Homeworks and Study Guides in English Essay Example for Free

Homeworks and Study Guides in English Essay I rolled myself, patting and searching for the alarm clock with my eyes closed. When I reached it, I turned it off and got myself up to get ready for school. I barged in the bathroom with my still sleepy eyes, washing my face as I put some toothpaste in my toothbrush. Brushing my teeth, I walked in my closet to choose some outfit. After five minutes of choosing, I throw the clothes at the bed then turned to take a bath. I relax myself as I feel the tingling sensation of hot water seducing my whole body. After fifteen minutes of showering, I finally rinsed and walked out of the shower room. Opening the drawer, I got my hair dryer and make-up. I blow my hair for ten minutes then I dressed-up. Glancing at the clock and seeing that I still have time, I decided to put some light make up. After finishing my mascara, I took a step back, glancing at the mirror to take a full look at my outfit before going downstairs. Today was the first day of my senior year at Jacksonville Highschool. I was wearing a white tank top that showed my flat tummy and my piercing, a pink hollister shorts that showed my long tanned legs, and a high cut converse to finish the look. Fully contented with the outfit, I sighed, running my hands through my blonde hair as I walked out of the bathroom. I took my bag which was hanging at the side of my bed and stormed downstairs. When I finally get down, I went straight to the kitchen to grab my breakfast, which is apple and milk. Yay, the perks of being a vegetarian. I found my dad sitting peacefully with a newspaper in his hands, his eyebrows are scrunching. Good morning dad I greeted him, munching my apple. Silence. He didnt greet me back because he was too preoccupied with the article hes reading. I frowned and stop to look at the front page, which read Boston Bombing. Oh yeah, the latest news. I rolled my eyes, gulping my fresh milk. After I finished my breakfast, I got up, walking outside to find my mom in the garden watering her so-called little daughters. Hey mom Good morning, honey. Have you eaten your breakfast? Yup, Im finished. So wheres Anna? I asked, looking around. Annabelle Jacobs is my best friend. She always picks me up in the morning so that we could go to school together. Oh, she texted me this morning, she says shell be 5 minutes late I rolled my eyes. I know exactly why shes late. She always have those lame excuses telling me that her toothbrush got lost, she run out of panties, the flush wont work, the rats ate her clothes etc. I shook my head at the sudden thought. Okay mom. I kissed her in the cheek. Ill just check on Simon first Simon is the love of my life. Hes a puppy actually, but whatever. I run at the back, finding my shih tzu stiffing some flowers. Heeeeeeeey Simooooon I cooed in a sweet, girly girl voice while picking him up. I spin him around giggling while his licking my face. Gross I know. After a minute of playing around, I heard Annas car pulled up so I put him down and kissed him goodbye. I ran back inside to say one last goodbye to my parents then i ran towards the car as fast as I can. Samantha!!! Anna shouted when I got inside. I smiled at her. Hey there! Whats up?   Do I look like I’ve lose some weight? She immediately respond. I burst out laughing then I looked at her figure up and down. Annabelle, well Anna, look a lot like me. We have the same weight and height. Were also popular in a way, but we didnt like being the center of attention so we stay low. The only difference we have is our hair. She has brown hair while me, well Im blonde. Ugh, you have a perfect figure. Why do you have to work your butt out? And yes, youve lost some fats Really? Yay! She screeched. You see, I need to work out because Im planning to eat a whole box of pizza later She added. I rolled my eyes. Yeah, right. So, whats the plan? Well, I was thinking that maybe we should go shopping after school. Youve got your credit card in you, right? She asked. Uh yeah, sure. Meet me at my locker around four I said, finishing the conversation. She parked the car then we walked together inside the school grounds. We made our way to our lockers since our lockers are right next to each other. I opened mine to get my history textbook, -since its my first class- switching it with my english. Closing my locker, I said goodbye to Anna, telling her to see me at lunch because we dont have the same schedule for the first four classes. We waved goodbye to each other and started walking the opposite way. After a minute of walking and goofing around, Im finally face to face with the door that leads to my first class. I took a deep breath before opening it. Just as I was turning the door knob, a boy passed quickly to get inside first, causing me to fall backwards with the rest of my stuff. What the hell I said in a low voice. I heard him groan in an annoyed voice, then he started walking back towards me, closing the door in the process. Hey, no need to swear neighbor Then it hit me. I looked up, wide eyes to see my oh-so-handsome neighbor aka the most popular boy in school, Spencer Young. You see, Ive known him since we were young. Our mothers, both Filipina, were married to some Canadian which means were half filipino, half american. I also know a lot about him since our bedroom are next- well, lets just say parallel to each other. I know that he loves switchfoot, the script and matchbox twenty because his room are full of their posters. I also know his favorite book, food and stuffs. And also when I was 14, in my sophomore year, I used to have a little crush on him ever since the first time I saw him half naked walking around his room. But that was freaking before. I got myself up, thinking of shouting at him for his rude manners. But before I do that, he spoke first. Sorry about that He said, pinching both of my cheeks. I was thinking of pushing him back. But I sighed, realizing that were already late in class. Instead, I rolled my eyes, ignoring him as I made my way inside the classroom. When we walked inside, the class went full silent at first. Then, they started whispering to each other, probably wondering why their Queen Bee and Mr. Popular are together. Yay, perks of being a popular student. Mind explaining to me why youre both 5 minutes late, Ms. Reynolds and Mr. Young? Our professor, Mr. Lantican asked. Wow. I didnt realize it took that long outside. Spencer speaks first. Well sir, w-we bumped into each other a-at the hallway He stuttered. And it took 5 minutes? Well done, kids. And good job at lying. Now, as your punishment, I want you both to stay here after class and go straight to the detention room to- WHAT?! I shouted, startling the whole class. I cant believe it. I really cant believe it. This is my first time to get a detention and I know for a fact that I didnt deserve it. No offense sir, but Im a straight A student and this will greatly affect my grades. I stopped, catching my breath. And just so you know, I have a scheduled meeting with- I stopped, realizing that im pushing the limits. Never mind I gave up, finding the way to my seat. Yeah, detention at the very first day of my senior high. Great right? Spencers POV I stare at her from a good distance. She sits at the front row with some geeky nerds while me, well, Im at the far left side of the back with Blake Morgan and Nathan Brooks, my bestfriends. I felt really bad that I bumped her earlier. The detention will surely drive her crazy, and it was all because of me. She always makes sure to get perfect As, which I couldnt understand. Its like shes going to die if she gets B or lower. I look up at her again memorizing her perfect back features, hoping that I wouldnt get caught, but i was wrong. HOLYSHITBALLS Blake and Nathan both hissed. WHAT? I said, wincing and rubbing my ears. We can tell it dude This time, its just Blake who spoke. Ugh. What is it, again? You like her right? I mean, Samantha Reynolds Nathan spat. WHAT?! Oh no, youre seeing it wrong man. I spat back. Okaaaaaaaaaay, whatever you saaaaay maaaaan They both sang in a girly voice. I rolled my eyes. It was a misunderstanding. I, Spencer Young, will never stoop that low. Sure, shes rich, sexy, gorgeous or to make it short, shes miss perfect. But shes not really my type. I dont know though, because in some way, I find her actions weird and cute. My room is facing hers and I can see all of her actions or whatever. Her room is very neat and she always make sure that all her things are in place. She also has a very strict schedule of sleeping, waking up, exercising and eating. Not that Im stalking her, of course. Anyway, I really dont understand her. I feel like shes hiding something even from her next-miss perfect bestfriend, Annabelle Jacobs. And thats what Im going to find out. Finally, the bell rang signaling us to our next class. I stand up, eagerly wanting to get the hell out of here before our beloved old teacher call up to me. But then again, I was wrong. Mr. Young and Ms. Reynolds can I have a word with you two? Mr. Lantican asked. I groaned mentally, turning back to face his old crooked face. I saw Samantha glaring at me. Man, was she sexy. I shot her an apologetic look before walking towards Mr. Lantican. Yes, Mr. Lantican? I asked, raising an eyebrow. He took a deep breath before answering I want the two of you to be at the detention room at exactly four. Have I made myself clear? Yes sir We both said. Okay, the two of you may go now He finally dismissed us. Thank you, sir. I said lastly to him then I got out of the classroom. Just as I started to make my way upstairs to my next class, I saw Sam alone leaning at one of the bars, smiling at me. Confused, I made my way to her. Whats with the smiling, Sammy? I asked. Thank you, Spence She suddenly said. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. What was that? A while ago, she was throwing fires at me by the way she glares. And now? Man, was she bipolar? Fo-for what? I manage to say. Ive said enough, Spence. I just want you to know that Im very happy that you save me She look at me gratefully then suddenly, she kissed my cheek, then left. I was pretty sure that my jaw hit the ground. Samanthas POV In chemistry, which is my third class, I loiter towards the back of the room, waiting for everybody to file in their seats. Mr. Maruso has this rule that whoever you choose to sit with on the first day of class, becomes your lab partner for the entire year. Needless to say, seat selection is definitely critical. Since the sciences arent really my thing, I search around for someone who I think might do well with the laboratory stuffs. I mustve been busy daydreaming; thinking about what happened earlier because when i look up, they are all paired up. Which leaves me standing awkwardly at the back with my books. Embarrassed, I scan the room until I spotted two empty chairs in front. I made my way there and I can see that my suppose-to-be-partner isnt there. I wonder if he or she is just late or absent. I sighed heavily, praying in every god that he or she better have some brains or else Ill be doomed. Five minutes later, Mr. Marusos disscussion of safety precautions and proper handling of equipments was interrupted by a student who just barged in through the room. I turn around to look at my partner which is†¦.. OH BLOODYHELL is that Spencer? Oh great. I forgot that we also have the same class. But really, this cant be happening. It will be too friggin awkward to have him as my partner. Not to mention, FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR. You see, the moment I kissed him earlier, I immediately regret it. I was also shocked. I didnt know what comes through my mind or what made me do that I REALLY DONT KNOW. I guess I was just so grateful from the fact that he saved me from the shopping plan Annabelle and I were going to have. Shoping isnt really my thing. Especially with Annabelle. I brought all my clothes, shoes and bags online. And Anna, being Anna, you wont like it. She was sooo shopaholic. She buys all the possible clothes and shoes she can get. One time, she runs out of money and im forced to let her use my credit card. Not that Im selfish, of course. Its just that Im saving some of my money for my own car. Nobody knows about that except Simon. Shaking my thoughts, I look at Spencer again only to find him talking to Mr. Maruso. He was probably saying some crappy excuses or whatsoever. I saw them nodded in agreement then Spencer turned around to look for some seat. Our eyes met as he spotted the empty seat beside me. Oh bloody great. He raised his eyebrows at me, doing his famous smirk that showed his dimples. How cute. He made his way to his chair. Hey partner, Sammy I rolled my eyes. Dont call me that. It sounds gayish He laughs in a carefree way So does Spence I tried to hide my smile but I couldnt. Minutes passed and we stopped talking to scribble some notes that our professor told us to copy. As I was writing, I notice him looking down at me whilst playing with my hair. How romantic. I stopped writing. What?! I asked. A little annoyed. Nothing. I was just wondering why little miss perfect is bipolar He said coolly. I gritted my teeth. First, Im not little. We have exactly the same height. And second, Im not bipolar He raised an eyebrow Oh really? I thought- Ahem He was interrupted by a girl. We both turned our heads to see who may that be. Unsurprisingly, its Lilly Thompson, one of the oh-so-popular girls. What do you want, Lilly? I asked. This time I was really annoyed. How dare she interrupt us? Youre flirting with my boyfriend She hissed, faking smile. My eyes went wide and I look at Spencer. He too, has the same expression as me. Will someone please tell me what the heck is happening? Pardon me? I dont even know you Spencer spat. I turned to look at Lilly, who was faking hurt. What do you mean? We chatted on facebook last week and you ask me to be your girlfriend. Dont you remember? She asked in a flirtatious way. Someone give me a bucket Spencer raised an eyebrow. Well, that isnt me. Nathan and Blake knows my password. Theyre the ones who probably ask you out. Besides, I havent open my account for ages. You should go and ask them. He sighed. Lilly was close to tears. So you mean, I dont stand a chance to be with you? She said in a weak voice. This time I interrupted. You slut, will you please cut the act? Just look at him. This- I gestured at spencers body. -is the definition of perfect. And you? Youre just a whore who has nothing to do but to seek attention. I finished. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Spencer smiling at me. I ignore him as I gave Lilly the death glare. But this time, she looked angry as hulk You bitch! She shouted, causing some students to look at the three of us. Is there a problem? Mr. Maruso asked. I turned to answer him Oh yeah, theres a snake wandering around here. Poor snake, SHE probably doesnt know where she belongs. I fake crying, causing the whole class to errupt in laughter. I smiled proudly to myself. Good job, Samantha! At that moment, the bell finally rang. Talk about being saved by the bell. I quickly grab my things, said a quick goodbye to Spencer, then I hurried to the door to meet Annabelle at the cafeteria. When I got there, everyone at the school had already heard about the confrontation. Yeah, news travels fast in Jacksonville Highschool. I saw Anna already buying her lunch so I catch up next to her in line. Yo anna I said while putting a carbonara, salad and a boxed milk at my tray. Hey there, Sam. Soooo, fighting with Lilly huh? She asked, waggling her eyebrows. I rolled my eyes. She made me do it I said, finishing the conversation. After paying the bill, we made our way to our table which is located at the far side of the cafeteria. Our table is the circle one with the four silver chairs. Actually, its just the three of us who sits there. Me, Annabelle and our boy-bestfriend, Max Carter. We found him already sitted, stuffing sandwich in his mouth. When he notice us, he greeted us with a smile. Yo girls! So hows the two queen coping up? He asked. Anna raised her eyebrows Coping up? Haha, were fine. As always I added, winking at him. Time passed and were already finished with our lunch. Max started telling us some jokes which cause Anna and I to laugh hysterically. That is until Spencer Young decided to come at our table to remind me of the detention. I know I said, giving him the death glare and signaling for him to leave before I pull out both of his mighty eyeballs. Thankfully, he obeyed and left. Slowly and carefully, I turn to face the now angry Anna who was looking at me with an intense glare. I-im sorry, anna I stuttered. I was looking at the floor, twiddling my fingers. I was waiting for her to shout at me but instead, she put an arm around my shoulder, looking worried. What happened? She asked. You know that this is your first time getting a detention right? I nodded. Well, Spencer and I were late and Mr. Lantican got mad I explained. This is unfair She said. What about our shopping?She raised an eyebrow. Great. I really expected that. I was thinking of shouting at her, telling her that she has so many freaking goddamn clothes. But instead, i come up with an idea. Well, Max will be honored to accompany you I said, smirking at Max. Max widened his eyes in horror. I AM NOT GOING NEAR THE VICTORIAS SECRET! He shouted dramatically causing all of us to laugh again. I guess well just go shopping on friday night then Anna said. I rolled my eyes. Yeah, sure. NOTE: On friday, make sure to forget my credit card at home. Spencers POV After lunch, i made my way to the locker room to change for the basketball practice. I flicked the combination to my locker and opened it. Just as I was grabbing my clothes, Blake came up behind me. Spencer! You ready? He asked. Yeah, give me a second to change I said, going inside the comfort room. Seconds later, I got out of the comfort room, completely dressed. I grab a bottle of cold water and started gulping. I need to stay hydrated. So, do you like her too? Blake suddenly asked. I scrunched my eyebrow in confusion. What are you talking about, man? Are the two of you going out now? He asked again, ignoring my question. I glared at him. Who exactly are we talking about, blake? I spat. Uh, Lilly Thompson. He said nervously. Huh? Who is Lilly and why are we talking about her? I dont care about her, duh. Then it hit me. YOU! I shouted. It was you who chatted her! He rubbed the back of his neck. Sorry, man. Its just that- Let me guess I interrupt him. You like her. Am I right? He nodded. Yeah. I really liked her since we were sophomore. I know a lot about her and i know that she likes you so much. Thats the reason i used your account without permission. To be able to talk and ask her out He finished. I sighed. I forgive you, man. But i wont trust you anymore. Im going to change my password the moment i got home. I joked, then i continue. You shouldnt be ashamed to ask her out, Blake. Im sure shell like you I said, finishing the conversation. Thanks, man He said, punching my arm lightly. We made our way to the court where Nathan was. We saw him sitting and waiting impatiently, spinning a ball in his thumb. When he saw us, he shouted. You two! What took you so long? He asked in an annoyed voice. I faked sigh. Sorry, nate. We cant take it anymore. I replied, smiling flirtatiously to Blake. Blake just laughed while Nathan, realizing what im talking about, gave us a dirty look. Youre both disgusting He said. But you love us I cooed, patting his shoulders. Come on, lets play Somehow, we managed to play smoothly for one and a half hour. When were finished, the three of us jogged our way back to the shower room, dying for a cold shower. When were finished with our cold showers, we separate ways to go to our last class. I check my schedule to find out what class am i having. French. Oh oui, mon sujet favori! Just as i was making my way, i remember something. Something that ive been dreading to know. I turn around, running downstairs to catch up with Blake. I saw him making his way to the registrars office. Blake! I shouted. He turned around. Huh? He asked, confused. I ran towards him. I have a question I said, panting. He laughed. Is it that important that you have to- Why Lilly? I interrupted. He looked at me, startled. What do you mean, man? He asked, raising an eyebrow. I sighed. What made you like her? I asked again. He just look at me blankly for a couple of seconds. Finally, after realizing what i meant, he let a huge sigh of relief. Okay, fine. You see spencer, you wouldnt just want to know the outside, arent you? He asked and I nodded. Then he continue. Think about it. For you to know the person completely, you have to also see the inner beauty. For every person in this world, theres a reason why theyre like that. Theres a reason behind why their attitudes and personalities are like that. Thats why we should not judge first. He said, looking at me sadly. You know, I always thought that Lilly will be always like that. People keep saying that shes a bitch, a slut, a whore, an attention seeker but you know what, spencer? In my eyes, i see her differently. The minute i saw her at the orphanage playing with the little kids, man, i was lovestruck. I didnt expect that, especially from a Lilly Thompson. Shes a type of girl who would change her attitude so that people will not recognize her nor to be able to see through her. Thats what made me like her, spencer. He finished, smiling mostly to himself. I was pretty sure that there were tears forming in my eyes. Gayish i know. I, uh- thanks a lot, blake. And, good luck. I stuttered, patting his back. No worries He shrugged. I checked my watch. Three minutes till the last bell. Uh, spencer? Blake called. Yeah? Always remember, dont judge the book by its cover. And, if you like someone, learn to love her flaws first. He finished, then he left. Samanthas POV I stared at the clock, counting the time in my head. 56 57 58 59 RIIIIINNNGGGG! Shoot. I got up as fast as I could then hurried my way towards the door then down the stairs. Great, I thought to myself. Its just a detention, Sam. Calm down. Its just a detention. just a detention Just a fuc- SAM! Someone shouted, taking me into realization. I stopped in my tracks to find whoever who was calling me. I saw Spencer waving at me frantically, gesturing the way to the detention room. Right. What the hell am I thinking and why am I walking the other way?! I shrieked, thinking to myself. I made my way to Spencer who was now laughing like theres no tomorrow. Embarrassed, I tried to cover up. Why are you laughing? I asked, faking innocence. He stifled some laugh. You looked a little.. lost. Do you really study here? Why are you walking the other way? You do know that the detention room is here, right? He asked, pointing to the room. Who said that I was going there first? I asked, keeping my face blank. Where were you going, then? He asked, challenging me. To the ladies room I said confidently, hoping hed buy it this time. He just stared at my blankly. Then he started laughing. Harder and louder this time. Samantha! HAHAHAHAHA! Youre f-fucking hi-hilarious! The la-dies room i-is upsta-irs! He manage to say between laughs. My mouth formed a small o as I realize that he was right. I was left utterly speechless and really embarrassed. I can feel my cheeks turning bright red. I look up at him and hes still laughing. This time, with no noise coming out. Are you done making fun of me? I asked, raising my eyebrow. He finally stopped laughing, clutching his hard-abs stomach as he spoke. Yeah. You didnt tell me youre a good comedian, Sam. I rolled my eyes. I know right? Its one of my hidden talents. Absolutely right. By giving me a good laugh everyday, I wont have to work out anymore. He waggled his eyebrows at me. I smiled. This man surely made my day. Who would have thought that Mr. Spencer Young is like that? Maybe, if we hang out a long time ago, we would be bestfriends by now. And did I mention that he looked hot in his outfit? From v-neck to skinny jeans, perfect. Are you done checking me out? He asked, gesturing to his body. I rolled my eyes and started walking towards the detention room, worry and nervous free. As we walked inside, we realized that were not the only ones who got detention. We saw a girl and a boy -probably freshman- lurking around the room waiting for Mr. Lantican. At last, he came inside, holding a cup of coffee and a large notebook in his hands. We all stand up to greet him. Good afternoon, sir. Good afternoon, kids. He replied. Now, I will group and assign you all to your works He said, looking and flipping through the notebook. Lets see Luke and Miley both of you will be at the movie room to fix all the cds and equipments He finally said. The two student nodded, then left. As for you two- He said, looking at us intensely. -Ill be assigning you to the library to fix and rearrange some books. You may now proceed He finished, then left. I made my way to the library with Spencer, eager to finish the task. We stormed downstairs, taking a left to the library. When I opened the door, we were surprised on how messy it was. Youve got to be kidding me. We cant finish this in one hour What happened here? Spencer asked. I dont know I said, stretching. Lets get working. *After one hour* Woooooh! I shouted, wiping my head with the back of my hand. Weve been cleaning for an hour, throwing and stacking some books here and there. Spencer isnt much of a help though. While I was working my butt out, rearranging some books, he thought it would be fun to just sit there and draw some silly faces on the book covers. But somehow, thankfully, weve managed to clean the library. When were contented with our work, we turned the lights off then we headed out of the school. Uh, Spencer? I asked, realizing something. Yeah? He replied whilst looking at his watch. I-uh, would you give me a lift? I mean, Anna is usually the- No problem, milady He interrupted. I smiled at him. Thanks. As I got up to his car -which is a grey Porsche carrera gt- I pulled out my phone and saw that I have two messages coming from Anna and mom. I opened moms first: Honey, where are you? You didnt tell me youre going to be late I immediately hit the reply button: Sorry, mom. Just got detention. Ill explain it to you later, love you. After sending, I read Annas message: Hows detention with Mr. Young? ;) I smiled, typing: Weve been asked to clean the library. I hate to admit it, but its fun. Never thought Mr. Young has a great sense of humor ;) I hit the send button then I put my phone back in my pocket. Minutes passed and I started to feel some awkwardness so I decided to play some music. I reached for the Switchfoot album, then pushed the CD inside. I stared at the window just as while You was playing. Great. I look like an emo Theres always something in the way Theres always something getting through But its not me, its you At exactly 6:00 pm, Spencer pulled up in front of my house. I thanked him and waved goodbye, then he left. I sighed heavily, thinking of the very tiring day. I pushed myself to the door and I walked inside. Moooom? I shouted, looking for her. At the kitchen! She shouted back. I made my way to the kitchen, dropping my bag at the bottom of the stairs as I walked by. MOM!- I immediately talk. -Im so sorry. I didnt mean to be late in class, I swear it wont happen again and I just want you to know that Ill still be getting straight As and also- Samantha! Calm down! Were not mad, okay? She interrupted. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. Huh? Why are you not mad? Youre supposed to be shouting at me for letting you down. I said in a weak voice, tears starting to fall. Shhh, Samantha. Dont ever think about that. Actually, your dad and I were happy that it happened. Youre experiencing the things youve never experience before. Were so proud of you, honey. I stopped crying then I studied her face. Was she serious? Things that Ive never done before? That would be parties, drinking alcohol, taking drugs and sex. I stared at her in horror. Sam, are you okay? Mom asked, waving a hand to my face. She must have noticed that im not breathing. I came back into realization. Uh yeah, mom. Im just.. tired. I should go up and change now I said, kissing her cheeks. I walked pass the dining room, grabbing a banana to calm myself down. I picked up my bag and jogged my way upstairs. Just as I was about to walk inside my room, my father appeared in the hallway Your moms right, Sam. You should live your life the way you wanted. He said, holding back tears. I just nodded then I locked myself inside the room.

Effects of Co-sleeping

Effects of Co-sleeping Con: Co-Sleeping; Angelica Sewake The research paper will examine the effects of co-sleeping. The definition of co-sleeping is, The standard custom in collectivist cultures, of having a child and parent share a bed (Belsky, 2010, 87). A collectivist culture pertains to, Societies that prize social harmony, obedience, and close family connectedness over independent achievement (87). In the United States the issue of practicing co-sleeping has become controversial (Field, 2007, 49). Opponents suggest potential increased risks of suffocation and sudden infant death syndrome which is often caused by co-sleeping (49).On the controversial topic of co-sleeping there are many negative factors to consider. These factors include, the physical safety of the infant and the future psychological affect the child will endure or respond in the long term. In May 1999, the Consumer Product Safety Commission released a warning against co-sleeping or putting babies to sleep on adult beds that were based on a study of death reports under the age of two who had died from 1980 to 1997 (Breazeale, 2001, 2). After the CPSC acknowledged these statistics and shared their findings with the public, it causedparents to be disturbed, rather than serve as a warning (3). The media also became involved in the spread of this alarming statistic and refrained from telling the public2, 700 infants that died from this study died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (2). Co-sleeping with an infant is hazardous to an infants life while both care giver and child are asleep. Co-sleeping can cause Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) which, Refers to unexplained death of an apparently healthy infant, often while sleeping (Belsky, 2010, 88). Researchers shared statistics of the ratio of infant fatality in the United States; which is 1 to every 1,000 babies (88). The ratio given is large, however, Sudden Death Infant Syndrome is a top-ranking cause of infant mortality in the United States (88). This statistic also shows the ratio of collectivist famalies who participate in this practice of co-sleeping with their infants. Studies also have shown the risk of co-sleeping with an infant increases the chances of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome when an infant is at the age of 12 to 18 months old (Alms, 2007, 1385). Also to consider involving the infants safety when co-sleeping is to take pre cautions and awareness of the higher possibility of the child being suffoca ted or injured physically accidentally by his or her caregiver (1385). Another effect of co-sleeping is having an infant nurtured into becoming a reactive co-sleeper (Field, 2007, 50). In contrast, over the long term, co-sleeping infants may have more trouble sleeping (50). Studies cited by Field prove that Reactive co-sleepers had more frequent night-wakings (50). These findings lead to nurturing the infant into a child having a change in the development of personality and character traits (50).The first trait of change in an infant will have a need for an object as security (Hayes Etal, 1996, 355). The security object may function as a night time human tactile contact (355). According to Field co-sleeping is a collectivist, putting emphasis on family closeness and dependance; but co-sleeping causes the opposite as an infant grows into child hood, puberty, and eventually into adulthood (50).However, early co-sleeping children were more self-reliant and exhibited more social independence (50). Therefore, if a collectivist cultural family reinforces co-s leeping, they also reinforce the independence of a child. In conclusion researches and studies prove there are many pre cautions and dangers to consider when a caregiver and parent decided to practice the method of co-sleeping with their infant. As a recap to the many negative possibilities to remember and consider is: co-sleeping is the underlying cause of Sudden Death Infant Syndrome, co-sleeping may lead to suffocation or an increase risk of caregiver physically injuring the infant, and the psychological effects that may cause the character or personality of the infant as he or she develops to be unacceptable. Works Cited Alms, Bernt. To co-sleep or not to sleep?. Acta Paediatrica 96.10 (2007): 1385-1386. Belsky, Janet. Experiencing the Life Span. Second Ed. Worth Publishers, 2010. 87-88. Breazeale, Tami. Attachment Parenting: A Practical Apporach for the Reduction of Attachment Disorders Promotion of Emotionally Secure Children. Bethel College, 2001. 2-3. Field, Tiffany. The Amazing Infant. Blackwell Publishing Co., 49-50. Hayes, Marie J., Shawn M. Roberts, and Rebecca Stowe. Early Childhood Co-Sleeping: Parent-Child and Parent-Infant Nighttime Interactions. Infant Mental Health Journal 17.4 (1996): 348-357

Study On Reflection And Use Of Radiography Nursing Essay

Study On Reflection And Use Of Radiography Nursing Essay Reflection is an important and powerful strategy for the use of development in professional skills; as it enables the link between the practice and theoretical aspect of learning to help moving from a beginner to a skilled practitioner. Reflection should enhance self-awareness, identifying personal strengths and weakness as well as help in the improvement. In the world of definitions and explanations, there are different professors, author, and editors e.t.c and their different knowledge of understanding. Dewey defined reflective thought as active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusions to which it tends (Dewey 1933: 118). He set out five phases or aspects. 1. Suggestions, in which the mind leaps forward to a possible solution. 2. An intellectualization of the difficulty or perplexity that has been felt (directly experienced) into a problem to be solved. 3. The use of one suggestion after another as a leading idea, or hypothesis, to initiate and guide observation and other operations in collection of factual material. 4. The mental elaboration of the idea, or supposition as an idea or supposition (reasoning, in the sense in which reasoning is a part, not the whole, of inference). 5. Testing the hypothesis by overt, or imaginative action In every case of reflective activity, a person finds himself confronted with a given, present situation from which he has to arrive at, or conclude to, something that is not present. This process of arriving at an idea of what is absent on the basis of what is at hand is inference. What is present carries or bears the mind over to the idea and ultimately the acceptance of something else. (Dewey 1933 Donald Schà ¶n (1983) suggested that the capacity to reflect on action so as to engage in a process of continuous learning was one of the defining characteristics of professional practice. He argued that the model of professional training which he termed Technical Rationality-of charging students up with knowledge  in training schools so that they could discharge when they entered the world of practice, perhaps more aptly termed a battery model-has never been a particularly good description of how professionals think in action, and is quite inappropriate to practice in a fast-changing world. Goodman (1984, cited by jasper 2003 p9) suggests that there are three levels of reflection which you are likely to move through during your education. However it is not helpful to think that you are at level 1 in year 1, level 2 in year 2 e.t.c. which level you achieve will depend on your skill and ability and should not be restricted to the level which has the same number as your year of study. Doing a general investigation on a word, a methodology, hypothesis, summary and conclusion on a laboratory practical would have being easier as I would have being confident enough to do a write up on what I did, should have done, and reasons why a certain error happened and how it could have being avoided. This is something that could be done as it has been done previously with my course at college. Writing a reflection on a work experience is different but similar to writing or doing an investigation on a laboratory practical, so the techniques of writing a laboratory practical can be used to write a reflection as well as the guidance notes posted on the blackboard. The medical field had ran in my family right from my oldest sister to my older sister as Nurses and now to me as a Radiography (student)I didnt choose to be a radiographer in order not to break the medical chain or because my sisters being nurses, but ever since I visited my oldest sister while she was on a work placement I saw other radiographers, how they operated the radiography machine in taking various x-rays; was breathe taken and wondered how the radiography machine makes use of its infrared without harming the human skin to get the image of the endo-skeleton. Since then I have being interested in the machines and in other get closer to it and find out how it works was to become its operator (radiographer). Queen Mary Hospital, Sidcup was a marvellous place to work/experience what it is like to be a radiographer, as well as being much more hygienic and patience than I was; as there were lots of precautions done before and after taking an x-ray such as the use of disinfectants before and after dealing with a patient and the accurate use of the radiography machine which requires lots of concentration and patience because a slight mistake could cause a life or make the situation of the patient worse. It was really nice meeting other radiography students but known and unknown, we were taken on a tour around the hospital by other senior radiography students then we were introduced to our various supervisors, my supervisor was a lovely lady who seem to be very experienced, she knew what she was doing and also what she was talking about, patient and confident. The first week of the experience was very nerve racking and it was knackering, we were technically a full time working class radiographers (9am 5pm) every day. I got used to the fatigue on the second week but was still nervous that I was going to make a mistake at some point while with a patient either theory wise or practical wise. With the help of the supervisor and the senior colleague I gained a little bit of confidence, was corrected before making and after making a mistake and was checked upon on a regular basis in order to be up to standard and produce distinctive results. Before allowed use of the radiography machine we had to get use to the environments such as being like receptionists, calling out the patients names, checking their information and details making sure that its the right person; this was practically interesting because I got to meet different people with different characters. Then I was given the opportunity to work in the CT (computerised tomography) scan briefly, was thought the basics of the machine, what it scans the body for, how it detects the diseases and how it is maintained. This was time consuming and required a lot of patience. It was quite boring at this point. But came to realise that I was no longer interested in radiography because of the machines, but interested in it because I like to be of help in anyways I can to the people and community. In the medical world mainly the National Health Services, UK there are various sections in each hospital, some hospitals specialised in something specific and some are specialised in everything, but a thorough medical check-up is not complete without some sort of scan which is where the radiographers and radiography comes in. Radiography is the use of X-rays to view a non-uniformly composed material such as the human body. By utilizing the physical properties of the ray an image can be developed displaying clearly, areas of different density and composition. A heterogeneous beam of X-rays is produced by an X-ray generator and is projected toward an object. According to the density and composition of the different areas of the object a proportion of X-rays are absorbed by the object. The X-rays that pass through are then captured behind the object by a detector (film sensitive to X-rays or a digital detector) which gives a 2D representation of all the structures superimposed on each other. In tomography, the X-ray source and detector move to blur out structures not in the focal plane. Computed tomography (CT scanning) is different to plain film tomography in that computer assisted reconstruction is used to generate a 3D representation of the scanned object/patient. Radiography was not only used on living being (medical reasons) also industrial purposes such as fitting shoes. X-ray photons used for medical purposes are formed by an event involving an electron, while gamma ray photons are formed from an interaction with the nucleus of an atom. In general, medical radiography is done using X-rays formed in an X-ray tube. Nuclear medicine typically involves gamma rays. The types of electromagnetic radiation of most interest to radiography are X-ray and gamma radiation. This radiation is much more energetic than the more familiar types such as radio waves and visible light. It is this relatively high energy which makes gamma rays useful in radiography but potentially hazardous to living organisms. Gamma rays are indirectly ionizing radiation. A gamma ray passes through matter until it undergoes an interaction with an atomic particle, usually an electron. During this interaction, energy is transferred from the gamma ray to the electron, which is a directly ionizing particle. As a result of this energy transfer, the electron is liberated from the atom and proceeds to ionize matter by colliding with other electrons along its path. Other times, the passing gamma ray interferes with the orbit of the electron, and slows it, releasing energy but not becoming dislodged. The energy released is usually heat or another, weaker proton, and causes serious biological harm to the body such as skin cancer and other form of endo cancer. Radiography is a very important technique in the medical world but also dangerous if not used correctly on a patient. Before using one of the machines we had to disinfect ourselves, tie up loose hair, cover the ones that couldnt be tied up and wear protective clothes such as coveralls eye goggles and gloves. I was introduced to all the patients by my supervisor as a radiography student; some of them I took their x-ray with supervision and some I watched as theirs were taken and some were done with both my supervisor and I. the ones I did by myself with supervision I had to ask for their consent before doing anything on them some of them werent sure and some had no problem, for those who werent sure were the ones that was done with the supervisor and I; and for those who had no problem, I asked for their consent personally and was still feeling that in case the patient decide to take action against me I may be in danger of laws such as the right to self-determination in which adults h ave the right to determine what is done to their bodies and touching a person without consent is basically unlawful and can amount to trespass to them or, more rarely, a criminal assault Griffith, R., Tegnah, C. (2008) this made me really nervous and coming up with different thoughts of thing going wrong and might do something slightly wrong and end up becoming really disastrous. The analysis of the reflective process, the need to attend to feelings and attitudes (making use of positive feeling and then dealing with negative feeling) was apparent throughout and required self-awareness. The relieving aspect of the experience was the fact that all the patients I dealt with, with or without supervision fully co-operated without any difficulty and technicality, as they didnt have much choice to decline task I was going to do for them but to consent to the treatment because it was in their best interest; but they still had to be respected as patients and clients autonomy and their rights to decide whether or not to undergo any health care with use of medical equipments/machine intervention-even where a refusal may result in harm or death to themselves, unless a court of law orders to the contrary. The other option I had was not to personally asked patients that were dealt with by me for their consents and carry on with my task at the risk actions taken against me. Imposition of treatment upon a competent patient against their wishes may constitute inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Such option might have been counterproductive and detrimental to my career in the invent that any of the patients decide to take legal action against me (Tingle .J. and Cribb .A. 2007). I was classified as a very good and hardworking student, who was always willing to work at all times but needed to adjust on certain aspects such as hygiene skills and patience i.e. doing things properly without rushing them through, which I did improve on eventually; didnt get a few task done in the theoretical aspect but when it came to the practical aspect I was always willing to learn something new. Even in the practical I was still a bit shaking; but if I was to come back for another work placement and was told to do some if not most of the things I had done in my previous placement I believe there would be more care as I have gained more experience and knowledge of how to go about it. Reflection helps the practitioner to gain insight into self, be empowered to respond more effectively in similar situation in the future and realise your vision as a lived reality. In addition to that, reflection leads to learning certain skills and knowledge and development of attitudes and attri butes effective to make positive difference to the client To conclude, it has now become clear that reflection is a way to learn through experience and this helps the practitioner to gain insight or change his perception of himself or his practice. It is a good tool to describe, analyse and evaluate practice experience for future learning. Its major role in professional programme is learning but is also good for professional development and identifying learning needs. This essay has also made me to be aware of the factors that inhibit observation such as attention or its deficit, know-how, working condition and the need to know. It has made me to be aware of the fact that professional issues are normally composed of various important and co-relating issues. Issues There were lots issues faced while working at the hospital, mainly with the patients; most of the issues were to do with the reaction of people when it comes to the pronouncing of the names/surnames, some were just naturally mischievous and the rest were to do with unnecessary questions being asked and their slow rate of understand when explaining something to them. These issues were dealt with by just adapting to the environment as well as the different type of people that came; this has helped massively outside of the hospital. Another issue was between me and my supervisor we did have a few misunderstanding when it came to getting work done properly and in time, been told off several times, embarrassed in front of other colleagues e.t.c but the only way out was to do what the supervisor wanted which was getting work done and up to standard as well as punctuality. Issue between other colleagues and I; I made new friends tried to be social with everybody in class, never had any grudge against anybody but some did. Which I ignored and tried as much as possible to stay away from them because didnt want anything hindering or standing between me and my degree in order to ruin my career. Whenever we needed to work in pair on a task I made sure I worked with the one that I social with the most and not the ones that had the grudge; the last thing needed while working in a hospital was conflict and being hypocritical. The major issue of all was doing course work while doing the work experience; during the 2 months work experience we were at some point required to get some course work / power point presentations created more pressure on us. We worked from 9am 5pm, knackered for the rest of the night so had to rest but not in this situation on some nights had to get some the coursework / presentation done. It was all down to time-management more work and less socialising, Monday to Friday 9am-5pm, work an hour off each night was for investigations and the type up of the coursework, weekends most of the works were done including the rehearsal of the presentation as well as revision for upcoming examinations Dewey (1933) Donald Schà ¶n (1983) Goodman (1984, cited by jasper 2003) Griffith, R., Tegnah, C. (2008) Tingle .J. and Cribb .A. ( 2007). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiology http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/reflecti.htm http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-reflect.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiography

Open Boat vs. Hurricane Hugo :: essays research papers fc

Humanity tends to see itself as being somewhat important in the grand scheme of the Universe. We speak of "fate" as if we were put here for some reason, or purpose. We have our religions, which often serve as an engine to drive our lives and as a means to give meaning to them. But why do we think of ourselves in such a superior fashion? Would the Universe stop if we were suddenly taken away? In his short story, "The Open Boat," Stephen Crane shows us a Universe totally unconcerned with the affairs of humankind; it is an indifferent Universe in which Man has to struggle to survive. The characters in the story come face to face with this indifference and are nearly overcome by Nature's lack of concern.1 In a similar account, my family was faced with the same Universe and the damage that can be done without compassion. We were faced with a fight for our lives, and the battle was a tough one. 2 My family, like the characters in the story only survived through persist ence and cooperation. Crane said it best when he wrote, in our constant struggle for survival, all we have is, â€Å"stubborn pride—and each other.† 1 Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat" gives us a dose of reality that at first seems bitter, but it gradually induces a catharsis and in the end stands as testament to the human spirit. His claim that the Universe will never bend to the will of man is outweighed by his reassurances that we will always have each other. And when we contemplate "a high cold star on a winter's night"1 we will not need to feel alone, because we can always turn to another person. I learned this through my own personal struggle, but I was not alone, my family went through the same storm, and we survived together. 2 My family was resting peacefully in their beds Thursday, September 21, 1989, the night that Hurricane Hugo struck the South Carolina coast. Earlier in the evening my father kissed us goodbye and went to work the night shift at his job. My grandparents had come to our house because they were staying at Myrtle Beach for vacation and the coast had been evacuated in preparation for the storm. We lived in Columbia, which was centrally located in the state, so we thought that we were out of harms way.

Deception in Hamlet :: essays research papers

Deception is a recurring theme in Hamlet. In a tale of murder, love, and politics, deception could have no more fitting place. The lies and pretensions interweave each other, and there is no character left out of this web. All the central characters have their secrets to hide and mistruths to spread, and this is central to the plot and its progression.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  King Claudius deceives all those around him with his mourning and celebrating demeanor, and his strange celebration and waking. He seems to grieve for the brother that he slew, and works to console all others that may or may not grieve for his brother’s death, such as his nephew and step-son Hamlet. His pretense is great, and forces Hamlet to investigate the truth of the ghost’s tale, unraveling the mystery of his father’s death and others’ involvement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prince Hamlet has perhaps the most devious series of deceptions in the tragedy. He feints madness, in order to soften up the minds of those he seeks to learn information from, by putting them off their guard. Hamlet also sets in motion a plan to discover his uncle’s guilt in the murder of his father through a play within a play within a play, aptly named â€Å"The Mousetrap.† His clever pretension also leads Polonius astray in his presumption as to the cause of Hamlet’s supposed strange manner and Ophelia to believe that his love for her has gone with his sanity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ophelia is also key in the theme of deception in the play. However, she is more so privy to the intentions of others to deceive than to her own. Her lies are merely a sense of self-preservation in a world dominated by men. She deceives Hamlet on her feelings for him at the behest of her father, Polonius, in his scheme to determine the true cause of Hamlet’s strange behavior. Ophelia in turn is actually herself deceived by Hamlet’s scheme to feint madness. Essentially she is the channeling of Polonius’ plot of political investigation, and as used as she may be by all sides, she is not seriously affected by it towards the end of Act III, other than through the death of her oppressive father.

Attendance monitoring system Essay

CERTIFICATE This is to certify that this report embodies the original work done by Saurebh Kumar Jain, Uma Joshi and Bhupesh Kumar Sharma during this project submission as a partial fulfillment of the requirement for the System Design Project of Masters of Computer Application IV Semester, of the Rajasthan Technical University, Kota. Attendance Management System Introduction:Attendance Management System is a software developed for daily student attendance in schools, collages and institutes. If facilitates to access the attendance information of a particular student in a particular class. The information is sorted by the operators, which will be provided by the teacher for a particular class. This system will also help in evaluating attendance eligibility criteria of a student. Purpose:The purpose of developing attendance management system is to computerized the tradition way of taking attendance. Another purpose for developing this software is to generate the report automatically at the end of the session or in the between of the session Scope: The scope of the project is the system on which the software is installed, i.e. the project is developed as a desktop application, and it will work for a particular institute. But later on the project can be modified to operate it online. 6 Attendance Management System Technology Used:Language:-VB.NET Backend:-MS-Access System Requirement:Minimum RAM:-256 MB Hard Disk:-40 GB Processor:-Intel Pentium 4 Operating System:-Windows XP Service Pack2 Overview:Attendance Management System basically has two main modules for proper functioning †¢ First module is admin which has right for creating space for new batch. Any entry of new faculty, Updation in †¢ Second module is handled by the user which can be a attendance, generating report. Attendance can be taken in two ways: †¢ On the basis of Subject and month. 7 Attendance Management System †¢ On the basis of Class. 8 Attendance Management System Economically Feasibility: The system being developed is economic with respect to School or Collage’s point of view. It is cost effective in the sense that has eliminated the paper work completely. The system is also time effective because the calculations are automated which are made at the end of the month or as per the user requirement. The result obtained contains minimum errors and are highly accurate as the data is required. Technical feasibility: The technical requirement for the system is economic and it does not use any other additional Hardware and software. Behavioral Feasibility: The system working is quite easy to use and learn due to its simple but attractive interface. User requires no special training for operating the system. Attendance Management System Working Of Present System In the present system all work is done on paper. The whole session attendance is stored in register and at the and of the session the reports are generated. We are not interested in generating report in the middle of the session or as per the requirement because it takes more time in calculation. At the end of session the students who don’t have 75% attendance get a notice. DISADVANTAGES OF PRESENT WORKING SYSTEM †¢ Not User Friendly: The existing system is not user friendly because the retrieval of data is very slow and data is not maintained efficiently. †¢ Difficulty in report generating: We require more calculations to generate the report so it is generated at the end of the session. And the student not get a single chance to improve their attendance †¢ Manual control: All calculations to generate report is done manually so there is greater chance of errors. †¢ Lots of paperwork: Existing system requires lot of paper work. Loss of even a single register/record led to difficult situation because all the papers are needed to generate the reports. †¢ Time consuming: Every work is done manually so we cannot generate report in the middle of the session or as per the requirement because it is very time consuming. 10 Attendance Management System CHAREACTERSTIC OF THE PROPOSED SYSTEM †¢ User Friendly:- The proposed system is user friendlybecause the retrieval and storing of data is fast and data is maintained efficiently. Moreover the graphical user interface is provided in the proposed system, which provides user to deal with the system very easily. †¢ Reports are easily generated: reports can be easily generated in the proposed system so user can generate the report as per the requirement (monthly) or in the middle of the session. User can give the notice to the students so he/she become regular. †¢ Very less paper work: The proposed system requires very less paper work. All the data is feted into the computer immediately and reports can be generated through computers. Moreover work become very easy because there is no need to keep data on papers. †¢ Computer operator control: Computer operator control will be there so no chance of errors. Moreover storing and retrieving of information is easy. So work can be done speedily and in time. Attendance Management System 1. Login Form This login Form is made For Security purpose. So only Authenticated User only Access in to the Project. There are two Type of persons can enter in the project 1. Administrator 2. User 22 Attendance Management System 2. Add Information Form This form is showed when authorized administrator enters his correct User Name and Password. This Form gives the option to fill the name of Students and the name of Teacher if a new faculty has joined. 23 Attendance Management System 3. Student Information Form This form enables the Administrator to fill the name of Students and there Semester where the Student Id will change automatically when a Student is saved in the Database. And course Will Be remain same because this System is made for MCA Students. 24 Attendance Management System 4. Teacher Information Form This Form is made for Administrator to fill up the name of teachers when teacher Id is changed automatically. If a new teacher joined the collage its name also is included in the System 25 Attendance Management System 5. User Form This form is opened when user fill up his correct User Name and Password and User Type Is user. The is form enables the user to fill up attendance of every student and see whish student is short listed and what is the total attendance of each individual attendance in a particular Subject and in a particular month 26 Attendance Management System 6. Semester Form This form facilitates the user to choose a semester in which attendance is to be filled. In this system we are using the Fourth Semester so when the user clicks on Semester4 the list of Semester 4 students is come. 27 Attendance Management System 7. Attendance Form This Form is used to choose subjects and the month for which attendance is to be filled up and show a list of students. When a User click to corresponding Check box and click on save the students will be stated present and their attendance is added. 28 Attendance Management System 8. Report Form 8.1. Short List Form This form shows the list of Short listed students. We can see this list according to Subject wise and month wise. When user click on view, then list is shown accordingly. 29 Attendance Management System 8.2. Attendance Status Form This form shows the status of the students or we can say number of classes attended in a particular subject in a particular month. When user click on the ‘View Status’ button of short list form then this form will appear with the status. 30 Attendance Management System Conclusion The Attendance Management System is developed using Visual Basic.NET fully meets the objectives of the system which it has been developed. The system has reached a steady state where all bugs have been eliminated. The system is operated at a high level of efficiency and all the teachers and user associated with the system understands its advantage. The system solves the problem. It was intended to solve as requirement specification. 31 Attendance Management System Bibliography 1. The complete Reference Visual Basic.NET 2. Beginning VB.NET (Wrox Publication) 3. System Analysis and Design – Alias M. Awad 4. Software Engineering – Roger Pressman Websites 1. www.microsoft.com 2. www.w3schools.com 3. www.dotnetspider.com 32 Attendance Management System Future Scope Attendance Management System has many   

Grendel & Existentialism Essay

â€Å"I understood that the world was nothing; a mechanical chaos of casual, brute enmity on which we stupidly impose our hopes and fears. I understood that, finally and absolutely, I alone exist. All the rest, I saw, is merely what pushes me, or what I push against, blindly-as blindly as all that is not myself pushes back. † Existentialism is a philosophy that I, personally, was unfamiliar with until we talked about it in class. The relationship between Grendel and existentialism was profound to me not only in the way that it drew lines of symmetry, but in the way that it helped me to interpret the concepts behind the philosophy. This quote spoke to me because it demonstrates how Grendel is pressured into living an existentialist lifestyle by the very forces that he says push upon him. Grendel delves into the psyche of a man-beast whose only choice is to react to the world as an existentialist; the world (specifically mankind) exemplifies all of existentialism’s concepts, proving Grendel’s niche to be that of an existentialist. â€Å"Dark chasms! † I scream from the cliff-edge, â€Å"seize me! Seize me to your foul black bowels and crush my bones! † I am terrified at the sound of my own huge voice in the darkness †¦ At the same time, I am secretly unfooled. The uproar is only my own shriek, and chasms are, like all things vast, inanimate. They will not snatch me in a thousand years, unless, in a lunatic fit of religion, I jump. † [Grendel, pg. 10] Grendel knows that he is alone, despite his attempts to fool himself. This is ratified by his mother’s inability to speak to him, the fear animals have of him, and the rejection he receives from mankind. He has no explanation for anything in existence due to his inability to communicate with anyone, until the dragon comes along. â€Å"My knowledge of the future does not cause the future. It merely sees it, exactly as creatures at your low level recall things past. And even if, say, I interfere – †¦ – even then I do not change the future, I merely do what I saw from the beginning. That’s obvious, surely. Let’s say it’s settled then. So much for free will and intercession! † [Grendel, pg. 63] Lack of free will is another concept of existentialism. Grendel’s previously mentioned lack of communication makes him eager to soak up any idea that the dragon shares with him, and eventually he takes this to mean that his war on the mead hall was not done of his own free will, but because it was his future as the dragon foresaw it.