What Do Expect in English 101 Essay Example for Free

What Do Expect in English 101 Essay What are my expectations from this course? â€Å"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.† Benjamin Franklin. Reading is essential for everyday living, regardless of my insufficient skills. At the University of the Virgin Islands, English 101 class I’m determine to enhance my love for reading and build a stronger vocabulary foundation. I’ve never had a passion for reading. I was never surrounded by peers or family that influenced to me read. I always preferred to watch a movie filled with lies than read a book that would greatly impact my life. Now realizing how important reading is I’m stuck in the back playing catch up, which I highly dislike, especially as a freshman student. In English 101 I’m prepared to force myself to read, magazines, newspapers, novel and especially poems. I’ll love to understand when other say â€Å"I love reading because, allows me to go places Ive never been, experience new things, explore possibilities and learn something new.† I’m into fiction books I like knowing I can fly on the back of a dragon, turn my boyfriend into a toad, marry a prince, save a kingdom, cast a spell, swing a sword and talk to the gods. Just crazy things that never actually happens in reality. Loving reading makes everything possible, dreams come true, your imagination takes flight and your problems fade as you take on the problems of those you are reading about. To create a stabilize vocabulary foundation not only would I wait for my professor to assign work, I’ll try my best to take the responsibility of doing my own outside of class work. Gaining knowledge about words I’ll read words from the dictionary just like Malcolm X did. Previous I emphasized on my love for poetry never have I been capable to share my love because of my lack of words, but I’m already to make difference. Even though others may see it as a â€Å"dead and done† language, learning a bit of Latin would never hurt and I intend o n learning a bit of it. Also in this class I plan to familiarize myself with lots of familiarize magazines, books and puzzles to build my vocabulary. In conclusion, enhancing my passion for reading and building my vocabulary are my expectations in this class and my endeavor is to come climb to the top, I know my professor cannot do it alone, I have applied myself and I will succeed.

Evolution Of Defence Industry In India History Essay

Evolution Of Defence Industry In India History Essay 12. The history of DIB in India dates back to 1775 when British authorities accepted setting up of Board of Ordnance in Fort William, Kolkata. This was the official beginning of the Army Ordnance in India. In 1787 a gun powder factory was established at Ishapore which started production from 1791  [1]  . However, the first ordnance factory, Gun Shell factory was established at Cossipore in 1801 to manufacture guns and ammunition.  [2]  Since then the DIB in British ruled India grew to 7 Ordnance Factories (OFs) by the end of WWI and 18 OFs at the time of independence1, generally catering to repair overhaul and supplementing weapons and equipment produced in Britain. During this period India was never allowed to develop core competencies in industrial production. Post Independence up to 1960s 13. Post independence the Indian leadership aimed at attaining self-sufficiency in entire domain of defence production. To achieve this Industry Policy Resolution 1948 and The Industries (Development Regulation) Act, 1951  [3]  emphasized core industries (including defence sector) be taken care of by central government. Hence, eight Defence Public Sector Units (DPSUs) were established under aegis of Government, to undertake defence production. Defence Science Organisation(DSO), which was established to take up challenges of RD, got amalgamated with technical development establishment (TDE) in 1958. Hence, DRDO was created which then comprised of 10 laboratories  [4]  . Post 1962 War 14. Post 1962 war license production and direct purchase remained predominant form of supply for armed forces. This resulted in a gap of nearly three decades in Indias effort toward indigenous production which was especially evident in the fields of RD. A fighter aircraft between Marut and the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), a basic trainer aircraft between HT-2 and HPT- 32, an intermediate trainer between Kiran and yet-to-be fully developed Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) are some of the examples that typify both technology and production gaps  [5]  . Trends in 1980s and 1990s 15. During this period Global defence expenditure touched its peak in 1987 and then fell sharply in late 1980s and early 1990s. This period also saw globalization with countries opening up their economies, rise in low intensity conflicts, lawlessness, crimes and terrorism. This period was the starting point of major defence acquisitions from abroad coupled with major initiatives in indigenous defence production, including RD. The license production of Jaguars and MiG-27M was undertaken by HAL  [6]  . This period also saw commencement of indigenous development of LCA, ALH, MBT Arjun by DRDO and missiles under Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL). However, fructification of these projects was accompanied by inordinate delays and technological gaps. 16. With nothing forthcoming from indigenous RD, the mainstay of armed forces was met through substantial arms acquisition from abroad. With the change in environment after nuclear explosions by India and Pakistan and the Kargil conflict, the country had to give a re-look to its defence strategy including its objective of achieving self-reliance in defence industry. Defence Industry in 21st Century 17. The importance of civil military interaction to attain near self-reliance in defence production was realized and this period saw changes at institutional and organizational levels as recommended by GoM Committee Report on Reforming the National Security System. The major shift in policy was allowing 100% private sector participation and 26% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in defence-industrial sector  [7]  . Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) has been instrumental in influencing such a marked change in policy. While these far-reaching institutional and policy-oriented changes have been underway for quite some time, the demand for private participation has assumed significance in recent years. Trends in Global Defence Industry 18. Cold War era saw an upward trend in military demand followed by a reverse trend in post cold war era. Reduction in defence budget allocation  [8]  in the post cold war period, as shown in Table 1 resulted in many smaller companies either merging with big ones or shifting towards civilian production. Mergers and acquisitions resulted in creation of few giant companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, British Aerospace, Northrop Grumman and EADS. As shown in Table, the military expenditure again witnessed upward trend since 1999 and this is likely to continue in future  [9]  . With procurement budgets increasing new opportunities are expected for the defence industry. In the changing conflict scenario, there has been an upward trend in the LIC, insurgency, terrorism, OOAC etc as a result of which the global defence industry after a period of significant downsizing and rationalization has entered into a phase of renewed attention. Table 1: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI): Military Expenditure Database in GDP 1988 2009. Indias Defence Industry. 19. Post Cold War era, changing trends in global defence industry had affected Indian DIB. Economic liberalization has resulted in indigenous build-up of technological base in IT, communication, electronics, automobile sectors etc. Since, all defence acquisitions till mid 90s were either outright or under license production/TOT, DPSUs/OFs could only gain expertise in production by assembling Completely knock Down (CKD) and/or Semi knock Down (SKD) Kits imported from the Original equipment manufacturer (OEM). The real TOT aimed at enhancing the indigenous development was missing in all these deals. However, the most far reaching change, in recent times, that has impacted the Indias DIB is opening up of defence sector for private participation. The objectives are manifold viz., reduction of defence imports from current levels of 70 percent, increase in defence exports, enhance the indigenous RD skill level and infrastructure to produce state of the art equipment within time frames spec ified. In Jan 2001, the GOI initiated a series of major initiatives that included FDI up to about 26 percent and full private participation in certain sectors in defence industry. However, licensing requirement was still an impediment towards luring private industries. Shift from Self Sufficiency to Self-Reliance 20. Since independence Indias Industry Policy Resolution of 1948 and 1951 was aimed at achieving self sufficiency in defence production. Towards this the government invested heavily in scientific and technological institutions such as IITs, CSIR, ICAR, DAE, DoS, ICMR, DRDO etc. However, the countrys defence was neglected, as was evident in 1962 war. With a weak DIB, the policies to maximize production in order to attain self-sufficiency in defence sector although were considered farsighted, did not match expectations, thus leading to shift of focus from self-sufficiency model to self reliance model. 21. Self-reliance in its true sense does not preclude accessing external sources for technology and systems, or external help in any stage of the production cycle. Hence, self-reliance meant apart from Indias own production base for support a degree of dependence on reliable foreign sources for access to technologies, supply of components and complete systems was desirable. These were materialized by meeting urgent and immediate demands through imports form abroad while simultaneously striving for indigenous capabilities in defence production. Although Indias main focus on imports was from western countries like UK, France, Sweden these countries were reluctant in supplying defence equipment to India post 1962 war. Indias quest for self reliance got a major boost when Russia agreed for licence production by various DPSUs as well as OFs in India. However, in the bargain TOT aimed at enhancing indigenous production and RD activities lost focus. The outcome of this is obvious, as witn essed in the LCA program, MBT Arjun and aero engine Kaveri. In spite of having produced aircraft, tanks and aero engines under Licence Production, the organizations involved in the production could hardly assimilate and nurture the technology needed to supplement our own indigenous efforts. Probably the focus of these organizations was more towards production rather than indigenization. Analysis 22. Thus, the approach that India adopted in defence procurement and defence industrial development can be divided into three stages. The first stage was from independence till 1962 when all defence needs were met from overseas procurement. The second stage was from 1962 till mid-1980s when efforts were made to build domestic production through licence production. The third stage from mid-1980s until the present day not only saw procurement from Russia and France, but also initiation of a number of indigenous RD projects. 23. Prior to independence, the focus of DIB was primarily aimed at supplementing the equipment produced in Britain. Various committees such as the Chatfield committee in 1938, Roger Mission, the Eastern Group 1940 and the Grady Mission 1942 were formed to look into issues relating to Indias defence production  [10]  . The Grady Mission could not find a single person or department with whom they could discuss issues pertaining to defence production in India. Hence, the mis-management of the defence production in India dates back from colonial era and the heritage continues even today with the defence RD and production sector still being neglected by the bureaucracy and the political giants. 24. Globally, Military technology has grown from the era of vacuum tube and electromechanical systems of early 19th century to miniaturized electronics and software driven sophisticated systems. Till the cold war era, Military Doctrine drove technology. However, in the fast-changing technological world, technology is driving military doctrines. NOTES AND REFERENCES

Lost Love Essay -- essays research papers

My Lost Love It was ever so dark that evening. It hurt to look at her. It was like looking at my heart barely beating on the floor. I couldn't stand it. Love never hurt me this much. I can't believe this happened. Why me? Why her? Why us? In an instant it was over. I remember the first time we met. It was actually kind of funny. She was walking her dog. Actually, the dog was walking her. I was reading a poem and walking along. When all of the sudden, we collided. The second I looked up into her eyes, I fell for her harder than an avalanche off of Mount Everest. I think she felt the same way because we didn't look away for what seemed like 5 hours. We talked in the park for about an hour and a half. She told me her name was Kristeen Thorne and told me that she was a new student at Orangeville High School; the same school I attended. We found that we had six out of seven classes together, which was a very good thing. I asked her to go out with me that Friday night. We went to the movies first, and then we went to Vinnie Vicci's Italian restaurant. The date was perfect and the person I was with made the date seem like Heaven. We dated non- exclusively for about one month. On our one month anniversary, I gave her my letter jacket which I earned playing varsity football. And while I did that, I asked her to date exclusively. She answered my question so fast I didn't realize that she said yes. We started going out together almost every weekend and talked on the phone all night and walked with each other to class everyday, and I gave her a ride to and from school everyday. We had been going out for about 3 months. The student body voted us cutest couple of the year. We had to get our pictures taken for the year book. We went to the spring dance together and were voted the king and queen of the dance. Then the school year came to an end. That summer we spent most of the time together. We went to Kyber Lake for the Fourth of July weekend. My dad let us borrow his boat for the weeken d, and we stayed at a camp ground. On Friday, when we got there, I took the boat for a test drive to see if it was still running. It's was working. I took her to the little secret cove that only I knew. We stayed in that cove for about 2 hours just talking and kissing and gazing at each other. At that time, the only thing I was hoping for was that this moment never would end. When I look... ...d all he can do is stare. Tell my sister not to cry. Tell Dad to be brave. And when I go to heaven, put "Daddy's Girl" on my grave. Someone should have told him, not to drink and drive. If only they had told him, I would still be alive. My breath is getting shorter. I'm becoming very scared. Please don't cry for me. When I needed you, you were always there. I have one last question, before I say good bye. I didn't drink and drive, so why am I the one to die?" " I know I have to get on with my life, but I will always love and cherish you. Our love will always be like the stars eternal shine." I said as I wiped the tears from my face. " One more thing before I go, I love you! Remember that!" I looked at her grave imagining her face. I stood there for a couple of minutes not saying a word. Then I turned and began to walk to my car. When I got into the car, I sat there, remembering, one at a time, all the things we did together. The final thing I sa w was the twinkle in her eye and the smile on her face when she promised me that she would never leave me. Then I drove home knowing, I would never get to kiss her sweet, gentle lips good night ever again.

Free Measure for Measure Essays: Mercy vs. Justice :: Measure for Measure

Mercy vs. Justice in Measure for Measure Theme: Mercy vs. Justice. Allusion to justice = eye for eye, tooth for tooth [measure for measure]; allusion to mercy = let him without sin cast the first stone [esp. sexual sin]. Summary: Duke wants to restore the strictness of fornication/adultery laws. He sets up Angelo to do it, while he feigns that he will be away. Instead he remains to check up on Angelo and the town (Vienna). Angelo goes ahead and closes down Overdone's brothel and the others, and puts Claudio in jail, condemned to die the morrow, for impregnating Juliet. Isabella, Claudio's sister and about to enter a nunnery, pleads for Angelo's mercy on him. Lucio counsels her to be warm to him, and she is just warm enough to inspire Angelo to seduce her: seduction in exchange for Claudio. The Duke, posing as a Friar, overhears her exchange with Claudio in which he counsels her to go through with the act. He enters and sets up a plan: Angelo ought to have married Mariana but didn't: Mariana therefore will go in Isabella's place. Angelo, after the deed, calls even more quickly for Claudio's head. The Duke (as Friar) puts this off: now Angelo is two steps behind (not knowing about either Mariana or Claudio). The Duke returns, as Duke, and asks for anyone against Angelo to speak. Isabella does: finally it comes out that the Friar was behind Isabella's suit. The Friar is called for, and so the Duke disappears and comes back as the Friar, but is revealed to be the Duke. The switch is revealed and Angelo must marry Mariana; Claudio is revealed as alive and is pardoned by the Duke. Lucio (a subplot) also gets his deserts. Morality: mercy wins over justice, and yet there is a strong sense of justice having been done. Symbolically accomplished by the Duke (justice) taking on the habit of "a true friar" (mercy but with sense of justice) starting with I.iii.48. II.i.17 ff, Angelo on justice without mercy: "'Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus,/Another thing to fall. I not deny,/The jury, passing on the prisoner's life,/May in the sworn twelve have a thief or two/Guiltier than him they try. What's open made to justice,/That justice seizes: what know the laws/That thieves do pass on thieves?"--this is unmitigated justice, just as II.i.30-31: "Let mine own judgement pattern out my death, [which Angelo is willing to accept once caught, in V.

Female Gable Figure :: Essays Papers

Female Gable Figure Female Gable Figure (Dilukai), 19th- early 20th century; Belauan Wood, paint, Kaolin (Chinese Clay) The piece of work I selected caught my attention as soon as I set eyes on it. It is â€Å"Female Gable Figure (Dilukai)† a 25 2/3-inch high wooden figure of a nude woman with her legs straddled. The piece seemed to be very crudely done. It appeared to be chiseled, very abstracted and very unrealistic. Her hair appears to be in a bun, her face has no expression. The arms that lead down to her knees and upper torso look detachable. The breasts are triangular and the left breast is lopsided. There is also an additional piece of wood around the lower part of the left arm. The legs are apart and the under half of the leg in a darker color. The woman’s exposed genitals are represented by a large dark colored triangle. The artist carved the woman’s vagina in vivid detail leading me to believe this sculpture was used for some sexual purpose. The figure appears on a wall in the museum however, due to the name of the piece I imagine this piece would have been mount ed over the door of a building. I had two reactions to this piece. When I first saw this piece, it got me upset. Upset in that I did not believe someone would actually look at a woman and think that a sculpture like this one would be a good idea. I immediately thought this artist has no respect for women or a woman’s body. Then I found it somewhat funny and ironic that although I found this piece upsetting it was one of the few pieces that caught my attention. I found myself wanting to know more about this piece and the reason behind its existence. Thus making it the piece, I would write this paper on. My response to this piece came from my thinking that whoever did this sculpture must not have thought very highly of the woman this piece is representing.

Pillars of Education Essay

1. Learning to Know â€Å"Learning to Know† is one of the four pillars of education. Pillar of education actually means â€Å"the one that supports education†. The first one that supports education is â€Å"learning to know†, which is a bit natural to answer the question â€Å"Why do we need to learn? †, so the most possible answer would be â€Å"to be able for us to know things†. While this is true, before understanding from what we learn, we have to develop first the skills that are needed to understand these things. So the first pillar focuses on the well-known side of education which is the developing of intellectual skills in particular. These skills include the concentration, memory and the ability of a person to think. Children should have these skills because it will be their starting point or their foundation to learn more complex issues that our world is facing today. Learning is a lifelong process, so the more we learn things, the more we will understand the world around us. 2. Learning to Do The second pillar of education is the â€Å"learning to do†. This implies that we are not only learning to know (to develop intellectual skills), but we are also learning to do things out of the skills that we have developed. We do not isolate these skills on ourselves but we try to be more effective and productive by applying the se skills to develop personal competence, qualities, aptitudes and attitudes. Knowledge and skills will be put into waste if we do not utilize or apply it into real-life situations. The second pillar focuses on the effectiveness and productiveness of a person by developing and applying the skills/knowledge not only to manage one’s life but also to have the ability to be cooperative to the other members of the society and also, for the society itself. This pillar of education teaches us to adapt to the society’s demands. So the more skills we have developed, the more opportunities are accessible/ available for us to apply these skills whether in work or in life. 3. Learning to Be This pillar supports education in developing the total development of an individual. When we say total development, it does not only include the intellectual aspect but also its physical, emotional, social, moral and spiritual which an individual is made up of. It focuses on the individual himself and his personality; what are his attitudes, how does he behave, his beliefs, his interests and so on. So we do not only learn to know or develop skills nor utilize these skill/knowledge but we also learn to be a better individual not just for our family but for the society as well. Children should be taught the traits and values that we want them to develop like being responsible, honest, respectful and other traits that are considered good to develop their personality because knowing oneself first is the key to know others. 4. Learning to Live Together â€Å"Learning to live together is the last pillar of education and is considered as the most essential one. It is not only about knowledge, the application of skills or about the personality but it is the help of these three pillars that we would be able to live harmoniously. This pillar does not only refer to mere interaction and communication made by the members of the society because even if we have this communication, there are still inevitable conflicts that could occur. Knowledge here refers to have information about each other’s history and culture. We have to know and respect their beliefs, traditions and values which in turn they will respect ours. In this way, it can create a strong bond to understand each other’s differences. â€Å"Learning to Live Together refers on how to prevent conflicts in the society. We are also taught to live together with people who have different personality, different beliefs, and traditions and culture because we are not the only person in this world; we have to participate and cooperate to have peace and a just society.

Original Writing – Snowdrops

I will never forget the day when Miss Webster was going to show us the snowdrops growing in the little three- cornered garden outside the school keeper's house, where we weren't allowed to go. All through that winter, I remember Miss Webster saying, that the snowdrops had been asleep under the ground, but then they were up, and growing in the garden. I remember a frank speaking with Garath. He was telling me how he had imagined the snowdrops, but all he could imagine was one flake of the falling snow, bitterly frail and white, and nothing like a flower. I recall that morning being very cold. I remember leaning against the kitchen table, I remember because I had put my brother, Geraint, who was three at the time, in the armchair in front of the fireplace. That morning my mum realised the time and began to shout, â€Å"Hurry up or you'll never get to school.† God rest her soul, she only past away a year ago. I remember I replied â€Å"Miss Webster is going to show is the snowdrops today!† I was so excited. My mum just looked at me and smiled, the rest is a bit fuzzy. But I do remember my mother wondering where my father was, and suddenly he entered the room. My father was a big man; every time he entered the room he filled the room with bigness. He stood in front of the fire because it was cold in the yard, and all I could see was a faint light each side of my father's wide body. I remember this next moment vividly, my father said, â€Å"it's a cold wind, I can't remember a colder march. My father turned around and faced my mum and I, smiling because I think he had just realised that he was much warmer and the cold March wind was trapped outside the house. â€Å"You're a big boy for six,† he said to me, â€Å"and it's all because you eat your breakfast up.† This was a joke my father always said, and part of it was for me to just look and smile, all the time all I could think about were the snowdrops. Then, I remember thinking that it might be too cold to go and see them. Or perhaps Miss Webster would only take the boys, I confirmed to myself, because we were stronger, and the girls could stay in school out of the cold. â€Å"The Meredith boy is being buried this afternoon† I overheard my father saying to my mother. I don't remember exactly what my father said but I remember my father saying that he couldn't go. And my mother replying, â€Å"How old was he?† â€Å"Twenty,† my father answered. â€Å"Twenty last January, silly little fool. That bike was too powerful for him- well, to go at that speed on wet, dark night.† I'll never forget the anger yet sadness on my fathers face, as he continued to talk to my mother. â€Å"Over seventy, the police said, straight into the back of a stationary truck, a terrible mess.† â€Å"He was a nice looking boy too.† My mother added. â€Å"All the Meredith's' are,† replied my father. â€Å"This one was very friendly with the young teacher up at the school, Webber is it? Something like that.† I remember turning around in shock thinking that it couldn't be Miss Webster or could it? But at that age I didn't really understand, all I could think was if my father was talking about Miss Webster, what did that mean? Then suddenly my mother coughed and looked at me sharply. â€Å"Oh?† said my father, â€Å"of course I should have remembered. Come on, David, or you'll be late.† The next moment is a bit hazy, but all I recall is it being much warmer when I got to school, and Edmund telling me a joke about Europe. I recall not seeing Miss Webster for some time of the morning, so we had to go into Miss Lewis's class. My memory fails me on what happened next, but I do reminisce to Edmund playing a trick on Gerald Davis by tying his shoelaces together. I can recall asking Edmund â€Å"Do you wish that Miss Webster will take us to see the flowers when play is over?† Edmund responded â€Å"I don't care, because I've seen some already growing in my aunt's garden.† The rest of the morning is a blur, except for when I drew a robin. After that I just remember asking Miss Webster â€Å"shall we be going to see the snowdrops this afternoon?† â€Å"Yes†, she replied, â€Å"if Miss Lewis will allow us, we'll go and see them this afternoon.† I bring to mind eating my lunch quietly, while thinking in my head of a story about a wizard who could change himself into anything at all. It was a good story, but something always seemed to happen before I got to the end of it. Sometimes I began it at night in bed, only to fall asleep long before the really exciting part. Now my mother was talking to me. â€Å"Was Miss Webster in school this morning?† she asked me, â€Å"Yes, but she came late. She didn't arrive until playtime.† â€Å"Poor girl,† my mother said as she shook her head. I thought about this for a long time, and then recalled back to earlier that morning. I continued â€Å"She's got a bad hand,† I said. â€Å"She caught her finger in the cupboard door and her hand was bleeding. She's got a bandage on it today, she'll never be able to bend her finger again, and that's what Edmund Jenkins said.† I remember her looking at me and shaking her head while saying â€Å"Oh, you and Edmund Jenkins.† As many of my memories, I only recall a few moments of me running back to school to see the snowdrops. However when I got back there was nobody about, except some girls skipping and giggling just inside the school yard, as I made my way inside the building. Everybody was sitting very quietly inside the classroom. We were allowed to go in early because it was very cold. Normally we would have stayed outside however wet and cold it was, but today it seemed that they all wanted to sit quietly with Miss Webster, close to the cast- iron shove that had the figure of the tortoise on top. At two o'clock Miss Webster marked her register and then began to tell us a story. It was a good story, about a dragon who guarded a hoard of treasure in his den underground, where the snowdrops slept all through the winter. But as time went on, I noticed Miss Webster continually turned around to look at the big clock in the hall. I realised she could see it through the top half of the classroom door, which I distinctly remember having four panes of glass in it. Also her voice seemed to be hoarser than usual, at the time I assumed she had a cold, which was fine when she read the dragon bits, but not good for the knight nor the princess. Unexpectedly, she shut the book with a sharp and stood up; she hadn't even finished the story. And till this day I always wonder how the story ended, but I could never remember the title. She then announced, â€Å"Now we'll go to see the snowdrops† she said. â€Å"I want the girls to go quietly to the cloakroom and put on their coats. When they are ready, I'll come along with the boys, everybody must wear a coat. If you have difficulty with buttons, please stand in front and I'll fasten them for you.† I stood up with a sudden lightning of heart. I had known all the time that Miss Webster would not forget, and at last she was taking me to see the miraculous flowers, pale and fragile as the falling snow. I looked at Miss Webster with pure gratitude. I remember her eyes being as bright as frost, and she was making sure the girls walked nicely through the door. Just as we were about to leave, Edmund Jenkins waved at me and that was funny, because Edmund had his black gloves on with a hole in a place he could push his finger through. Edmund waved his finger like a fat white worm in the middle of his dark hand. We all walked through the playground, in two rows holding hands, and I hold Edmund's hand as we gave a little ship together every three steps. It didn't take long to get to the garden. We all bent down, four at a time, to look at the little clump of snowdrops as Miss Webster told us what to look at. I and Edmund would be last to look. When the other children had finished, the other children went down to the garden gate which opened onto the road. I remember it being a big gate, with iron bars and your head could almost poke through. Somewhere a long way off I could hear men singing. They sang softly, mournfully, the words carried gently on the air over the school wall, but I could not hear what they were singing. â€Å"It's a funeral,† Edmund assured me. â€Å"My father's there and my uncle Jim. It's a boy who was killed on a motorbike.† I nodded. Funerals often passed the school on their way to the cemetery at the top of the valley. All the men wore black suits and they walked slowly. Sometimes they sang. I squatted down to look at the snowdrops. I felt a slow, sad disappointment. I looked around for Miss Webster to explain these simple flowers to me, but she had gone down to the gate and was staring through, looking up the road. Her back was as hard as stone. I turned again to the snowdrops, concentrating, willing them to turn marvellous in front of my eyes. They hung down their four petalled heads in front of me, the white tinged with a minute green, the little green ball sturdily holding the petals, the greyish leaves standing up like miniature spears. I began to see their fragility. I saw them blow in a sudden gust of the cold March wind, shake, and straighten gallantly. I imagined them standing all night in the dark garden, holding bravely to their specks of whiteness. I put out a finger to touch the nearest flower, knowing now what snowdrops were. I lifted my face to tell Miss Webster, but she was standing right at the gate, holding the iron bars with her hands. I could see her shoulders shaking, at that time I didn't realise that Miss Webster wasn't shaking because of the cold, she was shaking because she was scared. *Mor ddedwydd yw y rhai trwy ffydd s'yn mynd o blith y byw†¦* Sang the men as they filed solemnly past the school. I knew it was welsh because of my grandmother, and it was sad and beautiful, at the same time. After a while we couldn't hear the singing anymore, but Miss Webster continued to cry aloud in the midst of the cold March wind. As in her own personal way, she said goodbye to her sweetheart.