Journal entry #8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Journal entry #8 - Essay Example tween the target language and the learners first language and the other sequenced according to increasing linguistic complexity of target language items† (1984, p. 691). A discussion on the syllabus design based on disparities between L1 and L2 structures were subsequently presented where the author identified that the most difficult phase was learning crucial elements in the target language that were absolutely absent in the student’s native language. Therefore, various guidelines and contributions were presented for syllabus design and proposed development on the complexity of the second language was appropriately delved into. Accordingly, the author noted that â€Å"recent findings from interlanguage research suggest several ways in which attention to certain aspects of traditional approaches to syllabus design-specifically, L1 transfer and L2 complexity-can be used in selecting, sequencing, and grading items for the syllabus† (Pica, 1984, p. 700). The article is most useful for teachers in the development and design of effective syllabus considering disparities and complexities in interlanguage instructions and learning. Through the guidelines provided in the discourse for syllabus design from the noted cross-linguistic research, educators are illumined on instructional approaches and methods that would facilitate teaching a second language more

Group reference Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Group reference - Essay Example The readings also provided knowledge about the importance of modern social networking as a method of reaching new consumer audiences. Sites such as MySpace and many others provide even more weight to the concept of reference groups and are therefore important especially in cultures like the UAE that have very group-minded collectivist values. According to Beckstrom (2010) the UAE is the largest user of the Internet in the Middle East where 74.1 percent of the population had access to broadband connections or mobile phones. It is a lifestyle activity for the UAE (Beckstrom). This is important for companies such as the Carrefour hypermarket that has recently launched its own online store offering many non-food items to customers in an environment that is convenient to the buyer segments (dubaifaqs.com, 2011). With the use of social networking tools, customers can have a more interactive experience with the brand and also satisfy their social reference group needs in an environment prov iding similar opinion and values. The UAE is also a culture that does not accept uncertainty easily, in areas of buying behavior and also in terms of the social structures that guide the nation. People in cultures such as this are intolerant of conflicting opinions and value group harmony over individual expression (Donnison, 2008). In the UAE, it is predictable that customers of hypermarkets will want detailed pricing guidelines and clear choices related to their purchases. Therefore, this has significance to marketers trying to predict buyer behavior and develop a system of advertising and product variety that is clear so that buyers understand exactly what they will experience in-store. For the female shopper in the UAE, it is important to identify that there are still many prejudices and stereotypes present that impede their progress toward higher social class status. Therefore, social stratification does not necessarily allow female buyers to move from lower-end class status to more influential status due to the high presence of male-controlled attitudes and political structures. However, the female shopper, across the globe, is usually the most important decision-maker in buying decisions which makes it difficult for companies like Carrefour or Lulu hypermarkets to appeal to the woman buyer. Men have more opportunity for changing their social class and therefore are more mobile. Word-of-mouth communication, as identified by the readings, is still important to the success of a brand or company. Again, the social networking capabilities of Carrefour hypermarkets is changing the interactivity between buyer and the organization which provides new opinion leadership that can change buyer behaviors. It seems that the UAE and especially the hypermarket stores are capitalizing on these new low-cost capabilities by providing products online so that consumers in the same social class with the same values can discuss their positive experiences with Carrefour or Lul u markets. The high instance of mobile phone usage and the lifestyles associated with UAE Internet usage give these markets new visibility and maybe even be able to appeal to the market maven. Since it has been recognized that women in Arab countries enjoy the shopping experience together as part of the group,

History Of The Competence Versus Performance English Language Essay

History Of The Competence Versus Performance English Language Essay The term was invented by the linguist Dell Hymes in 1966, showing that he dislikes the idea of Noam Chomskys (1965) about using the distinction between competence and performance. To follow Chomskys abstract opinion of competence, Hymes agreed to be responsible for ethnographic exploration of communicative competence that included communicative form and function in integral relation to each other (Leung, 2005). Hymes, who pioneered the approach, now known as the ethnography of communication, it is one of the most important approaches in the oral competence. Many discussions has occurred with regard to linguistic competence and communicative competence in the second and foreign language teaching literature, and many scholars have found communicative competence as a superior model of language following Hymes opposition to Chomskys linguistic competence. This opposition has been adopted by those who seek new directions toward a communicative era by taking for granted the basic motives and the appropriateness of this opposition behind the development of communicative competence. Use in education The study proposes the use of a competency-based approach and presents a detailed process for developing such a course step-by-step, with a focus on students with the needed competencies in English oral communication in the Language School at Uasd. Many studies have talked about the need for English oral communication and a discrepancy between the university English language curriculum and English language requirements for jobs (Phosward 1989; Silpa-Anan 1991; Boonjaipet 1992; Crosling and Ward 2002; Vasavakul 2006). Dominguez and Rokowski (2002) refer to the same issue as the abyss existing between the goals of the academic and the professional world and propose an idea of bridging the gap between English for Academic and Occupational purposes. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop an English oral communication course for senior English students. The course emphasizes competencies in English oral communication since English oral skills are reported as the most wanted an d needed for Communication in the classroom. The notion of communicative competence is one of the theories that underlie the communicative approach to foreign language teaching. Especially in the area of speaking, competencies in English oral communication are considered a valuable asset for senior students in the Language School. The course is thus expected to equip senior students with English oral competencies so that they will receive more opportunities when they finish the University. The word communication comes from the Latin word cmmunicare which means that something becomes common (Nilsson, 1990:7). No matter what people are going to do when they meet, whether it is to dine, play or work, they communicate by means of signals, gestures, looks, intonation and words. It is an unavoidable process. Communication includes many things such as sharing information, feelings, thoughts and influences (Nilsson, 1990:7). It is an important social process and functions as a tool for cont act, transfer of ideas, influences and development.. One of the most fascinating characteristics of humans is their ability to communicate, create social reactions and complex societies (Nilsson, 1990:9) Canale and Swain (1980) defined communicative competence in terms of three components: grammatical competence: words and rules sociolinguistic competence: appropriateness strategic competence: appropriate use of communication strategies Canale (1983) refined the above model, adding discourse competence: cohesion and coherence A more recent survey of communicative competence by Bachman (1990) divides it into the broad headings of organizational competence, which includes both grammatical and discourse (or textual) competence, and pragmatic competence, which includes both sociolinguistic and illocutionary competence. Strategic Competence is associated with the interlocutors ability in using communication strategies (Faerch Kasper, 1983; Lin, 2009). Through the influence of communicative language teaching, it has become widely accepted that communicative competence should be the goal of language education, central to good classroom practice. There are many good writers and speakers but few good listeners. Most of us filter the spoken words addressed to us so that we absorb only some of them frequently those we want to hear. Listening is an art which not many people cultivate. But it is a very necessary one, because a good listener will gather more information and achieve better rapport with the other person. And both these effects of good listening are essential to good communication. For oral communication to be effective, it should be clear, relevant, tactful in phraseology and tone, concise, and informative. This is in contrast to previous views in which grammatical competence was commonly given top priority. The understanding of communicative competence has been influenced by the field of pragmatics and the philosophy of la nguage concerning speech acts as described in large part by John Searle and J.L. Austin. Competence versus Performance Linguistic theory is concerned primarily with an ideal speaker-listener, in a completely homogeneous speech-communication, who know its (the speech communitys) language perfectly and that it is unaffected by such grammatically irrelevant conditions as memory limitations, distractions, shifts of attention and interest, and errors (random or characteristic) in applying his knowledge of this language in actual performance. Chomsky, 1965 Chomsky differentiates competence, which is an idealized capacity, from performance being the production of actual utterances. According to him, competence is the ideal speaker-hearers knowledge of his or her language and it is the mental reality which is responsible for all those aspects of language use which can be characterized as linguistic. Chomsky argues that only under an idealized situation whereby the speaker-hearer is unaffected by grammatically irrelevant conditions such as memory limitations and distractions will performance be a direct reflection of competence. A sample of natural speech consisting of numerous false starts and other deviations will not provide such data. Therefore, he claims that a fundamental distinction has to be made between the competence and performance. Chomsky dismissed criticisms of delimiting the study of performance in favor of the study of underlying competence, as unwarranted and completely misdirected. He claims that the descriptivist limitation-in-principle to classification and organization of data, the extracting patterns from a corpus of observed speech and the describing speech habits etc. are the core factors that preclude the development of a theory of actual performance.

Janet and Edies life Essay -- Character Analysis, Edie, Mrs. Peebles

In both short stories, â€Å"How I Met My Husband† in Something I’ve Been Meaning to Tell Youand â€Å"The Moons of Jupiter† in My Best Stories, Munro uses the first person narrator to tell the story. As well as each story has a way of showing a relationship between their families and their distant, especially their relationship with men which lead to surprising and unexpected events.The story of â€Å"How I met my Husband† is about a woman, Edie, tells her story and life from a 15 years young girl perspective and tells how she meets withher husband. Although in â€Å"The moons of Jupiter† is narrated by Janet, a woman who tells her story about her family and how her father has been hospitalized and faces the possibility of dying during heart surgery, she also tells how her relationship with her father and daughters is distant. This essay will analyze the first person narrator’s life and relationship with their families and shows the distant between the characters. In both Munro’s stories, the main characters tell their past and how they lived. The short story of â€Å"How I Met My Husband† is told from the first-person point of view, the story layers the voice of the fifteen-year-old Edie. The story is told as a memory when Edie is old and a married woman. Edie tells her past life which she spent in the country, she is a hired girl for Peebles family that lives in the country, and this was her first job. She always compares country and city’s life, and how she lived. She compares the values of the country and city and how that is different from each other: Dessert was never to write home about, at their place. A dish or Jello or sliced bananas or fruit out of a tin. â€Å"Have a house without pie, be ashamed until you die,† my mother used to say, but M... ...on of her father. Theirs was not a warm relationship; both as a child and as an adult she felt either blamed or disapproved of by her father. Ironically, as a parent now herself, she has daughters who are emotionally distant and remind her of herself at their ages. There are tensions with Judith, and Nichola does not visit or even call during the time her mother is in Toronto. To conclude, both Munro’s stories have similarities and differenced between the main characters, Edie and Janet, in their relationships with others and their past life. From Munro’s stories we can see how the aspects of distant and relationship can occur in more than one family but in different ways. So the similarity of the both stories is that both characters, Edie and Janet tell the story by comparing their past and present life. And show the weak relationship between their families.

Medical Ethics Abortion Essay

Most moral issues in medicine and healthcare will instigate lively debate, but no subject seems to inflame tempers more than the question of abortion. The gulf between pro-life and pro-choice can be an uncompromising stance of deeply held beliefs and principles. On the one hand, there is the claim that the foetus is a human being with the same right to life as any other human being, and abortion is therefore nothing less than murder. On the other hand, it is argued that a woman has a right to choose what happens within her own body, and is therefore justified in deciding to have her foetus removed if she so wishes. Even a liberal view is problematic; these tend to take the view that it is permissible for an abortion to take place before a certain stage in the foetuses development, but not beyond that given point. Such an arbitrary perspective does seem difficult to quantify; how can anyone determine the criteria that would navigate a decision that finds termination acceptable today but morally reprehensible tomorrow? It is sometimes argued that the foetus reaches personhood well before birth. â€Å"By the tenth week, for example, it already has a face, arms and legs, fingers and toes; it has internal organs, and brain activity is detectable.†[1] But does this undermine a woman’s right to self determination—can it still be reasonable for her to choose abortion, given its level of development? We shall explore this question; not from the perspective of whether the foetus is human, but from the premise â€Å"that the woman’s rights over her body are more important than the life of the person or part person in her womb.†[2] A Woman’s Right to Self-Defence Judith Jarvis Thomson presents the following hypothesis:[3] a woman becomes pregnant and then learns that she has a cardiac condition that will cause her death if the pregnancy continues. Let us grant the foetus personhood, with a right to life. Obviously the mother too has a right to life, so how can we decide who’s right to life is greater? A way of answering this question could be to say that an abortion is an act of aggression with the sole intention to kill. Whereas to do nothing would not be an attempt by anyone to murder the mother, rather to just let her die. The passivity of the latter could be seen as morally preferable than directly killing an innocent person. Thomson argues that â€Å"It cannot seriously be said that†¦she must sit passively by and wait for her death.†[4] There are two people involved, both are innocent, but one is endangering the life of the other. Thomson believes that in this scenario a woman is entitled to defend herself against the threat posed by the unborn baby, even if ultimately this will cause its death. I feel Thomson is correct in her appraisal. If an impartial judgement was sought by an individual as to whose life has greater worth; the foetus or the woman, they might not feel able to choose—both lives could be seen to hold equal value. But there is nothing objective about the woman’s situation—her life is endangered. If a person threatens my life—even if they are not conscious of their actions—I have a right to kill them, if that is the only course of action I can take to repel the attack. The scenario becomes less clear when we consider if a woman holds the same right to defend herself if the continuation of her pregnancy causes her serious health problems that are not terminal. Again, I would assess the situation in terms of an attack. Do I have a right to kill an assailant if he attempts to wound me? The answer, I think, is dependent upon degree—the injury that would be inflicted. It seems reasonable that the degree of retaliation should be proportional to the severity of the attack. Similarly, a woman has the right to terminate her pregnancy if its continuation instigates a degree of illness that is severe enough to warrant that decision. The problem then is quantifying such comparatives. It might seem reasonable to nominate the woman involved as the person best qualified to make that decision, but shouldn’t such judgments emanate from an objective source? After all, should I be able to ‘take the law into my own hands’ and choose whatever reprisal I thought necessary against my attacker? A Woman’s Right to Ownership A woman holds ownership of her own body; therefore she may abort her foetus if that is what she chooses â€Å"it is in a very real sense her own—to dispose of as she wishes.†[5] Professor Thomson analogises: it is not that the woman and foetus are like two tenants occupying a small house that has been mistakenly rented to both of them—the mother owns the house.[6] But not all claims of ownership hold an automatic right to dispose of their property. John Harris gives an example[7] suppose I own a life-saving drug, and have nothing planned for its use other than placing it on my shelf. If I meet a person who was dependent on that drug otherwise they will die, I would not be morally entitled to withhold the drug—it would be wrong of me to exercise that right. What Harris is expressing is that a woman may have the right to do what she wishes to her own body, but it would be wrong of her to exercise that right. The question then is; does the value of ownership of your body take precedence over the value of the foetus? Property is sometimes commandeered during war, and this action is usually justified because national security is thought to take priority over an individual’s right to ownership.[8] Another compelling, and I think decisive, argument comes from Mary Anne Warren. She states that ownership does not give me a right to kill an innocent person on my property, furthermore, it is also immoral to banish a person from my property; if by doing so they will undoubtedly perish.[9] If one does not accept that a foetus is a human being, then the woman may have it removed from her body, similarly to having a kidney stone taken out. But if the foetus is believed to be a person, then I do not think any argument of ownership can hold up against the soundness of the given examples. A Foetuses Right to its Mothers Body Can a woman’s right to choose abortion take priority over the foetuses right to life? Professor Thomson argues that â€Å"†¦a right to life does not guarantee having either a right to be given the use of or a right to be allowed continued use of another person’s body—even if one needs it for life.†[10] Thomson goes on to give an example[11], that if she was terminally ill, and the only thing that would save her life was the touch of Henry Fonda’s cool hand on her fevered brow, she would have no right to expect him to travel to her side and assist her in this way. No doubt, Thomson adds; that it would be frightfully nice of him, but she holds no right against him that he should do so. An obvious criticism is to argue that a woman has a special responsibility to her foetus, simply because she is its mother—a responsibility that ‘Henry Fonda’ does not owe, so the analogy, is rendered useless. But Thomson postulates that â€Å"we do not have any such ‘special responsibility’ for a person unless we have assumed it, explicitly or implicitly.†[12] Thomson therefore argues that if a pregnancy is unwanted, and the woman holds no emotional bond to the foetus, there is no attachment and so no responsibility. A possible dispute to Thomson’s idea is to suggest that the ‘special responsibility’ is bonded through genes rather then emotion. If a child is born and the mother abandons it, her culpability is held through their ‘mother and baby relationship’ rather then what the mother ‘thinks’ of her baby. Another argument that can give claim by the foetus to its mother’s body is one of contract.[13] It could be said that by voluntarily engaging in sexual intercourse a woman—even if using contraception—risks the chance of pregnancy. By understanding the possible consequences of her actions, she must be seen as responsible for the existence of the foetus, because no method of contraception is known to be infallible. Since the woman is accountable for bringing the foetus into the world (albeit in her womb) she assumes an obligation to continue to provide nourishment for its survival. Michael Tooley offers an example that he believes analogises this argument[14] there is a pleasurable act that I practice. But by engaging in it, it can have the unfortunate risk of destroying someone’s food supply. This will not cause the person any problem, as long as I continue to make such provisions, even though it causes me immense trouble and expense. Tooley says that he arranges things so that the probability of the ‘pleasurable act’ having such an effect is as small as possible (contraception). But he says that if things do go wrong, he is still responsible for the person needing food, and therefore obligated to supplying the food needed. Tooley believes that once we engage in an activity that can potentially create a child, then we assume responsibility for its needs, even if bringing that child into existence was accidental and precautions were taken to prevent that outcome. Professor Thomson offers her own powerful analogy in contrast to the above view: If the room is stuffy, and I therefore open a window to air it, and a burglar climbs in, it would be absurd to say, â€Å"Ah, now he can stay, she’s given him a right to the use of her house—for she is partially responsible for his presence there, having voluntarily done what enabled him to get in, in full knowledge that there are such things as burglars, and that burglars burgle.† It would be still more absurd to say this if I had had bars installed outside my windows, precisely to prevent burglars from getting in, and a burglar got in only because of a defect in the bars.[15] Abortion, Due to Rape As already stated, most views against abortion base their position from the value they place on the foetuses life. Even so, in the case where pregnancy had occurred through rape, most opponents of abortion would believe that there would be sufficient justification for termination. Obviously, there is something paradoxical about this—if the foetus is valuable because it is human, it is obviously no less human because its mother had been raped. So how can some opponents of abortion hold such contradictory ideas? Janet Radcliffe Richards’ explains that when a woman is forced to continue pregnancy until childbirth, â€Å"†¦the child is being used as an instrument of punishment to the mother, and that talk of the sanctity of life is being used to disguise the fact.†[16] The only thing that a woman that wants to abort for reasons of accidental pregnancy has done differently, is to of engaged willingly to sex—and that is what she is being punished for.[17] Richards’ offers an interesting approach to the apparent inconsistency stated, although I don’t find its supposition altogether convincing. I think the ‘double-standards’ described, portray an individual that holds only a relative opinion to the value of life that is held by the foetus. That is, the foetus is human, with rights, but not as human and not as much rights as an adult human being. And this is how I feel critics of abortion consider priority to women in rape cases. A Father’s Right To what degree, if any, does the father’s opinion count on whether his unborn child should die at the hands of the mother? After all, the foetus is very much a part of him—sharing his genetic make-up. It is noted by John Harris[18] that a man is not entitled to violate a woman for the purpose of impregnating her—that is rape—so then it follows that he must not violate her by forcing his wishes for a pregnancy to continue until birth. The counter argument is that by agreeing to sex, a woman has tacitly agreed to carry the man’s child. Ultimately the woman’s opinion must take priority over the man’s—because she has to carry the foetus, but, once a foetus is formed, one can have a degree of sympathy for the man’s situation. If copulation had taken place for the purpose of impregnation, then why should the man suffer a feeling of loss just because his partner changes her mind? Where contraception is used, his argument may be weakened—they did not intend parenthood. But if both were planning for a baby, is it fare that once that child exists, the mother can take it away from its father, even though he has done no wrong? A Right to Death If a pregnancy is terminated during its early stages, the foetus will undoubtedly die. But if an abortion takes place later in pregnancy, and by some miracle survives, the mother has no â€Å"right to secure the death of the unborn child.†[19] If the baby was still unwanted, the â€Å"woman may be utterly devastated by the thought of a child, a bit of herself, put out for adoption and never seen or heard of again†[20] but she can only demand her separation from it; she may not order its execution. I guess there would be few opponents to this assertion; but it is interesting to understand why. If a person accepts the permissibility of abortion, how is it so different to kill a child that survives its attempted termination? Presumably the foetus has acquired rights that it didn’t hold inside the womb, or perhaps the woman loses her rights during that transition. It seems strange that location should alter the foetuses perspective so drastically—after all, it is the same being. It could be argued that it is independence that qualifies the foetus for its right to live. When it no longer needs its mother for survival, and is not ‘reliant’ upon her in any way, she loses the right to decide its fate. Professor Thomson’s explanation is somewhat different; she too agrees that there is no justification for a woman to order the death of a foetus that lives following an abortion, but her reasoning is not dependent upon any acquisition or loss of rights. Thomson argues that a termination is just the right for a woman to detach the foetus from her body. This is not an act of murder (even though its death is inevitable during its infancy) but an entitlement to liberation, whatever its outcome.[21] Professor Thomson presents an account that would be reasonable if the act of abortion was purely an attempt of separation. But in fact the procedure used is an attempt, not only to detach and remove the foetus, but to kill it.[22] If the abortionist fails in this task, then Thomson allows the baby a right to live. But as the method of termination is designed for the foetus to die, I believe it renders Thomson’s point unsound. Conclusion Professor Thomson concedes that â€Å"It would be indecent in the woman to request an abortion, and indecent in a doctor to perform it, if she is in her seventh month, and wants the abortion just to avoid the nuisance of postponing a trip abroad.†[23] So, even staunch defendants of feminist ethics feel compelled to consider the foetuses interests once its development reaches a mature stage. It could be argued that the foetus has become a baby, and abortion is therefore tantamount to infanticide. I believe that anyone can exercise their right to self-defence if their life is threatened, and a woman can use her prerogative against the unborn baby at any stage of its development without recrimination. However, I feel that a woman’s right to expel her foetus for any other reason has only relative justification. Relative: because a woman’s rights to abort become less valid as the foetus develops. There is, in my opinion, a necessary correlation between foetal development and a woman’s right to termination. A woman may exercise her choice without compromise during early pregnancy, because the foetus is nothing more then potential, but justification becomes less palatable as potential becomes actualised. Can a woman really hold the same rights to ‘choose what happens within her own body’ when the foetus is twenty five weeks old, as she did when it was ten weeks old? As previously mentioned, arbitrarily choosing a point in the foetuses life and exclaiming ‘before this point the thing is not a person, after this point it is a person,’ does appear contrived. But its comparison with ‘before this point a woman can choose, after this point she can’t; does seem vindicated against less satisfactory views. The purpose of this essay was to assess a case for abortion that was not dependent on the foetuses right to life, but instead to appreciate a woman’s right to choose. I don’t believe that either position can be considered without respecting the rights of the other. Therefore, in my opinion; a woman holds considerable rights; but they are only relative to the foetuses level of development. BIBLIOGRAPHY Dwyer, Susan, The Problem of Abortion. London: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1997 Glover, Jonathan, Causing Death and Saving Lives. London: Penguin Books, 1997 Harris, John, The Value of Life. London: Routledge, 1985 Info on Abortion â€Å"Abortion†, Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopaedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion#Other_means_of_ abortion Richards, Janet, The Sceptical Feminist. Harmondsworth: Pelican, 1982 Sherwin, Susan, No Longer Patient. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1992 Thomson, Judith, â€Å"A Defence of Abortion†, Philosophy and Public Affairs, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1971: pp. 47-66 Tooley, Michael, Abortion and Infanticide. London: Oxford University Press, 1983 Warren, Marry Anne, â€Å"On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion†, The Monist, 1973

The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle Chapter Four

â€Å"But he's got to have a doctor. He looks like he's dying!† said Bonnie. â€Å"He can't. I can't explain right now. Let's just get him home, all right? He's wet and freezing out here. Then we can discuss it.† The job of getting Stefan through the woods was enough to occupy everyone's mind for a while. He remained unconscious, and when they finally laid him out in the back seat of Matt's car they were all bruised and exhausted, in addition to being wet from the contact with his soaking clothes. Elena held his head in her lap as they drove to the boarding house. Meredith and Bonnie followed. Elena gently eased Stefan's head down and slipped out of the car, and saw one of the windows in the house brighten as a curtain was pushed aside. Then she saw a head and shoulders appear at the window, looking down. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers!† she called, waving. â€Å"It's Elena Gilbert, Mrs. Flowers. We've found Stefan, and we need to get in!† The figure at the window did not move or otherwise acknowledge her words. Yet from its posture, Elena could tell it was still looking down on them. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers, we have Stefan,† she called again, gesturing to the lighted interior of the car. â€Å"Please!† â€Å"Elena! It's unlocked already!† Bonnie's voice floated to her from the front porch, distracting Elena from the figure at the window. When she looked back up, she saw the curtains falling into place, and then the light in that upstairs room snapped off. It was strange, but she had no time to puzzle over it. She and Meredith helped Matt lift Stefan and carry him up the front steps. Inside, the house was dark and still. Elena directed the others up the staircase that stood opposite the door, and onto the second-floor landing. From there they went into a bedroom, and Elena had Bonnie open the door of what looked like a closet. It revealed another stairway, very dim and narrow. â€Å"Who would leave their – front door unlocked – after all that's happened recently?† Matt grunted as they hauled their lifeless burden. â€Å"She must be crazy.† â€Å"Sheis crazy,† Bonnie said from above, pushing the door at the top of the staircase open. â€Å"Last time we were here she talked about the weirdest – † Her voice broke off in a gasp. â€Å"What is it?† said Elena. But as they reached the threshold of Stefan's room, she saw for herself. She'd forgotten the condition the room had been in the last time she'd seen it. Trunks filled with clothing were upended or lying on their sides, as if they'd been thrown by some giant hand from wall to wall. Their contents were strewn about the floor, along with articles from the dresser and tables. Furniture was overturned, and a window was broken, allowing a cold wind to blow in. There was only one lamp on, in a corner, and grotesque shadows loomed against the ceiling. â€Å"What happened?† said Matt. Elena didn't answer until they had stretched Stefan out on the bed. â€Å"I don't know for certain,† she said, and this was true, if just barely. â€Å"But it was already this way last night. Matt, will you help me? He needs to get dry.† â€Å"I'll find another lamp,† said Meredith, but Elena spoke quickly. â€Å"No, we can see all right. Why don't you try to get a fire going?† Spilling from one of the gaping trunks was a terry cloth robe of some dark color. Elena took it, and she and Matt began to strip off Stefan's wet and clinging clothes. She worked on getting his sweater off, but â€Å"Matt, could you – could you hand me that towel?† As soon as he turned, she tugged the sweater over Stefan's head and quickly wrapped the robe around him. When Matt turned back and handed her the towel, she wound it around Stefan's throat like a scarf. Her pulse was racing, her mind working furiously. No wonder he was so weak, so lifeless. Oh, God. She had to examine him, to see how bad it was. But how could she, with Matt and the others here? â€Å"I'm going to get a doctor,† Matt said in a tight voice, his eyes on Stefan's face. â€Å"He needs help, Elena.† Elena panicked. â€Å"Matt, no†¦ please. He – he's afraid of doctors. I don't know what would happen if you brought one here.† Again, it was the truth, if not the whole truth. She had an idea of what might help Stefan, but she couldn't do it with the others there. She bent over Stefan, rubbing his hands between her own, trying to think. What could she do? Protect Stefan's secret at the cost of his life? Or betray him in order to save him? Would it save him to tell Matt and Bonnie and Meredith? She looked at her friends, trying to picture their response if they were to learn the truth about Stefan Salvatore. It was no good. She couldn't risk it. The shock and horror of the discovery had nearly sent Elena herself reeling into madness. If she, who loved Stefan, had been ready to run from him screaming, what would these three do? And then there was Mr. Tanner's murder. If they knew what Stefan was, would they ever be able to believe him innocent? Or, in their heart of hearts, would they always suspect him? Elena shut her eyes. It was just too dangerous. Meredith and Bonnie and Matt were her friends, but this was one thing she couldn't share with them. In all the world, there was no one she could trust with this secret. She would have to keep it alone. She straightened up and looked at Matt. â€Å"He's afraid of doctors, but a nurse might be all right.† She turned to where Bonnie and Meredith were kneeling before the fireplace. â€Å"Bonnie, what about your sister?† â€Å"Mary?† Bonnie glanced at her watch. â€Å"She has the late shift at the clinic this week, but she's probably home by now. Only – â€Å" â€Å"Then that's it. Matt, you go with Bonnie and ask Mary to come here and look at Stefan. If she thinks he needs a doctor, I won't argue any more.† Matt hesitated, then exhaled sharply. â€Å"All right. I still think you're wrong, but – let's go, Bonnie. We're going to break some traffic laws.† As they went to the door, Meredith remained standing by the fireplace, watching Elena with steady dark eyes. Elena made herself meet them. â€Å"Meredith†¦ I think you should all go.† â€Å"Do you?† Those dark eyes remained on hers unwaveringly, as if trying to pierce through and read her mind. But Meredith did not ask any other questions. After a moment she nodded, and followed Matt and When Elena heard the door at the bottom of the staircase close, she hastily righted a lamp that lay overturned by the bedside and plugged it in. Now, at last, she could take stock of Stefan's injuries. His color seemed worse than before; he was literally almost as white as the sheets below him. His lips were white, too, and Elena suddenly thought of Thomas Fell, the founder of Fell's Church. Or, rather, of Thomas Fell's statue, lying beside his wife's on the stone lid of their tomb. Stefan was the color of that marble. The cuts and gashes on his hands showed livid purple, but they were no longer bleeding. She gently turned his head to look at his neck. And there it was. She touched the side of her own neck automatically, as if to verify the resemblance. But Stefan's marks were not small punctures. They were deep, savage tears in the flesh. He looked as if he had been mauled by some animal that had tried to rip out his throat. White-hot anger blazed through Elena again. And with it, hatred. She realized that despite her disgust and fury, she had not really hated Damon before. Not really. But now†¦ now, shehated. She loathed him with an intensity of emotion that she had never felt for anyone else in her life. She wanted to hurt him, to make him pay. If she'd had a wooden stake at that moment, she would have hammered it through Damon's heart without regret. But just now she had to think of Stefan. He was so terrifyingly still. That was the hardest thing to bear, the lack of purpose or resistance in his body, the emptiness. That was it. It was as if he had vacated this form and left her with an empty vessel. â€Å"Stefan!† Shaking him did nothing. With one hand on the center of his cold chest, she tried to detect a heartbeat. If there was one, it was too faint to feel. Keep calm, Elena, she told herself, pushing back the part of her mind that wanted to panic. The part that was saying, â€Å"What if he's dead? What if he's really dead, and nothing you can do will save him?† Glancing about the room, she saw the broken window. Shards of glass lay on the floor beneath it. She went over and picked one up, noting how it sparkled in the firelight. A pretty thing, with an edge like a razor, she thought. Then, deliberately, setting her teeth, she cut her finger with it. The pain made her gasp. After an instant, blood began welling out of the cut, dripping down her finger like wax down a candlestick. Quickly, she knelt by Stefan and put her finger to his lips. With her other hand, she clasped his unresponsive one, feeling the hardness of the silver ring he wore. Motionless as a statue herself, she knelt there and waited. She almost missed the first tiny flicker of response. Her eyes were fixed on his face, and she caught the minute lifting of his chest only in her peripheral vision. But then the lips beneath her finger quivered and parted slightly, and he swallowed reflexively. â€Å"That's it,† Elena whispered. â€Å"Come on, Stefan.† His eyelashes fluttered, and with dawning joy she felt his fingers return the pressure of hers. He swallowed again. Those green eyes were dazed and heavy, but as stubborn as she had ever seen them. â€Å"No,† Stefan said, his voice a cracked whisper. â€Å"You have to, Stefan. The others are coming back and bringing a nurse with them. I had to agree to that. And if you're not well enough to convince her you don't need a hospital†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She left the sentence unfinished. She herself didn't know what a doctor or lab technician would find examining Stefan. But she knew he knew, and that it made him afraid. But Stefan only looked more obstinate, turning his face away from her. â€Å"Can't,† he whispered. â€Å"It's too dangerous. Already took†¦ too much†¦ last night.† Could it have been only last night? It seemed a year ago. â€Å"Will it kill me?† she asked. â€Å"Stefan, answer me! Will it kill me?† â€Å"No†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His voice was sullen. â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"Then we have to do it. Don't argue with me!† Bending over him, holding his hand in hers, Elena could feel his overpowering need. She was amazed that he was even trying to resist. It was like a starving man standing before a banquet, unable to take his eyes from the steaming dishes, but refusing to eat. â€Å"No,† Stefan said again, and Elena felt frustration surge through her. He was the only person she'd ever met who was as stubborn as she was. â€Å"Yes. And if you won't cooperate I'll cut something else, like my wrist.† She had been pressing her finger into the sheet to staunch the blood; now she held it up to him. His pupils dilated, his lips parted. â€Å"Too much†¦ already,† he murmured, but his gaze remained on her finger, on the bright drop of blood at the tip. â€Å"And I can't†¦ control†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's all right,† she whispered. She drew the finger across his lips again, feeling them open to take it in; then, she leaned over him and shut her eyes. His mouth was cool and dry as it touched her throat. His hand cupped the back of her neck as his lips sought the two little punctures already there. Elena willed herself not to recoil at the brief sting of pain. Then she smiled. Before, she had felt his agonizing need, his driving hunger. Now, through the bond they shared, she felt only fierce joy and satisfaction. Deep satisfaction as the hunger was gradually assuaged. Her own pleasure came from giving, from knowing that she was sustaining Stefan with her own life. She could sense the strength flowing into him. In time, she felt the intensity of the need lessen. Still, it was by no means gone, and she could not understand when Stefan tried to push her away. â€Å"That's enough,† he grated, forcing her shoulders up. Elena opened her eyes, her dreamy pleasure broken. His own eyes were green as mandrake leaves, and in his face she saw the fierce hunger of the â€Å"It isn't enough. You're still weak – â€Å" â€Å"It's enough foryou. † He pushed at her again, and she saw something like desperation spark in those green eyes. â€Å"Elena, if I take much more, you will begin to change. And if you don't move away, if you don't move away from meright now †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena withdrew to the foot of the bed. She watched him sit up and adjust the dark robe. In the lamplight, she saw that his skin had regained some color, a slight flush glazing its pallor. His hair was drying into a tumbled sea of dark waves. â€Å"I missed you,† she said softly. Relief throbbed within her suddenly, an ache that was almost as bad as the fear and tension had been. Stefan was alive; he was talking to her. Everything was going to be all right after all. â€Å"Elena†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Their eyes met and she was held by green fire. Unconsciously, she moved toward him, and then stopped as he laughed aloud. â€Å"I've never seen you look like this before,† he said, and she looked down at herself. Her shoes and jeans were caked with red mud, which was also liberally smeared over the rest of her. Her jacket was torn and leaking its down stuffing. She had no doubt that her face was smudged and dirty, and sheknew her hair was tangled and straggly. Elena Gilbert, immaculate fashion plate of Robert E. Lee, was a mess. â€Å"I like it,† Stefan said, and this time she laughed with him. They were still laughing as the door opened. Elena stiffened alertly, twitching at her turtleneck, glancing around the room for evidence that might betray them. Stefan sat up straighter and licked his lips. â€Å"He's better!† Bonnie caroled out as she stepped into the room and saw Stefan. Matt and Meredith were right behind her, and their faces lit with surprise and pleasure. The fourth person who came in was only a little older than Bonnie, but she had an air of brisk authority that belied her youth. Mary McCullough went straight over to her patient and reached for his pulse. â€Å"So you're the one afraid of doctors,† she said. Stefan looked disconcerted for a moment; then, he recovered. â€Å"It's sort of a childhood phobia,† he said, sounding embarrassed. He glanced sideways at Elena, who smiled nervously and gave a tiny nod. â€Å"Anyway, I don't need one now, as you can see.† â€Å"Why don't you let me be the judge of that? Your pulse is all right. In fact, it's surprisingly slow, even for an athlete. I don't think you're hypothermic, but you're still chilled. Let's get a temperature.† â€Å"No, I really don't think that's necessary.† Stefan's voice was low, calming. Elena had heard him use that voice before, and she knew what he was trying to do. But Mary took not the slightest notice. â€Å"Open up, please.† â€Å"Here, I'll do it,† said Elena quickly, reaching to take the thermometer from Mary. Somehow, as she did so, the little glass tube slipped out of her hand. It fell to the hardwood floor and smashed into several pieces. Uh, I'm sorry! you're not dangerously ill. I can'tmake you go to the clinic. But I'd strongly suggest you get a checkup tomorrow.† â€Å"Thank you,† said Stefan, which, Elena noticed, was not the same as agreeing. â€Å"Elena,you look as if you could use a doctor,† said Bonnie. â€Å"You're white as a ghost.† â€Å"I'm just tired,† Elena said. â€Å"It's been a long day.† â€Å"My advice is to go home and go to bed – and stay there,† Mary said. â€Å"You're not anemic, are you?† Elena resisted the impulse to put a hand to her cheek. Was she so pale? â€Å"No, I'm just tired,† she repeated. â€Å"We can go home now, if Stefan's all right.† He nodded reassuringly, the message in his eyes for her alone. â€Å"Give us a minute, will you?† he said to Mary and the others, and they stepped back to the staircase. â€Å"Good-bye. Take care of yourself,† Elena said aloud as she hugged him. She whispered, â€Å"Why didn't you use your Powers on Mary?† â€Å"I did,† he said grimly in her ear. â€Å"Or at least I tried. I must still be weak. Don't worry; it'll pass. â€Å"Of course, it will,† said Elena, but her stomach lurched. â€Å"Are you sure you should be alone, though? What if – â€Å" â€Å"I'll be fine. You're the one who shouldn't be alone.† Stefan's voice was soft but urgent. â€Å"Elena, I didn't get a chance to warn you. You were right about Damon being in Fell's Church.† â€Å"I know. He did this to you, didn't he?† Elena didn't mention that she'd gone searching for him. â€Å"I – don't remember. But he's dangerous. Keep Bonnie and Meredith with you tonight, Elena. I don't want you alone. And make sure no one invites a stranger into your house.† â€Å"We're going straight to bed,† Elena promised, smiling at him. â€Å"We won't be inviting anybody in.† â€Å"Make sure of it.† There was no flippancy in his tone at all, and she nodded slowly. â€Å"I understand, Stefan. We'll be careful.† â€Å"Good.† They kissed, a mere brushing of lips, but their joined hands separated only reluctantly. â€Å"Tell the and Meredith could go back with Elena. Mary was still clearly suspicious about the night's goings-on, and Elena couldn't blame her. She also couldn't think. She was too tired. â€Å"He said to say ‘thanks' to all of you,† she remembered after Matt had left. â€Å"He's†¦ welcome,† Bonnie said, splitting the words with an enormous yawn as Meredith opened the car door for her. Meredith said nothing. She had been very quiet since leaving Elena alone with Stefan. Bonnie laughed suddenly. â€Å"One thing we all forgot about,† she said. â€Å"The prophecy.† â€Å"What prophecy?† said Elena. â€Å"About the bridge. The one you say I said. Well, you went to the bridge and Death wasn't waiting there after all. Maybe you misunderstood the words.† â€Å"No,† said Meredith. â€Å"We heard the words correctly all right.† â€Å"Well, then, maybe it's another bridge. Or†¦ mmm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bonnie snuggled down in her coat, shutting her eyes, and didn't bother to finish. But Elena's mind completed the sentence for her.Or another time. An owl hooted outside as Meredith started the car.