The Train Essay Example

The Train Essay The blistering cold numbed my eyes as I stumbled through the biting snow, dragging a dull, faded suitcase overloaded with necessities behind me, leaving a train in the deadly, ice snow. All abroad! a man in a bright red suit, a funny red hat and an equally crimson nose called, his voice straining to be heard over the howling wind. I struggled up to him and handed over my ticket, which was faded from sweat, tears and the bitter snow. Then man, whom I safely assumed was the train conductor, glanced briefly at the ticket, then smiled at me slightly. Terrible morning isnt it? he commented. I did not reply. In for a long ride, I see! he added when he saw my ticket. I gave no response as I checked my heavy bag. He beamed wider as he said, Welcome aboard the Windows Express, maam! I tried to smile back, but my scarf was bundled around my nose and my mouth, so I nodded instead. Thank you. My voice was barely audible over the gusty breeze as I stepped off the platform and boarded the tra in. The front compartment was crowded, packed like sardines. I squeezed past the numerous bodies to get to the next train ar, which was where I was to be seated. Even though the warmth there was comforting, I hoped it was not too stuffy in my car. I finally broke free from the crowd, swinging the car door open and entering a considerably cooler car. I removed my scarf from my face. My skin was raw with cold, but I barely felt it. I glanced around. This car was deserted, the seats along its aisle empty. I checked the number of compartment I had been assigned then opened the door to it. There was a small bunk bed in the corner, with a little closed off area I guessed was the bunk. I lanced out the single window, but there was nothing to be seen through the fog and slat than plummeted so hard against the glass it felt like hail. Feeling slightly claustrophobic in the narrow compartment, I briskly threw off my jacket and exited, walking back into the aisle. I noticed a door at the back of the car and decided to check it out. I made my way down the aisle and slid the door open. It led into the next car. This one did not have seats, but little booths lined up neatly along either side. There was a bellboy near the back, tending to a little refreshment stand. His eyes were bored, even as he attempted to reet me pleasantly. Hello, maam, welcome to the lounge. Would you like anything? Some pie, perhaps, or a cup of coffee? Uninterested, I declined politely, just as another door caught my eye. Without thinking, I flung it open. There was nothing in the room except a door with a window fixed into it, and a shiny red handle. This is where youll be disembarking, the bellboy informed me. That theres the emergency brake, he added, pointing at the handle. Youre perfectly welcome to pull that at any time. Taken aback, I spluttered on my Coke. What? I wouldnt. Thats ridiculous. Then how will I get to where I am going? I demanded incredulously. The bellboy shrugged. Sometimes you cant rely on trains to get you to where you want to go. I stared openly at him. Quickly dismissing him as crazy, I turned away and hastily returned to my compartment. Once safely inside, I lay on my bed, thinking to myself about my destination, a place I had never been and a face I had not seen for so many years it hurt to think about it. Flashbacks began to attack my once- peaceful mind, invading my would be calm pondering. At four years old, my hands pressed tightly over my ears, rying in vain to block out the sounds of heated arguments over nothing. Seven years old, an empty bottle crashing over my head as I tried to escape the debris of broken plates. Thirteen years, bruises covering my face, blood on my hands, a broken ankle, pain enveloping my body. Sixteen, my broken ribs causing me to shake as I slammed the front door behind me and limped as fast as I could into the night, my mother screaming for me to come home and my fathers threats chasing after me I jerked awake, nearly falling out of bed. My head felt heavy, and my eyes groggy, as if I had not slept or days. Sluggishly, I checked my watch, which still hung from my wrist. My eyes snapped wide open as they read the time, then relaxed again. My watch had stopped at around the same time I boarded that train. I got up, feeling tired, and felt my stomach growl. I stood up, stretched, brushed my hair and hurridly with my fingers and left my compartment. I was about to go to the lounge to eat when I noticed another girl sitting on a seat in the aisle, next to the window. She was clothed very thinly for the morbid weather, and her long locks of auburn hair poured over her shoulders. We will write a custom essay sample on The Train specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Train specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Train specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer I approached her slowly. Hello, I said, and she jumped in surprised. Sorry for startling you, but do you have the time? She looked up at me, and I saw a thin ragged face that would have been pretty if not for the exhaustion consuming it, and the melancholy sadness in her eyes. Oh hello, its quite alright. Let me check. She lifted her mobile phone from her pocket, glanced at it, then shook her head apologetically. Strange. It seems to have died. I couldve sworn I charged it yesterday. I thanked her anyway, and asked her where she was going. She looked even weary when I questioned her. Im going to see my long-distance partner for four years, she said, in an almost rehearsed answer. I think he may propose to me, but I doubt Im ready for such a change. She drifted off, her voice trailing away, then came to her senses and asked me where I was headed. Im going to see my father. I havent seen him for nearly a decade, I said quietly. I cant say Im looking forward to it. She agreed with me, and we made small talk for awhile longer before I excused myself and when to the lounge. The bellboy was not there anymore, and I breathed an inward sigh of relief. The batty guy had freaked me out. I saw someone sitting down in one of the lounge booths. Hidden behind stacks of paperwork and a newspaper sat a middle aged man in an impressive suit and tie, muttering to himself in what looked like disgust. I walked over to him. Hi, sorry to bother you, but do you know what time it is? He glanced up and stopped grumbling. Hmm? Oh, yes. he shot a look at his fancy wristwatch. Well, what is this? My watch isnt working! He began to mumble again. I found it strange that nobody knew the time, so I stole a glimpse of the watch, and sure enough it ceased to ick. That’s a shame, I said good-naturedly, and asked him what he was doing. Its for a case I have, he replied. I must have looked puzzled, because he elaborated. Im a lawyer, you see, and Im about to defend the biggest drug cartels of all time- then again, I probably shouldn’t have told you that. I was about to leave him in peace when he continued on. In my defense, my client is one of my oldest friends. I owe him my life and hes gotten me out tons of scraps. I really have no choice. I began to feel a little uncomfortable, and averted my gaze to rest on the window. To my surprise, evening was over-the sun was rising on another day! Had I missed my stop? I was supposed to be off the train by dusk, yet here was dawn, a new day beginning right before my eyes! Panicking, I ran back to my car and asked the girl still sitting on he seat, What time did you get on? Which state are you going to? Bewildered, she told me the details of her travel. I calculated in my head. But what would only take you a few hours! You should have arrived by now, I said, unable to keep my voice from getting louder. She seemed indifferent. Maybe we made a few stops along the way. I wasnt awake the whole time, you know. But I had it all figured out. The pieces of the puzzle were coming together, forming an unbelievable picture in my head. I ran back into the lounge, and flung open the door at the back of it, where the emergency brake ws. The lady came racing after me, asking where I was going. Look, it’s the emergency brake. If we pull it, well be able to get out of here! I exclaimed. She looked at me the same way I had looked at the bellboy- as if one of us had gone bonkers. What? Are you crazy? Why? Its ridiculous. Then how will I ever get to where Im going? I smiled at the distinct resemblance her words had to mine. Reaching over, I grasped the red handle in my right hand and pulled as hard as I could. The train screeched against the metal of the tracks. I pushed against the exit door, and it opened easily. I leaped off the train. The ground was icy and cold beneath my feet, and the cold wind cut my uncovered face like a knife. I became aware that I did not even have my jacket with me as the cold began to envelope my very being. What are you doing? Youll freeze to death! the girl cried next to me. You dont even have your suitcase with you. I vaguely recalled my stuffed baggage, filled with things I suddenly realized were of no importance to me. And just like that, suddenly, I felt free. Free of all my emotional baggage, free of everything that weigh me down, free of guilt, pain and sorrow. A sense of warmth, a beautiful feeling, filled up my body, and I no longer felt the chill. I turned ba ck to the train, smiling for the first time in years. Why don’t you come with me? I asked the girl. She shook her head, eyes wide. And then the train door slammed shut, and began to move again. Free of doubt, I turned from the sight of the train slowly resending out of sight until it vanished, and began to trudge through the snow, in the direction of my destination. Sometimes we are weighed down by the pain, grief and guilt. We go through life day by day, merely existing, not living, and time stands still. Those days we live, so burdened by emotions, are meaningless and pas by without notice of purpose. If we could just let go of it all, forget our troubles for a few seconds, and look around us, perhaps we would see the beauty we are meant to see, and the wonder we would feel if we only let go.

The Effect of IT on the Business World essays

The Effect of IT on the Business World essays This paper is about the way information technology effects the business world today. We will also talk about how information came about and how it has evolved over the years. There are also many more innovations we will discuss, such as: programming, networking, cell phones, DSL, internet, etc. We will also analyse the way information technology has affected the way businesses function and how the have adapted over the years. Civilization has never expenenced as much change as it has over the last twenty years. This change was brought about by the Information Age. Every part of our lives are affected by information technology. Information Technology is the best thing that has happened to the business world. Our businesses, as well as out own personal lives have all been extraordinarily transformed due to technological advances over the past twenty years. Since the introduction of the computer back in the 1940s, this has changes the way we do business. Before computers you would have to do everything by hand. The pre-information age business office included information producing tools, such as typewrites, and adding machines. Most of the equipment was simple, manual in operation, big, bulky, and noisy. Clerical staff primarily used this equipment as the were the appointed information processors of the time. (Article on the effects of technology on business; vaxxine.com/hyoomk/philo/humbl.html) Then along came the office networking, which allowed everyone in the company to be up to date using an integrated networking databases, programs, and information. ...

How to Build and Create Links in PHP

How to Build and Create Links in PHP Websites are filled with links. Youre probably already aware of how to create a link in HTML. If youve added PHP to your web server to be able to enhance your sites capabilities, you may be surprised to learn that you create a link in PHP the same as you do in  HTML. You have a few options, though. Depending on where in your file the link is, you might present the link HTML in a slightly different way. You can switch back and forth between PHP and HTML in the same document, and you can use the same software- any plain text editor will do- to write PHP as to write HTML. How to Add Links to PHP Documents If you are making a link in a PHP document  that is outside of the PHP brackets, you just use HTML as usual. Here is an example: a hrefhttps://twitter.com/angela_bradleyMy Twitter/a ?php - My PHP Code ? If the link needs to be inside  the PHP, you have two options. One option is to end the PHP, enter the link in HTML, and then reopen PHP. Here is an example: ?php - My PHP Code ? a hrefhttps://twitter.com/angela_bradleyMy Twitter/a ?php - My PHP Code ? The other option is to print or echo the HTML code inside  the PHP. Here is an example: ?php Echo a hrefhttps://twitter.com/angela_bradleyMy Twitter/a ? Another thing you  can do is create a link from a variable. Lets say that the variable $url holds the URL for a website that someone has submitted or that you have pulled from a database. You can use the variable in your HTML. a hrefhttps://twitter.com/angela_bradleyMy Twitter/a ?php Echo a href$url$site_title/a ? For Beginning PHP Programmers If you are new to PHP, remember you begin and end a section of PHP code using ?php and ? respectively. This code lets the server know that what is included is PHP code. Try a  PHP beginners tutorial to get your feet wet in the programming language. Before long, youll be using PHP to set up a member login, redirect a visitor to another page, add a survey to your website, create a calendar, and add other interactive features to your webpages.

Evaluate the claim that we should seek to abolish imprisonment Essay

Evaluate the claim that we should seek to abolish imprisonment - Essay Example orms of punishment are introduced, according to jurisprudential rational, to control such rate of crime and protect the basic rights of common people within a socio-cultural context. According to the varying degrees regarding seriousness of crime commission, various types of punishments are offered to offenders, namely, â€Å"condemnation, fines, probation, imprisonment, or death† and legislative system of a particular society provides actual directives that what type of punishment can be offered for a specific form of crime. Imprisonment is widely regarded, perhaps, as the â€Å"strongest form of punishment† after death penalty and mostly offered to people accused of culpable offences (Coughlin, 1991, p. 54). Tony Lawson and Joan Garrod have attempted to define imprisonment in the book Dictionary for Sociology, as, â€Å"†¦the incarnation of those convicted of certain types of crime. Also in prison are those held â€Å"on remand,†- i.e. accused of a serious crime and awaiting a trial. Different societies hold different views regarding the purpose of imprisonment, with the result that the proportion of the population in prison at any one time varies widely among different societies† (Lawson, and Garrod, 2001, p. 117-118). This definition becomes important in the context of discussion as it encompasses within its scope both legal and social perspectives. In the first part, the authors have defined what imprisonment is from legal perspective. Second part of the definition focuses on social aspects that purpose and reason for imprisonment differs in different societies; thus, society has an important role to play when it comes to nature of imprisonment or establishing the criteria regarding magnitude of crime so that a person is sentenced for imprisonment. According to magnitude of crime, punishment can be categorized in several forms, namely, capital punishment, imprisonment, probation, fines, restitution and community service, and restorative justice (Gaines, and

Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Research paper - Essay Example The essence of all these tax systems is to collect tax for the government, and enhance the ability of the government to provide essential goods and eservices to its citizens. Nevertheless, the application of different types of tax systems and their calculations have been confusing to the citizens. While some tax systems seem to create equality for all people, regardless of whether they are rich or poor, others seem to favor the poor, by making the rich pay higher taxes. Taxation should have a neutral effect on all people, considering that it is not a voluntary contribution, but an enforced contribution established by the laws (Robert, 194). Nevertheless, to help close the gap between the rich and the poor, and create a system of fairness, people should pay taxes based on the income that they earn. Therefore, the rich should pay higher taxes than the poor. Making the rich pay higher taxes than the poor will increase the efficiency of income distribution in the economy. When the rich p eople are taxed higher than the poor through the progressive tax system, which increases the rate of taxation with an increase in the income to be taxed, the amount of tax obtained is relatively higher to the one obtained when a flat rate of tax is applied (Robert, 191). This being the case, it increases the amount of resources that the government has at hand, which can then be reinvested back to the economy, through enhancing and increasing the provision of goods and services to the citizens. However, if all people are taxed at a flat rate, the rich will certainly save more than the poor, since after the taxation, they will be left with a higher amount of income. The problem with this concept is the fact that the rich may choose to save the extra income they have, other than reinvest it in the economy, creating a shortage of the resources circulating in the economy, thus making the provision of essential goods and eservices inefficient (Robert, 196). Therefore, the intervention of the government to ensure a higher taxation of the rich, compared to the poor is vital, since it forces the rich to release the extra income and place it at the disposal of the economy, where it can be used to serve all people, and mostly the poor, through providing them with essential services, since they need them more than the rich. Another reason why the rich should be taxed more than the poor is the fact that this would increase the purchasing power of the poor, who are the majority in the economy. Taxing the rich more than the poor means that the poor will be left with a higher percentage of their revenues at their disposal (Robert, 192). This makes it possible for their purchasing power to be increased, which also serves to stimulate the economic contribution they make to the economy. The higher the purchasing power of the people, the higher the contribution they make to the economy. Additionally, taxing the rich higher than the poor will make it possible for the poor to save a substantial quantity of their incomes, and then start investing into the economy through starting small businesses (Robert, 195). This is beneficial compared to taxing all people at a flat rate, which would mean that the rich people would save more of their incomes than the poor, since the rich do not necessarily need to invest. Therefore, while income in the hands of the poor is

The Micmac V.s. The Iroquois :: essays research papers

The Micmac V.S. The Iroquois   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although the Micmac and the Iroquois Confederacy are both Aboriginal groups, they have many differences as well as similarities. One area of such, is their traditional justice systems. Their governments and laws are in some ways similar, but in many ways different.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Micmac reside in what is now Nova Scotia, eastern New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and southern Gaspe. The territory was subdivided in to seven districts. Each of these districts contained family groupings in small settlements based on hunting and fishing. Those from P.E.I. held more territory in common than any other Micmac district. Their land was allotted by family.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Iroquois were a agricultural people. They lived in permanent villages in a domain now called southern Ontario, southern Quebec, and northeastern United States. Indian Nations living here formed a formal and lasting confederacy by 1450. Their members were called ‘Ho-De-No-Sau-Nee'. The league was called ‘Kanonsionni', meaning EXTENDED HOUSE. The first five nations to join the confederacy were Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca. Tuscaroras migrated from Carolina and joined the confederacy in 1722. The Iroquois are bound in a treaty of friendship with the Ojibway to the North.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Micmac government was three-tiered, with local, district, and national chiefs, or ‘Sagamores'. Each settlement's council of elders chose a local chief. The chief was the focus of power in the settlement. The local chief attained position through both hereditary right and meritorious behavior. The oldest son of a dead chief was usually given first consideration as a successor. If he was found unfit for office, despite special training, others in family and/or others in the community were considered. These chiefs usually had two assistants or captains. These were called second and third watchers. They would assume command from a sick or incompetent chief. The local chiefs would convene in a district council and select one of their numbers to preside over their meetings and represent the regions' interests. Councils usually met in the spring or fall, and all decisions were based on unanimity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  District Sagamores made up the governing body of the Micmac nation. One district chief would act as Grand Chief. All three of these types of chieftainship followed bloodlines as a natural course of leadership ascendency. The people expected their chief to be a man of intelligence, knowledge, dignity, courage, generosity, an able hunter, and fearless warrior. Leaders ruled through impeccable example, not force.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Iroquois confederacy was formalized by a constitution, recorded on wampum belts to preserve the understanding for all generations to follow. Each nation retained its own council and managed its own local affairs. General control was to be lodged in a federal senate, composed of representatives

Curley’s wife in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Essay

John Steinbeck at the beginning of the novel creates dislike towards Curley’s wife. However by the end of the novel we feel sympathy for her. Steinbeck uses many different techniques to present Curley’s wife such as†¦ Colour imagery Appearance Metaphors Similes Dialogue Foreshadowing Descriptive words QUOTES The rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off Tart E ver’body out doin’ som’pin’. Ever’body! An’ what am i doin’? Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs—a nigger an’ a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep—an’ likin’ it because they ain’t nobody else.† well, you keep your place then, nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny. ‘I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.’ ‘I could made somethin’ of myself†¦Maybe I will yet.’ ‘Coulda been in the movies.’ ‘I don’t like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella.’ On Lennie ‘Jus’ like a big baby.’ ‘Her body flopped like a fish’ ‘He pawed up the hay.’ CONTEXT Curley’s wife is the only women at the ranch, women in 1930’s America where treated as less just like Curley’s wife. Women where seen as unintelligent and this is just like Steinbeck portrays Curley’s wife. Also in 1930’s America blacks and whites did not get along. There were many segregated places like hospitals and church’s etc. people where racists just like Curley’s wife was towards Crooks. Curley’s Wife Curley’s wife knows her beauty is her power, and she uses it to flirt with the men at the ranch and make her husband jealous. Steinbeck at the beginning portrays Curley’s wife to be mean and seductive. She brings evil into the men’s lives by tempting them in a way they cannot resist. Eventually, she ends the dream of, the little farm where George and Lennie wanted to live.