Railroad Westward Expansion from 1860 to 1890

Railroad Westward Expansion from 1860 to 1890 The history of America is grounded in the concepts of immigration, expansion, and economic empowerment. European settlers along the East Coast developed a new doctrine called the manifest destiny that would guide their path. This ideology posited that the United States was destined to expand across the continent, displacing the indigenous communities. The project to join the East and West Coast was pursued on different fronts. Development of the railroad network spearheaded the process as it opened up new lands, connected major cities, and also enabled agricultural and economic growth (Borneman 14). The railroad not only served as a means of transport but also marked the route for the dissemination of inventions, culture, and knowledge gained over the years. Although the railroad is mainly recognized for enabling agriculture, transport, and industrialization, it also played a significant role in facilitating administration. The settlers often faced violent resistance from the natives (Wolmar 18). In fact, several Red Indian communities openly attacked and even sabotaged settler activities to scatter the expansion. Thus, there was a need to set down rules of engagement (Wilhelm 40). The railroad played its role by opening up transportation into the interior allowing for the colonizers to establish administrative frameworks. Mapping out the rail routes also required collaboration with the native tribes. Therefore, settlers negotiated and signed treaties with native chiefs in their respective territories. For instance, the native tribes of Osage, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Pawnee occupied the plains of Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska. The government negotiated a battery of treaties largely dealing with the transfer of land either of settlement o r rail tracks. Famous ones include the Sturges Osage (1868) and Drum Creek Treaties among others (Wilhelm 46). After signing the agreements, administrative posts would be established mainly along the railroads. With time, the posts turned into settlements and small towns. These small rural towns served by the railroad attracted increasingly larger populations that transformed them into cultural hotspots and centers of learning (Hagger 29). Around the 1870s, Cincinnati and St. Louis had attracted a significant population including workers and farmers (PBS Map). Individuals from different cultural backgrounds mingled and interacted to form a unique culture. Various types of food, music, folklore, literature, language, dressing, farming, buildings, and relationships all combined to create the American identity. By 1890, over ten cities with populations of over 100, 000 people had emerged on the westward expansion route along the railway tracks (PBS Map). Cities also served by waterways experienced more rapid growth economically and population-wise (Borneman 191). With time, these cities and rail transport became core elements of the American identity. The westward expansion also tallied with increased agricultural and industrial inventions. Some of the key discoveries in the century included the reaper (invented 1831), the combine harvester (1834), and the steel plow (1837). These implements were essential to agriculture and allowed the expansion of the railroad to spread and disseminate the technology. For instance, the McCormicks reaper was bulky and required to be transported from Virginia where it was manually assembled into the farmlands located further westward in the states of Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Ohio (Borneman 119). Railroads offered the best method to transport them. Increased agricultural output resulting from the enhanced technology further increased transportation needs. Laying rail tracks was considerably cheaper than digging out roads and or water canals (Wolmar 14). As such, inventions and railroads had a mutual relationship in that the new creations distributed by the railroad further increase d demand for transportation. Furthermore, increased agricultural production spurred invention of more efficient industrial processes to serve the growing masses. This necessitated the railroad to connect not only major farming areas that supplied raw materials but also industrial cities. Many industries in the food processing sector would emerge driven by inventions in that direction. The mass production of steel, glass and other products stimulated other industries. For instance, availability of steel allowed for new approaches in architectural designs, more so, in multi-story buildings. Buildings such as the Trinity Church in Boston and the Philadelphia City Hall were designed and constructed in the 1870s. The railroads allowed for convenient transportations of construction materials such as steel and bricks. Consequently, inventions in the architectural industry and building and construction would follow the rail tracks westward. Although New York introduced the skyscrapers, the invention would be mastered in Chicago in the 1880s and 90s led by pioneer architects such as William L. Jenney (1832-1907) and Daniel H. Burnham (1846-1912) at the Chicago College of Architecture and the Arts (Hagger 101). As the rail extended further westward, so did the skyscraper design. By 1890s, other cities such as St Louis and San Francisco had their skyscrapers as the railroad connected the East and West Coasts. To summarize, one can say that the railroad has played an integral part in the growth of America. Specifically, between 1869 and 1890, it hastened the westward expansion that allowed the creation of more settlements in the Midwestern plains all through to the West Coast. The rail route also served a significant role in designating administrative posts and even urban settlements that later evolved into the major cities. The majority of the factors that make America what it is today including technology, democracy, and a vibrant culture can all be linked to the railroad network created by the westward expansion policy. Word count: 870 Works Cited Borneman, Walter, Iron Horses: Americas Race to Bring the Railroads West. New  York: Little Borneman. 2014. Print. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=R0oeAwAAQBAJlpg=PP1dq=Americas%20Race%20to%20Bring%20the%20Railroads%20Westpg=PT20#v=onepageqf=false Hagger, Nicholas, The Secret American Dream: The Creation of a New World Order with the  Power to Abolish War, Poverty, and Disease. New York: Duncan Baird. 2013. Print.  PBS Map, Westward Expansion 1860-1890. WGBH Educational Foundation. 2010.  https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/asset/akh10_int_expansion/. Accessed.  23 Feb. 2017. Wilhelm, Robert, The Bloody Century: True Tales of Murder in 19th Century America. Night  Stick Press. 2014. Print. Wolmar, Christian, The Great Railroad Revolution: The History of Trains in America. New  York: Public Affairs. 2013. Print.

How Did the Decision to Conduct an ROI Study Influence the Design of Coaching Program Essay

How did the decision to conduct an ROI study influence the design of coaching program. Nations Hotel Corporation is one of the reputed USA based hotel company, with an international presence in 15 countries worldwide. Hospitality industries are quiet competitive in nature and today’s success rule of hospitality includes knowledge, customer satisfaction and operational efficiency which provides pleasure of stay and departure to their guests. Any addition or subtraction in these components can increase or decrease the rating of any organization. Nations Hotel with 98% brand awareness and 72% as customer satisfaction ratio were still far from the race of preferred choice amongst the customers. Hence there, arose a need to identify the gap , so a study was conducted by the Nations hotel learning organizations (NHLO), as a result need for high leverage training program (Chapter 1-Introduction to employee training and development- High Leverage Training Program) was determined, which can improve the operational efficiency, help in retention of high performing employees and increase the level of customer satisfaction, so a structured coaching program was proposed in front of senior executives, which can have impact on business . (Chapter 1-Introduction to employee training and devlopment -ASTD Competency model, this model shows the role of training and how it will impact the business strategy). Since these strategic trainings, are expansive in nature , senior executives of Nations hotel were concerned with the calculation of Return on Investments (â€Å"Chapter -6, Training Evaluation-ROI) on coaching project, calculation of direct and indirect cost and benefits achieved through the coaching program became crucial factor in designing the program. Instead of directly going ahead with the coaching program for all employees , Nations hotel selected 25 employees randomly for the training( chapter 6-Training and evaluation-Pilot Testing, random assignment). This small selection of team was an effective decision , as identifying the strength and weakness of the coaching program brought an opportunity to make changes before ,this coaching program became available to all employees, besides this factor, another strong reason was individual coaching was a huge investment for Nations hotel, so through pilot testing evaluating the effectiveness of training and cost , and conducting need assessment was better approach to calculate the ROI for the coaching program, so that finally while evaluating the results and business impact after conducting the coaching program for the executives, Nations hotel can make a decision on further expanding this coaching program for rest of the employees. Hence the coaching program was designed in 14 steps, which comprised of the following steps. 1. Voluntary participation 2. Need for Coaching 3. Self Assessments 4. Commitment for data 5. Roles and responsibilities 6. The match 7. Orientation session 8. The engagement 9. Coaching session 10. Goal setting 11 . Action planning 12. Active learning 13. Progress review 14. Reporting. These steps helped in calculating various components of ROI which includes both the calculation of tangible and non tangible benefits, evaluation of confidence level amongst the newly trained employees, monetary value gained or lost, impact on turnover, measurement of service improvement, and last but not the least job satisfaction amongst employees after this coaching program, which will finally have impact on business. (Chapter 6-Training Evaluation-Results & Return on Investment). Question 2. Discuss the importance of getting participants committed to provide quality data. Determining the effectiveness of training program is referred as evaluation. Kirkpatrick’s four level framework measures the outcomes of an effective training program, which includes following four levels of evaluation, also there is a fifth level of evaluation, which is out of the Kirkpatrick’s framework of evaluation, and is known as Return on Investment. (Chapter 6-Training Evaluation-Kirkpatrick’s four level of framework of evaluation criteria) Level 1 Reaction: It provides feedback about the content of the program, participant’s engagement, data gathered in this level helps in improving the training program Level 2. Learning: Knowledge and skills of trainees are tested through norm referenced test, criterion referenced test or quizzes, observations and work samples, and data collected at this level, helps to judge the skill based outcomes of trainee from the training. Level 3. Application: These are also known as affective outcomes, which are measured through collection of data via interviews and attitude surveys, to measure the skill enhancements after training. Level 4. Results or Business Impact: How much training program has paid off for the company, such as improvement in customer care inclined or declined on turn around time after the training, measuring such outcomes falls, under this level, which is measured by collecting data through performance records, observation, information system Level 5. ROI: This step compares the monetary benefits to the organization with the cost of training, such as by collecting data for both tangible and intangible benefits, which includes direct and indirect cost , level of confidence , job satisfaction , cost benefit analysis etc.. Result of one level of evaluation, becomes the benchmark for the next level of evaluation, this can be best explained by the example of Nations Hotel, where careful and quality data recorded in action plan and company records by executives helped the NHLO team in making of convincing ,coaching business impact program. The ROI process in Nations Hotel, involved gathering data through out the coaching, so that evaluation result can be evaluated in all the above mentioned five levels. Since participants (executives, senior executives, coach) provided data at every level of evaluation, which helped in further clubbing of all the data, that was collected at all five levels separately, were than integrated to provide an overall evaluation of the program, and measure how effectively the program is impacting the strategic goals of the company, careful and accurate data collection at all levels helped the NHLO team to measure the result of coaching program at every step, so that any flaw at one level , can be rectified easily before moving to the next step, for example the benefit cost ratio of NHLO was 3. 21, that is it, suggests that on every dollar spend,$3. 21 was returned, but in absence of accurate data this figure would have been misleading , and could have resulted in fiasco. Not only Nations Hotel, infact most of the companies follows similar process for evaluating the levels, by collecting data at every level, and than utilizing the data for moving ahead with the next level. These data’s were further converted into monetary value, through various ways, which was further utilized in analyzing the ROI on training. In absence of quality data, training will have no impact neither for an individual in terms of cognitive, skills application, and affective outcomes nor for any organization in terms of positive business impact and ROI, which an organization aimed for. Hence quality data from the participants has a huge impact in determining the credibility, reliability and relevance of the training program ,so active participation from the trainees and providing reliable data, is essential for an effective training program (Chapter 6-Training evaluation-Outcomes used in evaluating training programs)

Night World : Huntress Chapter 6

Me? Hugh nodded. â€Å"I'm supposed to stop the end of the world? How?† â€Å"First, I ought to tell you that it's not just me that believes all this about the millennium. It's not even Circle Daybreak that believes it. It's the Night World Council, Jez.† â€Å"The joint Council? Witches and vampires?† Hugh nodded again. â€Å"They had a big meeting about it this summer. And they dug up some old prophecies about what's going to happen this time.† â€Å"Like?† Hugh looked slightly self-conscious. â€Å"Here's one. It used to rhyme in the original, I think, but this is the translation.† He took a breath and quoted slowly: ‘In blue fire, the final darkness is banished. In blood, the final price is paid.† Great, Jez thought. Whose blood? But Hugh was going on. â€Å"Four to stand between the light and the shadow, Four of blue fire, power in their blood. Born in the year of the blind Maiden's vision; Four less one and darkness triumphs.† Jez blinked slowly. â€Å"What's blue fire?† â€Å"Nobody knows.† â€Å"‘Four to stand between the light and the shadow†¦' Meaning to hold off the end of the world?† â€Å"That's what the Council thinks. They think it means that four people have been born, four Wild Powers who're going to be instrumental in whatever's coming, whatever battle or disaster that's going to destroy us. Those four can stop the end of the world-but only if all of them fight together.† â€Å"‘Four less one and darkness triumphs,† Jez said. â€Å"Right. And that's where you come in.† â€Å"Sorry, I don't think I'm one of them.† Hugh smiled. â€Å"That's not what I meant. The fact is, somebody around here has already reported finding a Wild Power. Circle Daybreak intercepted a message from him to the Council saying that hell hand the Wild Power over to them if they make it worth his while. Otherwise hell just sit tight until they're desperate enough to agree to his terms.† Jez had a sinking feeling. She said one word. â€Å"Who?† Hugh's expression was knowing and regretful. It's one of your old gang, Jez. Morgead Blackthorn.† Jez shut her eyes. Yeah, that sounded like Morgead, trying to shake down the Night World Council. Only he was crazy and nervy enough to do that. He was stubborn, too-perfectly capable of letting disaster come if he didn't get his way. But of all the people in the world, why did it have to be him? And how had he found a Wild Power, anyway? Hugh was speaking again softly. â€Å"You can see why we need you. Somebody has to get to him and find out who the Wild Power is-and you're the only one who stands a chance of doing that.† Jez pushed hair off her face and breathed slowly, trying to think. â€Å"I don't need to tell you how dangerous it is,† Hugh said, looking into the distance again. â€Å"And I don't want to ask you to do it. In fact, if you're smart, you'll tell me to get lost right now.† Jez couldn't tell him to get lost â€Å"What I don't understand is why we can't just let the Council take care of it. They'll want the Wild Powers bad, and they have a lot more resources.† Hugh glanced back at her, startled. His gray eyes were wide with an expression that Jez had never seen before. Then he smiled, and it was an incredibly sad smile. â€Å"That's just what we can't do. You're right, the Council wants the Wild Powers. But not so they can fight the end of the world. Jez†¦ they only want them so they can kill them.† That was when Jez realized what his expression was. It was gentle regret for innocence-her innocence. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been. â€Å"Oh, Goddess,† she said slowly. Hugh nodded. â€Å"They want it to happen. At least the vampires do. If the human world ends-well, that's their chance, isn't it? For thousands of years the Night People have had to hide, to live in the shadows while the humans spread all over the world. But the Council wants that to change.† The reason Jez had been so slow was that it was hard for her to imagine anybody actually wanting to bring on the Apocalypse. But of course it made sense. â€Å"They're willing to risk being destroyed themselves,† she whispered. â€Å"They figure that whatever happens, it'll be worse on the humans, since the humans don't know it's coming. Hell, some of the Night People think they're what's coming. Hunter Redfern is saying that vampires are going to wipe out and enslave the humans and that after that the Night World is going to reign.† Jez felt a new chill. Hunter Redfern. Her ancestor, who was over five hundred years old but looked about thirty. He was bad, and he practically ran the Council. â€Å"Great,† she muttered. â€Å"So my family's going to destroy the world.† Hugh gave her a bleak smile. â€Å"Hunter says the Old Powers are rising to make vampires stronger so they can take over. And the scary thing is, he's right. Like I said before, the Night People are getting stronger, developing more powers. Nobody knows why. But most of the vampires on the Council seem to believe Hunter.† â€Å"So we don't have much time,† Jez said. â€Å"We have to get the Wild Power before Morgead makes a deal with the Night World.† â€Å"Right. Circle Daybreak is fixing up a safe place to keep the Wild Powers until we get all four. And the Council knows we're doing it-that's probably why that ghoul was following me. They're watching us. I'm just sorry I led it here,† he added absently, with a worried look around the room. â€Å"Doesn't matter. He's not telling anybody anything.† â€Å"No. Thanks to you. But we'll meet someplace different next time. I can't endanger your family.† He looked back at her. â€Å"Jez, if the Night World manages to kill even one of the Wild Powers-well, if you believe the prophecy, it's all over.† Jez understood now. She still had questions, but they could wait. One thing was clear in her mind. â€Å"I'll do it. I have to.† Hugh said very quietly, â€Å"Are you sure?† â€Å"Well, somebody has to. And you were right; I'm the only one who can handle Morgead.† The truth was that she thought nobody could handle Morgead-but she certainly had a better chance than any Circle Daybreaker. Of course, she wouldn't survive the assignment Even if she managed to steal the Wild Power out from under Morgead's nose, he'd hunt her down and kill her for it That was irrelevant â€Å"He hates me, and I hate him, but at least I know him,† she said out loud. There was a silence and she realized that Hugh was looking at her oddly. â€Å"You think he hates you?† â€Å"Of course. All we ever did was fight† Hugh smiled very faintly-an Old Soul look. I see.† â€Å"What's that supposed to mean?† ‘It means-I don't think he hates you, Jez. Maybe he has strong emotions for you, but from what I've heard I don't think hate is one of them.† Jez shook her head. â€Å"You don't understand. He was always gunning for me. And if he found out I'm half human-well, that would be the end. He hates humans worse than anything. But I think I can fool him for as long as it takes to get the Wild Power.† Hugh nodded, but he didn't look happy. His eyes were bruised and tired. If you can pull it off, you'll save a lot of lives.† He knows, too, Jez thought. That I'll die doing this. It was some comfort that he cared-and more comfort that he didn't understand why she was doing it. Sure, she wanted to save lives. But there was something else. The Council had tried to mess with Hugh. They'd sent a stinking ghoul after him. They would probably send something different tomorrow-certainly, they'd keep trying to kill him. And for that, Jez was going to wipe the floor with them. Hugh wasn't any kind of fighter. He couldn't defend himself. He shouldn't be a target. She realized that Hugh was still looking at her, with pain in his eyes. She smiled to show him that she wasn't afraid of dying. â€Å"It's a family affair,† she told him-and that was true, too. â€Å"Hunter's my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. It's only right that I stop him. And if anything happens to me-well, one Redfern less is probably a blessing to the world.† And that was the last part of the truth. She came from a tainted family. No matter what she did, who she saved, or how hard she tried, there would always be vampire blood running in her veins. She was a potential danger to humanity by her very existence. But Hugh was looking horrified. â€Å"Don't you ever say that† He stared at her for another moment and then took her by the shoulders, squeezing. â€Å"Jez, you're one of the best people I know. What you did before last year is-â€Å" â€Å"Is part of me,† Jez said. She was trying not to feel his warm grip through her T-shirt, trying not to show that his little squeeze sent a shock through her entire body. â€Å"And nothing can change that. I know what I am.† Hugh shook her slightly. â€Å"Jez-â€Å" â€Å"And right now, I have to get rid of that ghoul. And you'd better be getting home.† For a moment she thought he was going to shake her again; then he slowly let go of her. ‘You're officially accepting the assignment?† The way he said it sounded as if he were giving her one last chance not to. â€Å"Yes.† He nodded. He didn't ask how she planned on getting back into a gang that she'd abandoned, or getting information from Morgead, who hated her. Jez knew why. He simply trusted that she could do it â€Å"When you know something, call this number.† He dug in a different pocket and handed her a square of paper like a business card. â€Å"I'll give you a location where I can meet you-someplace away from here. We shouldn't talk about anything on the phone.† Jez took the card. â€Å"Thanks.† â€Å"Please be careful, Jez.† â€Å"Yes. Can I keep the articles?† He snorted. â€Å"Sure.† Then he gave her one of those sad Old-Soul smiles. â€Å"You probably don't need them, though. Just look around. Watch the news. You can see it all happening out there.† â€Å"We're going to stop it,† Jez said. She reconsidered. â€Å"We're going to try.† Jez had a problem the next morning. The problem was Claire. They were supposed to drive to school together, to ensure that Jez didn't cut school. But Jez had to cut school to go find Morgead. She didn't want to imagine the kind of trouble that was going to get her in with Uncle Jim and Aunt Nanami-but it was crucial to get to Morgead as soon as possible. She couldn't afford to waste time. At the first major stoplight-and there weren't a lot of them in Clayton-she smacked her forehead with her palm. â€Å"I forgot my chemistry book!† She unfastened her seat belt and slid out of the Audi just as the light turned green. â€Å"You go ahead!† she shouted to Claire, slamming the door and leaning in the open window. â€Å"Ill catch up to you.† Claire's expression showed her temperature was reaching the boiling point. â€Å"Are you crazy? Get in; I'll drive back† â€Å"You'll be late. Go on without me.† She made a little fluttery encouraging motion with her fingers. One of the three cars behind Claire honked. Claire opened her mouth and shut it again. Her eyes were shooting sparks. â€Å"You did this on purpose! I know you're up to something, Jez, and I'm going to find out-â€Å" Honk. Honk. Jez stepped back and waved goodbye. And Claire drove off, as Jez had known she would. Claire couldn't stand the peer pressure of cars telling her to get moving. Jez turned and began to jog for home, in a smooth, steady, ground-eating lope. When she got there, she wasn't even breathing hard. She opened the garage and picked up a long, slim bundle that had been concealed in a corner. Then she turned to her bike. Besides Hugh, it was the love of her life. A Harley. An 883 Sportster hugger. Just twenty-seven inches tall and eighty-seven inches long, a lean, light, mean machine. She loved its classic simplicity, its cold clean lines, its spare body. She thought of it as her steel and chrome thoroughbred. Now she strapped the long bundle diagonally on her back, where it balanced nicely despite its odd size. She put on a dark full-face helmet and swung a leg over the motorcycle. A moment later she was roaring away, heading out of Clayton toward San Francisco. She enjoyed the ride, even though she knew it might be her last one. Maybe because of that. It was a dazzling end-of-summer day, with a sky of September blue and a pure-white sun. The air that parted for Jez was warm. How can people ride in cages? she thought, twisting the throttle to shoot past a station wagon. What good are cars? You're completely isolated from your surroundings. You can't hear or smell anything outside; you can't feel wind or Power or a slight change in the temperature. You can't jump out to fight at an instant's notice. You certainly can't stake somebody at high speed while leaning out of a car window. You could do it from a bike, though. If you were fast enough, you could skewer somebody as you roared by, like a knight with a lance. She and Morgead had fought that way once. And maybe will again, she thought, and flashed a grim smile into the wind. The sky remained blue as she continued west, instead of clouding up as she approached the ocean. It was so clear that from Oakland she could see the entire bay and the skyline of San Francisco. The tall buildings looked startlingly close. She was leaving her own world and entering Morgead's. It was something she didn't do often. San Francisco was an hour and fifteen minutes away from Clayton-assuming there was no traffic. It might as well have been in another state. Clayton was a tiny rural town, mostly cows, with a few decent houses and one pumpkin farm. As far as Jez knew, the Night World didn't know it existed. It wasn't the kind of place Night People cared about. Which was why she'd managed to hide there for so long. But now she was heading straight for the heart of the fire. As she crossed the Bay Bridge and reached the city, she was acutely aware of how vulnerable she was. A year ago Jez had broken the laws of the gang by disappearing. If any gang member saw her, they had the right to kill her. Idiot. Nobody can recognize you. That's why you wear the full-face helmet. That's why you keep your hair up. That's why you don't custom-paint the bike. She was still hyper-alert as she cruised the streets heading for one of the city's most unsavory districts. There. She felt a jolt at the sight of a familiar building. Tan, blocky, and unlovely, it rose to three stories plus an irregular roof. Jez squinted up at the roof without taking off her helmet. Then she went and stood casually against the rough concrete wall, near the rusty metal intercom. She waited until a couple of girls dressed like artists came up and got buzzed in by one of the tenants. Then she detached herself from the wall and calmly followed them. She couldn't let Morgead know she was coming. He'd kill her without waiting to ask questions if he got the jump on her. Her only chance was to jump him first, and then make him listen. The building was even uglier inside than it was outside, with empty echoing stairwells and faceless industrial-sized hallways. But Jez found her heart beating faster and something like longing twisting in her chest. This place might be hideous, but it was also freedom. Each one of the giant rooms behind the metal doors was rented by somebody who didn't care about carpets and windows, but wanted a big empty space where they could be alone and do exactly what they wanted. It was mostly starving artists here, people who needed large studios. Some of the doors were painted in gemlike colors and rough textures. Most had industrial-sized locks on them. I don't miss it, Jez told herself. But every corner brought a shock of memory. Morgead had lived here for years, ever since his mother ran off with some vampire from Europe. And Jez had practically lived here, too, because it had been gang headquarters. We had some good times†¦. No. She shook her head slightly to break off the thought and continued on her way, slipping silently through the corridors, going deeper and deeper into the building. At last she got to a place where there was no sound except the humming of the naked fluorescent lights on the ceiling. The walls were closer together here. There was a sense of isolation, of being far from the rest of the world. And one narrow staircase going up. Jez paused, listened a moment, then, keeping her eyes on the staircase, removed the long bundle from her back. She unwrapped it carefully, revealing a stick that was a work of art. It was just over four feet long and an inch in diameter. The wood was deep glossy red with irregular black markings that looked a little like tiger stripes or hieroglyphics. Snakewood. One of the hardest woods in the world, dense and strong, but with just the right amount of resilience for a fighting stick. It made a striking and individual weapon. There was one other unusual thing about it. Fighting sticks were usually blunt at either end, to allow the person holding it to get a grip. This one had one blunt end and one that tapered to an angled, narrow tip. Like a spear. The point was hard as iron and extremely sharp. It could punch right through clothing to penetrate a vampire heart. Jez held the stick in both hands for a moment, looking down at it. Then she straightened, and, holding it in a light grip ready for action, she began up the stairs. â€Å"Ready or not, Morgead, here I come.†

Moment of Truth - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 493 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/04/01 Category Society Essay Level High school Topics: Truth Essay Did you like this example? Feeling unwanted or dispensable is too common, especially in this society. It’s almost as if we are invisible. This is quite literal for the main character in the novel The Invisible Man. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Moment of Truth" essay for you Create order Manifestly, you can extrapolate what the book consists of. The main character is introduced to the novel as a stranger, later on, in the novel we find out his name is Griffin. However, he is most often referred to as a â€Å"The Invisible Man.† How did he become invisible? He spent time experimenting with light and eventually deduces how to turn himself invisible, and he does so. In order for him to be seen he wore clothes and bandages. The story begins when Griffin, a stranger at the time, arrives in the village. He stayed at an Inn, consequently, he begins robbing the owners of the Inn. Robbing them is made effortless due to the fact that he is invisible, he also now believed that laws no longer applied to him. The villagers began spreading rumors about him, they believed he was strange and outlandish. He had gained money, which had only fueled the gossip that he was responsible for the recent burglaries. Finally, he had enough of the gossip, so he revealed himself to the villagers, taking off his bandages and clothes. The villagers saw that as a confession to the crimes and began to assault him. Conversely, feeling unsafe, he sought out a companion, Thomas Marvel or Mr. Marvel. He was a homeless man whom Griffin uses to assist him to execute other robberies. Afterward, he abandoned Mr. Marvel and he finds a haven with an old acquaintance, Dr. Kemp. Nevertheless, Kemp reads a newspaper and it reveals the nefarious crimes Griffin had been committing. Kemp plays along with his delusion and alerts the police. Notwithstanding, Griffin was able to evade them, he then proceeds sent a letter to Kemp declaring his plan to kill him. The police were close to apprehending Griffin and eventually, they found him. Kemp began to take matters into his own hands and attempts to apprehend him. Griffin did not go down without fighting, in the brawl Griffin get extremely injured. Moreover, he dies, and as he does, he becomes visible once again. Griffin had to choose between keeping and reversing his invisibility, which was an impossible choice. The money that was stolen was only to fund his research to become visible again, this for him was the moment of truth. At first, he had overlooked the cons of invisibility because he could only see the benefits. Nevertheless, he realized that his invisibility was a curse more than it was a blessing, and he sought to overturn it, at any means necessary. When the end finally arrived, he had sacrificed everything because he grew too greedy. Ironically, he finally got what he wanted and becomes visible at the end of the novel, but the price he had to pay was his own life.