Monday, April 20, 2020
Theme of The Strangers that Came to Town Essays - Four Freedoms
Theme of "The Strangers that Came to Town" Freedom is a privilege not everybody can enjoy. It can come in the form of freedom of speech or even freedom of worship, but most importantly acceptance. In his short story, "The Strangers that Came to Town", Ambrose Flack is showing that true freedom is about being accepted. Ambrose Flack combines the elements of characterization, plot and setting to portray her theme of freedom as acceptance. The story is mainly comprised of two families, the Duvitches and Andy's family. The characterization of the oppressed Duvitches are what insist a deeper message of freedom through acceptance. The most often mentioned Duvitch, is Mr. Duvitch. He is treated as lesser because of his malodorous job which he needs to provide for his family. "It followed that the Syringa Street young, meeting him on the street, sometimes stopped their noses as they passed him bya form of torment all the more acute when Mr. Duvitch had to share it with the children that happened to be with him." (3) A clear sign of unacceptance is shown by the youth of Syringa street as they pass Mr. Duvitch. Mrs. Duvitch is also a target for harsh torment through rumors and judging, though she has rarely stepped foot outside her home. "But this gave rise to the rumor that she was the victim of an obscure skin disease and that every morning she shook scales out of the bed sheet," (3) a description of rumors passed around Syringa Street regarding Mrs. Duvitch. This rumor is an indication of immediate disrespect and unacceptance based solely off the fact that Mrs. Duvitch has not even spoken to these people, but she is already being criticized. The final Duvitches oppressed on Syringa Street are all the children. "Before she could put a stop to it, some of their classmates scoffed at the leaf, lard and black bread sandwiches they ate for lunch, huddled in one corner of the recreation room, dressed in their boiled-out ragpickers' clothes. After school, they headed straight for home, never lingering on the playground," (4) This quote is a description of the Duvitch children's school life where they are meant to get along with the other children. Instead, they are scoffed at and never welcome after school hours by the other children. The oppression by students in this case was done in the form of exclusion and is another form of unacceptance. Mr. and Mrs. Duvitch and all their children are examples of o ppression at the beginning of the book. They later turn into reasons why true acceptance is freedom because of when they are accepted by Andy's family during a supper together. "Overjoyed to have neighbors in his house, he was so full of himself that I was conscious of an invisible stature in him which made him seem quite as tall as Father. He beamed and feasted his eyes on us. Saying very little, he managed to make us feel a great deal and he constantly sought his wife's eyes with glances of delight over the wonder of what was happening," (14) this quote is Mr. Duvitches reaction to when he was finally free because he was accepted by his neighbors. This characterization is what proves acceptance is true freedom. Secondly, there were many incidents in the plot which proved that no matter what the Duvitches did, they were not free because they were not accepted. This was shown one of the times where the Duvitches who pay just like everyone else, are mistreated as a result of unacceptance by tradesmen, "Even the tradesmen to whom the Duvitches gave good money were either curt with them or downright rude," (5) this quote represents that no matter how much the Duvitches paid compared to neighbors, they could not be free because the tradesmen did not accept them. Another event in the plot was when Andy and Tom killed the Duvitches' fish with a cake of soap. "I played a shameful trick on the Duvitches, the memory of which will come back to the end of my days to plague me. Without considering further, I dropped the cake of soap into the tub of fish." (6) This
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Topics to Avoid in Application Essay for College - Paperell.com
Topics to Avoid in Application Essay for College Topics to Avoid in Application Essay to Enter Your Dream College An introductory essay is one of the most important parts of your application, when enrolling in a prestigious educational institution. Your essay is your reflection not only as a student but also as a personality, and the commission needs it to know you better. Therefore, this paper has to be brilliant. Apart from the correct structure, appropriate language, and other important details, one thing that can influence the committees impression about you is the topic that you choose. Thatââ¬â¢s why it is important to know what college application essayà topics to avoid. In college, the admission committee examines in detail all the papers and draws on them the conclusion about whether a student is really worthy to study at this institution. An essay is a creative assignment, and there is no unequivocally correct way of doing it. But you need to understand what not to write about in a college essay to enter.If you write about yourself honestly and captivatingly, your chances of admis sion will increase significantly, while a poor or overused college essay topics will limit your possibilities.You should keep in mind, that from the motivation letter depends on whether you will be admitted to the university or not. If you need help, it is more relevant to use a college paper writing service.How NOT To Write Your Admission Essays For The CollegeAvoid grammatical, spelling and punctuation mistakes (reread the text several times!).Do not get lost in your thoughts, do not use jargon, do not try to impress the reader, using abstruse words, and do not write poetry or rhyme.Avoid slang and professional jargon, and words in which meaning you are not confident.Do not deviate from the topic, do not repeat and do not write boringly (ask someone to read your essay, and evaluate it).Take enough time to write a letter. Postpone motivation letter for a few days, then read it again.It is not enough just to list your achievements, awards, skills or personal qualities, you need to b ring relevant examples.Do not copy motivational letters from the Internet. Admissions officers read more than 1,000 essays a day, so they easily recognize such a letter and sends it to the garbage.To write a good motivation letter, you need:Highlight your motivation letter from others. To do this, carefully consider the introduction, and that it clings the eye from the first lines. Do not write like Hello, my name is .Indicate achievements in the non-academic sphere (music, sports), show that you are not obsessed with learning, but you are a versatile person.Indicate how your experience can be useful for the university, what do you have, what other students do not have. Tell what made you who you are now.These Most Overused College Essay Topics Are Better To AvoidYour letter is not an anecdoteIn other words, you do not need to write your text in the comic form. If to talk about clichà © college essay topics to avoid than jokes and unserious themes/stories are distinctly on the list . You have to be responsible, but it does not mean that joking is completely forbidden. All you need to do is not to take a joke or a funny story based on your paper. Other words do not choose topics like Funny situation happened to me/my friend, It will make you cry from laugh, etc.Do not complainTraumas, tragedies, poverty and so on are also examples of bad college essay topics. It is possible that in life, you have gone through many difficulties and trials. After all, life can be very hard and not fair, and sometimes problems can fall even on children. But this is your personal experience, which you should keep to yourself, so it is something you should not focus on in your application paper.Many people who read students texts very tired from complaining and can take it not very seriously. Good variant for you is just to choose another theme. So avoid topics that have a message close to such: It was hard, but I survived it, From village to the big city, It could kill me, but it m ade stronger, etc.You should not teach the reader how to liveStill, have a question what not to write in a college essay? The answer is a morality for the reader or any advice is one of the biggest college essay topics to avoid.It is possible that you understand something that your reader not, or you have a unique experience. Possibly, you even have something to teach the reader and there is very good and useful advice, but you do not need to do this! Risks are not justified, as you can be misunderstood and this will bring you the opposite result from the expected. This experience will help you to avoid problems, Advice which I can give from my experience and so on, are not the best titles for your text.Talk only about yourselfPraise yourself is clichà © college essay topics which no one really likes. Do you understand what is at stake? You will look like a narcissistic teenager in the eyes of the teacher, because they are not familiar with you yet, and can only judge by the text. You should have a sensible assessment of yourself and your personal achievements and be honest with yourself and with the commission in your text.Politics and religion are main topics to avoid for college essay Are you confident in your belief? Especially while you are young your opinion changes with the speed of light, and we advise you not to touch such clichà © college essay topics to avoid like politics and religion. Its good that the opinion is changing, means you are actively developing and learning new. But the theme of religion is very personal and very serious for many people, and it is better not to conduct a discussion and reasoning on this score.The topic of politics can also be acute for many teachers or even students and may even create a conflict of interest. You do not need this, nor choose a different theme. For example: I can not understand people who believe in God, Liberalism is the one politic view which should exist, and all in this style are impossible to wri te in your paper.It is not your autobiographyDo not build text in the style of an autobiography. Of course, you will be told about yourself, but not about where you were born in which kindergarten went, who brought you up, and who prepared breakfast for you in school. Do you see the difference? Tell only about important events in your life, and only about those that fit the theme of your university. Only about those events that will show what you should enter the college and the collaboration will be successful for everyone. Other words try not too overused personal information in your motivation letter. In addition, such themes like My parents are proud of me, My life for the last 5 years, I love my life and what Iââ¬â¢m doing can be boring for the committee.Once again, keep in mind that your task is to convince the admissions committee that you are interested in this program that you need to enter this college. And the second task of your application letter is you have to sell yourself to the university committee. Whether you doubt in your energies, you can always buy an admission essay for college. The main task the selection committee should understand that they want to see exactly you, and it is you who will make a great contribution to this program. You can read some samplesà to see how you can reach this goal.Good luck with your paper, carefully double-check no less than 5 times and do not forget about topics to avoid in college essays. Spend leastwise a week writing the first university text. With the second, third, fourth, it will be easier because you will simply add, delete or edit some information.
Friday, February 28, 2020
Outline the psychometric approach to recruitment and selection. In Essay
Outline the psychometric approach to recruitment and selection. In what ways has this been challenged - Essay Example This paper gives an overview and description of the recruitment and selection process along with a description of the psychometric approach, its benefits and challenges. Main Body Recruitment and Selection Hiring a competent workforce has become quintessential in the midst of uncertainty in external environment, particularly changing customer expectations. Because of this, psychosocial considerations, which includes differences regarding the abilities, motivations, personality and emotions of individuals, are being taken into account while finding the correct fit for the organisation. Torrington, Hall & Taylor (2007) define recruitment as being either internal ( that is hiring of people from within the organisation ) or external (which involves advertising, approaching recruitment agencies, developing corporate websites that accept applications, using newspapers and trade press and various other methods). Furthermore, Newell defines recruitment as being a process that attracts people who possess the attributes that are necessary to perform the job (Newell 2005). Generally, promotion, retirement, transfer, redundancy and technological or customer changes drive the recruitment process (Watson 1994). While recruitment generates the pool of capable applicants that may apply to the organisation, selection involves determining the ââ¬Å"right piece that fits correctly in the jigsaw puzzleâ⬠. Herriot (1984) defines the selection process as a social exchange whereby mutual exchange of information takes place between the company and its candidates. Organisations are, therefore, required to shape their expectations depending on the candidateââ¬â¢s personal experience rather than the other way round (Herriot 1984). Selection methods have further been defined as consisting of application forms, interviews as well as tests of which psychometric tests are a part. Traditionally, the recruitment process would be a three-step process involving the development of job de scription, job analysis and finally job specification (Torrington, Hall & Taylor, 2007). The last stage would require determining the human attributes that are necessary to perform the job (Marchington & Wilkinson 2000). Frameworks such as the Seven-Point Plan developed by Roger and the fivefold system of grading laid down by Munro-Fraser comprised of assessing the individualââ¬â¢s impact on others along with his/her qualifications, abilities, motivation and emotional strength (Taylor 2000). Both these models increasingly relied on human judgment which could be highly subjective and prone to bias. This led to the development of a competency-based approach to recruitment whereby the focus shifted on individual qualities to competencies required on the job (Newell 2005) (Redman & Wilkinson 2009). Furthermore, it was realised that traditional approaches assumed fixed personalities which was a self-defeating assumption as far as the candidateââ¬â¢s fit with the organisation was co ncerned. This led to the shift towards the psychometric approach whereby individual differences were recognised. The term psychometrics is merely an abbreviated version of ââ¬Å"psychological measurementâ⬠. In other words, it attempts to measure psychological traits of individuals such as their intelligence, attitudes, personality and attributes. According to a research conducted by CIPD, approximately 45% of
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Organizational behaviors and leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words
Organizational behaviors and leadership - Essay Example Advance scenarios played reflection 20 5.2 Appendix II leader self-sight reflection 22 1.0ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIORS AND LEADERSHIP 1.1Introduction Ability to not only influence but also inspire others to endeavor the leader towards leadersââ¬â¢ goal is referred to us leadership. On the contrary, it is argued that leadership is a process of an individual influencing others to attain a certain goal. Further, it is important to realize that leadership can be those qualities that viewers see but on the other hand, cannot describe. Leadership is manifested in the following ways, when there is a crisis and someone comes in to solve, or when someone influences others, or when some people tent to follows others. To crown it all, leadership usually comes in a visible state when there is someone who responds to something innovatively. Four main theories for generations erupt as follows: there are traits theories, contingency theories, behavioral theories and lastly transformational theories just to mention but a few. According to the article written by John Mark, it is evident that all of the four theories outlined above none of them is neither time bound nor mutually exclusive. However, according to experts, it is true that each of the generation above, it has to some extent benefit to the leadership debate although still debate continues up to date. There are different titles that are used to describe the division of modern management. Therefore, leadership can be discussed under the following categories, for instance charismatic leadership in the current ongoing debate on leadership that replaces transformational leadership. Secondly, there is an approach based on skills, self-management, and leadership that involves sharing just to mention but a few. Due to the above, it is pertinent to approach the above phenomena with the model of leadership that is classical. The following are some of the pertinent traits that a leader should have. It is, a leader should have a need for achievement, resolution, and courage, capacity to motivate individuals and should have trustworthiness character just to mention but a few. The above figure shows the New Reality of Leadership 1.2VIRTUE LEADERSHIP PRACTICE AND THEORY 1.2.1Origins of Leadership Theory According to the great man theory, it is evident that there are those people who are born naturally as a leader. The article goes further to site people like Alexander the great and Caesar Julius. In addition, people like Mahatma and bush George are related in the theory of Heroic conception of leadership (1880) as being leaders by natural phenomena. This is due to their high level of clear vision and ambitions to their destinations. The above is because they have a unique set of personal qualities, which propelled
Friday, January 31, 2020
World War I Essay Example for Free
World War I Essay In a major world event such as world war, the world economy is much affected. At first it is surprising to know that there is a boost in economy during the war. Actually, the economic problem really took place after the war. Indeed, economic recession happens as an aftermath of a war like what happened after World War I. Just like the case of 1921 recession, the world economy experienced its worst condition years after the war. What is the reason for that? Economic experts believe that the end of war time production as well as the influx of returning troops caused a great recession in the world economy. In a major world event such as world war, the world economy is much affected. At first it is surprising to know that there is a boost in economy during the war. Actually, the economic problem really took place after the war. Indeed, economic recession happens as an aftermath of a war like what happened after World War I. Just like the case of 1921 recession, the world economy experienced its worst condition years after the war. What is the reason for that? Economic experts believe that the end of war time production as well as the influx of returning troops caused a great recession in the world economy. During World War I, there were a lot of war time related productions such as weapons that cause a certain boost in worldââ¬â¢s economy. If there are greater productions, it follows that a lot of labor is needed. This will lessen the rate of unemployment in those countries that are involved in the war. In the case of World War I, the production of war related products stopped which means that a lot of workers who are related to the said industry lose their job. The increase in the production of money because of the increase in war expenditure resulted to inflation. Although there is an increase of the number of money in the circulation, still the economy is not in good situation because of high prices. Other than that, those troops who return after the war added to the number of unemployed people. Although the America experienced the worst effect of recession in 1921, still countries such as United States was able to recover and even experience economic growth. New factories that are producing radios and automobiles emerged. Aside from that, a lot of women left their work to give way to the returning troops. That is the reason why it was easy for the United States economy to recover after the post war recession. But still the economic growth that the United States had experienced gave way to what is known as great depression. The great depression in US economy started when a breakdown in the stock market had occurred known as Black Tuesday. As we look at the world wide great depression, we cannot say that it is a sudden collapse of the world economy. Black Tuesday was just the start of it. In 1930, US government and business spent so much but the consumers who suffered from a great loses during the black Tuesday decreased their expenditures by ten percent. Other than that, there was a severe drought in the US during that time. As a result, personal income, tax revenues, income and profit, as well as international trade had declined. Meanwhile, there is also a belief that the Great Depression was caused by poor policy of the American Federal Reserve System. Because of the belief that it is for the regulation of money, the said institution allowed the money supply to shrink. They believed that they can recover easily just like what happened during the 1921 recession. They didnââ¬â¢t expect that it will affect a great number of investor that will cause them to stop investing. Meanwhile, there are also other historians who blame the U. S. Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act in the decline of international trade which later worsened the Great Depression. Because of the fact that foreign trade is just a small part of their economy, US had ignored the possibility of affecting the economy of other countries. As a conclusion, we can say that the experience of fast recovery from the post World War I recession gave so much confidence to the US economy that they ignored the possibility of another economic breakdown such as the Great Depression. Because of their so much economic security, they did some careless act that lead to Great Depression and even worsening the situation.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Essay --
Disease and disorders affect a vast amount of lives in todayââ¬â¢s world. Diseases are conditions that affect normal functions of the body. Many diseases and disorders are still being discovered and explored by scientists. One disorder that can disturb a personââ¬â¢s daily life and events is Generalized Anxiety Disorder also known as GAD. Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a disorder causing constant and often unrealistic worry and anxiety. It alters the way a person thinks and can ultimately lead to physical symptoms. This disorder, while having many physical and emotional affects, can be managed and maintained. Pathophysiology Worry, doubt, irritability, exaggerated anxiety, and unexplained tension are just a few of the many effects of Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD. While the symptoms arenââ¬â¢t life threatening, they remain unpleasant to control and many feel so overwhelmed, this can lead to patientââ¬â¢s use of substances and occasionally suicide. Though the cause of this disorder remains unknown, the main source of GAD comes from the brain. Genetics, Brain chemistry, and environmental factors are believed to be the main causes of onset of GAD. ââ¬Å"Trauma and stressful events, such as abuse, the death of a loved one, divorce, changing jobs or schools, may lead to GADâ⬠(WebMD: Anxiety & Panic Disorders Health Center, 2012, p.2). The neurotransmitters tell the brain how to feel and react. Many neurotransmitters have been connected to this disorder, including serotonin, GABA, and Norepinephrine. When hormones become thrown off or unbalanced this can also trigger Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Calm Clinic: Neurotransmitters and Anxiety states (2013), ââ¬Å"Interestingly, too much or too little of any hormone may also affect anxiet... ...d health professionals as well. Medical practitioners encourage healthy habits, such as an exercise plan, to push the body to producing and releasing more endorphins. The medical provider may also recommend life style changes and that the patient find a hobby to preoccupy those anxious thoughts. There are many options available to help a patient deal with this illness. Generalized Anxiety Disorder is becoming more commonly recognized every day by healthcare providers; therefore the physical and mental symptoms are becoming more easily managed. The worrying, stress, and physical symptoms brought on by GAD can be treated with many options, previously not available. While an untreated patient may feel hopeless and helpless, with a treatment plan created by healthcare professionals, a person can feel like they are in control of their mental status and life again.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Character Of Davies In Caretaker By Harold Pinter
Davies, an old tramp, is the protagonist in The Caretaker. His portrayal, says Ruby Cohen, is ââ¬Å"a bitter commentary on the human conditionâ⬠. In their attitudes towards the old man, the human derelict, the two brothers present only surfaces contrasts. Mick begins by knocking him down, whereas Aston, instead of allowing him to die in despair, rescues him, shares his room with him and opens up home to him. Bother the brothers name the old man as caretaker, offer him a kind of scrutiny, which they both subsequently withdraw.Mick turns his back on the old man for failing to fulfil a role to which he never aspired, but Aston rejects him for what he is cantankerous, self-deluded and desperate. Of all Pinter's plays, The Caretaker makes the most bitter commentary on the human condition; instead of allowing an old man to die beaten in a pub brawl, ââ¬Å"the Systemâ⬠wisest on tantalising him with faint hope, thereby immeasurably increasing his final desperate anguish. There i s perhaps a pun contained in the title: The Caretaker is twisted into taker on of care, for care is the human destiny. Davies-Aston RelationshipThe Davies-Aston relationship begins with Aston apparently in command of the situation as both hos and rescuer of the itinerant Davies. His calm, quiet acceptance of the uneasy guest seems a natural posture of superiority, and Davies at first accepts it as such. As both guest and rescued, Davies, in contrast to Aston, is noisy, repetitive and insecure. The evident aim of his early initiatives is to locate a potential common ground and probably one that will be seen his degree of dependency in the relationship. Ironically, his insecurity is increased by the very means that he adopts to diminish it.The fact that it is he, and not Aston, who feels compelled to talk undermines his position at the same time that his verbal manoeuvres seek to strengthen it. Davies: Sit down' Huhâ⬠¦ I haven't had a good sit downâ⬠¦. I haven ââ¬ËI had a p roper sit downâ⬠¦ well, I could tell youâ⬠¦ Aston: (placing the chair): Here you are. Davies: Ten minutes off for a tea-break in the middle of the night in that place and I couldn't find a seal, not one. All them Greeks had it, Poles, Greeks, Blacks, the lot of them, all them aliens had it. And they had me working thereâ⬠¦All them Blacks had it, Blacks, Greeks, Poles, the lot of them, that's what doing me out of a seat, treating me like dirt. When he come at me tonight. I told him. (Pause. ) Aston: Take a seat. That Davies should invoke in rapid succession a sense of injury, a major prejudice, and a defiant self-reliance gives us a quick resume of the potential roles he might adopt relative to Aston. That Aston ignores all thereâ⬠¦ providing sympathy for the first, reinforcement for the second, nor admiration for the third gives us an immediate indication of the likelihood of their success. Incoherent SpeechAston's seeming refusal to encourage any of Davies's tentati ve roles provides Davies with major problems. In the face of Aston's taciturnity he is forced to thresh arourd desperately for some means of altering the situation. It soon becomes apparent that his large supply of words is not matched by a similar supply of verbal strategies. As the conversation progresses he simply resorts to repeated use of the tactics implicit in his first speech. Appeals to Aston's sympathy and to his prejudices recur repeatedly, though Davies is smart enough to defend himself against becoming a victim of the kinds of prejudice to which he feels vulnerable.All them toe-rags, mate, got the manners of pigs, I might have been on the food a few years but you can take it from me I'm clean. I keep myself up. That's why I left my wife. Fortnight after I married her, no, not so much as that, no more than a week. I took the lid off a saucepan, you know what was in pan. A pile of her underclothing, unwashed. The pan for vegetables, it was. The vegetable pan. That's when I left her and I haven't seen her since. As he finishes speaking he finds himself to face to face with a ââ¬Å"statue of Buddha standing on the gas stoveâ⬠.The mutual incompatibility of the stone face and that of the tramp comments directly on the success of these efforts to manipulate Aston's attitudes and concerns. The silent inscrutable Buddha, incongruously perched on the gas stove, is as much beyond Davies's comprehension as the taciturn Aston surrounded by the diverse objects collected in his room. Efforts at Self-Reliance Davies's other category of approaches involves attempts to assert a degree of independence from Aston. But his efforts to create an image of self-reliance are even less successful than his previous moves and not entirely compatible with them.His appeals for sympathy for his age and health mingle uneasily with assertions that he intends revenge for his misuse at the cafe: ââ¬Å"I'll get him. One night I'll get him. When I find myself around that direct ion. â⬠The strength of this commitment is clearly undermined by Davies's vague reference to when it will occur and by his admission that this would not be his primary reason for going there. In spite of these repeated failures, Davies's stock of variations on his manoeuvres is not yet exhausted. Indeed he has yet to play his trump card.Unsuccessful as the heroic survivor of the cafe incident, unsung as the virtuous rejecter of an unhygienic wife, and un-sympathised with as a downtrodden, exploited old man, he invokes a new image of one on the verge of self-sufficiency and success. The tack is circuitous, involving shoes, the weather, a false name, and papers that will ââ¬Å"prove everythingâ⬠. But, in essence, the theme is that of a journey to Sidcup which will solve all problems and structure his life anew. Once the journey is made all difficies will disappear, and Davies will once more be a man to be reckoned with. Davies: If only I could get down to Sidcup!I've been w aiting for the weather to break. He's got my papers, this man I left them with, it's got it all down there. I could prove everything. Aston: How long's he had them? Davies: What? Aston: How long's he had them? Davies: Oh, must beâ⬠¦ it was in the warâ⬠¦ must beâ⬠¦ about near on fifteen years ago. But this manoeuvre, too, is thwarted by Aston's reactions to it. Clearly, Davies does not match his emphasis on the importance of the journey with a similar commitment to getting there. The time lag he admits to makes nonsense of the value he places on the journey, as Aston's puzzlement is evident.Once again the haphazard dialogue is matched revealingly with an item of junk that is eminently visible but obliquely connected to its surroundings. Abuses Aston's Kindness and Generosity At this point, Aston's contribution to the ââ¬Ëconversation' seems rather unfriendly, to say the least. Whatever Davies does to try to improve the connection between himself and Aston is neutralise d by his inability to elicit from Aston the responses he needs. To Davies it seems that Aston's posture of quiet superiority is a consistent strategic imperviousness to his needs and wiles.But Aston's behaviour seems peculiarly inconsistent. His apparent unconcern for Davies's psychological needs is sharply contrasted with an evident concern for his physical needs. Aston's initial generosity toward Davies in the cafe is extended by offers of cigarettes, shoes and money, and by a willingness to go and retrieve Davies's belongings for him. This inconsistency, this apparent lack of connection between two aspects of Aston's behaviour, is another manifestation of juxtaposed but unclearly linked data in the play.But its effect on the relationship is by no means unclear; this inconsistency disorients Davies and maintains his subservience as effectively as Mick's later inconsistent conversation. As this section progresses, however, it gradually becomes apparent that Aston's efforts (unlike Mick's) are not deliberately aimed at this goal. Indeed, it is very difficult at this point to perceive a deliberate aim in any of Aston's behavior. It does seem clear, however, that he does not share Davies's urgent need for a verbally explicit rapport. The problem the audience has in understanding Aston is obviously shared by Davies.Sensing the failure of his efforts to impose on Aston any of the relationship roles he has in mind, Davies eventually switches to trying to draw out of Aston information that might guide him to more successful manoeuvres. Feeding him topics dealing with The Room and its contents, Davies once more finds himself making little headway: Davies: You got any more rooms then, have you? Aston: Where? Davies: I mean, along the landing hereâ⬠¦ up the landing thereâ⬠¦ Aston: They're out of commission. Davies: Get away. Aston: They need a lot of doing to. (Slight Pause. ) Davies: What about downstairs?Aston: That's closed up. Needs seeing toâ⬠¦ The flo orsâ⬠¦ (Pause. ) Aston's Reticence Aston's unwillingness to discuss any of these more neutral topics suggests that his reluctance to converse with Davies is motivated by something more than mere resistance to Davies's wiles; the reluctance seems to proceed from a general antipathy toward any kind of conversation. But, paradoxically, he is not entirely unwilling to talk. While evasive about the house and his legal relationship to it, he does venture the information that he ââ¬Å"might buildâ⬠a shed in the back garden.This willingness to talk is further indicated by a sudden longer statement on the drinking of Guinnessââ¬âa topic that he discusses with a seriousness that does little to calm the puzzled, uneasy Davies. I went into the pub the other day. Ordered a Guinness. They gave it to me in a thick mug. I sat down but I couldn't drink it. I can't drink Guinness from a thick mug. I only like it out of a thin glass. I had a few sips but I couldn't finish it. This relat es to nothing previously discussed, and whatever significance it has for Aston is not shared by Davies, who resorts to a quick change of subject.The short speech is undoubtedly odd, but the kind of oddity it represents provides the first clear indication of the basic difficulty confronting the pair. If Davies fails to respond to or follow up on this topic because he is unable to locate its significance, perhaps this is also the reason for Aston's similar reactions to Davies's conversation topics. The speech itself, while specifying nothing precisely undermines Davies's operating assumption that Aston's taciturnity is simply a manifestation of superiority and disinterest.Such an assumption has already been brought into question by Aston's non-verbal generosity to Davies, and this speech suggests that Aston, in spite of his general silence, also has a need to talk. The section ends with Aston, as he has done extensively during this opening scene, devoting his attention to a faulty plu g on an old electric toaster. His persistent concern for this faulty connection characterises the activity of the opening section: potential links between the characters remain uncertain because the means of establishing appropriate connections has gone awry.Davies: I used to know a bootmaker in Action. He was a good mate to me. (Pause) You know what that bastard monk said to me? (Pause) How many more Blacks you got around here then? Plays One Brother Against the Other That is when Davies turns to Mick, who plays a cat-and-mouse game with him. Davies tries to play one brother against the other in order to keep a roof over his head. He has been out on the road most of his life and he would like to cling to the crumbs he is offered. But his efforts are futile.Mick calls him ââ¬Å"a fibberâ⬠who stinks the place out and Aston, in spite of all his earlier generosity, turns his back upon him. Davies's final image that we have, despite his desperate, pitiable condition is that of an old tramp who is ungrateful, self-deluded and cantankerous as he finally pleads with Aston: Butâ⬠¦ lostâ⬠¦ lookâ⬠¦ listenâ⬠¦ listen here â⬠¦ I meanâ⬠¦. what am I going to do?â⬠¦ What shall I do?â⬠¦ Where am I going to go?â⬠¦ Listenâ⬠¦ If I got downâ⬠¦ If I was toâ⬠¦ get my papersâ⬠¦ would youâ⬠¦ would you letâ⬠¦ would youâ⬠¦ if I got downâ⬠¦ got myâ⬠¦.
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