The Leadership of Saladin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Leadership of Saladin - Essay Example Saladin is known to have founded the Ayyubid dynasty of Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Mecca Hejaz, and Diyar Bakr (Saladin 1). He has also won battles against crusaders which highlights his exemplary chivalric and merciful nature. This paper will take a closer look at the leadership style which Saladin has employed in order to gain the wide recognition both in his times and in the current era. The first section will give an overview of the general leadership style, followed by an account of how this style is reflected in Saladin's actions and words. In order to fully understand the personality of the leader, this paper will also give an account of Saladin's strength and weaknesses and compare his style with the five challenges of leadership. Lastly, the author will compare his leadership style with Saladin. Taking account of how Saladin's life, the battles he fought, and what he stood for, it becomes apparent that he can be classified as a charismatic leader. Before going further, this paper wants to clarify how a charismatic leader is described and characterized. A charismatic leader set the group's direction by establishing goals and motivating its followers in attaining the established objectives. The charisma of the leader will significantly help in instilling a dose of motivation to other employees. Five distinct behavioural attributes of a charismatic leader includes vision and articulation, sensitivity to the environment, sensitivity to members' needs, personal risk taking, and performing unconventional behaviour. Thus, a charismatic leader always stands out and is able to win people through his charisma. This type of leadership strategy often capitalizes in winning the trust of his subordinates in order to succeed. In order to describe his way of influencing people, Hillenbrand notes that Saladin made "himself known to the rank and file soldiers in the army, creating bonds of loyalty and solidarity, and enhancing corporate morale." It can be seen that instead of keeping emphasizing his position as a general by keeping his distance with his subordinates, Saladin has exerted effort in winning the trust of his members by making joining them in their conversation and establishing friendly relationship with them. Through the use of his charisma, Saladin is able to win the support of his subordinates and enable him to convince them into going to war with them and win the battle. It should also be noted that through this dealings with his subordinates, Saladin is able to instil inspiration and psyche his soldiers for victory. The charisma of Saladin becomes a significant influence and driver in the performance of his members. Hillenbrand (515) characterizes Saladin as a leader whose "presence could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat." This is exemplified his army's conquest of Acre where Saladin "stood firm with a handful of men until he was able to withdraw all his men to the hill and then lead them down into the battle again, shaming them into turning and fighting." This illustration indicates how the charisma of Saladin has worked in order to motivate his soldiers. Currently, there are five practices which indicate exemplary leadership: model the way; inspire a shared vision; challenge the process by taking risk, accepting, and seeking challenges; enable others to

Marriage vs Living Together Essay Example for Free

Marriage vs Living Together Essay Marriage vs Living Together Marriage is the legal union of a man and woman as husband and wife. It is also defined as the union between two people that are recognized by cultural or religious tradition. Older generations would feel that living together was disgraceful. The only way that living together was seen as acceptable was to be married. There are several differences between being married and living together such as the status in the government, status in the religious community, and status in each others eyes and each others families eyes. Television writers and producers are slowly making pop culture more diverse, but that does not mean every non-white character on television represents a step forward. Some programs seem not to do anything but pump racial stereotypes into the public eye. From geeky and pathetic Asian characters to a biracial genie who is literally an object in a white lady’s house. Another example would be from the show called , â€Å"Rob Schneider†, This new comedy is about Rob Schneider’s character attempting to connect with his wife’s large Mexican family, most of whom do not like him. It seems as though he’s supposed to be a sort of Archie Bunker character who makes awful stereotypical jokes and then is promptly dismissed by, you know, reality, but in this world the stereotypes seem to be true – the members of Maggie’s family are almost entirely defined by their Mexican-ness, right down to the mute, diminutive grandmother with a shrine to Jesus in her bedroom. We’re all for more Latino characters in primetime, but this is a pretty horrifying way to do It. (Victoria Mcnally, mar. , 2012) Children movies, television shows, and commercials are not immune to the typical racial stereotyping. In our increasingly ever-changing society, children are deeply drawn into television viewing and their consumption of television programming varies by ethnicity. Ethnic portrayal in children’s advertising is an important public policy and self-regulatory topic that may influence children’s self-perception and brand perception. Another show that promotes stereotypical behavior in television programing would be the Glee Club, that s essentially a show about the performing arts and the arts have always had an association (earned or perceived) as being gay friendly. If a guy tells someone that they are a dancer, they will assume he is gay. Glee stereotypically has gay characters. In conclusion, even commercials such as tide have shown racial stereotypical antidotes in them for example have you seen the latest Tide commercial where a â€Å"sassy black woman† is sitting on a bench getting very annoyed with being told she cannot wear white jeans after Labor Day. She actually gets up, starts with the neck swivel and the hand, and says she will do whatever she wants because Tide will keep her jeans white, â€Å"Not white-ish, not eggshell, and not ecru, whatever that is. † But pure white. Just another way of showing that no matter what genre of television programming, stereotyping is a part of it. Mostly due to television trying to appeal to different types of audiences to include ethnicity, sex and age.

Migration and Disease in Africa during European Imperialism Essay

The Relationship between Migration and Disease in Africa during European Imperialism During the era of European Imperialism, from approximately 1880 to 1930, an increasing number of Europeans began to colonize West Africa. Because of this colonization many African natives migrated eastward, inadvertently transporting diseases to which the East Africans were not immune (Ransford 76). This phenomenon can be explained through examining the implications of geographical isolation, the effects of large-scale migration, and alluding to a specific example of disease transference in Africa from the west to the east. Because of geographic isolation, human societies develop either genetic or cultural defenses against certain types of disease, an adaptation that keeps them free from major endemic devastation (Patterson 3). K. David Patterson, Associate Professor of History, describes the African environment as â€Å"extremely dangerous for outsiders† and goes on to say that Europeans â€Å"generally found Africa’s ‘fevers’ and ‘fluxes’ deadly until the beginning of tropical medicine in the late nineteenth century† (7). Similarly, once the geographic and cultural barriers between West and East Africa were broken down, they became extremely vulnerable to the other’s infectious diseases (Azevedo 121). Nevertheless, Europe had still not entered into the scene, maintaining the balanced east versus west arrangement. Fear of the diseases, unsavory climate, shallow rivers and impassible swamps all deterred Europe from colonizing Africa (Ransford, 8). However, beginning in the late nineteenth century, the deterrence was outweighed by the pressures of European Imperialism, and many Europeans fled to the African front. ... ...n Congo, specifically. It is extremely detailed in content, yet covers a variety of issues including imperialism, disease, climate, and indigenous tribes of the African Congo. http://www.rbm.who.int (Roll Back Malaria – WHO) A link that describes the malaria issues facing Africa currently. Malaria, along with sleeping sickness had a profound effect on the history of Africa during the Imperialist era. Specifically, this website advertises Roll Back Malaria which is an international mission to increase and hopefully help prevent future malaria epidemics. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/trypanosomiasis/default.htm (CDC) This link goes to the Center for Disease Control and provides some basics about West and East African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness). It also includes a weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report (MMWR).

Catcher in the Rye †Study notes as a related text for Belonging Essay

The Catcher in the Rye is set around the 1950s and is narrated by a young man named Holden Caulfield. Holden is not specific about his location while he’s telling the story, but he makes it clear that he is undergoing treatment in a mental hospital or sanatorium. The events he narrates take place in the few days between the end of the fall school term and Christmas, when Holden is sixteen years old. Alienation as a Form of Self-Protection: Throughout the novel, Holden seems to be excluded from and victimized by the world around him. He continually attempts to find his way in a world in which he feels he doesn’t belong. As the novel progresses, we begin to perceive that Holden’s alienation is his way of protecting himself. He uses his isolation as proof that he is better than everyone else around him and therefore above interacting with them. The truth is that interactions with other people usually confuse and overwhelm him, and his cynical sense of superiority serves as a type of self-protection. Holden’s alienation is the cause of most of his pain. He never addresses his own emotions directly, nor does he attempt to discover the source of his troubles. He desperately needs human contact and love, but his protective wall of bitterness prevents him from looking for such interaction. Alienation is both the source of Holden’s strength and the source of his problems. Belonging to the School Community/ a group The school community’s collective allegiance to the football team enables them to belong to each other: â€Å"Anyway it was the Saturday of the football game with Saxon Hall†¦It was the last game of the year and you were supposed to commit suicide or something if old Pencey didn’t win†. Pg. 2 (Pencey Prep is a school the main character, Holden went to) The use of the verb, ‘supposed’, demonstrates the expectations of the community. The high modality of the verb, ‘suicide’ highlights the strength of their connection Holden’s sarcastic tone mocks their sense of belonging, thus segregating him. â€Å"There was about three inches of snow on the ground (at Pencey Prep after dinner one night) and coming down like a madman. It looked pretty as hell, and we all started throwing snowballs and horsing around all over the place. It was very childish, but everybody was really enjoying themselves.† Pg. 31 This anecdote demonstrates a sense of belonging to peers in the school community. Plural pronoun, ‘we’ and the adjective, ‘all’ demonstrates the all-encompassing sense of belonging across the group. â€Å"It wasn’t allowed for students to borrow faculty guy’s cars but all the athletic bastards stuck together. In every school I’ve gone to, all the athletic bastards stick together†. Pg. 37 The conjunction, ‘but’ Repitition of ‘athletic bastards’ The adjective and negative ‘bastards’ The repetition of the adverb, together’ Demonstrates the way in which individuals are connected through a common interest. Whilst, the negative connotations of, ‘bastard’, elucidate Holden’s negative view on this group of people and suggests that he does not belong to this group. Holden’s Absence of Belonging â€Å"Practically the whole school except me was there.† Pg. 2 Adjective, ‘whole’, in relation to the noun, ‘school’, juxtaposes against the personal pronoun through the use of the conjunction, ‘except’. This highlights Holden’s isolation from the community. â€Å"I’d just got back from New York with the fencing team†¦I left all the foils and equipment and stuff on the goddam subway†¦The whole team ostracized me the whole way back on the train.† Pg. 3 Verb, ‘ostracized’, demonstrates Holden’s exclusion and the use of the adjective, ‘whole’, exemplifies the full extent of his exclusion. â€Å"I felt so lonesome, all of a sudden. I almost wished I was dead†¦.Boy, did I feel rotten. I felt so damn lonesome.† Pg. 42 Repetition of the abstract noun, ‘lonesome’ highlights Holden’s sense of isolation. The verb, ‘wished’ and adjective, ‘dead’ suggest the negative implications of a bereft sense of belonging. â€Å"It was even depressing out in the street. You couldn’t even hear any cars any more. I got feeling so lonesome and rotten, I even felt like waking Ackley up.† Pg. 44 The adjectives, ‘depressing’, ‘lonesome’ and ‘rotten’ convey his disconnection from his environment and his defiled sense of belonging. Everybody was asleep or out or home for the week end, and it was very, very quiet and depressing in the corridor.† Pg. 45 The pronoun, ‘everybody’ is all-inclusive and the repetition of the adverb, ‘very’ emphasizes the loneliness and sense of solitude Holden is feeling, implied by the adjective, ‘depressing’. â€Å"In fact, nobody was around my age. They were mostly old, show-offy-looking guys with their dates.† Pg. 62 The combination of the pronoun, ‘nobody’, the personal pronoun, ‘my’ and the abstract noun, ‘age’ convey Holden’s absence of belonging in that he is unable to find commonalities or connect with the people around him. Lack of Belonging- the distaste for his environment (Mostly Place) â€Å"It was a horrible school (Pencey Prep), no matter how you looked at it†. Pg. 2 Adjective, ‘horrible’, illustrates Holden’s aversion to his surroundings. â€Å"They kicked me out (of school)†¦I was flunking four subjects and not applying myself and all. They gave me frequent warnings to start applying myself†¦.but I didn’t do it. So I got the axe† Pg. 3 Adjective, ‘frequent’ and noun, ‘warnings’, demonstrate Holden’s awareness of the situation. The conjunction, ‘but’ and the negative, ‘didn’t’ demonstrate his lack of action. Thus, illustrating Holden’s role in the lack of belonging that he is experiencing. â€Å"Pencey was full of crooks†. Pg. 3 The negative connotations of the noun, ‘crooks’, to represent the students at Pencey highlight Holden’s distaste for those around him and the adjective, ‘full’, highlights the abundance of these people, he is unable to connect with. â€Å"One of the biggest reasons I left Elkon Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies†. Pg. 12 The use of the noun, ‘phonies’, to describe the students at his previous school and the use of the adjective, ‘surrounded’, implies that he feels trapped in a world in which he does not belong and with people whom he does not connect with. â€Å"I hated that goddam Elkon Hills†, Pg. 12 The verb, ‘hated’ and negative connotations of the adjective, ‘goddam’, illustrate Holden’s repugnance towards his environment. â€Å"For one thing the room was too damn hot. It made you sleepy. At Pencey, you either froze to death or died of the heat†. Pg. 19 The juxtaposition of ‘froze to death’ and ‘died of the heat’, demonstrates Holden’s discomfort and lack of connection and contentness in the world around him. The incorporation of the noun, ‘death’ and verb, ‘died’, conveys the severity of his distaste for his environment. Holden’s Search for a Sense of Belonging â€Å"What really knocks me out is a book that, when you’re all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it†. Pg. 16 The verb, ‘wish’, used with the noun, ‘friend’, suggests Holden’s yearning to establish a connection with someone. â€Å"But finally after I was riding for a while the cab driver and I sort of struck up a conversation. â€Å" Pg. 74â€Å" Would you care to stop off and have a drink with me somewhere?† I said. Pg. 75 The noun, ‘conversation’ and the question within the direct speech imply Holden’s search to belong through aiming to establish connections with people. â€Å"I damn near got my coat back and went back to the hotel, but it was too early and I didn’t feel much like being alone.† Pg. 77 The noun, ‘being’ and adjective, ‘alone’ demonstrate Holden’s wish to fulfill his sense of belonging. â€Å"What I did do though, was ask the waiter to ask old Ernie if he’d care to join me for a drink.† Pg. 78 Throughout the novel, Holden’s loneliness and absence of a sense of belonging is conveyed however so are his attempts to establish connections with people. He asks cab drivers and waiters etc. if they would care to have a drink with him. This is illustrated through the noun, ‘waiter’, the verb, ‘join’ and the personal pronoun, ‘me’ â€Å"Boy, I felt miserable. I felt so depressed, you can’t imagine. What I did, I started talking, sort of out loud, to Allie. I do that sometimes when I get very depressed.† Pg. 89 (search for belonging through family) The repetition of the adjective, ‘depressed’ highlight the issues within Holden’s emotional and mental well-being. The verb, ‘talking’ and noun, ‘Allie’ conveys Holden’s search for belonging as he is aiming to communicate with his deceased brother Allie, whom he shared a connection with. Belonging To Oneself â€Å"They gave me this crumby room, with nothing to look out of the window at except the other side of the hotel. I didn’t care much. I was too depressed to care whether I had a good view or not.† Pg. 54 The adjective, ‘crumby’ conveys Holden’s affliction to his environment and absence of belonging to place. Holden’s inability to belong to himself is also highlighted through the adjective, ‘too’ and abstract noun, ‘depressed’. â€Å"’I can’t sit in a corny place like this cold sober. Cantcha stick a little rum in it or something? (Holden asks the waiter).’†. Pg. 62 Holden’s reliance on alcohol is evident here as he is unable to connect with people or his environment and does not have a well-established and stable sense of belonging to himself. This is achieved through the pronoun, â€Å"I†, adjective, ‘corny’ and abstract noun, ‘sober’. â€Å"In the first place it was one of those places that are very terrible to be in unless you have somebody good to dance with or unless the waiter lets you buy real drinks instead of just Cokes. There isn’t any night club in the world you can sit for a long time unless you can buy some liquor and get drunk.† Pg. 68 Holden’s absence of sense of self is exhibited here, which has an impact on his ability to find belonging through place, through his reliance on alcohol. This is demonstrated through the adjective, ‘terrible’, the verb, ‘dance’ and noun, ‘drinks’. The adjective, ‘drunk’. Belonging to Family â€Å"I certainly wouldn’t have minded shooting the crap with old Phoebe (Holden’s younger sister) for a while. You should see her. You never saw a little kid so pretty and so smart in your whole life. She’s really smart†¦As a matter of fact, I’m the only dumb one in the family.† Pg. 60 The use of the colloquial phrase, ‘shooting the crap’, demonstrates Holden’s attempt to connect with his sister. The repetition of, ‘so’ used in conjunction with the adjectives, ‘pretty’ and ‘smart’, demonstrate Holden’s adoration of his sister. The adjective, ‘dumb’ used by Holden to describe himself juxtaposes against those used to describe his sister, while the adverb, ‘only’ creates a divide between Holden and his family, thus implying his absence of belonging. â€Å"When she (Phoebe) was a very tiny little kid, I and Allie used to take her to the park with us, especially on Sundays. Allie had this sailboat he used to like fool around with on Sundays and we used to take old Phoebe with us. She’d wear white gloves and walk right between us, like a lady and all†. Pg. 61 The anecdote evokes Holden’s sense of connection with members of his family, his brother Allie and sister Phoebe. Belonging through Friendship â€Å"I know old Jane like a book-I still couldn’t get her off my brain. I knew her like a book. I really did. I mean, besides checkers, she was quite fond of all athletic sports, and after I got to know her, the whole summer long we played tennis together almost every morning and golf almost every afternoon.† Pg. 69 The repetition of the simile, ‘like a book’, conveys the connection through friendship that Holden has with Jane. The adverb, ‘together’ and repetition of the adjective, ‘every’, further emphasize this connection and achievement of a sense of belonging through friendship.

Murders and Aggravated Assault

Aggravated assault and murder are some of the most heinous crimes that occur in our society today.   It is stated in the news that there are around 1-4 cases of murders and around 300 reported victims of aggravated assault in every 10,000 people per year. Moreover, the data still vary depending on the type of country’s progress. It follows that as the country is more developed, the crime rates are higher. Both the aggravated assault and murder involved more than one party of conflicting views which leads to infliction of harm over the other party. The crimes mentioned are considered to be the worst crimes in our society and the perpetuators are subjected to long time in prison depending on the place where the crime is committed. Different countries have different punishments for murder and aggravated assault. (Answer.com, 2006) Although the two crimes results to serious physical damage, they usually differ according to some factors. Aggravated assault takes place when an individual is provoked or pushed to do such act. Moreover, the situation or the defendant himself is the reason why the event took place. The use of a deadly weapon to attack an individual and causes a serious physical injury or even death to that individual is also a classification of aggravated assault not to mention it is also an element in murder. On the other hand, murder, also termed as killing, is associated with premeditation which means that there is an intension to harm or to kill in murder unlike in the aggravated assault. In this regard, the person who committed the crime planned and escaped from that act. Therefore, one can only be charged and accused by murder if s/he commits the elements actus reus and mens rea which are Latin for â€Å"guilty act† and â€Å"guilty mind†.   Therefore, murder differs with aggravated assault if there is the presence of malice or intension to harm the other individual.   (Investigation, 2004) References: Answer.com. (2006). murder.  Ã‚   Retrieved November 15, 2006, from http://www.answers.com/topic/murder Investigation, D. o. J. F. B. o. (2004). Aggravated assault. from http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_04/offenses_reported/violent_crime/aggravated_assault.html   

When It Was Legal to Mail a Baby

When It Was Legal to Mail a Baby Once-upon-a-time, it was legal to mail a baby in the United States. It happened more than once and by all accounts, the mailed tots arrived no worse for wear. Yes, baby mail was a real thing. On January 1, 1913, the then Cabinet-level U.S. Post Office Department - now the U.S. Postal Service  - first started delivering packages. Americans instantly fell in love with the new service and were soon mailing each other all sorts of items, like parasols, pitchforks and, yes, babies. Smithsonian Confirms Birth of Baby Mail As documented in the article, â€Å"Very Special Deliveries,† by curator of the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum Nancy Pope, several children, including one â€Å"14-pound baby† were stamped, mailed and dutifully delivered by the U.S. Post Office between 1914 and 1915. The practice, noted Pope, became affectionately known by letter carriers of the day as baby mail. According to Pope, with  postal regulations, being few and far between in 1913, they failed to specify exactly â€Å"what† could and could not be mailed via the still very new parcel post service. So in mid-January 1913, an unnamed baby boy in Batavia, Ohio was delivered by a Rural Free Delivery carrier to its grandmother about a mile away. â€Å"The boy’s parents paid 15-cents for the stamps and even insured their son for $50,† wrote Pope. Despite a â€Å"no humans† declaration by the Postmaster General, at least five more children were officially mailed and delivered between 1914 and 1915. Baby Mail Often Got Very Special Handling If the very idea of mailing babies sounds sort of reckless to you,  don’t worry. Long before the then-Post Office Department had created its â€Å"special handling† guidelines for packages, children delivered via â€Å"baby-mail† got it anyway. According to Pope, the children were â€Å"mailed† by traveling with trusted postal workers, often designated by the child’s parents. And fortunately, there are no heartbreaking cases of babies being lost in transit or stamped â€Å"Return to Sender† on record. The longest trip taken by a â€Å"mailed† child took place in 1915  when a six-year-old girl traveled from her mother’s home in Pensacola, Florida, to her father’s home in Christiansburg, Virginia. According to Pope, the nearly 50-pound little girl made the 721-mile trip on a mail train for just 15 cents in parcel post stamps. According to the Smithsonian, its â€Å"baby mail† episode pointed out Postal Service’s importance at a time when traveling long distances was becoming more important  but remained difficult and largely unaffordable for many Americans. Perhaps even more importantly, noted Ms. Pope, the practice indicated how the Postal Service in general, and especially its letter carriers had become â€Å"a touchstone with family and friends far away from each other, a bearer of important news and goods. In some ways, Americans trusted their postmen with their lives.† Certainly, mailing your baby took a lot of​ plain old  trust. The End of Baby Mail The Post Office Department officially put a stop to â€Å"baby mail† in 1915, after postal regulations barring the mailing of human beings enacted the year before were finally enforced. Even today, postal regulations allow the  mailing of live animals, including poultry, reptiles, and bees, under certain conditions. But no more babies, please. About the Photographs As you can imagine, the practice of â€Å"mailing† children, usually at costs far lower than regular train fare, drew considerable notoriety, leading to the taking of the two photographs shown here. According to Pope, both photos were staged for publicity purposes and there are no records of a child actually being delivered in a mail pouch. The photos are two of the most popular among the extensive Smithsonian Photographs on Flicker photo collection.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath Quotes

'The Bell Jar' by Sylvia Plath Quotes The Bell Jar  is a famous autobiographical novel by Sylvia Plath, though it was first published under the pseudonym, Victoria Lucas. The novel has been banned and challenged because it deals with mental illness, suicide, and the female experience. Some have claimed that students may be inspired to commit suicide after reading about Esther Greenwoods struggle with mental illness but these claims are unfounded. Here are a few quotes from The Bell Jar. Doreen singled me out right away. She made me feel I was that much sharper than the others, and she really was wonderfully funny. She used to sit next to me at the conference table, and when the visiting celebrities were talking shed whisper witty sarcastic remarks to me under her breath.- Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar, Chapter 1 There is something demoralizing about watching two people get more and more crazy about each other, especially when you are the extra person in the room.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 2 After Doreen left, I wondered why I couldnt go the whole way doing what I should any more. This made me sad and tired. Then I wondered why I couldnt go the whole way doing what I shouldnt, the way Doreen did, and this made me even sadder and more tired.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 3 The sickness rolled through me in great waves. After each wave it would fade away and leave me limp as a wet leaf and shivering all over and then I would feel it rising up in me again, and the glittering white torture chamber tiles under my feet and over my head and all four sides closed in and squeezed me to pieces.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 4 I hate handing over money for what I could just as easily do myself, it makes me nervous.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 5 Buddy kissed me again in front of the house steps, and the next fall, when his scholarship to medical school came through, I went there to see him instead of to Yale and it was there I found out that he had fooled me all those years and what a hypocrite he was.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 5 What a man wants is is an arrow into the future and what a woman is is the place the arrow shoots off from.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 6 She was a fat middle-aged woman with dyed red hair and suspiciously thick lips and rat-colored skin and she wouldnt even turn off the light, so hed had her under a fly-spotted twenty-five-watt bulb, and it was nothing like it was cracked up to be. It was as boring as going to the toilet.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 7 So I began to think maybe it was true that when you were married and had children it was like being brainwashed, and afterward you went about as numb as a slave in a totalitarian state.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 7 If neurotic is wanting two mutually exclusive things at one and the same time, then Im neurotic as hell. Ill be flying back and forth between one mutually exclusive thing and another for the rest of my days.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 8 I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery- air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, This is what it is to be happy.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 8 Show us how happy it makes you to write a poem.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 9 I had decided I would put off the novel until I had gone to Europe and had a lover.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 10 But when I took up my pen, my hand made big, jerky letters like those of a child, and the lines sloped down the page from left to right almost diagonally, as if they were loops of string lying on the paper, and someone had come along and blown them askew.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 11 There was a uniformity, as if they had lain for a long time on a shelf, out of the sunlight, under siftings of pale, fine dust.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 12 I am I am I am.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 13 I am climbing to my freedom, freedom from fear, freedom from marrying the wrong person, like Buddy Willard, just because of sex, freedom from the Florence Crittenden Homes where all the poor girls go who should have been fitted out like me, because what they did, they would do anyway...- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 18 The bell jar hung, suspended, a few feet above my head. I was open to the circulating air.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 18 Doctor Nolan said, quite bluntly, that a lot of people would treat me gingerly, or even avoid me, like a leper with a warning bell. My mothers face floated to mind, a pale reproachful moon, at her last and first visit to the asylum since my twentieth birthday. A daughter in an asylum! I had done that to her.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 20 There would be a black, six-foot-deep gap backed in the hard ground. That shadow would marry this shadow, and the peculiar yellowish soil of our locality seal the wound in the whiteness, and yet another snowfall erase the newness in Joans grave.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 20 There ought, I thought, to be a ritual for being born twice- patched, retreaded and approved for the road.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar