The Little Shop of Horrors Essays - English-language Films

The Little Shop of Horrors Seymour is the main character all of the versions of Little Shop of Horrors. He was the owner of Audrey II. Seymour has had a long time crush on Audrey, wanting to marry her ever since he was a child. But he could never voice his opinions due to his shyness and the fact that she had a boyfriend. He is played by Rick Moranis. 1986 Film Edit At Mushnik's Flower Shop, Seymour is a floor sweeper and puts the flower pots in range. He doesn't get paid Seymour and Audrey II because of how clumsy he is, and because he is constantly being treated horribly by Mr. Mushnik. The movie starts off with him already owning Audrey II. He brought the plant from aChinese flower shopowner, who gives him many exotic and strange plants. Seymour did not know but during some sort of eclipse, the plant is striked giving itself life in a form that develops into a human like creature that is carnivorous (eats meat). But he had no idea how to take care of it, as he sings in "Grow For Me". However, when accidentally cutting himself, he noticed the plants immediate response to the blood. He reluctantly squeezes some blood into the plant's mouth which results in Audrey II growing larger. Because of his plant, the flower shop gains more business and Mr. Mushnik treats Seymour a tad nicer. Soon, after meeting the sadistic Orin Scrivello, D.D.S, Seymour sees the cruel dentist abuse Audrey for pathetic reasons (falling off of the motorcycle, not calling him by his full professional title). At first, he doesn't act on it but is persuaded by Audrey II to kill him. The next day, he goes to his office, pretending that he wants a mere checkup. Orin, who gets off on the pain he inflicts, decides to make the situation more enjoyable by wearing a mask that emits nitrous oxide. Hysterical and deluded, Orin accidentally breaks the valve on his mask, releasing even more N2O into his lungs. Seymour takes advantage of the situation by confronting him with a gun, the entire event Orin isn't even taking seriously. Orin soon collapses in laughter, and in his final moments Seymour reminds him of his abuses towards Audrey. Seymour conceals his body in a bag, drags him back to the shop, and forces himself to chop up the body to feed to the ever-growing Audrey II. Unfortunately for Seymour, Mr. Mushnik was making an early trip to his shop that morning - where he witnessed the whole thing. Upon hearing about the disappearance of her boyfriend, Audrey grieves in guilt, but eventually admits to Seymour that she isn't sad. In fact, she's quite relieved. Seymour's feelings are mutual and he is happy that Audrey no longer needs to suffer, to which they reveal their inner feelings towards each other in the song "Suddenly Seymour". Upon returning to the shop, he runs into Mr. Mushnik who threatens to blackmail Seymour in exchange for Audrey II and leave Skid Row for about 50 years, or else be turned in to the police. Unbeknownst to Mushnik, Audrey II signals Seymour to lure Mr. Mushnik into her deathly trap, and swallows him whole. After that rather large meal, Audrey II grew to an impressive size, but still craved blood. Not being able to handle the pressures with the press and the plant, Seymour and Audrey plan to run away together and escape Skid Row. Audrey II hears of this, and lures Audrey into the shop, attempting to eat her. Seymour then saves Audrey and realizes he made a mistake giving Audrey II his blood in the first place. Later, Seymour and Audrey get rid of the moster plant that is actually a "Mean Green Momma From Outer Space" and live happily ever after and get married.

Helen Kellers “Three Days to See” Analysis Essay Example

Helen Kellers â€Å"Three Days to See† Analysis Essay Example Helen Kellers â€Å"Three Days to See† Analysis Paper Helen Kellers â€Å"Three Days to See† Analysis Paper Helen Keller was an exceptionally talented author, political activist, and an inspirational lecturer. Many of her works express the simple fragments of life which, together, fabricate the essence of living. As demonstrated in her essay â€Å"Three Days to See† Helen brings forward her imagination and desire to further understand the world in a depiction of what she would do should she be given the use of her sight for just 3 days. Over this period, Helen wishes see as much as she can. In the first day Helen wants to see her companions whom have made her â€Å"life worth living†. Most people can recognize and distinguish their friends within a crowd, or imagine the features of an attractive idol; these abilities are just assumed to be standard and thus insignificant. Yet, through the eyes of Helen for just this day, she would gaze onto the faces of her friends, her loyal dogs and a young child, and then imprint those images within her mind. When the afternoon approaches she’ll stroll through the hidden paths of the forest, and admire the colors of a sunset. Sleep shouldn’t overcome her excitement that night. On her second and third days Helen continues to narrate the events of her sightseeing. To mark the start of the second day, she will awake to be in awe of daybreak; Helen describes the spectacle in a most heart-warming way: â€Å"I should arise with the dawn and see the thrilling miracle by which night is transformed into day. I should behold with awe the magnificent panorama of light with which the sun awakens the sleeping earth. † Without a doubt by this phrase, most readers would bow their heads in shame for the countless mornings wasted on pampering or lazing off until the mid hours of the day, I myself would be no exception. During her day she would plough through various museums. Firstly, at a history museum Helen would be seen laying her eyes on the summary the earth; the past of man, animal, and nature. Following that, she’ll visit a museum of art, where the face of Homer would be an aspiration to see, for he too was blind. Then before long that corridor will be left behind only to emerge into another where a myriad of color suspended on thousands of canvases will draw her attention. Until the late afternoon she will continue to admire the world of art. As evening approaches from there Helen will depart to an Elizabethan theatre where she’ll be engulfed within the plays of Shakespeare â€Å"amid colourful Elizabethan trappings. † There, She’ll listen to the delicate tales told to her in a forgotten rhythmic tongue and fix her eyes on the figures of Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet. With the conclusion of the second day, the third day will follow. Even though the sunrise marks the final day, Helen faces her limited remaining hours with optimism when she â€Å"should again discover new delights, new revelations of beauty† and for the last time. On this day, Helen will develop a new understanding for the aftermath of industrialization. Her destination is the city where she’ll fade into the background while watching people pass, happily admiring the mesh of 10 000 individual entities; â€Å"I stroll down Fifth Avenue. I throw my eyes out of focus, so that I see no particular object but only a seething kaleidoscope of color. † Perhaps, within the mass, Helen alone would notice the magnificence of a metropolis; simply savouring the flavour of the city, from its parks to its factories and even to its slums. From there until midnight Helen will continue discovering as much of society as she can, making up for lost years before and all those thereafter. Through her three days readers must have learned something Helen’s character through the things she desires to see. They are all very ordinary and rarely acknowledged to be of significant beauty. The author brings to attention the little joys of life which are often taken for granted. On one occasion Helen tested her friends for their knowledge through their sight by asking a friend who had just returned from a walk, what she observed. Nothing in particular† was the lady’s reply. To this Helen was taken aback as there is a great deal that interests her though she cannot see nor hear; â€Å"I who cannot see finds hundreds of things to interest me through mere touch. † Helen Keller’s â€Å"three days to see† highlights how subtly fortunate nearly everyone is; â€Å"if I can get so much pleasure from mere touch, how much more beauty must be revealed by sight. † Both deaf and blind, Helen believes life should be lived to the fullest and to live everyday as if it were the last.

Quotes From Ayn Rands Atlas Shrugged

Quotes From Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand, is a philosophical novel. The theme (according to Rand) is  the role of mans mind in existence. Published in 1957, its a dystopian novel, centering around Dagny Taggart. Here are popular quotes from the novel. It was the joy of admiration and of ones own ability, growing together.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 1, Ch. 3 He was a man who had never accepted the creed that others had the right to stop him.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 1, Ch. 3 Against whom is any union organized?-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 1, Ch. 4 This was reality, she thought, this sense of clear outlines, of purpose, of lightness, of hope.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 1, Ch. 4 If ones actions are honest, one does not need the predated confidence of others, only their rational perception.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 1, Ch. 6 I never believed that story. I thought by the time the sun was exhausted, men would find a substitute.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 1, Ch. 7 This was the great clarity of being beyond emotion, after the reward of having felt everything one could feel.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 1, Ch. 7 Now she was free for the simplest, most commonplace concerns of the moment, because nothing could be meaningless within her sight.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 1, Ch. 7 It was useless to argue, she thought, and to wonder about people who would neither refute an argument nor accept it.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 1, Ch. 7 Mr. Ward, what is it that the foulest bastards on earth denounce us for, among other things? Oh yes, for our motto of Business as usual. Well- business as usual, Mr. Ward!-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 1, Ch. 7 Thought- he told himself quietly- is a weapon one uses in order to act... Thought is the tool by which one makes a choice... Thought sets ones purpose and the way to reach it.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 1, Ch. 7 It was the greatest sensation of existence: not to trust, but to know.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 1, Ch. 8 Dont ever get angry at a man for stating the truth.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 1, Ch. 10 He knew no weapons but to pay for what he wanted, to give value, to ask nothing of nature without trading his effort in return, to ask nothing of men without trading the product of his effort.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 1, Ch. 10 By the essence and nature of existence, contradictions cannot exist.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 1, Ch. 10 There might be some sort of justification for the savage societies in which a man had to expect that enemies could murder him at any moment and had to defend himself as best he could. But there can be no justification for a society in which a man is expected to manufacture the weapons for his own murderers.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 2, Ch. 1 Money is a tool of exchange, which cant exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce them. Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give value for value.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 2, Ch. 2 Wealth is the product of mans capacity to think.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 2, Ch. 2 There are no evil thoughts except one: the refusal to think.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 2, Ch. 2 Love is our response to our highest values - and can be nothing else.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 2, Ch. 4 Only the man who extols the purity of a love devoid of desire, is capable of the depravity of a desire devoid of love.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 2, Ch. 4 When one acts on pity against justice, it is the good whom one punishes for the sake of the evil; when one saves the guilty from suffering, it is the innocent whom one ​forces to suffer.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 2, Ch. 6 You do not have to depend on any material possessions, they depend on you, you create them, you own the one and only tool of production.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 2, Ch. 8 They told us that this plan would achieve a noble ideal. Well, how were we to know otherwise? Hadnt we heard it all our lives- from our parents and our schoolteachers and our ministers, and in every newspaper we ever read and every movie and every public speech?-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 2, Ch. 10 She felt suddenly as if nothing existed beyond that circle, and she wondered at the joyous, proud comfort to be found in a sense of the finite, in the knowledge that the field of ones concern lay within the realm of ones sight.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 1 Whats wealth but the means of expanding ones life? Theres two ways one can do it: either by producing more or by producing it faster.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 1 What greater wealth is there than to own your life and to spend it on growing? Every living thing must grow. It cant stand still. It must grow or perish.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 1 Any man whos afraid of hiring the best ability he can find, is a cheat whos in a business where he doesnt belong.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 1 I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 1 Through all the centuries of the worship of the mindless, whatever stagnation humanity chose to endure, whatever brutality to practice–it was only by the grace of the men who perceived that wheat must have water in order to grow, that stones laid in a curve will form an arch, that two and two make four, that love is not served by torture and life is not fed by destruction–only by the grace of those men did the rest of them learn to experience moments when they caught the spark of being human.-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 1 When nothing seems worth the effort–said some stern voice in her mind–its a screen to hide a wish thats worth too much; what do you want?-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 2 Theres only one passion in most artists more violent than their desire for admiration: their fear of identifying the nature of such admiration as they do receive.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 2 Whether its a symphony or a  coal mine, all work is an act of creating and comes from the same source: from an inviolate capacity to see through ones own eyes–which means: the capacity to perform a rational identification–which means: the capacity to see, to connect and to make what had not been seen, connected and made before.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 2 Every man builds his world in his own image... He has the power to choose, but no power to escape the necessity of choice.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 2 No ones happiness but my own is in my power to achieve or to destroy.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 2 If you are not convinced, ignore our certainty. Dont be tempted to substitute our judgment for your own.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 2 She was seeing the brand of pain and fear on the faces of people, and the look of evasion that refuses to know it–they seemed to be going through the motions of some enormous pretense, acting out a ritual to ward off reality, letting the earth remain unseen and their lives unlived, in dread of something namelessly forbidden–yet the forbidden was the simple act of looking at the nature of their pain and questioning their duty to bear it.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 2 People think that a liar gains a victory over his victim. What Ive learned is that a lie is an act of self-abdication, because one surrenders ones reality to the person to whom one lies, making that person ones master, comdemning oneself from then on to faking the sort of reality that persons view requires to be faked.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 2 You dont have to see through the eyes of others, hold onto yours, stand on your own judgment, you know that what is, is–say it aloud, like the holiest of prayers, and dont let anyone tell you otherwise.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 4 The only guilt of the victims, he thought, had been that they accepted it as guilt.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 5 It was a sense of extreme precision and of relaxation, together, a sense of action without strain, which seemed inexplicably youthful–until he realized that this was the way he had acted and had expected always to act, in his youth and what he now felt was like the simple, astonished question: Why should one ever have to act in any other manner?-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 6 From the first catch-phrases flung at a child to the last, it is like a series of shocks to freeze his motor, to undercut the power of his consciousness. Dont ask so many questions, children should be seen and not heard!–Who are you to think? Its so, because I say so!–Dont argue, obey!–Dont try to understand, believe!–Dont rebel, adjust!–Dont stand out, belong!–Dont struggle, compromise!–Your heart is more important than your mind!–Who are you to know? Your parents know best!–Who are you to know? Society knows best!–Who are you to know? The bureaucrats know best!–Who are you to object? All values are relative!–Who are you to want to escape a thugs bullet? Thats only a personal prejudice!-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 6 Man has no automatic code of survival. His particular distinction from all other living species is the necessity to act in the face of alternatives by means of volitional choice.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 Man has to be a man–by choice; he has to hold his life as a value–by choice; he has to learn to sustain it–by choice; he has to discover the values it requires and practice his virtues by choice. A code of values accepted by choice is a code of morality.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 By the grace of reality and the nature of life, man–every man–is an end in himself, he exists for his own sake, and the achievement of his own happiness is his highest moral purpose.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 Truth is the recognition of reality; reason, mans only means of knowledge, is his only standard of truth.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 Your mind is your only judge of truth–and if others  dissent  from your verdict, reality is the court of final appeal.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 The moral is the chosen, not the forced; the understood, not the obeyed. The moral is the rational, and reason accepts no commandments.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 Emotions are inherent in your nature, but their content is dictated by your mind. Your emotional capacity is an empty motor, and your values are the fuel with which your mind fills it.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 The symbol of all relationships among such men, the moral symbol of respect for human beings, is the trader. We, who live by values, not by loot, are traders, both in matter and in spirit. A trader is a man who earns what he gets and does not give or take the undeserved.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 Whoever, to whatever purpose or extent, initiates the use of force, is a killer acting on the premise of death in a manner wider than murder: the premise of destroying mans capacity to live.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 A morality that holds need as a claim, holds emptiness–non-existence–as its standard of value; it rewards an absence, a defect: weakness, inability, incompetence, suffering, disease, disaster, the lack, the fault, the flaw–the zero.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 To love is to value.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 Love is the expression of ones values, the greatest reward you can earn for the moral qualities you have achieved in your character and person, the emotional price paid by one man for the joy he receives from the virtues of another.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 Public welfare is the welfare of those who do not earn it; those who do, are entitled to no welfare.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 The man who refuses to judge, who neither agrees nor disagrees, who declares that there are no absolutes and believes that he escapes responsibility, is the man responsible for all the blood that is now spilled in the world.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 In any compromise between food and poison, it is only death that can win. In any compromise between good and evil, it is only evil that can profit.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 Every form of causeless self-doubt, every feeling of inferiority and secret unworthiness is, in fact, mans hidden dread of his inability to deal with existence.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 To fear to face an issue is to believe that the worst is true.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 All property and all forms of wealth are produced by mans mind and labor.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 The only proper functions of a government are: the police, to protect you from criminals; the army, to protect you from foreign invaders; and the courts, to protect your property and contracts from breach or fraud by others, to settle disputes by rational rules, according to objective law.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 Every man is free to rise as far as hes able or willing, but its only the degree to which he thinks that determines the degree to which hell rise.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 All life is a purposeful struggle, and your only choice is the choice of a goal.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 Fight for the value of your person. Fight for the virtue of your pride. Fight for the essence of that which is man: for his sovereign rational mind. Fight with the radiant certainty and the absolute rectitude of knowing that yours is the Morality of Life and that yours is the battle for any achievement, any value, any grandeur, any goodness, any joy that has ever existed on this earth.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7 When you force a man to act against his own choice and judgment, its his thinking that you want him to suspend.-Ayn Rand,  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 7

Final Essay Exam Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Final Exam - Essay Example A clear path on which to formulate or base project costs is almost non- existent. For instance, each software project is distinct it might be mobile app for a specific institution like a University, bank, or government institution. The initial project cost might be underestimated due to the initial inadequacy of details. The cost quickly increases at the instance of an arising complication. For instance, in installing the hardware might be incompatible with the software. Alternatively, the scope might expand to unexpected dimensions. In addition, IT projects often entail the integration of new technologies. There are high risks associated with the use of new technologies in projects. The complex problems that arise during the project might lead to increased prices or closure of the project. New technology can swiftly derail the budget project to unexpectedly high volumes (Bittner and Gregorc 45). For instance, software is often developed independent of the operating system. Consequently, if the software developed is not compatible with the operating system then, it must be adjusted. This usually results in many and unexpected costs. Thus, more often than not, the cost management of an IT project is not accurately done by the IT professionals. Furthermore, IT professionals lack a business background. Therefore, they do not understand the significance of basic finance and accounting principles. They do not understand concepts such as value analysis, sunk costs, profits, learning curve theory, and return on investm ent or pay back analysis (Bittner and Gregorc 45). The inability to grasp these concepts often leads to cost overruns or abandonment of the project. Earned value management is an analysis technique applied in monitoring a projects status and progress. It is a highly valuable tool in forecasting the probable future performance of the project. Earned value management utilizes cost, schedule, and scope in the analysis

Trends of electronic communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Trends of electronic communication - Essay Example With the help of webcams, this technology allows communicators to see one another in real time making messages more precise and understandable. It however has the disadvantage of not facilitating communication between individuals when one is offline. E-mail is a communication method that involves the exchange of messages of digital nature from one author to a single or numerous recipients. E-mails have the advantage of storing and forwarding messages, this therefore implies that both the sender and the recipient are not required to be online simultaneously to communicate. This was not however the case at the inception of e-mails when communication could only occur if both parties were online at the same time, more of what is presently the case with instant messaging. It has the advantage of storing information for future reference purposes with e-mails being used as evidence of communication if that need arises. The main advantage of e-mails however, is the inability to receive instant responses especially if the recipient is offline. Unlike e-mails and Instant Messaging, this technology enables individuals to share information with multiple users at the same time. This is unlike instant messaging where communication is on a one on one basis. Users in chat rooms usually have common interests and that makes sharing of similar information among many realistic. In as much as chat rooms allow people to communicate with multiple individuals of identical interest, it has posed a moral dilemma with users using these rooms for sexual purposes giving birth to sexual predators who hide their real identities to advance their evil sexual agenda (Thurlow, Tomic, & Lengel, 2004). Some of these rooms are moderated but the most used have no moderation whatsoever, which is a disadvantage since users could be underage individuals who should not under moderation be allowed to access the rooms, especially those of

Black Death In 14th Century Europe History Essay

Black Death In 14th Century Europe History Essay The plague that we know today as the Black Death was actually a combination of two plagues. The Bubonic plague, the most common and significant of the two, was transmitted to humans by black rats infested with fleas. These fleas carried in them the lethal bacterium Yersinia pestis. The other less common, yet more deadly plague was the Pneumatic plague. This plague occurred when the bacterium spread to the lungs, resulting in severe coughing and easier communication to other humans. The ease with which these plagues were spread led to the infection of a considerably large number of Europeans. The Black Death was a time of great sorrow for most Europeans of the 14th century. During the 14th century, most people did not know where the plague came from. Most saw the plague as a punishment from God for mankinds sins. Today, we know that the plague came from East Asia. The plague came from the trade routes to Europe from some mysterious fountainhead of disease in the East.  [1]  This fountainhead was actually the Mongols. The flea-infected rats carrying the deadly bacterium accompanied the Mongols into central and northwestern China and Central Asia.  [2]  Traders from these regions took the rats with them to the island of Caffa in 1346; the disease quickly spread to Sicily and Italy. The Black Death pushed into southern France and Spain the following year. In 1348, the plague moved over the rest of France and into Germany. By 1349, the plague had moved into England, Scandinavia and northern Europe. In 1351, most of Europe was suffering from the effects of the plague. One of the most significant effects that the Black Death had on Europe was its lethality. From 1347 to 1351, the European population declined by 25 to 50 percent  [3]  The population of Europe at this time is estimated to have been about 75 million people; that is roughly 19 to 38 million people. The cities, whether they were large or small, were especially hit hard by the plague, with a mortality rate near 50 percent. Giovanni Boccaccio later described the plague as it swept over his city (Florence, Italy): No physicians council, no virtue of medicine whatsoever seemed to have an effect or profit against this sickness it spread no less rapidly than fire will spread to dry or oily things that lie close at hand.  [4]  Even the small farming villages suffered a mortality rate of 20 to 30 percent. Sheep and cattle want wandering over fields and through crops, and there was no one to go and drive or gather them.  [5]  The loss of life was so extreme in some areas that they r everted to waste land.  [6]   The Black Death sparked an economic dislocation that swept across Europe. This economical dislocation affected both the nobles and the peasants of Europe. As a result of the declining population, the number of laborers, or peasants, decreased drastically. This labor shortage caused a notable rise in the cost of labor. Although this was beneficial to the peasants, the labor shortage effectively lowered the standards of living for many aristocrats. The income of the landlords went down as their tenants decreased in number; their overhead kept going up.  [7]  The landlords did not like this, of course, and put forth efforts to lower peasants status back down while trying to increase their own status. In 1351, the English Parliament passed the Statute of Laborers, which attempted to limit wages to preplague levels and forbid the mobility of peasants as well. Although such laws proved largely unworkable, they did keep waged from rising as high as they might have in a free market.  [ 8]  This, along with new taxes, further strained the relationship between the aristocracy and the peasants. The aristocrats declining status paired with the peasants increasing status led to a social upheaval. As peasants became wealthier and gained more social status, they began to question the superiority of the nobles. This inevitably led to revolts. In the revolt known as the Jacquerie, French peasants rose up against the nobility because the nobility of France, knights and squires, were disgracing and betraying the realm.  [9]  They argued that it would be a good thing if they were all destroyed.  [10]  Landlords in England spurred a revolt by the issuance of a poll tax on adult peasants. The peasants refused to pay the poll tax and staged an uprising against the aristocracy. The revolt was initially successful as the rebels burned down the manor houses of aristocrats, lawyers, and government officials and murdered several important officials, including the archbishop of Canterbury.  [11]   The Black Death had a few lasting effects on Western Europe. One of the most important effects it had on Western Europe was its devastation of the European population. The European population thus did not begin to recover until around 1500 and took several generations after that to reattain thirteenth-century levels.  [12]  The social upheaval caused by the Black Death also shaped the future of Western Europe.Nevertheless, the rural and urban revolts of the fourteenth century ushered in an age of social conflict that characterized much of later European history.  [13]  The Black Death effectively altered the course of history for Western Europe and quite possibly the whole world.

Vampire Academy Chapter 20

TWENTY MY MOUTH DROPPED OPEN. â€Å"Uh†¦wait†¦you mean sex?† My astonishment prevented me from thinking of a better response. Mason thought it was hysterical. Jesse looked like he wanted to die. â€Å"Of course I mean sex. She said she'd do it if we said that we'd†¦you know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I made a face. â€Å"You guys didn't both, uh, do it at the same time, did you?† â€Å"No,† said Jesse in disgust. Ralf kind of looked like he wouldn't have minded. â€Å"God,† I muttered, pushing hair out of my face. â€Å"I can't believe she hates us that much.† â€Å"Hey,† exclaimed Jesse, reading into my insinuation. â€Å"What's that supposed to mean? We're not that bad. And you and me – we were pretty close to – â€Å" â€Å"No. We weren't even close to that.† Mason laughed again, and something struck me. â€Å"If this†¦if this happened back then, though†¦she must have still been dating Aaron.† All three guys nodded. â€Å"Oh. Whoa.† Mia really hated us. She'd just moved beyond poor-girl-wronged-by-girl's-brother and well into sociopath territory. She'd slept with these two and cheated on a boyfriend whom she seemed to adore. Jesse and Ralf looked incredibly relieved when we walked away. Mason slung a lazy arm around my shoulders. â€Å"Well? What do you think? I rule, right? You can tell me. I won't mind.† I laughed. â€Å"How'd you finally find that out?† â€Å"I called in a lot of favors. Used some threats. The fact that Mia can't retaliate helped too.† I recalled Mia accosting me the other day. I didn't think she was entirely helpless yet but didn't say so. â€Å"They'll start telling people on Monday.† he continued. â€Å"They promised. Everyone'll know by lunch.† â€Å"Why not now?† I asked sulkily. â€Å"They slept with a girl. Hurts her more than them.† â€Å"Yeah. True. They didn't want to deal with it tonight. You could start telling people if you wanted to. We could make a banner.† With as many times as Mia had called me a slut and a whore? Not a bad idea. â€Å"You got any markers and paper?†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My words trailed off as I stared across the gym to where Lissa stood surrounded by admirers, Aaron's arm around her waist. She wore a sleek pink cotton sheath in a shade I never could have pulled off. Her blond hair had been pulled up in a bun that she'd used little crystal hairpins on. It almost looked like she wore a crown. Princess Vasilisa. The same feelings as earlier hummed through to me, anxiety and excitement. She just couldn't quite enjoy herself tonight. Watching her from the other side of the room, lurking in the darkness, was Christian. He practically blended into the shadows. â€Å"Stop it,† Mason chided me, seeing my stare. â€Å"Don't worry about her tonight.† â€Å"Hard not to.† â€Å"It makes you look all depressed. And you're too hot in that dress to look depressed. Come on, there's Eddie.† He dragged me away, but not before I cast one last glance at Lissa over my shoulder. Our eyes met briefly. Regret flashed through the bond. But I pushed her out of my head – figuratively speaking – and managed to put on a good face when we joined a group of other novices. We earned a lot of mileage by telling them about the Mia scandal and, petty or not, seeing my name cleared and getting revenge on her felt amazingly good. And as those in our group wandered off and mingled with others, I could see the news spreading and spreading. So much for waiting until Monday. Whatever. I didn't care. I was actually having a good time. I fell into my old role, happy to see I hadn't grown too dusty in making funny and flirty remarks. Yet, as time passed and Eddie's party grew closer, I started to feel Lissa's anxiety pick up in intensity. Frowning, I stopped talking and turned around, scanning the room for her. There. She was still with a group of people, still the sun in her little solar system. But Aaron was leaning very close to her, saying something in her ear. A smile I recognized as fake was plastered across her face, and the annoyance and anxiety from her increased further. Then it spiked. Mia had walked up to them. Whatever she'd come to say, she didn't waste any time in saying it. With the eyes of Lissa's admirers on her, little Mia in her red dress gestured wildly, mouth working animatedly. I couldn't hear the words from across the room, but the feelings grew darker and darker through the bond. â€Å"I've got to go,† I told Mason. I half walked, half ran over to Lissa's side, catching only the tail end of Mia's tirade. She was yelling at Lissa full force now and leaning into her face. From what I could tell, word must have reached her about Jesse and Ralf selling her out. † – you and your slutty friend! I'm going to tell everyone what a psycho you are and how they had to lock you in the clinic because you're so crazy. They're putting you on medication. That's why you and Rose left before anyone else could find out you cut – â€Å" Whoa, not good. Just like at our first meeting in the cafeteria, I grabbed her and jerked her away. â€Å"Hey,† I said. â€Å"Slutty friend here. Remember what I said about standing too close to her?† Mia snarled, baring her fangs. As I'd noted before, I couldn't feel too sorry for her anymore. She was dangerous. She had stooped low to get back at me. Now, somehow, she knew about Lissa and the cutting. Really knew, too; she wasn't just guessing. The information she had now sounded both like what the guardians on the scene had reported, as well as what I'd told them about Lissa's history. Maybe some confidential doctor's stuff too. Mia'd snagged the records somehow. Lissa realized it too, and the look on her face – scared and fragile, no more princess – made my decision for me. It didn't matter that Kirova had spoken the other day about giving me my freedom, that I'd been having a good time, and that I could have let my worries go and partied tonight. I was going to ruin everything, right here and right now. I'm really not good with impulse control. I punched Mia as hard as I could – harder, I think, than I'd even hit Jesse. I heard a crunch as my fist impacted her nose, and blood spurted out. Someone screamed. Mia shrieked and flew backwards into some squealing girls who didn't want to get blood on their dresses. I swooped in after her, getting in one more good punch before somebody peeled me off her. I didn't fight restraint as I had when they'd taken me from Mr. Nagy's classroom. I'd expected this as soon as I'd swung at her. Stopping all signs of resistance, I let two guardians lead me out of the dance while Ms. Kirova tried to bring some semblance of order. I didn't care what they did to me. Not anymore. Punish or expel. Whatever. I could handle – Ahead of us, through the ebbing and flowing waves of students passing through the double doors, I saw a figure in pink dart out. Lissa. My own out-of-control emotions had overridden hers, but there they were, flooding back into me. Devastation. Despair. Everyone knew her secret now. She'd face more than just idle speculation. Pieces would fall together. She couldn't handle that. Knowing I wasn't going anywhere, I frantically searched for some way to help her. A dark figure caught my eye. â€Å"Christian!† I yelled. He'd been staring at Lissa's retreating figure but glanced up at the sound of his name. One of my escorts shushed me and took my arm. â€Å"Be quiet.† I ignored her. â€Å"Go after her,† I called to Christian. â€Å"Hurry.† He just sat there, and I suppressed a groan. â€Å"Go, you idiot!† My guardians snapped at me to be quiet again, but something inside of Christian woke up. Springing up from his lounging position, he tore off in the direction Lissa had traveled. No one wanted to deal with me that night. There'd be hell to pay tomorrow – I heard talk of suspension or possibly even expulsion – but Kirova had her hands full with a bleeding Mia and a hysterical student body. The guardians escorted me to my room under the watchful eye of the dorm matron who informed me she'd check on me every hour to make sure I stayed in my room. A couple guardians would also hang out around the dorm's entrances. Apparently I was now a high-security risk. I'd probably just ruined Eddie's party; he'd never sneak a group up to his room now. Heedless of my dress, I flounced onto the floor of my room, crossing my legs underneath me. I reached out to Lissa. She was calmer now. The events from the dance still hurt her terribly, but Christian was soothing her somehow, although whether it was through simple words or physical mojo, I couldn't say. I didn't care. So long as she felt better and wouldn't do anything stupid. I returned to myself. Yes, things were going to get messy now. Mia and Jesse's respective accusations were going to set the school on fire. I probably would get thrown out and have to go live with a bunch of skanky dhampir women. At least Lissa might realize Aaron was boring and that she wanted to be with Christian. But even if that was the right thing, it still meant – Christian. Christian. Christian was hurt. I snapped back into Lissa's body, suddenly sucked in by the terror pounding through her. She was surrounded, surrounded by men and women who had come out of nowhere, bursting up into the attic of the chapel where she and Christian had gone to talk. Christian leapt up, fire flaring from his fingers. One of the invaders hit him on the head with something hard, making his body slump to the ground. I desperately hoped he was okay, but I couldn't waste any more energy worrying about him. All my fear was for Lissa now. I couldn't let the same thing happen to her. I couldn't let them hurt her. I needed to save her, to get her out of there. But I didn't know how. She was too far away, and I couldn't even escape her head at the moment, let alone run over there or get help. The attackers approached her, calling her Princess and telling her not to worry, and that they were guardians. And they did seem like guardians. Definitely dhampirs. Moving in precise, efficient ways. But I didn't recognize them as any of the guardians from school. Neither did Lissa. Guardians wouldn't have attacked Christian. And guardians certainly wouldn't be binding and gagging her – Something forced me out of her head, and I frowned, staring around my room. I needed to go back to her and find out what had happened. Usually the connection just faded or I closed it off, but this – this was like something had actually removed me and pulled me. Pulled me back here. But that made no sense. What could pull me back from†¦wait. My mind blanked. I couldn't remember what I'd just been thinking about. It was gone. Like static in my brain. Where had I been? With Lissa? What about Lissa? Standing up, I wrapped my arms around myself, confused, trying to figure out what was going on. Lissa. Something with Lissa. Dimitri, a voice inside my head suddenly said. Go to Dimitri. Yes. Dimitri. My body and spirit burned for him all of a sudden, and I wanted to be with him more than I ever had before. I couldn't stay away from him. He'd know what to do. And he'd told me before I should come to him if something was wrong with Lissa. Too bad I couldn't remember what that was. Still. I knew he'd take care of everything. Getting up to the staff wing of the dorm wasn't hard, since they wanted to keep me inside tonight. I didn't know where his room was, but it didn't matter. Something was pulling me to him, urging me closer. An instinct pushed me toward one of the doors, and I beat the living daylights out of it. After a few moments, he opened it, brown eyes widening when he saw me. â€Å"Rose?† â€Å"Let me in. It's Lissa.† He immediately stepped aside for me. I'd apparently caught him in bed, because the covers were peeled back on one side and only a small tableside lamp shone in the darkness. Plus, he wore only cotton pajama bottoms; his chest – which I'd never seen before, and wow, did it look great – was bare. The ends of his dark hair curled near his chin and appeared damp, like he'd taken a shower not so long ago. â€Å"What's wrong?† The sound of his voice thrilled me, and I couldn't answer. I couldn't stop staring at him. The force that had pulled me up here pulled me to him. I wanted him to touch me so badly, so badly I could barely stand it. He was so amazing. So unbelievably gorgeous. I knew somewhere something was wrong, but it didn't seem important. Not when I was with him. With almost a foot separating us, there was no way I could easily kiss his lips without his help. So instead, I aimed for his chest, wanting to taste that warm, smooth skin. â€Å"Rose!† he exclaimed, stepping back. â€Å"What are you doing?† â€Å"What do you think?† I moved toward him again, needing to touch him and kiss him and do so many other things. â€Å"Are you drunk?† he asked, holding his hand out in a warding gesture. â€Å"Don't I wish.† I tried to dodge around him, then paused, momentarily uncertain. â€Å"I thought you wanted to – don't you think I'm pretty?† In all the time we'd known each other, in all the time this attraction had built, he'd never told me I was pretty. He'd hinted at it, but that wasn't the same. And despite all the assurances I had from other guys that I was hotness incarnate, I needed to hear it from the one guy I actually wanted. â€Å"Rose, I don't know what's going on, but you need to go back to your room.† When I moved toward him again, he reached out and gripped my wrists. With that touch, an electric current shot through both of us, and I saw him forget whatever he'd just been worrying about. Something seized him too, something that made him suddenly want me as much I wanted him. Releasing my wrists, he moved his hands up my arms, sliding slowly along my skin. Holding me in his dark, hungry gaze, he pulled me to him, pressing me right up to his body. One of his hands moved up the back of my neck, twining his fingers in my hair and tipping my face up to his. He brought his lips down, barely brushing them against mine. Swallowing, I asked again, â€Å"Do you think I'm pretty?† He regarded me with utter seriousness, like he always did. â€Å"I think you're beautiful.† â€Å"Beautiful?† â€Å"You are so beautiful, it hurts me sometimes.† His lips moved to mine, gentle at first, and then hard and hungry. His kiss consumed me. His hands on my arms slid down, down my hips, down to the edge of my dress. He gathered up the fabric in his hands and began pushing it up my legs. I melted into that touch, into his kiss and the way it burned against my mouth. His hands kept sliding up and up, until he'd pulled the dress over my head and tossed it on the floor. â€Å"You†¦you got rid of that dress fast,† I pointed out between heavy breaths. â€Å"I thought you liked it.† â€Å"I do like it,† he said. His breathing was as heavy as mine. â€Å"I love it.† And then he took me to the bed.