Suppression of Women in The Yellow Wallpaper -- Yellow Wallpaper essay

Suppression of Women in The Yellow Wallpaper "The Yellow Wallpaper," by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, tells the story of a woman's descent into madness as a result of the "rest and ignore the problem cure" that is frequently prescribed to cure hysteria and nervous conditions in women. More importantly, the story is about control and attacks the role of women in society. The narrator of the story is symbolic for all women in the late 1800s, a prisoner of a confining society. Women are expected to bear children, keep house and do only as they are told. Since men are privileged enough to have education, they hold jobs and make all the decisions. Thus, women are cast into the prison of acquiescence because they live in a world dominated by men. Since men suppress women, John, the narrator's husband, is presumed to have control over the protagonist. Gilman, however, suggests otherwise. She implies that it is a combination of society's control as well as the woman's personal weakness that contribute to the suppressio n of women. These two factors result in the woman's inability to make her own decisions and voice opposition to men. John, the narrator's husband, represents society at large. Like society, John controls and determines much of what his wife should or should not do, leaving his wife incapable of making her own decisions. John's domineering nature can be accredited to the fact that John is male and also a "physician of high standing" (1). John is "practical in the extreme. He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of thi... ...nd alarmed to see her behaving that way. She has to keep "creeping" over John, even in the end, and it shows that a woman is not much different from a man, in the aspect of being a self-governing individual. People need to have control over their own lives and the ability to make their own decisions, even women. People cannot always make assumptions for what is best for others. We have learned this from John: John demonstrates that the best way to help someone is to have the patience to really listen and find out what that person truly wants, not simply making assumptions about what is right when its not in the other's best personal interest. But until every woman is treated in this manner, she will be driven into her own world of insanity where she continues "creeping" over all who try to control her.

Baseball and Females :: Sports Expository Essays

Baseball and Females The legendary game of baseball, the roar of the crowd, the crack of the bat, the hot dogs and peanuts, and most of all the excitement. America's pastime has had a long history filled with great moments, heroic players, and breakthroughs in our modern society. It all started in 1869 when the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings took the field. They were all male and would eventually be known as the first boys of summer. The first professional girls team was created six years later which in turn grew into more women's teams, but was overshadowed by the growing men's leagues and they eventually dwindled and faded away. The women knew they could play and compete at a level as high or higher than their counterparts and throughout the 20th century proved this by developing successful women's leagues and teams. These were strong determined women who believed in themselves and proved to the world that they were the girls of summer. In 1870's women could not vote or own property, but they could play baseball. In 1875 the first professional girls baseball team was created. They wore uniforms that weighed almost thirty pounds, consisting of floor length skirts, underskirts, a long-sleeved high-necked blouse, and high button shoes. In the 1890's Amelia Bloomer developed a more practical uniform and in her honor the "Bloomer Girls" teams were created. The Bloomer Girls teams rarely played each other, but traveled across America challenging local town, semi-pro, and minor league men's teams. The Bloomer Girls won on frequent occasions, playing competitive ball. These teams gave women an excellent opportunity for employment, travel and adventure for anyone who could hit, field, slide, or catch. The Bloomer girls would eventually dwindle and disappear in 1934, and be replaced by professional softball teams. It was a less competitive game with shorter base paths, a bigger ball, no stealing, and underhand pitching. In 1943 a man by the name of Phillip Wrigley received word from President Roosevelt that the Major League Baseball season would be suspended due to the manpower shortage caused by World War II. Phillip Wrigley wanted to keep baseball going through the wartime, and joined forces with several small town entrepreneurs and created the first official baseball league for women called the All American Girls Baseball League (AAGBL). Thirty scouts were hired to start looking for the best softball players all over the United States. Baseball and Females :: Sports Expository Essays Baseball and Females The legendary game of baseball, the roar of the crowd, the crack of the bat, the hot dogs and peanuts, and most of all the excitement. America's pastime has had a long history filled with great moments, heroic players, and breakthroughs in our modern society. It all started in 1869 when the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings took the field. They were all male and would eventually be known as the first boys of summer. The first professional girls team was created six years later which in turn grew into more women's teams, but was overshadowed by the growing men's leagues and they eventually dwindled and faded away. The women knew they could play and compete at a level as high or higher than their counterparts and throughout the 20th century proved this by developing successful women's leagues and teams. These were strong determined women who believed in themselves and proved to the world that they were the girls of summer. In 1870's women could not vote or own property, but they could play baseball. In 1875 the first professional girls baseball team was created. They wore uniforms that weighed almost thirty pounds, consisting of floor length skirts, underskirts, a long-sleeved high-necked blouse, and high button shoes. In the 1890's Amelia Bloomer developed a more practical uniform and in her honor the "Bloomer Girls" teams were created. The Bloomer Girls teams rarely played each other, but traveled across America challenging local town, semi-pro, and minor league men's teams. The Bloomer Girls won on frequent occasions, playing competitive ball. These teams gave women an excellent opportunity for employment, travel and adventure for anyone who could hit, field, slide, or catch. The Bloomer girls would eventually dwindle and disappear in 1934, and be replaced by professional softball teams. It was a less competitive game with shorter base paths, a bigger ball, no stealing, and underhand pitching. In 1943 a man by the name of Phillip Wrigley received word from President Roosevelt that the Major League Baseball season would be suspended due to the manpower shortage caused by World War II. Phillip Wrigley wanted to keep baseball going through the wartime, and joined forces with several small town entrepreneurs and created the first official baseball league for women called the All American Girls Baseball League (AAGBL). Thirty scouts were hired to start looking for the best softball players all over the United States.

Characteristics of Public Administration

Principles of Public Administration 1. 0 Introduction. This article discusses how have principles of public administration been applied to positively advance each of the following fields: education, transportation, health care, community development, law enforcement, and environmental policy. Also, the article hypothesizes what would become of the aforementioned services in the absence of a public administration system. The means by which public administration achieves its goals and the responsibilities vested on it are solely dependant on tactical principles and practices utilized to execute them.In order for the public administrators to achieve the set targets they must adhere to a set of orchestrated instruments or regulations by the government of the day so that they don’t deviate from the initial intended objectives. The public sector plays crucial roles in ensuring that the general populace is well tended to and that their individual rights are respected. The administrat ors of public policies are governors who are as well governed through established government principles, to ensure that they don’t compromise quality of vital aspects of public requirements.Policies implemented by the government to public administrators as devices though which the public sector is ale to reach out to the people. Principles codify value system that is intrinsically part of governments, social, political and legal arena. Through codified public policies governors adhere to the governing principles, upon which the responsibilities ascribed to the public governance are succinctly met. 2. 0 Defining Public Administration. Public Administration is the development, implementation and study of branches of government policy linked to pursuing the public good by enhancing civil society and social justice.In the past public administration was synonymous to government management, however, with increased vigor in participation of private sector into public matters some NG O’S committed to serve the public have joined the public sector. Public administration has gained credibility over time owing to change in governance and management process. Moreover, due to the sensitivity of the activities carried out by Public administrators and the participation of private sector change in quality of the services offered by the government became inevitable.The public servants attain knowledge and skills of executing duties in a program through trained policy analysts who are thoroughly founded with the background information on how to manage the public resources. Through public servants, interests of the general public are served in a satisfactory cost-effective manner the public servants are mandated to oversee each implemented activity on daily. Generally, public administration gears its efforts towards understanding public entities and how they interrelate with others and the immediate world.Organizations that work under public administration are organ ized and managed to realize deliberately structured goals in the near future. Through public policy programs the government responds to the needs and interests of the Nation through satisfying them with the available resources . 3. 0 Principles of Public Administration. Public administration is a complex process, it involves social, economical, legal and political matters al interwoven together. Due to the complexity of its nature, management and regulation of the public sector becomes a hurdle.In order for the public administration to be well regulated and governed bracket laws had to be implemented to cover all spheres and aspects of the sector. A unifying common law to govern public sector has been a very controversial issue in the U. S, this could be accrued to the governors’ reluctance to be restricted by statutes which could tether the added advantages associated with the public sector. With time however, due to emerge of democratic tendencies elements that initiate goo d management and governance have been embraced.Political evolution has led to accord on the key principles that can be implemented to ensure that the services delivered to the public by the government are excellent. The key identified principles are:- 3. 1. Reliability and predictability: This principle declares that in order for the government initiative in form of services or practice to be deemed as satisfactory it must be reliable by being consisted and accurate in meeting the potential needs for which it was intended for.The government programs should be predictable a factor that can only be attained through consisted effort whereby the government agencies in charge of the programs don’t fluctuate in executing their duties in a systematic manner. On the same note the programs implemented by the government to serve the needs of public should have legal certainty or judicial security. 3. 2. Openness and transparency: The government serves the society through tax levies and other customs exerted on them through added costs.In return, the government is supposed to govern the obtained resources, plan and allocate them to various public programs in order to satisfy the public needs better. The public is aware that the government derives its funds from their resources, so it becomes increasingly important for the public to know hoe the government tis using their resources to sponsor public programs. In order for the public to trust the government of the day, the government avails all the necessary details concerning the programs so that the government doesn’t appear to have creepy motives . 3. Accountability: The government sponsored programs are normally accountable for all activities and procedures carried out in their programs which are geared towards public satisfaction. Accountability, per se is whereby the government justifies the actions it pursues in its endeavor to serve the public and at the same time taking responsibility for the actions it pursues in achieving its objectives whether they have positive or negative implications. 3. 4.Efficiency and effectiveness: Efficiency is a principle employed by the government sponsored programs to ensure that all the resources at the disposal of the government are utilized without wastage of time, increased expense or effort wastage. When the government embraces efficiency in its procedures it becomes effectual in meeting public needs without wasting time or effort or expense. Public administration ideals and doctrine principles have enhanced better performance in public sector creating union amongst the many areas that need to be administered properly in order to serve the public better.In the U. S the government has been able to embrace the key principles vital for ensuing that all the programs that serve public interest run coherently and are able to meet the desired needs of the public. Each sector served by the government becomes effective in meeting the social needs by e mbracing the principles of public administration. 4. 0 Positive principles in governance that enhance competence in education sector The administration of primary and secondary public education in the United States is conducted primarily by state governments in conjunction with local school districts .All states with the exception of Hawaii employ the structure of local school districts as the direct administrators of public primary and secondary education . The significance of education to the U. S populace was evidenced by inclusion in all 50 state constitutions of a clause. . This clause mandated the government of the day to pursue the responsibility of offering quality education by ensuring that the education programs are properly managed through school districts. In the U.S State involvement in public education has grown significantly during the twentieth century for instance there has been additional programs implemented in the education sector such as. Computerized teaching p rograms, advanced vocational training, all inclusive education for the physically challenged and many more. Americans view education as a key element of civic engagement in a democratic society and as the basis for skill training necessary for gainful employment in a rapidly changing economy.Over time the government bodies in charge of education have become efficient through accountability for all the processes and procedures they carry out. Each department of the U. S education sector carries out research on how to improve public governance and gives the recommendations to the state in order for it to assimilate them in its operations. The general public has continuously made demands on improvement of educational sector a fact that has made the U.S government to step up its efficiency in delivering public education through integrations of, vocational education, improving curriculum and facilities, and increasing teacher preparedness through specialized training programs. The princi ple of transparency has been embraced in the educational realm by allowing the public to have access to government reports concerning educational matters. The involvement of the general public in school governance through educational boards has helped a great deal in enhancing the educational program efficiency in meeting the needs of the citizens as well. 5. Positive principles in governance that enhance competence in Transport sector. The government ensures that it’s well aware of the current operations on the roads, railroads, at ports and airports at all the times through a systematic regulatory mechanism of the transport sector in order to boost efficiency through better management and operations. Some key sectors like the airport, water ways are prone to attack by the terrorists hence the government utilizes non-intrusive, automatic sensors, computers and communications in order to extract the necessary information and facts that could be used to deduce security threat. On the road sector the government employs the principles of efficiency to enhance effectiveness through gathering and processing system use and condition information, forecasting conditions that will hamper travel, optimizing traffic signal and ramp meter timing based on actual conditions so that vehicle stops and delay are minimized, identifying and responding quickly to accidents and other incidents before queues can build, and coordinating traffic operations with other operators, including support to commercial and transit fleet managers for efficient routing around incidents/closures or for oversize trucks and hazardous cargoes.In addition to system management purposes, the data can also be used for performance measurement, planning, and traveler information. The government has increased efficiency of the transport sector by enhancing better user services by providing vital information such as en-route information and route guidance, and travel services. The information availed to the travelers, shippers and fleet operators help them to obtain instant information for planning routes and selecting modes before and during trips Through the traffic police, the government is able to make roads safe for commuters, with immediate notification of collisions, road and lane closures, and other conditions that might impact highway, transit or fleet operations. The over speeding road users, drunkards and the people violating traffic rules are taken under the custody of traffic police to ensure that they don’t cause damage to other road users.Incase of a break down road users get informed on alternative routes and travel options . The government has also made the transport sector reliable for users and the travelers who seek fun by providing information on travel destinations and accommodations, such as gas stations, lodging, attractions, and restaurants. The general public is able to benefit massively by operational efficiency implemented by the public sector through road infrastructure development and enhanced transport facilities.The transport sector is able to account for losses experienced through the transport sector; the government has implemented technologies real-time traffic, road, weather and other system conditions . The equipments used to enhance smooth flow of traffic and incident detection include detector loops, closed circuit TV, vehicle probes, and other sensors .The management of transport sector ensures that there are centers in place that are used to process incoming traffic information and helps the sector to respond promptly to any occurring incidences, by alerting the general public and also taking measures to ensure the occurring incidences don’t stop the general flow of transport and communication. Computerized traffic signal systems, ramp meters, rail grade crossing and other traffic control systems have been implemented to help the transport sector manage the system of commuting. 6. Positive principles i n governance that enhance competence in Community Development sector. The government is actively involved in community based programmes through agencies that help the community by strengthening the health, safety, self-reliance and economic vitality of individuals and families. The public administrations reach out to the community through partnerships to provide service and material backing. From the level of federal to the state level there are programs implemented to reach out to low-income and vulnerable people who are integral to the development of thriving communities .A program to cater for crime victims called Crime Victims Advocacy is reaches out to the community to cater for the needs of crime victims the program serves the community through the following methodologies: by foremost providing advocacy services to the affected victims of crime, this they do by needed services and resources the program also administers funds for community programs working with crime victims; a ssists communities in planning and implementing services for crime victims; and Advising local and state government agencies of practices, policies, and priorities which impact crime victims.Victims of crime who feel that they have not been accorded justice or that their rights have been trodden on forward their grievances to the community advocacy to fight for them. Developmental Disabilities Council is a council which fights for the rights and well being of the disabled vulnerable community; it caters for their educational and physical needs and ensuring that they are well treated in their homes.This community based program is funded and managed by the federal state and trickles down to the other sectors of economy through community ramifications. The principles of public administration employed to ensure that the community is well served by the federal state include efficiency through management agencies which scrutinize all the programs under community development to ensure that they execute the duties and tasks vested on them. This way the program becomes effective in meeting the needs of the community.Accountability is attained through auditing and generation of reports that are available for public and private viewing. Transparency in community development is attained through community members’ involvement the agencies blend and integrate their views with the desires of the potential communities that await their support. Programs like Work First's Community Jobs. , and other work programs help the general populace to gain access to employment and get financially empowered to support the poor families.The young people who have vocational training are able to get jobs through such arrangements to minimize their reliance on welfare programs statistics indicate that more than a quarter of Americans are without assets living paycheck to paycheck without savings or investments in equity like a home or small business . The community development programs target this kind of populace so that they can train them and empower them through employments in order to break the vicious cycle of poverty and help them acquire financial stability.Through community development initiative asset building is initiated and it provides ground-breaking ways to improve local economies and the lives of the vulnerable citizens who are not able to cater for their basic needs. Community development programs offers start-up support and free consultation for asset building activities in local communities. Through the principles of transparency, and accountability funds are disseminated to the needy populace and a follow up program to ensure tat the funds provided are put into proper use ensues.The Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD) seeks to develop viable communities by promoting integrated approaches that provide decent housing, a suitable living environment, and expand economic opportunities for low and moderate income persons. The communit y development programs initiated by the government are able to trickle down to the expected citizens through partnerships among all levels of government and the private sector, including for-profit and non-profit organizations Community Mobilization program is effectively used to deter the young population from use or abuse of drug substances.The (CM). Community Mobilization provides visions to various community members participating in creating and sustaining healthy, safe, economically viable communities, free from alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs . Violence and involvement in illegal activities is combated through educative programs which give the youths an alternative to violent activities. CM achieves its mission through collaboration, cooperation, communication, commitment, and competency in dealing with diverse range of populace. . 0 Positive principles in governance that enhance competence in Law Enforcement sector. Innovative practices are employed by this sector to reach out to the public; strategies are employed by the federal government in respect to coordination and delivery of law enforcement and public safety . The government is able to ensure defense and security for the citizens at the same time ensuring that the citizens adhere to the rules and regulations of the state.Through bodies like Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, National Institute of Justice, Secret Service, Immigrations Customs and Enforcement the government is able to administer to all legal needs of the U. S citizens. The public administration body endeavors to ensure that justice is accorded to all irrespective of their age and social standing. Moreover, the justice system is accountable for all the legal decisions made and tries to be efficient by ensuring that the rights of the citizens are followed whether they commit crime or not.For accountability purposes the law enforcement body ensures that all reports are well kept and can be verifiable through established facts. Efficiency is created by use of qualified and dedicated personnel in the field of law enforcement . Through advanced technology the police are able to prevent crime, take law offenders under their custody and ensure that justice is accorded to the offended parties. Transparency comes in when lawyers are involved in the cases of offenders and offended, the citizens get to hear and know facts before a verdict is passed on them.Crime prevention, policing and community safety. 8. 0 Positive principles in governance that enhance competence in Health Care sector. Through the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a U. S cabinet department the which pursues the government goal of protecting the American’s health at the same time offering essential human services. The cabinet department was created by President Jimmy Cater in the year 1979. urrently, the department is administered and regulated by the United Stat es Secretary of Health and Human Services, is responsible for addressing matters concerning public health as authorized by the Secretary or by the Assistant Secretary of Health in addition to his primary mission of administering the Commissioned Corps. Under HHS are so many branches which have specific tasks allocated to them to enhance specialization in offering good health care to the general public. the human health service works through its main branches to meet the needs of the U.S citizens for instance Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is a part of HHS which is mainly concerned with child welfare, through the families the office is able to reach out to the children and ensure that their health is well tended to and that issues like immunization are offered to children to reduce mortality rate. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is an office in the health care fraternity which establishes facts through research and fact finding. The center enhance kn owledge on particular disease and seeks to find out the best cure for diseases which are still puzzle to the medical fraternity.It works in conjunction with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Integrity is employed when conducting research the office does not implement cruel methods in establishing effectiveness of s drug when they invent it, animal testing is thoroughly avoided and for ant respondents who are used to experiment on a new introduced drunk there is usually a written consent and they get compensation for it. HHS has spread its branches both in federal and state level in order to reach out to the masses in the U. S populace and provide efficient services.The principle of accountability which cuts across all the publicly administered departments is employed in public medical services, the services provided meet the required standards and the medical fraternity takes responsibility for any harm they may cause to public The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service s Administration (SAMHSA) caters for the vulnerable population which offers from mental damage and are unable to do their duties normally, under public administration the needs of the mentally ill is catered for.Moreover, drug abusers who need to be rehabilitated back to normality, are also tended here the right professional are used to reach out to all the dire cases of mental illness and through them effective health service is offered. 9. 0 Positive principles in governance that enhance competence in Environmental Policy The federal government has set up environmental policies which basically deal with legislating the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).The stated acts enable the government to actively participate in environmental conservation to ensure that the environment doe not get deteriorated rather its conserved and well tended for the benefits of future generations. Currently the government works in consensus with the indus trial sector to ensure that there is less emission into the air, this is an efficient way of ensuring that there is no more remission of green house gases into the atmosphere as it has dire repercussions on the environment.Through the government budget funds have been allocated to help in the research effort carried out by the research institute on how to reduce emissions into the atmosphere, measures that would ensure that the environment does not get polluted. The government too has used the principle of accountability whereby it admits the errors of the past of not controlling the pollution rates and now it endeavors to offer excellent solutions to the escalating pollution of water air and the atmosphere through industrial activities.Due to the increased public awareness of the ill impacts of air pollution the government works in consensus with the general public through enlightening projects which helps the public to realize the dangers of environmental pollution in order for th em to take caution. 10. 0 hypothetic suppositions on what would happen in absence of Public administration. If the governance and control of the government was replaced by another body or was obliterated all together a lot of things would come to a sudden holt. To begin with the U.S citizens would be forced to pay extra money for all the services provided for free by the government, such services include, free medications and free access to education, consequently a lot of people who are classified as low and middle class will lack basic necessities like medicine and education which the state offers to them for free . On the other hand, the issue of insecurity will go way out of control because the private sector does not have enough machinery like the public administration, more over crime rates will go up since mechanisms to counter crimes will have been altered .There will be increased mortality rate since child health will not be well catered for, some of the people who cannot a fford medications for themselves may die out of cronical diseases and this may lead to low life expectancy. A lot of young people will languish aimlessly with no jobs or means to support them and they may end up taking drugs because they will be idle and frustrated a fact that may force them to acquire bad habits. Unfortunately there will be no Medicare for free and such youths will be most likely unable to acquire medications for them and they will.The transport sector will be all messed up, there will be no control mechanisms or means to nub the offenders, hence road accidents will increase and deaths attributed to accidents will increase. The mechanisms to check and report on incidences that may hamper road and other transport systems will not be in use therefore the transport sector will lack focus and eventually collapse and affect the U. S economy so badly . In nutshell, without the public administration every body would suffers one way or the other all the U.S citizens depend on the public administration, it will be impossible to lead a normal life without the public services well manned under public administration. II. Conclusion. Public administration is the back bone of all the states provided services to the U. S citizens (Canadians, French, British-UK, Russia, any country in the world), the administration could never work well unless it was under regulations and it operated using policies which act as guidelines on how services are delivered.If the aspect of principles and guidelines is overlooked in ensuring delivery of services, the public sector could never be able to meet the needs of the general citizens. Through the established principles which act as blue print on the directions of the government goals, the government is not only able to manage the public services but it is also able to set goals and achieve them. This is the beauty, magic and efficiency of Public Administration.

Claims vs Arguments Essay

Claims is defined as, â€Å"a statement asserts something to be the case or not the case† (Critical Thinking: Issues, Claims, Arguments, 2011), which is consistent with the definition given by Wood (2012,Topic 1,p.7), which states that a claim is an assertion or demand for recognition of a truth, an example of a claim is â€Å"Organizational behavior is an essential subject†. And I agreed with the two definitions on claims because, based on my personal experience as a former team member of my college’s debate team, everyone is allowed to make claims over the subject that was chosen to be debated. On the other hand, an argument is defined as, â€Å"sets of propositions (claims/statements) which contain premises that are offered to support the truth of a conclusion† (May,2010), or in another words, it means â€Å"trying to convince each other on things we don’t agree on† (Critical Thinking: Issues, Claims, Arguments, 2011). Using the above example, others may not agree on my claim and say â€Å"Organization Behavior is not an essential subject†, this is where an argument begins and to support it, there are 3 ways to do so, supporting an argument with authority, evidence and a persuasive writing style. Supporting an argument with authority means, â€Å"To bolster an argument is to use the word of an expert†, (Roberts, 2010). However, there are pros and cons to this statement, the pros are because he/she is an expert, and has been in his area of speciality for many years, therefore, his/her words can be reliable and can be used to support an argument. But not forgetting that the words he/she said could be based on his/her personal opinion and could contain certain level of biasness. For example, â€Å"Organisational Behaviour is an essential subject† because my lecturers said so, this may not be convincing enough. To further â€Å"enhance† your argument, it needs to be supported with evidences, such as facts personal experience or an actual event. A strong thesis also requires solid evidence to support and develop it because without evidence, a claim is merely an unsubstantiated idea or opinion (Indiana University Bloomington, 2010), I agree because solid evidence will provide the competitive advantage over others. For example, â€Å"Organisational Behaviour is an essential subject because as a team leader in a multi-racial company, I applied what I’ve learnt on managing for diversity, not only does it prevent inter-racial conflicts, it also improves the company’s productivity.† This is obviously a better argument compared to earlier argument. Lastly, after gathering all evidence, we need to try to get the readers to agree on our argument; this is where persuasive writing style comes in handy. According to Landsberger (1996), in persuasive writing, we try to convince others to agree with our facts, share our values, accept our argument and conclusion. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the difference is that claims are statements made by someone on a certain issue, whereas an argument occurs when others do not agree and wishes to argue with their own claims. An argument needs to be support with authority, evidences and persuasive writing, evidences is the most important factor in my opinion as arguments are mostly based on facts, and facts needs to be accurate and be related to the argument as much as possible.

A Game of Thrones Chapter Seventy

He strapped his roll to the saddle, his scarred fingers stiff and clumsy. â€Å"Ghost,† he called softly, â€Å"to me.† And the wolf was there, eyes like embers. â€Å"Jon, please. You must not do this.† He mounted, the reins in his hand, and wheeled the horse around to face the night. Samwell Tarly stood in the stable door, a full moon peering over his shoulder. He threw a giant’s shadow, immense and black. â€Å"Get out of my way, Sam.† â€Å"Jon, you can’t,† Sam said. â€Å"I won’t let you.† â€Å"I would sooner not hurt you,† Jon told him. â€Å"Move aside, Sam, or I’ll ride you down.† â€Å"You won’t. You have to listen to me. Please . . . â€Å" Jon put his spurs to horseflesh, and the mare bolted for the door. For an instant Sam stood his ground, his face as round and pale as the moon behind him, his mouth a widening O of surprise. At the last moment, when they were almost on him, he jumped aside as Jon had known he would, stumbled, and fell. The mare leapt over him, out into the night. Jon raised the hood of his heavy cloak and gave the horse her head. Castle Black was silent and still as he rode out, with Ghost racing at his side. Men watched from the Wall behind him, he knew, but their eyes were turned north, not south. No one would see him go, no one but Sam Tarly, struggling back to his feet in the dust of the old stables. He hoped Sam hadn’t hurt himself, falling like that. He was so heavy and so ungainly, it would be just like him to break a wrist or twist his ankle getting out of the way. â€Å"I warned him,† Jon said aloud. â€Å"It was nothing to do with him, anyway.† He flexed his burned hand as he rode, opening and closing the scarred fingers. They still pained him, but it felt good to have the wrappings off. Moonlight silvered the hills as he followed the twisting ribbon of the kingsroad. He needed to get as far from the Wall as he could before they realized he was gone. On the morrow he would leave the road and strike out overland through field and bush and stream to throw off pursuit, but for the moment speed was more important than deception. It was not as though they would not guess where he was going. The Old Bear was accustomed to rise at first light, so Jon had until dawn to put as many leagues as he could between him and the Wall . . . if Sam Tarly did not betray him. The fat boy was dutiful and easily frightened, but he loved Jon like a brother. If questioned, Sam would doubtless tell them the truth, but Jon could not imagine him braving the guards in front of the King’s Tower to wake Mormont from sleep. When Jon did not appear to fetch the Old Bear’s breakfast from the kitchen, they’d look in his cell and find Longclaw on the bed. It had been hard to abandon it, but Jon was not so lost to honor as to take it with him. Even Jorah Mormont had not done that, when he fled in disgrace. Doubtless Lord Mormont would find someone more worthy of the blade. Jon felt bad when he thought of the old man. He knew his desertion would be salt in the still-raw wound of his son’s disgrace. That seemed a poor way to repay him for his trust, but it couldn’t be helped. No matter what he did, Jon felt as though he were betraying someone. Even now, he did not know if he was doing the honorable thing. The southron had it easier. They had their septons to talk to, someone to tell them the gods’ will and help sort out right from wrong. But the Starks worshiped the old gods, the nameless gods, and if the heart trees heard, they did not speak. When the last lights of Castle Black vanished behind him, Jon slowed his mare to a walk. He had a long journey ahead and only the one horse to see him through. There were holdfasts and farming villages along the road south where he might be able to trade the mare for a fresh mount when he needed one, but not if she were injured or blown. He would need to find new clothes soon; most like, he’d need to steal them. He was clad in black from head to heel; high leather riding boots, roughspun breeches and tunic, sleeveless leather jerkin, and heavy wool cloak. His longsword and dagger were sheathed in black moleskin, and the hauberk and coif in his saddlebag were black ringmail. Any bit of it could mean his death if he were taken. A stranger wearing black was viewed with cold suspicion in every village and holdfast north of the Neck, and men would soon be watching for him. Once Maester Aemon’s ravens took flight, Jon knew he would find no safe haven. Not even at Winterfell. Bran might want to let him in, but Maester Luwin had better sense. He would bar the gates and send Jon away, as he should. Better not to call there at all. Yet he saw the castle clear in his mind’s eye, as if he had left it only yesterday; the towering granite walls, the Great Hall with its smells of smoke and dog and roasting meat, his father’s solar, the turret room where he had slept. Part of him wanted nothing so much as to hear Bran laugh again, to sup on one of Gage’s beef-and-bacon pies, to listen to Old Nan tell her tales of the children of the forest and Florian the Fool. But he had not left the Wall for that; he had left because he was after all his father’s son, and Robb’s brother. The gift of a sword, even a sword as fine as Longclaw, did not make him a Mormont. Nor was he Aemon Targaryen. Three times the old man had chosen, and three times he had chosen honor, but that was him. Even now, Jon could not decide whether the maester had stayed because he was weak and craven, or because he was strong and true. Yet he understood what the old man had meant, about the pain of choosing; he understood that all too well. Tyrion Lannister had claimed that most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it, but Jon was done with denials. He was who he was; Jon Snow, bastard and oathbreaker, motherless, friendless, and damned. For the rest of his life—however long that might be—he would be condemned to be an outsider, the silent man standing in the shadows who dares not speak his true name. Wherever he might go throughout the Seven Kingdoms, he would need to live a lie, lest every man’s hand be raised against him. But it made no matter, so long as he lived long enough to take his place by his brother’s side and help avenge his father. He remembered Robb as he had last seen him, standing in the yard with snow melting in his auburn hair. Jon would have to come to him in secret, disguised. He tried to imagine the look on Robb’s face when he revealed himself. His brother would shake his head and smile, and he’d say . . . he’d say . . . He could not see the smile. Hard as he tried, he could not see it. He found himself thinking of the deserter his father had beheaded the day they’d found the direwolves. â€Å"You said the words,† Lord Eddard had told him. â€Å"You took a vow, before your brothers, before the old gods and the new.† Desmond and Fat Tom had dragged the man to the stump. Bran’s eyes had been wide as saucers, and Jon had to remind him to keep his pony in hand. He remembered the look on Father’s face when Theon Greyjoy brought forth Ice, the spray of blood on the snow, the way Theon had kicked the head when it came rolling at his feet. He wondered what Lord Eddard might have done if the deserter had been his brother Benjen instead of that ragged stranger. Would it have been any different? It must, surely, surely . . . and Robb would welcome him, for a certainty. He had to, or else . . . It did not bear thinking about. Pain throbbed, deep in his fingers, as he clutched the reins. Jon put his heels into his horse and broke into a gallop, racing down the kingsroad, as if to outrun his doubts. Jon was not afraid of death, but he did not want to die like that, trussed and bound and beheaded like a common brigand. If he must perish, let it be with a sword in his hand, fighting his father’s killers. He was no true Stark, had never been one . . . but he could die like one. Let them say that Eddard Stark had fathered four sons, not three. Ghost kept pace with them for almost half a mile, red tongue lolling from his mouth. Man and horse alike lowered their heads as he asked the mare for more speed. The wolf slowed, stopped, watching, his eyes glowing red in the moonlight. He vanished behind, but Jon knew he would follow, at his own pace. Scattered lights flickered through the trees ahead of him, on both sides of the road: Mole’s Town. A dog barked as he rode through, and he heard a mule’s raucous haw from the stable, but otherwise the village was still. Here and there the glow of hearth fires shone through shuttered windows, leaking between wooden slats, but only a few. Mole’s Town was bigger than it seemed, but three quarters of it was under the ground, in deep warm cellars connected by a maze of tunnels. Even the whorehouse was down there, nothing on the surface but a wooden shack no bigger than a privy, with a red lantern hung over the door. On the Wall, he’d heard men call the whores â€Å"buried treasures.† He wondered whether any of his brothers in black were down there tonight, mining. That was oathbreaking too, yet no one seemed to care. Not until he was well beyond the village did Jon slow again. By then both he and the mare were damp with sweat. He dismounted, shivering, his burned hand aching. A bank of melting snow lay under the trees, bright in the moonlight, water trickling off to form small shallow pools. Jon squatted and brought his hands together, cupping the runoff between his fingers. The snowmelt was icy cold. He drank, and splashed some on his face, until his cheeks tingled. His fingers were throbbing worse than they had in days, and his head was pounding too. I am doing the right thing, he told himself, so why do I feel so bad? The horse was well lathered, so Jon took the lead and walked her for a while. The road was scarcely wide enough for two riders to pass abreast, its surface cut by tiny streams and littered with stone. That run had been truly stupid, an invitation to a broken neck. Jon wondered what had gotten into him. Was he in such a great rush to die? Off in the trees, the distant scream of some frightened animal made him look up. His mare whinnied nervously. Had his wolf found some prey? He cupped his hands around his mouth. â€Å"Ghost!† he shouted. â€Å"Ghost, to me.† The only answer was a rush of wings behind him as an owl took flight. Frowning, Jon continued on his way. He led the mare for half an hour, until she was dry. Ghost did not appear. Jon wanted to mount up and ride again, but he was concerned about his missing wolf. â€Å"Ghost,† he called again. â€Å"Where are you? To me! Ghost!† Nothing in these woods could trouble a direwolf, even a half-grown direwolf, unless . . . no, Ghost was too smart to attack a bear, and if there was a wolf pack anywhere close Jon would have surely heard them howling. He should eat, he decided. Food would settle his stomach and give Ghost the chance to catch up. There was no danger yet; Castle Black still slept. In his saddlebag, he found a biscuit, a piece of cheese, and a small withered brown apple. He’d brought salt beef as well, and a rasher of bacon he’d filched from the kitchens, but he would save the meat for the morrow. After it was gone he’d need to hunt, and that would slow him. Jon sat under the trees and ate his biscuit and cheese while his mare grazed along the kingsroad. He kept the apple for last. It had gone a little soft, but the flesh was still tart and juicy. He was down to the core when he heard the sounds: horses, and from the north. Quickly Jon leapt up and strode to his mare. Could he outrun them? No, they were too close, they’d hear him for a certainty, and if they were from Castle Black . . . He led the mare off the road, behind a thick stand of grey-green sentinels. â€Å"Ouiet now,† he said in a hushed voice, crouching down to peer through the branches. If the gods were kind, the riders would pass by. Likely as not, they were only smallfolk from Mole’s Town, farmers on their way to their fields, although what they were doing out in the middle of the night . . . He listened to the sound of hooves growing steadily louder as they trotted briskly down the kingsroad. From the sound, there were five or six of them at the least. Their voices drifted through the trees. † . . . certain he came this way?† â€Å"We can’t be certain.† â€Å"He could have ridden east, for all you know. Or left the road to cut through the woods. That’s what I’d do.† â€Å"In the dark? Stupid. If you didn’t fall off your horse and break your neck, you’d get lost and wind up back at the Wall when the sun came up.† â€Å"I would not.† Grenn sounded peeved. â€Å"I’d just ride south, you can tell south by the stars.† â€Å"What if the sky was cloudy?† Pyp asked. â€Å"Then I wouldn’t go.† Another voice broke in. â€Å"You know where I’d be if it was me? I’d be in Mole’s Town, digging for buried treasure.† Toad’s shrill laughter boomed through the trees. Jon’s mare snorted. â€Å"Keep quiet, all of you,† Haider said. â€Å"I thought I heard something.† â€Å"Where? I didn’t hear anything.† The horses stopped. â€Å"You can’t hear yourself fart.† â€Å"I can too,† Grenn insisted. â€Å"Quiet!† They all fell silent, listening. Jon found himself holding his breath. Sam, he thought. He hadn’t gone to the Old Bear, but he hadn’t gone to bed either, he’d woken the other boys. Damn them all. Come dawn, if they were not in their beds, they’d be named deserters too. What did they think they were doing? The hushed silence seemed to stretch on and on. From where Jon crouched, he could see the legs of their horses through the branches. Finally Pyp spoke up. â€Å"What did you hear?† â€Å"I don’t know,† Haider admitted. â€Å"A sound, I thought it might have been a horse but . . . â€Å" â€Å"There’s nothing here.† Out of the corner of his eye, Jon glimpsed a pale shape moving through the trees. Leaves rustled, and Ghost came bounding out of the shadows, so suddenly that Jon’s mare started and gave a whinny. â€Å"There!† Halder shouted. â€Å"I heard it too!† â€Å"Traitor,† Jon told the direwolf as he swung up into the saddle. He turned the mare’s head to slide off through the trees, but they were on him before he had gone ten feet. â€Å"Jon!† Pyp shouted after him. â€Å"Pull up,† Grenn said. â€Å"You can’t outrun us all.† Jon wheeled around to face them, drawing his sword. â€Å"Get back. I don’t wish to hurt you, but I will if I have to.† â€Å"One against seven?† Halder gave a signal. The boys spread out, surrounding him. â€Å"What do you want with me?† Jon demanded. â€Å"We want to take you back where you belong,† Pyp said. â€Å"I belong with my brother.† â€Å"We’re your brothers now,† Grenn said. â€Å"They’ll cut off your head if they catch you, you know,† Toad put in with a nervous laugh. â€Å"This is so stupid, it’s like something the Aurochs would do.† â€Å"I would not,† Grenn said. â€Å"I’m no oathbreaker. I said the words and I meant them.† â€Å"So did I,† Jon told them. â€Å"Don’t you understand? They murdered my father. It’s war, my brother Robb is fighting in the riverlands—† â€Å"We know,† said Pyp solemnly. â€Å"Sam told us everything.† â€Å"We’re sorry about your father,† Grenn said, â€Å"but it doesn’t matter. Once you say the words, you can’t leave, no matter what.† â€Å"I have to,† Jon said fervently. â€Å"You said the words,† Pyp reminded him. â€Å"Now my watch begins, you said it. It shall not end until my death.† â€Å"I shall live and die at my post,† Grenn added, nodding. â€Å"You don’t have to tell me the words, I know them as well as you do.† He was angry now. Why couldn’t they let him go in peace? They were only making it harder. â€Å"I am the sword in the darkness,† Halder intoned. â€Å"The watcher on the walls,† piped Toad. Jon cursed them all to their faces. They took no notice. Pyp spurred his horse closer, reciting, â€Å"I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men.† â€Å"Stay back,† Jon warned him, brandishing his sword. â€Å"I mean it, Pyp.† They weren’t even wearing armor, he could cut them to pieces if he had to. Matthar had circled behind him. He joined the chorus. â€Å"I pledge my life and honor to the Night’s Watch.† Jon kicked his mare, spinning her in a circle. The boys were all around him now, closing from every side. â€Å"For this night . . . † Halder trotted in from the left. † . . . and all the nights to come,† finished Pyp. He reached over for Jon’s reins. â€Å"So here are your choices. Kill me, or come back with me.† Jon lifted his sword . . . and lowered it, helpless. â€Å"Damn you,† he said. â€Å"Damn you all.† â€Å"Do we have to bind your hands, or will you give us your word you’ll ride back peaceful?† asked Halder. â€Å"I won’t run, if that’s what you mean.† Ghost moved out from under the trees and Jon glared at him. â€Å"Small help you were,† he said. The deep red eyes looked at him knowingly. â€Å"We had best hurry,† Pyp said. â€Å"If we’re not back before first light, the Old Bear will have all our heads.† Of the ride back, Jon Snow remembered little. It seemed shorter than the journey south, perhaps because his mind was elsewhere. Pyp set the pace, galloping, walking, trotting, and then breaking into another gallop. Mole’s Town came and went, the red lantern over the brothel long extinguished. They made good time. Dawn was still an hour off when Jon glimpsed the towers of Castle Black ahead of them, dark against the pale immensity of the Wall. It did not seem like home this time. They could take him back, Jon told himself, but they could not make him stay. The war would not end on the morrow, or the day after, and his friends could not watch him day and night. He would bide his time, make them think he was content to remain here . . . and then, when they had grown lax, he would be off again. Next time he would avoid the kingsroad. He could follow the Wall east, perhaps all the way to the sea, a longer route but a safer one. Or even west, to the mountains, and then south over the high passes. That was the wildling’s way, hard and perilous, but at least no one wouid follow him. He wouldn’t stray within a hundred leagues of Winterfell or the kingsroad. Samwell Tarly awaited them in the old stables, slumped on the ground against a bale of hay, too anxious to sleep. He rose and brushed himself off. â€Å"I . . . I’m glad they found you, Jon.† â€Å"I’m not,† Jon said, dismounting. Pyp hopped off his horse and looked at the lightening sky with disgust. â€Å"Give us a hand bedding down the horses, Sam,† the small boy said. â€Å"We have a long day before us, and no sleep to face it on, thanks to Lord Snow.† When day broke, Jon walked to the kitchens as he did every dawn. Three-Finger Hobb said nothing as he gave him the Old Bear’s breakfast. Today it was three brown eggs boiled hard, with fried bread and ham steak and a bowl of wrinkled plums. Jon carried the food back to the King’s Tower. He found Mormont at the window seat, writing. His raven was walking back and forth across his shoulders, muttering, â€Å"Corn, corn, corn.† The bird shrieked when Jon entered. â€Å"Put the food on the table,† the Old Bear said, glancing up. â€Å"I’ll have some beer.† Jon opened a shuttered window, took the flagon of beer off the outside ledge, and filled a horn. Hobb had given him a lemon, still cold from the Wall. Jon crushed it in his fist. The juice trickled through his fingers. Mormont drank lemon in his beer every day, and claimed that was why he still had his own teeth. â€Å"Doubtless you loved your father,† Mormont said when Jon brought him his horn. â€Å"The things we love destroy us every time, lad. Remember when I told you that?† â€Å"I remember,† Jon said sullenly. He did not care to talk of his father’s death, not even to Mormont. â€Å"See that you never forget it. The hard truths are the ones to hold tight. Fetch me my plate. Is it ham again? So be it. You look weary. Was your moonlight ride so tiring?† Jon’s throat was dry. â€Å"You know?† â€Å"Know,† the raven echoed from Mormont’s shoulder. â€Å"Know.† The Old Bear snorted. â€Å"Do you think they chose me Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch because I’m dumb as a stump, Snow? Aemon told me you’d go. I told him you’d be back. I know my men . . . and my boys too. Honor set you on the kingsroad . . . and honor brought you back.† â€Å"My friends brought me back,† Jon said. â€Å"Did I say it was your honor?† Mormont inspected his plate. â€Å"They killed my father. Did you expect me to do nothing?† â€Å"If truth be told, we expected you to do just as you did.† Mormont tried a plum, spit out the pit. â€Å"I ordered a watch kept over you., You were seen leaving. If your brothers had not fetched you back, you would have been taken along the way, and not by friends. Unless you have a horse with wings like a raven. Do you?† â€Å"No.† Jon felt like a fool. â€Å"Pity, we could use a horse like that.† Jon stood tall. He told himself that he would die well; that much he could do, at the least. â€Å"I know the penalty for desertion, my lord. I’m not afraid to die.† â€Å"Die!† the raven cried. â€Å"Nor live, I hope,† Mormont said, cutting his ham with a dagger and feeding a bite to the bird. â€Å"You have not deserted—yet. Here you stand. If we beheaded every boy who rode to Mole’s Town in the night, only ghosts would guard the Wall. Yet maybe you mean to flee again on the morrow, or a fortnight from now. Is that it? Is that your hope, boy?† Jon kept silent. â€Å"I thought so.† Mormont peeled the shell off a boiled egg. â€Å"Your father is dead, lad. Do you think you can bring him back?† â€Å"No,† he answered, sullen. â€Å"Good,† Mormont said. â€Å"We’ve seen the dead come back, you and me, and it’s not something I care to see again.† He ate the egg in two bites and flicked a bit of shell out from between his teeth. â€Å"Your brother is in the field with all the power of the north behind him. Any one of his lords bannermen commands more swords than you’ll find in all the Night’s Watch. Why do you imagine that they need your help? Are you such a mighty warrior, or do you carry a grumkin in your pocket to magic up your sword?† Jon had no answer for him. The raven was pecking at an egg, breaking the shell. Pushing his beak through the hole, he pulled out morsels of white and yoke. The Old Bear sighed. â€Å"You are not the only one touched by this war. Like as not, my sister is marching in your brother’s host, her and those daughters of hers, dressed in men’s mail. Maege is a hoary old snark, stubborn, short-tempered, and willful. Truth be told, I can hardly stand to be around the wretched woman, but that does not mean my love for her is any less than the love you bear your half sisters.† Frowning, Mormont took his last egg and squeezed it in his fist until the shell crunched. â€Å"Or perhaps it does. Be that as it may, I’d still grieve if she were slain, yet you don’t see me running off. I said the words, just as you did. My place is here . . . where is yours, boy?† I have no place, Jon wanted to say, I’m a bastard, I have no rights, no name, no mother, and now not even a father. The words would not come. â€Å"I don’t know.† â€Å"I do,† said Lord Commander Mormont. â€Å"The cold winds are rising, Snow. Beyond the Wall, the shadows lengthen. Cotter Pyke writes of vast herds of elk, streaming south and east toward the sea, and mammoths as well. He says one of his men discovered huge, misshapen footprints not three leagues from Eastwatch. Rangers from the Shadow Tower have found whole villages abandoned, and at night Ser Denys says they see fires in the mountains, huge blazes that burn from dusk till dawn. Quorin Halfhand took a captive in the depths of the Gorge, and the man swears that Mance Rayder is massing all his people in some new, secret stronghold he’s found, to what end the gods only know. Do you think your uncle Benjen was the only ranger we’ve lost this past year?† â€Å"Ben Jen,† the raven squawked, bobbing its head, bits of egg dribbling from its beak. â€Å"Ben Jen. Ben Jen.† â€Å"No,† Jon said. There had been others. Too many. â€Å"Do you think your brother’s war is more important than ours?† the old man barked. Jon chewed his lip. The raven flapped its wings at him. â€Å"War, war, war, war,† it sang. â€Å"It’s not,† Mormont told him. â€Å"Gods save us, boy, you’re not blind and you’re not stupid. When dead men come hunting in the night, do you think it matters who sits the Iron Throne?† â€Å"No.† Jon had not thought of it that way. â€Å"Your lord father sent you to us, Jon. Why, who can say?† â€Å"Why? Why? Why?† the raven called. â€Å"All I know is that the blood of the First Men flows in the veins of the Starks. The First Men built the Wall, and it’s said they remember things otherwise forgotten. And that beast of yours . . . he led us to the wights, warned you of the dead man on the steps. Ser Jaremy would doubtless call that happenstance, yet Ser Jaremy is dead and I’m not.† Lord Mormont stabbed a chunk of ham with the point of his dagger. â€Å"I think you were meant to be here, and I want you and that wolf of yours with us when we go beyond the Wall.† His words sent a chill of excitement down Jon’s back. â€Å"Beyond the Wall?† â€Å"You heard me. I mean to find Ben Stark, alive or dead.† He chewed and swallowed. â€Å"I will not sit here meekly and wait for the snows and the ice winds. We must know what is happening. This time the Night’s Watch will ride in force, against the King-beyond-the-Wall, the Others, and anything else that may be out there. I mean to command them myself.† He pointed his dagger at Jon’s chest. â€Å"By custom, the Lord Commander’s steward is his squire as well . . . but I do not care to wake every dawn wondering if you’ve run off again. So I will have an answer from you, Lord Snow, and I will have it now. Are you a brother of the Night’s Watch . . . or only a bastard boy who wants to play at war?† Jon Snow straightened himself and took a long deep breath. Forgive me, Father. Robb, Arya, Bran . . . forgive me, I cannot help you. He has the truth of it. This is my place. â€Å"I am . . . yours, my lord. Your man. I swear it. I will not run again.† The Old Bear snorted. â€Å"Good. Now go put on your sword.† A Game of Thrones Chapter Seventy He strapped his roll to the saddle, his scarred fingers stiff and clumsy. â€Å"Ghost,† he called softly, â€Å"to me.† And the wolf was there, eyes like embers. â€Å"Jon, please. You must not do this.† He mounted, the reins in his hand, and wheeled the horse around to face the night. Samwell Tarly stood in the stable door, a full moon peering over his shoulder. He threw a giant’s shadow, immense and black. â€Å"Get out of my way, Sam.† â€Å"Jon, you can’t,† Sam said. â€Å"I won’t let you.† â€Å"I would sooner not hurt you,† Jon told him. â€Å"Move aside, Sam, or I’ll ride you down.† â€Å"You won’t. You have to listen to me. Please . . . â€Å" Jon put his spurs to horseflesh, and the mare bolted for the door. For an instant Sam stood his ground, his face as round and pale as the moon behind him, his mouth a widening O of surprise. At the last moment, when they were almost on him, he jumped aside as Jon had known he would, stumbled, and fell. The mare leapt over him, out into the night. Jon raised the hood of his heavy cloak and gave the horse her head. Castle Black was silent and still as he rode out, with Ghost racing at his side. Men watched from the Wall behind him, he knew, but their eyes were turned north, not south. No one would see him go, no one but Sam Tarly, struggling back to his feet in the dust of the old stables. He hoped Sam hadn’t hurt himself, falling like that. He was so heavy and so ungainly, it would be just like him to break a wrist or twist his ankle getting out of the way. â€Å"I warned him,† Jon said aloud. â€Å"It was nothing to do with him, anyway.† He flexed his burned hand as he rode, opening and closing the scarred fingers. They still pained him, but it felt good to have the wrappings off. Moonlight silvered the hills as he followed the twisting ribbon of the kingsroad. He needed to get as far from the Wall as he could before they realized he was gone. On the morrow he would leave the road and strike out overland through field and bush and stream to throw off pursuit, but for the moment speed was more important than deception. It was not as though they would not guess where he was going. The Old Bear was accustomed to rise at first light, so Jon had until dawn to put as many leagues as he could between him and the Wall . . . if Sam Tarly did not betray him. The fat boy was dutiful and easily frightened, but he loved Jon like a brother. If questioned, Sam would doubtless tell them the truth, but Jon could not imagine him braving the guards in front of the King’s Tower to wake Mormont from sleep. When Jon did not appear to fetch the Old Bear’s breakfast from the kitchen, they’d look in his cell and find Longclaw on the bed. It had been hard to abandon it, but Jon was not so lost to honor as to take it with him. Even Jorah Mormont had not done that, when he fled in disgrace. Doubtless Lord Mormont would find someone more worthy of the blade. Jon felt bad when he thought of the old man. He knew his desertion would be salt in the still-raw wound of his son’s disgrace. That seemed a poor way to repay him for his trust, but it couldn’t be helped. No matter what he did, Jon felt as though he were betraying someone. Even now, he did not know if he was doing the honorable thing. The southron had it easier. They had their septons to talk to, someone to tell them the gods’ will and help sort out right from wrong. But the Starks worshiped the old gods, the nameless gods, and if the heart trees heard, they did not speak. When the last lights of Castle Black vanished behind him, Jon slowed his mare to a walk. He had a long journey ahead and only the one horse to see him through. There were holdfasts and farming villages along the road south where he might be able to trade the mare for a fresh mount when he needed one, but not if she were injured or blown. He would need to find new clothes soon; most like, he’d need to steal them. He was clad in black from head to heel; high leather riding boots, roughspun breeches and tunic, sleeveless leather jerkin, and heavy wool cloak. His longsword and dagger were sheathed in black moleskin, and the hauberk and coif in his saddlebag were black ringmail. Any bit of it could mean his death if he were taken. A stranger wearing black was viewed with cold suspicion in every village and holdfast north of the Neck, and men would soon be watching for him. Once Maester Aemon’s ravens took flight, Jon knew he would find no safe haven. Not even at Winterfell. Bran might want to let him in, but Maester Luwin had better sense. He would bar the gates and send Jon away, as he should. Better not to call there at all. Yet he saw the castle clear in his mind’s eye, as if he had left it only yesterday; the towering granite walls, the Great Hall with its smells of smoke and dog and roasting meat, his father’s solar, the turret room where he had slept. Part of him wanted nothing so much as to hear Bran laugh again, to sup on one of Gage’s beef-and-bacon pies, to listen to Old Nan tell her tales of the children of the forest and Florian the Fool. But he had not left the Wall for that; he had left because he was after all his father’s son, and Robb’s brother. The gift of a sword, even a sword as fine as Longclaw, did not make him a Mormont. Nor was he Aemon Targaryen. Three times the old man had chosen, and three times he had chosen honor, but that was him. Even now, Jon could not decide whether the maester had stayed because he was weak and craven, or because he was strong and true. Yet he understood what the old man had meant, about the pain of choosing; he understood that all too well. Tyrion Lannister had claimed that most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it, but Jon was done with denials. He was who he was; Jon Snow, bastard and oathbreaker, motherless, friendless, and damned. For the rest of his life—however long that might be—he would be condemned to be an outsider, the silent man standing in the shadows who dares not speak his true name. Wherever he might go throughout the Seven Kingdoms, he would need to live a lie, lest every man’s hand be raised against him. But it made no matter, so long as he lived long enough to take his place by his brother’s side and help avenge his father. He remembered Robb as he had last seen him, standing in the yard with snow melting in his auburn hair. Jon would have to come to him in secret, disguised. He tried to imagine the look on Robb’s face when he revealed himself. His brother would shake his head and smile, and he’d say . . . he’d say . . . He could not see the smile. Hard as he tried, he could not see it. He found himself thinking of the deserter his father had beheaded the day they’d found the direwolves. â€Å"You said the words,† Lord Eddard had told him. â€Å"You took a vow, before your brothers, before the old gods and the new.† Desmond and Fat Tom had dragged the man to the stump. Bran’s eyes had been wide as saucers, and Jon had to remind him to keep his pony in hand. He remembered the look on Father’s face when Theon Greyjoy brought forth Ice, the spray of blood on the snow, the way Theon had kicked the head when it came rolling at his feet. He wondered what Lord Eddard might have done if the deserter had been his brother Benjen instead of that ragged stranger. Would it have been any different? It must, surely, surely . . . and Robb would welcome him, for a certainty. He had to, or else . . . It did not bear thinking about. Pain throbbed, deep in his fingers, as he clutched the reins. Jon put his heels into his horse and broke into a gallop, racing down the kingsroad, as if to outrun his doubts. Jon was not afraid of death, but he did not want to die like that, trussed and bound and beheaded like a common brigand. If he must perish, let it be with a sword in his hand, fighting his father’s killers. He was no true Stark, had never been one . . . but he could die like one. Let them say that Eddard Stark had fathered four sons, not three. Ghost kept pace with them for almost half a mile, red tongue lolling from his mouth. Man and horse alike lowered their heads as he asked the mare for more speed. The wolf slowed, stopped, watching, his eyes glowing red in the moonlight. He vanished behind, but Jon knew he would follow, at his own pace. Scattered lights flickered through the trees ahead of him, on both sides of the road: Mole’s Town. A dog barked as he rode through, and he heard a mule’s raucous haw from the stable, but otherwise the village was still. Here and there the glow of hearth fires shone through shuttered windows, leaking between wooden slats, but only a few. Mole’s Town was bigger than it seemed, but three quarters of it was under the ground, in deep warm cellars connected by a maze of tunnels. Even the whorehouse was down there, nothing on the surface but a wooden shack no bigger than a privy, with a red lantern hung over the door. On the Wall, he’d heard men call the whores â€Å"buried treasures.† He wondered whether any of his brothers in black were down there tonight, mining. That was oathbreaking too, yet no one seemed to care. Not until he was well beyond the village did Jon slow again. By then both he and the mare were damp with sweat. He dismounted, shivering, his burned hand aching. A bank of melting snow lay under the trees, bright in the moonlight, water trickling off to form small shallow pools. Jon squatted and brought his hands together, cupping the runoff between his fingers. The snowmelt was icy cold. He drank, and splashed some on his face, until his cheeks tingled. His fingers were throbbing worse than they had in days, and his head was pounding too. I am doing the right thing, he told himself, so why do I feel so bad? The horse was well lathered, so Jon took the lead and walked her for a while. The road was scarcely wide enough for two riders to pass abreast, its surface cut by tiny streams and littered with stone. That run had been truly stupid, an invitation to a broken neck. Jon wondered what had gotten into him. Was he in such a great rush to die? Off in the trees, the distant scream of some frightened animal made him look up. His mare whinnied nervously. Had his wolf found some prey? He cupped his hands around his mouth. â€Å"Ghost!† he shouted. â€Å"Ghost, to me.† The only answer was a rush of wings behind him as an owl took flight. Frowning, Jon continued on his way. He led the mare for half an hour, until she was dry. Ghost did not appear. Jon wanted to mount up and ride again, but he was concerned about his missing wolf. â€Å"Ghost,† he called again. â€Å"Where are you? To me! Ghost!† Nothing in these woods could trouble a direwolf, even a half-grown direwolf, unless . . . no, Ghost was too smart to attack a bear, and if there was a wolf pack anywhere close Jon would have surely heard them howling. He should eat, he decided. Food would settle his stomach and give Ghost the chance to catch up. There was no danger yet; Castle Black still slept. In his saddlebag, he found a biscuit, a piece of cheese, and a small withered brown apple. He’d brought salt beef as well, and a rasher of bacon he’d filched from the kitchens, but he would save the meat for the morrow. After it was gone he’d need to hunt, and that would slow him. Jon sat under the trees and ate his biscuit and cheese while his mare grazed along the kingsroad. He kept the apple for last. It had gone a little soft, but the flesh was still tart and juicy. He was down to the core when he heard the sounds: horses, and from the north. Quickly Jon leapt up and strode to his mare. Could he outrun them? No, they were too close, they’d hear him for a certainty, and if they were from Castle Black . . . He led the mare off the road, behind a thick stand of grey-green sentinels. â€Å"Ouiet now,† he said in a hushed voice, crouching down to peer through the branches. If the gods were kind, the riders would pass by. Likely as not, they were only smallfolk from Mole’s Town, farmers on their way to their fields, although what they were doing out in the middle of the night . . . He listened to the sound of hooves growing steadily louder as they trotted briskly down the kingsroad. From the sound, there were five or six of them at the least. Their voices drifted through the trees. † . . . certain he came this way?† â€Å"We can’t be certain.† â€Å"He could have ridden east, for all you know. Or left the road to cut through the woods. That’s what I’d do.† â€Å"In the dark? Stupid. If you didn’t fall off your horse and break your neck, you’d get lost and wind up back at the Wall when the sun came up.† â€Å"I would not.† Grenn sounded peeved. â€Å"I’d just ride south, you can tell south by the stars.† â€Å"What if the sky was cloudy?† Pyp asked. â€Å"Then I wouldn’t go.† Another voice broke in. â€Å"You know where I’d be if it was me? I’d be in Mole’s Town, digging for buried treasure.† Toad’s shrill laughter boomed through the trees. Jon’s mare snorted. â€Å"Keep quiet, all of you,† Haider said. â€Å"I thought I heard something.† â€Å"Where? I didn’t hear anything.† The horses stopped. â€Å"You can’t hear yourself fart.† â€Å"I can too,† Grenn insisted. â€Å"Quiet!† They all fell silent, listening. Jon found himself holding his breath. Sam, he thought. He hadn’t gone to the Old Bear, but he hadn’t gone to bed either, he’d woken the other boys. Damn them all. Come dawn, if they were not in their beds, they’d be named deserters too. What did they think they were doing? The hushed silence seemed to stretch on and on. From where Jon crouched, he could see the legs of their horses through the branches. Finally Pyp spoke up. â€Å"What did you hear?† â€Å"I don’t know,† Haider admitted. â€Å"A sound, I thought it might have been a horse but . . . â€Å" â€Å"There’s nothing here.† Out of the corner of his eye, Jon glimpsed a pale shape moving through the trees. Leaves rustled, and Ghost came bounding out of the shadows, so suddenly that Jon’s mare started and gave a whinny. â€Å"There!† Halder shouted. â€Å"I heard it too!† â€Å"Traitor,† Jon told the direwolf as he swung up into the saddle. He turned the mare’s head to slide off through the trees, but they were on him before he had gone ten feet. â€Å"Jon!† Pyp shouted after him. â€Å"Pull up,† Grenn said. â€Å"You can’t outrun us all.† Jon wheeled around to face them, drawing his sword. â€Å"Get back. I don’t wish to hurt you, but I will if I have to.† â€Å"One against seven?† Halder gave a signal. The boys spread out, surrounding him. â€Å"What do you want with me?† Jon demanded. â€Å"We want to take you back where you belong,† Pyp said. â€Å"I belong with my brother.† â€Å"We’re your brothers now,† Grenn said. â€Å"They’ll cut off your head if they catch you, you know,† Toad put in with a nervous laugh. â€Å"This is so stupid, it’s like something the Aurochs would do.† â€Å"I would not,† Grenn said. â€Å"I’m no oathbreaker. I said the words and I meant them.† â€Å"So did I,† Jon told them. â€Å"Don’t you understand? They murdered my father. It’s war, my brother Robb is fighting in the riverlands—† â€Å"We know,† said Pyp solemnly. â€Å"Sam told us everything.† â€Å"We’re sorry about your father,† Grenn said, â€Å"but it doesn’t matter. Once you say the words, you can’t leave, no matter what.† â€Å"I have to,† Jon said fervently. â€Å"You said the words,† Pyp reminded him. â€Å"Now my watch begins, you said it. It shall not end until my death.† â€Å"I shall live and die at my post,† Grenn added, nodding. â€Å"You don’t have to tell me the words, I know them as well as you do.† He was angry now. Why couldn’t they let him go in peace? They were only making it harder. â€Å"I am the sword in the darkness,† Halder intoned. â€Å"The watcher on the walls,† piped Toad. Jon cursed them all to their faces. They took no notice. Pyp spurred his horse closer, reciting, â€Å"I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men.† â€Å"Stay back,† Jon warned him, brandishing his sword. â€Å"I mean it, Pyp.† They weren’t even wearing armor, he could cut them to pieces if he had to. Matthar had circled behind him. He joined the chorus. â€Å"I pledge my life and honor to the Night’s Watch.† Jon kicked his mare, spinning her in a circle. The boys were all around him now, closing from every side. â€Å"For this night . . . † Halder trotted in from the left. † . . . and all the nights to come,† finished Pyp. He reached over for Jon’s reins. â€Å"So here are your choices. Kill me, or come back with me.† Jon lifted his sword . . . and lowered it, helpless. â€Å"Damn you,† he said. â€Å"Damn you all.† â€Å"Do we have to bind your hands, or will you give us your word you’ll ride back peaceful?† asked Halder. â€Å"I won’t run, if that’s what you mean.† Ghost moved out from under the trees and Jon glared at him. â€Å"Small help you were,† he said. The deep red eyes looked at him knowingly. â€Å"We had best hurry,† Pyp said. â€Å"If we’re not back before first light, the Old Bear will have all our heads.† Of the ride back, Jon Snow remembered little. It seemed shorter than the journey south, perhaps because his mind was elsewhere. Pyp set the pace, galloping, walking, trotting, and then breaking into another gallop. Mole’s Town came and went, the red lantern over the brothel long extinguished. They made good time. Dawn was still an hour off when Jon glimpsed the towers of Castle Black ahead of them, dark against the pale immensity of the Wall. It did not seem like home this time. They could take him back, Jon told himself, but they could not make him stay. The war would not end on the morrow, or the day after, and his friends could not watch him day and night. He would bide his time, make them think he was content to remain here . . . and then, when they had grown lax, he would be off again. Next time he would avoid the kingsroad. He could follow the Wall east, perhaps all the way to the sea, a longer route but a safer one. Or even west, to the mountains, and then south over the high passes. That was the wildling’s way, hard and perilous, but at least no one wouid follow him. He wouldn’t stray within a hundred leagues of Winterfell or the kingsroad. Samwell Tarly awaited them in the old stables, slumped on the ground against a bale of hay, too anxious to sleep. He rose and brushed himself off. â€Å"I . . . I’m glad they found you, Jon.† â€Å"I’m not,† Jon said, dismounting. Pyp hopped off his horse and looked at the lightening sky with disgust. â€Å"Give us a hand bedding down the horses, Sam,† the small boy said. â€Å"We have a long day before us, and no sleep to face it on, thanks to Lord Snow.† When day broke, Jon walked to the kitchens as he did every dawn. Three-Finger Hobb said nothing as he gave him the Old Bear’s breakfast. Today it was three brown eggs boiled hard, with fried bread and ham steak and a bowl of wrinkled plums. Jon carried the food back to the King’s Tower. He found Mormont at the window seat, writing. His raven was walking back and forth across his shoulders, muttering, â€Å"Corn, corn, corn.† The bird shrieked when Jon entered. â€Å"Put the food on the table,† the Old Bear said, glancing up. â€Å"I’ll have some beer.† Jon opened a shuttered window, took the flagon of beer off the outside ledge, and filled a horn. Hobb had given him a lemon, still cold from the Wall. Jon crushed it in his fist. The juice trickled through his fingers. Mormont drank lemon in his beer every day, and claimed that was why he still had his own teeth. â€Å"Doubtless you loved your father,† Mormont said when Jon brought him his horn. â€Å"The things we love destroy us every time, lad. Remember when I told you that?† â€Å"I remember,† Jon said sullenly. He did not care to talk of his father’s death, not even to Mormont. â€Å"See that you never forget it. The hard truths are the ones to hold tight. Fetch me my plate. Is it ham again? So be it. You look weary. Was your moonlight ride so tiring?† Jon’s throat was dry. â€Å"You know?† â€Å"Know,† the raven echoed from Mormont’s shoulder. â€Å"Know.† The Old Bear snorted. â€Å"Do you think they chose me Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch because I’m dumb as a stump, Snow? Aemon told me you’d go. I told him you’d be back. I know my men . . . and my boys too. Honor set you on the kingsroad . . . and honor brought you back.† â€Å"My friends brought me back,† Jon said. â€Å"Did I say it was your honor?† Mormont inspected his plate. â€Å"They killed my father. Did you expect me to do nothing?† â€Å"If truth be told, we expected you to do just as you did.† Mormont tried a plum, spit out the pit. â€Å"I ordered a watch kept over you., You were seen leaving. If your brothers had not fetched you back, you would have been taken along the way, and not by friends. Unless you have a horse with wings like a raven. Do you?† â€Å"No.† Jon felt like a fool. â€Å"Pity, we could use a horse like that.† Jon stood tall. He told himself that he would die well; that much he could do, at the least. â€Å"I know the penalty for desertion, my lord. I’m not afraid to die.† â€Å"Die!† the raven cried. â€Å"Nor live, I hope,† Mormont said, cutting his ham with a dagger and feeding a bite to the bird. â€Å"You have not deserted—yet. Here you stand. If we beheaded every boy who rode to Mole’s Town in the night, only ghosts would guard the Wall. Yet maybe you mean to flee again on the morrow, or a fortnight from now. Is that it? Is that your hope, boy?† Jon kept silent. â€Å"I thought so.† Mormont peeled the shell off a boiled egg. â€Å"Your father is dead, lad. Do you think you can bring him back?† â€Å"No,† he answered, sullen. â€Å"Good,† Mormont said. â€Å"We’ve seen the dead come back, you and me, and it’s not something I care to see again.† He ate the egg in two bites and flicked a bit of shell out from between his teeth. â€Å"Your brother is in the field with all the power of the north behind him. Any one of his lords bannermen commands more swords than you’ll find in all the Night’s Watch. Why do you imagine that they need your help? Are you such a mighty warrior, or do you carry a grumkin in your pocket to magic up your sword?† Jon had no answer for him. The raven was pecking at an egg, breaking the shell. Pushing his beak through the hole, he pulled out morsels of white and yoke. The Old Bear sighed. â€Å"You are not the only one touched by this war. Like as not, my sister is marching in your brother’s host, her and those daughters of hers, dressed in men’s mail. Maege is a hoary old snark, stubborn, short-tempered, and willful. Truth be told, I can hardly stand to be around the wretched woman, but that does not mean my love for her is any less than the love you bear your half sisters.† Frowning, Mormont took his last egg and squeezed it in his fist until the shell crunched. â€Å"Or perhaps it does. Be that as it may, I’d still grieve if she were slain, yet you don’t see me running off. I said the words, just as you did. My place is here . . . where is yours, boy?† I have no place, Jon wanted to say, I’m a bastard, I have no rights, no name, no mother, and now not even a father. The words would not come. â€Å"I don’t know.† â€Å"I do,† said Lord Commander Mormont. â€Å"The cold winds are rising, Snow. Beyond the Wall, the shadows lengthen. Cotter Pyke writes of vast herds of elk, streaming south and east toward the sea, and mammoths as well. He says one of his men discovered huge, misshapen footprints not three leagues from Eastwatch. Rangers from the Shadow Tower have found whole villages abandoned, and at night Ser Denys says they see fires in the mountains, huge blazes that burn from dusk till dawn. Quorin Halfhand took a captive in the depths of the Gorge, and the man swears that Mance Rayder is massing all his people in some new, secret stronghold he’s found, to what end the gods only know. Do you think your uncle Benjen was the only ranger we’ve lost this past year?† â€Å"Ben Jen,† the raven squawked, bobbing its head, bits of egg dribbling from its beak. â€Å"Ben Jen. Ben Jen.† â€Å"No,† Jon said. There had been others. Too many. â€Å"Do you think your brother’s war is more important than ours?† the old man barked. Jon chewed his lip. The raven flapped its wings at him. â€Å"War, war, war, war,† it sang. â€Å"It’s not,† Mormont told him. â€Å"Gods save us, boy, you’re not blind and you’re not stupid. When dead men come hunting in the night, do you think it matters who sits the Iron Throne?† â€Å"No.† Jon had not thought of it that way. â€Å"Your lord father sent you to us, Jon. Why, who can say?† â€Å"Why? Why? Why?† the raven called. â€Å"All I know is that the blood of the First Men flows in the veins of the Starks. The First Men built the Wall, and it’s said they remember things otherwise forgotten. And that beast of yours . . . he led us to the wights, warned you of the dead man on the steps. Ser Jaremy would doubtless call that happenstance, yet Ser Jaremy is dead and I’m not.† Lord Mormont stabbed a chunk of ham with the point of his dagger. â€Å"I think you were meant to be here, and I want you and that wolf of yours with us when we go beyond the Wall.† His words sent a chill of excitement down Jon’s back. â€Å"Beyond the Wall?† â€Å"You heard me. I mean to find Ben Stark, alive or dead.† He chewed and swallowed. â€Å"I will not sit here meekly and wait for the snows and the ice winds. We must know what is happening. This time the Night’s Watch will ride in force, against the King-beyond-the-Wall, the Others, and anything else that may be out there. I mean to command them myself.† He pointed his dagger at Jon’s chest. â€Å"By custom, the Lord Commander’s steward is his squire as well . . . but I do not care to wake every dawn wondering if you’ve run off again. So I will have an answer from you, Lord Snow, and I will have it now. Are you a brother of the Night’s Watch . . . or only a bastard boy who wants to play at war?† Jon Snow straightened himself and took a long deep breath. Forgive me, Father. Robb, Arya, Bran . . . forgive me, I cannot help you. He has the truth of it. This is my place. â€Å"I am . . . yours, my lord. Your man. I swear it. I will not run again.† The Old Bear snorted. â€Å"Good. Now go put on your sword.†

Legal and Ethical Aspecrts of Delivery Of Health and Social Care Essay

Legal and Ethical Aspecrts of Delivery Of Health and Social Care - Essay Example When handling patients suffering from terminal illnesses, it is my role to ensure that a patient can successfully manage the condition, experience reduced pain, and approach the end of life stages with a positive outlook. Although my intention is to help such patients, complications may occur because of the choices made by the patients. The case of Brian, who is 55 years old and declined to adopt the advice and the equipment presented by me presents an ethical dilemma for any nurse. In this paper, I will discuss Brian’s case study in detail, evaluating, and analysing the case study and presenting my final ethical decision. In addition, the paper will examine the utilitarian ethical principle and weigh it against the respect for autonomy in an effort to help Brian experience quality life despite his condition. Brian, aged 55 years suffers from multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is a condition that presents adverse effects on an individual’s immune system. Specifically, the disease affects the protective sheath surrounding nerves. As a result, individuals suffering from the disease do not have a normal communication between the brain and the body. As the disease progresses, an individual’s nervous system may deteriorate badly. Usually, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis and patients with the disease have no other choice but to manage their condition. In the case of Brian, the disease has progressed to the level whereby he needs a wheelchair because he cannot walk (Dimond, 2011). Therefore, the disease has served to debilitate him compelling him to rely on my help and other social workers who help him to feed, wash, and get him out of bed occasionally. Worth noting is the fact that Brian does not have any carer at home because his wife suffers from Parkinson’s disease. Since Brian’s condition compels him to stay in bed or the wheelchair for many hours, he is subject to

Blog Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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