Essay on Choices in the Epic of Gilgamesh - 1308 Words

Choices: The Journey of Life The story of Gilgamesh expresses the idea that all of the life choices we make throughout this journey are ours and ours alone. It is through these choices that determines how we live our lives from day-to-day. It is within the beginning of this story that one is introduced to the life choices of Gilgamesh. He is the King of Uruk-a ruler full of vanity, selfishness, and materialism. His arrogance has no bounds by day or night. Every choice that he makes is based upon himself and his desires alone. Gilgamesh leaves no virgin to her lover, neither the warrior’s daughter nor the wife of the noble. He makes his choices without a conscience or care. What he wants is what he gets. For he is the perfect man,†¦show more content†¦But, as mentioned earlier, Gilgamesh does not realize this mental, spiritual opportunity. For as Enkidu meets Gilgamesh at the gate, he puts out his foot, preventing Gilgamesh from entering the bride’s house. This immediately causes an intense rage within Gilgamesh and a brutal battle between the two begins! This is a battle for Gilgamesh’s well-being†¦for his chance to â€Å"wake-up† and see that the choices, and thus, the life that he had been living was not genuine. It was not a life of humility, truth, and love. But, rather, it was a life full of clouded desires and materialism. It was a resultant life of selfish choices. These selfish choices are taken out physically during his battle with Enkidu. Each punch, each blow serves as his subconscious release. The build-up and matting of so many material desires†¦of so many selfish choices were finally given the opportunity to escape Gilgamesh’s entire being. At last, with a â€Å"bend of the knee, a foot planted on the ground and a turn, Enkidu is thrown. Then immediately Gilgamesh’s fury dies.† The death of his fury also brings about the brief death of his selfish ways. He is connected in a profound, rare way with Enkidu. Gilgamesh â€Å"embraces their friendship; it is sealed.† He tastes†¦he sees†¦he feels a sense of what it is to live with love. He makes a conscious choice to embrace Enkidu as a close friend and counselor within this world. As Gilgamesh and Enkidu grow even closer, theyShow MoreRelatedThe Epic Of Gilgamesh And Odysseus1497 Words   |  6 Pagescharacter Gilgamesh from The Epic of Gilgamesh and Odysseus from The Odyssey by Homer can be compared by their similar journeys and differing heroic qualities. PURPOSE STATEMENT Through careful research and reasoning, Odysseus and Gilgamesh can be seen as both similar and differing characters because of their choices and changes throughout their journeys. INTRODUCTION Gilgamesh, the famous hero of The Epic of Gilgamesh and Odysseus from The Odyssey are found to be similar. Some say that The Epic of GilgameshRead MoreFate Vs Fate Essay1401 Words   |  6 Pagesdestiny. Is a person’s life dominated by a plethora of choices and consequences or is it already mapped out by a greater force? This question has been discussed since the time of the first ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia. Although it is still without a clear answer ages later, the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Odyssey propose interesting insights into the role of fate and choice in the human experience. Neither the Odyssey nor The Epic of Gilgamesh gives a black or white answer to the question of humanRead MoreA Long Narrative Poem That Is About Heroic Deeds And A1631 Words   |  7 Pagesculture and person who wrote it is an epic poem. A great deal of writers use epic poems to tell the tales and quest of heroes. It played a crucial part in the Epic of Gilgamesh from Mesopotamia because it recorded the epic deeds of heroes and their culture. The epic of Gilgamesh meets the criteria of an epic poem because the plot centers on the hero of unbelievable stature, it has a wild setting, and it in involves supernatural and godly forces. The epic poem of Gilgamesh plot centers on the hero of UnbelievableRead MoreFate Vs Fate Essay1437 Words   |  6 Pagesdestiny. Is a person’s life dominated by a plethora of choices and consequences or is it already mapped out by a greater force? Humans have pondered this question since the time of the first ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia. Although it is still without a clear answer ages later, the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Odyssey propose interesting insights into the role of fate and choice in the human experience. Neither the Odyssey nor The Epic of Gilgamesh gives a black or white answer to the question of humanRead MoreExamining the Different Versions of Epic of Gilgamesh861 Words   |  3 Pages T. (Oct-Dec 2001). The development and meaning of the Epic of Gilgamesh: An interpretive essay. Journal of the American Oriental Society, 121(4), 614-622. Type of Source Source 1 is a journal article paginated by volume. Summary This journal article examines 3 versions of the Gilgamesh Epic: the Old Babylonian version; the Eleven-Tablet version; and the Twelve-Tablet version. Though all 3 versions deal with the issues and choices of human beings and also with the inescapable issue of DeathRead MoreEssay about Comparing The Epic of Gilgamesh with The Odyssey1262 Words   |  6 Pages The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey both are held in high respect by literature analysts and historians alike for the characterization of the hero and his companion, the imagery brought to mind when one of them is read, and the impressive length in relation to the time period it was written in. The similarities that these two epics share do not end with only those three; in fact, the comparability of these works extend to even the information on the author and the archetypes used. However, TheRead MoreThe Epic of Gilgamesh in Comparison to the Enuma Elish Essays769 Words   |  4 PagesThe epic of Gilgamesh makes reference t o the Enuma Elish, because both stories include gods and heroes. With expressing all details in a clear and obvious way, leaving no doubt as to the true intended meaning one can easily identify an explicit view in the Epic of Gilgamesh, when the main character, Gilagamesh tries to defeat a giant, similar to how Marduk tried to defeat Tiamat in the Enuma Elish. Both wanted to show that they have power, but more so Gilgamesh wanted show that he deserves to beRead MoreAnalysis Of The Epic Of Gilgamesh 738 Words   |  3 PagesBaily Broussard Mr. Guidry World History 4 December 2015 The Epic of Gilgamesh In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh terrorizes the people or Uruk. Because of this, they call out to the sky god Anu for help. Anu decides to turn to the goddess of creation, Aruru whom makes an equal for Gilgamesh. Aruru created Enkidu to be just like Gilgamesh and for them to contend together and leave Uruk in quiet. When Gilgamesh got up and went to the house of a bride waiting for the bridegroom, Enkidu stepped outRead MoreThe Epic of Gilgamesh, translated by N.K. Sandars and Braveheart, directed by Mel Gibson1248 Words   |  5 Pagesheros story. Many of these epics have the same plot structure and similar character archetypes that make these stories stand out from the rest, giving them a distinct and unique style. The story The Epic of Gilgamesh translated by N.K. Sandars and the film Mel Gibsons Braveheart are two classic sagas that are alike in many ways such as their similar plots, their general character archetypes, and finally their central theme. In comparison, both The Epic of Gilgamesh and Braveheart share the sameRead More Lessons Learned From the Epic of Gilgamesh Essay1448 Words   |  6 Pages The Epic of Gilgamesh, a Mesopotamian epic poem with no known author, is the story of the brute King of Uruk, Gilgamesh, who was two-thirds divine and one-third human, which teaches readers the unstoppable force of death, the wrath of the gods, and also the power of friendship, which are illustrated to readers through the characters journeys, and those encountered along the way. The poem, which is divided into twelve tablets, starts off with Gilgamesh being a vicious tyrant, one who â€Å"would

The Twilight Saga 4 Breaking Dawn 9. Sure As Hell Didn’t See That One Coming Free Essays

9. Sure As Hell Didn’t See That One Coming I didn’t really plan to say goodbye to my father. After all, one quick call to Sam and the game would be up. We will write a custom essay sample on The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 9. Sure As Hell Didn’t See That One Coming or any similar topic only for you Order Now They’d cut me off and push me back. Probably try to make me angry, or even hurt me – somehow force me to phase so that Sam could lay down a new law. But Billy was expecting me, knowing I’d be in some kind of state. He was in the yard, just sitting there in his wheelchair with his eyes right on the spot where I came through the trees. I saw him judge my direction – headed straight past the house to my homemade garage. â€Å"Got a minute, Jake?† I skidded to a stop. I looked at him and then toward the garage. â€Å"C’mon kid. At least help me inside.† I gritted my teeth but decided that he’d be more likely to cause trouble with Sam if I didn’t lie to him for a few minutes. â€Å"Since when do you need help, old man?† He laughed his rumbling laugh. â€Å"My arms are tired. I pushed myself all the way here from Sue’s.† â€Å"It’s downhill. You coasted the whole way.† I rolled his chair up the little ramp I’d made for him and into the living room. â€Å"Caught me. Think I got up to about thirty miles per hour. It was great.† â€Å"You’re gonna wreck that chair, you know. And then you’ll be dragging yourself around by your elbows.† â€Å"Not a chance. It’ll be your job to carry me.† â€Å"You won’t be going many places.† Billy put his hands on the wheels and steered himself to the fridge. â€Å"Any food left?† â€Å"You got me. Paul was here all day, though, so probably not.† Billy sighed. â€Å"Have to start hiding the groceries if we’re gonna avoid starvation.† â€Å"Tell Rachel to go stay at his place.† Billy’s joking tone vanished, and his eyes got soft. â€Å"We’ve only had her home a few weeks. First time she’s been here in a long time. It’s hard – the girls were older than you when your mom passed. They have more trouble being in this house.† â€Å"I know.† Rebecca hadn’t been home once since she got married, though she did have a good excuse. Plane tickets from Hawaii were pretty pricey. Washington State was close enough that Rachel didn’t have the same defense. She’d taken classes straight through the summer semesters, working double shifts over the holidays at some cafe on campus. If it hadn’t been for Paul, she probably would have taken off again real quick. Maybe that was why Billy wouldn’t kick him out. â€Å"Well, I’m going to go work on some stuff___†I started for the back door. â€Å"Wait up, Jake. Aren’t you going to tell me what happened? Do I have to call Sam for an update?† I stood with my back to him, hiding my face. â€Å"Nothing happened. Sam’s giving them a bye. Guess we’re all just a bunch of leech lovers now.† â€Å"Jake†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I don’t want to talk about it.† â€Å"Are you leaving, son?† The room was quiet for a long time while I decided how to say it. â€Å"Rachel can have her room back. I know she hates that air mattress.† â€Å"She’d rather sleep on the floor than lose you. So would I.† I snorted. â€Å"Jacob, please. If you need†¦ a break. Well, take it. But not so long again. Come back.† â€Å"Maybe. Maybe my gig will be weddings. Make a cameo at Sam’s, then Rachel’s. Jared and Kim might come first, though. Probably ought to have a suit or something.† â€Å"Jake, look at me.† I turned around slowly. â€Å"What?† He stared into my eyes for a long minute. â€Å"Where are you going?† â€Å"I don’t really have a specific place in mind.† He cocked his head to the side, and his eyes narrowed. â€Å"Don’t you?† We stared each other down. The seconds ticked by. â€Å"Jacob,† he said. His voice was strained. â€Å"Jacob, don’t. It’s not worth it.† â€Å"I don’t know what you’re talking about.† â€Å"Leave Bella and the Cullens be. Sam is right.† I stared at him for a second, and then I crossed the room in two long strides, i grabbed the phone and disconnected the cable from the box and the jack. I wadded the gray cord up in the palm of my hand. â€Å"Bye, Dad.† â€Å"Jake, wait – ,’7he called after me, but I was out the door, running. The motorcycle wasn’t as fast as running, but it was more discreet. I wondered how long it would take Billy to wheel himself down to the store and then get someone on the phone who could get a message to Sam. I’d bet Sam was still in his wolf form. The problem would be if Paul came back to our place anytime soon. He could phase in a second and let Sam know what I was doing†¦. I wasn’t going to worry about it. I would go as fast as I could, and if they caught me, I’d deal with that when I had to. I kicked the bike to life and then I was racing down the muddy lane. I didn’t look behind me as I passed the house. The highway was busy with tourist traffic; I wove in and out of the cars, earning a bunch of honks and a few fingers. I took the turn onto the 101 at seventy, not bothering to look. I had to ride the line for a minute to avoid getting smeared by a minivan. Not that it would have killed me, but it would have slowed me down. Broken bones – the big ones, at least – took days to heal completely, as I had good cause to know. The freeway cleared up a little, and I pushed the bike to eighty. I didn’t touch the brake until I was close to the narrow drive; I figured I was in the clear then. Sam wouldn’t come this far to stop me. It was too late. It wasn’t until that moment – when I was sure that I’d made it – that I started to think about what exactly I was going to do now. I slowed down to twenty, taking the twists through the trees more carefully than I needed to. I knew they would hear me coming, bike or no bike, so surprise was out. There was no way to disguise my intentions. Edward would hear my plan as soon as I was close enough. Maybe he already could. But I thought this would still work out, because I had his ego on my side. He’d want to fight me alone. So I’d just walk in, see Sam’s precious evidence for myself, and then challenge Edward to a duel. I snorted. The parasite’d probably get a kick out of the theatrics of it. When I finished with him, I’d take as many of the rest of them as I could before they got me. Huh – I wondered if Sam would consider my death provocation. Probably say I got what I deserved. Wouldn’t want to offend his bloodsucker BFFs. The drive opened up into the meadow, and the smell hit me like a rotten tomato to the face. Ugh. Reeking vampires. My stomach started churning. The stench would be hard to take this way – undiluted by the scent of humans as it had been the other time I’d come here – though not as bad as smelling it through my wolf nose. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but there was no sign of life around the big white crypt. Of course they knew I was here. I cut the engine and listened to the quiet. Now I could hear tense, angry murmurs from just the other side of the wide double doors. Someone was home. I heard my name and I smiled, happy to think I was causing them a little stress. I took one big gulp of air – it would only be worse inside – and leaped up the porch stairs in one bound. The door opened before my fist touched it, and the doctor stood in the frame, his eyes grave. â€Å"Hello, Jacob,† he said, calmer than I would have expected. â€Å"How are you?† I took a deep breath through my mouth. The reek pouring through the door was overpowering. I was disappointed that it was Carlisle who answered. I’d rather Edward had come through the door, fangs out. Carlisle was so†¦ just human or something. Maybe it was the house calls he made last spring when I got busted up. But it made me uncomfortable to look into his face and know that I was planning to kill him if I could. â€Å"I heard Bella made it back alive,† I said. â€Å"Er, Jacob, it’s not really the best time.† The doctor seemed uncomfortable, too, but not in the way I expected. â€Å"Could we do this later?† I stared at him, dumbfounded. Was he asking to post-pone the death match for a more convenient time? And then I heard Bella’s voice, cracked and rough, and I couldn’t think about anything else. â€Å"Why not?† she asked someone. â€Å"Are we keeping secrets from Jacob, too? What’s the point?† Her voice was not what I was expecting. I tried to remember the voices of the young vampires we’d fought in the spring, but all I’d registered was snarling. Maybe those newborns hadn’t had the piercing, ringing sound of the older ones, either. Maybe all new vampires sounded hoarse. â€Å"Come in, please, Jacob,† Bella croaked more loudly. Carlisle’s eyes tightened. I wondered if Bella was thirsty. My eyes narrowed, too. â€Å"Excuse me,† I said to the doctor as I stepped around him. It was hard – it went against all my instincts to turn my back to one of them. Not impossible, though. If there was such a thing as a safe vampire, it was the strangely gentle leader. I would stay away from Carlisle when the fight started. There were enough of them to kill without includinghim. I sidestepped into the house, keeping my back to the wall. My eyes swept the room – it was unfamiliar. The last time I’d been in here it had been all done up for a party. Everything was bright and pale now. Including the six vampires standing in a group by the white sofa. They were all here, all together, but that was not what froze me where I stood and had my jaw dropping to thefloor. Itwas Edward. It was the expression on his face. I’d seen him angry, and I’d seen him arrogant, and onceI’d seen him in pain. But this – this was beyond agony. His eyes were half-crazed. He didn’t look up to glare at me. He stared down at the couch beside him with an expression like someone had lit him on fire. His hands were rigid claws at his side. I couldn’t even enjoy his anguish. I could only think of one thing that would make him look like that, and my eyes followed his. I saw her at the same moment that I caught her scent. Her warm, clean, human scent. Bella was half-hidden behind the arm of the sofa, curled up in a loose fetal position, her arms wrapped around her knees. For a long second I could see nothing except that she was still the Bella that I loved, her skin still a soft, pale peach, her eyes still the same chocolate brown. My heart thudded a strange, broken meter, and I wondered if this was just some lying dream that I was about to wake up from. Then I really saw her. There were deep circles under her eyes, dark circles that jumped out because her face was all haggard. Was she thinner? Her skin seemed tight – like her cheekbones might break right through it. Most of her dark hair was pulled away from her face into a messy knot, but a few strands stuck limply to her forehead and neck, to the sheen of sweat that covered her skin. There was something about her fingers and wrists that looked so fragile it was scary. She was sick. Very sick. Not a lie. The story Charlie’d told Billy was not a story. While I stared, eyes bugging, her skin turned light green. The blond bloodsucker – the showy one, Rosalie – bent over her, cutting into my view, hovering in a strange, protective way. This was wrong. I knew how Bella felt about almost everything – her thoughts were so obvious; sometimes it was like they were printed on her forehead. So she didn’t have to tell me every detail of a situation for me to get it. I knew that Bella didn’t like Rosalie. I’d seen it in the set of her lips when she talked about her. Not just that she didn’t like her. She was afraid of Rosalie. Or she had been. There was no fear as Bella glanced up at her now. Her expression was†¦ apologetic or something. Then Rosalie snatched a basin from the floor and held it under Bella’s chin just in time for Bella to throw up noisily into it. Edward fell to his knees by Bella’s side – his eyes all tortured-looking – and Rosalie held out her hand, warning him to keep back. None of it made sense. When she could raise her head, Bella smiled weakly at me, sort of embarrassed. â€Å"Sorry about that,† she whispered to me. Edward moaned real quiet. His head slumped against Bella’s knees. She put one of her hands against his cheek. Like she was comforting him. I didn’t realize my legs had carried me forward until Rosalie hissed at me, suddenly appearing between me and the couch. She was like a person on a TV screen. I didn’t care she was there. She didn’t seem real. â€Å"Rose, don’t,† Bella whispered. â€Å"It’s fine.† Blondie moved out of my way, though I could tell she hated to do it. Scowling at me, she crouched by Bella’s head, tensed to spring. She was easier to ignore than I ever would have dreamed. â€Å"Bella, what’s wrong?† I whispered. Without thinking about it, I found myself on my knees, too, leaning over the back of the couch across from her†¦ husband. He didn’t seem to notice me, and I barely glanced at him. I reached out for her free hand, taking it in both of mine. Her skin was icy. â€Å"Are you all right?† It was a stupid question. She didn’t answer it. â€Å"I’m so glad you came to see me today, Jacob,† she said. Even though I knew Edward couldn’t hear her thoughts, he seemed to hear some meaning I didn’t. He moaned again, into the blanket that covered her, and she stroked his cheek. â€Å"What is it, Bella?† I insisted, wrapping my hands tight around her cold, fragile fingers. Instead of answering, she glanced around the room like she was searching for something, both a plea and a warning in her look. Six pairs of anxious yellow eyes stared back at her. Finally, she turned to Rosalie. â€Å"Help me up, Rose?† she asked. Rosalie’s lips pulled back over her teeth, and she glared up at me like she wanted to rip my throat out. I was sure that was exactly the case. â€Å"Please, Rose.† The blonde made a face, but leaned over her again, next to Edward, who didn’t move an inch. She put her arm carefully behind Bella’s shoulders. â€Å"No,† I whispered. â€Å"Don’t get up___† She looked so weak. â€Å"I’m answering your question,† she snapped, sounding a little bit more like the way she usually talked to me. Rosalie pulled Bella off the couch. Edward stayed where he was, sagging forward till his face was buried in the cushions. The blanket fell to the ground at Bella’s feet. Bella:s body was swollen, her torso ballooning out in a strange, sick way. It strained against the faded gray sweatshirt that was way too big for her shoulders and arms. The rest of her seemed thinner, like the big bulge had grown out of what it had sucked from her. It took me a second to realize what the deformed part was – I didn’t understand until she folded her hands tenderly around her bloated stomach, one above and one below. Like she was cradling it. I saw it then, but I still couldn’t believe it. I’d seen her just a month ago. There was no way she could be pregnant. Not that pregnant. Except that she was. I didn’t want to see this, didn’t want to think about this. I didn’t want to imagine him inside her. I didn’t want to know that something I hated so much had taken root in the body I loved. My stomach heaved, and I had to swallow back vomit. But it was worse than that, so much worse. Her distorted body, the bones jabbing against the skin of her face. I could only guess that she looked like this – so pregnant, so sick – because whatever was inside her was taking her life to feed its own†¦. Because it was a monster. Just like its father. I always knew he would kill her. His head snapped up as he heard the words inside mine. One second we were both on our knees, and then he was on his feet, towering over me. His eyes were flat black, the circles under them dark purple. â€Å"Outside, Jacob,† he snarled. I was on my feet, too. Looking down on him now. This was why I was here. â€Å"Let’s do this,† I agreed. The big one, Emmett, pushed forward on Edward’s other side, with the hungry-looking one, Jasper, right behind him. I really didn’t care. Maybe my pack would clean up the scraps when they finished me off. Maybe not. It didn’t matter. For the tiniest part of a second my eyes touched on the two standing in the back. Esme. Alice. Small and distractingly feminine. Well, I was sure the others would kill me before I had to do anything about them. I didn’t want to kill girls†¦ even vampire girls. Though I might make an exception for that blonde. â€Å"No,† Bella gasped, and she stumbled forward, out of balance, to clutch at Edward’s arm. Rosalie moved with her, like there was a chain locking them to each other. â€Å"I just need to talk to him, Bella,† Edward said in a low voice, talking only to her. He reached up to touch her face, to stroke it. This made the room turn red, made me see fire – that, after all he’d done to her, he was still allowed to touch her that way. â€Å"Don’t strain yourself,† he went on, pleading. â€Å"Please rest. We’ll both be back in just a few minutes.† She stared at his face, reading it carefully. Then she nodded and drooped toward the couch. Rosalie helped lower her back onto the cushions. Bella stared at me, trying to hold my eyes. â€Å"Behave,† she insisted. â€Å"And then come back.† I didn’t answer. I wasn’t making any promises today. I looked away and then followed Edward out the front door. A random, disjointed voice in my head noted that separating him from the coven hadn’t been so difficult, had it? He kept walking, never checking to see if I was about to spring at his unprotected back. I supposed he didn’t need to check. He would know when I decided to attack. Which meant I’d have to make that decision very quickly. Tm not ready for you to kill me yet, Jacob Black,† he whispered as he paced quickly away from the house. â€Å"You’ll have to have a little patience.† Like I cared about his schedule. I growled under my breath. â€Å"Patience isn’t my specialty.† He kept walking, maybe a couple hundred yards down the drive away from the house, with me right on his heels. I was all hot, my fingers trembling. On the edge, ready and waiting. He stopped without warning and pivoted to face me. His expression froze me again. For a second I was just a kid – a kid who had lived all of his life in the same tiny town. Just a child. Because I knew I would have to live a lot more, suffer a lot more, to ever understand the searing agony in Edward’s eyes. He raised a hand as if to wipe sweat from his forehead, but his fingers scraped against his face like they were going to rip his granite skin right off. His black eyes burned in their sockets, out of focus, or seeing things that weren’t there. His mouth opened like he was going to scream, but nothing came out. This was the face a man would have if he were burning at the stake. For a moment I couldn’t speak. It was too real, this face – I’d seen a shadow of it in the house, seen it in her eyes and his, but this made it final. The last nail in her coffin. â€Å"It’s killing her, right? She’s dying.† And I knew when I said it that my face was a watered-down echo of his. Weaker, different, because I was still in shock. I hadn’t wrapped my head around it yet – it was happening too fast. He’d had time to get to this point. And it was different because I’d already lost her so many times, so many ways, in my head. And different because she was never really mine to lose. And different because this wasn’t my fault. â€Å"My fault,† Edward whispered, and his knees gave out. He crumpled in front of me, vulnerable, the easiest target you could imagine. But I felt cold as snow – there was no fire in me. â€Å"Yes,† he groaned into the dirt, like he was confessing to the ground. â€Å"Yes, it’s killing her.† His broken helplessness irritated me. I wanted a fight, not an execution. Where was his smug superiority now? â€Å"So why hasn’t Carlisle done anything?† I growled. â€Å"He’s a doctor, right? Get it out of her.† He looked up then and answered me in a tired voice. Like he was explaining this to a kindergartener for the tenth time. â€Å"She won’t let us.† It took a minute for the words to sink in. Jeez, she was running true to form. Of course, die for the monster spawn. It was so Bella. â€Å"You know her well,† he whispered. â€Å"How quickly you see†¦. I didn’t see. Not in time. She wouldn’t talk to me on the way home, not really. I thought she was frightened – that would be natural. I thought she was angry with me for putting her through this, for endangering her life. Again. I never imagined what she was really thinking, what she was resolving. Not until my family met us at the airport and she ran right into Rosalie’s arms. Rosalie’s! And then I heard what Rosalie was thinking. I didn’t understand until I heard that. Yet you understand after one second. . . .† He half-sighed, half-groaned. â€Å"Just back up a second. She won’t let you.† The sarcasm was acid on my tongue. â€Å"Did you ever notice that she’s exactly as strong as a normal hundred-and-ten-pound human girl? How stupid are you vamps? Hold her down and knock her out with drugs.† â€Å"I wanted to,† he whispered. â€Å"Carlisle would have___† What, too noble were they? â€Å"No. Not noble. Her bodyguard complicated things.† Oh. His story hadn’t made much sense before, but it fit together now. So that’s what Blondie was up to. What was in it for her, though? Did the beauty queen want Bella to die so bad? â€Å"Maybe,† he said. â€Å"Rosalie doesn’t look at it quite that way.† â€Å"So take the blonde out first. Your kind can be put back together, right? Turn her into a jigsaw and take care of Bella.† â€Å"Emmett and Esme are backing her up. Emmett would never let us†¦ and Carlisle won’t help me with Esme against it___† He trailed off, his voice disappearing. â€Å"You should have left Bella with me.† â€Å"Yes.† It was a bit late for that, though. Maybe he should have thought about all this before he knocked her up with the life-sucking monster. He stared up at me from inside his own personal hell, and I could see that he agreed with me. â€Å"We didn’t know,† he said, the words as quiet as a breath. â€Å"I never dreamed. There’s never been anything like Bella and I before. How could we know that a human was able conceive a child with one of us – â€Å" â€Å"When the human should get ripped to shreds in the process?† â€Å"Yes,† he agreed in a tense whisper. â€Å"They’re out there, the sadistic ones, the incubus, the succubus. They exist. But the seduction is merely a prelude to the feast. No one survives† He shook his head like the idea revolted him. Like he was any different. â€Å"I didn’t realize they had a special name for what you are,† I spit. He stared up at me with a face that looked a thousand years old. â€Å"Even you, Jacob Black, cannot hate me as much as I hate myself.’7 Wrong,I thought, too enraged to speak. â€Å"Killing me now doesn’t save her,† he said quietly. â€Å"So what does?† â€Å"Jacob, you have to do something for me.† â€Å"The hell I do, parasite!† He kept staring at me with those half-tired, half-crazy eyes. â€Å"For her?† I clenched my teeth together hard. â€Å"I did everything I could to keep her away from you. Every single thing. It’s too late.† â€Å"You know her, Jacob. You connect to her on a level that I don’t even understand. You are part of her, and she is part of you. She won’t listen to me, because she thinks I’m underestimating her. She thinks she’s strong enough for this___† He choked and then swallowed. â€Å"She might listen to you.† â€Å"Why would she?† He lurched to his feet, his eyes burning brighter than before, wilder. I wondered if he was really going crazy. Could vampires lose their minds? â€Å"Maybe,† he answered my thought. â€Å"I don’t know. It feels like it.† He shook his head. â€Å"I have to try to hide this in front of her, because stress makes her more ill. She can’t keep anything down as it is. I have to be composed; I can’t make it harder. But that doesn’t matter now. She has to listen to you!† â€Å"I can’t tell her anything you haven’t. What do you want me to do? Tell her she’s stupid? She probably already knows that. Tell her she’s going to die? I bet she knows that, too.† â€Å"You can offer her what she wants.† He wasn’t making any sense. Part of the crazy? â€Å"I don’t care about anything but keeping her alive,† he said, suddenly focused now. â€Å"If it’s a child she wants, she can have it. She can have half a dozen babies. Anything she wants.† He paused for one beat. â€Å"She can have puppies, if that’s what it takes.† He met my stare for a moment and his face was frenzied under the thin layer of control. My hard scowl crumbled as I processed his words, and I felt my mouth pop open in shock. â€Å"But not this way!† he hissed before I could recover. â€Å"Not this thing that’s sucking the life from her while I stand there helpless! Watching her sicken and waste away. Seeing it hurting her.† He sucked in a fast breath like someone had punched him in the gut. â€Å"You have to make her see reason, Jacob. She won’t listen to me anymore. Rosalie’s always there, feeding her insanity – encouraging her. Protecting her. No, protecting it Bella’s life means nothing to her.† The noise coming from my throat sounded like I was choking. What was he saying? That Bella should, what? Have a baby? With me? What? How? Was he giving her up? Or did he think she wouldn’t mind being shared? â€Å"Whichever. Whatever keeps her alive.† â€Å"That’sthe craziest thing you’ve said yet,† I mumbled. â€Å"She loves you.† â€Å"Not enough.† â€Å"She’s ready to die to have a child. Maybe she’d accept something less extreme.† â€Å"Don’t you know her at all?† â€Å"I know, I know.It’s going to take a lot of convincing. That’s why I need you. You know how she thinks. Make hersee sense.† I couldn’t think about what he was suggesting. It was too much. Impossible. Wrong. Sick. Borrowing Bella for the weekends and then returning her Monday morning like a rental movie? So messed up. So tempting. I didn’t want to consider, didn’t want to imagine, but the images came anyway. I’d fantasized about Bella that way too many times, back when there was still a possibility of us, and then long after it was clear that the fantasies would only leave festering sores because there was no possibility, none at all. I hadn’t been able to help myself then. I couldn’t stop myself now. Bella in my arms, Bella sighing my name†¦ Worse still, this new image I’d never had before, one that by all rights shouldn’t have existed for me. Not yet. An image I knew I wouldn’t’ve suffered over for years if he hadn’t shoved it in my head now. But it stuck there, winding threads through my brain like a weed – poisonous and unkillable. Bella, healthy and glowing, so different than now, but something the same: her body, not distorted, changed in a more natural way. Round with my child. I tried to escape the venomous weed in my mind. â€Å"Make Bella see sense? What universe do you live in?† â€Å"At least try.† I shook my head fast. He waited, ignoring the negative answer because he could hear the conflict in my thoughts. â€Å"Where is this psycho crap coming from? Are you making this up as you go?† â€Å"I’ve been thinking of nothing but ways to save her since I realized what she was planning to do. What she would die to do. But I didn’t know how to contact you. I knew you wouldn’t listen if I called. I would have come to find you soon, if you hadn’t come today. But it’s hard to leave her, even for a few minutes. Her condition†¦ it changes so fast. The thing is†¦ growing. Swiftly. I can’t be away from her now.† â€Å"What is it?† â€Å"None of us have any idea. But it is stronger than she is. Already.† I could suddenly see it then – see the swelling monster in my head, breaking her from the inside out. â€Å"Help me stop it,† he whispered. â€Å"Help me stop this from happening.† â€Å"How?By offering my stud services?† He didn’t even flinch when I said that, but I did. â€Å"You’re really sick. She’ll never listen to this.† â€Å"Try. There’s nothing to lose now. How will it hurt?† It would hurt me. Hadn’t I taken enough rejection from Bella without this? â€Å"A little pain to save her? Is it such a high cost?† â€Å"But it won’t work.† â€Å"Maybe not. Maybe it will confuse her, though. Maybe she’ll falter in her resolve. One moment of doubt is all I need.† â€Å"And then you pull the rug out from under the offer? ‘Just kidding, Bella’?† â€Å"If she wants a child, that’s what she gets. I won’t rescind.† I couldn’t believe I was even thinking about this. Bella would punch me – not that I cared about that, but it would probably break her hand again. I shouldn’t let him talk to me, mess with my head. I should just kill him now. â€Å"Not now,† he whispered. â€Å"Not yet. Right or wrong, it would destroy her, and you know it. No need to be hasty. If she won’t listen to you, you’ll get your chance. The moment Bella’s heart stops beating, I will be begging for you to me.† â€Å"You won’t have to beg long.† The hint of a worn smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. â€Å"I’m very much counting on that.† â€Å"Then we have a deal.† He nodded and held out his cold stone hand. Swallowing my disgust, I reached out to take his hand. My fingers closed around the rock, and I shook it once. â€Å"We have a deal,† he agreed. How to cite The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 9. Sure As Hell Didn’t See That One Coming, Essay examples

Managing And Organizational Behaviour Transformational And Charismati

Question: Discuss about the Managing And Organizational Behaviour: Transformational And Charismatic Leadership. Answer: Introduction In any organization, there are work groups and teams. Further, in organizations managers are expected to get specific tasks done by different teams. While a manager is occupied primarily by planning, organizing and executing activities that lead to the production of goods, a leader is concerned more with inspiring, motivating and providing a vision to those under him (Stewart, 2010). Managers are expected to use their powers prudently and not engage in unnecessary politics in the organization. This report critically analyses the workgroups and teams, management and leadership, power and politics, and finally, conflict and negotiation. Work groups and teams In organizations group and teams are different. A group means that two or more than two people communicate with each other for share information to make decisions within the area of responsibility. And, the team refers that the joint efforts of all the people to achieve a particular task in the organization. It refers a small group of people in the organization with its particular area of skills who are work for a specific task. For example, a team of web designers in software company to make the website good. There are some differences in the work groups and teams in the organizations are explained below (Courtright et al., 2011). Category of the job: In most of the organizations today work group is define that the number of people who do highly specialize job with minimal training and few efforts. It can be the ten or more than ten people have a similar job description and work individually for end results. In teams, employees have a different set of skills that fit into the particular task to meet organizational goals. Reward system: Generally in organizations employees are rewarded individually on the basis of work performance, position, and nature of the job. In team-based organization employees are rewarded on the basis of team performance and their skill requires to achieve team performance goals (Griffin, 2012). Benefits of teams to organizations Due to the global and competitive environment in organizations, the different types of teams can achieve give important benefits that are explained below. Cross functional team: The same hierarchy level of employees working for different areas in the organization. The advantage of this team to the organization is that it enhances the creativity and problem-solving skills due to team composition. Employees of cross-functional teams come with a different experience, knowledge and skills. Large and small-medium size organizations have used cross-functional teams. In cross-functional teams work is done in the particular area of functionality. There are few disadvantages of this team, like the chances of increase conflicts among team members due to the diversity of experience, skills and knowledge and sometimes affects the relationship of the team members due to ego and self-respect issues. Effective Teams: One of the writers said that the organizations are best and systematic is when there is a member of one group is associated with two groups. In one group he/she should be the boss and in another group he/she should be the subordinate of the group. This concept helps the organization to get their work is done better. Effective teams help team members to work more efficiently together rather than individually (Bratton, 2015). High-performance team: It is same as an effective team above but there are some exceptional factors that distinct the team that is strong commitments to each other in the team towards group values and goals. It facilitates fast learning due to good interpersonal relationships of the employees. So these are the basic qualities of the team. Important Issue in managing teams Quality management and teams: Nowadays in organizations the issue of quality management has increased. To improve the quality of the process, management encourages employees to share their views and ideas so that they act on their ideas and suggestions. For e.g. one of the famous refrigeration company made cross-functional teams to deal with the quality issues. All the people are self-responsible according to their functionality .like one employee takes care of production function another deal with supplier issues etc. that improves communication at all levels and increase the productivity of the company (Ford and Hodgkinson, 2012). Management and Leadership Leadership and management are the important aspects of any organization. Managers need to manage the complexity of work, increase competition, change in technology and rising demands of consumers etc. These all are the challenges need to face by the manager in the organization and overcome by different methods. Leadership is an art of influencing people or groups towards the completion of their organizational goals (Fairholm, 2011). There are some economic benefits to the organizations to follow good leadership and management. 1) Leadership style: It is very important part plays in an organization to develop stronger and more trustful relations with employees .Effective leadership styles help organizations to improve relations between team members and achieve more productivity that leads to success. Different types of Goleman leadership styles followed in most of the organizations like Autocratic, democratic, commanding, visionary, pacesetting and coaching styles. It can be seen that democratic leadership style is more popular in organizations in to ensure growth and long-term success (Green and Esther, 2015). Figure 1: Management style in organizations (Source: Green and Esther, 2015) From the above-given figure, it shows that the management mostly follows the two styles in organizations i.e democratic and autocratic style. In democratic style leadership, the decision is taken on the basis of suggestions of all the employees collectively rather than manager individually. The benefit of this style is to employees has much freedom to express their views, that increase creativity, productivity and efficiency of employees. Similarly, Autocratic leadership refers that the all the authority under the boss hands and employees or workers have to perform the task without changing any of his/her instructions. This style has some of the disadvantages like it decrease in motivation in employees that affects the productivity of the work in organizations. And employees are not participative in taking decisions so they are like only machines. It means that their capabilities and efficiencies have diminished by the time. Most of the organizations like factories and cloth manufact uring units,management follow the autocratic style of leadership (Vaccaro et al., 2012) 2) Improved Business performance: Organizations hires high qualified managers that lead to the more innovations in organizations that result in introducing of new strategies which improve the quality of products and services of business that affects the performance of the organization. Most of the organizations invested in leadership and management development programs to achieve its operational objectives. The latest survey reveals that the high-performance organizations consider three factors i.e. top management is committed to leadership and management development, HR policies that support to management and leadership development such as performance management, leadership career planning etc. and balance between the organizational strategies and HR strategies. So these important factors are responsible for organizational performance (Skillsforcare, 2016). Consequences of poor leadership and management: Most of the organizations revenue is affected due to poor leadership and management and it ultimately leads to business failure. There are two important consequences below are: a) Costs: It has been find that the recent survey of organizations in the UK that the lack of performance of managers impacts the costing of 19 billion yearly in weekly working hours. As per the study of 2000 workers, it has been revealed that the three fourth of the workers wastes their two hours in a working week due to inefficient managers (BIS, 2012). Failure of ineffective management and leadership policy costs heavily to organizations. b) Survival: In a recent survey of the management of company directors in the UK reveals that the 56 percent of organizational failures due to incompetence and mismanagement of the company (BIS, 2012). No business can survive if it is poorly managed. The good employees lay off due to poor management and leadership. Power and politics In any organization certain operations are done to achieve the enterprise goals. To get things done in an organization, the employees in the hierarchy are given certain powers. There have to be certain individuals in charge who control people and resources in the enterprise. Power is the ability to get things done through others (King and Lawley, 2016). The powers that the managers enjoy in an organization are of different types. An employee might yield formal power which could be coercive power. In other words the employee can threaten to demote, lay off or keep out of important projects the junior employees who do not perform well or break the rules of the company. Further the manager has the authority to reward employees who do good work. This gives the manager the ability to make the subordinates behave as the individual wants. The position that a person occupies in the hierarchy of the organization gives the person what is called the legitimate power. But the manager should know how to use the power given to the individual in a wise manner. Managers in modern organizations are also expected to have leadership qualities. The role of a leader also involves inspiring and motivating employees. They are also expected to be innovative (Avolio and Yammarino, 2013). A leader would not make excessive use of power to get things done but would try to influence the behavior of subordinates by setting up a personal example before them. Further the leader would use the method of reasoning by using facts and data to convince juniors. The leader would try to be friendly with the team members and win their trust and support (Stewart 2010) . The individual would also try to get the support of the senior management and use this to influence the mindset of subordinates. A manager should make a judicious mix of use of the individuals authority or power and the ability to influence others through the above discussed techniques. The manager in an organization also enjoys what is called personal power. This kind of power can be expert power or referent power (Yourarticlelibrary.com, 2016). If the manager has developed some expertise in an area of work of the organization, this gives the person to make others follow the individuals advice and directions. Moreover, a manager would have referent power if the person is able to win the trust and respect of those under the individual by behaving in a particular way. In any organization, power is distributed among senior employees so that they can use it to get the organizational tasks done (King and Lawley, 2016). But sometimes there are people in the enterprise who want to gain as much power as they can so that they can use it to achieve their personal goals and interests rather than concentrate on getting the organizations work done. This kind of organizational politics has many adverse effects for the organization. There are people who are hungry for power. They get corrupted by power. These people want undue attention and appreciation of their seniors. They show manipulative behavior. They do not care that their pursuit of power affects other employees adversely. If there is excessive politics in an organization it could lead to dissent among other employees (Gadot and Talmud, 2010). Such politics would lead to decreased job satisfaction, increased stress, lower performance and also higher employee turnover in an organization. If there is greater politics in an organization, it would also lead to formation of more interest groups within the enterprise. This would lead to obstacles in the path of smooth functioning of the organization. More differences would be created among the employees and the organizational culture would get contaminated (Muondo and Perkins, 2013). There are leaders who use power to bring change that leads to growth of the organization. They use their power to reward those who have worked hard for the organization. Such people know how to use power responsibly. They realize that power has come to them after years of hard work. They use it to put their plans for organizational development into action rather than pursue selfish personal goals. Conflict and negotiation The modern organizations have become bigger and employ thousands of people. Individuals from different backgrounds and places come to work in an enterprise. They come from different families with distinct cultures and have been educated in different educational institutions. All these factors play an important role in shaping their personalities. Their personal interests and aspirations would also differ in certain cases. When these people work in an organization it is natural that they have diverse opinions and perceptions on certain work related issues. This leads to a situation of disagreement among them leading to stress and tension. The situation can become violent in certain extreme cases. This is known as a conflict (French et al., 2011). Mostly the conflict between employees in an organization is harmful as it leads to waste of energy and time of the employees. The work of the organization in certain cases would come to a halt in the department or section where there are arguments and discord among the employees. Conflict leads to bitterness among employees who are expected to work as a team and coordinate with one another for the achievement of enterprise goals. But there is also a positive side to organizational conflict. It brings to the notice of the management the problems the employees were facing but which did not come to the surface. These problems were adversely affecting the organizational work but management was not aware of them. Moreover as a conflict erupted the employees expressed their inner feelings about a work issue. This also helped them to release their tensions. Now the management has an opportunity to resolve the conflict and find a solution to the underlying problem hurting the organization. In an organization there are different formal or informal groups. There can be conflict between them over the sharing of organizational resources (Muondo and Perkins, 2013). For example the production department wants more funds for research and development of new products. On the other hand the marketing department also demands more funds to be spent on advertising the companys products. The organization has limited resources. The officials in each of the two departments would try to convince the management that their needs are more important for the organization. The two departments are competing for funds. In this process they might try to create an impression that their department is more efficient and the other department has been wasting resources. This creates animosity and a situation of conflict among the two departments. In any organization production and marketing department need to coordinate and cooperate with one another (Smallbusiness.chron.com, 2016). This situation o f conflict would harm the organizations interests. One of the most important methods for resolving a conflict is negotiation among the conflicting groups (French et al., 2011). These negotiations can commence at the initiative of one of the two parties in conflict or due to the role of a third party. In order to resolve the conflict through negotiation, the parties to the conflict should try to understand the interests of each of them in the concerned issue. There is need for communication among the parties. There could be a situation where one of the groups is more powerful and influential and is not willing to make the first move. In such a case the other party should take the initiative and contact the other group. There is the need for both the groups to control their tempers and be patient. There could be a situation where one of the groups might resort to pressure tactics. There are better chances of a negotiation leading to a mutually acceptable solution if both the parties try to use their skills to find different possible alternative solutions to the problem (French et al. , 2011). This would create better chance for finding a course of action that would create a win win situation for both parties. This would also help to normalize the relations between the two groups later. In certain cases a third party mediator who enjoys the trust and confidence of all the groups could be asked to help find a solution. Moreover certain past cases of similar conflicts and their resolution could be referred to find a mutually agreeable solution. Conclusion In any large business organization, there are many teams of employees. Each team is formed to get some work done. If all teams perform well; the organizational goals are met. Team leaders are appointed to guide and support the members of the teams. Most organizations encourage participative leadership nowadays where the employees have some freedom to express their views on how things are being done in the organization. If too much power is concentrated in the hands of a few people it can also corrupt them. There is need for accountability along with power. A business organization should carry out its operations professionally without too much politics. References Avolio, B. and Yammarino, F. (2013) Transformational And Charismatic Leadership: The Road Ahead.2nd (edn.). United Kingdom: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. BIS (2012) Leadership and Management in the UK - The key to sustainable growth. [Online].Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32327/12-923-leadership-management-key-to-sustainable-growth-evidence.pdf (Accessed: 26 July 2016). Bratton, J. (2015) Introduction to Work and Organizational Behaviour. UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Courtright, S.H.,Wang G. and Seibert S. E. (2011) Antecedents and Consequences of Psychological and Team Empowerment in Organizations: A Meta-Analytic Review, Journal of Applied Psychology 2011,6 (96), pp. 981-1003,[Online].Available at: https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/features/apl-96-5-981.pdf (Accessed: 25 July 2016). Fairholm, W. G. (2011) Real Leadership: How Spiritual Values Give Leadership Meaning. USA: ABC-CLIO. Ford K. J. and Hodgkinson P. G. (2012) International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. USA: John Wiley Sons. French, R. , Rayner, C., Rees, G. and Rumbles, S. (2011) Organizational Behaviour. 2nd (edn.) United Kingdom: John Wiley And Sons Ltd. Gadot, E. and Talmud, I. (2010) Organizational Politics And Job Outcomes: The Moderating Effect Of Trust And Social Support, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 40(11), pp. 2829-2861, [online]. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2010.00683.x/abstract?userIsAuthenticated=falsedeniedAccessCustomisedMessage= (Accessed: 25 July 2016). Green and Esther (2015) Making Sense of Change Management: A Complete Guide to the Models, Tools and Techniques of Organizational Change. UK: Kogan Page Publishers. Griffin, W. R. (2012) Management, USA: Cengage Learning. King, D. and Lawley, S. (2016) Organizational Behaviour. 2nd (edn.) United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. Muondo, A. and Perkins, S. (2013) Organizational Behaviour. United Kingdom: Kogan Page. Skillsforcare (2016) Leadership and management.[Online]. Available at: https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Leadership-management/Leadership-and-management.aspx (Accesed: 26 July 2016). Smallbusiness.chron.com (2016) Conflict Between Marketing And Production Departments. Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/conflict-between-marketing-production-departments-67774.html (Accessed: 26 July 2016). Stewart, N. (2010) Leadership (A Reflection). United States Of America: Trafford Publishing. Vaccaro, G. I.,Jansen, J. P. J., Bosh, D.V. and Volberda, W. H. (2012) Management Innovation and Leadership: The Moderating Role of Organizational Size, Journal of Management Studies,49 (1),pp. 28-45. [Online]. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/HW_Volberda/publication/228197551_Management_Innovation_and_Leadership_The_Moderating_Role_of_Organizational_Size/links/55ad01de08ae481aa7ff9725.pdf (Accessed by: 26 July 2016). Yourarticlelibrary.com (2016). Important types of Power in Leadership. Available at: https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/business-management/6-important-types-of-power-in-leadership/2560/ (Accessed: 26 July 2016).