord Rickard Karstark glowered in silence. â€Å"That cannot be assaulted, my lords,† Roose Bolton announced. â€Å"Nor can we take it by siege, without an army on the far bank to invest the other castle,† Helman Tallhart said gloomily. Across the deep-running green waters, the western twin stood like a reflection of its eastern brother. â€Å"Even if we had the time. Which, to be sure, we do not.† As the northern lords studied the castle, a sally port opened, a plank bridge slid across the moat, and a dozen knights rode forth to confront them, led by four of Lord Walder's many sons. Their banner bore twin towers, dark blue on a field of pale silver-grey. Ser Stevron Frey, Lord Walder's heir, spoke for them. The Freys all looked like weasels; Ser Stevron, past sixty with grandchildren of his own, looked like an especially old and tired weasel, yet he was polite enough. â€Å"My lord father has sent me to greet you, and inquire as to who leads this mighty host.† â€Å"I do.† Robb spurred his horse forward. He was in his armor, with the direwolf shield of Winterfell strapped to his saddle and Grey Wind padding by his side. The old knight looked at her son with a faint flicker of amusement in his watery grey eyes, though his gelding whickered uneasily and sidled away from the direwolf. â€Å"My lord father would be most honored if you would share meat and mead with him in the castle and explain your purpose here.† His words crashed among the lords bannermen like a great stone from a catapult. Not one of them approved. They cursed, argued, shouted down each other. â€Å"You must not do this, my lord,† Galbart Glover pleaded with Robb. â€Å"Lord Walder is not to be trusted.† Roose Bolton nodded. â€Å"Go in there alone and you're his. He can sell you to the Lannisters, throw you in a dungeon, or slit your throat, as he likes.† â€Å"If he wants to talk to us, let him open his gates, and we will all share his meat and mead,† declared Ser Wendel Manderly. â€Å"Or let him come out and treat with Robb here, in plain sight of his men and ours,† suggested his brother, Ser Wylis. Catelyn Stark shared all their doubts, but she had only to glance at Ser Stevron to see that he was not pleased by what he was hearing. A few more words and the chance would be lost. She had to act, and quickly. â€Å"I will go,† she said loudly. â€Å"You, my lady?† The Greatjon furrowed his brow. â€Å"Mother, are you certain?† Clearly, Robb was not. â€Å"Never more,† Catelyn lied glibly. â€Å"Lord Walder is my father's bannerman. I have known him since I was a girl. He would never offer me any harm.† Unless he saw some profit in it, she added silently, but some truths did not bear saying, and some lies were necessary. â€Å"I am certain my lord father would be pleased to speak to the Lady Catelyn,† Ser Stevron said. â€Å"To vouchsafe for our good intentions, my brother Ser Perwyn will remain here until she is safely returned to you.† â€Å"He shall be our honored guest,† said Robb. Ser Perwyn, the youngest of the four Freys in the party, dismounted and handed the reins of his horse to a brother. â€Å"I require my lady mother's return by evenfall, Ser Stevron,† Robb went on. â€Å"It is not my intent to linger here long.† Ser Stevron Frey gave a polite nod. â€Å"As you say, my lord.† Catelyn spurred her horse forward and did not look back. Lord Walder's sons and envoys fell in around her. Her father had once said of Walder Frey that he was the only lord in the Seven Kingdoms who could field an army out of his breeches. When the Lord of the Crossing welcomed Catelyn in the great hall of the east castle, surrounded by twenty living sons (minus Ser Perwyn, who would have made twenty-one), thirty-six grandsons, nineteen great-grandsons, and numerous daughters, granddaughters, bastards, and grandbastards, she understood just what he had meant. Lord Walder was ninety, a wizened pink weasel with a bald spotted head, too gouty to stand unassisted. His newest wife, a pale frail girl of sixteen years, walked beside his litter when they carried him in. She was the eighth Lady Frey. â€Å"It is a great pleasure to see you again after so many years, my lord,† Catelyn said. The old man squinted at her suspiciously. â€Å"Is it? I doubt that. Spare me your sweet words, Lady Catelyn, I am too old. Why are you here? Is your boy too proud to come before me himself? What am I to do with you?† Catelyn had been a girl the last time she had visited the Twins, but even then Lord Walder had been irascible, sharp of tongue, and blunt of manner. Age had made him worse than ever, it would seem. She would need to choose her words with care, and do her best to take no offense from his. â€Å"Father,† Ser Stevron said reproachfully, â€Å"you forget yourself. Lady Stark is here at your invitation.† â€Å"Did I ask you? You are not Lord Frey yet, not until I die. Do I look dead? I'll hear no instructions from you.† â€Å"This is no way to speak in front of our noble guest, Father,† one of his younger sons said. â€Å"Now my bastards presume to teach me courtesy,† Lord Walder complained. â€Å"I'll speak any way I like, damn you. I've had three kings to guest in my life, and queens as well, do you think I require lessons from the likes of you, Ryger? Your mother was milking goats the first time I gave her my seed.† He dismissed the red-faced youth with a flick of his fingers and gestured to two of his other sons. â€Å"Danwell, Whalen, help me to my chair.† They shifted Lord Walder from his litter and carried him to the high seat of the Freys, a tall chair of black oak whose back was carved in the shape of two towers linked by a bridge. His young wife crept up timidly and covered his legs with a blanket. When he was settled, the old man beckoned Catelyn forward and planted a papery dry kiss on her hand. â€Å"There,† he announced. â€Å"Now that I have observed the courtesies, my lady, perhaps my sons will do me the honor of shutting their mouths. Why are you here?† â€Å"To ask you to open your gates, my lord,† Catelyn replied politely. â€Å"My son and his lords bannermen are most anxious to cross the river and be on their way.† â€Å"To Riverrun?† He sniggered. â€Å"Oh, no need to tell me, no need. I'm not blind yet. The old man can still read a map.† â€Å"To Riverrun,† Catelyn confirmed. She saw no reason to deny it. â€Å"Where I might have expected to find you, my lord. You are still my father's bannerman, are you not?† â€Å"Heh,† said Lord Walder, a noise halfway between a laugh and a grunt. â€Å"I called my swords, yes I did, here they are, you saw them on the walls. It was my intent to march as soon as all my strength was assembled. Well, to send my sons. I am well past marching myself, Lady Catelyn.† He looked around for likely confirmation and pointed to a tall, stooped man of fifty years. â€Å"Tell her, Jared. Tell her that was my intent.† â€Å"It was, my lady,† said Ser Jared Frey, one of his sons by his second wife. â€Å"On my honor.† â€Å"Is it my fault that your fool brother lost his battle before we could march?† He leaned back against his cushions and scowled at her, as if challenging her to dispute his version of events. â€Å"I am told the Kingslayer went through him like an axe through ripe cheese. Why should my boys hurry south to die? All those who did go south are running north again.† Catelyn would gladly have spitted the querulous old man and roasted him over a fire, but she had only till evenfall to open the bridge. Calmly, she said, â€Å"All the more reason that we must reach Riverrun, and soon. Where can we go to talk, my lord?† â€Å"We're talking now,† Lord Frey complained. The spotted pink head snapped around. â€Å"What are you all looking at?† he shouted at his kin. â€Å"Get out of here. Lady Stark wants to speak to me in private. Might be she has designs on my fidelity, heh. Go, all of you, find something useful to do. Yes, you too, woman. Out, out, out.† As his sons and grandsons and daughters and bastards and nieces and nephews streamed from the hall, he leaned close to Catelyn and confessed, â€Å"They're all waiting for me to die. Stevron's been waiting for forty years, but I keep disappointing him. Heh. Why should I die just so he can be a lord? I ask you. I won't do it.† â€Å"I have every hope that you will live to be a hundred.† â€Å"That would boil them, to be sure. Oh, to be sure. Now, what do you want to say?† â€Å"We want to cross,† Catelyn told him. â€Å"Oh, do you? That's blunt. Why should I let you?† For a moment her anger flared. â€Å"If you were strong enough to climb your own battlements, Lord Frey, you would see that my son has twenty thousand men outside your walls.† â€Å"They'll be twenty thousand fresh corpses when Lord Tywin gets here,† the old man shot back. â€Å"Don't you try and frighten me, my lady. Your husband's in some traitor's cell under the Red Keep, your father's sick, might be dying, and Jaime Lannister's got your brother in chains. What do you have that I should fear? That son of yours? I'll match you son for son, and I'll still have eighteen when yours are all dead.† â€Å"You swore an oath to my father,† Catelyn reminded him. He bobbed his head side to side, smiling. â€Å"Oh, yes, I said some words, but I swore oaths to the crown too, it seems to me. Joffrey's the king now, and that makes you and your boy and all those fools out there no better than rebels. If I had the sense the gods gave a fish, I'd help the Lannisters boil you all.† â€Å"Why don't you?† she challenged him. Lord Walder snorted with disdain. â€Å"Lord Tywin the proud and splendid, Warden of the West, Hand of the King, oh, what a great man that one is, him and his gold this and gold that and lions here and lions there. I'll wager you, he eats too many beans, he breaks wind just like me, but you'll never hear him admit it, oh, no. What's he got to be so puffed up about anyway? Only two sons, and one of them's a twisted little monster. I'll match him son for son, and I'll still have nineteen and a half left when all of his are dead!† He cackled. â€Å"If Lord Tywin wants my help, he can bloody well ask for it.† That was all Catelyn needed to hear. â€Å"I am asking for your help, my lord,† she said humbly. â€Å"And my father and my brother and my lord husband and my sons are asking with my voice.† Lord Walder jabbed a bony finger at her face. â€Å"Save your sweet words, my lady. Sweet words I get from my wife. Did you see her? Sixteen she is, a little flower, and her honey's only for me. I wager she gives me a son by this time next year. Perhaps I'll make him heir, wouldn't that boil the rest of them?† â€Å"I'm certain she will give you many sons.† His head bobbed up and down. â€Å"Your lord father did not come to the wedding. An insult, as I see it. Even if he is dying. He never came to my last wedding either. He calls me the Late Lord Frey, you know. Does he think I'm dead? I'm not dead, and I promise you, I'll outlive him as I outlived his father. Your family has always pissed on me, don't deny it, don't lie, you know it's true. Years ago, I went to your father and suggested a match between his son and my daughter. Why not? I had a daughter in mind, sweet girl, only a few years older than Edmure, but if your brother didn't warm to her, I had others he might have had, young ones, old ones, virgins, widows, whatever he wanted. No, Lord Hoster would not hear of it. Sweet words he gave me, excuses, but what I wanted was to get rid of a daughter. â€Å"And your sister, that one, she's full as bad. It was, oh, a year ago, no more, Jon Arryn was still the King's Hand, and I went to the city to see my sons ride in the tourney. Stevron and Jared are too old for the lists now, but Danwell and Hosteen rode, Perwyn as well, and a couple of my bastards tried the melee. If I'd known how they'd shame me, I would never have troubled myself to make the journey. Why did I need to ride all that way to see Hosteen knocked off his horse by that Tyrell whelp? I ask you. The boy's half his age, Ser Daisy they call him, something like that. And Danwell was unhorsed by a hedge knight! Some days I wonder if those two are truly mine. My third wife was a Crakehall, all of the Crakehall women are sluts. Well, never mind about that, she died before you were born, what do you care? â€Å"I was speaking of your sister. I proposed that Lord and Lady Arryn foster two of my grandsons at court, and offered to take their own son to ward here at the Twins. Are my grandsons unworthy to be seen at the king's court? They are sweet boys, quiet and mannerly. Walder is Merrett's son, named after me, and the other one . . . heh, I don't recall . . . he might have been another Walder, they're always naming them Walder so I'll favor them, but his father . . . which one was his father now?† His face wrinkled up. â€Å"Well, whoever he was, Lord Arryn wouldn't have him, or the other one, and I blame your lady sister for that. She frosted up as if I'd suggested selling her boy to a mummer's show or making a eunuch out of him, and when Lord Arryn said the child was going to Dragonstone to foster with Stannis Baratheon, she stormed off without a word of regrets and all the Hand could give me was apologies. What good are apologies? I ask you.† Catelyn frowned, disquieted. â€Å"I had understood that Lysa's boy was to be fostered with Lord Tywin at Casterly Rock.† â€Å"No, it was Lord Stannis,† Walder Frey said irritably. â€Å"Do you think I can't tell Lord Stannis from Lord Tywin? They're both bungholes who think they're too noble to shit, but never mind about that, I know the difference. Or do you think I'm so old I can't remember? I'm ninety and I remember very well. I remember what to do with a woman too. That wife of mine will give me a son before this time next year, I'll wager. Or a daughter, that can't be helped. Boy or girl, it will be red, wrinkled, and squalling, and like as not she'll want to name it Walder or Walda.† Catelyn was not concerned with what Lady Frey might choose to name her child. â€Å"Jon Arryn was going to foster his son with Lord Stannis, you are quite certain of that?† â€Å"Yes, yes, yes,† the old man said. â€Å"Only he died, so what does it matter? You say you want to cross the river?† â€Å"We do.† â€Å"Well, you can't!† Lord Walder announced crisply. â€Å"Not unless I allow it, and why should I? The Tullys and the Starks have never been friends of mine.† He pushed himself back in his chair and crossed his arms, smirking, waiting for her answer. The rest was only haggling. A swollen red sun hung low against the western hills when the gates of the castle opened. The drawbridge creaked down, the portcullis winched up, and Lady Catelyn Stark rode forth to rejoin her son and his lords bannermen. Behind her came Ser Jared Frey, Ser Hosteen Frey, Ser Danwell Frey, and Lord Walder's bastard son Ronel Rivers, leading a long column of pikemen, rank on rank of shuffling men in blue steel ringmail and silvery grey cloaks. Robb galloped out to meet her, with Grey Wind racing beside his stallion. â€Å"It's done,† she told him. â€Å"Lord Walder will grant you your crossing. His swords are yours as well, less four hundred he means to keep back to hold the Twins. I suggest that you leave four hundred of your own, a mixed force of archers and swordsmen. He can scarcely object to an offer to augment his garrison . . . but make certain you give the command to a man you can trust. Lord Walder may need help keeping faith.† â€Å"As you say, Mother,† Robb answered, gazing at the ranks of pikemen. â€Å"Perhaps . . . Ser Helman Tallhart, do you think?† â€Å"A fine choice.† â€Å"What . . . what did he want of us?† â€Å"If you can spare a few of your swords, I need some men to escort two of Lord Frey's grandsons north to Winterfell,† she told him. â€Å"I have agreed to take them as wards. They are young boys, aged eight years and seven. It would seem they are both named Walder. Your brother Bran will welcome the companionship of lads near his own age, I should think.† â€Å"Is that all? Two fosterlings? That's a small enough price to—† â€Å"Lord Frey's son Olyvar will be coming with us,† she went on. â€Å"He is to serve as your personal squire. His father would like to see him knighted, in good time.† â€Å"A squire.† He shrugged. â€Å"Fine, that's fine, if he's—† â€Å"Also, if your sister Arya is returned to us safely, it is agreed that she will marry Lord Walder's youngest son, Elmar, when the two of them come of age.† Robb looked nonplussed. â€Å"Arya won't like that one bit.† â€Å"And you are to wed one of his daughters, once the fighting is done,† she finished. â€Å"His lordship has graciously consented to allow you to choose whichever girl you prefer. He has a number he thinks might be suitable.† To his credit, Robb did not flinch. â€Å"I see.† â€Å"Do you consent?† â€Å"Can I refuse?† â€Å"Not if you wish to cross.† â€Å"I consent,† Robb said solemnly. He had never seemed more manly to her than he did in that moment. Boys might play with swords, but it took a lord to make a marriage pact, knowing what it meant. They crossed at evenfall as a horned moon floated upon the river. The double column wound its way through the gate of the eastern twin like a great steel snake, slithering across the courtyard, into the keep and over the bridge, to issue forth once more from the second castle on the west bank. Catelyn rode at the head of the serpent, with her son and her uncle Ser Brynden and Ser Stevron Frey. Behind followed nine tenths of their horse; knights, lancers, freeriders, and mounted bowmen. It took hours for them all to cross. Afterward, Catelyn would remember the clatter of countless hooves on the drawbridge, the sight of Lord Walder Frey in his litter watching them pass, the glitter of eyes peering down through the slats of the murder holes in the ceiling as they rode through the Water Tower. The larger part of the northern host, pikes and archers and great masses of men-at-arms on foot, remained upon the east bank under the command of Roose Bolton. Robb had commanded him to continue the march south, to confront the huge Lannister army coming north under Lord Tywin. For good or ill, her son had thrown the dice.

Spanking Essay Example

Spanking Essay Example Spanking Paper Spanking Paper Is an Issue which Is highly debated In the world, every country, state, region, and city has It own Idea or way of arguing on spanking. Many cultures do not like to spank their children others also want to spank their children. However the bible says do not withhold discipline from a child, If you punish them with a rod you save them from death. Therefore spanking a child is a great way to discipline ones child and helps in the child growth as it helps the child to be successful in life. Discipline is the practice of helping children to develop self control, guiding them, titivating and correcting misbehaving of children and teaching them the right way of doing things for them to be acceptable in a society. It is the responsibility of parents or guardian to discipline a child. But then what is the right way to discipline a child?. Imagine telling your child is late do not watch television this night and your child look In eyes and says I will watch. His is the time for you to teach your child how to respect and the need to respect elders. This Is not done through Just talking to your child because he would not take It seriously but rather when you spank him e will never do It again. In other words It will establish a new Idea In the childs brain which will let the child be very sensitive to good behaviors. When you physically punish a child it becomes very difficult for the child to repeat such a behavior again because he would remember what happened to him. I had a friend in my community in Ghana and that friend since he was a child he was always pampered and even when he does mistake, or do bad things like insulting elderly people his parents Just talked to him, now he blames his parents for that, and he has ended p in prison. There is no doubt the bible says the one who spares the rod hates his son but who loves him is diligent to discipline. Furthermore spanking helps in the child growth as it makes the child to be successful In life According to newspaperman: spanking Is like a milk It does good or at least a mind (dry. James Dobson). A study conducted by psychology professor Marjorie Guenon at Calvin college, mulligan fox news reports on the story, according to the research children spanked up to age of six were likely as teenagers to perform better at school, were ore likely to carry out volunteer work and to want to go college and also have academic success than their peers who had never been physically disciplined. These people do not wait for opportunities to come, they do not sit back and relax but their aggressive nature makes them serious in everything they do. These grown up children rather search for opportunities. And most companies like these people and are likely to be employed very easily because of their seriousness, they take everything with care. At age nine a friend of mine who was always at the bottom of he class gradually became one of the five best students In that class and with curiously I asked him how because I am always beaten at my buttock and my palm when am last said kopi. Spanking always help Individual success, It Is a detrimental tool to success. I will always blame my parents for not physically punishing me when a not go to cocoon, out ratter Just talked to me , talking never mace sense to me when I was a child, I did not value talking, because I thought when they talk, when I do not go to school next they will Just talk to me. I was a child I did not know anything ND never knew it would affect my life and these were what I thought, but now I believe if my parents had spanked me I would never had done what I did, now I am an illiterate and really suffering in this life although it hurts when I remembers them, Fests Champion said. However spanking could hurt the emotions and feelings of the child and makes them fear their parents and most often let the child think whether his parent love him or not. According to Joan Duran a professor at university of Manitoba, spanking may reduce the brains grey matter the connective issue between brain cells, grey matter is an integral part of the centre nervous system and influences intelligence and learning abilities. T includes areas of the brain involved in sensory perception speech muscular control,emotions. As it also inflict emotional damages and relations. Spanking is really a great way to help your child focus in this life. Spanking is an essential way to discipline your child very well, the bible says foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child ; but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.