The Secret of Ella and Micha Chapter 6

Micha The pain in her eyes nearly kills me. If it were possible, I'd go back in time and stop her from climbing down that tree that God awful night. Maybe then, I'd still have my best friend. I decide to make a sporadic stop to try and get Ella out of her own head. I park the car in an open space in front of the small coffeehouse located in the heart of town, between the Stop n' Shop and Bubba's Sports Barn. I shut off the engine and wait patiently for her to scold me. Her face reddens as she takes in where we are. â€Å"Micha, I'm really not in the mood for this right now. I have things to do and so does Lila.† â€Å"Come on, you haven't seen me play in ages,† I coax, using my best seductive voice. â€Å"I'll just do one song. In and out and we're done.† â€Å"Sounds cool to me,† Lila says from the backseat, finally relaxing a little now that we're far away from Grady's trailer. â€Å"I love hearing bands and lead singers are always sexy.† â€Å"Micha plays the guitar and sings by himself,† Ella says with a flicker of possessiveness in her eyes. â€Å"He's not a lead singer. He's a solo singer.† â€Å"It's all the same to me.† Lila pats Ella's head and in a way I think she's making a private joke with her. â€Å"Band or not, a guy who can sing and play is hot.† I grin charismatically and incline over the console. â€Å"Come on, pretty girl.† I wind a strand of her hair around my finger. â€Å"You know you want to come in and watch me be all hot and sexy, singing up on the stage. You know you've missed it.† Her eyes narrow at me as she fights back a smile. â€Å"You know that voice doesn't work on me. I've seen you use it too many times on too many girls.† â€Å"I haven't used it on a girl since you left.† I let the truth fall out. I used to come and go as I please with whoever I wanted, but once things started to change with our friendship, it became clear the void I was trying to fill was in her. â€Å"And I don't want to use it on anyone – â€Å" She conceals her hand over my mouth. â€Å"I'll go in with you, but only if you stop talking about stuff that makes me uncomfortable.† â€Å"Wait. What about my car?† Lila scoots forward and fixes her hair using the rearview mirror. â€Å"It's getting late. Won't the shop be closed soon?† I move Ella's hand away from my lips and entwine her fingers with mine. â€Å"We'll make it back in time. I promise.† Ella hesitates, staring at the coffeehouse like she's a mouse about to walk into a lion's den. I squeeze her hand. â€Å"Come on, let's go in. You'll be okay.† She looks at our hands, and then her gaze lifts, giving a fleeting glance at my lips before resolving on my eyes. â€Å"Is everyone still hanging out here?† â€Å"Kelly and Mike do and Renee and Ethan,† I say. â€Å"Grantford doesn't really come around here anymore, though.† Her plump lips curl to a grin. â€Å"Because you punched him in the face.† â€Å"That might be part of it.† I return her smile and let go of her hand to climb out of the car. It feels like I might be getting somewhere with her. She hops out and stretches, arching her back and sticking out her chest. It makes me want to rip off her shirt, pull her in the backseat, and do things to her I've never done with anyone I've cared about before. â€Å"What are you looking at?† She pulls the bottom of her tank top back over her stomach. She really has no idea how beautiful she is. She never has. Even back in her punk/goth faze, she rocked the look. I shake my head, unable to take my eyes off her. â€Å"Nothing. Just thinkin'.† She slams the door and we head across the packed parking lot. I rest my hand on her lower back, but she wiggles away and sidesteps around Lila, putting her between us. I frown. Maybe I'm not doing as well as I thought. Ella If he keeps looking at me that way, my restraint is going to melt into a puddle of hot, steamy liquid. Micha has the most piercing eyes in the world, aqua blue, like the sea, waved with equal intensity. He's flirty with me, which he used to do jokingly all the time, and I'd play along. But this is different somehow, more intense and real. It's like he's throwing his heart into the open, which isn't how he used to be. At least with me. Except for the day I left. The coffeehouse is cramped with people, even for a Saturday afternoon. Every booth and table is occupied and there's a guy with floppy brown hair playing the keyboard on stage, his voice a little off-key. The baristas are working hard on the long line that extends all the way to the door and in the corner, people are working on their laptops. â€Å"Where are we going to sit?† Lila scans the room. â€Å"There's no empty tables.† Micha spots Ethan and Renee at a corner table and waves at them. â€Å"Seat situation solved,† he says, taking my hand and leading the way to them. Renee is a short girl that wears heavy eyeliner and has dark red hair. Her hazel eyes zone in on Micha's hand tangled with mine. I attempt to pull my hand away, but Micha strengthens his grasp. â€Å"Hey, Ella.† She fakes a smile with her dark red lips. â€Å"What ya been up to?† â€Å"Nothing much,† I keep it simple, because simple is always better with Renee. â€Å"And so we meet again.† Ethan flashes a dimpled grin at Lila and pulls out a chair for her. â€Å"You decided to stick around here for a while.† Lila looks up at him as she takes a seat. â€Å"Thank you. I kind of had to since my car was trashed last night.† Micha drops down in the last empty chair at the table and starts to pull me down to sit on his lap. My eyes sweep the room in search of an extra chair, but it's so packed that people have to stand near the walls. â€Å"I don't bite, Ella May.† There is a challenge in Micha's eyes. â€Å"Unless you ask me to.† Everyone at the table is watching me. Not wanting to make a scene, I sink down on his lap. Ethan targets Micha with a bewildered look, which Micha ignores and steals a scone out of a basket in the middle of the table. He pops it into his mouth. â€Å"So what time's Open Mic?† Ethan's dark eyebrows plunge together. â€Å"Why? Are you thinking about playing again? Cause' all I can say is it's about freakin' time.† â€Å"What do you mean again?† I ask, grabbing a scone myself. â€Å"Why hasn't he been playing?† Ethan shoves up the sleeves of his shirt, crosses his arms on the table, and directs Micha with their secret-code look I have never been able to crack. I revolve my body to look at Micha, but instantly regret it. His eyes are too intense and I'm thrown out of my element for a second. â€Å"You stopped playing?† I ask him. â€Å"Why would you do that? Isn't it your dream still?† He shrugs, snaking his arms around my waist. â€Å"It's not the same without you here watching me.† â€Å"There were times I didn't watch you play.† I put my hands on his shoulders. â€Å"Even when I lived here.† He shakes his head and wisps of his blonde hair fall across his forehead. â€Å"That's not true. You never missed one.† I think back, knowing he's right. â€Å"I don't want you to stop living your life because I'm not here anymore.† â€Å"And I don't want you to be anywhere but here.† He squeezes my hip and I instinctively jump at the tingling heat that spirals down between my legs. â€Å"What can I get you?† The waitress interrupts us. We all read off what we want, and the waitress gets particularly giggly when she writes down Micha's order, even though I'm sitting on his lap. Her name is Kenzie and I've never liked her. She used to help Stacy Harris torment this girl we went to school with, who was in a wheelchair. I casually lean back against Micha's chest, as if I'm doing it by accident. No one seems to notice except for the waitress. And Micha. His heart beat speeds up as if the nearness of my body is driving him mad. She frowns and tucks the order book into her apron. â€Å"I'll be right back with your drinks.† I wait for Micha to call me out, but he stays quiet and keeps his hands on the tops of my bare thighs. I know it's wrong and that he's not mine. I made that clear the day I bailed, but I can't seem to help myself. Ever since we were kids, I always felt the need to keep him away from girls who aren't good enough for him. Old habits die hard. Micha Ethan is looking at me like I'm an idiot. Probably because I'm smiling like an idiot, but I can't help myself. Ella got territorial with the waitress. She's never done that before, not even before she left. â€Å"This band's interesting,† Lila hollers over the banjo band playing up on stage. â€Å"Is this the kind of music you play?† Ethan, Renee, and I burst out laughing. Even Ella covers her mouth, trying really hard not to laugh. â€Å"No sweetie, this isn't what I play.† I gulp my coffee. â€Å"Mines more†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Hot and sexy,† Ella says and I stare at her. She ignores my gaze and adds, â€Å"Think more along the lines of Spill Canvas.† Lila brushes some crumbs off the table. â€Å"That band you're always listening to when you're studying?† Ella nods, but shifts awkwardly. â€Å"That's the one.† It makes me feel better that she still listens to the same music. At least that hasn't changed. I keep one hand on her leg, afraid if I release her completely, she'll run off again. I steal another scone from the basket and pop it into my mouth. Lila starts chatting with Ethan and Renee gets on her cellphone. I sweep Ella's hair to the side and put my lips to her ear. â€Å"So you think I'm hot and sexy, huh?† She bites back a smile, pretending to be deeply immersed in the banjo song. â€Å"No, I said your music is hot and sexy.† â€Å"It's all the same.† I dare a kiss against her shoulder, relishing the softness of her skin, wanting her so God damn bad I'm getting a hard on just thinking about it. Ella notices it too and squirms around in my lap, making it worse. â€Å"Down boy,† she jokes with a nervous laugh, then presses her lips together and starts to stand up. I trap her down by the hips and conform her backside onto my lap. We fit together so perfectly it's mind blowing and all those feelings I felt for her before she left come rushing back to me. I need more of her. Now. Oblivious to everyone around us, my hands gradually slide up her thighs. â€Å"Micha.† She protests with a quiver in her voice. â€Å"Don't. There are people†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I silence her as my fingers brush the edges of her skirt. I can't stop – I've been carrying this sexual tension for ages. I started having these feelings for her when we were about sixteen. I ignored them for as long as possible, because I knew she'd freak if she found out. There were a few stolen kisses that I played off, but the night on the bridge, when I finally put it out there, changed everything. She freaked out just like I thought. Right after she left, I slept around, trying to get rid of the hunger inside of me, but after a while, I realized there was no point. Ella had taken something from me and there was no getting it back, unless I had her. So I let my hands sneak up the edge of her skirt and her fingers knead into my thighs. I wonder how far I should take this, since we're sitting in a booth in a crowded room, and I almost pull back, but one of her legs falls to the side, and I view it as an open invitation. â€Å"Alright, it's time for open mic.† The waitress that undressed me with her eyes speaks into the microphone on the stage. â€Å"If you already haven't signed up, you can sign up with Phil over there.† She points her finger at the owner, a middle-aged man sitting in the corner next to the speakers. â€Å"I think that's your cue.† Ella quickly gets up, thinking she's off the hook. Before I head up to the signup sheet, I spread my fingers across her lower back and whisper in her ear, â€Å"Don't think this is over because it's not.† She shivers and I strut off to the table with a satisfied smile on my face. â€Å"Well, son of a bitch,† Phil says from behind the table. He's an ex-band member of an 80's cover band and still looks like he belongs in that decade with his mullet and neon clothes. â€Å"Look what the dog dragged in.† â€Å"Miss me that bad, huh?† I jot down my name on the signup sheet. â€Å"Are you kidding me?† he asks. â€Å"All we've had to listen to for the last few months is banjo music and a couple of hippies playing on the bongos. I swear it's like Woodstock all over again.† I laugh, dropping the pen onto the table. â€Å"Well it's nice to know I've been missed, I guess.† Phil fiddles with the volume of the amps. â€Å"More than missed. Please tell me you're going to start playing here again. I'm in desperate need of some draw-in. This place is going downhill.† I smile politely, backing toward the table. â€Å"Nah, probably not. I don't think I'm going to be sticking around here much longer. I've got places to go, people to see.† On my way back to the table, I cross paths with Naomi. She is Phil's daughter, tall, with long black hair, and she's an awesome singer. I used to play with her back before she went on the road with a band. We were actually pretty close, but I haven't talked to her since she left. â€Å"Oh my God, I'm so glad I ran into you,† she says and there's a little bit of red lipstick on her teeth. â€Å"Isn't everyone?† I tease walking backwards. She laughs and swats my arm. â€Å"I see you still have that whole cocky attitude going.† I drop the act. â€Å"So you're back in town?† â€Å"Yeah, but only for a few weeks. Can we chat up after you play? There's something I really need to talk to you about. Something huge actually.† â€Å"How'd you know I was playing?† She points a finger at the table. â€Å"I just saw you sign up.† â€Å"Alright, I'll catch up with you later.† I wave good-bye, wondering what she could possibly want. Ella Damn Micha. He's killing me with his touches and longing gazes and now he's going to sing. I've always had a soft spot for his voice. We'd sit on his bed and he'd strum his guitar while I sketched. Those were some of the perfect moments in my life. â€Å"Ella, what's the matter with you?† Lila asks with an accusation. â€Å"You look a little flushed.† I sip my latte and realign the holder in the center of the table, so I can't see my reflection in the stainless steel. â€Å"It's just a little hot in here. That's all.† â€Å"Yeah, sure it is.† She won't stop looking at me, like she's trying to crack open my head. As Micha steps onto the stage not too far from our table, my heart starts to chant unspeakable words. Sitting on a stool with his guitar on his lap he puts his lips up to the microphone, nibbling on his lip ring. â€Å"This one's called ‘What No One Ever Sees'.† He strums a chord with his eyes locked on me, â€Å"I see it in your beautiful eyes, like a spot on the sun. The things you want to hide, buried deep inside you. Blinded by your light. It almost hurts to look at, almost hurts to breathe. Never can you look at the things no one ever sees Shaded by your light. Please take me inside you, please take me in. Never will I whisper, never will I give in. Even when I'm dying, your heart will always win. Shielded to the sightless, isolated from the naive. Breaking you in pieces, that can only ever grieve. Veiled by your light. Passionate for the world, yet overlooked by most. Your soul flickers in you, desperate to shine for the world But blinded by your darkness. Please take me inside you, please take me in. Never will I whisper, never will I give in. Even when I'm dying, your heart will always win.† With one lasting note, he ends the song. The crowd applauds and my eyes dart away from his penetrating gaze, and to the door. I want to run away like the room is on fire. â€Å"Holy crap,† Lila breathes, fanning herself. â€Å"You were right. That was HOT.† â€Å"I can play the drums.† Ethan taps his fingers on the table, and makes drum noises. â€Å"And I'm pretty good.† â€Å"Don't let him fool ya.† Renee sips her coffee and a smirk curls at her lips. â€Å"He can play the drums on Rock Band and that's it.† Ethan shoots Renee a dirty look. â€Å"Would you quit it? It's not funny anymore.† Lila looks at me for an explanation. â€Å"This is how they are,† I explain with a heavy sigh. â€Å"They fight like cats and dogs.† Lila props her elbows onto the table and rests her chin on her hands. â€Å"El, doesn't your brother play drums?† â€Å"Yeah, Dean did,† I say. â€Å"A little bit, anyway.† â€Å"Now Dean's hot,† Renee remarks, aiming to get under my skin. Micha collects his guitar and clears the stage for the next singer, a girl with pink dreads who looks like she has a grudge against the world. A tall girl with long legs meets Micha at the corner of the stage. Her wavy black hair flows down her back, her grey eyes are striking, and her smile is bright. Her name is Naomi and she's the daughter of the owner of the coffeehouse, who Micha played with a few times. She says something to Micha and he laughs. A flicker of envy burns in me, but I suppress it quickly. She leads him off the stage and Micha's hand roams toward her back. He flashes me one last glance, before he ducks behind stage. I can't read him at all and that frightens me more than when I can. Lila drinks her soy latte and peeks at me over the brim of her cup. â€Å"I don't care what you say. That boy is in love with you.† I stay silent, tearing up a napkin until it's shaped like a heart. â€Å"He might be, but not the kind of love you're talking about.† â€Å"So, Ella,† Ethan interrupts and I swear he does it intentionally. If he did, I'm thankful for it. â€Å"How's the city life?† â€Å"Stupendous.† I ruffle up the napkin and toss it into the empty scone basket. â€Å"That doesn't sound very convincing.† Ethan drapes an arm on the back of Lila's chair and places his foot on his knee. â€Å"Don't you like it there?† I force myself to cheer up and sit up straight. â€Å"Actually, it's pretty nice. There's a lot to do and the school is great.† â€Å"You're acting weird.† Ethan eyes me, rubbing his chin. â€Å"Something's got you all wound up.† â€Å"I'm completely okay,† I say in denial. â€Å"Although, the excessive questions are a bit much.† Lila peers over at me as she licks froth from her lips. â€Å"He's right. You look upset or something.† She feels my forehead. â€Å"You're not getting sick, are you?† Micha returns to the table and the coffeehouse has cleared out a bit. He grabs a vacant chair, pulls it up to the table, turning it backwards, and then sits down in it. â€Å"So what are we up to for the rest of the night?† Ethan asks while Micha checks his messages on his phone. â€Å"I got to take this pretty lady over here to get her car fixed by you.† Micha nods his head at Lila. Ethan looks pleased. â€Å"Wow, I'm honored to be the one to fix it.† Micha slides his phone into his pocket. â€Å"We have to swing by Ella's house and pick it up, so meet us at the shop in like a half-an-hour.† â€Å"Absolutely.† Ethan waves the waitress over to give us the check. â€Å"What do you think?† Micha asks me. â€Å"Does it sound like a plan?† I shrug, distracted by where he went with that girl. â€Å"Yeah, sure.† Everyone takes their coffee's to-go and we head for the door. I leave mine behind, along with something else, but I'm not sure what. Perhaps a piece of my new identity. *** Micha and I don't speak the entire drive home. It freaks Lila out a little and I worry that the more time she spends here with me, the less time she's going to want to spend with me on campus. When we pull into the driveway that routes the side of my house, there is a painful reminder of another reason I didn't want to come back waiting for me near the garage. â€Å"Whose car is that?† Lila scoots forward in her seat. â€Å"It's gorgeous.† â€Å"Why is he here?† I grimace, scowling at the shiny red Porsche with Ohio license plates. â€Å"Now be nice,† Micha warns, his voice dripping with sarcasm. â€Å"He's your brother.† â€Å"But it doesn't make him less of an asshole,† I mutter. â€Å"And he swore when he left, he was never coming back here ever again.† â€Å"That's your brother's car?† Lila asks. â€Å"Good God, what does he do for living?† I press the tips of my fingers to the sides of my nose. â€Å"Who knows?† â€Å"Well, how does he afford a car like that?† she requests interestedly. â€Å"It's not his car,† I say. â€Å"It's my mothers.† Micha and I swap an oblique look, recalling the day the car mysteriously showed up in the garage. She never would tell anyone how she got it, and for a while, Dean and I expected the police to show up and arrest her for car thievery. It never happened and as time went on, it became like a game to my mother. Not just with the car, but with life. We never knew if she was telling the truth or not. After she died, Dean took the car. He acted like it was his right and maybe it was. He wasn't the one who'd snuck out of the house that night and left our mother alone. â€Å"And that gorgeous car over there is yours,† I remind Lila, diverting her attention elsewhere. â€Å"You should probably go get it fixed, before Ethan wanders off from the shop.† She slumps back in the chair. â€Å"I'd really like to meet your brother first before I go.† â€Å"I'm sure he'll still be here when you get back.† Actually I'm hoping he'll be gone. â€Å"Come on, Lila, we'll make it quick.† Micha opens the door. â€Å"We can drop it off and walk back. It isn't too far.† When I climb outside, he captures my gaze over the roof of the car. â€Å"Are you coming with us?† â€Å"I think I need to stay.† My eyes travel to the back door. â€Å"Who knows why he's here and what he'll say to dad? And I don't think dad can handle his crap.† Pressing his hands to the roof, he leans over. â€Å"But can you handle his crap?† â€Å"I'll be fine,† I assure him. â€Å"Just get her car fixed. She needs to get out before she gets sucked into this place.† â€Å"This town isn't that bad.† Micha closes the door. â€Å"You used to think the same thing.† â€Å"I also used to believe my mom would get better,† I say. â€Å"And look what a crashing disappointment that was.† From the back of the car, Lila blinks at me, stunned. â€Å"Ella, I didn't know your mom was sick.† Micha's expression is guarded. â€Å"Let's go, Lila. Ella's right, if Ethan gets too bored, he'll bail.† They head for Lila's car and I head up the driveway, wishing I could run back into Micha's arms and alleviate the hole in my chest. Micha I worry about Ella the entire drive to the shop. Dean was never a good brother and at the funeral, he blamed Ella for their mother's death. He basically tore her to shreds. Maybe it was his way of mourning, but it was still a shitty thing to do. â€Å"So what's up with Ella and her brother?† Lila asks, resting her arm on the console. â€Å"I think that's something you should probably talk to her about.† I turn the car into the parking lot of the shop. â€Å"It's not really my story to tell.† Lila unclips her seatbelt. â€Å"But Ella's never really told me much about her life. She has always been so quiet about it and I just thought it was her personality, but the way everyone talks about her around here, I don't think it is.† â€Å"She used to be pretty loud spoken.† I reach for the door, but hesitate, needing to get it off my chest. â€Å"The Ella I knew was not the prim and proper girl you've been hanging out with. She had this fire in her and she didn't put up with anyone's crap. It got her into trouble a lot, but she was also the kind of person who would take the fall, even if it wasn't her fault.† â€Å"I think I saw that part of her when we stopped at a bathroom when we first got to town,† Lila muses. â€Å"There was this guy there who was giving me crap and Ella nearly beat him up.† I try not to smile. â€Å"She did, did she?† â€Å"Is that how she was when you knew her? Like a total badass?† Lila grins and I realize she's not as bad as I originally thought. â€Å"Yeah, she was always kind of a badass.† I shove the door open and my boots scuff the gravel as I climb out. There are a few cars parked in front of the metal building and both the garage doors are open. A truck is parked inside and the owner of the shop – Ethan's dad – is working under the hood. â€Å"So what do you do?† Lila asks as we head to the entrance. â€Å"A little of this,† I joke. â€Å"And a little of that.† â€Å"So it's a secret.† She picks up on my vibe. I swing the chain attached to my jeans. â€Å"For now, it kind of is.† â€Å"Gotcha.† She doesn't press and I like her even more. Ethan is waiting for us in the lobby, slouched back in a chair with his shoes kicked up on the counter and his head slanted back. â€Å"It's about damn time. I was about ready to leave.† Lila starts to giggle as she takes out her phone from her purse. â€Å"You guys weren't lying.† Ethan lowers his feet to the floor and stands up. â€Å"What's so funny?† â€Å"Nothing.† I shrug him off, resting my arms on the counter. â€Å"Ella and I just told her that if we didn't hurry up you'd get bored and leave.† â€Å"So you were talking about me behind my back.† He walks around the counter by Lila. â€Å"You got the keys or did you leave them in?† I toss him the keys and he catches them. â€Å"Where's Ella?† â€Å"Her brother showed up,† I explain. â€Å"She's back at her house.† Ethan's eyebrows shoot upward. â€Å"And you left her there alone with him?† â€Å"Only to drop this off,† I say. â€Å"Lila and I are going to walk back.† Lila glances back and forth between Ethan and me. â€Å"Is something wrong with Ella's brother?† â€Å"She'll be fine.† I lean against the glass door with my arms folded and check my watch. â€Å"But we should get back.† â€Å"I think I should stay here,† Lila says, frowning at her phone. â€Å"Are you sure?† I ask. â€Å"Ethan will take good care of it.† She looks upset as she tosses the phone into her purse. â€Å"Yeah, I need to make sure everything's taken care of properly.† â€Å"Alright, can you find your way back to the house?† I nudge the door open. â€Å"I'll make sure she gets there,† Ethan offers with a shrug. Lila adjusts her purse on her shoulder and gives him a small smile. â€Å"Thank you.† â€Å"Alright, if it's okay with the both of you, then I guess I'll see you later.† I hike across the parking lot, toward the street. It's getting late, and the odds of Lila's car being fixed by the end of the day are pretty fucking low. I take out my cell phone and text Ella. Me: Just wantin to make sure ur ok? I walk down the sidewalk fenced by houses and dried out lawns. There is a drug exchange going on at the corner between a group of kids that still look young enough to be in high school. This side of town is pretty crappy, which I'm okay with now, but when Ella and I were kids, it was harder to deal with. Ella was always so curious about stuff. There were many times we got chased down for sticking our noses where they didn't belong and I got my ass kicked defending Ella quite a few times. But I'd do it again in a heartbeat because when it all comes down to it, it's just me and her against the world. Always has been. My phone buzzes inside my pocket and I check the message, surprised to see Ella's name on the screen. Ella: No, I don't think I am. Without a second thought, I run as fast as I can toward her house.

Cloning human Beings is not ethical Essay

† Here Dickens abruptly changes the atmosphere and creates one of sadness and regret, and so he uses his mutual technique to change the atmosphere in reflection to Scrooges feelings, and he does this here to link the moral message with emotive feelings the reader is experiencing, to make it more powerful. Here he is aiming to imply that you will regret not giving money and love to the more unfortunate than you, even if you don’t feel that way at the time. Further on in this chapter, Dickens creates powerful atmospheres to develop his moral message further. He most notably does this when Scrooge enters his joyful old boss’ (Fezziwig) warehouse where he was apprenticed. Whilst Dickens is describing the Christmas event as happy and ecstatic, this develops a powerful atmosphere by numerous significant ways. For example, whilst the event is happening, he repeats over and over again: â€Å"In came†¦ in came†¦ in came†¦ in came,† to describe the entry of the guests at Fezziwig’s event, and Dickens uses this to develop an atmosphere and a theme of joyfulness and togetherness, and that consequently shows, due to Dickens’ recurring technique, that the intended effect on the reader is to make him/her feel happy. This suggests that nearly everyone was keen to be celebrating Christmas together by all appearing one by one at this event. He is intending the reader therefore to feel part of the happy occasion, and this is emphasized by the fact that lots of people are coming, which essentially suggests that everyone is welcome. This conveys richly with the spirit and meaning of Christmas that Dickens is attempting to put forward in his moral message, through the use of this atmosphere. He is expressing that Christmas time is a time for sharing and spending time with your family and friends, which is reflected in Scrooge’s youth, but contrasts with Scrooge’s life at present. Therefore, this makes Scrooge, due to the ‘Ghost of Christmas Past’, think more about how he is acting at the present, where he is anti-social and refuses to acknowledge that he has to be sharing and caring during Christmas time. As well as successfully creating, building, and developing atmospheres to develop a moral message in chapter two, Dickens uses suspense in chapter 4 to try and make the effect of the moral message more powerful to the reader by using a darker theme. Dickens creates a spookier and sinister atmosphere straight away at the start of chapter four, and he does this so the reader can then appreciate the suspense. Dickens does this because he intends the reader to get gripped into the darker theme and storyline, and as said above, this makes the moral message more influential to the reader. For instance, he does this at the start of chapter four, when Dickens describes the entrance of the ‘Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come’ as he writes: â€Å"The Phantom slowly, gravely, silently approached. The very air through which this Spirit moved seemed to scatter gloom and mystery. † This creates sudden suspense and it also creates a dark theme to lay the foundations for this chapter. Then, Dickens creates more suspense by not making the ghost/phantom talk. By doing this, Dickens is deliberately developing suspense by leaving the reader in the unknown, and is equally implying by this that everyone is going to die at some point, due to the dark theme and the places this ghost takes Scrooge to. In addition, making the ghost just use its hands to guide the way for Scrooge makes him as a result become more timorous and this adds to the suspense and atmosphere. Dickens uses even more clever techniques to draw the reader’s attention and make them even more aware of the moral message. He writes: â€Å"`It’s likely to be a very cheap funeral,’ said the same speaker;’ for upon my life I don’t know of anybody to go to it. Suppose we make up a party and volunteer. ‘ `I don’t mind going if a lunch is provided,’ observed the gentleman with the excrescence on his nose. `But I must be fed, if I make one. ‘† The man’s attitude here is that he does not take Scrooge’s death seriously and is using it as an opportunity to make a joke out of. Dickens uses powerful dramatic irony as the reader knows that those people were talking about Scrooge, however, Scrooge is not aware of this until later. Dickens does this appropriately in the light of the darker theme, because he intends to again powerfully convey his moral message to the reader, and because he portrays those people to be talking carelessly about Scrooge, and approaching his death with a considerable amount of blasi , he hopes to indirectly tell the reader that if you spend your life keeping all your riches to yourself and not being generous and kind-hearted, nobody will care about you and show respect for you when you are dead. – Scrooge is used as an example to what the fate is of those who do not follow Dickens’ moral message. Another example of suspense and atmosphere revealing this moral message is when ‘old Joe’ and ‘Mrs Dilber’ are pictured having stolen a bundle of Scrooge’s possessions and are looking through them. Dickens builds on the uncanny atmosphere and theme he has created in chapter four, and writes about more people talking indifferently about Scrooge’s death: â€Å"`If he wanted to keep them after he was dead, a wicked old screw,’ pursued the woman,’ why wasn’t he natural in his lifetime. If he had been, he’d have had somebody to look after him when he was struck with Death, instead of lying gasping out his last there, alone by himself. ‘† This later extract ceases to be dramatic irony once Scrooge has found out that these people had been talking about his death, and therefore it plays an important part in the development of Scrooge’s characterisation, because after having seen the consequences of his unkind and selfish behaviour with all three ghosts, his reactions to this dialogue suggest that he wants to change his character, and this is confirmed soon after when he wakes up in chapter five, and greets everyone a ‘Merry Christmas’ in the street.. In conclusion, it would be fair and accurate to say that this novel was written solely for the purpose of getting the people of Victorian Britain to change their attitudes towards the ‘deserving’ and the ‘undeserving poor’, through the use of haunting and ghosts. It was intended to deliver its moral message through the use of atmosphere and suspense, and to convey this message through varying themes. On the whole I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel, especially chapter two whilst looking through Scrooge’s past, as it reveals a lot of what his true inner personality is, regardless of what his spiteful character is described as in chapter one. I also like this novel as it has a fitting end regarding the moral message, which is, in this case, we all have the possibility to change our personality for the good. My opinion is that Dickens without a doubt achieves all his intentions with the successful use of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come being the key in Scrooge’s characterisation and Dickens’ utter proficiency in the art of the English language enables us to depict his novel as a fine one. And, as for Scrooge’s journey, it is a lesson to be learnt from by all of us, in any era.

All Is Fair in Love and War †Paper Essay

Love and war are two contrasting forces; the former involves care and personal attachment while the latter involves brute force and destruction. They are also very similar in the sense that success in love and war can lead to the creation of happiness, relationship, devotion, liberty and freedom etc. all of which can shape a persons or societies lifestyle. However, because of such tempting and important factors, in both love and war people can become so much focused and obsessed in their cause that they forget about their moral values and may even engage in malpractice to achieve their goals. Although such means can sometimes help them achieve their goals, I think these are not at all justified as they lead to the benefit of one at the loss of another, that is, they lead to selfless biasness, and according to Sen & Mitra (1956) can hinder the overall peace and progress of a society. As such, I disagree with the notion made by John Lyly in his book ‘Euphues’ (1578) that à ¢â‚¬Å"all is fair in love and war†. Justification of my claim can be proved by illustrating the criticisms of an ethical framework known as Machiavellianism. This concept is similar to the notion of John Lyly because it states that â€Å"ends justify means†. According to this concept, people can use any means, no matter they are bad or immoral as long as it helps them accomplish their goal (which in this case is achieving success in love or war) by using them. I think such a proverb is very much illogical. If we approve this, it would mean that even use of unfair means to achieve goals is justified under the circumstances similar to love and war. To illustrate for instance, in love this would mean the use of cheating, blackmailing, betrayal, stalking, and infighting. Similarly, in war it would also involve cheating, torture, kidnapping, bribery, fraud etc. All of these are illegal acts and as Richman (2012) points out, involves a cost, or more precisely a victim of the action. Performers of such action merely treat the victims as less than human and as mere means to their ends. Their only justification for their action being that the benefits achieved are incommensurable. However, in doing so they forget the fact that such malpractices are all against the law which are made to secure order and stability in the society. Thus, in this context supporting John Lyly’s claim would mean supporting illegal activities, instability and anarchy all of which would make human beings no less than animals. Therefore, these criticisms provides adequate defense for my claim. In addition to this, observing real life examples can also proves my claim. An obvious example is the violence being inflicted on women and minors in Bangladesh. Incidences such as trafficking, abuse, acid-attacks are a common scenario in this country. According to Unicef (2005) there were 266 acid attacks reported in 2005 over a one year period, affecting 322 people1. Of these, 183 were women, 76 were children under 18, and 63 were men. Although, there were other reasons, a majority of the attacks can be directly or indirectly attributed to some sick form of â€Å"one-sided love†, where the perpetrators used threat as a means of compelling the victim to accept their proposal and upon being denied wanted their demise. Such justification of love is obviously not acceptable. Similarly, in case of war I think it seems illogical destroying hundreds of innocent lives just to kill a few enemy combatants, as in the case being undertaken in Afghanistan, Iran and other Arab countries. It is also not fair work as henchmen for enemies who are abusers of power. This is exactly what the Paramilitary force known as the â€Å"Razakars† did when they aided the Pakistan Army against the Mukti Bahini during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Their actions lead to the murder of around 300,000 to 500,000 people at that time. As such, their means of winning the war was the killing of millions of innocent people, which can never be justified. There are however, drawbacks of my claim. An example can be abortion of a baby to save a mother’s life. In such case, taking an innocent life is morally wrong, but saving the life of the women is morally right. As such, the point is, in all things there must be lines which should never be crossed, since if that happens, it would lead to destruction of order and control. But if the morally right outcome justifies the use of immoral means to achieve it, then such an action is justified. Therefore, in conclusion the notion â€Å"All is fair in love and war† is not always true. Application of ethical frameworks and examples clearly proves this, and so I firmly disagree with the idea. However, there are alternative ethical frameworks that can overcome the drawbacks this notion and my claim, one of which is Rights Theory. As Hohfeld’s (2001) points out, this theory focuses on actions based on the fundamental rights of the parties involved. It does this by setting up hierarchy of rights, where the highest order right includes rights to life, autonomy and human dignity. Second order rights involve the rights of the government, legal and civil rights. Third order rights involve the right to education, good healthcare and so on. As such, fulfillment the higher order rights take preference over the lower order rights and in this way ensuring proper justice and fairness for all. Reference Sen, K. & Mitra, J.K. (1956) Commercial Law and Industrial Law. Kolkata, The Word Press Private Ltd. Apperson, G. L. (2006) The Wordsworth dictionary of proverbs. Ware, Herts. : Wordsworth Reference Richman, S. (2012). Do Ends Justify Means? (ONLINE) Available at: http://www.fee.org/the_freeman/detail/do-ends-justify-means. (Accessed 27 January 13). Rainbolt, G. W. (2006) Rights Theory. Philosophy Compass 1, ET 003, 1–11. BBC. (2012). Bangladesh Islamist leader Ghulam Azam charged. (ONLINE) Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18049515. (Accessed 27 January 13) UNICEF. (2005) Women and Girls in Bangladesh. Support to the Acid Survivors Foundation and the Kishori Abhijan Project in Bangladesh. 1

Management Strategy and Decision Making Assignment

Management Strategy and Decision Making - Assignment Example s main focus was made on the increase of returns to the shareholders, the achievement of the Just Group strategy could be partially evaluated based on the dividends payout. Thus, in 2013 the company informed about annual dividends increase up to 38 cents per share. This increase has comprised 2% comparing with the dividends for 2012 (Premier Investment Limited Annual Report 2013). However, taking into consideration the fact that for 2009 it was declared that dividends were 75 cents per share, the company’s performance could be challenged. On the other hand, this performance could demonstrate strong financial position of the company as the global financial crisis might have had more adverse effects on the shareholder’s value. In order to achieve its strategy of increase of returns to the shareholders, the company has identified six strategic focus areas, such as: expansion and growth of the business through the internet up to 10% of sales; reinvigoration of the five key brands; organization-wide cost efficiency program; two phase gross margin expansion; significant growth of Peter Alexander; and significant growth of Smiggle brands (Premier Investment Limited Annual Report 2013). By reviewing the company’s performance results reported in 2013 it is possible to state the there has been made a substantial progress towards achievement of the above listed strategies. For example, the company has reported that its e-commerce activity has grown significantly. To achieve this result, there were launched 1day delivery program (within Australia) and mobile sites for all brands of the company. In terms of the growth margin expansion strategy, the company has also achieved significant results as gross margin has been expanded by 117 basis points in 2013 (Premier Investment Limited Annual Report 2013). Growth of Peter Alexander brand was also significant in FY 2013, as the total sales have exceeded 17%. Taking into consideration that in 2009 this brand comprised 7, 7% of

Sarbanes Oxley Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sarbanes Oxley Act - Essay Example It is a law for all public that set the standards for all the United States of America’s public companies board, the management and all the public accounting firms. This has set the standards for all who hold management position to give out accurate financial statements and information, while making external auditors more independent. The Act contains 11 titles. Scenario 1 which tries to establish whether a chief financial officer(CFO) or the CEO is liable certify report that contain misrepresentation can be explained by title III of the Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX).this title contain eight parts and states that those in high ranking of management should be individually responsible for accurate and complete financial statements. The title is specific in that it demand that corporate officers e.g. the CFO, or the CEO to be responsible for accurate and valid financial records (SOX section 302) ( Guy 45).4 Scenario 2 wished to establish whether or not a CFO or CEO is liable for using their respective position to influence an "audit report" of a public corporation. This can be explained by title XI on fraud accountability. It specifies that tampering and fraud of financial records either by overstatement or understatement attracted a penalty. This may lead to an extent of freezing payment which seems either overstated or understated. (SOX section1101)(James 128). Scenario3 wishes to find out whether or not an outside auditing firm must report directly to the "internal auditing committee" of a public corporation.... . Scenario 6 looks at whether or not a public corporation can make loans to managers and executives. This can be explained by title V which has nine sections that shows reporting on any transaction whether it is an off the balance sheet or any financial transaction. This means that they can make loans to the managers but it is a requirement to report on all those transaction that were involved (James 310). The last scenario wishes to tell whether or not a person who conspires with other to engage in fraudulent activities will receive the same punishment as those who actually engage in the fraudulent activity. Title III specifically states that every officer s will take his her individual responsibility for accurate and valid reporting. In case of fraud each officer takes his/her own responsibility and receives his /her own penalty (Guy 103). It is for a fact that Sarbanes Oxley Act is applicable in many activities of the firm. It seeks to set the standards for all who hold management position to give out accurate financial statements and information, while making external auditors more independent. Work cited. Guy Lander ,What is Sarbanes-Oxley? McGraw-Hill, 2003 James Hamilton, Ted Trautmann,Sarbanes, Oxley Manual: A Handbook for the Act and SEC Rules, CCH Incorporated, 2008 Question A Uniform commercial code Uniform commercial code was first enacted in 1952 and aimed at harmonizing sales law in the United States of America. Uniform commercial law was enacted to deal with transactions and contracts. It was created to create uniformity while transacting. It is subdivided into articles but of importance to this question is article 2 of the uniform

Home work Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Home work - Assignment Example The Germans thus sought to gain from the political instability in the country by financing the numerous violence and coups. Americans thus decided to occupy the country in order to pacify the operations by instilling stability in the government a feature that would protect the interests of the American investors in the country. Haiti thus became a US colony with the American marines killing all the insurgents and replacing the Haitian constitutions in order to permit foreigners to own land in the country a previous taboo that only the Germans who had managed to intermarry with the local elite Haitian society could manage. While the American government sought to protect the interest of its citizens living in the country and its international trade, the idea to colonize the country forcefully and replace its constitution was unrealistic. By doing this, the American government despised the sovereignty of the country thus imposing its legislations on the foreign land. Question 2 Neoreali sm is the most effective theory that explains American involvement in the Vietnam War. The theory asserts that power is one of the most important factor in international relations. According to the theory, powerful nations can intervene in the affairs of another state by manipulating their institutions of power. The power in this context may infer economic or military and the United States of America enjoyed both a feature that compelled her to get involved with the war. The spread of communism threatened her economic power a feature that compelled her to intervene in a bid to contain the spread in the eastern bloc. The United States of America had several foreign interests in the country that was an entry point to the eastern market. Additionally, it needed to pass a message to the rest of the countries in the eastern bloc making them aware of its political and military might. Realism on the other hand also draws several relevance to American involvement in the war. The theory asse rts that self-interests are the sole drive of international politics. To validate the claim, the theory explains that humans are not always benevolent but greedy, self-centered and extremely competitive. To safe guard their interests, different states ascribed to equality and autonomy thus earning them equal roles to dialogue and resolve international issues amicably. However, the theory acknowledges the selfish nature of human and the desire to prove their might over the rest of the population. The United States of America that is the world’s strongest economy thus decided to exploit its economic and military might by invading Vietnam and starting a fight in order to contain the spread of communism. The war resulted in the deaths of millions of the locales and many other America soldiers and had serious financial implications on the country and her tax system. However, the US deployed all the financial and human capita to the foreign territory in order to prove her economic might to the eastern bloc (Devitt 22). Question 3 John Mearsheimer fosters offensive realism and explains lies that countries tell each other as a means of gaining control of security control globally. This thus becomes the best reason with which to explain American interests in the Syrian predicament. While the country through its leadership has used gas

Business Operations and Human Resource Management Essay

Business Operations and Human Resource Management - Essay Example The decision of whether any specific condition is considered a disability is actually made case by case. Certain definite conditions are omitted as disabilities, such as visual impairment which can be corrected as well as substance abuse. ADA 1990 can be divided into five main titles: 1. Employment: Corporations must offer rational accommodations to safeguard the rights of persons with disabilities in all facets of employment. Likely changes may include rearrangement of jobs, altering the design of workstations, or adjusting equipment. Employment features may comprise of the application procedure, appointment, earnings, assistances, and all other aspects of occupation. 2. Public Services: Public services, which comprise national and resident government instrumentalities, cannot deny facilities to people with incapacities participation in programs or activities which are used by people without disabilities. In accumulation to that, public transportation systems must be completely avai lable to persons with disabilities. 3. Public Accommodations: Original building and modifications must be available as well as reachable to persons with incapacities. For prevailing services, hurdles to services must be abolished if voluntarily attainable. Public accommodations may comprise of services such as restaurants, retail stores as well as grocery stores. 4. Telecommunications: Telecommunications corporations offering telephone service to the general public must have telephone transmit service to persons who use telecommunication plans for the deafened or comparable devices. 5. Miscellaneous: This comprises a provision elimination (1) forcing or intimidating or (2) reacting against the incapacitated or those trying to help people with disabilities in declaring their rights under the decree of ADA. (Lawton, 1990) The ADA Standards for accessible design relating to businesses apply to all profit-making conveniences. This actually means that buildings as well as facilities must follow the plans regardless of whether they are kept by government organizations or private industries. Some examples of government activities that must stand by these values include governments, transportation establishments, and many other agencies that are functional in a building or facility. Private productions that are essential to follow the ethics would include hotels, retailers as well as fast-food chains. The ADA Standards for accessible design have implications for all business organizations. However, the time of life and worth of a facility may define which standards relate. All new constructions must follow to the whole set of values. In addition to that, variations or add-ons to present buildings must also fulfil the lowest standards. However, if a business that has been selected operates in a facility deemed as "historic" by the Federal, State, a varied type of the criterions may apply to guarantee that the historic nature of the construction is not damaged due to AD A design changes. The ADA also specifies very precise principles for building construction. It outlines certain "available routes" that can be defined as tracks through which disabled people with or without wheelchairs can travel without meeting any blockades - and sets rules for their erection. Procedures for the creation of certain function-specific rooms like lavatories as well as dressing rooms are delivered. Stairs

MTA-analysis method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

MTA-analysis method - Essay Example Therefore, the method involves two distinct stages. The first stage involves identifying different data sets and summarizing the data into a uniform set. The second stage involves making conclusions from the summarized data set. Meta-analysis requires that the data is accurate and devoid of any complications. It will not be efficient if it uses inaccurate data. In addition, the method requires the analyst to identify and collect data sets from past studies, which have some aspects of resemblance in terms of the research question they address. The method is particularly effective because it draws conclusions from data characteristics rather than making generalized conclusions about data. However, the method requires planning and some level of expertise among analysts. Advantages of meta-analysis The approach defines subjective ways of checking variability of data and enables testing of all statistical parameters. Combination of different studies summarizes data and ensures the ease of drawing conclusions from the data. Other parties can also use the data to support their studies. Review of past studies eliminates unnecessary details that are insignificant to the study. Meta-analysis makes possible the prediction of the impact of significant elements of data within a specified period (Cavanaugh, 2010). Review of past studies eliminates the threat of bias sampling. ... Researchers have found this method convenient in analyzing educational research. A single research on education can yield a range of different results due to a number of factors. Different research methods, the setting of the research and research instruments influence the nature of results (Allen, Bourhis, Burrell & Mabry, 2010). Therefore, there is a need to combine the different results and synthesize them into a single pool, from which it is easy to make viable conclusions. Meta-analysis is the best method that will help in meeting this data requirement. Furthermore, it summarizes data, which makes it possible for other researchers to extract useful information that may be relevant for their studies (Bernard, Abrami & Wozney, 2010). To understand this method, there is a need to look at the steps, methods and theories that govern its use. Steps followed in a meta-analysis The first step involves identifying the research problem. This includes identifying the variables and attribut es that are common in different data sets. The search for relevant literature sources succeeds the first stage. This stage involves identifying sources of information from available literature reviews and other relevant studies. Meta-analysis depends on other research studies and a researcher must ensure that the results of previous studies are accurate before using them in meta-analysis. The next stage involves selecting previous studies that meet the requirements of quality and that have some resemblance in addressing the same research question. Summarization of data using appropriate methods follows this stage. Summarization standardizes data

Fear and Indifference Reinforce Oppression and Individual Courage Essay

Fear and Indifference Reinforce Oppression and Individual Courage - Essay Example Fear and indifference reinforce oppression that creates social inequality; ending it starts with firm individual convictions that begin like a flame before burning across the society it wants to change. When people fear to protect the oppressed or to fight because they are oppressed, they are reinforcing oppression through silently allowing it to continue in their society. Wendell Steavenson interviewed women who both represent or vilify women rights. Hend Badawi participated in the Tahrir Square to depose Mubarak and his repressive regime. Though she is a good example of a person who fights for her rights, her conservative family punished her for her activism. Steavenson quoted Mona Eltahawy, a feminist writer, who said: â€Å"The regime oppresses everyone, but society represses only women†. Society oppresses women, not only by participating on socially stigmatizing and physically and emotionally hurting women who fight for their rights but also by remaining silent on their p leas. Silence can be accompanied with fear, like those who no longer pressed charges against the police for physically and sexually harassing them through public virginity tests. By not talking about their fears and fighting their oppressors, they are strengthening the resolve of their oppressors to treat them as second-class citizens. Alex Ross talks about another gender issue, this time, the fight for gays’ demand for equal rights and freedoms. Gays in the 80s were afraid to come out because of discrimination and violence against them.

Key Attributes of the Transformational Style of Leadership Essay Example for Free

Key Attributes of the Transformational Style of Leadership Essay The key attributes of the transformational style of leadership are as follows: Task versus Relationship Working together in organizations is increasingly the norm, yet the challenges of working effectively are considerable. One challenge is conflict—the process resulting from the tension between team members because of real or perceived differences. Empowerment versus Control The empowerment leadership style calls for delegation and collaboration of the team, while control is about the competitive style of conflict, which is task oriented—taking a firm stand and operating from a position of power. Getting Results versus Building Capacity Getting results and building capacity should work hand in hand but can be at odds as well, depending on strategy and objectives. To gain results, a leader must build capacity of the team; however, building capacity takes time and resources away from getting results. Shared Vision Shared vision is related to the traditional concept of goal-oriented implementation and consensus building in strategy and leadership (related to products, technologies, or markets), and values are developed by strong, charismatic leaders and imbued in the organizations they create. A shared vision is imperative in that it is communicated and developed as the organizational culture. Self versus Team Interests Self versus team interest affects or is highly influenced by the organization’s culture. How does the team or organization achieve its objectives and goals? Does the company promote and incentivize individual effort in lieu of team objectives? With one person excelling and the team suffering, does the entire organization succeed? Many times, individual goals or incentives must be sacrificed for the good of the team. One example of a transformational leader is Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, who often visited Wal-Mart stores across the country to meet with associates to show his appreciation for what they did for the company. Sam Walton gave â€Å"rules for success† in his autobiography, one of which was to appreciate associates with praise (Walton, 1996). Wal-Mart leaders embrace a philosophy called â€Å"servant-leadership,† which simply means that if you are a leader you need to put the needs of your people first. Said another way, company leaders need to serve their employees (associates). When you boil it all down, the secret to Sam Walton’s leadership philosophies is servant-leadership. His belief was that to truly be an inspirational leader, you must serve those whom you lead. In this regard, Sam was as much an amateur psychologist as he was a merchant (Bergdahl, 2004). There are 4 components to transformational leadership, sometimes referred to as the 4 Is: Idealized Influence (II) the leader serves as an ideal role model for followers; the leader walks the talk, and is admired for this. Inspirational Motivation (IM) Transformational leaders have the ability to inspire and motivate followers. Combined these first two Is are what constitute the transformational eaders charisma. Individualized Consideration (IC) Transformational leaders demonstrate genuine concern for the needs and feelings of followers. This personal attention to each follower is a key element in bringing out their very best efforts. Intellectual Stimulation (IS) the leader challenges followers to be innovative and creative. A common misunderstanding is that transformational  leaders are soft, but the truth is that they constantly challenge followers to higher levels of performance (Riggio, 2009). References Bergdahl, M. (2004). What I Learned From Sam Walton : How to Compete and Thrive in a Wal-Mart World. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley Sons. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/ehost/detail?sid=2a112ec6-1217-47cc-8f02-3e3e27a41db7%40sessionmgr10vid=5bk=1hid=22bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=nlebkAN=119365 Kouzes, J. (2007). The Leadership Challenge (4th ed). Jossey-Bass. Retrieved from http://digitalbookshelf.argosy.edu/books/9780470633397/Root/0 Riggio, R. (2009). Cutting-Edge Leadership. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/200903/are-you-transformational-leader

Money Makes The World Go Round English Literature Essay

Money Makes The World Go Round English Literature Essay The quotation money makes the world go round was first used in a musical play Cabaret, it was written in the 1960s. the play was a melancholy one, in one of the songs the female lead expresses her wish for love, the male protagonist replies with this line in the song. The main aim of this line was to say that it is money that makes the world turn, not nobility or love. It highlights the fact that our society is heavily dependent on money.  [1]  Charles Dickens further stresses this point in his novel Dombey and Son where Paul asks his father about the powers of money. Hisfather replies it can do everything, little Paul then intelligently questions his dad as to why money did not save his mother. Charles Dickens very clearly portrays both sides of the argument. The phrase basically means that everything in this world would stop without money. To some extent this statement is true because without money you cannot afford a shelter on your head, have food, go from point A to point B, etc. It is often said that money can take you places, in many instances it proves true because money can and often does open up many doors for a person. However, in todays world we are all too preoccupied with the notion of acquiring wealth, so much so that other aspects of life that are equally important are neglected. The main reason behind this is our distorted view of success. The word success is usually taken to mean material success; the more the money the more successful one is. This includes the amount of money one earns, the type of car he drives or the size of his house. The importance of money becomes very clear when a person has no money, Money for a poor person is everything, it becomes very important for him to earn so that he can fulfill his basic needs. However, recently everyone has become consumption oriented. We want to buy anything that is new on the market and catches our interest and we are falling prey to the attractive packaging and advertisiments of a product. Thus we buy things that we have little need for which in turn makes us want more money. Money enables us to afford a better quality of life; more money means bigger and better houses and cars, better quality products, better entertainment etc. Another advantage is less stress in paying bills and other household expenses. Money may also allow a person to persue his dreams, for example a person who wants to attain higher education may not be able to without money. Literature also supports this in many places, one such example is where Charles Dickens in another Novel A Christmas Carol  [2]  shows how love is pushed aside for money. This happens when young Ebenzer Scrooge had made a promise to a girl Belle to provide for her, however Belle chooses a crooked businessman Jacob as he offers her a quick gain of fortune to the girl. A number of quotations from the book the great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald  [3]  also highlight the importance of money. One such quote mentioned the effect that money has on Gatsby when he is unable to even speak in front of Daisy Buchnan as he gets intimidated by her wealth. This shows how wealth encompasses every aspect of our lives, so much so that it even reflects in the voice and mannerisms of a person. Another description from the same book is about a character Tom whose wealth has given him a lot of power. It allows him to treat others how ever he likes and his elitist nature also makes him condescending towards other people. Thus another thought is that wealth gives one power. Money may be a motivator it influences human activity from geological exploration to politics. Money itself may not be evil, it is the greed for money that becomes the root of evil. Despite popular arguments I believe that money does not make the world go around. we have created the monster and allowed it to take over and control our lives.  [4]  Even though money does have some importance in our lives as every aspect of our lives revolves around money, but if we tried to be content with less we may not face such dependency. The variety of products that we are faced with makes it very difficult for us to be content with what we have. We have made money so central to our lives that we place it above life and even happiness. This never ending pursuit of money has made the society a selfish one. People forget that there are many things that money cant buy. A Chinese proverb summarizes this argument very well by saying that money can buy a house but it cannot make a home, that it can not buy time, sleep knowledge, health, respect and a good life only the material aspects can be bought but not ones that come from within. Stephen R. Covey in his book seven habits of highly effective people also mentions that some of us tend to be centered around money and so our sense of security and happiness is directly related to how much money we have and since its human nature to never be satisfied with what one has he is likely to remain unhappy most of the time. Even a huge increase in wealth is unlikely to satisfy such a person. For this purpose we need to alter our centres to what we really want at the end of our lives. Money can buy a lot of things but it cannot buy good health, respect, love, inner peace etc as these only come from good principles. A person can have million in his bank account but still feel poor because he is not content with his life, more money gives him only minimal satisfaction. Security come from within from knowing that what you have is enough for you to be happy, it comes from believing in your self. All of us tend to think that happiness comes from outside i.e. through money. A short story that supports this notion is A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote it is the story of a child who does not get anything for Christmas except handed down and worn out except for a kite but he is still satisfied and goes out to fly it. In another instance was when the family was offered money for a new Christmas tree but they refused it believing that their old tree was more precious and nothing could replace it. Both these examples reflect the importance of contentment and satisfaction ove r money. One important error that we make is that we equate money with success, this is not true. Success can be divided into 8 categories, these are: health, personal needs, family, career, spiritual, financial and community. To be truly successful you need to be more than just financially successful. There have been many cases whereby a rich man was unable to spend all his fortune due to his health and died despite his accumulated wealth. Such a man cannot be called wealthy as all that he accumulated was left behind, and it was not able to help him when he needed help the most. Thus a rich person who lacks in other aspect of life is as good as being poor. Let us not get carried away with the idea of acquiring wealth and money and fail to consider other aspects of our life.

Effects Of Bullying On School Achievement

Effects Of Bullying On School Achievement This chapter critically analyzes extant literature on the relationship of bullying and school achievement. Many studies have been made on the development of the learning process but literature is scant on how bullying impacts upon the intellectual development of children. There is even less research conducted to determine how perceptions of educators or school staff influence the learning process in children. To provide backbone to this study, the following areas of literature were reviewed: Literature on school achievement and theories on motivation that may be applied to bullying in the school environment. Literature on bullying, its definitions, identification of bully and victim, and types of bullying behaviors. Literature on the relationship of bullying and school achievement. Literature on the role of teachers in bullying prevention. School Achievement Definitions of school achievement vary. The term itself is often used interchangeably with academic achievement. Achievement is described as performance which features routine evaluation occurs (Spence Helmreich, 1983) and skills which children learn via instruction or direct intervention (Stetson, Stetson, Sattler, 2001). Other definitions specify the use of tests to measure achievement based on accuracy of solving problems in reading, mathematics, or spelling (Buhs, Ladd, Herald, 2006). Describing achievement among children is important not only in the educational setting. Research work on achievement gaps for instance has several implications not only for the academe but for the economic and social well-being of a particular community. Being able to compare and explain achievement gaps have become an imperative because of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) (Magnuson Waldfogel, 2008). Closing the achievement gaps early on in elementary schools is an important step in ameliorat ing the impact of discrimination among minority children who grew up in the United States. At present, the achievement gap is still a reality. For instance, research has established that the entire academic advancement process earning outstanding grades, preparing for college, applying for aid, going through the complex application process for college, and obtaining good recommendation letters puts minorities such as Black and Hispanic students at a disadvantage (Downey, 2008). One way to break through the barriers of racial inequality is to close the test-score gap (Barton, 2003). Test scores account for a great percentage in determining high school graduation rate, preparation for college, and gaining a professional license in the future (Beltfield Levin, 2007). The measure for achievement is predominantly the test score on various stills such as reading, math, and vocabulary. Although the test score is just but one component and does not account for all factors related to acad emic achievement, is performs a gatekeeping function for consequential life course transitions (Magnuson Waldfogel, 2008, p. 2). For this study, school achievement is defined as a students degree of comprehension of proficiency and information with particular skills such as reading, mathematics, and spelling. The Ecological model of achievement School achievements is commonly assumed to be a cumulative function of family, school, and community experiences, and is therefore hard to measure (Rivkin, Hanushek, Kain, 2005). Since achievement is a holistic process where several factors come into play, studying achievement is an empirical challenge because complete family, community, and school histories, and such data are rarely if ever available (Rivkin, Hanushek, Kain, 2005). Efforts to understanding how achievement develops in children use theoretical models such as the Ecological model of development (Broussard Garrison, 2004). The Expectancy-Value model of development points to the influence of social contexts and interactions with other people as significant determinants of childrens achievement in the school setting (Eccles et al., 1983). The Expectancy-Value theory posits that achievement occurs upon the presence of an environment fit between childrens learning needs and their socialization experiences at various levels. Children start their early socialization within the family and soon progress into wider and more complex settings such as the school. It is in the classrooms and the school environment that children are provided a venue to pursue new life experiences which are crucial to the intellectual growth and development. When the school environment becomes incongruent to childrens needs, they may develop a low expectancy for success that may in consequence result to poor academic outcomes (Eccles et al., 1993). A poor person-environment fit may lead to rejection, frustration, violence, and victim ization. Alternatively, poor fit can lead to rejection and victimization whereby students become passively isolated from their peers. It is possible, therefore, that social experiences such as being bullied may reduce a students sense of competence for social and perhaps, academic situations. Further to the role of the aforementioned demographic characteristics, we were interested in the impact that students feelings about their school may have on their behaviour, in particular their involvement in bullying and victimization. School climate has been studied from different theoretical and methodological perspectives and with regard to a myriad of developmental and organizational outcomes (Kuperminc, Leadbeater, Emmons, Blatt, 1997). Social-ecological theorists suggest that perceptions are paramount in understanding the way in which individuals function within their environments (Lewin, 1935). This hypothesis has received support in a substantial body of research examining the role of percepti ons of school climate in a variety of important outcomes. For example, Solomon, Battistich, Kim, and Watson (1996) found that teacher supportiveness was associated with more positive behaviour in the classroom and positive perceptions of connectedness among students. In other research, Kuperminc and colleagues (1997) demonstrated that perceptions of school climate were associated with psychosocial maladjustment in adolescents, both in terms of internalizing and externalizing problems. Similarly, Griffith (1999) found that perceptions of an orderly and fair school with positive student-teacher relationships moderated both internalizing and externalizing problems among students. Students sense of connectedness to their school has been investigated as a buffer between exposure to violence and later violent behaviour (Brookmeyer, Fanti, Henrich, 2006) and the investigators found that students who felt more connected to their schools showed a reduction in violent behaviour over time. Feeling connected to school may make it more likely that stud ents will confide in teachers or peers about experiences of victimization, which may in turn help them to cope with these problems or avoid behaving violently themselves (Brookmeyer et al., 2006). In another study, Totura and colleagues (2009) found that perceptions of school climate as being characterized by misconduct or as having higher adult monitoring impacted the likelihood that students with internalizing or externalizing behaviour problems would be classified as bullies or victims by teachers. In the current study, we predicted that students who indicated feeling that their school is a fair and safe place, that they feel connected to their peers, and that they perceive their teachers as helpful and supportive would report lower rates of bullying and victimization. Furthermore, we saw these perceptions as integral to understanding the overall climate of a school. Definition of Bullying The most comprehensive and extensively used definition of bullying is provided by Dan Olweus; very few studies exist that do not cite his original work (Dake et al., 2003; Dulmus et al., 2004). This study used the definition of bullying developed by Olweus (1993), which states, a student is being bullied or victimized when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other students (Olweus, 1993, p. 9). Negative actions are further defined as when someone intentionally inflicts, or attempts to inflict, injury or discomfort upon another (p. 9). Negative actions can be verbal (including threatening, taunting, teasing, or name-calling) or physical (such as hitting, kicking, pushing, shoving, or pinching). Negative actions also may occur without verbal or physical interaction, such as making faces or gestures, intentionally excluding someone from a group, spreading rumors, or refusing to comply with the wishes of another. Different types of bullying are discussed in more detail in a later section. The definition emphasizes repeated interactions that are carried out over time. According to Olweus (1993), it is reasonable to assume that any time students are forced together within social environments where they have little choice over with whom they interact, tendencies to bully may arise. Further, some conflict among students is natural and expected. Students may come to school in an irritable mood because of a confrontation at home, or they might be tired or hungry. Students also may have a disagreement with one another that leads to a more serious altercation, though still not necessarily a bullying episode. The focus toward repeated interactions carried out over time is meant to exclude random interactions or isolated incidents that occur in a nonsystematic way. Random and isolated incidents are seen as somewhat natural, with less severe consequences for those involved. Thus, bullying is typically defined as occurring repeatedly and over time. Additionally, it is not considered bullying unless the targeted individual has difficulty defending him or herself against the bullying behavior. The overall intent is to focus on systematic victimization among participants with an imbalance of power or strength. Depending on the type of bullying that occurs strength may refer to physical, emotional, or mental strength. Differences in emotional or mental strength may be more difficult to identify than differences in physical strength. Regardless, two individuals of approximately the same physical, psychological or social strength that socially interact in an aggressive manner are not considered to be engaged in bullying behavior. There must be an imbalance in power or strength between the participants involved for the episode to be considered bullying. The next section addresses bullying in the school environment. Who bullies and who is victimized? Studies indicate that bullies often come from homes where physical punishment is used, where the children are taught to strike back physically as a way to handle problems, and where parental involvement and warmth are frequently lacking. Students who regularly display bullying behaviors are generally defiant or oppositional toward adults, antisocial, and are likely to break school rules. In contrast to prevailing myths, bullies appear to have little anxiety and to possess strong self-esteem. There is little evidence to support the contention that they victimize others because they feel bad about themselves (Batsche Knoff, 1994; Olweus, 1993). Students who are victims of bullying are typically anxious, insecure, cautious, and suffer from low self-esteem, rarely defending themselves or retaliating when confronted by students who bully them. They may lack social skills and friends, and they are often socially isolated. victims tend to be close to their parents and may have parents who can be described as overprotective. The major defining physical characteristic of victims is that they tend to be physically weaker than their peers-other physical characteristics such as weight, dress, or wearing eyeglasses do not appear to be significant factors that can be correlated with victimization (Batsche Knoff, 1994; Olweus, 1993). Victims often fear school and consider school to be an unsafe and unhappy place. The act of being bullied tends to increase some students isolation because their peers do not want to lose status by associating with them or because they do not want to increase the risks of being bullied themselves. A child being bullied leads to depression and low self-esteem, problems that can carry into adulthood (Olweus, 1993; Batsche Knoff, 1994). Bullying in the school environment An important feature of bullying is its essential public nature (Jeffrey, Miller, Linn, 2001, p. 145). Those who bully tend to do so in front of an audience of their peers. Therefore, bullying is best conceptualized as an interaction between the individual and his or her peer group, school, family, and community (Swearer Doll, 2001, p. 19). The seminal definition of bullying provided by Olweus also describes a behavioral interaction rather than an individual or a behavior. Thus, bullying interactions occur when individual characteristics of the child who is bullying are combined with the actions of their peers (including those of the individual who is being bullied), the reactions of teachers and other adults at school, the physical characteristics of the school grounds, family factors, cultural characteristics, and community factors (Swearer Doll). Therefore, propensities for bullying are the result of continued interactions between individuals and their immediate environment. Bullying has been commonly misidentified as occurring primarily in larger, city schools (Olweus, 1993). Results from Norway and Sweden show this to be invalid. Additionally, one study (Dulmus et al., 2004) done in a rural school setting reported that just over 82% of students experienced some form of bullying at least once in the three months prior to the study. Students who were called mean names, made fun of, or teased was the most common type of bullying experienced by students and being threatened or forced to do things and being called racist names were the least common types of bullying experienced. As many as 24.1% of students responded they had been threatened or forced to do things and 26.1% reported being called names based on race or color (Dulmus et al., 2004). Additional research has shown that the size of the class or the school appears to be of little importance for the amount of bullying found in the class or school (Dake et al., 2003; Olweus, 1993). There is a natural hierarchy of status in schools, commonly referred to as popularity, which exists among students. The top 15% of students can be classified as very popular, the next 45% as accepted, and another 20% as average or ambiguous (Thompson Cohen, 2005, p. 17). As a result, approximately 80% of children are not at serious risk of being bullied. On the other hand, the remaining 20% of students who are considered in the bottom of the social hierarchy are at serious risk for bullying (Thompson Cohen, 2005). Younger students also are at different stages of social development and may not yet understand that bullying is unacceptable behavior. However, recognition of bullying as unacceptable behavior is not always enough to deter it from happening. In addition, older students have generally had more opportunities to acquire the necessary skills and assertiveness to either respond more effectively to bullying or to cope with being subjected to such behavior (Smith, Shu, Madsen, 2001). Types of Bullying Olweus (1993) research initially distinguished between direct and indirect bullying. Direct bullying involves relatively open attacks on the target and may include words, gestures, facial expressions, or physical contact, such as hitting, kicking, pushing, shoving, and pinching. Indirect bullying is more covert and less visible, generally achieved through social isolation or intentional exclusion from a peer group. This can be accomplished through different methods and will differ according to age and development (Crick, Nelson, Morales, Cullerton-Sen, Casas, Hickman, 2001). For example, in early childhood, this might be accomplished by one individual simply telling another that they do not want to play together anymore. In middle childhood and adolescence, students may not invite others to join in some activity or may ignore an individual while paying excessive attention to another. The distinction between direct and indirect bullying has been further divided into three categories: physical bullying; verbal bullying; and relational bullying, which are discussed in the following sections (Liepe-Levinson Levinson, 2005; Olweus, 1993; Ralston, 2005; Smokowski Kopasz, 2005). Physical Bullying Physical bullying refers to hitting, pushing, shoving, slapping, kicking, tripping, and other such bodily attacks, as well as damaging anothers property (Howard, Horne, Joliff, 2001; Liepe-Levinson Levinson, 2005; Ralston, 2005; Smokowski Kopasz, 2005). Physical bullying is described as action-oriented and often uses direct bullying tactics (Smokowski Kopasz). Until recently, the majority of U.S. research about bullying has been conducted as a subset of aggression and has focused primarily on physical aggression (Griffin Gross, 2004). Aggression and bullying contain conceptual similarities, but their comparison largely depends on how each has been measured within individual research studies. Due to the relatively open nature of the attacks, physical bullying is considered the most visible and least sophisticated among the various types of bullying (Liepe-Levinson Levinson, 2005; Smokowski Kopasz, 2005). Less than one-third of all incidents reported by children involve physical bullying (Liepe-Levinson Levinson). Those who engage in physical bullying may become more aggressive over time and continue to manifest bullying in adulthood (Dake et al., 2003; Smokowski Kopasz, 2005). In addition, students who are targeted for physical bullying are generally targeted for verbal and relational bullying as well (Olweus, 1993). Research also shows that physical bullying is used more in lower grades (i.e., primary school) among younger students (Olweus, 1993). Verbal Bullying Verbal bullying is the most common form of bullying according to student reports in one study, accounting for nearly 70% of all reported incidents (Liepe-Levinson Levinson, 2005). Verbal bullying includes teasing, taunting, name-calling, racial slurs, or any instance where words are used to hurt or humiliate another. Due to the ease and quickness with which verbal bullying occurs, this type of behavior often goes undetected, making such interactions more difficult to respond to for teachers (Smokowski Kopasz, 2005). Verbal bullying often is a precursor to physical and relational bullying (Liepe-Levinson Levinson, 2005). Relational Bullying Relational bullying includes such acts as ignoring individuals, social isolation, intentional exclusion from peer groups, gossiping, and spreading rumors (Liepe-Levinson Levinson, 2005; Ralston, 2005; Smokowski Kopasz, 2005). Relational bullying also includes aggressive gestures, such as staring, rolling ones eyes, sighing, frowning, sneering, and other hostile body language (Liepe-Levinson Levinson). It is most powerful and prevalent at the onset of adolescence, when children are exploring their identities and expanding their social networks, also making it very difficult to identify. Verbal and relational bullying are quite common and are relatively unnoticed by teachers as students report these behaviors occurring more frequently than physical bullying (Griffin Gross, 2004; Hazler, Miller, Carney, Green, 2001). Oddly enough, physical bullying continues to attract more attention in the school environment. This is despite the widespread attention given to longstanding emotional and social forms of bullying as precursors to school shootings and suicides. This is most likely due to the visible nature of physical bullying and its relative ease of identification. Cyberbullying Historically, bullying primarily occurred in school during school hours; however, with the common use of computers and the internet since the 1990s, on-line bullying has become an increasing occurrence amongst adolescent girls (Li, 2005). The internet offers the perfect tool for mass, covert bullying due to its anonymity, its difficulty to regulate, and the removal of traditional social rules in regards to appropriate communication (Giuseppe, Galimberti, 2003). The nature of new technology makes it possible for cyber bullying to occur more secretly, spread more rapidly and be easily preserved (Li, 2006, p. 161). Bullying is a major problem in schools, and it seems to be on the rise with the widespread use of the Internet. Cyber bullying, according to Willard (2004) as quoted by Li (2006), can occur in various formats including flaming, harassment, cyber stalking, denigration (putdowns), masquerade, outing and trickery and exclusion à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ it can lead to stalking, death threats and suicide (Li, 2006). Unlike face-to-face bullying, people often feel that cyberspace is impersonal and they can therefore say whatever they want. Further, it is reported that females prefer this type of bullying (Nelson, 2003; Li, 2006). Electronic bullying allows a persons identity to remain hidden and can pose less of a physical confrontation that face-to-face bullying. Relationship of Bullying and Academic Achievement Bullying behaviour is a social, group process that is prevalent in the school environment and there are well documented findings regarding the behavioural and health consequences of bullying behaviour at school for both direct and relational bullying profiles (Kumpulainen et al., 1998; Owens, Slee, Shute, 2000; Williams, Chambers, Logan, Robinson, 1996; Wolke et al., 2000). However, there is a dearth of research that has considered the association between bullying behaviour per se and academic achievement among primary school children. Olweus (1978, 1983) first speculated that aggressive behaviour of bullies towards peers could be considered as a reaction to frustrations and failures at school. However, data from a large sample of boys from Greater Stockholm provided no evidence to suggest that aggressive behaviour was a consequence of poor grades at school. Rather, it was found that both bullies and victims had lower than average marks than neutral children (Olweus, 1978). In a recent study, Schwartz, Farver, Chang, and Lee-Shin (2002) reported that children who exhibited poor academic performance in school tended to emerge as frequent targets of bullying. However, it was only a subset of victimised children, the aggressive victims (or bully/victims) who were likely to be characterised by poor school performance (Schwartz, 2000). What remains to be established by research studies is whether poor academic achievement leads to bullying involvement or whether being bullied leads to poorer school achievement, possibly mediated by less participation in school. Research on peer rejection has also considered the relationship to academic achievement and school adjustment. Peer rejection is predominantly assessed by standardized scores that are comparable across classes and school, but does not take into account individual bullying roles within classes. Ladd (1990) considered the academic behaviour and school adjustment of children over the first year of school life and reported that rejected children had less favourable school perceptions, significantly higher levels of school avoidance and significantly lower school performance compared to popular, average, and neglected children. While the research is clear that students with behavior problems do less well in school (Shanahan 2000; McLeod Keiser 2004; Trzensniewski et al. 2006; Allard 2007; Buchmann et al. 2008), it is unclear whether engagement in bullying behaviors directly leads to negative academic outcomes (Miller 2008). Moreover, empirical research has provided mixed support for a cross-sectional relationship specifically between bullying behavior and academic achievement (Nansel et al. 2001; Spriggs et al. 2007). On the one hand, Nansel et al. (2001) found that persons who bullied others showed poorer school adjustment, both in terms of academic achievement and perceived school climate (p. 2097). Glew et al. (2005) criticized Nansel et al.s (2001) findings because although the authors found important evidence regarding the potential detrimental effects of bullying on self perceived academic achievement and school attendance, no objective measures of academic achievement or attendance were collected (p .1026). In contrast, these authors, utilizing objective measures of school performance, found that being a bully was not significantly correlated with lower achievement scores. More recently, Spriggs et al. (2007), using the 2001 Health Behaviors in School-Aged Children survey (HBSC), found that among a representative sample of sixth to tenth graders that bullying impacts achievement. Their results also indicated that this relationship varies by race. For Whites and Hispanics, being a bully, victim, or a combination of the two, was associated with poorer academic performance. However, for Blacks, bullying was not related to academic performance (Spriggs et al. 2007). Instead, Blacks family and peer relationships had a greater influence on achievement than did bullying. This paper presents a meta-analytic review of 33 studies, with a total of 29 552 participants, that examined the concurrent association between peer victimization and academic achievement. The results revealed a small but significant negative correlation between peer victimization and academic achievement under both the random-effects model (r=à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢.12, p This study utilized a multi-informant approach to investigate the concurrent association between peer victimization and school functioning in a sample of 135 Latino children (55 boys; 80 girls) in the third, fourth, and fifth grades. The children attended elementary schools in distressed urban neighborhoods. Victimization by peers was associated with low grade point averages (GPA) and poor academic engagement. The analyses showed academic engagement mediated the relation between peer victimization and GPA. Moderator analyses indicated that the negative association between peer victimization and academic engagement was exacerbated for children with numerous friends in their classrooms. Additional moderator analyses revealed that the negative association between victimization and engagement was stronger for children with many aggressive friends. Overall, the results extend past research by investigating mediators and moderators of the association between peer victimization and school f unctioning in an understudied population (Nakamoto, 2008). This short-term longitudinal investigation focused on associations between victimization in the peer group and academic functioning over a 1-year period. The authors used a multi-informant approach to assess peer victimization, symptoms of depression, and academic outcomes for 199 elementary schoolchildren (average age of 9.0 years; 105 boys, 94 girls). Frequent victimization by peers was associated with poor academic functioning (as indicated by grade point averages and achievement test scores) on both a concurrent and a predictive level. Additionally, the authors analyses provided some evidence that peer group victimization predicts academic difficulties through the mediating influence of depressive symptoms. Taken together, these results highlight the potential negative impact of victimization by peers on childrens academic functioning (Schwartz et al., 2005). Adjustment difficulties such as loneliness and depression are less likely to occur among students who are liked by their peers and who have friends in comparison to those children who are isolated and alone (Erdley et al., 2001). Thus, peer acceptance and reciprocal friendships may pevent socio-emotional maladjustment. In the context of school bulyying, students who are bullied may not gain a sense of protection from affiliation with a group (Beran Violato, 2004). These limited social skills and access to friends increase the likelihood of bullying. Furthermore, this lack of peer support may inhibit children from seeking academic support from teachers. If children do not trust their teachers to stop the bullying, they may not seek their assistance with academic difficulties. It is likely that children who are bullied disengage from their learning, experiencing little enjoyment and low consciousness for academic work. In addition, children whose parents provide little support for their education, are likely to experience academic difficulties. When these students also exhibit behaviour problems in the form of hyperactivity, aggression, and poor social skills, they may experience learning difficulties. Other studies, however, show contrary results. Hanish and Guerra (2002) examined the effects of peer victimization on levels of academic achievement and determined that peer victimization was correlated with concurrent and subsequent aggressive behavior, inattention in the classroom, delinquency, symptoms of anxiety and depression, rejection, and low popularity among classmates. It was not however, correlated with academic maladjustment or withdrawal. (p. 85). Being bullied may have affected some aspects of academic life such as inattention in the classroom and low popularity among classmates but it did not predict low achievement (Hanish Guerra, 2002). In addition, Woods and Wolke (2004) reported achievement levels to be similar between children who are victimized and those who are not. Some victimized children may experience poor achievement whereas others may not. Role of Teachers in Bullying Prevention The basic assumptions are that changing the environment is more powerful than changing individuals, that prevention is better than intervention, and that changing the environment requires support and understanding among teachers. Teachers understand the levels of influence and recognize the power of the family, the community, and the popular culture to influence behavior. What they often do not understand is the extent or limit of their sphere of influence. When teachers are asked to identify risk factors for the development of bullying, they generally rank the family and cultural factors such as television films, and pop music as having the strongest impact on childrens development of bullying behaviors. When teachers are asked to indicate which factors they can influence, they recognize for the most part, that their influence is limited to the classroom and school environment. Teachers are encouraged to focus their energy and resources on changing the areas within their sphere of influence, that is, the classroom and the school. Because of the amount of teacher contact with students, perceptions of teachers regarding student bullying forms an important first step in minimizing this risk. Research found that teachers considered bullying the second most serious student behavior after drug use, (24)