Oprah Winfrey Essay Example for Free

Oprah Winfrey Essay Oprah Winfrey, born on a farm in Mississippi to a teenage mother in 1954 came from nothing yet again is the world’s most successful lady who is a role model to many and has made it on her own. She is a success story, some one who has made history on American television by producing and hosting her own TV show, â€Å"The Oprah Winfrey Show† the show has won her countless awards and praises since its start in the year 1987. It is the top ranked show on television till this day (Oprah Winfrey Biography, 2006). She runs her own company. She has been the richest African American lady and the only Black billionaire in the world at one time and the most highly paid television host today. Success and Oprah have been together from the longest time. She has managed to win the hearts of all the Americans today with her hard work, determination, and dedication and confidence and has become the most watched television celebrity. She has been ranked the most influential lady of the 20th century from the past five years by the Time magazine (Oprah Winfrey Biography, 2006). She is considered as someone who can bring an enormous change because her popularity is beyond the pop culture and she has the capability and credibility to influence others. She has left a mark on everyone. Leadership is the ability to influence others by gaining the trust and support of the followers and Oprah has been able to do that. She is a born leader. She has all the attributes to become a successful leader and she has proved it to the world. It is her leadership qualities only that she has been able to maintain the standard of her show and live up to the expectations of her viewers. She runs a show, is an owner of a magazine, she’s into movie production, is a successful actress and all of these are her profitable businesses. She has become a brand name. She has set an example of being a superior and effective leader. She is intelligent and an educated lady, she is self confident she knows what she’s talking about. She has spoken on all kinds of issues on her show and brought the facts and figures in front of the world (Oprah Winfrey Biography, 2006). She is a stable lady, and flexible and honest and has an internal locus of control. She had the luck and believes in herself. She has the ability to understand others therefore she has created social awareness such as her effort to increase the awareness of child abuse where she was honest and bold enough to share her own child hood incident in front of the world. She has the communication skills to convince others and leave an impact and create a connection with the masses. During the time of Hurricane Katrina she made an appeal to everyone to openly donate and everybody did. Oprah runs her own charity too. She is a woman of high energy; she is running the show from the past sixteen years. Her role as the leader has been goal oriented and focused. She campaigned for Barack Obama last year. Only an effective leader can do so many things at one time. She takes timely decisions. She has adequate effort and talent and she knows how to spend it wisely. That is what leadership is all about. The queen of day time television has been an effective leader. She went through rough times during her childhood but she was a pessimistic and never lost hope. A positive attitude is an effective leader’s quality. Only when you yourself are positive you can motivate your subordinates. She was alert she wanted to create a change. She planned, organized, controlled and led while success followed her. She is good at what she is doing. Though she had all the fame and fortune this did not stop her from helping the under privileged. Oprah contributes millions of dollars every year for charities. She runs her own charity too. Good leaders make successful nations therefore the world needs more people like Oprah Winfrey.

A Look At Repression English Literature Essay

A Look At Repression English Literature Essay Ladies Coupe: A novel in parts narrates the tale of six women who meet purely by chance on a short train journey. It traces the lives of the six women as they travel in the ladies compartment. The stories they relate help the protagonists Akhilandeswari to find resolutions for the tormenting questions that taunt her and enable her to establish her true identity. The other five women belong to different age groups and classes of the society. Their individual struggle against the myriad repressive forces instills in Akhila a sense of courage and clarity in action. The repressive forces in their multiple manifestations as patriarchal attitudes, sexual politics and sexual stereotyping impose a restriction on womens individuality and leads to their marginalization which is effectuated by traditional and cultural institutions. Feminist perspective as a woman centered theory provides strategies for change. As such the feminist principle is an uncompromising pledge and an antidote to all types of exploitation and repression of women. The fundamental goal of feminist perspective, according to Maggie Humm, is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦to understand womens oppression in terms of race, gender, class and sexual preference and how to change it. (Maggie, x) The personality of woman has been sought to be damaged and distorted and her very status as human being has brought down under the overwhelming male domination. Thus, a woman who protests against her depersonalization and annihilation and who walks out of home to live and to be human are made aware of the futility of her actions. Clearly, the forces of cultural and social inculcations are too strong to be completely overcome. We find the Indian women being torn between individual desires and societal expectations. In the tradition bound society like our Indian society, it is no wonder that writers like Anita Nair has reflected such types of repression in her novels. The problem of repression faced by women varies according to their social, cultural and economic status. The tradition bound Indian society considered the very birth of girls a curse and rearing a girl child is more expensive and risky than a male child, so people dreaded the very birth of girls. The girls have to undergo a lot of difficulties in this chauvinistic society, after their difficult entry into this world. Discrimination was shown even in education. People firmly believe that a girls place is only at home, so they were reluctant to give her education. Even when she was educated, she was trained only in domestic traits. This is because a girl is viewed only as wife and a mother. Therefore, the one and only idea instituted in her mind, right from her birth was to please the male. This becomes the soul purpose of her life. So, even right from her birth the repressive problems are faced by women. In Ladies Coupe, Anita Nair delineates various women characters and provides a macro picture of womens society. Janaki got married at the age of eighteen. As a girl of eighteen, she is not matured enough to know the meaning of marriage and what to expect of marriage. Janaki accommodates her body and mind to marriage and what it had to offer her in life. She did not live for her own self; she lived for her husband. Janaki didnt know what to expect of marriage. All through her girlhood, marriage was a destination she was being groomed for. She wasnt expected to know what it really meant to be married, and neither was she curious about it. It would come to her as it had to her mother. (LC 25) As a wife in the patriarchal society, Janaki finds her husband a loving and protecting one in the initial of her life. She is not matured enough to understand her suppressed condition in the patriarchal society. She remembers the words of her mother, He is your husband and you must accept whatever he does (LC 25). They have a son and daughter-in-law. They were branded as the golden couple and were exemplary perfect parents. As she got married at a very early age, she doesnt even know that she is suppressed in the bond of marriage. Only at the age of forty-five, she realized that all her desires are oppressed. But, Janaki resents her husbands overbearing nature over their son and revolts against it. She questions his right to control their son and slowly she begins to hate her husbands actions. Janaki could not unlearn what patriarchy had instituted in her. Even the initial revulsion of the physical act in the beginning of her married life, turns into an acceptance of the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã ‚ ¦ pleasures hidden in rituals of togethernessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (26). She is confined in the bondage of a wife, mother and most importantly the woman that patriarchy has moulded into her. Marriage life is the next stage of repression. After marriage, a girl becomes a woman and she has various roles to perform. She has to play the roles of a daughter in law, wife, mother and mother in law. Of all the roles mentioned here, the most difficult roles are a woman as daughter-in- law and wife. They could never come out of tradition. The inborn feminine traits of the traditional never allowed them to mould away from tradition. They never opposed or questioned their men folk. Instead, they suppress all their emotions and desires and are being controlled by the repressive forces. Janaki, an elderly and wise woman, comes out with a meaning of life that all women are prone to: I am a woman who has always been looked after. First there was my father and my brothers; then my husband. When my husband is gone, there will be my son, waiting to take from where his father let off. Women like me end up being fragile. Our men treat us like princesses. And because of that we look down upon women who are strong and who can cope by themselves. I believe in that old clichà © that a home was a womans kingdom. I worked hard to preserve mineà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and then suddenly one day it didnt matter anymore. My home ceased to interest me, none of the beliefs I had built my life around had any meaning. I thought if I were to lose it all, I would cope. If I ever became alone I would manage perfectly. I was confident about that. I think I was tired of being this fragile creatureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Now I know that even if I can cope it wouldnt be the same if he wasnt there with me. (22-23) Evelyn Cunningham says that the women are the only oppressed group in our society that lives in intimate association with their oppressors. They even felt glorified in their sufferings, and if any women had rebellious attitude, the people around them curbed that in the beginning itself. Women were brainwashed right from their birth to be polite, submissive and obedient. She was expected to be chaste and faithful even when her husband was unfaithful. It is not only these illiterate home birds who were afraid to rebel against tyranny and exploitations but even the educated house wives stuck firmly to the traditional role. Such women inspite of their education considered suffering in their husbands place was far better than leading a lonely life. Margaret Shanthi, is one of the important characters in the novel Ladies Coupe novel. She is a chemistry teacher by profession is married to Ebenezer Paulraj, the principal of the school she worked in. He was a pompous self-opinionated individual who successfully destroyed Margarets self-confidence by bullying her always and then treating her as a house keeper and a cook. She goes through many physical, mental and spiritual crises. Their marriage had a fairy tale like charm initially which slowly disintegrates when Margaret begins to see the true nature of Ebe. He loved her but she dare have no individuality. Margaret initially is the little girl who says yes to whatever he says and is out to please him always. Margarets husband wanted her to become a docile wife. This is the life of the women to look after her home, her husband and her children and give them food she has cooked with her own hands (LC 40). She leads a life of obscurity in some corner of the house all the time pretend ing to be satisfied and happy. As Kamala Das says in her poem The Suicide, But I must pose I must pretend I must act the role of a happy woman Happy wife. (227) She is forced to pursue B.Ed though her real interest is to do Ph.D. Ebe insists and forces her to abort their first child which ultimately is the last straw for Margaret. She sees through his dual nature of pretentious politeness and inner cruelty. His ridiculous theories, derisive contempt of her way of house keeping and cooking and collection of defacing books with ugly drawings only intensifies Margarets hatred. She hates her husband whom she once adorned and worshipped because her dreams were broken and she comes crashing down to reality, when she is forced to abort her first pregnancy. Gnawed by indecision, guilt and pain, she allows herself to be coerced into it. She sees another side of her husband when after her abortion, a week later, he says: I love it when you call me Ebeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I like you like thisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ unstained and cleanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I never want you to change. I want you to remain like this all your life (LC 111). Whenever she tried to share her fe elings with her mother she is advised in turn: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and like I have said many times before, it is a womans responsibility to keep the marriage happy. Men have so many pre occupations that they might not have the time or inclination to keep the wheels of a marriage oiled (112). Ebe became more and more over bearing after he becomes the principle of a school. He begins to nag her and find fault in her house keeping and cooking. She begins to hate him. Margarets family cannot accept the idea of a divorce and though she feels stifled in her marriage she continues living with Ebe. Her only consolation is food and she puts on weight. His dual nature, artificial politeness and warmth and inner cruelty; his ego, his defacing books with ugly drawings, his various theories and his constant derisive contempt of her, make her suffer intensely. I, Margaret Shanthi did it with the sole desire for revenge. To erode his self-esteem and shake the very foundations of his being. To rid this world of a creature who if allowed to remain the way he was, slim, lithe and arrogant, would continue to harvest sorrow with a single-minded joy. (LC 96) Repeatedly discouraged by her mother and the fear of the stigma of divorce, she stops short of openly asking questions that torment her mind and soul: What about me? Dont I  have a  right to  have any  expectations  of him?  Dont I work as hard as he  does and more because I run the house as well (112). Liberation is meaningful, if we do not confine women within the bonds of family. The marriage makes women submissive. This is one of the main repressive forces that every woman in the society is facing. Margaret Shanti is a good example of how women are repressed upon by male power. The powerlessness is like the colonized who fail to see and appreciate their true worth. Societal expectations far outweigh personal needs and so Shanti negates herself again and again. From an ambitious and brilliant student who wants to chart out a career on her own, she becomes a dutiful wife to Ebenezer who rouses fear in everyone around him. She silences her aspirations in order to be what Ebenezer wants her to be. She decided to become a teacher instead of working on her decorate. She cut her hair short. She stopped going to church every Sunday, eating bhelpuri outside and finally agrees to abort her child though she knows that her religion forbids it. As usual, he takes the decisions and I (Shanti) let his voice smooth away my fears. He was Ebe. My Ebe. He was right. He was always right (LC 109). Shashi Deshpande, in her novel The Dark Holds No Terror, defines the lopsided gender equation within the context of urban marital relationships. A wife must always be a few feet behind her husband. If he is an M.A., you should be a B.Aà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Womens magazines will tell you that marriage should be an equal partnership. Thats nonsense. Rubbish. No partnership can ever be equal. It will always be unequal, but take care that its unequal in favor of your husband. (The Dark Holds No Terror 85) The belief that existed in the past and continued to be fresh in the minds of the people was that the man should be the bread winner and woman the home maker in the family. It was the husband who slogs way at job or business, to give the family a decent way of living, fully confident that the wife at home would efficiently manage the house, also look after his parents and children, awaiting his return for a conjugal round of dinner. In the present day, the situation becomes different. Women now demand more space, the rights and freedom because they want to come out of the repressive forces. They are not ready to be submissive and meek as their mothers. The problem of violence against women is not new. Women in the context of Indian society have been victims of repression, torture, humiliation and exploitation. All were merely trying to seek fulfillment by playing the role of a devoted wife and a caring mother. Friedan writes, For a woman, as for a man the need for self-fulfillment autonomy, self-realization, independence, individuality, self-actualization is as important as the sexual need, with as serious consequences when it is thwarted. Womens sexual problems are, in this sense, by-products of the suppression of her basic need to grow and fulfill her potentialities as human being, potentialities which the mystique of feminism fulfillment ignores. (282) Nairs women suffer from a system of sex role stereotyping and repression that exist under patriarchal social organizations. Of course, patriarchy, in its different forms, has tried in many ways to repress, debase and humiliate women especially through the images represented in cultural and traditional forms. She is supposed only to listen, not to speak; only to suffer, not to shriek (42). In Ladies Coupe, Marikolanthu is the last one to narrate her story. She is a young girl and uneducated who is poorly dressed and lives in a tamed and controlled environment. She lives in a noisy psycho-social group and she is stressed by it. Hans Seyle, an endocrinologist says that stress is the rate of wear and tear in the body. Her mother works as a cook at the Chettiar household. Her mother stopped her schoolings and allowed only her sons to go for school. Marikolanthu was repeatedly warned by her mother  because she was easily impressed by people: you give your heart too easily,  child.  They will break it  into thousand  pieces  and leave it on the ground for others to trample into dust (LC  216).  On such occasions  she had  always  teased  her  mother asking her if the heart was a glass bangle (LC  216). But her experience results in her realization of the value of her  mothers  words.  She  says, But you know what, the heart is a glass bangle. One careless moment and it is shattered. We know that, yet we continue to wear glass bangles. Each time they break, we buy new ones hoping that these will last longer than the others did. How silly we women are. We should wear bangles made of granite and turn hearts into the same. When the girls are trained in the domestic affairs, the boys are expected to keep away from the domestic traits. Much discrimination are shown in the upbringing of boys and girls. In a male chauvinistic society like India, boys are given a long rope, while the girls are confined at home. Even the girls themselves never minded such discriminations. On the contrary they are well contended with their role. Later Marikolanthu is employed as a domestic helper and also she has to look after Sujata akkas son. She adores that kid but hates her own son Muthu who is born after a rape encounter with Murugesan so she resents the birth of her unwanted son. Her life revolves around the Chettiar household. She looks after the households and in the afternoons, she willingly obeys whenever Sujatha akka needs her for her physical fulfillment and whenever the master needs her for the same. When Sujatha akka learns about her husbands affair, she rejects Marikolanthu and throws her out of the house. Marikolanthu leaves Kanchepuram and before that she mortgages her son Muthu for rupees five thousand at her rapist Murugesans looms. Later, there is a change in her heart when she sees her son lighting the pyre of the dead Murugesan. She decides to take care of her son Muthu. Marikolanthu has to face the strains of life herself. She is a victim of repression, a virtual slave, the victim of men, of casteism and of innumerable social injustices. It is that gender bias and oppression of women emerges as a powerful theme of the novel. She is being repressed by Murugesan. The device he uses to control her is rape. She feels defiled and corrupt. She evokes our sympathy when she says, In the distance, I heard the calls. Bogi! Bogi! The sparks would fly as the bonfire was set alight and the night would crackle with the sound of dried logs and twigs waking up. With my past, my future too had been torched alive. (LC 241) Marikolunthu suffers extreme repression social, familial and financial. It is ultimately love that brings her on the right track where she will find happiness and fulfillment. Her struggle has been one of hate for herself and accommodating with humiliating relationships thereafter. Her resolve to bring up her child shows her forming in to a new character. The words of  Marikolunthu could be quoted as an apt conclusion to the motif of the novel: Women are strong. Woman can do everything as well as men. Women can do much more. But a woman has to seek the vein of strength in herself. It does not show itself naturally. (LC 210) The female body becomes the site of violence in the case of the rape of Marikolanthu. Like the violence unleashed by the colonizer on the powerless colonized, she has to face physical repression and mental torture when left to fend for her. With his brute strength, Murugesan attacks her and she is left helpless. She is different from the other women in the coupe because her experiences are far more painful. The traditional image that a girl forms in her mind is to be submissive, committed, docile and tolerant so that she may prove herself an ideal woman not only for her husband but also for her father in law, mother in law and the other in laws. The Brahmin heroine, Akhila, whose life has been taken out of her control, is a spinster, daughter, sister, aunt and the only provider of her family after the death of her father. Getting fed up with these multiple roles, she decides to go on a train journey away from family and responsibilities, a journey that will ultimately make her a different woman. In the ladies coupe compartment, she meets five other women each of whom has a story to tell. The stories are all an attempt to answer Akhhilas problematic question. Can a woman stay single and be happy at the same time? Akhila asks such a question because she is being suppressed by all the members of her family. She has never been allowed to live her own life. She questions her family members, Why shouldnt I live alone? Im of able body and mind. I can look after myself. I earn reasonably well. Akhila paused when her voice chocked with tears, and asked me what my desires were or what my dreams are? Did anyone of you ever think of me as a woman? Someone who has needs and longings just like you do? (LC 206) The protagonist Akhila loses her father at a very young age and since then she has been shouldering the responsibility of the entire family. She served as a clerk in the income tax department. When Akhilas father died, the family responsibility falls on her fragile shoulders. The narrator elucidates: When Akhilas father died, two things happened: Sunday become just another day of the week and Akhila became the man of the family (LC 75). Manning the responsibility of the family begins to repress her desires. Even her mother does not care about her desires. They have never asked, What about you? Youve been the head of this family ever since Appa died. Dont you want a husband, children, a home of your own? (LC 77). Akhila wanted to lead her life with Hari who is younger than herself. But her desires have been repressed by the social norms. Akhila wished for once, someone would see her as a whole being. What Akhila most desired in the world was to be her own person; in a place that was her own. To do as she pleased. To live as she chose with neither restraint nor fear of censure (LC 201). Akhilas youthful days were spent bringing up her sister Padma and two brothers Narayan and Narsi. They are happily married and settled. She is seen as a bread winner and they continue to suppress her desires with their needs and demands. Akhila says Dont you think you should wait for your elder sister to get married before you think of a wife and a family? (LC 77). Her selfish siblings were concerned only about their own well-being. They married and moved on in life without even bothering to think about Akhilas future. Akhila has wasted away her precious youthful days and when she finally mustered the courage to make a difference in life; she was given a lot of advice by her siblings about the dangers of living alone as a spinster. Her sister Padma needed the financial support of Akhila to run the household. The brothers Narayan and Narsi were worried about society. Narsi its improper for a woman to live alone. What will society say? That your family has abandoned you. Besides, there will be a whole lot of questions that will pop up about your reputation. You know how people put two and two together and come up with six. Nalinis family will be scandalized if they hear about this. Have you thought of how embarrassing my position will be? (Ladies Coupe 205) Akhilas brother tried to smoothen her ruffled feathers. He said that he owed his life to his sister. But he too was worried about Akhilas decision to live alone. He said, How will you cope? This is not a reflection on who you are. How can any woman cope alone? (206). Thus a patriarchal society did not approve o a womans decision to live alone without the protection of the men of the house, even if they financially depended on the women. Akhila saw the irony of the situation and later developed the succor to overcome such tyrannical systems. Initially Akhila undertakes the journey to Kanyakumari as a form of escape. Akhila is placed in a situation of unfamiliarity and dislocation precisely because her struggle for identity should come out more clearly. What she hated most à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦was not having an identity of her own. She was always an extension of someone elses identity. Chandras daughter, Narayans Akka, Priyas auntà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ she wished for someone would see her as a whole being. Akhila undertakes this journey as a form of escape, a desire to go away alone, a sense of excitement of being able to do something all by herself, not having to take permission, of taking an independent decision. She moves on to see what has never been seen, go where she has never gone before. Akhilas journey begins with a sense of escape: the smell of a railway platform at night fills Akhila with a sense of escape (1). Always the daughter, the sister, the aunt or the provider, she had no time to actualize herself, until one day she bought for herself a one-day ticket to the seaside town of Kanyakumari. She is gloriously alone for the first time in her life and is determined to break free from all that her conservative Tamil Brahmin life had forced on her. Akhila had always dreamt of this à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦eyes looking ahead. Of leaving. Of running away. Of pulling out. Of escaping(1). Akhila has never done anything that she desired to, but only what she was expected to do. But now she has a strong desire to be free and want to experience the real happiness of freedom. She decides to go the lands end to make a new beginning of experiencing the real meaning of freedom. And we are introduced to Akhila as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ that sort of a womanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (who) does what is expected of herà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(1). In their minds Akhila has ceased to be a woman and had already metamorphosed into a spinster. Akhila is a woman who is throbbing with life, vitality and sexuality. All these are suppressed to cater to the needs of her family. Akhila understands that matrimony is a patriarchal practice which sanctions men power to overpower woman. All the women characters in Ladies Coupe have been affected in one way or other because of patriarchal system. It provides an insight into emotional challenges of each of the women overcame in their life. It is the emotional outburst of the deprived women that Akhila has tried to portray. Women hesitate to take decision on their own and they think marriage is the ultimate aim of their life and pleasing their husband is a main concern of women. In the due course, they failed to create identity of their own. The self abnegation of women goes unrecognized in a patriarchal society and this leads to the self abasement of womens importance in society. A woman in t he post independence era is aware of the discrimination she has to face, the sexual harassment and violence which she explores in the male dominated society. Nair discusses marital rape perpetrated by the modern Indian male in her novels. The restrictions prevalent in Indian family prevent the Indian girls from youthful love before marriage. Girls are generally not allowed to mix with boys during their adolescence. The girls feelings are not shown as they are rarely expressed in real life. It is common for all girls in the middle class to express their love or make decisions. As the girls are confined at home the most part of their pleasing others becomes their prime duty at home. Shashi Deshpande rightly judges that, everything in girls life, it seemed was shaped to that single purpose of pleasing a male (79). The novel Mistress discusses the sexual violence and the repressive power of Shyam in the marital relationship of Shyam and Radha. This novel revolves around the life of Radha, Shyam and their morbid marriage against the backdrop of the narratives of Radhas uncle Koman, who is a Kathakali exponent. Her unhappy situation in the ill matched marriage drives her into the arms of Chris, an American writer. The novel culminates in Radha finding her own voice and deciding to go against the repressive force of her husband. The most remarkable part of the novel is the characterization of Shyam, which is a perfect mould of a modern, educated, tech savvy Indian male who finds it hard to shed his traditional role as a man. Nair has given Shyam his own voice through his first person narrative and thereby taking the reader straight into his mind. Shyam is a twenty first century male through and through. He is extremely successful in his business, which is his undoing in a sense. He is never reluctant to turn any opportunity into a money making venture. His only failure perhaps is his inability to understand his wife and treat her as an individual who has a mind for her own. To him, Radha is another possession, which he is proud of, as he is of his business ventures. He often refers to her as My Radha (90) as if to affirm his ownership. Simone de Beauvoir speaks about this masculine trait in The Second Sex: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Subordinated economically and socially to her husband, the good wife is the mans most precious treasure. She belongs to him so profoundly that she partakes the same essence as he; she has his name, his gods, and he is responsible for her. He calls her his better half. He takes pride in his wife as he does in his house, his lands, his flocks, and his wealth and sometimes even more; through her he displays his power before the world; she is his measure and his earthly portion. (207) Shyams idea of marriage is to keep a pretty wife, indulge in her wishful fancies and make her dependent on him. He does not want an assertive woman as a wife. Radha and Shyam are incompatible in many ways and Radha feels suffocated by her marriage. She compares herself to the butterfly which can be taken as a good example of repression. His arms pins me to the bed. His bed. I think that for Shyam, I am a possession. A much cherished possession. That is my role in his life. He doesnt want an equal; what he wants is a mistress. Someone to indulge and someone to indulge him with feminine wilesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I think of the butterfly I caught and pinned to a board when it was still alive, its wings spread so as to display the markings, oblivious that somewhere within, a little heart beat, yearning to fly. I am that butterfly now. (Mistress 87) Feminism voices the new womans demand to be treated as an equal human being, rather than a piece of furniture meant for the convenience of man. The repression of woman is expressed well in the novels of women writers in all its intensity. Shyam wanted to prove that he is the husband and he has complete right over his wifes body whether she welcomes the intrusion or not. Shyams perpetrate acts of sexual violence leaves a deep scar on Radha, where as, he is quite satisfied with what he has done without any remorse. He is blind in his pursuit and does not care for Radhas feelings. His only aim is to bring her under control by suppressing her desires and emotions. The key to happiness in marriage is the ability to endure and go on. But there are many marriages where women are dominated by their husbands and do not find freedom and space in their marital life. There is a new breed of women who is questioning the very institution of marriage and the double standards of judgment applied to women and men. Panduranga Rao rightly admires that, Given the limitations of tradition and its inhibitive influence one cannot but admire the guts of these women who have taken it upon themselves to question and question logically what comes to be accepted as a divine fiat in matters of man-woman relationship and related areas. (Ra0 75) For Shyam, Radha is his proud possession and the marriage between Shyam and Radha fails to be a marriage of minds or hearts. In place of an understanding and meaningful relationship that marriage can be, Shyam wants an unequal relationship that would make Radha his proud possession so the marriage between Shyam and Radha is not a marriage of minds or hearts. Radha has no expectations from the institutions of marriage. Shyam always does things to maintain his prestige. He says I am a survivor everyday and in every way. Im getting better and better (160). This attitude makes Radha uneasy. She is escorted everywhere and has little freedom to do anything on her own. All her desires and emotions were totally repressed. In her relationship with Shyam she feels, I think that for Shyam, I am a possession. A much cherished possession. That is my role in his life. He doesnt want an equal; what he wants is a mistress. Someone to indulge and someone to indulge him with feminine wiles. (Mistress 153) She is blamed always for being disorderly. She never arranged books in the shelf properly. There is a lack of meaningful communication between them which leads to a rift in their relationship. However, Shyam admires Radha in every way and loves her very much. Radha says Shyam likes to think of me prettying myself for him. He prefers a glossy, silly wife to a homely, practical one. Glossy, silly wives are malleable (Mistress 61). She is kept at home like a bird in the cage unable to exhibit her talents. When he prevents her from going to the match factory, a clash occurs again between them. Radha is also thwarted from taking tuitions in a primary school. Shyams domination over her prevents her from making a choice of her own. This kind of domination makes her feel suffocated and she asks him, Dont I have a right to a

The Gas Exchange And Transport

The Gas Exchange And Transport The changes in pulmonary ventilation and blood flow are actually regulated by the central nervous system through the respiratory and cardiovascular areas located in the brain. According to Sir Joseph Barcroft in 1934, exercise actually forces both cardiovascular and respiratory system to perform at a higher level of function. [1] This helps us to understand better how both respiratory and cardiovascular systems interact with each other to perform well. Gas Exchange and Transport Gaseous exchange occurs in the alveoli of the human lungs. Air in the alveolus has a higher partial pressure of oxygen compared to the blood in the pulmonary artery. Therefore, oxygen diffuses into the blood at capillary by dissolving in the moisture on the alveolar surface. On the other hand, air in the alveolus has a lower partial pressure of carbon dioxide compared to the blood in capillaries. Hence, the carbon dioxide diffuses from the blood capillary to alveolus to be exhaled out. [2] There are several factors which affect the gaseous exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen between the blood capillaries and alveoli in the lungs. These factors are the surface area available for diffusion, the length of the diffusion pathway, and the hemoglobin concentration in the blood. At rest, not all the capillaries that surround the alveoli are open. During exercise, more alveoli and capillaries are opened which increase the surface area to allow a faster diffusion to occur. [1] During exercise, there is also movement of fluid from blood into the surrounding cells and tissues. This is termed hemoconcentration. This will increase the concentration of hemoglobin in blood by 5% to 10%. [1] The increase in body temperature that causes the person to sweat will reduce plasma volume. This will produce hemoconcentration as well. This is the reason why during exercise, gas transport per unit volume of blood flow increases. [1] Oxygen Dissociation Curve Respiratory system is responsible for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between our body and the environment. When inspiratory muscles contract, air rushes into the lungs due to the higher pressure of external environment. Air is forced out from the lungs to the environment during expiration when the pressure inside thoracic cavity becomes higher. [2] During exercises, active tissues such as skeletal muscles need more oxygen to generate ATP. [3] Therefore, they produce more carbon dioxide and the body temperature increase. This carbon dioxide will react with water in the tissue to form carbonic acid which increases acidity. Increase in the acidity of blood will reduce the affinity of hemoglobin to oxygen. As the result, more oxygen is released to these active tissues. [2] For example, during moderate exercises, skeletal muscles need more oxygen and they produce more carbon dioxide due to the work out. So, the pH is decreased causing the affinity of hemoglobin to oxygen reduce. Hemoglobin with a lower affinity to oxygen has oxygen dissociation curve which is further to the right. Body temperature which increases during exercise will cause the shifting of oxygen dissociation curve to the right as well. [5] According to Merle L. Foss and Steven J. Keteyian in their book, Physiological Basis for Exercise and Sport, the respiratory system change the rate and depth of ventilation to help regulate the hydrogen ion concentration of our body fluid. When body fluid pH decreases, for example, during exercises, ventilation increases to blow off carbon dioxide. When at rest, ventilation decreases to retain carbon dioxide in body fluid. [1] Ventilation changes during exercise Involuntary control of breathing is carried out by the breathing center in the medulla oblongata. [2] This breathing center consists of an inspiratory center and expiratory center. The partial pressure of carbon dioxide which also affects the pH of blood is the most important factor controlling the rate and depth of breathing. The chemoreceptors detect the changes in partial pressure of carbon dioxide of blood and cerebral spinal fluid. These chemoreceptors are the carotid bodies, the aortic bodies, and the medulla [1] that near the breathing center. During moderate exercises, there is a rapid increase in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the blood. This is due to the accumulation of lactic acid in muscles. The increase in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide stimulates the chemoreceptors to transmit impulses to the inspiratory center. Inspiratory center transmits impulses to diaphragm muscles and intercostal muscle for rate and depth breathing. [3] At the first few second after start the exercise, there is a rapid increase in the ventilation. This is due to the increase in the central command from cortex. The increase in the neural stimuli to medulla because of the activation of muscle or joint receptors may cause the hyperventilation as well. After that, the rapid ventilation start to achieve at steady state or it shows a slower rise. This is because chemoreceptors start to react to increase in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide and decrease in the pH of blood or cerebral spinal fluid. The ventilation continues to increase until the exercise is stop. [1] During normal breathing, a human adult inhales and exhales about 450cm ³ of air. This is known as tidal volume. During vigorous activity, tidal volume can increase up to 2000cm ³. [2] Oxygen uptake increases linearly as the work rate is increasing. However, above a certain work rate the oxygen uptake reaches a plateau. Thats mean there is a limiting factor to oxygen up take. [3] Structure of Human Heart Human heart consists of 4 chambers, left atrium, right atrium, left ventricle and right ventricle. Both the left and right ventricles have thicker muscular wall compare to left and right atria wall because ventricles need to contract strongly to pump blood out of the heart. Whereas, the wall of left ventricle is 3 to 4 times thicker to right ventricle because left ventricle need to pump blood to all parts of our body except lungs while right ventricle pump blood to lungs only. The intraventricular septum separate left and right side of the heart completely. Left atrium receives oxygenated blood from lungs via pulmonary vein while right atrium received deoxygenated blood from the body through vena cava. [7] [6] Control of Heart Beat Heartbeat is myogenic. This is because beating of the heart is started by cardiac muscles and not by external stimulation. Sino atrial node (SAN) which is also known as the pacemaker for the heart is responsible to originate excitation for starting the heartbeat. SAN have a high permeability to sodium ions. So, SAN cells are depolarized as sodium ions diffuse into these cells continuously. The depolarization will generate electrical impulse that transmitted out from SAN cells to produce contraction of heart. Atrial systole occurs when the wave of excitation is conducted from SAN to walls of both atria. The impulses that generate by SAN is then activates atrioventricular node (AVN). AVN then transmits the impulses to apex of the ventricles via bundle of his. From the apex, impulses are transmitted to ventricular muscles through purkinje fibers. This transmission causes ventricles to contract and hence pump blood into pulmonary artery and aorta. [2] SAN can be accelerated or slowed down by the autonomic nerve system, endocrine system and some other factors. The amount of blood return to heart actually can induce the increase in the stroke volume and cardiac output of the heart. During exercise, the working skeletal muscles contract strongly and quickly. As a result, a large amount of blood is return to the heart via vena cava. There is stretch receptors (baroreceptors) located within the wall of the vena cava. When large amount of blood return to the heart, the vena cava dilates and this stretches its wall, stimulated the stretch receptors there. The stretch receptors then generate impulses at high frequency to transmit to cardiac accelerator center in the medulla oblongata. The stimulated accelerator center then transmits impulses via the sympathetic nerves to induce a faster and stronger heartbeat. [1] According to Starling Law, the strength of the heartbeat is related to how much the cardiac muscles are stretched. Therefore, the more the volume of blood returned to the heart, the stronger the ventricle contracts. [4] Stroke volume increases due to the strong ventricular contraction, thus there is high blood pressure in carotid artery and aorta. Stretch receptors are stimulated and transmit impulses to cardiac inhibitory center to slow down heartbeat. This is to prevent the heart from beating too fast. [2] Distribution of Blood Flow At rest, majority of the cardiac output is distributed to the visceral organ, the heart and the brain. Only 20% of the total systemic flow is distributed to the muscles. [1] However, during exercise, more active skeletal muscles received a higher proportion of the cardiac output due to the redistribution of the blood flow. The metabolic active skeletal muscles will receive 85 to 90% of the total blood flow during maximal exercise. [1] The redistribution of the blood flow is caused by the vasoconstriction of the arterioles at visceral organs and non-working skeletal muscles which are less active metabolically during the progress of exercise. The vasodilation of the arterioles which supply blood to the active skeletal muscles is also the reason that causing the redistribution of the blood flow. [1] The vasoconstriction of the arterioles at non-active tissues in our body during exercises is due to the increase in both neural input and release of noradrenaline to the blood. On the other hand, the vasodilation of arterioles at active skeletal muscles during exercise is mainly due to initial reflex sympathetic nervous system response and chemical changes in the body. Those chemical changes include increase in temperature, partial pressure of carbon dioxide, hydrogen ions in plasma and blood, lactic acid level and decrease in the partial pressure of oxygen. The innermost layer of the arterial blood vessel will also release a vasodilation substance which is nitrous oxide to induce vasodilation of arterioles. [1] Blood Pressure Regulation Blood pressure is regulated by coordinating cardiac output and the diameter of the arteries. As cardiac output increases, blood pressure increases as well. Arterioles vasodilation lowers the blood pressure while arterioles vasoconstriction raises the blood pressure. The neurons from the vasomotor center in the medulla innervate the smooth muscles in all arterioles. [2] During exercises, there is increase in the cardiac output which raises blood pressure and stimulating the stretch receptors in the aortic arch and carotid sinuses. The stretch receptors then transmit impulses to the vasomotor center in the medulla. The vasomotor center then responds by causes the arterioles to vasodilate to decrease the blood pressure. It may cause the cardiac output to decrease also. [2] Blood pressure also affects by the partial pressure of carbon dioxide. During exercise, the increase in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide will stimulate the chemoreceptors located in the carotid bodies. The chemoreceptors then transmit the impulses to the vasomotor center in medulla that causes the arterioles to vasoconstrict. This can facilitate the carbon dioxide excretion as more blood can be transported to the lungs. [2] Conclusion After go through all the topics that we discussed above, we can conclude that all the adjustments make by respiratory and cardiovascular systems (cardiopulmonary) need to be controlled, coordinated and interact with one another well to operate at a higher level of function. Cardiopulmonary system is able to function efficiently because of the control of nervous system which involves both voluntary nervous system and involuntary nervous system. As both cardiovascular and respiratory systems are interconnected with each other, therefore, the stimulation of one area such as the increase in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide will affect both ventilation and blood flow. As a result, to study physiological changes during moderate exercise, we need to study both cardiovascular and respiratory systems to understand better how they work.

Drug Identification With Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry :: essays research papers

Drugs are used everyday by people in many different ways for many different reasons. Drug testing has become a standard in pre-employment testing, because of the wide variety of drug use in today's society. Drugs tested for by a possible employer include Cocaine (crack), Amphetamines (crystal), Opiates (codeine, morphine, heroin), PCP (phencyclidine), and Marijuana. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry is used to test hair and urine samples of possible drug abusers or job applicants, and it is the best method for the testing of drug use. Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry are two different methods for identifying chemical substances, and the two instruments have be coupled together to perform a highly complementary analytical function. The gas chromatograph and the mass spectrometer have theories behind how their techniques work, and specific forensic applications for their instrumentation. The history and theory of the gas chromatography started over forty years ago with the invention of the capillary column. The gas chromatograph offers rapid and very high-resolution separations of a very wide range of compounds, with the only restriction that the analyzed substance needs to have sufficient volatility. The theory behind the mass spectrometer is to use the difference in mass-to-charge ratio (m/e) of ionized atoms or molecules to separate them from each other. Mass spectrometry is therefore useful for quantitation of atoms or molecules and also for determining chemical and structural information about molecules. Molecules have distinctive fragmentation patterns that provide structural information to identify structural components. The combination of the gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer is very easy, because both instrument needs to be modified in excess and both are analyzed in the gas phase and have comparable sample levels and temperature ranges. The ! most important feature of the tw o instruments being coupled is that they perform complementary analytical functions.The instrumentation of the gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer is very complex. The instrument's parts include an injector, a carrier gas, a column, a separator, an ionization source, mass separator, and an ion detector. The injector is located on the gas chromatograph and is where the sample gas is injected into the instrument to start the process. The sample gas is then mixed with a carrier gas, which is the mobile phase in gas chromatography. The mixture proceeds into the capillary column where the separation of the sample begins. The capillary column is 15 to 60 meters in length and .25 to

Sharing Music over the Internet :: Digital Media Sharing

In a report prepared by Arbor Networks, a network-management firm employed by over 70 percent of the top ISPs globally, peer-to-peer sharing has reached more than 60 percent of the net traffic in the year 2012. Peer-to-peer sharing and piracy websites allow internet users to download music, videos and programs without having to pay for them. Technically, this is described by the law as stealing which makes peer-to-peer sharing and piracy websites illegal. Moreover, the government, through the enforcement of certain laws, imposes discipline to its citizens with regard to downloading and sharing music over the internet. Copyright Infringement The Department of Justice of the U.S. government presented a report Task Force on Intellectual Property which clearly imparts the laws protecting intellectual properties of individuals. As stated in the report, an intellectual property is an intangible property which is expressed through ideas and inventions. Copyright is intended to protect these intellectual properties including music—its lyrics and composition. Through the Copyright Act, the creator is given exclusive rights which encompass credit until after 70 years from death and the option of distribution. In peer-to-peer sharing and free downloads where music is used commercially in the internet, copyright is violated. In fact, as the shown in the statistics above, copyright infringement is practiced by millions in just one day. Probably, these people do not know and fully understand the laws and the penalties such as fines and imprisonment if they commit copyright infringement. Piracy The music industry, as represented by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), has gone procedures in fighting both copyright infringement and piracy. Accordingly, as shown in the report of Arbor Networks, the overwhelming 40 percent of net traffic that shares music through peer-to-peer connection has rapidly decreased to just 18 percent in the year 2009. RIAA has sued internet fans who commit infringement. Furthermore, the association has also presented piracy surcharges on ISPs which offer an upgrade to peer-to-peer connections for fast downloads at a fee, and websites which provide free searches and downloads for music. Government’s Response To stop piracy and copyright infringement, the Congress commenced the â€Å"Piracy Deterrence and Education Act of 2003†. As stated in this bill, the Congress appeals to the Department of Justice, along with the FBI, to involve their departments in discovering peer-to-peer file sharers and taking legal actions against them.

Edmee Ferrer Essay

Professor Anderson Listening to the Women’s Rights was very moving and it really touched me and I learned a lot about what women had to go through and are still going through. I learned about Elizabeth Cady Stanton and what an amazing and powerful woman she was. Stanton was born in November. 12, 1815 and died in October. 26, 1902. She was an American Social Activist, abolitionist, and leading figure of the early Women’s Rights Movement. Besides focusing on Women’s Rights she also addressed issues pertaining to voting rights, women’s parental and custody rights, property rights, employment and income rights, divorce, the economic health of the family and birth control. She was also an outspoken supporter of the 19th century temperance movement. In 1920 women gained the right to vote, right of citizens of United States to vote shall not be denied by the United States or any state on account of sex. In the 1940’s and the 1950’s men had to go out to war so it left women to depend on themselves and started working to provide for their family. I also learned about the first-wave feminism and the second-wave feminism. The first-wave feminism focused more on suffrage and overturning legal obstacles to gender equality, voting rights, and property rights. The second-wave feminism broadened the debate to a wide range of issues like sexuality, family, the work place, reproductive rights, and official legal inequalities. The second-wave feminism also focused on domestic violence and marital rape issues, establishment of rape crisis and battered women’s shelter, also changes in custody and divorce law. I can say that I am very proud to be a woman, we have had to go through many challenges, having to be slaves of our life as wife’s and mother’s and home makers. Being sex slaves to our husbands, looked down at or feel less than a man. Not able to work or feel independent. We women are powerful and strong and capable of changing the world forever, capable of showing how we can be as amazing as any man can. Women now have as many rights as any man have. An example of these rights are: the right to vote, to hold public office, to work, to fair wages or equal pay, to own property, to education, to serve in the military, ent er into legal contracts, and to have marital and parental rights.

The Return: Midnight Chapter 24

Stefan woke early. He spent the time from dawn until breakfast just watching Elena, who even in sleep had an inner glow like a golden flame through a faintly rose-colored candle. At breakfast, everyone was more or less Stillwrapped up in thoughts of the day before. Meredith showed Matt the picture of her brother, Cristian, the vampire. Matt briefly told Meredith about the inner workings of the Ridgemont court system and painted her a picture of Caroline as werewolf. It was clear that both of them felt safer at the boardinghouse than anywhere else. And Elena, who had woken up with Stefan's mind al around her, embracing her, and her own mind Stillful of light, was completely at a loss for a Plan A or any other letter. She had to be told gently by the others that only one thing made sense. â€Å"Stefan,†Matt said, draining a mug of Mrs. Flowers's pitch-black coffee. â€Å"He's the only one who might be able to use his mind instead of Post-it Notes on the kids.† And, â€Å"Stefan,†said Meredith. â€Å"He's the only one Shinichi might be afraid of.† â€Å"I'm no use at all,†Elena said sadly. She had no appetite. She had gotten dressed with a feeling of love and compassion toward al humankind and a desire to help protect her hometown, but as everyone pointed out, she was probably going to have to spend the day in the root cel ar. Reporters might come to cal . They're right, Stefan sent to Elena. I'm the only logical person to find out what's really going on in Fell's Church. He actual y went while the rest of them were finishing breakfast. Only Elena knew why; only she could feel him at the limits of her telepathic range. Stefan was hunting. He drove into the New Wood, got out, and final y startled a rabbit out of the brush. He Influenced it to rest and not be frightened. Surreptitiously, in this thin woodland without cover, he took a little blood from it†¦and choked. It tasted like some kind of hideous liquid flavored with rodent. Was a rabbit a rodent? He had been lucky enough to find a rat one day in his prison cel and it had tasted vaguely like this. But now, for days, he had been drinking human blood. Not just that, but the rich, potent blood of strong, adventurous, and in several cases paranormal y talented individuals – the crme de la crme. How could he have gotten used to it so quickly? It shamed him now, to think of what he'd taken. Elena's blood, of course, was enough to drive any vampire wild. And Meredith, whose blood had the deep crimson taste of some primordial ocean, and Bonnie, who tasted like a telepath's dessert. And final y Matt, the Al -American red-blooded boy. They'd fed him and fed him by the hour, far past what he needed to survive. They'd fed him until he'd begun to heal, and seeing that he was healing, they'd fed him more. And it had gone on and on, ending with Elena last night – Elena, whose hair was taking on a silvery cast and whose blue eyes seemed almost radiant. Back in the Dark Dimension, Damon hadn't exercised any restraint at all. Elena hadn't exercised any on her own behalf. That silvery cast†¦Stefan's stomach clenched when he thought about it, about the last time he'd seen her hair that way. She'd been dead then. On her feet, but dead just the same. Stefan let the rabbit scamper away. He was taking another oath. He must not make Elena into a vampire again. That meant no significant blood exchange between the two of them for at least a week – either giving or taking might tip her over the edge. He must once again adjust to the taste of animal blood. Stefan shut his eyes briefly, remembering the horror of the first time. The cramps. The shakes. The agony that seemed to tel his entire body that it wasn't getting fed. The feeling that his veins might explode into flame at any moment, and the pain in his jaws. He stood up. He was lucky to be alive. Luckier than he ever could have dreamed he would be in having Elena beside him. He would work through the readjustment without bothering her by tel ing her, he decided. Just two hours later Stefan was back at the boardinghouse, limping slightly. Matt, who met him at the heavy front door, noticed the limp. â€Å"You okay? You'd better get in and ice it.† â€Å"Just a cramp,†Stefan said briefly. â€Å"I'm not used to exercise. Didn't get any back there in – you know.†He looked away, flushing. So did Matt, hot and cold and furious at the people who had put Stefan in this condition. Vampires were pretty resilient, but he had the feeling – no, he knew – that Stefan had almost died in his prison cel . One day under lock and key had convinced Matt that he never wanted to be imprisoned again. He fol owed Stefan to the kitchen where Elena, Meredith, and Mrs. Flowers were – what else? – drinking mugs of tea. And Matt felt a twinge when Elena instantly noticed the limp and got up and went to Stefan, and Stefan held her tightly, running reassuring fingers through her hair. Matt couldn't help but wonder, though – was that glorious golden hair turning lighter? More like the silvery gold it had been when Elena had first gone with Stefan and was on her way to turning into a vampire? Stefan certainly seemed to be inspecting it closely, turning each handful as he raked his fingers through it. â€Å"Any luck?†Elena asked him, tension in her voice. Wearily, Stefan shook his head. â€Å"I went up streets and down streets and wherever I found a – a young girl who was contorted, or whirling round and round, or doing any other of the things the papers mentioned, I tried to Influence them. Well, maybe I shouldn't have bothered with the whirling girls. I couldn't catch their eyes. But the final count is zero for eleven.† Elena turned toward Meredith in agitation. â€Å"What do we do?† Mrs. Flowers busily began rummaging through bundles of herbs that hung above her stove. â€Å"You need a nice cup of tea.† â€Å"And a rest,†Meredith said, patting him lightly on the hand. â€Å"Can I get you anything?† â€Å"Well – I've got a new idea – scrying. But I need Misao's star bal to see if it wil work. Don't worry,†he added, â€Å"I won't use any of the Power in it; I just need to look at the surface.† â€Å"I'l bring it,†Elena offered, getting up promptly from where she was sitting on his lap. Matt started slightly and looked at Mrs. Flowers as Elena went to the door of the root cel ar and pushed. Nothing moved and Mrs. Flowers simply watched benignly. It was Stefan who rose to help her, Stilllimping. Then Matt and Meredith got up, Meredith asking, â€Å"Mrs. Flowers, are you sure we should keep the star bal in that same safe?† â€Å"Ma ma says we're doing the right thing,†Mrs. Flowers answered serenely. After that things happened very fast. As if they'd rehearsed it, Meredith pressed the exact place to open the root cel ar door. Elena fel to her hands and knees. Faster than even he had imagined he could go, Matt went barreling toward Stefan with one shoulder down. Mrs. Flowers was frantical y pul ing great swaths of dried herbs down from where they hung above the kitchen table. And then Matt was hitting Stefan with al the power in his body and Stefan was stumbling over Elena, his head going down and down and meeting no resistance on the way. Meredith was coming at him sideways and helping him do a complete forward flip in the air. As soon as the flip took him out of the doorway and he was cartwheeling down the stairs, Elena got up and shut the door and Meredith leaned against it, as Matt shouted, â€Å"How do you keep in a kitsune?† â€Å"These might help,†gasped Mrs. Flowers, stuffing odiferous herbs into the crack under the door. â€Å"And – iron!†cried Elena, and she and Meredith and Matt al ran to the den where there was an enormous, tripartite iron fire screen. Somehow they bundled it back to the kitchen and set it upright against the root cel ar door. Just then the first crash came from the inside against it, but the iron was heavy and the second crash against the door was weaker. â€Å"What are you doing? Have you al gone crazy?†Stefan shouted plaintively, but as the entire group began to cover the door in Post-it Note amulets, he cursed instead and became pure Shinichi. â€Å"You'll be sorry, damn you! Misao's not right. She cries and cries. You'll make it up to her with your blood, but not before I introduce you to some special friends of mine. The kind who know how to cause real pain!† Elena lifted her head, as if hearing something. Matt watched her frown. Then she cal ed to Shinichi, â€Å"Don't even try to probe for Damon. He's gone. And if you try to track him I'l fry your brains.† Sul en silence greeted her from the root cel ar. â€Å"My goodness gracious, what next?†murmured Mrs. Flowers. Elena simply nodded for the others to fol ow her, and they went al the way to the very top of the house – Stefan's room – and spoke in whispers. â€Å"How did you know?† â€Å"Did you use telepathy?† â€Å"I didn't know at first,†Matt admitted, â€Å"but Elena was acting as if the star bal was in the root cel ar. Stefan knows it's not there. I guess,†he added with a guilty start, â€Å"that I invited him in.† â€Å"I knew as soon as he started groping my hair,†Elena said with a shudder. â€Å"Stefan and D – I mean, Stefan knows I only like it touched lightly, and at the ends. Not mauled like that. Remember al Shinichi's little songs about golden hair? He's a nutcase. Anyway, I could tel from the feel of his mind.† Matt felt ashamed. Al his wondering about Elena maybe changing into a vampire†¦and this was the answer, he thought. â€Å"I noticed his lapis ring,†Meredith said. â€Å"I saw him with it on his right hand as he went out earlier. When he came back he had it on his left hand.† There was a brief pause as they al stared at her. She shrugged. â€Å"It was part of my training, noticing little things.† â€Å"Good point,†Matt said at last. â€Å"Good point. He wouldn't be able to change it in sunlight.† â€Å"How did you know, Mrs. Flowers?†Elena asked. â€Å"Or was it just the way we were behaving?† â€Å"Goodness, no, you're al very good little actors. But as soon as he stepped over the threshold Ma ma fairly shrieked at me: ‘What are you doing, letting a kitsune into your house?'So then I knew what we were in for.† â€Å"We beat him!†Elena said, beaming. â€Å"We actual y caught Shinichi off guard! I can hardly believe it.† â€Å"Believe it,†Meredith said with a wry smile. â€Å"He was off guard for a moment. He'l be thinking up revenge right now.† Something else was worrying Matt. He turned to Elena. â€Å"I thought that you said that both you and Shinichi had keys that could take you anywhere, anytime. So why couldn't he have just said, ‘Take me inside the boardinghouse where the star bal is'?† â€Å"Those were different keys from the Twin Fox key,†Elena said, her brows drawn together. â€Å"They're, like, the Master Keys and Shinichi and Misao Stillhave them both. I don't know why he didn't use his. Although it would have given him away the moment he was inside.† â€Å"Not if he went inside the root cel ar, and stayed there the whole time,†Meredith said. â€Å"And maybe a Master Key can override the ‘not invited inside'rule.† Mrs. Flowers said, â€Å"But Ma ma Stillwould have told me. Also there are no keyholes in the root cel ar. at all.† â€Å"‘No keyholes'wouldn't matter, I don't think,†Elena answered. â€Å"I think he just wanted to show how clever he was, and how he could fool us into giving him Misao's star bal .† Before anyone else could say a word, Meredith held out her palm, with a shining key on it. The key was golden with diamonds inset and had a very familiar outline. â€Å"That's one of the Master Keys!†cried Elena. â€Å"It's what we thought the Twin Fox key would look like!† â€Å"It sort of came out of his jeans pocket when he did that flip,†Meredith said innocently. â€Å"When you were flipping him over me, you mean,†said Elena. â€Å"I suppose you picked his pocket too.† â€Å"So, right now, Shinichi doesn't have a key to escape with!†Matt said excitedly. â€Å"No key to make keyholes,†Elena agreed, dimpling. â€Å"He can have fun changing into a mole and burrowing out of the root cel ar,†Meredith said cool y. â€Å"That's if he's got his transforming gear or whatever with him.†She added, with a troubled change in her voice, â€Å"I wonder†¦if we should have Matt tel one other person where he's actual y hidden the star bal . Just†¦Well, just in case.† Matt saw knitted brows al around him. But suddenly the realization hit him that he had to tel someone that he'd hidden the star bal in his closet. The group – including Stefan – had picked him to hide it because he had so stubbornly resisted when Shinichi was using Damon's body as a puppet to torture him a month ago. Matt had proved then that he would die in hideous pain rather than endanger his friends. But if Matt were to die now, Misao's star bal might be lost to the group forever. And only Matt knew how close he had come today to tumbling down the stairs along with Shinichi. Far below they al heard a shout. â€Å"Hel o! Is anybody home? Elena!† â€Å"That's my Stefan,†Elena said and then, without a shred of dignity, she ran to launch herself from the foyer into his arms. He looked startled, but managed to break her fal before they both went down on the porch. â€Å"What's been going on?†he said, his body vibrating infinitesimal y, as with the urge to fight. â€Å"The whole house smel s like kitsune!† â€Å"It's All right,†Elena said. â€Å"Come and see.†She led him upstairs to his room. â€Å"We've got him in the root cel ar,†she added. Stefan looked confused. â€Å"You've got who in the root cel ar?† â€Å"With iron against the door,†Matt said triumphantly. â€Å"And herbs and amulets al over it. And, anyway, Meredith got his key.† â€Å"His key? You're talking about – Shinichi?†Stefan turned on Meredith, green eyes wide. â€Å"While I've been gone?† â€Å"It was mostly an accident. I sort of stuck my hand in his pocket when he was upside down and off balance. And I lucked out and got the Master Key – unless this is an ordinary house key.† Stefan stared at it. â€Å"It's the real thing. Elena knows that. Meredith, you're incredible!† â€Å"Yes, it's the right one,†Elena confirmed. â€Å"I remember the shape – pretty elaborate, yes?†She took it from Meredith's hand. â€Å"What are you going to – â€Å" â€Å"Might as well test it,†Elena said with a mischievous smile. She walked to the door of the room, shut it, said, â€Å"The den downstairs,†inserted the winged key in the lock, and opened the door, stepping through and shutting the door behind her. Before anyone could speak, she was back, with the poker from the den held aloft in triumph. â€Å"It works!†Stefan cried. â€Å"That's amazing,†Matt said. Stefan looked almost feverish. â€Å"But don't you realize what it means? It means we can use this key. We can go anywhere we like without using Power. Even to the Dark Dimension! But first – while he's Stillhere – we ought to do something about Shinichi.† â€Å"You're in no condition to do that now, dear Stefan,†Mrs. Flowers said, shaking her head. â€Å"I'm sorry, but the truth is that we have been very, very lucky. That wicked kitsune was off guard back then. He won't be now.† â€Å"I Stillhave to try,†Stefan said quietly. â€Å"Every one of you has been tormented or had to fight – whether with your fists or your minds,†he added, bowing slightly to Mrs. Flowers. â€Å"I've suffered but I've never had a chance to fight him. I have to try.† Matt said, just as quietly, â€Å"I'l go with you.† Elena added, â€Å"We can al fight together. Right, Meredith?† Meredith nodded slowly, taking Stefan's poker from his fireplace. â€Å"Yes. It may be a low blow, but – together.† â€Å"I say it's a higher blow than letting him live and go on hurting people. Anyway, we'l take care of it†¦together,†Elena said firmly. â€Å"Right now!† Matt started to get up, but his motion was frozen in midair as he stared in horror. Simultaneously, with the grace of hunting lionesses or bal et dancers the two girls closed in on Stefan, and simultaneously they swung their separate pokers; Elena hitting him in the head and Meredith hitting him squarely in the groin. Stefan reeled away from the blow to the head, but simply said, â€Å"Ow!†when Meredith hit him. Matt knocked Elena out of the way and then, turning as precisely as if he were on the footbal field, got Meredith out of â€Å"Stefan's†way too. But this imposter had obviously decided not to fight back. Stefan's form melted. Misao, green leaves woven into her scarlet-tipped black hair, stood before them. To Matt's shock, her face was pinched and pale. She was obviously very il , although Stilldefiant. But there was no mockery in her voice tonight. â€Å"What have you done with my star bal ? And my brother?†she demanded feebly. â€Å"Your brother's safely locked up,†Matt said, hardly knowing what he was tel ing her. Despite al the crimes Misao had committed he couldn't help feeling sorry for her. She was clearly desperate and il . â€Å"I know that. I was going to say my brother wil kil you al – not as a game, but in anger.†Now Misao looked wretched and frightened. â€Å"You've never seen him really angry.† â€Å"You've never seen Stefan angry either,†Elena said. â€Å"At least not when he had al his Power.† Misao just shook her head. A dried leaf floated from her hair. â€Å"You don't understand!† â€Å"I doubt we understand anything. Meredith, have we searched this girl?† â€Å"No, but surely she wouldn't have brought the other one – â€Å" Elena said crisply, â€Å"Matt, take a book and read it. I'l tel you when we're done.† Matt was reluctant to turn his back on a kitsune, even a sick one. But when even Mrs. Flowers nodded gently he obeyed. Still, back turned or not, he could hear noises. And the noises suggested that Misao was being held tightly and searched thoroughly. At first the sounds were al negative murmurs. â€Å"Huh-uh†¦huh-uh†¦huh-uh†¦huh- oops!†There was a rattle of metal on wood. Matt only turned when Elena said, â€Å"Okay, you can look. It was in her front pocket.†She added to Misao, who was looking as if she might faint, â€Å"We didn't want to have to hold you and search you. But this key – where in heaven's name did you get keys like this, anyway?† A pink spot showed on Misao's cheeks. â€Å"Heaven is right. They're the only two left of the Master Keys – and they belong to Shinichi and me. I figured out how to steal them from the Celestial Court. That was†¦a long time ago.† At that moment they heard a car on the road – Stefan's Porsche. In the dead silence that fol owed, they could also see the car through Stefan's window as it swung into the driveway. â€Å"No one goes down,†Elena said tersely. â€Å"No one invites him in.† Meredith shot her a keen glance. â€Å"Shinichi could have tunneled out like a mole by now. And he's already been invited in.† â€Å"My fault for not warning you al – but anyway, if it is Shinichi and he's done anything to hurt Stefan he's going to see me when I'm angry. The words Wings of Destruction just popped into my head and something inside me wants to say them.† There was a chil in the room. No one met Stefan, but in a moment they could al hear running footsteps. Stefan appeared at his door, burst through, and found himself confronted with a row of people al looking at him suspiciously. â€Å"What the hell is going on?†he demanded, staring at Misao, who was being held up between Meredith and Matt. â€Å"Misao – â€Å" Elena took two steps toward him – and wound herself around him, drawing him into a deep kiss. For a moment he resisted, but then, bit by bit, his opposition col apsed despite the roomful of observers. When Elena final y let go, she just leaned against Stefan, breathing hard. The others were al crimson with embarrassment. Stefan, flushed as he was, held her tightly. â€Å"I'm sorry,†Elena whispered. â€Å"But you've already ‘come home'twice. First, it was Shinichi and we locked him in the root cel ar. Then it was her.†She pointed, without looking, toward the cowering Misao. â€Å"I didn't know how to make sure that Shinichi hadn't escaped somehow – â€Å" â€Å"And you're sure now?† â€Å"Oh, yes. I recognize you. You're always ready to let me in.† Matt realized that she was shaking and quickly stood up so she could sit, for at least a minute or two, in peace. The peace lasted less than a minute. â€Å"I want my star bal !†Misao cried. â€Å"I need to put Power in it or I'l go on weakening – and then you'l have murdered me.† â€Å"Go on weakening? Is the liquid evaporating out of the star bal or something?†Meredith asked. Matt was thinking about what he'd seen on his home block before the Ridgemont sheriffs had got him. â€Å"You've gathered Power to put in it?†he asked mildly. â€Å"Power from yesterday, maybe?† â€Å"Power from ever since you took it. But it isn't joined with†¦ me. With my star bal . It's mine, but not yet.† â€Å"Like maybe some Power from making Cole Reece eat his guinea pig while it was alive? From making kids burn down their own houses?†Matt's voice was gravel y. â€Å"What does it matter?†Misao retorted sul enly. â€Å"It's mine. They were my ideas, not yours. You can't keep me away – â€Å" â€Å"Meredith, keep me away from her. I've known that kid Cole since he was born. I'l always have nightmares†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Misao perked up like a wilting plant getting water. â€Å"Have nightmares, have nightmares,†she whispered. There was a silence. Then Meredith said, careful y and expressionlessly, as if she were thinking of the stave, â€Å"You're a nasty little thing, aren't you? Is that your food? Bad memories, nightmares, fear of the future?† Misao was plainly stumped. She couldn't see the catch. It was like asking a regular hungry teenager â€Å"How about some pizza and a Coke? Is that what you want?†Misao couldn't even see that her appetites were wrong, so she couldn't lie. â€Å"You were right before,†Stefan said forceful y. â€Å"We have your star bal . The only way to make us give it back would be to do something for us. We're supposed to be able to control you anyway because we have it – â€Å" â€Å"Old-ways thinking. Obsolete,†Misao growled. There was a dead silence. Matt felt his stomach plummet. They had been betting on â€Å"old-ways thinking†al along. To get Shinichi's star bal by making Misao tel them where it was. Their ultimate goal had been to control Shinichi using his star bal . â€Å"You don't understand,†Misao said, pitiful y and yet angrily at the same time. â€Å"My brother wil help me fil my star bal again. But what we did in this town – it was an order, not just for fun.† â€Å"Could'a fooled me,†Elena murmured, but Stefan's head jerked up and he said, â€Å"An order? From who?† â€Å"I†¦don't†¦know!† Misao screamed. â€Å"Shinichi gets the orders. Then he tel s me what to do. But whoever it is should be happy by now. The town is almost destroyed. He ought to give me some help here!†She glared at the group, and they stared back. Without knowing that he was going to say it, Matt said, â€Å"Let's put her in the root cel ar with Shinichi. I've got this feeling that we might al be sleeping in the storage room tonight.†