Monday, April 27, 2020

Physical Violence Essay Example

Physical Violence Essay Physical violence is the intentional use of physical force with the potential for causing injury, harm, disability, or death, for example, hitting, shoving, biting, arm twisting, restraint, kicking, or use of a weapon. It also include strangling, slapping, burning, chocking and murder Physical violence is more visible than any other type of domestic violence and is the one mostly reported probably because it is easier to give evidence. It is perpetrated by fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, in-laws and any other family member that is for one reason or the other dominating the family. Although husbands are notorious for battering their wives, cases of wives meting violent actions against their husbands have been reported. In fact such cases are believed to be more common than reported because many men shy away from reporting such cases first due to the fear of being loved at and secondly because of their superiority complex. This is possibly why some men disappear from their homes never to come back. Those who are brave enough seek divorce in order to liberate themselves from their battering wives. Whether originating from fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters or in-laws, the results are always far reaching as we shall see later in this work. We will write a custom essay sample on Physical Violence specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Physical Violence specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Physical Violence specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Bulimia Cognitive Treatment essays

Bulimia Cognitive Treatment essays Bulimia is a very common eating disorder typically characterized by a person eating large quantities of food then purging usually by vomiting, but also by the use of laxatives diuretics and excessive exercising. The use of cognitive treatment in the treatment of Bulimia is very common and actually very effective. There are several views that I have reviewed in my quest for information on cognitive treatments for Bulimia. People diagnosed with an eating disorder are said to have developed a schematic obsession with body size and eating. The person in question is obsessed with body shape and fatness. They eat a forbidden food and feel bad about doing so. They feel the only way to correct this is to purge the food from their body to rid themselves of the negative feelings. This happens until the person is always feeling this way when they eat and always purging. This occurs as part of the Schema and gives no concern to the physical harm being caused to the person. Everything the person sees and does is a direct link to fatness and their body looking bad until it becomes an all out obsession. Since Bulimia is a learned behavior, using cognition is a great way to correct the behavior. Healthy eating is promoted. Using stimulus control procedures, antecedents of the original abnormal eating patterns are limited. Williamson, Donald A Muller, Stephanie L Reas, Deborah L Thaw, Jean M " Cognitive bias in eating disorders " Behavior Modification 23, no. 4 (Oct 1999). Some things that are used are making the person eat only while sitting at a table no standing while eating Exposure Response Prevention (TERP). ERP is based on the theory that purging produces a reduction of eating-related anxiety; therefore, patients are allowed to eat, but compensatory behaviors are prevented. Anti-depressant medication is recommended along with cognitive treatment or else the outcome may not be ...

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

What Everyone Should Know About the Vietnam War

What Everyone Should Know About the Vietnam War The Vietnam War was the prolonged struggle between nationalist forces attempting to unify the country of Vietnam under a communist government and the United States (with the aid of the South Vietnamese) attempting to prevent the spread of communism. Engaged in a war that many viewed as having no way to win, U.S. leaders lost the American publics support for the war. Since the end of the war, the Vietnam War has become a benchmark for what not to do in all future U.S. foreign conflicts. Dates of the Vietnam War: 1959 April 30, 1975 Also Known As: American War in Vietnam, the Vietnam Conflict, Second Indochina War, War Against the Americans to Save the Nation Ho Chi Minh Comes Home There had been fighting in Vietnam for decades before the Vietnam War began. The Vietnamese had suffered under French colonial rule for nearly six decades when Japan invaded portions of Vietnam in 1940. It was in 1941 when Vietnam had two foreign powers occupying them, that communist Vietnamese revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh arrived back in Vietnam after spending 30 years traveling the world. Once Ho was back in Vietnam, he established a headquarters in a cave in northern Vietnam and established the Viet Minh, whose goal was to rid Vietnam of the French and Japanese occupiers. Having gained support for their cause in northern Vietnam, the Viet Minh announced the establishment of an independent Vietnam with a new government called the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945. The French, however, were not willing to give up their colony so easily and fought back. For years, Ho had tried to court the United States to support him against the French, including supplying the U.S. with military intelligence about the Japanese during World War II. Despite this aid, the United States was fully dedicated to their Cold War foreign policy of containment, which meant preventing the spread of communism. This fear of the spread of communism was heightened by the U.S. domino theory, which stated that if one country in Southeast Asia fell to communism then surrounding countries would also soon fall. To help prevent Vietnam from becoming a communist country, the U.S. decided to help France defeat Ho and his revolutionaries by sending the French military aid in 1950. Soldiers of the French Foreign Legion at Dien Bien Phu in north-west Vietnam, the site of a major battle between the French and the Vietminh in 1954. Ernst Haas/Getty Images France Steps Out, U.S. Steps In In 1954, after suffering a decisive defeat at Dien Bien Phu, the French decided to pull out of Vietnam. At the Geneva Conference of 1954, a number of nations met to determine how the French could peacefully withdraw. The agreement that came out of the conference (called the Geneva Accords) stipulated a cease-fire for the peaceful withdrawal of French forces and the temporary division of Vietnam along the 17th parallel (which split the country into communist North Vietnam and non-communist South Vietnam). In addition, a general democratic election was to be held in 1956 that would reunite the country under one government. The United States refused to agree to the election, fearing the communists might win. With help from the United States, South Vietnam carried out the election only in South Vietnam rather than countrywide. After eliminating most of his rivals, Ngo Dinh Diem was elected. His leadership, however, proved so horrible that he was killed in 1963 during a coup supported by the United States. Since Diem had alienated many South Vietnamese during his tenure, communist sympathizers in South Vietnam established the National Liberation Front (NLF), also known as the Viet Cong, in 1960 to use guerrilla warfare against the South Vietnamese. First U.S. Ground Troops Sent to Vietnam As the fighting between the Viet Cong and the South Vietnamese continued, the U.S. continued to send additional advisers to South Vietnam. When the North Vietnamese fired directly upon two U.S. ships in international waters on August 2 and 4, 1964 (known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident), Congress responded with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. This resolution gave the president the authority to escalate U.S. involvement in Vietnam. President Lyndon Johnson used that authority to order the first U.S. ground troops to Vietnam in March 1965. President Johnson Announces Retaliation for Gulf of Tonkin Incident.   Historical/Getty Images Johnsons Plan for Success President Johnsons goal for U.S. involvement in Vietnam was not for the U.S. to win the war, but for U.S. troops to bolster South Vietnams defenses until South Vietnam could take over. By entering the Vietnam War without a goal to win, Johnson set the stage for future public and troop disappointment when the U.S. found themselves in a stalemate with the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong. From 1965 to 1969, the U.S. was involved in a limited war in Vietnam. Although there were aerial bombings of the North, President Johnson wanted the fighting to be limited to South Vietnam. By limiting the fighting parameters, the U.S. forces would not conduct a serious ground assault into the North to attack the communists directly nor would there be any strong effort to disrupt the Ho Chi Minh Trail (the Viet Congs supply path that ran through Laos and Cambodia). Life in the Jungle U.S. troops fought a jungle war, mostly against the well-supplied Viet Cong. The Viet Cong would attack in ambushes, set up booby traps, and escape through a complex network of underground tunnels. For U.S. forces, even just finding their enemy proved difficult. Since Viet Cong hid in the dense brush, U.S. forces would drop Agent Orange or napalm bombs, which cleared an area by causing the leaves to drop off or to burn away. In every village, U.S. troops had difficulty determining which, if any, villagers were the enemy since even women and children could build booby traps or help house and feed the Viet Cong. U.S. soldiers commonly became frustrated with the fighting conditions in Vietnam. Many suffered from low morale, became angry, and some used drugs. Troops Fighting during the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War. Bettmann/Getty Images Surprise Attack - The Tet Offensive On January 30, 1968, the North Vietnamese surprised both the U.S. forces and the South Vietnamese by orchestrating a coordinated assault with the Viet Cong to attack about a hundred South Vietnamese cities and towns. Although the U.S. forces and the South Vietnamese army were able to repel the assault known as the  Tet Offensive, this attack proved to Americans that the enemy was stronger and better organized than they had been led to believe. The  Tet Offensive  was a turning point in the war because President Johnson, faced now with an unhappy American public and bad news from his military leaders in Vietnam, decided to no longer escalate the war. Nixons Plan for Peace With Honor In 1969,  Richard Nixon  became the new U.S. president and he had his own plan to end U.S. involvement in Vietnam.   President Nixon  outlined a plan called Vietnamization, which was a process to remove U.S. troops from Vietnam while handing back the fighting to the South Vietnamese. The withdrawal of U.S. troops began in July 1969. To bring a faster end to hostilities, President Nixon also expanded the war into other countries, such as Laos and Cambodia- a move that created thousands of protests, especially on college campuses, back in America. To work toward peace, new peace talks began in Paris on January 25, 1969. When the U.S. had withdrawn most of its troops from Vietnam, the North Vietnamese staged another massive assault, called the  Easter Offensive  (also called the Spring Offensive), on March 30, 1972. North Vietnamese troops crossed over the demilitarized zone (DMZ) at the 17th parallel and invaded South Vietnam. The remaining U.S. forces and the South Vietnamese army fought back. Representatives from the four factions of the Vietnam War meet in Paris to sign a peace agreement. Bettmann/Getty Images The Paris Peace Accords On January 27, 1973, the peace talks in Paris finally succeeded in producing a cease-fire agreement. The last U.S. troops left Vietnam on March 29, 1973, knowing they were leaving a weak South Vietnam who would not be able to withstand another major communist North Vietnam attack. Reunification of Vietnam After the U.S. had withdrawn all its troops, the fighting continued in Vietnam. In early 1975, North Vietnam made another big push south which toppled the South Vietnamese government. South Vietnam officially surrendered to communist North Vietnam on April 30, 1975. On July 2, 1976, Vietnam was reunited as a  communist country, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Saturday, February 15, 2020

Psychosocial interventions and cognitive behavioural therapy. A Case Essay

Psychosocial interventions and cognitive behavioural therapy. A Case Study - Essay Example The death occurred several months ago and Rita has been unable to get past her grief. Rita was personable to all staff and she took the assessments easily. She was assessed to have complicated grief, depression and anxiety. There are several challenges for Rita that as clinicians we will attempt to sort out so that she can receive the medical assistance that she needs. Rita was diagnosed with complicated grief as one of the first "symptoms" of her health needs. There are several issues that come about because of complicated grief. Wagner, Knaevelsrud and Maercker found that when a significant person dies it can leave a spouse with a variety of emotions from a post-traumatic stress situation to increased passion and optimism. They also cite that there is a larger body of evidence that shows complicated grief as a disorder that should be seen as different than depression (Wagner, Knaevelsrud and Maercker 2007: 157). Langner and Maerker argue that complicated grief is a disorder that shows "as a combination of sustained intrusion, avoidance and maladjustment symptoms" (Langner and Maerker 2005 cited in Wagner et. al. 2007: 157). They also suggest that this disorder can be related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) because it usually is a reaction to having exposure to an event that was stressful. For Rita, the complicated grief is a result of her husbands death which was her traumatic event. His death was not expected when it happened and she was not prepared for it. She may have some responses that are similar to the PTSD symptoms but they do not seem to be the most prevalent in her diagnosis. As the psychiatric nurse part of the mental health team, it is important o notice that grief is always something that happens in life. Most people will have a healthy relationship with grief because they will go through anger ad other emotions naturally. Some may feel that the people who are attempting to help them have ulterior motives. The bereaved may also

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Free Movement Of Person in EU ( EU LAW ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Free Movement Of Person in EU ( EU LAW ) - Essay Example cle 45 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) deals with free movement of workers this freedom of movement and residence is also available to the nationals of third countries as envisaged by the Treaty establishing European Community. It is the fundamental right of any one who is legally present in a State to move within the State and the right of residence in that State is but a logical extension of right of movement. The issue sought to be reviewed in this paper is whether the current liberal trend of right of freedom of movement can be reversed in the near future. The EU law on free movement of persons and allied rights which had been scattered on the various treaty provisions, secondary legislations was only recently consolidated into one Act. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) had always felt that rules regarding the free movement of persons in the EU had been narrowly drafted giving no room for the increasing demands of the enlarging Union. The ECJ in its judicial activism reflecting the EU’s objective of ensuring full mobility of persons has at times given decisions contradicting the treaty provisions. Originally, the ECJ had been concentrating on the narrow area of right of workers in regard to freedom of movement. After the introduction citizenship rights in the Union, the court is broadening its approach in safeguarding the rights of free movement of citizens thus resulting in land mark decisions relating to students’ rights, job-seekers and non-union family members. This culminated into the promulgation of Community dir ective 2004/381 which incorporated some of the important decisions of the ECJ in this area. To predict the trend of continuation of these rights, historical background and legal framework in this regards have to be reviewed. Article 2 of the EC envisages that the community should promote economic activities, a high level of employment and social protection, enhancing the standard of living and quality of

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Robb Whites Deathwatch Essays -- Deathwatch Robb White Essays

Robb White's Deathwatch Imagine you've been hired to be a hunting guide in the desert when you?re the guy that is being hunted. Your customer accidentally shot an old prospector whom nobody knows and doesn?t want to go to jail for it. So he makes you take off all your clothes and tells you to try to walk to town, which happens to be 60 miles from where you are. With no food and no water you are forced to walk or do what you need to do, to try to stay alive. So you wander in the desert mountains trying to find water while being watched through a ten-power scope of a .358 caliber Winchester Magnum. Well, that is what Ben had to face when Madec hired him to be a hunting guide in Deathwatch, by Robb White. It all started out when Madec hired Ben because of his field in working in the desert. When Madec saw a white figure through his ten-power scope on his .358 caliber Winchester Magnum, he fired saying he saw horns on it. When they walked up there, Madec confessed that he did not see horns on the animal, and requested to go on hunting and not waste time finding it and bringing it to the jeep. But Ben insisted on either bringing it in to the jeep or to burry it in the desert sand. But Madec had known what he had done, and kept persisting to go on and not waste time because it is a once in a lifetime chance to go hunting for bighorn sheep, and he didn?t want to go home empty handed. So when they got to the body of the sheep, Ben discovered that it was a human. The .358 caliber Winchester Magnum bullet had done fearful damage, blasting the man?s lungs out through his back. Madec was mad that Ben had found out what had happened, and said they should burry the man and never talk about him a gain. But, good ol? honest Ben wasn?t about to make a mistake; he wanted to report the accident to the sheriff. So he went down to go get the jeep, and on his way back up, he heard 2 gunshots. When he got up there, he asked what Madec was doing with the gun and Madec said he was seeing how it was shot. Then Madec went on to the body, and said that the man had been shot before, twice. Madec had tried to cover up his mistake. Then, Madec got mad and said that he didn?t want to go to town to report an accident because he might go to jail. Then he held the gun up to Ben, and told him to take all his clothes off and walk to town. So Ben took off, not knowing what to do. He... ...ngle time, until Madec stopped going for the .358. Then, Ben tied Madec up, and put him in the jeep. He then salvaged the stuff for the car and headed for town. Once in town, he headed directly to the Sheriff?s Office. When he got there he told the sheriff what happened, then they both, Ben and Madec went to the doctor. When they were in the doctor?s office, the doctor examined them both. When Ben went back to the sheriff?s, Madec went to the hospital, the sheriff arrested Ben. Ben told the truth about what happened, but they couldn?t understand what Madec did. They believed what Madec had said. When the trial came along, things were looking badly for Ben. Until the doctor stepped out. The doctor had found Ben?s slingshot, and said that he examined the dead guy, and found that the .358 bullet killed him. Ben was no longer arrested. They took him back to the sheriff?s office, where Ben didn?t report a crime of murder or aggravated assault, he reported an accident. If you really enjoy a fast paced, action packed book with a crazy maniac as the bad guy; if you like to read books about survival in the desert; if you love action books with a touch of death, you?ll love Deathwatch.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Cal by Bernard Mac Laverty †Critical Evaluation Essay

â€Å"Cal† is a romantic-tragedy novel written by the Irish author, Bernard Mac Laverty. It is a fiction story about a young man living in Northern Ireland during the troubles of the 1970s. The writer conveys a number of significant themes through skilful writing and the novel’s plot, such as guilt, hypocrisy and bigotry. In this essay, I will be focusing on the themes of the story, the purpose of why the novel was written and the author’s use of imagery to enhance his writing. The events of this story take place in Northern Ireland in the 1970’s. During the period of time in which this story is set in, Northern Ireland was going through what we would now refer to as being â€Å"The Troubles†. This was a period of conflict involving republican and loyalist paramilitary organisations and included conflicts and violence. â€Å"Cal† is about a young adult named Cal who is living in Northeren Ireland at this time. He is a Catholic living in a Protestant area with his father, Shamie. This leads to him being the victom of many bigotry driven attacks, such as his house being burnt down and to him being insulted on his own street. He starts to fall in love with a woman named Marcella, which, from the very beginning, is a doomed relationship. This is because a year earlier Cal was reluctantly involved in the murder of a Protestant policeman, who was, in fact, Marcella’s husband. Cal becomes closer and closer to Marcella as the novel goes on, and you find out more about the murder as the plot develops. He then lands himself a job at Mrs. Mortons farm, the mother of Marcella’s husband, Robert. This brings him even closer to Marcella and they start to have a relationship with each other. This relationship becomes even more intense when Cal is offered to stay in Mrs. Morton’s outhouse (as his house had been burnt down). He is then arrested at the end of the novel, for the murder of Robert. The ending of the story was very skilfully done. Near the end of the story, Mac Laverty builds up massive tension through certain events in the plot. It is then all concluded in a small, yet effective, paragraph. It tells us enough information to feel satifsfied, yet wanting to know more. It leaves key questions in the reader’s mind such as whether he deserved it or not and what will be his fate. I believe that the plot is a very important aspect of the story as it develops the mood and atmosphere and it is the events which take place which allow the themes to be conveyed. All the characters in â€Å"Cal† have complicated lifes. Most of them have good and bad sides and are all affected in different ways by the troubles. Cal is nineteen years old. He lives with his father and he is a Catholic. He is caught up with the IRA (Irish Republican Party) and takes part in a number of crimes which he does not want to be part of. After he joined, he had to do what they asked, such as when Cal thinks of the things the IRA do: â€Å"They shoot deserters – even deserters who protested that they had never joined in the first place.† This quotation shows that Cal is scared of Crilly and Skeffington (members of the IRA) and that he is in danger. It also shows that Cal never wanted to take part in the violence – making it sound stupid that they would shoot him. This whole section shows that Cal is vunerable. The writer makes out that Robert is a hard working loving man throughout the story. For example, when Marcella is telling Cal about her husband: â€Å"He was so plausible – one of those people that everybody likes in company.† This quote shows that Robert was popular and was a worthy man, and there is also evidence showing that â€Å"he was witty and intelligent†. However, we later find out that he was not all what he was meant to have been, as Marcella confesses to Cal: â€Å"He told lies, Cal. All the time. About his affairs I know he had two or three at least – about his drinking and the money he spent† This is an example of how the characters have both good and bad characteristics. Despite this, Marcella still loved him and was distraught when he was murdered. This also makes the characters more realistic, which lets the reader relate to the different characters in â€Å"Cal†. It also creates the question of ‘who was too blame for The Troubles’ which relates to the theme and purpose of the novel, which I will be discussing later in this essay. All of the characters are affected by the troubles as well, as most of their problems are due to that situation. For example, if it was not for the troubles, then Cal would not have been involved with the IRA and Robert wouldn’t have been murdered, taking problems out of all of the characters lives. All of the characters’ features reflect the themes, such as Cal’s characteristic of being vunerable, leading to his self loathing and guilt. There are many themes in the novel ‘Cal’. One of these themes that I will be focusing on is the theme of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy means the pretence of possessing virtues, beliefs or qualities that one does not really have, especially in matters of religion or morality. One way in which the author displays this theme is via specific characters, such as Crilly. Crilly is part of a gang who are fighting for independence from Great Britain. For example, when Skeffington is talking about Crilly: â€Å"There are not many aspects of our culture which interests Mr Crilly. But he’s a useful man.† This quote shows that Crilly does not care about Irish independence and culture but is only in the gang as he likes the thrill of violence. It also shows that the IRA are not offended about his beliefs – but just want him to help with their struggle. This shows them being hypocritical as they kill people who do not believe or reject their views, but someone who does not care about Irish independence can help with the violence. Another way in which hypocrisy is showing is through thoughts of characters and their dialogue. This is taking from a part where Dunlop (Cal’s Protestant employer) is talking to Cal about the situation in Northern Ireland: â€Å"Would you do the same to the Loyalist prisoners every time a Catholic was murdered?† Dunlop thinks that for any Protestant policeman who is murdered by a Catholic, two Catholics should be shot. This quotes shows that Dunlop is a hypocrite as he would shoot two Catholics every time a Protestant policeman was murdered but not if it was the other way around. This also shows that Dunlop is a bigot, which ties in with my next theme, bigotry. A bigot is a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to their own religion, or opinion. Bigotry is the main cause of fear and violence in the story. One night, Cal and his father receive a note stating: â€Å"GET OUT YOU FENYAN SCUM OR WE’LL BURN YOU OUT. THIS IS YOUR 2ND WARNING, THERE WILL BE NO OTHER UVF† This clearly diplays pure bigotry. Cal and his father are being threatened to leave their home of many years, just because of their religion. This quote also shows how ignorant the UVF are, as they have spelt â€Å"fenyan† wrongly. This leads to Cal and his father being fearful, for example: â€Å"†¦Shamie was putting the gun beneath his pillow and climbing into bed† This shows that Cal’s father has to keep a weapon underneath his pillow as there is a constant threat of violence. Another theme which has been cleverly developed is the theme of guilt. Cal feels guilty about his involvement in the killing of Robert, which leads to his self-loathing. At the start of the novel, the writer makes this very obvious: â€Å"Merde. Crotte de chein. Merderer.† Cal hates himself so much, that he makes up words to describe himself. The word â€Å"merderer† has a possible two meanings; it shows that he is guilty and secondly it shows his self loathing. As he becomes more and more involved with Marcella, his guilt increases: â€Å"Now that he felt safe from the world outside he was being attacked from within his own head† This quote is taken from the section where he is living and working with Marcella. It shows that guilt is eating him up and is destroying him and his life. The author also uses writing techniques to convey the theme of guilt: â€Å"It was as if idleness had allowed dirt to accumulate on his [Cal] soul, to clog his mind, and work moved him through it untouched† Mac Laverty uses this metaphor to show how Cal was brooding over Morton’s death and his involvement. It also shows that he thinks that he deserves to go to hell for what he has done. When Marcella tells Cal about what Robert was really like, it complicates his guilt as he now knows that Robert sometimes brought misery to Marcella, and maybe it was good that Robert was murdered. All of these themes show the writer’s purpose in writing. He shows bad and good sides to both Protestant and Catholic organisations, leading to us to wonder which is the good side in the novel. The story also shows us how difficult and violent Northern Ireland was at that time in history, and how deeply everybody was affected. To an extent, the way the author writes also shows aspects of him being a bit ashamed of his country, due to the negative details and feelings he writes about. Mac Laverty uses a range of techniques to create the mood and atmosphere in the novel. One of these techniques, is his use of imagery. The story starts with this mood with the author describing the scenes taking place in an abattoir: â€Å"It was immediately winched up by one of the hind shanks and its throat cut† The author uses a lot of violence and blood imagery at the start of the novel to set the tone of the book. Other evidence which shows this use of evidence is that there are a lot of deaths and murders mentioned in the novel. An example of this is when Cal and his father are watching the news and the author describes the events that had happened, which were mainly murders and violence, in a way which seemed to be normal. Death permeates the novel as does religion. There are often references to the Bible and to religious symbols throughout the novel. Symbolism is another technique that Mac Laverty uses. There is also symbolism to certain fairytales, such as when Marcella is talking to Cal about her daughter, Lucy: â€Å"Lucy’s favourite story at the minute is Repunzel† This is significant as Marcella feels like she is trapped because she tries to do the right thing. The plot has been structured in a sophisticated way. The story has two climaxes: one in the middle and the other at the end. The first one occurs when the writer tells you about the death of Robert. This is significant as there is a huge tension built up before you find out. The author does this via short clues which are spread out throughout the novel and short sentences. The second climax is done in a similar way, but the paragraph in which it concludes, is quick and snappy and tells of only the most significant point, which is Cal being arrested. The dialogue of the novel is very realistic. The author does this by using Irish forms of slang, such as ‘da’ instead of dad, and explicit language. The writer also uses great techniques to enhance his writing: â€Å"His sin clawed at him, demanding attention† The writer personifies the idea of the sin, describing the feeling of it clawing, to give the idea of Cal’s guilt and how is is destroying him and is eating him up. The verb ‘clawing’ is associated with violence and adds to the imagery that the author uses to enhance his novel and to create the atmosphere. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Cal’. It made me realise how lives can be ruined due to situations which do not even involve them. The themes of the novel also made me more aware about some people’s views and how they can sometimes be full of violence and hatred. It showed me what life was like in Ireland in those days and how we have to try to avoid anything so destructive from happening again.