The Adaptation of Transcendentalism Essay Example for Free

The Adaptation of Transcendentalism Essay None of the transcendentalist thinkers were very popular during their lives. Their ideas were all thought to be wild and barbaric when really they were just ahead of their time. Today, those same ideas that were thought to be too free and wild are actually seen as fairly tame and mild. Writers such as Walt Whitman, Ralph Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were all misunderstood by society during their lives. The typical lifestyle during the time of the early transcendentalists was very slow and the thinking was traditional; therefore, when Whitman, Thoreau, and Emerson started sharing their ideas that went against the traditional way of life, they were seen as uncivilized and outspoken. Now, we can look back on the history of America and see how the people who fought the popular way of thinking or questioned why things were the way they were have caused seminal movements and changes in the way of life. Now that we recognize change as a good thing, we encourage others to be different and question society. We encourage people to stand up and fight popular thinking because those kinds of people are what have made America the way it is. But before they were seen as great minds, the early transcendentalists were considered wild and their ideas unthinkable. Ralph Emerson, for example, wrote, â€Å"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do† (â€Å"Self-Reliance† 47-49, Emerson). By this Emerson is saying that people who want to keep things the same just because that’s the way they have always been are wrong and ridiculous. Without questioning your way of life, great minds cannot rise and be great. At the time that he wrote this people did not feel the same way. Society pushed to keep everything unchanged because that’s the way it had always been done and it worked that way. Henry David Thoreau also wrote something along the same lines but about government. He wrote, â€Å"This American government- what is it but a tradition, though a recent one, endeavoring to transmit itself unimpaired to posterity, but each instant losing some integrity† (â€Å"Resistance to Civil Government† 25-27, Thoreau). Thoreau, like Emerson, talks about how enforcing tradition is a ridiculous notion. Thoreau points out that even the young government is trying to make sure that through future generations the system would still be â€Å"unimpaired† and consistent. Again, the ideas provided by the two were not popular with the majority of society at the time but became very popular with future leaders. All of the leaders in the past who have made a difference have given something new. As Whitman says in one of his many poems, â€Å"I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear, †¦ Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else† (â€Å"I Hear America Singing† 1and 9, Whitman). Every leader who stood up against society, against the crowd, was singing their own song. Popular leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi sang the songs of true justice and equality. Their â€Å"songs† or ideas, though their own, were heavily influenced by those of the people who came before them. They used the ideas expressed in Thoreau’s famous essay â€Å"Resistance to Civil Government†. When Martin Luther King Jr. spent the night in Birmingham jail he wrote about what made laws just and unjust and questioned if the laws made by the majority were truly fair. That notion was inspired by the line in Thoreau’s essay, â€Å"After all, the practical reason why, when the power is once in the hands of the people, a majority are permitted, and for a long period continue, to rule, is not because they are the most likely to be in the right, nor because this seems fairest to the minority, but because they are physically the strongest† (Thoreau 57-61). By this he is saying that just because things may be voted for by the majority, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s fair to everyone and when Martin Luther King Jr. saw this it stuck and he then wrote similar ideas expanding on the thought. Gandhi then did the same thing when talking about nonviolence. He used Thoreau’s example of his one night in jail to say that instead of fighting with our fists, use quiet actions to gain people on your side. These are just two examples of the impact the transcendentalists made on history. Once thought to be wild and outspoken, the early transcendentalists are now considered the start of what we are encouraged to do every day. They were different and spoke their minds just as we are encouraged to do now. They were the start of a domino effect in America where one great leader got their ideas from a great leader before them, who somewhere down the line got their ideas from one of the early transcendentalists. Now considered mild and tame, Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Emerson will forever go down in history as the men who lived on through the ideas of great leaders.

Chinese Exploitation And Discrimination In Canada History Essay

Chinese Exploitation And Discrimination In Canada History Essay European colonial period is characterized by the conquering of foreign land, the exploitation of resources and slaves, and the imposition of European culture. From European colonialism arose many atrocious acts such as the Triangular Slave Trade and the decimation of many indigenous populations. Ideologically, the concept of orientalism emerged from European colonialism where it became lens in which the West sees the people of the East as weak and inferior. European explorers sought to make sense of their travels by drawing from classical knowledge, religious sources, and mythology (Glyn, Meth and Willis 2009); it was a corrupt archive on the cultural identity of the colonized based on sweeping generalizations and stereotypes that crossed several cultural and national boundaries (ibid). The information isolated the colonized and separated them as the other from Europeans (ibid). The creation of a general inferior identity allowed colonial powers to legitimize their colonization and e xploitation of these people (ibid). Although Great Britain and other powerful countries in Europe actively colonized much of the modern Third World and created many obstacles for their future development, other non-colonizing countries do are not guilt-free. Loyal historical colonies like Canada have had a similarly exploitative relationship with Third World citizens, including its blatant discrimination against non-European settlers such as the Chinese. Contrary to the popular belief that Canada has always had a benevolent relationship with people of the Third World, Canada carried forth the orientalist view from European colonialism and used them to justify its discrimination against and exploitation of Chinese immigrants from 1880 to 1947. Under the pretense of orientalism, Canada exploited Chinese labour in building their national railway, created racism immigration policies to keep the Chinese out, and withheld fundamental rights on the grounds of ethnicity. Canada exploited Chinese immigrants as a solution to the labour shortage in building the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) from 1881 to 1885. Throughout the four years and even following it, Chinese suffering outweighed their benefits while Canada was able to complete its railroad on time for a considerably cheaper price. The completion of the CPR was extremely important to Canada because it was a physical means to unite the different regions of Canada together as a country (Baureiss 2007:15). Canada had a lot at stake in the CPR project where a delay in its construction could lead to British Columbias secession from the union of Canada (ibid). In order to meet the completion deadline, the CPR contractor, Andrew Onderdonk, was granted permission from the federal government to import Chinese labourers to compensate for the insufficient Canadian labour force (Wang 2006:11). The Chinese immigrants were allowed entry only for the purposes of building the railroad; Canada was not in favour o f having permanent Chinese settlements and primarily hired men who would presumably return home to their families upon completion (ibid). With the extra labour force of approximately 15 000 Chinese labourers working on the Western portion of the CPR, the railroad was completed on time (Yu 2009:16). Canada also benefit from the low wages that they paid the Chinese immigrants. In the construction of the CPR, white Canadian labourers were paid an average wage of $1.50 to $1.75 while the Chinese labourers were paid $1.00 with the mandate to purchase their provisions solely from the company store (Baureiss 2007:15). Although the two groups performed the same tasks, Canada justified the difference using the orientalist stereotype that the Chinese could survive on a lower wage than the white Canadian labourers (Whiteley, 1929: 342). The railway company saved money in paying cheaper wages and also earned profits in selling provisions to Chinese labourers (ibid). Orientalism created an unequal power relation between Canada and the Chinese immigrants where the Chinese served to benefit Canada. A tragic example is the 4 000 deaths of Chinese labourers working on the CPR as a result of poor working conditions, disease, landslides and accidental explosions (Toronto Star 1986:F.2) For those who survived, Canada did not make an attempt to include or integrate the Chinese into Canadian society because they were not truly welcome and were expected to leave anyway (Wang 2006:12). However, nearing completion of the CPR many Chinese labourers were dismissed early and found themselves with insufficient funds to finance their return fare back to China (ibid). Many descended into poverty as they lost employment with the railway company and others resorted to labouring in mines (ibid). The sole reason that the Chinese were allowed entry into Canada was to advance Canadas own interests in completing the railway in the most efficient and cost effective manner; in complete disregard for the well-being of the Chinese, they opened the gates for the destitute in China in order for Canada to exploit their cheap labour and then abandon them. Canada initially decided to import Chinese because orientalist beliefs dictated that the Chinese were stereotypically inferior in hard labour (Wang 2006:12); Canada would be able to exploit their inferiority and still use them to complete the railroad efficiently. Although this orientalist perception of the Chinese is inaccurate, the fact that Chinese immigrants were imported into a disadvantaged position forced them into the powerless stereotype as they were subject to Canadian interests. They were allowed entry into Canada in accordance to the amount of labour needed by Canada, and they worked at any offered in order to survive. In p urposefully pushing a number of Chinese immigrants into the orientalist stereotype, Canada was able to prove the orientalist knowledge as true and thus justify their exploitation of cheap Chinese labour. As exemplified in the CPR project, Canadas relationship with the Chinese people from the then developing country of China is in no way benevolent or good-willed; on the contrary Canada used and promoted orientalist perceptions of the Chinese in order to rationalize the exploitation of their labour. Canada subsequently discriminated against the Chinese systematically through a racially exclusive immigration policy. The orientalist stereotypes of the Chinese fuelled Canadas institutionally racist immigration policy as they primarily focused on defending against the sojourner image of transitory labourers, who had come [to Canada] to find a fortune and return with it to China (Baureiss 2007:22). Believing in this sojourner stereotype, Canadians felt threatened by the Chinese labourers competitive edge and feared for their job security (ibid). Moreover, in 1903 Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier publically supported the racist and orientalist ideals in his statement to the House of Commons where he said in my opinion there is not much room for the Chinaman in Canada (Winter 2008:122). In response to the wantlessness for the Chinese, Canada passed racially discriminatory regulations through the 1885 Act to Restrict and Regulate Chinese Immigration into Canada which necessitated a $50 pa yment for entry know as the head tax (ibid). However the head tax seemed to reinforce the sojourner stereotype as Chinese men arrived in Canada to work and often sent large sums of their salaries home to their families rather than spending it on the Canadian economy (Baureiss 2007:22). The orientalist stereotype fuelled further intolerance for the Chinese, even though it ignores the fact that the head tax was designed to discourage permanent Chinese settlements in Canada; it was presumably too expensive for a Chinese family to afford the head tax for all family members (ibid). In response to the growing intolerance for the Chinese, Canada took intensified measures to stop Chinese immigration, the head tax was raised to $100 in 1902 and then $500 in 1904 the equivalent of two years worth of wages for an average worker (Wang 2006:12). With the hike in price for the head tax, many men who immigrated ahead of their families lost hope of bringing their wives or children to Canada and fo r many years [the Chinese] community became a bachelor society (Plaitiel 1988:A8). As men working on a dollar a day could not afford to bring their families to Canada, Chinese immigration was significantly curtailed and the Canadian government profited $23 million generated by approximately 81 000 Chinese immigrants (Winter 2008:122), however Canadas intolerance was not satiated. In 1923 Canada replaced the head taxes with the Chinese Immigration Act that prohibited Chinese immigration altogether for a total of twenty-four years (Winter 2008:122). The act gave many Chinese workers the ultimatum of being separated from their family permanently or giving up their immigrant status to return home (Wang 2006:12). The immigration policies set forth by the Canadian government are not only racially discriminatory, but it spread the general orientalist view of unworthiness and undesirability in the Chinese ethnicity. The orientalist stereotypes of the Chinese initially caused Canadians to unwelcome the Chinese but the implementation of head taxes seemingly reinforced the stereotypes, without consideration towards the actual circumstances and created a completely intolerant society. The exclusion of the Chinese in Canada was justified by the orientalist stigma that the Chinese are an unwanted ethnicity in Canada, and thus legitimating any means to eliminate them; the h ead tax that created a financial burden on the Chinese, separated families between countries, and prevented a second generation of Chinese Canadians were valid. Moreover, the eventual total refusal of Chinese immigrants was substantiated based on the orientalist sojourner identity created for the Chinese immigrants dictated them as morally inferior and self-interested. Canadas creation of an orientalist lens in which to view the Chinese through blatantly racism immigration policies contradicts its perceived identity as being benevolent and accommodating to people of the Third World in development. In addition to barring the entry of Chinese immigrants, Canada systemically discriminated against Chinese immigrants already within Canada by legally withholding fundamental human rights. For example, the Chinese were excluded from political life and did not have the right to vote (Baureiss 2007:23). Although they were initially granted voting rights like immigrants of other ethnicities, the right to vote was disallowed to the Chinese in British Columbia in 1985 in provincial and municipal elections (ibid). Later, the federal government also refused to give the Chinese voting rights in federal elections (ibid). Prime Minister John A. Macdonald further justified disenfranchisement of the Chinese by stating that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the Chinese have no British instinct and their mind [is] not suited for democracy (Baureiss 2007:23). Macdonalds statement crystallized the fact that the Chinese are denied rights based on the knowledge about their race as communicated by orientalism; the Chinese are inferior because without British instinct, their intelligence is too elementary for democracy. The Chinese in Canada did not have access to equal opportunity and were further excluded from numerous jobs based on racial grounds. Initially, the exclusion from participating in politics led to disqualification from certain prestigious or powerful professions that included law, pharmacy and accounting (Baureiss 2007:27). Similar to the discriminatory immigration policy, the denial of equality rights to the Chinese stemmed from the oriental stereotype of the sojourner. Since the sojourner stereotype dictated that the Chinese immigrants would all leave after amassing their wealth, Canadians rationalized that it was unnecessary to grant them equal opportunity rights because they would return home and not remain in Canada permanently (Baureiss 2007:23). As a result, in 1878 British Columbia passed a resolution that prohibited Chinese immigrants from working in the provincial public sector (Baureiss 2007:26). Subsequently, the Chinese were also denied positions in many skilled occupatio ns such as boat-makers, mechanics and merchants (ibid). Disqualification became widespread in so many different professions because of restrictive legislation that the Chinese were marginalized to a very limited number of industries such as agriculture, retail and services trades and certain elements of lumbering and fishing low-paying professions that required very minimal education or training (ibid:27). In an effort to combat the greedy and self-interested sojourner, there were a limited number of tasks that the Chinese were eligible to perform within these designated industries. For example, the Chinese were only welcome as cheap farm labourers and could not buy or lease their own land by law (ibid). Being surrounded by these restrictions made the service industry the only major avenue available and the Chinese were generally marginalized to become laundrymen, grocers or homemakers (ibid). Through orientalist knowledge, the Chinese were perceived as weak and incompetent compared to white Canadians, validating their exclusion from franchise and from many more respectable professions. The acceptance and creation of an orientalist identity justified that any measures including those that violate the fundamental human rights the Chinese should be entitled to were justified so long as they cater towards protecting the employment opportunities of white Canadians. In essence, orientalism was a tool for Canada to rationalize the second-class treatment of the Chinese and the refusal of several inalienable human rights. The blatant institutional racism that Canada created under the pretense of orientalist knowledge not only shattered down its perceived kindness but it reveals the hostility that Canada showed to the Chinese. Canadas discrimination and exploitation of the Chinese people directly contradicts the belief that Canada is benevolent towards people of the Third World and Third World countries in general. Canada accepted and further enhanced the orientalist views of the Chinese to exploit their cheap labour in constructing the CPR. Subsequently once the Chinese were no longer useful, Canada justified discriminatory immigration policies to stop Chinese immigration with orientalist stereotypes. In regards to the Chinese immigrants in Canada, the government systemically withheld fundamental political and equality rights from them and justified the second-class treatment with orientalist knowledge of inferiority. Historically, Canada has evidently not been as benevolent towards people of the Third World as it portrays itself to be. Although conditions have significantly improved since the nineteenth century, Canada still has not lived up to the high standards of benevolence and generosity as immigrat ion policies remain exclusive in many other ways. Canadians may see themselves as peaceful and kind to the multicultural people of the Third World but whether it becomes the truth or not depends on what actions Canada decides to take. Canada can choose to make it a priority to root out orientalism or to simply lower the standards of Canadas role in helping and empowering people of the Third World.

Legal and ethical issues of discrimination

Legal and ethical issues of discrimination In an effort to curtail discrimination, implementing new strategies and proposing these new hiring practices are vital. It is not a good ethical policy for employees to be able to screen and pick and choose who gets to be interviewed, as in this case. Company hiring practices if done with good judgment and a strong moral and ethically correct agenda, can benefit the organization as a whole. Furthermore, discrimination in the workplace is disruptive and harmful to the effects on business operations and its culture, whether in the present or the past. By getting rid of old outdated policy and allowing for more diverse interaction with employees, we can create a multi-cultural environment. Also reciprocating this is the fact that managed correctly, the atmosphere will cause increases in retention rates and reduce turnover. Because our time was put into defining specific goals of the organization, that needed to be met to receive consideration for employment. Therefore, this organization needs a more efficient way to determine the necessary steps in the hiring procedure. The current process of hiring prospective employees is based on a biased view that too much diversity is a bad thing. New employee assessments are needed to help predict whether potential hires are motivated by the factors associated with a particular job. It is true that companies have to be cautious and should be concerned about negligent hiring but outright discrimination is an undesirable practice. Making sound hiring decisions and performing detailed background checks on qualified potential employees can decrease employment risks later caused by premature termination. (Berris, 2009) This company is small but can benefit from forming a streamline, non-negligent hiring process, by setting up a structured, non-discriminatory process for existing and new hires. Negligent hiring means the company can be put into legal trouble if it could have foreseen a potential issue but acts negligently by not d oing a thorough check of the new employee, before hiring. This company had a tendency to overlook steps to reduce the likelihood of a hiring mistake. This company looks past a lot of qualified employees due to its biased hiring practices and may hire problem employees unknowingly. This potential failure is heightened because management chooses to hire off of appearance and fails to accurately assess a potential employees way of thinking and handling situations or their particular skill needed for the job. Quality, knowledge and skill sets need to be the reason for hiring/not hiring someone, not their appearance and this is how you decide who to hire. (Aly Shields, 2010) When individuals are discriminated against because of defining characteristics such as their race, gender or age, this is some of the most blatant forms of discrimination. Personally, I believe the most qualified person should receive the job, regardless of race, ethnicity. If discrimination does not exist, it certainly has a solid historical foundation for its existence. As evidenced in this scenario, a potential employee is shut out of the hiring process, based solely on his ethnicity. When employers violate workplace discrimination laws, legally they can be sued by the person or persons and receive bad publicity and other consequences. Discrimination occurs when an employee suffers from unfair treatment due to their race, religion, national origin. Proving discrimination is difficult as is can occur in a number of work-related areas, during your initial hiring phase, during training or even after you get the job and have to participate in job evaluations. According to Smith, unfai r treatment does not necessarily equal unlawful discrimination, treating a person differently from others violates Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws only when the treatment is based on the presence of a protected section under discrimination, rather than on the job performance. As far as ethnicity goes, Americans come in every colour shape and size and a successful business is one that understands its customers and knows how to meet their needs. (2010) The more diverse an organization is, the more likely it becomes a center piece of the community. Affirmative action helps to cut down on discrimination, past and present, but it is not a complete solution. The objective of its policies include the elimination of hiring and advancement discrimination; ensuring multicultural employment and to achieve a diverse and much more representative workforce. The results guide a prospective manager about how best to motivate, manage and develop potential employees in a new role. It has helped but the effort to increase the number of minorities in upper management and leadership roles in educational institutions is still a struggle and needs to continue. Needless to say there is a long history of racism and discrimination against blacks and minorities, which went unnoticed. Where was the need to strive for equality then as it is now? The evidence of all types of discrimination against minorities led to a decisive need for action, ethics and morals were the same then as they are now. Ethics are the societal application of what is right and wr ong while morals are an individuals belief of what is right and wrong. Is one to say that the U.S lacked morals and good ethical practices and this is why the need for affirmative action gave rise? Morals are instilled in every man woman and child, it is a sense of what is right and wrong and good ethical behavior builds off of good morals. There is no doubt that affirmative action has helped with the vast gap between blacks and whites in areas such as education, employment. Those that do not share positive views on affirmative action will state that it is discrimination to harbor or give away special considerations and benefits on the foundation that people have certain characteristics. Affirmative action programs that benefit minorities have been under attack in the halls of Congress and scrutinized for reverse racism against the whites. This is a valid argument but how can one ignore the imbalance of societal benefits that are obviously lacked by minorities. (Devata Kappelman 20 10) Ethically this is thesible but morally this argument should have never existed. For years the morality of America went unquestioned in the treatment of minorities, years beyond slavery and what individual or group has a right or an ethic ground to stand against affirmative action. Legally government has tried to mandate it and courts have tried to uphold its presence but to no avail. Again I ask where the outrage was when affirmative action was white. The opposition to affirmative action argues that the foundation that the U.S is built upon requires that government treats all of its citizens as individual persons without regard to their ethical status, and again I ask where this creed was during slavery and years after. This is truly a divisive issue and one cannot employ the constitution when needed and dismiss it when not.

Essay --

Michael is struggling to remember small things. Michael is struggling to pay attention to his studies and is also stressing at work. He is told things and quickly forgets them or he’s hearing information and not being able to remember what he learned. Michael complains that he is stressing about work, but could that be causing him to forget things so quickly? Michael is suffering from what is known as short term memory. Short term memory allows limited space in a person’s mind which only allows the mind to remember up to seven items at one time. In order for short term memory to be stored it would have to be rehearsed which would cause it to be stored as long term memory which would stay in your mind for a long time. Short term memory or working memory can be manipulated in your mind causing you to forget something that you just heard. Michael is taking in this information but the information is being stored in his short term memory where something else might practically overwrite it and cause him to forget. Have you ever wondered how memories form? Memories are formed through conn...

Seeing The Vessels Of The Retina :: essays research papers

Seeing the Vessels of the Retina Have you ever seen a doctor look into a patient's eye with an instrument called an "ophthalmoscope"? The instrument lights up the inside of the eye and magnifies the vessels of the retina in the rear of the eye. This gives the doctor an idea about how healthy you are as he looks at all the vessels in the back of your eye. HYPOTHESIS I wanted to know if a person could see the blood vessels in the back of their own eye without using the instrument that the doctor uses in the eye exam. I am really interested in eyes because I have an uncle who got in a car accident and now he is blind. I hope someday doctors can help all those who are blind to be able to see. I guessed that a person could not see the blood vessels in the back of their own eyes. EXPERIMENT My experiment was not about the tiny blood vessels that you can easily see on the surface of the eye. It's to do with the larger vessels All I had to do was take a person into a dark room with my flashlight. I had them cover their left eye and look down at the floor with their right eye. I held the flashlight up towards the ceiling under their right eye, but they kept looking at the floor, not the light. RESULTS I am writing down what everyone recorded for me. I am first: JOSH: I could see black blood vessels with orange in the background...it looked like a lot of dead tree. BRENDA: The blood vessels resembled jagged lighting bolts or trees in the winter time. LAURA: I saw crooked lines that didn't stand still, but kept changing. DARWIN: The image appeared to be in front of the body and quite enlarged. I found that it takes practice to see this. BRYAN: Sometimes your eye gets tired before you can successfully do this, so you may have to use the other eye or take a rest and try it again.

Abstract for Cryogenics

Historically, cryogenic rocket engines have not been used for in-space applications due to their additional complexity, the mission need for high reliability, and the challenges of propellant boil-o& While the mission and vehicle architectures are not yet defined for the lunar and Martian robotic and human exploration objectives, cryogenic rocket engines offer the potential for higher performance and greater architecture/mission flexibility.In-situ cryogenic propellant production could enable a more robust exploration program by significantly reducing the propellant mass delivered to low earth orbit, thus warranting the evaluation of cryogenic rocket engines versus the hypergolic bi-propellant engines used in the Apollo program. A multi-use engine. one which can provide the functionality that separate engines provided in the Apollo mission architecture, is desirable for lunar and Mars exploration missions because it increases overall architecture effectiveness through commonality and modularity.The engine requirement derivation process must address each unique mission application and each unique phase within each mission. The resulting requirements, such as thrust level, performance, packaging, bum duration, number of operations; required impulses for each trajectory phase; operation after extended space or surface exposure; availability for inspection and maintenance; throttle range for planetary descent, ascent, acceleration limits and many more must be addressed.Within engine system studies, the system and component technology, capability, and risks must be evaluated and a balance between the appropriate amount of technology-push and technology-pull must be addressed. This paper will summarize many of the key technology challenges associated with using high-performance cryogenic liquid propellant rocket engine systems and components in the exploration program architectures.

Not a Good Day

The classroom was stuffy. The lesson was boring. There was a heavy atmosphere in the room; everyone was tense wondering if the teacher was going to explode again, ranting and raving. The teacher, Mr Perry, was being as annoying as possible, talking in a deep, slow, flat voice, pronouncing each word as slowly and perfectly as possible. â€Å"So, if you multiply together these two numbers, and divide the answer by six, you get the answer to the question.† It hadn't been a good day for him so far today. His car had broken down this morning, he had loads of overdue marking to do, his year eight class earlier in the day had caused him a load of hassle and he had a meeting with his boss after he had finished teaching and he knew it wasn't going to be good news. It was the end of the day and no-one wanted to be in the lesson. It was one of those beautiful, warm sunny summer afternoons outside, but inside it felt like the calm before the storm. Earlier on in the lesson it hadn't been pleasant. Anna had just been sitting at the back keeping herself to herself, at least she had been pretending to be, but when there's an interesting piece of gossip going round, it has to be thoroughly discussed and looked at from every angle. It's not really the best idea to write the note on a fluorescent pink post-it note, its not exactly subtle. Of course, he saw the note, stormed over, snatched it away and of course read it out loud to the class. The note had just been from one of Anna's friends and it had just been asking if she was going shopping on Saturday. It was something innocent, luckily it had been, seeing as it was read out to the entire class. That had been about half an hour earlier. â€Å"Sir, can I open the window please? I feel as if I'm about to faint.† whined Cassie. â€Å"No.† was the short, sharp simple reply. â€Å"Sir, can I pull the blinds down?† â€Å"No.† All of a sudden there was a loud crash. Someone had knocked their tin on the floor. Anna quickly bent down to retrieve her tin, it had been an accident, she didn't mean to knock it on the floor. â€Å"Who did that?† Mr Perry boomed, his voice echoing around the room, making everyone wake up. All of a sudden everyone was awake and alert and tense again wondering what his reaction would be. His first reaction made the situation worse. He was silent, he did nothing. Then slowly, he stood up and walked towards Anna, with his eyes boring deep into hers, cold and icy. â€Å"Anna, could you come here a minute please?† he said as sweetly and non-threateningly as he could. â€Å"Er, sir, do I have to? The look he gave her in reply gave her the answer loud and clear. He marched over towards the door, and opened it and politely said â€Å"after you.† There was a muffled whisper of good luck from the back of the room as Anna disappeared out of sight. There was more air out in the corridor, the fresh summer breeze felt good on her face, it was easier to breathe, and she went and stood by the open window, a luxury they weren't allowed in the classroom. â€Å"What do you want sir?† Anna wanted to get straight to the point and know what she had done wrong. â€Å"Is there something wrong Anna, at school, or at home maybe?† â€Å"No, why?† † I just wanted to know if there was something bothering you, something that you wanted to take your mind off. You seem to be becoming a persistent troublemaker and I don't want you to be because you're a good student the majority of the time. Recently though your behaviour has been starting to slip, you're letting your standards drop. I don't like troublemakers in my lessons. If you think that you are going to get away with any of this bad behaviour, you can think again about coming back to my lessons. You can go back inside now.† He had a very strange expression on his face as he was saying this, he was frowning, it was as if something was puzzling him, and he just stood there completely upright with his hands on his hips. Anna on the other hand looked completely shocked as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing, and what he was saying about her. Her mouth hung open a little bit and her eyes were wide and starring straight at Mr Perry. She was slouching and her arms just hung by her sides, as if she had no control over them and she couldn't move. Anna was left standing there, shocked and not entirely sure what to think or say. She wasn't thinking straight now. Anger was boiling up inside her, and she didn't know when she was going to explode. She walked back into the classroom as if she was on autopilot, and collapsed into her seat. She stayed like that for the next ten minutes or so and then†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. â€Å"Sir, I don't know what you think you were talking about out there. I am not a persistent troublemaker, I don't have any problems here or home, and you know what? I have been thinking about what you said and it is my pleasure to tell you that I will not be coming to any more of your lessons. You must be joking to think that I'd actually want to spend an hour each day with you, an hour of your bad tempers, an hour or your rude and insulting comments, an hour of your yelling and shouting.† Mr Perry looked up sharply, surprised and not expecting this sudden outburst. He wasn't in the mood for dealing with troublesome teenagers. He was going through a bit of a rough patch, he had bills piling up, he was possibly going to get evicted from his flat, and he had his boss constantly hanging around and watching his every move. He wasn't really thinking straight and he just snapped. â€Å"THAT IS ENOUGH. GET OUT OF HERE NOW.† He stood up from his desk and strode over to where she sat. He gave her that evil glare again but this time it was full of evil and hatred. He towered over her, shaking with anger â€Å"I SAID ANNA TAILOR, GET OUT OF HERE NOW.† He raised his fist, and that did it for Anna, she leapt out of her seat, and ran to the door screaming â€Å"You haven't heard the last of this, I'll be back you know, I swear that I'm going to get you fired.† Mr Perry stood there, perfectly still and silent, realising what he had done as he stared at Anna disappearing down the corridor out of sight. The rest of the class was shocked, no-one said a word, no-one moved. Work was the last thing on everyone's mind. Luckily, the bell went. Time seemed to have disappeared. Everyone packed their bags in silence and just crept out of the room. Mr Perry still stood in the exact same place, not moving at all with a frozen expression fixed on his face.