The link between capital market and economic growth in Rwanda

The link between capital market and economic growth in Rwanda 1.1 Background Today most economies around the world are judged by the performance of their capital markets. The potential role of financial markets in economic growth has been well documented. Most African countries including those in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have recently under gone financial sector reforms such as restructuring and privatizing of state owned banks and establishment of capital markets. In the literature there are different views on the link between capital markets and economic growth of a nation. North (1996) shows that, differences in economic institutions are the major sources of cross-country differences in economic growth and prosperity. High quality institutions have a positive influence on the depth and development of the financial sector of nations. This proposed research will mainly consult with the literature about the link between capital market and economic growth and the role that institutions play in capital markets and try to pinpoint and relate these to the Rwandan context. In developed capital markets households are the major participants as investors. Saunders and Cornett (2004) claimed that in the United States, households are the single largest holders of corporate stock. However, the capital markets of least developed countries are very shallow in terms of capitalization because of a limited number of listed companies and limited participation of households (savers) either due to lack of capacity or lack of awareness as to the capital markets. Therefore this study will also examine the impact of the households (savers) in the capital markets in least developed countries in Africa including Rwanda. 1.2 Statement of the Problem Despite a surge of global investor interest in the 1980s and 1990s, Africa has been bypassed by the massive international capital flowing to developing economies. Aggregate capital flows to developing countries have been rapidly exceeding official development assistance flows since 1980s. However, Africa remains the only developing region in which development assistance flows exceeds private capital flows (Senbet and Otchere, 2006). This was mainly attributed to the lack or absence of a well developed financial sector (capital markets, banks, finance companies, life insurance companies, and insurance companies) and the poor economic policies and institutions in African countries. Capital markets are a vital part of an economy making it possible for industry, trade and commerce to flourish without any obstacle in terms of resources. The financial markets serve a vital purpose in the growth and development of a company that wants to expand. For such companies with expansion plans and new projects in need of funding and investors looking for a better return, the financial market is the best platform. The private sector usually lacks access to credit facilities. Investment, growth and economic welfare are all too low in developing countries. This is more severe in Africa, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (Platt, 1998). Most African countries, particularly those in Sub-Saharan Africa, have recently undergone extensive financial sector reforms. The reform package includes restructuring and privatization of state owned banks, the introduction of private banking systems, along with bank supervisory and regulatory schemes, the introduction of a variety of measures to promote the development of financail markets; including money and stock markets (Senbet and Otchere, 2006). Rwandas economy primarily depends on agricultural productivity. The industry and service sectors are not entirely developed to push the economy towards higher growth. Rwandas long-term development plan, as articulated in Vision 2020, seeks to transform Rwanda into a middle-income country and an economic trade and communications hub by the year 2020. An effectively functioning financial sector is a fundamentally important and essential element for achieving this objective.   Rwanda seeks to develop a financial sector that is effective, in particular, by  expanding access to credit and financial services; enhancing savings mobilization, especially long term savings; and mobilizing long-term capital for investment. A key strategic goal of the Vision 2020 plan is to make Rwanda an economic trade and communications hub in the heart of Africa.   This will require significant investment in infrastructure in the form of roads, power, rail, airports and telecommunications.   These plans also call for the active participation and expansion of the private sector in Rwandas economy which will require long term investment in infrastructure and industry, which can only be provided through the mobilization of domestic savings through capital markets.   The Rwanda capital market now referred to as the Rwanda Over the Counter (OTC) market was established by the Capital Market Advisory Council in January 2008. It is from this perspective the researcher is undertaking this study to see the link between capital market and economic growth in Rwanda. How does Rwanda stand to benefit from this capital market? 1.3 Purpose of the study The main purpose of this thesis is to investigate and review the literature on the link between capital market and the economic growth and prosperity of a nation, particularly in Rwanda. This study will also examine the importance of institutions for the performance of capital markets and households (savers) contribution to the capital market so that companies can raise the required capital easily in a country where financing is limited to the banking sector and yet accessible only to a few big private companies and state owned enterprises. 1.4 Objectives of the study The objectives of this proposed study are mainly to find out: Whether capital market is an alternative towards the economic growth of least developed countries such as Ethiopia. The role of institutions toward the development of capital market. Whether households savings will make a real impact on the overall performance, liquidity, and market capitalization of the capital market in Rwanda. 1.5 Research questions This thesis is intended to answer the following questions: Is a capital market an alternative towards the economic growth of least developed countries in general and for Rwanda in particular? Will institutions be vital for the performance of capital market in Rwanda? Will domestic savings in Rwanda have a role to play in the capital market? 1.6 Scope of the study This study presents the different views as to the link between capital markets and economic growth, and the role that institutions play in the performance of capital markets. The focus being the capital market in Rwanda; it also investigates the impact of households savings on capital market in Rwanda. 1.7 Significance of the study The researcher intends to collect data in order to analyse the link between capital market and economic growth in Rwanda. This study will examine the role of institutions toward the development of capital market as well as the impact of the households (savers) in the capital market in Rwanda. Additionally, this research is to fulfill the requirement of the Masters degree in Business Administration. 1.8 Definitions of terms Financial sector: The Reserve Bank of Australia (www.rba.gov.au/Glossary/text_only.asp), defines financial sector as the sector of the economy that comprises financial institutions and financial markets. Financial institution: A company whose primary function is to intermediate between lenders and borrowers in the economy. (www.rba.gov.au/Glossary/text_only.asp). Institutions: in this proposed study institutions could be defined as follows: Definition 1 (Businessdictionary.com) Establishment, foundation, or organization created to pursue a particular type of endeavor, such as banking by a financial institution. Definition 2 (Businessdictionary.com) Consistent and organized pattern of behavior or activities (established by law or custom) that is self-regulating in accordance with generally accepted norms. For example, political institutions are involved with (and regulate) competition for power; and economic institutions (such as markets) encourage and regulate production and distribution of goods and services. Least Developed Countries (LCDs): In its latest triennial review of the list of Least Developed Countries in 2003, the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations used the following three criteria for the identification of the LDCs, as proposed by the Committee for Development Policy (CDP): a low-income criterion, based on a three-year average estimate of the gross national income (GNI) per capita (under $750 for inclusion, above $900 for graduation); a human resource weakness criterion, involving a composite Human Assets Index (HAI) based on indicators of: (a) nutrition; (b) health; (c) education; and (d) adult literacy; and an economic vulnerability criterion, involving a composite Economic Vulnerability Index (EVI) based on indicators of: (a) the instability of agricultural production; (b) the instability of exports of goods and services; (c) the economic importance of non-traditional activities (share of manufacturing and modern services in GDP); (d) merchandise export concentration; and (e) the handicap of economic smallness (as measured through the population in logarithm); and the percentage of population displaced by natural disasters. REFERENCES LIST Demirguc-Kunt, A., Maksimovic, V. (1996). Stock Market Development and Corporate Finance Decisions. Finance Development, 33(2), 47-50. North, D. C., Weingast, B. R. (1996). Constitutions and Commitment: The Evolution of Institutions Governing Public Choice in Seventeenth-Century England. In L. J. Alston, T. Eggertosson D. C. North (Eds.), Empirical Studies in Institutional Change: Cambridge University Press. Nyong, Michael O. (1997): Capital Market Development and Long-run Economic Growth: Theory, Evidence and Analysis First Bank Review, December 1997: 13-38. Samuel, Cherian (1996): Stock Market and Investment: The Governance Role of the Market The World Bank Review Volume 10 Number 2. Saunders, A., Cornett, M. M. (2004). Financial Markets and Institutions (2 ed.). New York: Mc Graw-Hill/ Irwin. Senbet, L. W., Otchere, I. (2006). Financial Sector Reforms in Africa: Perspectives on issues and policies. In B. Francois B. Pleskovic (Eds.), Annual World Bank Conference on Development Economics: Growth and Integration (Senegal Proceedings). Washington, D.C.: The World Bank. www.rba.gov.au/Glossary/text_only.asp Rwanda financial sector development program (2007). Retrieved January 12, 2011, from www.bnr.rw/ www.cmac.co.rw Businessdictionary.com http://www.un.org/special-rep/ohrlls/ldc/list.htm

Functions of Retail Management

FUNCTIONS OF RETAIL MANAGEMENT When attempting to start a business, having a keen understanding of the goals of management through the main four management functions is one key to seeing success, both with the operation and with employees. With this said, a vital part of planning of the management end will involve three important activities. The first stage, â€Å"planning involves developing a systematic process for attaining the goals of the organization†¦ Leaders make change happen through planning instead of reacting to change† (EntEd 2007). The first of which will be to lay out the goals that will be set for the hypothetical sporting goods store used as the example, the second will be to create a business plan since â€Å"the development of the business plan greatly helps to clarify the organization's plans and ensure that key leaders are all ‘on the same script. ‘ Far more important than the plan document is the planning process itself† (McNamara 2007). During the process of coming up with this business plan, hopefully as a manager we can begin to foresee any challenges we might face, especially if those challenges arise because of unpredictable circumstances that even the most careful planning could not predict or take measures to prevent. In short, having a process that all members present at the beginning of the organization can understand and work with in the form of a business plan is the key to success. During this planning process as we begin to decide what some of the most basic building blocks of this business are going to be (location, inventory, costs, marketing, etc. ) and through this act of working things out together in a permanent fashion, brainstorming about coming changes and challenges should naturally occur. The four functions of Management will clearly demonstrate how the functions operate in this business operation and how, in the light of the tangible situation being presented, management can avoid possible pitfalls and see how these functions operate simultaneously and are interdependent on one another. With a solid business plan firmly in place and a list of goals and anticipated changes recorded and recognized, the second important function of management, organization, is necessary. â€Å"Organizing brings together the nonhuman resources needed to achieve the project's objectives. To organize is to manage†¦ It begins with the need to define requirements† (Richman 2006). In order to serve this important function of management, it is necessary to use what was established in the planning stages to begin to carry out the first measures to live out the plan. As a manager, this will involve a great deal of research and personal organization as I look for the best strategies to carry out different smaller aspects of the business plan. This is also the stage where I begin to look to my subordinates for assistance and when I give them the chance to assist with the many activities necessary before the sporting goods store opens. This stage involves a great deal of gathering of supplies and building processes that will sustain the store and in order to make the best use of the time spent organizing, directing will become one of the most important functions of management. As one definition states, â€Å"Directing communicates the goals, purposes, procedures, and means to those who will do the work. Directing is the process of communicating the plan, whether orally or in writing† (Richmond 2006). This is particularly succinct definition in terms of the sporting goods store because so much will be required to adhere to the business plan. The organization alone must be managed with attention to detail and it will be one of my primary duties to help workers understand the value of each of their functions through careful and organized direction. Throughout the organization process and especially as things are moving along according to the plan and the business nears opening, it is vital that directing is a main focus. Since I plan on having two managers and four employees, I want everyone to be on the same page as I am. It will be important for them to realize how every task they complete connects to the goals or the business plan so there is a sense of value and something at stake. Directing will not end at this stage or even after the business is open, it will continue to be a necessary component that I must actively keep p with in order for this sporting goods store to succeed. Controlling goes hand in hand with directing as it will be important for me as a manager and owner to match the tasks delegated with the business plan and goals so that I can keep firm tabs on how we are progressing. This not only involves monitoring of progress but being vigilant so that if negative changes are occurring I can resolve the issue. A s Richman (2006) more succinctly puts it, when it comes to controlling, â€Å"in project management terms, it involves determining variances from the approved plan, then taking action to correct those variances. Through my fulfilling of these four important functions of management, I would be a permissive leader. For a small business like this sporting goods store that has a very small number of employees and only two other managers, it is necessary to allow everyone to have an equal hand in important decisions. While directing is a large part of my responsibility, I would still like to allow employees and managers a great deal of leeway concerning how they perform the tasks assigned and if those decisions on how to work are not productive, only then will I step in and be directive. This is a rather democratic way to manage this store, but hopefully it will foster the sense that the few people involved have a great deal at stake since they've personally and professional put distinct efforts into the business. By employing the for functions of Management effectively and in particular, emphasizing my role in directing and controlling, I can maintain a less structured management style while still seeing profits.

The Impact Of Caribbean On The Caribbean - 852 Words

A REPORT TO INVESTIGATE IMPACTS CRUISING HAS ON THE CARIBBEAN. 1.0 TERMS OF REFERENCE Cruising in the Caribbean has grown rapidly in popularity over recent years, and whilst this is an advantage from a tourism aspect, it has also brought escalated concerns for many territories in this region. According to Nagel, G. (1999) tourism in the Caribbean had increased from 5 million to 10.6 million in the space of ten years. Since this had been found in 1996, this number has now raised to 25 million in the past year. Growing demand for cruise travel means economic development, environmental degeneration, growth in tourism and pollution are now effected more predominantly. This report will investigate all impacts effecting the Caribbean and what could be done to alter those effects that are having a negative impact. 2.0 PROCEDURE 2.1 Research on the growth of the Caribbean due to cruising 2.2 Analysis of the impacts cruising has on the environment and economy 2.3 Research on concern about pollution and what is being done by cruise lines to prevent further damage 3.0 FINDINGS 3.1 Growth of the Caribbean due to the cruise industry. 3.1.1 Public investment has had a great impact on the history of Caribbean growth. The region has over time developed its tourism products, emphasising natural aspects like sun and sand, whilst also developing its potential for cruise tourism. Mentioned by Brida, J.G. and Zapata, S. (2010) the number of arrivals in the Caribbean haveShow MoreRelatedThe Impact Of Caribbean On The Caribbean944 Words   |  4 Pages1.0 TERMS OF REFERENCE Cruising in the Caribbean has grown rapidly in popularity over recent years, and whilst this is an advantage from a tourism aspect, it has also brought escalated concerns for many territories in this region. According to Nagel, G. (1999) tourism in the Caribbean had increased from 5 million to 10.6 million in the space of ten years. Since this had been found in 1996, this number has now raised to 25 million in the past year. Growing demand for cruise travel means economicRead Moreimpacts of slavery in the caribbean2584 Words   |  11 Pages How did the African slavery impact the Caribbean region between1640-1985? Introduction When the Europeans switched from tobacco to sugar cultivation, the plantation needed more lands and more labour. The labour present came from the Tainos, whose population decreased from abuse, and could not meet the labour demands. The Europeans brought free labourers from Europe, but they could not be forced to work under the conditions demanded by the encomenderos. The church suggested the use ofRead MoreImpact Of Tourism On The Caribbean2393 Words   |  10 Pagesjournals and databases on the impact that the tourism industry has on the countries in the Caribbean. Tourism impacts the Caribbean in three different sections. Tourism has a social impact that allows for increases in revenue, jobs, and service for the people living there. Tourism’s cultural impact allows the history and heritage of the Caribbean to be acknowledged and practiced not only here but around the world as tourists come and go. Tourism’s environmental impact effects the natural and geographicalRea d MoreImpact Of Tourism On The Caribbean Islands1657 Words   |  7 Pages Impacts of Tourism in the Caribbean Islands Christopher Tillman University of South Carolina Tourism has its sociological impacts, environmental impacts, and economic impacts. When visitors come spend money in any place they travel to it creates jobs for locals and often times reduce the poverty rate. Tourism can help a community identify just who they are and why tourist like to travel to this area. They do this by showing distinct rare cultures that you can’t find anywhere elseRead MorePoverty and Its Impact on Development in the Caribbean2990 Words   |  12 PagesThe aim of every Caribbean country is to realize growth and development over time so as to achieve first world status. Most of the Caribbean countries are ranked as middle income countries. These countries realize that achieving first world status is a long term initiative given the many social problems that we face as a Caribbean nation. Among the many social problems that we face, poverty is the most pervasive of them all. Despite the effort of many of these countries to try and eradicate povertyRead M oreImpact Of Social Institutions On Caribbean Culture1223 Words   |  5 PagesImpact of Societal Institutions On Caribbean Culture and Society Objectives †¢ Gain a thorough understanding of the different social institutions: family, education, political systems †¢ Understand the main ideas of the Marxist and Functionalist perspectives †¢ Understand the Marxist and perspective on social institutions Functionalist Social Institutions †¢ Social Institutions are a fundamental part of the operations of society. They are the major organising framework in social life. Social institutionsRead More The Social Impact of Slavery on the Caribbean Society Essay1336 Words   |  6 PagesThe Social Impact of Slavery on the Caribbean Society In order for us to understand the Caribbean, we must acknowledge the tremendous social impact slavery placed upon the islands. We must not only consider the practice of slavery dating back to the indigenous peoples, but from what the introduction of the African slave trade did to the islands economically as well as culturally. In this paper let me reflect on slavery in the Caribbean not from an economical standpoint but, from the racial orRead MoreHow Education as a social institution impacts the Caribbean1802 Words   |  8 Pagesï » ¿ Describe how education as a social institution impacts on Caribbean Society and Culture Several social institutions exist in today’s society and they are family, education, religion and the justice system. The Caribbean is defined as that area on the earth located between five and twenty five degrees north of the equator and fifty five and ninety degrees west of the Greenwich meridian. In the Caribbean, education is one of the institutions that is viewed as having the most promise for bettermentRead MoreGlobalisation and the Economic Impact on Small Island States: Caribbean2195 Words   |  9 Pagesthe Economic Impact on Small Island States: Caribbean January 6th 2011 Kole’ Mascoll Student ID: COPY [1] Globalisation and the Economic impact on small island states: Caribbean This paper conducts an analysis of Small Island States of the Caribbean, the Economic effects of Globalisation and addresses both the macroeconomic and microeconomic issues. The paper will begin by defining globalization from a generic perspective and then focus more specifically on Caribbean. In additionRead MoreDiscuss the Social and Economic Impact of Natural Disasters on the Caribbean.2527 Words   |  11 Pagesworldwide. Within the Caribbean, they are chiefly present in the forms of hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, droughts, and volcanoes. The great damages caused by natural disasters may be divided into three categories: social, economic and environmental. However, this essay will address the social and economic impact of these natural disasters on the Caribbean. In regards to the essay, Hurricanes (with special emphasis being placed on Hurricane Ivan) and floods as well as two Caribbean territories, Jamaica

Taking a Look at the Reconstruction Era - 1313 Words

The Reconstruction Era the period most memorable during the 1860 to the 1877. The period passed through out a lot of problem like violence the assassination of president Abraham Lincoln, country been divided over the issue of slavery and a lot of reconstruct had to be made after the fight of the civil war. At the time the civil war won the victory around 3 million slaves had their freedom. But their where still problem in rebuilding the nation. When president Abraham Lincoln died in April 14,1865. A new president was elected named Andrew Johnson under his supervision south state submit ‘’black codes’’ to control the attitude and behavior of all African Americans. During the reconstruction era the united stated faced many challenge in rebuilding the nation. The period of Reconstruction During the reconstruction era the united stated faced many challenge in rebuilding the nation. When African America and white citizens where fighting between each other homes and farms were destroyed. People also kill farm animals. The temperature of the crops, that come from agriculture fell below normal. Those problems were challenge in rebuilding the nation. Reconstruction era was the period from 1865 to 1877 in which programs were created to keep together the white and black people. To stop the differences between them. The issue that had the most unbelievable result was the emancipation proclamation which let free many African AmericansShow MoreRelatedWar Was The Only Option1547 Words   |  7 Pagesover. All that remained was deciding on how to bring the rebellious states back into the Union, and what role Confederates would play in Reconstruction. No president before or after faced the challenges Lincoln’s had to overcome from his first day in office. After a four-year struggle, the rebellion was over and the nation could look forward rebuilding. Reconstruction promised to new found freedoms for the millions of slaves freed as a result of the 13th amendment. The South’s economic and politicalRead MoreThe Reconstruction Era990 Words   |  4 PagesThe Reconstruction Era was from around 1865-1877, during that time many laws were passed to break down the color barrier. The 13th Amendment which officially abolished slavery and involuntary servitude was passed on April 8th, 1864. Then came the 14th Amendment passed on July 9th, 1868 which granted citizenship to everyone born in the U.S. Finally came the 15th Amendment passed in 1870 which gave freedmen the right to vote and could not be denied on account of race or previous condition of servitudeRead MoreThe Civil War: Reconstruction1156 Words   |  5 Pagesfarmers . The Reconstruction era was meant to be exactly how the name announces it to be. It was a time for the United States to fix the broken pieces the war had caused allowing the country to mend together and unite once again. The point of Reconstruction was to establish unity between the states and to also create and protect the civil rights of the former slaves. Although Reconstruction failed in many aspects such as the upraise in white supremacy and racism, the reconstruction era was a time theRead MoreThe Tyranny Of White Majority Essay1511 Words   |  7 Pagesbecause white intimidation or being separated in schools. One can easily correlate the argument of natural prejudice to our modern human psyche. We as humans, judge based on almost anything. We categorize and create opinions based on race, class and looks even though we are considered as a society of equals. Now arguing Tocqueville’s point view becomes more plausible. If these laws would have worked then there would b e no need for A push of a nationwide civil right movement. The movement would haveRead More Ulysses S Grant Essay1572 Words   |  7 Pagesas well, it nevertheless continues to win him a steady following. Even his most faithful admirers, however, tend to end their studies conveniently at Appomattox, and one senses a wide regret that Grants public career extended beyond the Civil War. Taking note of this trend, John Y. Simon observes that some biographers seem to have wished that Grant had accepted Lincolns invitation to Fords Theatre on the night the president was shot- the night that John Wilkes Booth had intended to assassinateRead MoreThe Period Of Reconstruction During The Years Of 1865-18771587 Words   |  7 PagesHBCUs were created during the period of Reconstruction in the years of 1865-1877. During this time period the Civil War was finally over and â€Å"Abraham Lincoln was now making plans for immediate equality for former slaves†. During Presidents Lincoln last speech he talked about â€Å"supporting enfranchisement of freedom†, in which he is basically talking about emancipating all African Americans; while Lincoln supported this idea Andrew Johnson opposed it. Andrew Johnson didn’t agree with this way of livingRead MoreAfrican Americans in America Essay2157 Words   |  9 Pages Freedom is something that Americans today take for granted. We look at third world countries that continue to exercise discrimination and segregation and America looks down on them. American’s fight wars to protect those discriminated against in other countries. We are almost numb to the fact that we, as Americans, were one of these countries. Some may even feel that these ignorant ideologies still exist today. No one wants to look o the past when this country was not acting like the America weRead MoreEssay about Overview Of The 14th Amendment1232 Words   |  5 PagesAmerica from different places of the world. They either made their way through Ellis Island in the east or Angel Island in the west. The reason they came to the United States was because of all the jobs this country had to offer. Industrialization was taking place and companies needed many workers to work the machinery. However, the corporations did not make sure that their workers earned what a normal American citizen would earn. Americans disliked immigrants and treated them like trash. Because of theRead MoreRole of Jim in Huckleberry Finn Essay1119 Words   |  5 PagesHonors American Literature 13 December 2012 Role of Jim in Huckleberry Finn During the late 1800’s post civil war, the reconstruction era surfaced in the union. The reconstruction, a political program designed to reintegrate the defeated South into the Union as a slavery-free region, began to fail. The North imposed harsh measures, which only embittered the South. Concerned about maintaining power, many Southern politicians began an effort to control and oppress the black men and women whomRead More Reconstruction Essay examples2054 Words   |  9 PagesHubble February 8, 2000 Reconstruction The Reconstruction, a time most people would call a rebirth, succeeded in few of the goals that it had set out to achieve within the 12 years it was in progress. It was the reconstruction’s failure in its objectives, that brought forth the inevitable success in changing the South, as well as the countless African Americans living in it as well as the countless African Americans living in it at the time. There were three goals the reconstruction set, and failed to

A Room of Ones Own Essay - 3982 Words

FOUR In Chapters Four and Five of A Room of One s Own,, the focus on Women Fiction shifts to a consideration of women writers, both actual writers and ultimately one of the author s own creation. The special interest here is one raised earlier in the work: the effect of tradition on women s writing. Woolf believes that women are different from men both in their social history as well as inherently, and that each of these differences has had important effects on the development of women s writing. Women writers, this is to say, have been treated differently from men because they were women; and this has affected how they developed. Furthermore, Woolf maintains, women writers are different from men writers because they are women;†¦show more content†¦on equal terms with men. For women, the narrator contends, here begins the freedom of the mind, the possibility that in the course of time one will be able to write whatever one likes. With Mrs. Behn, writing by women cased to be a sign of folly and became an activity of practical importance. Money dignifies what is frivolous if unpaid for she observes, and Mrs. Behn s success in the Seventeenth Century led to very many women earning money through writing in the Eighteenth Century. These women became the necessary forerunners of the successful women writers of the early 19th Century: Jane Austen, the Brontes, and George Eliot. With the 19th Century writers, one can begin to consider women s writing in a more expanded manner - as a kind of writing that has its own nature based on what it is to be a woman. First, the narrator wonders why the early 19th century writers were all novelists despite their apparent differences in temperament. And one answer that she gives focuses on women s common social role. Functioning at the heart of the family, she observes, women s training inevitably includes the observation of character and the analysis of emotion. These are faculties women acquire unconsciously in the course of daily activities and they are more easily put to use in a novel than elsewhere in fiction. Domesticity, thus, was not always a disadvantage for women. However, she goes on to consider, to the extent that women sShow MoreRelated A room of ones own Essay1897 Words   |  8 PagesVirginia Woolfs ambitious work A Room of Ones Own tackles many significant issues concerning the history and culture of womens writing, and attempts to document the conditions which women have had to endure in order to write, juxtaposing these with her vision of ideal conditions for the creation of literature. Woolfs extended essay has endured and proved itself to be a viable, pioneering feminist piece of work, but the broad range of ideas and arguments Woolf explores leaves her piece open toRead More Virginia Woolfs A Room of One’s Own Essay2627 Words   |  11 Pages In Virginia Woolf’s feminist essay â€Å"A Room of One’s Own,† Woolf argues that â€Å"a woman must have money and a room of her own† (16) if she is to write fiction of any merit. The point as she develops it is a perceptive one, and far more layered and various in its implications than it might at first seem. But I wonder if perhaps Woolf did not really tap the full power of her thesis. She recognized the necessity of the writer’s financial independence to the birth of great writing, but she failed toRead More A Room of One’s Own and Modern Fiction Essay2678 Words   |  11 PagesA Room of One’s Own and Modern Fiction One of the first things to notice about A Room of One’s Own is that it is not a typical lecture. It rambles and flows back and forth, in and out. It is more narrative than logic. It breaks many of the conventions of a formal address. Why does Virginia Woolf choose to do this? Why choose this style, this method? One reason is to turn predominantly masculine, or traditional, thinking on its head in order to undermine its authority. There is another reasonRead MoreVirginia Woolfs A Room of Ones Own Essay667 Words   |  3 PagesIn chapter two of A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf introduces the reader to the uncomfortable conditions existing between men and women during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Woolf’s character, Mary Beton, surveys books about women at the British Museum and discovers that nearly all of them are written by men. What’s more, the books that she does find express negative sentiments about women, leading Beton to believe that men are expressing â€Å"anger that had gone undergroundRead MoreEssay about Breaking Convention in A Room of Ones Own1338 Words   |  6 PagesConvention in A Room of Ones Own New discoveries and exciting breakthroughs are all made at the expense of contradicting old rules and ideas. In order for Earth to be round, it could no longer be flat. Revolutions in literature, science, and countries are always filled with conflicts and contradictions to traditional conventions. In this sense, Virgina Woolfs essay A Room of Ones Own can be called a revolution. Woolf breaks nearly all the rules of essay writing in her argumentative essay. She addressesRead More Virginia Woolfs A Room of Ones Own Essay1793 Words   |  8 PagesVirginia Woolfs A Room of Ones Own Missing works cited In A Room of Ones Own, Virginia Woolf ponders the plight of women throughout history. Woolf reads the lives of women and concludes that if a woman were to have written she would have had to overcome enormous circumstances (Woolf xi). Woolfs initial thesis is that a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction (Woolf 4). Throughout the book, however, she develops other important conditions for artisticRead More The Scope of Woolf’s Feminism in A Room of One’s Own Essay1655 Words   |  7 PagesFeminism in A Room of One’s Own Missing Works Cited A highly contested statement on women and fiction, Virginia Woolf’s extended essay A Room of One’s Own has been repeatedly reviewed, critiqued, and analyzed since its publication in 1929. Arnold Bennett, an early twentieth-century novelist, and David Daiches, a literary critic who wrote an analysis entitled Virginia Woolf in 1942 (Murphy 247), were among those to attempt to extricate the themes and implications of Woolf’s complex essay. The twoRead MoreEssay on Education and Virginia’s Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own1060 Words   |  5 Pagesshare of it to endow more chairs, more lectureships, more fellowships in the university where they had learnt their craft† (754). This is a quote from Virginia’s Woolf’s essay, â€Å"A Room of One’s Own†. Here she is making a point about universities and the funding that they received from men that had gone to school there. Woolf’s essay takes place during the early nineteen hundreds when most women did not attend a university. There was great inequality of those who attended school because men had controlRead More Analysis of Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own Essay1678 Words   |  7 PagesAnalysis of Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own Throughout history, female artists have not been strangers to harsh criticism regarding their artistic works. Some female artists are fortunate to even receive such criticism; many have not achieved success in sharing their works with the world. In Virgina Woolf’s third chapter of her essay â€Å"A Room of One’s Own,† Woolf addresses the plight of the woman writer, specifically during the Elizabethan time period of England. Woolf helps the readerRead MoreEssay about Woolfs Vision in A Room of Ones Own2764 Words   |  12 Pagesin A Room of Ones Own      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many years have lapsed sinee Virginia Woolf spoke at Newnham and Girton colleges on the subject of women and fiction.   Her remarkable words are preserved for future generations of women in A Room of Ones Own.   This essay is the first manifesto of the modern feminist movement (Samuelson), and has been called a notable preamble to a kind of feminine Declaration of Independence (Muller 34).   Woolf writes that her modest goal for this ground-breaking essay is to

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 14~15 Free Essays

string(70) " of how much this little patch of plants ruled his life made him ill\." Fourteen Molly Pine Cove was a decorative town – built for show – only one degree more functional than a Disneyland attraction and decidedly lacking in businesses and services that catered to residents rather than tourists. The business district included ten art galleries, five wine-tasting rooms, twenty restaur-ants, eleven gift and card shops, and one hardware store. The position of hardware clerk in Pine Cove was highly coveted by the town’s retired male population, for nowhere else could a man posture well past his prime, pontificate, and generally indulge in the arrogant self-important chest-pounding of an alpha male without having a woman intercede to remind him that he was patently full of shit. We will write a custom essay sample on The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 14~15 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Crossing the threshold of Pine Cove Hardware and breaking the beam that rang the bell was tantamount to setting off a testosterone alarm, and if they’d had their way, the clerks would have constructed a device to at-omize the corners with urine every time the bell tolled. Or at least that’s the way it seemed to Molly when she entered that Saturday morning. The clerks, three men, broke from their heated argument on the finer points of installing a wax toilet seal ring to stare, snicker, and make snide comments under their breath about the woman who had entered their domain. Molly breezed past the counter, focusing on an aisle display of gopher poison to avoid eye contact. Raucous laughter erupted from the clerks when she turned down the aisle for roofing supplies. The clerks, Frank, Bert, and Les – all semiretired, balding, paunchy, and generally interchangeable, except that Frank wore a belt to hold up his double knits, while the other two sported suspenders fashioned to look like yellow measuring tape – planned to make Molly beg. Oh, they’d let her wander around for a while, let her try to comprehend the arcane func-tion of the gizmos, geegaws, and widgets binned and bubble-wrapped around the store. Then she would have to come back to the counter and submit. It was Frank’s turn to do the condescending, and he would do his best to drop-kick her ego before finally leading the little lady to the appro-priate product, where he would continue to question her into full humili-ation. â€Å"Well, is it a sheet metal screw or a wood screw? Three-eighths or seven-sixteenths? Do you have a hex head screwdriver? Well, then, you’ll need one, won’t you? Are you sure you wouldn’t rather just call someone to do this for you?† Tears and/or sniffles from the customer would signal victory and confirm superior status for the male race. Frank, Bert, and Les watched Molly on the security monitor, exchanged some comments about her breasts, laughed nervously after five minutes passed without her surrender, and tried to look busy when she emerged from the aisle carrying a five-gallon can of roof-patching tar, a roll of fiberglass fabric, and a long-handled squeegee. Molly stood at the counter, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Bert and Les squinted into a catalog set on a rotating stand while concentrating on sucking in their guts. Frank manned the register and pretended he was doing something complex on the keyboard, when, in fact, he was just making it beep. Molly cleared her throat. Frank looked up as if he’d just noticed she was there. â€Å"Find everything you need?† â€Å"I think so,† Molly said, taking both hands to lift the heavy can of tar onto the counter. â€Å"You need some resin for that fiberglass fabric?† Les said. â€Å"And some hardener?† Bert said. Frank snickered. â€Å"Some what?† Molly said. â€Å"You can’t patch a trailer roof with that stuff, miss. You live down at the Fly Rod, don’t you?† They all knew who she was and where she lived. She was often the subject of hardware store gossip and speculation, even though she’d never set foot in there before today. â€Å"I’m not going to patch a roof.† â€Å"Well, you can’t use that on a driveway. You need asphalt sealer, and it should be applied with a brush, not a squeegee.† â€Å"How much do I owe you?† Molly said. â€Å"You should wear a respirator when you work with fiberglass. You have one at home, right?† Bert asked. â€Å"Yeah, right next to the elves and the gnomes,† Les said. Molly didn’t flinch. â€Å"He’s right,† Frank said. â€Å"Those fibers get down in your lungs and they could do you a world of harm, especially with those lungs.† The clerks all laughed at the joke. â€Å"I’ve got a respirator out in the truck,† Les said. â€Å"I could come by after work and give you a hand with your little project.† â€Å"That would be great,† Molly said. â€Å"What time?† Les balked. â€Å"Well, I, um†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I’ll pick up some beer.† Molly smiled. â€Å"You guys should come along too. I could really use the help.† â€Å"Oh, I think Les can handle it, can’t you, Les?† Frank said as he hit the total key. â€Å"That comes to thirty-seven sixty-five with tax.† Molly counted her money out on the counter. â€Å"So I’ll see you tonight?† Les swallowed hard and forced a smile. â€Å"You bet,† he said. â€Å"Thanks then,† Molly said brightly. Then she picked up her supplies and headed for the door. As she broke the doorbell beam, Frank whispered â€Å"Crazy slut† under his breath. Molly stopped, turned slowly, and winked. Once she was outside, the clerks made miserable old white guy attempts at trading high-fives while patting Les on the back. It was a hardware store fantasy fulfilled – much better than just humiliating a woman, Les would get to humiliate her and get her naked as well. For some reason they’d all been feeling a little randy lately, thinking about sex almost as often as power tools. â€Å"My wife is going to kill me,† Les said. â€Å"What she don’t know won’t hurt her,† the other two said in unison. Theo Theo actually felt his stomach lurch when he went into his victory garden and clipped a handful of sticky buds from his pot plants. They weren’t for himself this time, but the reminder of how much this little patch of plants ruled his life made him ill. You read "The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 14~15" in category "Essay examples" And how was it that he hadn’t felt the need to fire up his Sneaky Pete for three days? A twenty-year drug habit suddenly ends? No withdrawal, no side effects, no cravings? The freedom was almost nauseating. It was as if the Weirdness Fairy had landed in his life with a thump, popped him on the head with a rubber chicken, bit him on the shin, then went off to inflict herself on the rest of Pine Cove. He stuffed the marijuana into a plastic bag, tucked it into his jacket pocket, and climbed into the Volvo for the forty-mile drive to San Junipero. He was going to have to enter the bowels of the county justice building and face the Spider to find out what he wanted to know. The pot was grease for the Spider. He would stop by a convenience store on the way down and pick up a bag full of snacks to augment the bribe. The Spider was difficult, arrogant, and downright creepy, but he was a cheap date. Through the safety-glass window, Theo could see the Spider sitting in the middle of his web: five computer screens with data scrolling across them illuminated the Spider with an ominous blue glow. The only other light in the room came from tiny red and green power indicator lights that shone through the darkness like crippled stars. Without looking away from his screens, the Spider buzzed Theo in. â€Å"Crowe,† the Spider said, not looking up. â€Å"Lieutenant,† Theo said. â€Å"Call me Nailgun,† the Spider said. His name was Irving Nailsworth and his official position in the San Juni-pero Sheriff’s Department was chief technical officer. He was five-foot-five inches tall, weighed three hundred and thirty pounds, and had taken to wearing a black beret when he perched in his web. Early on, Nailsworth had seen that nerds would rule the world, and he had staked out his own little information fiefdom in the basement of the county jail. Nothing happened without the Spider knowing about it. He monitored and con-trolled all the information that moved about the county, and before anyone recognized what sort of power that afforded, he had made himself indis-pensable to the system. He had never arrested a suspect, touched a firearm, or set foot in a patrol car, yet he was the third-highest-ranking officer on the force. Besides a taste for raw data, the Spider had weaknesses for junk food, Internet porn, and high-quality marijuana. The latter was Theo’s key to the Spider’s lair. He put the plastic Baggie on the keyboard in front of Nails-worth. Still without looking at Theo, the Spider opened the bag and sniffed, pinched a bud between his fingers, then folded the bag up and stuffed it into his shirt pocket. â€Å"Nice,† he said. â€Å"What do you need?† He peeled the marshmallow cap off a Hostess Sno Ball, shoved it into his mouth, then threw the cake into a wastebasket at his feet. Theo set the bag of snacks down next to the wastebasket. â€Å"I need the autopsy report on Bess Leander.† The Nailgun nodded, no easy task for a man with no discernible neck. â€Å"And?† Theo wasn’t sure what questions to ask. Nailsworth seldom volunteered information, you had to ask the right question. It was like talking to a rotund Sphinx. â€Å"I was wondering if you could come up with something that might help me find Mikey Plotznik.† Theo knew he didn’t have to explain. The Spider would know all about the missing kid. The Spider reached into the bag at his feet and pulled out a Twinkie. â€Å"Let me pull up the autopsy.† His fat fingers flew over the keyboard. â€Å"You need a printout?† â€Å"That would be nice.† â€Å"It doesn’t show you as the investigating officer.† â€Å"That’s why I came to you. The M.E.’s office wouldn’t let me see the report.† â€Å"Says here cause of death was cardiac arrest due to asphyxiation. Suicide.† â€Å"Yes, she hung herself.† â€Å"I don’t think so.† â€Å"I saw the body.† â€Å"I know. Hanging in the dining room.† â€Å"So what do you mean, you don’t think so? â€Å"The ligature marks on her neck were postmortem, according to this. Neck wasn’t broken, so she didn’t drop suddenly.† Theo squinted at the screen, trying to make sense of the data. â€Å"There were heel marks on the wall. She had to have hung herself. She was depressed, taking Zoloft for it.† â€Å"Not according to the toxicology.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"They ran the toxicology for antidepressants because you put it on the report, but there was nothing.† â€Å"It says suicide right there.† â€Å"Yes, it does, but the date doesn’t corroborate the timing. Looks like she had a heart attack. Then she hung herself afterward.† â€Å"So she was murdered?† â€Å"You wanted to see the report. It says cardiac arrest. But ultimately, cardiac arrest is what kills everyone. Catch a bullet in the head, get hit by a car, eat some poison. The heart tends to stop.† â€Å"Eat some poison?† â€Å"Just an example, Crowe. It’s not my field. If I were you, I’d check and see if she had a history of heart problems.† â€Å"You said it wasn’t your field.† â€Å"It’s not.† The Spider hit a key and a laser printer whirred in the darkness somewhere. â€Å"I don’t have much on the kid. I could give you the subscription list for his paper route.† Theo realized that he had gotten all he was going to get on Bess Leander. â€Å"I have that. How about giving me any known baby-rapers in the area?† â€Å"That’s easy.† The Spider’s fingers danced over the keyboard. â€Å"You think the kid was snatched?† â€Å"I don’t know shit,† Theo said. The Spider said, â€Å"No known pedophiles in Pine Cove. You want the whole county?† â€Å"Why not?† The laser printer whirred and the Spider pointed through the dark at the noise. â€Å"Everything you want is back there. That’s all I can do for you.† â€Å"Thanks, Nailgun, I appreciate it.† Theo felt a chronic case of the creeps going up his spine. He took a step into the dark and found the papers sitting in the tray of the laser printer. Then he stepped to the door. â€Å"You wanna buzz me out?† The Spider swiveled in his chair and looked at Theo for the first time. Theo could see his piggy eyes shining out of deep craters. â€Å"You still live in that cabin by the Beer Bar Ranch?† â€Å"Yep,† Theo said. â€Å"Eight years now.† â€Å"Never been on the ranch, though, have you?† â€Å"No.† Theo cringed. Could the Spider know about Sheriff Burton’s hold over him? â€Å"Good,† the Spider said. â€Å"Stay out of there. And Theo?† â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"Sheriff Burton has been checking with me on everything that comes out of Pine Cove. After the Leander death and the truck blowing up, he got very jumpy. If you decide to pursue the Leander thing, stay low-key.† Theo was amazed. The Spider had actually volunteered information. â€Å"Why?† was all he could say. â€Å"I like the herb you bring me.† The Spider patted his shirt pocket. Theo smiled. â€Å"You won’t tell Burton you gave me the autopsy report?† â€Å"Why would I?† said the Spider. â€Å"Take care,† Theo said. The Spider turned back to his screens and buzzed the door. Molly Molly wasn’t so sure that life as Pine Cove’s Crazy Lady wasn’t harder than being a Warrior Babe of the Outland. Things were pretty clear for a Warrior Babe: you ran around half-naked looking for food and fuel and occasionally kicked the snot out of some mutants. There was no subterfuge or rumor. You didn’t have to guess whether or not the Sand Pirates ap-proved of your behavior. If they approved, they staked you out and tortured you. If they didn’t they called you a bitch, then they staked you out and tortured you. They might release starving radioactive cockroaches on you or burn you with hot pokers, they might even gang-rape you (in foreign-release directors’cuts only), but you always knew where you stood with Sand Pirates. And they never tittered. Molly had had all the tittering she could handle for the day. At the pharmacy, they had tittered. Four elderly women worked the counter at Pine Cove Drug and Gift, while above them, behind his glass window, Winston Krauss, the dolphin-molesting pharmacist, lorded over them like a rooster over a barnyard full of hens. It didn’t seem to matter to Winston that his four hens couldn’t make change or answer the simplest question, nor that they would retreat to the back room when anyone younger than thirty entered the pharmacy, lest they have to sell something embarrassing like condoms. What mattered to Winston was that his hens worked for minimum wage and treated him like a god. He was behind glass; tittering didn’t bother him. The hens started tittering when Molly hit the door and broke titter only when she came to the counter with an entire case of economy-sized Neosporin ointment. â€Å"Are you sure, dear?† they kept asking, refusing to take Molly’s money. â€Å"Perhaps we should ask Winston. This seems like an awful lot.† Winston had disappeared among the shelves of faux-antidepressants when Molly entered the store. He wondered if he should have ordered some faux-antipsychotics as well. Val Riordan hadn’t said. â€Å"Look,† Molly finally said, â€Å"I’m nuts. You know it, I know it, Winston knows it. But in America it is your right to be nuts. I get a check from the state every month because I’m nuts. The state gives me money so I can buy whatever I need to continue being nuts, and right now I need this case of ointment. So ring it up so I can go be nuts somewhere else. Okay?† The hens huddled and tittered. â€Å"Or do I need to buy a case of those huge fluorescent orange prelubricated condoms with the deely-bobbers on the tip and blow them up in your card section.† You never have to get this tough with Sand Pirates, Molly thought. The hens broke their huddle and looked up in terror. â€Å"I hear they’re like thousands of tiny fingers, urging you to let go,† Molly added. Between the four of them it only took ten minutes more to ring up Molly’s order and figure her change within the nearest dollar. As Molly was leaving, she turned and said, â€Å"In the Outland, you would have all been made into jerky a long time ago.† Fifteen Steve Getting blown up had put the Sea Beast in a deep blue funk. Sometimes when he felt this way, he would swim to the edge of a coral reef and lie there in the sand while neon cleaner fish nipped at the parasites and algae on his scales. His flanks flashed a truce of color to let the little fish know that they were safe as they darted in and out of his mouth, grabbing bits of food and grunge like tiny dental hygienists. In turn, they emanated an electromagnetic message that translated roughly to: â€Å"I won’t be a minute, sorry to bother you, please don’t eat me.† He was getting a similar message from the warmblood that was ministering to his burns, and he flashed the truce of color along his sides to confirm that he understood. He couldn’t pick up the intentions of all warmbloods, but this one was wired differently. He could sense that she meant him no harm and was even going to bring him food. He understood that when she made the â€Å"Steve† sound, she was talking to him. â€Å"Steve,† Molly said, â€Å"stop making those colors. Do you want the neighbors to see? It’s broad daylight.† She was on a stepladder with a paintbrush. To the casual observer, she was painting her neighbor’s trailer. In fact, she was applying great gobs of Neosporin oint ment to the Sea Beast’s back. â€Å"You’ll heal faster with this stuff on you, and it doesn’t sting.† After she had covered the charred parts of the trailer with ointment, she draped fiberglass fabric on as bandages and began ladling roof-patching tar over the fabric. Several of her neighbors looked out their windows, dismissed her actions as more eccentricities of a crazy woman, then went back to their afternoon game shows. Molly was spreading the roofing tar over the fiberglass bandages with a squeegee when she heard a vehicle pull up in front of her trailer. Les, the hardware guy, got out of the truck, adjusted his suspenders, and headed toward her, looking a little nervous, but resolved. A light dew of sweat shone on his bald head, despite the autumn chill in the air. â€Å"Little lady, what are you doing? I thought you were going to wait for me to help you.† Molly came down from her ladder and stood with the squeegee at port arms while it dripped black goo. â€Å"I wanted to get going on this before dark. Thanks for coming.† She smiled sweetly – a leftover movie star smile. Les escaped the smile to hardware land. â€Å"I can’t even tell what you’re trying to do here, but whatever it is, it looks like you mucked it up pretty bad already.† â€Å"No, come here and look at this.† Les moved cautiously to Molly’s side and looked up at the trailer. â€Å"What the hell is this thing made of anyway? Up close it looks like plastic or something.† â€Å"Maybe you should look at it from the inside,† Molly said. â€Å"The damage is more obvious in there.† The hardware clerk leered. Molly felt him trying to stare through her sweatshirt. â€Å"Well, if that’s what you think. Let’s go inside and have a look.† He started toward the door of the trailer. Molly grabbed his shoulder. â€Å"Wait a second. Where are the keys to your truck?† â€Å"I leave ’em in it. Why? This town is safe.† â€Å"No reason, just wondering.† Molly dazzled him with another smile. â€Å"Why don’t you go on in? I’ll be in as soon as I get some of this tar off of my hands.† â€Å"Sure thing, missy,† Les said. He toddled toward the front door like a man badly in need of a rest room. Molly backed away toward Les’s truck. When the hardware clerk laid a hand on the door handle, Molly called, â€Å"Steve! Lunch!† â€Å"My name isn’t Steve,† Les said. â€Å"No,† Molly said, â€Å"you’re the other one.† â€Å"Les, you mean?† â€Å"No, lunch.† Molly gave him one last smile. Steve recognized the sound of his name and felt the thought around the word â€Å"lunch† Les felt something wet wrap around his legs and opened his mouth to scream just as the tip of the serpent’s tongue wrapped his face, cutting off his air. The last thing he saw was the bare breasts of the fallen scream queen, Molly Michon, as she lifted her sweatshirt to give him a farewell flash before he was slurped into the waiting maw of the Sea Beast. Molly heard the bones crunch and cringed. Boy, sometimes it just pays to be a nutcase, she thought. That sort of thing might bother a sane person. One of the windows in the front of the dragon trailer closed slowly and opened, a function of the Sea Beast pushing his meal down his throat, but Molly took it for a wink. Estelle Dr. Val’s office had always represented a little island of sanity to Estelle, a sophisticated status quo, always clean, calm, orderly, and well appointed. Like many artists, Estelle lived in an atmosphere of chaotic funk, taken by observers to be artistic charm, but in fact no more than a civilized way of dealing with the relative poverty and uncertainly of cannibalizing one’s imagination for money. If you had to spill your guts to someone, it was nice to do it in a place that wasn’t spattered with paint and covered with canvases that beckoned to be finished. Dr. Val’s office was an escape, a pause, a comfort. But not today. After being sent in to the inner office, before she even sat down in one of the leather guest chairs, Estelle said, â€Å"Your assistant is wearing oven mitts, did you know that?† Valerie Riordan, for once with a few hairs out of place, rubbed her temples, looked at her desk blotter, and said, â€Å"I know. She has a skin condition.† â€Å"But they’re taped on with duct tape.† â€Å"It’s a very bad skin condition. How are you today?† Estelle looked back toward the door. â€Å"Poor thing. She seemed out of breath when I came in. Has she seen a doctor?† â€Å"Chloe will be fine, Estelle. Her typing skills may even improve.† Estelle sensed that Dr. Val was not having a good day and decided to let the assistant in oven mitts pass. â€Å"Thanks for seeing me on such short notice. I know it’s been a while since we’ve had a session, but I really felt I need to talk to someone. My life has gotten a little weird lately.† â€Å"There’s a lot of that going around,† Dr. Val said, doodling on a legal pad as she spoke. â€Å"What’s up?† â€Å"I’ve met a man.† Dr. Val looked up for the first time. â€Å"You have?† â€Å"He’s a musician. A Bluesman. He’s been playing at the Slug. I met him there. We’ve been, well, he’s been staying at my place for the last couple of days.† â€Å"And how do you feel about that?† â€Å"I like it. I like him. I haven’t been with a man since my husband died. I thought I would feel like, well, like I was betraying him. But I don’t. I feel great. He’s funny, and he has this sense of, I don’t know, wisdom. Like he’s seen it all, but he hasn’t become cynical. He seems sort of bemused by the hardships in life. Not at all like most people.† â€Å"But what about you?† â€Å"I think I love him.† â€Å"Does he love you?† â€Å"I think so. But he says he’s going to leave. That’s what’s bothering me. I finally got used to being alone, and now that I found someone, he’s going to leave me because he’s afraid of a sea monster.† Valerie Riordan dropped her pen and slumped in her chair – a very unprofessional move, Estelle thought. â€Å"Excuse me?† Val said. â€Å"A sea monster. We were at the beach the other night, and something came up out of the water. Something big. We ran for the car, and later Catfish told me that he was once chased by a sea monster down in the Delta and that it had come back to get him. He says he doesn’t want other people to get hurt, but I think he’s just afraid. He thinks the monster will come back as long as he’s on the coast. He’s trying to get a gig in Iowa, as far from the coast as he can get. Do you think he’s just afraid to commit? I read a lot about that in the women’s magazines.† â€Å"A sea monster? Is that a metaphor for something? Some Blues term that I’m not getting?† â€Å"No, I think it’s a reptile, at least the way he describes it. I didn’t get a good look at it. It ate his best friend when he was a young man. I think he’s running away from the guilt. What do you think?† â€Å"Estelle, there’s no such thing as sea monsters.† â€Å"Catfish said that no one would believe me.† â€Å"Catfish?† â€Å"That’s his name. My Bluesman. He’s very sweet. He has a sense of gallantry that you don’t see much anymore. I don’t think it’s an act. He’s too old for that. I didn’t think I would ever feel this way again. These are girl feelings, not woman feelings. I want to spend the rest of my life with him. I want to have his grandchildren.† â€Å"Grandchildren?† â€Å"Sure, he’s had his days with the booze and the hos, but I think he’s ready to settle down.† â€Å"The booze and the hos?† Dr. Val seemed to have gone into some sort of fugue state, working on a stunned psychiatrist autopilot where all she could do was parrot what Estelle said back in the form of a question. Estelle needed more input than this. â€Å"Do you think I should tell the authorities?† â€Å"About the booze and the hos?† â€Å"The sea monster. That Plotznik boy is missing, you know?† Dr. Val made a show of straightening her blouse and assuming a controlled, staid, professional posture. â€Å"Estelle, I think we may need to adjust your medication.† â€Å"I haven’t been taking it. But I feel fine. Catfish says that if Prozac had been invented a hundred years ago there wouldn’t have been any Blues at all. Just a lot of happy people with no soul. I tend to agree with him. The antidepressants served their purpose for me after Joe died, but I’m not sure I need them now. I even feel like I could get some painting done – if I can find some time away from sex.† Dr. Val winced. â€Å"I was thinking of something besides antidepressants, Estelle. You obviously are dealing with some serious changes right now. I’m not sure how to proceed. Do you think that Mr., uh, Catfish would mind coming to a session with you?† â€Å"That might be tough. He doesn’t like your mojo.† â€Å"My mojo?† â€Å"Not your mojo in particular. Just psychiatrist’s mojo in general. He spent a little time in a mental hospital in Mississippi after the monster ate his friend. He didn’t care for the staff’s mojo.† Estelle realized that her vocabulary, even her way of thinking, had changed over the last few days, the result of immersion in Catfish’s Blues world. The doctor was rubbing her temples again. â€Å"Estelle, let’s make another appointment for tomorrow or the next day. Tell Chloe to add it on at the end of the day if I’m booked up. And try to bring your gentleman along with you. In the meantime, assure him that my practice is mojo-free, would you?† Estelle stood. â€Å"Can that little girl write with those oven mitts on?† â€Å"She’ll manage.† â€Å"So what should I do? I don’t want him to go. But I feel like I’ve lost a part of myself by falling in love. I’m happy, but I don’t know who I am anymore. I’m worried.† Estelle realized that she was starting to whine and looked at her shoes, ashamed. â€Å"That’s our time, Estelle. Let’s save this for our next appointment.† â€Å"Right. Should I tell the constable about the sea monster?† â€Å"Let’s hold off on that for now. These things have a way of taking care of themselves.† â€Å"Thanks, Dr. Val. I’ll see you tomorrow.† â€Å"Good-bye, Estelle.† Estelle left the office and stopped at Chloe’s desk outside. The girl was gone, but there were animal noises coming from the bathroom just down the hall. Perhaps she had caught one of the oven mitts on her nose ring. Poor thing. Estelle went to the bathroom door and knocked lightly. â€Å"Are you okay in there, dear? Do you need some help?† The answer came back in high moan. â€Å"I’m fine. Really fine. Thanks. Oh my God!† â€Å"You’re sure?† â€Å"No, that’s all right!† â€Å"I’m supposed to make an appointment for tomorrow or the next day. The doctor said to pencil it in late if you have to.† Estelle could hear thumping noises coming from the bathroom, and it sounded as if the medicine cabinet had dumped. â€Å"Oh wow! Wow! Oh wow!† The scheduling must really have been tight. â€Å"I’m sorry. I won’t bother you anymore. Call me to confirm, would you, dear?† Estelle left Valerie Riordan’s house even more unsettled than she had come in, thinking that it had been quite some time, half a day anyway, since she had had her skinny Bluesman between the sheets. Dr. Val Val had a break between appointments, time in which to reflect on her suspicion that by taking everyone in Pine Cove off antidepressants, she had turned the town into a squirrel’s nest. Estelle Boyet had always been a tad eccentric, it was part of her artist persona, but Val had never seen this as unhealthy. On the contrary, the self-image of an eccentric artist seemed to help Estelle get over losing her husband. But now the woman was raving about sea monsters, and worse, she was getting involved in a relationship with a man that could only be construed as self-destructive. Could people – rational adult people – still fall in love like that? Could they still feel like that? Val wanted to feel like that. For the first time since her divorce, it occurred to her that she actually wanted to be involved again with a man. No, not just involved, in love. She pulled her Rolodex from the desk drawer and thumbed through it until she found the number of her psychiatrist in San Junipero. She had been in analysis all through med school and residency, it was an integral part of the training of any psychiatrist, but she hadn’t seen her therapist in over five years. Maybe it was time. What sort of cynicism had come over her, that she was interpreting the desire to fall in love as a condition requiring treatment? Maybe her cynicism was the problem. Of course she couldn’t tell him about what she had done to her patients, but perhaps†¦ A red light blinked on the tiny LED panel on her phone and the incoming call, screened by Chloe, who had obviously taken a short break from her self-abuse, scrolled across the screen. Constable Crowe, line one. Speaking of squirrels. She picked up the phone. â€Å"Dr. Riordan.† â€Å"Hi, Dr. Riordan, this is Theo Crowe. I just called to tell you that you were right.† â€Å"Thank you for calling, Constable. Have a nice day.† â€Å"You were right about Bess Leander not taking the antidepressants. I just got a look at the toxicology report. There was no Zoloft in her system.† Val stopped breathing. â€Å"Doctor, are you there?† All her worries about the drugs, this whole perverse plan, all the extra sessions, the long hours, the guilt, the friggin’ guilt, and Bess Leander hadn’t been taking her medication at all. Val felt sick to her stomach. â€Å"Doctor?† Theo said. Val forced herself to take a deep breath. â€Å"Why? I mean, when? It’s been over a month. When did you find this out?† â€Å"Just today. I wasn’t given access to the autopsy report. No one was. I’m sorry it took so long.† â€Å"Well, thank you for letting me know, Constable. I appreciate it.† She prepared to ring off. â€Å"Dr. Riordan, don’t you have to get a medical history on your patients before you prescribe anything?† â€Å"Yes. Why?† â€Å"Do you know if Bess Leander had any heart problems?† â€Å"No, physically she was a very healthy woman, as far as I know. Why?† â€Å"No reason,† Theo said. â€Å"Oh yeah, I never got your thoughts on the information I shared at breakfast. About Joseph Leander. I was still wondering if you had any thoughts?† The whole world had flip-flopped. Val had stone-walled up to now on Bess Leander because she had assumed that her own negligence had had something to do with Bess’s death. What now, though? Really, she didn’t know much about Bess at all. She said, â€Å"What exactly do you want from me, Constable?† â€Å"I just need to know, did she suspect her husband of having an affair? Or give you any indication that she might be afraid of him?† â€Å"Are you saying what I think you are saying? You don’t think Bess Leander committed suicide?† â€Å"I’m not saying that. I’m just asking.† Val searched her memory. What had Bess Leander said about her hus-band? â€Å"I remember her saying that she felt he was uninvolved in their family life and that she had laid down the law to him.† â€Å"Laid down the law? In what way?† â€Å"She told him that because he refused to put the toilet seat down, he was going to have to sit down to pee from now on.† â€Å"That’s it?† â€Å"That’s all I can remember. Joseph Leander is a salesman. He was gone a lot. I think Bess felt that he was somewhat of an intrusion on her and the girls’ lives. It wasn’t a healthy relationship.† As if there is such a thing, Val thought. â€Å"Are you investigating Joseph Leander?† â€Å"I’d rather not say,† Theo said. â€Å"Do you think I should be?† â€Å"You’re the policeman, Mr. Crowe.† â€Å"I am? Oh, right, I am. Anyway, thanks, Doctor. By the way, my friend Gabe thought you were, uh, interesting, I mean, charming. I mean, he enjoyed talking with you.† â€Å"He did?† â€Å"Don’t tell him I said so.† â€Å"Of course. Good-bye, Constable.† Val hung up and sat back in her chair. She had unnecessarily put an entire town in emotional chaos, committed a basketful of federal crimes as well as breaking nearly every ethical standard in her field, and one of her patients had possibly been murdered, but she felt, well, sort of excited. Charming, she thought. He found me charming. I wonder if he really said â€Å"charming† or if Theo was just making that up – the pothead. Charming. She smiled and buzzed Chloe to send in her next appointment. How to cite The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove Chapter 14~15, Essay examples

Moral and Ethical Dilemmas of Human Cloning free essay sample

A discussion whether human cloning is justified considering the moral and ethical issues it raises. This paper discusses the controversial issue of cloning. It analyzes the moral and ethical implications of cloning and whether it is correct to conduct cloning at all. The paper describes the origins of cloning, the methods currently used and the problems with the process. Cloning can basically be described as the copying of genes and other pieces of chromosomes to generate identical material. Two other types of cloning produce complete, genetically identical animals. Blastomere separation (sometimes called twinning after the naturally occurring process that creates identical twins) involves splitting a developing embryo soon after fertilization of the egg by a sperm (sexual reproduction) to give rise to two or more embryos (Wilmut, 998). The resulting organisms are identical twins (clones) containing DNA from both the mother and the father. The second type of cloning that is more controversial in terms of its moral and ethical implications is when the identical material that has been generated consists of the DNA of only one parent. We will write a custom essay sample on Moral and Ethical Dilemmas of Human Cloning or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page With the innovation of the second type of cloning that came primarily with the birth of Dolly, a number of moral, social, ethical and legal issues were raised with regard to it. Religious and social organizations were outraged at the prospect of creating animals (not to forget humans) that did not involve the natural process of conception. The right to create a life, they claimed was after all ultimately in the hands of the Creator and to play around with that was tantamount to interrupting the path of Nature (Wilmut, 1998). However before one moves on to discuss the moral and ethical dilemmas of cloning, it is important to briefly study the history of this controversial process.