Leadership and Change Management Assignment - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2078 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Management Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Leadership and Change Management Executive Summary In the current milieu change occurs swiftly which directly influenced over the global financial crisis, global popularity and globalization do create diverse innovative trends and patterns in the competitive market to which organizations should adopt and adjust rapidly in order to effectively compete. Hence, less ability to adjust for changes would impact towards the organizationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s competitiveness in front of the competitors. Therefore the management of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"changeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ on organizational aspect should be commenced cautiously; in order to generate revenue to organizations. For instance; automobile brands as Ford, Chrysler, etc in United States were not willing for market changes, which led on Japanese brands as Toyota, etc to capture the competitive market, clearly illustrates the significances on changes. Moreover the key element towards the rapid global change process dwells due to globalization. The term globalization determines the à ¢ â‚ ¬Ã‹Å"integration of markets and economics.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Thus diverse scholars have emphasized their omniscient point on globalization. As to Professor C.K. Prahalad; Globalization is good as well ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s bad and Thomas Firedman elaborated that globalization is the core-reason to make the world-flat, though the novel à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The World Is Flatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ by Thomas Friedman, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s clearly elaborated that the world has become flat due to the effect of the ten key-flatteners; supply-chain, outsourcing, off-shoring, when Netscape went public et-al. Moreover scholars as Dr. Noreena Hertz and Joseph Stiglitsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s view point on globalization, it is visible that globalization has impacted the world on the two aspects of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"goodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"bad,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ which has resulted the immense-effect of organizational changes. Nevertheless the model à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“leadership and change ma nagementà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  hubs over the intricate features of leadership; in diverse cultures, resourcefulness, modernization and impending of leadership skills; in midst of effectual leadership tactics and change-perceptions were hyperbole. The à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"theory E and Oà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ signifies the levers of managing strategic changes in an organization comprehensively; though organizational managementà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s confrontations on organizational changes are structured on trepidation on monetary, competence, uncertainty, figurative, etc. However there are numerous processes on conquering resistance to change through scrutinizing the collisions, identification of matters. Therefore organizational managers and leaders are regularly confronted on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"discovering and minding latest-trails, thus à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“attributeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“skillsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  are the key elements that leaders and managers should compel on achieving organizational objectives. Table of Contents Executive Summary 1Introduction 1.1Scope of the assignment 1.2Introduction to BBC 1.2.1BBCà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s mission and vision 2The implementation of the Change Management Processes at BBC 2.1The recognition of need for change 3The role of leaders and managers in the change process 3.1Mr. John Birtà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s tactic on change at BBC 4Conclusion References List of Diagrams Figure 1: BBC mission and vision, Source: BBC Annual Report (2012-13), Pg. 05 Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Leadership and Change Management Assignment" essay for you Create order 1 Introduction 1.1 Scope of the assignment Fundamentally the core-endeavor of the assignment is to justify à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the leadership and change management practicesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“BBCà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s implementation of an economic strategyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  is elaborated on the aspects of BBCà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s organizational culture, implementation of change, role of leaders and managers, the commencement procedure, antagonisms of failures and accomplishments. Mostly the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“extensive series of technological-changes, political ambiance towards BBC and the augmentation of key playersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  and the key changes that the BBC management had to undergo during the 1992-2000 periods were thoroughly elaborated. Thereby the key argument of the assignment is to emphasizes the changes which BBC had to endure on the aspects of sustain in the British competitive environment is emphasized. Thereby the key argument of the assignment is to emphasizes the changes which BBC had to undergo on the as pects of business goals/objectives, management, structuring procedures, financial perspective, political-perspective, thus the leadership and change management practices which were commenced by BBC were diction through the use of theories of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Lewinà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Change Management model, Mckinsey 7-S model, Kotterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s 8 step model et-al within the assignment. 1.2 Introduction to BBC The narration of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“British Broadcasting Corporationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (BBC) drives for more than ninety two years backward, which was formed in the 1922 by the late Mr. John Reith in the hearth of United Kingdom at the Broadcasting House London. Fundamentally BBC is in the industry of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"communal overhaul broadcastingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ which delivers service to the mass-market, through utilizing 40 languages, are exploited through the three key focal materials of; television, radio and online which swathes the key areas of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Televisionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  programmes as; BBC archives, natural history unit, Children BBC, BBC ALBA etc, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“BBC News clusterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  which presents latest details about recent events regionally, nationally and internationally, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“BBC Radioà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  which delivers music series, episodes as BBC Proms, BBC I IXtra, BBC Asian Network, BBC Philharmonic, etc, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“BBC Future Media à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  which convey new technological features as red Button and BBC online. (Annual Report 2012-13) Currently the organization is consisted within six major-plants in Belfast, Cardiff, Salford Quays, Bristol, Glasgow and Birmingham thus the current company-size of employees dwells around 23,000 which proudly bears the title as the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"globes oldest public broadcaster and the prime anchor of the globes leading employees in number. Additionally BBC is segmented as a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"public-service presenter,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ conversely BBC is maneuvered by the Royal Charter and an accord through the Home Secretary. Accordingly the total turnover of revenue in the fiscal year 2012-13 was  £5.102 billion while BBCà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s prime aim is to accelerate in phrase of program à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“superiority, idiosyncratic, worth for customer capital, dole-out every audience, ingenuousness and intelligibility.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  BBC is design of providing lon g term growth with better innovations through the aid of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Atosà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ technology processers and Research and Development has lead the company towards continuous improvement under different innovations. For instance: In 2007 July, BBC utilized the DRM and peer-to-peer technology which hyperbole of the ability to cater past details through television and radio, of the past week for off-line exploit over a months-time. Nevertheless, BBC is highly concern on customer satisfaction, since BBC evaluation the daily recital on services through identifying and analyzing whether customers (audience) enjoys and appreciate BBC programmes, thus it would be justified the following way; 1.2.1 BBCà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s mission and vision Figure 1: BBC mission and vision, Source: BBC Annual Report (2012-13), Pg. 05 Moreover, BBC is embedded on diverse features on the aspect delivering superior service to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"audiences and employeesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ through allowing on constructing translucent and fair decision among employees (governance) which signifies the conceptual, interpersonal and technical skills which BBC managers and leaders are concerned. Thus BBC produces miscellaneous content to individuals at all age-generations and the ability to appreciate and identify audiencesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ needs and wants through approaching audiences through research and councils, emphasizes the core competencies of BBC in the midst of the competitors. 2 The implementation of the Change Management Processes at BBC 2.1 The recognition of need for change Fundamentally, the need of change was emerged at BBC in the early 1980, during the epoch continued achievements at the point where BBC was born as the globes escorting communal broadcaster, it instigated of been satisfied in the competitive business arena. In the late eras BBC was recognized as the finest broadcaster in the competitive industry and the mode BBC subsidized through the aid of obligatory à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"warrant-feeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ hyperbole the image that BBC is monetarily sheltered. Through positive intentions on the minds of BBC management the contemplation towards the business was lessen, but at the situation which the climax period was dawn to BBC due to the continuous changes in the world; BBC had to undergo diverse arrays of imperative predicaments which comprised; 3 The role of leaders and managers in the change process Basically à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“organizational managersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  determines as a methodical structure of acquaintance; pedestal on broad standards, perceptions, hypothesis and procedures inconsistent in tenures of trade activities in organizations. While à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“organizational leadersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  demonstrates the aptitude to instigate self-assurance and sustain amongst individuals who required necessitates accomplishing managerial aspirations. For example; late CEO of Nawaloka Group, Mr. Dharmadasa is a legendary business leader in the Sri Lankan history. Additionally the management styles may vary according to the nature of the country as well. Since in Poland the management mode relies over the business nature and the size of the organization, whereas American managers are much more hierarchically managed clearly illuminate the different approaches of managements around the world. According to Andre Laurentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s (1978) discernment to Fayolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢ „ ¢s model of organization as a pyramid of individuals with both personal power and formal rules as principles of coordination the survey which was commenced by Laurent exhibited that French managers were against the concept of organizational employees could report to two different bosses, whereas Swedish and U.S. managers has elaborated less hesitations towards the above concept could be elaborated as the cross-cultural managerial and leadership approaches. Consequently, to the BBCà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s situation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Mr. John Birtà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  could be illustrated as a key-leader over the change management process. Mr. Birt was appointed as the BBC Director General in 1992 and at that-time Mr. Birt emphasized BBCà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s organizational culture as a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"manner of imperialismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ which embalmed a negative aspect to the organization and the lessen employment utilization and many more down-falls were pin-pointed by Mr. Birt which the thought of change-management was overwhelmed on Mr. Birt. Hence Mr. Birt introduced essential-modifications to BBC promptly, on the aspect of surviving in the competitive business arena, since the impacts from competitors, technological and political aspects frankly juxtaposition BBC in the broadcasting industry. 3.1 Mr. John Birtà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s tactic on change management at BBC On the aspect of surviving in the broadcasting industry Mr. John Birt pioneered a series of sturdy changes. The first change which was commenced by Mr. Birt was to set a proper mission as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"to make BBC the finest coped business in the public segmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ and the program quality and standard was embedded as the core-value of BBC. Hence the period Mr. Birt was allotted; it was unfeasible on resolving the situation of the total amount that the organization has to bear on producing a TV/radio program or else to exploit an own-studio of BBC. Since the organization had to face a financial crisis at the beginning of the implementation. Thereby it is evident that Mr. Birtà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s approach of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"transformational changeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ through the establishment of the new mission to the organization. Since, Mr. Birt was concerned on formulating BBC as a highly efficient organization. Therefore Mr. Birt commenced a strategic approach known as the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"product choiceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ tactical change which constructed an interior advertises which altered the further supremacy on BBC program developers to directors and accountants through the utilization of the Kurt Lewinà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s (1950) change management model. The three key elementary steps of unfreeze, transition and refreeze approaches were visible on the above illustrated instances. Since Mr. Birt methodically unfreeze the program-developers mind and molded them into positions as managers and accountants through the applicable modes and refreeze the former program-developers as managers. Through the exercise of the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"producer choiceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ strategic approach, BBCà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s units befallen into expenditure-axis which were to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"break-even,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ hence BBC manufacturers utilized to diminish the total expenditure on developing TV, Radio programs through the subordinate of the peripheral suppl iers. For instances, a situation as BBC may endow with higher expenditure effectual overhaul rather than internal sources. Furthermore, Mr. Birtà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s leadership approach on change of apex-down coerced on innovative organizational structures and technological systems within BBC which lacerated the expenditure on developing diverse broadcasting programs, which was a significant potency towards the BBCà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s operation. However, Mr. Birtà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s change towards BBC escorted on employee redundant of more than 10,000 created a black-image to the organization, thus the collision which the changes impacted not only to employees but to employees family members and to their life-styles. Thus following facts could be included as the negative impacts which occurred due to changes; The direct collision to BBC employees under the cultural reinforcement, since different cultured employees from different regions in the world, different races, religions and family backgrounds were recruited and the decision making ability towards organizationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s problem/issues were decentralized as earlier the decision making ability was centralized to the strategic level of the organization et al facts could be elaborated as the opposition which occurred due to the completion of the economic strategy by Mr. Birt. 4 Conclusion References Sally Wehmeier, Colin Mclntosh, Joanna Turnbull, 2005, Oxford Advanced Learnerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Dictionary, 7th edition, Oxford University Press. Svend Hollensen, Essentials of Global Marketing: Johanson and Vahlne (1990), The Uppsala International Model, British Library Cataloguing-in-publication data. Trading Economy, 2014, India total disposable personal income, [Online] available https://www.tradingeconomics.com/india/disposable-personal-income Richard Dobbs, Sven Smit, James Manyika, Jonathan Woetzel Yaw Agyenim- Boateng, Urban world: The shifting global business landscape, October 2013, McKinsey Global Institute, [online], Available; www.mckinsey.com/mgi CT/CBABM/08/03Page 1

The Vampire Diaries The Struggle Chapter Eight Free Essays

string(50) " his step and avoided his eyes when he came near\." â€Å"What?† said Elena dully. â€Å"Well, the way she ended up, in her slip. She looked just like she did when we found her on the road, only then she was all scratched up, too. We will write a custom essay sample on The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle Chapter Eight or any similar topic only for you Order Now † â€Å"Cat scratches, we thought,† said Meredith, finishing the last bite of her cake. She seemed to be in one of her quiet, thoughtful moods; right now she was watching Elena closely. â€Å"But that doesn’t seem very likely.† Elena looked straight back at her. â€Å"Maybe she fell in some brambles,† she said. â€Å"Now, if you guys are finished eating, do you want to see that first note?† They left their dishes in the sink and climbed the stairs to Elena’s room. Elena felt herself flush as the other girls read the note. Bonnie and Meredith were her best friends, maybe her only friends now. She’d read them passages from her diary before. But this was different. It was the most humiliating feeling she’d ever had. â€Å"Well?† she said to Meredith. â€Å"The person who wrote this is five feet eleven inches tall, walks with a slight limp, and wears a false mustache,† Meredith intoned. â€Å"Sorry,† she added, seeing Elena’s face. â€Å"Not funny. Actually, there’s not much to go on, is there? The writing looks like a guy’s, but the paper looks feminine.† â€Å"And the whole thing has sort of a feminine touch,† put in Bonnie, bouncing slightly on Elena’s bed. â€Å"Well, it does,† she said defensively. â€Å"Quoting bits of your diary back at you is the kind of thing a woman would think of. Men don’t care about diaries.† â€Å"You just don’t want it to be Damon,† said Meredith. â€Å"I would think you’d be more worried about him being a psycho killer than a diary thief.† â€Å"I don’t know; killers are sort of romantic. Imagine your dying with his hands around your throat. He’d strangle the life out of you, and the last thing you’d see would be his face.† Putting her own hands to her throat, Bonnie gasped and expired tragically, ending up draped across the bed. â€Å"He can have me anytime,† she said, eyes still closed. It was on Elena’s lips to say, â€Å"Don’t you understand, this isserious ,† but instead she hissed in a breath. â€Å"Oh,God ,† she said, and ran to the window. The day was humid and stifling, and the window had been opened. Outside on the skeletal branches of the quince tree was a crow. Elena threw the sash down so hard that the glass rattled and tinkled. The crow gazed at her through the trembling panes with eyes like obsidian. Rainbows glimmered in its sleek black plumage. â€Å"Why did yousay that?† she said, turning to Bonnie. â€Å"Hey, there’s nobody out there,† said Meredith gently. â€Å"Unless you count the birds.† Elena turned away from them. The tree was empty now. â€Å"I’m sorry,† said Bonnie in a small voice, after a moment. â€Å"It’s just that it all doesn’t seem real sometimes, even Mr. Tanner’s being dead doesn’t seem real. And Damon did look†¦ well, exciting. But dangerous. I â€Å"And besides, he wouldn’t squeeze your throat; he’d cut it,† Meredith said. â€Å"Or at least that was what he did to Tanner. But the old man under the bridge had his throat ripped open, as if some animal had done it.† Meredith looked to Elena for clarification. â€Å"Damon doesn’t have an animal, does he?† â€Å"No. I don’t know.† Suddenly, Elena felt very tired. She was worried about Bonnie, about the consequences of those foolish words. â€Å"I can do anything to you, to you and the ones you love,† she remembered. What might Damon do now? She didn’t understand him. He was different every time they met. In the gym he’d been taunting, laughing at her. But the next time she would swear that he’d been serious, quoting poetry to her, trying to get her to come away with him. Last week, with the icy graveyard wind lashing around him, he’d been menacing, cruel. And underneath his mocking words last night, she’d felt the same menace. She couldn’t predict what he’d do next. But, whatever happened, she had to protect Bonnie and Meredith from him. Especially since she couldn’t warn them properly. And what was Stefan up to? She needed him right now, more than anything. Wherewas he? It started that morning. â€Å"Let me get this straight,† Matt said, leaning against the scarred body of his ancient Ford sedan when Stefan approached him before school. â€Å"You want to borrow my car.† â€Å"Yes,† Stefan said. â€Å"And the reason you want to borrow it is flowers. You want to get some flowers for Elena.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"And these particular flowers, these flowers you’ve just got to get, don’t grow around here.† â€Å"They might. But their blooming season is over this far north. And the frost would have finished them off anyway.† â€Å"So you want to go down south – how far south you don’t know – to find some of these flowers that you’ve just got to give to Elena.† â€Å"Or at least some of the plants,† Stefan said. â€Å"I’d rather have the actual flowers though.† â€Å"And since the police still have your car, you want to borrow mine, for however long it takes you to go down south and find these flowers that you’ve just got to give to Elena.† â€Å"I figure driving is the least conspicuous way to leave town,† Stefan explained. â€Å"I don’t want the police to follow me.† â€Å"Uh huh. And that’s why you want my car.† â€Å"Am I going to give my car to the guy who stole my girlfriend and now wants to take a jaunt down south to get her some kind of special flowers she’s just got to have? Are you crazy?† Matt, who had been staring out over the roofs of the frame houses across the street, turned at last to look at Stefan. His blue eyes, usually cheerful and straightforward, were full of utter disbelief, and surmounted by twisted, puckered brows. Stefan looked away. He should have known better. After everything Matt had already done for him, to expect more was ridiculous. Especially these days, when people flinched from the sound of his step and avoided his eyes when he came near. You read "The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle Chapter Eight" in category "Essay examples" To expect Matt, who had the best of reasons to resent him, to do him such a favor with no explanation, on the basis of faith alone, reallywas insane. â€Å"No, I’m not crazy,† he said quietly, and turned to go. â€Å"Neither am I,† Matt had said. â€Å"And I’d have to be crazy to turn my car over to you. Hell, no. I’m going with you.† By the time Stefan had turned back around, Matt was looking at the car instead of him, lower lip thrust forward in a wary, judicious pout. â€Å"After all,† he’d said, rubbing at the flaking vinyl of the roof, â€Å"you might scratch the paint or something.† Elena put the phone back on the hook.Somebody was at the boarding house, because somebody kept picking up the phone when it rang, but after that there was only silence and then the click of disconnection. She suspected it was Mrs. Flowers, but that didn’t tell her anything about where Stefan was. Instinctively, she wanted to go to him. But it was dark outside, and Stefan had warned her specifically not to go out in the dark, especially not anywhere near the cemetery or the woods. The boarding house was near both. â€Å"No answer?† said Meredith as Elena came back and sat down on the bed. â€Å"She keeps hanging up on me,† Elena said, and muttered something under her breath. â€Å"Did you say she was a witch?† â€Å"No, but it rhymes with that,† said Elena. â€Å"Look,† said Bonnie, sitting up. â€Å"If Stefan’s going to call, he’ll call here. There’s no reason for you to come and stay the night with me.† Therewas a reason, although Elena couldn’t quite explain it even to herself. After all, Damon had kissed Bonnie at Alaric Saltzman’s party. It was Elena’s fault that Bonnie was in danger in the first place. Somehow she felt that if she were at least on the scene, she might be able to protect Bonnie. â€Å"My mom and dad and Mary are all home,† Bonnie persisted. â€Å"And we lock all our doors and windows and everything since Mr. Tanner was murdered. This weekend Dad even put on extra locks. I don’t see whatyou can do.† She left a message for Stefan with Aunt Judith, telling him where she was. There was still a lingering constraint between her and her aunt. And there would be, Elena thought, until Aunt Judith changed her mind about Stefan. At Bonnie’s house, she was given a room that had belonged to one of Bonnie’s sisters who was now in college. The first thing she did was check the window. It was closed and locked, and there was nothing outside that someone could climb, like a drainpipe or tree. As inconspicuously as possible, she also checked Bonnie’s room and any others she could get into. Bonnie was right; they were all sealed up tight from the inside. Nothing from the outside could get in. She lay in bed a long time that night, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. She kept remembering Vickie dreamily doing a striptease in the cafeteria. What was wrong with the girl? She would remember to ask Stefan that next time she saw him. Thoughts of Stefan were pleasant, even with all the terrible things that had happened recently. Elena smiled in the darkness, letting her mind wander. Someday all this harassment would be over, and she and Stefan could plan a life together. Of course, he hadn’t actually said anything about that, but Elena herself was sure. She was going to marry Stefan, or no one. And Stefan was going to marry no one but her†¦ The transition into dreaming was so smooth and gradual that she scarcely noticed it. But she knew, somehow, that shewas dreaming. It was as if a little part of her was standing aside and watching the dream like a play. She was sitting in a long hallway, which was covered with mirrors on one side and windows on the other. She was waiting for something. Then she saw a flicker of movement, and Stefan was standing outside the window. His face was pale and his eyes were hurt and angry. She went over to the window, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying because of the glass. In one hand, he was holding a book with a blue velvet cover, and he kept gesturing to it and asking her something. Then he dropped the book and turned away. â€Å"Stefan, don’t go! Don’t leave me!† she cried. Her fingers flattened whitely on the glass. Then she noticed that there was a latch on one side of the window and she opened it, calling to him. But he had disappeared and outside she saw only swirling white mist. Disconsolately, she turned away from the window and began walking down the hall. Her own image glimmered in mirror after mirror as she went by them. Then something about one of the reflections caught her eye. The eyes were her eyes, but there was a new look in them, a predatory, sly look. Vickie’s eyes had looked that way when she was undressing. And there was something disturbing and hungry about her smile. As she watched, standing still, the image suddenly whirled around and around, as if dancing. Horror swept over Elena. She began to run down the hall, but now all the reflections had a life of their own, dancing, beckoning to her, laughing at her. Just when she thought her heart and lungs would burst with terror, she reached the end of the corridor and flung open a door. She was standing in a large and beautiful room. The lofty ceiling was intricately carved and inlaid with gold; the doorways were faced with white marble. Classical statues stood in niches along the walls. Elena had never seen a room of such splendor, but she knew where she was. In Renaissance Italy, when Stefan She looked down at herself and saw she was wearing a dress like the one she’d had made for Halloween, the ice blue Renaissance ball gown. But this dress was a deep ruby red, and around her waist she wore a thin chain set with brilliant red stones. The same stones were in her hair. When she moved, the silk shimmered like flames in the light of hundreds of torches. At the far end of the room, two huge doors swung inward. A figure appeared between them. It walked toward her, and she saw that it was a young man dressed in Renaissance clothing, doublet and hose and fur-trimmed jerkin. Stefan! She started toward him eagerly, feeling the weight of her dress swing from the waist. But when she got closer she stopped, drawing in a sharp breath. It was Damon. He kept on walking toward her, confident, casual. He was smiling, a smile of challenge. Reaching her, he put one hand over his heart and bowed. Then he held out the hand to her as if daring her to take it. â€Å"Do you like dancing?† he said. Except that his lips didn’t move. The voice was in her mind. Her fear drained away, and she laughed. What was wrong with her, to have ever been afraid of him? They understood each other very well. But instead of taking his hand, she turned away, the silk of the dress turning after her. She moved lightly toward one of the statues along the wall, not glancing back to see if he was following her. She knew he would. She pretended to be absorbed in the statue, moving away again just as he reached her, biting her lip to hold in the laughter. She felt wonderful right now, so alive, so beautiful. Dangerous? Of course, this game was dangerous. But she had always enjoyed danger. The next time he drew near her, she glanced at him teasingly as she turned. He reached out, but caught only the jeweled chain at her waist. He let go quickly, and, looking back, she saw that the pronged setting on one of the gems had cut him. The drop of blood on his finger was just the color of her dress. His eyes flashed at her sideways, and his lips curved in a taunting smile as he held the wounded finger up. You wouldn’t dare, those eyes said. Oh, wouldn’t I? Elena told him with her own eyes. Boldly, she took his hand and held it a moment, teasing him. Then she brought the finger to her lips. After a few moments, she released it and looked up at him. â€Å"Ido like dancing,† she said, and found that, like him, she could speak with her mind. It was a thrilling sensation. She moved to the center of the room and waited. He followed her, graceful as a stalking beast. His fingers were warm and hard when they clasped hers. There was music, although it faded in and out and sounded far away. Damon placed his other hand on her waist. She could feel the warmth of his fingers there, the pressure. She picked up her skirts, and they began dancing. It was lovely, like flying, and her body knew every move to make. They danced around and around that empty room, in perfect timing, together. He was laughing down at her, his dark eyes glittering with enjoyment. She felt so beautiful; so poised and alert and ready for anything. She couldn’t remember when she’d had this much fun. The room around her was blurring. She could see only his eyes, and they were making her feel more and more sleepy. She allowed her own eyes to half close, her head to fall back. She sighed. She couldfeel his gaze now, on her lips, on her throat. She smiled to herself and let her eyes close completely. He was supporting her weight now, keeping her from falling down. She felt his lips on the skin of her neck, burning hot as if he had a fever. Then she felt the sting, like the jabs of two needles. It was over quickly, though, and she relaxed to the pleasure of having her blood drawn out. She remembered this feeling, the feeling of floating on a bed of golden light. A delicious languor stole through all her limbs. She felt drowsy, as if it were too much trouble to move. She didn’t want to move anyway; she felt too good. Her fingers were resting on his hair, clasping his head to her. Idly, she threaded them through the soft dark strands. His hair was like silk, warm and alive under her fingers. When she opened her eyes a slit, she saw that it reflected rainbows in the candlelight. Red and blue and purple, just like – just like the feathers†¦ And then everything shattered. There was pain at her throat suddenly, as if her soul was being torn out of her. She was pushing at Damon, clawing at him, trying to force him away. Screams rang in her ears. Damon was fighting her, but it wasn’t Damon; it was a crow. Huge wings beat against her, thrashing in the air. Her eyes were open. She was awake and screaming. The ballroom was gone, and she was in a darkened bedroom. But the nightmare had followed her. Even as she reached for the light, it came at her again, wings thrashing in her face, sharp beak diving for her. Elena struck out at it, one hand flung up to protect her eyes. She was still screaming. She couldn’t get away from it, those terrible wings kept flailing frantically, with a sound like a thousand decks of cards being shuffled at once. The door burst open, and she heard shouts. The warm, heavy body of the crow struck her and her screams went higher. Then someone was pulling her off the bed, and she was standing protected behind Bonnie’s father. He had a broom and he was beating at the bird with it. Bonnie was standing in the doorway. Elena ran into her arms. Bonnie’s father was shouting, and then came the slam of a window. â€Å"It’s out,† Mr. McCullough said, breathing hard. Mary and Mrs. McCullough were just outside in the hallway, clad in bathrobes. â€Å"You’re hurt,† Mrs. McCullough said to Elena in amazement. â€Å"The nasty thing’s pecked you.† â€Å"I’m okay,† Elena said, brushing at a spot of blood on her face. She was so shaken that her knees were â€Å"How did it getin?† said Bonnie. Mr. McCullough was inspecting the window. â€Å"You shouldn’t have left this open,† he said. â€Å"And what did you want to take the locks off for?† â€Å"I didn’t,† Elena cried. â€Å"It was unlocked and open when I heard you screaming and came in,† Bonnie’s father said. â€Å"I don’t know who else could have opened it but you.† Elena choked back her protests. Hesitantly, cautiously, she moved to the window. He was right; the locks had been unscrewed. And it could have been done only from the inside. â€Å"Maybe you were sleepwalking,† said Bonnie, leading Elena away from the window as Mr. McCullough began putting the locks back on. â€Å"We’d better get you cleaned up.† Sleepwalking. Suddenly the entire dream flooded back to Elena. The hall of mirrors, and the ballroom, and Damon. Dancing with Damon. She pulled out of Bonnie’s grasp. â€Å"I’ll do it myself,† she said, hearing her own voice quaver on the edge of hysteria. â€Å"No – really – I want to.† She escaped into the bathroom and stood with her back to the locked door, trying to breathe. The last thing she wanted to do was look in a mirror. But at last, slowly, she approached the one over the sink, trembling as she saw the edge of her reflection, moving inch by inch until she was framed in the silvery surface. Her image stared back, ghastly pale, with eyes that looked bruised and frightened. There were deep shadows under them and smears of blood on her face. Slowly, she turned her head slightly and lifted up her hair. She almost cried out loud when she saw what was underneath. Two little wounds, fresh and open on the skin of her neck. How to cite The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle Chapter Eight, Essay examples

Critical Essay A Tale Of Two Cities Example For Students

Critical Essay A Tale Of Two Cities Jarvis Lorry, an employee of Tellsons Bank, was sent to find Dr. Manette, an unjustly imprisoned physician, in Paris and bring him back to England. Lucie, Manettes daughter who thought that he was dead, accompanied Mr. Lorry. Upon arriving at Defarges wine shop in Paris, they found Mr. Manette in a dreadful state and took him back to London with them. Mr. Manette could not rember why he had been imprisoned, or when he was imprisoned. He was in a state of Post Tramatic Stress Dis-order. All the years of imporisonment led to his insanity, his life was in danger almost every second of his imprisoned life. In 1780, five years later, Lucie, Mr. Lorry and Dr. Manette were called to testify against Charles Darnay, a tutor who made constant trips between France and England and was thus accused of treason. During these times both governments were very paranoid about anybody who had the aperence of commiting treason. Darney, since he travled back and forth between countries was a perfect suspect for treason. The French Government had just been overthrown by the beggars, and middle class and now run by them, the British on the other hand was still a monarchy and had awful factories and many slums, like France did. Darnay was acquitted when a lawyer, Carton, looked much like him and an eye witness faltered to positively distinguish between them. Carton loved Lucie but he was a drunk. Knowing that their relationship was hopeless, he stated that he would sacrifice himself for her or anyone she loved in an emotional conversation. Darnay ended up marrying Lucie. Darnays uncle, the Marquiuis St. Evremonde, was assassinated by the father of a child he ran over and Darnay inherited his Chateau. Darnay would not take it because he did not want to exploit the French people as his uncle did. In 1792, while the French Revolution was in full swing, Darnay decided to go to France to save a family servant, Gabelle. Upon his arrival, he was immediately jailed. Lucie and Dr. Manette soon showed up in Paris at the doorstep of Tellsons French office, where Lorry already was present. Dr. Manette managed to get Darnay released after a year, yet he was re-jailed the same day by Madame Defarge because his family, the Evremondes, had previously killed off her family. Darnay was tried the next day and sentenced to death. Manette went back into his demented state with hopelessness. Carton arrived in Paris and heard a plot by Defarge to also kill Lucie and Dr. Manette. Quickly, he made his way into the prison with the help of spies and, with his close resemblance, switched places with Darnay. Carton had arranged for the escape of Lucie, Darnay, and Dr. Manette. Madame Defarge had been killed by Miss Pross, a sort of stereotype nanny to Lucie, and escaped with Lucie. Carton sacrificed his life for Lucie, her father, and Darnay at the guillotine and thus died in triumph. Dickens  attempted to show his readers the power and dangers of a revolution. He had a clear underlying theme that oppression and exploitation by an aristocracy will cause a revolt by those being exploited, a fact that made the French Revolution inevitable. Throughout this book, it was visible that Dickens drew a connection between oppression and anarchy. Yet the power of love and sacrifice were, in the end, linked with a resurrection of society. Dickens purpose in writing this work was clearly and thoroughly carried out. The harsh treatment of the aristocracy towards the poor was constantly shown. In one case, the Marquis St. Evremonde ran over a peasant child and merely through a few coins at the father to compensate for this loss. The anarchy of the revolution was shown by the numerous mobs that roamed the streets of Paris. Many nobles had left France and there was no powerful government. Thus a direct connection was drawn between the oppression by the aristocracy and the outbreak of revolution turning quickly into anarchy. Dickens was biased with a sympathy for the victimized, especially for children. .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804 , .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804 .postImageUrl , .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804 , .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804:hover , .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804:visited , .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804:active { border:0!important; } .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804:active , .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804 .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u5a61503c98dec7dc1aefcc77796f3804:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Kite Runner - EssayThe idea that the victimized, when extorted for long enough, would revolt was a central idea behind this novel. The unjust imprisonment of Dr. Manette tore him apart. He could never truly escape from his prison experience and in moments of great stress reverted to the insanity which Mr. Lorry and Lucie had found upon him at Defarges. Darnay had been tried often and came close to conviction a number of times all due to the past actions of his family. He was a mere victim of the past. Dickens clearly showed strong support for Darnay and Dr. Manette not only in the outcome, where they successfully escaped France, but also throughout the story. When the peasant child was run over by Marquis St. Evremonde, Dickens showed a great deal of contempt for Evremonde, when he merely offered a few coins as his remorse, and created a sense that this was a terrible act. I have learned a great deal about life during the early French Revolution and viewed the anarchy with much internal depth while reading this novel. Members of the upper aristocracy were, in general, more conceited that I had previously thought them to be. Men like Monseigneur, a member of the ruling oligarchy, simply sat around most of the day finding ways to entertain themselves and caring little, if at all, for the welfare of France, nonetheless for anyone other than themselves. The numerous mobs were more volatile then I had expected. They roamed, destroying at random, and went on to a new task with little persuasion. Many mobs cheered in joy for Darnay when he was acquitted at his first trial in France but were just as excited when he was condemned to death the second time. Society in general during the French Revolution has become much clearer to me. I found this novel to be extremely well written. It was originally  a little difficult to understand until I became involved with the characters. At that point I had no problem following the plot, which actually became quite swift. The French Revolution was brilliantly displayed in all of its violence and anarchy. The underlying ideas of oppression and anarchy made it enjoyable to see how the characters interacted. I found Carton especially intriguing. He knew that Lucie would never court him, before and after her marriage to Darnay, yet he devoted his life to her and gave it up in the end for her. Despite all of the depressing aspects of the novel, Dickens theme of resurrection became much more visible towards the end and actually was quite inspiring. As Carton gave his life for Darnay and Lucie, his final vision of a better society left me with a hopeful attitude and seemed to be an extraordinary way to close.