Friday, May 22, 2020

Representation of the Future in Various Films Essay

Representation of the Future in Various Films One of the most important factors or conventions of science fiction films is that it is always set in a dystopian future, which means the worst possible future. In the films there is lots of technology and gadgets, the film look technological because of the grey/silver filters which give it this look. Science fiction is usually about fears held in society at the time the film is released, for example minority report tells us about fears of violent crime, murder being the most important shown in the film, as well as drugs. Science films are popular†¦show more content†¦In the lower city it is a factory where the poor workers work, there is no natural light so it looks dull and depressing. The poor characters wear black overalls and their actions are exaggerated they act robot or zombie like. The technology is mainly machines operated by the workers, the machines are difficult to operate and wear the workers out. In metropolis the film tries to reflect issues and fears of the time these fears which Fritz Lang tries to show is the fear of machines taking over and how the poor have to support the rich to live, because metropolis is one of the first sci-fi films ever made lots of other films have taken ideas from it, one of these films being minority report. Minority report is set in a futuristic city, it Is shown through a blue/grey filter which makes it look technological and futuristic. The buildings are tall and reflect the ones in upper city, in metropolis. There is also high rise roads linking buildings which is also shown in metropolis. To show the vast size of the city long range shots are used. One of the main characters in the film are the pre-cogs. The lighting makes them appear angelic and peaceful the lights are above them to focus on their faces. They wear a metallic to suit to make them look inhuman at the beginning of the film they look lifeless and alien like. John Anderton is the mainShow MoreRelatedEssay about How Women are Represented in Science Fiction Films Today1095 Words   |  5 PagesFiction Films Today Science fiction films have changed a lot since the days of rubber monsters and fake blood. This is not only because of the advance in technology but also in the brave character choices directors of films are now taking. A prime example of this can be seen in T T2 in regards to the character of Sarah Connor. The representation of women in Science fiction films has changed dramatically the more traditional feminine role. Representation is the Read MoreThe Good, The Bad And The Ugly825 Words   |  4 Pagesin a film uses familiar story formulas, character types, settings and all of which lead viewers to have a certain perception about what the movie will be like before actually watching it (Goodykoontz, B., Jacobs, 2014). In many instances, genres produce an explanation of the film. Evidently, this paper focuses on westerns as the main theme; this movie depicts notions of molarity tales, ironic tales and describes the notion of a classical look of the old western times. Additionally, this film genreRead MoreThe Colonialism Of The Walt Disney Company1571 Words   |  7 Pagesis the most recent Disney animated film about an indigenous culture. Moana is centered in an unknown Polynesian land before Western colonization and focuses on the chief’s daughter, Moana on the island of Motuni. The plot is a typical hero’s journey where Moana is called by the ocean to return the heart of Te Fiti to restore the land an d vegetation of her people’s island and the rest of the South Pacific. I am analyzing the contribution of the animated Disney film, Moana to Disney’s developing appreciationRead MoreHomosexual Roles And Its Effect On Society1597 Words   |  7 Pagescinema. These films habitually present themselves with a lack of diverse stories or representation, with many of them sinking into the similar tropes and conventions, leading them to be heavily criticised by individuals who identify as homosexual. By exploring films throughout history that include homosexual characters in various ways, an understanding can be made on how homosexual roles are typically conveyed and represented in cinema, whether this is positive or negative. Representation is a significantRead MoreExploring the Film, The Outsiders Essay630 Words   |  3 PagesIn films, film-makers make deliberate use of certain techniques to influence views to make a certain viewpoint. In the film ‘The Outsiders’, the director Francis Ford Coppola believes nothing gold can stay when it comes to teenagers. He believes that the strength and beauty in teenagers can never stay concrete because it is ruined by adulthood. In the film Coppola shows and represents two groups, the socs and the greasers. Soc is pronounced like society, and means just that: money, nice carsRead MoreThe Events Between 1939-1945 Became A Prominent Features Of The British World War1744 Words   |  7 Pagesrepresented by clichà ©s, such as a lack of humour and German efficiency, or the resolute militaristic faà §ade of a country planning to take over the world. Kronig (1999) appropriately refers to this as ‘the British postwar folklore’ that provides material for films, jokes, newspapers, adverts and TV comedies. It is through this prism of Hitler and Nazism that many will conceive and shape negative attitudes towards Germany. Walter Gorlitz, a former editor of Die Welt commented in 1961: ‘Of course, anyone is freeRead MoreThief Of Bagdad Analysis1475 Words   |  6 Pagesmuch underrepresented in film and many roles would be lost to Caucasian actors so as to resonate with American audiences. I think it is fair to argue that had this film been handled by someone who shared the culture, certain directions would have been taken so as to give the film a more accurate portrayal. Directions such as casting more ethnically fit actors or more accurate historic costuming. Despite this, The Thief of Bagdad is still a very entertaining film, even by todays standardsRead MoreA person’s views upon television and film can be affected by medias various components. In the1400 Words   |  6 PagesA person’s views upon television and film can be affected by medias various components. In the films Mulan, Pleasantville and Think Like a Man, media presents gender in distinct forms. Pleasantville illustrates the changes of how sexuality has paved its way into film during the fifties and how women resist being seen as purely housekeepers. While Mulan crushes down the typical patriarchal role in film and presents a woman saving China even though she had to disguise her sexuality to begin with. ThenRead MoreWho Is Dayani Cristal Analysis1451 Words   |  6 PagesUnited States, and further emphasizes how the â€Å"illegal† identities construct migration as a criminal act. This film looks far beyond the perspective of being an undocumented immigrant and illeg ally crossing the border, and more towards a dangerous journey focused around family and values. To further emphasize a more personal anecdote of an immigrant coming to the United States, the film uses an immigrant named Yohan Sandres-Martinez as its focal point. By using Yohan, a real person with strugglesRead MoreLatino Gender And Gender Diversity1560 Words   |  7 Pagesfor only 4.9% of the roles in the top 100 films of the year. From the beginning, Hollywood had always been dominated by white men and women. However, as time progressed there was a very slight change in cultural and ethnic diversity. Though it is more likely now than ever to find a Latino or Latina in a Hollywood film, their roles are often small, stereotypical, and almost entirely unimportant. As if it wasn’t hard enough to get any role in any Hollywood film regardless of ethnicity, Latinos have to

Friday, May 8, 2020

Monkey Paw - 2136 Words

A Monkeys Paw Vs The Tell Tale Heart Dayvon Thorpe A Monkeys Paw Seargent Major Morris has come to visit Mr. White and his family after 21-years. He had brought along a Monkey s Paw. He told the family all about its great powers and how it can grant you 3 wishes. Morris had already had its three wishes so he didn t want the paw anymore. Morris so threw the paw upon the fire. Mr. White with a slight cry stooped down and snatched it off. Morris had warned them about the talisman and its consequences and he did not want to get blamed on if anything happened. Mr. White was just too fascinated about it that he wanted to give it a try and that is how he became the new owner of the Monkey s Paw.†¦show more content†¦He waited until he could no longer hear the old man s heartbeat before righting the bed. He then concealed the body beneath the floorboards and thought that no sign of the murder remained. It seems that a neighbor heard the scream of the old man and alerted the police. Several officers arrived at the house. The narrator, feeling secu re that his crime was perfect and undetectable, invited them in to question him. As they spoke, the narrator heard the old man s heart beating beneath the floorboards, faint at first but then growing louder. He thought that the police must also hear this and that they were merely ignoring it to mock him. Eventually, the sound and the policemen s reactions drove the narrator to jump to his feet and confess that he had, indeed, killed the old man and the body was hidden beneath the floor. reader that he is nervous, but in no way mad. The narrator begins to calmly tell a whole story of how he kills an old man that he loves and takes care of for no reason other than the old man’s one dreadful blue eye. Every night at midnight, he opens the old man’s bedroom door and shines just a thin ray of light onto the Evil Eye. He explains that he cannot kill the man with his eye closed, so nighttime continues to pass and in the morning he acts completely normal with the poor old m an. On the eighth night, the old man wakes up as he peers his head into the room. TheShow MoreRelatedThe Monkey s Paw And The Third Wish1496 Words   |  6 Pagesstories The Monkey s Paw and The Third Wish demonstrate this quote by showing most wishes often come with unexpected consequences. These two stories are very much alike and share many similarities in both their moods, and motifs. There are many similarities between the two short stories The Third Wish and The Monkey s Paw. One major similarity they share is their overall mood. The mood both stories share is the feeling of mystery. Mystery is shown in The Monkey,s Paw when the SergeantRead MoreThe Genre of Mystery in The Signalman and the Monkeys Paw Essay535 Words   |  3 Pagesmystery in the signalman and the monkeys paw? To answer the question, I believe that the authors of The Signalman and The Monkeys Paw use the genres of mystery very well. I am going to explain why I think that in the following essay. The first idea that I am going to look at is the role of fate. We see this take place in both stories, but in slightly different ways. In The Monkeys Paw, we see fate take on a large role, as the story is about a monkeys paw that has been invested with a lotRead More Fearful Wishing The Monkeys Paw Essays844 Words   |  4 Pages Fearful Wishing quot;The Monkeys Pawquot; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;What if in this world there is an item that can grant anybody any three wishes? There may even be serious and dangerous consequences to every wish. The strange thing about the ability to get any three wishes that one wants is that its true.quot;The monkeys pawquot; written by W.W. Jacobs uses the well known story of being granted 3 wishes but puts a twist on the story creating a horror type story. In the small parlorRead MoreThe Monkey s Paw : Plot Elements ( Mini Summary ) Essay1528 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction: Plot elements (mini summary): During his lifetime, Jacobs was viewed as a successful, popular short-story writer and humorist. His penchant for trick endings led to his nickname as the â€Å"O. The short story the Monkey s Paw By W.W Jacobs mostly centers around the paw because it had supernatural powers. It gives you three wishes but there is a HUGE TWIST to those three wishes the come with tragic CONSEQUENCES like DEATH and other terrifying horrors. They wish for some money, and the nextRead MoreThe Ways in Which the Writers Create an Atmosphere of Tension, Mystery and Suspense in the Stories The Monkeys Paw and The Red Room2122 Words   |  9 PagesThe Ways in Which the Writers Create an Atmosphere of Tension, Mystery and Suspense in the Stories The Monkeys Paw and The Red Room Ans. The Monkeys Paw, a very well written gothic short story by W. W. Jacobs, has an immense variety of elements, which create an atmosphere of mystery and suspense in the story, which also links and can be compared to the short story, The Red Room, written by H. G. Wells. The various steps, which the authors took to bring out the nature of Read MoreMonkey Paw Quiz926 Words   |  4 PagesThe Monkey’s Paw Quiz Name: Mirella Montejano Score: __/25 A. Summary Instructions: Complete the summary of the story below by filling in the missing works. (10) The White family—mother, father, and son Herbert—are spending a cozy evening at (1)____________ when the fathers friend Sergeant Major Morris drops by for a visit. In the course of telling stories about his travels to (2) ____________, Morris reveals that he has a magical (3) ____________that will give its holderRead MoreMonkeys Paw Theme838 Words   |  4 PagesThe Monkey’s Paw is a short story written by W. W. Jacobs that tells of a mystical charm and its effects on the White family. It starts with the family gathered inside their cozy home playing chess. When suddenly, Sergeant-Major Morris is at their door and they invite him in. He tells them of his time in India and how he came across a magical money paw. He tells them of how the paw can grant three wishes to three different men. That he is the second owner and that the first owner’s final wish wasRead MoreDeception And The Monkey s Paw1641 Words   |  7 Pagesthan they actually are to attra ct the more wealthy people towards them or in other words, to fake it until they make it. All of these acts are deception, the intentional act of portraying something fraudulently. In â€Å"The Necklace† and â€Å"The Monkey’s Paw† the theme of deception is addressed by both de Maupassant and Jacobs, suggesting everything is not what it seems and that true value solely depends on how a person perceives it to be. That is to say that in â€Å"The Necklace,† Mathilde’s perception ofRead More How typical are The signalman by Charles Dickens, The monkeys paw2862 Words   |  12 PagesHow typical are The signalman by Charles Dickens, The monkeys paw by W.W Jacobs and The red room by H.G Wells of the gothic genre? Gothic stories were written in the middle of the eightieth century these include ‘Frankenstein’ written by Mary Shelley and ‘Jane Eyre’ written by Charlotte Bronte. Other gothic stories also include ‘The Signalman’ by Charles Dickens, ‘The Monkeys Paw’ by W.W Jacobs and ‘The red room’ written by H.G wells. Gothic stories were started by Horace Walpole who wroteRead More How do the authors create atmosphere and tension in The Monkeys Paw2017 Words   |  9 PagesHow do the authors create atmosphere and tension in The Monkeys Paw and The Red Room? A ghost story is a story with intent to scare; it usually builds up tension and suspense by using a lot of intense, exaggerated words. Usually in a ghost story there is a typical dark and gloomy setting and an inhuman object almost always there is a non human force or a supernatural being in the story to give it a scare factor. Supernatural means a power above the forces of nature which implies that it

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 16 Free Essays

string(125) " they be forgiving if they found out\?† She looked away from me, diverting her attention to hanging a pink glass dove\." As I walked into my building after dropping Seth off, I was surprised to see the guy who staffed the front desk still working. He usually went home at dinnertime. A sheaf of papers in his hands indicated some sort of mandatory overtime. We will write a custom essay sample on Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 16 or any similar topic only for you Order Now He brightened when he saw me. â€Å"Miss Kincaid! I have something for you.† I blanked for a moment, then remembered the daily Post-it reminders on my door. There’d been a total of three now. â€Å"Oh, yeah,† I said. â€Å"Sorry I haven’t had a chance to pick it up yet. I keep forgetting.† He was already rustling around for something behind him on the other side of the window. I strolled over, just as he heaved a huge box up onto the counter. The printing on the side was upside down, but I could still make it out: Christmas Tree – Austrian Fir. â€Å"Oh, man,† I grumbled. â€Å"This is somebody’s idea of a – â€Å" But the guy was busy hauling another box up to the counter, a smaller one with pictures on the side depicting the ‘pre-decorated fiber optic tree’ inside. It was followed by another box, a bit smaller than the Austrian Fir, and a smaller one still that was about two-by-two feet. These last two boxes were wrapped in glittery green paper, with a wrapping job so perfect that only one being on earth could have managed it: Peter. The desk guy surveyed the boxes. â€Å"You must really like Christmas.† â€Å"I thought each of those notes was a reminder for the same package.† â€Å"Nope. New one each day. Want some help?† We hauled the trees up to my apartment and deposited them on the living room floor. I thanked him, and as soon as he left, Aubrey emerged and began stalking the boxes. â€Å"That’s a lot of tannenbaum,† a voice behind me suddenly said. I jumped and turned around. Yasmine. â€Å"Don’t do that. Carter does exactly the same thing.† â€Å"Sorry,† she said, looking sheepish. â€Å"Wasn’t intentional. I just got here.† She walked over to the boxes, tilting her head to read them. She wore jeans and an LSU sweatshirt, her black hair pulled into the trademark ponytail that made her look seventeen. â€Å"What’s up with all these?† I took off my coat and flounced onto the couch with a sigh. â€Å"My friend Peter started this whole buzz that I needed a Christmas tree after Carter burned mine down. So I guess everyone made good on it.† â€Å"Wait,† she said. â€Å"Did you say Carter burned down your Christmas tree?† â€Å"Yeah, it’s a long story.† â€Å"He must feel bad.† She pointed to the little fiber optic tree, the one that was already decorated. Words were scrawled on the side of the box in spidery, nearly illegible writing: G – Figured you could handle this one. Ready and decorated! – C P.S. – And flame retardant. â€Å"Hmm,† I mused. â€Å"‘C’ could be Cody too.† â€Å"Nah. I recognize the poor attempt at penmanship. It’s Carter.† â€Å"Okay, so the angel repents. But who are the rest from?† We soon found out. The wrapping job on the two matching boxes had already given Peter away. The larger box contained a very beautiful, very expensive tree with ‘winter moss green’ needles that were lightly dusted with silver glitter. The smaller box contained a matched set of lights and ornaments all done in purple and fuchsia. Peter apparently hadn’t trusted me to decorate his gift myself. The Austrian Fir turned out to be from the bookstore staff. A card from Maddie read: Surprise! We all pitched in for it. Now you can’t be a Scrooge. It was signed by other store workers, as well as Seth. I looked back and forth between the boxes. â€Å"It’s a Christmas miracle. I had no tree. Now I have a forest.† â€Å"C’mon,† said Yasmine. â€Å"I’ll help you set them up.† I looked at her in surprise. â€Å"Aren’t you here to meet up with Vince or something?† She shook her head. â€Å"I’m here to talk to you.† Uh-oh. I didn’t really want to set up the Christmas trees, but a being vastly more powerful than me did, so I set to it. Carter’s tree was the easiest since all I had to do was plug it in. I placed it in a window sill, one with an outlet right underneath. The tree’s fiber optic needles lit up to pale pink, then purple, then teal, then white. â€Å"Good God,† I said. â€Å"It’s the Christmas tree equivalent of a lava lamp.† â€Å"I like it,† declared Yasmine. â€Å"It’s got moxie.† She looked really excited. She could have been a kid on Christmas morning. You’d think after seeing so many Christmases (and trees) in her existence, they’d get kind of old. She pointed at Peter’s tree. â€Å"Let’s do the prissy one now.† We were stringing purple lights on the ‘winter moss green’ tree when she finally started The Talk. â€Å"So. Vincent told me what happened.† She paused as she looped the lights over a branch. â€Å"I’m glad your guy is okay.† â€Å"Me too. He was lucky†¦if Vincent hadn’t been there†¦Ã¢â‚¬  More silence. I didn’t entirely know where Yasmine was going with this. My guess was that she was concerned I’d tell someone about Vincent. I felt absolutely certain, however, that she wasn’t going to threaten to break my kneecaps or anything to keep me silent. In fact, I realized then that what she wanted was reassurance. It was a crazy and startling idea. She was an angel, after all. A being of hope and peace, a being that others prayed to for comfort. Yet, here she was, seeking it from me – a creature of Hell. â€Å"I meant it,† I told her. â€Å"What I said to him. I’m not going to tell anyone.† â€Å"I believe you,† she said, confusion all over her face. Angels knew when others were telling the truth. â€Å"But I don’t understand it. Why? Why wouldn’t you? You could get into big trouble if your superiors – if Jerome – found out you knew and weren’t telling.† Vincent had said the same thing. It was true. â€Å"Your people tend to get pissed off over stuff like that.† â€Å"What, and yours don’t? Would they be forgiving if they found out?† She looked away from me, diverting her attention to hanging a pink glass dove. â€Å"Look,† I said. â€Å"I work for Hell, but I don’t, like, delight in others’ suffering. Especially since I like both of you. I don’t want to see you get into trouble. I don’t even think what you’re doing is wrong. Dangerous, maybe, but not wrong.† â€Å"Which part? The loving part or the nephilim part?† I shrugged. â€Å"It’s all risky.† She smiled at me. â€Å"You talk about nephilim pretty calmly. Most people – in our circles – go running for the hills.† â€Å"I met one once. Dated him.† I hung a bejeweled purple orb on the tree. â€Å"He was scary as hell, yeah. Had this whole homicidal revenge thing going on, which kind of negated his sexiness a little. But at the end of the day†¦I don’t know. He wasn’t much of a monster. He couldn’t help being born what he was.† I was glad to be free of Roman, glad he was somewhere far away from me. He’d posed too much of a threat to both me and those I loved. Still, there had been something in him I found appealing. It was why we’d connected before things literally blew up. I understood his weariness with the games Heaven and Hell played. He’d offered to take me away and free me from it all, and there were days I would still wake up and long for that. â€Å"No,† Yasmine agreed. â€Å"They can’t help what they are. And it’s not their fault. But their existence is a reminder of our faults†¦of our weaknesses.† She held her hands open in front of her, studying them as though they held answers. â€Å"None of us higher immortals want to be shown that we’re weak. That’s our hubris, I guess. Especially the angels. No one’s perfect, but we like to play that we are.† She sighed and let her hands drop. â€Å"I should walk away from this. I should have a long time ago.† I jerked my head up. â€Å"But you love him.† â€Å"Sometimes loving someone means you have to do what’s ultimately good. What you need instead of what you want.† â€Å"I suppose. But ending it seems so extreme. There must be a way to†¦I don’t know, have it all.† The door opened, and Vincent walked in. He didn’t look surprised to see either of us, but then, he would have sensed our auras. His eyes met Yasmine’s, and it was like lightning crackling through the room. Both of them lit up, shining in a way that I doubted my succubus glamour could even begin to compete with. He expressed surprise over my Yuletide Forest but jumped in to help us, appearing just as excited as Yasmine over the activity. The two of them never touched, but I noticed the same thing that I had at breakfast: an intimacy in the way they interacted with each other. They didn’t need to touch. Their relationship was obvious, and I wondered how it was possible none of the other angels had ever noticed this. Maybe it was like what Yasmine had mentioned about angels and hubris. Maybe angels always assumed they were perfect and were too blind to see flaws in each other, whereas someone like me – who exploited weakness – knew what to look for. We finished Peter’s tree, and then I found my ornaments from last year – the ones that hadn’t been destroyed in the fire – and used them on the bookstore’s tree. When my woodland paradise was finally complete, Yasmine and Vincent made their farewells and left. I still had no idea what their divine mission in Seattle was, but I assumed it had universal consequences. I felt a little weird that it had been put on hold to decorate my home. As I cleaned up the boxes, I kept thinking about what Yasmine had said about needing versus wanting. In some ways, that was what Seth and I did. We wanted to have sex. We needed to avoid it. I also found myself recalling Andrew again, that annoyingly good priest who’d caused me so many headaches. I hadn’t thought much about his story since last week, but as my body mindlessly completed chores, the images began replaying in my mind. Despite my best efforts, he’d remained a bastion of purity and willpower. While frustrating, it nonetheless continued to make the game fun. And although I didn’t appreciate it as much back then as I did now, I sort of took pleasure in just hanging around him. He was good company, and he came to mean more to me than just a sexual conquest. It was obvious he cared about me too. It would figure that things went bad between us on a beautiful, sunny day. I remembered it distinctly. I had wandered over to the church he ministered out of and sat with him in the vegetable garden. I stayed clear of the dirt, conscious of the yellow silk dress my bishop had just had made for me. Andrew, less concerned, worked on his knees, unhesitatingly digging in – literally – and cultivating the church’s small crop. â€Å"Don’t you have other people who could do this for you?† Squinting up at me in the bright light, he smiled. â€Å"Nothing compares to the satisfaction of doing something yourself.† â€Å"If you say so.† He returned to his work, and I continued to sit quietly, watching him and the lazy vista of that golden afternoon. Not far away, the sounds of daily hustle and bustle carried over. I liked this town – it was a nice break from the large, busy cities I’d spent most of my succubus time in. Eventually, though, I knew I’d grow restless and move onto some place with a little more excitement. I turned back to Andrew. â€Å"Thomas Brewer just got back from Cadwell. He says they’re all getting sick there.† Andrew nodded. â€Å"People are getting sick everywhere. There have been outbreaks in a lot of the western towns.† â€Å"Are you worried?† He shrugged. â€Å"What comes will come. None of us can change God’s will.† I grimaced. I’d heard about this illness, what later generations would call the Black Death. The rapid onset. The blackened skin. The swollen lumps. Even if it couldn’t technically hurt me, I didn’t want to see it spread here. â€Å"I don’t think God can be as merciful as you say in mass if He’s inflicting something like that on his people.† â€Å"It’s a test, Cecily. God is always testing us. It makes us stronger.† â€Å"Or dead.† He didn’t respond. â€Å"What will you do if it comes?† I pushed. â€Å"Geoffrey says he’ll leave. Will you go with him?† His dark eyebrows rose in surprise, like I’d asked if the sun would take tomorrow off. â€Å"Of course not. I mean, as bishop, I’m sure Geoffrey must†¦do what is necessary to continue fulfilling his duties, but me? I serve the people. I will continue to serve the people. If they’re sick, I’ll tend them.† My sarcasm gave way to shock, and I leapt to my feet, striding toward him. â€Å"You can’t do that! Haven’t you heard about this? People don’t come back from it. The only thing to do is get out and let it run its course.† It was true. Call it cruel, but as I’d told Liam on our post-auction date, that was the way the world had dealt with epidemics for a lot of human history. Certainly, some people cared and ministered unto others, but when disease grew really terrible, with no clear answer in sight, ignorance and fear reigned supreme. Most people of that era saw the simplest solution as putting as much distance as possible between them and the illness. Andrew stood up as well, wearing an expression so annoyingly wise and serene as he faced me. â€Å"If that’s what you must do, then you must do it. My place is here.† I didn’t even have seduction on my mind when I reached out and grabbed his hands. He flinched with surprise but didn’t let go. â€Å"It’s stupid,† I told him earnestly. â€Å"You can’t stop it. You’ll die, and I – I can’t watch that.† â€Å"Then go. Go with Geoffrey. Or go†¦out to the convent. It’s isolated. You’d be safe there.† I scowled. â€Å"Not that again.† â€Å"I just want what’s best for you, that’s all.† One of his hands reached up and cupped my chin. â€Å"I don’t want to see you suffer either.† It occurred to me then how close we stood. The heat building between our bodies rivaled that of the sunshine pounding down on us from above. Andrew, realizing this too, started and tried to pull away. I held on to his hand, anger flaring up in my chest. â€Å"So that’s how you’ll let it end then? You spend your whole life living in poverty and chastity, only to die in a pile of stinking corpses with oozing sores and rotting skin?† â€Å"If that’s what God – â€Å" â€Å"Stop it,† I said, leaning forward. â€Å"Just stop it. Don’t you get it? God doesn’t care. He’s not even paying attention.† â€Å"Cecily – â€Å" I didn’t let him finish. Instead, I pressed my mouth against his mouth, molding my body to his. I don’t know if he’d ever kissed anyone else before, but if not, he was a quick study. He didn’t break from me. In fact I would have sworn there was an eagerness to his lips as they explored mine, willingly letting my tongue stroke and dance with his. And oh, God help me, he was so very good and noble that I tasted a sunburst of energy just from that kiss alone. It poured into me like honey, glorious and sweet. And surprisingly, it was me who finally broke the kiss, though I still stayed pressed against his body, my arms encircling him. â€Å"Don’t you see how stupid it is?† I whispered, our lips so close we shared each other’s breath. â€Å"Are you going to die without having lived? Without having tasted everything that’s out there? Are you really just going to rush into death like that?† His eyes weighed me, his own hands resting on my waist. â€Å"I don’t need fleshly pleasures to complete my life.† â€Å"You’re lying,† I told him. â€Å"You want to.† â€Å"Wanting and needing are two different things.† He stepped away from me, and I suddenly felt incomplete without his body against mine. I had a fleeting flash of some connection bigger than both of us, and then it was gone. â€Å"A long life means nothing if it’s empty and has no purpose. Better to live a short one filled with the things that are important to you.† â€Å"You’re a fool,† I snapped. â€Å"I’m not going to stay and watch you die.† â€Å"Then go.† And I did. How to cite Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 16, Essay examples