A Game of Thrones Chapter Thirty-one

Tyrion As he stood in the predawn chill watching Chiggen butcher his horse, Tyrion Lannister chalked up one more debt owed the Starks. Steam rose from inside the carcass when the squat sellsword opened the belly with his skinning knife. His hands moved deftly, with never a wasted cut; the work had to be done quickly, before the stink of blood brought shadowcats down from the heights. â€Å"None of us will go hungry tonight,† Bronn said. He was near a shadow himself; bone thin and bone hard, with black eyes and black hair and a stubble of beard. â€Å"Some of us may,† Tyrion told him. â€Å"I am not fond of eating horse. Particularly my horse.† â€Å"Meat is meat,† Bronn said with a shrug. â€Å"The Dothraki like horse more than beef or pork.† â€Å"Do you take me for a Dothraki?† Tyrion asked sourly. The Dothraki ate horse, in truth; they also left deformed children out for the feral dogs who ran behind their khalasars. Dothraki customs had scant appeal for him. Chiggen sliced a thin strip of bloody meat off the carcass and held it up for inspection. â€Å"Want a taste, dwarf?† â€Å"My brother Jaime gave me that mare for my twenty-third name day,† Tyrion said in a flat voice. â€Å"Thank him for us, then. If you ever see him again.† Chiggen grinned, showing yellow teeth, and swallowed the raw meat in two bites. â€Å"Tastes well bred.† â€Å"Better if you fry it up with onions,† Bronn put in. Wordlessly, Tyrion limped away. The cold had settled deep in his bones, and his legs were so sore he could scarcely walk. Perhaps his dead mare was the lucky one. He had hours more riding ahead of him, followed by a few mouthfuls of food and a short, cold sleep on hard ground, and then another night of the same, and another, and another, and the gods only knew how it would end. â€Å"Damn her,† he muttered as he struggled up the road to rejoin his captors, remembering, â€Å"damn her and all the Starks.† The memory was still bitter. One moment he'd been ordering supper, and an eye blink later he was facing a room of armed men, with Jyck reaching for a sword and the fat innkeep shrieking, â€Å"No swords, not here, please, m'lords.† Tyrion wrenched down Jyck's arm hurriedly, before he got them both hacked to pieces. â€Å"Where are your courtesies, Jyck? Our good hostess said no swords. Do as she asks.† He forced a smile that must have looked as queasy as it felt. â€Å"You're making a sad mistake, Lady Stark. I had no part in any attack on your son. On my honor—† â€Å"Lannister honor,† was all she said. She held up her hands for all the room to see. â€Å"His dagger left these scars. The blade he sent to open my son's throat.† Tyrion felt the anger all around him, thick and smoky, fed by the deep cuts in the Stark woman's hands. â€Å"Kill him,† hissed some drunken slattern from the back, and other voices took up the call, faster than he would have believed. Strangers all, friendly enough only a moment ago, and yet now they cried for his blood like hounds on a trail. Tyrion spoke up loudly, trying to keep the quaver from his voice. â€Å"If Lady Stark believes I have some crime to answer for, I will go with her and answer for it.† It was the only possible course. Trying to cut their way out of this was a sure invitation to an early grave. A good dozen swords had responded to the Stark woman's plea for help: the Harrenhal man, the three Brackens, a pair of unsavory sellswords who looked as though they'd kill him as soon as spit, and some fool field hands who doubtless had no idea what they were doing. Against that, what did Tyrion have? A dagger at his belt, and two men. Jyck swung a fair enough sword, but Morrec scarcely counted; he was part groom, part cook, part body servant, and no soldier. As for Yoren, whatever his feelings might have been, the black brothers were sworn to take no part in the quarrels of the realm. Yoren would do nothing. And indeed, the black brother stepped aside silently when the old knight by Catelyn Stark's side said, â€Å"Take their weapons,† and the sellsword Bronn stepped forward to pull the sword from Jyck's fingers and relieve them all of their daggers. â€Å"Good,† the old man said as the tension in the common room ebbed palpably, â€Å"excellent.† Tyrion recognized the gruff voice; Winterfell's master-at-arms, shorn of his whiskers. Scarlet-tinged spittle flew from the fat innkeep's mouth as she begged of Catelyn Stark, â€Å"Don't kill him here!† â€Å"Don't kill him anywhere,† Tyrion urged. â€Å"Take him somewheres else, no blood here, m'lady, I wants no high lordlin's quarrels.† â€Å"We are taking him back to Winterfell,† she said, and Tyrion thought, Well, perhaps . . . By then he'd had a moment to glance over the room and get a better idea of the situation. He was not altogether displeased by what he saw. Oh, the Stark woman had been clever, no doubt of it. Force them to make a public affirmation of the oaths sworn her father by the lords they served, and then call on them for succor, and her a woman, yes, that was sweet. Yet her success was not as complete as she might have liked. There were close to fifty in the common room by his rough count. Catelyn Stark's plea had roused a bare dozen; the others looked confused, or frightened, or sullen. Only two of the Freys had stirred, Tyrion noted, and they'd sat back down quick enough when their captain failed to move. He might have smiled if he'd dared. â€Å"Winterfell it is, then,† he said instead. That was a long ride, as he could well attest, having just ridden it the other way. So many things could happen along the way. â€Å"My father will wonder what has become of me,† he added, catching the eye of the swordsman who'd offered to yield up his room. â€Å"He'll pay a handsome reward to any man who brings him word of what happened here today.† Lord Tywin would do no such thing, of course, but Tyrion would make up for it if he won free. Ser Rodrik glanced at his lady, his look worried, as well it might be. â€Å"His men come with him,† the old knight announced. â€Å"And we'll thank the rest of you to stay quiet about what you've seen here.† It was all Tyrion could do not to laugh. Quiet? The old fool. Unless he took the whole inn, the word would begin to spread the instant they were gone. The freerider with the gold coin in his pocket would fly to Casterly Rock like an arrow. If not him, then someone else. Yoren would carry the story south. That fool singer might make a lay of it. The Freys would report back to their lord, and the gods only knew what he might do. Lord Walder Frey might be sworn to Riverrun, but he was a cautious man who had lived a long time by making certain he was always on the winning side. At the very least he would send his birds winging south to King's Landing, and he might well dare more than that. Catelyn Stark wasted no time. â€Å"We must ride at once. We'll want fresh mounts, and provisions for the road. You men, know that you have the eternal gratitude of House Stark. If any of you choose to help us guard our captives and get them safe to Winterfell, I promise you shall be well rewarded.† That was all it took; the fools came rushing forward. Tyrion studied their faces; they would indeed be well rewarded, he vowed to himself, but perhaps not quite as they imagined. Yet even as they were bundling him outside, saddling the horses in the rain, and tying his hands with a length of coarse rope, Tyrion Lannister was not truly afraid. They would never get him to Winterfell, he would have given odds on that. Riders would be after them within the day, birds would take wing, and surely one of the river lords would want to curry favor with his father enough to take a hand. Tyrion was congratulating himself on his subtlety when someone pulled a hood down over his eyes and lifted him up onto a saddle. They set out through the rain at a hard gallop, and before long Tyrion's thighs were cramped and aching and his butt throbbed with pain. Even when they were safely away from the inn, and Catelyn Stark slowed them to a trot, it was a miserable pounding journey over rough ground, made worse by his blindness. Every twist and turn put him in danger of falling off his horse. The hood muffled sound, so he could not make out what was being said around him, and the rain soaked through the cloth and made it cling to his face, until even breathing was a struggle. The rope chafed his wrists raw and seemed to grow tighter as the night wore on. I was about to settle down to a warm fire and a roast fowl, and that wretched singer had to open his mouth, he thought mournfully. The wretched singer had come along with them. â€Å"There is a great song to be made from this, and I'm the one to make it,† he told Catelyn Stark when he announced his intention of riding with them to see how the  "splendid adventure† turned out. Tyrion wondered whether the boy would think the adventure quite so splendid once the Lannister riders caught up with them. The rain had finally stopped and dawn light was seeping through the wet cloth over his eyes when Catelyn Stark gave the command to dismount. Rough hands pulled him down from his horse, untied his wrists, and yanked the hood off his head. When he saw the narrow stony road, the foothills rising high and wild all around them, and the jagged snowcapped peaks on the distant horizon, all the hope went out of him in a rush. â€Å"This is the high road,† he gasped, looking at Lady Stark with accusation. â€Å"The eastern road. You said we were riding for Winterfell!† Catelyn Stark favored him with the faintest of smiles. â€Å"Often and loudly,† she agreed. â€Å"No doubt your friends will ride that way when they come after us. I wish them good speed.† Even now, long days later, the memory filled him with a bitter rage. All his life Tyrion had prided himself on his cunning, the only gift the gods had seen fit to give him, and yet this seven-times-damned she-wolf Catelyn Stark had outwitted him at every turn. The knowledge was more galling than the bare fact of his abduction. They stopped only as long as it took to feed and water the horses, and then they were off again. This time Tyrion was spared the hood. After the second night they no longer bound his hands, and once they had gained the heights they scarcely bothered to guard him at all. It seemed they did not fear his escape. And why should they? Up here the land was harsh and wild, and the high road little more than a stony track. If he did run, how far could he hope to go, alone and without provisions? The shadowcats would make a morsel of him, and the clans that dwelt in the mountain fastnesses were brigands and murderers who bowed to no law but the sword. Yet still the Stark woman drove them forward relentlessly. He knew where they were bound. He had known it since the moment they pulled off his hood. These mountains were the domain of House Arryn, and the late Hand's widow was a Tully, Catelyn Stark's sister . . . and no friend to the Lannisters. Tyrion had known the Lady Lysa slightly during her years at King's Landing, and did not look forward to renewing the acquaintance. His captors were clustered around a stream a short ways down the high road. The horses had drunk their fill of the icy cold water, and were grazing on clumps of brown grass that grew from clefts in the rock. Jyck and Morrec huddled close, sullen and miserable. Mohor stood over them, leaning on his spear and wearing a rounded iron cap that made him look as if he had a bowl on his head. Nearby, Marillion the singer sat oiling his woodharp, complaining of what the damp was doing to his strings. â€Å"We must have some rest, my lady,† the hedge knight Ser Willis Wode was saying to Catelyn Stark as Tyrion approached. He was Lady Whent's man, stiff-necked and stolid, and the first to rise to aid Catelyn Stark back at the inn. â€Å"Ser Willis speaks truly, my lady,† Ser Rodrik said. â€Å"This is the third horse we have lost—† â€Å"We will lose more than horses if we're overtaken by the Lannisters,† she reminded them. Her face was windburnt and gaunt, but it had lost none of its determination. â€Å"Small chance of that here,† Tyrion put in. â€Å"The lady did not ask your views, dwarf,† snapped Kurleket, a great fat oaf with short-cropped hair and a pig's face. He was one of the Brackens, a man-at-arms in the service of Lord Jonos. Tyrion had made a special effort to learn all their names, so he might thank them later for their tender treatment of him. A Lannister always paid his debts. Kurleket would learn that someday, as would his friends Lharys and Mohor, and the good Ser Willis, and the sellswords Bronn and Chiggen. He planned an especially sharp lesson for Marillion, him of the woodharp and the sweet tenor voice, who was struggling so manfully to rhyme imp with gimp and limp so he could make a song of this outrage. â€Å"Let him speak,† Lady Stark commanded. Tyrion Lannister seated himself on a rock. â€Å"By now our pursuit is likely racing across the Neck, chasing your lie up the kingsroad . . . assuming there is a pursuit, which is by no means certain. Oh, no doubt the word has reached my father . . . but my father does not love me overmuch, and I am not at all sure that he will bother to bestir himself.† It was only half a lie; Lord Tywin Lannister cared not a fig for his deformed son, but he tolerated no slights on the honor of his House. â€Å"This is a cruel land, Lady Stark. You'll find no succor until you reach the Vale, and each mount you lose burdens the others all the more. Worse, you risk losing me. I am small, and not strong, and if I die, then what's the point?† That was no lie at all; Tyrion did not know how much longer he could endure this pace. â€Å"It might be said that your death is the point, Lannister,† Catelyn Stark replied. â€Å"I think not,† Tyrion said. â€Å"If you wanted me dead, you had only to say the word, and one of these staunch friends of yours would gladly have given me a red smile.† He looked at Kurleket, but the man was too dim to taste the mockery. â€Å"The Starks do not murder men in their beds.† â€Å"Nor do I,† he said. â€Å"I tell you again, I had no part in the attempt to kill your son.† â€Å"The assassin was armed with your dagger.† Tyrion felt the heat rise in him. â€Å"It was not my dagger,† he insisted. â€Å"How many times must I swear to that? Lady Stark, whatever you may believe of me, I am not a stupid man. Only a fool would arm a common footpad with his own blade.† Just for a moment, he thought he saw a flicker of doubt in her eyes, but what she said was, â€Å"Why would Petyr lie to me?† â€Å"Why does a bear shit in the woods?† he demanded. â€Å"Because it is his nature. Lying comes as easily as breathing to a man like Littlefinger. You ought to know that, you of all people.† She took a step toward him, her face tight. â€Å"And what does that mean, Lannister?† Tyrion cocked his head. â€Å"Why, every man at court has heard him tell how he took your maidenhead, my lady.† â€Å"That is a lie!† Catelyn Stark said. â€Å"Oh, wicked little imp,† Marillion said, shocked. Kurleket drew his dirk, a vicious piece of black iron. â€Å"At your word, m'lady, I'll toss his lying tongue at your feet.† His pig eyes were wet with excitement at the prospect. Catelyn Stark stared at Tyrion with a coldness on her face such as he had never seen. â€Å"Petyr Baelish loved me once. He was only a boy. His passion was a tragedy for all of us, but it was real, and pure, and nothing to be made mock of. He wanted my hand. That is the truth of the matter. You are truly an evil man, Lannister.† â€Å"And you are truly a fool, Lady Stark. Littlefinger has never loved anyone but Littlefinger, and I promise you that it is not your hand that he boasts of, it's those ripe breasts of yours, and that sweet mouth, and the heat between your legs.† Kurleket grabbed a handful of hair and yanked his head back in a hard jerk, baring his throat. Tyrion felt the cold kiss of steel beneath his chin. â€Å"Shall I bleed him, my lady?† â€Å"Kill me and the truth dies with me,† Tyrion gasped. â€Å"Let him talk,† Catelyn Stark commanded. Kurleket let go of Tyrion's hair, reluctantly. Tyrion took a deep breath. â€Å"How did Littlefinger tell you I came by this dagger of his? Answer me that.† â€Å"You won it from him in a wager, during the tourney on Prince Joffrey's name day.† â€Å"When my brother Jaime was unhorsed by the Knight of Flowers, that was his story, no?† â€Å"It was,† she admitted. A line creased her brow. â€Å"Riders!† The shriek came from the wind-carved ridge above them. Ser Rodrik had sent Lharys scrambling up the rock face to watch the road while they took their rest. For a long second, no one moved. Catelyn Stark was the first to react. â€Å"Ser Rodrik, Ser Willis, to horse,† she shouted. â€Å"Get the other mounts behind us. Mohor, guard the prisoners—† â€Å"Arm us!† Tyrion sprang to his feet and seized her by the arm. â€Å"You will need every sword.† She knew he was right, Tyrion could see it. The mountain clans cared nothing for the enmities of the great houses; they would slaughter Stark and Lannister with equal fervor, as they slaughtered each other. They might spare Catelyn herself; she was still young enough to bear sons. Still, she hesitated. â€Å"I hear them!† Ser Rodrik called out. Tyrion turned his head to listen, and there it was: hoofbeats, a dozen horses or more, coming nearer. Suddenly everyone was moving, reaching for weapons, running to their mounts. Pebbles rained down around them as Lharys came springing and sliding down the ridge. He landed breathless in front of Catelyn Stark, an ungainly-looking man with wild tufts of rust-colored hair sticking out from under a conical steel cap. â€Å"Twenty men, maybe twenty-five,† he said, breathless. â€Å"Milk Snakes or Moon Brothers, by my guess. They must have eyes out, m'lady . . . hidden watchers . . . they know we're here.† Ser Rodrik Cassel was already ahorse, a longsword in hand. Mohor crouched behind a boulder, both hands on his iron-tipped spear, a dagger between his teeth. â€Å"You, singer,† Ser Willis Wode called out. â€Å"Help me with this breastplate.† Marillion sat frozen, clutching his woodharp, his face as pale as milk, but Tyrion's man Morrec bounded quickly to his feet and moved to help the knight with his armor. Tyrion kept his grip on Catelyn Stark. â€Å"You have no choice,† he told her. â€Å"Three of us, and a fourth man wasted guarding us . . . four men can be the difference between life and death up here.† â€Å"Give me your word that you will put down your swords again after the fight is done.† â€Å"My word?† The hoofbeats were louder now. Tyrion grinned crookedly. â€Å"Oh, that you have, my lady . . . on my honor as a Lannister.† For a moment he thought she would spit at him, but instead she snapped, â€Å"Arm them,† and as quick as that she was pulling away. Ser Rodrik tossed Jyck his sword and scabbard, and wheeled to meet the foe. Morrec helped himself to a bow and quiver, and went to one knee beside the road. He was a better archer than swordsman. And Bronn rode up to offer Tyrion a double-bladed axe. â€Å"I have never fought with an axe.† The weapon felt awkward and unfamiliar in his hands. It had a short haft, a heavy head, a nasty spike on top. â€Å"Pretend you're splitting logs,† Bronn said, drawing his longsword from the scabbard across his back. He spat, and trotted off to form up beside Chiggen and Ser Rodrik. Ser Willis mounted up to join them, fumbling with his helmet, a metal pot with a thin slit for his eyes and a long black silk plume. â€Å"Logs don't bleed,† Tyrion said to no one in particular. He felt naked without armor. He looked around for a rock and ran over to where Marillion was hiding. â€Å"Move over.† â€Å"Go away!† the boy screamed back at him. â€Å"I'm a singer, I want no part of this fight!† â€Å"What, lost your taste for adventure?† Tyrion kicked at the youth until he slid over, and not a moment too soon. A heartbeat later, the riders were on them. There were no heralds, no banners, no horns nor drums, only the twang of bowstrings as Morrec and Lharys let fly, and suddenly the clansmen came thundering out of the dawn, lean dark men in boiled leather and mismatched armor, faces hidden behind barred halfhelms. In gloved hands were clutched all manner of weapons: longswords and lances and sharpened scythes, spiked clubs and daggers and heavy iron mauls. At their head rode a big man in a striped shadowskin cloak, armed with a two-handed greatsword. Ser Rodrik shouted â€Å"Winterfell!† and rode to meet him, with Bronn and Chiggen beside him, screaming some wordless battle cry. Ser Willis Wode followed, swinging a spiked morningstar around his head. â€Å"Harrenhal! Harrenhal!† he sang. Tyrion felt a sudden urge to leap up, brandish his axe, and boom out, â€Å"Casterly Rock!† but the insanity passed quickly and he crouched down lower. He heard the screams of frightened horses and the crash of metal on metal. Chiggen's sword raked across the naked face of a mailed rider, and Bronn plunged through the clansmen like a whirlwind, cutting down foes right and left. Ser Rodrik hammered at the big man in the shadowskin cloak, their horses dancing round each other as they traded blow for blow. Jyck vaulted onto a horse and galloped bareback into the fray. Tyrion saw an arrow sprout from the throat of the man in the shadowskin cloak. When he opened his mouth to scream, only blood came out. By the time he fell, Ser Rodrik was fighting someone else. Suddenly Marillion shrieked, covering his head with his woodharp as a horse leapt over their rock. Tyrion scrambled to his feet as the rider turned to come back at them, hefting a spiked maul. Tyrion swung his axe with both hands. The blade caught the charging horse in the throat with a meaty thunk, angling upward, and Tyrion almost lost his grip as the animal screamed and collapsed. He managed to wrench the axe free and lurch clumsily out of the way. Marillion was less fortunate. Horse and rider crashed to the ground in a tangle on top of the singer. Tyrion danced back in while the brigand's leg was still pinned beneath his fallen mount, and buried the axe in the man's neck, just above the shoulder blades. As he struggled to yank the blade loose, he heard Marillion moaning under the bodies. â€Å"Someone help me,† the singer gasped. â€Å"Gods have mercy, I'm bleeding.† â€Å"I believe that's horse blood,† Tyrion said. The singer's hand came crawling out from beneath the dead animal, scrabbling in the dirt like a spider with five legs. Tyrion put his heel on the grasping fingers and felt a satisfying crunch. â€Å"Close your eyes and pretend you're dead,† he advised the singer before he hefted the axe and turned away. After that, things ran together. The dawn was full of shouts and screams and heavy with the scent of blood, and the world had turned to chaos. Arrows hissed past his ear and clattered off the rocks. He saw Bronn unhorsed, fighting with a sword in each hand. Tyrion kept on the fringes of the fight, sliding from rock to rock and darting out of the shadows to hew at the legs of passing horses. He found a wounded clansman and left him dead, helping himself to the man's halfhelm. It fit too snugly, but Tyrion was glad of any protection at all. Jyck was cut down from behind while he sliced at a man in front of him, and later Tyrion stumbled over Kurleket's body. The pig face had been smashed in with a mace, but Tyrion recognized the dirk as he plucked it from the man's dead fingers. He was sliding it through his belt when he heard a woman's scream. Catelyn Stark was trapped against the stone face of the mountain with three men around her, one still mounted and the other two on foot. She had a dagger clutched awkwardly in her maimed hands, but her back was to the rock now and they had penned her on three sides. Let them have the bitch, Tyrion thought, and welcome to her, yet somehow he was moving. He caught the first man in the back of the knee before they even knew he was there, and the heavy axehead split flesh and bone like rotten wood. Logs that bleed, Tyrion thought inanely as the second man came for him. Tyrion ducked under his sword, lashed out with the axe, the man reeled backward . . . and Catelyn Stark stepped up behind him and opened his throat. The horseman remembered an urgent engagement elsewhere and galloped off suddenly. Tyrion looked around. The enemy were all vanquished or vanished. Somehow the fighting had ended when he wasn't looking. Dying horses and wounded men lay all around, screaming or moaning. To his vast astonishment, he was not one of them. He opened his fingers and let the axe thunk to the ground. His hands were sticky with blood. He could have sworn they had been fighting for half a day, but the sun seemed scarcely to have moved at all. â€Å"Your first battle?† Bronn asked later as he bent over Jyck's body, pulling off his boots. They were good boots, as befit one of Lord Tywin's men; heavy leather, oiled and supple, much finer than what Bronn was wearing. Tyrion nodded. â€Å"My father will be so proud,† he said. His legs were cramping so badly he could scarcely stand. Odd, he had never once noticed the pain during the battle. â€Å"You need a woman now,† Bronn said with a glint in his black eyes. He shoved the boots into his saddlebag. â€Å"Nothing like a woman after a man's been blooded, take my word.† Chiggen stopped looting the corpses of the brigands long enough to snort and lick his lips. Tyrion glanced over to where Lady Stark was dressing Ser Rodrik's wounds. â€Å"I'm willing if she is,† he said. The freeriders broke into laughter, and Tyrion grinned and thought, There's a start. Afterward he knelt by the stream and washed the blood off his face in water cold as ice. As he limped back to the others, he glanced again at the slain. The dead clansmen were thin, ragged men, their horses scrawny and undersized, with every rib showing. What weapons Bronn and Chiggen had left them were none too impressive. Mauls, clubs, a scythe . . . He remembered the big man in the shadowskin cloak who had dueled Ser Rodrik with a two-handed greatsword, but when he found his corpse sprawled on the stony ground, the man was not so big after all, the cloak was gone, and Tyrion saw that the blade was badly notched, its cheap steel spotted with rust. Small wonder the clansmen had left nine bodies on the ground. They had only three dead; two of Lord Bracken's men-at-arms, Kurleket and Mohor, and his own man Jyck, who had made such a bold show with his bareback charge. A fool to the end, Tyrion thought. â€Å"Lady Stark, I urge you to press on, with all haste,† Ser Willis Wode said, his eyes scanning the ridgetops warily through the slit in his helm. â€Å"We drove them off for the moment, but they will not have gone far.† â€Å"We must bury our dead, Ser Willis,† she said. â€Å"These were brave men. I will not leave them to the crows and shadowcats.† â€Å"This soil is too stony for digging,† Ser Willis said. â€Å"Then we shall gather stones for cairns.† â€Å"Gather all the stones you want,† Bronn told her, â€Å"but do it without me or Chiggen. I've better things to do than pile rocks on dead men . . . breathing, for one.† He looked over the rest of the survivors. â€Å"Any of you who hope to be alive come nightfall, ride with us.† â€Å"My lady, I fear he speaks the truth,† Ser Rodrik said wearily. The old knight had been wounded in the fight, a deep gash in his left arm and a spear thrust that grazed his neck, and he sounded his age. â€Å"If we linger here, they will be on us again for a certainty, and we may not live through a second attack.† Tyrion could see the anger in Catelyn's face, but she had no choice. â€Å"May the gods forgive us, then. We will ride at once.† There was no shortage of horses now. Tyrion moved his saddle to Jyck's spotted gelding, who looked strong enough to last another three or four days at least. He was about to mount when Lharys stepped up and said, â€Å"I'll take that dirk now, dwarf.† â€Å"Let him keep it.† Catelyn Stark looked down from her horse. â€Å"And see that he has his axe back as well. We may have need of it if we are attacked again.† â€Å"You have my thanks, lady,† Tyrion said, mounting up. â€Å"Save them,† she said curtly. â€Å"I trust you no more than I did before.† She was gone before he could frame a reply. Tyrion adjusted his stolen helm and took the axe from Bronn. He remembered how he had begun the journey, with his wrists bound and a hood pulled down over his head, and decided that this was a definite improvement. Lady Stark could keep her trust; so long as he could keep the axe, he would count himself ahead in the game. Ser Willis Wode led them out. Bronn took the rear, with Lady Stark safely in the middle, Ser Rodrik a shadow beside her. Marillion kept throwing sullen looks back at Tyrion as they rode. The singer had broken several ribs, his woodharp, and all four fingers on his playing hand, yet the day had not been an utter loss to him; somewhere he had acquired a magnificent shadowskin cloak, thick black fur slashed by stripes of white. He huddled beneath its folds silently, and for once had nothing to say. They heard the deep growls of shadowcats behind them before they had gone half a mile, and later the wild snarling of the beasts fighting over the corpses they had left behind. Marillion grew visibly pale. Tyrion trotted up beside him. â€Å"Craven,† he said, â€Å"rhymes nicely with raven.† He kicked his horse and moved past the singer, up to Ser Rodrik and Catelyn Stark. She looked at him, lips pressed tightly together. â€Å"As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted,† Tyrion began, â€Å"there is a serious flaw in Littlefinger's fable. Whatever you may believe of me, Lady Stark, I promise you this—I never bet against my family.†

Functions of Management Essay

Great managers are fair and respectful to employees. They don’t ask employees to do anything they would not do themselves. They show up on time, and they are a good role model who leads by example. Great managers are honest and accept their faults, and they are able to publicly admit when they are wrong. Great manager is someone who is a good listener and is proactive in dealing with issues and not afraid to get in the trenches with his or her coworkers. A great manager leads workers, but at the same time does not generate resentment by being too bossy. A great manager builds close connections with the people they supervise. A great manager recognizes employees for their contributions at work. This is one of the surest ways to secure employee loyalty and earn the perception that you are smart enough to understand that you don’t know everything. Recognition and rewards do not typically need to be monetary. In most cases, simple public recognition is all that is required. Recognition nurtures the soul, it feels good, and it stimulates a desire to repeat positive behavior at work. great manager is approachable and possesses a likeable personality. Moreover, a great manager has a sense of humor about the world and themselves. And a great manager understands that they need to manage systems, but more importantly they need to manage the way they relate to their employees. I haven’t seen nor work for an ineffective manager. An ineffective manager can make workers of all levels miserable, which can result in low employee morale, stress, and turnover. Why are some managers ineffective? It could be because these managers define themselves only as a manager, and not also as a leader because managers try to plan, organize, and coordinate, and leaders aim to inspire and motivate. They may view leadership and management as two different entities, when in reality leadership and management need to go hand-in-hand. – The management does meaningful work in a culture of respect, camaraderie and teamwork. They begin by analyzing the culture to establish a benchmark, then measure progress regularly. Determine what matters most to your employees; Meaningful work, Recognition, Respect for management, Communications, and Empowerment. Acknowledging individual differences, they maximize individual strengths. They commit to continuous improvement. Management must place as high a priority on employee satisfaction as it does on customer satisfaction, quality, financials and other strategic performance measures.

Montessori method of education Essay

Dr. Maria Montessori is the founder of the Montessori method of education. She started her first classroom â€Å"Casa dei Bambini† or Children’s House in 1907. Montessori method of education stresses the importance of respecting children – â€Å"Help me to help myself†. Montessori education celebrates its 100th year in 2007. The goals of a Montessori education were to develop sensory training, language acquisition, arithmetic, physical education, practical life skills and abstract thought through the teaching of the whole child and the integration of the family into the early education system. Montessori began her educational experiences by working with special needs children. At the time of Montessori, special needs children were thought of as a â€Å"lost cause†. They could not learn how to become members of society because intelligence was fixed. She strongly opposed to the perceptions on cognitive abilities of these children at the time, and believed that they could learn how to become members of society through special teaching techniques that utilized sensory education and hands-on experience. Her aim was to teach children academics through practical life experiences and to â€Å"†¦to develop the whole personality of the child through motor, sensory, and intellectual activity† (Hainstock, 1997, 35). Montessori – The Montessori classroom is a meticulously prepared environment designed specifically to meet the needs of the child both physically and emotionally. One aspect of the prepared environment includes the Practical Life activities. Many Practical Life activities are tasks the child sees routinely performed in the home. They each serve a meaningful purpose as the child masters each piece of work such as tying shoes, pouring water, sweeping, or sewing and cooking. Through Practical Life activities, a child will also develop and refine social skills. These skills developed through Practical Life build self-esteem, determination and independence. The student learns to take care of him and the surrounding environment. Maria Montessori explains in, The Discovery of the Child, â€Å"Through practical life exercises of this sort the children develop a true  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœsocial feeling,’ for they are working in the environment of the community in which they live† (5, pg. 97). Additionally, fine motor skills are improved through use of the Practical Life materials. Through repeated tasks which enable a child to refine concentration, coordination, independence, and order, a child’s sense of self-worth grows. The Practical Life skills are an essential component in the Montessori classroom. Not only do they provide a link between home and school for the new Montessori student, but they provide a foundation for life-long love of While appearing quite simple and repetitive, Practical Life activities are highly purposeful. A child engaged in such activities demonstrates high levels of concentration, sense of order, and refinement of fine motor skills. Also, they show a sense of independence through caring for oneself and the environment. Furthermore, they show respect for classmates and teachers and develop a sense of pride. Not only are these skills and qualities necessary to progress in the Montessori classroom, but they are also needed as an individual develops into adulthood. Practical Life activities can be divided into six main categories. First, are Preliminary Exercises which assist in creating routine and order in the environment and are prerequisites for other activities. How to a roll a mat, carry a chair, or how to open and close a door are examples of Preliminary Exercises. Practical life exercises also include Fundamental Skills such as pouring, spooning, or tonging. As with all lessons in the Montessori classroom, these activities follow a sequential order and ideally, each lesson builds upon the last. Another category is Care of Self. Activities such as washing hands, buttoning, or tying shoelaces assist the child to become physically independent. Care of Environment is another category involving activities such as sweeping, watering, cleaning, etc. Control of Movement is an area of Practical Life which encompasses lessons such as walking the Line and the Silence Game. Additionally, social Grace and Courtesy lessons are introduced to the child. These may include lessons on how to say please and thank you, interrupting someone, or introducing friends and acquaintances. Montessori stressed the relationship of these exercises to the general happiness and well being of the child. â€Å"A child who becomes a master of his acts through long and repeated exercises [of  practical life], and who has been encouraged by the pleasant and interesting activities in which he has been engaged, is a child filled with health and joy and remarkable for his calmness and discipline† (The Discovery the Child, 5, pg. 93). Varying types of presentations can be used by the teacher to introduce Practical Life activities. First is a collective introduction given the children at once. This could include proper table manners, how to interrupt someone, how to speak with an inside voice, or how to turn the page of a book. Another method is a group presentation given to a small gathering of children. The last method of introduction is Individual, given only to one child at a time. Montessori believed the prepared environment is directly correlated to the child’s development. The classroom is a specifically designed area arranged solely for the children. There should be a variety of movement and activity and all work operates together through the disciplines. Montessori also believed in the importance of aesthetically pleasing classrooms. Children respond well to beauty, order, and quality in their environment. Through the Practical Life activities in the Montessori classroom, a child not only learns concentration, coordination, independence and order, but also how to interact with others and gain an understanding and appreciation of the environment. The child begins to build himself from within while learning to treat him and others with respect and dignity. These understandings ultimately prepare the child for entry into society and a lifetime of self-respect and self-worthiness. Practical Life activities in the Montessori classroom ultimately provide the foundation for success in all areas of life. Movement – Montessori said- â€Å"one of the greatest mistakes of our day is to think of movement by itself, as something apart from the higher functions†(The absorbent mind, pg 151) – it is not equally clear as to how scientists and teachers have failed to note the supreme importance of activity in the  building up of the man to man be! It was during the time of Dr Maria Montessori who felt it was time to emphasize more on â€Å"movement† in educational theory – Mental development must be connected with movement. Like man’s nervous system is divided into three parts- Brain Sense organs- collect impression and pass them to the brain Muscles – the nerves transmits nervous energy to the muscles and this energy controls the movements of the muscles. Movement is the final result to which the working of all these delicate mechanisms leads up and it is because of movement that personality can express itself(The absorbent mind, pg 148)! The great philosophers must use speech or writing to convey his ideas and this involves muscular movement. What would be the value of his thoughts if he gave them no expression? This he can only do by making use of his muscles. Psychologists regard the muscles as a part of the central nervous system (works as a whole to put man in relation with his surroundings) and this whole apparatus of Brain ,Senses and Muscles is called – the system of relationship- it puts man in touch with his world (living or non living and with other people) and without its help a man could have no contact with his surroundings or his fellows. The vegetative systems only help their owner to grow and exist. It is the system of relationship which puts him into contact with the world! There is nothing in the world which plays no part in the universal economy, and if we are endowed with spiritual riches, with aesthetic feelings and a refined conscience, it is not for ourselves, but so that these gifts shall be used for the benefit of all, and take their place in the universal economy of spiritual life. Nature has given us many abilities and these must be developed and used. We know that for the enjoyment of good health, heart, lungs and stomache must all work together. We must apply the same rule to the system of relationship, the central nervous system†¦..if we have a brain, sense organs and muscles, all these must cooperate. The system must exert itself in all its parts, none of them being neglected for example we want to excel in brain power but to succeed in this we must include the other sides too. To perfect any giv en activity â€Å"movement† will be needed as the last stage of the cycle. In other words a higher spirituality can be reached only through action and this is the point  of view from which movement has to be judged. one of the greatest mistakes of our day is to think of movement by itself, as something apart from the higher functions, we think of our muscles as organs to be used only for health purposes. We â€Å"take exercise† or do â€Å"gymnastics† to keep ourselves fit, to make us breathe or to eat or sleep better. It is an error which has been taken over by the schools .It is just as though a great prince were being made the servant of the shepherd. The prince – the muscular system –is only being used to help the vegetative life. Such assumptions will lead to enquiry†¦there comes about a separation between the life of movement and the life of thought. Since the child has a body and mind both, games must be included in the curriculum so as to avoid neglecting any part of nature’s provision. To keep thinking abou t the mind on one hand and the body on other hand is to break the continuity that should reign between them. This keeps action away from thought. The true purpose of movement is to serve the ends of existence – that is the development of the mind(The absorbent mind, pg 151). All movement has most intricate and delicate machinery, but in man none of it is established at birth. It has to be formed and perfected by the child’s activity in the world. Movement and activity are natural functions of childhood and learning comes through them .Activity becomes increasingly important to development. It is the movement that starts the intellect working†¦ Till now all educators have thought of movement and the muscular system as aids to respiration, or to circulation, or as a means of building up physical strengthen our new conception the view is taken that movement has great importance in mental development itself, provided that the action which occurs is connected with the mental activity going on. Both mental and spiritual growth are fostered by this, without which neither maximum progress nor maximum health (speaking of the mind) can exist. A child is a discoverer. He is an amorphous splendid being in search of his own form. For example in the development of speech, we see a growing power of understanding go side by side with an extended use of those muscles by which he forms sounds and words. Observations made on children – the world overconfirms that the child uses his movements to extend his understanding. Movement helps in development of mind and this finds renewed expression in further movement and activity(The absorbent mind, pg 154). The child gains experience through exercises and movement. He coordinates his own movement  and records the emotions he experiences in coming into contact with the external world. The importance of physical activity or movement in a psychic development should be emphasized. The child has an internal power to bring about cordinations, which he creates himself, and once these have begun to exist he goes on perfecting them by practice. He himself is clearly one of the principal creative factors in thei r production. The movements the child acquires are not chosen haphazardly but are fixed. In the sense that each proceeds out of a particular period of development. When the child begins to move, his mind being able to absorb, has already taken in his surroundings. He Is directed by a mysterious power, great and wonderful that he incarnates little by little. In this way, he becomes a man. He does it with his hands, by experience, first in play then through work. The hands are the instruments of man’s intelligence. He constructs his mind step by step till it becomes possessed of memory, the power to understand and the ability to think. â€Å"The child’s mind can acquire culture at a much earlier age than is generally supposed, but his way of taking in knowledge is by certain kinds of activity which involves movement†¦.†(Montessori notes) It is very interesting to study the mechanical development of movement, not only because of its intricacy but because each of the phases it passes through is clearly visible. Man’s foot can be studied from three points of view: the psysiological, the biological and the anatomical and all of them are most interesting. The hand is in direct connection with the man’s soul, but also with different ways of life that men have adopted on the earth in different places and at different times. The skills of man’s hand are bound up with the development of his mind, and in the light of history we see it connected with the development of civilization. The hands of man express his thought and from the time of his first appearance upon the earth traces of his handiwork also appear in the records of history. Hence, the development of manual skill keeps pace with mental development. We are told that St. Francis of Assisi – perhaps the simplest and purest of human souls used to say – â€Å"Look at these great hills! They are the walls of our temple and the aspiration of our hearts!†(The absorbent mind, pg 163) The truth is that when a free spirit exists, it has to materialize itself in some form of work and for this hands are needed. (The absorbent mind, pg 163) The hand are connected with mental life, allows the mind to reveal itself and enables the  whole being to enter into special relationship with its environment. His hands under the guidance of his intellect transform this environment and thus enable him to fulfill his mission in the world. The education of the movements is very complex, as it must correspond to all coordinated movements which the child has to establish in his physiological organism. The child if left without guidance is disorderly in his movements and these disorderly movements are the special characteristics of the little child. The child is seeking the exercises in these movements which will organize and coordinate the movements that are useful to a man. The child follows direction/instructions and if his movements are made a little definite then the child grows quiet and contended and becomes an active worker, a being calm and full of joy. This education of movements is one of the principal factors in producing t hat outward appearance of â€Å"discipline† to be found in the â€Å"children’s house†.(Montessori notes) Importance of movement:- Movement leads to: Muscle development, both fine and gross – need freedom for movement to take place Stimulates the mind Stimulates the senses Develops concentration Develops independence Develops confidence (through agility/balance and co-ordination) Develops discipline and will Develops language Leads to normalization Results in a healthy body and mind Emotional and intellectual development through movement:- Emotions are the affecting mental stages, organized by external ideas of situations and always act while accompanied by bodily and mental excitement. However, when we talk about emotional development in children, we find that children show a wide range of emotional reactions. Sometimes they are excited and exuberant and at other times they are depressed and sullen and some other time they are just angry, throwing tantrums. We find various shades of emotions in them even at an early age. The word emotion originates  from the Latin word â€Å" Emovere† which means to be excited. So, an emotion implies that state of mind which excites a person when man is influenced by emotion he gets excited and his natural state of equilibrium is lost. Pattern of emotional development – if we have to understand the emotions of a child of school age, it is essential to take into consideration his emotional development during the early years. Sometimes, newly born infants behave as though they are violently aroused. If such vigorous behavior means the intensity of his feelings, then we must conclude that emotional experiences can be as intense during this early period as at any later stage of growth. Again we see that a new born child is relatively unresponsive to many stimuli which are likely to arouse him in later stages. Children are capable of rich and varied emotional experiences in the course of their development till they are adults. Children from birth to 2 years go through a variety of emotions and goes through many emotional experiences that may influence his attitude towards life. Studies show that at birth there are general excitements mostly concerning his hunger and comforts, after 2-3 months the child shows definite signs of distress along with delight. By 6 months with his exposure of different kinds of stimuli the child starts showing other shades of emotions like distress or discomforts develops into fear, disgust and anger. With the satisfaction of his needs he feels delighted and by the time child completes one year this delight differentiates itself from affection. the child recognizes emotions in others and responds to it clearly. But his emotions are not so strong as regard to joy and happiness when he turns one as they are at the age of 2.Therefore we conclude that by the end of 2nd year the child has already developed various emotions and feelings. Factors affecting emotional development – There are many factors that affect the emotional development among children, the major ones are – Fatigue – tired and exhausted child Ill health Order of birth Intelligence Environment Parental attitudes The child’s emotions are still pure of contrasts. He loves because he takes in, because nature orders him to do so. And what he takes and absorbs to make it a part of his own life, so as to create his own being(The secret of childhood, pg 80). The child follows the grownups and the words of a grownup are supernatural stimuli. The child is enchanted and fascinated by his actions and words. What the grown up tells him remains engraved in his mind like words incised by a chisel on a stone. The adult should count and measure all his words before the child, for the child is hungry to take from him, he is an accumulator of love. The developing child not only acquires the faculties of man: strength, intelligence, language, but at the same time, he adapts the being he is constructing to the conditions of the world about him. The child has a different relation to his environment from ours. The things he sees are not just remembered; they form part of his soul. He incarnates in himself all in the world about him that his eyes see and his ears hear. In us the same things produce no change but a child is transformed by them. This vital kind of memory which absorbs is called â€Å" Mneme†. In this process of absorption, learning,acquiring,adapting the child is constructing not only physically but emotionally or psychic as well. The moment the child understands his environment he learns to work and adapt to it and then further wants to master in it which leads to modifications accordingly. In this complete process the following emotions are built; Self esteem Confidence Feeling of capability Sense of achievement Thus, children enjoy process not purpose! The distinct difference between man and animal – Montessori tends to adopt a different standpoint from many modern psychologists. Most of the psychologists place great emphasis upon the â€Å"inherited tendencies to behavior† which man has in common with animals. They maintain that everything we do is based on the instinctive urges of human act.Thus; the love of knowledge is but the sublimated instinct of curiosity. For Montessori, she believes that man differs from animal creation not only in degree but also in kind. She states that the most significant thing about  the child development is not instinctive tendencies that are in common with animals, but the capacity to reason which distinguishes us from them. Here, she is not trying to deny or belittle the significances of their findings, but she is saying that these elementary psychic forces are only a part of the question and a lesser part, her conviction is – â€Å"Animals have merely to awaken their instincts towards their specified behavior and their psychic life is limited to this. But in man there is other fact –the creation of human intelligence (Montessori, notes). Unlike man, one can predict the behavior of animals, whereas for man, what he will do in the future, no one can tell. â€Å"For man there is no limit†(Montessori notes). Man is a rational animal to be most â€Å"like to God† whose image we are made. Man alone possesses â€Å"that capable and god-like reason which enables us to do what no animals has ever achieved –i.e. to rise to a consciousness of our being i.e. self consciousness, to the knowledge that â€Å"I am I†. It is with this gift of reason or intellect as foundation that we are able to build our individual characters. How soon does a child begin to reason? According to Montessori, it begins as early as a baby where the child starts from nothing. Its reason revolves round his internal working like a little bud, developing and assuming concrete form from the images it absorbs from the environment. According to Montessori at her lecture in 1944, it was stated that the first year of a child’s life is the period where greatest psychic activity can develop by the human being. This is evident because we know that the brain is one thing that is active during the first y ear. That the reason why the head of a one year old has doubled in size since its born. At the third year, its brain is already half that of the adult- at four years eight –tenths of its ultimate size. Montessori further elaborated that it is during the first period that the human being grows principally in intelligence: the rest of its growth during this period, being subordinate to this developing psychic life. The three characteristics we can observe about a child during this period are – The child creates his own mind –Since intelligence is what distinguishes man from all other animals, the first characteristic is the creation of intelligence. As said before he first constructs himself by absorbing everything from the environment by his unconscious mind. With these multitudinous impressions, the child continues  to build his conscious intelligence. Montessori said ; to build up this conscious intelligence, the work of the hand plays an important and essential pa rt. The intelligence builds its own instrument –Second fact is while constructing his own intelligence he also begins to construct his own bodily instruments of expression. The child’s power of movement will develop in subordination to this superior aim i.e. of psychic development. Its activity will not be confined within the narrow limits of instinctive behavior, but will function as an instrument of a free moral agent. His eternal destiny is placed within his own hands. Marvelous adaptive powers of the child –The third characteristic of this period, are the marvelous adaptive power possessed by the child. Montessori illustrated this point by comparing man to animals. Example – if a cat is born in France, England or India, it would meow just the same way wherever it grows up. However for a child he will speak French in France, English in England and Hindi or any other dialect in India. This is because of its â€Å"inner construction†. Movement and mental assimilation leads to integration of personality – The child constructs himself through movement .The value of movement goes deeper that just helping in acquisition of knowledge. It involves the development of child’s personality -in 1st year baby establishes his physical his physical development through movement. He learns to use his limbs and whole body to carry out movements such as crawling, standing and walking and sometimes running. In the next few years he refines his gross motor skills through movement. He continues to develop his fine motor skills through activities that involve movements. As the child interacts with his environment, he absorbs the environment into his psychic life. Through repeated use of materials in the environment he learns to compare, discriminate, differentiate and judge the qualities of the materials. As the child gains experience through exercises and movements, he co-ordinates his own movement and records the emotions he experienced in coming into contact with the external world. He learns self help skills, taking and sharing. This is the social and emotional development of the child. It is also not sufficient to allow children to learn without giving him the opportunity to work or explore with the materials. When children work with the materials, it involves creative movement. When teaching children, it is not sufficient for them to hear the things which we wish him to learn. â€Å"We must give no more to eye & ear than we give to the hand†(Montessori notes) For example, in teaching children ,the idea of dimension, it is no good to show them a diagram of objects of various sizes, instead we need to provide children with concrete materials such as the knobbed cylinder, pink tower, brown stairs, long rods and knobbles cylinders. They must be given the opportunity to explore and experiment with the materials. This is so with all Montessori materials whether it is the four operations in arithmetic, parts of speech or learning of lands and water. It always involves movement. The child as an individual presents two aspects –the center and the periphery. The center is seen as the innermost citadel of the personality from which action proceeds .At this center the child increases his mental powers by seeking out sensation and movement which takes place at the second part of his personality i.e at the periphery. The periphery is that part of the child’s personality which comes in contact with the external world .It involves the senses, movements and the outward manifestations of his choice. Through continuous interaction of the center and the periphery, the mind of the child develops and expands. The directress should be concerned with the periphery as it is that part of the child that is accessible to her. The other methods of teaching aims at getting to the center directly. The teacher’s business is to feed the periphery. The teacher prepares the environment that meets the child’s inner needs and in his exploration of the materials, he abstracts ideas from them. As both center and periphery interacts, the child builds his mind. The objects in the environment cannot be chosen at random. Each material possesses an idea or concept to be realized, not to be announced by the teacher. At the child explore with the materials, this concept/idea become presented. In practice, we often find that even if the directress has prepared the  environment and presented the materials to the children, there do not seem to be a click of the center and the periphery. The child does not seem to be interested and his act seems to be in a disorderly manner. According to Montessori, the answer to this missing link is the â€Å"Point of Contact†. To explain this, Montessori used the example of teaching the appreciation of music. If the teacher tries to play music morning till night and children are allowed to move about to move about anyhow and anywhere in a disorderly manner, there is a lack of contact. To resolve this problem, the muscles, which move, should move in response to the musical rhythm thus establishing a psychic bridge between the soul of the child and the external reality of music. The moment the child understands that there exists the connection (i.e between the music and his movement), then the point of contact is established. So if the music changes its rhythm, then the child becomes aware of it and changes his movement accordingly, and he is on the road to perfect himself. This reality may be either material or spiritual; but movement must always accompany the child at any rate. Let’s look at an example to understand how the point of contact helps development. In their presenting of the sensorial materials, children were given new sounds, new shapes etc.The main purpose of it is not just bring new sounds, new shapes but to bring order into this new impression. The difficulty or the error that the child is to discover and understand must be isolated in a single piece of material. For example the long rods will present to the child only a variation in length and not in colour and design. Such isolation will help child focus on the problem more readily. It is through this method, that it leads the child to be interested in dimension, and develop him to observe them in the world around. Montessori calls her material â€Å"keys to the Universe† –it is important to constantly remember that it is through this point of contact limited and exactly but real work, helps the child to summon the mind to wonder at large in fantasy to something real which opens up a new pathway. With younger children, however, it was observed that the exercises in practical life will play an important part, but always the point of contact will be established through movement. An example was to get up from a chair and carry it from one place to another without any sound. The children would  be presented this concept of self perfection and would seek to do the same as it corresponds to his soul. Again, we see the truth of Montessori’s maxim that â€Å"education begins through movement†.

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The Philippine Revolution of 1896 - Essay Example To begin with, Joaquin (36) argues that the main reason why the uprising commenced was as a result of Aguinaldo’s success in the battlefield. He makes it clear that the defeat of Bonifacio dampened the spirits of the rebels and they subsequently quit and returned to their homes. It was the success of Aguinaldo that made them take up arms again and join the revolt. Therefore, the revolution would have died were it not for the successes of Aguinaldo. On the other hand, Ileto states that the Kaputinan led by Bonifacio started the revolution to free themselves from oppression. Bonifacio’s followers were made up of the lower classes such as the blue-collar workers while Aguinaldo’s faction was made up of the educated middle class. Even after his (Aguinaldo) surrender, the masses under the Katipunan continued to wage guerrilla warfare. In light of this, it is clear that they both agreed that no significant revolutionary or event has ever succeeded without the active support and involvement of the masses or involvement of different social classes. Thus, the Philippines revolution was pushed forward mainly by the masses (Ilustrados, provincial gentry, urban office workers, the urban working class, peasants) (Joaquin 36). But unlike Bonifacio, Aguinaldo did not realize the decisive role the masses had from the onset. It is only after his defeat that he came to acknowledge this concept. Even though the guerilla’s economic development was inferior compared to its oppressors, they succeeded and won major battles by only relying on the inexhaustible and vast power of the masses, arousing their freedom and revolutionary positiveness to annihilate the Spanish.  

Technology Impact on Retail Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Technology Impact on Retail - Research Paper Example Telephone, fax, and non-cash payment systems such as credit cards have existed for quite some time. However, the introduction of computers and internet has changed the face of retail industry in America immensely. Internet related technologies have revolutionized the retail sector like no other technology before. Instead of cash payments, credit card payment systems started to conquer the retail sector in America. Moreover, online purchasing started to dominate offline purchasing as a result of the introduction of new technologies. Amazon, Ebay etc like online retailers started to dominate American retail industry in recent time at the expense of many of the prominent offline retailers. Skorupa (2012) mentioned that Amazon’s forecasted revenue for 2012 is $60 billion (Skorupa, 2012). eBay is also not far behind. The popularity of online retail business forced offline retailers such as Wal-Mart to expand their operation in virtual world. This paper analyses the impacts of techn ology in American retail sector. Technology in American retail sector Internet technologies are being employed at every stage in the retail industry in America at present. Majority of the consumers are using credit cards for paying their bills even though the concerns about credit card forgery like crimes are there. Modern internet technologies are capable of reducing the threats from credit card forgeries up to certain extent which encourage people to increase their cashless transactions in retail sector further. Earlier, it was difficult for retailers to manage their supply chain effectively because of lack of communication channels or ineffectiveness of existing communication channels. However, at present supply chain management in retail industry have been improved a lot with the introduction of internet related technologies. It is easy for the supply chain managers to know the actual inventory of goods at a particular place with the help of a finger touch. Earlier, the informat ion supplied by the managers of the retail shops was used by the supply chain managers to know the inventory of a particular product in a shop. At present, supply chain managers need not wait till the information reaches their table from the retail shop mangers to know these details. Selling statistics of different goods from different shops may reach the table of supply chain manager at the very moment of selling of certain item. For example, a retail shop owner needs to register the details of the customer at the time of selling of Samsung/Apple mobile phones. Thus the supply chain managers will get the information about the present inventory of an item in a particular store any time they want. Current customers have more shopping choices like brick & mortar stores and e-shops. â€Å"Brick & Mortar stores refers to retail shops that are located in a building as opposed to an online shopping destination, door-to-door sales, kiosk or other similar site not housed within a structure †(Waters, 2012). One of the major drawbacks of online retailing is the inability of purchasers to get the physical presence of the product. Brick & Mortar stores help consumers to get the physical presence of the product before they take any purchasing decisions. Ghemawat & Nueno (2006) pointed out that current inventory management systems are leaner due to better forecasting and communication tools. They cited Spanish retailer Zara as an

Leading Figures in American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leading Figures in American History - Essay Example Benjamin Rush - Monticello, Sep. 23, 1800) perfectly reveal his visionary ideas. He believed in an ever changing society, in the power of every new generation to make better laws, better constitutions, he believed in a form of progress which can only become possible if the man has the freedom of thinking and expressing ideas. If he came to our century he would realize that he had given America an identity and drafted the individuality of this nation. The Declaration has been the foundation on which his descendents continue to build the dream. Benjamin Franklin was acknowledged by many writers as a "versatile genius "as he had notable achievements in many areas. He was prolific not only in writing, but also in science, as he invented The Franklin stove, bifocals, a flexible catheter and the lightning rod. As a statesman and politician he is known as the only person who signed three major documents in the American history: the Declaration of Independence, the peace treaty with Britain, and the Constitution. He would proudly read his ideas and principles in today's Constitution, the most important book in the American legislation, to the writing of which he actively participated almost 250 years ago. Frederick Douglass, another remarkable figure in the American history, once said: "What was possible for me is possible for you. Do not think because you are colored you cannot accomplish anythingSo long as you remain in ignorance, so long will you fail to command the respect of your fellow men." He was a freethinker who really believed in the power of knowledge and fought for equal rights among all people, becoming a leader in the abolitionist movement and the first black citizen who hold a high rank in the American government. The present would offer him his envisioned perspective of this nation, where the Afro-Americans have equal rights, and unlimited, in any form, possibilities in the actual emancipated society.Abraham Lincoln had a difficult task to accomplish in leading the country through the Civil War. "With malice toward none, with charity for all" (Second Inaugural Address, Mar.4, 1865), he led his fight for the abolition of slavery. He spoke the words later, but they had been living in his dream long before they were expressed. Were he able to join us today, he would see a united nation, the greatest power in the world, who adopted his beliefs and struggles to act accordingly, by giving fair opportunities to all his people. Elizabeth Cady Stanton dedicated her life to the constant fight for women's rights especially for the right to vote. Gifted with a brilliant mind she had to suffer because she was born in a time when women had no right to receive proper education and had no political power. She struggled to put an end to this unjust situation, but unfortunately she died before her dream came true. Nevertheless, it did come true, 20 years after her death, and nowadays, America has a new, moral and ethical face to show to this brave freethinker. Her fight was not in vain, the American women won their right to express themselves not only in politics but in all other existing areas. These were the promoters of the freedom of thinking, they put the basis of a country where racial, sexual and religious discriminations no longer exist. Devoted to their dream, they would see it come true if the time machine drove them to the present, because

The Cold War and American Foreign Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Cold War and American Foreign Policy - Essay Example Two names more important than perhaps any other in terms of The United States foreign policy and its impact, position and effect in the Cold war are those of Paul Nitze and George Kennan, senior officials in the American administration, with sharply contradicting views and positions of strategy. Each had a highly contrasted sense of policy from the other, in terms of how the United States should take a stand towards the Cold War and what would be the most favorable policy for their victory and the Soviets’ defeat. These views and the lives of these two men are outlined in Nicholas Thompson’s book, The Hawk and The Dove, and are investigated in the paragraphs to follow, along with the question of who influenced American foreign policy more favorably and what effect it would have on the ultimate result of the Cold War. To outline their most fundamental disagreement in a nutshell, one believed in prevention and the other believed in action. One of them, Nitze, believed the ir strategy should be to surpass any limits of capability the soviets may hold them responsible for and then act on them, while the other, Kennan, believed to think like the soviets would, try to analyze their intentions and then counter or contain them until they themselves internally collapsed, known as his policy of containment. Kennan, who believed in the latter, was of the belief that the soviets were fundamentally weak and insecure and that it would not take much for them to collapse, assuming they were handled correctly. Nitze on the other hand was of the opposing view that the Soviets were fast gaining power and that Moscow would attain strategic superiority from the United States in a few years, which he hoped to counter before it occurred. Where Kennan believed that it just took to understand the Soviets’ intentions and thoughts to end the cold war, Nitze believed it took to understanding and surpassing their every capability. To understand how fundamentally differe nt the two men were, it is of interest to note that foreign policy aside, they even differed on their own country: Kennan condemned America for its vulgar culture, and its people for having a complacent and mediocre standard. Nitze on the other hand was convinced of America’s power and central hold on the world. Therefore, given their completely contrasting view, one ready to take the back-seat and one ready to accelerate with full force, they can both be said to sum up the two sides of a generation’s argument on the Cold War and America's foreign policy regarding it. Of course there were also many incidents where the two men, who were close friends, did agree, such as the Marshall Plan, or their stance on the American position in Vietnam, in which cases they tended to prove that they were quite correct in their judgment and often received favorable reaction. Nonetheless, those few times aside, they had different viewpoints at a primary and fundamental level, thereby m aking it more likely for them to disagree than agree. These differences however did not prevent them from seeking mutual benefit from each other’s policies. For example, Nitze extracted military benefit from Kennan’s theory of containment, by negotiating deals with Soviets regarding the United States military, and by keeping the military and its allies safe. Kennan on the other hand enjoyed a certain level of military and otherwise superiority from which to excise his policy of containment, thereby proving that each was necessary factor in American policy on the Cold War and that while each contradicted each other, it did not necessarily mean that they clashed with each other. Where the differences in their thinking arose from is of no mystery, as it was indeed early experience in the lives of both these men that were to shape them for the rest of their life. One’s experience with the Cold War, Nitze's, consisted of dealing with the live aftermath of a Nuclear W ar, on the scene

Organisations and behaviour Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Organisations and behaviour - Case Study Example , democracy, and laissez-faire as proposed by behavioral theorists1, however, the different leadership styles are currently considered to be transformational, transactional, or charismatic. Autocratic or authoritarian leadership style bestows all the decision-making powers solely on the leader, and motivation is achieved through rewards or punishments. However, for both at Egg and Taylor Woodrows workforce, this type of leadership may impact negatively on motivation of employees. Considering that the two companies both put a lot of emphasis on employee involvement, autocratic style leadership may not foster effectual communication, a tool highly and considerably associated with effective implementation of change. Democratic or participative leadership allows employees to get actively involved in decision-making processes by developing plans aimed at helping employees evaluate their performance. This form of leadership will particularly impact positively in regard to workforce motivation at Taylor Woodrow given that they already have a working Performance and Development Review in place. Moreover, participative leadership permits establishment of goals by the workforce, promotes growth on the job and promotions, and recognizes achievement. Therefore, during change implementation, participative or democratic leadership facilitates employee motivation, which in effect leads to improved organization performance and profitability. At Egg, democratic or participative leadership proves to be the most effective leadership style since the company puts a lot of emphasis on employee-management relationship, allowing employees to get involved in planning, performing, and achieving for themselves and the company in overall. Addition, the company’s strategic approach toward employee is anchored on a ‘know yourself, know your people’ concept that puts not only the targets of the company itself but also those of the workforce at the core of its operations. With the

This is not actually micro or macro the class is called Economics of Essay

This is not actually micro or macro the class is called Economics of developing countries - Essay Example This is because, poor people around the world seldom access financial services through the formal sector, and hence, they are forced to venture into informal financial dealings which are in the form of micro-finance services (Gulli 50). The history of Micro-finance dates back to hundreds of years. Credit corporations and lending unions have been in existence for many centuries. However, the pioneer of modern micro-finance is Dr. Mohammad Yunus, who in the 1970s started experimenting with the idea by using women in rural villages of Bangladesh. Yunus began lending affordable loans to the women, and they would later return at an interest. The women benefited from the loans because they were able to begin community projects that generated income for them. The profits enabled them to pay back the loans. Later in 1983, Yunus founded Grameen Bank, one of the world’s greatest micro-finance banks currently. Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 due to his efforts of improving the lives of poor women in Bangladesh. Innovation in micro-finance has continued over the years, and currently, it has been established that micro-finance solves economic problems of people in developing countries. Current estimates by the Wo rld Bank reveal that approximately 160 million people that live in developing countries benefit from micro-finance (Armendariz 67). Comprehensive studies have demonstrated that micro-finance indeed works. Research has shown that micro-finance continues to assist poor individuals in developing countries to meet basic requirements, and protects them from any potential risks. These financial services have enabled low income earners to improve their quality of life and enhance their enterprise stability. Most Micro-finance Institutions (MFIs) target women, for example, Grameen Bank targets Bangladeshi poor women. This is of benefit as it contributes to women empowerment, and ensures that

Explain the economic basis of African Slavery and its impact on the Essay

Explain the economic basis of African Slavery and its impact on the emerging nation - Essay Example At the time of slavery, cotton from the South comprised the majority of all cotton grown world wide. With the invention of the cotton gin, cotton could not be grown fast enough to meet the demand. Without slaves cotton production would have dramatically decreased, effecting not only the slave owners, but the pious abolitionists and everyone that wore cotton harvested by the slaves. This is just one example of slaves being cheap labor. Many other professions in the South were based on this cheap labor, such as housekeepers, ironsmiths, and various other jobs slaves worked at for fee. The second economic reason slavery lasted so long was the monetary value of each slave. Each slave cost from two hundred to two thousand dollars depending on gender and age. These prices are an example, different sales had different prices, but slaves had monetary value. Southern slave owners would complain that the government was taking valuable property if slaves were freed. Slave owners did not see slaves as humans with souls, but as property. The monetary value of a slave leads to the third economic reason slavery lasted so long. If slaves were freed, could the government afford it? Questions were raised such as who would pay slave owners for their loss? And who would give slaves money to start their new life as free in America? And lastly who would pay to have the slaves returned to Africa? Would slaves take jobs from whites? The North and the South were at loss concerning what to do once slaves were free. No one took into account that once the slaves were free that they would work for wages to be integrated into American society. The North and the South were overly concerned with the economic issues of slavery. Although the North had many people against slavery, many looked the other way because of the imported goods from the South because of the cheap labor of slaves. The United States government did not want

Declaration of Independence vs. Gettysburg Address Essay Example for Free

Declaration of Independence vs. Gettysburg Address Essay The Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address are glimpses into America’s history. They were written in two different time periods: America’s first years in 1776 and the Civil War in the 1800’s. Despite their time gap, they are similar because they both explain to the reader what is going on during their time period. However, the country was going through different events and so these two documents are diverse as well. Both The Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address were written during times of turmoil and change for the country. Both occurred during a time of war in which America was fighting for liberty and freedoms. During the Revolutionary War, the United States was trying to become â€Å"a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal†. It was battling for independence and the right to govern them in a way that would actually benefit the country and its people. So in 1776 when The Declaration of Independence was written, the country fought for freedom for themselves. During the Civil War, the country was divided in two, one half of the country fighting against the other half. They were independent as a country, but this time they were fighting for freedom for others—the African-American slaves. In a way though, America was fighting for equality both times. The first was equal treatment for the British citizens and American colonists. The second time, the country was fighting for equal treatment for all men, no matter what skin color. Both these eras were a time of testing for the United States. The Revolutionary War period determined whether the states would actually be able to achieve independence. The Civil War was a test to see if America would be able to keep that independence. President Abraham Lincoln spoke about this in his Gettysburg Address: â€Å"we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure†. These two documents are similar because they are both written about a time of battle which tested America’s strength. The Declaration of Independence and Gettysburg Address are different for several reasons. For one, The Declaration of Independence is a statement while the Gettysburg Address was a speech. The authors were also targeting different audiences. The Declaration of Independence was written mostly for themselves, but also for the British government. The Declaration stated the sentiments of the thirteen colonies and â€Å"the causes which impel them to the separation†. This clarified where the people stood in regards to their independence. This was for the benefit and organization of the country, but also for the British to know that the Americans were not giving up on independence. The Gettysburg Address was a speech given by President Abraham Lincoln to the people of America. The Civil War was not an international conflict, but rather one inside the nation. The speech was aimed for encouraging and touching the hearts of the American people. Lincoln wanted them to not give up on the cause they were fighting for, but â€Å"to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us†. In the Gettysburg Address, the president was appealing to the people’s emotions in order to boost their war effort. This is another difference it has with The Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence appealed to the British government about rights that the people ought to have. The tone of the Gettysburg Address is more personal since Lincoln’s goal was to encourage the people. Lincoln achieves a personal tone by speaking about the brave men who fought in the recent battle. The Declaration of Independence, on the other hand, was written as a political document with a formal tone. It lists the main reasons why the people were demanding independence, which were mostly due to Great Britain’s offenses against the colonies. The Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address are very distinct because they were appealing to different audiences and written in different tones. The Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address have several similarities and differences. Although they were written during different time periods, they both fight for liberty, freedom, and equality. However, the two documents, one a statement and the other a letter, were targeted at different audiences. This results in differing tones. One thing similar, both documents were written with a courage and passion for the goal it was fighting for.

10 Day Placement Assignment Analysis From Snap Social Work Essay

10 Day Placement Assignment Analysis From Snap Social Work Essay SNAP is an organisation that was set up in June 2008. It is a collaboration of six organisations Orwell Housing Association, Anglia Care Trust, Epic Trust, Ipswich Housing Action Group, Family Action and Together- Working for Wellbeing. Each employee of Snap is affiliated to one of the main organisations and is an employee of only one of the partners. All six organisations tendered, and won the contract to provide CARA (Central Access Referral Agency) and non accommodation based housing support. The collaboration of the agencies ensures a diversity of skills, knowledge and experience. SNAP is responsible for support throughout Suffolk apart from those in the Waveney area. These referrals come through CARA but are then transferred to Flagship Housing to provide support. SNAPs primary aims are to prevent homelessness, to support people to develop skills that will facilitate independent living and to prevent or assist an individual from being admitted to institutionalised accommodation. The support SNAP provides may be accessed by anyone over the age of 16 as long as they are eligible to receive public funds and have needs that are housing related. SNAP supports people for a maximum of two years, up to three hours a week. The needs and progress of the service user are reviewed every 13 weeks. If the service user still requires support after two years or is deemed to have ongoing requirements then they are referred to other agencies that will provide this. Each organisation that is involved in SNAP, has their own policies and mission statements. The values that SNAP have taken as their own are those of respect, integrity, honesty and trust. There is no mission statement that applies overall, as each employee of SNAP is employed by one of the six agencies, and it is the mission statement of that agency that applies to the individual employee. SNAP has six support planning principles. The first of these is that the support provided is individualistic. This is a traditional social work value originally put forward by Biestek (1961). This value means that the worker should recognise and understand each service users unique qualities and situation and take these into account at all times. SNAP also advocates person centred therapy. This approach originated from Carl Rogers (Rogers, 1942) and is from the humanistic school of psychology. This theory involves the process of providing the service user with unconditional positive regard, empathy and openness as it is these that empower the service user and facilitate their ability to solve their own issues. SNAP works in an inter-professional manner. Referrals received by SNAP are from a multitude of agencies due to the diversity of service users and their needs. SNAP is only able to support those who have difficulties in maintaining a tenancy and anything that does not fall within this remit requires SNAP to signpost the service users to other agencies. Furthermore, the support provided may involve SNAP liaising with other agencies that may be relevant in the service users life. All SNAPs interventions are Task centred (Reid Shyne 1969). SNAPs support is classed as short term even though it can continue for up to two years. Task centred approach to intervention is usually done on a much shorter term basis, usually six weeks. SNAP and the service user both agree their roles and responsibilities during the support; this is in the form of a document that makes clear to the service user and the support worker, what each will do during the support. This is signed by both at the onset of support. This is in line with the task centred approach and makes clear what difficulties need to be addressed and eachs role in doing this. As all of SNAPs service users are experiencing problems with regard to housing, this problem solving approach is both practical and relevant. At each 13 week review, SNAP ensures that progress is being made and the service users needs are reassessed. Some of the referrals that are made to SNAP, involve service users in a crisis situation, pa rticularly if imminent eviction is likely. The task centred approach is similar to crisis intervention (Caplan Lindemann -Kanel, 2003, p.14) although crisis intervention has a more psycho-dynamic approach, promoting psychological growth as opposed to task centred theory, which is more based on the understanding that a crisis provides the motivation to act. Both crisis intervention and task centred approaches involve problem solving. SNAP treats its service user in a non judgemental manner. This is one of Biesteks (1961) traditional social work values requiring that the worker does not judge and neither approve or disapprove of the service user. During my shadowing this has been the case. Due to the nature of SNAPs intervention, being short term housing support, it is difficult to set up committees or long term client groups that have an input into the organisation and how it is run and the future development. However, SNAP do regularly send out questionnaires to service users in order to ascertain whether the service they have received has been useful and whether the service users situation has improved. It has also been suggested that a Mystery Shopper type exercise be undertaken in order to ensure that service users are receiving the best service possible at the point of contact. At each review, the client is asked whether they have been happy with the service they have received from SNAP. They are asked whether their situation has improved, not improved or worsened since support started. They are also asked if they have any suggestions as to whether SNAP could improve their service or whether there is anything that they feel they could do that they are not already doing. It has been decided that as part of my Observational placement task of undertaking an interview with a service user, I will use this part of the review as questions for my placement interview. On an operational level, SNAP is entirely user led, due to its task centred approach. As each client is reviewed on a regular basis, there are opportunities throughout the intervention for service users to be able to give feedback at varying points through SNAPs involvement. It is difficult to give service users a strategic role in the organisational development due to the short term nature of the intervention. Whilst shadowing with the support workers, I saw many examples of good practice. Each support worker that I shadowed with was empathetic and appeared to build good relationships with the service users they were assigned to. They appeared to be non judgemental (Biestek), dealing with sex offenders and expressing a level of sympathy for their inability to rebuild their lives following a conviction. There appears to be high levels of oppression towards the more vulnerable referrals. The benefits agency itself made many service users feel powerless and this was acknowledged by the support workers who then called the agency on behalf of the service users. This was anti- oppressive and illustrated this value to me very clearly. Another area that I will identify as good practice, were the recording of interventions, and contact made with both the service user and others who were connected to them. Each support worker that I shadowed appeared to make an entry on the computer system after every telephone call made and letter sent as well as after every visit. It would appear that this was done; ensuring information regarding each intervention was up to date and complete. This complies with Section 6.1 of the Codes of Ethics that states that: As a social care worker, you must be accountable for the quality of your work and take responsibility for maintaining and improving your knowledge and skills by maintaining clear and accurate records as required by procedures established for your work; Whilst shadowing LC, we found that a service user was going to make a possibly fraudulent Housing Benefit Claim. Once the service user told LH of their intention, LH advised that this would be fraudulent and told the service user that she should not be doing this. The service user stated that she was going to and so LH stated that they would be unable to support the service user if this was the course of action that they intended to take. The service user decided to follow LCs advice. This showed honesty and integrity on the part of LC, in accordance to Section 2 of the Social Work Codes of Practice as well as SNAPs own personal values of integrity and honesty. After being in the office with various support workers, it was apparent that at times there were not enough desks and computer terminals for all those in the office to be able to use. Although this did not happen all the time, it did happen regularly. It may be an idea to perhaps invest in some more. Furthermore, again, not all the time, but regularly, it was not possible to sign into the operating system due to the maximum amount of users being logged on to the computers. I have never seen this IT issue before and it struck me as being unusual. I was advised that more licenses have been purchased so the problem is not as great as it was in the past. Although addressing this issue would obviously alleviate any delays in using the IT, making Snap more efficient and effective, it may not be enough of an issue to warrant the economic investment that would be involved. It could be said that as SNAP is a relatively new company, and with the other established organisations bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table, SNAP is well placed to cherry pick the best practice from each. SNAP appears to be an efficiently run organisation. The staff appear to be knowledgeable and have the best interests of the client in mind. There are clearly defined systems in place at each level of intervention, including the recording of information.