Bill Of Life Essay Example for Free

Bill Of Life Essay What is your life worth? Imagine a future in which those who are pro-life and those who are pro-choice have fought a second civil war over the sanctity of life. They end the war by compromising on a â€Å"Bill of Life† that states all pregnancies must come to term; however, parents and guardians have the right when their child is between the ages of thirteen and eighteen to abort them. The child does not die though. Each and every part of the child is kept alive; thus they are technically still alive, just in separate pieces. This process is known as â€Å"unwinding.† Once the unwind order is signed, no changes can be made; even if the parent changes their mind, it is irreversible. Connor discovers his own unwinding order after investigating tickets he finds, tickets to the Bahamas for everyone in his family, except for him. Connor is a good teen, but like many teens, his emotions can get the better of him and his parents have a hard time controlling him. Risa is a ward of the state of Ohio and the orphanage is overcrowded. She tries to convince the headmaster of her worth, but bungles her chance when she makes five mistakes at her piano recital. Lev rejoices in his destiny at a party solely dedicated to celebrating him and his life. Lev’s family is extremely devoted to their religion; Lev, as the tenth child in his family, is destined to be a human tithe, a human sacrifice. Lev enjoys the attention this brings and is happy to fulfill his destiny. These three teenagers meet when Connor decides to go AWOL and escape his unwinding order. The book develops through their, and others, alternating viewpoints of what happens to a teenager once the order is signed. Connor, Risa, and Lev’s journey to their future follows their growing recognition of what their life means to them. Shusterman teases the reader with just enough information to keep going, but continues to build this disturbing view of the future as the storyline develops. Mysterious references to clappers and storked babies are explained more fully later in the book and these people round out the unsettling forces at work in this troubled society. This very thought-provoking book would not leave my mind for days, or truthfully weeks, after reading it. This book has made the rounds of the youth services division and one of my co-workers still gives me grief over the books weeks after reading it. Not for the faint-hearted, especially as the reader learns more about the unwinding process, this disturbing novel will pluck at your mind and have you wondering what your life is worth.

Competitive Advantage of a Construction Company

Competitive Advantage of a Construction Company Assume that you manage a company – ABC Construction, which your company has the  scale similar to YTL. By using 5 forces model (and any other analysis tools), access your  competitive advantage in the property development industry. For this question, assumptions are made to ABC Construction which has similar scale to YTL. However, to increase the competitiveness advantage of the company, I would also like to include other assumptions to ABC Construction. The assumption will be made based on the following: ABC Construction have other subsidiaries companies such as Cement Company and hotels. About the same historical years involving in the construction industry. Has been involved in overseas property development projects. Listed company in Bursa Malaysia and Tokyo Stock Exchange. Involve in the SoHo property development. For property development industry, the threat of new entrants to ABC Construction is low because the barriers to entry property industry is high. As it required huge capital to enter this industry to purchase land, machineries, tools, plants, other business and marketing activities. At this point, since ABC construction has about 60 years of experience in these industry, the threat of new entrants is relatively a minor problem which does not cause any competitive disadvantages to the company. The working capital for the company is already strong enough and very liquidity. Benefit from economies of scale in financial economies and economies of scope, as a big construction player with long history in the industry, ABC construction has increment efficiency, more trustworthy and can take these advantages by borrowing funds from bank at a lower interest rates compared to the other competitors. Lower interest rates, eventually provides bigger cash flow and generate greater profit return. This allow capital expansion such as can build more units of houses or properties with less input costs compare to smaller scale competitors which gets high interest rates in borrowing. Apart from that, ABC construction also able to provide product differentiation. Since the company has been involved in different types of businesses, the company able to apply its unique skills and resources to achieve better utilization of land, human capitals, more appealing design in development and innovation which then generate higher revenues and return in profit. Different design theme and concepts can be applied to produce differentiation such as branded luxury residential (8 Conlay-KSK LAND), private gates park concepts (Sentul Park- Sentul Raya Sdn Bhd), and natural elements to provide therapeutic lifestyles (Ecoworld- Eco World Development Sdn Bhd) with its strong working capital. ABC Construction able to spend a large sum of money in creating something new to attract their potential buyers. ABC construction able to convenience its potential customer by spending a great deal of money on advertising in the newspaper, radio, websites and television programmes. For example, E COWORLD has successful transform their company to a brand which attract customers to value their product and thus new entrance need more resource to overcome loyalties and leads to less profit or even losses. With its globally population and reputation, ABC Construction has an addition competitive advantages. The company can launch and sold their properties through distribution network either locally or internationally. The distribution channel for ABC construction will be high as it does not only involve actively in Malaysia, its subsidiaries company also involve actively in oversea projects in Singapore, Indonesia, England, Australia and China. This make the company has larger distribution channel compared to other competitors. In terms of bargaining power of suppliers, the main materials for construction are steel bars, formworks, concrete. The suppliers are not concentrated or differentiated. On the other hand, ABC Construction will have greater advantages compared to its competitors because the company has its own cement company and internet company. The company do not need to worry about the increase in price for the cement and the fluctuation of the supplies. The control of cement and concrete material is under its own supervision while on the other hand, other competitors has to worry about the bargaining power towards suppliers. Thus, the bargaining power of suppliers tend to be low, less threat to forward integration. Besides that, the company has been involved in other business sectors as well, thus they have greater bargaining power to the suppliers for the supplies of materials. Bank is also one of the important suppliers in the property industry, as they will decide whether to fund your project or at what interest is charged to the company. However, with the strong background of the company, this also would not be a big problem. Due to the buoyant economic growth of Malaysia and relatively low property values compared to other Asian country, the bargaining power of buyers in property industry tend to be low. Apart from that buyers for properties are mostly individual thus the pressure tend to be low. However, the increasing number of property in the industry, customer now do possess a threat of integrating backward. According to The Star Online on 16 August 2014, Malaysian property market is consolidating because of the slower growth and the oversupply of high-rise condominium units (Toh Then, 2015). The property of transaction in Klang Valley for 2014 appear to be drop by 36.24% compared to 2013 (Thean, 2015). Besides that, with the implementation of GST, buyers are now tend to be more careful in their spending. Even though the new implemented GST is not included in the residential properties but a comparison done by loan street shows there is a 3.41% increase in price for new residential properties post-GS T implementation (Loan street, 2015). As these scenario happened, the buyers now tend to have more bargaining power. The second rules of thumb for demand and supply stated that if demand decreases supply remains unchanged, leads to a lower price. Buyer now will look for higher quality, greater services at better price. However, property developers are always smart, to secure their profit margin, lower the property’s price tactic will not be used. They will either decrease the size of the property to meet the affordable price of the buyers and also input much more supplementary benefit to increase the sales during down time, ABC Construction can input much more other supplementary benefit to push the sales such as exclude or lower the payment for sell and purchase agreement, offered other services such free installation of wireless broadband services for a certain period for the buyers. Threat of substitute products will be Small Office Home Office (SOHO), Small Office Flexible Office (SOFO) and Small Office Versatile Office (SOVO). This type of property trend had been growing lately but still not so favourable in Malaysia due to issues like it is commercial property where housing loan interest rate, utilities, maintenance and others will based on commercial rate. Thus, the threat of substitute are low. Besides that, ABC construction also involve in the SoHo property development other than residential and commercial property development which means ABC Construction has diverse it development into different field which not only one of the competitive advantages also minimise the threat of substitute. The competitive on rivalry among existing firms will be high. As there are a lot of big players in the property industries such as Sunway Bhd, SP Setia Bhd Group, Sime Darby Property Bhd, Mah Sing Group Bhd, IOI Properties Group Bhd and many others developers. However, due to the diverse investment in different field other than construction industry, ABC construction has lower exit barriers compared to others competitors in the property industry which make them at competitive advantages. It can diverse it resources to other related field such as hotel industry, manufacturing industry and infrastructure industry given that the company cannot cope with the high competitive pressure scenario in property industry.

Homelessness And The Policy Responses

Homelessness And The Policy Responses In this essay, the social problems I have chosen to write about is Homelessness. I will also be exploring different perspective of Homelessness and the policy responses and the impact it have on the society. The groups I will focus my discussion on are young people and rough sleepers as the evidence indicates that young homeless people experience rough sleeping before securing temporary accommodation. There are wide ranges of definition Homelessness and it varies from country to country or among different institutions in the same country. According to |Liddiard, M (2001:119) the immediate sense of the term as regularly employed by the mass media and politicians, simplistically equates homelessness with rooflessness or literally sleeping rough on the street. This is can be a straightforward and easy to understand definition but this does not reflect the true scope of the problem so a broader definition of homeless peoples include those lacking permanent residence and living in a range of unsatisfactory housing conditions. They can include those living in temporary hostels, bed and breakfast, night shelters and squatters. However, the legal definition of someone homeless is if they do not have a legal right to occupy accommodation or if their accommodation is unsuitable to live in. They also include families and peoples who do not sleep rough and some are accommodated by friends and family on temporary basis. So from the above definition the social construction of homelessness are not the small amounts of individual that sleep on the street, looking dirty and smells of alcohol and drugs but comprises of all individual who do not have a permanent decent place of accommodation or without a regular dwelling and are on a waiting list or takes housing benefit and in temporary accommodations. (Giddens 2007) The cause of homelessness varies as many are of the view that homelessness is a result of personal failings and consider if the economy is going on well, there is no excuse to be homeless. Shelter (2007) is of the view that homelessness is cause by a complex interplay between a personà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s individual circumstances and adverse structural factors outside their direct control. Among the individual factors include social exclusion, thus when a person lack of qualification because they did not have access to good education and decent job. Ones misuse of drugs and alcohol which result in lack of personal control, lack of social support and debts especially mortgage or rent arrears. Having mental health problems and getting involved in crime at an early age also contribute to homelessness. Family breakdown and unresolved disputes are a major factor of homelessness as a result of divorce and separation and a greater number of men and women are affected. People from institutiona l background like having been in care, the armed forces are likely to be affected. Ex-offenders who come out of prison and lose their friend and families can become homeless and the majority from ethnic minority or ex-asylum seekers who have the right to stay but have no accommodation. Structural causes of homelessness are mostly social and economical in nature often outside the control of individual or family concerned. These may include poverty, lack of affordable housing, unemployment and the structure and administration of housing benefit. According to the shelter (2007) the number of households found to be homeless by local authorities increased 31percent between 1997/98 and 2003/2004. Historically, homelessness had low publicity until the 1966 when the BBC screened Ken Loachà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s film about homelessness Cathy Come Home. This was watch by 12million people and the film alerted the public, the media and the government to the scale of the housing crises and then Shelter was formed. Another policy response was the 1977 Housing (Homeless Persons) Acts was the first measure to place responsibilities on local authorities to rehouse homeless families and individuals permanently. (Liddiard, M .2001) The 1977 legislation had Priority Need which included women with children or pregnant, vulnerable due to age, mental illness, disability, and loss of home by natural disasters. This did not cater for everyone who was homeless and the criteria by which local authorities accepted someone as homeless was complex and rest ricted. Hence the 1996 section 177 amended to include domestic violence as a priority need but strict eligibility remains (Hill, M: 2000). Young people were not covered under the existing legislation and the number of young homeless increased. Existing data on youth homelessness has significant limitation; in particular it is only possible to count young people who are in contact with services. According to ONS (2007) it can be estimated that at least 75,000 young people experienced homelessness in the UK in 2006-07. This included 43,075 aged 16-24 of which 8,337 were 16 -17 year old who were accepted as statutorily homeless in the UK and at least 31,000 non-statutorily homeless young people using supporting people services during 2006-2007. The Homelessness Act (2002) changes significantly the way in which homeless in England and Wales is tackled. The priority need categories was extended to includes 16/17 years rather those who social services are responsible for accommodating, care- leavers under the age of 21 who were looked after by social services when they were 16/17 and ex- prisoners, former soldiers and young p eople leaving care. This act also introduces greater flexibility with regards to social housing allocation giving more people the right to be considered for a council or housing home. The local authorities had a statutory duty to care for all the homeless people but no extra resources were added. This had a great impact on the number of homeless people who were able to relocate permanently at a given time and especially those under priority need. Young people experiencing disruption or trauma during childhood who may be from socio-economic background are at increased risk of homelessness. The main trigger for youth homelessness is relationship breakdown usually parents or step-parent. Among the impact of homeless on young people is poor health as they cannot take care of their health being. They lack basic food and shelter to help them grow to become healthy adults and they may suffer from depression. Homelessness can lead to increased levels of non- participation in formal education, training or employment. At times leaving school early without a qualification and a decent job may lead some young people into the misuse of drugs and some have mental health problems. Another homeless group of concern is the rough sleepers who were in temporary accommodation but some choose to roam the streets, sleeping rough free from the constraints of property and possessions. But a large majority has no such wish at all but they have been pushed over the edge into homelessness by factors beyond their control. Once they find themselves without a permanent dwelling, their lives sometimes deteriorate into a spiral of hardship and deprivation. ( Giddens 2009:503) The Homelessness Act 2002 extended the definition of the priority need to include new groups of vulnerable people, and requirement that all homeless people receive advice and assistance. In addition, Local Authorities are requires to periodically develop homeless strategies, including an assessment of levels of homelessness and conduct an audit of those sleeping rough. In 1998 there were around 1,850 people sleeping rough on the street of England on any one night. This follows on from the government drive to reduce rough sleeping by two-thirds in 2002. The Rough Sleeper Unit was set up in April 1999 to take the lead on delivering this challenging new target and help thousands of people to escape fro good from the humiliation and misery of life under a blanket in a shop doorway. One of the key principal of the strategy was to understand the cause of rough sleeping, why people end up on the street and what could be done to stop this from happing in the future. The strategy also place t he emphasis on encouraging rough sleepers to become active members of the community, to build self esteem and bring on talent as well as helping the individual to become prepared for the life away from the street. Positive result soon follows as reductions in rough sleeping were achieves around the country in December 2001 the target set by the government was met ahead of time. The target was met amid the controversy about how rough sleepers were counted and concern about the emphasis on street homelessness, which campaigners claimed was only tip of the homelessness iceberg. According to BBC New Magazine, housing minister Grant Shapps believes that the government figures on the count of rough sleeper is low and the system of counting is flawed. He argues that, under previous governmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s system, councils with fewer than 10 rough sleepers were not obliged to count them, and that vagrants sitting up in sleeping bags were not counted as homeless. After Mr. Shapps insisted that councils provide estimates, the England wide figure rose to 1,247, this comprised 440 from 70 authorities that count and 807 from 256 authorities that provided estimates. Despite government investment in hostels to accommodate rough sleepers many are on waiting list as resources and financing is limited. Overcrowding, lack of bed space and sharing rooms or limited facili ties with others are also identified as a problem especially if you have a partner or a dog, your choices narrow considerably. Although the quality of hostels has improved considerably, hostels are often considered unsafe. Over 57 percent of those who stayed in hostels mentioned problems with other residents, including drug and alcohol use, violence, theft, bulling, noise and arguments. And some are of the view that it is not a place to go if you want to stay clean of drugs. People are under the same legislation and the local authorities are unable to permanently house all in priority need. In addition to the above, there are certain groups who are excluded from hostels, such as people from the EU and asylum seekers from non-EU countries who are homeless and destitute in the street of the UK. Their entitlement to benefits is restricted until they have lived and worked and paid into the UK system through national Insurance and tax for one year continuously. Such laws bring about social exclusion as street homeless people have reduced access to health care and dental services. They face discrimination and general rejection from other people and may have increased risk to suffering from violence and abuse. The impact of rough sleeping is limited access to education, not being seen as suitable for employment and loss of usual relationship with the mainstream. Most of all, living on the streets is dangerous as rough sleepers die young with the average life expectancy at 42. Inequalities among the population still remain one factor of homelessness. Privatisation and residualisation of the council housing meant that fewer houses are available for council tenant. This imposes greater long term risks on the former council tenants while also generating considerable costs for the taxpayer. The process also excludes the many tenants who either reject transfer or are not given the choice and therefore exacerbates inequalities. There are 1.4 million unfit home in England as the majority of homeowners are in the private sector. The increase of housing association rents and increases in house prices means most people cannot afford a decent accommodation. Low income families are the most affected as 4 million people receiving housing benefit. ( Quilgars D. et al 2008) In conclusion, the problem of homelessness has been tackled by the governments over the years through policies and legislation. However, the problem require long term policy solutions such as changes in the benefit system, the building of more affordable homes and ensuring that a wider cross- section of society benefits from the fruits of economic growth. For many people, there is no single event that results in sudden homelessness; instead homelessness is due to a number of unresolved problems outlined above building up over time. The achievement of one government policy on rough sleepers indicates much could be done to reduce the impact of homelessness as the number still rises. Ministers are now focusing on the prevention of rough sleeper and youth homelessness through a new government homelessness strategy.

John And The Rebels: Act V Of Tragedy Of Richard Iii Rewritten As A Na :: essays research papers

The boy-page held the tent flap open as Richmond and his officers emerged out. They had been occupied in there since the messenger came with the letter from Stanley and had not emerged for hours afterwards. The page had waited obediently; making sure that no one interrupted the counsel. As Richmond came out, his kind eyes fell on the boy and he greeted him with a warm smile, â€Å"Hello John†. He remembers my name! John’s heart filled with pleasure. His nervousness didn’t let him speak so he just bowed and smiled back. Richmond ruffled his blond hair and asked him to tend to his duties. Since the page had none, he just moved away and watched the knight pass through the ranks, instructing and encouraging the men to get ready for tomorrow’s battle. John knew that he had made the right decision when he fled from London to join the rebels. Since he was only eleven he was not allowed to be a soldier but Sir Oxford had noticed the boy’s skill with horses and so he had personally taken him in to be his page. He was content with the time spent in Richmond’s force although it was filled with hard chores. He was made responsible for many things and this made him proud to be a pageboy. He had met many other boys like him, who had fled from the tyranny of the evil King. Like the others his own family had suffered under Richard’s harsh rule. The Kings men had beheaded his father, being a noble. His mother had then left for another man and had forgotten about her only child. No one else to turn to, John fled to Richmond. Here he found the love and protection he had yearned for and enjoyed the hard work found in a marching army. A cheer from the men caused John to interrupt his thoughts. He saw that Richmond now stood on a platform, his head high above the others. John looked at him with admiration and pride. The knight’s warm eyes surveyed his men in a way that filled them with courage and security. As he spoke his bold voice carried clearly to John, â€Å"My brave men and loving friends! We have marched into the centre of the land with no resistance from the enemy. Victory is near. Our forces shall crush the tyranny that plagues this land.

Martin Luther :: essays research papers

The Renaissance marked new interests in the discovery of the natural world through art and the sciences. In art, the discovery of perspective brought a revolutionary realism to painting, architecture, and exploration. This led to the Europeans’ discoveries of new lands, such as Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Because of the Renaissance’s deviance from the thoughts of the medieval age, an opportunistic view of humanity developed. Many began believing that man was capable of doing anything, as long as they had the will.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Society developed a man-centered thought, somewhat departing from the God centered thought of the medieval period. The educated leader, soldier, and artist were revered, whereas the bishop, priest, and monk took a back seat. The artists and humanists of the Renaissance era would help establish this age as one of individualism and creativity Renaissance thinkers appealed to a combination of Christianity and Humanism, by referring to Genesis 1:26 (â€Å"And God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness’†) and Genesis 1:28 (â€Å"Have dominion over [earth]’†). Because man is made in God’s likeness and has dominion of Earth, Humanists believed they were divine creations of God living on Earth. The Renaissance helped secularize Europe. Man was now the creator of his own destiny.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The exploration during this era brought more centralized monarchies. The flood of silver and gold made many nations money hungry, as they raced to discover more lands. Also, this era could be considered a scientific one, as Copernicus published his De Revolutionibus, which culminated into the growth of universities. Also, the printing press had created the ability to produce books cheaply and in more quantities. And this was important, as the Renaissance created a literate public eager for whatever was freshly published.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Renaissance occurred for many reasons. One main reason could be with the dissatisfaction with the Church. There was a shift from group salvation to a more personalized view on life, due to the Humanistic movement. People wanted an individualized way of salvation. The sacraments became devoid of meaning. The papacy lost much of its power, due to the secularization of many cities. People were able to congregate among themselves and discuss ideas and thoughts. Many people noticed the wealth of the papacy. The poor resented this wealth, while the rich citizens envied it. At the same time, the popes were still selling indulgences and high offices. The clergy had become lax and corrupt.

A Minority Document Charles Beard Essay

In The Constitution: A Minority Document Charles Beard argues that the Constitution was written by a group of people who had certain specific economic and political interests. Beard states that the Constitution didn’t reflect the interests of the general population. Beards mentions that the framers largest fear was the corruption of a democratic government. Those with out property were usually excluded from voting, and elections often occurred indirectly to limit the power of the uneducated public. The Constitution was intended to get rid of the character of evil. Beard also states that the Convention members knew from their personal economic affairs the precise results which the new government that they were setting up was designed to attain. It also ensures a division of society into different interests and party’s. Beard also writes that Madison makes the underlying political science of constitution in the tenth number. Here he lays down, in no uncertain language, the principle that the first and elemental concern of every government is economic. The first objective of government is the protection of the diversity in the faculties of men from which the rights of property originate. The most common source of factions is the unequal distribution of property. An unequal distribution of property is inevitable, and from its contending factions will rise in the state. To secure the public good the contending classes cannot be eliminated and their interests are bound to be reflected in politics, the only way out lies in making it difficult for enough contending interests to fuse into a majority.

Interpretive vs. Escapist

Interpretive vs. Escapist As defined by Arp and Johnson, commercial fiction, or escapist literature, is â€Å"fiction written to meet the taste of a wide popular audience and relying usually on tested formulas for satisfying such taste† (Arp 744). Arp and Johnson also state that literary fiction, otherwise known as interpretive literature, is â€Å"fiction written with serious artistic intentions, providing an imagined experience yielding authentic insights into some significant aspect of life† (Arp 745). In â€Å"Once upon a Time†, Nadine Gordimer uses a unique combination of both interpretive and escapist literature styles to portray a message that there is no way to absolutely guarantee a person’s safety. Although Nadine Gordimer does use some elements of the escapist literature style to develop this piece of fiction, the story is primarily interpretive literature. Arp and Johnson state that â€Å"literary fiction plunges us, through the author’s imaginative vision and artistic ability, more deeply into the real world† (Arp 4). In â€Å"Once upon a Time†, Gordimer leaves the reader to his or her own insights as to what could have been done to avoid the particular outcome. She does not point out any particular moral to the story, but instead lets the reader absorb the family’s plight. The escapist style is recognized in the bedtime story that the narrator creates—the story within the story. In this story the emphasis is on plot rather than on character development, and the characters are obviously lacking the full dynamic quality that the reader identifies in the round character. Yet, again, unlike escapist literature, the conclusion of this story is far from the â€Å"happily ever after† endings of its type, and, being that there is no real moral to the story, in this way also, it is thus rendered more interpretive. The interpretive style is also apparent in the author’s choice of plot. The plot, unlike the typical escapist piece of literature, is non-linear; the ending, as opposed to the happy ending of an escapist literature piece, is indeterminate. In the beginning, the reader is introduced to a person who is experiencing anxiety, and this person then begins her own story. The reader is never brought back to the story of the narrator. As the narrator’s initial conflict remains unresolved at the closing of the story, the ending is indeterminate. In the bedtime story also, the problem is unsolved at the end. Instead, the narrator ends the story in a decidedly sardonic mocking of the traditional â€Å"They lived happily ever after† story. Due to both of these points, â€Å"Once upon a Time† would be described as a non-linear story. Though she is the most realistic character in the entire work of fiction, the character of the narrator is also more flat than round. Her situation is described to the reader in painful detail and in such a way that the reader will identify with her. However, her behavior is very typical of a person in her position. Awakened in the middle of the night as she was and hearing â€Å"a creaking of the kind made by the weight carried by one foot after another along a wooden floor† (Gordimer 183), the reader could not expect anything else but fear. Her roundness is shown in her slight internal conflict. She believes that she should not be scared, yet she cannot make her imagination—or mind—yield to her will. I couldn’t find a position in which my mind would let go of my body—release me to sleep again† (Gordimer 184). Although she is given an element of roundness, the narrator’s character remains more flat than round. The man, holding the role of a father, a husband, a son, and an employer in the story, is just what a reader would expect of an accommodating man in his positi on—in essence, the stereotypical man. This is shown in a number of ways. He played the role of supporting husband perfectly in always acknowledging his wife’s concerns. In order to calm her fears, â€Å"he had electronically controlled gates fitted† (Gordimer 185), to provide further control of any outsiders’ access to their property, as well as having the wall surrounding their property built higher. For the reason of pacifying the trusted housemaid, he had bars affixed â€Å"to the doors and windows of the house, and an alarm system installed† (Gordimer 185). Throughout the story, the man acquiesces to one after another requests, changing little from the unafraid, doting provider that the author first introduces to the reader. In the beginning of the story, the man is clearly unconcerned about his or his family’s safety from such people as the wife worries about. On more than one occasion, he assured his wife that â€Å"there was nothing to fear† (Gordimer 185). However, in the course of events, he attains some small quality of roundness in that his concern over his family’s security evolves into an obsession, perhaps due to his wife’s influence. During times that the family would go for walks, they would no longer pause â€Å"to admire this show of roses or that perfect lawn† (Gordimer 187); instead â€Å"the husband and ife found themselves comparing the possible effectiveness of each style [of each security system] against its appearance† (Gordimer 187). In changing his mind and/or in his allowance of the circumstances to change him, a slight element of roundness is added to the father’s relatively flat character. The man’s wife does not change by the end of this story, thereby showing her to be a flat character—predictable, stereotypical, static, and, in this case, easily defined as â€Å"good. † However, in the course of the story, the reader will also see a side of her that conflicts with her fears, which gives her some roundness. Women in general are typically more concerned than men with safety issues. Danger, whether real or perceived, is seen as a threat to their well-being, as well as to that of their loved ones. Be that as it may, the wife’s actions and fears are entirely understandable and predictable in â€Å"Once Upon A Time. † â€Å"She was afraid that some day†¦people might come up the street†¦and open the gates and stream in† (Gordimer 185). Perhaps not entirely logical, but such behavior is considered the norm for women, thus displaying her flatness as a character. However, at the same time, she also has a quality of roundness to her as well. Even though she advocates every extra security measure to protect herself and her family from â€Å"such people† (Gordimer 185), from the streets, those are the very ones that she feels compassion for. â€Å"The wife could never see anyone go hungry. She sent the trusted housemaid out with bread and tea† (Gordimer 186). The fact that she feels torn over the plight of these individuals and then her very attempts to isolate herself from them shows her internal conflict, thus giving a small element of roundness to her otherwise flat character. In the little boy, Gordimer paints the picture of endearing, playful innocence as well as naivete. His naivete and playfulness is demonstrated in his â€Å"[fascination] with the [intercom] device† (Gordimer 185), as well as in his tendency to imagine himself the hero in a fairytale story, which leads to his demise: â€Å"he pretended to be the Prince who braves the terrible thicket of thorns to enter the palace and kiss the Sleeping Beauty back to life† (Gordimer 188). Interestingly enough, the boy has the smallest role throughout the story and yet he becomes the character that the narrator uses to bring his/her point home. However, due to the fact that his character never undergoes any kind of change, he cannot be labeled as a round character. The trustworthy maid is also a stereotypical, flat character. This is suggested simply by her given name of â€Å"trusted housemaid† (Gordimer 185). Despite the circumstances of the times and the distrust that the wife feels towards people of her kind, the man and his wife trusted the housemaid enough to leave her â€Å"with responsibility for [their] possessions† (Gordimer 185). Also, not unlike the typical housemaid, she was an influence on her mistress. The housemaid fed the wife’s fears of these â€Å"people of another color† (Gordimer 185), telling the wife that â€Å"these were loafers and tsotsis† (Gordimer 186). In pointing out the â€Å"loafers’† shortcomings, perhaps because of her insecurities, she redirected the wife’s attentions away from caring for these people—typical behavior from an employee anxious to keep her job. On account of this stereotypical behavior, as well as the fact that she remains a static character throughout the story, the housemaid is a flat character. The last human character, the itinerant gardener, is also a flat character. The only thing that the author mentions concerning the gardener is that he was â€Å"highly recommended by the neighbors† (Gordimer 184). The gardener’s one purpose in the story was to aid in getting the little boy out of the security coil. â€Å"†¦the itinerant gardener, whose day it was, came running†¦and tore his hands trying to get at the little boy† (Gordimer 188). Typical of a man of service, he seemed willing to help in whatever way necessary. In the beginning of the story the narrator battles to control her own fears regarding physical security. The â€Å"bedtime story† created to alleviate his or her discomfort attempts to convince the hearer or the reader of the fact that one’s fate is out of one’s control. The author uses â€Å"Once upon a Time† to illustrate that there is no real way to guarantee anyone’s safety, no matter how hard the person tries.