Rachel and her Children essay Essay Example for Free

Rachel and her Children essay Essay We see them almost everywhere! We can hear them around the corner, and we see their shadow from far away. We try to avoid looking directly into their eyes, and we pretend we did not hear them when they talk to us. We walk around the block to avoid them, and walk faster to leave them behind. These people that we consider to be invisible are actually homeless human beings. Homelessness in America remains an issue of deep concern in the 21st century. Without a permanent roof over their head, these people seek refuge in various places such as homeless shelters and tent cities. If they are fortunate they will find a safe place to stay the night. The less fortunate ones are forced to spend their night in public places that are unsafe and unfit to sleep in. Although homelessness is not a new issue to write about, in â€Å"Rachel and her children†, Jonathan Kozol brings us into an entirely new world. A world where the homeless are not just figures with hands held out asking for spare change. He brings us into the lives of these homeless story by story case by case sharing his personal interviews with these unfortunate people. What Kozol describes deeply in the book throughout true incredible stories goes beyond our expectation. Especially in chapter 5,† Distancing ourselves from pain and tears† which is one of the center of the book, the author raises more concern about our attitudes toward poor homeless people. What Kozol means by â€Å"distancing† in the chapter is that people do really care about homelessness. They do understand and feel guilty about what homeless people are suffering day by day. Because of the guiltiness, they try to create a â€Å"distance† by themselves to ignore the responsibility for these homeless people. Instead of blaming the reckless negligence of the government’s welfare system, people end up blaming homelessness for creating their own destitution. In some ways, it is surely that most Americans would have a certain enhanced sympathy toward homeless people. However, not many of us do truly care about them, want to know what the story is behind them becoming homeless, and try to help them get out of their dark side. We do have compassion, but our compassion is not big enough to connect us closer to homeless people. Even though we feel very bad whenever we hear about the poor people, every one of us does have a distance ourselves from homelessness. The first thing that come to my mind and other people’s when thinking about homeless people is that all of them are panhandlers, those who are mentally unstable, and victims of â€Å"dumping† by greedy hospital or drug addiction. Last summer I came to visit my friend who lives in downtown San Francisco. As I was walking down to the bus station, I remember passing an old homeless woman who was asking people for money at the corner of the station. Being careful not to touch her, I dropped a few spare coins in his hand. Automatically assuming that the money I gave her would be used for drugs or alcohol, I looked upon her with contempt. After reading this book, I understand that the woman I saw at the corner of the station could have, at one time, been just like me. Even though being a little proud of just doing something good, I found that I (as well as other people) fail to create a distance from homelessness. At the beginning, Kozol opens his book with the story of Peter and Megan who are living in the Martique homeless shelter. Before ending up being homeless, they had a happy life with their five children. Peter did plumbing and carpentry. He was also a contributing and working. After a fire destroyed the house and all of Peter’s collection of tools he had built up for years, Peter’s family had to struggle in the Martique. By opening with this story, Kozol gives the readers a new vision of homeless people. Stereotypes of the homeless as individuals struggling with mental health issues or substance addictions no longer hold. They used to be normal members in the society just like us, but for some reasons cause them to become destitute. Kozol’s book documents how many homeless were recently employed, cast into homelessness by financial misfortune such as ongoing unemployment, staggering medical bills or medical disabilities. Many homeless people are in their existing condition of living on the streets because of being born poor, while many other homeless people used to have money, fame and property before but lost it all in some big personal or external event. We have never thought what lead those people into their dark sides. We are too hasty to put everyone into the same category. Because of that failure in thinking, we naturally build an invisible distance that separates us from homeless people. There are hundreds of fears which could be called typical of human needs existing inside of us such as: going broke, foreclosure on house, humiliation from public speaking, running out of food, or major disasters†¦. However, a life that is financially is unsecure, and in a depressed economy, the fear of being homeless seems to be considered as the biggest concern for human beings. For those who have been homeless and are now off the street, generally they promise themselves never to let that happen again. Many people now fear being homeless who are close to foreclosure. Too many people bought at the top of the market or re-financed with variable rate deals. Therefore, this fear of being homeless is a real fear. When people are scared of something so much that they cannot face it, they tend to ignore it in order to release the fear that they are going through. We all know that homelessness still exists. We also know that that the number of people who stay in the street as their home, lack of food, tremble because of cold, and carry on so many disease is increasingly higher in every states of the U.S. Since we fear of being homeless, we try to disregard the existence of homelessness. We even blame homeless people for creating their own situation. In order to push away our own â€Å"nightmare†, we unintentionally create the distance between ourselves and homelessness. Not only do we eliminate our â€Å"nightmare† by blaming the homeless people but also we evade our responsibility by making an excuse that there is no â€Å"quick fix† for erasing homelessness in America. That means people who are living in the street have to wait a long time to get a house. Most of us usually think that we already gave a hand for helping homelessness by the tax we pay to the government every year, and that the government themselves have had programs for low-income Americans. However, we do not know that the money the government gives up to help poor people is â€Å"just over a tenth of the federal budget† (131). Yet, that ten percent of the budget was cut into one third by the Reagan budget cuts. In other words, when that amount of money reaches to the homeless people, it means nothing. The question here is: What is the rest of the money gone instead of using to help homeless? The rest of billions of dollars is used for national defense such as: military, weapons, and so-called wars†¦ Without knowing this, we blame homeless people for creating their own destitution instead of the government. The book â€Å"Rachel and her children† incredibly tells stories of homeless people. Each person has his or her own different circumstances, but generally these people used to have the same normal live before they became homeless. Many of us would sympathize with homeless people on the street, but only few truly want to help them get out of their extreme circumstances. In some ways, we still draw ourselves a distance from homelessness either because of our guiltiness or our own fear of being homeless one day. When we confidently give up our little spare coins to homeless people without worrying if they are used for drugs or alcohol, that is when we little by little erase our distance and get closer to these poor homeless human beings. View as multi-pages

Chamique Holdsclaw :: essays research papers

Chamique Holdsclaw is a star on the rise. And considering the height she has already achieved, that's saying something. In her debut collegiate season, Holdsclaw's play sent ripples through the basketball community. Three years later, the ripples have turned into tsunami-sized waves. As a Tennessee freshman, Holdsclaw opened eyes when she scored a team-high 16 points against the 1995-96 USA Women's National Team on Nov. 22, 1995, then helped the Lady Vols to the 1996 NCAA crown. Making it a perfect three-for-three after winning it all again in 1997 and 1998, Holdsclaw earned 1997 and 1998 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors for her stellar play. Holdsclaw, as a college junior to be, tried out for and was selected for USA Basketball's 1997 World Championship Qualifying team. Despite being surrounded by 11 professionals during the summer of 97, and despite her lack of international experience, it was Holdsclaw's first trip out of the country, she more then proved herself to USA head coach Nell Fortner and the veteran players like Edna Campbell, Teresa Edwards, and Katie Smith. Finishing as the team's leading scorer and rebounder, Holdsclaw numbers sparkled - 19.0 ppg. and 6.2 rpg. Helping the U.S. to 12-1 pre-competition record then the silver medal and a berth in the 98 World Championships, she had left her mark. While in Brazil at the qualifying tournament, Holdsclaw celebrated her 20th birthday by giving USA coach Fortner a memorable gift. Scoring 32 points (12-14 FGs, 8-8 FTs) and adding seven rebounds, she led the USA to a hard-fought 94-90 victory over Cuba in the semifinals. Throughout the summer, Holdsclaw learned from four-time Olympian Edwards, perhaps one of the best players ever to play for USA Basketball. During the squad's pre-competition tour of Canada, Germany and Slovakia, Holdsclaw and Edwards were roommates, but about halfway through the tour, rooming assignments were to be switched around. Upon hearing that the rooming assignments were going to change, she asked Fortner to let Edwards and her continue to room together. How could Fortner deny her leading scorer? "Last summer, Chamique was surrounded by great players like Teresa Edwards. I think they were really good for each other, the grand dame' and the rookie. She brought some excitement to Teresa, who in turn gave some wisdom to Chamique. She played all over the world, leading the team in scoring and rebounding the whole time. Chamique Holdsclaw :: essays research papers Chamique Holdsclaw is a star on the rise. And considering the height she has already achieved, that's saying something. In her debut collegiate season, Holdsclaw's play sent ripples through the basketball community. Three years later, the ripples have turned into tsunami-sized waves. As a Tennessee freshman, Holdsclaw opened eyes when she scored a team-high 16 points against the 1995-96 USA Women's National Team on Nov. 22, 1995, then helped the Lady Vols to the 1996 NCAA crown. Making it a perfect three-for-three after winning it all again in 1997 and 1998, Holdsclaw earned 1997 and 1998 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors for her stellar play. Holdsclaw, as a college junior to be, tried out for and was selected for USA Basketball's 1997 World Championship Qualifying team. Despite being surrounded by 11 professionals during the summer of 97, and despite her lack of international experience, it was Holdsclaw's first trip out of the country, she more then proved herself to USA head coach Nell Fortner and the veteran players like Edna Campbell, Teresa Edwards, and Katie Smith. Finishing as the team's leading scorer and rebounder, Holdsclaw numbers sparkled - 19.0 ppg. and 6.2 rpg. Helping the U.S. to 12-1 pre-competition record then the silver medal and a berth in the 98 World Championships, she had left her mark. While in Brazil at the qualifying tournament, Holdsclaw celebrated her 20th birthday by giving USA coach Fortner a memorable gift. Scoring 32 points (12-14 FGs, 8-8 FTs) and adding seven rebounds, she led the USA to a hard-fought 94-90 victory over Cuba in the semifinals. Throughout the summer, Holdsclaw learned from four-time Olympian Edwards, perhaps one of the best players ever to play for USA Basketball. During the squad's pre-competition tour of Canada, Germany and Slovakia, Holdsclaw and Edwards were roommates, but about halfway through the tour, rooming assignments were to be switched around. Upon hearing that the rooming assignments were going to change, she asked Fortner to let Edwards and her continue to room together. How could Fortner deny her leading scorer? "Last summer, Chamique was surrounded by great players like Teresa Edwards. I think they were really good for each other, the grand dame' and the rookie. She brought some excitement to Teresa, who in turn gave some wisdom to Chamique. She played all over the world, leading the team in scoring and rebounding the whole time.

India Water Pollution

What  is  India  Doing  to  Control  Water  Pollution   Caused  by  Sewage  Waste? Studies  found  that  sewage  waste  is  the  main  cause  of  water  pollution  in  India. The  problem  is caused  by  the  poor  treatment  of  dumping  sewage  and  the  failure  to  maintain  sewage  treatment  plants. The  Central  Pollution  Control  Board,  a  company  that  monitors  environmental  issues  in  India,  has created  the  National  Water  Quality  Monitoring  Network,  which  monitors  the  quality  of  waters  all  year. The  network  monitors  waters  all  over  India.Samples  of  water  are  taken  frequently  and  checked  for bacteria  and  other  harmful  substances  within  the  water. Other  ways  of  sewage  treatment  include  air flotation,  dual  media  filter,  activated  carbon  filter,  sand  filtration  and  sludge  drying  beds. These  methods all  take  place  in  sewage  treatment  plants. Water  treatment  plants  are  very  expensive  and  are  needed  to be  maintained  constantly. Removal  of  sludge  is  said  to  be  the  most  untreated  area  of  water  treatment. This  is  because  of  the  poor  design  and  poor  maintenance  of  the  sludge  treatments. India  has  set  policies to  control  sewage  pollution  in  water. he  Ministry  of  Environment  and  Forests  has  created  financial  and technical  support  systems  to  promote  the  proper  treatment  of  water. The  problem  with  India’s  water treatment  is  that  the  government  is  not  putting  enough  effort  into  making  the  water  Ã‚  usable  for  its  citizens. The  government  should  promote  the  health  hazards  and  future  issues  of  water  pollution  so  the  citizens can  learn  to  treat  their  water  better. Informing  citizens  is  also  a  way  of  treatment  because  people  will  be aware  of  the  issues  water  pollution  will  cause  for  them  and  therefore  they  will  take  action.

Animal Farm Or Ussr Part II - 1243 Words

Cliffy Smith James Hensley Pre-IB LA 10 10 April 2015 Animal Farm or USSR Part II Animal Farm written by George Orwell is a hopeful novel about a group of animals that overthrow their farmer and create an animalistic government. Much like All the King’s Men a novel by Robert Penn Warren, Animal Farm has strong political undertones relating to the the skewed government of Soviet Russia. Throughout the book many animal characters can be identified with the political leaders and influences throughout Soviet Russia. According to New World Encyclopedia, â€Å"New Historicism is an approach to literary criticism and literary theory based on the premise that a literary work should be considered a product of the time, place, and historical circumstances of its composition rather than as an isolated work of art or text.† Animal Farm and it’s direct correlation with the USSR connects New Historicism and the impactful writing of Orwell with fluidity and ease. New Historicism is a criticism developed in the 1980’s by a Harvard English professor named Stephen Greenblatt. This criticism takes a look at every aspect of the story including the author’s political and emotional bias. It was used to bring outside information and cultural context into the book and create a deeper meaning for the reader. New Historicism gained widespread influence in the 90’s through its new way for reading and analyzing a story. Judith Newton explains New Historicism as a criticism that â€Å"aims to subject theShow MoreRelatedElements in George Orwells Animal Farm861 Words   |  4 PagesAnimal Farm, written by George Orwell, depicts a group of animals who plot to destroy their master, Mr. Jones. The oldest and wisest pig on the farm, Old Major, told the other animals a story about a revolt called, The Rebellion. The pigs, which were considered to be the most intelligent of all the animals, devised a plan and successfully conquered Manor Farm. The animals ran the farm effectively, with the pigs overseeing and constantly developing new ideas. One pig, Snowball, was in favorRead MoreOctober Revolution and Animal Farm1439 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Dylan Hearn 2nd 9/24/14 Animal Farm 20 Questions Webquest    Directions: Please use the suggested links to find answers to each of the questions below. Be sure to paraphrase (not copy) the answers/information you find on the internet.   All these questions will have parallels in Animal Farm, so be sure to pay careful attention!    For questions #1-2, please refer to your copy of the novel and to this website http://www.k-1.com/Orwell/site/opinion/essays/rhodi.html 1. What was George Orwell’sRead MoreThe Characteristic Of Snowball By George Orwell885 Words   |  4 PagesKhatun Prof: John Remarek Language and Composition 10th Dec 2017 Characteristic of Snowball Animal Farm is an allegorical book which was written by George Orwell. In this book the author represents the important characters of the Russian Revolution. There are many characters in this book. A pig named Snowball is one of them who is based on Leon Trotsky. Leon Trotsky was an early leader in communism (ANIMAL FARM). He had control of the Soviet Union. He followed Karl Marx direction who was leader of communistRead MoreGeorge Orwells Animal Farm Essays2826 Words   |  12 Pagesincludes a strong message in his novel Animal Farm that is easily recognizable. Orwell’s Animal Farm focuses on two primary problems that were not only prominent in his WWII society, but also posed as reoccurring issues in all societies past and present. Orwell’s novel delivers a strong political message about class structure and oppression from the patriarchal society through an allegory of a farm that closely resembles the Soviet Union. George Orwell wrote Animal Farm: A Fairy Story with an intendedRead MoreEssay about Immortal Hopes of Animal Farm1859 Words   |  8 PagesImmortal Hopes of Animal Farm Communism is supposed to be a system under which all property would be held in common. The dignity of the poor workers oppressed by capitalism would be restored, and all people would live as equals in communism. This book, Animal Farm by George Orwell is an amusing story of allegory of the early history of the Soviet Union. Orwell wanted to make political writing into an art and to harmonize political concerns with artistry. As he became inspired by the RussianRead MoreUssr And The Soviet Revolution2076 Words   |  9 PagesAfter the end of World War II, there was a bipolar world with the two superpowers being the United States and the United Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Though they fought together in the war to defeat Hitler and the Axis powers, their lifestyles were too different to remain allies once it ended. The United States had a capitalist economy with free-markets whereas the USSR was a communist nation. Due to this, the two nations were in the midst of a Cold War. Instead of fighting with armies, theyRead MoreProblems of Today ´S World1621 Words    |  7 PagesWARS NATO After the WW II States of Western Europe and North America watched the expensive policy of the USSR. They found out that the Russian system, especially the dictatorship of the Communist Party, could become dangerous for independent democratic states. This threat stengthened with the events of years 1947-1949 (the putch in Czechoslovakia in February 1948, blockade of Berlin in April 1948). In March 1948 Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the UK signed the TREATY OF BRUSSELSRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell And Animal Farm Essay2095 Words   |  9 PagesRichard Cortez Professor Sharon Pittman HUM 314 13 December 2016 George Orwell and Animal Farm: The Provocative Written Word in Political Protest INTRODUCTION AND THESIS Many writers, artists, novelists, journalists, and the sort seek to bring awareness to political and cultural issues through their work. It is not often, though, that their work attains such critically acclaimed status and subsequently creates a platform by which people are moved to respond to the writing’s purpose. George OrwellRead MoreThe World And Its Economic Systems Essay2422 Words   |  10 Pageseconomic systems been to, at an ever increasing rate.   Over thousands of years civilization have developed the means to master resources, such as, land, water and even the heavens. Agriculture allowed the human race to no longer rely on migrant herds of animals, but to settle and look to the ground beneath them for a continued supply of basic needs. Dale and Carter argue, â€Å"both civilization and the enjoyment of civilization rest on the surplus production by those who supply the necessities of life† (1955Read More Animal Farm as a Political Satire to Criticise Totalitarian Regimes4636 Words   |  19 PagesAnimal Farm as a Political Satire to Criticise Totalitarian Regimes This study aims to determine that George Orwells Animal Farm is a political satire which was written to criticise totalitarian regimes and particularly Stalins practices in Russia. In order to provide background information that would reveal causes led Orwell to write Animal Farm, Chapter one is devoted to a brief summary of the progress of authors life and significant events that had impact on his political convictions. Chapter

Delphi File Size in Bytes

The FileSize function returns the size of a file, in bytes -- a useful result for certain file-handing applications within a Delphi program. Get File Size The FileSize function returns the size of a file in bytes; the function returns -1 if the file was not found. // returns file size in bytes or -1 if not found.function FileSize(fileName : wideString) : Int64;varsr : TSearchRec;beginif FindFirst(fileName, faAnyFile, sr ) 0 thenresult : Int64(sr.FindData.nFileSizeHigh) shl Int64(32) Int64(sr.FindData.nFileSizeLow)elseresult : -1;FindClose(sr);end; When you have the size of a file in bytes, you may wish to format the size for display (Kb, Mb, Gb) to assist your end users in comprehending the data without having to convert units.

The Ethics Of Enron Oxley Act - 1309 Words

The Houston based corporation of Enron was once considered a top company, until its demise from a complex accounting scheme. The company that was forced to declare bankruptcy and lay off many employees; also resulted in thousands of others losing a significant portion of their retirement funds that were invested in the company’s stock (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2013). Additionally, the perceived scandal propagated concern of accounting practices of corporations and initiated new reporting practices like the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Enron was created from the joining of gas pipeline companies in 1985 and was responsible for natural gas, electricity, and communication products and services (Ferrell, et al, p.318). During the 1990’s,†¦show more content†¦The culture also focused on making money for executives more than profits for shareholders (Ferrell, et al, p.321). The compensation package stimulated risky decisions, possibly breaking rules in an effort to increase financial results. Employees were rated bi-annually, a system designed by Skilling, and the lower percentile were removed from payroll resulting in fierce competition (Ferrell, et al, p.321). Unfavorable news could result in dismissal, thus issues were suppressed. Lay believed the ability of employees to reach full potential contributed to the company success. He also indicated his value in a â€Å"highly moral and ethical culture† and attempted to ensure this was realized within Enron (Ferrell, et al, p.321). While the indictment eluded that Lay had lied about finances, he persisted that he handled any identified items. This also raises concern about how much a CEO actually knows about misconduct in the business. The aggressive nature exhibited by Enron employees led to rules violations, many of which were approved through the proper channels. The complex format of checks and balances remove the possibility that the fall of Enron was the responsibility of a single individual. It was a combination of aggressive and questionable practices along with the failure of others to identify wrongdoings. The use of special-purpose entities (SPEs) contributed to filing of bankruptcy by Enron, the largest in corporate

Enough †creative writing Free Essays

William Peterson rapped his knuckle against the hollow ply-board and gathered the familiar stench of damp cigarette stubs and oil into his lungs. The finger-stained door flapped open carelessly and the soft sound echoed round the concrete walls. A hand appeared, thrusting some worn keys towards William. We will write a custom essay sample on Enough – creative writing or any similar topic only for you Order Now It belonged to Janet. She was only fifty-ish, but the fifteen years spent doing nothing in the fumes had eroded her eyes deep into her face and had buried her personality even further down. William didn’t even nod in acknowledgement; speaking to Janet would have been like conversing with a piece of machinery. The door closed. William was late, as usual, but didn’t hurry. He walked casually across the bus station, passed a small line of irritated passengers, and then clambered aboard the number 51 bus. Once in the driver’s seat, William removed his coat slowly, much to the annoyance of the passengers, who were either looking purposefully at their watches or directing quick, sour glances in his direction. They started to board. First in the queue was a young mother carrying a chubby baby awkwardly on her narrow hips. Her face was sallow, and she wore a frown that was accentuated by two smooth streaks of black lip-liner. An old lady sidestepped up next, balancing a puffed ball of grey hair precariously on her head. She spent several minutes counting out the exact fare in five pence pieces, before falling into the nearest seat in one robotically arthritic movement. Following her was William’s friend Sam, a tall black man. He was wearing a brand new baseball cap that aged him considerably. After greeting William and paying for a return ticket, Sam turned and beamed at the chubby baby, and then climbed the clammy steps to the top deck. Then three teenage girls giggled their way on to the bus, just finishing their conversation. â€Å"Oh-my-God, did you hear what happened?!† â€Å"I know, she’s such a bitch.† Their self-absorbed world of mobiles and Bacardi Breezers swept its way to the back seats and settled. Only a few more people climbed aboard and the bus was not even a quarter full. William checked his watch, and tried to start the engine. It wheezed for a few seconds and then stubbornly staggered into silence once again. This bus’ reliability had ventured beyond temperamental. Cursing inwardly, William gingerly twisted the key for a second time†¦ It started – thank God. The 51 pulled out of the concrete hovel into mellowing autumn sunshine. The bus groaned, stretching its filthy bodywork as it picked up speed. It was late afternoon. The girls at the back laughed some more and rearranged their bulging shopping bags. William visibly relaxed and sank deeper into his seat. The soft pad had moulded itself perfectly to the shape of the buttocks that had occupied it for so many years. For a moment, William almost regretted that he had decided to retire in two month’s time, but this absurd feeling quickly passed as he recalled how much he hated the job. The sweet-sour smell of cigarette smoke wafted down the steps. â€Å"No smoking!† shouted William over his shoulder, though he felt utterly hypocritical as he did so; he smoked like a chimney himself. As he turned back round, William looked with horror at the road ahead. Directly in front of him was a young girl, staring up at him, frozen with fear. William screeched on the 51’s protesting brakes and prayed for the first time in his life†¦ Final Chapter A crushing semi-silence had descended on the courtroom. The second-hand of a clock was jumping round somewhere above William’s head. In front of him, he could see Carla Greene walking sedately. Still sporting the same hideous shade of lip-liner, she stepped up to the witness box. The dark curves round her mouth buckled and puckered as she started to speak, and William fixed his eyes on them, though he did not hear what she said. He was transported back to the day when Carla’s lip-liner had formed a great oval, and when her mouth had issued piercing screams as she pointed at a small, lifeless mound in the road. He had been haunted by that image ever since, and saw her face almost every time he closed his eyes. William’s chest tightened and he took a deep, choked breath that brought him back from the verge of breaking down into tears. The sound of it made several people look over at him. William dipped his head down to avoid their stares. He knew the girl’s parents would be looking, and he couldn’t face them. The pain of this guilt was worse than anything he had felt before. He dared not look up. Instead, he pretended to be engrossed in picking a callous on his thumb. After a while, Carla’s voice stopped, and the sound of the clock ticking could be heard again. William ventured a glimpse up, and was relieved to see Rose’s parents were looking at the judge. He studied their faces: the mother, despite her show of strength today, could not hide the devastating grief she obviously still felt. Though quite young, her skin appeared dull in the harsh light, her eyes were puffy and her brow was lightly wrinkled. The father, who was receiving counselling along with his wife, looked vacant and bewildered. Though William had told himself countless times it had been an accident, blame had engulfed him during the past few months. A part of him still couldn’t accept that a moment’s lapse in concentration could destroy a young life, and ruin the lives of a whole family. William had wanted the court case to be over, so that he could put this all behind him, but now, actually sitting in the court room, confronted with so many sad faces, he felt that he would never be able to do that. Somehow a sentence of community service – the norm for a charge of driving ‘without due care and attention’, wasn’t enough to heal the wounds left by the accident. The court was adjourned for the day, and some window blinds were opened as they all stood, letting thick shafts of sunlight into the room. The general mood lifted slightly and a low hum of conversation developed. William saw Cynthia up in the gallery and also noticed Thomas peering over the high railing, his cool blue eyes darting around inquisitively. After a few moments, Cynthia turned and smiled at him. At least, William thought, he had people around who cared for him. William walked out of the courtroom, staring at the green carpet tiles beneath his feet as he did so. Once in the corridor, Mr O’Brien walked over and spoke to him briefly. The conversation passed completely over William’s head. â€Å"I think you’re going to get away with a relatively short sentence of community service, Mr Peterson. The evidence the girl gave was hardly incriminating.† â€Å"Mmmm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"So, I’ll see you tomorrow then.† â€Å"Uh, yes.† William could see through into the foyer where Cynthia and Thom were waiting, and he willingly broke off the stilted conversation to hurry off and meet them. â€Å"Hi dad!† Cynthia said, kissing him on the cheek, â€Å"How’ve you been?† â€Å"Oh, I’m fine†¦I see you didn’t manage to find anyone to look after Thom, then.† â€Å"No, but he was fine up in the gallery – didn’t hear a squeak out of him!† â€Å"No, but a court is no place for a child.† Cynthia fell silent at her father’s criticism, but readily took his arm as they walked outside. The Crown Court was a Sixty’s building, and through the door they were greeted with a typical concrete courtyard, complete with matching shallow flowerpots in which some thoughtful person had planted beautiful purple pansies. Their colour pinpricked the otherwise monotone surroundings. William and Cynthia stopped so that Thom, who was playing on the steps, could catch up. It was then that William saw Rose Eliot’s parents exiting through the doors behind them. They were walking slowly as Mrs Eliot was obviously heavily pregnant, a fact which had escaped William until then. He watched as they came down the steps past Thom, and saw them look at him. Suddenly, William found himself walking over towards them. He didn’t really know why. He just realised that he desperately needed to speak to them, to tell them how sorry he was, to tell them he would never forgive himself†¦ Mr and Mrs Eliot looked quite shocked at first, but as William drew closer, they just looked expectant, as if they had wanted to speak to him as well. When he had reached them, William said the only thing he felt that he could, the only thing he wanted to say, and the only thing, it seemed, they wanted to hear. â€Å"I’m so, so sorry.† That was all. That was enough. That said more than a whole court case could say, or a huge bunch of flowers sent to a funeral could say. It was enough. How to cite Enough – creative writing, Papers