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Fiction, it's story elements, and quality characteristics
Fiction is stories created from imagination and not necessarily fact. They may include real events, settings, or other factual material. They can seem totally real (realistic fiction) or total fantasy (fairy tale, modern fantasy, legend, myth, science fiction, ... ).
Elements of all stories include: character, setting, plot, point of view, style, tone, and theme. It is the combination of them that determine a piece of literature's genre and how they are used and represented determine a pieces quality.
Readers and viewers, who understand story elements increase their enjoyment and understanding of different literary pieces. Once learners are aware all stories generally have these same elements, they can use them to comprehend, critically analyze, and appreciate a particular story and how the elements are used within the story to combine to create a unique quality experience. The more familiar we become with these elements and different ways they are used, the better we will understand and critically analyze stories.
Let's explore quality characteristics by story elements with examples.
Character is the mental, emotional, and social qualities to distinguish one entity from another (people, animals, spirits, automatons, pieces of furniture, and other animated objects).
Character development is the change that a character undergoes from the beginning of a story to the end. Young children can note this.
The importance of a character to the story determines how fully the character is developed. Characters can be primary, secondary, minor,or main.
Characters are developed by
Actions: In Charlottes' Web, Templeton, creeps up cautiously to the goslings, keeping close to the wall. Later he grins when Wilbur falls trying to spin a web. At the fair he bites Wilbur's tail as hard as he possibly can. His actions portray him as sneaky, ill-tempered, and pleased at others' discomfort.
Speech: In Charlottes' Web, Templeton, after Wilbur asks him to play, frolic or have fun. Replies, "... I never do those things if I can avoid them ... I prefer to spend my time eating, gnawing, spying, and hiding ... I am a glutton not a merry-maker. Right now I am on my way to your trough to eat your breakfast, since you haven't got sense enough to eat it yourself"
Appearance: In Charlottes' Web, Templeton, after his night at the fair returns swollen to double his usual size. He agrees to fetch the egg sac so that he may eat first every day and grow fatter and bigger than any other known rat.
Other character's comments: Other characters' comments help form judgment of the other characters by supporting other characters' actions, speech, appearance, and author's comments.
Author's comments: The wording, the author uses in the narrative adds to characterization. In Charlottes' Web, White describes Templeton ...
... had no morals, no conscience, no scruples, no consideration, no decency, no milk of rodent kindness, no compunction, no higher feeling, no friendliness, no anything. He would kill a gosling if he could get away with it.
A style which certainly develops character and an emotional response for the character.
Unity of character and action: the character must be credible. If the character changes, then the change must be shaped by events which the author is obligated to explain how they create the character change.
Stories with main character change:
Meg; A Wrinkle in Time,
Claudia; From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,
the Duck; The Ugly Duckling,
Wilbur; Charlotte's Web and
Jess; Bridge To Terabithia.
Types of characters
Round characters, are those the reader/listener/viewer gets to know well. They have a variety of traits that make them believable. Central characters are well developed in good literature. Meg, Claudia, Duck, Wilbur, and Jess are the central character, or protagonist (hero or heroine).
Flat characters, are less well developed and have fewer or limited traits or belong to a group, class, or stereotype. Fern in Charlotte's Web.
A character foil, is a minor character whose traits contrast with a main character. The lamb is young and naive as Wilbur, but she is smug instead of humble.
Anthropomorphic characterization, is the characterization of animals, inanimate objects, or natural phenomena as people. Skilled authors use this to create fantasy even from stuffed toys (Winnie-the-Pooh). The characterizing of inanimate objects from tiny soldiers to trees and so on is represented in Andersen's works and particularly in the ballet, The Nutcracker.
Animal characters in realism are best when the animals act only like animals as in The Incredible Journey.
Character Change
Dynamic characters are rounded characters that change. Wilbur as the panicky child. "I can't be quiet," screamed Wilbur, racing up and down. "I don't want to die. It is true... Charlotte. Is it true they are going to kill me when the cold weather comes? Later: "Listen to me? ... Charlotte ... has only a short time to live. She cannot accompany us home, because of her condition. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that I take her egg sac with me. I can't reach it, and I can't climb. You are the only one that can get it. There's not a second to be lost ... Please, please, please, Templeton, climb up and get the egg sac. This desperate plea does not come from personal need. Further, he tells Templeton to "stop acting like a spoiled child.", and he who once planned his day around his slops offers Templeton to eat first and take his choice of all the yummies. Other dynamic characters are:
Meg in A Wrinkle in Time,
Jess in Bridge to Terabithia, and
Claudia in From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.
Static (stock) characters are round or flat characters that do not change during the story. Charlotte is the same wise and selfless character at the end of the story as at the beginning. Folktales, fairytales, and other types use static and flat characters, whose actions are predictable, so the listener or reader is free to concentrate on the action and theme as it moves along toward an often times universal discovery.
Plot is the order in which things move and happen in a story.
Chronological order is when a story relates events in the order in which they happened.
Flashback is when the story moves back in time. Jean George, Julie of the Wolves or dreams in Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. Dreams are easier for children to understand because of their experience with them. Flashbacks are more problematic.
Conflicts occur when the protagonist struggles against an antagonist (villain that goes against the protagonist), or opposing force. Conflict and order make plot. The author creates the conflict by describing one of the following types of interactions.
Person-against-self. Tom Sawyer's fear of Injun Joe and guilt, can't sleep, fear of talking in sleep, ties mouth shut, struggle with moral responsibility even in the face of danger. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin. Ged struggles against the flaws in himself, as the shadow, must make himself whole. "a man who, knows his whole true self cannot be used or possessed by any owner other than himself. He will now live his life for its own sake, not for hatred, pain, ruin, or the darkness of evil.
Person-against-person. Meg and IT in A Wrinkle in Time, Michael and his mother in The Hundred Penny Box by Sharon Bell Mathis, Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs v. the wolves.
Person-against-society. Child will probably call it "will Wilbur live?", but it is really Wilbur v. dinner table, Wilbur v. good business. Kit Vv. the Puritans in The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare.
Person-against-nature: Julie in, Julie of the Wolves by Jean George and Karana in Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell.
Lack of conflict. A story that lacks struggle, lacks suspense, lacks alternatives, lacks a sense that it had to happen, and therefore, satisfaction. All the reader can say at the conclusion of such a story is "So what does that prove? A Wrinkle in Time shows Meg on a powerful planet saving Charles Wallace, person-against-person conflict. The author builds the plot, character, ... so well that the reader/listener cares very much what happens to Meg. Even simple stories like Goldilocks, The Three Little Pigs, and The Billy Goats Gruff have conflict and tension. Double Fudge by Judy Blume has a different sense of conflict. There are little incidents that happen throughout the book but nothing of significance to anyone but Fudge and maybe some family members. However, the reader's attention is maintained by an attachment to Fudge and his struggle with childhood.
Pattern of action
Rising action. builds during the story and reaches a peak at the end. The Borrowers by Mary Norton.
Steady action maintains the same amount of action through out the story, rising and falling from time to time. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Rise and fall action, the action rises to a climax and then trails off. Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor.
Suspense is what makes us read on. Charlotte's Web: Wilbur's fate. Will he live? Will Charlotte run out of words? Is Templeton too selfish to help? Will Wilbur win at the fair? Can Charlotte go? Lose to Uncle? New category? Dead pig! Templeton bites tail...
Cliffhanger. Trouble River by Betsy Byars, The Borrowers by Mary Norton, and the High King by Lloyd Alexander.
Foreshadowing is the planting of clues to indicate the outcome of the story. Not all readers will be alert to these. Some may notice them subconsciously and describe their inferences as guesses or feelings. Charlotte's Web. When we first meet Charlotte we are told that she eats living things and the friendship looks questionable. But White adds, "... she had a kind heart, and she was to prove loyal and true to the very end." A prophetic statement. Another clue is when Charlotte assures Wilbur, after he learns of the slaughter, with, "I am going to save you."
Sensationalism. The thrilling and the startling. Achieved at the expense of the character and the idea. A writer must be careful with sensationalism, so as not to weaken the character or theme, to balance suspense over action, and then hint at the outcome, as not to overpower small children but provide relief as needed.
Climax. The peak and turning point of the conflict, the point at which we know the outcome of the action. Children call it the most exciting part. In Charlotte's Web when the pig survives. The Borrowers when the boy ventilates the fumigation. A Wrinkle in Time when Meg discovers what she has that IT does not.
Resolution is the falling action after the climax. When the reader is assured that all is well and will continue to be, so the plot has a closed ending. If the reader is left to draw their own conclusions about the final plot then the ending is open. Many adults as well as children are disturbed by open endings.
Inevitably is the property of it had to be. This is high praise for a writer.
Coincidence is when events that happen by mere chance. The Incredible Journey has some coincidental events that remove credibility from the plot. First, a handwritten note blows into the fire and leaves the housekeeper baffled. Therefore, she does not know that the two dogs and cat have struck out on their own, and does not search for them. Later a crumbling beavers' dam gives way at just the right moment to sweep the frightened cat downstream. Later, a boy hunting for the first time with his own rifle, saves the cat from a lynx with one remarkable shot.
Sentimentality is a natural concern or emotion for another person. The way a soap opera or a tear-jerker plays on its viewers.
Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell is told by the horse and stuffed with sentimentality.
"Poor Ginger" a title of a chapter concludes with these observations. "A short time after this a cart with a dead horse in it passed our cab-stand. The head hung out of the cart-tail, the lifeless tongue was slowly dropping with blood; and the sunken eyes. But I can't speak of them, the sight was too dreadful. It was a chestnut horse with a long, thin neck... I believe it was Ginger; I hoped it was, for then her troubles would be over. O! If men were more merciful they should shoot us before we came to such misery."
Because of the sentimentality, the reader/listener/watcher may sob more soulfully over Ginger's death than over that of a human being, although there is little confusion in some minds as to which misused creature is more deserving of grief.
The rapid pace of folktales does not allow time for tears by false sentiment. We do not anguish over the fate of Rumpelstiltskin, when he stamped his feet and split in two and that was the end of him.
The most destructive element from the over use of sentimentality is not boredom, but the fact that the young reader, faced with continual sentimentality, will not develop the sensitivity essential to recognize what is truly moving and what is merely a play on feelings. If, after all, we regard the death of a pet mouse with the same degree of emotional intensity as the death of a brother, we have no sense of emotional proportion.
By contrast Katherine Paterson, in Bridge to Terabithia uses a wide range of emotions that children wrestle with or the genuine sentiment that a small child, reading or being read to, experiences during the relationship with Charlotte and Wilbur. The child fed only on such surface sentimentality as soap operas, the average television program, and early Walt Disney, with their sterile and stereotyped pictures of human beings and their distorted sensationalism with simplistic solutions, risks developing emotional shallowness.
Types of plots
Progressive plots have a central climax followed by a resolution (denouement). Charlotte's Web and A Wrinkle in Time are examples.
Episodical plots have one incident or short episode linked to another by a common character or unifying theme (maybe through chapters). Used by authors to explore character personalities, the nature of their existence, and the flavor of a certain time period.
Setting includes time and place.
Backdrop setting is when the setting is unimportant for the story and the story could take place in any setting. Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne is an example of a story in which could happen in any setting.
Integral setting is when the action, character, or theme are influenced by the time and place, setting. Controlling setting controls characters. If you confine a character to a certain setting it defines the character. Characters, given these circumstances, in this time and place, behave in this way. The Tail of Peter Rabbit is an example of how the setting is an integral part of Peter's behavior. Charlotte's Web is another example of an integral setting.
Functions of setting: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth Speare creates a setting of Puritanical austerity: hand-rubbed copper, indicating hard work, the heavy fortress-like door, the dim little mirror, the severe wooden bench, the unpainted Meeting House, the whipping post, the pillory, and the stocks. The tasks of a typical day performed by Kit: mixing soap with a stick, the lye fumes stinging her eyes, tiring muscles, with one of the easiest tasks: making corn pudding, which keeps her over a smoky fire with burning and watering eyes. A frightening and uncompromising environment compared to her carefree Barbados upbringing.
Setting as antagonist. Characters must resolve conflict created by the setting: Julie of the Wolves, The Incredible Journey, and Island of the Blue Dolphins.
Setting that illuminates character: The confining setting of the attic in Anne Frank and Flowers in the Attic help the characters find themselves and grow as individuals.
Setting as symbolism. A symbol is a person, place, object, situation, or action which operates on two levels of meaning, the literal and the figurative, or suggestive. Children will understand only obvious symbols. Forest symbolizes the unknown; garden: natural beauty; sunlight: hope, goodness; darkness: evil, despair. A grouping of symbols may create an image called an allegory. The Narnia books by C. S. Lewis are allegories. In The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Speare uses symbols in the usual way and to create conflict, as when she describes Hannah as a kind and harmless woman who lives in the sunny meadows. When you would expect a witch to live in the deep dark shadowy forest or swamp.
Theme is the main idea that weaves the story together, the why, the underlying ideas of what happens in the piece of literature, often a statement about society or human nature.
Explicit theme is when the writer states the theme openly and clearly. Charlotte's Web: friendship. Primary explicit themes are common in children's literature, as the author wants to be sure the reader finds it.
Implicit themes are implied themes. Charlotte's Web: If two such unlikely animals as a spider and pig can be friends, then so can we. Even a Tempelton can be a friend to a degree. Friendship is giving of ones self, as Wilbur did for the egg sac and devotion to the babies. Best friends can do no wrong. Friendship is reciprocal.
Multiple and secondary themes: Since a story speaks to us on our own individual level of varying experiences, many individual themes will be obtained from a good piece of literature. Charlotte's Web secondary themes could include: People don't give credit where credit is due, Youth and innocence have a unique value, Be what you are, There is beauty in all things, Nature is a miracle, Life is continuous.
Children may not be able to express themes, but they are beginning to build an understanding of them, which they need before they can express them.
Didacticism: If we give learners stories that are too preachy, they will turn off and nothing is gained.
Learners need time to smell the fragrances of plants, compare their colors, feel their textures, and have aesthetic experiences, so they will develop an appreciation of plants before they will participate in a botany lesson. Likewise they must develop a caring relationship with characters in a book before they will accept understanding from the story, good literature does this.
The Tail of Peter Rabbit can be used to illustrate this. Peter didn't feel very well the evening that he returned. However, there is no hint that it served him right, or that he was naughty. Peter's mother puts him to bed and gives him a dose of chamomile tea. Potter does not call it punitive medicine, nor describe it as tasting bad. Nor does she call Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail's bread, milk, and blackberries rewards for goodness.
Peter Rabbit can become didactic. For example, when a reteller adds a single phrase to Potter's final paragraph, saying that Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail, "who were good little bunnies," ate bread and milk and blackberries at supper time. Or when an illustration includes a plaque hanging on the kitchen wall, saying, "Good bunnies obey," or preaching "Obedience is rewarded".
It seems unlikely that didactic messages made Peter Rabbit a childhood favorite that has been a loved story for generations. A less didactic theme seems more likely. Animals, or people, mature and go into the world to discover. Mother, scared to death about the consequences, accepts them because of her love for her children.
Nonsense seems to say, The world and all its inhabitants, thank heaven, make no sense. Nonsense, in its own way, may develop a theme. If it does not, it will fail.
Point of view is determined by the authors' descriptions of characters, setting, and events told to the reader throughout the story.
First-person, is told with I, as in Island of the Blue Dolphins, A Ring of Endless Light; Madeleine L'Engle, Dear Mr. Henshaw, Huckleberry Finn, Kidnapped, Treasure Island, It's Like This Cat, Pigman and The Slave Dancer. The first person point of view may present difficulties for small children, because they are learning their own "I" identity, and may have trouble identifying with the strange "I" of the story.
Telling a story from one character also limits the amount of information available to the reader, requiring the reader to add information. Small children may lack enough experience to do this. However, Dr. Seuss wrote several successful books in first person: If I ran the Zoo, And To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, and May I Bring a Friend?.
Omniscient: third person (he, she, they) is all-knowing in every detail of action, thought, and feeling (conscious or unconscious) Charlotte's Web.
Sometimes the author uses limited omniscient point of view (when only a select amount of characters are presented omnisciently), Little House stories where Laura's actions and thoughts are told but not other characters. Laura's understanding of Santa Claus.
"Santa Claus did not give grown people presents, but that was not because they had not been good ... It was because they were grown up, and grown people must give each other presents."
In Summer of the Swans, Byars tells most of the story from Sara's point of view, but there are some parts where she tells what is in the mind of Charlie, her disabled brother.
"The whole world seemed to have been turned off when Sara went into the Weicek's house. His ticking watch is his pleasure as he listens to it and watches the red second hand sweep around the dial."
Objective or dramatic point of view: There is no explanation to the reader of what is going on or what the characters think or feel. The camera selects and we see and draw our own conclusions. Incredible Journey, is an example. Since the characters are animals we are not able to know what they think, if indeed they do. We must imagine their actions and movements or other sensory images. The old dog walked gingerly into the shallow water, shivering... turning his head away. Once more the Labrador swam the river, climbed out... shook himself, and barked. There was no mistaking the command. The old dog took another reluctant step forward, whining piteously, his expressive tail tucked under... again the Labrador swam across...
Style is how the author says something, the choice of words and the use of language, sentence construction, imagery ... not what the author says. It adds significance and impact to the author's writing.
Exposition, narrator or third person passages to provide background information to explain story events.
Dialogue between characters.
Vocabulary words used. Two kinds of words are combined to add meaning: connotation and denotation:
Connotation is the associative or emotional meaning of a word.
Denotation is the dictionary meaning of a word.
Imagery words used to create mental sensory impressions (sights, sounds, textures, smells, and tastes). It creates setting, establishes mood, or describes characters.
Figurative language is language used in a non literal context to add intensity of meaning.
Figure of speech is an expression used in a non literal context to add intensity of meaning.
Personification is a figure of speech that gives human qualities to inanimate objects, nonhuman organisms, or abstractions.
Simile is a figure of speech that makes comparisons using like and as and occasionally than. That describe something in a manner that communicates a deeper understanding with economy of words or beyond a physical or direct description.
Metaphor is a figure of speech that transfers an idea associated with one word to another word.
Hyperbole is a figure of speech that exaggerates or uses an extravagant statement.
Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole.
Allusion is a figure of speech that refers to something in our common understanding, our past or our literature. Allusion is difficult for children since it relies on background information which they often lack.
Symbol is a person, object, situation, or action that operates on two levels of meaning, the literal and the figurative or suggestive. Dove: peace, flag: nationality of a country, handshake or gift: friendship.
Puns or wordplay
Devices of sound
Onomatopoeia is when a word sounds like what it represents.
Alliteration is repetition of initial consonants.
Assonance is repetition of similar vowel sounds.
Consonance is the close repetition of consonant sounds.
Rhythm or in music meter, in prose cadence. Rhythm in Greek means flow. Reading aloud is the best test. Often used in picture books, Millions of Cats, by Wanda Gag and Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Compare two versions of The Ugly Duckling:
"Once upon a time there was a Mama Duck. She was sitting on four eggs, waiting for them to hatch.
Every day she said, "Quack, Quack, Just wait till my babies hatch. I always have such beautiful ducklings!"
One day the shells began to go Crack. One, two, three baby ducks hatched out of their shells."
"It was so lovely out in the country - it was summer! The wheat was yellow, the oats were green, the hay was stacked in green meadows, and the stork walked about on his long red legs speaking Egyptian, because he had learned that language from his mother. The fields and meadows were surrounded by large forests, and there were deep lakes in the middle of the woods.
Yes, it was really nice out there in the country. And right in the middle of the sunshine was an old castle. It had deep moats, and burdocks that grew on the bank, from the walls down to the water; the burdocks were so big that small children could stand under the leaves of the tallest ones. It was a wilderness - like the thickest forest - and that's where a duck had her nest. She was sitting on her eggs, but she'd had just about enough of it because they took so long to hatch and she rarely had visitors. The other ducks would much rather swim in the moats than sit under a burdock and gossip with her."
Anderson unabridged translation
by Diana Crone Frank & Jeffrey Frank
Tone tells us how the author feels about his or her subject. Words express the writer's attitude toward his or her work, subject, and readers. Without vocal inflection to help convey tone, the writer must choose words with great care. We often describe a writer's tone but are not aware of how we discovered the tone. It sort of creeps into our consciousness. Tone can be serious, humorous, satirical, passionate, sensitive, zealous, indifferent, caring, caustic ...
The kindness in Charlotte's Web begins on the first pages when Mr. Arable looks at Fern "with love", and speaks to her gently. Fern kisses her father and her mother, pleased that the runt pig is safe. White describes the setting and characters in the same terms. The chapter "Summer Days" begins: "The early summer days on a farm are the happiest and fairest days of the year. Lilacs bloom and make the air sweet, and then fade. Apple blossoms come with the lilacs, and the bees visit around among the apple trees. The days grow warm and soft. School ends, and children have time to play and to fish for trout in the brook. ...
In A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle begins with Meg, being wakened during a storm, and recounts her miserable day. Very depressing, until she thinks of home and then the tone changes.
"...A delinquent, that's what I am, she though grimly. That's what they'll be saying next. Not Mother. But Them. Everybody Else. I wish Father...
The interactions of Meg with Charles Wallace and her mother:
Meg enters the kitchen and Charles Wallace says, "I've been waiting for you...
Later when "Charles Wallace said."Would you like a liverwurst-cream-cheese sandwich? I'll be happy to make you one. "That would be lovely, Mrs. Murry said, "but I can make it myself if you're busy. "No trouble at all. Charles Wallace slid down from his chair and trotted over to the refrigerator, his pajamaed feet padding softly as a kitten's. "How about you, Meg? he asked. "Sandwich? "Yes, Please," she said. "But not liverwurst. Do we have any tomatoes?" Charles Wallace peered into the crisper. "One. All right if I use it on Meg, Mother?" "To what better use could it be put?" Mrs. Murry smiled.
Humor is an important tone in children's literature. Types of humor include: exaggeration, incongruent, surprise, absurd, parody, ridicule, slapstick, situational, defiant, violent, verbal
Unexpected humor: The cow jumping over the moon, the dish running away with the spoon, the barber shaving a pig.
Absurd: Winnie-the-Pooh, sailing off on an overturned umbrella or disguising oneself as a black cloud.
The Summer of the Swans, When Sara tries to dye her orange sneakers baby blue.
"...Look at that. That is the worst color you have ever seen in your life. Admit it. "
" I admit it. "
" Well, you don't have to admit it so quickly."
"They ought to put on the dye wrapper that orange cannot be dyed baby blue. "
"They do."
"Well, they ought to put it in big letters. Look at those shoes. There must be a terrible name for that color. "
"There is," Mary said. "Puce."
"Puce."
"Mary Weick, you made that up."
"I did not. It really is a color."
"I have never heard a word that describes anything better. Puce. These must look like puce shoes."
Parody is a device that retains the original form but changes the words and the tone for humorous effect. "An hour of freedom is worth a barrel of slops, is a parody for "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." This device is usually for older readers, since readers must have previous knowledge of the original writing.
Tone related to the story. Although each reader has their own opinion as to the tone created by the author and their own personal preference for enjoyment, there is a limit to the range of tone for each story.
In A Wizard of Earthsea, LeGuin needed to create a tone of another world. She did so with long and grand phrases to emphasis the seriousness of the struggle between good and evil in the soul of Ged. She also uses inverted word order to describe the otak, a small animal, Ged carries with him.
"They are small and sleek, with.... fur dark brown or brindle... Their teeth are cruel and their temper fierce, so they are not made pets of. They have no call or cry or any voice."
Variety of tone: even though tone should relate to the story it needs to vary according to the situation. Tone varies from person to person, to create people as individuals; and group to group to create different social groups.
Tone also changes to change the pace, create character-conflict, fit the theme, add pleasure...
Note the various changes of tone in The Ugly Duckling, Anderson is sometimes humorous, sometimes tender, often critical, and even, sometimes, almost cynical.
In A Hero Ain't Nothin but a Sandwich, Childress changes point of view with each chapter as she shows different characters:
The principal as resigned: " No matter what I do or don't do, there are drug addicts."
Benjie is naive when he says of his addiction, "I kicked once and I can kick any time I wanta."
Walter the pusher, angry and protesting that anyone who sells anything is a pusher, says he is "pushin for cops, when you get right down to it. You heard me. When I pay off, what the hell you think I'm payin with?"
Condescending tone is when the author looks down upon the reader or treats them as though they are unintelligent or immature. A retelling of what seems to be obvious or explanation that steals the opportunity for the reader to be awed, or to gain admiration from self discovery. Can be moralizing, didactic, sentimental, or cynical none of which are appropriate for children.
In Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson portrays Jess with a tone deserving of a Newberry Award. We read that Jess' stomach "felt so odd" And yet, the morning after the news, pancakes doused in syrup taste "marvelous." Jess's sister accuses him of not caring, and he is puzzled: "The coldness curled up inside of him and flopped over." As Jess's mother and sister talk, he "could hear them talking and they were farther away than the memory of a dream." He cannot leave the table, but he doesn't know what to do. Then, his mind a blank, he mumbles, "What little girl?" Paterson's depiction is not sentimental, filled with sighs and tears and sobs. Nonetheless we see that Jess is shocked and grief-stricken.
In The Slave Dance, and My Brother Sam Is Dead the authors could have sensationalized, but instead they have used their creative knowledge to present their characters with enough depth that the reader is aware of the alternative consequences and struggles the characters must face, instead of presenting only sensational events, that would be condescending to the reader.
Didactic tone: refer to plot.
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text:
Barro is een gemeente in de Braziliaanse deelstaat Ceará. De gemeente telt 21.556 inwoners (schatting 2009).

Gemeente in Ceará

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Sources which don't support SHA1, in particular crypt will upload large files without SHA1 checksums. This may be fixed in the future (see #1767).
Files sizes below --b2-upload-cutoff will always have an SHA1 regardless of the source.
Backblaze recommends that you do lots of transfers simultaneously for maximum speed. In tests from my SSD equipped laptop the optimum setting is about --transfers 32 though higher numbers may be used for a slight speed improvement. The optimum number for you may vary depending on your hardware, how big the files are, how much you want to load your computer, etc. The default of --transfers 4 is definitely too low for Backblaze B2 though.
Note that uploading big files (bigger than 200 MB by default) will use a 96 MB RAM buffer by default. There can be at most --transfers of these in use at any moment, so this sets the upper limit on the memory used.
When rclone uploads a new version of a file it creates a new version of it. Likewise when you delete a file, the old version will be marked hidden and still be available. Conversely, you may opt in to a "hard delete" of files with the --b2-hard-delete flag which would permanently remove the file instead of hiding it.
Old versions of files, where available, are visible using the --b2-versions flag.
If you wish to remove all the old versions then you can use the rclone cleanup remote:bucket command which will delete all the old versions of files, leaving the current ones intact. You can also supply a path and only old versions under that path will be deleted, eg rclone cleanup remote:bucket/path/to/stuff.
Note that cleanup will remove partially uploaded files from the bucket if they are more than a day old.
When you purge a bucket, the current and the old versions will be deleted then the bucket will be deleted.
However delete will cause the current versions of the files to become hidden old versions.
Here is a session showing the listing and retrieval of an old version followed by a cleanup of the old versions.
Show current version and all the versions with --b2-versions flag.
Clean up all the old versions and show that they've gone.
It is useful to know how many requests are sent to the server in different scenarios.
The b2_list_file_names request will be sent once for every 1k files in the remote path, providing the checksum and modification time of the listed files. As of version 1.33 issue #818 causes extra requests to be sent when using B2 with Crypt. When a copy operation does not require any files to be uploaded, no more requests will be sent.
Showing that the current version is unchanged but older versions can be seen. These have the UTC date that they were uploaded to the server to the nearest millisecond appended to them.
Note that when using --b2-versions no file write operations are permitted, so you can't upload files or delete them.
Here are the standard options specific to b2 (Backblaze B2).
Permanently delete files on remote removal, otherwise hide files.
Here are the advanced options specific to b2 (Backblaze B2).
Endpoint for the service. Leave blank normally.
A flag string for X-Bz-Test-Mode header for debugging.
These will be set in the "X-Bz-Test-Mode" header which is documented in the b2 integrations checklist.
Include old versions in directory listings. Note that when using this no file write operations are permitted, so you can't upload files or delete them.
Cutoff for switching to chunked upload.
Files above this size will be uploaded in chunks of "--b2-chunk-size".
This value should be set no larger than 4.657GiB (== 5GB).
Upload chunk size. Must fit in memory.
When uploading large files, chunk the file into this size. Note that these chunks are buffered in memory and there might a maximum of "--transfers" chunks in progress at once. 5,000,000 Bytes is the minimum size.
This is usually set to a Cloudflare CDN URL as Backblaze offers free egress for data downloaded through the Cloudflare network. Leave blank if you want to use the endpoint provided by Backblaze.


text:
A Parliamentary Enquiry is Needed and Justified
A PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY IS NEEDED AND JUSTIFIED
http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/clac_ctte/pbs_medicines/index.htm
Submissions closing date – 30th June 2011
Report due to Parliament – 18th August 2011
After ten years of an improved way of providing Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme medicines to remote living Aboriginals there are major flaws to the system introduced to resolve the question of access in places where there is no mainstream pharmacy available.
Or that was the stated intent of the Section 100 special arrangements established in 1999 for community controlled health services and to follow over the following three years to the State/Territory owned and operated health services in Queensland, Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. There are now 170 health services in total obtaining their PBS medicines from some 35 community pharmacies in those jurisdictions or in the case of Queensland access is from State owned hospitals on a regional basis.
It will be obvious that in examining a supply/dispensing arrangement it is necessary to examine the foundation on which it is built before any changes are implemented. There is no use fixing problems if the foundation is flawed. The first item in the Terms of Reference for the Inquiry, to be conducted by the Senate Community Affairs Committee sets the scene:-
(a) whether these arrangements adequately address barriers experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in remote areas of Australia in accessing essential medicines through the PBS;
The barrier of distance was the rationale for the arrangements. The Pharmacy Guild, projecting itself as the prime body to be consulted regarding PBS supply matters, immediately suggested a 25 Km radius as the proposed distance from a nearby community pharmacy (Approved Pharmacy). This was immediately countered by the community controlled sector through its peak body, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (NASCCHO) by arguing for the Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Areas classification (RRMA) to be used as the determining index and making Category 6 and 7 of that index to be the defining factor. This was accepted by the Minister of the day, Hon Michael Wooldridge, and so it was the RRMA index.
This immediately produced a system that was flawed from the outset as it allowed the large ACCHO health services in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine and Nhulunbuy to be included even though there was an Approved Pharmacy in proximity – in the case of Alice Springs there were five pharmacies.
The concentration of attention was on the fact that PBS medicines would be free to the patients. This prompted lobbying by urban ACCHOs through NACCHO for them to be included in the s100 arrangements. Of course this was not possible as Section 100 is for special arrangements by the Minister for people in isolated locations.
The whole emphasis of the program was on supply with little attention given to dispensing in a quality comparable to mainstream. Supplying pharmacies were well looked after with the supply mechanism being similar to that of a wholesaler except a price per item of $1.14 (now $2.74) and a mark up the same as Section 85 dispensing. In total at 2010/11 rates the Approved Pharmacy is being paid $18 million of the $40 million total cost to the PBS.
The division of responsibility between State and Territory functions did not help as the legal aspects of supply rest in State/Territory legislation. A simple statement in the eligibility criteria that State/Territory law was being complied with was all that was needed by the Commonwealth to satisfy the payment arrangements.
The end result is a scheme where medicines are supplied but with no PBS money to meet the cost of dispensing as occurs in mainstream. Under Section 85 dispensing – every time a person has a PBS script filled at an Approved Pharmacy they have access to a pharmacist. Under the remote AHS arrangements this does not happen nor is there the training of health workers to upgrade their clinical knowledge to ensure the patient receives some help in understanding why taking the medicines are important for them to live longer.
Despite research projects funded under the Third and Fourth Community Pharmacy Agreements which looked into the training of Aboriginal Health Workers, the establishment of Adherence Support Workers, the provision of information to Aboriginal patients on medicines and the conduct of Home Medication Reviews these have not lead to any pharmacy initiated reform measures.
The only change to the funding arrangements has been an increase in the "handling fee" paid to supplying pharmacies from $1.14 to $2.74. Compare this with the $6.42 paid for dispensing PBS Section 85 scripts and it is clear the PBS is saving money ($3.68) every time a PBS medicine is supplied to a remote living Aboriginal person.
Questions or comments to the author at rollom@iinet.net.au
PO Box 98 Parap NT 0804 or 0411 049 872
Published in Information to Pharmacists , 01/05/2011, Volume 3, No. 4
Previous story: Discipline is the order of the day
Next story: ASMI Media Releases for April 2011

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Most Important Part of Ballet Costumes?
What is the most important part of any dancer's costume? And if you know any more infomation can you please tell me. I have to do a brochure on Ballet Costumes. So it would be good if you could help me out!
To:- Most Important Part of Ballet Costumes?
Ballet costumes are a crucial element, not just for the dancers, but for the overall look of a ballet performance. The costumes help convey the characters and story in a ballet.
For example, in the Nutcracker ballet, the Sugar Plum Fairy wears a dazzling tutu which is elaborately decorated in jewels and colous to show she is the leader of her Kingdom.
Have a think about the different components to a dancer's costume before deciding which is the most important. There are many significant parts and each has its own importance. You can think about the colour, the shape, design and also footwear, hair and main bodice of the costume.
Remember, ballet costumes have a strong connection to the intention of the dance. Therefore, the most important part could depend on what type of dance it is for.
Have a think and reflect over what I've said for your brochure. lease do let me know what ideas you come up with!
Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Ballet Costumes.
Ballet Costumes - Lightweight Fabrics?
Hello I am a second year university student from England. I am researching in ballet costumes for one of my projects, with the hope to produce my own costume at the end, but I was wondering what is the importance of using very lightweight fabrics and are there any important factors that I will need to consider?
To:- Ballet Costumes - Lightweight Fabrics?
Thank you for your ballet costumes query, it is a pleasure to hear from you.
It is fascinating you are doing a project on ballet costumes. I am very interested because, as a dancer, I feel the costume plays a crucial part in any ballet. It contributes in portraying the character and engaging with the audience, all the elements in which make ballet such a visual, beautiful and entertaining art form.
The importance of using very lightweight fabrics is because the material moves faster and easier. They also have a tendency to breathe and move more freely with the dancer. Some good examples of soft stretchy material are chiffon, jersey, silk, georgette, and lycra.
Dance is about movement, so the way the fabric moves is very important. You want to make sure the costume has as few restrictions as possible. I can almost guarantee most ballet dancers would create a costume that feels free, light and flowing that would absolutely compliment their dancing and body.
Of course, a large factor of producing a costume depends on what type of ballet you are creating for, because there are the classic works which feature lots of ballet tutus or the more contemporary works which have more versatile costumes.
Other important factors you can consider are the colour, texture, lining, accessories, footwear, hair style or even make up. All these components play a part in creating a costume that works in relation to the particular dance or character.
I am greatly intrigued by your query and I would love to see any photographs of your final outcome, so please keep in touch and let me know how your doing. I am always happy to help.


Salt and pepper the flat iron steak on both sides.
Oil the grill grate, using an oiled rag.
Place the steak on the grill. Use these cooking times to cook your steak to medium: 2 to 3 minutes per side for a 1/2 inch thick steak, 4 to 6 minutes per side for a 1 inch thick steak, 6 to 9 minutes per side for a 1 1/2 to 2 inch thick steak.
Take the steak off the grill. Let it rest 2 to 3 minutes to allow the juices to reabsorb into the steak. Squeeze lemon wedges over the steak and serve.


text:
Home Sports Football
Mohammedan vibrant again
The premises of Mohammedan Sporting Club has turned vibrant again in presences of former players, organisers and supporters, brushing aside September's casino scandal which resulted in director-in-charge Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan being arrested.
The arrest of Bhuiyan in fact paved the way for return of former players and organisers, who once shied away from the club. Badal Roy, former national footballer and current vice-president of Bangladesh Football Federation, is playing a key role behind reorganising the popular club regarding the transfer window of Bangladesh Premier League.
With heavy financial crisis jostling the club, Roy on Sunday sat with some business people to seek financial help to run the club ahead of next annual general meeting, which is likely to give directives to the new board of directors.
Some 17 businessmen including Mohammedan's interim president Kutubuddin Ahmed and Dhaka City Corporation (North) mayor Atiqul Islam attended the meeting to discuss different aspects of the club including the AGM, election, forming squads in football, cricket and hockey.
"We invited approximately 20 businessmen who love Mohammedan or were once involved with the club even though not all of them were present. The club's president Obaidul Karim could not join the meeting due to suddenly falling ill.
"However, the response from the well-wishers was really satisfying as they promised to help the club financially as I told them I am not physically fit enough to look after everything," Roy said.
Former president Kutubddin said, "Everyone is interested to help Mohammedan as they have good memories with the club. Those who attended the meeting promised to provide financial help to run the football squad."
Roy, who suffered a stroke in 2017, said that he urged all former players and organisers to come back to the club after RAB busted casino at the club para. The former players and organisers responded immediately by helping form a squad for top-flight football, he said.
"The club president [Obaidul Karim] has showed more interest than we expected. He said that he gave Tk 7 crore in two years but there was lack of accountability," Roy said, adding that they are going to appoint a chief executive officer after abolishing the post of director-in-charge.
Former additional general secretary Mustaqur Rahman said that most of the club members and former players are happily contributing to help the club survive.
Former national defender Imtiaz Sultan Jonny said, "Other clubs may suffer due to the casino scandal, but the scandal actually helped Mohammedan rebuild itself."
Ahead of today's players' registration formalities, the club has been decorated with lights. Former players, current ones and the club's supporters will turn up for the registration at the BFF today with a rally, which will be the first of its kind since 2009.
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text:
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes: Soldier, pragmatist, jobist, skeptic
By	Kali Borkoski
on May 14, 2014 at 11:30 am
On May 8, James McPherson and G. Edward White joined moderator Brad Snyder for the second lecture in the Supreme Court Historical Society's Leon Silverman Lecture series, hosted by Scott Harris, the Clerk of the Supreme Court. The focus of last week's lecture was the effect of the Civil War on Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes.
Holmes's first public mention of the war came during his 1884 Memorial Day address, two decades after he left the Army of the Potomac, when he told his audience that, "in our youth, our hearts were touched with fire." That fire, McPherson told the audience, was Holmes's service in the Massachusetts 20th regiment during the Civil War. Holmes was quite literally touched by fire, McPherson reported, nearly dying twice during his three years of service. The metaphorical touch of fire clearly left a mark on Holmes too, and the speakers dedicated the next hour to surveying that mark's convoluted geometry.
After the war, there were many things Holmes was not, according to McPherson. He was not active in any veterans' organizations and showed little inclination towards nationalism or patriotism. And although he had risked his life for the Union, after his service was completed, his enthusiasm for abolitionism waned. Indeed, Holmes successfully resisted his friend Norwood Penrose Hallowell's entreaties to reenlist and join Hallowell in fighting with the first all-black regiment. Furthermore, Holmes held Henry Abbott, who was openly contemptuous of blacks and President Lincoln, in high regard as one of the finest soldiers of the war. If anything, the fire's touch left Holmes rather cold, in terms of passion for the cause.
McPherson proposed that the true legacy of Holmes's experiences during the war was a reverence for the "soldier's faith": that is, the cause was overshadowed by the duty to fight. This attitude, McPherson suggested, is reflected in Holmes's legal pragmatism; as Holmes himself put it in the first line of his book, "The life of the law has not been logic, but experience."
In his remarks, White suggested that Holmes's attitude towards the war was deeply ambivalent. By his own account, Holmes could not reenlist because he was too demoralized by the war. But, White continued, at the same time Holmes carried guilt about ending his service before the war was over. That guilt, according to White, also explains why Holmes did not participate in any veterans' organizations after the war had ended.
However, although Holmes did carry guilt, he also carried a "private pride" for having served. In his written correspondences, White noted, Holmes would mark the anniversaries of his war wounds, and when he died, two bullets (which had been extracted from his body) were found in his bedside table in a custom case, along with two uniforms in his closet.
White suggested that although serving in the war was certainly an important life experience, it's hard to see any direct connection between Holmes's service as a solder and his jurisprudence, especially when eighteen years separated those two chapters of his life.
White compared Holmes's solitary intellectual journey as a jurist with the solitary crusade that a soldier undertakes in war. If, White proposed, there is a connection between Holmes's experiences as a soldier and his time as a jurist, perhaps it would be his "jobism" – a term understood as an unadvertised excellence at one's professional duties, particularly in spite of a lack of access to knowledge of the grand strategy in which one is involved. But at the same time, White acknowledged that it is impossible to know whether Holmes's habits of mind were remnants from his army service or were instead attributable to other causes.
Moving into the discussion portion of the evening, Snyder asked the speakers whether the competing narratives about Holmes after the war –pragmatist, jobist, or skeptic – are actually inconsistent.
In McPherson's view, they are not. He maintained that Holmes valued professionalism above all else, and his objective was to make things work, rather then to advocate for particular causes or results. White took a different approach, telling the audience that Holmes's jobism was a "translation of the ethos of being a soldier" and doing his duty well. However, White contended, it would go too far to say he was a pragmatist. First, Holmes never identified as a pragmatist; in fact, he once wrote a letter to a friend in which he questioned whether pragmatism "does anything." And, second, Holmes didn't seem to be a "Mr. Fix-it guy"; to the contrary, during his time on the Court Holmes remained aloof and independent, never playing to the politics of the institution.
Snyder joked that he would be remiss if he closed a discussion on Holmes and the Civil War without asking the speakers whether it's true that Holmes once told President Lincoln, allegedly after the president lingered too long in the parapet, vulnerable to enemy attack, to "[g]et down, you fool." McPherson was dubious. Someone, he noted, did indeed "tell the president to 'get down,'" and we know that Holmes was at that particular fort the day after the incident occurred, but we do not know whether he was there the day of the incident. Thus, McPherson concluded, "I suspect it was someone else, but I wish it was Holmes." White was similarly skeptical, noting that Holmes had written letters specifically about being at the fort, which is how we know he was there the day after the incident with the president. And although Holmes did not embellish his participation in the war, if something significant happened, he made a habit of mentioning it in his correspondences. There is no such mention.
As for Holmes's opinion of Lincoln, McPherson confirmed that, although Holmes did vote for him, he didn't see him as a great man and lacked any profound respect for him. "He was skeptical about everything after the war," McPherson observed. White added that when Holmes came away from the war, it was with a strong sense of what a mess the campaigns and general strategy had been. He therefore had no reason to lionize Lincoln, and in any event "lionizing wasn't his style."
Posted in Supreme Court history, What's Happening Now
Recommended Citation: Kali Borkoski, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes: Soldier, pragmatist, jobist, skeptic, SCOTUSblog (May. 14, 2014, 11:30 AM), https://www.scotusblog.com/2014/05/justice-oliver-wendell-holmes-soldier-pragmatist-jobist-skeptic/


text:
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Rebekah's Well
by Trish Wilkinson
The lives of women and men mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Qur'án as well as those from Bahá'í history, recounted in the story-telling tradition.
A Sudden Music
by Roger White
A novella, deftly blending fact and fiction, set against a background of the Bahá'ís in the Paris of 1909-11.
Soft Cover - Avaiable world wide
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Mirror of the Divine - Art in the Baha'i World Community
by Ludwig Tuman
An essential resource for study of the core, universal concepts in the arts. This book derives from them Baha'i teachings a new, world-embracing and stimulating vision of the arts and their practice.
"…key reading for spiritually-minded artists of all disciplines who are looking for a manifesto to guide their work." ~ Arya Badiyan, writer, painter
An Earthly Paradise - Baha'i Houses of Worship around the World
by Julie Badiee
The architecture, the art, the spiritual dimension of the Bahá'í House of Worship.
Where Art and Faith Converge
by Michael Fitzgerald
In this collection of essays, memoirs, stories and poems Bahá'í artists reflect on what they do.
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Muhammad and the Course of Islam
An account of the Prophet Muhammad and a history of the development of Islám.
An Exploration of Humankind's Spiritual History and Destiny
by Walied Jassat
Walied Jasset explores the prophecies of the end times found in the Qur'án, hadíth and other scriptures and looks beyond their literal meaning to the symbolic and profoundly spiritual.
The Prince of Martyrs
by A. Faizi
A brief account of the Imam Husayn.
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Search for a Just Society
by John Huddleston
History of the search for justice and how the global community can be transformed into a just society.
Dawn over Mount Hira
30 essays on Islamic, Bahá'í and literary themes.
Manna from Heaven
From Divine Speech to Economic Science
by Dalton Garis
Is it legitimate to discuss religious and divine topics in terms and contexts normally reserved for purely scientific discussions? What is the relationship between economics and the teachings of the religions that have appeared in the Middle East? Why is it important to understand the difference between ideology and rational inquiry?
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The Holy Passions
An exciting collection of new poems by this well-loved poet.
Poems of the Passing
by Ruhiyyih Rabbani
An anthology of poems written shortly after the passing of the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith.
Sonata of Spirit
A new major collection of poems by Michael Fitzgerald, award-winning American poet. Fitzgerald's work illuminates everyday experience as only poetry can, linking his spiritual orientation as a Bahá'í with the pleasures and pains of daily life, with the profound beauty found in nature, and with the hopeful, sometimes humorous, sometimes exasperating and often tragic journey of a planet struggling to become conscious of its oneness.
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The Last War
Racism, Spirituality and the Future of Civilization
by Mark L Perry
Mark Perry surveys the historical roots of racism and the despiritualization of society, back from the modern day to their primitive, prehistoric past. Holding out a vision provided by Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, he explains how humanity can lay the groundwork for a new civilization.
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A Basic Baha'i Dictionary
Concepts and terms found in Bahá'í literature.
Baha'i References to Judaism Christianity and Islam
by James Heggie
Selections of the Bahá'í writings relating to Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
A Basic Baha'i Chronology
by Glen Cameron
and Wendi Momen
A year by year record of Bahá'í history from the 18th century to 1996.
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The Eco Principle
Ecology and Economics in Symbiosis
by Arthur Dahl
A correlation between science and religion, showing that the rules that govern the life of organic systems also govern social systems. This book is a co-publication between Zed Books and George Ronald.
The Spirit of Agriculture
by Paul Hanley
A series of fascinating essays looking at the importance of agriculture from a Bahá'í perspective.
In Pursuit of Hope: A Guide for the Seeker
In Pursuit of Hope takes the reader on a quest in search of a more purposeful life amidst the environmental, social, economic and spiritual challenges of the 21st century.
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Divine Therapy
Pearls of Wisdom from the Bahá'í Writings
by Annamarie Honnold
Offers help for emotional and spiritual healing.
Fire and Gold
by Brian Kurzius
Quotations from the Bahá'í teachings on benefiting from tests and facing the challenges of life.
We are with you at all times...
Recognizing the Eternal Presence, Sovereignty & All-Knowingness of God
by Catharino James Elijio
We are with you at all times . . . brings together passages from the Bahá'í writings and other sacred texts on the themes of spiritual growth and service to the unity, well-being, peace and security of humanity.
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The Remover of Difficulties - Reflections on the Prayer of the Báb
by Enrico Ballerio
Reflections on one of the best known and most frequently recited Bahá'í prayers.
The Revelation of Baha'u'llah Vol. 2
Adrianople: 1863-68
Volume 2 of the four volume series about the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh.
The Covenant of Baha'u'llah
An examination of the covenant between God and His people and its development by Bahá'u'lláh.
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Toward a Partnership of Women and Men in Business
Source of Excellence in a Global Economy
by George Starcher
A true partnership of women and men leaders, and the blending of feminine and masculine values and qualities, will enhance economic growth, competitiveness and excellence.
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Beyond the Culture of Contest - From Adversarialism to Mutualism in an Age of Interdependence
by Michael Karlberg
Michael Karlberg put forward the thesis that our present 'culture of contest' is both socially unjust and ecologically unsustainable and that the surrounding 'culture of protest' is an inadequate response to the social and ecological problems it generates.
Forces of Our Time
The Dynamics of Light and Darkness
by Hooper C. Dunbar
An examination of the processes that are creating a new, divine civilization and the negative forces that have risen to resist the divine purpose.
Global Governance and the Lesser Peace
by Foad Katirai
A timely look at the evolution of global governance and the progress being made towards the Lesser Peace.
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Companions of the Crimson Arc
by Shirin Sabri
illustrated by Sue Podger
This book is the first in the series Companions of the Crimson Ark which tells the dramatic stories of some of the women and men, young and old, who, in the time of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá, entered the Cause of God and, despite many difficulties and hardships, served it until the end of their lives.
Immortal Heroines
Sarah, Asiyih, the Virgin Mary, Fatimih, Tahirih, Bahiyyih Khanum
by Jacqueline Mehrabi
Immortal Heroines is the story of six very special women who lived during the last four thousand years.
Your True Brother
by Robert Weinberg
Eight letters from the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith to Bahá'ís passing through their adolescent years, trying to discover their talents and potential.
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